An Attack On Christmas

A battle for Christmas. 3/52 4.24.16

Attack On Christmas

 

            Snowballs exploded to his left and right as he dodged the frozen ordinance. He ducked behind a tree and grabbed a hot chocolate grenade from his black leather bandolier wrapped across his red and white fur lined coat, pulling one of the pins and tossing it across the field toward his enemy. He could hear their shrieks as some of them fell and blended into the snow, their bodies lost forever in the white beyond. “Eat coal,” he yelled as he fired black-death from the shoulder cannon lying next to him. His aim was off in his haste, but he couldn’t let that slow him down. Seconds after, he watched as a group of his men dressed in red and green stockings and green felt clothes came to his side.

            “Sir, we’ve prepped the soldiers.”

           

            “Ho, Ho, Ho… Good.”

 

            “Anything else Sir?”

 

            “Make sure to keep Mrs. Clause safe, and let the bombadeers know I need a drop at these coordinates, understand.” He pointed at a map and faced it toward the group.

 

            Yes Sir!” The small unit scurried off though the trees. They had their orders.

 

Mr. Clause watched as the horde of snowmen lined up in long rows, then rearmed themselves for another assault. A deafening roar echoed through the dense pine forest that surrounded him. “Abominable, I know you're out there. I’m taking you off the naughty list, this time permanently!”

The wind picked up and a blizzard blew over the area. He knelt for cover while at the same time trying to keep an eye on their advance. The wind made the visibility almost nil, but he could hear the soft clang of bells from above and see a faint red glow. “Ho, ho, ho.” He let out a chuckle when he saw what was coming from above. Again the snowmen let loose a barrage of ice hard snowballs that peppered the area, knocking down several branches, almost burying him up to his knees in the fallen snow.

He trudged across the new power in a false retreat and dipped behind a large group of boulders camouflaged in snow. They formed a shallow cave that he used as a weapons cache. Mr. Clause bent down and grabbed a rolled up leather strap with a thick black handle. Colored red and green lights decorated it in a menacing fashion.

He reached over and picked up a rifle. Its cookie scent hit his nose. After checking the chamber he dropped the magazine from the bottom and inspected it. Several thinly baked chocolate chip cookies were already in the stack, but he rooted around the area for another box of the delicious discs. Just before he could locate one, the ground violently shook and the stones shifted. Mr. Clause poked his head around the rocks. The bombadeers had let loose a barrage upon the snowmen. The Hot Chocolate Bombs proved effective as three-quarters of the enemies that were once marching toward him, now were not. The force had destroyed the trees in the immediate area, but everything past the blast remained intact.

Deep holes perforated the snow-covered area, creating crevasses along the Snowmen’s path. He couldn’t make out how many were still standing between the blizzard, and the upheaval of so much snow. Still, he rushed back to his secure position behind the familiar tree. This time though, he wasn’t alone. A battalion of men, short, but rifles at the ready was laid out in formational rows, twelve men long, and forty men deep.

“Sir,” they all said at once, “What are your orders?”

 

“I need you to reinforce that ridge over there, you understand?”

 

Down, but not out, he watched as the small group of snowmen peppered the area again, their aim still not up to the task. A few even sacrificed their appearance and threw orange spikes in his direction. He watched as they penetrated the trees and flew toward his home, breaking several of his windows.

“Noooo!” he yelled as he popped out from behind the tree and returned his own barrage. Time seemed to slow down and he watched as each cookie shot from the barrel and flew off like a Frisbee toward its target. The wind however was too strong, and each, one by one, missed their intended marks.

Click. Click. Click. The noise echoed out through the pines and brought him back to reality. Sweat beaded from under his red and white hat and rolled down his face. His features contorted, his lip quivered in anger. He raised both of his arms and bellowed out a low rumble. He watched as a large white snowball came toward him and smashed into his chest, sending him flying into a tree twenty feet behind.

Mr. Clause rolled over onto his back. His vision was blurry, and the air that was in his lungs had been forced out by the impact. He fought for breath while struggling to stand. Fearing that the other side had advanced he pulled the pin and tossed a grenade in their general direction. He heaved as breathing resumed, but his body felt weak and he could barely stand.

