A/N: Last chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter Ten

Alice screamed. Katie yelped and whirled about, brandishing the knife in her hand. Ben tensed, looking around the dark room wildly. "He's found us," he breathed. "Everyone, stay alert. Don't let your guard down for an instant."

Katie sidled up to him and pressed her body against his. Her warmth was very comforting. He took her hand in his as he twisted, looking around for any sign of the shape.

A low creaking sound made him turn. His stomach turned to ice. The back door was open.

"Oh no," he moaned, peering uncertainly through the darkness. "He's in here."

There was utter silence as they all turned in tight circles, searching for Michael. Wherever he was, he was hiding extremely well. There was no sign of him.

Then Ben heard a single heavy breath and spun around in time to see a black mass rise up right behind Alice, the knife flashing silver in its upraised hand. Alice turned and screamed, shoving her knife into the shape's chest. Michael doubled over, one hand clutching the spot where she'd stabbed him, blood pouring through his fingers. Alice seized her opportunity and stabbed him again, this time in the back of the neck. Michael's legs buckled and he hit the floor, spasms wracking his body. Then he went still, the fingers clutching the knife relaxing in finality.

Ben breathed a sigh of relief, lowering his knife and staring down at Michael's sprawled body. He made no move, didn't even twitch. "It's over now," he said. "He's dead."

He turned away and stepped over to the phone hanging on the wall by the door. "I'll call the police."

Katie and Alice turned away from the shape on the floor. The knife slipped from Alice's fingers and clattered to the floor. She hunched her shoulders and sobbed. Katie took her into her arms and tried to comfort her.

Thus situated, they did not see the shape sit up and turn its head in their direction.

Ben picked up the phone and put it to his ear, lifting a finger to dial, but he stopped, frowning. He listened for a second and said, "The phone's dead."

No one replied.

Then Alice screamed, and the others wheeled around in shock. Michael was standing right behind her and held her hair in his clenched fist, pulling her head back to an unnatural position. "NO!" Katie screamed.

With a sharp crack, the shape jerked Alice's head back. Her neck broken, her body crumpled to a heap on the floor before them.

Katie shrieked and staggered backward into Ben, who wrapped his arms protectively around her. "Come on!" he yelled, dragging her limply back toward the dining room door, "We have to move, Katie! We have to run NOW!"

Katie tore her eyes away from Alice's body and took off, Ben following close behind. They ran through the dining room and living room to the foyer and up the stairs to the second floor, Ben dragging his injured ankle the whole way. The shape followed close behind. At the landing, Ben turned around and found himself face-to-face with the hideous mask. For a brief instant, he felt as if his insides had turned to ice. The eyeholes were dark, and he could feel the evil pouring out of the killer's very soul.

Then he reached up and gave Michael a hearty shove, narrowly avoiding the blade of the knife as it came slashing down toward him. The shape overbalanced and fell head over heels down the stairs, giving Ben and Katie a slight advantage. Katie started toward Ben's bedroom, but Ben hesitated and called, "Wait!" Katie turned, eyes wide with bewildered terror, but Ben wasn't looking at her. He was looking at another door, closer to the staircase. He glanced back down the stairs and saw Michael rising to his feet, head turned up to stare at him.

"I've got an idea!" Ben hissed, motioning for Katie to join him. She did, and they hurried into the nearer room, which his parents had set up as a guest bedroom. Ben slammed the door shut, locked it, and whispered his plan to Katie.

She blinked. "Do you think it will work?"

Ben had no idea if it would or not, but they had to do something and he couldn't think of anything else to try. So he nodded and ushered her into the closet, hissing, "Wait till I give the signal!"

Katie nodded and then flinched as Michael began banging on the door from the other side. Ben gave her a quick kiss and said, "It'll all be over soon, I promise." Then he shut the closet door, hiding her from view.

Ben turned and stepped into the center of the room, facing the door as it shook and shuddered under the attacks being rained upon it. Then the wood cracked, splintered, and the shape burst into the room. Ben tensed and tried to regulate his breathing. Slowly, Michael stepped toward him, the ugly mask glowing eerily in the moonlight, the knife shining and covered in glistening blood.

Then he came to a stop, mere feet from where Ben stood.

Ben and Michael faced each other for a moment. Neither of them moved. The only sound was of the shape's breathing, a sound magnified by the rubber mask on its face.

Then Ben said calmly, "Hello, Michael."

The shape cocked its head to the side, as if the name sounded vaguely familiar to it.

"You're angry with me, aren't you?" Ben said, his heart hammering but his voice calm and level. "You're angry that I moved into your house. Is that right? Is that why you've killed my friends? Is that why you're trying to kill me?"

Michael said nothing. He didn't move.

