But of course some obnoxious do-gooder from the shelter across town sees a homeless veteran and wants to earn herself a gold star by helping him out. Sheโs hopelessly naive, the poor thing. She doesnโt understand that there are monsters on the streets, even on Christmas Eve.
If he were a younger man, heโd take this opportunity to add another body to his collection. But he doesnโt do that kind of thing anymore. Heโll have to find another way to scare her off.
Too bad sheโs as persistent as she is annoying. If itโs the only way to get rid of her, he might just have to let her do something nice for him after all.
This short story is 3900 words long. It is also available in Santaโs Rejects, a collection of offbeat Christmas stories.
Zoe Cannon may or may not be a supervillain out to conquer the world through writing. When not writing, they can be found perfecting their schemes for world domination, plotting against their archenemies, and staying up too late reading a book. Their secret lair is rumored to be located somewhere in southern New Hampshire. They also write as their mild-mannered alter ego, Z.J. Cannon.