Excerpt from WIP: "The War Within"

This short story has been in the works for nearly a year. It's about the nature of warfare in the human heart as told through a horrifying event at a VFW Hall. Here's an excerpt:

When Mrs. Bailey opened the main entrance door, she heard the type of scream she didn’t think humanly possible. Movies never got that scream right. They always overdid it for dramatic effect. This was a scream that came from the very core of a man un-used to showing emotion, a primal release of fear and agony so powerful she nearly turned and ran from the building.

But something seemed to take hold of her and root her to the spot. Resistance never occurred to her as she moved forward, toward the large steel door she always had such difficulty pushing open. She reached out to touch the long handle and received a jolt of electricity that caused her arm to go numb.

Someone else screamed but his panic was cut short by a loud crashing sound.

“Oh, no,” Mrs. Bailey said. “Oh, no. Please.”

She started sobbing, wanting to open the door but knowing she would not be able to handle what she saw on the other side of it. More screams came from there, more sounds of crashing and things breaking and shattering. Someone or something struck the other side of the door, causing her to yelp and stumble backwards. It occurred to her she should probably call the police.

But the telephone was inside, with the screaming.