Bumps After Using Veet

Archived Advent

"you do not follow their instincts," the priest had said. "follow the star." He was pregnant with meaning Expression shown in the sky. But whether instinct or Stern: The fact was, they were dangerous. And many who had encountered them had died before they could be surprised about the existence of three two-thousand year-old zombies. is


Here's to the little door 2-24 (and the bonus-door)

The cigarette helps Daniel to relax a little while things that happened in last night, while watching. He is smoking in a stable where Mary and Joseph keep a plastic baby. Josef Daniel himself, he observed attention, whether in the woods doing something. Whether moving between the trees a bit.

But Daniel knows that he would like to hear first when they come. That their hollow groan would reverberate across the clearing.

Daniel gently touched the gun, he has hidden under the brown wool coat, which is part of his Joseph costume. How absurd it is that it is in late summer with his fellow student Anna in the forest stands and the Christmas story in its most stereotypical form (plus plastic Jesus) mimics.

But what in the last ten hours has happened, Daniel robbed of any sense of humor. Anna, the Virgin Mary, breaks suddenly into tears. "I'm afraid I'm so afraid," she cries.

"I," whispered Daniel. "But you have to play your role. Only then we will go ... "

Daniel expresses his cigarette. Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, the three undead bastards should come. They are then fired back by force to the East ...

was the early evening of the Cologne Cathedral was still filled with a curious tension. Spectators sat in the pews of the Gothic nave. Holy Stone threw them punitive or loving glances - depending on the role they played in the Bible.

But no one paid any attention to them. Everyone stared whispering to the Three Magi, from where they had taken exception, the bulletproof glass. Instead, he was protected by police, an invisible line between the quantity and guarded shrine. The Cardinal was there and shook hands for the photographers of the Cologne university dean.

Daniel had wet hands with excitement. He stood a few meters away from the dignitaries. But his attention was solely the three-story sarcophagus, which was gilded with 74 figures and thousands of precious stones at the heart of the Cologne Cathedral. A shining legacy of the Middle Ages, which should in its glory the inviolable power of the Catholic Church

And today should be opened because this power was crumbling and the church -. Explained as Daniel - urgent dependent on effective media relations activities was. The Cardinal had held an unusual speech for him, in it came to that church and science must move together at last detail. "We meet this evening at an intersection of the truth," he had said.

But the religion did not matter to Daniel. Like his fellow students he was Archaeological solely proud to witness this exciting project. Since 1864, the shrine was not opened. Science had since acquired knowledge and methods developed that would finally reveal what was actually stored in it.

The bones of the Magi? What nonsense! Not only Daniel, his fellow students were convinced that the only comic book characters were from a biblical tale.

The Cardinal came away from Dean and knocked Daniels study leader Professor Siegel on the shoulder. These chummy gesture might be the strictly looking man and not at all suitable to his venerable red and black robe. Daniel knew that his professor was a hundred times more nervous than he is. Finally he would conduct the investigation and respond, perhaps in the history of archeology.

Daniels fellow student Anna suddenly took his hand. With wide eyes she stared Daniel at. A childlike curiosity was in her face, which he had never seen with her. "Here we go," she whispered. "Yes," answered Daniel and winced briefly as two men drill operating at the shrine.

flashed the flash lights of the photographers, the drill roared loudly. It looked as if a storm raging around the coffin, which God himself has raised. Because he does not agree with what just happened here ...

was a chill ran through Daniel's limbs, as a forklift was driven carefully into the opening of the coffin lid and slowly ... Exactly in the most exciting moment all eyes were distracted. Instead of staring suddenly at the shrine all on a dazzling light that seemed exactly by the supreme church window on the coffin.

who had no sunglasses in her hair, he could quickly draw in the nose, had to keep his hands to his eyes. The reflected light glistening white in the gold of the shrine. Daniel was at the scene from "Indiana Jones" think of the Nazis in open federal land. It is wrong, what we do. he thought involuntarily.

