[ Lockwood had noticed a couple of others in their group who had gone into the water and surfaced with what looked like shards of glass. Glass that was actually black mirror, and though Lockwood didn't have the whole story about what these mirrors meant, he understood their purpose.
At least here, and now.
Diving into the Thames had been just as much a cold assault on the senses, but at least the Thames hadn't been filled with bodies of the undead. For the most part, he focused on swimming away from the reaching hands that tried to grasp at his clothing and hair. Using his slim form and strong swimming skills, he twisted and slipped like an eel through the clumsy, animated corpses. His rapier was useless to him in the water but Lockwood had training beyond his rapier for those few who managed to get a hold of him.
But time was not on his side.
Whether a result of the cold water or something else, Lockwood recognized the feeling of malaise as it began to seep into his muscles and bone. Like ghost-lock, but in slow motion, his instincts screamed that he should not dawdle.
During one of his brief moments on the surface, he looked towards the piers, saw that the Doctor was moving to collect the children, but there seemed to be a wave of undead heading towards the small boat. Taking a deep breath, Lockwood dove beneath the water and headed towards the bottom. He'd seen the outline of bodies, laying still and peaceful on the loam floor, and more importantly he'd seen a flash of something that could be light off a reflective surface.
It was hard to ignore the grinning skulls, or worse the half decayed drooping features, of some of the undead who tried to move between him and his goal. Years of dealing with the dead served him in good stead as he didn't gasp, or startle hard enough to lose his breath as he twisted and swam past the corpses.
Kicking hard for the bottom, Lockwood honed in on the first flash of light of reflective surface. He grabbed for the shard, catching a bit of rotting cloth off the body to protect his hand from the glass. Not that he feared being cut, but given everything he's seen, why risk giving anything around here blood. Offering the body a silent apology, Lockwood kicked off its ribcage and shot towards the surface. ]
'...wood!'
[ He heard the Doctor's voice uttering what sounded like the last syllable of his name as he broke the surface and took a deep breath. The sound helped the younger man get turned around in the right direction. Taking a couple quick breaths, Lockwood raised the arm with the shard in his hand. ]
Got it!
[ He called out, and then peered through the dim light towards the pier. Oh. Errr. Okay. That seemed a little further away than he'd expected. Glancing around, he quickly confirmed that the water around him was peaceful; not rotten hands reaching for him any longer. But that still left him with what looked like an impossible distance to swim.
Gritting his teeth, Lockwood wouldn't ask for help. It just wasn't his way. Instead he settled on his side and began a painful looking side stroke through the water. He may not use the words, but his body language probably conveyed that someone had underestimated the effect of the dead infested waters on his mortal coil. ]
no subject
At least here, and now.
Diving into the Thames had been just as much a cold assault on the senses, but at least the Thames hadn't been filled with bodies of the undead. For the most part, he focused on swimming away from the reaching hands that tried to grasp at his clothing and hair. Using his slim form and strong swimming skills, he twisted and slipped like an eel through the clumsy, animated corpses. His rapier was useless to him in the water but Lockwood had training beyond his rapier for those few who managed to get a hold of him.
But time was not on his side.
Whether a result of the cold water or something else, Lockwood recognized the feeling of malaise as it began to seep into his muscles and bone. Like ghost-lock, but in slow motion, his instincts screamed that he should not dawdle.
During one of his brief moments on the surface, he looked towards the piers, saw that the Doctor was moving to collect the children, but there seemed to be a wave of undead heading towards the small boat. Taking a deep breath, Lockwood dove beneath the water and headed towards the bottom. He'd seen the outline of bodies, laying still and peaceful on the loam floor, and more importantly he'd seen a flash of something that could be light off a reflective surface.
It was hard to ignore the grinning skulls, or worse the half decayed drooping features, of some of the undead who tried to move between him and his goal. Years of dealing with the dead served him in good stead as he didn't gasp, or startle hard enough to lose his breath as he twisted and swam past the corpses.
Kicking hard for the bottom, Lockwood honed in on the first flash of light of reflective surface. He grabbed for the shard, catching a bit of rotting cloth off the body to protect his hand from the glass. Not that he feared being cut, but given everything he's seen, why risk giving anything around here blood. Offering the body a silent apology, Lockwood kicked off its ribcage and shot towards the surface. ]
'...wood!'
[ He heard the Doctor's voice uttering what sounded like the last syllable of his name as he broke the surface and took a deep breath. The sound helped the younger man get turned around in the right direction. Taking a couple quick breaths, Lockwood raised the arm with the shard in his hand. ]
Got it!
[ He called out, and then peered through the dim light towards the pier. Oh. Errr. Okay. That seemed a little further away than he'd expected. Glancing around, he quickly confirmed that the water around him was peaceful; not rotten hands reaching for him any longer. But that still left him with what looked like an impossible distance to swim.
Gritting his teeth, Lockwood wouldn't ask for help. It just wasn't his way. Instead he settled on his side and began a painful looking side stroke through the water. He may not use the words, but his body language probably conveyed that someone had underestimated the effect of the dead infested waters on his mortal coil. ]