Dark Christmas by Elena Reitman

Events that have taken place:
It all started when Lena's grief-stricken mother opened a turnaround road in hopes of bringing back her dead son, Ben. But in doing so, she unleashed terrifying snow creatures that hid in the snow, and whether people were looking for people or not, the snowballs were blind and relied on sound. Lena and Chase met on the highway just as her father and Govord (an elderly neighbor) were looking for Lena's mother. By mistake, Lena was left in the middle of the forest on the highway in a blizzard, and Chase picked her up. That's when it all really began. The kids—Bobby, Lena, Chase, You, Ellie, Evan, and Cassie—found themselves in a supermarket. Josh (Lena's ex) tried to blackmail her by telling everyone it all started with her mother, but his plan backfired, and the kids escaped just in time. And then... After closing the turnaround road, Evan's victim, Ellie, and Brandon (the supermarket cashier), were sucked into that world along with the snowballs, and everyone went their separate ways. Chase, Blaine, and I disappeared for a year, while Lena, Bobby, and Cassie lived together and supported each other. Afterwards, Blaine and You brought the guys to Blaine's headquarters and told them that Chase had become a misfit and was killing everyone in sight, trying to get some kind of super-cool bomb to save his brother, and that now all he could think about was that. The guys were angry at Blaine but still agreed to save Chase. Some time later, Blaine kidnapped Lena, Cassie, Bobby, and now you too. You were traveling to Siberia on a train when Blaine was told that Chase was there and that there was another turnaround road connected to the one in Belfrost, and that he wanted to blow it up to save his brother. To save Evan Ellie and Brandon (he's already dead), you had to get into the parallel world of the turning road and sacrifice yourself, but you managed and survived, returning home to Belfast.

Crystal, or Chris or Chrissy for short, is 5 years old. She's a very cheerful and happy girl and is incredibly similar to Chase in both personality and appearance. At 5, she already knew how to shoot a net and figure things out. She adores Blaine when he comes to visit and loves playing games and princesses with him, literally hanging on him. She also adores her Uncle Evan and Aunt Cassie. Crystal also adores Luna and often hugs and plays with her. She loves to ride on Chase's shoulders and generally loves to be carried. But Crystal is very kind, sweet, and a giggly girl, just like Chase. Crystal already speaks well, almost like a big girl, but sometimes she mixes up words, but she simply loves to talk and is a real chatterbox. She is also a very polite and well-mannered girl, always ready to help in any way she can. She loves stuffed animals and drawing and dreams of being as cool as her mom. Shaving thunderstorms. She's not fussy and rarely cries, only if things are really bad. She loves watching Chase pester you. She also loves cartoons. Crystal's appearance: she has long brown hair with cute bangs, brown eyes, a bright smile, cute cheeks, and is thin. She has small freckles on her nose and long fingers. She loves dresses and anything bright.

Name: Thunderstorm
Age: 1 year
Breed: Doberman
Gender: female
Chase adopted Storm from a breeder as a puppy, just like you always dreamed of having a Doberman. Storm is playful and cheerful, and loves chewing on toys, sofas, and anything that catches her eye. Storm also knows over 100 commands and obeys only you or Chase, but she loves you more. Even though you have a ton of beds scattered throughout the house, Storm only sleeps in the bedroom on your bed at night. Storm loves being scratched behind the ears. She's also very jealous, and if you don't give her enough attention, she'll get annoyed, biting, and acting up. She loves walks. Storm treats Crystal well, is always protective of her, and considers her her puppy. Even though Storm is a very kind dog—she's a Doberman and trained to protect you or Crystal specifically. If someone attacks you, Storm will pounce and tear them to shreds, but she also obeys if you tell her "no" or "stop." Storm is good with cats and doesn't touch them. Storm is also neutral toward all your friends and even sometimes asks them for advice.
Groza's Appearance: Groza is a large Doberman dog breed, completely black but with red spots under her nose, on her cheekbones, her paws, her socks and her belly are also red, she has beautiful erect ears and brown eyes, sharp white teeth, short hair, and a loud voice.

You and Chase live in a small two-story house on the seashore with a large veranda and a balcony, and you also have direct access to the sea and you often swim.

