Everyone stood in the kitchen , gaping at the thing attempting to claw its way through the thick wooden door . It stood a bit over three feet high , and was nearly as round as it was tall , with blank, staring white eyes , and a mouthful of thin , pointed teeth , reminiscent of a barracuda . It's skin was an unhealthy gray tone , and appeared to be rotting away , crawling with repulsive , maggot - like creatures . As it noticed them standing near the window , it let out a reptilian hiss and hurled itself yet again , obviously pained by the magical runes imprinted on the wooden surface , but undeterred from its goal .

      "That , Master CC , is a demon ." , Crane stated . "A minor one , by appearances , but a demon nonetheless ."

      "Minor or not , it still looks dangerous ." Jake Pitts observed .

      "It is . Maybe not as dangerous as the other one , but if you went out there it could definitely put some serious hurt on you ." , Jenny said . "And aside from the injuries , I won't even try to imagine what sorts of diseases or ... whatever you might get from one of those things ."

      As the bloated creature continued its assault on the door , Hawley said , "I've got something in my bag that might help , but somebody else is gonna have to do it , since my arm isn't in such great shape ."

      "What do you have , Master Hawley ?"

      "Crossbow , with a couple of consecrated bolts . Plus a couple more that can be loaded with chemicals or explosives ."

      "I think the first option sounds better . Too much risk with explosives ." , Jenny said . "Let's get on it ."

      "I believe that we should stay here and keep the creature in sight , Miss Jenny , just in case it manages to breach the wards ." , Crane announced , and then turned to the others . "Pray , tell me , are any of you skilled in archery ."

      Even Andy looked surprised when Joe raised his hand . "I've sorta been taking some classes , for an idea I had for my show . I'm no Robin Hood or anything , but I hit the target more often than I miss it ."

      "Excellent ! Now , if one goes upstairs , which room provides the best view of this area ?" , Crane inquired .

      "Our room looks out right over the porch ." , Alex responded .

      "Then , Master Flanders , you and Master Hawley should proceed there , while the rest of us move to the other window , to lure it into a more exposed position . Then as soon as you see a good shot , take it ."

      Joe and Hawley grabbed one of the flashlights and began to make their way upstairs , while everyone else , except Jenny and Alex , moved to the window at the opposite end of the kitchen , making sure that the creature saw them . As they stood the larger window , it screeched , and abandoned its attempt to claw through the door , making it's way to the window .

      The demon raised its arms above its head , displaying thin , crooked fingers ending in sharp , filthy - looking claws . Staring at them with its blank white eyes , it hissed again , and threw itself at the window , which brought it out from under the roof of the porch , out into the open .

      Before it made contact with the glass , something flashed past the window and struck the demon , knocking it off the porch into the snow - covered backyard . It began writhing in agony , making several unsuccessful attempts to remove the crossbow bolt , which had pierced its face , right next to its nose . As they watched , open - mouthed , steam began to billow from the wound , and it finally collapsed and lay still , then seemed to melt away to nothingness .

      From the darkness at the edge of the yard , where the cultivated area of Allan's garden gave way to woodland , came a shrill , rage - filled shriek . As they watched , an indistinct dark shape separated from the silhouette of a tree and dashed deeper into the forest .

      "I'm guessing that's not what it was hoping for ." , Ashley dryly remarked .

      "Ya think ?" , Jesse retorted .

      "Since the excitement seems to be over for the time being , I suggest that we continue on with dinner ." , Crane informed the group . "We have to keep up our strength , and we can also use the time to talk through any ideas that you may have , and possibly collaborate on a strategy ."

      Everyone quietly resumed the dinner preparations , and when the pizzas were done , they carried their plates into the living room , curling up on the chairs , couches , and floor cushions in small clusters , carrying on several different conversations . 

      "What the hell do you think happened to those two , anyway ?" , CC muttered to his bandmates , gesturing to the far corner , where Faith was engaged in a conversation with Jake Wells , while Alex sat quietly next to him , nibbling a slice of pizza .

      "Whatever it was , it must've been pretty horrific ." , Jinxx responded . "I mean , did you see his face when she said that ?"

      "Pretty much the same way Faith looked the other night , after the fucker tried to turn her into a midnight snack ." , Ashley said solemnly . "I get the feeling she'll probably be awhile getting past that ."

      The others nodded in agreement , and the conversation turned to other topics when Blasko joined the group and asked them about their songwriting efforts thus far . After dinner was finished and the dishes washed , they tried to lighten the mood a bit by swapping  stories , with Jenny , Crane , and Hawley sharing tales of the exotic places they'd visited , and the band members telling a few of their less - inappropriate tour stories .

