Of course the mech surrounded by loyal zombies was a monstrosity when Krampus was in the pilot seat, but Ell was unsettled for a wholly different reason.
Whatever this feeling was, it stirred up a strange familiarity in her chest. Sure, this had NEVER happened in her life (or her brothers' lives) before and probably wouldn't after, but it was like she was meant to stare up at a giant fucking robot in this near-exact situation.
Perhaps the event should've happened long, long ago - before her time. Yet, destiny had other plans and shoved it out of the way, only to let it happen now at this point of the timeline. It wasn't this exact robot, it wasn't this exact time, it wasn't this exact situation, maybe not the exact people, but it was happening now and Ell couldn't fully let the feeling pass.
Why? She didn't know. But nor did she care. One thing was certain: She wasn't going down without a fight.
"Ell?" Ed whispered, "What's the plan?"
"Guys, hold tight to your weapons and get ready to shoot when I say so. Do you trust me?"
A shared glance between her brothers, then a nod. She smirked.
"HEY, YOU DEMON FUCK!" She hollered, standing on the seat, "IS A GIANT ROBOT AND A PACK OF ZOMBIES REALLY ALL YOU GOT?"
" Ell!" Jaxx hissed, "What the fuck?!"
Oh, she knew what the hell she was doing. Ell folded her arms and rolled her head around once, trying to look unamused at the not-so-distant sight of a cursing and raving Krampus behind the window-eyes. Not even the rumble of zombies below would deter her.
"I'M SORRY, I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE AMOUNT OF BULLSHIT YOU'RE SPEWING IN THERE, GOAT-MAN! I THOUGHT YOU FUCKIN' KNEW WHAT YOU WERE DOING!"
Undead groans became undead yells.
"Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Ell!"
"I'm not him, but go on, Jaxx."
"D-Gah-! Ell! Please stop, you're gonna get us killed!"
"No I'm not. OI! SPEAK UP YA DAMN COWARD! WE CAN'T FUCKIN HEAR YOU AND YOUR LAME SHIT-TALK FROM HEEEEERE!"
More rampaging from inside the cockpit and even more zombie roars down below - she was getting somewhere!
"Ell please!" Even Ed was shaking her arm, "Stop! You're getting him madder!"
"EXCUSE ME KRAMPY, WHAT DID YOU SAY? I TOLD YOU TO SPEAK UP! YA WORTHLESS, PISS-NOG DRINKING PUSSY!"
"Good Lord, this is worse than what the Richwells' could come up with…"
"You don't say, Oxford…"
The goat thrashed himself around back and forth between the windows, his arms waving maniacally over what probably was the control panel.
She carefully took hold of the reins and repositioned her feet, letting the reindeer raise the sleigh higher and higher till she was eye level with the Boxmas Bot's windows. Down below, she spotted a good chunk of the hoarde now standing where they used to be and reaching out, growling and yelling and gargling and all those other horrible noises.
Almost there.
"OH WHAT? YOU GONNA SIT THERE AND SCREAM LIKE A NAUGHTY KID YOU CAN'T EVEN CAPTURE AND EAT? DOING NOTHING LIKE THE EXPIRED FRUITCAKE YOU AND YOUR SHITTY KNOCKOFF ZOMBIES ARE? OR ARE YOU GONNA FIGHT US, FUCKER?! COME AND GET IT!"
"YIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHHH!"
"BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIINS!"
STOMP. STOMP-
WHIRRRRRRR-
WHIP-CRACK!
She charged.
"ELL!"
No way was she gonna die here.
She YANKED the reins up, causing the sleigh to shoot straight down, dodging the Boxmas Bot's swinging arms and sharply zipping through the legs to right behind it; cop zombies trying to follow in their rampage below.
"FIREEEEEE!"
Clackclackclackclackclack-
Schreaaak-BOOM!
Ell dipped the sleigh lower to the ground as her brothers fired at the zombie cops and the Boxmas Bot respectively.
