The strange and bizarre Arcs of the Multiverse

by Bmwoodstock

Inspired by King-Mac-11's Arcs of the Multiverse and many others, this story is meant to help me improve as a writer and test the waters for my own stories as well constructive criticism welcomed and encouraged. (First Story) Rated M to be safe.

18. Halloween (78)

Warning: This is long.

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Woody appears in front of the audience in a flash, speaking quickly. "The universe I'm about to show you is the first of it's kind, and I'm not answering any questions, good? Good. Let's go."

The screen is pitch black, then in sanguine letters the title appears. HALLOWEEN The screen then slowly changes to… Darkness, with a small shape in the center of the screen. As the title moves away, the screen focuses in on the shape. We get closer and closer until we see that the shape is a Halloween mask. It is a large, full-head latex rubber mask, not a monster or ghoul, but the pale, neutral features of a man weirdly distorted by the rubber. Finally the screen zooms in on the eye of the mask. It is blank, soulless, a dark, staring socket…

Patch, Kingdom of Vale OCTOBER 31, 1963

"Oh cool, it's in Patch." Ruby said excitedly, before paling at the insinuation. "Oh, no."

It is night. We move toward the rear of a house through. Someone's POV. The screen moves to a Jack-o'-lantern glowing brightly on a windowsill. It is a windy night and the curtains around the Jack-o'-lantern ruffle back and forth. Suddenly voices are heard from inside the house.

"My parents won't be back till ten."

"Are you sure?"

The voices fill the silence with… LAUGHTER. The POV moves from the Jack-o'-lantern down to another window and peers inside. We see the inside of a teenage girls bedroom through the blowing curtains. Into the bedroom comes a blonde teenage girl. She giggles as her boyfriend jumps into the room. He wears a Halloween mask and costume.

"We're all alone, aren't we?"

"Micheal's around someplace.…"

The boyfriend grabs her and kisses her.

"Take off that thing."

The boyfriend rips off his mask. They kiss again, this time with more passion. He begins to unbutton her blouse. She responds to him. The POV swings away from the window and begins to restlessly pace back and forth, agitated, disturbed. We hear the sounds of the couple inside the bedroom growing more and more passionate. Finally the POV moves back up to the window. Inside through the moving curtains, we see the couple on the bed, naked, making love.

"Good thing Adrian isn't her." Terra mumbled, her wife and in-laws agreeing with her.

The POV springs back from the window and stalks quickly down the side of the house, past the Jack-o'-lantern, around to a door. Quietly the door is opened and the POV moves inside. The POV glides silently through the house into the kitchen, up to a drawer. The drawer is opened. A large butcher knife is withdrawn. Then the POV swings around and moves to the kitchen door. We look down a hallway to the front door. The boyfriend steps out of the bedroom door, buttoning his shirt. The sister stands in the doorway, a sheet wrapped around her.

"I gotta go."

"Will you call me tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Promise?"

"Yeah."

They kiss again and he walks to the front door. The sister watches as he leaves and shuts the door behind him. Then she turns and steps back into the bedroom. The POV moves slowly down the hall to the bedroom door and peers around inside. The sister sits at her night-table brushing her hair. She is still completely nude. Slowly the POV moves into the room. Suddenly we move down to the discarded Halloween mask on the floor. The POV bends down and picks it up. Then suddenly the POV is covered by the mask and we see through the eye-holes. The POV moves up behind her. Sensing a presence, she spins around and stares at the POV, covering her breasts quickly.

"Micheal…?"

Suddenly the POV lunges forward. The sister continues to stare incredulously. There is a rapid blur as he drives the butcher knife into his sister's chest and out again almost before we've seen it. She looks down at the blood forming at her hands, then back up at him with an astonished disbelief.

This astonished disbelief is shared by the audience.

Then in a wild paroxysm the butcher knife blurs continuously in and out of frame, slashing Saphron mercilessly. She begins to SCREAM, trying to fend off the blows with her hands, then suddenly falls out of frame to the floor. The POV moves back away from his sister's lifeless body, spins around and careens out of the bedroom. At top speed the POV races through the darkened house, to the front door, out the door, down the steps and rapidly up the street. The screen careens along in frenzied flight, up the sidewalk, up a small side alley, down someone's backyard, then to a sudden, abrupt halt in front of his mother and father just coming out of a neighbor's house. They stare at Jaune, at first in puzzlement, then slow, growing horror.

"Micheal?" Judith gasps.

His father's hand reaches up and rips off the Halloween mask, revealing Micheal underneath, a bright-eyed boy of six with a calm, quiet smile on his face. The screen pulls back revealing the blood-stained butcher knife in his hand, then further back, craning up past his parents standing there, up from the neighbor's house to a high shot of the neighborhood as the sounds of POLICE SIRENS rise in the distance. The screen fades once more to black. Until…

SMITH'S GROVE, Patch OCTOBER 30, 1978

Two headlights appear in the darkness, backlighting the rain that pours down on a lonely strip of highway. A station wagon hisses along the wet road surface. The screen changes to inside the Station Wagon. The back seat is separated from the front by a wire-mesh screen, much like a police car. Ozpin, drives. He is dressed in a crisp, white male nurse's uniform. Next to him in the passenger seat is Jane Ironwood, a clinical psychiatrist. She is a tough-looking woman in her early thirties who flips through pages in a manila folder.

"…then he gets another physical by the state, and he makes his appearance before the judge. That should take four hours if we're lucky, then we're on our way." Ironwood explained.

"What did you use before?" Ozpin asked.

"Thorazine." Ironwood answered.

"He'll barely be able to sit up." Ozpin exclaimed.

"That's the idea. Here we are."

Through the rain pouring down the windshield we see a large sign: SMITH'S GROVE – WARREN COUNTY SANITARIUM Behind the sign is the sanitarium itself, a cold-looking building surrounded by a fence.

"The driveway's a few hundred yards up on your right." Ironwood continued.

"Are there any special instructions?" Ozpin asked.

"Just try to understand what we're dealing with here. Don't underestimate it."

"I think we should refer to 'it' as 'him.'"

"If you say so."

"Your compassion is overwhelming, Doctor."

Ironwood glances at Ozpin as he lights a cigarette. He shoves the matches into the pack and tosses it on the dashboard. Ironwood stares at the cigarette pack. The pack of matches reads:

"The Rabbit in Red Lounge – Entertainment Nightly."

Ironwood turns her eyes back to the rain-slicked road.

"Ever done anything like this before?" Ironwood asked.

"Only minimum security." Ozpin answered.

"I see."

"What does that mean?" Ozpin asked defensively.

"It means… I see."

"You don't have to make this any harder than it already is."

"I couldn't if I tried."

"The only thing that ever bothers me is their gibberish. When they start raving on and on…"

"You don't have anything to worry about. He hasn't spoken a word in 15 years."

Both of them suddenly stare out the windshield in front of them. Through the rain we see a field off to the side of the road. Dimly lit by the car headlights are FIVE PATIENTS, dressed in wind-blown white gowns, drenched by the rain, wandering aimlessly around the field.

"Since when do they let them wander around?" Ozpin asked.

They look up ahead. Standing by the side of the road is a MALE PATIENT, a wild-looking man in his sixties dressed in a white gown, who stares at the station wagon. Ozpin slows the station wagon and pulls off to the side of the road. Ironwood jumps out. Through the windshield we see Ironwood rush over to the patient, stand and talk for a moment, then hurry back. Ironwood climbs back in, dripping from the rain.

"Pull up to the entrance!"

"Shouldn't we pick him up?"

"Move it!" Ozpin starts down the road.

"What did he say?"

"He asked me if I could help him find his purple lawn mower."

"I don't think this is any time to be funny…"

"He said something else. "It's all right now. He's gone. The evil's gone.""

Ahead of them is the entrance to the sanitarium. Ozpin slows down to turn. Through the rear window we see a SHAPE spring up out of the darkness, streak through the rain and leap up on the rear of the station wagon. The station wagon bounces up and down. The roof sags in and out with the weight of someone on top.

"Something fell on the roof." Ozpin gasped.

The roof continues to buckle in and out wildly.

"Something jumped on the roof…" Ironwood replied.

Ozpin stops and rolls down her window to look outside. Ironwood opens her door and steps out. Suddenly she is hit in the face by a powerful fist from the roof. Ironwood staggers backwards and falls by the side of the road. Ozpin starts to react. Suddenly a hand reaches in through the window and lunges at him. The fingers grab his hair. He SCREAMS. The fingers tighten around his hair and the hand pulls Ozpin roughly to the window.

"Professor!" Ruby yelled.

"I'm quite alright Ms. Rose." Ozpin said with a small smile. "Though I appreciate your concern."

"Right. I knew that." Ruby blushed.

Twisted around in the seat, Ozpin's foot jams down all the way on the gas pedal. The station wagon ROARS forward. Ozpin continues to SCREAM, clawing at the hand. Through the rain the road spins crazily ahead, the windshield wipers erasing sheets of rain. Suddenly the other hand reaches down from the roof and grabs the wiper, holding it tightly. Rain splashes on the windshield obscuring the road. The screen changes to inside the station wagon as the hand rips at Ozpin's hair. SCREAMING. Clawing. The windshield is completely obliterated by rain. The station wagon skids and WHAMS into the shoulder on the Side of the road. Ozpin is hurled across the seat against the passenger door.

Suddenly the hand springs down from above and SLAMS against the passenger window, shattering it. SHRIEKING, Ozpin scurries across the front seat, opens the driver's door and scrambles out. Ozpin frantically crawls his way across the rain-drenched road away from the station wagon. The screen tracks with him as he slides down into the muddy shoulder. He looks back. From the shoulder we see the station wagon in the rain, and the shape jump in the driver's seat and SLAM the door. Then the station wagon takes off and disappears down the road into the darkness. From the shoulder we see Ironwood run up out of the rain and helps Ozpin to his feet. He cries hysterically. Ironwood stares off down the road at the disappearing taillights.

"You can calm down. The evil's gone." the screen fades to black, then.

HADDONFIELD OCTOBER 31, 1978

Blake, a pretty in a quiet sort of way seventeen year old girl steps out of her two-story frame house, down the front walk to the street. Her face has a soft, innocent quality, her eyes bright and alive. Ghira her father steps out of the door behind her and walks to the car in the driveway. His car has "BELLADONNA REAL ESTATE" emblazoned on the side door.

