Sam arrived at her house and immediately went to her bathroom. She slipped off her clothes and turned on her shower. Before she stepped in, she caught her reflection in the mirror. Her neck was almost completely purple, but she understood that she was lucky.
Michael had been holding back when he choked her. If he wanted to he could have snapped her neck with ease, but he didn't. Sam thought back to the look Michael had when he saw her on the ground. He seemed truly sorry, but how could she forgive him.
Sam slid into the shower and let the hot water run over her. She was in desperate need of a shower after two days in Michael's dirty house. Sam stayed in the shower for nearly an hour before she exited. She pulled a fresh towel from the closet and moved to her bedroom. She put on a pair of black yoga pants and a white tank top with a black cat face on it.
Sam walked out into the living room to get her bag when she realized she had left it at Michael's. She cursed herself for leaving it, but she had no intention of going to get it, at least not at the moment. She sat on the couch and turned on the television.
Elsewhere, Michael sat on his bed with his forehead resting on his fists. Sam had been so angry. It was hard to believe that someone that small could look so deadly. He needed something to take his mind off that girl. He charged down his stairs and out the back door, grabbing his knife as he left.
He moved silently through the alley in downtown Haddonfield. He had already slain a young boy who had attempted to sell him drugs, a woman dressed in skimpy clothing that didn't suit anyone but a prostitute in late October, and a homeless man that smelled of urine. He had tried to avoid the houses but he wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to stay away. What had started as a way to rid himself of that girl's presence had turned into an outright need for blood and none of his victims satisfied his blood lust.
A young woman walked by a dark alley in Haddonfield. Her boyfriend had just dumped her and left her on the side of the road, forcing her to go the rest of the way home on foot. Her skirt ended at her mid-thigh and provided little protection against the cold night air that whipped around her. She tugged her denim jacket closer to her frail body and breathed hot air into her hands to keep them warm. She passed another alley, taking no notice, at all, of the extra shadow that followed her every move. She even missed it when the shadow took the shape of a man behind her. He grabbed her around her waist and pulled her into the alley, where he pinned her to the wall. She tried to scream, but a large hand covered her mouth, stifling the scream before it left her throat. Pure fear overflowed in her eyes and only encouraged her attacker. He raised his butcher knife to the woman's stomach and drove the blade into her flesh, hearing the squish of ripping organs. Her screams turned to blood filled gurgles. He dragged the blade towards her sternum. When it caught on one of her ribs he yanked it upwards relishing the sound of the splintering bone. Her eyes rolled back and her head fell to the side. Michael pulled the knife from her torso and let the now useless body hit the ground. He stared at the girl as her blood poured from her fresh wound. He took a step backward to avoid the ever-growing pool of crimson liquid. He turned and walked away from the dead girl not giving her a second thought.
Returning home Michael headed to his room for another sleepless night. Upon entering the now dismally empty room Michael noticed Sam's bag that she had left next to the bed. He crossed the room and picked it up, placing it next to himself on the bed. He opened the clasp and began looking through its contents. In the front pocket Michael found the girl's wallet. In it he found thirty-eight dollars, a business card for the tattoo parlor in town and a picture of a man with a little girl next to him. The girl resembled Samantha so he assumed the man was her father. Her sketchpad was buried in the main pocket along with two books. One looked like a mystery novel and the other an adventure.
Michael looked around the room. He usually didn't mind the silence but now it felt like it was surrounding and suffocating him. He caught a glimpse of a furry arm sticking out from behind the pillow on the bed. He reached over and pulled out the two toys Sam had collected.
Michael put everything in the bag and sat on his bed, just staring at it, wondering what to do. He saw the clown's face sticking out of the bag staring up at him. It bothered him so he stuffed it further into the bag. Michael sat in the deafening silence for a minute longer before he stood up. He grabbed the bag and exited his house. He moved through Haddonfield like a ghost as he approached Sam's house. He still hadn't decided exactly what he was going to do when he got there, but he needed to see her again.