Chapter 7: Hope of Morning
- 6 weeks before Halloween -

"It seems like you've been doing a lot better, Ellie."

In Dr. Hill's presence, I couldn't help but, smile. She understood me. I wondered if her own past was similar to mine? She was also the only doctor that used my preferred nickname now.

"Alright, I think it would be a good idea, if you told me what you remember from that evening. There's still parts of the event that aren't fully explained. And, I want to be able to help your case. These last two years have gone by fairly quickly, with any luck, the next seven will be just as fast."

She pulled out her notepad, ready to write down my recalling. Later she'd compare her notes, making sure I didn't change my story, or to mark if I remembered any more details. The first time I told the story, I left a lot of it out. And I continued leaving parts out for my first year in this place.

"You may start whenever you like."

I took a deep breath, the story still wasn't easy for me.

"It was late February. The 23rd. I was in my room, put to bed at 8pm. My parents were drinking and arguing all day. Around 2am, they started screaming… " My hand clenched around my chair arm, Dr. Hill had been patient as always, letting take a second to collect myself. "Originally they were arguing over something stupid, a book, I think. The focus shifted to me. My… Father, threatened my mother, saying that he was going to hurt me."

Dr. Hill jotted down everything I'd said, watching my reaction, writing that down too.

"Can you tell me exactly what his threats were?"

We'd been through that scenario multiple times, sometimes she asked for specific details, and sometimes she didn't. I was never prepared for when she actually wanted them.

I nodded, closing my eyes. "He told her that he was going to rape me, because she wasn't putting out." She always seemed bothered by how calm, I'd been able to repeat those words. But, that was my life. I'd grown used to it.

"Did he ever touch you before then?"

"Yes." This time she didn't ask for the specifics.

"What happened after he started threatening your mother?"

Another deep breath. "He pulled me out of bed, by my hair, dragging me to the hallway. My mother got between him and me, managing to separate us. They started to fight, physically hitting each other. He knocked her down, walking into their bedroom, I snuck into the bathroom, grabbing a pair of scissors, hiding in the shower. While hiding...I-I.."

It was such a dejected way of thinking. That night, I planned on sacrificing myself, for my mothers benefit. If there was any chance she was still alive.. I didn't know the damage he'd done.

Drawing in another breath, I attempted to calm myself. Opening my eyes, I looked at Dr. Hill, my gaze flickered to the paper on her desk, then to the window. "Everything's fine. It's over." I repeated to myself, over and over. Faking being calm hurt. I'd been smiling, and honestly, I had little reason to.

Here I was, trapped in this glorified prison, with no promise of freedom. The judge could rule that I acted wrongly, and send me to an actual jail for god knows how long.

My chest clenched and I bit my lip, squeezing the chair arms tightly. Yet another deep breath, shaky this time. My pulse pounding in my ears. Looking down, I realized that I was trembling. "Just calm down…." Another futile thought.

I squeezed my eyes shut again. My throat beginning to dry and swell up. Breathing more uneasy as time passed. My stomach churned, remembering the scene in the hallway. Tears stung the brims of my eyes. I couldn't fight the overwhelming sense of dread, weighing on my shoulders, attempting to strangle me.

As much as I wanted to will these feelings away, my thoughts were only making my condition worse. I recalled my mother's last words: "You're not going to touch her."

My next breath was more of a gasp, I brought my hand to my mouth to quiet myself. Of course I was going to do this now.

Dr. Hill started to stand, ready to come around and comfort me. There was a soft click behind me, she sat back down.

I nearly jumped out of my skin, feeling a hand on my shoulder. It was Dr. Loomis. Somehow, his pitied smile was calming. I was able to regain a bit of my composure. "Whenever you're ready, Elaine." Dr. Hill repeated.

"I heard a gunshot." My breathing was still raspy, and hard to understand. "I was hopeful, thinking that it wasn't as bad as it sounded. I hadn't heard my mother gasp in pain, so I didn't think it hurt much, or that he missed…"

"I waited in the shower, hearing him walk into the room. He was stumbling around, drunk, trying to figure out where I'd gotten too. When he neared me, I stabbed him in the stomach, with the scissors, causing him to drop his gun and fall to his knees. "

My body tensed up again. "When I walked out of the bathroom, I notice my mother's lifeless body. He'd shot her in the head. There was a big mess…"

Loomis' grip tightened, letting me know that it was alright. "I ran downstairs and to a neighbor down the street."

