EXILE,
ten

CALE MILLER LOOKED completely empty as he looked into Eden's eyes. Eden felt as if she could hear Cale's heart break into a million pieces. With a long frown, Cale fell onto the couch.

Eden raised her eyebrows, looking down at her older brother. "Uh, Cale, what happened?" Eden asked, shifting uncomfortably.

Cale tilted his chin upwards. He was still laying on his back, so when he looked at Eden, she was practically upside down. Cale just wanted to cry in his sister's arms. For hours. Maybe longer.

"She doesn't want to be with me," Cale informed Eden, sniffling quietly. "Quinn doesn't want to be with me." Cale admitted, letting out a choked out cry.

Eden frowned. "Why, Cale?"

"I told her I wanted to be serious. S—She told me that she couldn't do that with me." Cale stammered. "I don't know why. I don't even know what I did. I— I mean, I brought her flowers, her favorite candy, and old comedy movies." Cale whispered. "I did everything, Eden." He whispered. "Absolutely everything."

"Did she tell you why she doesn't want to be with you?" Eden asked her older brother, sincerely looking at him. "There has to be a reason."

Cale paused. "Well, I don't know. She was practically begging for me to get out of her room." Cale explained. "Then, I heard the shower turn on." The boy shook his head.

"Oh, Cale." Eden frowned, watching as Cale sat up. He shifted uncomfortably for a few seconds, before Eden threw her arms around Cale. "I'm so sorry." Eden whispered.

"It's fine, I don't really care."

"Mhm." Eden spoke. She knew that Cale was hurting. She knew that Cale really liked Quinn. Of course Cale was going to be heartbroken when Quinn kicked him out of her room due to another guy showering in her bathroom. "Still, I'm so sorry, Cale."

"It's fine, Eden. I'll get over it."

The trio's attention was directed towards Mindy. "Will you two just make out already?" Mindy teased, forming a gagging sound from the back of her throat.

"Mindy, that is so inappropriate, dude." Chad argued with his twin, resulting in both Eden and Cale letting out a laugh. "Eden, Cale, get over here!"

"Get it over with!"

Eden sent Anika a look, asking if it was okay to go towards Chad. Well, she told Anika with her facial expression.

"I'm okay, go ahead." Anika smiled, going back to her book. "Seriously, Edie."

Reluctantly, both Cale and Eden wandered towards where the other Woodsboro survivors were, besides Sam. "Now it's a party!" Chad smirked, patting Cale's back.

"Here you go." Sam softly spoke to Anika, setting pillows and blankets in front of the Kayoko girl. She softly smiled at Sam.

"Sam?" Mindy called out from the kitchen.

"Yep?" Sam asked, wandering into the kitchen.

Mindy sighed. "We do not have to stay here." She told Sam, watching as the Carpenter girl grabbed a beer from the fridge.

"Well, too bad. I insist. Safety and numbers." Sam shot back, smiling sarcastically at Mindy.

Suddenly, Chad's lips curled into a sly smirk. His eyes lit up, too. "This'll be so fun. A little slumber party with the Surviving Six!" Chad enthusiastically spoke, not noticing the way everybody's smiles dropped.

"Dude, did you just call us the Surviving Six?" Cale gaped, laughing at Chad.

Eden and Cale both shared a look. "He literally just gave us the worst nickname." Eden informed her older brother, looking up at him with a smile.

"Surviving Six?" Sam drawled, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Yeah." Chad replied, smiling at the group like a child.

"Did you just give us a nickname?" Tara asked Chad, fighting the urge to smile at his antics. The Carpenter girl raised her eyebrows as she waited for Chad to respond.

Chad looked down at her with interest. "I sure did." He informed Tara. "I mean, we've been through a lot together, and it's a pretty cool nickname." Chad explained.

"That's debatable." Sam shot back.

"It's extremely debatable." Tara added on, agreeing with her older sister's point.

Mindy looked at her twin brother, shaking her head. "You can't just give yourself a nickname, dingus." She reminded Chad, rolling her eyes.

"Of course I can, dingus, because I just did." Chad remarked, trying to sound somewhat sassy.

Then, the boy raised his hand, offering the group his hand for a high-five. "Surviving Six, up top!"

"No." Mindy shook her head.

"Down low," Chad offered a high-five to Tara.

"Get that away from me."

