The Sixth Sign

I looked around the windowsill, searching for a way to get in. The broken glass glinted in the faint light, sharp edges jutting out like teeth. I hesitated for a second, then said *fuck it* and shoved my hand through the gap. The glass bit into my arm, drawing blood, but I barely felt it. My fingers fumbled around, searching for the lock at the bottom of the frame. Finally, I found it, twisted it, and unlocked the window.

I pulled my hand back, wincing as the glass scraped against my skin again. Blood dripped onto the snow below, but I didn’t have time to care. I pushed the window up and climbed inside, landing softly on the carpeted floor. My head swiveled, taking in the room—a living room, dark and silent except for the faint ticking of a clock. I stood up slowly, my heart pounding in my chest, and moved toward the hallway where I’d seen the dolls disappear.

That’s where the victim would be. I was sure of it.

I hurried down the hall, my footsteps light but quick. I opened the first door—a storage room, filled with boxes and old furniture. Nothing. Next, I checked the garage. Empty. I combed through several more doors, my frustration growing with each one. Where the hell were they?

Then I heard it—a strange sound, faint but unmistakable. Was that… a goose? Or a duck? No, why would there be a duck here? My mind raced, trying to piece it together. The fifth day’s gift was five golden rings. The sixth day was… six geese a-laying.

I gasped. Six geese. Whatever they were about to do, I didn’t want to find out.

I ran toward the sound, my feet pounding against the floor. The noise led me to a door at the end of the hall. Without thinking, I shoulder-checked it, and it flew off its hinges, slamming against the wall.

There they were.

The three dolls stood on the bed, their tiny forms casting a dark, swirling ring over the man lying there. He was paralyzed, his eyes bulging in terror as he stared up at the dolls. His mouth moved, but no sound came out.

I grabbed the hilt of my sword, my fingers tightening around it as I stepped into the room. “Let him go!” I shouted, my voice echoing off the walls.

The dolls didn’t even glance at me. They kept chanting, their voices low and guttural, the ring above the man growing darker and more menacing.

I unsheathed my sword, the blade glinting in the dim light. I raised it, ready to swing, but before I could, the chanting stopped. The ring vanished, and the room fell silent.

My eyes darted to the bed. The man was still there, trembling, but now… now there were six giant geese towering over him. Their beady eyes glowed faintly, their feathers ruffling as they loomed over their prey.

I didn’t break eye contact with them, my grip on the sword tightening. But then a voice cut through the air—deep, menacing, and dripping with malice. It came from the Santa doll.

“Well, well,” it said, its voice shaking the very bones in my body. “Look who decided to join the party.”

I forced myself to stand my ground, my jaw clenched. The doll’s grin widened, its glassy eyes gleaming with amusement. It was enjoying this.

“What do you want?” I asked, my voice steady despite the fear clawing at my chest. I kept my gaze locked on the geese, refusing to look at the doll.

The doll chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that made my skin crawl. “What do I want? Fun, of course. Isn’t that what this season is all about?”

“Fun?” I spat, my anger flaring. “You call killing people *fun*?”

The doll’s grin stretched wider, its teeth glinting in the dim light. “Oh, Wise. You don’t understand. The joy of killing a man’s loved ones, of watching him fall into despair… there’s nothing quite like it. Why shouldn’t I indulge in what I love?”

My stomach churned, but I forced myself to stay focused. “I won’t let you,” I said, my voice low and fierce. “I’ll find a way to stop you. Somehow.”

The doll cackled, its laughter echoing through the room. “I’d like to see you try.”

It snapped its fingers, and the eyes of the geese flashed, their glowing orbs locking onto me. For a second, the room was completely silent, the only sound the man’s uneven, panicked breaths.

My muscles tensed, my grip on the sword tightening as I braced myself. The geese let out a deafening screech, their wings flapping as they lunged toward me.

And then, all hell broke loose.

▪▪▪

The geese went wild, their massive wings flapping as they lunged at me. I tensed every muscle in my body, swinging the sword wildly. I had no idea how I was supposed to fight six giant geese that could probably bite my head clean off, but I was going to fucking try.

One of them tackled me to the ground, its weight pinning me as it snapped at my face. I shoved the sword between us, using it as a guard to keep its beak away from my head. It took a few snaps at me, but I managed to twist my body and connect with a solid hit to its head. The bird stumbled back, dazed, and I scrambled to my feet.

I swung the sword like a bat, using it as a blunt object to whack the birds one by one. Each hit stunned them, but before I could reach the last one, it lashed out with its long neck, slamming into my chest and sending me flying into the hallway.

