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𝙑𝙊𝙇𝙐𝙈𝙀 𝑰𝑰. ── CASUALTY OF YOUR DREAMS!

❛ 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 ❜
─── chapter seventeen! ❫

017. ╱ ✹ ⠀⠀ ❝ dug yourself a grave,
no surprise. . . should've known better,
so now, it's time that you die in it. ❞

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     A GRIMACE HAD BEEN PRESENT ON KYNLEE MANRAL'S FACE FOR OVER A MINUTE. The dulcet tones of Andi Manral, Malik Cyrus, and Ibrahim Fadel angrily shouting on the other end of the call had been filling Kynlee's ears for longer than she'd like. She heavily regretted asking Tara if she could use her phone to call Pa and quickly check in.

     Heavily.

     The loud and angry voice of Malik reverberated on the opposite end of the call. "Girl... What in the fuckin' hell is wrong with you?! Are you tryin' to give Andi a heart attack? Us?!"

     The entire group was currently trekking down the sidewalk, headed for the nearest subway station. Sam was at the front, leading them across the street. Tara and Danny were directly behind her with Kynlee and Chad, hand-in-hand, followed by Mindy and Ethan.

     "My comment yesterday about you possibly dying at the hands of Ghostface was only a joke, by the way," Ibrahim could be heard next, and Kynlee wanted to gouge her eyes out. That was the most placid she'd heard him this entire conversation. Nobody else was calming down.

     "Kynlee Elyse, I am never doing another tattoo for you again." Her jaw dropped, and she scoffed. Pa couldn't be serious. Chad sent her a questioning stare, but she didn't respond. "You better fucking believe it. I heard that shit."

     Shaking her head, she cleared her throat. "Pa, I'm fine—"

     "¡Por favor! No empieces con eso. You were stabbed three fucking times and slashed in the arm. S and Martha texted me. What happened to not trusting anyone or your new friends? What happened to stay close to our family? To Chad?!"

     Kynlee inhaled sharply and squeezed Chad's hand. It was taking so much self-control not to lose it in front of everyone. "¡Ay, Dios mío! I did everything you just fucking said, Pa," she growled, beyond irritated.

     "Clearly not," Ibrahim could be heard saying in the distance.

     "Obviously, man. She almost died again," Malik responded bitterly.

     Andi audibly grunted. "¡Ay, Dios mío! Enough from the Peanut Gallery already. Shut the hell up!"

     "Look, Pa, I did all of what you said and we were still attacked," Kynlee said, returning to the original topic. "W-What do you want me to say?! It's not my fault some goddamn pendejo keeps trying to kill us."

     Tara glimpsed over her shoulder, frowning at the frustration evident in her best friend's tone. The phone call wasn't going well at all. Part of her wished that she and Sam's mom cared as much as Andi, Malik, and Ibrahim did. Those three served as better parental figures for her than her own mom did half the time.

     Locking eyes with Chad, they shared mild looks of concern. Obviously, the conversation wasn't going well.

     Tara turned away when Sam called her name.

     "Conejito..." Andi Manral let out a shaky exhale. "Stay at you and Mindy's dorm with the others. Lock the doors, close the blinds, keep the police on speed dial. Ditch your new friends. ¿Entiendes? S and T's apartment is no longer safe. Martha, Daniel, myself, Malik, and Ibrahim are flying to New York in an hour. We should be there around midnight."

     The color drained from Kynlee's face, and she squeezed her eyes shut. Fuck. If this wasn't over by then (and it likely wouldn't be), Mindy and Chad's parents, Pa, Malik, and Ibrahim could become targets, too. There was no telling how far this Ghostface was willing to go.

     Chad frowned when he caught wind of his and Mindy's parents being mentioned. With how close the couple was walking together, he'd been able to catch bits and pieces of the conversation. He didn't know what was being fully said, but he had an inkling.

     Everyone was concerned, and it was understandable. They should be concerned.

     "Pa, please don't—"

     "Too late. We're coming. Stay at your dorm and don't go anywhere."

     Well. It's too late for that.

     "We'll keep you updated. We just got to the airport. Te amo tanto."

     A breath of defeat left Kynlee. "Te quiero también, Pa." Once the call ended, she slid Tara's phone into her front pocket. Great. This was fucking great.

     "Sweetheart, what's going on?" Chad pulled her to his side and kissed the top of her head. He wasn't a fan of the deep frown and troubled eyes she had.

