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You are LUCKY I love you, this fic is damn near 10,000 words long (personal record if I do say so myself)

Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ML!!!

The tall blonde girl walks into the reasonably-sized library in her home on the way to her mother's office on the other side of the room. She pauses mid-stride in front of a side table knee-length of her and on the left of the low couch. Placed delicately on the small table stood a picture of the family of five bundled up in their winter gear in front of a large, old wooden cabin.

The older two children smiled brightly, the spacing of the teeth much too wide and in desperate need of braces. The youngest kid sat in his wheelchair, his mouth covered by a thick scarf causing the glasses that sat high on his face to fog up from the heat rising from his open mouth. The two mothers of the family seem to have forgotten that they were even posing for a photo, stuck in a loving and lively conversation. The shorter one caught in a mid-belly laugh at something her curly-haired wife had said that was long forgotten now.

The blonde picks up the framed photo from what seemed like decades ago, even though only six or seven years had passed. Her eyes light up with a new idea. She drops the wood frame onto the table, it makes a loud crash that echoes into the teenage girl causing her to flinch and swiftly backtrack to pick up the frame and set it back to its original position before rushing to her mother's office, now with a purpose.

"Mom!" she nearly swings the door back into the bookshelves in excitement before stopping right before when she feels her mother's glare. "Sorry," she mutters with a nervous chuckle.

"Yes, Penny." the older ginger woman's eyes softened at the apology, being self-aware enough to know that if it had been one of her sons she would be screaming her head off at the moment.

"Would it be possible for my friends and I to visit the cabin this weekend?" Penny asks sincerely. "We're trying to figure out what to do for Halloween and I think I got it!" she beams down at her mother. Despite the age difference, the older woman was much shorter than all her children.

"I'd have to consult your mother on that," her German accent thick with every word she says. 'Who are you thinking of inviting?" She stands from her desk and removes her glasses to place them on the antique surface.

"Well, obviously Carla," the older woman smiles to herself at the thought of her son's girlfriend and daughter's best friend. "And Lily and Billy," the girl looks up in thought at her friend group. "And if I invite the twins, I have to bring Nugget and Adrian." she counts on her fingers. "I'll see if Theo wants to go." Penny blushes. Lost in thought at the thought of her crush and friend, her mother grounds her with a loud snap.

Penny looks down at her with wide eyes and a tight smile. "Huh?" she questions.

"I'll ask your mother about it but the cabin will need cleaning." the woman scratches her chin, her brain overflowing with thoughts of the precautions she will need to prepare.

The teen jumps up in excitement several times before the thin floors of the old house cause her to hear the loud groan coming from her older brother below. She stops but only to rush over to hold one of her mothers in her arms and squeal 'Thank You's' into the top of her head. Ending the childish display of joy with a sloppy kiss planted on the older woman's forehead.

The curly-haired girl sprayed a section of her hair with a spray bottle filled with a mixture of water, conditioner, and coconut oil as she laughed at the scene unfolding on her phone screen as she facetimes her boyfriend.

"Can I help you?" he sarcastically asks the brown, fluffy cat sitting on his chest, staring into his owner's eyes. The ginger boy was lying down on his mattress, only half focused on the horror film playing on his laptop while the rest of his attention was on the girl detangling her hair on his phone screen.

"Maybe she's jealous you're finally giving me the attention you usually give her when I'm over." the teen girl snarkily comments, mostly just to see his reaction.

In mock disbelief, the boy turns his head to look at the screen and his girlfriend. "You know I love you both equally." he scratches the cat's chin as she rubs her face on his.

Carla remains unconvinced.

"Uh ha, sure." she passes a brush through her curly hair with, thankfully, minimum tangles. "Is that why she just has to jump up on the bed and get right between us whenever I come over?"

Monty sits up, moving the clingy cat into his lap, as he picks up the phone to get a better view of his girlfriend doing her hair. "I have no idea what you're talking about." he feigned ignorance as he kissed the top of the cat's fluffy mane.

"Sure, Love." she chuckles, the comeback stuck in her throat as her brush gets caught in a particularly nasty knot in her hair. She sees Monty look at her through the screen in concern, catching her wincing as she tugs on her hair.

Before the ginger teen could open his mouth to ask if she was ok, his door swung open, the back of it slamming into the wall next revealing his sister standing in the doorway with a triumphant smile on her face.

"Holy shit! Do you ever knock?" he sits up impossibly straighter and shifts his body towards her, ignoring the loud cackles from his girlfriend over the phone.

Penny ignores her brother's protests and marches to his bed, scaring the cat and causing her to jump off the bed and run under it. She picks up his phone, still on Facetime with Carla, to tell her the news. "Guess who got permission to stay at my family's cabin this weekend!" she yells into the phone, absolutely buzzing on her feet with excitement.

