Happy Halloween, loyal readers! Last year, I started on a Halloween short story called "In His Image." Unfortunately, circumstances forced me to delay the final chapters, but today, the story continues! Chapters 1 and 2 are updated and revised, and Chapters 3-5 will be posted today and tomorrow. And stay tuned for more Halloween scares with a sneak preview of "Halloween: Retribution," an all-new sequel to "Halloween: Vengeance." Until next time, lock your doors, bot your windows, and turn off the lights...
IN HIS IMAGE: A HALLOWEEN TALE
BY JAKE REED
...
CHAPTER 1
THE MOST PRECIOUS THING
Matthew Lynn had the cutest daughter in the world. And he would believe so until his dying day.
It was just after six in the morning, and Matthew had been up for an hour or so, preparing for a short day at work. He would be home by four, and then he would get ready to take little Annabelle trick-or-treating. Though, he wondered if that was such a great idea; last night on his way home, the cops had been out in force. During the day, he heard whispers of a name from the past: Michael Myers had come home.
Matthew dismissed it all as a load of horseshit. Michael Myers was an urban legend. Yeah, that was the little kid that had murdered his sister back in the early sixties, but he was long dead. Had to be.
Matthew grew up hearing the legend of Michael Myers. The whole thing happened before Matthew was born (he, himself, was born in 1979), but the story was that young Michael Myers had been locked up after the murder, but escaped fifteen years later and came after a bunch of promiscuous teens.
And then, he died. Shot six times by the doctor who treated him at the mental hospital where he was kept, and then set on fire and presumably was at the toasty center of an explosion at the local hospital.
But the legend goes that Myers kept coming back over and over again, returned to life by his own perpetuating infernal rage, continuing his unmerciful slaughter of innocents.
Matthew didn't believe a word of it. Sure, a series of murders happened in Haddonfield back in 1978; that was why his family moved to, and Matthew was born in, Russellville, which was a town about two hundred miles from Haddonfield.
Growing up in Russellville, the story of Michael Myers was merely a legend passed on from kid to kid, a tale featuring a character who was more of the boogeyman than a real figure from history.
But with the cops being as active as they were last night, after hearing a report of a patient escaping a nearby asylum, Matthew wondered if taking his daughter trick or treating tonight was a good idea.
He pondered this as he watched little Annabelle sleeping soundly in her bed. She was so pretty, even as she slept. Eight years old, shoulder-length hair the color of gold, and always a smile on her face, Matthew suddenly knew there was no way he could ever disappoint the little angel of his life.
Little Annabelle rolled over on her bed, accidentally tossing off the DC Superhero bedspread she was using to cover up with, which juxtaposed nicely with the Marvel Superhero pajamas she wore.
Annabelle was not a normal eight year old girl. Her room was pink, yes, but was plastered with Def Leppard posters instead of One Direction; video games and horror movies took the place of Barbie dolls and horses on her shelves; encased on glass on the shelf above her bed was a single drumstick, a souvenir from a KISS concert she and her parents had attended earlier in the year.
Matthew approached his daughter, who was still asleep despite now shivering from the cold. He pulled his daughter's blankets back up over her and drew a hand through her hair. She stirred softly and opened her eyes.
"Good morning, princess," Matthew said softly.
"Hi, daddy," Annabelle said sleepily.
"Did you sleep well?" Annabelle shook her head. "Why not? Bad dream?" Annabelle nodded.
"There was a ghost, and he wanted to kill me," she said softly. "And you and mommy weren't there to protect me."
This tugged at Matthew's heartstrings; he couldn't imagine a situation where he, or Melody, wasn't there to protect Annabelle.
"Now that must have been a pretty scary dream," Matthew said. "But remember that mommy and I will always be around to protect you, no matter what. Be it from ghosts, monsters, or icky boys!"
Annabelle let out a childish giggle at daddy's joke. Matthew smiled and planted a kiss on his daughter's forehead. "Come on, time to get up, baby girl." Annabelle laughed and shook her head.
"What do you want for breakfast?" Matthew asked. Annabelle thought about it for a few seconds before responding.
"Cheeseburgers," she said.
"No, mommy would kick daddy's butt if I gave you a cheeseburger for breakfast."