The cops snarled and grasped below as Ed gunned away at them - some of the zombies who hadn't fallen from the uzi even had their hands and heads skimmed gruesomely by the runners of the sleigh. Though, Ell might have well called them blades due to the blood she saw splatter across the snow. It was a wonder none of it flew up in their faces.
"ELL! On your right!"
Whirrrrrrrrrrr!
"I'm on it Jaxx!"
She jerked the reins, weaving the sleigh tightly between the stomping feet of the Boxmas Bot and slipping tightly to right behind it. Unfortunately, where Krampus couldn't see them, the zombie hoarde would.
"What's the plan, Ell?" Ed asked, holding fire.
"I'm still trying to figure it out…"
Honestly? She didn't know. All she had in mind was to disturb Krampus's thinking with rage, slaughter zombies and take down the Boxmas Bot, but she didn't have a clear idea on how.
She didn't notice the deer were still going forward until…
CHA-BOOM!
"What the fu… GUYS! DUCK!"
Whip-CRACK!
The sleigh yanked down and left by the deer, skimming fast on the top of the snow as what looked like a long, slim rocket barely ZOOMED over their heads.
BOOM!
It didn't take long for Ell to smell burning trees and smoke.
"The mother fucker ," Jaxx growled as he stood up on his seat, "Has got active missiles in the shoulders! Thought a hundred fucking years would render them useless!"
"Great." Ell groaned, "We'll be fucking spotted by the whole bloody city."
"Son of a bitch!" Ed shook his head, "At this rate, we might need to pull out the other gun."
Ell stared in shock.
"The other gun?!"
"Ed, when the fuck was there another gun?!"
"Look, not now! We gotta figure out a plan!"
"Rrrraaaaaggggghhhh…"
"Ooh, Ed?" Ell pointed behind her brother, "Undead at six o'clock."
"How the hell…?" Ed rolled his eyes and turned to fire behind him. On the other hand, maybe Ell shouldn't have gotten the sleigh so close to the ground…
Clackclackclackclackclack!
"Raagh! "
Thump.
"Okay," she puffed, "We need a fucking plan apart from not dying. I'm stuck. Any ideas?"
Schreaaak-BOOM!
…What was Jaxx shooting at?
"Err, guys? Take a look up this way."
"You got any ideas Oxford?"
"What's up Jaxx?"
"That red robot arm," he pointed above their heads and to the side as they drifted underneath the legs, "is what's up."
"What am I looking for?"
"Hold on Oxford… Ohhhhh, I see it!"
"Ed, I can't." Ell shook her head, "What's the deal with it?"
"Screw it," Ed huffed, snatching the reins from Ell's hands, "I'll fly us up."
"Hey!"
"Ell, trust me," he handed her the uzi, "Take a turn with the guns this time, I can handle it from here."
"C'mon, let him do it," Jaxx jumped into the back, "and look under the right red arm!"
Whirrrrrrrrrrr!
"Ah! ED!"
Whip-crack!
STOMP.
Ed's flying was way too close for comfort.
"For fucksakes, let me take the reins Ed!"
"Ell, no! You didn't even see what's with the red arm, did you?!"
"Ed, give me the reins."
"You didn't see the red arm!"
"Give me the reins!"
" No. "
Ell took a step back.
She'd never really seen the resemblance between Ed and Dad for all her life, but the look he had…
Holy shit.
"Ell," Jaxx tugged on her wrist from behind, his voice gentle and firm as mum's, "C'mon. Get into the back with me. Let him fly the sleigh."
She did.
"Look," Ed exhaled, "I'm sorry. However, now you kinda know how I feel when you fly the sleigh."
"Excuse me-"
"Ell, I need to do the flying this time. You can have the other gun if you want."
"Seriously Ed," Jaxx shook his head, "what's this about another gun-"
CHA-BOOM!
"Dammit," Ed hissed, "We drifted into Krampus' line of sight again!"
"Ell, get down!"
"Gah, Jaxx-!"
Thump!
Whip-CRACK!
