"Agh!" I choked as Amber grabbed the back of my shirt's collar.
"Put on the tie!" Amber said as she began wrapping the tie around my neck like a gnoose.
"You're choking me!" I gagged.
"You want to look good for Alice."
"I want to be alive for Christmas tomorrow!"
"Worry about that later. We're leaving in five minutes for the Christmas Eve service." Amber said finishing tying the tie.
"You know Christ showed mercy, right?"
"Yea."
"Then where was the mercy for my neck?!"
"I'll show you mercy after we leave for the vacation to North Dakota with the Dixons."
"Does Matt know he's dating a psycho?"
"Does Alice know that you're a wimp?" Amber said with a hair flip and walked away.
"The cousin I never wanted, but somehow need." I muttered.
"Better believe it!" Amber called back.
I loosened my tie as I followed her out to the car. The town was lit with multicolored lights strung from the buildings. A giant glowing Christmas tree stood in the center of the town, bathing the street in green and red. We pulled up to the church and found Alice and Matt waiting for us. Amber re-tightened the gnoose as we walked up.
"Can he breathe?" Alice asked.
"He's still walking." Amber said, "Lead me to my seat Matt?"
Matt took Amber's hand and they headed off to their seats.
"You can't breathe." Alice said.
I nodded my head. Alice loosened my tie.
"I swear," I said, "she's trying to kill me."
"Just stay alive long enough for our trip."
"Speaking of living. Where's your ghost friend?"
"Scaring the cranberries out of Eddie."
We looked across the street to see the ghost of Emily chasing a screaming Eddie.
"That's pretty good."
"I know." Alice said as she took my hand.
"I believe our seats are this way, ma'am." I said as we headed into the church.
As the hymns were sung and the screams of Eddie echoed through the cold night air, someone who must've really hated me conspired to bring woe to me. Someone in North Dakota. Of course I didn't realize that at the time, but very soon I would.
YOU ARE READING
Book III: The Haunted Orphanage
HorrorCassian, Alice, Matt, and Amber are at it again. When the squad thinks they are on a winter vacation in North Dakota and will have a week of white snow and peace, but are met with only woe and sorrow.
