Skeleton Crew - The Mist
By Stephen King
A nice introduction before getting into the one story I planned on reading from this collection, The Mist. It starts by mentioning how in New England there were a series of violent thunderstorms narrated by the main character. Dave, the narrator mentions his family by name since they had been at their lake house at the time the storms had occurred. We don't learn Dave's name until someone addresses him, but in any case he is the first to realize the storms were only getting started and mentions it to Steff, his wife.
Dave's son, Billy is the first to see the cyclone within a dangerous distance to them, Dave corralling everyone indoors. As they all retreat inside, Dave watches the lake begin to look like the ocean with the waves and whitecaps. As he realizes how horribly injured his family could get where they were standing, he moves them into the kitchen as the telephone begins to ring. He then orders Steff to go downstairs, trying to get Billy to go with his mother whilst he looked for candles.
After he locates the candles, he also retreats downstairs into a guest room to wait out the storm. When they begin to hear a calm, they go upstairs to check and see it's begun to lull, but would pick up again an hour later. We then get background to how oddly the weather had been the last few weeks, in general and the excuses people had come up with for them. When the second storm hit, it wasn't as brutal as the first, but finished taking down many trees the first storm had weakened, one of them falling on the roof, scaring Billy, but Dave reassuring him the roof was strong enough to hold it.
Then later in the night, the third storm hits, being a tough one. After this point we learn Dave's name, he deciding it being best they go back downstairs, Steff now overwhelmed by the storm's violence. By this time Billy had gone to sleep and Steff was worried about the picture window they'd heard get smashed, Dave rationalizing the insurance will cover the damage done and after Steff had drifted to sleep, checked the damage and confirmed his thoughts of needing repairs for the living room, then going to sleep in the guest bed with the two. The next morning Billy sees the damage outside, some power lines coming down in the storm are close to where he's standing, Dave stops him from getting any closer suggesting they walk down the driveway.
They see four trees had fallen there, one being quite old and large. Soon Billy goes down to the lake, getting tired of moving branches into the woods, Dave going into the garage to get the electric chainsaw. Steff comes out to relay how much she'd gotten cleaned up inside and what damage had occurred outside when Billy comes running back to show Dave the damage done to the boathouse, scaring Steff because of the live wires still sparking nearby and ready to make him go inside, but Dave calms her and directs Billy a different way down so he can show him what he'd found. Then we are told about another townie, Mrs. Carmody who liked to reminisce about all the historical myths about the place and owned an antiquary where Steff liked to shop every once in a while, but also was one of the many which got taken in by her stories.
Dave remembers hearing the story himself from another townie with a shop, an older gentleman by the name of Bill Giosti, after we get the back-story on him, David invites Steff down to take a look at the damage at the boathouse which she isn't interested in, but agrees to, knowing their son would be happy to show them both. When they get down there and see his description is fairly accurate, David asks Billy to fish out the flag which had gotten in the water, surveying the damage to the boathouse which could have been avoided if not for the man responsible in having the dead tree which had fallen, cut down. Then Billy notices the other side of the lake is hidden by a thick oddly straight-moving mist, even Steff is surprised there would be a fog-bank on the lake. David assuring her and suggesting she make the grocery list she'd planned on writing for him.
Meanwhile Dave and Billy lay out the flag and Billy shares how he'd learned having the flag on the ground is a "lectercute"-able offense. Billy then goes to visit some neighbors, Dave warning him about steering clear of any other live wires and to stay out of their neighbors way. After Billy leaves, Dave is looking at the mist again and how it seemed to have come closer, also how it was unaffected by the oppositely blowing wind and how extremely white it was, noticing no rainbow reflected off of it. He then hears his next-door neighbor, Brenton Norton trying to start up his electric chainsaw with no luck, which gave Dave some satisfaction.
He then notices the damaged property Norton was trying to cut, even more glad he'd be dealing with damage of his own, he heading back to his own project in the drive. Later on Billy comes with the list and a beer for Dave, going back to give his mother the answer to her question and with the acceptance of being able to accompany his father to town, with his mother as well if everyone agreed. Dave then sees a CMP truck coming up the road, which quelled his worry of trees blocking the road. After Billy comes by with another note, Norton is next to make his presence known to Dave, they not having left off on kind terms, he wondering what brought him over.
