Nov. 29, 2025

10 Scary Christmas Horror Stories — Holiday Ghosts, Killer Santas & Winter Nightmares

10 Scary Christmas Horror Stories — Holiday Ghosts, Killer Santas & Winter Nightmares
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Looking for scary Christmas horror stories to binge while you decorate the tree? This feature-length Christmas horror podcast special from Weekly Spooky packs 10 terrifying holiday horror tales into one nonstop marathon of killer Santas, haunted Christmas traditions, deadly blizzards, cursed letters, and creepy toy stores. Perfect for anyone who loves Christmas horror movies, ghost stories for Christmas, and spooky holiday podcasts.
This is the first in our holiday horror binge, dropping every Saturday until New Year’s, so you’ll always have fresh Christmas horror audio to play while the snow falls and the lights flicker.
Inside this Christmas horror compilation:

  • I’ll Be Home For Christmas — by Shane MigliavaccaSnowed into an isolated girls’ boarding school during a brutal winter storm, homesick teens settle in for a cozy Christmas Eve—until a desperate knock at the door turns the night into a terrifying siege of blood, fear, and survival.
  • Christmas Rage — by Rob FieldsAt Strickfield Towne Centre Mall, Christmas Eve explodes into violence when simmering grudges, holiday stress, and one very dangerous man in a Santa suit turn the season of giving into a slasher-fueled massacre.
  • Welcome to Tiny Christmas, Iowa! — by Michelle AntisocialA burned-out city transplant takes a job in the “tiniest, most Christmasiest place in Iowa,” where it’s always December, the decorations never come down, and the town’s obsession with holiday cheer hides a truly sinister secret.
  • The Santa Letters — by Morgan MooreInspired by the infamous Circleville letters, a quiet Ohio town is terrorized by anonymous “Santa” notes filled with accusations and threats—turning Christmas mail into a weapon and shattering the illusion of a peaceful holiday.
  • Babes in Terrorland — by Morgan MooreA classic neighborhood toy store overflows with shoppers, kids, and glittering displays… but after closing time, the lights go out, the doors lock, and the aisles become a maze of fear where Christmas wishes twist into a claustrophobic nightmare.
  • The Weather Outside is Frightful — by Shane MigliavaccaOn Christmas Eve 1973, a rookie cop and her jaded partner answer a call in the middle of a once-in-a-decade blizzard—only to discover something inhuman hunting in the snow, and a storm that may never let them escape.
  • Satan Claus — by Keith TomlinA family’s ugliest sins summon a monstrous, horned figure in a Santa hat from the winter woods. This isn’t Saint Nick—it’s something far older, delivering brutal justice to the truly naughty on Christmas night.
  • Christmas Cranberries — by L. F. FalconerA cruel boy grows obsessed with an old-world Christmas legend, only to learn that some hungry holiday spirits are waiting for a chance to taste something fresh, red, and screaming—no matter how pretty the table looks.
  • The Naughty List — by Keith TomlinA vicious twelve-year-old wakes up in an icy labyrinth with other “bad kids,” stalked by a towering Christmas beast and watched by eerie elves. This year, Santa’s naughty list is real, and the punishment is permanent.
  • Lady Frankenstein — by Rob FieldsIn the village of Strickfield, a descendant of Henry Frankenstein uses a conveniently fresh corpse and his ancestor’s notes to build the perfect woman just before Christmas—only to unleash a vampiric creation into the holiday shopping crowds.

If you crave Christmas horror stories, holiday ghost stories, and winter horror podcasts you can binge all season long, this Weekly Spooky Christmas compilation belongs on your playlist from now through New Year’s.
Press play, plug in the tree, and let the holiday fear begin.

🎧 LISTEN NOW and subscribe for spine-tingling horror stories every week!

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🎵 Music by Ray Mattis 👉 Check out Ray’s incredible work here !
👨‍💼 Executive Producers: Rob Fields, Bobbletopia.com
🎥 Produced by: Daniel Wilder
🌐 Explore more terrifying tales at: WeeklySpooky.com
WEBVTT

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Hello, my spookies. I'm your host and narrator, Enrique Cuto,

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and tonight we're starting a holiday horror binge, a long,

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shivery marathon of terror tales you can lose yourself in

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while the tree glows and the wind whispers at the windows.

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This is the first of many every Saturday until New

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Year's another overflowing bundle of bloody bootprints in the snow,

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letters from Santa that ruin lives, and a blizzard that

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hides something hunting between the drifts. So plug in the lights,

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lock the door, and turn this up just enough to

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drown out whatever is moving out there in the dark.

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Make sure you're subscribed, because there's more holiday horror every

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single Wednesday, and honestly far beyond on Weekly Spooky. But

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now it's time to begin your holiday marathon of fear.

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I'll be Home for Christmas by Shane Wiklovoka, a Weekly

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Smunky original. It's never gonna stop, Kat Walker said to herself,

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watching as never ending white fell outside. The dying embers

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of the day cast a soft glow that lit the

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snow covered landscape in a blood red hue. The wind howled,

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making the old walls of the house creak and strain.

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Cat was alone in the parlor, the gathering place for

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most of the social activity at Black Oaks. A tall

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Christmas tree sat in the room's center, its lights blinking

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on and off. The smell of cinnamon delighted Cat's senses.

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Cinnamon cookie ornaments hung from the tree branches, crafted in

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various Christmas related forms, Santa frosty snowflakes, and Christmas trees,

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all lovingly made by Black Oak's resident cook, Malory Horst.

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A fire crackled in the fireplace, and the scent of

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burning wood hung in the air. The sound of whiskey

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flowing over ice pulled Cat from her thoughts. She watched

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fellow student Georgina Harris enter reflected in the glass of

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the window. Georgina returned her metal flask to the folds

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of her expensive robe before crashing to the couch. The

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chik brunette lounged on the couch, her sleek legs visible

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at the robe's part. Taking a sip of whiskey. She

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lit a cigarette. The weather outside is indeed frightful. Little

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kitten Cat turned angry at the interruption. She spun around

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so fast her long, raven black hair fell across her eyes,

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stinging them. What are you doing, Cab blurted out, her

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anger getting the better of her working towards a career

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in alcoholism and nicotine addiction, Georgina smirked, raising her glass

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in a toast. Just like dear old mom. You know

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the rules, Kat said, if Miss Keene sees you, her

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voice lowered, as if saying the woman's name would summon

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the headmistress out of thin air. Don't worry about it.

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Georgina took a puff off her cigarette. It's not your

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ass on the line. If I'm caught kitten, fine, Kat

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gave up. Why did she care if the bitch got

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in trouble anyway? And my name is Kat. I hate

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it when you call me kitten. Girls like Georgina were

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the reason Cat was at Black Oaks. She'd gotten in

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her fair share of fights with girls that thought they

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were better than her. Thought they could tell Kat or place.

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Expulsion for Cat soon followed nearly every time a slight

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red haired girl with a fox like face stood framed

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in the doorway, her freckled brow wrinkled in concern. She

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was wearing a snug, if preposterous sweater. Robots danced around

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a Christmas tree on its front and a pair of

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pale blue jeans. There you guys are, Sue McCoy said,

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sounding relieved. Miss Keene wanted to know if you guys

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wanted to exchange Christmas presents now or in the morning.

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Kat looked down at the presence neatly arranged under the tree.

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She wondered how the tree looked at home. Her mom

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would have it all decked out with all the usual ornaments.

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This would be the first year Cat wouldn't be there

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to help her decorate it. She was stuck here at

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Black Oak's boarding school, mainly for the simple fact that

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her parents couldn't afford to come and get her, even

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if the weather did permit. Not that she was the

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only one stuck here for Christmas break. Georgina's mom and

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her new girlfriend were off to Barcelona for the holiday.

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Sue was still here because she preferred it to her

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home life. Why Cat really wasn't sure, nor did she

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want a pry. The other two students still here, Lois

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Kincaid and Alice and Gordy, were both stuck due to

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the stubborn onslaught of the freak blizzard assaulting half of

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the country. Besides the remaining five girls, there was miss

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Keene and Mallory still at the school. Georgina kicked one

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of the presents under the tree with an outstretched leg.

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I say we get this shit over with, Sue turned

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to Cat. Yeah, why not? Can answered. A half hour later,

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wrapping paper littered the parlor's royal blue carpet. The girls

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had done a secret Sanna, ensuring that each girl got

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a gift and they didn't have to spend a lot

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of money getting multiple presents. Kat sat with her knees

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drawn up on the floor, clutching her gift in her arms,

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a simple black T shirt with I'm against it written

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on its front in a spray paint font. Whoever had

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drawn Cat's name, they certainly knew her tastes. Sitting next

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to her was Mallory, the cook, was only a few

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years older than her and lived in town with her mother,

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who had held the position previously until injuring her back.

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Now her daughter supported her. Cat had bonded with her,

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both feeling very much the outsider at black Oak's, Malory

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had a crisp, no bullshit way of looking at things

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and never sat around feeling sorry for herself or whining

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about the shit life had handed her. It was something

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Kat aspired to do herself. Mallory's secret. Sanna bought her

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a simple pendant necklace. She wore it proudly around her neck,

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turning to smile at Cat as they all laughed at

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one of Miss Keene's stories. Cat drifted in and out

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of the story the woman was telling. Her ears picked

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up bits and pieces of the news playing on the

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TV behind them. The Storm of the Century, flights canceled,

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power outages, escaped, mental patients pile up on the throughway.

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The girls all laughed again, and Kat joined in instinctively.

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Her thoughts turned back towards home, were Mom and Dad

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celebrating tonight? Was Mom making her annual Christmas lasagna tomorrow?

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She hoped her parents were safe and happy. What's on

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your mind? Kat turned to see Malorie looking at her. Nothing,

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just Christmas at home, Kat answered, Miss your folks. Yeah,

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we we don't always get along, but this time of year, though,

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all the shit of the year disappears. Kat smiled, thinking

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about the warm feelings she got sitting around the tree

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on Christmas morning. How about you? Hope I can get

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back into town tomorrow. Spend the day with Mom. Hold

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hands you love birds, Georgina mocked. The heavy scent of

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whiskey hung in the air as she spoke. Mallory made

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a face. God, you're drunk, Georgina laughed, Fuck yeah, Towny.

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Kat noticed a repeated thumping sound under the din of

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the girl's laughter and the TV. It grew louder and

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more ferocious as seconds ticked by, until finally, someone's here,

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Kat said, springing up from the floor. All eyes turned

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toward her. They stared as if she was in a

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one woman play written by a psychotic. At the door,

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Kat added. Already headed to the foyer, Kat fumbled with

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the door lock as the knocking outside intensified. Miss Kean

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and the girls gathered behind her. I told you there's

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somebody at the door. Cat felt vindicated. As the knocking continued.

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Maybe you shouldn't open that door, Sue spoke up. It

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could be a you know, a crazy person. It might

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be a rapist, Lois said, or a holy roller. Georgina added,

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we'll be buried in watchtowers. From the other side of

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the door, a man spoke, Please, I know you're in there.

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I need help. Kat looked at Miss King for guidance.

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The headmistress nodded her approval. Without hesitation, Kat unlocked the door.

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Wind and snow assaulted her immediately. A man, looking half dead,

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stood at the center of the mouse. His hair whipped

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about as if alive, and his eyes were wide with panic.

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The man stumbled into the house, helped along by Cat

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and Miss Keene. Sue struggled to shut the door behind them,

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the snow and wind fighting her. Mallory stepped in and

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helped her close the door. Well, this is something, Georgina said,

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observing the scene before her. They took the stranger into

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the dining room. A large wood table sat at room center.

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The room, much like the living room, had been decorated

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for the holiday. Lights and Garland ran along the walls,

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and the table was covered by a tablecloth and place

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mats depicting Santa and his reindeer on Christmas night. Alison

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pulled out one of the chairs for the disheveled man.

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Get him a blanket and some coffee. Miss Keen instructed

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Allison and Lois, sending the two girls racing off in

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opposite directions. Ay I told them I'll be home for Christmas.

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The man said, through chapped lips. He looked up into

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cat's eyes. My wife and son, they're waiting for me.

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Miss Kean took the blanket from a returning Allison and

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draped it over the man's shoulders. Were you in an accident?

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The man hugged the blanket to himself before nodding. Our

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bus went off the road. The snow made it hard

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to see. Lois came back with a steaming cup of coffee.

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The man gladly took the mug, holding it in his

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hands for the warmth that radiated. Whereabout did you crash?

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Miss Keen asked how many people were on the bus

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besides you. I don't know where. The storm made it

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hard to see any landmarks. The man took a sip

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of coffee. Ten. I think there was maybe ten on

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the bus. He pondered this for a moment before continuing,

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I went for help and I got lost, he laughed grimly.

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I was in the army, some tracker I turned out

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to be. I used to go through the jungle like nothing.

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We should call the police, Lois said, and tell them

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what Georgina pointed out. We don't know where this guy crashed.

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Where are we going to send them. Mallory stepped forward.

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She's right, we should get you to a hospital, miss

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Keane said, turning towards the man. I'll call for an ambulance.

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The headmistress left. There were only two working phones at

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Black Oak's, one in miss Kean's office and the other

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in the wreck room. The girls weren't allowed to have

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cell phones, as they were felt to be too much

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of a distraction from their studies. The same went for

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the internet. The girls were allowed laptops for assignments, but

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couldn't even get those online. After a few minutes, a

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stone faced miss Keen returned. The phone is out, she

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informed the girls, fighting to conceal any troubling emotion that

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might slip out. It must be the blizzard. I'm so hungry,

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the man groaned, his voice full of pain and regret.

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I'm starving. Mallory went to the kitchen to get the

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man some food, while Kat and the others stayed with

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him in the dining room. Under the circumstances, miss Keen

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addressed the group. I think it best I drove into

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town with our guest. We can get him help and

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get a search started for that bus. There was some

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debate over the idea before the headmistress's authority went out.

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Over the girl's doubts, miss Keen agreed to take Lois

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and Alison with her and the man into town. The

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stranger greedily devoured the tune of fish Sandwich Mallory brought him.

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As Miss Keen and the two girls geared up for

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their trip, Cat donated one of her trench coats for

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the man to wear out into the bitter cold. The

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remaining girls watched as the four headed towards the garage.

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The four swallowed up by the blizzard. Cat took one

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last look outside before closing and locking the door. Georgina

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sauntered off back to the parlor. Back to our regularly

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scheduled program, she quipped. Anxious. Cat glanced out the window.

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00:12:49.879 --> 00:12:53.759
It had been fifteen minutes. Shouldn't she have seen something

205
00:12:53.799 --> 00:12:57.000
from the garage by now? A light from the car

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00:12:57.039 --> 00:13:01.240
through the billowing snow, just something to confirm they'd left.

207
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I don't like this, she muttered, Where are they? It's

208
00:13:06.039 --> 00:13:09.039
going to take time in this weather, Sue answered, Pulling

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00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:12.039
on her jacket and hat, she unlocked the door. I'm

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gonna go check on them, just to make sure Sue

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00:13:15.399 --> 00:13:19.159
thought about it. Can't hurt. I'll go with. We'll hold

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00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:23.039
down the fort, Georgina said, lighting up a cigarette. As

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00:13:23.039 --> 00:13:25.759
soon as Sue was ready, the two girls headed outside.

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Malory stood inside the doorframe. Hurry back, I'll have some

215
00:13:30.200 --> 00:13:33.200
hot chocolate waiting. Don't leave me alone with that boozy

216
00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:37.039
bitch for too long. Cat laughed. Don't worry, we won't.

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00:13:37.840 --> 00:13:41.720
I heard that, Georgina hollered from the parlor. Don't care,

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00:13:42.200 --> 00:13:45.679
Mallory shot back, slamming the door shut. The snow was

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00:13:45.720 --> 00:13:48.159
ankle deep as the girls made their way down the walk,

220
00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:51.960
holding gloved hands as snow and bitter cold wind raged

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around them. Cold snow slipped down into Cat's boots. She

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felt her nose start to run as her cheeks reddened.

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Halfway to the she was already regretting coming out here.

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Why couldn't the fucking garage be connected to the damn house,

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she moaned. Sue made a face. Kat had forgot the

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00:14:10.679 --> 00:14:15.120
girl's disdain for colorful language. With the garage in sight,

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00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:18.200
the pair were surprised to see the garage door still closed,

228
00:14:18.960 --> 00:14:22.919
car headlights visible from within the slats. Entering, the girls

229
00:14:22.919 --> 00:14:28.000
found Miss Keane's van sitting there, headlights on, doors closed,

230
00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:33.039
melting snow. Footprints led to the van, but none led away.

231
00:14:34.279 --> 00:14:37.399
There seemed to be something smeared on the interior windows,

232
00:14:38.080 --> 00:14:42.399
making it hard to see inside. The faint sound of

233
00:14:42.519 --> 00:14:46.879
music came from within the vehicle. Is that Buddy, Holly,

234
00:14:47.240 --> 00:14:51.480
She asked? It was indeed, as Buddy sang about a

235
00:14:51.519 --> 00:14:54.559
love that never fades away. Kat touched the handle of

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the driver's side door. She glanced at Sue, who nodded

237
00:14:58.279 --> 00:15:05.080
in approval, turned the handle, slowly, opening the door. Miss Keene,

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00:15:05.200 --> 00:15:09.240
is everything all right? In response, something fell from the

239
00:15:09.320 --> 00:15:12.879
van with a moist thud, rolling to a stop next

240
00:15:12.879 --> 00:15:16.840
to Sue's feet, causing her to scream. Before Kat could

241
00:15:16.840 --> 00:15:19.120
turn to see what was wrong, her eyes were caught

242
00:15:19.120 --> 00:15:22.799
by the van's interior, which was covered in splashes of

243
00:15:22.919 --> 00:15:27.360
dripping crimson. Human limbs, chunks of flesh, and what appeared

244
00:15:27.360 --> 00:15:30.960
to be intestines littered the front seats. The next thing,

245
00:15:31.080 --> 00:15:33.799
Cat knew, what she'd had for dinner, now covered her

246
00:15:33.799 --> 00:15:38.360
boots and part of the floor. Oh god, Cat groaned.

247
00:15:38.840 --> 00:15:41.320
Sue had stopped screaming and was now doing an impromptu

248
00:15:41.320 --> 00:15:48.519
impression of a monty Python routine. It's it's, it's Miss

249
00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:52.360
Keane's head lay at Sue's feet. The dead head Mistress's

250
00:15:52.440 --> 00:15:58.840
eyes were wide with terror. I'm starving. The stranger's voice

251
00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:01.320
came from somewhere in the show shadows of the garage.

252
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I couldn't help it. Kat took Sue's hand, ready to

253
00:16:06.519 --> 00:16:09.360
drag the girl out of there if need be, Backing

254
00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:12.799
towards the side door they entered by. They hadn't gotten

255
00:16:12.799 --> 00:16:15.840
more than a few steps when something slithered out from

256
00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:19.240
under the van. The thing grabbed Sue by the leg

257
00:16:19.320 --> 00:16:21.919
and wrenched the startled girl off her feet, which caused

258
00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:25.440
Kat to lose her footing as well. Desperately, Cat scrambled

259
00:16:25.440 --> 00:16:28.240
to grab the screaming girl's outstretched hand. The thing that

260
00:16:28.360 --> 00:16:31.120
had hold of Sue was faster, dragging the red haired

261
00:16:31.159 --> 00:16:34.039
girl into the darkness under the van. Screaming once more

262
00:16:34.080 --> 00:16:38.879
filled the air before being suddenly cut off. Gripped by terror,

263
00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:42.600
Cat half crawled, half ran for the door. Stumbling out

264
00:16:42.600 --> 00:16:45.600
into the snow, Cat gasped her breath as the wind hammered,

265
00:16:45.639 --> 00:16:48.879
her heart pounding. She retraced her footprints in the snow drifts.

266
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She tried to block what she saw in the van

267
00:16:50.759 --> 00:16:52.919
from her head, tried not to think about what must

268
00:16:52.960 --> 00:16:55.399
be happening to Sue back there in the garage. It

269
00:16:55.480 --> 00:16:58.559
had happened so fast, could she have possibly saved her

270
00:16:59.240 --> 00:17:01.039
Back At the main haise euse, Cat found the front

271
00:17:01.080 --> 00:17:04.400
door locked. Pounding on it, she waited, prayed for someone

272
00:17:04.440 --> 00:17:07.240
to open it. Suddenly overtaken with the feeling that someone

273
00:17:07.319 --> 00:17:10.240
was behind her, Cat spun around in the distance through

274
00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:12.240
the snow. She saw them standing there at the end

275
00:17:12.279 --> 00:17:18.200
of the driveway, three figures. Then she saw two more

276
00:17:18.920 --> 00:17:23.240
standing in adrift on the lawn, their features obscured by

277
00:17:23.319 --> 00:17:27.359
snow and distance. She wanted to call out to them

278
00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:32.359
for help, but something about them felt wrong. Filling her

279
00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:36.880
head with dread, she returned to pounding the door frantically.

280
00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:40.839
The door opened. Cat pushed past a slightly aggravated Georgina,

281
00:17:41.079 --> 00:17:44.039
nearly falling to her knees. Panic stricken and out of breath,

282
00:17:44.319 --> 00:17:48.119
tears and snot were frozen to her face. What the hell,

283
00:17:48.440 --> 00:17:51.799
Georgina said, Who's that out there? She poked her head

284
00:17:51.799 --> 00:17:55.279
out the door. Who are those people? Close the door?

285
00:17:55.440 --> 00:17:59.519
Cat gasped warm air, burning her lungs lock it. Georgina

286
00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:01.720
slammed the door shut, clicking the dead bolt in place.

287
00:18:01.759 --> 00:18:04.160
As Stevie Nick's belt it out silent night from the

288
00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:08.400
parlor's TV. Cat stood feeling her knees shake. Looking down

289
00:18:08.400 --> 00:18:11.920
at her shirt, she noticed chunks of vomit. Pulling off

290
00:18:11.920 --> 00:18:15.400
her coat and shirt, Cat walked into the parlor. Georgina

291
00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:19.799
followed her. What the fuck is going on? Where's the sidekick?

292
00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:23.079
Kat pulled on her I'm against it T shirt. She

293
00:18:23.160 --> 00:18:27.079
took a deep breath, not wanting to say the words

294
00:18:28.839 --> 00:18:34.640
She's dead. Georgina laughed, what are you shitting me? No,

295
00:18:35.680 --> 00:18:40.480
Kat's eyes scammed the room. Where's Mallory in the kitchen

296
00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:45.480
washing dishes or some shit? Sue's dead? What the fuck?

297
00:18:46.519 --> 00:18:49.759
Kat took off for the kitchen. Georgina storming after her,

298
00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:53.359
profanity flowing freely from her mouth. They found Mallorie in

299
00:18:53.359 --> 00:18:57.480
the kitchen, standing uneasily next to the stranger seated at

300
00:18:57.480 --> 00:19:02.440
the counter eating a sandwich. Your friend made me a

301
00:19:02.519 --> 00:19:06.039
nice sandwich. He took a bite from it, blood running

302
00:19:06.079 --> 00:19:09.759
down his chin as he chewed. Pieces of fleshy meat

303
00:19:09.880 --> 00:19:15.519
stuck to the corners of his mouth. That's disgusting, Georgina gasped.

304
00:19:16.119 --> 00:19:18.720
Mallory get away from him. Cat reached out towards the

305
00:19:18.759 --> 00:19:22.599
young cook. A large kitchen knife gleamed near Mallory's side,

306
00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:26.759
held in the stranger's free hand. I think she's fine

307
00:19:26.960 --> 00:19:33.160
right here, the man smiled bloodily. Oh there's a hair

308
00:19:33.200 --> 00:19:37.960
in my mouth. He pulled a red hair from between

309
00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:43.720
his teeth. Who the fuck are you, Georgina asked, horrified

310
00:19:43.880 --> 00:19:47.759
and angry. Just a man on his way home from

311
00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:51.200
a pointless war in the jungle, sick of being called

312
00:19:51.319 --> 00:19:54.279
baby killer. Just wanted to get home to my wife

313
00:19:54.359 --> 00:19:58.880
and boy for Christmas. The man sighed, his eyes focusing

314
00:19:58.920 --> 00:20:03.559
on something long gone. And then that goddamn blizzard hit.

315
00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:06.960
The old drunk behind the wheel of the bus drove

316
00:20:07.039 --> 00:20:10.920
us into a ditch on some backwoods road. I went

317
00:20:10.960 --> 00:20:13.559
for help with one of the passengers, and we got

318
00:20:13.599 --> 00:20:18.039
lost in the storm. A chill ran down Cat's spine

319
00:20:18.119 --> 00:20:21.480
as the man spoke, I don't know how long we

320
00:20:21.519 --> 00:20:25.359
were out there. I got so hungry, and the other

321
00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:28.920
man was falling behind in the bush. You had to

322
00:20:28.960 --> 00:20:32.519
do anything it took to survive. He was holding me back,

323
00:20:32.559 --> 00:20:37.319
and I needed food, so the man licked his blood

324
00:20:37.359 --> 00:20:42.240
caked lips and laughed. And then the next day I

325
00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:46.160
found myself back at the fucking bus, those ungrateful shits

326
00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:50.960
criticizing me for getting lost, accusing me after everything I did,

327
00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:55.359
everything I went through, it was too much and a

328
00:20:55.480 --> 00:21:00.160
man's gotta eat. Cat felt sick to her stomach. She

329
00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:03.000
willed herself not to throw up for a second time.

330
00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:07.759
That night, it came to me standing there at the

331
00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:12.359
edge of the trees. It called to me, when to go,

332
00:21:13.920 --> 00:21:20.079
demon spirit, my burden, my curse, the hunger inside me.

333
00:21:21.160 --> 00:21:25.519
That's where it lives, keeping me alive to feed it.

334
00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:31.000
Georgina scoffed, that's a pretty fucked up story, buddy. What

335
00:21:31.079 --> 00:21:34.720
are you smoking? And can I get some? A loud

336
00:21:34.799 --> 00:21:38.680
knock came from the door. They're here, the man said,

337
00:21:38.720 --> 00:21:41.599
as he stood. I hate to eat and run, but

338
00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:46.279
their company. I try not to keep Who are those

339
00:21:46.319 --> 00:21:50.039
people out there? Georgina asked, I really must be going.

340
00:21:50.279 --> 00:21:53.119
I fucked around here too long. The stranger held the

341
00:21:53.119 --> 00:21:56.079
tip of the knife to Malory's throat. I was looking

342
00:21:56.119 --> 00:22:00.119
forward to sampling all of this. Young flesh tastes so

343
00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:03.319
much better than that old hag in the car. He

344
00:22:03.400 --> 00:22:05.920
backed towards the rear door that connected the kitchen to

345
00:22:05.960 --> 00:22:09.319
the courtyard behind the main house. Another knock came from

346
00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:12.359
the front door. Shit, I don't think I have time

347
00:22:12.440 --> 00:22:16.279
to even slaughter you bitches properly. I'll have to be quick.

348
00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:19.799
Cat scanned the kitchen quickly. The stranger could kill Mallory

349
00:22:19.839 --> 00:22:21.640
before she got to a knife. There had to be

350
00:22:21.680 --> 00:22:24.400
something else. A third knock came from the front door.

351
00:22:24.599 --> 00:22:27.000
With his free hand, the stranger yanked Mallory's head back

352
00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:31.000
by her long blonde hair, exposing her neck. Quick and easy, babe.

353
00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:34.119
The stranger grinned. The whine of a kettle sliced through

354
00:22:34.119 --> 00:22:36.160
the tension of the kitchen, causing the man to look

355
00:22:36.200 --> 00:22:38.519
up from his prey just in time to see Cat

356
00:22:38.759 --> 00:22:41.799
snatch it from the stove. Have a little hot chocolate.

357
00:22:42.039 --> 00:22:44.799
Cat screamed as the scolding water hit the man dead

358
00:22:44.920 --> 00:22:47.440
center in the face. He let go of Mallory and

359
00:22:47.480 --> 00:22:50.119
the knife as he held his face, screaming in pain.

360
00:22:50.440 --> 00:22:52.799
Mallory screamed herself as some of the water had hit

361
00:22:52.880 --> 00:22:55.319
her as well. Cat hurled the now empty kettle at

362
00:22:55.319 --> 00:22:58.279
the wounded stranger. Georgina, for her part, pulled the startled

363
00:22:58.319 --> 00:23:01.200
Mallory to her feet. Let's get the fuck out of here,

364
00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:03.920
Georgina shouted. The girls started towards the door, but the

365
00:23:03.920 --> 00:23:06.640
man blocked their escape route, holding his ragged face with

366
00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:10.440
one hand and a knife in the other. You cunts

367
00:23:10.599 --> 00:23:14.279
aren't going anywhere. The truea of girls turned and ran

368
00:23:14.279 --> 00:23:16.559
out the kitchen, down the hallway towards the front door.

369
00:23:17.480 --> 00:23:20.880
Out there, Georgina stopped them. What choice do we have,

370
00:23:21.319 --> 00:23:24.720
kat said, out one of the windows. Mallory answered. The

371
00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:27.880
stranger stood in the hallway, having replaced the knife with

372
00:23:27.960 --> 00:23:32.079
a meat cleaver. You ain't going anywhere. I could have ran,

373
00:23:32.480 --> 00:23:36.119
but you three really pissed me off. The knocking on

374
00:23:36.160 --> 00:23:39.240
the door turned into a loud banging. The man charged

375
00:23:39.279 --> 00:23:41.279
them with the cleaver, forcing the girls to run into

376
00:23:41.279 --> 00:23:44.000
the parlor, slicing at them as they went. Georgina lunged

377
00:23:44.039 --> 00:23:47.400
towards the fireplace, grabbing a poker. Spinning around, she confronted

378
00:23:47.400 --> 00:23:50.119
the stranger, swinging the poker at him. It collided with

379
00:23:50.160 --> 00:23:53.319
the stranger's head with a sickening thud. Never messed with

380
00:23:53.359 --> 00:23:56.920
a chick from the upper east Side, asshole. Georgina followed

381
00:23:57.000 --> 00:23:59.240
up with a couple of hard swings, but her cockiness

382
00:23:59.279 --> 00:24:01.880
was her downfall. As the stranger caught the poker, yanking

383
00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:04.000
it from her grip, he kicked her in the gut,

384
00:24:04.039 --> 00:24:07.359
doubling Georgina over in pain. Throwing the poker aside, the

385
00:24:07.400 --> 00:24:10.960
stranger hoisted the cleaver, ready to strike down on the

386
00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:15.119
stunned girl. Cat ran towards the man, howling like a banshee,

387
00:24:15.279 --> 00:24:17.960
attempting to tackle him. She grabbed the man's hand holding

388
00:24:18.000 --> 00:24:20.559
the cleaver. The two struggled, but the man was stronger

389
00:24:20.599 --> 00:24:23.720
and a trained fighter. Using Kat's weight and momentum against her,

390
00:24:23.799 --> 00:24:25.960
he sent her sailing into the Christmas tree with a

391
00:24:26.039 --> 00:24:28.880
loud crash. Both the girls and the tree went down

392
00:24:28.920 --> 00:24:31.920
in an explosion of tinsel and ornaments. From the foyer

393
00:24:32.079 --> 00:24:34.880
came a sound of straining wood as the pounding assault

394
00:24:34.880 --> 00:24:37.480
continued on the front door. Cat, now caught up in

395
00:24:37.480 --> 00:24:40.160
the tinsel and lights of the tree, struggled to free yourself.

396
00:24:40.279 --> 00:24:44.079
The man stalked towards her, a desperate evil smile on

397
00:24:44.200 --> 00:24:48.480
his burned lips. She watched helpless, unable to defend herself.

398
00:24:48.720 --> 00:24:51.440
A strand of lights dropped over his head, wrapping around

399
00:24:51.440 --> 00:24:55.200
his neck. Standing behind him, Mallory pulled it tight, choking him.

400
00:24:55.359 --> 00:24:58.240
Holding tight the young cook pulled him away from Cat.

401
00:24:58.400 --> 00:25:00.920
The pair stumbled towards the fire the the man clumsily

402
00:25:00.960 --> 00:25:03.759
taking wild swings with the cleaver, trying to hit Mallory

403
00:25:03.880 --> 00:25:06.519
behind him. Taking a handful of the man's unkempt hair

404
00:25:06.559 --> 00:25:09.119
with one hand and holding the strand tight with the other,

405
00:25:09.400 --> 00:25:12.799
Malory rammed the man's head into the mantle repeatedly until

406
00:25:12.839 --> 00:25:16.079
the bloodied and battered man pushed away from her. Yanking

407
00:25:16.119 --> 00:25:18.640
the strand from his neck, he hurled it to the ground.

408
00:25:19.039 --> 00:25:21.519
Finally free of the Christmas tree, Cat was on her feet.

409
00:25:21.640 --> 00:25:24.519
Picking up the discarded fire poker. She attacked the stranger,

410
00:25:24.599 --> 00:25:27.480
screaming as she beat him. Georgina picked up a second

411
00:25:27.480 --> 00:25:30.240
poker and swung primily as well, forcing the man to

412
00:25:30.279 --> 00:25:32.880
fall to his knees. The girl stopped when the front

413
00:25:32.880 --> 00:25:38.839
door shattered. The three girls turned as something shambled into

414
00:25:38.839 --> 00:25:44.480
the house. Standing framed in the parlor door stood a

415
00:25:44.480 --> 00:25:50.880
decayed corpse dressed in a tattered, age ravaged bus driver's uniform.

416
00:25:51.200 --> 00:25:56.160
Standing behind it were similarly decayed corpses. The three girls

417
00:25:56.200 --> 00:26:00.880
stood tall and readied themselves for a new fight. To

418
00:26:00.960 --> 00:26:06.039
their surprise, the dead ignored the three. The walking corpses

419
00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:11.960
surrounded the man, who now knelt laughing hysterically behind him.

420
00:26:12.160 --> 00:26:16.880
The discarded strand had partially fallen into the fireplace, Burning

421
00:26:17.400 --> 00:26:21.079
like a fuse, it had lit the carpet up. The

422
00:26:21.079 --> 00:26:25.799
fire was quickly spreading. Come and get it, you bastards,

423
00:26:26.039 --> 00:26:29.880
the man laughed as the dead descended on him, ripping

424
00:26:30.240 --> 00:26:34.000
at his flesh. Let's get the fuck out of here,

425
00:26:34.359 --> 00:26:37.319
Cat said, as she watched the man being ripped apart.

426
00:26:38.079 --> 00:26:39.839
The three girls hurried out of the house as the

427
00:26:39.880 --> 00:26:43.440
fire and the dead claimed it. They stood on the

428
00:26:43.519 --> 00:26:47.359
lawn for several minutes, watching the house burn, holding their

429
00:26:47.400 --> 00:26:53.359
jackets tight in the bitter cold. So now what, Georgina asked,

430
00:26:54.279 --> 00:26:58.519
Walk to town, Cat said. Mallory shook her head. We

431
00:26:58.519 --> 00:27:00.799
should wait out the fire and storm in one of

432
00:27:00.799 --> 00:27:03.920
the staff buildings. They're far enough away not to catch fire.

433
00:27:04.440 --> 00:27:08.599
We should be warm. There sounds like a plan, Georgina said.

434
00:27:09.880 --> 00:27:17.559
Kat looked at her two friends. Merry Christmas, guys, ba umbug,

435
00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:22.519
Georgina laughed. The three girls trudged through the snow. Kat

436
00:27:22.599 --> 00:27:25.480
turned to take a last look at the burning Building

437
00:27:26.319 --> 00:27:43.920
before continuing on Christmas Rage by Rob Fields. December twenty

438
00:27:43.960 --> 00:27:49.000
third evening, Strickfield Town Center Mall only seemed to be

439
00:27:49.079 --> 00:27:52.880
a hopping place around the holidays. The vacancies left during

440
00:27:52.920 --> 00:27:55.200
the usual ten months out of the year were mostly

441
00:27:55.240 --> 00:27:58.799
filled by seasonal stores. There was even a Santa Claus

442
00:27:58.839 --> 00:28:02.279
house in the mall's center. Families would line up with

443
00:28:02.319 --> 00:28:05.839
their children, many of whom had Christmas lists to give

444
00:28:05.880 --> 00:28:10.079
to Santa. But on this day things were about to

445
00:28:10.119 --> 00:28:15.640
take macabre turn. Santa Claus had just taken his seat

446
00:28:15.640 --> 00:28:19.240
on his throne. Templeton, Mirrn, the owner of the mall,

447
00:28:19.279 --> 00:28:21.359
and his family were right there in front of him.

448
00:28:21.880 --> 00:28:25.599
Santa just sat there and looked right at them. Templeton

449
00:28:25.640 --> 00:28:28.960
appeared to be patient. When Santa's silence got to be

450
00:28:29.079 --> 00:28:33.000
too much, Templeton leaned in and whispered loudly, if you

451
00:28:33.119 --> 00:28:36.359
don't get your act together, Stanley, you'll be enjoying this

452
00:28:36.480 --> 00:28:41.359
Christmas on your fucking welfare check. Stanley Monroe was always

453
00:28:41.440 --> 00:28:45.000
tapped to play Santa Claus from Black Friday until Christmas

454
00:28:45.000 --> 00:28:48.200
Eve at the Strickfield Town Center Mall. But as Santa

455
00:28:48.279 --> 00:28:51.759
slowly stood up and glared at Templeton Miran and his family.

456
00:28:52.319 --> 00:28:57.839
He seemed to have a foreboding presence. Then Santa opened

457
00:28:57.839 --> 00:29:01.559
the door to his house and received several screams. When

458
00:29:01.599 --> 00:29:05.720
the slain, bloody body of Stanley Monroe just fell out

459
00:29:05.759 --> 00:29:10.000
onto the porch. The family scattered in different directions. Santa

460
00:29:10.079 --> 00:29:12.400
took his time as he reached inside the house and

461
00:29:12.480 --> 00:29:15.279
pulled out the same bloody axe that he had used

462
00:29:15.279 --> 00:29:19.839
on Stanley earlier. Then he marched toward Templeton Mirran, raising

463
00:29:19.880 --> 00:29:23.680
his lethal weapon. Templeton Mirron turned and yanked a nearby

464
00:29:23.720 --> 00:29:26.279
father right in front of the Santa. The father never

465
00:29:26.359 --> 00:29:29.240
uttered a peep as Santa buried the blade right in

466
00:29:29.319 --> 00:29:32.480
his head. The other bystanders were too frightened to see

467
00:29:32.519 --> 00:29:35.680
what Templeton Mirron had done. They never saw him or

468
00:29:35.759 --> 00:29:39.640
his wicked wife grab their children and leave from there.

469
00:29:39.960 --> 00:29:42.359
Santa pulled the axe out of the father's head and

470
00:29:42.440 --> 00:29:45.599
buried it into another bystander. As it came upon a

471
00:29:45.640 --> 00:29:49.839
midnight clear slowly began to play over the mall speakers.

472
00:29:55.920 --> 00:29:59.640
Christmas Eve morning, I awaken in a different room, and

473
00:29:59.680 --> 00:30:04.079
remember that I'm here at Franklin Sloan's house. Franklin invited

474
00:30:04.119 --> 00:30:06.960
me to come home with him for Christmas. Franklin and

475
00:30:07.000 --> 00:30:10.319
I have been seeing each other since late August. In fact,

476
00:30:10.720 --> 00:30:14.839
he's been my only companion this semester. After I take

477
00:30:14.880 --> 00:30:18.359
a shower and get dressed, I hear arguing downstairs. I

478
00:30:18.440 --> 00:30:20.559
make my way down and stop short when I hear

479
00:30:20.599 --> 00:30:25.279
that I'm the topic of discussion. Actually, it's more like

480
00:30:25.319 --> 00:30:27.880
Franklin's parents are giving him a hard time about me.

481
00:30:28.680 --> 00:30:31.960
The more I listen, the more I hear his father,

482
00:30:32.720 --> 00:30:38.079
Joseph and his stepmother Delphine just discouraging him. His dad

483
00:30:38.119 --> 00:30:41.759
tells him there's no way that a big titted putana

484
00:30:42.160 --> 00:30:45.319
like me would ever care for him. They tell him

485
00:30:45.359 --> 00:30:48.240
that I'm just using him for my own selfish ends.

486
00:30:49.119 --> 00:30:52.440
Franklin argues back and tells them that I'm nothing like that.

487
00:30:53.079 --> 00:30:55.160
He tells them we've been seeing each other since the

488
00:30:55.200 --> 00:30:57.759
beginning of the fall semester. He asks them what I

489
00:30:57.799 --> 00:31:02.880
could possibly be using him for. Here's the irony. I

490
00:31:03.039 --> 00:31:07.119
am using Franklin, but not for the reasons his parents

491
00:31:07.160 --> 00:31:10.480
are implying. They think I'm with him for money, or

492
00:31:10.519 --> 00:31:13.680
that I'm waiting to humiliate him. I'm fully aware that

493
00:31:13.720 --> 00:31:16.480
people look at Franklin and decide that he's the biggest

494
00:31:16.519 --> 00:31:19.839
nerd there is. Do you have any idea how many

495
00:31:19.920 --> 00:31:22.960
times I've heard people whisper that to each other when

496
00:31:23.000 --> 00:31:26.319
they think I'm not listening. I even hear those same

497
00:31:26.400 --> 00:31:30.000
people wondering how someone like me would even be with Franklin.

498
00:31:31.240 --> 00:31:34.839
Delphine tells Franklin that I'm way too beautiful for him.

499
00:31:35.319 --> 00:31:38.039
She even tells Franklin that I would never have sex

500
00:31:38.079 --> 00:31:42.319
with him, that people like me belong with fraternity boys. Yes,

501
00:31:42.720 --> 00:31:45.240
I certainly could have had my pick of a fraternity

502
00:31:45.279 --> 00:31:48.680
boy or even a jock. The problem with those types

503
00:31:48.680 --> 00:31:50.599
of guys is that they would only want to have

504
00:31:50.720 --> 00:31:54.079
sex with me just for a short time. They would

505
00:31:54.079 --> 00:31:58.400
not want to commit to me. No, I need much

506
00:31:58.480 --> 00:32:02.839
more than their willing to give. For those of you

507
00:32:02.880 --> 00:32:05.599
who haven't been following me since the beginning, from the

508
00:32:05.640 --> 00:32:09.359
time I came into the world, I have never felt

509
00:32:09.359 --> 00:32:13.680
so much as a single emotion. Perhaps my being emotionless

510
00:32:14.160 --> 00:32:18.119
is why I'm a serial killer. Your society has labeled

511
00:32:18.119 --> 00:32:20.680
me the angel of death because I destroy those who

512
00:32:20.759 --> 00:32:23.880
prey on innocent people. I suppose the closest thing to

513
00:32:23.920 --> 00:32:28.279
emotion that I feel is my ever insistent bloodlust, which

514
00:32:28.319 --> 00:32:32.599
pushes me onward to claim my victims. In fact, I'm

515
00:32:32.599 --> 00:32:37.480
feeling the urgent need to kill right now. I make

516
00:32:37.519 --> 00:32:39.799
my way to the dining room. The family doesn't hear

517
00:32:39.799 --> 00:32:42.720
me come in until I'm right there, right when Franklin

518
00:32:42.799 --> 00:32:46.319
yells at Delphine, that's your problem. You always think everybody's

519
00:32:46.359 --> 00:32:48.839
out to get me. Well, rage isn't like that at all.

