Halloween
a novel by Curtis Richards
based on the screenplay by John Carpenter and Debra Hill
dedicated to the memories of Donald Pleasence and Debra Hill
Copyright 1979 by antam oo!s" #nc$
Prologue
%he horror started on the eve of &amhain" in a foggy vale in 'orthern #reland at the dawn of the Celtic race$ (nd once started" it trod the earth forevermore" wrea!ing its savagery suddenly" swiftly" and with incredible ferocity$ %hen" its lust sated" it shran! bac! into the mists of time for a year" a decade" a generation perhaps$ ut it slept only and did not die" for it could not be !illed$ (nd on the eve before &amhain it would stir" and if the lust were powerful enough" it would rise to fulfill fulfill the curse invo!ed so many &amhains before$ %hen the people would bolt their doors$ &cant good it did them" for the thing laughed at loc!s and bolts" and besides" there were the unwary$ (lways the unwary$ &amhain$ %he Druid festival of the dead$ %he summer had passed" and so too had that outburst of early fall warmth now !now as #ndian summer$ %he green had gone out of the land" the crops harvested" and the chill of winter had descended li!e an angel of death$ %he people" fearing the sun might never again warm the land" held their festival to appease )uc! *lla" their deity$ *n hillsides and in the caves and daub+and+wattle huts great fires were lit to which the spirits of the departed were invited by their !insmen to warm themselves" to be cheerful before the snows blan!eted the earth$ Druid priests divined who would live and die in the coming year" who would marry" bear children" wa, rich" en-oy good health$ (nd they attempted to hold at bay" through sacrifices and other rites" the witches and goblins that ran amo! at that time" stealing infants" destroying crops" !illing farm animals$$$ and sometimes worse$ Deirdre was the third and youngest daughter dau ghter of the Druid !ing .wynnwyll$ Her hair was sandy brown with amber highlights" her eyes sea green" her comple,ion cream and wild rose$ &he was already taller than her older sisters" and her early development had been the cause of much concern in the tribal community$ %he other virgins tittered with envy/ the married women voiced disapproval and a nd counseled her mother to marry her off before the girl yielded to her budding b udding impulses/ the young warriors eyed her yearningly" and the old warriors thought forbidden thoughts and reflected on their faded memories$ His name was 0nda$ He was fifteen" and he loved Deirdre with a secret passion that tortured him and at night caused him to cry out in his sleep$ hen it became rumored that Deirdre2s father" the !ing" was preparing to offer her hand in marriage" 0nda consulted his !insmen and as!ed if they thought his suit would be loo!ed upon in favor$ He suspected what the answer would be" but his longing overcame his embarrassment$ 3Ho4 Deidre marry you56 his father cac!led$ cac !led$ 3ith your shriveled arm and your twitching mouth56 or 0nda had presented himself wrong end first when his mother birthed him" and the midwives had made a botch of his delivery$ 3&he would as soon marry my goat46 howled his uncle$ 3*r ulech46 his brother added" pointing to the runty dog worrying a greasy bone in the corner of their hut$ 3esides"6 said his father" 3#2m told she2s but betrothed to Cullain$6 3'ow there2s a lad worthy of that wench2s pretty hole46 his uncle burst out" raising his wines!in to his fat lips" and they continued to discuss Deirdre2s charms as 0nda retreated miserably from the hut into the cold night$ n ight$ %he boy suffered tortures such as only the adolescent can$ (t length" he determined on a plan$ #f he could somehow get directly to Deirdre" he would convince her that though he was ill+ favored physically" he was in every eve ry other respect a fitting candidate for her hand$ %his was easier said than done" however" because be cause virgins were closely watched by their mothers or by truculent warrior
Prologue
%he horror started on the eve of &amhain" in a foggy vale in 'orthern #reland at the dawn of the Celtic race$ (nd once started" it trod the earth forevermore" wrea!ing its savagery suddenly" swiftly" and with incredible ferocity$ %hen" its lust sated" it shran! bac! into the mists of time for a year" a decade" a generation perhaps$ ut it slept only and did not die" for it could not be !illed$ (nd on the eve before &amhain it would stir" and if the lust were powerful enough" it would rise to fulfill fulfill the curse invo!ed so many &amhains before$ %hen the people would bolt their doors$ &cant good it did them" for the thing laughed at loc!s and bolts" and besides" there were the unwary$ (lways the unwary$ &amhain$ %he Druid festival of the dead$ %he summer had passed" and so too had that outburst of early fall warmth now !now as #ndian summer$ %he green had gone out of the land" the crops harvested" and the chill of winter had descended li!e an angel of death$ %he people" fearing the sun might never again warm the land" held their festival to appease )uc! *lla" their deity$ *n hillsides and in the caves and daub+and+wattle huts great fires were lit to which the spirits of the departed were invited by their !insmen to warm themselves" to be cheerful before the snows blan!eted the earth$ Druid priests divined who would live and die in the coming year" who would marry" bear children" wa, rich" en-oy good health$ (nd they attempted to hold at bay" through sacrifices and other rites" the witches and goblins that ran amo! at that time" stealing infants" destroying crops" !illing farm animals$$$ and sometimes worse$ Deirdre was the third and youngest daughter dau ghter of the Druid !ing .wynnwyll$ Her hair was sandy brown with amber highlights" her eyes sea green" her comple,ion cream and wild rose$ &he was already taller than her older sisters" and her early development had been the cause of much concern in the tribal community$ %he other virgins tittered with envy/ the married women voiced disapproval and a nd counseled her mother to marry her off before the girl yielded to her budding b udding impulses/ the young warriors eyed her yearningly" and the old warriors thought forbidden thoughts and reflected on their faded memories$ His name was 0nda$ He was fifteen" and he loved Deirdre with a secret passion that tortured him and at night caused him to cry out in his sleep$ hen it became rumored that Deirdre2s father" the !ing" was preparing to offer her hand in marriage" 0nda consulted his !insmen and as!ed if they thought his suit would be loo!ed upon in favor$ He suspected what the answer would be" but his longing overcame his embarrassment$ 3Ho4 Deidre marry you56 his father cac!led$ cac !led$ 3ith your shriveled arm and your twitching mouth56 or 0nda had presented himself wrong end first when his mother birthed him" and the midwives had made a botch of his delivery$ 3&he would as soon marry my goat46 howled his uncle$ 3*r ulech46 his brother added" pointing to the runty dog worrying a greasy bone in the corner of their hut$ 3esides"6 said his father" 3#2m told she2s but betrothed to Cullain$6 3'ow there2s a lad worthy of that wench2s pretty hole46 his uncle burst out" raising his wines!in to his fat lips" and they continued to discuss Deirdre2s charms as 0nda retreated miserably from the hut into the cold night$ n ight$ %he boy suffered tortures such as only the adolescent can$ (t length" he determined on a plan$ #f he could somehow get directly to Deirdre" he would convince her that though he was ill+ favored physically" he was in every eve ry other respect a fitting candidate for her hand$ %his was easier said than done" however" because be cause virgins were closely watched by their mothers or by truculent warrior
brothers$ 'evertheless" one day 0nda sei8ed an opportunity when Deirdre went to fetch water from the stream at the foot of the hill$ He followed her furtively" darting from tree to tree until he found her stooped over the stream" singing softly to herself as the water filled her clay pitchers$ 3Deirdre56 he called timidly$ &he turned and gasped" eyes round with fright$ 3ou4 hat do you want56 Her body tensed" and she seemed ready to bolt$ 3#$$$ # want to$$$6 %he panic in her face alarmed him$ He had e,pected to startle her" but had not imagined she would greet him with such revulsion$ He stepped forward" hand e,tended pacifically$ ut she -umped bac!" misinterpreting the gesture$ &he stumbled" almost falling into the stream" and 0nda moved swiftly to rescue her$ 3'o46 she shrie!ed$ 3.et away from me" monster46 &he found her feet and burst into a run" crying" 3Help4 Help4 He means to rape me46 0nda2s body had been deformed at birth" but not until that moment had his soul been formed$$$ (nd now it was &amhain" and 0nda humiliated beyond reason" stood on the perimeter of the celebrants dancing and chanting around the bonfire$ #n his left hand he held a fat wines!in" from which he dran! often$ #n his right he held a foot+long butcher blade which he used to cut the throats of pigs and chic!ens$ His eyes were fi,ed bitterly on the figures of D eirdre and Cullain" whirling e,uberantly around the fire" to the immense approval of the tribe$ or their betrothal had been announced" to the -oy and relief of all$ 0nda2s legs shoo! and his body trembled in the cold night" though the heat of the fire was intense$ (nd when the couple pirouetted past him once more" he leapt li!e a wildcat on his twin prey$ :narmed" their elbows lin!ed" they didn2t have a chance$ 0nda2s blade sliced easily through Cullain2s -ugular and windpipe$ His legs !ic!ed out in a grotes;ue finale to his dance of life$ %hen he fell li!e a slaughtered bull" dragging Deirdre downward$ Her head turned away" she laughed" believing that her drun!en partner had merely stumbled$ 0nda2s blade caught her with laughter on her face" the same laughter that had moc!ed him after she had run safely into the arms of her tribesmen the day he had approached her at the stream$ %he highly honed weapon plunged into her breast up to the hilt$ #n the clamor" no one heard the e,plosion of wind from her lungs" the gurgle of blood" the whimper" or saw the loo! of dreadful recognition as the light faded from her eyes < e,cept for 0nda$ %he thrill of revenge was the last emotion 0nda !new" for a moment later he was literally torn apart by the enraged tribe$ *nly his head and his heart were preserved" gathered up after the fren8y had subsided" at the re;uest of the grieving !ing$ (fter Deirdre and Cullain w ere buried on the hallowed ground the following day" 0nda2s head and heart were carried to the summit of the Hill of iends" where cowards and other o ther outcasts were left to rot unblessed$ %he !ing as!ed his shaman to pronounce a special curse over the remains of this vile murderer$ 3%hy soul shall roam the earth till the end of time" reliving thy foul deed and thy foul punishment" and may the god )uc! *lla visit every affliction upon thy spirit forevermore$$$6 %he s!y dar!ened and lightning flashed$ %he day suddenly grew blac! and cold" and out of nowhere gusts of snow lashed the tribal party$ #n the history of the tribe" it had never snowed so early in the year$ &atisfied that )uc! *lla had heard his prayer" the shaman summoned his people to turn their bac!s on 0nda and return to their bereft village$$$ %he celebration of &amhain2s eve was transmuted over the centuries$ %he invading Romans carried the tradition bac! from the 0nglish #sles with them in the form of the Harvest estival of Pomona" and the early Christians deemed their celebration Hallowmas$ %he popes of the )iddle (ges consecrated 'ovember 1 as (ll ( ll &aints2 Day" and (ll Hallow 0ven slurred into Halloween as the holiday was transmuted over the ne,t millennium$ ith the coming of modern civili8ation" the superstitions and traditions of the original
festival lost their meaning and vitality$ %o!en recogn ition could be seen in the custom of lighting candles in -ac!+o2+lanterns" hanging effigies of witches and goblins outside homes" and playing good+ g ood+ natured pran!s that were a feeble cry from the mayhem of the old times$ Children paraded about in costumes whose significance hand long ago lost their correspondence to the terror of evil that had once gripped the world at the onset of winter$ Halloween" li!e many of the holidays" had become an empty shame$ 0,cept that from time to time" the innocent frolic of (ll Hallow 0ven was shattered by some brutal and ine,plicable crime" and the original spirit of the celebration was brought home to a horrified world$ %hen the people would bolt their doors$ &cant good it did them$$$ and besides" there were always the unwary$
Chapter 1
#t was 19=>" and (merica was sure of itself" or at least seemed to be$ Particularly in Haddonfield" #llinois$ %he tensions of the Cold ar" of Cuba" the dar! stirrings in &outheast (sia" lapped at the door of this placid and undistinguished midwestern town" but didn2t really touch it$ #n less than a month" the president would be murdered in Dallas" signaling an era of tremendous violence and heartbrea! that would reach deeply into the homes and hearts of (mericans across the land$ ut that was in the future" and tonight" *ctober >1" was a time for fun$ #t was Halloween$ Perhaps even more than Christmas" it was the most innocent holiday on the calendar$ es" more than Christmas" because Christmas celebrated a happy event" and -olly &t$ 'ic! was a benevolent symbol anyway$ ut Halloween2s origins were dar!er" very much dar!er" and if the children celebrated it as a happy event li!e Christmas" it was a symptom of how far we2d come from the time when man!ind respected the forces of evil$ ?ittle )ichael )yers2s grandmother cluc!ed her disapproval as the visiting rosy+faced si,+ year+old showed her the costume in the oolworth bo,$ 3hat2s that supposed to be56 she said" leaning forward in her recliner and ad-usting her specs$ 3( clown" .randma$6 He ran his hand over the red and green nylon -ester2s costume" with matching cap with a pompom on top$ 3( clown"6 she sighed$ 3'ow" )other"6 )ichael2s mother" 0dith" came to the rescue" 3# !now what you2re going to say$6 3ell" it2s true" darn it$ e never had that five+and+dime -un! when we grew up on the farm$ e too! Halloween seriously$ hy" when we set up scarecrows and -ac!+o2+lanterns" it was because we were genuinely trying to scare off the bogeyman$ ogeyman" now he played real pran!s and did some real damage$ He didn2t -ust go around li!e they do today" slapping people2s clothes with soc!s filled with chal!+dust and soaping their windows$6 3hat did the ogeyman do" .randma56 )rs$ )yers shifted uncomfortably in her chair$ 3# don2t thin! )ichael wants to hear that"6 she said loo!ing significantly at her mother$ 3#t might give him bad dreams$6 ut grandma wasn2t ta!ing the warning$ 3'othing wrong with bad dreams$ (t least they remind us that things aren2t hun!y+dory in this world$ ?ord" everything is so clean and < phony these days$ Just one big television commercial$ Clown costumes46 she sighed" fingering the cheap material in the oolworth bo,$ 3hat did the ogeyman do56 )ichael insisted$ %he silver+haired woman leaned forward confidently" a perverse smile lighting her pleasantly lined face$ 3ell" if you were luc!y" you got away with nothing worse than finding some of your chic!ens beheaded$6 3eheaded56 3%heir heads cut off"6 she e,plained with a relish$ )icheal2s eyes widened/ his mother grimaced and pic!ed up a copy of ?oo!" riffling nervously through it$ 3#f you weren2t luc!y" you lost a cow or two$6 3:nheaded56 3e+headed" yes$6 3ere the heads -ust lying there ne,t to the cows or were they$$$ 56 3)other" that will be enough$ Really46 )rs$ )yers gasped" snapping the maga8ine shut$ ut grandma had warmed to the sub-ect$ ehind her spectacles" her blue eyes had drifted
off to her girlhood" and her head nodded in memory of some awesome event$ 3*nce he burned somebody2s barn down$ as it infield5 'o" interfield$ urnt )r$ interfield2s barn down to the ground" livestoc! and all$6 &he loo!ed at the wide+eyed boy" then at her horrified daughter" and reali8ed she2d gone too far$ 3*f course" )ichael" we always suspected it wasn2t the ogeyman$ Perhaps neighbors getting even with each other for some slight$ #n costumes and mas!s" it was easier to get away with that sort of thing$ ut # do remember one incident$$$6 3'ot the chimney story"6 begged )rs$ )yers$ 3*h" tell me the chimney story46 implored the grandson$ 3ell"6 the woman said" 3it was Halloween" nineteen+ought$$$ nine5 'ineteen ten56 3Just tell it"6 said )ichael$ 0ven at si, he recogni8ed a boring attac! of grandma2s hat+ year+was+it+again5 3es$ #t was Halloween" but way after midnight$ )aybe two or three in the morning$ e2d all gone to sleep" leaving the fire burning in the parlor because it was a terribly cold night$ ell" suddenly # hear my brother Jimmy shouting" 2&mo!e4 &mo!e4 a!e up everybody" the house is on fire42 # grabbed my robe and rushed down the stairs right behind my daddy" who2d pic!ed up the buc!et of water we always !ept filled at the top of the landing$ &ure enough" the whole downstairs was thic! with woodsmo!e$ ut # couldn2t see any fire$ %he smo!e was coming from the fireplace" and it loo!ed as though the flue had been closed$6 3hat2s a flue56 .randma e,plained what a flue was$ 3e put out the embers and opened the doors and windows to let the smo!e out$ %hen daddy loo!ed at the flue and < glory be < it was open$ &omething was -amming up the chimney$ 'ow" we didn2t have a ladder on account of daddy having -ust ta!en it apart to replace some rotten rungs$ &o Jimmy had to shinny himself up the drainpipe to find out what was obstructing the chimney$6 3hat was it56 the boy as!ed" while his mother shoo! her head in painful anticipation$ 3( dead hog$6 3ow46 3&omeone < or something < had cut out our hog2s throat and laid it atop the chimney$6 &he laughed humorlessly$ 3%he thing is" that hog weighed near three hundred pounds$ How did it get up there without a ladder5 ithout our hearing anything5 ithout our dog" %oby" raising hob with his bar!ing li!e he usually did when he heard something prowling5 ithout disturbing a gate or ma!ing a footprint5 (nswer me that" )ister oolworth Clown Costume$6 3# don2t !now$6 3ell" # do$ 2%was the ogeyman" that2s all there is to it$6 3)other" that will do46 )rs$ )yers snapped$ 3%he boy2s been having problems enough at night without your adding to them$6 3Problems5 hat !ind$$$ 5 :m" )ichael honey" run into the bedroom and try the costume on for .randma$ #2ll tuc! it if it2s too baggy$6 3#t2s supposed to be baggy"6 said the little boy" carrying the bo, into the ne,t room$ 3'ow" what2s this about 2problems256 she demanded of her daughter$ 0dith )yers" a younger" dar!er+eyed replica of her mother" ran a hand through her curly blond hair$ 3# told you" he2s been getting into fights at school$ (t home" too" with Judith$ He2s been wetting his bed again" which he hasn2t done in three years$6 3ighting about what56 3)other" can we -ust forget$$$ 56 %he old woman2s eyes narrowed$ 3'o" we can2t$ hat !ind of trouble is that boy in56 3@oices"6 )rs$ )yers finally blurted after a minute2s tortured pause$ 3 He hears voices$6 3*h" ?ittle ?ord Jesus46 the old woman cried$ &he e,changed a long" meaningful loo! with her daughter$ 3#2m afraid to as! what these voices say$6
32%hey tell me to say # hate people$2 %hat2s how )ichael put it when # as!ed him$ Don thin!s maybe we ought to send )ichael to someone$6 3ou mean a psychiatrist56 3es$6 3# don2t put much stoc! in psychiatrists" but # don2t suppose it could hurt$ (nd # don2t thin! it will help" if it2s what #2m thin!ing$6 %he younger woman began to get agitated$ 3# !now what you2re thin!ing" and that2s why # didn2t want to get into this with you$ ou2re going to say that that2s how it started with .randpa 'ordstrom$6 3e have to face up to it" child" that is how it started with your father2s father$6 3)other" all children hear imaginary voices$ Don2t you remember my obby ear" who used to$$$ 56 3#t2s not the same$ (t least" it2s not something you should ignore$ Does the boy have dreams56 Her daughter nodded$ 3Does he remember any56 3es" and they2re very violent$6 Her face reddened and she turned her eyes away from her mother2s piercing ga8e$ 3)other" when .randpa 'ordstrom$$$ that is$$$ ell" you2ve never spo !en to us about that incident" and # thin! there are enough similarities$$$6 3Hush" here comes )ichael$ hen you get home" call me as soon as you can" # thin! the time has come to tell you everything$ (h" there2s my little boy"6 she cooed as )ichael came bac! into the room with a rustle" 3right out of a Punch 2n2 Judy show$6 He stood before them" an angel in red and green nylon" elastic an!le and wrist+bands ma!ing the costume cling at the e,tremities and bag out everywhere else$ ( ruff around the nec! and the little droopy pompom cap completed the charming picture$ 3.randma2s baby46 she laughed" clasping the boy to her bosom$ 30dith" please fetch me some cold cream and lipstic! from the tray in my bedroom$ )ight as well complete the picture$6 3# don2t want ma!eup"6 )ichael protested$ 3*f course you do$ ou don2t want anyone to guess who you are when you go around playing pran!s$6 3#2m not going to play pran!s$ #2m -ust going to as! for candy$6 3ou do that" child$ ou -ust have an innocent" oolworth !ind of Halloween$6 &he saw them out the door$ 3Remember" 0dith" call me as soon as you can$6 3# will" )other$ (nd don2t worry$6 3# won2t"6 she said" shutting the door$ &he began to tremble" wondering if she should have said something to her daughter about .randpa 'ordstrom2s dreams$
Chapter A
Judy )yers" nude e,cept for a pair of panties with red valentines printed on them" sat before her mirror brushing her long blond hair$ &he sang to herself" stressing each third note as she pulled the tortoise+shell brush downwards to her shoulders$ &he li!ed ga8ing at herself" noting how her breasts flattened when she brought the brush to her head" then rounded and filled again when the brush reached the bottom of its stro!e$ &he was especially happy this evening because the house was empty" a rare occasion indeed$ %he house being empty meant no parent to bug her" no !id brother to burst in on her or try to pinch her boobs or ass" or maybe pee! at her through the !eyhole$ )ore importantly" it meant that she could ma!e out with Danny on a couch or maybe even in bed without having to worry about interruptions$ ooling around in cars wasn2t terribly satisfying anymore$ 'ow that it was getting cold" you had to roll up the windows and !eep the heater on and it got stuffy and steamy$ (nd now that she and Danny had gone all the way" she was eager to do it with him in a civili8ed fashion$ Danny2s suggestion of a motel in )apleton was not what she meant by civili8ed fashion$ %he doorbell rang$ 3*h" .od" he2s here already46 she muttered" snatching up her unse,y bul!y chenille robe and stepping into fu88y slippers$ &he loo!ed at the alarm cloc! on the table$ #t was a ;uarter to seven$ Danny was fifteen minutes early$ 3#2ll !ill him$ ?oo! at me$ uchh$6 %he doorbell went off again" long and insistent$ 3eah" #2m coming" #2m coming46 %hough she !new she2d end up undressed anyway" she2d at least wanted to start clothed for Danny" and clothed in a halfway decent way" for crying out loud" and not li!e some frumpy washerwoman$ &he galumphed down the stairs" getting really pissed off" and flung open the door$ 3.oddamn it" Danny" you told me$$$6 3%ric! or treat46 %here were eight of them" holding shopping bags$ ( few also held :'#C0 bo,es with slots in them for coins to give to their class charity$ %heir uniforms were all cheap and store+bought e,cept for one girl tric!ed out in her mother2s peasant s!irt and blouse and a gypsy shawl$ %here was a pirate" a cowboy" a ballerina" two onder omen in identical five+and+dime outfits" the gypsy girl" a space man" and a clown$ %he costumes were chint8y and loo!ed as if they2d tear if you stuc! your tongue out at them$ %hey all wore mas!s" but Judy identified most of them$ %he space man and cowboy were (dam and Charlie ec!et" the pirate and ballerina were Chris and Hope Rit8inger$ %he gypsy was Batie &challer" *ne onder oman loo!ed li!e Christine ran!" but Judy couldn2t figure out who the other was$ (nd of course" she guessed who the clown was" as she2d put the finishing touches on his outfit herself$ 3%ric! or treat46 they repeated$ 3*h yeah56 Judy teased$ 3(nd what if # don2t give you any treat56 %he children stood silently" pu88led$ 'o one had ever denied them$ %hey -ust assumed you filled their bags with goodies$ #f you turned them down" they wouldn2t !now what tric!s to play$ Judy stood in the doorway en-oying their discomfort for a moment$ %o her right" on a little table in the hall" were si, bowls filled with candy corn" %ootsie Rolls" aby Ruths" .ood 2n2 Plenty" popcorn" and Hershey Bisses$ %here was also a dish with pennies in it for the :'#C0 collection$ 3Huh5 hat are you gonna do if # don2t give you anything56 %hey shrugged" shuffled their feet" giggled nervously$ %hen one of them said" 3e2re gonna !ill you$6 Judy suc!ed in her breath$ 3ho said that56
%he children loo!ed at each other" then loo!ed bac! at her$ 3)ichael )yers" was that you5 ecause if it was" it2s not funny" and #2m telling mother an d father when they come home$6 3#2m not )ichael )yers" #2m a clown$6 Judy caught the glint of Danny2s 29 Chevy turning into the street$ 3*!ay" !ids" you win$ Hold out your bags$6 &he stepped to the bowls and grabbed handfuls of candy" showering it into each bag$ %hen she too! up the dish of pennies and dropped four or five into each of the contribution bo,es$ 3%han! you"6 they said politely$ 3.ood+bye$ Happy Halloween"6 they shouted over their shoulders as they toddled of to their ne,t house$ Judy closed the door and bolted up the stairs two at a time" stripping out of her robe as she did$ hen she reached the top of the landing she !ic!ed of her fu88ies and threw the robe into her closet" grabbing a blouse and s!irt" rummaging through drawers for a bra and a pair of !nee+soc!s and a sweater$ &he donned these in record time" and when the doorbell rang she was ready in a demure collegiate+loo!ing outfit$ (lthough both she and Danny !new where they were going to end up tonight" she decided she should at least loo! a little hard to get" otherwise Danny would thin! she was fast" and that would get around school$ &he caught her breath" then descended the stairs in stately steps$ &he opened the door calmly" as if she2d almost forgotten they had a date$ 3*h" Danny" it2s you$6 %he tall" muscular boy coc!ed his head$ 3*f course it2s me$ ho2d you e,pect" ð Dooley56 Dooley was the class goof and the last person Judy would ever date$ 3'o" # thought it was some more !ids tric!+or+treating$ Come in$6 He entered and shut the door behind him$ 3# thought we2d do a little tric!+or+treating of our own"6 he said" putting his arms around her$ 3irst you give me some of those Hershey Bisses" %hen # play with your %ootsie Rolls" then we have some .ood 2n2 Plenty$ ummm$6 He buried his lips in the nape of her nec!$ Judy giggled" then s;uirmed out of his grasp$ 3%hat2s what you thin!$ ?oo! at you$ ou dress in -eans and a polo shirt and you e,pect a girl to strip off her clothes56 He laughed$ 3hat does it matter what we have on5 #t2s what we2re going to have off that counts$6 He lunged for her again but she duc!ed out of his grasp$ 3'ot so fast" buster$ irst of all" it2s not even dar! yet$ &econd of all" #2m worried that more !ids are going to come around and interrupt us while we2re$$$ uh" discussing homewor!$ (nd third of all" # don2t even !now if # feel li!e doing anything$ ou ta!e a lot for granted" you !now$6 3eah" #2m a real animal"6 he said" pretending to smac! himself on the wrist$ 3esides" my mother and father2ll be home any second"6 she said" flouncing away into the !itchen$ He followed close on her heels$ 3%he hell they will be$ ou told me they always go to the movies on Halloween because they hate the doorbell ringing$ Hey" what are you doing with that !nife56 rom the drawer under the sin!" Judy had removed a long carving !nife and now held it menacingly above her head$ 3#2m going to cut off your whatsama-iggy" that2s what #2m going to do"6 she hissed li!e a witch$ 3Hey" come on now"6 Danny said" bac!ing away toward the !itchen counter" 3that2s not funny$ ou could hurt someone with that thing$6 3%hat2s the whole idea" my pretty"6 she said" sounding a little li!e the ic!ed itch of the est$ &he rushed at him" and he -umped out of the way as the blade plunged to the hilt into$$$ $$$a fat pump!in$ Judy laughed$ 3ou goof$ #2m -ust ma!ing a -ac!+o2+lantern$6 Danny stood plastered against the far wall of the !itchen" panting$ 3*h" that2s funny$ %hat2s terribly funny$ &ome sense of humor you have$ Ha ha ha$ ou could have !illed someone" for crying
out loud$ 3Just help me cut the cap off this thing" will you5 %he sooner you do" the sooner we can do our homewor!$6 Danny caught his breath" then relieved her of the treacherous eight+inch blade and began carefully sawing around the top of the pump!in until the crown came off$ He set this aside" then called for a large coo!ing spoon and began scooping the seeds and stringy pulp out of the shell$ 3?oo!s li!e he has more brains than you do$6 3&hut up and finish the -ob"6 she said" curling her arms around him from behind$ 3#2m getting hungry" and it2s not for pump!in seeds$6 Her hands slid down his chest and belly" and Danny2s !nees went wea!$ %hen he too! up the !nife again and sliced into the side of the pump!in$ 3aby" #2m going to set a new speed record for pump!in cutting$6 Deftly he cut out two triangular eyes and a triangular nose" then a long" wide mouth with -agged teeth$ 3.ot a candle56 3hat for56 Her eyes spar!led with mischief$ 3or the pump!in" stupid$6 He ga8ed unbelievingly at her" then said" 3*h" # get it$6 He shoo! his head$ 3# sometimes wonder if women don2t have dirtier minds than men$6 3?uc!y for you they do"6 she said" producing a stubby candle from the pantry$ He cut a soc!et in the base of the pump!in" lit the candle and set it inside$ %hen he bore a few little air holes in the cap with a smaller !nife to allow the flame o,ygen$ %hey cleaned up while Judy put the cutlery away while Danny carried the -ac!+o2+lantern out to the front porch of the white clapboard house$ #t glowed intensely in the cool autumn air" pro-ecting its grotes;ue smile to the do8ens of other -ac!+o2+lanterns that lined the placid street$ Danny was not a particularly intellectual boy" but for a moment he loo!ed out at the row of shimmering orange pump!in+faces and wondered what dar! forces these totems were once intended to repel$ %he night was ;uiet and starry" with a slight bree8e starting up from the north < good football weather" Danny reflected$ rom somewhere down the street came the dim echo of 3%ric! or treat46 shouted by a roving band of children$ or the first time Danny wondered about all these traditions < -ac!+o2+lanterns" paper witches and cardboard s!eletons" tric!+or+treating" apple+dun!ing" ghosts and goblins$ ut he didn2t wonder long$ He was getting cold$ (nd horny$ Judy was -ust finishing sponging up the orange pump!in -uice from the !itchen counter$ &he dried her hands on a paper towel" then turned to find Danny$ 3oo46 Judy2s heart almost pounded out of her chest$ 3.od almighty" you scared the wits out of me46 she gasped" collapsing into Danny2s arms$ He2d donned a rubber fright+mas!" a ran!enstein face with sun!en eyes and a livid scar across the chee!$ He held her tightly" feeling her breasts heaving with fright through her sweater$ He du g his fingers under the sweater and pulled her blouse+tail out of her s!irt" then clamped his hands over the warm flesh of her bac!$ &he murmured and responded eagerly with her pelvis$ He found the hoo!+and+ eye of her bra straps and" after a brief fumble or two" managed to unfasten them and run his hands forward until they cupped her breasts$ #t always ama8ed him that she loo!ed so modestly endowed underneath her clothing" yet when stripped she possessed a wonderful pair of b reasts$ &he moaned as his palms and fingers enclosed them$ Her nipples went from soft to hard almost instantly as his fingertips massaged and lightly pinched them$ 3Biss them"6 she begged$ 3(re you sure56 came his hollow voice$ &he too! her head of his chest and burst into laughter$ He still had his ran!enstein mas! on$ 3%a!e that thing off$6
