Laurie stood in silence, staring into the darkness by the light of her headlamp. She wasn't even sure what she was looking for, but kept her eyes focused straight ahead. She knew that eventually she would have to talk to someone, tell them about what was going on in her life. If she didn't, she feared she would be the one going insane. She sighed and turned off her headlamp. She wasn't sure exactly why; she just knew she wanted some peace for a while. Then there was Ben. She didn't know what his problem was, but he simply refused to leave her alone, no matter what she said or did or how nicely she asked him. It was as though he was determined for them to get together and no one, nothing she did or said would stop him. The tunnel she was currently standing in was pitch black and totally silent. She was starting to wish she had taken Townsend, Andy or Lynda up on their offers to accompany her. Something about the darkness and silence was starting to get to her.
She looked up then at the sound of footsteps. Maybe someone had got worried and come looking for her, or maybe the car was heading back? Either way, she was relieved. That was, until she saw who the footsteps belonged to. Ben.
"I just wanted to make sure you're ok," he said, taking a step towards her.
Laurie gritted her teeth. Would this guy ever give up? "I told you I'm fine," she tried not to let her frustration show. "Please, just leave me alone for a bit, can you?"
He took another step towards her, and it was only then Laurie became aware the wall was right behind her, and if Cramer moved much closer she'd be trapped. She made to step back, but he'd already taken the final step so her back was pressed up against the brick wall. Clearly, he'd realised the exact same thing she had. Shit!
"I want to talk to you," he began, his breath hot against her face. "You've been pushing me away for weeks and I want to know why."
"Are you for real?" She stared at him in disbelief. "Are you seriously asking me that?"
If her eyes weren't deceiving her, he was glaring at her now. "Yes, I'm fucking asking you that!" The sudden ferocity in his voice made her look up at him, genuinely surprised. Now he did step back, pushing her into the wall. 'You've been fucking ignoring me for months, ever since your last BF left. You refuse to listen to me, even when I tell you how much I care about you. Hell, I love you Strode! But you obviously think you're too good for me or something. You treat me like shit on your shoe, and I fucking want to know why!"
She stared at him, aghast. Sure she'd expected him to ask her eventually, but here, now? And with so much anger and… hatred?
"I tried to be gentle about it," she tried to keep her tone patient. "I tried to tell you so many times that I am not, was not interested, but you kept pushing and pushing. I… I love the man who left me Ben, and I'm not about to start a rebound relationship! Things like that take time to heal, and I don't want to rush it."
"That sounds like bullshit to me," he said bluntly. "I know you want me Strode, so why are you being so fucking resistant? Are you that much of a prude? I bet you were fucking him left, right and centre, right?'
She could hardly believe her ears. "I don't think my sex life is any of your business, do you?"
"Actually yes I think it is," he countered and she stared at him, speechless. "Your ex obviously didn't care enough about you, but I do. Stop pushing me away Laurie, and let me show you how a true man loves his woman." You are not giving me the chance I deserve. I can and would make you feel so good, so loved."
Before she knew what was happening, Ben's hands were on her shoulders, pushing her almost gently bac against the wall. Then they left her shoulders and started touching, squeezing and massaging her breasts. Just as she had feared, the wall was now blocking her from behind, Ben in front. One hand moved between her legs and started touching her over her clothes, while the other continued to squeeze and fondle her breasts. Next second, his lips were against her neck, kissing and sucking hungrily. "Damn I need you; I want to fuck you so bad Strode," he panted in her ear. "So fucking bad! Right here, right now! You've been such a cold fucking cunt and I don't deserve it, when all I've tried to do is love you! Whoever your ex was, he clearly didn't know what he had. Well I do, so now I'm going to make love to you, show you how much I love you." I told you that you shouldn't have come down here, you're not ready for it, and I didn't say you could. But now you are, it's the perfect time for me to make love to you. I'm just trying to protect and love you Strode, that's all."
