October's Very Own (The Shape x OC)

1. creep - radiohead

Marilyn Maddox counted her lucky stars this time, lucky to not catch a nasty burn. The barbecue set almost fired up earlier but at the last minute, the weather shifted to a heavy rain. Like an open bag of confetti flung up by a partygoer, the smokey garden was then splashed and bombarded with thick and bountiful rain. Mari was halfway to the door when the unforgiving rain, brief but efficient, successfully put out the small fire. Overgrown weeds and a dying cactus were affected. Thankfully the fire did not spread to other parts of the bungalow.

She dashed out to quickly dispose of the bad food, dragged the grill set into the garage back to clean as much as she could and wondered what just happened as she walked back into her newly rented house. She was fortunate that she didn't invite any neighbours or friends over. Otherwise that would be the last time they would come.

She was tired, but her writer's mind pushed on. She thought about adding this event into her Ideas journal, but she knew better. Procrastination was her best feature. She was better off drafting her next novel. The first two books had been promising, but its been a year and her agent Rose anxiously pressed her for at least a novella to placate the fans and media. Mari sighed. She loved writing, but it seemed that her train of thought lately contained pre-planned multiple endings and only served to confuse her. The fact that she could only use one per novel was devastating.

Being an author, it seemed, required travels far and wide for the perfect place where inspiration would strike at best. Cheesy, but it was done and Mari did what she could to be unseen. To her, the few female authors she looked up to were empowering and successful in their own right.

With the fame came great responsibility. Somehow, stalkers would find out about the author's whereabouts. Arrest warrants, restraining orders and the like were not in the cards as she'd prefer her role of peacekeeper. She accepted that.

The biggest threat out there were definitely "die hard" fans who could flip out like Anne Wilkes' titular character in the film Misery. The rumours were horrid, but she had no intention to see if its true. She was just thankful to not bump into those people.

This did not turn Marilyn into a man hater, quite the contrary. As a straight, red blooded woman, she knew that boys did not amuse her. She had done very little dating since college anyway, as it was proven fruitless.

Her feet found the front porch. Marina straightened up against a step where she abruptly sat, in an effort to regain her lost energy and treat her cuts. Stupid of her not to wear shoes, but the fire looked so threatening just now and she didn't bother with shoes. She must have stepped on a large rock or something.

There was not much she could do, so she waited to see the sunset all by herself. Since her house was near the woods, she easily lost herself in its beauty. Especially now, when the sunrays disappeared beyond the towering trees and casted an ethereal glow on her backyard slash garden. This was the life, Mari thought firmly. Nobody could take it away.

*

A mild fragrance now wafted in the air, reminding her of earth and spearmint. Perhaps it was gonna rain? When she looked around, trying to pinpoint the direction of the source, it took all of her remaining self-control not to yell. A man just stepped into her line of vision, making her tense up like a deer in the headlights.

The first thing she noted was his face. Rather, the rubber mask on his face. He stood very still, unmoving and watched her like the creep he was. Either that or he was a good actor. The greying effects of his mask looked genuine. Why were there wine stains on his suit? Who knew what happened.

It was very messed up, but she didn't need to guess that the man who faced her was none other than Michael Myers, the notorious Haddonfield mass murderer. Or at the least, a copycat killer. Otherwise known as the Shape, he was rumoured to be avid with whom he killed. Also, he was said to be inhuman beneath his blue mechanic's jumpsuit as well, but his reputation has made him the cautionary tale in town. He was also a selective mute, according to the urban legend.