In a fairy tale world, you would expect friends and families getting together to celebrate Christmas Day. For some people, Christmas is all about fun. Children would wake up early to open their presents under the Christmas tree; the adults would sit in front of the cozy fireplace with their hot chocolate, catching up with each other. Even Santa Claus would come to your house if you offered him enough cookies and milk.

It's a fairy tale after all. People expect good endings where bygones are bygones, pixie dust and sparkles where everything the light touches are your own kingdom to rule.

How about that shadowy place? That's beyond all borders, one shall never simply go there.

I was there.

I was there that night.

I was there with my family, Mom and Dad. By theory a family together would generally be viewed as a happy scene. Little did I know that a grave new world awaits beyond that four empty wall.

Eyes widened, breaths ragged and harsh. They'd heard it coming; the swish of a blade right across their throats, like a menacing whisper. It didn't seem to come from any direction, just a sound that encapsulated everyone inside the cocoon of fear and hopelessness. Mom and Dad struck the ground, hard, and lay there thrashing and twitching. The life in their eyes faded slowly until the iris merged with the whites, streams of blood had tumbled and spread into the white spume clouding mouth until both of them fell into the ever-consuming oblivion below.

"Another number quickly learns the rules, a hidden burner waits to point at you......"

I can't hear my rapid breathing, but I can feel the oxygen flooding in and out of my lungs. Hesitantly, my eyes look at the dead corpse before me, my parents it killed.

Fear tortures my guts, agitating my stomach in tauted aches.

Fear inundate my conscience, knocking all other thoughts aside.

In this intense silence I screamed with my whole body and eyes wide with terror.

"Bid goodbye to all you knew and loved, forget the only life that you knew here......"

The time had slipped by me with no peace in sight, it had taken my family away from me. I tried to get up but quickly realized how vain it was when I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out. Regardless, I needed to get out of here, away from that thing.

For me, Christmas just wasn't the same for me anymore. Someone had bought tickets to hell that day, but I was the one who took the ride.