By Noah Dean Gonzales
The icy air wrapped around Ebenezer in a death grip.
He shivered, watching his warm breath leave his thin lips. The land before him was desolate, with only abandoned buildings to tell of the once lively city.
That’s what scared him.
An idiot! That’s what you are! Ebenezer scolded himself, pulling his fur coat tighter. The wind howled, biting at his wrinkled skin.
The hollow windows stared back at him like empty eye sockets pleading for mercy, and the doorless doorways acted as gaping mouths, echoing the cries of their former residents.
Ebenezer growled, lighting a cigar and putting it between his lips. It was the only warmth he could get nowadays.
After the collapse.
He groaned at the memory and hobbled down toward his office. Everyone blamed the collapse on his greed.
“Underpaid workers who suffer from overtaxing,” the women said.
If only that were true.
Shoving his hands in his pockets, he kicked open the door to his old office.
“A bunch of lying, grimy women!” he bellowed, plopping down in his worn, leather chair. “I ought to have locked each one up!”
The record book lay open on his splintered desk. It was all the evidence he needed to prove the women wrong. Too late now though. They’d already left. The cowards.
Letting out a cry, he threw the book across the hardwood floor.
“Ah!” Pounding on his desk, he chewed on the end of his cigar. “It was the rumor… It had to have been! Monsters—preposterous!” He tossed a glance out his broken window, a fresh gust of icy wind slapping against his face.
Then he heard Humbug’s howl. That mangy mutt always howled, but this was louder than usual.
“Humbug!” he yelled. “Shut that mouth of yours!”
The howling continued.
It rang in his ears, and he muttered more than a few foul curses. “I ought to shoot that dog,” he grumbled. “Like I’m not miserable enough…”
Snatching his cane, he shuffled out of his office and into the barren street.
Humbug scurried toward him, whimpering.
“You darn dog!” He raised his cane to strike the beast but stopped himself. His brow furrowed, and he lowered his arm.
Humbug’s dirty grey hair was stained with blood, particularly his leg.
Another gust of wind rushed over Ebenezer, this time bringing a sense of dread with it.
The dog limped and whined, his dark brown eyes struck with fear.
Fear was a wretched thing, yet Ebenezer felt it claw at his heart, too. He bent down, placing a hand on Humbug’s head. “What happened to you, boy?” he asked.
Humbug replied with a whine.
Another howl broke the air, this one almost a shriek. The noise sent the dog into a frenzy, and he barked like a vicious beast. Ebenezer snapped his attention to the alley of which the howl had come from.
Fear’s bony fingers squeezed his heart harder, wringing all courage from it. His eyes went wide and his body trembled. “Stay boy,” he mumbled. Tightening his grip on his cane, he stood.
There was a long moment of silence, and all Ebenezer Scrooge could hear was the pounding of his own heart.
He raised his cane, preparing to face some savage animal. A wolf? A coyote? Another stray dog?
Inching toward the alleyway, he began questioning his decision. Was a stray dog or wolf really worth the fuss?
He clenched his teeth and snorted. Of course. This was his town. Humbug was enough trouble; he didn’t need another idiotic animal roaming his streets.
“Hey! You better scram!” he cried as he rounded the corner into the alley. He surveyed the area, panting.
A pale, shapely woman sat on a barrel staring at him. Her eyes didn’t blink. Her mouth didn’t move.
She just stared.
“Hello?” Ebenezer’s mind was clouded in confusion, yet curiosity grabbed at him.
Her plump lips curved into a devilish smile. The wind picked up her thin, blond hair and the end of her nightgown.
“Hello, Ebenezer Scrooge,” she said. Her voice seemed to echo off the walls, and it dripped with sweetness.
“Who are you?”
The woman slid off the barrel, twirling in a way that accentuated her beautiful form. “Must I introduce myself? You know who I am, Ebenezer.”
“I don’t know you…” Ebenezer’s breathing intensified.
The woman closed the distance between them, her feet seeming to float above the ground. Ebenezer attempted to back away, but she grabbed his wrist with a grip as solid as stone.
“You love me…” She almost sang the words, pressing her soft, warm lips to Ebenezer’s.
Ebenezer pulled away from the woman and lifted his cane high. “I warn you!” he growled. “Don’t come closer!”
“But Scrooge!” She still didn’t blink. “I gave you this town. Because of me, you’re rich.”
“No!” He yelled. “I don’t know who you are! Get away!”
The woman huffed, throwing her hands up toward the heavens. “Scrooge, I am Greed.”
Terror stabbed at Ebenezer’s mind, embedding itself in it like a dozen shards of glass. “No, you must be a ghost!”
She laughed, her voice blending in with the wind. “I am no ghost.” Her eyes narrowed and a horrific shadow fell across her face. Her fair skin darkened, and her blue eyes lost their sparkle. “I am… I am a Nightmare.”
Ebenezer shrieked. “Leave me alone!” He hurried from the alley, tripping over his own feet. “Humbug!”
The dog didn’t respond.
He glanced over his shoulder, tendrils of horror slipping through his veins.
The woman slowly morphed into a wolf. Her once alluring face was now distorted by the ugly snout of a blood-thirsty canine. Standing on two feet, she bared her sharp teeth. Her nightgown ripped, unable to contain the thick fur underneath. After emitting a howl, she charged at Ebenezer.
He screamed once more, sprinting until his lungs burned, his hands went numb, and his joints ached.
All he could do was run and hope Greed didn’t devour him.
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