Part 61

Rather than freeze in panic, Frank's reacted to the attack an explosion of quick motion. For an instant he seemed to be moving three different directions at once, throwing himself backwards while both spinning and dropping to the ground.

Monstrous teeth snapped together with a CRACK in the space Frank had occupied less than a second before. The mouth followed him, snapping twice in rapid succession and barely missing Frank both times. By then, Frank crouched on the stone in the center of the small alcove, staring intently at the thing while, behind him, Maurice shrieked like a siren.

The creature retreated, pulling its jaws back through the opening-

-then thrust again. The thing's head was barely large enough to pass the threshold, but the jagged antlers hooked onto the edge and halted the beast's attack. Snarling, the beast bit and snapped at empty air while, on the other side of the door, legs like massive gray tree trunks propelled it forward.

Frank stared at his own reflection in the beast's eyes. He didn't move.

"It's caught," he said. "It can't get through!"

Almost as if attempting to prove him wrong, the beast retreated once more, then launched itself at the doorway. Antlers cracked against stone, but the wall didn't so much as shudder. Neither did the door. The iron slab remained immobile.

"H-how long you think that wall's gonna hold?" Maurice said as he crept up behind Frank.

"No telling. We gotta close it."

The creature slammed into the doorway once again, this time lowering its antlers. There was a loud CRACK, but the chips that fell away did not look like stone.

"Yeah..." said Maurice "...yeah. You go on up there and close it up real good. I'll watch."

The creature eyed them both for a moment, then threw itself mouth-first into the doorway... a repeat of its first assault. Nothing moved except the teeth carving at the air in front of the open door.

It moved back again, lowering its head in preparation for a charge-

-then it slowly faded away... becoming a faint outline of itself. The outline remained as long as Frank kept his eyes fixed on it. But when he blinked, it vanished.

"Gone," said Maurice.

"What are you, stupid? It's still there."

"Yeah. Waiting on somebody to walk through that door."

"Good thing nobody's alive on the other side, right?"

Frank flashed an accusing glance at Maurice, who failed to see it at all. His eyes remained fixed on the iron door.

"We gotta close it."

Frank straightened and took a step toward the door. Then he waited.

Nothing.

He took another step.

Nothing moved on the other side of the door. There was no sign that the creature was still there... but no sign that it had left, either.

"Uh-huh," Frank said to himself. He moved to the side, approaching the iron door... then moved away from it. He waited.

"What-"

"Over there." Frank pointed to the wall.

"What's over there."

"You."

"I don't-"

"If its watching, then I got its full attention. You can sneak along the wall until you get to the door, then push it closed as fast as you can."

Maurice considered for a moment, then backed away from Frank... all the way the wall. He followed the wall around until the door was within reach.

"Don't make a sound," said Frank. "Just do it."

Maurice placed his hands on the iron slab and pushed. It moved... slowly.

There was no reaction from the other side. Frank squinted, trying to make out any kind of shape in the dust...

The door moved faster. The opening narrowed.

"It should have reacted by now," said Frank.

...but there were no shapes. No signs or prints or disturbances in the dust. Nothing at all... except-

"...wait...."

Maurice pushed harder.

"I said wait! I see something!"

"Fuck that, it's almost closed!"

"I see someBODY! Somebody's out there! Coming this way!"

"Well they're FUCKED! THIS door is closed!"

"IT'S JONES!" Frank leapt at Maurice, but Maurice shoved with all his strength, throwing the door shut and stumbling out of Frank's path in one motion.

Iron met stone with a resounding BOOM that echoed louder and longer than anything that could have been generated with Maurice's strength alone. Frank felt the air tighten around him, and he knew before he grabbed the door and pulled that it wasn't going to move. Shutting it was all it took. Now it was sealed.

Frank and Maurice glared at each other as the echo faded.

"It was Jones," Frank said, finally.

"That thing was still out there. Invisible. Remember? He wouldn't have made it past."

"You didn't see his face," said Frank. "...or what he was carrying."