there. She looked around and noticed everything was in place. Even his game boy that he never leaves for a second was right there on the bed. She started feeling a bit scared, scared of what exactly. She couldn’t tell. She looked at the clock it was only 5am. “The café can’t be opened at this hour,” she thought aloud. “Could what her mother saw in her dream be unfolding?” she asked herself, but she immediately shook it off her head. She alerted Amanda who immediately told max. “We need not to panic” he calmed everyone. Lucy who left to check on the people that they supposed had played out their trick were not yet back. She had even entered Jason’s room and he was neither there. “They aren’t back yet, and Jason’s isn’t in his room” Lucy ran towards them saying this. “We don’t have to panic; this is the height of it all. This is no longer funny,” Amanda, shouted facing max as if he had been the one that planned it or knew their where about. “We don’t have to panic right?” she said still facing Max but this time sarcastically. Five people had virtually gone missing without anyone knowing where they had gone. They sky brightened as day broke, either everyone outside were busy greeting someone, hugging or kissing their loved ones.
This is how Christmas is been celebrated in pashville. They usually had an early morning work with the mayor, something like a carnival. Many people wore beautiful outfits with colourful make-ups, spreading flowers with attracting scents in the sky. The jugglers always had different show each year that usually left the watchers astonished. They pretty women in their skimpy outfits were necessary watch by the young lads whom usually make side remarks as they came closer to them. Some wives usually hated this time because they could see the lustful look on their husbands eyes, not minding the stood besides their wives. The children for sure had they best moment when the big-ballooned Father Christmas is riding on his sleigh and throwing candies in the sky. The children would rush, scramble on each other in other to pick more than one candy. After this carnival, they mayor would declare the Christmas celebration open by light the Christmas tree that was kept at the entrance of the county gate. This Christmas tree was as tall as a skyscraper, beautifully decorated with so many lights, flowers, balls and candy sticks. Many people loved going around the tree with their loved ones taking picture and laughing.
“Good morning, I’m agent Tom from pashville police station. There was a call from this motel about cases of missing persons about five or six” the guy said this as he walked in with his uniform that looked as if he took fifty hours to get it properly ironed. “Yea! I called, our friends are missing, please do something” Amanda who had thought it was a prank the previous night had come to realize this was no longer a child play. “Madam please calm down, just explain all that has happen since your arrival” agent Tom said trying to stop her from over reacting. Max decided to narrate the whole incident as he saw how Amanda was reacting. “Why didn’t you call immediately you realized they were no where to be found” agent Tom said almost getting angry. “Probably it wouldn’t have repeated itself again” Tom’s assistant added immediately. The agents calmed them down and promised to act on it. They agents who didn’t need such work on such a day, Christmas day, lackadaisically went back to their station and sent out some men out in search f them. We don’t have to stop this beautiful day you know, probably they are hanging out somewhere” Tom’s assistant said and the both laughed.
Amanda switched of the TV, which sang beautiful songs and was thinking what if happened in 1980 is repeating itself again. This was a time when people started dying mysteriously. No one knew the cause of this death and it forced people out of their homes. Max immediately opened Amanda door with others behind him saying, “We have to stick together, girls in one room, guys in one room until we confirm it’s not a kidnap”. Everyone kept quiet and it indirectly means that they all agreed to what he was saying. “I’ ve got an idea, we need to see that tour guide, he may know something about this, remember when I asked him that question at the bottom of the hill, he almost got angry and didn’t answer me.” She said facing everyone. “Yes and what about it” a girl asked, “Lets go, follow me” Amanda replied without answering the question. “We can’t go any where now, we’ve got to be more careful” Max persuaded. “Besides today is Christmas, we came here for fun and not all this shit,” Tony said leaving the room with his girlfriend. “Wait wai… you shouldn’t go…” Max shouted as he tried stopping them from going but the door banged on his face. “Am going if your not going” Amanda insisted as she carried her jacket. Max wouldn’t let her go there by herself, so he had to go as well as Lucy and the rest of them. Everything goes normal in the area, as the police didn’t want panic on such a day, they left things on a low key. Amanda now thinking was this how this beautiful was going to be, max on the other hand was still praying to his stars that all this would end and he could focus on how to tell Amanda all he had ever wanted to tell her since fifth grade. They had walked for almost thirty minutes and still they hadn’t got at the guides house. “Hello! Is anyone here” max shouted as the saw that everywhere was under lock and key, they turned round the house to see if there was some one who could tell them the where about of the the tour guide was.