"Oh, Blakey! It's you!" Kali cried in excitement.

Blake sunk into her chair in embarrassment.

"Don't forget to drop off the key at the Meyers place…" Ghira reminded.

"I won't." Blake replied.

"They're coming by to see the house at 10:30. Be sure you leave it under the mat…"

"I promise."

The screen moves with Blake as she walks down the residential street. She carries a large bundle of schoolbooks in her arms. Across a backyard Jaune Arc, an eight-year-old boy with tousled blonde hair and bright blue eyes comes running with his books.

"AW!" The women cooed

has stopped working

has stopped working

has stopped working.

Hey, Blake…"

"Hi, Jaune."

He catches up with her and they walk along down the street.

"Are you coming over tonight?"

"Same time, same place."

"Can we make Jack-o'-lanterns?"

"Sure."

"Can we watch the monster movies?"

"Sure."

"Will you read to me? Can we make popcorn?"

"Sure. Sure."

They walk up to the front of the old, two-story Meyers house set back from the street. It is now weather-beaten and dilapidated. Blake walks through the front gate and starts up toward the porch.

"You're not supposed to go up there." \

Blake holds up a key. "Yes, I am."

"Uh-uh. That's a spook house."

"Just watch."

Blake strolls up to the front porch. She bends down, lifts the welcome mat and places the key under it. Through a front window, we see Blake bending over the welcome mat. Suddenly a dark shape, the outline of a man, leans forward, watching her. As she walks back to Ruby at the street the shape moves to watch them, then fades back into the interior of the house.

"Well, that's not a good sign." Robin sighed.

"Thank you for that brilliant deduction, Captain Obvious." Winter scowled.

Robin turns to Tai. "Hear that! I'm a Captain!"

Winter facepalmed.

Blake and Jaune continue walking down the street.

"Lonnie Elam said never to go up there. Lonnie Elam said that's a haunted house. He said real awful stuff happened there once."

"Lonnie Elam probably won't get out of sixth grade."

Jaune breaks stride and runs across the street.

"I gotta go. I'll see you tonight."

"See you."

Blake continues walking alone. She begins to sing quietly to herself.

"I wish I had you all alone… Just the two of us… I would hold you close to me… So close to me…"

We see Blake walking off down the street in the distance. Close to the screen the dark shape moves into frame, watching Blake disappear around the corner.

"Just the two of us… So close to me…"

Jane Ironwood strides quickly out of the front of the sanitarium followed immediately by Dr. Port, a gray-haired man in his forties. The screen tracks with them across the parking lot.

"I'm not responsible, Jane." Port deflected.

"Of course not." Ironwood replied angrily.

"I've given them his profile."

"You must have told them we shocked him into a grinning idiot. Two roadblocks and an all-points bulletin wouldn't stop a five-year old!" Ironwood reaches a car and unlocks it.

"He was your patient, Doctor. If the precautions weren't sufficient, you should have notified…"

"I notified everybody! Nobody listened."

Anyone who has to deal with the councils felt immense sympathy for the onscreen Ironwood.

"There's nothing else I can do."

"You can get back on the telephone and tell them exactly what walked out of here last night. And tell them where he's going."

"Probably going."

"I'm wasting time." Ironwood gets in the car.

Port leans down to the window. "Jane, Haddonfield is a hundred and fifty miles from here. How could he get there, he can't drive?"

"He was doing all right last night. Maybe somebody around here gave him lessons."

Ironwood starts up the car and pulls away from the sanitarium. Port watches her go, then hurries back into the building.

The screen cuts to a classroom as Blake sits at the back of a class. The screen closes in on her as a Teacher drones away at the front of the room.

"…and the book ends, but what Samuels is really talking about here is fate."

The screen changes to a close-up of Blake. She barely listens to the teacher as she doodles in her notebook in front of her.

"You see, fate caught up with several lives here. No matter what course of action Rollins took, he was destined to his own fate, his own day of reckoning with himself. The idea is that destiny is a very real, concrete thing that every person has to deal with."

The Teacher continued to drone on. Blake lets her gaze move to a window. She stares dreamily outside. From the window she can see the street, and a station wagon parked along the sidewalk. Behind the station wagon stands the shape of a man. We can't quite see his features from here, but it is clear that he is looking in the school window. Blake turns away from the window and begins to doodle again. We see her draw:

BLAKE BELLADONNA

"Edwin, how does Samuel's view of fate differ from that of Costaine?"

Blake glances up from the book and out the window again. The shape behind the station wagon is still there and staring right at her. She frowns, staring back at the shape.

"Uh… doesn't he feel that no matter how complicated something is, it's also really simple too?" Edwin asked.

"No." The Teacher replied before noticing Blake spacing out. "Blake."

This springs her out of her trance. "Ma'am?"

"Answer the question."

"Costaine wrote that fate was somehow related only to religion, where Samuels felt that fate was like a natural element, like earth, air, fire and water."

"That's right, Samuels definitely personified fate…"

Blake sneaks a glance back to the window. The shape and the station wagon are gone. She turns back from the window and back to her notebook. She has written:

"BLAKE BELLADONNA IS LONELY."

"Don't worry Blake, I'll always be with you!" Yang grinned.

"Yay." Blake deadpanned.

The screen cuts to a car parked in front of a small, closed-down gas station/diner by the side of the highway. The screen slowly tracks over to a phone booth. Ironwood is inside on the telephone.

"No, not since Thursday." she pauses. "Yes, yes I'm all right. Stop worrying. After this I'll sleep for a week, two weeks…" she pauses again. "I said I'm all right. Believe me. I'll be home soon. Yes I do. Very much. I just… have to stop him… Of course it's possible, but I know him. And when he gets there, God help us." She pause a final time. "Right, right, I'll call you. Me too. Goodbye."

Ironwood hangs up the phone and steps out of the booth. She looks up the highway. The highway disappears off into the distance. There is an old weather-beaten sign that reads:

HADDONFIELD 73 MILES

Just above the horizon huge clusters of clouds, dark and ominous, are blown along by the wind. Ironwood turns and walks back to her car. She glances at the old gas station as she walks. The building is dark, empty, dilapidated. On the padlocked door are huge marks like the clawing of an animal wanting to get in. Ironwood stops, stares at the door and then slowly walks over to it. She touches the marks with his hands, then looks at the dirt driveway around the building. There are definite tire tracks leading from the highway up to the door, then back to the highway again. Then her gaze returns to a discarded object crushed in the dirt of the driveway: a pack of cigarettes. She picks up the cigarette pack. Stuck in the cellophane of the crushed pack are matches:

"The Rabbit in Red Lounge – Entertainment Nightly."

Ironwood turns and quickly strides back to her car, gets in and roars away from the lonely gas station. The screen cuts to a playground filled with children just getting out of school for the day. Some are dressed in Halloween costumes, some carry pumpkins and orange and black streamers, some carry Jack-o'-lanterns. Jaune comes out of the door carrying a very large pumpkin. He is followed by 3 boys, Richie, Keith and Lonnie, who are Laughing and pushing him.

This caused the audience to glare at the screen.

"Leave me alone!" Jaune yelled.

"He's gonna get you!" Lonnie taunted.

Lonnie runs up to Jaune and wiggles his fingers in his face. The other boys form a circle around Jaune and taunt him. In unison they sing:

"He's gonna get you, he's gonna get you…"

"The Boogeyman is coming!" Lonnie taunted.

"No he's not. Leave me alone." Jaune cried.

"He doesn't believe us. Don't you know what happens on Halloween?" Lonnie baited.

"Yeah, we get candy." Jaune said, falling for said bait.

The boys LAUGH. Richie runs up to Jaune and makes a face.

"Oooooo! The Boogeyman!"

The other boys join in the chant.

"The Boogeyman, the Boogeyman, the Boogeyman…"

Jaune turns from them and starts to run away. Richie sticks out his foot. Jaune trips and falls to the concrete, smashing his pumpkin beneath him. The boys run away giggling and screaming with delight. As the boys race out of the playground, Richie barrels through the gate and runs right into the dark shape. We don't see the shape's face, just his lower body. He is dressed in pants and a shirt that look too big for him. He grabs Richie and holds him back at arm's length. A large object falls out of his pocket. Richie quickly stares down at it. The shape lifts his foot and SMACKS it down over the object to hide it. Quickly Richie and the other 2 boys run around the man and on down the block. The shape lifts his foot.

Underneath it is a large butcher knife. He quickly picks it up and shoves it into his pocket. Slowly the shape turns and walks away from the playground gate, the screen tracking with him. Across from him in the playground we see Cinder get to her feet, wiping the demolished pumpkin off her shirt and pants. We track the shape to a station wagon. On the side of the door is a state emblem. The shape gets in the station wagon. We still don't see his face. Separating the front and back seats is the wire-mesh screen. It is Ironwood's vehicle. The shape starts the engine. He pulls away from the curb. Slowly the station wagon moves down the street. We see Jaune hurrying along the sidewalk, still rubbing off the pumpkin splatter. He turns off the sidewalk and cuts up a side alley. The wagon picks up speed and continues on down the street.

Blake and Sun stroll down the front steps of the high school and turn up the street. Blake carries another large stack of books. Sun is a knockout in tight jeans and tight T-shirt. She carries no books. The screen tracks with them up the street.

"It's totally insane! We have three new cheers to learn in the morning, the game in the afternoon, I get my hair done at five, and the dance is at eight. I'll be totally wiped out!" Sun complained.

"I think you have too much to do tomorrow." Blake replied.

"Totally!"

"As usual, I don't have anything to do."

"It's your own fault and I don't feel sorry for you."

Deery comes out of the side doors of the high school and calls after Blake and Sun.

"Hey, Sun, Blake!"

The girls stop and wait for Deery.

"Why didn't you wait for me?"

"We did. Fifteen minutes. You totally never showed up." Sun replied.

"That's not true. Here I am."

"What's wrong, Deery? You're not smiling." Blake asked, concerned.

"I'm never smiling again. Perry dragged me into the boy's locker room to tell me…" Deery complained.

"Exploring uncharted territory?" Blake teased.

"It's been totally charted." Sun spoke up.

