Zombies Inside

by Rebecca Besser

  “So,” Kyle said slowly, “you think I can just go give them a hug and tell them Merry Christmas and they’ll be good as new?”

  Santa laughed again. “No, no! I don’t think you should do that. Their teeth look dangerous and they appear quite mean. I peeked in on them before coming to see you.” He winked at Kyle and smiled. “I think they’ll need your love to bring the Magic of Christmas to them. You see . . . I don’t think it was the young elf’s hug that broke the spell for me last year. I think it was the gift of caring. I was depressed, to be honest. Christmas seemed to be falling apart and I didn’t feel I was doing the job, so to speak, of keeping everything together. The girl brought me hope with her gift and that’s what enabled the Magic of Christmas to shine through the cursed disease and heal me.”

  “Oh,” Kyle said, frowning down at his hands, which he held clasped between his knees so tightly that his knuckles were white. “How will I ever be able to do that?”

  “I don’t know, Kyle,” Santa said, sitting forward with a solemn expression. “That’s something, I believe, you’ll have to discover for yourself, before it’s too late.”

  “Before it’s too late?” Kyle asked, lifting his eyes to meet Santa’s. “What do you mean, before it’s too late?”

  Sighing, Santa looked directly back at Kyle. “If you don’t do it before I leave on Christmas Eve to deliver gifts, I fear you’ll have to wait an entire year for the Magic of Christmas to be strong enough to heal them. It’s the strongest right before, and during the time when the children of the world open their presents, and that’s when you need to make your move. Do you understand?”

  Kyle nodded and rubbed his face with his hands. “How am I supposed to figure it out? Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, so I have less than two days!”

  Santa smiled, patted Kyle’s knee, and stood. “I think you should rest tonight and let yourself think. Tomorrow, we’ll tackle this task together. I’ve let Hammond know that I would be occupied with this mess and that he would be in charge of preparing everything for the grand delivery.” He walked over to the door and opened it.

  Jumping to his feet, Kyle dashed over to the doorway in a panic. “I have to try now. I can’t waste any time!”

  Gently, Santa placed his hand on Kyle’s shoulder and looked at him. “You’re fatigued. Your brain needs the rest or else you won’t be able to think straight, and you must, Kyle, be able to think straight – for their sakes, as well as your own. Sleep and see what the world brings tomorrow. It’ll be a magical day!”

  With that, Santa left the room, closing the door behind himself. Kyle stood where he was, thinking, for a long time. Finally, as long shadows crept across the floor of his room as the outside world grew darker with night, he climbed into bed, and surprisingly, he slept.

  ***

  Bright and early the next morning, Kyle was up and out of bed. He took a quick shower and dressed for an action-packed day. For some reason, a couple of things Santa had said kept rotating through his brain: “. . . the gift of caring . . .”; “. . . with her gift . . .” He couldn’t stop thinking that maybe gifts were the key. Maybe he needed to find the right ones to give his wife and daughter and through them the Magic of Christmas would do its job. But, as before, he was stuck with the dilemma of figuring out what the perfect gifts would be. Both of them had everything they could ever want; he hoped Santa might have some ideas.

  Rushing out of his room, Kyle paused in the hall, realizing he had no idea where to go. To his right, a little ways down the hall, he spotted the stairs and figured going down them would be his best bet. With his renewed energy, his appetite returned as well and his stomach growled loudly as the rich aroma of cooking food floated to him on the air as he descended the stairs. After that, he let his nose guide him to the kitchen.

  He was welcomed in by a plump, short elf in an apron. She was cooking up a huge breakfast and soon had a heaping, steaming plate of food in front of him. She also promised Santa would be down shortly, as he’d never missed one of her breakfasts yet.

  Kyle laughed and ate. He was glad to have some time to himself to think about what he wanted to say to Santa. The solution was going to be complicated and he hoped they would be able to share ideas and resolve the matter quickly.

  Santa arrived in the kitchen with a “ho, ho, ho” that made the cook break into a giggle fit. She hurriedly started making him a plate of food and sat it on the table while he and Kyle greeted each other.

  “Morning, Kyle,” Santa said with a wide grin. “You look much better this morning.”

