Duncan smirks as the group pass him, heading slowly and cautiously down the stone steps, as if afraid they might crumble under foot without care. He'd made sure his colleagues were ready and in position before he'd met this newest group. The rest of the tours that day had been uneventful, but this was the Halloween night tour, it would be one this fortunate or perhaps unfortunate group would never forget in their lives.

"OK HEADLAMPS ON!" He shouts over his shoulder as the seven tourists congregate behind him. Dutifully, seven headlamps come to life, shining their powerful beams up the tunnel. These plus the helmets were expensive shit, the tourists were not stupid enough to risk damaging them, the fee if they did was huge, at least three times the price of the item itself. That was enough of a deterrent. Duncan grins to himself.

Just as per usual, the tour was unremarkable until they reached the so-called 'Doom tunnel.' He ordered the group to deactivate their headlamps, which they obediently did. He let the silence hang before starting to speak in his quietist, most ominous tone. "They think what I'm about to tell you happened in the 18th century. A husband and wife went on a caving expedition down here. After a while of exploring, they decided to separate and meet up later. They broke the most important rule of caving. Do not separate. So off they go and of course lights back then were nothing on today. They lost one another quickly of course. They tried to call each other, but the acoustics down here…" he whistled and let it echo around the huge chamber to make his point. "Worked against them and they could not find the other. The husband tried to find his wife until he was so weak he was crawling. Eventually, he went insane and…"

There was a distant, echoing scream. Everyone turned towards it in shock, but no one turned on their headlamps.

"What was that?" Katie said, her voice terrified.

"EDITH," came an agonised shout from somewhere down the tunnel but as Duncan had said, it was impossible to tell from where due to the echo. "EDITH MY DARLING, WHERE ARE YOU?"

"He's active tonight," Duncan whispered, looking as unnerved as everyone else. "It's Halloween, he always seems to come out then. Sometimes at night, he can be heard screaming his wife's name. It was Halloween when they went down there researchers believe considering he's always heard on Halloween night. Others too, but Halloween night he's most vocal."

"EDITH!" This time the shout was an almost desperate scream, full of pain and desperation. The group glanced at each other for a moment, no one daring to speak.

"What happened to him?" Katie eventually broke the silence, her voice only just above a whisper.

"He went insane," Duncan said, his own voice soft now. "He never forgave himself for separating from 'Edith' and he slit his throat in the end."

"How do you know that?" Paul asked.

"Because researchers found human remains down there many, many years later. Evidence suggests that's how he died.

"Oh fuck off," Andy said finally, looking at Duncan in disgust. "It's fucking obvious! You've got fucking actors down here right? Jesus guys! This is typical scare the tourists bullshit! Come on! You really expect us to…"

Another long, agonised scream cut him off. Andy glared at Duncan with undisguised hostility. Katie stepped over to Jason and took his hand. Laurie, Paul and Lynda glanced at each other; Annie was looking transfixed down the tunnel ahead of them.

"If that's what you think," Duncan said very softly and menacingly to Andy, "then go find him. I dare you. If you think it's an actor go down that tunnel and bring him back here. Do you think you'll survive long enough?"

"Jesus!" Andy looked pissed. "Come on man! Of course I fucking would! I bet these caves are nowhere near as large as they look, more tour affects right? This 'don't separate from the group' is just so you can have control! I'm so damn tempted to go find this twat!"

"Come on Andy," Annie said quietly. "It's just a bit of fun."

"Is that what you think?" Duncan asked. "Would you be willing to go down that tunnel too?"

Lynda laughed, looking Duncan straight in the eyes. "Yeah course! I'm all for horror attractions like this! I would if you hadn't told us not to separate!"

"As would I!" Andy exclaimed. "This is all a damn setup. I can't believe I paid for this shit."

"Then you can go back," Duncan said evenly. "Just follow the rope. If you don't think it's real, go."

"No don't!" Katie and Annie said together. "We're not supposed to separate!"

"He's quite within his rights to go back should he wish to," Duncan said coolly. "All he has to do is follow the rope. But don't go anywhere else or off course, got me?" He added to Andy. "My colleagues will meet you at the top and confirm to me you are back safely."

"Yeah what fucking ever man, just so you can keep your job," Andy turned and stormed away his hand on his rope and activating his headlamp. "Fucking twats," he yelled back to Duncan as he did so.

"Oh dear," Duncan said, not sounding bothered in the slightest. Don't you worry ladies he'll be just fine."

It's on you if he isn't, Laurie thought. You'd better damn well hope he does follow that line or your job's gone and you'll probably go to prison too, for neglecting a tourist's safety and provoking him to leave the group!