"We just talked." Deery dismissed.

"Sure." Sun rolled her eyes.

"Old jerko got caught throwing eggs and soaping windows. His parents grounded him for the weekend. He can't come over tonight." Deery continued.

"I thought you were baby-sitting tonight." Blake asked.

"The only reason she baby-sits is to have a place to…" Sun added.

Blake suddenly stops and turns back toward the school. "Shit!"

"I have a place for that." Deery complained indignantly

"I forgot my chemistry book." Blake sighed.

"Who cares? I always forget my chemistry book." Sun replied.

Blake glances down the street. The station wagon slowly moves up the street toward them. The shape isn't visible behind the windshield.

"Isn't that Davon Graham? He's cute." Sun gushed.

"Don't think so…I" Blake replied.

Blake stares at the station wagon as it moves past. She looks directly at the shape inside. There is a quick glimpse of him, a strange pale face staring back. The shape is close to screen, out of focus. Out the window we see the three girls on the sidewalk. The shape stares at Blake looking back at him, then tromps on the accelerator. The wagon whizzes past them.

"Speed kills!" Deery yells after the car.

Up the street the wagon suddenly stops. It sits there, waiting.

"Can't you take a joke?" Deery said in a softer tone.

For a moment the station wagon just sits there. Then it takes off down the street and disappears around a corner.

"Deery, some day you're going to get all of us in deep trouble." Blake sighed.

"Totally." Agreed Sun

"I hate a guy with a car and no sense of humor." Deery complained.

The girls start walking again. Blake is quiet, puzzled by the appearance of the man in the car.

"Well, are we still on for tonight?" Sun asked.

"I wouldn't want to get you in deep trouble, Sun." Deery said coldly.

"Come on, Deery. Nep and I have been planning on it all week."

"Thank the brothers none of our fans can see this." Sun sighed.

"Why?" Ruby asked innocently.

"They've been shipping us together since our team formed."

"Oh."

"All right. The Nikos's leave at seven." Deery sighed.

"I'm baby-sitting for the Arcs. It's only three houses away. We can keep each other company." Blake said.

"Terrific. I've got three choices. Watch the kid sleep, listen to Sun screw or talk to you." Deery snarked.

The three girls stop in front of Sun's house, a modest suburban home on a quiet, tree-lined street.

"What time?" Deery asked.

"I don't know yet. I have to get out of taking my stupid brother trick or treating." Sun complained.

"Saving the treats for Nep?" Deery teased.

"Fun-ny. See you." Sun strolls up to her house.

Deery and Blake start down the street. The screen moves in to a close shot of Blake's face. She stares ahead along the sidewalk. Up the sidewalk is a series of bushes lining the street. There, partially hidden in the shadows of a bush, is the shape of a man, watching them. He is barely visible, almost blending in with the dark foliage.

"Look." Blake pointed out.

"Look where?"

"Behind that bush there." Deery looks.

The shape is gone. Just bushes.

"I don't see anything."

"That man who drove by so fast, the one you yelled at."

"Subtle, isn't he? Hey creep!" Deery walks right over to the bushes and kicks them hard.

Nothing happens.

"Blake my dear, he wants to talk to you."

Blake just stands on the sidewalk several feet from the bushes.

"He wants to take you out tonight."

Slowly Blake walks over and stares at the bush.

"He was standing right here." Blake defended.

"Poor Blake. You scared another one away."

"Cute."

"Oh, I wish you would stop doing that." Kali complained.

"Mom!"

"It's true!"

"Mom! That's an escaped mental patient that killed his own sister!"

"Just because one time it's useful doesn't mean I like it when you scare perfectly good ones away."

Blake threw up her hands as Kali pouted.

They start walking down the sidewalk again.

"It's tragic. You never go out. You must have a small fortune stashed from baby-sitting so much."

"The guys think I'm too smart." Blake glances back at the bushes behind them.

"I don't. I think you're whacko. You're seeing men behind bushes."

The two girls stop in front of Deery's house, another small suburban home.

"Well, home sweet home. I'll see you later."

"Okay. Bye."

Deery walks up to her door. For a moment Blake looks around cautiously before starting down the sidewalk again, the screen tracking with her. A strong wind rises and blows her hair in front of her face. Again she turns around and glances back down the street. There is still nothing there. Suddenly, Blake walks right into a man standing on the sidewalk in front of her. She SCREAMS and drops her books. It is Lee Brackett, Deery's father. He is a tall man in a county sheriff's uniform. He quickly bends down and picks up her books.

"Excuse me, Blake."

"Mister Brackett…"

"Didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay…"

"Well, it's Halloween. I guess everybody's entitled to a good scare."

"Yes, sir. Nice seeing you."

Brackett walks down the sidewalk to his house. Blake bundles her books and hurries up the street. Blake walks up on the front porch of her house. She pauses a moment and glances down the street. Several children in costumes are going door to door collecting their treats.

"Well, kiddo, I thought you outgrew superstition." Blake said to herself.

Blake strolls through the living room. Through the doorway into the kitchen we see Kali busy making candied apples.

"Hi, Mom, I'm home."

"Blake, Deery just called. She said call her back."

Blake turns and hurries up the stairs.

"Thanks, mom."

Blake walks into her bedroom. She tosses her books on the bed and starts to her telephone. The wind blows her curtains through the open window. Blake crosses to the window and leans up to close it. From her room in the second story, she can see into the backyard next door. There is a clothesline with sheets blowing in the wind. In between the sheets we glimpse the shape standing there, looking up at Blake. Blake freezes and stares down fearfully. The sheets continue to twist and turn in the wind, but now the shape is gone. Blake SLAMS the window and locks it. She slowly walks to the middle of her room and stands there for several moments, unsure as to whether she has actually seen it. Suddenly, the phone RINGS, loud and shrill, startling her. She answers it.

"Hello."

Silence.

"Hello?"

There is a SOUND from the receiver, like chewing...

"Who is this?"

The chewing continues. She slams the receiver down. Almost immediately, the phone RINGS again. Blake looks at it. It rings again. She picks it up.

"Hello?"

"Why did you hang up on me?"

"Deery, was that you?"

"Of course."

"Why didn't you say anything? You scared me to death."

"I had my mouth full. Couldn't you hear me?"

"I thought it was an obscene phone call."

"Now you hear obscene chewing. You're losing it, Blake."

"I've already lost it."

"I doubt that. Listen, my mother is letting me use her car. I'll pick you up. 6:30."

"Sure, see you later."

"Bye."

Blake hangs up.

"Calm down. This is ridiculous." Blake chastised herself

. The screen shows a wide shot of an old graveyard on a windy hillside. The screen booms down as a car pulls up on the small road in foreground. Ironwood gets out, along with TAYLOR, the graveyard owner. Taylor is a small, officious man in his late sixties. He glances at a small notepad.

"Let's see. Meyers. Judith Meyers. Row 18, plot 20. Over this way." Taylor said.

The two of them begin walking along through the graveyard, winding around headstones and flowers.

"Every town has something like this happen. I remember a guy over is Russellville. Charley Bowles. About fifteen years ago, he finished dinner, excused himself from the table, went out into the garage and got a hacksaw, then came back into the house, kissed his wife and two children goodbye, and then proceeded to…"

"Where are we?" Ironwood interrupted.

"Just right over there a ways. And I remember Judith Meyers. Just couldn't believe it. A young boy like that…" Taylor stops cold.

"Lost?"

"Why do they do it?" Taylor sighed sadly.

He points to a plot right in front of them. Ironwood stares. The headstone is missing, uprooted from the ground.

"Goddamn kids. They'll do anything on Halloween." Taylor grumbled.

"Whose grave is it?" Ironwood asked.

Taylor checks his notebook, then counts the rows and plots.

"18, 20… Judith Meyers…" Taylor gives Ironwood a quizzical look.

She shakes her head and looks out across the graveyard. "He came home…"

The screen begins on the trees that line the residential street, twisting and writhing in the dusk wind. Slowly the screen booms down to Blake waiting outside her house by the street. She carries a tote bag with schoolbooks and knitting needles stuck inside, and a large pumpkin. The sun is a pale glow behind the trees. She turns her gaze down the street More CHILDREN in costumes walk from house to house, some with MOTHERS and SISTERS, trick or treating. The wind blows their costumes, billowing them outward. She watches the trick-or-treaters as a car swings around the corner and pulls up in front of her. It is Deery.

"Hurry up." Blake walks around to the passenger door and gets in. Deery pulls away from the curb and hands Blake a joint.

"We just have time." Deery said. Blake lights the joint and puffs vigorously.

Blake's parent whip their heads towards her so fast they damn near broke the sound barrier.

"Haven't touched it, and if someone offered I said no."

"Good." Ghira grumbled.

"You still spooked?" Deery asked.

"I wasn't spooked." Blake replied.

"Lies."

"I saw someone standing in Mr. Riddle's backyard."

"Probably Mister Riddle."

"He was watching me."

"Mister Riddle was watching you? Blake, Mister Riddle is eighty-seven."

"He can still watch."

"That's probably all he can do."

Behind them through the rear-view mirror, we see Ironwood's station wagon pull out of an alley and follow along.

"What's the pumpkin for?"

"I brought it for Jaune. I figured making a Jack-o'-lantern would keep him occupied."

"I always said you'd make a fabulous girl scout."

"Thanks."

"For that matter, I might as well be a girl scout tonight. I plan on making popcorn and watching Doctor Dementia. Six straight hours of horror movies. Little Pyrrha Nikos won't know what hit her."

Deery's car drives through the main square of Haddonfield. Following behind is the station wagon. Deery points up ahead and quickly hides the joint.

"My dad!"

Two police cars are parked in the street in front of Nichols Hardware Store. An alarm bell inside the store clangs shrilly. They quickly roll down the windows and begin wildly clearing out the marijuana smoke. Behind them the station wagon disappears off down a side street. Deery's car stops at the police cars. Lee Brackett strolls out to the car and leans down to the window.

"Hi, Deery, Blake…"

"Hi, Dad. What happened?"

"What?" Brackett asked, straining to hear over the alarm.

"What happened?" Deery asked.

"Someone broke in the hardware store. Probably kids."

"You blame everything on kids."

"The only things missing were some Halloween masks, rope, a set of knives. What does that sound like to you?"

