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00:00The Vault of Horror
00:01Ho ho ho! And what would you like for Christmas?
00:10Have you been a ghoul little child?
00:14I hope so.
00:16For with the Christmas spirit all about us,
00:20the editors thought it would be fitting to give our story for this issue a little Christmassy feeling.
00:27It's Christmas Eve,
00:28and all good little children are tucked in their beddy-bys fast asleep.
00:35Ho ho!
00:37A perfect atmosphere for a Christmas tale, eh?
00:42And all through the house.
00:51Her husband was dead,
00:53and it was the best Christmas present she'd ever had.
00:56She stood over the lifeless body, sprawled at her feet, and smiled.
01:01Ha ha! Merry Christmas, Joseph!
01:06You're sleeping so peacefully!
01:09Dreaming of Santa Claus?
01:11She lingered, thinking of the months of planning that had culminated in one swift blow with a poker.
01:18From upstairs, she heard a child's cries.
01:23Carol!
01:24She's awake!
01:25Good night!
01:26Good night!
01:27She hurried upstairs,
01:29opened the door to a small bedroom.
01:33Carol?
01:34What's the matter, dear?
01:36Did Santa Claus come yet, Mommy?
01:39Did he?
01:41No, dear.
01:42Not yet.
01:44It's not time.
01:45So you go back to sleep.
01:49Can I see him, Mommy?
01:52Can I see him when he comes?
01:55I'll see, dear.
01:58Now you be a good little girl and go right to sleep.
02:01Or Santa won't come at all.
02:03All right?
02:05All right, Mommy.
02:08Night.
02:08She remained until her daughter was sleeping again,
02:13then returned downstairs.
02:15She stepped over her husband's body,
02:18moved to the table.
02:20Casually, she lit a cigarette and inhaled.
02:23You are such a mouse, Joseph.
02:27You'll never know how wonderful it is to be free of you at last.
02:32There was no hurry.
02:34She had planned too long and too well.
02:36There were no neighbors within miles,
02:39and she had all night to dispose of the body.
02:42She thought of the insurance,
02:45drifted across the room,
02:47and turned on the radio.
02:50The music floated through the room.
02:53Christmas carols.
02:55She hummed softly
02:56and looked again at the corpse.
03:00The stained poker lay nearby.
03:03She picked up the poker,
03:05fondled it,
03:07cleaned it,
03:08set it in its place by the fire.
03:12Jingle bells, jingle bells,
03:15jingle all the way.
03:18She turned and gazed at the gaily decorated Christmas tree
03:22and the presents beneath it.
03:25Tsk, tsk.
03:26Now I'll never know whether or not Joseph would have liked that tie I bought for him.
03:32Oh well.
03:35Abruptly, the mental clock chimed the hour.
03:38It was time.
03:41Oh, it's eleven.
03:43Time to get rid of Joseph.
03:45And Carol will be alright until I get back.
03:47She crossed the room
03:51to turn off the radio,
03:52then stopped,
03:54listening.
03:55We interrupt this program
03:57to bring you a special news bulletin.
04:00We have just received a report
04:01from the World Wide News Bureau
04:03that a homicidal maniac
04:04has escaped from the state hospital
04:06for the insane.
04:08He has brutally murdered four women
04:11and all citizens are warned
04:13to remain off the streets.
04:15This man is extremely dangerous.
04:18We repeat,
04:19he is extremely dangerous.
04:21Another report has been handed to me.
04:26Here is a description of the escaped maniac.
04:29He is six feet three inches tall,
04:32210 pounds,
04:34has dark eyes,
04:36shaggy black hair.
04:38It is reported that he is now wearing
04:39a Santa Claus costume
04:41he had taken from a man
04:42in the village of Pleasantville.
04:45Pleasantville?
04:46My God!
04:48That's just south of here!
04:49He is believed to be headed north.