     The group maneuvered their way around a cluster of tourists. It was growing increasingly louder the closer they got to the subway station.

     Kynlee leaned further into her boyfriend's side and murmured into his ear so he could hear her. "Our parents just got to the airport. They'll be here by midnight." It was a quarter to six now.

     Blinking, his eyes widened and he almost did a double-take. "Woah. Wait, what? That's not necessary... We've got this," he said, eyebrows furrowing.

     "Not enough. Not in their eyes," she sighed, twisting her lips to the side. "I mean, I don't blame them. If it was our kid, I'd do the same thing. I'd be damned if I let them go through this alone."

     Neither of them lingered on the fact that she'd said their kid. All it did was bring a lovestruck grin to Chad's face. And as they continued moving, he managed to sneak in a quick peck on the lips. It was a sweet gesture that lifted both of their spirits just the tiniest.

     "I wouldn't either," he replied, holding onto her a little tighter. "I bet mom and dad already texted in the family group chat. I'm really not looking forward to reading that." If he knew anything, it was that Martha and Daniel Meeks-Martin had a lot to say about everything. Especially when it came to Ghostface.

     Kynlee simultaneously shrugged and nodded. "Probably. They know we're together right now. Pa said for us to go back to Mindy and I's dorm room and ditch Ethan and Danny. We can only, truly trust each other."

     There was no argument to be made there, and Chad nodded. "Yeah. I agree, but we're too far in this. Besides, this was you and Tara's idea," he pointed out, swinging their hands.

     "It is, and I still want to go through with it. We're ending this tonight," she said matter-of-factly.

     "We are," he agreed, kissing her cheek.

     "Stay close, guys!" Sam shouted at everyone, not glancing back. They finally reached the station and were descending underground.

     If the stairwell was an indicator of anything, they were about to wander into a thick sea of people in Halloween costumes. Not a person in sight, outside of the group, was wearing normal attire.

     Costumes ranging from Grace Le Domas in Ready or Not to Mike Wazowski in Monsters Inc. flooded the area. A few individuals were dressed as Ghostface. Some of the masks were bedazzled or painted rainbow and others were the standard stark white ones. It was unnerving to see people dressing so flippantly in the attire infamous serial killers wore. Humanity never failed to disappoint.

     "Oh, fuck," Chad muttered, spotting the same thing Kynlee had. He did not like seeing Ghostface everywhere when the real Ghostface could be amongst them.

     "Is this even a good plan?" Ethan suddenly remarked from the back of the group with Mindy. He was holding onto the straps of his backpack like somebody was going to steal it.

     Tara rolled her eyes, annoyed. "You don't have to come if you don't want to," she called, ready to get this over with.

     "So we just peel off and the killer picks us off one by one? No, thank you." Ethan fired back, shaking his head.

     Feeling him squeeze her hand, Kynlee glanced at Chad. "Stay close to me," he whispered in her ear, kissing the side of her head. Neither wanted to lose the other in the crowd.

     "Always," she replied, sharing a small smile with him as they reached the end of the staircase.

     "Let's just get to the theater," Sam told everyone, raising the volume of her voice to be heard over the commotion. "Come on, in here." She grabbed Tara and pushed her ahead to guarantee she got on the train first.

     The doors of the current train were wide open, and people were rushing in. All of them needed to board before it took off.

     Only Tara, Sam, Danny, Chad, and Kynlee got onto the platform. Mindy and Ethan were still trying to walk down the steps but were being held back by the mass.

     "Ah, yes, because it'll be much less scary at the serial killer movie theater," Chad commented sarcastically, gripping his girlfriend's hand. Their arms were slowly extending out as they had to wedge themselves between people to get to the train. Their fingers were loosely entangled, trying to hold on as best they could.

     Kynlee grimaced when someone rammed into her injured arm. Then another person shoved their way past, mindlessly hitting the left side of her body. Shortly after, she felt a burst of pain flare up under her collarbone.

     Hissing, she clenched her jaw. "Fuck me, man."

     Suddenly, a group of giggling teenagers shoved their way between her and Chad, forcing them to let go of each other. One of them stumbled and knocked into Kynlee, accidentally hitting her left shoulder and collarbone.

     "Hey, watch it!" Kynlee exclaimed, glaring at the purple-haired stranger.

