Chapter Text
“Laurie Strode. Age fifty-seven and the only survivor on Halloween night of 1978. Four dead, all except one death relating to Strode. Friends Annie Brackett and Bob Simms murdered by stab wounds from a kitchen knife except for van der Klok, who was strangled to death,” the resonant voice echoed. With a deep breath, the figure sat. An impenetrable silence filled the room, making the other cold inside. “All of these deaths, all committed deliberately, made you suffer, and to this day, you never disclose why.” The sheriff stared the woman in front of him down as if he were looking into her being. “You were a target and forty years later, the statement stands. Your granddaughter, Allyson, was targeted because she has your blood. Your daughter, Karen, was targeted because she has your blood. You are the driving force, yet you refuse to answer when asked why.”
The man leaned forward, and his dark eyes met the woman’s. Only her heartbeat filled the room.
“Now I will ask you one last time, Ms. Strode. What is your connection to Michael Audrey Myers? Why has he targeted you and nobody else from 1978 to today?”
Her white and gray locks reflected the harsh lighting of the room, and she gulped. “I told you. There is nothing. I was just a haphazard victim that night and to this day. We were never related, we never spoke. I never knew his name until then. I don’t know him,” her raspy, aged voice projected. Her chest tightened, making the release of a drink tempting.
The sheriff shook his head before placing his hand on the table, his dark skin contrasting with the pale surface. “Are you trying to run away from, I don’t know, something that happened? Was there a decision made that you try to deny?”
Laurie turned her head from his gaze, and her heart sank into an abyss. “No. I only regret not killing him when I had the chance.” Her shoes dug into the floor as her lies echoed through her head, ready to spill out and tarnish everything around her.
“The file please!” The sheriff turned towards the door, holding his hand out.
Laurie shuddered, a chill running down her spine as an officer opened the door. He handed the sheriff a file, stacks of papers inside of it. She gulped at the familiar handwriting on the front.
“Thank you, officer.” He gave a content smile, then looked at Laurie, her lips pressed in a white slash. She remained frozen as she stared at the file with wide eyes. “Do you know what this is?”
“No.” Her response was plain, unlike the feeling she held inside.
He smirked. “This is a confidential file from Doctor Samuel Loomis that we now have the authority to open.” He looked at the paper, then at Laurie, her jaw tightened.
Laurie wanted to run as far as she could from the vacant room. She had just mended her relationship with her daughter, and Allyson needed her as a grandmother. If they knew, the wounds would be deeper than before.
“Let’s take a look, shall we?” Flipping the file open, he deeply inhaled. He looked through photos, birth certificates, letters, medical histories, and notes from Loomis.
It was all in there.
The sheriff hummed and tapped a page. He cackled. “You aren’t the best liar, but I’ll give you credit for keeping this secret for all these years. Doctor Loomis was very protective of these records.”
Laurie shook her head and ran a hand through her coarse hair. “He would never have let you get your hands on those if he were still around.” She lifted her head and leaned forward, looking at the file, then the officer. “I don’t care what happens to me, but I care about what happens to my family. They must never know.”
He shook his head. “They have a right to know. You realized that the moment you had your daughter.” He leaned back in his seat, glaring. “I want to know everything from your perspective to help us decipher the mystery of Michael. You’re the only one who ever solved that mystery.”
Laurie looked away. She shook her head as a burning tear trailed down her wrinkled cheek. “I never did. I just got the closest to solving it.”
***
April 7th, 1978
The warm breeze in the air was pleasant after the cold season, and that was especially true of the north, more specifically Illinois, Haddonfield, Illinois, where nothing happened. The teens thought life was a joke and partook in drugs and sex for kicks. Consequently, the “good” kids were stereotyped as lame nerds who couldn’t define the word fun.
Laurie Strode knew she was one of those kids because she was told so, but she could never risk the chance of a good career and education. Her girlfriends Annie and Lynda always had a way of patronizing her and trying to get her to let go of her fears and ambitions for fun and a chance at love. She prized the premise of love but hadn’t experienced it; she had too many responsibilities. Yet she reckoned her mature mind was better equipped for it than her friends who had it.
Laurie looked at herself in the mirror and ran a brush through her hair. Her eye bags and pale complexion made her look as though she had partied all night, but she had been worrying over a test. She had anxieties about imperfections, and it was the only thing that made her envy apathetic people like Lynda or Annie.
“Laurie! Breakfast is on the table!” her mother called up the stairs.
