I always loved window shopping in the snow. All the people and lights and music just made everything seem nice and fuzzy. Too bad this is Christmas and not Halloween right? My thoughts exactly. But reality is as it is. Can't change it. Or can you?......

            I shoved my hands deeper into my furry pockets. "Damn weather man." I mumbled. This was the third time this week that he said the coast was clear for a nice day and no snow would fall. And what the hell happens? It snows. "Damn it." I rolled my eyes as I looked up into the snow lightly falling. I smirk as I think of all of the things that I could do if I ever got hold of that weather man. Heh heh....

            Distracted by my evil plots I bumped into someone. Someone warm I note. "Oh sorry." I step back looking up to the tall stranger.

            "So that's what I have to do to get your attention." A smirk formed on the man's face.

            "Cal!" I smiled surprised.

            "Hey Jess."

            "What are you doing here?" I noticed that he was prepared for the snow, with his leather jacket and jeans, and me wearing just a windbreaker and a skirt.

            "Um, walkin'?"

            "Oh right. Well it's just that I haven't seen you since Halloween. Things still okay with your.....employers?"

            "Yep, all is well in the land down under." He winked.

            "Down under, gotcha. So how's Fred?"

            "Same, can't get any deader." He shrugged.

            There was a slight awkward silence that fell over us like the snow. "So....You live in New York then?"

            "Yep, you?"

            "Yep." Again the silence. This was driving me mad. "Have any adventures lately?"

            "Oh actually yeah, I was on my way to one, in fact. Care to join me? Shouldn't be anything big. Just the usual delusional grandma thinking she hears stuff in her attic. But since it's cash upfront I thought I'd check it out."

            "Sure, I'd love to." I replied a little too quickly, craving for some kind of adventure in the boring season.

            "Great. It's on 42nd street. Just up the road."

            "Let's go." We made our way to the subway and it quickly brought us to 42nd street.

            "This place looks like it's gonna fall apart." I said dryly looking at this house on it's last leg.

            "Yeah."

            "Well helloooo there! I thought I heard someone come up." An old lady opened the door in front of us.

            "We didn't even ring the door---"

            "Well I have a 6th sense about these things deary." She looked at me, about my height.

            "Cal McDonald." He extended a hand to her.

            "Yes I know who you are, please please, come in." She opened the door wider not taking his gesture.

            "O--k." Cal widened his eyes as we stepped into the house. Warm heat blasted at us as we entered.

            "Quite a contrast." I looked around the big house, the lights were very bright and beamed off of the wooden floors.

            "Right this way dearies." She led us up the long staircase to the second level before heading up another flight of stairs to the attic. This Mrs. Wakson narrated along the way about the house's history and her family tree. "And this," She stopped at the top of the stairs before a small wooden door. "Is the demon possessed attic. Have fun dearies!" she laughed heading back down the stairs.

            Cal and I stared at the door in silence. "Well let's go." He reached for the knob, hesitating. "Ready?" He turned tome with a taunting grin.

            I glared at him. "Nothing could surprise me anymore." I reached for the knob and pushed open the door. I walked strait in and stopped in the middle of the large open space. "See." A crossed my arms.

            "I'm impressed." Cal casually walked in and shut the door behind him.

            I looked around. Shafts of light lit up the dust in the ice cold room. Boxes and old furniture cluttered the edges of the room. The harsh wind howled in through the cracks. I shivered. "You wouldn't be scared now would you?" Cal gave me a side glance.

            "No. It's just cold." I retaliated.

            "Mhm." Cal observed the ceiling and the wooden beams.

            "What are you doing?"

            "Looking for an entry way."

            "I thought she said it had demons, Demons don't need an entry way."

            "It may not really be demons, you never know."

            "I see." I looked around the stale room. A loud screeching noise came in from the floor. "What the hell was that?" I asked, wide-eyed.

            "Our demon." Cal locked his eyes on the door. "Come on." He opened the door and I followed him out. We almost jogged down the stairs.

            "What are we doing?"

            "My job." We finally reached the bottom.

            Out of breath, I let Cal go on ahead with out. "Be--right---there." I said between gasps. Cal took off further into the large open house. I collected myself and slowly walked in his direction. "Cal?"

            "In here."

            I pushed open a swinging door into the kitchen. "Omigod." I covered my mouth. My eyes set upon the ghastly scene. Mrs. Wakson was lying on the kitchen island, slices along her, complete with dripping blood, knife stuck in her chest. Crimson stained this once white kitchen. "Dear God." I breathed.

            "Nothing can surprise ya huh?" Cal called my bluff.       

            "I thought you said this was a demon? I didn't think they could cross into the physical world?"

            "Very conclusive. Indeed this wasn't a demon."

            "So what is it?"

            "The bigger question, is where is it now." Cal glanced back over his shoulder at me.

            I tried to not to make my gulp noticeable. This would be a long day.

            Cal pushed past me, apparently hearing something. "We can't just leave her here." I protested.

            "For now, we'll have to." I caught back up to him.

            "What are we looking for?"

            Cal sighed. "I'm not sure yet. But we should stay the night."

            "Stay here?!" I almost yelled.

            "Whatever it was can't leave."

            "What? Why?"

            "Once they take a life they can't leave until someone opens the front door." Cal explained.

            "Front door?!"

            "Yup, because that's the entrance into this place, opening the door will free him of his transgressions and release him into the world."

            "That makes no sense. And what if this thing is human?"

            "It's not."

            "How do you know?" I looked up to Cal who was scanning the foyer.  

            "Because..." He paused, for dramatic affect more than anything. "Blood coated the kitchen floor right?"

            "Yeah...."

            "The only foot prints in the blood were yours and mine."

            I thought for a moment. "Couldn't the blood have spilled after he left?"

            "Nope, looking at the position of the slices they would have caused instant blood gushes. And he had to stick around to place her on the island. Ya know?"

            "Not really. But hey, as long as you do."

            "Alright then, let's set up camp." Cal headed back up the stairs.

            "Where are you going?" I followed.

            "There were some blankets up in the attic, and I don't think Mrs. Wakson will be protesting any time soon. Heh heh."

            "You shouldn't joke about the dead."

            "Why? They joke about the living."

            I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. Once in the attic we grabbed some blankets and pillows and headed back down to the living room. We laid them around and started a fire in the fireplace after turning all the other lights out and grabbing a flashlight.

            "So what should I be looking out for? A moving shadow, a strange eerie noise? The boogey-man?" I snickered.

            "Ya never know." He raised an eyebrow. "Could be one of those weird shape-shifters."

            "Mhm." I clutched the blanket closer. We had to turn off all of the electricity because this "being" could be one that travels through live wires. I didn't really buy that, but I didn't have a choice. I chose to come along on this. "I'm hungry." I sighed.

            "Yeah me too."

            "Well we can't really go into the kitchen to get anything." I shuddered thinking back to the bloody scene.