3ou ta!e your thing off" and #2ll ta!e my thing off$6 3#t2s a deal$6 He stripped off the mas! and too! her by the hand to the foot of the stairs$ 3(re you sure about your parents56 3%hey won2t bac! till ten at least$6 3(nd )ichael56 3# told you" he2s tric!+or+treating$ e have time" bu t not all night" so no more ya!!ing" huh56 3'o more ya!!ing$6 &he turned her bac! on him and sauntered up the stairs" wiggling her behind enticingly and stripping out of her sweater and blouse before she2d reached the landing$ Danny followed li!e a hungry puppy" tossing his own clothes off as he went along$ &tripped of all but her panties" she stood before him in the dim light of the night table lamp$ Her breasts rose and fell e,citedly" her red nipples po!ing provocatively through the blond tresses that cascaded over them$ Danny stared incredulously$ He2d never seen anything so beautiful$ :p to now his !nowledge of his girl had been restricted to his raille reading of her bod y in dar! cramped automobiles" but now he feasted on her e,;uisite firmness" almost forgetting to ta!e his own pants off$ (t last he unbuc!led his belt and pulled his -eans and shorts to his an!les simultaneously$ He was already erect$ 3*h"6 Judy murmured" eyes widening$ He stepped up to her and embraced her" his hands enclosing her buttoc!s$ &he lowered herself on the bed" parted her thighs wide" and admitted him$ &lowly" -oyously" he entered her$ 3*h"6 she murmured again$ &he put her hands on his buttoc!s and pulled him into her with feline ferocity" e,ulting in the powerful muscles that filled her b ody and soul with ecstacy$ 3&o this is what it2s li!e to do it in a bed"6 she whispered$ 3%his is what it2s li!e to do it in a bed$6
Chapter >
He stood in the shadow of the tall hedgerow" loo!ing and listening$ He had seen them nec!ing in the !itchen" then Danny had come out on the porch for a minute to set the -ac!+o2+lantern down$ hen Danny returned" they had gone upstairs$ ( few minutes later" the light in Judy2s bedroom had gone off$ 'ow" above the rustle of the wind in the crisp leaves of the huge oa!s on the front lawn" he could hear their sighs" moans" and giggles$ (nd they filled him with murderous hatred$ %he voice in his head had become subdued for the moment as he listened to Judy and Danny" not really understanding the significance of their utterances e,cept that it had to do with love$ He had heard similar sounds coming from his mother and father2s room$ ut he had felt warmly toward them$ %hey were ma!ing each other happy" his father and mother" and that made him happy too$ %hen why did he feel such poisonous rage against his sister and he r boyfriend5 #t was the voice$ %he voice stirred up the hatred$ #t had done so in his dreams" and now it was doing so in real life$ #t had begun with the strange pictures in his head at night" pictures of people he had never seen < oh" maybe in comic boo!s or on television" but never in real life$ People in strange costumes" animal s!ins" armor" leather" drin!ing and d ancing wildly around a fire$ *ne couple in particular$ %hey loo!ed li!e Judy and Danny" madly in love with each other" dancing in a circle around the huge bonfire" while he" )ichael" stood in the crowd hating them" burning up with -ealousy$ %hen a voice had come into his head while he dreamt" a voice telling him to stop the dancing lovers$ %he voice had become louder" clearer" and more demanding lately" and its dictates more compelling$ He had begun to believe that if he listened to the voice" did what it told him to do" maybe the voice would go away and leave him alone$ #t was no longer a dream voice$ #t spo!e to him during the wa!ing time too$ #t had spo!en loudly to him tonight" even as he went from house to house begging candy" even as he played games at the p arty$ #t had directed him to return home at once$ ?oo!ing around to ma!e certain he wasn2t being observed" he slipped across the lawn past the front porch" duc!ing stealthily to avoid the orange glare of the -ac!+o2+lantern$ He sidled along the shingles on the side of the house and tiptoed up the stairs of the side door$ He turned the !nob and opened the door$ He wasn2t surprised$ People didn2t loc! their doors in Haddonfield/ what was there to fear5 He slipped into the !itchen and crossed to the sin!$ .o ahead" the voice told him" you !now what to do$ He opened the drawer and reached in$ His fingers enclosed the thing he was loo!ing for" and he withdrew it from the drawer$ #t was the butcher !nife$ He touched the tip with the meat of his inde,+finger$ #t pric!ed him$ He ran his thumb along the edge of the eight+inch blade$ #t left a thin neat trail of blood$ He glided out of the !itchen and into the parlor" where he paused" listening$ He heard them tal!ing while they dressed and straightened up $ He pressed himself against the wall as footsteps crea!ed down the stairs$ irst he saw Danny" in -eans and blue+striped polo shirt$ His hair was mussed and his chee!s were flushed as if he2d been !issed with hard passion$ %hen Judy" a sheet wrapped around her" which she held with her thumb against the base of her spine$ %he intruder ga8ed at her bare" dimpled buttoc!s and slender legs" then he fingered the blade of his !nife" trembling$ %hey were !issing" and at last she let go of the sheet" so that all that held it up was the pressure of his body against hers$ 3Do you have to go56 He held his watch up behind her head$ 3# gotta$ our fol!s2ll be home any second$6
&he ran her hand up his thigh$ 3How about a ;uic! one56 3Here5 'ow5 (re you cra8y56 3ou are such a chic!en$6 3#2d be a roast chic!en if your parents discovered us doing it in the hall as they wal!ed in the door$6 He pushed her away and the sheet fell to the floor$ His eyes bulged as he too! her body in one last time$ 3Jee8" it2s tempting$$$ 'o$ 'o" # gotta go$6 He pic!ed the sheet up and wrapped it around her once again$ 3&ee" chivalry is not dead$6 3%oo bad$ ill you call me tomorrow56 3eah" sure$6 3Promise56 3#2d have to be cra8y not to" wouldn2t #56 %hey !issed one last time and parted li!e Romeo leaving Juliet$ Judy shut the door behind him" leaned against it for a moment" and moaned in remembrance of recent ecstasies$ %he she trotted bac! up the stairs$ He stepped out of the shadows of the parlor and furtively made his way up the stairs" pausing at the landing to loo! and listen$ Her clothes were still strewn in a trail from the top of the stairs to her bed$ He followed them li!e a hunter trac!ing the spoor of his prey$ He stopped outside her open door" peering inside$ &he sat in her red valentine bi!ini panties" brushing her hair before the mirror on her dresser$ &he hummed a tune in her pretty voice$ He stepped into the room and was halfway across when she saw him$ Her eyes clouded and her eyebrows !nit with pu88lement$ &he crossed her wrists in front of her breasts$ &he recogni8ed him through his mas! and called his name" bewildered$ 3)ichael" is this a -o!e$$$56 He continued coming at her$ 3.et out of here" .oddamn it$ .et out of here before #$$$6 %he first slash of the !nife caught her on the wrist" splashing blood across her chest an d legs$ &he loo!ed at the wound with more surprise than pain$ &he couldn2t believe it was happening$ %hen she reali8ed$ &he -umped to her feet and bac!ed away to the wall" !noc!ing over her chair$ 3hat are you doing5 hat are you doing56 she cried$ (s he raised the blade again" she held her hand out to protect herself$ He slashed the hand viciously" and it dropped limply to her side$ 'ow she was shrie!ing insanely as she grasped what was happening$ He plunged the !nife into her right breast" and a great gout of scarlet blood spurted out of the wound and soa!ed his hand and wrist$ He thrust the blade into her belly$ (t what point she died" he didn2t !now" for now that she was defenseless he stuc! the !nife into her again and again" -amming it into her breasts" belly" groin" a rms" legs" and throat$ He stabbed her fifty times if he stabbed her once" e,ultation sweeping over him li!e no -oy he had ever !nown$ %he paro,ysms began to die down and he stood over her" spent$ #t was almost impossible to recogni8e this piece of hac!ed flesh$ lood was everywhere" and the sour odor of it rose up from his hands" into,icating him$ %he gory little figure turned and stepped over the fallen furniture and scattered clothing and wal!ed down the stairs and into the !itchen$ &uddenly he reali8ed he was hungry$ He reached into a bowl on the !itchen counter and stuffed a coo!ie into his mouth" then opened the refrigerator door and removed a bottle of mil!$ He emptied half of it into his mouth with his bloody sleeve" leaving a strea! of red and white across his chee!$ He opened the side door and went outside" still carrying the butcher !nife$ He stepped out onto the lawn and stood there for a minute indecisively$ (t that moment" a dar! sedan pulled up to the curb$ %he assassin made no attempt to flee" but stood on the lawn waiting for the occupants of the car to get out$ (fter a moment both front doors opened and a man and woman emerged$ %hey too! two or three paces toward the house" then saw him and stopped" staring at the figure in the bloodstained clown costume with a blood+clotted butcher !nife
in his hand$ %he man reached out and removed the mas! from the boy2s face$ 3)ichael$$$56
Chapter
%hey didn2t !now what to call him" and they didn2t !now what to do with him$ He wasn2t a man" so he couldn2t be tried for murder$ He wasn2t even an adolescent$ (nd although the law respecting -uveniles was broad enough to cover a si,+year+old boy" it didn2t seem appropriate that laws designed to handle vicious teenage pun!s" muggers" purse snatchers" and car thieves" should apply to him$ %o loo! at him" during the hearing before the magistrate" was to see a handsome" almost pretty" rosy+chee!ed little lad in a neat tweed suit" a tie" and highly polished shoes$ His eyes were warm" his smile genuine" and when he spo!e it was with artless sincerity$ #n fact" more than one newspaper report described him as 3charming$6 et the boy had" by his own admission" stabbed his sister thirty+one times at least" the coroner testified$ Probably more$ %he magistrate concluded that the boy was either mad or lying$ He ;uestioned the little fellow very closely about whether some other person had done the deed and thrust the blade into the child2s hand$ ut the boy2s insistence on his story" and the absence of any other evidence < despite the fact that poor Danny" Judy2s lover" was treated very roughly by police detectives" and came within an ace of being accused < compelled the magistrate to declare it an act of madness$ et" !nowing what sort of place the boy would be sent to" and what sort of people he would be thrown in with" the magistrate agoni8ed over the verdict that would deliver )ichael into the hands of those howling maniacs and their gangster !eepers that he had seen with his own eyes on a recent official visit to the downstate center at &mith2s .rove$ ?oo!ing ashen and e,hausted" he reconvened the hearing a wee! later$ 3?adies and gentlemen of the court" in forty+two years as a loyal servant of the law and of this court" # have never been as!ed to ma!e as remotely cruel a decision as the one # am now compelled to ma!e$ 0ven as # spea! # am aware that #2m struggling to !eep my eyes from ga8ing upon the accused in this bi8arre episode" for # !now that if # do" # may falter in my duty$ 'evertheless" absent any evidence to the contrary" absent any witnesses" absent any other person to come forth with a confession" absent any contradiction in the child2s story" absent any regret on the part of the accused" and above all" absent any sense of right or wrong" which is the foundation of the law with respect to the criminally insane < # have no choice but to remand )ichael (udrey )yers to the &mith2s .rove &anitarium in arren County" #llinois" where he shall be placed in the care of a resident psychiatrist who shall report to this court regularly$ His case shall be reviewed no less than twice a year" and upon recommendation of the psychiatrist the boy may be released bac! into the custody of his parents$ 3(lthough it is impossible for me to conceive a lengthy stay for )ichael" whose brutal act # believe to have been the product of a passing madness that # hope has discharged itself forever from his system" # am obliged to cite the law concerning criminally insane minors" namely" that at the age of twenty+one they must be brought before a magistrate for a criminal proceeding$ 3#f )ichael is still at &mith2s .rove fifteen years hence" he shall be brought before the court on the day of his twenty+first birthday" where he shall be tried as an adult for the murder of Judith )argaret )yers$ 3# have"6 he said" holding up a sheaf of papers" 3prepared a list of supplementary instructions for the care of )ichael at &mith2s .rove" in the hope that the problems that e,ist in such institutions shall not damage his chances of returning to society as a normal" healthy" fully functional human being$ %his court is dismissed$6 He rose" and the courtroom" which was composed almost e,clusively of newspaper reporters" rose with him$ He pivoted and" still averting his eyes from the boy he had -ust sentenced to
the living death of an insane asylum" passed through the rear door of the courtroom$ )ichael2s parents sobbed as the boy was led out of the room by a stern+loo!ing matron" and even the normally tough+ s!inned reporters" who had seen everything" loo!ed wan and reflective$ *ne observer" however" was unaffected$ &am ?oomis" a round+faced man with a goatee and a head shaved bald" had been staring penetratingly at the accused boy$ #n all his years as a clinical psychiatrist" he had heard and read about such cases but had never observed one personally" and so the )yers case had interested him !eenly < particularly because ?oomis was the resident in charge of -uveniles a &mith2s .rove$ ?i!e everyone else" ?oomis had been deeply touched by the angelic appearance and manner of the little boy until" as the boy was reciting the events of the evening of *ctober >1" 19=>" his eyes had happened to loc! with ?oomis2s$ %he man felt a chilly forbodding that almost curdled his blood$$$ &i, months had passed since the hearing" and" as re;uired by law" ?oomis now appeared before Judge Christopher in the magistrate2s chambers$ (s they sipped glasses of port" ?oomis noted how much the -udge seemed to have aged$ ?oomis tactfully said something to this effect$ 3#t disturbed me deeply then" and it disturbs me no less deeply now$ #t haunts my wa!ing hours and my sleep$ # don2 thin! #2ve ever done anything so difficult in my life$ ut what could # have done5 hat would you have done5 How is he56 3He is$$$ fine$ *f course" in my professional capacity" 2fine2 must be defined$$$6 3Please" no psychiatric rubbish" ?oomis$ Just tell me ab out his behavior in plain terms$6 3#n plain terms5 He has done nothing" to our direct !nowledge" that would indicate anything else but normality$6 3Direct !nowledge56 3Judge Christopher"6 ?oomis said" rising to his feet and distractedly running his fingers over the red and beige bound legal volumes on the -udge2s shelves" 3there have been some peculiar and unpleasant occurrences at &mith2s .rove in the last si, months$ Particularly in the -uvenile ward$6 %he -udge leaned forward$ 3?i!e what46 3ell" first of all" you have to understand that as )ichael is by far < maybe eight or nine years < the youngest patient in the ward" he would ordinarily be the sub-ect of a great deal of bullying yes56 3# should imagine so$6 3ell" there hasn2t been any attempt whatsoever$ 'ot so much as a pinch$6 %he magistrate stro!ed his chee!$ 3(nd what do you ma!e of that56 3%he same thing you do" #2m sure$ %hey2re afraid of him$ # have seen him turn the hardest delin;uent in the ward to stone with a stare$6 %he -udge digested it$ 3(nd this is all you have to say5 ou feel this is sufficient reason for me to e,tend his incarceration$$$6 3%hen there was the matter of .ilden" the trustee$ .ilden is !nown around the ward for his pran!s$ %he children love him/ he2s the only breath of fresh air in the place$ *ne day" about a month after )ichael2s arrival" old .ilden played one of his harmless practical -o!es on the boy < one #2ve seen countless times$6 3hat was that56 3*h" he loosened the cap on the salt sha!er" so that )ichael salted his dinner" the contents of the sha!er fell into his food$ (s usual" it got a big laugh$ #t has become practically an initiation ceremony for the youngsters at the hospital$6 3(nd$$$56 3)ichael didn2t thin! it was funny$6 3hat did he do56 3'othing" at the time$ ut that night" .ilden came down with a case of cramps so severe he had to have his stomach pumped$ #t was analy8ed as food poisoning$6
3ut you thin!$$$56 3es" though # don2t !now how the boy might have gotten to the !itchen or what he could have used$ %he -uvenile ward is separated from the !itchen by a series of guarded or loc!ed passages$6 3# see$ (nything else56 3'othing ;uite as tangible$ ut the other boys in my charge have become$$$ well" rather restless since )ichael2s arrival$ ?i!e a herd of cattle that instinctively feels the presence of wolves out there in the dar!ness$ %hey always seem to be on the verge of bolting$ &tampeding$6 %he -udge loo!ed at him$ 3Dr$ ?oomis" # thin! you !now how profoundly unnerved this matter has made me" and how desperately interested # am in seeing )ichael treated and released$ #2m not overly impressed by the observations you2ve made this morning" and it2s only your reputation that !eeps me from ma!ing some rather critical remar!s$ 'ow" # want to !now if the boy stic!s to his story" understands what he did" feels remorseful" feels purged of the murderous hatred he described to us at the hearing" that sort of thing$6 3Judge"6 said ?oomis" collapsing into a leather chair" 3the boy2s story and attitude haven2t changed a whit since the hearing" though # have spent nearly two hours a day with him every day for si, months$ # have nothing to go on but my e,perience and my hunches" and # tell you out of the depths of all # have learned and observed in fifteen of e,ploration of the human mind" )ichael )yers may be the most dangerous person # have ever handled$6 ?oomis2s crystal blue eyes loc!ed with Christopher2s and held them for a long moment$ %hen the -udge pulled his ga8e away and ;uaffed down the rest of his port nervously$ 3Damn it" ?oomis" # cannot run my court on hunches" hearsay" coincidences" or anything but hard evidence$ &o unless you can come up with something" something he says" something he doe" # am going to seriously entertain the boy2s release the ne,t time you appear before me$ #s that understood56 3es" our Honor"6 ?oomis breathed" ta!ing his leave with no ceremony whatever$ #n the following months there were more 3occurrences"6 and in ?oomis2s mind there was n o doubt whom to ascribe them to$ 0very time )ichael was slighted" or fancied h e was" by a staff member or another inmate" some awful vengeance was visited upon the offending person$ #t might be a day" a wee!" a month later" but )ichael got even$ %he problem for ?oomis was that no one ever observed the boy doing it directly$ *ne day" as the boys were watching television in the lounge" a fifteen+year+old got up and turned the sound lower$ )ichael rose and turned it up again$ %he other boy turned it lower again$ )ichael accepted the situation with a resigned shrug$ %hat evening" as the older boy showered" the water turned scalding$ %he lad was harmed only enough to discomfort him for a wee!" but it could have been serious" and everyone !new who was behind it$ et apparently )ichael had not left his room$ %here were other incidents$ ( nurse who ;uarreled with )ichael fell down the stairs two days later" fracturing her pelvis$ ( boy who borrowed a game from )ichael and forgot to return it suffered a vicious rash that hospitali8ed him for a month$ hat doubly disturbed ?oomis was that subtly but definitely" the boy was capturing the leadership of the -uvenile ward" because no one dared to challenge him$ 0veryone" staff and inmates ali!e" indulged him" and so he pretty much got his way$ ?oomis wondered when his own turn would come" but it never did" and he believed it was because no matter how much ?oomis challenged the boy" no matter how much he thwarted him" )ichael !new that ?oomis was trying to help him$ %he boy grudgingly ac!nowledged ?oomis2s authority" and that" ?oomis concluded" was probably" the only thing that prevented )ichael from wal!ing scot+free out of the institution$ 3ou could" you !now"6 ?oomis aid to him one afternoon during their regular therapy session$ 3%hat2s how much they fear you$ #f you were to as! an orderly for !eys" as! a guard or trustee to turn his bac! at the appropriate moment" you could stroll out of here" such is the power you e,ert over them$ #sn2t that true )ichael46
%he boy2s eyes clouded and he shrugged his shoulders$ 3# don2t !now what you mean" sir$6 3(h" but you won2t do it"6 ?oomis said" almost smugly$ 3ou won2t do it because you have it made here$ Here you have your own little world$ #f you were to escape" why" what would await you out there but strife and hassle5 &o you stay here" snug and secure" isn2t that true" you little dev+++++5 ?oomis caught himself$ 'o matter what he believed" it was unprofessional to e,press it that way" and besides" when you got right down to it" no one had ever seen the !id do anything to anybody$ hich is why" at this outburst of ?oomis2s frustration" )ichael simply fluttered his long eyelashes" smiled" and said" 3# don2t understand" Dr$ ?oomis$6 ?oomis dreaded his ne,t si,+month review of )ichael2s case with Judge Christopher" because if ?oomis couldn2t produce any hard evidence of wrongdoing on )ichael2s part" the -udge might very well order his release$ &o it went" through the summer and early fall$ %hen" one day in mid+*ctober" at the end of another fruitless therapy session" )ichael dropped a bomb$ 3Can we have a Halloween party" Dr$ ?oomis56 ?oomis2s eyes all but bulged out of their soc!ets$ 3( Halloween party4 ou o f all people$$$6 3(ll the other !ids thin! it would be a wonderful idea$ &o does 'urse Bramer" and Dr$ )artin said he2d have no ob-ection$6 3'urse Bramer and Dr$ )artin are my subordinates" and they$$$6 3(re you sure you don2t want us to have one56 )ichael as!ed$ His feelings were clearly very strong$ 3*f course #2m$$$6 He caught himself in mid+sentence" and suddenly he reali8ed a Halloween party might be -ust the thing$ ( plan formed in his mind" and after a moment2s reflection he said" 3ell" actually" # see no harm$6 %he mere announcement of the party proved therapeutic for most of the boys in the ward as they set to wor! industriously to create costumes and decorations$ %he costumes they chose were revealing their deepest fantasies" and this was an une,pected bonus for the psychiatric staff who might otherwise have had to probe for months into their minds for the same material$ #n the last wee! before Halloween" )ichael began to get restless and e,cited" edgy and irascible$ ?oomis was well aware of the psychiatric phenomenon !nown as the 3anniversary syndrome"6 wherein mentally disturbed persons relive the even ts of the previous year2s trauma$ )ichael seemed to be following this classic pattern" and on the evening of *ctober >1" ?oomis placed the staff on what he only half+-o!ingly called red alert$ %he children Ethe girl2s ward had been allowed to -oin the boys for the occasionF were to be carefully observed" and ?oomis wanted two staff members besides himself to do nothing else but watch )ichael$ ?oomis needed not only an incident" but witnesses$ %he children were led into a little gymnasium" where blac! and orange streamers had been festooned" and cutouts of witches and goblins" blac! cats and pump!ins made by the children had been taped to the walls$ %he children wore their costumes" and even the nurses and orderlies donned clever mas!s" hats" or costumes to -oin in the fun$ )ichael was dressed as a clown$ (fter ca!e and soda" the games began$ or obvious reasons" they were !ept simple and non+ threatening$ ut after a round of musical chairs" in which a si,teen+year+old girl named & ophie had beaten )ichael out for the last chair Ehad she !nown about the boy2s reputation" she2d have given it to himF" ?oomis leaned forward alertly" scrutini8ing )ichael$ %he stage had been set for something$ %he ne,t game was duc!ing for apples$ ( huge vat had been borrowed from the !itchen" filled with water" and a do8en apples floated in it$ %he idea was for the children to pic! an apple out of the water using -ust your teeth$ (fter eight or nine children had gone" it was &ophie2s turn$ )ichael stood third or fourth in line behind her$ &he leaned over the lip of the vat" struggling to !eep her hands behind her bac! to resist the temptation to grab the apple$
%he ?ights went out$ #t was not uncommon for the lights to fail at &mith2s .rove" especially on windy nights" when trees fell on power lines in rural areas$ ut it was not a windy night$ ?oomis had been prepared for anything but this$ He leapt from his chair and ran in the pitch dar!ness for the spot where he thought the vat was$ He bowled over several shrie!ing children and groped the last few steps until he collided with the platform on which the vat stood$ (t that moment the hospital2s own emergency generators" which tripped on automatically when the main utility system failed" brought light bac! into the auditorium$ &ophie lay face down beside the vat" drenched from the waist up$ ?oomis searched the room for )ichael$ He stood under a bas!etball bac!board" at least ten steps away" smiling$ ?oomis loo!ed at the boy2s costume and handsG they were completely dry$ ith a nurse ?oomis applied artificial respiration" and after a moment the girl brought up a large ;uantity of water" sputtering and gasping$ %he party was over$ ?oomis2s trap had failed$ ut ultimately" ?oomis won$ or" on the day he was scheduled to drive up to the county seat to plead his case with Judge Christopher" he received a phone call from the bailiff of the -uvenile court$ %he night before" Judge Christopher had had a massive coronary and died on the way to the hospital$ Judge Christopher2s successor was far less sympathetic to )ichael )yers$ He had only read about the case" and was convinced )ichael was the brutal !iller that the psychiatrist claimed$ ?oomis presented the new -udge with a forty+five page paper describing )ichael2s personality and the incidents of the last year" and though there was still not a shred of evidence to support ?oomis2s contention that )ichael was a homicidal psychopath" the new -udge accepted ?oomis2s opinion that it was best to !eep the boy behind institutional walls$ (nd so it was that fifteen years passed$$$
Chapter
*n the evening of *ctober >" 197I" a new uic! station wagon sliced through the blac!ness of a rainy night on &tate Highway 11=" heading east toward the &mith2s .rove state facility$ *n the front door of the slee! car was the institution2s emblem$ %he only other thing that distinguished it from an ordinary car was the chic!enwire grating that separated the front and bac! seats$ #nside" her face illuminated by the eerie glow of the dashboard and the occasional orange light of her passenger2s nervously puffed cigarettes$ )arion %readwell" R$'$" peered into the -et night$ &he wore a crisply starched white nurse2s uniform and hat" and a navy cape with red piping around her shoulders$ Her !nuc!les on the steering wh eel were white$ (s if she weren2t nervous enough about tonight2s assignment" the foul weather made her as uptight as a drug addict loo!ing for a score$ (s her passenger smo!ed and tal!ed" )arion resisted the temptation to loo! at him$ &he2d heard so much about Dr$ ?oomis" both good and bad" and after glimpsing him when she2d pic!ed him up in front of his home she could see why he was spo!en of with that mi,ture of reverence and dread that people reserved for Rasputin$ His head was shaved bald " but he wore a gray goatee" giving him a slightly diabolical appearance$ He dressed in a limp" wrin!led brown suit and not+very+rain+proof trench coat" and apparently gave no heed whatever to the conventions of good dress$ His crystal blue eyes were awesome in their intensity" and you !new at once that mundane matters li!e proper attire were beneath the interest of a man with such eyes$ #n his lap he held a manila folder whose notes he tried to follow with his inde, finger in the light emanating from the dashboard$ 3$$$ %hen he gets another physical e,amination by the state" followed by an appearance before the -udge$ ear in mind that this is not the -udge of the -uvenile court" because the sub-ect is no longer a minor$ #n any case" the procedure should ta!e four hours if we2re luc!y$ %hen we2re on our way$ (s before" he will be heavily sedated$6 3hat did you use before56 3%hora8ine$6 %he driver frowned$ 3hy" he2ll barely be able to sit up$6 ?oomis smiled grimly$ 3%hat2s the idea$ Here we are$6 He gestured toward a large white sign fi,ed to a low bric! wall on the left$ #t saidG &mith2s .rove arren County &anitarium %hrough the blac!ness and the downpour she could ma!e out the shadowy mass of the institution looming up on the hillside surrounded by a sturdy steel fence above which ran three strips of no+nonsense barbed wire$ 3%he driveway2s up a few hundred yards on your right"6 ?oomis indicating" gesturing with his cigarette$ %he nurse" an attractive redhead" was slightly disappointed that ?oomis hadn2t as!ed h er anything about herself$ &he guided the station wagon around the approach road$ ?oomis2s indication that he intended to !eep their charge drugged was typical of the rumors she2d heard about this rugged+ -awed" single+minded man$ #t was said that the patients he treated successfully returned to the world completely ad-usted and capable of leading normal lives$ #t was also said that those he thought incapable of recovery" he sedated until they were no more dangerous than a row of stringbeans$ 3(re there any special instructions56 she as!ed$ or the first time he loo!ed at her directly$ 3Just try to understand what we2re dealing with