That was when he unzipped her pants, his hand slipped into them and her underwear and he started to finger her clit. Laurie struggled, but it was futile. He was much stronger than she was and the wall behind her was solid brick.
"So wet," Ben groaned as his movements increased in speed. "Is that all for me, babes? Don't worry, I'll fuck you in a minute, my thick hard cock will be deep inside you, you don't need to wait anymore, honey."
Laurie knew that if she wanted to avoid being raped, ironically in the exact same spot where her now husband had fucked her, she needed to act and fast. The question was, how? She was no match for Cramer and she knew it. He was a foot taller than her at least.
His mouth moved from her neck to hers and he forced his tongue into her mouth, kissing her with building passion. She could now feel his erection pressing against her, as he reached down to unzip his pants.
"I fucking need you Strode," he panted in her ear. "I need you, want you and love you. Let me give you what you need. You might be heartbroken now, but I can take all that away from you."
He started kissing her again, as she felt him reaching into his own pants and starting to masturbate.. A wave of fury threatened to overtake and consume her. Who did this bastard think he was? That was when an idea came to her. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out one of her safety whistles and gave it a long, shrill blast. Why hadn't she thought of it before? Ben staggered backwards, his hands over his ears. Within seconds, she heard running footsteps. It was Andy, Lynda and Townsend, Katie right behind them.
"What happened?" Lynda asked. "Are you…" But that was when they all saw Ben's erect penis, pants around his ankles, and Laurie trapped against the wall. Before any of them saw him move, Andy had stepped forward and grabbed Ben by the neck.
"I should break your fucking neck," he snarled. "You were going to rape her, you son of a bitch! You won't accept the fact that she's not interested, so you try and force yourself on her when you don't get your way! Men like you fucking disgust me! All you wanted was to get your cock wet! Not only that, but you do it down here, when we're all saying goodbye to our massacred friends and acquaintances? Good God man I want to kill you!"
"You just couldn't deal with the fact she wasn't interested, could you?" Lynda spoke up now, glaring at Cramer with undisguised hatred. "You couldn't deal with it, so you were going to rape her instead. That just proves, to me at least what I've always suspected about you. All you wanted was sex from day one, you never cared about Laurie as a person, did you? You can say you did, but you know what Cramer? I'm not buying it! You're just a horny jerk who wants Laurie for only one thing, sex. She tried to be gentle about it so many times, and you were a total asshole!"
Andy had pulled Ben back from Laurie during Lynda's rant, enabling Laurie to get away from the wall. Townsend took her arm and started leading her back towards the car. She didn't stop him; she was actually exceptionally grateful for it.
"Thanks," she gave him a shaky but genuine smile.
"Are you ok?" He asked her.
"Yes thank you, just… ug! I should've seen that coming, I should never have asked him to come down here… more fool me, I thought he was a friend! He's been pursuing me romantically for months, and I've tried so many times to tell him I'm not interested, but he just doesn't… get it! I can't believe he's tried… that down here tonight. So fucking disrespectful!"
"On this I have to agree with you," Townsend said. "I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry for, Mr. Townsend? You didn't do anything."
"Doesn't mean I can't be sorry that you were almost sexually assaulted, does it?"
"Fair point," she conceded with a small grin.
Andy, Lynda and Katie appeared, dragging Ben between them. Andy looked livid and Laurie's affection for him grew even stronger if that were possible. "I'm going to call the fucking cops!" He fumed. "You attempted to rape her!" Laurie was more touched than she could ever tell him by his concern and anger on her behalf. Townsend helped her back up into her seat in the trailer and Katie put her arm around her. Andy pushed Ben into a seat and sat next to him, glaring at him with a death glare.
"Is everyone ready to go back?" Townsend asked. Everyone nodded, Laurie suddenly feeling the sting of tears. She could hardly believe what a so-called friend had just done. It turned out she'd been right all along, the only thing he wanted from her was sex, in the guise of love. But then, Michael hadn't loved her either…
NO! She shouted at herself. I can't let my thoughts go back there, I can't! damn you Michael Myers, why do I love you so much? Why did you have to fucking leave? Making it damn obvious you don't give a damn about me except for sex? Well it turns out you're not the only one in that category after all!
