then . Even so , Ern loaded more buckshot into the gun and kept his muscles tensed .
Just because he could wait that long , didn ' t mean that the thing on the other side of the door could .
12
* * *
It was three in the morning . It had to be , at least . He ' d checked the clock in the kitchen , next to the pictures of Enid and himself , only to find that it had stopped . He ' d even wound it up again , but it refused to work . He ' d considered glancing out the window , just a peek , to see if the moon had begun descending from the sky , but the fear of potentially seeing whatever it was that was out there kept him from doing so .
It was still at the front door , and as the hours had passed – it must ' ve been hours , Ern thought – its attempts to enter had only grown more frantic . The entire door rattled in its frame , and the pounding against it sounded like a hammer , to the point where Ern began simultaneously expecting and dreading the sight of cracks in the old wood .
Regardless of what time it was , one thing was becoming clear : Ern couldn ' t wait for the sun . It was only a matter of time before that thing managed to break the old door down . If Ern was going to get the better of it , he ' d have to make the first move .
In the house ' s meager entry hall , Ern crept towards the front door . The noises on the other side seemed to intensify , the scratching and shaking redoubling as he