Trent watched with numbed eyes, fighting back the wave of blackness that threatened to overcome him, and he saw the figure of Fenwick suddenly go limp in the grip of the monster. He saw a spurt of blood burst from the man's torn throat, and then the creature dropped the limp body. It fell to the floor, and a wave of red washed across the floor from the mangled throat. The monster stood over the lifeless body, a triumphant sound issuing from its twisted lips. Then it turned toward the girl. Trent tried to move. He tried to push back the weakness that numbed his body. But he couldn't. His head swam with the pain of the blow he had received, and he could only watch through half-closed eyes as the monster reached out for the girl. Joan Drake screamed once as the long arms reached out for her. Then her voice ended abruptly as she fell to the floor in a faint. The monster stood over her for a moment, then it reached down and picked up her body in its blood splattered-arms. It turned for a moment, holding the girl, and shot a hate-filled glance at Trent's limp figure. Then it moved swiftly across the room and out into the hall. And the baying of the Great Dane sounded angrily in Fred Trent's ears ... * * * * * With a superhuman effort Fred Trent forced the numbness from his body and moved slowly to his feet. A horror gripped him that brought a new strength to his body, flooded it. He stepped over the body of Fenwick, forcing his eyes away from the grisly sight of it as he dashed to the hallway. "Joan--_Joan_!" The girl's name came hoarsely from his lips as he ran into the hall and stared at the open door of the house. He ran to the door and out into the night. His eyes stared wildly into the darkness, searching the street. But he saw nothing but his parked car at the curb. The monster had vanished. And with him, the unconscious girl. A hopeless despair welled up inside Trent at that moment. For he knew he could never hope to find the creature now. And by the time help came it would be too late. They would find Joan's mangled body ... The baying of the Great Dane rang in his ears then. The huge dog's howls of rage thundered in his ears and he heard the hound crash its great body against the closed door at the end of the hall, striving to get through. And then a cry of hope left Trent's lips. He turned and ran back into the house. He grabbed the long leash from its wall hook beside the rear door and then he swung the door partway open. "Brutus! Quiet, Brutus!" The head of the Great Dane struggled through the partly opened door, a snarl of rage welling from the huge dog's mouth as Trent shouted at it. Then he slipped the leash into its metal ring around the neck of the dog and pulled the door open. The animal rushed into the hall, nearly tearing the leash from Fred Trent's hands as it lunged forward.