The rest of the day passed slowly, in silence. The three still assimilated that they were once again in danger, threatened by this new Ghostface.

Sam was still at the crossroads without telling Sidney, although Gale has probably already taken care of that. It seemed strange to her that she did not get any sign of life from both of them, even thinking that something could have happened to them.

She was lying in bed, checking her phone on Stab's forums, full of photos from the film.

She checked the photo of the cut skin over and over again. Was it that the killer would cut Tara with each passing day, making her suffer? Would she suffer more kinds of torture? How did he manage to make her suffer? With what?

A sea of questions swirled in her head. She was worried and at the same time, curious about what such a murderer could be capable of.

In the same way, she thought about what could be the motive for his actions. What does he gain by kidnapping Tara?

She had on her cell phone screen the number from which Ghostface called. And she dialed that phone. The operator indicated that this number was non-existent. There she understood that it was a disposable phone. She cursed under her breath. She needed more clues about the reason for Ghostface.

She then returned to the Stab forum and decided to start a chat with that user GhostMaster96.

I know it's you. Tell me what you want.

She had no immediate response. Desperation was pushing her to her limit. She turned her head to see Mindy sleeping hunched over in Tara's bed hugging her favorite stuffed animal. Sam smiled. Before falling asleep, Mindy had cried herself to sleep saying that the bed smelled like her friend and that she missed her.

She went to the bathroom and from the sink drawer she took one of her little orange bottles. She went through the labels one by one looking for the right one. She stopped when she found one of the jars with her sister's name written on it. It was empty.

She did not know until that moment that Tara was also going to the psychiatrist and was being medicated. Most alarmingly, she had been prescribed the same pills that her doctor had made for her.

Then a notification was heard from the cell phone. With the empty jar in hand, she returned to her bed to see the notification.

Indeed, GhostMaster96 had responded.

Hello, Sam.

It's ingenious that you have found me here. I recommend you not to tell the police about my whereabouts because they won't be able to find me. Besides, for your dear sister's well-being, you don't want to do that, do you?

How disgusted she was to read that. Even so, she finally had communication with the psychopath.

What do you want to negotiate? Do you want me? Tell me where and when. I just want you to free Tara.

How noble you are Sam, for a vile murderer.

Exchanging one life for another is quite interesting. However, your life doesn't interest me. I want another life in exchange for Tara's.

What?

I want you to seal your fate.

I want you to kill Sidney Prescott....

Sam didn't believe what he was asking her. It was obvious that he longed for something, but not that he wanted Sidney's life.

And take away your fun? That's weird about you. Do it for yourself, or are you afraid to face it?

Thank you for caring about me, Sam. I knew you would adore me at a certain point. I'm a part of you anyway.

I'd shoot myself in the temple first before I would adore you.

I want you to record every moment when you go to kill Sidney. You must pass me the video. Oh, and to make it more memorable I want you to lure her to Woodsboro. You know to remember the old days...

Don't you also want a cup of tea and biscuits?

I take one after every torture session I've done on Tara.

Damn son of a bitch.

The clock is ticking, Sam. For you and for Tara. So go making your plan.

One last trivia question before I go: How many killers have worn the mask in the Stab saga to date?

Why that question?

After that, Ghostface stopped responding to his messages.

The answer was 12. Twelve people have worn the mask since the beginning of the Stab saga. What did it mean?

Killing Sidney Prescott... Was it the only way to save Tara's life?

Then she connected the previous answer. Time. Twelve murderers. She had twelve days to kill Sidney. And if she didn't, what would happen next?

Sam closed her eyes thinking about Tara's well-being. She must have been terrified and suffering, probably beaten and cut, in a dark room. She felt it in her bones.

"I told you the killer would be cunning and different," her father's voice could be heard in front of her between the darkness.

Sam was looking for the origin of the voice and couldn't find it.

"You would also like me to put an end to what you could not do. Isn't it?

On the glass of her bedroom window, her father's reflection was smiling. He was wearing his clothing when he died: his white T-shirt bathed in blood. His teeth were red as were his hands. His eyes were utterly insane.

"Only then would you save Tara, remember?"

Sam swallowed the lump in her throat. She stared into her father's eyes.

"I won't become someone like you...

