October 27, 1996

Tommy Doyle paced the living room of his and Kara's rented house with a rifle slung over his shoulder and a pistol shoved into the waistband of his pants. Kara sat on the couch with her arms crossed and Steven crawled around on the floor, stopping occasionally to play with a Hot Wheel Danny had left behind. The baby laughed and cooed. When he blew a raspberry to simulate his older adopted brother's simulation of car sounds, Tommy chuckled despite himself. It never ceased to amaze him how quickly Steven was growing. It would sound cliche if he said this out loud, but it seemed like only yesterday he was a newborn, and it wouldn't be long before he was walking, talking, and asking to borrow the car.

If the Thorne Cult didn't get him.

The fond smile died on Tommy's lips and he looked away from the baby, dark and potent emotions stirring in his breast. He didn't want to think about that. He didn't want to obsess over the idea of his adopted son being murdered...or over his own failure to protect the most precious thing in his life. He told Kara, and himself, that he would never let anything happen to them, but in his heart, he knew that one day, it probably would. If this kept up, the cult would get them sooner or later.

Unless…

This was just an idea, and maybe wishful thinking at that, but if he were able to destroy Michael Myers once and for all, the cult wouldn't have a reason to come after them anymore. The curse would be lifted from the Myers line and Danny and Steven would both be freed from sacrificial roles they were to play. The Thornes might want revenge but Tommy would rather that than them wanting Danny and Steven specifically. People who are angry at you tend to run out of steam long before people who believe they need to sacrifice you to save the world.

Tommy stopped at the window and peered out the hole he had drilled into the board. Outside, the sun sat low behind the houses on the opposite side of the street, its weak orange light spreading across yards and sidewalks like trails of blood. The sky was a soft mixture of purple and orange and stars twinkled in the sky. As Tommy watched, the front door of 1216 opened and Danny came out with that Lucy girl.

Last night, Danny told him and Kara about Lucy's experience with the Ouija board and about her dream of Michael Myers. While unexpected, it wasn't exactly shocking; over the past year, Tommy had been bombarded with far too many dark truths to be surprised by anything. He believed the story wholeheartedly...after Danny swore that he hadn't mentioned Michael Myers first. If he had, Tommy would be inclined to believe the little girl was full of shit.

Tommy wanted to talk to her and see what he could find out, if anything. Perhaps Lucy had some sort of psychic ability. If so, he could use that to his and his family's advantage. He knew a great deal about the occult and planned to give her a few tests. Hopefully, she came through for him.

The two kids hurried across the street and Tommy unbarred the door for them. Danny came in, Lucy in tow, and Tommy shut the door again, locking the handle and deadbolt and putting the bar across it. Danny brushed a leaf out of his hair and glanced between Lucy and Tommy. "This is Lucy," Danny said.

Without preamble, Tommy said, "Danny says you know something about Michael Myers."

"I guess," Lucy said.

In the kitchen, Lucy, Danny, and Kara sat at the table while Tommy made hot chocolate for everyone. He could feel Lucy staring at the rifle slung across his back and realized how crazy he and Kara must seem. Lucy knew that they were in hiding from very dangerous people but she was probably still too young to fully realize what that meant: Always looking over your shoulder, being armed all the time, and not trusting anyone or anything.

It occurred to him that he had turned into a Branch Davidian, and he grinned sardonically to himself.

One day this would all be over.

It had to be.

He and Kara could get married and settle down somewhere. They would buy a house (white picket fence optional) and raise their boys like normal parents. Maybe they would have kids of their own one day or maybe they would only have Danny and Steven. Tommy didn't mind either way, he loved both of them like they were his own and Kara loved Steven like he was her own.

Everything would work out in the end.

Anything else was unthinkable.

Tommy sat a mug of hot chocolate in front of each one and then sat down. "What happened?" Tommy asked directly.

In her own words, Lucy told him about the Ouija board and the nightmare she had. She went into great detail and from the conviction in her tone, Tommy believed every word. In turn, Tommy told her about the Thorne Cult and the curse. "They're far more dangerous than Michael is," Tommy said. "And they're closing in."

"How can you fight them?" Lucy asked.

Tommy slipped a rune from his pocket and sat it on the table with a flourish. "Using this," he said. "It's called The Hand of Light. It can absorb and destroy the curse."

"Can't the cult just place another curse?"

"I don't know," Tommy admitted. "I don't think so. The spirit will be sent back to the netherworld - or wherever it came from. That's what it is, I think, a spirit more than what we think of as a curse. If I can trap the spirit and destroy it, they won't be able to summon it anymore."

