HALLOWEEN - THE REVENGE OF LAURIE STRODE

Chapter 4

"Thank you for coming, Doctor Loomis" Marion said as the car came to a stop and the young driver climbed out and approached her. Marion shook his hand tightly and looked around, chanting could be heard echoing from the distant streets as protests were heard. "It's been a massacre tonight; we've got a lot of people dead and others have been severely injured. The hospital was the latest place to get hit", Marion explained as they approached the car. He opened the trunk and reached in and grabbed a rifle and loaded it. "Tranquilizers?"

Loomis nodded. "Michael is a force, a darkness. Harming it will only aggravate it even more. It needs to be stopped first".

She agreed.

"Where was he last?" he asked, looking at Marion.

"He escaped from the hospital. He could be anywhere".

"Dammit. Okay, I need to talk to the Sheriff about getting footage from the cameras around town. We can track him that way". Doctor Loomis said, he loaded some ammo into the weapon and armed it. He closed the trunk, turned and watched as a group of people approached them. Marion stepped back and looked at them all, her eyes roamed the group slowly with panic, fear and even a drop of hope. "Can we help you?"

"Are you hunting him too?" One man asked, his eyes full of rage.

Loomis nodded. "Yes, he was last seen on Old Miller Road. Get there quickly, you should still be able to catch him. Be fast and shoot to kill". They cheered and turned and hurried off. Marion was frowning with confusion, she looked at Loomis who clutched the rifle hard. Before Marion could speak, he looked at her. "I know I sent them in the wrong direction. But I had to, I can't have anybody getting in the way".

"In the way of what?" Marion asked.

"In the way of Michael. You need to get off the streets, it's not safe".

Marion nodded. She turned but then stopped. "What about you?"

He shrugged. "My grandfather tried to kill Michael and failed numerous times. I won't, I will finish what he started and kill Michael".

Loomis held the rifle and examined it. Marion watched him with a glee, she was envious of how brave this man was. "Come on Michael".

Pamela is walking behind her two children down a dark street. Toilet paper is swung out across cars and over fences as they walk, she's smiling at them as they dance around signing Halloween songs loudly. Her daughter is wearing an old wrinkled up green witches' mask, and her son wore a white and black mask with a black body suit on. Pamela looked at her mobile phone, she was reading an article on a news app as they walked.

Silver Shamrock Novelties Forced to Recall Halloween Masks.

SANTA MIRA - After months of radio silence from the local novelty company regarding a myriad of reported issues, Silver Shamrock Novelties has finally decided to completely recall a number of its mask collections. The California-based company saw nothing but dollar signs last October with the emergence of its hugely-popular jack-o'-lantern, skull, and witch lines of masks. Sales for these items numbered in the thousands, which is quite a feat for the small, tight-knit west coast community. Unfortunately for residents of Santa Mira, these masks were riddled with quality control issues and sparked public outrage as company owner Conal Cochran refused to address any complaints over the span of the last several months.

"It's too little, too late," said local teacher Lauren Woods. "This is just another case of corporate greed, where the rich are happy to take our money but refuse to have any accountability when it comes time to fix their mistakes. They're exploiting us, they really are." In the meantime, residents have been taking action in the form of official complaints to the Better Business Bureau, where the company's rating has fallen to a D-minus in light of this recent backlash. The top complaint categories about Silver Shamrock Novelties on the business rating website include Complaint Volume, Unanswered Complaints, Unresolved Complaints, Complaint Resolution Delayed, and Failure to Address Complaint Pattern.

Pamela looked up as her kids stopped and jumped around excitedly.

"Can we go to this house please?" her daughter asked. "Pretty please!"

Pamela smiled and said yes. They cheered and ran down a front path and climbed a set of steps. She watched as they climbed the steps and knocked on the door. It opened to reveal an elderly lady with a bowl of candy, she smiled and handed the kids some candy and then closed the door. Pamela turned and looked to the left and watched as a masked male walked down the path of the neighbour's house. She frowned and watched him, he exited the yard and stood on the pavement looking directly ahead. As he turned and looked at her and turned his body it was revealed that he was holding a kitchen knife in his right hand. She stepped into the yard and allowed him to pass, he did and then walked across the street towards the opposite side of the street.

She dialled 911 on her phone and lifted it to her ear as she told the kids to stay put, she ran over to the house next door and went up the front steps. The door was open ajar, and she pushed it open. The operator then spoke up; "911 what is your emergency?"

"Yes, hello. There is a man walking around with a knife" she said into the phone.

She stepped into the house and looked around. The hallway was dark.

"Where did this happen, ma'am?"

"On 74th street, Haddonfield". Pamela walked into the living room and gasped at the sight of a sheet frown over what looked like a body. She stumbled back; fear rattled across her as she noticed the blood stains the unnaturally long arch up beneath the sheet. "I think someone has been hurt. I can see somebody under a sheet. There's blood".

She walked over towards the sheet. Her hand extended outwards and when her fingers twirled in around the white fabric and yanked it back, she released a loud cry into the phone. Sitting there was the body of the elderly lady, she had been placed on a seat and covered with a white sheet with the umbrellas still wedged within her throat. Pamela screamed for help as loudly as she could, she ran from the house screaming bloody murder. Her kids were nowhere to be seen and when she turned, she saw the masked male standing there holding a knife watching her. He tilted his head and she gasped and ran down the street.

She called into the night; "Timmy! Lily!" her voice echoed across the darkness of Haddonfield. "Where are you!?" Her mouth went dry as she ran. She looked back over her shoulder and watched as he chased after her, he was slow and menacing but it felt as if he were moving quickly. She turned and ran into a field that cut across to the heart of town. She called out to her kids once again only to hear no response. She felt her pulse throb within her neck, her hands were getting moist and she was struggling to keep herself going. She hoped the darkness would shelter her from the predator, but he was still right behind her. She felt him on her back, the extended hand reaching for her long hair.

She was pulled down to the ground. The sound of the breathing from behind the latex barrier filled her ears. She cried hard, tears flowing freely from her eyes and she struggled to contain herself. She kicked and screamed as he lifted the knife into the air and held it tightly. She closed her eyes and then started wailing as he stabbed her in the chest once then removed the blade. He stabbed her again and then again and again. Streams of blood recoiled outwards across the darkness, the grass beneath them was painted with the red substance. She wailed some more. Her eyes were wide, and blood was spraying across her face. He pulled the blade out and then stabbed her again, this time the blade became wedged deep within her the top of her skull. Her lips were parted, and blood was flowing from the gaps between her teeth. Next to her was the mobile phone, he paid no attention before he retracted the blade from her skull and looked down at her and tilted his head from side to side.

"Ma'am are you still there?" the operator asked. "We've traced your call, and somebody is on the way to help".

Leigh Brackett was informed of the call during their route of Haddonfield. He gathered a small group of others and headed off to the location in hopes Michael had been cornered and was ready to die.