Chapter 18: Genetic Curse
Haddonfield Illinois October 31st 1963
"Mikey, don't eat your candy all at once now, you'll get cavities." Ms. Blankenship sat in her rocking chair knitting a nice periwinkle blanket as she spoke to the little six-year-old angel. Mikey was sitting on an orange shag rug in the middle of the floor of Ms. Blankenship's home. He sat there like a little monkey ravaging the contents of his candy bag. He unwrapped a little candy and stuck it in his mouth. It was a delicious chocolate and Mikey smiled as he felt it melt in his mouth.
Lila Blankenship hummed a little ditty as her ancient record player played a vintage record of the Chordettes' song, "Mr. Sandman." She innocently maneuvered her fingers over and under the yarn she was sewing, her needles clicking away as she did so. The thirty something neighbor was an old family friend of the Myers. Everyday she'd stroll over to the Myers place to have tea with Audrey while Peter was out. Lila was always as sweet as can be when gossiping with her friend. She never once judged Audrey or her family, even when it became apparent that there were problems.
Tonight, Audrey and Peter had decided to go out to dinner and catch a movie. Of course Audrey had asked Lila to baby-sit Michael while they were out. She said that Judith couldn't as she was studying for an exam with her boyfriend Leigh. Lila knew what that meant but would never dream of clueing in Audrey on what Judith was really doing. At times, Audrey could be almost as naïve and innocent as Michael.
Lila kept a hawk's eye on little Michael as he gobbled up two more pieces of chocolate. What a sweet child, my how he had loved trick or treating. Lila Blankenship had taken the little boy out only an hour or so earlier. He had skipped from house to house, eager to show off his little clown costume.
Ms. Blankenship had done her best to keep up with the feisty little boy but at times he had wandered up to two blocks ahead before she caught up to him. Now she sat in her chair for a well-deserved rest. She may have been in her prime but the years of smoking were already beginning to take their toll on her.
Little Michael sat cross-legged on the carpet rummaging through his bag with a huge grin on his face. What an amazing week it had been. Yesterday had been his sixth birthday and he'd gotten this cool costume as a present from his sister. Today he had shown it off at school for his class Halloween party. Tonight had been really fun too; Michael had hardly been able to contain himself as he went from house to house getting candy.
Tonight had been his first time trick or treating. He had really wanted Judith to take him but she insisted she did not have the time. Michael was disappointed but didn't argue. Instead, he went to his parents but they too had already made plans for tonight. His mother could sense his distress however and called Ms. B. Sure enough, their friendly neighbor agreed to take him out tonight.
Michael had just popped another chocolate past his rosy lips when a voice startled him and nearly made him choke.
"Michael."
Michael looked up at Ms. B who was hummed quietly while she continued to knit. Michael pursed his lips around the chocolate as he slowly looked over his shoulder. He looked behind him and saw the front door. The howling wind had blown the screen door open and it squeaked as it slowly flapped in the breeze.
"Michael. It's time."
Michael's eyes glazed over as he continued to stare at the front door. Not just staring at it, but through it. He looked through the door and across the lawn. Past the white sheets hung out to dry from when his mom did their laundry. Past the newly painted front steps that led up to the front door of his own home. The home where he was born. Where he spent the last six years creating happy memories with his loving family.
Michael's eyes pierced the front door and saw right through them, right past the staircase that he had fallen down when he was four and sliced his lip open. He stared right into the dining room on the other end of his home. His eyes shot through the house and fixed their sights on Judith who sat very calmly at the polished dining room table.
She was reading a textbook, most likely her math book. She casually scrawled out several notes on her notebook as she read from the large book. Her boyfriend Leigh, who was not as interested in studying, maintained his posture as he rubbed his hand up and down her thigh. Michael's pupils dilated as he saw Judith flick her hand to shoo away her boyfriend's advances. She giggled as she twirled her hair and tried to regain some focus on her homework.
Michael slowly stood up, the music in the background of Ms. Blankenship's house would normally have soothed the little boy into a gently slumber. Not tonight however, tonight it only fueled a rage inside his soul, a rage that would eventually consume him and never die out. The melting piece of chocolate slipped from Michaels loosened lips and fell to the ground below.
Ms. Blankenship looked up from her knitting and saw the little boy rise to his feet. Without a sound, little Michael Myers began walking towards the front door. Ms. Blankenship continued to hum quietly as she knitted. She didn't speak, didn't try to stop Michael from leaving for her intentions were truly of the cruelest nature. She was in fact nothing more than a temporary guardian to the evil harnessing its power inside the little boy.
Tonight was the night that evil would be released upon the world, a plague that would spread in this little town. Death was coming to Haddonfield, Illinois and Ms. Blankenship knew it. She knew it and embraced it. The thirty something woman who would eventually die of lung cancer some forty years later sat quietly humming in her chair as she watched the devil incarnate walk out of her sights.
"Go my child, embrace your destiny." She whispered as the boy walked out the front door and entered the shadowy streets, becoming not a boy, but a shape in the night.
October 31st 2004 Smith's Grove Sanitarium
Thom and Mark began a slow arduous journey across the Smith's Grove Sanitarium parking lot. They walked through the pouring rain in silence. Thom didn't speak; his eyes were intent on their mission. Mark held his rifle steady, unsure of whether he'd need it or not. "Doyle I gotta ask, I'm prepared to walk in there toting this gun and scaring the hell out of anyone in there but before I do, I need to know this isn't just about your vendetta against Wynn."
Thom stopped and looked at Mark. The forty something sheriff was drenched in rain and willing to risk his career to help his friend. Thom needed Mark. He lifted an eyebrow and spoke more casually, "Sheriff, I didn't come all the way down here to get revenge. Granted, I do have an axe to grind with that bastard but before that I...we need to find John and Lindsay. I know there here."
Mark was understandably frustrated, as the sheriff he needed to make sure he set an example by doing things by the book. He sighed and said, "How do you know there even here?" Thom threw his arm out and pointed at the helicopter off in the distance, "Do you need a sign? There it is!"
Mark nodded, "Alright, let's do this." Mark lifted his radio from his belt and turned it on, "Henderson? It's me. Yeah, I need that back up. I want our entire squad down here. We're taking the nuthouse tonight. I want tactical units surrounding the building. Nobody makes a move until I say so is that understood? We're not spooking the residents if this is just a false alarm."
Thom lifted an eyebrow, "It's not a 'false alarm' Mark." Mark looked at him and grimaced, "Alright boys, get down here as fast as you can. Doyle and I are going inside to interrogate Dr. Wynn." Mark put his radio back onto his belt and lowered his rifle.
Thom looked across the parking lot and over to the main entrance of the building. He turned to Mark and said, "Ready?" Marks sighed and adjusted his Sheriff's hat, "As I'll ever be Doyle. God damn, you'd better be wrong about this." With that said and the tension laid down, they began walking towards the front entrance.
The massive building that was Smith's Grove looked like something out of a Boris Karloff nightmare. It was a large eight story complex resembling an ancient castle more so than a hospital. Thom looked at the stone building and shivered. It had been going on nine years since his last venture into this place.
Kara was sitting on the couch in her once peaceful home when an officer walked up to her and handed her a glass of water. She looked up at him and he smiled, "Ma'am, my name is Henderson. Kyle Henderson. If you need anything just ask ok?" Kara nodded gratefully and started drinking from her glass.
Suddenly, Henderson's radio started up and her heard the sheriff's voice. He picked up his radio and spoke, "Yes Sheriff I'm here. You want us all? Are you sure? Yes sir. Yes sir I understand. We're on our way." Kyle set his radio back onto his belt and looked at Kara, "Excuse me for a moment." She turned and watched as he walked back into the kitchen. She tilted her head curiously and watched Henderson speak to the other cops.
Soon they were all walking back out into the living room and out the front door. Kara; surprised; stood up and asked, "What the hell is going on? Where are you going?" Henderson stepped past another officer and walked up to Kara, "That was Sheriff Grayson on the radio. He and Thom are entering the Smith's Grove facility and he requested immediate back up. He wants all units down there." Kara's eyes widened.
She tried to find the words, Kyle could sense her anxiety and said, "Don't worry. We'll be back soon with your husband. I'll keep an officer posted at your front door to keep watch." Kara crossed her arms and spoke quite dryly, "Because that worked so well when you left two guards to watch over my children." Henderson sighed, "Ma'am, there's nothing to worry about. Myers isn't coming back. He's on his way this very moment to a hospital surrounded by police awaiting his arrival and your son's. He's not going anywhere."
Kara shifted uncomfortably and leaned in close to Henderson, "I'm a little embarrassed to say this but..." Henderson nodded for her to continue. Kara looked behind him at the staircase, "I'm afraid to leave Daniel alone. He's acting strange and I'm worried what he might do."
Henderson looked up at the stairs and back at the agitated woman. "Ok, I'll have an posted outside your son's room and I'll stay here with you. Is that ok?" Kara felt a small wave of relief wash over her, "Thank you."
Henderson smiled and turned back to the front door. He walked out and shouted to the other officers as they got into their police cars, "Move out men, I'm staying here to keep watch. Gibbs? You stay behind and keep watch outside the boy's room." A tall lanky officer, Deputy Leo Gibbs walked up to Henderson, "You got it." He walked into the house and started up the stairs.
Henderson looked back at Kara and smiled warmly, "It'll be ok Mrs. Doyle." Kara wrapped her arms around herself and smiled, "Thank you officer Henderson." Henderson replied, "Call me Kyle." Kara smiled and turned to walk back to the couch. She walked about halfway there and suddenly stopped. She slowly turned around to face Henderson, "Kyle, I cant lose them...Thom and Stephen. They're my life, them and Dan."
