The dawn bathed the cabin in a golden glow, the light filtering through the tattered curtains and caressing the naked bodies of Julie and Helen, still asleep in the rumpled bed. Cassian, already dressed in his black shirt and polished boots, adjusted his bag on the floor, the crucifix gleaming on his chest as he gathered his dagger and pistol. He paused for a moment, observing the two girls: Julie, with her dark hair sprawled across the pillow, and Helen, her pale skin contrasting with the crumpled sheets. He thought about the night before, not just the frenzy of their bodies, but how they had faced the fisherman. They had pieced together clues under pressure, survived the terror. Perhaps they could be useful, save him time on the cases that awaited him, like the one in Haddonfield that Daniel had been urging him about.
As the sun climbed higher, Julie and Helen began to stir, their eyes opening slowly. Helen sat up first, covering herself with the sheet, her voice hoarse from sleep.
"Good morning, Cassian. Are you leaving already? I thought maybe… I don't know, you'd stay a little longer after last night."
Julie sat up beside her, rubbing her eyes, her tone softer but curious.
"Yeah, where are you going now? You saved us, and then… well, what happened last night. I don't want you to just disappear."
Cassian looked at them, his face calm as he set his bag down on a chair and sat on the edge of the bed, his deep voice filling the silence.
"I was planning to leave, yes. I have a case in Haddonfield; North Carolina brought me here for another reason, but the work doesn't wait. However, I've been thinking. You two are good with clues; I saw it while we were hunting the fisherman. You have instinct, courage. You could help me with what I do, save me time on the cases ahead. I want you to join me."
Helen blinked, surprised, clutching the sheet to her chest.
"Join you? Are you serious? I don't know what you do exactly, Cassian. You saved us, fought like some kind of ninja, but what are you? A detective? A killer hunter? I don't understand."
Julie nodded, her gaze fixed on him, a mix of awe and caution.
"Yeah, tell us. We don't know who you really are. What would we do with you? Hunt more guys like that fisherman? Because honestly, it terrifies me just to think about it."
Cassian clasped his hands on his lap, his tone calm but firm, as if explaining an inevitable truth.
"I'm not a detective or a cop. I work for the Vatican, but not as an ordinary priest. I hunt what lurks in the shadows: killers, sometimes worse things, things that aren't always human. I've been trained since I was a child for this: to fight, track, survive. What happened with Willis was only part of it. There's more out there, and I don't always have time to investigate everything alone. You two could help me piece things together, find those who kill before they do it again. I'm not asking you to fight, just to think alongside me."
Helen stared at him, mouth agape, processing his words.
"The Vatican? Things that aren't human? That sounds… crazy, Cassian. But after what I saw last night, I believe you. You're strong, stronger than anyone I've ever known. I… I wanted to be an actress, you know, but after Barry, after all this, I don't think I can go back to that life. I failed at the parade, failed at everything. Maybe this is what I need, something real. I'll join you, if you'll have me."
Julie frowned, her voice trembling with doubt.
"Wait, Helen, are you sure? I don't know if I can. I'm in college, trying to build a life. I can't just drop everything to hunt killers with Cassian, no matter how much he saved me. It scares me; I'm not as brave as you."
Cassian looked at her with soft but determined eyes, leaning toward her.
"You don't have to decide now, Julie. College is important; focus on that. I'm not asking you to abandon your life, just to know there's a place for you if you want it. If something happens, if you feel that fear again, call me or Helen. You're not alone, never will be as long as I live. Helen and I will go to Haddonfield, but you keep following your path. We'll see each other when you're ready."
Julie took a deep breath, relieved but still uneasy.
"Thank you, Cassian. That means a lot. I don't know if I'll ever be ready for this, but knowing you're there… it gives me peace. Helen, take care of yourself with him, okay? Don't let anything happen to you."
Helen smiled, squeezing Julie's hand.
"I will, Jules. Cassian will take care of me, and I'll take care of him. This feels right, like I finally have a purpose. What's next, Cassian? What's in Haddonfield?"
Cassian stood, adjusting his bag with a slow movement.
"We're leaving now. There's a first-class flight waiting for us in an hour. On the way, I'll explain. Get up, gather your things."
Hours later, Cassian and Helen were seated in the spacious first-class seats of a plane headed to Haddonfield, Illinois. The cabin was quiet, the hum of the engine a constant backdrop as Cassian pulled out Daniel's dossier and opened it on the table between them. Helen, wearing a new jacket and her hair tied back, looked at him with curiosity.
"So, what's in Haddonfield?" she asked, her voice a mix of nerves and excitement. "Another crazy fisherman with a hook?"
Cassian shook his head, flipping through a page of the dossier filled with yellowed newspaper clippings.
"No, something different. Michael Myers. A killer who's been murdering for decades. He started in the sixties, killed his sister as a child with a kitchen knife. Since then, he's been killing—bodies stabbed, houses destroyed, entire families dead. The strange thing is how he does it. It's as if he teleports, appears where he shouldn't, with a strength that isn't normal. They've shot him, stabbed him, burned him, and he keeps coming back."
Helen furrowed her brow, leaning over the dossier.
"Teleportation? Superhuman strength? That sounds like a movie, Cassian. Are you sure he's not one of those non-human things you mentioned? Because a normal man doesn't do that."
Cassian closed the dossier, his gaze fixed on the window where clouds drifted by slowly.
"I'm not sure. I don't smell the supernatural in the reports; there's no sulfur or signs of possession. He might just be a man, but one broken in a way I don't yet understand. He's alive, locked up in Smith's Grove Sanitarium under heavy surveillance. But something tells me that could change soon. The killings stopped years ago, but the dossier says there's movement again. We're going to investigate, prepare."
Helen swallowed, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"And if he escapes? If we face him? I'm not like you, Cassian. I don't know how to fight like you did with Willis. What do I do if he attacks me?"
Cassian looked at her, his tone calm but filled with certainty.
"I won't let him touch you. You look for clues, read the terrain, give me what I need to hunt him. I fight; you think. We're a team, Helen. Trust me like you did last night, and we'll be fine."
Helen nodded, taking a deep breath as she leaned back in her seat.
"Okay, I trust you. This is insane, but I like it. I never thought my life would take this turn, from homecoming queen to… what? A killer hunter? Thank you for giving me this, Cassian."
Cassian gave a faint smile, almost imperceptible.
"Don't thank me yet. The work is just beginning. Rest now; Haddonfield won't be easy."
The plane soared through the sky, carrying them toward a town where the shadows of Michael Myers still lingered, and Cassian, with Helen by his side, prepared for whatever fate had in store.