Release Date: May 27, 2015
Genre: Holidays, Horror
Pages: 104
A horror novella of retribution and redemption.
Krampus vs. Santa in a battle to the death!
Krampus, also known as the Christmas Demon and punisher of wicked children, has been entombed for 1,000 years.
A man who feels the world is against him frees the monster who promptly goes on a killing spree.
Santa is Krampus' opposite.
It is up to Santa and a young girl who is an unlikely hero to stop the rampage before more innocents die.
A novella of terror for a season usually committed to joy.
What reviewers are saying:
- "A combination of forgotten myths, faltering beliefs and cycles of rediscovery and redemption. " - Christopher A.
- "A great story that held my attention from beginning to end. I never put it down!" - Annette B.
- "What if fairy tales are actually based on something real? Real and more horrible than you can even imagine..." - Diana C.
- "..a story of sin, violence and redemption and the clash of two ancient powers..." - Dave M.
- "A rollicking story. One where the gods themselves appear to reinforce in humanity the consequence of naughty vs. nice." - Tim T
Chapter 1
In the unbroken darkness of the cave a beast breathes. Metallic clicks accompany each slow, ragged inhalation and exhalation. The mountain of chains, each link made of metal as thick as a man's arm, shifts with each breath.
The chain almost fills the space of the cave. It wraps around the beast hundreds of times until the creature is invisible within the pile of dull gray metal. Its imprisonment has lasted so long it almost does not remember what it is; but it is eternal as is its memory. It remembers that it is Krampus.
One thousand years the beast has lain trapped in the dwarf forged metal. Belief in the crucified man weakened Krampus making him too feeble to defend himself against the white-bearded god. Belief and fear of the ancient powers had once made Krampus godlike in his own right. He had brought justice to the world, punishing the wicked. Humans feared and respected him until the new god came. The crucified man's followers preached love and forgiveness. They did not teach their children to fear the horned beast, the avenger of wrongs. As human belief waned, so too did Krampus strength.
When the white-bearded one came he was too weak to resist. The bearded man was an old god who now hid within the new myths to keep part of his power. He struck at Krampus. The god's spear drew immortal blood. Krampus' essence weakened until the great beast of the dark, the righter of wrongs, fell. The old one summoned dwarven smiths who crafted a chain to imprison that which could not be imprisoned. He then hid Krampus in the deepest pit in the land and sealed him away from the light.
Hundreds of winters passed as Krampus lay, bound and weakening. Every generation remembered him less as belief in the crucified man grew. Krampus felt his mind becoming thin, his form withering as his essence began to fade. Krampus slept, unable to struggle against his prison. Krampus dreamed.
In his mind, Krampus saw the world as if through a sheet of ice. Humans toiled in the soil growing crops. Armies of other humans trampled the fields and fertilized the soil with blood. He saw great empires grow and crumble. He watched art created and then burned. In his mind he could sense the growing darkness in the world of men. While they preached of love in their golden temples, they became more voracious in their greed and hatred. Anger and the need to punish kept Krampus alive.
In the far north where once Krampus had reigned he felt a stirring of the ancient belief. He dreamed of young men, drunk and lecherous, dressing themselves in furs and masks. The mummers aped at being the noble Krampus. They chased young women through the streets. They whipped them with switches and then rutted with them in darkened corners. In his mind, Krampus roared in rage. Their festival reminded humans of his existence, but the perversion of his deeds made his thinning blood boil.
More wars invaded Krampus' dreams. Vast machines ground the earth to mud. Chemical fire and strange magic spears struck down humans in numbers vast beyond the visions of the ancients. Humans flew through the air as gods and harnessed the lightning. Wickedness flourished. The young turned on their elders and even the church of the crucified man began to lose its grip on men's souls.
One day, a thousand years after his imprisonment began, Krampus feels a change. People once again think of him. It is not with the near-religious fervor of olden days but instead with wistful joy. Krampus feels a trickle of life return to his withered husk. The visions of the outer world become clearer. Krampus again witnesses the depravity of man in this strange world beyond his prison. He can feel the foulness of humans of every age. He aches to punish the wicked but the chains crush him into quiescence. Krampus' body is still bound and weak but his mind can reach outward. In his eternal dream, Krampus reaches outward for a mind crying out for wickedness to be punished.