Kyle walked over to the woman and put a tender hand on her shoulder, "They'll be ok. Would you feel better if I called down to the hospital to see if your son has arrived yet?" Kara nodded and Kyle smiled, "No problem, Just give me a sec." Kara sighed as Kyle walked out into the kitchen. Kara was terribly exhausted. She drifted back over to the couch and sat down. She ran her hands through her wavy reddish blonde hair and closed her eyes.
Kara started massaging her temples and tried to relax. Stephen would be ok, he would get help from the doctors and everything would be fine. She tried to force hopeful thoughts into her mind but the image of Stephen's bluish purple face kept coming back. Her baby had needed her and she could do nothing. All she had been able to do was watch as they loaded his frail little body onto that ambulance.
Kyle was out in the kitchen on his cell phone, "Yes I need to find out if an ambulance-no, two ambulances arrived yet. Yes, one was carrying a small child and the other was carrying a dangerous criminal. Uh huh, what! Lost contact? When? Yes I know the storm was bad but how-my god...yes thank you." Kyle turned off his phone and immediately pulled his radio off his belt.
He turned it on and frantically spoke, "Attention units! Guys listen, the hospital lost contact with the ambulances holding the Doyle kid and Myers almost a half hour ago! The storm was bad but-I need a couple units to get over back track and search the area from here to Haddonfield Memorial. We have to find those ambulances, if they broke down or worse...just find them!" Kyle set his radio back on his belt and turned around to see Kara standing in the kitchen entrance staring at him in shock.
Her expression was strange, she looked as if she couldn't understand what was happening. Kyle ran over to her and tried to explain, "How long have you been there? It's alright, we'll find your son I prom-"Kara cut him off, "I have to, uh, I have to see my son." Kyle nodded and continued, "We'll find him don't worry." Kara's eyes were glazed like she'd finally lost it. She slowly turned around and walked over to the staircase in an almost dreamlike trance. Kyle shook his head as he watched the poor woman walk up the stairs.
Thom and Mark arrived at the front entrance of the Smith's Grove Sanitarium complex. Thom took a deep breath and closed his eyes. This was his moment of truth. It was the beginning of the end. He thought about everything that had led up to this moment in his life, watching Laurie strode fight off the boogeyman in his first attack so many years ago. Saving Kara and the children almost ten years before. Thom opened his eyes and reached up to open the glass door. This was it, his final confrontation with Michael. He'd kill that monster...or die trying. Thom mustered up all his courage and turned the door handle.
"Shit." Thom blurted out. Mark leaned in and questioned, "What? What is it?" Thom turned and looked at Mark, "Damn thing's locked."
Mark was caught off guard and Thom grabbed his rifle and aimed it at the door. Mark quickly grabbed the rifle and struggled to get it away from Thom, "No way Doyle, your not going to blast that door open, not on my watch, don't even think about it!" Mark yanked the rifle away from Thom and Thom held his hands up in surrender, "Alright Mark, we'll do it your way but we gotta get in one way or another."
Sheriff Grayson looked around the area and began walking along the side of the building. Thom curiously followed. They traveled briskly down to the back end of the building and Mark saw a rusty back door surrounded by a metal gate. The gate was loose at the hinge and creaked when Mark pushed it open. They walked through the gate and stopped at the back door.
Thom looked down at the metal handles chained shut and smirked, "Now what." Mark looked at Thom and grumbled to himself. He lifted his rifle up and bashed the handle down on the chains a few times until they broke loose. Thom crossed his arms and smiled, "So how's that better then my way?" Mark grabbed the door handle and pulled it open, "Shut up Doyle..." The two men slowly entered the darkest end of the Smith's Grove facility.
Meanwhile
Dan opened his closet door and looked down at the hamper. He opened it and found his pajamas, which he'd planned on washing earlier. He pulled them out and slowly removed his long sleeved black shirt. He dropped the dirty blood stained shirt in the hamper and shivered.
Dan looked over his shoulder at the mirror behind him and saw his naked back. His muscles had developed nicely over his milky white skin. He noticed the series of scars old and new covering his back and slowly turned away. He slipped on his white pajama t-shirt and proceeded to change into his flannel pajama pants.
Kara floated up the stairs in a numbing haze. It felt as if her feet weren't even touching the ground. Kara wasn't even in her body, she was drifting somewhere in space. She hadn't heard what Officer Henderson had said. The ambulances were fine. Stephen was fine. Everything was fine.
Tonight had just been a bad dream, a very long painful nightmare. Soon Kara would wake up to find Thom snoring in his recliner with late night Jay Leno on the TV. Stephen would be asleep in his room surrounded by his stuffed animals and action figures. Dan would be sleeping in his Goth bedroom with his headphones still on in his ears. Kara would have to; as she'd done routinely for months; remove his headphones and turn off his stereo.
No, nothing had gone wrong tonight. No one had died; her cats would be wandering around the kitchen, enjoying their nocturnal activities while the family slept. Diane would come over tomorrow for coffee and gossip as usual. Miles would come over after school to study with Dan...not study but most likely smoke. Kara needed to have a talk with Dan about that, he thought she didn't know his little habit but she did. Tomorrow, everything would return to normal and she would continue living her simple modern Partridge family existence.
Kara was lost in her endless denial as she reached the top of the stairs. Then she saw the bloody mess on the attic door, the shattered glass and the yellow tape and her senses came back with a vengeance to slap her in the face the way her father had always done. Kara could literally feel the sting on her face as her reality came back to beat the crap out of her.
She felt dizzy. Stephen, Thom, Dan...her family. What was wrong with everything? How could everything go so horribly wrong? What had she done to let this happen to her family? Kara tried to regain focus when Officer Gibbs turned from his post outside Dan's room and noticed the agitated woman. He walked over to her and said, "Miss, are you alright?" He put a hand on her shoulder and that gentle second of human contact was all it took to remind Kara of all the horror that had occurred tonight. It all came surging into her mind with the touch of the middle aged man's fingers.
Kara jumped back in fright, screaming like someone had just stabbed her in the leg. She flailed her arms around in blind terror as officer Gibbs tried to help her, "Lady! It's all right! Henderson, can you come up her!?" Henderson came racing up the stairs and grabbed Kara from behind. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist to subdue her and she collapsed into a sobbing pile in his arms.
Kara coughed and choked on her screams of anguish. Gibbs knelt down to help and Henderson stopped him by saying, "No, I got it. Go down stairs and get some water, and some aspirin if there's any." Gibbs nodded and headed down the stairs. Kara's sobs continued and Henderson sat there on the ground with the broken woman in his lap letting all the pain out.
Dan had been listening at his bedroom door while all this occurred. He'd heard his mother's screams and opened his door just a crack to watch as the officers tried to calm her down. Dan used the opportunity while the three adults were otherwise occupied.
He slowly crept out of his bedroom and walked down to the other end of the hallway where he slid into the bathroom and slowly closed and locked the door. He blocked out the sound of his mother's sobs as he opened the medicine cabinet. The lights were off but the moon outside cast a pale blue light into the bathroom through the nearby window. Dan frantically searched the contents of the medicine cabinet, desperately looking for his instrument of relief. He found it, his step dad's razor. Dan yanked it out of the cabinet and flicked it open. He looked down at his arms and then began carving into them...
Smith's Grove Warren County Sanitarium
Mark and Thom were walking blindly down a musky wet tunnel. Mark flicked on his flashlight and handed it to Thom. Thom shined it on the ancient walls of the fifty some year old building. "We need to get to the main complex. The offices, that's where Wynn will be and probably John." Mark looked around the hallway; there were doors on each side of them, all numbered with an ID.
Mark stuck an arm out in front of Thom to stop him. He signaled for Thom to shine the light on the door next to them. Mark saw a sliding window on the door and slid the cover open. He peered in and squinted, "I think, I think they're cells." Thom looked around the area, at the endless row of similar doors, "Oh god, where in the patient wing." Mark slid the window shut and started heading further down the hallway. He turned back to look at Thom, "Are you coming?" Thom followed and said, "I don't understand. This is the patient's wing but it's empty. Where are all the patients?"
Lindsay was quietly sobbing in the corner of her cell. This wasn't happening. How could she have been so naïve? She had trusted Terrence so easily. When she had finished school, he had personally sought her out and offered her a position at Smith's Grove. Eventually, he pulled a few strings and got her promoted, and transferred to Ridgemont psychiatric facility. She had been so swept up in her career that she'd lost sight of her boss's true intentions.
As she'd done background checks on everyone she had discovered the Doyle's case against Smith's Grove but she'd dismissed it due partially to Wynn's smooth way of talking. So where had her ego and career gotten her? Locked up in a mental house by her boss. How long would she be trapped in here surrounded by the music of madness. What if Wynn just decided to leave her here for the rest of her life? Lindsay knew the connections he had, Wynn could easily cover up her disappearance and know one would ever bother to ask, "what ever happened to Lindsay Wallace?"
Thom and Mark were walking down the murky depths of hell when Thom suddenly stopped, "Do you here that?" Mark stopped and said, "Hear what?" Thom lifted a finger, "Shh, listen." Mark was quiet and the two men listened in the darkness. The faint sound of music began filling their ears.
Mark looked confused, "It sounds like music." Thom started walking forward, quickly peeking into each and every cell door. Mark followed and asked, "Where the hell is it coming from?" Thom picked up his pace and his hesitant walk turned into a desperate run. Thom reached the end of the hall and saw a door which had been labeled, "Lower Basement" Thom turned to Mark, "It's coming from down there."
