Haddonfield
October 31, 1978
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Y/N, 17 and pretty in a quiet sort of way, steps out of her two-story frame house, down the front walk to the street. Her face has a soft, innocent quality, her eyes bright and alive. Her father steps out of the door behind her and walks to the car in the driveway. His car has "L/N REAL ESTATE" emblazoned on the side door.
"Don't forget to drop off the key at the Myers place." He reminds. "I won't." Y/N replies. "They're coming by to see the house at 10:30. Be sure you leave it under the mat.." "I promise!"
Y/N walks down the residential street. She carries a large bundle of schoolbooks in her arms. Across a backyard Tommy Doyle, an eight-year-old boy with tousled brown hair and bright blue eyes comes running with his books.
"Hey, Y/N!" He smiles. "Hi, Tommy." He catches up with her and they walk along the street. "Are you coming over tonight?" He asks. "Same time, same place!" Y/N replies. "Can we make jack-o-lanterns?" He looks over at Y/N. "Sure." "Can we watch the monster movies?" "Sure." "Will you read to me? Can we make popcorn?" "Sure. Sure!" Y/N laughs.
They walk up to the front of the old, two-story Myers house set back from the street. It is now weather-beaten and dilapidated. Y/N walks through the front gate and starts up towards the porch.
"You're not supposed to go up there." Tommy says. Y/N holds up a key. "Yes, I am." She smiles. "Uh-uh. That's a spook house." He rebuts. "Just watch."
Y/N strolls up to the front porch. She bends down, lifts the welcome mat and places the key under it. She walks back to Tommy and continue walking down the street. "Lonnie Elam said never to go up there. Lonnie Elam said that's a haunted house. He said real awful stuff happened there!" Tommy urged. "Lonnie Elam probably won't get out of the sixth grade." Y/N teased.
Tommy breaks stride and runs across the street. "I gotta go. I'll see you tonight!" "See you." Y/N continues walking alone. She begins singing quietly to herself. "I wish I had you all alone. Just the two of us. I would hold you close to me. So close to me.."
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Y/N sits at the back of a classroom of High School students. She barely listens to the teacher as she doodles in her notebook in front of her. Y/N lets her gaze move to a window. She stares dreamily outside. From the window she can see the street, and a station wagon parked along the sidewalk.
Behind the station wagon stands the shape of a man. She can't quite see his features from here, but it is clear that he is looking in the school window. She turns away from the window and begins to doodle again. She draws:
Y/N L/N
She glances up from the book and out the window again. The shape behind the station wagon is still there and staring right at her. She frowns, staring back at the shape.
"Y/N."
This springs Y/N around from the window. "Ma'am?" "Answer the question." The teacher commanded. "Constaine wrote that fate was somehow related only to religion, where Samuels felt that fate was like a natural element, like earth, air, fire and water." Y/N recalled. "That's right, Samules definitely personified fate..."
Y/N sneaks a glance back to the window. The shape and the station wagon are gone. She turns back from the window and back to her notebook. She has written:
"Y/N L/N IS LONELY"
After school was over, Y/N meets up with one of her friends, Lynda. They both stroll down the front steps of the high school and turn up the street. Y/N carries another large stack of books. Lynda is a knockout in tight jeans and tight T-shirt. She carries no books.
"It's totally insane! We have three new cheers to learn in the morning, the game in the afternoon, I get my hair done at five, and the dance is at eight. I'll be totally wiped out!" Lynda exclaimed. "I think you have too much to do tomorrow." Y/N says. "Totally!"
"As usual, I don't have anything to do." Y/N sighs. "It's your own fault and I don't feel sorry for you!" Lynda jokes.
Annie, the other friend of Y/N's, comes out of the side doors of the High School and calls after Y/N and Lynda. "Hey, Lynda, Y/N!" The girls stop and wait for Annie.
"Why didn't you wait for me?" Annie asks. "We did! Fifteen minutes. You totally never showed up." Lynda replies. "That's not true. Here I am!" Annie declared. "What's wrong, Annie? You're not smiling." Y/N asks.
"I'm never smiling again. Paul dragged me into the boy's locker room to tell me.."
"Exploring uncharted territory?" Y/N rolls her eyes, smirking. "It's been totally charted." Annie teased. "We just talked." Annie insisted. "Sure."
"Old jerko got caught throwing eggs and soaping windows. His parents grounded him for the weekend. He can't come over tonight." Annie says. "I thought you were babysitting tonight." Y/N thought. Lynda jokes, "The only reason she babysits is to have a place to.."
Y/N suddenly stops and turns back towards the school. "Shit!" "I have a place for that." Annie says indignantly. "I forgot my chemistry book." Y/N frowns. "Who cares? I always forget my chemistry book." Lynda smiles.
Y/N glances down the street. A station wagon slowly movies up the street toward them. The driver is barely visible behind the windshield. "Isn't that Devon Grand? He's cute." Lynda giggles. "Don't think so.." Y/N says, uneasy.