Deery turns to Blake. "It's hard growing up with a cynical father."

Behind Brackett, Jane Ironwood walks up the street. We see Ironwood talk to a cop who points to Brackett.

"You're going to be late at the Arc's, Deery." Brackett warned.

"Huh?" Deery said, unable to hear over the alarm. Just as Brackett is about to speak the alarm goes off.

"You're going to be late!" Brackett shouted.

Deery turns to Blake. "He shouts, too."

Brackett smiles as Ironwood walks up behind him. "Goodbye, girls."

"Bye."

Deery's car pulls away.

"Sheriff? I'm Doctor Jane Ironwood."

"Lee Brackett."

As they talk the screen slowly moves around them to a view of the street.

"I'd like to talk with you, if I could."

"May be a few minutes. I gotta stick around here…"

"It's important."

Ironwood's station wagon moves by behind them. She doesn't see it.

"Ten minutes."

"I'll be there."

Through the blowing trees we see the full moon rising in the night sky. There are sounds of wind and chirping crickets. Deery's car moves down a quiet little residential street and pulls up in front of a two-story house set back from the street: the Arc house. The screen shows the front seat of the station wagon. Through the windshield we see Blake get out of Deery's car, say goodbye and walk up to the Arc's house. Then Deery's car makes a wide U-turn in the street and starts down the other direction.

The station wagon pulls forward and follows her. Deery stops three houses down the street and pulls into a garage. The station wagon stops several feet away. We see Deery come out of the garage and walk to another two-story frame house: the Nikos's. The shape gets out of the station wagon, close to screen so we can't see him. He glances down the street. Gusts of wind blow the costumes of children going from house to house. The shape moves. The screen tracks behind him as he walks toward the Nikos house.

The shape stops in front. Through the front room windows we can see Deery talking to the Nikos's as they put on their coats. The front door opens. The screen follows as the shape quickly move behind a tree to hide from sight. The Nikos's step out of their house and walk to the garage. Deery and Pyrrha Nikos, a pretty little eight-year-old, stand in the doorway framed by the hall light. Out of the garage comes the Nikos's car. It turns and disappears down the street. Deery closes the door.

The shape steps out from behind the tree and stares at the house. The shape moves to see inside a window of the Nikos house. Inside, we see Deery turn on the TV. She goes to a mirror on the wall and begins to brush her hair. A police car pulls up in front of the Meyers house. Brackett and Ironwood get out and stand by the front gate.

"Anybody live here?"

"Not since 1963, since it happened. Every kid in Haddonfield thinks this place is haunted."

"They may be right."

Looking down the side of the house we see Ironwood and Brackett walk up to the front porch. A broken, rusted rain gutter CLANGS back and forth against the house in the wind. The front door slowly opens. Brackett and Ironwood stand in the doorway. They glance at each other. Brackett draws his gun and the two step inside. It is totally dark in the house. Brackett's flashlight comes on, illuminating the two. As they move through the house the screen tracks with them. Suddenly Brackett stops. He trains his flashlight on a small object in the corner of the room.

"What is it?"

For a moment Brackett doesn't speak. Then he steps closer to the object. "A dog…"

"Doggy no!"

The two of them look down off screen at the animal. Brackett bends down to it. "Still warm." Brackett said. He stands back up and looks at Ironwood "He got hungry." Brackett gets a disgusted expression and steps away.

The audience shares his sentiment.

"Come on… A skunk could have killed it…"

"Could have…"

Brackett looks back at the dead animal. "A man wouldn't do that…"

"He isn't a man."

Ironwood and Brackett cautiously step into the bedroom, the same room where the murder took place fifteen years ago. The glow from a distant streetlight casts the shadows of blowing trees on the walls.

"It happened in here." Ironwood explained.

She walks over to the spot where the sister was sitting. "She was sitting here when he came through the door."

Ironwood turns and glances at the window. She slowly walks toward it. "He must have watched them through this window…"

The screen slowly tracks toward the window. Ironwood stops by the window. "Standing just outside, he could. Peer over the sill…"

Blown loose by the wind, the rain gutter suddenly swings down and smashes through the window with a thundering crash of broken glass. Ironwood jumps back, reaches into her coat pocket and draws a .357 magnum revolver. Brackett stares at her. Ironwood sees Brackett's reaction and slowly reholsters the revolver.

"Yup, that's Ironwood alright. Same love for big… revolvers." Robin teased.

"I'm not sure what you're getting at?" Ironwood said

. "I'm sure you wouldn't. But hey, at least they can't say you're compensating for something anymore."

"I… they use to say that?" Ironwood said with a hurtful expression.

"I… um… I'm sure it was just hearsay." Robin backpedaled as it looked like Ironwood might cry.

"Really?"

"Sure, totally, just a… scuttlebutt?"

"I suppose I do seem a bit sinister for a doctor."

"Looks like to me you're just plain scared."

"I am." Ironwood said, before glancing around the bedroom.

"I met him fifteen years ago. I was told there was nothing left, no conscience, no reason, no understanding, in even the most rudimentary sense, of life or death or right or wrong. I met this six-year-old boy with a blank, cold emotionless face and the blackest of eyes, the devil's eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him and another seven trying to keep him locked away when I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely, simply evil."

Brackett just looks at her a moment. "What do we do?"

"He was here, earlier tonight, and he may be coming back. I'm going to wait for him."

"I keep thinking I should call the radio and TV stations…"

"If you do they'll be seeing him everywhere, on every street corner, in every house. Just tell your men to shut their mouths and open their eyes."

"I'll check back in an hour." Brackett turns and walks out of the bedroom.

For a moment Ironwood stares at the rain gutter in the broken window. The screen slowly tracks through the Arc house. It is a large home with a staircase that leads to the bedrooms upstairs. Through a doorway we see a very modern kitchen. There is a dining room and living room with a big bay window that looks out into the street. Blake sits with Jaune on the couch reading him a story. Jaune has his Halloween costume on and a big bag of candy on the floor.

"…How now, cried Arthur. 'Then no one may pass this way without a fight?' 'That is so,' answered the knight in a bold and haughty manner…" Blake read.

"I don't like that story."

"But King Arthur was always your favorite."

"But King Arthur was always your favorite." Juniper cried alongside onscreen Blake.

Jaune pulls out a stack of comic books from underneath the couch. "Not any more."

"Why are they under there?"

"Mom doesn't like me to have them."

Blake glances through the stack of comic books. "'Neutron Man'… 'Laser Man'… I can see why. 'Tarantula Man'…"

"Blake, what's the Boogeyman?"

The phone RINGS in the other room. Blake goes to answer it. She picks up the receiver in the den.

"Hello."

Deery stands making popcorn, the phone at her ear. "Having fun? Never mind, I'm sure you are. I have big, big news for you…"

Lester, a large ferocious-looking Atlasian shepherd, trots happily into the kitchen, spies Deery and walks over to her. He nudges her legs with his head.

Pyrrha starts to incomprehensible baby talk to the Atlasian Shepard onscreen. The audience looks to Jaune foe an explanation.

"That's Lester, her mom got him for her after her second tournament win. He was her only friend until she came to Beacon."

"Oops! Hold on a minute…" She turns and reaches for Lester uncertainly. "Hi Lester…"

Lester GROWLS at her menacingly.

"Pyrrha, Pyrrha!" Deery cried, before talking into the phone. "I'm about to be ripped apart by the family dog."

Pyrrha trots into the room.

"Get him out of here!" Deery yelled.

"Here, Lester." Pyrrha called.

Immediately Lester walks over to the back door. Pyrrha opens the door and the dog trots out. Then Pyrrha closes the back door and walks back into the living room.

"I hate that dog. I'm the only person in the world he doesn't like."

"What's this big, big news?"

"What would you say if I told you that you were going to the Homecoming Dance tomorrow night?"

"I'd say you must have the wrong number."

"Well, I just talked with Ben Tramer and he got real excited when I told him how attracted you were to him."

"Deery you didn't. Tell me you didn't."

"You guys will make a fabulous couple."

Jaune walks to the front window and looks out. A couple TRICK-OR-TREATERS walk by. Behind them, across the street, stands the shape, looking into the house. The screen follows behind the shape, looking into the Rose house. We can see Blake talking on the phone. The shape's head moves slightly and the screens pans to see Jaune at the front room window looking out. Jaune moves away from the window. The screen pans back to see her enter the den and pull on Blake's blouse

. "Blake…"

"I'm so embarrassed. I couldn't face him…" Blake said, still talking into the phone.

"You'll have to. He's calling you tomorrow to find out what time to pick you up."

"Deery!" Blake exclaimed, panicked

"Blake, the Boogeyman is outside. Look!"

Jaune runs to the window in the den and points. Blake walks over with the phone and looks. The street is empty.

"Hold on." Blake said to Deery before turning to Jaune. "There's nobody there, Jaune. Go watch some TV."

Jaune runs out of the den. He then dashes up to the front window and looks out. We see the man as he passes under a streetlight on his way toward the Wallace house. At the Nikos house, Deery stands by the kitchen stove making popcorn.

"Look, it's simple. You like him, he likes you. All you need is a little push."

The shape stands close to the screen watching Deery make popcorn. She puts the butter in the pan.

"It won't hurt you to go out with him, for God's sake."

Deery starts to pour the butter over the popcorn but instead pours it on herself.

"Shit! No, no, I gotta call you back. I just made a mess of myself. Nothing unusual."

Deery hangs up. She quickly takes off her blouse and blue jeans. She stands in the kitchen with only her panties on. She pulls a box of cornstarch out of the closet and sprinkles it out on the stains of butter. The shape moves closer to the kitchen window and knocks over a potted plant. It crashes noisily against the side of the house. Deery is startled by the crash. She looks outside the window.

All of the married men, current and not, and Jaune look away, fearing the reprisal should they not.

A hanging plant swings in the wind. It bumps against the side of the house. Deery turns from the window and walks out of the kitchen. The hanging plant continues to whap against the house. A hand suddenly stops its motion. The shape leans up close to the kitchen window, looking inside. From the darkness of the backyard Lester springs forward into the screen, SNARLING and BARKING viciously.

Distressed Pyrrha noises.