He discovers it's to do with his chainsaw and also learns his T-bird had been damaged, wanting to borrow his car to go to town for supplies, Dave offering him a ride after sharing they'd also be going to town. Then Dave checks on where the mist was, since it had warmed up since the last time he'd checked and noticed it had gotten closer. They still get ready to leave, Dave giving Steff one more chance to come with them, but not wanting to with how pervy Norton was acting. We then become privy this is the last time Dave will see his wife.
On their way to town Dave and Norton had to move another tree out of their path, reminding Dave of the Ents of The Lord of the Rings, which was brought to his mind because his son wanted to help too, but he was worried he'd get poked in the eye with the effort, it being an old tree. Now they were in the truck and getting on their way, Dave had a chance to get Billy to check the radio stations which usually came in and weren't at the moment, possibly caused by being on the other side of the fog. When they reach town, they head for the grocery store, it being quite busy. Dave sees Mrs. Carmody talking with some women, everyone seeming to have their little groups in the parking lot, speaking to one another.
Dave gets lucky pulling in to a spot to park near the front and sends Billy with Norton inside to start on the list whilst he searches for a pay phone to call Steff. Unfortunately the line seemed to be dead, so he didn't get the chance to speak with her and so makes his way into the market. He eventually happens upon the two in an aisle and sees Norton checking the list, when Norton sees him, he brings his attention to the state of the lines at the check-out, they being so long as to go out of sight and with only two lanes open with only the use of pocket calculators to tally everything up. Dave decides he'll wait in the line whilst Norton got the rest of his belongings, thinking of how worried he was about Steff and wondering whether it would've made a difference if they'd decided to go back then or if it would have been too late already.
Billy is first to notice the two soldiers in the decently large line and also what with the lack of certain product, they had to make due with some generic, if not completely chemically based substitutes of bologna and bacon. The only item left on the list was a bottle of wine and as Dave gets it and then passes the storage area, he hears the generator and deduces its capabilities and what it was powering in the grocery store. When he gets back to the line, which has grown longer Dave and Norton make idle chit-chat, which ends shortly, due to their legal dispute making the situation a bit difficult in making nice for long. Billy seemed to get apprehensive for a moment as they waited in line, but it passed and they slowly got closer to the front.
They then hear the passing of police sirens after which they hear the fire alarm go off. Norton thinks it's for a fire which might be on Kansas Road, but then a teenager comes in to inform them all about how the fog has come down the road and they should take a look, some do and go out the door. When someone comes back in asking for a camera, more people go out to have a look, which gets Mrs. Carmody, who's also in line to voice her opinion of erring on the side of caution. Then a man comes in with a bloody nose shouting about another man getting taken by the fog and hearing his screams.
This is when people slowly begin to panic, either heading for the doors out or going toward the window to look, some leaving with their unpaid groceries. The mist is described as making the town seem darker and the sun looking like an eclipse between clouds. As they became engulfed in the mist, the sky is lost and only white can be seen, a woman's scream is what finally sends people running for the door and out, which the checker of the place is yelling at people to refrain from taking the items in their arms, but some beyond the realm of listening, others tossing their items down as they leave. Norton begins heading for the door as well, until Dave grabs him and voices his opinion to not follow the others.
After Norton questions him, they all hear another scream which continues as the sound gets those near the door back inside. One man still goes out, seemingly to rescue the one who had been screaming for such a prolonged amount of time and Dave feels he'd been the only one to see something pull the man outside, into the fog more deeply. After, Norton seemed more ready to get out of there again, trying to convince Dave to go with him when the building is shaken and bottles begin to fall. When the noise stops Norton changes his tune again trying to get the people inside to stay there until the fog dissipates, which everyone is at odds in deciding.
One woman becomes adamant in going though, after confessing her children being home alone and hoping someone would walk her, no one volunteering and she going off into the fog alone with the insult of hoping they'll all go to hell. Billy then loses it, becoming uncontrollably upset and shrieking for his mother, Dave leading him to the back of the store to try and calm him. When Billy does compose himself enough to confirm the fog wasn't a normal one, he then doses off into a deep sleep. Dave then goes in search of something to cover Billy with, whilst he dosed in the back, looking in the front and noticing Norton trying to work his word magic on the people who would listen.