“Coming!” she said, snapping out of her thoughts. She pulled up her stockings and slung a worn-out bag over her shoulder. Her mind raced to her plans for the day and the tests she studied for; her junior year was important to begin college with a good foundation. Come fall, she would be a senior. Her parents expected everything of her, and in return, she enjoyed the freedom that came with their conviction.
Laurie hobbled down the stairs, rubbing her tired eyes.
“Eggs and toast today.” Her mom smiled as she placed a pan in the sink, glancing at Laurie walking into the kitchen.
Pamela Strode’s hair was ash blonde, something Laurie inherited, and she had green eyes. The woman was like her daughter and, for that reason, few things separated them. Suddenly, footsteps and the clinking of bags and briefcases echoed through the hall.
“They smell wonderful honey,” a man said, approaching the table. “They look wonderful too!” He averted his gaze to a large bag and sifted through it. “Damnit…where did that document go?”
Laurie smiled at her dad’s pinched expression.
Her father, Morgan, was a true businessman. Had Laurie not known him as her father, she’d think of him as a true authority figure. Morgan was the owner of the Strode Real Estate Company. Because the firm was so known in the state, it kept him busy, but Laurie was proud of him. She had only love for her family, which some of her peers may have found odd.
“Thought you hated anything that didn’t include bacon,” Laurie said.
“Food is food, darling, and I’m starving.” He sat and looked at his plate, dipping his near-burnt toast into his fried egg. Usually, he’d have the daily paper in his hand or talk about the stock market. Current events always interested him, as well as useless trivia, but today he only held a coffee mug. Morgan looked at Laurie, arching his brow. “Hey, don’t you start your volunteer program today? The candy striper one?”
Laurie nodded. “Yeah, after school. Annie might drive me over to the hospital.”
“How exciting! What made you interested, hon?” her mom asked as she slid her chair in and lifted her fork.
Laurie shrugged, walking her plate to the sink to escape the talk of the future. “Just interested me. Couldn’t do any harm learning, I guess.” She pulled her short locks behind her ear and slid her navy bag over her shoulder, signaling her evasion from further questioning. “I gotta go. Love you both, tell you more about it later.” Laurie kissed her mother and father’s cheeks and exited the front door.
Once outside, Laurie inhaled the spring air and began walking to Haddonfield High, the cesspool of pubescent teens. She looked at the sky. What would she be doing in the afternoon? Would she be the only young girl working? Laurie knew she would provide support for others, but what did the patients need from people like her? Did hospitals give people that much fear or loneliness to need volunteers and staff? She wondered if she’d be able to help a patient.
Minutes went by, and a warm rush filled the air as the sun became more prominent. Sometimes she didn’t want to be alone, but presently, she didn’t mind it. Laurie never knew if she was lonely in the sense she wanted someone who could relate to her or lonely in the sense she had no one to escape with, but she was patient.
“Laurie! Laurie!” a younger voice screamed, making her shriek.
Her fear dissipated once she realized it was Tommy Doyle, whom she babysat more times than she could count. She cocked her head. “Tommy! You don’t go to school this early. What are you doing?”
“I know, I know, but I had to tell you about my Lego set I got!” He cheekily grinned, clutching the sleeve of her sweater to catch up with her. “It’s an exclusive Star Wars set! I have almost all the pieces assembled, but I need help with the others. Can you pleeease help?”
Laurie nodded and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Sure. This weekend. It’s a date.” She glanced at the mischievous grin staring back at her and arched her brow. “What’s that look for, Tommy?” After an extended silence, she stopped walking and stared down at him. “What did you do?”
His emerald eyes wettened as if a tear would fall from them. “I begged my mom to get me it. And I stole a piece from Lonnie…”
“Tommy! What were you thinking? You can’t just steal from people! You need to return those pieces to the poor boy and apologize.” Laurie shook her head and continued to walk.
“But Lonnie ripped my homework a couple of days ago! He told Keith and Richie to rip it too, and I had to do it all over again.” Tommy huffed and grabbed her sleeve tighter.
Laurie turned around, kneeling to face him. “I tell you what… You can keep the pieces as long as you stand up to Lonnie and his friends, or tell your teacher if he picks on you again. Nothing’s going to change if you don’t talk to them, just don’t tell anyone you have the pieces. It’ll be our secret, okay?” Laurie smiled as he held out his hand, and she shook it. It wasn’t teaching him to steal, just persuading him to make better decisions for himself. “Now you better be getting to school. My stop’s right along here.”
“Okay! Thanks, Laurie! See ya!” Tommy waved, his voice saturated with relief. He ran as if the devil were chasing him, making Laurie giggle.