here$ Don2t underestimate it$6 Her eyes narrowed$ 3Don2t you thin! we should refer to 2it2 as 2him256 ?oomis shrugged$ 3#f you say so"6 he said without conviction$ 3our compassion is overwhelming" Doctor"6 she said" reaching for a pac! of cigarettes$ &he too! one out and slipped it between her full lips$ %hen she groped for her matches$ ?oomis reached into his coat for his lighter" but she found her matches first and lit her own cigarette$ 'ow ?oomis did loo! at her for the first time" noting the sheen of her auburn hair" the high chee!bones" the pert nose" as the flare of the match momentarily illuminated her attractive features$ &he put the matches up on the dashboard" but they slipped off as the car lurched to the right$ ?oomis pic!ed them up off the carpeted floor$ %hey said" 3%he Rabbit+in+Red ?ounge < 0ntertainment 'ightly$6 (n odd name" he thought" and wondered whether the young lady fre;uented the place and what sort of entertainment one might be fortunate enough to see there$ 30ver done anything li!e this before56 he as!ed$ 3*nly minimum security$6 3# see"6 he said" failing to !eep the pity out of his voice$ 3hat does that mean56 she said defensively" pic!ing up his tone$ 3#t means$$$6 He ga8ed at her" assessing her maturity and concluding she didn2t have too much of it$ 3#t means # see" that2s all$6 3ou don2t have to ma!e this any harder than it already is"6 she said forthrightly$ ?oomis2s smile was devoid of humor$ 3# couldn2t if # tried$6 3%he only thing that bothers me is their gibberish$ hen they start raving on and on$$$6 &he finished the thought with a shiver and a loo! of disgust$ 3ou don2t have to worry about that"6 said ?oomis$ 3He2s scarcely spo!en a word in years$6 &uddenly" in the middle distance" the car2s headlights detected a ghostly shape about twenty+five yards away$ ?oomis leaned forward and peered" eyebrows !nit in dismay$ 3&omething is wrong$6 )arion lifted her foot from the gas pedal and hovered it over the bra!e" awaiting instructions as she s;uinted through the windshield into the troubled night$ %he wraithli!e figure had momentarily disappeared$ %hen five of them appeared$ Patients clad in windblown" rainsoa!ed white gowns" wandering or cavorting around the field outside the fence$ %heir eyes were hollow and almost 8ombieli!e" their faces ravaged by decades of incarceration$ 3&ince when do they let them wander around56 )arion as!ed cynically$ 3%hey don2t"6 ?oomis replied unnecessarily" gesturing impatiently for her to drive the rest of the way to the gate" where there was a telephone$ 3Drive" drive46 ( figure stepped in front of them" a male patient with an insane grin and red+rimmed eyes$ )arion had to stop the car to avoid running him over$ ?oomis thrust open his door and -umped out$ He trotted over to the bewildered escapee and as!ed him a ;uestion$ %he man gesticulated with wild" gnarled hands$ ?oomis2s eyes clouded with fear$ He rushed bac! to the car and hopped in" rivulets of rain tric!ling down his bald head into his face and beard$ 3Pull up to the entrance46 3&houldn2t we pic! him up56 3)ove it46 )arion pressed the gas pedal$ %he rear tires whined on the wet pavement" then grabbed$ %he powerful car almost !noc!ed the hapless inmate down$ 3hat did he say56 3He as!ed me if # could help him find his purple lawnmower$6 3# don2t thin! this is any time to be funny"6 )arion declared indignantly$ 3(fter all" #2m$$$6 3He said something else"6 ?oomis said ominously$ 3He said" 2#t2s all right now$ He2s gone$ %he evil2s gone$26 %hey e,changed a serious loo!$ 3hat does that mean56 3ait here"6 he said" leaping out of the still+rolling car and rushing to the g uard booth$ He
slid the door open and stepped on something soft$ He !nelt over it$ #t was the guard$ His head was twisted on his nec! as if some giant hand had tried to unscrew it$ %he man2s eyes bulged hideously" and his tongue lolled over bloody lips$ 3)y .od46 ?oomis gasped as he reached for the phone$ #nside the car" )arion drew nervously on her cigarette as the escaped inmates did their danse macabre around the par!ing lot$ %he driving rain drummed on the roof and hood" and ?oomis2s contorted face in the guard booth as he shouted his message to the main house did not ma!e her feel any easier$ (ll at once there was a tremendous thump on the roof" which buc!led momentarily before popping bac! into shape$ )arion glimpsed a flutter of white cloth out of the corner of her eye and reali8ed what it was$ 3*h" no" one of them is on the roof of the car"6 she muttered" rolling th window on the driver2s side down to plead with the inmate to get down$ %he noise on the roof was unimaginable" li!e someone dancing on it$ )arion stuc! her head out of the window$ 3*!ay that2ll be enough$$$6 &he did not see the powerful hand e,tending from the roof" but a moment later it had her by the hair and was attempting to pull her through the window$ hen the intruder reali8ed he couldn2t do that" he attempted to get a grip on her -aw to twist her head off$ or a moment she shrie!ed with helpless panic" but ?oomis either didn2t see what was happening or couldn2t help$ %here was only one solution before this monstrous hand snapped her nec!$ &he groped desperately for the !nob of the window and found it after what seemed an eternity$ &he gave it a ;uarter turn with her free hand" but the problem was that her head was out the window and the man2s grip was too strong for her to pull bac! inside the car$ rantically she clawed at the hand$ ( finger passed over her open" screaming mouth$ &he clamped her teeth on it with all her might$ %he thing let out an inhuman howl and momentarily rela,ed its grip$ &he yan!ed her head bac! inside and closed the window on his hand$ He roared again and pulled his hand out of the window before her last turn on the !nob clamped him irrevocably$ )arion clutched at her throat and gasped for air$ &he was momentarily safe" but an instant later she had her hands full at the window on the passenger side$ %he inmate" still on the roof" had struc! the window with shattering force" and the window2s protective glass had crac!ed into a thousand geometric splinters that adhered to each other for the moment but would fly into the car ne,t time he struc! it$ %he thing peered upside down into the car" and )arion saw a ghastly rain+soa!ed creature made even more horrible by the spiderweb pattern of the crac!ed window$ 'ow" in blind panic" she stepped full on the gas pedal$ %he tires !eened on the wet pavement" then too! hold and the car lurched forward$ )arion tore around sharply from left to right to left again$ %he car swayed and s!idded" but the thing" clinging to the windshield wiper and a door handle" somehow managed to hold on$ %he rain cascaded down the windshield and she couldn2t see a thing/ she certainly didn2t see the par!ing lot curb when she struc! it at forty miles an hour$ %he wheel tore out of her hand and her chin struc! the rim$ %he station wagon spun wildly out of control" hurling her across the seat to the passenger side$ %hen it struc! another curb broadside" and from that moment on )arion remembered nothing until she was being helped to her feet by ?oomis$ &he lay on the soa!ed grass of an emban!ment" a violent ringing in her ears" the nerves in her scalp throbbed from the pain of her hair having been violently pulled$ (bout a do8en paces away the station wagon sat" idling$ ?oomis e,amined her and satisfied himself that she2d suffered no serious harm$ %hen h e turned to the car$ 3.ood .od" there2s someone in there46 He could see the ghostly shape on the driver2s side" and it seemed to be frantically pounding on the steering wheel as if trying to ma!e the thing go$ ?oomis dashed for the car" but -ust as he reached it it vaulted forward" careering cra8ily from side to side until the driver seemed to gain mastery of the controls and roared down the road and onto the highway$ ?oomis returned to )arion" who was sobbing hysterically and shuddering from the rain and cold$ Pulling her cloa! closer around her shoulders" he held her tightly$ %ogether they watched the tail
lights of the station wagon fade into the blac!ness of the #llinois night$ %hen he turned to her$ 3ou can calm down now$ %he evil is gone$6 &omehow she too! no comfort in that at all$
Chapter =
?aurie &trode stepped out of the door of the white frame house on *a! &treet and sniffed the air$ #t was cool and tangy with a faint touch of woodsmo!e$ &omeone had lit a fire in a fireplace somewhere down the street" and for ?aurie it had a special significanceG #t mar!ed" in her own mind" the official start of winter$ *f course" winter didn2t truly begin until the third wee! in December" a little less than two months away" and you couldn2t as! for a more autumnal event than Halloween" which too! place tonight$ 'evertheless" ?aurie though t about winter" and felt that same mi,ture of eagerness and dread that most mid+westerners feel about the season$ &he was a pretty girl" slim and angular" with straight" brownish+hair falling without fanfare to her shoulders$ arrah hairstyles were all the rage but ?aurie thought it was an affection and a pain in the ass to !eep up$ %hough not e,actly a boo!worm" she had decided there were simply too many more interesting things to do" li!e reading" than to spend all that time washing" blow+drying" teasing" and combing" to say nothing of dyeing or frosting your hair if you really wanted to do that trip the right way$ &he dressed in simple school attire" a print s!irt" !nee soc!s" sensible shoes" and a boy2s shirt under a sweater$ ?oaded down under two heavy boo! bags" she appeared to be round+shouldered and flat+chested" but that didn2t worry her$ &he !new that when she set out to dress and ma!e up for a date" she could hold her own with anybody in her high+school class$ ut today was a school day and there is no way you can loo! glamorous on a school day short of getting your own private porter of chauffeur to carry you and your boo!s to school$ &o you do the best you can" and if your friends tease you about your waddle" you grin and bear it$ &he was slightly surprised to note several younger children already dressed in Halloween costumes$ %hen she reali8ed they were not tric!+or+treating at eight in the morning" but merely dressed up for Halloween parties at school$ Her cool blue eyes warmed as two little si,+year+old girls with eminently solemn faces glided by in satin gowns and rhinestone tiaras" turning occasionally to bar! warnings to the gruff little pirates and cowboys who teased them ten paces behind$ &he wasn2t sure if one of the boys was %ommy Doyle" for whom she was to babysit tonight$ abysitting" 'umber one boring -ob$ oring4 & ome of her girls friends used babysitting as a means for ma!ing out$ Perhaps if ?aurie were interested in somebody she might do the same thing" but there wasn2t anyone in her life right now" so it loo!ed li!e she would be spending another evening supervising %ommy2s addiction to horror movies and satisfying his craving Eand" she admitted" her ownF for popcorn$ &he thought about what her girl friends did with their dates on babysitting -obs$ &ome of them had confessed < even boasted < that they went all the way with their boyfriends$ ?aurie wasn2t ine,perienced" and she wasn2t a prude either" but she !new herself well enough to understand she wouldn2t be able to handle that trip at the tender age of seventeen$ #n fact" she sometimes wondered if there was something wrong with her" if she was a little retarded or something$ %he smoldering fires of adolescence had never really tortured her body the way it did some of her friends Eli!e (nnie" for instanceF$ (nd although almost everybody in her class smo!ed grass" she not only had never gotten high" she couldn2t draw the smo!e into her lungs without coughing$ (nd she was too smart to be interested in any other !ind of drug$ 3?aurie" ?aurie"6 she said under her breath" sha!ing her head morosely" 3at this rate you2ll end up to be as sensible as your mother$ hat a drag46 3hat are you dreaming about" sweetheart56 came her father2s voice from behind$ Chester &trode stood on the front doorstep" fooling with a !eyring$
3*h" the usualG se, and drugs"6 she laughed" !nowing he wouldn2t ta!e her seriously$ 3%han! goodness"6 he said$ 3# was worried you were *$D$+ing on 0nglish lit and political science$6 3'o danger of that"6 she retorted$ 3)y parents brought me up to be a straight and decent !id$6 %hey wal!ed together to his car" a blac! sedan with 3&trode Real 0state6 embla8oned in bold red and white on the door$ #t never failed to embarrass her" this advertisement glaring at people wherever they drove$ )aybe things li!e this were done in Cleveland or Chicago or &t$ ?ouis" but in a small town li!e Haddonfield most people !ept a low profile$ *h well" it brought daddy business" and Eas her father was fond of pointing outF business meant food and clothes and a college education$ &o she couldn2t really complain$ %hey stood beside the car for a moment until her father managed to slide the proper !ey off his ring" which had so many !eys on it Ehe called it his occupational afflictionF he loo!ed li!e a -ailer$ Handing a simple brass !ey to her" he said" 3'ow don2t forget to drop this off at the )yers place$6 3# won2t"6 she said$ &he decided to !eep it in her hand instead of dropping it into her boo! bag" where it would be 3out of sight" out of mind$6 3%hey2re coming by to see the house at ten+thirty$ e sure you leave it under the mat$6 3# promise$6 &he started to wal! away$ 3Haven2t you forgotten something56 he called after her$ He stood by the car" head tilted" e,posing his freshly shaved chee!$ ?aurie wal!ed bac! and put her lips hastily to his chee!" hoping none of her girl friends was watching" then feeling guilty immediately afterward$ hy should a girl be embarrassed about !issing her own father" for crying out loud5 &he set out down *a! &treet" rolling slightly from side to side with the weight of her boo!s < the famous ?aurie addle$ #n her right hand the !ey to the )yers house seemed to tingle" and suddenly she found herself thin!ing about the house$ #t was the one property her father handled that he was ashamed to spea! of" and his relief at unloading it for once far outweighed his profit motive$ or this was the house in which a seventeen+year+old girl had been brutally slain by her little brother fifteen years ago$ %he )yerses had moved away a few months after the tragedy$ %he grief" shame" and harassment by the press and gaw!ing neighbors and passersby had made their lives in Haddonfield intolerable$ rom somewhere in #ndiana they continued to pay their mortgage loan and ta,es" which" as ?aurie2s father had often said" was a terrible double burden$ 'ot only could they not find a buyer all those years" but they had to bear the emotional burden every time they wrote out a chec! to support the unsaleable house$ Chester &trode had used every tric! in his prodigious salesman2s bag to sell %he hite %ur!ey" as he2d come to call it$ ut as soon as prospective buyers heard about the events of *ctober >1" 19=>" from neighbors all too eager to tell them" their superstition invariably got the best of them and it was good+bye sale$ )r$ &trode couldn2t even persuade customers to buy the property for the value of the land$ 3uy it and ra8e the house" if that2s the way you feel"6 he would tell them$ ut the property was tainted" and no one went for the bait$ %han! .od for the 'ew or! couple who thought the house was -ust what they were loo!ing for" and who were too sophisticated to believe the nonsense the neighbors prattled about$ #n fact" the 'ew or! couple actually thought the idea of a haunted house was charming" something they could boast about$ &o )r$ &trode gave the 'ew or!ers something else they could boast about < a price so ridiculous" it was Eto use his patented phraseF 3lower than a song$6 ?aurie wondered what it must have been li!e that night for the )yers girl" seeing her tiny
brother coming at her with that enormous butcher !nife$ #magine a blade that long going into her stomach" her breasts" her$$$ even her$$$4 #t was unspea!able" unthin!able$ 3Hey" ?aurie46 Rarely had she been so relieved to be pulled out of a fantasy$ %he caller was %ommy Doyle" the boy she was sitting for tonight$ %he eight+year+old with tousled brown hair and bright eyes trotted up to her" swinging two or three boo!s strapped together with a belt$ ?aurie" whose own load of boo!s ;ualified her to -oin the &tevedore2s :nion" sighed at this symbol of vanishing youth$ 3Hi" %ommy$6 He caught up with her and they wal!ed side by side for several paces$ 3(re you coming over tonight56 3&ame time" same place$6 3Can we ma!e -ac!+o2+lanterns56 3&ure$6 3Can we watch monster movies56 3&ure$6 3ill you read to me5 Can we ma!e popcorn56 3&ure$ &ure$6 Her answers came absently and automatically$ %hey were the same ;uestions every time" but this time she was thin!ing about poor Judith )yers as they turned the corner and wal!ed the hundred paces into Peecher &treet where the )yers house was$ &he couldn2t purge her mind of that awful picture of a !nife" a long" silvery !nife" flashing through the air and plunging into her body$ ( !nife wielded by a$$$ 3How old are you56 %hey had stopped abruptly" and ?aurie was staring at the boy$ 3ou !now how old # am$ #2m eight$ hy56 &he hesitated" not wanting to put murderous thoughts into the head of the !id she was sitting for tonight$ et there was something she had to !now$ 3Have you ever felt li!e < li!e !illing somebody56 %he boy shrugged$ 3&ure$6 3ou have56 3&ure$ Hasn2t everybody56 3%hey have56 her eyes bulged$ 3&ure$ hen somebody ta!es something away from you" or your parents tell you you can2t have something" or the teacher gives you too much homewor!" you feel li!e !illing them$ #s that what you mean56 3:h" well$$$6 3*h" that2s what you mean46 %ommy said" eyes rounding and the color draining from his face$ %hey had arrived at the )yers house$ #t was a ghost of its former self" weather+beaten and dilapidated$ &et bac! from the street twenty or twenty+five paces" it stood glowering in the cool autumn morning li!e some mangy" brooding beast$ #ts former span!ing coat of white paint" the symbol of pride of every fine mid+western home" had turned to dingy gray" and much of it had peeled or fla!ed off" revealing a pitted and rotting facade of shingles$ &everal windows had been bro!en by !ids or vandals" a few of whom had been bold enough to scrawl graffiti on the front door$ ( huge elm beat against an upstairs window as the bree8e stiffened$ 3ou2re not supposed to go up there"6 the !id said" free8ing to the spot$ ?aurie flourished the !ey$ 3es" # am$6 3:h+uh$ %hat2s a spoo! house$6 3Just watch"6she said" wal!ing coolly up to the porch$ &he lifted the welcome mat as her father had instructed and placed the !ey under it$ &he had wanted %ommy to !now how unafraid she was" but if she was so unafraid" why was her hand damp with perspiration as she pulled it bac! from
the mat5 or a moment she stood transfi,ed" contemplating that night fifteen years ago + 3)y .od" fifteen years ago to the very night46 she reali8ed < when the tragic event had ta!en place$ &he vaguely heard %ommy on the sidewal! pleading with her to get away from there" but the horror of it attracted her in some perverse way$ as it the fascination of the innocent with wic!edness" o r -ust some sort of sic! curiosity5 *r" was she herself capable of the same gruesome deed5 &he shut her eyes and imagined herself pic!ing up a butcher !nife and plunging it into the breast of$$$ of whom5 hom did she loathe so much she would want to do that to5 %o someone in your own family" for .od2s sa!e4 &he couldn2t thin! of a soul$ 3?aurie" please" #2m getting scared"6 the boy was whining$ 3&o am #"6 she laughed with a shudder" trotting down the porch steps and -oining her young companion$ (nd" as she turned her bac! on the house" a figure inside it" dar!" shadowy" sidled up to the front door and pushed the tattered curtain aside with a !nuc!le$ He watched the slim blonde toss her head and laugh as she raised her hands li!e a ogeyman to frighten her young companion$ He breathed heavily" raspingly" as he watched the girl" and a memory entered his mind" the memory of another girl" another blonde" willowy and pretty$ He remembered the trapped and frightened loo! in her eyes" and the futile" pathetic way she had raised her hands to protect herself$ He followed the girl and boy with his ga8e until they disappeared from view$ %hen he wal!ed up the crea!y stairs to the second floor and peered into the room where it had all happened$$$ 3# thought you li!ed to be scared"6 ?aurie teased %ommy$ 3.od !nows" you groove on horror movies enough$6 3eah" but those are movies$ ou can always turn the television off if you get too scared$ ou can2t turn off real life$6 3%hat2s very wise" %ommy$6 3?onnie 0lam said never to go up there$ ?onnie 0lam said it2s a haunted house$ He told me about some real awful stuff that happened there once$6 3?onnie 0lam probably won2t get out of third grade$6 3# gotta go$ #2ll see you tonight"6 %ommy said brea!ing away$ 3&ee you$6 &he paused on the corner" feeling odd" as if someone was boring into the bac! of her s!ull$ &he turned and ga8ed bac! at the )yers house$ &he could -ust ma!e out the gable of the bedroom where Judith )yers had been !illed$ Her eyebrows !nit$ as she cra8y or was there a shape standing in the window staring at her5 &he rubbed her eyes and loo!ed again$ 'o" there was nothing there after all$ Her imagination was wor!ing overtime again$ &he pivoted and continued down the street to school" trying to stride smartly but rolling with a slight waddle that everybody !new belonged uni;uely to ?aurie &trode$
Chapter 7
&am ?oomis strode down the steps of the institution" gesturing to the s!y as if invo!ing the (lmighty to help the fool beside him understand$ %he other man" gray+haired and ashen+faced" shran! before ?oomis2s wrath$ 3#2m not responsible" &am"6 Dr$ ynn pleaded unconvincingly$ 3*f course not$6 3#2ve given them his profile$6 ?oomis stopped in his trac!s and stared at the sanitarium2s chief administrator$ 3ou gave them the profile of a village idiot" not a homicidal maniac$ %wo roadbloc!s and an all+points bulletin wouldn2t stop a five+year+old46 He all but ran bac! to his car" again hurling imprecations to the s!y$ 6# sometimes wonder who needs shoc! treatments more" the patients or the staff46 3He was your patient" Doctor"6 ynn argued halfheartedly as ?oomis unloc!ed his car door$ 3#f the precautions weren2t sufficient" you should have notified$$$6 3# notified everybody$ ou have a file on that man si, inches thic!$ 0ither you don2t read these things or you can2t$ *h" .od" save me from these bureaucrats46 He slipped ;uic!ly into the car and fumbled for his !eys$ 3%here2s nothing # can do"6 the hapless ynn said$ 3%hat2s certain$ ou did nothing before" why should you be able to do anything now5 How about getting on the telephone and telling them e,actly what got out of here last night5 (nd tell them where he2s going$6 3e don2t !now what got out of here last night$ our si,+inch+thic! file is full of con-ecture$ (s for where he2s going" that2s con-ecture too$6 3ou call that guard2s bro!en nec! con-ecture5 %ell that to his widow4 ou call the assault on the nurse con-ecture5 He pulled half the hair out of her scalp" for Christ2s sa!e$6 3%he police will catch him$6 3#f they loo! for him in Haddonfield" they might$6 ynn flashed a patroni8ing smile that enraged ?oomis even more$ 3&am" Haddonfield is a hundred and fifty miles from here$ How could he get there5 He can2t drive$6 3He was doing all right last night$ )aybe somebody around here gave him lessons$ #f you read the file you !now that he had the run of the place$ #nmates and staff ali!e were scared to death of him and indulged his every wish$ &omeone could very well have taught him how to drive$6 3%hat2s preposterous$ #f he had so much freedom" why didn2t he wal! out of here years ago56 3ecause he had it made here$ He had his little empire$6 ynn shoo! his head and rolled his eyes heavenward" as e,asperated with ?oomis as ?oomis was with him$ 3%hen why did he ta!e off from here all of a sudden56 3ecause$$$6 ?oomis had a strong idea whyG for the same reason why he was probably heading for Haddonfield$ ut if ynn hadn2t bought any of ?oomis2s e,planations up to now" he sure as hell wouldn2t accept any now$ 3# don2t !now why"6 ?oomis snapped$ 3hy won2t you announce this to the press56 3ou !now why$6 ?oomis clapped his hand to his s!ull$ 3es" it loo!s bad for the hospital$ ou2re willing to let a butcher roam the countryside so you can save your -ob$ *h" .od" save me from bureaucrats46 he repeated more fervently$ He started the car and rolled down the window$ 3# tell you this" Doctor ynn" when the bodies start turning up" your -ob won2t be worth and orderly2s salary$ ou2ll be luc!y they
don2t send you to prison for gross negligence$6 He rolled up the window" -ammed the shift into drive" and s!ittered out of the par!ing lot li!e a drag racer$ (bout three miles down the highway he was flagged down by a state policeman" who peered casually into the bac! seat and didn2t even bother to ma!e ?oomis open the trun!$ ?oomis shoo! his head sadly and roared away from the roadbloc!" steering the nose of his car toward Haddonfield$ (fter an hour he came to a sign announcing 3Haddonfield 7> miles"6 beside which was a telephone booth$ Just beyond it" a red pic!up truc! was par!ed$ %he door of the dilapidated vehicle was open" but ?oomis could not see anyone$ ?oomis frowned and pulled over to !ill several birds with one stone$ He had to phone his wife" he had to ta!e a lea!" and he wanted to loo! at the truc! with the open door$ #n order of least importance" he called his wife$ 3'o"6 he said after a few familiar homilies" 3not since %hursday$$$ es" #2m all right$ &top worrying$ (fter this #2ll sleep for a wee!" two wee!s$ ut for now" # must stop him$ *f course it2s possible"6 he replied to a con-ecture as fatuous as some of ynn2s" 3but # !now him$ (nd when he gets there" .od help us$6 He gave her some more time+wasting assurances" drumming his fingers impatiently on the coin bo,$ %hen" as he was about to ring off" he said" 3*h" listen" dear$ hen they come around tric!+or+treating tonight" why don2t you -ust not answer the door$ # !now it2s ridiculous" but -ust this once56 He hung up and wal!ed to a mound of high grass hidden from the road and relieved his burdened bladder" then went over to the truc! to e,amine it$ Perhaps it was merely one abandoned months ago$ *n the other hand$$$ *n the seat lay a newspaper$ ?oomis pulled it out and loo!ed at the dateG *ctober >" 197I$ esterday2s$ He was about to return it to the seat when he noticed a crushed cigarette pac! and a pac! of matches half obscured by the dirt at his feet$ He stooped to pic! them up and read the message on the matchboo! with fear clawing his heartG 3%he Rabbit+in+Red ?ounge < 0ntertainment 'ightly$6 He raced bac! to the car" -umped in" started it" and roostertailed bac! onto the highway$ (bout si, paces beyond where he2d urinated" a man lay in the grass$ 0,cept for his shorts" he was na!ed$ His eyes started in sightless horror at the clouds that had begun to roll in the s!y$ His body" however" lay stomach downward$
Chapter I
3$$$(nd the boo! ends" but what &amuels is really tal!ing about here is fate$6 )rs$ rederic!s shut the boo! with a thump" then went to the blac!board and with the side of a piece of chal! wrote the word fate in large bold letters$ &he then wrote the name Rollins in smaller letters about three feet away from fate" and connected the two with four arrows going from Rollins to fate" one of them direct" the other three describing large arcs$ ?aurie had not been paying much attention to the morning lessons" for her mind !ept drifting to the image of a si,+year+old boy with a gleaming butcher !nife plunging it again and again into the softness of her body$ Her legs were crossed and she s;uee8ed her thighs tightly together to !eep the imagined blade from ma!ing its most horrifying thrust of all$ &he loo!ed down at her noteboo! and reali8ed the symbolism of the doodles she2d been ma!ing absently during the teacher2s e,position of the novelG dagger+shaped arrows penetrating a @alentine+li!e heart$ Perhaps that was why she sat up attentively when she noticed the arrows )rs$ rederic!s had drawn on the blac!board$ %hey all e,tended from Rollins" and all went in different directions$ et all ultimately arrived at fate$ 3ou see"6 )rs$ rederic!s amplified" 3fate caught up with several lives here$ 'o matter what course of action Rollins too!" he was destined to meet his own fate" his own day of rec!oning$ %he idea is that destiny is a very real" concrete thing that every person has to deal with$6 &he emphasi8ed this by stabbing at the word fate five times in rapid succession with the chal! until it snapped$ %wo or three students giggled" but ?aurie drew her breath in sharply$ &he mused about fate$ &uppose it was my fate to die li!e Judith )yers$ 'o matter which way # ran" no matter what # tried" that blade would be waiting for me$ .osh" that couldn2t be my fate$ #2m too young$ #2m too" well" too nice$ ut Judith )yers was young" and probably no less nice than #$ #t was -ust her destiny" that2s all$ #t had be en determined by .od a million years ago that on *ctober >1" 19=>" Judith )yers would be horribly murdered$ ut why would .od do a thing li!e that to a nice girl5 .od wouldn2t do anything evil li!e that" would He5 e were taught in &unday &chool$$$ (s her mind wandered dreamily over these solemn ;uestions" she noticed a station wagon par!ed on the street$ ehind the wheel" ga8ing into her classroom" ga8ing it seemed directly at her" was a man$ (t least she thought it was a man$ He was dressed as far as she could ma!e out in dar! !ah!i mechanics coveralls$ His hair was blac!" but his face seemed preternaturally white" almost powdered$ #n fact" the more she loo!ed at the face" with its red lips and sun!en purple eyes" she wondered if he weren2t wearing a mas!$ He2d better be" because if that2s his own face" that guy is in trouble$ ow" if he2s loo!ing at me" then #2m in trouble4 Hoping he would go away" she focused on )rs$ rederic!s" who had pic!ed up her bro!en chal! and was putting some finishing touches on her rendering of )an against His ate" underlining and circling fate several more times$ (s she2d had enough morbid thoughts for one day or for a lifetime" ?aurie concentrated on the lesson$ 30dwin"6 )rs$ rederic!s was as!ing" 3how does &amuels2s view of fate differ from that of Costain56 #2m not going to loo! at that man" ?aurie swore to herself as the boy two rows away muttered an answer$ # can see him out of the corner of my eye" but #2m not going to give him the satisfaction of loo!ing at him$ ell" maybe -ust a bit to see if he2s still$$$ &he turned her head ever so slightly$ He was$ 3?aurie56 %he pronunciation of her name came li!e a thunderclap" and she -umped as if a bolt had
struc! her seat$ 3)a2am56 3Perhaps you can answer the ;uestion$6 &he closed her eyes and brought the ;uestion to the forefront of her mind$ %hen she struggled for a moment to produce an answer$ 3:h$$$ Costain wrote that fate was somehow related only to religion$6 %he teacher2s smile of approbation prompted ?aurie to go on and gave her fortitude$ 3hereas" &amuels felt that fate was li!e a natural element" li!e earth" air" fire and water$6 3%hat2s right"6 said )rs$ rederic!s$ 3&amuels definitely personified fate$$$6 He was gone$ &he2d decided" even as she spo!e to the class" that she was going to whip her head around when she finished and glare at him" whoever he was" until he dropped his eyes in embarrassment$ ut he was gone$ He was bac!$ &everal hours later" as school ended with a blaring bell" he sat in the stolen station wagon" watching the children burst out of the doors with a clamor$ )any of them were dressed in Halloween costumes and bore blac! and orange paper cutouts made in school" witches and pump!ins" blac! cats and devils" s!eletons and ghosts$ *ne little girl pretended to be riding a broomstic! with a cardboard blac! cat on it" another wore a -ac!+o2+lantern on his head li!e the famous Headless Horseman$ (fter a while" four boys emerged" one of them bearing a pump!in so large he swayed from side to side li!e an overburdened burro$ %he other three were pushing him bac! and forth and taunting him$ %he boy they were bullying was the same one that had been tal!ing to the pretty blond girl this morning$ 3?eave me alone"6 the boy was pleading$ %hey wiggled their fingers in his face$ 3He2s gonna getcha" he2s gonna getcha" he2s gonna getcha46 %he boy slapped at the fingers$ 3?eave me alone$6 3%he ogeyman is coming$6 3'o" he2s not$ ?eave me alone$6 3He doesn2t believe us$ Don2t you !now what happens on Halloween56 said the biggest one" putting his face close to %ommy2s$ %ommy shrugged$ 3eah" we get candy$6 %hey laughed and danced around him" waving their hands in his face$ 3*ooooh" the ogeyman" the ogeyman$$$6 %ommy clutched his pump!in tightly to his chest and tried to push his way through them" but one of them stuc! his foot out and tripped him$ He fell on top of the pump!in" which split open with a glupping sound" emitting a sour odor$ %ommy had s!inned his !nee but there was no other damage done e,cept to his pride$ He fought bac! welling tears$ %he sound of the boys2 cruel laughter faded as they ran away" leaving %ommy to climb painfully to his feet$ His -ac!et was covered with pump!in pulp and seeds$ &uddenly" as he began pulling these off with his fingers" he felt the sunlight eclipsed by a large shadowy figure$ He loo!ed up and there was a man in dar! !ah!i coveralls standing there loo!ing at him$ 3Hi"6 said %ommy$ %he man said nothing$ %ommy could hear him breathing stertorously but the boy couldn2t see his face clearly because it was positioned between himself and the sun$ hat %ommy could ma!e out" however" left him in no mood to hang around$ %he man had dar! red+stained lips and his eyes were rimmed in purple" li!e grossly overused eyeshadow$ ( livid scar 8ig+8agged down his chee!$ %he weird thing was" %ommy couldn2t imagine that that was the guy2s own face$ #t loo!ed rubbery and !ind of mas!+li!e$ ut if he was wearing a mas!" shouldn2t he ta!e it off around about now and say 3oo46 and reveal who he was5
