“I know how,” Jesse said. “I used it before. Took a few toys out of it.”
“That is not the same. You merely reached through a door that was already open.”
“No, I thought of a certain toy and the sack found it.”
Krampus raised an eyebrow. “That is indeed something. Perhaps there is a trace of Loki’s spirit in you somewhere. But still, that is not opening doors. You could never do that, not on your own. But it says something that the sack would hear you at all.” Krampus smiled. “That is good, it should make our task the easier.”
“What-all are you looking for?”
“Guns,” Vernon interjected. “Very good guns. Something that will punch enormous holes through giant wolves.”
“Money,” Isabel added. “There’s things we’ll need to buy—things we can’t get with the sack. Least not until Krampus is stronger.”
“Do you know of a place to find these things?” Krampus asked. “Keeping in mind the fewer doors I must open the better.”
Jesse grinned. He did, he did indeed. He’d never actually been inside the General’s office, but once, when Chet left the door open, he’d caught a pretty good peek, and the thing that stuck with him was the safe sitting in the corner. It was an old-fashioned safe, nearly as large as a washing machine, with a large brass dial set into its front. Jesse knew for certain the General stored guns in there, had to be cash as well, and no telling what-all else. Sure would hate to steal from the General, Jesse thought. Be a real shame. “Oh, I know a spot alright.”
“Good,” Krampus said. “Place your palms on the sack.”
Jesse did.
“Close your eyes and seek.”
“Seek?”
“Just close your eyes and it will come to you.”
Jesse shrugged, closed his eyes, and imagined the compound, then the motor bay, then the General’s upstairs office. Nothing special seemed to be happening. Then Krampus laid his hands atop of Jesse’s and slowly the vision sharpened, details he’d never seen materialized. The safe sat in the corner. Jesse steered his mind toward it and the vision followed, it was just that easy, then he went into it and all was dark.
“This is the place?” Krampus asked. “Inside the chest?”
“Yup.”
Krampus’s hold tightened and Jesse felt a slight charge.
Krampus pulled their hands away. “It is done.”
“That’s it?”
“The sack responds well to you, Jesse.” Krampus looked at him kindly, almost paternally. “Maybe a touch of Loki’s blood does indeed run in your veins.”
“So, I can just reach in there and take whatever I like?”
“You can, but be aware you are putting your hand into that other place. Your arm and hand will be visible to anyone who happens to be near. This can lead to trouble, to loss of limb, to even being pulled into the sack, into the very place you are robbing.”
Jesse hesitated. “But it is a safe. No one will be in the safe.”
“No, so long as the chest is closed, no one can see you.”
Jesse loosened the mouth of the sack, peered into its smoky shadows. “All right, here goes.” He inserted his hand until he bumped a wall. It felt right, like cold steel. He pushed downward until his fingers hit something hard, cylindrical. He grasped it, could tell by the weight it was a gun. He pulled his hand out, very pleased with what he found.
A minute later he had three machine pistols, several handguns, one sawed-off shotgun, a couple dozen boxes of ammunition, and stacks and stacks of hundred-dollar bills. But there were more surprises in the General’s safe: an unopened bottle of aged bourbon; an assortment of pills—amphetamines, by the look of them; what appeared to be several grams of pure cocaine, not crack but the real deal; keys to who knew what; all sorts of contracts and promissory notes; an envelope full of Polaroids of some woman that looked an awful lot like Jesse’s third-grade teacher, Mrs. Sawyer, in her birthday suit. Jesse wrinkled up his face but didn’t stop until the safe was empty. It felt good to take something back from a man who’d stolen so much from him, and knowing he’d be using the General’s own guns against him made the act all the sweeter. He grinned at Krampus.
Krampus grinned back. “You are enjoying yourself.”
“It’s empty.”
“Then we’re done.”
Jesse looked over the loot, at the cash, at all the guns and ammo. He nodded and let out a deep breath, suddenly feeling drained.
“You are weary?”
“Need something to eat, that’s all.”
“It is the sack. It takes a toll.”
Jesse wondered just what part of him the sack had taken that toll from.
“You should eat,” Krampus said, nodding toward the tub holding the beef.
Jesse looked at the cow leg. He was just about hungry enough to eat it raw, but figured roasting a few strips over the stove would suit him better. He hopped up and started over, caught sight of the cow head and stopped. “Hey,” Jesse called. “Is it possible to put something back? Back in the safe?”
Krampus raised an eyebrow. “Yes, it is possible. Once the door is open it will stay open until I open a new one.”
Jesse lifted the cow head by the ear and brought it back. “That safe belongs to the man that put this hole through my hand.”
Krampus nodded, grinned, and held the sack open. Jesse dropped the head inside. “Jesse, you are certainly a man after my own heart.”
ISABEL WALKED WITH Jesse along the gravel road, glad to be out of the moldy-smelling church. It was night and they were headed to a mini-mart called Pepper’s, which Jesse claimed to be about two miles back down on Route 3. They’d decided to walk instead of risking anyone seeing the truck or chance the vehicle running out of fuel. Jesse carried the empty gas can he’d retrieved out of the camper, gas being one of the things Krampus couldn’t pull out of his sack.
“Man, what I wouldn’t give to see the General’s face when he comes eye-to-eye with that cow head,” Jesse said with a laugh. “Over forty thousand dollars gone. Poof! That man is just gonna pee himself.”
Isabel shook her head distractedly, scanning the shadows, keeping an ear out for any suspicious sounds, any sign or hint that Santa Claus or the wolves might be near.
Jesse gave her a light shove. “Hey, c’mon, it’s funny. I’m telling you. You gotta understand that man’s the biggest son of a whore in all of Boone County. Hell, maybe in all of West Virginia.”
Isabel managed a smile. She liked it when he looked at her, liked his green eyes, the line of his jaw, but most of all she liked his laugh—kind and warm, and full of life. It’s nice, she thought, taking a walk with someone that’s not as ancient as the hills. Don’t hurt none that he’s easy on the eyes, she admitted. No, not one bit. She considered what it’d be like to hold his hand. It’d been a long time since she’d held hands with anyone. Not since her Daniel, and that had been over forty years ago now. But she knew this man wouldn’t want to hold her hand; she knew what she looked like now.
“Okay, so you gotta help me out here,” Jesse said. “Lord, where do I even start? None of this makes a lick of sense. Santa Claus, and giant wolves, and . . . shit, just what the hell is that Krampus guy? How in the heck did you ever end up with that devil?”
“He’s not a devil.”
Jesse halted. “Wait, did I get something wrong here? Aren’t you his slave? Didn’t he do this to you?” He gestured at her face. “Turn you into a monster?”
Isabel’s cheeks burned. She looked away, surprised by how much his words stung. “He saved my life,” she said, zipping up her jacket and pulling the hood over her head, hiding her face within its shadow. She walked on, leaving him standing there.