Crimson Christmas by Rain Oxford Read Free Book Online

boxes came a creepy monkey, something that looked like a gremlin, and a
robot. With determination, the trio went into the bedroom and returned a few
minutes later, dragging an unconscious teenager. They then proceeded to drag
him over to one of the open boxes and start stuffing him into it. Despite the small
size of the box, they managed to contort him so that he fit inside it. Once he
was fully inside the box, the three creatures returned to their boxes,
including the monkey who joined the boy in the small box. By what could only
have been magic, the lids of the boxes lifted off the floor and resealed the
boxes. Finally, every single present began to crumple in on itself, getting
smaller and smaller until they all vanished with flashes of light.
    Devon, Dylan, Mordon, and the boys were silent with
shock. “Son of a biscuit,” Ron said after about ten minutes. “Whose nightmare
is this? I want out.”
    “So that’s what happened to our all of our friends?”
Hail asked. “Why weren’t we taken?”
    “You have wards over your room,” Mordon said. “So
there were monsters in the presents?”
    “I think the presents came alive,” Dylan said.
    “That shit doesn’t happen in real life,” Devon
argued.
    “Presents have gone missing for a week now, but
children only started disappearing two days ago,” Mordon said.
    “Hon’s house still has their presents. Alyssa could
be next,” Devon said. “We need to find out if everyone whose children were
taken is also missing presents. If so, we need to warn everyone who still has
presents.”
    “I think everyone is pretty much on high alert
already,” Dylan said.
    “A lot of the families that came in today because
their children were missing reported a theft of their gifts days ago,” Mordon
interrupted. Everyone looked at him.
    “Okay, so if this is really some freaky demonic toys,
then why would they disappear without the child, only to come back and take
them?” Dylan asked.
    “Please don’t call them demonic toys,” Devon said.
“That’s a little too…”
    “A little too ‘evil clowns ate my baby’?” Dylan
offered.
    “Yes. Something like that. Let’s go back to the
station and ask some more specific questions.”
     
    *          *          *
     
    They got in the cars and made it to the center of the
town before a mob of people blocked the road. Mordon got out of the Charger
behind Dylan’s Jaguar and pushed his way past everyone to see what was going
on. In the middle of the crowd was Taylor. “What’s going on?” he asked.
Although Taylor was older than Mordon, Rojan was over three thousand, so he
naturally took charge when Taylor was around.
    “We want our kids back!” one of the women in the
crowd yelled.
    “Taylor is doing what he can to find the one
responsible. You want to put him in his own cell? Who will arrest the
perpetrator then?”
    “He’s not doing anything!” a man yelled and chucked a
rock at Taylor. He missed by less than an inch.
    Although Mordon sensed that Dylan was about to do
something, it wasn’t Dylan’s presence that Mordon felt trying to invade his
mind. The urge to hold completely still came over him, but Rojan broke the hold
easily. The crowd seemed to take a collective step back, leaving enough space
for Mordon to see Dylan and Devon standing in front Dylan’s car.
    “Everyone, go home and wait patiently for
information,” Devon said calmly. Not a word was spoken by any civilian. Even
the demons in the crowed obeyed. In moments, Mordon, Dylan, Devon, and the boys
were alone.
    “What was that?” Dylan asked as Devon rubbed his
temple.
    “Probably more than I should have handled.” As if the
pain transferred from his head to his chest, Devon sagged against the hood of
the car and held his hand over his chest. After a few seconds, he pulled a
potion bottle out of his leather jacket and drank the contents.
    “What’s that?” Hail asked.
    “Nothing to worry about. I knew they would