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shriketimes · 1 year

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tuesday januray 17th, 1989.

"Last night, Shrike Heights has faced one of our hazardous Winter blizzards, resulting in many buildings being snowed in. Shrike Mall finds itself yet again in trouble, its employees being trapped inside the building with four of the serial killers who are still currently at large. There are reported to be at least four dead and many others severely injured. Police were called during the attack, but unfortunately it took some time to enter the mall while officers cleared enough snow to get the mall doors open. Officers remained with victims while one attempted to apprehend one of the perpetrators, and they’ve been missing since. Some locals are questioning the reason for the mall to have remained open during such dangerous weather, but officials say that no laws have been broken, and that the attack likely would have happened regardless of weather conditions. Please contact the police department if you see anything suspicious or if you know of the whereabouts of the missing officer."

monday january 16th, 1989.

The new year has begun, the year of 1989, though for Shrike Heights, it doesn’t feel like a fresh start or a clean slate. The horrors of the last two years still have a hold over every resident’s mind, and just as the year before began, none of these crimes have been brought to a close. The year feels unresolved; the residents try their best to move forward despite the nagging weight that makes it impossible to escape the past.

Snow falls heavily over the small town; a blizzard is incoming, and it’s already disastrously snowy out. Warnings have been issued since the night before, for residents to stay inside of their homes when possible, and for the most part, the town listens. Almost all who are braving the elements tonight are those required at work, with few others out there with them.

A young boy stands in the streets of Old Shrike. He’s too young to be needed outside of his home for work, but still, he stands there as if the heavy snowfall and vicious wind isn’t almost knocking him over. With all of his strength, he nails a piece of laminated paper to a telephone pole.

MISSING, it reads in large red letters, written in a juvenile handwriting that matches the boy. Underneath the writing is a photograph of a smart looking teenage boy with a grin almost as blinding as the snow, and beneath that, all of his details. The boy sniffs in the cold, his face numb, but onwards he treks.

Passing the next house to the next telephone pole, an old man emerging from his home is followed by his door slamming shut with a great gust of wind. Despite being bundled up in many winter layers, his crooked body struggles to shuffle forward on his porch. “In a blizzard?!” His voice is wheezy, and only just strong enough to reach the footpath. “Get home, boy!” He calls, genuine concern for the child on his wrinkled and aged face.

“I know!” The boy shouts back, much more power behind his voice, still preserved in youth. “I just really need to find my brother.” Desperation is in his tone and on the young face that’s blotchy and numbed by the freezing conditions. He continues forward, and he continues nailing the posters on any available surface for as long as he can withstand the cold.

The unfortunate reality is that this boy isn’t the only person who is missing a loved one; he’s not the only resident of Shrike Heights who had to spend the holiday season and the new year without every member of his family; he’s not the only person who is worried sick enough to face a blizzard, just on the off chance that more posters will help the search.

More and more people in Shrike Heights are going missing, most without a single trace. There’s speculation that people are leaving Shrike in order to escape the possibility of becoming victims in the next attack, but the families and friends of these missing people fight against the theory; so many of those who are lost would never do such a thing. Some speculate that it’s the town authorities who have started the rumours about people leaving town voluntarily, so they don’t seem liable for more tragedy, but no matter how much they speak out on it, their voices will never be as loud as the likes of Mayor Sweeney.

The town is left only to hope that ‘missing’ isn’t a new synonym for ‘murdered’, though there isn’t much evidence against it. Even Tracks’ owner Owen O’Hanrahan is still missing, and as he was last seen being actively attacked by the killers at the end of summer carnival, many wonder if that’s the fate all missing folk met.

For the rest of the town, life in Shrike Heights goes on, even despite obstacles like business owners such as Owen being gone. While the blizzard outside grows fiercer and fiercer, Shrike Mall continues to operate. Many stores have decided to close up a little early in order to escape the dangerous conditions on their journey home, but unfortunately not all establishments are able to close, and not all employees are able to find themselves in the warmth and safety of their homes so soon.

Some employees, in fact, are only arriving at Shrike Mall. Romulus Davies is one of the unlucky ones; he opts to work the late shifts at the mall as he runs his furniture store during the day. He stands in the hallway that leads to the storage room containing his equipment, having run into Michael Webb on his way, not in any rush to get to work while his body still needs to defrost from the bitter cold.

“The ground’s slipperier inside the entrance of this place than it is out. All the snow everyone’s walked in has melted and left such a damn mess.” Romy complains, shaking his head with mild annoyance.

Michael smiles sympathetically. Getting stuck with frustrating jobs in his own position at the mall, he can understand the annoyance. “At least hardly anyone else is gonna be coming in here now.” Now that most of the establishments are closed for the night, he means.

Romy nods their head. “Right.” He takes another step in the right direction. “You stuck here for much longer? Long enough to take a look at the cigarette machine, at least?” The cigarette machine in question is the same one that was used to injure Soren Chen last year; it no longer resides in the same place, and it’s been repaired before, but still, the way the mechanisms jam inside of it remind those who know what happened that night of the horrors.

“Just packing up the rest of my shit now, so I can head out right after taking a look at it.” He’s one step ahead of Romy’s request. “You’d be surprised how many complaints we get about it, even though it’s not the only one we have around the place.”

Not wanting to prevent Michael from leaving the mall as soon as he can, Romy concludes the conversation, going to collect his equipment. He decides to clean up the entrance first; the last thing they need is for some poor employee to slip and break something just when they’re about to make it out alive. They push the wheeled cart through the maintenance hallways, back out to the front of the mall, though they stop when they see the scene.

Large snowy footsteps have walked wide strides into the mall. They’re fresh, the snow is yet to melt, and Romy easily concludes the messy mall visitor must have only just walked out of view. He moves forward again. The footprints have been made with large boots; Romy figures it must have been a member of the security team, and while more mess isn’t ideal, he can’t stay mad at the idea of more protection.

As Romy sweeps the unmelted snow and the water towards the door, Michael appears once again, holding his large tool bag, on his way to the cigarette machine on the other side of the mall. “Been here for not even five minutes, and someone else has already made more mess for me.” Romy updates him, complaining again, but this time laughing. There’s nothing they can do about it; that’s the job they signed up for, like it or not.

Before Michael can respond, both mall employees have their attention grabbed by the sound of a loud commotion echoing through the vast, empty spaces of the mostly closed mall. It sounds as though weight is being thrown around, and it’s far too loud and abrupt to be the sound of employees doing their job. Suddenly the commotion is added to by the sound of ear piercing metal against metal, and then, a blood curdling scream sounds.

Romy and Michael both drop their equipment, moving into the middle of the space, looking around for the source with concern and shock on their faces. They scan their surroundings until they stand back to back, but everything has fallen silent. All that can be heard is their breathing, slightly louder than usual - though it might only sound louder as they listen so intently.

It feels like the silence lasts a lifetime, but then Zach Porter comes into view, running from around the corner, dragging one leg behind him uncomfortably as he flees. His eyes meet Romy and Michael, and he begins to scream. “Run! Run!” His voice is strained and jagged; the pain is obvious. As he comes closer, Romy and Michael realise that he’s covered in blood, but their attention is quickly pulled away from the victim as the Jack-O-Lantern killer comes into view.

The killer is covered in blood, too, and it’s obvious whose it is. Romy begins to stammer, before finally stringing together a coherent sentence. “I let him walk right in, I, holy shit-” The boots that left enormous prints on the ground weren’t left by a guard, they were left by the masked perpetrator who wields his large carving knife.

“Stop. Don’t.” Michael doesn’t want Romy to take any blame, not only because he isn’t to blame, but because they have no time for such a thing when they need to prioritise getting out of harm's way. Zach screams at them to run again, and Michael nods, reaching over to take hold of Romy’s arm. “We need to get out of here, come on-”

“No!” Romy stumbles back, looking even more fearful now. “My sister’s working! My sister’s here, she’s at Donna’s! I can’t-” He stumbles back again, out of Michael’s grip, watching the killer and the victim come closer and closer. He looks to Michael, as if for an answer, and his fear mirrors Romy’s.

“Fuck. My sister’s here too.” He had almost forgotten that Samantha took up an extra shift tonight, and that she was his ride home. “We have to get them, come on.” Michael directs, knowing they have no time to waste. The two make a run for it, towards the escalator that leads to the first floor, where both of their sisters are.

Michael leads the way, afraid but seemingly better than the other while under pressure; Romy follows closely behind. To get to the escalator, they have to run towards the Jack-O-Lantern, but the killer is further away; the two are hoping they’ll be able to make it up to level one before the killer can reach the path himself. They seem to have a good chance of making it - that is, until they both falter at the sight of the killer catching Zach. The Jack-O-Lantern viciously kicks him down, and Zach is knocked unconscious as his head smacks against the linoleum floor.

Romy and Michael keep going, running up the escalator as quickly as possible. Michael looks to be nothing but determined, looking only ahead, but as Romy looks back to the killer and his victim; Jack plunges his knife into the man’s wrist, just as he regains consciousness and begins to move. Romy trips in shock, but catches themself and is able to keep going without putting too much distance in between themself and Michael.

They reach level one more breathless than they would like, but they keep going, heading towards Life Rose On. As they approach the store, Michael is relieved to see his sister Samantha Webb outside of it, clicking the last lock shut, ready to head out. She doesn’t realise that there’s anything sinister going on in the mall until she hears the heavy footsteps and loud breathing.

Immediately upon hearing the noise, her head turns quickly, her breath catching in her throat, and she knows. Samantha hasn’t been physically injured by a killer herself, but she has encountered the Hunter before - in the very place she stands now - and with all of the other mall attacks, she doesn’t have to think twice or ask questions to know that there’s a very bad situation unfolding in the enormous building tonight.

Michael reaches her first, catching his breath while placing his hands on her shoulders. “There’s a killer downstairs.” There’s no easier way to break the news to her, not when the matter is time sensitive. “Romy, go get your sister.” He prompts. Romy doesn’t even take the time to respond before he takes off running again. “We have to get out of here now, he just killed someone and I-”

Samantha cuts him off. “What about everyone else in the mall? I’m not the last to close up, there are other people around, other stores open- They’re in danger, and I can’t- We can’t- We need to-” She’s speaking far too fast for her brain to find the right words. “If they’re in danger we need to help them get out of here safely, too.” She’s beginning to panic. Having watched Posey Bryant be attacked right in front of her eyes, and having been unable to do anything to prevent the injuries, Samantha knows what survivors' guilt feels like, and she can’t stomach the thought of letting more people be attacked like that.

“Sam, we need to get out alive.” Michael isn’t as eager to risk his own life - along with his sister’s - for the sake of people he mightn’t have even met before. He doesn’t feel right about making a foolish plan, especially not when he believes anyone else in this position would just run.

Despite not having come to an agreement, the siblings have no more time to talk about it as Samantha catches sight of the Jack-O-Lantern killer stepping to the top of the escalator. She jumps back in horror, then reaches out to take the hand of her brother, and they run.

While the Webb’s have their short lived debate, Romy finds himself in Donna’s swiftly. It’s clearly closed, though not yet properly, a couple of front lights left on to illuminate Marina Davies and Noah Cohen, who has just come from his own workplace. “I hate walking out by myself when it’s dark.” Marina tells Noah, the two planning on making their way out of the mall together, but their conversation is cut short as they see Romy. Much like Samantha, they both know something is wrong.

“There’s a killer.” Romy has to break the news as abruptly as Michael did. “Downstairs, he just-” Unlike Michael, who cleverly kept his eyes forward as he fled, Romy was witness to the full gruesome attack on Zach, and he’s rendered unable to speak properly as he feels such intense shock. “We need to get out of here.” He concludes simply.

Marina and Noah share a look of unease and shock, though despite their mirrored expressions, it affects Noah on a different level. This isn’t the first time he’s found himself so close to a killer, in a crime scene unfolding; he’s been through an attack before, similarly to Samantha, and he shares her panic and her dread. This can’t be happening, not again.

“You’re joking.” Marina steps forward as she speaks. She knows Romy would never joke about such a thing, but she desperately wants this to not be real.

“I really fucking wish I was.” The despair in Romy’s voice echoes through Donna’s, and the reality of the situation begins to sink in for Marina, unlike Noah, who still stands in the very same position, a ghostly shade of white, uncharacteristically silent.

Before more can be said, Samantha and Michael bolt past Romy, stopping just past him at the front of the store. “He followed us.” Michael says hurriedly. He’s only sharing the fact so they know to run, he doesn’t mean to make Romy feel responsible for now putting at least three more people in danger; but Romy does take it personally, and he does feel guilt.

He was meant to be saving his sister, but instead, he’s helped the killer find her. “Fuck.” He shakes his head, trying to snap out of it. “Marina.” He steps closer to her and he takes her hand. Romy then gives Noah an apologetic look, too. Though Noah isn’t his sibling too, he still feels the intense guilt for having led the killer to him all the same.

“Noah,” Michael only now realises that Marina isn’t alone, and that her company is the Snapshot employee he knows from his consistent work in the establishment. “Come on,” he steps further into the store too, reading fear on Noah’s face. “We need to get out of here.” Though he didn’t agree with Samantha about rounding up all the remaining employees to get them to safety, he’d never leave someone like Noah behind.

Despite the group being terrified, they know they need to move quickly. One moment of hesitation could be enough for them to end up like Posey, or Jupiter Bernstein, or the countless other victims they either knew or didn’t. They run out of Donna’s, and with the route to the first floor blocked by the killer, they all run in the opposite direction.

Stepping out of the store, Noah and Marina see the killer for the very first time. Neither of them want to see just how close he is to them, but regardless, all five heads turn to look at him, and the sight strikes fear in all. “No.” Noah mutters breathlessly, hand tapping his pocket as he runs, double checking that he has his inhaler on him because if the running doesn’t constrict his lungs to the point of needing it, his fear certainly will.

They all move at the fastest pace they can, and Michael leads them up to the second floor. It feels slightly counter productive, but they need time, and they need space from the killer; running right into his knife doesn’t sound like the smartest game plan.

Immediately upon reaching level two, the group finds Calista Tjhoea, who walks towards the same stationary escalator they’ve all just stepped off of. She’s on her way out, but she stops in her tracks when she’s met with the panicked people. “Come with us,” Samantha is the first to speak, ahead of the group beside her brother. “We need to get out of the mall.”

“There’s a killer.” Michael takes over, feeling the need to cut to the chase to express the seriousness of what’s going on. “If we go down the stairwell we can make it to the door, but he’s behind us.” So they can’t continue the way Calista was going, he means. Before even waiting for a response, Michael begins to move again, Samantha, Romy, Marina and Noah following.

Calista stands with an expression of shock for a moment, but then she turns and follows the group. She’s not yet able to process what’s going on, but regardless, Calista sees no harm in exiting via the stairwell tonight. She trails behind them, a little speechless in her shock.

Before they can get far, Junko Jacobsen emerges from Daniela’s Salon. Samantha jumps as she spots her, holding a hand over her rapidly beating heart. She’s only frightened because the salon’s lights are off, so she thought the store was properly closed up and didn’t expect a figure to suddenly appear.

Junko had been about to lock the door and leave for the night, but the sound of the group outside of the store caught their attention. “What’s going on?” She asks; she takes one look at the hurrying group and she knows something isn’t right. While others might have hid at the first sight of trouble in the mall, Junko can’t help but investigate.

“Apparently there’s a killer.” It’s clear in Calista’s tone that she hasn’t broken out of her shock and the reality of the situation hasn’t hit her. “Like, in the mall right now. I was about to leave, but…” She realises it’s not the time to elaborate, and she slowly begins to feel a little more afraid.

“Quickly, we need to get out of here.” Michael speaks up again, though before he can share the plan with Junko, Eisa Sanders’ voice can be heard from behind them. This time, Noah is startled by the presence of another, her voice evoking the feeling of fright as it’s unexpected.

“There’s a killer?” Eisa asks, eyebrows raised, in slight disbelief that she’s finally present for one of the attacks, after all this time. “I-” She’s cut off by Michael.

“Yes there’s a killer, and he’s behind us, so we really need to get our asses out of here.” He’s short, but not meaning to be rude. He’s only desperate to find safety again, understandably, as soon as possible.

Everyone around seems to understand, or even if they disagree with his attitude, they prioritise getting out of the mall, too. They begin to run towards the stairwell, only one more time, they don’t make it there without an obstacle.

The last employee inside of Stitch by Stitch, Kamila May, steps towards the door, holding multiple large sheets of fabric in her hands as she inspects the echoing footsteps and incomprehensible speech. “Has there been an attack?” She asks.

“There has, come with us.” Romy’s voice is much more gentle than the tone used when Eisa joined the group, though he sounds far more afraid than Michael, which doesn’t help the fear levels for the rest of them.

Kamila swallows thickly, turning on her heels, throwing the fabric down, but a white sheet remains standing. Confusion very quickly turns into pain as the Ghost slashes her across the abdomen with the sharp blade of their knife. Kamila screams, and Michael, the closest to her, rushes over.

The Ghost slashes Kamila across the stomach, the chest, both of her arms, one of her cheeks, and finally the throat, all before Michael even reaches her. He wishes to help, but just as he’s a step away, Kamila drops to the ground, gurgling and choking on her own blood. “Oh fuck.” Michael jumps back, finally breaking his strong facade, body wobbling as he watches Kamila reach up to her bleeding throat with blood covered hands.

Samantha runs over, despite the horror of the sight, and she takes Michael’s arm to steady him. He pulls away from her grip only seconds later as he moves back towards Kamila, wanting to help. “It’s gonna be okay,” he tells her, despite the gut feeling that it won’t be. Before he can squat down to try to hold pressure on the worst of her wounds, the Ghost swiftly and smoothly approaches, at quite the speed, and Michael can’t stumble back in time before the Ghost’s bloody knife begins to cut him, too.

They slash him across his arms as he holds them up in defence, moving back as best as he can while trying to dodge the attack. Samantha jumps back, too, so abruptly that she falls down onto her back. Marina and Romy both run over, helping her back up before she can become the next victim. They try to pull her away, but she tries to lunge forward to Michael, who turns slightly away, only to earn cuts across his side. “Ah!” He shouts, in pain. “Run!” He adds, the second he notices Samantha’s attempt at helping him. It’s not worth it.

The group of Eisa, Calista, Junko and Noah all stand behind Romy and Marina, who try to save Samantha from getting hurt helping her brother. They don’t move yet, perhaps frozen in shock or fear or guilt - or all of the above. But Noah abruptly calls attention to the reason why that changes. “Uh, guys.” He speaks up, voice shaky, but heard. He looks down the mall, in the direction they came from, and the Jack-O-Lantern is walking towards them. Noah doesn’t have to say anything else for the group to follow his line of sight and see the killer, too - even Michael, as he turns more and is slashed across the back.

“Run!” Michael says again, and as he finally has his back towards the killer, despite his injuries, he’s able to run at the same time as the rest of the group. Kamila, however, is not only unable to run, but her struggling has stopped, and blood continues to pool around her body as she lays lifelessly on the floor.

They reach the stairwell, and Junko pulls the door open. The group files in with no hesitation. Michael trails behind the rest, though Samantha refuses to leave his side, even if he is moving slower. They make it to the ground floor in one piece, and they sprint to the front entrance of the mall. Romy is the first to reach the doors, and once there, Michael pushes to the front of the group too.

They stand there for a beat, waiting for the automatic doors to open and let them into the pitch black exterior. When nothing happens, Eisa swiftly moves to press the button that manually opens the door. A whirring sound is made, but the door still doesn’t move. Michael and Romy get the same idea at the same time, and they try to pry the doors open themselves. Only then do they realise that they’re not seeing the pitch black of night outside, no, they’ve been snowed in.

“Oh god, oh no,” Marina’s chest feels tight, though not as tight as Noah’s. He braces himself against the wall, staring out into the mall with wide, frightened eyes, alert.

“Where else can we get out?” Junko asks, pushing her glasses further up her nose, breathless and afraid.

“The back?” Calista suggests. This all feels very real to her now.

“The wind was coming from that direction.” Eisa muses, pointing to the front doors. “Maybe it isn’t snowed over yet.”

Even if it is, they have to try. They’ll only end up caught if they keep standing there, and Michael needs medical help, even despite Samantha’s attempts to put pressure on his various wounds to stop the bleeding. Again, they run.

On the way to the other side of the mall, they pass Shrike Grocers; with the grocery store being one of few places in the mall with extended hours, all of the lights are brightly shining, it’s still open - only, the employees aren’t working. Instead, they’re crowded around Zach Porter, who shocks Romy and Michael by still being alive. The group stops running.

“Is he chasing you?” One of the employees asks the group, Zach’s blood dripping down their arms as their hands hold onto his wounded wrist.

“He was; we tried to get out but we’re snowed in at the front.” Romy tells them, struggling to look at the group due to the horrific state that Zach is in.

“You should hide,” Calista speaks up again. “We’re going to check the back doors, but you should turn the lights off and act like the store is closed, in case he comes by, after us.” She can only imagine the field day Jack would have, walking past the group, and the already injured. They’d all be dead in seconds.

“We can check to see if we’re snowed in out there, too, and if not one of us can come back and we can all get out.” Samantha adds, not wanting them to get the impression that they were being left behind; it was just far too risky to have Zach running around the mall in his condition, especially if they are snowed in out the back of the mall.

“It’s smart to stay split up,” Another grocery store employee agrees with the plan. “We’ll call the police while you go. We just called security, and-” he’s cut off as two security guards approach quickly. He begins to fill them in on the situation and the plan without hesitation. Like Michael, this employee appears good under pressure.

One security guard rushes in to help with Zach, while the other, Heath Perry, stays with the group outside of the store. “I’ll go with you,” Heath tells Noah, Marina, Romy, Junko, Eisa, Michael and Samantha. “I can’t let you go alone.” No one is in the position to deny the security escort, especially not Michael.

As the lights are being turned off and the grate is being pulled across the front of the store, those on the mission to the back of the mall continue on. The path to the back isn’t a long one, though under the circumstances, it feels like it’s taking them forever. Finally they see the large doors, but before they can reach them, the Jack-O-Lantern walks out from the shadows, blocking the way. The group skids to a jarring stop.

Before they can turn and run back, Jack moves towards them at a pace faster than before. It scares the entire group as he charges towards them, and though they scramble to move out of the way, not all of them can move in time.

Romy was closest to the killer, so he now finds himself at the very back as they all turn and flee. As he runs, a sharp, burning pain begins in his lower back, and immediately spreads all throughout his body. He falls to the ground with a scream. Marina turns just in time to see Jack pulling his bloody carving knife out of her sibling’s back. “Romy!” She screams, running to him.

Heath beats her to Romy, and he doesn’t show any hesitation before using his shoulder to slam against the killer. Jack only takes two steps back; the tackle isn’t successful, he’s standing too firmly, he’s too sturdy. Heath looks at the killer with fear in his eyes as Marina helps Romy up with a struggle. Romy’s pain is severe, and Marina’s entire body feels too shaky and weak to pull him up - though somehow, she does.

As the siblings move away from the killer, back to those still running, Heath lunges forward, reaching for the killer’s knife. He grabs his wrist, then with his other hand, the small section of the handle that Jack’s large hand isn’t wrapped around. Heath struggles for the knife, but his hand slips, and the length of his palm is cut open. It stings, but he keeps up the struggle.

Jack doesn’t falter. He rips Heath’s hand off of him, and then kicks him down onto his back. Heath’s head smacks against the floor, but he remains conscious, and tries to get back onto his feet. Before he can, the Jack-O-Lantern killer stomps on his chest. Heath can’t even scream, his insides feeling crushed, broken, his lungs no longer working.

As Marina, Romy, Noah, Calista, Eisa, Junko, Samantha and Michael all run, the Jack-O-Lantern mutilates Heath’s face, carving in it a jagged smile, then digging out his eyeballs, working until he’s complete with the transformation of the now lifeless body.

“We can’t go back to the grocery store.” Romy pleads, struggling at the back of the group but trying to catch up. “We can’t lead him right to the others.”

“We can find somewhere else to hide, while we wait for the cops.” Marina suggests, her struggle evident in her breathless and strained voice as she holds on to her sibling, awkwardly positioned with a hand over his wound, trying to stop the bleeding - much like Samantha is doing with Michael up ahead.

“There are all the stores we left unlocked upstairs.” Junko suggests, loud enough for the entire group to hear, unlike Marina and Romy’s speech.

“I also left Donna’s unlocked.” Marina nods. “I don’t want to go back up to find the Ghost again.” She shivers as she thinks of Kamila’s body, left up there.

Eisa turns her head yet keeps moving forward, looking at those speaking, and she notices Romy’s struggle. She stops until they catch up, and when they do, she helps Marina apply pressure to the stab wound, and she helps take some of Romy’s weight as they all keep going. “I can help more once we’ve stopped.” She tells them, also looking ahead to Michael, who is bleeding a lot, but lucky in the way that he doesn’t have such a deep wound.

The group agrees, and they make it up to level one again. Romy, Marina and Eisa only just make it off the escalator when they see the Jack-O-Lantern on the other side of the mall, as if waiting for them. Fear strikes inside of them all again. “He must have gone up the stairwell.” Noah thinks out loud breathlessly. None of them are sure of what to do.

“Level two.” Junko throws out the first idea. The Ghost may still be up there, but they know that there are many stores unlocked and available to hide in before they reach Stitch by Stitch, so they hope they can go undetected by the second killer. They all run up the next escalator; none of them feel like there’s another option.

“The Black Cat.” Eisa suggests, and they all rush into the dark store. They crouch down, hiding against walls, behind shelves, the first places they find. The store is filled with the sounds of heavy breathing, the sounds of Michael wincing as Samantha and Junko help with his injuries, and the sound of Romy groaning as Marina and Eisa help with theirs. With no sign of either killer approaching, they wait.

As the group try their best to escape the killers, the remaining employees in Key Of Reason are eager to close up shop and make their way home. Jamison Burr and Veronica Velasco struggle to drag the last of the heavy boxes from the latest shipment into the storage room out the back, neither of their spirits high as they were made to wait for hours for the shipment that came late.

