OLC Stephen King Short Horror Fiction Complete Unit file · Web viewOLC40. Questions: Stephen King’s “I Am the Doorway” What is the name of the protagonist’s (main character’s)

OLC40Questions: Stephen King’s “I Am the Doorway”

1. What is the name of the protagonist’s (main character’s) friend?2. What kind of car does his friend have?3. What does the protagonist want to find?4. What adventure did Cory and the protagonist have together? How long were they gone?5. What does DESA mean?6. How does the protagonist describe the boy’s death?

7. How long were Cory and the protagonist on their trip?8. How long has it been since the trip?9. Which body part does the protagonist not want to show his friend?10. What is wrong with the protagonist’s hands/fingers?11. What kind of car does the protagonist drive?12. What is another name for Hansen’s disease?13. What does the protagonist discover about his fingers?

14. Where do the protagonist and his friend go?15. What is the protagonist’s name?16. When they do not find the boy, what does the protagonist say happened?17. Why does his friend say that he (the protagonist) could not have moved the boy?18. Where does the protagonist say something “got hold of” him?

19. What does the protagonist ask his friend to promise?20. What happens to the protagonist’s friend?21. What does the protagonist do to his hands?22. What was the result of his actions?23. What does the protagonist plan to do at the end of the story?24. What does the protagonist reveal in the last line of the story?

OLC40Vocabulary Part 1: Stephen King’s “I Am the Doorway”

Write down the correct definition of each word. Choose three of the five words to use in a complete sentence. Your sentences must demonstrate that you know the meaning of the words.

abominably:___________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

enigmatic:_____________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

appropriations: ________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

concentrates: __________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

infinitesimal: __________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

KNOWLEDGE: _____ / 5 APPLICATION: _____ / 3



eccentric: _____________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

apogee:_______________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

spectroscope:__________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

enterprising: __________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

leprosy: ______________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________




ominous:______________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

implacable:____________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

revulsion:_____________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

rational: ______________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

conglomerate: _________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________




dunes:________________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

monolith: _____________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

pestilence:_____________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

kerosene: _____________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

eccentricity:___________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________


OLC40Short Written Tasks: Stephen King’s “I Am the Doorway”

1. Based on what we know right now, do you think the protagonist killed the boy? Why or why not? If he did, is he responsible for the murder? Why do you think that? Use specific examples from the text to support your answer. Write your answer in a correctly-formatted paragraph. You may make an outline or rough notes, if necessary.

2. How are Arthur and his body similar to a car? If he were a car, who would be the driver? Use specific examples from the text to support your answer. Write your answer in a correctly-formatted paragraph. You may make an outline or rough notes, if necessary.

3. The title of the story is repeated throughout the text. What do you think Arthur means when he says “I am the doorway” to Richard? Use specific examples from the text to support your answer. Write your answer in a correctly-formatted paragraph. You may make an outline or rough notes, if necessary.

COMMUNICATION _____ / 5 THINKING _____ / 5(For each open-response question)

OLC40Vocabulary Responses: “I Am the Doorway”

Day 1:abominably- very bad or unpleasant; causing moral revulsionenigmatic- mysterious; difficult to interpret or understandappropriations- a sum of money or a total of assets devoted to a special purposeconcentrates- a substance that is made by removing water or other liquid from it; a concentrated form of something, often foodinfinitesimal- extremely small; tiny

Day 2:eccentric-unconventional or slightly strangeapogee- point in the orbit of the moon or a satellite where it is furthest from Earthspectroscope- an apparatus for producing and recording spectra (plural of spectrum; band of colour seen in light) for examinationenterprising- having or showing initiative and resourcefulnessleprosy- a contagious disease that affects the skin, mucous membranes, and nerves, causing discoloration and lumps on the skin and, in severe cases, disfigurement and deformities

Day 3:ominous (adj.)- giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen; threateningimplacable (adj.)- relentless; unstoppable; unable to be appeased or humouredrevulsion (n.)- a strong sense of disgust and loathingrational (adj.)- based on or in accordance with reason and logicconglomerate (n.)- a number of different things or parts that are put or grouped together to form a whole but that still remain distinct

