Spoilers for Emmerdale: Tom King is viciously attacked in scenes of horrifying horror

When Tom King returned to Emmerdale earlier this year, there was a lot of anticipation. After making Chas Dingle’s life miserable due to the passing of his father Carl (Tom Lister), the character left the program in 2013. Would he believe he had unfinished business? Would the village welcome him back?

After spending several years in Saudi Arabia, Tom King came back a very different guy. He was portrayed by a different actor, James Chase, who replaced Mark Flanagan in the part. Despite performing unauthorized surgery on Zak Dingle’s dog Monty earlier, he was now a licensed veterinarian and soon joined Rhona (Zoe Henry) and Paddy (Dominic Brunt) in the village.

Eventually, he found peace with the rest of his family, including his uncle Jimmy King (Nick Miles), and resumed his romance with Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper). He appears to have integrated well into the community and has actually played a much bigger supporting role than we had anticipated when he returned to the program.

That will change in upcoming episodes when Tom is attacked and finds himself at the center of a terrifying incident.

When Tom mentions that he’s contemplating leaving the village, Belle begins to worry that their relationship isn’t as stable as she had imagined.

When she discovers that Tom and Dawn, another employee at the veterinary clinic played by Olivia Bromley, get along well, she becomes even more concerned. When Tom offers to drive Dawn in his posh new car, Belle is appalled.

Dawn notes that Belle seems a little upset and, in an effort to diffuse the situation, she extends an invitation to Belle, Tom, and Billy for a joint date. It’s a wonderful idea, but it completely fails because Belle is tense and protective, and it doesn’t take her long to start coming up with reasons to leave.

Tom is pursuing her when he receives a call about an ill animal in need of his professional care. He quickly gathers his vet bag and makes his way to the automobile—the same posh new car he had earlier been so pleased to drive.

And another person has seen this dazzling car. A hoodlum approaches Tom and demands the car’s keys. He tries to hold his ground, but a second attacker arrives and strikes him viciously in the head. The males kick Tom as he hits the ground while grabbing the automobile keys to take the vehicle.

When Belle returns, she finds Tom severely injured on the ground. How will he fare?