7 Christmas Horror Stories to Chill You!

WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.840 --> 00:00:06.240
Season's greetings, my spookies. I
hope you're all doing very well as the

2
00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:13.320
weather is turning oh so cold,
and it's time for us to bust out

3
00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:19.480
the scary Christmas stories that we've enjoyed
over the years. On this program.

4
00:00:19.920 --> 00:00:26.760
Tonight, I bring you seven very
eerie tales of holiday cheer, and I

5
00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:31.239
hope you'll be ready to enjoy them
with me as you sit back and relax

6
00:00:32.600 --> 00:00:39.840
and listen to the snow falling outside. And please do remember that all December

7
00:00:39.880 --> 00:00:45.039
we'll be publishing brand new Christmas content
for your listening enjoyment, not just on

8
00:00:45.079 --> 00:00:49.439
Wednesdays. We'll be posting quite a
bit more than normal to make sure you're

9
00:00:49.479 --> 00:00:55.280
fully entertained and scared throughout this holiday
season. I know a lot of you

10
00:00:55.320 --> 00:00:58.679
out there are working hard for a
living and you need something to entertain you.

11
00:00:58.759 --> 00:01:03.520
Well, weekly Ookie is here with
the gifts of holiday cheer. So

12
00:01:03.560 --> 00:01:32.000
without further ado, let's unwrap some
great gifts after these quick words biting cold,

13
00:01:32.040 --> 00:01:41.319
biting cold, Biting cold by Jeff
Carpenter. Pain hit him like a

14
00:01:41.359 --> 00:01:45.840
spear in the gut. He was
hungry, but he knew that thing out

15
00:01:45.879 --> 00:01:51.280
there was too, and he knew
its kind never left wounded prey until they

16
00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:57.519
could pick the bones clean. He
was sheltered, safe for now, or

17
00:01:57.560 --> 00:02:02.879
so he hoped. Dug into his
snow cave, he shifted his body,

18
00:02:04.280 --> 00:02:08.159
bumping up against the cold walls.
He couldn't see his right arm, and

19
00:02:08.240 --> 00:02:14.319
maybe that was for the best.
The solidity of the snow walls comforted him,

20
00:02:14.400 --> 00:02:19.199
but it was a frozen comfort,
a chilled comfort for his cold,

21
00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:27.120
tired bones. A sound carried over
the crisp air. His ears pricked up,

22
00:02:28.319 --> 00:02:35.960
chattering, an incessant clacking that assaulted
his ears. It was his own

23
00:02:36.039 --> 00:02:39.719
noise. With every intake of breath, he could feel the sharp cold sheet

24
00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:45.520
through his teeth. His teeth chattered, but he could not feel them.

25
00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:50.759
He longed for another familiar sound,
a sound that would take him home.

26
00:02:51.400 --> 00:02:54.719
In his breast pocket was a cell
phone with very low battery charge. He

27
00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:59.240
was far out of range of any
known cell tower, but he still had

28
00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:04.599
some voice mess save that he'd listened
to before the blizzard hit, one from

29
00:03:04.599 --> 00:03:07.919
his father at the hunting lodge.
Christmas was approaching and his father had exhorted

30
00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:12.840
him to check the trap lines one
more time before the big snow hit hard

31
00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:16.080
and stranded them. He was sure
his father had attempted to search for him,

32
00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:20.919
but the guests had gone home for
the holidays, and the wheelchair would

33
00:03:20.919 --> 00:03:24.199
have been useless much beyond the pack
down paths around the cabin in this snow.

34
00:03:25.080 --> 00:03:29.599
Another message from his little girl back
in the city, complaining about her

35
00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:32.120
new braces and how they heard her
teeth and made her lips bleed when she

36
00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:37.159
practiced her carols for the choir.
She would be caroling out there tonight,

37
00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:40.039
braving the cold and her sore gums, to spread her joy to the world

38
00:03:40.080 --> 00:03:46.439
around her. She'd left him one
last message, but he would leave that

39
00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:53.639
one unheard until he really needed to
hear it. He would survive for her.

40
00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:58.319
He exhaled and felt the steamy breath
in front of his face. He

41
00:03:58.400 --> 00:04:01.759
tried to breathe warmth into his on
his left hand, but they were well

42
00:04:01.800 --> 00:04:08.319
pass numb. Now out there was
the only hope for life, But death

43
00:04:08.800 --> 00:04:20.319
lurked there in the shadows. If
he did nothing, if he curled up

44
00:04:20.319 --> 00:04:25.480
in his icy tomb and let sleep
overtake him, the beast would have him

45
00:04:25.519 --> 00:04:30.639
still. It would dig in and
dig him out, scavenge his cold tired

46
00:04:30.680 --> 00:04:34.120
bones. Like a grave robber.
The beast's teeth would crunch and crush the

47
00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:40.920
bones and frozen flesh of his rigid
corpse, just as easily as if he

48
00:04:40.959 --> 00:04:46.000
had offered himself to it. It
would swallow him in huge, choking gulps,

49
00:04:46.959 --> 00:04:50.560
and then he would be gone,
and it would be night forever.

50
00:04:58.759 --> 00:05:01.560
He closed his eyes tight enough to
shut out the images in his brain,

51
00:05:02.079 --> 00:05:06.319
the creature invading the hole with its
snout slavery to get at the bloody,

52
00:05:06.399 --> 00:05:12.040
sweating slab of meat still living inside. If only he could last through the

53
00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:21.920
night, then maybe one more night. It was just the last night that

54
00:05:21.959 --> 00:05:26.839
it all had happened. The avalanche
had thrown a tree on top of him,

55
00:05:28.399 --> 00:05:31.639
brought a roll damn tree down on
top of him. It must have

56
00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:36.560
been the rifle shot that set it
off. It must have been from behind

57
00:05:36.639 --> 00:05:41.399
him. The rumble came out of
nowhere. The tree had torn his arm

58
00:05:41.439 --> 00:05:45.600
from his shoulder and left it gashed
and bleeding. When he came to with

59
00:05:45.639 --> 00:05:49.319
a violent tug on his arm socket, the beast's beady red eyes dared him

60
00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:55.000
to wrench his arm back into place. He let the animal take his prize.

61
00:05:55.360 --> 00:05:59.079
It was no good to him anymore
anyway. But now the beast knew

62
00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:04.240
he was weakened and had limited mobility, had limited range, had tasted mortality,

63
00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:10.600
and was handicapped. It would come
again and again to test its prey

64
00:06:10.759 --> 00:06:15.800
strength and its ebbing will to survive. If he could only make it to

65
00:06:15.879 --> 00:06:20.759
the tree, the upturned tree,
its branches ready made kindling. The waterproof

66
00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:28.000
matches in his pocket were still good. He hoped fire, a glorious fire

67
00:06:28.079 --> 00:06:32.279
could be kindled, bringing warmth to
this long night, warming his belly,

68
00:06:33.040 --> 00:06:40.920
slacking his thirst, thawing his fingers. The beast would feed him its long,

69
00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:45.759
dense fur. The oil in its
hairs would keep the frost off of

70
00:06:45.839 --> 00:06:49.839
him. His boot would hold enough
snow to melt into drinking water. His

71
00:06:49.959 --> 00:06:55.800
left hand clenched into a fist.
It needed to hold something, something solid.

72
00:06:56.600 --> 00:07:00.000
His bolt action remington had been broken
and buried by the tree's way.

73
00:07:00.079 --> 00:07:06.680
No weapon. Still. The branches
could make a spear, but he didn't

74
00:07:06.680 --> 00:07:12.439
have a knife to sharpen it.
Teeth. He had teeth, as did

75
00:07:12.480 --> 00:07:15.199
the beast, of course, and
he would pit his molars, canines and

76
00:07:15.279 --> 00:07:20.800
scisors, and his dizzy brain against
the animals He had thirty two thirty one

77
00:07:20.879 --> 00:07:26.920
after that drunken brawl. Molars for
grinding, and scisors for biting and cutting

78
00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:33.319
canines, his eye teeth for tearing
lippen. He would chew the bark and

79
00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:38.000
spit it out. He would chew
the fleshy tip of his branch into a

80
00:07:38.040 --> 00:07:41.879
wicked, sharp point of death,
dealing plunge it into the gut of the

81
00:07:42.000 --> 00:07:47.519
ravenous animal, finally killing its hunger. He had no fingers, not that

82
00:07:47.560 --> 00:07:53.399
he could feel anyway. He could
pull himself to the tree, but that

83
00:07:53.519 --> 00:07:58.399
could loosen the shirt of his makeshift
tourniquet and open the flow of blood again.

84
00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:05.079
He can feel himself succumbing to the
cold, to his leaking blood,

85
00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:11.920
to the dark night all around.
It was now or never. His eyelids

86
00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:20.959
flutter to sleep, or he moves. He pushes out the hole, crawling

87
00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:26.680
at first, then limping, stooping, gradually more erect from animal to man,

88
00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:31.200
a momentary recurrence of evolutionary strides.
He can do it. He is

89
00:08:31.320 --> 00:08:35.600
doing it. His numb fingers find
the tree with a grunt. He feebly

90
00:08:35.639 --> 00:08:41.080
snaps off twigs. He clutches them
clumsily in his single arm. They slip

91
00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:46.080
and fall out. He scoops them
up again. He collects and breaks off

92
00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:52.120
branches of various sizes from the falling
tree, smaller for kindling, larger for

93
00:08:52.200 --> 00:08:54.759
the main fuel of the fire.
He stacks them in a rickety pyramid.

94
00:08:56.120 --> 00:09:00.919
His hand, curled like a useless
claw, clutches the match to his chest.

95
00:09:01.639 --> 00:09:05.519
He pulls out one match with his
teeth. His lips tremble as he

96
00:09:05.559 --> 00:09:09.960
bends his head to the match box
striking surface. The match flares up and

97
00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:15.399
burns his lips. It falls to
the snow and fizzles. He tries again

98
00:09:15.840 --> 00:09:18.600
and manages to catch it aflame.
He ignites the pyramid stack of wood.

99
00:09:20.519 --> 00:09:24.360
With the warmth comes the feeling back
into his fingers. He bites into the

100
00:09:24.360 --> 00:09:28.440
fleshy wood, his lips curling at
the bitter taste of bark. He grinds

101
00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:33.679
away at the wood, periodically spitting
out the pulpy ball of mulch. He

102
00:09:33.759 --> 00:09:35.679
wipes the wood juice running down his
chin with the back of his hand.

103
00:09:37.080 --> 00:09:41.840
The hot saliva runs cold and icy
down his chin, almost freezing solid,

104
00:09:41.879 --> 00:09:46.879
before running down his neck collar.
He breaks a tooth and whimpers in pain.

105
00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:52.240
Then he stops he sees a movement
motion at the edge of the perimeter

106
00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:56.320
of the circle of firelight. His
eyes dart to the right, scanning the

107
00:09:56.320 --> 00:10:01.279
flickering shadows and darkness beyond. He
holds the rim of the boot collar to

108
00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:07.559
his lips, awaiting the refreshing slake
of liquid to quench his thirst. The

109
00:10:07.639 --> 00:10:13.480
smell hits him first, the foul, pungent odor, Then the crushing weight

110
00:10:13.600 --> 00:10:18.000
of the beast slams into his chest, holding him over. His arms flail

111
00:10:18.039 --> 00:10:22.120
to fight for balance, but he's
gone, and so is his boot Flung

112
00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:26.799
into the fire, splashing water,
it sizzles and steams, and then the

113
00:10:26.840 --> 00:10:33.519
wolverine growls and makes his slow advance, halting, booting ba The beast leaps

114
00:10:33.519 --> 00:10:37.639
on him, snarling, slavering hot
spit and wets saliva on his face.

115
00:10:37.840 --> 00:10:41.080
He turns his head, avoiding its
snapping teeth, the hot breath on his

116
00:10:41.159 --> 00:10:45.879
face. It pushes on top of
him for better advantage. It will have

117
00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:50.879
him soon. He can feel himself
losing the battle, with his eyelids flutter

118
00:10:52.279 --> 00:10:58.000
to sleep, or he bites into
the exposed neck of the beast through wet

119
00:10:58.039 --> 00:11:01.639
fur. The beast jerks and rears
back giving him enough room to reach his

120
00:11:01.720 --> 00:11:05.159
stride and grab the spear. He
plunges the spear deep into the belly of

121
00:11:05.200 --> 00:11:09.039
the beast. It howls an agony
in its tongue, lolls in its mouth,

122
00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:13.960
a tasting mortality. The wolverine slumps
to the ground, its fur bathed

123
00:11:15.039 --> 00:11:18.639
in the orange glow of the fire. He raises his stick in victory.

124
00:11:18.960 --> 00:11:22.159
He circles the body of the wolverine, watching it closely, the steam escaping

125
00:11:22.200 --> 00:11:26.279
from the gash in its belly as
it slowly cools to the outside temperature.

126
00:11:28.039 --> 00:11:31.759
Snap teeth bite into his ankle.
The shin bone of his leg fractures.

127
00:11:31.840 --> 00:11:37.399
The unrelenting metal jaws of one of
his steel traps enclose his lower leg.

128
00:11:37.960 --> 00:11:43.000
He hits the ground hard. He
stares at the wolverine's missing forelomb, the

129
00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:46.440
nub where it had bitten it off
to escape, and then his own missing

130
00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:54.200
arm. The wolverine's eyes now closed, its soft lashes whiting over the fresh

131
00:11:54.480 --> 00:12:00.919
snowflakes. His lashes, too,
grow heavy with white flakes. The flickering

132
00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:07.120
flames of the fire die to embers. His eyelids flutter. He takes the

133
00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:11.519
cell phone out of his breast,
pocket one last unheard message. He clicks

134
00:12:11.559 --> 00:12:26.440
it. It is his daughter,
singing softly. He closes his eyes and

135
00:12:26.600 --> 00:12:35.480
listens to the carol on repeat until
the battery dies. A thrill love the

136
00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:46.960
weary world rejoice is Frion nerve breaks
a new and glories one fall on your

137
00:12:48.080 --> 00:13:03.720
knees, Oh his. The angel's
voice is ohne diva. A thought passes

138
00:13:03.799 --> 00:13:16.600
through his frozen mind to sleep or
or or or I'll be home for Christmas.

139
00:13:16.879 --> 00:13:24.039
By s. Nicholeoloca A Winkley Smunky
original. It's never gonna stop,

140
00:13:24.360 --> 00:13:30.159
Kat Walker said to herself, watching
as never ending white fell outside. The

141
00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:33.600
dying embers of the day cast a
soft glow that lit the snow covered landscape

142
00:13:33.879 --> 00:13:39.279
in a blood red hue. The
wind howled, making the old walls of

143
00:13:39.279 --> 00:13:43.120
the house creak and strain. Cat
was alone in the parlor, the gathering

144
00:13:43.159 --> 00:13:48.559
place for most of the social activity
at Black Oaks. A tall Christmas tree

145
00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:52.279
sat in the room's center, its
lights blinking on and off. The smell

146
00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:58.799
of cinnamon delighted Cat's senses. Cinnamon
cookie ornaments hung from the tree branches,

147
00:13:58.240 --> 00:14:07.960
crafted in various Christmas related forms.
Santa Frosty snowflakes and Christmas trees, all

148
00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:13.720
lovingly made by Black Oak's resident cook, Malory Horst. A fire crackled in

149
00:14:13.759 --> 00:14:18.440
the fireplace and the scent of burning
wood hung in the air. The sound

150
00:14:18.480 --> 00:14:22.440
of whiskey flowing over ice pulled Cat
from her thoughts. She watched fellow student

151
00:14:22.519 --> 00:14:28.279
Georgina harris enter reflected in the glass
of the window. Georgina returned her metal

152
00:14:28.279 --> 00:14:33.200
flask to the folds of her expensive
robe before crashing to the couch. The

153
00:14:33.320 --> 00:14:39.360
chikh brunette lounged on the couch,
her sleek legs visible at the robe's part.

154
00:14:39.679 --> 00:14:43.960
Taking a sip of whiskey. She
lit a cigarette. The weather outside

155
00:14:43.039 --> 00:14:48.960
is indeed frightful. Little kitten Cat
turned angry at the interruption. She spun

156
00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:54.720
around so fast her long, raven
black hair fell across her eyes, stinging

157
00:14:54.759 --> 00:14:58.159
them. What are you doing,
Cab blurted out, her anger getting the

158
00:14:58.159 --> 00:15:03.360
better of her working towards a career
in alcoholism and nicotine addiction, Georgina smirked,

159
00:15:03.759 --> 00:15:07.879
raising her glass in a toast.
Just like dear old mom, you

160
00:15:07.960 --> 00:15:13.279
know the rules, Kat said,
if miss Keene sees you, her voice

161
00:15:13.320 --> 00:15:16.200
lowered as if saying the woman's name
would summon the headmistress out of thin air.

162
00:15:16.600 --> 00:15:20.240
Don't worry about it, Georgina took
a puff off her cigarette. It's

163
00:15:20.279 --> 00:15:26.039
not your ass on the line.
If I'm caught kitten, fine, Kat

164
00:15:26.080 --> 00:15:28.679
gave up. Why did she care
if the bitch got in trouble anyway?

165
00:15:30.519 --> 00:15:33.039
And my name is Kat. I
hate it when you call me kitten.

166
00:15:35.080 --> 00:15:39.159
Girls like Georgina were the reason Cat
was at Black Oaks. She'd gotten in

167
00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:41.679
her fair share of fights with girls
that thought they were better than her.

168
00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:48.639
Thought they could tell Kat or place. Expulsion for Cat soon followed nearly every

169
00:15:48.720 --> 00:15:52.759
time a slight red haired girl with
a fox like face stood framed in the

170
00:15:52.799 --> 00:15:58.279
doorway. Her freckled brow wrinkled in
concern. She was wearing a snug if

171
00:15:58.360 --> 00:16:03.440
preposter sweater. Robots danced around a
Christmas tree on its front and a pair

172
00:16:03.480 --> 00:16:08.200
of pale blue jeans. There you
guys are, Sue McCoy said, sounding

173
00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:12.559
relieved. Miss Keane wanted to know
if you guys wanted to exchange Christmas presents

174
00:16:12.600 --> 00:16:18.159
now or in the morning. Kat
looked down at the presence, neatly arranged

175
00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:22.320
under the tree. She wondered how
the tree looked at home, her mom

176
00:16:22.320 --> 00:16:26.000
would have it all decked out with
all the usual ornaments. This would be

177
00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:30.320
the first year Cat wouldn't be there
to help her decorate it. She was

178
00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:33.240
stuck here at Black Oak's boarding school, mainly for the simple fact that her

179
00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:37.159
parents couldn't afford to come and get
her, even if the weather did permit,

180
00:16:38.159 --> 00:16:41.759
not that she was the only one
stuck here for Christmas break. Georgina's

181
00:16:41.799 --> 00:16:45.840
mom and her new girlfriend were off
to Barcelona for the holiday. Sue was

182
00:16:45.879 --> 00:16:51.799
still here because she preferred it to
her home life. Why Cat really wasn't

183
00:16:51.840 --> 00:16:56.840
sure, nor did she want a
pry the other two students still here,

184
00:16:56.399 --> 00:17:02.200
Lois Kincaid and Alison Gordy. We're
both stuck due to the stubborn onslaught of

185
00:17:02.200 --> 00:17:07.079
the freak blizzard assaulting half of the
country. Besides the remaining five girls,

186
00:17:07.319 --> 00:17:11.000
there was miss Keene and Mallory still
at the school. Georgina kicked one of

187
00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:15.759
the presents under the tree with an
outstretched leg. I say we get this

188
00:17:15.839 --> 00:17:19.039
shit over with, Sue turned to
Cat. Yeah, why not? Can

189
00:17:19.200 --> 00:17:25.519
answered. A half hour later,
Wrapping paper littered the parlor's royal blue carpet.

190
00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:29.640
The girls had done a secret Sanna, ensuring that each girl got a

191
00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:33.359
gift and they didn't have to spend
a lot of money getting multiple presents.

192
00:17:33.119 --> 00:17:37.759
Kat sat with her knees drawn up
on the floor, clutching her gift in

193
00:17:37.799 --> 00:17:41.680
her arms, a simple black T
shirt with I'm against it written on its

194
00:17:41.720 --> 00:17:48.039
front in a spray paint font.
Whoever had drawn Cat's name, they certainly

195
00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:52.680
knew her tastes. Sitting next to
her was Mallory the Cook, was only

196
00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:56.200
a few years older than her and
lived in town with her mother, who

197
00:17:56.279 --> 00:18:00.279
had held the position previously until injuring
her back. Now her daughter supported her.

198
00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:04.839
Cat had bonded with her, both
feeling very much the outsider at black

199
00:18:04.880 --> 00:18:10.240
Oak's. Malory had a crisp,
no bullshit way of looking at things and

200
00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:14.680
never sat around feeling sorry for herself
or whining about the shit life had handed

201
00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:18.839
her. It was something Kat aspired
to do herself. Mallory's secret Sanna bought

202
00:18:18.839 --> 00:18:23.359
her a simple pendant necklace. She
wore it proudly around her neck, turning

203
00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:27.000
to smile at Cat as they all
laughed at one of Miss Keene's stories.

204
00:18:27.640 --> 00:18:32.400
Cat drifted in and out of the
story. The woman was telling her ears

205
00:18:32.440 --> 00:18:36.039
picked up bits and pieces of the
news playing on the TV behind them,

206
00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:41.200
The Storm of the Century, flights
canceled, power outages, escaped mental patients

207
00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:45.240
pile up on the throughway. The
girls all laughed again, and Kat joined

208
00:18:45.240 --> 00:18:49.559
in instinctively. Her thoughts turned back
towards home. Were Mom and Dad celebrating

209
00:18:49.599 --> 00:18:56.920
tonight? Was Mom making her annual
Christmas lasagna? Tomorrow? She hoped her

210
00:18:56.920 --> 00:19:03.200
parents were safe and happy. What's
on your mind? Kat turned to see

211
00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:07.799
Malorie looking at her. Nothing,
just Christmas at home, Kat answered,

212
00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:15.039
miss your folks. Yeah, we
we don't always get along, but this

213
00:19:15.160 --> 00:19:18.680
time of year though, all the
shit of the year disappears. Kat smiled,

214
00:19:19.240 --> 00:19:23.000
thinking about the warm feelings she got
sitting around the tree on Christmas morning.

215
00:19:23.720 --> 00:19:29.480
How about you hope I can get
back into town tomorrow spend the day

216
00:19:29.480 --> 00:19:33.839
with Mom. Hold hands you love
birds. Georgina mocked. The heavy scent

217
00:19:33.880 --> 00:19:38.279
of whiskey hung in the air as
she spoke. Mallory made a face,

218
00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:45.160
God, you're drunk, Georgina laughed, Fuck yeah, Towny. Kat noticed

219
00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:51.119
a repeated thumping sound under the din
of the girl's laughter and the TV it

220
00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:57.119
grew louder and more ferocious as seconds
ticked by, until finally, someone's here,

221
00:19:57.359 --> 00:20:00.880
Kat said, springing up from the
flo All eyes turned toward her.

222
00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:04.559
They stared as if she was in
a one woman play written by a psychotic.

223
00:20:06.319 --> 00:20:08.759
At the door, Kat added,
already headed to the foyer, Kat

224
00:20:08.799 --> 00:20:12.880
fumbled with the door lock as the
knocking outside intensified. Miss Keen and the

225
00:20:12.920 --> 00:20:18.359
girls gathered behind her. I told
you there's somebody at the door. Cat

226
00:20:18.359 --> 00:20:22.799
felt vindicated as the knocking continued.
Maybe you shouldn't open that door, Sue

227
00:20:22.839 --> 00:20:30.039
spoke up. It could be a
you know, a crazy person. It

228
00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:33.839
might be a rapist, Lois said, or a holy roller. Georgina added,

229
00:20:34.119 --> 00:20:38.200
we'll be buried in watchtowers. From
the other side of the door,

230
00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:42.880
a man spoke, Please, I
know you're in there. I need help.