I landed hard on the carpeted floor, the impact knocking the wind out of me. My shoulder screamed in pain, but I forced myself to get up. One of the geese stomped into the hallway, its beady eyes locked on me. I used the tight space to my advantage, sliding under the bird as it tried to bite me. Its long neck tangled between its legs, and I took the opportunity to swing the sword again.

The Santa doll’s voice cut through the chaos, cold and mocking. “Impressive, Wise. Let’s make this more interesting.”

With a snap of its fingers, the weight of the sword in my hand shifted. I barely had time to process it before I brought the blade down on the goose’s head. The wet *thunk* and spray of blood that followed made my stomach churn. The blade was lodged deep in the bird’s skull, killing it instantly as its body spasmed and went limp.

I stared at the sword in my hands, my breath coming in ragged gasps. It wasn’t the cheap wooden knockoff anymore—it was a real sword, sharp and deadly. The weight of it felt right in my grip, but the reality of what I’d just done hit me like a punch to the gut.

A scream from the bedroom snapped me out of it. “Hurry up now, Wise,” the Mrs. Claus doll said, her voice sickly sweet. “The victim is dying over here.”

I rushed back into the room, my heart pounding. The five remaining geese were feeding on the man, their beaks tearing into him as blood stained the bed red. I yelled in anger, launching myself at them.

The battle was chaos. I swung the sword with everything I had, cutting through wings and slashing at necks. One goose went down, then another. I managed to injure four of them, but the last one caught me off guard. Its beak clamped down on my shoulder, the pain blinding as it lifted me off the ground and threw me through the window.

I crashed onto the snow-covered lawn, the impact knocking the air out of my lungs. My shoulder was on fire, blood soaking through my jacket. I pushed myself up, my vision swimming, but I couldn’t stop now. There was just one left. If I could injure it like I had the others, I could win.

As I struggled to my feet, I saw the elf doll perched on the windowsill. “Santa said this is too easy,” it said, its voice high-pitched and mocking. “So he’s cranking it up a bit.”

A bright red light filled the room, and the sounds of geese screeching in pain and bones squelching assaulted my ears. I winced, my heart racing as I tried to figure out what was happening. Then the screams started—the man’s screams. He was calling for help, begging me to save him.

I ran back into the house, jumping through the shattered window. My heart dropped as I looked up.

The goose was… different. It was massive, towering over the room with six heads, multiple feet, and wings sprouting from its back like some kind of mythical creature. It hunched over the man, feeding on him as he screamed.

I charged at the beast, shoulder-checking it with all my strength. It fell off the bed, collapsing on the floor with a deafening squawk. I gripped the sword tighter, ready to finish it, but before I could move, two of its heads snapped forward, biting into my shoulders and throwing me into the nearest wall.

My head hit the concrete, and everything went black.

When I came to, my vision was blurry, my head throbbing. I saw the man—or what was left of him—slide down the creature’s throat. Its six heads had merged into one massive maw, swallowing him whole. Its neck bulged as it consumed its meal, and I tried to stand, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. My equilibrium was shot, and I could barely move.

I had to watch as the creature made a nest of the bed, its massive body shifting as it laid an egg. The egg was huge, almost as tall as it was wide, and I could see something moving inside. An arm. The man’s arm.

“Pretty thing, isn’t it?” the Santa doll said, its voice dripping with malice. “By tomorrow, the cops will open it up and find the dismembered, half-digested parts of the man *you* failed to save.”

I raised my head, tears streaming down my face. “Fuck you,” I muttered, my voice weak but filled with hate.

The doll laughed, its grin widening. “Oh, Wise, I can’t have your spirit break yet. This is only day six—halfway done. You still have six more chances to save people, and I will enjoy watching you fail each time.”

I clenched my fists, my body trembling with rage. “I’m gonna get arrested,” I said, my voice shaking. “My blood’s all over here. The screams—someone must’ve heard.”

The dolls laughed, their voices echoing in the room. “Oh, Wise,” the Mrs. Claus doll said, her tone mocking. “If we can turn your wooden sword into a blade of destruction, what’s cleaning up a little DNA?”

With a snap of her fingers, the room was tidied up. All evidence of the fight was gone, and the monstrous goose split into six individual geese, turning into statues that circled the giant egg.

I shook my head, tears streaming down my face as I regained feeling in my body. “I’m gonna kill you,” I said, my voice low and fierce. “I’m gonna kill all of you.”

I charged at the dolls, the sword in my hands, but before I could connect, they snapped their fingers collectively. The world blurred, and I found myself back in the park, the dolls nowhere in sight.

I gripped the sword so tightly my knuckles popped, then fell to my knees and screamed until my voice was raw.