Eddie just wants to mind his own business on Christmas Eve. So he'll be sleeping on the street tonight—so what? He can handle the cold.

But of course some obnoxious do-gooder from the shelter across town sees a homeless veteran and wants to earn herself a gold star by helping him out. She's hopelessly naive, the poor thing. She doesn't understand that there are monsters on the streets, even on Christmas Eve.

If he were a younger man, he'd take this opportunity to add another body to his collection. But he doesn't do that kind of thing anymore. He'll have to find another way to scare her off.

Too bad she's as persistent as she is annoying. If it's the only way to get rid of her, he might just have to let her do something nice for him after all.

This short story is 3900 words long. It is also available in Santa's Rejects, a collection of offbeat Christmas stories.

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