Sam left the site after that. She decided not to take any taxis, walking through the desolate streets of New York as the afternoon turned to night. Her mind was foggy, she had a hard time focusing on her current concern: finding Tara alive.

Her sister was not going to be allowed to die.

"I told you this Ghostface is pretty cunning," Billy Loomis' voice rang out inside her head.

Sam stopped her walk to find Billy next to her, his clothes covered in blood as usual. She sighed defeated; she had forgotten to take the pills that day.

"You didn't plan on taking them either," Billy said, reading her thoughts. "You don't want to hold me back. And even less now that you need my twisted mind to understand Tara's captor.

Sam ignored him and continued her way. Billy followed closely, cracking a cynical smile.

"That's true," Billy said alone. "YOU also have a twisted mind, but you need more ideas. That's why you're looking for me.

Sam shook her head trying to get Billy to shut up.

"You don't let me focus on what's important.

"Saving Tara?" Or plan how to do it." Billy smiled dangerously when he knew what that meant?

Sam stopped again, looking defiantly at Billy.

"I will not indulge your dark desires. I won't kill anyone this time".

Billy crossed his arms raising an eyebrow.

"Even you yourself admit that this is not true. I read your mind Sam and the thought I see the most is the way you plan to stab the psychopath who destabilized your life in the moment. Just like you did with Richie and his father, Detective Kirsch; not forgetting the shooting of Quinn." Billy looked at his daughter proudly. That was a delight.

Sam meant that, but her father was telling the truth. Although she longed to find Tara, she fantasized about killing someone, and she had that idea focused on her sister's captors.

"I don't want to become someone like you," Sam uttered her words tired and defeated, on the verge of collapse.

Billy noticed Sam slowly crumbling and cradled her face with his hands.

"Sam... You're becoming an improved version of me," he said, arranging Sam's hair. "You do what you do for others, even if it's murdering or skinning someone. You do it for those you love, your family and friends. That's something I couldn't do at the time. I was so blinded by anger and madness that I gave no purpose to my actions. You do it. Stop condemning yourself for it".

"Thank you, Billy. I guess..."

He sighed, placing a kiss on Sam's forehead. She, for her part, saw behind her father's shoulder a well-known figure walking away through the alleys, with a plastic bag in one hand.

"Wait a second, Danny?"

Billy, noticing Sam's change in attitude, whispered one last thing in her ear.

"Do what you think is right, Sam. Stop blaming yourself for your actions.

Sam and Billy looked at each other one last time without uttering another word. She just nodded her head and began to follow Danny who had disappeared into the recent darkness of the night.

Billy was left standing at the end of the street, eager to know how his daughter will evolve in the new tragedy that enveloped her.

Sam ran following Danny, through the tangled damp and smelly alleys. When she had gotten close enough, she slowed down and followed stealthily after him. He came to an alley and turned to the right. Sam waited a little hidden in the darkness. That street was of greater traffic and luminosity, so she took a prudent distance from him.

"What was Danny doing?" The idea of distrusting everyone was swirling in his mind. She knew he could be in a regular outing to buy or something similar. But she wanted to make sure he could cross him off the list of possible suspects.

The illuminated street was filled with the traffic of people leaving their jobs. The number of passers-by around her also increased. Danny occasionally peered back and sideways, causing Sam to hide behind an unsuspecting pedestrian.

Danny continued and walked down the stairs of the New York subway. Sam panicked when she saw Danny descend, she knew she could lose him between the usual crowd of the hour. Indeed, this is what happened. Sam couldn't make out Danny anywhere in the crowd.

The tide of people pushing and squeezing her threatened to drag her down, and the memory of that panic she felt a year ago when Mindy was hurt, came back to her mind. Desperation overflowed from her pores, and she threatened to collapse again.

She cursed again for not having taken the pills...

Hello, Sam...

Ghostface's figure appeared in front of her and began to chase her erratically.

She ran in the opposite direction of the flow of people, as fast as she could. People around her were frightened when she passed by, confused and weirded out.

Sam could hear Ghostface's artificial voice bouncing off her head. People were surprised, cursed, and frightened when she broke through. Ghostface followed her, waving his robe very close to reaching her.

Sam was trying to scream, but she didn't have the saliva to do it. Running so erratically had closed her airways.

The streets gradually dispersed with people. She walked away as fast as her legs would allow. She could no longer hear Ghostface's footsteps behind her. That gave her the opportunity to extract a small pocketknife that she always carried hidden in her boot or shoe. She continued her way to the hospital that was a few streets away, holding the knife hidden in her hand in case the murderer appeared from the shadows.

Suddenly, her phone started ringing. Again, the call was from an unknown number. Sam didn't want to answer, but she knew that Tara's fate depended on that and Ghostface's bloodlust.

Reluctantly, Sam replied while still attentive to what was happening around her.

Hello?

Hi Sam.

I swear that when I find you, I'll finish you off.

I love that you're still as charming as ever. And well, what do you say?

What the fuck are you talking about?

The proposal I made to you to allow Tara to live.

Sam was silent for a second. She had heard footsteps very close to her.

How do I know you won't kill Tara after I do my part of the promise?

I'll have a conversation with you, directly. Tara will be watching everything. In addition...

In the background of the call, moans were heard silenced by something, probably bounded.

Tara wants to say hello... You don't know how I long to give her the second cut for the second day you don't keep your promise, Sam.

I haven't promised anything, you motherfucker...

Maybe you don't. But I did... What part do you want me to cut? The arm? The abdomen? Or do we call the other hand?

Behind the receiver there was a sound of a knife piercing flesh and a repeated groan of pain, heavy breathing followed by a loud sob.

Stop it! Enough, please!

I think I got ahead of myself tomorrow. I couldn't help it.

