Haddonfield

He'd been on edge all night. He couldn't place why, it just felt like something was wrong. Like there was something watching him from the shadows. He glanced out of through the curtains again, starting to feel like he was maybe being slightly paranoid when there was still nothing there.

Kuai sighed in defeat as he closed them up and turned back to the small blonde girl sat on the couch, shovelling cheetos into her face. “Alright, c'mon miss. It's almost midnight, your dad will kill me if he finds out I let you stay up this late.”

“Aww! But Michael Myers is about to find Laurie!” Cassie whined, and Kuai crossed his arms.

“He'll double kill me if he finds out I let you watch this film,” He commented, reaching for the TV and turning it off. “Chop chop.” He clapped his hands to try and make his point.

“You're no fun.” Cassie gave a pout, but still folded up her bag of cheetos, being sure to lick off the flavour dust on her fingers, before she jumped up to her feat. “You'll still read me a bedtime story right?”

“Of course.” Kuai couldn't help but smirk slightly as he gently ushered her towards the stairs.

Everything went routinely, he let Cassie go get her PJ's on, made sure she'd brushed her teeth properly. He had just managed to get her to climb into bed, settled down with her favoured stuffed toy of the week, and he was at the bookshelf, just about to pick one to read and...

He heard a bang.

He let his hand hover over a book for a few seconds, not sure if he'd actually just heard that. Seconds later, there was another. He looked over at Cassie, who looked as confused as he was.

“Uncle K, what was that?” She asked flatly, and he slowly made his way over to the door of her bedroom.

Suddenly there was another bang echoing through the house, and another, and another, and it kept going until it sounded like something wooden just completely snapped due some sort of pressure. He almost stopped breathing, someone was trying to break in.

“U-Uncle K?” He turned to look at Cassie, who was clinging to her stuffed animal like her life depended on it. The banging wasn't stopping, and there were more sounds of snapping, presumably as the wood of the door splintered further.

“Cass,” he whispered, running over to where the little girl lay and all but dragging her out of bed. “Get in the closet, and stay in there, and as quietly as you can...” He passed her cell phone to her. “Call 911, and tell them someone's trying to break in, okay?”

Cassie nodded, rushing over to her closet and scrambling inside.

There was one final bang, and then just an eerie silence.

They'd gotten in.

Kuai left Cassie's room as fast and quietly as he could, making his way across the landing to Johnny's room, knowing the man had a golf club beside his bedside cabinet for situations such as this. Once he'd retrieved his makeshift weapon, he crept back out, trying to listen for the sounds of someone moving.

He heard nothing.

He chanced tiptoeing up to the stairs, listening again for any signs of motion, but again there was still nothing. He tried to get down the stairs as quietly as he could, avoiding a particular step he knew was loose and made a creaking down when you stepped on it. Half way down he paused when he heard what sounded like a glass chiming from the kitchen.

He took a breath, finally reaching the bottom of the stairs as he slowly made his way down the hallway. Coming to the kitchen, he held the golf club up, ready to strike if he needed to.

The kitchen was empty, but the door had been completely smashed in. At least he knew where they got in. He stepped in a little more, trying to look for any clues as to who or what had broken in.

He jumped when he heard the TV in the lounge turn on.

He quickly made his way there, determined to find out who was fucking with him but...

The room was empty as well, only the TV playing to itself, the film Cassie had been watching previously still on. He gave an annoyed sigh, walking over and clicking it off again. A floorboard squeaking to his left immediately had his head snapping in that direction.

Stood in the darkness, Kuai could only just about make out a figure. Dressed in all black they practically melted into the shadows. A mask covered most of their face, and all Kuai could make out beyond a general shape was a pair of pure white eyes, and a hand holding onto a sickle.

Kuai glanced between the sickle and the figures covered face, slowly taking steps backwards and feeling himself clutch the golf club ever so slightly tighter. The figure watched him for a few seconds.

And then they advanced.

Kuai made a break for the door to the kitchen, his pursuer sounding like they were just taking a casual stroll behind him.

He knocked a couple of chairs behind him, hoping maybe it would slow whoever it was down further, but a glance over his shoulder proved it was barely an inconvenience for the other man. He cursed under his breath and tried to rush for the front door. He wanted to try and keep this asshole as far away from Cassie as he possibly could.

As he reached the door however, he was shocked to find a second intruder standing in front of it, similarly hidden in the darkness, but again Kuai could just about see his eyes.

He looked behind him, the first attacker was almost caught up with him.

He grabbed the stairs banister and clambered over it. Scrambling on all fours, he desperately tried to get to his feet and rush up the stairs but when he looked up his eyes widened in disbelief.

The first attacker as stood at the top of the stairs, glaring down at him.

It couldn't have been the first guy, right? He had been behind him. And yet, he was definitely the first, sickle in hand, now slowly walking down to steps towards him.

