The Nightmare Under the Mistletoe
Seeking distraction from a painful breakup, Emma attends a coworker’s Christmas party expecting festive cheer. Instead, the night spirals into terror when she finds herself inexplicably trapped in the basement. When she is finally released, she discovers that the host, Seth, has transformed the holiday gathering into a sinister game of survival. Now, Emma must fight to endure a nightmare far darker than she ever imagined.
- Emma - Protagonist
- Fred - Emma’s ex-boyfriend
- Seth - Works for Emma
- Rob - Emma’s boss
- Emma, reeling from a breakup with Fred decides, to go to a Christmas party at Seth’s house.
- At the party everyone shares their New Year’s resolution and Seth says his is to get Emma’s job.
- Emma snoops in the medicine cabinet when using the restroom and finds a medication bottle but it’s not Seth’s name on the bottle, it’s Madelyn Swift.
- Seth asks Emma to go get more wine from the basement.
- Emma can’t find any wine and when she tries to go back upstairs she finds the door locked, then the lights in the basement go out.
- Emma hears a loud pop upstairs that she thinks might be a gunshot.
- Emma thinks back on why Seth could be holding a grudge and remembers a few months ago she denied him a raise.
- After about an hour, Emma hears the door open and goes back upstairs.
- Everyone is lying on the floor in the same room looking asleep except for Seth.
- Seth duct-tapes Emma to a chair and hits her with a baseball bat.
- Seth tells Emma he knows she’s been stealing from the company.
- Emma did it because Fred said he wouldn’t consider marriage until his gambling debts were settled.
- Seth says Emma can leave if she returns all the money she stole.
- He then makes Emma sign into her work e-mail and he sends a e-mail to Emma’s boss confessing to stealing from the company and recommending Seth as her replacement.
- An older woman walks in and starts screaming.
- A man enters behind her and points a gun at Seth who surrenders.
- Police and EMT’s arrive quickly and establish the co-workers were given sleeping pills and will recover - except Margret who died of a heart attack.
- The house didn’t belong to Seth; he simply knew the owners and that they were on vacation but they arrived home early.
- Rob comes to visit Emma in hospital and tells her she’s not fired.
- Seth - Alive - Likely arrested for assaulting Emma and drugging his co-workers
- Emma - Alive - Relieved she gets to keep her job and hopeful for the future
- Margaret - Dead - Heart attack, likely caused by the stress of the events at the party
- Death
Hopeful
Publisher: Pioneer Publishing
ASIN: B0CK7Q1RDS
Publication Date: November 5, 2023
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
