Living Pinocchios: Part II: Rise Up

By M.J. Brinkley

Eleven years on and the horrors of Allison's encounter with the Doctor are becoming a distant memory, finally settling into a normal life with her son Aiden and Partner Jake, Allison's nightmares appear to be over.
That is until the Doctor revives and his revenge is focused on Aiden, thrusting Allison, Jake and a myterious secret council into a race to find the Anticquitta, the one thing that can defeat the Doctor and foil his plans, not only for the life of her son Aiden but that of the whole world.
Is time on Allison's side, will justice prevail or will the Doctor finally triumph.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Oct 12, 2025
• ISBN: 9781669892458

M.J. Brinkley

M.J.Brinkley writes twisted tales from the edge of dreams and nightmares, specialising in fantasy horror thrillers that dive deep into the human (and not-so-human) psyche. With years of experience working with young people who have experienced trauma, she brings raw emotion and real-world depth to even her darkest fictional worlds. A mother of two wonderfully neurodivergent kids, M.J. juggles parenting, plot twists, and the chaos of a household that includes three dogs, two snakes and one particularly judgemental jumping spider. She lives somewhere between reality and fairy tale, and Living Pinocchio's part II is her latest attempt to make sense of both.

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Copyright © 2025 by M.J. Brinkley.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 09/29/2025

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Contents

Chapter 1 The Return

Chapter 2 The Gang Back Together

Chapter 3 The Doctor

Chapter 4 Inferno

Chapter 5 The Escape

Chapter 6 The Hideout

Chapter 7 Poveglia, 1818

Chapter 8 The Protector

Chapter 9 Discovered

Chapter 10 At Sea

Chapter 11 The Ruins

Chapter 12 The Circus

Chapter 13 Love Blossoms

Chapter 14 The Dream

Chapter 15 The Discovery

Chapter 16 Pocket Watch

Chapter 17 The Old Man’s Cottage

Chapter 18 The Legacy

Chapter 19 The Mausoleum

Chapter 20 Tower of London

Chapter 21 The Casa Del Dolore

Chapter 22 The Final Piece

Chapter 23 The Anticquitta

Chapter 24 Goodbye, Dimitri

Chapter 25 Losing Her Mind

Chapter 26 The Drug

Chapter 27 The Almanac Book

Chapter 28 The Retrieval of the Book

Chapter 29 Communicating with Anaiya

Chapter 30 Infiltrated

Chapter 31 Return to London

Chapter 32 The Monument

Chapter 33 Expelled into the Throes of Time

Chapter 34 The Hysteria

Chapter 35 Jack

Chapter 36 The Gypsy

Chapter 37 The Retreat

Chapter 38 The Council of Protectors

Chapter 39 The Merging of the Realms

Chapter 40 The Mandragora

Chapter 41 The Antidote

Chapter 42 Diagorthsia

Chapter 43 Return of Dimitri

Chapter 44 Great Grand Annual Ball

Chapter 45 The End Is Nigh

Chapter 46 Fight between Darkness and Light

Chapter 47 The Downfall

Chapter 1

The Return

I t was the beginning of winter. The streets of London were glowing with the Christmas lights hanging above, lustrous, iridescent golds, silvers, whites, reds, greens, and blues. The streets were overcrowded with pedestrians, and traffic was congested. It was the week before Christmas, and the nights were coming on fast. At twilight, Jake was standing before the Somerset House in the heart of London. He was in awe, gazing at the largest Christmas tree he had ever seen, which stood before the white neoclassical building. In the distance, he saw his son, Aiden, ice-skating in the transformed courtyard with his mother, Allison.

Jake inhaled the cold, crisp air and slowly exhaled. He gazed over at Aiden and Allison and smiled.

Look, Dad. Look what I can do! said Aiden, gliding across the ice.

Jake was wearing a long black coat, a navy scarf, a black woollen V-neck jumper, navy jeans, and black shoes. His arms were open wide to embrace Aiden as the boy made a quick and unexpected dash towards him.

Aiden was now 11 years old, and his parents, Allison and Jake, were living on the outskirts of London a few doors down from Allison’s parents at No. 17 Warpleton Avenue. They were visiting Central London for the day for a family outing to London’s most famous local attractions and were now enjoying their last stop: Hyde Park Winter Wonderland Ice Rink.

Aiden was gazing up at the magnificent view. Hyde Park had been transformed into an enchanting place for the Christmas season. There were market stalls selling delicate, intricate ornaments made from crystal or else local food and beverages. The park was swarming with locals.

