Monsters are still among us…
After the Winter Solstice Smackdown was torn apart in a battle royale of monsters from the past, the residents of Lawless, BC, think the worst is behind them.
Now, it seems they will be able to get on with their lives and celebrate the holidays with friends and family. Unfortunately, they are monstrously wrong.
The past is still ravenous for the present, and this time it has company.
The mystery of the Sinclair Building deepens as more connections are made to Lawless’s dark origins, and a surprising discovery is revealed deep inside.
Above all, the majestic Kootenay Glacier is restless, its ancient ice still possessing secrets that will rock the very foundations of the small mountain town below.
This Christmas, join Austin, Christine, Trip, Jerry and the rest of your favourite characters as old wounds are reopened, new enemies discovered, and creatures from beyond time once again claw their way back into the lives of the frightened population.
CLAW Resurrection Chapter Preview:
(This preview is from chapter nine. I hope you enjoy it!)
Becca Gertzmeyer giggled and ducked behind the wall of the snow fort she and her brother, Berty, had built with their papa’s help.
Across the yard, Berty hid behind a tall snowman wearing a large fur hat. According to Gramgram, the hat’s name was Mongo. Whatever it was called, Berty thought it looked silly with the furry earflaps dangling down. He peeked out momentarily and was rewarded with two snowballs in quick succession, one hitting Mongo in the earflap and the other, Berty’s shoulder. Becca was a good shot for a little sister. He was better, of course, but he knew he had to keep practising, or else she’d get better than him at it, and that wasn’t supposed to be; he was the big brother, after all.
Snow had started to fall again, quite heavily, in fact. Berty marvelled at the large, lacey flakes as they fluttered down. They looked for all the world like some of the ‘dollies’ Gramgram had on some of her tables and the headrests of her chairs. At least, he thought that was what she’d called them, but he couldn’t remember exactly. He popped out from behind the snowman and returned fire, now giggling as much as Becca. The dollies were falling so fast and thick now Berty could hardly see across the yard. They coated his eyelashes with their delicate lace before melting and steaming down his flushed cheeks like tears of joy.
Papa had gone inside to get hot chocolate, saying he would bring out a couple of mugs for them. Gramgram made the best hot chocolate in the whole world, though she called it hot cocoa for some reason. She made it from a big yellow can and added sugar and milk to it in a big pot on the stovetop, no less. It took forever to make, but it was worth the wait, in Berty’s opinion. Mama said Gramgram made it that way because she was an ‘old fashion’, but Berty didn’t know what his grandmother’s clothing had to do with her delicious hot chocolate cocoa.
When Papa had gone inside, he’d said to stay right near the house. And so, right near the house was where he and Becca would stay. There was a snow-covered forest all around the property, and Papa said he didn’t know what might be lurking out there. Thanks to Mama recently reading the adventures of lovable old Winnie the Pooh Bear at bedtime, Heffalumps and Backsons immediately sprang to Berty’s mind.
But what surrounded Gramgram’s wasn’t the Hundred Acre Wood, and the bears out there were real. Not only had Gramgram almost been eaten by one at this very house, but he’d seen one just the other night in town. That had been at the same time Mama and Papa had fled for their lives from the Winter Solstice Smackdown, Berty and Becca held tightly in their arms.
Berty peeked out from behind the snowman again, expecting another snowball from his sister, but nothing came. He didn’t mind getting hit by her snowballs. She didn’t pack them very tightly, and they pretty much dissolved on impact in a big spray of snow. He peeked his head out further and stuck his tongue out as well, trying to make a more appealing target for his little sister.
Fluffy flakes landed on Berty’s tongue and stuck to his thick eyelashes as he peered toward the snow fort through the heavy snow of the darkening afternoon. It only had two walls, so it was more of a ‘snow-corner’ than a fort, but it was the thought that counted, Papa said. When the fort had been finished, they’d all agreed to name it in honour of Gramgram.
Berty moved out from behind the snowman, eyeing Fort Geraldine with suspicion. Why hadn’t his sister returned fire?
“Becca?” There was no response, and Berty moved slowly toward the fort, expecting a fresh barrage of snowballs at any moment.
The snow was getting heavier, but Becca was nowhere in sight. Berty’s heart began to beat a bit faster as he called, “Becca! Where did you go? Pappa said to stay right here until he came back with the hot chocolate cocoa!”
Despite the promise of liquid bliss, there was no reply from Becca. Berty looked around, wide-eyed, his panic mounting. Where had she gone? Papa was going to be mad if he’d gone and lost his little sister.
“Becca?” Berty called again, this time more haltingly.
Next to Fort Geraldine, facing the edge of the forest, a small group of cedar trees provided a wind break between the meadow and the house. Dozens of birdhouses and almost as many bird feeders filled the branches. Bowls brimming with nuts sat on tables beneath, ready to fill the ever-hungry tummies of whichever of Gram-gram’s ‘forest friends’ happened to wander by. Strangely, no birds or squirrels sheltered here at the moment. The thick snow muted the world around them; the only sound, Berty’s heart, beating like a hummingbird’s wings.
Berty stopped next to the closest tree, the rich green scent of the cedars filling his nostrils as he took a breath to call out again, “Bec—”
A small, mittened hand shot out from around the curve of the nearest tree trunk and closed across his mouth.
“Shush! You’ll scare them away!” Becca urged in a whisper.
Berty removed Becca’s sodden mitten from his mouth, the recent scent of earthy cedar now replaced by soggy wool. “Scare who away?” he asked in a hushed voice.
“My new friends,” Becca murmured. She pointed into the forest closest to the edge of the property, her gaze entranced.
In the murky, fading twilight, partially obscured by the falling snow, three bulky figures stood immobile at the forest’s edge. The tallest, about the height of a man, seemed to study the children just as the children studied them.
A grin of welcome on her face, Becca waved impulsively.
Berty grabbed her hand and yanked it down, hissing, “What are you doing!”
Across the clearing, the tallest figure appeared about to fall forward but instead dropped into a crouch. Its companions followed suit, and together, the trio began to scuttle through the deepening snow toward the children.
©2024 Katie Berry