Snowflakes gently fell down, fluttering around each other before joining the white powder on the ground. A young girl leaned against a window frame looking out at the fresh snow outside. She loved to watch it slowly make its way through the night air to join the rest of its fellow snowflakes in the snow. Although her favorite thing was the way the snow glistened under the moonlight which made it look like shining diamonds at night. 

“Sweetie why are you still awake? You need to go to bed.” the young girl’s mother commented as she approached.  

“But Mama I don’t want to go to bed! I want to watch the snow!” The young girl complained as she turned around. The mother of the girl sighed and shook her head with a small smile. 

“If you don’t go to bed then Santa won’t bring you any presents. You don’t want that do you?” 

“No, Mama…” The young girl sighed, and then she stepped forward and took ahold of her mother’s hand.  

“Let’s get you to bed now.” The mother remarked as she led the young girl upstairs. 

The snow pelted down on Carol and the soldiers behind her, laying in crisp layers on their shoulders. The snow looked bleak and cold, only reflecting the lights of the Capitol behind them. Carol and her soldiers faced the gates in front of the Capitol, the sounds of screeches and clawing coming from the other side. Every year they did this. It was the only way.  

Carol could see her breath in the cold air. She could feel the snow accumulating upon her shoulders and the top of her helmet. Her lips and nose felt cold and numb from the sharp frigid winds. With a deep breath Carol brought down the visor of her helmet over her face. 

The young girl sat on a pillow in front of the fireplace with her focus of a handmade wreath above the mantel. She could feel the warmth of the fire against her which made her sleepy, but her focus never strayed from the wreath.  

“Carol, sweetie what are you doing?” The voice of her father asked as he walked into the living room. He sat down beside her and looked up at the wreath. “Oh? Do you like the wreath?” he asked. 

“I’m counting the berries,” the young girl responded. “But I keep losing count.” 

“Aww, it’s okay. No need to get upset. You could’ve just asked, and your mother or I would’ve just told you.” her father responded. 

“But I want to count them.” She pouted with her focus still on the wreath. The father glanced over at the clock and noticed the time. It was getting late. 

“Hmm, alright. But once you get them counted you need to go to bed. Do you want me to count with you?” her father asked.  

“No, I can count them on my own.” 

The toyon berries shook aggressively from the harsh cold wind of the night as fresh blood splattered in speckled dots onto the compacted snow. Carol dug her sword further into the side of a Wisp before ripping it out and swinging the sword at the creature’s head. She took a step back while the wind swirled up snow around her. She brought up an armored arm to block another incoming attack. She pushed the Wisp back and swung her blade at its neck, slicing through its decrepit skin and bone. Her sword was stained in the creature’s fresh foul-smelling blood.  

“General!” the desperate cry came from behind her, and Carol spun around kicking up snow from around her in the process. A soldier was carrying off another injured soldier whilst attempting to fend against a group of Wisps trying to attack. Carol raised her sword and charged forward, kicking up snow with her armored boots. She shoved herself between the soldiers and the beasts, swinging her sword with all her might. Snow flew up around her as the Wisps scurried around her while she fought them off. 

The soldiers managed to get away while Carol sliced away at groups of Wisps. One of them approached while hissing at her. Carol screamed back at it before swinging her sword and slicing it in two. She turned around to find where the soldiers she defended had managed to escape too. Instead, she was greeted with the sight of both soldiers laying in reddened snow as Wisps tore away limbs of their bodies. Carol yelled, bringing the attention over to herself. The creatures reared their heads, some hissing and screeching. Carol raised her sword with a deep breath and charged forward. 

The girl giggled gleefully as she ran through the snow with her father chasing after her. She stopped for a brisk moment to scoop up the powdered snow with a gloved hand before she ran off again. She packed the snow into a ball and spun around to toss it at her father. He cackled as he brought up his arms to shield himself.  

“Raah!” He yelled as he charged forward and picked up the girl. She giggled and swung around in her father’s arms. 

“Noo! The snowman got mee!” She giggled as her father twirled around with her in his arms.  