%ommy didn2t li!e this at all$ .rown+ups didn2t go prowling around school+yards wearing mas!s" Halloween or not$ (nd this guy2s breathing sounded li!e something he2d heard when he2d visited his dying grandpa in the hospital$ Creepy4 He loo!ed down at the pump!in" wondering if it could be salvaged$ 'o way$ )eat" pulp" and seeds spilled out of its shattered hull li!e the contents of a crac!ed orange s!ull$ hen the man stepped toward him" %ommy needed no inspiration to run li!e cra8y$ #n a moment his blurred legs had carried him out of the school+yard and down the street" thin!ing about the ogeyman$ %he man stood indecisively for a moment" then returned to the station wagon$ His gait was ;uic! and graceful for a big man$ He started the engine and pulled away from the school" turning the corner and accelerating down the street on which the little boy had run$ %here he was" still running$ He pulled the station wagon parallel to the boy" studying him for a long moment$ %hen he accelerated again" leaving the !id in his dust$ He turned the ne,t corner" then began cruising at random" familiari8ing himself with the street patterns < or returning to places dimly remembered$$$ 3#t2s totally insane46 the leggy blonde was saying$ Her hands flew out in a wild gesture" ma!ing ?aurie laugh$ ?inda always made ?aurie laugh$ Just about everything the girl was" everything she did" was so alien to ?aurie2s thin!ing and behavior that ?inda was li!e a visitor from another planet$ hereas ?aurie2s beauty was modestly contained in ;uiet clothing and hairstyle" ?inda wore s!in+tight -eans and sweaters and bright ribbons in her hair that virtually shouted se, here4 to anyone with eyes to see$ ?inda had never learned to moderate her voice" so everything she said was an announcement or a declaration" supported by gesticulating hands that never seemed to be burdened by such impediments as boo!s or schoolwor!$ %he girl2s friends had unanimously elected her president of the #n+ord of the )onth Club$ ?inda was a lightning rod for trendy phrases" which she used to e,haustion for a month" then dropped from her vocabulary forever" to everyone2s immense relief$ %hree months ago it had been weird/ two months ago" gross/ last month" she was calling everyone 3Jac!$6 %his month2s word was totally$ 3#t2s totally insane4 e have three new cheers to learn in the morning" the game in the afternoon" # get my hair done at five" and the dance at eight$ #2ll be totally wiped out46 3# thin! you have too much to do tomorrow"6 ?aurie observed needlessly$ ?aurie sighed$ 3(s usual" # don2t have anything to do$6 3#t2s your own fault" and # don2t feel sorry for you"6 ?inda declared as they turned a corner onto a shady avenue$ 3?oo! at you" ?aurie &trode$ ou dress li!e a fugitive from )iss Prudence2s &chool for Proper oung @irgins$ our hair is totally plain$ ou wear no ma!eup at all" no eyeshadow" not even lipstic!$ #f you2re hoping to catch a boy" forget it$ ou couldn2t catch a frog the way you loo!$6 3%han!s a lot46 3Don2t get insulted$ ou !now perfectly well how pretty # thin! you are$ ut you go around li!e being pretty is embarrassing$ # don2t thin! anyone in Haddonfield !nows if you have any boobs" you2re always hiding them behind a stac! of boo!s that would bring a &umo wrestler to his !nees" for .od2s sa!e4 (nd that wal!46 ?aurie was sha!ing with laughter" 30nough46 3%hat wal!46 ?inda shouted her down" really warming to the sub-ect$ 3ith all those boo!s and bags" you loo! li!e a drun!en mountain+goat with an in-ured$$$6 3Hey ?inda" ?aurie46 %hey didn2t have to turn around to recogni8e (nnie2s strident voice" which ?inda had characteri8ed once as so sharp it could shatter a hero sandwich$ %heir inseparable friend slid between them and their pace doubled$ (nnie was always in a rush" though no one was ever able to figure out why$ &he rushed to get somewhere and rushed to get out there$ &he rushed to eat" but then found herself
with so much time on her hands she2d complain about being bored$ &he was dar!+haired" with abundant ringlets that glinted auburn in the late afternoon sunlight$ &he wore a red sweater and a sweater+vest over that" but it did very little to moderate the thrust of a very large pair of breasts that -iggled unharnessed beneath the fabric$ Despite the trends" most of the teenage girls in Haddonfield c hose not to disdain bras" either because of traditional mid+western modesty or parental restrictions$ ut (nnie" whose father was the town sheriff" cared no t a whit about traditional mid+western modesty or parental restrictions$ &he not only had been the first of her crowd to abandon her bra" she had been the first to abandon her virginity$ ?inda had been the second to sleep with a boy" and now the two girls tal!ed about 3it6 li!e connoisseurs tal!ing about three+star rench restaurants$ 3hy didn2t you wait for me56 (nnie panted$ 3e did"6 said ?inda$ 3ifteen minutes$ ou never showed up$6 3%hat2s not true$ Here # am$6 3hat2s wrong56 ?aurie as!ed$ 3ou2re not smiling$ 3#2ll never smile again$ Paul dragged me into then boy2s loc!er room$$$6 3#2d smile plenty if a boy did that to me46 ?inda said e,uberantly$ 30,ploring uncharted territory56 ?aurie as!ed$ 3#t2s been totally charted"6 ?inda remar!ed" giggling$ 3'o" he dragged me in there to tal! to me$6 3ou -ust tal!ed" huh56 3e -ust tal!ed$6 3&ure"6 both girls said in unison$ 3Honest$ *ld Jer!o got caught throwing eggs and soaping windows$ His parents grounded him for the wee!end$ He can2t come over tonight"6 (nnie sighed" almost ready to cry$ 3# thought you were babysitting tonight"6 ?aurie said$ ?inda sneered$ 3%he only reason she babysits is to have a place to$$$6 3&hit46 ?aurie cried" snapping her fingers$ 3# have a place for that"6 (nnie said" moc!+indignantly$ 3'o" # forgot my chemistry boo!$6 3ho cares56 ?inda laughed$ 3# always forget my chemistry boo!46 3ou forget everything but your pill"6 (nnie teased$ ?aurie turned on her heels" wondering if it was worth it to run bac! to school to get her boo!$ )aybe she could -ust borrow one$ %he station wagon turned into the street and cruised slowly toward them$ ?aurie frowned$ %his was the same car that that spoo!y man had been in when ?aurie spotted him from the window of her 0nglish ?it class$ &he peered at the figure in the driver2s seat" but the glint of late afternoon sunlight and the reflection of trees on the windshield made identification impossible$ %he girls turned to loo! too as the driver gunned his engine and glided by" staring at them$ 3#sn2t that Davon .raham56 ?inda said" s;uinting$ 3He2s cute$6 3# don2t thin! so"6 said ?aurie" noting again the strange pale face with eyes limned in dar! purple$ ( moment later the car whi88ed by" leaving the three gaping at what they thought they2d seen behind the wheel$ 3&peed !ills46 (nnie yelled at the driver$ (ll of a sudden the car screeched to a halt$ %he figure sat there" waiting$ %he girls stood on the sidewal! hesitantly$ :sually they2d pile into a passing car that stopped for them" even if they only remotely !new the guy$ ut there was something unsettling about this situation$ 3Can2t you ta!e a -o!e56 (nnie said" addressing the car but ma!ing sure the driver didn2t hear her$ He stared at them" ma!ing them intensely uncomfortable" as if he had the power to see through clothing$ %hen" to their relief" he stepped on the gas and too! off down the street" disappearing
around the corner$ ?aurie shoo! her head$ 3(nnie" some day you2re going to get all of us in deep trouble$6 3%otally46 ?inda agreed" putting a hand over her chest and hyperventilating$ 3# hate a guy with a car and no sense of humor$6 3%hat2s the only !ind you date"6 said ?inda$ %hey strolled on" their spirits somewhat subdued by their e ncounter$ ?aurie was pensive and troubled$ &omething was wrong$ %hat man$$$ the figure in the window of the )yers house$$$ Halloween$$$ a butcher !nife blurring toward her$$$ )eanwhile" her friends chattered on$ 3ell"6 ?inda was saying" 3are we still on for tonight56 3# wouldn2t want to get you in deep trouble" ?inda"6 (nnie replied$ 3Come on" (nnie$ ob and # have been planning on it all wee!$6 (nnie sighed$ 3(lright$ %he allaces leave at seven$6 ?aurie made a conscious effort to pull her mind away from its morbid fi,ation$ 3#2m babysitting for the Doyles$ #t2s right across the street$ e can !eep each other company$6 3%errific"6 (nnie groaned$ 3#2ve got three choices$ atch the !id sleep" listen to ?inda screw" or tal! to you$6 %hey stopped in front of ?inda2s house" a pastel green frame house with dar! green shutters$ #t was nestled beneath a towering elm whose leaves twirled to the prim lawn with every gust of the autumn bree8e$ 3hat time56 (nnie as!ed" without enthusiasm$ 3# don2t !now yet"6 ?inda replied$ 3# have to get out of ta!ing my stupid !id brother tric!+ or+treating$6 3&aving the treats for ob56 (nnie as!ed gaily$ 3un+ny$ &ee you$6 ?inda wal!ed up the path to her house" her tightly clad rear -iggling seductively$ 3ou don2t have to wiggle it"6 (nnie called out to her" 3there aren2t any guys around$6 3ou can never tell when one may be hiding in the bushes"6 ?inda replied" shouldering the front door and disappearing inside$ (nnie and ?aurie started up the street again" (nnie launching into a tirade about Paul2s stupidity in getting himself grounded on one of the !ey wee!ends in the year$ (s she rattled on" ?aurie saw the figure again$ (t least she thought she did$ (bout fifty yards down the street" something was standing at the edge of a tall hedgerow separating two homes$ %he !ah!i green of his coveralls blended so well with the olive color of the bushes that for a moment she thought it was merely an e,tension of the shrubbery$ %hen she glimpsed the ghostly white face through the leave$ 3?oo!46 3?oo! where56 3ehind that bush there56 ?aurie pointed to$$$ $$$an empty spot beside the hedgerow$ 3ou2re going to tell me there was a guy in the bushes" right56 3%here was$6 3@ery funny$ ( second after ?inda says there may be a guy hiding in the$$$ really" ?aurie$ our sense of humor$$$6 3#2m telling you$ %he man who drove by" the one you yelled at56 3&ubtle" isn2t he5 Hey" creep46 (nnie raced down the street ahead of her friend" balling her fist to slug the masher lur!ing in the bushes$ &he pee!ed around and$$$ ( cunning smile came over (nnie2s face$ 3Hey" ?aurie" he wants to tal! to you"6 she shouted$ ?aurie stood riveted to the sidewal!$ 3He wants to ta!e you out tonight46 ?aurie approached the hedge cautiously" !nees tensed to catapult her out of there ;uic!ly$ ?i!e a timid !itten" she peered around the hedge$ 'obody there$ 3@ery funny" to use your e,pression$6
3*ne practical -o!e deserves another$6 3He was standing right here$6 3Poor ?aurie"6 (nnie commiserated" 3you scared another one away$6 &he petted her friend on the head$ 3Cute$6 %hey ambled down the street" ?aurie loo!ing s!ittishly behind her and approaching another hedgerow with trepidation$ (nnie became serious$ 3#t2s tragic$ ou never go out$ ou must have a small fortune stashed from babysitting$ hat2s your story5 ou scared5 #2ll show you how to rela,$ ou prefer girls5 #2ll try anything once$6 ?aurie laughed" then shrugged$ 3.uys thin! #2m too smart$6 3# don2t$ # thin! you2re whac!o$ ou2re seeing men behind bushes46 %hey stopped before a pretty ranch home partially mas!ed from the street by a pair of dogwood trees$ 3ell" home sweet home$ #2ll see you$6 3*!ay$ 2ye$6 3#2ll call you or you call me$6 3Right"6 said ?aurie" approaching the last privet hedge on the street with steeled legs$ &he leaned around it" inch by inch$ 'obody$ &he loo!ed behind her" wal!ing bac!ward as she scanned the street for the mysterious figure or his station wagon$ &uddenly a hand gripped her arm$ &he screamed" dropping her boo!s$ &he tried to run but the hand clutched her arm too tightly$ *ver her right shoulder she caught the shadow of a big man$ @aguely remembering some -udo moves her gym teacher had taught her class for warding off would+be rapists" she shifted her weight" grasped the man2s wrist" and stuc! her leg between his$ &he started to roll forward$ 3:nggg"6 she groaned" as the man stood his ground effortlessly$ )omentarily she e,pected to feel the cold steel of his blade plunging into her stomach or slicing across her throat$ %hen she noticed the color of his sleeve$ 'avy blue$ &he rela,ed and the hand released her$ &he whirled around and almost collapsed with relief in the arms of &heriff ?ee rac!ett" (nnie2s father$ %he handsome" ruddy+faced man in the blue trooper2s uniform laughed$ 3ou won2t win a blac! belt that way$6 ?aurie sighed loudly$ 3)ister rac!ett4 %han! .od46 3ou were maybe e,pecting the ogeyman56 3# don2t !now what # was e,pecting$6 3#2m sorry" honey$ # didn2t mean to startle you$6 3#t2s o!ay$6 3ell"6 he said" stooping to help her pic! up her scattered boo!s" 3it2s Halloween$ # guess everybody2s entitled to a good scare$6 3es sir$6 3ut loo! here$ 'e,t time someone comes up to you from behind li!e that" here2s the way that throw is supposed to go$6 He stood in front of her and demonstrated the classic move$ 3or one thing" you used the wrong foot$ 'o leverage that way$ Here" put your boo!s down for a second$6 ?aurie set them down" then positioned herself in front of rac!ett" who must have been si, foot two and close to two hundred pounds$ 3# thin! # could toss an oa! tree easier than # could budge
you46 she laughed nervously$ 3&ome ancient .ree! said" 2.ive me a lever long enough and # could move the world$2 #t2s all in leverage$6 ?aurie blin!ed$ 3#2m impressed$ here2d you learn about the ancient .ree!s56 rac!ett laughed$ 3ou2d be surprised how smart dumb cops are$ 'ow"6 he said" placing her in front of him" 3put this foot here" grab me by the arms this way" then roll with your full weight$$$ whoa46 ?aurie threw her hip out and tossed the big man over her shoulder onto the lawn$ 3*h" ?ord" #2m sorry" )r$ rac!ett$ # didn2t reali8e$$$6 3our own strength5 %hat2s the whole idea$ # thin!46 he added" raising himself to his feet and brushing himself off$ 3ell" now you2re ready for the ogeyman$6 He stooped to pic! up her boo!s again$ 3%han!s )r$ rac!ett$ %ell (nnie #2ll spea! to her tonight$6 3ou bet$6 &till dusting leaves off his uniform" he ambled home$ &he turned into her street" reflecting on the day2s strange occurrences$ 3ell" !iddo"6 she said to herself" 3# thought you outgrew superstition$6 or a moment" before she stepped onto the flagstone path to her front door" she observed a group of !ids parading down the street in their goofy" store+bought costumes and wondered where it had all started" these traditionsG witches" hobgoblins" pump!ins" and blac! cats$ (nd she had to admit she !new no more about Halloween than she !new about -udo throws < less" since she !new at least how to throw one sheriff if he stood long enough$ Dimly she reali8ed that the celebration must hear!en bac! to the old times when evil was more respected in the world$ &he2d seen %he 0,orcist and %he *men" and she !new it was possible that evil and its incarnations < li!e ghosts" the devil and witches < really e,isted$ ut she2d never met anyone who truly believed it" and deep down she certainly didn2t believe it herself$ ut what had changed since the time when people were afraid to go into cemeteries and attended rituals to ma!e the devil appear or chase the devil away5 Had # ever !nown anything truly evil5 &he as!ed herself$ 0,cept for )rs$ ?angholm2s history tests" ?aurie couldn2t thin! of a thing$ es" there was one thing$ &omething genuinely wic!ed had happened in this very town fifteen years ago" only a few bloc!s from where she now stood$ %here was no other way to describe the horror of a sweet little si,+ year+old boy stal!ing up to the room of a pretty" ordinary teenage girl and running a long !nife into her guts do8ens of times$ %hat was evil$ %here was no other word for it$ ith a shudder" she stepped into her house$ 3Hi" )om" #2m Home$6 3Hi" darling$6 ?aurie went into the !itchen" where her mother" a redheaded woman with the same angular slenderness of her daughter" was busy candying apples$ ?aurie unloaded her boo!s on the !itchen counter and stretched her weary arms$ &he !issed her mother and dipped a finger in the apple gla8e" touching it to her tongue$ 3)om" have you ever !nown anyone evil56 Her mother coc!ed her head and loo!ed at ?aurie with arched eyebrows$ 3%hat2s ;uite a ;uestion46 3ell56 Her mother washed her gooey fingertips in the sin!" then wiped them on paper towel$ 3ell" they said that Hitler was evil" but # was too young to remember the war" and of course the only thing # !now about his atrocities is what #2ve read or seen in the movies$ # mean" #2ve never e,perienced someone evil" if that2s what you2re getting at$6 3# thin! it is$ hat about the little boy who stabbed the )yers girl56 )rs$ &trode shoo! her head$ 3ou2re certainly thin!ing some dar! thoughts today" young lady$6 3# !now$6
3ut it2s interesting that you mention it$ #f you went to church more often" you2d understand why$6 3Huh56 3es$ ou see" the )yers case was mentioned by Reverend Peters in last &unday2s sermon$6 3#t was56 ?aurie leaned forward" fascinated$ 3:h+huh$ He started of reminding us that Halloween was coming up this wee!" and he said some real interesting things about the origins of Halloween" about how it goes bac! to festivals aimed at warding off demons at harvest time" way bac! when$6 3hat does that have to do with the )yers case56 3ell" Reverend Peters said the )yers case" which happened on Halloween fifteen years ago" reminds us that true evil still e,ists in this world$ He said that li!e everything else" we2ve tried to deodori8e evil and put it in a bright new pac!age and you can buy it at the supermar!et for five cents off with a coupon$ %hen along comes something li!e the )yers case and we2re left with our mouths open loo!ing into the$$$ what2d he call it5 the heart of dar!ness$ )aybe that2s why .od put devils li!e the )yers !id on earth < to !eep us aware of the dar!er side of human nature$ (nd maybe you ought to do some studying$ # doubt if you2ll get much homewor! done tonight$6 3%han!s" )om$ %hat was real interesting" what you said$6 Her mother loo!ed at her s!eptically" but ?aurie had no mischievous loo! on her face$ 3'o" # really mean it$6 &he hauled her boo!s up from the !itchen counter and lumbered upstairs$ 3(re you sure you2re not coming down with something56 )rs$ &trode called after her$ 3'o" -ust a minor case of the spoo!s$ #t2s Halloween" after all$6 &he dumped her boo!s on her des! and made a beeline for her phone for her daily gossip fi," as she called it$ %he phone stood on a table near the side window of her room" which loo!ed down on a pair of driveways belonging to her own house and the one ne,t door$ *n sunny days her mother often hung laundry on a line there$ &he loo!ed idly out the window as she dialed two digits$ %hen she gasped and put the phone sharply bac! on its cradle$ He was there$ Partially mas!ed by flapping sheets" he stood there loo!ing up at her window$ His face was flour+white" his lips rouge+red" his eyes dar! and limitless$ %he te,ture of his s!in was rubbery loo!ing" but it was still impossible to tell if he was wearing a mas!$ :ntil this moment she2d had a snea!ing suspicion it might be 0ddie ?ester or Paul &heehan or one of those clowns who were always pulling practical -o!es$ (nd e,cept (pril ool2s" hen they wor!ed overtime at it" if ever there was a day for practical -o!es" Halloween was it$ ut no" this person was different$ He was hus!ier than any of the guys at school$ (nd there was something about the way he hung bac! instead of tearing off his mas!" identifying himself and saying the -o!e was over" the way any normal pran!ster would$ (nd this person was so elusive$ ou loo!ed at him and he was there" but if you blin!ed he was gone$ (nd that station wagon$ &he2d never seen it around" and she and her friends !new every car in town" for sure$ &he2d noticed some !ind of emblem on the door as it cruised past this afternoon$ 'e,t time it went by she2d loo!ed at it more carefully" or try to get the license number$ ut now$$$ 'ow he was gone$ itting her lip" she slammed the window down hard" rattling the sash" and loc!ed it$ Rubbing her !nuc!les over her teeth" she paced around her room" wondering what to do$ &he twisted her head suddenly toward the window to catch him unawares" but he was gone$ &he began to doubt her senses$ Her phone rang" ma!ing her -ump as if a shotgun had gone off at her feet$ &he pic!ed it up$
3Hello56 %he line was open" but silent$ &omeone was listening at the other end$ 3Hello56 %here was a sound li!e someone smac!ing his lips$ 3ho is this56 %he sound grew louder" and someone made a muffled growl$ ?aurie slammed the phone down and wrapped her arms around herself to !eep from sha!ing$ %he phone rang again$ ?aurie loo!ed at it" debating$ %hen" after three rings" she pic!ed it up and held it to her ear for a long moment before venturing to spea!$ 3Hello56 3hy2d you hang up on me56 (nnie said indignantly" swallowing whatever she2d been chewing$ 3(nnie" was that you56 ?aurie2s fingertips flew to her bosom in relief$ 3*f course$6 3hy didn2t you say anything5 ou scared me to death$6 3# had my mouth full of peanut butter$ Couldn2t you hear me56 3'o$6 3hat did you thin! it was56 3# don2t !now" an obscene phone call or something$6 3ell" now you hear obscene chewing$6 (nd she smac!ed her lips and tongue around the remnant of the soggy sandwich$ 3ou !now" you2re losing control" ?aurie$6 3# thin! #2ve already lost it$6 3# doubt that$ ?isten" my mother is letting me use her car$ #2ll pic! you up$ &i, thirty$6 3&ure$ &ee you later$6 3Don2t spea! to any strange ogeymen < unless they2re good dancers$6 3*!ay$ 2ye$6 &he put the phone down and tried to do some homewor!" but the boo!s lay on her des! as if written in some e,traterrestrial script$ 0very sub-ect she tried to study led her by free association to the phantom prowler who2d been dogging her footsteps all day long$ %he 0nglish lit homewor! on the theme of fate brought her mind bac! to poor Judith )yers" who2d met hers precisely fifteen years ago this very day < almost this very hour4 &he tried math" but all she could thin! of were all those stab wounds seeping crimson blood from Judith2s brutally violated body$ #n history they were studying Julius Caesar2s reign" and she2d -ust begun to get into it when she came across the passage about the emperor2s assassination by rutus and his friends < by daggers concealed beneath their togas$ &he pushed her chair bac! violently" stood up" and began to pace around the room" pounding her fist in her palm$ 3Calm down" ?aurie" this is ridiculous"6 she told herself aloud$ (nd it was$ ut she !ept glancing out the window anyway$
Chapter 9
%he s!y had turned marble gray with storm clouds rolling in from the west" but the setting sun ignited them from underneath li!e an orange blowtorch" illuminating the polished marble gravestones of the Haddonfield %own Cemetery in a rare display of -oyous glitter$ (ngus %aylor" the careta!er of the non+denominational cemetery" puffed up the sharp incline" reading from a note pad as he led his trench coat+clad guest along a flagstone path$ 3Can2t ta!e this hill li!e # once used to"6 he said between anguished breathes$ 3%oo much beer" not enough se,$ *f course" # hold that a man can2t have too much of either" but # suppose if # had my druthers it2d be$$$6 ( glance at the visitor" who stared at him with a mi,ture if indifference or repugnance" subdued %aylor2s chatter$ He stopped a moment" panting" to loo! at the map on his note pad$ 3?et2s see$ )yers$ Judith )yers$ Row eighteen" plot twenty$ *v er this way$6 %hey veered onto a secondary path whose stones had all but sun! beneath the encroaching grass$ illow branches whipped their faces as they peered through the impending gloom at names and dates that bespo!e lives rich and inglorious" lives -oyous and sad" lives short and long" but all terminated ine,orably by the same grim hand$ %he garrulous %aylor wa,ed silent$ %hough he2d been in the underta!ing business all his life" it wasn2t until lately that he2d begun to reali8e that his interest had become more than professional$ (t the age of si,ty+two" the do8ens of graves whose e,cavation be supervised had begun to bec!on to him" and he2d started to ponder what it meant to spend an eternity in one$ He2d arranged to be bapti8ed so that he could be buried in a churchyard" where at least there might be the illusion of grace and salvation" and where he2d be surrounded by people bound to him by their mutual faith$ 3ou believe in .od" mister56 &am ?oomis studied the man from beneath craggy brows and decided it wasn2t worth getting into a philosophical debate$ 3Doesn2t everyone56 he said$ 3hich way56 3?eft$6 %hey wal!ed slowly" scanning the stones$ 30very town has something li!e this happen"6 the puffing man said$ 3# remember a guy over in Russellville" Charley owles5 'icest guy you could ever imagine$ ou could boot him in the tail" he2d never complain$ %hen" maybe some twenty years ago # recollect" he finished dinner" e,cused himself from the table" and went into the garage$ Come bac! with a hac!saw" he did$ Bissed his wife and two !ids good+bye" then proceeded to$$$6 3)r$ %aylor" where are we56 ?oomis snapped$ %aylor held his note pad up to catch the fading sunlight$ 3Just right over there a ways$ (nd # remember Judith )yers$ %al! about sweet girls$ &he2d bat her eyes at you" you wanted to melt through the floor$ *f course" they did find traces of semen" and this fella did admit he2d been humpin2 her a few hours before" but that doesn2t ma!e a girl a tramp$ 'ot these days$ # !now a fourteen+year+old who2s been$$$hmm$ # thought it was right about here$6 He consulted his pad and loo!ed at a marble mar!er sun! into the ground at the convergence of two paths$ 3?ost56 said ?oomis with a sharp edge of e,asperation$ 3&hould be right behind 0d &anders and ne,t to Cornelia &tirley$ (w shit46 %hey stepped up to Judith )yers plot$ %he stone was gone$ %he earth had been e,posed so recently" ?oomis could smell the fresh loam and see long livid earthworms trailing into the ground after their violent disturbance$ 3.oddamn !ids$ %his happens to me every Halloween$$6
3ou2re sure it2s Judith )yers56 ?oomis2s eyes glowed red in the direct glint of sunset$ 3here" see for yourself$6 %aylor held the note pad up for ?oomis to read$ Pointing a pudgy finger at the diagram" he said" 3&ee5 &eventeen" eighteen is )yers" nineteen is Cornelia &tirley$ #t2s Judith )yers" no doubt about it$ &tone should be lying around nearby" if you want to help me loo! for it$ %hey usually get tired of trying to haul these things and give up$6 3ho does56 3%he !ids$ %eenagers" college !ids$6 3hat do they do with them56 3Play pran!s$ Put them on people2s lawns$ *ne bunch two years ago put one in the principal2s office at school$ Ho" what a stin! he made" whoo+boy46 %aylor too! a few paces downhill" scanning the surrounding ground for the stone$ 3ou won2t find it"6 ?oomis announced calmly$ 3hat ma!es you so sure56 3#2m sure$ He2s come home"6 &am ?oomis said" leaning heavily on a tombstone$
Chapter 1
%he tric!+or+treaters were in full bloom$ %he children had poured out of their homes simultaneously" as if on some signal unheard by grown+ups$ ?aurie stood on the sidewal! outside her house" one eye coc!ed for (nnie2s red two+door hardtop" and watched to procession of pirates" clowns" cowboys" witches s!eletons" ballerinas" policemen" firemen" doctors" nurses" and soldiers that trooped up and down the bloc! in clusters of four or five" methodically wor!ing the streets with their ever+ fattening mass+produced orange+and+blac! shopping bags$ hat touched her most deeply was the reali8ation that these children were free and safe to roam the streets unhindered" unworried by the bullies and muggers and purse snatchers that lay in wait in the shadows of 'ew or! or Chicago or the other big cities$ *h" one or two !nots of children were accompanied by an adult" but this was for traffic supervision" not protection against crime$ %he littlest ones tended to cross streets without loo!ing at this dus!y hour" where the all+but+settled sun glinted with a brightness e;ual to the orange -ac!+o2+lanterns that rested on porch railings or in windows in every house$ *h" one did read in the newspapers every year about some mad person who hated children and in-ected poison into apples or concealed ra8or blades in tric!+or+treat candy$ ut that wasn2t why the occasional parent could be seen tagging along with a pac! of beggar+children" loo!ing foolish in grown+up clothes or even more foolish in costume$ 'o" there was no danger to the child who wal!ed the sundown streets of Haddonfield$ (t least not" ?aurie pondered" from without$ ut from within5 as it not possible that among these do8ens of gaily cavorting children there was one capable of a crime so heinous it made the gorge rise in your throat -ust to thin! about it5 #t would be ridiculous" laughable" had it not been so fifteen years ago this very night$ %hey said he had on a clown costume" ?aurie said" scanning the little revelers for a clown costume$ &he found four in the space of a minute$ %hat one of them could produce a !nife and ventilate her entrails was a thought far more horrifying than the thought of the same !nife wielded by some city cutthroat" from whom you at least e,pected it$ ?aurie flashed for a second on Judith )yers and tried to put herself in Judy2s place as the boy with the rosy chee!s and fawn eyes e,posed the blade of his butcher !nife and began to advance on her$ #t2s a -o!e" you can stop now" ?aurie heard herself telling her own imaginary !id brother$ ut the !id brother didn2t stop" and when he brought the blade up and then down that first time" -ust before that point penetrated your flesh" you !new something about evil that had been forgotten for centuries" maybe millenia$ ou !new in that instant that everything you had been brought up to believe" everything you had counted on for security" everything you too! for granted as normal" all of it was a lie of such enormity that if you could live for another hundred years" let alone another five seconds" you could never fully grasp it$ #n that instant of fro8en time between the downward thrust of the child2s arm and the searing agony of his blade plunging hotly into your body" your mind too! stoc! of everything that had meant comfort to you/ the television set and the air conditioner" the late+model car with three hundred horsepower and rac!+and+pinion steering and disc bra!es" the refrigerator+free8er that made ice cubes" the electric range that signaled you when your roast was ready" your gas heater that flic!ed on automatically when the temperature in your home dropped below si,ty+five degrees" the happy house and loving parents and terrific teachers and great friends" you surveyed them all and they were lies" lies" for when it came to shielding your belly from this cra8ed si,+year+old2s right hand" these comforts were as thin as the sil! panties that shielded it now" for all the protection they rendered$ 3%ric! or treat46 ?aurie clutched her stomach involuntarily$ 3.et a way from me46 she screamed$ %he children2s eyes rounded" and they bac!ed away several steps$
