DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Halloween series in anyway =(. But I DO own Katarzyna, Emmy and my other OCs.
AN: Sorry! I completely checked out this summer and then School problems came up that I had to work through and once they were resolved, I had a bad case of writer's block. Then I was working on my actual book I'm writing so I completely forgot about the update *sweatdrop* Sorry!
A VERY Happy Belated birthday to my Fanfiction friend "Kagz419"! I'm so sorry this update is coming so late when your birthday was weeks ago, but here it is! Also another happy belated birthday to "WildSpiritCat". I will get both of your dedication chapters out in this! Again I am soooooo sorry for the wait.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Kat's POV
The days following Halloween, I noticed a change in Emmy. She seemed happier, almost back to her old self, chattering constantly. She would lock herself away in her room and have what sounded like one-sided conversations for hours until it was time for dinner or bed. Even Laurie happily noticed the change when Emmy would come by after school and tell her everything that had happened that day in full detail.
I could only assume it was because of her friendship with Cara. Since the day they met, the girls were inseparable, Emmy walking Cara home afterschool before continuing to Laurie's house. At one point Emmy had confided in me that the other kids were teasing Cara because they were friends and Emmy would walk her home to make sure none of the bullies messed with her. The story had filled me with a bittersweet feeling as it reminded me of when Michael and I had first become friends. He always acted as the protector, making sure none of the others hurt me for being friends with him.
But whatever the reason was, I was glad that Emmy was coming out of the dark mood she had put herself in after Michael's death. She was beginning to act like a kid again, which not only please Laurie and I, but Loomis as well.
It wasn't until the third week of November that everything changed.
The day had started out normal enough with me waking Emmy up and getting her ready for school before Cara and her dad came by to pick her up. Afterwards, I planned to take advantage of my day off from work and classes by relaxing before Emmy got home.
Things didn't work out that way.
It was around lunch time that I got an email from one of my professors informing us that he was moving up the date of our paper from next week to this Thursday, leaving me rushing to the library and actually start the paper. Barely a half hour had passed before I heard someone calling my name. I looked up and smiled as I saw Cara's father, Dallas, walking up to me.
"What brings you here, Kat?" he asked, taking a seat beside me. Not once did I ever think I would be someone who could befriend other parents, even with Emmy's old friends back in California, I never associated with their mothers, not really wanting to talk about kids, gossip or Emmy's "mysterious father". But, because of Emmy's growing friendship with Cara, I found myself becoming closer friends with Cara's fathers, Dallas and Oliver.
"My Psychology professor moved up the due date of one of our papers. Trying to get most of it done," I replied. Dallas could have passed for my brother with the same dark brown hair and his green eyes the same color as my one eye.
"What about you?" I asked. He sighed and placed a hand on top of a small pile of books I hadn't noticed he had been carrying.
"Alex texted me asking if I could go to the library and pick up some books on," he turned one over to look at the title, "Gardening and Flower arranging,"
I couldn't help myself from laughing a little, "Who's the girl?"
"Hey, why does it have to be a girl? For all we know he could be showing an interest in nature," Dallas asked, though his smile gave him away.
"Because why else would he text you out of the blue during school asking you to get him books on a subject he never once seemed to show an interest in?"
"Very impressive, maybe you should be studying Criminal Justice instead of Nursing," he teased, "All we know is that her name is Juliette and we only found that out because Cara overheard him with friends and felt the need to tell us,"
"That's a little sibling's job, to keep tabs on the older one," he nodded in agreement "When we were kids, Emmy's father was always telling his mother about what his older sister was up to. It was like a sport to him," There was no use hiding Emmy's parentage after the entire town had taken the liberty of telling Cara's family who he was when they caught wind of the girls' friendship. Whatever reaction they were hoping for, however, backfired as soon as the couple heard my side of the story, which included our how deep our friendship was. Instead of pushing me away, they comforted me when emotions I had bottled up the past year were finally let out. They didn't seem too worried about my past, instead choosing to focus on my present and future and how well I'm balancing school and Emmy after everything I'd gone through.
In the back of my mind I wondered if their willingness to stay close to me had anything to do with Michael being legally dead. But I always told that voice to shut up and enjoy that I had friends who weren't afraid of my reputation.
"Well, the highschool has a half day today so I need to pick up Alex and get these books to him," we said our goodbyes and the rest of the afternoon had passed uneventful.
Until I got home…
I had finally left the library at 1:30 and the moment I put my key into the front door, I could tell something was off. Slowly pushing the door open, I placed my hand over my dagger that was hidden in my waistband, prepared to brandish it if necessary.
Nothing seemed out of place in the dining room or guest room. As I walked into the living room my heart skipped a few beats at the sight of papers and books thrown carelessly around the room. I choked in my gasp, listening closely for any sign that someone was in the house, unsure of whether to feel fear or anger.
