a Vampire Christmas Feast
For most people, Christmas celebrates goodwill, togetherness, and love. They decorate their homes with trees with twinkling lights and beautiful ornaments, colorful wreaths and garland, cheerful Santas and reindeer, and elegant angels. Most spirits are jovial this time of year but what if I told you that there was one frightening house in Boston, Massachusetts with occupants that were soulless and had disdain for anything joyful? These mysterious, evil occupants would only take absolute glee in spilling blood during a bitter cold winter night.
These monstrous occupants wouldn't celebrate Christmas of course, but to profane and make fun of this wonderful holiday, they decorated their house with such grotesque things. They had a black tree ornamented with miniature skulls that had mouths frozen in a permanent scream, bronze inverted pentagrams, strings of teeth from their victims, and a gruesome-looking, golden bat sat on top. They also hung black and red wreaths, shaped like inverted pentagrams. Among the gold candelabras on the grand black piano, they had an antique Santa doll with its eyes gouged out. Dangling from the bronze fireplace mantel like stockings, there were several, small glass vitals of virgins' blood on gold chains with a black bow wrapped around each one.
The neighbors never seemed to notice these occupants but if they ever did, a death would've quickly come after. These occupants had to be guarded, for they were a coven of satanic vampires. They didn't want to make a spectacle of themselves or make humans too easy to prey upon. People in the twenty-first century, for some odd reason, thought that all vampires were misunderstood, romantic beings and not blood-sucking monsters.
Peter Strix Maxwell, the leader of the coven, had skin as fair as fresh snow and he was tall and very muscular. His eyes were the darkest blue, his long hair was jet-black, and he had a sensuous, sly grin that could make any woman weak in the knees. Even though Peter was centuries old, he looked like he was still in his early twenties. Hidden behind his attractiveness, he was also highly intelligent, smug, and manipulative.
Lana Juliet Sapphire was Peter's sometimes wife. Lana was seductive, mischievous, and shamelessly promiscuous. She wanted men or women, whichever tickled her fancy at the moment. She had milky-white skin, flowing, ginger hair, a petite but yet exquisitely curvy body, and emerald eyes that grew dark just before a kill. She loved playing with people's minds and would always wear dresses that completely showed off her feminine attributes to get what she wanted. Using her sweet, soothing voice, she could also charm children into thinking that she was some kind of a mother figure. She would comfort them and make them feel safe when it was obvious that they were in absolute danger.
The rest of the coven was made of misfits; lost souls who no one missed. Peter and Lana would take them from their beds at night. If an adult human proclaimed their devotion to Satan and to Peter, they wouldn't kill that person. They would just turn the person into a vampire to join their vile coffin. They were thirteen in all; men and women, no children. They killed kids automatically.
Back in October, a little boy with blonde, slicked back hair and his nannies and butlers moved into a house across from the coven. The boy's name was Jeffrey Monns and he was eight years old. He had parents, who were extremely rich, but they were never around much. There were rumors that his parents were part of the mafia or worked for the government but they rarely came home probably because he was a whiny, entitled, nightmarish brat, who would wail at the word no.
Jeffrey was also very plump due to him constantly demanding sweets and junk food. From the moment that Peter saw him through the window, he imagined the horrid boy's flesh and blood tasting like a succulent, candied ham and his mouth watered. Peter and Lana watched him for weeks, while he screamed at his nannies and butlers, threw tantrums at the drop of a hat, and punched and kicked other adults and children. His wicked, infantile behavior and the nannies' meek attempts of punishment irritated Peter and Lana. They thought that death would be the only appropriate punishment for the ghastly boy. Peter's feverish craving for the boy's blood was driving him crazy as well and he would do anything for it.
It was now Christmas Eve and Peter finally had a plan to taste that delectable blood. He bought a Santa Claus suit and a short elf dress for Lana. After weeks of watching Jeffrey, he noticed that none of the nannies closed Jeffrey's bedroom window at night, even during cold nights. He would appear into the bedroom dressed as Santa and using a promise of candy and toys, he'd trick the boy into coming with him to their house.
He waited until all of the lights went out at Jeffrey's house before putting his plan into action. Once the house went dark, he appeared in Jeffrey's room and turned on the light. The boy groaned sleepily with his eyes still closed, sitting up on his elbows in bed.
Jeffrey was about to scream, when Peter announced with a fake cheerful tone, "Merry Christmas!"
"Santa?" Jeffrey's eyes shot open wide with utter shock and wonder, then he looked at Peter dubiously.
"Santa," said Jeffrey with a raised eyebrow, "you look different."
Peter forced a chuckle and said in the most jolly voice that he could muster up: "How so, my boy?"
"I thought that you had a huge, ugly belly that shakes."
"He sure is calling the kettle black," Peter thought sardonically.
"Are you supposed to be ancient," continued Jeffrey, "and where's your white hair and beard?"
Peter hadn't worn a pillow underneath the jacket or the fake beard because of his vanity but he was still going to trick this infuriating boy easily.
"Well, my boy," he replied, quickly coming up with a lie, "the descriptions of me are always wrong. I'm actually quite young and fit. Think about it, how else could I carry all those gifts all night?"
"Makes sense," remarked Jeffrey, "but Santa, why are you up in my room? The Christmas tree is downstairs and I want my presents!"