Dave makes his way behind the big double doors reserved for crew, noticing the pungent smell of diesel, deciding to investigate and deducing the exhaust pipe was possibly blocked off on the outside and so resolved to turn the generator off, but upon doing so is left in almost complete darkness and getting spooked by his unexpected blindness, falling and feeling like a fool. After taking a moment to calm his nerves he detects the line of light which could be seen through the double doors, but before making for it, notices a disturbing sound which panicked him to that of a four-year-old, finally making him run for the double doors, then running into a few guys who were coming to look into why the lights had turned off, first asking why Dave looked so spooked, but after learning this and not wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt what with already dealing with a terrible situation, other than for Ollie, he then divulging why he turned off the generator and the others ready to turn it on again. After the bag boy hands Dave, among others a flashlight, Dave decides to take it for not having found a blanket for Billy yet, one of the others with them conceding to Dave's judgement in turning the generator off due to the smell. Some of the men are testing the generator themselves as the bag boy gets closer to the loading door, Dave expressing to him to consider differently, but the boy has a different plan in mind, which involved the men turning the generator on long enough for him to open the loading door a bit and go out to clear whatever was plugging the exhaust pipe.
Ollie is now dubious to the bag boy's idea, another man volunteering and Ollie trying to get them to understand no one should try to embark on this plan, soon those wanting to try it arguing as to who it should be, Dave getting them to be quiet enough to consider reason and after not getting it, becoming frustrated and more scared for the situation they were in. The men and boy go on with the plan regardless of the naysayers and Dave still is speaking of how odd it seems they would go so far to restart a generator which doesn't matter to anyone in the long run, but wouldn't help the woman home earlier, getting threats of violence in return. The bag boy begins looking scared now and ready to call off his dumb plan, with Dave and Ollie's support in doing so, when the two men turn the generator on and they all proceed with their plan. When the door goes up they see the fog everywhere and feel the chill in the air, as they turn the generator off, they then see the tentacle near the loading platform and see it get the bag boy around the ankle.
Everyone retreats, but the bag boy puts up a valiant fight and is holding tight trying to get anyone to help him, Dave stepping forward, but with not much luck and soon calling for the others to help, no one responding. After struggling for a while longer, Dave soon thinks of his son and lets the bag boy go, realizing what the tentacles were now doing to him. Dave gets back inside and notices the two men near the generator are staring at the mess of tentacles outside the door in a hypnotic daze, Dave tries to get their attention, but only succeeds with one and he being too busy apologizing and making excuses to why he didn't believe Dave to turn the generator on again. Ollie taking it upon himself to do it, all the while the bag boy still hanging on to the door, but Ollie can't reach the button for the other tentacles being in the way, Dave then locates a broom handle to push the button with, this also being the moment the bag boy gives up his struggle and loses his grip on the door, being pulled into the mist.
A piece of a tentacle is cut off on the door's return into it's closed position. Dave then starts walloping one of the big-mouthed men because they'd gotten the teenager killed, after awhile Ollie trying to stop him. When Dave calms down, they stop the generator again and start back out to the front of the store, Dave acquiring a rug for Billy. As Dave and Ollie were getting ready to join the others, Dave pulls Ollie back to convince him they'll be needing to update the others about what they'd seen, Ollie being worried about a panic, but Dave considers most of the people present wanted to leave for having someone at their homes waiting for them.
Ollie continues to ask what could possibly be attached to all of the tentacles and questioning what the mist is to allow such a creature to even be slithering along, unable to get a definitive answer. Dave covers Billy with the closest thing he's found to a blanket, noticing Jim and Myron, the moronic duo standing outside the double doors. Dave then breaks the news to them of needing to advise the others of something about what's occurred which they readily agreed to after also being told they wouldn't get the finger pointed at them for having sent the bag boy to his death. Ollie then brings up the possibility of the tentacles getting in for what the store was made of; it not being of impregnable quality.
As the others are drinking their dread away, Dave goes off to see what Norton is up to, being a conversation with another man called Bud Brown at the front of the store near a register. Norton, upon being greeted reacts in a way he's noticed the amount of time Dave had been gone, Bud Brown-nosing about the men drinking beer in the back of the store, Dave ignoring him to pull Norton aside, but not before Bud stating they would be put to a stop with conviction in his visage. Dave then tries to proceed in explaining to Norton what had happened, but not before almost getting explosive giggles and then remembering the man which had come back out of the mist in hysterics, deciding first to ask what had happened to him, which was after being revived, he was then led to the manager's office to stay since he'd been upsetting some of the women. Dave then had trouble getting Norton to listen since Norton seemed to be caught up with the job security of one of the men who was drinking in the back, but Dave holds back his temper due to knowing Norton's usefulness in breaking the terrible news to everyone else.