520
00:32:50.200 --> 00:32:54.559
Franklin becomes quiet when he realizes I'm here. The family

521
00:32:54.640 --> 00:32:57.839
is just looking at me. Now. Perhaps I should just go.

522
00:32:58.319 --> 00:33:02.119
I say clearly, I'm not wanted or welcome here. I'll

523
00:33:02.160 --> 00:33:04.160
just get my things and go back to my dorm.

524
00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:10.000
Delphine looks sternly at me. You heard everything I nod

525
00:33:10.039 --> 00:33:14.759
once I did, and you're wrong about me. I fold

526
00:33:14.799 --> 00:33:18.519
my arms in front of me. Please enlighten me. What

527
00:33:18.559 --> 00:33:23.519
do I hope to gain by using Franklin? Delphine takes

528
00:33:23.559 --> 00:33:28.240
a deep breath. Do you see yourself, Reagan? Do you

529
00:33:28.279 --> 00:33:32.240
see Franklin? Do you see how completely mismatched the two

530
00:33:32.279 --> 00:33:35.240
of you are? You can have any man you want.

531
00:33:35.839 --> 00:33:40.079
Why would you settle for Franklin? While I myself don't

532
00:33:40.079 --> 00:33:43.680
have emotions? I have come to understand a great deal

533
00:33:43.720 --> 00:33:47.880
about how emotions can move people, both positively and negatively.

534
00:33:48.240 --> 00:33:51.240
Watching enough television and being around Mama long enough will

535
00:33:51.279 --> 00:33:54.079
do that for someone like me. So let me get

536
00:33:54.119 --> 00:33:57.759
this straight. Just because I'm a beautiful girl and Franklin's

537
00:33:57.759 --> 00:33:59.799
a nerd, I would not want to be with some

538
00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:05.039
one like him. Then why would I date Franklin? Why

539
00:34:05.079 --> 00:34:07.680
would I agree to come home with him for Christmas?

540
00:34:08.159 --> 00:34:12.679
Delphine glares at me. Now, well, I don't know. Why

541
00:34:12.719 --> 00:34:16.760
don't you tell us I agreed to come here with

542
00:34:16.800 --> 00:34:20.559
Franklin because he asked me to. I reply, I wasn't

543
00:34:20.559 --> 00:34:22.800
going home for Christmas, and Franklin didn't want me to

544
00:34:22.840 --> 00:34:25.519
be alone. I'm thinking he invited me out of the

545
00:34:25.599 --> 00:34:28.639
kindness of his heart. That's why I choose to be

546
00:34:28.719 --> 00:34:32.440
with Franklin. He's kind to me. He's never once tried

547
00:34:32.440 --> 00:34:35.880
to take advantage of me. I enjoy his company. I

548
00:34:36.000 --> 00:34:39.280
unfold and lower my arms. I can't believe that you

549
00:34:39.360 --> 00:34:42.480
and your husband would cut Franklin down like this, especially

550
00:34:42.559 --> 00:34:47.039
you a church minister. Delphine took over being the minister

551
00:34:47.079 --> 00:34:50.639
of Strickfield Community Church after the scandal with Minister Darren

552
00:34:50.679 --> 00:34:54.159
Harlowe years ago. Yes, it's the usual type of scandal

553
00:34:54.159 --> 00:34:58.760
you read about with children. After Harlowe was removed, Delphine

554
00:34:58.800 --> 00:35:01.599
became the new minister. She had to work very hard

555
00:35:01.599 --> 00:35:04.280
to keep the church going, but she managed to do it.

556
00:35:04.800 --> 00:35:06.760
I was a freshman in high school when this happened.

557
00:35:06.760 --> 00:35:10.280
By the way, Delphine's been quite strict on Franklin ever since,

558
00:35:10.679 --> 00:35:13.159
according to what he's told me about her and from

559
00:35:13.159 --> 00:35:16.519
what I've just witnessed. I put a comforting hand on

560
00:35:16.559 --> 00:35:20.920
Franklin's shoulder. Are you all right? Franklin shakes his head.

561
00:35:21.599 --> 00:35:26.199
Can we just leave rage? Yes, yes we can. I reply,

562
00:35:26.840 --> 00:35:28.679
go pack a few things and we can have Christmas

563
00:35:28.679 --> 00:35:32.199
at my dorm. Franklin leaves the dining room. His parents

564
00:35:32.199 --> 00:35:34.400
only glare at me before I turn and head back

565
00:35:34.440 --> 00:35:37.480
up to the guest room to pack my things. You're

566
00:35:37.519 --> 00:35:41.360
thinking that I want to kill them both, right, Nope,

567
00:35:41.480 --> 00:35:47.119
they're both innocent, so I can't kill them. Ah. Yes,

568
00:35:47.400 --> 00:35:49.280
now we're getting to what I want to tell you.

569
00:35:49.920 --> 00:35:53.800
I currently have an even greater need to satisfy, even

570
00:35:53.920 --> 00:35:57.880
more than I need to kill. Now, while I don't

571
00:35:57.920 --> 00:36:02.360
feel anything emotional, I do feel things that are physical

572
00:36:03.119 --> 00:36:06.760
I know when I need to eat, drink, sleep, clean

573
00:36:06.800 --> 00:36:10.559
my body, seek comfort. I did say that I'm looking

574
00:36:10.559 --> 00:36:13.719
to use Franklin. As of late, I'm feeling the need

575
00:36:13.760 --> 00:36:16.639
to have sex. I was able to get by for

576
00:36:16.679 --> 00:36:20.480
many years without having to fulfill this basic need. Now

577
00:36:20.840 --> 00:36:23.800
my sex drive is becoming as insistent as my bloodlust.

578
00:36:24.679 --> 00:36:26.760
It's because of this that I've come to realize that

579
00:36:26.840 --> 00:36:31.000
I need a mate, a constant companion. I need someone

580
00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:33.199
who can be good company for me and satisfy my

581
00:36:33.280 --> 00:36:37.679
sexual desires when the need arises. In turn, I would

582
00:36:37.719 --> 00:36:41.000
be just as responsive to my mate. Would you call

583
00:36:41.079 --> 00:36:44.199
me a primal girl in spite of my highly developed brain,

584
00:36:45.000 --> 00:36:47.880
Perhaps you would be right. Franklin Sloane is one of

585
00:36:47.880 --> 00:36:50.679
the few young men at Strickfield University who's taken an

586
00:36:50.679 --> 00:36:53.280
interest in me. Over time, he's shown me that he

587
00:36:53.360 --> 00:36:57.119
is both a suitable companion and an intellectual peer. I

588
00:36:57.159 --> 00:36:59.440
really don't care that Franklin is a skinny nerd who

589
00:36:59.480 --> 00:37:02.840
talks about chess or contemporary movies. I don't even care

590
00:37:02.880 --> 00:37:04.679
that the rest of you in the female population are

591
00:37:04.719 --> 00:37:07.840
repulsed by him. Unlike you, I don't have it in

592
00:37:07.880 --> 00:37:10.480
me to be repulsed by him. On the other hand,

593
00:37:10.920 --> 00:37:13.000
I don't even have it in me to be able

594
00:37:13.039 --> 00:37:16.800
to love him. Regardless, Franklin has proven himself to be

595
00:37:16.840 --> 00:37:20.000
a suitable companion for me and my desires for him

596
00:37:20.119 --> 00:37:25.599
to be my mate. Franklin comes and gets me You ready, Rage, Yes,

597
00:37:25.719 --> 00:37:28.679
we can go. We head downstairs to the front door.

598
00:37:29.000 --> 00:37:32.360
Before we leave, Franklin turns to his parents. I really

599
00:37:32.360 --> 00:37:34.519
thought we were going to have a normal family Christmas

600
00:37:34.519 --> 00:37:38.079
this time, even with my bringing Rage. But I can

601
00:37:38.119 --> 00:37:41.360
see now that's never going to happen. Come on, Rage,

602
00:37:41.599 --> 00:37:46.239
let's go once more. Franklin's parents exchange looks. Then I

603
00:37:46.320 --> 00:37:49.760
turn and leave with Franklin. Franklin is settled in my

604
00:37:49.840 --> 00:37:52.159
dorm room. I didn't have a room mate during the

605
00:37:52.199 --> 00:37:55.199
fall semester. The only reason I'm allowed to stay over

606
00:37:55.239 --> 00:37:57.800
the holiday break is because I'm attending classes here at

607
00:37:57.840 --> 00:38:02.960
Strickfield University next semester. Franklin looks pretty down. I'm sorry

608
00:38:03.000 --> 00:38:05.800
you had to see that back home, Rage, We're both

609
00:38:05.840 --> 00:38:08.760
sitting on our beds. I reach across and take his hands.

610
00:38:09.559 --> 00:38:13.920
May I say something? He raises his eyes to mine. Sure,

611
00:38:14.920 --> 00:38:18.400
I know you're probably having your doubts about me. Please don't.

612
00:38:19.039 --> 00:38:23.039
I really do want to be with you. But why

613
00:38:23.119 --> 00:38:27.280
rage Why are you still with me? Delphine's right, you

614
00:38:27.320 --> 00:38:30.559
can have any man you want. I could ramble to

615
00:38:30.599 --> 00:38:33.559
Franklin about why I want him, but I've learned that

616
00:38:33.880 --> 00:38:37.800
actions can speak a lot for a person. Still holding

617
00:38:37.840 --> 00:38:41.800
his hands, I move across to Franklin's bed, then we kiss.

618
00:38:42.800 --> 00:38:45.239
The more we get into our kiss, the more I'm

619
00:38:45.239 --> 00:38:48.679
feeling that I can't hold back any more. I need

620
00:38:48.760 --> 00:38:53.000
him so desperately I let go of his hands. Franklin

621
00:38:53.079 --> 00:38:55.760
is surprised when he sees me stand up and take

622
00:38:55.800 --> 00:38:59.039
off my clothes. Once I'm naked, I pull back the

623
00:38:59.039 --> 00:39:01.400
covers on my bed and lay down to face him.

624
00:39:02.119 --> 00:39:05.199
It's just you and me, Franklin. The dorm is all ours.

625
00:39:06.000 --> 00:39:08.320
I want to take this next step with you. If

626
00:39:08.400 --> 00:39:12.079
you do too, then come be with me. I only

627
00:39:12.119 --> 00:39:15.719
want and desire you, Franklin. Franklin trusts me enough to

628
00:39:15.760 --> 00:39:19.039
where he knows I'm sincere. He removes his clothes and

629
00:39:19.079 --> 00:39:32.760
climbs into bed with me. Christmas Eve, late afternoon. The

630
00:39:32.800 --> 00:39:35.679
Strickfield Community Center was always a place where parents could

631
00:39:35.679 --> 00:39:38.400
bring their children on Christmas Eve for things such as

632
00:39:38.760 --> 00:39:43.159
Christmas stories, Christmas cakes and cookies, hot chocolate, and visiting

633
00:39:43.199 --> 00:39:45.639
with Santa. It had been just as much of a

634
00:39:45.679 --> 00:39:47.960
tradition as the fact that each in every household in

635
00:39:48.000 --> 00:39:50.519
Strickfield would be decorated to make the village look like

636
00:39:50.559 --> 00:39:55.239
a winter wonderland, with the exception of the Waldoff property

637
00:39:55.280 --> 00:39:59.480
that belonged to the Mirons. In fact, Delphine Brewster Sloane

638
00:39:59.519 --> 00:40:02.679
helped run the establishment along with a few other mothers.

639
00:40:03.480 --> 00:40:06.239
Delphine was making more mugs of hot chocolate when Missus

640
00:40:06.280 --> 00:40:09.519
Patterson walked into the kitchen. She gave Delphine a look

641
00:40:09.599 --> 00:40:14.840
of desperation. Mary, what's wrong. Hasn't our Santa arrived yet?

642
00:40:15.119 --> 00:40:20.079
Delphine asked. Mary Patterson reached out, stopped motionless for a moment,

643
00:40:20.760 --> 00:40:23.320
then fell flat on her face to reveal the axe

644
00:40:23.400 --> 00:40:27.079
that was sticking out of her back. Delphine screamed, Then

645
00:40:27.119 --> 00:40:29.599
she looked up and screamed even louder as the bloodstains.

646
00:40:29.639 --> 00:40:32.199
Santa Claus stormed in and retrieved the axe from Mary

647
00:40:32.199 --> 00:40:35.679
Patterson's back. Santa looked right at Delphine and watched her

648
00:40:35.719 --> 00:40:39.639
scream when he drew back the axe. Somehow, she forced

649
00:40:39.639 --> 00:40:42.199
herself to duck. When the axe blade became embedded in

650
00:40:42.239 --> 00:40:46.159
a cupboard, Delphine shoved Santa down and ran out. Delphine

651
00:40:46.239 --> 00:40:49.280
tried to yell for everyone to leave quickly. The shrilling

652
00:40:49.280 --> 00:40:51.719
scream of the Santa Claus from Hell overshadowed the soft

653
00:40:51.800 --> 00:40:55.719
Christmas music. Then more screams overshadowed Santa's as he chased

654
00:40:55.719 --> 00:40:58.519
after people while swinging the axe, sinking it into a

655
00:40:58.519 --> 00:41:01.639
few more parents. Delphine grabbed a folding chair and moved

656
00:41:01.679 --> 00:41:03.960
at Santa to try and keep him from killing any

657
00:41:03.960 --> 00:41:07.840
more parents or even children. Santa howled with rage and

658
00:41:07.840 --> 00:41:10.679
disarmed Delphine with a few hard swings of the axe.

659
00:41:10.880 --> 00:41:13.480
Santa shoved her down and raised the axe for the kill.

660
00:41:13.880 --> 00:41:16.519
Delphine held her hands up and screamed as her life

661
00:41:16.760 --> 00:41:25.960
flashed right before her eyes. Christmas Eve evening, I awaken

662
00:41:26.039 --> 00:41:28.360
and know that Franklin and I are spooned up together.

663
00:41:28.920 --> 00:41:32.440
We spent much of the afternoon having sex. Franklin has

664
00:41:32.440 --> 00:41:35.280
definitely proven to be my chosen mate. As he satisfied

665
00:41:35.320 --> 00:41:39.440
my every desire, I in turn focused to satisfy his.

666
00:41:40.239 --> 00:41:44.840
Then we fell asleep together. My need for sex is satisfied.

667
00:41:45.119 --> 00:41:50.440
For the time being. However, my need to kill is

668
00:41:50.480 --> 00:41:54.960
as urgent as ever. I managed to slip out of bed.

669
00:41:55.320 --> 00:41:58.440
Franklin is still fast asleep. I need to go out

670
00:41:58.480 --> 00:42:02.039
and prowl for a kill. Since it's Christmas Eve, I

671
00:42:02.159 --> 00:42:05.039
don't really think I'm going to find anyone. I may

672
00:42:05.119 --> 00:42:07.480
end up having to wait until the day after Christmas

673
00:42:07.480 --> 00:42:12.920
to look for somebody. My bloodlust is demanding satisfaction, but

674
00:42:12.960 --> 00:42:15.360
I'm not going to take an innocent to do it.

675
00:42:16.519 --> 00:42:19.159
I get dressed and grab my smartphone. I leave the

676
00:42:19.199 --> 00:42:22.960
dorm and begin my walk around Strickfield. If Franklin texts me,

677
00:42:23.079 --> 00:42:25.519
I'll just tell him that I'm picking up food for

678
00:42:25.599 --> 00:42:29.280
us from either Andy's China Garden or Denoyer's grill down town,

679
00:42:29.639 --> 00:42:33.400
which are always open. If I had emotions, I'm sure

680
00:42:33.400 --> 00:42:35.760
it would simply amaze me at how this village goes

681
00:42:35.760 --> 00:42:39.920
all out for many of the holidays, including Christmas. Every

682
00:42:40.039 --> 00:42:43.360
house is decorated and lit brightly. Some of the yards

683
00:42:43.400 --> 00:42:46.960
even have animatronics. In spite of all this, I still

684
00:42:47.000 --> 00:42:52.159
continue to feel my constant numbness. It isn't long before

685
00:42:52.159 --> 00:42:54.519
I hear the sounds of police cars in the distance.

686
00:42:55.360 --> 00:42:58.360
I decide to go and see what's going on. I

687
00:42:58.400 --> 00:43:00.719
know I'm only a police intern, which is why I'm

688
00:43:00.760 --> 00:43:04.360
not being called. Strickfield PD only calls me when it

689
00:43:04.360 --> 00:43:07.760
comes to detective work. If there are that many police cars,

690
00:43:08.039 --> 00:43:11.320
it's probably something more dire that doesn't require detective work.

691
00:43:12.280 --> 00:43:14.960
Just the same, I'm going to go and see for myself.

692
00:43:15.760 --> 00:43:18.599
When I get to the scene the Strickfield Community Center,

693
00:43:18.920 --> 00:43:21.679
Mayor Patrick Gunter recognizes me and waves for me to

694
00:43:21.679 --> 00:43:24.599
come over. I know you've been helping the police, but

695
00:43:25.079 --> 00:43:28.400
this doesn't require you tonight. Can you at least tell

696
00:43:28.440 --> 00:43:31.880
me what's going on? I ask? Mayor Gunter tells me

697
00:43:31.920 --> 00:43:34.840
that there's an escaped lunatic from glen View Asylum inside

698
00:43:34.840 --> 00:43:37.679
the building, wearing a Santa Claus suit and killing people

699
00:43:37.760 --> 00:43:41.119
left and right. He mentions how this Santa left bodies

700
00:43:41.159 --> 00:43:44.360
all over center Court at Strickfield Town Center Mall last night.

701
00:43:44.920 --> 00:43:48.360
As Mayor Gunter keeps talking, my bloodlust is going crazy,

702
00:43:48.719 --> 00:43:53.280
commanding me to claim this Santa. Just what Mayor Gunter

703
00:43:53.360 --> 00:43:55.239
tells me alone is enough to wear. I don't have

704
00:43:55.320 --> 00:43:58.480
to do my usual research. But the question now is

705
00:43:58.840 --> 00:44:01.199
how do I get inside the com Comunity Center without

706
00:44:01.199 --> 00:44:04.880
the police seeing me. Then I immediately have a plan

707
00:44:05.519 --> 00:44:09.800
and proceed with its execution. I say goodbye to Mayor

708
00:44:09.840 --> 00:44:14.760
Gunter and wish him a good holiday. I know the

709
00:44:14.840 --> 00:44:17.880
village of Strickfield very well, thanks to all the maps

710
00:44:17.880 --> 00:44:20.920
on hand at the police station, including the one for

711
00:44:21.000 --> 00:44:24.719
the sewer system. Because of my highly photographic memory, I

712
00:44:24.719 --> 00:44:27.639
immediately remembered the way into the community center through the

713
00:44:27.639 --> 00:44:30.719
sewer tunnels. I open a manhole covered down in the

714
00:44:30.760 --> 00:44:33.599
crawl space where the shower pipes are located and come

715
00:44:33.639 --> 00:44:36.400
out that way. After putting the cover back on, I

716
00:44:36.440 --> 00:44:41.239
begin my hunt for this Santa. My bloodlust is nagging

717
00:44:41.320 --> 00:44:45.079
at me now. It doesn't take me long to locate Santa.

718
00:44:45.599 --> 00:44:48.119
He's got a few women trapped in the kitchen, and

719
00:44:48.159 --> 00:44:52.000
then I immediately recognize Franklin's stepmother as one of them.

720
00:44:52.320 --> 00:44:54.920
When we started seeing each other, Franklin told me that

721
00:44:55.000 --> 00:44:58.000
Delphine volunteers her time here when she's not being the

722
00:44:58.039 --> 00:45:02.199
minister for Strickfield Community Church. It looks as though Delphine

723
00:45:02.239 --> 00:45:05.840
got beat up, but she's still alive. I know that

724
00:45:05.880 --> 00:45:08.679
Franklin would be devastated if anything were to happen to

725
00:45:08.719 --> 00:45:11.760
his parents. The two of them put Franklin down, and

726
00:45:11.840 --> 00:45:15.320
yet he still thinks the world of them. I literally

727
00:45:15.360 --> 00:45:18.760
don't understand it. Just the same, I know I've got

728
00:45:18.800 --> 00:45:22.599
to do something to save these people. Santa never says

729
00:45:22.599 --> 00:45:24.840
a word. He just glares at the eight women he's

730
00:45:24.840 --> 00:45:28.119
holding hostage. He even raises his axe and brings it

731
00:45:28.159 --> 00:45:31.000
down in front of them, making them shriek or scream.

732
00:45:31.360 --> 00:45:34.199
Even I understand how cowardly it is for an empowered

733
00:45:34.239 --> 00:45:38.159
male to attack a helpless female. I tighten my fists

734
00:45:38.199 --> 00:45:41.000
as my bloodlust now screams for me to take his

735
00:45:41.440 --> 00:45:45.880
fucking life. I must use my head. I can't just

736
00:45:45.920 --> 00:45:48.519
go in there and fight him. It would be different

737
00:45:48.519 --> 00:45:51.639
if Santa wasn't toying with those women. Then I move

738
00:45:51.719 --> 00:45:54.800
stealthily into the kitchen. He doesn't see me as I

739
00:45:54.840 --> 00:45:59.000
carefully slide open a drawer and pull out a kitchen knife.

740
00:45:59.159 --> 00:46:01.800
All I have to do is just draw it back.

741
00:46:02.400 --> 00:46:05.119
Then I'll fling it right into his back. As I

742
00:46:05.239 --> 00:46:08.079
raise the knife for the kill, I get a text

743
00:46:08.159 --> 00:46:11.559
chime on my smartphone, and no, it's from Franklin. That

744
00:46:11.719 --> 00:46:14.480
throws off my plan. As Santa turns and sees me

745
00:46:14.559 --> 00:46:17.679
with my knife raised, he screams and rushes right at me.

746
00:46:18.000 --> 00:46:21.920
Delphine is surprised to see me now, Reagan, no, she

747
00:46:22.039 --> 00:46:25.280
cries out. When Santa reaches me, he swings the axe wildly.

748
00:46:25.440 --> 00:46:27.199
I quickly hit the floor and feel the rush of

749
00:46:27.199 --> 00:46:29.000
the blade go right over the back of my head.

750
00:46:29.320 --> 00:46:31.639
As I quickly turn onto my back, Santa raises his

751
00:46:31.679 --> 00:46:34.440
axe and brings it down. I turn over again and

752
00:46:34.480 --> 00:46:36.400
hear it hit the floor. I get to my feet

753
00:46:36.440 --> 00:46:38.079
and kick Santa in the back of the knee to

754
00:46:38.119 --> 00:46:40.800
take his leg out from underneath him. Santa growls and

755
00:46:40.840 --> 00:46:42.960
falls to the floor. I still have the knife in

756
00:46:43.000 --> 00:46:45.199
my hand. Before I can raise it to stab him,

757
00:46:45.559 --> 00:46:48.440
Delphine surprises both of us by crying out and ripping

758
00:46:48.440 --> 00:46:52.079
the axe away from Santa. Reagan, get out of here now,

759
00:46:52.719 --> 00:46:56.239
Delphine cries. Santa quickly gets back to his feet, then

760
00:46:56.280 --> 00:46:58.800
he reaches out and grabs the axe. Having a struggle

761
00:46:58.800 --> 00:47:01.360
with Delphine. I don't see the other women that were

762
00:47:01.360 --> 00:47:03.760
with Delphine and determine that she must have gotten them

763
00:47:03.760 --> 00:47:07.199
out while I was distracting Santa. I'm definitely ready to

764
00:47:07.239 --> 00:47:09.920
stab Santa now, but I know that I can't let

765
00:47:09.920 --> 00:47:13.760
Delphine wait a minute. She won't know that I'm a

766
00:47:13.760 --> 00:47:17.039
serial killer. Killing Santa would just be a matter of

767
00:47:17.679 --> 00:47:23.119
helping Delphine of self defense. Neither Delphine nor Santa can

768
00:47:23.119 --> 00:47:25.519
see what must be the evil glow in my eyes

769
00:47:25.679 --> 00:47:28.480
that all of my past victims have seen. All I

770
00:47:28.519 --> 00:47:31.880
have to do is move up behind Santa. Delphine will

771
00:47:31.920 --> 00:47:34.280
be splattered with his blood once I slice his throat.

772
00:47:34.559 --> 00:47:37.239
But common sense gets the better of me. I can't

773
00:47:37.320 --> 00:47:40.639
let Delphine see just how violent I can truly become.

774
00:47:41.280 --> 00:47:44.559
She might tell Franklin, and I would possibly lose my mate.

775
00:47:45.280 --> 00:47:48.400
I have another idea. I quickly make my way around

776
00:47:48.400 --> 00:47:52.480
to where Santa can easily see me. Hey, Santa's eyes

777
00:47:52.480 --> 00:47:54.679
are on me as I pull my Christmas sweater up

778
00:47:54.880 --> 00:47:59.360
and show him my large breasts pika boobies. His eyes

779
00:47:59.400 --> 00:48:02.719
are locked right on my breast, which gives Delphine the advantage.

780
00:48:02.840 --> 00:48:05.519
She yanks the axe out of Santa's hands and swings

781
00:48:05.559 --> 00:48:08.119
it to catch him right in the gut. He groans

782
00:48:08.159 --> 00:48:11.159
and stands for a long moment. I pull my sweater

783
00:48:11.239 --> 00:48:13.960
down as Delphine removes the axe and nails him one

784
00:48:13.960 --> 00:48:18.239
more time before he finally goes down. I quickly pull

785
00:48:18.239 --> 00:48:20.760
out my smartphone and call the police. I get Mayor

786
00:48:20.760 --> 00:48:23.159
Gunter and tell him that everything's all right and that

787
00:48:23.280 --> 00:48:27.119
Santa is slaid. My bloodlust is screaming at me for

788
00:48:27.159 --> 00:48:30.800
a fresh victim, but I had to give my kill

789
00:48:30.840 --> 00:48:34.960
de Delphine to keep my secret. Delphine and I are

790
00:48:35.000 --> 00:48:38.280
alone now. After I finished talking to Mayor Gunter, she

791
00:48:38.440 --> 00:48:42.360
turns to me and gives me a stern look. Really, Reagan,

792
00:48:43.079 --> 00:48:47.559
showing him your dirty pillows. I look sternly at her

793
00:48:47.599 --> 00:48:52.079
in return. You are still alive because of my dirty pillows.

794
00:48:52.599 --> 00:48:58.000
Never forget that. Delphine and I keep glaring at one another. Finally,

795
00:48:58.079 --> 00:49:02.800
Delphine softens her expression and sighs. She looks around and

796
00:49:02.840 --> 00:49:06.000
moves to make sure that we're truly alone. I can't

797
00:49:06.000 --> 00:49:09.079
imagine why she would need to do that. She returns

798
00:49:09.119 --> 00:49:13.760
to me, Yes, you did save many lives today, Reagan.

799
00:49:14.480 --> 00:49:18.679
Then she leans in and says quietly, I know who

800
00:49:19.440 --> 00:49:22.719
and what you are. Don't try to hide it from me.

801
00:49:23.639 --> 00:49:28.280
You are the angel of death. Then she backs away

802
00:49:28.320 --> 00:49:33.159
to get my reaction. I just look at Delphine. I

803
00:49:33.199 --> 00:49:38.360
think you're mistaken. Delphine shakes her head slowly. I'm not

804
00:49:39.800 --> 00:49:43.960
You don't know, Reagan, but many years ago, you've saved

805
00:49:44.000 --> 00:49:48.960
many lives that night, including mine. Just then, Mayor Gunter

806
00:49:49.119 --> 00:49:52.199
comes in with some police officers. He points right at me.

807
00:49:52.760 --> 00:49:57.800
Reagan Devereaux over here. Now, Delphine mouths to me, we'll

808
00:49:57.840 --> 00:50:02.239
talk later. I to her and address Mayor Gunter, who

809
00:50:02.239 --> 00:50:04.800
gives me hell for not keeping my distance on account

810
00:50:04.840 --> 00:50:08.000
of my being a college intern. At the same time,

811
00:50:08.119 --> 00:50:11.440
he congratulates me on being the hero. Of course, I

812
00:50:11.519 --> 00:50:13.599
make sure that Delphine has given her fair share of

813
00:50:13.599 --> 00:50:23.119
the credit, since I didn't stop that Santa from Hell alone.

814
00:50:23.360 --> 00:50:27.280
Christmas afternoon, I look into the eyes of Templeton Mirran.

815
00:50:27.360 --> 00:50:31.320
After I remove his blindfold, then I remove his wife's.

816
00:50:31.679 --> 00:50:34.480
I have both of them secured to tables in their basement.

817
00:50:35.400 --> 00:50:40.039
Then I remove their gags. What the fuck is this, destiny,

818
00:50:40.039 --> 00:50:43.280
Mirn demands. I move to the front where they can

819
00:50:43.320 --> 00:50:46.039
see me. I have a remote control in my hand,

820
00:50:46.039 --> 00:50:48.880
and I turn on their television. I have a little

821
00:50:48.960 --> 00:50:51.039
video here that I'd very much like the two of

822
00:50:51.079 --> 00:50:54.440
you to see. I tell them I play what is

823
00:50:54.440 --> 00:50:57.119
the security camera footage that was taken from the Strickfield

824
00:50:57.119 --> 00:51:00.000
Town Center mall. Could I have gotten any more lucky?

825
00:51:00.000 --> 00:51:03.280
He Chief Kashmak was a little strapped at the station,

826
00:51:03.760 --> 00:51:05.559
so he asked me if i'd stick around and go

827
00:51:05.639 --> 00:51:09.159
through the security footage from the mall. After texting Franklin

828
00:51:09.400 --> 00:51:11.559
and letting him know where I was, I went to

829
00:51:11.599 --> 00:51:14.480
the station and looked over the footage. Then I saw

830
00:51:14.519 --> 00:51:17.960
the angle to where Templeton Miron had grabbed an innocent

831
00:51:18.079 --> 00:51:20.440
man and pulled him right into the path of the

832
00:51:20.519 --> 00:51:24.360
killer Santa, just so he could preserve his own life.

833
00:51:24.400 --> 00:51:27.119
His wife had seen what her husband had done and

834
00:51:27.239 --> 00:51:30.199
wasn't concerned in the least. She only moved to get

835
00:51:30.239 --> 00:51:33.079
Templeton and the kids out of the mall quickly. Neither

836
00:51:33.159 --> 00:51:37.320
Destiny nor Templeton looked back. After finishing the footage, I

837
00:51:37.360 --> 00:51:40.559
stopped the video and look at them, and he questions,

838
00:51:41.480 --> 00:51:44.920
so what, Destiny groans, looking as annoyed as she sounded,

839
00:51:45.239 --> 00:51:49.920
all this over an insignificant man, Templeton adds, it looks

840
00:51:49.960 --> 00:51:52.440
to me as if your family could have easily gotten away,

841
00:51:52.480 --> 00:51:54.320
But you grabbed that man and pulled him right in

842
00:51:54.360 --> 00:51:58.519
front of the killer, guaranteeing his death. In effect, you

843
00:51:58.719 --> 00:52:02.039
killed him in cold blood your wife saw you and

844
00:52:02.159 --> 00:52:06.719
didn't care, in effect condoning what you did. So now

845
00:52:07.599 --> 00:52:10.519
I'm going to claim the both of you. Your children

846
00:52:10.559 --> 00:52:13.000
are with their grandparents. I've even disabled your cameras in

847
00:52:13.039 --> 00:52:17.280
your security system. It's just the three of us here.

848
00:52:18.280 --> 00:52:21.559
I even have pictures to display of shady bank records

849
00:52:21.559 --> 00:52:25.400
and illegal money laundering. I even found some darknet stuff

850
00:52:25.400 --> 00:52:28.239
that they were involved in. Too much to list here,

851
00:52:28.679 --> 00:52:32.239
but seeing the security video from his own mall was

852
00:52:32.360 --> 00:52:35.480
more than a red flag for me. Normally, I'd have

853
00:52:35.559 --> 00:52:38.599
killed them just based on that, but I wanted more

854
00:52:38.639 --> 00:52:41.360
to give to the police. After all, these two are

855
00:52:41.360 --> 00:52:45.519
from the infamous Miran family. The two of them are

856
00:52:45.559 --> 00:52:49.079
quite emotionless. The only difference between these mirrors and myself

857
00:52:49.159 --> 00:52:52.920
is that I was naturally born without emotions. These two

858
00:52:53.000 --> 00:52:56.079
are of great money and privilege, so much that they

859
00:52:57.679 --> 00:53:01.639
just stopped caring. I'm wearing a plastic poncho and have

860
00:53:01.719 --> 00:53:05.719
an axe cradled in my hands. Oh wait, it looks

861
00:53:05.719 --> 00:53:09.519
as if they do know fear. They see my evil

862
00:53:09.559 --> 00:53:13.760
glare and beg for their lives. Oh but it's far

863
00:53:13.840 --> 00:53:19.039
too late for that. Templeton and Destiny Miron let the

864
00:53:19.079 --> 00:53:23.480
punishment fit the crime. Destiny screams as I bring the

865
00:53:23.519 --> 00:53:28.320
axe right down on her face, and I feel so

866
00:53:28.480 --> 00:53:33.199
much better now that my bloodlust is finally being satiated.

867
00:53:36.960 --> 00:53:41.519
Christmas evening, Delphine called Franklin and made things right with him.

868
00:53:41.960 --> 00:53:43.679
She even told him to bring me back to the

869
00:53:43.719 --> 00:53:46.800
house for Christmas dinner. I agreed when he asked me,

870
00:53:46.840 --> 00:53:50.400
and all was well. Franklin's dad still gave me some

871
00:53:50.519 --> 00:53:54.480
distrustful looks, but that was it. Delphine asked me to

872
00:53:54.519 --> 00:53:56.400
help her in the kitchen so we could have our

873
00:53:56.719 --> 00:54:01.320
little talk. As it turned out, Delphi had indeed discovered

874
00:54:01.320 --> 00:54:03.880
my secret. When she said that I had saved the

875
00:54:03.920 --> 00:54:06.880
lives of her and many children that night, it was

876
00:54:06.920 --> 00:54:10.800
because she had discovered Minister Harlowe's terrible secret. She had

877
00:54:10.840 --> 00:54:13.679
tried to stop him on her own, using the legal system,

878
00:54:13.960 --> 00:54:17.239
but his influence was too strong. She decided that she

879
00:54:17.280 --> 00:54:19.719
would bring him down alone, even if it meant breaking

880
00:54:19.760 --> 00:54:23.719
the commandment regarding killing. As it turned out, I had

881
00:54:23.760 --> 00:54:26.599
read the story about Harlow in our newspaper in North Ridgeway.

882
00:54:27.159 --> 00:54:29.480
I came to Strickfield to claim him. After I did

883
00:54:29.480 --> 00:54:33.239
my research, I broke into Harlow's house, not knowing that

884
00:54:33.280 --> 00:54:36.639
Delphine was already there ahead of me, I ended up

885
00:54:36.679 --> 00:54:39.679
finding five children that Harlow had locked up in his basement.

886
00:54:40.440 --> 00:54:44.239
I freed them and told them to keep quiet. Harlow

887
00:54:44.400 --> 00:54:47.719
wasn't expecting a high school freshman girl to come for him.

888
00:54:47.920 --> 00:54:50.079
After going up to the second floor and beating the

889
00:54:50.119 --> 00:54:52.320
living shit out of Harlow, I tied him up to

890
00:54:52.360 --> 00:54:57.320
his bed and castrated him. Even then, I remembered Mamma's

891
00:54:57.360 --> 00:55:01.239
words about making the punishment fit the crime. Delphine had

892
00:55:01.280 --> 00:55:04.400
been hiding in a closet, possibly waiting for the right

893
00:55:04.440 --> 00:55:09.360
moment to strike Harlowe herself, and discovered that I was

894
00:55:09.400 --> 00:55:13.119
the angel of death. After cleaning myself up, I gave

895
00:55:13.159 --> 00:55:15.800
one of my burner phones to the kids and told

896
00:55:15.840 --> 00:55:19.320
them to call the police. Delphine told me that after

897
00:55:19.360 --> 00:55:22.000
I had left, she had explained everything to the police,

898
00:55:22.559 --> 00:55:25.480
leaving me out of it. Delphine gave me a big

899
00:55:25.559 --> 00:55:28.880
hug and thanked me for what I had done today

900
00:55:29.639 --> 00:55:32.760
and back then. She promised me that she would keep

901
00:55:32.760 --> 00:55:35.400
my secret. The only thing she asked was for me

902
00:55:35.480 --> 00:55:39.079
not to hurt Franklin. I in turn promised her that

903
00:55:39.159 --> 00:55:42.920
I wouldn't. Delphine never so much as gave me or

904
00:55:42.960 --> 00:55:49.400
Franklin a hard time ever again. That night, Franklin and

905
00:55:49.440 --> 00:55:52.280
I go back to my dorm. After we have sex,

906
00:55:52.320 --> 00:55:55.159
Franklin and I talk. He tells me that he only

907
00:55:55.199 --> 00:55:58.480
wants to make me happy. I tell him that I

908
00:55:58.559 --> 00:56:03.679
am well in my own way. I'm more than content

909
00:56:03.760 --> 00:56:06.440
on having Franklin Sloane as my mate, and I tell

910
00:56:06.519 --> 00:56:09.960
him that I'm not leaving him. Franklin has a realization

911
00:56:11.559 --> 00:56:14.679
I have something for you rage. He gets out of

912
00:56:14.719 --> 00:56:18.079
bed and brings me a small gift wrapped box. I

913
00:56:18.159 --> 00:56:21.400
unwrap and open it to reveal his high school class ring.

914
00:56:22.239 --> 00:56:26.440
It's not much, Franklin tells me, but I know how

915
00:56:26.440 --> 00:56:29.440
I feel about you. Maybe Dad and Delphine are right

916
00:56:29.480 --> 00:56:32.559
about you being too good for me, But I need

917
00:56:32.599 --> 00:56:39.440
to know. Reagan Devereux, will you marry me? I will,

918
00:56:39.840 --> 00:56:44.360
I say, without hesitation. Franklin is speechless in his emotions,

919
00:56:44.840 --> 00:56:47.159
but he finally finds himself and puts his ring on

920
00:56:47.199 --> 00:56:49.960
my finger. I return the favor by giving him my

921
00:56:50.079 --> 00:56:53.079
high school ring on a necklace. I only wish that

922
00:56:53.119 --> 00:56:57.320
I could feel the love that Franklin feels for me. Regardless,

923
00:56:57.880 --> 00:57:00.320
I will be a good wife to him, he will

924
00:57:00.320 --> 00:57:04.880
be a good husband to me. So this turned out

925
00:57:04.920 --> 00:57:08.000
to be a very good Christmas for me. After all.

926
00:57:10.159 --> 00:57:33.000
Merry Christmas, everyone, don't be naughty. Welcome to Tiny Christmas

927
00:57:33.039 --> 00:57:41.159
Iowa by Michelle Adler. I let out a sigh as

928
00:57:41.199 --> 00:57:45.360
my Uber passed the now entering Tiny Christmas Iowa sign.

929
00:57:46.280 --> 00:57:49.360
According to the sign, it's the tiniest, most Christmasiest place

930
00:57:49.400 --> 00:57:52.239
in all of Iowa. My uber driver, a Jeep, chuckled,

931
00:57:52.440 --> 00:57:55.960
sensing my displeasure. I'm sure it's just as Christmasy as

932
00:57:56.000 --> 00:57:58.920
all fuck, I say, trying to come off as cheery

933
00:57:59.360 --> 00:58:03.559
and almosting until that curse word at the end. I

934
00:58:03.639 --> 00:58:07.559
lied on my interview. I hate Christmas. I hate the Midwest.

935
00:58:07.760 --> 00:58:09.599
The only thing I know about Iowa is that it's

936
00:58:09.599 --> 00:58:13.360
a Slipknot album and I've never designed a window display

937
00:58:13.559 --> 00:58:17.800
in my life. I am just an unemployable, grumpy freelance

938
00:58:17.840 --> 00:58:21.199
graphic designer from New York City trying to find any

939
00:58:21.239 --> 00:58:25.360
work that isn't stocking shelves at a grocery store. To

940
00:58:25.400 --> 00:58:28.119
be honest, I didn't realize the position was out of

941
00:58:28.119 --> 00:58:31.679
state until after I'd applied. I had initially intended to

942
00:58:31.679 --> 00:58:33.960
turn the job down, as I'd never had any desire

943
00:58:34.000 --> 00:58:36.800
to live anywhere other than the city that Never sleeps.

944
00:58:37.519 --> 00:58:42.719
The high rise condos, rats, street vendors, homeless people on

945
00:58:42.760 --> 00:58:47.360
every street, corner, bodega's also on every corner, and constant

946
00:58:47.360 --> 00:58:50.880
bustle are things I've lived for. But at this point,

947
00:58:51.480 --> 00:58:53.519
maybe it's time to stop pretending I could make it

948
00:58:53.519 --> 00:58:57.320
in NYC anymore. It wasn't like I had a support

949
00:58:57.360 --> 00:59:00.719
system either, no family left and no friends to speak of.

950
00:59:01.280 --> 00:59:03.679
I hadn't even been on a date, and the last

951
00:59:03.679 --> 00:59:07.719
two years my social life revolved mostly around my interactions

952
00:59:07.719 --> 00:59:11.119
with my landlord, none of which were pleasant. I heard

953
00:59:11.119 --> 00:59:13.400
that she was so happy I was leaving. Apparently she

954
00:59:13.440 --> 00:59:17.679
even threw me a goodbye party after I left. I

955
00:59:17.760 --> 00:59:21.159
lived for my work, but things have been so hard lately.

956
00:59:21.840 --> 00:59:24.599
Maybe it was time for me to give up. Maybe

957
00:59:24.639 --> 00:59:27.880
it was time for me to start over. Ma'am. That's

958
00:59:27.920 --> 00:59:30.840
all good and fine, but we're here, Ajit said, while

959
00:59:30.880 --> 00:59:35.159
simultaneously unlocking the doors. I hadn't realized we'd even stopped,

960
00:59:36.199 --> 00:59:39.159
or that I was talking out loud. I guess it

961
00:59:39.199 --> 00:59:41.480
had been a while since I'd been around other people.

962
00:59:42.440 --> 00:59:44.599
I started to open the door before even looking at

963
00:59:44.599 --> 00:59:47.639
where I was. When I did, I pulled it back shut.

964
00:59:48.199 --> 00:59:50.960
This can't be right, I mumbled, fumbling for my phone

965
00:59:50.960 --> 00:59:53.320
to pull up the address I'd been given. I was

966
00:59:53.320 --> 00:59:55.119
sure I was supposed to be in front of a house,

967
00:59:55.480 --> 00:59:59.960
my new house, or I don't know anything, But instead

968
01:00:00.079 --> 01:00:02.440
we sat in a desolate parking lot on the outskirts

969
01:00:02.440 --> 01:00:06.039
of what was hopefully the correct town at least, though

970
01:00:06.079 --> 01:00:09.559
it looked anything but christmasy. In front of me bloomed

971
01:00:09.559 --> 01:00:13.119
an industrial complex with a small collection of seemingly long

972
01:00:13.159 --> 01:00:16.920
abandoned warehouses and factories. I felt a jolt of fear

973
01:00:17.000 --> 01:00:22.000
pin through my body. It was quiet here, too quiet,

974
01:00:22.920 --> 01:00:25.840
quiet enough for me to be raped and murdered without

975
01:00:25.880 --> 01:00:29.159
anyone noticing. This is as far as I can take you,

976
01:00:29.599 --> 01:00:31.880
I jumped as I realized a jeep was already grabbing

977
01:00:31.880 --> 01:00:36.800
my luggage from the trunk. What why so no murder?