Mark walked over to the door and saw the lock, "You need a card to get in." Thom rolled his eyes, "Listen, that could be John down there! We need to get in." Mark sighed and took a step back. Thom tried pleading with the sheriff, "Look, I know you're the sheriff and all. You've got to uphold the rules of an officer, never bend the rules blah blah blah it's your duty to maintain the law but guess what? It's also your duty to protect people and right now someone; maybe John; needs your help. We have to help him. Please..." Thom knew the situation he was putting his friend in but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Mark looked at back and forth, first at Thom then at the door. He turned to Thom and said, "You really owe me one here Doyle." Thom smiled, "No problem. Mark turned back to the door and held his rifle up. He aimed it at the security device next to the door and fired. The shot echoed down the hallway and an alarm started going off. Thom became anxious, "Shoot it again!" Mark quickly shot at the locking mechanism twice more and it exploded into pieces of metal that fell to the floor. The alarm stuttered and went out as the locking mechanism fell. Thom ran up to the door and tried to yank it open. "Shit! It's stuck!"
Lindsay had been thinking about how she could try and get out when she heard three loud gunshots. She looked up at the door and heard banging. Loud bangs that echoed into her cell. She began shouting, "Somebody help me! Can you here me? I'm in a cell please!" She started to stand up so she could run over to the door but the ropes held her down. She struggled in vain to break free and continued to scream in hopes that whom ever was causing the noise would come to her rescue.
Thom and Mark were banging on the door and trying to yank it open. They finally succeeded and the heavy metal door broke free and opened. They ran through and found a flight of stairs, which they briskly traveled down. Thom could here someone banging on a metal door and followed the sound, "Here!" he shouted to Mark as he ran down to the door.
Mark and Thom could here the sounds of a woman screaming for help. Thom found another door at the end of the hall and practically ran into it. Mark followed close behind, "Who is it!" he shouted but Thom was too busy pounding on the door. He turned to Mark and grabbed the rifle out of his hands. The quiet music was much louder now and Thom knew it was emanating from this cell. He started bashing the door handle with the rifle handle until it broke off. Thom kicked the door in and ran inside.
Lindsay was screaming for help when the cell door was kicked open. To her relief and surprise, Thom came rushing in. He stopped in his tracks and nearly tripped over himself when he saw her, "Lindsay? What the hell are you doing here! You're supposed to be with Stephen!" Thom ran over to her and knelt down at her side.
Lindsay had tears in her eyes and tried to explain, "Oh Thom, I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened. We were in the ambulance and then the other vehicle chased us, and then we crashed. There was so much noise, the others, the medics...they're all dead. They're all dead! And Stephen, he stopped breathing but I revived him but then he came and we had to run! Stephen couldn't keep up so I had to carry him and I was so tired and I wasn't sure what to do so I just kept running. I just ran and didn't think because I had to protect Stephen. Oh god, Michael was coming but I had to protect Stephen from his da-"
Lindsay stopped speaking suddenly and raised her head from her shaking hands to look at Thom. He was struggling to understand her ramblings but obviously desperate to know everything that had happened. He was worried about his son. His son, Lindsay thought, wasn't actually his. Lindsay couldn't bear to tell Thom, it couldn't be true. Michael couldn't be Stephen's father. Could he?
Mark was standing in the doorway watching as Lindsay broke down next to Thom. Thom pulled a jack knife out of his back pocket and started cutting the ropes around Lindsay's wrists and ankles. Lindsay had grown quiet as Thom tried to help her, "Linz...look at me. Where's Stephen. How did you end up here like this?"
Lindsay looked at Thom and her lips quivered. She was trying not to cry as she spoke, "I was trying to save Stephen when a helicopter landing in front of us. They...I think they shocked me. I don't remember, everything went black and then I woke up in here. God, Thom...they took Stephen!" Thom's eyes widened and for the first time since they were little kids, Lindsay saw the fear surfacing under them.
Lindsay noticed that Thom had grown still, like he was in shock. She looked down at his hands, which had stopped crying to pry the ropes apart. The hand that was holding his knife was shaking slightly. Lindsay slowly started to free herself, she began untangling the ties and tossing them to the ground. Lindsay slowly stood up, careful of her balance.
Mark raced to her aid when he noticed her dizzy composure. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and helped her walk a few steps. Thom continued to sit quietly on the hard cement floor. The Chordettes' music continued to play in the background as Thom felt a warm tear drip down his cheek.
Lindsay looked back at Thom and left Mark's side. She walked up behind him and knelt down. She put both her hands on his shoulders and stared at him until he made eye contact with her. She spoke soothingly yet with determination, "We'll get him back Thom but I need you to get up and fight. You have to fight to get him back." Thom's fragile expression hardened.
Lindsay wiped the tear from his face as he slowly regained his strong exterior. Lindsay stood up and looked down at Thom. She extended her arm for him and he reached for it. Lindsay helped Thom up and said, "It'll be ok." Thom looked around the room for the first time and finally noticed the gruesome décor. He walked up to the shrine and examined it.
Lindsay realized that Thom would eventually figure it out but tried to stop him, "Thom, don't..." Thom continued reading the names on the death list and felt his heart stop momentarily as he read the final name on the list of Michael's kin. "Stephen Myers. Myers..." Thom's eye twitched. How dare that bastard associate its name with his son? Stephen may have been Jamie's child, but he was Kara and his son.
Thom tightened his fists and in a fit of protective anger, smashed his fist against the mural. The sound of flesh against stone echoed through out the room as dust slowly lifted from the wall. Thom pulled his now bloody and most likely broken hand back and took several deep breaths.
Mark walked over to Thom and examined his hand, "Feel better?" he asked and Thom nodded his head. He turned back to the blood shrine and spoke with venom lacing his every word, "I'm not letting that fucker take my son." Lindsay's eye twitched as the music restarted again. She had grown quite tired of that song and feared she'd go insane if she had to sit through it again.
She walked into the back of the cell and found the dusty record player where the song was coming from. She took her finger and flicked the needle aside. The music snapped and popped and started to repeat the same phrase over and over, "bring me a dream...bring me a dream...bring me a dream...bring me-"
Lindsay listened to the hiccupping record as the phrase regurgitated itself. She thought she heard something lying beneath the static of the old classic. She lifted the needle up and set it back in its proper place. The song continued but Lindsay placed her finger down on the record itself so stop it from continuing.
The sound buzzed and then reversed as she slowly started to push the record the opposite direction. "meard a em nrib namdnas restim nees reve vi tath tsetuc eth mih kame-"Lindsay contorted her face in curious disgust as the reversed song became a warped nightmare. The once upbeat melody became an entropy laden foreign language.
Lindsay was listening to the sound that was formerly music when she thought she heard a second voice. "revoc dna sesr kill spil ot mih vig-" Lindsay stopped the record and thought a second. She pulled the record forward and started the reversing process again. "Two lips like roses and clover...revolc dna sesor kill spil ot mi-"Lindsay stopped the record once more and pulled it back just a little, "lips like roses...sesor kill spil-"Lindsay stopped the record with her finger and adjusted the volume, then she pulled it back ever so slowly, "ike...kill.. "Lindsay stopped the record and it continued to play like normal.
A frightening idea popped into her head. She turned back to Mark and Thom who was clutching his hand, "You guys, come here." They walked over to her and she reversed the record again, "Listen closely." The record warped and began to send a different message, "sesor kill spil ot mih vig. Nees reve vi tath kill your family tsetuc eth mih kame-"
Lindsay stopped the record and looked at the men, "There. Did you hear it?" Mark shook his head in confusion, "Just sounded like a bunch a babbling." Lindsay looked at Thom who had been listening very intently. He started to nod his head and said, "I think so, play it again Linz." Lindsay lifted her finger and the song went back to normal then she pushed her finger down on it and pushed it backwards even slower than the first time, "sesor kill spil ot mih vig..."
Thom repeated the strange lyrics, "Sesor kill spil ot? Wait a minute...kill. Oh my god, it said kill!" Lindsay nodded in agreement as the song continued, "nees reve vi tath kill your family tsetuc eth mih kame..." Lindsay looked at Thom whose eyes had widened slightly as he made the horrific realization. He was about to say the words but she read his mind and said them for him, "Kill your family."
Thom looked at the record and then looked at the room around him. Mark lifted his eyebrow, "So what the hell does that mean?" Thom stepped back over to the blood mural and looked at Lindsay, "Myers was born in 1957 right? Play that song again, just like normal." Lindsay nodded her head and lifted her finger from the record, which began to play again.
Thom listened to the song and looked back at the wall with the newspaper clippings and pictures, "This song, Mr. Sandman. When was it made?" Lindsay searched around near the record player and found a dusty old album. She picked it up and read, "The Chordettes circa 1958. So, this song came out a year after Myers was born." Thom walked over to the record player and listened to the song play. He narrowed his eyes reached out to stop the record. He pulled the needle off the record and the music stopped.
Thom turned to Mark and Lindsay and folded his arms; "I think they played this song for him as a kid. Did you hear the message hidden in the song? Kill your family. He must have listened to it. He must have!" Mark looked around at the room and became very serious, "I think it's safe to say that this environment is in strict violation of any fucking codes. We're shutting this place down. And I'm personally hauling Terrence Wynn's wrinkly ass into jail. Now come on, we need to find the others." Mark loaded his shotgun and headed out of the decrepit cell.
Lindsay looked at Thom with pleading eyes. Thom tilted his head in curiosity and said, "What. What is it?" Lindsay lowered her eyes. She looked back up at him and said, "Thom. I-I'm sorry I doubted you about Wynn...about everything." Lindsay turned her head away in embarrassment. Thom put a hand on her shoulder and she looked back at him, "It's ok. This has been hard on all of us. Wynn manipulated you just like the rest of us. It's not your fault. Don't listen to John or the others, it's not your fault." Thom said that final statement in a firm voice and Lindsay nodded.
Thom looked back at the blood shrine and saw Stephen's name, "I have to save him." Lindsay bit down on her tongue. She couldn't bear to tell Thom the horrific truth, that Stephen was in fact Michael's son. Lindsay turned away from the shrine and headed out into the dark tunnel the others had entered from. Thom followed and the three left the devil's shelter behind.