"You're doing very well, Elaine. Each time you've handled yourself better than the last." Hill praised.

She finished up everything, writing all the needed information down, and asked me to stay seated while she talked to Dr. Loomis. The two hadn't gone far, just to the other side of the room, behind me.

They were talking about their plans for the evening. Apparently, Loomis was taking her out to dinner. They'd been seeing each other for a while it seemed. She always giggled when he was around. He also seemed to be in a better mood.

Quietly, I shifted my position, turning to peak at them. They were in each other's embrace, tenderly kissing one another.

"Sam, we can continue this later, I have to take Elaine back to the common room, and I'm pretty sure it's almost time for you to check on Michael."

Dr. Loomis scoffed at the thought.

Hill walked back over to me, smiling. "Elaine, are you ready?"

"Actually… I was wondering if I could see, Michael?" I gave her the sweetest look I could manage, and with the breakdown I'd suffered earlier, it would be hard for Dr. Hill to deny me, and if they were a couple, Loomis would have to cave as well.

"I suppose that wouldn't be too much to ask. Both of you have been rather behaved lately." Yet, another annoyed groan from Loomis. "You can take her to Michael, can't you? For me?" She batted her eyelashes.

"Yeah, sure." He replied in the same grumble, waiting for me to meet up with him at the door. We started down the familiar twisting hallways.

Loomis was quiet for most of the walk, eyeing Dr. Wynn as we passed his office.

He let out a sigh, finally speaking, "Has Michael truly been helping your recovery?"

He always seemed to be so fixated on Michael..

"Yeah. When I was at the hospital, I refused to be seen by male nurses or doctor's. I kinda threw a fit when they wanted me to share my room with another boy around my age."

"It doesn't seem as if you fear males, so why is it that you prefer to avoid them?"

I rolled my eyes. "Because, boys always try to use their size against those who are smaller."

Loomis raised a brow. "And, when you're with Michael, he doesn't try to overpower you."

Well, he did. And, of course he did it well, but, I couldn't tell the doctor that. "Michael doesn't really do much."

He chuckled. "That is true."

Finally, we reached the boys' ward, Loomis shooed the other boys out to the common room, so that Michael and I could speak in peace. He'd stay outside, making sure no interrupted us, per Wynn's request.

Michael was standing next to a window, arms crossed. He'd grown up quite a lot the last two years. He was taller now, hair a bit darker, his gaze seemed a bit more sinister. It had ever since that night, when I'd stood up to Dr. Loomis.

Michael wasn't quite the same, and that was saying a lot.

Approaching him, I ran my fingertips over his back, circling around him. "You know, I kinda missed you."

Silence, as usual. He was lost in thought, continuing to look out at the dreary day. I moved in front of the window, leaning against the sill, crossing my arms as well, watching him, waiting for any kind of response.

Eventually, his eyes met mine.

"Well, hi there. I was beginning to think you'd give me the cold shoulder all day." I teased, offering him a smile. "How have you been?"

I knew he wouldn't answer, I just wanted him to know that someone here still cared for him. For his well being.

I closed the distance between us, placing a hand on his shoulder. He didn't budge. Standing on my tiptoes, stretching up, I placed a light kiss on his cheek. Michael cocked his head, always confused with how willing I was to stand so closely to him.

"So, did you miss me?" He shook his head 'no'. "You're such a tease."

Uncrossing his arms, Michael placed his hand on my cheek, before running his fingers through my hair. Repeating his actions, this time, he wrapped the strands around his fingers, before pulling.

I playfully shoved him away. "Oww! Are you going to be mean today, Michael?" He smirked, before reverting to his crossed arms, gazing blankly through the glass.

Dr. Loomis entered the room, seeing how close I was to Michael. "Is everything alright, Elaine?" He called, probably hearing the 'Oww" I jokingly muttered.

"Yeah, of course, I'd call you if something was wrong." I replied, a delighted smile still on my face.