Chad directed his hand towards Sam. "Please, for the love of God." Chad tried, sending Sam a pathetic smile.

"Don't do it." Mindy demanded.

Sam let out a quiet laugh.

"Don't give in, Sam." Eden told Sam, lips curling upwards.

"Come on, Miller siblings!" Chad held up both of his hands, frantically trying to receive a high-five.

Cale pathetically laughed. "Man, you're a fucking idiot." He smirked.

"Nice one, Chad." Eden rolled her eyes.

Chad gaped at the group. "I would actually like a little more respect and support from my fellow members of the Surviving Six." Chad joked, earning quiet fits of laughter from most of the group.

Abruptly, Anika spoke up. "Guys. What the hell?"  She interrupted the conversation, turning up the TV.

The group quickly made their way to the living room, directing their attention towards the TV that was currently sputtering with many false accusations.

"We're hearing from sources inside the homicide division that the prime suspect is none other than Samantha Carpenter, one of the survivors of the Woodsboro killings in 2022, seen here attacking a woman on the street last night." The reporter declared.

Then, the TV showed a video of Sam trying to pounce at the woman who falsely accused her of being a murderer last night.

"In the wake of the Woodsboro tragedy last year, rumors sprouted online that Carpenter was actually responsible for the killings, blaming the killings on her boyfriend, Richie Kirsch and teen Amber Freem—"

Abruptly, Sam grasped the remote connected to the TV, and turned the TV off. Eden was still focused on the TV screen.

Even the mention of Richie and Amber's name made Eden sick to her stomach. It made her face pale as she thought about how people actually thought they were innocent. As if they hadn't killed anybody in Woodsboro. As if they both hadn't put Cale and Eden Miller through hell for three days.

Both Eden and Cale sat down beside Anika.

Anika softly smiled. "Hi, guys."

Cale softly smiled, but it quickly dissolved. "Heartbreak really fucking hurts, guys. I'm never rejecting a girl again, because if this is how they feel, then—" Cale shut himself up when Anika and Eden both glared at him. "I'm a proud feminist, now."

Eden let out a quiet laugh, along with Anika, who was grinning like a fool. "Okay, Cale." Eden rolled her eyes playfully, avoiding the pillow the Cale chucked at her head.

"Honestly, you two are probably the most interesting siblings that I've ever met." Anika smiled, laughing once both Cale and Eden started.

Cale smiled softly. "Thanks, Anika. But I think I'm more interesting than Eden—"

Eden rolled her eyes. "Oh, fuck off."

The trio went quiet, just before Cale shifted in his spot. "Hey, Anika. Has Mindy ever told you anything about Woodsboro?" Cale asked Anika.

"Bits and pieces, why?" Anika sat up slightly.

"Well, do you want to know anything? You know, about Woodsboro." Cale spoke, fiddling with his fingers. "I feel like I can trust you both with this,"

Both Eden and Anika nodded.

Cale let out a sigh. "Uh, I had a best friend. We did everything together. It was like we were each other's other half." Cale began, trying his hardest to stay calm. "He even helped me get my first girlfriend." Cale let out a laugh, noticing how Eden's lips curled upwards. "Then the attacks began. And all of a sudden, I didn't have a best friend."

Eden looked down at her shaking legs.

"I like to blame myself for Wes' death." Cale admitted. "He offered to hang out that day. Around the same time he was, uh, murdered." Cale shakily spoke. "But I was too busy. I pushed him away. I— I pushed away my best friend." Cale blinked away his tears. "His mother even texted me as she was driving to save her son. Told me to protect him. But I was—" Cale struggled to speak. "I was fucking sitting on my ass."

Cale shuddered. "I should've saved Wes. My best friend. I wish I did. Everything would've been different. I would still have my best friend." Cale whispered. "I miss my best friend. So much."

Eden sighed. "Well, since we're admitting things. I don't really have experience with.. men?" She admitted. "I was so in love with my girlfriend that I forgot about all the other boys in Woodsboro. But suddenly, I wasn't in love with Amber. She was just a ghost, haunting my present life. I always thought that I wouldn't be allowed to move on. It's like I couldn't move on from the girl I killed."

"Oh, guys." Anika frowned, wrapping her arms around Eden. "You two are the strongest people I've ever met."

The Kayoko girl then threw her arms around Cale, trying to calm the boy down. "It's okay, Cale. I bet Wes would be proud that you survived."