“Bye!” She turned around. To be a fifth-grader again, where stealing a Lego was one’s biggest problem. Before she realized it, she was at the doors of Haddonfield High.
***
“I mean, I’m just saying! If he wanted to go to dinner with me, he would have! But no, the selfish bastard left me high and dry with Bennett Tramer!” Lynda screeched.
“Good god, Lynda. Isn’t this the fifth time you’ve fallen for Robert?” Annie asked as she puffed off her cigarette. She then rolled her eyes at the blonde.
“Well, did he actually tell you he’d be there, or did you assume he’d go?” Laurie asked, taking a slow bite out of her sandwich. They sat outside for lunch, but the pleasure of it wasn’t lasting, as her overt friends spoiled the time with idle chatter.
“I mean… I thought he was going to go. I told him to be there!” Lynda groaned, throwing her head back. “Damn you, Laurie! You know, it doesn’t even matter. If you weren’t so much an introvert, you’d understand.” A pout rested on her face as she dragged off Annie’s cigarette.
“Yeah? Well, good luck. Besides, Bennett Tramer is a better guy than anyone you’ve fallen for,” Laurie said, smirking at Lynda’s raised brows and slight pout.
“Wanna hit?” Annie asked, holding her cigarette out to Laurie.
Laurie grimaced, shaking her head as her mind returned to her crush on Tramer.
“Hey, Goody Two Shoes, still need a ride today?” Annie asked, stomping out the cancer stick while zipping her backpack brimming with loose papers.
Annie was sarcastic, hasty, and edgier despite her father being a well-respected cop. She didn’t believe in bras—to make a statement or show off, no one knew. Her friends couldn’t help but wonder why or how she hadn’t been busted for smoking joints in her mom’s car. She babysat most nights like Laurie, but it was common for her to give the kid to Laurie to be with her friends. Annie always kept the cash, though.
“I do need a ride, actually,” Laurie said, tapping her patent shoes against the cement.
“Why aren’t you just going to be a realtor? If I had a family-owned company, I’d stick with that,” Annie said. “What are you gonna do? Be a nurse your whole life? Boring!”
Laurie almost felt offended, almost. “Well, if you must know, I am interested in being a psychiatrist. Real estate doesn’t appeal to me, it’s just something my dad’s good at.”
“Why would you want to fix people’s problems for them? I mean, aren’t their issues their responsibility?” Lynda asked. She pulled her bleach-blonde hair back and tied it into a ponytail.
“Wow, I just keep underestimating how much of a dumbass you are! What if someone was a psychopath, huh?” Annie shook her head.
“Oh, screw you! I didn’t think about it, okay?” Lynda said, her words careless, like she never gave them any thought. “I think it’s a wonderful idea, Laurie.” She gave Laurie a toothy grin.
“You never think, and the bell’s going to ring soon, so I’m leaving, losers. To my car immediately after class, Laurie!” Annie said as she grabbed her books and skipped off to a group of kids with an oversized boombox.
“Guess I should get going too.” Laurie lazily stood and said her goodbyes to Lynda before strolling to her English class. Only two more hours. Until then, Lord of the Flies would be her focus.
Once Laurie reached class, she dragged herself in with hopes she’d be left alone to daydream. She sat at her desk and grabbed her book, cracking it open to catch sentences she found important. When she focused, she could make sense of everything, but she was too fatigued; anarchy was the only thing she was prepared to discuss if asked. Her mind refocused itself on Bennett Tramer. The boy was decent looking and, above all, kind—sentiments that weren’t reflected in Lynda’s account. If she weren’t so shy, she’d approach him.
***
Another hour, disguised as an eternity, passed until she dashed to Annie’s Monte Carlo. Without stopping at her locker, she packed her bag and made it to the vehicle, where her friend waited. She slid herself onto the leather seat smelling of tobacco and marijuana as a Rolling Stones song played at the highest volume.
“1964 British number one single.” Annie smiled and turned the key in the ignition, causing the car to growl. “It’s All Over Now,” she sang along and pulled out of the parking lot.
“1964? That was fourteen years ago, you old dog.” Laurie chuckled.
“Says the girl who listens to Elvis still.” Annie shook her head. She looked over at Laurie, inspecting the subtle pink around her eyes. “God, you look exhausted.”
Laurie blinked, nodding. “Yeah…I know.” Had she not been used to Annie’s unfiltered honesty, she supposed she would have taken offense.
“I know you like to get things done, but you should start taking time for yourself.”