No one saw how the truck lifted the lid. But all heard the cardinal, whose voice on the bright light like the sound of an angel. One very angry angel: "Take heed, the Morning Star has come," he thundered theatrical. "And he will bring those to life, you have to not believe her! May the wrath of the Lord through them to get you down! "

Daniel could feel Anna's fingernails pierced into his flesh. "What happened here?" She asked with a trembling voice. The naked fear had driven a child's curiosity on her face. Daniel wanted to say that he has no idea, but at the moment it was not necessary any answer, because the light disappeared.

The cathedral appeared Daniel darker than ever before. The Three Kings was only slowly taking shape before his eyes. Daniel watched as Professor Siegel curious about bent. Then he heard Anna yell unspeakably loud. A black hand shot up from the golden shrine! be

This must Kaspar. thought Daniel. Kaspar is but the black, right? He forgot short that he had actually believed related to the shrine in anything but the Three Kings. Professor Daniels could not cry when the black hand firmly crushed his throat. The head of a black man (more like half the head, for under a crown of glory was the open brain to see) came to light. The King - The Zombie King, thought Daniel - rammed his teeth into seal face and ripped his nose off.

greedy So when he had waited 2,000 years to finally get something to eat, he buried himself smack in the face of his victim. Blood splattered on the coffin. The dark red is absurd as the shine of gold leaf.

Throughout the cathedral was screaming. to do something instead of staring, the cops aghast at the spectacle in the sanctuary. Just like Daniel. He heard the screams around him. So fascinated he was by what was happening before his eyes.

addition to the black king, a second got a blue holey coat. This king had long gray hair under his crown, which surrounds a skeletal skull. In the right orbit there was a purulent lumpy mass that was probably once been an eyeball. The king had no nose and no lower jaw. But sharp teeth in the upper jaw, which he immediately rammed lustful after his awakening in the thigh of the professor. Whose face was just a mush which the black king licking pleasure.

Is now Melchior and Balthasar? asked Daniel and decided that the third in the league looked more like a Melchior. The still had a long beard, but no crown. From the front his skull was splintered jagged, it seemed that he had grown like a crown. The king met with a long-drawn groan away the black king in order to crack a juicy bite of human flesh from the face of Professor Siegel. Like a child who had stolen the toys were the black the other a shove back.

Anna tugged at Daniel's arm. "We need to get out of here!"

The three kings brought down heavily. They looked like the stone figures that were everywhere in the dome guard. In her state more like the stone figures shortly after the bombing of Cologne. thought Daniel, Anna then pulled him into the crowd, who were already deranged excitement to the exit.

Daniel got even with that the police had begun on the undead to shoot. But he did not know if the shots achieved any effect. He had to concentrate on Anna's hold hands. This was not Just in the crowd that are compressed as much as the audience at a rock concert. Daniel quickly felt only elbow, which rammed painfully into his body. Many tried to push up on him, to somehow get over the heads of the other to the entrance portal.

Somewhere said Daniel to hear the hollow moan of the Kings, but the screeching one could imagine some noise. Sun unsakral as now, the mood in the cathedral had not been, since 2005 a bunch of World Youth Day visitors had been left with light blue backpacks inside.

Daniel spontaneously decided to pull Anna from the crowd and run back to the shrine.

"What are you doing?"

"This is like the bull run of Pamplona here," said Daniel. "We come as soon not get out!"

"Well spotted, boy," suddenly said a priest, Daniel and Anna took her by the arms. "The vestry! Less spectacular, but safer! "

Daniel looked through the window to a broken city to anarchy. disfigured corpses lay everywhere on the pavement, as hundreds of people would have agreed over the Internet to the most bloody flash mob ever. Who was not dead staggered, screaming to himself and staring through the streets. Hardly had come alive from the cathedral.

But the three kings had been able to harm it. No one had been able to stop her as she staggered into the city and each is transformed into a Hackfleichlieferung for the cannibal butcher who stood in their way. Those who had not been dead or insane, looted shops. Daniel saw a man with difficulty a few corpses on the High Street to the side managed to push a huge HD TV from the media market can advance.

"Then run the infidels and pounce on what has meant more to them than our God," murmured the priest and went to the window next to Daniel. Anna laughed without humor. As she turned away in disgust from the window, gazing out Daniel fascinated. He observed a woman in evening dress, the coin tap the pockets of the dead for valuables. If they found something, she looked around furtively before she pocketed.