04:52Police officials state
04:54that he will not harm children
04:55and will only injure men
04:57if he is provoked.
04:59It is said that he is obsessed
05:00with the killing of women.
05:02All four women that he already has murdered
05:05have been attacked
05:06and viciously disfigured.
05:08Oh my Lord!
05:10All women are warned
05:11to remain indoors.
05:13This man is extremely dangerous.
05:16Further bulletins will be brought to you
05:17as soon as they are received.
05:18Stay tuned for now.
05:21My God!
05:22I can't take a chance of leaving now!
05:26Yet,
05:27I have to get rid of Joseph's body.
05:30I hadn't figured on anything like this.
05:34Still,
05:36Carol will be okay if I leave her.
05:38The radio said he won't harm children
05:40and I have to get rid of Joseph.
05:42I'll go!
05:52She tiptoed across the window
05:54and peered through.
05:55In the darkness,
05:57she could discern the red costume,
06:00the white fur trim.
06:01My God!
06:04Oh, good God!
06:06It's him!
06:09In a fit of sudden panic,
06:11she rushed to the telephone
06:12and snatched up the receiver
06:13to call the police.
06:15She stopped
06:17and an icy fear
06:18clutched her heart.
06:20I,
06:21I can't call the police.
06:24They'd find Joseph's body.
06:27Oh, good heavens!
06:29What will I do?
06:31Slowly,
06:33she lowered the receiver.
06:35She stared at the body
06:36at the front door
06:37and the house was quiet as death.
06:40Maybe he'll go away.
06:42But I'd better put Joseph's body
06:44in the closet.
06:46If Carol woke up,
06:49the front doorknob rattled loudly.
06:52She moved away from the corpse
06:53to the door.
06:55He's trying to get in.
06:58He isn't going to go away.
07:00He wants me!
07:03In the silence,
07:05she heard him stomp the porch.
07:08From within,
07:09she followed the sound
07:10of his footsteps
07:11crunching in the snow.
07:14He,
07:15he's going around
07:16the side of the house.
07:18He's going to the back door!
07:22Madly,
07:22she raced through the house
07:23to the back door.
07:25She locked and bolted it nervously.
07:28There!
07:28She heard his steps
07:31clomping onto the back porch
07:33and she stood away from the door,
07:36fearfully watching the knob
07:37as it turned and rattled.
07:39Again,
07:43she listened to the terror
07:44as the footsteps
07:45left the porch
07:46and moved through the snow.
07:49The windows!
07:50He'll try the windows!
07:54Frantically,
07:55she rushed from window to window,
07:57making certain
07:58they were all locked,
07:59all the blinds lowered.
08:01The radio announcement
08:03thundered in her mind.
08:06She shuddered convulsively.
08:09I've got to hurry!
08:11I've got to hurry!
08:13One of them may be unlocked!
08:15While locking all the windows,
08:17she noticed Joseph on the floor.
08:20A strange expression
08:21flicked across her face.
08:23For a moment,
08:25she seemed bewildered.
08:26Joseph!
08:29Heavens!
08:31I've got to get him out of sight!
08:33If Carol ever woke up
08:34and came downstairs!
08:37She started dragging the body
08:38across the floor
08:39to the closet,
08:40then stopped
08:41and looked at the front door,
08:43and then at the windows.
08:45She dropped the body.
08:48The windows!
08:49I've locked all the windows!
08:52But he could break them!
08:54He'll come inside
08:55and kill me!
08:57She hurried down
08:58to the cellar,
08:59stumbling
09:00and almost falling
09:02in the dim light.
09:03She swished her hand
09:04across her forehead,
09:07wiped away
09:07the drops of perspiration.
09:09There was lumber
09:10in the cellar.
09:12Joseph was always buying
09:13and picking up
09:14pieces of lumber,
09:15and silently,
09:17she thanked him.
09:17She gathered
09:19as many boards
09:20as she could,
09:21grabbed a hammer
09:22and a handful of nails.
