DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Halloween franchise in any way. However I DO own the original characters of Katarzyna "Kat", Emelyn "Emmy", Cara and her family. I only own/take credit for the plot of Hearts and Daggers.
AN: Hey everyone! Sorry this was another long wait! Once I finished this semester and got home, things got really crazy with multiple family things and then I needed to get things done for school in the fall. On top of hitting so many brick walls creatively with this chapter, I am so sorry it's coming so late!
PLEASE READ: I will be putting a poll up on my profile soon to determine the gender of Kat's baby. You guys can PM me what you think she should have if you don't want to vote in the poll., put it in the reviews or PM me. It will be up until the next update or so, I will let you all know.
TO MY WATTPAD READERS: Since I can't put a poll up on here, feel free to vote on my Fanfiction page (link in my profile) or just tell me in the reviews or PM me!
Onwards with the story!
Chapter Twenty-Nine
RECAP:
Emelyn "Emmy"
Wiping my hand on the front of my hoodie, I turned and continued down the narrow hallway until I finally came to the door to the boiler room. Suddenly my palms grew sweaty as I pulled the knife out of my pocket and gripped it as I pushed the door open with all my strength. The loud screeching of the metal echoed throughout the corridor. I pushed a large block of wood into the doorjamb to keep the door propped before walking into the too hot room. It looked completely empty, but the slight sound of scuffling told me otherwise.
"Michael," I called, "I know you're in here,"
/oo/
Emelyn "Emmy"
I shifted my weight from foot to foot as the silence stretched on. I began to grow uncomfortable at the thought that perhaps it wasn't Michael I heard. More noises sounded and I took a shaky breath, trying to calm down.
"It's probably just a rat," I thought to myself, "Don't start getting scared now,"
"Michael?" I called out again and this time there was a sharp BANG around one of the corners as a shadow appeared. Almost instantly I realized the shadow was too small to be Michael's…someone else was down here. I quickly pulled the knife from my hoodie, prepared for a fight as the figure began to round the corner.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" A rough voice yelled. I immediately froze when I recognized the man as one of the late night janitors; Mr. Steel. He had been working at the school ever since Michael and my mom were students and had a reputation for being nearly hostile towards others. Rumor had it the only reason he kept his job was because he and the principal were good friends; the only person he showed some sort of kindness towards.
I gripped the knife and hid it behind my back, thankful he hadn't noticed it as he continued to advance. He was in his mid-fifties with grey hair and a lanky body that was apparently much stronger than everyone gave him credit for.
"Well?" he snarled.
I stammered for a few moments before answering, "What are you doing here? It's past midnight,"
"That is none of your business!" his face grew impossibly red and instead of answering he lunged at me. I swung the knife around, prepared to strike when a new voice echoed through the room.
"Hey!" I spun around as my mom grabbed my arm and pulled me back, putting herself between us, "Don't even think about putting a hand on her,"
"You're trespassing," he hissed. I heard a strange shuffling again and quickly looked around the two, but found nothing there.
"Same goes for you," my mom said, unfazed.
"Been hearing about a possible prowler. Seems your kid had the same idea," he tried to advance again, but suddenly my mom's dagger was pressed against his throat.
"Back off," she growled, "Town wouldn't take lightly to you roughing up an eight year old,"
"Yeah," he said a little too calmly, "You, however, they may give me a medal,"
His hand shot up and grabbed my mom's wrist that held the dagger, backing away just enough that it wasn't against his skin. My mom struggled and I could see the wheels in her head turning to try and find a way to fight without hurting herself or the baby. But she wasn't fast enough as Mr. Steel twisted her arm and slammed into her side, throwing her to the ground. Thankfully she didn't land on her stomach, but I heard the sharp crack of her head coming in contact with something, knocking her unconscious.