Thankfully with the job almost done, the end is in sight. They’re both relieved, but particularly Veronica. It doesn’t take living through an attack to make someone fearful of the late shift at the mall, but it certainly doesn’t help, and after Veronica’s encounter with a killer right here in this very store, she doesn’t want to be here for a second longer than necessary. She pushes the last box into place with all of her strength and Jamie’s help. “Finally.” She huffs, straightening up again. “I’ll get the keys to lock the room up.”

“Thanks,” Jamie continues to straighten up the boxes while he waits for her to return. “Everything else should be good to go after this, we can finally get out of here.” He can’t think of anything else the pair has neglected to get done. A tired smile graces his face, though it’s wiped swiftly as a loud crashing comes from the front of the store.

Without hesitation, Jamie steps out to the horrifying sight. The Skeleton stands over Veronica, holding the femur bone that has clearly just been used to attack her. The skin on her forehead is split and bleeding, and she’s fallen into a table that had magazines stacked upon it. “Shit.” Jamie is terrified, but he runs towards the pair, wanting to help Veronica out.

He reaches them, though the Skeleton swings his weapon at Jamie before he can help; he only just avoids a collision, though he feels it graze his hair as he ducks. He stumbles backwards, and looks at Veronica. They’re in shock, not moving from the ground.

She’s terrified; this attack resembles her previous encounter with the killer so closely, and she isn’t sure that she can live through an attack here twice. She’s only able to break free of the shock when the Skeleton’s bone smacks against her head harshly one more time. The cut on her forehead splits open wider, and more blood begins to rush down her face. She falls to her side, but finally, she begins to scramble up onto her feet.

“Go.” Jamie rushes to grab her, to help her up all the way and out of the store, but just as his fingers make contact with her skin, the Skeleton swings the bone and hits her across the back. Veronica is winded, thrown onto her hands and knees before she collapses onto her front. Immediately the weapon is swung in Jamie’s direction once again, and this time, it makes contact with his stomach.

He falls onto his backside with a groan. His eyes prickle with tears, but he forces himself up, even while feeling unable to breathe. He reaches Veronica again, and though he tries to pull her back up, she’s dizzy and limp, wheezing and groaning uncomfortably as she’s trying yet failing. “Come on Veronica.” He pulls a little harder, and she finally gets her feet flat on the floor.

It lasts a second before Jamie is hit again. He’s hit across the side this time, and he’s sent into the drum kit set up beside them. As he topples over it, skin splits on his eyebrow, and his entire body feels badly bruised.

Veronica somehow manages to stay on her feet, though she’s swaying. She blinks tears out of her eyes and inhales loud, jagged breaths, quickly until she’s able to step forward to try to make a run for it again. She can’t properly see the path in front of her, blood, tears, and dizziness blurring her vision, but she tries. As she steps towards the door, not quite running but moving fast, the Skeleton swings and hits her one more time.

This time, they smash the femur bone against her left calf; Veronica screams in agony as a loud crunch and crack sounds, followed by the sensation of her flesh tearing apart in the front of her leg as her bone pierces its way through her. This time, when she falls to the floor, she hits her head harshly against the tiles, and she lays there lifelessly while blood pools around her.

Seemingly satisfied with his work, the Skeleton walks out of the store, leaving the two victims behind in search of finding the next.

Jamie waits for the killer to be out of sight before rushing to Veronica’s side. He feels for a pulse - she’s still alive. He quickly pulls off his flannelette shirt, and he does the best he can to tie up the large wound on her broken leg. Veronica comes to with a loud scream of pain. “Sorry.” Jamie tells them hurriedly.

“Where is he?” Veronica slurs their words, and hiccups as they try to hold back a cry of pain.

“He walked out, but I don’t trust him to not come back.” He helps Veronica as they try to sit up, shaking with pain and fear. “I think we should hide.” He decides. “I’ll call 911, get you some help, but I think we’re better off hiding out the back while I do.” He swallows thickly; he’s trying to be the strong one. “D’you think you can get there if you put your weight on me, rather than your leg?”

Veronica isn’t sure, but regardless, she nods. “Hiding- okay.” Veronica is more the fighter type, but she has to accept that she has no other choice right now. They try to stand her up, but even while trying their best to avoid her broken leg, she screams out in pain, the bone pushing up on the torn and bleeding flesh as she moves positions. Maybe she doesn’t even have this choice, after all.

On the same floor, Juniper Zhao and November Cain are about to walk out of Skin Deep. The lights are all off, and there’s nothing more to do than lock the door and find their way home. Just before they walk out, however, Juniper catches sight of a shadowy figure, and their gut tells them to hang back. “Just a second.” They tell November, a hushed voice and a hand up to gesture ‘stop’.

November, a cautious person, immediately agrees to stay put when they see the figure, too. They step back into the store a little further, wanting to be sure that they’re definitely concealed in the shadows.

The two employees wait, eyes wide as they look out and see the Skeleton walking past the tattoo parlour. They both hold their breaths, the situation feeling so scary that it doesn’t even feel real. Once the Skeleton is far enough away for Juniper to risk whispering, she turns her head to look at November. “That was one of the killers, right?” She’s only just begun to learn about the killers, and while November hasn’t lived in Shrike Heights for long, either, she trusts them to know more than she does.

There’s no way that that couldn’t have been a killer. November has never seen one in person before, but regardless, they’re sure it is. They don’t dare speak, afraid to make a sound, but they nod their head.

Juniper turns back; the killer walks into Fast Times, and Juniper knows immediately that they need to take this opportunity to escape. “I know it’s scary,” Juniper starts, “but we need to run.” With the killer out of sight, and likely preoccupied with others - though that’s not a detail she wishes to think of - it’s now or never.

November feels as though their heart has stopped beating. “We have to go.” Juniper reaffirms. November swallows hard. They don’t want to risk getting caught, getting hurt, but they don’t much like the idea of staying here - especially not if Juniper is going to flee regardless. They nod their head again. Slowly, and as quietly as possible, the two co-workers open the door, shut it behind them, and then they bolt.

As they run together, they hear a scream, and they’re not the only ones to hear it. Martin Montgomery makes his way out, too, but he finds himself directly outside of Key Of Reason when the scream comes from inside of it. He looks in, and can’t miss the bloody scene. “Oh fuck.”

Jamie looks to the source of the cursing, and is relieved to see another person - specifically one not injured. He helps Veronica settle back down before standing up himself. “Please,” he begins, desperate and breathless. “I’m trying to get her out the back, so I can call for help but stay hidden.” He wipes the blood from his eyebrow that threatens to roll into his eye. “Can you help?”

Martin nods. Jamie hasn’t told them that there’s a killer in the mall, but they don’t need to be told to know; the most common workplace injury in the mall is one inflicted by a killer. “Where’d they go?” They ask, wanting to try to gauge how much danger they’re in by taking the time to help.

The two wrap their arms around Veronica, who keeps slumping forward, in and out of consciousness, as Jamie explains. “Down to the left.” He says. “The Skeleton.” He adds.

“Careful,” Martin almost cuts Jamie off, speaking to Veronica who almost slumps forward onto her bad leg now that they have her standing.

As they speak, Juniper and November reach the music store. They look in with horror, so much blood in the place the three are gathered. They hesitate, looking at each other before looking back, and then Juniper walks into the store. She doesn’t like being out in the open, and as they’ve hesitated, not just made a run for it, she’s afraid that the killer will emerge from Fast Times and catch them. Naturally, November follows, though no option available for them to take right now feels like a good one.

The mall employees back down in the Black Cat sit in silence as the attack on Jamie and Veronica unfolds. Their breathing calms, the two injured find the most comfortable set ups for themselves as they hide, and they wait patiently. Even though the snow is thick outside, they’re hoping that the authorities can arrive promptly; it’s all they can really do as they wait - hope.

In the most unexpected moment, their silence is broken jarringly and abruptly. Calista shrieks, and she stands from her position crouched in front of a rack of clothing. She falls forwards, almost tripping, but steadying herself last minute. Noah, who now sits behind Calista, can see a large cut across her back. He stands, just in time to spot the Ghost. He runs to the door.

The others all get to their feet too, Michael and Romy both helped, though both in better condition after a moment of rest and some makeshift first aid. “Upstairs!” Eisa calls out in suggestion; they can’t run back in the direction of the Jack-O-Lantern, but it’s clear that they have to move. Junko helps Calista stay steady as they all flee, Samantha helping Michael, and Marina helping Romy.

The Skeleton walks into the still bright Fast Times, though upon stepping into the store, he can’t immediately find his next victims. This doesn’t deter him. Holding the blood splattered bone in his hand, he starts smashing things in the store, items off of shelves, display cases to pieces, swinging at everything he passes as he moves menacingly further in.

Ho Duk-Soo and Rune Lancaster are the reasons for the lights still being on, both still there, out the back of Fast Times. Duckie is the first to hear noise coming from the store, extremely alert despite this not being his place of work. “What the fuck?” He mumbles, stepping away from the other and towards the door. He doesn’t think to be afraid.

“Wait.” Rune warns, then jumping as another smash sounds. He doesn’t know what to do. He’s afraid of what’s out there, but he doesn’t want to admit it, he doesn’t want to show weakness.

Duckie turns to look at Rune, but he doesn’t say anything else before he opens the door. He steps out, and the second Duckie’s eyes find the Skeleton, he rushes back inside the office. He pulls the door shut and he flicks the lock closed securely. “Have you got a knife?” He asks with a casualty that suggests he believes everyone should.

The question only scares Rune more. “Duk, what?” More smashing, clattering and banging comes from the store front. Rune wraps his arms around himself for comfort.

“A knife, or a bat, or anything.” Duckie shakes his head, as if frustrated that Rune can’t give him exactly what he’s requesting right away.

“What did you see?” Rune asks in response, and though he asks this, he knows. He’s not sure which of the killers is out there, but he knows this isn’t just some vandal causing havoc in the store.

“If we don’t have anything I can use to fight then we need to barricade the door.” Duckie clearly wants to take action to help, not interested in talking about it. He steps towards the desk. “Take the other side, help me pull it over the door.” He instructs. Rune listens. Together, they half carry, half slide the heavy wooden desk so that it’s blocking the door. The second they both take their hands off of it, a loud pounding on the door frightens them. Rune jumps, and even Duckie flinches.

The two of them move away from the door, together towards the back of the office. Duckie’s eyes stay alert in the direction of the banging, while Rune’s flicker between the door and Duckie, his chest moving unevenly. The door cracks, splitting in the middle; Rune jumps again, and reaches to hold onto Duckie’s arm. This time, Duckie doesn’t flinch, but he’s only putting on a brave front. Duckie is scared, too.

“What do we do?” Rune asks desperately, loud thuds against the door causing the damage to grow. “Duk, what do we do?” He asks again, louder this time, feeling trapped, not seeing a way out.

As brave as Duckie is, he doesn’t have the answer, and he has no time to think as the door is quickly smashed in. The Skeleton moves with frightening haste, kicking the desk out of the way and swinging his weapon at the two. The femur makes impact with Duckie’s side, and he’s thrown across the small room, into the wall. Rune can’t move out of the way before the same happens to him.

The victims force themselves to recover. Duckie jumps forward, next to the side of the desk, and when the Skeleton steps forward on the other side to follow, Duckie pushes the desk with all of his strength, temporarily jamming the killer in between it and the wall. He takes the opportunity to run, but before he can make it out of the office, the Skeleton attacks him again, having pushed the desk away with ease.

He hits Duckie in the same place, his ribs cracking, his body thrown out of the room and onto the ground. Duckie groans, unable to move, but Rune scoops him up and onto his feet desperately. “It’s okay Duk, it’s okay.” He soothes, though as he does so he has to push the man forward, prompting him to keep moving.

They try to make a run for it, but their path is complicated by the mess inside of the store. Duckie holds back groans of pain and discomfort as he manoeuvres himself over broken skateboards and piles of accessories, Rune right behind him, and unfortunately the Skeleton right behind Rune.

Not even halfway through the store, the Skeleton hits Rune again, square in the back so they’re pushed forward into Duckie. They both fall to the ground. Rune sits up, pushing himself through pain, only to be hit across his side and sent back down beside Duckie. Duckie gets up, and this time, the Skeleton kicks him down. Duckie’s cheek is cut on a skateboard truck as he lands, but he gets immediately back up again, as does Rune.

Rune is the first to keep running again, and as Duckie follows, the Skeleton moves faster to attack him again. The femur bone makes impact with the same, already injured side of Duckie’s, and the cracking sound repeats, the pain increasing tenfold. Rune doesn’t hesitate to turn and pull Duckie back up, and while they do so successfully, Duckie screams in pain.

Finally, the two are able to make it out of the store, though what they find outside of it isn’t any better.

While the two are attacked by the Skeleton, Junko, Eisa, Calista, Michael, Samantha, Noah, Marina and Romy all find themselves outside of Key Of Reason. They find the two injured individuals, as well as Martin, Juniper and November.

They rush into the store, some to help, some to be better hidden from any approaching killer. Martin and Jamie have Veronica halfway to the back room when they find themselves with more company. They explain what they’re doing, just as they did with Juniper and November, and they keep going. Even if others wished to help there isn’t much anyone else can do.

“Should we do the same as the grocery store? Turn the lights off and hide?” Marina suggests.

“I don’t think hiding helped us very much last time.” Junko counters, still beside Calista, who still struggles to catch her breath after fleeing from the hiding spot in which she was attacked.

Before anyone else can say or do another thing, November gasps, loud enough to call attention to themself, dodging the Ghost just in time to avoid their blade. They stumble and fall, but they push themself up again quickly. Everyone else scatters around the store, trying to avoid the killer, too. Only Jamie, Veronica and Martin are unable to run.

“Oh god,” Romy watches the Ghost take advantage of the situation, and before they can move to do anything, the Ghost slashes Martin across the arm. They have to let go of Veronica to move away from the knife before the cut becomes worse, and when they do, both Veronica and Jamie struggle. As the Ghost follows Martin, Romy moves in to take his place in helping Veronica. “I’m hurt,” he prefaces. “but I can try to help.”

The three move faster, Veronica sobbing with pain. As the Ghost is preoccupied with all of the other potential victims, they’re able to make it into the small office safely. They sit Veronica down on the chair, and only once her weight is off Romy does he realise how badly he hurts, and how dizzy he feels. Jamie sees for the first time, the large, dark patch of blood seeping through their clothes. “We need to get you help, too.” He shuts the door.

Romy doesn’t want to just hide, not without his sister at least, but he takes one step back towards the door and he collapses.

The rest of those in Key Of Reason all flee from the store, and when they exit, they find Duckie and Rune, and the Skeleton following them closely behind. In the other direction, the Jack-O-Lantern has found his way to them, too.

Everyone splits up, running in different directions to avoid different killers. It’s terribly difficult, as it seems each time they’ve escaped one, they find themselves face to face with another.

The Skeleton first reaches November; in swift motions, before November can move away, the killer beats them over and over with their weapon. Harsh blows hit them on their sides, their stomach, and their back. November gasps and cries, but they can’t seem to stumble their way out of it, not until Juniper pulls on their shirt to get them out of the line of fire, their only choice to help.

In doing this, Juniper gets hit too, though only a couple of times, and not with as much force as they quickly move to run with November by their side, away from the killer. The impacts still hurt an awful lot, but they escape.

The Skeleton moves on to Junko. They swing their weapon at them, but Junko dodges it at least three times, hurriedly and desperately; the last time they move quickly to dodge the attack, they fall down onto their back. Eisa is there to pick them back up again, and they run in another direction. The Skeleton doesn’t follow as they turn to find Calista.

He swings the large bone, and hits Calista over the head. The impact throws her across the floor, and the pain in her back, where she was cut by the Ghost, makes her scream when she lands. Martin is right there, and they reach down to help her back up. “You got this, let’s go.” They encourage her as she begins to cry.

While Duckie and Rune escaped the Skeleton, as they try to flee towards the escalators to escape the mall, they meet the Ghost right in the middle of the space. Duckie is the first to try to dodge an attack, but also the first to do so unsuccessfully. The Ghost begins to slice his skin open, over his arms and his side opposite to the one the Skeleton already brutalised.

Rune jumps forward, taking hold of Duckie and trying to pull him away safely. Before they can help, however, the Ghost cuts them both all over, all across their fronts until both their own and each other’s blood is splattered all over them. Despite all of the pain they’re in, they run, just as the rest of the mall employees around them are doing.

Unfortunately, they run right into the Jack-O-Lantern. With a heavy boot, he kicks forwards, kicking Duckie right under his broken ribs, sending him flying backwards. He makes impact with one of the bench seats bolted to the floor of the mall, and he flips over it. Both the impact and the landing on the cold, hard floor causes Duckie’s arm to snap; he recognises his bone as broken immediately. Rune appears by his side before he can pretend he isn’t crying.

The Jack-O-Lantern doesn’t pursue the pair any further as Michael rushes past, frightened and woozy from the loss of blood already experienced. As he passes, Jack lunges forward and he holds out his knife; the dirty blade cuts him across the side, and he stumbles. Before Michael even gets the chance to fall, Jack steps forward and he kicks him in the back, harshly to the ground. Michael feels a crack in his chest, and struggles to breathe.

Marina and Samantha both begin pulling Michael back up onto his feet as Jack once again turns away and finds another victim. Eisa and Junko are moving swiftly, but they’re not quick enough.

The Jack-O-Lantern killer kicks Eisa in the back, and he kicks her right into the large, white sheet known as the Ghost. She screams in pain and fright as she gets tangled in the bottom of the sheet, and is unable to find her way out before she begins feeling sharp pain slicing across her body, over her forearms, her sides and her legs. She’s finally freed with the help of Junko, and while they both try to run, Eisa falls after her first step. She groans in pain.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you.” Junko reassures her as she stands again, quickly, blinking through tears. Junko takes her arm for support, and they continue on their way.

Samantha leads the way down the escalator to level two, Marina, Michael, Juniper and November following closely, Eisa and Junko a little way after. All of the attacks have happened so quickly, almost simultaneously, but no one is ready to give up yet. It’s easy to move like your life depends on it when it really does.

As Eisa and Junko step onto the stationary escalator respectively, and begin to rush down it to catch up with the others, Junko is hit in the back harshly. She falls forward, into Eisa, and the two of them fall down to the very bottom. They’re both winded, but they find the strength to get back up before the Skeleton catches them.

They run, heaving in pain, but it doesn’t take long until they believe they’ve lost the Skeleton. Just as they go to pass Stitch by Stitch, they notice the enormous blood puddle - but Kamila’s dead body is no longer there. Both Eisa and Junko stop running, shocked, confused. But now that they’ve hesitated, and now that Eisa has stopped for a moment long enough to realise just how painful all of her injuries are, she speaks. “I think we should hide.”

She understands that they weren’t safe last time they hid, down in the Black Cat, but they’re seriously running out of options. In pain, too, Junko nods. They rush into the store, and hide out the back, trying to cover themselves with hung up garments and sheets of fabric.

As the two hide, Marina, Samantha, Michael, Juniper and November continue down the next escalator to level one. Before any of them can think about feeling optimistic about an escape, the Jack-O-Lantern makes his way down, too. Michael, Juniper and November rush to head down to the ground floor, but before Marina or Samantha can follow, they’re both attacked.

He reaches Samantha first; he makes an attempt at stabbing her, but she jumps to the side, and is only cut on her chest. It stings, but she knows she’s lucky it’s not so much worse. Luck is the last thing she feels, however, when Jack, as if frustrated, smacks her down with a closed fist, causing her to fall to the floor.

The killer turns to Marina next. She’s steps away from the escalator, but she doesn’t make it as he charges towards her, and he plunges his knife deeply into her abdomen. He twists the blade sickly as he pulls it from her flesh, and then stabs her again, directly above the last wound. Before he can twist the blade to pull it out, Samantha pulls Marina’s body back, free from the blade, and despite her own injuries, she helps to support Marina as they run.

They make their way to Donna’s, the first available and open store. Marina chokes on cries as she moves, holding the wounds, trying her best to not scream at the pain. She’s a tough girl, she’s been through a lot, but this pain is unimaginable. Samantha helps to guide them inside. She leads them to the very back, and she hides them in between the extremely tall shelves that contain the hundreds of pairs of rental skates. Samantha takes off her sweater, and she wraps it around Marina, pulling it tight to try to slow the bleeding. They wait.

Michael, November and Juniper are the only ones who make it down to the ground level. Michael’s broken into a sweat, and he sways as he moves due to the severity of his injuries, particularly the blood loss. November and Juniper are in pain, too, though as they’re still at the very least able to stand, they help Michael the rest of the way to the grocery store. Juniper takes Michael’s wait, an arm over her shoulder, while November leads the way, keeping a comfortable distance - if anything can be considered comfortable right now. “Where’s my sister?” Michael slurs, but his speech is so impaired that neither of the others understand what he’s trying to say.

A grocer helps the three into the dark and quiet store. “Holy shit, where’s everyone else?” They ask as they reach to help take Michael’s weight.

“Don’t know.” November mutters, shaking their head, too overwhelmed and overstimulated from the traumatic events. They move back to keep more distance between themself and the others, standing behind Juniper, Michael, and the grocer.

“We were all separated.” Juniper says, having missed the deaths of Heath and Kamila, unable to break the hard news even if they wanted to.

“We’re pretty sure the cops are already here,” the grocer continues, a hushed voice. “A couple of us thought we could hear them. When we called they said something about the blizzard, we think they’re digging us out now.”

Relief can’t be felt yet, fear still apparent, and that feeling not unfounded. The three from upstairs are led in the dark towards the rest of the group, but as November trails behind the others, they’re suddenly knocked down.

The Ghost begins to slash them all over as they’re stuck on the ground, cutting them in all the places where they’ve already been injured by the Skeleton, along with across their arms as they try to shield their face. They cry out in pain, and a flashlight pointing to them to see what’s happening leads the Ghost to the rest of the group.

The Ghost moves towards them, and begins to cut up and brutalise multiple of the grocery store employees. Juniper tries to run back out, though as they reach the grate that is shut over the store once again, they can see through the gaps that both the Jack-O-Lantern and the Skeleton stand outside. She swallows thickly, feeling the blood draining from her face.

Higher up in the mall, while everyone flees downstairs via the escalator, others decide to run all the way over to the stairwell in hopes of a better pathway down to safety. Calista, Noah, Duckie, Rune and Martin all reach the door together. Martin pulls it open swiftly, rushing in, the others following to the best of their abilities through their pain.

As Martin goes to run down the stairs, they run right into the Hunter’s knife. The tip of the blade penetrates their stomach, and they jump back instinctively, almost immediately. They gasp in shock, both hands clasping over the wound to stop the blood flow.

Unable to go down, and not wanting to go back to the rest of the killers, the group must go up. Noah grabs the back of Martin’s coat, pulling on it to prompt him to run quickly, and together, they all climb the stairs. Calista is the first to reach the very last door in the stairwell. “We can’t.” She pants, shaking her head. The roof is too dangerous.

“We have no other choice.” Duckie reminds her, and while it’s far from ideal, Calista opens the door, and makes her way out onto the roof. The rest follow, and once all out in the snowy conditions, Noah, Rune and Martin try to hold the door shut, so that the killer can’t reach them.

The killer bangs against the door over and over and over. He’s strong, and as the victims out on the icy rooftop are all in pain from their attacks and the running up and down mall floors, he quickly wins. The door bursts open, and immediately, being on the roof starts feeling like the worst idea in the world.

The Hunter lunges towards Noah, his hunting knife braced firmly in his hand. It’s clear that the killer aims to give Noah an identical injury to Martin, but as both perpetrator and victim slip as they move on the icy roof, the Hunter’s knife only shallowly cuts across Noah’s stomach. They both fall, and while the Hunter recovers quickly, Noah lands on his back with a hard thud.

The skin on his hands burn on the ice as he pushes himself up, gasping for air, lungs shocked by the cold, and before the Hunter can do more damage, Noah makes his way over to the others, where they’ve grouped together carefully a small way away from the killer on the corner of the roof.

It feels good to have distance, that is, until the Hunter puts his knife away, and wields his bow instead. He pulls an arrow from his quiver. The victims try to move cautiously on the ice and the freshly fallen snow, but Rune isn’t able to dodge the arrow that whips through the air at them. It half lodges itself in the side of Rune’s bicep, before ultimately dislodging itself and flying off the roof.

The impact and the quick movement of Rune reaching up to apply pressure on his fresh wound causes him to slip and fall to the ground. “We need to go back inside.” He begs, and all of the victims agree that they’ve ended up in the worst place, despite it having felt like their only option. As the killer pulls out another arrow, the task of returning inside of the mall is easier said than done.

Wind blows harshly, snow falls heavily, and they all stand, shivering, hurting, some crying. Only as Calista almost slips, does Duckie get an idea. Despite his horrific condition, he rushes towards the killer. “Duk!” Rune screams, inhaling a cold mouthful of air, but Duckie doesn’t stop. He uses the slippery ground to his advantage, and he builds up momentum by sliding towards the Hunter. He knows he’s too weak to apply his own force.

His body slams against the Hunter’s. The killer is sent backwards, to the edge of the roof. Duckie falls to the ground and loses consciousness upon impact; the entire group on the other side of the small section of roof waits with bated breath. The Hunter slips on the ice and the snow as he tries to regain his footing, but his attempt is unsuccessful. He falls from the roof of the mall, down into inches of freshly fallen snow - but not before he releases his arrow.

The arrow, like the last, whips through the air. Those at risk of getting hit shuffle away, slipping back towards the edge of roof diagonal to the edge the Hunter fell from. With extreme force, the arrow hits Calista square in the chest. Everyone is silent in shock. Calista takes a step back, already bloody hands coming up to the wound, getting wetter with more of her own blood. She looks up from the arrow, tears silently sliding down her flushed cheeks, and then she begins to fall back.

Rune and Martin, standing either side of her, both reach out to catch her, to stop her from falling down. They both manage to catch a hand in time, but as Calista’s hands are so slippery, their own wet, too, from their own blood, their grip is quickly lost. Rune reaches out again, he catches the tip of her fingers as her body begins to go down, but again, she slips out of his grip. Noah reaches out for Rune, pulling him back before he can fall, too, and Calista is gone.

A loud crack sounds from down below; the sound of Calista’s body landing on the icy surface behind the mall.