Day 4:dunes (n.)- a mound or ridge of sand or other loose sediment formed by the wind, often on the sea coast or in a desertmonolith (n.)- large single upright block of stone, often shaped into or serving as a pillar/monumentpestilence (n.)- a fatal epidemic disease, especially bubonic plaguekerosene (n.)- a light fuel oil obtained by distilling petroleum, used especially in jet engines and domestic heaters and lamps and as a cleaning solvent; very flammableeccentricity (n.)- the quality of being eccentric; strange, unique, odd

OLC40Questions: Stephen King’s “Jerusalem’s Lot”

1. To whom is the first letter written?2. Who is writing the letters?3. How many rooms are in the house?4. What was the name of Uncle Henry’s wife?5. What in the house is made of pine?

6. Where is the narrator living?7. What is Mr. Bigelow’s occupation?8. What does Mrs. Cloris say about the house?9. What does the narrator think is living in the walls of the house?10. What does Calvin discover in one of the bookcases?11. Where do Charles and Calvin go?12. What is strange about the inn/tavern they enter?13. Give three details that describe the church.14. What is the name of the book that Charles picks up?15. Who thinks he is having a hallucination in the church?

16. What has happened to the noises in the house?17. Who is the “most level-headed person” in the house, according to Charles?18. Why do the people in the village react so aggressively toward Charles?19. What are two signs that the “evil breath” has returned?20. Why does Charles cross out a line in his letter?

21. How long was Charles unconscious?22. What area of the house does Charles want to explore?23. How did the man in the basement die?24. What did Calvin and Charles see that terrified them?25. What is the original source of the scrambled, encoded quotation?

26. What object did Calvin find?27. What is the nickname or short form of Jerusalem’s Lot?28. How did Charles’s great-grandfather become rich?29. What is the date of the first diary entry that Charles records?30. What does Charles believe was the subject of the falling-out between Robert and Philip?31. What kind of bird is mentioned in the diary entries?32. What does Calvin write about Charles’s health?33. What does Calvin do to attempt to stop Charles from returning to Jerusalem’s Lot?

34. What happened to Calvin?35. What weapon does Charles briefly wish he had?36. How does Charles know that Calvin is truly a good friend to him?37. What building in Jerusalem’s Lot do the two men enter?38. What does Charles want to do with the book?39. What two languages are spoken in the church?40. How did Calvin die?41. What kind of monster appears in the church?42. What finally makes Charles run from the church?43. What is Charles’s final decision?44. Why does he make that decision?45. Based on the last few lines of the story, what will most likely happen to James?

OLC40Vocabulary Part 1: Stephen King’s “Jerusalem’s Lot”

Match each word with its correct definition. Choose three of the seven words to use in a complete sentence. Your sentences must demonstrate that you know the meaning of the words.

swollen or bloated dueto internal pressure bewildered

so good, unusual, orunique that it is solemnimpossible to copy

grave, sober, or mirthless; distendedvery serious

causing (someone) to feelanxious, uneasy, or adamantdisturbed

the state of being confused,puzzled, or totally mystified countenance

refusing to be persuaded or toallow (a person’s) mind to be unsettlingchanged

a person’s face or facialexpression; how a person inimitableexpresses himself

Sentence 1: _________________________________________________________

Sentence 2: _________________________________________________________

Sentence 3: _________________________________________________________

KNOWLEDGE _____ / 7 APPLICATION _____ / 3



disquieting: ___________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

wallowed:_____________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

vexing: _______________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

dissipated: ____________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

noxious: ______________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________



Match each word with its correct definition. Choose three of the seven words to use in a complete sentence. Your sentences must demonstrate that you know the meaning of the words.

imminent; about tohappen foetid

the forming of a theory,belief, or conjecture flourishingwithout firm evidence

developing rapidly and impendingsuccessfully; thriving

smelling strongly andextremely unpleasant; lolledpungent

to hang loosely or to droop ina lazy, relaxed way whippoorwill

a substance, energy, or feelingthat is believed to have speculationsupernatural origins or causes

a North and Central Americannightjar (type of bird) with a ectoplasmicdistinctive call