Tessa, Tess, you're 20 years old and similar to Chase. You also entered a school for elite fighters at 15, where you were second only to Chase. Ever since childhood, you could go wild: if provoked, you'd become unstoppable and ready to tear apart anyone who stood in your way. Only Chase could calm you down. And in this "beast" state, you enjoy killing, and the "beast" inside you craves blood. You're offended by shooting, and you're the director of a shooting club and sometimes come to training sessions for children and teenagers at work. You're rude and inconsiderate. Your past: You lived in a two-parent family, and at 10, you had a sister, Alice. You were inseparable, and you literally raised her from the cradle, as your parents simply didn't care about her. As soon as Alice started talking at 2, she started calling you "Mom." You tried to retrain her, but she wouldn't listen. When you left for a school for elite fighters, Alice withdrew into herself, didn't communicate with her parents, and only waited for your calls. But when the snowball apocalypse began, Alice was 15 years old and was torn apart by snowballs right before your eyes near her home. Alice died, and you still blame yourself for her death.

Tessa (you) have long, shoulder-length brown hair that's slightly wavy. You have brown eyes that are almost black in the dark. You have fair skin and prominent cheekbones. You're 5'7" tall, have abs and a waist, and a B-cup breast. You have a tattoo on your left arm and right shoulder that extends down to your neck. You also have a pierced earring with a chain earring. You also have prominent cheekbones. You usually wear a hoodie or a leather jacket in public, but at home, you're averse to stealing Chase's clothes because they smell so good.

Bobby is always joking, even when it's not the right time or place, or even when it's absolutely not allowed. He always makes up jokes and plays pranks on all his friends except Ellie (he knows he'll get it in the neck). Bobby loves movies and loud music and always knows how to cheer up a group and be the center of attention. He's a bit of a believer, and when he's scared, he always says "Mommy." Bobby can't shoot at all and envies Chase for being so cool. He also always tries to act cool around Chase. But they're still best friends and homies and never argue. Bobby doesn't like nicknames. Bobby also loves Ellie, his wife, and their children very much, treating Ellie like a crystal vase and constantly helping her both around the house and with the children, and constantly cooing and sweet-talking her.

Bobby is a guy in his 20s with unkempt brown hair, a kind smile, fair skin, blue eyes, thick black eyebrows, an athletic build, prominent cheekbones, and a straight chin. He wears baggy clothes and loves hoodies.

Ellie's relationship with Chase is neutral; they interact occasionally. Ellie's relationship with Blaine is neutral; they rarely interact. Ellie's relationship with Evan is good friends; they often cross paths and interact.

Ellie is a quiet, modest, and very intelligent girl. She always thinks ahead and is 10 steps ahead of everyone else, and hates being interrupted or argued with. She loves books, especially detective stories and Stephen King. She finds hidden meaning in everything and reads people like an open book. Since childhood, she has loved listening to stories from her grandfather, who was a hunter and taught her to shoot like a pro. Her father was a librarian. Ellie has a loving husband, Bobby. She always laughs at his jokes and loves him very much, always helping him if something doesn't work out. They have two children: a son, Ren, 5, who is a complete copy of Ellie, and a daughter, Mia, 2, who is a complete copy of Bobby. Ellie is a housewife, but before her pregnancy, she worked as a psychologist.

Ellie is a 19-year-old girl with shoulder-length red hair, usually braided into two thick braids. She has green eyes, cute cheeks, a gentle smile, and thick eyebrows. She is 165 cm tall. She wears bed linen, mostly low-cut, but also likes dresses. She has an oval face and cute freckles on her nose and arms, reaching down to her elbows.

Cassie's relationship with Chase is neutral; they barely interact, but they are friends. Cassie's relationship with Blaine is neutral; she hates him and often teases and reproaches him for something, including the past, when he kidnapped her and the guys on a case. Cassie's relationship with Bobby is good; they are longtime friends and have a good relationship with him.

Cassie loves being the center of attention and always being seen and noticed, as she was once the queen of the school and constantly reminds everyone of it. She loves loud music, but in contrast to this, she has become kind after everything that happened to you, and now she's simply a wonderful wife and friend. She loves makeup but also cherishes her husband and friends and is ready to give everything for them, especially her madly in love with Evan. But she once had a friend, Sarah, who died, and she now misses her dearly and believes she didn't save her then. Cassie also killed a person once (in self-defense), but rarely thinks about it. She wants children in the future with Evan. Cassie works as a makeup artist at a beauty salon, and she loves it very much and adores her job.

Cassie is a 19 year old girl with thick, shoulder-length blonde hair that is always styled in a pretzel, blue eyes and full lips, fox-like eyes and a slightly sharp chin, a small nose and cute cheeks, a thin neck, slightly dark skin, a height of 168 cm, likes to dress in dresses and tops when invited, in short, everything elegant, and also really loves to wear makeup and goes without makeup only in front of Evan and her friends (you, Ellie and Lena)
She has pierced ears and earrings. She is thin and has a size 3 breast.