     The girl said nothing and kept moving, disappearing into the ocean of unfamiliar faces.

     Wait... Unfamiliar faces...

     It was then that it dawned on Kynlee that she couldn't see any of her friends. They were gone. She was alone, and that thought made her stomach drop.

     "Fuck... Chad?" she hollered, trying to get to the train. The sea of people was never-ending. They were all walking in one direction while Kynlee was trying to go the opposite way. The more she plowed through the crowd, the further she got from the train. "CHAD!"

     "Wait, hey, hey! Chad! Kynlee!"

     At the sound of Mindy shouting, Kynlee spun on her heel to see the curly-haired girl a few feet away. "Mindy!" she yelled, sighing in relief when they locked eyes. Ethan was trailing behind, struggling to keep up.

     Not a second later, Mindy managed to get to her and looped their arms together. Come hell or high water, they were getting through.

     "Hey! Fuck. Chad!"

     "Chad!"

     In unplanned unison, Kynlee and Mindy screamed, "TARA!"

     The black-haired girl started to turn after she heard her name, but Sam pushed her inside. Perhaps Tara was hearing things... Sam didn't seem to catch it.

     As Chad boarded the train, he peered over his shoulder to check if Kynlee and Mindy were still in one piece. But Kynlee wasn't there, and neither was Mindy. "Fuck! No, no, no," he muttered, doing a one-eighty. His panicked eyes swept across the mass.

     "Chad!"

     "Hey, Sam! Chad!"

     "Danny! Chad!"

     Finally spotting them, Chad jumped forward. "Kynz! Mindy!" He grabbed at the train doors, attempting to keep them open, but they began to close. "Come on! Let's go!"

     A breath of relief let Kynlee's lips as she reached the train. "Chad," she gasped, grabbing onto his outstretched hand. Mindy grabbed on, too.

     Suddenly, the train jerked forward, and Danny pulled Chad inside, unaware that Kynlee and Mindy were trying to get on. Chad was forced to let go of his girlfriend and sister, and he stumbled, crashing into Danny and Sam.

     "Shit. No!" Chad yelled, running to the doors and peering out of the glass. He watched as they got further and further away until he couldn't see them anymore.

     At the station, Kynlee and Mindy stood there with exasperated expressions. They'd been so close yet so far away.

     Slapping a palm on her forehead, Mindy clenched her eyes shut. "Fuck. Fuck."

     Kynlee was grumbling a series of curse words in Spanish under her breath. Sure, they would take the next train, but it was more important to stay together as a group. The more stretched out they were, the more vulnerable they became.

     A gasp of surprise left Mindy, and she jerked away from something, knocking into Kynlee in the process. "Fuck! God, get your Ghostface ass away from me, Ghostface." She readjusted her bag on her shoulder with a scowl.

     Glancing up, Kynlee saw that Ethan was standing with them. He, too, had missed the train.

     "Kynlee..." Ethan's face fell, and he stared at the tattooed girl desperately. Nobody was still taking his side. Nobody believed he was innocent.

     Merely shrugging, Kynlee shook her head. She wouldn't defend Ethan if her life depended on it. Everything surrounding him was too coincidental, and she couldn't trust him. Not anymore. Not after Anika and Quinn.

     Before she knew it, she was being hauled to the opposing end of the station. Mindy was grasping onto her left hand, their fingers intertwined. It was up to them to protect each other.

     "The next local one train to South Ferry will arrive in..."

     Ethan peered around the people who were also waiting. Right away, he was met with Mindy's suspicious glare. Both of them looked in different directions before locking eyes again.

     Momentarily, Mindy let go of Kynlee and threw her hands up in annoyance. Blinking, Ethan's eyes widened. "Go away!" she shouted, doing a shooing gesture.

     "...five minutes."

     Ethan huffed in defeat and averted his gaze.

     A relieved sigh came from Mindy, and she glanced at Kynlee. Her head was ducked, and she was on Tara's phone. The girl was about to press send on a text message to Chad when the screen went black. It died.

     "Goddammit." Kynlee snapped, tempted to throw the device out of frustration, but she didn't. This was Tara's phone, and there'd be hell to pay if she broke it.

     In her peripheral vision, she spotted Mindy typing on her phone. She inched over and leaned into her side, reading the text exchange between the twins. She slid Tara's phone into her front pocket.

     are you guys all right? is kynz with you?