Sentence 1: _________________________________________________________

Sentence 2: _________________________________________________________

Sentence 3: _________________________________________________________

KNOWLEDGE _____ / 7 APPLICATION _____ / 3



foraging:______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

transparent:___________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

tenebrous: ____________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

maw:_________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

narthex: ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________


OLC40Short Written Tasks: Stephen King’s “Jerusalem’s Lot”

1. Make a prediction about the story: what do you think is causing the noises in the walls? What do you think happened to Charles? Use specific examples from the text to support your answer. Write your answer in a correctly-formatted paragraph. You may make an outline or rough notes, if necessary.

2. Based on what we have read so far, how do you think the story will end? Use specific examples from the text to support your answer. Write your answer in a correctly-formatted paragraph. You may make an outline or rough notes, if necessary.

3. What did you think about this story? Did you enjoy it? Was it scary? Which part(s) did you enjoy or not enjoy? Use specific examples from the text to support your answers. Write your answer in a correctly-formatted paragraph. You may make an outline or rough notes, if necessary.

4. Do you think the events that Charles wrote about actually happened in the story, or was he having some kind of delusional episode, as James Robert Boone says in the final entry? Use evidence from the text to support your opinion.


OLC40Opinion Questions for Stephen King’s “Jerusalem’s Lot”

Please answer each of the three questions on a sheet of paper. Note that they are opinion questions- if you can justify what you say, then there is no wrong answer. The goal here is to improve reading comprehension and writing.

1. The story is set mainly in the year 1850. Why do you think the story is set more than one hundred and fifty years ago? Would it have been less scary or less important if it were set in the present day?

2. Do you think Charles (the main character) will be able to end the curse that seems to have been placed on the Boone family? Why or why not/

3. Why do you think it is important (for us as readers and for Charles as a character) that Calvin is a character who is always in the story?

OLC40Opinion Questions for Stephen King’s “Jerusalem’s Lot”

Please answer each of the three questions on a sheet of paper. Note that they are opinion questions- if you can justify what you say, then there is no wrong answer. The goal here is to improve reading comprehension and writing.

1. Can the curse be broken, or will it continue as long as there are living relatives of the Boone family? How might they be able to break the curse?

2. What do you think would have happened to Charles if he had not returned to the church in Jerusalem’s Lot? Would he have eventually succumbed to the curse anyway?

3. Consider what Mrs. Cloris said about “blood calling to blood.” How is this idea central to the story, and how is it significant to this last section of the story?

OLC40Questions: Stephen King’s “One for the Road”

1. What day and time is it when the story begins?2. Who owns the bar?3. What does Tookey tell Booth to give the other man (the stranger)?4. Why is the stranger upset?5. Where does the stranger live?

6. Where did the stranger leave the car with his wife and child?7. Why might the phone line have been dead?8. What items do Tookey and Booth bring to protect themselves?9. What is the nickname for Jerusalem’s Lot?10. Why is the stranger, Gerard Lumley, upset with Tookey?

11. What did the men see by the car?12. What is Tookey worried about (in regards to Lumley’s family)?13. What kind of car does Lumley have?14. What do the men find in the car?15. What does Booth say is in Jerusalem’s Lot?

16. What are the names of Lumley’s wife and daughter?17. What happened to Lumley’s wife?18. What does the child want?19. How does Tookey save Booth?20. What is Booth’s advice to future travellers?