Michael wasn't very active the rest of our visit. But, I got to tease him, and that's what matters. When I bid goodbye to him, waving as we left the room, Dr. Loomis let out a gasp, when Michael actually turned his attention to me, watching me leave.

Once we were in the hall, Loomis' game of 20 questions started. "Did Michael hurt you? I heard you say he was being mean."

"No, he just pulled my hair accidently." I couldn't help from giggling, Dr. Loomis was way too paranoid.

"Pulled your hair? He moved?"

Oops, shouldn't have let that slip. Michael would probably be angry with me later.

"Yeah, not much though."

"I wish he'd be more open with your friendship. If I could only get him to talk about you, about anything. He'd be so much easier to deal with." Loomis realized he'd been speaking aloud. "Ah, sorry, I shouldn't be bothering you with such trivial matters."

His tone held lamented feelings, this was time to pry into his personal affairs. "Do you hate Michael?" My voice was innocent enough.

It took him a moment to answer. "I wouldn't say hate. He's been rather difficult to deal with. Not saying a word, barely moving, staring at nothing. The other kids all seem to be afraid of him. Aside from you and now, Karen. If you would have been around when he was first admitted, I'm sure I would've had better luck with him. That and if his entire family hadn't been killed in that car crash. Poor child has been through hell. If he's lucky, the court will rule in his favor, and allow him eligibility for parole, and he'll actually be able to live his life. Perhaps, the two of you could help each other along? If they rule against him, he'll be lucky to see the outside world by the time he's 50. And then, the world will have changed so much, he wouldn't recognize it. You would have long moved on, and with his state of mind, that wouldn't be healthy for him."

Loomis stopped in his tracks. "Listen, Elaine, if there's anything you could do, to get him to start speaking, I'd appreciate you doing so. In seven years, if he doesn't speak, they courts will never take his side. The odds of me convincing them that he's permanently mute from such a traumatic event, is very low." Strange, first he didn't want me around Michael, now he wanted me to help him. It seemed the doctor wasn't sure on how he felt. He was sympathetic, just easily pushed over the edge.

"I'm not sure what I could do.. He kinda responds to me, but, I've never gotten a word from him."

The doctor smiled. "But, you've gotten more from him, than I have in my nearly eight years of working with him. And you got that within the first few months of interacting with him." He continued walking. "You know, when you get older, I'd recommend pursuing a career similar to my own. I believe you'd be very talented at it."

"If I can't help Michael… I'd still like to visit him. As you said, he doesn't have anyone. I'd hate for anyone to have to be alone in a place like this.. If I wasn't attached to him, I don't know if I'd be the same person. I think I would have just shut down, like he did."

Loomis put a hand on my shoulder. "You have a big heart. I think you saw the same loneliness in Michael. And that drew you to him, because, you didn't want him to feel like you do. And with all the rumors that spread about him, none of the other children spoke with him, or even sat near him."

I shook his hand off. "But, you believe those rumors…" A puzzled look lined my face. "Well, yes, I do. However, I don't seem to understand him the way you do. You don't fear him, you don't mind being close to him. Closer than I like being to him. You've snuck out, following him quite a few times. With and without Terence's assistance."

My eyes widened. "N-no I haven't!" I protested.

A chuckle. "There are cameras pointed at the ward's door's and the nurses stations. We know everyone who likes to sneak , Michael and you, Nancy with James. A few other children you didn't get a chance to meet. Carpenter seems to believe that "kids will be kids" and as long as none of you get hurt or into trouble, he doesn't mind you guys secretly meeting at night. Each event is, however, marked in your official reports. So, do try to keep that in mind."

Finally, I was back at the girls ward.

Nancy and Samantha were surprisingly sitting next to each other. Once the doctor left, they resumed their conversation.

"I'm serious, Nancy, you need to stop teasing Michael." Samantha warned, the look on her face grim.

Nancy shrugged her shoulders. "Why? Someone needs to put him in his place. Have you seen how he's been staring at me lately? During breakfast, lunch, dinner? It's creepy. Not everyone is going to put up with that. Starting with me."

Samantha scoffed. "You aren't understanding me. This isn't just because you're being mean! It's far more than that! Far more than you could ever understand…"

"Let me guess, it has something to do with that vision you had two years ago, when you told me I was going to die, by Michael's hand?"

