Total pages in book: 15
Estimated words: 13121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 66(@200wpm)___ 52(@250wpm)___ 44(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 13121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 66(@200wpm)___ 52(@250wpm)___ 44(@300wpm)
“Yeah,” I murmured, mainly speaking to Helga, not responding to what Clara said. Finally, I managed to tear my gaze away from that Krampus. But even as the parade moved on and more actors dressed in monstrous outfits stalked down the cobblestone street, I felt the heat of the first beast’s stare like a brand.
As the night wore on and we made our way from the crowded parade to visit all the little food stalls set back from the street, that unease faded, and I went back to enjoying myself. Laughter spilled from our lips as we moved on from hot cider to mulled wine, our inhibitions fading.
But after that discomfort was long gone, I realized the tingling on the back of my neck would come and go. And that’s when I kept spotting him.
Because it seemed no matter where we went, I kept seeing my Krampus—mine… the one who wouldn't stop staring at me during the parade. He was always there, just on the edge of the crowd, that demon mask in place, watching me with those eerie, glowing red eyes.
Get a grip, I thought to myself. I tried to brush it off. It was Krampusnacht, after all. The whole point of tonight was for thrills and excitement. And I almost talked myself down into the calm fun from before and accepting I was being ridiculous. But when we all turned a corner and my three friends wandered to a stall serving more mulled wine, I realized I was alone.
And there he was.
Standing motionless in the shadows, the darkness wrapping around him like it was another part of his costume, he and those scary, glowing eyes fixated on me.
My breath hitched, and I involuntarily took a step back.
He took a step forward—toward me—but then stilled.
Suddenly, I realized the girls were back, now standing beside me, as Clara shoved a new mug of hot wine at me.
“Did you see that guy again?” I whispered to her, hearing the tremble in my voice despite my efforts to sound calm.
“What?” she asked, her voice a little slurred.
I glanced at her, then pointed to where Krampus stood. But he was gone, only shadows left in his wake.
She waved me off, clearly already a little buzzed. “You’re being paranoid. You’re going to see them all over the place, Sophia. The point of them is to look scary as hell.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I said, and I heard the lie laced in my words.
But deep down, I knew this wasn’t part of the celebration. This was something else—something darker. Something sending a tremor through veins causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end.
In fact, I knew exactly what was happening.
I was being hunted.
2
SOPHIA
We found ourselves inside a tavern on the outskirts of the festival, and I was another two mugs of wine down and having the best time of my life. Any unease I felt previously was gone as my body heated from the alcohol and the warmth of the bar, and the atmosphere made anything negative fade away.
After another twenty minutes, everyone was ready to call it a night. We left the tavern, my breath visible in the icy air, the noise and music of the festival not quite as loud as it had been before. The heat and alcohol of the wine warmed me from the inside out, but now that I was outside with the monsters still acting for the crowd, the memory of that masked figure came back full force.
I thought about the weight of his gaze… about the way he seemed to track me through the crowd, stirring something dark and devious inside me. I couldn’t name what this feeling was. It was a mixture of anxiety and something far more dangerous that had my panties damp.
I looked around the crowd, but I didn’t see my Krampus.
My Krampus?
It was getting late, so the streets were thinning out as the air became chillier. I said goodbye to the girls, and we parted ways. The snow was coming down harder, and it crunched beneath my shoes, muffled and rhythmic as I moved down the cobblestone and toward home.
Fire-lit lanterns lined the street and flickered, casting a yellow glow and making the festivities seem even more ethereal. The golden hue made long shadows across the stone walls and pebbled ground. Because the entire atmosphere gave off spooky vibes anyway, the shifting shadows made things seem a little more ominous.
The wind picked up, and I pulled my wool coat tighter around me. The chill settled in my bones, but there was something else that made me shiver. I glanced over my shoulder. The crowd became thinner the farther away I got from the festival. I took a few turns, moving quicker, wanting to get into the warmth of my little flat.
The stillness of the alley pressed in on me, and my teeth chattered. The winding path between buildings was narrow, the ancient buildings seeming to close in on me. I quickened my steps as unease prickled at the base of my neck.