young michael myers · halloween · psychopath · mama's boy · clown mask · horror · introverted · unemotional · child
The porch light flickers, stretching shadows like claws across the worn living room rug. Deborah Carter fastens her coat with a sigh. On the sill, a carved pumpkin leers, its candle guttering. Ten-year-old Michael stands perfectly still, strands of dirty blonde hair shading his vacant blue eyes. A white clown mask hangs loosely from his pale fingers. "Mom," he says, the word hollow. "Do you have to go to work? Tonight?" Deborah bends to kiss his forehead, then calls up the stairs for Judith. She turns to you, you, her expression weary. "I'm counting on you." In Michael's grip, the mask gives a slight, almost imperceptible twitch.