"And you couldn't have called her yourself?" he dramatically groans and flops back onto his bed with his arms sprawled.

"I tried but she was on the phone with you," she says like it's the most obvious thing in the world and rolls her eyes.

Carla giggles loudly at the bickering.

Ted joins the Facetime call, being the last one to join the call hosted by Penny.

Penny, now on her own phone, excitedly squealed, happy she got to tell another one of her friends about her plans. Nugget cringes at the high-pitched sound running loudly through his earbuds.

"Penny..." he warns. Penny stops abruptly and apologizes with a chuckle, scratching the back of her neck shyly.

Ted looks at his phone, at the interaction between his friends, and smiles to himself. "Penn, you said you got an idea for Halloween?" he asks. He watches her eyes light up with childish glee and Carla and Adrian groan in jest.

"Yes! So," she holds up her blue, cloth-covered notebook to show him a page of numbers and locations. The page was inverted on his screen but he didn't have the heart to tell her. "My parents are letting us stay at our cabin up north! All we have to do is pay for food and travel. And get parents' permission of course."

"I'm down but I'll have to beg my parents to let me go." Carla groans and drops her head on her desk dramatically.

"Same, but if they say yes I could probably persuade them to let us use one of the cars for the trip, we just need someone to drive." Billy giggles into his hand as Lilly looks down at her palms bashfully at her and her twin's inability to drive.

"Nugget can drive." and the blonde says nothing more. He turns, looking down at his phone screen from the pile of dirt and seeds he was planting in front of him.

"Ok, then it's settled! I'll need about fifty dollars from each of you for gas and food. We can leave Friday morning."

One by one each teen leaves the call as Penny looks up from her phone with pride and triumph painted on her face.

Behind her, the front door opens, and the cool October evening air seeps into the house as the oldest Montgomery-Quinn brother enters the house. He looks over at the large couch that holds up his sister.

"What are you smiling at?" Ozzy asks, not intending to be rude despite his tone as he unzips his coat to put on the rack next to him. Penny doesn't take offense.

"Mom said my friends and I could stay at the cabin this week. She stands, stretches her arms up, and rolls her ankles. "Do you want to go?" she asks politely, lighting up when he considers it.

"Hmmm, to be stuck in a secluded cabin with your friends for an entire week." he ponders, scratching his chin and looking up. Penny rolls her eyes and laughs, already knowing where the conversation is heading and what his response will be. "Respectfully I'd rather die!" he smiles. His tone is chipper, despite the grim sentence he casually dropped.

The two laugh while Penny picks up her notebook and discards the cardigan off the sofa. The redhead makes his way up the stairs to his bedroom.

Carla steps out of her dad's car, she opens the backseat of the car to take out her large backpack. Giving a quick 'Bye' to her dad, the teenager marches up to the front door of the large but familiar house. Before the girl can even knock, the door swings back revealing her taller friend with a large grin on her face. The blonde takes her friend into her arms tightly and refuses to let go despite Carla's protest through her loud giggles.

"Penny let go of her before she pops." coming down the stairs, one of the two moms of the household lightly chastises her daughter. The woman giggles when Penny finally lets go and Carla stumbles back and takes a moment to catch her breath.

"Thank you, Mrs. Quinn." her voice is raspy as she holds her stomach giggling. The short-haired woman takes her (hopefully) soon-to-be daughter-in-law in her arms in a significantly lighter but still in an embrace full of love.

"I hope you kids have fun this weekend, Hun are you sure you have enough funds for this trip? Gas money? Food?" she asks. "This is your first solo trip and your mother and I just want to ensure you all have all you need." She looks at the two of us with a sad smile.

"Mom, we'll be fine." Penny takes her mother's hands into her own and gives them a tight squeeze to reassure her.

"Plus, if something does happen, Nugget's bringing his rifle to protect us," Carla interjects happily. "Carla!" Penny chastises while her mother laughs.

"Now why does that reassure me?" the older woman laughs loudly and steps away from the two and trenches back upstairs. "Be safe!" she yells down.

"We will!" the girls yell back in unison.

They stand there in semi-awkward silence. "Sooo, where is Monty?" Carla asked, half-joking half-serious. Penny let out a loud groan while Carla laughed loudly. "If I knew setting you two up would mean him taking you away from me I wouldn't have done it." she pouts childishly. Carla laughs once more.

"We both know that's not true and besides," she hugs her best friend almost as tight as Penny did her. "He could never take me away from you!" the two embrace, squeezing each other tightly. When they were released Penny gave her the answer to the previous question. "I think he's in the garage. She replied before an uncharacteristic sinister grin overtook her face. "You wanna scare him?"

Carla beamed and vigorously nodded her head. The teen girls swiftly made their way to the garage Monty dubbed his workspace, giggling the whole way there struggling to be quiet.

