"God, look at you. You're all grown up."
The man glanced at her with a pointed look to somewhere on her stomach. "So, are you surprised? This is the first time we're meeting face to face."
It is.
"I'll get used to it," she said.
"That's good to hear, but the confidence is lacking," he teased, but she wasn't amused.
They walked past the hospital entrance and entered into the parking lot of scattered cars. It was a slow day today and it was well into the night and Carmen wanted to be in bed.
When they'd approached an orange two seater Ford, she stopped walking as her brother did, who'd opened the door for her before he slipped into the driver's seat.
"You still look shocked so I won't push it." Her brother said after he'd started the car and pulled out of the hospital parking lot. "Jeez, you act like mom never mentioned me."
As they drove through the busiest strip of town, Carmen said quietly, "She rarely did," but it seemed her brother didn't hear.
"When I heard you came into town— I mean — damn — I only found out from Officer Deeney's son this morning when I told him the news of his job position. If he hadn't said your name, I would've never have known."
"Dad didn't tell you?"
Her brother barked a harsh laugh. "That old man hardly tells me anything anymore. The only time I see him is in the office and even then he's always busy. I just hammer nails into wood. But who wants to hear about that old man? How about mom? How's she?"
Adam turned at an intersection when Carmen could see the edges of the neighborhood begin to blur as her eyes watered.
"She's…" Carmen swallowed.
"What was that?"
"She passed away."
"What? How?" There was a demand in his question — he almost sounded angry and she didn't know why anyone would feel anger at the death of their mother. She was angry that her brother was so clueless.
"She…" Carmen paused to tell herself not to cry. "Hung herself…" Then, she wrung her hands and looked down. It was dark in the car, so she couldn't quite tell if he saw her tears.
"Jesus Christ. Is that why you're here?" She heard her brother say, refusing to look at him and refusing to see the pity in his eyes. Did their mother's passing affect him as much as it did her?
"Oh Carmie."
Carmen froze.
Only her mother ever called her that. Was it wrong that she didn't like how her brother used that endearment so casually?
When the car had slowed to a crawl, Carmen focused on the jack-o-lanterns in front of each house and the orange holiday decorations glowing on the lawns.
After making several turns, the car pulled into the driveway and stopped behind her father's car, a dark blue Pontiac.
"I'm so sorry." His voice became soft — the hardness had left. "I hardly knew mom—"
Of course you wouldn't.
"—but the memories I had of her still stuck with me long after she left. Hey, hey. Shh. It's okay, I'm here. And we're home now, see? The police checked every part of the house...uhm...I hope."
Adam twisted the fob and the engine died. As he stepped out, cold air billowed into the car. Reluctantly, his sister followed. Carmen told herself the wind blowing up her skirt was what chilled her bones, but she wasn't so eager to go inside the house for warmth. Needless to say the walk to the front porch was a long and tortuous one.
Carmen would've liked to have Officer Deeney here to check the house one last time.
"Where do you live?" she asked, distracting herself.
"In the next town over, about twenty miles north. That's where the college is and then I drive all the way here to do my part time job with dad's company. Well, he actually gave it to the Strodes ...shortly after you and mom left, but he's a supervisor now," her brother said.
"You mean like… Laurie Strode?"
"So, you've heard about Laurie? Hmm… What the hell — of course, you've heard about Laurie! Haven't met anyone in this town who hasn't." The darkness made his smile have an awkward twist. "Yeah, that's them."
"I didn't think she was here."
"No," Adam corrected. "Laurie is gone. She's somewhere else right now, probably another state. Could imagine the publicity was becoming a little overwhelming for her...That and all of her friends are dead. But her parents did — though they seem ready to move too. Anyways, you must be worn out. Come on, let's get inside."
He led her to the door and his hands casually patted down the front of his coat when she said, "I've been meaning to ask why dad never mentioned you to me."
Her brother stilled and raised a brow at her. "And you think that's a question I can answer?"
"I thought, maybe, something happened between you two."
Adam gave a humorless laugh that held a bitter edge. "Dad's a stubborn old man that still thinks he's living in the past. It was depressing being around him when I was in highschool. You should see his face every afternoon he sees me. It kills him and if he could fire me, he would. But, unfortunately he's not the boss and he doesn't have the grounds to do it. You know, you and mom leaving took a toll on him and I was only six at the time. I mean you've seen him, right? He's really, really let himself go," her brother made a rude gesture to his stomach, "The house is proof of that too. The lawn's a goddamn mess."
Adam pulled out his key from his coat pocket and jammed it into the hole. After twisting the lock, he pushed the door open and its hinges whined as they rotated around their pins.
"After you, sis."
"What did dad do that was so wrong? Why did mom leave?"
There was nothing to see beyond the tunneling darkness of the house. Carmen could barely make out the staircase.
Her brother inhaled deeply and released a sigh. "Alot of things. He was a lousy husband for one. Not very religious like mom was, so he wasn't there to provide her the … spiritual support she needed. I'd also say they married too soon — should've waited until after college to have a feel for eachother's expectations — the marriage was bound to fall apart. That and he was out of the house, especially on the weekends. Dad just wasn't ready to be a father — he lacked the maturity. And when it came to sacrificing, he couldn't do it. Simple as that."
"He took care you," Carmen pointed out.
"Well, I guess."
"You still have the key to the house at least."
Adam looked down at his hand and nodded. "But what about you? How're you holding up?"
Carmen smiled forcefully. "Fine. I'm…" Her lips wobbled and the smile fell away into a frown. "N-not fine." Her eyelids pinched close to stop the tears that were hot in her eyes from rolling down her porcelain cheeks. "This afternoon got me sp-spooked and I still am…"
Her brother's hand pushed against the small of her back, guiding her into the shadowy foyer. "Paranoia has a way of tricking you into seeing monsters that don't exist," he said as he closed the door. "You can't be afraid of things that aren't there, Carmie."
There it was again.
Carmie…
It was as though her mother were echoing in her ear.
The goosebumps rose on her skin. It didn't feel right to have him say an endearment which originally belonged to her mother. From his mouth, it was almost as though he were perverting it.
In the darkness, Carmen shook her head. "Some monsters hide in plain sight. I know what I saw."
She couldn't see her brother's expression, though his silhouette had moved into the kitchen and disappeared. She feared she would lose him to the shadows. But, with an audible click of the light switch, the dining room chandelier bathed the room in a yellowy luminescence, quelling her worries. "Did you have a chance to eat? Want a sandwich?" Adam asked where she couldn't see him.
The heels of her palms ground into her eyes to wipe away her tears. "I was about to do that." Her voice was gaining back volume. Strength. On the bright side of things, her father wasn't too hurt and by no time he'll be released from the hospital, and they'll get a second gun for protection so that she could use it too.
A little better, Carmen entered the kitchen, lips wobbling into a half smile.
"You know I was making a sandwich when—"
It was as though her throat had swollen shut because she could neither find the words to finish her sentence nor the voice to scream. Very quickly, she did not think anything was turning for the better.
Her frightened gaze wavered as she stared at the emotionless man with a mess of brown hair falling over his eyes and seated at the head of the dining room table.
From the kitchen sink, her brother briefly turned around, disturbingly bright as he waved a carving knife around in his hand. The blade glinted dangerously, almost tauntingly.
"Oh yeah, Carmen, meet Michael."
Her knees had gone incredibly soft as dread pierced her heart.
She didn't see her brother's toothy grin but she could hear the metal cling that came from his slamming down the knife on the counter.
"Michael Myers," he said.