Chapter 25

The next morning, Max opened his advent calendar number 23 and it revealed a drawing of a snowman. A window was opaque from frost. Then a blurry hand wipes it away to reveal Max gawking at a blizzard. Cars, houses, all covered in four feet of snow. Icicles cover trees and power lines. Shrieking winds and sleet fill the air as if an Arctic storm swallowed suburbia. Max is stunned. And it might be the next morning but you wouldn't know it, because the sun can barely penetrate the thick clouds and fog, drenching everything in dark hazy grey. Max didn't get much sleep last night. Ever since he saw Jacob Marley on his TV screen he was getting nightmares of him covered in chains and being pulled by a horse-drawn sleigh in a field of dead Christmas trees. Suddenly a snow plow rumbles through the fog to reveal a grinning snowman in the middle of their yard. Only it's facing the house, almost as if it's watching them. Odd. Max heard the door open and saw Mary. Even she looked like she didn't sleep well last night. Both she and Max looked outside the window and saw the snowman. "An old fashion snowman?" she asked.

Max asked, "How can you tell?"

Mary pointed to the tall hat and said, "The hat is a dead giveaway. That style went away YEARS ago." Max looked at her. "I'm trying to educate myself on fashion for my crafts." Max nodded. "Also I think the power went off last night. Despite it being winter, I woke up hot under my blankets and the ceiling fan was off."

Though slightly unnerved, the twins turn from the window to find his family in a growing state of panic in the kitchen. Sarah asked, "You don't find it the least bit strange?" Sarah wears pajamas under a winter coat, uselessly adjusting a thermostat. They can hear the shrieks and holler of their girl cousins from the living room. "I mean they can see dust specks on Mars but no one noticed a giant blizzard hurtling toward us?"

Tom inspects a fuse box. "Well, when the power comes back you can send an angry email to the National Weather Service. In the meantime, let's try and stay calm."

Max and Mary tug at Sarah. "There's something weird outside—"

Sarah ignores them, too busy checking a faucet for hot water. "I am calm, I'd just be calmer if I knew how we're going to survive Christmas with twelve people stuck in a house with no heat, hot water, or electricity."

Howard went to the fridge. "Or food."

Sarah said, "If you grab a stool and a spatula I'm sure you can scrape some pate off the ceiling, Howard."

He grabs a can from the fridge. "Beer it is."

Tom checked the phones. "Phone is down too."

The twins called for Sarah a little louder. "MOM!"

Sarah finally talked to them. "What, kids?"

Max and Mary said, "There's a snowman in our yard."

Tom and Sarah squint outside to see the snowman in question, but clearly aren't concerned. "That's... that's great, Max and Mary." Said Sarah.

Max asked, "Who built it?!"

But this was the least of their worries. Tom said, "I can barely see across the street but it doesn't look like it's just us. Could walk over and check with the Turners—"

Sarah said, "The Turners are in Hawaii, the Lamberts are in Florida, and the Cartwrights stopped talking to us after Max's 'noodle incident'."

Tom asked, "After his what?"

Mary said, "You don't wanna know."

Sarah spots Omi fiddling around in the fireplace. "Max, would you please get Omi out of there before she burns the whole house down?" Max rolls his eyes and does as he's told. Suddenly, knock knock - someone's at the door. Sarah sighs. "Now what?"

Linda goes for the door. "I'll get it!"

At the foyer, Linda opens the door to a dark hooded figure and she gasps. But the figure pulls back his hood to reveal a Fed Ex guy. "Merry Christmas! Signature?"

Linda looks down to see a pile of boxes. She called for her husband. "HOWARD! STUFF TO CARRY!" Then she turned to the delivery guy. "Some weather, huh?"

He replied, "Yeah, it's a ghost town out there. Roads are a nightmare and half the state's buried with even more on the way."

As she sighs, Linda also notices a large bag overflowing with more gifts, all wrapped in beautiful, ornate parchment. "Those too?"