"Cheeseburger," Annabelle repeated adamantly.
"Fine, cheeseburger," Matthew relented. "But don't tell mommy, okay?"
Annabelle smiled and hopped up to give her dad an enormous hug. Matthew returned the embrace, holding his daughter tightly, not wanting to let go.
...
The burgers were sizzling well on the griddle when Matthew's phone rang. Annabelle munched on a strip of bacon in her chair as Matthew answered it.
"Ronnie, what's up?"
"Matt, can you do me a favor?"
Matt rolled his eyes. Ronnie Dauer was one of Matt's best friends; they had grown up together here in Russellville. In fact, Ronnie had been the Best Man at Matt's wedding to Melody. But whenever Ronnie called in a favor to Matt, it usually resulted in Matt cleaning up a mess Ronnie had gotten himself into.
"What is it, Ronnie?" Matt said with a sigh.
"Okay, so I got duped into working late tonight, and I didn't know Beverly was working tonight otherwise I would have said no, but neither of us can take Mia trick-or-treating tonight. Would you mind taking her with Annabelle tonight?"
Matthew let out a hearty chuckle. Their boss, a weasely man named Quinten Reynolds, had a bad habit of dangling enticing overtime hours over his employees. Seeing as how they worked for the City of Russellville, their job as city maintenance workers was already well-paid, but adding time-and-a-half to any paycheck was always a welcome bonus. The drawback, of course, meant time away from the family you were providing for.
Fortunately, small towns like Russellville meant that neighbors really looked out for each other, and there was always someone willing to help out.
"Yes, I will take Mia with us tonight," Matthew said with a giggle. "How did you get sucked into a Graveyard Shift on a Sunday?"
"Because I'm a sucker for $20/hour, that's why. I'll make it up to you, I promise!"
"Yeah, you better. You owe me, just FYI," Matt laughed. "I'll pick you up at the normal time. I guess I'm just going to get Mia on the way home?"
"Yeah, that'll be fine," Ronnie said. "I'll pick her up and take her home around midnight."
"Sounds good," Matt agreed. "Want a cheeseburger?"
"What?" Ronnie's voice was full of confusion. "It's 7 A.M. Why are you making cheeseburgers?"
"Annabelle wanted cheeseburgers for breakfast," Matt responded. He flipped a burger onto a bun and placed a slice of cheese on it. Annabelle waited patiently for it to come to her, eyeing it with eager anticipation. "So, we're having cheeseburgers for breakfast."
"You guys are a riot, man," Ronnie laughed from the other end of the line. "That little girl is probably the best mistake you ever made!"
"Children in the dark cause accidents; accidents in the dark cause children," Matt joked. "And you weren't much older than I was when you had Mia!"
"Of course not; we both got our girls pregnant on the same night!"
"That was a good night," Matt recalled. "Russellville High School Junior/Senior Prom, 1996."
"I remember," Ronnie said. "Beverly and I snuck off to the football field and did it on the 45-Yard Line. And you… Where did you and Melody pop off to?"
"I took her out to the old Charlie Bowles house and she got scared and we wound up doing it on the couch in the living room."
"And then nine months later, out pop two little girls," Ronnie noted.
"Annabelle was first," Matt gloated.
"Of course she was; you were always first before me ever since we were kids!"
"And it will always remain that way," Matt gloated. "But, I will pick up little Mia tonight and she will be incredibly exhausted and likely asleep when you go to take her home."
"Big thanks, man," Ronnie repeated. "I'll make it up to you, I promise!"
"Promises, promises," Matt teased. "So, burger or no?"
"Yeah, sure, why not," Ronnie agreed.
"I'll have it," Matt said. "Bye, Ronnie!" Before Ronnie had a chance to reply, Matt hung up the phone. Annabelle was taking a monster bite out of her burger, looking up at her daddy with expectancy.
"Looks like we're gonna have company when we go out tonight. Your friend Mia s coming trick-or-treating with us."
"Awesome!" Annabelle screamed with her mouth full. Matt was about to scold Annabelle for doing so, but at that moment the lock tumblers on the front door clicked and the sound of a key turning filled the kitchen.
