Halloween: Returns

Prologue- The Shape of Smith's Grove

"He's giving up for an actual reason, you know."

Ellen Hill, a young brunette woman of short posture and slender proportions, and Barney Shepherd, a tall middle-aged dark-haired man  slowly walked through the cold concrete corridors of Smith's Grove mental institution. The corridors were close to empty, save for the odd orderly or a guard escorting a patient to a room. Despite the reasonably sunny day outside, the harsh rain had begun to batter against the windows, leaving liquid streaks as traces of their presence. Ellen turned to the man and gave him a polite smile. "That's fine and all, but I'd still like a crack at him. You know, see what he's really about." She said to him. He raised an eyebrow.

"Fifteen years it's been, Doctor Hill." He replied. "If you can tell us something Shaye hasn't already found out, I'd be beyond shocked."

"It can't hurt to try, can it? Maybe what he needs is a new face to talk to." She said optimistically.

"What he needs is either The Chair or lethal injection. Either will do." He retorted. Behind his back, Ellen rolled her eyes. The two of them rounded a corner, and came across a man standing in front of a glass window, a hand firmly fixed on his chin in thought. He was a tall, perhaps in his fifties, wearing a turtleneck sweater and a brown trenchcoat. In his other hand he held a matching brown hat, which he held closely to his chest. "Well, look who it is." Barney said. "Doctor Alec Shaye, meet Doctor Ellen Hill. Though I doubt introductions will be too necessary, considering."

"Yes, yes, Barney's right." Shaye responded, shaking Ellen's hand. "I really ought to be going soon, I'm sorry I can't give you a proper briefing of... Michael." He gestured to the window. It was a two-way mirror, displaying a very white, very empty room. A couple of lights sat on the walls, and in the centre of the room were a couple of chairs pulled up to a single table. Sat at the table, his face staring blankly at the wall, was a single patient in a white robe. After observing him for a few seconds, Ellen noted his stillness and how little he seemed to show any signs of life. "But I really must be going, Miss Hill. Everything I wrote and recorded about Michael is in my... your study. Maybe you'll use it for analysis, maybe you'll just be curious, but dig to your heart's content." He placed his hat on the top of his head carefully, finally taking his eyes off the patient.

"Why are you in such a rush, Doctor?" Ellen asked curiously. "Somewhere to be?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact." he replied, turning to her. "Anywhere but here will do fine. I wish you the best of luck, and I truly mean that." Alec walked off hastily, not even turning back once. As soon as he'd rounded the corner, Barney turned to Ellen.

"No goodbye for me, I guess. That guy, Myers, must've really shaken him up." He grimaced. "Guess that's what you get for obsessing over a guy like that for almost two decades; a whole card deck of psychological issues. Anyway, like Alec said, good luck, it's probably needed. And here..." he handed over a file. "a summary of Michael's behaviour in the last fifteen years. A dull read, I'll be honest."

She took a quick look, her expression growing more and more confused by the second. "Yeah, that's... weird. Thank you, I'll... try and put this to good use." He gave her an amused nod, and walked down the corridor once more. Ellen took a deep breath, opened the door and stepped into the white room.

Michael didn't even turn his head when she entered- she was quite sure he didn't even move his eyes. She closed the door and walked over to the table, sitting at the opposite end to her patient. "Good morning, Michael. I'm your new psychiatrist, Ellen Hill." She smiled at him. No response. She took another deep breath in. The room smelled of fresh paint, the stench sneaking its way into her nose and doing her uneasy stomach no favours. With the white walls, Michael almost blended in, save for his expressionless face, staring directly through her. "Look, Michael. This is a fresh start- maybe now you can finally share with someone your motivation for doing what you did. Michael, you've said nothing in all the time you've been here. At this point, if you're showing no progress... you'll probably get transferred. I may be your last chance, Michael."

She noticed his breathing; the heavy, irregular breathing emanating from the patient piercing the quiet air. She then realised his eyes- aside from the absence of anything in them, he hadn't blinked in all the time she'd seen him.

His hands lay firmly on the table, cuffed together; they too remained completely motionless. "Please, Michael... why did you kill your sister, all that time ago? You've got to see sense here, Michael, you're running out of options." She said, shaking her head. She began to get visibly angry. "For God's sake, just show me something. Something's still got to be there."

Initially, he yielded no response. But after a few moments, she noticed something; Michael's eyes begin to focus. He lowered his head slightly, looking at her directly in her eyes. There was no expression on his face, no emotion in his eyes, but Ellen still felt endangered. She swallowed a lump in her throat, and stood back up, forcing her legs not to give way. "I'm going to see you tomorrow, same time. I need to learn more about you, and since you're giving me very little..." She walked quickly across the room and hastily opened the door. She turned back, only to see Michael staring at the wall once more.

She thought for a moment, and then frowned; she could hear the fast drumming of her own heartbeat. She looked back to Michael, a nervous look on her face, and closed the door quickly, locking it behind her at an even faster speed.

He still didn't turn around.