The Trap in the Woods

The night in Haddonfield had unleashed a silent hell after the murders of Vicky and Dave (Allison's friends) in the suburbs. Cassian, Helen, and Laurie, knowing that Michael Myers wouldn't stop, drove Karen and Ray to Laurie's fortified house in the woods, a wooden and steel refuge designed to withstand even the devil himself. The Jeep rattled along dirt roads, its lights cutting through the fog while Karen, seated in the back, gripped Ray's hand, her voice trembling with disbelief.

"This is insane, Mom," said Karen, looking at Laurie in the passenger seat. "Michael is loose, yes, but bringing us here with these strangers? Who are they? I don't understand why you trust them after everything you've said about not needing anyone."

Laurie turned to her, her face hardened by years of paranoia and preparation.

"They're Cassian and Helen, from the Vatican. I didn't choose them, Karen, but they know what they're doing. Michael killed Vicky and Dave tonight, and he's coming for us. Cassian faced him in the suburbs, shot him, and he didn't go down. We need their help, whether you like it or not."

Ray, a burly man but visibly nervous, frowned as he looked at Cassian behind the wheel.

"The Vatican? What does the church have to do with this? I thought they were cops or something. Laurie, this sounds like religious madness, and I'm not sure I want my family in the middle of it."

Cassian kept his eyes on the road, his tone calm but sharp as it echoed in the vehicle.

"We're not cops or preachers, Mr. Strode. I hunt killers for the Vatican, humans and things not of this world. Michael has been a threat for forty years, and tonight he's already killed four. I don't care if you believe in me, but I'll keep you alive." He glanced at Helen. "What about the perimeter?"

Helen, seated in the back next to Karen, adjusted the Vatican thermal sensors on her laptop, her fingers moving quickly over the keyboard.

"I installed them in the suburbs, but I'm bringing them here. I can set them up around the house in ten minutes. If Michael approaches, the sensors will detect him from a hundred meters out. Cassian, do you think he'll come straight for us?"

Cassian nodded, parking the Jeep in front of the fortified house.

"Yes. He doesn't stop, he doesn't reason. Laurie, let's train while Helen works. If we face him, you'll need more than a shotgun."

Inside the house, as Helen went outside to set up the sensors with wires and small black boxes, Cassian led Laurie to the main room, a space filled with traps and hidden weapons. Karen and Ray watched from a corner, their faces pale. Cassian grabbed a chair and broke it against the floor, handing a piece of wood to Laurie.

"Hit me," he said, his voice firm. "If Michael gets inside, you won't have time to aim. Use this as if it were his neck."

Laurie scowled, gripping the stick with both hands.

"Hand-to-hand combat? I've been shooting my whole life, Cassian. Why aren't we using guns?"

Cassian dodged a slow swing from Laurie, correcting her stance with a quick movement.

"Because he's fast and strong. I saw him tonight—he dodged my shot as if he saw it coming. If he grabs you, the gun won't help. Strike here, at the throat, or smash it into his head. Again."

Laurie attacked again, this time with more force, and Cassian blocked the blow with his forearm, nodding.

"Better. Keep practicing. If we face him, don't hesitate."

Karen interrupted, her voice rising as she stepped closer.

"Face him? This is madness! Ray and I don't know how to fight, and Allyson is out there with her friends. What if Michael finds her first? We should be going after her, not staying here playing war!"

Cassian looked at her, his calm intact but his words sharp.

"Allyson is with Hawkins; I saw them in the suburbs. If she comes here, we'll protect her. If we leave now, Michael hunts us in the woods like dogs. Stay, Karen, and trust us."

Helen returned, panting, her laptop under her arm.

"Sensors are ready. They cover the entire perimeter, and I already have a signal. Something big is moving two hundred meters away, to the east. Cassian, it's him."

Meanwhile, Allyson ran through the woods, her breath ragged after seeing Michael stab Oscar against a tree. Hawkins and Sartain found her, the agent shouting for her to get into his patrol car. But when Sartain revealed his betrayal, confessing that he had sabotaged the transport to free Michael, Cassian and Helen appeared in the Jeep, blocking the way. Hawkins pointed his gun at Sartain, his voice trembling with rage.

"Sartain, you son of a bitch! Why did you do it? He killed my men!"

Sartain smiled, his eyes gleaming with obsession.

"Because I need to understand him, Hawkins. Michael is more than a man; he's a living enigma. I want to see him against Laurie, against all of you."

Cassian stepped out of the Jeep, his dagger in hand, but Michael emerged from the shadows, killing Sartain with a slash to the throat and crushing two officers with brutal force. Cassian faced him, dodging a knife strike and plunging the dagger into his arm, the blade slicing through muscle. Michael growled, retreating and fleeing into the woods as Allyson screamed from the patrol car.

"He's gone! Oh God, he's gone!" gasped Allyson, as Hawkins helped her out.

Cassian wiped the dagger, looking at Hawkins.

"Take her to Laurie's house; we're heading there now. He's not finished."

At the fortified house, Michael arrived minutes later, his silent figure breaking through the back door. Ray tried to stop him with a bat, but Michael grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the wall, killing him instantly. Cassian ambushed him in the living room, smashing a chair over his head until it splintered into pieces and stabbing him in the chest with the dagger. Michael repelled him with an inhuman shove, throwing him against a table, but Laurie fired from the hallway, hitting him in the shoulder.

"Now, Helen!" shouted Laurie, as Karen ran to the basement with Allyson, who had arrived with Hawkins.

Helen, in the kitchen, activated a hidden valve, releasing flammable gas into the basement where Michael had followed Karen. Laurie lured him down, closing the trapdoor behind him, and Cassian lit a spark with his lighter, tossing it into the gas. Flames roared, consuming the basement as Michael pounded the trapdoor in vain.

"Out, now!" ordered Cassian, leading Laurie, Karen, and Allyson to the Jeep.

They escaped in Hawkins' truck, the fire illuminating the woods behind them. Allyson, trembling, looked at Cassian from the backseat.

"Is he dead? Tell me he's dead."

Cassian stared at the flames through the window, his voice grave but uncertain.

"For now, yes. But I don't trust fire with him. Helen, what about the sensors?"

Helen checked her laptop, her face pale.

"No heat signatures outside the basement. He's trapped… or so I hope."

Laurie squeezed Karen's hand, her voice hoarse.

"Thank you, Cassian. If you weren't here, we'd be dead."

Cassian nodded, his gaze fixed on the roaring flames in the distance, knowing the night still held secrets.