| Bloody tendons protruded from where the wrist had been amputated from the arm and jagged scraps of flesh encircled the semi-cooked muscle. After closer examination Alex realized that the hand had been chewed off. He didn’t dare tell Marie. It would just panic her even more. When the second hand tumbled down Marie fainted. From the roof came scuffling sounds. This time Alex didn’t bother to get the other hand out of the fireplace. He could only watch, horrified, as flesh melted off the bones of the hand like the marshmallows dissolving in the coco. Eyes watering, he covered his nose with his shirt. The house now reeked of decaying flesh. Springing from the floor, Alex dashed to the phone; it was time to call for help. The heat from the fire would keep Marie warmed as she lay unconscious. Snatching the receiver from the cradle, Alex put it to his ear. The phone was dead. “Shit,” Alex shouted in anger as he slammed the phone down on the base. Rubbing his eyes, he tried to figure out what to do next. There was no way he was going outside. A killer was out there and Alex was not about to be an easy victim. With the psycho on the roof there was no way he could escape without being spotted. He had become a prisoner in his own house, with no way to communicate for help. If only he would have bought the cell phone like Marie had asked him to. The shuffling on the roof grew louder. It sounded like there were three or four people up there. Alex was scared now--not the kind of fear he felt when Marie was mad, but a terror beyond anything he had ever experienced. He realized that he might be living the last minutes of his life. Alex’s fireplace became a living hell as something bigger hit the hungry blaze this time. Rolling over in the fire was the head of a white bearded man with a red hat. He knew instantly it must be Saint Nick. The beard and hair burned off quickly and Alex could see skin liquefying, exposing Santa’s pale skull. The eyeballs popped and slime oozed to the floor. Some of it flowed in a glistening tide towards Marie and gathered by her mouth. The smell overpowered Alex’s stronghold not to puke. He vomited up the green bean casserole they had eaten earlier that evening. Even though he was afraid to go near the nightmarish scene, he wanted to get Marie away from the fire. Alex crept toward the gory hollow. As he moved he tried to ignore the sounds coming from above. Finally he made it to his love and shook her gently. “ Come on Marie, wake up! Marie!” “What? What’s going on?” she spoke as she sat up. There was not much time Alex had to think fast so that Marie would not panic. “Just stay calm, I’ll figure this out. Just do one thing for me, do not look back at the fireplace. Trust me on this.” Heeding his warning, Marie didn’t look. He wanted to show Marie that he was not a goof off, and that he could be her hero if needed be. It was time to figure out what was going on. In a calm voice Alex spoke, “Follow me into the kitchen. You’ll be safe there.” They scurried to the kitchen. There were no windows in the kitchen and Alex knew that no intruder could get into the room without passing him in the living room first. He wouldn’t let that happen. Once Marie was safely hidden, Alex planned his next move. He decided he would put out the blaze in the fireplace and look up the chimney. With luck he might get a glimpse of the killer or killers on the roof. Alex filled a large mixing bowel with water and grabbed a flashlight out of the drawer. He was ready to solve the mystery. Into the living room he went, kissing Marie as he walked out. “Yes,” she said before he left the kitchen. He understood she was saying yes to becoming his wife. His adrenaline level doubled as the purpose of being hero was made crystal clear. Not only would he be saving her, he would be saving his future as well. Alex stood face to face with the fire of flesh. The head was nothing but a skull with loose pieces of skin still clinging on for dear life. He poured the bucket of water on the already dying flames. With the fire out, He turned on the flashlight and slid his upper body into the fireplace. Alex pointed the flashlight up to the night sky. He winced as black ash sprinkled his face and burned his eyes. Squinting, he peered up through the dark shaft. There was something at the very top… Two glowing eyes stared back down at him. Alex focused to see whom the eyes belonged to. It was a deer, and it wore a frothy, bloody grin. Alex closed his eyes--he had to be hallucinating. When he opened them again the animal was still there. This time something fell down at him. With a wet smacking sound it struck him in the face before he could move out of the way. Disgusted, Alex shimmied out of the fireplace. Wiping his face off, he glanced at his hand--it was covered in blood. He backed a couple more steps away from the fireplace and stepped on something squashy and wet. Lifting his foot he looked down. |