Walpurgis Hallow

Fright Christmas Part II: The Mourning After

The house awoke late at night, somewhere around 3 AM, when the sound of a window shattering awoke everyone immediately except for Eddie. Eddie woke up slower than the others, but was rather surprised to see everyone in his room, which was now unlocked, the window pretty much entire torn from the wall, and a message written in blood on the wall. The eventual chill woke him up totally.

HELP ME, the message read.

Eddie pulled his clothes on under the sheets and sat up.

"Okay, what the hell happened?" he asked.

"We were hoping you could tell us," Jack replied. "Alice is missing. Though I'm sure you guessed that already."

Eddie froze as the horrific implications set in. He then began to relay the events of the previous night.

"When we went to sleep...she was acting weird. She was asking me if she'd love me even if she changed...and wouldn't go into details. Now, something hurled her through the window, and carried her off, presumably, because I'm not seeing her body on the ground below."

"Two storeys is survivable, but we don't know how she fell," Frank opined.

Eddie looked grim.

"I'd say she was kidnapped. I think whoever did it smashed the window and wall first. Because there's no way in hell Alice is strong enough to break stone. It'd take a cyborg at very least to do that."

Jack glared at Eddie.

Eddie threw up his hands.

"Okay, I'm sorry! I know you didn't do it, almost certainly, but like...what could have? Hi-Jack's dead, you're the only cyborg here, and there's nothing that strong out there. Linnea's father is dead and she's not possessed anymore."

Linnea nodded.

"Cindy has been with me all night. Even with all of her magic, she's still not strong enough to do that."

Frank nodded.

"I was with Jack all night. We were awake around 12, and I saw him go to sleep before me, so it can't be him. I'm a ridiculously light sleeper. Blame it on 'Nam."

Cindy took a look at the frame. There was hair on it.

"Hey, Eddie? What was Alice wearing when she went to bed? There's some hair or fur here...and it doesn't match her hair."

"Nothing. She was naked."

Cindy looked at Eddie.

"Great. She's going to freeze to death because you couldn't hear someone break in to your room."

Eddie sat up.

"Okay, who said 'break in' was a possibility? Our doors are locked, remember? Whoever did it would need a key."

"But Eddie," Frank explained, "we couldn't find your key. We had to pick the lock just now. Who did you leave the key for the room with?"

"Alice..."

Linnea looked at Eddie.

"Eddie, remember that waitress? I have an idea. It's a bit of a stretch..."