Nobody can move, but eventually, they do. They help carry Duckie’s unconscious body back into the warmth, and while they make their way down to the ground floor, where the police finally break through the snow covering the doors, they still can’t find the words.

plot drop 012 features fifteen of our muses encountering the jack-o-lantern killer, the ghost, the skeleton + the hunter.

eisa sanders is left with severe bruising, cuts all over her body and substantial blood loss.

ho duk-soo is left with severe bruising, broken ribs, a broken arm, cuts over his body and a head injury.

jamison ‘jamie’ burr is left with substantial bruising and a cut on his face.

juniper zhao is left with severe bruising.

junko jacobsen is left with severe bruising.

marina davies is left with two stab wounds in the abdomen and severe bleeding.

martin montgomery is left with a deep cut, a stab wound in the abdomen and substantial blood loss.

michael webb is left with cuts all over his body, severe bruising, a broken rib, a large gash across the side and severe blood loss.

noah cohen is left with a cut on his stomach, broken skin on his hands, mild bruising and severe chest pain.

november cain is left with severe bruising, cuts all over their body and substantial blood loss.

romulus ‘romy’ davies is left with a stab wound in the back, mild bruising and severe blood loss.

rune lancaster is left with severe bruising, cuts all over his body, a deep gash on his bicep and severe blood loss.

samantha webb is left with severe bruising and a cut on her chest.

veronica velasco is left with severe bruising, a cut on the head, a broken leg, a large gash on her leg from her bone breaking through and severe blood loss.

calista tjhoea is left with cuts all over her body, a head injury, severe blood loss and an arrow through the chest - which is fatal.

#plot drop 12 #shrikekillers #blood cw #stabbing cw #injury cw #death cw #violence cw #broken bone cw #aggression cw #head injury cw #trauma cw #gore cw #murder cw

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shriketimes · 1 year

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monday november 1st, 1988

In the early hours of the morning, an unauthorised Halloween celebration held in the forest ended in tragedy and bloodshed. Many residents going against the safety precautions advised by town officials were injured in a brutal attack, in which multiple people lost their lives. Many known killers were reportedly involved in the attack, including the Jack-O-Lantern and the Hunter, both having escaped police custody in transit to Southfort Correctional Facility. Shrike Heights Police Department are working tirelessly to recapture the perpetrators. Town officials would like to remind residents that proof of their vigilance can be seen in the success of the Halloween Spooktacular, and that such protection can not be guaranteed when attending events not organised by the town itself. It is advised that residents stay out of the forest area between the outskirts and the farmlands until the police department can conclude their thorough investigation of the area.

thursday october 27th, 1988

Harlow Jackson and Lochlan Miller leave the Southfort Police Department with the intention of reaching Shrike Heights at sundown. The two men often work together, being the (self-proclaimed) best partnership in the SPD. While the mood is usually light and playful when travelling together, the two of them are tense and quiet as they make the two and a half hour trip from their quaint little town, to one with a more notorious reputation. Both of them are anxious of what awaits them in the small town, knowing that very soon they’ll be in the same vehicle with two of the most dangerous killers in the whole of Colorado.

Shrike is decorated for the occasion. The town is covered in fall leaves, and everywhere you look there are glowing jack-o-lanterns, plastic skeletons and fake furry spiders attached to stretchy fake cobwebs. Harlow and Lochlan are impressed with the beauty of the town. Halloween was just as big in Southfort, but the business districts barely took the chance to decorate for the celebration. The town is quiet, most of the residents having attended the Fall Fest, as they do every year. Both the Southfort and Shrike Heights police departments believe that this is the perfect time to move the criminals.

They pull up behind the station. Harlow doesn’t notice that he’s gripping the steering wheel a little tighter than normal - knuckles turning slightly white as he hesitates to exit the car. He knows he mustn’t let his fear show, however. Especially not in the presence of the killers. “I’ll let them know we’re here. In the meantime you should stretch your legs, it’s not good to sit still for so long,” Lochlan says, sliding out of the car and moving into the building. Harlow unbuckles himself and steps out into the crisp fall air, taking a deep breath to calm himself. In the distance he can see the tip of Mayor Sweeney’s house, the chimney blowing smoke into the darkening sky.

“Alright, they’re preparing them now,” Lochlan says as he exits through the back door, “What’re you looking at?”

“Nothing. Just - Mayor Sweeney’s house. It makes me sick to think he’s all cozied up inside there, keeping himself nice and safe while his town is in danger. I don’t think he actually cares about anything other than his own reputation,” Harlow answers, turning to lean his back against their cop car.

“Probably. Power gets to people. And have you seen the man? He looks comically villainous. He’s definitely no good. Maybe next election he’ll be voted out. I heard that Mann fellow was thinking of running next time. Not that it’ll make a difference to us.”

Their talk of politics is cut short when four Shrike officers leave the building, guiding the infamous killers out in single file. They’re a little bewildered as they lay eyes on them for the first time. Neither of them admit it to one another, but goosebumps form and the hair on their arms stands up as the two criminals get closer and closer. Even with the straitjackets that they’ve been confined to, neither of the men trust them to be so close. “They’ve remained silent. But on the off chance that they try to get you to ease up on them - don’t. These men are dangerous, and under no circumstances are you to stop until they’re within the doors of the Southfort Correctional Facility, do you understand?”

“We know how to do our job,” Lochlan remarks a little snarkily. He doesn’t appreciate being treated as though he’s completely incompetent “Leave ‘em to us. I guarantee Shrike won’t have to worry about these two assholes anymore.” He taps the hood of the van as the criminals are loaded into the back and the doors are secured. The Shrike officers bid the men farewell and reenter the station, leaving Lochlan and Harlow to themselves.

“Alright, we’d better get going. We don’t want anyone to see them and make a scene,” Harlow tells his partner as he climbs back into the driver's seat. Lochlan agrees - and within minutes they’re back on the road.

On the return trip, the highway is so dark and empty that it feels uncanny. Perhaps otherworldly would have been a better way for the two officers to describe it. The purpose of their journey makes the road what some would consider a liminal space - not just a literal space of transition between two places, but a metaphorical space of transition for both Shrike and Southfort. Things for Shrike are ‘supposed to be different with the removal of the killers’ - that’s what the local law enforcement say. Jack and the hunter are the supposed ringleaders. It seems that where they go, their lackeys follow. The operation is kept secret so as not to spark panic to the residents of Southfort, but there is no evidence to suggest that the other killers of Shrike won’t follow them to the new location. Both towns sit in a state of uncertainty. Harlow and Lochlan mightn’t be smart enough to understand liminality, but they feel it deep in their bones.

“Apparently they couldn’t get any information out of them,” Harlow says, eyes still on the road. “Isn’t that weird? With the kinds of people we’ve had run-ins with… you know how everybody has a breaking point. But not these guys.” That’s another of the many reasons that the Shrike killers terrify him so much. A killer who wouldn’t crack was a true monster. “I wonder how long they’ll last in Southfort correctional. Reckon they’ll keep them in solitary?”

“Maybe. Especially if they put up a fight regarding those masks. Shrike officers might have been too lenient with them, but the staff at correctional won’t be,” Lochlan replies, turning his head to peer through the grate at the killers, still sitting eerily still in the back of the van. Of course. There’s no chance for them to move, their hands and feet cuffed, strapped tightly into straitjackets. He wasn’t sure why he expected to see them move. “I heard they superglued the masks to their skin so the masks couldn’t be removed without a bloody mess. Diane told me.”

Harlow shakes his head, “No. Diane doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Someone heard from Charles that they went one step further, sewing the masks into their skin. No-one knows whether it’s them wanting to conceal their identity, or whether they’re just so sick that they think they’re one with those masks… either way, medical professionals couldn’t do much without posing a serious risk,” and he knows that the Shrike department is already in such deep water that they won’t take any chances.

“Well whatever the case is… the masks will be gone once they step into their shiny new home. Then we’ll finally get to see the faces of the beasts,” Lochlan has been dreaming of the day the faces of the killers are plastered over the news, finally having been brought justice for their horrific crimes. Now it seemed like that day was getting closer and closer. With the capture of jack and the hunter, it’s only a matter of time before the rest go down too, he thinks. They fall back into silence, though the two of them can’t seem to get their minds off the task at hand. Harlow might have called it intuition, and Lochlan would have called him an idiot.

As they continue to drive, the sides of the road slowly begin to be shrouded with mist, almost becoming a barrier as the headlights hit it. Neither can see much past the fences that separate the farmland from the trees and grass on the verge of the road. It doesn’t bother Harlow at first - he can still see the road ahead clearly, and that’s all that matters. He knows the way like the back of his hand, even if it had spilled onto the road, he’d still be able to navigate. But when he thinks he sees someone dressed as a sheet ghost on the side of the road, he jumps and curses, nearly swerving onto the opposite side of the road.

“What was that about? Are you alright?” Lochlan asks, a concerned expression on his face. He might make fun of Harlow at the best of times, but he’s still worried about his work-mate.

“Ah… I’m sorry. I thought I saw someone dressed as a ghost. It isn’t even Halloween yet! I think the lack of sleep is finally getting to me,” he says softly, looking in the rearview mirror only to see nothing on the roadside behind them. “My cousin has been missing for weeks now. The last place she was reported to be seen was a bar in Shrike Heights. Since then my family and I have been losing sleep, waiting for any news. That’s what fucking sucks about being in this line of work. You know that when someone is missing for this long, it’s very unlikely there’ll be a happy ending.”

“I’m sorry, man. Still… I hope things work out for her. I really do.”

The silence between them then is heavy. Perhaps if Lochlan had known about Harlow’s cousin, he would have elected someone else to do the job. He hopes that making such a trip isn’t going to do his co-worker more harm than good. But at the same time, he wonders if Harlow finds it therapeutic. A missing person in Shrike Heights is no coincidence. It’s very likely Harlow is putting away the very two people responsible for her disappearance.

Lochlan’s train of thought changes the second he sees a scarecrow on the side of the road. Odd place for a scarecrow, he thinks to himself. But when he thinks he sees the scarecrow move, his reaction almost matches Harlow’s, only he hits his elbow on the side of the van door. “Fucking hell, man - you’ve got me all paranoid now, I’m tripping out,” he laughs, but there’s a shake in his voice that gives away his nerves.

“What did you see?”

“I thought I saw a scarecrow. I swear I saw it moving towards the road. Like a scarecrow can walk.”

Harlow laughs, but Lochlan sees through his faux confidence easily. “I don’t know man. Things are getting a little weird. But we’re a little under half way there. We could even pull over at the next gas station to clear our heads a little.”

The next sighting is one that they both share. When both of them lean slightly forward, squinting their eyes to see better, they both know that they’re not seeing things. A person in a skeleton costume stands on the side of the road, a little closer to the asphalt than the ghost or the scarecrow had been. “Is there a Halloween party in town or something? Maybe people are celebrating early because of the holiday being on a Monday.”

“Maybe. Do you think they’re trying to hitchhike into town?”

“Yeah - that would explain it. See? Everything has a perfectly rational explanation,” Harlow smiles. Despite his rationalising, his hands are yet again gripping the wheel too tight, this time his knuckles turning completely white.

THWIP.

They are very suddenly blinded by a large piece of white fabric - something that appears to be a sheet. Harlow swerves in fear. Lochlan winds down the window as quickly as he can, reaching his arm out to grab a corner of the fabric. He tugs on it, but the wind is making it difficult to move. “Quick!” Harlow hurries him, panic rising as he tries to keep himself centred on the road.

Lochlan unbuckles his seatbelt and winds the window down further so that he can half lean out of the window, using both hands to pull the sheet away from the window. Once he’s inside he gives the sheet a final tug, pulling the fabric inside with one swift motion.

Being able to see the road now is no use. In the middle of the road is what appears to be a large bronze statue of a miner. Lochlan doesn’t understand how it’s possible - surely he would have seen such a large obstruction while he was looking out of the window. He doesn’t have time to question it before the car collides with it, the statue completely smashing the window. The two officers scream, and in his panic, Harlow swerves.

The vehicle uncontrollably dips into a ditch and ends up wrapped around a tree. The thundering sound of the crash echoes throughout the empty night - but no-one is around to hear.

The officers never reach the Southfort Correctional Facility. Two hours after they’re supposed to arrive, both SPD and SHPD send out a car each to patrol the area in hopes of finding the men, but unexpected weather conditions make it difficult. A drizzle of rain and thick fog covers the road, completely hiding the wreckage from view of anyone on the main road, meaning the crash goes practically unnoticed until midday.

“We have the bodies of Harlow Jackson and Lochlan Keller here on the scene. They died not too long after impact, if not instantly,” Diane Golka speaks into her tape recorder, “No signs of struggle from the perpetrators, but they’re nowhere to be seen.”

“What are we going to do?” one of her younger co-workers asks.

“I have a strong feeling that Sweeney isn’t going to want anyone to know about this.”

monday october 31st, 1988

The escape of the killers has been kept a secret from the general public while officials investigate, all in order to keep the public as calm as possible. With the recent behaviour of the killers, many Shrike residents were almost expecting the killers to come back worse than ever, angered by their capture. The last thing Shrike officials wanted was for that to be the case, and to be held personally responsible for it. Due to the emergency at hand, the annual Halloween Spooktacular has extra precautions put in place - an earlier start and finish time, and extra security in the form of police officers patrolling the borders of the commune in order to be certain no trespassers make their way onto the property. They’re determined to protect the citizens, even if it’s to save their own hides.

An announcer stands on a small stage made of wooden pallets, surrounded by hay and festive pumpkins with silly faces carved into them, resembling anything other than the terrifying pumpkin-headed killer that had plagued Shrike for over a year. The announcer has three cards in their hand - each one bearing a name. Behind them are the costume contest entrants, standing in a line, anxiously awaiting the results.

“Okay okay, quiet now - I know you’re all excited to know who the winners are,” she says, holding up the folded cards to the crowd, “I’m very pleased to announce, that the third place winner is… Topher Hancock as Robin Hood, and his matching Maid Marian, Dolly Jensen! Now, rules do state that the prizes are to be shared if there are two winners, so we’ll leave that up to you.” The crowd cheers as Dolly and Topher approach the front of the stage. Topher bows before giving Dolly a little spin to show off her costume - he’s prouder than he could ever say, and doesn’t think he’d have won if it weren’t for Dolly being with him. The crowd claps as they collect the small jack-o-lantern bucket waiting for them. The announcer continues the presentation, “Topher and Dolly have won a small bucket of candy along with a $10 gift voucher for Shrike Mall! Redeemable at any store, including the food court! How very exciting!”

“In second place… we have Chokehold on Love’s very own Finn Dunne!” the crowd seem to cheer even louder for Finn than they had for Topher and Dolly - likely due to the fact that most of the crowd had seen his band play earlier, and a good handful were going to be seeing a secret uncensored set at the Spooktacular Afterparty on the Ramos property. Chokehold on Love are practically Shrike’s equivalent of celebrity. He dons a mummy costume. Despite putting in moderate effort, he knows that it’s likely the judges put in a few extra points just because of his performance earlier in the day. He steps forward to collect his prize. “The second place winner wins a bigger bucket of candy and a $20 voucher!” Finn takes the jack-o-lantern bucket and stands next to Dolly and Topher.

“Last, but not least… in first place…” The announcer opens the last of the folded cards excruciatingly slowly. “Ozzy and Ottilie Morrison as the Grady twins from The Shining! Together these terrifying twins get the biggest bucket of candy along with a $40 voucher! Haven’t the costumes this year just been absolutely fantastic? Take a final bow, winners!” Ozzy steps forward with a big smile on her face - the twins' hard work has paid off. Ottilie takes the bucket of candy, which feels much weightier than it looks.

Some of the mall employees in the crowd can see right through the gift card prizes - knowing that it’s just an incentive to try to get more people to shop at the mall, knowing that attendance might be lower than usual because of the attacks. Thankfully the gift cards all went to people who would already be at the mall anyway. “Now everyone enjoy the rest of their night! Remember that the Spooktacular ends at sundown!” Everyone leaves the stage to continue the celebration.

The residents of Shrike enjoy the rest of the event, going through the corn maze one last time before they’d have the twelve month long wait to do it again, relishing the last of the spiced pumpkin treats for sale at the stall. Many had slightly heavy hearts that the night was coming to a close - finding the Halloween celebration a good distraction from the tragedy of real life. As the sun sets, the residents of Shrike leave the commune and say goodbye to the Spooktacular. Those brave enough to trick-or-treat wander door to door to get their fill of candy. Everyone else knows that Halloween might as well be over. No-one at the event is harmed. The officials and the police hired for security are rather pleased with themselves, thinking that they’ve definitely made a step in the right direction regarding protecting their town. They praise themselves for it.

In the golden light of the sunset, Julio hands out one last bottle of beer before he’s officially closed. As usual, his popup cocktail bar is a complete success. Adults love nothing more than a fancy cocktail to keep their spirits high as their children run amok, which means Julio makes a pretty decent profit annually from the event. He packs up shop, but before he leaves, he figures he might as well stop by the Spooktacular afterparty on the way to the Ramos cabin to return a lost item.

He slides the last bottles of hard liquor into his messenger bag, securing it tight so that they don’t slide around and smash into each other. Slinging it over his shoulder, he picks up one of the lit lanterns by his stall and makes his way to the forest, where Greg Ramos is hosting his party.

The Spooktacular afterparty starts off strong. Greg Ramos knows that it’s going to be a huge success. The Halloween Spooktacular ending early was a great disappointment for many of the Shrike residents who enjoyed staying out late for a few extra scares. So Greg knows that throwing one of his classic bonfire parties with a spooky twist will more than make up for it, having the locals eat and drink by the fire. He hopes to sit and take turns telling scary stories - some of which will be more funny than scary, and others definitely exaggerated to seem more terrifying. But he doesn’t mind, so long as he’s spending time with the people he cares about.

Greg is considered to be one of the biggest fans of Chokehold on Love. Standing next to Finn, it’s very obvious that the younger man's costume is of the band's frontman himself. Greg’s hair is sprayed blue, and he dons a home-made band shirt to show his support for what he considers Shrike royalty. The band find it incredibly endearing, especially Finn. Greg had asked so politely for them to perform at the afterparty that the band simply couldn’t refuse. After all, their set at the Spooktacular was tamer because of the sheer amount of children at the event. The four of them found they could really let loose at a show that was for those above the age of twenty-one.

“I don’t know how Hedwig can play so well with a broken arm!” Greg is not a musician himself, so nearly anything that the band members do is incredibly impressive through his eyes.

“I actually tried to convince him not to,” Zero Heathcliff says, “But a guy knows his own limits, who am I to try take away his free will?”

“To be fair… the doctor did tell him not to, but he wouldn’t listen,” Finn tells him. He remembers being concerned the first time Hedwig had come to practice, ready to play with all their heart despite the cast on their arm. “At least there’s little chance of any serious, lasting damage. Or, so they said to us, anyway.”

“Thank you guys for coming out here, it means a lot to me,” Greg holds something in his hands, a little package tied up with a ribbon especially to give to Finn. He motions to the Chokehold on Love shirt that he wears. “Ernie helped me make this shirt. And we made one for Donnie too! Here,” he holds out the package, “If you could give it to him, I’d really appreciate it.”

“That’s so kind of you, thank you. I assure you he will love this,” Finn gives the younger man an appreciative, one-armed hug, squeezing his shoulders, “Speaking of which, I should head back. Donnie will get worried if I stay out any later.”

“Boring,” Zero teases, “Xena already forced Hedwig to go home - and now you’re gonna leave me too. I guess I’ll find something to drink and mingle with the commoners.”

Mimi Bonsignore stands by the bonfire with Posey Bryant and Dhruv Acharya, the three of them with different drinks in hand as they talk about their costumes. Mimi playfully calls Dhruv Prince throughout their conversation, as their coworker is dressed as none other than the musician, Prince. Posey is dressed as a puppet - a costume that Mimi considers a little eerie. But Posey can’t seem to figure out what Mimi is dressed as.

“So… what are you supposed to be? The color yellow?” Posey asks, not meaning to offend.

Mimi wears a yellow dress, red shoes and grey gloves. She stands up straight and holds her hands together above her head in a triangle. Posey stares, and they seem even more confused now than before they asked the question. Mimi rolls their eyes playfully. “I’m a pencil! Duh!”

Dhruv bursts into laughter, “It’s okay I knew what you were all along,” he lies.

Julio arrives to the party a little late. Despite having lived in Shrike for so long, he still doesn’t know the woods half as well as Greg does. He can make his way to the Ramos cabin just fine, but the bonfire spot is new, so it takes him a while. Greg runs up to him to greet him, throwing his arms around the man, “You came! Are you gonna stick around?”

Julio pats him on the back. He pulls away and reaches into his bag, retrieving the bottles of hard liquor. “No, I have to go home, José is expecting me. We’re having a little Halloween date night. I just wanted to give these to you. Don’t keep it all to yourself - make sure you share, mijo.”

Greg has learned a lot from Julio over the years. He’d known him since he was a child - and if anyone from out of town saw them together, they’d absolutely assume that the two were father and son. Greg’s father was always a frequent visitor of Julio’s bar, which is how Julio became familiar with the young man. Julio is well aware that Greg’s father is not known for his kindness - and for that reason, he has taken him under his wing.

“You know I love sharing almost as much as you do,” he says. “Thanks tío Julio.”

“And you know I always got you. Your father left a pair of sunglasses at the bar last night, so I’m going to leave them by the cabin before he starts accusing someone innocent of having stolen them.”

“You know where the key is!”

“Adiós - and behave yourself!”

Julio goes on his way, lantern still in hand to guide the way. Greg watches Julio leave with a smile on his face, hoping that Julio doesn’t get lost considering he doesn’t know them nearly as well as the kids of Shrike. He hopes that Julio makes it back in time for the Halloween date night with his husband. The two of them had become the most positive influences in Greg’s life, and he loves them dearly.

“Drinks, everyone!” Greg calls. He starts to pour generously into his friends cups.

Mimi was well aware that she’s due for a shift at Shrike Heights Radio the following day, but naturally, she can’t resist the proposition of a Halloween bash in the woods, taking the opportunity to socialise with her friends. Like many in Shrike, Mimi needed something to lift their spirits, to help them feel normal again. This was the kind of thing that the younger Shrike residents used to do without any fear. She misses it, and no doubt the others do too.

It’s just before midnight, the moon hanging high in the clear night sky. She wishes she could stay longer to hear more scary stories and toast some more marshmallows on the fire, but she acts responsibly. “Okay, I’m beat. I gotta head home now. If I get to sleep soon, I may be able to sleep off the hangover before work,” they tell the crowd that they’d been chattering away to.

“Hey, let me walk you to the outskirts. You’ve had quite a bit to drink, I don’t want you getting lost in the woods like this,” Micah Miller insists, standing up from his place on a fallen log that is temporarily being used to seat the party guests.

“I suppose I hadn’t thought about that - I would really appreciate it, if you have the time. Just in case. I do want to make sure I get my beauty sleep,” they accept, thankful for the offer. Mimi knows the woods just as well as any other outdoorsy Shrike Heights kid, but in the dark, inebriated, they worry they might get turned around somehow.

Micah leads Mimi away from the party, into the woods. They seem to really know their way around, Mimi thinks to herself, following them without question. She realises now just how dark the forest is in the denser areas where minimal moonlight can break through the canopy of leaves above. They’re thankful that they have Micah to guide them, or else they’d definitely have gotten lost, which would have impeded their ability to sleep off their hangover before work.

“Do you want to know something interesting?” Micah asks them.

“Sure.”

“If you’re ever out here in the woods at night and you can’t find your way back to the outskirts, you just need to find a clear spot through the trees and find the brightest star in the sky. If you’re careful and you follow that star all the way, you’ll find your way home,” they tell her.

“Is that how you’re going to find your way back to the party? By going the opposite way?”

“Well if I found myself in a pinch, yeah. But I’ve lived here a very long time, so I don’t usually need the stars to find my way.”

As they weave their way through the trees, Mimi spots a figure just slightly illuminated by the moonlight ahead. It gives them an awful fright, causing them to jump and to grab onto Micah. Their sudden movement gives him a fright twice as bad, a small noise of concern escaping him as he takes a step back. Mimi squints, as though doing so would improve her vision. It only takes her a moment to recognise the figure as a scarecrow. “Oh god, I thought there was a person, but it’s just a scarecrow! How stupid of me. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you. Let’s keep going.”

Mimi’s reassurance does nothing for Micah. Upon hearing her words, a chill runs down his spine. When his dear friend Jupiter was attacked earlier in the year, he’d said that the perpetrator was dressed as a scarecrow. Though it is currently Halloween, and a scarecrow costume isn’t unlikely, it is too eerie to be a coincidence. He steps in front of Mimi in order to see into the clearing. But there’s nothing there. “Are you sure that’s what you saw? A scarecrow? It wasn’t just a trick of the light?”

Mimi hums. She’s intoxicated enough that she starts to doubt herself. “I’m not sure I mean… I guess it could have been anything. Or anyone. In a costume of sorts.” But she can still sense the tension in the air, and in order to calm Micah down, she tries to dismiss her anxieties. “You know what? It probably wasn’t even anything at all. It was probably a tree. I’m not really thinking too-”

While Mimi is mid-sentence, Micah is hit in the head.

Micah stumbles backwards and knocks into an already unsteady Mimi. Mimi loses her balance completely and feels the rough terrain graze her hands as she hits the ground. She shuffles blindly out of the way so as not to be trampled by Micah. Micah’s head is ringing, and he’s nearly rendered blind as his vision blurs with tears, making it near impossible to see in the darkness. They hold their hand to their head and wince as they feel a hematoma forming below the skin, the tender skin throbbing with pain.

Mimi uses a nearby tree to help herself to her feet, feeling a little woozy from intoxication. In the pale moonlight, she can see the Scarecrow lift their pitchfork, ready to strike Micah right through the chest. Mimi knows that if the scarecrow is successful, Micah will be stabbed right through the heart and will have no chance of survival. Despite her fear, she knows she can’t do nothing. So she stumbles forward, pushing Micah out of the way as the scarecrow thrusts the weapon forward. Micah is saved, but Mimi is not so lucky.

