As they sat around the table that morning, eating leftover pizza for breakfast, Libby returned home. She heard them talking in the dining room, so she headed there.
"Good morning, everyone. Had a great night with Tyrone last night. I could spend the rest of my life with him. That pizza looks good. Is there any left?" she shot off, not letting anyone else get a word in until she was done.
Between bites, Chance answered her with, "Well, there is some left." She paused to take another bite. "But," she paused again to chew some, "we're currently eating it."
For a moment, nothing else was said.
"You're such a bitch, Chance," Libby then said, a scowl having appearing across her face. "Did you know that?"
Shrugging, Chance continued eating, causing Libby to stomp off to her room. Elissa stood up and followed her, though she wasn't quick enough to catch up, because Libby slammed her bedroom door shut and Elissa found that it was locked when she tried to open it.
"Libby? It's Elissa. Can we talk?"
"Just go away!" Libby shouted from behind the door.
"Fine," Elissa said. "You bring it on yourself though, you know?"
Libby didn't say anything else, so Elissa walked away, returning to the dining room.
Sitting back down, she said, "Did you really have to act like that to her, Chance? You know it just pisses her off and makes her even more uncomfortable to be around."
Chance shrugged again, clearly not concerned.
After a few more moments of silence, Elissa then said, "Well, I'm going to go to the store today. Could you two please write down anything you want me to pick up while I'm out?"
"I think we need some dish soap, and milk," Thora said, getting up to go into the kitchen and retrieve the magnetic grocery list pad from the fridge. "Tell you what Lis, can you go out to the mailbox and see what the address is? I think I know it, but I want to be sure before I go to the DMV on Monday to get a new license. Plus I want to call the cable company and get us set up, and I want to make sure they come to the right house."
"Aw, what's wrong Thora? You don't want some lucky jerk on Lampkin Lane to get free cable?" Chance teased from the dining room, pulling out the pen holding her thick blonde hair up in a messy bun, hand out motioning for the grocery pad.
"Yeah, I can go look no problem. While I'm out there can you write down Crest and Q-tips for me, please?" Elissa pulled her green jacket from the hook by the front door, concerned that it might be cold outside. She'd heard the wind howling last night, and was sure it had blown in a front.
"Ten-four, good buddy" Thora snarled in her rather pitiful impression of a grizzled truck driver. Chance giggled, and Elissa rolled her eyes.
She unlocked the front door, and started down the steps towards the mailbox. It was a rather overcast morning, and the slight chill on her face made her glad she'd chosen to put on her jacket before going out. The street was rather quiet, a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the main road the apartment had been located on that she had become accustomed to. She could faintly hear a dog barking down the street, and the distant engines of cars traveling a neighboring street, but it was otherwise rather still. She reached the mail box and looked down to the side to read the address emblazoned in small gold letters against the black of the box when something down the street caught her eye.
In a thick, tall row of hedges bordering the front yard of a house about twenty paces away she saw it. Something starkly white with dark pits for eyes that she swore could see directly into her soul stared back at her from the edge of the bushes. Elissa blinked in disbelief, and a chill raced up her spine. What the hell was that?
She heard the bushes rustle slightly in the silence of the street, and then it was gone. Seriously, what the hell had that been? A oddly patterned black and white cat? Some sort of strange bird? A guy in a freaky Halloween mask taking it out for an early test drive? Elissa stood there for a long moment, trying to decide what to do. If it were just an animal she'd feel foolish for walking over into the neighbor's yard to check it out and if it was some guy in a mask well... She shuddered.
But if it was some weirdo prowling around the houses, shouldn't she call the police or something? She found herself walking towards the hedge as if compelled by some unknown force. She had not gotten a very good look at whatever it had been, and she certainly wasn't going to bother the police for something silly and earn herself a reputation as 'that girl who calls the cops for every little thing'. No, she was going to be sure there was something actually there before freaking out.
She reached the bush, and with a deep breath she leaned out and peered around the corner.
There was nothing.
"It's 45 Lampkin Lane, Thora. You guys finished with that list yet?" Elissa called as she opened the door, only to take barely two steps in before running almost smack into Libby.
"Whoa, watch out Elissa. You nearly mowed me down. What is your hurry?" Libby said, arching an eyebrow at Elissa. "If you are going to the store can you get me some soda?"
"What kind did you want?" Elissa asked, unable to resist taking a look over her shoulder before closing the door.