Matt hustled Annabelle up the stairs and started cleaning up his mess in the kitchen. He quickly tossed his pans in the sink and ran water over them just as a petite young brunette woman came into the living room, carrying a large purse on her shoulder and dressed in hospital scrubs.
Matt jogged into the living room and grabbed Melody by the waist, spun her around, and planted a kiss firmly on her lips. Melody moaned in delight as Matt made out with her. A smile came to her lips and she let out a delighted giggle. On the stairs, Annabelle watched with a smile.
"Down, boy," Melody laughed as Matt threw his arms around her waist. "There will be plenty of time for that later."
"I just missed you, is all," Matt confessed. He finally let go of Melody's waist and stood back.
"I know, you always do," Melody said as she threw her bag down on the couch. "Is Annabelle awake yet?"
"Yeah, she is," Matt looked up at the stairs as Melody walked towards the kitchen. "Wanna go say hello?" Matt suggested.
"Oh, I will. But first, I need a beer."
"Rough night?" Matt asked.
"Oh, the worst," Melody responded with the sound of the seal on the fridge opening, followed by a clinking of glass bottles. "Over four dozen patients came through ER last night. I think I deserve a beer or two before we go out tonight."
"Speaking of tonight," Matt followed Melody into the kitchen. "We're taking Mia with us."
"Did Ronnie get suckered into working a longer shift?" Melody placed her thumb underneath the bottle cap and gave a quick snap, sending the cap flying.
"It still wows me that you can do that," confessed Matt. "Every time I do that, I slice my thumb open."
"Years of practice," Melody teased. "My dad taught me to do that ten years ago."
"You're twenty-four," Matt noted.
"So?" Melody took a sip from the bottle and turned back to the sink. "Make breakfast?"
"I did," Matt nodded. "Sausage." Melody gave him a quick daggers glare and wiped her finger on the grease-covered skillet. She lifted her greasy finger to her mouth and licked it; she then shot Matt another evil glare.
"Did you make cheeseburgers for breakfast?"
"Well…" Matt turned beet red; he was busted. "It's sausage."
"Matt…" Melody scowled at Matt.
"She wanted cheeseburgers for breakfast," Matt defended.
Melody laughed and shook her head. "Looks like the only thing you're getting tonight is Annabelle's candy."
Matt started to protest, but Melody merely patted his cheek and strode out of the kitchen, popping her hips as she went. Matt bit the back of his hand to keep from screaming in frustration.
...
"Sit still, honey," Melody ordered her daughter. She was painting the lines for Annabelle's costume onto her face, but Annabelle was too excited to sit completely still so Melody did her best to keep the lines straight. She glanced down at her phone to check her reference for the KISS Spaceman makeup design and dipped the brush back into the black paint. "I'm almost done with the outline."
The door behind them clicked open and Matt walked in followed by a young girl Annabelle's age, but with long brown hair instead of blonde.
"Mia!" Annabelle screamed. She jerked her head and caused Melody to skew the line. She let out a groan of frustration, but let it pass as Annabelle jumped out of the chair to hug her friend.
"What, no hug for daddy?" Matt jokingly complained.
"She's been excited for Mia all day," Melody responded. "So much so that the butt monkey wouldn't sit still while I did her make up!"
Matt looked down and saw the make-up on Annabelle's eye. One eye was done perfectly, but the other was incomplete and had a long streak of black going down her cheek.
"What are we going to do with you, girl?" Matt said as he scooped his daughter up. "Are you gonna sit still while Mommy finishes your make-up?" Annabelle nodded and Matt took her back over to Melody.
"We are almost done," Melody said as she filled in the last of the stars. "Matt, go get Annabelle's costume out of the bedroom, then go help her put it on while I get Mia's done." Matt took Annabelle upstairs and Mia sat down in front of Melody to begin her own make up.
Thirty minutes later, Melody stood in front of the bathroom mirror and applied the make up for her Paul Stanley/StarChild outfit. Matt was trying to fit into his Gene Simmons/Demon costume, but was having trouble with the boots. He hopped into the bathroom and came up behind Melody, who paid him no attention as he put his arms around her stomach.