Laurie grabbed a strand of hair and twisted it between her fingers. “And do what? I don’t want to party, or smoke pot all day.”
“That’s not what I meant. That’s not what always happens, you know.” Annie shrugged. “People do things like go on road trips, see new things, get a burger with their friends just because they can.” Her dark curls flew with the wind, and her gaze remained on the empty road. Annie whistled to a song to distract herself as she drove. It wasn’t until a silence-filled thirty minutes later that she spotted the building in the distance. “Hey, looks like we’re just about there.”
Laurie looked ahead, folding her arms as the air grew cooler. “Ever do this candy striper thing?” Her voice came out soft, as if it embarrassed her to ask.
“Can’t say I have. I’m not really a community giver like you. Tell you something. If you see my grandma, you’ll be in for a ride. Her jokes are just delightful.” Annie shook her head and pulled into the parking lot of the two-story building. “Some girl from NHS had her last year, and she practically told the chick her life story.”
Laurie laughed. “Cut her some slack! She’s a sweet woman who probably gets sick of watching TV all the time.” She bit her lip, Annie’s familiarity with the hospital and her grandmother’s illness making questions build and threaten to spill from her mouth. She glanced at the building, then the main entrance. “I think this is my stop.” Laurie grabbed her backpack.
Annie pulled up to the entrance and unlocked her door. She eyed Laurie as she slung her bag over her shoulder. Once Laurie shut the door, Annie smirked. “Good luck, you candy stripper!”
The scream tore through the air, loud enough to address all of Illinois, and Laurie’s shoulders drew up, her elbows pressed to her sides.
“Thanks for the ride, Brackett. Better hope I don’t get your grandma to tell me stories!” Laurie said, staring at the gray doors in front of her. The car behind her roared, then faded into the distance, leaving her to her task. With a deep breath, Laurie walked into the building, immediately greeted by a medicinal, antiseptic smell. Once she spotted the main desk, she paced to a brunette nurse wearing a white uniform, complete with a dark cape. “Hi, I’m here on behalf of the volunteering group from Haddonfield High.” She plastered a smile on her face and cleared her throat.
The woman looked at the blonde girl before her. She froze, then nodded, giving a warm grin in return. “Wonderful! You guys are always needed around here.” The nurse crouched behind the desk and grabbed a clipboard, clicking her pen as she stood.
Laurie glanced at the name tag pinned to the cotton of her dress tunic. Marion Chambers. Laurie inspected her face. Marion had a soft, pale face with chestnut eyes and was gentle in her demeanor.
“Name, hon?”
“Laurie. Laurie Strode.”
Marion flipped through her charts and hummed once she found her name. “Come with me, Laurie, and we’ll get you started.” She took her clipboard with her and chewed a piece of gum abnormally fast, like a smoker distracting their mouth. “We’ve had some girls come in lately. It’s exciting to know they still have an interest in this field. Smith’s Grove is out of the Haddonfield area. What made you choose us?”
Laurie eagerly followed and continued to inspect the white interior. “I was interested in psychology and found it was practiced here. I’ve been wanting to study it for a while now.”
Marion gasped. “Well, lucky you! We need another assistant in the sanitarium wing!” She smiled as her shoes squeaked against the polished tiles of the hall. “Would you mind if I talk to my colleague about it? I’d love to have you start there today if I can!”
“Not at all!” Laurie said, following her into an elevator. “How many doctors work in the sanitarium?”
“As of now, five. Each deals with more than one patient. Our lead psychiatrist is Doctor Samuel Loomis, my advisor and colleague. His work is just wonderful; the man has studied for years.” Marion grew enthusiastic, speaking about him as if trying to convince her he was the best, and led Laurie out of the elevator and into a longer hall.
Laurie eyed the rows of doors. Each was painted pastel green and had large locks, and her brows knit together. If the patients were being watched in a secure facility, why would they need to forbid leaving their rooms? Laurie halted as Marion stopped in front of a man shorter than her.
The man’s eyes were blue like ice, and his wrinkles and bald top showed his age.
“Doctor Loomis, meet Laurie Strode. Laurie, meet Doctor Loomis.” Marion gave a warm yet apprehensive smile.
Loomis looked at Laurie and held his hand out, firmly shaking hers. Her face was blinding to him; like it was too unmarred to exist in the building. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Strode. What brings you here?”
“I’m here as a volunteer.” Laurie took her hand back and cleared her throat. The cold, wide eyes and the vein bulging from his forehead made her tense.