It didn't make sense; no one ever came near this house, they were too afraid, even with Michael dead. If they wanted to rob us, there was nothing of value in the house. I looked around the room and noticed the coffee table was completely clean and clear except for a loan piece of paper carefully placed in the middle. It was the paperwork I had received almost a year ago when I had legally changed Emmy's and my last name.
I studied the paper and noticed that the name "Myers" had been underlined in thick, red marker, making the block letters stand out from the rest of the words. Who would actually take the time to tear apart my living room in order to find this piece of paper, just to underline the name?
"You know who," my mind whispered and I immediately shook my head, refusing to let hope get the best of me. It was impossible. If he was alive he would have been here by now. I placed the paper back on the coffee table and continued my search into the kitchen only to have my stomach drop.
Cabinets were opened wide and drawers were pulled out with the utensils littering the tiled floor. But, the true unsettling part of the entire scene was the kitchen table in the middle of the room with ever knife and pair of scissors I owned embedded deep in the wood. It took me a few moments to realize the sharp objects were strategically placed to create a giant 'K'.
Spinning on my heel I ran up the stairs and into Emmy's room, immediately yanking open her desk drawer where I knew she kept Michael's knife.
It wasn't there.
All the breath left my body as I cut through the bathroom and shot into my room, looking for anything that was the least bit out of place. My clothes were all in their proper places and my bed looked as though it hadn't been touched since I made it that morning. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself.
"Don't jump to conclusions," I told myself, "Emmy probably took the knife to school to show Cara and someone may have broken into the house to try and scare me,"
Or someone broke into the house and stole Michael's knife, destroying the living room and kitchen to make me think that my friend had returned.
Or Michael is back and is back in possession of his knife and he was taunting me again.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when the phone rang downstairs and I tripped over myself a few times to get to it. I didn't know whether to sigh in relief or hold my breath in apprehension when I heard Oliver's voice on the other end.
"Hey Kat! I have the girls and we're headed to your house," he said, "Dallas told me that you were working on something so school, so I went to drop Emmy off at her babysitter's but the poor girl has a bad case of food poisoning,"
"I told her not to eat at that new restaurant down the street," I said, a few beats passed before I spoke again.
"Hey, is it too much trouble to ask if you could take Emmy for the afternoon?" I asked, turning back to the kitchen, staring at the knife embedded table. There was no way I could get the house cleaned up by the time Emmy arrived.
"Yeah, it's no problem," he answered, "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just didn't get as much schoolwork done as I wanted to. Plus I figured instead of having Emmy here bored, she and Cara could hang out longer," I lied easily.
"It's no problem at all," he chuckled. We spoke for a few more moments before Oliver hung up and I turned my attention back to the mess that awaited me. Taking a deep breath, I made my way to the table and began yanking out the sharp objects.
All the while, feeling as though someone was watching me…
/oo/
I wasn't sure how many hours passed before I finally got the house back in order. The kitchen table was unsalvageable when it came to the holes left by knives and scissors, meaning I could either get a new table or try and find a decent looking table cloth.
I had spent the better part of an hour disinfecting and cleaning the fridge after finding a bloody animal head on one the shelves when I had gone in search of a water bottle. I'm pretty sure the entire neighborhood heard my shriek of both surprise and disgust when I found it.
I had gone through the entire house twice more, still finding no one, not even in the attic, but I couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness that continued to fall over me. I never liked when Michael played this game, and now it seemed I was playing it with a stranger.
My hand never left its place against my hip, over my dagger, ready to draw it and fight whatever invisible force was inside the house.
"You know who it is," my mind whispered.
"No, it's not," I muttered, "It's been over a year, he didn't even come at Halloween,"
"Doesn't mean anything," the voice said, "Remember what Loomis said: Evil never dies,"
"He isn't evil," I nearly whimpered, feeling the bitter feeling in the back of my throat at the blatant lie.
"You and I both know he is," it whispered. I wanted to argue back but the phone rang once again, ripping me from my mental battle. I took a few breaths to calm myself before pressing the 'answer' button.
"Hello?"
"Hi mommy!" I could feel all my stress and worries fade a little at the sound of Emmy's excitement-filled voice.
"Hi baby, do you want me to come pick you up?" I asked.
"No, I actually wanted to ask if I could sleep over Cara's house," her words came out in a fast-paced jumble, I almost didn't catch what she was saying. I could hear Cara in the background, talking just as excitedly to one of her dads where were trying to calm her down.
"What did her dads say?"
"They said it was okay," she said slowly and I was about to press further when I felt the phone being taken and Emmy's voice replaced with Dallas'.