Carla on the left and Penny on the right, the blonde held up her fingers to the count of three. When she mouthed the word 'Zero' the girls banged on the door as loud as they could, echoing through the quiet home. Through the door, metal tumbled on the floor, and a loud, brief, high-pitched scream could be heard through the thick door.

The girls fall on the floor laughing, tears welling up in the corner of their eyes as they attempt (and fail) to compose themselves.

The door unlocks and opens less than a foot wide, Monty peaks his head through and looks both ways with wide eyes until his view catches on the two girls dying laughing on the tiled floor of the kitchen. He opens it wider and steps through it, glaring at his sister and girlfriend. Mostly at Penny.

"What the fuck guys..." he pinches the bridge of his nose, moving his glasses out of the way.

Laughing even harder now Carla manages to let out a response between cackles. "You scream like a girl!" she giggles, holding her hand out for him to help her up. He compiles with an embarrassed flush painted on his cheeks. Monty retreats back further into the garage. Penny gets up on her own and the two follow him into the garage where half-finished projects and scrap material are scattered on the concrete floor. His mother all but forced him to move his mess into the garage after he almost blew up one of his bedroom walls sparked from a small electric fire caused by him falling asleep at his desk while building.

The boy sat down on his desk chair after picking up the unfinished project he dropped in his shock. Carla strode up behind the boy and reached over his chair to wrap her arms around his neck from behind in a hug. "And you're sure you don't wanna come with us?" her voice lowers an octave as she nuzzles her face into her boyfriend's orange hair.

"Respectfully, My Love, being trapped in a cabin in the woods with your friends and my sister sounds like hell." he tilts his head up to make eye contact with the girl above him. Her arms were still locked around his neck. The couple smiles at each other before Carla breaks the tension by lightly pecking at his lips three or four times before Penny loudly clears her throat, breaking the spell the lovebirds seemed to have gotten themselves in.

Carla unwraps her arms and steps away from the boy, who fixes his glasses and looks toward the ground.

Penny giggles and pulls Carla away from her brother, who looks up only to glare at her. "This weekend is strictly a 'No Romance Zone'!" she ushers Carla through the open door by her arms. "So no calling, texting, or Facetiming!" the taller blonde chastised her brother with dramatically squinted eyelids.

"And I assume these rules go for you and Ted as well?" Carla snaps back. Monty's loud cackles get cut off by Penny slamming the door to the garage closed.

"There is nothing between Ted and I," she argues. "And besides, he's coming on the trip with us!" pouting her lips and crossing her arms like a child.

"Uh huh, yeah sure." Carla rolls her eyes.

"Michigan, here we come!" Billy screams from the backseat, his twin, seated next to him, cringes at the volume. She covers her ears with her hands, one of which is clutching her phone in its case full of blue and pink stickers. Adrian hops into the van, not before marveling at its beauty and size.

The teen says his greetings and hops in the front seat next to Nugget driving, not before passing the two bags of food and snacks to Penny and Ted in the middle backseat—Carla between them.

"You know I have to ask," Adrian starts, putting his forearm on the back of his seat and turning to face the back of the car. The twins, sitting in the far back row of the van, pique their heads up in interest. "How the hell did you guys convince your parents to get us a van?!" his voice raised a couple of octaves. Nugget flinched away from him, the car swirling slightly at his reaction. Adrian looked over with a silent apology.

"To be frank, I have no idea!" Billy laughs at himself while Lily rolls her eyes and chuckles lightheartedly. "When we told our mom she just got really into the idea and offered to rent us a van for the weekend."

"Oh to have rich parents," Carla concluded, leaving the teens in hysterics as the van entered the highway.

The teens piled into the '7 Eleven', splitting off into different isles of the store. Nugget and Lily go into the freezers with the small frozen food section looking for the simple chicken dish the boy was obsessed with. Billy made a beeline over to the candy and snack aisle, piling as many bags as he could fit in his arms. Penny, Carla, and Ted walked calmly over to the drink freezers adjacent to Nugget and Lily, talking amongst themselves in casual conversation. Adrian stayed by the car pumping into the large van.

Gathering their supplies for the long weekend away from home, the large group made their way to the till where two teen girls similar to their age giggled to themselves behind the corner, not paying the teens any mind.

"Um, excuse me?" Penny politely called out, alerting the girls of their presence. The taller one stepped closer to the cash register and started scanning the items while the much shorter girl walked to the back room with a smile on their face.
"Would this be all?" she asked in a British accent uniquely hers. Penny nods and pulls out her debit card to pay but Ted stops her, lightly placing a hand on her that was holding the card. "Let me," he mutters. Giving the blonde cashier his card instead. The teen on the other side of the till eyes them before looking down and swiping the card with a sinister giggle that threatens to escape her lips.

The other three teenagers standing behind the couple chuckled softly to themselves. Carla snapped her fingers in Ted's ear, knocking him out of whatever trace touching Penny's hand had put him in.

