I glanced at the window. That's it! The car was right there, so we could go out that way. I moved to get Jared's attention so that we could quietly escape... When I heard a scratching at the basement door.

"Jared..." I whispered and he glanced back, "The window!"

He nodded, backing up from the stairs while still aiming the shotgun at the door.

The scratching grew faster, and I was surprised to hear whatever was behind the door whining like a dog.

What did it want? Why was it doing this?

I didn't want to risk finding an answer. We had to leave, and leave now before the others made it here.

I opened the window, and started to climb out. The scratching grew even faster, I could hear the wooden door cracking. I shuddered as the rain pattered onto my head and back as I climbed out, my hands digging into the muddy ground.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

When I had pulled myself out, I took a quick look around. The blankets were still over the car. There was only about an inch of water covering the ground. Luckily, nothing was lurking nearby. Nothing that I could see, anyway... I heard the noise of wood splitting coming from the door as the scratching grew more and more violent with each passing second.

I quickly pulled Aaron through the window and outside, then instantly sprang to the car, tearing the blankets off, put Aaron in the backseat and jumped into the driver's seat in time to see Jared finish climbing through the window.

As he stepped onto the ground, I heard a loud crash come from the house as the thing tore through the door and came rushing down the stairs.

I turned the key, and to my relief the car started without any problems. As Jared ran to the car, I saw two eyes staring out the window at us.

It was the "dog", standing up near the window. Its gaze simultaneously gave off a calculating sapient intelligence as well as a curious bestial instinct.

It didn't make any attempt to climb out the window, it just kept staring. As soon as Jared sat in the passenger seat, I put it in drive and pressed on the gas pedal.

The tires spun, but the car didn't move.

Shit, shit, shit, shit! It was stuck in the mud.

"Oh God, not now!" I screamed as I kept slamming on the gas, but the car still wouldn't move, it just kept spinning out.

An earsplitting howl echoed from the basement, mingling with the squealing of the tires.