Y/N stares at the station wagon as it moves past. She looks directly at the shape inside. There is a quick glimpse of him, a strange pale face staring back. The shape then tromps on the accelerator. The wagon whizzes past them.
"Hey Jerk! Speed kills!" Annie yells after the car. Up the street the wagon suddenly stops, the tires screeching. It sits there, waiting. "God. Can't you take a joke?" Annie softly snickers. For a moment the station wagon just sits there. Then it takes off down the street and disappears around a corner.
"Annie, someday you're going to get all of us in deep trouble." Y/N scolded. "Totally." Lynda agrees. "I hate a guy with a car and no sense of humor." Annie rebuked.
The girls start walking again. Y/N is quiet, puzzled by the appearance of the man in the car. "Well, are we still on for tonight?" Lynda asks Annie. "I wouldn't want to get you in deep trouble, Lynda." She replies, coldly. "Come on, Annie! Bob and I have been planning on it all week." Lynda pleads.
"All right. The Wallaces leave at seven." Annie gives in. "I'm babysitting the Doyle's! It's only three houses down. We can keep each other company!" Y/N smiles, excited. "Terrific. I've got three choices. Watch the kids sleep, listen to Lynda screw around or talk to you." Annie smirks.
The three girls stop in front of Lynda's house, a modest suburban home on a quiet, tree-lined street. "What time?" Annie asks Lynda. "I don't know yet. I have to get out of taking my stupid brother trick-or-treating." Lynda sighs. "Saving the treats for Bob?" Y/N jokes. "Fun-ny. See you!"
Lynda strolls up to her house. Annie and Y/N start down the street. Y/N stares ahead along the sidewalk. Up the sidewalk is a series of bushes lining the street. There, partially hidden in the shadows of a bush, is the shape of a man, watching them. He is barely visible, almost blending in with the dark foliage.
"Look." Y/N says, skidding to a stop. "Look where?" Annie asks, looking up. "Behind that bush there." She replies. Annie looks. The shape is gone. Just bushes. "I don't see anything."
"That man who drove by so fast, the one you yelled at." Y/N recalled. "Subtle, isn't he? Hey creep!" Annie walks right over to the bushes and kicks them hard. Nothing happens.
"Y/N, my dear, he wants to talk to you." Annie smirks. Y/N just stands on the sidewalk several feet from the bushes. "..He wants to take you out tonight!" She smiles. Slowly Y/N walks over and stares at the bush.
"He was standing right here.." Y/N mumbles. Annie shakes her head. "Poor Y/N. Scared another one away.." "Cute." Y/N rolls her eyes. They start walking down the sidewalk again.
"It's tragic. You never go out. You must have a small fortune stashed from babysitting so much." Annie sighs. "The guys think I'm too smart." Y/N glances back at the bushes behind them.
"I don't. I think you're whacko! You're seeing men behind bushes!" Annie teases. The two girls stop in front of Annie's house, another small suburban home. "Well, home sweet home. I'll see you later."
"Okay, bye." Y/N waves. Annie walks up to her door. For a moment Y/N looks around cautiously before searching down the sidewalk again. A strong wind rises and blows hair in front of her face. Again she turns around and glances back down the street.
There is still nothing there.
Suddenly, Y/N walks right into a man standing on the sidewalk in front of her. She screams and drops her books. It is Lee Brackett, Annie's father. He is a tall man in a country sheriffs uniform. He quickly bends down and picks up her books.
"I'm sorry, Y/N" Lee apologizes. "Mister Brackett, I'm so sorry!" Y/N quickly apologizes, shaking her head. "Well, it's Halloween. I guess everybody's entitled to a good scare." He smiles.
"Yes, sir. Nice meeting you." Y/N smiles. Brackett walks down the sidewalk to his house. Y/N bundles her books and hurries up the street. She walks up the front porch of her house. She pauses a moment and glances down the street.
Several children in costumes are going door to door collecting their treats. "Well, kiddo, I thought you outgrew superstition." Y/N says to herself, smiling.
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Y/N strolls through the living room. Through the doorway into the kitchen, her mother busy making candied apples. "Hi, mom, I'm home." Y/N calls out. "Y/N, Annie just called. She said call her back." Her mother says.
Y/N turns and hurries up the stairs. "Thanks, mom!" She yells. Y/N walks into her bedroom. She tosses her books on the bed and starts to her telephone. The wind blows her curtain through the open window. Y/N crosses to the window and leans up to close it.
From her room in the second story, Y/N can see into the backyard next door. There is a close line with sheets blowing in the wind. In between the sheets, the shape stands there, looking up at Y/N.
She freezes and stares down fearfully. The sheets continue to twist and turn in the wind, but now the shape is gone. Y/N slams the window and locks it. She slowly walks to the middle of her room and stands there for several moments, unsure as to whether she has actually seen it.
"..Do I have a stalker...?