Warnings: Violence/Gore

He had been up since the beginning of dawn watching. He hadn't seen any signs of movement since the night before, but finally something gave. The man in the mask strode out of the house. He walked slowly towards the edge of the trees and disappeared within them.

He knew he had to be sure he was gone and wouldn't return any time soon. He didn't want to risk his plan being foiled. A few hours had passed before he decided the masked man wouldn't be returning any time soon. His chance was now.

"It's time for you and I to spend a little quality time together, (y/n)," he said as he checked his pistol's chamber one last time.

Her eyes were just beginning to open. Her hand went for the spot where his had been, but couldn't find it. She looked to find he was gone. She let out a sigh and decided maybe she would just sleep until he returned, not thrilled with the idea of being in an empty house all day again. She heard the front door fall and felt a little excitement in her stomach. Maybe he hadn't left after all. She sat up and listened to the footsteps coming down the hallway and her excitement was slowly replaced with a sinking feeling. They weren't Michael's. She had grown accustomed to his gentle footfall, his slow pace and the sound his heavy boots made on the floor. These were unfamiliar and menacing.

She shot out of the bed and looked to Michael's usual spot on the floor but nothing was there. He had taken his knife. The footsteps drew closer. She frantically scanned the room for anything she could use to defend herself if needed. Her eyes fell upon a curtain rod leaning in a corner of the room. She ran to it and held in like a bat in her tight grasp. The intruder's familiar form made it's way into the door frame. Her stomach churned when a smile spread across his face.

"Daniel," she said through gritted teeth.

"Long time no see," he said, that smile still hanging about on his face.

"It hasn't been long enough," she replied.

The smile finally fell and was replaced with a hateful glare.

"No, no, no, I disagree," he started as he moved closer, she raised the curtain rod in defense and he held up his hands, "in fact, you've been out here breathing far too long. You didn't give my brother that same curtesy, did you?"

"He got what he deserved," she spat back, "you will too."

"That what you think? Are you gonna do it?" He teased, "Or, let me guess, lover boy with the mask is gonna come save you."

She didn't gratify that with a response, she only held the rod tighter.

"I don't think he is," he said in a dark tone, "tell me something. You didn't have the guts to kill him, did you? You got your knight in shining armor to do your dirty work."

"I may not have killed him, but I sure did love watching him die," she said with a taunting grin.

"You bitch," he sneered.

She chuckled, "It's funny, he said the same thing before he died."

He lunged at her and she swung the rod as hard as she could. He toppled over but quickly managed to grab hold of her foot. She fell onto the wood and it knocked the breath out of her. He pulled her far enough away from the rod, but she swung her arm back to punch him. He pulled his gun and held it to her head. She glared up at him hatefully.

"Do it," she said calmly.

He pushed it harder against her head and laughed, "You think you're getting out of this that easily?"

He stood up, gun still aimed right at her, "No, I don't think so. You're gonna beg for me to kill you, (y/n)."

"Try me."

He reached forward and grabbed a handful of her hair. He pulled her up by it and forced her head back with the gun against her jaw. He let it drag down her neck and down to her chest, he used it to pull her shirt down. She pulled back, but couldn't get out of his grasp. He chuckled.

"Still keeping up the good girl act, are we," he said in a husky voice that made her skin crawl.

He forced his lips against her ear and she closed her eyes in disgust, "We both know you're just a little whore."

Her knee shot up and got him just above where she wanted to, but it was enough to get him off of her at least for a moment.

"You're just digging you're grave deeper," he sneered before he backhanded her with as much force as he could manage.

She fell back, wincing as her fingers felt the blood coming from the side of her mouth. Her hatred was bubbling over at the thought that she wouldn't be able to overpower him. She closed her eyes when she heard the sound of him undoing his belt. Her heart dropped.

"Now, why don't you give me a little taste of what you've been doing for that masked freak to keep you around," he tossed the belt to the side and began to undo his jeans, "what was his name again?"

She opened her eyes and smiled. He already seemed so small in comparison to her 'lover boy' standing behind him.

"Michael."

He chuckled, "Well, you won't be screaming his name anymore after I'm done with y-"

His sickening words were cut short by the blade in his back. She cherished his pained expression as Michael lifted his stunned body into the air. With one hand, he pushed him off his blade and allowed him to fall to the floor in front of her. Somehow, he was still alive, but barely. She tried to stop him as he grabbed the gun he'd dropped and aimed it at Michael.

"No!" She cried as she watched him unload his pistol into Michael's chest.

He stumbled backwards through the door frame and his body fell. She ran to him and her tears fell like rain onto the blue cloth of his coveralls.
She tried to shake him back to life, but it was no use. He was still. Her heart had never ached so badly, but her mourning was interrupted.

She heard Daniel pulling the trigger of the empty pistol he had aimed at her, as if he was imagining her death before his overtook him. She took Michael's knife out of his hand and stood up. He continued pulling the trigger as she stood over him.

"I think I'll make you beg now," she said.

She grabbed the pistol from him and stuck it in the back of her jeans. He was truly defenseless. The fear that was building up in his eyes was fueling her. It was like she had a second chance to complete the mission she had previously had. She felt invincible. She pressed her foot firmly down on his shin and the crunch it made filled the silent house along with his screams. He looked down in horror and then back up at her. She wasn't even sure how she had done it. She smiled back before she pressed down further. The sound of bones breaking beneath her was almost addicting. His life ending only added to her growing strength. He let his head fall back with a thud and she allowed him a moment while she decided what she would do next. He weakly lifted his head back up and the fear filled his eyes once again. It was more than before this time and he wasn't looking at her. She turned to see Michael had stood back up. He was alive. She was in complete shock.

He walked past her and grabbed the man's throat and lifted him off the ground. He held him up high as he squeezed tighter and tighter. The man clawed at his grip but it was no use. His kicking and fighting began to slow as he started to give in. To truly finish him off, Michael lowered him back down so the man could see him. He tilted his head, then swiftly turned the man's jaw and snapped his neck. The crack echoed off the walls.

Then silence. She backed herself out of the room and against the wall of the hallway. Her mind was racing as she watched him stand over yet another kill that should have been hers. On top of that, he had been shot six times. She saw him die. She glanced over his chest to see that he had indeed been shot and she hadn't imagined it. But there they were. Six bullet holes clear as day in his clothes. She was too stunned to do anything but sit there and stare.

Michael grabbed the man's limp arms and dragged him down the hallway and out into the night. As he walked, he was having an internal war. He cursed himself for ever having left her in the first place. Had he been here, the body he was dragging wouldn't have made it into the house. He knew it had awakened that need in her again. He saw it firsthand this time. The way she fed off his death. She was changing or maybe that darkness in her had always been there, it was just overlooked. It made him want to kill the man over again for revealing that part of her.

He found a small dip in the ground and decided he would leave him there. When he kicked him in, something fell out the man's pocket. It was a piece of paper. Michael picked it up and read over the article carefully. It was about her, about the murder. It was like the monster was determined to torture her from the grave. Or maybe he was torturing Michael. If she wasn't already becoming more like him, this would seal her fate. He decided he couldn't let her see this, it would only worsen things. He laid it down near the body, but covered it up with some dirt just in case.

He didn't want to look at the man's face any longer, nor did he want to think of her any differently. It was done. She was safe. For now.