Meanwhile...
John struggled with his bindings as he stewed in his chair. Wynn smiled coldly and walked over to the angry young man, "Now if I remove the gag, will you try and keep the un-pleasantries to a minimum. I must tell you that we're underground surrounded by four feet of stone and concrete. No one would hear your screams save for my employees and well, I'm afraid you just don't make a convincing enough case to employ their services." John glared and looked at the men and women in the room. None of them showed an ounce of sympathy or remorse for the predicament John was currently in. Their eyes were all just as cold as stony as Wynn's.
Terrence reached out and removed the gag from John's mouth. John took several deep gasps for air and steadied his breathing. He was quiet for a moment, contemplating his choices. Wynn leaned in close awaiting some kind of crude response. John looked up and instinctively spit in Wynn's face.
A large glob of saliva oozed down the doctor's cheek. He narrowed his eyes in disgust and reached into his coat with a gloved hand. He pulled a handkerchief out and casually if not politely wiped his face while he spoke, "I see, it seems stubbornness truly does run in your family. Why is it that you people have such an aversion to your own destinies?
John licked his lips and tried to moisten his mouth, which had been dried out from the gag. John took a breath and spoke, "Destiny? My destiny is none of your goddamn business. My destiny was to spend the rest of my life with the girl I love. You have no right to do any of this! You fuck head I swear to god when I get out of here I'm personally gonna take one of those candles and shove it up your-"John was cut off as one of Wynn's lackeys came up to him and punched him in the side of his head. John felt the stinging of the blow and closed his eyes to block out the pain.
Wynn smugly put his handkerchief away and began taking off his gloves while he spoke, "Oh come now Mr. Tate, there really is no reason for this insubordination. Do you really think anything you say or do will stop the inevitable?" John opened his eyes and glared at the older man. He looked over Wynn's shoulder to Stephen and started shouting, "Stephen! Wake up!" Wynn tilted his head and signaled for another cult member to walk over. The man approached John and quickly shoved the gag back into his mouth. John gasped and his shouts were stifled.
Terrence leaned in to stare John right in the face as the other cultist walked away. He glared at John but settled back into a mocking smirk, "John, John, John. You stupid arrogant boy, do you honestly think this scenario you find yourself in has not been meticulously planned? Now, I would like for you to restrain your desire for my bodily harm just long enough for you to hear my...reasoning." John's eyes twitched, he realized there was no use in threatening or reasoning with Wynn. He was a madman. John settled down and waited for Wynn to continue.
Wynn smiled at this change in attitude, he took his gloves and shoved them into his pockets, he then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the infamous butcher's knife still sealed in the plastic bag. John watched curiously as Wynn backed away casually. Wynn walked over to the wall where the corpses where lying. John watched in horror as Wynn pulled the knife from the plastic bag and walked over to Sara's body. Wynn looked down at the woman's lifeless body and smiled, "Such a pretty girl." He knelt down and reached for her face with his free hand.
Wynn pulled her head up in his grasp and leaned in to kiss her dead lips. John started shaking with rage; he tried once more with all his might to break free. His screams of anger where trapped in his throat by that damned gag. Wynn pulled back from his kiss and brought the knife up to Sara's throat. John muffled a scream as Wynn slid the knife across Sara's broken neck. Blood poured from the wound and dripped all over the knife. Wynn felt the crimson liquid pool in his hand and turned back to John.
Wynn walked up to John. He took the knife into his other hand and brought the bloody hand up to John's forehead. He ran his dripping thumb across John's forehead, smearing Sara's blood on the man like some bizarre christening. John gagged at the putrid stench. He closed his eyes to keep the blood from running into them.
Terrence whispered as he drew his thumb away from John's forehead, "The blood of your kin runs through you my son. Tonight ends the era of the Myers clan and starts the dawn of a new era." John sneered in disgust at the ramblings of this psychotic priest.
Wynn turned and walked across the room over to where Stephen was sitting still unconscious. Terrence similarly ran his thumb across the boy's forehead smearing the blood. Stephen slowly awoke at the sensation on his head. He opened his eyes and they immediately widened as he realized what was going on.
Where had Lindsay gone? Why was he strapped into this chair? What had that man just put on his forehead, it smelled funny. These thoughts raced through Stephen's mind as he frantically tried to find his voice. Finally, Stephen caught sight of the movement behind Wynn's shoulder. He saw John; bloody and bruised; trying with every ounce of strength he had to squirm in his chair.
Stephen grew increasingly nervous as he saw John tied down the same way he himself was. He grew quite afraid when he saw the long bloodstained knife in Wynn's hand. Stephen started crying. His sobs soon turned into cries for help. Wynn frowned and signaled for a cult member to silence the little boy. A man in a black hood hastily came up to Stephen and proceeded to quite viciously tie a cloth around the boys' head. The cloth cut off Stephen's pleas for mercy as he was similarly gagged.
Stephen continued to flail in his chair, managing to almost tip himself over and out of his confines. Wynn grew impatient with the child's whimpering. He walked up to Stephen and fiercely slapped the boy across the face. Stephen screamed in pain and continued to sob. Wynn drew his hand back again but Stephen saw this and cringed. He forced the sobs to quietly submerge deep into his gnawing stomach and prayed he could retain the silence. Wynn lowered his hand and smiled, "There now, that wasn't so hard child."
Wynn smiled and turned around. He walked back into the center of the coven like fortress. Stephen quietly sobbed and stared at John with pleading eyes. It pained John tremendously to not be able to help this poor child. No child should ever have to be in a situation like this. John tried conveying calming emotions to the distraught boy. He was trying to use his facial expressions to let Stephen know it would be all right.
Wynn walked up to his hand crafted black altar and set the bloody knife down on it. He looked past the altar at the dozen or so black clad cult members. All of them were prominent figures in the city. The district attorney, the head of the city council, the police chief, people who had been given the duty of protecting the city were responsible for instigating and then covering up several of the country's most brutal mass murders on record. They had sat back in their comfy chairs and allowed; if not driven; a vessel of pure evil to terrorize their town.
Dr. Terrence Wynn; friend and colleague of thirty-three years to the late Dr. Samuel Loomis, boss and mentor to the once naïve and impressionable Dr. Lindsay Wallace; stood at his black alter and stared across the massive candle lit room. He removed his black hat and began addressing his followers with somewhat of a Hitler complexion, "Brothers and sisters, tonight is the night we have prepared for. For forty-one years we have nurtured and watched over our vessel. Michael Myers is a force of nature that we have come to control. As in many wars, there are always casualties but in this one, the victims are not innocent. Our forefathers vowed centuries ago to punish the family who cursed this town with their vagrant ways. We planted the seed to their own destruction in their own family. One by one, we have made sure to wipe out the entire Myers clan. Now it is time to begin anew, we must reap the rewards of this cleansing. Tonight is the end of Michael's reign, and the beginning of our next phase."
John had been struggling to break free while Wynn was rambling on; he'd managed to spit the gag out and slowly turned to look behind him. He was searching for anything that might be implemented for his escape when he saw two men in black suites approach him. John looked up in surprise as the men grabbed him by the shoulders and held him down in his chair. John looked at Stephen who was wide eyed with horror. John began shouting, "Aren't any of you freaks going to help me! Can't you see Wynn has manipulated all of you! You goddamn Satanists! You'll burn in hell for what you've done!"
One of the suites punched John square in the face. Blood started pouring from his nose as he continued to struggle. Dr. Wynn turned from his alter and walked towards John with his hands held high, "Now is the time to relinquish the thrown from one vessel and bestow our mighty powers on another." John glared at Wynn and spat some blood on the older man's neatly pressed suite, "You're fucking sick man."
Wynn looked down at John as the other cult members approached from behind the altar. John could see their faces as they removed their hoods. He recognized several from around town; one was an officer on Grayson's force! Was Mark a member of this cult too? One of the members approached Wynn and handed him a gas canister. Wynn took it and looked at John with a grim expression, "You and the boy are the last. We try not to intervene often but in the past we've learned that Michael just isn't always up to certain tasks. Wynn started pouring gasoline on John who coughed and screamed in anger.
Wynn began smiling as he drenched the young man, "You see, my ancestors believed that fire rituals were a form of premonition. Burning men and women alive allowed them to see omens of the future. Now we're not really into all that black magic bullshit but it does serve as a poetic way to dispose of you. Such a fiery heart you have Mr. Tate now let the fire consume you!" John screamed in horror as Wynn stepped back and reached for a candle. Wynn looked over at Stephen and said, "Let this be a lesson to you child on how we deal with rebellion. We'll save you for Michael, but your uncle I'm afraid won't be so lucky."
At the same moment John was being prepared for his ceremonial burning, Mark, Thom and Lindsay were making their way down a dripping dark hallway. Lindsay was leading the way with her flashlight in hand. She knew these halls fairly well; she'd done several interviews with incarcerated patients down here in the past. Thom and Sheriff Grayson were close behind her as she raced through corridors and down empty hallways.
They soon reached a wall with a metal door that read ' RESTRICTED ACCESS'. Lindsay reached into her pocket and pulled out a key card. She swiped the card through the lock and the door unlocked. Lindsay turned and looked at the two men behind her, "I've never been down here. In fact I'm not supposed to be down here at all but I hacked into the employee database earlier and changed my security clearance." Thom smiled and said, "Clever girl." Lindsay opened the door to reveal a long stony staircase that had several torches mounted on the rocky walls. Lindsay started walking down the staircase with Thom and Mark right behind.
Thom, Mark and Lindsay didn't realize it at the time but they were about to confront the ultimate evil and begin a battle that would change this town forever.
TBC
Author's not: WOW! What an amazing chapter that was to write. I'm so excited to finish this story. Thanks for all the feedback and keep it coming!
