[ Dimly, distantly, somewhere from a source he can't pinpoint comes a sudden, loud cracking sound. It's like limbs from dead trees compromised during a storm, thick heavy things giving in and snapping, groaning, falling. His breath stutters, head shoots up, wide-eyed. The front door is still closed.

It could've come from outside.

It could've come from the basement.

The fact that he has no way of knowing is shaking his courage. If it's the basement, he won't have enough time to get the knob off. Fuck, if it's from outside and they bust the door down he's just as fucked. Shit, shit. ]

Okay, okay- Watch your feet-

[ Urgently, another blue glow that feels like it takes too many precious seconds. There's a 1/4th inch gap under the door, just high enough that he can push through one long razor blade like the kind you'd slip into a retractable box cutter.

It's all he can thing to do right now, all that will fit. ]

Don't come in the front- come around, come around to the master bedroom, I can break that window-

[ Quickly, around heaving breaths as he hauls himself to his feet. Hand pressing against stomach, forearm bracing against wall to push himself off. ]

Don't fucking die!

[ Snapped out, snarled really, an unchallengable order.

He's a coward. He knows it. He knows the right thing to do would be to stay, to get the knob or the hinges off. To summon up a hammer and start bashing the doorknob until they could snap it completely off and pull out the thick medal column that embeds itself into the door frame.

But god, fucking, god almighty, he remembers getting picked up and held down and cut into, and he just can't.

He staggers gracelessly down the hall. ]