Kuai turned to run, only to find the bottom of the stairs blocked by now not one, but two others, looking exactly alike. How were they doing this? How many of them were there?

He felt a hand suddenly grab him by the throat, and he wildly swung the golf club in panic. The hand released him, and he jerked away. Using all the strength he could muster, he swung again, this time hitting the first attacker square in the ribs, causing him to stumble slightly, and give Kuai a small opportunity to rush past him.

He just about made it past when he felt something grab onto his ankle and before he could stop himself he went tumbling down. His jaw cracked as it painfully hit one of the wooden steps. He groaned, looking down to see what he'd got caught on. He couldn't believe his eyes.

There was a shadowy hand coming from the staircase itself clinging to his leg.

He gave a panicked yelp, kicking at the shadow and hoping to get it off him. His kicks seemed to do nothing to deter this ghostly hand.

He noticed only a second later that the first attacker was about to bring the sickle down onto him. He just managed to hold the golf club up in time to stop it from slashing into him, mere inches away from his face. It took all his effort to hold it back, even more so when is assailant lifted the sickle again and went to strike down, a clink ringing out as metal met metal, a sound nowhere near as violent sounding as it should have been.

Kuai struggled, trying so hard to keep his attacker at bay. He pulled his free leg back, kicking the hip of the man on top of him. There was a grunt and he felt the hand grasping his ankle let go. He didn't get long to consider that as the man pulled his sickle up once more and Kuai saw a small window of opportunity.

He swung the golf club as hard as he could at the mans face, causing him to stumble into the wall as the mask he wore tumbled to the floor with a clatter. Just beyond the man, he noticed the two figures at the bottom also stumbled like they'd been the ones hit. It was almost like they were just extensions of the original attacker.

The attacker pushed himself back off the wall, turning to face Kuai, face now bared for him to see. Kuai felt his mouth go dry.

He knew that face.

“Bi-Han?” he whispered, watching as his brothers face warped into a terrifying manic grin. His brothers expression looked barely human any more. Kuai couldn't breathe.

“Hello, little brother,” Bi-Han's voice growled at him. Kuai struggled to process what was happening, so much that he almost missed Bi-Han raising the sickle once more.

Kuai only just about rolled out of the way in time.

The force of the swing left the sickle stuck in the floorboard, Bi-Han tugging on it with an displeased snarl. Kuai saw another opportunity. He drew his leg up as far as possible, aiming for Bi-Han's face. Bi-Han stumbled once more, giving a short pained sound. Kuai scurried on all floors up the remaining stairs.

Looking down over his shoulder, he noticed the shadows had disappeared now. Somehow, they seemed to only react when Bi-Han was hurt.

Kuai didn't want to ponder it, as he managed to push himself back up to his feet and started to run across the landing, unsure of where he was actually heading. All he knew was he needed to get away.

Out of nowhere he was tackled from his side, finding the force of it pushing him through the door to Cassie's room. Before he could even figure out what was happened, he found rough hands pushing him down onto Cassie's bed. He gasped, eyes wide, as his brother loomed over him, evil intent clear in the way his eyes observed him. Kuai panicked, realising his hands were now empty. Where had the golf club gone? He had to have dropped it when he got tackled.

Bi-Han held the sickle to Kuai's face, stroking it along his cheek and clearly enjoying the way Kuai shook from fear and adrenaline. Kuai didn't understand. Bi-Han had disappeared several years ago and Kuai had only just started high school when he vanished. There had been no trace of him, he'd been presumed dead. Where had he been? How did he come back?

Why was the trying to kill the only family he had left?

Kuai tried to push himself away, managing to turn his head away when the sickle was once more brought down. This time it pierced the mattress under him, and he heard it rip as Bi-Han dragged it along. He got his legs free, using both of them to kick Bi-Han in the stomach, sending Bi-Han backwards just far enough that Kuai could get free of him.

It didn't last long. He just managed to get back up off the bed and started for the window when a hand reached around and grabbed him by the neck. Bi-Han pulled Kuai back, still trying to struggle against the attack. The hand tightened, crushing his windpipe as he desperately tried to breathe, he felt his back hit Bi-Han's chest, as he clawed at the hand in an attempt to get it off him.

He didn't even notice the sickle being brought to his chest until it had sliced through his flesh.

He let out a scream of pain, even as it became harder and harder to get air into his lungs. The sickle was dug into him again, this time slower more drawn out and he felt himself shudder at the sheer agony of it, easily cutting through both his shirt and skin. Bi-Han's head was on his shoulder, a dark laugh filling Kuai's ears as the sickle was dragged across a third time. Kuai hiccuped, felt hold tears streaming down his cheeks and the edges of his vision growing dark as it became harder and harder to breathe and...

In one last desperate attempt to stay alive, he reached his hand for Bi-Han's face, trying to use his fingernails to scratch out his brothers eyes.