Lucy nodded. "That makes sense. They probably won't stop coming after you."

"I know," Tommy said. "But if I can take out the leader, maybe I can throw them into disarray and they'll leave us alone." He looked at Kara and she gave him a weak smile that was beautiful despite its bloodless pallor.

He turned to Lucy. "That dream you had...is there any logical explanation for it? Did you hear or read anything about Michael Myers beforehand?"

The little girl considered his question for a moment then shook her head. "No. I haven't even thought about him in forever."

But she knew about him and this was the season in which he was most active, so it was possible that she was thinking of him on a subconscious level.

He said as much. "But maybe you have some kind of ability. I want to test you. If you're okay with that."

"Sure," Lucy said, "what do you have in mind?"

Ten minutes later, a book on hypnosis open on the table before him, Tommy held up a heart pendant on a chain that he borrowed from Kara. It was all they had. "I want you to focus on the heart, Lucy," he said and let it swing back and forth. "Relax and clear your mind of everything."

Lucy nodded.

Tommy had never put anyone under hypnosis before and didn't know what to expect. It took a while but a visible change eventually came over Lucy. Her posture relaxed and her facial muscles slackened. He couldn't see her eyes behind her bangs but he could sense them. Now he couldn't. Lucy Loud had left the building.

"Can you hear me?" Tommy asked.

A tiny, robotic, "Yes," slipped from Lucy's lips.

They barely moved.

"I want you to do something for me, Lucy," Tommy said. You had to use the subject's name so that they clearly understood that you were talking to them. "Can you help me?"

"I don't know."

Tommy blinked, then, remembering a pediantic old English teacher of his, he rephrased the question. "Can you try to help me?"

"Yes," Lucy said instantly.

"Do you know where Michael Myers is? Can you look for him?"

Lucy paused, not knowing how to proceed.

"Home in on him," Tommy said, "pretend that you're a bird and that you're soaring through the heavens. Can you see him?"

For a moment, Lucy was silent, and he was just beginning to think that this wasn't going to work when she replied, "Yes."

"You can see him?"

"Yes."

"Where is he?"

Lucy was quiet. "Lucy?"

"I don't know," she said. "He's in the woods...slipping through the brush like an animal. He's coming this way."

Kara and Tommy looked at each other. "What about the Thornes?" Tommy asked. "Can you see them?"

Cocking her head, Lucy knitted her brows. At least, he thought she did. "Yes," she said. "They're here. In Royal Woods."

Tommy's stomach tightened and the color drained from Kara's face. In an instant, she looked ten years older.

"Can you see the leader?" Tommy asked.

Lucy was quiet.

"Lucy?"

The little girl nodded. "Yes."

Tommy's heartbeat sped up. "What does he look like?"

Kara and Danny were both leaning in with bated breath. Lucy tilted her head from one side to the other as if trying to see the bastard's face from every possible angle. "He's an old man. He has a beard and…" Lucy trailed off, the corners of her mouth turning downward in a frown.

"What?" Tommy asked.

"I know him," Lucy said. "I've seen him before. Not in person. In a picture. He's…" she trailed off again,. When she didn't speak for a long time, Tommy said her name, and that jogged her back. "Dr. Loomis," she said.

For a moment, Tommy didn't understand what she was talking about. What about Dr. Loomis? Were they holding him prisoner? Was he here too?

Then, all at once, it sank in and his heart dropped. "Dr. Loomis is their leader?"

Lucy nodded. "He's cursed too."

Tommy's head spun. The idea of Dr. Loomis leading those people...those evil fucking people...was unthinkable. It made no sense. Dr. Loomis was a good man, a solid man. He would have to be cursed to throw in with the Thorne Cult.

"Do they know where we are?" Tommy asked.

Lucy didn't reply.

"Lucy?"

For a moment, Lucy stared at him, then she shook her head. The spell that had held sway over the room seemed to break, and somehow Tommy knew that she was awake. "My head hurts," she said and rubbed her temple. "Did it work?"

"Yeah," Tommy said and swallowed hard. "It worked."

He told her what she said, then sent her home. Kara had Danny go play Sega in the living room. Alone in the kitchen, they sat at the table, Kara with her shoulders slumped and Tommy running his fingers through his hair. "What do we do?" she asked.

Tommy pulled the rune out and sat it on the table. It was flat gray and clydentical, about six inches across and nine inches tall. He could sense the power vibrating deep within it, like the low hum of a transformer box. You didn't have to be sensitive or even versed in the occult to know that there was something special about it. "We stay," Tommy said, "and fight. No more running away."