231
00:20:44.599 --> 00:20:48.680
Kat looked at Miss King for guidance. The head mistress nodded her approval.

232
00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:52.319
Without hesitation, Kat unlocked the door. Wind and snow assaulted her.

233
00:20:52.359 --> 00:20:56.559
Immediately, a man, looking half
dead, stood at the center of the

234
00:20:56.599 --> 00:21:00.799
moustrom. His hair whipped about as
if a live and his eyes were wide

235
00:21:00.839 --> 00:21:04.920
with panic. The man stumbled into
the house, helped along by Cat and

236
00:21:04.920 --> 00:21:08.839
Miss Keen. Sue struggled to shut
the door behind them, the snow and

237
00:21:08.880 --> 00:21:14.599
wind fighting her. Mallory stepped in
and helped her close the door. Well,

238
00:21:14.680 --> 00:21:18.799
this is something, Georgina said,
observing the scene before her. They

239
00:21:18.839 --> 00:21:22.920
took the stranger into the dining room. A large wood table sat at room

240
00:21:23.079 --> 00:21:26.680
center. The room, much like
the living room, had been decorated for

241
00:21:26.720 --> 00:21:32.200
the holiday. Lights and garland ran
along the walls, and the table was

242
00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:37.599
covered by a tablecloth and place mats
depicting Santa and his reindeer on Christmas night.

243
00:21:37.319 --> 00:21:41.759
Alison pulled out one of the chairs
for the disheveled man. Get him

244
00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:45.759
a blanket and some coffee. Miss
Keen instructed Allison and Lois, sending the

245
00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:49.240
two girls racing off in opposite directions. I told them I'll be home for

246
00:21:49.359 --> 00:21:53.279
Christmas, the man said, through
chapped lips. He looked up into Cat's

247
00:21:53.279 --> 00:21:57.799
eyes. My wife and son,
they're waiting for me. Miss Keene took

248
00:21:57.839 --> 00:22:03.160
the blanket from a return Alison and
draped it over the man's shoulders. Were

249
00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:07.000
you in an accident? The man
hugged the blanket to himself before nodding.

250
00:22:07.400 --> 00:22:10.759
Our bus went off the road.
The snow made it hard to see.

251
00:22:11.319 --> 00:22:15.279
Lois came back with a steaming cup
of coffee. The man gladly took the

252
00:22:15.359 --> 00:22:19.000
mug, holding it in his hands
for the warmth it radiated. Whereabout did

253
00:22:19.039 --> 00:22:23.039
you crash? Miss Keene asked?
How many people were on the bus besides

254
00:22:23.079 --> 00:22:27.119
you? I don't know where.
The storm made it hard to see any

255
00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:32.960
landmarks. The man took a sip
of coffee. Ten. I think there

256
00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:37.400
was maybe ten on the bus.
He pondered this for a moment before continuing.

257
00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:44.039
I went for help and I got
lost, he laughed grimly. I

258
00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:48.799
was in the army, some tracker
I turned out to be. I used

259
00:22:48.839 --> 00:22:52.039
to go through the jungle like nothing. We should call the police, Lois

260
00:22:52.079 --> 00:22:56.119
said, and tell them what Georgina
pointed out. We don't know where this

261
00:22:56.160 --> 00:23:02.359
guy crashed. Where are we gonna
send them? Stepped forward. She's right,

262
00:23:03.240 --> 00:23:06.359
we should get you to a hospital, Miss Keane said, turning towards

263
00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:10.599
the man. I'll call for an
ambulance. The headmistress left. There were

264
00:23:10.640 --> 00:23:14.880
only two working phones at Black Oaks, one in Miss Kean's office and the

265
00:23:14.920 --> 00:23:18.079
other in the wreck room. The
girls weren't allowed to have cell phones,

266
00:23:18.119 --> 00:23:21.079
as they were felt to be too
much of a distraction from their studies.

267
00:23:21.799 --> 00:23:25.839
The same went for the internet.
The girls were allowed laptops for assignments,

268
00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:30.359
but couldn't even get those online.
After a few minutes, a stone faced

269
00:23:30.359 --> 00:23:33.680
Miss Keen returned. The phone is
out, she informed the girls, fighting

270
00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:37.920
to conceal any troubling emotion that might
slip out. It must be the blizzard.

271
00:23:38.480 --> 00:23:42.519
I'm so hungry, the man groaned, his voice full of pain and

272
00:23:42.640 --> 00:23:48.160
regret. I'm starving. Mallory went
to the kitchen to get the man some

273
00:23:48.200 --> 00:23:51.240
food, while Kat and the others
stayed with him in the dining room.

274
00:23:52.279 --> 00:23:56.559
Under the circumstances, Miss Keen addressed
the group, I think it best I

275
00:23:56.640 --> 00:23:59.720
drove into town with our guest.
We can get him help and get a

276
00:23:59.759 --> 00:24:03.160
certain started for that bus. There
was some debate over the idea before the

277
00:24:03.200 --> 00:24:07.480
headmistress's authority went out. Over the
girl's doubts, miss Keen agreed to take

278
00:24:07.559 --> 00:24:12.680
Lois and Alison with her and the
man into town. The stranger greedily devoured

279
00:24:12.680 --> 00:24:15.400
the tune of his sandwich. Mallory
brought him. As Miss Keen and the

280
00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:19.440
two girls geared up for their trip, Cat donated one of her trench coats

281
00:24:19.440 --> 00:24:23.400
for the man to wear out into
the bitter cold. The remaining girls watched

282
00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:27.519
as the four headed towards the garage. The four swallowed up by the blizzard.

283
00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:37.759
Cat took one last look outside before
closing and locking the door. Georgina

284
00:24:37.839 --> 00:24:42.960
sauntered off back to the parlor.
Back to our regularly scheduled program, she

285
00:24:44.079 --> 00:24:48.160
quipped. Anxious Cat glanced out the
window. It had been fifteen minutes.

286
00:24:49.000 --> 00:24:53.519
Shouldn't she have seen something from the
garage by now? A light from the

287
00:24:53.559 --> 00:25:00.519
car through the billowing snow, just
something to confirm they'd left. I don't

288
00:25:00.599 --> 00:25:03.799
like this, she muttered, Where
are they? It's gonna take time in

289
00:25:03.880 --> 00:25:07.720
this weather. Sue answered, pulling
on her jacket and hat, she unlocked

290
00:25:07.720 --> 00:25:12.240
the door. I'm gonna go check
on them, just to make sure Sue

291
00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:17.359
thought about it. Can't hurt.
I'll go with. We'll hold down the

292
00:25:17.400 --> 00:25:21.599
fort, Georgina said, lighting up
a cigarette. As soon as Sue was

293
00:25:21.680 --> 00:25:26.960
ready, the two girls headed outside. Malory stood inside the doorframe. Hurry

294
00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:30.559
back, I'll have some hot chocolate
waiting. Don't leave me alone with that

295
00:25:30.599 --> 00:25:34.759
boozy bitch for too long, Cat
laughed. Don't worry, We won't I

296
00:25:34.880 --> 00:25:41.079
heard that, Georgina hollered from the
parlor. Don't care, Mallory shot back,

297
00:25:41.160 --> 00:25:44.920
slamming the door shut. The snow
was ankle deep as the girls made

298
00:25:44.960 --> 00:25:48.319
their way down the walk, holding
gloved hands as snow and bitter cold wind

299
00:25:48.480 --> 00:25:53.400
raged around them. Cold snow slipped
down into Cat's boots. She felt her

300
00:25:53.440 --> 00:25:57.359
nose start to run as her cheeks
reddened. Halfway to the garage, she

301
00:25:57.440 --> 00:26:03.480
was already regretting coming out here.
Why couldn't the fucking garage be connected to

302
00:26:03.599 --> 00:26:07.400
the damn house, she moaned.
Sue made a face. Cat had forgot

303
00:26:07.400 --> 00:26:12.359
the girl's disdain for colorful language.
With the garage in sight, the pair

304
00:26:12.400 --> 00:26:18.440
were surprised to see the garage door
still closed, car headlights visible from within

305
00:26:18.480 --> 00:26:22.920
the slats. Entering, the girls
found Miss Keane's van sitting there, headlights

306
00:26:22.960 --> 00:26:29.920
on, doors closed, Melting snow. Footprints led to the van, but

307
00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:34.240
none led away. There seemed to
be something smeared on the interior windows,

308
00:26:34.920 --> 00:26:41.680
making it hard to see inside.
The faint sound of music came from within

309
00:26:41.720 --> 00:26:47.400
the vehicle. Is that Buddy,
Holly, she asked? It was indeed,

310
00:26:48.039 --> 00:26:51.880
as Buddy sang about a love that
never fades away. Kat touched the

311
00:26:51.920 --> 00:26:56.160
handle of the driver's side door.
She glanced at Sue, who nodded in

312
00:26:56.160 --> 00:27:02.920
approval. Cat turned the handle,
slowly, opening the door. Miss Keene,

313
00:27:03.039 --> 00:27:07.599
is everything all right? In response, something fell from the van with

314
00:27:07.640 --> 00:27:11.559
a moist thud, rolling to a
stop next to Sue's feet, causing her

315
00:27:11.599 --> 00:27:15.519
to scream. Before Kat could turn
to see what was wrong, her eyes

316
00:27:15.559 --> 00:27:21.759
were caught by the van's interior,
which was covered in splashes of dripping crimson.

317
00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:26.720
Human limbs, chunks of flesh,
and what appeared to be intestines littered

318
00:27:26.720 --> 00:27:30.559
the front seats. The next thing, Cat knew, what she'd had for

319
00:27:30.599 --> 00:27:34.319
dinner, now covered her boots and
part of the floor. Oh god,

320
00:27:34.440 --> 00:27:38.759
Cat groaned. Sue had stopped screaming
and was now doing an impromptu impression of

321
00:27:40.079 --> 00:27:48.279
a Monty Python routine. It's it's
it's Miss Keane's head lay at Sue's feet.

322
00:27:48.920 --> 00:27:55.799
The dead head Mistress's eyes were wide
with terror. I'm starving. The

323
00:27:55.839 --> 00:28:00.039
stranger's voice came from somewhere in the
shadows of the garage. Couldn't help it.

324
00:28:02.359 --> 00:28:04.640
Kat took Sue's hand, ready to
drag the girl out of there if

325
00:28:04.680 --> 00:28:10.880
need be backing towards the side door
they entered by. They hadn't gotten more

326
00:28:10.920 --> 00:28:15.680
than a few steps when something slithered
out from under the van. The thing

327
00:28:15.799 --> 00:28:18.440
grabbed Sue by the leg and wrenched
the startled girl off her feet, which

328
00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:22.640
caused Kat to lose her footing as
well. Desperately, Cat scrambled to grab

329
00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:26.680
the screaming girl's outstretched hand. The
thing that had hold of Sue was faster,

330
00:28:27.079 --> 00:28:30.680
dragging the red haired girl into the
darkness under the van. Screaming once

331
00:28:30.720 --> 00:28:36.720
more filled the air, before being
suddenly cut off. Gripped by terror,

332
00:28:37.039 --> 00:28:41.039
Cat half crawled, half ran for
the door. Stumbling out into the snow,

333
00:28:41.119 --> 00:28:44.799
Cat gasped for breath as the wind
hammered, her heart pounding. She

334
00:28:44.839 --> 00:28:48.160
retraced her footprints in the snow drifts. She tried to block what she saw

335
00:28:48.160 --> 00:28:49.880
in the van from her head,
tried not to think about what must be

336
00:28:49.920 --> 00:28:53.400
happening to Sue back there in the
garage. It had happened so fast,

337
00:28:53.839 --> 00:28:57.559
could she have possibly saved her.
Back At the main house, Cat found

338
00:28:57.559 --> 00:29:02.680
the front door locked on it.
She waited, prayed for someone to open

339
00:29:02.720 --> 00:29:06.440
it, Suddenly overtaken with the feeling
that someone was behind her. Cat spun

340
00:29:06.480 --> 00:29:08.920
around in the distance through the snow. She saw them standing there at the

341
00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:17.240
end of the driveway, three figures. Then she saw two more standing in

342
00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:23.440
adrift on the lawn, their features
obscured by snow and distance. She wanted

343
00:29:23.440 --> 00:29:27.400
to call out to them for help, but something about them felt wrong.

344
00:29:29.640 --> 00:29:34.359
Filling her head with dread, she
returned to pounding the door frantically. The

345
00:29:34.400 --> 00:29:38.839
door opened, Cat pushed past a
slightly aggravated Georgina, nearly falling to her

346
00:29:38.920 --> 00:29:42.759
knees. Panic stricken and out of
breath, tears and snot were frozen to

347
00:29:42.839 --> 00:29:48.440
her face. What the hell,
Georgina said, Who's that out there?

348
00:29:48.920 --> 00:29:52.759
She poked her head out the door. Who are those people? Close the

349
00:29:52.799 --> 00:29:56.359
door? Cat gasped warm air,
burning her lungs. Lock it. Georgina

350
00:29:56.400 --> 00:30:00.400
slammed the door shut, clicking the
dead bolt in place. As Stevie Nick's

351
00:30:00.400 --> 00:30:04.079
belted out silent night from the parlor's
TV. Kat stood, feeling her knees

352
00:30:04.119 --> 00:30:08.559
shake. Looking down at her shirt, she noticed chunks of vomit. Pulling

353
00:30:08.599 --> 00:30:12.759
off her coat and shirt, Cat
walked into the parlor. Georgina followed her.

354
00:30:14.400 --> 00:30:18.680
What the fuck is going on?
Where's the sidekick, Kat pulled on

355
00:30:18.799 --> 00:30:22.440
her I'm against it T shirt.
She took a deep breath, not wanting

356
00:30:22.480 --> 00:30:30.200
to say the words She's dead,
Georgina laughed, what are you shitting me?

357
00:30:32.400 --> 00:30:38.240
No, Kat's eyes scammed the room. Where's Mallory in the kitchen washing

358
00:30:38.279 --> 00:30:45.039
dishes or some shit? Sue's dead? What the fuck? Cat took off

359
00:30:45.079 --> 00:30:48.799
for the kitchen. Georgina storming after
her, profanity flowing freely from her mouth.

360
00:30:49.240 --> 00:30:55.160
They found Mallorie in the kitchen,
standing uneasily next to the stranger seated

361
00:30:55.200 --> 00:31:00.240
at the counter eating a sandwich.
Your friend made me a nice sandwich.

362
00:31:00.799 --> 00:31:04.839
He took a bite from it,
blood running down his chin as he chewed.

363
00:31:06.119 --> 00:31:11.920
Pieces of fleshy meat stuck to the
corners of his mouth. That's disgusting,

364
00:31:11.319 --> 00:31:15.559
Georgina gasped. Mallory get away from
him. Cat reached out towards the

365
00:31:15.599 --> 00:31:21.400
young cook. A large kitchen knife
gleamed near Mallory's side, held in the

366
00:31:21.440 --> 00:31:26.759
stranger's free hand. I think she's
fine right here, the man smiled bloodily.

367
00:31:27.559 --> 00:31:33.680
Oh, there's a hair in my
mouth. He pulled a red hair

368
00:31:34.119 --> 00:31:41.559
from between his teeth. Who the
fuck are you, Georgina asked, horrified

369
00:31:41.720 --> 00:31:45.960
and angry, just a man on
his way home from a pointless war in

370
00:31:45.960 --> 00:31:51.519
the jungle, sick of being called
baby killer, just wanted to get home

371
00:31:51.519 --> 00:31:56.680
to my wife and boy for Christmas. The man sighed, his eyes focusing

372
00:31:56.720 --> 00:32:01.640
on something long gone. And then
that guy, god damn blizzard hit the

373
00:32:01.680 --> 00:32:06.240
old drunk behind the wheel of the
bus, drove us into a ditch on

374
00:32:06.279 --> 00:32:10.000
some backwoods road. I went for
help with one of the passengers, and

375
00:32:10.039 --> 00:32:15.079
we got lost in the storm.
A chill ran down Cat's spine. As

376
00:32:15.119 --> 00:32:20.839
the man spoke, I don't know
how long we were out there. I

377
00:32:20.920 --> 00:32:25.480
got so hungry and the other man
was falling behind in the bush. You

378
00:32:25.519 --> 00:32:30.480
had to do anything it took to
survive. He was holding me back and

379
00:32:30.680 --> 00:32:37.240
I needed food. So the man
licked his blood caked lips and laughed.

380
00:32:37.240 --> 00:32:42.960
And then the next day I found
myself back at the fucking bus, those

381
00:32:43.039 --> 00:32:47.799
ungrateful shits criticizing me for getting lost, accusing me after everything I did,

382
00:32:49.319 --> 00:32:53.319
everything I went through, it was
too much, and a man's gotta eat.

383
00:32:54.640 --> 00:32:59.519
Cat felt sick to her stomach.
She willed herself not to throw up.

384
00:33:00.119 --> 00:33:05.839
Second time that night. It came
to me standing there at the edge

385
00:33:05.880 --> 00:33:12.640
of the trees. It called to
me. When to go, demon spirit,

386
00:33:13.480 --> 00:33:19.640
my burden, my curse, the
hunger inside me. That's where it

387
00:33:19.720 --> 00:33:27.200
lives, keeping me alive to feed
it. Georgina scoffed, that's a pretty

388
00:33:27.240 --> 00:33:30.920
fucked up story, buddy. What
are you smoking? And can I get

389
00:33:30.920 --> 00:33:36.160
some? A loud knock came from
the door. They're here, the man

390
00:33:36.279 --> 00:33:39.720
said as he stood. I hate
to eat and run, but their company.

391
00:33:39.759 --> 00:33:45.200
I try not to keep Who are
those people out there? Georgine asked,

392
00:33:45.559 --> 00:33:50.160
I really must be going. I
fucked around here too long. The

393
00:33:50.200 --> 00:33:53.279
stranger held the tip of the knife
to Mallory's throat. I was looking forward

394
00:33:53.279 --> 00:33:59.119
to sampling all of this young flesh. Tastes so much better than that old

395
00:33:59.240 --> 00:34:02.680
hag in the car. He backed
towards the rear door that connected the kitchen

396
00:34:02.680 --> 00:34:07.839
to the courtyard behind the main house. Another knock came from the front door.

397
00:34:07.400 --> 00:34:12.119
Shit, I don't think I have
time to even slaughter you bitches properly.

398
00:34:13.119 --> 00:34:15.840
I'll have to be quick. Cat
scanned the kitchen quickly. The stranger

399
00:34:15.880 --> 00:34:19.840
could kill Mallory before she got to
a knife. There had to be something

400
00:34:19.840 --> 00:34:22.159
else. A third knock came from
the front door. With his free hand,

401
00:34:22.159 --> 00:34:25.920
the stranger yanked Mallory's head back by
her long blonde hair, exposing her

402
00:34:25.960 --> 00:34:30.960
neck. Quick and easy, babe, The stranger grinned the whine of a

403
00:34:30.039 --> 00:34:34.119
kettle sliced through the tension of the
kitchen, causing the man to look up

404
00:34:34.119 --> 00:34:37.719
from his prey just in time to
see Cat snatch it from the stove.

405
00:34:37.320 --> 00:34:40.960
Have a little hot chocolate, Cat
screamed. As the scolding water hit the

406
00:34:42.000 --> 00:34:45.760
man dead center in the face.
He let go of Mallory and the knife

407
00:34:45.800 --> 00:34:49.800
as he held his face, screaming
in pain. Mallory screamed herself as some

408
00:34:49.880 --> 00:34:52.039
of the water had hit her as
well. Cat hurled the now empty kettle

409
00:34:52.039 --> 00:34:55.519
at the wounded stranger. Georgina,
for her part, pulled the startled Mallory

410
00:34:55.559 --> 00:35:00.000
to her feet. Let's get the
fuck out of here, Georgina shouted.

411
00:35:00.079 --> 00:35:02.119
The girls started towards the door,
but the man blocked their escape route,

412
00:35:02.159 --> 00:35:07.639
holding his ragged face with one hand
and a knife in the other. You

413
00:35:07.840 --> 00:35:12.679
cunts aren't going anywhere. The trueau
of girls turned and ran out the kitchen,

414
00:35:12.719 --> 00:35:16.199
down the hallway towards the front door. Out there, Georgina stopped them.

415
00:35:16.679 --> 00:35:21.559
What choice do we have, Kat
said, out one of the windows.

416
00:35:21.559 --> 00:35:24.679
Mallory answered the stranger stood in the
hallway, having replaced the knife with

417
00:35:24.800 --> 00:35:30.440
a meat cleaver. You ain't going
anywhere. I could have ran, but

418
00:35:30.519 --> 00:35:34.920
you three really pissed me off.
The knocking on the door turned into a

419
00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:37.679
loud banging. The man charged them
with the cleaver, forcing the girls to

420
00:35:37.719 --> 00:35:42.159
run into the parlor, slicing at
them as they went. Georgina lunged towards

421
00:35:42.159 --> 00:35:45.760
the fireplace, grabbing a poker.
Spinning around, she confronted the stranger,

422
00:35:45.920 --> 00:35:49.760
swinging the poker at him. It
collided with the stranger's head with a sickening

423
00:35:49.840 --> 00:35:52.559
thud. Never mess with a chick
from the Upper east Side, asshole.

424
00:35:52.880 --> 00:35:57.280
Georgina followed up with a couple of
hard swings, but her cockiness was her

425
00:35:57.360 --> 00:36:00.519
downfall. As the stranger caught the
poker, yanking it from her grip,

426
00:36:00.840 --> 00:36:04.320
he kicked her in the gut,
doubling Georgina over in pain. Throwing the

427
00:36:04.320 --> 00:36:07.800
poker aside, the stranger hoisted the
cleaver, ready to strike down on the

428
00:36:07.840 --> 00:36:13.599
stunned girl. Cat ran towards the
man, howling like a bansheet, attempting

429
00:36:13.639 --> 00:36:15.719
to tackle him. She grabbed the
man's hand holding the cleaver. The two

430
00:36:15.719 --> 00:36:20.519
struggled, but the man was stronger
and a trained fighter. Using Cat's weight

431
00:36:20.559 --> 00:36:22.800
and momentum against her, he sent
her sailing into the Christmas tree with a

432
00:36:22.840 --> 00:36:27.679
loud crash. Both the girls and
the tree went down in an explosion of

433
00:36:27.719 --> 00:36:30.800
tinsel and ornaments. From the foyer
came a sound of straining wood as the

434
00:36:30.800 --> 00:36:35.400
pounding assault continued on the front door. Cat, now caught up in the

435
00:36:35.400 --> 00:36:38.000
tinsel and lights of the tree,
struggled to free herself. The man stalked

436
00:36:38.000 --> 00:36:44.800
towards her, a desperate evil smile
on his burned lips. She watched helpless,

437
00:36:45.039 --> 00:36:47.480
unable to defend herself. A strand
of lights dropped over his head,

438
00:36:47.599 --> 00:36:52.760
wrapping around his neck. Standing behind
him, Mallory pulled it tight, choking

439
00:36:52.840 --> 00:36:55.519
him. Holding tight the young cook
pulled him away from Cat. The pair

440
00:36:55.599 --> 00:37:00.519
stumbled towards the fire, the man
clumsily taking wild swings with the cleaver,

441
00:37:00.639 --> 00:37:04.320
trying to hit Malory behind him.
Taking a handful of the man's unkempt hair

442
00:37:04.400 --> 00:37:07.199
with one hand and holding the strand
tight with the other, Malory rammed the

443
00:37:07.239 --> 00:37:13.000
man's head into the mantle repeatedly until
the bloodied and battered man pushed away from

444
00:37:13.000 --> 00:37:15.480
her. Yanking the strand from his
neck, he hurled it to the ground.