Unfortunately, Norton couldn't bring himself to come to terms with this reality, even after Dave gets the other men to verify the goings-on, Norton thinking they'd either gone mad or were trying to prank him, not even entertaining the idea of seeing the proof of the tentacle still in the back room. Norton then rationalizes Dave and the townies were only looking after themselves and didn't care about anyone from out-of-town, bringing in their court-room dispute as his only validation. From frustration and trying to get Norton to understand how serious he was, Dave threatens to whack him a few, which Norton takes as he showing he'd be willing to beat up someone the age of his father, but Dave gets support by Jim, believing he lacked humanity anyways. Instead, Dave tries to level with him and get him to go into the back room with him to see the evidence, Norton still resisting and Dave deciding he'll get him in there even if he has to force him.
Norton starts to put up a real fuss once he's getting physically brought closer to the double doors, then trying to scream and plead for help from anyone, most staring, until Bud Brown tries to stop them, Ollie speaking up to defend Dave once Bud starts to try and give Ollie crap for "drinking on the job". Soon though, Ollie had gotten the other people in the store to gather and prefaced Dave's testimony about the monster outdoors, Norton still putting his two-cents of denial in; the prick. Bud Brown then tries to support Norton's view, lightening the mood of the others in the crowd until Mrs. Carmody then brings everyone back down to their unfortunate reality, but bringing it to Doomsday-style talk, Ollie then having to reign her back in. By then though, Dave suggests they go into the back room rather than argue the point, Bud Brown finally agreeing after still arrogantly hanging onto the fact the back room is off limits to customers.
Bud Brown is then shown and convinced of the tentacles being real and then wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible, the tentacles outside still being heard, he then concluding the chapter by speaking to the onlookers outside the double-doors of the extent of the situation they were in. The next few hours has everyone coming to terms with the news, Norton being a part of a group of ten unwilling to bend on their inability to accepting the fantastically horrifying truth and upon being confronted by Ollie to go around to the back where there were recyclable items and to bring one back in to prove he'd done it, Ollie rewarding him the highest of courtesies, which Norton couldn't give a comeback to since Ollie interrupted him with more sobering confessions, not getting Norton to stop his tirade, but getting some others who weren't sure of the truth to start making a leap due to the look in Ollie's eyes. Norton's diminished group goes off as far as they can from the others and upon passing Billy, one of them awakens him, Dave going over to try and put him back down, but Billy having enough and instead had gone back and saw the spot-light was now on Mrs. Carmody. She still only stating of their imminent deaths until being prompted by one to actually give a suggestion which made her come out with giving a "blood sacrifice" which brought one man out to smack her in the face, presumably for seeming so smug and about to say more.
It doesn't shut her up for long unfortunately, she ending her speech with the foretelling of someone else being killed by the time night fell. After calm was found, some of the group began talking of the exits and how well they were reinforced, one man coming up with an idea which Dave silently considered to be useless, but harmless and good for morale, being to pile some lawn-food and fertilizer like sand bags against any seemingly weak entrance, some getting behind this idea. Then the same man asks whether anyone has a fire-arm, one woman packing some heat and also divulging of not ever having used it but once on a firing range, they then learning who can shoot, it being Ollie. Then the crowd began to figure out other make-shift weapons, they all sounding weak if one hadn't seen the tentacles as Ollie and Dave had.
The man with all the good ideas, Dan Miller, catches their aside and gets them alone to speak with them, coming up with another good plan, at least good enough to possibly be a distraction to the tentacles. A couple hours after they'd implemented the bags of fertilizer and what not, they'd posted watchmen at certain spots along with the make-shift torches. Soon Dave has a shift as a sentry with Billy and his son fire-balled multiple unanswerable questions until finally crying and Dave being unable to comfort him in the way he most likely needed: a motherly one. Billy then recognizes a woman who used to babysit for him and she offers to watch Billy until Dave's shift is over, both he and Billy agreeing it would be nice, then later someone is arguing about trying to go out, Norton getting loud and trying to get everyone to make room to let them through.
One man is still trying to reason with Norton to stop and try to calm down, but he's gotten it into his head to leave, with only a few others joining him one leaving in the middle of the others protesting. Dave then gives Norton a package of clothesline, hoping he'd tie it around his waist and then attach it something outside to at least prove he'd gotten to a certain distance, Norton refusing, but one of the others agreeing. When they go out, everything seems to be going smoothly until Dave reaches halfway through the clothesline, soon hearing confirmation to some of the people's fates. The man who worked at the grocery since Dave's preteens was the one to grill up some chicken for everyone in the store, Billy refusing to eat other than going to get a peach upon Dave's suggestion.