Haddonfield Illinois October 31st 1963
"Mikey, don't eat your candy all at once now, you'll get cavities." Ms. Blankenship sat in her rocking chair knitting a nice periwinkle blanket as she spoke to the little six-year-old angel. Mikey was sitting on an orange shag rug in the middle of the floor of Ms. Blankenship's home. He sat there like a little monkey ravaging the contents of his candy bag. He unwrapped a little candy and stuck it in his mouth. It was a delicious chocolate and Mikey smiled as he felt it melt in his mouth.
Lila Blankenship hummed a little ditty as her ancient record player played a vintage record of the Chordettes' song, "Mr. Sandman." She innocently maneuvered her fingers over and under the yarn she was sewing, her needles clicking away as she did so. The thirty something neighbor was an old family friend of the Myers. Everyday she'd stroll over to the Myers place to have tea with Audrey while Peter was out. Lila was always as sweet as can be when gossiping with her friend. She never once judged Audrey or her family, even when it became apparent that there were problems.
Tonight, Audrey and Peter had decided to go out to dinner and catch a movie. Of course Audrey had asked Lila to baby-sit Michael while they were out. She said that Judith couldn't as she was studying for an exam with her boyfriend Leigh. Lila knew what that meant but would never dream of clueing in Audrey on what Judith was really doing. At times, Audrey could be almost as naïve and innocent as Michael.
Lila kept a hawk's eye on little Michael as he gobbled up two more pieces of chocolate. What a sweet child, my how he had loved trick or treating. Lila Blankenship had taken the little boy out only an hour or so earlier. He had skipped from house to house, eager to show off his little clown costume.
Ms. Blankenship had done her best to keep up with the feisty little boy but at times he had wandered up to two blocks ahead before she caught up to him. Now she sat in her chair for a well-deserved rest. She may have been in her prime but the years of smoking were already beginning to take their toll on her.
Little Michael sat cross-legged on the carpet rummaging through his bag with a huge grin on his face. What an amazing week it had been. Yesterday had been his sixth birthday and he'd gotten this cool costume as a present from his sister. Today he had shown it off at school for his class Halloween party. Tonight had been really fun too; Michael had hardly been able to contain himself as he went from house to house getting candy.
Tonight had been his first time trick or treating. He had really wanted Judith to take him but she insisted she did not have the time. Michael was disappointed but didn't argue. Instead, he went to his parents but they too had already made plans for tonight. His mother could sense his distress however and called Ms. B. Sure enough, their friendly neighbor agreed to take him out tonight.
Michael had just popped another chocolate past his rosy lips when a voice startled him and nearly made him choke.
"Michael."
Michael looked up at Ms. B who was hummed quietly while she continued to knit. Michael pursed his lips around the chocolate as he slowly looked over his shoulder. He looked behind him and saw the front door. The howling wind had blown the screen door open and it squeaked as it slowly flapped in the breeze.
"Michael. It's time."
Michael's eyes glazed over as he continued to stare at the front door. Not just staring at it, but through it. He looked through the door and across the lawn. Past the white sheets hung out to dry from when his mom did their laundry. Past the newly painted front steps that led up to the front door of his own home. The home where he was born. Where he spent the last six years creating happy memories with his loving family.
Michael's eyes pierced the front door and saw right through them, right past the staircase that he had fallen down when he was four and sliced his lip open. He stared right into the dining room on the other end of his home. His eyes shot through the house and fixed their sights on Judith who sat very calmly at the polished dining room table.
She was reading a textbook, most likely her math book. She casually scrawled out several notes on her notebook as she read from the large book. Her boyfriend Leigh, who was not as interested in studying, maintained his posture as he rubbed his hand up and down her thigh. Michael's pupils dilated as he saw Judith flick her hand to shoo away her boyfriend's advances. She giggled as she twirled her hair and tried to regain some focus on her homework.
Michael slowly stood up, the music in the background of Ms. Blankenship's house would normally have soothed the little boy into a gently slumber. Not tonight however, tonight it only fueled a rage inside his soul, a rage that would eventually consume him and never die out. The melting piece of chocolate slipped from Michaels loosened lips and fell to the ground below.
Ms. Blankenship looked up from her knitting and saw the little boy rise to his feet. Without a sound, little Michael Myers began walking towards the front door. Ms. Blankenship continued to hum quietly as she knitted. She didn't speak, didn't try to stop Michael from leaving for her intentions were truly of the cruelest nature. She was in fact nothing more than a temporary guardian to the evil harnessing its power inside the little boy.
Tonight was the night that evil would be released upon the world, a plague that would spread in this little town. Death was coming to Haddonfield, Illinois and Ms. Blankenship knew it. She knew it and embraced it. The thirty something woman who would eventually die of lung cancer some forty years later sat quietly humming in her chair as she watched the devil incarnate walk out of her sights.
"Go my child, embrace your destiny." She whispered as the boy walked out the front door and entered the shadowy streets, becoming not a boy, but a shape in the night.
October 31st 2004 Smith's Grove Sanitarium
Thom and Mark began a slow arduous journey across the Smith's Grove Sanitarium parking lot. They walked through the pouring rain in silence. Thom didn't speak; his eyes were intent on their mission. Mark held his rifle steady, unsure of whether he'd need it or not. "Doyle I gotta ask, I'm prepared to walk in there toting this gun and scaring the hell out of anyone in there but before I do, I need to know this isn't just about your vendetta against Wynn."
Thom stopped and looked at Mark. The forty something sheriff was drenched in rain and willing to risk his career to help his friend. Thom needed Mark. He lifted an eyebrow and spoke more casually, "Sheriff, I didn't come all the way down here to get revenge. Granted, I do have an axe to grind with that bastard but before that I...we need to find John and Lindsay. I know there here."
Mark was understandably frustrated, as the sheriff he needed to make sure he set an example by doing things by the book. He sighed and said, "How do you know there even here?" Thom threw his arm out and pointed at the helicopter off in the distance, "Do you need a sign? There it is!"
Mark nodded, "Alright, let's do this." Mark lifted his radio from his belt and turned it on, "Henderson? It's me. Yeah, I need that back up. I want our entire squad down here. We're taking the nuthouse tonight. I want tactical units surrounding the building. Nobody makes a move until I say so is that understood? We're not spooking the residents if this is just a false alarm."
Thom lifted an eyebrow, "It's not a 'false alarm' Mark." Mark looked at him and grimaced, "Alright boys, get down here as fast as you can. Doyle and I are going inside to interrogate Dr. Wynn." Mark put his radio back onto his belt and lowered his rifle.
Thom looked across the parking lot and over to the main entrance of the building. He turned to Mark and said, "Ready?" Marks sighed and adjusted his Sheriff's hat, "As I'll ever be Doyle. God damn, you'd better be wrong about this." With that said and the tension laid down, they began walking towards the front entrance.
The massive building that was Smith's Grove looked like something out of a Boris Karloff nightmare. It was a large eight story complex resembling an ancient castle more so than a hospital. Thom looked at the stone building and shivered. It had been going on nine years since his last venture into this place.
Kara was sitting on the couch in her once peaceful home when an officer walked up to her and handed her a glass of water. She looked up at him and he smiled, "Ma'am, my name is Henderson. Kyle Henderson. If you need anything just ask ok?" Kara nodded gratefully and started drinking from her glass.
Suddenly, Henderson's radio started up and her heard the sheriff's voice. He picked up his radio and spoke, "Yes Sheriff I'm here. You want us all? Are you sure? Yes sir. Yes sir I understand. We're on our way." Kyle set his radio back onto his belt and looked at Kara, "Excuse me for a moment." She turned and watched as he walked back into the kitchen. She tilted her head curiously and watched Henderson speak to the other cops.
Soon they were all walking back out into the living room and out the front door. Kara; surprised; stood up and asked, "What the hell is going on? Where are you going?" Henderson stepped past another officer and walked up to Kara, "That was Sheriff Grayson on the radio. He and Thom are entering the Smith's Grove facility and he requested immediate back up. He wants all units down there." Kara's eyes widened.
She tried to find the words, Kyle could sense her anxiety and said, "Don't worry. We'll be back soon with your husband. I'll keep an officer posted at your front door to keep watch." Kara crossed her arms and spoke quite dryly, "Because that worked so well when you left two guards to watch over my children." Henderson sighed, "Ma'am, there's nothing to worry about. Myers isn't coming back. He's on his way this very moment to a hospital surrounded by police awaiting his arrival and your son's. He's not going anywhere."
Kara shifted uncomfortably and leaned in close to Henderson, "I'm a little embarrassed to say this but..." Henderson nodded for her to continue. Kara looked behind him at the staircase, "I'm afraid to leave Daniel alone. He's acting strange and I'm worried what he might do."
Henderson looked up at the stairs and back at the agitated woman. "Ok, I'll have an posted outside your son's room and I'll stay here with you. Is that ok?" Kara felt a small wave of relief wash over her, "Thank you."
Henderson smiled and turned back to the front door. He walked out and shouted to the other officers as they got into their police cars, "Move out men, I'm staying here to keep watch. Gibbs? You stay behind and keep watch outside the boy's room." A tall lanky officer, Deputy Leo Gibbs walked up to Henderson, "You got it." He walked into the house and started up the stairs.
Henderson looked back at Kara and smiled warmly, "It'll be ok Mrs. Doyle." Kara wrapped her arms around herself and smiled, "Thank you officer Henderson." Henderson replied, "Call me Kyle." Kara smiled and turned to walk back to the couch. She walked about halfway there and suddenly stopped. She slowly turned around to face Henderson, "Kyle, I cant lose them...Thom and Stephen. They're my life, them and Dan."