Back at pashville police station, agent Tom had just heard that two bodies where found at the edge of the woods; it was Tony, and his girlfriend who left the room and one floating beside the river, which was Jason. Their bodies had pieces several marks because of the stabbings on their chest. Agent Tom now became serious and alerted all units that a serial killer is on the loose who is probably attacking the tourists. “So far, how come it’s only this people that are missing?” Tom’s assistant asked. “Shit, the others, they have to be warned; Guard the motel and tell them to stick together” agent Tom said hitting the table and picking his phone. It was too late as they were far deep in the woods, Max phone rang but couldn’t here a thing and it switched off immediately as he forgot to charge it the previous day. They police had tried reaching them when the reported to agent Tom that they weren’t at the motel. Agent Tom had to send a search team to comb every nook and cranny of the area. “We need to go back, like right now” Lucy insisted. “Why won’t he be here, did he run” Amanda still trying to phantom why the tour guide wasn’t there. “Wait Max! isn’t this Antoine’s bag” Amanda shouted. What could his bag be doing here, he should be home” Max said as if he knew something strange was happening. “Did he forget his bag? Even if he did, it shouldn’t be here. “The tour guide, he has killed Antoine, can’t you see it?” another person said. “No, this isn’t true, noooo!” Lucy shouted in tears and closing her ears as if she had heard an evil sound. Lucy had started returning and they followed immediately. A figure ran passed in front of the bush. Lucy saw it and thought it was only an animal, but when it passed again, she saw it more clearly and it looked as if it was a human being. “Did you see that, did you just see that” she said looking terrified. Everyone stopped to see if there was anything or maybe and animal but there wasn’t anything. They continued though more frightened. “I just saw it,” Amanda screamed and now everyone believed and before the knew what was happening, the guy behind them was gone. They found trails of blood and human offal. “What just happened, wait, he was just there with us wasn’t he,” Lucy said hysterically. Amanda began to cry, as she couldn’t stand the sight of blood. She was trembling and could barely stand on her feet. They were four left and they all tried reaching they police but to no avail. They were all frightened and when the figure passed, they took to their hills thinking it was that human figure and Amanda fell into a gully Max had run into another corner. They were all separated as they came out checking round them, they called out to one another, Amanda’s voice wasn’t heard, they thought she had been taken by this fierce looking figure, but actually it was the another guy that was gone. “Amy! Amy!” Max screamed on top of his voice as he combed the bushes with his fingers and found Amanda unconscious. Her head hit a stone when she fell down. “Ama! Wake up, please wake up” Lucy said it in tears.
Lucy now repeated her mothers dream to max and how she warned her not to go, but she didn’t listen. Amanda now coughed and slowly opened her eyes, Max was so happy that he couldn’t hide his joy, he kissed her. Lucy confirmed her thoughts between Max and Amanda, but that wasn’t the issue now. They just had to find a way to get out of the woods before they disappear like the others. They had to walk together and slowly because Amanda had sustained an injury on her feet. “I never wished for this, this wasn’t the type Christmas I wanted.” she said as she cried not knowing whether it was the pain from the foot injury or the fact that their life was in danger. I wanted something adventurous and fun, this is no fun, and I wish I stayed with grandma,” she continued. “That’s Todd over there!” Lucy screamed as she saw him lying some few meters away from them. They rushed and found that his chest stabbed in three places and was breathing his last. “Todd, please don’t say a thing, we would get us out of this” Max promised