The Santa Clause: Krampus's Return

The two were freezing but had now made it to the edge of Elfsburg. Dark elves seemed to be everywhere, patrolling anywhere they could, keeping an eye out for anyone that shouldn't be there. Up close they were even creepier than before, red piercing eyes, frostbitten blue skin and sharp toothed snarls everywhere they looked. They were just waiting for an excuse to cause trouble and any bit of happiness that must've remained in them were drained.

"So what's the plan, Holls?" Bernard asked, eyeballing the scene and Holly's eyes widened with shock,

"What's the plan? It's not like I made a step by step-"

"Then what were you planning on doing when you got here? Maybe you were gonna go get yourself a mug of cocoa or start caroling because it's not like this is a dire situation that we need to be serious about!" Bernard's voice went from a hush almost into a whisper shout and Holly shushed him angrily,

"Quiet! Do you want to get caught?! I said, I didn't have a step by step but we don't really need one! All we have to do is sneak past the guards, get into Santa's Office and swipe the pocket watch... it's no biggie."

"No biggie?" Bernard looked over at her, annoyed and she sighed,

"Can you for once, try and relax, even if the situation is serious? That's how you mess up a theft right there... being tense."

"What would you know about theft?" Bernard asked and then put his finger on his chin sarcastically, as if he were thinking, "Oh! That's right Ms.Naughty-lister..."

Holly, looking very annoyed, picked up a pile of snow while he was taunting her and shoved it in his face, finally getting him to shut up.

"Once again... be quiet. You're gonna get us caught with all that belly aching."

Suddenly both of them were snapped into silence by a panicked voice they heard and Holly and Bernard watched helplessly as about three elves who had obviously been just captured were trying to squirm alway while being dragged to the workshop. Some begging and some crying for them to let go as they were dragged through the workshop doors and they shut with a loud BOOM as the elves disappeared behind them ominously. The door opened a few moments later and some other elves were led outside, these ones with red eyes and frost bitten blue skin. They had somehow been turned bad by something in the workshop and the place had become a center for the evil of Krampus and his dark elves.

"He's turning all the elves into his evil minions." Bernard looked the most fearful he'd been and them took a deep breath, as if swallowing his feelings and pushing them deep down inside himself.

"Once we defeat Krampus, they should all turn back to normal. Hopefully..."

*            *           *

The two snuck quietly through the town, trying not to be seen. As far as the dark elves knew, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Guard after guard they tiptoed past, surprisingly not being caught. They were close enough to Santa's Office that they merely had to turn the corner they were hiding behind, make their way up some steps and there they would be. Bernard walked ahead of Holly almost the entire time, but now he stopped dead in his tracks.

"What's wrong?" Holly asked in a whisper and he quickly turned around, grabbing Holly and pulling her inside the door of a small empty shop that was right next to them. Footsteps trudged in the tall snow past the door and Bernard let out a deep breath of air, as if he had been holding his breath that entire time.

"That was a close one..." Bernard sighed and Holly looked around at the abandoned shop. This was somewhat of a grocery store, or at least it used to be. It was like an indoor food stand, with only a counter and four tables with chairs inside. The windows had been boarded up, like the elves who had worked here previously had tried to barricade themselves in when Krampus took over. Only the door was left, broken and almost off its hinges.

Holly's eyes lit up when she realized that there was probably food and stood up, going to the door that led to the backroom. Bernard quietly went over to the front door and closed it as slowly and quietly as he could.

"Hey, Bernard!" Holly called to him, loud enough that he could hear but softly enough that no one else would, "I found some food!"

*
*
*

There wasn't much left... just some gingerbread and marshmallows. But the two ate them anyways, having not eaten anything in three days now. It was enough. The two felt better, a little stronger and were now preparing to take the plunge and go up the stairs, towards Santa's Office. Holly wanted to stay there and rest, but she knew she couldn't. The elves back at the compound needed food and couldn't wait any longer for rescue. The two were around the corner now, where they were before they found the shop.

"Here... I'll go first and then-" Bernard started to say but then he stopped in mid sentence, listening hard. Then he frowned,

"Someone's coming."

"Hey! I think I heard something!" They heard a dark elf say and Holly's eyes widened with fear.

"I think they're too close, they'll find us if we try and hide again..."

Bernard's eyes darted away from where they were and his brain started to formulate a plan.

"I'm gonna create a distraction. When they come after me, you take off..."

Bernard was getting ready to dash the other way, but Holly grabbed him and pushed him back against the wall. She narrowed her eyes at him and sighed,

"This is the way it has to be... I know you can do this."

Before he could stop her, Holly let go of him and started to run, waving her arms at the dark elves, taunting them,

"Hey Snotballs! Come and get me! Your mothers all suck fruitcake!"

Bernard wanted to run out and stop her. But he couldn't. All the dark elves in the vicinity saw her and started to go after her. The distraction had worked perfectly. Now, the area was completely deserted and Bernard had a straight shot to Santa's Office.

Bernard started to step out from behind where he was hiding, when he suddenly heard a crash and quickly jumped back. They were loud footsteps and Bernard's eyes widened like saucers when he saw Krampus start to leave Santas Office, lumbering down the stairs and then heading off in the direction that Holly had ran.

Now was his chance! Bernard waited until Krampus wasn't in sight and then ran for the stairs, almost slipping on the first step but then making his way up the rest like a bolt of lightning. He wasn't going to waste any time at all.

When he quietly opened up the door to Santa's Office, he felt his heart drop. The office was trashed... it was like Krampus had torn the place apart, looking for something important. Chairs were broken, Christmas lights with shattered glass were scattered across the room like a small child had thrown a tantrum and thrashed his bedroom in a fit of rage. The lights were off and the room was dark, the only light coming from a lamp with a red light bulb that dimly lit the room and covered everything in its path in an ominous red glow. Bernard did his best to sneak as quietly as he could. The only thing that wasn't broken was Santa's desk and his big comfy chair he normally sat in tucked in neatly. And luckily, out in the open, sitting on top of the desk was the silver pocket watch.

Bernard quietly closed the door behind himself and snuck over to the desk, so close to the pocket watch that he could almost touch its silver chain that seemed to sparkle in delight in his presence. The doorknob suddenly turned and Bernard panicked, diving behind some wreckage, watching from the shadows to try and see who it could be. It was a dark elf, casually walking over to the desk. He scooped the pocket watch up with one go and walked away, leaving the room and shutting the door behind himself.