Eerie Christmas 2: Eerie Christmas, #2

By Black Hare Press

Supporting the BLACK DOG INSTITUTE

 

Discover chilling Yuletide yarns in this holiday horror anthology. Unwrap the unknown as sinister secrets of Christmas unfold. From eerie rooftops to ghastly manifestations, these spine-tingling tales will haunt your festive season like never before. Get ready for a chilling Christmas you won't forget!

Cover Art by Les Edwards

A Gift from Krampus by Karen Bayly
Away in a Manger by Adrian David & Debbie Hewson
Dear Slavic Santa by Avery Hunter
Devil of a Deal by J.D. Frain
Eleven Month Utero by Caoimhin Kennedy
Fallen Miracle by Rachel L. Tilley
Festive Takings by Jameson Grey
Here We Come a-Wassailing by Kimberly Rei
Home for the Holidays by Jeff Ehrmann
Hungry Christmas by Cassandra O'Sullivan Sachar
Mother Christmas by L.T. Ward
Nine Ladies Dancing by D.M. Burdett
Rosey Ruby by Alexander Nachaj
Snow on Snow by Charlotte O'Farrell
Spelling Counts by Blaise Langlois
Spirits of the Season by S. Jade Path
The Cost of Christmas by S.O. Green
The Naughty List by Marion Lougheed
The Very Good Pupil by A.H. Syme
The Yule Trolls by Leanbh Pearson
Tiny Tots All Aglow by Wondra Vanian
Tis the Season by Brianna Witte
Treasured Traditions by April Yates
Two Cloven Hooves by Matthew Stevens
Ulee the Unicorn by Maggie D. Brace
We Don't Celebrate Christmas Here by Stephen Herczeg
Welcome to Aberdeen by Scott McGregor
Wish I May by Denver Grenell

• Language: English
• Publisher: Black Hare Press
• Release date: Dec 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9798223806448

Book preview

Eerie Christmas 2

Various Authors

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Black Hare Press

Also available from

Black Hare Press

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EERIE CHRISTMAS 1

EERIE CHRISTMAS 2

EERIE CHRISTMAS 3

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Contents

1.Rosey Ruby

1. By Alexander Nachaj

2.Dear Slavic Santa

2. By Avery Hunter

3.Spirits of the Season

3. By S. Jade Path

4.The Naughty List

4. By Marion Lougheed

5.Eleven Month Utero

5. By Caoimhin Kennedy

6.A Gift from Krampus

6. By Karen Bayly

7.Festive Takings

7. By Jameson Grey

8.Nine Ladies Dancing

8. By D.M. Burdett

9.The Yule Trolls

9. By Leanbh Pearson

10.The Cost of Christmas

10. By S.O. Green

11.Here We Come A-Wassailing

11. By Kimberly Rei

12.Spelling Counts

12. By Blaise Langlois

13.Mother Christmas

13. By L.T. Ward

14.Home for the Holidays

14. By Jeff Ehrmann

15.Welcome to Aberdeen

15. By Scott McGregor

16.Snow on Snow

16. By Charlotte O’Farrell

17.The Very Good Pupil

17. A.H. Syme

18.Ulee the Unicorn

18. By Maggie D. Brace

19.Away in a Manger

19. By Adrian David & Debbie Hewson

20.Wish I May

20. By Denver Grenell

21.Devil of a Deal

21. By J.D. Frain

22.We Don’t Celebrate Christmas Here

22. By Stephen Herczeg

23.Fallen Miracle

23. By Rachel L. Tilley

24.Hungry Christmas

24. By Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar

25.Two Cloven Hooves

25. By Matthew Stevens

26.Tiny Tots All Aglow

26. By Wondra Vanian

27.Treasured Traditions

27. By April Yates

28.Tis the Season

28. By Brianna Witte

29.Author Biographies

30.Acknowledgements

South of the Line, inland from far Durban,

A mouldering soldier lies - your countryman.

Awry and doubled up are his gray bones,

And on the breeze his puzzled phantom moans

Nightly to clear Canopus: "I would know

By whom and when the All-Earth-gladdening Law

Of Peace, brought in by that Man Crucified,

Was ruled to be inept, and set aside?

And what of logic or of truth appears

In tacking ‘Anno Domini’ to the years?

Near twenty-hundred livened thus have hied,

But tarries yet the Cause for which He died."

A Christmas Ghost Story, Thomas Hardy, 1899

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Rosey Ruby

By Alexander Nachaj

The storm came down on them almost immediately after crossing the border from Quebec into New Brunswick. Thick, fluffy flakes, larger than a fingernail, pelted their windshield as fast as the wipers could clear them.

How much further do we have to go in this? Heather asked, folding her arms and glancing out her window. She could barely make out the houses on the side of the road.

Couple hours tops, Jake said from behind the wheel. He slid one hand over and rested it on her thigh. Don’t worry. I’ve done this trip a dozen times. We’ll reach the lodge by midnight at the latest.