"It seems our girls have been conspiring this for a while now," he said, "Oliver and I said we have to check with you first,"
I had to keep the laugh from bubbling out of me by the sheer luck in that moment. As much as I tried to, I could no longer deny that Michael was somewhere in the house and from the looks of things, I had the feeling he wasn't in the best of moods. The last thing I needed was for Emmy to go in search of him. Or run into him. Literally.
"I have no problem with that, I will drop off her things," I said a bit too enthusiastically for my liking. That definitely seemed to tip him off.
"Everything okay, Kat?" he asked in a low but deadly serious voice.
"Everything is fine," I said much calmer, "I'm just excited to have a night to myself," "And the masked killer somewhere in my house," I added mentally.
"Oliver mentioned that you sounded a little off on the phone earlier, are you sure nothing is wrong?"
"Dallas, seriously, I'm fine," I tried to laugh, but it failed miserably, "I will see you in a few minutes," I didn't wait for him to answer before hanging up and phone and running a hand through my hair for what felt like the thousandth time that day.
Turning quick on my heel and I walked upstairs and down the hall the Emmy's room, noticing the door was slightly ajar when I was sure I had closed it tightly earlier. Pushing it open, I didn't see anything out of place until her bed came into view. On the butterfly comforter lay Emmy's favorite pajamas with her favorite plush rabbit resting on top of them. Beside the night clothes was a simple pair of jeans and a random T-shirt as if they had just been grabbed from the dresser (that had been yanked open with clothes hanging out) and thrown into their place. At the foot of the bed was her yellow duffel bag.
A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of him listening to my conversation.
Which meant he knew that I would be home alone all night…
I shook my head and stuffed everything into the duffel bag before going into the bathroom to get the rest of her things. As I left the house I could have sworn I heard a door somewhere in the house open slightly.
When I felt my heart speed up at the thought of Michael in there, I couldn't tell if it was from fear or excitement.
/oo/
I ended up staying for at least an hour after dropping off Emmy's stuff, talking to Dallas and Oliver, reassuring them that I was okay. When he heard that the girls were having a sleepover, Alex practically begged his fathers to let him spend the night at his friend's house so he "didn't have to deal with the babies trying to get him to play with them."
When I walked into the house, everything was exactly the way I left it. No knives in the tables, or papers thrown everywhere. I couldn't tell if that made me feel even more unsettled than the chaos I had been met with earlier. The only thing that caught my attention was the single piece of paper on the coffee table, with a note written in thick, black marker. At the sight of the all too familiar scrawl, I couldn't fight the warmth that spread through me.
LAST PLACE TO LOOK
At first I didn't know what to make of the note. But I knew it was one of Michael's little riddles he seemed to take a liking to. That also meant he was in a slightly better mood, or as close to one as Michael Myers would get.
"Last place to look," I whispered, trying to decipher it before it finally clicked. If Myers was in the house, he knew I was constantly running around looking for him. I had to of looked in every room in the house twice.
Except the basement…
Perfect.
/oo/
(DEDICATION CHAPTER: Kagz419. Happy SUPER belated birthday!)
It took me hours to work up the courage to go down into the basement, well past midnight. I always hated going down there, even as a kid. It looked like something out of a slasher film, complete with dark gray concrete walls and a matching floor. A few old boxes and broken furniture were littered around the area with the lone mattress in the corner that I couldn't bring myself to get rid of after Michael's alleged death.
Michael always loved his basement. It was on the days when the bullying was worse and his family problems had hit their peak, yet he couldn't escape into his little sanctuary within the woods. He would sneak away into the darkness, believing it would swallow him up if he stayed there long enough.
Sometimes he would bring me down and we would pretend that no one else existed outside. The only things he would acknowledge were her mother or Boo. His favorite thing was to tell me ghost stories, knowing full well that I wouldn't be able to sleep after hearing them. Other times, he would teach me how to fight and how to use the dagger. I could still remember the day he and I managed to carve our names into the concrete wall, complete with a date and time.
The only reason I ever went into that basement was because I knew he liked my company and I was afraid to leave him alone, fearing that it would lead to the inevitable: him finally snapping and acting out his rage.
After the trial and the house was no longer deemed a crime scene, I offered to help Deborah move some of Judith's old things into the back room of the basement. It was hard to see the woman once full of life and fight, suddenly withdrawn and quiet. The only time she showed emotion was when tending to her infant daughter or visiting Michael. I had completely forgotten about the names carved into the wall until I caught her running her fingers over Michael's name, trying to hold back tears.
That was the last time I would see the Myers basement for many years.
When we had first moved into the house, Emmy was still afraid of basements and I had no problem keeping my distance. I wasn't sure when Emmy had begun going down there but I did know she only made the trek when Michael was with her, refusing to be alone. The first time I had finally stepped foot in there was the night I had stormed in and told Michael I would help him end Haddonfield.
