NEO
The car sits idle at the edge of the forest, its headlights are cutting pale beams through the falling snow. The windshield wipers drag across the glass slowly, clearing away the snowflakes with rhythmic sweeps. Inside, the air is tense and way too quiet. I sit in the passenger seat with one hand braced against the dashboard and with the other gripping the door handle. My breath fogs the window, and my eyes are locked on the tree line ahead.
Zilla sits in the back seat behind me, with her arms crossed. Her eyes flick between Zeke and the forest, her lips are pressed into a thin line. She doesn’t like waiting, and she doesn’t like the silence, but she knows better than to break it.
Zeke is outside, pacing slowly in front of the car, his eyes scanning the woods like a predator. The snow falls harder now, thick and fast, blanketing the road and swallowing every sound. He pauses at the edge of the headlights, staring into the dark.
"Nox," he says, his voice low and steady. "If you’re out there, you need to move."
No answer.
My grip tightens and I shift, ready to get out.
I freeze as a black silhouette emerges from the forest's shadowed edge, its form barely distinguishable against the fading light and falling snow. Without taking my eyes off thefigure, I push the car door open, stepping out slowly. The air feels heavier now—charged with something I can’t even name. The silhouette pauses, as if aware of my gaze, and I square my shoulders. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest as I take cautious steps forward. The figure shifts, moonlight catching the curve of its familiar jawline, my heart stutters.
"Nox?" I whisper, the name barely making it past my lips.
The world seems to tilt, and my legs move before my mind can catch up as I close the distance between us. The emotions surge as disbelief, relief and the ache of everything unsaid bubble inside me. I can feel my eyes burn, and for a moment, all I can do is tremble. I’m staring at the person in front of me, waiting for him to lighten the mood.
Zeke follows me into silence, the forest looming like a mouth about to speak. The air is wrong and my steps are slow as the shadow ahead begins to move.
His eyes gleam with something feral; his skin is streaked in soot and blood. In one hand, he hauls a huge pine tree, its branches are twisted and its needles are dusted with snow. In the other, gripped by a horn, is the limp and grotesque body of a Krampus, its curved limbs scraping the frozen ground.
Zeke’s eyes narrow, and I can’t even move further. The forest behind Nox seems to pulse, as if it’s breathing. He steps forward, dragging his burdens with ease. He smiles at me. “Merry Creepmas,” he rasps with his voice raw and wrong. He throws the tree to the ground. My knees start to buckle.
Zeke asks confused, "What happened?"
Nox tilts his head. "Nothing, I brought gifts."
He staggers into the clearing with his breath ragged, each inhale sounding like a battle. Blood soaks the side of his coat, dark and sticky, clinging to the fabric like a warning. His ribs are torn open in a jagged arc, as it seems the Krampus tried to peel him apart with his claws. I know his wound pulses with everyheartbeat, raw and angry, his bones probably cracked beneath the shredded muscles.
He casually winces as he drops the corpse of the Krampus, the motion sending a fresh wave of pain through his torso. I see it now—how he holds himself slightly twisted, his arm pressed tight against the injury, trying to keep his intestines from spilling out.
Zeke mutters, "That’s not just a scratch."
Nox gives him a crooked smile, his teeth stained red. "It tried to gut me. Almost succeeded too."
I feel myself dying inside at his words.
I rush forward, my voice caught in my throat. "Nox." His name comes out strangled, the sound barely a whisper. When I reach him, my hands hover, unsure where to touch him without hurting him more. The sight of his ribs… slashed open, raw and glistening, makes me tremble beside him. My tears spill fast, hot and silent at first, then wracked with sobs that tear through my chest. "You’re hurt," I cry, my voice breaking. "You’re really hurt."
Nox tries to smile, but it twists into a grimace. "I’m okay," he lies, blood dripping from his lip. I shake my head, pressing my forehead into his shoulder, my sobs muffled against him. "You idiot," I whisper. "You came back like this." I try to help him move towards the car, and Zilla is already opening her bag, taking out a bunch of medical supplies.
Chapter 25
NOX
The car moves down the icy road quickly, its tires skidding at every turn. Zeke holds the wheel like it owes him something, his eyes wild and his jaw clenched. The headlights carve shaky tunnels in the dark, but he doesn’t slow down.
I lay slumped against Neo in the backseat, my breath shallow and wet. My coat is peeled open, revealing the gash across my ribs. The cut is deep, and I’m still bleeding. Neo’s hands tremble as she presses a bandage against the wound; her face is pale and streaked with tears.
"Keep pressure!" Zilla exclaims from the passenger seat, twisting around to look. "Don’t let it pool. You need to pack it tight."
Neo nods, barely hearing what Zilla is saying. Her fingers are slick with my blood, and I know her mind is spinning. "He’s cold," she whispers.
"Shocker," I laugh, and it makes me cough two times. "I’m already dead."
"OK, he is joking; he’s going to be just fine. He just needs some fresh blood to heal faster." Zeke says without moving his eyes from the road.