Kyle walked over to the woman and put a tender hand on her shoulder, "They'll be ok. Would you feel better if I called down to the hospital to see if your son has arrived yet?" Kara nodded and Kyle smiled, "No problem, Just give me a sec." Kara sighed as Kyle walked out into the kitchen. Kara was terribly exhausted. She drifted back over to the couch and sat down. She ran her hands through her wavy reddish blonde hair and closed her eyes.
Kara started massaging her temples and tried to relax. Stephen would be ok, he would get help from the doctors and everything would be fine. She tried to force hopeful thoughts into her mind but the image of Stephen's bluish purple face kept coming back. Her baby had needed her and she could do nothing. All she had been able to do was watch as they loaded his frail little body onto that ambulance.
Kyle was out in the kitchen on his cell phone, "Yes I need to find out if an ambulance-no, two ambulances arrived yet. Yes, one was carrying a small child and the other was carrying a dangerous criminal. Uh huh, what! Lost contact? When? Yes I know the storm was bad but how-my god...yes thank you." Kyle turned off his phone and immediately pulled his radio off his belt.
He turned it on and frantically spoke, "Attention units! Guys listen, the hospital lost contact with the ambulances holding the Doyle kid and Myers almost a half hour ago! The storm was bad but-I need a couple units to get over back track and search the area from here to Haddonfield Memorial. We have to find those ambulances, if they broke down or worse...just find them!" Kyle set his radio back on his belt and turned around to see Kara standing in the kitchen entrance staring at him in shock.
Her expression was strange, she looked as if she couldn't understand what was happening. Kyle ran over to her and tried to explain, "How long have you been there? It's alright, we'll find your son I prom-"Kara cut him off, "I have to, uh, I have to see my son." Kyle nodded and continued, "We'll find him don't worry." Kara's eyes were glazed like she'd finally lost it. She slowly turned around and walked over to the staircase in an almost dreamlike trance. Kyle shook his head as he watched the poor woman walk up the stairs.
Thom and Mark arrived at the front entrance of the Smith's Grove Sanitarium complex. Thom took a deep breath and closed his eyes. This was his moment of truth. It was the beginning of the end. He thought about everything that had led up to this moment in his life, watching Laurie strode fight off the boogeyman in his first attack so many years ago. Saving Kara and the children almost ten years before. Thom opened his eyes and reached up to open the glass door. This was it, his final confrontation with Michael. He'd kill that monster...or die trying. Thom mustered up all his courage and turned the door handle.
"Shit." Thom blurted out. Mark leaned in and questioned, "What? What is it?" Thom turned and looked at Mark, "Damn thing's locked."
Mark was caught off guard and Thom grabbed his rifle and aimed it at the door. Mark quickly grabbed the rifle and struggled to get it away from Thom, "No way Doyle, your not going to blast that door open, not on my watch, don't even think about it!" Mark yanked the rifle away from Thom and Thom held his hands up in surrender, "Alright Mark, we'll do it your way but we gotta get in one way or another."
Sheriff Grayson looked around the area and began walking along the side of the building. Thom curiously followed. They traveled briskly down to the back end of the building and Mark saw a rusty back door surrounded by a metal gate. The gate was loose at the hinge and creaked when Mark pushed it open. They walked through the gate and stopped at the back door.
Thom looked down at the metal handles chained shut and smirked, "Now what." Mark looked at Thom and grumbled to himself. He lifted his rifle up and bashed the handle down on the chains a few times until they broke loose. Thom crossed his arms and smiled, "So how's that better then my way?" Mark grabbed the door handle and pulled it open, "Shut up Doyle..." The two men slowly entered the darkest end of the Smith's Grove facility.
Meanwhile
Dan opened his closet door and looked down at the hamper. He opened it and found his pajamas, which he'd planned on washing earlier. He pulled them out and slowly removed his long sleeved black shirt. He dropped the dirty blood stained shirt in the hamper and shivered.
Dan looked over his shoulder at the mirror behind him and saw his naked back. His muscles had developed nicely over his milky white skin. He noticed the series of scars old and new covering his back and slowly turned away. He slipped on his white pajama t-shirt and proceeded to change into his flannel pajama pants.
Kara floated up the stairs in a numbing haze. It felt as if her feet weren't even touching the ground. Kara wasn't even in her body, she was drifting somewhere in space. She hadn't heard what Officer Henderson had said. The ambulances were fine. Stephen was fine. Everything was fine.
Tonight had just been a bad dream, a very long painful nightmare. Soon Kara would wake up to find Thom snoring in his recliner with late night Jay Leno on the TV. Stephen would be asleep in his room surrounded by his stuffed animals and action figures. Dan would be sleeping in his Goth bedroom with his headphones still on in his ears. Kara would have to; as she'd done routinely for months; remove his headphones and turn off his stereo.
No, nothing had gone wrong tonight. No one had died; her cats would be wandering around the kitchen, enjoying their nocturnal activities while the family slept. Diane would come over tomorrow for coffee and gossip as usual. Miles would come over after school to study with Dan...not study but most likely smoke. Kara needed to have a talk with Dan about that, he thought she didn't know his little habit but she did. Tomorrow, everything would return to normal and she would continue living her simple modern Partridge family existence.
Kara was lost in her endless denial as she reached the top of the stairs. Then she saw the bloody mess on the attic door, the shattered glass and the yellow tape and her senses came back with a vengeance to slap her in the face the way her father had always done. Kara could literally feel the sting on her face as her reality came back to beat the crap out of her.
She felt dizzy. Stephen, Thom, Dan...her family. What was wrong with everything? How could everything go so horribly wrong? What had she done to let this happen to her family? Kara tried to regain focus when Officer Gibbs turned from his post outside Dan's room and noticed the agitated woman. He walked over to her and said, "Miss, are you alright?" He put a hand on her shoulder and that gentle second of human contact was all it took to remind Kara of all the horror that had occurred tonight. It all came surging into her mind with the touch of the middle aged man's fingers.
Kara jumped back in fright, screaming like someone had just stabbed her in the leg. She flailed her arms around in blind terror as officer Gibbs tried to help her, "Lady! It's all right! Henderson, can you come up her!?" Henderson came racing up the stairs and grabbed Kara from behind. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist to subdue her and she collapsed into a sobbing pile in his arms.
Kara coughed and choked on her screams of anguish. Gibbs knelt down to help and Henderson stopped him by saying, "No, I got it. Go down stairs and get some water, and some aspirin if there's any." Gibbs nodded and headed down the stairs. Kara's sobs continued and Henderson sat there on the ground with the broken woman in his lap letting all the pain out.
Dan had been listening at his bedroom door while all this occurred. He'd heard his mother's screams and opened his door just a crack to watch as the officers tried to calm her down. Dan used the opportunity while the three adults were otherwise occupied.
He slowly crept out of his bedroom and walked down to the other end of the hallway where he slid into the bathroom and slowly closed and locked the door. He blocked out the sound of his mother's sobs as he opened the medicine cabinet. The lights were off but the moon outside cast a pale blue light into the bathroom through the nearby window. Dan frantically searched the contents of the medicine cabinet, desperately looking for his instrument of relief. He found it, his step dad's razor. Dan yanked it out of the cabinet and flicked it open. He looked down at his arms and then began carving into them...
Smith's Grove Warren County Sanitarium
Mark and Thom were walking blindly down a musky wet tunnel. Mark flicked on his flashlight and handed it to Thom. Thom shined it on the ancient walls of the fifty some year old building. "We need to get to the main complex. The offices, that's where Wynn will be and probably John." Mark looked around the hallway; there were doors on each side of them, all numbered with an ID.
Mark stuck an arm out in front of Thom to stop him. He signaled for Thom to shine the light on the door next to them. Mark saw a sliding window on the door and slid the cover open. He peered in and squinted, "I think, I think they're cells." Thom looked around the area, at the endless row of similar doors, "Oh god, where in the patient wing." Mark slid the window shut and started heading further down the hallway. He turned back to look at Thom, "Are you coming?" Thom followed and said, "I don't understand. This is the patient's wing but it's empty. Where are all the patients?"
Lindsay was quietly sobbing in the corner of her cell. This wasn't happening. How could she have been so naïve? She had trusted Terrence so easily. When she had finished school, he had personally sought her out and offered her a position at Smith's Grove. Eventually, he pulled a few strings and got her promoted, and transferred to Ridgemont psychiatric facility. She had been so swept up in her career that she'd lost sight of her boss's true intentions.
As she'd done background checks on everyone she had discovered the Doyle's case against Smith's Grove but she'd dismissed it due partially to Wynn's smooth way of talking. So where had her ego and career gotten her? Locked up in a mental house by her boss. How long would she be trapped in here surrounded by the music of madness. What if Wynn just decided to leave her here for the rest of her life? Lindsay knew the connections he had, Wynn could easily cover up her disappearance and know one would ever bother to ask, "what ever happened to Lindsay Wallace?"
Thom and Mark were walking down the murky depths of hell when Thom suddenly stopped, "Do you here that?" Mark stopped and said, "Hear what?" Thom lifted a finger, "Shh, listen." Mark was quiet and the two men listened in the darkness. The faint sound of music began filling their ears.
Mark looked confused, "It sounds like music." Thom started walking forward, quickly peeking into each and every cell door. Mark followed and asked, "Where the hell is it coming from?" Thom picked up his pace and his hesitant walk turned into a desperate run. Thom reached the end of the hall and saw a door which had been labeled, "Lower Basement" Thom turned to Mark, "It's coming from down there."