All I could see in that moment was red as I swung my arm around and embedded the knife into his thigh. He cried out and yanked the knife out, using his other hand to grab my hair and yank me forward. Before I could react, he was suddenly jerked back by a larger figure. I couldn't hold back the surprised scream as a sharp piece of metal pierced through Mr. Steel's chest.
I continued to scream as I fought to free my hair from Mr. Steel's grasp as he continued to be stabbed by the metal, until finally he fell limp, my hair falling away from his hand as he hit the floor. I looked up at Michael as he stared down at me evenly as I struggled to contain myself. I looked down and found my hoodie was covered in blood and no doubt my face and hair were no better. By some miracle, my pants were blood free.
"Mommy?" I turned my attention back to her and saw her body still lay crumpled on the floor. Running over, my eyes scanned over her body, looking for any injury. I knew blood was a bad thing for her condition and I let out a relieved sigh when I couldn't see any around her middle area. That relief quickly faded when I saw thin streams of blood flowing from under her hairline, where her head connected with the ground. I needed to get her outside and call for help. I looked up at Michael as he picked up his knife where it had fallen, before walking away.
"Michael!" I called "You need to help!" he seemed to ignore me as he continued to walk. For the first time, I felt pure anger towards him. I was suddenly seeing red again.
"If you leave her here hurt, you're no better than the rest of them!" I shouted after him. That seemed to get through to him, making him stop in his tracks. I could feel his anger at my accusation as he approached us, but I held his gaze.
"The way you've been treating us like the plague makes you just like them," I said lowly, knowing I was playing with fire.
I couldn't let him disappear. Not again.
"Emmy, stop," my mom's quiet, half-slurred words made me look down at her. She shook her head up at me, before falling back into unconsciousness. That seemed to snap Michael out of his trance. After another moment of hesitation, he lifted her into his arms and began to walk out of the basement. I followed him back outside until we were in front of the school.
Laying her down on the sidewalk, he fished out the cell phone from the pocket of her pajama pants and shoved it into my hands. Then he turned and disappeared behind the school. I tried to ignore the sharp sting I felt in my chest as I quickly dialed Loomis' number.
/oo/
Katarzyna "Kat"
I was getting tired of finding myself in hospital beds, staring at sterile white walls while listening to various machines beep and make other unintelligible noises. When I woke up and found myself in the pristine room, I nearly groaned in frustration, but the pain in my side prevented me from doing so. Thankfully, Dr. Ashton was used to seeing my face and had learned that my medical charts were for his eyes only lest someone in the town opened their mouths again.
"Well Kat," he began as he took a seat on the corner of my bed, "Wanna tell me what happened?" I casted a glance over at Emmy who sat in a chair in the corner, wringing her hands together, nervously. Loomis must have brought her a clean hoodie to change into in the car and helped clean her face; all she needed to do was keep her hood up to cover her blood-stained hair.
"Emmy and I were taking a walk when I tripped. I tried to catch myself but it only made things worse. I must've hit my head on a rock or something going down," I lied smoothly. He hummed and looked down at his clipboard. Loomis watched me skeptically from his seat beside Emmy, not believing me for a second.
"Well that "trip" resulted in a pretty nasty cut on the side of your head and a mild concussion," he paused, leaning forward and lowering his voice, "Luckily, those are the only injuries. Your baby is unharmed,"
I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Bethany was the nurse in charge of your tests so you can trust that those results will stay between her and I," he continued. Bethany was the nurse who always accompanied Dr. Ashton in his rounds, especially with me. More than once I tried convincing him to take a chance and ask her out.
"How far along?" he asked, bringing me back to reality.
"A little past two months, almost three," I answered, unsure; even when I was pregnant with Emmy, I was terrible with keeping track of the weeks. However, at that time, I had my aunt to help me keep track. Now it was Loomis who seemed to know everything.
Dr. Ashton casted a quick glance at my abdomen before returning to reading his clipboard. Thankfully, my stomach was still just flat enough no one paid me any mind. All I needed to do was wear larger sized clothes.
