Michael Myers: Final Girl

Shelter From The Storm

"I guess you're kinda stuck with me," she said, with a shrug.

He could have sworn he felt a smile pulling at his lips after hearing her words. He was glad she couldn't see, he didn't want anything giving him away. At least she would be safe here, unable to do anything stupid like he was somewhat afraid she would. He didn't want to trap her, she would be free to go if she chose to, but he finally had her here to himself. And he had to admit he was quite pleased with that fact.

She leaned her back against the doorframe, he figured the lack of dialogue between them must be frustrating to her. He could tell she was trying to read him the best she could, it must have been challenging with no expression to diagnose. She would have to get used to it. Feelings aside, he wasn't going to give in that easily.

"I hate to break it to you, but we probably shouldn't stay here," she said coolly, "to be honest, I'm surprised authorities haven't swarmed this place already."

He wanted to chuckle at that. She was right and he knew Loomis eventually wouldn't be able to stop himself from snooping around again. They would be looking for her too. There was nothing to indicate he would have had anything to do with her late husband's death, but she would be the prime suspect. And even if he wasn't wanted in regards to that crime, there were plenty others they'd be looking to lock him for.

"You're not implying this is the only place you ever hide out in, right?" She asked, incredulously.

He started to move towards the door where she was leaning, stopping in front of her to indicate he wanted her to move. She stepped aside and walked out the door. She contemplated her next move. She knew following him through that door meant she truly was giving up any chance at a normal life. Then again, maybe she already had. She came back to him after all.

"This is going to be interesting," she said to herself before she hurried after him.

They walked silently in the shadows of Haddonfield. She could see the ghosts of old memories in each place they passed. It was like watching a montage of her life and it was painful. It wasn't even the bad memories that made it so hard to watch, it was the good. She knew she'd never have those moments again. She was walking a darker path now. She had been for quite sometime. Each decision she made lead to this. She felt oddly calm as she followed him. The pain was more like a dull throbbing inside her, not quite present enough to bring tears. She would miss moments, yes, but she wasn't going to resent her fate. She would no longer be used. She was no longer the victim. She would never be looked at like that again.

As they neared the edge of town she allowed one look back at her former home. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she released it. She gave her past to the wind. When she turned back she saw his head tilted to the side.

"Just saying goodbye."

He hadn't really thought about it like that. He never truly said goodbye to Haddonfield, he always knew he'd eventually come home. He realized maybe that goodbye wasn't quite so simple for her.

Their journey ended at an empty farmhouse not too far off from the town, but just hidden enough for them to evade any prying eyes. He marched up to the door, which had been boarded up for what looked like decades and began tearing the wood from its nails. She caught herself staring. It seemed effortless, like he was simply tearing paper from a notebook. He discarded the boards on the empty porch, causing leaves to scatter underneath them. He tried the handle, but to no avail, it was locked. He resorted to breaking it down. After plunging his body into the wood, it fell forward with an echoing thud. He turned back to her and waited for her to walk through.

She stumbled over the broken door and into the home. It made the Myers' house look like luxury. It was much older and had fallen prey to serious amounts of decay. The roof was held together by dilapidated wood panels. Torn curtains barely holding on to their form framed the dust covered windows. Thankfully there wasn't a second floor, or she would have been frightened it would fall in on them.

"Where did you find this place?" She asked.

He looked around. It definitely was worse off than the last time he'd been here. He looked back at her, hoping his blank expression would offer an apology.

She let out a quiet laugh, "I guess beggars can't be choosers, right?"

He watched her wander down the hall, exploring the house further. While she kept herself busy, he decided he would try and at least make it livable for someone like her. The broken in door and torn curtains didn't bother him, but he knew this wasn't anything like she was used to. He picked up the door and fit it back in its place, or rather leaned it against the frame so at least it would offer some cover from the cold, windy night.

She had found a couple of rooms in the back, one at least had a bed. She hesitantly tested the mattress, afraid it might give way if any weight was added but it held up decently. There were no blankets, so she was thankful she had the same hooded jacket on from before to offer her some warmth. She moved over to the old dresser in the corner. It had a few pictures resting on it. She picked one up and saw a family staring back at her. It wasn't Michael's, which gave her a chill. Perhaps he had taken the lives of the smiling faces looking back at her.

She jumped when she heard a thud from the other room, causing her to drop the framed photo. Glass went everywhere. She quickly swept the shards under the dresser with her foot and went to investigate the sound. She found Michael gathering the old curtains. He ripped the last one off, it's holder gave way and fell from the pressure of his pulling. Dust flew all around him and he shook his head as little bits got under his mask. This was the most human he had ever looked to her and she couldn't help but giggle. He stopped like a deer in headlights at the sound, quickly returning to his usual stoic demeanor. She took note of the curtains in his arms.

"Blankets?" She asked.

He moved passed her down the hallway and set them on the bare mattress she had found before.

"I guess you're right, we should probably get some sleep," she said.

Did he sleep? She wondered to herself. She hadn't seen him do so before. She knew asking was pointless, so she figured she'd find out eventually. She walked past him and sat on the bed, pulling one of the old curtains over her shoulders. The musky smell filled her nose and made her cough.

He stood at the edge of the bed, unsure of what to do with himself. He decided after a moment to lay at the edge of the mattress, on the floor of course. He couldn't bring himself to lay next to her. She settled in under the curtains he had given her and stared up at the ceiling. She wondered if he felt just as awkward as she did.

"It's uh, it's really cold," she started, feeling embarrassed at her own words, "you don't have to sleep down there if you don't want to. There's plenty of room up here."

She waited to hear movement, but he made none. She sat up to see him lying there on his back, his hands casually resting on his stomach. She grabbed one of the other curtains and got up.

"Here, at least use this then," she said as she placed it over him.

He felt that smile she had incited earlier pulling at his lips again.

She crawled back into bed. The sound of the whistling wind and his masked breathing lulled her to sleep.