"What about the kids?" Kara asked.

Tommy hesitated. Staying was dangerous...staying might mean death. They couldn't keep doing this, though. They couldn't spend their lives running and hiding. Unless they dug their heels in and fought back, this would never end. "We have to chance it," he said. "What choice to we have?"

A shudder went through Kara and she hugged herself. Tommy got up, knelt beside her, and took her into his arms. "We'll get through this," he said with a confidence he did not feel. "And everything will be okay. We just have to be strong."

She rested her head in the crook of his neck and he held her close.

Could he be strong enough to fight for his family's safety?

Tommy didn't know...but he had the feeling that he would soon find out.

October 30, 1996

Sam Loomis sat at the table in his rented room at the Royal Woods Motor Lodge and stared at the typewritten page before him, his head tilted slightly back and his lips moving silently. He was nearing the end of his manuscript; it would be done in a week, two at the most. Hopefully by then, the curse would be passed on and he would be freed from the burden he was forced to shoulder. The moment of truth was close at hand. He knew where Tommy was hiding and Michael was sure to be here today or tomorrow. He had cultists driving the streets of Royal Woods and the highways for twenty miles in every direction. None of them had spotted Michael so far, but Loomis could sense that he was close, the way an experienced seaman could smell icebergs before they were even in sight.

If everything went according to the plan Loomis had been formulating for the past three days, his people would seize Tommy, Kara, and the kids, bring Michael to heel with minimal bloodshed, and then perform the ritual. There was a clearing in the woods east of town that was perfect for their needs; Loomis had sent a team of people there to ready it.

All of this had to take place on Halloween. As soon as the clock struck midnight on November 1, their chance would be passed and they would have to wait another year. Another year of waiting, another year to grapple with the horror of what he had to do and the horror of what would come if he didn't. That sounded like hell to Sam Loomis. He wanted this over so that he could die. He was ready to go. Even a few years ago, the concept of dying alarmed Loomis, but now he welcomed the promise of death's blessed release.

The door opened behind him and Sheldon came in clutching a paper bag from McDonald's. The giant sat on the edge of the bed and handed the bag to Loomis. "Thank you, Sheldon," Loomis said. "I shouldn't eat this sort of thing but I really can't help myself." He forced a smile and took out his Big Mac and fries. He handed the bag back to Sheldon, who reached in, pulled out a handful of his own fries, and shoved them into his mouth. He chewed like a cow, lips smacking and bits of soggy potatoes dropping from his maw, and Loomis favored him with a stern look. A chastised look flickered across the giant's face and he let out a sobbing grunt. Loomis's features softened and he gave Sheldon's knee an affectionate pat. "We all forget our manners sometimes," Loomis assured him with a smile.

When they were finished eating, Loomis grabbed his cane and got to his feet. He hobbled over to the window, pulled the curtain aside, and peered out. An open breezeway lined the front of the L-shaped building. Beyond was a parking lot, and beyond even that was Main Street. Cars and trucks passed in both directions, and people in warm clothing hurried past on the sidewalks. The storefronts Loomis could see from here were decorated with Halloween decals, pumpkins, hay, and other autumnal vestments. He let out a deep sigh and turned away from the glass. "I hate Halloween," he said.

Sheldon grunted something.

"I know you like trick or treating," Loomis said, understanding. "Maybe next year."

The old man hobbled back to his chair and sat down with a weary sigh. The handheld radio crackled and a voice came through the static. "They're home again."

Ah, good.

An hour ago, Tommy, Kara, and the children got into the car and left their house. The man Loomis had posted to watch them followed them through town; it looked like they were running simple errands, but Loomis was worried that they were trying to skip out. If so, the cultists would have to take them. Holding them would prove difficult but it could be done.

Loomis picked the radio up and pressed the TALK button. "Alright. Keep watch."

Sitting the radio aside, Loomis went back to staring at the page, his tired old vision blurring.

Soon, he thought.

Soon.

At sundown, Danny and Lucy met in Lucy's front yard. Fake tombstones leaned to the left and right and white plastic bags fluttered in low tree branches. Lana and Luna sat up a boxy black machine near the garage and Lisa and Luan strung lights along the edge of the garage roof. Lincoln struggled with a heavy tool chest, and Danny went over to help him. Bobby, dressed in a red polo shirt with the logo of the pizzeria he worked for on the chest, hugged Lori from behind and kissed the side of her neck, making her giggle. Lisa's ladder wobbled and the little genius pinwheeled her arms to keep from falling. Lucy hurried over and held it steady, nodding silently when Lisa thanked her.

