HALLOWEEN - INFERNO

Chapter One

Haddonfield, Illinois
October 29th, 2019

"Is she up yet?" Karen asked as she held the coffee in her hand tightly, the heat from the mug made her fingers tingle with a warm radiating sensation. Allyson just shrugged and looked back down at her phone. Karen heard a door shut and she perked up and turned and looked out into the hallway, but sighed when she saw Cameron walking down the hallway wearing lose sweat pants and a white shirt. "Oh, Cameron! I didn't know you were here!" She said before giving Allyson a look of disapproval.

Allyson giggled as he walked into the room. He gave an awkward smile to Karen and said good morning.

"Nothing happened, mom. I just like having the company" she defended.

Karen looked at Cameron with a look of understanding, she knew where Allyson was coming from. Cameron lost his father as did Allyson. She was lonely, as was Karen. Karen gestured for him to take a seat and he did next to Allyson, he gave her a small smile and then rubbed her arm. Karen didn't want to push the conversation about being safe. She was now eighteen years old. Karen was just hoping to slow her down, she had been moving along in life after the year that they just had.

"How did you both sleep?" Karen asked, changing the subject to something more light hearted.

"Tossed and turned" Cameron said.

Allyson commented at the same time. "Slept like a rock".

Karen turned and looked over her shoulder when she heard the sound of a door closing, she smiled softly. Footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs and then Laurie entered the room. She smiled at them.

"Hi, mom" Karen said.

"Morning everyone" said Laurie as she walked over to the coffee pot and poured herself a glass. She took a sip of it and walked over to the table where she sat down. She tucked her chair in and looked at Allyson, then Cameron and then over to Karen before looking back down at the table and she looked at the ripples inside her cup. "What?"

"I heard you again last night, grandmother" Allyson spoke softly from across the table. "Are you okay?"

Laurie nodded softly. "Rough night sleep, but I'm okay. Thank you".

Laurie didn't seem to invested in the conversations going on around as she sipped the coffee. Her eyes were glued to the table top in front of her. She scanned over the setting, the white fabric with red intervals of thread that ducked in and out of the stitching. It looked like blood, her mind raced and she blinked away those thoughts as she looked up at her daughter.

"Mom?"

"Sorry, what?" Laurie asked, her eyes darting from person to person.

"I said do you still want to go on our walk later?" Karen asked once more.

She nodded. "Yes, that would be lovely. Thank you".

Karen looked at her for a few more seconds with confusion and suspicion. But she pushed the need to question her to back of her head and went on getting everything ready for the day. She had an appointment at the office in the afternoon with a patient. Then had another appointment with the workers down at Haddonfield Construction, and then she was helping Allyson look for an apartment after that. But first was her daily walk with her mother, it was good for them to go out together. They'd often stop in just down from Nichol's Hardware Store at the intersection on Church Street and Southland.

Laurie excused herself and said she was going to get ready, she pushed herself up from the table then pushed the chair in and went upstairs. She walked past the photos that were strung up along the wall as she climbed the stairs. They were all photos of the family and friends. She went by one that was of her and Karen when she was twelve, right before she taken away, and then another that was of her, Allyson and Karen when Allyson was little. Then the wedding photo of Karen and Ray. She didn't like looking at that one. Another was of all of them together as a family back in 2016. Laurie had a good day when that was taken, they were close. But things fell apart after that.

She entered her bedroom and looked around. Her bedroom window was open, the white silk curtain blowing inwards creating an unpleasant breeze that swept across the room. She walked over to it and grabbed the window and looked down into the yard below. The clothesline had white sheets strung up that blew in the wind and her mind raced back to that afternoon where he stood watching her from the clothesline. Her eyes glued shut for a moment as she pushed the thoughts away.

She closed the window, opened her eyes and sighed when she looked back down into the yard. Nothing. Nobody was there. There was no Boogeyman. She turned around and looked into her dresser and caught her reflection in the mirror and tried to let out a scream but it never came. Floating above her in a sheet of fire that engulfed his body was The Shape, mask melting to his face as he clawed at her. His charred damaged hand reached for her, she turned and stepped back and tripped over the corner of her bed and hit the floor with a thud that alerted Karen, she looked back up and then let out a sob when there was nothing above her. Just her mind tormenting her once again but she swore she could smell the smoke and the flesh burning.

Her hand covered her mouth as she suppressed the scream that now tried to break free her body. Karen was running up the stairs now, skipping a step as she climbed up and hurried to her mother. She came into the room and saw Laurie down on the floor, her eyes wide with fresh tears that battled against her cheeks, her hands were trembling and Laurie was beginning to shake from the ordeal that had played out within her mind all over again. Karen got down, wrapped her hands around her body and held her close and comforted her the best she could but she knew that no matter what she done to help Laurie, she couldn't cure of her over the forty-one years of torment that replayed out in her mind.

"I've got you. It's okay" Karen whispered. "Shhh, it's okay. He's gone".

Karen felt a constant guilt. Before she had to seen the Boogeyman she didn't want to listen to what Laurie had to say. She just ignored her pleas and efforts to prepare but now she understands the pain of losing someone from someone like Michael Myers, she lost her husband and Allyson lost her father and friends. She comforted Laurie and told her everything was going to be okay.

Allyson and Cameron remained downstairs in the living room while her mother and grandmother were upstairs. She was talking with Cameron about her apartment that she was hoping to get soon. Cameron was excited but then frowned a little when Allyson didn't talk about the topic that had kept them up last night.

"What?"

"When are you going to tell them?" Cameron asked as she looked at her, she gave him a sly smile and walked up to the kitchen. "It's about time I think".

Allyson looked at Cameron. "I promise you we will soon, it's just not the right time".
"When will it be, Allyson?"

"Look Cameron, I love you, okay? I need you to trust me with this, please" she said. She walked over and gave him a kiss on the lips. "Come on, we need to get ready for school. Beth will be here soon to pick us up".

Cameron nodded and followed her upstairs. Undefeated but not wanting to push the subject any further. They had enough to deal with.