Conflict

"Shit!"

I stopped running to catch my breath, puffing out air as I looked around. All I saw were buildings after buildings, each one looking exactly the same as the last.

"Where the fuck am I!"

It was supposed to be so easy!

Just ask a local person for directions to the local service station where Aaron Joseph-Korey and Dana Haines were currently at and save them from being viciously killed by Michael Myers.

It shouldn't be this damn hard!

I have asked 7 people already for directions.

Not a single one knows where the service station is.

I have been running for 30 minutes!

I'm tired!

Wiping sweat off my face, I tried to look around to see where I currently was. Seemed to be some sort of neighborhood.

"Great, I don't think a service station would be in a damn residential neighborhood!"

Cursing at my mistake of running blindly, I started to walk around, confused about where to go. I had no genuine idea of where to go, and nervousness was starting to eat away at me.

Why was I so nervous?

Two innocent people are going to die if I don't hurry up.

Sure, Aaron and Dana are pretty dumb. They poked at something they should never have poked, and now it was coming to bite them in the ass. But I didn't just want them to die. I'm not a hero, but if I have the ability to save people, then I'll try to save them. I'm not a monster, for Christ's sake.

But I couldn't save these two idiots if I can't find them!

Putting my hands on my face, I let out a tired groan; all of this was tiring me out. I really wanted to go to bed right now and forget all my problems. While I lamented my current situation, I suddenly heard a car honking in the distance. Looking up, I saw something that caught my eye:

A van, a red van, was at a stoplight.

The words 'The Resurrection Church' were painted on the side of it.

"Hey, isn't that-!"

Before I could finish my sentence, the stoplight turned green, and the van started to drive away.

"OH SHIT, WAIT UP!"

I took off in a mad dash, running across the sidewalk and avoiding people as I tried to follow the van. For some odd reason, the van was going stupidly fast for a 25 mph speed zone. It was going like 45 mph at least, making keeping up with it difficult. It didn't help that people were in my way, so I had to move out of the way, which took even more time.

I was forced to stop running, or else I felt like I was about to throw up and pass out. Crouching down on my knees to catch my breath, I looked up to see the van turning a corner a fair distance from me. No idea how far that turn was, but I had to keep moving.

So I picked my tired ass up and "ran" to where the van turned. "Ran" as in a weak jog over. I eventually got to a parking lot with a multitude of stores on the outskirts of it. And what was in the entrance of the parking lot?

The fucking service station.

The van I was chasing was parked at one of those gas pumps, and another car was parked right across the van. Catching my breath, I walked over to the car and looked inside. There were a bunch of papers talking about murders and Michael Myers littered all over the inside of the car.

"Yup, they are here."

It was then I realized that the service station was eerily quiet. That shouldn't be the case as there's a small store inside the station and a whole ass mechanic garage too. I drew my gun out on instinct, new thoughts in my mind advising me on how to proceed with caution. I moved to the garage, using a wall as cover as I peered inside. I was greeted with the sight of a dead mechanic, his head caved in, and his jumpsuit gone. Massive red flag that indicated that Michael was already here. I walked into the garage, snagging a screwdriver as I looked around to see if anyone else had died.

"Fuck, I need to move."

Running out of the garage, I took a glance at the store. Two dead bodies could be seen on the counter, blood splattering everywhere. I could only grimace a little bit before running to the back of the store. I heard the sound of crashing glass and a woman's scream, all coming from the ladies' bathroom.

"Ok, not that late!"

I slowly made my way to the entrance of the ladies' bathroom, stopping myself just as I walked around the corner.

'Can I do this? Can I even fight Michael? Can I save those two?'

These thoughts of doubt clouded my mind.

I mean, I was still only 17. I was a minor who hadn't even shot a gun before! How could I go up and face a serial killer and save two people!

I took a step backward, as if my body subconsciously wanted me not to enter that bathroom.

I had every right to hesitate.

But.

I was given a second shot at life.

Was I going to be shackled down by fear and doubt?

"No! I refuse!"

I told myself this; I wasn't going to hesitate; I wasn't going to fear.

Fuck all of that shit; I'm facing all of this head-on!

I steadied myself and my gun as I cautiously approached the entrance of the ladies' bathroom. The sight that greeted me was nothing short of gruesome. A man lay lifeless on the floor, surrounded by a pool of blood, and there, holding up a helpless lady with a single arm, stood the giant figure of Michael Myers.

"Holy shit."

The sheer terror that emanated from Michael was palpable, even without his mask. But I didn't shake in fear, I raised my gun and aimed directly at his arm.

BANG!

The gunshot echoed through the air as the bullet struck Michael's forearm, causing him to release Dana and sending her sprawling to the ground.

