Drew woke with a start, one second dreaming of elves baking cookies, the next staring at the ceiling. He yawned, fumbling around on his nightstand for his phone. Half an hour had passed since he fell into bed exhausted. So why was he suddenly wide awake? He rolled over in hopes of falling asleep again, snuggling down under his blanket and closing his eyes.
But sleep refused to appease him, a nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him to get up.
Something wasn’t right.
Throwing aside the comforter, clad in a pair of plaid pajama pants and a T-shirt, Drew shuffled his way down the hall and back to the living room where he expected to find Artem on the couch like the previous morning. The apartment was otherwise empty. He frowned, weight settling in his stomach. As though beckoned by a whisper, Drew went to the window and peered out at the slumbering world.
Light shone in the park within a copse of trees.
“Artem.”
Grabbing his sweater off the floor, Drew practically threw himself down the stairs, racing across the courtyard in front of the apartment building. His mind raced, conjuring up a number of scenarios, the most prominent involving going home to a family that treated him like crap. What else did one expect from a bunch of demons?
A bell rang.
Standing near the collection of mailboxes was Santa, his little red kettle nowhere in sight. Drew nearly slipped in the fine dusting of snow. What was he doing here?
“Santa?”
“Listen to your heart, Drew, it’ll show you the way.”
Sneakers were a poor choice as bits of slush and snow soaked through and fell in over the tops. By the time he reached the park, Drew’s toes were already numb. In the winter quiet it was easy for him to hear the two people lost in conversation.
He headed in their direction.