Halloween 1962
5 year old Michael Myers stood on the doorstep of his house on 45 Lampkin Lane. He wore a multicoloured clown outfit. It was late afternoon on Halloween day and a cool, fire scented breeze rolled down the lane, kicking up the pumpkin orange and blood red leaves of fall. All the other kids raced around the lanes and streets, wearing their bright Halloween costumes while knocking at every house for sugar sweet candy. Trick or treat, give me something good to eat. Those kids were happy, hearts filled with the delight and innocence of childhood.
Laughter, candy and costumes. Halloween was a joyful time for them.
Michael stood as still as death. His black eyes staring ahead, almost fixed on nothing. It was easy to believe that he was suffering from some kind of catatonia. But he wasn't. He just didn't move or talk. People overlooked him, they didn't notice he was there. Allowing him to watch. A silent voyeur. He stood and quietly waited as the kids and cars rushed by. The sky turned from a light pale blue to a peal pink, and Michael continued to stand and wait as the whole world turned.
Eventually his Grandma emerged from the back of the house. She sweetly smiled at Michael. His face remained pale and impassive. Grandma gulped and shivered. She rubbed her arms and looked around at the ordinary lane. Why did Michael always give her the chills? She shook her head and tried to put it out of her mind. She leaned forward and affectionately touched Michael's shoulder.
'Aww your little clown outfit looks soo cute. Would you like to go trick or treating?' She smiled again.
Michael tilted his head to the side and looked at her. 'No.' He said bluntly.
Grandma stepped back and blinked, placing her hand over her heart. There was something about this child, something wrong. Judith was sweet and kind. Michael was dark and cold. A black hole of malice.
'Okay Michael, I'm gonna return to the backyard and finish raking the leaves up.' Grandma quickly backed away and scurried down the side of the house, glad to be away from Michael.
Michael listened to his Grandma back away. He knew she wouldn't stay in the backyard, she'd hurry next door to the Mackenzies, anything to stay away from him. People voided him. Once his Grandma was out of earshot, Michael stepped inside the house. Nobody was home. His Mom had taken Judith to the shops and his Dad was busy at work. Michael walked through the empty house and into the kitchen. He tugged the knife drawer open and reached inside, his vision blurred slightly as he did so. He pulled out the biggest kitchen knife he could find and shut the drawer. Quietly walking upstairs to his bedroom. He hid the knife under his mattress. Once the knife was hidden, Michael returned to his place on the doorstep.
About an hour later his Mom arrived home. She and Judith got out of the car, carrying shopping bags and food. She stopped in front of him.
'Michael, where's Grandma?'
Michael looked next door at the Mackenzie's house.
'Oh, she's always there. Never stays with you.' She laughed and stepped into the house, pulling Michael by the hand.
His Mom and Judith made a big dinner. His Dad came home and his Grandma made her way back too. The whole family chatted and joked, enjoying their family time together. Michael was silent the entire time. He stabbed at the meat on his plated. Ripping and biting the food apart with his sharp little teeth. After dinner, Judith went out with friends and his parents watched TV. Grandma disappeared to her room upstairs.
Michael also went to his bedroom. He lay down in bed, still wearing his clown costume, and closed his eyes. He didn't sleep, he just waited and listened. Eventually he heard his parents come up and go to bed, they were early sleepers.
Now the house was sleeping, Michael got up and slid the knife out from under his mattress. Admiring the cold blade in the low light of the room. Sharp and deadly, beautifully made to slice and maim. Michael lowered the knife by his side and stepped to his bedroom window. His room was located at the front of the house, giving a view of the street below. He opened the window and climbed out. There was a little flat roof under the window that covered the porch below. Michael walked over the roof and easily clambered down one of the wooden porch supports, and stood in front of his house, the Myer's house.
The Halloween night air filled Michaels lungs as he heavily breathed in. Darkness surrounded him, covering him, becoming apart of him. He was the infinite darkness and the infinite darkness was him. No longer a boy or a human. He possessed all the powers of darkness and the ancient magical night of Samhain.