?aurie caught her breath and laughed sheepishly$ 3*h" #2m sorry" you snuc! up on me$ %his is my house" here$ .o up to the door" my mother has some goodies for you$6 .et a grip on yourself" ?aurie said to herself as the children traipsed up to her front door$ (nnie2s car whipped around the corner and screeched to a stop$ ?aurie wal!ed around to the passenger side and got in$ &he sniffed the air$ 3Do you have to smo!e that stuff when you drive56 3ell" e,cuuuuuuse me46 3?oo!" #2m no prude" but there are !ids all over the place tonight" so drive carefully" huh56 3es" )ommy"6 (nnie said" pulling away from the curb with e,aggerated caution$ 3here are we going56 3%he usual$ Just a cruise around town to see who2s hanging out" and with whom$ %hen on to our babysitting assignments$ arf$ (nd you as! if # have to smo!e"6 she said" groping around her purse and removing a clumsily rolled -oint in canary yellow paper$ (t a stop sign she lit it" pulling on it with a hissing inta!e of air and offering it to ?aurie$ .rass never did much for ?aurie" and she didn2t e,pect it to do much this time" but it was the social thing to do" so she dragged on it the way she2d been taught$ &he must have hit a hot spot in the -oint" or perhaps it was a particularly rough weed" because she started to cough uncontrollably$ (nnie too! the -oint bac!$ 3ou2ll never ma!e a good dope addict"6 she said" hitting it again$ %hey drove casually in the general direction of town" ?aurie holding in her lap the pump!in she2d brought for %ommy Doyle$ %hey passed a few friends" nobody special" so they hon!ed and waved and drove on$ 3ou still spoo!ed56 (nnie as!ed her friend$ 3# wasn2t spoo!ed$6 3?ies$6 3# saw someone standing in )r$ Riddle2s bac!yard" that2s all$6 3Probably )r$ Riddle$6 3He was watching me$ 3)r$ Riddle was watching you56 (nnie gave that three+note giggle she always seemed to utter when she was getting high$ 3?aurie" )r$ Riddle is eighty+seven$6 3He can still watch$6 3%hat2s probably all he can do$6 (nnie loo!ed in her rearview mirror before hanging a left" and casually noted the same station wagon she2d shouted at after scho ol$ #t was about fifty yards behind her$ #t was probably nothing" and not wanting to alarm ?aurie more than the poor girl was already alarmed" (nnie decided to say nothing$ ut she wondered who this 0l Creepo was$ #f you2re trying to meet a couple of chic!s" this sure wasn2t the way to do it$ (nd if you2re some !ind of pervert" tailing chic!s through the streets of a small town is ab out as subtle as throwing a bomb into a police station$ &he chec!ed the rearview mirror again and he was gone$ %oo bad$ 'ow she2d never !now$ ut she had a thought by association" and she uttered it$ 3Have you ever worn a mas!56 3Huh56 3hen you wear a mas!" li!e at Halloween5 ut # mean a really good one that disguises your face so that people really don2t !now who you are56 3hat about it56 ?aurie2s brow wrin!led as she waited for the punch line$ 3# was -ust thin!ing" you can say or do anything from behind that mas!" because people don2t !now who you are$6 3#t2s li!e the (le,andria Kuartet"6 said ?aurie$ 3?awrence Durrell56 3# never read that$6 3#2m sure"6 ?aurie teased$ 3&omewhere in one of those novels Durrell describes the terrible things that happen on carnival night because people wear mas!s$ )urders" rapes" people hiding behind the anonymity to ta!e advantage of each other$$$6
3*h" goody" can # get a student discount on a tic!et to (le,andria56 3e serious" (nnie" you2re the one who started this conversation$6 3&orry$ ut see" that2s -ust what # mean$ %he idea of not being responsible for anything # do because #2m wearing a mas! < it2s !ind of arousing$6 3or you" maybe$ ut then" you find everything arousing$6 3*h" well" that2s the !ind of girl # am$ )aybe you ought to put on a mas! and let some of your inhibitions out" do something mad$ #t2s Halloween" what better time to raise a little hell5 #2ll bet that deep down in you there2s a fiend who2d push little old ladies in front of cars if you though t you could get away with it$6 3'ever46 ?aurie gasped$ %hen" pausing a beat as a sly smile spread over her face" 3?ittle old men" maybe" but never little old ladies$6 %hey burst into gales of laughter$ 3hat2s the pump!in for56 (nnie said" tapping the ob-ect in her friend2s lap$ 3# brought it for %ommy$ # figured that ma!ing a -ac!+o2+lantern would !eep him occupied$6 3# always said you2d ma!e a fabulous girl scout$6 3%han!s$6 3or that matter" # might as well be a girl scout myself tonight"6 she sighed$ 3ecause you got shot down" you mean"6 ?aurie said$ 3eah$ # guess we2ll ma!e popcorn and watch Doctor Dementia$ &i, straight hours of horror movies$ ?ittle ?indsey allace won2t !now what hit her$6 3etter horror movies than the real thing$6 said ?aurie wistfully$ (nnie2s brows furrowed$ 3'ow" what is that supposed to mean56 3'othing" -ust some morbid thoughts #2ve been having today$6 (nnie offered her friend the half+smo!ed -oint$ 3ou2d better ta!e a great big hit of this thing" honey$ #t2s a sure cure for the morbids$6 ?aurie pushed it away$ 3(nnie" do you ever thin! about" well" evil56 3:h+oh" it2s serious time$6 ?aurie held her peace" forcing (nnie to reflect$ 3ell" you !now" daddy2s a cop" and he2s told me some things$ # don2t !now if you could call them evil" e,actly$ e don2t get much of it around here$ e don2t get much of anything around here4 ut when he wor!ed in Columbus5 He saw some pretty heavy things go downG beatings" rapes" murders$ &ounded evil enough to me$ (nyway" # try not to thin! about stuff li!e that$ henever # do" # switch the channel$$$6 3# wish # could turn my mind off as easily as you"6 ?aurie lamented$ 3#t2s easy when you don2t have that much of a mind to begin with$ Hey" tal! about my father46 (s the car bore around a gentle curving approach to town" they saw the sheriff2s car par!ed outside 'ichols2s Hardware &tore$ %he car2s revolving red and blue lights and flashers illuminated the hardware" candy" and li;uor stores ad-oining it as dar!ness began to descend on Haddonfield$ (n alarm bell rang shrilly" and a !not of onloo!ers stared at (nnie2s father as he stood in front of the bro!en plate glass window e,amining the damage$ (nnie and ?aurie hastily rolled their windows dow n and waved their hands li!e frightened birds to chase the cloying smo!e smell out of the car$ (nnie noticed the station wagon that had been following them peel off down )ain &treet as she pulled her car over to the curb$ ?ee rac!ett brightened and ambled over to the car$ 3Hi" (nnie" ?aurie$6 3Huh56 He pointed at the hardware store and (nnie reali8ed the man hadn2t heard her over the clangor of the alarm bell$ &he repeated her ;uestion louder$ 3&omeone bro!e into the hardware store$ Probably !ids$6 3ou blame everything on !ids"6 (nnie re-oined$ He shrugged$ 3%he only things missing were some Halloween mas!s" rope" and a set of
carving !nives" as far as )r$ 'ichols has been able to figure$ hat does that sound li!e to you" a middle management e,ecutive for #)56 (nnie loo!ed at her friend$ 3#t2s hard growing up with a cynic$6 3Don2t you have a babysitting -ob" sweetheart56 her father shouted$ 3hat56 3# said" 2Don2t you have a babysitting -ob52 ou2re going to be late$6 3He shouts too"6 (nnie said" waving at her father$ %he girls rolled up their windows and laughed$ 3Do you thin! he smelled anything56 ?aurie as!ed" testing the air with her nostrils$ 3)y father5 He2s a good cop" but he2s a lousy detective$6 3# hope so$ #2d hate for it to get bac! to my fol!s$6 3?isten" ?aurie" if your parents don2t !now you smo!e grass" they probably haven2t noticed you2ve grown boobs" either$6 she glanced sidelong at ?aurie2s chest$ 3# ta!e that bac!$ #2m not sure anybody2s noticed you2ve grown boobs$6 3Damn daughter2s been smo!ing whoopee+weed again"6 &heriff rac!ett muttered to himself as he observed a dour+loo!ing" bald man with a gray goatee stepping out of the crowd$ %he man wore a chocolate+colored suit beneath a rumpled trench coat$ 3&heriff5 #2m Dr$ &am ?oomis"6 the man shouted over the alarm$ 3?ee rac!ett"6 the sheriff said" loo!ing at him critically$ 3e don2t need a doctor$ #t2s -ust a routine brea!+in$6 3#2m not that !ind of doctor$ #2d li!e to tal! with you" if # could$6 3#t may be a few minutes$ # gotta stic! around here$6 3#t2s important$6 His eyes" sun!en and slightly red+rimmed" appealed to rac!ett li!e a hound2s at the dinner table$ rac!ett loo!ed at his watch and shrugged$ 3%en minutes56 3#2ll be here"6 ?oomis said" turning -ust a moment too late to notice the station wagon he2d been hunting pull away after its occupant had stopped to observe him$ rac!ett didn2t see it either$ He had heard the call come over the radio last night and this morning" and though nobody had fully e,plained who was supposed to be driving the liver+colored station wagon with the state emblem on the doors" he2d have chased it down routinely$ ?oomis !illed the ten minutes with a stroll down )ain &treet" loo!ing indifferently into windows of stores and shops that were interchangeable with those of any town this si8e in the )idwest$ %here were a few signs of changing times" such as an organic health food shop" a boo!store with a surprisingly intellectual selection of titles in the window" and a coffee shop speciali8ing in espresso" cappuccino" and herb teas" a far cry from the usual )idwest coffee shop purveying the !ind of diner fare that truc!+drivers thrived on$ ut at least there wa s no head shop" as one commonly saw in bigger mid+western towns and citiesG no shop selling cigarette papers" pipes" co!e spoons and the more e,otic paraphernalia of the dope trade$ %hough ?oomis !new that the !ids used drugs in these towns" the town governments came down very hard on any overt display of drug cultures$ (s ?oomis passed a li;uor store" he nodded" remembering his teenage son2s recent tirade about the hypocrisy of ?oomis2s generation that punishes drug use but proudly displays its alcoholic orientation as if drin!ing were a virtue to be encouraged$ %he boy was right$ ut it would be another decade before you saw a head shop in Haddonfield" #llinois$ rac!ett was -ust finishing writing up his report and supervising the h asty assembly of a saw+horse barrier around the hardware store$ )r$ 'ichols put the finishing touches on a wooden panel to cover the bro!en window until a glass replacement arrived in the morning$ He stepped bac! to survey his handiwor! and e,amine the rim of the window as if to contemplate the possibility of putting up a loc!ed iron gate$ He shoo! his head sadly$ He hated to do that$ %o put up a gate would not only be ugly" it would symboli8e his concession to the growing vandalism that e,isted in his town$
3)ay we sit in your car" &heriff56 ?oomis as!ed$ 3&uit yourself" Doctor$6 %hey slid into the front seat$ rac!ett turned the heater on$ 3.etting a bit chilly$ inter2ll be here any day now$6 3)mm"6 ?oomis said distractedly" running his fingers down the blue barrels of the sheriff2s over+and+under twelve+gauge shotgun propped vertically between the seats$ 3Have you ever had to use this thing56 3Can2t catch ;uail with my bare hands"6 rac!ett laughed$ 3ou !now what # mean$6 rac!ett shoo! his head$ 3#2ve pointed it at one or two 2alleged perpetrators"2 as my colleagues li!e to call them$6 3ho do you thin! perpetrated that56 ?oomis is as!ed with a -er! of the head toward the hardware store$ 3Bids" most li!ely$ ho else would steal Halloween mas!s56 3(nd !nives5 (nd rope5 hat do !ids need with those56 3eats the hell out of me$ &ometimes they brea! in and grab whatever2s near to hand" -ust because it2s there for grabbing$6 He ga8ed at ?oomis" whose face glowed green in the phosphorescent light of the dashboard$ 3ou got any better ideas56 3# might$ Do you remember the Judith )yers case56 rac!ett2s ga8e narrowed to a suspicious stare$ 3* f course # do$6 %here was a silence as ?oomis ran his fingers with a scratchy noise through his goatee$ rac!ett waited impatiently" studying this man whose intrusion into his life had brought with it intimations of grisly horror" a horror made more dreadful because it had happened in this idyllic setting$ *ver the police channel" static!y s;uaw!s proclaimed petty vandalism occurring throughout the area$ 3#ntruders reported on Carter Road around the .leason farm6/ 3windows bro!en by four persons in mas!s" believed children" Carty h ouse at Post Road near Deller6/ 3three trepassers reported writing on doors with spray paint$$$6 3hat are you saying" Doctor56 ?oomis told him about the escape from the sanitarium last night$ rac!ett listened with a troubled e,pression$ 3%he )yers house$ ill you ta!e me there56 rac!ett tapped the steering wheel with his nails$ 3# don2t !now" ?oomis$ # got my hands full tonight$ Halloween is one of my profession2s busy seasons$ Can you hear what2s coming down56 He turned the radio louder$ ?oomis listened stolidly" e,pressionlessly$ 3%his is all the wor! of children46 he protested at length$ 3Harmless pran!s46 3Do you call bro!en windows and spray painted doors harmless5 %ry repairing them sometime$ %ry paying for them$ (cross the coun try the damages amount to millions$ )illions46 3ut we2re tal!ing about something else" &heriff" another$$$ another dimension$6 3# don2t !now about other dimensions" ?oomis" but # !now that the harm being rendered by your so+called sweet innocent children tonight is more real to me than something perpetrated by a nut case fifteen years ago$6 3(n escaped nut case$6 ?oomis2s distinction made a telling point on the sheriff$ 3:mm" that2s true"6 he conceded reluctantly$ ?oomis drove the point home$ 3Do you thin! this man has come here to soap people2s windows56 He rubbed his goatee heavily" until it sounded li!e a carpenter sandpapering a table$ rac!ett shrugged$ 3# suppose it2s worth a loo!" but # guarantee you2re not going to find anything$6 3%hat" &heriff" is a guarantee # would too gladly accept$6 (nother s;uaw! came over the radio$ 3ire reported in meadow behind Bochner farm" route 1=7+( off )ar!et Road"6 the voice droned$
3Bids will be !ids"6 the sheriff laughed bitterly$ ?oomis still wasn2t sure rac!ett had grasped the problem$ (s rac!ett nosed his car into the dar!" cloudy night" he reviewed for ?oomis everything he !new or had heard about the )yers case$ ?oomis listened attentively" though from his half+closed lids rac!ett might have concluded the man was do8ing off$ rac!ett said nothing ?oomis didn2t !now" until something slipped out casually that made the psychiatrist2s eyes widen and his bac! stiffen$ 3ould you mind repeating that" &heriff56 3# said" the !id2s great+grandfather had done something similar$6 3%ell me about it$6 ?oomis was breathing harder$ rac!ett2s casual remar! had e,cited him as if her were a starving man that someone had dangled a piece of ca!e in front of$ 3ell" # don2t !now much about it" and it was never brought out in the hearings" but )rs$ )yers" that night" was overheard saying" 2He2s come bac!"2 or maybe 2#t2s come bac!"2 *ver and over again$ # didn2t live here then" so this is all second+hand$6 3.o on$6 3&o Ron arstow" he was sheriff at the time" Ron as!ed her" 3ho2s come bac!5 hat2s come bac!52 (nd she mumbled something about the thing that had got inside her grandfather$ # guess she meant ta!en possession$6 Despite the coldness of the evening" ?oomis had begun to perspire$ His breath hissed noisily$ 3Did she e,plain" about the thing that had ta!en possession of her grandfather56 3'o" but Ron went to the records at town hall and chec!ed out the newspaper clippings at the historical society$6 3(nd56 3#t seems the man had gone berser! bac! in the eighteen nineties$6 ?oomis was on the edge of his seat" his eyes bulging$ 3erser!5 How56 3#t was at a .rand dance" # thin! Ron said$ %he man -ust upped and pulled a revolver from his belt and blasted a dancing couple$ %hey hanged him$6 %hey drove silently for a moment" ?oomis struggling to contain his e,citement" almost savoring the ne,t ;uestion$ 3hen did this happen56 30ighteen ninety+eight" ninety+nine" something li!e that$6 3'o" no" # mean what date56 3How should #$$$5 ait a minute$ *f course # !now4 Ron remar!ed on it$6 3es56 3(ll Hallow 0ven$ #t was a harvest dance$ Halloween46 rac!ett2s toe unconsciously depressed the gas pedal and the car accelerated into the dangerous night$ 3Jesus"6 the sheriff breathed$ 3hy wasn2t this mentioned at the hearing56 ?oomis demanded" slumping bac! into his seat" still panting$ 3# thin! Ron said it was because the defense attorney thought it was either irrelevant or damaging to the !id2s case$6 3#rrelevant5 Damaging56 ?oomis chuc!led drily" a laugh totally devoid of humor" li!e a rattle$ 3%ell me" did your friend tell you anything more about this great+grandfather56 3#2m thin!ing$6 %he seconds tic!ed ponderously around the cloc! on the dashboard$ 3@oices$6 3@oices56 3Bill those two specifically$ #n other words" he d idn2t fire into a crowd at random5 He !new the victims56 rac!ett scratched his ear$ #2m a little confused abo ut that part$ %he way Ron e,plained it" the guy claimed he !new who he was shooting" but when they as!ed him to identify his victims" he called them some weird names he said he2d heard in hid dreams$6 rac!ett pointed to his own s!ull and made a rotary motion with his finger$ 3Cra8y$6
3Perhaps$ %hese names" &heriff$ ere they Celtic5 ould you recogni8e them5 Deirdre5 Culain56 3&orry" my friend" they don2t ring a bell$ ho are they56 3'ames of victims in )ichael2s dreams$ #f we could establish a continuity from the great+ grandfather to the boy$$$6 the psychiatrist mused$ 3( continuity56 rac!ett gasped$ 3Come on" ?oomis$ #n order for a dream to -ump two or three generations" you2d have to believe$$$6 He shoo! his head$ 3Doctor" # thin! you may be touched yourself$6 3Probably$ #t2s an occupational ha8ard$6 rac!ett swung right and glided to the curb before the gloomy" weather+beaten house that stood out among its white" neatly !empt neighbors li!e some shriveled crone in a row of teenagers$ %hey climbed out of the car and stood before it" listening to the sound of branches whipping against an upstairs window$ 3Has anybody lived here since$$$56 3ou got to be !idding"6 rac!ett said$ 30very !id in Haddonfield thin!s the place is haunted$ )aybe every adult too$6 3%hey may be right$6 rac!ett reached into his car and produced a long flashlight$ Pointing it at the 3or &ale6 sign thrust into the scrubby lawn" the sheriff said" 3His parents found him standing right there in his clown costume with the ruff around the nec!" cute as could be e,cept he held a butcher !nife as long as this flashlight and he was smeared with fresh blood$6 He flashed his light on the sign$ 3%his shou ld come down$ # hear it2s been sold$ Chester &trode must be drun! with relief$ He2s the agent$6 3&old56 ?oomis repeated" sha!ing his head with disbelief$ 3# !now what you mean$ 'ew or! people$ %hey thought it would be fun to own a haunted house$ 'ew or!ers"6 he groaned" using the word almost as a curse$ 3Can we go in56 3# don2t have a !ey" but maybe$$$6 %hey mounted the front porch$ 3e could go in through one of the bro!en windows"6 ?oomis suggested$ 3%hat2s what # was going to sug < hmm$6 ?oomis stepped to the front door" on which the sheriff held his light$ %he !nob dangled at an odd angle" and there were fresh gouges in the wood around it$ rac!ett touched the !nob and the door swung open$ 3*ne haunted house" complete with crea!s"6 he said$ 3#f you find it so amusing" why are you ta!ing your gun out of it2s holster5 ?oomis as!ed with a grim smile$ rac!ett didn2t care for the remar!$ lashing the light around the entry vestibule" he stepped in caustiously" crouched tensely as he scanned the rooms with his light+guided eyes" then gestured with his head for ?oomis to come in$ Carefully they trod the floorboards" ?oomis moving bac! to bac! with his friend" li!e a pair of eyes in the bac! of the sheriff2s head$ %he psychiatrist !ept his right hand plunged deep in the poc!et of his trench coat$ &uddenly rac!et stopped$ ?oomis bac!ed into him$ 3hat is it56 %he light revealed something resembling a white and blac! shaggy throw rug with -agged red strea!s$ rac!ett !neeled over it and gulped$ 3#t2s a dog$6 He reached out and dipped a finger into the entrails that had been ripped out of the creature and draped across its hind legs casually$ 3&till warm$ ?ord46 ?oomis loo!ed at the mutilated creature" its bulging eyes orangely reflecting the light$ 3He got hungry$6 3He5 ou mean$$$5 Come on" Doctor$ #t could have been a s!un!$ *r a raccoon$6 3Could have been"6 ?oomis said unenthusiastically$ 3( man wouldn2t do that"6 rac!ett said" holding the light on the glistening guts$ 3He isn2t a man"6 ?oomis replied$
%hey turned their bac!s on the remains and searched the rest of the downstairs$ %he place was a shambles$ loorboards ripped up" plaster and lathing chipped or ripped off the walls" damp spots in the ceiling$ rac!ett made several more sarcastic remar!s about the people from 'ew or!$ 3&hall we go upstairs56 ?oomis said$ 3:h" of course$ hat tour of a haunted house would be complete without a loo! at the upstairs56 3(fter you" &heriff$6 rac!ett snorted and stepped ahead of ?oomis$ %hey inched up the stairs" staying close to the wall" for the balustrade was a wrec!$ (s they approached the landing" rac!ett paused and caught his breath$ 3hat do you suppose that noise is56 ?oomis coc!ed his ear$ 3# believe it2s a branch slapping a window$ #t2s coming from that room there$ # saw it when we were on the lawn$6 3*f course"6 rac!ett said" crunching over some plaster pebbles$ Holding gun and flashlight close together" he stepped into the near bedroom$ %he noise was indeed what ?oomis had said$ 3%his is where it happened$ &he was sitting there" brushing her hair$ #2m told she -ust had panties on$ He came in here" and of course she recogni8ed him and did nothing to defend herself$ hy should she5 #t was her si,+year+old !id brother" for crying out loud4 %hey found her here" under this$$$6 ( sudden gust of wind slapped the branch against the window with terrible force" smashing it and showering glass at their feet$ oth men leaped bac!" uttering curses$ %hen they laughed nervously$ rac!ett led ?oomis through the rest of the upstairs at double time" then said" 3'othing here$ ?et2s go$6 *utside" rac!ett leaned against his car$ 3hat do we do56 3He was here and he may be coming bac!$ #2m going to wait for him$6 3# !eep thin!ing # should call in help" maybe get a warning broadcast$6 3#f you do" people will see him everywhere" on every street corner" in every house$ Just tell your men to shut their mouths and open their eyes$6 %he sheriff gestured at his shot gun$ 3ou want something56 3#2ve got something$6 ?oomis pulled a $>7 magnum out of his raincoat$ rac!ett whistled$ #t loo!ed li!e a naval gun$ 3Don2t worry$ #t2s licensed$6 3?ord$ ou2re loaded for bear$6
Chapter 11
He !ept his headlights off as he followed the red car with the two girls in it" and he !ept his distance$ His heart beat heavily but rhythmically" but the beat had accelerated since sundown" and it was beginning to ma!e him nervous and agitated$ His palms were sweaty and his mouth dry" and he was uncomfortably aroused" a condition of pain and not pleasure$ He drove past the orange+glowing pump!in+faces that seemed to moc! him" past the eager" laughing children parading from house to house in their foolish costumes$ He remembered the clown suit he had worn that night" red and green with a lace ruff and a soc! cap with a silly ball at the end of it that !ept dangling in front of his nose$ He remembered his grandmother2s smell as she too! a tuc! in the material of his costume$ He remembered the taste of candy corn at the party that evening" remembered biting off the white tips of the pyramid+shaped candies" then the orange middle" then the yellow bottom" trying to determine if they were made of different+tasting stuff but they were the same candy d yed three different colors$ He remembered too" how in the middle of it" in the middle of duc!ing for apples" the feeling had come over him" a force li!e an iron hand that virtually shoved him out of the door and into the street" his little legs carrying him home and a voice telling him what he had to do$ #n his mind2s eye he had seen" that night" a picture of his sister as he had seen it a few times through the !eyhole of her bedroom or in the crac! of the bathroom door" pin!" firm" with beautiful tight buttoc!s and round high breasts with -utting nipples" and the voice told him he must carve those breasts and buttoc!s into a thousand slabs of bloody meat$ He remembered his own internal voice protesting" but it was such a helpless little+boy voice the the grown+up voice had shouted it down easily and urged his little legs home faster" instructing him to go into the house through the !itchen door" remove the butcher !nife from the drawer under the sin!" and go upstairs$ He remembered the loo! in her eyes as he entered her room" a loo! that dar!ened from surprise to recognition to horror in the space of a second$ He remembered the little+boy voice crying 2hat are you doing52 but the grown+up voice crying 2&tic! in her belly4 &tic! it in her heart4 &tic! it in her face4 &tic! it in her arms$ &tic! it in her legs4 &tab her4 Cut her4 &lice her4 &lash her4 B#?? H0R4 B#?? H0R4 B#?? H0R4 B#?? H0R4 B#?? H0R4 B#??0R4 B#?? H0R4 B#?? H0R42 He had !nown she was screaming because he saw her lips moving but he heard nothing but the roar of the grown+up voice in his ears$ He remembered the heat of her blood as it splashed his hands" and the strangely familiar smell of it$ He remembered loo!ing at her almost unrecogni8able remains on the floor and hearing the little+boy voice saying" 2:h+oh" you2re gonna get in a lot of trouble when mommy and daddy get home$2 (nd that2s -ust what happened$ )ommy and daddy were very mad at him when they came home$ (nd now the voice was tal!ing to him again" and it was almost the same way e,cept that he was a grown+up himself now" and he was big and strong as his daddy" and this time nobody would be able to ta!e him away and send him someplace$ %he bra!e lights of the car in front of him went on" and he hit his own bra!es" drifting to the side of the road to watch$ %he blond girl got out" the one who had come up to the door of his home this morning" the one who reminded him so much of Judy$ He watched her go up to the white house and ring the doorbell while her friend turned into the driveway of the large house across the street and pull into a garage$ %he door opened for the blond girl" and she stepped inside$ %hen" across the street" the dar!+ haired girl emerged from the garage" rang the doorbell" and was admitted$
He watched$ ive minutes later" a man and a woman came out of each house$ %he man and woman coming out of the house where the blonde had gone !issed a little boy good+bye$ %he man and the woman coming out of the house the dar!+haired girl had gone !issed a little girl good+bye$ %hen each couple got into a car$ %hey went off in different directions$ He got out of the station wagon and slid into the hedgerows around the house with the blonde and the little boy in it" the dar! uniform he2d ta!en off the driver blending with the night shadows$ He sidled up to a window$ eyond it was a dar!ened room" but through an open door at the other end he could see the girl who reminded him of Judy tal!ing to the boy$ %he boy was almost as young as he2d been fifteen years ago$ %he boy was wearing a shiny -ump suit with astronaut patches on it$ %his was the boy he2d seen bullied at school today$ He wal!ed around the house" silently testing windows and doors" noting that a pair of rench windows outside the television room were open" but not venturing in yet$ 'ot yet$ He drifted bac! to the front of the house and pressed against the hedges as a gaggle of children passed by" close enough for him to grab$ #t was too dangerous$ hen it was safe" he ventured across the street$ %he house was enormous" with a large porch on two sides$ (gain" he wal!ed around it" loo!ing in the windows$ He saw the dar!+haired girl standing before a hall mirror" brushing out he r hair and chatting to the little girl who watched her admiringly$ %he dar!+haired girl had big breasts that -utted out even with her arms stretched overhead$ He stal!ed li!e a cat to the side and bac! of the house" noting an unloc!ed !itchen door$ #n the bac!yard" a slate path led to a little house li!e a bungalow$ He went up to it and peered inside$ #t had a washer and dryer$ He returned to the main house and watched some more$ %he se, between his legs throbbed in an unpleasant way$ %he voice was whispering something to him that he couldn2t ma!e out yet" but he !new that if he waited it would get louder$ #n his belt were the carving !nife and rope he had ta!en from the store in town$ 3ell" what shall we do56 ?aurie said" loo!ing at her watch$ &he !new the answer" but hoped against hope that %ommy Doyle would suggest that he play a ;uiet game by himself while she studied history$ &ure4 %ommy pointed to the stac! of comic boo!s in the den$ 3e can start with those$ hen we2re finished" # have some more in my room$6 3(nd what happens when we finish those56 ?aurie said sarcastically$ 3ell" # have a big stac! of old ones in my closet"6 he answered solemnly$ 3# thought you might"6 she sighed$ %hey sat down in a small sofa" and ?aurie too! a comic boo! off the top of the stac!$ 32How now"2 cried (rthur$$$6 3hat does it mean" he cried5 hy is he crying56 3He2s not crying+crying" %ommy$ ( cry also means a shout$ 2How now"2 cried (rthur$ 2%hen none may pass this way without a fight52 2Just so"2 answered the !night in a bold and haughty manner$$$6 &he rattled the comic boo!$ 3&top s;uirming$ hat2s the matter56 3# don2t li!e that story$6 3# thought Bing (rthur was your favorite56 3'ot anymore$ Can you !eep a secret56 3&ure$6 He fell to his hands and !nees and reached under the sofa" producing another stac! of comics$ 3hy are they under there56 3)om doesn2t li!e me to have them$6 ?aurie shuffled through them$ 3'eutron )an" ?aser )an" %arantula )an$$$ # can see why$6