978
01:00:36.800 --> 01:00:39.960
Then it's a small town and a beautiful day. Why

979
01:00:40.000 --> 01:00:41.960
not take a nice stroll through town on your way.

980
01:00:42.480 --> 01:00:46.559
I think the farmer's market goes till three, he dodged. No,

981
01:00:46.840 --> 01:00:50.400
I don't want to walk in it's thirty degrees, I said,

982
01:00:50.440 --> 01:00:53.559
while repositioning the luggage he'd removed back into the uber.

983
01:00:54.000 --> 01:00:56.480
I just want you to finish driving me. What's the

984
01:00:56.480 --> 01:01:01.119
big deal, it's your job, for Christ's sake, a jeep ponse. Listen,

985
01:01:01.800 --> 01:01:04.559
I don't go in there. Tiny Christmas is not a

986
01:01:04.599 --> 01:01:08.039
town for people like me, he pointed to his turban.

987
01:01:09.440 --> 01:01:13.239
They're racist. I don't know what you want to call it,

988
01:01:13.280 --> 01:01:15.320
but I just don't want to spend the afternoon stuck

989
01:01:15.320 --> 01:01:18.679
in there while they try to convert me again. Last time,

990
01:01:18.719 --> 01:01:20.280
I didn't even get to take a lunch break, and

991
01:01:20.320 --> 01:01:23.239
I'm really hungry today. So you're on your own, he

992
01:01:23.320 --> 01:01:26.760
said as he finished re removing my luggage. Like I said,

993
01:01:27.039 --> 01:01:30.159
small town, very friendly. I'm sure you'll have no problem

994
01:01:30.199 --> 01:01:35.599
finding the place. Well, I personally respect the Islamic religion,

995
01:01:36.119 --> 01:01:37.880
I chased him as he walked back around to the

996
01:01:37.960 --> 01:01:40.639
driver's side door and pulled it open. I'll even buy

997
01:01:40.639 --> 01:01:44.519
you lunch. How's that? Nope, therapists said. I need to

998
01:01:44.519 --> 01:01:46.639
start defining my boundaries or people are going to walk

999
01:01:46.679 --> 01:01:48.719
all over me for the rest of my life. He

1000
01:01:48.800 --> 01:01:51.639
slammed the door and pressed the lock down. Enjoy your

1001
01:01:51.639 --> 01:01:54.559
stay in tiny Christmas. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful

1002
01:01:54.559 --> 01:01:57.519
time with that. He and his niece on Altima pulled

1003
01:01:57.519 --> 01:02:02.119
out of the lot. Wait can't be serious, and I'm

1004
01:02:02.119 --> 01:02:06.119
a Sikh, you asshole, he called back as he sped away.

1005
01:02:07.159 --> 01:02:10.440
I stood there, shivering in the cold, confused and becoming

1006
01:02:10.480 --> 01:02:14.679
increasingly angry at my predicament. No, you're the asshole, I

1007
01:02:14.719 --> 01:02:17.440
grumbled as I grabbed my luggage and resigned myself to

1008
01:02:17.519 --> 01:02:21.440
walking into town. As I'd mentioned before, I was basically

1009
01:02:21.519 --> 01:02:24.480
left to fend for myself in an abandoned wasteland. A

1010
01:02:24.519 --> 01:02:27.119
beautiful young woman such as myself should not have to

1011
01:02:27.199 --> 01:02:30.840
subject herself to such a dangerous situation. I pushed through

1012
01:02:30.880 --> 01:02:34.079
the dystopian scenery with a confident stride, preparing myself for

1013
01:02:34.119 --> 01:02:38.199
whatever unsavory situation lay ahead of me. However, when I

1014
01:02:38.239 --> 01:02:42.519
finally rounded the last warehouse, I was not prepared for

1015
01:02:42.599 --> 01:02:46.119
what I saw ahead of me. Across a set of

1016
01:02:46.119 --> 01:02:50.119
train tracks lay the most adorable little downtown I'd ever

1017
01:02:50.199 --> 01:02:53.159
laid my eyes on. As I walked onward, the air

1018
01:02:53.239 --> 01:02:58.000
became filled with the scent of pine cinnamon and roasted chestnuts.

1019
01:02:58.559 --> 01:03:01.719
The streets were packed with happy looking townsfolk, each one

1020
01:03:01.800 --> 01:03:03.920
going out of their way to say hello as I passed,

1021
01:03:04.440 --> 01:03:07.320
and a jeet was right there was a farmer's market.

1022
01:03:08.119 --> 01:03:10.719
As nice as this all was, I have to admit

1023
01:03:10.760 --> 01:03:13.400
I was a little uncomfortable with the level of friendliness

1024
01:03:13.440 --> 01:03:16.920
and Christmas I was experiencing. I felt a bit of

1025
01:03:17.000 --> 01:03:19.840
guilt well up inside me for not immediately being drawn

1026
01:03:19.840 --> 01:03:23.000
into the merriness. I managed to brush it off quickly,

1027
01:03:23.039 --> 01:03:26.159
though I wasn't wrong. They were the ones that were wrong.

1028
01:03:27.039 --> 01:03:30.159
As I slowly became increasingly annoyed at the pleasantries, I

1029
01:03:30.199 --> 01:03:33.719
happened to bunt a coffee shop. Welcome to Christmas Coffee.

1030
01:03:34.119 --> 01:03:37.519
An overweight, elderly woman hollered in an alarmingly cheery tone

1031
01:03:37.760 --> 01:03:41.320
as the door jingled closed behind me. Would you be

1032
01:03:41.400 --> 01:03:43.679
able to point me in the direction of six one

1033
01:03:43.840 --> 01:03:47.840
six Pine Street. I am an unemployed graphic designer with

1034
01:03:47.960 --> 01:03:51.679
no chit chat skills. Oh I know who you are.

1035
01:03:52.119 --> 01:03:56.880
You're the new window display coordinator from the big city. Well, yes,

1036
01:03:56.960 --> 01:04:00.960
and I'm running late. Oh sweetie, you just about chill

1037
01:04:01.039 --> 01:04:04.079
to the bone. Did some ethnic cab driver refuse to

1038
01:04:04.119 --> 01:04:07.440
take you the whole way? She asked? I wondered how

1039
01:04:07.480 --> 01:04:11.039
common of a thing that was. Here you go, She

1040
01:04:11.159 --> 01:04:13.159
poured a cup of coffee and slid it to me.

1041
01:04:13.519 --> 01:04:16.400
Free coffee on the house. I'm Amanda, by the way,

1042
01:04:17.079 --> 01:04:20.960
I took the coffee, avoiding her outstretched arm. That's really

1043
01:04:21.079 --> 01:04:23.400
nice of you. I'll be sure to stop back when

1044
01:04:23.400 --> 01:04:27.360
i'm settled, but I'm running late right now, so yeah,

1045
01:04:27.519 --> 01:04:31.960
I was never coming back. Oh right, six one six pine?

1046
01:04:32.000 --> 01:04:34.639
Was it? Make it left? Then? It's two blocks down.

1047
01:04:34.719 --> 01:04:37.559
You couldn't even miss it if you wanted to. I

1048
01:04:37.679 --> 01:04:40.280
thanked her and sped out the door before she could

1049
01:04:40.280 --> 01:04:42.800
continue to waste my time. I took a sip of

1050
01:04:42.800 --> 01:04:45.400
the coffee as I walked out into the holiday pandemonium

1051
01:04:45.679 --> 01:04:49.280
and stopped dead as the warmth hit my tongue. This

1052
01:04:49.599 --> 01:04:54.199
was the best cup of coffee I'd ever had in

1053
01:04:54.239 --> 01:04:58.440
my entire life. It was rich and full bodied, with

1054
01:04:58.519 --> 01:05:02.320
notes of cinnamon, all spice, and honey. It brought back

1055
01:05:02.360 --> 01:05:06.559
a flood of childhood memories, drinking hot chocolate after school

1056
01:05:06.559 --> 01:05:08.559
as my mother brushed the snow out of my hair,

1057
01:05:09.199 --> 01:05:12.639
watching movies, huddled by the fire, my mother's warmth as

1058
01:05:12.639 --> 01:05:17.119
she rocked me to sleep. God, I missed her. If

1059
01:05:17.119 --> 01:05:19.960
only I thought I could have something like that again

1060
01:05:20.000 --> 01:05:25.480
in a real, non coffee based sense. Wait, what was

1061
01:05:25.519 --> 01:05:29.679
I thinking? I am a powerful, competent, unemployed graphic designer.

1062
01:05:30.159 --> 01:05:33.800
I'd never wish for a family, I convinced myself. Brushing

1063
01:05:33.800 --> 01:05:36.760
the tears from my eyes, I went to take another

1064
01:05:36.800 --> 01:05:40.199
sip of coffee, but I was beginning to feel nauseous,

1065
01:05:40.239 --> 01:05:43.320
so instead I dropped it in the next available garbage can.

1066
01:05:44.360 --> 01:05:47.800
Amanda was right. This place was hard to miss. Two

1067
01:05:47.800 --> 01:05:50.960
blocks down was almost a full mile away and basically

1068
01:05:50.960 --> 01:05:54.360
in the woods. The quaint tutor with six one six

1069
01:05:54.440 --> 01:05:56.719
scrolled across the door was the only building on the

1070
01:05:56.840 --> 01:06:00.000
entire street. As I walked up the driveway, I realized

1071
01:06:00.280 --> 01:06:03.480
how eerily quiet it had become. I hadn't seen a

1072
01:06:03.519 --> 01:06:05.679
single car pass me in the last half a mile.

1073
01:06:06.559 --> 01:06:08.960
I shivered as the wind whipped up. This was the

1074
01:06:09.000 --> 01:06:11.760
perfect place for an unsuspecting young woman to be raped

1075
01:06:11.800 --> 01:06:16.519
and murdered. I was all alone. No, wait, I was

1076
01:06:16.599 --> 01:06:21.000
being watched. Well, hello there, Rachel. I jumped as the

1077
01:06:21.000 --> 01:06:23.239
door of the house popped open to reveal a smiling

1078
01:06:23.239 --> 01:06:27.559
middle aged man in a suit. Oh oh hi. I

1079
01:06:27.599 --> 01:06:31.360
tried to collect myself. You must be correct. I'm Jake

1080
01:06:31.360 --> 01:06:33.519
from the agency, so glad you were able to find

1081
01:06:33.519 --> 01:06:35.719
your way here. I was getting a little worried that

1082
01:06:35.760 --> 01:06:37.719
you hadn't been able to find a ride into town.

1083
01:06:38.920 --> 01:06:41.719
Funny you should say that anyway, This is the place,

1084
01:06:42.159 --> 01:06:45.360
he cut me off, holding the door open, beckoning me inside.

1085
01:06:45.920 --> 01:06:49.639
The interior, despite having a certain charm, was covered in

1086
01:06:49.679 --> 01:06:52.599
a layer of dust and white sheets. The air had

1087
01:06:52.639 --> 01:06:55.559
a musty quality that signaled that this place had been

1088
01:06:55.639 --> 01:07:00.519
long forgotten. I sighed, I did not like cleaning, as

1089
01:07:00.559 --> 01:07:03.840
mentioned earlier. He continued, it's two hundred and fifty dollars

1090
01:07:03.880 --> 01:07:06.599
a month, and you're responsible for paying all utilities, as

1091
01:07:06.599 --> 01:07:09.039
well as any yardwork or snow removal that needs to

1092
01:07:09.079 --> 01:07:11.880
be done. Also, I think there are Christmas lights in

1093
01:07:11.880 --> 01:07:13.719
the basement, so you won't even need to buy a

1094
01:07:13.719 --> 01:07:16.800
need to decorate. I won't be needing them, but thank you.

1095
01:07:17.199 --> 01:07:22.239
I just want to settle in. Oh, he seemed crushed. Well,

1096
01:07:23.400 --> 01:07:25.800
they're in there in case you change your mind, it

1097
01:07:25.800 --> 01:07:28.119
would probably go a long way to making this place

1098
01:07:28.159 --> 01:07:34.039
feel like home. Thanks. How long has it been vacant?

1099
01:07:34.519 --> 01:07:36.840
I slid my fingers through the dust on the fireplace

1100
01:07:36.880 --> 01:07:40.639
mantle and almost gagged at the many years of dead

1101
01:07:40.719 --> 01:07:46.400
skin cells. About five years. I think that's why so

1102
01:07:46.559 --> 01:07:49.800
long I couldn't really tell you. I'm just a real

1103
01:07:49.920 --> 01:07:52.599
estate agent. I don't own it or anything. He shrugged.

1104
01:07:53.400 --> 01:07:57.360
Oh well, I mean, if I had to guess, maybe

1105
01:07:57.360 --> 01:08:03.840
it was the murders. I parroted. See, I knew I

1106
01:08:03.880 --> 01:08:06.800
was going to be raped and killed. Sorry I misspoke.

1107
01:08:07.519 --> 01:08:11.039
Disappearances is what I mean. It's not really murder without

1108
01:08:11.079 --> 01:08:15.320
a body, Jake said, matter of factly. But anyway, that

1109
01:08:15.480 --> 01:08:17.439
was a long time ago, and I heard that Tenant

1110
01:08:17.479 --> 01:08:21.039
was like really into meth, so it was likely drug related.

1111
01:08:21.840 --> 01:08:25.159
Wait didn't you say? Anyway? Here are the keys. He

1112
01:08:25.239 --> 01:08:28.000
handed them to me while also turning the doorknob. You

1113
01:08:28.039 --> 01:08:30.439
should be good to go. Have a wonderful life in

1114
01:08:30.520 --> 01:08:34.239
tiny Christmas, And with that he was already halfway down

1115
01:08:34.239 --> 01:08:39.800
the walk murders. I had an unremarkable first night. Despite

1116
01:08:39.840 --> 01:08:44.239
wondering just how many disappearances Jake had accidentally inferred, I

1117
01:08:44.279 --> 01:08:46.960
tried not to concentrate on it too much. I was

1118
01:08:47.000 --> 01:08:53.640
starting my new job the next morning after all holidays

1119
01:08:53.680 --> 01:08:57.119
and more. Occupied the largest building in town. It was

1120
01:08:57.159 --> 01:09:00.760
two floors of highly polished marble and glass. The first

1121
01:09:00.800 --> 01:09:03.520
floor held the perfect area for a window display, but

1122
01:09:04.279 --> 01:09:08.800
was currently empty. This will be my canvas, I thought.

1123
01:09:09.439 --> 01:09:12.279
I put my hand up to the glass wistfully, only

1124
01:09:12.319 --> 01:09:14.039
to have it slapped from the other side of the

1125
01:09:14.079 --> 01:09:17.000
glass by a burly man with a beard. I jumped back,

1126
01:09:17.039 --> 01:09:19.239
and he let out a chuckle and motioned me to

1127
01:09:19.239 --> 01:09:23.880
come inside. I'm mister Santon, the general manager, the burly

1128
01:09:23.920 --> 01:09:27.279
man explained, giving me a firm handshake. Great to meet

1129
01:09:27.279 --> 01:09:30.760
you in person. Thanks so much for the job. We're

1130
01:09:30.880 --> 01:09:33.680
just so pleased you accepted it. The entire board was

1131
01:09:33.760 --> 01:09:36.520
unanimous in the decision to hire you. Your plan for

1132
01:09:36.600 --> 01:09:38.920
a Christmas display that gets us back to our roots

1133
01:09:39.319 --> 01:09:43.279
is genius. Thank Before I could finish, he pulled me

1134
01:09:43.279 --> 01:09:46.520
in for a hug. Say no more, miss Adler. We're

1135
01:09:46.560 --> 01:09:49.199
just so happy we can add you another true believer

1136
01:09:49.319 --> 01:09:52.840
of the magic of Christmas to our wonderful family, he said,

1137
01:09:52.880 --> 01:09:56.520
while patting me on the back. I recoiled slightly, and

1138
01:09:56.600 --> 01:10:00.199
he seemed to catch my discomfort and let me go. Sorry.

1139
01:10:00.560 --> 01:10:03.640
I just love Christmas so much I get carried away

1140
01:10:03.680 --> 01:10:09.039
sometimes that's I just I should probably get to work, right,

1141
01:10:09.600 --> 01:10:13.359
I deflected, Oh, of course, there's only two weeks till

1142
01:10:13.399 --> 01:10:16.520
the big reveal, after all, I'm sure every second counts.

1143
01:10:17.279 --> 01:10:19.960
Mister Santon led me over to my workspace and introduced

1144
01:10:19.960 --> 01:10:23.359
me to my assistant, Tom Thompson, a tall and slightly

1145
01:10:23.399 --> 01:10:28.399
too handsome man in a red vest. I felt uncomfortable

1146
01:10:28.439 --> 01:10:30.600
for looking at him for too long, like I might

1147
01:10:31.319 --> 01:10:34.960
I don't know blush if I did? You know Tom,

1148
01:10:35.000 --> 01:10:37.880
you could take notes from miss Adler here, mister Santon

1149
01:10:37.960 --> 01:10:40.640
said before leaving. Up your holiday game a little and

1150
01:10:40.720 --> 01:10:43.600
maybe you'll be the next one promoted. Tom looked towards

1151
01:10:43.640 --> 01:10:51.560
me and let out a little sigh. Yes, sir. On

1152
01:10:51.640 --> 01:10:54.000
that first day, we spent most of our time going

1153
01:10:54.039 --> 01:10:57.840
through boxes, taking inventory of what supplies the store already had,

1154
01:10:57.880 --> 01:11:01.119
so I'd know what we would need to buy. So

1155
01:11:02.079 --> 01:11:05.239
I broke the silence. Mister Santan wants you to up

1156
01:11:05.239 --> 01:11:08.520
your holiday game. Eh. Yeah, I guess he's noticed I

1157
01:11:08.520 --> 01:11:11.840
haven't been my normal, cheery self for the last couple

1158
01:11:11.880 --> 01:11:15.199
of years. He seemed as surprised by that timeline as

1159
01:11:15.279 --> 01:11:18.720
I did. That's a long time to not be happy,

1160
01:11:19.439 --> 01:11:22.359
Like I'd know what happy was. I was a weirdly

1161
01:11:22.399 --> 01:11:25.600
employed graphic designer caught in what was increasingly feeling like

1162
01:11:25.640 --> 01:11:30.079
a low budget Christmas movie. I guess so, I just

1163
01:11:30.119 --> 01:11:36.119
haven't been myself since my wife died. Oh he was single,

1164
01:11:36.159 --> 01:11:39.520
and not even the divorced kind widowed, the good kind

1165
01:11:39.560 --> 01:11:43.159
of single. I stopped going through the box of Christmas lights.

1166
01:11:43.600 --> 01:11:48.680
My hands were shaking. Yeah, it was really tragic. She

1167
01:11:48.800 --> 01:11:51.880
hit a deer. He was going on about his dead wife.

1168
01:11:51.880 --> 01:11:54.800
But all I could concentrate on was my own heartbeat

1169
01:11:55.119 --> 01:11:58.079
as it began to speed up. Why did I care

1170
01:11:58.119 --> 01:12:01.159
if this guy was single? What was happening to me?

1171
01:12:02.159 --> 01:12:05.560
I concentrated on regaining my composure. I just needed to

1172
01:12:05.600 --> 01:12:07.920
take it easy. This had been a big move, a

1173
01:12:08.000 --> 01:12:11.279
huge change, and I'd lost my bearings. It was perfectly

1174
01:12:11.359 --> 01:12:14.079
reasonable that I would feel confused and even want to

1175
01:12:14.119 --> 01:12:16.479
fit in. Things would get less weird once I was

1176
01:12:16.600 --> 01:12:19.680
used to my surroundings. And then when we took her

1177
01:12:19.680 --> 01:12:23.600
off life support. Oh god, he was still going I

1178
01:12:23.680 --> 01:12:28.119
just don't think I'll ever really love anyone again. You know,

1179
01:12:29.880 --> 01:12:33.119
I get it. But you're young. You'll meet someone again

1180
01:12:33.239 --> 01:12:37.479
when you're ready. I tried to console He blushed slightly,

1181
01:12:38.600 --> 01:12:42.199
you're a really good listener. You know, Hey, would you

1182
01:12:42.239 --> 01:12:44.359
like to come over for dinner on Sunday? We make

1183
01:12:44.399 --> 01:12:46.560
a big meal after church, so it's always nice to

1184
01:12:46.600 --> 01:12:51.039
have some extra company. Oh no, no, I don't want

1185
01:12:51.079 --> 01:12:54.119
to impose. We don't really know each other, and please,

1186
01:12:55.000 --> 01:12:57.600
I think of it as me repaying you for your

1187
01:12:57.680 --> 01:13:00.319
kindness for letting me dump all my problems on you this,

1188
01:13:00.920 --> 01:13:06.199
he begged, Well, when you put it that way, sure.

1189
01:13:12.119 --> 01:13:16.199
After a relatively uneventful week, I awoke from a particularly

1190
01:13:16.239 --> 01:13:19.640
weird nightmare at three am Saturday morning to the sound

1191
01:13:19.680 --> 01:13:24.520
of talking. Frustrated and groggy, I did what any good

1192
01:13:24.520 --> 01:13:27.239
New Yorker would. I pushed the window open with a

1193
01:13:27.319 --> 01:13:29.680
level of violence that this house had probably never seen,

1194
01:13:30.079 --> 01:13:33.000
and leaned out into the dark. Shut the fuck up,

1195
01:13:33.079 --> 01:13:36.880
or I'll fucking come down there and murder you, I yelled,

1196
01:13:37.279 --> 01:13:41.520
then slammed the window shut and lay back down. It

1197
01:13:41.640 --> 01:13:45.600
was quiet for a minute, but then was that chanting.

1198
01:13:46.600 --> 01:13:49.199
By that point, my complete consciousness had returned, and I

1199
01:13:49.279 --> 01:13:52.319
realized that I was no longer in an apartment. I

1200
01:13:52.399 --> 01:13:56.439
was in a house. I was in a completely isolated house.

1201
01:13:57.439 --> 01:14:01.319
No one should be outside. I lay there in silence,

1202
01:14:01.640 --> 01:14:06.920
trying to get a grasp on what I was hearing, chanting, crying.

1203
01:14:07.760 --> 01:14:11.439
Maybe it was a wild animal. I thought I'd heard

1204
01:14:11.520 --> 01:14:15.359
foxes kind of sound like people. Honestly, I didn't want

1205
01:14:15.399 --> 01:14:18.319
it to be people or animals. Both seemed like they

1206
01:14:18.319 --> 01:14:20.279
could be dangerous, and for the first time since the

1207
01:14:20.319 --> 01:14:23.920
day I'd moved in, I considered what the word disappearances

1208
01:14:24.000 --> 01:14:28.039
could possibly mean. After what may have been hours, the

1209
01:14:28.079 --> 01:14:31.319
strange noises dissipated, but I did not sleep for the

1210
01:14:31.319 --> 01:14:34.680
rest of the night. In the morning, I decided maybe

1211
01:14:34.760 --> 01:14:37.560
I would put up those Christmas lights. The house had

1212
01:14:37.560 --> 01:14:40.119
no exterior lighting at all, and seeing as it had

1213
01:14:40.199 --> 01:14:43.640
sat unoccupied, there was a chance someone could still think

1214
01:14:43.640 --> 01:14:46.079
it was vacant and try to break in if the

1215
01:14:46.119 --> 01:14:49.760
noises I'd heard were people. Anyway, if it was foxes

1216
01:14:49.920 --> 01:14:53.239
or wolves or something, the light should deter them too.

1217
01:14:53.680 --> 01:14:56.800
Despite being opposed to my core beliefs, I'd do it

1218
01:14:56.840 --> 01:14:59.840
for my safety. I found a box with one whole

1219
01:15:00.039 --> 01:15:02.720
strand of lights in it in the basement, just enough

1220
01:15:02.720 --> 01:15:05.239
to do the awning out front. I figured it was

1221
01:15:05.279 --> 01:15:07.159
better than nothing, and it also meant I didn't have

1222
01:15:07.199 --> 01:15:11.680
to spend all day putting them up so when there was, however,

1223
01:15:12.079 --> 01:15:15.159
another box in the basement, I'd thought it was more

1224
01:15:15.239 --> 01:15:18.399
Christmas decorations, originally since there was a piece of garland

1225
01:15:18.439 --> 01:15:20.760
at the top, But when I brought it upstairs, I

1226
01:15:20.800 --> 01:15:25.119
realized that what I'd really found was a gun, a

1227
01:15:25.159 --> 01:15:28.439
shotgun of some sort to be more specific. Along with

1228
01:15:28.479 --> 01:15:30.840
it was a little box with just a few bullets

1229
01:15:30.880 --> 01:15:35.359
in it. Seven I counted. I'd never really handled a

1230
01:15:35.439 --> 01:15:38.640
gun before, and felt conflicted about realizing that it had

1231
01:15:38.640 --> 01:15:40.359
been in the house with me for the last week.

1232
01:15:41.159 --> 01:15:44.319
Whose was it and why would they leave it anyway? Shit?

1233
01:15:44.840 --> 01:15:47.359
For all I knew all houses in Iowa came with guns.

1234
01:15:48.119 --> 01:15:52.119
After some careful contemplation and YouTube videos, I decided to

1235
01:15:52.199 --> 01:15:54.920
keep it by the door, loaded in case I did

1236
01:15:55.000 --> 01:15:57.439
end up running into whatever I had heard the night prior.

1237
01:15:58.399 --> 01:16:00.880
When I heard the noises again that night, I at

1238
01:16:00.960 --> 01:16:04.119
least managed to convince myself I could protect myself and

1239
01:16:04.159 --> 01:16:07.600
got the smallest bit of sleep. By the time Tom

1240
01:16:07.680 --> 01:16:09.760
came to pick me up on Sunday, I was already

1241
01:16:09.800 --> 01:16:13.920
exhausted and a little jumpy. You look tired, Are you okay?

1242
01:16:14.560 --> 01:16:18.039
He asked as I fastened my seat belt. His genuine

1243
01:16:18.119 --> 01:16:22.600
concern made my heart feel all warm for some reason. Yeah,

1244
01:16:22.840 --> 01:16:26.840
just insomnia. I used to have that real bad when

1245
01:16:26.920 --> 01:16:31.600
Joanne first died. It's hard being in that house all alone. Huh,

1246
01:16:31.960 --> 01:16:36.279
not really, Why would it be hard? I just guess

1247
01:16:36.279 --> 01:16:39.960
I find being alone really difficult. Everyone needs someone to

1248
01:16:40.000 --> 01:16:43.640
hold at night, he informed me. Was he suggesting he

1249
01:16:43.680 --> 01:16:46.960
wanted to hold me at night? We arrived at his

1250
01:16:47.039 --> 01:16:50.479
parents lovely little colonial only a few minutes later. I

1251
01:16:50.560 --> 01:16:53.239
may have neglected to say this, but he'd been living

1252
01:16:53.239 --> 01:16:55.880
with his family since his wife died. I thought it

1253
01:16:55.920 --> 01:16:58.439
was a little weird, but I also knew grief could

1254
01:16:58.520 --> 01:17:01.199
really mess up a person, so it was better I

1255
01:17:01.239 --> 01:17:04.760
didn't judge anyway. The house was all decked out in

1256
01:17:04.840 --> 01:17:08.840
a literal ton of blinking Christmas lights outside and in.

1257
01:17:09.359 --> 01:17:12.560
It was really too distracting and tacky for my taste.

1258
01:17:13.079 --> 01:17:15.600
His mom and dad hugged me immediately as we entered

1259
01:17:15.600 --> 01:17:18.600
and thanked me for taking such good care of their son.

1260
01:17:18.880 --> 01:17:21.920
Did they think we were a couple? Did I want

1261
01:17:22.000 --> 01:17:26.439
us to be a couple? What? No? We had a

1262
01:17:26.520 --> 01:17:28.840
nice dinner and his family told me stories about what

1263
01:17:28.920 --> 01:17:32.159
Tom was like growing up. After dinner, they wanted to

1264
01:17:32.199 --> 01:17:34.720
sing Christmas carols, so his mom gathered us around the

1265
01:17:34.760 --> 01:17:39.199
piano as his father played. I don't know any full carols,

1266
01:17:39.199 --> 01:17:42.520
but I managed to stumble through all right. We laughed

1267
01:17:42.560 --> 01:17:46.720
a lot. It was It was really nice to feel

1268
01:17:46.760 --> 01:17:49.680
like I was a part of something again. It made

1269
01:17:49.720 --> 01:17:54.039
me miss my parents terribly. I wanted so much to

1270
01:17:54.079 --> 01:17:58.000
feel safe and loved like that again. Maybe I thought,

1271
01:17:58.720 --> 01:18:02.079
just maybe the Thompsons could be my new family. Maybe

1272
01:18:02.079 --> 01:18:04.239
this place could be my new something to be a

1273
01:18:04.279 --> 01:18:07.960
part of. We kissed in my driveway before I got

1274
01:18:07.960 --> 01:18:10.520
out of the car. He told me he was falling

1275
01:18:10.560 --> 01:18:20.000
for me. Maybe I was falling for him too. I

1276
01:18:20.039 --> 01:18:22.880
woke up in a pure panic at three am. I

1277
01:18:22.960 --> 01:18:25.000
wasn't even aware of why I was so scared for

1278
01:18:25.039 --> 01:18:27.760
a minute until the events of the evening came back

1279
01:18:27.800 --> 01:18:32.000
to me. Something was terribly wrong with me, and the

1280
01:18:32.039 --> 01:18:36.800
noises were back. The next week was crunch time. We

1281
01:18:36.840 --> 01:18:39.079
had to make this display the most wonderful the town

1282
01:18:39.119 --> 01:18:42.199
had ever seen. We could do it. I knew we could.

1283
01:18:42.520 --> 01:18:44.720
Tom and I spent most of our waking hours together

1284
01:18:44.760 --> 01:18:47.359
making sure everything was perfect for the big reveal on

1285
01:18:47.399 --> 01:18:50.920
Friday night. Well, he spent most of his waking hours.

1286
01:18:51.000 --> 01:18:54.279
I mean, he was probably sleeping. I was still hearing

1287
01:18:54.279 --> 01:18:58.760
those weird noises. However, I was beginning to think that

1288
01:18:58.800 --> 01:19:01.720
living in the country just meant hearing unexplained sounds at night.

1289
01:19:02.279 --> 01:19:04.199
It was nothing to worry about, and I had that

1290
01:19:04.319 --> 01:19:07.239
gun just in case, which I decided to leave by

1291
01:19:07.239 --> 01:19:11.439
my front door indefinitely. Plus Tom and I were considering

1292
01:19:11.479 --> 01:19:14.479
moving in together so he would be able to protect me.

1293
01:19:15.439 --> 01:19:21.159
Everything was okay, Everything was better than expected. Friday went wonderfully.

1294
01:19:21.520 --> 01:19:24.560
Mister Santon praised us both and offered me a permanent position,

1295
01:19:24.600 --> 01:19:28.159
which I gladly accepted. I invited Tom over that evening

1296
01:19:28.159 --> 01:19:32.199
to celebrate. So are you going back to New York

1297
01:19:32.239 --> 01:19:34.920
City for Christmas? He asked me as we cuddled on

1298
01:19:34.960 --> 01:19:39.840
the couch. Christmas was just five days away, wasn't it. Nah,

1299
01:19:39.880 --> 01:19:42.199
I'm just gonna get some Chinese food and watch movies.

1300
01:19:43.479 --> 01:19:46.520
That sounds really sad. Rachel, you should come over to

1301
01:19:46.560 --> 01:19:49.159
my house. We always decorate our tree on Christmas Eve,

1302
01:19:49.359 --> 01:19:51.600
then we do presents in the morning. You can sleep over.

1303
01:19:51.680 --> 01:19:55.600
It'll be fun, he suggested. My family loves you, so

1304
01:19:55.680 --> 01:19:58.600
I'm sure they'd be happy to have you. That sounds

1305
01:19:58.680 --> 01:20:01.520
really nice, but I think I just want to take

1306
01:20:01.560 --> 01:20:08.039
it easy. Oh. His expression fell. No, it's not like that,

1307
01:20:08.079 --> 01:20:10.399
but I've I needed to be honest with the man

1308
01:20:10.439 --> 01:20:14.520
I loved. I've been lying to you. I'm not There

1309
01:20:14.600 --> 01:20:19.359
was that chanting again, lying, he asked, but then saw

1310
01:20:19.399 --> 01:20:23.560
the fear on his face. What's wrong? Do you hear that?

1311
01:20:24.319 --> 01:20:27.319
What is that? I said in a whisper, my voice shaking.

1312
01:20:28.119 --> 01:20:33.479
Tom listened for a second. The singing that's carollers, isn't it.

1313
01:20:34.319 --> 01:20:36.680
I held my breath to try to ascertain what I

1314
01:20:36.760 --> 01:20:41.159
was hearing. It was getting closer this time. Tom was right.

1315
01:20:41.720 --> 01:20:47.960
It was people singing carolers. I breathed. Yep, the weekend

1316
01:20:48.039 --> 01:20:50.439
before Christmas they go out and sing at people's houses.

1317
01:20:50.720 --> 01:20:53.479
Didn't you have that in New York? I shook my head.

1318
01:20:54.119 --> 01:20:56.079
Had this been what I was hearing the whole time?

1319
01:20:56.880 --> 01:21:02.239
Carollers practicing somewhere? I was like there right outside. I

1320
01:21:02.359 --> 01:21:04.800
jumped as the doorbell rang, but convinced myself it was

1321
01:21:04.880 --> 01:21:08.479
okay to answer it. Outside were seven of the townsfolk

1322
01:21:08.560 --> 01:21:11.560
decked out in Christmasy attire. As soon as they saw me,

1323
01:21:11.640 --> 01:21:14.960
they began to sing. I wasn't familiar with the song,

1324
01:21:15.039 --> 01:21:18.039
but it was just so beautiful that tears started coming

1325
01:21:18.039 --> 01:21:20.800
to my eyes. Here I'd been all worked up about

1326
01:21:20.800 --> 01:21:24.680
people singing Christmas songs. This wasn't New York City. Nothing

1327
01:21:24.760 --> 01:21:27.000
was going to try to hurt me here. No one

1328
01:21:27.039 --> 01:21:30.199
had been anything other than kind to me. I stood

1329
01:21:30.239 --> 01:21:33.800
in the doorway listening for a long time, just taking

1330
01:21:33.840 --> 01:21:36.319
in the joy. I let the New Yorker part of

1331
01:21:36.359 --> 01:21:42.039
me fade. It was okay now, I was okay. Maybe

1332
01:21:42.039 --> 01:21:43.800
I should go get some money for them or something.

1333
01:21:43.800 --> 01:21:45.960
I thought that was the least I could do for

1334
01:21:46.000 --> 01:21:49.880
this kind of spiritual awakening, right. I was about to

1335
01:21:49.880 --> 01:21:53.039
turn around to find my purse when something stopped me.

1336
01:21:54.479 --> 01:21:58.600
I stopped me. What the fuck was I doing? I

1337
01:21:58.720 --> 01:22:01.359
was a savvy, fucking New York I didn't need this

1338
01:22:01.520 --> 01:22:04.199
dumb shit. This wasn't even what I wanted at all.

1339
01:22:04.760 --> 01:22:07.520
What was I even doing with this boring, sad guy.

1340
01:22:07.880 --> 01:22:11.159
I didn't even like men, and I hated Christmas carols.

1341
01:22:11.520 --> 01:22:14.319
Hey can you guys, that's enough? Can you stop now?

1342
01:22:14.560 --> 01:22:18.600
I pleaded, really, please stop. No one seemed to hear me.

1343
01:22:18.960 --> 01:22:21.560
I felt a deep, primal fear rise up in my stomach.

1344
01:22:21.720 --> 01:22:24.079
I needed to lie down or something. I needed them

1345
01:22:24.119 --> 01:22:27.960
to stop singing already, Tom, can you? I turned around

1346
01:22:28.000 --> 01:22:30.159
just in time to see Tom lunge at me with

1347
01:22:30.199 --> 01:22:33.319
a weird looking knife. Instinctively, I dodged and pushed him

1348
01:22:33.319 --> 01:22:35.359
to the ground. I am a New Yorker who knows

1349
01:22:35.399 --> 01:22:39.560
how to defend myself. I grabbed the shotgun. Aw The

1350
01:22:39.640 --> 01:22:43.199
carrollers grumbled in unison. What the fuck is going on here?

1351
01:22:43.279 --> 01:22:47.640
I spat, clenching my weapon tightly. You ruined everything, That's

1352
01:22:47.720 --> 01:22:50.640
what one of them moaned. I pointed my gun at

1353
01:22:50.680 --> 01:22:53.840
the small crowd. Are you trying to disappear me? Is

1354
01:22:53.880 --> 01:22:56.960
that what this is? You know? Tom? If you hadn't

1355
01:22:57.000 --> 01:22:59.680
waited so long, one of them began. Tom was now

1356
01:22:59.720 --> 01:23:02.159
sold on the ground behind me. I was waving the

1357
01:23:02.199 --> 01:23:05.640
gun wildly between him and the carollers. Now, I just

1358
01:23:05.720 --> 01:23:09.640
wanted it to be perfect. I'm sorry, guys, Tom shrugged.

1359
01:23:10.000 --> 01:23:13.399
She's gonna taste like shit now. Adrenaline fucks everything up.

1360
01:23:13.439 --> 01:23:17.239
Another said, will someone please tell me what's going on?

1361
01:23:17.520 --> 01:23:20.600
I shouted, tell me, or I kill every one of you.

1362
01:23:21.720 --> 01:23:25.239
Tom sighed, we were just trying to teach you the

1363
01:23:25.279 --> 01:23:29.960
true meaning of Christmas. By killing me, of course, not

1364
01:23:30.319 --> 01:23:32.239
think of all the love we showed you these past

1365
01:23:32.279 --> 01:23:35.880
couple of weeks. That's the true meaning of Christmas. I

1366
01:23:35.960 --> 01:23:40.079
recognize this one. It was the woman from the cafe.

1367
01:23:40.119 --> 01:23:43.439
We know you felt it, We could tell felt it.

1368
01:23:44.000 --> 01:23:47.439
This this isn't me. What did you do? Have you

1369
01:23:47.479 --> 01:23:50.840
been putting something in my food? Oh sweetie, don't be

1370
01:23:50.920 --> 01:23:54.119
so paranoid. Everything we gave you was simply made with love,

1371
01:23:54.520 --> 01:23:59.199
something you've been sorely lacking. Amanda explained, well that in

1372
01:23:59.359 --> 01:24:03.399
just a teensy tiny bit of LSD. The others nodded

1373
01:24:03.399 --> 01:24:08.520
in agreement. You fucking dosed me with LSD. What we did, Rachel,

1374
01:24:08.640 --> 01:24:10.880
was give you the best two weeks of your life.

1375
01:24:10.960 --> 01:24:12.960
We even got you back in touch with your religion,

1376
01:24:13.279 --> 01:24:18.439
said mister santin my what now you can die happily?

1377
01:24:18.600 --> 01:24:21.520
Tom chimed in, now standing over me with that knife,

1378
01:24:21.560 --> 01:24:27.359
smiling manically. I'm Jewish, you assholes, I screamed and shot

1379
01:24:27.399 --> 01:24:30.720
a bullet into Tom's confused looking face. His body thudded

1380
01:24:30.760 --> 01:24:34.520
to the floor. Oh man, how are we gonna explain

1381
01:24:34.560 --> 01:24:37.159
this to everyone? They whined as I turned my gun

1382
01:24:37.199 --> 01:24:41.199
back to them. Can we even sacrifice a Jew. You're

1383
01:24:41.239 --> 01:24:43.960
not sacrificing anyone. If you try, I'll blow all your

1384
01:24:44.000 --> 01:24:47.680
goddamn brains out, I threatened, holding the shotgun mere inches

1385
01:24:47.720 --> 01:24:51.000
from them, but they ignored my warning and continued discussing

1386
01:24:51.039 --> 01:24:54.600
my murder like I wasn't even there. Fucking rude townies.

1387
01:24:55.560 --> 01:24:58.359
It's not ideal, But where are we gonna find a

1388
01:24:58.439 --> 01:25:02.239
Christian this close to the ceremony? Santon explained, a Jew

1389
01:25:02.319 --> 01:25:04.640
is probably better than nothing, even if she is all

1390
01:25:04.720 --> 01:25:08.840
upset and will probably taste like sadness. Hey, I bet

1391
01:25:08.840 --> 01:25:12.399
I taste just fine. What was I saying? I did

1392
01:25:12.399 --> 01:25:15.199
probably taste like sadness, But that wasn't the point. They

1393
01:25:15.199 --> 01:25:17.000
were trying to kill me. I knew if I wanted

1394
01:25:17.039 --> 01:25:19.479
to survive the night and ever see my actual home again,

1395
01:25:19.520 --> 01:25:21.119
I was going to have to stand my ground and

1396
01:25:21.199 --> 01:25:23.960
take those fuckers out then and there. I broke their

1397
01:25:24.000 --> 01:25:26.840
disagreement with a single shot fired directly into the chest

1398
01:25:26.840 --> 01:25:29.039
of the weirdo closest to me. He fell to the

1399
01:25:29.039 --> 01:25:31.880
ground in a motionless heap. That was finally the motivation

1400
01:25:31.960 --> 01:25:34.039
the rest needed to actually come at me. But I

1401
01:25:34.159 --> 01:25:36.760
was the one with the gun. What you're not even

1402
01:25:36.800 --> 01:25:39.319
gonna try to rape me first, I shouted, as I

1403
01:25:39.399 --> 01:25:42.680
fired mercilessly into them. Turns out it isn't actually that

1404
01:25:42.760 --> 01:25:44.720
hard to shoot people when they're that close to you.

1405
01:25:45.199 --> 01:25:47.000
I don't know if I killed them all, but I

1406
01:25:47.039 --> 01:25:49.319
certainly shot them enough to make it so they'd have

1407
01:25:49.399 --> 01:25:52.039
a hard time chasing me if they survive. I ran

1408
01:25:52.079 --> 01:25:54.359
as far away as I could before calling you. I

1409
01:25:54.359 --> 01:25:56.640
don't know if others are coming for me, but I'll

1410
01:25:56.640 --> 01:25:59.439
be ready if they do. I would have called the police,

1411
01:25:59.439 --> 01:26:02.800
but sure they're in on it. You were right, that

1412
01:26:02.920 --> 01:26:07.119
town is crazy. A jeet let out a sigh. How

1413
01:26:07.119 --> 01:26:09.680
many times he wondered was he going to help people

1414
01:26:09.720 --> 01:26:12.840
flee from a crime scene. This couldn't be worth the money.

1415
01:26:13.399 --> 01:26:17.119
He'd be better off working for one of those takeout services. Yeah,

1416
01:26:17.159 --> 01:26:18.880
he was going to sign up once he got home.