"Yes!" Sam exclaimed. "It is exactly that!"

Nancy stood, flipping her hair back. "You realize you're crazy, right? That's why you're supposed to be taking your medicine."

"What I see can't be stopped by some stupid sugar pill!"

Nancy walked back into the main room. "Yeah, yeah, sure, I'll stop teasing the boogeyman."

Another scoff from Sam. "Ugh, she doesn't realize how right she is…"

I sat on my own bed. "Maybe… Maybe there's a way we can pull her into the dreams we have? If she dreams about Michael killing her, that could be a wake up call. "

Samantha shook her head. "That's easier said than done. The only thing I can think of is asking Dr. Wynn… And he doesn't seem to know about the dreams. I'd rather not have him experimenting on us, if he were to find out. I suppose, you could also ask Michael himself. You said he remembered the dreams right?"

"Yeah, he does. He remembers exactly what he did to me…"

"I don't understand why you still want to be friends with him. He's the vessel of evil." Samantha didn't exactly get over how violently he'd killed her. Or rather, how he made me kill her.

"His middle name is Audrey. He can't be all that bad. I mean, Michael Myers sounds kinda intimidating, but throw in his middle name, Michael Audrey Myers, sounds kinda sweet."

She raised a brow. "That is very flawed logic."

We both laughed.

Truthfully, I liked the name Audrey. It sounded sweet, yes, but, combined with Michael's own name, it seemed as if there was a hidden darkness. Maybe it was just Michael himself that made me think that.

Samantha cleared her throat. "Anyway, tonight, when we go to sleep, as much as I hate saying this, especially for Nancy, we should concentrate on Michael, see if we can somehow pull ourselves into his world."

That evening, both Samantha and I had asked for an extra sleeping pill, saying that we'd been having trouble staying asleep. They were given to us. But, only for one night. Which was enough.

I was laying on my left side, staring at the mark, which was barely illuminated by the moonlight. Taking a breath, and clenching my fist, I tried focusing on Michael, wondering if my mental call would even reach him? If we could call him as he called us.

Thanks to the medicine, I was fast asleep.
And then, awake. In Haddonfield.

Laying next to the police car's, with their lights flashing, right in front of his house. He was standing on the sidewalk, facing his house, knife in one hand, mask in the other.

"Michael?" I called out. He didn't seem to be too harmful when his mask wasn't on.

Making my way to my feet, I slowly walked towards him, calling his name again. Still no response. Once reaching him, I stuck my hand out, only to be blinded by a bright light.

Children in costumes were everywhere. Cars driving slowly down the street, no sign of the police, no signs of Michael. Was I still in the same place? The house was no longer in disrepair. It was painted nicely, decorated for the holiday, a jack-o-lantern on the porch railing.

"Ugh, yeah, I know, Danny, we'll have to wait until after trick-or-treating before we can fool around. If Michael's babysitter hadn't of bailed, we could do what we wanted…" A girl, brown hair and a few years older than me was having a conversation, with a dark haired boy, around the same age as her, just around the corner of the house.

"Weren't you supposed to take him trick-or-treating? Leaving the candy bowl on the porch?" The boy questioned.

"There's no way I'm hanging out with that little creep! He's fine on his own!" She responded, rather offended.

"Yeah, okay, well, I'm not gonna wait around all day, getting interrupted every second, so I'll see you around nine? Maybe earlier if I get bored."

She rolled her eyes, heading around the house and up to the front door. "You're such a smooth talker, Daniel. You'll be lucky if you get any tonight."

The boy shrugged. "Why would I bother coming back, then?"

"Oh, please, you know I can't resist you." She reached inside, throwing a candy bar at him, before closing the door.

A group of kids walking down the street, made their way up to the door, ringing the bell, using the familiar motto of, "Trick or treat!" The woman from before opened the door, standing there with a smug look on her face. "What would you do if I didn't give you any candy?"

The kids were silent, allowing a boy standing near the front, in a clown costume to speak. "We would kill you."

The voice was younger, but, still recognizable.