445
00:37:15.880 --> 00:37:19.719
Finally free of the Christmas tree,
Cat was on her feet. Picking

446
00:37:19.840 --> 00:37:22.679
up the discarded fire poker, she
attacked the stranger, screaming as she beat

447
00:37:22.760 --> 00:37:27.599
him. Georgina picked up a second
poker and swung primally as well, forcing

448
00:37:27.639 --> 00:37:30.880
the man to fall to his knees. The girl stopped when the front door

449
00:37:30.079 --> 00:37:38.880
shattered. The three girls turned as
something shambled into the house. Standing framed

450
00:37:38.880 --> 00:37:45.960
in the parlor door stood a decayed
corpse dressed in a tattered, age ravaged

451
00:37:46.000 --> 00:37:53.000
bus driver's uniform. Standing behind it
were similarly decayed corpses. The three girls

452
00:37:53.039 --> 00:38:00.800
stood tall and readied themselves for a
new fight. To their surprise, the

453
00:38:00.880 --> 00:38:06.480
dead ignored the three. The walking
corpses surrounded the man, who now knelt

454
00:38:06.880 --> 00:38:13.320
laughing hysterically behind him. The discarded
strand had partially fallen into the fireplace.

455
00:38:14.239 --> 00:38:19.960
Burning like a fuse. It had
lit the carpet up. The fire was

456
00:38:20.039 --> 00:38:24.119
quickly spreading. Come and get it, you bastards, The man laughed as

457
00:38:24.159 --> 00:38:30.239
the dead descended on him, ripping
at his flesh. Let's get the fuck

458
00:38:30.320 --> 00:38:35.159
out of here, Cat said,
as she watched the man being ripped apart.

459
00:38:35.920 --> 00:38:38.320
The three girls hurried out of the
house as the fire and the dead

460
00:38:38.360 --> 00:38:43.760
claimed it. They stood on the
lawn for several minutes, watching the house

461
00:38:43.840 --> 00:38:49.679
burn, holding their jackets tight in
the bitter cold. So now, what,

462
00:38:50.239 --> 00:38:54.480
Georgina asked, walk to town,
Cat said, Mallory shook her head.

463
00:38:55.280 --> 00:38:59.039
We should wait out the fire and
the storm in one of the staff

464
00:38:59.079 --> 00:39:02.079
buildings. They're far enough away not
to catch fire. We should be warm.

465
00:39:02.119 --> 00:39:07.760
There sounds like a plan, Georgina
said. Kat looked at her two

466
00:39:07.800 --> 00:39:16.800
friends. Merry Christmas, guys,
ba umbug, Georgina laughed. The three

467
00:39:16.880 --> 00:39:22.519
girls trudged through the snow. Cat
turned to take a last look at the

468
00:39:22.519 --> 00:39:44.639
burning building before continuing on Christmas Rage
by rob Fields December twenty third, evening.

469
00:39:45.760 --> 00:39:50.320
Strickfield Town Center Mall only seemed to
be a hopping place around the holidays.

470
00:39:50.920 --> 00:39:53.559
The vacancies left during the usual ten
months out of the year were mostly

471
00:39:53.559 --> 00:39:58.960
filled by seasonal stores. There was
even a Santa Claus house in the mall's

472
00:39:58.960 --> 00:40:02.559
center court. Families would line up
with their children, many of whom had

473
00:40:02.639 --> 00:40:08.400
Christmas lists to give to Santa.
But on this day things were about to

474
00:40:08.440 --> 00:40:15.239
take macabre turn. Santa Claus had
just taken his seat on his throne.

475
00:40:15.280 --> 00:40:20.000
Templeton Mirron, the owner of the
mall, and his family were right there

476
00:40:20.000 --> 00:40:22.480
in front of him. Santa just
sat there and looked right at them.

477
00:40:23.400 --> 00:40:28.960
Templeton appeared to be patient. When
Santa's silence got to be too much,

478
00:40:29.199 --> 00:40:32.840
Templeton leaned in and whispered loudly,
if you don't get your act together,

479
00:40:32.960 --> 00:40:39.119
Stanley, you'll be enjoying this Christmas
on your fucking welfare check. Stanley Monroe

480
00:40:39.199 --> 00:40:44.719
was always tapped to play Santa Claus
from Black Friday until Christmas Eve at the

481
00:40:44.760 --> 00:40:49.599
Strickfield Town Center mall. But as
Santa slowly stood up and glared at Templeton,

482
00:40:49.679 --> 00:40:54.719
Mirran and his family, he seemed
to have a foreboding presence. Then

483
00:40:55.360 --> 00:41:00.519
Santa opened the door to his house
and received several screens. When the slain,

484
00:41:00.920 --> 00:41:07.239
bloody body of Stanley Monroe just fell
out onto the porch, the family

485
00:41:07.360 --> 00:41:10.400
scattered in different directions. Santa took
his time as he reached inside the house

486
00:41:10.639 --> 00:41:15.760
and pulled out the same bloody axe
that he had used on Stanley earlier.

487
00:41:15.119 --> 00:41:21.960
Then he marched toward Templeton Mirrn,
raising his lethal weapon. Templeton Mirron turned

488
00:41:22.039 --> 00:41:24.320
and yanked a near by father right
in front of the Santa. The father

489
00:41:24.440 --> 00:41:29.800
never uttered a peep as Santa buried
the blade right in his head. The

490
00:41:29.880 --> 00:41:34.280
other bystanders were too frightened to see
what Templeton Mirron had done. They never

491
00:41:34.360 --> 00:41:38.599
saw him or his wicked wife grab
their children and leave from there. Santa

492
00:41:38.679 --> 00:41:44.079
pulled the axe out of the father's
head and buried it into another bystander as

493
00:41:44.119 --> 00:41:49.159
it came upon a midnight clear slowly
began to play over them all speakers.

494
00:41:54.239 --> 00:42:00.360
Christmas Eve mourning. I awaken in
a different room and remember that I'm here

495
00:42:00.400 --> 00:42:05.159
at Franklin Sloane's house. Franklin invited
me to come home with him for Christmas.

496
00:42:05.719 --> 00:42:08.639
Franklin and I have been seeing each
other since late August. In fact,

497
00:42:09.039 --> 00:42:14.840
he's been my only companion this semester. After I take a shower and

498
00:42:14.880 --> 00:42:19.079
get dressed, I hear arguing downstairs. I make my way down and stop

499
00:42:19.119 --> 00:42:23.440
short when I hear that I'm the
topic of discussion. Actually, it's more

500
00:42:23.519 --> 00:42:28.480
like Franklin's parents are giving him a
hard time about me. The more I

501
00:42:28.559 --> 00:42:34.719
listen, the more I hear his
father, Joseph and his stepmother Delphine just

502
00:42:35.280 --> 00:42:40.119
discouraging him. His dad tells him
there's no way that a big titted putana

503
00:42:40.480 --> 00:42:45.519
like me would ever care for him. They tell him that I'm just using

504
00:42:45.599 --> 00:42:51.000
him for my own selfish ends.
Franklin argues back and tells them that I'm

505
00:42:51.039 --> 00:42:53.840
nothing like that. He tells them
We've been seeing each other since the beginning

506
00:42:53.840 --> 00:42:58.639
of the fall semester. He asks
them what I could possibly be using him

507
00:42:58.679 --> 00:43:05.480
for. Here's the irony. I
am using Franklin, but not for the

508
00:43:05.519 --> 00:43:08.800
reasons his parents are implying. They
think I'm with him for money, or

509
00:43:08.840 --> 00:43:14.159
that I'm waiting to humiliate him.
I'm fully aware that people look at Franklin

510
00:43:14.400 --> 00:43:17.599
and decide that he's the biggest nerd
there is. Do you have any idea

511
00:43:17.760 --> 00:43:22.960
how many times I've heard people whisper
that to each other when they think I'm

512
00:43:22.000 --> 00:43:27.960
not listening. I even hear those
same people wondering how someone like me would

513
00:43:28.000 --> 00:43:34.159
even be with Franklin. Delphine tells
Franklin that I'm way too beautiful for him.

514
00:43:34.639 --> 00:43:37.320
She even tells Franklin that I would
never have sex with him, that

515
00:43:37.360 --> 00:43:43.159
people like me belong with fraternity boys. Yes, I certainly could have had

516
00:43:43.199 --> 00:43:46.679
my pick of a fraternity boy or
even a jock. The problem with those

517
00:43:46.719 --> 00:43:51.000
types of guys is that they would
only want to have sex with me just

518
00:43:51.440 --> 00:43:55.039
for a short time. They would
not want to commit to me. No,

519
00:43:55.320 --> 00:44:01.039
I need much more than they are
willing to give. For those of

520
00:44:01.079 --> 00:44:05.400
you who haven't been following me,
since the beginning, from the time I

521
00:44:05.599 --> 00:44:09.159
came into the world, I have
never felt so much as a single emotion.

522
00:44:10.280 --> 00:44:15.960
Perhaps my being emotionless is why I'm
a serial killer. Your society has

523
00:44:16.039 --> 00:44:21.239
labeled me the angel of death because
I destroy those who pray on innocent people.

524
00:44:21.800 --> 00:44:25.239
I suppose the closest thing to emotion
that I feel is my ever insistent

525
00:44:25.320 --> 00:44:30.920
bloodlust, which pushes me onward to
claim my victims. In fact, I'm

526
00:44:30.920 --> 00:44:37.440
feeling the urgent need to kill right
now. I make my way to the

527
00:44:37.480 --> 00:44:39.719
dining room. The family doesn't hear
me come in until I'm right there,

528
00:44:40.159 --> 00:44:45.679
right when Franklin yells at Delphine.
That's your problem. You always think everybody's

529
00:44:45.679 --> 00:44:49.960
out to get me. Well,
rage isn't like that at all. Franklin

530
00:44:50.039 --> 00:44:53.880
becomes quiet when he realizes I'm here. The family is just looking at me.

531
00:44:54.000 --> 00:44:59.360
Now, perhaps I should just go, I say, clearly, I'm

532
00:44:59.400 --> 00:45:01.920
not wanted to welcome here. I'll
just get my things and go back to

533
00:45:01.960 --> 00:45:08.639
my dorm. Delphine looks sternly at
me. You heard everything I nod once

534
00:45:09.559 --> 00:45:14.960
I did, and you're wrong about
me. I fold my arms in front

535
00:45:14.960 --> 00:45:20.159
of me. Please enlighten me.
What do I hope to gain by using

536
00:45:20.199 --> 00:45:25.480
Franklin? Delphine takes a deep breath. Do you see yourself, Reagan?

537
00:45:27.320 --> 00:45:30.840
Do you see Franklin? Do you
see how completely mismatched the two of you

538
00:45:30.920 --> 00:45:36.239
are? You can have any man
you want. Why would you settle for

539
00:45:36.280 --> 00:45:42.480
Franklin? While I myself don't have
emotions? I have come to understand a

540
00:45:42.519 --> 00:45:46.920
great deal about how emotions can move
people, both positively and negatively. Watching

541
00:45:47.039 --> 00:45:51.800
enough television and being around Mama long
enough will do that for someone like me.

542
00:45:52.760 --> 00:45:55.519
So let me get this straight.
Just because I'm a beautiful girl and

543
00:45:55.519 --> 00:46:00.159
Franklin's a nerd, I would not
want to be with someone like him.

544
00:46:00.920 --> 00:46:05.639
Then why would I date Franklin?
Why would I agree to come home with

545
00:46:05.760 --> 00:46:10.239
him for Christmas? Delphine glares at
me. Now, well, I don't

546
00:46:10.280 --> 00:46:15.880
know. Why don't you tell us
I agreed to come here with Franklin because

547
00:46:15.920 --> 00:46:20.960
he asked me to. I reply, I wasn't going home for Christmas,

548
00:46:21.000 --> 00:46:23.719
and Franklin didn't want me to be
alone. I'm thinking he invited me out

549
00:46:23.719 --> 00:46:28.639
of the kindness of his heart.
That's why I choose to be with Franklin.

550
00:46:29.480 --> 00:46:31.719
He's kind to me. He's never
once tried to take advantage of me.

551
00:46:32.320 --> 00:46:37.960
I enjoy his company. I unfold
and lower my arms. I can't

552
00:46:37.000 --> 00:46:42.039
believe that you and your husband would
cut Franklin down like this, especially you

553
00:46:42.559 --> 00:46:47.440
a church minister. Delphine took over
being the minister of Strickfield Community Church after

554
00:46:47.480 --> 00:46:52.000
the scandal with Minister Darren Harlowe years
ago. Yes, it's the usual type

555
00:46:52.000 --> 00:46:58.360
of scandal you read about with children. After Harlowe was removed, Delphine became

556
00:46:58.400 --> 00:47:01.000
the new minister. She had to
work very hard to keep the church going,

557
00:47:01.400 --> 00:47:05.400
but she managed to do it.
I was a freshman in high school

558
00:47:05.440 --> 00:47:08.239
when this happened. By the way, Delphine's been quite strict on Franklin ever

559
00:47:08.320 --> 00:47:13.000
since. According to what he's told
me about her and from what I've just

560
00:47:13.079 --> 00:47:17.239
witnessed. I put a comforting hand
on Franklin's shoulder. Are you all right?

561
00:47:19.000 --> 00:47:23.280
Franklin shakes his head. Can we
just leave rage? Yes, yes

562
00:47:23.360 --> 00:47:27.559
we can. I reply, go
pack a few things and we can have

563
00:47:27.639 --> 00:47:31.079
Christmas at my dorm. Franklin leaves
the dining room. His parents only glare

564
00:47:31.119 --> 00:47:35.400
at me before I turn and head
back up to the guest room to pack

565
00:47:35.480 --> 00:47:38.079
my things. You're thinking that I
want to kill them both, right,

566
00:47:38.920 --> 00:47:45.440
Nope, they're both innocent, so
I can't kill them. Ah. Yes,

567
00:47:45.719 --> 00:47:50.000
now we're getting to what I want
to tell you. I currently have

568
00:47:50.119 --> 00:47:54.199
an even greater need to satisfy,
even more than I need to kill.

569
00:47:55.000 --> 00:47:59.920
Now, while I don't feel anything
emotional, I do feel things that are

570
00:48:00.119 --> 00:48:06.079
physical. I know when I need
to eat, drink, sleep, clean

571
00:48:06.159 --> 00:48:09.719
my body, seek comfort. I
did say that I'm looking to use Franklin.

572
00:48:10.320 --> 00:48:14.800
As of late, I'm feeling the
need to have sex. I was

573
00:48:14.880 --> 00:48:17.679
able to get by for many years
without having to fulfill this basic need.

574
00:48:19.519 --> 00:48:23.719
Now my sex drive is becoming as
insistent as my bloodlust. It's because of

575
00:48:23.760 --> 00:48:29.000
this that I've come to realize that
I need a mate, a constant companion.

576
00:48:29.679 --> 00:48:32.000
I need someone who can be good
company for me and satisfy my sexual

577
00:48:32.039 --> 00:48:37.199
desires when the need arises. In
turn, I would be just as responsive

578
00:48:37.239 --> 00:48:42.400
to my mate. Would you call
me a primal girl in spite of my

579
00:48:42.519 --> 00:48:46.199
highly developed brain? Perhaps you would
be right. Franklin Sloan is one of

580
00:48:46.199 --> 00:48:51.360
the few young men at Strickfield University
who's taken an interest in me. Over

581
00:48:51.440 --> 00:48:54.360
time, he's shown me that he
is both a suitable companion and an intellectual

582
00:48:54.440 --> 00:48:59.320
peer. I really don't care that
Franklin is a skinny nerd who talks about

583
00:48:59.400 --> 00:49:01.840
chess or can temporary movies. I
don't even care that the rest of you

584
00:49:01.880 --> 00:49:06.880
in the female population are repulsed by
him. Unlike you, I don't have

585
00:49:06.960 --> 00:49:09.360
it in me to be repulsed by
him. On the other hand, I

586
00:49:09.360 --> 00:49:15.119
don't even have it in me to
be able to love him regardless. Franklin

587
00:49:15.119 --> 00:49:19.320
has proven himself to be a suitable
companion for me and my desires for him

588
00:49:19.440 --> 00:49:22.960
to be my mate. Franklin comes
and gets me You ready, rage,

589
00:49:23.719 --> 00:49:28.639
Yes, we can go. We
head downstairs to the front door. Before

590
00:49:28.679 --> 00:49:31.280
we leave, Franklin turns to his
parents. I really thought we were going

591
00:49:31.320 --> 00:49:36.320
to have a normal family Christmas,
this time, even with my bringing Rage.

592
00:49:36.920 --> 00:49:39.239
But I can see now that's never
going to happen. Come on,

593
00:49:39.400 --> 00:49:45.920
Rage, let's go once more.
Franklin's parents exchange looks, then I turn

594
00:49:45.000 --> 00:49:50.480
and leave with Franklin. Franklin is
settled in my dorm room. I didn't

595
00:49:50.480 --> 00:49:53.159
have a room mate during the fall
semester. The only reason I'm allowed to

596
00:49:53.159 --> 00:49:58.519
stay over the holiday break is because
I'm attending classes here at Strickfield University next

597
00:49:58.519 --> 00:50:02.000
semester. Franklin and looks pretty down. I'm sorry you had to see that

598
00:50:02.079 --> 00:50:07.159
back home, Rage, We're both
sitting on our beds. I reach across

599
00:50:07.199 --> 00:50:10.639
and take his hands. May I
say something? He raises his eyes to

600
00:50:10.679 --> 00:50:16.360
mine. Sure, I know you're
probably having your doubts about me. Please

601
00:50:16.440 --> 00:50:22.800
don't. I really do want to
be with you. But why, Rage,

602
00:50:22.360 --> 00:50:27.199
Why are you still with me?
Delphine's right, you can have any

603
00:50:27.199 --> 00:50:30.639
man you want. I could ramble
to Franklin about why I want him,

604
00:50:31.000 --> 00:50:37.159
but I've learned that actions can speak
a lot for a person. Still holding

605
00:50:37.159 --> 00:50:42.280
his hands, I move across to
Franklin's bed, then we kiss. The

606
00:50:42.280 --> 00:50:45.079
more we get into our kiss,
the more I'm feeling that I can't hold

607
00:50:45.119 --> 00:50:51.119
back anymore. I need him so
desperately. I let go of his hands.

608
00:50:51.880 --> 00:50:54.960
Franklin is surprised when he sees me
stand up and take off my clothes.

609
00:50:55.679 --> 00:50:59.519
Once I'm naked, I pull back
the covers on my bed and lay

610
00:50:59.559 --> 00:51:04.000
down to face. It's just you
and me, Franklin. The dorm is

611
00:51:04.039 --> 00:51:07.800
all ours. I want to take
this next step with you. If you

612
00:51:07.880 --> 00:51:12.519
do too, then come be with
me. I only want and desire you,

613
00:51:12.639 --> 00:51:16.239
Franklin. Franklin trusts me enough to
where he knows I'm sincere. He

614
00:51:16.280 --> 00:51:30.239
removes his clothes and climbs into bed
with me. Christmas Eve, late afternoon.

615
00:51:31.039 --> 00:51:35.760
The Strickfield Community Center was always a
place where parents could bring their children

616
00:51:35.800 --> 00:51:39.599
on Christmas Eve for things such as
Christmas stories, Christmas cakes and cookies,

617
00:51:39.840 --> 00:51:44.880
hot chocolate, and visiting with Santa. It had been just as much of

618
00:51:44.880 --> 00:51:47.679
a tradition as the fact that each
in every household in Strickfield would be decorated

619
00:51:47.719 --> 00:51:52.480
to make the village look like a
winter wonderland, with the exception of the

620
00:51:52.519 --> 00:51:59.119
Waldoff property that belonged to the Mirons. In fact, Delphine Brewster Sloane helped

621
00:51:59.159 --> 00:52:04.400
run the established along with a few
other mothers. Delphine was making more mugs

622
00:52:04.400 --> 00:52:07.559
of hot chocolate when Missus Patterson walked
into the kitchen. She gave Delphine a

623
00:52:07.599 --> 00:52:14.159
look of desperation. Mary, what's
wrong. Hasn't our Santa arrived yet?

624
00:52:14.440 --> 00:52:20.280
Delphine asked. Mary Patterson reached out, stopped motionless for a moment, then

625
00:52:20.320 --> 00:52:22.840
fell flat on her face to reveal
the axe that was sticking out of her

626
00:52:22.880 --> 00:52:28.320
back. Delphine screamed, Then she
looked up and screamed even louder as the

627
00:52:28.360 --> 00:52:31.400
bloodstains. Santa Claus stormed in and
retrieved the axe from Mary Patterson's back.

628
00:52:31.719 --> 00:52:37.960
Santa looked right at Delphine and watched
her scream when he drew back the axe.

629
00:52:37.000 --> 00:52:40.440
Somehow, she forced herself to duck. When the axe blade became embedded

630
00:52:40.440 --> 00:52:45.920
in a cupboard, Delphine shoved Santa
down and ran out. Delphine tried to

631
00:52:45.000 --> 00:52:49.840
yell for everyone to leave quickly.
The shrilling scream of the Santa Claus from

632
00:52:49.880 --> 00:52:54.039
Hell overshadowed the soft Christmas music.
Then more screams overshadowed Santa's as he chased

633
00:52:54.039 --> 00:52:58.800
after people while swinging the axe,
sinking it into a few more parents.

634
00:52:59.239 --> 00:53:02.079
Delphine grabbed the folding chair moved at
Santa to try and keep him from killing

635
00:53:02.079 --> 00:53:07.119
any more parents or even children.
Santa howled with rage and disarmed Delphine with

636
00:53:07.159 --> 00:53:10.920
a few hard swings of the axe. Santa shoved her down and raised the

637
00:53:10.960 --> 00:53:15.840
axe for the kill. Delphine held
her hands up and screamed as her life

638
00:53:15.079 --> 00:53:24.800
flashed right before her eyes. Christmas
Eve evening, I awaken and know that

639
00:53:24.840 --> 00:53:30.159
Franklin and I are spooned up together. We spent much of the afternoon having

640
00:53:30.199 --> 00:53:34.639
sex. Franklin has definitely proven to
be my chosen mate, as he satisfied

641
00:53:34.639 --> 00:53:39.159
my every desire. I in turn
focused to satisfy his. Then we fell

642
00:53:39.199 --> 00:53:45.679
asleep together. My need for sex
is satisfied for the time being. However,

643
00:53:46.719 --> 00:53:52.719
my need to kill is as urgent
as ever. I managed to slip

644
00:53:52.719 --> 00:53:57.760
out of bed. Franklin is still
fast asleep. I need to go out

645
00:53:57.800 --> 00:54:01.159
and prowl for a kill. Since
it's Christmas Eve, I don't really think

646
00:54:01.199 --> 00:54:05.679
I'm going to find anyone. I
may end up having to wait until the

647
00:54:05.760 --> 00:54:12.239
day after Christmas to look for somebody. My bloodlust is demanding satisfaction, but

648
00:54:12.320 --> 00:54:15.679
I'm not going to take an innocent
to do it. I get dressed and

649
00:54:15.719 --> 00:54:20.599
grab my smartphone. I leave the
dorm and begin my walk around Strickfield.

650
00:54:21.159 --> 00:54:23.840
If Franklin texts me, I'll just
tell him that I'm picking up food for

651
00:54:23.920 --> 00:54:30.039
us from either Andy's China Garden or
Denoyer's Grill downtown, which are always open.

652
00:54:30.840 --> 00:54:34.239
If I had emotions, I'm sure
it would simply amaze me at how

653
00:54:34.239 --> 00:54:38.239
this village goes all out for many
of the holidays, including Christmas. Every

654
00:54:38.360 --> 00:54:43.960
house is decorated and lit brightly.
Some of the yards even have animatronics.

655
00:54:44.559 --> 00:54:49.199
In spite of all this, I
still continue to feel my constant numbness.