Adrenaline surged through my veins as I kept my gun trained on the relentless killer. The intensity of the moment made my arms slightly shake, but I steeled myself to face the monstrous threat.

Focusing on Michael, I noticed that he was only staring at me, completely unfazed by the gunshot wound. His chilling silence sent shivers down my spine.

"Tch... you really are a monster."

Michael paid no attention to my words, instead lunging toward me with unnatural speed. I barely had time to react as he attempted to grab my neck, his fingers closing in with a deadly grip.

'Jesus, he's fast!'

Within moments, he closed a distance of at least 10 feet, an impossible feat for any normal human. I tried to evade his grab, but he caught my right arm, which held the gun, pulling me closer in a act to choke me.

'Shit! He got me!'

His strength was unimaginable, but my mind was already racing and figured out what to do. I used the momentum of his pull to deliver a powerful punch to his nose, the sickening sound of bones cracking indicating my success in loosening his grip.

With a surge of strength, I ripped my arm free and fired a shot at his chest. Blood erupted from the wound, causing him to stagger back. But his eerie resilience allowed him to recover quickly, fixing his cold gaze on me as if I were nothing more than an inconvenience.

Michael quickly tried to rush me again, attempting to grab my neck. In response, I quickly side-stepped the rush and took out the screwdriver I swiped earlier. My mind automatically scanned his body as I quickly located where to stab him. Lowering my body, I stabbed the inside of Michael's right knee, forcing him to kneel down. Ripping the screwdriver out, I repeatedly stabbed his back and neck. But the freak somehow was able to spin around and use his hand to catch the screwdriver.

I quickly aimed for his head, but in a flash, he ducked and spun around, his movements eerily fluid. He caught the screwdriver with his hand, leaving me momentarily defenseless.

"Shit."

With ridiculous strength, he tore the screwdriver from my grasp, and I barely managed to react and block his punch with my arms. The impact sent me skidding back, the pain of fractured bones shooting through my arm.

His blood-soaked form seemed unstoppable as he tried to overwhelm me again. I fired 2 more shots at him, but he moved with unnatural grace, avoiding the bullets by a hair's breadth.

This Michael was beyond human, beyond comprehension.

I tried to think of a plan until I noticed Dana rising up with a crowbar in hand. A idea suddenly hit me.

'That's perfect!'

I fired once more, drawing his attention, while Dana swung the crowbar with all her strength. It connected with a sickening thud, sending him crashing to the ground.

Seizing the opportunity, I rushed forward and fired a shot directly at his head. The bullet found its mark, and an explosion of blood erupted from the wound, drenching me in a gruesome spray of crimson.

Letting out deep breaths, I turned to Aaron and ran over to help him up. His head wound was bleeding profusely, and he struggled to stay on his feet.

"Sorry about taking so long; I got lost trying to find this place."

I tried to lighten the mood a bit, seeing how pale Dana looked. Aaron was barely able to look at me before whispering something.

"...just who are you?"

"That's not very important now, is it?"

"Hey lady, help me out here."

Dana stared at me blankly for a moment before she quickly helped me hold Aaron up as we walked out of the bathroom. I looked behind me to see if Michael's corpse started to reanimate or something; I half expected him to start moving, but something much worse happened.

Michael was gone.

All that was left was a pool of blood where he was lying down.

'SHIT!'

I quickly moved faster with Aaron as we walked around the corner of the building. Walking over to their car, Dana quickly stopped helping and ran over to the trunk of the car, which was now open widely.

"The mask is gone! Someone stole it!"

That's not good. The only one in the area alive was me, Dana, Aaron, and.

Michael.

He was somehow able to get out of the bathroom and steal his mask back without any one of us noticing. That's very bad. But I have another problem to deal with right now.

"Lady, that is the least of your worries, help your friend here instead."

Snapping out of her shock, Dana quickly helped Aaron inside of the passenger seat of their car. After getting him inside, she turned to me.

"Uh, thank you again for your help, but who are you?"

I stared at her for a moment.

"My name is August. August Ramos."

She looked at me up and down, guess this was her first time seeing an Asian person here in Haddonfield. She was about to say something else, but I cut her off before she could speak.

"Lady, your friend here just got his face bashed in by a psycho. Go take him to a hospital before his condition gets worse."

"Also get out of the city after the guy's condition stablizes. I don't care where you go but get out."

She quickly shut up after I said this. Running around the car, she got into the driver's seat and started the car. Rolling down the window, she yelled out.

"I don't know why you helped us, but thank you again!"

The car quickly left the service station, leaving me waving goodbye in a blood-drenched suit.

"Goddamn, this day got a whole lot worse."