Heather bit her lip. With the snowfall blanketing the roads and visibility dropping by the minute, she felt it was anyone’s guess whether they’d even reach Miramichi at all.

Let’s turn back, she suggested. This storm isn’t going to let up.

Don’t worry, babe, Jake replied, eyes focused on the road ahead. We’re not driving some old Honda. This is a Ford F150. One of the meanest trucks on the market. I swear, we could drive right over a fallen tree and not even feel it.

Heather doubted that was the case, but she kept the sentiment to herself. She tried to tell herself maybe her boyfriend was right, and it was just the city girl in her making a big deal out of it. After all, the furthest she’d even driven on her own was the West Island and that was hardly thirty minutes from Downtown Montreal.

I know you’re nervous about meeting the family, Jake said. But I promise you’ll get along great with everyone, especially Uncle Gus.

Uncle Gus was the guy who had apparently built the big wooden lodge just outside of the Miramichi, where everyone congregated for the annual Hurley Family Gathering. All she knew about him was that he was pushing seventy and loved hunting. She wasn’t sure how either of those points meant they would get along well, especially as she was a veterinarian with a strong disdain for firearms.

Before she could reply, Jake slowed down. Straight ahead and cutting through the storm were a pair of flashing red and blue lights.

RCMP, said Jake. Looks like something’s up.

A pair of RCMP officers in thick winter coats stood by the side of the road, flagging them down. Jake pulled up as the officers approached their vehicle. One came to Jake’s window, the other to the passenger side. Heather wasn’t sure why, but she saw the one on her side resting his hand on his holster.

What seems to be the problem officers? Jake asked after rolling down his window.

Where you folks heading? asked the officer.

My family owns a lodge on the other side of the woods.

You got any lights inside there? The officer leaned inside the window, suspicious.

Lights?

Yeah. Bright ones, like a big red flashlight or maybe even an emergency siren.

Jake gave her a puzzled look. I got a zippo in my suitcase if that’s what you mean.

The officer shot him a quizzical look before easing up.

Sorry, she said, with something like relief. We’ve been getting reports all evening about some loony tearing up the back roads. Apparently, they hooked up some kind of red torch to their vehicle and were blasting Christmas carols as they went.

Maybe you should be after a sled, joked Jake, oblivious to the way the officer twitched at the mention of a sled. Not a lot of cars are able to cut through snow like that.

Are we in any danger? asked Heather, wondering if the officers were keeping something to themselves.

The one at Jake’s window gave her a long stare, before shaking her head.

No, she said trying to sound reassuring, but there was an edge to her voice. Just stay in your vehicle and don’t stop—especially for strangers. Understood? Besides, there’s a storm on the way and we’d hate for you folks to get stuck between here and there.

With that, the officers stepped aside, letting them continue on their way.

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They entered the forest not long after the roadblock. The highway cut a narrow line through the darkened trees. Thick snow was quickly building up on the road ahead, but as promised, Jake’s Ford ploughed along steadily.

After about an hour on the highway, they passed through a clearing dotted with darkened lumps. Homes, judging by the size of them, albeit without the usual signs of life and decorations one would expect.

Weird, commented Jake. Usually, folks round here go the whole nine yards, trying to outdo each other this season.

Do you think it has anything to do with what those officers said? Heather asked. Like maybe people are scared?

Jake chuckled. "Don’t be so paranoid. The worst thing that could ever happen round here would be a couple of burglars like in Home Alone."

"Maybe there’s a murderer on the loose, like in Silent Night, Deadly Night."

Jake frowned. If that were the case, they would have told us to head back the way we came.

I guess so. She leaned back, her eyes returning to her window. Outside, the forest was a swatch of pale darkness, snow covered and foreboding. Let’s just drive safely, okay?

Don’t worry. We’re getting to the lodge tonight one way or another.

Heather nodded absently, her eyes suddenly catching a tiny red light at the corner of her vision. At first, she thought it was the dashboard reflecting in the windshield. But then she realised it was a speck, hardly larger than a pinprick, somewhere off in the forest.

What’s that? she asked, noticing the light was getting brighter, and bigger. Was that what the RCMP officers were going on about?

Jake was about to turn his head, but then the radio crackled. The first notes of Paul McCartney’s Wonderful Christmastime stuttered to life.

Man, I love this song. Jake leaned over and fiddled with the dial.

Heather turned back to the light in the woods. The blip had definitely got larger. Much larger. It was now surging into a veritable ball of crimson fire, crashing through the darkness. Suddenly, it was about a hundred meters ahead, right at the edge of the road.

Jake! she put a hand on his shoulder. Watch out!

What? he looked up, but it was too late.

The red light covered the road, burning like a dying sun. The whole cabin was bathed under its apocalyptic glow, blinding them. The truck collided with a mess of dark shapes. Something big and brown bounced off the hood and scraped across their roof. The wheels screeched and the Ford began to skid.

Hold on! Jake shouted, fighting to regain control. They slid forward across the icy road, careening towards the trees on the side. He popped the handbrake and put them in a spin, the tail sliding ahead and crashing into a big pine. Heather knocked her head against the passenger window and what felt like several minutes passed before the world stopped spinning.