While she kept the ladder from moving, Lucy watched Danny, who was now talking excitedly to Lincoln; she could make out a few words here and there, and from that she gathered they were discussing the total raditude of some video game. The previous day, she and Danny sat on her back porch and just talked - about life, things they liked, what they wanted to do when they grew up, anything that wasn't Michael Myers or the Thorne Cult. He told her about the dreams he had where a man in black urged him to kill, and the shame in his voice would have broken her heart if she had one. He said they stopped over the summer but started up again in September. He had one the previous night where he killed his mom with a kitchen knife. "She was in bed and I was standing there watching her sleep...then someone said kill for him and I cut her throat." He started to cry as he described the blood gushing from her throat and all Lucy could do was rub his back and try to calm him.

She tried not to show it, but she was scared for him. She was scared for her too, but really scared for him; if the Thorne Cult had their way, everything about him - his sense of humor, the animation he displayed he talked about something he liked, the cut twinkle in his brown eyes - would be stripped away and he would become another Michael Myers...a staring, plodding killing machine who wouldn't stop until everyone close to him was dead. That thought disturbed Lucy so deeply that she could barely sleep. She had known Danny for only a few days, but she had come to really like him, and it made her sick to think that he could very well become a monster.

If so, it would happen soon. In just a few short hours, midnight would strike and Halloween would be upon Royal Woods. Since going under hypnosis the other day, she had had no contact with Michael Myers, but like Tommy, she could feel his presence everywhere, as big and pressing as the night itself. She knew that he would come.

He might already be here.

Watching them right this very second.

She looked off into the darkness, an eerie tingle running up her spine. She was almost sure that he really was out there, and that if she looked hard enough, she would be able to pick him out from the shadows. A sense of deep foreboding sloshed in the pit of her stomach like black ice and her throat felt suddenly thick. She looked up at Lisa and then at Danny. Though she was outside in the fresh air, she had the sense of being trapped, as though a noose were tightening around her neck with every passing minute. She forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down; her heart rate decreased a little, but she still felt like she was going to throw up. Did Tommy know what he was doing? She hoped he did. If it were her decision, she would have left town the moment she found out the Thorne Cult knew where she was. He didn't want to do that, though. Danny said he was sick and tired of running. Lucy couldn't blame him, but was that the wisest option?

When Lisa was done, Lucy stepped aside, and the prodigy climbed down, jumping off the last rung with a girlish bounce. "I have to admit," she lisped, "I'm quite fond of Halloween."

Coming from Lisa. that was a ringing endorsement.

Lucy was fond of Halloween too, but this year she was too worried to enjoy it. In fact, for perhaps the first time in her life, she wished it would hurry up and be over with.

Bobby patted Lori's butt and kissed her goodbye, then left, and one by one the others drifted insid until only she and Danny remained. "It looks good," he said, nodding to the decorations dotting the yard. Luan and Lola had covered the garage door in fake spider silk and crime scene tape. The sole spider in residence sat dead center. It had googly eyes and a big, goofy smile, which pretty much killed the effect.

"Yeah, it's alright," Lucy said.

"Does your family go all out every year?"

They were walking down the driveway to the street now. Across the way, Danny's house was dark and forlorn and Lucy's stomach twisted with something like dread.

"Yes," she said. "You should see us at Christmas. Our house has so many lights it looks like it's on fire."

Danny chuckled. "Christmas is my favorite holiday. I like getting presents."

"So do I," Lucy said. "If I got presents on Halloween, it'd be the perfect holiday. And if we got off school."

On Danny's front step, they faced each other. A strange and insistent feeling came over Lucy and all at once she was kind of nervous, why she didn't know. Danny took a deep breath. "I don't know...what's going to happen tomorrow," he said haltingly. "I'll try to come out."

"Alright," Lucy said. She understood, but she really wanted to see him. She started to turn away, but on a spur of the moment, she leaned in and kissed his cheek. Danny's face instantly turned bright red and Lucy couldn't suppress a smile. "Be careful," she said earnestly.

"I will," he said.

Lucy lingered for a moment, not wanting to leave, then walked quickly away before she changed her mind. Everything would be fine, she told herself, but she had the most terrible feeling that she would never see him again.

Unbeknownst to her, a figure watched her from behind a tree, its breathing heavy and ragged. As it watched her go inside, its hand closed in a hateful fist.

Michael Myers had arrived.