3# thin! they2re neat$6 3'eat"6 ?aurie echoed wea!ly$ 3?aurie" is there really a ogeyman56 3*f course$ He eats little boys who read comic boo!s$6 3Really56 %he boy2s eyes widened$ 3)aybe #2ll watch %@ the rest of the night$6 3%hat would suit$$$ there2s the phone$6 &he crossed the room to the phone on a table near the opposite sofa" a tremor of nervousness vibrating through her stomach$$$ 3Hello56 Her an,iety wasn2t helped by the noise on the other end of the line$ #t sounded li!e gunfire$ inally" a voice$ 3Hear that5 %hat2s the sound of popping corn$ %hat2s the sound of a horny teenage girl when her boyfriend2s shot her down"6 (nnie said" bored$ 3)y heart bleeds for you$6 3(re you having fun5 'ever mind" #2m sure you are$ # have big" big news for you$6 3hat is it56 3ell$$$ oops4 Hold on a minute$6 ?aurie listened to the noise on the other end of the line with growing alarm$ 3*w4 Hey" cut it out$$$ C2mon" get out of here$$$ Jesus" that hurt" you big -er!$$$ ?indsey4 ?indsey" he2s tearing me apart46 3(nnie46 ?aurie yelled into the phone" her heart racing$ 3(nnie what2s happening56 3?ester is tearing my crotch out46 (nnie shrie!ed$ 3?indsey4 .et this goddamn dog out of here46 ?aurie hear growling" scratching of nails on linoleum" then a little girl2s voice$ 3?ester" c2mon" c2mon boy$6 (nnie came bac! on the phone" panting$ 3# hate that dog$ #2m the only person in the world he doesn2t li!e$6 3#t sounds li!e he li!es you a lot"6 ?aurie laughed$ 3'ah" he2s -ust a male$ .oes for the crotch every time$ ell" that2s probably the only action #2m gonna see tonight" so maybe # shouldn2t !noc! it$6 3(nnie" you are too gross for words$ &o what2s this big" big news56 3ould you believe you2re going to the home+coming dance tomorrow night56 3'ot only wouldn2t # believe it"6 ?aurie said" 3#2d say you must have the wrong number$6 3%hat -ust goes to show how little you !now$6 3*h5 (nd what do you !now56 3ell" # -ust tal!ed with en %ramer5 (nd he got real e,cited when # told him how attracted to him you were$6 ?aurie2s !nees turned to rubber$ 3*h" (nnie" you didn2t$ %ell me you didn2t$6 3ou guys will ma!e a fabulous couple56 hile the girls tal!ed on the phone" %ommy Doyle loo!ed out the window at the last group of tric!+or+treaters scurrying home in the dar!ness$ His eyes were suddenly drawn to a blac! shape on the lawn across the street$ or a second he thought it was one of those cardboard s!eletons with moveable arms and legs that ?indsey2s parents had hung from the tree$ 'o" it was too big" too three dimensional$ #t stood there" ga8ing at his house" ga8ing directly at him" not moving but definitely a living human" definitely not cardboard$ %ommy gulped and turned away$ ?aurie was still on the phone$ %ommy tugged on her shirttail$ 3?aurie56 3#2m so embarrassed"6 ?aurie was saying$ 3# cou ldn2t face him$ # don2t !now if # could ever go bac! to school" #2m so embarrassed$6 3ou2ll have to"6 (nnie said$ 3He2s calling you tomorrow to find out what time to pic! you up$6 3(nnie" no$ How could$$$ hold on$6 &he responded to the tug on her shirttail$ 3%ommy" #2m in the middle of a really important call$6
3# !now" but ?aurie" the ogeyman is outside$ C2mere and loo!$6 3Don2t go away" (nnie" # have to chec! out the ogeyman$6 3(s! him if he feels li!e getting laid"6 (nnie said$ ?aurie crossed to the window where %ommy stood holding the curtains apart$ 3%here2s 3 %here2s nobody there" %ommy$6 3%here was$6 3#2m sure$ How about going into the living room and watching some %@5 %here2s a whole bunch of horror movies on$6 &he turned away as %ommy remained at the window" peering into the night$ %he figure reappeared across the street and drifted toward the allace2s !itchen window$ 3alse alarm"6 ?aurie said$ 3%oo bad$ #t might have been different$6 3(nnie" some day you2re going to get into big trouble$6 3# can2t wait$ (nyway" loo!" it2s simple$ ou li!e him" he li!es you$ (ll you need is a little push$6 3#2d li!e to give you a little push" off the top of a building$6 3#t won2t hurt you to go out with him" for .od2s sa!e$ He2s not n ot e,actly$$$ shit46 3# !now he2s not e,actly$$$6 3'o" # mean" # -ust spilled melted butter bu tter all over myself$ # gotta call you bac!$ b ac!$ # -ust made a mess of myself" as usual$ &tand by$6 ?aurie heard the sharp clic! and laughed$ (nnie was cra8y" but she loved her$ #n fact" she loved her because she was cra8y$ :nderneath the cra8iness was a warm person and a wonderful friend$ ?i!e this en %ramer thing$ &ure it was presumptuous of (nn ie to tell en that ?aurie li!ed him" but maybe it was all for the best$ #f ?aurie wasn2t capable of e,pressing herself to boys" how were they ever going to as! her out5 #n this day and age" girls were far more forward than ever before$ %he double standard was falling daily$ )aybe ?aurie would never be able to go as far as some of her friends < li!e ?inda" whom ?aurie had seen go up to a perfectly strange guy at a bar and say she2d li!e to ball him < but at least she could go further in that direction than she did now$ (nd if not" she had (nnie doing d oing it for her$ #t was still horribly embarrassing" but hec!" it wo uldn2t be the worst thing in the world" e,actly" to get a phone call from en %ramer$ He stood watching the girl tal! on the telephone$ ith her dar!" curly hair and large breasts" she was not li!e Judy at all" but that was all right$ %hey didn2t have to loo! li!e Judy$ %hey didn2t even have to be girls$ &he held the !itchen wall telephone tuc!ed under her chin while she too! a large pot of popcorn over one burner of the stove with one hand and stirred a saucepan of butter with the other$ %hrough the glass panels of the !itchen door he could hear her peculiar laughter$ &uddenly the big .erman shepherd dog came into the !itchen as she was starting to pour the butter over the popcorn$ #t startled her" and the butter splashed over o ver her red sweater and plaid s!irt$ Her curse came sharply through the glass$ &he hung up the phone and pulled the sweater over her head$ &he reached into a high shelf in the pantry to pull down a bo, of cornstarch$ &he dashed it on the butter stain on the sweater" then stepped out of her s!irt and sprin!led the white powder on it too$ &he wore pin! and blue print cotton panties bi!ini+style" and though her legs weren2t as long as Judy2s" her buttoc!s were larger and filled the pants to straining" and she had a sensual bulge -ust over the crotch that made him breather heavily with desire$ His hand opened and closed involuntarily on the handle of his !nife$ &he turned to face the door for a moment and he duc!ed bac! into the shadows$ His head collided with a hanging plant" !noc!ing the pot against the side of the house$ He reached up to stay it but it was too late$ %he .erman shepherd began bar!ing madly" the half+na!ed girl gave a startled scream" and the little girl started shouting at the dog to shut up$ %he !itchen door opened and the girl" clutching an apron to her breasts" peered out$ He had
melted bac! around the corner of the house and stood pinned to he wall" breathing noisily" !nife poised$ %he dog2s bar!ing filled the night n ight air with threats$ (t length the girl uttered something about it having been the wind and closed the door$ He could still hear the muffled baritone of the dog$ He remained pinned to the wall" waiting for the bar!ing to die down" but it went on ceaselessly$ %he dog !new he was there$ &uddenly the !itchen door opened again$ 3?indsey"6 he heard the girl say$ 3?ester2s driving me cra8y$ #2m going to let him out o!56 (n instant later the dog roared out of the house" clamoring and pacing the yard in a -er!y search pattern as his nose pic!ed up the confusing scents of the intruder2s path$ He crouched beside a rhododendron bush" braced for the leap he ! new would come$ (nd come it did$ %he dog seemed to find the fresh scent and ma!e his move in one fluid motion" emitting a chilling snarl as it arched through the air with bared fangs focused on the man2s arms$ ut the man was prepared$ Displaying a ;uic!ness and strength that some might have called supernatural" he dodged the charge and grabbed the dog from behind" clamping its -aws shut with one forearm and crushing its body to his chest ch est with the other$ %he dog snarled and dug at his arms with the claws of its hind legs" but with its fangs ineffective it co uld do no serious harm$ He clutched the dog tighter" his cable+li!e forearm closing its windpipe" his other arm pressing its spine against his iron+li!e ribs until he heard the satisfying crunch of o f shattering vertebrae$ %he dog emitted shrill s;ueals that subsided into puppyish whimpers as the life drained out of it$ #ts hind legs clawed feebly and futilely at his arms" then twitched several seconds more before going completely limp$ He held it a minute longer" the" certain it was dead" he dropped it into the rhododendron bush li!e a sac!ful of meat$ 3?ester5 ?ester46 (nnie2s voice filled the night and was -oined by the ready voice of the little girl$ 3hat do you suppose happened to him56 the little one as!ed$ 3# supposed he found a hot date" the luc!y dog$6 3hat2s a hot date" (nnie56 he heard the !id as the doors closed again$ He did not hear (nnie2s answer$
Chapter 1A
3here2s your laundry room56 (nnie as!ed$ &he2d donned one of )rs$ allace2s robes and stood before ?indsey" who was propped in a sofa before the television set" eyes fi,ed hypnotically on the opening credits of %he %hing$ 3?indsey" did you hear me56 %he child was in a video trance$ 30arth to ?indsey" 0arth to ?indsey" do you read me56 &he stepped in front of the child" bloc!ing her view of the set$ 3Huh56 3here2s your washing machine56 3*utside$6 3*utside"6 (nnie mused$ 3# see$ (nd # guess the dryer is in a tree$6 3'o" they2re both outside in the little house in the yard$6 3hy" may # as!56 3)ommy didn2t li!e the noise$6 3:h+huh$ (nd she li!ed the inconvenience" # suppose56 %he !id shrugged her shoulders and pushed (nnie out of the way$ 3# can2t see the movie$6 3#2m teddibly teddibly soddy"6 (nnie said in her best ritish accent$ 3*!ay" #2m going to carry this stuff out to the laundry house or whatever you call it$ ill you be all right alone56 %he child ga8ed at the television set" unseeing and unhearing e,cept for what was emitted from the flic!ering tube$ 3Jee8"6 said (nnie" sha!ing her head$ 3(nd # thought religion was the opiate of the people$6 &he stepped between ?indsey and the television set again$ 3#2ll be bac! in five minutes after # put this in the washer" o!ay56 3:h"6 ?indsey said" straining to see the program around (nnie2s legs$ 3# can2t believe this"6 (nnie muttered aloud as she crossed the flagstones to the little cottage in the bac!yard$ ( gust of wind whipped through the folds of her thin robe and blew it open$ (nnie2s 3.oddamn it46 echoed across the yard$ reeing one hand from the load of laundry and the bo, of soap" she opened the door and stepped inside" dropping everything on the flat top of the dryer$ &he reached for the light switch that should have been placed -ust inside the door" but the allace family seemed to function on a logic all its own" for there was no switch there$ 3%errific$6 %he door slammed shut$ (nnie2s heart leaped through her ribcage$ &he put her shoulder to it and with difficulty managed to open it" then turned her bac! to resume her search for the light switch$ (s she did" a face loomed outside the door" its rubbery features made more ghastly by the moonlight that made its sun!en eyes and large nostrils absolutely blac!$ %he intruder2s hand reached for the door!nob as he stared at the robed figure blindly groping for the light switch$ &uddenly she found it and flic!ed the lights on$ He -umped bac! into the cover of dar!ness" crunching the brittle dead leaves of another rhododendron$ %he girl2s head peered out$ 3Hello56 &ilence$ 3ho2s there56 )ore silence$ 3Paul56 #s this one of your cheap tric!s56 &ilence again" save the soughing of the wind through the leaves of the trees$ 3# guess not"6 she said" disappointed$ 3'o tric!s for (nnie tonight$6 &he studied the dials on the washer" tal!ing to herself to !eep her he r -ittery nerves under control$ 3?et2s see" place the clothes inside" that # can do pretty well$ (dd soap or detergent" got it$ (dd fabric softener or bluing in reservoir where indicated$" fuc! that$ Close door" turn left+hand dial to cold" war" or hot" h ot" # thin! #2ll do warm to melt the
butter$ lip switch to small" medium" or large load" let2s call it small$ small$ Jesus" they ought to give a course in laundry at school$ %urn right+hand right+hand dial to wash" select number number of minutes$ ell" (nnie" how does eight minutes sound to you$ onderful$ Pull dial out and get the fuc! out of there$6 %he washing machine !ic!ed into action as water poured into the drum$ &lam4 ( tremendous gust of wind blew the door shut with window+rattling force$ (nnie rushed to the door and pulled the !nob$ %he door didn2t budge$ &he shoo! the door with adrenaline+triggered might" but even that didn2t budge it$ 3?indsey4 ?indsey4 Come out here4 &ure she2ll come out here$ &he wouldn2t pull away from the television set if a nuclear missile scored a direct hit outside her house$ ?indsey" .oddamn it" #2m stuc! in the laundry46 &he pounded the glass panes of the door" tempted to smash them" but decided instead to try the window over the dryer dr yer and spare herself the hassle of e,plaining and repaying the allaces for the damage$ &he boosted herself up on top of the dryer and opened the window$ #t was small and she gauged its width against the si8e of her hips and decided it was going to be a near thing$ ut what else could she do5 &he tried going out legs first" but her hips -ammed and she decided they2d slide out better if she went out head first$ (s she pulled her breasts through the window frame she heard the phone ringing in the main house$ 3*h" great"6 she moaned$ &he also heard a sound in the hedges$ #t was not the wind$ Her pelvis -er!ed forward in fright and her hips wedged tightly in the window frame$ &he heard a second sound" louder$ &omething was lur!ing in the bushes around the corner of the little house$ #t was closing in on her$ 3?indsey4 ?indsey4 *h .od" ?indsey$$$6 3(nnie56 ?indsey2s voice tin!led on the windy night air$ %he thing in the bushes" whatever it was" retreated into the shadows as the little girl emerged from the dar!ness around the main house$ 3(nnie" what are you doing56 3hat am # doing5 #2m trying to widen this window with my hips" that2s what #2m doing$6 3#t loo!s li!e you2re stuc!$6 3#$$$6 (nnie drew a deep breath and overcame her fury$ 3?oo!" -ust try to open the door$ %hen pull me bac! inside" o!ay56 3*!ay$6 (nnie heard the rattling of the glass panes as ?indsey shoo! the door d oor unsuccessfully$ %hen apparently the child put all of her strength into the effort" and (nnie heard the satisfying surrender of the door and felt the cold night air on her feet$ %he ne,t thing she !new" a pair of little hands was tugging her legs" and (nnie got the leverage to twist her hips out of the window frame$ &he pulled her torso bac! into the laundry room and -umped down$ 3%han! you" ?indsey$ hat made you come out here56 3#t was a commercial$ (nd Paul called you$ He2s waiting on the phone$6 3Paul5 Paul is on the phone5 *h" .od$ :h" ?indsey" run bac! up there and tell him #2ll be right with him$ (nd don2t say anything about my getting stuc! in here" o!ay56 3*!ay$6 ?indsey tramped down the flagstone path while (nnie hastily transferred the wet laundry to the dryer" setting it for a half hour$ %hen she gathered her robe around her and raced across the yard" arriving -ust in time to hear ?indsey say into the phone" 3&he was stuc! in the window" she2ll be right here$6 &he put the phone down and returned to her precious horror program$ 3Hello" Paul$6 3Hi" (nnie$ ?isten" ne,t time you want to leave the house" try this new invention # -ust heard about" much better than windows$ #t2s called a door$6 3(ll right" cut it out$ # got stuc! because your wonderful invention the door d oor slammed behind me and # couldn2t get it open$ #t can happen to anyone$6 3(nyone with your figure$6
3eah" well" #2ve seen you stuc! in other positions46 3*!ay" o!ay$ 'ow" here2s the good news$ )y fol!s accepted a last+minute invitation to a party$ %hey2ve -ust left$6 3ell" to borrow a phrase from ?inda" that2s totally fantastic$ hy don2t you -ust wal! over56 3# have to stic! around here$ )y parents said they2d call in -ust to chec! up on me$ Can you believe that5 &o how about you coming here56 3How can #5 #2m sitting for ?indsey" remember56 3eah$6 %here was a pause as Paul thought it through$ 3)aybe you could drop ?indsey off with ?aurie$ &he2s sitting right across the street" right56 3'ot a bad idea$ ut my clothes are in the wash$ # can2t come now$6 3Come without them$6 3&hut up" -er!$ #2ve got a robe on$ %hat2s all you thin! about$6 3(nd you don2t56 3%hat2s not true$ # thin! about lots of things$6 ( sly grin brightened her face$ 3hy don2t we not stand here tal!ing about them and get down to doing them5 (ll right" see you in a few minutes$6 &he hung up the phone and stood considering the matter$ %hen the scheme dropped into place" and she snapped her fingers$ ?indsey was watching the television set with both hands clamped over her eyes$ 3hat are you doing56 3#2m scared"6 the child said$ 3%hen why are you sitting here with the lights off56 3# don2t !now$6 3ell" come on" get your coat$6 3)y coat5 here are we going56 3(cross the street" to %ommy Doyles2s$6 3# don2t li!e %ommy Doyle$6 3%hat2s tough$ %onight you2re going to li!e %ommy Doyle" because tonight #2m going to love Paul$6 3Do # have to56 3?oo!" ?indsey" # thought we understood each other$6 3Can you find out if %ommy is watching the same movie56 3He will be$ (ll you little masochists are watching the same movie$6 3*h" all right"6 the child finally said with ob vious reluctance$ 3(t least wait till the commercial$6 (nnie went to the coat closet and got ?indsey2s par!a and borrowed )rs$ allace2s tweed coat$ %hey waited for the ne,t commercial" then (nnie hustled the !id out the door" and they ran across the street$ #n the tangle of a wisteria vine at the side of the allace2s porch" the prowler stood" holding his !nife$ He watched the two girls cross the street and stand in front of the door of the house where the other girl was staying$ He didn2t ris! going across yet" so he stood his ground" waiting to see what they did" feeling a throbbing between his legs and a painful pounding in his temples$ %he voice was getting louder$ He had come close a few minutes ago" when the girl was stuc! in the window" but the child had foiled it at the last second$ %hat was alright$ He had all night$ *pportunity would present itself again$$$ (nnie rang the doorbell for the third time$ (t last the door opened a crac! and (nnie stepped bac! as the blade of a wic!ed+loo!ing !nife appeared in the door$ 3ho is it56 %hat was ?aurie2s voice" behind the !nife$ 3#t2s me" fool$6
3*h" (nnie" than! .od$ #2ve been so -umpy$6 ?aurie opened the door wide" lowering the blade" which glistened with orange pulp$ eside her stood %ommy Doyle$ 3e2re ma!ing a -ac!+o2+lantern"6 %ommy said to ?indsey$ 3# want to watch %@"6 ?indsey said" 8ipping past the boy and into the television room$ ?aurie loo!ed at her friend2s bi8arre get+up" a brown tweed coat over a long blue robe$ 3ancy"6 ?aurie said$ 3%his has definitely not been my night"6 (nnie replied" following her into the !itchen$ 3)y clothes are in the wash" # spilled butter down the front of me" # got stuc! in a window$$$6 3#2m glad you2re here" because #2ve been thin!ing it over" and # have something # want you to do$ # want you to call up en %ramer right now and tell him you were -ust fooling around$6 3# can2t$6 3es" you can$6 ?aurie ga8ed at her earnestly" her breast heaving with agitation$ 3He went out drin!ing with )i!e .odfrey" so he won2t be bac! until late$ ou2ll have to call him tomorrow/ that2s all there is to it$ esides" #2m on my way over to Paul2s$6 3Huh5 ait a minute$6 3%ell you what$ #f you2ll watch ?indsey" #2ll consider tal!ing to en %ramer in the morning$6 ?aurie shoo! her head in a combination of admiration and e,asperation$ 3ou2ve got a deal$6 %hey slapped palms$ 3Hey" # thought Paul was grounded"6 ?aurie remembered$ 3He was$ ut his parents are going out$ ?isten" #2ll call you in an hour or so$6 (nd before ?aurie could say anything else" (nnie rushed out the door$ &he trotted across the street" the hem of her robe trailing after her li!e the gown of some regal bride$ &he went directly to the bac!yard and opened the door of the laundry room$ %his time she was smart" leaving a bo, of soap powder inside the door frame so that the door couldn2t slam shut again$ 3*h" Paul" # give you all"6 she sang" flinging open the door of the dryer$ &he grinned$ %he clothes weren2t fluffy dry" e,actly" but they were dry$ &he stripped out of the robe and coat" pulled the red sweater on" -iggled into her s!irt" and carried the discarded clothes bac! to the house$ &he found her purse and applied a light powder and blush to her chee!s" then traced an aggressive red line around her lips$ 3Ready for action"6 she told her image in the mirror$ %he phone rang$ 3Hello56 3(nnie" it2s me$6 3*h" hi" Dad$6 3hat are you doing56 3Just watching %@ with ?indsey$6 3.ood$ Just be careful$6 3Careful about watching %@56 3'o"6 the sheriff laughed" 3-ust careful$6 3ell" if you won2t tell me" how can # be careful56 3Beep the doors and windows loc!ed" and call if you see or hear anything suspicious$6 3%he most suspicious thing # hear right now is you$ ut # understand$ #t2s &heriff rac!ett2s &tandard arning 'umber >$6 3'o" it2s a little more serious than that$6 His voice was deadly serious$ 3*!ay" Dad$ #2ll be sure to loc! up$6 3.ood girl$6 &he hung up$ 3#2ll be sure to loc! up after leaving the house"6 she said aloud" feeling a little guilty about moc!ing her father$ 3&ome good girl$ #f he could see me now$6 &he pic!ed up the house
!ey from a dish on the foyer table and ran out of the house" loc!ing the door$ &he shivered as she stepped outside and wal!ed around the side of the house to the garage$ %he sound of brea!ing branches startled her$ 3?ester" for .od2s sa!e stop creeping around in there$6 &he entered the garage" singing" 3)y Paul" # can no longer stall$6 &he got into the car and snapped her fingers$ 3'o !eys" but please" my Paul" da de da de da$$$6 &he thought she2d left them in the ignition" but obviously they were in her purse$ &he ran bac! to the house" found them" and returned to the car$ unny$ &he thought she2d left the car door closed when she left it a moment ago$ 3%he old memory2s going"6 she muttered$ 30ither that or the doors of the world have declared war on me$6 &he wriggled into the driver2s seat and inserted the !ey in the ignition$ efore she could turn it" he sat up in the bac! seat" massive and powerful" hideous in his rubber Halloween mas!$ &he had time only to glimpse him in the mirror" the beat of her heart cascading into a runaway fren8y$ &he screamed" but the closed car doors and windows muffled the sound$ ( second later his immensely strong forearm was under her chin" crushing her windpipe$ &he beat and scratched at his arm" but it was futile$ Her lungs tried desperately to suc! air into her b ody$ #n one last effort to free herself" she pressed the horn on the rim of the steering wheel$ #t blared loudly in the night for a long moment$ %hen the !nife plunged into her belly$ &he could actually hear her mind contemplating the length and coldness of the long blade as it penetrated$ ut she didn2t really feel any pain$ %he terror and resignation had made her impervious to it$ &he !new she was dead" and in her last moment she was aware of a blend of surprise and regret that the event could be so peaceful and undramatic$ &he wished she could have said a proper good+bye to her parents$ &he wished she2d understood her father2s warning to be careful$ &he wondered if she2d be reborn and get a second chance to be careful$ %he light faded" and the last thing she heard was the car horn$$$ (cross the street the children watched the Creature from the lac! ?agoon swim out of its mur!y lair and glide toward the thrashing white legs of the pretty girl$ ?aurie was in the !itchen putting the finishing touches on the -ac!+o2+lantern$ %ommy got an idea for a pran!$ He sidled off the couch and slid behind a window curtain$ ?indsey was so totally absorbed in the movie she didn2t notice that her friend was no longer by her side$ &uddenly" from the drapery behind her" a spoo!y voice called" 3?indseeeyyyy" ?indseeeyyyy$6 ?indsey -umped up in her seat$ 3ho2s that5 %ommy5 here are you56 &he -umped out of her seat and loo!ed around the room" her little heart tripping with fright$ &he saw a bulge behind the curtain$ ehind the curtain %ommy happened to loo! out the window at that moment$ He saw a huge dar! figure with a white grotes;ue face carrying the limp body of a girl out of the allaces2 garage$ %ommy felt a surge of fear li!e none he2d ever !nown$ 3%he ogeyman46 he cried" trying to charge out of the curtain but tangling himself in it$ He felt something girdling his waist and pounding him$ %he air was filled with frightened wails$ ?aurie rushed in and found ?indsey" %ommy" and the curtain tangled together" the children shrie!ed hysterically$ &he separated them and tried to hush them" but %ommy !ept saying" 3%here he is" there he is4 %he ogeyman4 # saw him again4 He2s over at ?indsey2s house$ %he ogeyman" #2m telling you46 ?aurie held the boy in her arms$ 3Come on" %ommy" there2s no ogeyman$ ?oo!46 3# won2t loo!$6 3)e either"6 said ?indsey" caught between the devil outside or the deep blue sea on the television screen$ &he chose the devil" but nothing was there$ %he street was empty$ Her house loo!ed the same as it always did$ %here was nothing" nobody$ 3# saw him" #2m telling you$ Carrying a dead body$6 3%ommy stop it4 ou2re scaring ?indsey$6 ?aurie shoo ! the boy by the shoulders$
3He was big and tall and his face was li!e this$$$6 He put his fingers in his lips and spread them apart$ 3# said stop it4 %here is no ogeyman$ %here2s nothing out there$ #f you don2t ;uit it" #2m turning off the %@ and sending you to bed$6 %hat threat had the desired effect$ %ommy wal!ed docilely bac! to the couch" followed by ?indsey$ %hey sat down as before" ta!ing comfort in the cinematic horror flic!ering before them$ 3'obody believes me"6 the boy complained under his breath$ 3# believe you" %ommy"6 said ?indsey" hugging him$ %he Creature from the lac! ?agoon reached out with a disgusting leathery claw and prepared to grapple the an!le of the pretty swimmer$$$
Chapter 1>
*n a dar! cul+de+sac called Porter ?ane" three diminutive figures dressed in dar! clothes stealthily approached a large stone house$ ( big picture window commanding a sweeping lawn revealed a family watching televisionG a father and mother" a young girl" a baby boy" and an older woman" presumably the grandmother$ %he three dar! shapes blended with the shadows li!e -aguars stal!ing prey$ *n a signal from the one in the center the other two fanned out" approaching the target window from the flan!s while the leader bellied toward the middle$ 'ow the three crouched directly underneath the window" and the leader indicated it was time$ %hey donned their fright mas!s and rose up as one with their soap bars$ 3aaarrrrghhh"6 they roared" slamming their open palms on the window while scrawling with the soap bars with their free hands$ %he children went shrie!ing out of the den$ %he older woman put her hand to her heart and screamed silently$ %he mother ga8ed stupidly" while the father" who was the only one to grasp what was happening" stared in a combination of anger and amusement$ He had probably done the same when he was a !id$ Howling with laughter" Beith" Richie" and ?onnie fled into the night" cutting across the fro8en bed of the stream on the &amuels property and slowing to a panting wal! on illow Circle$ 3Did you see the loo! on the old lady2s face56 Beith said$ 3eah$ # -ust hope she didn2t have a heart attac!"6 said ?onnie$ 3'ow what56 Richie as!ed$ 3%he )yers house" right56 3Right$ ?oo! at Richie"6 Beith said to ?onnie$ 3He loo!s li!e we -ust as!ed him to drop his pants in %aft &;uare$6 3ullshit"6 the smallest of the three said$ 3%hen let2s go$ (nd you2ll go in first$6 3ine"6 Richie said biting his lip$ %hey cut across the Henderson bac!yard and found themselves on the sidewal! two houses down from the )yers house$ #t stood" s;uat and dar! and malevolent among its neighbors li!e some deformed creature$ %he gusty wind beat the branches of a huge untrimmed tree against the upper story$ 3*!ay" wise+ass" lead the way"6 said ?onnie$ Richie stuc! his chin out$ 3&ure$ atch$6 He strode arrogantly up to the front door" then faltered$ He turned to his friends and gestured for them to follow$ ?onnie and Beith stepped forward a few paces" bracing to run$ 3hat are you afraid of56 ?onnie yelled$ 3#2m not afraid$6 3ullshit$ ou2re afraid of the ogeyman$ ou weren2t afraid of him when you pushed %ommy Doyle around at school today$6 3ou pushed him too" you !now" and # don2t see you going into this house$6 3e2ll go in when you go in$6 3(ll right" then stand right here behind me$6 %he two stragglers loo!ed up$ aint silver shadows flashed over the structure as clouds scudded before the moon$ %he wind gusted" ;uic!ening the tattoo of the branches on the clapboard upstairs$ (ll at once the bushes at the side of the house rattled and a human figure burst out$ 3.et your asses away from there46 it bellowed" wa ving its hands$ 3hoa46
3i!es46 3Jesus46 )oving li!e the wind" the three tumbled off the porch and hurtled down the street" not stopping until they were safely loc!ed behind the doors of their homes$ &am ?oomis grinned$ #t was a dirty tric!" but he had to get them out of there" both for their sa!es and for his own$ 'ow he went bac! to his blind watching and waiting" shivering in the cold night air$ He did not see the hand reach out for his shoulder" but at the first contact he whirled around in a fluid motion" the big gun materiali8ing in his fist li!e a con-urer2s hare$ 3Hey" it2s me" don2t shoot46 &heriff rac!ett cried$ 3.ood .od" rac!ett" don2t snea! up on me that way$6 3&orry" ?oomis$ #t2s second nature to me$ Put that ba8oo!a away$6 3es" of course$ #2m rather -umpy" as you can see$6 3ut you2re all right$6 3&ure$ Has anything happened56 rac!ett shoo! his head$ 3'othing going on$ Just the usual" !ids playing pran!s" tric!+or+ treating" par!ing and nec!ing" getting high$ # have a feeling you2re way off on this one$6 3ou have the wrong feeling"6 ?oomis said firmly$ 3ou2re not coming up with much to prove me wrong$ (side from one half+eaten dog$$$6 30,actly what more do you need56 3# don2t !now" but it2s going to ta!e a lot more than some sophisticated psychological interpretation to !eep me up all night creeping around these bushes$6 ?oomis loo!ed at him with a directness that made rac!ett e,tremely uncomfortable$ 3# watched him for fifteen years" sitting in a room" staring through the walls" if you can understand that" staring through the walls and seeing this night$ He2s waited for it" planned for it" focused h is life on it$ He2s inhumanly patient$ Hour after hour" day after day" waiting for some silent" invisible alarm to trigger him < a voice to tell him the time has come" a gauge to tell him his blood has begun to boil$ Death has arrives in your little town" &heriff$ ou c an ignore it" or you can help me stop it$6 rac!ett shoo! his head s!eptically$ 3)ore fancy tal!$ ou want to !now what Haddonfield is5 amilies$ Children$ 'ice homes" all lined up in white rows up and down these streets$ *a! trees$ Pic!et fences$ (n old school wit a new anne," a lot of churches" all denominations$ ( five+ and+dime" a hardware store" a beauty parlor" a coffee shop" some bars and gas stations$ #2m describing a small mid+western town to you" ?oomis" not a slaughterhouse$6 3ou could be describing both$6 3#2ll stay out with you tonight" Doctor" -ust on the chance that you2re right$ (nd if you are right" then damn you for letting him out$6 ?oomis dropped his head$ %here was nothing he could say in reply$ His name was ob &imms" and the girls all thought he was gorgeous$ He was tall and lan!y" a pitcher for the baseball team" a tight end for the football team$ Possible valedictorian of the class" and at least one of its top three or four scholars$ He could have any college he wanted" and any girl$ %he girl he wanted on this particular night was ?aurie and (nnie2s leggy friend" ?inda$ ob pic!ed her up in his father2s van" which had been customi8ed as a recreational vehicle with a bun! bed in the bac!$ ob and ?inda had made love bac! there many times" and though the car2s heater wor!ed they preferred to ma!e love in a house now that cold weather had set in$ &o when (nnie hod gotten her babysitting gig with ?indsey allace" the two girls had wor!ed out a plan$ (s soon as ?indsey went to sleep" (nnie2s Paul would come over and they2d ma!e out upstairs in the allaces2 bedroom" and ob and ?inda would do it downstairs on the convertible sofa$ .ood plan$ 3ou ready for a little tric! or treat56 ob as!ed her when he pic!ed her up" yan!ing the