"Michael! That isn't funny, I'm going to tell mom and dad when they get home!" There was a look of fear in her eyes. The child replied: "I am not Michael Myers, I am a clown." The woman proceeded to give every child, aside from Michael, candy. Shooing him away with the words: "Go be creepy somewhere else."

"Michael!" I hollered to no avail. No one reacted to my present. I was being shown a significant event in his life. The moment's leading up to his sister's death.

The sky grew darker, Michael returned home, Danny returned to the house soon after. The wind had picked up, blowing leaves through the air, and chilling me to the core. I heard voices echoing from inside the house.

"Better make this quick, my parent's will be back at 10."

"Are you sure?"

I started making my way around the house, a window on the side was open, allowing me to hear their conversation easier.

"We're alone aren't we?"

"Michael's around somewhere. Who cares?"

The two from before were making out on the couch.

Leaves crunched behind me, turning, I saw a younger Michael, still in his costume, making his way to the back of the house. Still, he didn't notice me. So I followed him to the back, as he slowly opened the back door, leaving it wide open. He made his way to the kitchen counter, opening a drawer and removing a large knife.

Walking through the house, he hid behind the corner in the living room, as the guy made his way down the stairs.

"I gotta go."

"Will you call me tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure."

"You promise?"

"Yeah."

As soon as he left, and the girl returned upstairs to her room, Michael made his way up the stairs, moving slowly quietly. My footsteps didn't seem to matter, but still, I waited until he moved to follow. Just in case.

He moved down the hall, not making a sound, peaking in her room, seeing her completely naked, at her vanity, the same one I'd seen the mark smeared across. He stopped, walking into the connecting bedroom, picking up his clown mask, placing it over his eyes, moving into the room.

Sensing someone behind her, the girl spun around in her chair, quickly covering her breasts.

"Michael!?"

He lunged forward, stabbing her, she tried protecting herself, only getting deep cuts across her wrists. She began screaming.

"Michael! No! Stop!"

Soon after she collapsed, nearly lifeless, unable to speak. Michael was breathing heavy.

Taking a step back, the floorboard suddenly decided to creak, causing Michael to stand, turning to look at me, before lunging in my direction. Quickly, the house returned to it's worsened state, as Michael's hand wrapped around my throat. The 14 year-old Michael, the one I was familiar with.

He forced me back, leaning me over the railing, the wood was creaking over the weight. I desperately grabbed his shirt.

"Michael!" The woman's voice from before shouted, her bloodied body leaning against the bed. His attention snapped to her, letting me drop, thankfully not throwing me over the railing.

He turned back towards the bedroom, allowing me to get back on my feet, and scurry away from him.

I heard a thump, her body had hit the floor.

Again he looked at me, seemingly not sure what he should do. I needed to talk to him.

"Hey, I didn't mean to invade your personal space… I didn't realize this was even possible." Would explaining the situation even work? "I missed you.. I wanted to see you so badly, in a place where we could be ourselves…"

He started walking towards me, plunging his knife into the banister at the top of the stairs. I backed up, against the wall. His hands gently caressed my face, before withdrawing, reaching for his mask, slowly taking it off.

"Elaine!" Samantha's voice called from downstairs. She was in the doorway.

Michael freaked out, reaching over for his knife, swinging wildly at me. I managed to duck under his arm, running down the steps.

I looked back, gazing into his blank stare. He showed no emotion, yet, I could feel his anger. He felt betrayed.

The scar on my wrist burned.

Examining the mark, it appeared to be faintly glowing a dark red color. Michael started down the stairs, gripping his knife tight. His mark had the same aura.

"Oh God, you two are more connected than you could know…" Samantha mumbled, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the house, down the street.

We stopped upon hearing a voice. "Sam, Elaine?"

The voice belonged to Nancy. She was standing on the sidewalk, looking confused.

"Where are we?"

"I don't think our plan is going the way we originally thought…" Samantha glanced behind us, seeing if Michael was near. "Alright, we need to warn her, but, we also need to make sure she doesn't get too suspicious." I nodded.

"Nancy, what are you doing here?" Samantha was first to approach. The searing pain on my wrist distracted me.

Nancy was shivering, the cool wind getting the better of her. "This place is creepy."

"Yeah, well, that isn't our worst problem. He's angry."