"Holy shit..." Carla was the first to open her mouth and express the awe the teen was thinking internally. The cabin was large and rustic. The open floorplan welcomed the teens into the cabin. Penny promised it was "modestly sized", and Adrian spoke up. "Penn, I thought you said this was a cabin, not a mansion!?" he yelled. Even the rich people in the group had their mouths agape in amazement.

"I guess it's bigger than I remembered." she lightly chuckled to herself, placing her bags down behind the back of the large couch to the right of the door. "There's four bedrooms and two bathrooms, three if you count the powder room downstairs," she looks up at the ceiling trying to remember the layout from the last time her family came here. "Oh! And there's a hot tub on the balcony of the master bedroom!" she excitedly squeaks, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.

"Cool... cool..." Carla mutters absorbing the information. "I claim to be the master!" she drops her bag, racing toward the wooden staircase. Lily and Billy are the first to snap out of their shock. "Hey, wait!" Lily calls after but Billy is already chasing after his friend up the stairs. "Unfair!" he yells. Carla gets to the room first, childishly blowing a raspberry at the shorter boy before slamming and locking the log-made door. Penny groans while Lily giggles. The girls make their way upstairs while Nugget and Ted follow them, carrying both their own and the girl's bags. Adrian stayed behind by the door to further explore the cabin's ground floor (if you could even call it that).

Billy pounded loudly at the large, spruce door. Carla laughed maniacally on the other as Lily laughed to herself and claimed the, only slightly, smaller bedroom. Nugget placed her bags and offered to get Billy's as well, but Lily declined.

"No, thanks though, Billy can get it himself."

"And what is this?" she heard come out from one of the bedrooms. Carla unlocked the door and emerged with a thin dusty box. As the group got closer she could see the brown box spelled 'Ouija' in a fancy, outdated font.

Nugget and Carla looked on in excitement while Theo, Penny, and Lily frowned their brows as they looked down at the fresh layer of dust coating the box.

"Where did you get that?" Penny asked, attempting to take the cursed object from her curious friend. Carla held on tight and moved the box out of reach. "I found it exploring my room." she shot a look at Billy who stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry at her in return.

"Should we play?" Nugget asks with a hopeful look in his eye.

"Absolutely not."

"Hell yeah!"

Both Carla and Penny respond at the same time, pausing to look at each other.

"Carla," Penny whines.

"Come on Penn, when will be the next time we'll be able to use an 'OG' Ouija board?" she pleads with her eyes. Carla never pleads.

Penny struggles not to give in to the silent demands of her closest friend and the others around her.

She fails of course but her effort should be acknowledged and rewarded.

"...Fine." Penny groans eyes downcast with a small smile gracing her lips.

Nugget and Carla cheer loudly while the 'losers' groan almost as loud.

Adrian pips up from downstairs. "Why are we cheering? What are we celebrating?" he is genuinely confused at the commotion.

"We, my friend," Carla states peeking down the stairs to make eye contact with Adrian. "Are summoning a ghost!" she holds the board above her head in a dramatic fashion.

"Not now!" Penny chimes in. "We have to get settled in first, maybe eat something." she stalls wanting to put this off forever. Or at least until Carla and Nugget forget.

"Right, because it's better to wait until it's dark outside, good thinking Penn." Carla shoves the board into Penny's arms and hurries back to her room.

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" she called after her.

The teens sat in the tight circle around the old, wooden board. Waiting patiently for something to happen, others waited with excitement, while the rest were anxious for what was to come.

"Ok, so everyone places a finger on the pallet," Carla took charge, gesturing to the oddly shaped glass in the center of the board. "We cannot remove our finger until we've properly said goodbye to the spirit, understood?" She placed special emphasis on her words like she was warning the others.

They all nodded, Theo and Penny slightly more hesitant than the others. While Nugget, on the other hand, was the first to slam a finger onto the delicate pallet. His body vibrates with excitement whilst being sandwiched between Lily and Billy.

Once all seven of them have crowded the small surface of the glass with their fingers think of a question to ask the spirit board to make contact with a ghost. Penny, being so polite, stutters out a small hello into the tense atmosphere. The spirit board is motionless for a second before slowly moving the pallet to the 'Hello' on the far right of the board. The teens jump in unison but stay silent in their fear. The only sounds that could be heard in the secluded cabin were a cacophony of gasps and increasing heart rates. Being the most excited, Nugget takes the opportunity to fill the tension with his question.

"How did the ghost die?" He asks, the excitement visible in his tone.

"Nugget!" Penny scolds.

"What? We were all thinking it, Nugget just dared to say it." he pouts and looks away, mirroring a toddler not getting their way.

Before Penny or anyone else could reproach Nuggets brashness the pallet moves again.

"A-X-E" it spells.