Ell was knocked to the floor by Jaxx as another missile zipped past their heads, the sleigh jerking right and turning back around to hover behind the Boxmas Bot, all of its four arms flailing around with rage.
BOOM!
"Not again, " Ell grumbled, "Seriously, we're getting more attention than we need. And Ed, what do you mean by another gun?"
"Check on my left. Jaxx has a chance of telling us what kind it is and how to use it."
"Holy shit, Ed! How didn't we use this thing earlier?!"
"What?" Ell swallowed, re-straightening her Santa hat, watching her older brother turn the firearm around in his hands, "What kind of gun is it, Jaxx?"
Chk-chk.
Her heart skipped a beat. By the look on his face, so did Ed's.
"A pump action ithaca stakeout shotgun," Jaxx announced, the biggest grin beaming from his face as he turned it around in his hands, "By the looks of things, we have ...Six shells total, five on the stock and one in the barrel."
"Zanta's something else !" Ell realised, "Oh my god, I'm so glad we didn't use it earlier."
"Better now than never," Jaxx nodded, "Say Ed? Can you get close to the red arm now?"
"Krampus has bloody stopped flailing around, hopefully he doesn't fire another missile or turn to see us. But yeah, I can."
"Seriously, what's about this arm?!" Ell protested, "It's still connected and moving from the Boxmas Bot controls!"
Just as she said it, sparks flew from the joint area and the arm seemed to fritz for a moment before it stopped moving entirely, locked in position.
"Ell." Ed's voice went quiet as he edged the sleigh closer, "We all saw it break out from the sides. It's not part of the original build. Therefore, it's not integrated properly. The arm's coming loose and screwing up. See? There's a gap. "
"The gap," Jaxx continued, quiet as his brother, "Is large enough for one of us to sneak in through there and take Krampus out from the inside. "
Now.
Now she had a clear plan.
"...I'm definitely taking the shotgun."
Jaxx grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him.
"Ell, before you go in there to blow the goat's brains out, I need to teach you how to use the shotgun."
"Why? It's a shotgun . I know how they work."
"Excuse me, who's the one who handled live firearms, especially this kind, in a specifically controlled gun arena in the US over this summer?"
"...Goddammit."
"I know, I know. But hey, I'll try to make it quick. First, this is not your usual double-barrel shotgun. It's a single barrel."
"Shit. Does it mean I have to reload after every shot?"
"Not exactly. To reload it," he started to mime the actions on the gun, "you take a shell off the stock here and push it into the bottom, this gap right here, you getting this?"
"Yeah."
"Right. You take a shell off, you load it into the bottom towards you, push it in with your thumb, pull the pump-"
"Cock it, right? The chk-chk thing?"
"Yep. Then you fire and repeat once empty." He handed the gun to her, "You have to be careful, Ell. The good and bad news is that you only have six shots, including the one in the barrel right now. You can load up to four and have to pump after each shot, but I wouldn't recommend it."
Fuck.
"Actually," Ed butted in, reaching into his coat pockets, "you can use this when your bullets are used up!"
"Shells," Jaxx corrected him, "But it's alright, you didn't know."
"Oh. Well, same difference."
"Ed, no- ah, nevermind. Sure."
"But yeah, you can use this!"
"Krampus's horn?" Ell took it from her twin after slinging the shotgun strap over her head and shoulder, "Why?"
"Stabbing purposes!"
Ell couldn't help but chuckle. Sure her twin was often super blunt, but hey. He was proud of it and so was she.
"Wait, are those shells made of coal, Jaxx?"
"Hang on, let me… Yeah, they are, Ed. Like the uzi- wait a minute!"
Flick. Flick flick.
"A zippo lighter, Oxford?"
"Ohhhhhhh," Ell caught on, "I could burn the used shells as a kinda flame projectile!"
"Thank God for Will Richwells saving our ass," Jaxx sighed in relief, handing it over. "Yeah, you could burn something if you wanted to."
Crackle crackle zap!
Whirrrrrr…
Shit. The arm was trying to move.
She looked to the gap, then back at the sleigh.