The pitchfork catches her hand, the force of it piercing the flesh between her forefinger and her thumb, hitting the tree beside her with a heavy thud. Mimi finds herself pinned to the tree by her hand. The scarecrow seems to contemplate whether they want to go for Micah or Mimi, but they decide on the latter, approaching her slowly. Micah’s vision is still so poor that he doesn’t even realise that Mimi has been hit. She struggles internally with what to do. She can either stay put and let the scarecrow end her life in the torturous manner they reportedly do so, or she can tear her hand away and make a run for it. The scarecrow is almost within arms reach when she decides. She clenches her teeth and pulls her hand free, the flesh of her hand tearing, hot blood dripping from the wound and all over her arm.

“Leave her alone, you bastard!” Micah shouts. His vision is slowly returning to him, and he’s a little more stable on his feet. He bends down and picks up a rock that is a little bigger than the size of his palm, and he tosses it at the scarecrow. It hits the killer in the back, the sound replicating that of a stone being thrown at a bale of hay, almost as if there was no substance to the thing. The scarecrow pulls the pitchfork from the tree with some difficulty, and with a sudden, swift movement, throws the weapon at Micah. The prongs pierce through the flesh of their thigh with great force. They scream, falling backwards onto the ground, the back of their head taking quite a beating from the rocks and twigs below. With quick-paced steps, the scarecrow pulls the pitchfork from his leg, blood immediately spurting from the wound. Micah doesn’t need to be a genius to know that that is a bad sign. He lifts the weapon above his head, ready to strike the fallen victim's chest.

Mimi cries, teeth still clenched and muscles tensed due to the severe pain. She’s in too much shock to understand how to make the bleeding stop, so she simply stands and watches as the blood drips over the dead leaves and twigs on the ground. Micah’s scream of pain snaps her out of it. She sees him in trouble again, blood pooling around his leg as the scarecrow prepares to end his life. She does the only thing she can. With her uninjured hand, she reaches for the scarecrow's old plaid shirt and she pulls it with all of her strength, giving Micah just enough time to roll and clamber to their feet. Their leg is hot and wet with blood, and the sight makes them feel woozy.

The scarecrow spins quickly, smacking the smaller of the two square in the forehead. Micah swears that the sound of the crack echoed. Mimi feels blood rushing down her nose and over her mouth, and as she tries to catch her breath from the anxiety running through her, she feels it trickle over her lips and tastes it on her tongue. Though the scarecrow attempts to stab Mimi, she moves out of the way just in time, her yellow dress getting caught on the prong as the pitchfork jams into another tree. She wastes no time running, letting the dress tear in the process. Her life is much more important than a silly Halloween costume. No one understood what she was, anyway.

Micah, having caught his breath, runs as best as he can on his injury, completely in the opposite direction. He’s confused and disoriented now, and doesn’t know exactly where he’s going, but anywhere is better than with the scarecrow. Seeing that Mimi has taken the opportunity to run also, he feels less guilty about leaving her behind. There’s a kind of unspoken understanding between them. The two of them are so scared and hurt that they don’t even have the chance to think about grouping up again - their instinct to escape and survive is too strong. Each of them hopes that the other makes it out alive.

Mimi finds herself completely lost in the woods. Her head throbs with pain and her vision is especially poor, blurry with a mixture of tears and practically seeing double due to her head injury. She holds her hand to her forehead, and similarly to Micah, the impact was so forceful that a hematoma begins to form. There’s no chance of her figuring out which star in the sky is brightest, rendering Micah’s advice useless for now. So she runs and runs until she’s completely out of breath.

She sees a blaze of light in the distance.

Micah runs as fast as they can, which admittedly, isn’t the fastest considering their leg injury. The pain in the muscle is intense. They stumble across the debris on the forest floor, skidding across the ground and scraping their hands as they instinctively try to protect themself from the fall. He lays on the ground for a moment, the only sounds being his heavy breathing and the soft breeze through the trees. He needs a rest, just for a minute to let his heartbeat slow down again.

The sound of a snapped twig in the distance wakes him up. I can’t rest. I’m losing blood, I can’t stop now, he thinks to himself, slowly heaving himself back to his feet, brushing his bloody palms against his legs. He remembers now that he mustn’t be getting enough oxygen to his brain. He knows he needs help sooner rather than later.

He moves slower now, trying to conserve as much energy as possible. With his vision a little clearer, he knows very roughly that he’s moving in the direction back towards the bonfire party. Micah feels like he’s practically dragging his leg behind him as he moves, the pain too intense to put too much strain on his leg. Micah looks up at the sky. Their brain is much too foggy for them to figure out how long it’s going to take to reach the bonfire again.

Greg and Aera Davies are completely unaware of the scene they’re about to walk into. When they see Micah, they don’t even recognise that they’ve been hurt, it’s so dark. “Hey! What’re you doing? We thought you went home, the party is practically over,” Aera says to them as they approach.

“Yeah, almost everyone has to work tomorrow so midnight has been the cut off for a lot of them,” Greg chimes in. He was well aware in the planning process that that would be the case - Halloween falling on a Monday is a crime. As they get closer to Micah, Greg notices the glistening darkness around their thigh. “Micah-”

“Mimi… I lost her. The scarecrow got us,” he says a little breathlessly, thankful to be standing still again. He feels like he could curl up on the ground and drift off to sleep, but he knows that’s not an option. “I’m bleeding… so much.”

Aera swallows hard as she examines the deep wounds, trying her hardest not to be sick. She can’t imagine the pain of something being stabbed so deep through muscle and flesh. “We need to get you some help. And Mimi too, if we can find her,” she says. It’s clear by the way Micah practically slurs their words that they’ve lost a lot of blood, and it strikes Aera with anxiety. Has the scarecrow followed him? That’s a thought Aera doesn’t wish to entertain.

“My place isn’t too far from here. I have a first aid kit at the cabin. I can wrap your leg up there and then I’ll take you to the hospital, alright? Do you think you can hold on that long?” Greg asks him. Micah takes a second to respond, nodding his head slowly. “Okay good. Follow me.” Aera wraps an arm around Micah, supporting him as best she can as they walk slowly through the forest. Greg takes his time, only so Micah can comfortably keep up with him. Micah appreciates this, and finds it much easier to continue now that they know they’re not alone. With Aera supporting and guiding him, he doesn’t need to worry about where he’s going, he only needs to focus on moving his feet and staying upright.

They head down a natural dirt path that had been formed by animals frequenting the area - that much was obvious by the way it twisted and turned with uneven ground, some areas wider than others. Aera helps Micah over a fallen tree, holding him securely so that he doesn’t fall. They continue along their path until Greg stops. “I… thought I saw something.”

Greg was not merely imagining things. From behind a tree steps a person dressed as a sheet ghost. Only, their stark white sheet is covered in dark blood. Greg and Aera are both immediately concerned for them. Was it another of the scarecrows victims? Or was there another killer lying in wait somewhere in the woods. Aera slides her arm out from underneath Micah and rushes forward to greet them. “Hey! Are you okay?”

Micah’s concussion makes it difficult to think. He doesn’t get the chance to warn her in time.

As Aera reaches to place her hands on the persons shoulders, she’s taken by surprise by the knife that suddenly slashes her over her torso, cutting deep into her flesh all over. She puts her arms up in front of her instinctively in order to protect herself, but the Ghost is not merciful. Her arms are sliced up too, the knife even scraping against the radius bone of her left arm. She takes a step back, but not far enough. The ghost stabs her deep in the abdomen, the wound squelching as the killer twists the knife. Hot blood is soaking into the mouse costume, dripping down her body. Tears stream down her face, but she can’t bring herself to make a sound.

Greg is the kind of person who considers anyone a friend - and there is nothing he hates more than seeing a friend get hurt, especially in such a horrific way. He quickly realises he has to do something before Aera is harmed any further. If he doesn’t, there’s a good chance she won’t make it. He scans the forest floor to find the biggest stick he can physically carry. He grips it tight and swings at the ghost, hitting the sheet without much resistance. It doesn’t seem to do anything to harm the killer, but the ghost pulls the knife from Aera’s abdomen and turns to face him. Blood spills even quicker down the front of Aera’s body, and she holds an injured hand over the wound in an attempt to stop the flow. Greg knows now that he’s the new target.

Despite Greg’s small stature, he had been quite good at running. He was no track star, sure, but he knows that he’s the only one who has a real chance at escaping the ghost, his other two companions losing blood fast. Despite the shakiness of his voice giving away his fear, he tries to be brave. “So scared that you won’t even show your face? Come and get me, coward.” The ghost lunges their bloody knife and Greg takes off, prompting the sheet ghost to follow.

Micah rushes as fast as they possibly can to Aera’s side. She had been the one to reassure him before - now it was his turn. Despite feeling extremely weak, tears streaming down his face, he holds her for a moment as if to try comfort her. “It’s okay. We made it through. We just need to find help… and then everything will be just fine,” he says, a little breathlessly. His head still feels woozy, having lost too much blood already.

Aera and Micah try their best to support each other as they make their way back towards the bonfire. Though neither of them can run in their current state, their hurried walking feels as though they’re running a marathon. Micah is sure they’re on the right path, but before they get too far, they see something slumped against a tree.

It’s another sheet ghost, also covered in blood.

It sends a shiver simultaneously down both of their spines. They’re anxious, terrified, there is no possible way for them to fight back against yet another killer. Micah, however, is the first to spot something different about this ghost. A bloodied hand can be seen sticking out from beneath the sheet. “I don’t think it’s the killer. Look… at the hand. Did the ghost let you see any part of their body?” Micah asks her.

“No… no, they were holding the knife through the sheet, I didn’t see their hands,” she says. Micah takes a slow step forward, watching carefully in case the figure moves. Aera reaches for him, gripping his arm weakly. “Don’t.”

“It’s okay. I think I know what’s happened,” he reassures her, shrugging her off and continuing to move towards the unknown person. Slowly, they reach for the sheet, gripping it in their hand and slowly pulling it off what they realise now is a body. Underneath, is one of the partygoers. Their body is covered in deep slashes and stabs, blood pooling all around them. The smell of the iron makes him feel sick.

Aera stammers, “Should we… should we try to carry them? We can’t just leave them here.”

“No, we’re in no position to carry them. There’s nothing we can do now to get help. Someone will find them again, I promise.”

Greg knows the layout of the forest like the layout of his own home. The ghost chases him as he darts through the trees, taking the rockiest and most complicated paths he knows in order to trip the killer up. He moves quickly, but not so quick that he loses the perpetrator. He has no issue navigating, no matter the terrain. Greg knows the way back to his cabin, but he only prays that Julio isn’t there. He doesn’t know what he’d do if he were to accidentally put his tío in any kind of danger.

When he reaches the cabin he fumbles with the keys, his hands shaking so badly from the fear that he nearly misses the keyhole. The panic is truly setting in now that the adrenaline is wearing off. He feels like his hands are numb, like he can’t control them properly. He tries two incorrect keys before getting the right one, and he rushes inside, slamming the door shut behind him. He locks it securely, taking a moment to catch his breath.

For once in his life, he wishes his dad was home. Why did he have to go on that stupid hunting trip, tonight of all nights? Anything would be better than being stuck in this cabin, scared and alone, with a terrifying predator outside of the door. This must be how those poor animals feel when dad hones in on them. Small, and helpless, he thinks to himself.

On the way to his bedroom, he rushes to make sure every single window in the house is locked, not wanting to give the ghost a chance to enter. Despite feeling safer inside his home, he’s still shaking with anxiety. Who knows how long the ghost was willing to wait for their prey? Greg would have to leave at some point, after all. “I’m not scared,” he tries to tell himself, as if saying it out loud will make it true.

Greg has never been good with guns. They’re too loud, and he doesn’t particularly agree with his fathers stance on them. He could never bring himself to pull the trigger when his father had tried to teach him to hunt. But the shotgun that he’s had since he was twelve lies underneath his bed, and he knows that right now he might have no choice but to use it. He gets the weapon and the shells, slowly walking down the hall, carefully peering out the windows to see if he can spot the killer. The inside of the cabin is dark, making it easier for him to see the moonlight woods. The forest outside is still.

He steps into the living area.

The ghost stands in the middle of the room, bloody knife in hand.

Greg takes a deep breath. He loads the shells into the gun and aims. He can’t help but think back to all the times his father had told him that he was no good at anything. He wants to prove him wrong in this moment - for his own sake. So that he can see his friends another day. So he can make them laugh. Listen to their stories. Be a shoulder to cry on. To take their minds off of the terrible happenings in the town that he still loves so much. He swallows hard. “I’m not afraid of you.” he pulls the trigger. The gun clicks, but does not fire.

Zero has hardly had much to drink throughout the night, knowing she has a shift at both The Black Cat and Myers’ Funeral Services. She doesn’t mind so much the idea of getting lost in the woods at night, but she much prefers it happen while she’s sober. From memory, they know they’re not too far from the outskirts. They think about stopping by the cemetery just for the sake of it, when they see the Skeleton lurking in the woods. Zero is knowledgable about the killers, mainly because they’re one of the people who has to see the bodies of the victims before they’re buried. Having to prepare the funeral for the police officers who had been brutalised so badly in July, she knows very well what the killer is capable of.

She inches away quietly, keeping her eyes on the killer. Just when she thinks that she’s going to make it out without being noticed, the skeleton’s head snaps to look in her direction. It sprints towards her. Zero had never been a particularly fit person, but her will to survive pushes her to run faster than she’s ever run before. Their fascination with death did not mean that they were so easily ready to accept it. Not here. Not now. Not today.

Zero runs through the woods, completely unsure of which direction they’re heading in now. For all they know, they could have been running in circles. Their bat costume snags on the trees and shrubs as they run, slowing them down and covering them in little scratches all over. The wing gets caught on one particularly sharp branch. The force of them pulling themself free sends them toppling to the ground, scraping their hands and knees as they slide downhill. From there, they slide down a bank and into what they think is a clearing.

Only, there is no clearing ahead. Instead, Zero falls into cold water, fully submerged. She feels weighed down by the fabric of her costume, the bat wings now soaked through and dragging her down. She suddenly regrets not having learned how to swim. With all her energy she splashes and flails and sputters, holding herself just above the water of the dam. She’s moving in some direction, albeit very slowly. She’s losing her energy quickly, and just when she can’t flail her arms anymore, she feels movement in the water ahead of her, and arms sliding under her own, dragging her towards the shore.

Sonnet Wozniak pulls Zero to the bank, and when the water is too shallow to support Zero’s weight, her brother - Leaf Wozniak, helps her drag Zero onto land. Once it’s clear that Zero is conscious and breathing (though very panicked, still), the siblings and their friend Posey help her to her feet. Sonnet wipes the excess water from her face and arms, her woodland sprite costume completely soaking wet. Thankfully, Sonnet has never been the kind of person who would care more about her outfit than a persons life.

“Are you okay?” Leaf asks, brushing Zero’s hair away from her face so that they can get a good look at her in the moonlight. It’s hard to tell if she’s any paler than usual. “You didn’t breathe in any water did you?”

“No, no… I’m okay, I think. I saw a killer. The skeleton. And now I have an awful feeling that everyone is in danger,” Zero told him, hugging her arms around herself as the cool breeze gives her a chill. “I’ve seen what that thing does to people. Do you think there’s anyone else out here?”

“Probably,” Posey says, “We’re out here, aren’t we? It’s likely other people are-” Posey is cut off mid-sentence by an all too familiar sound.

THWIP.

An arrow zips past them, very narrowly missing Sonnet’s shoulder. “What-?” she doesn’t really have time to process what’s happening before Leaf tells her to run. He leads the way, practically dragging Sonnet behind him, Posey and Zero close behind. The Wozniak siblings know the woods better than anyone, but not even they can see the trap before the four of them barrel into it.

The net trap springs up from the ground, surrounding the four of them as they topple into each other, the force of their collision causing them to be winded, and their heads to smash into one another as they have no time to protect themselves. The four of them are on the ground, the heavy, natural fibre of the net covering them. The four of them all clamber in the dark to find the edge of the net, desperate to escape and continue running, but it’s too late. The Hunter is there, untying the trap from the tree branch above and taking the net in his hands, dragging them with some effort across the ground towards an abandoned campsite. The four stick their hands through the netting and try to grasp onto anything nearby, as if that will somehow help them escape. Their attempts are useless.

The wolf-masked killer finds the opening to the net with no issues. First, he retrieves Posey, pulling them out with a hard grip on their upper arm and pulling the net closed again once they’re free of the trap. Posey struggles against his grip, kicking their legs and thrashing around. “What’s your damage? What did I ever do to you?” they ask, breathless from their struggle. The killer ties a rope tight around their right hand. They’re terrified of what the killer has planned.

Posey kicks him in the shin in an attempt to knock him over. “Let go!” The hunter doesn’t so much as flinch. He repeats their action - kicking them in the shin. The blow is so hard Posey fears their leg might break, and they fall to the ground with their right arm still outstretched. There’s a pop in their wrist and they feel a sharp pain. “Fuck-” they wail as the hunter continues to lift them to their feet by their dislocated wrist in order to tie their other hand. He secures them to a low-hanging branch from a nearby tree. Posey stands on the tips of their toes, desperate to keep the intense pressure off their wrist.

Zero finds themself in a state of shock, completely drained of energy and unable to think straight, meaning they don’t put up much of a fight from within the net. But Leaf frantically looks for the exit - which they know exists. Before he can find it, the hunter has opened it. Sonnet is his next victim. He grasps her wrist and begins to pull her out of the trap. Her brows furrow and she digs her heels into the ground, using all of the strength in her legs to try pull her arm free.

“No!” Leaf leaps towards the wolf, throwing his fists aggressively. Despite his fear, he refuses to let the hunter take his sister without putting up a fight for her. As his fists slam against the hunter, he realises that it has no effect on him. Leaf isn’t weak, but he’s not strong enough to make any difference at all. The hunter shoves them down with his other hand, and continues to drag Sonnet away. Despite her struggles, she’s tied up by her wrists right next to Posey, more pressure on her wrists due to her being hung at a taller section of the branch.

Leaf is next. He’s on high alert. He wants to tell Zero to watch for the opening, but he knows that she isn’t in the right mind to be able to do so. He wondered if she’d be able to move even if the opening was obviously visible. When he’s pulled from the net, he tries not to panic, eyes scanning the area to consider his options.

That’s when he spots something hanging from a nearby tree that no-one else had been focused enough to notice.

“Is that what I think it is?” They ask. The creature gurgles, a death rattle escaping it’s throat in a sickening splutter. As the hunter guides Leaf closer, he’s able to see the form properly. A human with their hands pinned to the tree by the killers arrows. A human with no skin; all flesh and fat and muscle visible. The smell of blood suddenly hits him and he can’t contain the contents of his stomach any longer, vomiting into the dirt. Sonnet and Posey hesitantly look behind them, to their left. The moment they see it, they can’t hold in their panicked screams. The hunter ties Leaf next to his sister, and Sonnet immediately tries to comfort him.

The screaming is enough to partially snap Zero out of their trance, so they slowly start to search for the exit. It’s becoming obvious to her now that the opening must have been pulled together by another piece of rope, making it nearly impossible to spot in the dark unless you know what you’re doing. Though just like their friends, they have no chance of escape. The hunter returns for her, forcing her to feet with a sharp tug of her wrist. Once she’s on her feet, she sees the skinned corpse in the moonlight. One thought materialises in her mind. He’s going to skin us alive… and there’s nothing we can do about it. He binds her wrists and places her securely next to Leaf, giving the rope one final tug to be sure it’s tight enough.

“Let us go, you freak!” Posey groans as they struggle to stay on their toes. They want to put up a fight - they want to defend themself. But know there’s no use with their injured wrist. The hunter makes his way to them. He looks Posey up and down slowly. He hasn’t forgotten them. He pulls the hunting knife from its hilt, holding it up to their throat. “What do you want with us? I don’t understand.” He drags the tip of the knife gently down their throat, careful not to make a cut. He stops at the scar on their chest - the same scar that the hunter gave them. He pushes down, slicing into the skin, tracing back along the scar, opening it up. Posey groans, tears filling their eyes.They try to be strong, they try to show the killer that they’re not scared - but it’s not true, and the hunter knows it. Blood swells quickly and slowly trickles down their chest as the hunter moves onto Sonnet.

Leaf’s eyes widen. “No- not her. Not her,” he says, voice a little higher pitched than usual due to the panic. He struggles against his bindings until his forehead begins to sweat. “Don’t touch her, please don’t touch her. Leave her, you can do what you want to me, just please don’t kill her,” he begs.

“No! Leaf don’t be stupid,” Sonnet responds, “I’m fine, I’m going to be fine, don’t provoke him-”

But Leaf doesn’t give in. They kick at the hunter, but barely make contact, the tip of their toes just scraping against his leg. The wolf-masked killer looks at them. Leaf wishes he could know what goes on inside that evil monster's head. What makes him do what he does? The hunter turns to pick up his bow. An arrow is pulled from his quiver - the head of the arrow gleaming in the moonlight as he pulls it back, swinging his aim back and forth as if he’s unsure who to shoot. He settles on Sonnet - an obvious ploy to trigger Leaf.

The hunter releases the arrow and it flies through the air with a sharp hiss. Despite the pain from the weight on his wrists, Leaf swings in front of Sonnet as best he can. The projectile hits him right in the shoulder, piercing through flesh and muscle. He screams as the pain sears with every little movement of his left arm, which is something he can’t help with the way he’s currently held up. The hunter groans, the frustration evident in his voice. It’s the first time that night that any of them hear him. He approaches Leaf, standing face to face with his victim. Leaf swears that the killer smells of real fur - seeing the mask up close it certainly looks like the real face of a wolf fashioned into a mask, which makes him feel ill. Had the wolf been killed just for that purpose? The hunter’s actions make it clear that he has no respect for life. Why would he respect that of the animal whose face he wears? Leaf lashes out in anger, kicking the killer with all of his strength.

He stumbles backwards, though otherwise doesn’t seem to be hurt - only frustrated. Another frustrated growl can be heard, this sound a little more animalistic than the last. He kicks at the ground, his foot hitting against something hard. It doesn’t harm him as much as it surprises him. He crouches, running his fingers over the object that has clearly been left behind by a camper at some point. Suddenly, he has an idea. The hunter stands once more, kicking the object towards Leaf and slowly sliding it in front of his feet. He unsheaths his bloodied knife, holding it threateningly against Leaf’s throat, putrid hot breath blowing against his face.

“Back off,” Leaf spits.

The wolf nudges the item beneath Leaf’s feet. In fear, Leaf holds his feet up, supporting himself entirely by the rope tied around his wrists. Pain shoots down their arms. They know they don’t have much time, and they have no choice but to place their feet back on the ground unless they want both of their wrists to dislocate. Sweat beads down his forehead, rolling down the side of his face and uncomfortably down his neck. When he puts his feet back down, pain shoots through the balls of his feet as something digs deep into his flesh. Although Leaf can’t look down with the knife at his throat, the others can see clearly. The hunter has made him stand on an old wooden board covered in twisted, rusted old nails, some of which are now buried deep inside his feet.

The hunter is not done with him. He’s caused too much trouble to be let off so easy. He moves behind Leaf and uses his already bloody knife to slash down back, tearing through his woodland sprite outfit and into his already aching flesh. There’s nothing Leaf can do but accept it, clenching his teeth so hard it hurts as the knife slices into him.

Sonnet cries harder than ever before. “Leaf- Leaf, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” she sobs, her face shimmering with tears in the faint moonlight.

Leaf lets out a shaky breath, “No, don’t you apologise. You have nothing to apologise for. It’s not your fault, Sonnet.”

The hunter isn’t impressed with the way they comfort each other, especially when his main purpose is to cause as much discomfort as possible. He grabs Sonnet roughly by the hair, pulling it painfully away from her scalp as he holds her in place from behind her. He reaches around the front and plunges the knife into shoulder, pulling the knife toward himself. Sonnet screams, the tears continuing to stream down her face. Leaf sobs - he’s disappointed in himself for not being able to protect Sonnet, even though she would never blame him for any of this. It’s very obvious that this act of violence isn’t witout purpose. The killer enjoys watching their suffering.

The wolf then makes his way to Zero. He grips the neckline of her dress, and with the bloody knife, he cuts through the fabric down to their belly button. The tip of the knife scrapes against their skin, and they fear that the hunter might stab them, but he moves the knife out of the way to push the fabric away from her chest. She thrashes, her hair falling over her face. She tries her hardest not to cry - she doesn’t want the killer to know that he’s getting to her, but similarly to Posey, the killer sees through the act. He slowly traces the knife over her skin, as though he’s contemplating where to start. Zero knows in her heart, however, that the killer already has a plan in mind. The same plan that he’d executed on the corpse hanging from the tree beside them.

He starts above the breast, towards the shoulder, cutting deep into the skin and slicing down until he meets the sternum, knife scraping against bone. Zero groans through gritted teeth, tears stinging her eyes. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. The hunter does the same to the other side until that cut meets the other in the center of her chest. They don’t dare to even attempt looking down, but they can feel the blood dripping down the front of their body. The murderer continues his torture, cutting a straight line down her chest, ending just above her belly button. She can no longer keep her composure, screaming through clenched teeth as her tears spill. She’s not strong enough to hold them back anymore. The hunter slides the knife under her skin and starts to slice and flay, the same way someone might skin a rabbit. The pain is so excruciating that Zero passes out for a moment. More blood drips down over her pale body as he slices, what’s visible of her torso almost entirely covered in blood.

“Hey!”

The three conscious victims hear a commotion from behind the killer. Julio stands near the edge of the campsite with his lantern in hand - held up in front of him. The hunter turns, and the moment he sees the lit flame, he jolts and drops his knife in the dirt. He quickly ducks down to pick it back up, wiping the dirty blood on his pants. Julio takes a step forward, and the hunter steps back hurriedly. It’s this behaviour that is a dead giveaway to Julio that the hunter is afraid of the flame. Being a very quick thinker, and a great problem solver, he immediately knows what to do. The bar owner throws the lantern to the ground with a smash, and the flame lights up the dead leaves on the forest floor. The hunter looks left, then right, as if he’s wondering if there is some way to fix this. But there isn’t. He runs into the darkness, leaving his victims behind.

“What if you start a forest fire?” Leaf asks, sweat beading down his forehead as he watches the fire burn the dead leaves. Normally, Leaf would know that the forest was too damp for any real damage, but in his current situation, that’s not what he’s thinking about.