656
00:54:50.480 --> 00:54:52.880
It isn't long before I hear the
sounds of police cars in the distance.

657
00:54:53.679 --> 00:54:58.440
I decide to go and see what's
going on. I know I'm only a

658
00:54:58.480 --> 00:55:02.239
police intern, which is why I'm
not being called. Strickfield PD only calls

659
00:55:02.280 --> 00:55:07.079
me when it comes to detective work. If there are that many police cars,

660
00:55:07.400 --> 00:55:12.199
it's probably something more dire that doesn't
require detective work. Just the same,

661
00:55:12.519 --> 00:55:15.159
I'm gonna go and see for myself. When I get to the scene,

662
00:55:15.440 --> 00:55:21.000
the Strickfield Community Center Mayor Patrick Gunter
recognizes me and waves for me to

663
00:55:21.000 --> 00:55:24.400
come over. I know you've been
helping the police, but this doesn't require

664
00:55:24.440 --> 00:55:29.280
you tonight. Can you at least
tell me what's going on? I ask?

665
00:55:29.960 --> 00:55:34.119
Mayor Gunter tells me that there's an
escaped lunatic from glen View Asylum inside

666
00:55:34.159 --> 00:55:37.760
the building, wearing a Santa Claus
suit and killing people left and right.

667
00:55:37.440 --> 00:55:42.840
He mentions how this Santa left bodies
all over center Court at Strickfield Town Center

668
00:55:42.880 --> 00:55:46.719
Mall last night. As Mayor Gunter
keeps talking, my bloodlust is going crazy,

669
00:55:47.039 --> 00:55:52.400
commanding me to claim this Santa.
Just what Mayor Gunter tells me alone

670
00:55:52.440 --> 00:55:55.639
is enough to wear. I don't
have to do my usual research. But

671
00:55:55.719 --> 00:56:00.000
the question now is how do I
get inside the community center without the police

672
00:56:00.000 --> 00:56:06.960
seeing me? Then I immediately have
a plan and proceed with its execution.

673
00:56:07.840 --> 00:56:13.719
I say good bye to Mayor Gunter
and wish him a good holiday. I

674
00:56:13.840 --> 00:56:16.599
know the village of Strickfield very well, thanks to all the maps on hand

675
00:56:16.639 --> 00:56:22.280
at the police station, including the
one for the sewer system. Because of

676
00:56:22.320 --> 00:56:25.880
my highly photographic memory, I immediately
remembered the way into the community center through

677
00:56:25.880 --> 00:56:30.920
the sewer tunnels. I open a
manhole covered down in the crawl space where

678
00:56:30.960 --> 00:56:35.079
the shower pipes are located and come
out that way. After putting the cover

679
00:56:35.199 --> 00:56:38.920
back on, I begin my hunt
for this Santa. My blood lust is

680
00:56:39.079 --> 00:56:45.119
nagging at me now. It doesn't
take me long to locate Santa. He's

681
00:56:45.159 --> 00:56:49.480
got a few women trapped in the
kitchen, and then I immediately recognize Franklin's

682
00:56:49.480 --> 00:56:53.000
stepmother as one of them. When
we started seeing each other, Franklin told

683
00:56:53.000 --> 00:56:58.519
me that Delphine volunteers her time here
when she's not being the minister for Strickfield

684
00:56:58.519 --> 00:57:02.519
Community Church. It looks as though
Delphine got beat up, but she's still

685
00:57:02.559 --> 00:57:07.000
alive. I know that Franklin would
be devastated if anything were to happen to

686
00:57:07.039 --> 00:57:12.320
his parents. The two of them
put Franklin down, and yet he still

687
00:57:12.360 --> 00:57:15.960
thinks the world of them. I
literally don't understand it. Just the same

688
00:57:16.400 --> 00:57:21.920
I know I've got to do something
to save these people. Santa never says

689
00:57:21.920 --> 00:57:24.480
a word. He just glares at
the eight women he's holding hostage. He

690
00:57:24.519 --> 00:57:28.719
even raises his axe and brings it
down in front of them, making them

691
00:57:28.719 --> 00:57:32.760
shriek or scream. Even I understand
how cowardly it is for an empowered male

692
00:57:32.840 --> 00:57:38.119
to attack a helpless female. I
tighten my fists as my bloodlust now screams

693
00:57:38.159 --> 00:57:44.679
for me to take his fucking life. I must use my head. I

694
00:57:44.760 --> 00:57:47.280
can't just go in there and fight
him. It would be different if Santa

695
00:57:47.360 --> 00:57:52.000
wasn't toying with those women. Then
I move stealthily into the kitchen. He

696
00:57:52.039 --> 00:57:57.159
doesn't see me as I carefully slide
open a drawer and pull out a kitchen

697
00:57:57.239 --> 00:58:01.119
knife. All I have to do
is just draw it back. Then I'll

698
00:58:01.119 --> 00:58:05.840
fling it right into his back.
As I raise the knife for the kill,

699
00:58:06.679 --> 00:58:08.880
I get a text chime on my
smartphone and no, it's from Franklin.

700
00:58:09.760 --> 00:58:14.039
That throws off my plan. As
Santa turns and sees me with my

701
00:58:14.159 --> 00:58:17.480
knife raised, he screams and rushes
right at me. Delphine is surprised to

702
00:58:17.519 --> 00:58:22.079
see me now, Reagan, No, she cries out. When Santa reaches

703
00:58:22.079 --> 00:58:25.079
me, he swings the axe wildly. I quickly hit the floor and feel

704
00:58:25.119 --> 00:58:28.800
the rush of the blade go right
over the back of my head. As

705
00:58:28.800 --> 00:58:31.400
I quickly turn onto my back,
Santa raises his axe and brings it down.

706
00:58:31.760 --> 00:58:35.400
I turn over again and hear it
hit the floor. I get to

707
00:58:35.400 --> 00:58:37.000
my feet and kick Santa in the
back of the knee to take his leg

708
00:58:37.000 --> 00:58:40.679
out from underneath him. Santa growls
and falls to the floor. I still

709
00:58:40.679 --> 00:58:44.519
have the knife in my hand.
Before I can raise it to stab him,

710
00:58:44.880 --> 00:58:47.559
Delphine surprises both of us by crying
out and ripping the axe away from

711
00:58:47.599 --> 00:58:53.320
Santa. Reagan, get out of
here now, Delphine cries. Santa quickly

712
00:58:53.360 --> 00:58:57.320
gets back to his feet, then
he reaches out and grabs the axe.

713
00:58:57.360 --> 00:59:00.400
Having a struggle with Delphine, I
don't see the women that were with Delphine

714
00:59:00.400 --> 00:59:04.800
and determine that she must have gotten
them out while I was distracting Santa.

715
00:59:05.400 --> 00:59:08.239
I'm definitely ready to stab Santa now, but I know that I can't let

716
00:59:08.239 --> 00:59:13.800
Delphine. Wait a minute. She
won't know that I'm a serial killer.

717
00:59:14.559 --> 00:59:21.199
Killing Santa would just be a matter
of helping Delphine of self defense. Neither

718
00:59:21.280 --> 00:59:24.079
Delphine nor Santa can see what must
be the evil glow in my eyes that

719
00:59:24.199 --> 00:59:28.800
all of my past victims have seen. All I have to do is move

720
00:59:28.880 --> 00:59:32.199
up behind Santa. Delphine will be
splattered with his blood once I slice his

721
00:59:32.239 --> 00:59:37.280
throat, But common sense gets the
better of me. I can't let Delphine

722
00:59:37.280 --> 00:59:42.239
see just how violent I can truly
become. She might tell Franklin, and

723
00:59:42.280 --> 00:59:46.079
I would possibly lose my mate.
I have another idea. I quickly make

724
00:59:46.119 --> 00:59:51.800
my way around to where Santa can
easily see me. Hey, Santa's eyes

725
00:59:51.800 --> 00:59:54.360
are on me as I pull my
Christmas sweater up and show him my large

726
00:59:54.360 --> 01:00:00.800
breasts pika boobies. His eyes are
locked right on my breast, which gives

727
01:00:00.840 --> 01:00:04.960
Delphine the advantage. She yanks the
axe out of Santa's hands and swings it

728
01:00:05.000 --> 01:00:07.480
to catch him right in the gut. He groans and stands for a long

729
01:00:07.559 --> 01:00:13.079
moment. I pull my sweater down
as Delphine removes the axe and nails him

730
01:00:13.119 --> 01:00:17.360
one more time before he finally goes
down. I quickly pull out my smartphone

731
01:00:17.400 --> 01:00:21.559
and call the police. I get
Mayor Gunter and tell him that everything's all

732
01:00:21.639 --> 01:00:25.599
right and that Santa is slaid.
My bloodlust is screaming at me for a

733
01:00:25.639 --> 01:00:31.000
fresh victim, but I had to
give my kill de Delphine to keep my

734
01:00:31.079 --> 01:00:36.519
secret. Delphine and I are alone
now. After I finished talking to Mayor

735
01:00:36.559 --> 01:00:40.679
Gunter, she turns to me and
gives me a stern look. Really Reagan

736
01:00:42.400 --> 01:00:46.440
showing him your dirty pillows. I
look sternly at her. In return,

737
01:00:47.360 --> 01:00:53.599
you are still alive because of my
dirty pillows. Never forget that. Delphine

738
01:00:53.599 --> 01:00:59.679
and I keep glaring at one another. Finally, Delphine softens her expression and

739
01:00:59.760 --> 01:01:04.039
saw eyes. She looks around and
moves to make sure that we're truly alone.

740
01:01:04.960 --> 01:01:07.519
I can't imagine why she would need
to do that. She returns to

741
01:01:07.559 --> 01:01:14.119
me, Yes, you did save
many lives today, Reagan. Then she

742
01:01:14.280 --> 01:01:21.000
leans in and says quietly, I
know who and what you are. Don't

743
01:01:21.039 --> 01:01:25.760
try to hide it from me.
You are the angel of death. Then

744
01:01:25.800 --> 01:01:31.480
she backs away to get my reaction. I just look at Delphine. I

745
01:01:31.519 --> 01:01:38.519
think you're mistaken. Delphine shakes her
head slowly. I'm not. You don't

746
01:01:38.559 --> 01:01:44.400
know, Reagan, but many years
ago, you've saved many lives that night,

747
01:01:45.119 --> 01:01:50.079
including mine. Just then, Mayor
Gunter comes in with some police officers.

748
01:01:50.519 --> 01:01:54.639
He points right at me, Reagan
Devereux over here. Now, Delphine

749
01:01:54.639 --> 01:02:00.559
mouths to me, we'll talk later. I nod to her and dress Mayor

750
01:02:00.559 --> 01:02:04.320
Gunter, who gives me hell for
not keeping my distance on account of my

751
01:02:04.480 --> 01:02:08.000
being a college intern. At the
same time, he congratulates me on being

752
01:02:08.039 --> 01:02:12.559
the hero. Of course, I
make sure that Delphine has given her fair

753
01:02:12.599 --> 01:02:22.440
share of the credit, since I
didn't stop that Santa from Hell alone.

754
01:02:22.679 --> 01:02:27.400
Christmas afternoon, I look into the
eyes of Templeton Mirran. After I remove

755
01:02:27.480 --> 01:02:31.400
his blindfold, then I remove his
wife's. I have both of them secured

756
01:02:31.400 --> 01:02:37.840
to tables in their basement. Then
I remove their gags. What the fuck

757
01:02:37.079 --> 01:02:42.440
is this, destiny, Mirren demands. I move to the front where they

758
01:02:42.440 --> 01:02:45.559
can see me. I have a
remote control in my hand, and I

759
01:02:45.599 --> 01:02:49.800
turn on their television. I have
a little video here that I'd very much

760
01:02:49.880 --> 01:02:52.760
like the two of you to see. I tell them I play What is

761
01:02:52.800 --> 01:02:58.119
the security camera footage that was taken
from the Strickfield Town Center mall? Could

762
01:02:58.119 --> 01:03:01.239
I have gotten any more lucky?
Chief Kashmrek was a little strapped at the

763
01:03:01.280 --> 01:03:05.679
station, so he asked me if
i'd stick around and go through the security

764
01:03:05.679 --> 01:03:09.079
footage from the mall. After texting
Franklin and letting him know where I was,

765
01:03:09.480 --> 01:03:13.800
I went to the station and looked
over the footage. Then I saw

766
01:03:13.840 --> 01:03:17.880
the angle to where Templeton Miron had
grabbed an innocent man and pulled him right

767
01:03:17.920 --> 01:03:22.760
into the path of the killer Santa, just so he could preserve his own

768
01:03:22.800 --> 01:03:27.400
life. His wife had seen what
her husband had done and wasn't concerned in

769
01:03:27.440 --> 01:03:30.840
the least. She only moved to
get Templeton and the kids out of them

770
01:03:30.880 --> 01:03:36.599
all quickly. Neither Destiny nor Templeton
looked back. After finishing the footage.

771
01:03:36.599 --> 01:03:40.119
I stopped the video and look at
them, and he questions, so what,

772
01:03:40.679 --> 01:03:45.519
Destiny groans, Looking as annoyed as
she sounded, all this over an

773
01:03:45.519 --> 01:03:50.679
insignificant man, Templeton adds, it
looks to me as if your family could

774
01:03:50.679 --> 01:03:52.639
have easily gotten away, but you
grabbed that man and pulled him right in

775
01:03:52.679 --> 01:03:58.440
front of the killer, guaranteeing his
death. In effect, you killed him

776
01:03:58.480 --> 01:04:02.840
in cold blood. Your wife saw
you and didn't care, in effect condoning

777
01:04:02.880 --> 01:04:09.239
what you did. So now I'm
going to claim the both of you.

778
01:04:09.239 --> 01:04:12.960
Your children are with their grandparents.
I've even disabled your cameras in your security

779
01:04:12.960 --> 01:04:17.960
system. It's just the three of
us here. I even have pictures to

780
01:04:18.039 --> 01:04:24.360
display of shady bank records and illegal
money laundering. I even found some darknet

781
01:04:24.400 --> 01:04:28.599
stuff that they were involved in.
Too much to list here, But seeing

782
01:04:28.639 --> 01:04:32.119
the security video from his own mall
was more than a red flag for me.

783
01:04:32.960 --> 01:04:36.719
Normally, I'd have killed them just
based on that, but I wanted

784
01:04:36.760 --> 01:04:41.000
more to give to the police.
After all, these two are from the

785
01:04:41.599 --> 01:04:45.800
infamous Miran family. The two of
them are quite emotionless. The only difference

786
01:04:45.800 --> 01:04:50.960
between these mirrors and myself is that
I was naturally born without emotions. These

787
01:04:51.000 --> 01:04:57.920
two are of great money and privilege, so much that they just stopped caring.

788
01:04:59.159 --> 01:05:01.760
I'm wearing a plat stic poncho and
have an axe cradled in my hands.

789
01:05:02.519 --> 01:05:08.239
Oh wait, it looks as if
they do know fear. They see

790
01:05:08.320 --> 01:05:13.639
my evil glare and beg for their
lives. Oh but it's far too late

791
01:05:13.719 --> 01:05:19.239
for that. Templeton and Destiny,
Miron. Let the punishment fit the crime.

792
01:05:20.280 --> 01:05:26.719
Destiny screams as I bring the axe
right down on her face. And

793
01:05:26.760 --> 01:05:35.800
I feel so much better now that
my bloodlust is finally being satiated. Christmas

794
01:05:35.840 --> 01:05:41.920
evening, Delphine called Franklin and made
things right with him. She even told

795
01:05:42.000 --> 01:05:45.559
him to bring me back to the
house for Christmas dinner. I agreed when

796
01:05:45.559 --> 01:05:48.760
he asked me, and all was
well. Franklin's dad still gave me some

797
01:05:48.840 --> 01:05:54.239
distrustful looks, but that was it, Delphine asked me to help her in

798
01:05:54.280 --> 01:05:58.639
the kitchen so we could have our
little talk. As it turned out,

799
01:05:59.000 --> 01:06:02.199
Delphine had indeed discovered my secret.
When she said that I had saved the

800
01:06:02.239 --> 01:06:06.320
lives of her and many children that
night, it was because she had discovered

801
01:06:06.320 --> 01:06:11.840
Minister Harlowe's terrible secret. She had
tried to stop him on her own using

802
01:06:11.880 --> 01:06:15.599
the legal system, but his influence
was too strong. She decided that she

803
01:06:15.599 --> 01:06:20.079
would bring him down alone, even
if it meant breaking the commandment regarding killing.

804
01:06:20.679 --> 01:06:24.559
As it turned out, I had
read the story about Harlow in our

805
01:06:24.599 --> 01:06:28.559
newspaper in North Ridgeway. I came
to Strickfield to claim him. After I

806
01:06:28.599 --> 01:06:32.199
did my research, I broke into
Harlow's house, not knowing that Delphine was

807
01:06:32.239 --> 01:06:36.760
already there ahead of me. I
ended up finding five children that Harlow had

808
01:06:36.800 --> 01:06:42.440
locked up in his basement. I
freed them and told them to keep quiet.

809
01:06:43.159 --> 01:06:46.559
Harlow wasn't expecting a high school freshman
girl to come for him. After

810
01:06:46.599 --> 01:06:49.800
going up to the second floor and
beating the living shit out of Harlow,

811
01:06:49.840 --> 01:06:55.760
I tied him up to his bed
and castrated him. Even then, I

812
01:06:55.800 --> 01:07:00.119
remembered Mama's words about making the punishment
fit the crime. Delphine had been hiding

813
01:07:00.119 --> 01:07:04.840
in a closet, possibly waiting for
the right moment to strike Harlowe herself,

814
01:07:05.519 --> 01:07:12.039
and discovered that I was the angel
of death. After cleaning myself up,

815
01:07:12.079 --> 01:07:15.000
I gave one of my burner phones
to the kids and told them to call

816
01:07:15.039 --> 01:07:19.239
the police. Delphine told me that
after I had left, she had explained

817
01:07:19.280 --> 01:07:24.559
everything to the police, leaving me
out of it. Delphine gave me a

818
01:07:24.599 --> 01:07:29.719
big hug and thanked me for what
I had done today and back then.

819
01:07:30.519 --> 01:07:33.320
She promised me that she would keep
my secret. The only thing she asked

820
01:07:33.400 --> 01:07:38.559
was for me not to hurt Franklin. I in turn promised her that I

821
01:07:38.559 --> 01:07:44.679
wouldn't. Delphine never so much as
gave me or Franklin a hard time ever

822
01:07:44.800 --> 01:07:49.920
again. That night, Franklin and
I go back to my dorm. After

823
01:07:49.960 --> 01:07:54.519
we have sex, Franklin and I
talk. He tells me that he only

824
01:07:54.519 --> 01:08:00.679
wants to make me happy. I
tell him that I am well in my

825
01:08:00.760 --> 01:08:03.920
own way. I'm more than content
on having Franklin Sloane as my mate,

826
01:08:04.280 --> 01:08:11.000
and I tell him that I'm not
leaving him. Franklin has a realization I

827
01:08:11.039 --> 01:08:14.920
have something for you rage. He
gets out of bed and brings me a

828
01:08:14.960 --> 01:08:19.119
small gift wrapped box. I unwrap
and open it to reveal his high school

829
01:08:19.119 --> 01:08:25.760
class ring. It's not much,
Franklin tells me, but I know how

830
01:08:25.800 --> 01:08:29.600
I feel about you. Maybe Dad
and Delphine are right about you being too

831
01:08:29.600 --> 01:08:35.000
good for me, But I need
to know, Reagan Devereux, will you

832
01:08:35.119 --> 01:08:42.840
marry me? I will, I
say, without hesitation. Franklin is speechless

833
01:08:42.880 --> 01:08:45.600
in his emotions, but he finally
finds himself and puts his ring on my

834
01:08:45.680 --> 01:08:49.359
finger. I return the favor by
giving him my high school ring on a

835
01:08:49.399 --> 01:08:54.600
necklace. I only wish that I
could feel the love that Franklin feels for

836
01:08:54.680 --> 01:08:59.560
me. Regardless, I will be
a good wife to him as he will

837
01:08:59.560 --> 01:09:04.680
be a good husband to me.
So this turned out to be a very

838
01:09:04.680 --> 01:09:13.039
good Christmas for me, after all. Merry Christmas, everyone, don't be

839
01:09:13.199 --> 01:09:31.119
naughty babes. In terror Land by
Morgan Moore, as with many holiday seasons

840
01:09:31.159 --> 01:09:36.239
before it, parents and children flocked
to Baron's toy store in the village of

841
01:09:36.319 --> 01:09:41.960
Green Seas. In the middle of
the crowd was Justin Barn, a fourteen

842
01:09:42.000 --> 01:09:45.439
year old boy with an apron featuring
a hand sewn version of the store's logo

843
01:09:45.600 --> 01:09:49.319
in the middle. Justin was staying
with his grandmother, the owner of the

844
01:09:49.359 --> 01:09:53.880
store, for the holidays while his
parents were away on a business trip.

845
01:09:54.359 --> 01:09:58.079
He was enlisted to lend a hand
almost immediately upon his arrival. With it

846
01:09:58.159 --> 01:10:03.159
being the store's busiest time, Justin
could never understand how she managed it all

847
01:10:03.199 --> 01:10:06.960
on her own, but she had
been doing it ever since his grandfather died

848
01:10:06.960 --> 01:10:13.760
a few years ago and was managing
it successfully somehow. Justin moved around the

849
01:10:13.800 --> 01:10:15.880
store as best he could, seeing
how crowded the small store was. In

850
01:10:16.000 --> 01:10:20.119
all, the building itself was an
old brownstone, with the store situated on

851
01:10:20.159 --> 01:10:26.399
the ground floor and Missus Barron's home
on the second. The store could become

852
01:10:26.439 --> 01:10:30.439
a claustrophobic nightmare when business was booming, but he managed stocking the shelves and

853
01:10:30.479 --> 01:10:35.079
helping out customers as best he could. By the time three o'clock came around,

854
01:10:35.159 --> 01:10:39.000
Justin was spent and was ready for
the day to be over so he

855
01:10:39.039 --> 01:10:44.960
could finally get some rest. Those
thoughts were interrupted when he laid eyes on

856
01:10:45.159 --> 01:10:48.720
Kathy Wilcox. He had known her
since fourth grade and had a crush on

857
01:10:48.760 --> 01:10:54.199
her that never faded. Justin always
wanted to tell her how he felt,

858
01:10:54.600 --> 01:10:58.119
but he could never muster up the
courage to do it. Somehow, he

859
01:10:58.159 --> 01:11:01.640
could picture everything he wanted to say, but anytime he saw her, it

860
01:11:01.720 --> 01:11:06.800
all vanished. Justin felt himself beginning
to melt as he kept looking at her.

861
01:11:08.479 --> 01:11:12.399
His face turned bright red, and
immediately Justin began to do some busy

862
01:11:12.399 --> 01:11:15.720
work around the area, trying to
disguise the fact that he had been staring

863
01:11:15.720 --> 01:11:20.399
at her. Justin's heart beat faster
and faster, as if somebody was pounding

864
01:11:20.439 --> 01:11:25.319
away on a drum, but that
came to an immediate halt when he felt

865
01:11:25.319 --> 01:11:29.800
a gentle tap on his shoulder.
He turned around and saw Kathy there.

866
01:11:30.479 --> 01:11:35.239
Hi, Justin, Cathy said sweetly, Hi, Kathy. Justin stammered,

867
01:11:35.239 --> 01:11:40.600
his face feeling like it was on
fire. Cathy gave him an intimate smile,

868
01:11:40.840 --> 01:11:45.000
her blue eyes seeming to shimmer to
Justin. Mind if I ask you

869
01:11:45.039 --> 01:11:49.640
a question? Uh oh, Justin
thought, she's gonna chew me out for

870
01:11:49.720 --> 01:11:53.520
looking at her, and in the
middle of the store too, everybody's gonna

871
01:11:53.520 --> 01:11:59.880
think I'm some purv Sure, Justin
responded, after a brief pause, could

872
01:11:59.920 --> 01:12:02.680
you can you help me and my
sister real quick? What a relief,

873
01:12:02.920 --> 01:12:06.840
Justin thought, Oh yeah, for
sure. What do you guys need?