Now, I stood in front of the old door, feeling my heart beat heavily in my chest while my stomach did somersaults. If Michael was down there, this would be the first time I would have seen him in over a year. Would he be the same as he was before he "died" or did he turn back into the cold, ruthless killer I had met when I first moved back to Haddonfield?
There was only one way to find out.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open…
/oo/
(BONUS BONUS CHAPTER AS A SECOND DEDICATION TO WildSpiritCat! HAPPY SUPER BELATED BIRTHDAY TO YOU TOO!)
(FLASHBACK)-Myers Basement
Kat- 6
Michael- 9
I wrapped myself further in Michael's flannel sweater as another cold draft came from an unknown part of the basement. I was huddled in the corner, watching Michael expertly twirl a large knife in his hand, sometimes throwing it in the air and catching the handle with ease. His entire body was relaxed, but I knew that he was still fuming inside.
"You can't keep letting Wesley get to you," I said, breaking the silence between us, "He's not worth it,"
"I'm tired of hearing the same crap from him every. Single. Day," he growled, thrusting his knife and stabbing at an invisible force. I could clearly see the purple bruise forming on his cheek where he had been punched, but I knew better than to mention it.
"I hate it down here," I muttered more to myself, forgetting Michael's acute hearing.
"Then why did you bother coming with me?" he snapped, his voice harsher than I had heard before. But I knew the anger wasn't directed towards me.
"You know why," I said, firmly.
"I'm not going to do anything," he whispered, "And if I was, who's to say that I wouldn't hurt you because you're the only person around?"
"Because this isn't the first time you've been like this with only me here so I know you wouldn't do anything to me," I rebutted, an arrogant smirk on my face. It immediately fell, however, when he turned to face me and I noticed just how bad the bruise was.
"Does it hurt?"
"Only when something touches it," he shrugged, finally coming to sit beside me, "In other words, once Judith is home and I go upstairs, it's going to hurt like a bitch,"
I laughed, "You can always sleep down here again," I gestured towards the mattress in the corner that Michael had finally convinced Deborah to buy, made up with black sheets and a dark blue comforter and matching pillow (courtesy of Deborah). I wasn't sure how he was able to keep this little place a secret from his sister, but then again, Judith hated the basement with a passion, one of the many reasons Michael loved it so much.
"My mom said that I had to start sleeping in my own bed again," he said, before his voice suddenly got a little more life in it, "But she did say that when Angel gets older and needs a bigger room that she can take mine and I can move down here,"
"By then Judith would have moved out, so what about her room?" I asked.
"I doubt she will ever leave, but if she did then my mom would move into the room and turn the downstairs one into a guest bedroom," I smiled as he talked. I always loved when he would describe what his house would be like in the future with Judith, and hopefully Ronnie, gone. I only hoped he would hold out until then and not do anything stupid.
"Only time will tell," I said, momentarily forgetting about his bruise and poking his cheek. His sudden hiss of pain made me tense as guilt wash over me.
"I'm sorry!" I whimpered, feeling worse by the second. He waved his hand.
"It's fine, it was more of the shock that got me," he shrugged. I frowned and watched him rub his cheek before he slung his arm over my shoulders, an action he had as of recently taken to doing, mainly to tell the bullies to back off from bothering me. I saw the area where I had pressed my finger to the bruise, that little area getting darker and I felt my chest constrict.
Without thinking, I leant up and pressed my lips to his cheek, softly kissing the injury. He froze, his eyes widening as I pulled away and settled back against the wall.
"Now it will feel better," I explained, "It's been proven that kisses make everything better,"
"You're such a child," he scoffed before noticing my harsh glare, "My bad,"
Silence fell between us as we stayed in a huddle; Michael playing with his knife in one hand while I played with a loose thread on the sweater.
"I still hate this basement," I said quietly, looking at his face from the corner of my eye, watching him chuckle.
"Well, you better get used to it, because when I'm older this will be my room and you will be down here all the time when we hang out," he stated smugly. I rolled my eyes and smiled before letting out a surprised squeak when he used his arm to pull me closer to him, now holding me in an awkward side hug. It was rare for him to initiate any kind of contact like this which only meant he was more upset about today than I had originally thought.
"Okay," I said quietly and smiled before falling quiet again and staring at the blank, concrete wall across from me and wondering how Michael could do it for so long.
Review! I am sorry if this chapter is terrible! I tried my best! Next chapter Present day Kat goes into the basement and we get to see if Michael is back or not!
I'm not sure how many chapters will be left for this story so if there is anything you want to see please PM me and I will see if it can work :3 I have an idea for what I want to do but I'm not sure how well you guys will like it (NOTHING BAD, I'M NOT KILLING ANYONE) but I'm not sure yet. Maybe I should make a poll.
Anyway, school has started again so I should be better with this story I will try NOT to disappear for like 3 months again lolz. But if I do, I apologize ahead of time. Until next time,
Read and Review!