For awhile it seemed as though Tara's knocks had gone unheard.  Then there was a crash, a series of loud thumps, and some muted cursing that grew gradually louder until something slammed bodily up against the door from the other side.  What looked to have been nothing more than a knot in the wood slid inwards, revealing a single bloodshot eye.  It flicked between the three would-be investigators as if sizing them up.<br/><br/>The knot snapped back into place, and there came the telltale clanking and clattering of locks being undone and boards being lifted out of place.  After a minute of concerted effort the door<em>finally</em>opened onto blackness.<br/><br/><em>"Well?  Don't juss stan' there, idjits!  Git in!  Never know who might be watchin'."</em>The voice was raw and cracked on every other word, as if its owner had gone a long while without talking to another soul.