1417
01:26:19.399 --> 01:26:25.279
No more transporting crazy people, just transporting food to crazy people. Wait,

1418
01:26:25.960 --> 01:26:28.680
weren't there eight of them total? He asked, hoping this

1419
01:26:28.680 --> 01:26:31.199
didn't set her off. Didn't you see that gun only

1420
01:26:31.239 --> 01:26:35.520
had seven bullets. Doesn't that mean you missed one? Rachel

1421
01:26:35.560 --> 01:26:40.359
thought for a second. Nope, she'd definitely shot eight coultists.

1422
01:26:40.880 --> 01:26:45.800
She'd counted. I guess you could call it a Hanikah miracle.

1423
01:26:47.079 --> 01:26:50.279
She giggled a jeet, let out a fake laugh, not

1424
01:26:50.319 --> 01:26:55.560
sure what she meant. Huh so uh airport then yeah please?

1425
01:27:09.239 --> 01:27:17.560
Santa Letters by Morgan Moore. Every year, millions of children

1426
01:27:17.640 --> 01:27:20.840
send letters to Santa Claus, expressing their wishes of what

1427
01:27:20.880 --> 01:27:23.560
they hope will be under their tree come Christmas Day.

1428
01:27:24.680 --> 01:27:28.359
But what if somebody use those letters for a not

1429
01:27:28.600 --> 01:27:33.439
so joyful purpose. It has happened, and the following is

1430
01:27:33.479 --> 01:27:36.880
purported to be the true account of those events. This

1431
01:27:37.760 --> 01:27:51.920
is the case of the Circleville Santa Letter murders. In

1432
01:27:52.039 --> 01:27:55.520
nineteen seventy eight, the citizens of the small Ohio town

1433
01:27:55.560 --> 01:27:58.760
of Circleville were beginning their Christmas season like any other,

1434
01:27:59.199 --> 01:28:02.840
planning the descent member holiday while eating Thanksgiving dinner, making

1435
01:28:02.880 --> 01:28:06.359
travel arrangements, and all the other hullabaloo that comes with

1436
01:28:06.399 --> 01:28:10.119
the impending season. While the adults were occupied, the children

1437
01:28:10.119 --> 01:28:13.399
of Circleville were planning as well, once more taking up

1438
01:28:13.439 --> 01:28:16.600
the job of writing letters to inform old Saint Nicholas

1439
01:28:16.600 --> 01:28:20.159
of their Yule Tide desires. Even the local schools were

1440
01:28:20.159 --> 01:28:23.159
caught up in the fund, setting up small deposit mailboxes

1441
01:28:23.439 --> 01:28:26.399
for the kids to place their letters in. All was

1442
01:28:26.439 --> 01:28:30.199
well in Circleville as December came and Christmas magic filled

1443
01:28:30.199 --> 01:28:33.439
the air even more than it already had throughout November.

1444
01:28:34.079 --> 01:28:39.680
Everything was peace and joy. Unfortunately, that was all about

1445
01:28:39.720 --> 01:28:43.760
to change. In the early morning of December seventh, ten

1446
01:28:43.840 --> 01:28:46.800
year old Dylan Jones was delivering papers for the Circleville

1447
01:28:46.800 --> 01:28:50.319
Herald like he always did. When he reached the house

1448
01:28:50.399 --> 01:28:53.199
of Joe and April Robinson, he was about to be

1449
01:28:53.239 --> 01:28:56.920
greeted with a horrendous sight. Jones went around back to

1450
01:28:57.000 --> 01:28:59.479
deliver the paper as he always did, when he discovered

1451
01:28:59.520 --> 01:29:03.399
the mutile body of five year old Mary Kate Robinson,

1452
01:29:03.800 --> 01:29:07.359
a letter to Santa Claus nailed to her forehead. The

1453
01:29:07.439 --> 01:29:10.760
boy screamed so loud that almost the entire neighborhood was

1454
01:29:10.840 --> 01:29:14.800
jarred awake and came rushing to the scene. Police questioned

1455
01:29:14.800 --> 01:29:19.319
the family, friends, teachers, everybody within the small community to

1456
01:29:19.359 --> 01:29:22.279
try to figure out any clues and leads as to

1457
01:29:22.319 --> 01:29:26.399
who may have committed this horrible crime, but no answers emerged.

1458
01:29:27.039 --> 01:29:30.199
Unfortunately for the town. It was not the end of

1459
01:29:30.319 --> 01:29:37.000
this tragedy. On December twelfth, around twelve o'clock in the afternoon,

1460
01:29:37.279 --> 01:29:39.640
eight year old Michael Stolings was on his way to

1461
01:29:39.680 --> 01:29:41.520
the park to meet up with a group of friends.

1462
01:29:42.000 --> 01:29:44.680
At two o'clock, his friends called Michael's house and informed

1463
01:29:44.680 --> 01:29:47.880
his parents that he had never showed up. Immediately, the

1464
01:29:47.920 --> 01:29:50.840
Stallings phoned the police, worried about their son, the fate

1465
01:29:50.880 --> 01:29:54.520
of the Robinson girl foremost in their minds. It wasn't

1466
01:29:54.560 --> 01:29:58.640
long before police found Michael, much like Mary Kate Robinson, dead,

1467
01:29:59.159 --> 01:30:02.039
with his body mute and a letter to Santa Claus

1468
01:30:02.319 --> 01:30:10.520
nailed to his forehead. The next day, Sheriff Patrick o'Kyle

1469
01:30:10.640 --> 01:30:12.920
held a press conference in which he vowed to put

1470
01:30:12.960 --> 01:30:16.159
a stop to this chaos. Curfews were put in place

1471
01:30:16.199 --> 01:30:18.640
to make sure children of all ages were home by

1472
01:30:18.720 --> 01:30:21.720
five o'clock at night, and the youngsters were also advised

1473
01:30:21.720 --> 01:30:25.319
to travel in groups. Soon things looked to be improving,

1474
01:30:25.520 --> 01:30:29.439
and a week went by without anything happening. That was

1475
01:30:29.479 --> 01:30:34.359
soon to change. December twelfth was another quiet day. Fred

1476
01:30:34.399 --> 01:30:37.399
and Darlene Brooks headed out for a long overdue date night,

1477
01:30:37.760 --> 01:30:40.680
leaving fifteen year old Tanya wise Cup in charge of

1478
01:30:40.720 --> 01:30:44.319
their children. The pair returned it close to midnight to

1479
01:30:44.359 --> 01:30:48.600
find their home bathed in darkness. Upon entering the house,

1480
01:30:48.640 --> 01:30:51.720
the two noticed a smell they later said reminded them

1481
01:30:52.000 --> 01:30:55.039
of rotting meat. They didn't think much of it, as

1482
01:30:55.039 --> 01:30:57.800
they had recently been battling with raccoons, getting stuck in

1483
01:30:57.800 --> 01:31:01.880
the attic and dying. Tired and tipsy, the Brooks went

1484
01:31:01.960 --> 01:31:05.479
to bed, assuming that their babysitter was down in the

1485
01:31:05.479 --> 01:31:08.520
basement to sleep, spending the night as she tended to

1486
01:31:08.520 --> 01:31:11.640
do when she had school the next day. When they

1487
01:31:11.680 --> 01:31:14.960
awakened the following morning, the couple went downstairs to check

1488
01:31:14.960 --> 01:31:17.399
on Tania and see if she had indeed stayed overnight.

1489
01:31:18.119 --> 01:31:24.119
What they discovered was nothing short of a bloodbath. Their children, John, Laura,

1490
01:31:24.199 --> 01:31:28.399
and Victoria were all dead, letters nailed to their foreheads,

1491
01:31:28.880 --> 01:31:32.319
but this time there was a chilling new twist. A

1492
01:31:32.399 --> 01:31:36.119
limb from each child was placed under the small Christmas

1493
01:31:36.159 --> 01:31:39.920
tree set up in the basement. As for Tania, she

1494
01:31:40.039 --> 01:31:43.359
laid discarded on the floor, cut from neck to groin,

1495
01:31:43.760 --> 01:31:50.880
and left to bleed out. Later that day, the city

1496
01:31:50.880 --> 01:31:54.840
announced a new curfew for all residents, stating everyone in

1497
01:31:54.880 --> 01:31:57.680
town must be home and have their businesses closed by

1498
01:31:57.720 --> 01:32:02.319
four pm. Sheriff Okyle also advised residents take extra precautions

1499
01:32:02.439 --> 01:32:05.960
to keep their homes locked and defended. The city became

1500
01:32:06.039 --> 01:32:09.159
a ghost town come four o'clock. The chimes of clocks

1501
01:32:09.159 --> 01:32:13.359
that rang the curfew hour ushered in eerie quiet. December

1502
01:32:13.359 --> 01:32:17.239
twenty second and twenty third came and went with no incidents,

1503
01:32:17.720 --> 01:32:21.039
but the town remained firmly on guard. The morning of

1504
01:32:21.079 --> 01:32:24.560
December twenty fourth came with no surprises as well. It

1505
01:32:24.640 --> 01:32:27.680
was a dreary winter day, the gloom and holiday cheer

1506
01:32:27.760 --> 01:32:32.000
mixing together like cold and warm fronts. Circleville had started

1507
01:32:32.000 --> 01:32:35.479
to loosen up slightly, something not hard to do considering

1508
01:32:35.520 --> 01:32:39.119
it was Christmas Eve. The curfew was still in effect,

1509
01:32:39.600 --> 01:32:41.920
but that seemed to almost add to the magic of

1510
01:32:41.960 --> 01:32:45.479
the holiday, as families stayed bundled in together, celebrating in

1511
01:32:45.520 --> 01:32:50.039
warm homes that stood in contrast to the cold outside.

1512
01:32:50.199 --> 01:32:53.239
Night came, and the hours drifted along. It seemed that

1513
01:32:53.279 --> 01:32:57.159
perhaps these terrible crimes were at an end. Christmas morning

1514
01:32:57.239 --> 01:32:59.279
came and the police, who had stood guard in the

1515
01:32:59.319 --> 01:33:02.119
city streets throughout the night, started to head back to

1516
01:33:02.159 --> 01:33:04.920
the station, ready to go home to their own families

1517
01:33:04.920 --> 01:33:08.199
to celebrate. But before anybody could leave, a call came

1518
01:33:08.239 --> 01:33:12.800
in somehow the killer had struck again right under their

1519
01:33:12.840 --> 01:33:17.880
noses twice. The first victim was ten year old Jackson Devns,

1520
01:33:18.000 --> 01:33:20.439
who was found dead in his bedroom by his parents

1521
01:33:20.800 --> 01:33:24.039
his window pried open. At the same time, police also

1522
01:33:24.079 --> 01:33:27.119
discovered the body of six year old Addison Ferguson, who

1523
01:33:27.199 --> 01:33:30.239
was found in a shed in her family's backyard. This

1524
01:33:30.279 --> 01:33:33.399
sent the town over the edge into a full blown frenzy.

1525
01:33:33.800 --> 01:33:37.479
Who was responsible for all these deaths? How could anybody

1526
01:33:37.520 --> 01:33:40.279
have broken into the homes and committed the crimes without

1527
01:33:40.279 --> 01:33:44.520
being caught? Who was next? Police set up barricades to

1528
01:33:44.520 --> 01:33:47.279
close off the town and began a city wide manhunt,

1529
01:33:47.439 --> 01:33:51.000
joined by the town's residents. All day they searched, and

1530
01:33:51.079 --> 01:33:53.840
the next day and the next. For a solid week

1531
01:33:53.960 --> 01:33:57.720
they searched, but no leads arose and no culprit was found.

1532
01:33:58.399 --> 01:34:01.720
The new year came and it seemed that finally there

1533
01:34:01.800 --> 01:34:05.399
was peace. No murders had been committed since Christmas, and

1534
01:34:05.479 --> 01:34:08.399
law enforcement officials theorized that there would be no more

1535
01:34:08.399 --> 01:34:13.399
incidents since the season was over. On January tenth, Circleville

1536
01:34:13.439 --> 01:34:16.359
held a citywide memorial service in honor of the victims,

1537
01:34:16.720 --> 01:34:19.760
and has held a similar service every Christmas Eve since

1538
01:34:20.800 --> 01:34:24.399
these murders left many questions, all starting with who the

1539
01:34:24.479 --> 01:34:28.800
murderer was. Upon reflection, they stated that they believed the

1540
01:34:28.880 --> 01:34:31.560
murderer due to the use of the letters the children

1541
01:34:31.600 --> 01:34:34.319
wrote to Santa Claus, had to work for either the

1542
01:34:34.359 --> 01:34:38.600
postal service or the public school. As such, the police

1543
01:34:38.600 --> 01:34:42.319
conducted mass interviews for all post office and school employees.

1544
01:34:43.159 --> 01:34:46.920
While everyone interviewed seemed on edge, nobody stood out as

1545
01:34:46.920 --> 01:34:50.159
being a psychopathic killer. As the weeks rolled on, the

1546
01:34:50.239 --> 01:34:53.880
case began to go cold. Without conclusive evidence to form

1547
01:34:53.920 --> 01:34:57.439
any leads, the city and police made the controversial decision

1548
01:34:57.880 --> 01:35:02.760
to stop the investigation. Nineteen seventy nine continued on, the

1549
01:35:02.840 --> 01:35:05.920
tragedy still hanging over the town of Circleville like the

1550
01:35:05.960 --> 01:35:09.560
specter of death. People slowly started to return to what

1551
01:35:09.600 --> 01:35:12.960
they would call a normal life, with only hushed whispers

1552
01:35:13.239 --> 01:35:17.399
of the Santa Letter murders remaining. Months went by, and

1553
01:35:17.479 --> 01:35:20.800
soon it was November. The Christmas spirit began to grow

1554
01:35:20.840 --> 01:35:23.600
in the town once more, but it was tempered by

1555
01:35:23.680 --> 01:35:28.720
fears of a new murder spree possibly arising. In preparation,

1556
01:35:28.880 --> 01:35:31.439
Circleville schools announced that they would not put up letter

1557
01:35:31.479 --> 01:35:34.680
boxes for kids this year. As a safety precaution, the

1558
01:35:34.720 --> 01:35:37.479
post office took action as well, stating that any letters

1559
01:35:37.479 --> 01:35:40.119
addressed to Santa Claus would go straight to the police

1560
01:35:40.159 --> 01:35:43.840
for protection. Everything that the town could think of they implemented,

1561
01:35:44.079 --> 01:35:49.000
hoping to avoid another year of mayhem. December nineteen seventy

1562
01:35:49.079 --> 01:35:54.479
nine began and ended with no murders. This left everyone baffled.

1563
01:35:55.000 --> 01:35:58.079
Why did the killer not strike again? What was it

1564
01:35:58.119 --> 01:36:01.159
about this year compared to last to make him or

1565
01:36:01.279 --> 01:36:05.439
her not lash out? Perhaps the crimes would be nothing

1566
01:36:05.479 --> 01:36:08.479
more than a freak event and unsolved mystery. Like so

1567
01:36:08.600 --> 01:36:12.399
many others. That feeling continued into the next year, and

1568
01:36:12.479 --> 01:36:17.640
the next, and on and on to this day. Nobody

1569
01:36:17.680 --> 01:36:20.720
knows who could have been behind the murders. Christmas in

1570
01:36:20.800 --> 01:36:23.680
Circleville was never quite the same, but the years dulled

1571
01:36:23.720 --> 01:36:26.880
the fear somewhat, and the police allowed the post office

1572
01:36:26.920 --> 01:36:30.119
to start accepting letters to Santa Claus once more, but

1573
01:36:30.239 --> 01:36:34.039
did not allow the school to reopen their dropbox. The

1574
01:36:34.119 --> 01:36:38.520
same question always pops up, who did it? While law

1575
01:36:38.560 --> 01:36:42.359
enforcement never did name a suspect or conduct any arrests O.

1576
01:36:42.560 --> 01:36:45.119
Kyle later said that he had a theory of the

1577
01:36:45.199 --> 01:36:50.560
murderer's identity. He suspected that elementary school teacher Linda Morrison

1578
01:36:50.960 --> 01:36:54.439
was the killer after discovering her dead from suicide in

1579
01:36:54.560 --> 01:36:58.000
January of nineteen eighty. His reasoning was based on the

1580
01:36:58.079 --> 01:37:00.479
fact that she was the one responsible for handing the

1581
01:37:00.560 --> 01:37:04.039
letters to the post office in nineteen seventy eight. It

1582
01:37:04.119 --> 01:37:07.319
was his belief that she made photocopies of the letters

1583
01:37:07.399 --> 01:37:10.560
before delivering them. As for how she would have selected

1584
01:37:10.560 --> 01:37:13.960
her victims, O Kyle claimed that she did so based

1585
01:37:14.000 --> 01:37:17.239
on which children in the school were receiving discipline for

1586
01:37:17.359 --> 01:37:22.680
bad behavior. However, there was no concrete evidence. Perhaps it

1587
01:37:22.880 --> 01:37:26.000
was Morrison trying to enact a form of discipline on

1588
01:37:26.039 --> 01:37:28.640
the children who acted out in the parents who raised

1589
01:37:28.680 --> 01:37:32.479
their children to act as such, though perhaps it was

1590
01:37:32.520 --> 01:37:36.640
a disgruntled post office employee. Maybe it was somebody else

1591
01:37:36.720 --> 01:37:39.920
who worked at one of the schools. Some theories suggest

1592
01:37:39.960 --> 01:37:45.000
it was O Kyle himself or another person within law enforcement. Doubtless,

1593
01:37:45.439 --> 01:37:49.239
no one will ever knowvershare. All that is known is

1594
01:37:49.279 --> 01:37:52.159
that the fear lingers in the cool, crisp winter air

1595
01:37:52.560 --> 01:37:56.520
that one day the devilish Deliverer will once again return,

1596
01:37:57.079 --> 01:38:11.880
bringing Christmas terror to Circleville Babes in terror Land by

1597
01:38:11.960 --> 01:38:17.920
Morgan Moore. As with many holiday seasons before it, parents

1598
01:38:17.920 --> 01:38:21.479
and children flocked to Baron's toy store in the village

1599
01:38:21.520 --> 01:38:24.560
of Green Seas. In the middle of the crowd was

1600
01:38:24.720 --> 01:38:27.800
Justin Barn, a fourteen year old boy with an apron

1601
01:38:27.840 --> 01:38:31.039
featuring a hand sewn version of the store's logo in

1602
01:38:31.079 --> 01:38:34.520
the middle. Justin was staying with his grandmother, the owner

1603
01:38:34.520 --> 01:38:36.880
of the store, for the holidays while his parents were

1604
01:38:36.920 --> 01:38:39.920
away on a business trip. He was enlisted to lend

1605
01:38:39.960 --> 01:38:42.720
a hand almost immediately upon his arrival. With it being

1606
01:38:42.760 --> 01:38:47.079
the store's busiest time of year. Justin could never understand

1607
01:38:47.159 --> 01:38:49.960
how she managed it all on her own, but she

1608
01:38:50.000 --> 01:38:52.439
had been doing it ever since his grandfather died a

1609
01:38:52.439 --> 01:38:57.520
few years ago and was managing it successfully somehow. Justin

1610
01:38:57.560 --> 01:38:59.760
moved around the store as best he could, seeing how

1611
01:39:00.119 --> 01:39:03.039
outed the small store wasn't all. The building itself was

1612
01:39:03.079 --> 01:39:05.960
an old brownstone, with the store situated on the ground

1613
01:39:05.960 --> 01:39:10.079
floor and Missus Baron's home on the second. The store

1614
01:39:10.119 --> 01:39:14.039
could become a claustrophobic nightmare when business was booming, but

1615
01:39:14.159 --> 01:39:17.039
he managed stocking the shelves and helping out customers as

1616
01:39:17.079 --> 01:39:20.359
best he could. By the time three o'clock came around,

1617
01:39:20.520 --> 01:39:22.720
Justin was spent and was ready for the day to

1618
01:39:22.760 --> 01:39:25.800
be over so he could finally get some rest. Those

1619
01:39:25.840 --> 01:39:30.600
thoughts were interrupted when he laid eyes on Kathy Wilcox.

1620
01:39:31.760 --> 01:39:33.680
He had known her since fourth grade and had a

1621
01:39:33.720 --> 01:39:37.319
crush on her that never faded. Justin always wanted to

1622
01:39:37.359 --> 01:39:40.000
tell her how he felt, but he could never muster

1623
01:39:40.119 --> 01:39:43.119
up the courage to do it. Somehow, he could picture

1624
01:39:43.159 --> 01:39:46.119
everything he wanted to say, but any time he saw her,

1625
01:39:46.920 --> 01:39:51.000
it all vanished. Justin felt himself beginning to melt as

1626
01:39:51.039 --> 01:39:54.239
he kept looking at her. His face turned bright red,

1627
01:39:54.239 --> 01:39:57.279
and immediately Justin began to do some busy work around

1628
01:39:57.319 --> 01:40:00.479
the area, trying to disguise the fact that he had

1629
01:40:00.520 --> 01:40:04.079
been staring at her. Justin's heart beat faster and faster,

1630
01:40:04.199 --> 01:40:07.079
as if somebody was pounding away on a drum, but

1631
01:40:07.199 --> 01:40:09.760
that came to an immediate halt when he felt a

1632
01:40:09.840 --> 01:40:13.399
gentle tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw

1633
01:40:13.479 --> 01:40:20.600
Kathy there. Hi, Justin, Cathy said sweetly, Hi, Kathy. Justin stammered,

1634
01:40:20.600 --> 01:40:23.800
his face feeling like it was on fire. Kathy gave

1635
01:40:23.880 --> 01:40:26.920
him an intimate smile, her blue eyes seeming to shimmer

1636
01:40:27.000 --> 01:40:31.199
to Justin. Mind if I ask you a question? Uh oh,

1637
01:40:31.600 --> 01:40:35.720
Justin thought, She's gonna chew me out for looking at her,

1638
01:40:35.760 --> 01:40:37.880
and in the middle of the store too, everybody's gonna

1639
01:40:37.880 --> 01:40:43.039
think I'm some perv. Sure, Justin responded, after a brief pause.

1640
01:40:44.159 --> 01:40:47.199
Could you help me and my sister real quick? What

1641
01:40:47.359 --> 01:40:51.520
a relief, Justin thought, Oh yeah, for sure. What do

1642
01:40:51.520 --> 01:40:54.680
you guys need? He asked. She then began to walk

1643
01:40:54.680 --> 01:40:58.880
away down an aisle. Justin followed close behind her. My

1644
01:40:58.960 --> 01:41:02.039
sister found something, but I can't reach it, and neither

1645
01:41:02.079 --> 01:41:04.960
can she. I saw you and thought i'd ask if

1646
01:41:04.960 --> 01:41:06.800
you could bring it down for me. Since you're so

1647
01:41:07.039 --> 01:41:11.439
tall and all, Kathy explained, Oh yeah, I should be

1648
01:41:11.479 --> 01:41:14.319
able to get it for you, Justin replied with a smile.

1649
01:41:15.199 --> 01:41:20.840
Kathy returned the smile. Man, she's so cute, Justin thought.

1650
01:41:21.319 --> 01:41:25.000
As they kept walking beside one another. The two eventually

1651
01:41:25.000 --> 01:41:28.479
got to their location and joined Kathy's sister, Janet. Upon

1652
01:41:28.560 --> 01:41:31.960
seeing Justin and the apron identifying him as a store employee,

1653
01:41:32.119 --> 01:41:35.000
Janet pointed upwards toward the top of the shelf she

1654
01:41:35.119 --> 01:41:39.960
was standing at that one. Please Janet asked Justin. Justin

1655
01:41:40.000 --> 01:41:42.079
looked up to where the child pointed and saw a

1656
01:41:42.079 --> 01:41:44.880
clown doll. The doll had been in the store ever

1657
01:41:44.920 --> 01:41:48.079
since he could remember. It had a wooden head and hands,

1658
01:41:48.079 --> 01:41:51.159
and was dressed in a hand sewn outfit colored silver

1659
01:41:51.279 --> 01:41:55.319
and blue. A jester had adorned its head, bells dangling

1660
01:41:55.359 --> 01:42:00.159
down playfully. Justin had always thought it looked creepy. Other

1661
01:42:00.239 --> 01:42:02.119
people must have thought the same, as the doll had

1662
01:42:02.119 --> 01:42:04.279
been around the store ever since he was a child.

1663
01:42:04.800 --> 01:42:09.399
But maybe finally someone had found the doll appealing and

1664
01:42:09.520 --> 01:42:13.039
wanted to give it a home. Justin smiled and reached up,

1665
01:42:13.199 --> 01:42:15.960
just barely able to get the doll. He got a

1666
01:42:16.000 --> 01:42:18.399
grip on it and brought it down, handing it gently

1667
01:42:18.479 --> 01:42:23.239
to the little girl. Here you go, Justin said, Janet

1668
01:42:23.319 --> 01:42:26.399
smiled as she held and stared at the doll. Kathy

1669
01:42:26.479 --> 01:42:29.079
turned to Justin and gave him a big smile. He

1670
01:42:29.119 --> 01:42:33.560
returned it in kind. I want him, Janet responded energetically,

1671
01:42:33.760 --> 01:42:36.319
as she held the clown doll up to the two.

1672
01:42:36.479 --> 01:42:39.960
How much is it, Cathy asked Justin. I'm not sure.

1673
01:42:40.239 --> 01:42:42.039
It doesn't look like it has a tag on it.

1674
01:42:42.600 --> 01:42:46.279
Let's ask my grandma, Justin said. They arrived at the

1675
01:42:46.319 --> 01:42:50.000
register to find Justin's grandmother smiling at the three. There

1676
01:42:50.079 --> 01:42:53.560
you are, Justin. What cute friends you have there, she said.

1677
01:42:53.880 --> 01:42:57.520
Kathy blushed lightly at the comment, Hey, grandma, how much

1678
01:42:57.600 --> 01:42:59.800
is this? There's no tag on it or even a

1679
01:42:59.800 --> 01:43:02.560
sign I'm on the shelf it was on. His grandmother's

1680
01:43:02.560 --> 01:43:08.000
smile turned to a slight frown. Oh honey, I'm so

1681
01:43:08.079 --> 01:43:11.640
sorry that doll isn't for sale. I only keep it

1682
01:43:11.680 --> 01:43:15.720
on the shelf for decoration, she explained, as sweetly as possible.

1683
01:43:16.800 --> 01:43:20.279
But I want it, Janet told her. Are you sure

1684
01:43:20.279 --> 01:43:24.960
you're not able to sell it? Kathy asked, unfortunately, I am, dear.

1685
01:43:25.319 --> 01:43:28.159
My husband made the doll many years ago for Justin's

1686
01:43:28.159 --> 01:43:31.760
mother and it just has too much sentimental value for

1687
01:43:31.800 --> 01:43:34.359
me to sell it. It's been watching over the store

1688
01:43:34.439 --> 01:43:39.560
for years, Justin's grandma explained to the three. Janet frowned,

1689
01:43:39.680 --> 01:43:43.600
tears starting to well up. Justin smiled a little bit

1690
01:43:43.640 --> 01:43:46.520
at the two and at his grandma. It's all right,

1691
01:43:46.600 --> 01:43:49.560
I'll put him back, Justin said. He then made a

1692
01:43:49.560 --> 01:43:52.560
motion with his head for Kathy and Janet to follow him.

1693
01:43:53.079 --> 01:43:55.199
The three of them made their way back to the aisle.

1694
01:43:55.760 --> 01:43:58.800
Janet looked utterly devastated that she couldn't have the doll,

1695
01:43:59.159 --> 01:44:02.920
and Kathy looked equally saddened for her sister. Once they

1696
01:44:02.960 --> 01:44:05.680
got back to the aisle, Justin put the doll back up.

1697
01:44:06.239 --> 01:44:09.079
He then turned to Kathy with a small grin. She

1698
01:44:09.199 --> 01:44:13.680
tilted her head in confusion. What is it? Why are

1699
01:44:13.720 --> 01:44:18.279
you grinning like that? She asked, Because I know of

1700
01:44:18.319 --> 01:44:21.159
a way to get that doll for Janet, he explained.

1701
01:44:21.840 --> 01:44:26.880
Janet's face brightened up at once. Really how Justin moved

1702
01:44:26.880 --> 01:44:29.039
in a bit closer to Kathy so that he could

1703
01:44:29.039 --> 01:44:32.560
talk to her in semi privacy. Janet frowned when she

1704
01:44:32.680 --> 01:44:36.000
realized what was going on. My grandma is going to

1705
01:44:36.039 --> 01:44:38.079
go out to a party tonight and I'll be alone

1706
01:44:38.159 --> 01:44:40.800
for hours. Come on buy around eight and I'll let

1707
01:44:40.800 --> 01:44:43.600
you in. We can get the doll then, he explained

1708
01:44:43.600 --> 01:44:48.600
to her. But she'll notice, won't she, Kathy asked, don't worry,

1709
01:44:48.640 --> 01:44:51.079
I'll take care of it. Just be here by eight.

1710
01:45:02.000 --> 01:45:04.680
Later that night, Justin made his way downstairs to the

1711
01:45:04.720 --> 01:45:07.319
store and opened the front door to find Kathy and

1712
01:45:07.439 --> 01:45:11.239
Janet standing there. Justin frowned a tiny bit as the

1713
01:45:11.239 --> 01:45:14.479
two girls made their way inside. Why did you bring

1714
01:45:14.520 --> 01:45:16.920
your sister? He asked, doing his best to hide his

1715
01:45:17.000 --> 01:45:21.119
disappointment that it wasn't just Kathy. She wanted to come,

1716
01:45:21.119 --> 01:45:23.079
and I couldn't get her to stay home without spilling

1717
01:45:23.079 --> 01:45:25.279
the beans. I told my parents I was going out

1718
01:45:25.319 --> 01:45:27.560
with friends, and she threatened to tell them what I

1719
01:45:27.640 --> 01:45:34.079
was really doing. Kathy explained, I mean, it isn't entirely untrue.

1720
01:45:34.920 --> 01:45:37.760
You are hanging out with a friend, Justin said, with

1721
01:45:37.800 --> 01:45:41.760
a small smile. I'm going Janet blurted out and ran

1722
01:45:41.800 --> 01:45:45.000
towards the aisle with the doll. So how are you

1723
01:45:45.039 --> 01:45:48.079
going to explain this to your grandma? Kathy asked as

1724
01:45:48.119 --> 01:45:51.680
she walked past the display of a toy war scene. Oh,

1725
01:45:51.840 --> 01:45:53.680
I'm gonna tell her I ordered a pizza and just

1726
01:45:53.720 --> 01:45:55.560
forgot to lock the door on my way back up.

1727
01:45:55.880 --> 01:45:57.680
I'll take some money out of the register and hide

1728
01:45:57.680 --> 01:46:00.560
a few other toys, maybe knock some dis blaze over

1729
01:46:00.600 --> 01:46:02.319
and make it look like somebody broke in and robbed

1730
01:46:02.359 --> 01:46:08.800
the place. He explained. That's pretty clever, mean, but clever,

1731
01:46:09.039 --> 01:46:12.720
she responded as she stopped by the register. Justin stopping

1732
01:46:12.760 --> 01:46:17.079
in front of her. Hey, what can I say? Justin said?

1733
01:46:17.880 --> 01:46:20.359
Cathy smiled a bit as she fiddled with some small

1734
01:46:20.399 --> 01:46:23.479
toys by the register. She looked around, then returned her

1735
01:46:23.479 --> 01:46:26.680
gaze to Justin. Why are you doing this for us?

1736
01:46:27.560 --> 01:46:30.600
Why are you risking getting into so much trouble? His

1737
01:46:30.760 --> 01:46:32.960
mind raced at a million miles an hour, trying to

1738
01:46:32.960 --> 01:46:35.479
figure out how to explain why he was so willing

1739
01:46:35.520 --> 01:46:40.439
to help her sister out. No, help her out. Before

1740
01:46:40.479 --> 01:46:42.640
he could give it any more thought, he'd blurted out

1741
01:46:42.640 --> 01:46:46.479
his response, It's because I like you. I've always liked you.

1742
01:46:46.520 --> 01:46:48.479
I think you're sweet and cute, and I just wanted

1743
01:46:48.479 --> 01:46:50.119
to help because I like you, and I thought maybe

1744
01:46:50.159 --> 01:46:52.720
you'd like me back if I did it. He gasped

1745
01:46:52.720 --> 01:46:56.119
for breath. Justin closed his eyes and took several deep breaths,

1746
01:46:56.119 --> 01:46:59.640
eventually regaining control of his breathing. After a few brief minutes,

1747
01:47:00.119 --> 01:47:03.239
he opened his eyes, finding that Cathy was staring at him,

1748
01:47:03.239 --> 01:47:07.520
her mouth dropped open some and her eyes wide dread filled.

1749
01:47:07.640 --> 01:47:11.600
Justin his heart beating harder and harder. Oh no, she's

1750
01:47:11.640 --> 01:47:13.479
going to leave and never speak to me again, and

1751
01:47:13.560 --> 01:47:16.920
tell everybody I'm a loser and a freak, but she

1752
01:47:17.039 --> 01:47:22.119
surprised him by smiling at him warmly and widely. Justin

1753
01:47:22.239 --> 01:47:26.159
slowly smiled back. They brought their faces close to one another,

1754
01:47:26.800 --> 01:47:30.520
only a hair's breath to part. The scream that ripped

1755
01:47:30.520 --> 01:47:33.399
through the air put an end to that. Janet Cathy

1756
01:47:33.439 --> 01:47:36.279
called out and rushed toward the location the scream emanated from,

1757
01:47:36.680 --> 01:47:39.279
Justin following in her wake. The duo arrived to find

1758
01:47:39.359 --> 01:47:42.800
Janet laying on the floor, screaming and crying in agony,

1759
01:47:42.920 --> 01:47:47.000
her eye sockets bleeding profusely. As for the former resident

1760
01:47:47.039 --> 01:47:49.680
of those yawning black holes, they were in the hands

1761
01:47:50.399 --> 01:47:54.920
of the clown doll. The toy turned its head and

1762
01:47:55.039 --> 01:47:59.000
looked at them. Justin and Cathy bolted from the aisle,

1763
01:47:59.159 --> 01:48:01.800
the clown doll right behind them. As they ran down

1764
01:48:01.800 --> 01:48:04.039
the aisles, Cathy shrieked as the other toys began to

1765
01:48:04.039 --> 01:48:07.199
spring from the shelves and joined the hunt. Stuffed bears

1766
01:48:07.199 --> 01:48:09.880
and lions pawed at them with vicious claws that sprang

1767
01:48:09.920 --> 01:48:12.560
from their plush paws. As metal model cars pelted down

1768
01:48:12.560 --> 01:48:16.199
on the teams like rain, leaving bruises and cuts. Justin

1769
01:48:16.279 --> 01:48:18.640
managed to grab a baseball bat from a nearby barrel

1770
01:48:18.680 --> 01:48:21.800
and started swinging away as Kathy grabbed a stick horse

1771
01:48:21.840 --> 01:48:24.560
and did the same. The two sent toys flying left

1772
01:48:24.600 --> 01:48:28.000
and right, but more and more came forth. Soon Justin

1773
01:48:28.039 --> 01:48:31.319
and Cathy found themselves surrounded. They continued to swing away,

1774
01:48:31.359 --> 01:48:34.840
but soon the terror toys grabbed their weapons and pulled

1775
01:48:34.840 --> 01:48:38.960
them away, leaving the pair defenseless. Justin and Cathy looked

1776
01:48:38.960 --> 01:48:41.039
at each other and took hold of each other's hand,

1777
01:48:41.479 --> 01:48:46.000
ready to accept their doomed fate. The store lights came

1778
01:48:46.000 --> 01:48:49.399
alive and bathed everything in a warm, fluorescent glow, causing

1779
01:48:49.439 --> 01:48:53.479
the pair to start. Oh no, look at this mess,

1780
01:48:53.760 --> 01:48:57.119
The voice of Justin's grandmother rang out. The older woman

1781
01:48:57.159 --> 01:49:00.520
looked around at all the toys, who now looked back

1782
01:49:00.560 --> 01:49:03.399
at her. She stopped a few feet away from the

1783
01:49:03.479 --> 01:49:09.079
rattled teens. Grandma, what's going on? Why are you home?

1784
01:49:09.520 --> 01:49:12.119
Justin spat out in a mix of confusion and anger,

1785
01:49:13.199 --> 01:49:16.720
And why did they attack us and my sister? My god,

1786
01:49:16.840 --> 01:49:20.920
Janet Cathy started, but soon stopped as she succumbed to

1787
01:49:21.039 --> 01:49:25.319
raw grief. The senior shook her head and sighed, I

1788
01:49:25.399 --> 01:49:29.520
suppose I should explain you see these toys, all of them.

1789
01:49:30.319 --> 01:49:38.840
They come alive every nightfall. But why how, Justin demanded, Justin,

1790
01:49:38.920 --> 01:49:45.479
dear your grandfather, Your grandfather made them that way. Business

1791
01:49:45.560 --> 01:49:48.319
hasn't been the same for years, not since that damned

1792
01:49:48.319 --> 01:49:52.920
department store opened up. Then, when we learned your grandpa

1793
01:49:53.000 --> 01:49:55.840
didn't have long left, he was afraid of what would

1794
01:49:55.880 --> 01:50:00.000
happen to the store. To me, it was his opinion

1795
01:50:00.119 --> 01:50:02.720
in that without any help, the store would have shut down.

1796
01:50:03.560 --> 01:50:08.760
So he decided to create some help. Your grandfather came

1797
01:50:08.800 --> 01:50:11.479
across a strange scroll during the war in a bombed

1798
01:50:11.479 --> 01:50:15.840
out toy store, a store he swore was filled with screaming,

1799
01:50:15.960 --> 01:50:20.239
burning toys. You can guess the rest. These toys have

1800
01:50:20.319 --> 01:50:26.039
been cleaning, stocking, and providing security as you've seen here

1801
01:50:26.079 --> 01:50:31.960
ever since, these wonderful toys. They're loyal and always have

1802
01:50:32.119 --> 01:50:38.000
been and always will be. Justin and Cathy were taken aback.

1803
01:50:38.800 --> 01:50:41.640
They believed it all, after all, how could they not,

1804
01:50:42.720 --> 01:50:48.680
But something still bothered them. Oh thank god, we're safe, then,

1805
01:50:49.039 --> 01:50:52.279
Cathy told them. The two smiled as they looked at

1806
01:50:52.279 --> 01:50:56.760
each other and then at Justin's grandma, but the smiles

1807
01:50:56.800 --> 01:50:59.520
faded as they saw that the elder in front of

1808
01:50:59.560 --> 01:51:05.119
them was grim grandma. Justin started with a shaky voice.

1809
01:51:06.159 --> 01:51:10.680
I'm sorry, love, but you were trespassing. You know I

1810
01:51:10.680 --> 01:51:13.319
don't like you coming down here at night to say

1811
01:51:13.359 --> 01:51:16.680
nothing of your friend here and her sister. The store

1812
01:51:16.960 --> 01:51:21.159
was closed. Besides, they don't move during the day, but

1813
01:51:21.239 --> 01:51:24.239
they can still hear. When I left for the party,

1814
01:51:24.279 --> 01:51:27.159
they told me about your little plan. That's why I

1815
01:51:27.239 --> 01:51:31.640
came back early. You mean you're gonna turn us into

1816
01:51:31.640 --> 01:51:36.560
the police, Cathy asked, no, Unfortunately for you two. I

1817
01:51:36.640 --> 01:51:39.920
leave all my security matters up to them, and I

1818
01:51:40.039 --> 01:51:43.640
believe I know what they'll do with you, she explained.

1819
01:51:44.680 --> 01:51:47.439
The toy soldiers from the war scene filed in, aiming

1820
01:51:47.439 --> 01:51:51.199
their guns at the teenagers. Justin and Cathy's faces displayed

1821
01:51:51.239 --> 01:51:56.279
pure and utter terror. With that, Justin's grandmother left and

1822
01:51:56.319 --> 01:51:58.920
made her way to the stairs. She looked over at

1823
01:51:58.920 --> 01:52:03.039
the two again and shook her head and sighed. Then,

1824
01:52:03.319 --> 01:52:05.840
with a flick of her wrist, she turned off the lights.

1825
01:52:06.960 --> 01:52:24.399
A stream of sharp bangs filled the storm. The weather

1826
01:52:24.479 --> 01:52:30.199
outside is Frightful by Shane Magliovoka. It was the worst

1827
01:52:30.199 --> 01:52:33.720
blizzard the city had seen in over a decade. In time,

1828
01:52:33.800 --> 01:52:36.319
the storm would be known as the Christmas Eve Blizzard

1829
01:52:36.359 --> 01:52:40.319
of seventy three, but tonight it was just the storm.

1830
01:52:40.760 --> 01:52:44.399
Patrol Woman Halsey Stone strained her eyes scanning the sidewalk

1831
01:52:44.600 --> 01:52:47.920
as the radio car crawled down the street, her partner,

1832
01:52:48.199 --> 01:52:51.479
officer Roy socerso at the wheel. This part of the

1833
01:52:51.520 --> 01:52:54.760
city had been hit hard by the country's current financial stagnation,

1834
01:52:55.560 --> 01:52:58.359
decaying buildings, junk piled on the side of the street,

1835
01:52:58.640 --> 01:53:02.520
broke down, cars left to rot, and open lots. For Stone,

1836
01:53:02.560 --> 01:53:05.239
this was too much like the poverty she'd grown up around.

1837
01:53:06.039 --> 01:53:09.279
Many of the large buildings were seemingly abandoned, but in truth,

1838
01:53:09.520 --> 01:53:12.880
whole families lived within their walls, as did the normal

1839
01:53:12.960 --> 01:53:17.840
cast of junkies, drunks, and other shady characters. An anonymous

1840
01:53:17.840 --> 01:53:21.359
caller had reported a woman screaming for help. They'd circled

1841
01:53:21.399 --> 01:53:24.000
the block a few times but come up with nothing.

1842
01:53:24.560 --> 01:53:27.880
The blizzard had driven everyone indoors. Between the strong gusts

1843
01:53:27.880 --> 01:53:30.720
of wind and the visibility being shit, nobody in the

1844
01:53:30.800 --> 01:53:34.399
right mind would be out here, but here they were

1845
01:53:35.119 --> 01:53:38.199
on Christmas Eve, no less, not that either of them

1846
01:53:38.199 --> 01:53:41.039
had anywhere else to be. Stone had left her family

1847
01:53:41.079 --> 01:53:43.640
behind when she'd moved to the big city and her

1848
01:53:43.680 --> 01:53:47.640
partner was estranged from his wife and daughter. Stone's left

1849
01:53:47.640 --> 01:53:52.000
hand clasped and unclasped her holster, almost keeping a steady rhythm.

1850
01:53:52.720 --> 01:53:58.199
Enough snapped Socer, So what with the holster? Kid shit?

1851
01:53:58.720 --> 01:54:01.239
She hadn't realized she'd been doing it. She could get

1852
01:54:01.239 --> 01:54:07.359
lost in thought sometimes, Sorry, this is just a bullshit call, kid, Sure.

1853
01:54:08.159 --> 01:54:11.399
Stone took off her uniform cap. She smoothed back some

1854
01:54:11.479 --> 01:54:14.680
of her long blonde hair that obstinately refused to cooperate.

