Answer It

By Ravyn Crescent

When the Devil comes knocking, a choice must be made.

Rachel’s home was her sanctuary, until the thunderous battering at her door began. She doesn't know what is causing the banging—there's never anyone in sight. And it's getting worse with every passing day. Deep scratches appear on her door, gashes no one can explain. Impossible destruction leaves her sanity stretched thin.

Something is determined to get her, she has become the prey hiding in her den and praying that this... thing, whatever it is that leaves scorched hoof prints and deep gashes as its calling card, never makes it inside.

Left to her own strength and fleeting sanity, Rachel will have to stand and face her demon, or die trying.

Book one of a duology, book two will be available in 2020

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ravyn Crescent
• Release date: Oct 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463185308

Ravyn Crescent

Ravyn Crescent is a member of the Horror Writers Association and former speaker as a survivor for Streetlight USA. Her short stories can be found in multiple anthologies including the As Cocky as They Come and the As Wicked as They Come. She spends her free time playing with her two large dogs, studying serial killers and mass murderers, ghost hunting, visiting haunted locations around her hometown in Mesa, Arizona, and is a longtime member of the AZ Haunters. For information on new releases, appearances, signings, and other such events, please visit ravyncrescent.com

Book preview

ANSWER IT

Ravyn Crescent

Pulse Rate Press

Copyright © Ravyn Crescent

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 9780463185308

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

This edition is also available in audio and paperback formats.

Cover by germancreative

DEDICATION

To my family for always supporting me, my editors for the confidence, and to everyone out there who sadly knows just how terrifying an unexpected knock on the door can be.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Chapter IX

Chapter X

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Life for me has been full of monsters. It is because of them, however, that I am fully able to appreciate the people in my life who have helped me fight them. To my husband Robin, for the endless encouragement and support. For listening to me tell this story on a dark night while we were out walking our dogs and simply shuddered when it ended and told me I had better write it down. To my amazing voice actress and friend, Ally, without her talent I’d have been lost. For that same reason, much appreciation to all my editors, but especially Tim, Kimberly, and Julie. To my best friends Tiff, Sarah, Mitch, Nicole, Kelsey, Ross, Mike, for standing by me, and to Liz as well as the dozens of others in this world who drew their swords and fought when it seemed everything was crumbling down. On my darkest days, you have given me reason to believe there’s a light waiting.

Chapter One

The annual Harvest Festival is right around the corner! And we’re about ten minutes away from the Six at Six, the DJ shouted, excitement radiating from his voice. When we’re giving away six free tickets at six o’clock in the evening.

Rachel clicked her tongue and switched the radio off. She drove up to her ranch-style home in the pleasant silence that always comes with avoiding the same contest pitch you’ve heard every day for a week. It wasn’t that she had anything against the contest, but she was going to be working every day of the festival and it was just a brutal reminder of how busy it was going to be.

The gravel churned beneath her tires as she pulled into her carport. She shut off the engine and climbed out of the car when her eyes caught sight of her mailbox. Her entire body leaned toward the front door, eager to get dinner made but curious to discover if any interesting mail had been delivered. Curiosity won out.

Rachel clomped to the mailbox, tugging the flap open to show a thick pile of ads, election flyers, coupons. No bills, but they emailed those now; why spend the cost of a stamp to bleed someone dry? The only people still interested in sending physical letters were the ones still desperate to sell something.

She walked across the stone path that led to the front door, tugged the keys out of her pocket by the short lanyard they were attached to and unlocked the door, letting herself into her own private sanctuary.

A shrill ringing pulled her attention toward the kitchen, where her landline phone hung on the wall, gathering dust. The phone had apparently forgotten that its primary purpose was to make sure she had phone service if her power went out, with a secondary function of calling her cellphone whenever she couldn’t find it.

Rachel tossed the mail onto her coffee table to deal with later and pushed the door shut with her heel. The instant the sturdy hardwood brushed the edge of the doorframe, she heard a knock.

The sound was so unanticipated that Rachel stared back at her door, hesitant to even approach it; the ringing phone forgotten. No one had been outside a minute ago.

Who could get here that fast?

She pushed the door open to reveal nobody standing on her porch. Rachel took a step forward, braced her hands on either side of the doorframe, leaned out and looked around.

Not a soul in sight.

I must be hearing things. Rachel pulled herself back into the house and shut the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

There was still daylight showing around the doorframe when the knock came again. This time, Rachel yanked the door open in a flash.

Nothing.

She looked around, but nobody was there. No divots in the gravel to show someone had run off or snickering to hint this was a childish prank—nothing! Even the phone had stopped ringing as if to emphasize how alone she was.

She nudged the door closed but, once more, there was a knock.

Rachel searched around the room to find what else might’ve caused such a clatter.

She pulled the couch away from the wall, in case something was causing the furniture to vibrate or move.

The knocking continued.

She looked over at the TV. It wasn’t even turned on.

Behind the curtains, maybe? Rachel marched over, grabbed the draw cord and gave a yank, watching the rings glide along the metal curtain rod.

No good. Curious still, with the curtains pulled she could see out the large window displaying her empty front porch. She pulled the curtains closed, having the strange feeling of being exposed.

The wall? A pipe might have come lose. Or an electrical cable? She remembered watching a ghost hunting show where the investigators had the day job of being plumbers. It