"As if the people would not have been as if they still had to believe in God," said Anna the priest.

"There lies the problem. Man must accept God's love freely. If he is forced to the heart may still remain incredulous. "

Daniel turned around. "So you think we would be responsible for what happened out there, because we do not believe that sitting up there, a bearded old man?"

The priest sighed. His room was small but totally overloaded with trinkets. Countless rosaries and crucifixes were hung without concept next to and above the other, so that few millimeters on the gray stone walls more was free. It looked like a souvenir shop just outside the Vatican. "For a theological discussion of who or what God is, we have no time," said the priest. "But the fact is that the three kings are once again risen, because they were fed by unbelief."

Daniel wanted to interrupt, but the priest suddenly raised his voice: "You think always of the to see what you can. You have seen how three undead came out of a coffin in which their bones have only thought of any animals. And have you seen how they have each turned in their path. Not even bullets could stop them. "Silent Daniel and Anna. As a convinced agnostic, they had to actually oppose anything - all consider it possible, but only believe what you see.

"Okay," Anna said finally. "They seem to know what is going on."

The priest nodded meaningfully, as if it were incredibly proud to have finally right.

"So," Daniel said. "What's the matter?"

Daniel coughed as his dense Cloud of incense just took your breath away. Anna wanted to open a window, but enough for a glimpse of Daniel in order to dissuade them. Is it really wise to open the window to a world of corpses?

The priest had lit a bowl of incense. The clouds that danced around his face seemed to him not seem to mind - on the contrary, he breathed deeply of it again and again, as he said that belief and unbelief have the same power. "If one of them strongly enough, it can materialize. The pure pure faith has come about on earth as ... "

"... Jesus was born," added Anna, a certain Süffisanz in her voice was not to be missed. was "... born as Jesus Christ by a virgin

:

The priest did not take note of. No earthly birth, a birth made possible through faith and hope. The morning star was shining at that time - and it seems today, here on this city, "

The priest reached into the bowl of incense and scattered a few crumbs on the table.. He opened a tiny golden bags and poured Splitter out. He carefully rubbed the gold in the incense, as he continued: "We live in a time full of hopeless unbeliever. This power has the Cardinal tonight taken advantage of. He left open the shrine and take the form of unbelief. - In the three kings "

" But why, "said Daniel?.

The priest got up and went to a small cabinet next to his bed. "Not everyone in the church have good intentions," he said as he took out a casket. He looked slightly amused look that did not suit him, about the students. "But you know already."

He went back to his seat. "In the seminary we have always said that it is with church representatives such as the Asparagus: The red, the less tasty. The cardinal wanted to demonstrate his power to make an example. And maybe he's right -. Maybe the people can believe again after that night "

" The people were forcibly bring to God that one knows of you, "Daniel said, not without anger.

"Anyway," said the priest unimpressed. "It is safer if we make the example back." He took two small golden-brown chunks from the casket, which was full of it. The lump, he carefully rolled in the incense-gold mixture. "The Three Kings are only a shadow of itself - the demonic twins of their holy lives. They are zombies, looking for their Savior to welcome him to the world welcome. Just as some 2000 years ago. "

" so follow your instincts, "asked Daniel. The priest looked at him intently. He pointed out the window in the sky where the morning star shone brightly. "They do not follow their instincts. They follow the star. Just like back then. "He put the ball that he had formed in his palm and offered it to Daniel and Anna. "And only here can stop them."

"frankincense, myrrh and gold," said Daniel. "The stuff they have at that time brought as gifts to the manger."

The priest smiled broadly. Three gold teeth flashed in his mouth. "I hope for you that you start to believe."

now in the woods, where he has over an hour for the arrival of the Magi from the East is waiting, is dominated by doubt. Was that really real? Or permitted the priest, who is hiding behind the barn armed, a most lavish joke with them?

was to get at the guns were not very difficult. In a world where all the running around in panic or dead, is the basement of the Central Police Station to a self-service store. The priest had loaded the guns with his special ammunition - sawed ball in which he had pushed with forceps several frankincense myrrh gold nuggets.