     Yeah, I'm w Kynz. We're fine. We'll get the next one. Don't wait for us, we'll meet you at the theater.

     "And now we wait," Mindy told Kynlee, displaying a sarcastically cheesy smile.

     "And now we wait," Kynlee echoed, mumbling another series of curse words.

     About seven minutes of silence passed until the next train arrived. Unlike last time, they were the first ones on and positioned themselves to the side. They wanted to ensure they were close to the doors so they could immediately leave when it was their turn to depart.

     After the doors closed, the pair leaned on them. The train began moving, and their eyes trailed over the cluster of strangers. At least a third of the passengers were dressed as Ghostface.

     Kynlee groaned. "You've got to be fucking kidding me..."

     "Good to know I'm not the only one who noticed," Mindy already knew what she was reacting to.

     "You're definitely not."

     The lights flickered, and Kynlee involuntarily tensed. Her heart rate picked up, and she tried not to let it intimidate her.

     Mindy glowered at the ceiling lights. "That's comforting." When she swept her line of sight down, she landed on Ethan. The boy was standing on the other side of the vehicle, holding onto a handrail. He waved awkwardly once he noticed her staring. She narrowed her eyes and inaudibly sighed.

     Next to her, Kynlee missed the entire exchange and was studying a map adjacent to them. It was of all the routes and upcoming stops.

     "¡Ay, Dios mío!" she lamented, rubbing her temples. "We have ten stops."

     "Beautiful." Mindy went on her phone to text her brother again. A shadow appeared across her screen, and she saw that the tattooed girl was reading the conversation.

     you guys on the next train?

     Yes w Ethan aka GF

     Kynlee snorted at the message Mindy just sent.

     There was a small 'sending...' with a grey loading circle beside the text. Its presence caused both of them to furrow their eyebrows. The signal reception underground was understandably garbage.

     Holding up her phone as if moving it a foot would provide a better signal, Mindy frowned. She held it higher above their heads, but nothing changed. It still wasn't sending.

     "This is a South Ferry bound local one train." The announcer spoke into the PA system. "The next stop is 79th Street."

     Out of nowhere, a stranger in a Ghostface costume jumped in their faces. The pair leaped as well, gasping loudly. Mindy was clutching her phone in one hand and holding onto Kynlee with the other. The person burst out in laughter at the fear on their faces and swung into the empty seat to their right.

     "Sorry!"

     The train came to a pause not a minute later. The doors opened and groups began to enter and exit.

     Kynlee dragged her and Mindy away from the stranger and to the other side. "Chingada," she grumbled, shaking her head.

     While the train remained stopped, they successfully relocated and Ethan did the same. Stepping around people, he advanced forward a few feet. He wanted to be able to keep an eye on the duo.

     After it took off, Mindy quickly noticed that the brown-haired boy had moved, too. She shot him a dirty look, scowling. He awkwardly averted his stare.

     Kynlee narrowed her eyes on a random stranger she'd just spotted. The person was hunched over in their seat and wore a floor-length black robe that sparkled slightly in the light. There was a hood attached and it was concealing the unknown figure. The outfit as a whole was incredibly reminiscent of Ghostface, and it made her uneasy.

     Yes, there were loads of people dressed as Ghostface tonight, particularly on this train, but this one stuck out to her. She didn't know why. There was a gnawing sensation in her gut that wouldn't budge.

     "Minds..." she whispered, nudging her lightly. She nodded in the direction of the person and shifted her footing.

     At the presence of the hooded individual, Mindy let out a quiet groan. "I can't wait for this to be over," she confessed, "I don't like being this paranoid."

     "Would you look at that? The expert finally doesn't want to be in the horror movie." Kynlee remarked, smirking at her. She never thought she'd see the day.

     Mindy narrowed her eyes. "You don't either."

     "Damn right, I don't," the latter scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I'm not fucking dealing with Ghostface's shit forever."

     A lull of silence passed.

     Puffing out her cheeks, Mindy randomly stated, "This isn't as fun anymore."

     "Minds, it was never fun," Kynlee argued, turning her head toward her.

     Suddenly, two random guys and a girl shoved into them. The action was so sudden and firm that the pair were forced out of their spot. More people pushed them as well, readying to get off at the upcoming stop.

     Mindy glared harshly at the two guys and one girl harshly. "Fuck you," she muttered, adjusting the bag on her shoulder.