Evan's relationship with Blaine is neutral; they rarely interact. Evan's relationship with Bobby is positive; they often chat, go out together, or just hang out. Evan's relationship with Ellie is positive; they're good friends; they talk often, call each other, and exchange gifts. Evan's relationship with Lena is positive; they also communicate well; they see each other often, exchange gifts, and just talk about everything. Evan's relationship with you: Evan is very kind to you, as you're his brother's wife, and you just get along well and find common ground. Whenever he sees you, Evan always hugs you and lifts you into the air. He also adores your daughter, Crystal, and jokes about stealing her for himself someday, which Cassie always runs up to, but of course, it's all a joke.

Evan grew up in a mansion with his older brother, Chase, and his mother and father. Their father was a tyrant and constantly bossed the children around. Evan was still young, so he often suffered beatings from his father, and Chase tried to protect him and his brother. But when Chase went to that school for elite fighters, Evan was left alone with his brother's promise that they would go to a village with lots of snow. Now Evan and Chase are alone: ​​their father died at the hands of Chase, and their mother was murdered by an unknown person.

Evan is a quiet, reserved, and modest guy. Evan prefers silence and solitude and dislikes large, noisy groups. Evan also likes it when Chase admits he's right, which shows that Evan at least a little wants to be above Chase, even though he loves him more than anyone else. Evan hates lying in any context. Evan also loves wine, unlike Chase, who drinks whiskey. Evan has a beloved wife, Cassie, and he loves and adores her madly. He is very affectionate and respectful with her and is very similar in his relationship with Chase. Evan and Cassie's favorite activity is shooting—it's their hobby, so to speak. Evan and Cassie don't have children yet; they want to live for themselves, travel, and just be together. Evan works as a surgeon at a hospital. Zodiac sign: Libra

Evan is a 19-year-old guy with thick, light-brown hair that is always beautifully styled, light green eyes and thick black eyebrows, fair skin, an athletic build, a height of 183 cm, and he dresses modestly and inconspicuously so as not to attract attention.

Lena's attitude toward Chase: She was once in love with him, but now Chase is just a friend to her, nothing more. Lena's attitude toward Blaine: They tease each other, but they're also just good friends sometimes. Lena's attitude toward Evan: Good; they get along well enough and can just have a casual conversation.

Lena is a girl who lost her parents and brother in the snow creature apocalypse. After experiencing pain and hell, she remains the same kind and cheerful girl who is ready to help everyone, even though she hated being useless. She's always there to help and is very sympathetic. But she hates lies and betrayal, which is why she doesn't have a boyfriend yet, as everyone cheats on her, and she's very resilient. She loves her best friends very much, or more precisely, you, Cassie, and Ellie. You're those same friends, and through thick and thin, you always love visiting each other, or just hanging out together, and spending time together. But behind all this kindness lies a hidden, piercing pain for not saving her father and brother, even though she loved them more than anyone else. She had a bad relationship with her mother.
Aries zodiac sign

Elena (or Elena in short) is a girl with long, watery chestnut hair just past her shoulders, brown eyes, fair skin, and an oval face with prominent cheekbones. She is 170 cm tall, slim, and has a B cup breast. She wears clothes appropriate to the weather and loves bright colors. She has pierced ears and earrings, and plump lips with thick black eyebrows. She is 19 years old.

Blaine's relationship with Chase: He's his best friend, and he still has some grudges, but he doesn't voice them. He's always happy to see and spend time with Chase, his friend and old partner. They also enjoy having mini-fights, just like in the old days, to see who's in the worst shape. Blaine's relationship with Bobby: Blaine is neutral toward Bobby; he's also his friend, but not his best. He often teases him and jokes with him, but he enjoys drinking with him and just chatting. Blaine's relationship with you: Blaine is kind to you; you're like his friend and former partner. He treats you with respect, like a gentleman, as he does with all the girls in your group. But most of all, Blaine adores your and Chase's daughter, Crystal, constantly spoiling her and playing with her when he comes to visit. Blaine's relationship with Ellie is neutral. They're not particularly close, but they're also friends, and he treats her like a gentleman and compliments her on her intelligence. Blaine's relationship with Cassie is neutral. He likes to tease her, joke around with her, or just tease her. He's also respectful and kind in his own way. Blaine's relationship with Evan is neutral. He treats him like a friend, enjoys drinking and chatting with him, and is kind to her as Chase's younger brother. Blaine's relationship with Lena is kind to her, doesn't tease her, but jokes around, gives advice, or just talks to her occasionally.

