Behind the Door.

Behind the Door.

By Kay Louise Hale.

It was just an ordinary Monday night.  I was sat alone watching TV, some mild comedy about young lovers from opposite ends of the country.  It was approaching midnight and I was starting to drift off to sleep, when there came a light, knock, knock, knock on the door.  At first I thought I had imagined it, but then it came again.  I was not in the mood for receiving guests, and peered out of the window to see who it might be.  There was nobody there.  The whole street was empty.

            Feeling exhausted I turned off the TV and went to bed.  No sooner had I closed my eyes, than the knock, knock, knock came again.  I was so not in the mood for this.  I opened the door to have a look.  Still, there was nobody there.  I called out, but nobody answered.  A light mist was forming, and it was cold.  The thermometer by the door was reading two degrees.  I shivered and went back to bed.

            At one am the knocking came again, louder.  I was not finding this funny anymore, and I picked up the telephone to call the police.  The line was dead, maybe the power was off.  I hunted around for my mobile but it had no signal.  I was alone, unable to call for help and there was some crazy person knocking on my door.  My body shivered from the cold, and just a little bit of fear, as I stood peering out of the window.  The fog had grown thicker, and the temperature was now down to minus five.  I looked in the direction of the front door, and I could clearly see that the porch was empty but the knocking came again.

            I walked slowly towards the door, and bent down to peer through the letter box.  I tried to push it, but it would not open.  I hit it as hard as I could but it was frozen shut.  There was ice forming in the cracks of the door, and it was too cold to touch.  I stood up on my toes to get a look through the spy hole.  Whoever was out there, they were not going to hide from me.  I looked out, and I froze in horror, as I caught sight of the burning red eyes that were staring back at me.

            An immense feeling of dread swept through my body, as the knocking came again.  This time it was even louder.  The door shook, and tiny icicles dropped over the floor.  I looked again but the eyes had not moved.  Whatever was out there, it was not human.  I started to cry as the pounding grew more consistent.  The creature, whatever it was, wanted me to let it in.

            I have never been particularly religious, but I dropped to my knees and prayed.  I held my hands firmly over my ears, and I recited The Lord’s Prayer over and over again.  I had never asked for God’s help before, but boy did I need it now.  The words of the prayer seemed to be angering whatever it was, and the house began to shake, from the intensity of its insistent pounding.

            My eyes flew open and I knew what I had to do.  I’ve seen the exorcist, and I think I know how this works.  You just have to show it that you’re not afraid.  I jumped to my feet, and shouted as loud as I could:

“Our Father in Heaven,”  crash, crash, crash on the door,

“Hallowed be Your name.”

            The Thing let out a piercing scream, shattering all the windows.  I picked myself up, covered in splinters of glass.  With blood running down my face, I threw my arms up in the air and began again.

“Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.”  Let Him hear me now, and take this thing away from my door.

            I stood frozen from fear as the door suddenly burst open.  Those red eyes were staring at me through the fog, but The Thing did not move.  My words escaped me as I dropped to my knees, and was ready to receive my fate.  The cold fog began to fill the room, and I waited for it to come.

            I could feel the cold, dampness of the fog on my skin, but I was afraid to look up.  I did not want to see.  The Creature was growing nearer.  An icy cold hand touched the back of my neck, and I could feel it resting on the top of my spine, reaching out to touch my very soul.  I whispered my prayers, begging The Lord for forgiveness, and deliverance from this evil.  The Devil had me in his hands, and now I was ready for His final test.

            Climbing to my feet, I came face to face with it.  It just looked like a shadow with eyes, and I started to wonder what I had been afraid of.  I saw it for what it was, nothing more than a malicious spirit, unable of actual physical harm.  Its eyes were trying to pierce into my soul, but I would not let it in.  The only weapon It had against me, were my deepest, darkest thoughts,  but I would not let It have them.  My courage had returned, and I did not falter.  I stared down those fiery eyes, and showed It that I was no longer afraid.

            It tried its best to break my spirit.  The furniture began circling around the room.  It moved faster and faster, growing closer until I could feel it brushing against my skin.  The creature let out a high pitch scream, that went higher and higher, until my ear drums were ready to explode.  Still I was not afraid.  I was not going to let It win, and soon I could feel its strength start to weaken.  Chairs and tables suddenly crashed to the floor, and the fog began to lift.  I waited until the shadow had disappeared into the night, and then feeling exhausted, I fell to the ground, as the door slammed shut.