"I dunno, guys… Maybe I should stay here and keep an eye from the sleigh. We could probably take him out on the outside of the Boxmas Bot- Gah!"
She stumbled back for a moment, but Jaxx and Ed helped her up with a hug. Tight. Warm. Balanced.
"Elizabeth," Jaxx's voice was stern yet comforting, "You're the only one who can face Krampus, longer than we could. And I know you'll live to tell the tale. I can't do it. Ed… Maybe. But he's not you. You have this."
"He's right." Ed's voice was quieter, barely above a whisper in her ear, "Hell, you've fought for us so many times. This time, we fight for ourselves, Lizzie."
Chills screamed down her spine as she pulled back from the hug and stared at her twin, his shoulders gripping hers tight.
Ed wasn't fucking around.
"Are you sure?" She asked, her voice quiet as Ed's so Jaxx wouldn't hear, "Are you sure? "
He nodded, solemn as her.
"You have to be you," he said, no longer whispering, "It sucks to say this but… We may be twins, but we won't stay together forever. You have your whole life to live after you beat the shit out of the goat and so will I. I could get up there and get just as angry as you can, but I don't trust myself with it. On top of that, you have more salt with that asshole than either of us. You piss him off in ways we can't. "
"Whatever happens to us on the sleigh," Jaxx added, "Is on us. Not you, us. And don't go trying to fucking save us from our consequences any more, we're grown-ass adults who can deal with our own shit without a mediator."
"God-fucking-dammit, turning my own words against me," Ell sniffled, chuckling a little while wiping away a tear. "Alright. We'll call as we go. You guys try to find some weak spots and blow them to hell and back. Look out for missiles and make sure none of the zombies leave this area. Those cops better stay dead."
"Don't take forever." Jaxx warned, "Find a way to get into the head. Ed? I'll take care of the weaponry, you focus on flying."
"Gotcha. And don't worry about the zombies," Ed waved it off, "We're not letting an apocalypse happen on our sight!"
Ka-crackle!
Whirrrrrrrr…
Ell scrambled into the shrinking gap.
Whip-crack!
Clunk.
"I'm in."
First things first: no distractions.
Ell didn't have a tie for her hair, but shoving it all up into the Santa hat (save for her bangs) was already doing wonders. Just to be sure, she pulled the hoodie over the hat and readjusted her coat a bit tighter.
Horn in the hoodie pocket, lighter in coat pocket, shotgun strap over her head and shoulder again? Check.
Hair out the way? Check.
Phone light for this dark-as-fuck robot area? Check.
Now she could start making a move.
Holding her phone first between her teeth, then dimming with it in her hand, Ell carefully creeped past the fucked-over cabling of the shoved-in giant red arm. Glances to the left and right. Extra-long looks behind her shoulders, just in case. The interior of this thing was simultaneously familiar and completely unknown; Ell guessed it was from having some parts were still from and of the van…
Double-taking at the red arm wiring, she saw it linked up around something massive to her right - giant cylinders all in a rounded row. Flashing her light at it, it looked like the barrels of a big-ass machine gun. However, most of the hapdash cables of the red arms had somehow gone through the 'barrel' gaps - truly cringeworthy. Shitty design, shitty planning.
Aside from that, so far so good. Now how was she going to head up to Krampus? Was there a ladder or something?
"Mmmmmuuuuuuhhhhh…"
What the…
"Hello?"
"Mmuuuuuhhh…"
"Oh fuck. How did those fuckers…? Nevermind, gotta keep moving… How can I get to the bloody control area?"
She clutched everything close, one soft and slow step after another, hoping that nobody would call her or fuck everything up…
"Come on," she whispered, "There has to be fucking something! Something, anything to get to the head! Shit, how many of them are there?"
Bileep!
"Raaaagghhh! Auuuuuuuuugggghhh!"
Whoosh… Woosh!
Clackclackclackclackclack… Schreaaak-BOOM!
Huh. She forgot their radios still worked. Sounded like Jaxx and Ed were pretty busy from the sleigh-
Thump.