OLC40Vocabulary Part 1: Stephen King’s “One for the Road”


stagger:_______________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

confectioner:__________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

diminishing: __________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

clattered: _____________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

odometer: ____________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________



Match each word with its correct definition.

moving rapidly in circles chrome

a representation of a crosswith Jesus Christ on it strained

a small amount of a strongalcoholic drink specimen

a branch of Christianitywhere each church is largely dazedself-governed

tense or uneasy; neitherrelaxed nor comfortable whirled

a violent or uncontrollablesliding movement crucifix

unable to think or reactproperly; stunned Congregational

a decorative or protective finish,often used on metal surfaces tot

a Christian Protestant religionformed during the 18th-centuryevangelist movement slew

an individual plant, animal, or piece of mineral used as an Methodistexample of the entire species

KNOWLEDGE _____ / 10


Write down the correct definition of each word. Choose three of the five words to use in a complete sentence. Your sentences must demonstrate that you know the meaning of the words. SENTENCE CHALLENGE: Make each of your sentences somehow connected to the others.

shutters:______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

resentful: _____________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

pleading: _____________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

indication:____________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________

hysterical: ____________________________________________________________________

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Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________



Match each word with its correct definition.

painful inflammation andstiffness of the joints Douay

feeling or showing a sense ofhopelessness yearning

a high-pitched cry, usuallyof anger, pain, or grief clasped

a small group of trees desperately

an intense feeling of longingfor something, often something copsethat has been lost

a quick, nervous movement; aninstinctive reaction to pain, fear, shroudor surprise

a garment or large piece of cloththat a dead person is wrapped in puncturesfor burial

small holes in an object thatoften results in a loss of air wail

holding or grasping somethingtightly with one’s hand arthritis

a translation of the Bible into English by a college in Douai flinchedfor the Catholic Church

KNOWLEDGE _____ / 10

OLC40Short Written Tasks: Stephen King’s “One for the Road”

5. Make a prediction about the story: where do you think the stranger left his family and their car? Why are Booth and Tookey afraid? Use specific examples from the text to support your answer. Write your answer in a correctly-formatted paragraph. You may make an outline or rough notes, if necessary.

6. What do you think happened to Richie Messina? Why do you think that? Use specific examples from the text to support your answer. Write your answer in a correctly-formatted paragraph. You may make an outline or rough notes, if necessary.

7. Do you think the men will find Lumley’ wife and daughter? If so, what condition do you think they will be in once they find them? If not, what do you think happened to them? Use specific examples from the text to support your answers. Write your answer in a correctly-formatted paragraph. You may make an outline or rough notes, if necessary.

8. To which other short story is “One for the Road” connected? How are they connected? Why might the connection be significant? Use specific examples from the text to support your answers. Write your answer in a correctly-formatted paragraph. You may make an outline or rough notes, if necessary.


OLC4O Paragraph- Exemplar

Based on what we read, I think that at the end of the book, Charles will be able to give

the evil entity (his cousin) what he wants and break the curse in the house. First, I think this

because Charles has every opportunity to leave but doesn’t. Instead, Charles continues to try to

observe and communicate with his dead evil cousin. Second, throughout the text, you can tell

that whatever is in the house is trying to reach out to him. Charles and Calvin find a map that

appears out of nowhere, discover a journal that is written in code, and hear strange noises before

he encounters zombies that come out of the basement walls. Lastly, Charles experiences some

kind of hallucination at the church in Jerusalem’s Lot. As soon as Charles touches the book near

the upside-down cross, everything begins to shake and feel evil. In conclusion, I think that

Charles will be able to set the evil relatives free due to the facts given above.

OLC4O Paragraphs

Based on what we read, I think that at the end of the book, Charles will be able to give

the evil entity (his cousin) what he wants and break the curse in the house. First, I think this

because Charles has every opportunity to leave but doesn’t. Instead, Charles continues to try to

observe and communicate with his dead evil cousin. Second, throughout the text, you can tell

that whatever is in the house is trying to reach out to him. Charles and Calvin find a map that

appears out of nowhere, discover a journal that is written in code, and hear strange noises before

he encounters zombies that come out of the basement walls. Lastly, Charles experiences some

kind of hallucination at the church in Jerusalem’s Lot. As soon as Charles touches the book near

the upside-down cross, everything begins to shake and feel evil. In conclusion, I think that

Charles will be able to set the evil relatives free due to the facts given above.