"It's here," Duncan said quietly a few minutes later, the remaining members of the group having walked down a dark tunnel. They think it…" A strangled scream cut him off this time, it didn't sound anything like what they'd heard before. "What the hell was that?" Paul asked, glancing nervously up the tunnel ahead then back behind them. The group stood in silence again, but no further sounds reached their ears. Duncan continued, seemingly totally unruffled. "They think it was right here the husband died. The 'Whaling Widower' they call him. His ghost will always be trapped down here, desperately looking for 'Edith.'

"Does anyone know his name?" Laurie asked.

"The husband's? No. Obviously the wife must have died and… gone on to the next world."

Duncan sighed dramatically. "Ok guys this is where we slowly start heading back, I need to check up on our friend who left us earlier."

Without a word the group followed him back down the tunnels. At one point Laurie was sure she heard another scream, but perhaps it was just the acoustics, like Duncan had said. Duncan pulled out his radio. "You had a tourist come out yet? He left the tour early." Static was his only answer. Duncan didn't appear worried by this. "Come on you guys, we need to keep looking, please all keep an eye out." They turned as one and continued walking deep underground, but there was still no sign of Andy.

"Duncan," Jason said after a while. "Is it just me… or do these ropes seem a little… slack? I could've sworn they were tighter than this before."

"Nope," Duncan said. "They're fine, they're just long ropes."

"Are you sure?" Katie asked, sounding apprehensive now.

"Perfectly," Duncan replied crisply. "I've done this enough times."

Eventually they reached 'Doom Tunnel' itself again and stopped, still with no sign of Andy.

"Maybe he left and none of your guys saw him?" Paul suggested.

"He needs to give his equipment back so that wouldn't happen," Duncan said. "He'd get in a lot worse trouble if he stole it."

"Shit yeah, I forgot that."

"I'm still not happy with how slack this rope is," Jason said and began to pull it.

"It's just l…" Duncan began, but then stopped in his tracks as Jason picked up the end of the rope which had been securely attached to the entrance hook to show a clean, neat cut. The rope had been severed.

"How?" Katie sounded as if she was about to faint. Without answer, Laurie and the others looked at theirs, but didn't pull it in case there was a chance it was still close to the hooks even if it had been cut.

"WHO THE FUCK WOULD CUT OUR FUCKING SAFETY LINE?" Jason shouted, rounding on Duncan. "JESUS CHRIST! WHAT KIND OF FUCKED UP SETUP IS THIS? YOU'RE PUTTING US IN DANGER TWAT!"

Without reply, Duncan looked at his rope. "At least some of you don't touch your ropes," he ordered. "That way we may still have a chance of using them to get back!" Laurie, Paul, Annie, Katie and Lynda nodded. Duncan pulled his and within seconds the huge trail of rope was in front of him, the end of his also neatly and cleanly cut.

"You were saying?" He asked Jason quietly. "Why would I endanger myself? My rope is also cut."

"You work down here!" Jason looked like he wanted to punch their tour guide. "You probably know your way out backwards and blindfolded!"

"If you think that you really are naïve," Duncan said, but there was no anger in his voice now. "These caves are huge man, there's no way."

"Maybe…" Laurie hesitated. "Maybe Andy thought it would be…" she swallowed. "Funny? Maybe he cut our ropes?"

"That doesn't make sense," Paul said. "Look how thick they are. It would've taken a fucking sharp knife to cut these and I highly doubt Andy was carrying one. Plus we left all our stuff in the gift shop bit so even if he was… what? You think he went back and grabbed a knife then cut the ropes? He would've been seen, right?" He asked Duncan. The tour guide nodded.

"Yes, there are colleagues up there all the time while a tour is in progress. There's no way that would be possible without him being seen. Ok guys," the instructor finally seemed to regain control. "We need to get back as a matter of urgency. Those of you with ropes which haven't moved, stick close to the rest of us so we can use your lines to guide us all out."

They nodded numbly and began to move again. Some part of Laurie hoped that this was another prank designed to 'scare the tourists.' That Duncan would suddenly hold up their still firmly attached safety lines and shout 'GOTCHA!' But she also knew that was unlikely. She'd seen the brief flash of genuine fear in the tour guide's face even as he'd tried to hide it and take control. He wouldn't look like that if it'd all been a prank, would he?

"What the fuck is that?" Paul said as they stopped in another tunnel and his headlamp picked out something on the ground. Duncan pushed his way to the front with his own and they heard him give a strangled gasp. "Fuck, no! What the fuck? Patrick?"

