| n a o m i |

"If we board up the entire place we could be keeping the killer inside with us!" I say wiping at my tears letting my makeup run without a care. I always felt like I needed to be perfect in the outside world because if I wasn't I was open to judgment but my friend was murdered. My life was possibly hanging in the balance.

"Yeah, that's a recipe for disaster, if he's in here with us what's to stop him from killing another one of us!" Luke pipes in shaking out of fear as he sticks to the corner of the room. He always was a bit of a lone wolf within the group.

"Well, it seems like all of you can criticize my ideas but do you have a better option?" Tate stammers clenching is jaw from frustration. Tate's jaw was sharp enough to cut a diamond as I look at him with folded arms.

"Any other option but that one, for all we know the killer is inside listening to us right now. It's a death trap to board everything up, I say we stick together and wait out the storm until we can go get help," I suggest as Adam tightens his hand around mine, pulling me into his chest.

"No Tate's right there's a psycho running loose out there! It's time to protect ourselves or we will all end up like Janessa!" Serena barks trying to take charge like she always did. I push Adam off of me and clench my fists taking a few steps towards her.

"And how do you know what's best for the group S? This isn't one of your damn adventures, these are our lives you are dealing with," I said tilting my head as she scoffs and folds her arms looking me up and down focusing on my streaking mascara.

"That's my opinion, Bee,"

"Don't you fucking say it!" I warn Adam who I know is bursting at the seams to repeat the iconic vine reference.

"I hate to agree with them babe but I think Serena and Tate are right I think we lock everything up so no one else can get in here," Adam tells me with hints of hesitancy in his lower voice. I roll my eyes and feel him try to grab my hand.

"You know what, whatever but I don't want to hear any complaining when we are all dead," I shake my head and turn towards the raging storm outside, rain pelts the roof and blinds me from seeing the landscapes out the window. "Becuase you are all crazy if you think he is stalking around outside when there's a fucking natural disaster happening out there!"

"I agree with Naomi on that one," Harry says glancing outside to the blinding rain and crashing lightning that roar under the rolling thunder.

"We don't have any other option though just like Tate said," Lana says softly with her head down while Harry carried her close to him. I can't imagine what it was like for her to walk in on her friend dead, just after she was working through the other death she was dealing with another one lands in her lap.

"Let's get a move on then," Serena says brushing past me swiftly nudging me off my balance. I clench my jaw as I watch her hips swing from side to side, her raven colored hair moving as if she were in a shampoo commercial.

"I wonder if she takes charge like that in the bedroom," Luke jokes trying to lighten a darkening mood but I merely roll my eyes just as the lights shut off as thunder rumbles and lightning strikes across the wet sky.

The lights flicker for a few seconds before switching off a cold darkness engulfing us as I move back closer to Adam. The dark is thick and full of uncertainty as we all jump into the arms of someone close to us.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Harry swears frustrated with a worsening situation. There is a raging storm out there, our friend was murdered, and now the power was shot.

"We are all dead for sure, I've seen my fair share of horror movies," Adam jokes half-heartedly while he clings to me the same way I cling to him. I could tell he was trying to deal with his fear through humor but I knew him better than to believe he actually thought this was all some big joke.

"What are we going to do now? We can't just twiddle our thumbs in the dark we are more vulnerable now," Serena yaps on like she's some woman in charge. I roll my eyes at the sheer sound of her voice.

"I saw we all split up," Luke suggests as all our eyes dart to him with judgment etching the pale blue in his eyes.

"No, Luke's right! We should all split up to board up the doors and windows," Lana suggests looking around at the group agreeing with Luke while he looks around like a lost puppy dog. Luke wasn't as bad and scary as he portrayed himself to be, when you got to know him he was just a lost puppy trying to figure out where he belonged.