He replied, "Not mine. Must be from the boys in brown. Merry Christmas!"

Howard appears behind her. "Sup?"

Lina said, "Look, they got even more stuff."

Howard grabs the gifts. "Man, how come rich people get all the free shit?"

In the kitchen, Beth enters, cell phone glued to her hand. "I've texted Derek like nine times

and he still hasn't written back. That is not normal."

Tom answered, "It's the blizzard, honey. Nothing's working right now."

Beth asked, "Then can I walk over and check on him? It's only a few blocks away."

Sarah said, "I don't think that's a good idea."

Beth then said, "I could see if anyone else has power on the way..."

Aunt Dorothy looks up from a tabloid. "You know, you kids don't have a damn bit of patience. When I was your age I didn't hear from my boyfriend for two years while he was off fightin' Charlie. But that was before I was almost engaged to the love of my life."

Sarah shakes her head in disbelief, and turns to Beth. "One hour. And when you're back I

want you to spend some girl time with Jordan and Stevie, got it?"

Beth looks mortified as they looked at Jordan viciously wrestle Stevie in the living room. Howie Jr. just sits there eating some leftovers for breakfast and Howard tosses the bag of gifts under the tree. "YOU CALL THAT A REVERSAL?! C'MON JORDY, PLANT YOUR FEET!"

Beth said, "Right you know careful…If Mary's not after yesterday, then I'm not."

Sarah said, "What I mean. Just be okay?"

Beth got her hat. "Okay, back later!" Beth was ready to go.

Sarah yelled, "ONE hour!" And Beth was already out the door. Sarah turns to see Omi still tinkering with the fireplace while Max watches, not doing anything to stop her. "Max! I told you to get Omi out of—"

Omi rises and pours hot water from an old kettle she had in the fire into a tray of mugs. She mutters, "Heisse Schokolade macht alles besser."

Max translates. "Hot chocolate makes everything better." Embarrassed, Sarah stands down as Omi, with Mary's help, offers the hot cocoa to the room, melting away everyone's tension. For now.

Aunt Dorothy said, "About time someone did something right around here."

At the window, Max watches Beth disappear into the fog. He then looks at the mysterious snowman again, unease creeping over him.