1855
01:54:15.600 --> 01:54:19.000
What you think there's something to this call? Probably just

1856
01:54:19.039 --> 01:54:21.199
some junkie trying to steal a few bucks, or some

1857
01:54:21.319 --> 01:54:25.840
asshole trying to stay warm by raping a He stopped himself,

1858
01:54:26.079 --> 01:54:30.479
his face reddened a little. Sorry, kid Stone adjusted her

1859
01:54:30.520 --> 01:54:34.800
dirty blonde ponytail. Maybe he was right. How long do

1860
01:54:34.840 --> 01:54:37.960
you want this to go on? Soccer So said, what

1861
01:54:38.560 --> 01:54:44.880
your shitty attitude? No Oakie looking for our phantom suspect. God.

1862
01:54:44.960 --> 01:54:48.079
She hated that. When somebody back at the precinct found

1863
01:54:48.079 --> 01:54:50.840
out about her family coming from the Ozarks, one of

1864
01:54:50.880 --> 01:54:54.279
the assholes had started calling her Oakie. They'd got it

1865
01:54:54.319 --> 01:54:57.680
from some old song and it stuck like glue. You

1866
01:54:57.760 --> 01:55:01.319
got somewhere to be, she said, somehow making it sound

1867
01:55:01.399 --> 01:55:06.159
like fuck you. He shot her a look, no, just

1868
01:55:06.199 --> 01:55:09.880
think our time could be spent better. She drummed her

1869
01:55:09.880 --> 01:55:13.000
fingers on the dash. All she wanted to do was

1870
01:55:13.039 --> 01:55:16.319
bounce soccer So's head off the dash. The anger was

1871
01:55:16.359 --> 01:55:20.359
always there, had always been there once it scared her.

1872
01:55:20.880 --> 01:55:24.800
Now it was a friend. You know what, Okie, I'm

1873
01:55:24.840 --> 01:55:29.079
gonna make it your call. Do we continue looking? Stone

1874
01:55:29.119 --> 01:55:34.640
took a deep breath. My choice, no, bitching, you're a call.

1875
01:55:35.600 --> 01:55:38.640
Since she'd been a kid, she'd had a feeling. She

1876
01:55:38.640 --> 01:55:42.119
could always tell when something bad was coming. Stone had

1877
01:55:42.119 --> 01:55:47.720
that feeling now another time around. If there's nothing, we go. Okay,

1878
01:55:48.199 --> 01:55:51.880
fair enough. Soccer So turned the corner. As outside the

1879
01:55:51.920 --> 01:55:55.000
wind gusted. Stone could feel the car move a little,

1880
01:55:55.079 --> 01:55:58.079
pushed by the wind. We've been at this dance for

1881
01:55:58.119 --> 01:56:01.199
almost a month now, kid, I'm supposed to be training you,

1882
01:56:01.640 --> 01:56:05.159
be your partner, and I know Jack and shit about you.

1883
01:56:06.039 --> 01:56:08.800
That was the way she liked it. There was too

1884
01:56:08.920 --> 01:56:13.439
much in her past. What's there to know? I'm from Missouri.

1885
01:56:14.119 --> 01:56:17.079
Should open up more, hang out with some of us.

1886
01:56:17.359 --> 01:56:20.600
Why you guys constantly make fun of me and where

1887
01:56:20.600 --> 01:56:25.079
I came from. That's just ribbing. You no different than

1888
01:56:25.079 --> 01:56:28.079
any other rookie. You make it harder on yourself anyway,

1889
01:56:28.119 --> 01:56:31.760
acting like a brat. Sorry, I'm just not miss fun.

1890
01:56:31.800 --> 01:56:34.840
In Games, a woman came out of the blanket of

1891
01:56:34.880 --> 01:56:38.239
falling snow running at their car, screaming. There was blood

1892
01:56:38.239 --> 01:56:41.239
on her hands and jacket. Soccer So swerved the car

1893
01:56:41.279 --> 01:56:43.600
and ended up in a snow bank. Stone was already

1894
01:56:43.680 --> 01:56:48.840
undoing her seatbelt. Fuck you, okay, kid, Yeah. The woman

1895
01:56:48.920 --> 01:56:51.800
came running towards them. Stone started to open the door.

1896
01:56:52.319 --> 01:56:55.720
Oh god, officer, I'm so sorry, ma'am. Take it easy.

1897
01:56:56.039 --> 01:56:59.560
Is that your blood? Are you injured? She shook her head. No,

1898
01:57:00.119 --> 01:57:04.680
the woman was shaking his blood. Soccer So tried getting

1899
01:57:04.720 --> 01:57:07.119
his door open, but the snow bank wouldn't give As

1900
01:57:07.119 --> 01:57:10.840
he slammed the door repeatedly against the packed snow. Stone

1901
01:57:10.840 --> 01:57:15.680
took the panicked woman towards their car. What's your name, ma'am, Dorothy,

1902
01:57:16.319 --> 01:57:19.760
it's Dorothy, Okay, Dorothy. I need you to get in

1903
01:57:19.800 --> 01:57:25.439
the back of the car. Dorothy hesitated, What why? You'll

1904
01:57:25.439 --> 01:57:28.079
be safe until we can get somebody to look at you.

1905
01:57:28.720 --> 01:57:31.560
Soccer So finally gave up on getting his door to open.

1906
01:57:32.439 --> 01:57:34.560
Dorothy slid in and sat in the middle of the

1907
01:57:34.600 --> 01:57:38.039
back seat. A steel mesh separated Dorothy from Soccer. So

1908
01:57:39.159 --> 01:57:42.359
you'll be safe here, now. Can you tell me what happened? Dorothy.

1909
01:57:43.520 --> 01:57:46.239
Dorothy told her how she'd been cutting through the alleyway

1910
01:57:46.279 --> 01:57:48.680
on her way home from the corner store when a

1911
01:57:48.760 --> 01:57:50.520
large man had come out of a nook in the

1912
01:57:50.600 --> 01:57:53.680
alley and chased after her. When she fell on the

1913
01:57:53.880 --> 01:57:56.960
icy ground, he grabbed her. Terrified, she pulled a metal

1914
01:57:57.000 --> 01:57:59.880
nail file from her purse, stuck it into his leg,

1915
01:58:00.279 --> 01:58:03.640
and made her escape. Dorothy pointed to the alley across

1916
01:58:03.680 --> 01:58:08.159
the street a little ways back. It was there. Thank you, Dorothy,

1917
01:58:08.439 --> 01:58:11.800
Stone said, you're very brave. My partner will take care

1918
01:58:11.840 --> 01:58:15.720
of you until an ambulance arrives. I will Dorothy looked

1919
01:58:15.760 --> 01:58:18.640
up at Stone, perhaps sensing what was about to happen.

1920
01:58:19.840 --> 01:58:25.279
I looked into his eyes. Officer, there was nothing inside.

1921
01:58:25.319 --> 01:58:29.600
Stone tried to reassure her. It's gonna be okay, kid,

1922
01:58:30.000 --> 01:58:33.720
don't even think Soccriso said. She cut him off. Call

1923
01:58:33.760 --> 01:58:37.319
it in, get back up. Stone slammed the door shut

1924
01:58:37.359 --> 01:58:40.600
before he could protest any more. She took off down

1925
01:58:40.600 --> 01:58:44.000
the street towards the alley Dorothy had indicated. This was it,

1926
01:58:44.359 --> 01:58:46.920
that feeling of dread that she'd felt. Her heart felt

1927
01:58:46.960 --> 01:58:48.840
like it was going to break free from her chest.

1928
01:58:49.439 --> 01:58:51.560
She'd made it to the alley. He could still be

1929
01:58:51.680 --> 01:58:55.399
here nursing his wound, she thought. Ultimately he wasn't in

1930
01:58:55.439 --> 01:59:00.960
the alley, but something was the nail file. He'd pulled

1931
01:59:00.960 --> 01:59:03.800
it out. Now he'd bleed more and make her job easier.

1932
01:59:04.319 --> 01:59:07.000
Stone followed the blood down another alley and out to

1933
01:59:07.119 --> 01:59:10.239
a deserted street. She had never been much of a hunter.

1934
01:59:10.720 --> 01:59:12.840
Her dad had tried to teach her, but her patience

1935
01:59:12.880 --> 01:59:16.439
was lacking. He'd seemed so disappointed in her. But those

1936
01:59:16.479 --> 01:59:20.119
times out in the woods with him, just walking, those

1937
01:59:20.119 --> 01:59:23.079
were some of her favorite memories of growing up. But

1938
01:59:23.199 --> 01:59:26.960
now her father was spending another Christmas in prison. She sighed.

1939
01:59:27.960 --> 01:59:33.399
From somewhere above Christmas music drifted down hark the Herald Angels.

1940
01:59:34.399 --> 01:59:38.920
The heavy snowfall was quickly covering the blood. Stone came

1941
01:59:38.960 --> 01:59:41.920
out of the alley. She heard voices in a door close.

1942
01:59:42.279 --> 01:59:44.920
She spun around her gun at the ready. A young

1943
01:59:45.000 --> 01:59:48.800
couple stood there holding Christmas gifts, a look of shock

1944
01:59:49.000 --> 01:59:52.279
etched on their faces. Their little dog on a leash

1945
01:59:52.399 --> 01:59:56.239
yelped at her. The man raised his hands, dropping the gifts.

1946
01:59:57.319 --> 02:00:01.439
Have you seen anyone suspicious other than me? Maybe bleeding?

1947
02:00:02.119 --> 02:00:05.560
The dog continued yelping. The man pulled hard on its leash.

1948
02:00:05.680 --> 02:00:09.079
Shut up, Mitzi. Stone wouldn't mind slamming the guy against

1949
02:00:09.079 --> 02:00:12.680
the wall. No, officer, I need you both to go

1950
02:00:12.800 --> 02:00:15.680
back inside. There's a dangerous and wounded man in the vicinity.

1951
02:00:16.359 --> 02:00:20.279
Stone crossed the street. The trail continued down past a

1952
02:00:20.359 --> 02:00:25.279
large abandoned building, then it stopped ahead of her. Stone

1953
02:00:25.319 --> 02:00:28.720
heard a loud metallic clank, like a metal door or

1954
02:00:28.840 --> 02:00:33.439
lid closing. She regretted, leaving socc or So behind no.

1955
02:00:33.840 --> 02:00:36.319
Stone thought, this is where I show them what I

1956
02:00:36.359 --> 02:00:41.479
can do. She crouched slowly. She peeked around the corner

1957
02:00:41.520 --> 02:00:44.199
of the building until she had a full view of

1958
02:00:44.199 --> 02:00:48.880
the small street that lay beyond. There, next to an

1959
02:00:48.920 --> 02:00:52.479
abandoned theater was a metal hatch set in the ground.

1960
02:00:53.319 --> 02:00:57.159
Those led to basements. Soccer So had told her. Stone

1961
02:00:57.399 --> 02:01:00.319
gun at the ready inch towards it. Snow had been

1962
02:01:00.319 --> 02:01:04.960
brushed off very recently, and there was a bloody handprint

1963
02:01:04.960 --> 02:01:09.600
on the hatch. Got you, bastard, she thought. She pulled

1964
02:01:09.600 --> 02:01:12.239
a rag from her jacket. There was no way she

1965
02:01:12.319 --> 02:01:15.279
was taking a chance of fucking up the evidence her

1966
02:01:15.319 --> 02:01:20.359
service pistol Ready, Stone pulled on the latch. Locked, of course,

1967
02:01:21.279 --> 02:01:26.399
she'd have to find another way in. Then she heard it,

1968
02:01:27.560 --> 02:01:31.439
the rustle of wings. Stone looked up. Perched on a

1969
02:01:31.560 --> 02:01:35.239
rusty metal railing was a large white owl. It stared

1970
02:01:35.279 --> 02:01:39.159
at her with its large luminous eyes, eyes that looked

1971
02:01:39.279 --> 02:01:45.279
into her. She stared at it, transfixed. Then it struck

1972
02:01:45.319 --> 02:01:48.600
her what it was. Sitting on the railing of a

1973
02:01:48.640 --> 02:01:52.079
fire escape. She ran over and discovered the bottom of

1974
02:01:52.079 --> 02:01:55.560
the escape's ladder was just out of reach. Frantically, she

1975
02:01:55.600 --> 02:01:58.199
looked around for something she could use to get up there,

1976
02:01:59.119 --> 02:02:01.800
and there it was, sitting against the far wall of

1977
02:02:01.840 --> 02:02:06.359
an adjacent building, an old plastic chair. She carried the

1978
02:02:06.439 --> 02:02:10.000
chair over, and on tiptoes, she reached and pulled herself

1979
02:02:10.079 --> 02:02:13.640
up all that tree, climbing as a kid. Paid off

1980
02:02:14.640 --> 02:02:17.760
the fire escape led to a locked second story metal door.

1981
02:02:18.359 --> 02:02:20.600
Not far from it was a window set above a

1982
02:02:20.720 --> 02:02:24.359
narrow ledge. She stepped over the metal railing and on

1983
02:02:24.439 --> 02:02:27.840
to the ledge. The wind howled. She feared a really

1984
02:02:27.840 --> 02:02:31.159
strong gust might blow her off her perch. Her feet

1985
02:02:31.239 --> 02:02:35.000
knocked snow free as she inched towards the window. Finally

1986
02:02:35.479 --> 02:02:38.680
she made it. Using the flashlight from her belt, Stone

1987
02:02:38.720 --> 02:02:41.680
smashed through the glass and climbed through the window into

1988
02:02:41.720 --> 02:02:45.239
the dark interior. She played the beam of the flashlight

1989
02:02:45.319 --> 02:02:47.720
over the floor and walls of what had once been

1990
02:02:47.760 --> 02:02:51.399
in office. The broken glass crumbled under foot as she

1991
02:02:51.439 --> 02:02:54.720
made her way through the room. Stone crept into the

1992
02:02:54.720 --> 02:02:58.479
hallway and soon entered the main theater area. Paint was

1993
02:02:58.560 --> 02:03:01.600
chipping off the walls. The seats that hadn't been ripped

1994
02:03:01.640 --> 02:03:04.239
out or to face in some way were covered in

1995
02:03:04.399 --> 02:03:08.640
years of dust. She headed towards the stage area. Her

1996
02:03:08.680 --> 02:03:11.840
snow covered boots kicked up dust as she moved, leaving

1997
02:03:11.920 --> 02:03:16.319
wet tracks on the dirty floor. Stone climbed onto the stage.

1998
02:03:16.840 --> 02:03:20.039
An ugly looking green couch sat by itself at the center,

1999
02:03:20.720 --> 02:03:24.399
the curtain pulled shut behind it. She opened the curtain

2000
02:03:24.880 --> 02:03:28.880
and entered the back stage, Stone's flashlight being caught a

2001
02:03:28.880 --> 02:03:31.760
blank white face. She almost pulled her trigger before she

2002
02:03:31.800 --> 02:03:36.800
realized a mannikin stood before her. She walked past the

2003
02:03:36.920 --> 02:03:42.800
expressionless figure, fuck you, asshole. There was a long, dark

2004
02:03:42.920 --> 02:03:47.439
hallway that led off the back stage area. Old mattresses

2005
02:03:47.439 --> 02:03:51.279
were stacked in a haphazard pile stained with god knows what.

2006
02:03:52.079 --> 02:03:57.119
A musty smell permeated the air. A large wood wardrobe

2007
02:03:57.159 --> 02:04:00.840
sat in the middle of the hall. Rotting Stone raised

2008
02:04:00.840 --> 02:04:03.439
her weapon in her left hand and reached out with

2009
02:04:03.520 --> 02:04:06.439
her right. She yanked the door open, causing it to

2010
02:04:06.439 --> 02:04:13.359
fall off. In the process. Stone backed up it was empty.

2011
02:04:13.399 --> 02:04:16.600
Continuing on, she passed a pile of broken props and

2012
02:04:16.720 --> 02:04:20.880
raggedy costumes on racks, before arriving at a metal staircase

2013
02:04:20.960 --> 02:04:25.840
leading to the basement. She headed down, the metal clanking

2014
02:04:25.920 --> 02:04:28.880
under her boots. The basement hallway was lined with brick

2015
02:04:29.039 --> 02:04:31.600
and appeared to be in better shape than the walls above.

2016
02:04:32.279 --> 02:04:36.159
Another foul smell filled the air down here, the smell

2017
02:04:36.239 --> 02:04:41.000
of something rotten. A mattress lay on the floor. Next

2018
02:04:41.000 --> 02:04:43.840
to it sat stacks of books and empty soup cans.

2019
02:04:44.720 --> 02:04:48.600
Someone was living here. Taped to the wall were newspaper

2020
02:04:48.640 --> 02:04:56.680
clippings and excerpts from books and magazines, all concerning axe murders.

2021
02:04:56.720 --> 02:05:02.279
Above them, scrawled in blood red the axe man cometh.

2022
02:05:03.680 --> 02:05:07.520
Oh great, he's got a secret identity. At the far

2023
02:05:07.680 --> 02:05:10.319
end of the room was a metal door. A large

2024
02:05:10.399 --> 02:05:13.399
rusty chain was wound through the handles and secured with

2025
02:05:13.439 --> 02:05:17.600
a padlock. Before she could reach the door, something wet

2026
02:05:17.640 --> 02:05:21.239
hid her face. Stone turned her beam upwards to see

2027
02:05:22.119 --> 02:05:28.000
multiple severed arms hanging from large strands of butcher's twine.

2028
02:05:28.039 --> 02:05:31.079
Not thinking, she bolted forward and crashed into the metal

2029
02:05:31.079 --> 02:05:33.720
doors with all her might. The doors tore from their

2030
02:05:33.760 --> 02:05:36.640
rusty hinges and crashed to the floor with stone and tow.

2031
02:05:36.920 --> 02:05:39.399
She quickly sprung to her feet and swung her flashlight

2032
02:05:39.439 --> 02:05:42.880
around the new room. Taped to the walls in various

2033
02:05:42.920 --> 02:05:47.600
sizes were crosses made out of paper. She inspected one

2034
02:05:47.600 --> 02:05:50.560
of the crosses on the wall closest to her to

2035
02:05:50.680 --> 02:05:54.079
find it was made from Bible pages. At the far

2036
02:05:54.199 --> 02:05:56.600
end of the room was some kind of demented altar

2037
02:05:56.920 --> 02:06:00.920
made primarily of lashed together bones. A large metal cross

2038
02:06:00.920 --> 02:06:04.680
stood at its center, surrounded by a multitude of crimson candles,

2039
02:06:04.760 --> 02:06:10.159
which filled the surrounding air with acrid smoke. I've taken

2040
02:06:10.239 --> 02:06:14.760
their sin, a deep voice said from behind her. Startled

2041
02:06:14.760 --> 02:06:16.960
Stone spun around to see a brute of a man,

2042
02:06:17.000 --> 02:06:20.840
covered in shoddy, bloodstained clothes, standing in the doorway, cradling

2043
02:06:20.840 --> 02:06:22.720
an axe in his arms as if it were a

2044
02:06:22.760 --> 02:06:27.000
newborn baby. Around his right leg, a rag was tied

2045
02:06:27.039 --> 02:06:31.000
where he'd been stabbed by Dorothy. I cut it from

2046
02:06:31.039 --> 02:06:37.520
their bodies. You killed them, freed them. They died without sin.

2047
02:06:38.439 --> 02:06:43.439
He walked forward towards her with a limp. Freeze, you motherfucker,

2048
02:06:43.800 --> 02:06:47.399
Stone barked, her voice trembling. He stopped in his tracks.

2049
02:06:48.560 --> 02:06:54.039
I was chosen. He held out the axe. It chose me.

2050
02:06:55.039 --> 02:06:58.000
Shut up. She didn't want to hear his psycho sails. Pitch.

2051
02:06:58.359 --> 02:07:00.520
Put the axe on the ground and place your hands

2052
02:07:00.560 --> 02:07:04.840
behind your head. He stared at her as if not comprehending.

2053
02:07:06.079 --> 02:07:11.079
I've been to another plane, ascended. I was sent back

2054
02:07:11.199 --> 02:07:15.279
to do their work here, do it? Fuck her, Stone screamed,

2055
02:07:15.359 --> 02:07:17.920
her anger getting the best of her. He set the

2056
02:07:17.920 --> 02:07:23.079
axe down, tenderly, putting his hands together behind his head. Neil,

2057
02:07:23.920 --> 02:07:27.079
He did as he was told with some effort. She

2058
02:07:27.199 --> 02:07:30.760
moved forward and kicked the axe away. She noticed before

2059
02:07:30.800 --> 02:07:34.680
its flight that it was covered in strange symbols. The

2060
02:07:34.760 --> 02:07:38.680
wind outside sounded like whispers in the air, calling her.

2061
02:07:40.359 --> 02:07:44.560
I can't help, but notice your left handed he said.

2062
02:07:45.159 --> 02:07:47.159
This caught her off guard enough that the man was

2063
02:07:47.199 --> 02:07:49.479
able to lunge at her legs with a pocket knife,

2064
02:07:49.560 --> 02:07:51.720
catching her in the side of her right leg. The

2065
02:07:51.800 --> 02:07:54.159
thirty eight in the flashlight fell from her hands as

2066
02:07:54.159 --> 02:07:58.359
she instinctively grabbed her wound. Stone retreated as painfully he

2067
02:07:58.520 --> 02:08:03.319
stood and retrieved his axe. Do you know what it's

2068
02:08:03.479 --> 02:08:06.760
like to die? The painful death of a million screams

2069
02:08:06.800 --> 02:08:11.680
in silence every day. Stone fell against the wall, leaving

2070
02:08:11.680 --> 02:08:15.000
a trail of blood in her wake. Then they came

2071
02:08:15.079 --> 02:08:21.319
to me. Angels took my pain, gave me this axe.

2072
02:08:22.479 --> 02:08:26.920
God teaches us with pain. That's how we become worthy

2073
02:08:26.960 --> 02:08:32.680
of his love through pain. He limped forward. Stone's head

2074
02:08:32.680 --> 02:08:38.199
began swimming wildly. Would you like to meet God, he asked,

2075
02:08:38.760 --> 02:08:42.560
raising the axe. She felt the cold metal sticking in

2076
02:08:42.560 --> 02:08:46.239
her leg. With all her remaining strength and channeled anger.

2077
02:08:46.479 --> 02:08:50.119
Stone pulled the knife from her wound. The pain was immeasurable.

2078
02:08:50.880 --> 02:08:54.920
You first, Stone screamed. She plunged the blade deep within

2079
02:08:55.000 --> 02:08:58.800
his breast, causing him to howl in agony. Stone pulled

2080
02:08:58.800 --> 02:09:01.960
out the blade and brought it down again and again

2081
02:09:02.359 --> 02:09:11.880
and again, until blackness took her. She awoke to find

2082
02:09:11.920 --> 02:09:16.640
the man in a fetal position. Sobbing loudly, Stone crawled

2083
02:09:16.680 --> 02:09:19.720
forward and found her thirty eight. The man started to

2084
02:09:19.800 --> 02:09:23.479
slowly rise, using the axe to prop himself up. Don't

2085
02:09:23.520 --> 02:09:27.560
you move, Stone said, hoarsely. I could have helped you.

2086
02:09:28.319 --> 02:09:33.000
He stood fully on, shaking legs. I said, don't move.

2087
02:09:33.760 --> 02:09:37.680
She took aim. Her arms felt like rubber, cleanse the

2088
02:09:37.720 --> 02:09:42.000
world of sin. He limped towards her, dragging the axe

2089
02:09:42.039 --> 02:09:47.239
along the ground. Stop, she said, her voice breaking. You

2090
02:09:47.359 --> 02:09:52.520
see it, don't you see them. It's in your eyes,

2091
02:09:53.479 --> 02:09:57.359
in your soul, he said, reaching out for her with

2092
02:09:57.399 --> 02:10:02.039
a bloody hand. Stone's wheezed, the trigger firing around into

2093
02:10:02.039 --> 02:10:05.760
his chest and another into his forehead. His brains exited

2094
02:10:05.760 --> 02:10:08.720
in a geyser of gore. He fell to his knees,

2095
02:10:08.760 --> 02:10:13.319
the axe clattering to the ground. Then he fell forward.

2096
02:10:13.600 --> 02:10:19.119
His body shuddered and lay still. The darkness took her

2097
02:10:19.159 --> 02:10:24.399
once more. Stone saw her parents playing with her as

2098
02:10:24.399 --> 02:10:28.960
a child, followed by the great white owl swooping down

2099
02:10:29.000 --> 02:10:33.760
from the sky. It landed in a tree watching her.

2100
02:10:34.640 --> 02:10:42.319
It spoke to her. Oakie Oakie Oki Okie, soccer so

2101
02:10:42.520 --> 02:10:46.680
called from somewhere out in the hall here, she said.

2102
02:10:47.119 --> 02:10:50.000
Stone wasn't sure if he'd hear her. He stumbled into

2103
02:10:50.000 --> 02:10:52.760
the room. Hang on, kid, He put a hand over

2104
02:10:52.800 --> 02:10:57.159
her wound, pressing tight backups coming, stay awake, okay, she

2105
02:10:57.279 --> 02:11:01.479
grabbed his arm. God, horns are killing me. After tracking

2106
02:11:01.520 --> 02:11:05.439
your damn ass all over town. I'm dying and you're

2107
02:11:05.479 --> 02:11:09.319
bitching about your feet. Shut the fuck up, You're not dying.

2108
02:11:09.960 --> 02:11:13.039
They make them tough where you're from, right, Missouri? She

2109
02:11:13.199 --> 02:11:28.760
nodded and smiled. Well, Merry Christmas, Missouri. Satan Claus by

2110
02:11:28.920 --> 02:11:37.359
Keith Tom December twenty fifth, nineteen ninety eight. One five am,

2111
02:11:38.359 --> 02:11:40.439
Edward burst out of the back door of his house.

2112
02:11:40.680 --> 02:11:43.199
His foot missed the second step of the concrete stairs,

2113
02:11:43.359 --> 02:11:47.000
and he went sprawling, landing hard on the neglected wooden

2114
02:11:47.039 --> 02:11:50.640
deck of his back patio. Gasping for breath, he struggled

2115
02:11:50.640 --> 02:11:53.279
to his feet, losing one of his slippers. After a

2116
02:11:53.319 --> 02:11:55.720
few tries, he regained his balance and raced off into

2117
02:11:55.720 --> 02:11:59.319
the woods that edged his backyard. Burrs and thorns tore

2118
02:11:59.399 --> 02:12:02.560
at his skin clothing as he plunged into the darkness.

2119
02:12:03.319 --> 02:12:06.239
As Edward ran, he heard a loud crash as something

2120
02:12:06.399 --> 02:12:11.039
large and powerful followed after him. An unearthly roar filled

2121
02:12:11.079 --> 02:12:14.920
with hate and rage, rang through the night. Edward pushed

2122
02:12:15.000 --> 02:12:19.239
himself harder, charging faster into the forest. After a few

2123
02:12:19.239 --> 02:12:21.840
minutes of running in a blind panic, Edward felt a

2124
02:12:21.880 --> 02:12:26.279
sharp pain run from his chest down his arm. He

2125
02:12:26.359 --> 02:12:30.439
gasped and dropped at the base of a large elm tree. Sobbing,

2126
02:12:30.680 --> 02:12:33.640
he worked himself into a sitting position, trying to breathe

2127
02:12:34.039 --> 02:12:37.840
through the pain. He wiped blood from his face, some

2128
02:12:38.039 --> 02:12:43.520
his some from his wife. Hearing a branch breaking, Edward

2129
02:12:43.560 --> 02:12:45.600
tried to push himself up, but the pain in his

2130
02:12:45.760 --> 02:12:50.159
chest nearly caused him to black out. Fighting unconsciousness, he

2131
02:12:50.199 --> 02:12:52.359
felt hot breath on his face as he fought to

2132
02:12:52.399 --> 02:12:58.439
open his eyes. When he did, Edward saw yellow, bloodshot

2133
02:12:58.520 --> 02:13:03.079
eyes staring into his As the creature snorted, sending its moist,

2134
02:13:03.279 --> 02:13:06.279
rancid breath into his face. It let out a blood

2135
02:13:06.279 --> 02:13:08.960
curdling scream as it reached for him with long arms

2136
02:13:09.079 --> 02:13:13.960
ending in razor sharp claws. As the creature tore Edward apart,

2137
02:13:14.439 --> 02:13:17.000
his last thought was not of the intense pain or

2138
02:13:17.039 --> 02:13:20.600
the realization that his life was over. It was a question,

2139
02:13:22.439 --> 02:13:27.479
is that thing wearing a Santa hat? Edward thought as

2140
02:13:27.479 --> 02:13:35.800
he passed into darkness. December twenty fourth, nineteen ninety nine.

2141
02:13:36.199 --> 02:13:40.640
Eleven fifteen, am Emily looked incredulously at her thirteen year

2142
02:13:40.680 --> 02:13:47.600
old brother Tyler satan clause, are you fucking serious? She said, Well, yeah,

2143
02:13:47.640 --> 02:13:51.359
I mean it's real, well not real, but they think

2144
02:13:51.399 --> 02:13:55.079
it's real, Tyler said, trying to gather his thoughts. So

2145
02:13:56.000 --> 02:13:59.720
we're going to summon a pretend demon dressed like Santa

2146
02:13:59.760 --> 02:14:03.680
Clau to take care of our stepfather, Emily said, with scorn,

2147
02:14:04.760 --> 02:14:09.399
Well sorta, Tyler sighed, taking a deep breath and slowly

2148
02:14:09.479 --> 02:14:13.960
letting it out. Okay, so take the legend of Bloody Mary.

2149
02:14:14.199 --> 02:14:16.159
The story goes that if you look in the mirror

2150
02:14:16.239 --> 02:14:18.640
and say her name three times, she'll appear and start

2151
02:14:18.720 --> 02:14:22.920
killing people. Now everyone knows that's not real. If you're

2152
02:14:22.920 --> 02:14:24.880
having a sleepover with friends and they dare you to

2153
02:14:24.920 --> 02:14:26.880
look in the mirror and say her name, you will.

2154
02:14:27.359 --> 02:14:29.840
You know it's not true and nothing will happen. But

2155
02:14:30.680 --> 02:14:34.720
he said excitedly, if it's night and you're alone in

2156
02:14:34.760 --> 02:14:36.880
the house and you're standing in front of a mirror,

2157
02:14:37.000 --> 02:14:39.119
when the thought crosses your mind to say her name

2158
02:14:39.159 --> 02:14:43.760
three times? Will you do it? Without waiting for an answer,

2159
02:14:44.039 --> 02:14:47.640
Tyler went on, no, you wouldn't, and why not. The

2160
02:14:47.720 --> 02:14:50.359
logical part of your mind will say, surely it's not real,

2161
02:14:50.399 --> 02:14:53.359
it's just crazy talk. But on a primal level, you

2162
02:14:53.479 --> 02:14:56.239
know that if you say her name three times, she

2163
02:14:56.399 --> 02:14:59.840
may appear. This belief is what gives these creatures their power.

2164
02:15:00.359 --> 02:15:05.479
Tyler paused, slightly out of breath. You are one weird kid.

2165
02:15:05.680 --> 02:15:10.000
Emily said, yeah, well, you know, growing up in this

2166
02:15:10.039 --> 02:15:14.520
house does tend to make one unusual. Tyler replied solemnly.

2167
02:15:15.279 --> 02:15:19.359
Emily shook her head. Okay, I'm still confused. What creatures

2168
02:15:19.479 --> 02:15:22.800
are you talking about? Tyler looked Emily in the eyes,

2169
02:15:23.359 --> 02:15:27.640
something he rarely did with anyone. To be honest, I

2170
02:15:27.640 --> 02:15:32.279
don't know. I just know they exist. Throughout history, different

2171
02:15:32.319 --> 02:15:35.840
cultures had legends of horrific creatures that terrorize the common folk.

2172
02:15:36.359 --> 02:15:38.199
I think that these were all some kind of a

2173
02:15:38.600 --> 02:15:42.279
supernatural force that draws power from the beliefs and fears

2174
02:15:42.319 --> 02:15:45.439
of the people. If enough people believe in them, then

2175
02:15:45.479 --> 02:15:49.239
these ghosts, demons, or whatever can draw strength in life

2176
02:15:49.319 --> 02:15:55.720
from these beliefs that will actually become these creatures. Wow,

2177
02:15:54.640 --> 02:16:00.399
I think this is insane, said Emily, speechless. I know,

2178
02:16:00.720 --> 02:16:03.880
and I accept that, but I need your help. For you,

2179
02:16:04.159 --> 02:16:06.359
this is a win win. If you help and it works,

2180
02:16:06.760 --> 02:16:10.319
we'll be rid of that asshole forever. Tyler looked at Emily,

2181
02:16:10.479 --> 02:16:14.399
who nodded emphatically. If it doesn't work, then you have

2182
02:16:14.479 --> 02:16:16.680
something else to make fun of me for. Not that

2183
02:16:16.680 --> 02:16:20.359
there's any lack of material for that, Tyler said, pointing

2184
02:16:20.399 --> 02:16:23.439
to the piles of role playing manuals and superhero comic

2185
02:16:23.479 --> 02:16:27.560
books stacked around his bedroom. Not for the first time,

2186
02:16:27.880 --> 02:16:32.280
Emily was amazed at how smart her brother was. Naive

2187
02:16:32.360 --> 02:16:37.559
and childlike, but also so goddamn smart. She had sworn

2188
02:16:37.639 --> 02:16:39.879
to herself to do whatever she had to do to

2189
02:16:39.959 --> 02:16:43.559
make sure that he reaches adulthood without life crushing his soul.

2190
02:16:44.280 --> 02:16:46.159
She was only a year older than him, but she

2191
02:16:46.280 --> 02:16:48.840
was a survivor. She could take all the pain and

2192
02:16:48.959 --> 02:16:53.760
suffering that life and her stepfather could dish out. Tyler, however,

2193
02:16:54.559 --> 02:16:57.360
was a fragile soul. If this helped him deal with

2194
02:16:57.399 --> 02:16:59.520
all the bullshit, then she was willing to go along

2195
02:16:59.559 --> 02:17:03.440
with it. Fuck it, I'm in, she said, consider it

2196
02:17:03.479 --> 02:17:11.079
your Christmas present. Well really, Tyler said, clearly expecting more resistance.

2197
02:17:11.719 --> 02:17:16.120
Emily continued, Look, this is the most batshit crazy thing

2198
02:17:16.120 --> 02:17:18.680
I've ever heard. But you're my brother and I'll do

2199
02:17:18.680 --> 02:17:23.600
anything to support you. So Satan Clause, Tyler took a

2200
02:17:23.600 --> 02:17:28.440
few seconds to blink some tears away. Okay, So Satan

2201
02:17:28.520 --> 02:17:30.600
Clause is an urban legend that's been around for at

2202
02:17:30.680 --> 02:17:34.639
least fifteen years. Basically, it's a story of a department

2203
02:17:34.680 --> 02:17:36.760
store Santa that was beaten to death by a gang

2204
02:17:36.840 --> 02:17:39.440
of kids, and his wife got a revenge by baking

2205
02:17:39.520 --> 02:17:42.559
cookies with her blood. She tricked the kids into eating them,

2206
02:17:42.680 --> 02:17:44.799
which caused her husband to come back from the dead

2207
02:17:45.280 --> 02:17:49.040
and kill everyone. Tyler finally paused to take a breath.

2208
02:17:49.879 --> 02:17:52.520
At least nine times in the last seven years, there

2209
02:17:52.520 --> 02:17:55.239
have been a series of gruesome deaths on Christmas Eve,

2210
02:17:55.399 --> 02:17:57.920
so brutal that the police have suspected it was either

2211
02:17:57.959 --> 02:18:01.000
the work of a Satanic cult or were some kind

2212
02:18:01.040 --> 02:18:07.440
of huge, unidentified wild creature. I disagree. I think it

2213
02:18:07.520 --> 02:18:10.200
was the legend of Satan Clause that killed them, and

2214
02:18:10.239 --> 02:18:14.040
that's what I want for dear Old Frank, Tyler said,

2215
02:18:14.079 --> 02:18:18.799
referring to their stepfather. He deserves to die, Emily said,

2216
02:18:19.000 --> 02:18:22.239
in a cold, hard voice, for what he's done to

2217
02:18:22.280 --> 02:18:26.440
mom you and for what he tried to do. Emily

2218
02:18:26.479 --> 02:18:31.040
trailed off. Tyler awkwardly reached out and patted her hand.

2219
02:18:31.559 --> 02:18:36.639
I know he'll pay for all of it, So all

2220
02:18:36.639 --> 02:18:38.760
we need to do is get Frank to eat some cookies,

2221
02:18:38.799 --> 02:18:43.520
Emily asked. Tyler nodded, what do you need from me?

2222
02:18:44.159 --> 02:18:53.840
Emily finally asked. December twenty fifth, nineteen ninety nine, twelve

2223
02:18:53.879 --> 02:18:58.399
thirty six am Emily rubbed the band aid covering her finger,

2224
02:18:59.239 --> 02:19:01.559
thinking that only her brother could talk her into using

2225
02:19:01.639 --> 02:19:05.000
her blood as an ingredient in a cookie recipe. If

2226
02:19:05.000 --> 02:19:07.559
she had to be honest, She enjoyed cutting her finger

2227
02:19:07.600 --> 02:19:10.879
a lot more than baking the cookies. The first batch

2228
02:19:11.000 --> 02:19:13.680
ended up a burned, smoking mess, and she had to

2229
02:19:13.719 --> 02:19:17.440
mix up and recut a second batch. She shook her head,

2230
02:19:17.479 --> 02:19:21.360
thinking about the things that people do for family. Emily

2231
02:19:21.399 --> 02:19:24.040
looked down at her brother asleep on the couch next

2232
02:19:24.040 --> 02:19:29.040
to her and sighed, she loved that crazy little bastard.

2233
02:19:29.680 --> 02:19:32.079
She turned back towards the large picture window to keep

2234
02:19:32.159 --> 02:19:35.559
up her vigil on the dark street outside. After a

2235
02:19:35.639 --> 02:19:38.520
minute or so, the lights from an approaching car lit

2236
02:19:38.559 --> 02:19:42.000
up the neighboring houses. Emily leaned further over the back

2237
02:19:42.000 --> 02:19:44.920
of the couch, face pressed against the window to get

2238
02:19:44.920 --> 02:19:48.159
a better look. When a familiar car pulled into the

2239
02:19:48.200 --> 02:19:51.040
driveway of the house across the street, Emily grabbed her

2240
02:19:51.040 --> 02:19:54.159
brother and shook him awake. Tyler, Frank just pulled into

2241
02:19:54.159 --> 02:19:58.760
our driveway, Emily whispered loudly. Tyler sat up, rubbing his eyes.

2242
02:19:58.840 --> 02:20:04.200
Looking around, he asked, where's Missus Patterson. Missus Patterson is

2243
02:20:04.239 --> 02:20:08.440
in bed. It's past midnight, Emily said. Missus Patterson was

2244
02:20:08.479 --> 02:20:11.079
an elderly woman who lived across the street from them, and,

2245
02:20:11.840 --> 02:20:15.399
understanding their volatile family situation, often let the kids spend

2246
02:20:15.440 --> 02:20:17.760
the night at her house while their mom was working

2247
02:20:17.799 --> 02:20:21.200
the graveyard shift at the nursing home. Grab the binoculars

2248
02:20:21.239 --> 02:20:25.239
and keep your voice down, Emily commanded. Tyler's eyes popped

2249
02:20:25.280 --> 02:20:28.280
open as he suddenly remembered what they had planned for Frank.

2250
02:20:29.200 --> 02:20:31.639
He grabbed his cheap pair of binoculars from the coffee

2251
02:20:31.680 --> 02:20:34.159
table and joined his sister. Leaning over the back of

2252
02:20:34.159 --> 02:20:37.840
the couch, Frank pulled into the snow covered driveway, his

2253
02:20:37.959 --> 02:20:40.760
ragged old Ford, sliding to a stop, almost hitting the

2254
02:20:40.760 --> 02:20:44.120
garage door. He opened the car door and stumbled out.

2255
02:20:44.680 --> 02:20:48.120
Frank was a tall, lean man, what some may call wiry.

2256
02:20:48.639 --> 02:20:51.319
He had a face that used to be quite handsome

2257
02:20:51.600 --> 02:20:54.879
and may still be to some hidden under the years

2258
02:20:54.879 --> 02:20:58.280
of hard living and even harder drinking. Frank lived to

2259
02:20:58.360 --> 02:21:02.000
drink and spent most evening complaining about his miserable life

2260
02:21:02.040 --> 02:21:05.000
to the regulars at Whitey's Tavern, a dive bar a

2261
02:21:05.000 --> 02:21:08.079
few blocks from his house. He would usually come home

2262
02:21:08.159 --> 02:21:12.719
shit faced tonight, however, he was well beyond that. One

2263
02:21:12.760 --> 02:21:15.280
of the bar patrons, a well to do businessman that

2264
02:21:15.440 --> 02:21:18.440
liked to flaunt his success, kept buying drinks for the house.

2265
02:21:19.000 --> 02:21:24.879
Frank kept drinking, and he kept getting angrier. Frank's passed

2266
02:21:25.000 --> 02:21:28.159
kept rolling around in his head. Why has his life

2267
02:21:28.200 --> 02:21:31.920
turned out like shit? Why is everyone against him? Why

2268
02:21:31.920 --> 02:21:34.159
did that bitch of an ex wife keep hounding him

2269
02:21:34.200 --> 02:21:36.559
for money to buy gifts for a bunch of ungrateful

2270
02:21:36.600 --> 02:21:39.920
little shits. Why did his current wife keep picking up

2271
02:21:39.959 --> 02:21:42.600
extra shifts when she should be home taking care of him.

2272
02:21:43.000 --> 02:21:45.399
Why do her fucking brats show him no respect in

2273
02:21:45.440 --> 02:21:49.000
his own goddamn house. Frank shut the car door and

2274
02:21:49.040 --> 02:21:51.000
made his way up the icy walkway to the front

2275
02:21:51.000 --> 02:21:54.159
of the house, swaying as he opened up the front

2276
02:21:54.159 --> 02:22:00.959
door and walked inside. Hey, anyone here, Frank, slamming the

2277
02:22:00.959 --> 02:22:05.399
front door. Where the fuck is my dinner? Frank listened

2278
02:22:05.399 --> 02:22:08.040
to the sounds of an empty house as he remembered

2279
02:22:08.040 --> 02:22:11.879
that his bitch wife was working tonight. Frank mumbled curses

2280
02:22:11.959 --> 02:22:14.120
under his breath as he walked across the small living

2281
02:22:14.200 --> 02:22:17.159
room to the kitchen. Seeing a pizza box on the counter,

2282
02:22:17.360 --> 02:22:20.600
he opened it up and grabbed a slice. Chewing on

2283
02:22:20.680 --> 02:22:23.200
the cold pizza, he walked over to the fridge and

2284
02:22:23.239 --> 02:22:26.000
grabbed a beer. He was walking back to the living

2285
02:22:26.040 --> 02:22:28.000
room when he noticed a plate of cookies with a

2286
02:22:28.000 --> 02:22:31.079
note under it. Squinting, he picked up the note and

2287
02:22:31.120 --> 02:22:34.479
read it. Frank, I know we've not gotten along, but

2288
02:22:34.959 --> 02:22:37.120
for mom's sake, I want to try to fix that.