"Who?"

As if on cue, Michael made his appearance, just down the sidewalk, actively walking towards us. His stride, faster than humanly possible. He was definitely upset.

Immediately, Nancy recognized him, and seeing the knife gripped in his hand, a frown forming on her lips as she took a step back, shaking her head in denial. "Th-there's no way.." Before we could say another word, she took off in the other direction.

"Well, at least she has the right idea." Samantha nervously laughed, before following Nancy's lead. I wasn't far behind, prying my gaze from Michael, following the two girls down the street.

I knew he was after me. Even though this was meant as a warning to Nancy, I didn't want Samantha to end up getting between Michael and I. So, instead of following them, I crossed the street, headed back the opposite way. He didn't hesitate in changing his course to match my own.

Rounding the corner of a house, running through to the back yard, ducking behind a shed, I slowed my pace, reverting to walking, taking slow steps. Waiting for any sign that he was near, the crunching of leaves, his breathing, anything. Carefully, I also took care not to create much noise. Pausing, I steadied my breath, slowly recovering my stamina.

Had I actually lost him? It couldn't be.

After a few minutes, hiding behind these houses, with no sign of him, I started to get nervous, body shaking, I couldn't keep myself still. My heel broke a tree branch, causing a bird to fly away. Backing away, I bumped into a solid surface, nearly screaming, before realizing it was just a tree. My mind was in a frenzy, not able to figure out where I wanted to go, where Michael was, if the others were safe.

The breeze chilled to the bone.

I decided to make my way back to the main road, maybe I'd finally see Michael, or Samantha, even Nancy would be a nice sight right now. Still the same stillness.

This was his game. He planned to drive me insane.

My wrist tingled, the pain stabbing like needles. It radiated, from slight pain, to burning, to dull. I didn't know what the different pains signified. I knew it wasn't how close he was to me. His distance didn't seem to matter.

Frustration was growing, I must've wandered around the town multiple times. Up and down the streets, through the houses, behind the houses. All except Michael's. Looking at that house made me want to run, to get as far away as possible. I was standing on the sidewalk, staring at it. At the same time, the house made me angry. He was waiting inside for me. I knew it. There was no other place.

A rage built inside my heart, my body growing warm, focused on finding him. Death here wasn't permanent, and finding Michael was the only way to calm myself.

Inhaling, I used the anger and fear inside me to scream his name. If he didn't know where I was before, he did now. The burn spread, feeling as if it was ripping through my skin, traveling up my arm, and through my body. I dropped to my knees. He knew where I was after all.

My vision was went dark, adjusting to new surroundings.

The next thing I saw was stone steps leading down, curving to the right. A basement of some sort. A knife was brought up, examined carefully, testing its sharpness, a slice across the thumb, drawing blood.

This wasn't my vision.

The figure started moving down the steps, slowly, there was no echoing taps. I could hear pained gasping, quick breathing, weeping. Someone else was down there. Trapped with him.

His pace quickened, making his way around the giant furnace, where a girl was leaning, against the wall, he looked down to the floor, dark droplets on the ground. Blood. The girl turned around, jumping in shock when she saw him. It was Nancy. She calmed herself down quickly.

There was a gash across her collarbone. "Oh, it's just you… He didn't follow you, did he? Is he upstairs?"

The knife was lifted again, and her face went pale. "E-Elaine? N-no...You're with him aren't you?" She backed away, limping.

She called out my name? But, there was no way….

A pained yelp. "I should've known…"

The knife was swung downwards, narrowly missing her as she dashed for the stairs. There was no point, she wasn't fast enough. Nancy's leg was grabbed, pulled backwards, busting her jaw on the steps. The knife was plunged in her back several times.

Looking up, to the top of the stairs, I saw Samantha, staring down in horror. "Oh god…." She turned to run, but was met by Michael, his hands around her neck, lifting her into the air. Her gasps were horrid to listen to. When he was satisfied, he dropped her, a sickening crack rang out as he twisted her head.

It really was me who killed Nancy.

I made my way up the stairs, trying to figure out how to regain control. There was no struggle. I couldn't feel a thing, as I obediently walked straight to him.

