The Dread of Night (audio story)

 was the fourth story in the audio anthology The Seventh Doctor: The New Adventures: Volume One. It was written by Tim Foley and featured Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, Yasmin Bannerman as Roz Forrester and Travis Oliver as Chris Cwej.

Publisher's summary
When a grieving household offers the TARDIS travellers shelter from the weather, the Doctor, Chris and Roz find themselves exposed to even less hospitable conditions. A sinister presence stalks the house, plaguing its inhabitants... and only the truth can free them.

Plot
On a rainy night in Northumberland in 1899, Isabel Price finds her sister Annabel with the windows open and closes them before Nurse Hooley puts her back to bed, but Annabel hears laughter and the windows open again. Isabel expresses concern about the medicine that Nurse Hooley has been giving Annabel for her insomnia since their mother's death, but Nurse Hooley insists that, if anything, she needs a stronger dose to keep her from writing notes saying "you don't belong here".

The Doctor, Roz and Chris arrive in the rain, the TARDIS having been drawn off-course once again. They head to the Prices' house two miles away and knock on the door, but the Doctor slips away before Isabel answers and invites Roz and Chris in to dry by the fire. Nurse Hooley, although deeming it unwise to invite strangers inside, provides Roz and Chris with clothes and tells the housekeeper, Mrs Willis, that she will have to make more food.

The Doctor comes in through the back door and meets Mrs Willis, presenting her with a book of Annabel's childish drawings which he found outside. She tells him that Annabel likely threw it outside during one of her "moments" and expresses her dislike of Nurse Hooley, whose arrival shortly before the mistress's death coincided with the majority of the staff leaving without explanation. Since the mistress died, Mrs Willis has heard what sounds like something roaming around the house at night.

Chris is getting changed when he and Nurse Hooley hear Annabel start screaming. Nurse Hooley gives her her medicine and Annabel hisses at Chris before telling them that something is walking amongst them and shouting out "Sandy".

Roz and Isabel hear noises in the supposedly locked nursery and investigate, finding the rocking horse moving by itself and something banging in the cupboard. Roz opens it and finds the Doctor inside, looking at Annabel's toys and noticing marks in the dust and blistering on the surface of a music box. Isabel explains that Annabel has tried to destroy her toys in the past. They find that the toy tea set is inexplicably warm.

Mrs Willis hears giggling and assumes that it is Annabel. She is wrong and screams when she sees what is actually making the noise. Chris and Nurse Hooley hear her and find her corpse lying on her back with her apron shredded, looking like she has died of fright. Isabel arrives with Roz and tells Chris that Sandy could not possibly be responsible, showing them Annabel's book and explaining that Sandy is Annabel's monstrous imaginary friend. Given that everybody has an alibi, Roz tells Isabel to find the Doctor whilst she and the others sweep the house for anything suspicious.

The Doctor tries to get Annabel to sleep without success and tells Nurse Hooley that something has piggybacked its way on her pain in the wake of her mother's death. Later, Nurse Hooley lies to Isabel, saying that she has not met the Doctor, and locks Annabel's door before going to fetch more medicine. Isabel returns to the room later on and finds the lock broken and Annabel missing.

Chris sees Sandy stood in the room with Roz and tells her not to move. It moves slowly behind her and sniffs the dress that she is wearing, a dress belonging to Annabel. She turns around and, when she sees nothing, she chases after it and sees Nurse Hooley in the cellar with her "medicines": bottles of chloroform. The walls are covered in drawings of Sandy, but Roz realises that one of them is not a drawing. It attacks Nurse Hooley and goes outside through a hatch. Roz and Chris follow it to the stable and find the corpses of the missing members of staff. They follow it back into the house and learn from Nurse Hooley that Isabel wormed her way into everybody's memories.

Isabel finds the Doctor and Annabel in the nursery. The Doctor has seen the family portraits in the attic and has confirmed his theory that Annabel has no older sister; Isabel is her imaginary friend, using Annabel's grief and draining her strength to survive. She remembers what she truly is and chases the Doctor when he tells her about the grief that he has experienced in his long life, but is weakened when Roz gives Annabel an increased dose of Nurse Hooley's chloroform. The Doctor tells Isabel that Sandy is loyal to Annabel, having killed the staff for bending to her will; it attacks her and causes a psychic explosion, but the Doctor gets away with Chris.

Annabel is finally able to sleep peacefully. Roz and Chris say goodbye to Nurse Hooley and return to the Doctor, who has Annabel's book and intends to put it in the TARDIS library. They head back to the ship, not hearing Sandy's giggle.

Cast

 * The Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
 * Roz Forrester - Yasmin Bannerman
 * Chris Cwej - Travis Oliver
 * Nurse Hooley - Melanie Kilburn
 * Isabel - Rhian Blundell
 * Annabel - Elaine Fellows
 * Willis - Ellie Darvill
 * Sandy - herself

Continuity

 * When Roz is asked if she has a sister, she responds by saying “it’s been a long time”. (PROSE: So Vile a Sin)