Billy laughed heartily. His terrifying laugh made Sam's hair stand on end.

"Really, Sam? So what is it that little treasure you hide in that basket? " He said, pointing to his half-open closet.

Sam got up with the slightest noise, crawling into the closet. She opened both doors and found a wicker basket where she kept certain old T-shirts that she used to sleep or walk around the house. She opened it and found something she didn't remember having there: her father's Ghostface mask.

"I'm proud that you're my daughter...

Billy's words faded as the lights suddenly came on. Mindy was perplexed to find Sam with the mask in her hands.

"Sam! Where did that come from?

"I swear to you, Mindy. "I have no idea," Sam said, nervously, shaking like a leaf. "I don't know what's going on. I don't know what's real or not anymore. I swear that when we finished with the Kirschs I threw this mask there in front of the theater. I didn't want to know anything about it".

Sam stood up extending both hands trying to calm Mindy, who was assimilating the situation.

"I had on my list that you might have gone crazy after your trauma, but I didn't think you were capable of mounting all this".

"Mindy, you're jumping to conclusions!" Sam declared, tossing the mask aside. "I didn't kidnap Tara or anything. I don't know why this mask is in my room!"

"Did it magically appear?" Mindy said sarcastically.

Chad walked through the door in alarm, hammer in hand.

"What the hell is going on?!"

"Sam has had her father's mask in her closet all the time".

Sam, before starting explanations now also to Chad, saw a silhouette and recognized Ghostface behind her friend.

"Chad, watch out!"

It was too late. Ghostface slashed him with his knife all over Chad's back, sending him to the ground to writhe in pain. Chad let go of the hammer and it fell crashing to the ground. Ghostface crouched down with the intention of finishing him off with another stab, but Mindy pounced on him with a punch, causing him to retreat and fall behind the sofa. As he rejoined, Mindy and Sam dragged the injured man by the shoulders toward the exit.

Ghostface was even faster and threatened to stab Sam, separating her from the siblings. Sam crawled backwards across the floor, facing Ghostface who was fiddling with his knife, making it spin with a flick of his left wrist.

She thought he would attack her, but she ran up to Chad and Mindy and buried his knife in the girl's thigh making her squeal in pain. Chad tried to kick the intruder, missing. From behind, Sam tried to hit him with the hammer he had managed to pick up from the ground, earning a hit with the handle of the knife in her face.

Ghostface activated his voice modulator and lunged at Sam, the tip of the knife over the center of her forehead, only to be stopped by the girl's arm.

"I see you're going back to your roots, Sam...

Sam struggled against the strength of the psychopath who with both hands tried to stick the knife in her forehead.

"You would like to!"

"You're so dumb that you didn't realize that mask isn't your father's ." The Ghostface from his robe pulled out the real mask. "Do you recognize this one? It's the real mask.

In one swift motion he changed position, and the knife was now pressing down on her neck.

"Put it on." I want to see the original Ghostface...

A shot that crashed into the modular stopped him. Out of fright, the knife cut deep into Sam's cheek causing her to groan in pain.

On the other side of the room, Mindy fearfully held Sam's gun and pulled the trigger again.

Ghostface tried to escape, only to be surprised by a Chad who hugged his legs causing him to fall forcefully to the ground.

He shuddered to get out of his grip, but Sam snatched the gun from Mindy and went straight to hit the Ghostface and then pointed his gun at him.

"Stop moving. I promise I won't miss this shot," Sam said, blood streaming down her cheek.

Ghostface was still writhing in pain from the hit. You could hear the moan from under the mask. Chad was the one who stood up to unmask the killer and was surprised to see that it was a guy they did not know. Blood gushed from his nose, the product of punch, and he raised his hands in defeat.

"Please, stop. You've got me. I'm done. But please don't kill me.

Sam, Chad, and Mindy looked at each other, confused. They did not understand how a complete stranger had managed to find their apartment and wanted to hurt them.

"How did you find my house?" Sam asked, keeping her grip firmly on her gun. "What do you want with us? Where is my sister?"

The guy laughed like a psychotic and his teeth were stained red.

"The coordinates of this place are all over the internet. It was easy to find the place," said the young man. "I wanted to fulfill the challenge put on the Stab forum by Bloodivore99, to cause you as much damage as possible. Did you like my joke with the mask? Although I didn't expect you to already have another..."