It worked. Bi-han hissed and pulled away, releasing his brother from his hold, and Kuai tumbled forward onto the floor, just stopping his face from slamming into the ground with his hands. Kuai pushed himself onto his back, taking in as much air as he possibly could as he looked down at the three deep cuts to his chest. They'd need stitches, that much was for certain.

“Why?” he asked, trying to ignore the way his voice trembled. He looked towards his brother, who was once more slowly ambling towards him, his intent to kill Kuai clear in his eyes. “Why are you doing this?”

Bi-Han just laughed.

Whoever this man was, he was no longer the brother Kuai remembered. He was just some monster wearing his face.

There was a loud sob, but it wasn't from Kuai. He felt his face drop. He had completely forgotten about Cassie hiding the the closet.

And now Bi-Han was staring at the closet, that malicious gaze now set in Cassie's direction, as he turned away from his younger brother, and started towards it.

Kuai didn't give any time for thought before he was on his feet and running towards his brother. He jumped, landing on Bi-Han's back, arms wrapped around his brothers neck. Bi-Han tried to buck his brother off him, giving a frustrated snarl before he started to try and cut Kuai's arms with the sickle. Kuai wrapped his legs around his brothers waist, clinging for dear life as he desperately tried to prevent Bi-Han from getting to Cassie. Even as he felt pain and blood trickling from deep open wounds of his arms, he refused to let go.

Bi-Han stepped backwards away from the closet, doing everything in his power to try and throw Kuai off him. Then Kuai just couldn't hold on any longer, and to his dismay his arms came loose and he fell to the floor. He looked up, unsure of his location in the room now and trying to get his bearings. Bi-Han was now in front of the window, turning around, the scowl on his face telling Kuai he was growing tired of the resistance. Kuai blinked, the window might be his chance to end this.

He jumped up, ignoring the pain that flared in both his chest and arms, throwing himself back against the wall. Bi-Han looked at him, clearly confused about what Kuai was about to attempt to do.

He looked even more confused when Kuai started running at him.

Kuai ran with his shoulder forward, trying desperately to remember what he'd be taught about tackling when they did football in gym class. He suddenly wished he'd paid more attention. It didn't matter that much when he finally rammed into Bi-Han, with more force than he thought he'd ever be capable of, driving Bi-Han backwards, into the window.

There was the sound of cracking, as the window shattered from the impact, and the last thing Kuai saw from Bi-Han before he went tumbling out, was the look of sheer awe on his face.

And then Bi-Han was falling.

Everything went in slow motion as Kuai just about managed to grab the windowsill and stop himself from plunging after his brother. Kuai couldn't look away, as as Bi-Han descended that inhumane smile was over his face once more, looking up at Kuai as if he were proud of what his brother had just accomplished.

The crack of Bi-Han's neck snapping as he hit the tile patio below was sickening.

The only sound after was the screech of sirens closing in.

Kuai stared at his brother's lifeless body for a few more seconds, before stumbling away and letting himself slowly fall to the floor.

He'd killed Bi-Han. He'd killed his brother. He couldn't stop the sob as the reality of what he'd just done set in. The rational part of his mind tried to reassure him that he'd done what he had to. If he hadn't, Bi-Han would have killed him. It tried to tell him, he'd had to do it, to keep Cassie safe.

“Cassandra!” He suddenly gasped, remembering his charge, still curled up safe in the closet. He was sprawled across the floor, he heard the front door being knocked in, and he turned to the closet. “Cass? Are you okay?”

A few seconds of silence, and the closet door opened slightly. He could just about make out one of Cassie's terrified blue eyes peaking out. “I-Is he gone?”

“Yeah,” Kuai assured her, glancing at the broken window. “Yeah he's gone.”

Cassie threw the closet door open and she ran to Kuai throwing her arms around his neck and burring her face in his shoulder. Despite not wanting to get blood all over her, he still wrapped his bleeding arms to hug her in an attempt at comforting her.

“W-Was that- that the bogeyman?” Cassie questioned through her sniffles.

“Yeah,” Kuai said softly, listening to the sound of footsteps approaching the room, “I think it was.”

Two police men were at the door, aiming their firearms in the direction of Kuai and Cassie. Kuai held his arms up to show he was unarmed and injured, and the men aimed the guns are the floor.

“Where's the assailant?” The one officer asked, while Kuai used the frame of Cassie's bed to lift himself off the floor. He still had her in his arms though, she seemed unwilling to let go of him as she sobbed into his shirt.

“I- I...” Kuai hadn't realised how exhausted he now was, adrenaline finally running out and feeling dizzy from blood loss. “I... Pushed him out the window.”

Kuai turned again to look to the broken window, taking the few steps needed to be by it again. He looked down. His stomach dropped.

Bi-Han's body was gone.

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