"Well, all of your tests came back with flying colors and as far as we can tell, the baby is healthy," Dr. Ashton continued, "But I would advise against more midnight strolls. You need to be a lot more careful," I forced myself not to shrink under his gaze before he turned to Emmy,
"Good job on calling for help Emelyn," he praised, "You knew exactly what to do,"
"Well it's not exactly rocket science, doc," she muttered sharply before shrinking under the glare I sent her, "But thank you,"
"I would like you to stay overnight, however," he continued, "Just want to make sure everything checks out, especially your head injury. I'm going to go continue my rounds but will be back in a little while. If you need anything, Bethany is your nurse on call," As soon as he turned and left, Loomis stood up and pulled a couple dollars out of his wallet.
"Emelyn, why don't you get a snack or something to drink?"
"If you want to talk to my mom alone, you can just say so," she muttered, grabbing the money and walking out of the room.
"Well, now it's only a matter of time before the word gets out about this baby," he said.
"What makes you say that?" I demanded, "You drove me straight to the hospital and by some stroke of luck, Dr. Ashton was able to take us immediately. Bethany took care of all the tests needed, including the ultrasound-,"
"And as much as they can try to keep that stuff secret, you are the hot topic of gossip ever since Michael came back from the dead. Someone is gonna get suspicious and someone is going to find that stuff," He cut me off, "Unfortunately, not everyone in this town likes to follow the rules, especially when you are concerned,"
"I trust Dr. Ashton," I said firmly, "And I trust Bethany. Word will get out about the pregnancy eventually, but I don't think this is that time,"
"Once again, your gifted intelligence and judgment is being clouded by your personal feelings," he muttered, "Both you and Laurie seem to have the same issue: you can't grasp reality quick enough,"
"I have a firm hold on reality Loomis, despite what you may think, I know what I got myself into. I'm grasping reality and it's exactly as screwed up as it appears," I hissed back. I shifted in the stiff bed and closed my eyes. Sometimes it felt like we were better off staying in California.
/oo/
(Emelyn "Emmy")
I never understood why adults didn't just tell kids when they needed to talk in private. They always had some type of excuse: "Why doing you go get a drink?"; "Go do your homework,"; "Go play outside,"
I knew what Loomis wanted to talk to mommy about. It was the same conversation every time; whenever my mom did something, no matter how minimal, Loomis was convinced Haddonfield was going to find out about the baby. The other day we went grocery shopping and mommy wore one of her smaller shirts. When we ran into one of her school friends, they commented on her slight weight gain. Loomis didn't shut up for hours after that.
It was getting tiring.
I stood in the middle of the hospital hallway, adjusting my hood and waiting for the vending machine to give me my pretzels. I hated how slow these things were! I was better off finding the cafeteria and getting something there. As I continued to wait, my mind drifted to one of the many conversations between mommy and Loomis. The conversation about us moving out of town.
I knew mommy was never gonna leave Haddonfield; she wouldn't give those people the satisfaction of her leaving. I was never going to leave either. No way was I going to leave Michael; no matter how much he reverted back to the person he was before we arrived.
But sometimes, I wondered, how different would our lives be if we stayed in California? And how would things change if we left to be somewhere else. Maybe another small town nearby.
Maybe somewhere I could become the Boogeyman just like Michael.
/oo/
(Michael)
He remained in the shadows, watching the girls until Loomis arrived to take them away, most likely to the hospital. He ignored the strange pressure in his chest at the sight of Kat's unconscious body, sprawled out next to Emmy. The pressure grew worse when he reminded himself that she was pregnant.
That sent another surge of rage through him.
Turning on his heel, he quickly retreated back to the school cellar to clean up the mess that they had left behind. Secretly, he was pleased he finally got the chance to kill Steel; back when he was a student, he would daydream about different ways to get rid of the janitor. Sometimes he and Kat would compete against each other on who would have the better plan.