"Who killed you?" Adrian asks, curious but not fully believing that they had truly made contact with the dead.

"Your mom..." Billy jokes under his breath to break the tension ever so slightly, everyone rolls their eyes and chuckles softly. The early scares of the evening were nearly forgotten.

The playful laughter stopped abruptly when the pallet moved again.

"M-Y M-O-T-H-E-R"

"Billy, that's not funny." Theo lambasts as their hands linger on the 'R' of the board.

"I swear to god I didn't do that." he stutters out.

"Oh, bullshit!" Carla scoffs at his response. "You're the one who made the joke!" she argued.

Nugget chimed in, a smile on his face that could only be described as unbridled glee. "How old were you?"

Their joined fingers move down the board where the numbers are. The pallet moves to the '1' on the board, lingering for a moment before moving to the '4' and staying.

The group was at a loss for words at the supposed age of the spirit.

"Why?" Carla asked. The pallet stays momentarily, leaving the teens in anticipation and horror. And as the pallet finally began to move back up to the letters, the landline on the mantle above the fireplace began to ring. Its shirking echoes throughout the open room, snapping the kids out of whatever trance they found themselves in.

Penny shoots up from her spot on the couch and eagerly moves to the phone.

She leaves without saying 'Goodbye' to the spirit.

"Hello?" she says, her voice shaking.

The person on the other end says nothing for a moment, only light shuffling and breathing can be heard.

"Um, hello?" she asks again, confused and starting to get a little scared.

"Hello?" the person on the other line asked, their voice deep and electronic. They sounded confused and their voices was shaky, it sounded like they were just crying or laughing. "Who is this?" they ask, more confused than threatening at this point.

"This is the Montgumery-Quinn residence, who are you trying to reach?"

"I-I don't know..." Penny heard movement on the other line before the voice spoke again. "What are you doing right now?" The blonde girl looked over to her friends, who had moved away from the board and onto the surrounding couches. The Ouija board lay abandoned on the scruffy rug.

"Um..." she stalled and turned her body to the rest of the group. 'What do I do?' she mouthed to Carla who lay comfortably with her feet up on the arm of the couch. The other girl shrugged, "I don't know, it's probably just some kids playing a prank. Just hang up." she took a swig from the bottle of fireball and cringed at the bitter taste of the alcohol.

"Um- actually, I-I'm gonna go." she stuttered out and quickly moved to place the phone back into its holder. "Bye!" she slammed the phone down on the grey piece, hanging up abruptly.

They all sat in tense silence for a moment.

"Well, that was odd." Billy quipped but his jokes did very little to ease their growing paranoia. "Do we go back to the board orrr?"

Carla's eyes shot open from their previous half-lidded state to look down at the board in terrier. "Wait, did no one say 'Goodbye' to the spirit?" she asked, internally praying that someone did.

"Ummm, no?" Adrian spoke up. Confused as to why Carla looked so spooked.

"...Why?!?!" she sat up quickly, the fast movement causing her to temporarily pause to get the room to stop spinning for a moment.

"You never told us to!" Adrian raised his voice. "You were literally the first to get up after Penny!"

"I'm drunk, cut me some slack!"

"Do you think the ghost had anything to do with the call?" Ted quietly asks, his voice is so small that he is unaware that anyone heard him.

Until Nugget reptiles to soothe his worries.

"Of course not, Spineless Ted!" The taller boy pipes up, the smile on his face from the night's previous, horrifying, activity. "Our lovely guest spirit would've done much worse to you all if it were!"

Nugget stood up from his spot on the couch, cuddled up next to a trembling Lily, to declare his next "Comforting" statement to the scared group. "Now, what is much more likely is that the weird stranger is a serial killer or an obsessive stalker!" he smiled proudly, looking around the room for validation.

Around the normally cozy living room, where the teens sat in close proximity to each other, the six remaining kids looked at Nugget with terror and pure, unfiltered fear in their bones. Eyes wide, their mouths agape. "Ok Nugget, I think that's enough booze." Adrian awkwardly chuckles, attempting to pass off his friend's statement as a badly timed joke.

"But Nugget hasn't dr-"

"Now Nugget!" He pulls the much larger boy back into his seating position on the couch, where Lily has moved farther away from where they were sitting so closely before. "It was probably just some kids in the cabin nearby playing a prank or something." Adrian soothes.

A chorus of screams erupted out of the teens in the living room. Nugget, bravely, took the initiative to check the source of the sound. Ted came with him, following hesitantly behind.

Glass tumbled onto the tile of the kitchen, a rock makes itself known as the culprit as it sits in the center of a brown-ish tile with glass surrounding it. Nugget bends to pick up the rock, his hand unnervingly steady (?) while Ted peeks through the window in an attempt to see whoever threw the heavy rock through the, now shattered, window.

