Chapter 1, January Summary

It's winter in the small Maine town of Tarker's Mills and a blizzard is raging. The streets are deserted and railroad flagman Arnie Westrum is trapped in a small signal shack several miles outside of town because large snow drifts have blocked the train tracks. As Arnie plays solitaire and waits for the storm to end, he hears a sound he believes to be the wind. Soon he realizes that the noise isn't the wind after all, but something or someone scratching at the door and whining. He assumes it's a dog looking for shelter and considers letting it into the shack, but a vague sense of fear causes him to hesitate. There have been strange omens in Tarker's Mills recently and Arnie feels uneasy.

Soon the whining turns to snarling and the creature outside begins banging heavily against the door...