Meanwhile the woman who used to babysit Billy requests to watch him for Dave for having something to focus on and being able to stay strong for him. As Mrs. Turman, Billy's caretaker at the moment had him doing crafts at the back of the store now, Ollie approached Dave with some unsettling news of noticing movement outside and not being the only one. A half hour after, another of the sentries sees something attach itself to the glass and ravingly screams, retreating to the back as others either had gone further back themselves or closer to see what had spooked him, the creature being impish and having suckers to hang onto the glass with and also not being alone, more appearing in varying sizes acting like houseflies, but much more creepy in appearance, being bigger. Dave is the only one to notice another flying creature snatch one of the smaller ones up and eat it, scaring him to the point of he not knowing whether or not he had screamed.
Then the situation starts to rev up to panic-mode, people running to the back and at one point trampling an old woman, Dave and Ollie then seeing one man get knocked by one of the plant-food bags as some of the impish bugs began to work their way through cracks in the window. One of them gets in and people see the man who had fallen was now being perched on by the bug whilst being slowly consumed. To be clear, the details with which King describes this horror is of perfect pitch and doesn't reveal much more than necessary, it grabs the reader at the right time and swings one through like the movie should have. Now to get back into it, another of the men does succeed in getting the creature aflame and subsequently burning it to death, but it does bring more terror from everyone regardless of this minor success.
Bud Brown brings Dave's attention to another of the creatures having entered through the cracked window, but before he can do anything an older wiry woman Raid's the creature which works quite well in ending the creature's life. Later on, they began re-enforcing some of the barriers with heavier crates filled with fruit, realizing the bird-creatures or the impish ones would have more trouble getting through those, but still not having anything strong enough to keep out the tentacled creature. People slept fitfully, including Dave, later on we discover he's noticing an uncomfortable attraction to the woman who had the gun, Amanda, believing it was most likely caused by the situation they were in, but the feeling not waning. To distract himself, we are told of what career he tried and failed at, then moving on to what had made him his money.
Ollie comes to collect Dave, needing to show him something terrible in the back room, being the two soldiers noticed earlier hanging off the ceiling. They consider how the two had hung themselves whilst having their hands tied behind their backs, then Ollie tries to convince Dave to help him hide their bodies, which he succeeds in doing eventually once they figure the Arrowhead Project could have something to do with the fog. When Dave gets back out to where Billy is asleep, Amanda has gone and Mrs. Turman has taken her place staying with Billy, they both still sleeping. Amanda turns up again, though to ask whether Dave would like to go to the office, since it had a lock and no one was currently in it, confronting him about noticing the look he'd had whilst watching her.
They do something about it, as well, Dave then joining Dan Miller for a moment upon request, he bringing up some valid points as to what their long term plans involved since they couldn't stay in the market forever. Dave realized he had a good point, but the man also didn't have a son to look after. Dan then brings him to the window to consider why they hadn't heard any cars getting smashed up when the large creatures had come, theorizing some had either only then disappeared or somehow been "vaporized" during the large crash they'd heard in the market, thinking perhaps the area they inhabited had been separated from the rest of the town since they'd also stopped hearing the town whistle at the same time. Dan also brings up how the pharmacy, which is only next door was also open and why no one from there hadn't tried to get to the market, wanting to put together a group to go see what happened, then moving on to Mrs. Carmody and how she's starting to get a following of ladies already and if they stay another night, the possibility of more people considering her strange ideas of sacrificing someone, giving him another reason to leave before anything drastic happens.
Dave is then convinced in trying out his drug store expedition idea, planning on getting together again in an hour. Dave informs both Amanda and Mrs. Turman of his plans, then spending some time with Billy before he had to go, he giving him the news last which doesn't go over well with him. Dave then notices Myron has gone to be with Mrs. Carmody's other followers, reminding him why he's going out in to possible danger. Dave is on his way to leave when Amanda approaches him looking miffed until Dave shares Dan's theory about Mrs. Carmody, which she accepts and is sure Dave will look out for himself and split if there's any sign of trouble.
