Chapter Three
So that was it. That was reason behind the uneasy feeling he'd felt inside the house. That was why Mr. Mathis had been so edgy. That was why those kids had been vague about their surprise of the newcomer.
He lived in the house of Michael Myers, the most infamous serial killer in America. A house where countless people had been murdered, starting with Judith Myers, Michael's own sister. And, if what Steve and Joey had told him was true, he was now sleeping in the same bedroom where Judy had been killed.
Ben tried to avoid the house after school by hanging around with the others at the local diner (the closest thing Haddonfield had to a hangout spot), but when he got a call from his parents for dinner, he had no choice but to return.
He was silent during the meal, and even though his mother had prepared his favorite dish, spaghetti and meatballs, he was barely eating. Mrs. Greene could hardly fail to notice this. "Honey, is something wrong?"
Ben looked up and pondered his response. His brain was screaming at him to tell them what he'd found out and beg them to get the hell out of here before Michael showed up and killed them all, but a small, rational part of his mind told him that acting panicky in front of them was not going to solve anything. So he said, "No, nothing's wrong. I'm just thinking…"
"Uh-oh. That's dangerous," said Mr. Greene, grinning. When the joke didn't get a groan or a laugh or even a chuckle from his audience, his smile faded and he added, "Is anything bothering you, son?"
Ben sighed and said, "It's just the move, that's all. It's taking a little getting used to."
Boy was that an understatement, he thought.
He excused himself not long after that and shut himself in his bedroom. There, he lay on his bed and concentrated, staring up at the ceiling. Halloween was the day after tomorrow. Wasn't Michael Myers supposed to always come out on Halloween?
On his bedside table, his radio played oldies, a station Ben was rather fond of. He much preferred the softer music compared to today's loud-enough-to-burst-your-eardrums stuff. Right now the song "Don't Fear the Reaper" was playing, and Ben listened to the lyrics, trying to distract himself.
"Come on baby…don't fear the reaper
Baby take my hand…don't fear the reaper
We'll be able to fly…don't fear the reaper
Baby I'm your man"
Once the song ended, "Mr. Sandman" started. Ben heard the music but wasn't really listening anymore, his mind wandering back to Michael Myers and the house.
"Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream
Make him the cutest that I've ever seen
Give him two lips like roses and clover
Then tell him that his lonesome nights are over"
Should it really matter that he was living in Michael Myers' old house? Why should that be a problem? Houses change hands all the time, why should this one be any different? Michael had no reason that Ben could see to get angry this year.
He jumped suddenly. The song "Mr. Sandman" had reached the part where Mr. Sandman actually speaks, and his voice startled Ben. He laughed softly to himself and sat up, placing his head in his hands and thinking, There you go, Ben. You're working yourself up over nothing again.
He pulled out his Spanish book and started the assignment he was supposed to be working on. But despite his best efforts, he couldn't quite quell the unease that was constantly niggling in the back of his mind, and when he finally went to bed, it took him a long time to actually fall asleep.
October 30, 2008
The next day, Ben sat down beside Katie and said, "Good morning," to her with a smile on his face.
She grinned back at him and said, "Morning. Sleep well?" Her eyes implied a deeper meaning than her words conveyed.
"Yep, slept like a baby," Ben replied, which was true. Despite his difficulty actually falling asleep, his rest had been more or less peaceful and dreamless.
"Did we scare you yesterday?" Joey asked, leaning forward. "All that Michael Myers stuff is a lot to take in."
"No, I'm fine," Ben said, though this time he wasn't being entirely truthful. His stomach still did funny little flips whenever he thought about the house and its previous occupants. He tried to shut those dark thoughts out, determined to not let Michael's shadow follow his every step, but this was easier said than done.
The teacher began his lesson, and Ben returned his attention to the front, writing down dates and events in his notebook, just like every other kid in the room. He was really no different from any of them, he thought, even if he did live in the town's most infamous house. And he was determined not to let that house cause problems.