What the hell happened? Jake asked as the two of them came to their senses and glanced into the rearview mirror.

In the reddened glow of their taillights, the scene behind them was one of utter carnage. Strewn about the road and nearby ditch were easily a half dozen furry lumps—reindeer, by the look of them. Further ahead in the thick of the woods was that red light, now flickering on and off like a dying flashlight.

Oh my God, Heather exclaimed, a hand going to her mouth. We did that?

It wasn’t our fault, Jake said trying to rationalise things. They came out of nowhere. What the hell were they even doing out here?

We have to do something, she said, her veterinarian instincts kicking in. She unclipped her seatbelt.

Wait! Let’s just keep going, Jake said. We can get back into cell range and call an ambulance or something.

Heather shook her head, her hand going for the door handle.

It’ll be too late by then. These animals need my help, she said and stepped out into the snow.

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Up close, the scene was more horrific and hopeless than she expected. It was a pack of reindeers alright, but Heather wasn’t sure how much she could actually do. One of the beasts had been cleaved in half, another had all its limbs broken and looked like an upturned bug. A third hung in the tree above the road, a thick branch piercing it through the chest like meat on a skewer. The others were no better.

My god, Heather said, taking it all in. I knew pressing on was a bad idea in this weather.

It could have happened to anyone, said Jake, defensive. He put a hand on her elbow and tried to lead her back to the truck. The damage is done. No point dawdling.

Wait, she said, noticing something else at the forest’s edge. What’s that?

Lying in the snowbank was a large red sled, the front of which had slammed head-on into a tree. Somewhere in the woods in front of it, the red light they had seen earlier continued to blink and flicker.

Is that... she began but gasped before she could finish her thought. Sitting in the driver’s seat of the sled was the lumpy figure of a man wearing a red coat and hat. She put a hand to Jake’s shoulder to steady herself. Holy Christ, did we just kill Santa?

The man was certainly large like the figure from the stories, but there was nothing jolly about him. His head had twisted around his neck, his chin resting against his upper back. He had a white beard, but instead of rosy cheeks, his skin was the colour of ash, and his eyes sunken and hollow. He reminded Heather of the way lifelong smokers looked after their habit had gone terminal.

Seated next to the dead man was a large sack. The drawn string had come undone, and the flap hung loose over the seat. Loose bits of wrapping paper and bows jutted out from the opening, hinting at the contents within. Up ahead, about a hundred meters further into the woods, that red light kept on flickering.

I guess some kids won’t be getting their stockings filled this year, said Jake, trying to tug Heather back towards the truck.

This is messed up, said Heather, her hand going for the drawstring on the bag.

Leave it, said Jake.

Heather opened the bag.

What the hell? She shouted, leaping back. As she did, the bag tipped over, its contents tumbling out. Instead of presents, the bag was filled with body parts. There were legs severed at the thigh, arms at the bicep, and dozens of loose, bloodied fingers. Most of them were decorated, either strung up with holiday lights or tied up with neat little ribbons.

Heather couldn’t believe her eyes. She quickly turned and vomited into the snow. After it had passed, Jake helped her up.

I see why the RCMP was on edge, he said.

We need to get out of here. Heather coughed, and her legs felt like jelly. She was loath to admit it but getting to the family lodge right about then felt like a wonderful idea.

Agreed, said Jake, helping her back towards the road. However, after taking two steps back, the red light in the woods stopped blinking and began getting brighter. A crimson sun soon surrounded their shadows.

The two of them turned around. The light was moving closer, winding its way between the trees. Heather wanted to run, but she felt transfixed by the sight, unable to move.

Coming out of the woods before them was another reindeer, its cheeks the source of the light.

Rudolph? she gasped, but this was no reindeer from a children’s story. Instead of the gentle, budding antlers like in the Rankin/Bass classic, this one had long, jagged antlers with razor sharp tips. Its fur was brown, but there were patches of open wounds along his coat, bubbling with pus. The skin on one side of its mouth was missing, revealing a line of jagged teeth frozen in a menacing half smile.

Ruby, Jake said. His face grew pale and drawn. I should have guessed.

Ruby? Heather asked, bewildered. You know this thing?

It’s gonna be fine, just follow my lead. He pushed Heather behind him and held out his hands like a peace offering to the reindeer. Hey, little lady, said Jake cautiously. It’s okay, we’re here to help.

The reindeer eyed him suspiciously before its cheeks lit up like a hellish watchtower and it charged out of the woods towards them. Jake stood there frozen as a gnarled, wooden antler embedded itself in his stomach. Heather watched as her boyfriend was lifted off the ground and shaken from left to right, his guts being torn up and spilling out into the steaming snow.

No! Heather screamed, her eyes scrambling for something she could use as a weapon to get the reindeer away from him. She spotted a large candy cane jutting out the back of the sled. She yanked it loose and turned to Ruby.

Get away from him! she charged the reindeer with the