HALLOWEEN - INFERNO

Chapter Nine

HALLOWEEN NIGHT

Haddonfield had remained vigilant and on the edge since the 2018 massacre. So many souls were lost that night. And as no body was ever discovered in the wreckage of the Strode house some believed that Michael Myers was still alive while many others didn't. They were rumours that lead to nothing. They were kept from Laurie. Leigh Brackett conducted the hunts but they all lead back to a group of kids who felt like making a sick joke on a small town in shock. But tonight the kids returned to the streets and went trick or treating. And so did he. Witches, Goblins and Ghosts ran across the driveway as he walked towards the street. He moved silently towards them. His previous skilling spree was without purpose, the sheer need to kill drove him. But tonight was different, he had a goal, a purpose.

He stepped in front of a young girl, she grazed his leg and gasped and dropped her candy to the ground with a thud. Her jack-o-lantern bucket cracking down the side as it landed on the shaded concrete. He didn't look at her, but she was looking up at him with wide terror filled eyes. He stepped over her bucket and walked along the pathway that went down the street where waves of kids were flocking around getting candy. He followed a group of children with his head, then stepped down off the sidewalk and followed behind them as they cheered and walked towards a well lit house.

The children however walked past it but he stopped, turned his head and looked up at the house. He then turned his body and silently stalked up the front path towards the front steps where he climbed up and then approached the door and looked in through the windows and inspected the hallway. There was nobody visible. He then went and looked in through the living room window which was wide open, the curtain was blowing inwards when he appeared. A middle aged woman in her early thirties was seen with her back turned to the window on her laptop. He stood up tall and walked around to the steps and went down. His footsteps made her turn her head and frown and then get up and inspect the sound.

She opened the front door but at this time he had gone around to the back of the house where he approached the back slider door. He went to open it but it was locked, he looked and looked at the kitchen and inspected it. It was dark but the light from the other room provided enough glow for him to make out where items were stashed. He took a mental note of where the knife holder was, it was near the doorway. Hanging from the roof beside him was a pot plant, a breeze was causing it too sway from side to side. He grabbed it and pulled it down where it shattered against the ground, he then went back to the front of the house.

The owner had gone to investigate the broken pot plant and in that time he gained entry to the house from the front door which was unlocked - he left the door open and silently moved into the shadows of the house. As she moved to one room he moved to the next while keeping silent until the floor beneath him creaked and caused her to become startled. She kicked her chair away from her and stepped back into the corner of the room as she looked at each doorway.

"Is somebody here?" She called out as she then noticed that the front door was open.

It was a sudden move that she didn't count on. She stepped towards the darkened hallway and that's when The Shape stepped out and wrapped his hand around her throat which caused her to scream and thrash in his tightening grip. He backed her towards the wall then slammed her up against it with extreme force which knocked her photo frame off the wall where it smashed against the wooden floor. She gasped from the impact and he looked down at her and tilted his head to the side slowly and then tilted it to the other side. A tear came down her cheek and he gripped her tighter.

"Please don't" she squeaked. "Please".

He began to squeeze her throat with all the strength he could conjure. She cried out and her lips quivered with tears that were streaming down her cheeks. She reached up with her hands and tried to get free but he was stronger. Her eyes fluttered as he choked her out. She still used all the strength she had left to fight him off but it didn't work. He released her and shoved her down to the floor, she groaned in pain and began coughing as air surged back into her body. However she had no strength to move. The Shape walked into the kitchen and grabbed the kitchen knife from the holster and held it tightly before moving back into the lounge room.

Against all odds that she had given herself she was finding the strength to crawl across the living room floor towards the hallway that would lead her to the front door. He stepped into the room, turned his head and looked down at her as she crawled. He walked over towards her and stood above her, his shadow was cast across the wall in front of her and she began crying, tears pooling in her eyes as he reached down and grabbed her shoulder and flipped her over. He pushed the knife into her chest and she screamed, then he retracted it and then repeated the action over and over again until blood was pooling around his feet and her body. Her eyes remained wide even after her life had been drained away. He removed the blade, stood up and walked out the front door and stood on the front porch and looked from side to side. Children ran across the street laughing and shouting out to each other while The Shape stood there holding the kitchen knife in his hand. He stepped down the front steps and walked down the pathway and out into the street. He saw another house that had children gathering at the front door, without hesitation he walked towards the house with the knife gripped firmly.

On the opposite side of Haddonfield was Laurie, she was sitting in her truck looking out the window at all the children passing by in the distance. She was parked beneath a tree, the shadows of the large trunk casted a blanket over her car so when people walked by nobody noticed her. Her eyes were continuously scanning all those around her, sitting in her passenger seat was Tommy who was holding a pistol in his hand. He too was watching. Ahead of them he saw a dark figure step out into the street and cross, both he and Laurie were watching.

"Is that...?"

"I don't think so" Laurie said softly, her voice a low growl. "He's too young".

"How can you tell?" Asked Tommy, a curious tone present in his voice. Laurie pointed at his hands, smooth, clear and without a slight bump, scar or wrinkle. Tommy sighed. "I kinda hope we don't find him".

Laurie nodded in agreement. "I'm praying that he doesn't show up tonight".

Tommy turned in his seat and looked at her. "Do you think that he will?"

Laurie nodded slowly. "Of course. It's Halloween. Everyone's entitled to one good scare, right?"

Tommy didn't go through with a reply, instead he turned back and faced ahead but his eyes widened when he saw a man walking along the street. He undone his seatbelt and jumped out, his eyes wide and full of terror. Laurie followed when she saw the Halloween mask. Tommy lifted his weapon and aimed as did Laurie.

"Is it him?" Tommy growled. Laurie didn't respond, she just stepped closer towards the masked man. "Is it him or not!?"

Laurie cried out, "MICHAEL!"

The man froze and reached up and quickly tugged the mask of his head, revealing a young teenage boy who wear a very poor knock off of the 78 Shape mask. He dropped it, lifted his hands and began swearing on his life that he wasn't a killer. Laurie and Tommy lowered their weapons and the boy grabbed the mask, turned and ran down the street and off into a side street. Tommy sighed and then rubbed the bridge of his nose. He looked at Laurie and then chuckled as he calmed himself down. They almost shot a kid.