Everyone pointed their headlamps to where Duncan was looking and Lynda, Annie and Katie all screamed.

A man was lying face up on the ground in a pool of his own blood. His throat had been slit from ear to ear. Jason stepped forward and they could see by his face he was desperately hoping this was another trick, a costume or such like. But that thought was soon snuffed out Laurie saw on his face when it happened. There was too much blood for it to be fake and the jagged huge wound across his throat could not be faked easily.

"OUT OF THE WAY!" Duncan roared at Jason, who stumbled backwards in shock. That wasn't fake, there was no way the tour guide could put that much fear in those four words if it was. They watched him kneel over his fallen colleague and check for a pulse. When he straightened up, he was white as chalk. Any doubts he was acting were distinguished when they saw his face in the light of their headlamps.

"Fuck," Duncan whispered. "Jesus fucking Christ! How? Who…"?

"Could…" Annie's voice shook. "Could it have been Andy, do you think? He was adamant there was an actor down here… could he have…"

"Question remains where would he have got the knife from?" Jason said, his voice also shaking now. "We would've seen if he'd had a knife large enough to cause this much… damage with him. He'd have had to come back unseen and… no I just don't buy it."

If Laurie was honest she didn't either. She thought about the report they'd heard on the radio in the car and ice shot into her very heart. It's not Michael Myers, she remembered her thoughts, her mantra. It's not Michael Myers, it's not Michael Myers!

Now here they were in a dark cave system, their safety ropes cut and a man lying dead with his throat slit! No! she shouted inwardly. Please any God, Jesus or whoever the fuck is out there tell me I'm wrong?

Duncan took a shuddering breath. "Ok guys we need to fucking move and now! We have five unmoved ropes, yes? Laurie, Paul, Annie, Lynda and Katie. I need you guys to work with Jason and I. One of us will hold on to two of you and follow your rope from behind. Who's going to do it?"

"I've got one of you," Katie said.

"Me too," Lynda agreed.

"Done. Ok let's go! Jason go with Katie; I'll go with Lynda. Get moving and whatever you do don't stop and do, not, separate! Keep each other in your eyesight at all times and keep talking to each other. Finally, be very fucking careful! We'll talk when back above ground and we can get medics down there and we're… we're safe! Ok, time to move, go!"

We'll never escape him! Never! He's Michael Myers and when he has his sights on you…

Laurie desperately tried to clamp down and stop her very thoughts. They wouldn't help. For one thing she didn't even know for sure it was Michael Myers. It could indeed be Andy just as had been suggested. Question was, how?

Katie and Jason carefully followed Katie's unmoved rope, but Laurie wasn't convinced. If it was Myers, he'd have moved the damn thing for his own sick, twisted pleasure. Duncan and Lynda were a little way further up the tunnel, doing exactly the same thing. Paul, Annie and Laurie walked side by side mostly except for one part which was so narrow they had to walk single file. Outside the powerful beam of their headlamps, impenetrable darkness threatened to swallow them whole. Every so often Duncan would call back to them, checking they were all with him.

But it was when Duncan and Lynda stopped Lynda's stifled scream cutting the air like breaking glass, Laurie's alarm finally pierced through her calm exterior.

"What is it?" Annie sounded as terrified as Laurie felt. Lynda didn't answer. Duncan turned to face them, his face deathly pale. "This rope has been severed inside these caves." His voice was very quiet.

"Huh?" Annie didn't understand. Laurie however stepped forward to see what their tour guide meant and felt as if she was going to simultaneously scream, cry and throw up. The rope came to a neat clean end, but miles from the entrance. So that meant… Paul voiced what she could not, his voice shaking now.

"Whoever did this they're down here with us."

"Exactly," Duncan said.

"I still say Andy," Annie whispered. "Who else could it be? They'd have to show their ticket to get in, right Duncan? How else would they get down here? How would they even know there's a tour on?"

"I…" the tour guide audibly swallowed. Seeing this unruffled, cool man afraid made Laurie even more nervous. "I don't know."

"If you don't know," Jason said just as quietly. "Then how the fuck are we supposed to? We're in danger, I know that much and whoever cut our fucking ropes you're saying is down here too?"

Duncan nodded. He seemed unable to speak further. Laurie took several deep breaths willing herself not to panic. It seemed she and Jason were the only two who were able to remain calm, on the outside at least. They had to help the others out of here before they could afford to panic.

"Katie," Laurie turned to the one woman with them who wasn't in their little group. "Is your rope severed too?"