"That's it, isn't it Michael?" Ben went on. "You're mad because I've invaded your territory. This house…you see it as your personal domain, don't you? Your kingdom. And I'm the unwelcome intruder. You're trying to protect what's yours, right?"

Still nothing from the shape.

Ben tilted his head slightly, mirroring Michael's posture. "This was your bedroom, isn't it Michael?" he asked. He saw the shape stiffen in response and could guess the answer. "It is. This was the room you stayed in when you were a kid." He laughed, a high-pitched, slightly crazy sound. "So how do you feel about me standing here in it, Michael? How does it feel for me to be standing here in your bedroom, your sanctuary?" He paused. "You don't like it, do you Michael? No…you don't like it at all…"

Michael's fingers tightened around the knife handle.

"Well what are you waiting for, Michael?" Ben asked, spreading his arms and displaying open hands. (The knife was tucked into the waistband of his jeans.) "I'm right here. I'm the one you want. So go on, get on with it. Come and get me, Michael."

The shape stared at him for a long moment. It was impossible to tell what was going on behind the mask, what thoughts were going through its dark, twisted mind. Ben held his breath, waiting.

Then Michael stepped forward, advancing on Ben, who felt his heart pound harder than ever. The shape paused, raising the knife above his head, preparing to deliver a fatal attack…

"NOW!" Ben yelled.

Katie charged out from her hiding place and attacked. Michael, caught off guard, didn't react in time to prevent Katie's knife from sinking deep into his neck. Blood spurted from the wound, spattering all over Katie and the floor, but she paid it no mind. She stabbed him again and again, in the neck, the face, the chest, the belly, the shoulders. The shape staggered backward, then raised its own knife to attack.

Ben rushed forward and tackled Michael, throwing him backward and into the window. It shattered on impact, and the shape fell through it and to the lawn below, where a white picket fence separated the property from the neighbor's. With a loud crunch, Michael landed on that fence and was impaled upon one of the posts, which protruded red and glistening from his chest. His body went into a series of spasms, jerking and twitching, and finally went still, the knife falling from his limp fingers, his body slumping over the wrecked fence.

Michael Myers was dead.

Ben sighed and looked back at Katie. She was slumped against the wall, breathing heavily and wiping sweat from her forehead. Her masquerade costume was a wreck, torn and tattered from the night's events. Ben made to step toward her but swayed on the spot, suddenly weak and drained. Now that the adrenaline was fading, the pain in his injured ankle and hands increased dramatically.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I've been better," she muttered.

"He's dead now," Ben said, motioning toward the shattered window. "Take a look for yourself."

Katie stepped forward and gazed emotionlessly down at Michael's bloody, torn body. She nodded in grim satisfaction before turning away and falling into Ben's arms. He held her close and kissed her as tears started to stream from her eyes. "Thank God you're okay," he muttered.

They stood like that for a long time, for exactly how long they didn't know. After a moment Ben said, "I'm so sorry, Katie."

She looked up at him, surprised. "Ben, it's not—"

"Yes it is," Ben interrupted. "It's my fault that they all died, all my fault. If I hadn't agreed to host the party here, if I'd just stood up to Steve…" He shook his head. "…if I hadn't even moved here, none of this would have happened."

Katie sighed, "It's not your fault, Ben. None of us had any idea this would happen. We had no idea Michael Myers was still alive, and none of us ever dreamed he'd come back tonight. Believe me, Ben. This isn't your fault."

Ben sighed, not at all reassured but unwilling to argue. "I'd better call the police, I guess," he murmured and started fishing his cell phone from his pocket. He dialed 911 and held the phone to his ear, turning to gaze down at the corpse below—

It was gone.

Ben inhaled sharply and dropped the phone. "Oh my God," he breathed.

Katie, alarmed by the sudden change in his voice, twisted around to look down at the spot where Michael had just been moments before. There was no sign of him, just a shattered fence and a bloody post indicating where he had been.

So that had to mean that he was still alive.

For a moment neither of them spoke, their confusion and terror making speech impossible. But each of them was wondering the same thing.

In a year, or maybe two, or maybe three, where would Michael Myers strike next?

Katie finally unstuck her throat. "He really is the bogeyman, isn't he?"

Ben shook his head in disbelief. "Yeah. I guess he is."

A/N: The End…or not…

I hope you enjoyed the story! If you did, then you might like what I have planned for this Halloween: I'm writing another Halloween fan fiction: Halloween: Bloodline. This will the first of a series of Halloween stories I'm hoping to write and post here on fanfiction every October. They won't continue this story arc but will instead create an entirely new one that I hope will be terrifying and entertaining. So this October, keep your eyes open for it.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I have enjoyed writing it!