     "Fuckers," Kynlee added just as angrily.

     At this point, to keep from being surrounded, they shifted to the very back of the subway. Their backsides rested on the emergency door.

     The announcer over the PA spoke again. "This is a South Ferry bound..."

     "If I hear that shit one more fucking time, I might scream." Kynlee pinched the bridge of her nose. She was reaching her tolerance level for bullshit for the day.

     "...local one train. The next stop is 66th Street, Lincoln Center."

     Considering that their backs were literally up against a wall, Mindy knew that they were more vulnerable than before. If Ghostface was here and got to them, they were fucked. There was nowhere for them to go.

     To the left, there were two girls asleep and leaning on one another. Each of them wore a set of earbuds, and the sound of rock music blasting could faintly be heard. Then, a few seats down was a man jamming out to whatever he was listening to in his headphones. His eyes were closed and he was playing an imaginary set of drums and guitar, alternating between the two instruments randomly.

     To the right, there was nobody. So, theoretically, if Mindy and Kynlee had to run, they could always jump on top of the seats. Kynlee was much more coordinated than Mindy, so she'd likely get away much quicker. Instead of this worrying Mindy, though, it comforted her. She already lost Anika, she couldn't lose one of her best friends. She'd rather Kynlee survive than her.

     Lastly, there was nobody facing in their direction. At least not in a position where they could see the girls.

     As Mindy was observing and assessing their surroundings and potential predicament, Kynlee returned to eyeing the robed figure. Something wasn't right. This was beginning to feel like a trap.

     That thought caused her to pause.

     Detective Bailey instructed the friend group to travel together in public. Could this be a setup? Could he be Ghostface or working with the masked killer?

     No... There's no way. What kind of father would kill his own daughter? Well... It wasn't that common, but it was probable.

     Darkness blanketed the train, and she interlaced her fingers with Mindy's. Her train of thought was interrupted. This back-and-forth game between being able to see and going blind was heightening her anxiety. Her foot restlessly tapped on the floor.

     When the lights flashed on, the cloaked individual was staring directly at them. It was between slivers in the horde, but Kynlee knew that they were the targets. The stranger was wearing that God-awful stark white Ghostface mask, too. Her stomach, heart, and face dropped.

     Standing taller, she tugged at Mindy's hand. Not a word left her lips; she only tipped her head a little bit in the direction of the person.

     It took a moment until Mindy found what she was motioning to. Her face fell and she tensed.

     Oh, fuck.

     The lights went out for four seconds, she counted, and when they came on, the person had moved. Now, they were standing in the center of the crowd and staring straight at the duo.

     Kynlee swept her eyes around, searching for Ethan. She caught a glimpse of him when the train jostled, and stifled a sigh. He was practically on the opposite end. There was no way he'd get to them in time if something happened. Also, he likely wouldn't hear them if either called his name.

     Laughter and cheering flooded the space, and the lights went through the same routine— out for four seconds and then back on. This time, when everyone was able to see again, the stranger was revealed to only be a few feet from Kynlee and Mindy.

     Without hesitation, the curly-haired girl threw herself in front of Kynlee. She was injured enough as it was. If anything happened and they were attacked, Mindy would be more likely to survive. At least that's what she was hoping.

     Jaw-dropping, the tattooed girl rapidly looked between her and the stranger. "What the hell are you doing? Mindy, move!" she demanded, bringing up her left arm.

     "No." It was a firm and cold response. There was no room for argument, but Kynlee was still going to put up a fight. "I'm not taking the chance of losing you, too."

     "And I'm not losing you," Kynlee fired back, trying to push her off with the uninjured arm.

     The lights went out again and both girls glanced up. Fuck. It was pitch black, so their efforts to locate the person in the Ghostface costume didn't pay off. They were nowhere to be seen.

     "Shit, shit, shit," Kynlee cursed, now holding onto Mindy's hips. "I don't like this."

     "Yeah, me either," the curly-haired girl replied, gulping.

     Bright streaks of light flickered across the subway speedily, basking the horde in darkness for a few seconds and then in the light for a split second. It was more blinding and disorienting than before. Neither could tell what was happening.

     Suddenly, Mindy was shoved against Kynlee and Kynlee was slammed into the door. They were pressed together, and Kynlee winced when she felt the hinges dig into the stab wound on her right shoulder blade. Her right arm was pinned down against the metal surface as Mindy was shoved again.

