She almost passed me but doubled back, glancing at me like I was some sort of freak. “Yes? Are you alright?”
“No!” I cupped my hands and brought them to my mouth to blow warm air into them—in an attempt to heat up. It was so damn cold outside. I hoped Angela was inside somewhere—wherever she was.
“My wife is missing! Angela Frost! She’s been abducted! I need help! Please!” I begged.
She walked towards me, with focused eyes. “How do you know she’s been abducted?”
I took out the letter I had received and shoved it in her hand. She took it and read over it quickly. “My god. What is this? Xmas Day Butcher?”
“He’s come back to haunt me.”
She gave me a shocked look, shaking her head slowly, not believing the truth. “No…it can’t be. I’ve heard of the Xmas Day Butcher, but…he’s supposed to be dead.”
“Someone has risen from the dead,” I said gravely.
She paused for a moment, a stark realization coming across her face—a killer was back in town. “We’ll put together a missing person report and we’ll go door to door, see if anyone’s seen her. Move quickly.” She rushed back inside the station and I followed.
“He also sent me a pair of reindeer earrings with blood on them, I’m sure that they belong to her. She had the same pair.”
She glanced back. “Christ, I’ll have to get them—run them for prints when we can.”
“Thank you detective. I’m Lenny Frost, by the way. What is your name?”
“Detective Juana Castillo. So, your wife is Angela Frost, huh? She works for the mayor. I know her.”
“Yes she does. She’s in serious danger, please help me find her.”
Detective Castillo swung open the heavy wooden door to the station and ushered me inside. “It's important to remain calm, Lenny. Let's make sure that we get the facts straight.”
“Where are all the other officers going? Will they be able to help us?”
I entered as she shut the door behind us. “Not now, they’re responding to an incident near the institute. It’s top priority.”
I nodded, wondering what the hell was going on in this cursed town.
Wait for me, Angela. We’ll find you.
CHAPTER 2
DECEMBER 2ND
Iwas standing at the top of the stairs, my small fingers tightly wrapped around the iron railing, while I stared down into a decorative living room. It was Christmas Day.
Golden tinsel clung to the white leather couch, and the fireplace quietly crackled as a family gathered around a Christmas tree adorned with various ornaments—from tiny snow globes to crystallized balls and candy canes.
There was a man and a woman—husband and wife. Their faces were wrinkled and hard, like a pair of stone golems turned human. They were cuddling on the couch, laughing and giggling with each other like schoolchildren.
A boy sat cross-legged in his raggedy pajamas, faded Santa hats printed along the fabric. He looked about twelve years old.
The resemblance was uncanny, then I realized who it was. I was staring at myself. Same cut of dark, wavy hair, same milky white skin, and that same scowling face I had because I hated the world and how I had to live in it.
The only difference now was that I had some spotty facial hair, and I had Angela to make living bearable.
“Where’s my gift? Don’t I get one?” the boy asked, an undercurrent of anger present in his innocent voice.
The man grunted, reaching for a bottle of alcohol on a side table. The woman giggled at him and wagged her finger at him, like she was indicating he had done something very wrong.
“No, this can’t be right. Where’s my present?” the boy shouted louder. “You said I’d get the doll! You told me that! You’re both liars!”