Fuck. Should've looked where she was going.
"Rrraaaagh!"
Ell froze.
Maybe…
"...Raaaaghh?"
Please…
"Mmuuuuuhhhh…"
…That was way too fucking close.
Forcing herself to move her head as the dead cop stumbled away in the tiny space, she counted six zombies shuffling around…
And one ladder heading up.
"Bingo Ringo."
"Raaaaaagggh?"
"Ah, fuck this."
"Raaaaaaaagh!"
Backing up to the ladder, she jumped up to a few rungs and started to climb-
"Raaaaaaaaaggggh!"
"Oi, get off my leg, I'm trying to help you rest in peace!"
She tried to shake it off…
"Mmuuuuuhhh!"
Fuck, now the rest of them were goint to notice.
"Okay!" Ell grunted, taking hold of the shotgun, "You wanna rest in peace with plan B? You've got it!"
BOOM!
Headshot…
"Holy shit."
The mob erupted.
"Mmmuuuuuuughhhh?"
"Raaaaaaaaggggh!"
"AaaaaGGGGHH!"
"AAAAAAGGGHH!"
"BRAAAAAAAINS!"
"Aight, fuck you guys, I'm out!"
Every rung away from angry zombie cops was one rung closer to beating the shit out of Krampus.
Brrring brrrring!
"Finally, some good fucking timing for once… Hello?"
"Ell!" Ed chirped, "You doing okay? Where are you?"
"I'm fine, just shot a zombie cop in the head."
"Jesus Christ in a stable, Ell!" Jaxx yelled from far off, the static of the wind making him barely audible, "You better not be fucking bitten!"
"Hell no," she huffed, checking her leg while gripping the rung, "No marks or nicks or anything. Also, I'm on a ladder to the main controls and the bastard goat. I'm close - I can see the end above me."
"Alright, we won't stop you," Ed reaffirmed, "we'll put ourselves on mute, but you stay on call and speaker. Go beat the shit out of him!"
Gladly.
One. Two. Three, four shells reloaded into the barrel. One spare left.
Pulling herself out the hatch and gently closing it, she dusted herself off and looked around.
She had the goat right where she wanted him: back turned, one horn on his head and raving with profanities at the control panel.
Chk-chk.
"Krampus, get on your knees."
"Well, well, well… Look what the cat brought in!"
"Get on your fucking knees if you want to make this easier for yourself."
"Oh, ohohoho! You think I would get on my knees to you, mere mortal?!" Krampus hissed, "I would never, and I never have!"
"Not willingly," Ell agreed, glancing downwards, "But you bowed to Zanta when he was alive, didn't you?"
"By force! And as if you have any of that same force now!"
"Not the same, no."
BANG!
Three shells left.
"AAAAARGH! MY KNEE! MY FAVOURITE KNEE!"
"Since when the fuck did you pick favourites?"
"Rrrraaaaaagggh!"
"Ahh!"
As Krampus lunged at her, Ell swung the gun upwards, blocking the blow and pushing him away before she swung it around to rest on her back.
Fists up.
"You wanna get your face broken again, bitch?"
"GRRRRRRAAAAAAAAGGGGHH!"
"Hyaaaaaaah!"
Bam! Bam! Bam! Leaan- WHA-PAM!
Whap! Whoosh! Swoosh! Slam!
Kick-CRACK! Ka-KAOW!
Every beating. Every punch. Every kick.
Ell would not relent. Not to holding back. Not to giving up.
On the floor! A roll away. Back on her knees. Then to her feet.
She swerved the gun around, just as the goat leapt to grasp her again. Pushed back against his force.
"How are you moving with the knee I shot?!"
"Perfectly fine!" Krampus gritted his teeth, "No… Argh! Pain!"
"You're a bloody awful liar!"
She growled as he swung her around from the gun - trying to hold her stance, but her feet were slipping under the metal.
THUMP!
She was knocked to the floor, struggling against Krampus, wrestling the gun away from his scrummy claws.
"Grrrr!" Ell growled, "You… Can't… Win this! Gah!"