2289
02:22:37.879 --> 02:22:42.280
Please accept these cookies as a peace offering. Merry Christmas, Emily,

2290
02:22:42.719 --> 02:22:45.399
the note said. Frank picked up the plate with the

2291
02:22:45.440 --> 02:22:48.520
cookies and turned back to the living room. He paused

2292
02:22:48.559 --> 02:22:50.360
at the end of the counter and dropped the cookies,

2293
02:22:50.399 --> 02:22:54.559
plate and all into the trash can. Tyler reached out

2294
02:22:54.600 --> 02:22:58.159
and grabbed Emily's arm. He picked up the cookies, he said, excitedly,

2295
02:22:58.159 --> 02:23:04.719
looking through the binoculars walking Wait. Oh no, he threw

2296
02:23:04.719 --> 02:23:09.079
them away, Tyler said quietly, as silent tears began to

2297
02:23:09.159 --> 02:23:12.879
roll down his face. Give me those, Emily said, as

2298
02:23:12.920 --> 02:23:15.479
she grabbed up the binoculars. She brought them up to

2299
02:23:15.520 --> 02:23:17.600
her face and pointed them at the run down house

2300
02:23:17.639 --> 02:23:21.840
across the street. Because a particularly violent outburst from Frank

2301
02:23:21.959 --> 02:23:24.600
last week resulted in the curtain rods being ripped down,

2302
02:23:25.120 --> 02:23:26.840
she had a good view of the living room and

2303
02:23:26.920 --> 02:23:30.840
most of the kitchen. Emily focused on Frank, sitting in

2304
02:23:30.879 --> 02:23:35.719
an armchair, drinking a beer and watching TV. Emily sighed,

2305
02:23:35.959 --> 02:23:42.200
lowering the binoculars. Damn, oh, well, we tried. She turned

2306
02:23:42.239 --> 02:23:45.159
to her brother, and her heart broke when she looked

2307
02:23:45.239 --> 02:23:50.840
upon his face wet with tears. Hey, don't worry, we'll

2308
02:23:50.879 --> 02:23:54.760
get through this. Emily reached out and hugged Tyler, who

2309
02:23:54.840 --> 02:24:00.399
began to sob louder. Okay, it'll be okay. Emily leaned

2310
02:24:00.440 --> 02:24:03.399
back and looked Tyler in the eyes. You know that

2311
02:24:03.440 --> 02:24:07.440
this wasn't going to actually work, don't you, Tyler? Shrugged,

2312
02:24:07.719 --> 02:24:12.639
wiping at the wetness on his cheek. Emily sighed, okay, fine,

2313
02:24:13.200 --> 02:24:17.079
I still owe you a Christmas present. I'll go over

2314
02:24:17.079 --> 02:24:18.719
there and try to get the ass hat to eat

2315
02:24:18.760 --> 02:24:21.399
a blood cookie. Even if some creature doesn't rip him

2316
02:24:21.399 --> 02:24:23.840
a new asshole, it would be fun just watching that.

2317
02:24:25.159 --> 02:24:29.159
Tyler hugged her tightly for a few seconds. Emily hugged

2318
02:24:29.200 --> 02:24:32.000
him back. She then stood up and looked at Tyler,

2319
02:24:32.760 --> 02:24:35.239
you stay here, I'll be back in a few minutes.

2320
02:24:36.200 --> 02:24:40.239
Walking away, Emily thought, once again, the things you do

2321
02:24:40.319 --> 02:24:44.319
for family. Emily stood on the front stoop of her house,

2322
02:24:44.680 --> 02:24:48.239
shivering in her thin jacket. She took a few deep breaths,

2323
02:24:48.319 --> 02:24:51.920
trying to build up her courage. Damn it, why did

2324
02:24:51.959 --> 02:24:55.959
I agree to do this, Emily thought, exhaling. She turned

2325
02:24:55.959 --> 02:25:00.479
the doorknob and walked inside. Oh hi, Frank, she said,

2326
02:25:00.520 --> 02:25:03.719
as she shut the door. Where the fuck have you been?

2327
02:25:04.159 --> 02:25:07.760
Frank said, without taking his eyes off the TV set. Oh,

2328
02:25:08.239 --> 02:25:10.159
I'm staying at a friend's house. I just stopped by

2329
02:25:10.200 --> 02:25:13.760
to pick something up I forgot. Emily answered, where's your

2330
02:25:13.760 --> 02:25:19.200
retarded brother? Frank said, still watching TV. Emily ignored the insult.

2331
02:25:19.559 --> 02:25:23.040
He's staying with them too. Mom knows your mom doesn't

2332
02:25:23.040 --> 02:25:25.159
tell me shit. I never know what the fuck is

2333
02:25:25.200 --> 02:25:28.360
going on in my own house, Frank said, raising his voice.

2334
02:25:29.200 --> 02:25:33.760
Oh I figured she would, Emily said. A silence fell

2335
02:25:33.799 --> 02:25:37.280
over them, only broken by the muted sound of the television.

2336
02:25:38.200 --> 02:25:41.280
Uh did you see the cookies I baked you, Emily

2337
02:25:41.319 --> 02:25:45.280
asked hesitantly. Frank tossed an empty bottle across the room.

2338
02:25:45.600 --> 02:25:47.840
It landed on the bare wooden floor and rolled to

2339
02:25:47.920 --> 02:25:51.360
a stop next to a table lamp. Get me another beer,

2340
02:25:51.760 --> 02:25:56.000
Frank said. Emily stood still for a few seconds, trying

2341
02:25:56.000 --> 02:25:58.680
to keep her temper in check. She then walked to

2342
02:25:58.719 --> 02:26:00.719
the fridge and grabbed a beer from a half full

2343
02:26:00.760 --> 02:26:03.760
six pack. She paused and grabbed a cookie out of

2344
02:26:03.760 --> 02:26:07.239
the trash can before moving to the living room. Here's

2345
02:26:07.280 --> 02:26:11.360
your beer, Emily said, trying to sound cheerful. She sat

2346
02:26:11.399 --> 02:26:15.559
a beer on the end table next to Frank's prized recliner. Also,

2347
02:26:16.120 --> 02:26:18.440
here's one of the cookies I made for you, she said,

2348
02:26:18.479 --> 02:26:20.680
sitting a cookie down next to the bottle of beer.

2349
02:26:21.120 --> 02:26:23.319
Frank's hand shot out and grabbed her by the arm.

2350
02:26:23.799 --> 02:26:27.319
He began moving his index finger lightly tracing circles on

2351
02:26:27.360 --> 02:26:30.799
the inside of her wrist. He looked up at her, sneering,

2352
02:26:31.639 --> 02:26:34.360
Emily pulled out of his grip. She glared at Frank,

2353
02:26:34.399 --> 02:26:38.399
struggling to hold her temper. Look, I'm trying to be nice.

2354
02:26:38.440 --> 02:26:40.639
I made you some cookies as a piece offering, and

2355
02:26:40.760 --> 02:26:43.280
the least you could do is try one, Emily said

2356
02:26:43.280 --> 02:26:46.479
through gritted teeth. Frank opened the beer and took a

2357
02:26:46.520 --> 02:26:49.120
long pull from it. He slammed it down on the

2358
02:26:49.200 --> 02:26:52.200
end table, smashing the cookie. If you want to be

2359
02:26:52.399 --> 02:26:56.280
nice to me, he said, sarcastically, you could make me

2360
02:26:56.360 --> 02:26:59.840
a sandwich. After a few moments, Frank looked over and

2361
02:27:00.120 --> 02:27:04.200
noticed that she was still standing there, staring daggers at him.

2362
02:27:04.840 --> 02:27:08.399
Look women are only good for two things, he said,

2363
02:27:09.120 --> 02:27:15.239
cooking and fuckin' it's your choice. Bawling her hands into fists,

2364
02:27:15.399 --> 02:27:18.440
Emily turned and walked back to the kitchen. After taking

2365
02:27:18.479 --> 02:27:20.719
a moment to calm herself down, she opened up the

2366
02:27:20.719 --> 02:27:23.360
fridge and grabbed some baloney and a jar of mayonnaise.

2367
02:27:24.200 --> 02:27:27.239
Hearing the fridge door open, Frank yelled, get me another

2368
02:27:27.319 --> 02:27:31.600
beer too. Emily ignored him and grabbed a butterknife from

2369
02:27:31.639 --> 02:27:34.760
the utensil drawer. She slapped the blooney on a piece

2370
02:27:34.799 --> 02:27:37.520
of bread and smeared a generous portion of mao on top.

2371
02:27:38.000 --> 02:27:41.159
Reaching back into the trash can, she grabbed another cookie.

2372
02:27:41.799 --> 02:27:44.840
She rolled the jar of mayonnaise over the cookie, reducing

2373
02:27:44.879 --> 02:27:48.360
it to crumbs. Scooping up the crumbs, she tossed them

2374
02:27:48.360 --> 02:27:50.639
on the sandwich and smashed the second piece of bread

2375
02:27:50.680 --> 02:27:53.760
on top. She turned around and dropped the plate as

2376
02:27:53.760 --> 02:27:56.239
she ran into Frank, who had walked up behind her.

2377
02:27:56.879 --> 02:27:59.680
Taking advantage of her surprise, he reached and pulled her

2378
02:27:59.719 --> 02:28:03.559
close to him, the alcohol from his breath burning her eyes.

2379
02:28:05.000 --> 02:28:09.719
I decided that I'm not hungry, which only leaves one option,

2380
02:28:10.319 --> 02:28:14.159
Frank said. Emily growled with rage, bringing her knee up

2381
02:28:14.159 --> 02:28:17.719
with all of her might, swinging towards his crotch. Frank

2382
02:28:17.799 --> 02:28:20.479
laughed as he turned slightly, taking the blow on his

2383
02:28:20.559 --> 02:28:24.239
upper thigh. Darling, you ain't gonna catch me with that

2384
02:28:24.360 --> 02:28:27.920
move again. Emily started to reach up towards Frank's face,

2385
02:28:28.000 --> 02:28:31.319
her fingers curled into claws. Frank's hand shot out and

2386
02:28:31.319 --> 02:28:34.200
grabbed her by the neck. Stop fighting, or I'll crush

2387
02:28:34.200 --> 02:28:37.319
your fucking throat, he growled as he squeezed her neck.

2388
02:28:37.520 --> 02:28:41.079
Emily began to panic as Frank squeezed harder. She was

2389
02:28:41.079 --> 02:28:43.879
swinging her arms wildly, trying to knock his hand loose.

2390
02:28:44.360 --> 02:28:48.559
Frank wasn't a large guy, but he possessed an unexpected strength.

2391
02:28:49.000 --> 02:28:50.879
He used that strength to lift her up by the

2392
02:28:50.959 --> 02:28:53.719
neck and slam her down on the counter. Emily's head

2393
02:28:53.760 --> 02:28:56.120
hit the formica hard enough to cause her to briefly

2394
02:28:56.159 --> 02:28:59.360
lose consciousness. She woke up to fingers tugging at the

2395
02:28:59.399 --> 02:29:02.680
buttons on her shirt. She tried protesting, but it felt

2396
02:29:02.719 --> 02:29:06.040
like she was moving in slow motion. A slap stung

2397
02:29:06.079 --> 02:29:08.719
her cheek and threatened to send her back into darkness.

2398
02:29:09.799 --> 02:29:13.440
Frank pulled his hand back and slapped her again. Little

2399
02:29:13.479 --> 02:29:17.479
miss cock teas Frank said, leaning over her. As he

2400
02:29:17.520 --> 02:29:20.639
brought his hand back to hit her again, something flew

2401
02:29:20.639 --> 02:29:23.399
by his head. He looked up as a pair of

2402
02:29:23.440 --> 02:29:29.200
binoculars hit the front door and shattered what the Frank

2403
02:29:29.239 --> 02:29:32.399
said as something leaped on him from behind, arms reaching

2404
02:29:32.440 --> 02:29:36.440
around his face. Frank laughed as he realized who'd attacked him.

2405
02:29:36.879 --> 02:29:40.280
It's the little fucking retard coming to rescue his sister,

2406
02:29:40.719 --> 02:29:44.520
Frank said, grinning like a madman. Frank reached back and

2407
02:29:44.559 --> 02:29:46.760
grabbed Tyler by the back of the shirt and tossed

2408
02:29:46.840 --> 02:29:49.840
him into the refrigerator door. Tyler slid down and hit

2409
02:29:49.879 --> 02:29:53.120
the ground hard. With Frank's hands off her throat, Emily

2410
02:29:53.239 --> 02:29:55.440
was able to catch her breath as she coughed and

2411
02:29:55.479 --> 02:29:58.440
struggled to clear her head. She reached out with fumbling hands,

2412
02:29:58.559 --> 02:30:02.399
trying to find something, anything, to help her. When she

2413
02:30:02.479 --> 02:30:05.319
felt a cold metal handle, she grabbed it and swung

2414
02:30:05.360 --> 02:30:09.040
it blindly at Frank. The mayonnaise covered butter knife slammed

2415
02:30:09.040 --> 02:30:13.600
into Frank's upper arm, burying itself deep enough to hit bone.

2416
02:30:13.639 --> 02:30:16.200
As Frank screamed and ripped the knife out of his arm,

2417
02:30:16.440 --> 02:30:19.399
Emily began rolling around the counter, hitting the edge. She

2418
02:30:19.479 --> 02:30:21.799
fell off, landing on the trash can and sending it

2419
02:30:21.879 --> 02:30:25.799
crashing across the floor. The noise jolted Frank into action,

2420
02:30:25.920 --> 02:30:28.479
and he leapt forward, trying to grab her ankles as

2421
02:30:28.479 --> 02:30:31.920
she scrambled across the cracked linoleum onto the cheap, threadbare

2422
02:30:32.000 --> 02:30:35.079
carpet of the living room. Emily crawled toward the front door,

2423
02:30:35.120 --> 02:30:38.079
but stopped when she looked back and noticed Tyler, who

2424
02:30:38.120 --> 02:30:41.200
was beginning to stir on the kitchen floor. She tried

2425
02:30:41.200 --> 02:30:43.600
to yell for her brother, but her bruised and swollen

2426
02:30:43.639 --> 02:30:47.079
throat could only manage a weak moan. Frank stormed into

2427
02:30:47.079 --> 02:30:49.399
the living room. As he approached Emily, she cocked her

2428
02:30:49.440 --> 02:30:51.920
leg back and aimed to kick at his knee. He

2429
02:30:52.000 --> 02:30:54.479
jumped to the side, avoiding her strike, and pounced on her,

2430
02:30:54.639 --> 02:30:57.360
pinning her to the carpet. He leaned forward inches from

2431
02:30:57.360 --> 02:31:00.879
her face and said, in a quiet, each filled voice,

2432
02:31:02.239 --> 02:31:06.600
Merry Christmas. Frank leaned back and started swinging his fist

2433
02:31:06.680 --> 02:31:09.360
to Emily's head. She did her best to block the blows,

2434
02:31:09.360 --> 02:31:11.959
but he kept on swinging, unleashing the rage upon her.

2435
02:31:12.479 --> 02:31:15.040
After a few moments, he stopped out of breath and

2436
02:31:15.079 --> 02:31:19.520
looked back toward the kitchen. Tyler was standing there, holding

2437
02:31:19.559 --> 02:31:24.920
something triumphantly in his hand. Frank, let her go, I'll

2438
02:31:24.920 --> 02:31:28.959
do it, I swear, Tyler yelled, holding his hand out.

2439
02:31:29.680 --> 02:31:33.040
Emily looked up, her face already starting to swell, and

2440
02:31:33.120 --> 02:31:36.040
tried to focus on Tyler. When she saw what he

2441
02:31:36.079 --> 02:31:39.319
was holding in his hand, a realization hit her like

2442
02:31:39.360 --> 02:31:42.440
a bucket of cold water. She knew what he was

2443
02:31:42.479 --> 02:31:47.360
about to do. She knew and she believed. Emily tried

2444
02:31:47.360 --> 02:31:49.200
to yell at him to stop, but all she could

2445
02:31:49.200 --> 02:31:54.040
do was lay there and watch. Frank, looking confused, stood

2446
02:31:54.040 --> 02:31:57.280
to face the youngster. Tyler held up a cookie for

2447
02:31:57.319 --> 02:32:00.319
a few seconds and then yelled, take this, you son

2448
02:32:00.360 --> 02:32:03.079
of a bitch. He then shoved the whole cookie in

2449
02:32:03.120 --> 02:32:07.520
his mouth and started chewing vigorously. Frank shook his head

2450
02:32:07.520 --> 02:32:12.719
and said, you are one fucking weird kid as he

2451
02:32:12.799 --> 02:32:16.680
began to move. Tyler stood there defiantly, chewing as Frank

2452
02:32:16.719 --> 02:32:19.239
closed in on him. Just as Frank crossed over into

2453
02:32:19.239 --> 02:32:24.040
the kitchen, a loud thud shook the house. At first,

2454
02:32:24.040 --> 02:32:26.840
Emily thought a car hit their house, but as a

2455
02:32:26.879 --> 02:32:30.200
thunderous roar pierced the night, she knew that Tyler had

2456
02:32:30.200 --> 02:32:36.559
been correct. Satan Claus had arrived. Frank, who had his

2457
02:32:36.639 --> 02:32:39.639
fist raised to strike Tyler, turned and took a few

2458
02:32:39.639 --> 02:32:44.440
steps toward the door, holding his ears. The scream suddenly stopped.

2459
02:32:44.959 --> 02:32:48.479
There were a few seconds of silence, dead silence, where

2460
02:32:48.520 --> 02:32:50.239
the only sound you could hear was the beating of

2461
02:32:50.280 --> 02:32:55.239
your own heart, and then the front door exploded. Fragments

2462
02:32:55.280 --> 02:32:57.959
of wood, glass and metal shot through the air, revealing

2463
02:32:58.520 --> 02:33:06.360
a gruesome creature. The creature filled the doorway, ducking down

2464
02:33:06.399 --> 02:33:08.840
to enter the room. It had a vaguely wolf like

2465
02:33:08.920 --> 02:33:12.280
face and large pointed horns. It wore a tight, dirty

2466
02:33:12.319 --> 02:33:15.280
red jacket trimmed in white fur on its ape like torso.

2467
02:33:15.760 --> 02:33:18.399
It stood on two massive legs that ended in cloven

2468
02:33:18.440 --> 02:33:21.760
hoofs that caused the ground to shake with every step.

2469
02:33:22.079 --> 02:33:24.479
It had long, wicked claws at the end of its

2470
02:33:24.520 --> 02:33:29.360
elongated arms. The strangest part was the almost comical, undersized

2471
02:33:29.360 --> 02:33:34.000
red hat that sat on the creature's head. Frank appeared dazed,

2472
02:33:34.120 --> 02:33:36.879
dozens of small cuts along his face and arms. He

2473
02:33:37.000 --> 02:33:39.280
staggered forward as if he were going to push by

2474
02:33:39.360 --> 02:33:42.079
the creature to leave. The demon looked down at Frank

2475
02:33:42.120 --> 02:33:45.040
as if amused, then grabbed him by the neck. It

2476
02:33:45.159 --> 02:33:48.239
raised Frank high and then slammed him to the floor.

2477
02:33:48.680 --> 02:33:51.040
Emily stumbled to her feet and ran to Tyler, who

2478
02:33:51.079 --> 02:33:53.719
was slumped against the fridge. The creature roared as it

2479
02:33:53.760 --> 02:33:56.959
began to tear Frank's chest open. Emily grabbed Tyler by

2480
02:33:57.000 --> 02:33:59.360
the shoulders and turned toward the back door, when a

2481
02:33:59.399 --> 02:34:02.879
body part, probably a leg, flew across the room and

2482
02:34:03.000 --> 02:34:05.360
slammed into the wall next to it. She then gathered

2483
02:34:05.440 --> 02:34:08.200
up Tyler and ran down the hall to her mom's bedroom,

2484
02:34:08.360 --> 02:34:11.120
the only one with a lock on the door. Emily

2485
02:34:11.200 --> 02:34:13.719
laid her brother on the floor. Then she noticed he

2486
02:34:13.840 --> 02:34:16.600
was gasping for air. She looked down and saw blood

2487
02:34:16.680 --> 02:34:19.280
pouring from a wound on his chest, where a large

2488
02:34:19.319 --> 02:34:23.319
piece of wood was protruding. Sobbing, she cradled him in

2489
02:34:23.319 --> 02:34:26.079
her arms, listening to the blood rattle in his chest

2490
02:34:26.120 --> 02:34:29.440
with every breath. The house shook as the creature walked

2491
02:34:29.440 --> 02:34:31.920
down the hall. It stopped in front of the bedroom

2492
02:34:31.959 --> 02:34:34.639
door and kicked the door off of its hinges. It

2493
02:34:34.680 --> 02:34:38.239
took two long steps and stood over the two siblings.

2494
02:34:39.040 --> 02:34:42.440
Leaning down, It took in a deep breath and seemed

2495
02:34:42.440 --> 02:34:46.520
to shiver with anticipation. Emily held her brother tight and

2496
02:34:46.600 --> 02:34:50.280
closed her eyes. The creature reached forward, a single talon

2497
02:34:50.399 --> 02:34:54.200
waving in the air teasingly. All of a sudden, the

2498
02:34:54.200 --> 02:34:57.040
creature stood up straight, whipping its head around like it

2499
02:34:57.120 --> 02:35:00.760
heard something off in the distance. It turned and bolted

2500
02:35:00.760 --> 02:35:04.399
out of the room. Emily sat there in a state

2501
02:35:04.440 --> 02:35:07.559
of shock, convinced that any moment would bring the creature back.

2502
02:35:08.319 --> 02:35:11.840
When the phone rang, Emily's heart jumped. She reached with

2503
02:35:11.879 --> 02:35:15.280
one hand to the nightstand and grabbed the receiver. She

2504
02:35:15.399 --> 02:35:18.239
tried to say something, but could only produce a weak,

2505
02:35:18.600 --> 02:35:24.719
raspy grunt. Hello, Emily, this is mom. Emily managed to

2506
02:35:24.760 --> 02:35:29.959
croak out, Mom, Yes, honey, it's mom. You sound sick.

2507
02:35:30.280 --> 02:35:32.639
You better go get some sleep. I just wanted to

2508
02:35:32.639 --> 02:35:34.920
call and thank you for trying to make nice with Frank.

2509
02:35:35.479 --> 02:35:37.159
I know it's been a hard year, but I think

2510
02:35:37.159 --> 02:35:39.959
things will get better. It was a nice gesture to

2511
02:35:39.959 --> 02:35:42.719
bake him some cookies. He doesn't have much of a

2512
02:35:42.760 --> 02:35:45.079
sweet tooth, so I hope you don't mind that I

2513
02:35:45.159 --> 02:35:47.680
brought some to work. I've been passing them out in

2514
02:35:47.719 --> 02:35:51.399
the breakroom and they're a huge hit. Everybody just loves them.

2515
02:35:51.959 --> 02:35:55.920
Emily's mom paused as loud noises and screams can be heard.

2516
02:35:57.040 --> 02:35:59.719
Oh my, something is going on down the hall. I

2517
02:36:00.040 --> 02:36:01.559
better get off here and see if I can help

2518
02:36:01.879 --> 02:36:14.159
you get some rest. Merry Christmas, sweetheart, the phone went dead.

2519
02:36:15.079 --> 02:36:21.159
Christmas Cranberries by LF Falconer. Ronnie was no longer content

2520
02:36:21.680 --> 02:36:26.120
with pulling the legs off of crickets that bored him anymore,

2521
02:36:27.200 --> 02:36:33.319
as did wingless dragonflies and tailless lizards. So today it

2522
02:36:33.399 --> 02:36:36.840
was Fluffy, the long haired tabby with the blue collar

2523
02:36:36.920 --> 02:36:41.600
that jingled softly with the cat's subtle movements to protect

2524
02:36:41.639 --> 02:36:45.399
the birds. Fluffy's owner, Missus Kent from the neighboring house,

2525
02:36:45.520 --> 02:36:49.840
was often known to say Fluffy was missus Kent's favorite,

2526
02:36:50.239 --> 02:36:54.079
and Ronnie did not like missus Kent, for missus Kent

2527
02:36:54.280 --> 02:36:58.120
was mean. Her mouth was always turned down in a frown,

2528
02:36:58.399 --> 02:37:02.399
and her eyes glinted like a pirates. She never missed

2529
02:37:02.399 --> 02:37:05.920
the opportunity to complain to Ronnie's mom when he'd picked

2530
02:37:05.920 --> 02:37:09.000
the apples from missus Kent's tree off the single branch

2531
02:37:09.360 --> 02:37:13.079
that overhung the back fence, and she refused to return

2532
02:37:13.159 --> 02:37:17.479
any balls that accidentally ended up in her yard. Yes,

2533
02:37:18.120 --> 02:37:21.760
missus Kent was a mean old bitdy, So this day,

2534
02:37:22.319 --> 02:37:26.479
Ronnie thought, when he caught Fluffy trespassing, was to be

2535
02:37:27.479 --> 02:37:33.000
Fluffy's last. Ronnie's eyes gleamed as he firmly held the

2536
02:37:33.040 --> 02:37:36.600
writhing cat beneath the water of his wading pool. He

2537
02:37:36.719 --> 02:37:39.559
imagined the cat to be missus Kent as he kept

2538
02:37:39.600 --> 02:37:43.799
holding her down tighter and tighter until she was quite dead.

2539
02:37:43.879 --> 02:37:49.280
Beneath the shallow water, he smiled. A sweet tang like

2540
02:37:49.399 --> 02:37:54.719
cranberry's filled his mouth. He savored the taste as he

2541
02:37:54.799 --> 02:37:59.079
shoved the wet, dead cat into a garbage bag and

2542
02:37:59.200 --> 02:38:02.559
stuffed it into the trash can in the alley. For

2543
02:38:02.600 --> 02:38:06.559
a long time, Ronnie stared at the trash can, reveling

2544
02:38:06.719 --> 02:38:13.360
in satisfaction, relishing the taste of cranberries. In all of

2545
02:38:13.399 --> 02:38:17.680
his six years of life, he could never remember feeling

2546
02:38:18.680 --> 02:38:24.239
so good that was in June. By the first of September,

2547
02:38:24.799 --> 02:38:28.840
just one week before his seventh birthday, Ronnie was beginning

2548
02:38:28.840 --> 02:38:34.639
to hunger. With the need to feel good again, he

2549
02:38:34.760 --> 02:38:40.159
began to crave the cranberries. For his birthday, his father

2550
02:38:40.239 --> 02:38:44.239
brought home the puppy, a happy eight week old Lab

2551
02:38:44.319 --> 02:38:49.120
Border Collie mix, At his mother's suggestion. The boy named

2552
02:38:49.120 --> 02:38:53.719
the dog Susie, and within a few days, Susie was

2553
02:38:53.760 --> 02:38:57.879
fetching the ball Ronnie would toss. Very few were lost

2554
02:38:57.920 --> 02:39:02.520
to missus Kent's yard anymore. At night, Susi would curl

2555
02:39:02.600 --> 02:39:05.000
up in her crate at the footboard of Ronie's bed,

2556
02:39:05.559 --> 02:39:09.840
and she rarely woke before daylight. In the morning, she

2557
02:39:09.879 --> 02:39:14.440
would follow Ronnie like a shadow, and wait patiently outside

2558
02:39:14.479 --> 02:39:17.680
the closed bathroom door until he would let her out

2559
02:39:17.680 --> 02:39:20.079
in the back yard to tend to her own duties.

2560
02:39:20.920 --> 02:39:24.319
When Ranie would come home from school, Susi would brim

2561
02:39:24.360 --> 02:39:29.559
with joy and exuberance, wagging her entire hind quarters. Four

2562
02:39:29.600 --> 02:39:36.760
weeks after Rannie's birthday, Susie disappeared. Ranie knew where the

2563
02:39:36.840 --> 02:39:40.399
dog had gone. Though Susy had done nothing to set

2564
02:39:40.479 --> 02:39:43.879
Ranie into a fit of anger, the boy had simply

2565
02:39:43.959 --> 02:39:49.559
wanted to feel good. He had been hungry. He'd wanted

2566
02:39:49.559 --> 02:39:55.040
to taste the cranberries. He had taken his father's clawhammer

2567
02:39:55.319 --> 02:39:59.239
out of the garage. He'd bashed it against Susie's head.

2568
02:40:00.280 --> 02:40:06.920
He'd bashed again and again, each blow, feeding his hunger,

2569
02:40:07.719 --> 02:40:13.520
filling his mouth with tang until cranberry drool overflowed and

2570
02:40:13.680 --> 02:40:18.879
dribbled onto his chin. The hunger was sated, He'd tossed

2571
02:40:18.879 --> 02:40:22.680
the hammer behind the rose bush, unlatched the alley gate,

2572
02:40:23.280 --> 02:40:27.000
and shoved Susie's little body into a box in mister

2573
02:40:27.040 --> 02:40:30.680
Phipps's trash can at the end of the block. He

2574
02:40:30.680 --> 02:40:37.639
would be full for a while. Ronnie felt good. Ronnie's

2575
02:40:37.680 --> 02:40:41.600
mother and father posted the reward fliers around the neighborhood

2576
02:40:41.760 --> 02:40:45.719
in hopes of inducing the return of the missing pup.

2577
02:40:46.600 --> 02:40:49.840
Five days after he'd put them up, Ronnie's dad took

2578
02:40:49.879 --> 02:40:54.360
the flyers down, even though the lost puppy had not

2579
02:40:54.440 --> 02:40:59.559
been found. A week before Halloween, Ranie was blessed with

2580
02:40:59.600 --> 02:41:03.159
a new sister. His mother had gone to the hospital

2581
02:41:03.600 --> 02:41:07.879
and came home two days later with baby Elizabeth wrapped

2582
02:41:07.920 --> 02:41:12.600
in her arms. Grandma Rose and Grandpa Sig and Grandpa

2583
02:41:12.760 --> 02:41:16.200
Paul all came for the Thanksgiving holiday dinner with much

2584
02:41:16.280 --> 02:41:21.440
fuss and ado over baby Elizabeth. Grandma Rose clicked her

2585
02:41:21.479 --> 02:41:25.879
favorite photo, so she said, of a smiling Rannie lovingly

2586
02:41:25.959 --> 02:41:29.120
holding his new one month old sister in his arms.

2587
02:41:30.159 --> 02:41:33.719
Little did Grandma Rose know that when she posed the

2588
02:41:33.799 --> 02:41:40.120
children for that shot, how hungry Rannie was growing, how

2589
02:41:40.239 --> 02:41:45.879
Rannie's bright smile was merely instigated by his inner anticipation

2590
02:41:46.680 --> 02:41:50.760
and his knowledge of how to feel good, how to

2591
02:41:50.879 --> 02:41:55.719
taste more cranberries. He tried to fill his hunger at

2592
02:41:55.719 --> 02:41:59.479
the Thanksgiving feast, but the ones from the cairn were

2593
02:42:00.159 --> 02:42:05.239
too sweet, They weren't the same. They did not make

2594
02:42:05.360 --> 02:42:09.559
him feel good. After dinner, the women gathered in the

2595
02:42:09.639 --> 02:42:12.479
kitchen for the cleanup, and the men retired to the

2596
02:42:12.520 --> 02:42:17.239
living room in front of the TV. So Ronnie, Grandpa

2597
02:42:17.319 --> 02:42:20.840
Paul asked, as he settled upon the sofa, what do

2598
02:42:20.879 --> 02:42:23.600
you want Santa to bring you for Christmas this year?

2599
02:42:24.760 --> 02:42:28.760
Ronnie scooted forward in his seat. A baseball bat would

2600
02:42:28.799 --> 02:42:32.239
be nice. He had no desire for a ball or

2601
02:42:32.280 --> 02:42:38.520
a glove. A shiny red baseball bat red like cranberries.

2602
02:42:39.280 --> 02:42:42.600
His grin was as wide as his eyes. It made

2603
02:42:42.680 --> 02:42:47.079
Grandpa Paul smile. I always loved baseball as a boy,

2604
02:42:47.920 --> 02:42:52.680
Grandpa Sigg said, loosening his tie. Grandpa Sigg always wore

2605
02:42:52.680 --> 02:42:55.799
a tie. You never know when you'll need to make

2606
02:42:55.840 --> 02:43:01.159
a good impression, he always said. Ronnie's dad, Jim, leaned

2607
02:43:01.200 --> 02:43:04.760
back in his recliner. Santa might not come this year.

2608
02:43:05.959 --> 02:43:10.639
Why not, Jimmy, Grandpa Sigg asked. He's not short of cash,

2609
02:43:11.319 --> 02:43:16.040
is he No? But sometimes it's just best if he

2610
02:43:16.200 --> 02:43:20.239
stays away. Ronnie's dad muted the TV and set the

2611
02:43:20.280 --> 02:43:24.639
remote aside. Dad, why don't you tell Ronnie about the

2612
02:43:24.680 --> 02:43:29.879
Santa you knew as a boy. Are you sure? Grandpa

2613
02:43:30.000 --> 02:43:32.799
Sig ran his tie back and forth through his fingers.

2614
02:43:34.040 --> 02:43:38.639
Times are different, and here in America Santa Claus has

2615
02:43:38.719 --> 02:43:42.280
changed his m a little. He's changed his m O

2616
02:43:42.479 --> 02:43:46.280
a lot, Dad, So indulge me and help me teach

2617
02:43:46.360 --> 02:43:50.680
the boy a little folklore from his heritage. My Ronnie's

2618
02:43:50.719 --> 02:43:54.040
old enough to know there's more than one Santa in

2619
02:43:54.079 --> 02:43:57.280
the world. He looked over at his son and winked,

2620
02:43:57.959 --> 02:44:02.319
aren't your son. Ronnie sat out up proudly. Yes, I am,

2621
02:44:03.120 --> 02:44:06.799
and the boy listened and rapped awe as his father's

2622
02:44:06.840 --> 02:44:13.079
father began the tail. Well, here in America, Santa Claus

2623
02:44:13.200 --> 02:44:17.799
might come accompanied by a red nosed reindeer. Grandpa sigin toned,

2624
02:44:18.760 --> 02:44:23.159
But back where I come from, Santa or Sami Klaus,

2625
02:44:23.719 --> 02:44:29.840
as he's known, makes his rounds with Schmutzy. Ronnie giggled

2626
02:44:29.879 --> 02:44:32.840
at the sound of the name, spoken in his grandfather's

2627
02:44:32.879 --> 02:44:38.200
residual German accent. Is that a Swiss reindeer? He asked.

2628
02:44:39.440 --> 02:44:47.000
Grandpa Sig shook his head solemnly. No, Schmutzy is Samyklaus

2629
02:44:47.239 --> 02:44:52.040
evil altar. While Samyklaus wears a red cloak and a

2630
02:44:52.159 --> 02:44:57.879
tall red hat, Smutzy dresses in Suti gray. Sami Klaus

2631
02:44:58.200 --> 02:45:02.360
has a long white beard, and Smutzy is black as coal.

2632
02:45:02.879 --> 02:45:06.879
Schmutzley's face too, is black as an ink well, and

2633
02:45:06.959 --> 02:45:11.079
his eyes glow red as embers in a fire. Sammy

2634
02:45:11.159 --> 02:45:14.360
Klaus leaves treats in the shoes of good little children,

2635
02:45:14.799 --> 02:45:19.360
while Schmutzley beats the naughty children with his broom. And

2636
02:45:19.479 --> 02:45:25.120
with those boys and girls who've been truly, truly bad,

2637
02:45:26.120 --> 02:45:30.079
he sweeps them into his sack and spirits them away

2638
02:45:30.479 --> 02:45:34.559
deep into the wilderness, to be eaten and never seen again.

2639
02:45:35.440 --> 02:45:39.600
Ronnie stared wide eyed. Why are you telling the boy

2640
02:45:39.680 --> 02:45:43.760
that horrible tale, Grandma Rose asked, coming out of the

2641
02:45:43.840 --> 02:45:47.079
kitchen with a handful of fresh washed china for the cabinet.

2642
02:45:47.760 --> 02:45:51.680
There's nothing wrong with Ronnie knowing the folklore of his heritage, Mom,

2643
02:45:52.079 --> 02:45:55.360
Jim said, after all, I grew up with it, and

2644
02:45:55.600 --> 02:45:59.479
look how sane I turned out. Well. I didn't approve

2645
02:45:59.520 --> 02:46:01.479
of your father telling you those stories then, and I

2646
02:46:01.479 --> 02:46:04.079
don't approve of you scaring my grandson with them now.

2647
02:46:05.399 --> 02:46:08.920
It's too late, Jim said, reaching for the TV remote.

2648
02:46:09.280 --> 02:46:14.479
The tale of Schmultzy has been told. I'm not scared, Grandma,

2649
02:46:15.159 --> 02:46:20.399
Ronnie lied, After all, this is America. Santa's changed his

2650
02:46:20.840 --> 02:46:25.639
m O. Grandpa Sig and Grandpa Paul both laughed. Grandma

2651
02:46:25.760 --> 02:46:29.440
Rose shook her head and returned to the kitchen. Ronnie

2652
02:46:29.440 --> 02:46:33.920
stared at the TV. The sound was reinstated, but Ronnie

2653
02:46:33.920 --> 02:46:37.559
didn't hear it. All that filled his mind was the

2654
02:46:37.600 --> 02:46:41.079
picture of glowing red eyes on a black face, and

2655
02:46:41.120 --> 02:46:46.520
the hunger for cranberries faded into the background. When Ronnie

2656
02:46:46.520 --> 02:46:49.600
relayed the story of Samit Claus and Schmultzy to his

2657
02:46:49.680 --> 02:46:54.440
friend Jason at school, Jason just laughed. It's not real,

2658
02:46:55.280 --> 02:46:58.959
Jason said, There's no such thing as Santa anyway. It's

2659
02:46:59.000 --> 02:47:04.479
only your parents. And that is what Ronnie wanted to believe,

2660
02:47:05.639 --> 02:47:09.799
or at least that in America there was Sanna, not

2661
02:47:10.079 --> 02:47:15.799
semi cloths, and certainly no Schmultzy. And maybe he hadn't

2662
02:47:15.840 --> 02:47:21.600
been that naughty though he wanted to be. He was

2663
02:47:21.719 --> 02:47:26.479
craving the cranberries, but it would have to wait. He

2664
02:47:26.520 --> 02:47:33.120
couldn't take any chances before Christmas. Two days before Christmas,

2665
02:47:33.440 --> 02:47:37.959
Ronnie watched, licking the taste of cranberries on his lips

2666
02:47:38.399 --> 02:47:41.840
as his mother bathed baby Elizabeth in the infant's tub

2667
02:47:41.920 --> 02:47:48.239
upon the tabletop. Can I help he tentatively asked. After

2668
02:47:48.319 --> 02:47:53.760
a moment's consideration, Mother nodded, of course, Ronnie. She handed

2669
02:47:53.799 --> 02:47:58.079
the boy the soft washcloth when he stepped close. Just

2670
02:47:58.239 --> 02:48:03.319
gently wash her body, okay. Mother held Elizabeth securely in

2671
02:48:03.360 --> 02:48:06.879
the tub. Ronnie rubbed the cloth over the baby's soft

2672
02:48:06.920 --> 02:48:11.440
shoulders and belly and imagined grabbing hold of the baby's ankles,

2673
02:48:11.840 --> 02:48:16.000
whirling her around and flinging her against the wall, then

2674
02:48:16.159 --> 02:48:18.760
jumping up and down on her body once she hit

2675
02:48:18.840 --> 02:48:23.879
the floor. He imagined skewering her with the fireplace poker

2676
02:48:24.399 --> 02:48:28.520
and roasting her like a marshmallow. He imagined taking his

2677
02:48:28.559 --> 02:48:33.319
fingers and poking them into Elizabeth's wide blue eyes and

2678
02:48:33.440 --> 02:48:38.120
cramming the soaking wet washcloth down her throat. He licked

2679
02:48:38.159 --> 02:48:43.520
the tang of cranberries away. Here. Mother interrupted his thoughts.

2680
02:48:44.280 --> 02:48:46.840
Hold her steady for me while I lay out the towel.

2681
02:48:48.239 --> 02:48:53.479
Ronnie's hands replaced his mother's beneath Elizabeth's arms. He looked

2682
02:48:53.559 --> 02:48:58.520
up into his mother's eyes. They were smiling. The tang

2683
02:48:58.639 --> 02:49:03.079
in his mouth sweetened. Mother leaned over to unfold the

2684
02:49:03.120 --> 02:49:07.280
towel beside the infant's tub. Ronnie began to release his grip,

2685
02:49:08.000 --> 02:49:12.239
Elizabeth slipped a bit. Could she slide all the way

2686
02:49:12.319 --> 02:49:19.120
down until she drowned? Ronnie wondered, Not likely, but perhaps

2687
02:49:19.559 --> 02:49:22.719
she could slip fast enough that were he to try

2688
02:49:22.719 --> 02:49:26.280
to catch hold of her again, her tiny little neck

2689
02:49:26.639 --> 02:49:32.520
might snap in the process, her tiny little neck so

2690
02:49:32.799 --> 02:49:37.079
skinny in its frailty trying to hold up her big

2691
02:49:37.600 --> 02:49:42.959
bobbling head, and maybe her big bobbling head just might

2692
02:49:43.079 --> 02:49:49.319
pop right off in his hands. Pop the cranberry tang

2693
02:49:49.600 --> 02:49:54.040
caused a slip of drool to dampen Ronnie's chin. His

2694
02:49:54.200 --> 02:49:58.280
eyes grew wide as he stared at his sister. He

2695
02:49:58.399 --> 02:50:04.600
let go his grip. Elizabeth started to slide. Whoa. Mother

2696
02:50:04.760 --> 02:50:08.159
quickly caught the baby before she slipped into the shallow water,

2697
02:50:08.319 --> 02:50:12.200
and laughed nervously. She can be a little wiggle bug, can't.

2698
02:50:12.239 --> 02:50:15.559
She almost got away from you. You have to be

2699
02:50:15.680 --> 02:50:18.840
more careful with your sister, Ronnie, His father spoke from

2700
02:50:18.879 --> 02:50:23.319
the doorway as he entered the room. Yes, Ronnie agreed,

2701
02:50:23.879 --> 02:50:27.280
taking a step back, relieved mother had been so quick.

2702
02:50:28.040 --> 02:50:33.000
Christmas was close. He couldn't be naughty before Santa came,

2703
02:50:34.479 --> 02:50:42.879
but afterwards afterwards he could feel good again. On Christmas Eve.

