Knock knock. Do you hear that? It seems that there is someone at the door. Or should I say, something. What could it be? Are you expecting someone? In this day and age, you can’t just knock on someone’s door and expect to get away with it. They could be watching you through a webcam and you wouldn’t even know it. Kind of flips the script, huh? Enough about that. Knock knock. There it is again, there must be someone there. Quick, go check the door. Hmm, nothing out there, no one to be seen. Only the trees. Odd.

Knock knock. OK, you have only taken a couple of steps from the door and you hearing that knocking again. You do a quick double-take and there is nothing remotely close to the door. You even check your Nest cam and nothing. Nada. Also, are you going crazy or are these knocks getting louder? Knock knock. Oh god, it’s starting to shake the house. Who is this? What is this? All you can see is a few trees, squirrels, and hooded figures out there, nothing out of ordinary.

Knock knock. You know that you are a sane person. You do sane person things every single day. You put your jumpsuit on one foot at a time, just like everyone else. You input your dreams into the dream terminal on Floor 2, just like everyone else. You know your death is coming and you know the exact specifics of how it happens, just like everyone else. But despite all that, you can’t help feel that there is something loose in your brain that is causing this to happen. This doesn’t feel real, but it is somehow still oppressive.

Knock knock. Oh no, this is getting hard to take. You can only experience so much quaking terror before the lines begin to blur, before reality starts to get off track, off balance. Things are slipping too far and you aren’t sure if you’ll ever find the groove again.

Knock. Just one this time. They’re almost here. It’s too late, you don’t know what to do.

Knock knock. You begin to say your final words as something finally crashes through the door. You can’t take your eyes off it, you have to watch the car crash, even if it means one last fall, one you can’t recover from. The knocking has stopped, but this story is only just beginning. You just won’t be here to see it.

This was written by Nathan Ellwood, whose been diggin’ up them holes, diggin’. Follow him for more Holes trivia @NPEllwood.