Chk-chk.
BANG!
Two shells.
"Of fucking course I can! I'm going to blow this entire city to pieces and make myself a fine as hell holiday! And you'll be my first course!"
"You don't even know how this giant robot works, you fucking idiot! Gah!"
Kick!
"AUGH! THOSE WERE MY BALLS YOU FOOL!"
"You have balls?!"
Rolling away as Krampus keeled, she pushed herself up to her knees and took aim.
Chk-chk.
BANG!
One shell.
Clink!
Fuck, missed. Well, she hit the chains that somehow were still around this fucker, but she still counted a miss. Could've been a great castration.
She stood and surveyed around the area. Where would those shells be…
As if she had much time to search-
She jerked the gun off Krampus's grip again as he got back to his hooves and pushed against her. But as he was knocked back, Ell fell backwards onto the control panel.
"Agh, fuck!"
Beep!
One moment Krampus had his arms outstretched to her…
RUMBLERUMBLERUMBLE…
The next, everything violently leaned back and he was knocked onto the far wall, chains hooking into the thick grooves.
Ell's fingers dug into other buttons as she gripped for support.
"Ed! Jaxx! What's going on out there?!"
"Too much! But the main thing being the Boxmas Bot's losing balance!" Jaxx yelled over her phone's speaker, rushing winds from outside barely making him audible, "There's a giant fucking machine gun that's sticking out of the guts, but it's stuck!"
The red arm cables!
"Blow it up from inside the cylinders, they can't be firing now! Maybe even take care of the missile shoulders! Hell, fuck up the entire guts of that thing!"
"Ell, what about you?!"
Krampus began to crawl towards the controls.
"Ed, don't worry about me! I'm not done yet! Balance the Bot, I've still got one shell in the gun to blast the goat's ass!"
SCHLUNK-UNK-UNK… RATATATATATTATATATATATATTATA!
The Boxmas Bot shuddered, almost convulsing from under her feet. What the fuck did Jaxx and Ed have to make it rattle so much?!
CREAAAAAK!
Ell felt her stomach drop as everything leaned the other way…
"YIIIIIIEAAAAAAAAAAAGGGH!"
Fuck!
THUD!
"Foolish bitch!" Krampus hissed, his knees pinning Ell's hands away from the gun and up against the glass of the 'eye,' "Shouldn't have fumbled with the gun!"
THWAP! PUNCH! BLAM!
She jerked her shoulders in between every blow, growling and gritting and squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to escape.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt-
THW-BAM!
"AAAAGH!"
It wasn't the goat who screamed.
Ell's head throbbed. Face was sore. Ears were ringing. Everything she saw was darkened, the only light she had were red and green spots. Her mouth tasted metallic from-
From something dripping down over her lips.
"Live blood!" Krampus cackled, "Of Nikola's ally! A fine taste test of my feast to come!"
Not if she had any say in it.
"Do I… Ugh… Do I get any last words or requests?"
"And why would I grant those… Lizzie ?"
…Motherfucker.
"Would you want your horn back if you get off me right now?"
Ell looked straight into the mismatched, widened eyes of evil and she glared back with what felt like fire blazing in hers.
She was gonna kill him.
"I'm not gonna shoot you. I mean it. Let me give you your broken horn."
CREEEEEEAAAK!
The whole room lurched back the other way, forcing Krampus to let go and fall on his ass.
Ell kept her word as she nudged away the shotgun and opened her coat.
Pulled out the horn from her hoodie pocket. Pointy end up.
Wiped away her nosebleed.
One, two, three-
THUMP-SQUEEEELCH!
"YIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH! MY GOOD EYE! I CAN'T SEE, I CAN'T SEE, YOU BITCH! I CAN'T SEEEEEEEEE!"
"You wanted your horn back?! YOU CAN HAVE IT!"
Screams be damned, she did not lift the horn out.
Instead, she stirred it around in the socket once.
Twice.
A third time, for good measure.
Then she yanked it out, pushing herself to stand and glare at the cowardly crying and cornered Krampus. Fucking piece of shit.