The shape darts away from the kitchen window, the dog SNAPPING right after him. Deery listens to the GROWLING of the dog. She turns to Pyrrha in the living room.

"Pyrrha, Lester's barking again and getting on my nerves again…"

"No he's not."

Suddenly the GROWLING sounds abruptly stop.

Extremely distressed Pyrrha noises.

"Never mind. He found a hot date." Deery turns and walks into the living room. We SEE the shape's legs a few feet from the house. Next to him are Lester's legs, kicking and struggling a few feet above the ground. Off screen, the shape is strangling the dog in mid-air. Finally the dog's legs stop moving and dangle lifelessly. The shape moves away from the house.

A now crying Pyrrha is being comforted by Jaune.

Back at the Arc house, Blake and Jaune are sitting on the couch watching the Horrorthon on TV.

"What about the Jack-o'-lantern?" Jaune asked.

"After the movie." Blake answered.

"What about the rest of my comic books?"

"After the Jack-o'-lantern."

"What about the Boogeyman?" Jaune asked quietly.

"There's no such thing."

"Richie said he was coming after me tonight."

"Do you believe everything that Richie tells you?"

"No…"

"Jaune, Halloween night is when you play tricks on people and scare them. It's all make believe. Richie was trying to scare you."

"I saw the Boogeyman. I saw him outside."

"There was no one out there."

"There was."

"What did he look like?"

"The Boogeyman!"

"We're not getting anywhere. All right, look, Jaune. The Boogeyman can only come out on Halloween night, right?"

"Right."

"And I'm here tonight and I won't let him get you."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Can we make the Jack-o'-lantern now?"

Blake holds out her hand. Jaune takes it and together they walk into the kitchen. Back at the Nikos's place, Deery walks through the passageway to the laundry room. She is wearing a nylon robe and carrying her clothes to be washed. The wind blows the robe open. The shape stands behind a tree watching Deery walk along the passageway. Deery walks into the dark laundry room. Almost immediately the wind blows the door shut! Deery stands motionless for a moment, then begins looking for the light switch.

"Terrific!"

The door creaks open. Behind the door we see the outline of the shape standing there. Deery turns toward the slightly opened door.

"Hello?"

Silence.

"Who's there?"

Silence.

The wind blows the door open a little wider. In the light from the main house, Deery sees the light switch. Quickly she flicks on the switch and the laundry room lights up. She glances outside the door.

There is no one there.

"Perry, is this one of your cheap tricks?" She pauses, disappointed "I guess not."

She steps back inside and crosses to the washing machine. She opens the top and dumps her clothes inside.

"No tricks for Deery tonight."

Suddenly a big gust of wind comes through the opened window above her. The door slams shut! Deery hurries to the door and tries to open it. It won't open. She tries to pull the door open. Behind her, in the open window above the washing machine, we see the shape looking in.

"Pyrrha! Pyrrha, come out here!"

Inside Pyrrha watches the Horror Marathon at top volume on TV. She doesn't hear Deery's call.

"Pyrrha, I'm in the laundry room! The door is stuck!"

Deery turns and glances at the window above the washing machine. The shape is gone. She quickly crosses to the washing machine, climbs up on top of it and starts out the window. Half way through she gets stuck. She tries to squirm her way back in but it's hopeless.

"Pyrrha! Pyrrha, goddamn it, help!"

From the house Deery hears the phone ring.

"Pyrrha, answer the phone! It's Perry! Pyrrha! PYRRHA!"

Pyrrha still sits in front of the TV. She lets the phone ring away. Finally she gets up and walks to the phone, her eyes pivoted on the TV. She picks up the receiver.

"HELLO."

"Hi, Pyrrha, this is Perry. Is Deery there?"

"Yes, she is."

"Will you get her for me."

"She's washing her clothes."

"Well, go tell her its me, okay?"

"Okay."

Pyrrha hangs up the phone and walks through the kitchen to the back door. She calls from the door.

"Deery, Perry's on the phone!"

Deery hangs out the laundry room window.

"Pyrrha, open the door! I'm locked in the laundry room!"

Pyrrha crosses to the laundry room door. It is bolted from the outside. She lifts the bolt and looks inside the room.

"You locked yourself in."

"I know. Pull my legs. I'm stuck."

Pyrrha pulls on Deery's legs and she slides from the window onto the dryer.

"Pyrrha, promise you won't tell anyone!"

As Deery and Pyrrha walk back inside the house, the phone rings. Pyrrha races across the room and picks it up.

"She was stuck in the window, she'll be right here."

Pyrrha sets down the receiver and walks out of the kitchen. Deery gives Pyrrha a dirty look and picks it up.

"Young you was quite the little shit wasn't she?" Yangs asked with a cheshire grin.

Pyrrha blushed. "I'm sorry!"

"Hello, Perry." Pause. "All right, cut it out. It can happen to anyone." Pause. "Yeah, but I've seen you stuck in other positions!"

Suddenly behind Deery the shape walks through the hallway between the living room and the kitchen. She doesn't see it.

"That's fantastic! When did they leave?" Pause. "Utterly fabulous! So why don't you just walk over?" Pause. "My clothes are in the wash. I can't come now."Pause. "Shut up, jerk. I've got a robe on. That's all you think about." Pause. "That's not true. I think about lots of things. Why don't we not stand here talking about and get down to doing them? All right, see you in a few minutes."

Deery hangs up the phone. She walks into the living room. Pyrrha is back watching the TV Horrorthon.

"I'm scared." Pyrrha exclaimed excitedly.

"Then why are you sitting here with the lights off?"

"I don't know."

"Well, come on, get your coat. We're going to pick up Perry."

"I don't want to."

"Look, Pyrrha, I thought we understood each other."

"I want to stay here and watch this."

Deery calculates a moment. "Okay, if I can fix it so you can watch TV with Jaune Arc would you like that?"

Pyrrha's eyes light up. "Yes."

Nora looks at Pyrrha with a smug look.

"What?" Pyrrha asked with a slight blush.

Nora continued to look smug.

"Nora!" Pyrrha cried, her whole face red at being called out.

"What's Nora doing?" Jaune asked Pyrrha innocently.

"Nothing!"

"Come with me."

Deery and Pyrrha come out of the Nikos house. Pyrrha carries a bowl of popcorn. Deery has a coat over the negligee. They walk down the street to the Arc's. The wind blows strong and whips the negligee around Deery's lets. As the girls make their way down the street. The shape steps into the glow of a streetlight and watches them. He pulls a large knife from his pocket. The blade glistens in the light. Blake and Jaune are covered with pumpkin meat when the doorbell rings. Jaune runs to answer it. He opens the door. Deery and Pyrrha stand there.

"Hi, come on in. We're making a Jack-o'-lantern."

"I want to watch TV."

Pyrrha sees the TV on and runs into the living room. She takes off her coat; sits in front of the TV and eats her popcorn. Blake comes from the kitchen. She glances at Deery's coat.

"Fancy."

"This has not been my night. My clothes are in the wash, I spilled butter down the front of me, I got stuck in a window…"

"I'm glad you're here because I have something I want you to do. I want you to call up Ben Tramer and tell him you were just fooling around."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"He went out drinking beer with Mike Godfrey and he won't be back until late. You'll have to call him tomorrow. Besides, I'm on my way to pick up Perry."

Blake glances at Pyrrha. "Wait a minute here…"

"If you watch her, I'll consider talking to Ben Tramer in the morning."

"Deal. Hey, I thought Perry was grounded."

"He was. Old jerko found a way to sneak out. Listen, I'll call you in an hour or so."

Before Blake can say anything else, Deery rushes out the door.

Blake closes the door and looks in at Jaune and Pyrrha engrossed in the Horrorthon. "The old girl scout comes through again."

Deery hurries across the backyard and steps into the garage. She walks to her car.

"Oh, Paul, I give you all…" She sings to herself.

She tries the door. It is locked. "No keys, but please… my Perry."

Quickly she turns and walks out of the garage. She wanders through the empty house looking for her purse. She finds it in the front room, takes out her brush and lipstick and stands in front of the mirror primping.

"My Perry, I can no longer stall…" She sings.

She glances up at her image in the mirror. "Lucky thing. Spilled butter on her clothes, but nobody will know…" She sings. "Except for Perry…"

Suddenly the phone RINGS. Quickly Deery grabs it. "Hello. Oh hi, Dad." Pause. "No, just watching TV with Pyrrha." Pause. "Be careful about what?" Pause. "Well, if you won't tell me how can I be careful?" Pause. "Sure, sure I will. Bye, dad."

She hangs up, grabs her purse and rushes out the door. She walks into the garage, over to her car and opens the door. It is now unlocked, but Deery doesn't notice.

"There's a death flag." Sun sighed.

Deery slides in and inserts the key in the ignition. The car starts. Deery glances at the car door lock. Suddenly she remembers it was locked. She stares at it, puzzled. An instant later, a man sits up in the back seat. He wears a Halloween mask made of rubber with the grotesque features of a man. He reaches forward and grabs her. Deery SCREAMS. She lurches for the door. The man puts one hand over her mouth and brings the huge butcher knife up to her throat. From outside the car we see the struggle inside.

Deery's Anguished face presses against the steamed window. Her screams are muffled by the closed car. Suddenly, the struggle stops. Deery's face slides down the car window leaving a track in the wet surface. Then slowly the track in the glass steams over again. In the Arc house, music from Invasion of the Body Snatchers fills the room. Pyrrha and Jaune are riveted to the screen. Jaune glances at Pyrrha and slowly sneaks away from the couch. He jumps to a window and ducks behind a curtain.

"Pyrrha, Pyrrha!" Jaune called from behind the curtain. Pyrrha turns around and looks for Jaune.

"Where are you?"

No answer.

Pyrrha gets up from the couch to search for Jaune. Behind the Curtain Jaune hides, preparing to jump out and scare Pyrrha. For a moment, he glances out the window. The figure of a man carries what seems to be a body across the Nikos's backyard. Jaune SCREAMS and jumps out from the curtain, scaring the hell out of Pyrrha, who also SCREAMS and begins crying.

"Jaune Arc, no scaring your future wife!" Juniper scolded. Jaune chokes on air. "W-what!" "You two are destined to be together, I know these things." Juniper said. "That's what you said about me and Archie Noir." Saphron pointed out. "And?" "He was gay." "Or the multiple girls and Jaune." Addie added. Juniper gave her husband a look. "Et, tu Addie?"