     A leather-gloved hand was encased over the Meeks-Martin girl's mouth right as a freezing cold blade went through her abdomen. Screaming against the glove, her eyes shut in agony. A streak of light flooded the vehicle for half a second, but it was enough time for Kynlee to see Ghostface inches away from their faces.

     Laughter and dozens of conversations filled up the train, leaving no room for Mindy's screams to be heard. Not a soul was aware of the horror occurring in the back.

     Ghostface tilted their head, seemingly staring Kynlee dead in the eyes as they yanked the knife out of Mindy. Then, without hesitation, they stabbed her again and collided her into Kynlee. This time the hinges tore off the bandage and she felt her stitches rip. Under her collarbone, she could feel blood leaking from the other stab wound. It was due to the impact of Mindy being thrown against her.

     Mindy screamed into the leather another time, groaning at the feeling of the blade inside her. There was nowhere to go and she was too weak to fight back. All she could do was hold Kynlee's left hand, clenching it so tightly she might break it.

     "Help!" Kynlee yelled, but Ghostface was quick to act. They grabbed Mindy's head and pressed it into hers, forcing it to hit the plastic window. Groaning, she briefly closed her eyes.

     Finally, the lights flicked on, and the masked killer was nowhere to be seen. The train came to a jolted stop and the doors slid open. The knife plunged into Mindy's stomach was gone, leaving her bleeding out on the metal floor.

     "This is 66th Street, Lincoln Center."

     On the opposite side of the vehicle, Ethan Landry was glancing around. He couldn't find either Kynlee or Mindy among the people exiting.

     "As you exit, please be careful of the platform and the train."

     Through the small gaps between strangers leaving and boarding, he caught a glimpse of the pair. They were both on the ground, and he could see a crimson liquid staining them.

     "Oh, shit." Ethan pushed his way through the crowd, trying to get to them. "Mindy! Fuck!" A group of friends scowled when he forced his way past, but he didn't notice. "Shit, shit. Kyn, Mindy!"

     Once he reached them, he dropped down and his eyes widened. Kynlee was holding Mindy against her, hands pressed on stab wounds that'd been inflicted on her abdomen. Blood was gushing from the injuries, and he grimaced.

     "Fuck, that's a lot of blood." Right as the words left his mouth, he noticed blood trailing from underneath the bandage under Kynlee's collarbone. Inhaling deeply, he hastily glimpsed over his shoulder. "Help! Somebody help!" He turned back to the two and seized Mindy's hands. "Fuck. We got to get you guys out of here, okay?"

     As fast as possible, he and Kynlee picked the curly-haired girl up. She cried out in pain, barely keeping it together.

     "Fucking move, fuckheads!" Kynlee shouted at fellow passengers, motioning with her injured arm for people to get out of the way. Some listened, some stared, and others just took out their phones and began recording.

     Eventually, they made their way out and Kynlee pointed at a pillar. "There. R-Right there," she huffed, trying to ignore the path of blood following the three.

     Ethan placed Mindy down and leaned her on the pillar. "Shit," he muttered, noticing the trail and how the bleeding had worsened. "Somebody call nine-one-one!"

     Luckily, a bystander with a heart pulled out his phone and dialed the number.

     Ethan swallowed harshly, taking in the sight of the injured girls. It was beginning to set in that this wasn't looking great. "Oh, my God. Are you okay?" he asked Mindy, glancing at the crimson liquid dripping off the sides of her jacket.

     A stiff nod was given as Mindy groaned sarcastically, "Yeah, I'm so good."

     "Kyn, are you okay?" Ethan asked next, checking to make sure she hadn't been hurt too badly. From where he was squatting, he could scarcely make out the blood slowly leaking from the wound under her collarbone and the one on her back.

     Panting with the palms of her hands against her thighs, Kynlee nodded meekly. "Yeah, I'm fine." There was an agonizingly sore and slow pain running up and down her right arm. Her hand felt like it was on fire, her head felt fuzzy, and her back hurt. She couldn't complain, though. She wasn't the one who'd been stabbed.

     Nodding, he let out a breath of relief and swept his attention back to the Meeks-Martin girl. "You're gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay."

     Mindy was staring up at the brown-haired boy in defeat. "Goddammit," she whined, "I got it wrong again. What the fuck?!"