"They are right, Lana and I can go find the generator to see if we can't fix the power situation, Tate, Adam, and Luke can deal with Janessa's body because we aren't leaving her in the tub to deteriorate... and Serena and Naomi, I think the Smith's are out here in the offseason if you feel comfortable they should be just down the path a little," Harry suggests as I look at Serena with disgust. Her dark thick hair looks as though she's walked straight out of a Pantene shampoo commercial.

"You know it all sounded great until you paired me up with the devil wears Prada," I comment as Serena darts her dark brown eyes over to me.

"Due to the circumstances N, I think you should be more of a team player. Our friend was just murdered and all of us are in danger so instead of fighting over petty bullshit let's get this over with," Serena snaps at me as I lock up my jaw clenching my fists by my side.

"Petty bullshit... huh says the girl who I thought was my friend but cheated on my boyfriend behind my back," I scoffed walking out the bedroom door to have Serena trail behind me.

This was a much longer night then I had anticipated.

| l a n a |

"You know I've been a lot of scary movies and going into the dark basement is never a good choice," I spoke as I trailed close behind Harry. My hands clenched around the soft fabric of his white t-shirt, feeling his muscles contract from the nerves.

"You are probably right but everything is in your favor to live anyways," Harry tells me as we venture into the depths of the basement that smelt heavily of concrete. I hover close behind it occasionally looking back to make sure no one was behind me.

"What do you mean by that?" I ask him tracking my eyes all around our surrounding making sure I was on high alert in case something went bump in the night.

"In every scary movie ever it's always one of the girls that survive in the group! So if anything you are in a better position then I am," Harry jokes lightening the mood to try and take some of the anxiety away.

"I wonder what they want? Who would go after Janessa?" I ask trying to come up with a list of people Janessa may have had a problem with.

"Janessa was one of those girls other girls love to hate," Harry explains turning a corner while I come up to his side and furrow my brow feeling a chill run down my skin at the thunder rumbling outside.

"Why? She is the type that is nice to everyone!" I tell Harry as we both keep an eye out for the generator.

"Janessa was the one that could get any guy with a flutter of her eyelashes. She was also a model and influential on social media, she had everything a girl wanted which made it easy for girls to hate her," Harry told me finding a flashlight sitting on a dusty side table. He picks it up and flicks the switch as the light flickers from a dying battery.

"But who would hate her to go as far a murdering her? I mean I know she has a lot of qualities to be jealous of but jealous enough to murder?" I question trying to come up with any other reason someone would have to murder her. Janessa despite her high social status was kind to everyone, she didn't care about the superficial things despite the industry she strived to be in.

"Do people always have to have a reason to kill other people?"

"Yes, otherwise why would they do it?" I ask Harry who stopped in his tracks to look at me with the same jade eyes I had known since I left.

"Some people are just really sick mentally, they get off on shit like that," Harry tells me shaking my head when I felt a wave of anxiety creep over into the dark corners of my mind.

| t a t e |

"Good, where do we even start?" I asked opening the door to see Janessa naked body floating in the cold bathtub water. Her makeup is smeared and black streaks run down her cheeks while her eyes stare

"This is so fucked up!" Luke says squeamishly looking into Janessa's dark brown eyes that fixated up towards the ceiling. He fiddles with his hands uncomfortably trying to look away from her body but unable to. "I need to take a smoke, I am freaking out,"

"No! We are doing this," I stopped him guarding the door while his hands rose to his head and tangled within his blonde messy curls.

"Think of it this way, this is the closest you've ever gotten to with Janessa," Adam jokes at an inappropriate time earning a glare from Luke.

"What the fuck did you say, man?" The air grows thicker as Luke's eyes dart over to Adam who puts his hands up in defense.

"All I'm saying is you have to see the positive in situations like this!" Adam tries to play off while I feel the temperature rise in the room.

"Our best friend was just fucking murdered and you have the audacity to joke around? Are you kidding me?" Luke comes in close to Adam and pushes him against the wall egging on a fight.