The sob was weak, Ghostface had moved away from where he had Tara bounded.

I chose the hand that was missing. You know, to remember old times...

I'll do whatever you want, just stop hurting Tara. I beg you.

Kill Sidney Prescott. The clock is ticking, Sam.

Tick...

Tock...

Ghostface hung up the call while mimicking the noise of the clock. Sam gripped the phone tightly and analyzed her options. She could only talk to Sidney for advice on how to deal with the problem and come up with a plan or just do what Ghostface asked her to do. The first option could be simple, but, what if Ghostface had access to her personal life, as he had already managed to do with her home address. What else would he not know about her life. What if she had more fanatical subordinates stalking her? Why did she feel that she was always being watched?

She had a message from Chad asking her where she was. Just as she was about to answer him, a call from Gale Weathers interrupted her texting.

Sam answered, and Gale sounded a little agitated.

Sam, all right? I'm sorry I didn't ask you that when we met.

Yes. That idiot only gave me and Chad some superficial wounds. Mindy got the worst of it. Now I'm on my way to see how she's doing at the hospital.

I'm happy and terrified to hear that. I talked to Kirby, and she told me everything. I feel like Ghostface will seek to get closer to you through Tara.

Sam shuddered at what she said. She went along with Gale because she needed more information.

It is most likely. I don't know if what he wants is to kill me or convince me to do something for him.

No idea what that psychopath wants. I just know that you must find him and put a bullet in his brain.

We have to find another method. That is already more than obvious that it is only good for the moment.

Gale scoffed at the comment. She was handling heavy things, because you could hear knocks on the other side of the receiver.

In other news, Sidney is taking a flight to New York tomorrow.

Sam was petrified on the spot and her father's words echoed in her head. Don't trust anyone.

Seriously? Well, she did make the decision to come very quickly.

It's Sidney we're talking about. She was always so impulsive. Also, she's worried about Tara. I'll give you details of the time of her arrival later. I don't know if I'll be able to pick her up at the airport tomorrow. We will still be in touch.

Don't worry, Gale. Do not worry.

We must take care of each other.

I know. But we must find Tara too.

At that point, Sam became suspicious of Gale Weathers: the woman who had made money by writing the books on which the extremely blockbuster Stab saga was based. What if she were looking for the most successful continuation of that saga? The daughter of the serial killer ending the most famous and resilient survivor due to the blackmail of the possible murder of her younger sister? A blockbuster movie plot.

We will find her. I promise. We just must play our cards right. We already know the game.

I feel that this time it is more complicated

Well, every game, no matter how complicated, has its end. And I assure you, the ending will not include Tara's death.

Sam arrived at the hospital and was greeted by a nurse. She stopped at the entrance and thanked her.

It won't be like that, Gale. I am not going to allow it.

Gale said goodbye and hung up. There Sam asked the nurse about the twins, and she took Sam to the room where Mindy was being kept on rest. As she entered, she noticed that Chad was shirtless. A thick layer of bandages covered the gash that the idiot Plummer made on her. Mindy was eating popcorn from a bag that Chad had brought in without the nurses knowing. She was wearing the hospital gown and the bandage on her right thigh could be seen.

"It was few stitches this time. Chad still beats me at that," Mindy joked when she saw Sam's worried face.

Her brother grimaced at the joke. He called the nurse through the button on Mindy's bed and soon appeared.

"Please, I need you to disinfect her and cover up that wound on my friend's face."

"Chad, it's not that bad. It's just a scratch."

He ignored her words and waited for the nurse to return.

Chad was looking at Sam and invited her to sit next to him on the couch. She agreed and he wrapped her in a hug.

"I miss her too much, Sam...

Sam felt her shoulder get wet. It reminded him of Tara's reaction when they thought Chad had died, which had occurred in her previous encounter with Ghostface.

Chad collapsed in her arms, sobbing for Tara. Sam watched Mindy, who was watching from the bed with moist eyes. That scene grieved Sam's heart and she began to cry silently too.

"I miss her too..."

The nurse entered the room and, finding the sad scene, asked if it was better for her to return at another time. Chad and Sam told her to come over safely, and she went on to clean and bandage the wound on Sam's face.

As she left, the nurse asked both Chad and Sam to leave for a moment as the doctor needed to examine Mindy's wound. Both agreed and Chad suggested going to the hospital terrace. He needed to smoke a little, a habit he had decided to resume after Tara's disappearance.

He offered her a cigarette and Sam initially refused. Chad put his in his mouth and lit it.

"How I wish I had that willpower...

Sam thought about it again and sighed.

"I also need to relax a little, though," she said, taking the pack from him and putting one in her mouth.

Chad lit it and she expelled the smoke slowly, enjoying the sensation of the cigarette that made her mouth tingle.

"Tara didn't like me smoking," Chad said, feeling guilty.

"She told me so, too," Sam added, her cigarette between her fingers. "Don't refer to her as if she had already died... "

Chad's eyes were swollen. Sam put her cigarette back in her mouth.

"We have to put that possibility on the table, Sam," Chad said with all the pain in his heart.

"She's not dead, Chad. "

"How can you be so sure?"

Sam then looked around. The terrace was lonely and the sky clear. No one seemed to be overhearing the conversation. Anyway, she got up to walk to check that there was no one hiding. Chad was so immersed in his own thoughts that he didn't even flinch when he saw Sam making sure they were alone.

When she saw this, Sam stubbed out her cigarette against the metal bench and made Chad promise with her eyes:

"Can I tell you something, but you promise it will stay between you and me?"

Chad was confused. Sam even grabbed his hands.

"It's life or death..."

The boy stopped crying when he saw Sam's seriousness.

"Let's see, tell me...