tab off the can of udweiser with a loud pop and a rush of foam$ 3&ure"6 ?inda laughed$ %hey laughed" embraced" and gu88led" then drove over to the allace house$ (s they pulled up in front of the allace home" ?inda reviewed the plan$ 3'ow" are you sure you2ve got it56 3&ure$ irst # rip your clothes off$$$6 He leaned across to the passenger2s seat and buried his lips in ?inda2s soft nec! while running a hand under her sweater$ &he laughed and spilled beer over his head$ 3ou idiot46 3%hen you rip my clothes off$ %hen we rip ?indsey2s clothes off$ # thin! #2ve got it$6 3ou2ve got something"6 she said" sliding her hand up his muscular thigh$ 3'ow #2ve got something$6 3Jee8" ?inda"6 ob gasped with a rush of desire$ 3?et2s pray for a sleeping ?indsey$6 3es" but in case our prayers aren2t answered" maybe we can drop some @alium in her chocolate mil!$6 3ou2re terrible$6 3%otally"6 ?inda said" pushing open the door$ ob opened the door" got out" and helped ?inda step down on the other side$ %hey wal!ed up the path to the big old house" and when they reached the front door ob scooped ?inda effortlessly into his arms and carried her the rest of the way$ 3ob" put me down$ Put me down4 %his is totally silly46 ?inda protested" though her feeble !ic!s belied her protests$ &he reached out and turned the !nob of the front door$ %he door swung open and the couple paused on the threshold$ 3(nnie56 %he house was dar! and still$ 3(nnie" we2re here$6 'o answer$ %hey let their eyes ad-ust to the dar!ness then stepped into the house$ %hey coc!ed their ears and thought they heard a crea! upstairs$ %hey called (nnie2s name again$ (gain no answer$ 3# wonder if they2re here at all"6 ob said$ 3)aybe they2re upstairs already$ ?indsey2s asleep and (nnie and Paul are up there already"6 ?inda speculated$ ob turned on a light$ 3# don2t !now$ # don2t want to be surprised in the middle of$$$ well" in the middle$ ?et2s loo! for a note$6 3?et2s don2t"6 ?inda said" turning the light of and sliding into his arms$ He pressed h is mouth to hers and her lips parted$ Her tongue entwined his as her body melted against his powerful torso$ He slid his hands over her bac! and clasped her buttoc!s" practically lifting her off the floor$ 3'ow"6 she murmured" 3shall we continue Plan (56 3# guess"6 he said" leading her to the couch$ 3# -ust wish # could be sure about (nnie and Paul$6 He went to the foot of the stairs and observed a light on under the door of the master bedroom$ ( faint crea! came from there$ He stood indecisively loo!ing up$ ?inda came up behind him and put her arms around him$ 3ob" the only thing you have to worry about is getting up for the occasion$6 3#t2s never been a problem before" and it shouldn2t be now$6 He too! her by the hand" and they lay down on the couch$ ?inda2s body arched up at once as if the seat of the couch was molten metal$ &he urged her breasts and pelvis at her lover" and he too! them avidly" pushing her sweater up to her nec! and covering her breasts and belly with !isses$ Her nipples contracted into hard nuggets under the flic!ing of his warm tongue" and his hand caressed her belly lovingly" his fingers gliding beneath the tops of her -eans and under the sil!y smoothness of her bi!ini panties$ His fingers undid the top snap of the -eans and artfully slid the 8ipper down" his hand coming to rest on the sil!y crotch of her pants$ &he moaned and strained her body upward to receive his caresses$ #n the shadow of the !itchen door he watched them$ His breathing was heavy" but the noise
of their e,citement subdued the sound of his own$ (fter that incredible moment of thrill as he plunged the blade into the dar!+haired girl2s abdomen and slit her stomach open to the ribs" he had come down to a state of euphoric calm$ or a while he had thought that the lust was permanently discharged and the voice ;uieted$ %hat was how it had been then" with Judy$ ut then he had been si, years old" now it was different$ %he sight of the couple on the couch had brought new stirring in his body" and the voice was whispering to him once more$ He !new this night was not over$ %he phone rang" and he shran! bac! into the cover of dar!ness$ ob and ?inda sat up sharply" letting the phone ring three times in the hope that (nnie would ta!e it upstairs$ %he allaces would thin! it odd that someone other than their babysitter was pic!ing up the phone$ ut when no one pic!ed it up" ?inda reached for the downstairs phone on the table beside the couch$ 3Hullo"6 ?inda said dreamily$ 3?inda5 #s that you56 3?aurie5 Hi46 3Hi$ hat2s happening56 3ouldn2t you li!e to !now"6 ?inda giggled$ 3Hey" do you !now where (nnie is56 3es" she2s$$$ %ommy" cut it out$ ?inda" -ust a sec$6 #n the bac!ground ?inda heard a ghostly sound and screaming" then ?aurie shouting" seeming to berate somebody$ (t length she got bac! on the phone$ 3&orry" %ommy was chasing ?indsey around with a pump!in on his head$6 3?indsey2s there56 ?inda blurted$ 3:h+huh$ &ee" (nnie decided to go over to Paul2s" so she left ?indsey here with me$6 3(h+so$ %hat means we have the house to ourselves$6 3?oo!s that way$ ut listen" would you please be sure to have (nnie call me the second she gets bac!5 #2ve got to get ?indsey bac! over there before her parents come home$6 3ine$6 3Have a good time"6 ?aurie said$ 3e2re planning to$6 ?inda hung up and grabbed ob by the hand$ 3ell" old boy" it loo!s as if we2ve got the house all to ourselves" including the bed upstairs$6 ob laughed$ 3ell now" to use your phrase" that sounds totally fantastic$ &hall we go56 He offered his arm and she grasped it$ 3%han! you" !ind sir$6 He led the way up the stairs" hesitating before the door to the master bedroom because the door was closed and a light streamed under it and into the hallway" a flic!ering orange light$ %hen he shrugged and opened the door$ %hey laughed$ *n the night table a -ac!+o2+lantern flic!ered$ 3ell" )r$ Jac!+o2+lantern" you2re going to see some things tonight"6 ?inda said" patting it on its poll$ 3How about this for starters56 acing the pump!in2s grotes;ue grin" she did a sensuous strip tease" wriggling out of her sweater and -iggling her breasts" cupping them with her hands in mute offering to the pump!in" then bumping and grinding out of her -eans until she was prancing before the -ac!+o2+lantern in bi!ini panties$ ob laughed" reaching out and grabbing her wrist$ 3#2m -ealous$6 3*f a pump!in56 3ell" if you2re into s;uashes so much" try this 8ucchini"6 he said" putting her hand on the roc!+li!e bulge under his -eans$ 3)mm" # have a sudden hunger for 8ucchini"6 she whispered" helping him unbuc!le his belt
and unbutton his -eans$ His !nees began to wea!en and he leaned on her shoulders for support$ %hen" when he could stand it no longer" he pulled her to her feet and toward the bed$ ob grinned and sat astride her" !neading her breasts until the nipples were li!e stones$ Her hips writhed under him" her pelvis thrusting involuntarily in circular motions$ He needed no coa,ing$ Bneeling between her ;uivering thighs" he slid into her up to the hilt" and her moan of pleasure filled the room with its primitive timbre$ He wrapped his arms tightly around her slim" firm waist and she covered his broad bac! with sharp+nailed fingers$ He pumped rhythmically into her" her hips stropping him to an awesome height of need and pleasure$ 3*h" ob" # thin!$$$ # thin! it2s happening"6 she whimpered$ 3)e too$6 (nd that2s when the phone rang$ ob stopped in mid+stro!e" gripped with uncertainty$ 3&hit4 'ot again46 3orget about it"6 ?inda said$ 3e have more important things to do$6 %he phone sounded again$ 3hat if it2s (nnie56 3&he2ll call us again$6 3(nd what if it2s the allaces56 3#f it2s the allaces and we answer" we2ll ge t (nnie into trouble$6 3eah" but what if$$$56 3hat if it2s your mommy56 ?inda taunted$ ob laughed$ 3#2ll -ust tell her #2m really into something right now that # can2t get out of$ %here" it2s stopped$ #2ll ta!e it off the hoo!$6 He reached across her body to the night table" where the -ac!+o2+lantern guarded the telephone" and too! the phone off its cradle$ %hen he turned his attention bac! to her$ 3'ow" where were we56 3*ld )r$ Lucchini2s getting soft enough to mash"6 she said" stro!ing him with artful grinds of the pelvis$ 3%here" that2s better$6 3*h" yes" that2s better$ %hat2s much better$6 He stood in the hall watching them resume their coupling" and the desire returned$ His fingers caressed the handle of his !nife in rhythm to the powerful stro!es of the man2s buttoc!s against the widespread girl2s body$ %he voice spo!e loudly to him" urging him to act" but he held himself bac!" an,ious to see the clima, of their performance$ He was soon rewarded$ 3*h ob" # thin! it2s going to happen now$$$ now$$$now46 3es" yes" 0&46 ob cried" nailing her to the bed with his lan!y" powerful body$ %heir voices mingled moans and pants and endearments as they thrashed at the last lust out of one another2s flesh$ %hen they lay still for a minute or two" the boy2s bac! a tempting target for the blade of the man who stood outside their door" breathing deeply but silently$ 'o" not yet$ (t length ob rolled off ?inda and groped around the floor for his shirt$ He found it and produced a pac! of cigarettes and lit two" giving her one$ %hey lay on their bac!s" blowing thin streams of smo!e into the air$ 3antastic"6 ?inda sighed$ 3%otally fantastic$6 3eah$6 3ant a beer56 3eah$6 3#s that all you have to say56 3eah$6 3.o get me a beer$6 3# thought you were gonna get one for me"6 ob said$
3eah56 3*h well$6 Reluctantly" ob climbed out of bed and stepped into his -eans$ %hen he groped around the floor for his glasses and found them at last" donning them$ ?inda loo!ed at him$ 3Do you really need those56 3# only wear them when #2m loo!ing for beer"6 he replied with a grin$ 3#2ll be right bac!$6 He leaned over the bed and !issed her$ 3Don2t get dressed$6 &ilently" the visitor withdrew from his observation place outside the door and drifted soundlessly down the stairs" ta!ing his place in the large utility closet in the !itchen$ He waited and listened" !nife poised$ #n due time" through the slightly open door" he saw the boy come into the !itchen$ He had on -eans but no shirt or shoes and soc!s" and he wore horn+rimmed glasses$ %he boy2s body was slee!" hairless" and muscular$ ob went directly to the refrigerator in the dar! and opened the door" sending a stream of light across the !itchen floor$ He too! two beers out" closed the door" and opened a cupboard$ 3Peanuts" peanuts" peanuts$$$ ah" here they are$ (nd potato chips are$$$ here$6 He gathered the food in his arms and turned to leave" but didn2t see the legs of a stool half under a counter" and he tripped" dropping everything$ )uttering" he stooped and pic!ed it up$ %hen he heard the crea! of a door behind him$ (rms loaded" he freed a hand and opened the !itchen door$ 3(nnie5 Paul56 he called$ 3'o -o!es" huh5 #2m in the midst of something very important$6 'o answer$ He closed the door and loc!ed it$ %hen he heard the crea! again and reali8ed it was coming from the utility closet$ He put the beer and food down on the counter and stealthily approached the door$ %hen he flung it open$ 3*!ay" ?inda" come on out$ Come on" # !now it2s$$$6 %he thing lunged out li!e a leaping tiger" its left hand gripping ob2s nec! in a death+clutch$ ob fell bac!" grabbing at his throat" then swung at the head of his tormentor$ %he man too! the blow full on the face" but it didn2t fa8e him$ He slammed ob up against the wooden pantry door and lifted him clear off the tile floor by the throat$ .urgling noises came from his windpipe as he clawed at the rubber mas! on his assailant2s face$ #f ob was going to escape he2d have to ma!e his best shot now" because the o,ygen supply was rapidly dwindling and he !new he had bu t a few seconds$ He cupped his hands over his head and brought them down with full force on the man2s head$ #t shoo! him but failed to wea!en his grip on ob2s throat$ *ut of the corner of his eye ob saw the blade in the man2s free hand" and he brought his !nees up in a helpless gesture of self+protection$ He actually heard the whap of the !nife as the !iller drove it into his gut with stupendous force$ %hen the blac!ness came over him$ ?inda dragged impatiently on her cigarette" then ground it out in the ashtray on the night table" -ust under the grimacing mouth of the -ac!+o2+lantern$ 3ell" Jac!" where is he5 # sent him down ten minutes ago for one lousy beer$ #s he manufacturing it or what5 #f he were half the man he loo!s li!e" he2d have made the round trip in record time and would be bac! in bed by now$ #sn2t that right" Jac!56 the pump!in2s flame answered her with mute flic!ering$ ?inda tapped another cigarette out of the pac! and hung it on her lower lip$ %hen she grinned with inspiration$ 3Hey" baby" light my fire"6 she said to the -ac!+o2+lantern" thrusting the cigarette through the pump!in2s nose and lighting it on its candle$ 3%han!s$ ou may loo! li!e a pun!" but deep down inside" you2re a real gentleman$ 'ot li!e some people$6 &he heard the steps crea!ing and composed herself under the covers$ %he steps were heavy" li!e an old man2s or someone laboring under a big load$ 3%han! .od"6 ?inda sighed$ 3here2s my beer56 %he door opened and she laughed" sha!ing her head$ He wore a sheet over his head with eyes cut out" and over the eyes he wore ob2s heavy glasses$ He stood inside the door" staring at her" breathing in long sighing whee8es that blew the sheet away from his mouth with each e,halation$ 3Cute" ob$ Real cute$ Come here" you fool$6 He came no closer$
3#2ll bet # can get your ghost"6 she said" sliding the sheet teasingly off her chest$ ?inda laughed at her own -o!e" but when the ghost remained planted in the doorway" she frowned and brus;uely pulled the sheets bac! up around her throat$ 3(ll right" all right$ &o where2s the beer56 'o response$ 3well" answer me4 *!ay" don2t answer me$ oy" are you weird$6 &till no response$ %he ghost stood fi,ed to his spot li!e a tree$ 3ob" enough2s enough" you2re ma!ing me nervous$6 'o response$ 3*h" shit$ *!ay for you$6 &he got out of bed$ Completely nude" she wal!ed to the pile of clothes at the foot of the bed$ #n the soft glow of the candle she loo!ed incredibly beautiful$ &he did not wal! so much as glide$ &he !new what effect she had on men" and if this didn2t do the tric!" ob must be made of bric!$ &he pulled her panties out of the pile and dangled them in front of the ghost2s glasses" stro!ing them with her other hand$ 3?ast chance" pal" before # hide the -ewels$6 &he paused" waiting for a reply$ %hen she shrugged$ 3*!ay$6 &he stepped into her panties and turned away$ 3ell" #2m going to call ?aurie$ # want to !now where (nnie and Paul are$ %his isn2t going anywhere$6 &he pic!ed up the phone and pivoted" turning her bac! on the ghost$ &he dialed the Doyles2 number$ %he ghost began to advance$ ?inda could see him coming out of the corner of her eye$ hile she waited for ?aurie to pic! up the phone" she said" 3ell" # finally got you to ma!e your move$ # !new it$ (s soon as # hide my ass" you want to pull my pants down$ ou men are all ali$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ arrggghh$$$6 He clamped one hand over her mouth and with the other wrapped the phone cord around her throat$ &he reacted with the ferocity of a victim in full panic" clawing at his !nuc!les with sharp nails and tearing strips of flesh off the bac! of his hand$ He gripped her more tightly despite the searing pain$ *n the other end of the phone+line he could hear someone saying" 3Hello5 Hello56 He gripped the wire tighter$ %he girl danced madly in his clutches" biting" !ic!ing" wriggling" scratching" pounding" pulling" stri!ing$ &he fought harder than any of them" fought with ama8ing pluc!" but it was all for nought$ (ll for nought$ Her movements began to slow down and become more -er!y and frenetic$ Her face was turning blue" and her tongue flopped around her lips as if it had no organic connection with the rest of her body$ Her eyes bulged li!e a frog2s" the red blood vessels in the whites bursting with the overload$ ith one last frantic effort she aimed ten fingernails at his e yes" but he buried his face in the bac! of her nec! so that she had no good target$ Her nails tangled in the bed+sheet$ hen her hands went limp at last" they dragged the sheet with them" revealing her assassin$ He wore a grotes;ue mas!$ 3Hello5 Hello56 ?aurie tapped her fingernails impatiently on the phone$ 3(ll right" (nnie4 #2ve heard your famous chewing" now # get your famous s;ueals56 %he gurgles and sputters continued$ 3(nnie5 (nnie" are you all right56 'ow she heard a heavy" throaty breathing$ 3(nnie" are you fooling around again5 (nnie" #2ll !ill you if this is a -o!e$ *h" .od" # can2t wait for this day to end"6 she said" slamming the phone down$ &he went to the window and loo!ed across the street$ ob2s van was still par!ed there" but e,cept for an orange glow from an upstairs window" all the lights in the allace house were out$ ?aurie decided to phone there one more time/ if nobody answered" she2d have to run across the street$ &he dialed the allace number and waited$ %he phone rang four" five" si," seven times$ ith each ring" ?aurie prayed harder that the -o!e would be over" that ?inda or bob or (nnie or Paul would pic! it up and" with their inimitable laughter" tell her it was all a big p ut+on$ 0ight rings" nine" ten$ 0leven" twelve" thirteen$ ourteen" fifteen" si,teen$$$
Chapter 1
?aurie put the phone down heavily and stood beside it" pondering her options$ #t was not so much that she didn2t !now what she must do/ it was that she didn2t want to do what she !new she must$ &he tiptoed upstairs$ %ommy and ?indsey were sprawled on %ommy2s bed li!e a couple of rag dolls dropped from ten feet" hands and feet dangling over the sides and an assortment of dolls" game pieces" cars" truc!s" fire engines" and 0rector set components covered the bed and floor as if all had been pac!ed into the mu88le of a mortar and fired indiscriminately into the room$ %ommy was in his pa-amas" but ?indsey" who had not been e,pected to stay so late" was still in her clothes$ ?aurie felt safe in leaving them/ she !new from countless babysitting assignments with them that their deepest slumber was immediately after falling asleep$ %hey would not wa!e up and" not finding her in the house" push the panic button$ &he went bac! downstairs and opened her purse$ &he had a ring with four or five !eys belonging to the people she regularly sat for" and she selected the one to the allace house$ &he opened the front door of the Doyle house" stepped outside" and loo!ing ruefully across the street" closed it behind her$ &he crossed the street and stood before the allace house" studying its hul!ing vastness for a sign of life$ 0,cept for the mellow flic!er of a candle upstairs" there was no ne$ &he glanced in ob2s van" but nobody was in it either$ Her feet felt as if they2d been fitted with leaden shoes as she wal!ed the last few yards and mounted the steps to the verandah encircling the house$ &he tested the !nob of the front door$ %here was no need for her !ey$ %he door swung open$ &he peered inside" listening$ &he she heard a floorboard groan" but perhaps not$ &he stepped inside and stood in the arched entrance to the living room$ 3(nnie5 ob5 ?inda56 %he total silence that greeted her sent a shudder down her spine$ &he reached for the wall switch and flipped it$ %he room remained dar!$ Cursing" she retreated to the entry hall and tried the switch to the big chandelier there$ 'o response$ 3ou guys have really been blowing some fuses"6 she said with a nervous laugh$ &he stayed in the hall a moment" letting her eyes ad-ust to the dar!ness$ %hen she ventured into the living room$ #t was devoid of life" but an e,amination of the rumpled pillows on the couch indicated that some heavy petting had gone on$ %hey were probably upstairs$ (ll of them5 &he wondered$ 3*h ?ord" -ust what # need < wal!ing in on an orgy"6 she said aloud$ &he -umped when she heard something heavy" li!e furniture" being moved upstairs" followed by a crash$ &he rushed to the foot of the stairs and stared up$ %he bedroom door was closed" but an eerie orange light radiated from under it$ &he managed a smile" sha!ing her head$ 3(ll right" meat+heads$ %he -o!e is over$6 &he too! one tentative step up the stairs and paused to listen$ 3Come on" (nnie" enough$6 ( new sound greeted her" the sound of something being dragged across the floor$ %he sound stopped abruptly" followed by a closet door shutting in the upstairs bedroom$ ?aurie too! three more steps$ 3%his has definitely stopped being funny" guys$ 'ow cut it out46 'ow a scrapping sound$ Her heart began to thunder and she thought of fleeing" but she !new what !ind of laughingstoc! she2d be at school if she did" when (nnie and Paul and ?inda and ob told everybody
how they2d scared ?aurie &trode out of her shoes on Halloween$ 3ou2ll be sorry46 she shouted as she made her way up the stairs with determination$ &am ?oomis was cold" and getting colder$ Had he !nown he2d be sta!ed out in a hedge in the middle of a cold *ctober night" he2d have dressed for the occasion$ ut he had worn his trench coat over a summer business suit" and he was cold$ (side from the three !ids he2d chased off" there2d been no activity at the )yers house" and as the evening wore into night" ?oomis began to wonder why he had e,pected that there would be$ es" the fellow had returned to the scene of the crime in the best tradition of criminals" but that was much earlier$ %o what end would he hang around the house5 ouldn2t he see! elsewhere for victims5 ecause he was cold" and because he2d begun to reali8e he was bar!ing up the wrong tree" ?oomis started to pace$ He paced up the bloc! and down" glancing over his shoulder often so as not to ta!e his attention totally off the )yers house$ He paced in an ever+lengthening pattern" and the more he did" the more certain he became that his ;uarry was near$ His conclusion was based on reason ans emotion$ #ntellectually" he reasoned that with the strange affection of a hunter for his prey" his maniac had indeed come home today" and he2d see! victims in the immediate neighborhood$ ut it wasn2t -ust intellectual deduction/ it was a feeling" a hunch$ ?oomis2s spine ;uivered li!e a divining rod near water$ 0vil was afoot" and it was nearby$ #f only he could get some definite sign$$$ ?oomis2s pacing swept him farther and farther away from the )yers house" and soon he was turning his bac! on it with impunity" for he was now convinced his maniac was not there$ ac! and forth li!e a pendulum ?oomis swung" attuning himself to the vibrations of evil in the air and trying to get a fi, on them li!e a pilot see!ing radio guidance on a stormy night$ He debated with himself as to whether he should continue going straight up and down the bloc!" or turn corners and form a !ind of search grid with his pacing$ (t a certain corner he felt strongly drawn and decided to let the force carry him even if he lost sight of the )yers house entirely$ #t was as if he were the planchette on a oui-a board and someone had as!ed him" #s a murderer near at hand5 %he force of the vibrations was sending him$$$ where5 Down this oa!+lined street and toward that car$ hy that car5 ut it was not a car" it was a station wagon$ ( station wagon4 Could it be the one5 His pace ;uic!ened$ #t was hard to tell the color of the vehicle because of the yellow ar!+light of the street lamps overhead" but it seemed to be that livid purplish brown of the state hospital2s station wagon$ *ne glance at the side of the vehicle would tell him$ He strained his eyes see!ing the emblem on the door" his legs churning at a pace they hadn2t done for a decade$ (nd inside his head" the vibrations of evil grew immeasurably stronger with each yard he covered$$$ &he stood on the landing" paraly8ed with uncertainty$ (t the foot of the stairs she2d been certain this was a big put+on by her friends$ ut with each step she mounted" her doubts had mounted too$ #f this were a practical -o!e" it was" well" too good" too professional$ here were the whispering and the giggling" the shushing and the tittering5 %here was too much silence$ 0ntirely too much silence$ &he peered at the crac! under the door" a mellow orange line that line that shimmered seductively li!e a neon sign advertising some forbidden delight$ &he clenched her teeth$ #f this was a setup" they were doing a terrific -ob < special effects and everything4 How co uld she not go in5 &he stepped forward two paces and encircled the door!nob with her hand$ %he muscles of her legs were tense li!e those of a runner at the start of a race" prepared to spring bac! and down the stairs at the first sign of trouble$ &he pushed the door open a crac!$ &he could see a pair of feet on the bed" but whose she couldn2t yet identify$ Just out of the range of her vision" a candle or -ac!+o2+lantern cast an orange light on the legs$ ?aurie opened the door two inches farther and stuc! her head into the bedroom$ &he too! in
more and more of the figure on the bed$ %he feet" the !nees" the thighs" the pubic hair" the pelvis" the$$$ $$$the belly slit from waist to throat$$$ $$$the intestines spilled out on the bed linens$$$ $$$the gash across the throat" splashed blood$$$ $$$the white" bloodless face of (nnie" a silent scream on her mouth" the lucid horror of doom in her wide eyes$$$ (nd behind her head" a tombstone$ %he tombstone saidG *ur eloved Daughter Judith )argaret )yers %here were dates" but ?aurie did not read them because things happened too fast from that moment on$ &he heard her own scream and reali8ed in an instant that whatever it was that had slaughtered her best friend must be here" near" waiting for her$ #t was then that she caught sight of ob" suspended by the throat from a rope tied around a ceiling fi,ture$ His tongue" purple and bloated" dangled idiotically from swollen lips" and bloody g ore spilled from a fist+si8ed hole in his abdomen$ ?aurie2s legs seemed to melt beneath her" and her will to flee flowed out of them as if released by a spigot$ %he time it too! her to turn seemed li!e a wee!" but as she did pivot a closet on her right opened" revealing ?inda" propped up in a chair" nude$ rom the nec! down" unli!e (nnie and ob" her body was unmarred$ ut her nec! and face were livid with bro!en blood vessels as if some stupendous force had s;uee8ed all her blood up into her head until the pressure had burst every capillary in her s!in$ Her red eyes all but bulged out of her head on their stal!s and her tongue slavered over her lower lip li!e a mongoloid2s$ #f ?aurie was screaming now" the pounding fear in her brain made it impossible for her to hear it$ or someone whose e,perience of horror had been limited up to that moment to the sight of small animals run over on the highway" the load on her circuits was tantamount to sending a million volts through a wire designed to carry a hundred$ hat prevented her from passing out at that instant she did not !now" but a voice inside her brain demanded that she ta!e measures to survive" and she concentrated on it despite every instinct to submit to blind panic$ (t the same moment that she came to this conclusion she saw a shadow" dar! and dreadful" looming up in the flic!er of the -ac!+o2+lantern$ &he !new it was the man who2d been dogging her steps that day" and she !new that he e,pected her to drop bac!ward so that he could catch her off balance$ &o she did something illogical" and it saved her life &he duc!ed$ &he dropped to her haunches as he lunged for her$ His hand swiped at her nec! as he tripped over her shoulder" grabbing and tearing the arm of her blouse" but he got no more of her than that$ ut now she had a bigger problem" for he2d sprawled on the landing" bloc!ing her way down the stairs$ He grunted and rose to his feet slowly" almost casually/ he had her cornered" and it was -ust a matter of closing the gap$ He reached into his belt and drew out a huge !nife clotted with blood$ ?aurie bac!ed away" wondering if she could lure her attac!er away from the stairs" but as he advanced on her" he !ept his body between her and the landing$ ?i!e a computer" her brain assessed the possibilities$ &he could retreat into the bedroom an d try to bar the door$ %oo chancy$ &he could flee into another room$ %hat was no safer$ *r she could dive over the stairway railing and ta!e her chances with the drop$ %hat2s what it had to be$ &he glanced over the rail and estimated it to be eight or ten feet to the first floor$ &he braced for the leap -ust as he was bracing for his$ &he sprang" placing her hand on the rail as if it were a gymnastic horse" and boosted her legs over it$ or a second she clutched the
railing$ His grip was tremendously strong" but he was in an aw!ward position$ %rying desperately to hold her with his left hand" he swiped at her with the !nife in his right" but it gra8ed her arm and he released her$ &he tried to ma!e her feet land s;uarely on the steps below" but her right foot caught one step poorly and a sharp pain shot up her an!le$ Her right arm burned where the tip of his !nife had caught her$ (s she clutched it she felt the wetness of blood$ ut she was alive" and now she had to get out of here$ &he could see him doubled over the railing" but he recovered ;uic!ly and made for the landing$ ?aurie climbed to her feet$ %he pain in her an!le was e,cruciating" but she managed to hobble toward the !itchen$ &he heard him stumping down the stairs$ (s she reached the security of the !itchen" she could see him turning the bend off the stairway" the steel of his !nife blade glinting with reflected light from the street lamps$ &he flung the !itchen door shut and grabbed a steel chair from the dinette table$ &he propped it under the door!nob a scant second before she felt the thud of his shoulder against the door and heard his muffled grunt of frustration$ &he limped to the outside door and turned the !nob$ #t was loc!ed or -ammed" probably intentionally" probably by the same hand that had !noc!ed out the lights$ &he groped for the button that she !new unloc!s some types of storm door" but she couldn2t find it$ (ll of a sudden the other door e,ploded as his fist penetrated it" sending wooden shrapnel across the room$ %he door boards groaned and splayed inward as his arm san! through them to the shoulder$ ?aurie watched with round+eyed fascination before returning to her tas! of getting out$ &he shoo! the !nob in desperation" but did little more than rattle the glass$ eh ind her she could hear him widening the hole in the door with a second splintering punch$ ell" she told herself" struggling to !eep her wits" if he can smash his door" # can smash mine$ &he loo!ed around for a blunt instrument or even a towel to cushion her hand from the glass shards" but finding none and hearing the chair propping up the other door sliding to the floor" she balled her fist and struc! the pane nearest the !nob$ #t shattered and she felt a do8en glass claws rupturing the flesh of her !nuc!les" but if there was pain it was overridden by driving fear and desperation$ &he groped for a loc! and found a little butterfly bolt under the !nob$ &he twisted it and turned the inside !nob with her other hand" shoving the frame with her shoulder$ %he door gave and she fell outside -ust as she heard him !ic!ing the chair out of his way and lumbering across the !itchen floor$ &till guided by a semblance of reason" she shut the door behind her and twisted the loc! to give herself another few seconds of time$ (s she pic!ed herself up and limped toward the house ne,t door" she heard his grunted frustration upon finding the second door loc!ed$ He tried to rattle the door off its frame" and she could hear every pane of glass vibrating$ &he leaned against the doorbell of the )artinson home" which she !new to be occupied by an aged and not particularly friendly couple$ #t seemed to ta!e an eternity for them to respond" but a light did go on$ &he pounded on the door shrie!ing" 3Please" help me4 Call the police4 Please46 &he saw a hand part a shade and an eye peer out at her$ 3Please" call the police46 she shouted at the face$ %he window lifted an inch$ 3'o more tric! or treat4 #t2s late$ .o away4 e have no more candy46 3*h" .od46 ?aurie groaned as the light went out$ (t that moment she heard a pane of glass smash and her pursuer2s hand thumping on the outside of the side door loo!ing for the loc!$ Dragging her bad an!le" she made her way across the street$ &he loo!ed over her shoulder and saw the side door burst open and the blac! shape stagger out into the driveway$ He loo!ed around" then spotted her$ &he was almost at the Doyles2 front door$ %he !ey$ here was they !ey5 &he had clutched a ring of !eys in her hand when she entered the allace home$ Her -eans had been too tight to stuff a !eyring into her poc!et" so she had carried them into the house$ (nd somewhere in the melee she had dropped them$