The blonde boy stood to the side to allow Nugget to sweep the broken bits of glass into his hands. The broken frame allowed the cold outside air to seep into the isolated cabin. The fog outside, which Theo could've sworn wasn't there a few hours ago, made it difficult for the boy to see the large figure standing behind a tree in the woods, unmoving, staring him down.

The dirty hockey mask on the figure was shadowed by the darkness in the overhead night sky. The tattered clothing hanging off his body was the only thing illuminated by the light coming from the kitchen. The skinny boy stumbled back falling onto the ground, his eyes wide and never moving away from the menacing figure standing parallel to the window.

"What is it?" Nugget asks, dropping the large shards into the trash and dusting away any leftover particles on his hand. Ted could see the cuts from the glass on the palms of his hands, he winched when he went to place his injured palm on the shoulder of the trembling blonde.

Ted shakily pointed up toward the window where the figure stood. Nugget turned his head to where his finger was to see what had spooked poor Ted so badly.

But as the taller boy's eyes scanned the area, there was no one. Not a single soul, except maybe for a couple of deer or frogs, stood in that dense forest.

"There's no one there," Nugget looked back down at the frightened Theodore, still on his back.

"No no no, that's impossible, they were just there!" he sat up quickly, almost hitting Nugget in the jaw with his head.

"Who?" Nugget asks, standing up and offering Ted his hand.

"I-I don't know, there was just this person standing behind a tree not moving! Oh maybe they were the one who threw the roc-" Nugget slapped him, not hard but enough to get the point across. "Ok, Ted, listen to Nugget." He grabbed both of Theodore's shoulders in an attempt to ground him. "We cannot tell the others about this. It was probably just some kids, like Adrian said, ok?" his eyes gave warning.

As if on cue Billy poked his head through the entryway to the kitchen. "So what was it?" he asked in anticipation. Throughout all the chaos, the two in the kitchen forgot how long they had kept their scared friends in the dark about the current situation.

"Oh, just a silly tree branch!" Nugget ushered the rock behind the kitchen island out of Billy's sight. "Can Billy inform Penny that her parents will have to fix the window." he gestures to the broken frame of the glass window. Billy breathes a deep sigh of relief. "Oh thank Christ- Lil! It was just a tree branch falling into the house!" He yells into the living room where the remaining kids celebrate, what they perceive as, a near-death experience.

Nugget warns Theo with his eyes before leaving to rejoin the group in the living room. He follows by taking many deep breaths to calm his growing nerves as he walks.

The vibe of the group didn't change much from the few minutes Nugget and Ted were gone. The majority were still trembling in fear in their respective corners frightened that something or someone would call again or throw another rock through the window.

"Don't worry friends, Nugget got to the bottom of our mystery," he announced, hands outstretched and above his head to convey his statement. "No need to fear, it was just a little branch that fell through." he smiled wide, the corners of his mouth struggling to hold the excruciating position.

The kids collectively released a large sigh of relief at the information. The room felt lighter, more relaxed in Ted's eyes. He looked over at Penny, who was now sitting in the corner of the couch adjacent to Carla, her breathing had calmed down a bit when she locked eyes with Theo from his spot across the room.

"Thank fuck!" Carla cried out, her head hitting the armrest of the couch.

The chatter died down as the teens fell into a comfortable silence.

The old digital phone rings. It rings and rings and nobody dares say a word.

Its loud beeps and rings eventually ring out when nobody stands to pick up. They all stand, unmoving once more as the silence takes over the room once more.

Carla's phone buzzed from underneath her, all eyes were glued on her frame. She jumps at the sensation, shakily reaching beneath her to retrieve the device. On the phone screen, over her lock screen picture of her and Monty dancing at her Quince, a text notification popped up from an unknown number. The only thing the text read was.

'You shouldn't have done that :)'

She drops the phone in terror as a silent scream rips out of her in the form of a strong gasp. Before she could show the others what her phone read, all the lights of the cabin abruptly shut off. Leaving Carla to only be illuminated by her phone light.

Everyone shrieked, the high-pitched sound echoing through the wooden halls. Phones were quickly moved out of pockets and into hands with the bright flash on.

"Everyone ok?" Nugget looked around at everyone, his eyes scanning for Lily frantically.

A chorus of 'I'm ok!' and 'I'll live.' were shouted from each corner and Nugget relaxed deeply when his eyes found Lily's.

Then came the panic.

"Are we gonna die!?" Ted screamed, the tears brimming in his eyes making his voice watery.

"Hmm, probably?" Nugget hummed, promptly being slapped in the chest by Lily. It did little to ease the pain.

"How's that 'just a prank' theory going for you Adrian?" Carla yelled. Her voice was strained and dry from the alcohol she consumed, but any hint of inebriation was gone from her body, the adrenaline taking over.

Adrian didn't respond, eyes locked onto the glass front door where the outline of a person could be seen standing a few feet in front of it. Holding an axe.