Several of the small army men had found their targets, and Clause watched as they, in short order, and had dispatched the remaining snowmen. “Abominable,” he yelled, “It’s just you and me. Come get some.”

The Abominable surged through the forest, knocking down trees as it came toward him. The roars of anger filled the area and soon the beast was standing before him, its bright yellow eyes piercing his. Its off-white fir with light brown spots almost masked it into the background. With its lips curled, it revealed yellow, saliva dripping gnarled teeth.

“You don’t scare me.” He loosed his empty bandolier and removed the thick red jacket, dropping it on the ground. The tight fitted cotton shirt underneath revealed his muscular build, the muscles lightly twitching and awaiting action. He adjusted the red suspenders that wrapped around his shoulders and reached in his left back pocket.

The leather strap hung to his side, glowing brightly, but now all the lights were red. They pulsed with each breath and lit the area around them. “Ahh!” Clause jumped forward, twirling his arm above his head and snapped the whip at his foe. The bulb and metal tips whipped across Abominable’s chest, ripping long claw like tears in its skin. The beast, infuriated, sped forward and slashed with razor sharp claws at his face, barely missing the edge of his nose. Again, his whip came forward and cracked at the monster’s shoulder. This time the cuts were deep and the beast howled into the night.

They circled each other. Mr. clause waiting for an opening, and no doubt his enemy was doing the same. He whirled his whip again and aimed for center mass, the red light’s intensity matching his temperament.

Abominable crouched its large frame low and launched, swiping razor sharp nails in a furry. Each swing missed, but the claws dug into the sides of Mr. Clause and he was pinned. The creature lifted him up and slammed him into the snow, burring his head in it. The snow pushed against his face as he hit the ground, then he was tossed backward in the direction of his home only a couple hundred yards away. He could feel the cold all around him. Something was slamming into his back repeatedly.

Mr. Clause stood up only long enough to watch a fist catch his left cheek. The force sent him spinning and back down into the snow. The beast had a hold of his ankle, dragging him through the snow, closer to home. With a loud roar he was slammed into the ground again. He fought to stay conscious as he clenched at the beast’s hand, trying to free himself. He pried a finger loose and then slammed his forearm into his enemies elbow, overextending it. He was free, and within seconds on his feet throwing a myriad of punches at the animal.

Many of his strikes missed, but the few that met their target had caused his foe to collapse. He peered around and saw the lights of his weapon glowing nearby. Without hesitation he walked over to the beast and slammed his fist into its neck. The beast sunk lower in the snow and its body went limp. Clause went and picked up his leather whip and walked back over to the beast, which was still face down in the snow.

“I told you, don’t you ever let me see you around here again.” His voice was calm and his actions followed. He wrapped the long strap around the beast’s neck and wrenched it, pulling as hard as he could. The creature struggled, chocking from the lack of air. It’s body convulsed and it chocked harder.

“Santa,” he heard from beside him.

A red light glowed in his face as he looked up and met the eyes of Rudolph, his youngest, but brightest reindeer.

“He’s unconscious Santa.”

            Clause looked around at the group of his friends that were staring back at him. All the reindeer, elves, and most importantly Mrs. Clause, standing there in the freezing cold, their eyes locked on to his. His anger lessened and he loosened his grip, and then let go. The animal’s head fell to the ground and it heaved for breath.

            “Tie him up,” he said as he walked over and wrapped his hands around Mrs. Clause. “Call the marshal.”

Those were his last words as he disappeared inside his home, his wife in hand.

Author's Note

This is the 3rd story in my 52 week challenge. Thanks for taking the time to read it. Review if you can. I would appreciate the feedback.

Reviews

[Shannon]

An original story idea for certain. The fight scene felt like something out of an action film for sure...

[James Whitefall]

I'm still learning about my voice and the type of writing I enjoy. So far I really enjoy shorter works. Each story I write I approach at a different angle. This story has a line referencing a popular action/war movie. I thought it was pretty funny to include it. Thanks for the review.

[Shannon]

Me too. On all accounts! And of course you are welcome.