Clive and Aniston must escape before Krampus can feed them to the cannibal gingerbread men!
Aniston awakens to find an intruder in his house kneeling in front of his Christmas tree. Expecting a white beard and a jolly laugh, Aniston is shocked to find this is not Santa. Aniston is kidnapped and whisked away into a world of giants where Krampus is the master of the house.
Clive rescues Aniston and together they survive among cannibal gingerbread men, oversized nutcrackers, and tin soldiers roaming the house and guarding over Krampus’ sack. Aniston can’t help but be drawn to Clive and finds comfort in his arms. They only know of one way to get home. They must escape or spend Christmas a long way from home.
EXCERPT
“Hush.” A firm hand pressed against the middle of his back. Aniston tried to see who was talking to him.
“Stop moving. Don’t make a sound,” the man said in a hurried whisper. “He’ll hear us.”
Dread filled Aniston at those words. He had no idea where he was. The last thing he remembered was being rushed by a creature who had invaded his house. His heart slamming in his chest, he tried to stay calm. The ground quaked. More weight fell on top of him. It felt like he was suffocating.
Aniston tried not to panic. The presence of another man behind him kept him grounded. He bounced off the ground several inches from the tremors as they got closer. The same grotesque odor from earlier infused the air. He tried to hold his breath, but a gag had been stuffed in his mouth. A loud crash exploded a few feet from him. The impact made him wince. The following roar chilled him to the bone.
He whimpered.
“Shhh.” The man behind him jabbed him in the ribs.
Aniston squeezed his eyes shut, trying to quiet himself. His pulse echoed in his ears. He tried to take in slow breaths as his body shook. Another growl sounded above him. It might have been words, but he couldn’t make them out. The ground shook more as the large footsteps moved away as if going out of a room. Once they were gone, something cold slipped against his fingers.
“I’m going to cut this tinsel and free you. Then I’m going to ungag you. You have to be silent. Do as I say until I can get you out of here. Understand?”
Aniston nodded. What the hell had happened to him? After a moment, his hands were cut free. The man behind him released the gag and pressed something into his hand. “Cut your feet free.”
He did what he was told and saw he had a shard of something wrapped in cloth. Aniston sawed through the silver rope. He touched the bindings and felt its waxy surface. Tinsel. What the fuck is going on here? Where am I?
Once free, he turned around to the man behind him. He had on a black hat with a chin strap and a red uniform with silver buttons and black boots.
“What the hell are you?”
“Shh.” He grabbed Aniston’s hand and yanked him backward.
He followed him through the green spikes toward towering square structures. All the structures were in different colors. Gold and green. Red with white stripes. As he was yanked backward, he realized the green spikes were pine needles. The man tugged on his arm and dragged him toward a crack in the wall. He wanted to stay and examine his environment. The toy soldier shoved him into the crack in the wall out of sight.
Inside, he slid down the wall. Aniston looked around. A gathering of threads and cotton were fashioned into a couch. Scraps of cloth were blankets. Wooden thread spools acted as tables. Someone had been living here and it wasn’t a mouse. He glanced back at the man who had rescued him.
“Where I am? Who are you?”
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Crymsyn Hart - Paranormal and Horror Author 