"I'm not here to argue with you man, all I am saying is you gotta look at the bright side this is the farthest you would have ever gotten with Nessa!" Adam keeps saying with a smug look on his face.

"Stop being an asshole Adam!" I fire wanting to break up a potential fight in progress. We didn't need any more violence if we could help it. "Both of you need to get over here and help me lift her out,"

Just as I say that Luke makes contact with Adam's face, connecting his fist to his face. I jerk Luke's arm back forcefully until he falls against the wall behind me. "Hey, both of you cut it out!"

"He started it! Trying to joke when we are literally moving a dead body!" Luke huffs averting his eyes back to Adam who clenches his jaw rubbing the point of contact.

"Yeah and I am finishing it, you both need to pull it together this isn't about you!" I raise my voice feeling as though I am dealing with a bunch of five-year-olds. "Now help me get her out of the tub and onto the bed!"

They both scurry off to the other side of the tub while my hands dip into the cold water feeling her silky hair grazes my arm. I reach around her back until my arms hook under her arms lifting her up and over while Luke holds her legs. Adam draws down the bed while we wattle over to him. I can see the hint of tears as Janessa's expressionless eyes stare blankly at Luke, I can tell he is trying hard to keep it together.

"I can't fucking do this," Luke says as we get halfway to the bed.

"Don't give up on me now! Come on we are almost there," I encourage as I take a few more strides looking up at Luke again to see his eyes redden, tears boiling over onto his cheeks. I clench my jaw when he helps me lay her down on the bed, I take my fingers and close her eyes respectfully before Adam pulls the blanket over her exposed body.

"Luke I am really sorry," I say as he stares at her, fixated with her pale face and purple lips.

"Can I get a minute?" Luke asks while both Adam and I nod walking out the door, turning around momentarily to see Luke kneeling down next to the bed where Janessa laid.

| s e r e n a |

"No wonder why Tate wanted to break things off with you all you know how to do is criticize!" I yell over the roaring thunder and dry lightning. Water pours down against my coat while Naomi and I stumble our way through the thick woods.

"Do you ever just shut up? Are you on all the time?" Naomi turns to me stopping in her tracks to look at me while I walk ahead. "Quite frankly I'm beginning to understand why you have the reputation you do, no one can stand to be with you for more than two days. It's really only a matter of time with Tate before he is finished with you,"

"Such a bitch," I roll my eyes and storm away from her tired of the same boring conversation we seemed to have a lot these days.

Mud sloshes between my shoes as I walk through the forest in search of some potential help. Everything is so dark, the only helpful source of light was the lightning playing across the sky. My eyes scanned for this quote on quote neighbor of Harry's but so far to no avail. I was getting fed up listening to Naomi argue her same tired argument since she was still extremely heated about Tate and I.

"Maybe we should split up, I don't think we are going the right way," Naomi says from behind me close to screaming against the pelting rain and never-ending crashing of thunder.

"Since when were you ever Dora the Explorer?" I banter knowing that wasn't helping my cause in getting her to stop fighting every word that came out of my mouth. Even though I didn't like to fight with Naomi I was self-aware in the fact that I didn't help the situations I put myself into. I knew how to push Naomi buttons and it was a habit of mine to press them.

"When were you? You aren't any Indiana Jones yourself," Naomi fires back while her coat drips with large droplets of water. The ends of her bangs begin to dampen as we walk aimlessly through the trees to try and find any shred of hope to find help.

"I have a better sense of direction than you," again not helping.

"We are just getting more lost admit it, you have no clue where we are or where we are going," Naomi was right but I wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of any of that.

"Yes, I do!"

"Alright well you are welcome to continue to walk in circles but I plan on finding help before the killer finds us," Naomi says taking a hard right.

"We need to stick together!" I call to her sighing out a little before running over to her side.

N. Sorry it's been forever and a year! With an upcoming announcement pending as well as finals I've been super caught up with everything but writing it seems like! However here you all go sorry I left you hanging, forgive me?😂