  “Good morning, Santa. Thanks,” Kyle said, “I feel better. I have some ideas on what can be done for my family.”

  “Do you?” Santa asked, picking up his fork and raising one eyebrow quizzically. “Fill me in while I eat.”

  Excitedly, Kyle jumped into his plan, talking a mile a minute and forgetting about the rest of the food on his plate. He asked about gift ideas and they discussed many options, and right after they’d finished eating they headed over to the workshop to see what they could find.

  Searching for just the right gifts took longer than both of them would have thought. Kyle insisted on selecting more than one present for each Kayla and Cindy, scared that he was making the wrong choice and that he would need a backup just in case.

  “Are you ready, Kyle?” Santa asked, standing in the door to the workshop, eager to get things rolling. It was Christmas Eve after all, and he had somewhere he had to be in a few hours. He also had a special plan, but for it to come to fruition, he needed Kyle’s plan to work.

  Kyle looked down at a low work bench – built at elf level – at what he’d chosen; he sighed. “I think so.” He paused and rubbed his forehead with the fingers. “What if none of them are right? What if the whole plan is wrong? What will I do then?”

  Santa frowned. “You can’t think like that. If it’s what’s in your heart, what you feel is the right thing, then I’m sure it’ll work. Let the Magic of Christmas guide you.”

  Clenching his jaw, Kyle picked up the gifts and turned to the door, and Santa, with determination. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  Together they marched down the main lane of the North Pole, heading toward the hospital where Kyle’s undead wife and daughter were imprisoned like the beasts they were. Elves who were outside, or who spotted them through the windows of their cottages, stopped what they were doing and hurriedly followed behind, creating a procession. It seemed the entire North Pole was rooting for him, and that gave Kyle hope.

  Maybe the Magic of Christmas will be strong enough to save my family, he thought, and for the first time, had hope that things were going to turn out okay.

  That hope fumbled to stay in his heart as Kyle trudged down the halls of the hospital. He stood at the top of the stairs that lead to the basement and the morgue, and looked nervously at the faces around him; they all smiled with encouragement.

  “Go ahead, Kyle,” Santa encouraged and motioned with his arm and hand to the stairwell. “Let Christmas do what it does best – heal the world with hope, happiness, and love.”

  Gulping past the lump in his throat, he took the first step down; the rest quickly followed. Before he knew it he was standing in front of the morgue door, watching his wife and daughter stumble and shamble around the small room, chewing on the bones of one of the elves they’d consumed.

  Looking around, he noticed that most of the elves had followed him down – the ones who could fit in the basement – but they were staying back as two hospital orderlies moved the desk they’d pushed up against the door for reinforcement.

  Once the desk was moved, Kyle laid the gifts on the shining top, looking over what he’d brought. He decided to try his idea on Kay first, because he was more sure of what to give her, and if it worked, there was a good chance it would work on Cindy too. Picking up something he knew she would love, and would make her happy, Kyle turned back to the door.

  “I’m ready,” he said firmly, trying to ignore the butterfli
es that were having a carnival in his stomach. “Open the door.”

  One of the elves stepped forward and slid a key into the lock, turned it, and stepped back. He nodded toward the door and weakly smiled at Kyle, letting him know that was as much as he was willing to do.

  Kyle knew he would be responsible for opening the door, and when he stepped closer, he was glad it would be his task. Cindy was standing close to the entrance and would have probably ripped him apart if they’d opened the door at that moment. He stood and watched for agonizing minutes before Cindy moved aimlessly away from the door and Kay wandered over.

  Being as quiet as he possibly could, he squatted down and eased the door open slightly. Her head jerked up at the movement and a low hiss escaped her torn and bloody lips. She darted forward with her arms raised, ready to grab her father. He waited until the very last moment and raised the teddy bear with the pink bow he’d been hiding behind the door, in front of him. Her small body collided with the bear and a bright flash lit the morgue. It only lasted a moment, but it blinded everyone. While Kyle was blinking, trying to regain his sight, he heard the sweet voice of his little girl.

  “Daddy? You got me a Mrs. Snuggles!” she wrapped her little arms around the fuzzy plush toy and squeezed it for all she was worth. “Thank you!”