     "It's fine, Minds," Kynlee reassured her, shifting so she was crouched in front of her. The amount of blood spilling from the stab wounds made her uneasy. Things weren't looking good, and she didn't know what to do.

     "Fuck this franchise," Mindy grunted, breathing in deeply. The way she was slumped against the dark green pillar was incredibly uncomfortable, and she didn't like it. Locking eyes with the two, she let out a heavy exhale. "You guys need to go."

     Ethan blinked in alarm. "Wait, what?"

     "Yeah, what?" Kynlee's eyebrows knitted together, unsure if she'd heard her correctly. There was no way she was abandoning Mindy. Absolutely not. And she didn't want to be left alone with Ethan, it was too risky.

     Sets of footsteps neared in the distance, and Ethan glimpsed to the right to see two workers pushing through the crowd. Thank God.

     "You need to get to the theater," Mindy told the tattooed girl, wincing.

     "And, what?" Kynlee scoffed, feeling a lump forming in her throat at the mere thought. "Leave you here?! Hell no."

     Mindy nodded. "Hell yes."

     Staring desperately at her best friend, Kynlee's face twisted in pain and she shook her head. "Mindy, no. I'm not leaving you. It's not happening," she protested, ignoring the sudden pulls at her elbow.

     Mindy gave her a pointed look, tilting her head. "Yes, you are," she argued, wincing at the pain shooting through her stomach. "I still don't trust or like shy boy, but I need you to get to the theater. Check on Chad, Tara, and Sam."

     "Mindy, no—"

     "Yes. Take my phone and go!"

     There was more tugging at her elbow and Kynlee glanced over her shoulder to see Ethan was trying to get her to stand up. Approaching behind him were two construction workers who happened to be nearby. One of them was speaking into their walkie-talkie, calling for medical assistance.

     "They're calling for help, but we should go," Ethan stressed, pulling on the tattooed girl's arm again.

     Kynlee turned back to Mindy right as the curly-haired girl was shoving her blood-soaked phone into her hands. "If he's not already dead, save my brother. Please. Please, go." Desperation was shining in her eyes and she was practically pleading.

     Before she could say another word, Ethan yanked her up and pulled her toward the stairs. They needed to leave now to make it on time. The workers would ensure Mindy got help.

     "Kynlee! Let's go!"

━━━━━━━━┛ ✶ ┗━━━━━━━━

❝ you know i'm 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 at 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒔,
you know that you're my 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. . .

and i'll 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 repeat 𝒊𝒕! ❞

╭⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀╮

¡Por favor! No empieces con eso.
━━ Please! Don't start with that.
¡Ay, Dios mío! ━━ Oh, my God
Chiquita ━━ Small, petite
Conejito ━━ Bunny
Pendejo ━━ Asshole
¿Entiendes? ━━ Do you
understand?
Te amo tanto ━━ I love you so much
Te quiero también ━━ I love you too
Chingada ━━ Fuck

╰⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀╯

     THREE MORE CHAPTER AND THEN WE'RE DONE!!!!!

     i'm so sad, i don't want this story to end 😭😭😭 i love these characters too damn much, it's not healthy.

     PLEASE READ: in light of the news that melissa barrera was fired ("dropped") from scream vii due to her supporting palestine and speaking out against genocide, i will not be continuing this story for scream vii (not unless melissa is brought back, which doesn't seem likely, unfortunately). this is a disgusting decision and one that i do not agree with or support in the slightest. this book will end the way i planned and will NOT be continued after scream vi.

     anyway! the next chapter should be out soon! currently working on it as you read this <3

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˒⠀𝑹𝑬𝑴𝑰𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑹. . . ▬⠀⤸

Thank you all for taking the time out of your day to comment on this story. It means a lot and helps the story be spread to a broader audience &&& allows me to grow as an author. All I ask is that people vote on each chapter, please. As a creator, it takes time to write and develop stories. So please, vote on every chapter. It means a lot more than I could ever express.

Don't forget to vote & comment!

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˒⠀𝑪𝑶𝑷𝒀𝑹𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻. . . ▬⠀⤸

❝ All Rights Reserved.
No part of this publication may be
reproduced, distributed, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, including
photocopying, recording, or other
electronic or mechanical methods,
without prior permission of the author,
except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in critical reviews and
other noncommercial uses permitted
by copyright law. ❞

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