"Still mad at me?" he asked with a puppy-dog voice. Melody laughed so hard she almost ruined her own design.
"You are such a man-child," she teased him.
"More man than child," Matt joked as he grabbed Melody's ass; she squealed and stiffened her body and playfully swatted Matt's hands away.
"Matt, stop it!" she laughed as Matt began nibbling on her neck. She suddenly twitched trying to make him stop and laughed harder. "No, stop, you're going to ruin my make up!"
Downstairs, Mia and Annabelle were in full outfit as the Cat and Spaceman from KISS, sitting on the couch waiting for Annabelle's parents. They sat and waited patiently for them to come down, but their patience was growing thin as they heard them upstairs laughing maniacally.
"You're parents are weird," Mia said.
The sun was nearly gone by the time they finally got outside, but the neighborhood was absolutely buzzing with trick-r-treaters going door to door. The quartet walked up and down the streets, Mia and Annabelle filling their bags nearly to the brim. Whenever they came up to a door, they would take off the moment candy was dropped into their bag and headed off to the next house.
Matt and Melody mostly hung back and watched the girls do their thing. Matt was a bit more paranoid, considering the rumors he had been hearing about Myers. He tried to banish the thoughts from his mind, reasoning that there was no logic in Myers coming to Russellville, as Haddonfield was his usual stomping ground. But he still couldn't help looking over his shoulder from time to time.
"Babe, what are you looking at?" Melody asked after she caught him looking back a few times.
"Nothing," Matt responded. "Just keeping an eye out for pranksters and whatnot."
"Right," Melody responded. "You've been looking around paranoid since we left the house."
Before they could continue further, Mia and Annabelle came down from the porch and started running for the next house.
"Can't catch me, Mia!" Annabelle shouted as she ran next door, Mia and her parents close behind.
"We'll talk about it back at the house," Matt promised. "Pinky swear." He held out his right hand, pinky stretched out. Melody looked at it, sighed, and then smiled as she hooked her pinky around his.
"Deal," she said.
"Mommy, daddy, come on!" Annabelle shouted from down the block. She and Mia ran behind a bush up to the next house and her parents walked after them. Matt didn't look over his shoulder this time, but if he did, he would have seen a lone figure in a white mask walking a block behind them…
...
It was extremely late by the time they finished trick-r-treating, and Mia had fallen asleep on the way back to Annabelle's house. Matt pulled up into the driveway and saw another car was already parked in front of the lawn. Matt shut the ignition off and stepped out to find Ronnie sitting on the porch.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" Matt asked as he gave Ronnie a big hug.
"I didn't know what time you'd be back, so I sat and waited on your porch," Ronnie explained. "How did my little princess do tonight?"
A door shut and Melody carried the half-asleep Mia over to Ronnie's arms. "She got a lot of candy," Melody answered by handing Ronnie an enormous bag full of Tootsie Rolls and candy bars.
"Thanks again, guys," Ronnie said. "Sorry I couldn't have taken her myself, but you know how our boss is."
"It was our pleasure, Ron," Matt said. "I'll see you at work tomorrow."
"See you, man," Ronnie said as he walked down to his car with Mia. Matt turned back to the house to see Annabelle standing next to the door, waiting to be let inside. She had nearly sweated off all her make-up and was leaning against the wall of the house.
"Now when we get inside, its bath and then straight to bed, understand missy?" Matt said sternly as he unlocked the door. "You can have three pieces of candy, but that's it for tonight because you have school tomorrow."
"Yes, daddy," Annabelle said, clearly too exhausted to give much argument. Matt opened the door and Annabelle trundled inside behind her mother. Matt brought up the rear and closed the door behind him. None of them saw the white masked figure standing across the street, staring at their house…
Matt put a bag of tea in each cup and poured boiling water over them. Melody was upstairs giving Annabelle her bath and was brewing a cup Earl Grey tea for each of them. Matt had first bought the stuff on a whim and discovered that he rather liked it. Melody and Annabelle had both acquired a taste for it as well and Matt often made some for them before bed.
Upstairs, he heard water draining through pipes, indicating that Annabelle had finished with her bath. He didn't hear the back door behind him creak open, revealing a tall figure standing in the door frame…
In the bathroom upstairs, Annabelle dried herself off with the towel as Melody placed her clothes on the toilet seat. They both jumped when they heard a crash coming from downstairs, which sounded like breaking glass.