Now, about the control panel…
She managed to make her way back to it, her breathing shallow and heavy. Everything still hurt. She still tasted blood dripping down from her nose. She was still tightly gripping the horn, then switched to the edge of the panel when she stumbled.
Was the giant robot keeling to the sides over and over from Jaxx and Ed's damage outside, or was it just her swaying like she was stuck on a pirate ship in a stormy sea?
At least she could see a bit better, but there were still plenty of red and green spots dancing around. Crouching to the panel door, she groaned at the sight of a lock.
Clink… Clink…
She spotted two small, cylindrical objects by her feet, having rolled to the edge of the control panel's bottom. Picking them up…
… The used shells!
Hold on… She still had the zippo lighter in her coat pocket. And she had one unused shell in the gun and another on the stock.
Maybe…!
"Ell," Her phone crackled, "get down!"
"W-what? Ed, what are you-"
"I said get down! "
Huh. She'd been down already, sure. Pocketing the horn, she aimed the shotgun on the lock.
Chk-chk.
BOOM-CRACK!
Bingo Ringo-
RATATATATATTATATATATATATTATA-CRASHCRASHCRASHCRASH!
"GAH! What the fuck?!"
The 'eye' window on her right shattered, glass flying all over the floor. Fresh air from outside blew and Ell couldn't help sighing in relief as she stood up. The dead reindeer expertly turned the sleigh around to the back, revealing Ed standing at its furthest end.
"Ell, c'mon!" Ed yelled, his voice no longer distorted by a phone call, "We have to go, the Boxmas Bot's going to crash!"
"... When and where the fuck did you get machine guns on the sleigh?!"
"Must've been from Zanta beforehand," Ed waved it off, hopping into the control room and taking her hand, "But c'mon, we need to go."
"Ed, no! I'm not done!"
"Ell, come on!"
"Can you two hurry up back there?!" Jaxx called from the front of the sleigh, "The goat is gonna get crushed anyway!"
"Crushed and set on fire in this thing. I'm not done!"
Scooping the final shell from the floor, Ell dropped them all into the hollow horn and crouched to the control panel's open door. No turning back as she pulled out the zippo lighter.
Flick, flick…
Whoomph!
Chucking the burning coal in and already spotting sparks flying, Ell couldn't hold back a smile. She heaved a heavy, quick sigh as Ed squeezed her hand and the control panel flashed up into flames.
"You… YOU! YOU! "
Both twins froze at the sight of the one-horned goat standing back on his hooves behind them, both his eyes now black sockets with red lights for pupils. Unlike Zanta's eye-sockets, they had pure fury burning in them.
Ell didn't break eye contact as she loaded the last shell into the shotgun.
Chk-chk.
"You couldn't even kill me. You messed with the wrong woman, and you messed with the wrong family."
"YIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHH!"
BANG!
SQUUEEEELCH!
Krampus almost swung backwards from the recoil, silently choking. Black fluids spurted from his throat as he tried to gasp and gurgle for air.
For one small, strange moment of peace, it felt like a silent night again.
CREAAAAAK!
The room keeled .
"Ell, time to go!"
Sharing a nod, the twins leapt through the broken window, barely landing into the back of the moving sleigh.
Flash-click!
THUMP-THUMP!
BOOOOOOOOOM!
Uncovering her ears after the ripples and rumbles of the shockwave, Ell staggered to her feet and gripped the back edge of the sleigh.
Only now could she see what had happened - what she'd done. Hell, with views like this, why didn't more cool guys look at explosions?
Shrapnel of red and silver glinting from golden flames, with the rare flash of white sparks squealing out of some other piece of machinery or a new weapon catching fire out of the kiln. The blazing lights pierced the dark sky, making the whole sight look like… Like.. Like a star. The brightest star which somehow shot straight to earth.
Maybe those three wise men didn't question astronomy leading them to a baby if the star they followed had something of what she was seeing now.