"I don't know," Katie said, sounding as if she was on the verge of hysteria. In truth Laurie couldn't blame her. "I don't dare pull it in case it's not or it's close to the entrance."

That's not Michael's MO, Laurie thought. If he was going to sever all others, he wouldn't leave one intact, would… would he? Would that amuse the bastard? Fuck! I just don't know anymore!

That's not what you thought of him when you met him, her mind goaded her. Attractive, hansom and even sexy, wasn't it?

Shit! She had to stop these thoughts. Right now whatever the fuck she'd thought of him previously if it was indeed him down here, he was a masked, silent killer. She knew enough about Myers to know he never killed unmasked.

"I… I think," Jason sounded as though every word he said was causing him terrible pain and taking a massive effort. "I think some of us will have to wait down here. Listen!" He added, raising his hand to stop any interruptions. "We don't know for definite that Katie's rope isn't severed there's always a chance it might not be. But if we're all tagging along in single file like a God damn train, we run the risk of pulling it and subsequently moving it. But if very few of us move, we lower the odds of that happening."

"Yeah," Annie sneered and Laurie felt pity for her. The Annie she knew would've never spoken like this to anyone if not under terror and fear. "Want to save your ickle girlfriend, that it? I saw you holding hands back there! You're just trying to save your and her fucking asses before you fucking care about us strangers!"

Laurie was relieved when Jason didn't take the snap personally. In fact, he stepped up and touched Annie's arm. "Not at all Annie, I'm being practical. If the rest of us stand a chance of getting out this is the only way it's going to happen, or even has a chance of happening."

"He's right."

The two words made everyone turn to look at Duncan, who was still looking white faced but clearly also trying to regain his composure. "That makes sense, Jason. Laurie, Paul, Annie, Lynda you came together, so I don't want to separate you. Let Katie, Jason and I chance it on the rope. You are currently standing in 'Doom Tunnel' itself, wait here, do not move until I come back with rescue. I promise as soon as I get within radio range I will call them for help immediately. But you MUST stay where you are! Understood?"

Paul looked unconvinced; Annie downright terrified. Lynda nodded but Laurie… was more than terrified. If it was Myers, had he done this on purpose so this very thing would happen? Separate them then attack? It made perfect sense, target the stranded group.

With her in it.

No! no! no! That can't be true, it can't be Myers… it can't…

"I don't know Duncan, Paul said slowly. "There are so many things that could go wrong."

"Oh because things are going just fine and dandy right now! More than they already have?" Duncan turned on Paul. "What do you suggest my friend? I'd say we're already pretty fucked, how could things get any worse?"

"Our headlamps?"

"I told you! They're changed every two tours and the batteries were changed just before yours! You have eight hours light each! Use them sparingly, take it in turns! We have no other choice.

"He's right."

It was now Laurie's turn to echo those two words. Paul turned to her now. "You're not serious?"

"What the fuck do you suggest Paul? Laurie asked, running a shaking hand over her face. "Think about it! If none of us go we're all trapped." She wanted to add 'dead,' but stopped herself. "Someone has to go and get us help. There is no other choice."

"I don't like it," Paul said.

"You think I fucking do?" Duncan rounded on him. "If you've got a genius idea Mr. wise man, please tell us!"

"STOP!"

Everyone looked at Jason after his vehement shout. "If we keep standing here fucking arguing about it we'll never fucking get out!"

"Again he's right," Laurie said softly.

Paul looked furious at this point. "Fucking hell! It's a fucking death trap! If… if there is someone down here with us with… deadly intentions, you're walking straight into his trap!" "No more than we are by just standing here arguing about it," Laurie said her voice gentle now. If anything that'll just amuse him. "So we have to move and now. If we stay here we'll all eventually die anyway. There's no one else due here until tomorrow."

"No, wait," Paul looked at Duncan. "Didn't you say there are always colleagues at the top when a tour is in progress?"

"Yes," the instructor nodded. "But they're…" he took a breath. "Not trained in rescue mission."

"Actors?" Paul asked, but with no judgement or hostility in his voice unlike Andy had shown. "There are actors down here right?"

"There… there were," Duncan said, looking away. They all remembered Patrick lying dead a few tunnels away.

"I'll come with you," Laurie said to Duncan, Katie and Jason. "Lynda, Paul, Annie, do as Jason suggested. Share your lights and stay here!"

She could tell Paul still didn't like it, but then again she didn't either. Annie and Lynda both nodded as Laurie stepped up beside Duncan.

"Alright," the instructor said and they could tell from his voice he was trying as hard as he could to regain control. "Ok, let's go!"