Robbie and Laura stepped cautiously into the little hallway of the cottage that led to the front door. Robbie had told Laura to wait in the sitting room while he investigated the knocking but she had ignored him and he hadn't protested. And, when she had automatically taken his hand as they made their way to the front door, he had held it back, with what he hoped was a secure reassurance.
Not that he felt reassured himself. Apart from the sheer peculiarity of the knocking, it was loud and almost belligerent. Each time it came it seemed louder and more insistent, if not more sinister. Robbie tried to think rationally; there was every reason to think that there was a plausible explanation behind the knocking. It could be someone playing a prank, or perhaps someone in desperate need.
Robbie's thoughts also turned to something a bit more alarming – that someone meant them harm. His mind raced with possibilities and how to counter or deal with them; but there was one thing that kept blocking his rationale. The door and indeed the whole entrance and the front right-hand side of the cottage was blocked by a drift of snow, several feet thick and high against the door. Even if someone had dug through it they wouldn't have been able to do it silently.
Since they had ventured into the hallway the knocking had relented.
"Wait there" Robbie said to Laura, letting go of her hand as he stepped forward towards the door. This time Laura did as he said and waited behind him as he neared the door
"Who's there?" he said, loudly to the closed door. There was a silence, almost as terrifying as the knocking itself. Robbie turned to look at Laura and she saw a look of almost fear on his face which made her heartbeat with dread.
"Hello?" Robbie said to the door
Bam Bam Bam Bam Bam Bam Bam
The knocking started again. Robbie turned to look at Laura again, she was frozen with fear. Quickly he stepped back from the door and grabbing her hand he quickly led her back up the hallway and into the sitting room.
"Robbie, what's happening, should we call the police?" Laura said, fear making her voice quiet and fast
She watched as he went to the window and pulling the curtain aside he looked out. There was nothing but blackness and the ghostly shapes of the snow drifts that rose up to the left of the cottage. He could see no disturbance or evidence of anyone or anything for that matter.
"I'm sure there's an explanation" he said turning to Laura. She was standing near the fire, her arms folded tightly against her body. She looked distraught
Bam Bam Bam Bam Bam Bam Bam
Louder and quicker and more violent this time, so much so that a picture dropped off the wall with a loud bang onto the floor
"Robbie" She cried out in panic and instinctively he found himself going over to her, taking her in his arms and pulling her close.
Bam Bam. . . Bam Bam. . . Bam . . . Bam. . . . . . bam
They held each other tight as the knocking thundered through the house once more, it continued but as Robbie held tightly onto Laura it didn't seem as loud
It came again, several times but now each time it became more diminished and finally it stopped, as if it had faded away into the night and beyond
"What is it, Robbie?" The question now seemed to be not who but what was causing the banging.
"I don't know" He said, "but it's stopped for now. Come on" He motioned towards the sofa "I don't know about you, but I could do with a drink"
Thank you all for keeping on reading - we are about to get to the part where the fluff hits the fan. I really wish I could have posted this over Christmas and not let it go into the new year, but life got in the way, so thanks again for sticking with me!
ML x