A Knock at the Door

A Knock at the Door

Feb 26, 2023

It was a little past 9 when Henry walked through the door. Exhausted, his whole-body sore. Lately he had been working more and more, yet no matter how many hours he slaved away, he never seemed to be able to dig himself out of the financial hole he had dug for himself, what with all the luxuries in his life. Rent, some food on the table for most meals, a little electricity and a phone which he used mainly for work. Seeing as he hadn’t had the time to keep in touch with his friends these past few years.

He worked three jobs and did local construction whenever he had the time, which wasn’t often. “This is only a rough patch; we’ll get through this.” He told his wife every time she seemed bothered by how little he was home, or how bad their lives had gotten. She was laid off from her job when automation came in and had been out looking for a replacement ever since.

He found her sitting in his old beat-up chair, a glass of whisky in hand and a look of despair on her face. There was a time when she would light up at the sight of him, sadly those times had passed into distant memories. All that was left now was an uncomfortable silence they shared before going off to bed.

There was nothing Henry wouldn’t do for his Samantha. She was his whole world. She deserved so much better than this shell of a life they were now living. He still held onto the view that as a man, it was his responsibility to take care of her. He just couldn’t figure out how.

He stood in the doorway a few moments, just taking her in, she was still just as beautiful as the day they first met. There were so many things he wanted to tell her. His love for her was the one thing that kept him going. Kept him from giving up and letting the hell that his life had become win, but instead, he stood there for a moment, gave her a slight nod and then turned and left. Headed off to their room.

Henry collapsed into bed without so much as flicking the light switch or taking off his dirty work clothes. He was overcome with both, exhaustion and despair and sleep was the only relief he ever seemed to find anymore.

“Henry! Come quick!” His wife shrieked from the living room. Henry bolted up, suddenly awake and alert. He ran out to find his Samantha standing in front of the door, her face pale with fear. From outside he could hear someone walking around.

“Hello?” Henry called out, doing his best to sound firm, mean. “Is someone there?”

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The door rattled with the force of the knocking.

“Stop banging on my door!” Henry barked as he made his way to the door. Before he could pull it open, Samantha grabbed his arm and pulled him back. It was clear that she was terrified. It was only then that Henry noticed the broken glass on the floor. He patted her hand and gave her a forced smile.

“What do you want?” He demanded to the stranger.

“Let me in!” the stranger called back. There was something off about his voice, it was almost more of a snarl than words.

“Are you okay?” Henry asked, a mixture of concern and fear creeping into his voice. His wife’s grip was starting to hurt.

“Let me in!” The stranger screamed again, this time throwing himself at the door.

“Stop hitting my door! Whatever it is you want, find it somewhere else.” Henry snapped. His blood starting to boil.

BANG!

This time the stranger kicked the door. The force knocking the hinges lose, but not breaking them. Henry found himself backing away from the door, a sudden chill coursing down his spine. Samantha let go of his arm, stumbling backwards.

“What does he want?” She asked, as she ran and hid behind the old chair. Oblivious to the fact that she ran through the glass shards on the floor. Henry could see the blood she left behind and found his anger boil over. He stormed to the fire place and snatched his father’s old Topper M48 off the mantle and made for the door.

 “Henry don’t!” His wife pleaded, but Henry’s mind was made up. He was past his limit. It was bad enough that life kept kicking him while he was down, but now for some lunatic to show up at his home and terrorize his wife. It was too much.

He threw open the door, ignored Samantha’s begging for him to come back and stormed outside. His shotgun at the ready. Any trace of his fear gone, evaporated in the heat of righteous fury.

“Show yourself!” Henry barked, looking around, shotgun at the ready. “Stop playing around!” In a moment of pure anger he shot the gun into the air so as to show that he wasn’t to be toyed with. It was only then that Henry realized his mistake. Like any good gun owner, he never stored the gun loaded. The bullets were in a safe in the closet under some old junk he had been meaning to throw out.

His heart dropped as he heard footsteps behind him. He glanced towards the door, a mere 10 feet away. Could he make it? He wondered to himself as the footsteps grew closer. He spun around just in time to see a man that looked more animal than human sprinting towards him, his fangs baring from his mouth as he let out what could be described as a howl. Henry swung the shotgun at the monster, who swatted it away as if it was a plaything. His teeth tearing into Henry’s neck.

As the blood started to drain from the bite, his mind raced back to his beloved Samantha. She was all alone. How could she face this dark cruel world without him, how could she survive this unholy monster. He tried to find the strength to stand, but he had none left. The blood was pouring out of him at an alarming rate. He knew death was fast approaching, something he would be okay with, if only he knew his love would be okay, if only he could see her one more time.

With his final moments, he learned the truth of the old adage ‘be careful what you wish for’. Standing in the doorway, was his one and only Samantha, not a hint of fear about her as she took a long drag of her cigarette. A slight seductive smile on her face, as the once hideous monster, now a dashingly handsome man walked towards the door to greet her.

Their kiss was the last sight he saw before life left him forever more.  

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