"Thank you, Anika." He whispered.

The wholesome moment was cut short when the sounds of grunts from Quinn's room began. At first, the trio didn't think anything of it, until the grunting became cries of pain. Cries coming from Quinn Bailey.

Those cries of help were enough to remind Cale of Wes. If he couldn't save Wes, he could still save Quinn. The girl he has been pining over. The girl he kissed just a day ago.

"Help!" Was the first scream. "Cale, please!" Were the next pleads. "Please!"

The group rushed towards the door, Cale being held back by both Chad and Eden. He was trying to break free from both Eden and Chad's grasp, but eventually gave up when Eden told him to stop. She knew he wanted to help. She knew that Cale would live with this guilt.

But she couldn't let him die.

So the group stood in silence, Eden reaching for Cale's hand frantically. Her breath hitched as she stared at the door. Behind that door was the devil. The devil himself. She would finally come face-to-face with that mask. The mask that haunted her dreams. And it would remind her of her past. The past she desperately wanted to forget about.

"Run," Mindy breathed out.

Then, the door swung open, Quinn's lifeless corpse falling on top of Anika's scrawny figure. She let out a piercing scream, loud and shaky. Quinn's slit throat, the amount of blood coming from her body, and her lifeless eyes were enough to set off Cale.

"Quinn!" He screamed, cradling her body in his arms. "No, no, no!" He cried out, sobbing loudly.

Eden wished she couldn't hear. She didn't want to hear the screams her older brother had let out. The screams he was still producing. It was last year, all over again. Just a new city. Just a new lifeless body.

"Oh, fuck!" Mindy shouted, groaning when the masked killer's sharp end of the knife dragged across her shoulder. A shade of maroon stained Mindy's clothes as she let out a groan.

Eden rushed towards Mindy, trying to apply pressure to Mindy's wound. She tried to help Mindy up, but ended up failing. Eden's right wrist was inches away from the killer's dark boot. If she even moved an inch, her wrist could be stepped on.

"Mindy!" Anika cried out. "Stay the fuck back!" Anika growled, trying to tackle the tall figure.

The killer lost their footing, resulting in the boot to their foot stepping onto Eden's wrist. The bone to Eden's wrist snapped, leading to a scream. Then, many other screams. Stray tears fell down her cheeks as she helplessly grasped her broken wrist. Many curse words also left her lips once she noticed the position Anika was in.

Anika's body was pressed against the wall, the killer's hand latched around her throat. The girl then let out a haunting scream once the blade connected with her lower abdomen. The killer tilted their head, watching as Anika struggled against their strong grasp. The screams that left her lips echoed throughout the apartment as the blade drove deeper into her flesh. Then, the blade was dragged upwards.

With widened eyes, Eden watched as her best friend struggled to put up a fight. She also watched Chad drag out Cale, along with Tara. Eden rushed to the kitchen, watching as Sam panicked.

No knives. Not a single one. It was as if they had just vanished. The girls were helpless. Absolutely helpless.

"Eden, look for something!" Sam ordered, raising her voice at the brunette.

Frantically, Eden reached for a bottle of beer, wrapping her free wrist around it. She rushed to the figure with the glass bottle, before connecting it with the back of the killer's head. A raspy grunt left their lips as they grasped the back of their head.

Eden Miller had come face-to-face with the devil, once again. This time, she needed to know who they were. She just had to. Who was behind the mask? Who decided to play with her trauma as if it were a game?

Sam grasped all of the girls, shoving them into Quinn's room. She quickly slammed the door on the killer's face, before swiftly locking it. Mindy and Anika were both on the bed, faces pale and groans leaving their lips.

Eden felt bile rise in her throat as she looked at the amount of blood the couple was losing. The burgundy color setting her off. Eden felt like she would pass out if she stared at the wounds any longer. Everything was reminding her of Woodsboro, at the moment.

The knocking on the door grew louder as Sam pressed her body weight against it, trying to hold back the masked killer. Mindy continued to let out painful groans, stopping once the banging ended.

Then, everything went silence. Almost as if they gave up. Almost as if they had just quit. Eden wished that was the case. She wished the loud knocks and bangs against the door had ended within seconds. But no, this one was persistent. They wanted somebody dead. Anybody.

"Mindy, bathroom door. Hurry!" Sam whispered, watching as Mindy rushed to the bathroom. "Eden, help her."