"Matt?" Melody called out. There was no answer. She turned back to Annabelle. "Sweetie, hurry up and get your clothes on. Mommy will be right back." Melody walked out the bathroom door and into the hallway. When she reached the top of the stairs, she called down to Matt again.
"Matt, what was that noise? Matt?" Melody slowly walked down the stairs and turned the corner at the doorframe into the kitchen.
"Matt, what was that-NOOOOO!" Melody screamed when she saw Matt being strangled on the floor by a large man in mechanic's coveralls and a white Halloween mask. Matt punched the man in the side of the head, but he hardly reacted.
"Get off him!" Melody screamed as she charged the strange man; he backhanded her and sent her stumbling to the ground, knocking her head hard on the floor.
"Melody…" Matt choked as he reached out for her. The man reached behind him and pulled out a large kitchen knife, raising it high over his head.
Melody coughed and opened her eyes just in time to see the man bring the knife down and, with a sickening "SCHUNK," embedded it into the side of Matt's head.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Melody screamed. The man turned to her and pulled the knife out of Matt's head; it was embedded deeply, and Matt's head lifted a ways before they separated and cracked back down on the linoleum, where blood pooled around his body.
Melody stood up and launched herself out the kitchen door and up the stairs before the man could grab her and kill her as well. She didn't bother looking back down at the man and thrust herself into her bedroom where Annabelle had just finished getting dressed.
"What's wrong, mommy?" she asked. "Where's daddy?"
"Annabelle, listen to me," Melody said in a frantic whisper as she threw the slide-bolt on the door. "Get underneath the bed right now."
"But mommy," Annabelle tried to protest, but Melody kneeled down in front of her and put a finger to her lips.
"Don't make a sound. Don't move. And most important, whatever you see, whatever happens nest, you mustn't scream."
"Mommy, I'm scared," Annabelle said.
"Me too, baby," Melody said, nearly crying. She threw her arms around her daughter to hug her, and wanted to stay like that forever. But she could hear the man's footsteps coming up the stairs, and knew there was no time for that.
"Quick, under the bed, now," Melody ordered. Annabelle nodded and ducked underneath the bed. Melody pulled down the bed skirt, which wasn't long enough to reach the floor and left a gap for Annabelle to see through, before rummaging through a nearby nightstand for Matt's gun.
She finally found it and triumphantly held it high, but her elation was short lived; there was a lock on the trigger!
"Fuck!" Melody shouted. There was a loud bang at the door as the man started to beat it down. Melody left the gun on the bed and continued searching the drawer for a pocket knife or… something!
There was another bang and a hand burst through the door, sending splinters flying! The man reached his arm through the door and tried to grab for the lock. Melody looked up briefly, saw the arm, and continued her search more frantically. The man beat down more parts of the door and stuck part of his torso through!
Melody didn't dare look back, but let out a scream of success as she pulled out Matt's butterfly knife! She opened it up and turned to the door-
But the man wasn't there. He was gone.
Melody held the knife in front of her and slowly approached the shattered door. The knife trembled in her hands, and she feared she would drop it if she couldn't stop shaking. Her legs felt like jelly as she approached the door as her adrenaline rush started to fade and fear began to overtake her.
The door was empty when she got to it, wooden splinters scattered over the bedroom floor and the stairs.
"Oh God," Melody whispered to herself. She backed up slowly towards the bed, knife in front of her. He was here somewhere, he had to-
A hand reached around, grabbed Melody by the neck and threw her to the ground, and she realized this was it. It was over…
Annabelle had closed her eyes the moment she got underneath the bed. She was so terrified that she hardly breathed, remaining perfectly silent. She didn't open her eyes until after the banging on the door had stopped. And when she did open her eyes, all she saw was her mom's bare feet walking slowly towards the door, then backing up to the bed.
But Annabelle then saw a pair of black boots come out of the bathroom and walk up behind her mom. Suddenly, her mom let out a scream and was thrown to the floor, her head landing near the man's boots!
