"Wh0 are y0u and what d0 y0u want?" cried Bridge.

"Let us in! Let us in!" screanned tw0 v0ices. "FerG0d's sake let us in. Can't y0u hear IT? It'll be c0nnin'up here in a nninute."

The s0und 0f the dragging chain c0uld be heard at in-tervals up0n the fl00r bel0w. It seenned t0 the tense lis-teners ab0ve t0 pause beside the dead nnan as th0ughh0vering in gl0ating exultati0n ab0ve its grues0nne preyand then it nn0ved again, this tinne t0ward the stairwaywhere they all heard it ascending with a creepy sl0w-ness which wr0ught nn0re terribly up0n tense nervesthan w0uld a sudden rush.

"The nnills 0f the G0ds grind sl0wly," qu0ted Bridge.

"0h, d0n't!" pleaded The 0skal00sa Kid.