Mark walked over to the door and saw the lock, "You need a card to get in." Thom rolled his eyes, "Listen, that could be John down there! We need to get in." Mark sighed and took a step back. Thom tried pleading with the sheriff, "Look, I know you're the sheriff and all. You've got to uphold the rules of an officer, never bend the rules blah blah blah it's your duty to maintain the law but guess what? It's also your duty to protect people and right now someone; maybe John; needs your help. We have to help him. Please..." Thom knew the situation he was putting his friend in but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Mark looked at back and forth, first at Thom then at the door. He turned to Thom and said, "You really owe me one here Doyle." Thom smiled, "No problem. Mark turned back to the door and held his rifle up. He aimed it at the security device next to the door and fired. The shot echoed down the hallway and an alarm started going off. Thom became anxious, "Shoot it again!" Mark quickly shot at the locking mechanism twice more and it exploded into pieces of metal that fell to the floor. The alarm stuttered and went out as the locking mechanism fell. Thom ran up to the door and tried to yank it open. "Shit! It's stuck!"
Lindsay had been thinking about how she could try and get out when she heard three loud gunshots. She looked up at the door and heard banging. Loud bangs that echoed into her cell. She began shouting, "Somebody help me! Can you here me? I'm in a cell please!" She started to stand up so she could run over to the door but the ropes held her down. She struggled in vain to break free and continued to scream in hopes that whom ever was causing the noise would come to her rescue.
Thom and Mark were banging on the door and trying to yank it open. They finally succeeded and the heavy metal door broke free and opened. They ran through and found a flight of stairs, which they briskly traveled down. Thom could here someone banging on a metal door and followed the sound, "Here!" he shouted to Mark as he ran down to the door.
Mark and Thom could here the sounds of a woman screaming for help. Thom found another door at the end of the hall and practically ran into it. Mark followed close behind, "Who is it!" he shouted but Thom was too busy pounding on the door. He turned to Mark and grabbed the rifle out of his hands. The quiet music was much louder now and Thom knew it was emanating from this cell. He started bashing the door handle with the rifle handle until it broke off. Thom kicked the door in and ran inside.
Lindsay was screaming for help when the cell door was kicked open. To her relief and surprise, Thom came rushing in. He stopped in his tracks and nearly tripped over himself when he saw her, "Lindsay? What the hell are you doing here! You're supposed to be with Stephen!" Thom ran over to her and knelt down at her side.
Lindsay had tears in her eyes and tried to explain, "Oh Thom, I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened. We were in the ambulance and then the other vehicle chased us, and then we crashed. There was so much noise, the others, the medics...they're all dead. They're all dead! And Stephen, he stopped breathing but I revived him but then he came and we had to run! Stephen couldn't keep up so I had to carry him and I was so tired and I wasn't sure what to do so I just kept running. I just ran and didn't think because I had to protect Stephen. Oh god, Michael was coming but I had to protect Stephen from his da-"
Lindsay stopped speaking suddenly and raised her head from her shaking hands to look at Thom. He was struggling to understand her ramblings but obviously desperate to know everything that had happened. He was worried about his son. His son, Lindsay thought, wasn't actually his. Lindsay couldn't bear to tell Thom, it couldn't be true. Michael couldn't be Stephen's father. Could he?
Mark was standing in the doorway watching as Lindsay broke down next to Thom. Thom pulled a jack knife out of his back pocket and started cutting the ropes around Lindsay's wrists and ankles. Lindsay had grown quiet as Thom tried to help her, "Linz...look at me. Where's Stephen. How did you end up here like this?"
Lindsay looked at Thom and her lips quivered. She was trying not to cry as she spoke, "I was trying to save Stephen when a helicopter landing in front of us. They...I think they shocked me. I don't remember, everything went black and then I woke up in here. God, Thom...they took Stephen!" Thom's eyes widened and for the first time since they were little kids, Lindsay saw the fear surfacing under them.
Lindsay noticed that Thom had grown still, like he was in shock. She looked down at his hands, which had stopped crying to pry the ropes apart. The hand that was holding his knife was shaking slightly. Lindsay slowly started to free herself, she began untangling the ties and tossing them to the ground. Lindsay slowly stood up, careful of her balance.
Mark raced to her aid when he noticed her dizzy composure. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and helped her walk a few steps. Thom continued to sit quietly on the hard cement floor. The Chordettes' music continued to play in the background as Thom felt a warm tear drip down his cheek.
Lindsay looked back at Thom and left Mark's side. She walked up behind him and knelt down. She put both her hands on his shoulders and stared at him until he made eye contact with her. She spoke soothingly yet with determination, "We'll get him back Thom but I need you to get up and fight. You have to fight to get him back." Thom's fragile expression hardened.
Lindsay wiped the tear from his face as he slowly regained his strong exterior. Lindsay stood up and looked down at Thom. She extended her arm for him and he reached for it. Lindsay helped Thom up and said, "It'll be ok." Thom looked around the room for the first time and finally noticed the gruesome décor. He walked up to the shrine and examined it.
Lindsay realized that Thom would eventually figure it out but tried to stop him, "Thom, don't..." Thom continued reading the names on the death list and felt his heart stop momentarily as he read the final name on the list of Michael's kin. "Stephen Myers. Myers..." Thom's eye twitched. How dare that bastard associate its name with his son? Stephen may have been Jamie's child, but he was Kara and his son.
Thom tightened his fists and in a fit of protective anger, smashed his fist against the mural. The sound of flesh against stone echoed through out the room as dust slowly lifted from the wall. Thom pulled his now bloody and most likely broken hand back and took several deep breaths.
Mark walked over to Thom and examined his hand, "Feel better?" he asked and Thom nodded his head. He turned back to the blood shrine and spoke with venom lacing his every word, "I'm not letting that fucker take my son." Lindsay's eye twitched as the music restarted again. She had grown quite tired of that song and feared she'd go insane if she had to sit through it again.
She walked into the back of the cell and found the dusty record player where the song was coming from. She took her finger and flicked the needle aside. The music snapped and popped and started to repeat the same phrase over and over, "bring me a dream...bring me a dream...bring me a dream...bring me-"
Lindsay listened to the hiccupping record as the phrase regurgitated itself. She thought she heard something lying beneath the static of the old classic. She lifted the needle up and set it back in its proper place. The song continued but Lindsay placed her finger down on the record itself so stop it from continuing.
The sound buzzed and then reversed as she slowly started to push the record the opposite direction. "meard a em nrib namdnas restim nees reve vi tath tsetuc eth mih kame-"Lindsay contorted her face in curious disgust as the reversed song became a warped nightmare. The once upbeat melody became an entropy laden foreign language.
Lindsay was listening to the sound that was formerly music when she thought she heard a second voice. "revoc dna sesr kill spil ot mih vig-" Lindsay stopped the record and thought a second. She pulled the record forward and started the reversing process again. "Two lips like roses and clover...revolc dna sesor kill spil ot mi-"Lindsay stopped the record once more and pulled it back just a little, "lips like roses...sesor kill spil-"Lindsay stopped the record with her finger and adjusted the volume, then she pulled it back ever so slowly, "ike...kill.. "Lindsay stopped the record and it continued to play like normal.
A frightening idea popped into her head. She turned back to Mark and Thom who was clutching his hand, "You guys, come here." They walked over to her and she reversed the record again, "Listen closely." The record warped and began to send a different message, "sesor kill spil ot mih vig. Nees reve vi tath kill your family tsetuc eth mih kame-"
Lindsay stopped the record and looked at the men, "There. Did you hear it?" Mark shook his head in confusion, "Just sounded like a bunch a babbling." Lindsay looked at Thom who had been listening very intently. He started to nod his head and said, "I think so, play it again Linz." Lindsay lifted her finger and the song went back to normal then she pushed her finger down on it and pushed it backwards even slower than the first time, "sesor kill spil ot mih vig..."
Thom repeated the strange lyrics, "Sesor kill spil ot? Wait a minute...kill. Oh my god, it said kill!" Lindsay nodded in agreement as the song continued, "nees reve vi tath kill your family tsetuc eth mih kame..." Lindsay looked at Thom whose eyes had widened slightly as he made the horrific realization. He was about to say the words but she read his mind and said them for him, "Kill your family."
Thom looked at the record and then looked at the room around him. Mark lifted his eyebrow, "So what the hell does that mean?" Thom stepped back over to the blood mural and looked at Lindsay, "Myers was born in 1957 right? Play that song again, just like normal." Lindsay nodded her head and lifted her finger from the record, which began to play again.
Thom listened to the song and looked back at the wall with the newspaper clippings and pictures, "This song, Mr. Sandman. When was it made?" Lindsay searched around near the record player and found a dusty old album. She picked it up and read, "The Chordettes circa 1958. So, this song came out a year after Myers was born." Thom walked over to the record player and listened to the song play. He narrowed his eyes reached out to stop the record. He pulled the needle off the record and the music stopped.
Thom turned to Mark and Lindsay and folded his arms; "I think they played this song for him as a kid. Did you hear the message hidden in the song? Kill your family. He must have listened to it. He must have!" Mark looked around at the room and became very serious, "I think it's safe to say that this environment is in strict violation of any fucking codes. We're shutting this place down. And I'm personally hauling Terrence Wynn's wrinkly ass into jail. Now come on, we need to find the others." Mark loaded his shotgun and headed out of the decrepit cell.
Lindsay looked at Thom with pleading eyes. Thom tilted his head in curiosity and said, "What. What is it?" Lindsay lowered her eyes. She looked back up at him and said, "Thom. I-I'm sorry I doubted you about Wynn...about everything." Lindsay turned her head away in embarrassment. Thom put a hand on her shoulder and she looked back at him, "It's ok. This has been hard on all of us. Wynn manipulated you just like the rest of us. It's not your fault. Don't listen to John or the others, it's not your fault." Thom said that final statement in a firm voice and Lindsay nodded.
Thom looked back at the blood shrine and saw Stephen's name, "I have to save him." Lindsay bit down on her tongue. She couldn't bear to tell Thom the horrific truth, that Stephen was in fact Michael's son. Lindsay turned away from the shrine and headed out into the dark tunnel the others had entered from. Thom followed and the three left the devil's shelter behind.