874
01:12:08.159 --> 01:12:12.640
He asked. She then began to
walk away down an aisle. Justin followed

875
01:12:12.640 --> 01:12:15.960
close behind her. My sister found
something she wants, but I can't reach

876
01:12:16.000 --> 01:12:19.600
it, and neither can she.
I saw you and thought i'd ask if

877
01:12:19.600 --> 01:12:23.319
you could bring it down for me. Since you're so tall and all,

878
01:12:23.880 --> 01:12:28.039
Kathy explained, Oh yeah, I
should be able to get it for you.

879
01:12:28.560 --> 01:12:32.680
Justin replied with a smile. Kathy
returned the smile. Man, she's

880
01:12:32.920 --> 01:12:39.840
so cute, Justin thought, as
they kept walking beside one another. The

881
01:12:39.880 --> 01:12:44.880
two eventually got to their location and
joined Kathy's sister Janet. Upon seeing Justin

882
01:12:44.920 --> 01:12:48.359
and the apron identifying him as a
store employee, Janet pointed upwards toward the

883
01:12:48.359 --> 01:12:54.199
top of the shelf she was standing
at that one, please, Janet asked

884
01:12:54.319 --> 01:12:58.319
Justin. Justin looked up to where
the child pointed and saw a clown doll.

885
01:12:58.800 --> 01:13:00.640
The doll had been in the store
or ever since he could remember.

886
01:13:01.159 --> 01:13:04.479
It had a wooden head and hands, and was dressed in a hand sewn

887
01:13:04.520 --> 01:13:11.279
outfit colored silver and blue. A
jester had adorned its head bells dangling down

888
01:13:11.399 --> 01:13:15.439
playfully. Justin had always thought it
looked creepy, and other people must have

889
01:13:15.479 --> 01:13:18.119
thought the same, as the doll
had been around the store ever since he

890
01:13:18.279 --> 01:13:25.439
was a child. But maybe finally
someone had found the doll appealing and wanted

891
01:13:25.479 --> 01:13:29.920
to give it a home. Justin
smiled and reached up, just barely able

892
01:13:29.960 --> 01:13:31.920
to get the doll. He got
a grip on it and brought it down,

893
01:13:32.079 --> 01:13:36.680
handing it gently to the little girl. Here you go, Justin said.

894
01:13:38.479 --> 01:13:42.439
Janet smiled as she held and stared
at the doll. Kathy turned to

895
01:13:42.600 --> 01:13:45.760
Justin and gave him a big smile. He returned it in kind. I

896
01:13:45.880 --> 01:13:49.840
want him, Janet responded energetically,
as she held the clown doll up to

897
01:13:49.840 --> 01:13:55.560
the two. How much is it, Cathy asked Justin. I'm not sure.

898
01:13:55.880 --> 01:13:58.840
It doesn't look like it has a
tag on it. Let's ask my

899
01:13:58.920 --> 01:14:02.720
grandma, Justin and said. They
arrived at the register to find Justin's grandmother

900
01:14:02.800 --> 01:14:06.840
smiling at the three. There you
are, Justin. What cute friends you

901
01:14:06.920 --> 01:14:12.079
have there, she said. Kathy
blushed lightly at the comment, Hey,

902
01:14:12.079 --> 01:14:15.359
grandma, how much is this?
There's no tag on it, or even

903
01:14:15.399 --> 01:14:19.079
a sign on the shelf it was
on. His grandmother's smile turned to a

904
01:14:19.119 --> 01:14:26.199
slight frown. Oh honey, I'm
so sorry that doll isn't for sale.

905
01:14:26.239 --> 01:14:30.800
I only keep it on the shelf
for decoration, she explained as sweetly as

906
01:14:30.840 --> 01:14:35.079
possible. But I want it,
Janet told her. Are you sure you're

907
01:14:35.119 --> 01:14:40.560
not able to sell it? Kathy
asked, unfortunately, I am, dear.

908
01:14:40.960 --> 01:14:45.560
My husband made the doll many years
ago for Justin's mother and it just

909
01:14:45.640 --> 01:14:48.520
has too much sentimental value for me
to sell it. It's been watching over

910
01:14:48.560 --> 01:14:55.199
the store for years, Justin's grandma
explained to the three. Janet frowned,

911
01:14:55.319 --> 01:15:00.039
tears starting to well up. Justin
smiled a little bit at the two and

912
01:15:00.079 --> 01:15:03.079
his grandma. It's all right,
I'll put him back, Justin said.

913
01:15:03.520 --> 01:15:08.399
He then made a motion with his
head for Kathy and Janet to follow him.

914
01:15:08.720 --> 01:15:12.000
The three of them made their way
back to the aisle. Janet looked

915
01:15:12.039 --> 01:15:15.760
utterly devastated that she couldn't have the
doll, and Cathy looked equally saddened for

916
01:15:15.840 --> 01:15:19.760
her sister. Once they got back
to the aisle, Justin put the doll

917
01:15:19.840 --> 01:15:25.199
back up. He then turned to
Kathy with a small grin. She tilted

918
01:15:25.199 --> 01:15:30.159
her head in confusion. What is
it. Why are you grinning like that,

919
01:15:30.560 --> 01:15:34.239
she asked, Because I know of
a way to get that doll for

920
01:15:34.359 --> 01:15:42.119
Janet, he explained. Janet's face
brightened up at once. Really how Justin

921
01:15:42.239 --> 01:15:45.359
moved in a bit closer to Kathy
so that he could talk to her in

922
01:15:45.439 --> 01:15:50.239
semi privacy. Janet frowned when she
realized what was going on. My grandma

923
01:15:50.319 --> 01:15:54.399
is going to go out to a
party tonight and I'll be alone for hours.

924
01:15:54.920 --> 01:15:57.560
Come on buy around eight and I'll
let you in. We can get

925
01:15:57.560 --> 01:16:00.840
the doll then, he explained to
her. But she'll notice, won't she,

926
01:16:01.319 --> 01:16:04.920
Kathy asked, don't worry, I'll
take care of it. Just be

927
01:16:05.039 --> 01:16:19.319
here by eight. Later that night, Justin made his way downstairs to the

928
01:16:19.359 --> 01:16:25.239
store and opened the front door to
find Kathy and Janet standing there. Justin

929
01:16:25.359 --> 01:16:29.800
frowned a tiny bit as the two
girls made their way inside. Why did

930
01:16:29.800 --> 01:16:32.319
you bring your sister, he asked, doing his best to hide his disappointment

931
01:16:32.800 --> 01:16:36.399
that it wasn't just Kathy. She
wanted to come, and I couldn't get

932
01:16:36.399 --> 01:16:40.560
her to stay home without spilling the
beans. I told my parents I was

933
01:16:40.600 --> 01:16:43.840
going out with friends, and she
threatened to tell them what I was really

934
01:16:43.920 --> 01:16:50.039
doing. Kathy explained, I mean, it isn't entirely untrue. You are

935
01:16:50.079 --> 01:16:55.560
hanging out with a friend, Justin
said, with a small smile. I'm

936
01:16:55.600 --> 01:17:00.359
going Janet blurted out and ran towards
the aisle with the doll. So how

937
01:17:00.399 --> 01:17:03.159
are you going to explain this to
your grandma? Kathy asked as she walked

938
01:17:03.159 --> 01:17:08.039
past the display of a toy war
scene. Oh, I'm going to tell

939
01:17:08.079 --> 01:17:10.720
her I ordered a pizza and just
forgot to lock the door on my way

940
01:17:10.760 --> 01:17:13.560
back up. I'll take some money
out of the register and hide a few

941
01:17:13.600 --> 01:17:16.399
other toys, maybe knock some displays
over and make it look like somebody broke

942
01:17:16.439 --> 01:17:23.079
in and robbed the place. He
explained. That's pretty clever, mean,

943
01:17:23.880 --> 01:17:28.359
but clever, she responded. As
she stopped by the register, Justin stopping

944
01:17:28.359 --> 01:17:31.680
in front of her. Hey,
what can I say? Justin said?

945
01:17:32.479 --> 01:17:36.000
Kathy smiled a bit as she fiddled
with some small toys by the register.

946
01:17:36.600 --> 01:17:41.920
She looked around and returned her gaze
to Justin. Why are you doing this

947
01:17:41.960 --> 01:17:45.640
for us? Why are you risking
getting into so much trouble. His mind

948
01:17:45.760 --> 01:17:48.720
raced at a million miles an hour, trying to figure out how to explain

949
01:17:48.960 --> 01:17:54.840
why he was so willing to help
her sister out. No, help her

950
01:17:54.880 --> 01:17:58.239
out. Before he could give it
any more, thought, he'd blurted out

951
01:17:58.279 --> 01:18:01.239
his response, it's because I like
you. I've always liked you. I

952
01:18:01.239 --> 01:18:04.039
think you're sweet and cute, and
I just wanted to help because I like

953
01:18:04.079 --> 01:18:06.000
you, and I thought maybe you'd
like me back if I did it.

954
01:18:06.640 --> 01:18:11.720
He gasped for breath. Justin closed
his eyes and took several deep breaths,

955
01:18:11.760 --> 01:18:15.199
eventually regaining control of his breathing.
After a few brief minutes, he opened

956
01:18:15.239 --> 01:18:19.000
his eyes, finding that Cathy was
staring at him, her mouth dropped open

957
01:18:19.079 --> 01:18:25.560
some and her eyes wide dread filled. Justin his heart beating harder and harder.

958
01:18:26.119 --> 01:18:29.319
Oh no, she's gonna leave and
never speak to me again and tell

959
01:18:29.359 --> 01:18:33.199
everybody I'm a loser and a freak. But she surprised him by smiling at

960
01:18:33.279 --> 01:18:41.119
him warmly and widely. Justin slowly
smiled back. They brought their faces close

961
01:18:41.159 --> 01:18:45.279
to one another. Only a hair's
breath the part the scream that ripped through

962
01:18:45.319 --> 01:18:49.039
the air put an end to that
Janet. Kathy called out and rushed toward

963
01:18:49.039 --> 01:18:53.840
the location the scream emanated from,
Justin, following in her wake. The

964
01:18:53.960 --> 01:18:58.439
duo arrived to find Janet laying on
the floor, screaming and crying in agony,

965
01:18:58.560 --> 01:19:02.319
her eye sockets bleeding profusely. As
for the former resident of those yawning

966
01:19:02.359 --> 01:19:08.479
black holes, they were in the
hands of the clown doll. The toy

967
01:19:08.600 --> 01:19:14.640
turned its head and looked at them. Justin and Cathy bolted from the aisle,

968
01:19:14.760 --> 01:19:16.840
the clown doll right behind them.
As they ran down the aisles,

969
01:19:16.880 --> 01:19:20.399
Cathy shrieked as the other toys began
to spring from the shelves and joined the

970
01:19:20.479 --> 01:19:25.680
hunt. Stuffed bears and lions pawed
at them with vicious claws that sprang from

971
01:19:25.720 --> 01:19:29.159
their plush baws, as metal model
cars pelted down on the teens like rain,

972
01:19:29.319 --> 01:19:32.520
leaving bruises and cuts. Justin managed
to grab a baseball bat from a

973
01:19:32.560 --> 01:19:36.720
nearby barrel and started swinging away,
as Kathy grabbed a stick horse and did

974
01:19:36.760 --> 01:19:41.560
the same. The two sent toys
flying left and right, but more and

975
01:19:41.600 --> 01:19:45.399
more came forth. Soon Justin and
Kathy found themselves surrounded. They continued to

976
01:19:45.399 --> 01:19:50.000
swing away, but soon the terror
toys grabbed their weapons and pulled them away,

977
01:19:50.319 --> 01:19:55.560
leaving the pair defenseless. Justin and
Cathy looked at each other and took

978
01:19:55.600 --> 01:20:00.079
hold of each other's hand, ready
to accept their doomed fate. The store

979
01:20:00.119 --> 01:20:04.119
lights came alive and bathed everything in
a warm, fluorescent glow, causing the

980
01:20:04.159 --> 01:20:09.920
pair to start. Oh no,
look at this mess, The voice of

981
01:20:10.079 --> 01:20:14.279
Justin's grandmother rang out. The older
woman looked around at all the toys,

982
01:20:14.520 --> 01:20:18.039
who now looked back at her.
She stopped a few feet away from the

983
01:20:18.119 --> 01:20:25.359
rattled teens. Grandma, what's going
on? Why are you home? Justin

984
01:20:25.399 --> 01:20:29.479
spat out, in a mix of
confusion and anger. And why did they

985
01:20:29.520 --> 01:20:34.359
attack us and my sister? My
god Janet Cathy started, but soon stopped

986
01:20:34.640 --> 01:20:39.800
as she succumbed to raw grief.
The senior shook her head and sighed,

987
01:20:40.840 --> 01:20:45.199
I suppose I should explain. You
see these toys, all of them,

988
01:20:45.920 --> 01:20:54.439
They come alive every nightfall. But
but why how? Justin demanded Justin,

989
01:20:54.560 --> 01:21:00.840
dear your grandfather, Your grandfather made
them that way. Business hasn't been the

990
01:21:00.880 --> 01:21:06.479
same for years, not since that
damned department store opened up. Then when

991
01:21:06.520 --> 01:21:11.479
we learned your grandpa didn't have long
left. He was afraid of what would

992
01:21:11.520 --> 01:21:15.840
happen to the store. To me, it was his opinion that without any

993
01:21:15.880 --> 01:21:20.600
help, the store would have shut
down, so he decided to create some

994
01:21:20.840 --> 01:21:27.119
help. Your grandfather came across a
strange scroll during the war in a bombed

995
01:21:27.119 --> 01:21:31.520
out toy store, a store he
swore was filled with screaming, burning toys.

996
01:21:32.520 --> 01:21:36.199
You can guess the rest. These
toys have been cleaning, stocking,

997
01:21:36.279 --> 01:21:45.840
and providing security as you've seen here
ever since. These wonderful toys. They're

998
01:21:45.920 --> 01:21:53.199
loyal and always have been and always
will be. Justin and Cathy were taken

999
01:21:53.239 --> 01:21:57.279
aback. They believed it all,
after all, how could they not,

1000
01:21:58.359 --> 01:22:03.319
But something still bothered them. Oh
thank god, we're safe, then,

1001
01:22:03.640 --> 01:22:09.479
Cathy told them. The two smiled
as they looked at each other and then

1002
01:22:09.520 --> 01:22:14.840
at Justin's grandma, but the smiles
faded as they saw that the elder in

1003
01:22:14.840 --> 01:22:21.000
front of them was grim. Grandma
Justin started with a shaky voice. I'm

1004
01:22:21.079 --> 01:22:26.720
sorry, love, but you were
trespassing. You know. I don't like

1005
01:22:26.800 --> 01:22:30.600
you coming down here at night to
say nothing of your friend here and her

1006
01:22:30.720 --> 01:22:35.000
sister. The store was closed.
Besides, they don't move during the day,

1007
01:22:35.720 --> 01:22:40.039
but they can still hear. When
I left for the party, they

1008
01:22:40.079 --> 01:22:44.720
told me about your little plan.
That's why I came back early. You

1009
01:22:44.800 --> 01:22:50.439
mean you're gonna turn us into the
police, Cathy asked, no, Unfortunately

1010
01:22:50.479 --> 01:22:55.359
for you two. I leave all
my security matters up to them, and

1011
01:22:55.439 --> 01:23:00.680
I believe I know what they'll do
with you, she explained. The toy

1012
01:23:00.760 --> 01:23:03.399
soldiers from the war scene filed in, aiming their guns at the teenagers.

1013
01:23:04.119 --> 01:23:11.479
Justin and Cathy's faces displayed pure and
utter terror. With that, Justin's grandmother

1014
01:23:11.560 --> 01:23:14.760
left and made her way to the
stairs. She looked over at the two

1015
01:23:14.840 --> 01:23:18.720
again and shook her head and sighed. Then, with a flick of her

1016
01:23:18.760 --> 01:23:24.640
wrist, she turned off the lights. A stream of sharp bangs filled the

1017
01:23:24.680 --> 01:23:48.680
store. Santa Letters by Morgan Moore. Every year, millions of children send

1018
01:23:48.760 --> 01:23:53.960
letters to Santa Claus, expressing their
wishes of what they hope will be under

1019
01:23:53.960 --> 01:24:00.119
their tree come Christmas Day. But
what if somebody used those letters for a

1020
01:24:00.159 --> 01:24:04.920
not so joyful purpose. It has
happened, and the following is purported to

1021
01:24:04.960 --> 01:24:11.760
be the true account of those events. This is the case of the Circleville

1022
01:24:11.880 --> 01:24:27.359
Santa Letter murders In nineteen seventy eight. The citizens of the small Ohio town

1023
01:24:27.399 --> 01:24:31.520
of Circleville were beginning their Christmas season
like any other, planning the December holiday

1024
01:24:31.520 --> 01:24:36.600
while eating Thanksgiving dinner, making travel
arrangements, and all the other hullabaloo that

1025
01:24:36.720 --> 01:24:42.079
comes with the impending season. While
the adults were occupied, the children of

1026
01:24:42.079 --> 01:24:45.439
Circleville were planning as well, once
more taking up the job of writing letters

1027
01:24:45.479 --> 01:24:50.840
to inform Old Saint Nicholas of their
Yule Tide desires. Even the local schools

1028
01:24:50.880 --> 01:24:55.880
were caught up in the fund,
setting up small deposit mailboxes for the kids

1029
01:24:55.920 --> 01:25:00.760
to place their letters in. All
was well in Circleville as disa came and

1030
01:25:00.840 --> 01:25:05.399
Christmas magic filled the air even more
than it already had throughout November, everything

1031
01:25:05.520 --> 01:25:13.199
was peace and joy. Unfortunately,
that was all about to change. In

1032
01:25:13.279 --> 01:25:16.880
the early morning of December seventh,
ten year old Dylan Jones was delivering papers

1033
01:25:16.880 --> 01:25:21.319
for the Circleville Herald like he always
did. When he reached the house of

1034
01:25:21.439 --> 01:25:26.880
Joe and April Robinson, he was
about to be greeted with a horrendous sight.

1035
01:25:27.640 --> 01:25:30.720
Jones went around back to deliver the
paper as he always did. When

1036
01:25:30.720 --> 01:25:35.079
he discovered the mutilated body of five
year old Mary Kate Robinson, a letter

1037
01:25:35.079 --> 01:25:41.319
to Santa Claus nailed to her forehead. The boy screamed so loud that almost

1038
01:25:41.319 --> 01:25:45.640
the entire neighborhood was jarred awake and
came rushing to the scene. Police questioned

1039
01:25:45.640 --> 01:25:50.520
the family, friends, teachers,
everybody within the small community to try to

1040
01:25:50.560 --> 01:25:56.279
figure out any clues and leads as
to who may have committed this horrible crime,

1041
01:25:56.840 --> 01:26:00.279
but no answers emerged. Unfortunately for
the town, it was not the

1042
01:26:00.399 --> 01:26:08.840
end of this tragedy. On December
twelfth, around twelve o'clock in the afternoon,

1043
01:26:09.119 --> 01:26:12.199
eight year old Michael Stolings was on
his way to the park to meet

1044
01:26:12.279 --> 01:26:15.760
up with a group of friends.
At two o'clock, his friends called Michael's

1045
01:26:15.760 --> 01:26:18.720
house and informed his parents that he
had never showed up. Immediately, the

1046
01:26:18.760 --> 01:26:23.479
Stallings phoned the police, worried about
their son, the fate of the Robinson

1047
01:26:23.520 --> 01:26:28.479
girl foremost in their minds. It
wasn't long before police found Michael, much

1048
01:26:28.600 --> 01:26:32.520
like Mary Kate Robinson, dead with
his body mutilated and a letter to Santa

1049
01:26:32.520 --> 01:26:42.760
Claus nailed to his forehead. The
next day, Sheriff Patrick o'Kyle held a

1050
01:26:42.760 --> 01:26:46.319
press conference in which he vowed to
put a stop to this chaos. Curfews

1051
01:26:46.359 --> 01:26:49.760
were put in place to make sure
children of all ages were home by five

1052
01:26:49.760 --> 01:26:54.680
o'clock at night, and the youngsters
were also advised to travel in groups.

1053
01:26:55.359 --> 01:26:59.039
Soon, things looked to be improving, and a week went by without anything

1054
01:26:59.079 --> 01:27:05.199
happening that was soon to change.
December twelfth was another quiet day. Fred

1055
01:27:05.239 --> 01:27:10.479
and Darlene Brooks headed out for a
long overdue date night, leaving fifteen year

1056
01:27:10.520 --> 01:27:15.479
old Tanya wise Cup in charge of
their children. The pair returned it close

1057
01:27:15.520 --> 01:27:19.439
to midnight to find their home bathed
in darkness. Upon entering the house,

1058
01:27:19.479 --> 01:27:25.479
the two noticed a smell they later
said reminded them of rotting meat. They

1059
01:27:25.520 --> 01:27:28.960
didn't think much of it, as
they had recently been battling with raccoons,

1060
01:27:29.000 --> 01:27:32.800
getting stuck in the attic and dying. Tired and tipsy, the Brooks went

1061
01:27:32.840 --> 01:27:38.199
to bed, assuming that their babysitter
was down in the basement to sleep,

1062
01:27:38.439 --> 01:27:42.359
spending the night as she tended to
do when she had school the next day.

1063
01:27:43.119 --> 01:27:45.880
When they awakened the following morning,
the couple went downstairs to check on

1064
01:27:45.960 --> 01:27:50.800
Tanya and see if she had indeed
stayed overnight. What they discovered was nothing

1065
01:27:50.880 --> 01:27:56.840
short of a blood bath. Their
children, John, Laura, and Victoria

1066
01:27:57.119 --> 01:28:01.319
were all dead letters nailed to their
foreheads, but this time there was a

1067
01:28:01.399 --> 01:28:08.000
chilling new twist. A limb from
each child was placed under the small Christmas

1068
01:28:08.000 --> 01:28:12.800
tree set up in the basement.
As for Tanya, she laid discarded on

1069
01:28:12.840 --> 01:28:19.000
the floor, cut from neck to
groin, and left to bleed out.

1070
01:28:20.560 --> 01:28:26.119
Later that day, the city announced
a new curfew for all residents, stating

1071
01:28:26.199 --> 01:28:30.399
everyone in town must be home and
have their businesses closed by four pm.

1072
01:28:30.640 --> 01:28:34.159
Sheriff O. Kyle also advised residents
to take extra precautions to keep their homes

1073
01:28:34.199 --> 01:28:40.039
locked and defended. The city became
a ghost town come four o'clock. The

1074
01:28:40.159 --> 01:28:45.560
chimes of clocks that rang the curfew
hour ushered in eerie quiet. December twenty

1075
01:28:45.600 --> 01:28:49.640
second and twenty third came and went
with no incidents, but the town remained

1076
01:28:49.640 --> 01:28:55.520
firmly on guard. The morning of
December twenty fourth came with no surprises as

1077
01:28:55.520 --> 01:28:59.880
well. It was a dreary winter
day, the gloom and holiday cheer mixing

1078
01:29:00.079 --> 01:29:04.000
together like cold and warm fronts.
Circleville had started to loosen up slightly,

1079
01:29:04.439 --> 01:29:10.000
something not hard to do. Considering
it was Christmas Eve, the curfew was

1080
01:29:10.159 --> 01:29:13.920
still in effect, but that seemed
to almost add to the magic of the

1081
01:29:13.920 --> 01:29:18.000
holiday. As family stayed bundled in
together, celebrating in warm homes that stood

1082
01:29:18.000 --> 01:29:24.039
in contrast to the cold outside.
Night came and the hours drifted along.