All the same, though, there was a small corner of his mind that brooded on the house's history, and the fact that he was sleeping in Judith Myers' bedroom…
At lunch some time later, Steve again brought up the subject of Michael Myers. "So what's it like, living in the Devil's House?"
"The what?" Ben said, momentarily confused, then, "Oh, the Myers house. Well, it's just an old house, you know?"
"But it's the Myers house, man!" Steve said. "Every kid in this town avoids that house like it's cursed, and you're actually living in it! Shit, man, that's heavy stuff!"
Ben hesitated, the uneasy feeling rising in his stomach. He slowly put down his fork and spoke directly to Steve. "I live in the house of one of the most famous serial killers in America, a house where a bunch of people have been slaughtered over the past thirty years. I'm not exactly doing cartwheels over here. In fact, it kinda freaks me out."
He glanced over at Katie, and their eyes met for a split second. He felt something strange stir in him. It was a kind of soothing feeling, a sensation that made him think, for just a moment, that the house wasn't at all a problem, that he could exist quite happily here in Haddonfield.
Then Miranda's voice broke through his thoughts, and she looked away. Slightly disappointed, he also looked at Miranda. "It's just a house," she said. "I mean, it's not like Michael Myers is still there or anything."
Joey, who seemed to know the conversation was drifting in the danger zone, changed the subject. "Hey Ben, if you want to come, I'm having a small party over at my place, tomorrow night. It's just the five of us, and if you want to come too, you're more than welcome to."
Ben nodded and said, "Sounds like fun. Is it a costume party?"
"Yeah," Joey replied. "Here, I'll write down the address for you."
He reached down into his bag for a piece of paper and a pen, but Steve suddenly gasped, and everyone looked over at him. His eyes were glazed, and a small smile was playing at the corners of his mouth. "I just had the most awesome fucking idea ever!"
"What?" Alice asked, looking as if she wasn't sure if she wanted to know, and Ben was feeling the same way.
"Instead of having the party at Joey's house," Steve said, looking at Ben, "let's move it to Ben's place."
"My house?" Ben said blankly. "You mean, have a Halloween party in the Myers house?"
"Yeah," Steve said eagerly, looking like a child on Christmas morning. "You know, it's the perfect place! The Devil's House itself!"
"I really wish you'd stop calling it that," Ben said. "But…I can ask my parents, I suppose. If, of course, that's okay with you, Joey."
Joey nodded. "It sounds fine to me. Just as long as your folks are okay with it."
Ben agreed to ask, and the bell rang. He stood up and headed to class, wondering about his house and the party. He had to admit, having friends over might keep his mind off things. It was better than spending Halloween night alone, anyway.
…
During dinner that evening, Ben broached the subject of the party. "Some new friends of mine have invited me to a Halloween party tomorrow night," he said.
"That's nice," Mrs. Greene said. "Just be home by midnight."
Ben hesitated before adding, "Actually, uh, the house they were going to host it in is unavailable. They were wondering if we could have it here."
"Here? In our house?" Mr. Greene asked, raising his eyebrows.
Ben nodded. "They're a good crowd. There won't be any drugs or anything. It's just those five, Katie, Joey, Alice, Steve, and Miranda."
Mr. and Mrs. Greene exchanged a meaningful glance. Ben suddenly found himself hoping that they'd say no, that his friends would have to find other arrangements.
"I suppose that would be okay," Mrs. Greene said after a moment. "There's that big party at town hall we could go to, so we'd be out of the way and you'd have the place to yourselves. Just be sure that your friends don't mess up anything."
Ben nodded, his emotions wild and confused. For a moment, he was about to tell them the real reason Steve wanted to have the party here, but he stopped himself. His parents didn't know about Michael Myers, and he figured it was better that way.
When he went to bed some time later, his stomach was churning. And he knew it had nothing to do with food.
A/N: I know the chapters are short, but please remember that this is an old story of mine and I'm not changing much with it. I'm really only adding a passage here and changing some dialogue there, that's basically it. So that's why these chapters are so much shorter than my usual work. Regardless, I hope you're enjoying it!