“It’s okay, it’ll burn out quickly, I promise,” Julio says as he unties Posey, carefully lowering them down to their feet. They immediately hold their wrist, which they can feel has already started to swell. When Sonnet is released, she immediately helps Julio release her brother, reaching down to pull the rusted nails from his feet. The siblings immediately give each other a half hug - being wary of each others injuries. “To make sure you don’t get hurt any further, we need to break the arrow,” Julio tells him. “Brace yourself. I’ll be as careful as I can be.” Sonnet takes Leaf’s hand, and he squeezes her tight while Julio breaks the wooden arrow. Sonnet’s hand hurts, but she says nothing. She can imagine the pain Leaf’s shoulder must be in, as her own shoulder hurts deeply from the stab wound. “Okay, we’re done. Good job.” Julio rubs Leaf’s opposite shoulder very gently as a form of reassurance.

Posey wishes they could do more to help, but with their injury they feel incapacitated. Julio then moves to Zero, gently tapping their cheek until they stir. They’re dazed and confused, and it takes them a moment to come to. Julio decides to leave her secured until she’s a little more aware of her surroundings, fearing that she may collapse the second her feet touch the ground. “How’re you holding up? You’re white as a ghost,” he tells her, carefully pushing strands of white hair behind her ears.

“Mmm… it’s okay I’m always white as a ghost,” they say. Sonnet wraps her good arm around Zero’s waist from behind as Julio undoes the rope around her wrists, gently lowering her to her feet. She’s a little unsteady, and inspecting her wound makes her feel so queasy she almost faints again.

“Don’t look at it, don’t look,” Julio tells her, unzipping his jacket and pulling it down his arms so that he can wrap it around her. He helps her put her arms through the sleeves, and carefully zips it up to be sure to cover the exposed skin and the gruesome wounds. “There. Be careful, now.”

“Sonnet,” Leaf’s tone almost sounds like he’s protesting, “Wait a second.” He tears some of the flowy fabric from his own woodland sprite costume, finding the task especially easy to thanks to the killer having cut it up from the back already. He carefully ties long strips of it around Sonnet’s injured shoulder. Zero witnesses this, and feeling a little more herself now, she picks up a stick and helps, using it to turn the fabric into a better tourniquet.

“There’s a major artery in there. You’re super fucking lucky, tinkerbell,” she tells Sonnet, who is looking a little paler than usual.

Julio motions for them to move, “We have to get out of here, now. It has to have been the fire that scared the killer off, and it’s about to burn out. I know a safe place, not too far from here. We should see if anyone is around and head back to the Ramos cabin. There’s a phone there, as well as access to a road, we can call for help and get paramedics out here.”

He leads them away from the abandoned campsite, running back the way that he came with the four survivors in tow. They move at a relatively quick pace, though they’re careful to be sure Leaf can keep up with their injured feet. The branches of trees and shrubs scratch their arms and their faces as they push through the brush, and all five of them curse and cry out as they push through a group of small New Mexican locust trees, the thorns stabbing them all over their bodies as they move.

As they start to head downhill, Sonnet manages to lose her footing and she topples over a fallen tree, the thick log hitting her right in the stomach and winding her in the process. She slides a little downhill before managing to stabilise herself. It takes a moment for her to catch her breath. “You okay?” he asks, rubbing her back reassuringly.

Sonnet nods her head. “Yeah, just a little winded, it was a harsh blow,” she answers. From then on, they move at a slower pace.

“Okay, let’s take a breather here, we’re not too far now. Just keep your wits about you,” Julio says tiredly. He works long hours behind the bar, but nothing like that could have compared him for such intense cardio on such short notice.

When Sonnet can’t seem to catch her breath properly, that’s when she starts to realise that she doesn’t feel quite right. “I don’t feel so good,” she pants, struggling to get enough air into her lungs, it seems. “It hurts, still.”

“Your shoulder?” Posey asks, taking a step forward to examine the amount of blood soaking into the makeshift torniquet.

“No… yes… everything,” she exhales shakily.

This is when Leaf realises the blood slowly seeping into the front of Sonnet’s costume. He pulls her into the moonlight that beams through the cracks in the canopy above to take a better look. They use their fingers to pry open the fabric over her upper stomach, and it’s evident now that Sonnet has been impaled by a tree branch. He tries not to panic, despite the anxiety that eats away at him. “Y-you’re hurt. Badly.”

Julio takes a look, wincing at the severity of the wound. “Like I said, we’re not too far now. But I think I heard someone in that direction. You wait here while I check it out. I want to make sure we get everyone safe. Don’t touch that,” he motions to the wood that is stuck in her abdomen. “I’ll be quick, alright, cariño?”

The large bonfire crackles loudly, spitting upwards in smooth yet unpredictable flames. Rosie Mahelona and Kang Mi-Sook are the last two surrounding it, growing more and more dependent on the fire’s warmth as the night air grows colder. All of the other partygoers have scattered, spreading out and going their own ways home, something that both Rosie and Mi-Sook are considering - once Greg returns, of course, so the fire isn’t left unattended.

It’s been a long and exciting night. Mi-Sook finds herself having a surprising amount of fun with Rosie; perhaps because upon finding out that she is also the daughter of wealthy investors, she knows that Rosie isn’t just talking to her because of her wealth or her status. Rosie, on the other hand, doesn’t care much about what Mi-Sook’s intentions are; she’s having fun, and that’s all that matters to her.

Rosie is in the middle of recounting an amusing interaction with a Karaoke Dokie frequenter when another person joins the duo; they think nothing of it, and hardly even take the time to note how impressive their skeleton costume is as their night has been long and they’re eager - yet patiently waiting - for Greg’s return so that they can get some rest before Tuesday’s shifts. They both assume that this individual is in the same position.

“I have never heard anyone belt ‘It Must Have Been Love’ with that much passion-” Mi-Sook isn’t disinterested in Rosie’s story, but she finds her mind drift off to other thoughts. Greg is taking an awfully long time to return; it’s unlike him to leave without ensuring that all guests have gone home safely and that all loose ends are tied - he’s known for being a brilliant host. There’s nothing to imply that Greg is in any danger, but still, Mi-Sook feels herself grow anxious for him.

“Are you waiting for Greg too?” Rosie’s question to the skeleton goes unanswered, but their bad manners are excused as Rosie supposes they might have just had too much to drink. “You can head home if you need to; we’re not going anywhere until Greg is back, so you don’t need to worry about the fire or anything.” She’s smiling, though her friendly smile begins to falter as again there’s no response.

The skeleton simply stands there, staring at the two mall employees; their skull eyes are dark and lifeless, and they’re still, too still for someone intoxicated, too still for someone sober, Mi-Sook thinks. The skeleton takes a step forward. They still don’t speak.

“Oh! Is this a trick?” Rosie asks, her cheerful demeanour having returned. “You didn’t even ask me trick or treat!”

The skeleton takes several more steps towards them, moving in a manner that feels eerily uncanny. Rosie’s smile falters again, for good, beginning to feel uneasy. Mi-Sook stands up from the log that they’d been sitting on as a subconscious effort to make herself seem more intimidating to the slow-approaching figure.

As the skeleton is better illuminated, closer to the light of the fire, Mi-Sook can now see that they hold a large, heavy bone in their hand. Nothing about this feels like a trick, nothing about this feels right. She places a hand on Rosie’s shoulder. “Get up.”

Only a few paces away, the skeleton suddenly leaps towards them, swinging the bone towards Mi-Sook first. She manages to dodge, stepping a little too close to the fire in the process. Her fear increases as she strains her body to stop herself from stepping into the flames.

Rosie is not so lucky. She finds herself frozen in place, unable to dodge the attack like her friend, paralysed with fear - that is, until the sturdy femur bone smacks her in the hip. Thankfully the blow is only hard enough to cause bruising, though as Rosie stumbles but keeps her eyes on the attacker, she knows they’re not going to let her get away with only a couple of bruises.

Survival instincts take over, and Mi-Sook tries to make a run for it, at the very least wanting to gain some distance between herself and the fire. The thought of the bonfire possibly burning out of control is far from her mind now, all she worries about is herself and Rosie getting out of there safely; Greg is an empathetic person, he’d have wanted Mi-Sook to prioritise their lives over anything else.

Though she tries her best, the skeleton is too quick for her. They turn away from Rosie, and they lunge towards Mi-Sook, taking a hold of her hair and stopping her in her tracks. They swing the bone with such power that even Rosie can hear the ‘woosh’ that the movement makes. As the skeleton strikes Mi-Sook over the head, even Rosie can hear the ‘crack’ that her skull makes, too.

Mi-Sook has never been hit so hard before, and she swears she’s never felt such terrible pain in her head. She falls to the ground in a heap, the pain so severe that she swears she can hear ringing. She can’t know just how bad her head injury is, though she knows it must be severe from the way that the pain migrates behind her eyes. At least she’s conscious enough to recognise the pain; she tries to hold onto that, knowing she needs to stay vigilant.

To watch Mi-Sook be attacked is the scariest thing Rosie has ever seen. She’s once again frozen in fear, though even if she could find the ability to move, the scene unfolds so quickly; she can’t do a thing for Mi-Sook or herself. The skeleton turns back towards her, and before her breath can even catch in her throat as she gasps with fear, The skeleton swings at her.

Somehow, Rosie finally finds the ability to dodge. She steps back to avoid the hit, and while she avoids the bone coming towards her with another wooshing sound, she steps too far back, and her left leg lands in the fire. Hot flames immediately begin licking at her bare flesh; her Wonder Woman costume doesn’t protect her at all from the heat. She screams, and the skeleton uses her compromised position to land the next hit.

They swing the femur again. Rosie can’t escape, trapped between the killer and the flames, but she tries to protect herself by holding her arm up in front of her face, just in time before the bone makes impact. A cracking sound so like the noise made by Mi-Sook’s fractured skull echoes louder than the crackling of the flames that attack her, too. Rosie immediately knows that her arm is broken; she’s overcome and overwhelmed by the combination of this pain and that of her burning flesh.

With a loud scream leaving her, adrenaline pumping through her body, and no other choice, Rosie lunges towards the killer and she pushes them aside with her full body weight. The force causes them both to tumble to the ground, Rosie landing with a cry of pain that is midway interrupted as she begins to cough due to the smoke. The wound on her leg is covered in dirt and dried leaves, sticking to the damaged skin that has already started to weep.

While Rosie is stuck on the floor, her injuries getting to her, the skeleton scrambles to their feet; they move erratically for a moment, as if upset that they got sent to the forest floor. They hold their bone firmly and they raise it above their head, ready to swing at Rosie again.

Mi-Sook can hardly move from where she is, but through blurred, doubling vision, she can see the skeleton’s foot just within reach. She extends a shaking arm, reaching for them, but she misses it first due to her impaired state. She doesn’t give up; she reaches again. Once she has hold of their ankle, she pulls them down again.

Through tears, Rosie can see Mi-Sook’s face is starting to bruise, her forehead turning purple. She wants to tell her to be careful, she wants to thank her for her help, but she has no time to say a word as the skeleton is scrambling to their knees. They raise their weapon high above their head, and they swing, their aim again being Mi-Sook’s head.

She covers her face with her forearms just in time, and the force of the blow is so powerful that she thinks her arms might break. She’s lucky that they don’t, though without a doubt there will be bruising all up her arms by the end of the night - if she makes it out alive.

From the woods, Mimi slowly approaches the campsite. She’s cautious at first until the bonfire is in clear view; she hadn’t realised that she’d circled back to her starting point. She pauses to take a well needed breath, wondering if Micah got away safely, and that’s when she hears the commotion ahead. Despite her exhaustion, she knows she needs to intervene. It’s not time to rest yet.

She sneaks up on the remaining people around the bonfire. She tries her hardest to stifle a gasp as she spots both Rosie and Mi-Sook on the ground, injured and vulnerable, with the skeleton towering about them both. They hit them both countless times with the bone in their hand, and Mimi, concussed and a little dazed, has no time to be afraid now.

Still undetected, Mimi pushes the skeleton into the fire with all of the strength she has left. She takes Rosie by the hand and tries to pull her up, too quickly for Rosie to be able to protest. Rosie screams, crying as she tries to tug her arm away from Mimi, who had no idea that she was taking her broken arm. Mimi apologises profusely, and they help her up with her left arm instead. They feel sick, though they’re unsure if it’s from the guilt of further injuring Rosie or if it’s because their own injuries are catching up to them.

Now standing, Rosie turns her head to see that the skeleton makes no sound as their body writhes in the fire, the flames spitting and rising higher. Rosie knows what the smell of burning flesh is like - she’s unsure if she’ll ever be able to forget it after having her leg burnt by the fire. The skeleton smells nothing like that, as if there’s no flesh being burnt at all. She tries to shake the irrational thoughts from her head as Mimi rushes to assist Mi-Sook.

Mi-Sook aches all over, but no blow lands her with an injury that hurts more than her head. She sits up properly - slowly - reaching her hands up to her forehead. Rosie, having turned back from the skeleton just as Mi-Sook does this, shouts. “Don’t! You don’t want to touch it, you shouldn’t, please.”

Mi-Sook doesn’t listen. Her fingers trace over her forehead, which has already started to swell. Even so, she can feel the depression in the middle. Her head doesn’t feel right. She begins to feel as nauseous as Mimi, who swiftly helps her up with Rosie’s assistance, too. Both of them hold one of Mi-Sook’s arms each, both to support her, and to support her, and to prevent her from irritating her head injury by touching it again.

“We should find Greg. If he’s out here alone, who knows what might happen to him?” They suggest.

Ottilie and Ozzy Morrison are on their way home. They themselves are a bit of an eerie spectacle walking through the woods all alone in the middle of the night, dressed as the twins from the Shining, in identical blue dresses. The spooktacular afterparty had been great for both of them, receiving many excited compliments by those who recognised them as the Grady twins, to which they would respond with a “come play with us,” to frighten those who had had a little too much to drink.

“I think you could do what Chokehold on Love does, you know.” Ozzy tells her sister as they walk. “I could see you performing at the next party Greg throws; you’ve got what it takes, I think you might even be more talented than them.” Of course Ozzy is biassed, not only talking to her sister, but her best friend.

Though Ottilie considers it, she plays it cool, shrugging her shoulders. “Chokehold are practically famous, I think I have a long way to go before I reach their status.” She shakes her head, though the smile on her face is proof of her appreciating her sister. “I’ll think about it.” She adds, not caring to reject such a sweet suggestion.

They continue walking, but then Ozzy’s head turns sharply as she believes she hears something not too far away. “What’s wrong?” Ottilie’s cool girl demeanour melts away in a second, concern for her sister written on her face.

Ozzy listens carefully for a moment longer, but hears nothing more. “Nothing.” She dismisses it, though unease settles in the pit of her stomach. “I’m probably just paranoid.” It’s not unlike Ozzy to be paranoid, but Ottilie knows that her paranoia has always been justified. “I thought I heard something.” Ozzy finishes explaining, and it’s her turn to shrug.

Ottilie takes her sister’s hand. “It’s alright. We’re not far from the road now. It w-” Ottilie stops speaking suddenly, thinking she hears something now, too. She stops in her tracks, pulling on Ozzy’s hand to bring her to a halt also. While they’ve had moments of ‘twin telepathy’ - though far from in any supernatural sense - for them to both be mistakenly hearing things is too strange to be coincidental.

They both stand in silence, holding their breath to see if they really had imagined the noise or not. They’re met with nothing but the rustling of the leaves in the breeze. After a beat, Ottilie exhales slowly; she’s relieved. They continue.

They make it only a couple of steps further before they both hear the noise again, coming from behind them. There has to be something, they’re now sure of it. Ottilie turns her head, but nothing can be seen in the darkness. “It’s probably nothing. Just the trees in the wind. It’s okay. We’re almost at the road.” Ottilie’s reassurance is for herself as much as it is for her sister; they both repeat her words in their minds over and over. They’re both afraid.

They can see the break in the trees ahead of them, where the road runs through the forest and leads back to town. They keep moving, stepping through the trees and into the lengthy grass that’s always left overgrown beside the aged asphalt of the road. In perfect sync, the twins let out a sigh of relief, but they do so too soon.

Suddenly, Ozzy’s hand is ripped from Ottilie’s. Ottilie’s body whips around to see the cause, and she’s in too much shock to even gasp when she sees the Jack-O-Lantern killer dragging her sister back through the trees with a firm grip on her hair. Ozzy lets out a cry as she loses her footing, being dragged away from the road and her sister quickly, dragged over sticks, branches and rocks that scrape her exposed skin.

Ottilie immediately begins to chase them back into the forest, panic stricken, but determined. So many thoughts race through her mind; the Jack-O-Lantern killer was meant to be in prison, she doesn’t understand what is happening. All Ottilie knows is that she can’t let Ozzy get hurt, she must protect her sister.

She breathlessly catches up to her sister and the killer. She reaches out for Ozzy, who reaches out for her, crying. “Ot-” she chokes on a cry, their fingers almost touching, but then Jack stops and turns abruptly. With a large boot, he kicks Ottilie away from them. Ottilie lands strewn out on the forest floor, her skin getting cut and scraped on everything on the ground that has hurt her sister, too.

The large pumpkin’s face appears to be looking in Ottilie’s direction as he slams her sister’s body against a tree harshly. Her head smacks against the bark terribly hard; Ottilie winces due to the sound of the collision, and she struggles to get back up onto her feet due to her own injuries and the breathlessness that the chase and the kick has left her with.

Ozzy’s feet dangle from what feels like a great height; she’s held higher than Jack’s impressively tall height, and the dizziness that comes with her head injury makes it look like she’s even dangerously higher. She’s afraid, but she can mostly only feel her hurt. She’s crying, but she can’t seem to say a word as she’s completely stunned by pain.

Ottilie sways slightly as she gets to her feet, but she’s not plagued with the dizziness of her sister, and she quickly pulls herself together. “You let her go!” She cries, charging back towards Jack. Jack listens; he lets Ozzy go, dropping her from where he holds her, her weakened body falling to the ground harshly. More cuts and scrapes cover her body as she lands on the nature covered floor below.

Before either of the Morrison twins can do a thing, Jack now grips Ottilie by the front of her blue dress. He knocks the wind out of her by throwing her against a tree, and then he readjusts his grip, taking her by the hair and repeatedly smacking the back of her head against the tree. Her skin splits open, blood trickles down her neck onto her back, and the repeated smacking of her head smears blood against the bark; Ottilie loses her vision temporarily in the impact, but she doesn’t need to see the wound to know that it’s bad.

The killer throws Ottilie down to the ground again, and this time, she can’t get up. Her head spins, her body aches, and no matter how hard she tries, she can’t move properly. “Ozzy,” she calls out miserably, still so concerned for her sister. She regains her vision - albeit in a woozy double form - just in time to see Jack go back to the younger twin.

In an easy and smooth motion, he picks Ozzy up off of the forest floor. While stunned and dizzy, Ozzy tries to struggle free from the grip, kicking her legs and reaching for the hand that holds her firmly. Her efforts are stopped as he slams her into the side of the tree again. The large eyes on the pumpkin mask turn to face the twin struggling on the ground as he pulls out his large carving knife. It’s a sick display, even Ottilie in her impaired state can see that he’s acting so torturously in an attempt to harm the two of them at once.

“Please, no, please-” Ozzy’s chest moves up and down rapidly as she heaves, sobbing, so afraid and in so much pain. The Jack-O-Lantern killer doesn’t stop. He brings the knife up to Ozzy’s chest, and slowly he begins his torturous cut, slicing across her chest. Ozzy screams; the shriek that comes from her makes Ottilie nauseous; both girls cry harder than before, and Ottilie keeps trying to regain her strength and ability, pulling herself up into a seated position, swaying but keeping herself up.

As the front of Ozzy’s dress begins to turn dark with her blood, the killer moves the knife down, tracing down her front with the tip of the blade, enough to scratch the fabric of the already ruined dress, but not to cut her any more - not just yet.

“Stop it! You monster!” Ottilie spits, pulling herself up onto her knees, struggling but determined. She picks up a rock, throwing it in Jack’s direction. She misses, but she picks up another rock anyway, preparing herself. Ozzy can’t believe that her sister is still conscious; she cries for how hard she’s trying.

Again, Jack doesn’t stop. When the knife reaches Ozzy’s lower stomach, he turns his mask to face Ottilie again; the killer’s real eyes can’t be seen behind the mask, but still, his gaze is felt and it worsens Ottilie’s nausea and distress. She tries to pull herself up onto her feet. She stumbles once, but then regains her footing.

“Oz!” Her shoulders shake as she sobs, stepping towards them uncoordinatedly. She’s only stopped as Ozzy screams, another gut-wrenching shriek echoing through the forest. The killer presses the tip of the knife into Ozzy’s stomach, slowly, painfully.

“Stop!” Ottilie begs, in more pain watching her sister get hurt than she would be if it was her in Ozzy’s position. Jack twists the knife ever so slightly. “Stop! Take me instead! Take me instead!” Ottilie’s desperation is not at all concealed. She cries so loudly, and it’s the only thing that can be heard as the rest of the forest seems to fall into silence.

“Take me instead.” She begs. Her voice is now steady; she sounds sure.

“Ottilie,” Ozzy cries, “no!”

“You can make it out of here, Oz, you can-”

Ozzy thrashes, worsening the wound as the tip of the knife remains dug into her flesh. “No!”

“Olivia!” Ottilie snaps, getting her to stop. “You can still make it home.” Her voice breaks.

“I don’t want to make it home without you.”

Ottilie looks away from Ozzy’s eyes, directing her gaze back to the killer. “Take me instead,” she requests, “you piece of shit!” she screams, throwing the rock still held in her hand with all of her anger behind it. It hits Jack’s mask with a thud. “Come and get me!”

Ozzy sobs as the knife is pulled from her and she’s dropped to the ground. The Jack-O-Lantern killer walks over to Ottilie, and without wasting a beat, he plunges the knife into her stomach, then ripping it out just as fast. Ottilie reaches up to place her hands over the wound, and she stumbles backwards as the impact is too much on her weak and unstable body. She falls back, hitting the forest floor with a thump.

Though Jack still stands over her, looking as though he’s going to strike again, Ozzy begins to crawl her way over to her sister. She wants to call out to her, she wants to be strong enough to stand to run the few paces to her, but she can’t, and that adds to her devastation. She reaches out her hand, Ottilie reaches out too, and their fingertips touch.

They’re both sure that the killer isn’t done yet, and their hearts are broken for each other. Ozzy pulls herself close enough to be able to take Ottilie’s hand, but Jack inflicts no more pain onto them.

The call of a wolf is heard somewhere distant in the woods. The killer stops; no expression can be seen, but it seems that he’s contemplating something before he turns and leaves in the direction of the call, as though there is something more important to do than to watch at least one of the suffering twins die.

The light blue dresses are soaked with blood. Their costumes were scarily brilliant when they arrived to the spooktacular, and despite all of the horrific changes, they’re still true to the characters, only now they’re the Grady twins as they were when lying in a pool of their own blood after having been killed by their father.

At least the Morrison twins survive their attack, if only just.

Julio ventures deeper into the woods. He knows that he’s not too far from the others, but something in his gut tells him that he has to keep searching for whatever it was that had made that noise. He walks swiftly but as quietly as possible, keeping an ear out for any other noises. And that’s when he hears it. Talking. Muffled, quiet talking. It doesn’t sound threatening in any way - if anything, it sounds slightly panicked.

He follows it as best he can. “Hello?” he asks, trying not to raise his voice too loud in case danger lurks nearby, “Is there anybody out there?”

“Julio?”

Julio recognises Mimi’s voice, and not too far away, her head pokes out from behind a tree. She looks bruised and battered, and Julio realises quickly that they must have had an encounter with a killer also. She steps out into the open, and Rosie, Mi-Sook, Micah and Aera follow closely behind, all looking varying degrees of injured and dishevelled.

“I have a group of people who were attacked by the killer with the wolf mask,” Julio tells them.

“Micah and I were attacked by the scarecrow,” says Mimi.

“I was attacked by the ghost,” Aera tells him.

“We were attacked by the skeleton!” Rosie motions to Mi-sook, who stands beside her, “Then Mimi found us, and then we found Micah and Aera.”

“Thankfully I have. You all look in terrible shape,” he says sympathetically. He feels truly relieved to have found them. The group smell of sweat and blood and if human panic had a smell, he was sure that they’d smell exactly like that. Julio wants to do his best to get everyone to safety. “Greg’s cabin is not too far from here. I’ll take you there. I’m going to call a paramedic and get everyone some help.”

Mimi, Micah, Aera, Rosie and Mi-sook don’t hesitate to follow Julio back the way he came. When he reaches his original group, he counts everyone to be sure no-one has been left behind. The original quartet of victims converse with the five new additions to their group, as best as they can, anyway. They don’t have too much time to fill each other in, each one of them growing weaker by the moment.

As Julio begins to lead them in the right direction, each person carefully supports one another as best they can, carefully avoiding one anothers injuries. Still, from behind him he hears an array of unpleasant sounds, little sobs, groans, hisses through clenched teeth, and every now and again, a high pitched “ouch!” But it’s not long before he hears a groan that doesn’t come from behind him, but instead, from in front of him.

He rushes forward, into a clearing, standing beside one of the larger trees. In the moonlight he notices the glistening of the bark. The strong smell of iron was a dead giveaway that it wasn’t tree sap. Then, he sees the Morrison twins, collapsed on the ground, barely conscious and drenched in blood. He motions for the others to come forward, knowing he won’t be able to help them alone. First, he helps Ottilie to her feet. “Easy does it,” he says softly.

Posey comes forward to support her with their good arm. “We’re getting help now, just hang on a little longer.” Ottilie can’t even bring herself to answer Posey - she doesn’t even have the strength to give a nod of acknowledgement.

Ozzy lets out a cry, a sob so sad and pained that she sounds like a helpless child. Julio assists her next, pulling her up and supporting her himself. “Ottilie…” she sobs, wrapping an arm around his waist. She wants nothing more than to be the one to support her sister, but she barely has the strength.

“Come on now. I know the way so well from here, I’ve walked it a hundred times or more. I’m not going to let any of you down,” he’s determined. These are the people he sees at the mall and greets with a big smile every time they pass by, or come through his bar. These are the people he treats with utmost respect everytime they serve him in whatever store they happen to work for. Julio is a people person through and through. This trait can be seen in Greg too, it somehow having been passed onto him despite there being no biological link.