Her grip on the edge faltered as a wave of fatigue slammed her. For godsakes, she was literally bloody, bashed and bruised, basically having gone through hell. But… She didn't care.
No. Not that she didn't care, of course she did… She… She felt relieved.
Not just relieved… Happy.
She killed a zombie cop with a headshot, had a hand in blowing up a giant robot, fought Krampus and WON.
She won.
She won!
She. WON!
Ell shivered thinking about it, but she wasn't scared.
She'd had it personal with the fucking goat from the start. He chased her first; she got him to basically monologue his life story and confession; pissed him off on purpose ; so ultimately she was the one who fought him in the control room with nothing but a coal shotgun, his broken horn and her bare hands. She snuffed him out, the fucking wimp.
That war was her own. Even with her family's lives and the holidays at stake, she took on Krampus for herself.
Shit… She'd fought for herself.
It felt so, so good.
Jaxx and Ed were right. Ell really was the only one who could take on the goat and lived to tell the tale.
God, Jaxx and Ed!
They'd been the ones to leave her alone to fight her own battles tonight, but… She needed to be alone. And so did they.
They fought off the goat in their own ways, obviously. She didn't have all the details as to how, especially from their ordeals at the Richwells and Lawsons respectively, but even with what she had to go off from… They really hadn't needed her help for the most part.
They could get along.
They could love each other.
They could defend themselves and each other .
All without her in the middle of everything.
…Fucking finally.
Hell, maybe the rest of her family could too. Even Cora, Laurie and sweet, unrelated Emily could defend themselves and find their own way out, whatever it looked like. Ell was sure of it now.
No plans, no guesswork, no overthinking or stressing for their futures. No way was she gonna be their second mum anymore - they all were going to grow up without her looking. And by God, she was gonna be so proud when the day would arrive.
"Ell? Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah Ed?"
"Are you… Crying?"
"…Have I been crying?"
She wiped away the leaky tears and half-dried blood off her face.
"Ed, I'm just… I'm just really fucking happy." Ell sniffled,"I think I really needed tonight to happen."
"I'm sure we all did. Hey, ah… Erm… Awk-ward sibling hug?"
"Oh fuck off," she chuckled and shook her head, " Sincere sibling hug."
"Ooh, maybe when Jaxx lands the sleigh."
"Wait, what the fuck?"
Bump. Swissssshhhhhh…
"So… How'd I do?"
"…Jaxx, what the fuck?! How did you… What? How? "
"Oxford, that's gotta be the best goddamn landing I've felt all night in this sleigh."
"Well… Yeah. What he said."
"Why thank you both, Cambridge! "
"Oh my fucking God!"
"Did you just…?"
"Yeah?" Jaxx shrugged as he hopped into the back of the sleigh, "What about it? Oh, erm, by the way Ell? I don't know if you saw a flash as you and Ed made it out of the Boxmas Bot, but-"
"Did you take a fucking selfie."
He just grinned as he handed over his phone to her.
"God fucking dammit."
"In my defence, it looks like an action movie poster. I'm not the only one looking badass in here."
"Yeah, I'm with Jaxx on this one," Ed nodded.
Damn him and his danger-seeking, on-point selfie game!
"I guess having recently stabbed and shot Krampus helped the look," Ell admitted, "It could make a hell of an album cover- Gah, what?! Oh! Awww, you guys…"
Make that a surprise sincere sibling hug.
Hey, maybe if they weren't tired when they all got back to their parents' and still had time before curfew, maybe a jam session could be possible…
But right now? … Oh. Oh . Oh, God…
She felt warmer than her favourite hot chocolate and safer since the walk at the beginning of the night.
"I think I've got the best fucking present ever."
They all squeezed a little tighter, and words failed her from there.
She was safe.
Jaxx and Ed were safe.
They were all safe and alive.
"You three all did brilliant tonight." A familiar, rumbling voice came from off the sleigh, "I didn't think you would have to blow up the Boxmas Bot, but I guess desperate times called for desperate measures."
"You don't say Zanta," Ell nodded, "you don't say."
Wait.
"Zanta?"