“Alright you two, don’t you think you’ve been outside long enough?” The mother’s voice came from the doorway of the home. The father and the girl looked over as the woman leaned against the doorframe with a small smile. “I made hot chocolate~” She added. 

“Hot chocolate!” The girl gasped. “Papa, Papa I want hot chocolate!”  

“Okay, okay! Hot chocolate it is!” her father said as he walked back to the house. 

The girl sat eagerly at the table watching her mother prepare her a mug of hot chocolate. She cheered as the mug was placed before her. She carefully cupped her chilled hands around the mug, savoring the warmth from the hot chocolate inside. She enjoyed the feeling of her palms warming up. 

Carol had grown accustomed to the feeling of warm blood on her palms. Whether it be from a Wisp or a soldier, it was all the same. She trudged through the snow towards one of the makeshift nurses’ tents outside the Capitol, carrying one of the soldiers in her arms. His blood was still fresh, and his body was mostly intact unlike the other soldier. She ducked under the tarp opening of the tent and searched for an open bed to lay him down on. Nestled in the back corner of the tent she found an open bed, and carefully she placed his body down. With immense care she took off the helmet to see the face of the soldier. He appeared to be a young man, no older than twenty. 

“General, is everything okay? I saw you carrying in a soldier…” The nurse’s voice dropped off as she recognized the face of the soldier laying on the bed. “…No, no…” Her voice began to tremble. 

“I’m sorry ma’am, but he’s long gone… there’s nothing anyone can do.” Carol apologized. 

“No! My baby!” The woman sobbed as she rushed over to the soldier’s bed side. “No, no! My boy, my baby!” She shrieked as she clutched his bloodied, armored hand.  

Carol took a step back as she watched the scene unfold in front of her. She had gotten used to the cries of mothers when they saw the dead bodies of their children, but something about this peculiar one sent shivers to her core. Perhaps it was because the young soldier looked so similar to her. Blonde, curly locks and once tanned skin turned pale. His mother also resembled her own mother, with a darker completion and tightly curled hair. It brought her back to that night twenty-three years ago. 

The girl woke up to a loud commotion downstairs. At first, she thought it might’ve been her father stumbling into something, but that quickly changed when she heard the sound of glass shattering. Cautiously she got out of her bed and stepped out of her room. The commotion had gotten louder, and she could hear what sounded like a wild animal screaming. She flinched when a loud thud and more screaming came from downstairs. As she was about to take a step downstairs her mother ran past the bottom of the stairs, with something darting after her. The girl took a step back, gasping as she heard the creature screech again. 

Her mother ran past the stairs again, but this time she took a sharp turn and began to rush up the stairs. Without a word said she grabbed the girl by her arm and bolted into a bedroom around the corner. 

“Mama, what is that thing-” The girl paused as she saw blood splattered on her mother’s night gown, and a long-jagged claw mark across her arm, “Mama! Are you okay? Where’s Papa?” she asked frantically. Up until now her mother had been gasping for her breath, but now tears were forming in her eyes.  

“He’s- your Papa…” Her voice shook as tears began to fall from her eyes. Realization sat in on the girl and it felt like the weight of everything had just collapsed onto her. She watched with blurry eyes as her mother began to sob and slowly sink down to the floor. The girl sat down beside her mother and wrapped her arms around her.  

“I’m so sorry my baby… I’m so sorry…” Her mother reached a bloodied hand out to caress her face. “Its… It’s going to be okay. You’ll get out of here; you’ll get to somewhere safe…” Her mother clutched the dagger in her hand and shakily handed it to her. 

“What about you Mama?” The girl asked as she was handed the bloodied dagger. 

“Don’t worry about me… Come along now…” her mother sobbed as she stood up. She tightly took hold of the girl’s hand and guided her out of the bedroom and carefully down the stairs. In the distance the girl could hear what sounded like crunching and sloppy, aggressive chewing. She peered past her mother and felt all the air leave her lungs. The same creature that had been chasing her mother earlier was now hunched over her father’s body, tearing and eating away at his flesh and bone.  