The journey back in the train seemed to last a lifetime to Laurie. The glare Andy was giving Ben was almost deadly. If looks could kill, Laurie thought. If she was honest, her only feeling just then was sadness. That someone she thought was a friend could do one of the worst things possible to her. That was when the engine of the tractor cut out.
"Shit," Townsend cursed, immediately telling them all there was a problem. Laurie felt a totally unexpected but also welcome moment of amusement. Who'd have thought the billionaire would cuss? Something of it must've shown on her face, because Townsend gave a rueful grin. "It happens sometime." Standing, he dismounted the tractor and started looking at it carefully.
"Technical fault? Andy asked, jumping down to help.
"Looks like the battery's gone," Townsend frowned. "But that makes no sense, I only had it installed yesterday."
Andy stepped to the other man's side and looked at the machine. "Fuck," he said. "Tom, look."
Townsend frowned for a second, clearly not understanding, then his face turned pale. Laurie was almost scared to ask why. "Someone's cut the battery wires," Townsend's voice was quiet. "They did it just enough so that the connection was loose, so the engine would start and then fail."
Laurie pulled out her flashlight again, dismounted and turned it on so that the two men could see better. "Thanks," Townsend smiled at her. Shining the light downwards, Laurie could now see the wires in question. She felt her blood run cold and a jolt of fear in her chest. "Looks like it's been done with a knife," she said softly.
"That was my exact thought," Townsend nodded. "But… who? As far as I knew I don't… didn't sell knives in the gift shop."
"I…" Laurie shared a glance with Andy, and could tell straight away he knew exactly what she was thinking. Or rather, who she was thinking of.
"We need to get out of here," Andy's voice was perfectly calm, and Laurie felt a rush of respect. "We need to get back above ground, as soon as we can, like, now."
Ben, Lynda and Katie finally step down to join them. "What's going on?" Katie asked. "Is there a problem with the tractor?"
Laurie was in that moment, glad that they'd kept their voices down and those still on board hadn't heard. If Katie suspected Jason's killer may be close by once again,… Laurie didn't want to think about it.
"What do we do?" Townsend also sounded calm, almost matter of fact and Laurie was certain he had suddenly realised exactly what danger they might be in. "Do we walk? Or keep trying the tractor?"
"I would say walk," Andy said, "but we don't have ropes, right?"
"No," Townsend agreed. "But I do know the way out, I've been down here enough times and I do have a map."
"Ok," Laurie nodded. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Lynda and Andy looking at each other and new Lynda too had twigged and was trying to keep her terror at bay for Katie's sake, the only one of the group still oblivious.
"Come on Katie," Lynda said. "I've got a flask of tea I brought down here. Let's sit in the train and have some until we know what the plan is."
'Good thinking," Andy mouthed to Lynda and Laurie nodded, as did Townsend.
"Why would he be down here now?" Andy whispered. "I mean, he's locked up in the hospital under maximum security now, isn't he?"
"The man who killed Jason, Duncan and Patrick?" Townsend whispered and Laurie and Andy both nodded.
"But you're right, that makes no sense," Townsend murmured. "He was caught, wasn't he? I heard it was none other than Michael Myers! Why would Michael Myers come down here? Wasn't he the man who killed his sister at the age of just six or something?"
"That's him," Andy affirmed.
"I mean sure, the kills sound like his M.O," Townsend continued. "But why 'Doom Tunnel?' How would he even know about it? They advertised it in Smith's Grove or something?"
Andy gave a quiet snort of laughter. Townsend smiled faintly back at him. "He's already committed one massacre down here, but he must've known there would be tourists that night. How in God's name would he know you'd be down here tonight?"
"That's what scares me," Laurie said softly. "Because… shit! I think I know the answer to that."