OLC4OParagraphs: Graphic Organizer

Topic sentence: __________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

First point that supports topic sentence: ___________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Proof/evidence from text to support first point: _____________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Second point that supports topic sentence: _________________________________________

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Proof/evidence from text to support second point: ___________________________________

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Third point that supports topic sentence:___________________________________________

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Proof/evidence from text to support third point:_____________________________________

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Conclusion: ___________________________________________________________________

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OLC40Unit Test- Short Stories (Reading Comprehension)

This test has five sections. Read all directions carefully, and answer each question to the best of your ability. You will have the entire class period to complete this test.

Knowl. //30 Think. //15 Comm. //10 Appl. //15 Total: //70

A. Multiple Choice: Read each question carefully, and circle the most correct answer.Knowledge //10

1. In “I Am the Doorway,” what is the protagonist’s name?

a) Arthur c) Robertb) Richard d) Lumley

2. The character Arthur compares his body to what?

a) a wheelchair c) a carb) a cardboard box d) an empty jar

3. Who are the two main characters in “One for the Road”?

a) Tookey and Arthur c) Booth and Booneb) Arthur and Richard d) Tookey and Booth

4. What is the name of the Boone family’s house?

a) Jerusalem’s Lot c) Preacher’s Cornersb) Chernobyl d) Chapelwaite

5. What body part is initially affected by the golden eyes in “I Am the Doorway”?

a) hands/fingers c) armsb) feet/toes d) chest

6. Who is Charles’ friend and sidekick?

a) Marcella c) Robertb) Calvin d) James

7. As far as we know, how many people did Arthur kill while he was being controlled?

a) 2 c) 3b) 6 d) 10

8. What kind of monster attacks Charles and his companion in the church?

a) a ghost c) a vampireb) a giant worm d) a witch

9. What is the nickname for Jerusalem’s Lot?

a) Chapelwaite c) Salem’s Lotb) Mrs. Cloris’s Haunted Mansion d) Boone Village

10. What kind of creatures live in Jerusalem’s Lot, according to “One for the Road”?

a) werewolves c) demonsb) vampires d) zombies

B. Matching: Each story has been assigned a letter below. Read each of the statements listed, and write the letter of the story that corresponds to the statement.

Knowledge //10

I Am the Doorway = AJerusalem’s Lot = BOne for the Road = C

1. Jerusalem’s Lot is not mentioned in this story: _____

2. The main character does not plan to kill himself at the end of this story: _____

3. Mrs. Cloris is the level-headed housekeeper in this story: _____

4. The main character in this story is in a wheelchair: _____

5. A man leaves his wife and young daughter in their broken-down car in the middle of a

snowstorm in this story: _____

6. This story involves an old family curse: _____

7. One of the main characters is saved when another character throws a Bible at a vampire

in this story: _____

8. The first part of this story takes place in a bar: _____

9. The main character in this story inherits a haunted house: _____

10. This story involves an alien creature: _____

C. Vocabulary: Match each of the vocabulary words with its correct definition. Choose five of the words, and use those five in complete sentences (one vocabulary word per sentence). Make sure that your sentences show your understanding of the words. The space to write your sentences is on the following page of this test.

Knowledge //10Application //5

a) leprosy (n.) _____ grave, sober, or mirthless; very serious

b) rational (adj.) _____ holding or grasping something tightly withone’s hand

c) eccentric (adj.) _____ a North and Central American nightjar (typeof bird) with a distinctive call

d) abominably (adv.) _____ unconventional or slightly strange

e) solemn (adj.) _____ moved rapidly in circles

f) whippoorwill (n.) _____ a contagious disease that can causedisfigurement and deformities

g) foetid (adj.) _____ based on logic or reason

h) flinched (v.) _____ smelling strongly and extremely unpleasant;pungent

i) whirled (v.) _____ very bad or unpleasant

j) clasped (v.) _____ a quick, nervous movement; an instinctivereaction to pain, fear, or surprise

Sentence 1: ___________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Sentence 2: ___________________________________________________________________

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Sentence 3: ___________________________________________________________________

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Sentence 4: ___________________________________________________________________

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Sentence 5: ___________________________________________________________________

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D. Paragraphs: There are two questions listed below. Choose one of the questions. Answer the question in a complete, correctly-formatted paragraph that uses the lines on the next page of this test. Clearly indicate which question you are answering by circling the letter beside it. If you need more space, you can continue your paragraph on a piece of lined paper. Your paragraphs will be marked using the attached rubric.