Allison, Jake, and Aiden managed to make their way into the heart of the park, where the locals were queuing to go on various fair rides like the Ferris wheel or to visit Santa’s grotto. The place was completely illuminated with a rich assortment of different lights. There were games in which both adults and children could compete. It was a magical time of year.

Aiden! yelled Allison. She thought for a moment; he may have wandered off with Jake to look at the rides or market stalls. As she turned, she came face to face with Jake, which caused her to realise that Aiden was not with his father. She began panicking.

Where’s Aiden? she asked Jake.

I thought he was with you, replied Jake.

They both frantically searched the grounds for Aiden, but there was no sign of him. There were too many people surrounding them, and the Christmas carols were playing so loudly that no one could hear them calling out his name.

This cannot be happening! cried Allison. Where could he have gone?

Jake and Allison were stricken with fear. A member of staff, a middle-aged woman with silver hair dressed in black, met up with Allison and Jake and took them to one side to get an idea of what had happened before Aiden’s disappearance. She called the police, who searched the premises for their son and asked people if they had seen him.

An hour passed, and there was still no sign of Aiden. The police suggested that Allison and Jake go home and wait for their phone call. Allison said to one of the police officers, I am not leaving without my son.

Jake pleaded with the police officer, Please allow us more time to look around one final time! Can’t you see my wife is distraught and that we won’t rest until our son is found?

The police officer nodded and allowed both Allison and Jake to search the premises. A scream was heard faintly in the distance. Allison, Jake, and the police rushed towards the heart of the park and saw a little boy pointing to the back of a market stall. There, lying on the ground, was Aiden. His skin was a pale white.

Can we get the paramedic team down here now? the policeman yelled.

As the paramedics approached Aiden, they realised that he was lethargic and in a comatose state. They loaded him into the ambulance and rushed him to the nearest hospital.

Upon arrival at the hospital, Aiden regained consciousness and began murmuring out loud to himself. Allison and Jake could only make out a few syllables. He was describing what he had seen in the passageway.

Yellow eyes and claws … They’re coming for me! Aiden said, drifting in and out of consciousness.

Allison and Jake knew that could mean only one thing—the Diablos were back.

What are we going to do? asked Allison, staring up at Jake. Jake just shook his head in response.

In that moment, Jake thought about contacting Anaiya and Jack, who were living in Venice. If the Diablos were officially back and targeting their son, they would need to bring in reinforcements, including their friends Sam and Josh, in case this was the work of the Doctor.

Jake’s eyes welled up with tears. He told Allison to stay at Aiden’s side and wait for him to return.

Where are you going? exclaimed Allison. I can’t lose you too.

You won’t, said Jake, kissing her forehead. I’ll be back before you know it.

Jake hurried off. He grasped hold of his mobile phone in his jeans pocket and dialled Sam and Josh to ask them to come and sit with Allison after he explained what had happened earlier that day.

glyph

Hey, Allison, said Sam, poking her head in through a gap in the door. Can Josh and I come in?

Sure, replied Allison, wiping tears from her eyes.

How’s Aiden? Sam asked.

He’s OK.

Jake rang and told us what happened. Do you think it’s happening again?

Allison nodded and began sobbing uncontrollably. It’s not fair! she said. Why won’t they leave us alone?

I don’t know, replied Sam.

Josh nudged Allison and Sam and gestured his head towards the bed.

Aiden, said Allison. She hurried over to his bedside and embraced him tightly, feeling relief now that she knew he was awake and well.

Where’s Dad? Aiden asked.

I don’t know. He said he will be back soon. Do you remember anything from last night? asked Allison.

I don’t remember much. All I know is, one minute I was in the dungeon area, and the next I was surrounded by intense heat from fiery flames. I saw two men chained to stakes that were embedded deep in the ground and surrounded by complete darkness. The men were heavily guarded by these weird, hunched skeletal creatures with deep, sunken yellow eyes and claws.

What did these men look like?

I couldn’t see beyond the smoke and flames, but I remember hearing the name Dimitri—I think.

Allison’s heart sank heavily in her chest; her worst fears were confirmed. It was still not over.

Are you OK, Mother? asked Aiden.

Yes, of course. She smiled. I’m just going to ring your father and tell him that you are awake. I will be back soon. She turned towards Sam. Can you look after him, Sam? I won’t be long.

Sure. Sam smiled.

Allison rang Jake twice before he answered his phone. Where are you? she asked.

I’m on my way back to the hospital as we speak. Is Aiden all right?