"Did you put that mask in my closet?"

"No. I only stole your father's from the police station. I'm lucky that my uncle works there".

Mindy was calling Kirby to tell her what had happened. She had previously called an ambulance.

Chad, on the other hand, out of fury, punched the boy and blew out two of his teeth.

"What did you do to Tara?!"

"Me?! Nothing!" The guy whimpered, imploring him not to repeat the blow. "I didn't know that one of you had been kidnapped!"

"You're lying," Sam declared, cocking the gun and pointing the barrel at the boy's head.

"I swear!" he begged. "I was only looking to hurt you psychologically and something physical. I didn't kidnap anyone".

"I don't believe you".

"Sam! Kirby comes right away to arrest this idiot".

She ignored it and continued to point at the boy's head and her finger rested on the trigger. He continued to implore that to not kill him. Sam at the last second, deflected the gun a little, detonating it very close to his right ear causing him to scream in fear and pain.

"Killing you would be the easiest thing. You're just a little kid with nothing better to do. A good lesson is what you need".

That boy would probably be deaf on one side by Sam's action. Chad and Mindy watched as the boy cried when he couldn't hear on that side. Sam simply enjoyed the scene.

Kirby arrived with an entourage of police officers and ambulances. They all went down to the ambulances to be treated. Sam and Chad only needed a few bandages, no sewing. Not so the case of Mindy who did need to be transferred to the hospital.

Sam was left alone because Chad chose to accompany his sister.

The police viewed her with suspicion. She returned the murderous look that characterized her.

Three police officers were handcuffing the boy towards the patrol car. Kirby was in line checking his iPad. The boy tried to avoid seeing Sam who was following him with her eyes, only to be interrupted by Kirby who brought her the latest news of the case.

"Hubert O'Neill," she narrated the boy's profile from her iPad. "Sixteen. Bad grades, aggressive behavior. He has been expelled from two different schools. A real problem child".

"But... who influenced him to come and attack us?"

"Probably those stupid Stab forums".

"Kirby, it's all connected. That idiot said my address is scattered on the internet. Someone is inciting Stab's psychopathic fans to come and attack us".

"There's probably a competition of who kills you first. Or I don't know. It's terrifying and twisted".

"I feel like the same person who is pushing this is behind Tara's disappearance".

Kirby raised an eyebrow at Sam's hunch.

"How can you be sure?"

"I know the mind of a murderer," Sam lied. She couldn't trust the secret to anyone, least of all Kirby. She already knew the power of that Ghostface, she couldn't imagine what else he could be capable of.

"In other news. The blood found in the morning is Tara's. Now the search protocol is activated throughout the country. Also, we went to your mother's house, Sam"...

That immediately caught the girl's attention.

"Where's my mother Kirby?!"

Kirby sighed as she lit a cigarette. She laughed a little before giving her the answer.

"Your mother was safe and sound at home, Sam," she took a puff and blew the smoke upwards. "She told us that her phone and wallet had been stolen a week ago.

"What?" Everything was getting more and more confusing.

"The murderer is no idiot. He left no trace. We only found your mother's footprints".

"And did you find anything in the theater?"

"We only found an old extension. I suspect the killer called from there, but the voice you heard came from another source, probably a video call on a computer," Kirby sighed listlessly. "We can't find anything that can place Tara in the theater. It's somewhere else".

"Don't you think it's something far-fetched?"

"Yes, and at the same time it is brilliant. This Ghostface is trying to mislead us".

Immediately there was the bustle of footsteps approaching. The screech of tires was heard, and Gale Weathers and her cameramen were seen getting out of the TV van.

"You guys really know things quickly," Kirby teased Gale, already recovered from Ghostface's stabbings in the past.

"I know this case well and, I must say, I'm starting to get tired," said the journalist, adjusting her hair before the camera was activated.

Sam as soon as the media arrived, she immediately walked away. Many reporters began to chase her, and she ignored them. Gale's gaze was fixed on the back of her neck.

Her phone vibrated only once. A text message had arrived.

Her mouth became bitter when she saw who it was.

"I urgently need to talk to you" Sidney Prescott.