The priest had been sure that the star would soon be one of the clearing. they had built the makeshift crib made of branches and twigs. And now they are here in costumes of a carnival business and with a plastic Jesus from the broken shop window of the Kaufhof department store.

And before Daniel can ask again whether the whole package is not completely stupid, the entire clearing is suddenly plunged into a white light. Daniel gets goosebumps when he considered the star that shines so bright as a night-sun. All sounds in the forest silence. The peaceful atmosphere is of not be disturbed. Apart from waiting for the noise to which Daniel. Instinctively puts his hand around the gun under the costume.

Anna gasps short - a suppressed cry. And then is heard more clearly: The hollow groan. Branches crack. Daniel can not suppress a slight tremor. He closes his fist tightly around the gun to be quiet. Pinches his eyes together to identify silhouettes. But he does not see.

Anna is deathly pale blue under her cloak. The pallor is perfect for her portrayal of Mother of God, as well as the wide-open Eyes, give her something childish.

And then they are suddenly in the light.

The star shines so bright that the three kings throw no shadows. could almost assume that they are angels that were beamed into the clearing. But her shuffling step has nothing angelic. Just as the blood of hundreds of people flowing to them from the ruined faces and soaked their torn coats.

Daniel secretly checked whether the gun fast enough he pulled out from under his costume, if they close enough. He felt around whether the weapon is unlocked. It is, and the zombies are almost there. Now Daniel can see the details: Can see that the skulls of the kings are just skeleton heads nearly that were hung with pieces of flesh. And on which, absurdly, still enthroned the crowns.

How can it be that they have not yet fallen down on the way? question is Daniel is surprised and how his fear suddenly transformed into a different feeling, despite its ugliness, the kings seem sublime. "You really look like saints," whispered Daniel.

"What are you saying?" Anna asked with a trembling voice.

But Daniel does not answer her. He look t around, sees the crib and the mother with the child, both look beautiful in the light of the morning star. It works for Christmas. Just as was the time when Daniel carried away five years old and completely from a nativity play at kindergarten was. Only that it is not a game today.

The three kings are now close enough to come to easily shoot at them to. But instead of pulling the gun crosses, Daniel - for the first time since he with twelve Years ago in a show was. The Kings remain a respectful distance available to the crib. Kaspar Melchior looks on as he wanted to ask something. Melchior turns his head to Balthazar. Very cumbersome, because the skull would fall from the neck, he would be moved jerkily. Balthasar lower half of his head. The others do it alike. The three zombies look at the goal. They bow reverently before the plastic Jesus, the Anna clutching desperately.

It looks beautiful. think Daniel. For it is truly ...

The moldy smell, the kings give off, fills the whole clearing and rises in Daniel's nose. But he takes it almost was. Can be fulfilled only by appearance. The zombies radiate for him neither death nor danger, they seem to say: The story is true.

a bang! A sharp pain runs through Daniel's body. But he was hit not by a bullet. It shocked him that the peaceful image has been destroyed before him. blood injected into Anna's face and the plastic Jesus, falling to the floor - the little head of Balthasar flying in thousands of pieces. Instead he keeps her gun in Anna hands.

"Well done, girls!" The priest comes from behind the stall, while Balthazar's body collapses. It's over with peace. The hollow moan of the remaining zombie kings vibrates through the air. The priest shoots! Kaspar falls to the ground as the ball hits him on the shoulder. "You have to take the heads! The heads, "cries the priest. Melchior has approached him threatening. The priest invited by his gun, but Daniel pulls his still not clear. Only when Melchior rammed his rotten teeth into the neck of the priest, he thinks about his Task.

Shoot 'it! Appeared ... " shoots a surge of blood from the mouth of the priest. Eager to make Melchior on him. And Daniel feels to move in slow motion, as he puts the gun, aimed and pulled the trigger on Melchior's head. These special ball of the priest shows its effect: frankincense, myrrh and gold tear apart the skull of the second king. Daniel feels like fine bone splinters whizzing around his face, like warm blood on his skin.

From the body of the priest is hardly anything left. Where his torso is, it looks like after the biggest battle of all time spaghetti. The head of the priest is a few meters away from the mess. The eyes are twisted, blood seeps from the skull. The blue tarnished tongue hangs heavily from the mouth.