  Cindy, having also been blinded, started to hiss and growl when she heard Kay speaking so close to her. But, since she was rendered blind by the flash, she crashed into the short morgue carts and tables, falling to the floor with her outstretched hands mere inches from her healed daughter.

  Kyle quickly scooped Kay into his arms and closed the door, reveling in the soft warmth of his little girl. His plan had worked! There was hope!

  “Kay, sweetheart,” Kyle murmured, “I have someone I would like you to meet. This is Santa Clause!”

  Kay lifted her head and looked at Santa with an expression of shocked awe. The expression, mixed with the blood and gore that still covered her, was extremely comical.

  “Nice to meet you, Kay,” Santa said. “Would you like to go with a couple of my elves and get dressed in something special and pretty for a big surprise?”

  Kay grinned and nodded excitedly. “Can I bring Mrs. Snuggles with me?”

  “Of course!” Santa said, smiled, and motioned for two female elves, who stepped forward and took charge of Kay as Kyle set her down; he had a hard time letting her go, but a slam against the morgue door reminded him he wasn’t finished with his task yet.

  Taking a deep breath as Kay left his sight, Kyle picked something else up off the table; it was a new laptop. He’d remembered Cindy had been pissed at hers for weeks because it wouldn’t do the stuff she wanted. To him, it was the perfect gift.

  Taking a deep breath, he walked back over to the door; inside Cindy was attacking things at random in her rage. Before he could change his mind, he flung the door open and stepped inside. Instantly she spun in his direction, hissing loudly. In a flash he visually took inventory of the woman he loved. Her wounds were gapping and dripped orangish-red blood onto the floor, making it slippery. Her clothes were torn and tattered, not just from the attack, but from clawing at them herself when they’d gotten caught on the carts and tables when she’d fallen; he could see scraps of fabric on their sharp edges and corners. Bits of her flesh beneath peeked out and he witnessed the rot and the grayish/green hue of her skin; he wondered if she could even be the woman she’d once been, because right now, she wasn’t attractive at all.

  Here goes nothing, he thought and plastered a smile on his face. I sure as hell hope this works!

  Holding out the laptop, he screamed, “Merry Christmas!”

  She grabbed a hold of the computer and yanked it, pulling him and the gift closer, trying to bite him.

  He kicked up an out, hard, catching her in the stomach.

  She stumbled back with a screech.

  He darted for the door and yanked it open.

  “Give me the small velvet box,” he screamed just before Cindy grabbed ahold of his shirt and pulled him back inside.

  He slipped on the mixture of bodily fluids on the floor and went down hard; Cindy landed on top of him. His vision started to go dark, but he fought against unconsciousness.

  “Kyle!” he heard a booming voice yell, and forced himself to open his eyes. “Catch!”

  Santa was standing in the doorway, and just as Kyle opened his eyes, he flung something through the air.

  Cindy’s jaws were an inch away from his neck when the box landed in Kyle’s palm.

  With a scared, squeaking, “Merry Christmas!” Kyle slammed the box into the back of Cindy’s head before he passed out cold.

  ***

  Cindy, Kyle, and Kay sat in Santa’s office, waiting for the big surprise he’d told Kay about. They were all holding hands and enjoying each other’s company after all the tragedy that had struck their existence and had almost torn them apart. They jumped when the door flew open.

  “It’s time!” Santa yelled. “Are you ready?”

  They all looked at each other, frowning.

  Kyle stood. “Ready for what?”

  “Ready to help me deliver presents, of course?!” Santa said with a laugh. “I know some foster children who specifically requested your help this year.” He winked at the entire family.

  Kay jumped up and cheered, running to Santa and wrapping her arms around his leg.

  “I really get to help deliver the presents?” she asked, looking up at him with big eyes, full of wonder.

  “Yes, dear,” Santa said, putting his hand lightly on the top of her head and looking down at her. “I couldn’t do it without you.” He looked up at her parents. “How about you two? Are you ready to be Santa’s helpers?”

  “Always!” Kyle yelled excitedly with a broad grin on his face.