Meanwhile...
John struggled with his bindings as he stewed in his chair. Wynn smiled coldly and walked over to the angry young man, "Now if I remove the gag, will you try and keep the un-pleasantries to a minimum. I must tell you that we're underground surrounded by four feet of stone and concrete. No one would hear your screams save for my employees and well, I'm afraid you just don't make a convincing enough case to employ their services." John glared and looked at the men and women in the room. None of them showed an ounce of sympathy or remorse for the predicament John was currently in. Their eyes were all just as cold as stony as Wynn's.
Terrence reached out and removed the gag from John's mouth. John took several deep gasps for air and steadied his breathing. He was quiet for a moment, contemplating his choices. Wynn leaned in close awaiting some kind of crude response. John looked up and instinctively spit in Wynn's face.
A large glob of saliva oozed down the doctor's cheek. He narrowed his eyes in disgust and reached into his coat with a gloved hand. He pulled a handkerchief out and casually if not politely wiped his face while he spoke, "I see, it seems stubbornness truly does run in your family. Why is it that you people have such an aversion to your own destinies?
John licked his lips and tried to moisten his mouth, which had been dried out from the gag. John took a breath and spoke, "Destiny? My destiny is none of your goddamn business. My destiny was to spend the rest of my life with the girl I love. You have no right to do any of this! You fuck head I swear to god when I get out of here I'm personally gonna take one of those candles and shove it up your-"John was cut off as one of Wynn's lackeys came up to him and punched him in the side of his head. John felt the stinging of the blow and closed his eyes to block out the pain.
Wynn smugly put his handkerchief away and began taking off his gloves while he spoke, "Oh come now Mr. Tate, there really is no reason for this insubordination. Do you really think anything you say or do will stop the inevitable?" John opened his eyes and glared at the older man. He looked over Wynn's shoulder to Stephen and started shouting, "Stephen! Wake up!" Wynn tilted his head and signaled for another cult member to walk over. The man approached John and quickly shoved the gag back into his mouth. John gasped and his shouts were stifled.
Terrence leaned in to stare John right in the face as the other cultist walked away. He glared at John but settled back into a mocking smirk, "John, John, John. You stupid arrogant boy, do you honestly think this scenario you find yourself in has not been meticulously planned? Now, I would like for you to restrain your desire for my bodily harm just long enough for you to hear my...reasoning." John's eyes twitched, he realized there was no use in threatening or reasoning with Wynn. He was a madman. John settled down and waited for Wynn to continue.
Wynn smiled at this change in attitude, he took his gloves and shoved them into his pockets, he then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the infamous butcher's knife still sealed in the plastic bag. John watched curiously as Wynn backed away casually. Wynn walked over to the wall where the corpses where lying. John watched in horror as Wynn pulled the knife from the plastic bag and walked over to Sara's body. Wynn looked down at the woman's lifeless body and smiled, "Such a pretty girl." He knelt down and reached for her face with his free hand.
Wynn pulled her head up in his grasp and leaned in to kiss her dead lips. John started shaking with rage; he tried once more with all his might to break free. His screams of anger where trapped in his throat by that damned gag. Wynn pulled back from his kiss and brought the knife up to Sara's throat. John muffled a scream as Wynn slid the knife across Sara's broken neck. Blood poured from the wound and dripped all over the knife. Wynn felt the crimson liquid pool in his hand and turned back to John.
Wynn walked up to John. He took the knife into his other hand and brought the bloody hand up to John's forehead. He ran his dripping thumb across John's forehead, smearing Sara's blood on the man like some bizarre christening. John gagged at the putrid stench. He closed his eyes to keep the blood from running into them.
Terrence whispered as he drew his thumb away from John's forehead, "The blood of your kin runs through you my son. Tonight ends the era of the Myers clan and starts the dawn of a new era." John sneered in disgust at the ramblings of this psychotic priest.
Wynn turned and walked across the room over to where Stephen was sitting still unconscious. Terrence similarly ran his thumb across the boy's forehead smearing the blood. Stephen slowly awoke at the sensation on his head. He opened his eyes and they immediately widened as he realized what was going on.
Where had Lindsay gone? Why was he strapped into this chair? What had that man just put on his forehead, it smelled funny. These thoughts raced through Stephen's mind as he frantically tried to find his voice. Finally, Stephen caught sight of the movement behind Wynn's shoulder. He saw John; bloody and bruised; trying with every ounce of strength he had to squirm in his chair.
Stephen grew increasingly nervous as he saw John tied down the same way he himself was. He grew quite afraid when he saw the long bloodstained knife in Wynn's hand. Stephen started crying. His sobs soon turned into cries for help. Wynn frowned and signaled for a cult member to silence the little boy. A man in a black hood hastily came up to Stephen and proceeded to quite viciously tie a cloth around the boys' head. The cloth cut off Stephen's pleas for mercy as he was similarly gagged.
Stephen continued to flail in his chair, managing to almost tip himself over and out of his confines. Wynn grew impatient with the child's whimpering. He walked up to Stephen and fiercely slapped the boy across the face. Stephen screamed in pain and continued to sob. Wynn drew his hand back again but Stephen saw this and cringed. He forced the sobs to quietly submerge deep into his gnawing stomach and prayed he could retain the silence. Wynn lowered his hand and smiled, "There now, that wasn't so hard child."
Wynn smiled and turned around. He walked back into the center of the coven like fortress. Stephen quietly sobbed and stared at John with pleading eyes. It pained John tremendously to not be able to help this poor child. No child should ever have to be in a situation like this. John tried conveying calming emotions to the distraught boy. He was trying to use his facial expressions to let Stephen know it would be all right.
Wynn walked up to his hand crafted black altar and set the bloody knife down on it. He looked past the altar at the dozen or so black clad cult members. All of them were prominent figures in the city. The district attorney, the head of the city council, the police chief, people who had been given the duty of protecting the city were responsible for instigating and then covering up several of the country's most brutal mass murders on record. They had sat back in their comfy chairs and allowed; if not driven; a vessel of pure evil to terrorize their town.
Dr. Terrence Wynn; friend and colleague of thirty-three years to the late Dr. Samuel Loomis, boss and mentor to the once naïve and impressionable Dr. Lindsay Wallace; stood at his black alter and stared across the massive candle lit room. He removed his black hat and began addressing his followers with somewhat of a Hitler complexion, "Brothers and sisters, tonight is the night we have prepared for. For forty-one years we have nurtured and watched over our vessel. Michael Myers is a force of nature that we have come to control. As in many wars, there are always casualties but in this one, the victims are not innocent. Our forefathers vowed centuries ago to punish the family who cursed this town with their vagrant ways. We planted the seed to their own destruction in their own family. One by one, we have made sure to wipe out the entire Myers clan. Now it is time to begin anew, we must reap the rewards of this cleansing. Tonight is the end of Michael's reign, and the beginning of our next phase."
John had been struggling to break free while Wynn was rambling on; he'd managed to spit the gag out and slowly turned to look behind him. He was searching for anything that might be implemented for his escape when he saw two men in black suites approach him. John looked up in surprise as the men grabbed him by the shoulders and held him down in his chair. John looked at Stephen who was wide eyed with horror. John began shouting, "Aren't any of you freaks going to help me! Can't you see Wynn has manipulated all of you! You goddamn Satanists! You'll burn in hell for what you've done!"
One of the suites punched John square in the face. Blood started pouring from his nose as he continued to struggle. Dr. Wynn turned from his alter and walked towards John with his hands held high, "Now is the time to relinquish the thrown from one vessel and bestow our mighty powers on another." John glared at Wynn and spat some blood on the older man's neatly pressed suite, "You're fucking sick man."
Wynn looked down at John as the other cult members approached from behind the altar. John could see their faces as they removed their hoods. He recognized several from around town; one was an officer on Grayson's force! Was Mark a member of this cult too? One of the members approached Wynn and handed him a gas canister. Wynn took it and looked at John with a grim expression, "You and the boy are the last. We try not to intervene often but in the past we've learned that Michael just isn't always up to certain tasks. Wynn started pouring gasoline on John who coughed and screamed in anger.
Wynn began smiling as he drenched the young man, "You see, my ancestors believed that fire rituals were a form of premonition. Burning men and women alive allowed them to see omens of the future. Now we're not really into all that black magic bullshit but it does serve as a poetic way to dispose of you. Such a fiery heart you have Mr. Tate now let the fire consume you!" John screamed in horror as Wynn stepped back and reached for a candle. Wynn looked over at Stephen and said, "Let this be a lesson to you child on how we deal with rebellion. We'll save you for Michael, but your uncle I'm afraid won't be so lucky."
At the same moment John was being prepared for his ceremonial burning, Mark, Thom and Lindsay were making their way down a dripping dark hallway. Lindsay was leading the way with her flashlight in hand. She knew these halls fairly well; she'd done several interviews with incarcerated patients down here in the past. Thom and Sheriff Grayson were close behind her as she raced through corridors and down empty hallways.
They soon reached a wall with a metal door that read ' RESTRICTED ACCESS'. Lindsay reached into her pocket and pulled out a key card. She swiped the card through the lock and the door unlocked. Lindsay turned and looked at the two men behind her, "I've never been down here. In fact I'm not supposed to be down here at all but I hacked into the employee database earlier and changed my security clearance." Thom smiled and said, "Clever girl." Lindsay opened the door to reveal a long stony staircase that had several torches mounted on the rocky walls. Lindsay started walking down the staircase with Thom and Mark right behind.
Thom, Mark and Lindsay didn't realize it at the time but they were about to confront the ultimate evil and begin a battle that would change this town forever.
TBC
Author's not: WOW! What an amazing chapter that was to write. I'm so excited to finish this story. Thanks for all the feedback and keep it coming!