He screamed, more terrified than any of them had ever seen him. They all turn their heads in unison to see what had caused such a reaction. Only the figure had now grown closer breathing hot air on the door, their face still obscured by shadows but the expensive black suit layered with a clear raincoat could be seen. The group of teens screams as the unknown assailant reaches for the door hand.

They all shot off in different directions. Nugget and Lily up the stairs, Carla and Adrian down the hall, and Penny and Theo crouch down behind the couch and other wooden furniture, out of sight from the home invaders.

The door opened and four pairs of shoes stepped onto the runner, one right after the other. At some point in the drama, Penny grabbed onto Theo's hand and showed no signs of letting go anytime soon.

Ted took note of the different kinds of footwear the strangers wore. The one that first entered wore leather dress shoes, the same kind his father always bought for him and Felix. 'Oh God, Felix' he thought, tearing up at the thought of never seeing his brother again.

He turned his attention back to the home intruders, getting his mind off of his and Penny's impending doom. The assailant wearing the hockey mask, who he saw standing outside the kitchen window, stepped into his frame of vision as he passed the couch they were hiding behind. He wore thick black working boots with mud on the soles. Tracking the dark brown sludge through the house as he walked. The other two followed close behind. The taller one of them wore an all-black outfit with a scream mask with the bright red price sticker still on the jaw. The last assailant to enter his frame of vision wore a bright red, vintage dress. Her pale blonde hair was in twin braids down her chest and just as Theo was about to get a glimpse of her face,

She turned her head up towards the stairs where a loud creek tumbled from the second floor and down the stairs. The woman's, similar to her dress, vintage boots slowly make their way over to the creaky staircase and away from Ted and Penny.

The relief was short-lived however when the suit-wearing invader came closer and closer to the couch the two were hiding behind.

Theo turned to his right where Penny crouched down, her knees pressing fervently into the carpet leaving indents in the skin. He gave her a silent apology that took the form of him kissing her on the back of the hand before jumping up from their hiding place, earning the attention of the three closest invaders. And distracting them from Penny's escape down the hall.

"Hey!" he yells, the two assailants in front of him turn their heads instantly while the suit-wearing one closer to his left ducks down whispering an 'oh shit' under his breath. But Ted either doesn't notice or care because of the determination now coursing through his veins.

The suited assailant crouches down on the balls of his feet and slowly makes his way behind the blonde boy.

Standing slowly behind him the man grabs him, covering his mouth with his gloved hand.

Slamming the door behind her probably wasn't the best choice given the fact that the people in the house who were possibly violent and dangerous now knew her location. But Penny wasn't thinking straight, tears were beginning to fall down her cheeks now as she remembered Theo's sacrifice mere moments ago.

In the corner of the small bedroom she found herself in stood Billy crouched, arms under the bed seemingly searching for something. He looked up and their eyes met. They both released a high-pitched screech at the other presence.

"Why are you screaming?!" she yelled.

"I don't know, why are you ?!" he yelled back, a hand on his heart to steady the quick rise and fall chest.

The two of them breathed deeply, attempting to catch their breaths.

"Are they still out there?" he asked, his breath shaky.

Penny opened her mouth to respond but loud banging on the door behind her stopped her abruptly. She jumped up running to where Billy sat and crouched down next to him.

"I'm looking for Nugget's gun," Billy whispered, his voice unnervingly calm. "I can't find it." his voice got higher and progressively more panicked. It sounded more like fast breaths than whispered words at that point.

The banging on the door continued, knuckles pounding on the hardwood faster and faster as the two teens hunched over in the corner, accepting their fate. They both shut their eyes, squeezing them tight and refusing to open them even when the sound stopped. Their synchronized heartbeat pounding in their ears almost as loud as the knocking was.

A fog-like gas entered the room, stuffing their nostrils and making them dizzy. Billy is the first to open his clenched eyes, the first to see the green mist escaping from the air vent on the wall. His eyes didn't stay open for long however as the mist seeped through his pores and into his head. Billy's now bloodshot eyes frantically scan the room as two masked assailants enter, closing the door behind them and trapping the teens in the gas.

The dark-haired boy fell over and slumped against the soft padding of the bed.

Penny follows so after falling back, resting her head on her friend's thigh.

As she slipped in and out of consciousness the blonde looked up to see the men, their faces covered by Ghostface masks. They hovered over the two of them tilting their heads to the side before Penny succumbed to the gas.

"I'm sorry." one of them whispered.

"Fuck we're gonna die, gonna fucking die!" Lily cried as Nugget searched desperately around the room for his father's gun he didn't know he stole. "Not on my watch," he grunted, moving the mattress to the side revealing the iron object hidden under the block of springs.

Lily looked over at him and paused. "When did you even hide that?- this isn't even your room!" Nugget shrugged and moved to leave the room.