Michael slowly walked away from his home and strode up the lane. The wind stirred, blowing dead leaves around his ankles and shins. At the top of his lane, Michael turned left and move down Willow Street. He stopped and looked around, most of the houses were dark and sleepy, with lifeless Jack-o'-Lanterns decorating the porches. There was one house though, all of the lights were ablaze, and a flashy sports car was parked out front. The car looked like it belonged to high school senior. Michael stepped up to the car and peered inside. Empty beer bottles were littered all over the seats. Drunk and probably inside the house now. Easy prey.
Michael carefully walked down the side of the white clapboard house and glanced in through the window at the living room. A trail of clothes covered the floor, one set of clothes for a guy and a one for a girl. The clothes had obviously been taken off in a lust filled hurry. His knuckles turned white as Michael gripped the handle of the knife with a ferocious intensity. The clothes trail led to the foot of the stairs.
Turning on his heel, Michael made his way to the rear of the property and found the backdoor. It was unlocked. Foolish teens. Michael stepped inside the house, the darkness and the shadows welcomed him.
Upstairs in her parent's bedroom and king size bed, Ella lay on top of her boyfriend Nick. She kissed him, passionate drunken kisses as she pressed her bare boobs and pointy pink nipples against his broad chest. Nicked grunted, a little sensitive from his recent orgasm. Ella rolled off him and panted with delight.
'Fantastic.' She grinned.
Nick grunted again. 'Not bad, I've had better.'
Ella laughed, arching her curvy chest, and smacked his arm. 'You dork. You were virgin before you met me, I'm the best you've ever had!'
He chucked. 'Okay, you the best. The greatest. My love Goddess,' he roared.
Ella couldn't stop giggling. 'That's better, that's my good boy.'
Nick sat up a little and ran a hand through his thick, wavy hair. 'Your parents aren't going to be back anytime soon, are they? I don't wanna be caught naked with you. Your Dad would kill me, and I'm too handsome to die.'
Ella rolled her eyes. 'They are gone for the night. The house and beers are ours. Hmm talking of beer, be a good boy and go get me one, now!'
Nick gave another dumb grunt. 'But it's cold out there and my legs are numb from fucking.'
Ella turned to face him. Cupping her boobs, jiggling them together. 'If you want more of these, get your ass downstairs and get me beer!'
Nick stared at her delicious boobs, almost hypnotized. 'Okay, anything you say, Goddess.' He jumped out of bed and pulled his jeans on, his eyes on Ella the whole time. 'Don't get dressed. I'll be right back!' She laughed and Nick left the room.
He stomped down the stairs, heavy drunken footfalls. The lower house was now dark. Nick frowned, he was sure they'd left all the lights on. Whatever, he needed beer and boobies. Stumbling in the dark, Nick groped his way to the kitchen and open the fridge. He hauled out a six pack of cold beers and grinned. Good boy. He closed the fridge and stopped. Listening, surrounded by shadows.
A noise caught his ears, it sounded like soft, damp breathing. Nick listened some more, amused, and turned. He jumped back in surprised and then laughed. A tiny boy stood in the doorway to the hall. Dressed in a frilly clown outfit, with a clown mask covering his little face, and his hands behind his back. Nick stared at the boy. Ella didn't have a younger brother. Who the hell was this kid? Maybe a lost trick or treater? Nick walked to the boy and knelt down in front of him. Smiling.
'Hey kid. You lost? Wanna try a beer, I won't tell your Mommy.' Nick closed his eyes and laughed loudly.
In that brief moment Nick closed his eyes, Michael lifted his hand from behind his back and drove the upper blade of the long kitchen knife into the middle of Nick's chest. For a 5 year old boy, he had enormous, almost supernatural strength.
Nick didn't move for a second, he stayed laughing with his mouth wide open. Then suddenly he felt a hot wet pain leaking from his chest. In a panic he opened his eyes and looked down, seeing the knife protruding from his body. He gulped, not thinking, not understanding the gravity of the situation.
