A Blizzard All My Own

It was a typical Wednesday afternoon, Nora finally got an opportunity to have some time to herself. The hustle and bustle of the holiday season always dampens her alone time. She liked people, but she didn’t like her world revolving around others all the time. Which, when you work in customer service, it might as well.

“Finally, a moment of peace.” She spoke softly as she walked down the road of her town, admiring the Christmas lights that her neighbors spared no time setting up. As she made her way up her driveway to the front door, she stopped for a moment to check the mail. She looked at the envelopes in her hands, not expecting anything in particular, but still being disappointed with every piece of junk. Right as she flipped the last letter around the stack, her eyes landed on a pastel flowery envelope ‘To Nora, with love’. She stuffed the envelope into her pocket and went inside, turned out her pockets to empty them of change and mail, picked up the envelope, and rested on the couch as she prepared to open it. “Now who could this be from? Probably Mom, I really should call her.” Making haste, her finger glided through the top on the envelope tearing the paper with no care to preserve the floral print. She removed the folder slip of paper and began to read it.

‘My dearest Nora, I hope this letter finds you well. It's been a while since we’ve last seen each other. How has winter been treating you? I know that it’s really taken a toll on me. With the traffic and weather, holiday prices and prep! But, it’s all worth it when the family comes around for Christmas. I really do hope you’ll be able to make it! I know you’ve been trying to land a job for that big tech company you’ve had your heart set on, but I’m sure you can spare a little time for the family. Anyways, you can always write me back, or call. I know this could have been a text but that screen always hurts my eyes, and I have all this parchment I don’t know what to do with, so expect more letters soon! As always, I hope you have a great December, and I look forward to seeing you this Christmas. With love, Mom.’

“I knew it. Who else but her would have such a tacky envelope.” She chuckled. “Maybe I will write her back. I do like to write, I should find more time for it.” She grabbed the T.V remote and turned it on, the news began to play with a report of the ‘Frost Killer’.

“With another week passing us by, the infamous ‘Frost Killer’ still hasn’t been found, no one knows their last known whereabouts, or what they’re planning, police warn to be careful this holiday season.” The newsman reports.

“Maybe if every criminal didn’t get a so-called ‘cool’ name they wouldn’t want to be criminals.” Nora rolled her eyes. “I mean why glorify someone like that?” She scoffed as she changed the channel to a cheesy Christmas movie. She got up from the couch and prepared a quick microwave meal for dinner. Wanting to get to bed early, she finished eating, turned the T.V off, cleaned up, and went to bed. The next morning, Nora got dressed and headed to work. Thankfully, the store she had a temporary job for was nearby, so even during the winter season, she could make it on foot. “Why Maine? It’s so cold in winter.” Nora asked herself. “Maybe I should have flown further from the nest when I moved out. I could’ve at least left the state.” As she approached the store, she began to unzip her coat. She entered, put her belongings in the break room lockers, and headed to start her day at the register. Within minutes someone in what could only be described as ‘50s sitcom wife attire’ walks up to her with a cart of items.

“Good morning!” The lady said with a chipper tone

“Morning.” Nora said not nearly as chipper. “How are you today ma’am?” She asked

“Oh I've been okay. Just dealing with the holidays. What about you?” She paused, staring intently at Nora’s tag. “Nora! What a nice name.”

“Just another Thursday for me, and thank you, my mom always said it was her first pick.”

“Well I think it’s lovely! My name’s Barbara.”

“She looks to be in her mid 50’s but in today's age that’s still quite young for ‘Barbara” Nora thought

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Barbara. Did you have any trouble finding anything today?”

“No, no I didn’t, I know this store like the back of my hand” She smiled “In fact, I used to work here for a while after I retired. I just got bored of the workless life I guess. I like people, like to talk too, so this was the perfect job for me.”

“Yeah, I can tell you like to talk..” She thought. But it’s fine, she much preferred talkative customers to cranky ones.

“Oh really? I’m only here for a little hopefully. But it’s not a hateful place by any means.” Nora said with some hope in her eyes.