1083
01:29:24.520 --> 01:29:29.319
It seemed that perhaps these terrible crimes
were at an end. Christmas morning came

1084
01:29:29.399 --> 01:29:31.640
and the police, who had stood
guard in the city streets throughout the night,

1085
01:29:31.960 --> 01:29:35.039
started to head back to the station, ready to go home to their

1086
01:29:35.039 --> 01:29:40.279
own families to celebrate. But before
anybody could leave, a call came in.

1087
01:29:40.920 --> 01:29:46.199
Somehow the killer had struck again,
right under their noses twice. The

1088
01:29:46.279 --> 01:29:50.000
first victim was ten year old Jackson
Devins, who was found dead in his

1089
01:29:50.079 --> 01:29:55.600
bedroom by his parents his window pried
open. At the same time, police

1090
01:29:55.640 --> 01:29:59.560
also discovered the body of six year
old Addison Ferguson, who was found in

1091
01:29:59.600 --> 01:30:03.000
a shed in her family's backyard.
This sent the town over the edge into

1092
01:30:03.000 --> 01:30:08.760
a full blown frenzy. Who was
responsible for all these deaths? How could

1093
01:30:08.800 --> 01:30:13.640
anybody have broken into the homes and
committed the crimes without being caught? Who

1094
01:30:13.720 --> 01:30:16.800
was next? Police set up barricades
to close off the town and began a

1095
01:30:16.800 --> 01:30:21.479
city wide manhunt, joined by the
town's residents. All day they searched,

1096
01:30:21.760 --> 01:30:26.399
and the next day and the next. For a solid week they searched,

1097
01:30:26.720 --> 01:30:30.279
but no leads arose and no culprit
was found. The new year came and

1098
01:30:30.359 --> 01:30:36.039
it seemed that finally there was peace. No murders had been committed since Christmas,

1099
01:30:36.159 --> 01:30:41.319
and law enforcement officials theorized that there
would be no more incidents since the

1100
01:30:41.359 --> 01:30:46.119
season was over. On January tenth, Circleville held a citywide memorial service in

1101
01:30:46.159 --> 01:30:50.600
honor of the victims, and has
held a similar service every Christmas Eve since.

1102
01:30:51.640 --> 01:30:57.079
These murders left many questions, all
starting with who the murderer was.

1103
01:30:57.880 --> 01:31:01.439
Upon reflection, they stated that they
believed the murderer due to the use of

1104
01:31:01.479 --> 01:31:05.640
the letters the children wrote to Santa
Claus had to work for either the postal

1105
01:31:05.680 --> 01:31:11.880
service or the public school. As
such, the police conducted mass interviews for

1106
01:31:11.960 --> 01:31:17.079
all post office and school employees.
While everyone interviewed seemed on edge, nobody

1107
01:31:17.079 --> 01:31:21.039
stood out as being a psychopathic killer. As the weeks rolled on, the

1108
01:31:21.079 --> 01:31:26.720
case began to go cold. Without
conclusive evidence to form any leads, the

1109
01:31:26.760 --> 01:31:32.479
city and police made the controversial decision
to stop the investigation. Nineteen seventy nine

1110
01:31:32.560 --> 01:31:38.199
continued on, the tragedy still hanging
over the town of Circleville like the specter

1111
01:31:38.319 --> 01:31:42.720
of death. People slowly started to
return to what they would call a normal

1112
01:31:42.760 --> 01:31:47.640
life, with only hushed whispers of
the Santa Letter murders remaining. Months went

1113
01:31:47.680 --> 01:31:51.760
by, and soon it was November. The Christmas spirit began to grow in

1114
01:31:51.800 --> 01:31:57.119
the town once more, but it
was tempered by fears of a new murder

1115
01:31:57.159 --> 01:32:01.800
spree possibly arising. In preparation,
Circleville schools announced that they would not put

1116
01:32:01.880 --> 01:32:06.399
up letterboxes for kids this year as
a safety precaution. The post office took

1117
01:32:06.439 --> 01:32:11.279
action as well, stating that any
letters addressed to Santa Claus would go straight

1118
01:32:11.319 --> 01:32:15.680
to the police for protection. Everything
that the town could think of they implemented,

1119
01:32:15.960 --> 01:32:20.960
hoping to avoid another year of mayhem. December nineteen seventy nine began and

1120
01:32:21.199 --> 01:32:28.000
ended with no murders. This left
everyone baffled. Why did the killer not

1121
01:32:28.039 --> 01:32:31.319
strike again? What was it about
this year compared to last to make him

1122
01:32:31.880 --> 01:32:36.840
or her not lash out? Perhaps
the crimes would be nothing more than a

1123
01:32:36.840 --> 01:32:43.039
freak event and unsolved mystery. Like
so many others. That feeling continued into

1124
01:32:43.079 --> 01:32:47.520
the next year, and the next, and on and on to this day.

1125
01:32:48.039 --> 01:32:53.439
Nobody knows who could have been behind
the murders. Christmas in Circleville was

1126
01:32:53.479 --> 01:32:57.199
never quite the same, but the
years dulled the fear somewhat, and the

1127
01:32:57.239 --> 01:33:00.479
police allowed the post office to start
accepting letters to Santa Claus once more,

1128
01:33:00.840 --> 01:33:06.079
but did not allow the school to
reopen their dropbox. The same question always

1129
01:33:06.159 --> 01:33:12.359
pops up, who did it?
While law enforcement never did name a suspect

1130
01:33:12.439 --> 01:33:15.840
or conduct any arrests. O Kyle
later said that he had a theory of

1131
01:33:15.880 --> 01:33:23.399
the murderer's identity. He suspected that
elementary school teacher Linda Morrison was the killer

1132
01:33:23.439 --> 01:33:29.279
after discovering her dead from suicide in
January of nineteen eighty. His reasoning was

1133
01:33:29.319 --> 01:33:31.840
based on the fact that she was
the one responsible for handing the letters to

1134
01:33:31.880 --> 01:33:36.680
the post office in nineteen seventy eight. It was his belief that she made

1135
01:33:36.680 --> 01:33:42.399
photocopies of the letters before delivering them. As for how she would have selected

1136
01:33:42.399 --> 01:33:45.840
her victims, oh Kyle claimed that
she did so based on which children in

1137
01:33:45.880 --> 01:33:51.800
the school were receiving discipline for bad
behavior. However, there was no concrete

1138
01:33:51.840 --> 01:33:57.960
evidence. Perhaps it was Morrison trying
to enact a form of discipline on the

1139
01:33:58.039 --> 01:34:01.159
children who acted out in the parents
who raised their children to act as such.

1140
01:34:02.000 --> 01:34:08.199
Though perhaps it was a disgruntled post
office employee. Maybe it was somebody

1141
01:34:08.239 --> 01:34:12.079
else who worked at one of the
schools. Some theories suggest it was O.

1142
01:34:12.239 --> 01:34:16.920
Kyle himself or another person within law
enforcement. Doubtless, no one will

1143
01:34:16.960 --> 01:34:21.279
ever know for sure. All that
is known is that the fear lingers in

1144
01:34:21.319 --> 01:34:27.920
the cool, crisp winter air that
one day the devilish Deliverer will once again

1145
01:34:27.960 --> 01:34:44.840
return, bringing Christmas terror to Circleville. The weather outside is frightful by Shane

1146
01:34:44.920 --> 01:34:50.039
Migliovaka. It was the worst blizzard
the city had seen in over a decade.

1147
01:34:50.079 --> 01:34:54.239
In time, the storm would be
known as the Christmas Eve Blizzard of

1148
01:34:54.279 --> 01:35:00.000
seventy three, But tonight it was
just the storm. Patrol Woman Halsey Stone

1149
01:35:00.279 --> 01:35:03.720
strained her eyes scanning the sidewalk as
the radio car crawled down the street,

1150
01:35:04.079 --> 01:35:09.319
her partner, officer Roy Socersoe,
at the wheel. This part of the

1151
01:35:09.319 --> 01:35:14.439
city had been hit hard by the
country's current financial stagnation, Decaying buildings,

1152
01:35:14.520 --> 01:35:17.159
junk piled on the side of the
street broke down, cars left to rot,

1153
01:35:17.159 --> 01:35:20.960
and open lots. For Stone,
this was too much like the poverty

1154
01:35:21.039 --> 01:35:26.479
she'd grown up around. Many of
the large buildings were seemingly abandoned, but

1155
01:35:26.560 --> 01:35:30.079
in truth, whole families lived within
their walls, as did the normal cast

1156
01:35:30.119 --> 01:35:35.640
of junkies, drunks, and other
shady characters. An anonymous caller had reported

1157
01:35:35.640 --> 01:35:41.119
a woman screaming for help. They'd
circled the block a few times but come

1158
01:35:41.199 --> 01:35:45.680
up with nothing. The blizzard had
driven everyone indoors. Between the strong gusts

1159
01:35:45.720 --> 01:35:48.439
of wind and the visibility being shit, nobody in the right mind would be

1160
01:35:48.479 --> 01:35:55.199
out here, but here they were
on Christmas Eve, no less, not

1161
01:35:55.319 --> 01:35:58.880
that either of them had anywhere else
to be. Stone had left her family

1162
01:35:58.920 --> 01:36:01.800
behind when she'd moved to the big
city, and her partner was estranged from

1163
01:36:01.840 --> 01:36:08.560
his wife and daughter. Stone's left
hand clasped and unclasped her holster, almost

1164
01:36:08.720 --> 01:36:14.680
keeping a steady rhythm. Enough snapped
soccer. So what with the holster?

1165
01:36:14.840 --> 01:36:18.359
Kid shit? She hadn't realized she'd
been doing it. She could get lost

1166
01:36:18.399 --> 01:36:24.159
in thought. Sometimes, Sorry,
this is just a bullshit call, kid,

1167
01:36:24.920 --> 01:36:29.399
sure. Stone took off her uniform
cap. She smoothed back some of

1168
01:36:29.399 --> 01:36:34.039
her long blonde hair that obstinately refused
to cooperate. What you think there's something

1169
01:36:34.039 --> 01:36:38.800
to this call? Probably just some
junkie trying to steal a few bucks,

1170
01:36:38.880 --> 01:36:44.000
or some asshole trying to stay warm
by raping a He stopped himself, his

1171
01:36:44.079 --> 01:36:48.520
face reddened a little. Sorry,
kid Stone adjusted her dirty blonde ponytail.

1172
01:36:49.199 --> 01:36:53.520
Maybe he was right. How long
do you want this to go on?

1173
01:36:54.079 --> 01:37:00.279
Soccer So said, what your shitty
attitude? No okie, looking for our

1174
01:37:00.359 --> 01:37:04.680
phantom suspect. God. She hated
that. When somebody back at the precinct

1175
01:37:04.680 --> 01:37:09.439
found out about her family coming from
the Ozarks, one of the assholes had

1176
01:37:09.479 --> 01:37:13.960
started calling her Oakie. They'd got
it from some old song and it stuck

1177
01:37:14.039 --> 01:37:17.800
like glue. You got somewhere to
be, she said, somehow making it

1178
01:37:17.840 --> 01:37:24.239
sound like fuck you. He shot
her a look, no, just think

1179
01:37:24.279 --> 01:37:29.199
our time could be spent better.
She drummed her fingers on the dash.

1180
01:37:29.479 --> 01:37:32.600
All she wanted to do was bounce
socker So's head off the dash. The

1181
01:37:32.640 --> 01:37:39.000
anger was always there, had always
been there once it scared her. Now

1182
01:37:39.359 --> 01:37:43.199
it was a friend. You know
what, Okie, I'm gonna make it

1183
01:37:43.239 --> 01:37:49.439
your call do we continue looking?
Stone took a deep breath. My choice,

1184
01:37:49.640 --> 01:37:54.840
no bitching, you're a call.
Since she'd been a kid, she'd

1185
01:37:54.840 --> 01:37:59.840
had a feeling she could always tell
when something bad was coming. Stone had

1186
01:37:59.840 --> 01:38:05.000
that feeling now another time around.
If there's nothing, we go okay,

1187
01:38:05.039 --> 01:38:10.479
fair enough, soccer So turned the
corner. As outside the wind gusted.

1188
01:38:10.960 --> 01:38:15.000
Stone could feel the car move a
little, pushed by the wind. We've

1189
01:38:15.039 --> 01:38:17.359
been at this dance for almost a
month now, kid, I'm supposed to

1190
01:38:17.359 --> 01:38:21.800
be training you, be your partner, and I know jack and shit about

1191
01:38:21.840 --> 01:38:27.479
you. That was the way she
liked it. There was too much in

1192
01:38:27.520 --> 01:38:31.680
her past. What's there to know? I'm from Missouri. Should open up

1193
01:38:31.680 --> 01:38:36.600
more, hang out with some of
us. Why you guys constantly make fun

1194
01:38:36.640 --> 01:38:42.720
of me and where I came from. That's just ribbing. You no different

1195
01:38:42.760 --> 01:38:45.439
than any other rookie. You make
it harder on yourself anyway, acting like

1196
01:38:45.479 --> 01:38:50.239
a brat. Sorry, I'm just
not miss fun. In Games, a

1197
01:38:50.279 --> 01:38:55.039
woman came out of the blanket of
falling snow running at their car, screaming.

1198
01:38:55.439 --> 01:38:59.079
There was blood on her hands and
jacket. Soccer So swerved the car

1199
01:38:59.079 --> 01:39:02.279
and ended up in a snow Stone
was already undoing her seat belt. Fuck

1200
01:39:02.680 --> 01:39:08.520
you okay, kid, yeah,
the woman came running towards them. Stone

1201
01:39:08.520 --> 01:39:11.920
started to open the door. Oh
god, officer, I'm so sorry,

1202
01:39:12.439 --> 01:39:15.640
ma'am. Take it easy. Is
that your blood? Are you injured?

1203
01:39:15.119 --> 01:39:20.640
She shook her head. No,
the woman was shaking his blood. Soccer

1204
01:39:20.680 --> 01:39:25.039
So tried getting his door open,
but the snow bank wouldn't give As he

1205
01:39:25.079 --> 01:39:30.039
slammed the door repeatedly against the packed
snow. Stone took the panicked woman towards

1206
01:39:30.119 --> 01:39:34.880
their car. What's your name,
ma'am, Dorothy, it's Dorothy. Okay,

1207
01:39:34.920 --> 01:39:38.479
Dorothy, I need you to get
in the back of the car.

1208
01:39:39.199 --> 01:39:45.439
Dorothy hesitated, what why? You'll
be safe until we can get somebody to

1209
01:39:45.479 --> 01:39:48.399
look at you. Soccer So finally
gave up on getting his door to open.

1210
01:39:49.279 --> 01:39:53.479
Dorothy slid in and sat in the
middle of the back seat. A

1211
01:39:53.520 --> 01:39:58.520
steel mesh separated Dorothy from Soccer.
So you'll be safe here, now.

1212
01:39:58.560 --> 01:40:01.920
Can you tell me what happened?
Dorothy? Dorothy told her how she'd been

1213
01:40:01.920 --> 01:40:05.880
cutting through the alleyway on her way
home from the corner store when a large

1214
01:40:05.920 --> 01:40:10.880
man had come out of a nook
in the alley and chased after her When

1215
01:40:10.920 --> 01:40:14.439
she fell on the icy ground,
he grabbed her. Terrified, she pulled

1216
01:40:14.439 --> 01:40:17.199
a metal nail file from her purse, stuck it into his leg, and

1217
01:40:17.279 --> 01:40:21.479
made her escape. Dorothy pointed to
the alley across the street a little ways

1218
01:40:21.520 --> 01:40:27.439
back. It was there. Thank
you, Dorothy, Stone said, you're

1219
01:40:27.600 --> 01:40:30.159
very brave. My partner will take
care of you until an ambulance arrives.

1220
01:40:30.760 --> 01:40:35.079
I will. Dorothy looked up at
Stone, perhaps sensing what was about to

1221
01:40:35.119 --> 01:40:43.079
happen. I looked into his eyes. Officer, there was nothing inside.

1222
01:40:43.119 --> 01:40:47.279
Stone tried to reassure her. It's
gonna be okay, kid, don't even

1223
01:40:47.399 --> 01:40:51.840
think SOCCERSO said. She cut him
off. Call it in, get back

1224
01:40:51.920 --> 01:40:57.680
up. Stone slammed the door shut
Before he could protest any more. She

1225
01:40:57.760 --> 01:41:00.760
took off down the street towards the
alley. Dorothy indicated this was it,

1226
01:41:01.159 --> 01:41:04.279
that feeling of dread that she'd felt. Her heart felt like it was going

1227
01:41:04.319 --> 01:41:08.760
to break free from her chest.
She'd made it to the alley. He

1228
01:41:08.800 --> 01:41:13.119
could still be here nursing his wound, she thought. Ultimately, he wasn't

1229
01:41:13.159 --> 01:41:18.159
in the alley, but something was
the nail file. He'd pulled it out.

1230
01:41:18.439 --> 01:41:23.359
Now he'd bleed more and make her
job easier. Stone followed the blood

1231
01:41:23.359 --> 01:41:27.560
down another alley and out to a
deserted street. She had never been much

1232
01:41:27.560 --> 01:41:30.640
of a hunter. Her dad had
tried to teach her, but her patience

1233
01:41:30.720 --> 01:41:33.880
was lacking. He'd seemed so disappointed
in her. But those times out in

1234
01:41:33.880 --> 01:41:39.239
the woods with him, just walking, those were some of her favorite memories

1235
01:41:39.279 --> 01:41:43.479
of growing up. But now her
father was spending another Christmas in prison.

1236
01:41:44.159 --> 01:41:49.720
She sighed. From somewhere above,
Christmas music drifted down, hark the herald

1237
01:41:49.760 --> 01:41:57.039
angels. The heavy snowfall was quickly
covering the blood. Stone came out of

1238
01:41:57.039 --> 01:42:00.920
the alley. She heard voices in
a door close. She spun around,

1239
01:42:00.960 --> 01:42:04.159
her gun at the ready. A
young couple stood there holding Christmas gifts,

1240
01:42:04.800 --> 01:42:10.079
a look of shock etched on their
faces. Their little dog on a leash

1241
01:42:10.239 --> 01:42:15.199
yelped at her. The man raised
his hands, dropping the gifts. Have

1242
01:42:15.279 --> 01:42:20.319
you seen anyone suspicious other than me? Maybe bleeding? The dog continued yelping.

1243
01:42:20.640 --> 01:42:25.119
The man pulled hard on its leash. Shut up, Mitzi. Stone

1244
01:42:25.119 --> 01:42:29.920
wouldn't mind slamming the guy against the
wall. No, officer, I need

1245
01:42:29.960 --> 01:42:31.960
you both to go back inside.
There's a dangerous and wounded man in the

1246
01:42:32.039 --> 01:42:39.079
vicinity. Stone crossed the street.
The trail continued down past a large abandoned

1247
01:42:39.079 --> 01:42:44.319
building, then it stopped ahead of
her. Stone hurt a loud, metallic

1248
01:42:44.399 --> 01:42:48.840
clank, like a metal door or
lid closing. She regretted leaving soccer so

1249
01:42:49.000 --> 01:42:54.359
behind no. Stone thought, this
is where I show them what I can

1250
01:42:54.399 --> 01:43:00.840
do. She crouched slowly. She
peeked around the corner of the building until

1251
01:43:00.880 --> 01:43:04.239
she had a full view of the
small street that lay beyond. There,

1252
01:43:05.199 --> 01:43:11.439
next to an abandoned theater was a
metal hatch set in the ground. Those

1253
01:43:11.520 --> 01:43:15.800
led to basements Soccorsou had told her. Stone gun at the ready inch towards

1254
01:43:15.800 --> 01:43:21.239
it. Snow had been brushed off
very recently, and there was a bloody

1255
01:43:21.279 --> 01:43:27.439
handprint on the hatch. Got you, bastard, she thought. She pulled

1256
01:43:27.439 --> 01:43:30.039
a rag from her jacket. There
was no way she was taking a chance

1257
01:43:30.079 --> 01:43:34.319
of fucking up the evidence her service
pistol. Ready, Stone pulled on the

1258
01:43:34.399 --> 01:43:40.600
latch. Locked, of course,
she'd have to find another way in.

1259
01:43:42.239 --> 01:43:48.079
Then she heard it, the rustle
of wings. Stone looked up. Perched

1260
01:43:48.079 --> 01:43:53.359
on a rusty metal railing was a
large white owl. It stared at her

1261
01:43:53.399 --> 01:43:59.479
with its large luminous eyes, eyes
that looked into her. She stared at

1262
01:43:59.479 --> 01:44:04.319
it, transfixed. Then it struck
her what it was. Sitting on the

1263
01:44:04.479 --> 01:44:10.000
railing of a fire escape. She
ran over and discovered the bottom of the

1264
01:44:10.079 --> 01:44:14.680
escape's ladder was just out of reach. Frantically, she looked around for something

1265
01:44:14.760 --> 01:44:17.920
she could use to get up there, and there it was, sitting against

1266
01:44:17.920 --> 01:44:24.079
the far wall of an adjacent building, an old plastic chair. She carried

1267
01:44:24.119 --> 01:44:29.239
the chair over, and on tiptoes, she reached and pulled herself up all

1268
01:44:29.279 --> 01:44:32.720
that tree, climbing as a kid. Paid off the fire escape led to

1269
01:44:32.760 --> 01:44:36.840
a locked, second story metal door. Not far from it was a window

1270
01:44:36.920 --> 01:44:42.319
set above a narrow ledge. She
stepped over the metal railing and on to

1271
01:44:42.399 --> 01:44:45.880
the ledge. The wind howled.
She feared a really strong gust might blow

1272
01:44:45.920 --> 01:44:50.399
her off her perch. Her feet
knocked snow free as she inched towards the

1273
01:44:50.439 --> 01:44:56.079
window. Finally, she made it. Using the flashlight from her belt,

1274
01:44:56.119 --> 01:45:00.439
stone smashed through the glass and climbed
through the window into the darken. She

1275
01:45:00.600 --> 01:45:04.279
played the beam of the flashlight over
the floor and walls of what had once

1276
01:45:04.359 --> 01:45:10.079
been in office. The broken glass
crumbled underfoot as she made her way through

1277
01:45:10.079 --> 01:45:15.279
the room. Stone crept into the
hallway and soon entered the main theater area.

1278
01:45:15.840 --> 01:45:18.600
Paint was chipping off the walls.
The seats that hadn't been ripped out

1279
01:45:18.680 --> 01:45:24.640
or to faced in some way were
covered in years of dust. She headed

1280
01:45:24.680 --> 01:45:29.119
towards the stage area. Her snow
covered boots kicked up dust as she moved,

1281
01:45:29.399 --> 01:45:32.960
leaving wet tracks on the dirty floor. Stone climbed onto the stage.

1282
01:45:33.680 --> 01:45:39.399
An ugly looking green couch sat by
itself at the center, the curtain pulled

1283
01:45:39.439 --> 01:45:45.159
shut behind it. She opened the
curtain and entered the backstage. Stone's flashlight

1284
01:45:45.159 --> 01:45:49.199
beam caught a blank white face.
She almost pulled her trigger before she realized

1285
01:45:49.560 --> 01:45:57.279
a mannequin stood before her. She
walked past the expressionless figure. Fuck you,

1286
01:45:57.439 --> 01:46:02.239
asshole. There was a long,
dark hallway that led off the backstage

1287
01:46:02.239 --> 01:46:09.119
area. Old mattresses were stacked in
a haphazard pile stained with god knows what.

