Orn tried to suppress the building panic as more fingers began to slide thorough the gap. The pressure on his shoulder kept growing as new goblins reached the window.

Keeping his shoulder firmly against the shutter he stretched with his free arm. His fingers ran along the wall searching for the bar. Where is ?! There! Got it.

Orn quickly shifted to place his back to the shutter. Wrapping both hands on around the bar he began to thrust the end towards the groping fingers.

As the board smashed down, high pitched whimpering and snarls came from outside. The sound drove him on, and the board fell faster and faster on the fingers. Despite his best efforts through the numbers of reaching claws only seemed to increase and the gap grew ever wider.

Orn kept smashing the board down, but could feel his strength slowly fading. I cannot keep this up forever. Wait, did that one pull its hand back through?

Orn lifted the board to see the goblin’s fingers sliding out of the window. His spirit now lifted by the success, Orn found his second wind, and redoubled his efforts. Slowly the gap closed, as goblins snatched back broken fingers through the gap. Then finally, until only one goblin’s hand kept the gap open.

Throwing his weight behind each blow, Orn rushed to dislodge the goblin. With each passing moment the shutter was open, was another chance for the goblins to force it open. Again and again the wooden bar came down until each blow was accompanied by a wet cracking sound.

“Just let go already,” Orn yelled a the mangled hand, lifting the piece of wood far over his head. Orn felt himself lift a bit as it made full contact with the window sill, and his shoulder briefly left the shutter.

Feeling his shoulder come free he panicked and threw himself back against it, feeling it slam home. He turned awkwardly, rushing to get the mushroomed end of the bar into place. The board caught for a moment before sliding in and allowing him to catch the other side.

Once he felt the bar slide firmly home, he stepped back panting. His eyes did not leave the boarded window as he struggled to catch his breath. With the immediate danger past, he slowly became more aware of his surroundings. The scratching sound seemed to come from everywhere in the hut, but what caught his attention was the mangled goblin hand laying on the bed next to his feet.

The hand was missing from the wrist, removed by what Orn recognized as bite marks. A severed hand. I have been beating on a severed hand stuck in the window.

Suddenly the grisly thing seemed hilarious and he felt his hands make contact with his knees as he laughed. He knew that there was nothing funny about the situation, yet he could not help but laugh. Is this what going mad is like?

The sound of a familiar voice drew his attention back to the present, and paused his hysterical laughter. “Orn, you need to get a hold of yourself.”

He turned to see Kao watching him, concern evident in her expression. “They are still coming. Grab your bow quickly!”

Countless hours sparing with Kao meant Orn’s hand wrapped around his bow even as his mind struggled for the reason. “But the window is closed, ant they cannot…”

Orn’s words died on his lips as the slashing form of a goblin passed between him and Kao. His hands nocked an arrow as he fell back against the wall, and watched the goblin… fall?

Orn flinched at the sound made when the creature’s face made contact with the fire-pit stones. He stared at the motionless figure surrounded by broken shingles and slowly turned his attention up.

Orn swallowed and looked at a group of goblins staring at him through the hole that served as the hut’s chimney. “How?”

“While you were focused on the window they scattered around the hut,” Kao replied, flatly. “it is only a matter of time before they tear the roof off.”

Looking at the snarling faces of the monsters ripping a the shingles, he drew the bow. The arrow flew up into the face of one of the goblins. The other goblins scampered back and he heard the body rolling down the roof. The roof’s reprieve was short lived though, as the goblins rushed back into view pulling at the shingles frantically.

Arrow after arrow found their targets, but the goblins kept tearing at the roof. Shooting a goblin that had stuck its head too far out, Orn heard the squeaking of wood on metal. The goblin next to the one he shot, disappeared from view holding a shingle. How long can I keep this up? For every one I shoot another appears.

He cringed as another goblin succeeded in freeing a couple shingles. The goblin scampered back with its prize keeping Orn from getting a clean shot. Easing the knocked arrow forward, he realized the tension on the string. Above him the goblins were no longer staring down at him, but hiding behind the shingles they were working to remove.

“I thought they were dumb,” Orn said, watching the slowly disappearing ceiling, and waiting for a clean shot.

“They are,” Kao replied, her voice unsteady. “But even they realize what happened to the ones that kept their heads up. Either that or their mother did.”

“She is already here?” Orn swallowed as Kao looked through the wall toward something he could not see.

“No,,” Kao replied, shaking her head. “but she is now close enough to give them instructions. And she is closing quickly.”

The squeaking sound of a nail coming free drew Orn’s attention. Moment's later an arrow burred itself in the chest of a goblin who did not move fast enough out of sight.

“I just have to keep thinning them out, then.” Orn grabbed for another arrow and felt his fingers close on nothing above the empty quiver.