"There he is, there he is! The Boogeyman!" Jaune yells.

Blake rushes in from the kitchen finding the children in tears. "What's wrong?"

Jaune points out the window. "I saw him again! He's over at Pyrrha's house. The Boogeyman!"

At this, Pyrrha begins to CRY even louder.

Blake bends down to comfort her. "Jaune, stop it! You're scaring Pyrrha."

"I saw him…"

"I said, stop it! There is no Boogeyman. There's nothing out there. If you don't stop all this, I'm turning off the TV and you go to bed."

Jaune turns away from Blake and Pyrrha and walks over to the couch in front of the TV set. Almost instantly, Pyrrha stops crying and follows him.

"Nobody believes me." Jaune sulked.

"I believe you, Jaune." Pyrrha sits up next to Jaune and hugs him.

"Aw!" The women cooed.

Blake shakes her head and walks back into the kitchen. The screen cuts to the old Myers house looks ominous and foreboding silhouetted against the dark, whishing trees. The screen tracks behind the hedge to where Ironwood sits waiting. Suddenly, there are noises from the street. Ironwood parts the hedge in front of him and stares. Three boys, Keith, Richie, and Lonnie creep up to the edge of the sidewalk in front of the old house from the playground. They stare fearfully at the dark, tomb-like structure.

"I'm not afraid." Lonnie said.

"Bullshit." Said Richie.

"I'm not!"

"Then go in." Richie exclaimed.

For a moment Lonnie hesitates, then slowly moves through the front gate up toward the porch. Ironwood watches the young boy walk toward the house, unsure whether she should interfere or just watch. Lonnie makes it to the front porch and tentatively steps up to the door. He glances back to his friends in the street. Ironwood's POV moves to the street.

"Chicken!" Richie teased

"Go on, Lonnie!" Keith called.

Then Ironwood's POV moves back to Lonnie at the front door. The boy turns to open the door. He's scared out of his mind Ironwood quietly stands up behind the hedge.

"Lonnie…"

Lonnie spins around and stares in horror at the talking hedge.

"Get your ass away from there!"

Moving like the wind, Lonnie barrels off the porch and races back to his friends. The three boys hurtle off down the dark street in utter terror. Ironwood watches them race away, smiling to herself.

Many in the audience burst out laughing.

"Holy crap! Where's this Ironwood?" Robin asked.

Ironwood whistled and looked to the side innocently, totally not thinking about how she did this to slacking soldiers, and purely to motivate them and not because the looks on their faces where priceless.

Suddenly, two hands enter frame and grab Ironwood's shoulders. She jumps and spins around. Standing there is Brackett.

"Oum!"

"You all right?"

"Sure…"

"Nothing's going on. Just kids playing pranks, trick or treating, parking, getting high… I have the feeling you're way off on this…"

"You have the wrong feeling."

"You're not coming up with much to prove me wrong."

"Exactly what do you need?"

"Well, its going to take more than fancy talk to keep me up all night creeping around these bushes."

"I watched him for fifteen years, sitting in a room staring at a wall, not seeing the wall, seeing past it, seeing this night. He's waited for it, inhumanly patient. Hour after hour, day after day, waiting for some silent, invisible alarm to trigger him. Death has arrived in your little town, sheriff. You can ignore it, or you can help me stop it."

"More fancy talk… You want to know what Haddonfield is? Families. Children, all lined up in rows, up and down these streets. You're telling me they're lined up for a slaughterhouse."

"They could be."

"I'll stay out with you tonight, Doctor, just on that chance that you're right. And if you are right, damn you for letting him out."

Brackett turns and walks back to the street. Ironwood watches him for several moments. The screen cuts to the Nikos house is quiet, dark. The lights are all out. Deery's car is parked in the garage. A car pulls up in front of the house and parks. Its lights flick off. The sounds of laughter come from inside. Inside the car, Neptune POPS open a can of beer. Next to her Sun guzzles hers. They embrace.

"Now… First we'll talk a little, then Deery will distract Pyrrha and we sneak quietly up the stairs to the first bedroom on the left. Got it?" Sun drunkenly asked.

"Okay. First I rip your clothes off." Nep grabs Sun and she starts giggling. The can of beer falls over onto the front seat.

"You idiot!" Sun cried.

"…Then you rip my clothes off. Then we rip Pyrrha's clothes off. I think I've got it." Nep slurred.

Various forms of disagreement where shouted by the audience.

"Totally…"

Nep opens the door and together they fall out onto the ground. Nep picks Sun up and carries her up to the front door.

"Nep… Put me down. Put me down. This is totally silly." Sun squirms in Nep's arms.

As he sets her down her foot accidentally hits the front door and it swings open. Sun and Nep both stop.

"Deery, Deery, we're here!"

Nep and Sun enter the house. The living room is empty. The lights are off. Sun and Nep enter the house and begin turning on the lights.

"I wonder where they went." Nep asked.

"Deery probably took Pyrrha out or something. Let's look for a note."

Nep walks over to Sun. "Let's don't."

They embrace. Nep pulls Sun over to the couch and turns out the light. They kiss. A shadow comes over them. They continue kissing, unaware of the shape of a man on the stairway watching.

The Arc house is totally black inside. The only sound is the music score from "The Thing." Suddenly, the sound of laughter is heard from the kitchen. Then an orange light floats through the room. As it gets closer, we see that Blake is carrying a Jack-o'-lantern, with a candle illuminating from the center of the pumpkin. Behind Blake is Jaune and Pyrrha making scary noises. The procession continues through the house.

"Oooooo… He's gonna get you." Jaune teased.

"No, he's not." Pyrrha pouted.

"Nobody's going to get anybody. Now stop scaring each other." Blake scolded softly.

The procession continues to the front window. Blake places the Jack-o'-lantern on the windowsill. She looks down the street toward the Nikos's. Blake sees Nep's car parked in front of the house.

She smiles to herself. "Everybody has a good time tonight. Okay, kids, what do you want to do now."

"Let's make more popcorn." Pyrrha said, excitedly.

"You've had enough. Why don't we just sit down and watch the rest of the movie."

Blake sits down on the couch and sighs. Pyrrha and Jaune cuddle up with her, one on either side. The phone rings.

Blake gets up to answer it. "Hello."

Sun sits on the couch in the dark. Her hair and clothes are messed up. Nep lies on the couch, her head on her lap.

"Hi, Blake, what's up?"

"Nothing. I was just sitting down for the first time tonight."

"Is Deery around?"

"No. I thought she'd be home by now. She went to pick up Perry."

"Well, she's totally not here."

"They probably stopped off somewhere. Have her call me when she gets back. I've got Pyrrha here and I want to know what time to put her to bed."

"Okay. Later."

"Have a good time." Sun hangs up the phone and grins.

"We sure will." Sun grabs Nep's hand and stands up.

"Pyrrha is gone for the night." Nep grins.

"Now that's wonderful." Sun pulls Nep up from the couch and they walk quickly up the stairs.

Blake stands by the telephone. She walks to the window and glances out. It is dark. Blake shrugs, turns away from the window and walks back to Jaune and Pyrrha sitting on the couch.

The screen cuts back to the Nikos house as sounds of lovemaking come from the bed. The only light is a candle illuminating the sheets as they move slowly up and down and from side to side. Empty beer cans leave a trail from the door to the bed. The moans from Sun begin increasing. They get louder. Building to a crescendo. The phone rings. The lovemaking suddenly stops.

"Shit! Not again."

Sun rises up on one arm. The sheet falls away from her, showing a very beautiful young body. Her hair is a mess and she is frustrated. The phone continues to ring.

"I can't help it. It just keeps ringing."

"And I can't keep you interested?"

"Should we answer it?"

Nep opens a fresh can of beer. She chugs it down.

"That's great. Now you'll be too drunk to…"

"Just answer the damn phone."

"I can't. What if it's the Nikos!? We'd get Deery in trouble."

The phone stops ringing.

"Take it off the hook."

Sun reaches over and kisses Nep behind the ears. She slowly moves around Nep's ear with her tongue. Nep grabs Sun and pushes her down on the bed. The screen moves back from the bed as their lovemaking continues, back through the bedroom doorway. Standing there in the darkness is the shape watching them. Finally, Nep and Sun climax. Nep rolls off Sun. She lights a cigarette and hands it to Nep, then lights one for herself.

"Ah, nothing better than a smoke after." Roma sighed romantically.

"Really?" Glynda asked.

"Yup, nothing better then a smoke after a heist." Roma replied.

"Oh, um, I… I wouldn't know." A blushing Glynda stuttered

. "Oh? What went through your mind when I said that, I wonder?" Roma teased.

Glynda light up like a Christmas tree.

"Fantastic. Totally."

"Yeah."

"Want a beer?"

"Yeah."

"Is that all you have to say?"

"Yeah."

"Go get me a beer."

"I thought you were gonna get one for me."

"Yeah?"

Nep gets out of bed and pulls her jeans on. She looks for her glasses. She finds them and puts them on.

"I'll be right back. Don't get Dressed."

Nep leans over and kisses Sun. She leaves. Sun leans back onto the pillows. She smiles to herself. Nep comes through the swinging doors. She opens the refrigerator and takes out two beers. She looks around the kitchen. She opens some cupboards and takes out a bag of potato chips. In another cupboard, she finds a can of peanuts. Nep gathers the food and beer into her arms. She shuts out the light with her elbow. She turns to leave the doors. WHAM! She steps into a chair, knocking her backwards. The beer falls on the floor along with the chips and peanuts. Nep leans down to pick them up.

"Goddammit!"

Nep has her head down, intent on cleaning up the mess. There is a SLAM from across the kitchen. She looks up. The back door of the kitchen slowly swings open, as if it has been slammed shut and the bolt didn't catch. It squeaks on its hinges as it swings back and forth. Slowly, Nep gets to her feet and walks over to the door.

"Deery, Perry…"

She steps to the door and looks outside. The yard is empty. Just the wind blowing the trees. She turns from the door. There is a SQUEAK from one of the two closet doors by the kitchen counter. Nep freezes, staring at the two doors.

"Sun, you asshole!" She walks to one of the doors and opens it.