1288
01:46:09.920 --> 01:46:15.399
A musty smell permeated the air.
A large wood wardrobe sat in the

1289
01:46:15.399 --> 01:46:19.560
middle of the hall rotting. Stone
raised her weapon in her left hand and

1290
01:46:19.640 --> 01:46:24.239
reached out with her right. She
yanked the door open, causing it to

1291
01:46:24.279 --> 01:46:31.039
fall off in the process. Stone
backed up it was empty. Continuing on,

1292
01:46:31.399 --> 01:46:36.000
she passed a pile of broken props
and raggedy costumes on racks, before

1293
01:46:36.119 --> 01:46:42.880
arriving at a metal staircase leading to
the basement. She headed down, the

1294
01:46:42.920 --> 01:46:46.479
metal clanking under her boots. The
basement hallway was lined with brick and appeared

1295
01:46:46.479 --> 01:46:50.960
to be in better shape than the
walls above. Another foul smell filled the

1296
01:46:51.000 --> 01:46:57.800
air down here, the smell of
something rotten. A mattress lay on the

1297
01:46:57.840 --> 01:47:01.960
floor. Next to it sat stacks
of books and empty soup cans. Someone

1298
01:47:02.119 --> 01:47:08.319
was living here. Taped to the
wall were newspaper clippings and excerpts from books

1299
01:47:08.359 --> 01:47:16.560
and magazines, all concerning axe murders. Above them, scrawled in blood read

1300
01:47:17.600 --> 01:47:24.960
the axe man cometh. Oh great, he's got a secret identity. At

1301
01:47:25.000 --> 01:47:29.039
the far end of the room was
a metal door. A large rusty chain

1302
01:47:29.159 --> 01:47:32.600
was wound through the handles and secured
with a padlock. Before she could reach

1303
01:47:32.680 --> 01:47:38.800
the door, something wet hid her
face. Stone turned her beam upwards to

1304
01:47:38.800 --> 01:47:45.560
see multiple severed arms hanging from large
strands of butcher's twine. Not thinking,

1305
01:47:45.800 --> 01:47:49.399
she bolted forward and crashed into the
metal doors with all her might. The

1306
01:47:49.479 --> 01:47:54.439
doors tore from their rusty hinges and
crashed to the floor with stone and tow

1307
01:47:54.720 --> 01:47:58.119
She quickly sprung to her feet and
swung her flashlight around the new room.

1308
01:47:59.079 --> 01:48:03.640
Taped to the walls in various sizes
were crosses made out of paper. She

1309
01:48:03.720 --> 01:48:09.039
inspected one of the crosses on the
wall closest to her to find it was

1310
01:48:09.119 --> 01:48:13.279
made from Bible pages. At the
far end of the room was some kind

1311
01:48:13.319 --> 01:48:18.000
of demented altar made primarily of lashed
together bones. A large metal cross stood

1312
01:48:18.039 --> 01:48:23.199
at its center, surrounded by a
multitude of crimson candles, which filled the

1313
01:48:23.239 --> 01:48:30.439
surrounding air with acrid smoke. I've
taken their sin, a deep voice said

1314
01:48:30.479 --> 01:48:33.760
from behind her. Startled Stone spun
around to see a brute of a man

1315
01:48:33.840 --> 01:48:39.199
covered in shoddy, bloodstained clothes standing
in the doorway, cradling an axe in

1316
01:48:39.199 --> 01:48:43.479
his arms as if it were a
newborn baby. Around his right leg,

1317
01:48:43.800 --> 01:48:47.800
a rag was tied where he'd been
stabbed by Dorothy. I cut it from

1318
01:48:47.880 --> 01:48:55.279
their bodies. You killed them,
freed them, They died without sin.

1319
01:48:56.279 --> 01:49:01.000
He walked forward towards her with a
limp. Freeze, you motherfucker, Stone

1320
01:49:01.039 --> 01:49:06.239
barked, her voice trembling. He
stopped in his tracks. I was chosen.

1321
01:49:06.880 --> 01:49:13.760
He held out the axe. It
chose me. Shut up. She

1322
01:49:13.800 --> 01:49:15.960
didn't want to hear his psycho sails. Pitch, put the axe on the

1323
01:49:16.000 --> 01:49:20.119
ground and place your hands behind your
head. He stared at her as if

1324
01:49:20.640 --> 01:49:29.119
not comprehending. I've been to another
plane ascended. I was sent back to

1325
01:49:29.159 --> 01:49:32.319
do their work. Here, do
it, fucker, Stone screamed her,

1326
01:49:32.359 --> 01:49:38.119
anger getting the best of her,
He set the axe down tenderly, putting

1327
01:49:38.119 --> 01:49:42.960
his hands together behind his head.
Neil, He did as he was told

1328
01:49:43.319 --> 01:49:47.279
with some effort. She moved forward
and kicked the axe away. She noticed

1329
01:49:47.319 --> 01:49:53.840
before its flight that it was covered
in strange symbols. The wind outside sounded

1330
01:49:53.880 --> 01:49:59.399
like whispers in the air, calling
her. I can't help, but notice

1331
01:49:59.439 --> 01:50:03.880
your left handed he said. This
caught her off guard enough that the man

1332
01:50:03.960 --> 01:50:06.960
was able to lunge at her legs
with a pocket knife, catching her in

1333
01:50:08.000 --> 01:50:11.279
the side of her right leg.
The thirty eight in the flashlight fell from

1334
01:50:11.279 --> 01:50:15.720
her hands as she instinctively grabbed her
wound. Stone retreated as painfully he stood

1335
01:50:16.439 --> 01:50:21.359
and retrieved his axe. Do you
know what it's like to die? The

1336
01:50:21.359 --> 01:50:28.720
painful death of a million screams in
silence. Every day Stone fell against the

1337
01:50:28.760 --> 01:50:32.000
wall, leaving a trail of blood
in her wake. Then they came to

1338
01:50:32.039 --> 01:50:41.399
me. Angels took my pain,
gave me this axe. God teaches us

1339
01:50:41.439 --> 01:50:47.640
with pain. That's how we become
worthy of his love through pain. He

1340
01:50:47.680 --> 01:50:54.600
limped forward. Stone's head began swimming
wildly. Would you like to meet God?

1341
01:50:55.359 --> 01:51:00.359
He asked, raising the axe.
She felt the cold metal stacke in

1342
01:51:00.399 --> 01:51:04.399
her leg with all her remaining strength
and channeled anger. Stone pulled the knife

1343
01:51:04.399 --> 01:51:10.800
from her wound. The pain was
immeasurable. You first, Stone screamed.

1344
01:51:11.000 --> 01:51:15.439
She plunged the blade deep within his
breast, causing him to howl in agony.

1345
01:51:15.880 --> 01:51:19.920
Stone pulled out the blade and brought
it down again and again and again

1346
01:51:20.680 --> 01:51:30.199
until blackness took her. She awoke
to find the man in a fetal position,

1347
01:51:30.800 --> 01:51:35.920
Sobbing loudly, Stone crawled forward and
found her thirty eight. The man

1348
01:51:36.039 --> 01:51:41.399
started to slowly rise, using the
axe to prop himself up. Don't you

1349
01:51:41.560 --> 01:51:45.720
move, Stone said, hoarsely.
I could have helped you. He stood

1350
01:51:45.760 --> 01:51:51.319
fully on shaking legs. I said, don't move. She took aim.

1351
01:51:51.600 --> 01:51:58.560
Her arms felt like rubber cleansed the
world of sin. He limped towards her,

1352
01:51:58.840 --> 01:52:02.000
dragging the axe along on the ground. Stop, she said, her

1353
01:52:02.079 --> 01:52:10.000
voice breaking. You see it,
don't you see them? It's in your

1354
01:52:10.000 --> 01:52:15.319
eyes, in your soul, he
said, reaching out for her with a

1355
01:52:15.359 --> 01:52:20.079
bloody hand. Stone squeezed the trigger, firing around into his chest and another

1356
01:52:20.159 --> 01:52:25.880
into his forehead. His brains exited
in a geyser of gore. He fell

1357
01:52:25.920 --> 01:52:30.159
to his knees, the axe clattering
to the ground. Then he fell forward.

1358
01:52:30.439 --> 01:52:36.640
His body shuddered and lay still.
The darkness took her once more.

1359
01:52:39.399 --> 01:52:44.640
Stone saw her parents playing with her
as a child, followed by the great

1360
01:52:44.640 --> 01:52:50.600
white owl swooping down from the sky. It landed in a tree watching her.

1361
01:52:51.439 --> 01:53:00.800
It spoke to her Oakie oaki oki
okie socker or so called, from

1362
01:53:00.840 --> 01:53:05.119
somewhere out in the hall here,
she said. Stone wasn't sure if he'd

1363
01:53:05.119 --> 01:53:09.760
hear her. He stumbled into the
room. Hang on, kid, He

1364
01:53:09.840 --> 01:53:14.000
put a hand over her wound,
pressing tight. Backup's coming, stay awake,

1365
01:53:14.079 --> 01:53:17.640
okay, She grabbed his arm.
God, my corns are killing me.

1366
01:53:17.680 --> 01:53:23.680
After tracking your damn ass all over
town, I'm dying and you're bitching

1367
01:53:23.720 --> 01:53:28.119
about your feet. Shut the fuck
up. You're not dying. They make

1368
01:53:28.159 --> 01:53:31.039
them tough where you're from, right, Missouri? She nodded and smiled.

1369
01:53:31.920 --> 01:53:51.000
Well, Merry Christmas, Missouri.
Satan Claus by Keith Tomlin, December twenty

1370
01:53:51.000 --> 01:53:57.600
fifth, nineteen ninety eight. One
forty five am. Edward burst out of

1371
01:53:57.640 --> 01:54:00.520
the back door of his house.
His foot missed the second and step of

1372
01:54:00.560 --> 01:54:04.319
the concrete stairs, and he went
sprawling, landing hard on the neglected wooden

1373
01:54:04.359 --> 01:54:09.479
deck of his back patio. Gasping
for breath, he struggled to his feet,

1374
01:54:09.640 --> 01:54:12.840
losing one of his slippers. After
a few tries, he regained his

1375
01:54:12.880 --> 01:54:16.359
balance and raced off into the woods
that edged his backyard. Burrs and thorns

1376
01:54:16.439 --> 01:54:21.199
tore at his skin and clothing as
he plunged into the darkness. As Edward

1377
01:54:21.279 --> 01:54:27.640
ran, he heard a loud crash
as something large and powerful followed after him.

1378
01:54:27.840 --> 01:54:30.920
An unearthly roar filled with hate and
rage, rang through the night.

1379
01:54:31.680 --> 01:54:36.880
Edward pushed himself harder, charging faster
into the forest. After a few minutes

1380
01:54:36.880 --> 01:54:41.960
of running in a blind panic,
Edward felt a sharp pain run from his

1381
01:54:42.119 --> 01:54:46.039
chest down his arm. He gasped
and dropped at the base of a large

1382
01:54:46.039 --> 01:54:50.479
elm tree. Sobbing, he worked
himself into a sitting position, trying to

1383
01:54:50.520 --> 01:54:57.359
breathe through the pain. He wiped
blood from his face, some his some

1384
01:54:58.159 --> 01:55:01.960
from his wife. Hearing a branch
breaking, Edward tried to push himself up,

1385
01:55:02.000 --> 01:55:06.399
but the pain in his chest nearly
caused him to black out. Fighting

1386
01:55:06.479 --> 01:55:11.159
unconsciousness, he felt hot breath on
his face as he fought to open his

1387
01:55:11.239 --> 01:55:17.159
eyes. When he did, Edward
saw yellow, bloodshot eyes staring into his

1388
01:55:17.680 --> 01:55:23.279
as the creature snorted, sending its
moist to rancid breath into his face.

1389
01:55:23.720 --> 01:55:27.279
It let out a blood curdling scream
as it reached for him with long arms

1390
01:55:27.399 --> 01:55:32.279
ending in razor sharp claws. As
the creature tore Edward apart, his last

1391
01:55:32.319 --> 01:55:36.119
thought was not of the intense pain
or the realization that his life was over.

1392
01:55:38.199 --> 01:55:44.680
It was a question, is that
thing wearing a Santa Hat? Edward

1393
01:55:44.760 --> 01:55:54.119
thought as he passed into darkness.
December twenty fourth, nineteen ninety nine.

1394
01:55:54.520 --> 01:55:59.920
Eleven fifteen, A m Emily looked
incredulously at her thirteen year old brother Tyler

1395
01:56:00.840 --> 01:56:04.920
Satan clause, are you fucking serious? She said, well, yeah,

1396
01:56:05.000 --> 01:56:10.199
I mean it's real, well not
real, but they think it's real.

1397
01:56:10.439 --> 01:56:15.880
Tyler said, trying to gather his
thoughts. So we're going to summon a

1398
01:56:15.079 --> 01:56:20.359
pretend demon dressed like Santa Claus to
take care of our stepfather, Emily said,

1399
01:56:20.359 --> 01:56:26.680
with scorn, Well, sorta,
Tyler sighed, taking a deep breath

1400
01:56:27.079 --> 01:56:31.279
and slowly letting it out. Okay, so take the legend of Bloody Mary.

1401
01:56:31.520 --> 01:56:34.279
The story goes that if you look
in the mirror and say her name

1402
01:56:34.359 --> 01:56:39.880
three times, she'll appear and start
killing people. Now, everyone knows that's

1403
01:56:39.920 --> 01:56:43.199
not real. If you're having a
sleepover with friends and they dare you to

1404
01:56:43.239 --> 01:56:45.159
look in the mirror and say her
name, you will. You know it's

1405
01:56:45.199 --> 01:56:50.560
not true and nothing will happen.
But he said excitedly, if it's night

1406
01:56:51.199 --> 01:56:55.199
and you're alone in the house and
you're standing in front of a mirror,

1407
01:56:55.319 --> 01:56:59.479
when the thought crosses your mind to
say her name three times, will you

1408
01:56:59.560 --> 01:57:02.800
do it? Without waiting for an
answer, Tyler went on, no,

1409
01:57:03.199 --> 01:57:06.600
you wouldn't, and why not.
The logical part of your mind will say,

1410
01:57:06.640 --> 01:57:10.960
surely it's not real, it's just
crazy talk. But on a primal

1411
01:57:11.079 --> 01:57:14.920
level, you know that if you
say her name three times, she may

1412
01:57:14.960 --> 01:57:18.560
appear. This belief is what gives
these creatures their power. Tyler paused,

1413
01:57:18.760 --> 01:57:25.880
slightly out of breath. You are
one weird kid, Emily said, yeah,

1414
01:57:25.920 --> 01:57:29.359
well, you know, growing up
in this house does tend to make

1415
01:57:29.399 --> 01:57:35.039
one unusual. Tyler replied solemnly.
Emily shook her head. Okay, I'm

1416
01:57:35.039 --> 01:57:40.680
still confused. What creatures are you
talking about? Tyler looked Emily in the

1417
01:57:40.760 --> 01:57:45.199
eyes, something he rarely did with
anyone. To be honest, I don't

1418
01:57:45.239 --> 01:57:50.600
know. I just know they exist. Throughout history, different cultures had legends

1419
01:57:50.640 --> 01:57:55.760
of horrific creatures that terrorize the common
folk. I think that these were all

1420
01:57:55.840 --> 01:58:00.760
some kind of a supernatural force that
draws power from the beliefs and fears of

1421
01:58:00.800 --> 01:58:04.439
the people. If enough people believe
in them, then these ghosts, demons

1422
01:58:04.520 --> 01:58:09.840
or whatever can draw strength in life
from these beliefs that will actually become these

1423
01:58:09.880 --> 01:58:16.760
creatures. Wow, I think this
is insane, said Emily, speechless.

1424
01:58:17.359 --> 01:58:20.880
I know, and I accept that, but I need your help. For

1425
01:58:21.000 --> 01:58:24.680
you. This is a win win. If you help and it works,

1426
01:58:25.079 --> 01:58:29.359
we'll be rid of that asshole forever. Tyler looked at Emily, who nodded

1427
01:58:29.399 --> 01:58:32.760
emphatically. If it doesn't work,
then you have something else to make fun

1428
01:58:32.840 --> 01:58:36.640
of me. For not that there's
any lack of material for that, Tyler

1429
01:58:36.680 --> 01:58:42.840
said, pointing to the piles of
role playing manuals and superhero comic books stacked

1430
01:58:42.880 --> 01:58:46.720
around his bedroom. Not for the
first time, Emily was amazed at how

1431
01:58:46.760 --> 01:58:54.479
smart her brother was. Naive and
childlike, but also so goddamn smart.

1432
01:58:55.199 --> 01:58:58.640
She had sworn to herself to do
whatever she had to do to make sure

1433
01:58:58.640 --> 01:59:02.560
that he reaches adulthood without life crushing
his soul. She was only a year

1434
01:59:02.600 --> 01:59:05.680
older than him, but she was
a survivor. She could take all the

1435
01:59:05.680 --> 01:59:12.079
pain and suffering that life and her
stepfather could dish out. Tyler, however,

1436
01:59:12.880 --> 01:59:15.479
was a fragile soul. If this
helped him deal with all the bullshit,

1437
01:59:15.560 --> 01:59:18.720
then she was willing to go along
with it. Fuck it, I'm

1438
01:59:18.720 --> 01:59:26.720
in, she said, consider it
your Christmas present. Well really, Tyler

1439
01:59:26.760 --> 01:59:31.960
said, clearly expecting more resistance.
Emily continued, Look, this is the

1440
01:59:32.000 --> 01:59:36.000
most batshit crazy thing I've ever heard, but you're my brother and I'll do

1441
01:59:36.000 --> 01:59:42.720
anything to support you. So satan
clause. Tyler took a few seconds to

1442
01:59:42.720 --> 01:59:47.239
blink some tears away. Okay,
So Satan Clause is an urban legend that's

1443
01:59:47.239 --> 01:59:51.560
been around for at least fifteen years. Basically, it's a story of a

1444
01:59:51.600 --> 01:59:55.720
department store Santa that was beaten to
death by a gang of kids, and

1445
01:59:55.760 --> 01:59:59.880
his wife got a revenge by baking
cookies with her blood. She tricked the

1446
01:59:59.880 --> 02:00:01.800
ca kids into eating them, which
caused her husband to come back from the

1447
02:00:01.840 --> 02:00:08.640
dead and kill everyone. Tyler finally
paused to take a breath. At least

1448
02:00:08.760 --> 02:00:12.279
nine times in the last seven years, there have been a series of gruesome

1449
02:00:12.359 --> 02:00:15.239
deaths on Christmas Eve, so brutal
that the police have suspected it was either

1450
02:00:15.279 --> 02:00:21.560
the work of a Satanic cult or
some kind of huge, unidentified wild creature.

1451
02:00:23.640 --> 02:00:27.760
I disagree. I think it was
the legend of Satan Clause that killed

1452
02:00:27.760 --> 02:00:31.359
them, and that's what I want
for dear old Frank, Tyler said,

1453
02:00:31.399 --> 02:00:36.560
referring to their stepfather. He deserves
to die, Emily said, in a

1454
02:00:36.640 --> 02:00:42.800
cold, hard voice, for what
he's done to mom, you and for

1455
02:00:42.880 --> 02:00:47.039
what he tried to do. Emily
trailed off. Tyler awkwardly reached out and

1456
02:00:47.079 --> 02:00:54.960
patted her hand. I know he'll
pay for all of it, So all

1457
02:00:54.960 --> 02:00:57.920
we need to do is get Frank
to eat some cookies, Emily asked.

1458
02:00:58.640 --> 02:01:08.880
Tyler nodded, what do you need
from me? Emily finally asked. December

1459
02:01:08.920 --> 02:01:15.520
twenty fifth, nineteen ninety nine,
twelve thirty six am Emily rubbed the band

1460
02:01:15.520 --> 02:01:18.920
aid covering her finger, thinking that
only her brother could talk her into using

1461
02:01:18.960 --> 02:01:23.840
her blood as an ingredient in a
cookie recipe. If she had to be

1462
02:01:23.920 --> 02:01:27.640
honest. She enjoyed cutting her finger
a lot more than baking the cookies.

1463
02:01:28.399 --> 02:01:31.000
The first batch ended up a burned, smoking mess, and she had to

1464
02:01:31.039 --> 02:01:35.399
mix up and recut a second batch. She shook her head, thinking about

1465
02:01:35.399 --> 02:01:41.479
the things that people do for family. Emily looked down at her brother asleep

1466
02:01:41.520 --> 02:01:46.359
on the couch next to her and
sighed, she loved that crazy little bastard.

1467
02:01:47.000 --> 02:01:50.159
She turned back towards the large picture
window to keep up her vigil on

1468
02:01:50.199 --> 02:01:55.880
the dark street outside. After a
minute or so, the lights from an

1469
02:01:55.880 --> 02:02:00.399
approaching car lit up the neighboring houses. Emily leaned further over the back of

1470
02:02:00.439 --> 02:02:03.840
the couch, face pressed against the
window to get a better look. When

1471
02:02:03.840 --> 02:02:08.880
a familiar car pulled into the driveway
of the house across the street, Emily

1472
02:02:08.920 --> 02:02:13.079
grabbed her brother and shook him awake. Tyler Frank just pulled into our driveway.

1473
02:02:13.479 --> 02:02:16.960
Emily whispered loudly. Tyler sat up, rubbing his eyes. Looking around,

1474
02:02:17.239 --> 02:02:23.159
he asked, where's Missus Patterson.
Missus Patterson is in bed. It's

1475
02:02:23.199 --> 02:02:28.359
past midnight, Emily said. Missus
Patterson was an elderly woman who lived across

1476
02:02:28.359 --> 02:02:32.079
the street from them, and,
understanding their volatile family situation, often let

1477
02:02:32.159 --> 02:02:35.720
the kids spend the night at her
house while their mom was working the graveyard

1478
02:02:35.720 --> 02:02:40.520
shift at the nursing home. Grab
the binoculars and keep your voice down,

1479
02:02:40.920 --> 02:02:45.119
Emily commanded. Tyler's eyes popped open
as he suddenly remembered what they had planned

1480
02:02:45.119 --> 02:02:49.319
for Frank. He grabbed his cheap
pair of binoculars from the coffee table and

1481
02:02:49.399 --> 02:02:54.560
joined his sister. Leaning over the
back of the couch, Frank pulled into

1482
02:02:54.560 --> 02:02:58.239
the snow covered driveway, his ragged
old Ford, sliding to a stop,

1483
02:02:58.279 --> 02:03:01.399
almost hitting the garage door. He
opened the car door and stumbled out.

1484
02:03:02.000 --> 02:03:06.039
Frank was a tall, lean man, what some may call wiry. He

1485
02:03:06.119 --> 02:03:11.199
had a face that used to be
quite handsome and may still be to some

1486
02:03:12.079 --> 02:03:15.600
hidden under the years of hard living
and even harder drinking. Frank lived to

1487
02:03:15.680 --> 02:03:20.680
drink and spent most evenings complaining about
his miserable life to the regulars at Whitey's

1488
02:03:20.680 --> 02:03:25.920
Tavern, a dive bar a few
blocks from his house. He would usually

1489
02:03:25.960 --> 02:03:30.039
come home shit faced tonight, however, he was well beyond that. One

1490
02:03:30.079 --> 02:03:33.479
of the bar patrons, a well
to do businessman that liked to flaunt his

1491
02:03:33.560 --> 02:03:39.319
success, kept buying drinks for the
house. Frank kept drinking, and he

1492
02:03:39.479 --> 02:03:45.039
kept getting angrier. Frank's past kept
rolling around in his head. Why has

1493
02:03:45.079 --> 02:03:49.399
his life turned out like shit?
Why is everyone against him? Why did

1494
02:03:49.439 --> 02:03:53.479
that bitch of an ex wife keep
hounding him for money to buy gifts for

1495
02:03:53.520 --> 02:03:58.239
a bunch of ungrateful little shits.
Why did his current wife keep picking up

1496
02:03:58.279 --> 02:04:00.800
extra shifts when she should be home
taking care of him. Why do her

1497
02:04:00.840 --> 02:04:05.560
fucking brats show him no respect in
his own goddamn house. Frank shut the

1498
02:04:05.600 --> 02:04:09.479
car door and made his way up
the icy walkway to the front of the

1499
02:04:09.520 --> 02:04:15.399
house, swaying as he opened up
the front door and walked inside. Hey,

1500
02:04:15.720 --> 02:04:20.239
anyone here, Frank bellowed, slamming
the front door. Where the fuck

1501
02:04:20.359 --> 02:04:25.800
is my dinner? Frank listened to
the sounds of an empty house as he

1502
02:04:25.880 --> 02:04:30.920
remembered that his bitch wife was working
tonight. Frank mumbled curses under his breath

1503
02:04:30.920 --> 02:04:33.600
as he walked across the small living
room to the kitchen. Seeing a pizza

1504
02:04:33.640 --> 02:04:38.800
box on the counter, he opened
it up and grabbed a slice. Chewing

1505
02:04:38.840 --> 02:04:42.279
on the cold pizza, he walked
over to the fridge and grabbed a beer.