Michael pulled the knife from Nick's chest and jabbed it into his belly instead. Nick fell back onto the floor, dropping the beers, trying to scream, but no noise would escape from his blood filled throat. Michael ripped the knife from Nick's body and climbed on top of him, calming sitting on Nick's ribcage. Nick started to squirm below him.
Michael took the knife and poked it repeatedly into Nick's unprotected face until he stopped moving and lay still. Dead. Gone. Taken by the darkness.
Michael stood up, tilting his head. Staring down at Nick's bloody, broken body. Just a thing. A body. Something to murder.
Ella sat up in bed, feeling bored. She toyed and twisted one of her succulent large nipples, wondering where the hell Nick had gotten to. Stupid boy. The kitchen wasn't far away, he should be back by now. Perhaps a cigarette instead?
She reached for the pack on the bedside table and stopped as the bedroom door opened a crack. She heard two thumps hit the floor. Ella pouted at the sound and crawled to the end of the bed, looking down. Two full beer bottles were on the floor. Ella smiled, Nick must have rolled them into the room from behind the door. Playing a silly game on her.
'Nick you dork. Come back to bed and stop fooling around.'
Silence. Nick didn't reply or enter the room.
Ella sighed. 'Nick get in here or fuck off home!'
Nothing. All still and quiet.
Ella got up off the bed, pissed off. She stormed to the door and threw it open, expecting Nick to be waiting there. He wasn't. The landing stood empty and strangely dark. Ella tiptoed out onto the landing, feeling cold, and stood overlooking the stairs. Her slender hands on the stair rail.
'Nick?' She whispered.
Michael's pale Shape materialize from the shadows behind Ella. He swiftly stabbed the knife into Ella's lower back. She let out a piercing scream and fell forward, falling over the rail. Hitting the wooden stairs below with a sickening crack. Silence returned, it sounded almost deafening after Ella's sharp scream.
Michael casually walked downstairs. Ella lay on the bottom steps. The knife in her back. Her head twisted at an awkward and unnatural angle. Another lifeless thing. A dead doll with empty eyes.
Michael pulled the knife from Ella's blood soaked back. He walked out of the front door without looking back. Their house of life and lust was now dark and desolate. The Shape's work was done. The evil was gone from there.
He returned home to the Myer's house. Washed and dried the knife of blood and replaced it in the drawer. Got into bed and slept soundly. Murder brought him a moment of peace.
The next morning Michael sat the breakfast table, obediently eating a bowl of cereal. Just him and his Mom were home. She danced to music playing from the radio. The music stopped and a special news report started to air:
'Good morning citizens of Haddonfield, this Dave McRave reporting live. I bring grim news, I hope you are seated.
This morning at 26 Willow Street, two bodies were discovered. The bodies were discovered by Mrs. Elrod, who lives next door at 25 Willow Street. She notified the police and they responded immediately. The bodies have been identified as a Miss. Ella Rosewood and a Mr. Nick Parker, both 17 years old.
It seems they were attacked and brutally murdered within the Rosewood family home during Halloween night. Both sets of parents have been informed and are deeply shocked by the news.
No murder weapon has been discovered. No murder has been apprehended. No real motive has been uncovered.
Our once quiet town is quiet no more. We have a killer on the loose. A manic. A wild and dangerous man.
If you have any information regarding this terrible crime, please contact the local police station straight away.
This is Dave McRave signing off. God bless you all.'
Michael's Mom gulped and shut the radio off. She looked out of the window at the damp neighbourhood. 'Willow Street, that's so close by. It's not safe anywhere these days.' She said as she moved close to Michael and lovingly stroked his head. 'Don't worry, I won't let anyone hurt you, my sweet boy.' She turned to the sink and began washing breakfast plates.
Michael felt amused. Nobody would suspect him, he was just a cute little boy to the eyes of the world. Not a killer. Killers were always strange men, not cute kids. He'd get away with it and kill again and again and again. Not yet, he'd wait awhile. Maybe next Halloween. Maybe closer to home.
At that moment Judith walked into the kitchen and smiled at her brother.