Snow whips past the windows becoming a vast expanse of white. Then a tiny speck appears. It was Beth. Up to her knees in the snow. Freezing. The neighborhood streets were still bright from the day but then it went dark. The fog is so thick that Beth can barely see more than a few feet in front of her. She stops to look around, disoriented. The borders between the yards and streets have been erased. The whole neighborhood is oddly desolate. Silent. Dark. Ribbons, wreaths, and other decorations are strewn everywhere. And other than the wind, it's quiet enough to hear the creaking and crackling of the ice-covered trees. Beth looks for signs of life in the passing houses. Nothing. Not even smoke from chimneys. Weird. Then she hears something else: a quiet scraping, like nails on a chalkboard - SCREECH. Unnerving. Beth looks around, trying to find the source. No luck. So she keeps walking, now a little more nervous. SCREEEECH. There it is again. What the hell? Beth stops and peers into the fog, trying to see, when a deep roar makes Beth jump out of her boots. She turns as the fog clears long enough to reveal: a neighbor trying to start his truck. He then goes back to scraping ice from his windshield. SCREEEEECH SCREECH SCREECH. Beth sighs, relieved. Barely audible over the wind. "HEY, DO YOU GUYS HAVE POWER?" His head is wrapped in a hood and scarf, the neighbor silently shrugs and shakes his head "No." Beth waves and then marches onward while the neighbor begins fading into the fog behind her. But as soon as Beth takes a few more steps, the wind howls and we hear a muddled yelp. She turns back around and the neighbor is gone. Only his red scarf remains. Beth called out. "Hello?" It's as if he vanished into thin air. Confused, but assuming the neighbor went inside, Beth turns and keeps going. Around the corner moments later, Beth walks along a freshly plowed stretch of road when she hears a faint sound under all the wind: sleigh bells. She stops to listen. They're getting closer as if reindeer might come tromping by at any moment. Even weirder, it sounds like they're coming from above. But as quickly as they came, the bells are overtaken by the wind again. Beth shrugs it off, suddenly distracted by blinking Christmas lights on a distant house. An oasis of color among the grey. Apparently, someone has electricity. "Thank God." Hopeful, she quickens her pace. But then, the next house has its lights flicker on top. Tiny colored beacons push through the snow. Even better. And then a third house. More lights. Even closer. Beth stops, sensing something isn't right when A loud thump startles her, followed by faint breathing. Deep and raspy. Beth squints through the haze. The house is about thirty feet away. And on its rooftop, she spots – a stranger in a long hooded coat crouched near the chimney. But silhouetted by fog it's impossible to see him clearly. "Uhh... Hello?" The Stranger doesn't reply. Doesn't move. He simply watches from the rooftop. His hot breath swirled in the frigid air. Maybe someone is checking his chimney? But as Beth gets closer, something about this man feels very, very, off. She stops to get a better look...as the stranger stands. Frighteningly tall, easily seven feet. A sinewy yet hulking mass drenched by fog and shadow, we can barely make out his dark crimson robes, like tattered fur pelts dyed with blood. Flickering Christmas lights illuminate a little more of him, just enough to make out an ashen beard, tangled and matted, encrusted with dirt and ice. And slung over his shoulder: a huge leather sack - a weathered patchwork of animal hides blotched by dark stains and filled with God-knows-what. Like an obscene vision of St. Nicholas, the Stranger cocks his head, gazing at Beth. Hissing. Then, just as we're wondering how someone that big got on the roof—he silently leaps straight into the air, briefly disappearing in the snowstorm before-WHOMP! He lands on the house right behind Beth. More lights FLICKER. Somehow he's causing this." Oh my God..." Beth, smartly, runs as the stranger leaps again - lands on another house - chasing her from the rooftops - a preternatural predator playing cat and mouse. "Somebody help me! Pleeeeeease!" She glances back, and sees the stranger perched on a chimney - a leering gargoyle, watching her, enjoying the chase...Beth screams and falls, digging herself out over and over, face wet with icy tears. She looks back at the Stranger, scanning the rooftops... but he's gone. Vanished. Then Beth sees something ahead in the fog: the Fed-Ex truck. "Oh God HELP MEEE!" She reaches the truck, and tries the door - frozen shut. Climbs up, and peers through the door glass to see the Fed-Ex guy inside – frozen solid mid-screams. Beth shrieks but quickly covers her mouth - nervously glances around - no sign of The Stranger in the fog. Thinking fast, she crawls under the truck and Beth lays perfectly still. Tries not to breathe. Trembles. Listening. Just the wind. Then: WHOMP. The Stranger lands outside the truck. Starts circling. Sniffing her out. Taunting her with hissing. Beth whimpers, watching his feet crunch the snow. No, they aren't feet, they're hooves. Steam rises with each step. Beth closes her eyes, crying, and praying. And then - The Stranger leaves. His hooves abruptly lift straight off the ground with a gust of wind as if he just flew away. Beth listens. Unsure. Is he gone or trying to lure her out? She quietly looks around - and freezes. Sees it: a wooden Jack-in-the-Box. Placed in the snow a few feet away. Faded like an antique. Its tiny crank starts rotating. The box plays a slightly off-key 'Silent Night'. And just as it reaches "all is bright" KACHUNK! The lid snaps open. Beth isn't stupid. She slowly starts crawling backward, inching away from this horrid little device. But then-Inside the box, something stirs. We barely see the top of what might be a small head swaying back and forth like a cobra rising from a basket. But before we fully see this creature, we are back on Beth's face. Terror fills her eyes as she takes in this unseen and unspeakable horror. And then Beth's screams fill the air as the truck moves back and forth from underneath. Long and loud, only to be drowned out by shrieking wind as -