“Well, whatever it is you’re waiting for, I hope it happens.” Barbara smiled as she grabbed her bags and walked out the door.

“Nice lady.” Nora mumbled with a smirk of her own. She finished out her day and headed home. Took the usual route, admired the lights, and got the mail. But in an aberration of her usual routine. Saw a letter that was addressed to her for the second day in a row.

“This doesn’t look like mom’s paper. Or handwriting.” Nora wondered as the words escaped her mouth. She wasted no time opening the letter as she walked in the door, not even bothering to sit down as she tore it open. Her eyes scanned the paper.

‘Dear Nora, I’m gonna cut to the chase. This letter was sent to warn you that you’re planned to be the Frost Killer’s next victim. How I know this must remain a secret if I have any hope of continuing to help people. So far as you’ve seen on the news none of my attempts to save targets have succeeded. I deeply hope you will be different. Especially since we can’t have you miss your dear mother’s Christmas party. Please use this warning as time to prepare however. you see fit, but DO NOT attempt to reach me. The return address on this letter is fake, so there is no way you would manage to. Good luck, your guardian angle’

“Wait.. ‘Guardian angle’? Oh this has to be a prank he spelt ‘angel’ wrong. Nora laughed. “I can’t imagine why you would joke about a serial killer though. Kids I guess.” Nora put the letter down on the table, and stood there for a second. Pondering its contents. “Ugh. Now I have to look into this at least a little. I can’t get a murder threat and just completely disregard it.” She sat down on the couch and opened her laptop, she immediately began to search for the Frost Killer’s past victims. “I can’t see why it would be me. There’s nothing in common with any of these people. No patterns, no relations that were known about. Nothing but sheer bad luck it looks like” nonetheless she continued to scroll. She made it to the last three names on the list Haley Ira, Jack Kelly, Lola Mode. “Wait. Are these names in alphabetical order or chronological?” She checked the dates to see that these are in the order of which they died. “Makes sense I guess, even in alphabetical order those last names are too lucky. My name is Nora Ozwen.” She paused. “That’s worrying.” the words slipped from her mouth. She continued to click through the victims. Reading on who they were and where they were from. Until she landed on Gary Hendricks. Who’s mother’s name was Barbara. “That’s got to be her right? I mean, how many Barbara's are there in the 21st century? But she was so happy. Way too happy for someone who just lost their son.” She sat puzzled for a moment. “Well it doesn’t matter anyhow, the chances I run into her again are slim” She shut her laptop and cleaned up, being careful to lock the doors and windows. That night Nora slept with her bedroom door latched and a bat next to her. However, despite her possibly irrational fear, she woke up Friday. She made breakfast and went to work, with the small hope in the back of her head that she would see Barbara walk through the door. As she sat at her till she continued to hope that she would see those popping church going colors bounce through the door as chipper as they did the day before, her eyes perked up as she saw that they did just that. She bounded off her register in the hopes she wouldn’t get caught and ran over to Barbara “Barbara!” Nora exclaimed

“Oh!” Barbara shouted as she fell back a step.

“I’m so sorry, but I really need to ask you something, it’s kinda' personal and maybe insensitive though.”

“Let me stop you right there dear, now I know what you’re gonna ask, and yes Gary was my son.”

“Ah, I see, I’m so sorry to bring it up but I really need some answers here.”

“Well I don’t think this is the right spot, you’re still working and I gotta buy a ham for Christmas, it is next week after all!.”

“How is the mother of a murder victim so happy?” Nora couldn’t help but wonder.

“Here’s my address, no point in hiding it. I'm sure with the news it can’t be too hard to find on your own. Come talk to me after work, I’m home all day after my errands. Barbara said as she wrote it down on a sticky note and handed it to Nora.

“Alright. Sorry for the scare, I will talk to you then.” Nora waved goodbye as she turned back to her register, she jogged back before anyone noticed she was missing and finished out her day. After work she headed to Barbara’s house. As she walked across the street, the lights everywhere seemed taunting. Here everyone was enjoying their holiday, but Nora was stuck in her own head, with the threat of death looming over her. “Why me? It’s like every clear yard and dazzling lights serve as nothing but to tease me with the bleak snowstorm I'm stuck in.” She reached Barbara’s house and knocked on the door.