"Grape, please. Hey, what's your deal? You expecting someone out there or something?" That red eyebrow cocked even higher, as her eyes narrowed.
"Nothing, it's nothing" Elissa said, forcing a small smile. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I should have stayed out of it, but I really want us all to get along here, you know?"
"Yeah. I know what you're saying. But still, Chance can be a real bitch sometimes. You'll see." Libby smirked. "But seriously, I guess I can't blame you for being so hyper vigilant." With that her pale lips curved slightly. "With this house and all..."
"What is that supposed to mean, 'this house'?" Libby's eyes widened, a look of surprise rushing over her face.
"You mean you didn't know already? Didn't the landlord tell you when you and Thora came to view the house the other day?" From the look in Elissa's eyes Libby could see that the hook was set. She waited for her response however before giving the final jerk.
"What are you talking about Libby, seriously? What about the house?" Elissa tried to keep her tone even but a slight waver crept in. Libby smiled.
"Just ask around. You'd be surprised. By the way, can you make sure to get the twelve pack? Tyrone likes it too, and he's coming over later." Libby reached up to flick her hair back from her forehead, those ever present bangles jingling much like the bell of a cat.
Libby stalked off to her room, that sharp smile still gracing her lips. That bitch wanted to side with Chance? Fine, let her. She hadn't had to live with Chance for over a year, had to tolerate her constant snubs and disdain for Tyrone. Miss Perfect. Libby rolled her eyes. Chance thought she was something else with her well-to-do parents and that good looking, always reliable boyfriend of hers Robert. Oh, she'd get hers. And so would Elissa, if she insisted on being such a goody-goody ass kiss to Chance.
Libby's phone rang then, the familiar strains of Tyrone's ring tone calling to her from inside of her jean pocket, She pulled it out and answered in her best breathy voice.
"Hey boo," She purred, examining her nails, and practicing her pout in her vanity mirror.
"Babe. You going to come pick me up?"
"Yeah, I'll be there in a little bit. I have something I need to do first, but I promise it won't take long, sweetie." Oh, she had things to do all right. Robert had said something about having to pick up an early shift at the hardware store when they'd been inside coordinating the move the day before. Libby supposed she should go lock shopping, and who better to assist her than good old Rob?
"Okay. But don't take all day, know what I'm saying? I miss you baby."
"I'll be right along. Love you too, sweets."
Libby hung up, a thousand ideas dancing in her head, each involving her trip to the hardware store and each more spiteful than the last. She took her lipstick from the vanity and smoothed it over her lips, the glossy red making them stand out like rose petals on white satin sheets. Oh, she would indeed get hers.
Elissa stood in the dining room, the list at arms length.
"Whoa. You want HOW many cans of Pringles, Chance?" she teased, trying to banish that cold feeling from the pit of her stomach that had only intensified after her conversation with Libby.
"Three. Make sure one is ranch, I don't care about the other two. I like to have them for when I'm studying. It's comfort food, you know?" Chance said, twisting her hair back into it's messy bun and anchoring it with the blue pen. "Also, can you try to make sure they bag the milk? I know it's petty, but if they don't it tends to pick up all the stuff on the floorboard on the ride home and gets into the fridge."
"No problem, I'll make sure they bag it." Thora held up a finger then, her ear pressed to her phone.
"Yes, it's 45 Lampkin Lane," she turned to Elissa and mouthed 'Right?' Elissa nodded, and Thora continued. "So Monday at noon. Okay, someone will be here waiting. Okay, thank you." She hung up and grinned lopsidedly, the dimple in her left cheek standing out. "They are running a special, and we get all the movie channels for three months free."
"Awesome," Chance said "Late night Skinemax."
Both girls tittered. "You'd know all about Skinemax, huh Chance? You and Rob have been dating a loooong time..." Thora's voice trailed off, her eyebrow quirking. Chance stuck out her tongue.
"Hush, you. Oh, before I forget Elissa," She dug into her pocket and fished out a twenty. "Can you stop and get us a movie for tonight since cable won't be installed til Monday? Get something scary."
"No!" Thora said, shaking her head. "Get comedy. Romantic comedy. The sappiest one they have"
"I'm paying and I say horror."
"How about a compromise? I'll get a horror comedy." Elissa offered, that icy feeling abating a bit. She was being ridiculous. There had been nothing out there, and Libby was just being Libby. There was nothing to worry about other than picking out what she was going to wear Monday.
