It was Christmas Eve in Boston, Massachusetts and the snow was falling slowly from the grey skies above before coating the ground with a blanket of crisp white. Smoke billowed from the top of the chimney of the house whilst the multi-coloured lights flickered in the bay window at the front of the house from the Christmas Tree that resided there.
The tree was decorated with red and gold baubles along with tinsel. It also had various ornaments from trips abroad hanging from various branches such as an Eiffel Tower ornament which was covered in a silver glitter from their trip to Paris and a Palace Guard ornament from their trip to London. Mr Thomas Jethro Harmon and Mrs Michelle Jane Harmon had gone on various trips together before their children were born and a few since then too. They were rather fond of travelling and believed strongly in the benefits that the trips would give their children as they would learn about other cultures around the world. The birth of their children however had lowered the amount of trips that they went on each year as the trips now had to fit around the school schedule of their children.
Mr and Mrs Harmon now had four children; 13 year old Christian Lucas, 11 year old Tyler Sean, 8 year old Kelly Elyse and 4 year old Alessandra Mai. All of the children had dark hair like their parents whilst Alessandra was the only one who had inherited her mother's curls along with her father's bright blue eyes. Alessandra was the image of her mother with the only difference being her bright blue eyes whilst the other children resembled their father much more than they did Lindsay. Their mannerisms and behaviourisms were much more like their mother however whereas Alessandra was quiet, reserved and much more like her father.
Beneath the tree there was multiple presents wrapped in shiny paper and separated into four different piles with the children's names written in glitter upon their stockings that were leaning up against their piles. Christian's presents were wrapped in gold, Tyler's were wrapped in green, Kelly's were wrapped in silver paper and Alessandra's were wrapped in a red version of the same shimmer paper that the other children's presents were wrapped within. The presents were wrapped in various shapes and there was a couple that were not wrapped but instead had a simple bow pressed onto the side of them instead as they had been set up to play with, one of which was Kelly's doll house, Christian's and Tyler's baseball bats and Alessandra's doll boat, all of which was made by their father who was a very good craftsmen when it came to woodwork.
He enjoyed making gifts for the children and Alessandra loved to help him make new things especially when it came to making the toys that they would take to the children's home each year. The boys enjoyed playing sports in the cul-de-sac with the other children whilst Kelly rather liked to play with the 9 year old girl; Avery who lived next door and they were either in one of their bedrooms or up in the tree house that Kelly's father had made for his children ten years ago. Alessandra however was much happier when she was either reading one of the many books that were purchased for her or being in the basement with her father or even cooking with her mother but the concept of playing with other children wasn't something that appealed to the young girl at all despite the best efforts of her mother. She would however have a huge smile painted on her face each time she emerged from her father's basement with sawdust in her hair and paint on her cheeks.
The four children were fast asleep in their beds, dressed warmly in their new pyjamas and wrapped in their new fluffy blankets. It was a Christmas Eve tradition that each year they would get a box each which contained a new set of pyjamas, a fluffy blanket, fluffy socks, new underwear along with a sachet of hot chocolate, and a packet of mini marshmallows. The children would also get a new stuffed toy each and this year Christian's toy was the Boston Red Sox mascot 'Wally', Tyler's toy was 'Blades' the Boston Bruins team mascot, Kelly's new stuffed friend was a ballerina and Alessandra's was a bear dressed in a marine's uniform which had been her father's previous profession. The little one always thought that her father being an ex-marine was one of the best things ever and learning the various things that he could teach her was one of her favourite things to do.
Thomas and Michelle were laying in their marital bed with her head resting softly upon his chest, their breathing was heavy and a slight sheen of sweat was apparent on their skin - both aspects were signs of their previous activities. Michelle was starting to fall asleep when they heard a noise, making her eyes instantly go wide and she sat upright. Thomas got out of bed, "I'll go and see", he said softly to his wife as he threw on a set of boxer shorts and his bath robe as he slid his feet into his slippers to make his way down the hallway and towards his children's bedrooms.
Michelle was sat in her bed as Thomas passed Alessandra's bedroom and pushed open her door slightly to check on her. The curly haired little girl was fast asleep in her bed and surrounded by multiple fluffy toys and clutching her new soft fluffy blanket to her chest. The blue eyed man smiled at his little girl and pulled her door closed again but this time his instincts told him to close the door properly although carefully so that he didn't awake the child.