Nothing inside.

"All right, Sun, come on out." Nep steps to the other door and opens it.

Right behind the door stands the shape wearing the rubber mask. He steps out and grabs Nep around the neck in an instantaneous lunge. Nep tries to jump away, but the shape has a firm hold on her neck. Nep COUGHS and GAGS from the pressure. Then the shape lifts Nep up off the floor. Nep's feet leave the floor. She makes a guttural sound deep in her throat as the shape's hand closes tightly around her windpipe. Behind the mask are two burning eyes. The shape moves forward. Still holding her up with one hand the shape SLAMS Nep against the wall, holding him up several feet off the floor. Nep struggles to get free. The shape lifts his other hand. It holds the butcher knife. The shape drives the knife deeply into Nep's chest with a SLAMMING THUD, the other end of the knife stuck through the wall. Then the shape steps away. Nep hangs there, impaled on the wall, eyes still open in horror, dead.

A break was need after this scene.

Sun lounges on the bed smoking another cigarette. She hears Nep enter the room but doesn't look up.

"Where's my beer?"

No answer. Sun turns around and looks. The shape stands in the doorway. He is covered with a sheet like a ghost. He wears Nep's glasses.

"Cute, Nep. Real cute."

The ghost doesn't answer. Sun looks at the ghost. She slides the sheets down from her body.

"Come here, you fool."

The ghost doesn't answer. He continues to stare at Sun.

"Can't I get your ghost, Nep?"

Sun laughs at her own joke, then stops when she sees the ghost is motionless.

"All right, all right. So where's the beer."

Nothing. The ghost just stands there.

"Well, answer me! Okay, don't answer me. Boy, are you weird!"

Sun gets out of bed. She is nude and looks beautiful and sensuous in the candle light. She walks over to the phone.

"Damn! I look good!" Sun exclaimed.

"Really?" Weiss scoffed.

"Hey, don't hate me cause my tits are bigger than yours." Sun shot back. A stuttering and red faced Weiss sat backed down.

"Well, I'm gonna call Blake. I wanna know where Deery and Perry are. This isn't going anywhere." Sun sits down on a chair by the telephone.

In the background the ghost stands in the doorway. She starts to dial the phone. The ghost starts walking toward her. The Arc house is very quiet. The kids are asleep.

Blake is sitting on the couch knitting. The phone RINGS. "Finally."

Blake crosses to answer the phone. Sun holds the phone to her ear. The ghost walks up slowly behind her. He raises his hands to grab her.

Blake answers the telephone. "Hello."

Sun hears Blake's hello as the ghost grabs the phone. He clamps one hand over Sun's mouth. She squirms and writhes. He takes the telephone cord and wraps it around her neck.

"Hello?" Blake hears SQUEALS, and rustling sounds across the phone.

"All right, Deery! I've heard your famous chewing, now I get your famous squeals?" Blake continues to hear weird SOUNDS.

"Deery?"

Sun tries to fight off the ghost. He wraps the cord around the neck. He pulls tight. Sun reaches up and pulls on the sheet. It slides off of the man, to reveal the grotesque Halloween mask. Sun gasps and tries to scream. The man pulls the cord tighter. Her face turns blue. She opens her mouth, trying to get air, then slowly slumps forward and remains motionless. Sun is dead.

"Hey… Woody? Can I have a drink?" Sun asked.

An alcoholic drink appears in Sun's hands.

"Thank you."

The shape picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear.

"Deery, Deery! Are you all right?"

Silence over the phone.

"Are you fooling around again?"

Silence.

"I'll kill you if this is a joke!"

More silence.

"Deery…"

Suddenly the phone goes dead. Blake stares at the receiver, then hangs up. She crosses to the window and looks out toward the Nikos house. The street is quiet, dark and windy. Nep's car is parked in front of the Nikos house. Suddenly a light goes on in the bedroom. Blake stares at the house, puzzled. Then the light goes off. She moves from the window back to the telephone and dials Deery's number. We HEAR the phone ringing on the other end. The screen slowly tracks through the darkened bedroom of the Nikos house. There is no sign of a struggle. The room is empty. The phone RINGS away.

Blake finally hangs up the phone. She stands for a moment considering it, then turns and walks upstairs. She opens the door to the bedroom. Jaune and Pyrrha are sound asleep on the bed. She looks at them a moment, then closes the door behind her. Blake comes back downstairs. She takes a key out of her purse and again steps to the window. The Nikos's house is dark and silent. Blake steps to the front door.

Ironwood sits in silence behind the hedge watching the Myers house. Frustrated, she gets up and walks to the street. For a moment she glances back at the Myers house, then starts down the quiet residential street. It is empty except for a station wagon parked several blocks away. She turns away from the street. Then a thought strikes him. She looks again. The lone car is Ironwood's station wagon. She's not certain of it. Slowly Ironwood starts walking down the street toward the station wagon.

Blake locks the Arc house and walks away out into the street. The wind whips her clothes and hair. She moves down the street, shivering in the chill wind. She puts the key to the Arc house in her pocket. A car turns the corner and drives past the Nikos house, casting a strange shadowy pattern across the front of the house. She picks up her speed now up the sidewalk. The house looms closer and closer.

The screen tracks Ironwood as she walks up the street. The station wagon moves closer. She recognizes it and races forward. The screen tracks in to the station wagon, right up to the state emblem emblazoned on the side. The screen moves to the front of the Nikos house.

Blake walks up to the front porch. She stands there a moment, listening, as if to hear some sound of life from the inside. She KNOCKS on the door and RINGS the doorbell. She waits. Silence. She steps off the porch and walks around to the side of the house, the screen tracks with her. She moves to the garage and peeks inside. There is Deery's car. Blake thinks a moment, then looks to the street. Nep's car sits there on the street. Blake turns and walks through the breezeway between the house and the garage around to the back door. The kitchen door is ajar, swinging back and forth in the wind. She pulls open the door and steps into the house. The kitchen is dark. Blake stands there a moment staring into the blackness.

"Deery?"

No answer.

"Nep, Sun, Deery?"

No one answers.

Blake searches for the wall light. She flips it and nothing happens. She looks again into the darkness. "Hello?" Nothing. Blake moves forward into the house, the screen tracking with her. Blake walks into the living room. She stops to let her eyes get accustomed to the almost total darkness. She reaches for a nearby lamp and trips over the cord. The lamp CLUNKS to the floor.

"Shit."

Suddenly there is a CRASHING SOUND from upstairs. Blake spins around and stares up the dark staircase. Another SQUEAK from above. Blake smiles.

"All right, meatheads. The joke is over."

Silence.

"Come on, Deery, enough."

Another SOUND from upstairs, a DRAGGING across the floor. Blake moves to the head of the staircase. The dragging sound stops abruptly. Silence.

"This has most definitely stopped being funny. Now cut it out!"

A SCRAPING SOUND, then silence.

"You'll be sorry."

Slowly Blake starts up the staircase. The screen cuts to Ironwood standing by her car glancing up and down the empty street. Finally she makes up her mind and starts moving down the street, almost running, looking back and forth at the rows of houses on either side for something out of place. The screen cuts back to Blake as she slowly moves up the stairs. She reaches the top and stops. It is totally dark. At the end of the hall is the bedroom door.

From around the edges of the door is the faintest orange glow. She moves for the door, the screen following her. She reaches the door. Her hand reaches out and touches it. The door swings open. A Jack-o'-lantern casts an eerie glow around the room. There is someone lying on the bed but from this position Blake can't see. She moves forward toward the bed. The screen moves forward. There on the bed is Deery! Her face is a chalky white and there is a huge red gash across her throat. At the head of the bed is Judith Myers's tombstone.

Blake stares at the bed and then SCREAMS at the top of her lungs. Suddenly something drops down at her from above. Blake jumps back to the door. Strung up to the light fixture on the ceiling, dangling there in the middle of the room, is Ne, eyes open and staring. Blake backs out of the bedroom. Her mouth is open in speechless horror. Suddenly a door next to her slowly opens. There is Sun standing there, propped up by a chair, staring at her with glazed, dead eyes. Blake shrinks back into a dark corner. She can only stare in horror at the sight of her friend.

Suddenly we are aware of something there in the dark corner. It is almost as if our eyes have suddenly begun to adjust to the darkness and we see the outline of a man standing right behind her. The outline becomes more and more clear. It is the shape, wearing the mask, the butcher knife in his hand, gleaming, right behind Blake. Blake suddenly moves away from the corner. The shape lunges out at her. The hand grasps a piece of Blake's blouse and RIPS it. She SCREAMS and spins around. The shape stands there holding up the piece of material, then raises the butcher knife and moves for her.

The screen follows Blake as she backs away, SCREAMING at the top of her lungs. He lunges at her suddenly with the knife. The knife slices across her arm, ripping her flesh. Blake suddenly jumps backward, raising her arm instinctively. She bumps back into the railing. He lunges again with the knife. She leaps backward to avoid the blade and slips over the edge of the railing.

The screen takes Blake's POV as she plunges down from the second floor and SLAMS into the floor. She hits the floor and rolls over, holding her leg painfully. Then she looks up at the staircase. The shape moves to the top of the staircase and starts down toward her. She pulls herself up off the floor and hobbles into the living room. The shape races down the stairs. Blake moves for the kitchen. She trips on the fallen lamps and falls to the floor. The shape steps into the living room, knife raised. Blake crawls to the kitchen, rolls inside and SLAMS the kitchen door behind her. In a flash she leaps up and CLICKS the lock. There is a POUNDING on the door from the other side.

Blake slowly climbs to her feet and limps toward the back door. Suddenly the kitchen door EXPLODES, the middle of it breaking apart. The shape reaches through, groping for the lock. Blake reaches the back door. Her hand tries the door. It is key-locked. Desperately she tries the door, glancing behind her. The shape's hand reaches for the lock. She steps back from the door into the kitchen. She sees the kitchen window over the sink. She hobbles to the sink, climbs up on it and grabs the window. With a heave she opens it up halfway.

The shape's hand grabs the lock and CLICKS it open. She can only get it three-fourths open. Headfirst she crawls through the window. The shape pushes the door open and leaps into the kitchen. Blake drags herself roughly out the window. The shape grabs at Blake's legs as they disappear through the sill. Blake picks herself up from the ground and runs as fast as she can, limping across the backyard, the screen moves with her. She passes the driveway and scurries into the neighbor's backyard, up to the back door of the house. She POUNDS furiously on the door.