Her eyes widened in realization as she ran in front of him, harshly placing her hand on his chest. "Nugget no." she scolded. Lily grabbed the nose of the gun by his side.

"What do you mean 'Nugget no'?" he questioned, his voice getting louder at every word. "There is a group of unknown people downstairs who could kill any of us if they wanted." His voice conveyed sadness and regret while his increasing heart rate and downturned eyes gave her nothing but rage and determination. "I need to do this, to protect you and our friends."

The door came down with a loud slam, nearly coming off its hinges. A familiar giggle that neither of them couldn't quite place where they had heard it from soon followed as the stranger in the bright red select dress came in through the, now open, door.

Her face was obscured by the large axe she carried but Nugget and Lily could tell she had a bright red substance splattered over her. Too bright to be blood so perhaps paint? Nugget didn't know but his companion was convinced that the substance couldn't be anything but blood.

More specifically, the blood and gore of their friends they left downstairs.

Nugget shot at the assailant, nearly missing her and hitting the wall behind instead.

"Shit!" the figure yelled, her high-pitched voice lost in the commotion of Lily's screaming and the ringing in Nugget's ears from the gun.

She retreats downstairs while Nugget checks on Lily's well-being. She is understandably a little spooked but overall ok.

He hears the door to Carla and Ardian's hiding place open, he imagines the terror in their eyes. The blonde boy looks down at the gun and is determined to do something about it.

He chases the fleeing girl down the large oak staircase. The first thing he sees is Billy, Penny, and Ted sitting on the couch, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"He has a gun!" he hears the girl say, her voice once again ringing a familiar tune in his ears as he tries to recall who it belongs to.

Wait a minute-

"Wait, seriously?" one of the Ghostface strangers takes off their mask, his dark skin, and curly hair bringing Nugget both relief and overboiling fury.

"Dude, what the fuck?" another assailant speaks up, taking off his hockey mask. While the other Ghostface reveals his bright ginger hair.

"Jerome-Buggs, what the fuck are you doing here?!" Nugget yelled, placing the gun back down on his side, breathing loudly through his nostrils.

"Dude you almost shot us!" Monty called out, running a hand through his head to calm himself down. "Why do you even have a gun?!"

"Why wouldn't we have a gun?!" Lily calls out from the second floor, her feet standing at the top of the stairs. "We're a group of traumatized teenagers in the middle of fucking nowhere, and you thought to try and prank us?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Carla yells from the other room poking her head through the doorframe.

Monty looked as if he were a deer in headlights.

"I thought I was gonna die, Montgomery." she stood in front of him, arms crossed, still slightly shaking.

"Oooh, full name."

"Shut the fuck up, Jerome."

Adrian left the room as well, scanning the area for familiar faces. His eyes caught on to Felix's standing next to a passed-out Theodore on the carpet. "The hell happened to him?" he asked, pointing to the drooling blonde. Carla turned her head to the body and then back towards her boyfriend accusingly who furiously shook his head.

"I had no involvement in that, that was really fucked up Fe." he chastised his friend.

Felix rolled his eyes and shrugged, his clear raincoat crinkling with his movement. "I only used a little of the chloroform in the trunk."

"Why was there chloroform in your truck?" Billy asked, lounging on the couch as if nothing happened.

"I don't know, its Buggs' truck?"

"Um, that's my business, not yours." he chuckled and plopped down on the couch next to Penny, who didn't look so pleased with the new arrangement.

She turned towards her brother, eyes glowing.

"When I asked you if you wanted to join us all you had to say was 'yes', not concoct a whole scheme to scare the ba-jesus out of us!"

Feeling the fire of two women in his life Monty backed up and raised his hand in the air. "Woah, this wasn't my plan! Jerome's the one who thought of it and planned everything out!" all attention was on Jerome, who at this point had noticed the fine selection of alcohol.

"Wooow Monty, it's like that? Well, Cindy's the one who bought us the costumes and you're the one who brewed the gas!" he shot back.

"Gas?" Carla questioned.

"Don't worry about it-yeah Cindy what was your part in this?"

Her red dress burned more clearly in the fluorescent light. "Me?" she waved her axe around which was covered in the same red substance the rest of her body and dress was painted with. "What about Buggs driving us here and Felix paying for everything?" she raised an eyebrow. Adrian looked forward as fiddled with his axe, purposely avoiding eye contact with the, now very pissed-off, Adrian.

"Hey let's not go around blaming others," he chuckled as he attempted to make peace within the war-ing friend groups. His side of the faction was unimpressed by his unnatural willingness to make amends. Jerome and Monty shot back with a harmony of "That's convenient." while Buggs and Cindy rolled their eyes.

For the first time in a while, Penny laughed. A long, hard, breathy laugh.

Once again, happy birthday to my bestfriend who selfishly lives in another country ❤️