Book 1 - Puppets

Winter Escape

Alaska's shout snaps Soviet awake.

Hawaii rushes forward and yanks Alaska up by her hood and away from the monstrosity trying to eat her toes. The thing hisses from the floor before it hunches back and leaps at Hawaii. Hawaii turns away and puts herself between it and Alaska.

She winces in anticipation, but the pain never comes. She turns back and sees Soviet throwing the thing into the side of the train car. It bounces off the windows and yowls in pain and anger. It charges at Soviet, and he hits the ground hard. The thing is on top of his chest, trying to tear at his face.

Hawaii drops Alaska's hood and lunches for the thing's neck. She gets it into a headlock and pulls back. She almost falls back when it releases Soviet, who seems mostly uninjured save the bloody face.

"Open the door!" Hawaii yells.

Soviet seems to catch on to her plan fast, running around her to open the train car door. Hawaii plans her feet and throws the creature as hard as she can toward the open door, shuddering when the cold reaches her. Soviet grabs the flailing creature and shoves it outside forcefully, knocking it onto the tracks below.

He shoves the door close and leans against it, breathing heavily, and he sinks to the ground.

Soviet asks something in Russian. Hawaii stares, a little confused.

Alaska answers, "that was a monster. There are lots of monsters now. They're very scary. They almost took Alabama."

Soviet mutters under his breath and he sits in front of the door.

"Are you okay, Mr. Soviet?" Alaska asks, nervously walking forward.

Soviet sighs and tries to rub the blood off his face. "Russia spoke of monsters. Like fairy tale stories. I did not know it would be like this," Soviet replies, his accent heavy in his words.

Then the door begins to shake again. Soviet looks through the window, and his face goes pale.

"He..No, I threw that onto the tracks. How is it back?" he mutters in disbelief.

"We need to block the door. Keep it closed, and keep that out," Hawaii insists.

Soviet nods and stands, bracing himself against the handle. They spend the remainder of the train ride like this, with Hawaii and Soviet swapping off door duty to caring for a terrified Alaska. By the end, the three were completely exhausted, but they were still wired and restless. Soviet drove them back to his home, and the three fall asleep almost as soon as they get inside the safe, warm house.

Hawaii doesn't even remember how she got past the front door, but she had a feeling it had something to do with the other countries staying in the house. She is laid on a soft bed and drifts off to the sound of mumbled talking and the smell of a wood fire furnace warming the room.