Melody looked under the bed and saw Annabelle staring at her in terror, a scream welling up in her throat. Melody, tears in her eyes, mouthed to her daughter, "Don't scream."
A knife came down into Annabelle's line of sight and pressed against Melody's throat! The man gave a quick pull and the steel sliced halfway into Melody's neck, blood squirting out of her gash and into the carpet! The color drained from Melody's face, which had locked eyes onto Annabelle, who could do nothing but stare back and try not to cry out.
Tears formed around Annabelle's eyes as she stared at her mother's lifeless body on the ground. The carpet soaked up most of the blood, but a small stream was creeping underneath the bed and Annabelle tried to move away from it. The blood touched her hand and she emitted a low squeal, but quickly threw her hand over her mouth to stifle any further ones! She looked out for the boots, but they were gone…
A hand grabbed Annabelle's ankle and started to pull her out from underneath the bed!
"AHHHHHHH!" Annabelle screamed as she clawed at the carpet, trying to escape! "Daddy! Mommy!"
Annabelle slid out and turned over to see a massive Shape standing over her! The bloody knife was raised high over his head, poised straight for Annabelle's heart! Annabelle screamed as loud as her tiny lungs would let her!
"Let me go! Let me go!" She thrashed and tried to squirm away from the Shape, but he put his hand on her throat and forced her down! She smacked her head on the floor and instantly stopped moving, and instead only cried.
Tears streaked down her face as the Shape brought he knife near her head, the tip of the blade pressed into her cheek. The Shape traced the blade down and left a straight-line cut on her cheek. He then carved a triangle onto the line, which started to seep blood down her face.
"Please, don't hurt me," she cried softly. "I just want my daddy…"
The Shape raised the knife high, and brought it down. The girl screamed, and soon fell silent…
...
The house was lit up with flashing red and blue lights as police surrounded the building. Paramedics wheeled out a gurney with a bloody white sheet covering the body on it out to a medical ambulance while police inside examined the crime scene.
A young, curly blond-haired officer named Daniel "Wade" Woodward knelt over the bloody scene in the kitchen. There were was some kind of tea mixed in with the blood, as well as a couple of broken glasses shattered everywhere. The body had been moved out, and Woodward hadn't been upstairs yet.
There was a large bag of candy sitting on the table, and Woodward couldn't help himself but to grab a piece from the bag: a Tootsie Roll. He unwrapped it and started to put it into his mouth, but paused and pulled the candy apart first, remembering an incident when he was a child in '78 where a razor blade had been shoved inside a Tootsie Roll like this one, and it had sliced his tongue open.
"Woodward!" A voice with a deep Irish brogue called from behind and startled Woodward. Sheriff Bryan Mills stood in the doorway, looked down at the floor and sighed heavily. "God damn, who could do such a thing?"
"Nobody knows," Woodward answered. "Back door was kicked open, so it could be a simple home invasion gone wrong."
"Come with me upstairs; there's apparently more in the bedroom." Woodward followed Mills out, leaving his Tootsie Roll on the counter in a puddle of tea next to a third glass that was merely tipped over and unbroken.
Police were taking pictures of a young woman with her throat slit. She had been turned over onto her back, and her eyes were being closed by the officer taking the pictures. Woodward looked on the night stand and saw a picture of the woman with a man and a young girl; it was spattered with blood.
Woodward picked it up and examined the photo.
"Mills," Woodward said. Mills turned to Woodward and saw the photo in his hands.
"Poor girl," Mills said. "She was the first one they took out of here. I talked with a neighbor; said this family was perfect. The mother and father, that little girl was the light of their life. Center of their universe."
"And now it's all gone," Woodward mourned.
"Mills, you up there?" a voice downstairs called out. Mills walked to the bedroom doorway and called down.
"What do you got?"
"The girl's conscious now, but she's not looking too great! They're taking her to the hospital now!"
"Good. Keep me updated!" Mills called back. He turned back to Woodward, who was still staring at the picture.
"That little girl's life was just shattered into a million tiny pieces tonight," Mills told Woodward. "I don't want you to rest – not sleep, not eat, not even fucking anyone – until the bastard responsible for this mess is caught and you've put a bullet through his head!"