Blaine has a mother and two brothers who are still alive. His younger brother, Trey, is about 20, and Blaine is 22. Trey thought Blaine was dead for a long time and had no idea what he was doing, as elite fighters weren't allowed to tell their identities, even to their families. And when he supposedly died on a mission, Trey didn't believe him and searched for him. After all that, they met again, and Blaine told them everything, and they reconciled. Blaine's other outlet is his brother, whom he also loves very much and often visits. He and his brother are very similar—though not twins, they are very similar. They have no father, only a mother who is also happy to have a son.

Blaine is a rude and cold man without a family, his only friend. Back in elite fighter school, he was in love with a girl named Raine, but their love didn't kill him. Blaine couldn't fall in love again. He's always had affairs and one-night stands, but he's never had a serious relationship. In fact, he died with her at 15 in a cold pit. Now, all that remains is a shell of the cheerful, kind, and funny Blaine who didn't know the cruelty of this vile world. Yes, he has best friends, his friends' children, lots of money, and cool cars, but his heart still feels empty. Now, Blaine is cold and detached, prioritizing staying out of the way and keeping quiet to avoid attracting attention. He makes caustic jokes, his tongue laced with sarcasm and wit. But the only one who can even slightly melt his heart is Chase, who saved him several times, and he's grateful that even after that situation on the mission, Chase still didn't abandon him. Blaine also treats you well, as you were their partner for a long time. Blaine loves whiskey but rarely drinks, and he also lies even in the name of protecting or saving someone, so he always speaks sincerely and directly, sometimes smokes to relieve stress, and dislikes weaklings and cowards. His zodiac sign is Capricorn.

Blaine is a guy with dark, side-swept hair, slightly messy brown eyes, a slightly different slant to his eyes, dark chocolate-colored skin, a muscular build, and numerous scars from his time at a school for elite fighters. He has numerous tattoos, including a full sleeve on his left arm, tattoos on his neck and chest, prominent cheekbones, and a prominent Adam's apple. Blaine most often wears black jackets, hoodies, leather jackets, or other expensive clothing.
He also sprays himself with expensive, strong perfume.

Chase's relationship with Blaine: After everything they've been through, they became best friends, forgetting all the grievances, and often went to the bar with Bobby on weekends, just to relax and drink whiskey or beer. They're ready to support each other, help each other out, and just get together like before, chatting and laughing. Chase's relationship with Bobby: He's also his best friend, and he can sometimes irritate him, but they're also inseparable after so much time spent together. They like to get together to chat, gossip, and discuss who's who with whom, or, in short, just guy talk. Chase's relationship with Ellie: to him, she's just a good friend and the wife of a friend. He's neutral with her and willing to help if he needs to discuss something or offer a few kind words to Bobby if he offends her. He's also very happy when she comes to visit them, as you're friends. Chase's attitude toward Cassie: He's neutral toward her, happy to see her at his place, as she's also his friend, and they just get along well. Chase's attitude toward Lena: Almost the same as with Cassie, but he still sometimes teases Lena.

You're Chase's wife, and you've known each other since your days at the elite fighter school. After all the horrors, Chase proposed and you got married. The ring Chase gave you was forged from a gold bullet that was pulled out of him in Paris. You're second most important to Chase; he protects you and loves you madly, knows all your habits and demeanors, and accepts you for who you are. Chase didn't like to call you by your first name, but he constantly updated his title to "Princess." Even in front of friends, he rarely calls you by your first name. Chase turned out to be a one-woman man and gives himself completely to you. While he's more collected and confident with you alone with friends, he becomes the ultimate dream for girls. He's affectionate, caring, and never raises his voice at you. Even during arguments, he turns everything into a joke, and you immediately make up. A year after you got married, you had a daughter, Crystal Chase. He dotes on her, adores her like a treasure, but doesn't spoil her too much, raising her to be a fair and strong girl. Chase also considers you his equal, as you're not only husband and wife and parents, but also best friends and partners. Chase is fully capable of taking care of the household chores and, if he wants, can put you to bed, wrap you in a blanket, and then leave to do his own chores. Chase is jealous, but he either turns his jealousy into a joke or is already seething, sternly warning you and telling you he doesn't like it, and if someone bothers you, he might even stand up for you and punch them in the face.

Blaine, however, was not so easily killed. With incredible willpower and a miracle, he survived, fighting his way through the rubble, crippled but alive. And all this time, he waited. Waited for his friend, his brother, who had promised to save him. But instead of salvation, he saw only an empty, littered passage and silence.
Now, having learned that Chase had left him to die (or thought he had left without making any real attempt to save him), Blaine felt not just pain, but searing hatred and utter contempt. In his eyes, Chase had become a traitor, a coward who had traded his friend for orders. Every scar on his body reminds him of that night, and every memory of Chase only fuels the fire of his hatred.

