THE MOMENT
A sharp, loud crack filled the silent air and Edwin smiled. The elf's neck snapped like a matchstick and its small head hung limply on one side. Edwin was a monster hunter and took no joy in killing innocents; but, these elf-shaped creatures weren't natural. The hunter made his way through the warehouse in the middle of the day two weeks before Christmas. After studying the North Pole location for a few days he learned the afternoon shift was essentially when the nocturnal elves slept. There was minimum security around and he planned to put them to sleep as he went.
An unfortunate accident and Edwin's decades of training resulted in him killing an elf when it spotted him. But, that was when he learned vampire Santa's elves were constructs. The elf he killed disintegrated into white dust and vanished. He was hesitant, but he tried to gently murder another elf to see what would happen. Half a dozen elves later he was properly enjoying his north pole assignment, with a smile on his face and full of the holiday spirit. He let the latest elf fall and moved on as it began to fall apart. He crossed the now empty warehouse en route to the main house; but, he froze mid-way. He was caught out in the open and there was no question he was the one being addressed.
"I don't know why you're here, but I have to admire your work. There are positions available at Sharp Development for someone with your talents," a woman's voice said. Edwin whirled around to see a woman with violet hair wearing a long white leather duster. She walked into the light with her white cowboy boots knocking on the wooden floor of the warehouse.
"I quite like being my own boss, Miss," Edwin nodded at her with a friendly smile; but, he never lowered his guard. "I'm just here to have a nice chat with the homeowner. Why don't you move along and enjoy your night somewhere else?"
"Yeah, that's what I was afraid of," she sighed. "My name's Victoria. I work for Sharp Development and so does vampire Santa. He may be a vampire; but, he's a legitimate Santa that enjoys his work and we rely on each and every Santa Claus we can get this time of year. The elves are replaceable, you haven't caused any real trouble yet. Leave and we can forget about all this. Stay... and it'll only be temporary," she smiled at him.
"Sharp Development?" Edwin shrugged. "Never heard of them; you're complicating a very simple situation. Santa Claus is a vampire. Vampires are evil. Vampires must die. See how easy it is? Any kid will tell you that. Of course, if you're telling me there are more vampire Santas out there, then maybe you and I should have a chat."
"Other Santas," Victoria answered. "This Earth is just one of an infinite number; many of those Earths also have their version of Santa Claus, and Sharp Development employs a good number of those. But there are, of course, countless Earths where vampires exist too. Including several Earths that house only vampires."
"Such a place exists!??" Edwin's ears perked up and a plan came together. He still had an assignment to complete. He could catch Victoria by surprise and knock her out. Then, finish vampire Santa and come back to get more information out of her. His hand subtly dropped to the stun grenade on his belt.
"Yeah," Victoria nodded. "More than one." That answer pushed Edwin to action; he was eager to get to the motherlode. He was so thrilled at the thought of a planet full of vampires to murder that he didn't stop to consider a planet full of vampires. He was like a kid on Christmas morning and he was just given the 'go ahead'. A lifetime of experience kicked in as his hand moved gracefully. In a single motion, he unclipped it from his belt and lobbed it forward.
"Oh, thanks for making this easy," Victoria smirked. Edwin had been hunting for over 30 years. He was an old pro in a job that didn't have many of those; but, he never could have been prepared for the unknown. He never would have guessed from her youthful appearance that Victoria was over 300 years old. She had more experience than him and powers he didn't know about. She thanked him just as his hand started to move. And, he questioned her response as his arm swung forward. "Have fun," she added parting wish as a black hole appeared in front of Edwin. It shot forward and swallowed him before the grenade left his fingertips. In an instant, he was somewhere else.
"My lord...," The grenade flew forward and it was swallowed by another smaller black hole as Edwin took in his new surroundings. He instantly regretted his outburst as every pale head turned to face him. He stood at the back of a church with a bat creature crucified on the altar.
"Human!" one of the creatures hissed and Edwin turned to flee. He wasn't quite ready for that fight yet. He spun around and came face to face with a small black hole.
"Huh?" The last thing Edwin saw was his flash grenade tumble out of the black hole. Then, nothing but white. He couldn't see or hear anything. But, he could feel their hands on him.