Seven people are in the group to go search for the Pharmacy with Dan and Dave. Before leaving, Dan makes an announcement of their plans which included locating medicine for the woman who got trampled in the bug infestation. After it's known what they planned to do, Mrs. Carmody opens her fat mouth again and spouts threats of death for anyone who ventures out of the market, but also for those who stayed inside due to the one's who leave would lead the monsters right to them; Damn woman covers all the bases. Mrs. Carmody is heightening the fervor when someone throws some canned produce at her, successfully getting her to be silent.
The moment of paranoia she tried to cause dissipates and the group get on their way, then as Dave begins to lose sight of the two at the forefront, being Ollie and Dan, he begins to think about how close to twenty feet the two must already be when Dan screams an oath and as Dave begins to see what had scared him, he realizes what must have happened to the people in the Pharmacy. King immediately lets the reader know why the people in the market had made it through the night with their lives and the ones in the Pharmacy hadn't. Dave would have turned back at this point if he hadn't promised his son some comics, so goes in after Dan, notices some on the floor at his feet almost immediately and then one of the others begins to examine something black on the floor which Dave then comes to the realization of what had gotten the people in the Pharmacy, advising everyone to get out, then hearing screams coming from outside. Another man was trying to defend himself near the telephone booth, but was wrapped around the leg by a cable looking rope, the man is eventually gotten out of his dire situation, but then Dan gets caught up among hanging threads, like an insect, but frees himself minus a part of his shirt.
More of the hanging strings began to fall around them, everyone retreating back to the market. The man who'd been caught at the leg had passed out and another man was lost to the strings, Dave helping Ollie carry the one man, now unconscious. Dan is then caught by one of the strings as well, Dave then sees what was using the strings to catch them. Ollie uses the gun finally and hits the monster, he then confessing to Dave he can let the injured man go, since he was no longer alive.
Then they see Dan has been caught again by another of the monster's and the only woman in their group sprays it with a can of Black Flag, which makes the monster retreat, but not in time to save Dan. Before the three enter the market once more, Dave spears one of the creature's, javelin-style and once they've gotten inside, they describe to everyone what they'd confronted. After Dave sleeps, he's approached by the old man who'd offered to grab his shotgun in his truck, speaking of the trouble Mrs. Carmody was brewing and needing to put a stop to it. Unfortunately there was already an altercation between Bud Brown and Myron over Mrs. Carmody's nonsense so an easy way of dissolving the group seemed improbable.
Dave begins to consider the creatures and how they took out their prey, then deciding he needed to speak with Ollie about it. When he finds him and also hears Mrs. Carmody's rantings, he brings to Ollie's attention his plan of escape for at least half a dozen of them which he seemed dubious would work, but after Dave figures what others he'd take and where they'd go, Ollie is convinced and they plan an early start the next morning. By night, Mrs. Carmody had gotten even more followers and by four-fifteen in the morning, Ollie wakes Dave who in succession wakens Amanda and Mrs. Turman to let them in on the plan, both agreeing to come, as well as the woman who had ventured out with Dave and Ollie before. As Mrs. Carmody is doing her crazy sermonizing still, Ollie is planning out who will sit where in the car when Mrs. Carmody makes her presence known and asks where they thought they were going, dissolving their plan due to her followers blocking both exits and she smashing their rations of food, shouting of sacrifice needing to come from their group.
After some of Mrs. Carmody's followers try to do her bidding, Ollie fires a shot which stops everyone in their tracks, making her followers scatter and leaving Mrs. Carmody to collapse to the floor. Dave and his group then make their way out as planned, but without any food. When Ollie reaches Dave's car and gets the doors open, he meets his demise by another unknown creature, then Mrs. Turman is taken leaving Amanda and Mrs. Reppler the only others to make it to the car, the old man turning back after seeing what was happening. Dave then retrieves Amanda's gun and after letting the car idle awhile, they begin to head back to where Dave's home is, which doesn't work out completely as planned, since he'd only been able to get past two of the obstacles in his drive and still had a quarter of a mile to travel, stopping for a while to see if he could figure a way around it, not being successful and coming to terms with having to move on.
Well on their way out of town, they come across a couple different creatures, one so tall they couldn't see the body of it. Dave then mentions how he's been journaling their progress up to then and describes its end to be Albert Hitchcock-ian. The difference between the movie and story is mostly in the ending since it stayed faithful mostly throughout (recently having seen the black and white version), but whilst it was hilariously evil how they ended the movie, I definitely prefer the story. I enjoyed this read, it was thrilling and whilst not too scary, kept one wondering what could happen next and it will be fun to see the correlation between The Dark Tower series and the next I read which is UR.
