The snow fell heavy that Christmas Eve, blanketing the empty streets. Only one car moved, its tires crunching softly over the frost-covered asphalt. Inside, James gripped the steering wheel, squinting through the windshield, the night darker than usual. The radio crackled with faint holiday tunes as he passed a small, dimly lit café. He had driven by this road countless times and never noticed it.
Needing a break, he pulled over. The warmth hit him as he stepped inside. The café was oddly festive, though not in a cheery way. Tinsel hung in uneven strands, and the lights flickered like weak embers. There was only one person inside: a stranger seated at the counter, facing away from the door. Their posture was too still, as if frozen in place.
James ordered a coffee and sat in the far corner, his eyes drifting toward the figure. Then, slowly, the stranger turned to him. Their smile stretched far too wide, almost splitting their face in half. The edges of their mouth trembled, as if holding back something worse.
“Out for a Christmas drive?” the stranger asked, voice cold but polite.
James nodded but said nothing. He glanced out the window, trying to shake off the feeling of unease. His car… wasn’t there. The street was empty.
He stood up, heart pounding, but as he moved to leave, the stranger spoke again. “Snow’s coming down harder. You’ll want to wait it out.” The smile didn’t falter, didn’t move.
Suddenly, the café door slammed open. A gust of icy wind rushed in, yet no one stood in the doorway. He looked back at the stranger, and their smile twisted into something unearthly. “Don’t worry, your car’s waiting. But it might take you somewhere you don’t want to go.”
James felt a chill that had nothing to do with the weather. He bolted outside. His car was back, engine idling, but it was covered in snow, as if it had been parked there for hours. His hands trembled as he reached for the door, but before he could open it, a whisper echoed from behind him.
“Merry Christmas!”
James turned, and the stranger was standing inches away, that grotesque smile stretching wider. The snow was falling thicker now, but it wasn’t normal snow. It was ash. And as the first flakes touched his skin, burning cold, James realized… he was never leaving that night.
The lights in the café flickered once more before they went out entirely.
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