2704
02:50:42.959 --> 02:50:47.639
He could not sleep. His stocking was hung, but would

2705
02:50:47.680 --> 02:50:53.319
it be filled? Was Santa real? Would he come? And

2706
02:50:53.440 --> 02:50:58.600
what about Schmultzy? But this was America, of course Santa

2707
02:50:58.639 --> 02:51:02.079
would come, Sata and a red nosed reindeer to leave

2708
02:51:02.159 --> 02:51:07.479
presents under the tree, not red eyed Schmutzli. He had

2709
02:51:07.520 --> 02:51:11.360
been being oh so very good, even though the hunger

2710
02:51:11.440 --> 02:51:17.159
for Cranberry's was unendurably strong. Elizabeth was sleeping in her

2711
02:51:17.239 --> 02:51:20.840
room across the hall. Mother and father were sleeping in

2712
02:51:20.920 --> 02:51:24.239
their room at the end of the hall. Ronnie stared

2713
02:51:24.280 --> 02:51:29.200
out the dark window to the starlit night beyond. Please

2714
02:51:29.280 --> 02:51:33.879
let Santa come, he whispered. He only had to wait

2715
02:51:34.440 --> 02:51:39.399
until after Santa came. He couldn't be bad before Santa came,

2716
02:51:40.040 --> 02:51:44.239
But afterwards everything would be all right and he could

2717
02:51:44.280 --> 02:51:50.239
feel good again. After all, this was America, and in America,

2718
02:51:50.360 --> 02:51:55.079
Santa wanted little boys to feel good. Santa rewarded good

2719
02:51:55.159 --> 02:52:00.600
with presents. Ronnie stared at his bedroom door. Elizabeth was

2720
02:52:00.639 --> 02:52:03.639
across the hall. Mother and father were at the end

2721
02:52:03.680 --> 02:52:06.520
of the hall. At the other end of the hall,

2722
02:52:06.680 --> 02:52:10.040
around the corner in the living room, the brightly lit

2723
02:52:10.120 --> 02:52:15.360
Christmas tree cheerfully winked, awaiting its yearly night stalking visitor.

2724
02:52:16.440 --> 02:52:21.760
Every year, it was Santa who came, Not Semiklaus, not Schmoltzy.

2725
02:52:22.680 --> 02:52:26.760
This was America. Ronnie pulled the blanket up to his

2726
02:52:26.920 --> 02:52:31.319
chin and stared out the dark window. The tang was

2727
02:52:31.319 --> 02:52:37.079
in his mouth. He just wanted to feel good, that's all.

2728
02:52:38.040 --> 02:52:40.959
He didn't want to be naughty, and there was only

2729
02:52:41.000 --> 02:52:45.239
one way to feel good, and here in America. Santa

2730
02:52:45.360 --> 02:52:50.760
brought presents to the good, maybe even a baseball bat, bright,

2731
02:52:50.840 --> 02:52:56.120
shiny and red thunk. He could hear the metallic sound

2732
02:52:56.159 --> 02:53:06.319
of the bat's impact. Thunk, thunk, hollow and resonant, red, gleaming, slick, gosh.

2733
02:53:06.799 --> 02:53:10.200
He was so hungry. He wanted to feel good, to

2734
02:53:10.280 --> 02:53:16.479
feel good for Santa. Elizabeth was across the hall. He

2735
02:53:16.559 --> 02:53:20.399
sat up in bed and stared at the door. Was

2736
02:53:20.440 --> 02:53:26.280
there truly a Santa? If so? Was he American? Or

2737
02:53:26.559 --> 02:53:31.680
was he Swiss? And had he come yet? Ronnie laid

2738
02:53:31.719 --> 02:53:35.600
back down. It was getting hard to breathe. His mouth

2739
02:53:35.719 --> 02:53:40.040
was full. He needed to feel good. When would Santa

2740
02:53:40.079 --> 02:53:42.879
come so he could feel good? He needed to know

2741
02:53:42.959 --> 02:53:46.840
Santa had come before he could feel good. He sat

2742
02:53:46.920 --> 02:53:49.000
back up and dangled his feet over the side of

2743
02:53:49.040 --> 02:53:53.760
the bed. He stared at the door. Elizabeth was across

2744
02:53:53.760 --> 02:54:00.319
the hall. Had Santa come yet? Ronnie was so oh

2745
02:54:00.479 --> 02:54:05.920
very hungry, starving he could taste the cranberries he needed

2746
02:54:06.239 --> 02:54:11.559
to feel good. Bare feet hit the floor, he crept

2747
02:54:11.559 --> 02:54:15.719
to the bedroom door, peeked into the hall, looked to

2748
02:54:15.799 --> 02:54:22.239
his parents closed bedroom door, then to Elizabeth's. His hands

2749
02:54:22.319 --> 02:54:25.879
began to sweat. Ronnie eased his way into the hall

2750
02:54:25.920 --> 02:54:30.159
without squeaking The door hinges and padded for the living room.

2751
02:54:30.600 --> 02:54:34.239
He peeped around the corner into the room, a wash

2752
02:54:34.319 --> 02:54:41.120
with twinkling colored lights, and gasped, Santa was real. He

2753
02:54:41.159 --> 02:54:46.000
had come. The stockings were bulging filled to the brim.

2754
02:54:46.319 --> 02:54:49.920
Beneath the tree, under a big green bow was a

2755
02:54:49.959 --> 02:54:55.399
shimmering red baseball bat, the color of cranberries. He crouched

2756
02:54:55.399 --> 02:54:59.879
to his hands and knees and crawled for the tree. Hesitant,

2757
02:55:00.200 --> 02:55:04.120
his hand touched the cold aluminum that gleamed beneath a

2758
02:55:04.159 --> 02:55:09.840
barrage of twinkling lights. He slowly lifted it up and

2759
02:55:09.959 --> 02:55:15.959
gave the bat a loving caress. In America, Santa wanted

2760
02:55:16.000 --> 02:55:20.799
little boys to feel good In America, Santa rewarded the good.

2761
02:55:21.040 --> 02:55:24.399
He rewarded the good with shiny aluminum baseball bats to

2762
02:55:24.559 --> 02:55:29.840
enable the good never to stop. Ronnie wanted to feel good.

2763
02:55:30.920 --> 02:55:36.040
He had waited for so so long. The sweet tang

2764
02:55:36.120 --> 02:55:39.520
of cranberries filled his mouth as he hugged the red

2765
02:55:39.559 --> 02:55:45.559
baseball bat and eased back down the hall. Turning the

2766
02:55:45.680 --> 02:55:51.000
knob to Elizabeth's bedroom door, he gently pushed it open.

2767
02:55:52.520 --> 02:56:01.479
He stepped inside. Thunk, thunk, thunk, a gleam of red.

2768
02:56:02.440 --> 02:56:10.440
The bat hit the floor. The flyer Ronnie's father tacked

2769
02:56:10.440 --> 02:56:14.200
to the electric pole featured the smiling face of a

2770
02:56:14.239 --> 02:56:18.280
seven year old boy. A reward was being offered for

2771
02:56:18.399 --> 02:56:23.760
any information leading to the missing boy's whereabouts, but Jim

2772
02:56:23.840 --> 02:56:29.000
knew no reward would ever be paid out. Jim knew

2773
02:56:29.159 --> 02:56:33.600
Ronnie had been a bad boy. Jim had found the

2774
02:56:33.639 --> 02:56:39.920
bloody hammer, matted with dog hair and gore. He knew

2775
02:56:40.040 --> 02:56:42.760
Ronnie had lied about the puppy running off through the

2776
02:56:42.799 --> 02:56:47.479
open gate, and Jim feared what Ronnie would do with

2777
02:56:47.600 --> 02:56:53.879
a shiny new baseball bat. Yes, Ronnie was certainly a

2778
02:56:54.200 --> 02:56:58.760
very bad boy, and very bad boys had to be

2779
02:56:58.879 --> 02:57:14.280
whisked away forever. The Naughty List by Keith Tomlin. Andy Price,

2780
02:57:14.799 --> 02:57:18.680
twelve years old, went to sleep on Christmas Eve in

2781
02:57:18.760 --> 02:57:22.440
a dry, warm bed in the Saint Luke's Home for

2782
02:57:22.559 --> 02:57:28.799
Wayward Youth and woke up on a cold, damp stone floor.

2783
02:57:30.040 --> 02:57:33.799
He groggily sat up and looked around the large chamber.

2784
02:57:34.719 --> 02:57:38.280
A dozen other kids about his age were also waking up,

2785
02:57:38.840 --> 02:57:42.360
each looking about with the same dazed and confused look

2786
02:57:42.920 --> 02:57:47.600
that he had. There were three girls and ten boys,

2787
02:57:47.639 --> 02:57:53.440
including Andy, all wearing their nightclothes. Andy stumbled to his feet,

2788
02:57:53.719 --> 02:57:57.280
reaching out to the nearby wall to steady himself. The

2789
02:57:57.360 --> 02:58:01.479
wall felt cold against his bare hand. He looked closer,

2790
02:58:01.520 --> 02:58:04.399
and it seemed that the walls and even the ceiling

2791
02:58:05.159 --> 02:58:09.840
were made from ice. A dim luminescence emitted from the ice,

2792
02:58:10.399 --> 02:58:14.600
creating a soft light that lit the entire chamber. Each

2793
02:58:14.719 --> 02:58:17.600
wall of the square room had tunnels that led off

2794
02:58:17.600 --> 02:58:21.200
of it, and the tall ceiling had a large circular

2795
02:58:21.280 --> 02:58:26.280
hole in the middle. Some kids began milling about, exploring

2796
02:58:26.319 --> 02:58:30.479
the cavern and looking down the corridors. Others remained seated

2797
02:58:30.479 --> 02:58:33.440
on the floor, unable to believe what their eyes were

2798
02:58:33.479 --> 02:58:37.920
telling them, and he stood apart against the wall and

2799
02:58:38.079 --> 02:58:41.959
studied the other kids. He knew that knowledge was power,

2800
02:58:42.399 --> 02:58:45.159
and he wanted to gain as much information as possible

2801
02:58:45.639 --> 02:58:50.040
to ensure that he would as always come out on top.

2802
02:58:50.680 --> 02:58:53.639
As he studied the kids, he began to sort them

2803
02:58:53.840 --> 02:58:58.959
into categories. Are they weak or strong? Are they a threat?

2804
02:58:59.520 --> 02:59:04.360
Can he manipulate them into doing what he wants? How

2805
02:59:04.399 --> 02:59:07.159
can he use them to ensure that he will win?

2806
02:59:07.360 --> 02:59:11.879
Whatever sick and twisted game this was. All of this

2807
02:59:12.040 --> 02:59:16.360
came to Andy as naturally as breathing. He always got

2808
02:59:16.360 --> 02:59:21.200
what he wanted and nothing stood in his way. No teachers,

2809
02:59:21.639 --> 02:59:26.600
no laws, not even his parents. Andy was born to

2810
02:59:26.680 --> 02:59:30.920
Greg and Mary Price, a young couple living in Chicago.

2811
02:59:31.120 --> 02:59:34.719
Greg was a junior architect and Mary was a kindergarten teacher.

2812
02:59:35.399 --> 02:59:38.000
They had met in a Bible study class and soon

2813
02:59:38.120 --> 02:59:42.760
fell in love. They married and within a year Mary

2814
02:59:42.840 --> 02:59:48.319
gave birth to their first child, Andrew or Andy, as

2815
02:59:48.360 --> 02:59:53.319
he was lovingly called. He was a perfect baby, never crying,

2816
02:59:53.440 --> 02:59:57.200
never raising a fuss. When he was eight and small

2817
02:59:57.239 --> 03:00:02.079
pets and animals started disappearing around the neighborhood, no one

2818
03:00:02.120 --> 03:00:07.200
suspected the quiet Price kid. They put the disappearances down

2819
03:00:07.280 --> 03:00:12.399
to rumors of coyotes roaming the Chicago suburbs. When Andy

2820
03:00:12.559 --> 03:00:17.319
was ten and bigger pets began disappearing, some neighbors did

2821
03:00:17.360 --> 03:00:21.239
begin to point fingers at that odd price child who

2822
03:00:21.280 --> 03:00:23.879
always seemed to be watching them with a hint of

2823
03:00:23.959 --> 03:00:30.079
a knowing smile on his young face. His parents never

2824
03:00:30.120 --> 03:00:34.040
suspected their son was anything but a perfect little angel,

2825
03:00:34.520 --> 03:00:38.920
at least not until they brought home their second child, Susan,

2826
03:00:39.760 --> 03:00:43.840
when Andy was eleven. Little accidents began to happen to

2827
03:00:43.920 --> 03:00:48.120
the baby. Mysterious bruises appeared, and they twice found the

2828
03:00:48.159 --> 03:00:52.120
baby choking, having somehow swallowed a marble and a coin.

2829
03:00:53.680 --> 03:00:57.319
The final incident was when the crib tipped over during

2830
03:00:57.360 --> 03:01:01.319
the night, and the resulting injury required Susan to have surgery.

2831
03:01:02.280 --> 03:01:06.399
When his parents began to suspect that Andy maybe behind

2832
03:01:06.520 --> 03:01:12.600
these accidents, an electrical outlet started a fire that only

2833
03:01:12.639 --> 03:01:18.120
Andy survived. Loud, eerie music, reminiscent of the tune you

2834
03:01:18.159 --> 03:01:21.040
would hear from a Jack in the box toy began

2835
03:01:21.159 --> 03:01:25.280
drifting down from the hole in the ceiling. It slowly

2836
03:01:25.360 --> 03:01:29.920
increased in volume until it shook the walls. This went

2837
03:01:29.959 --> 03:01:33.399
on for so long that Andy thought his ear drums

2838
03:01:33.399 --> 03:01:37.159
would shatter. He pressed his palms against his ears and

2839
03:01:37.239 --> 03:01:40.879
fell to the floor, screaming for it to stop, and

2840
03:01:41.040 --> 03:01:47.200
suddenly it did. A few heartbeats later, a high pitched

2841
03:01:47.239 --> 03:01:53.000
voice began reciting a poem in a hypnotic sing song voice.

2842
03:01:53.159 --> 03:01:59.600
Judgment passed, Trial done, judged, naughty everyone, No games, no rules,

2843
03:01:59.719 --> 03:02:06.000
no referee. Two choices, fight or flee survived the night?

2844
03:02:06.200 --> 03:02:09.719
Only two ways? Kill the monster or escaped them maze.

2845
03:02:09.920 --> 03:02:13.639
The voice stopped, but the echoes rang along the corridors

2846
03:02:13.680 --> 03:02:18.360
for minutes before finally fading away. Andy struggled to his

2847
03:02:18.399 --> 03:02:21.680
feet as a grinding sound like an old rusty gate

2848
03:02:21.799 --> 03:02:27.559
being opened, shook the room. Seconds later, a massive creature

2849
03:02:27.680 --> 03:02:32.479
dropped from the hole, landing heavily on the floor. The

2850
03:02:32.559 --> 03:02:37.000
creature stood up straight, twice as tall as Andy. It

2851
03:02:37.079 --> 03:02:40.840
had an apelike body that was covered with long white fur.

2852
03:02:41.799 --> 03:02:47.680
It roared, opening its oversized mouth to reveal rows of

2853
03:02:47.879 --> 03:02:52.760
razor sharp teeth. The creature's long arms flexed as its

2854
03:02:52.840 --> 03:02:57.760
powerful muscles rippled beneath the long hair. Each hand had

2855
03:02:57.879 --> 03:03:03.399
long fingers that were tipped with wickedly sharp claws. The

2856
03:03:03.479 --> 03:03:09.879
creature slowly swiveled its massive head to survey its surroundings.

2857
03:03:10.040 --> 03:03:12.559
Most of the children who had been shocked by the

2858
03:03:12.600 --> 03:03:15.799
reveal of the monster snapped to life and began running

2859
03:03:15.799 --> 03:03:20.000
for the nearest tunnel. This seemed to amuse the creature,

2860
03:03:20.440 --> 03:03:24.680
and it threw back its head and roared again, this

2861
03:03:24.920 --> 03:03:30.559
time in anticipation of the hunt. When the creature first appeared,

2862
03:03:30.639 --> 03:03:33.600
Andy had slid along the wall and ducked into a

2863
03:03:33.680 --> 03:03:38.799
side passage. He peered out around the corner and watched

2864
03:03:38.879 --> 03:03:44.879
the chamber quickly empty of children except for two. One

2865
03:03:44.920 --> 03:03:48.159
of the younger looking kids, a petite girl dressed in

2866
03:03:48.200 --> 03:03:51.000
a pink nightgown, had curled into a ball on the

2867
03:03:51.040 --> 03:03:55.600
ground and kept repeating this is not happening, over and

2868
03:03:55.760 --> 03:03:59.879
over again. The other kid, a red haired boy, stood

2869
03:04:00.000 --> 03:04:03.959
pressed against the wall, his face filled with horror and disbelief.

2870
03:04:04.440 --> 03:04:07.520
A large wet stain had appeared on his Marvel superhero

2871
03:04:07.559 --> 03:04:11.879
pajama bottoms, running from his crotch to his ankles. The

2872
03:04:11.920 --> 03:04:14.479
creature clicked his tongue as it walked over to the

2873
03:04:14.520 --> 03:04:18.959
boy that was standing. It seemed to smile as it

2874
03:04:19.040 --> 03:04:23.680
gently reached out one claw hand and slowly wrapped it

2875
03:04:23.760 --> 03:04:28.319
around the boy's chest. It pulled him close and stared

2876
03:04:28.360 --> 03:04:31.399
in his eyes before it raised his other hand and

2877
03:04:31.559 --> 03:04:36.559
flicked a finger out, slicing the boy's throat. It seized

2878
03:04:36.559 --> 03:04:39.479
the boy's head in its free hand and bent it

2879
03:04:39.639 --> 03:04:43.879
back like snapping open a pixie stick. It raised the

2880
03:04:44.000 --> 03:04:47.159
child above his head and let the blood flow into

2881
03:04:47.200 --> 03:04:51.120
its mouth, blood splattering all over the creature's face and chest.

2882
03:04:52.360 --> 03:04:56.399
When the blood stopped, the creature flung the lifeless body

2883
03:04:56.440 --> 03:04:59.680
across the cavern. As the creature turned to face the

2884
03:04:59.680 --> 03:05:04.239
girl on the ground, she began chanting, this is not happening,

2885
03:05:04.799 --> 03:05:08.879
louder and more frantic. The creature's arm shot out and

2886
03:05:09.000 --> 03:05:12.639
grabbed her by the ankle. In one smooth motion, it

2887
03:05:12.680 --> 03:05:16.000
whipped its arm around, slamming the girl's head into the wall.

2888
03:05:16.600 --> 03:05:20.280
It split open and splattered blood, bone, and brains all

2889
03:05:20.360 --> 03:05:25.280
over the room. As the creature began to feed, Andy's

2890
03:05:25.319 --> 03:05:29.639
mind raced, searching for possibilities of how to control the situation.

2891
03:05:30.319 --> 03:05:33.079
He had always known what to say and do to

2892
03:05:33.239 --> 03:05:36.120
ensure that he got what he wanted. Now his mind

2893
03:05:36.159 --> 03:05:42.159
came back with nothing except panic. This was new to him.

2894
03:05:42.639 --> 03:05:47.799
Andy had never before tasted fear. He turned and ran.

2895
03:05:48.600 --> 03:05:52.000
The passages were wide, at least eight feet across and

2896
03:05:52.079 --> 03:05:55.680
not quite as tall as the starting chamber. Side tunnels

2897
03:05:55.760 --> 03:05:59.680
ran off of this one in seemingly random intervals. Echoes

2898
03:05:59.680 --> 03:06:02.399
seen to have a life of their own and reverberated

2899
03:06:02.440 --> 03:06:05.360
all around Andy. He heard the echo of the girl

2900
03:06:05.440 --> 03:06:09.120
chanting this is not happening, as well as the wet,

2901
03:06:09.319 --> 03:06:12.760
hollow thunk of her head hitting the ice. He could

2902
03:06:12.840 --> 03:06:18.079
also hear echoes of something large moving quickly. Andy felt

2903
03:06:18.079 --> 03:06:22.159
disoriented and began choosing passages at random, trying to put

2904
03:06:22.200 --> 03:06:24.879
as much distance between him and that creature as possible.

2905
03:06:25.239 --> 03:06:28.360
More screams echoed through the halls as the creature found

2906
03:06:28.840 --> 03:06:34.079
another victim. After a few minutes, Andy paused, gasping for breath.

2907
03:06:34.319 --> 03:06:37.360
As he looked down a side tunnel. He noticed that

2908
03:06:37.440 --> 03:06:41.719
it opened up into a room. He skulked along that

2909
03:06:41.879 --> 03:06:46.680
corridor and peered around the corner. The room was large

2910
03:06:46.680 --> 03:06:50.440
and had ceilings as tall as the first chamber. Along

2911
03:06:50.479 --> 03:06:54.520
the far wall was a wooden rack with metal items

2912
03:06:54.639 --> 03:06:58.200
arrayed along its length. It took Andy a moment to

2913
03:06:58.280 --> 03:07:04.520
realize what was on the rack. Swords, Andy whispered. As

2914
03:07:04.559 --> 03:07:07.120
Andy took a few steps forward, a boy dressed in

2915
03:07:07.200 --> 03:07:12.079
transformers pajamas charged into the room. Run it's coming, he

2916
03:07:12.200 --> 03:07:17.639
yelled once again. Andy turned and ran. Andy didn't know

2917
03:07:17.760 --> 03:07:22.079
how long he ran. It seemed like days. He heard

2918
03:07:22.120 --> 03:07:27.000
screams echoing all around him, unclear if they were old

2919
03:07:27.040 --> 03:07:31.840
screams echoing their way back around or new ones. He

2920
03:07:31.920 --> 03:07:34.680
ran out of one tunnel into a larger corridor and

2921
03:07:34.799 --> 03:07:37.520
had to immediately duck as the largest of the children

2922
03:07:37.920 --> 03:07:40.840
tried to take his head off with a sword. You

2923
03:07:40.959 --> 03:07:43.520
stay away, I don't trust you, and I'll kill anyone

2924
03:07:43.520 --> 03:07:46.559
that gets too close to me. The boy screamed, swinging

2925
03:07:46.559 --> 03:07:48.840
his sword in the air as he backed away from Andy.

2926
03:07:49.879 --> 03:07:52.760
He moved past a side tunnel when a blur of

2927
03:07:52.799 --> 03:07:56.200
white sprang out of it. The creature leaped at the boy,

2928
03:07:56.559 --> 03:07:59.760
pinning him to the ground. It began to tear limbs

2929
03:07:59.799 --> 03:08:02.520
off the large boy like a child might wings off

2930
03:08:02.600 --> 03:08:07.399
a fly. Andy ran. After a few minutes. Andy ran

2931
03:08:07.440 --> 03:08:10.719
into a chamber with four children standing in a semicircle,

2932
03:08:11.040 --> 03:08:14.760
each holding a short spear. The tallest of the kids

2933
03:08:14.799 --> 03:08:18.879
pointed to a wooden rack of spears behind them, saying, hey, kid,

2934
03:08:19.319 --> 03:08:23.239
grab a weapon. We're gonna kill that damn thing. Andy

2935
03:08:23.319 --> 03:08:26.799
ran to the rack and snatched one up. Nodding at

2936
03:08:26.840 --> 03:08:29.319
the tall boy, he walked over to the left side

2937
03:08:29.319 --> 03:08:32.760
of the phalanx, making sure he was closest to the exit.

2938
03:08:34.040 --> 03:08:37.120
The kids stood at the ready, watching for the creature,

2939
03:08:38.159 --> 03:08:41.639
as ready as they were. The attack happened so quickly

2940
03:08:41.959 --> 03:08:44.360
only the tall kid was able to bring his spear

2941
03:08:44.479 --> 03:08:47.600
up to attack. The creature burst out of the tunnel

2942
03:08:47.600 --> 03:08:50.639
that Andy had come through and smashed into the circle

2943
03:08:50.680 --> 03:08:53.639
of kids. Tall kid was able to put a spear

2944
03:08:53.680 --> 03:08:56.200
in the side of the creature, but the powerful beast

2945
03:08:56.239 --> 03:09:00.159
barely noticed. The creature knocked over two defenders with one

2946
03:09:00.200 --> 03:09:03.680
powerful blow and grabbed tall kid in the other hand.

2947
03:09:04.440 --> 03:09:10.079
Andy turned and ran, panting with effort. Andy ran as

2948
03:09:10.120 --> 03:09:13.399
fast as he could. Looking back, he saw one of

2949
03:09:13.440 --> 03:09:16.959
the other defenders, a young girl with long hair, wearing

2950
03:09:17.000 --> 03:09:19.920
sweatpants and a shirt with a peace sign. She ran

2951
03:09:20.040 --> 03:09:24.120
up alongside him, matching his speed and gave a small nod.

2952
03:09:25.079 --> 03:09:29.079
Andy nodded back. They ran together for a few seconds

2953
03:09:29.120 --> 03:09:32.319
before he heard the creature roar and felt the ground

2954
03:09:32.399 --> 03:09:36.959
shake as the beast pursued them. Andy didn't dare look,

2955
03:09:37.000 --> 03:09:40.319
but he could tell the creature was gaining fast. The

2956
03:09:40.360 --> 03:09:43.079
girl gave him another quick look and a shrug as

2957
03:09:43.079 --> 03:09:46.559
she increased her speed and began to pull away from him.

2958
03:09:46.879 --> 03:09:50.159
Andy tried to dig deeper, but he had nothing left.

2959
03:09:50.719 --> 03:09:53.600
The creature was getting closer and he was running out

2960
03:09:53.639 --> 03:09:57.959
of options. He then realized that he was still holding

2961
03:09:58.000 --> 03:10:01.719
the spear. His mind started to race through the potentials.

2962
03:10:02.040 --> 03:10:05.000
Attacking the creature with it would do nothing except get

2963
03:10:05.040 --> 03:10:08.000
him killed. He could drop it and hope that it

2964
03:10:08.040 --> 03:10:12.920
increases his speed, or as soon as his mind came

2965
03:10:13.000 --> 03:10:16.559
up with the third possibility, he acted without even fully

2966
03:10:16.600 --> 03:10:19.840
realizing what he was going to do. He thrust the

2967
03:10:19.879 --> 03:10:23.799
spear forward as he ran, and just barely he was

2968
03:10:23.840 --> 03:10:25.719
able to catch the girl in the back of her

2969
03:10:25.760 --> 03:10:29.159
thigh with the tip. It wasn't a deep wound, but

2970
03:10:29.239 --> 03:10:31.799
it was just enough to make her stumble and fall.

2971
03:10:32.559 --> 03:10:35.479
He ran past without looking down at her. A few

2972
03:10:35.520 --> 03:10:39.479
strides later, her scream and the sound of snapping bones

2973
03:10:40.079 --> 03:10:44.959
echoed in the hallway. The passageway led to another room.

2974
03:10:45.319 --> 03:10:48.159
Andy ran into it and stopped for a second to

2975
03:10:48.239 --> 03:10:52.440
catch his breath. He felt the ground shake and knew

2976
03:10:52.479 --> 03:10:55.799
the creature was making its way down the hall towards him.

2977
03:10:56.559 --> 03:10:59.479
Just as Andy was about to run down another passageway,

2978
03:11:00.319 --> 03:11:04.760
the kid with the Transformer pajamas came stumbling into the room.

2979
03:11:05.159 --> 03:11:09.520
He held a wounded arm and was panting heavily. Hey kid,

2980
03:11:10.040 --> 03:11:13.840
Andy said, I owe you one from earlier. This way

2981
03:11:13.920 --> 03:11:16.040
is safe. I'll catch up to you in a second.

2982
03:11:16.360 --> 03:11:19.600
I just need to catch my breath. Andy pointed back

2983
03:11:19.680 --> 03:11:24.120
the way he just came. Thanks, the Transformer kid said,

2984
03:11:24.159 --> 03:11:27.600
as he started moving down the corridor that Andy just exited.

2985
03:11:28.200 --> 03:11:32.239
As Andy turned down another passage, he smiled as he

2986
03:11:32.239 --> 03:11:38.440
heard screams and a beastly roar of triumph. Minutes or

2987
03:11:38.639 --> 03:11:42.200
maybe hours later, Andy was cold to the bone and

2988
03:11:42.239 --> 03:11:46.520
could not control his shivering, but he kept running. His

2989
03:11:46.559 --> 03:11:50.000
feet were leaving bloody footprints with every step, but he

2990
03:11:50.159 --> 03:11:54.399
was numb to that, as he was numb to everything else.

2991
03:11:55.479 --> 03:11:59.319
He ran without thinking, letting his subconscious guide him through

2992
03:11:59.360 --> 03:12:03.719
the maze. After an incalculable amount of time, he entered

2993
03:12:03.719 --> 03:12:06.959
into a large oval room, bigger than any other he

2994
03:12:07.000 --> 03:12:11.040
had seen so far. He slowed down as he noticed

2995
03:12:11.520 --> 03:12:15.079
that there were no other corridors leading off of this room.

2996
03:12:15.719 --> 03:12:20.120
As he walked further, into the massive chamber, he noticed

2997
03:12:20.120 --> 03:12:24.479
a door at the far end. Andy approached the door.

2998
03:12:24.959 --> 03:12:27.959
A painted sign that hung over it had a single

2999
03:12:28.000 --> 03:12:33.479
word written exit. Andy reached out and placed his hand

3000
03:12:33.520 --> 03:12:37.319
on the wood of the door. It felt real. A

3001
03:12:37.360 --> 03:12:40.719
tear ran down Andy's cheek as he realized that this

3002
03:12:40.920 --> 03:12:45.280
was not an illusion. He slowly turned the door handle

3003
03:12:46.559 --> 03:12:51.040
and the door clicked and began to open. A sharp,

3004
03:12:51.600 --> 03:12:55.319
icy breeze blew in from the outside, and Andy started

3005
03:12:55.360 --> 03:12:59.280
to take a step forward to cross the threshold. He

3006
03:12:59.399 --> 03:13:04.200
suddenly stopped when he noticed shapes in the darkness outside.

3007
03:13:04.520 --> 03:13:10.319
Dozens and dozens of little humanoid creatures stood around the

3008
03:13:10.360 --> 03:13:14.840
outside of the exit door. Andy could feel all of

3009
03:13:14.879 --> 03:13:20.040
their eyes on him. Is this a trick? Andy yelled

3010
03:13:20.040 --> 03:13:24.360
at them, but did not get a reply. Andy tried

3011
03:13:24.399 --> 03:13:27.399
to think to push back the fog and fatigue that

3012
03:13:27.440 --> 03:13:32.120
clouded his mind. Shaking his head, Andy realized that there

3013
03:13:32.159 --> 03:13:37.799
was only one choice and started once again to step

3014
03:13:37.879 --> 03:13:42.000
through the door. As he lifted his foot, a powerful

3015
03:13:42.079 --> 03:13:44.959
hand grabbed him around his waist and lifted him in

3016
03:13:45.000 --> 03:13:48.239
the air. He was spun around to face the creature.

3017
03:13:48.479 --> 03:13:52.959
Its black eyes drilled into his mind, his soul. It

3018
03:13:53.079 --> 03:13:58.239
seemed to smile as it drew him closer. The thing

3019
03:13:58.440 --> 03:14:02.319
opened its mouth and, with a deep rumble, croaked out

3020
03:14:02.920 --> 03:14:10.159
a single word, naughty. That was the last thing that

3021
03:14:10.280 --> 03:14:14.280
Andy heard before the creature's teeth tore his head from

3022
03:14:14.280 --> 03:14:19.639
his body. The creature greedily fed and tossed the corpse

3023
03:14:19.680 --> 03:14:23.200
behind him as it started to move back into the

3024
03:14:23.239 --> 03:14:28.239
bowels of the maze. As Andy's lifeless body hit the floor,

3025
03:14:28.280 --> 03:14:32.280
the sound of bells echoed through the maze. The creature

3026
03:14:32.319 --> 03:14:36.200
grabbed its massive head and fell to the floor. As

3027
03:14:36.200 --> 03:14:39.719
it slumped over, the little humanoid creatures began to flood

3028
03:14:39.760 --> 03:14:45.520
into the room. These little creatures, known to some as elves,

3029
03:14:46.120 --> 03:14:50.440
formed a circle around the fallen monster. When the bells

3030
03:14:50.520 --> 03:14:54.120
stopped ringing, the elves began to chant in their high

3031
03:14:54.120 --> 03:15:00.959
pitched voices, chanting ancient and powerful words long forgotten by humanity.

3032
03:15:01.639 --> 03:15:05.639
As the chanting grew louder, the white fur that covered

3033
03:15:05.680 --> 03:15:10.399
the creature's body began to turn black and crumble into ash.

3034
03:15:10.719 --> 03:15:14.840
Its bare skin started to smoke, giving off waves of

3035
03:15:14.879 --> 03:15:20.159
intense heat. The skin rippled and pulsated, and soon began

3036
03:15:20.239 --> 03:15:24.280
to flow like lava, forming a mound on the floor.

3037
03:15:25.040 --> 03:15:29.040
As the mound cooled, the skin hardened into a shell,

3038
03:15:30.040 --> 03:15:35.440
into a cocoon. As one the elves stopped their chant.

3039
03:15:36.000 --> 03:15:42.440
They stood silent and unmoving, watching the cocoon in awe.

3040
03:15:42.680 --> 03:15:46.840
The minutes stretched on, the silence in the chamber was deafening,

3041
03:15:47.000 --> 03:15:52.319
until suddenly a large crack echoed throughout the room as

3042
03:15:52.360 --> 03:15:57.239
the cocoon split open on top, the elves sprang into motion.

3043
03:15:58.159 --> 03:16:02.719
Most of the elves clapped and danced. A few ran

3044
03:16:02.879 --> 03:16:07.079
forward with small hammers and chisels and delicately began to

3045
03:16:07.159 --> 03:16:11.200
chip away at the shell of the cocoon, reverently handling

3046
03:16:11.399 --> 03:16:14.879
every small piece they chipped off to the other elves,

3047
03:16:15.079 --> 03:16:19.760
who carefully carried it through the exit door. After minutes

3048
03:16:19.799 --> 03:16:23.920
of chiseling, the side of the cocoon burst open, spilling

3049
03:16:23.920 --> 03:16:28.479
its contents onto the stone floor. Gallons of thick, greenish

3050
03:16:28.559 --> 03:16:32.639
yellow liquid poured from the hole, and with a splash,

3051
03:16:32.920 --> 03:16:37.840
a tall, rotund man with a long white beard slid

3052
03:16:37.920 --> 03:16:41.840
from the cocoon onto the floor. A large group of

3053
03:16:41.879 --> 03:16:45.719
elves rushed forward, some cleaning up the liquid with towels,

3054
03:16:45.959 --> 03:16:50.639
others gently wrapping the man in heavy blankets and carrying

3055
03:16:50.680 --> 03:16:56.120
them out into the cold, dark night. Santa Claus opened

3056
03:16:56.120 --> 03:17:00.600
his eyes and looked around the room, stifling a yawn.

3057
03:17:01.600 --> 03:17:06.799
His face turned from confusion to concern when he noticed

3058
03:17:06.840 --> 03:17:13.399
that the room was filled with his little helpers. Why hello, everyone,

3059
03:17:13.520 --> 03:17:18.639
is something wrong? Santa said in his deep booming voice,

3060
03:17:19.000 --> 03:17:23.680
his hand stroking his long white beard. One elf stepped

3061
03:17:23.719 --> 03:17:27.120
forward and gave a small bow. In a high pitched,

3062
03:17:27.159 --> 03:17:31.120
squeaky tone, he said, we're sorry to wake you, Santa,

3063
03:17:31.239 --> 03:17:36.879
but it's Christmas Eve. And Christmas Eve, Santa interrupted. He

3064
03:17:36.959 --> 03:17:40.319
leapt out of bed, almost knocking over a score of elves.

3065
03:17:40.879 --> 03:17:44.920
I overslept again. Prepare the sled, gather the gifts. I

3066
03:17:45.040 --> 03:17:48.360
have millions of good little boys and girls to visit tonight.

3067
03:17:49.280 --> 03:17:52.799
The elves cheered as Santa grabbed his black boots off

3068
03:17:52.840 --> 03:17:56.360
the floor and rushed out of the room. The elves

3069
03:17:56.479 --> 03:17:59.799
kept cheering as they followed Santa out of the bedroom,

3070
03:18:00.559 --> 03:18:05.200
all except one. This elf walked over to a small

3071
03:18:05.239 --> 03:18:10.120
writing desk and sat down. He removed a quill, pen

3072
03:18:10.639 --> 03:18:14.000
and a parchment from a drawer. Dipping the pen into

3073
03:18:14.079 --> 03:18:18.840
an inkwell, he wrote naughty across the top of the

3074
03:18:18.879 --> 03:18:23.719
paper in a smooth, elegant font He then drew thirteen

3075
03:18:23.879 --> 03:18:28.440
lines underneath it. He put the pen down and sat

3076
03:18:28.479 --> 03:18:33.600
there waiting waiting for the new list of naughty boys

3077
03:18:33.639 --> 03:18:49.719
and girls for next Christmas Eve. Lady Frankenstein by Rob Fields.

3078
03:18:51.200 --> 03:18:55.799
December twenty third was the absolute biggest Christmas shopping day

3079
03:18:55.799 --> 03:19:00.879
in Strickfield. Usually, most everyone was out shopping. Strickfield Town

3080
03:19:00.959 --> 03:19:04.040
Center Mall was even packed the one season of the

3081
03:19:04.159 --> 03:19:09.360
year when it usually was. However, there was one person

3082
03:19:09.639 --> 03:19:13.840
who had other plans during the holiday season. Just outside

3083
03:19:13.840 --> 03:19:16.959
the village limits, in an old mansion that was thought

3084
03:19:17.000 --> 03:19:21.520
to be abandoned, Vincent Frankenstein was alone in a third

3085
03:19:21.520 --> 03:19:24.959
floor laboratory and working on an experiment that was on

3086
03:19:25.040 --> 03:19:28.600
a large slab. He had just finished to fixing the

3087
03:19:28.719 --> 03:19:33.120
hands to the lifeless female body. As he admired his work,

3088
03:19:33.479 --> 03:19:36.799
he knew that his female creation would correct many of

3089
03:19:36.840 --> 03:19:41.959
the flaws that had plagued his ancestor, Henry Frankenstein many

3090
03:19:42.040 --> 03:19:46.879
years ago. After finding Henry's thought to be lost journals

3091
03:19:46.920 --> 03:19:50.639
and studying them over immensely, Vincent had started work on

3092
03:19:50.799 --> 03:19:55.399
trying to rediscover and harness that great ultraviolet ray that

3093
03:19:55.520 --> 03:19:58.559
was said to have brought life to all things living.

3094
03:19:59.120 --> 03:20:02.239
Vincent's first experiment was on a cat that had been

3095
03:20:02.319 --> 03:20:05.719
hit by a car. Vincent fixed the body up as

3096
03:20:05.760 --> 03:20:09.280
best he could. He achieved success in turning the ray

3097
03:20:09.360 --> 03:20:12.360
on the cat and restoring life to it after he

3098
03:20:12.399 --> 03:20:15.280
had performed many tests on it. The cat had not

3099
03:20:15.399 --> 03:20:20.079
shown any hostile tendencies. In fact, it acted as if

3100
03:20:20.120 --> 03:20:24.079
it had never died and even took nourishment upon its rebirth.

3101
03:20:24.959 --> 03:20:27.799
Vincent had succeeded in restoring a dog to life with

3102
03:20:27.920 --> 03:20:32.440
the same results. One experiment after another. Vincent would continue

3103
03:20:32.440 --> 03:20:36.200
his research until he was absolutely certain that his updated

3104
03:20:36.280 --> 03:20:40.760
process worked flawlessly. Once he felt that he had compiled

3105
03:20:40.879 --> 03:20:43.440
enough data, he decided that he would do what Henry

3106
03:20:43.479 --> 03:20:47.719
had accomplished on two occasions to create a human being

3107
03:20:48.280 --> 03:20:53.799
from dead parts and endow the amalgamation with life. Like

3108
03:20:53.920 --> 03:20:57.799
his great ancestor before him, he secured fresh body parts

3109
03:20:57.799 --> 03:21:01.840
for his creation anywhere he could them. It had taken

3110
03:21:01.959 --> 03:21:05.000
Vincent a great deal of time and a lot of preservation,

3111
03:21:05.680 --> 03:21:09.399
but he had nearly completed a female body. All that

3112
03:21:09.520 --> 03:21:13.360
was missing was a perfect head, and this part was

3113
03:21:13.360 --> 03:21:17.520
where Vincent would exercise the utmost caution, for he remembered

3114
03:21:17.520 --> 03:21:21.040
that Henry's first creation had turned out for the worst.

3115
03:21:21.719 --> 03:21:24.879
Henry had unknowingly placed the brain of a dead criminal

3116
03:21:24.920 --> 03:21:29.520
within the head of what became known as Frankenstein's Monster

3117
03:21:30.559 --> 03:21:35.840
or simply just Frankenstein. Yes, Henry's first creation had killed

3118
03:21:36.000 --> 03:21:39.239
many people, including a little girl who was playing by

3119
03:21:39.280 --> 03:21:44.000
the water near her village. Vincent could not allow such

3120
03:21:44.000 --> 03:21:47.079
a mistake to be made a second time. Henry had

3121
03:21:47.120 --> 03:21:49.920
also recorded in another journal that he, with the help

3122
03:21:49.959 --> 03:21:54.360
of one doctor Septimus Pretorious, had created a female of

3123
03:21:54.399 --> 03:21:57.760
his own to be a companion and mate for the

3124
03:21:57.799 --> 03:22:02.120
original creation. However, the female creation had come to reject

3125
03:22:02.120 --> 03:22:05.280
her potential mate and was believed to be destroyed in

3126
03:22:05.319 --> 03:22:09.639
an explosion. Vincent had thought ahead and removed his creation's

3127
03:22:09.680 --> 03:22:13.200
reproductive system to make her sterile so that his creation

3128
03:22:13.440 --> 03:22:18.280
could not produce potentially dangerous offspring. Vincent had read in

3129
03:22:18.319 --> 03:22:22.040
Strickfield's local newspaper that a young woman from North Ridgeway

3130
03:22:22.159 --> 03:22:25.840
had recently passed away due to an extreme loss of blood.

3131
03:22:26.440 --> 03:22:28.600
He was certain that the head would be in great

3132
03:22:28.639 --> 03:22:33.920
physical condition and would be perfect for his creation. That night,

3133
03:22:34.520 --> 03:22:38.840
he had gone to North Ridgeway Memorial Hospital after disengaging

3134
03:22:38.840 --> 03:22:42.000
the security cameras. Vincent made his way to the morgue

3135
03:22:42.440 --> 03:22:46.239
and found the naked female body with his perfect head.

