HALLOWEEN - INFERNO

Chapter Twelve

Laurie and Tommy climbed from the cab of the truck once the engine was shut off, Laurie tucked the revolver into the pocket of her jeans and covered it with her jacket and walked along the sidewalk to where the police tape was stretched out. Red and blue flashing lights lit up the small house. Handfuls of people were gathered on the opposite side of the police tape looking on with their phones on record. Laurie didn't pay any attention. As she stepped under the tape Brackett signalled them over.

He was standing by the open garage. Several officers moved around, a sniffer dog was on a chain and being lead into the backyard of the house. Laurie watched it then instantly knew. Brackett was quiet, but said that a murder had occurred and that they believed it to be Michael. And by the state of the attack it was clear it was him. Tommy and Laurie followed Brackett up through the yard towards the steps, they climbed up and entered the house.

Laurie looked at the bloody hand print on the wall across from her, then turned her head and looked into the room and gasped. Tommy turned away, his eyes glued shut from the sudden sight. On the floor sprawled out with her arms stretched out as well as her legs was a young female, eyes wide and lifeless and jaw torn open she was pinned to the floor. Knives were in both palms attaching her to the wooden flooring. Laurie looked down at her feet. Two large kitchen knives had been pushed through her ankles and pinned to the wooden floor. Her teeth was missing, most were resting around her body.

"Oh my god" Laurie said quietly.

Brackett turned to the wall and gestured to it. Tommy turned and followed Laurie's gaze and looked up at the white wall that had blood splashed across it. Written in blood along the wall in capitals was a name. One name. Judith. Laurie pieced it together almost instantly. This was his game and she knew where he wanted to play it.

"What do you think?" Brackett asked as he looked away from the wall and to Laurie.

"I'm going to go to the cemetery and make sure the headstone is still there. I'll call Karen and get her to go out and find Allyson and Cameron" Laurie said. She turned to Tommy. "Call Marion and tell her to go to the Myers house and make sure Sondra and Roger are okay. Call me in an hour, if not meet me at Karen's place".

Beth and Paul were making out on the lounge when a knock at the door alerted them. Beth looked up from where she was laying on top of Paul and sighed and rolled off and approached the front door, she turned the lock and opened it. Standing there was Allyson and Cameron, Cameron revealed the pizza box behind him and Beth smiled and stepped aside and pulled the heavy door open and they came in. The kids had been sent to bed so they were trying to be quiet, another old horror movie was playing on the TV with the volume right down.

"Sorry we are late. Massive line at the shop" Cameron commented as he slid the box down onto the coffee table and lifted the lid. The smell pulled the teenagers in.

Outside still looking inwards was The Shape. Pulse now racing now that Allyson and Cameron were seen. A year of watching and following now lead up to this moment. He knew the time would come when he could strike. The teenagers chatted and The Shape went to the back of the house and approached the door to the kitchen, but Paul emerged in the kitchen and he leapt back and went into the shadows. Paul grabbed some plates and then turned his head to the doorway and walked over and flicked the lock, stopping The Shape from silently entering the building.

Paul handed everyone the plates and then sat down beside Beth and began eating. As the evening progressed Beth had to go and checkup on the children. She tiptoed upstairs. Jeremy and Sophia were sprawled on Jeremy's bed like a couple of rag dolls dropped from ten feet, hands and feet dangling over the sides. She looked in the doorway and scanned the room. After having countless babysitting assignments Beth knew that it was best to be safe. The closet door was open ajar, the inside light still on providing them with a soft glow incase they woke up.

Beth had come back downstairs and saw that Allyson and Cameron had taken off, leaving Paul on the lounge alone. She frowned and walked towards him.

"Where'd they go?"

He shrugged. "They got a call then just took off. Leaving us alone for the night" he said with a smirk and she smirked back and climbed on top of him and continued kissing him, picking up from their last checkpoint.

In no time they were upstairs in the Cartwright's bedroom. The sheets were messed and the room smelt of sex. After minutes of thrusting, kissing, moaning and grunting they were nearing completion. A shadow breezed across the bed as The Shape stepped across the hallway. The front door had been opened, shut but not locked and now he was inside. He looked in on them but moved onto the kids room.

Paul rolled off Beth and let out a sigh and folded his hands behind his head and smirked. Beth was quick to get dressed. Paul however remained in the bed without any clothing, he was too satisfied with himself. She got dressed and stood up. He reached out to her and cried out in disapproval but she just smiled at him.

"Where are you going?"

"I gotta go check the kids. I hope I didn't wake them" she said before tiptoeing out of the room and into the hallway.

She moved down towards the kids room and opened the door and looked inside. They hadn't moved an inch. She reached in and grabbed the handle and began to pull the door closed when the floor behind her creaked. She smiled and turned thinking it was Paul but was met with a swift slash of a blade across her throat before a hand reached into her hair and pushed her back into the open bathroom. The door was slammed shut violently and the house went silent.

That's when Paul sat up and frowned.

"Beth?"

Nothing.

He got his jeans on and then slowly walked across the room and went into the hallway. He looked around and then followed to where the slamming door had come from. The kids still hadn't moved, not that they would. They were out like a light. He heard a thud from the bathroom and turned his head and frowned. He slowly made his way to the door and reached for it, he pushed it open. The thing lunged out like a leaping tiger, its left hand gripping Paul's neck in a death-clutch. Paul fell back, grabbing at his throat, then swung at the head of his tormentor. The Shape lifted Paul up off the floor and pinned him to the wall. Paul clawed at the mask as he strained. Paul saw the kitchen knife come up then the darkness came over him as it was driven into his gut with extreme force.