Thinking //10Communication //10 Application //10

a) Choose either your favourite or your least favourite story that we read, and explain your choice. Use examples from the stories to support your answer. Write your answer in a correctly-formatted paragraph. You may make an outline or rough notes in the space below, if necessary.

OR

b) What would you do if you thought your house was haunted by a curse? Use examples from the stories to support your answer. Write your answer in a correctly-formatted

paragraph. You may make an outline or rough notes in the space below, if necessary.Do any

rough work ornotes here:

______________________________________________________________________________

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______________________________________________________________________________

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E. Reading comprehension: Read the attached selection from Stephen King’s short story “Graveyard Shift.” Answer the questions below based on your reading of the story. Make sure you answer each question in a complete sentence. Answers that are not in complete sentences will not receive full marks. Feel free to write on or highlight the story, if necessary. It will be beneficial if you read the questions through, read the entire story through once, and then answer the questions.

Thinking //5

1. Most of the men do not want to go kill the rats in the cellar, but they need to keep their jobs. If you were one of them, what would you do?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

2. Why do you think the lock was underneath the trapdoor and not on top of it?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

3. Why do you think that some of the men actually do want to go kill the rats?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

4. What do you think might have happened to cause the mutation in the rats?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

5. “Working the graveyard shift” usually means working a late or overnight shift at a job. What do you think is the double meaning of “graveyard shift” that the author is implying in this story?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

BONUS QUESTIONS: What is the name of the book that holds the short stories that we read? Who is the author?

Knowledge //2

Book title: ____________________________ Author: ____________________________Selection from Stephen King’s “Graveyard Shift”

Four A.M., Thursday.

Brochu returned with the flashlights. He gave one to Hall, one to Wisconsky, one to Warwick.

'Ippeston! Give the hose to Wisconsky.' Ippeston did so. The nozzle trembled delicately between the Pole's hands.

'All right,' Warwick said to Wisconsky. 'You're in the middle. If there are rats, you let them have it.'

Sure, Hall thought. And if there are rats, Warwick won't see them. And neither will Wisconsky, after he finds an extra ten in his pay envelope.

Warwick pointed at two of the men. 'Lift it.'

One of them bent over the ringbolt and pulled. For a moment Hall didn't think it was going to give, and then it yanked free with an odd, crunching snap. The other man put his fingers on the underside to help pull, then withdrew with a cry. His hands were crawling with huge and sightless beetles.

With a convulsive grunt the man on the ringbolt pulled the trap back and let it drop. The underside was black with an odd fungus that Hall had never seen before. The beetles dropped off into the darkness below or ran across the floor to be crushed.

'Look,' Hall said.

There was a rusty lock bolted on the underside, now broken. 'But it shouldn't be underneath,' Warwick said. 'It should be on top. Why -'

'Lots of reasons,' Hall said. 'Maybe so nothing on this side could open it - at least when the lock was new. Maybe so nothing on that side could get up.'

'But who locked it?' Wisconsky asked.

'Ah,' Hall said mockingly, looking at Warwick. 'A mystery.'

'Listen,' Brochu whispered.

'Oh, God,' Wisconsky sobbed. 'I ain't going down there!'

It was a soft sound, almost expectant; the whisk and patter of thousands of paws, the squeaking of rats.

'Could be frogs,' Warwick said.Hall laughed aloud.

Warwick shone his light down. A sagging flight of wooden stairs led down to the black stones of the floor beneath. There was not a rat in sight.

'Those stairs won't hold us,' Warwick said with finality.

Brochu took two steps forward and jumped jip and down on the first step. It creaked but showed no sign of giving way.

'I didn't ask you to do that,' Warwick said.

'You weren't there when that rat bit Ray,' Brochu said softly.

'Let's go,' Hall said.

