Foster's

Kevin 4

After getting detangled, which was basically Kyle literally ripping that metal chain apart to get her free, Angelica sent Kyle after the little hobgoblin with the whip. She had him bring the little monster inside so she could interrogate it.

She put on a housecoat, and stormed down the stairs where she found Kyle standing over the creature all wrapped up in Chad's tentacles.

The little goat creature was thrashing and struggling to escape but failing. She might have cared more about the wild fear she saw in its eyes expect she was livid. Absolutely livid, she was so angry she couldn't even feel the pain.

Yet.

And that was what was probably making her so angry. The fact that she knew once the adrenaline and anger faded, the pain would take their place.

"What in the Fifty-Shades-of-fucked-up was that?" she shouted. "Chains? REALLY?!"

"You needed to be punished!"

"You broke into my house and then decided to stay there!" she cried. "You're the one who broke the law! Not me!"

"Well..."

"Fuck me I'm bleeding," she said finally taking a good look at the gouge in her arm from the whip. She then looked up to Kyle. "Am I bleeding other places?"

He nodded and then softly prodded other places on her body, each and every poke stung. Son of a bitch. She couldn't go to work like this, looking like she got attacked by a circus master.

"When a child misbehaves, a child must be punished. Had you been good I would have left you oranges and chocolate or nuts..."

"You have chocolate?" Angelica asked and then shook her head. Not important. What was important was that this little monster had attacked her in the middle of the night. "Okay, for starters, I'm not a goddamn child. Secondly, you broke into my house!"

"You are very stuck on zat..."

"Because it's a crime!" she shouted and then caught her breath. "How did it get back in? How did neither of you notice that it was attacking me."

... put in... bubble... couldn't feel...

"What?!" she cried. "What does that mean?!"

"I created a dampening field," the creature said. "They couldn't sense me, and neither could you."

Wow. That was an interesting power to have. That must have been how he had been squatting in her chimney for as long as it had without either of her monsters noticing.

"For such a young Shadowman you sure do have a strong one. Most cannot break through my fields."

"He doesn't like being called that," Angelica said right away. "He likes Shadow Monster."

She chose to ignore the fact that she had a young Shadow Monster, and apparently a very strong one. It meant that there were other creatures like Kyle out there and while that was scary, it kind of felt good to know that hers was stronger and therefore could protect her better.

The little creature in front of her looked from her to Kyle who was still looming above him and with a curt nod said: "Ah. And that would be why."

"What does that mean?" she asked but it simply turned its beady goat eyes back to her and said nothing. Fair. She was kind of holding it hostage. "Okay, enough about me. Let's talk about you. What are you? You a have a German accent? Why do you have a... and you live in chimneys and you punish the bad kids and leave gifts for good ones.... What the hell are you, other than some kind of fucking demon Santa?"

"I am Krampus I told you zat this afternoon."

Angelica blinked her eyes. Right, yes he had, hadn't he? She had completely forgotten about that. She had seen a few horror movies about the Krampus. "

So you are a demon Santa?"

"No! I am not Santa, Santa come after me," it said. "I am Krampus. Punisher of misbehavers, rewarder of the well-behaved. And you! You are very misbehaved."

Angelica groaned, rubbing her temples with her finger tips. "For the last time! I did not misbehave. Kyle's the one who threw you! Why aren't you mad at him?"

It turned to Kyle who was still looming over it and then back to her. "He is very, very big. And I am very, very small. To take him on would have been... disastrous."

"Yeah, and how did taking on me go for you?"

"Well, you did nothing. Shadow Man did all the vork for you."

Kyle growled, this horrible throaty rumbling that filled the room and she put a hand out. "I already told you, he doesn't like being called that."

"Ah... sorry. Shall I refer to him by the human name zat you, his host, has given him?"

Angelica blinked here eyes? "I'm sorry, say what?"

"Vhat?"

"No, don't actually say what. Did you... did you call me his host?"

"Uh... yes... zat is vhat you are."

Angelica shook her head, trying to digest what it had just said... except it wasn't computing.

"Nope, still don't get it. What?"

"Ah... I see... you are uneducated in your monsters. Well... the Shadow Man, and I am not referring to you this time, just in general, is a creature that is paired with a host. For him to be here. To be listening to you, means that his totem is attached to you."

Well, that was fucking news to her.

Angelica sat down on the couch in front of the captive Krampus. Well, it had her full attention now.

"And what is his totem?"

"Shadow Men choose small every day items zat no one vould ever suspect as their totems. It is very important zat it is kept safe as the destruction of the totem could destroy them and you."

Fucking hell she had to find that totem.

"Does Chad have one too?"

"I assume you are referring to the Under Monster?" Angelica nodded. "No. Under Monsters go where the fear is the strongest. Fear is not strongest here, though there is fear for him to eat. Yours is here because he likes pizza. And you."

Aww, Chad liked her. That made her feel warm and fuzzy inside too.

"Okay... and you? Why are you here? Why did you break in to my house?"

"A Krampus is alive so long as someone believes. My last child no longer believes so I was displaced," it said and Angelica felt a beat of guilt run through her. "I searched far and wide, looking for someone who believed while I grew weaker and weaker and then I find you."

Yeah but that didn't makes sense. "But I didn't even know you were here. I didn't know Krampus-s-es-es were a thing."

"No, but you have monsters and you believed in them. And being here with you strengthened me. So I stayed."

Oh. Oh. Fuck. It needed her to live. God fucking damn it.

Angelica groaned. "You can't go anywhere else... can you?" The little creature sort of just stared at her and she knew it was true. "Right. I'm going to have Chad let you go, but when he does, you and I are going to sit here and have a chat."

"More?"

"Yep we have rules and we're gonna figure out what you have to offer to this house."

"I clean."

"No, Chad cleans," Angelica said. "You know about monsters though, don't you?" The little creature nodded. "Well, we'll work with that."

"Okay. We make deal then I go back into chimney. I'm tired and wish to rest," he said and she nodded.

"Chad let him go, Kyle make sure he doesn't run off, I'm going to get a snack, I deserve it."

She got up to go to the kitchen, to make herself a camomile tea and to pick up a couple of oranges. They both deserved it.