Michael held out his hand, and willingly, I gave him the knife. He then circled me, placing his hand on my shoulder, jamming the knife in my gut.

When I woke, I was laying on the cold grass, staring up at the sky, still within the dream.

What could I do?

Why did I think that infiltrating the place was a good idea?

I had to stop him, keep him from hurting the others. It was me he was after, me he was angry with. There's no reason for the others to suffer.

"Michael?" An adult male's voice called in confusion.

A woman gasped. "There's blood on the knife!"

Sitting up, I looked around, seeing the younger version of Michael, with two adults. Presumably his parents.

Confusion overtook me as well. Was I being shown more?

"Get the knife away from him!" The man shouted running inside. There wasn't a struggle for the weapon, Michael dropped it as soon as his mother reached out. "Michael, what happened? Please tell me! Is Judith okay? Did Danny come over? Did he do something bad?" The woman was frantic, not wanting to believe that Michael would do anything harmful to his sister, as any mother would.

Judith's bedroom light flicked on, once the father made his way up to her room.

"Judith!" His scream was easily heard. He ran back downstairs, his footsteps stomping through the house, immediately getting on the phone. He called the operator, contacting the police, and repeating the call, this time for an ambulance.

The mother ran inside, pulling Michael by his hand, interrupted by the father running back up the stairs.

"What happened!?"

"Stay downstairs with Michael. Call, Janice, have her come pick him up."

Standing, I wandered over to the house, stepping in the door, just to have everything, once again, fall back into it's decrepit form.

Fingers brushed across my back, sending a shiver down my spine. When I turned, no one was there. I was even more uneasy. The pattern had been the same I used with Michael, earlier today. He wasn't going to easily let this grudge go.

A shriek echoed from down the street. It was Nancy.

Leaving the house, I hastily made my way down the street, towards the scream. Samantha was with her, helping her walk. "How was I supposed to know that freak tied a knife to the gate?" Her leg was cut, blood pouring out of the wound. "Why can't I wake up?" Nancy's voice was a desperate whine.

"Michael hates you. Because of your teasing, that's why you're here. You need to stop."

She cried out again. "Great way for my conscious to give me life lessons…"

"Sam!" I hollered, staying a few feet away from them. She turned, eyeing me suspiciously.

Nancy looked horrified. "Uh, why are we standing here? She's with him!"

"No, no, I think she's fine." Samantha assured her.

Nancy pushed her away. "Are you fucking serious? She killed me!" She backed away, leaning against a shed for support. "There's no way I'm letting her near-" Her sentence was cut off, Michael turned around the corner grabbing her shoulder, and slicing her neck open.

Samantha turned, hearing Nancy's gasp, not knowing what happened. I rushed forward, grabbing Sam's hand, pulling her behind me, taking the impalement for her.

"R-run!" I didn't need to tell her twice.

The dull throbbing was joined by the same burn I usually felt on my wrist. He cocked his head, before pulling the knife from my gut and pushing me to the ground, headed after Samantha.

This time I didn't die. As I lay there, the pain lessened. I moved my hand over the wound, and felt nothing but torn fabric. Bringing my hand up to my eyes, I saw there was no blood.

Quickly I rose to my feet, running, headed the same way Samantha and Michael had gone.

Again, it had circled around to his house, she was trapped, pinned against one of the cop cars. He was too close for her to make a run for it. I had to help.

"Michael!" I screamed, causing his head to twitch my way. Sam took a step, so did he. "Michael, I'm the one you want!" Again, he hesitated. "Take your anger out on me." I softened my voice. Samantha tried moving again, only to have her arm caught.

I needed to think of something. Looking around, there was a trash can at the curb, the bag had been ripped open, allowing a glass bottle to fall out, now lying shattered on the road. I grabbed the biggest piece. "Come on, Mike, I won't make it easy for you."

Slowly, his gaze shifted to me. Begrudgingly, he let Sam's arm go. She quickly distanced herself.

"You can't fight him, he'll just get back up!"

"Just run!"

His eyes bore into my own, they were darker, lacking their usual sky blue color. There was nothing in his eyes. Emotionless and barren.

My mind was begging me to run. The rage inside him was more than I'd seen before. It was purely and simply evil. I already knew that his intentions weren't kind, but, seeing those eyes. The devil's eyes, reconfirmed my suspicions.