Ironically, killing him in the school's boiler room was one of Kat's old scenarios.
Grabbing the old blanket Steel kept in his locker Michael wrapped the body up and placed it by the door; he needed to clean up the blood before he could do anything else. Thankfully, there wasn't a huge mess, only a little puddle where Kat's head had hit and a pool where Steel's body fell. If he was quick, he could have the whole crime covered up by sunrise.
Finding the perfect place to make a grave was a bit trickier. Despite the still cold weather, quite a few people in Haddonfield camped out in the woods; the last thing he needed was someone stumbling across the body. Normally he didn't care about who saw his work, it only gained him a bigger reputation and more peace to do as he pleased. But Emmy was, once again, involved in this kill. She may not have delivered the final blow, but she did get caught in the middle when Steel had grabbed her by the hair. Something could have been left behind on the body for the police to find. Michael would not let that happen.
With the shovel he stole from the maintenance shed, he began his task of digging, quickly finding that the cold weather had made the ground harder to break. He had found the perfect spot; there were just enough plants around that no one would notice if the ground had been disturbed unless they were truly looking for it. Once he deemed the grave deep enough, he picked the wrapped body back up and threw it in. He was just about finished covering it up when he heard them. There was laughing not far off.
He was not alone out here.
This night was turning out to be good after all.
He hurried to finish filling the hole before quietly placing the shovel down, careful not to make his presence known. With practiced ease, he slipped through the shadows the trees casted until he came to their little camp site. It was a group of four kids, two boys, two girls, all had to be in their last years of high school. Why they had decided to go camping tonight of all nights was beyond him, but Michael couldn't find himself to care. He just had four new bodies to add to his list.
As he quietly circled the campsite, he watched as one of the boys pulled out a bottle of alcohol and start passing it around their tiny circle. Their laughter once again filled the air as their conversation continued, none of them aware of the predator watching them.
"I don't understand why we had to come all the way out here just to drink," one of the girls said, "Cody's parents are out for the night, aren't they?"
"Yeah, but they didn't tell me when they would be back and I can't afford getting caught again," the boy, Cody apparently, replied, "Besides, the atmosphere is so much better out here!"
"Agreed," the second boy piped up, "Camping under the stars where no one knows what we're doing, perfect setting. Maybe we can even tell a few ghost stories; those are so much better when I'm drunk enough to believe them,"
Michael's foot landed on a particularly large stick, the wood splintering under his weight and letting out an echoing crack. The second girl seemed to hear, jumping slightly and spinning around to find the source of the noise. To her, it would be far too dark for her to see anything beyond the trees, but for Michael, he was staring directly into her eyes.
An old, familiar thrill filled him, his hand nearly shaking in anticipation as he gripped his knife. The game had begun.
"You okay, Jenna?" the girl's friend asked. Jenna's eyes immediately left his as she turned back to her friend.
"I heard something," was her simple answer.
"We are in the middle of the woods, there are bound to be noises," Cody said, "But we are still pretty close to the school and main road so there's no real danger,"
"You don't know that," Jenna gasped, "With Michael Myers out there-,"
"Oh here we go with Michael Myers again!" the second boy yelled, grabbing the bottle back and taking a huge gulp, "This guy is getting on my nerves. Dying for a year then apparently rising from the grave, if you ask me he isn't real. Or at the very least, it's some copycat,"
The sudden rush of anger hit Michael and he took another step, breaking the stick further. Once again, Jenna turned to look but the others seemed too absorbed in their idiotic friend's words.
"I think it's that Bury woman who lives in the Myers house," Cody said, "Didn't she and Myers have a thing in the past?"
"My dad went to high school with her. She apparently jumped a bunch of grades and was the youngest student at the time," Jenna said slowly, turning back to her friends again, "He told me that she was obsessed with Myers, always studying those murders, hanging around the abandoned house and even disappearing every so often. Rumor was that she would visit him in the sanitarium,"
"That kid is theirs," Cody said, "Daughter of the demon as my mom puts it,"
Hearing them talk about Kat and Emelyn like that broke the rest of Michael's resolve. Playtime was over.