1506
02:04:42.880 --> 02:04:45.600
He was walking back to the living
room when he noticed a plate of

1507
02:04:45.600 --> 02:04:48.399
cookies with a note under it.
Squinting, he picked up the note and

1508
02:04:48.439 --> 02:04:53.840
read it. Frank, I know
we've not gotten along, but for mom's

1509
02:04:53.840 --> 02:04:57.640
sake, I want to try to
fix that. Please accept these cookies as

1510
02:04:57.680 --> 02:05:01.960
a peace offering. Merry Christmas,
Emily, the note said. Frank picked

1511
02:05:02.000 --> 02:05:05.319
up the plate with the cookies and
turned back to the living room. He

1512
02:05:05.439 --> 02:05:09.319
paused at the end of the counter
and dropped the cookies, plait and all,

1513
02:05:09.800 --> 02:05:14.319
into the trash can. Tyler reached
out and grabbed Emily's arm. He

1514
02:05:14.399 --> 02:05:16.760
picked up the cookies, he said, excitedly, looking through the binoculars.

1515
02:05:17.159 --> 02:05:25.479
He's walking wait. Oh no,
he threw them away, Tyler said quietly,

1516
02:05:25.960 --> 02:05:29.920
as silent tears began to roll down
his face. Give me those,

1517
02:05:30.399 --> 02:05:32.800
Emily said, as she grabbed up
the binoculars. She brought them up to

1518
02:05:32.840 --> 02:05:36.720
her face and pointed them at the
run down house across the street. Because

1519
02:05:36.760 --> 02:05:42.680
a particularly violent outburst from Frank last
week resulted in the curtain rods being ripped

1520
02:05:42.720 --> 02:05:45.640
down, she had a good view
of the living room and most of the

1521
02:05:45.720 --> 02:05:49.720
kitchen. Emily focused on Frank,
sitting in an armchair, drinking a beer

1522
02:05:50.119 --> 02:05:58.199
and watching TV. Emily sighed,
lowering the binoculars. Damn, oh,

1523
02:05:58.199 --> 02:06:01.640
well, we tried. She turned
to her brother, and her heart broke

1524
02:06:01.880 --> 02:06:08.720
when she looked upon his face wet
with tears. Hey, don't worry,

1525
02:06:08.960 --> 02:06:13.600
we'll get through this. Emily reached
out and hugged Tyler, who began to

1526
02:06:13.640 --> 02:06:18.720
sob louder. Okay, it'll be
okay. Emily leaned back and looked Tyler

1527
02:06:18.760 --> 02:06:23.720
in the eyes. You know that
this wasn't going to actually work, don't

1528
02:06:23.760 --> 02:06:29.560
you? Tyler shrugged, wiping at
the wetness on his cheek. Emily sighed,

1529
02:06:30.199 --> 02:06:34.079
okay, fine, I still owe
you a Christmas present. I'll go

1530
02:06:34.159 --> 02:06:36.880
over there and try to get the
ass hat to eat a blood cookie.

1531
02:06:38.159 --> 02:06:41.399
Even if some creature doesn't rip him
a new asshole, it would be fun

1532
02:06:41.479 --> 02:06:46.479
just watching that. Tyler hugged her
tightly for a few seconds. Emily hugged

1533
02:06:46.560 --> 02:06:50.800
him back. She then stood up
and looked at Tyler. You stay here,

1534
02:06:51.239 --> 02:06:55.920
I'll be back in a few minutes. Walking away, Emily thought,

1535
02:06:55.960 --> 02:07:00.680
once again, the things you do
for family. Emily stood on the front

1536
02:07:00.680 --> 02:07:04.880
stoop of her house, shivering in
her thin jacket. She took a few

1537
02:07:04.880 --> 02:07:10.279
deep breaths, trying to build up
her courage. Damn it, why did

1538
02:07:10.279 --> 02:07:14.840
I agree to do this, Emily
thought, exhaling. She turned the doorknob

1539
02:07:14.880 --> 02:07:18.439
and walked inside. Oh hi,
Frank, she said, as she shut

1540
02:07:18.479 --> 02:07:23.640
the door. Where the fuck have
you been? Frank said, without taking

1541
02:07:23.640 --> 02:07:27.800
his eyes off the TV set.
Oh, I'm staying at a friend's house.

1542
02:07:27.840 --> 02:07:30.000
I just stopped by to pick something
up I forgot. Emily answered,

1543
02:07:30.560 --> 02:07:36.039
where's your retarded brother? Frank said, still watching TV. Emily ignored the

1544
02:07:36.079 --> 02:07:41.680
insult. He's staying with them too. Mom knows your mom doesn't tell me

1545
02:07:41.800 --> 02:07:44.800
shit. I never know what the
fuck is going on in my own house,

1546
02:07:45.199 --> 02:07:49.159
Frank said, raising his voice.
Oh I figured she would, Emily

1547
02:07:49.199 --> 02:07:54.920
said. A silence fell over them, only broken by the muted sound of

1548
02:07:54.960 --> 02:07:59.960
the television. Uh did you see
the cookies I baked you? Emily asked,

1549
02:08:00.079 --> 02:08:03.560
hesitantly. Frank tossed an empty bottle
across the room. It landed on

1550
02:08:03.600 --> 02:08:07.840
the bare wooden floor and rolled to
a stop next to a table lamp.

1551
02:08:07.720 --> 02:08:13.680
Get me another beer, Frank said. Emily stood still for a few seconds,

1552
02:08:13.000 --> 02:08:16.479
trying to keep her temper in check. She then walked to the fridge

1553
02:08:16.479 --> 02:08:20.399
and grabbed a beer from a half
full six pack. She paused and grabbed

1554
02:08:20.399 --> 02:08:24.560
a cookie out of the trash can
before moving to the living room. Here's

1555
02:08:24.600 --> 02:08:30.079
your beer, Emily said, trying
to sound cheerful. She sat a beer

1556
02:08:30.159 --> 02:08:33.920
on the end table next to Frank's
prized recliner. Also, here's one of

1557
02:08:33.920 --> 02:08:37.159
the cookies I made for you,
she said, sitting at cookie down next

1558
02:08:37.159 --> 02:08:41.279
to the bottle of beer. Frank's
hand shot out and grabbed her by the

1559
02:08:41.439 --> 02:08:46.279
arm. He began moving his index
finger lightly tracing circles on the inside of

1560
02:08:46.279 --> 02:08:50.000
her wrist. He looked up at
her, sneering. Emily pulled out of

1561
02:08:50.039 --> 02:08:54.119
his grip. She glared at Frank, struggling to hold her temper. Look,

1562
02:08:54.720 --> 02:08:58.159
I'm trying to be nice. I
made you some cookies as a peace

1563
02:08:58.199 --> 02:09:01.800
offering, and the least you could
do is try one, Emily said through

1564
02:09:01.840 --> 02:09:05.920
gritted teeth. Frank opened the beer
and took a long pole from it.

1565
02:09:05.359 --> 02:09:09.039
He slammed it down on the end
table, smashing the cookie. If you

1566
02:09:09.119 --> 02:09:13.600
wanna be nice to me, he
said, sarcastically, you could make me

1567
02:09:13.680 --> 02:09:18.319
a sandwich. After a few moments, Frank looked over and noticed that she

1568
02:09:18.439 --> 02:09:24.840
was still standing there, staring daggers
at him. Look, women are only

1569
02:09:24.840 --> 02:09:31.760
good for two things, he said, cooking and fuckin' it's your choice.

1570
02:09:31.000 --> 02:09:35.880
Bawling her hands into fists, Emily
turned and walked back to the kitchen.

1571
02:09:35.199 --> 02:09:39.399
After taking a moment to calm herself
down, she opened up the fridge and

1572
02:09:39.399 --> 02:09:43.720
grabbed some baloney and a jar of
mayonnaise. Hearing the fridge door open,

1573
02:09:43.800 --> 02:09:48.239
Frank yelled, get me another beer
too. Emily ignored him and grabbed a

1574
02:09:48.239 --> 02:09:52.199
butter knife from the utensil drawer.
She slapped the balooney on a piece of

1575
02:09:52.199 --> 02:09:56.239
bread and smeared a generous portion of
mao on top. Reaching back into the

1576
02:09:56.279 --> 02:10:01.920
trash can, she grabbed another cookie. She rolled the jar of mayonnaise over

1577
02:10:01.960 --> 02:10:05.479
the cookie, reducing it to crumbs. Scooping up the crumbs, she tossed

1578
02:10:05.520 --> 02:10:09.279
them on the sandwich and smashed the
second piece of bread on top. She

1579
02:10:09.399 --> 02:10:13.840
turned around and dropped the plate as
she ran into Frank, who had walked

1580
02:10:13.920 --> 02:10:18.079
up behind her. Taking advantage of
her surprise, he reached and pulled her

1581
02:10:18.079 --> 02:10:24.000
close to him, the alcohol from
his breath burning her eyes. I decided

1582
02:10:24.000 --> 02:10:30.279
that I'm not hungry, which only
leaves one option, Frank said. Emily

1583
02:10:30.479 --> 02:10:33.079
growled with rage, bringing her knee
up with all of her might, swinging

1584
02:10:33.119 --> 02:10:37.680
towards his crotch. Frank laughed as
he turned slightly, taking the blow on

1585
02:10:37.760 --> 02:10:43.279
his upper thigh. Darling, you
ain't gonna catch me with that move again.

1586
02:10:43.880 --> 02:10:48.199
Emily started to reach up towards Frank's
face, her fingers curled into claws.

1587
02:10:48.560 --> 02:10:52.000
Frank's hand shot out and grabbed her
by the neck. Stop fighting her,

1588
02:10:52.039 --> 02:10:54.640
I'll crush your fucking throat, he
growled as he squeezed her neck.

1589
02:10:54.840 --> 02:11:00.760
Emily began to panic as Frank squeezed
harder. She was swinging her arms wildly,

1590
02:11:00.800 --> 02:11:03.319
trying to knock his hand loose.
Frank wasn't a large guy, but

1591
02:11:03.399 --> 02:11:09.079
he possessed an unexpected strength. He
used that strength to lift her up by

1592
02:11:09.119 --> 02:11:11.880
the neck and slam her down on
the counter. Emily's head hit the formicah,

1593
02:11:11.880 --> 02:11:16.600
hard enough to cause her to briefly
lose consciousness. She woke up to

1594
02:11:16.680 --> 02:11:20.720
fingers tugging at the buttons on her
shirt. She tried protesting, but it

1595
02:11:20.760 --> 02:11:24.960
felt like she was moving in slow
motion. A slap stung her cheek and

1596
02:11:24.000 --> 02:11:30.039
threatened to send her back into darkness. Frank pulled his hand back and slapped

1597
02:11:30.079 --> 02:11:35.720
her again. Little miss cock teas
Frank said, leaning over her. As

1598
02:11:35.720 --> 02:11:39.640
he brought his hand back to hit
her again, something flew by his head.

1599
02:11:39.640 --> 02:11:43.760
He looked up as a pair of
binoculars hit the front door and shattered

1600
02:11:46.199 --> 02:11:50.079
what the Frank said as something leaped
on him from behind, arms reaching around

1601
02:11:50.079 --> 02:11:54.880
his face. Frank laughed as he
realized who'd attacked him. It's the little

1602
02:11:54.960 --> 02:12:01.119
fucking retard coming to rescue his sister, Frank said, grinned like a madman.

1603
02:12:01.800 --> 02:12:05.079
Frank reached back and grabbed Tyler by
the back of the shirt and tossed

1604
02:12:05.159 --> 02:12:09.079
him into the refrigerator door. Tyler
slid down and hit the ground hard.

1605
02:12:09.520 --> 02:12:13.079
With Frank's hands off her throat,
Emily was able to catch her breath As

1606
02:12:13.119 --> 02:12:16.760
she coughed and struggled to clear her
head. She reached out with fumbling hands,

1607
02:12:16.920 --> 02:12:20.119
trying to find something, anything,
to help her. When she felt

1608
02:12:20.119 --> 02:12:24.760
a cold metal handle, she grabbed
it and swung it blindly at Frank.

1609
02:12:24.399 --> 02:12:30.279
The mayonnaise covered butter knife slammed into
Frank's upper arm, burying itself deep enough

1610
02:12:30.319 --> 02:12:33.520
to hit bone. As Frank screamed
and ripped the knife out of his arm,

1611
02:12:33.760 --> 02:12:37.319
Emily began rolling around the counter,
hitting the edge, she fell off,

1612
02:12:37.399 --> 02:12:41.359
landing on the trash can and sending
it crashing across the floor. The

1613
02:12:41.439 --> 02:12:46.079
noise jolted Frank into action, and
he leaped forward, trying to grab her

1614
02:12:46.079 --> 02:12:50.760
ankles as she scrambled across the cracked
linoleum onto the cheap, threadbare carpet of

1615
02:12:50.760 --> 02:12:54.439
the living room. Emily crawled toward
the front door, but stopped when she

1616
02:12:54.479 --> 02:12:58.439
looked back and noticed Tyler, who
was beginning to stir on the kitchen floor.

1617
02:12:58.000 --> 02:13:01.279
She tried to yell for her brother, but her bruised and swollen throat

1618
02:13:01.279 --> 02:13:05.199
could only manage a weak moan.
Frank stormed into the living room. As

1619
02:13:05.199 --> 02:13:09.399
he approached Emily, she cocked her
leg back and aimed to kick at his

1620
02:13:09.479 --> 02:13:11.800
knee. He jumped to the side, avoiding her strike and pounced on her,

1621
02:13:11.960 --> 02:13:16.239
pinning her to the carpet. He
leaned forward inches from her face and

1622
02:13:16.319 --> 02:13:22.159
said, in a quiet, rage
filled voice, Merry Christmas. Frank leaned

1623
02:13:22.199 --> 02:13:26.920
back and started swinging his fist to
Emily's head. She did her best to

1624
02:13:26.920 --> 02:13:30.279
block the blows, but he kept
on swinging, unleashing the rage upon her.

1625
02:13:30.800 --> 02:13:33.159
After a few moments, he stopped
out of breath and looked back toward

1626
02:13:33.159 --> 02:13:39.680
the kitchen. Tyler was standing there, holding something triumphantly in his hand.

1627
02:13:39.920 --> 02:13:45.840
Frank, let her go, I'll
do it, I swear, Tyler yelled,

1628
02:13:46.159 --> 02:13:50.640
holding his hand out. Emily looked
up, her face already starting to

1629
02:13:50.680 --> 02:13:54.479
swell, and tried to focus on
Tyler. When she saw what he was

1630
02:13:54.520 --> 02:13:58.960
holding in his hand, a realization
hit her like a bucket of cold water.

1631
02:14:00.079 --> 02:14:03.680
She knew what he was about to
do. She knew, and she

1632
02:14:03.840 --> 02:14:07.520
believed. Emily tried to yell at
him to stop, but all she could

1633
02:14:07.520 --> 02:14:11.760
do was lay there and watch.
Frank, looking confused, stood to face

1634
02:14:11.800 --> 02:14:16.079
the youngster. Tyler held up a
cookie for a few seconds and then yelled,

1635
02:14:16.520 --> 02:14:20.399
take this son of a bitch.
He then shoved the whole cookie in

1636
02:14:20.479 --> 02:14:26.239
his mouth and started chewing vigorously.
Frank shook his head and said, you

1637
02:14:26.279 --> 02:14:33.520
are one fucking weird kid. As
he began to move. Tyler stood there,

1638
02:14:33.560 --> 02:14:37.079
defiantly, chewing as Frank closed in
on him. Just as Frank crossed

1639
02:14:37.119 --> 02:14:41.359
over into the kitchen, a loud
thud shook the house. At first,

1640
02:14:41.399 --> 02:14:46.520
Emily thought a car hit their house, but as a thunderous roar pierced the

1641
02:14:46.640 --> 02:14:52.520
night, she knew that Tyler had
been correct. Satan clause had arrived.

1642
02:14:52.760 --> 02:14:56.760
Frank, who had his fist raised
to strike Tyler, turned and took a

1643
02:14:56.760 --> 02:15:03.399
few steps toward the door, holding
it. The scream suddenly stopped. There

1644
02:15:03.399 --> 02:15:07.520
were a few seconds of silence,
dead silence, where the only sound you

1645
02:15:07.520 --> 02:15:11.000
could hear was the beating of your
own heart, and then the front door

1646
02:15:11.119 --> 02:15:15.720
exploded. Fragments of wood, glass, and metal shot through the air,

1647
02:15:15.760 --> 02:15:24.079
revealing a gruesome creature. The creature
filled the doorway, ducking down to enter

1648
02:15:24.119 --> 02:15:28.199
the room. It had a vaguely
wolf like face and large pointed horns.

1649
02:15:28.319 --> 02:15:33.000
It wore a tight, dirty red
jacket trimmed in white fur on its ape

1650
02:15:33.119 --> 02:15:37.359
like torso. It stood on two
massive legs that ended in cloven hoofs that

1651
02:15:37.479 --> 02:15:41.720
caused the ground to shake. With
every step. It had long, wicked

1652
02:15:41.760 --> 02:15:46.119
claws at the end of its elongated
arms. The strangest part was the almost

1653
02:15:46.159 --> 02:15:52.319
comical, undersized red hat that sat
on the creature's head. Frank appeared dazed,

1654
02:15:52.439 --> 02:15:56.359
dozens of small cuts along his face
and arms. He staggered forward as

1655
02:15:56.359 --> 02:15:58.720
if he were going to push by
the creature to leave. The demon looked

1656
02:15:58.720 --> 02:16:03.359
down at Frank as if amused,
then grabbed him by the neck. It

1657
02:16:03.479 --> 02:16:07.000
raised Frank high and then slammed him
to the floor. Emily stumbled to her

1658
02:16:07.000 --> 02:16:11.359
feet and ran to Tyler, who
was slumped against the fridge. The creature

1659
02:16:11.479 --> 02:16:15.359
roared as it began to tear Frank's
chest open. Emily grabbed Tyler by the

1660
02:16:15.399 --> 02:16:18.520
shoulders and turned toward the back door
when a body part, probably a leg,

1661
02:16:18.840 --> 02:16:22.079
flew across the room and slammed into
the wall next to it. She

1662
02:16:22.159 --> 02:16:26.800
then gathered up Tyler and ran down
the hall to her mom's bedroom, the

1663
02:16:26.840 --> 02:16:30.319
only one with a lock on the
door. Emily laid her brother on the

1664
02:16:30.359 --> 02:16:33.280
floor, then she noticed he was
gasping for air. She looked down and

1665
02:16:33.319 --> 02:16:37.959
saw blood pouring from a wound on
his chest, where a large piece of

1666
02:16:37.040 --> 02:16:43.040
wood was protruding sobbing. She cradled
him in her arms, listening to the

1667
02:16:43.040 --> 02:16:46.360
blood rattle in his chest with every
breath. The house shook as the creature

1668
02:16:46.440 --> 02:16:50.239
walked down the hall. It stopped
in front of the bedroom door and kicked

1669
02:16:50.239 --> 02:16:54.639
the door off of its hinges.
It took two long steps and stood over

1670
02:16:54.680 --> 02:17:00.760
the two siblings. Leaning down,
It took in a deep breath and seemed

1671
02:17:00.799 --> 02:17:05.840
to shiver with anticipation. Emily held
her brother tight and closed her eyes.

1672
02:17:05.159 --> 02:17:11.879
The creature reached forward, a single
talon waving in the air teasingly. All

1673
02:17:11.920 --> 02:17:15.239
of a sudden, the creature stood
up straight, whipping its head around like

1674
02:17:15.280 --> 02:17:18.399
it heard something off in the distance. It turned and bolted out of the

1675
02:17:18.479 --> 02:17:24.680
room. Emily sat there in a
state of shock, convinced that any moment

1676
02:17:24.680 --> 02:17:28.280
would bring the creature back. When
the phone rang, Emily's heart jumped.

1677
02:17:28.520 --> 02:17:33.600
She reached with one hand to the
night stand and grabbed the receiver. She

1678
02:17:33.719 --> 02:17:37.760
tried to say something, but could
only produce a weak, raspy grunt.

1679
02:17:37.959 --> 02:17:43.760
Hello, Emily, this is mom. Emily managed to croak out, Mom,

1680
02:17:45.639 --> 02:17:48.159
Yes, honey, it's Mom.
You sound sick. You better go

1681
02:17:48.200 --> 02:17:52.200
get some sleep. I just wanted
to call and thank you for trying to

1682
02:17:52.239 --> 02:17:54.239
make nice with Frank. I know
it's been a hard year, but I

1683
02:17:54.280 --> 02:17:58.760
think things will get better. It
was a nice gesture to bake him some

1684
02:17:58.840 --> 02:18:01.680
cookies. He doesn't have much of
a sweet tooth, so I hope you

1685
02:18:01.719 --> 02:18:05.000
don't mind that I brought some to
work. I've been passing them out in

1686
02:18:05.040 --> 02:18:11.000
the breakroom and they're a huge hit. Everybody just loves them. Emily's mom

1687
02:18:11.079 --> 02:18:16.760
paused as loud noises and screams can
be heard. Oh my, something is

1688
02:18:16.799 --> 02:18:18.440
going on down the hall. I
better get off here and see if I

1689
02:18:18.440 --> 02:18:24.600
can help you get some rest.
Merry Christmas, sweetheart, the phone went

1690
02:18:24.719 --> 02:18:37.680
dead. Well, my dear Spookies, this collection has come to an end,

1691
02:18:37.719 --> 02:18:43.959
but don't worry. We're going to
be publishing several Christmas compilations for you

1692
02:18:43.000 --> 02:18:48.600
to enjoy along with brand new content
this whole holiday season, and I sure

1693
02:18:48.680 --> 02:18:52.079
do appreciate getting to spend a little
bit of Christmas with all of you.

1694
02:18:54.200 --> 02:18:56.920
I also want to remind you if
you want to support this show in a

1695
02:18:56.079 --> 02:19:01.280
very direct way and get very special
bonus episodes every single month, just go

1696
02:19:01.360 --> 02:19:07.840
to Weeklyspooky dot com and click on
Patreon for as little as one dollar a

1697
02:19:07.920 --> 02:19:11.879
month, you get to support the
show directly and get your bonus episodes.

1698
02:19:11.920 --> 02:19:16.680
And I'm willing to tell you right
now, the new bonus episodes are going

1699
02:19:16.719 --> 02:19:18.399
to take place in Strickfield. That's
right. They're going to be a brand

1700
02:19:18.399 --> 02:19:24.840
new story in the town of Strickfield, just for Patreon backers only. You

1701
02:19:24.879 --> 02:19:28.319
won't want to miss it, so
head to Weeklyspooky dot com and click on

1702
02:19:28.399 --> 02:19:31.399
Patreon. But now, my friends, I'm going to get back to work.

1703
02:19:31.440 --> 02:19:37.799
I have so much holiday fear to
bring you, So until next time,

1704
02:19:37.440 --> 02:19:39.840
stay warm and stay scared.