Excerpt
Chapter 1 Grasping the Darkness

Her breathing was shallow. She crouched in the darkness in the corner of the closet. The clothes and blankets she had pulled over her body to conceal herself were small comfort to her now. Something was moving inside her bedroom - something dark and sinister with glowing red eyes. She could hear it moving about.

Suddenly a flash of lightning flickered at the bottom of the closed closet door. A moment passed before the thunder rumbled. The sounds of the storm were more pronounced now that the creature had opened the bedroom window.

Suddenly the sound of something falling to the floor startled her. She held her breath and listened. There were more sounds, the sounds of small items being pushed about on the dresser perhaps. Something else fell to the floor. She took a very deliberate, slow, deep breath and listened. It was moving near the closet door. She could see the shadow of the creature as it came near. She could hear the sniffing sounds under the door as it tried to gain her scent. The creature gave out a soft but strange sound almost like a growl as if it were saying, “I found you. I know where you are.” She gulped and tightened her fists. The door moved in against the jam. The creature was pressing its weight against the closet door now. The sound of claws against wood could be heard clearly inside the closet.

If only she could find a weapon. Something, anything at all that she might use to defend herself. Slowly and quietly she reached into the corners of the closet feeling in the darkness for something she might use. Finally her hands found a wooden shaft. “What is it?” she thought as she ran her hand down the shaft. “A broom! It’s not a ball bat but it’s better than nothing, I guess.”

The door handle jiggled. This door had no lock on it. The creature had evidently figured out the door handle was the key to opening the door. It was just a matter of time before it learned to turn the handle and pull. If only she could jam the broom handle against the inside door knob and prevent the door from opening.

Again the sound of the doorknob moving came loud and clear. She took another deep breath then grasped the broom handle with both hands. The creature made more strange sounds almost as if it were talking to the door or perhaps to her. She wasn’t sure. These were not sounds any normal animal might make. They were unearthly strange sounds like the creature was trying to articulate some message. She wanted to scream out in terror but was afraid it might only alarm the beast and cause it to attack her quicker. She could always scream if the beast managed to open the door.

“What was that?” she thought to herself. It almost sounded like it said, “Open the door.” She gasped. Her breathing went shallow again. The sound of claws digging into the wood from the other side sent chills up and down her spine. Again the creature made vocal sounds. “It sounded like it said ‘come out of there,’” she mumbled. Again she took a few quick short breaths and renewed her grip on the broom handle.

Again the door handle made sounds but this time the knob turned causing a clicking sound to be heard. She held her breath expecting the door to fly open at any moment. As she listened the doorknob returned to its center position. Evidently the creature was leaning against the door when it had turned the knob preventing the door from opening. Again she gulped and gave a short sigh of relief while catching her breath. What had only been about ten minutes hiding in the closet from the creature seemed like hours. “Why doesn’t it just leave me alone? What does it want with me?” she thought desperately. “What the heck is that thing anyway?” Thoughts raced through her mind.

She listened but the sounds had stopped. She looked and could still see the faint shadow of the beast under the edge of the door. Another flash of lightning revealed the shadow of the beast clearly as the thunder rolled. It was studying the door trying to understand how to open it. It began to make a soft chirping sound accompanied by a clicking sound.

The bottom of the door moved inward. She watched the bottom of the door where the sounds were coming from. Dark inhuman fingers with claws emerged under the door pulling at the bottom of the door as if to pull it open. The creature had evidently decided the door must open outward. Now if only it could associate turning the doorknob at the same time!

The boards in the door cracked as the creature pulled outward on the door. Perhaps it would break the door from the hinges. In a fit of panic, she tried to position the broom handle so that she might smack the creature’s fingers and force it to let go of the door but the broom was too long and the distance to the bottom of the door made it impossible to strike with the broom handle. If only she had something sharp. If only she had a shoe or something to whack it with!

Suddenly, she was startled by the creature quickly jerking the door back and forth. She gasped then jumped up and grabbed the doorknob to hold it fast. She could hear the creature breathing on the opposite side of the door. It could feel her holding the doorknob. It now understood the combination to open the door. It knew and she knew that it had solved the puzzle. Slowly it began turning the doorknob against her resistance. She took a deep breath and held on with all of her might but her strength was no match for the creature. She gasped in despair as she felt the latch release from the door.

“No! No! No!” she said softly as she tried to hold the door closed with the creature pulling on it from the outside. Little by little the door opened despite all she could do to prevent it. “You can’t have me!” she screamed.