Warwick took a last sardonic look around at the circle of men, then walked to the edge with Hall.Wisconsky stepped reluctantly between them. They went down one at a time. Hall, then Wisconsky, then Warwick. Their flashlight beams played over the floor, which was twisted and heaved into a hundred crazy hills and valleys. The hose thumped along behind Wisconsky like a clumsy serpent.

When they got to the bottom, Warwick flashed his light around. It picked out a few rotting boxes, some barrels, little else. The seep from the river stood in puddles that came to ankle depth on their boots.

'I don't hear them anymore,' Wisconsky whispered.

They walked slowly away from the trapdoor, their feet shuffling through the slime. Hall paused and shone his light on a huge wooden box with white letters on it. 'Elias Varney,' he read, '1841. Was the mill here then?'

'No,' Warwick said. 'It wasn't built until 1897. What difference?'

Hall didn't answer. They walked forward again. The sub-cellar was longer than it should have been, it seemed.

The stench was stronger, a smell of decay and rot and things buried. And still the only sound was the faint, cavelike drip of water.

'What's that?' Hall asked, pointing his beam at a jut of concrete that protruded perhaps two feet into the cellar. Beyond it, the darkness continued and it seemed to Hall that he could now hear sounds up there, curiously stealthy.

Warwick peered at it. 'It's. . . no, that can't be right.'

'Outer wall of the mill, isn't it? And up ahead-’

'I'm going back,' Warwick said, suddenly turning around.

Hall grabbed his neck roughly. 'You're not going anywhere, Mr. Foreman.'

Warwick looked up at him, his grin cutting the darkness. 'You're crazy, college boy. Isn't that right? Crazy as a loon.'

'You shouldn't push people, friend. Keep going.'

Wisconsky moaned. 'Hall -'

'Give me that.' Hall grabbed the hose. He let go of Warwick's neck and pointed the hose at his head. Wisconsky turned abruptly and crashed back towards the trapdoor. Hall did not even turn. 'After you, Mr Foreman.'

Warwick stepped forward, walking under the place where the mill ended above them. Hall flashed his light about, and felt a cold satisfaction - premonition fulfilled. The rats had closed in around them, silent as death. Crowded in, rank on rank. Thousands of eyes looked greedily back at him. In ranks to the wall, some fully as high as a man's shin.

Warwick saw them a moment later and came to a full stop. 'They're all around us, college boy.' His voice was still calm, still in control, but it held a jagged edge.

'Yes,' Hall said. 'Keep going.'

They walked forward, the hose dragging behind. Hall looked back once and saw the rats had closed the aisle behind them and were gnawing at the heavy canvas hosing.

One looked up and almost seemed to grin at him before lowering his head again. He could see the bats now, too. They were roosting from the rough-hewn overheads, huge, the size of crows or rooks.

'Look,' Warwick said, centring his beam about five feet ahead.

A skull, green with mould, laughed up at them. Further on Hall could see an ulna, one pelvic wing, part of a ribcage. 'Keep going,' Hall said. He felt something bursting up inside him, something lunatic and dark with colours. You are going to break before I do, Mr Foreman, so help me God.

They walked past the bones. The rats were not crowding them; their distances appeared constant. Up ahead Hall saw one cross their path of travel. Shadows hid it, but he caught sight of a pink twitching tail as thick as a telephone cord.

Up ahead the flooring rose sharply, then dipped. Hall could hear a stealthy, rustling sound, a big sound.

Some-thing that perhaps no living man had ever seen. It occurred to Hall that he had perhaps been looking for something like this through all his days of crazy wandering.

The rats were moving in, creeping on their bellies, forcing them forward. 'Look,' Warwick said coldly.

Hall saw. Something had happened to the rats back here, some hideous mutation that never could have survived under the eye of the sun; nature would have forbidden it. But down here, nature had taken on another ghastly face.

The rats were gigantic, some as high as three feet. But their rear legs were gone and they were blind as moles, like their flying cousins. They dragged themselves forward with hideous eagerness.

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OLC Stephen King Short Horror Fiction Complete Unit file · Web viewOLC40. Questions: Stephen King’s “I Am the Doorway” What is the name of the protagonist’s (main character’s)