2:27 p.m.
"Will Michael be here soon?" Loomis asked his future self. They were parked in front of Haddonfield Elementary.
"The very first confirmed sighting of Michael today occurred here around this time," Samuel told him, "He should be coming around that corner any minute now, if my estimation is correct. Here's where we put our plan into action. I want you to follow him and..."
"Here he comes now," Loomis pointed up the street. Although the figure was wearing an as yet unfamiliar mask, he could tell it was Michael right away. His patient strolled casually along the school fence, pausing near the edge. It glanced around. "Down," Samuel pushed his past self to the floor, "We can't risk him seeing us and bolting. That would throw everything off."
The two of them peered over the dashboard. The end of school bell could be heard ringing, and scores of children, many clearly giddy at the thought of trick or treating that evening, poured out into the street. Michael appeared to tense up. "What's he waiting for?" Loomis hissed, worried, "If he harms even one child..."
His words caught in his throat as one snickering young boy ran right into Michael. He froze up in terror at the sight of the killer and ran off as fast as he could in the other direction. Michael, however, did not follow him, but instead began walking slowly back along the fence before climbing into a car that Loomis recognized as the one his patient had stolen off him the previous evening.
"It's time," Samuel opened the driver's side door and tossed the keys to his past self, "Follow him at all costs and keep me informed of his every move from here on. I'm going to locate Laurie Strode and make sure the Michael I'm after doesn't get to her first."
"But where...?" Loomis's question was unanswered as his future self ran off. Shrugging, he started the engine and pulled out into traffic after Michael. His patient slowly inched along for a block or so, apparently tailing another boy walking slowly out of the schoolyard, but eventually sped up to normal speed. Loomis gave pursuit, wondering where this would all lead now.
3:32 p.m.
The future Michael stood on a sturdy branch of a large oak tree in the Strodes' backyard. It was just about time too. Any minute now, she'd be popping in. And then he'd strike and take her.
Part of him was worried she'd see him; the tree had been losing leaves rapidly all day. But as best he could remember, she hadn't even looked up when she'd come back home, and in fact had just gone right in. So in all likelihood, he was safe.
Excited children ran up and down the street, ruining Michael's peace and quiet. He glowered down at them in contempt...
And then noticed someone else across the street, standing there and watching the Strode house. Someone very familiar looking. He squinted. No, it couldn't be, not after Dr. Wynn...
But even from a distance, there was no mistaking that scar tissue, even with the beard. Loomis was back-the Loomis from the future that he'd been certain was long dead now. How, Michael didn't know, but this threw a serious wrench into his plans. He couldn't move until the doctor left, and knowing Loomis, that might never happen.
He stood stone still on the branch as he noticed his sister walking up to the house, unaware of his presence. At the same time, he heard a crashing in the bushes next door. His past self was also there. The entire universe seemed to be converging around Michael, and there was nothing he could do about it.
For a good ten minutes, he held still and waited. Finally his previous self took off to do more stalking. Loomis, however, remained firmly rooted across the street, essentially sentencing Michael to the tree. He did have the honor, however perverted though, of watching his sister undress against the bathroom blind and take a shower. This was small comfort, however, given how much he wanted to be inside the house at the moment. By quarter after four, he was starting to get cramped as he saw the blonde running up to the front door. He remembered driving after her for a few blocks before she'd seen him and had gotten spooked. He'd then backed off at that point, deciding he was taking too much of a risk being out so openly before dark, and had waited up the street from the Strode house until his sister had left with the other brown-haired girl around six thirty. But he really was in no mood to wait that long to strike. And he stood a good chance of being seen well before that if any more leaves fell off the tree...
Then from across the street came the sound of a radio buzzing. Michael jerked around and watched Loomis put one to his ear. He couldn't read lips, but clearly his pursuer was agitated over something, as Loomis jammed the radio back into his pocket in disgust and stormed up the street out of sight. His timetable was back on. With a dark grin, he slid down the tree and sneaked up to the window. Crouching low, he peered in and watched Her have a conversation with the blonde, now holding a blouse and making excited, grandiose gestures with her free hand. He bent down out of sight and waited until he heard the front door close and saw the blonde skip away up the street with the blouse, singing happily to herself. No need to take her yet; his sister was priority number one at the moment. He crept towards the front of the house and glanced both ways to make sure Loomis wasn't coming back. The street was now deserted. It was time to act. He dug the bottle of chloroform and a rag from his pocket.
Laurie wasn't in the best of moods as she finished dressing. It was bad enough people were apparently after her, now it seemed she'd be the only one her age alone and not partying that night in all of Haddonfield. Lynda's surprise visit had only served to drive this unhappy point home. Perhaps, she couldn't help thinking to herself, if the Doyle's got back early enough, and Lynda and Bob had joined Annie across the street at the Wallaces' by that time, she could join them for a little while. Maybe...if things didn't get too far out of hand over there...
No matter, she thought to herself as she trudged downstairs. She would enjoy herself with Tommy that night anyway, no matter what else the night held, and she wouldn't let anything get in the way of that.
She picked up the pumpkin she intended to carve for him from the kitchen table. Now she'd just wait till Annie came by for her at six thirty as agreed and...
Suddenly there came the abrupt sound of a door swinging shut from the living room. Laurie jumped in shock, almost dropping the pumpkin. Hesitantly she grabbed a carving knife off the nearest rack and advanced towards the door. "Who's there!?" she ordered authoritatively, trying to cover up the nervousness in her voice, "If anyone's in there, I'm warning you, I'm armed!"
She stuck her head in the door. No one was visible. Nonetheless, Laurie checked thoroughly under and behind all the furniture; after what she'd gone through last night, she wasn't taking any chances at all. Nothing at all was there, however. She breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe it had just been something letting off heat for the day. Hopefully this wasn't further proof she was cracking up, though. She lowered the knife and started to turn around...
And then, without warning, someone stepped up behind her. A rag was jammed over her face before she could react. Chloroform engulfed Laurie's senses. Frantic, she swung the knife backwards at her attacker, but a hard slap from him disarmed her. Reality swirling around her, Laurie squirmed with all her might to get away, but it was already too late, and she found herself toppling in a heap to the floor as everything went black.