Throughout this, Laurie noticed that Ben hadn't moved at all from his seat. Was that because he was scared of Andy? Or was he planning how and when to make his next move on her to try and rape her again? She shivered a little. Well if she was right in her theory, to do so again might be a very bad idea.
Unless he doesn't care and decides to kill me anyway, I'm only his wife after all!
"What the hell are you talking about?" Andy asked, desperately trying to keep his voice low so Katie didn't hear. "Do you know something?"
"I want to say no," she leant against the side of the train. "But… I'm terrified I can't. That I might indeed be right and know what's going on, or rather, who's down here with us tonight. You're correct, Mr. Townsend. It very probably is the man who killed Jason, Duncan and Patrick last Halloween night."
"Tell me you are fucking kidding," Andy turned on her now, precisely what she'd expected would happen if she told the truth, which she was about to do. She knew she had no choice.
"But… " Townsend looked bewildered. "Not… not Michael Myers, right? How on earth would he escape a second time and get back down here? More to the point, how would he have known anyone would be here? He'd surely realise after he killed three people no one would come down here again?"
Andy looked away from Laurie, as though he could not stand to look at her a moment longer, and started once again looking at the wires of the tractor, desperately trying to fix them. "Son," Townsend laid a soothing hand on Andy's shoulder. "Andy, there's nothing we can do, they're totally slashed."
"But…" Andy looked lost for words. "How? We hardly stepped away from the train at all! The only time we left it was at the gravestone and that was for mere minutes, and plus, it was in our sights! How the fuck would someone cut the wires to the engine without us seeing?"
"Easily," Townsend said grimly. "We weren't looking at the tractor while we were away from it for obvious reasons. If someone was able to be very very quiet and move without being seen, it would've been a piece of cake."
That's exactly what my husband can do…
Laurie felt her heart break when Andy didn't look back at her. All she could hope for was that she hadn't lost a friend forever. "I think you've got some explaining to do," Andy's voice was not angry, but it didn't have to be. Laurie knew he was furious, and neither could she blame him.
"What we need to do first is start walking," Townsend said. "If… what you're saying is true and correct, standing here chatting won't help us! there's nothing we can do for the tractor, the wires are completely ruined. We need to get moving."
"What the fuck do we tell Katie? Andy hissed. 'If she thinks there's even a chance Jason's killer might be down here with us, she'll freak out and who can blame her!"
"Nothing unless we have to," Townsend said, and Laurie could see immediately he was taking control. Thank God. "Let's just get moving and get out of here before we do anything else."
Andy turned back to Laurie. "This isn't over," he said. "You have some serious explaining to do when we get out."
"Understood and done," Laurie said, fighting back tears. God she hoped she was wrong…
"Ok," Townsend said. "Let's get moving. Ok guys," he raised his voice slightly. Laurie felt a chill of fear. What if they were heard?
Your husband doesn't need to hear you, he already knows where you are. The nasty little voice almost made her actually wince, somehow she managed to stop herself. Lynda, Katie and Ben stepped down from the train and Andy glared at Ben again, but this time, Laurie was sure it was because he'd done absolutely nothing to try and help the group, as opposed to because of what he'd tried to do to her. Did he even care anymore?
THERE'S NO PROOF! Laurie shouted at herself. UNTIL YOU HAVE PROOF OF WHAT YOU'RE THINKING, YOU CAN'T BE BLAMED! HELL, HOW IS IT MY FAULT MY DAMN HUSBAND'S A FUCKING SERIAL KILLER ANYWAY?
Pulling out the map, Townsend stepped to the front of the group and just as Laurie had suspected he would, took control. "There's a problem with the tractor, so we need to walk to get out of here. It's not far though, don't worry and I've got a map so we won't get lost, I promise. Laurie, can I have your flashlight, please? I've got one but it's in my bag."
She knew what he wasn't saying. We don't have time for me to look for it, we need to move and now. Without a word, she handed it over to him.
