Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 63214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Holy fuck. Yes. Crazy, demon snow people. Concentrate.
My voice came out shaky. “Yes. There’s something. I mean someone around.”
Looking behind me, Daniel kept his hand on his holster, but didn’t take his gun out. “Do you see them anymore?”
“No, but,” I glanced at the snowman. “I definitely think he’s still out here.” I spotted the mermaids now near the mail box. “In fact, I think it was more than one person.”
Daniel walked back to his car and opened the front door. “How many?”
“Four people at least.”
“Okay. Stay right there. I’m going to call Eddie over here. You let me know if you see anything.”
“Okay.” Shaking, I kept my eyes on the snowman.
Daniel pulled out his radio and spoke into it while I drifted off on my own path of manic thoughts.
What happens now? Either they’re going to come alive around Daniel or they’re not. I can’t let him leave me alone because they’ll just come back alive? What will they do to me if they come back alive?
I pulled the pack of cigarettes out of my pocket, realized I’d taken them out, and stuffed them right back in. “Maybe, I should kill them.”
“What?” Daniel stood by my side. Alarm ran across his face.
I jumped. “Nothing.”
“Eddie is on his way.”
“Okay. Cool.”
“You remember Eddie, right?”
“Of course. He was the top player on the team. How could I forget him?”
“Since Brett and you have been back, you never come off this property. I wasn’t sure if you remembered anybody.”
“That’s because we didn’t come back on happy terms.”
“I heard, but you’ve still been a stranger.”
“I’ll come around, eventually.” I walked over to my car, pulled out my keys, and went to the trunk.
“What are you doing?” Daniel asked.
“Getting my blow torch.”
“Why?”
“Because. . .” I lifted the trunk up and grabbed it. “Because, I don’t have a gun and you might need back up.”
“I won’t need back up, Faith and it sounds pretty quiet around here. I’m hoping all you heard were some deer.”
“No.” I turned to Santa. “They weren’t deer. I saw them.”
“But you don’t know what they look like.”
“It doesn’t matter. I saw them. It was four people.”
“Anything else? Men or women?”
“Both.” I walked over to Santa. “Two men. Two women.”
“Could’ve been some teenaged couples, searching for a place to make out.”
“In the snow?”
“You remember when we were in school?” Daniel’s voice lowered to that sexy octave it always did when he was getting turned on. “You and I would sneak off to the craziest places.”
Why would he bring that up?
Memories flooded my head—our tongues twisting and hands toying and touching.
His cock knew my body better than I did. He’d slip it in and out of me just so right and so slow. My young mind had no clue about that much pleasure, and being that I was his first too, we both were sprung on the other by the second time.
His love was a fine wine. One that even now my lips craved to sip.
Daniel had been correct. We would sneak off to the weirdest places—the old, haunted barn down creek road, the basement of St. Mary’s decaying church, and the Townson Memorial cemetery. Any place that gave us a few minutes of darkness and privacy served as the right spot to get it on.
I would ride him as he leaned against Alexandria Townson’s tombstone.
Even now, I knew her grave etchings by heart.
Alexandria Townson
January 30, 1920 – April 15, 1938
Deeply loved daughter.
We will always remember you.
Had we not been making love on her tombstone, I may have still been with Daniel.
But I kept seeing this girl’s death at eighteen years old as a symbol of something. So young, I thought the grave meant to live life with pure abandon. Our days were numbered. We had no time. We had to rush. Had to hurry. Had to get that man and get out of town. Had to have them babies and go after dreams. Had to do it all in a few years because the clock was ticking.
Life is short, but not that short. I rushed over everything. I. . .should have stayed. . .
Daniel pulled out his gun. “Did you hear that?”
I blinked. “No. What did it sound like?”
He moved his gaze all over my empty and snowy land. “Maybe it was wolves.”
“Again with the animals?”
“What else could it be?” He chuckled. “It’s just us and the ice people.”
“Yes.” I frowned. “The ice people.”
Branches cracked off in the distance.
Wind whipped.
“These are some amazing sculptures,” he said.
“Thank you.”
“They look like they’re alive.”
Because they are, but not for long.
“Okay.” I blew out a long breath. “Keep your gun out.”
“What?”
“I’m going to melt this one.” I flipped the switch on. A line of flames buzzed out of the end.
“Faith, what are you doing?”
“It’s okay.” I pushed the flames over Santa’s face and hands.
“Why are you destroying him?”