The ex-marine then walked in the opposite direction, towards the stairs and on the way he checked the bedrooms of the other three children; Kelly's, Christian's and then Tyler's. All of the children were fine although Christian was awake and sat up in his bed, "Just going to get a drink Dad", the young teen said simply as he got out of bed. The man nodded, "No opening your presents", the silver haired man said simply with a smirk as he made his way back to his bedroom, mistakenly thinking that the noise was his son and not realising that it was the noise that awoke the young boy and not the other way around.
It was minutes later when he was just climbing back into his bed beside his wife, "It was just Christian, he's gone down to get a drink", he said softly as he wrapped his arms around her. That was when the sound of Christian screaming echoed throughout the house. Both parents spring out of bed as if they had been toy jack in a boxes that had been wound up tightly and suddenly set free. Michelle and Thomas both ran down the stairs after the ex-marine had grabbed his firearm from the bed side cabinet. Christian was on the floor on his knees with wide eyes and beside him was an ageing man with a gun in one hand and a scalpel in the other. A silver medical issue scalpel which was pressed firmly to the teenage boy's throat.
"Let him go", Thomas demanded as he held his gun up and pointed it towards the man that was currently threatening his first born child.
The evil eyed man glared at the ex-marine and laughed in a manic manner whilst he shook his head, "I think it would be best if you put that down don't you?", he asked as he pressed the sharp metal to the boy's neck causing a trail of fresh red to trail down the column of his neck. "In the time it takes you to pull that trigger, I could have already slit his throat", he said simply as if he were commenting on the weather rather than the boy's life.
Michelle was beside her husband and clutching tightly to his arm with her head buried to the side of him, her heart rate was heightened and she feared for the life of her son along with their own and also the lives of the three children sleeping upstairs.
The curly haired, tanned women was wrong however when she assumed that all of the three children upstairs were asleep because Kelly and Tyler were stood frozen behind them on the staircase and staring at the man who currently held a knife to their brother's throat. The man smirked as he looked past Michelle and her husband to the stair case where two children were stood. "Come to join the party", the evil man commented towards the two children causing the woman to turn rapidly in her husbands arms.
The dark eyed woman looked shocked, "Go... go back to bed", she stuttered towards the children attempting but failing to hide her nervousness and fear.
The crazed man chuckled and shook his head to the still frozen children, "You will do no such thing", he stated firmly. Thomas wrapped his arm around his wife and pulled her close to his side as he attempted to work out how he would get rid of this man and save his family but part of him new that they were in grave danger. He knew that families had been murdered recently around the state and that so far there hadn't been a single survivor. Not one. Not even a child.
It was almost two hours later when the cruel man made his way into Alessandra's bedroom. The only child who had not come down to investigate the noise. Her parents often joked that not even a hurricane would awake their youngest child as she was such a heavy sleeper. Alessandra sat up in bed as she heard the door opening and someone step inside, "Santa?", she questioned softly, "Is that you?". She had an air of innocence to her as she asked the question with a tilted head, and she was rubbing her eyes as she tugged her blanket close to her along with her bear which wore it's marine uniform.
The man hesitated with his hand on the doorknob before he looked at his other hand where a blood covered scalpel resided, "Look Santa", the little girl said not waiting for the answer and simply assuming it was Santa, she held up her bear, "He has a marine uniform like daddy used to wear".
He didn't understand what made him stop, what made him listen to the young girl or what made him drop the scalpel. That night however it was exactly what he did. He did however move forward and kneel down, telling her that she could go with Santa. An offer that of course she thought sounded good, she was after all just a child.
He wrapped her in her new fluffy blanket as she clutched her bear to her chest. The man lifted her up into his arms and with her head hidden against him, he walked through the hallway where he stepped over Michelle's body who had attempted to get to their daughter before her death. Carrying the child, he then walked down the stairs and past the other four bloodied bodies of the other family members.
He placed her in the front seat of his truck and moved to get into his side of the car, it was still dark outside and she hadn't seen him properly. Her innocence allowed her to think that it was Santa despite the differences in the typical appearance of Santa that was depicted within the majority of Christmas imagery.
The little girl curled up in the seat of the truck, the innocent child didn't realise the danger that she was in and instead she saw it simply as a trip with Santa or a dream. The little girl was completely unaware that her parents and siblings were deceased at home. A home that she might never see again.
