Under The Mistletoe

Just For Christmas

I call my mom for the first time, and I'm glad when I reach her voicemail because she can't talk me out of my plan this time. She never lets me call or visit, but it's the holidays and I want to go over just for Christmas. It feels like an eternity since I last saw her after my dad was killed and I was shipped off to a boarding school at seven.

I leave her my itinerary and ask her to pick me up at the station, then sign off with the nickname my dad gave me. Evening comes and I excitedly hop on the train. I settle in and catch a strange man staring at me, but he immediately looks away. There's something familiar about him, but I can't place it, so I wave it aside.

I get off at my stop and head toward the exit, then I realise that the stranger got off the train as well and is following behind me. I make an intentional left turn when I get outside, and the stranger follows. I enter a shop and watch him walk past without looking in, so I sigh in relief.

I leave the shop and head back to the station when my mom calls. As I'm about to answer, I bump into a lady and the next thing happens so fast before I can apologise. A speeding van screeches to a stop beside me and the side door slides open. The lady grabs me and flings me in, then gags me when I start screaming.

The driver screeches off and we arrive in a warehouse where I'm thrown into a room. The strange man from before approaches and my heart almost explodes. He tells me that whether I live or die depends on my mom. I'm clueless, but he pulls out his phone and dials a number on speakerphone. When it's answered, he says "Hello. It's been a while."

The called party hesitates, then simply asks, "Justin?" I recognise my mom's voice. The man smiles and tells her that if she ever hopes to see me again, she needs to surrender. He gives her the address, then hangs up.

I don't know how long it's been, but the door swings open and a man drags my mom in like a sac. She's dressed in all black with platform shoes and her hair held neatly with a two-piece barrette. Her wrists are cuffed to her ankles, and there's blood trickling down her forehead. I almost break down at the sight. She lies still as if unconscious, but once the man leaves, she startles me when she sits up and pulls a pin from her mouth.

She fiddles with the locks, as she tells me that Justin is my father. I stare in surprise. It now makes sense as to why he looked familiar. His face is probably somewhere in my subconscious. She explains that he's a criminal who she dated undercover and accidentally had a baby for.

He found out later and came after her, but she killed him, or so she thought, before escaping. She sent me away for both our safety and always scrambled her calls to me. He's definitely alerted on any call that mentions my nickname.

The story ends as the locks snap open, and she comes to free me. She hugs me briefly and apologises for putting me in such a situation. I'm startled again when she pulls out two guns from the soles of her shoes and asks me to follow her. I do and stand behind her as she knocks at the door. Footsteps immediately approach and once the door opens, she fires two shots and the man falls with a thud. She takes his weapon and hangs it over her shoulder, then we proceed.

The warehouse is like a maze, and my mom leads the way, collecting more guns and leaving bodies in her wake. She has her eyes and ears to the ground and knows when someone is coming from all directions but completely misses the guy who jumps on her from a higher level.

Her gun slides away and she immediately kicks his out of his hands. They get physical, and since he's more built, she takes heavier punches and kicks, but with her lighter figure, she does a flip and brings him down with her legs around his neck. She tightens the grip, then snaps his neck. At that instant, I feel a gun to my head and call my mom. She does a cartwheel and reaches for a gun, then shoots at the same time as Justin.

She hits him on the shoulder and he misses me, then he gets into a gun battle with her. I crawl away to safety until I come face to face with a gun. The next time I look up, Justin has a hand around my mom's neck. I pick the gun up and approach with trembling hands. My mom spots me and asks me to shoot. I hesitate because Justin is using her as a shield, but in a choking breath, she yells at me to shoot. I stupidly shut my eyes and fire, and both of them drop. A few seconds pass and there's no movement.

My mom finally staggers up with her hair undone, holding her bleeding arm. I run over to her in tears and apologise for shooting her, which she dismisses. She thanks me for not killing her and says that she only wanted a distraction. I don't understand until I see her reach for her sharp two-piece barrette from Justin's neck. She wipes the blood on his shirt, then expertly holds her hair in place with it. This time she confirms he's dead.

She winces in pain and puts her hand over my shoulder for support as we leave the warehouse. She's glad I came over for Christmas and says that I can stay for as long as I want.