There’s a little dip before the terrain is flat again, and Julio moves down at an excruciating pace, waiting patiently for all eleven of the victims to make their way down at their own pace. However, when he thinks all is well, he takes a step that he very much regrets taking.

SNAP.

Julio drops, poor Ozzy being knocked to the ground beside him, having no-one to support her. He screams, and as he tries to move away from the source of the pain, he realises he has made a huge mistake. Courtesy of Greg’s father, a bear trap had been laid beneath the autumn leaves. It now holds his leg between its huge, rusted, steel jaws. Tears prick at his eyes, but he somehow feels the need to be strong for those who have been more severely injured than him. He wants them to feel safe with him.

“Julio! Let us help,” Micah says, hobbling towards him, “I know that a lot of us aren’t at full strength, but if a few of us try, I’m sure we can get it undone.” He carefully crouches down, wincing hard at the pain in his thigh. It’s excruciating, but with everything Julio is doing for them, he wants to be of some use to him.

“Compress the springs,” Zero tells him, “Close to the… thing.” She steps forward, motioning towards the metal disc that had set off the trap to begin with. “These things. If you compress them, squeeze it, it’ll open the trap again and he can move his foot safely.”

Aera moves forward to help, before remembering that her hands are no good for the job, having been slashed in her attempt at self defence. Posey motions for them to stay back. They’re also rendered useless with a dislocated wrist and their other arm supporting a near unconscious Ottilie. Rosie moves to the opposite side of Micah, using her left hand to put pressure on the spring. Mi-sook crouches beside her, putting the last of her strength into helping her. Sonnet is next, crouching beside Micah and, despite her injuries, putting pressure on the springs. The trap creaks and screeches as it loosens, falling open once more.

Julio pulls his leg away from the trap, his jeans soaked with blood. No doubt he has broken the bone, though he’s unsure how severely. He refuses to let this stop him. He helps himself to his feet. “Thank you. I can’t say I’ve ever had that happen before. I don’t know what I’d have done without you,” he’d be having a stern word to Greg’s father about the matter, that’s for sure. Zero helps Ozzy to her feet and supports her as Julio hobbles in the direction of the cabin.

Back on track, everyone is exhausted from the fear, but relieved that salvation seems to be just around the corner.

When Julio reaches the cabin, he struggles up the steps onto the porch. He approaches a potplant that holds a very dead aloe vera plant, and lifts it to get the spare key that Greg leaves out for emergencies. He unlocks the door, moves aside quickly and ushers everyone inside. Once he’s sure everyone is safely inside, Julio shuts the door behind them all and makes sure it’s securely locked. He lets out a shaky sigh as he really starts to feel the pain in his leg. But he reassures himself with the same words he’d been saying to the others all night. It’s not long now, we’re getting help.

Julio heads over to the fireplace, fetching a match from the mantel. He strikes it, and the tiny flame glows brightly in the dark before he throws it onto the logs. The firestarters that are in there take no time bursting into flames, the entire room filling with warm orange light. “There. Everyone stay by the fire and keep warm while I get some help.” Despite everyone being safe, the room is eerily silent. Not just metaphorically, but literally silent. No noise aside from the crackling of the fire. Julio slowly turns to face the group. All of them are looking at the hardwood floor. And that’s when he sees it too.

There is blood all over the ground, pools and splatters and distinct footprints dragging it all around the room. He wonders how he didn’t smell it before he lit up the room. Was it because his party also smelled of bitter iron? Everyone remains silent, a few of the injured looking up at him as if to say, “What has happened here?” Julio wouldn’t have had an answer even if they’d asked.

He slowly follows the trail of blood into the hallway, where the pooling of the dark red liquid gets worse and worse with every step he takes. At the end of the hall he can just make out a body lying in a heap, motionless. His gut tells him that the victim is Greg. Who else would it be? He rushes towards him, forgetting all about the severe pain in his leg as he puts his full weight on it in order to get to him faster. He hooks his arms under Greg’s, pulling him out into the living area, by the fire.

Tears start to stream down his face. “Greg! Greg, mijo, look at me,” he says, kneeling on the ground and pulling Greg’s body into his lap. The body is still warm, which Julio mistakes for a sign of life. “Someone call 911! The phone - it’s in the kitchen!” His voice is panicked. No-one has ever seen Julio in such pure distress. He holds Greg close to him, tears dripping down his cheeks and falling onto Greg’s still face. Zero makes her way to the kitchen to make the phone call, hoping that it won’t take them too long to get eleven injured people and a corpse out of the little cabin in the woods.

Julio realises now that Greg is no longer breathing. There are countless lacerations all over his body, which explains the amount of blood all over the cabin floor. No-one could possibly lose so much blood and survive to live the tale. So all he does is hold him tight to his body as he is wracked with desperate sobs. Everyone else in the room is devastated. Most of the residents of Shrike have known Greg in some capacity, especially those who had found themselves at his Spooktacular Afterparty. This is a loss for everyone. Shrike will never be the same. Even still, the injured party understand that Julio will be forever changed by this. Many tears are shed by everyone in the room, but Julio will be shedding tears for Greg for the rest of his life.

“My boy… My boy I am so sorry,” he sobs, running his hand through Greg’s blue-painted hair. He speaks as though Greg can still hear him. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to protect you. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.” Julio would never forgive himself.

In a few minutes, Julio’s cries fall silent, and all that can be heard is sirens in the distance.

plot drop 011 features ten of our muses encountering the jack-o-lantern killer, the hunter, the ghost, the scarecrow + the skeleton.

aera davies is left with several deep slashes to the arms and hands and a deep stab wound to the abdomen, resulting in severe blood loss.

kang mi-sook is left with bruising over body, several broken rips and a depressed skull fracture.

leaf wozniak is left with cuts and scratches, an arrow in the shoulder, a deep wound down the back, injuries to the feet and substantial blood loss.

micah miller is left with hematoma on the head, concussion and a stab wound to the leg resulting in substantial blood loss.

ottilie morrison is left with bruises and scrapes over the body, a concussion/head injury and a deep stab wound to the stomach, resulting in severe blood loss.

ozzy morrison is left with bruises and scrapes over the body, a concussion, a cut across the clavicle/chest and a minor stab wound to the stomach resulting in mild blood loss.

posey bryant is left with cuts and scratches, dislocated wrist, deep cut across chest and minor blood loss.

rosie mahelona is left with bruising over the body, a broken arm and a severe burn to the leg.

sonnet wozniak is left with cuts and scratches, stab wound to the shoulder, impalation to the upper abdomen and substantial blood loss..

zero heathcliff is left with cuts and scratches, scrapes and bruises and deep slices across the chest resulting in substantial blood loss.

#plot drop 11 #car crash tw #car accident tw #violence tw #blood tw #vomit tw #stabbing tw #injury tw #aggression tw #broken bone tw #head injury tw #death tw #flaying tw #skinning tw #trauma tw #burn tw

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shriketimes · 2 years

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thursday september 29th, 1988

Yesterday afternoon there were several incidents at the end of summer carnival celebration – resulting in the injuries and unfortunate deaths of multiple people. The carnival was immediately shut down, and much to our towns dismay, the fireworks display was cancelled entirely. Mayor Sweeney has refused to comment during these difficult times, feeling rather devastated by the attack. A representative has come forward to say that the Shrike Heights council has done all that they could this year to prevent another incident. Further preventative measures will be taken to ensure that future Shrike events are safe and enjoyable for our residents. Police have said they still have two perpetrators in custody and that they are currently being interrogated about the attack. If you have any information, please contact the Shrike Heights Police Department.

wednesday september 28th, 1988

The last of the summer sun shines down upon the residents of Shrike Heights warmly. Summer has come to an end, but the brightness of the day hasn’t yet changed and become clouded over in typical fall fashion, and this is particularly true as the sun shines its hottest and brightest in the middle of the day, at the busiest time for the carnival. More than just Shrike Heights residents are enjoying the last day of the end of summer carnival; residents from the smaller surrounding towns, those only around for business or loved ones, and the few people who pass through Shrike Heights on this day enjoy it too. The grounds are chaotic yet the most at peace Shrike has felt in some time; those only in town temporarily would never realise just how much trauma this place has seen previously.

Screams of joy, of exhilarating fright, children’s laughter and friends speaking enthusiastically to each other mix with the sounds of various sources of music and effects coming from rides and stalls containing carnival games. It’s an overstimulating environment, but the energy is upbeat, exciting and joyous. It’s place to be, which is why so many people find themselves there.

Amongst all of the carnival goers are Chandler Kolinsky and Naomi Yamada. They stand together in line for the tallest, most terrifying roller coaster that comes to town with the carnival each year, and already their nerves have kicked in. They watch as the riders who’ve just finished their turn disembark the four person cart, one looking queasy while the rest are laughing loudly, though shaking from the adrenaline rush. Chandler and Naomi step up onto the platform; they expect two more to follow them, but those behind them tell the ride operator that they’ve counted and have an even number for their entire friend group to go over the course of the next couple of runs. Chandler and Naomi are escorted onto the ride alone.

At the peak of the roller coaster, you can no longer see the track, the riders, or their cart while standing at the bottom. The sun is too blinding, and there are too many support beams and different sections of the ride that obscure the highest point. The only way you know riders have made it up there is by listening for the screams. Up there, the ride slowly rolls across a flat section, and the cart stops while just dangling off the edge. After a moment too long, the cart finally drops and the riders always scream as they rush down the steepest decline. They always scream. Waiting to embark, being unable to watch and only able to hear in preparation of riding it is the most nerve inducing part.

With the support bar pulled down across the laps of Chandler and Naomi, they’re off. The ride is fast and thrilling all the way up to the peak; twists and turns jolt their bodies around, and screams - more of amusement than fright - already leave them before they even reach the top. Adrenaline is already pumping through their veins, and their knuckles are white from gripping the bar too tightly once they do reach the top. Their cart rolls slowly towards the edge; they try to catch their breath, though the anticipation of rushing down the next section of the tracks hardly allows them to. They stop; the nose of the cart hangs over the edge. They don’t move; they wait. They’re patient, but then the wait becomes worryingly long.

“Something’s gone wrong.” Naomi observes, speaking in a breathless voice, and Chandler agrees with a nod. The wait is always timed the same, the screams are always heard like clockwork, but that point has now passed. Understandably, being stuck at the top is less than ideal. They’re confused, and fear is creeping up on them, too. They both go to speak at the same time, but then they’re both interrupted at the same time.

The sound of a loud thud coming from behind them is what cuts their words short. They feel frozen with fear, unable to look behind them to find the source. Is the reason why they’re stuck up there a fault in the ride? Could that fault potentially be fatal for them? The thudding noise is followed by more. Thud, thud, thud. It sounds over and over, at a steady pace, on near perfect beats. Naomi and Chandler finally brave it enough to look behind them, ans somehow, what they find is worse than their fears. The Bear has pulled themself up onto the track, and they’re slowly walking towards the cart.

The bear takes their time walking towards their victims, as if they’re taunting them, enjoying watching their panic. Chandler and Naomi scramble to pull at the bar across them, hoping to lift it up to get free, and while they do so they share an unspoken thought; even if they get the bar up, where do they have to go? This thought only worsens their attempt to get out as they both panic harder simultaneously. Though their panic works in perfect sync, their attempts at lifting the bar do not. They push and pull at the bar at different times, rendering each other’s efforts moot.

They have no time to waste, so Chandler takes charge. “Count of three, we pull upwards.” She decides, and Naomi nods. “One, two, three.” There’s no breath taken in between numbers, and she isn’t counting with the timing of proper seconds, but it works regardless. The two pull with all of their strength, and it lifts to make a gap large enough for them to slip through. “Slide out, upwards, as quickly as you can so when you drop the weight-” Chandler can’t finish her sentence in her panic, but Naomi understands. She needs to get out quick enough so that when she lets go, Chandler won’t have to hold it up alone for too long, risking dropping the weight on Naomi and injuring her.

Naomi might have otherwise offered Chandler to go first, but they don’t have time for politeness. Chandler understands, she won’t be coming out of this bitter - that is, if she comes out of this at all. Naomi’s trying to not think about that reality as she follows orders and she squeezes out of her trapped position desperately and awkwardly; her hands grow sweaty as she pushes herself up even higher to get out. She faces the bear, trying to not look over the edge, but it isn’t any better to look their way; they’re growing closer.

She watches their movements, scanning the track underneath them, not because she’s neglecting to help Chandler, but half because she’s stuck by her fear and half because she wants to gain the advantage by mapping their way out. She notices that the bear moves so slowly because the track has an abundance of holes in between beams and rails, though she still believes they’re intentionally trying to act menacing, too. Knowing that the killer is also vulnerable so high should be more reassuring than what it is. “A ladder.” Naomi says suddenly, the second her eyes spot the maintenance ladder running down a support beam. This is slightly reassuring, though their chances of making it out alive still feel slim.

Naomi’s mind races, making it feel like she stands there for aeons. In reality, not even a minute passes before Naomi squats on her seat, turning to the front again to help Chandler hold the beam up. Once Chandler slides out, they both stand in their seats, and they both hold on for dear life. “I see it.” Chandler tells her, talking about the ladder, her voice shaky as she’s so much more afraid now. “We need to get to it before they do. We can’t-” an intense fear that can be heard in Chandler’s voice. “We can’t hesitate.” Or else they might die, she thinks, but she doesn’t elaborate. Instead, Chandler moves forward, climbing over the seat back and onto the seat behind her. Naomi is mortified watching her.

Chandler is determined to not let this be the end of her. She always has been a stubborn person, but she refuses the likely fate now more than ever. The killers can’t keep winning, not after they’ve taken people like Dakota from her. She sets her feet firmly on the tracks behind the cart, and her body wobbles as she’s hit with a gust of wind that she’s no longer protected from by the cart. Despite knowing that she cannot hesitate, she does. The wind takes her breath away and her fear makes moving impossible. After a beat, she finally steps forward as cautiously as possible. She can’t see the ground beneath her through the gaps, and that terrifies her more than if she had seen the height she’s at.

The second Chandler begins to move, the second the bear speeds up, the two at an equal distance from the ladder. Despite being at the carnival, it’s clear that the bear is not playing games.

Too close to be able to use their weapon, the bear opts to lunge towards Chandler. She ducks, just able to avoid his grip by a split second. She pushes herself by reaching out towards the ladder. Her fingertips make contact with the top of the beam that the ladder runs down. She’s terrified; she looks down to the ground and this time she can see it clearly. She can see that from this height, a fall would be fatal. Terrified is no longer a word strong enough to describe her feelings.

Again, Chandler knows that she can’t hesitate, but again, she does. She’s too far away to pull herself to the ladder safely, she’s scared, but then suddenly the feeling is replaced by pain as the bear kicks her under her chin, sending her body flying backwards. Her head, shoulder and arm dangle off the side of the track. She’s not knocked unconscious, though she feels close to it, the feeling familiar from her time as an athlete. It’s almost a good thing that she’s so disoriented from the impact as it’s the only thing stopping her from spiralling over the realisation that she was almost kicked over the edge.

Fortunately, Naomi is still fully conscious, though it’s also unfortunate as she’s able to fully understand the severity of what happened. She’s afraid of nearing the bear, but she’s even more afraid of letting Chandler succumb to the attack. She makes it onto the track behind the cart. Chandler sits up, her body trembling, and she reaches out for Naomi. Naomi rushes towards her, and she takes her hand, but then the bear reaches them and they stomp on Chandler’s chest in an outward direction, sending her off of the ride. Both victims scream, sure that Chandler is about to meet her death.

Her hand slips from Naomi’s, but Naomi doesn’t give up. She reaches down, grabbing Chandler’s ankle just before it’s out of reach. The momentum due to the force of the kick is too great, and though Naomi pulls Chandler towards her with all of her strength, she loses her grip and Chandler falls. “No!” Naomi sobs. The fear of the height hasn’t left her, but she lunges towards the edge, as if she can still reach out to save Chandler. Part of her wishes she didn’t. She watches as Chandler’s body hits beam after beam as she falls, it’s brutal. Naomi goes to pull away, not wanting to witness the death, but just before she does she watches Chandler land harshly on a horizontal beam.

Her back smacks into metal, and she lands. The breath is knocked from her, her head hits the beam, the skin splits, and she’s knocked out. Naomi is even more afraid now, knowing that Chandler is alive and that she’s the only one who can try to save her right now. She also knows that statistically only one victim will be lucky enough to be caught by the ride rather than falling to their death. There’s no way Naomi will survive if she’s sent off these tracks.

The bear straightens up, as does Naomi, but the bear is the one to make the first move. They take a step towards her, then another, and then just as they’re about to be within reach, their foot in mid air, the two of them hear Chandler shout with a voice full of jagged and pained breath. “Naomi!” The killer falters. Unlike Naomi, they hadn’t seen Chandler land, they were under the impression that they had successfully killed her. Perhaps they should pay closer attention next time.

Though riddled with fear, Naomi recognises an opportunity and she knows she needs to take it to survive. She jumps forward, using her side to shove the bear with all of her weight. Her intention is to get them down and out of her way, to buy time to get to the ladder and begin descending; Naomi doesn’t plan on pushing the bear over the edge of the ride, but the bear’s foot falls into a gap between beams on the track and they trip. They’re sent off of the edge, and unlike Chandler, they don’t meet any metal on their way down.

Naomi gasps. After putting her whole weight into the shove, a move that makes her feel like she’s in a round of high stakes roller derby, she lands on the track harshly, eyes wide in the direction the killer fell from. Her body feels bruised and she lands on her wrist in a painful, twisted way, but she’s more shocked by what she’s done than anything else, so the pain barely registers. Her gasp of shocks turns into gasping for a breath. Despite being unable to breathe, she pulls herself up, not wanting to spend a second longer there.

She gets to the ladder and she begins to climb down; as she does so, the pain begins to register, and she’s sure that her wrist is sprained, if not fractured, as she can’t put her weight on it. Chandler replaces the thoughts of her pain once she reaches the level she’s at. “Stay there, I’ll come get you.” Naomi tells her, worried that the impact will have made Chandler’s head spin; the last thing they need is for Chandler to fall on her own accord and meet her end that way. Naomi crawls across the beam, thankful it isn’t a trickier route and only the one to cross, and she helps Chandler back to the ladder. Together, they climb the rest of the way, which is something neither of them thought they would be able to do.

As they walk they lean on each other, though mostly Chandler on Naomi. They make it to the ride’s control area; there’s no operator. Worried that more animals might be around, they don’t linger in the area. Intead, they head towards the exit, feeling alien amongst so many unharmed, neither of them having the ability to speak about what they just went through.

Closer to the exit of the carnival, Loki Romanov doesn’t expect such troublesome behaviour to be happening already, not in the light of the early-fall day and definitely not at the very top of the roller coaster that the blinding sun blocks her from viewing properly. Thankfully she’s safe from the bear’s antics, her feet firmly on the ground. The last thing that Loki needs is more pain inflicted upon her, not after all she’s endured in the past.

The last day of the carnival is extremely busy, yet at the same time, Loki feels entirely alone as she walks through the grounds, feeling like she’s the only person in all of Shrike Heights who isn’t queuing for a ride or throwing balls at milk bottles to knock them down. She isn’t entirely sure why she’s there at all - finding carnival games incredibly irritating as she isn’t particularly good at them. The carnival is so loud all around her, yet as she walks down a clear path she feels as though her space is strangely peaceful and quiet.

This is, until she hears a whistling sound through the air only seconds before a sharp, intense pain strikes her side – the one opposite the scars left by the last attack she endured. She gasps for a breath and turns to find her attacker just in time to allow the next throwing star to wedge itself deep into her thigh. She can’t help the groan that escapes through gritted teeth as the blood starts to soak into her clothing.

The Mouse stands a little ways away from the doctor on the path. Despite being in broad daylight, no-one around them blinks an eye at the colourful costumed display. She sees them take yet another throwing star, spinning it between gloved fingers.

Having been through this before, Loki runs. She knows that she’ll be able to tend to her injuries when she’s safe but knows all too well that she must prioritise getting to safety first. She runs, the extreme pain growing worse as with every movement of her muscles the throwing stars lodge themselves further into her flesh. Blood drips down her body, seeping into her clothing as she tries to make her escape. She doesn’t stop until she finds a corner to turn down, and once there, she immediately rushes over to a game where teenagers are throwing darts at balloons in hopes that they pop. She slides between two games and hides behind that one, hoping that the noise of the popping balloons will help shield any noises that she might make while tending to her wounds.

Assessing the damage, Loki properly notices now that the stars have dug deeper into her flesh, particularly the one lodged into her thigh. The design of the weapon seems to be intentional, with the sharp knife migrating inwards with movement. Unlike typical stab wounds, she knows she has to remove the weapons to prevent further injury. Ordinarily, the knife would stay in the wound to prevent blood loss, but blood loss seemed like the better of the two options.

With everything being time sensitive, Loki has to try to act fast. Having no real first aid on her, she begins by taking her stockings off, carefully manoeuvring the fabric over the throwing star stuck deep in her thigh, carefully moving her body in a way that does the least to the star in her side. Once off, she rips the fabric of the stockings in half and she throws them over her shoulder so that they sit there as she gets to work.

She pulls the star out of her side, groaning with pain and cursing quietly in Russian, then she immediately reaches for one leg of the stockings to wrap around herself. It’s not an ideal piece of fabric, but it’s the best she has to offer herself right now. She knows it should buy her some time before she gets proper assistance or her hands on a real first aid kit. It’s more painful pulling out the star in her thigh; this wound is severe, the star dug in deeper, the gash is larger, the blood seeping out faster. She makes quick but painful work of removing it, throwing the star to the ground and even faster than before moving to wrap it up to prevent bleeding as much as possible.

She needs a moment to collect herself. She closes her eyes and breathes deeply as pain shoots up her body, causing her to feel an intense dizziness. Despite her last injury being more life-threatening, this seems to hurt so much more. She takes a moment longer before she finally straightens up, slipping back out from behind the stall and walking with as much strength and speed as she can, hoping to make her way to the exit.

Loki’s plans however, are changed the very second she spots Florence Quint walking along the path. Though her fear before had been replaced with frustration and pain, it returns quickly at the sight of the red-haired woman, and her breath catches in her throat. She’s not sure if it’s because of the shock her body is under because of her injuries, or if it’s because she’s found Florence.

With no idea where the mouse is, Loki makes her way to Florence, gripping her forearm and tugging. “Quickly - you need to leave,” she says sternly, straight to the point with no greater explanation, “Come with me.”

Florence usually would have been a little more relaxed with her despite her frustrations, but their last encounter had rightfully left her feeling bitter. “First you want nothing to do with me, and now you’re being all demanding,” she spits, pulling her arm from Loki’s grasp and taking a step away from her. She realises now that her arm is covered in blood. She takes time to examine the other, and the second she registers the state of Loki, her entire demeanour changes.

Loki takes her arm again, pulling her along the path to the nearest exit, but a figure on the path ahead makes Loki stop in her tracks. Their way out is blocked by none other than the Dog. Pieces of the articles that Loki had read about the attacks that took place last year in the grocery store, and then later at the carnival’s closing event, flash through her mind. It all clicks. She can’t believe that everyone is walking past the masked individual as if they’re simply a part of the carnival fun. How can no one else remember? How is she the only one to realise?

“We have to hide,” Loki instructs. In the seriousness of the moment, Florence is obedient, following. They rush as quickly as they can with the state of Loki. The dog doesn’t move to follow them, but they worry where the rest of the animal killers are hiding. Loki spots the tunnel of love with a sign out the front that reads, “BE BACK IN TEN.” She takes the rides vacancy as an opportunity, pulling Florence right into the ride, dragging her into the water. They might not be able to flee, but they still have the opportunity to hide.

“Do you really think we’ll be safe in here?” Florence asks, her heart beating so fast in her chest that she swears she can hear it.

“I don’t know - I can’t think straight right now, I don’t understand how these bastards are getting away with being out in the open in the middle of daylight. So… I don’t think anywhere is really safe,” she answers.

The two of them rush through the ride as quickly as the water on the ground allows them to, Loki’s hand tightly around Florence’s as if she might lose her if she were to let go. They rush past the sets on either side of the water-covered ground, past places that miss set pieces due to them breaking in the attack the year prior, others missing chips from the wood for the same reason. The two only stop when they reach an empty ride cart. They don’t have time to think about how odd the placement of it is, nor do they have time to catch their breath before their plans of hiding are foiled.

From behind the cart, the mouse jumps out. Having not been present for the attack at the end of the carnival last year, Loki couldn’t have known that the mouse has a job to finish, one they failed in the tunnel of this very ride the year prior.

They turn to run, Loki instinctively pushing Florence a little further forward, but the mouse throws their stars quickly, too fast for either to act to protect themselves. Two miss their bodies, one grazes Loki and falls into the water after the others, but two get Florence, one in the back, and one in the side of her thigh. Florence collapses forward into the water due to the impact and the sudden pain, and as she lands she cuts her hand open on the tracks that the carts drive upon.

“Florence-” Loki reaches for her to try and help her up, but before she can take hold of her, the mouse has caught up. They grab Loki from behind, and with a strength that surprises her wholeheartedly, the mouse throws her body towards the stationary cart.

She’s thrown with such force that she feels immediately faint upon impact, and as her chest takes the worst of the blow, she feels a cracking and disconnecting that she’s sure is a break of the rib. She crashes over the cart horrifically, and upon landing on the ground she finds herself completely submerged in water.

She’s under for longer than she should be, completely dazed, already exhausted because of her injuries, in so much pain and shock that she can’t move. Without so much as moving an inch, she stays under, slowly coming to. Once conscious enough, she notices the water ahead is clouding with blood, blood that is not her own.

She gets back up, gasping for air, suddenly flailing her limbs and trying to ignore the pain. She comes up in time to see the mouse raise their arm and bring it down with a great force, stabbing Florence in the back with their stars, not once, but twice, and upon concluding the second stab they push her head underwater.