3136
03:22:47.040 --> 03:22:51.239
When Vincent thoroughly examined the body of Annabeth Winter's, he

3137
03:22:51.280 --> 03:22:55.159
couldn't understand what had caused this once living, beautiful girl

3138
03:22:55.760 --> 03:23:00.239
to die from such an extreme loss of blood. His

3139
03:23:00.319 --> 03:23:03.000
research on Annabeth Winters showed that she had been a

3140
03:23:03.040 --> 03:23:06.959
top level athlete from North Ridgeway University, so she was

3141
03:23:07.120 --> 03:23:11.920
not a dangerous criminal. Vincent's creation would have the perfect

3142
03:23:11.959 --> 03:23:17.159
head and brain of Annabeth Winters. It had taken Vincent

3143
03:23:17.239 --> 03:23:20.479
a great deal of time to properly attach the spinal

3144
03:23:20.559 --> 03:23:25.680
cord to the brain of Annabeth Winters. Upon successful completion,

3145
03:23:26.200 --> 03:23:29.239
he stitched the flesh together to finish, making the head

3146
03:23:29.239 --> 03:23:32.760
a part of the body. Vincent hooked up the completed

3147
03:23:32.799 --> 03:23:36.760
body to the multiple machines to both inject and conduct

3148
03:23:36.799 --> 03:23:40.360
the circulation of blood. All he needed now was the

3149
03:23:40.399 --> 03:23:44.319
perfect storm to grant him that one jolt of powerful

3150
03:23:44.399 --> 03:23:48.799
lightning in conjunction with his ultraviolet ray to bring his

3151
03:23:48.840 --> 03:23:53.600
creation to life. His Christmas wish couldn't have been granted

3152
03:23:53.680 --> 03:23:58.799
soon enough. This Christmas season just happened to be unseasonably warm,

3153
03:23:59.159 --> 03:24:05.239
guaranteeing green holiday. Vincent heard the loud rumbling and knew

3154
03:24:05.760 --> 03:24:09.799
that he needed to act quickly. After he finished wrapping

3155
03:24:09.840 --> 03:24:13.239
the body in special bandages to help evenly distribute the

3156
03:24:13.280 --> 03:24:17.920
forthcoming electrical current, all was ready, He threw the switches

3157
03:24:17.959 --> 03:24:20.799
to both open the panel in the roof and send

3158
03:24:20.799 --> 03:24:24.520
the body upward until it was outside and exposed to

3159
03:24:24.559 --> 03:24:29.559
the storm. Vincent monitored his instruments closely. When the needles

3160
03:24:29.559 --> 03:24:32.920
and digital displays spiked in their readings, he knew that

3161
03:24:32.959 --> 03:24:35.360
the lightning had struck the rods at each corner of

3162
03:24:35.399 --> 03:24:38.799
the slab and had sent millions of volts throughout the body.

3163
03:24:39.319 --> 03:24:42.280
In conjunction with the ultraviolet ray that he had mounted

3164
03:24:42.399 --> 03:24:46.959
just above, Vincent brought the body back down, closing the

3165
03:24:47.040 --> 03:24:50.840
roof panel. When the slab was back on the floor again,

3166
03:24:51.399 --> 03:24:55.440
Vincent waited for any sign of movement. He didn't have

3167
03:24:55.559 --> 03:25:01.280
to wait long when a hand started to move. It's alive,

3168
03:25:02.200 --> 03:25:09.959
he gasped. It's alive. My god, I've succeeded. He took

3169
03:25:10.000 --> 03:25:13.120
his scissors and proceeded to cut the rappings to reveal

3170
03:25:13.159 --> 03:25:16.879
the creation's head. Then he cut the wrappings to reveal

3171
03:25:16.920 --> 03:25:20.079
her hands. And feet. It struck him odd that the

3172
03:25:20.079 --> 03:25:24.319
creation's stitched areas were quickly healing up into a single,

3173
03:25:24.520 --> 03:25:29.520
unified flesh. He heard his creation moaning and knew that

3174
03:25:29.639 --> 03:25:32.879
she was scared. He looked into the beautiful face of

3175
03:25:32.879 --> 03:25:37.040
his creation. It's all right, You're going to be just fine.

3176
03:25:37.879 --> 03:25:42.120
I'll take very good care of you. The Creation regarded

3177
03:25:42.120 --> 03:25:47.280
her creator for a moment and screamed. Then she started heaving.

3178
03:25:47.600 --> 03:25:52.360
Vincent saw that his creation was angry, now very angry.

3179
03:25:53.079 --> 03:25:56.959
She screamed again to show her rage. Then Vincent noticed

3180
03:25:56.959 --> 03:26:01.959
that the Creation's eyes were glowing. It was during her

3181
03:26:02.000 --> 03:26:05.239
third scream, one for freedom, that she broke the iron

3182
03:26:05.319 --> 03:26:08.360
shackles that had secured her wrists and ankles to the slab.

3183
03:26:09.399 --> 03:26:13.000
No Stop. Vincent held out his hands to try to

3184
03:26:13.040 --> 03:26:15.799
take hold of her to calm her down. The Creation

3185
03:26:16.000 --> 03:26:19.479
quickly grabbed a heavy table nearby and flung it at

3186
03:26:19.479 --> 03:26:23.840
her creator. He ducked to avoid serious injury. When Vincent

3187
03:26:23.879 --> 03:26:27.159
got to his feet, the Creation screamed with rage again.

3188
03:26:27.520 --> 03:26:30.440
Seeing the door to her right, she proceeded to walk

3189
03:26:30.479 --> 03:26:35.319
to it to her freedom. Stop. Vincent yelled at her.

3190
03:26:35.879 --> 03:26:38.280
When the Creation had reached the door, she found it

3191
03:26:38.360 --> 03:26:41.680
was locked. She smashed her fists through the thick wooden

3192
03:26:41.719 --> 03:26:44.760
door as if it were brittle. It was then when

3193
03:26:44.879 --> 03:26:48.239
Vincent saw the full length mirror near the control panel.

3194
03:26:49.680 --> 03:26:55.879
The creature had no reflection. It was then that Vincent

3195
03:26:55.920 --> 03:26:59.600
Frankenstein had gotten his answer as to why the body

3196
03:26:59.600 --> 03:27:03.879
of Annabe Beth Winters was in such good condition in

3197
03:27:04.040 --> 03:27:08.479
spite of a loss of blood. The young woman had

3198
03:27:08.479 --> 03:27:13.840
been sired by a vampire. In utilizing her head, Vincent

3199
03:27:13.879 --> 03:27:16.680
had made an even worse mistake than what Henry before

3200
03:27:16.719 --> 03:27:19.920
him had made. No, he had not given his creation

3201
03:27:20.079 --> 03:27:23.040
the brain of a dead criminal. He had given his

3202
03:27:23.120 --> 03:27:29.000
creation the head of a newborn vampire. The creation easily

3203
03:27:29.079 --> 03:27:32.120
smashed through the French doors and walked down the steps

3204
03:27:32.120 --> 03:27:36.040
to the front yard to continue her escape. The rain

3205
03:27:36.239 --> 03:27:40.799
poured on her seemingly mummified body. The Creation relished her

3206
03:27:40.840 --> 03:27:43.719
freedom in spite of the weather. She came to a

3207
03:27:43.719 --> 03:27:47.159
dirt path and walked it for several minutes before she

3208
03:27:47.399 --> 03:27:50.799
arrived at a road. Seeing a sign with an arrow

3209
03:27:50.840 --> 03:27:55.079
that pointed left, she turned in that direction and headed

3210
03:27:55.680 --> 03:27:59.440
to Strickfield. The roads were deserted as she walked to

3211
03:27:59.479 --> 03:28:03.520
her destiny nation. When she entered the Strickfield village limits.

3212
03:28:04.120 --> 03:28:08.440
She noticed that every house was bright with Christmas lights

3213
03:28:08.959 --> 03:28:13.760
and decorations. There were even houses with animatronics doing their

3214
03:28:13.799 --> 03:28:19.879
programmed actions. As the Creation stared at this winter wonderland,

3215
03:28:20.840 --> 03:28:27.159
she started to become uncomfortable. She growled and clutched her throat.

3216
03:28:27.680 --> 03:28:30.239
She looked and saw a man working to replace a

3217
03:28:30.239 --> 03:28:34.680
few bulbs in a string of Christmas lights. She hissed

3218
03:28:35.159 --> 03:28:38.600
with delight and began to make her way towards the man.

3219
03:28:39.319 --> 03:28:42.440
When she reached him, the man saw her bare feet

3220
03:28:42.879 --> 03:28:48.319
and looked up at her bandaged body. Listen, you get

3221
03:28:48.360 --> 03:28:51.799
the hell off my property, he grumbled, Not unless you

3222
03:28:51.840 --> 03:28:55.639
want me to call the God. The man fought to

3223
03:28:55.719 --> 03:28:58.680
break her iron grip as she held his coat and hair.

3224
03:28:59.120 --> 03:29:02.799
She tilted his head back to fully expose his neck,

3225
03:29:03.079 --> 03:29:07.079
before opening her mouth to reveal her sharp fangs. The

3226
03:29:07.200 --> 03:29:10.959
man screamed as she bit into his neck and began

3227
03:29:11.120 --> 03:29:15.639
to drink. The Creation felt herself becoming stronger and more

3228
03:29:15.760 --> 03:29:20.120
vibrant with each swallow of blood. When she was finished,

3229
03:29:20.479 --> 03:29:23.959
she shoved the corpse away from her. The Creation heard

3230
03:29:24.000 --> 03:29:29.319
other sounds nearby, mainly a car engine. She looked and

3231
03:29:29.399 --> 03:29:33.000
saw the car in another person's yard that had damaged

3232
03:29:33.000 --> 03:29:37.639
an animatronic Santa Claus. Shortly after, four high school kids,

3233
03:29:37.840 --> 03:29:40.280
two boys and two girls, got out of the car.

3234
03:29:40.760 --> 03:29:44.520
One of the girls pointed to the vandalized Santa Fuck you,

3235
03:29:44.680 --> 03:29:48.760
Principal van Deiste. The other girl kicked the Santa head

3236
03:29:49.159 --> 03:29:53.440
that had fallen at her feet. Yeah, go get fucked you, motherfucker.

3237
03:29:54.479 --> 03:29:58.040
One of the guys pointed to the house. Hey, we

3238
03:29:58.079 --> 03:30:01.440
should see if Principal van Deste is he then we

3239
03:30:01.520 --> 03:30:04.719
can smash his door in and kill his ass. The

3240
03:30:04.799 --> 03:30:07.639
other guy muttered, I can't believe that son of a

3241
03:30:07.680 --> 03:30:11.079
bitch expelled us from high school just because Stevie tripped

3242
03:30:11.079 --> 03:30:15.239
little alien Donnerly in the hallway yesterday. The girl named

3243
03:30:15.280 --> 03:30:19.520
Stevie turned and shoved the guy. And then that fucking bitch,

3244
03:30:19.559 --> 03:30:22.120
Bella Tabon beat the shit out of me for it.

3245
03:30:23.000 --> 03:30:25.280
Bella Tabon beat the shit out of all of us.

3246
03:30:25.719 --> 03:30:29.159
The other girl yelled, but Principal van dest expels us.

3247
03:30:30.120 --> 03:30:33.600
I say we beat the living shit out of Van

3248
03:30:33.719 --> 03:30:38.319
dest then we find Bella Tabon and fucking kill her

3249
03:30:38.360 --> 03:30:41.840
ass too. Stevie slapped the other girl on her arm

3250
03:30:41.920 --> 03:30:46.559
quickly hey, look. The four of them turned their attention

3251
03:30:46.760 --> 03:30:50.520
to the Creation. One of the guys started laughing when

3252
03:30:50.559 --> 03:30:54.479
he saw her staring at them from nearby. Is that

3253
03:30:55.319 --> 03:30:59.479
bitch dressed up like a like a mummy? The other

3254
03:30:59.479 --> 03:31:04.000
guy yelled to her, Hey, airhead, Halloween was two months ago.

3255
03:31:05.040 --> 03:31:09.479
It's not trick or treat weekend, bitch, Stevie added, none

3256
03:31:09.479 --> 03:31:12.840
of these houses are giving out candy, but will beat

3257
03:31:12.920 --> 03:31:15.959
your fucking ass if you don't fuck off. The other

3258
03:31:16.040 --> 03:31:20.399
girl further added when the Creation wouldn't walk away, they

3259
03:31:20.440 --> 03:31:23.959
got back into their car. The guy driving turned the

3260
03:31:23.959 --> 03:31:28.559
wheel towards the Creation and hit the gas. Yeah, run

3261
03:31:28.600 --> 03:31:32.959
that fucking bitch over, Stevie yelled. The Creation didn't look

3262
03:31:33.040 --> 03:31:37.239
the least bit afraid. In fact, her eyes glowed hot

3263
03:31:37.559 --> 03:31:41.479
as she screamed with rage and raised her fists. As

3264
03:31:41.479 --> 03:31:44.159
the car was about to hit her. The Creation brought

3265
03:31:44.159 --> 03:31:46.639
her fists down on the car's hood and hit it

3266
03:31:46.639 --> 03:31:49.280
with enough force to both stop the car dead in

3267
03:31:49.319 --> 03:31:52.840
its tracks and make the rear end go way off

3268
03:31:52.959 --> 03:31:58.000
road and slam back down just as hard. The Creation

3269
03:31:58.280 --> 03:32:01.319
moved the vehicle and saw all the four enemies who

3270
03:32:01.360 --> 03:32:05.079
had pissed her off. They were moaning in pain. The

3271
03:32:05.120 --> 03:32:08.200
girls in the back were bleeding from their heads. As

3272
03:32:08.239 --> 03:32:10.719
for the guys up front, they were both on the

3273
03:32:10.760 --> 03:32:14.639
hood after crashing through the windshield. Together. She could smell

3274
03:32:14.680 --> 03:32:17.959
how delicious the red leaking liquid from their wounds was

3275
03:32:18.399 --> 03:32:22.879
and grabbed the driver. He screamed as the Creation drank

3276
03:32:22.959 --> 03:32:27.239
him dry. After tossing him aside, she grabbed the other

3277
03:32:27.319 --> 03:32:31.399
guy and drank him up. That left only the two

3278
03:32:31.479 --> 03:32:36.600
girls now. The Creation moved to the passenger's side and

3279
03:32:36.719 --> 03:32:40.479
ripped the door off. She reached inside and pulled the

3280
03:32:40.520 --> 03:32:43.319
girl next to Stevie out. She held her by her

3281
03:32:43.360 --> 03:32:46.479
hair with one hand. With the other, she grabbed the

3282
03:32:46.520 --> 03:32:49.879
neck of her turtle neck sweater. The girl cried out

3283
03:32:49.920 --> 03:32:53.879
when she felt the Creation's fingers pierce her flesh. She

3284
03:32:54.079 --> 03:32:57.600
screamed as the Creation pulled down fast, ripping the front

3285
03:32:57.600 --> 03:33:01.000
of her turtleneck sweater away past her stomach, tearing all

3286
03:33:01.040 --> 03:33:05.239
the flesh beyond with it. The Creation threw the girl

3287
03:33:05.319 --> 03:33:09.280
onto her back, leaving her vital organs exposed as blood

3288
03:33:09.360 --> 03:33:13.840
pulled around the body. Stevie saw this and screamed in terror.

3289
03:33:14.159 --> 03:33:17.879
The Creation heard her and screamed with rage. Yet again,

3290
03:33:18.559 --> 03:33:21.479
She moved to the driver's side door and ripped it off,

3291
03:33:21.799 --> 03:33:26.200
throwing it aside. She reached in and grabbed Stevie. She

3292
03:33:26.280 --> 03:33:28.760
pulled her out of the car and held her where

3293
03:33:28.799 --> 03:33:35.680
she stood. What are you, Stevie choked out. As the

3294
03:33:35.719 --> 03:33:38.799
Creation moved her hands to the sides of Stevie's head

3295
03:33:39.120 --> 03:33:42.600
to crush her skull in. She felt two sharp jabs

3296
03:33:42.639 --> 03:33:46.040
on her shoulder blade. She screamed as she felt the

3297
03:33:46.120 --> 03:33:51.399
voltage go through her entire body, making her release Stevie.

3298
03:33:51.440 --> 03:33:55.280
When the Creation refused to fall, the voltage only seemed

3299
03:33:55.280 --> 03:34:00.239
to increase. She turned and saw Vincent Frankenstein at the

3300
03:34:00.239 --> 03:34:03.799
other end of the Taser rifle. She grabbed the cables

3301
03:34:03.840 --> 03:34:06.440
and yanked hard enough to pull the rifle away from him.

3302
03:34:06.879 --> 03:34:09.840
When the rifle landed in front of her, she stomped

3303
03:34:09.840 --> 03:34:12.639
on it with one bare foot to snap it in two.

3304
03:34:13.440 --> 03:34:18.159
You are my Creation, stop this at once, Vincent yelled.

3305
03:34:18.799 --> 03:34:22.319
The Creation screamed with rage and stretched her hands out

3306
03:34:22.360 --> 03:34:25.760
into claws. As she was ready to attack Vincent. They

3307
03:34:25.840 --> 03:34:29.760
both heard a low moan from Stevie. Seeing that the

3308
03:34:29.840 --> 03:34:33.079
Creation was distracted, Vincent rushed at her and threw his

3309
03:34:33.159 --> 03:34:36.440
body into her to knock her down. He moved quickly

3310
03:34:36.479 --> 03:34:39.600
and lifted Stevie into his arms. As the Creation suddenly

3311
03:34:39.639 --> 03:34:43.120
sat up, Vincent ran as fast as he could and

3312
03:34:43.200 --> 03:34:47.840
threw some nearby yards. Fortunately, he knew Strickfield quite well.

3313
03:34:48.200 --> 03:34:51.040
The Creation would not catch him and Stevie so quickly,

3314
03:34:51.280 --> 03:34:54.040
at least not so long as she hadn't yet understood

3315
03:34:54.559 --> 03:34:59.879
all of her potential vampiric powers. The Creation, frustrated that

3316
03:35:00.120 --> 03:35:03.159
she had lost her two victims, looked up and screamed

3317
03:35:03.200 --> 03:35:06.680
so loudly that anything of a fragile nature nearby would

3318
03:35:06.719 --> 03:35:11.719
either break or crack. When she finished, she turned and

3319
03:35:11.799 --> 03:35:23.000
continued walking through Strickfield. The next morning, Christmas Eve, the

3320
03:35:23.079 --> 03:35:26.920
Creation awakened and left the abandoned barn that she had

3321
03:35:26.959 --> 03:35:31.200
taken shelter in. It had finally stopped raining, but it

3322
03:35:31.239 --> 03:35:35.719
was quite cloudy and chilly. She seemed disoriented at how

3323
03:35:35.799 --> 03:35:39.440
much more light was outside compared to the darkness of

3324
03:35:39.520 --> 03:35:43.879
the night before. Just the same she began to walk again.

3325
03:35:44.639 --> 03:35:48.079
The Creation would find its way to Strickfield Town Center Mall.

3326
03:35:49.319 --> 03:35:53.079
The Creation walked in and saw that many people were

3327
03:35:53.079 --> 03:35:56.120
going in and out of the stores or doing business

3328
03:35:56.120 --> 03:35:59.879
with vendors at kiosks. But what really intrigued her at

3329
03:35:59.879 --> 03:36:04.440
that moment were the many little versions of the people.

3330
03:36:05.399 --> 03:36:09.479
As she watched the smaller people move about, her facial

3331
03:36:09.559 --> 03:36:16.319
expression softened until Hey, you, you can't be in here

3332
03:36:16.360 --> 03:36:20.200
without any shoes on. You're gonna have to leave. The

3333
03:36:20.280 --> 03:36:23.760
Creation glanced to see a fat security guard next to her.

3334
03:36:24.319 --> 03:36:29.040
She ignored him and started walking again. Hey. The guard

3335
03:36:29.079 --> 03:36:33.159
grumbled and grabbed her arm. The Creation screamed in anger

3336
03:36:33.239 --> 03:36:37.000
before she grabbed him and sank her fangs into his throat,

3337
03:36:37.200 --> 03:36:42.600
which caused panic among the shoppers who saw. After tossing

3338
03:36:42.639 --> 03:36:45.879
the body aside, she screamed at the people and went

3339
03:36:45.959 --> 03:36:48.920
for them. She had killed and drank two more before

3340
03:36:48.959 --> 03:36:52.159
a little boy had crossed in front of her. The

3341
03:36:52.280 --> 03:36:57.879
Creation picked up the boy. Stop. The mother called out, please,

3342
03:36:58.159 --> 03:37:02.120
don't hurt my baby. The creation looked at the woman

3343
03:37:02.200 --> 03:37:06.680
only for a moment before returning her attention to the boy.

3344
03:37:07.920 --> 03:37:12.479
After examining the boy, she finally lowered him and let

3345
03:37:12.559 --> 03:37:16.120
him go. The mother quickly snatched up her son and

3346
03:37:16.280 --> 03:37:20.559
ran as fast as she could. Suddenly, two police officers

3347
03:37:20.600 --> 03:37:24.840
appeared with their guns drawn. The Creations screamed at them

3348
03:37:25.200 --> 03:37:29.399
as they fired at her. To their disbelief, the officers

3349
03:37:29.479 --> 03:37:33.239
found their bullets were useless. She was on them the

3350
03:37:33.319 --> 03:37:36.719
moment their guns were empty. After she drained them of

3351
03:37:36.760 --> 03:37:44.319
their blood, she made her way through the mall. Many

3352
03:37:44.399 --> 03:37:47.799
families scrambled to flee once they saw her. A few

3353
03:37:47.840 --> 03:37:50.639
of the boldest dared to try and fight the Creation,

3354
03:37:51.239 --> 03:37:55.639
only for her to drink them up. Another fat security

3355
03:37:55.639 --> 03:37:58.360
guard tried to take her down, but was quickly and

3356
03:37:58.479 --> 03:38:02.440
easily thrown with one hand right through the Little Santa's

3357
03:38:02.440 --> 03:38:06.120
House at the center Court. It seemed as if the

3358
03:38:06.200 --> 03:38:09.600
Creation would continue her reign of terror at the mall,

3359
03:38:10.399 --> 03:38:13.840
but she reached the main doors and smashed right through

3360
03:38:13.879 --> 03:38:18.399
them to finally leave. Some of the police ran after

3361
03:38:18.440 --> 03:38:21.399
her to try and subdue her, but they would find

3362
03:38:21.440 --> 03:38:26.719
their efforts to be futile. These officers were most fortunate

3363
03:38:26.799 --> 03:38:30.079
that the Creation only smashed them to the parking lot

3364
03:38:30.360 --> 03:38:34.760
and left them with their lives. She screamed at them

3365
03:38:34.840 --> 03:38:43.360
before she turned and continued on her way. Stevie opened

3366
03:38:43.399 --> 03:38:46.200
her eyes and awoke to find herself covered up in

3367
03:38:46.239 --> 03:38:49.360
a four post bed. She saw that she was wearing

3368
03:38:49.399 --> 03:38:52.440
a gown and felt that she had a bandage wrapped

3369
03:38:52.479 --> 03:38:56.479
around her forehead. She felt a little scared as she

3370
03:38:56.520 --> 03:39:00.719
looked around and wondered where she was. It's all right,

3371
03:39:01.440 --> 03:39:05.239
Vincent said to her as he entered the room. Where

3372
03:39:05.280 --> 03:39:09.920
the fuck am I, Stevie demanded, You're in my home,

3373
03:39:10.000 --> 03:39:12.879
young lady. I treated your headroom and put you to

3374
03:39:12.920 --> 03:39:16.760
bed so you could rest. Stevie shrieked and pointed in

3375
03:39:16.760 --> 03:39:23.559
a random direction that thing. Vincent sighed, sadly, she's still

3376
03:39:23.600 --> 03:39:26.239
out there. I'm afraid. I went out to try and

3377
03:39:26.280 --> 03:39:32.319
find her, but was unsuccessful. Stevie understood immediately and pointed

3378
03:39:32.319 --> 03:39:36.559
an accusing finger at him. You created that motherfucking thing,

3379
03:39:37.239 --> 03:39:41.719
she sprang out of bed, fucking why. Vincent held up

3380
03:39:41.760 --> 03:39:45.799
his hands. I am truly sorry for what she did

3381
03:39:45.840 --> 03:39:48.360
to you and your friends, and nothing I can do

3382
03:39:48.399 --> 03:39:51.600
will ever make up for that. I'll have to carry

3383
03:39:51.639 --> 03:39:53.680
every death she's caused with me for the rest of

3384
03:39:53.719 --> 03:39:58.719
my life. He lowered his hands and sighed, I only

3385
03:39:58.760 --> 03:40:01.319
wanted to be able to create life from death, the

3386
03:40:01.319 --> 03:40:07.680
way my ancestor did many many years ago. Vincent explained

3387
03:40:08.120 --> 03:40:11.760
everything to Stevie. The more he explained, the more Stevie

3388
03:40:11.799 --> 03:40:15.399
became furious. She finally screamed at the top of her

3389
03:40:15.479 --> 03:40:18.639
lungs and lunged at Vincent. She took him down and

3390
03:40:18.719 --> 03:40:22.280
screamed more as she threw fist after fist at him. Finally,

3391
03:40:22.360 --> 03:40:25.479
she fell off him and heaved, God, damn you, God

3392
03:40:25.600 --> 03:40:30.079
damn you. Yes, perhaps God himself will damn me to

3393
03:40:30.200 --> 03:40:34.479
hell for what I've done. Vincent agreed, but I still

3394
03:40:34.520 --> 03:40:38.440
have to find my creation just the same. But how

3395
03:40:38.479 --> 03:40:42.239
the fuck will you kill her? Asshole? Stevie mocked him.

3396
03:40:42.959 --> 03:40:45.959
You fucked up by putting the head of a vampire

3397
03:40:46.040 --> 03:40:50.440
on her. Vincent sat up and faced her. You believe

3398
03:40:50.440 --> 03:40:55.559
in vampires, Stevie sneered in disgust. I was raped by

3399
03:40:55.600 --> 03:40:58.799
one and survived. I ended up killing his mother fucking

3400
03:40:58.840 --> 03:41:01.959
ass after he tried tore me. She moved on to

3401
03:41:02.079 --> 03:41:06.600
her knees and glared at Vincent with anticipation. I'm definitely

3402
03:41:06.639 --> 03:41:09.959
gonna help you kill that fucking thing. When Stevie saw

3403
03:41:10.000 --> 03:41:13.399
that Vincent was apprehensive, she growled and attacked him, getting

3404
03:41:13.399 --> 03:41:16.399
on top of him again. When he looked up at her,

3405
03:41:17.040 --> 03:41:20.840
she glared down at him. You listen to me, motherfucker.

3406
03:41:21.520 --> 03:41:26.479
She pointed in a random direction. That fucking thing killed

3407
03:41:26.479 --> 03:41:29.879
my friends, It damn near killed me. How many more

3408
03:41:29.920 --> 03:41:33.840
people do you think she's going to kill right fucking now? Huh,

3409
03:41:33.920 --> 03:41:39.200
They're all on your fucking head. Okay, okay, Vincent conceded.

3410
03:41:39.879 --> 03:41:42.120
I was hoping to take her alive so that maybe

3411
03:41:42.120 --> 03:41:46.120
I can fix her. Stevie got off Vincent and stood up.

3412
03:41:46.319 --> 03:41:48.920
There is no fixing her. You know it, and I

3413
03:41:49.079 --> 03:41:53.079
know it. Vincent got up and faced Stevie. I'll get

3414
03:41:53.120 --> 03:41:55.639
you some fresh clothes, then we'll go look for my creation.

3415
03:41:56.600 --> 03:41:59.799
Stevie continued to glare at him with distrust as he

3416
03:42:00.079 --> 03:42:05.479
left her room. The Creation walked onto the Strickfield University

3417
03:42:05.520 --> 03:42:10.239
grounds and looked at the Christmas decorations. She didn't understand

3418
03:42:10.319 --> 03:42:14.280
why there were so many brightly colored lights, the multiple snowmen,

3419
03:42:14.360 --> 03:42:17.159
or even the fat men wearing red and white suits.

3420
03:42:17.920 --> 03:42:21.319
She really didn't understand too much, except that people were

3421
03:42:21.360 --> 03:42:24.280
after her, that she needed to feed on their blood,

3422
03:42:24.520 --> 03:42:28.559
and that she now felt certain desires growing inside her.

3423
03:42:29.440 --> 03:42:33.840
The Creation continued walking the campus, but she didn't see anybody.

3424
03:42:34.440 --> 03:42:37.440
Of course, she couldn't have known that nearly every student

3425
03:42:37.479 --> 03:42:41.639
had left Strickfield University for the holiday break. She screamed

3426
03:42:41.680 --> 03:42:45.000
in frustration at not getting what she desired, she approached

3427
03:42:45.000 --> 03:42:48.319
a nearby animatronic Santa Claus and sent its head flying

3428
03:42:48.399 --> 03:42:51.920
right off its shoulders with a quick punch. She reached

3429
03:42:51.920 --> 03:42:56.280
inside its open neck to kill it some more. The

3430
03:42:56.319 --> 03:42:59.920
creation screamed and became angrier as the high voltage sir

3431
03:43:00.239 --> 03:43:02.959
through her body. She stopped the voltage by ripping the

3432
03:43:03.000 --> 03:43:07.920
animatronic Santa in half. Jesus Christ, what are you doing?

3433
03:43:08.479 --> 03:43:11.639
Someone called out to her. The creation was ready to

3434
03:43:11.639 --> 03:43:16.600
scream at the person, but she quickly stopped and calmed down.

3435
03:43:17.719 --> 03:43:21.440
She allowed the chunky guy with glasses to approach her.

3436
03:43:21.879 --> 03:43:26.360
You you all right? She didn't answer, but continued to

3437
03:43:26.399 --> 03:43:31.239
look him over. Wow, you sure are tall. He looked

3438
03:43:31.239 --> 03:43:34.360
down at her bare feet, and you don't even need heels.

3439
03:43:35.520 --> 03:43:38.559
Then he saw that her wet bandages had parted enough

3440
03:43:39.079 --> 03:43:41.639
in several places to reveal that she didn't have any

3441
03:43:41.680 --> 03:43:47.000
clothing on underneath at all. Hey, you can't stay out

3442
03:43:47.000 --> 03:43:50.600
here looking like that if the police see you. He

3443
03:43:50.600 --> 03:43:54.079
took her hand. Come on, my house is just over there.

3444
03:43:54.799 --> 03:43:56.319
I can give you something to wear out of my

3445
03:43:56.360 --> 03:44:00.000
sister's room. The creation allowed the guy to lead her

3446
03:44:00.200 --> 03:44:03.479
off campus and to the nearby house where he lived

3447
03:44:03.520 --> 03:44:06.479
with his family. He brought her inside and took her

3448
03:44:06.559 --> 03:44:10.520
upstairs to his bedroom. My parents aren't home, but I'll

3449
03:44:10.520 --> 03:44:14.600
take care of you. Listen, do you have a name?

3450
03:44:15.639 --> 03:44:18.280
When she still didn't answer him, he pointed to himself,

3451
03:44:19.159 --> 03:44:24.280
I'm Reggie. Reggie. When she remained silent, he motioned for

3452
03:44:24.360 --> 03:44:27.879
her to stay. I'll get a scissor in some clothes.

3453
03:44:28.479 --> 03:44:32.120
The Creation waited until Reggie returned with the promised items.

3454
03:44:32.559 --> 03:44:34.920
He set the clothes on his desk and proceeded to

3455
03:44:35.000 --> 03:44:39.040
use the scissors to cut off her bandages. After several minutes,

3456
03:44:39.440 --> 03:44:43.920
he had her completely naked. You know what, maybe you

3457
03:44:43.959 --> 03:44:49.360
should take a shower first, Reggie suggested the bathroom. The

3458
03:44:50.440 --> 03:44:56.639
Creation seized Reggie and kissed him hungrily. Reggie couldn't believe

3459
03:44:56.680 --> 03:45:00.600
his luck and kissed her back. She ripped t shirt

3460
03:45:00.600 --> 03:45:02.639
off like it was tissue paper and sat down on

3461
03:45:02.680 --> 03:45:05.920
the bed. Reggie looked down at the beautiful naked Creation

3462
03:45:06.040 --> 03:45:10.319
who truly truly desired him. She growled and ripped his

3463
03:45:10.440 --> 03:45:15.040
jeans open. He eased her onto her back, got naked

3464
03:45:15.239 --> 03:45:22.000
and climbed on top of her. Reggie had finished drying

3465
03:45:22.040 --> 03:45:25.680
the creation off after giving her a shower. Then he

3466
03:45:25.760 --> 03:45:29.799
dressed her in his sister's clothing. Even though the items fit,

3467
03:45:29.959 --> 03:45:33.239
they were still too small for her. The t shirt

3468
03:45:33.319 --> 03:45:37.159
revealed her full stomach, and the jeans were more like Capri's.

3469
03:45:38.200 --> 03:45:41.159
The Creation looked at him and attempted to smile for

3470
03:45:41.200 --> 03:45:45.520
the first time ever. Then she took his hand and

3471
03:45:45.639 --> 03:45:49.399
held it between her two hands. She closed her eyes

3472
03:45:49.440 --> 03:45:53.319
and let him kiss her lips again. He sat down

3473
03:45:53.399 --> 03:45:58.040
next to her and admired her. I can't believe we

3474
03:45:58.239 --> 03:46:03.280
just had sex, Reggie told her. This sort of thing

3475
03:46:03.440 --> 03:46:08.760
just doesn't happen to me. The Creation smiled for him

3476
03:46:08.920 --> 03:46:12.879
a second time. Then she quickly turned her head when

3477
03:46:12.879 --> 03:46:18.760
she heard noises coming from downstairs. Somebody's home. Reggie explained,

3478
03:46:19.200 --> 03:46:23.520
don't worry, nobody's gonna hurt you. The Creation wouldn't release

3479
03:46:23.559 --> 03:46:26.440
his hand. Only when he assured her that he would

3480
03:46:26.440 --> 03:46:30.200
return did she let him go. He opened the door

3481
03:46:30.239 --> 03:46:35.239
and headed downstairs. The Creation heard talking, but she couldn't

3482
03:46:35.319 --> 03:46:39.360
understand the words. It wasn't long after that she heard

3483
03:46:39.440 --> 03:46:43.399
quick movements on the stairs, along with Reggie yelling something

3484
03:46:43.520 --> 03:46:46.399
was wrong. She stood up and moved to the door.

3485
03:46:46.799 --> 03:46:50.239
She walked right through it, turning it into boards and kindling.

3486
03:46:50.639 --> 03:46:54.040
She turned to see Vincent, Frankenstein, and Stevie in the hallway.

3487
03:46:54.639 --> 03:47:00.520
She screamed angrily and moved at them. Oh shit, Stevie shrieked.

3488
03:47:00.799 --> 03:47:04.719
She raised her shotgun and blasted the Creation and the shoulder. No,

3489
03:47:05.799 --> 03:47:09.879
Reggie yelled. The Creation only jerked back on its impacted

3490
03:47:09.920 --> 03:47:13.719
shoulder and showed Stevie just how fast she could heal.

3491
03:47:14.760 --> 03:47:19.280
Stevie and Vincent quickly moved back downstairs. They hadn't counted

3492
03:47:19.319 --> 03:47:22.719
on the Creation leaping all the way down the stairway.

3493
03:47:23.559 --> 03:47:26.639
Stevie cried out in fright as the Creation suddenly grabbed

3494
03:47:26.680 --> 03:47:29.280
her and put her right through the front door. Then

3495
03:47:29.360 --> 03:47:32.600
she turned to face Vincent and Reggie. For a moment,

3496
03:47:33.120 --> 03:47:36.959
she seemed to convey betrayal towards Reggie. When she saw

3497
03:47:37.079 --> 03:47:41.399
him shaking his head. Quickly, she realized he was innocent.

3498
03:47:42.040 --> 03:47:46.360
Her Creator and the girl had found her somehow. Vincent

3499
03:47:46.479 --> 03:47:49.120
raised his hands in front of him. Let me take

3500
03:47:49.159 --> 03:47:52.159
you home. I can fix you. Please don't be like this,

3501
03:47:52.639 --> 03:47:56.639
no more killing, Please just come with me. The Creation

3502
03:47:56.840 --> 03:48:00.879
still didn't understand him, but she screamed with hatred at him.

3503
03:48:01.239 --> 03:48:03.760
She was about to grab him when she took another

3504
03:48:03.879 --> 03:48:07.799
shotgun blast, this time in the back. The Creation turned

3505
03:48:07.840 --> 03:48:11.479
to see Stevie. Come and get me, you fucking bitch,

3506
03:48:12.079 --> 03:48:15.559
she called out. As she turned and ran, The Creation

3507
03:48:15.799 --> 03:48:19.680
screamed and darted outside. It hadn't taken the Creation long

3508
03:48:19.799 --> 03:48:23.680
to almost be upon Stevie. Suddenly she felt Vincent jumping

3509
03:48:23.719 --> 03:48:26.360
onto her back. As she was about to grab him,

3510
03:48:26.760 --> 03:48:30.200
she felt the sharpness of a needle going into her shoulder,

3511
03:48:31.000 --> 03:48:35.120
followed by something squirting out. Vincent dropped off her back

3512
03:48:35.479 --> 03:48:39.040
and stuck her with a second needle. The Creation fell

3513
03:48:39.120 --> 03:48:43.280
to her knees and then onto her side. We don't

3514
03:48:43.280 --> 03:48:46.040
have much time, Stevie. Let's get her back to the lab,

3515
03:48:46.440 --> 03:48:49.319
Vincent said. I can't believe I'm agreeing to let you

3516
03:48:49.440 --> 03:48:52.879
try and fix her. Stevie muttered, you should just fucking

3517
03:48:53.000 --> 03:48:56.760
kill her. When Stevie saw Reggie coming outside, she pointed

3518
03:48:56.879 --> 03:48:59.600
right at him. Shut the fuck up and get back inside.

3519
03:48:59.639 --> 03:49:03.000
You fuck looking, fat fuckstick. What are you going to

3520
03:49:03.079 --> 03:49:07.000
do with her? He demanded. When Stevie raised the shotgun

3521
03:49:07.040 --> 03:49:10.719
to him and pumped it, he quickly squealed and darted

3522
03:49:10.760 --> 03:49:19.559
back inside. The Creation opened her eyes and felt as

3523
03:49:19.600 --> 03:49:23.280
if she was moving, yet she found she was incapacitated.

3524
03:49:24.000 --> 03:49:26.760
She looked up and saw the sky was moving fast.

3525
03:49:27.600 --> 03:49:30.319
She clinched her teeth and found the chain securing her

3526
03:49:30.840 --> 03:49:34.440
wouldn't give. She growled through her teeth as she exerted

3527
03:49:34.479 --> 03:49:38.559
her strength again. This time the chains broke in several places.

3528
03:49:39.239 --> 03:49:42.399
She moved to her feet and leaped from the pickup truck.

3529
03:49:43.000 --> 03:49:45.280
As soon as she landed on her bare feet, she

3530
03:49:45.319 --> 03:49:48.760
heard the truck break to a halt. Vincent and Stevie

3531
03:49:48.799 --> 03:49:52.559
got out. The Creation looked at them and screamed the

3532
03:49:52.639 --> 03:49:55.760
loudest she had ever screamed. The two of them tried

3533
03:49:55.799 --> 03:49:58.040
to get back into the truck, but the Creation moved

3534
03:49:58.079 --> 03:50:01.719
to it quickly. She easily lifted the truck and threw

3535
03:50:01.760 --> 03:50:03.760
it right off the side of the bridge they were on.

3536
03:50:04.719 --> 03:50:08.840
The truck soon made a huge splash in the Castallia River,

3537
03:50:09.399 --> 03:50:14.000
where the raging waters would carry it away. Vincent and

3538
03:50:14.040 --> 03:50:17.280
Stevie turned to run, but the Creation only had to

3539
03:50:17.360 --> 03:50:20.120
leap to catch them. She backed them up to the

3540
03:50:20.239 --> 03:50:23.280
edge of the bridge. It would take a combined desperate

3541
03:50:23.280 --> 03:50:27.079
attempt for them to survive. As Vincent injected the Creation

3542
03:50:27.280 --> 03:50:31.319
with his last two tranquilizers, and Stevie placed her shotgun

3543
03:50:31.360 --> 03:50:34.479
under the Creation's chin and blasted the top of her

3544
03:50:34.479 --> 03:50:38.120
head off. The Creation staggered back and fell off the

3545
03:50:38.159 --> 03:50:41.639
side of the bridge. She dropped into the Castalia River,

3546
03:50:42.079 --> 03:50:46.639
where the raging waters quickly carried her body away. You

3547
03:50:46.680 --> 03:50:53.000
think we stopped her, Stevie asked quickly. Vincent sighed, I

3548
03:50:53.079 --> 03:51:01.920
don't know. I just don't know. On Christmas morning, the

3549
03:51:01.959 --> 03:51:05.479
Creation had awakened. She didn't know how long she had

3550
03:51:05.520 --> 03:51:08.600
been unconscious, but she was lying on the side of

3551
03:51:08.639 --> 03:51:12.840
the river. She slowly pulled herself to her feet and

3552
03:51:12.920 --> 03:51:17.200
felt her head, which was fully restored. She didn't understand

3553
03:51:17.239 --> 03:51:21.200
how she had survived, and she really didn't care. There

3554
03:51:21.239 --> 03:51:25.120
was only one thing that Creation did care about, and

3555
03:51:25.239 --> 03:51:30.040
put her hands on her swollen belly. Vincent Frankenstein hadn't

3556
03:51:30.079 --> 03:51:34.440
counted on the Creation's vampiric healing factor restoring the ovaries

3557
03:51:34.479 --> 03:51:38.920
that he had removed prior to giving her life. On

3558
03:51:39.079 --> 03:51:44.360
Christmas Eve, she had conceived life with Reggie. Later on

3559
03:51:44.479 --> 03:51:49.280
Christmas Day, her first child would be born, the first

3560
03:51:49.440 --> 03:52:01.360
child of a superior new race. That's all for tonight,

3561
03:52:01.559 --> 03:52:06.920
my spookies, a stocking spilled open with killers in red,

3562
03:52:07.600 --> 03:52:12.920
curses sealed with ribbon, and snow that buries everything but

3563
03:52:13.079 --> 03:52:18.799
the echoes of the screams. Remember this is only the beginning.

3564
03:52:19.280 --> 03:52:24.799
Every Saturday until New Year's another long cozy binge of

3565
03:52:24.959 --> 03:52:31.280
holiday horror will drop into your feed. More ghosts, more storms,

3566
03:52:31.280 --> 03:52:34.520
more reasons to sleep with the lights on and the

3567
03:52:34.639 --> 03:52:42.040
tree still plugged. In Tomorrow, something uninvited slips into the

3568
03:52:42.120 --> 03:52:48.280
stream yet again, some kind of unknown broadcast crackling voices

3569
03:52:48.360 --> 03:52:52.520
from the past, addressing you like an old friend who

3570
03:52:52.600 --> 03:52:57.680
knows exactly where you're listening from. On Monday, we have

3571
03:52:57.840 --> 03:53:02.040
terrifying and true where we unrepp the hidden dangers of

3572
03:53:02.079 --> 03:53:07.760
a Victorian Christmas candle lit trees that turned parlors into pyres,

3573
03:53:08.280 --> 03:53:14.520
toxic decorations, poisoned treats, and real history that proves the

3574
03:53:14.559 --> 03:53:19.200
good old days of Christmas or anything but safe. And

3575
03:53:19.280 --> 03:53:23.639
of course, on Wednesday, a brand new weekly spooky Christmas

3576
03:53:23.680 --> 03:53:28.399
horror story by the one and only Charles Campbell blows

3577
03:53:28.440 --> 03:53:34.000
in with the storm. A lonely widower, a Christmas Eve hurricane,

3578
03:53:34.600 --> 03:53:38.239
a ghost who may not be what she seems, and

3579
03:53:38.319 --> 03:53:43.280
something ancient in the weather that has come to collect

3580
03:53:43.319 --> 03:53:48.440
a debt. Until then, my spookies, keep the cocoa hot,

3581
03:53:48.920 --> 03:53:53.479
keep the volume high, and I'll see you on Monday.

3582
03:53:54.840 --> 03:53:55.680
Ho Ho Ho