09:24Loaded with her burden,
09:26she clumsily climbed
09:27the stairs
09:28and entered
09:28the living room.
09:30She saw the body.
09:32Oh!
09:33I still haven't
09:34put him away
09:35in the closet!
09:36If Carol ever saw...
09:39She put down
09:40the boards,
09:41the hammer,
09:42the nails,
09:43and now trembling,
09:44she lifted Joseph
09:46and began once more
09:47to drag him
09:48to the closet.
09:50She stopped suddenly,
09:52remembering the breakable windows
09:54and the fiends
09:55somewhere outside.
09:57She dropped the body,
09:59picked up the lumber,
10:01the nails,
10:02the hammer,
10:02and started
10:03boarding up the window.
10:04From the rear of the house,
10:07she heard a pounding
10:08on the back door,
10:09and she dropped the hammer,
10:11dropped the nails,
10:13and snatched up the phone
10:14to call for help
10:15and remembered
10:16the body on the floor.
10:19She let the phone
10:20slip from her grasp
10:21and tumbled
10:23into its cradle,
10:25and she picked up
10:25the hammer
10:26and the lumber
10:26and all the little nails
10:28and finished
10:29boarding up the windows.
10:33She finished the windows
10:34and wondered
10:35what the maniac
10:35was doing
10:36and remembered
10:37the dead body
10:38and went back
10:39and dragged it
10:40into the closet.
10:43She went over
10:43all the windows again,
10:45checking to see
10:46if they were all
10:46boarded up
10:47and made sure
10:48that the body
10:48was in the closet
10:49and went down
10:50to the cellar
10:51to check
10:51the cellar door.
10:53The cellar door
10:54was locked,
10:55and she ran upstairs
10:56and checked the doors
10:57and checked the windows
10:58and made sure
10:59the body
11:00was in the closet
11:01and raced up
11:02to the attic
11:03to make sure
11:03it was all closed up.
11:05And after she checked
11:07the attic,
11:08she checked the locks
11:09on all the windows
11:10on the second floor
11:11and thought of the fiend
11:13and all the insurance
11:14and went to
11:16her daughter's room.
11:18Carol?
11:20Carol?
11:22My God!
11:24She's gone!
11:27The room was empty
11:28and she tore
11:29the bedclothes
11:30from the bed
11:31and slammed the door
11:32of the empty closet
11:33and checked the lock
11:34on the empty room's window.
11:37It's locked.
11:39She's still here.
11:41She's still in the house.
11:44Carol?
11:45Carol?
11:46Carol?
11:47Where are you?
11:49Here I am, Mommy.
11:51Here I am.
11:53Downstairs.
11:56She rushed headlong
11:57from the empty room,
11:59clattered frantically
11:59down the stairs,
12:01and stopped.
12:03Look, Mommy.
12:05Look.
12:07Santa Claus is here.
12:08And I let him in.
12:10The end.
12:23Ho, ho, ho!
12:24And what would you like
12:26for Christmas?
12:28Did you enjoy our little story?
12:31Carol's Mommy just got the biggest surprise
12:34of her life.
12:36You see,
12:37this Santa loved to slay bells.
12:40And next time you see Santa,
12:43better make sure he isn't six foot three
12:46with shaggy black hair.
12:49That reminds me.
12:51I guess it's time for me
12:53to remove this mask.
12:54Ha, ha!
12:56Ha, ha!
12:57Yep.
12:58It's me.
12:59The Fault Keeper.
13:02You didn't think we'd ever have
13:03the real Santa Claus
13:04in this horror mag,
13:06did you?
13:07Oh,
13:08I suppose you've been wondering
13:11just what I've got in the sack.
13:14Ha!
13:15It's only what's left
13:16of Carol's Mommy
13:18after that maniac
13:19was through with her.
13:21Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!
13:22And by the way,
13:25Merry Christmas!
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