Chapter Twenty

                                    

                                          
"Ms. Nelson?"
                          
Karen's head shot up to the sound of her name and she nodded softly, the warm coffee cup in her hand trembled. The Doctor approached her through a crowded room, she had been sitting in the emergency room waiting room for nearly three hours now. Outside the storm had settled back in and the rain was pouring again. Red and blue flashing lights gave the waiting room a glow from the parked police cruiser and ambulances that were always coming and going.
                          
"I'm Katelyn, I'm a social worker here at the hospital" she said softly as she sat down beside Karen. "How are you doing?"
                          
"I'm- I'm okay? I don't know" Karen replied honestly. "How is my mother?"
                          
"Can we talk somewhere more private?" She asked as she stood up and gestured for her to follow, which she did. They walked across the waiting room and stepped just down into a hallway. 
                          
"Is she okay?"
                          
Katelyn gave Karen a look of uncertainty as she looked back over her shoulder and then back at Karen.
                          
"When she went in for emergency surgery, the Doctors didn't know the full extent of her injuries" she began explaining. "During the surgery Laurie suffered from extreme blood loss due to internal injuries that we didn't know of. We tried patching her up and repairing the damages but unfortunately during the surgery I'm sorry to say that she passed away".
                          
Karen went to speak. "W-what?"
                          
"She wasn't in any pain", Katelyn informed Karen. "I think your mother was ready to go. She didn't fight to keep on going. I think she accepted it and moved on". Karen's eyes fluttered as tears rolled down her cheeks, she lowered her head and held back a sob. Katelyn reached out and rugged her arm supportively. "It's hard losing loved ones, I know. But life slowly moves on and it gets easier day by day".
                          
"You know, she fought for forty-one years. She pushed herself to keep going and I know there were times where'd she shut down and almost give up but then she'd find a way to keep going" Karen said. She wiped a tear from her face. "Can I go see her?"
                          
Katelyn nodded. "Yes, I'll have some escort you down to our morgue. I'm sorry again, Ms. Nelson".
                          
"Oh, I should tell my daughter" Karen said.
                          
"I've been instructed to go and see her myself while you have a moment. I'll let her know where you are" she said before walking off.
                          
Karen stood still, she didn't look around. She just kept looking at the floor as she processed where her night had gone. Downstairs in a cold dark room was her mothers lifeless body, and down there locked in a freezer was Michael Myers who had been announced as dead upon arrival. Karen made sure to see them check his pulse and confirm he was dead. She demanded that he be incinerated. Brackett had to hold her back as he was taken down to the morgue.
                          
She was soon escorted down. The man opened the door and stayed outside so she could have a few moments. Karen walked into the darkness of the room before the light above her turned on, it must have been triggered by movement. She approached the first metal bench where a body was covered by a sheet. A tag was around their toe, she slowly approached and reached out and grabbed the small tag and turned it over so she could see the last name. 
                          
She looked at it and read it out loud. "Strode".
                          
Karen looked over the body then walked around and pulled the sheet down slightly to reveal Laurie. She looked so peaceful laying there, not a care in the world as nothing mattered anymore and in that moment Karen began to cry louder as she balled her fists and caught a handful of fabric in her palms as she let out a pained cry.
                          
She opened her eyes, the tears obstructing her view as she tried to regain herself but she couldn't. Her hands slid down her to her pants to wipe the tears away and that's when she felt the familiar shape of the gun that was resting in her belt. She moved her hands away quickly in surprise. She had carried a loaded weapon into a hospital, she had grabbed it from the house.
                          
Behind her beneath a white sheet, a figure sat up silently. The sheet slid down their body to reveal The Shape who turned his head and looked at Karen who was crying loudly. He slid off the table and stood up and kept his eyes locked onto her. The front of his coveralls were coated in blood, the bullet and axe holes were large. He looked around and then moved towards her and she lifted her head, reached down and grabbed the gun and then spun around and aimed it up at him.
                          
"Goodbye, Michael".
                          
Karen pulled the trigger and back the mask exploded outwards as the bullet past through between his eyes. Blood sprayed out from the mask as he dropped to the floor with a heavy thud as blood pooled out around his body as he went motionless. Karen continued to hold the weapon up with smoke lifting from the barrel. She dropped it and turned back to Laurie and sighed.
                          
She squeezed her mothers hand. "It's over. I got him" Karen began speaking softly as she heard footsteps approaching. "We won".
                          
Allyson entered the room with a handful of others. She looked at her grandmother then at her mother and began to cry, Karen looked up at her daughter and then extended her arms out. Allyson moved into them quickly and was locked in a tight hug as they both began to cry. Allyson was in a state of shock. But she whispered something into her mothers ears, something surprising. Allyson then looked at her grandmother and grabbed onto her hand and began to cry loudly.
                          
"We won".