The One Who Knocks

I was lying on the couch, watching a movie, when someone knocked on the door.

Two soft knocks. Probably just someone delivering a package. Debating whether or not I wanted to get up, I decided to answer it with the incentive of grabbing a snack from the kitchen.

I kicked off my blanket and sat up, resisting the urge to stretch. I went over to the door and opened it slightly, peering out into the night. No one was there.

I glanced around, but nobody was within sight. I looked for any sign that anyone had been there, but there wasn’t one. No clear one anyways. There wasn’t even a package.

I closed the door.

After going into the kitchen to grab a box of cookies, I went back to the couch. I picked up my blanket and laid it down on the cushions. Then I plopped back down and picked up the remote, turning off the movie. I flipped through TV channels until I found one that looked promising. Then I leaned back and kicked my feet up on the coffee table.

No more than five minutes later, someone started knocking on the door again. The same two, soft knocks as before. Scowling, I got up and went over to the door. I peered through the peephole to try and catch whoever was out there. However, it was too dark to get a good look.

I gripped the door handle and quickly swung the door open. But like before, nobody was there. I looked out into the darkness and shivered as a waft of cool air blew over me. I closed the door.

I tried getting into a comfortable position on the couch again, but I just couldn’t. I had an uneasy feeling that I just couldn’t seem to shake. So I turned off the TV all together and looked at the time. It was only a quarter past ten, but I decided that I might as well go to bed early. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I jumped in bed and turned off the lights.

Minutes passed and just as I was starting to drift off to sleep, something caught my attention. I was suddenly on high alert. I sat up and waited. But I picked up nothing other than the sound of my breathing. Then I heard it. Two soft knocks coming from the front door.

I didn’t get up to answer it. Instead, I ignored it and tried going back to sleep. But not long afterward, there were two more knocks. This time they were a little louder.

I ignored them. And again, there were two knocks at the door. I shut my eyes and tried to block out the noise. But I nearly jumped out of my skin when the knocks turned into bangs. Then those bangs turned into pounds, until it sounded like someone was trying to literally kick down the door.

I jumped out of bed, considering calling the police. But as soon as I picked up the phone I kept next to my bed, I heard a very different sound than the one I’d been hearing. This time, it sounded like wood splintering followed by a loud crash.

I froze and slowly turned to look out into the hallway. All noises had completely stopped. For what seemed like the first time tonight, everything was silent.

I stepped out into the hallway and peered around the corner. The front door had been smashed in. The door frame was splintered and its pieces were scattered on the ground.

I swallowed. Something's in the house, I thought. Scuttling sounds echoed down the hallway. And it’s right behind me.

I turned around to see two red eyes peering out from the shadows.

From the darkness, it said in a scratchy voice, “Knock knock.”