He was coming after her in steady" unhurried steps" !nife bared as if daring the world to stop him$ (nyone loo!ing out at the scene would see a Halloween mime presented by a couple of clever youngsters$ hy" those shrie!s of hers were so bloodcurdling" they might be the real thing$ (nd loo! how cunningly he2d painted that !nife blade to loo! li!e blood4 ?aurie pounded the door with the flat palm of her hand$ 3%ommy4 %ommy" open the door4 #2m loc!ed out46 &he thumped with her closed fist$ 3%ommy" wa!e up" it2s me" ?aurie46 &he loo!ed around her and found a geranium planter beside the door mat$ &he pic!ed it up" stepped bac!" and threw it at the bedroom window where %ommy and ?indsey were sleeping$ Please" .od$$$ &mash4 3%ommy" wa!e up" it2s me ?aurie46 &he stood helplessly waiting for that welcome face to appear in the window$ &he continued shouting$ %he shape was halfway across the street now" the features of his face resolving under the street light$ 0ither it was a rubber mas! or a real face too hideous to imagine$ 3%ommy46 ( sleepy face peered out of the bro!en glass" 3?aurie56 3%ommy" hurry down here and open the door$ Hurry46 %he face disappeared and ?aurie prayed the !id didn2t thin! he was dreaming and go bac! to bed$ %he murderer was on the lawn now and loping toward her" !nife poised$ ?aurie2s mind flashed on the sight of (nnie with her belly ripped open and her guts hanging out on the bed$ 3%ommy" hurry46 %he blessed sound of a bolt being thrown open$ &he twisted the door!nob and shoved her way inside" !noc!ing %ommy down$ &he slammed the door and twisted the loc! and drove home a second bolt as %ommy pic!ed himself up and rubbed his eyes$ 3%ommy" # want you to go bac! upstairs$$$6 3hat is it" ?aurie56 3e ;uiet4 .et ?indsey and get bac! into the bedroom and loc! the door$6 3#2m scared$$$6 3Do what # say4 'ow46 He bac!ed away toward the stairs$ 3?aurie56 3hat56 3#t2s the ogeyman" isn2t it56 3Hurry46 %ommy burst into hysterical sobs as he scampered up the stairs$ %he bedroom door slammed and clic!ed as %ommy loc!ed it$ &he could here %ommy and ?indsey ma!ing each other cra8y with fear" but there was no time to spare to calm them down$ &he dashed for the phone and pic!ed it up" waiting for a dial tone" finger poised over the dial$ 'o dial tone$ %he phone was dead$ &he slammed it down and stood paraly8ed" trying to determine her ne,t move$ ( bree8e rippled though the air" rustling through her hair$ #t was coming from the ! itchen$ &he too! one step toward the !itchen" then stopped and bac!ed away$ #f the door was already open" it was too late$ He was already in the house$ 'ow it overwhelmed her$ %he reality of evil" the horror of reality" penetrated to a brain that since birth had been programmed to perceive horror and evil as something that could be contained within the perimeter of a nineteen+inch television tube$ %he shoc! was so violent she thought she would go mad$ &he buried her face and let out a mournful wail followed by cho!ing sobs$ 3Please" please stop"6 she whimpered" sin!ing to her !nees before the living room couch$ 3Please56 &he became aware of another sound in the room$ &omeone was breathing heavily$ (nd advancing on her$ 3Please$$$56 &am ?oomis ran up the street" head tilted li!e a bloodhound trying to pic! up a scent" e,cept this wasn2t a smell he was see!ing but a feeling" a vibration$ 3ou2re getting hot/ no" you2re
getting cold/ no" you2re getting hot again" hotter/ no" colder"6 a voice seemed to say to him$ His eyes searched house after house hoping to detect something out of !ilter" but he was greeted with the disappointing sight of prim house after prim house nestled beneath sheltering trees on pleasantly manicured lawns$ #f only this were nineteenth+century %ransylvania" he said blac!ly to himself" #2d !now where to search" but this is the last ;uarter of the twentieth century in a lovely suburban town in the )id+est in modern (merica$ &urely any manifestation of evil would shine li!e a beacon4 3.oddamn your soul" show yourself46 he cried at the night s!y$ ( pair of headlights pinned him as a police car swerved onto the street$ %he car pulled to an abrupt halt ne,t to him$ 3here the hell were you56 rac!ett shouted from his window$ ?oomis could see his face flushed with rage$ 3# went bac! to the )yers house$$$6 ?oomis impatiently waved him ;uiet$ 3# found the hospital station wagon$ He2s here46 3here2s the car56 3%hree bloc!s down$ ?oo!" you go up this street and bac! down the ne,t one$ #2ll go this way and criss+cross you$ Hon! your horn if you see anything$ ire your gun if it2s serious$ #2ll fire mine$6 3(nd if # see him56 3ire your gun$$$ at his heart$6
Chapter 1
ith death near at hand" a host of cra8y thoughts tumbled through ?aurie2s brain$ #t was not e,actly as they said" your life passing before your eyes$ #t was more li!e random snapshots of herself pulled from an unsorted collectionG a trip to a )ichigan with her father" when their canoe was blown ashore by a violent sudden s;uall/ a two+layer ca!e ba!ed with her mother" and the discovery they2d made only enough icing for one layer/ a baby raccoon she2d !ept for a pet until it tore up the den in a fit of rage$ &he wondered what it would have been li!e to go to bed with a man/ she wondered who would come to her funeral/ she wondered what grades your teachers gave you if you died mid+term/ she wondered what they2d dress her in for the funeral" and whether her face would be mutilated when they opened the coffin/ she wondered what would have happened if she2d !ept her date with en %ramer$ &he wondered what it was li!e to die" and to be dead$ &he sat at the foot of the couch almost serenely" li!e a condemned person awaiting e,ecution$ eside her lay )rs$ Doyle2s !nitting !it$ %he needles$$$ %he needles4 Her bloodstained hand enclosed one of the long needles at the precise moment his forearm encircled her nec!$ His arm might have been carved out of mahogany" it was solid and muscular" and for the instant before she acted it clamped off her windpipe as effectively as a steel vise$ &he smelled the vile ree! of blood on his arm and the stench of his breath$ &he !new that if she hesitated even two seconds it would all be over" for even if he did not strangle her to death" the blade in his other hand might even now be describing the arc that would terminate her belly$ )easuring her ne,t move carefully" !nowing it might be her last if she were wrong" she thrust the eight+inch needle over her shoulder in the vicinity of his face$ &he felt it sin! deeply into flesh$ &he heard a grunt" and his forearm rela,ed long enough for her to slide out from under it$ &he ran for the stairs" loo!ing behind her for -ust a heartbeat$ He was staggering ba c! from the couch" clawing at a needle buried in his nec!$ &he ascended the staircase three steps at a time despite the agoni8ing pain in her swollen an!le$ &he pounded on the loc!ed bedroom door$ 3#t2s me" %ommy" ?indsey$ #t2s me$ *pen the door" hurry$6 %ommy opened the door and pee!ed out$ &he rushed into the room" !noc!ing the !id on his behind for the second time$ &he !ic!ed the door shut and loc!ed it$ %he children2s faces were stained with tears" and their eyes rolled involuntarily$ %hey were perilously close to passing out from shoc!$ &he embraced them" shushing$ 3#t2s all right" !ids$ &hhh" it2s all$$$6 &he coc!ed her head$ &he cold hear movement downstairs$ urniture being shoved around" heavy footsteps staggering toward the stairs$ 3'ow"6 she said" fighting desperately to contain the fear savaging her chest" 3# want you to change your clothes" %ommy$ e2re going to ta!e a wal! outside$6 3#t was the ogeyman" wasn2t it56 the boy said" his little body trembling li!e a trapped animal2s$ 3'o"6 said ?aurie" listening$ %here was a heavy thud at the foot of the stairs" then silence$ &he brightened$ #f that noise was what she hoped it was" the threat was over$ 3'o" it wasn2t$6 3#2m so scared"6 whimpered ?indsey$ 3%here2s nothing to be scared of now"6 she reassured the little girl$ (gain she listened$ #t
was ;uiet$ 3(re you sure56 %ommy pleaded$ 3es$6 3How do you !now56 3ecause # !illed him$6 3ut you can2t !ill the ogeyman$6 3# can" and # did$ He2s lying at the foot of the$$$6 Her sentence was shattered along with her peace of mind by a tremendous blow on the door$ #t held" but the panel closest to the !nob arched inward" showering the floor with paint chips$ %he ne,t blow would shatter it$ %hough the fight had all but drained out of her" ?aurie moved instinctively to save the children" hauling them into the bathroom$ %hey bawled li!e cattle in a slaughterhouse as she closed the door on them" shouting 3?oc! it4 ?oc! the door46 &he waited ten lifetimes for the clic!" and wondered what good it did to loc! doors when this beast was able to shatter them li!e rice+paper screens$ (lready his fist had bro!en through the wea!ened panel and was groping for the loc!$ &he would have li!ed to stri!e that vulnerable hand with a heavy weapon" but she couldn2t leave her post until the !ids loc!ed their door$ 3%ommy$$$46 %he bolt clic!ed on the bathroom door -ust as the bolt on the bedroom door gave$ ?aurie bac!ed away" loo!ing around the room for a weapon or someplace to hide" but nothing b etter than a louvred wal!+in clothes closet presented itself$ &he dashed for it" parting the double doors and slamming them closed behind her$ &he noticed a tie rac! -ust inside the door" and she now grabbed a tie and wrapped it around the little porcelain door!nobs so as to hold the double doors closed$ hat good this would do she didn2t !now" and she laughed grimly to thin! that anyone who could punch through half+inch plywood would be fa8ed by a door of thin pine slats held closed by a nec!tie$ ut perhaps it would buy her three seconds to thin!" to prepare" to defend herself$ *r maybe it would merely buy her three more to live$ &he heard the bedroom door burst open and his stumping footsteps enter the room$ He growled as he breathed" and again the ree! of her friends2 blood freshly spilled on his hands permeated the room$ &he moved farther bac! into the closet and sent some empty hangers -ingling to the floor$ 'ice going" ?aurie" she said to herself$ hy didn2t you -ust shout" 3#2m in here" )r$ )urderer46 He shuffled toward the closet and rattled it with tornado+li!e force$ ?aurie retreated to a corner of the closet and slumped to the floor$ &o this is where you die" she declared inwardly$ ( second later the fist came through the louvres with the ease of a hammer smashing a balsa toy$ %he blood+clotted hand swept the closet" fingers see!ing a piece" any piece" of ?aurie2s body" but finding only clothes and hangers$ %hese fell on her" and with them fell on her e,hausted mind the only" the last" thing to do before succumbing to the assassin2s cra8ed assault$ &he pic!ed up a wire hanger$ &he began to untwist the handle" which consisted of the two ends of the heavy+gauge wire wrapped around themselves$ (s the !iller2s hands played up and down the louvre slats she at last managed to separate the two ends of the wire and unbend the hanger$ &he grasped it tightly halfway up and held it ready$ %he door hung on a splinter$ %he ne,t stri!e would destroy it$ &ure enough" it belled in" buc!led" and e,ploded in a million fragments" and ?aurie seemed to see them all in sharply focused slow motion" li!e the fragments of a life blasted b eyond recognition < a father" a mother" a home" a school" a friend" a past" a future" a present$$$ %he snarling thing was inside the closet with her" lashing out at the limp clothing and sweeping it aside or tossing it to the floor$ %he ferocity of it was wonderful to see" and some detached"
dispassionate part of her watched the performance with admiration" as if it were a circus ring and she safely stood outside$ %hen she was no longer a spectator$ &he was now the pri8e at the bottom of the bin$ %hough dar! as a coal mine" she could see that he had turned away from the far corner of the closet and now faced her" his eyes as !eenly focused in the dar!ness as hers were$ %hey confronted one another silently e,cept for the hiss of their breath$ %here followed a moment when ?aurie fantasi8ed that he would not ma!e his lunge" that he would tear off his mas! and laugh and say it was all a Halloween pran! and the bodies across the street were -ust cleverly made+up store dummies and you could get up now and go home and we2ll see you ne,t Halloween$ *r maybe he had decided he2d had enough slaughter for one night and would turn away and deliver himself into the hands of the police$ *r maybe he2d succumb at this very last instant to the wound in the nec! she2d inflicted in his nec! with )rs$ Doyle2s needle$ &ure" ?aurie" sure$ &till dreaming right up to the last" aren2t you5 &lowly" deliberately" he drew the !nife out of his belt and !nelt before her" gauging the precise spot where he would plunge the blade in$ &he wondered what part of her he would consider prime$ He seemed to be studying her the way a butcher studies the carcass of a steer$ &he clutched the wire hanger with both hands and concentrated on the one vulnerable area she thought she could damage$ &he felt his hot stin!ing breath on her face and !new he would never be closer while she lived$ ith a prayer to .od she thrust the hanger into the blac! hole in the mas! where a glint of eyeball reflected what scant light there was in the room$ or a second there was resistance" as if the wire had struc! his chee!bone or nose or eyebrow$ %hen the point punched through with a s;uish and he recoiled with a primitive howl that would stay in her mind forever as the most chilling sound she2d ever heard$ Refle,ively he swung at her with the !nife" but she2d already slid out from under and was rolling out of the closet and staggering to her feet$ %he assailant lurched out after her" both hands covering his face$ His !nife had dropped to his feet and she saw it and wondered if she could snatch it before he did$ Her -ab with the wire hanger had penetrated one eye but he had one go od one left" and she !new that as long as his heart beat at all he would come on" his determination as fi,ed as if his entire system had been programmed with but one functionG to !ill$ &he circled out of range of his good eye" but he stood almost atop the !nife and she had to get him off it$ hat she did ne,t was either incredibly or incredibly stupid" and maybe it was a little of both$ Pic!ing up one of )rs$ Doyle2s perfume atomi8ers" she threw it at him" shouting 3*ver here4 *ver here" buddy46 He pivoted in the direction of her voice" and as he did she pivoted with him so as to !eep to his blind side$ He staggered toward the spot she2d been in" giving her the opportunity to lunge for the !nife$ &he grasped the handle with both hands$ &uddenly all the agitation drained from her" and a calm and clarity settled upon her$ 3*ver here" pal$ Here # am$ Come and get me"6 she bec!oned" almost seductively$ #f anyone had told her a mere three or four hours ago that she would be shoving a !nife into a man2s body she2d have had that person certified and committed to the funny farm$ ut now that she reali8ed that this nightmare wasn2t going to en d by itself" that no one was going to sha!e her shoulder and say" 3Come on" wa!e up" it2s time to go to school"6 she felt capable of anything$ &he had" in the course of a half hour" gone from a wide+eyed innocent to a willing" even eager participant in this deadly game$ 'o soldier had ever gone through a ;uic!er basic training$ ith one hand over his blind and bloody eye and the other swiping the air for a piece of his tormentress" he stumped toward her" bellowing in rage and pain$ &he crouched so that he loomed over her filling the space above with his blac! presence$ 'ow" ?aurie5 'o" not yet" one more second" let him get close enough to stumble over you$
'ow" ?aurie5 'ow" please5 Hurry" before it2s too late$ es$ 'ow$ Do it now" ?aurie$ Just as his !nees were about to collide with her" she plunged the blade upward with both hands into his groin$ %he !nife went in so easily she wasn2t sure if she2d actually stabbed anything$ *nly his bellow of pure pain confirmed the stri!e$ &he wanted to twist and slash the blade inside his guts the way he2d done to (nnie" but he dropped away from her" groaning" to a corner of the room" and she didn2t want to ris! administering a coup de grace in the dar!$ %he !ids" meanwhile" were crying hysterically in the bathroom" and she had to get them out$ &he2d heard of people actually being frightened to death" and now she !new it was entirely possible$ (s it was" the !ids would bear the mar! of this traumatic night in their souls forevermore$ (nd you" ?aurie said herself as she rushed to the bathroom door" won2t do so badly in that department yourself$ #t too! her several minutes of pleading and reassuring to get them to open the door$ &he !ept loo!ing over her shoulder and listening$ %here was a stirring in the co rner" but presently it ceased$ He2s got to be dead" she told herself$ ut her mind played bac! the memory of the big pic!erel her daddy had caught on a trip he2d ta!en her on to the isconsin woods$ Having forgotten to bring his creel" he wrapped the fish in newspaper and placed it in an old shopping bag$ *n the way home a half hour later" the fish" which she had thought long dead" began a violent death thrash that had startled both of them so much" her father had nearly driven into a tree$ (t last she coa,ed the children out of the bathroom$ %hey fell blubbering into ?aurie2s arms$ %heir eyes were swollen from crying" and they trembled li!e puppies$ 3?isten to me" listen" children"6 she begged them$ 3Catch your breath$ reathe deeply" and don2t thin! about it anymore$ #t2s all over$6 3ou said that before$6 3'o" this time it really is all over$ 'ow" # want you to wal! to the door" down the stairs" and right out the front door$6 3ou2re coming with us"6 ?indsey said" a ;uestion and a command$ 3?isten to me$ # want you to wal! down the street to the )acBen8ies and !noc! on their door$ ou tell them to call the police and send them over here$ Do you understand56 3?aurie" you come with us"6 %ommy pleaded$ 3'o4 Do as # say$6 &he guided them across the bedroom to the head of the stairs and sent them off with a smac! in the fanny each$ %hey scampered downstairs and fled screaming into the night as ?aurie collapsed on the top step to catch her breath and summon her wits for one last visit to the bedroom to ma!e sure the monster was dead$ &he would never be able to sleep again if she did not witness for herself that it would never more raise a hand against man!ind$ &he buried her face in her hands and fought to regain control of herself$ %hus situated" she did not see the shadowy shape dragging itself out of the bedroom$ %he shrie!ing came from the ne,t bloc!" and ?oomis !new this was no Halloween pran!$ #t was too late for children to be outside" and if that was not true terror in their cries for help" ?oomis did not !now what true terror was$ He cut across the lawn to find them racing up a wal! to a white ranch house$ %hey saw him" a )ephistophelean figure in goatee" bald head" and trench coat fluttering in the wind" and they shrie!ed even louder" turning tail and fleeing into a bac!yard$ 3#t2s him" the ogeyman46 he heard one shout$ He hurdled a rustic fence and dashed into the yard$ 3Children" it2s all right"6 he murmured in his most reassuring tone" 3it2s all right" !ids" #2m your friend$6 %hey were not difficult to find$ He spotted their light clothing behind a tree too narrow to conceal them" and though he !new it would scare the wits out of them if their wits hadn2t been totally scared out of them already" he had to capture them to find out what they were running away from$
He tiptoed up to the tree" then dashed around it" tac!ling them both in strong but gentle arms$ %hey bro!e into hysterical cries and wriggled in his arms in a desperate effort to e scape$ He clutched them tightly" uttering tender blandishments to soothe them until at last they rela,ed long enough to answer his ;uestions$ 3here are you coming from56 3%here"6 the little boy said with a general sweep of the western hori8on$ 3here2s there5 &how me$6 %hey escorted him bac! to the front lawn$ %ommy pointed to a house catty+corner from their position$ #ts lights were out" its front door wide open$ 3hat2s going on out there56 a voice shouted$ ( porch light went on and a man in pa-amas stormed out of the house$ 3%here2s trouble across the street$ &erious trouble"6 ?oomis said" dragging the children to the man by the collars of their shirts$ 3%a!e these !ids and call the police at once$ .et &heriff rac!ett$ %ell him #2ve found our friend at$$$at that house there$6 3%he Doyle house56 3hichever that one is with the open door$6 3)ister" this is no -o!e5 # mean" #2ve been tric!+or+treated to death tonight$6 3ou don2t !now what death is"6 ?oomis hissed" drawing his gun as he rushed across the street$ ?aurie inhaled deeply" reali8ing it was the first calm breath she2d ta!en since it all began $ &he lifted her face from her hands and contemplated the ne,t move$ &he wasn2t sure what it should be$ &he would have li!ed to wait for the police" but .od !new if the !ids had done what she2d instructed them to do$ &o she didn2t want to wait$ ut she didn2t want to flee the house either$ &uppose she did and when she returned with the police he was gone$ ould she ever sleep peacefully again" !nowing he was out there" alive" lur!ing" stal!ing5 'o" she must either stand guard here outside the bedroom door" or$$$ $$$or go in there and loo! upon the still corpse" so that she could comfort herself with the image of his dead body whenever the horror visited her dreams$ %hat is" if he were dead$ &uppose he weren2t5 &he !new he was badly hurt$ ( needle in the nec!" a hanger in the eye" a !nife in the groin" surely no one who wasn2t supernatural could endure such in-uries and still live$ %hen what held her bac! from going in there5 #t was the reali8ation that if by some miracle he were still alive" she would have to finish the -ob$ &he was no longer afraid that he could harm her/ it was inconceivable to her that he could be that alive" let alone alive at all$ 'o" it was the idea of actually murdering someone in cold blood$ &elf+ defense was one thing$ ut a helpless man" even one who had slaughtered her three friends" who had attempted to do the same to her < well" she wasn2t sure she could bring herself to do it$ 0ssentially she was not an avenger$ Civili8ation was too deeply bred into her$ %he !iller instinct had been diluted to the point where normally she could not imagine doing anything more harmful with a !nife than cutting a slab of roast beef on her dinner plate$ %he longer she sat the more confused and uncertain she became$ &he wished the decision could be ta!en out of her hands$ ( moment later" it was$ #n a night filled with startling horrors" this was the most startling and horrible of all" the hand on her hair" pulling at her scalp until she was sure he would tear it off her head li!e an orange peel$ His other arm enclosed her throat" and only because she2d had her arms in front of her face did she prevent him from snapping her nec! on the first blow$ (s it was" she heard a bone snap in her wrist" and she !new it was all over this time$ &he2d
been luc!y three times" but she2d underestimated her foe$ 'ow she was his$ &he !ic!ed to her feet and s;uirmed in his grasped" hoping to !ic! them both down the stairs where he -ust might release her" but he guessed her strategy and yan!ed her away from the landing$ His forearm tightened around the wrists pinned to her face" and the pain was so e,cruciating she !new she would pass out in another second$ %hen she heard the e,plosion and felt his body -ump as if someone had struc! him with a fist$ &he was free$ &he fell to the floor$ #n her hand was a damp rubber mas!$ &he loo!ed for her assailant and found him leaning against a wall" a dar! blotch spreading ;uic!ly over his right shoulder$ %hrough the dar!ness and the flashing lights dancing in her eyes she loo!ed at his face and saw it" white with whiter" fang+li!e teeth$ His wet blac! hair wa s matted over his forehead" and one eye bulged li!e a dead fish2s$ here his other eye had been was a wet bloody hole$ ( movement on the stairs caught her attention$ ( bald man with a goatee was running up them" holding a huge blac! revolver with trembling hands$ 3.et out of the way46 he shouted at her$ &he rolled away as he mounted the stairs$ %he dying man staggered into the bedroom toward the rench windows that opened on the Doyle2s sun dec!$ %he bald man reached the landing and stepped into the bedroom" leveling his gun at the retreating figure$ %he e,plosions were ear+splitting$ ?aurie was deafened by the first and felt rather than heard the subse;uent ones$ &he saw the assailant lurch bac! with each gunshot as if struc! with a bat$ He crashed bac!ward through the rench windows and tumbled from the sun dec! into the bac!yard below$ %he moon and street light caught the blood+gloss of at least three bullet holes in his chest$ &he did not as! at first who her rescuer was$ &he simply fell into his arms and burst into wrac!ing sobs$ His embrace was so comforting she could have fallen asleep in it$ )aybe" if she did" she would wa!e up to find the world as it had been this morning$ %his morning5 as it a mere si,teen or seventeen hours since she had stood on her doorstep bantering with her father5 #t seemed as if she2d lived three lifetimes in that scant time$ &uddenly she was in pain$ %he adrenaline that seemed to act as an anaesthetic started to wear off$ Her an!le throbbed where she2d twisted it dropping over the stairs at ?indsey2s house$ Her wrist ached and had begun to swell where he2d crac!ed the bone$ Her slashed arm tingled agoni8ingly$ Her scalp felt as it someone had ta!en a tomahaw! to it$ 'o" these were not the symptoms of a dream$ %his was the nightmare of reality$ #t would ta!e her years to absorb this truth" and a lifetime to ponder it$ %he man released her" and she loo!ed up at him$ 3%han! you$ (re you a policeman56 He smiled$ 3'o" -ust a friend$6 3( friend with a gun" than! .od$6 3%han! .od$6 ?oomis was trembling$ He hyperventilated several times to slow down his racing heart$ %hen he wal!ed to the shattered windows and peered down$ #t lay on it2s bac! amid a thousand shards of bro!en glass that twin!led in the moonlight li!e hoarfrost$ %he front of the uniform stolen from the truc! driver glistened blac!ly with blood that seeped out of the tremendous rents in his flesh caused by ?oomis2s magnum$ *ne of its eyes ga8ed stupidly up to the s!y/ where the other had been was a blac! hole ca!ed with clotted blood and -ellied a;ueous humor$ ?oomis stared at the corpse a long time" watching for a sign of life$ Detecting none" he turned bac! into the bedroom and reached into his trench coat poc!et$ 3hat are you doing56 the girl as!ed$ 3Reloading"6 he said" pushing the long heavy cartridges into the chamber of his gun$ 3hy56 ?oomis shrugged$ 3#t heightens my sense of security"6 he said with an irony that was lost on her$ He started down the steps$ 36here are you going56 3%o e,amine the body$ # would li!e you to go across the street and wait for the police$6 3'o"6 said ?aurie$ 3# thin! #2d li!e to come with you$6
?oomis loo!ed at her ;ui88ically$ 3ou haven2t had enough for one night56 3# want to ma!e sure it2s all over$6 3&uit yourself$ # assure you it is$6 hich is why you2re reloading your gun" ?oomis said to himself" heading downstairs$ rom the way the girl clutched his arm he !new she was thin!ing the same thing$ Poor child$ #f she !new what he !new" she2d be thin!ing dar!er thoughts than that even$ &he2d be thin!ing about the dream that little )ichael" angelic choirboy face turned to the ceiling as if in prayer" had told him some fifteen years ago" a dream about his vengeance on a Druid girl who had not returned his love" and on her lover who had moc!ed him" a dream about a ceremony on an accursed grave+site" where his head and heart were left e,posed to the elements to rot while some shaman recited an awful curse dooming him to roam the earth forever lusting for blood$ &he2d be thin!ing about )ichael2s great+grandfather" who had been tortured by that identical dream" a dream that had inflamed both of them to commit deeds of wanton horror$ &he2d be thin!ing about the voices that spo!e both to )ichael and to his great+grandfather" urging them to ta!e revenge against someone who had lived over a thousand years ago$ &he2d be thin!ing about a festival called &amhain" whose grotes;ue rituals designed to protect Druid harvests against the depredations of howling demons had been transformed over a millennium or more into the harmless holiday called H alloween$ Halloween$ Charming children in cute costumes begging sweets" cardboard cutouts of s!eletons and witches on brooms" warmly glowing -ac!+o2+lanterns" artless parties and entertaining games" spoo!y movies on %@" innocent pran!s" tric!+or+treat$ ?oomis e,ited into the cool night air and rounded the side of the house" trailed by ?aurie$ Cautiously" he prowled toward the bac!yard" the moonlight glinting on the blue barrel of his gun$ *ne more corner to turn$ ?oomis stuc! his head slowly around it and focused his eyes on the place where the body had landed beneath the rench windows$ #t was gone$ He rushed to the spot" suppressing a sob of frustration$ ( patch of flattened grass surrounded by twin!ling shard of glass$ 'o other sign" not even blood$ (bove the thudding of his heart he heard the girl whimper behind him$ He turned and put his hand under her arm to support her$ )utely they stared at the patch of grass$ :ntil this moment he had hoped against hope that the entity he had pursued to this place was a thing of flesh and blood li!e himself" though deep in his heart he had !nown it would be otherwise$ %he evidence pointed not merely to another interpretation but" as he had said to &heriff rac!ett" to another dimension$ He shuddered" wondering what little boy at this very moment was tossing in his sleep" tortured by a dream of tragic love that had occurred far away and long ago" tormented by a voice commanding the dreamer to ta!e revenge$ ?aurie2s nails dug into his shoulder as she stared li!e a soldier in shell shoc! at the empty place on the lawn$ 3#t was the ogeyman" wasn2t it56 she murmured$ 3(s a matter of fact"6 ?oomis replied" 3it was$6