Eden wasn't focused on Sam. She was already rushing to Quinn's closet, looking for a cheap top to shred into tiny pieces. Once she found a shirt, she tore it in half, rushing towards Anika with the pieces. "Here, lift your arms." Eden whispered, whimpering in pain as she tried to move her wrist.

"Eden, I can't." Anika quietly spoke, heavily breathing.

"You can, Ani. I know it." Eden whispered, wrapping the piece of clothing around part of Anika's wound. Eden placed one finger to her lips when Anika let out a cry. "Quiet." She whispered, trying her hardest to tie the substitute for gauze.

Whimpers left both Eden and Anika's lips as Eden struggled to fix the item of clothing. As Eden finished tying it, Mindy let out a gasp.

"Oh, fuck! That guy's dead." Mindy gaped, screaming once the killer suddenly appeared at the door. Both Sam and Mindy tried to slam the door, but the strong figure was holding it back, trying their hardest to break in.

"Shit, shit, shit." Eden cursed.

Once both Mindy and Sam gave up on the door to the bathroom from the main room, they slammed the door from Quinn's room, immediately locking it. The killer struggled against the door, trying to break in. As the masked figure tried to throw themself against the door, both Mindy and Sam rushed to barricade the thin door with Quinn's furniture.

Quinn's dresser was propped against the door, making it harder for the figure to break in. It still wasn't enough to fully keep them out, but it was helping, slightly. Eden rushed to the door, pressing her body weight against the door with Mindy. The two college students tried their hardest to fight against the pressure, the dresser shaking every time the figure slammed their body against the door.

"Fuck," Mindy drawled, lips parted as she groaned.

Eden let out multiple curse words as she struggled to fight against the pressure. "Fuck." She moaned, chewing on her bottom lip as she bought the urge to cry. Whenever she applied the slightest pressure to her right wrist, she would fail and let out several cries. She was seconds away from giving up on the door.

"Hey!" A muffled voice spoke.

Sam rushed towards the window, looking into her hookup's eyes. Eden's eyes locked on Sam's silhouette, watching as the woman opened the window to the bedroom, and looked down.

"Shit."

"Don't worry, I got you." The man told Sam, rushing to get an object from his room. Of all objects, he grabbed a ladder. Long enough to reach Quinn's window.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Sam gasped.

"Do you have a better idea?" The man shot back.

"Fuck, no." Sam sighed, accepting the ladder.

Eden's eyes widened as she caught onto what Sam's hookup was suggesting. She shook her head rapidly as she rushed towards Sam. "Sam, no way—" Eden refused.

"Eden, go first!" Sam ordered.

"No, I can't. My fucking wrist is—"

"Eden, please!" Sam whisper-shouted, gritting her teen slightly. "Please, kid. You'll be okay." Sam assured Eden, softly looking into her eyes.

"Oh, fuck this." Eden seethed, whimpering as she slowly got onto the ladder.

Eden let out a loud sob as she applied pressure to her broken wrist. The girl was struggling as she tried her hardest not to look down. If she made one wrong move, her body would fall within seconds. Her head would smack against the concrete. She'd die.

"Fuck!" She winced as she moved slowly, crawling quickly. Eden tried her hardest to fight back her tears as she got closer to the other window. Eden let out many sobs once she reached the ladder, the man's arms wrapping around her body. She winced once she was pulled into his house. Slightly relieved, but terrified.

"Mindy, go!" Sam ordered.

"What? No!"

"Mindy!"

"Someone has to hold the door! I'll send Anika next. Go!" Mindy assured Sam, watching as the woman reluctantly climbed onto the ladder.

Immediately, Sam looked down.

"Sam, come on! Eyes on me, baby." Sam's boyfriend said, trying to give Sam more confidence.

"Oh, shit." Sam whispered to herself. "Oh, my God." She shakily sighed, slowly moving across the ladder. If the ladder moved slightly, Sam would stress out and pause.

"Sam, you can do it." Eden assured Sam.

"I got you, baby."

As the man told Sam sweet nothings, she slowly made it across the ladder, her body being placed into her hookup's apartment. Sam wrapped her arms around Eden, muttering nonsense into the girl's hair. "You're okay."

Eden sniffled as she watched Mindy and Anika share one last kiss. She watched as Mindy crawled onto the ladder, looking down as if it were just natural. Mindy widened her eyes once she looked at how high the ladder was, currently. Once she remembered Anika, she quickly made it across the ladder, wincing as she crawled towards the window.

