Halloween: Returns

3- Judith Myers

Ana rounded the corner of the street, the sickly brown leaves crunching under her feet. The early evening Autumn air felt the right mix of warmth and coldness, and the glowing amber sunlight fell nicely on her. She looked down at her phone; she was at the right place. She steadily walked down the street, past the rusted bars of the wrought iron fence, and made her way to the just as rusted gateway. To her dismay, and old man stood at it, locking the gates behind him. She quickened her pace and approached him, quickly thinking of what to say.

"Hey, um... you lockin' up?" She asked him. The man turned to her.

"Yeah, we've been locking up earlier these past couple of years. Vandals are a real bitch, especially around Halloween." The old man shook his head. "So, what can I do for you, young lady?"

"I was just going to look for a certain grave, but if you're locking up then I'll suppose I'll be..." Ana replied. The man shook his head once more.

"No, no, if it's just a grave you're looking I suppose it won't take long. Of course, I'll have to come with you."

"Even better- I'm not too sure where it is." She admitted.

"Well, care to give me a name? I've got the spots in my pad..." He said, taking out a small notepad.

"Right, uh... Judith Myers." She read out from her phone.

The man froze for a few seconds. It wasn't long- not at all. But it felt like an eternity. The man held his gaze at the notepad, not blinking- nothing. Suddenly, the Autumn breeze didn't feel as warm anymore.

"Judith Myers?" The man asked with hesitation.

"Yes... yes, Judith Myers. I read that she was buried somewhere here." Ana responded cautiously.

"Yes, she's... she's most certainly here alright. Row 18, block 20, if I remember correctly..." he said, looking through his pad. "Yes. Yes, there it is. Now, young lady, if you'll follow me..."

Ana followed the old man through the graveyard, the dead leaves on the ground matching the multitudes of gravestones along the dirt well. They passed many rows of headstones, each holding the names of Haddonfield's deceased and what they were to those who knew them. They eventually stopped at a tombstone which looked more neglected than the rest, with moss and grime taking over parts of it.

"And here she is; the family moved away not long after her death- in fact, directly after. Texas, I believe. Anyway, the tombstone, we looked after it for a while, but it never gets any visitors and, well... it was somewhat left alone. Most people would rather forget about what happened. I know I would." The man explained, rubbing his eyes. Ana crouched down and read the tombstone's engravings.

"Our beloved daughter, Judith Myers. Born September 14th 1988, died October 31st 2004." She shook her own head. "Killed to your own little brother. And this is what this did to the town..."

"Listen, I really do need to be going, so if you'd speed this up just a tad I'd really..." he started. Ana then stood up and turned around.

"No, I'm done; I was just curious, is all." She smiled.

"Hmm. And may I ask what piqued this curiosity?"

"Just some really fascinating history, this town."

"Some people also just moved into the Myers' house not a couple of days ago, too. A family. A teenage girl, if I remember correctly. You heard about that?" The old man questioned. Ana held her instinctive confrontational response back and kept her tongue at bay.

"No, I haven't heard about that..." she lied.

"Right. Well, as I said, I need to be going, and I'm sure you've got places to be also. So, if you wouldn't mind..." the man gestured to the gate.

"Yeah, no, that's fine." The two of them walked back to the iron gate. "Thank you for showing me the grave. It was a tragedy, what happened."

"Yes, it was... certainly impactful to the town. Nothing like this had ever happened and has happened since. And that house... some of the kids say it's haunted. Some of the superstitious folk says it's cursed." The man responded.

"And what do you think of it?" Ana asked.

"I think it was the home of something evil- and that evil still holds a presence there." He said as he locked the gate. "Thank you, young lady. I hope you found what you wanted." He placed the key in his pocket and began walking away.

"That evil." Ana blurted out. "Michael Myers, the boy. You think he was evil? Not a mentally ill boy, just... evil?"

The man stopped walking down the sidewalk. He turned back to her, a solemn expression on his face. "There's little else to his sudden act of violence. Nothing that could be found, and from what I've heard, nothing that has been found. And I'd avoid saying that name as loudly as you did- it's not exactly something most of Haddonfield wants to be reminded of."

The man continued walking away, leaving Ana standing by the gate, the Autumn air noticeably colder now.