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CHAPTER 1

Rescuing Krampus

NAOMI

“Naomi Thompson” was the only name written in her elderly neighbor’s will, and she really couldn’t figure out why.

Two years before, Naomi had moved into her first apartment by herself. It was a flat just barely big enough for one person, but she had been happy with it. Her closest neighbor had been Felicity, an old Black lady living in the same building as her.

On the day Naomi had first met her, she had just come back from work to find Felicity dragging heavy bags of groceries up the stairs, as the building’s elevator was once again out of order. Naomi had run to help, taking the weight from her and lending Felicity an arm to hold as they took the steps together.

“Finally, some young soul with good manners,” Felicity had mumbled.

From that moment, Naomi kept visiting her any time she was free—sometimes to just keep her company, sometimes to help with house chores or to drive her places.

Felicity didn’t have any family left, and in the end the fact that Felicity was alone meant that she didn’t have anyone to pass her possessions to.

Well… no family to pass them to.

That’s how, at twenty-four, Naomi became the owner of a small chalet in the mountains, an old property Felicity had never even spoken about before. Naomi hadn’t even realized she had meant so much to Felicity for her to do something like that, yet there she was, with a property now in her name.

She was set on selling it, despite the guilt of knowing that Felicity had entrusted it to her. But Naomi really had no use for a house in the middle of nowhere, and she couldn’t imagine how spending time and money for its upkeep could benefit her.

Before getting a real estate agent, however, she needed to see the place for herself. Since she owned it already, she thought, why not take a brief vacation and spend a few days there? It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, after all.

When she had been younger, Naomi had spent a lot of time in the wild, on camping trips with her family and with youth groups, so she was confident she could travel there and have a little vacation on her own without problems.

The two-story chalet stood in the valley of a mountain, right in the clearing of a forest. It was early December, so everything around it was already covered in white, the scenery looking like it was straight out of a postcard.

Naomi was surprised to find the interior of the chalet completely clean and organized, and couldn’t help but wonder if Felicity had hired someone to take care of the place when she was away. Maybe this house had a sentimental value to her, even more than it already seemed.

The electricity still worked, and so did the hot water. There was no house router, but Naomi couldn’t really complain about that. She’d have to use her phone’s internet—which seemed to be just barely decent there—but she could live with it.

Two big, old couches occupied most of the space in the living room—one facing the fireplace, while the other was positioned toward a wall decorated with photos and memories. From the many people included in the pictures, it seemed that Felicity had a big family.

Naomi’s heart ached, sad about her late friend, who was seemingly surrounded by so many people, yet was still completely alone at the end of her life. Naomi had never pressured her about it, seeing how hard it had always been for Felicity to mention anything even remotely related to her family. What she would give, now, to ask Felicity what had really happened…

She sighed sadly, passing a door that connected the living room and kitchen, so large that it made the area look like an open space. All the appliances and furniture looked in good condition, and the space was fairly big. In the years Naomi had known her, Felicity hadn’t been able to cook much on her own, but she must have been a dedicated cook back in the day.

Naomi eventually lit the fire in the living room and cozily read a book on the couch. Many sofas hurt her body after staying on it for too long, but this one was perfectly soft and comfortable. It was so pleasant that she chose to give up the bed, grabbing her silk bonnet from her bag and spending the night on the couch in front of the sizzling fire.

Naomi blissfully slept in the following morning, then after lunch, she decided to take a walk around the woods, to take in the scenery and see if there were other chalets hidden around. With such a pretty view, it seemed strange that there was only one property.

Not having been to the mountains in a while, Naomi had spoiled herself by buying a maroon, tight winter jumpsuit that had a scoop in the front. She paired it over a thick, black turtleneck sweater, only to reluctantly cover the cute combination with a down jacket because it was, unfortunately, very cold.

After checking herself out in her mirror and approving the outfit choice, she set out for her adventure.

The ground was a blanket of white with fresh snow still untouched, crunching under the soles of her boots. Whenever it snowed in the city, it was always quick to turn brown, stained by the cars and the general dirt of the city. Seeing fresh snow like this always made her smile, almost making her feel as if she was in a fairytale.

A few feet into the forest, however, the clean snow was suddenly stained by lurid patches of blood. Naomi gasped, her surprise immediately turning into worry about where it came from, and why it was there in the first place.

Smears of blood connected larger puddles, accidentally forming a macabre path, and Naomi quickly followed the trail. The stains grew bigger and bigger, and the more she followed them, the more she worried.

Was all that blood from an injured animal? It seemed like too much, though, but maybe it was a big animal. But what if it was a person? She absolutely needed to check.

The blood trail ended right where hooves poked from behind a bush. The limbs looked like goat legs, but they were abnormally large. Naomi stepped around for a better view. At the sight of the full creature, the gasp that tore out of her echoed through the trees in the silence of the empty forest.

The beast was huge, tall and muscular, and round in the belly. Despite the goat legs, the curved horns, and the overall beastly features, the build still looked oddly humanoid. Its face, too, still looked mostly human, with only the long-pointed ears and sharp teeth to portray its monstrous nature.