This time he purposely broke the rest of the stick, stepping on a few other branches and creating more noise. That seemed to get their attention, Jenna shooting up from her seat and looking into the darkness with eyes wide with terror.
"That is the third time I am hearing branches snap behind me!" she all but shrieked. Cody and the other boy moved in front of the girls, as if to act as shields. However, the second boy, clearly feeling the alcohol he consumed, began to boldly walk towards Michael's hiding place.
"Probably some animal," he slurred.
"Even if it is an animal, you don't want to provoke it," Cody warned, but the boy ignored him. Muttering something unintelligible, he continued into the trees, Michael taking a step behind a nearby tree, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
When he was far enough from his friends, Michael took his chance and grabbed the boy, easily restraining him with his strength. The boy struggled, opening his mouth to scream, but barely getting the sound out before Michael slid his knife effortlessly across his throat. Letting go of him, Michael watched the boy fall to the ground, choking on his own blood before he finally grew still at his feet. Now to deal with his friends…
"Daryl?" Cody called after a few seconds of silence passed. Michael heard the quiet footsteps of him coming to investigate. Perfect.
Instead of waiting for Cody to come to him, Michael rushed forward, almost charging at him and driving his knife into the boy's stomach. A rush of air left his body as he gripped Michael's arm with both hands, trying to keep him in place. A loud scream from behind Cody alerted Michael to the nameless girl behind him, too paralyzed to move.
Quickly twisting the knife in Cody before yanking out, Michael grabbed her before she had a chance to escape, slicing her neck as well. As the two teenagers lay dying on the ground, Michael finally brought his gaze to Jenna's petrified form. Time seemed to freeze between them as they stared at each other before Jenna spun on her heel and disappeared through the trees.
Why did they always run? He always won in the end.
Casting one last brief glance at the three bodies at his feet, Michael went after Jenna. In her fear-addled mind, Jenna took off in the opposite direction of the main road, instead leading herself deeper into the woods. Not that running for the main road would do her any better, the streets were deserted at this time of night and he would have caught her before she could bring any attention to them.
As he grew closer, Michael could hear her ragged breaths as she tried to save herself. This was his favorite part; when they truly believe they could win.
He paused when he no longer heard her breathing. She must be close, holding her breath and hoping he continues on. Not likely.
A sudden strike to his back caused Michael to spin around and come face to face with Jenna. She held half of a branch in her arms, the other half on the ground between them. She had thought such a weak piece of wood would incapacitate him.
Jenna hesitated a few seconds too late, giving Michael his opening. Grabbing her arm in his tightest grip, he yanked her towards him and cut her off mid-scream as he stabbed his knife into her chest. She stared at him with large, scared eyes before falling limp in his arms. He immediately let her fall to the ground and looked at her. She had long, wavy brunette hair. Like Kat.
He stared at her for only a few more seconds before turning around and heading back down the path towards the campsite and the other bodies. He paid them no mind as he continued to the grave he had dug earlier and picked up the forgotten shovel. He needed to return it to the maintenance shed to avoid suspicion.
He felt better than he had in days. Those kills were exactly what he needed to bring him back to himself. Now it was time to plan his next move.
Perhaps he would pay Emmy a visit. He had easily seen the restrained rage in Emmy earlier that night, anger she had been bottling up and slowly letting out in bits and pieces. Much like he used to do. But, he wanted to see it unleashed. To see just how much the "demon's daughter" was capable of.
Yes, it was time to pay Emmy a long overdue visit.
Review! Okay, AGAIN I am sorry this took so long! I lost my muse for a while and just had trouble writing in general, so this may seem pretty rusty. I hope you all enjoyed this scene with Michael! Not sure when the next update is coming, but I am working on some ideas.
Until next time,
Read and review!