I gripped tighter on the glass. I was absolutely insane, thinking that I even stood a chance against Michael. Of course I wouldn't win, I wouldn't even be able to defend myself against that mass of darkness. The feverish tremor returned. My eyes didn't dare look away. He was too fast, I didn't want to lose his whereabouts. My knees grew weak, the longer we stared each other down. Running was no longer an option, he'd catch me. We were too close.

Michael made his move, taking a step closer, his hand extended, reaching out. My heart, pounded in my ears, I had to try something. Swinging the glass, I aimed for his shoulder, hoping to do some damage to his rotator cuff.

He caught my hand, forcefully crushing the glass, squeezing my fist around the shard, turning his head, examining my hand, watching as the blood began to spill. The glass deepening the slices. I hadn't felt the pain, until seeing the blood.

My palm stung. Michael's grip was too tight, I wasn't able to drop the glass, each time my muscles moved, he just crushed my hand.

This probably wasn't a good idea, however, it was the only plan I could form. I used his grip on my hand, to pull myself closer to him reaching for his mask. Immediately, his hand, set mine free, pushing me into the trash cans, causing me to tumble to the ground. At least I'd let go of the glass.
I didn't even want to look at the wounds.

Looking up, he still loomed over me. I tried to scramble to my feet, Michael rose the knife, ready to strike, swinging downwards, I squeezed my eyes shut.

Light shone through the window. I awoke in the girls ward.

The days after were awkward, neither Michael or Nancy would look at me. Samantha was weary. Dr. Loomis was suspicious. Dr. Wynn started watching me, he noticed how Michael and I didn't seem to be seeing eye to eye. He never approached me.

Two weeks before Halloween, the juvenile ward was called to a meeting, by Carpenter and Wynn. They announced that they would be having a Halloween party this year. Loomis was livid and started multiple arguments with both of the men.

I overheard one.

"On that night, of all nights? Don't you realize the chaos you will cause!?"

"Calm down, Samuel. Your prize patient is barely more than a vegetable! You're overreacting!"

"Do you truly believe he had nothing to do with those deaths?"

"Those deaths?"

"Adrian's was an accident, because the facility was left unsupervised.
Blair slit his own wrists.
Matthew's was a suicide, he drove off a cliff for God's sake.
Anthony hanged himself.
Mason's entire family was run off the road.
And Roger killed himself. Biting out his own tongue."

"Do you really believe that Michael, a boy who barely moves did something like that?"

Of course, Loomis had a response to each death.

"Adrian was killed after he ate Michael's cake.
Blair was too similar to him, and Michael removed the competition.
Matthew was influenced to kill himself for leaving the building!
Anthony was strapped into his bed, unable to move!
And there was no evidence that Mason's family car was struck by another vehicle, it simply veered off the road. Perhaps he was influenced too?
And Roger, his tongue wasn't removed by his own hand."

"And you have Tony, Samantha and Elaine. Stabbed, burned."

Carpenter scoffed, slamming his hand on the desk.

"Loomis, do you not hear how insane you sound? Michael influenced two people to kill themselves? He branded two of the female patients? Roger admitted to attacking Tony and Tony agreed. Elaine is the closest thing Michael has had to a friend in all his years here. He wouldn't harm her, and there is nothing he could've gotten ahold of to even make such a mark."

Loomis grew increasingly frustrated, slamming through the door, before looking back at Carpenter. "If another patient dies, then the blood will be on your hands!"

Dr. Hill had rushed to comfort him. She told him that she agreed with his decisions, but, neither of them would be able to argue with Carpenter. Loomis seemed worried. About the party, about Michael. Dr. Hill told him that Michael was a hopeless case, and that she was the center of his world now. Showing her ring off. That seemed to calm him down.

However, the two shot a glance down the hall. Seeing Dr. Wynn and I, in front of his office, acting as if we hadn't heard a thing.

"Elaine." Wynn called, my attention snapped up to him. "You and Michael haven't been very friendly lately. Is it because you know?"

"Know wha-"

He interrupted me. "Who he's going to kill next, of course."

.

.

.

"Yes."

To be continued….