Florence thrashes and Loki is sent into a panic. Still not completely with it after being so injured and thrown around, her brain not receiving as much oxygen as it should be due to blood loss, it takes her mind longer than she’d care to admit to figure out what to do. Suddenly she dives under the water. Despite how difficult it is to see, she searches for the few stars that landed in the water, but she quickly begins to struggle. She comes up gasping for air multiple times, feeling dizzy and only getting worse, but she knows she has to succeed in this task. Florence has to be close to death, and Loki doesn’t stand a chance in a physical fight in her current condition.

Finally, Loki finds a star, but as she stands, she notices that Florence is no longer struggling. Her heart feels as though it could leap out of her throat. She’s terrified, but being a doctor, she knows that hope isn’t completely lost, and that she may still be able to save Florence - albeit with some difficulty.

She throws the star, and it’s lodged deeply into the mouse’s shoulder. Loki hopes this will send the killer away, but all it does is make them angry. They abandon Florence, her body floating lifelessly, and they step closer to Loki. They grab her by the shoulders and throw her into the water. If her rib hadn’t already been broken, it would be now. They hold her under as they did to Florence, but being face up, Loki has an advantage and is able to kick.

She’s exhausted, and in so much pain, but she kicks and she kicks until suddenly the mouse releases her, moving back. Loki sits up and coughs, her senses filling with the sounds of screams from two people who come into the scene on a ride cart. The mouse reaches for the next of their stars, only to realise that Loki has kicked them into the water. They seem frantic, but Loki stops watching them as she reaches for Florence. She’s unconscious, but she still has a pulse. There is still hope.

The mouse is the first to flee, clearly unable to finish the job in the tunnel of love this year either, despite giving it a good attempt. Thankfully for the couple on the ride, they escape without a single scratch. Loki follows shortly after with Florence, carrying her body with arms that are weak but thankfully just strong enough. As soon as she reaches the exit, she allows herself one scream of agony before she places Florence’s body down and begins to tend to the woman’s injuries.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Loki says in an attempt to self-soothe, trying to convince herself that Florence just might be able to hear her. She pulls the stars from her back, wincing as she has to dig at the wounds slightly to pull them out. Considering her profession, she’s never been one to feel squeamish, but there’s something about it that sickens her. She then lays Florence on her back. She positions herself on her knees next to her body, and she begins to perform CPR. Loki’s entire body screams for her to stop, all of her injuries worsening, her head returning to that dizzy and faint feeling, but then Florence begins coughing, spluttering, coming back to her.

Loki gasps for a jagged breath, breathing being enough to hurt her chest a ridiculous amount, but even through the pain she continues to push herself as she turns Florence’s head to the side, helping her clear her airways to breathe properly.

Loki’s body slumps over Florence, but there’s still the matter of the star in her thigh. Loki knows she has pushed her body to the limit. She can feel her body fighting her, begging to rest, begging her to stop. She doesn’t. Florence is still gasping and coming to, but Loki reaches down and she begins to dig at the star in Florence’s thigh.

Florence is confused about so many things. She had hardly caught up to Loki’s situation before their shared attack started, and now she’s waking up with a foggy memory of what happened inside of the tunnel and an overwhelming situation unfolding on top of her. She’s dazed, and she feels a swell of sickness when she sees what Loki is doing.

The confusion mixes with sadness, but mostly an overwhelming pain is felt as Loki is in her wound, then pulling the star out. Florence tries to sit up, but Loki pushes her back down, perhaps too harshly for the wounds on her back. “Don’t move,” she slurs, her body inching closer and closer to unconsciousness. Breathing feels like something she has to do manually rather than automatically.

Loki’s state is deteriorating rapidly, she throws the star from Florence’s thigh onto the ground next to her, a mixture of Florence’s and her own blood dripping from her cut-up fingers. Florence’s vision gets blurry from tears, but she doesn’t need to see Loki to know what happens next, instead, she feels her collapse on top of her.

Over by the ferris wheel, Shrike Heights residents are witness to a strange sight, one that is thankfully much more pleasant than the sight by the tunnel of love. Joshua Sommer finds himself out at the carnival, despite being such a homebody who is typically reserved. To see him at a carnival that took place in a video game would make sense, but today he takes a break from his NES, playing the game of life instead - and no, not the board game. What might be an even stranger sight is his company in the form of Wilhelmina Reid. But as surprising as this may be, the pair actually make perfect sense together, and that’s evident to those around them in the line to the ferris wheel as they speak passionately of the latest issue of the New Mutants.

The conversation of the latest action packed comic book adventure continues as the two step into the carriage. The ride operator closes the door, and with a chuckle he tells them to enjoy their ride and to try to not fall out. The words are alarming enough to pause their conversation, though the look on the operator’s face tells them that this is a bit he does with every carriage he sends off. Neither rider is impolite enough to tell him that it isn’t funny. They smile at him and it seems to make his day, he pats the carriage twice before stepping back to his controls.

The carriage has a roof to protect the riders from the sun, connected by beams in four corners to walls that start just above the average person’s waist when standing inside of the carriage. The door is shut by an old rusted hook lock, and none of it seems to be particularly well kept. In the large space between the roof and the start of the walls, there’s nothing, simply open aired windows, gaps for riders to peer out of in order to admire the views all around them. Unexplainably, Joshua and Billie both feel completely safe inside of the carriage, despite the shotty set up. They don’t return to their talk of comic books even after the operator has stepped away, as they instead both focus on the carriage jolting to a start.

The incline is always when the most nerves can be felt. It’s true that both riders feel safe inside of the carriage, but adrenaline still kicks in regardless as they get lifted so high above the ground, though slowly. Billie and Joshua happen to have more in common than an interest in comics; the two are both very tense individuals, so it’s not surprising that they fall into silence as they try to not let tense turn into anxious. They’re both here to enjoy the carnival, to catch a break from the town that has grown so sombre; they don’t need to ruin their own fun.

It’s completely understandable for them to be anxious about being lifted up so high into the sky, but it’s also undeniable that the view is stupendous. The silence isn’t uncomfortable as the carriage is lifted up, higher towards the clouds. Instead, the inside of the carriage feels calm and peaceful. Billie and Joshua don’t express it aloud, but they don’t need to; they both think it’s nice to have found such peace in Shrike Heights.

The ferris wheel slowly takes them around in one full circle, not stopping at all. The second time they go around, however, the ferris wheel begins to stop as each next carriage reaches the very top, allowing them all to enjoy their view (while also allowing people to get on or off of the ride from the very bottom). When Billie and Joshua’s carriage reaches the top, they share a look of wonder with each other before continuing to gaze out at their town.

They peer out over the farmland and the commune, admiring the natural beauty, and then their eyes take them over the tops of hundreds of houses that lead them to downtown, where they can just make out certain businesses. They peer all the way over the length of the town until they notice the mall. It looks tiny from here, and the sight brings them great comfort. Finally their view ends with the mountains, all the way on the other side of town. The carriage begins to move back down as they both think about how they feel as high as the tallest peak on the mountain.

“That wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be.” Billie admits, breaking the silence. While having felt safe, that didn’t mean that she felt no fear. Their carriage stops in its place not far from the top as the next one is given their time in the prime position, and then suddenly, their peace is broken by a piercing scream. Billie has spoken too soon, and both riders are sent into panic as they search for the source of the scream. They can’t find where it has come from, and a feeling of hopelessness joins their other unsettling feelings. They look around, then finally to each other with wide eyes that read the same horror. Joshua’s panic builds.

A body suddenly falls from the carriage on the other side of the one at the very top. Joshua is nearly hyperventilating. The body falls with such force, such velocity; it couldn’t have just been an accident, they must have been thrown. Joshua tries to deny the fact, he tries to reassure himself that there’s no threat, but Billie knows, and she can’t deny the truth. Instinctively, both Billie and Joshua hold onto the ride tighter, though there’s nothing they can do; they can’t run, they can’t hide, they can’t even get help for the victim of the fall.

The carriage moves again, and now Billie and Joshua can see even less of the affected carriage; they're left out of sight, feeling utterly trapped. No words are exchanged, neither of them can find the ability in their states of shock, fear and panic, but the carriage isn’t silent as Joshua’s panic attack fills their space with the sound of his rapid, uneven breaths. Another body is thrown from the carriage that now sits at the very top, and Billie drowns out the sound of Joshua with a scream. Having been watching so closely for a sign that might tell them what has happened, she sees the body as clear as day, and they’re covered in blood. The scream of horror turns to screams of help, and those in the carriage between the slaughtered and the panicked join in

Joshua feels as though he might be sick. He wishes to call for help also, but he can’t stop panicking enough to do so. He looks down, searching for the ride operator. Instead of the friendly man at the controls, there stands a different figure, one completely in red. Joshua would have thought they were a carnival performer if the trauma didn’t remind him of the events from last year; this has to be the work of the animals. “He’s not-” his words come out with great difficulty, he turns to face Billie, tears streaming from his eyes. “at the controls.” He finally finishes through a gasp. “No one’s going to help. No one can help us.” He doesn’t mean to make Billie’s state worse, but clearly panic has completely overtaken him now.

Trapped, they watch as the carriage next to them begins to shake and swing uncontrollably as it descends. Its two passengers scream, and then a third figure is seen sliding into the carriage from the large gap in the side. Before Billie and Joshua can see anything else, the ferris wheel finishes repositioning the carriages and the one with the intruder inside of it is now above theirs. They’re blind to the attack, only able to hear the sounds of screams turning into grunts, along with the sound of squelches and the sound of metal hitting metal. It’s an overwhelming commotion, it’s incredibly intense, but then everything falls silent.

Joshua is gasping, feeling so faint now, and Billie feels as though there’s not a single thought in her mind; she has no idea what to do, and the silence might feel worse than the audio of the attack they were just subjected to. She slowly leans closer to the edge of the carriage, moving with caution, her heart beating so hard that she can feel it rattle her entire body. She moves her head through the gap, and she takes a deep breath before turning it to look up at the carriage. Immediately, hot drops of liquid splatter her forehead.

Billie rips her body back to the centre of the carriage, standing up in the middle of it, causing it to rock slightly. She faces away from Joshua, not wanting him to see her as deep down, she knows what her face is now tainted with. She reaches up with both hands, swiping the liquid off with shaky movements, her breath frozen in her ches, and when she pulls her hands away to inspect them her fears are confirmed; it’s blood.

Panicked, Billie wipes at her face quickly, pulling up her t-shirt so that she can use the fabric to mop it up. She wipes her hands on the shirt too, trying to make herself feel clean again, though she’s unsure if that’s something she’ll ever be able to achieve. Her panic builds and it builds, but she knows she can’t reach Joshua’s level; their chances of surviving will be slim to none if they’re both complete messes. This thought works to ground her and make her realise her next best move. She slides onto the bench seating next to Joshua, and she begins to busy herself by helping him.

She doesn’t mention the blood, though it’s not unnoticed she only begins to rub soothing circles on his back, taking loud, deep breaths, encouraging him to match them. “It’s going to be okay, Josh, we’re in this together, we’re going to get help, I’ll help you, we can help each other.” She begins, trying to speak as slowly and as steadily as possible.

With Billie’s help and reassurance, Joshua begins to get his breathing under control. He still feels like he may die before the killer even reaches them, and Billie is still afraid, too. In fact, hey’re terrified. It feels as though their carriage stays in this position for far too long, and it's horribly suffocating to feel so trapped when they know the inevitable attack is coming for them next. They’re sitting ducks.

The carriage begins to move again, and Billie lets out a yelp, holding onto Joshua tightly, thinking that the movement must be the killer. Foolishly, they both allow themselves to feel relief when they realise it’s only the carriage, heading to the middle of the ferris wheel, no longer being so far from the ground and an escape. The relief is destroyed brutally only moments later, however.

Something heavy lands on the roof of their carriage just after the descent has once again temporarily stopped. They instantly believe it’s the killer, but then there’s silence once again. Their carriage rocks so hard from the impact that they hold on to each other and the ride so tightly, both for safety and for comfort, but then no more movement or sound comes. Slowly, the carriage steadies itself, and they’re not so sure it’s the killer.

“Oh god,” Joshua suddenly cries, having a morbid realisation. “Please don’t let that have been a body.” He squeezes his eyes shut, hoping that when he opens them once again he’ll wake up from his horrific nightmare. A sinking feeling overcomes them both. Being trapped under a lifeless victim isn’t worse than a killer coming to get them, but as they believe it might be their reality, it’s still dreadful.

Suddenly, the Cat swings their body into the carriage, proving the two terrified individuals that their first instinct was right. Billie and Joshua both scream and cry, and they both jump up onto their feet despite the instability the swinging carriage provides and the fact that there’s nowhere to go. There is no escape; not even jumping is an option as a fall from this height would be far too dangerous, and potentially fatal. They try to move as far back as possible to avoid the cat and the bat with jagged nails sticking out of it, already completely drenched in blood, similar to the cat themself and to Billie’s shirt.

The cat doesn’t waste any time. The carriage begins to move again, and the cat swings their bat. It makes impact with Joshua’s side, just narrowly missing Billie, and Joshua is thrown against the bench seating. He hits his head against the wall and he falls to the floor. While his injuries hurt, it’s a far better fate than being thrown to the ground, though being thankful that he hasn’t had it worse doesn’t cross his mind as the cat then rips the bat out of his side. All he can think of now is the excruciating pain. He screams, and his t-shirt begins to turn red with his blood.

As Billie watches the cat’s callous actions, she can’t help but to scream in horror, though her scream swiftly turns into one of pain as the cat mirrors their attack and swings at Billie. The impact of the hit is intense, and Billie’s body falls down with so much ease that she resembles a ragdoll. She sobs as the cat pulls the nails from her flesh, her own blood now staining her already soiled t-shirt.

Joshua stumbles back onto his feet, holding pressure on his wounds. Just as he finds his footing, the carriage comes to a stop. He’s not taking his eyes off of the attacker, understandably wanting to be ready to defend himself, even though he believes that nothing can be done to stop the brutality. The carriage jolts as it stops, and due to his attentiveness, Joshua notices that the cat almost loses their footing. They catch themself on the side of the carriage with relative ease before their stumble can become a fall, and as if to make up for their fumble, they immediately swing their bat again.

They hit Joshua harder than before, not once, but twice, so both sides are now battered and bloody. Joshua’s body is sent in the direction of Billie’s, as she still stays crying on the floor, struggling to recover from the first blow, and Joshua has to scramble to avoid landing on top of her. In this attempt, he reaches out and he lands awkwardly on the bench, hitting his head and worsening the wounds in his sides. The head injury isn’t enough to concuss him, but it does leave him stunned for a beat.

As Joshua lands, Billie pulls herself up, feeling guilt amongst all of her pain for causing him to have to avoid her in such a way. Thinking quickly, she jumps towards the killer, despite the fear growing worse than ever due to the close proximity. She does this as she figures that the cat will be unable to swing their weapon at her if she’s so close. It works as the cat head turns from Billie to Joshua, who now hurries to get back up, the killer no longer swinging at either of them. But this relief doesn’t last very long.

The killer jumps back towards Joshua, and they swing towards Billie with such an intense force. They seem angered by the woman outsmarting them, and their anger is being translated into their next brutal blow. The nails on their bat are plunged into Billie’s stomach. She shrieks, her back harshly hitting against the support beam leading up to the roof. As the cat pulls the nails from her stomach in a manner that drags them through her flesh to create larger wounds, no more sound comes from her. Immediately her complexion turns pale, and her forehead beads with sweat. She reaches for the wounds to close them, but her hands are shaky and weak, and she can’t apply proper pressure. Blood begins to cover the entire bottom half of her. She’s sure this will be fatal.

The carriage begins to move again, and as the cat has put their entire strength into this swing of the bat, they stumble worse than last time at the sudden jerk of movement. Joshua feels light-headed and dizzy due to his lack of oxygen and the blood loss he’s already endured. He believes that Billie is dying right before his eyes, and the devastation he feels is just as strong as the fear. He’s overstimulated, so much is happening to him both in his body and mind, he doesn’t know how one person can feel all that he does in only a split second - but that’s exactly how quickly it all unfolds for Joshua. He’s gone through his devastation, his fright, his shock, his pain, his horror and his panic all before the killer can even regain their footing. In a rare act of bravery from Joshua, he uses this to his advantage.

He pushes through the myriad of uncomfortable feelings, and he kicks the cat’s body with the most forceful kick he can manage. He gets the kick in just in time, and after the blow he screams in agony, falling backwards. His entire body hurts, his injuries worsening at his efforts, but the pain isn’t for nothing. The cat tries to catch themself on the support beam of the carriage with the bat they hold, unable to reach out in time to grab it with their hand, and all it does is cause the bat to be ripped from their grip. They flip backwards over the wall, frantically reaching for a piece of metal to catch themself on, and somehow, they succeed. With only one hand they hold onto the top of the wall, just where their body had fallen over, and though the grip seems weak it’s enough to save them from falling.

Joshua’s panic is relentless; he’s not sure he has any fight left in him, and he’s sure that Billie doesn’t either, in fact, he’s surprised to see her still conscious, if only just. He begins to hyperventilate again. Once the killer pulls themself back up, they’re done for. The carriage jolts to a stop. Here we go. Joshua thinks. This is their chance to finish us off. But before the killer takes the opportunity to do so, Billie uses the last of her strength to pick up the fallen bat and swing it herself, plunging the nails into the killer’s hand. She drops to the ground, and the cat only remains as the bat stuck inside their flesh holds them onto the carriage.

Stepping up for Billie, who begins to slip in and out of consciousness on the floor of the carnival ride, Joshua moves forward and he rips the bat from the cat’s hand. It’s the final act needed for the killer to fall to the ground. The carriage is no longer so high up; the killer can easily survive the fall, and while Joshua supposes he should feel relief over them being gone, he’s more afraid than ever. He feels so alone in this now, believing Billie to be on the brink of death, and he doesn’t know how to save them when the killer can easily wait for them down there on the bottom. He begins to sob, but as the carriage continues to move around closer to the ground he spots the cat once again. They’re not waiting, instead, they’re fleeing alongside their accomplice in red.

It’s not quite relief that Joshua feels, not in his state, but a level of hope can be felt. Once he gets off of the ride with Billie, he can get them help, and they might be able to live through this. He expects the carriage to slow at the bottom and then come to a stop. He’s ready to make his escape, but then the carriage doesn’t seem to be slowing. “Billie,” he panics, though she’s not conscious to participate in the conversation. “Billie it’s not stopping, Billie the ride isn’t stopping, I-” He cries harder. “I don’t know what to do.” He admits, feeling worse than completely useless. The carriage keeps going, past the bottom, back towards the top.

He struggles to compose himself, but before they rapidly reach the top of the ride once again he pulls himself together just enough. He digs into his pockets, pulling a black bandana from one pocket and a - thankfully clean - plain handkerchief from another. As quickly as he can, he wraps the two pieces of fabric around Billie’s stomach, tying them together to make the entire length, and pulling them tight to try to put pressure on the worst of her wounds. It’s the best he can do. “I’m gonna get you out of here, okay? Just stay with me Bill.” He cries, and as they begin their descent Joshua scoops her up in his arms, holding her bridal style. “Stay with me.” He whispers, mustering up all of his courage to make the jump when they arrive at the bottom again.

He flicks the weak lock undone and he kicks the door open. Just as the carriage reaches its lowest, he jumps. He lands on his feet, and he’s surprisingly able to keep hold of Billie even as the pain from his injuries shoot so intensely throughout his entire body. Billie comes to slightly, crying in pain, but thankfully no longer seeming to decline in condition. The same can’t be said for Joshua.

He puts her body down as gently as he can manage, and then he falls to his knees. He reaches for both of his sides, trying to apply pressure to his wounds, and though Billie has no strength in her she kneels beside him and she tries her hardest to help block the blood flow. “Stay with me.” She tells him, as if to say that despite her lack of complete consciousness, his efforts haven’t gone unnoticed or unappreciated, and as if to say that it’s her turn to take care of him now, even if she hardly can.

The two are left crying together, bleeding out slowly. At least if this is the end of them, they had comfort in each other in their last moments. But this doesn’t seem to be the end, not just yet. Naomi and Chandler, who are fleeing from their own attack, spot the pair. Most people around the ferris wheel haven’t noticed a thing, all so focused on the rides they’re lining up for or the prizes that they’re trying to win. Naomi and Chandler, however, have had the joy of the carnival ripped from them, so of course they notice.

They don’t need Joshua or Billie to explain what has happened, they’re able to make the correct guess, especially after spotting the lifeless bodies on the other side of the ferris wheel upon further inspection. Seeing the condition of the others, they don’t waste time inspecting the scene for too much longer. Despite their own injuries, the two coming from the roller coaster prioritise the gushing wounds on the others, and they do their best to help them not lose so much blood as they all head towards the exit, towards help, together.

Further back in the vast carnival grounds Xena George, Philip John Bolton and Clementyne Spry stand together, surrounded by carnival games. The couple laugh at Xena’s ruthlessness as she’s not long finished beating a child in a game, and they laugh as she comes out of it bragging about how she ‘annihilated’ the poor thing; trust Xena to use the most dramatic wording for the situation. It’s only funny now as the woman gave the child her prize, though it can’t be said that PJ and Clementyne are thinking of such details or judging their bandmate as they’re focused on trying to enjoy themselves.

None of them have even the slightest inkling that terrible things are happening at the carnival as they talk. Like almost all of the other carnival goers, they haven’t witnessed any of the atrocities that have taken place thus far as too many other events are happening on the showgrounds, demanding their attention over the victims’ pleas. Clementyne, PJ and Xena all have their own reservations, fears and worries about being at the carnival, but none of them would ever have guessed that things had gone south already.

“I might give the kids a chance to practice a bit more before I go back to it.” Xena laughs as they begin to discuss what to do next. The options are endless, as is the case each year the carnival rolls into town. PJ’s response is interrupted by the addition of Hedwig Blackwood’s presence. It’s a surprise to see someone less socially inclined there, and this is exactly why their presence captures all of PJ’s attention. It’s a nice surprise; PJ understands that Hedwig has been personally affected by the attacks in the same way as he, having people close to him almost lose their lives, so to see him not succumbing to the devastation of that really is nice. “We were just talking about what we want to do next.” Xena fills Hedwig in after initial greetings are spoken.

“Have you guys hit the carousel yet? I heard it’s a blast, really gets your adrenaline pumping.” Hedwig suggests this with a laugh, as if he’s joking, but the truth is that Hedwig wouldn’t mind heading over there. Rides such as the carousel, the ferris wheel and the teacups are the most adventurous Hedwig will ever be seen on, that much is guaranteed. He doesn’t actually expect any of the group to choose this suggestion out of all of their options, but it’s the best he can contribute to the conversation.

Defying expectations, Xena seems into the idea. “You know, I actually haven’t, but how about you and I head over there?” She takes a step forward so that she stands next to Hedwig. “Give these two a chance to head over to the tunnel of love, or whatever.” She makes a joke out of why she wishes to split from the other two to get rid of any awkwardness that might have come from straight up saying that she thinks the couple should have adequate alone time together. Xena doesn’t wish to intrude, and without the company of Ottilie - and despite the company of Hedwig - it’s easier to feel as though she’s third-wheeling.

PJ encourages Xena to go off with Hedwig. He loves all of his bandmates, but his relationship is of course different with Clementyne, so he’s not going to say no to Xena’s idea of splitting up. “Go on, get out of here,” he tells her, smiling. “Don’t go having too much fun without me, though.” The two pairs say their goodbyes with a little more laughter, and then they go their separate ways.

As Hedwig and Xena walk, they talk about their days so far. Xena’s story is much more exciting, to be expected, as Hedwig has only just arrived at the carnival solo. The conversation quickly pauses when a seemingly endless amount of children begin running past them in the other direction excitedly. “Must be something going on over there.” Xena concludes, looking in the direction they’re heading to but not seeing what it is. It makes sense to Hedwig, as they know the last day of the carnival contains more excitement than any other, especially during the daytime for the children who are unable to stay up and watch the midnight fireworks.

“Perfect timing, no line.” Hedwig says as they notice the lack of busyness at the carousel, not complaining about the rush of kids now. Not only is there no queue for the carousel, but there seems to be almost no one even around it. “Which is good, because isn’t it kind of embarrassing to be going on this?” Hedwig asks, laughing to hide the fact that he already feels it, though Xena isn’t judging him. “Don’t people our age usually go on real rides?” It’s clear that Hedwig is self conscious, but Xena only responds by taking Hedwig’s hand and pulling him onto the carousel.

One young person is getting situated on the ride when the two arrive, and they figure from the section’s emptiness that no one else is on it, not even on the other side where they can't see. Neither Hedwig nor Xena care to check as they instead climb upon a matching pair of pretend horses a few rows in front of that they’ve presumed is the only other rider.

They’re laughing before the ride even begins. While Hedwig is encouraged, he’s still insecure, and it shows as he asks Xena if he looks ridiculous. “Not at all. You’re out here having fun, Hed, and that’s all that matters.” She smiles, reassuring Hedwig. She’s right; nothing else should matter right now, Hedwig should just try to enjoy the fun before the carnival is gone. It’s a nice change from regular life in Shrike Heights, and that’s greatly needed

Their laughter continues and only becomes louder as the ride starts. The horses bob up and down, loud music plays from overhead, and while it does feel a little silly, that only adds to the fun. Hedwig is thinking that he’s lucky, to have found himself actually having a good time, but only moments after he’s entertained the thought, he’s made to realise that he shouldn’t have gotten ahead of himself.

A commotion sounds from behind them, and their fun is ruined. After everything that has happened in Shrike Heights, a commotion is enough to evoke real concern and sheer terror. Two years ago it would have easily gone ignored, but not anymore. Hedwig and Xena turn just in time to see the other rider, now off of their horse and slouched over on their knees beside it, have a sword stabbed right through their neck from the back to the front. They choke on the sword, their misplaced innars, and their own blood, and as they do so a sick gurgling noise sounds. Their struggle doesn’t last very long.

The Rabbit pulls the now bloody sword from their lifeless victim, letting their body fall forward, blood pooling around them as their struggle concludes. The killer’s real eyes can’t be seen behind the large, green rabbit head that they wear, but Hedwig and Xena both recognise their gaze as now being on them. They’re next.

In too much shock and horror to even scream, the two jump off of their horses immediately. They turn and they begin to run, which is an odd sensation on a moving platform, a tricky feat as they have to avoid so many of the moving carousel horses, and perhaps a pointless move as the platform is a perfect circle.