      Eventually , everyone decided to go to bed , and while Allan had his own private quarters in the house , he elected to stay with the rest of the group , so after some discussion , it was decided that he would stay with Andy and Crane , while Blasko took the remaining bed in Jinxx and Jake's room , and Hawley went with Ashley and CC . Everyone went upstairs and said goodnight , before retiring to their respective rooms .

      Ashley and CC gave Hawley first crack at the shower , then a coin toss let Ashley go next . When CC finally entered the bathroom for his turn , Ashley sat on the edge of his bed , toweling the water out of his hair , and watching Hawley remove items from his bag and lay them out on his bed .

      "I was wondering about something , if you don't mind me asking ." , he said .

      Hawley glanced up from his collection of odd - looking items , raising an eyebrow . " Won't know until you ask , will we ?" , he responded .

      "Are you two ... , like , a thing ?"

      "Me and Mills ? We were at one point , but not currently ."

      "No , I wasn't talking about Jenny ." , Ashley replied , beginning to look slightly uneasy .

      Hawley looked at him blankly for several seconds , then began laughing almost uncontrollably . When he was finally able to speak , he gasped out , "You did not mean Faith , did you ? Not just no , but HELL no ! She's sort of like my little sister or something , I've known her since she was in junior high . Besides , it's never a good idea to try to hook up with your buddy's baby sister . I think I'd probably give myself better odds wrestling an alligator !"

      He noticed that Ashley seemed to relax almost imperceptibly as he spoke , and an idea pushed itself to the front of his brain . "You're into her , aren't you ?"

      "No!" , Ashley immediately replied . "I mean , maybe . I mean ... I . Yeah , I guess so ."

      "Then why the hell are you talking to me about it , dude ?"

      "Because she's not interested . I mean , yeah , we're friends and everything , but she doesn't seem to want to go anywhere else with it . Probably my own fault , since she's seen some of the things that go on backstage and stuff ."

      Hawley leaned forward , looking Ashley in the eye , and said . "Since I haven't been around you guys that long , I can't make a call on that , but there is something I can tell you . I've known Faith since she was a kid , and she's never been the type to be what my grandma would've called 'forward' . From some of the conversations we've had , and things Todd has said , I kind of get the feeling that she doesn't really have a lot of confidence in herself when it comes to guys . So maybe kinda casually sound it out , see if she seems interested . If she's not , you can figure it out without making shit really awkward , and if it seems like she is , then you can let her know that you are , too ."

      "I knew it !"

      They both whipped their heads around to see CC standing in the door of the bathroom in just his boxers , hairbrush in hand .

      "I figured as much , dude . I've seen you giving her some looks lately , and that death - glare you threw at him earlier , when he had his arm around her , should've melted him where he sat ." , he said , walking into the room and flinging himself onto his bed . "Listen to the man , bro , and go for it . She's a great girl , and I think she'd be good for you . At least I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have to worry about her banging other dudes when she's out of your sight for five minutes ."

      "Yeah , maybe I will , when we get out of this mess ." Ashley replied . "We should all probably concentrate on not getting eaten right now . But , yeah , I guess you guys are right ."

      "Just remember , though , you screw her over , you're in a world of hurt , buddy ." , Hawley calmly stated . "I'll get Mills to help me tag team on your ass , and maybe even save a bit for Todd ."

      "Wanna put that in writing ?" , Ashley responded , equally calm . "If I do something that stupid , I deserve it . But you have nothing to worry about , that's not what I have in mind at all . If I just wanted a quick lay , I can get that any time . But right now I kinda also want somebody I can talk to , and just hang out and have fun with , along with the other stuff ."

      "Well , now that we all understand each other , whaddya say we get some sleep while we have the chance ?" , CC interjects . "Y'know , before we have to deal with any more freaked out truck drivers , or chubby demons , or whatever it comes up with next . Besides , if we end up having to fight with this thing , I think I'd kinda to have all of my brain cells online ."

      Hawley put his stuff back into the bag , with the exception of a small glass bottle , which he told them contained the same consecrated oil that he had given to Crane and Jenny earlier to place on the door - and window - frames . The bottle was designed to break on impact , and would injure or kill any demon it touched .

      They shut off the flashlights and climbed into bed , and Ashley's last thought before sleep finally overcame him was , "Gotta get in gear tomorrow , and try to help figure out how to take this thing down . The sooner we get rid of it , the safer we are . And then I can try to find out if she might be able to take me seriously as more than a friend . Shit , I hope this guy knows what he's talking about !"