The Last King - Kaspar - is still on the ground and tried in vain to raise his weak body. He clings on the grass and pull themselves forward. "Hey, over here, you bum!" Shouted Anna. Jerks Kaspar aimed at his head. But he knows not where he should look up Anna confronts the plastic Jesus. The doll flies in Daniel's direction.

Kaspar sees him and moves forward. His eyes sparkle greedy - he wants to reach the Christ-child, the child, because he has made the trip. He does not realize is recognized as on it. Daniel has nearly compunction about shooting the last king. The king, who was part of this wonderful phenomenon, was able to experience it. But he pulls the trigger. The ball flies just wide of Kaspar's skull. The zombie does not realize that was shot at him fixed so he is on the plastic doll. And Daniel feels relieved to have been made. Kaspar pulls himself forward.

"Shooting even know!" Shouted Anna. Her voice is shrill and piercing with excitement.

"I have no ammo!"

Anna Daniel looks in horror. The blood veil that covered her face, she looks like a ghost girl from a Spukfilm. "Me neither."

Anna ran instinctively to the head of the priest. it clamped between the knees and attacks by the thick swollen tongue deep into the mouth of the skull. The teeth of a priest torn Anna deep wounds in the palms, as she pulls on a tooth.

Kaspar is maybe three feet away from the plastic Jesus. He reaches back into the grass and pulls forward a bit.

"What are you doing?" asks Daniel. As Anna in the mouth of the priest handled, it looks as if she were desperately trying to pull a cork from a fixed Flassche.

"I told him tear out the gold tooth," Anna groaned. "And from this we make ammunition."

"And where will you get bitter myrrh and frankincense?"

is in Anna's face aggressive determination, as she looks at Daniel. "Then try to find something in the clearing. After all, you've missed this stuff, yes."

"That's nonsense."

The Black King stretched out his hand to the infant Jesus. The groan from deep in his throat, sounds like a roaring Vuvuzela from hell.

"Do you have a better idea?"

Daniel was raised straight up when he was a choir boy, who forgot to comb his hair. He takes a deep breath. Then he sings: "Silent night, holy night, everyone is asleep, wake up lonely."

Kaspar spread his fingers. Daniel tries to sing so loud that it drowned out the moans of the zombies. Anna sees her fellow students, confused. "What are you doing?"

"They have been created out of disbelief, you remember?" We have to believe , we can then destroy him. "

"faith? I can not ..."

"What does not?" Now Daniel sounds aggressive. "You can not believe in the Christmas story?" I would say that we survived that night, the ultimate proof that it must be true. So sing now! That's still better than a dead rumzupuhlen in the mouth. "

"Only the faithful and holy pair ..." Anna actually increases in "highly urgent" in the song. In their costumes and after the zombie battle to see Daniel as the bloodiest and most holy couple of all time.

"Holy infant so tender and mild ..."

Kaspar touches the plastic Jesus!

"Sleep in heavenly peace ..." Anna looks at Daniel. Her look says The nonsense does not work with the singing.

But Daniel ignored her. The king takes the Christ child over to him, suddenly, after Daniel and Anna Schlahaf to glow sang in heavenly peace'..." begins.

Both archeology students adhere reflexively hands before his eyes as the clearing shines so bright, how it is the landing of a UFO imagine.

The light disappears from one moment to the other. After Anna's eyes to get accustomed to the darkness, she goes to the three crowns, which are alone in the clearing. The dead kings and Kaspar have disappeared. Anna picks Balthazar's crown. "least valuable archaeological finds are left," she says bitterly.

Daniel picks up the plastic Jesus who has ceased to glow. "No," he says. "It's so much left."

He looks into the starry sky. "I did not think to say it ever in the summer: Merry Christmas and peace on earth."

He takes Anna's hand. And a warmth flowed through his body, which feels like Christmas.

dead silence in the nave. Corpses. They are guarded by the frozen stone figures. Thick crusted blood on the floor. The Three Kings is on the side and has buried under the truck.

A hand shoots out of a mountain of corpses!

A ring on the hand.

The ring of Cardinal ...