Yes, he is awake and asking for you. He vaguely remembers the other night. When I asked him what he saw, he described the Diablos. He remembers hearing the name Dimitri.

That’s impossible. How can that be? I thought we were rid of them for good.

I don’t know. I just know they are after our son, and we are no longer safe.

When Jake didn’t respond, Allison realised her phone was out of range. She kept saying hello, hoping that Jake would respond, but there was nothing but silence.

Feeling a tap on her shoulder whilst she was redialling Jake’s number, Allison turned swiftly to glance behind her and saw Jake, which caused her to smile. I’m so glad you’re here, she said.

I just spoke to Anaiya and Jack, he replied. They are on their way to us. I will pick them up from the airport tomorrow morning.

We will get through this. I promise.

Chapter 2

The Gang Back Together

T he next morning, Jake was waiting at Gatwick Airport for Anaiya and Jack to arrive. He was watching the planes arriving when, in the reflection of the window, he noticed a familiar figure, blurred by the torrential rain splashing against the glass and running down. He stared at the figure and realised when the image came into focus that it was the Doctor.

It can’t be, he whispered to himself.

Jake glanced around the room to see if he could spot the Doctor, but it was crowded with people queuing to board their flights or sitting and waiting for their flights to be called over the Tannoy. He stared down at his phone and looked at the time; he did not want to alarm anyone by sharing what he had seen, so he chose to ignore the call and not inform Allison or his friends.

Hey! Over here! a familiar voice called out from across the airport.

Jake saw Anaiya and Jack in the distance. They were waving their arms in the air to capture his attention. He smiled and nodded as he watched Anaiya and Jack weave through crowds of people to make their way towards him.

Are you OK? asked Anaiya. How is everyone?

We’re OK, Jake said, smiling.

On their way home, Jake, Anaiya, and Jack became stuck in a queue of traffic on the Tower Bridge. The sound of car horns polluted the air as people yelled through their car windows for the traffic to move. Storm clouds gathered with intensity, and then the rain poured heavily to the ground. The Tower Bridge was inundated with water, and the wind suddenly picked up speed. Jake could see from below the bridge across the River Thames that the water level was rising rapidly, with excess water creating an overflow. The wind brushed over the water, creating friction and producing a swell. Before anyone could escape, a huge wave towered over the people on the bridge.

What’s going on? said Anaiya, panicking.

I don’t know, replied Jake. He reached into his pocket for his phone, which was making a deafening noise like so many others on the bridge. The sound of the alarm echoed as every person on the bridge reached for their phone. The purpose of the alarm was to warn the public that there was severe weather and a risk of flooding as the storm swept through London. With text, it also advised that everyone should remain at home today.

As the heavens continued to pour water, a meteor shower began, with meteors streaking across the sky, which frightened Jake, Anaiya, and Jack. The people on the bridge quietened to a whisper, gazing up at the streaks across the sky that were glowing like tiny embers.

Behind them, in the distance, Jake could see black, thick, heavy, ominous clouds moving swiftly towards them on the bridge. As they gradually moved closer, he realised that they were not thickened black clouds at all. No, the sky was swarming with Diablos.

We need to get outta here! yelled Jake.

The mass of people on the bridge began sprinting off in both directions, in fear for their lives. As the Diablos caught up to them, they were swept off their feet. Each person fell to the ground, creating a domino effect.

Run! shouted Jack. He grasped Anaiya’s hand and pulled her behind him.

Jake, Anaiya, and Jack were trying to escape the Diablos as the creatures clawed at their heels, hoping they would stumble.

We need to find shelter, said Jake. They roamed the streets, which were now completely flooded with water. With the water level still rising, they needed to find somewhere fast, high above ground. In the distance, they heard screaming from men, women, and children as the London Eye collapsed into the river. Jake, Anaiya, and Jack watched from a distance, being pulled along by the strong current.

The Diablos were chasing innocent people along the streets. Jake looked and saw that each street within his field of vision was obstructed by the Diablos. Then there was a glimmer of light, and a figure in silhouette began walking towards them.

Could it be the Doctor? asked Anaiya.

Jake and Jack stared longingly at the figure in silhouette as it approached them. As it came closer and they could see it better, they could sense a malevolent force. They froze in horror. It was the Doctor. He was still alive.

He stood before them in a white jacket and suit trousers with a sinister smile upon his face. What have we here? he said, as he walked amongst Jake, Anaiya, and Jack, who were now frozen in time, observing them closely.

With a snap of his fingers, the Doctor released them from his control. The Diablos had them surrounded, so there