She didn't understand why this was happening to her. Or why it even had to happen at all. All she knew was that she hated Christmas. What once had been declared as her favorite holiday had now turned into the ultimate nightmare of bad news. Her full name was Catherine Emily McKay, but to her beloved grandfather, who had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer, she was known as Cathy.

Sitting on a bench at the snow-covered park, all Cathy could think about was how hurt and angry she felt. Why? She kept thinking to herself. Why her grandfather? Why him? He never smoked a day in his life, so why had he been cursed with having one of the most horrible diseases imaginable?

Although he had told her there was still hope for a cure, the seventeen year old girl with strawberry blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes didn't see any hope in the situation whatsoever. After receiving the unfortunate news from the man himself, Cathy immediately broke down in tears and hopelessly embraced her grandfather, who hugged her in return and told her it was going to be okay. He sounded so calm and reassuring when he told her. "I know it sounds bad, Cathy, but it's Christmas Eve", he said. "It's never too late to ask for a miracle."

What miracle? Cathy thought to herself, looking down at the object she was holding in her hands. A blue and silver Christmas card with a picture of a golden-haired angel overlooking a baby in a manger. She opened the card and revealed a message written in royal blue ink: Merry Christmas, Grandpa Leo. With love, your granddaughter, Cathy.

In a fit of anger, Cathy tore the Christmas card into a dozens pieces and let the shreds fly away into the darkening winter sky.

A light frosting of snow started to fall, and Cathy knew it was time for her to head back home. She stood up and pulled her hood over her head, tucking her fists deeply into her coat pockets before walking back.

By the time she got home, the weak snowfall had turned into a harsh blizzard. The minute she stepped through the door, Cathy took off her snow-drenched coat and called for her parents, but there was no response. "Oh, yeah, that's right", she said to herself. She just remembered her mom and dad were at a Christmas party and wouldn't be back until late. A fine time they choose to abandon a dying old man, she thought, coldly.

"Grandpa!" Cathy called out, but he did not answer. "Grandpa?" She climbed up the stairs and peeked into his room, only to find that he was asleep in his bed. Cathy tiptoed over to him quietly and leaned down to listen for a heartbeat, but hearing his breathing made her feel even better. She looked at her grandfather and kissed him on his forehead, telling him that she loved him before retrieving to her own bedroom down the hall.

Cathy threw herself onto her bed, lying on her side and resting her head on her pillow for a minute. She turned herself over and sat up straight, picking up her favorite sock monkey named Mr. Leggett, a Christmas present her Grandpa Leo had given her twelve years ago. She then looked over on her nightstand and picked up the remote control, turning on the television. She flipped through the news channel, the wrestling channel, a channel that was showing a Rankin-Bass Christmas special, until finally, she had stumbled across a channel that was playing Die Hard. Cathy leaned herself back and tried to relax, watching Bruce Willis take on a bunch of terrorists, but just when it was getting to the best part of the movie, the power suddenly went out.

THUD!

The whole house shook. Cathy gasped and jumped out of bed, holding Mr. Leggett tightly in her arms like a frightened child. Listening for any other sound or voice that might follow, Cathy stood where she was and waited anxiously. Footsteps were heard on the rooftop. The rattling of chains and the tinkling of Christmas bells mixed in with the heavy-sounding steps of whoever or whatever lurked on top of the house.

Cathy started breathing heavily, and beginning to worry about her grandfather, she immediately dashed from her room and out into the hallway, running straight towards his bedroom.

Slamming the door opened, Cathy tried turning on the light, forgetting that the power was out, but instead got a reaction from her grandfather, who sat up in bed and looked at his granddaughter, who had awoken him, with a worried expression.

"Cathy, what's the matter?"

"I heard something on the roof! You didn't hear it?"

Her grandfather looked up at the ceiling and then back at her. "No."

Cathy stared at him in shock and terror. He hadn't heard it? How was it that she had heard it and not him?

Her grandfather groaned weakly, as he slowly threw the blankets off of him and said, "All right, let me go see-"

Before he could get himself out of bed, Cathy ran over to his side and placed her hands on his shoulders. "No, Grandpa, I'll do it", she insisted.

Her grandfather looked at her for a minute and nodded his head in understanding. "All right, darling", he said.

Cathy placed Mr. Leggett on the bed for a second and helped her Grandpa Leo to lie back down, throwing the blankets back over him.

"You just rest, Grandpa", said Cathy, stroking his head. "I'll be all right."

"Thank you, darling", said Grandpa Leo, smiling faintly. He took hold of his only granddaughter's hand and said to her, "Cathy, please don't be angry with me."

Cathy was silent for a minute. She shook her head and told him, "I'm not."

Her grandfather picked up Mr. Leggett and handed him back to her, whispering softly, "Merry Christmas, Cathy."

Cathy gave him a weak smile and nodded. "You, too."

After seeing that her grandfather was safe and sound, Cathy closed the door to his bedroom and stood out in the hall for a minute and wondering, Was I imagining things?

Since the power was still out, Cathy thought the best thing to do was to look for a flashlight. She went downstairs to the kitchen and found one in the junk drawer. With a click of the button, the batteries in it were still working. The next thing she thought was to light some candles in the house until the power came back on.

As soon as she stepped out of the kitchen and into the living room, Cathy looked over at the broken fireplace and befell her widening eyes, as well as the flashlight, onto an unholy figure standing right next to the Christmas tree. A massive, eight foot tall, horned creature with a hunched back. He wore an old, worn-out robe of red and brown patches, complete with dirty white trimming. And if she wasn't mistaken, he looked to have several heavy chains hanging from around his neck and on his back. Looking down and shining the flashlight down at his feet, Cathy gasped in shock upon discovering the horned creature had hooves instead. Hooves like a goat!

Looking back at his face and pointing her flashlight at him again, Cathy realized upon closer inspection that his 'face' looked to be nothing more than a mask. An opened mouth mask with melted human skin in the form of a screaming old man and a long white beard.

The flashlight dropped from her hand, while Mr. Leggett was being squeezed to death in her other one.

The horned creature laughed sinisterly and turned around halfway, only to reveal to her an old red velvet sack.

"...Grandpa..." Was all Cathy could breathe, slowly beginning to back away and wishing this was all just a bad dream.

Opening his sack, the sounds of evil cackling and breaking bones and mechanical whirring were heard from within it. Lightening flashed outside the house.

Cathy turned around and started running towards the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs, "HELP!"

Suddenly, everything went black.