"Help me! Help me!"

Blake looks behind her. No sign of the shape. The house is dark and silent. The back porch light comes on. Blake continues to POUND on the door. Through the glass in the back door we see an old woman dressed in a nightgown approach.

"Please, help me! Call the police! Please!"

The old woman stares at her suspiciously for a moment, then turns from the door and walks away. The porch light goes out.

"No! No! Please, open the door!"

Blake turns around and looks back. Nothing. No sign of the shape. She hobbles off the back porch and runs across the yard to the street. The screen follows her as she limps along. Blake rushes up to the front door. She reaches in her pocket for the key and drops it on the porch. Quickly she bends down and scrambles for it. She looks back toward the street. The street is empty. The wind WHISHES the trees. Leaves sprinkle down. Blake gropes around for the key. It lies over a crack in the wooden porch. She reaches for it but her finger nudge the key between the crack, down out of sight. Blake SCREAMS with frustration and glances back at the street. The shape walks slowly down the middle of the street, right toward her! Blake begins to BANG on the front door.

"Jaune! Jaune, open the door!"

She grabs a planter on the porch, steps back and hurls it at an upstairs window. The planter SMASHES against the window. A light goes on. Jaune appears sleepily at the window.

"Who is it?"

"Jaune, let me in!"

Blake looks back at the street. The street is empty. The shape is gone. She stands there breathlessly, her eyes burning in the darkness. Finally the door opens, Jaune stands there in his pajamas. Blake leaps inside and SLAMS the door, she bolts the door from the inside.

"Jaune, I want you to go back upstairs…"

"What is it, Blake?"

"Be quiet! Get Pyrrha and get into the bedroom and lock the door!"

"I'm scared…"

"DO WHAT I SAY! NOW!"

"It's the Boogeyman, isn't it?"

"HURRY!"

Jaune turns and runs upstairs CRYING. Blake moves from the door to the telephone. She picks it up, dials a number and waits. Then suddenly she reacts… the phone is dead. No dial tone. She puts down the phone and stands very still. There is a slight breeze blowing her hair. Slowly Blake moves around the couch. From the living room we see into the kitchen. The back door is open. Blake doesn't move. She begins crying softly, her eyes wide with fear.

"Please stop… Please…"

Silence. No movement anywhere in the house. Slowly Blake sinks down to her knees by the couch. Her hand brushes against the knitting needles protruding from her tote bag. She reacts to the feel of the knitting needles and pulls one out. It is long and deadly sharp. She stares at it. Suddenly the shape leaps up from behind the couch! He springs at her, plunging the butcher knife.

The blade of the butcher knife THUMPS into the couch. Instinctively Blake raises the knitting needle and drives it home, right into the shape's neck! The shape springs backward, clawing at the needle, rolling his head back and forth. Then suddenly he freezes, hands outstretched, motionless, and falls in a heap on the floor. Blake sits there. The shape doesn't move. Blake begins to cry again, harder and harder.

"Yes! She got the fucker!" Coco cried.

The screen follows Ironwood as she moves along the street. Suddenly two headlights hit her and a police car swerves to a stop next to her. Brackett gets out.

"Where were you? I went back to the Myers house…"

"I found the car! He's here!"

"Where!"

"Three blocks down. Get in the car and go up that other street then back down here. I'm going up the block."

Brackett turns and hurries back to the car. Ironwood starts up the street again as Brackett pulls off in the other direction. The screen cuts to a wide shot of the living room. Blake is on one side of frame, the motionless shape lying behind the couch on the other. Slowly Blake stands up, stares at the shape and then moves to the staircase. Slowly, painfully, Blake climbs up the stairs. Jaune and Pyrrha are huddled in a corner WHIMPERING softly. The door opens and Blake steps in. The two children run to her CRYING. She holds them in her arms tightly and nudges the door shut with her foot.

"It's all right now. Shhh, it's all right…" She takes the children back to the bed and sits down with them. "Now I want you to change your clothes, Jaune. We're going to take a walk outside."

"Was it the Boogeyman?" Jaune asked.

"I'm scared!" Pyrrha whimpered.

"There's nothing to be scared of now. Get changed."

"Are you sure?" Jaune asked.

"Yes."

"How?"

"I killed him…"

"But you can't kill the Boogeyman."

Suddenly the bedroom door swings open. Standing there is the shape, the butcher knife raised. Both children SCREAM. Blake shoves them into the bathroom and pulls the door shut, leaving herself outside in the bedroom.

"Oh, what the fuck!" Coco complained.

"Lock the door! Lock the door!"

The shape moves for her, slowly now, but relentless, the knife glistening. There is a CLICK as the bathroom door is locked. Blake leaps away from the door and circles around the bed. The shape keeps coming. Blake dashes to a clothes closet and ducks inside. Blake pulls the sliding doors closed and crawls back into the small, dark interior of the closet.

Suddenly the doors begin to buckle as the shape pounds on them. She reaches up and grabs a wire hanger from the top of the closet. She rips off the shirt and begins unhooking it. The door buckles inward as the shape SMASHES against it. She twists the top of the hanger, unwinding the wire. The door BREAKS IN. The shape steps inside, pushing aside the clothes. She unhooks the hanger and bends it out straight.

The shape leans in, peering down at Blake in the corner, raising the knife. Holding the hanger with both hands she thrusts it forward with all her might. The wire hanger flashes into the shape's right eye. He leaps back in pain, dropping the butcher knife, grabbing his eye with both hands. She grasps the butcher knife with both hands and jabs it upward. The butcher knife plunges into the shape's mid-section, right down to the hilt.

The shape stumbles backward out of the closet. She just sits there in the corner of the closet. There is a THUMP from the bedroom, then silence. Slowly Blake crawls around and peeks out of the closet doors. The shape lies on the floor by the bed, the butcher knife protruding from his stomach. Blake emerges from the closet and carefully crosses the bedroom, avoiding the shape's body. She goes to the bathroom door and knocks softly.

"Hey… Woody." Velvet asked.

"Yes?"

"Does this universe have Aura?"

"No."

"So he should be dead, right?"

"Should be."

"Jaune, it's me. Open the door."

There is a silence, then the door opens. On the other side are Jaune and Pyrrha, looking utterly terrified. Blake bends down and shields them from the sight of the shape.

"Now, I want you to walk to the door, down the stairs and right out the front door."

"You're coming with us…" Pyrrha demanded.

"Listen to me. I want you to walk down the street to the MacKensie's and knock on their door. You tell them to call the police and send them over here. Do you understand?"

"Blake, you come with us…" Jaune insisted.

"No! Do as I say."

Blake stands up and guides the children carefully across the bedroom to the door and ushers them outside. She watches for a moment as they walk down the stairs, then slumps down against the door frame in an exhausted heap. Jaune and Pyrrha run out of the house and down the walk to the sidewalk. They rush up the street. As they leave frame we see Ironwood on the other side of the street. Ironwood watches the children with a puzzled frown. Shrieking with fear, Jaune and Pyrrha run up the sidewalk. She stares at them for a moment, then moves for the Arc house.

We see through the bedroom door. In foreground sits Blake, slumped against the door frame, staring out at nothing, tears streaming down her face. In background lies the shape. Slowly Blake begins to pull herself together once again. She gets up to her knees and begins to pull herself up to her feet. Her back is to the shape. As she starts to stand the shape sits up, the head turning to Blake. Blake rises into frame, holding herself erect by grasping the doorframe. Behind her the shape rises up into frame, quickly, silently. Blake just hangs there on the doorframe. An exhausted, ironic smile comes over her face.

"B-but you said he was dead?!" Velvet complained.

"No. I said he "Should be." not that he was."

"Well, kiddo. Some Halloween…"

Slowly the shape moves for her, his hands outstretched. Just as he is about to grab her, Blake manages to step out the door. Unaware he is behind her, Blake limps toward the stairs. Suddenly the shape jumps out of the bedroom and grabs her, hands around her neck. Blake SCREAMS, she twists and squirms and claws at him, her finger ripping at his mask, she pulls it off over his face, wriggles out of his grip and turns around. The shape, Michael, stares at her with his one eye. He has a dank, white face with blond hair. There is something completely unhuman about his features, the open mouth, the dark staring eye. Michael lunges at her again.

Suddenly there is a THUNDERING EXPLOSION and Michael is blown off his feet. Blake falls back against the wall. Standing at the top of the stairs is Ironwood, gun in her hand. She moves forward down the hall. Michael slowly gets to his feet, still refusing to die. Ironwood stops and takes aim. BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Michael is hit three times, each bullet throwing him backward further down the hall until he hits the window at the end and SMASHES through it. Michael falls from the second story right down into the screen with a CRASH! Ironwood rushes to Blake and bends down beside her. For a moment she just cries in her arms, sobbing hysterically. Then she looks up at her with a glazed, wild expression.

"Okay, now he has to be dead." Yang pitched in.

"It was the Boogeyman…"

Ironwood looks down at her, then up at the shattered window at the end of the hall.

"As a matter of fact it was."

She walks slowly down to the window and peers out. She looks down at the spot where Michael should be, but there is nothing there, just a trampled patch in the grass. She stares down with a growing fear, then looks out from the house. The backyard, the neighboring yards, the street, all are empty, quiet, dark. There is only the SOUND of the wind swelling in the trees.

Michael is gone.

The screen turns off. The audience continues to sit there in shocked silence, until…

"The fuck is he!" Marceline yelled.

"Not a man." Woody answered helpfully.

"Oh, jeez, thanks for that one!" Marceline barked.

"Alright, let's take another short break before continuing." Woody announced.

With that the audience went off to do their things, then come back.

---

Originally this was suppose to be a three parter, until I found out nothing happens for the first hour of this hour and a half movie, so this became one long chapter. Sorry for the lack of reactions, but since I had to restart my laptop twice while writing this and I then have to decompress this after I get it on FanFiction, I figured I had enough on my plate as is. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

Also I plan to do the Bond movies after I finish the Star Wars movies, if enough people want me to do the shows I'll just make a separate story for that.

This is Bmwoodstock signing off.