  “Sure, let’s get going,” Cindy said, with a twinkle in her eye.

  Santa turned and left the room with Kay right behind him. Kyle started to follow, but Cindy slipped her hand into his and held him back; he turned and looked at her with a quizzical expression on his face.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  Cindy smiled and looked down at the heart shaped, pewter locket that hung around her neck. She picked it up with her free hand and opened it; inside were pictures of Kyle and Kay. She looked up at her husband with tears in her eyes.

  “Thank you for saving us,” she whispered as tears spilled from her eyes and down over her cheeks. “You saved us both. You saved our family.” She stopped speaking, too choked up to get any more words out.

  “Shh,” Kyle said and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around his wife. “I love you and Kay. I would do anything for either of you. Now,” he paused and waited until she looked up at him, “let’s go share the Power of a Gift with others and hope the Magic of Christmas thrives for others like it has for us!”

  Arm in arm, they left the room and joined Santa and Kay in the sleigh, to spread love, hope, peace, and joy to the world.

  About the story from Rebecca Besser:

  “The Power of a Gift first appeared in the The Magic of Christmas ebook on Smash Words in 2011. This story was planned and written to be the sequel to The Magic of Christmas. I even named the characters on the man behind the anthology’s family.

  I wanted to stay with heartwarming feeling and the happy endings, since it was also written for a charity anthology.

  I hope you’ve agree that I’ve succeeded and are happy to end this collection on a happy, inspiring note.

  Thanks for reading!”

  AUTHOR BIOS

  Rebecca Besser is the author of "Undead Drive-Thru, Undead Regeneration, Cursed Bounty, Twisted Pathways of Murder & Death, Nurse Blood," and, "Hall of Twelve." She’s also a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature. Her work has appeared in the Coshocton Tribune, Irish Story Playhouse, Spaceports & Spidersilk, joyful!, Soft Whispers, Illuminata, Common Threads, Golden Visions Magazine, Stories That Lift, Super Teacher Worksheets, Living Dead
Press Presents Magazine (Iss. 1 & 2), FrightFest eMagazine, An Xmas Charity Ebook, The Stray Branch, and The Undead That Saved Christmas (Vol. 1 & 2) and the Signals From The Void charity anthologies. She has multiple stories in anthologies by Living Dead Press, Wicked East Press, Pill Hill Press, Hidden Thoughts Press, Knight Watch Press, Coscom Entertainment, Crowded Quarantine Publications, and Collaboration of the Dead (projects), and one (each) in an anthology by Post Mortem Press, NorGus Press, Evil Jester Press, Horrified Press, Atria Books (S&S Digital), and Nocturnal Press Publications. She also has a poem in an anthology by Naked Snake Press.

  Rebecca Besser’s nonfiction children's article about skydiving, written for her writing course with the Institute of Children's Literature, was published by McGraw Hill for NY Assesments.

  Rebecca Besser’s Undead Series will be published in 2015/2016. Her Undead Series includes, (the re-release of) Undead Drive-Thru, the sequel, Undead Regeneration, and the prequel, Undead Origins.

  Rebecca Besser is also an editor and has edited: Dark Dreams: Tales of Terror, Dead Worlds 7: Undead Stories, and Book of Cannibals 2: The Hunger from Living Dead Press; Earth's End from Wicked East Press; End of Days: An Apocalyptic Anthology (Vol. 4 & 5/co-edited) from Living Dead Press; and she co-edited Feast or Famine (a zombie anthology).

  When Rebecca Besser is not busy writing and/or editing, she is formatting book covers, building/maintaining websites, and writing book reviews.

  For more information, visit her website: http://www.rebeccabesser.com

  Read her blog: rebeccabesser.wordpress.com

  Follow her on Twitter: @BeccaBesser

  Courtney Rene lives in the State of Ohio with her husband and two children. She is a graduate and member of the Institute of Children’s Literature. Her writings include magazine articles, short fiction stories, several anthologies, as well as her young adult novels, A Howl in the Night and the Shadow Dancer series, published through Rogue Phoenix Press. For a complete listing, visit www.ctnyrene.blogspot com or feel free to contact her at ctnyrene@aol.com.