“She’s interested in psychology, and we need help up here, so why not let her assist?” Marion said, as if trying to convince him.
Laurie arched her brow, shifting her weight from one foot to another. Why would he deny help? What made him uneasy?
Nurse Chambers gulped at Loomis’ possessive gaze, one that asserted he was the gatekeeper of the wing. At least to one person. Michael Audrey Myers, his patient of fourteen years.
Loomis bit his tongue and stared at the sterling teen.
Michael Myers grew up with the ability to communicate—to laugh, cry, show emotion. Loomis only met his parents once and, from what he could observe, Michael’s father, Donald Myers, was an abusive alcoholic, and his mother, Edith, was depressed because of Donald’s abuse. Then everything changed the night of Halloween 1963. When Michael stabbed his sister to death and became vacant and dead, making his unstable parents send him to the sanitarium until he could be tried at the age of twenty-one.
Michael never spoke to Loomis, even away from his parents. He just held a blank expression. Whenever Loomis tried reaching Michael, he only stared out the window and to the sky, his blonde locks illuminated by the sun—an image he could never erase.
“Oh…is that so?” Loomis hummed.
“Well, what do you say, Doctor?” Chambers asked, her feet tapping the hard floor.
“I’ll let her stay, but I will supervise.” He put a hand on Laurie’s shoulder. “We have around twenty ill patients, all varying in severity. That is a lot for the first day, so for now, I will be assisting and observing.” He concluded by patting her shoulder.
Marion smiled and turned around, grabbing Laurie a striped shirt along with a badge. “How about you get changed and when you’re done, Doctor Loomis will guide you to the patients?”
Laurie squinted at Marion’s stiff smile and Loomis’ focused stares, both tense like prey hunted by a predator. She nodded. “Uh—where should I go?”
“There’s a closet to your first left, darling.” Marion pointed to the door. Once Laurie entered and shut it, she turned to Loomis with a scowl. “Now, look what you did! The poor girl’s scared to death! She just came here to help. She has a good head on her shoulders. Now’s not the time for your unhealthy delusions!”
“I’m doing my job to protect this girl from the evil in here! Be happy I am granting her this chance,” Loomis hissed, his voice like venom.
Laurie looked around the closet full of white coats and scrubs and walked toward the wooden drawers attached to the wall. She cocked her head and opened the drawer, only discovering pens and first aid kits. Could she trust this place? It didn’t seem welcoming, Doctor Loomis was the reason for that. Laurie sighed and pulled off her shirt, throwing on the other, the fabric firm and coarse. She walked toward the door and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
“Here we go…” Laurie walked out of the closet and stepped forward, but as a muffled conversation met her ears, her feet rooted to the ground. Her gaze darted around the hall to Loomis and Marion arguing. Laurie held her breath and pressed her back to the wall.
“Fourteen years and you still believe he will escape? He was a child, and he has never spoken a word, never interacted, never felt since that day, so why would he make a wild run for it now? You’re so adamant about containing him but not healing him. You made that decision when he was young and decided he was too lost!” Marion said.
“Do not ever question me as a doctor. I sat with him for four hours a day. Four hours! Every day, I asked him how he felt and if he had anything to admit. I even told him everything would be okay if he just said one word! All my efforts and all I got was silence along those cold, unmoving eyes,” Doctor Loomis refuted.
Laurie’s throat constricted, and she clamped her eyes shut, praying she’d never meet the chilling patient. She walked around the hall and toward the two figures.
“I know in my heart he’ll escape and when he does, he will—” Marion elbowed Loomis, and he stopped to look at Laurie in front of him. He nodded and cleared his throat. “My apologies, Miss Strode. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I just have some…issues with one patient, but nothing that will concern you.” The words fled from his lips chaotically, and he motioned Laurie forward. “How about we pay some of them a visit? I know many of these patients would love to talk to you.” He forced a smile and he and Laurie walked off, leaving Chambers behind.
“Doctor Loomis, with all due respect, I-I don’t know if I’m the right person for this,” Laurie said, her heart so frantic it rang in her ears and told her to run.
“Of course you are. This place is for helping others, and that is what you came here to do, is it not?” Loomis held his breath, then released it as he approached the dilapidated door. “Just sit with some of them and introduce yourself. Some of these patients are familiar with our volunteers already. They love talking to younger students such as yourself.” He placed his hand on the cold silver handle of the door, glancing at Laurie twirling her hair between her fingers. “Ready?”
Before Laurie could answer, Loomis pushed the door open, and the slab gave a welcoming creak.