Her mother quickly tugged her away and slowly walked towards the back door, trying her hardest to miss the creaky floorboards. But as her mother stepped forward the floorboard under her squeaked. She froze as the sounds of the creature feasting went silent. The sound of claws scraping across the wooden floor quickly approached, and the girl’s mother shoved her away and towards the back door.  

“CAROL RUN!” Her mother screamed before the creature pinned her down under one it its claws and latched its teeth around the back of her neck.  

Carol stood frozen in fear as the creature began to claw and tear away at her mother. She could hear as its teeth dug so far into her mother’s flesh it snapped the bone. It felt like her blood had run cold for a split second, only to rear back to life with a sharp burn. She tightened her grip around the handle of the dagger before screaming and running forward. The creature raised its head from tearing into her mother, and Carol quickly dug the dagger blade into the side of its neck. The creature shrieked and tried to claw at her, but Carol was too small and quick. She ripped the dagger out and shoved the beast back with force before charging again and tackling it down.  

Repeatedly Carol stabbed the dagger into the neck and head of the creature, screaming each time she dug the blade into the creature. Blood splattered on her, across the walls and the floor. The beast’s shrieks were growing fainter, and being drowned out by Carols screams and sobs. She tugged the dagger out of the creature’s neck and raised it high above her head before plunging it right into the middle of its head. She heard the crunch as the blade passed through its skull. 

Carol grabbed the dagger from her belt and dug its blade into the side of a Wisp that had her pinned down. Again, and again she stabbed it until she was able to throw it off her. She jolted up from the snow and ran for her sword that had been knocked from her hand when it attacked. She picked up her sword and spun around, right as the beast lunged at her. Her sword sliced through the air and through the flesh and bone of its body, slicing it in half. The fresh Wisp blood on her sword made her crinkle up her nose in disgust from the smell.  

Another screech came from behind her, Carol spun around raising her sword to shield herself from the incoming Wisp attack. She shoved the Wisp back and swung her sword at the creature which jumped back from her blade. It scurried around her before pouncing forward again. Repeatedly she blocked the Wisp’s attacks, which brought more attention from other Wisps. Carol looked around as more of them circled around her while hissing and screeching. She took a shaky breath before raising her sword again. 

Multiple Wisps jolted forward with their gnarly teeth bared. Carol swung her sword at them, cutting and slicing their bodies. She spun around and crouched down as a Wisp pounced over her head. She jolted up and stabbed her blade into the creature’s side causing it to screech. She ripped her sword out and swung at its neck. Blood splattered into the already stained snow as the creature’s head separated from the rest of its body and rolled across the snow. 

Carol collapsed face first into the snow, her legs being tugged out from under her. She rolled over as a Wisp launched forward. She brought up her arms to block the vicious attack, the creature clamped its jaws down on the armor on her arms. Carol managed to pry one of her arms from the beast’s jaws, and she then began to repeatedly punch its face. Finally, the Wisp let go, long enough for Carol to grab her dagger and stab it into the creature’s neck. She dragged the blade across the Wisp’s throat and grabbed ahold of its jaw with her other hand. Then with as much force as she could muster, she ripped the beast’s head off. Blood splattered across her and some of its spine was still connected to its neck. She tossed the Wisp’s head away and pushed its body off her.  

Carol slowly stood up and reached for her sword whilst gasping for air. In the distance she could see the faint glimmers of dawn over the horizon. She heard faint screeches behind her, and she spun around, anticipating a charging Wisp. The remaining Wisps that hadn’t been killed yet screeched and tried to scurry away from the sunlight, hissing as their skin bubbled and burned. They ran for the gates, trying to find any sort of shade to escape the sunlight. Carol heard a faint screech beside her, and she looked over, seeing a Wisp dragging itself to her. She raised her sword and plunged it into the beast’s skull. With a dying cry the creature’s body burned away from the sunlight. 

She looked forward, seeing her soldiers carrying the dead and injured off of the battlefield. Carol removed her helmet and took a deep breath while she savored the faintly warm rays of sunlight. The bells above the Capitol rung with a familiar tune, announcing that Christmas Day had arrived. Carol closed her eyes and inhaled a shaky breath before sheathing her sword and making her way to the front of the Capitol.