When Mindy was lifted into the room, she immediately began to beg to her girlfriend to cross. "Anika, come on!" Mindy shouted, trying to stay calm.

"You can do this, Ani!" Eden tried, sobbing once she noticed how distraught Anika was.

Within a few seconds, the door had been broken down, and the masked killer was in the room. Anika was barely on the ladder when the door swung open. She was barely making it across. Every time she would move, she would immediately pause and cry out in pain.

"Oh, God!" Anika wailed. "I can't do it, I can't do it!" She sobbed, shaking her head frantically.

"No, I know you can, Ani! Come on!"

"Don't look down!"

"You can do it!"

Anxiously, Eden chewed on her bottom lip, noticing the figure standing behind Anika. Her hope immediately died when she looked into those eyes. Eden was staring at the devil. Right into his eyes. It felt horrifying when she looked at the old and beaten up mask. Everything felt like a nightmare once he placed his knife in the windowsill.

Everybody's faces dropped when they finally noticed the murderer standing in front of them. It was horrifying. He had full control of the ladder. He was in charge now. If he moved the ladder, Anika would fall. If he even touched the ladder, Anika's body would fall to the ground.

And that's what he wanted.

"What?" Anika gaped once she noticed the looks on everybody's faces.

"Anika, you have to go right now!" Mindy ordered, sobbing as she looked into her girlfriend's eyes.

Eden shook her head. "You can do it, Ani!"

"No, God, please, no!" Anika shook her head, sobbing loudly once she looked back.

"Anika, you got to move!" Sam frantically spoke.

Then, the killer lifted the ladder up, and down.

Anika screamed as she held onto the ladder, tightly, not bothering to move her body. It was as if she was paralyzed. Afraid. She's just a girl. A girl trying to survive. A girl who has a life to live.

And the person behind the mask is teasing her. It's like a game for them. This is fun for them to do. It's as if they're emotionless. Anika Kayoko has done nothing to them and they just want to kill her. Just because Anika got in their way.

"No, no, no!" Eden sobbed. "Take me instead, please!" She screamed as the ladder continued to shake. "Please, please!" She cried. "She—"

"You have to make it!" Mindy shouted loudly, drowning out Eden's voice.

"Baby, I don't want to die!" Anika sobbed, tears ricocheted off of her face quickly. Blood coated her face, hair, and all other parts of her body. "Eden, I don't want to lose you!" Anika wailed.

"It's okay, it's okay!" Eden tried to tell Anika.

But she was lying to herself. Eden was living a lie. It was all just a lie. She kept telling herself that it would be okay. But it wouldn't. Nothing was ever going to be okay.

"No, Anika!"

Sam quickly extended her arm, reaching for Anika's slippery hand. "Anika, give me your hand! I got you." Sam frantically yelled at Anika, trying to help the girl across.

"You're doing so good!" Eden tried.

As the others tried to encourage Anika, the shaking of the ladder got more aggressive. The teasing continued. It was like it was becoming more and more fun for them. It was as if the screams of Anika Kayoko was motivating them to shake the ladder harder. They would be happy if Anika fell.

And their dream came true. One last shake was all it took. Anika's body descended off of the metal ladder, her arms frantically waving around in the air. Her screams were echoing throughout Eden's ears as Anika plummeted to the ground. With a bang, the side of her face met with the dumpster in the alleyway.

The screams stopped. The world went quiet. Everything was ruined. Even though Anika's suffering had ended, Eden and Mindy's had just began. The two girls let out piercing screams as they looked at Anika's lifeless corpse. The side of her face was just flesh, blood, and torn off skin. The sight of Anika Kayoko's body was enough to set off Eden.

Then, it hits Eden. She'll never get to smile at Anika anymore. She'll never get to get ice cream with the girl again. Won't be able to laugh with her about stupid stuff. They won't be able to bond over idiotic stuff. They'll never be able to mock Cale again.

Eden Miller has lost her last bit of sanity.

notes. this is by far the longest chapter of exile so far. 4050 words (besides this writing). also, this was just painful. my poor girls.

anyways, who wants to join the ethan landry hate club with me? we do not support exile ethan landry in this book ‼️

anyways, i hope you guys enjoy these two chapters!