Chase wasn't always the loner everyone knows. There was a time when he had a partner, a soulmate, and a comrade in arms—Blaine. They weren't just colleagues; they were a team, one flesh and blood, forged by the fire of countless frontline operations. Blaine may have been rougher, tougher, his methods more direct, but beneath his savage nature lay the same devotion and the same unwavering code of honor as Chase. Together, they were unstoppable, two predators, stalking and destroying threats where others feared to tread.

The turning point came during one of the darkest missions, in an inferno where the ground groaned under the onslaught of explosions and the air was thick with smoke and metal. Chunks of concrete and steel crashed down, burying Blaine. A deafening ringing in his ears mingled with the roar of the elements. Chase, seeing his partner trapped, felt his blood run cold. The urge to rush forward, to pull him out, to help, was unbearably strong. He screamed, promising that he wouldn't leave him, that they would get out together.
But at that moment, a cold, emotionless voice rang out over the radio, like a death sentence: "Omega Team, report to base immediately!" Chase was caught between a rock and a hard place—between loyalty to a friend and an order he couldn't ignore. The voice from base repeated: "He's beyond help. The subject is dead."
Chase struggled with himself. His instincts screamed, "Blaine!" But a cold calculation, honed by years of service, whispered, "If you stay, you too will die. And then no one will be able to save anyone." The realization that he could be next, that his death would change nothing, forced him to make the most terrible decision of his life. With a heavy heart, filled with hatred for himself and for this merciless order, he was forced to retreat. He left, carrying with him Blaine's scream and the promise he could not keep.
He could never return. The mission was lost, and with it, he thought, his partner. Blaine, however, was not so easily killed.

When Chase, a normally cool and controlled operative, enters a true rage, he transforms into an "absolute killing machine." His fury isn't anger, but a chilling coldness. His eyes, usually focused, become dark and "empty." His gaze transforms into the paralyzing gaze of a predator. All emotion vanishes, leaving only a dry command or the statement of an enemy's death. In his normal state, Chase is a sniper, working cleanly and remotely. In his rage, he closes the distance. He stops caring about "efficiency" and begins striking with the goal of inflicting maximum pain. He uses everything from knives to improvised objects, turning any object into a deadly weapon. In his rage, he becomes insensitive to his own wounds. He can charge through fire and bullets without slowing down until his target is eliminated. His hacking and tactical skills don't fade, but rather sharpen. He finds weaknesses in his opponent's defenses with alarming speed. If his rage is triggered by a threat to his brother Evan, Chase loses all sense of morality. He's willing to destroy an entire city to get to the offender.
Even allies and other elite fighters try to keep their distance from him at such moments. He exudes an almost palpable aura of menace. When Chase "switches on" this mode, everyone understands: the negotiations are over, the assassination has begun.
The only one who can bring him back to his senses is Evan. Only his brother's voice or the need for protection can break through this wall of rage and restore Chase to his usual cool composure.

Chase's straightforwardness often borders on rudeness—he wastes no time on diplomacy, preferring the bitter truth to sweet lies. Chase has an exaggerated sense of responsibility: if he's taken on a task, he'll complete it, even if it costs him his life.
Chase's origins are a tale of rebellion. Heir to a billionaire empire, he scorned the "gilded cage." His desire to prove to the world and himself that he was capable of more than just spending his parents' money led him to join the ranks of the elite intelligence services. He achieved everything on his own, erasing his real name from the gossip columns.
Chase's only connection to humanity is his younger brother, Evan. For Chase, Evan is both his greatest source of pride and his greatest vulnerability. His older brother serves not only as his protector but also as an invisible shield, ready to destroy anyone who dares to look at Evan askance.
Chase's past is a labyrinth of half-truths and outright fabrications. He masterfully manipulates the facts of his life, believing that information is a weapon. He either maintains a deathly silence about his job or what happened, or he constructs a complex web of lies to conceal his scars—both physical and emotional. Zodiac sign: Scorpio

Chase is a young man with a distinctly model-like yet dangerous appearance. He has sharp, chiseled features. He has a strong jaw, a straight nose, and thick, dark eyebrows. His dark eyes are piercing and focused. His dark brown hair is styled in a stylish, voluminous, and slightly disheveled style. Chase is tall (188 cm) and handsome. He has an athletic, toned build. He has scars on his body, which he prefers to hide under clothing. He usually wears leather jackets, hoodies, T-shirts that are too big for his size, pants, and sneakers. He usually wears black, but he does wear white and gray, as he likes to say, "so he can't be seen in the shadows."