“Hi! Please, please, come on in.” Barbara said with a welcoming smile.

“Thank you.” Nora nodded. As she walked inside she started to formulate her first question in her mind. “Uh. I don’t know how to bring this up, but. Did your son receive a letter before he was..” She paused.

“Murdered?” Barbara interjected. “There’s no reason to beat around the bush, we both know what happened to Gary.” Barbara said coldly.

“Yeah. Murdered.”

“Yes, in fact he did, from his ‘Guardian angle’ it said.”

“Huh, maybe it wasn’t a mistake.”

“Well I just got one of my own. And I’m trying to figure out how to avoid this. The only reason I could think I’m being targeted is my name. Every person's first and last name lines up alphabetically. But that doesn’t help tell me who the killer is or when they’re gonna try me.”

“I see. Gary didn’t look into it nearly as much as you did Nora. But maybe you don’t need to find out who it is. Maybe you just need to prepare yourself. I mean, you now have reason to suspect your life's in danger and at least one of the previous victims received the same warning, so the police might look into it.”

“Barbara. Did you turn the letter into the police? Also, not to sound rude, but why do you seem so indifferent to the murder of your own son?”

“No, I didn’t turn it in, Gary tossed it. And look, I don’t want to be, but, when it feels like the whole world is reminding you of what happened and refuses to let you forget, you kinda' have to make yourself move on. Whether you want to or not.”

“Oh.” She paused. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. What matters right now is that you go and find some way to protect yourself. They got Gary two days after he got his letter. So, I can’t imagine you have much time, even if you did get it today.”

“No, I got it yesterday, so I don’t.” Nora looked around. “Can I use your phone? I'm gonna make some phone calls.”

“Of course sweetie.” Barbara said as she deflated into her couch, looking at what looked to be a family photo.”

“Hello? Hi yeah it’s me, I’m borrowing a friend's phone, I was just calling to let you know that I’d be home for Christmas mom, I was able to get off work.” Nora said with a grin. “Alright, I’ll see you then.” She hangs up and begins to dial the police. “Hello? I believe that I have reasonable suspicion that I’m going to be the next victim of the Frost Killer.” Shortly after that phone call the police arrived at Barbara’s door. Nora spoke to the police, showed them the letter, and let them take her home. They wanted to escort Nora through her day the next morning, but she turned them down, saying she would call the department when she needed them to show up. That night Nora locked her doors, grabbed her bat, and opened her laptop. She looked up the Frost’s victims one last time to see if there was any indication of what weapon or methods they used. She looked through every account of every murder and found that there seemed to never once be an injury from any ranged item. “Then a bat should be plenty. If I had to guess. This ‘Guardian angle’ is probably Frost. There’s no other possible way that he could find this many people and not a single one survived without some foul play” She turned off the lights to her house and waited in the dark to make it appear she was asleep. After about an hour, she heard glass shattering. As she sat crouched next to her couch, she heard the eerie footsteps of who she assumed was her hunter. She sat with the vantage of knowing their location and the element of surprise. As she heard the fated step of her killer entering the living room she took a swing. “Merry Christmas!” Nora screamed as she connected with what she assumed was the head of her attacker, shortly after she felt her bat lose contact and a thud on the ground. She flicked on the light to see the unconscious killer on the floor. She picked her phone off the table and called the police once more. “Hi yes, I found the Frost Killer.” And with that one sentence she had won. As she waited for the police to arrive she cleaned up her bat and the glass, turned all the lights back on, and got dressed for bed. Shortly after, the police arrived and took Frost with them. No one knew for sure if the ‘Guardian Angle’ and the Frost Killer were the same person, but the letters and murders did stop with Nora. Nora went to her mother’s for Christmas. And, when the time came, she headed to her new friend Barbara’s for her Christmas party too. The lights that night seemed extra bright and colorful.