"Fair enough," Thora agreed, sticking her tongue out at Chance. "Just make sure it's funny"
"And gory," Chance chimed in.
"Okay, Okay. I'll see what I can dig up." With that she took the money, stopped by her room to pick up her purse, and went out to the truck. As she selected the key for the ignition from her ring, the house key again seemed like something sharp, foreign and unpleasant. She sighed and shook her head. There was nothing to worry about. Absolutely nothing. She started the truck and began to drive, that icy feeling much diminished yet still present.
Then he stepped out from behind the bush and watched her go.
How long he had been watching, she would never know. He slowly followed her with his head as she drove away. Being out from behind the bush, he was exposed to the wind, which blew against him and his white mask. It didn't cause him to react though, not in any visible way, if he even felt it.
There was no need for him to put too much effort into hiding on Lampkin Lane. Like most streets in Haddonfield, it was relatively quiet and not really ever busy. Ever since he'd chased his niece through those very streets so long ago, the long time residents of Haddonfield had grown accustomed to staying inside whenever they could, behind locked doors, safely hidden from the outside world, or so they liked to think and hope. They were happier that way, minding their own business and pretending that everything was okay and normal. If they saw him or someone dressed like him standing out there, would they even care? Would they call the police? The better question was, would he even care? He'd taken on Haddonfield's finest a couple times in the past. They always lost. Would they dare try again?
With Elissa gone, he turned his attention to the house itself. There were still a few others inside. Living inside where he once lived and once killed. Where the evil in him initially spawned. One girl had already seen him. If history was any indication, the others would know his presence soon enough as well. He clearly wasn't someone who easily gave up. After all, he'd been killing off his relatives almost as long as he'd been alive. That was dedication. Dedication not to a job or a hobby, but to a commitment. A commitment of evil.
He stepped back behind the bushes when he heard the front of the house opening again. This time, it was Chance and Thora who exited. Unlike Elissa though, they didn't notice him, the black and white peeking through the bushes. He remained hidden until they too drove away in Chance's car. That left just Libby inside. He then came out from behind the bushes again, but he didn't just stand there again. Slowly, he approached the house, continuing to keep his eyes focused on it. Libby could have easily seen him at anytime, but he didn't seem to be concerned with that thought. He could easily just disappear before she could get a better look at him anyway, just as he'd done with so many people before. It was almost like a game in that aspect. A game that usually ended with them dying by his hands.
Walking around to the left side of the house, he stopped outside of one of the windows when he spotted the lone girl inside, changing her clothes. When she unknowingly revealed her breasts to him, he once again didn't react, only continuing to stare, to watch. She then moved out of his view, only to open the front door herself a moment later and get into her Volkswagen. As the car's engine faded away into the distance, he continued his walk around the house, stopping at each window like they were displays at a museum. The house itself really hadn't changed much since his time in it as a child. Sure, it'd fallen into disrepair until more recent years, but the structure remained the same. It was still painted white and some objects such as the doors appeared to be refurbished.
Reaching the back door, he tried to open it, trying several times to twist the knob, but it was locked. He left it at that and moved around to the right side of the house. When he got to the living room's window, he paused at it longer than he had at any of the other windows, as if he was remembering. Remembering that Halloween night in 1963 when he watched Judith fool around with her boyfriend on the sofa before heading upstairs with him and moments after her boyfriend left, he murdered her with a kitchen knife. So many people had wondered why. Was it jealousy? Was it confusion? Was it simply and purely insanity?
Dr. Sam Loomis had tried for so long to reach him. Most would say the doctor tried harder than anyone else to understand him and at times, he'd seemed very close to achieving just that. Loomis did learn how he thought, how he worked. Loomis hadn't come so close to stopping him all those times out of coincidence. Loomis had been good, good enough to outlast the others. That was something even his favorite patient might admit to. But the Shape was better. The Shape was always better.
He finally left the window and returned to the front of the now empty house. He slowly lifted his head to look at the second floor windows, particularly the window of Judith's room. Then moving his head to look at the front porch, he approached it, climbing the few steps up to it. He tried the front's door knob too, but unsurprisingly, it was locked as well. He had another reason for being on the porch though. Reaching into his jumpsuit, he removed a yellowed slip of paper and crouched down, slipping it into a crack in the porch, making sure that it was secured enough so as to not be blown away by the wind. Standing back up, he then turned around and walked away, leaving his gift for one of the girls to find.