"Because I'm here to surprise you. Since you've been such a good little boy this year, I'm inviting you to my workshop, where you'll get presents, candy, and more!"
Pretending to be sweet, Jeffrey bear hugged him and exclaimed: "Oh, thank you Santa!"
"Idiotic child," Peter thought with a sneer.
"Now, let's go," he told Jeffrey, pulling out a red blindfold from his pocket, "before your nannies wake up. I'm going to hide your eyes until we get there though so you can't tell people where my workshop is located. It's a secret."
Jeffrey let out an exasperated sigh but said: "Fine."
Peter then put the blindfold on him tightly until he whined.
Ignoring him, Peter asked: "Ready to go?"
"Yeah, are we going on your sleigh?"
"No, magic," said Peter simply, "we're going to fly like birds."
"Cool!"
This answer seemed to satisfy Jeffrey without complaint for once. He even let Peter grab him. As they glided out of the window and into the night, Peter kept a hand on his wrists so he couldn't sneak a peek.
It was frigid outside and Jeffrey whimpered about being cold because he was only in his pajamas but they weren't outside very long. Within minutes, they landed in front of the coven's house. Peter guided him into the door and Lana silently locked it behind them. He then guided him down a dark flight of stairs.
Jeffrey whined: "Are we there yet?"
"Yes boy." Peter slowly removed the blindfold and Lana was left in charge of Jeffrey for a moment, while Peter disappeared upstairs to change clothes. In reality, Jeffrey was in a dim, sound-proof basement that was filled with random toys and vampires prowling in the shadows but to Jeffrey's child eyes, as he looked around with awe, he was in Santa's magical workshop with elves running about.
"Hello Jeffrey," exclaimed Lana, who was wearing the elf dress and a pair of fake, pointed ears, "I'm Lana, Santa's head-elf!"
He asked: "Where did Santa go?"
"He went to get your special presents," she lied, "Why don't we have some sweets while we wait for him?"
"Okay!"
Two other vampires, who were also dressed as elves, helped Jeffrey sit on top of a large, elongated, wooden table, while Lana got the tray of goodies for him. The tray had chocolate pudding, gingerbread man cookies, a huge sundae made of chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla ice cream with every topping imaginable, a cup of candy canes and suckers, and a bowl of M&Ms.
As she put the tray in his lap, Jeffrey got a glimpse of one of vampires' fangs in the background. He gasped fearfully and asked her: "Do some elves have fangs?"
"Some do," she lied again in a tranquil tone, combing her hand through his hair tenderly, "but they won't hurt you. The fangs are only for shaping the candy canes. Just enjoy your sweets, okay?"
He automatically believed her and stuffed his face gleefully with pudding and a cookie. A few minutes passed. He was so busy eating that he didn't notice that the vampires had started to surround him, getting ready to lunge. His dark fate was coming closer and closer with each bite. He scooped a big mouth full of ice cream, when they all abruptly jumped upon him. The tray of goodies fell with a CRASH, as they pinned him on his back in the middle of the table, chaining his arms and legs to the table. He tried to fight them off, kicking, punching, and screaming, but it was no use.
Once he was chained up, the vampires backed off and waited for Peter. Jeffrey kept screaming until he was heaving and his face was beat red.
"No one can hear you," said Peter mockingly, as he walked back down into the basement, "no matter how loud and annoying you are. It's sound-proof here." He had changed into a black tux and was now smirking at blubbering Jeffrey.
Jeffrey cried out: "You're not Santa Claus, you pervert!"
"He's a smart one," Peter said sarcastically, making the others laugh.
"You better let me go or my mom and dad will---!"
"I don't think your parents or your daft nannies will care," Peter replied with a grin, "Honestly, I think that they will be happy to be free of you. Besides, I can not let my family go hungry."
With his lip quivering, Jeffrey asked: "What do you mean?"
Peter said with a snicker: "Can't you see? You are our Christmas feast!"
Then, he and the others opened their mouths wide and bared their fangs, practically unhinging their jaws. Jeffrey shrieked in utter horror. They cackled and pounced upon him, attacking savagely. They tore into his flesh with their sharp fangs, sucking his blood from his neck, arms, hands, wrists, feet, and legs. Jeffrey screeched in pain and terror but his cries were pointless. No one was going to save him now. Death was near.
Peter was in an absolute frenzy, drinking Jeffrey's blood. It was more exquisite than he imagined; savory, thick, and warm. The taste in his mouth made him euphoric and he relished each moment. They continued sucking Jeffrey's blood until his heart stopped.
When they were finished, they sighed in pure satisfaction and started to clean the basement, saving the excess blood in vitals and getting rid of the broken dishes. They were about to bury the body in the neighbor's backyard, when Peter then got a cruel idea. With an ax, he decapitated Jeffrey's head from his body. They buried the torso but Peter put the severed head in a wrapped gift box.
An hour before the sun rose on Christmas morning, he snuck over to Jeffrey's house and left the box on the doorstep. He grinned demonically at the memory of Jeffrey's blood on his lips and at the thought of a nanny's hysterical screams. As he was walking away and laughing, he whispered: "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good nightmare."
©Lena Holdman, all rights reserved 2021
Music by: Lucas King
Merry Christmas!
Smooches and think Tink!
