An Abnormal Christmas

6: Flaming Fear

Meghan watched as Gordon moved out the doorway toward the fawn who scurried away a few steps, his movements more hesitant than even before. She inhaled deeply. They were leaving that day. It would be over soon.

"The collar is the same as the others," Gordon said. "Only different thing is its name. Cupid."

Meghan nodded. With three fawns, there was obviously something going on. Did a system fail? Were these fawns being shipped away but somehow got free? Why did their family have to deal with two things -- fawns and a stalking creeper leaving threats?

"Mom."

Meghan looked over at Carly and Ryder standing by the hallway, fingers gripping the handles of their suitcases. Their eyes moved between Meghan on the floor to Gordon crouched over the fawns, to the extra fawn cuddling with the other two. Carly's eyes widened and her grip loosened on her suitcase as Ryder just blinked, seeming to realize he missed something important.

When they were little toddlers, they had gotten out of the house one day while Meghan had been baking and Gordon was at work. She hadn't noticed their absence until a while after when she went to fetch them for dinner. She had been close to having a heart attack as she searched for them. She had to call the police when she couldn't find there wherabouts.

By nightfall, they were discovered. A family had found them and took them to their house where they had been eating cookies when Meghan had arrived. From that day on, she had promised to herself that she would always watch over them and make sure they were okay. Facing that Christmas with its terrors and confusion, Meghan feared that she might somehow lose them. The feeling kept returning, no matter how much she tried to keep it at bay.

"What...happened?" Ryder asked.

Gordon looked over at Meghan who subtly shook her head. He looked back at Ryder who watched him expectantly for an answer. "We found another fawn. Its name is Cupid."

"A third one?" Carly giggled. She approached the fawns with a grin. "They must like our family if they keep coming. Hi, Cupid!"

"Hopefully WASART will figure this out," Meghan said, getting up off of the floor. Her eyes flickered to the door for a moment before she moved toward the kitchen. "In the meantime, we need to leave. We'll rent a hotel for now until Gordon's house is ready. The fawns will be picked up later and taken care of."

She grabbed Carly's suitcase and rolled it over to the doorway before pausing. Was it still outside? The thing that attacked her? She pursed her lips, not even noticing as her glasses slipped down her nose an inch. Turning the doorknob, she pulled the door open slowly. Frozen snow coated the grass, piling on the outer edges. No person was in sight.

Stepping on the first step, she gave an alarmed gasp as her shoes didn't hold against the ice and she zipped forward, tumbling down the few stairs to rest at the base, the suitcase landing next to her.

"You okay, Mom?" Carly asked from the porch. She must have finished saying goodbye to the fawns.

Meghan straightened herself out and gave a laugh. "Well, that's a fast way down. Come on."

The car was coated in snow. She glanced between her car and Gordon's.

"We should take them both," Gordon said from the doorway, stepping out.

Meghan nodded. Carly bounced down the steps, much to Meghan's dismay as she imagined her daughter slipping on the ice and hurting herself. Gordon followed down behind her, lugging Meghan's and his suitcase. She had forgotten hers in the house, having had grabbed Carly's instead. "Thanks, Gordon. Where's Ryder?"