Krampus

From my window I could see parked cars with frosted windows huddling on driveways. The street lamp stood tall on the corner of the street: illuminating few things but leaving looming shadows from the depths of the night. The dimly lit grass had frost sprinkled on, as though a fairy had come and left a trail behind. There was no moon tonight but instead many, many sparkling stars that dotted the clear night sky like white spray paint. Trees over the road cast huge shadows, so cold I could feel them. Or at least I thought it was the shadows. I shuddered. No late night joggers or dog walkers walked down the street, no cars drove past, not a single soul was in the street whatsoever. Just eerily silent.

My breath clouded on the window and I watched as it evaporated into nothing. A single lava lamp behind me cast a red hue on the small room. Clothes strewn on the floor, unfinished homework messily piled on the edge of the desk, yet the room was almost silent. Only the sound of my steady breathing could be heard. Earlier, at dinner, there had been an argument. You see mum has these rules that we have to follow, so one of them was no electronics at the table as she wanted a nice family Christmas dinner like the good old days. But my family doesn't really get along together very well, and so long story short within five minutes of sitting down to eat we were all yelling at each other. We each said some hurtful things but I may have gone a bit too far and said some things I probably shouldn't have done. I let the events of the evening play through my mind as I stared into the shadows that the trees cast, dismissing them from memory with each steady breath I took.

The lamp on the corner began to flicker, as it sometimes does when its bulb needs replacing, but this time was different. There was no pattern to its madness and with each flicker the light got weaker. As I stared at it, I had a gut feeling - there was something that just wasn't normal about it. All of a sudden it went dark. Just like a light switch, one second on, the next off. My eyes adjusted slowly to the eerie red glow from behind me, but as they did I thought I saw some of the shadows in the trees move. It could just be the wind or my mind making things up to scare me. My breath began to quicken as a thousand thoughts swam through my mind, poisoning my common sense. The booming of my heartbeat echoed through my ears. I wanted to dive into my bedsheets to hide yet I was drawn to the window, curious to find out if there was anything looming in the deep, dark shadows.

No more movements were made from the shadows but the lamp on the corner remained off and my room suddenly felt a lot colder. I forced myself to believe that there was nothing out there. To slow my breaths, my heartbeat. I decided to try and get some sleep but as I lay with my eyes closed I heard heavy feet dragging along the floor. My eyelids sprang open. Creaking floor boards just outside my door caused me to panic. Whatever I saw in the shadows was now outside my bedroom door. My heartbeat instantly sped up as a shadow entered through the crack under the door. I scanned the room for a weapon: a baseball bat lent up against my cupboard door. Clutching the handle till my knuckles were white I opened my bedroom door. Holding my breath. Preparing to attack. But it was only my brother getting a midnight snack. I let out a sight of relief and returned to my bed. I tried to convince myself to calm down and get to sleep.

Scratching of what sounded like finger nails running down a black board awoke me just as I drifted off to sleep. I froze. Tensing my body, all hairs standing on end, I kept my eyes closed, fearful of what I might find if I opened them. Instantly my heartbeat rang around me: I could feel it in my throat. Holding my breath and squeezing my eyes shut I hoped that my imagination was just being over active. Then I heard it again. Louder and for longer this time. I wanted to be a little kid again and run into my parents room, to safety. But that was no longer an option. Then all of a sudden I felt my window fly open, scattering all of my homework. As each piece of paper slowly fluttered to the ground I knew that the wind wasn't strong enough to do this. So what was? Long, sharp nails wrapped around my throat before I had a chance to react. My eyes flicked open to reveal a dark shadow looming over me. Too dark to make out what was connected to the large furry hand wrapped around my throat, cutting off all oxygen. If I could have screamed I would have but my heart pounded so fast I thought it might explode. With each boom they got louder and louder. The corners of my dark vision grew darker as I struggled for air, but as I could feel my life slipping away from me, the hand released me. Before I could catch my breath back I saw something else emerge from the shadows. At first it looked like a black hole but as it came closer it looked as if it was made out of a more common material. Decorated with bells that rung with every movement. I was too distracted with fear to try and get away and before I knew it, claws wrapped around me and began stuffing me into whatever it was. This time I did try to scream but no noise came out. Blanketed in darkness in this black hole I realised that there was nothing I could do to get away. My heart pounded so fast a train would have seemed insignificant compared to it. I was frozen in fear, eyes wide with terror. Screaming with no noise.

Being dragged across the uneven ground felt like I was tumbling down the edge of a cliff. The black hole I had been stuffed into was in fact a gigantic, scratchy, sack. Heavy footsteps pounded on the frozen ground: bells rung with every dooming step. The whimpering of other children could be heard if I slowed my heart. But that was easier said than done. Cold air hit me like a car crash, pinning me in place. I couldn't see anything as it was pitch black in but all of a sudden we stopped moving. Muffled grunts came from outside the sack. My whole body trembled with terror. I was too scared to think clearly, to find a way out, to find out what those claws as sharp as swords belonged to. For a while, there was no movement inside or outside the prison and all that was heard was hoots of nearby owls and heavy breathing of the children who were trapped with me. A few branches creaked with what I thought was the wind, leaves rustled and then a squawk came from somewhere up above us. It sounded like a fox mating mixed with a peacock screeching. A heavy thud hit the ground, cracking twigs into nothing. Momentarily I forgot how to breathe and my pounding heart rumbled with fear. Then it fell silent and all that could be heard was a faint sound, almost like someone eating popcorn or slurping on soup. There were no more hoots from any owls. Bells began to ring again as we continued our sharp journey across the what seemed to be the forest  floor. A few kids cried, others screamed, but I just sat there shaking, trying not to think about what I had just heard.

Time passed but I don't know for how long for there was no way of knowing in this black pit. Until we stopped again. This time however the creature did not stop to munch on a snack but instead opened up the sack. I wouldn't call it a burst of light as it was still dark in the thick woods but there was more light entering than before. Odd dark red patches could now be seen on the inside. The claws descended and fished around, slicing my arm. I screamed in agony and terror and this time sound did come out. The furry hand clenched my waist and pulled me out. If my heart beat any faster it would be just one constant sound. Pounding and pounding. In my throat, in my ears, out of my chest. Eyes wide but wanting to squeeze them shut. My body tensed and froze like I was stuck in a block of ice. It lifted me up to its face where two large brown/grey twisted horns poked out of bloodstained fur. The horns twisted and turned like a tree that has grown around a building. It had dark, black,menacing eyes with flecks of red in them. Scowling, it drew me closer. I could smell the rotten flesh that hung from its jagged sharp teeth. I could feel the blood still warm dripping out of its growling mouth. The teeth looked like a thousand knives poking out of a dead body. Smelled like it too. It had feathers stuck to its fur, bones stuck in its teeth. A leather strap hung across its gigantic body which had bells attached to it. I wanted to scream. I wanted to escape. But I couldn't. My body was no longer under my control. Drawing me closer to the gaping hole filled with broken bones, rotten flesh, and oozing blood. Surrounded by sharp bloody teeth, time seemed to slow down. They say your life flashes before your eyes before you die. But all I saw was the blood stained fur and the dark red eyes as it crunched my bones.