Due to the difficulty, Xena falls. She stuns herself by hitting her head harshly against the ground, and Hedwig immediately stops to help. He frantically reaches for her, and with a grip under her arms he pulls her back up onto her feet. He’s in a rush, as is Xena, though she physically can’t move for a moment due to the dizziness of her head. Hedwig understands, and he doesn’t leave her behind, even when the killer grows closer than ever.

Xena comes to just in time for her and Hedwig to turn to the killer in sync, having seen them swing their sword and wanting to protect themselves. The sword swipes across in their direction and instinctively the pair hold up their hands to block the attack from being fatal, from slicing open an important artery or perhaps their organs. It makes sense in theory, though it feels like a dumb idea as soon as the victims earn matching cuts entirely across the palms of their hands. They recoil in pain, but are both in too much shock to flee again just yet.

The rabbit lifts their sword to strike again immediately, wanting to take advantage of the victims’ stillness, and Hedwig knows he has to do something. He’s lived through enough horrors in his life, he doesn’t need more bad experiences, and he definitely doesn’t want Xena to lose her life either. Desperate to end the altercation immediately, Hedwig holds his wounded hand in his other, and he kicks the rabbit away with all of his force.

It buys them time, but not much. The rabbit stumbles but finds their footing again quickly. Xena turns to run first, struggling as the moving surroundings around them worsens her dizziness, but as Hedwig follows right behind her he reaches out to redirect and prompt her into the right direction as needed.

The rabbit steps forward quickly, light on their feet, and they do to Hedwig what Hedwig did to them. Much like the other killers that have been seen at the carnival today, the rabbit seems bitter and angry for having been acted against. They kick Hedwig square in the back, and their body is thrown into one of the horses.

The horse moves upwards as Hedwig falls down, making the impact worse, and causing his arm to slide into the stirrup on the side. His arm remains stuck in the small opening even as his body makes contact with the ground, and the force of the fall in addition to the weight of his body is enough to make his arm snap, a bone breaking. Hedwig screams. He unintentionally harms himself more as he tries to pull his broken arm from the stirrup, but it doesn’t budge.

The panic is intense. He’s gone and made himself a more vulnerable victim, he’s trapped, giving the rabbit the perfect opportunity to kill him quickly, but then the rabbit steps past him. Somehow, this fate feels worse than Hedwig being finished off.

Xena screams loudly, but the angle Hedwig is stuck on doesn’t allow him to see what’s happening. He finally manages to free himself, and when he turns to find his friend he watches the killer finish slicing down her back, from one shoulder down diagonally to the hip. The cut looks deep, blood begins to drench her clothing already, and she falls to her knees in front of the killer.

Hedwig wants to stay frozen in shock, but instead he awkwardly pulls himself up with his one good arm and he rushes over to Xena. He grabs her quickly, and he pulls her up even faster. His body is in so much pain, as is Xena’s, but the two being on the same page allows them to mutually push themselves and each other in hopes of getting out of there. Hedwig is determined to save the pair, but he’s unable to succeed. Of course he’s unable to.

The rabbit cuts across Hedwig’s side; he manages to stay on his feet sandwiched between the unstable Xena and the carousel horse. The two victims lean on each other for support, swaying back and forth slightly, and as they both know they can’t waste time they try to step away from the killer too soon. They take one wobbly step before the rabbit kicks Xena down. This time her head makes impact with one of the horses, and like Hedwig, she makes impact as the horse is moving upwards. The force immediately concusses her.

Xena falls to the floor, losing blood and unable to move. Hedwig’s chest tightens as he watches in panic and fear, feeling hopeless and weak, feeling his side grow wetter and warmer with his own blood. He has no new plan, but he can’t do nothing, so he tries to once again buy them time. He kicks at the killer, aiming for their knee to hopefully send them to the ground. They don’t fall, but they do stumble and begin to double over, looking weaker than before. Hewig then takes the opportunity to throw a punch. He aims for their wrist, wanting to aim for a point that will be effective, and though the punch is weaker than he’d like, it’s enough to make the killer drop their sword.

Hedwig groans in pain, first grabbing their side with their left hand to try to hold the wound closed, but they swiftly realise that they don’t have time to falter as the rabbit is immediately reaching for the sword. The punch was enough for them to drop it, but definitely not enough to do any real damage. With a bloody hand, Hedwig grabs Xena, trying his best to be gentle as he pulls her up again. She’s barely conscious, but is able to hold onto Hedwig as they move towards the edge of the carousel, stumbling together.

They have no other choice, and they both know it, even in their rapidly declining conditions. They have to jump to get away, and so they do. Having been stumbling just walking, they don’t land easily. Hedwig lands on his ankle awkwardly, taking most of Xena’s weight as she lands beside him, almost passing out as she does so. It causes him to fall to the ground, and with him, Xena goes too.

Hedwig’s fall is nasty; the only hand he has able to catch himself is caught up in trying to support Xena, so his head makes direct impact with the ground. He grazes his cheek, and there’s an uncomfortable feeling added to the wound on his side as more blood spurts from it. Xena is able to catch herself better than her company, landing on her hands and knees, but the excruciating pain that shoots through her body causes her to once again almost lose consciousness. Despite the dizziness, faintness and the pain, Xena helps Hedwig up.

They hold onto each other for support, both sweaty and pale and sick to their stomachs, but they push themselves and they begin to run. They’re unable to move fast, but they still try their very best.

The carousel’s ride operator hadn’t noticed the commotion; he’s been busy working his way through the day’s issue of Shrike Times the entire time the slaughter was happening in circles on his carousel. He notices now. He throws down his paper at the sight of the fleeing Hedwig and Xena, and he begins to shout for help. After everything that has happened and gone unnoticed both today along with the first day of the carnival celebrations, at the welcoming parade, it’s about time that someone other than victims notice something.

Hedwig and Xena don’t wait around for help to come; they keep going, they’re so afraid of being finished off by the killer. They don’t make it far. On a sprained ankle - and not to mention the rest of his injuries - Hedwig falls down again. He’s growing weak, his pain is too overwhelmingly intense for him to keep going, and unfortunately once again as he falls, Xena does too. One of the hardest parts about how injured he is is how he keeps letting Xena down because of it.

Hedwig begins to cry. He can’t see the killer around them, but he doesn’t feel safe, and he’s expecting them to be trailing right behind them. Having fled immediately, albeit not very fast, Hedwig doesn’t know that the ride operator has called for help, nor does he know that the rabbit fled in the opposite direction the second that happened.

Hedwig pulls themself into a seated position. Their clothes are drenched with a mix of their own blood and Xena’s, and now tears fall onto the wet fabric also. The pain in their broken arm has surpassed just pain, now feeling a mixture of numb but somehow still sore, strangely. He pulls his arm into his lap, trying to straighten it out and crying harder at the action, and it’s then that he notices Xena has slipped into unconsciousness properly.

Again, he’s crying harder. With his good arm, he pulls her limp body towards him, in between his two legs. He lets her wounded back fall against his front, and he reaches around her body, pulling her in close to try to put pressure on the wound. He sobs into her shoulder. Is this the end? Is he about to lose her? He’s distraught at the thought, but he’s not sure anything can save her now.

In Hedwig’s mind, he takes all of the blame. He’s failed them both, he’s the one who suggested the carousel, and he’s the one who is still conscious yet unable to go further to get them any help. Xena is going to die in his arms. He holds her closer, tighter. He doesn’t want to have to miss her. As he feels his own condition deteriorating, he begins to hope that he doesn’t survive this attack, either.

After going their separate ways, PJ doesn’t expect to see Hedwig and Xena again so soon, but he does. He spots Hedwig and Xena as their attempt at fleeing fails, and it takes him a moment to register what is happening. He nudges Clementyne’s arm, “Clem-” though he doesn’t have time to finish saying her name before Hedwig collapses and pulls Xena into his arms. Clementyne turns to follow PJ’s line of sight and catches the scene herself as Hedwig begins to sob ferociously. They stand at a distance, but Clementyne can hear the cries regardless.

PJ feels weak with shock, and immediately he feels as though he’s being eaten alive by the guilt. Perhaps if he hadn’t encouraged Xena to go off with Hedwig, the group could have remained together, and they could have stayed safe. How could he have let more people close to him almost die? PJ carefully approaches and places a hand on Hedwig’s shoulder.

With his eyes filled with tears and his face buried in Xena’s shoulder, Hedwig doesn’t see PJ approach. He instantly believes the hand on his shoulder to be one belonging to the killer, so he jumps with fright, though only lazily. His body is weaker than he realised, his head spinning as he moves and his body continues to lose precious blood.

Both PJ and Clementyne are stunned, frightened by the sight. They’d never thought that such horrific attacks would happen in the middle of the day in such a crowded space. They’re unsure of the best move to make. There’s no way anything could calm Clementyne’s always busy mind now, but she’s easily the most qualified person of the four to help, and she knows this. She’s overwhelmed, horrified, fighting her own inner turmoil as she does her best to push forward and step up to help their injured friends, but she’s stopped.

The Bubblegum Twins come zooming onto the scene, skilfully skating circles around the group like a couple of vultures waiting for an animal to die. They immediately send the three conscious people into a panic. Being in the worst state, Hedwig feels it the most, his chest restricting, feeling like his body is crushing his own heart and lungs. As he was the one to take Xena away from the original trio, he feels personally responsible, and the last thing he wants now is for PJ and Clementyne to get themselves hurt trying to protect him. “Run,” he begs suddenly. PJ and Clementyne hesitate, looking at each other before looking back at the others. Hedwig repeats himself, his tone expressing his sheer panic, “Run!”

The killers are getting closer and closer each time they pass. It’s evident to the two standing residents that the bubblegum twins have their eyes on them, and not the two wounded on the ground. PJ doesn’t have much time to think, but he does for a moment. Last time the killers attacked the employees of the mall, his very own sibling was saved because of a similar plan. It’s the only thing that keeps him from dragging Hedwig and Xena after him. “Hedwig. Be careful, be safe, take care of her,” PJ tells him before ushering Clementyne ahead, wanting her to be as far away from the killers as possible.

They run as fast as they can. Despite the skaters being on wheels on slightly uneven terrain, they’re still much faster than the two on foot. Clementyne leads the way, running towards one of the bigger tents that is right on the path ahead of them. Just as she reaches the door of the tent, PJ suddenly feels something around his neck. He’s pulled to the ground by the pink bubblegum twin as the blue continues to chase after his companion, who hasn’t yet realised that PJ isn’t behind her. He hits his head hard against the ground, causing a harsh pain to pulsate through his skull.

PJ claws at what he now realises is a rope around his neck, as though he’s been lassoed like a calf at a rodeo. High-pitched laughter rings through his ears, causing his head to throb as he struggles to escape the still-tightening noose. Clementyne is out of sight, and he can’t help but panic, his breathing becoming laboured as he struggles to keep himself calm and collected. He’s still stunned from the collision with the ground, eyes seeing double as the killer reaches for his hair. With very little accuracy, he knocks her hand away with his forearm, clambering forwards and back onto his feet. He decides he’ll go around the tent, rather than through it – figuring he’ll meet Clementyne on the other side.

Clementyne moves sporadically enough that they manage to lose the blue bubblegum killer in the tent. Though they realise now that both PJ and the pink bubblegum killer are absent. Too scared to call for his attention, out of fear of bringing attention to themself, they try to calm their breathing as they look around the musty-scented, dark tent full of boxes and carnival supplies leftover from the parade. Just as they’ve almost managed to talk themself out of a panic attack, they hear something toppling over in the direction that they originally came from.

Terrified, she rushes towards the exit, dodging the boxes as she makes her way towards the sliver of light streaming through the crack in the tent doorway ahead. Before she reaches it, she’s caught off-guard by a sharp pain in her shins that sends her toppling over. It isn’t until she looks down that the pain really registers. Razor wire has torn her clothes and her skin, blood visible through the freshly torn holes in her jeans. Her mind races, but she has no time to go through every little fear that she has right now. She gets to her feet and bursts through the door.

PJ just reaches the other side as Clementyne emerges. Relief washes over him, until he sees her bloodied shins (which appear to be a lot worse than they actually are.) Clementyne is relieved to see him, a smile making its way to her face – believing that the two of them have escaped with minimal injuries. They both hurry towards one another, desperate for some kind of comfort and security after their ordeal.

“Are you okay?” PJ asks hurriedly, stumbling a little as he walks, still feeling uneasy due to the concussion. Clementyne doesn’t get the opportunity to answer him.

Before they reach each other, the killers appear again. At first, Clementyne believes they killer are going to skate right past them; the blue skater goes to pass her, and the pink skater, PJ, both seemingly paying no attention to their victims. That is, until both of them have their hair tight in angry fists, the couple being dragged off their feet and across the ground, in the opposite direction of one another yet again - before they even got the chance to properly reach each other. Despite kicking and screaming, neither of them are able to free themselves of such strong grips.

PJ is dragged behind several food carts, some of which are in operation and are busy preparing for the next wave of customers. The employees are far too busy trying to keep on top of things to notice the man kicking, and PJ’s screams blend in with the carnival commotion, which has become something akin to white noise to the cooks. Passing an empty stall, PJ manages to get a grip on one of the table legs. It doesn’t hold long, the table coming loose and folding in on itself, the business banner above it falling and landing on the killer. She lets PJ go as she tries to free herself from the material, groaning and grumbling as she frantically pushes her way out of it. Her victim clambers to his feet and manages to back up before she’s free again.

At a safe distance, PJ takes a moment to think about where Clementyne might have been taken. He’s desperate to find her, his large eyes scanning their surroundings for any trace of her or her attacker. He grows more distressed with each second that passes without Clementyne, but he’s suddenly brought out of his deep state of concern as the killer is back to him. She’s reaching for something, and she acts before PJ can run.

Hot oil splatters over his arms, his skin turning red as it screams with pain. He uses his hands to try to flick the oil off himself, but it does nothing but irritate the severe burns. His eyes are full of tears – he can’t remember a time in his life in which he’s felt such terrible, terrible pain – and he hopes that he’ll never ever have to experience anything worse. He can only hope that Clementyne doesn’t have to, either. He turns to run with little idea of what direction he should flee, and the pink killer follows behind, catching up to him quickly.

Clementyne cries as they feel every little bump and rock that they’re being dragged across. They know that their body is going to be bruised and potentially scraped all over. They’ve lost sight of PJ, and their mind raced back and forth over the two horrific thoughts - what’s going to happen to me? What’s going to happen to PJ? She lets out another scream in an attempt to get someone, anyone’s attention, but the sound is met with the blue bubblegum twin lifting her up, giving her an expression that says very simply, “shut up, or I will shut you up.” The killer stares into her eyes for only a moment, and Clementyne shivers. There’s nothing behind those eyes. The gaze is cold and emotionless, and if souls existed, and a person could live without one - this would be an example of that.

Then there comes the sound of running, not too far away, that breaks the killer's attention. He lets go of Clementyne, letting her fall to the ground with a thud. The blue killer skates off in the direction of the sound, and when Clementyne slowly stands up and dusts herself off, she sees it. PJ with red hot skin all over his arms, some on his chest, looking greasy and dirty - and the pink killer hot on his heels.

“Run, Clementyne!” He screams ahead at her. The last thing either of the victims want is to be kept apart for any longer, but Clementyne needs to flee now, or risk meeting a fate similar to PJ.

PJ doesn’t know what to do, the pink killer behind him, the blue killer in front of him. He skids on his feet, dropping to the ground and rolling beneath an empty table, putting some distance between him and the perpetrators. The pink nods to the blue, and she goes ahead to meet Clementyne, who has been unable to follow PJ’s orders in fear of them still being separated, while the blue twin takes care of the already-injured PJ.

Clementyne turns to finally run, but before they can, the pink killer resumes blue’s position, taking Clementyne by the hair and dragging them quickly through the dirt until they reach an area with a few unoccupied carnival games. Her clown-like face glances around the area, as though she’s pondering something. She exhales calmly, like she knows exactly what to do next.

Approaching the Balloon Blast game, the pink killer seems to lift Clementyne with ease as she throws her over the counter. Winded from the impact, Clementyne struggles to get back to their feet - which gives the killer ample time to climb over. She grabs Clementyne by the collar of their shirt and slams them against the opposite counter, aligning their head beside one of the ridiculous clowns sitting there with its mouth open, waiting for the water to burst the balloon above its head. With her other hand, she points the pistol towards Clementyne’s face, pulling the trigger and watching the water blast into their mouth.

The blonde struggles to breathe, kicking and screaming and sputtering, water spilling all over herself and splattering all over the killer. She can’t catch a breath no matter how hard she tries to expel the water from her mouth. She tries to calm herself and take a big breath through her nose, but the intense splash of the water on her face just leads her to inhale more water. She alternates trying to breathe through her mouth and through her nose, all the while consuming more and more water. With a lack of oxygen, she falls unconscious. The killer remains relentless.

PJ brushes as much dirt as he can off his burns before scampering away from the bubblegum killer, who is struggling to climb over the table with his skates on. He runs until his lungs hurt, eyes examining the ground to see the tracks of Clementyne’s body being dragged through the rough dirt. He bursts into the area with the unoccupied games, and he sees the pink bubblegum killer’s assault, the water pistol still blasting Clementyne’s mouth with water. He screams and screams for help.

The killer pauses, seemingly thinking about what she’s going to do. Finish the job and risk getting caught - or letting Clementyne slide for a chance of escape. She chooses the latter, dropping Clementyne’s body so hard that it shook her awake momentarily, water spilling from her mouth. She still struggles to breathe, not enough air getting into her lungs (she’s concerned for the amount of water that may still be in there.) The killer is nonchalant about the encounter, and she skates off in the opposite direction to find her brother.

PJ rushes over to her as Clementyne starts to cough and splutter, trying to hold her so that any water that comes up can be spat out easily - afraid that she might choke. She’s weak, struggling to stay conscious. PJ immediately starts to scream again. “Help! Somebody help! I need help!” he’s desperate for assistance, his entire body stinging and aching with pain, and his heart heavy with worry for Clementyne. “Try stay awake, stay awake until someone comes to get us,” PJ says in a panic, rocking her gently in an attempt to keep her awake as he starts to scream for help once more.

This can’t be happening. After almost losing Soren, believing that he’s likely lost Xena, and possibly Hedwig, too, he can’t be losing Clementyne. His body trembles with fear, and with an overwhelming sadness. He keeps alternating between calling out for help, and speaking gently to Clementyne in attempt to soothe her in the moments she’s not totally gone. The more he screams, the more his throat hurts; he’s unaware of how brutal the bruising from the noose is, though he’s certainly aware of the pain. Paramedics don’t take long to find them, but by the time they do, Clementyne is completely unconscious again.

The ride operator of the tunnel of love is quick to get assistance for the two women who had emerged with severe injuries. Florence was close to unconsciousness herself, but as she lay and wait for help to arrive, she gently strokes Loki’s hair with an affection that might have brought her comfort if she were awake. With every last bit of her energy, she watches Loki carefully, seeing if she can catch her chest rising and falling.

Already on their way to the exit of the carnival, the quartet of carnival attendees, Joshua, Billie, Naomi and Chandler, arrive on the scene. The four of them are relieved, to see that professional help isn’t so far away after all. Naomi and Chandler make a scene, waving their arms and calling out for the paramedics as they guide Joshua and Billie to be seated. Once the four of them are sitting and can catch their breath, they feel hopeful. Though their pain and their struggles are far from over, they know they’re going to make it through another day. Exhaustion sets in amongst all of them.

Billie leans on Joshua, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths through the pain, which he seems to echo. Chandler and Naomi immediately return to tending to Joshua and Billie’s wounds, putting pressure where needed in order to prevent more blood loss while they wait for assistance. Chandler’s eyes begin to feel heavy, and she struggles to stay awake once she’s sitting. Naomi gently nudges her leg with her foot every so often. “Stay awake. You hit your head pretty hard. You have to stay awake until you get help, okay?” Naomi says. Chandler doesn’t have the energy to nod, but she understands.

It isn’t long before paramedics hear more cries for help, so they call for immediate backup.

Eleanor Almeida is having a much better day at the carnival today compared to several days earlier. Today she’d managed to convince a friend to come with her, which made the carnival games much more entertaining. The two of them spend the afternoon betting on who could win the most prizes. But unfortunately her friend can only stay so long - so Nel walks the carnival by herself as she looks for one last game to play before she heads back home. As she moves in the direction of the Balloon Blast game, she immediately notices something is wrong.

Just beside the ride, she sees PJ and Clementyne being put on stretchers, prepared to be taken to the nearest ambulance, she supposes. They look terrible, Clementyne water-logged and PJ like he’d been out in the sun for much too long with no protection. She even sees a police officer as she leaves the area. Did someone mention a dead body? Nel doesn’t want to have any part in this, so she makes a turn and makes her way back towards the exit.

Nearer to the exit, a figure in red steps out into the open. It scares her at first – surely it would scare anyone who’d been there to see it, in the same way you get scared when a friend grabs you from behind and shouts boo when you’re least expecting it. At first, Nel assumes that it’s someone working at the carnival on the way to their shift, something along those lines. It only takes a few moments for her to realise that isn’t the case. The red dog stares at her, completely still, a large mallet in its hands. When it starts to step closer and closer, she notices that its speed seems to be picking up with every step. Soon, the person in the dog mask is running towards her at an alarming pace. She turns and breaks into a sprint, not willing to take any chances.

The nearest attraction is the fun house. It only takes a minute to get someone lost in that place, and after having been through with her friend earlier, she’s sure that she is able to disorient the killer. She scrambles through the spinning tunnel, feeling a little uneasy about what she’s about to do. The platforms that move side to side are much more worrisome with a time limit that could end in death, should the counter reach zero - but she makes it across with a film of nervous sweat on her brow, yet no issues. She uses what strength she has left to get over the part of the ride with the floor similar to a treadmill, hips aching with how far she’s pushing her legs to move further, faster. Once she bursts through the door into the mirror maze, she takes a moment to catch her breath. Her body aches in a mixture of exhaustion and anxiety.

The mirror maze isn’t as difficult as most people make it out to be, she thinks to herself - she’d gotten out of the place before her friend did earlier that day – and she’d won $5 from that bet. But the lights are dimmer now (or perhaps it’s the sudden change in brightness making it harder for her eyes to adjust to the dark), and it seems like her senses are dimmed. While waiting for her eyes to adjust, over the sound of her own breathing, she doesn’t hear that someone else has entered behind her.

When her eyes adapt to the dark, the first thing she sees are two large, cartoonish white eyes behind her. Squinting as her eyes adjust even further, she recognises that the eyes belong to the red dog. Before she can move, the mallet is swung downwards, cracking her right on top of the skull. Sharp, shooting pain crackles through her head, so badly that it feels as though it pulsates through her brain. She has no idea how she’s still standing, not even making an effort to move as her body is paralysed with shock. She feels blood trickle down her forehead.

The dog raises the weapon to swing again, but Nel takes the opportunity to run. She has no time now to carefully manoeuvre her way through the glass and mirror panels, she’s basically running the race blind, and she’s betting her own life – not a measly $5.

When Owen O’hanrahan witnesses the dog chasing Nel, he knows that he has to do something about it. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he continued his day without having checked in on the poor girl - especially to find out the next day that something horrific happened to her. He’s tall in stature, with long legs - so, a fast walker. He simply needs to break into a jog to reach the fun house with the dog killer still in sight. Admittedly, it has been many years since Owen had been on such a ride, so by the time he makes his way through the first few sections, he’s lost sight of the dog completely.

Owen pushes through the curtain into the mirror maze, and similarly to Nel, it takes their eyes a moment to adjust to the dimly lit room. The first thing they notice is a smear of blood on the floor. At least, they believe it to be blood. Their heart sinks in their chest. It doesn’t exactly look like a murder scene, but it’s definitely a bad sign. They know that if anything bad has happened to Nel, they’ll feel personally responsible for not reaching her in time. They begin to make their way through the maze.

Quick on her feet, Nel dodges her way through the maze, just managing to miss glass panels and mirrors as she makes her way through. She thinks she’s made all the right turns - though due to her head injury she isn’t able to remember much from her previous run earlier that day. It isn’t until her face smashes against a panel of glass that she realises she’s reached a dead end. She hadn’t thought it would be possible for her head to hurt any more than it already did, but she’s wrong. Blood rushes from her nose and she’s positive it’s broken. She practically sees double from the tears in her eyes and the pain pulsating in her skull.

Owen has taken a different route, careful with each step as he navigates through the maze. Some of the glass is easy to see, scratched up with smudged fingerprints after years and years of use, but even in the dark it’s incredibly difficult to see without close inspection - something he doesn’t have a lot of time for. After reaching a dead end, he curses to himself and moves back around to try another route. In the dim lighting ahead, he sees Nel. The dog stands menacingly behind her. He notices the way she holds her nose, and the blood dripping down her hand and onto the ground.

In an act of thoughtless, selfless bravery, Owen rushes forward. If he’s fast enough, he just might be able to knock Nel out of the way before the killer swings their mallet. From the looks of her, he’s not sure how many more hits she can take. He’s moments away from stretching his arms out - but his head hits the thick glass panel before he has the chance to. His entire body reacts to the impact, tensing up and seemingly shaking as he held back the tears that had welled in his eyes. He holds a hand to his forehead to be met with warm, wet blood. His neck aches with a serious case of whiplash. At the very least, he has caught Nel’s attention - and she is now aware of the dog's presence.

Nel spins around, backing up against another glass pane, eyes darting from side to side, looking for some way out despite her currently impaired vision. She tries to evaluate her situation, but it seems to be pretty bleak no matter which way she looks at it. Owen begins to throw his fists at the glass, desperate to break through. If he can break it, Nel could easily escape from the way he came.

The dog lifts Nel by the shirt and slams her body into the glass. The power of Owen’s punches and the force of Nel’s body hitting the glass causes a crack to form. The killer slams her against the glass again and again, the broken glass pinching and breaking her skin before the pane shatters entirely. Owen’s bloodied fists hit nothing as the glass explodes all over them. Nel falls to the ground, broken glass digging into the back of her body. It isn’t long before she can feel the ground beneath her grow wet with blood.

It isn’t until Owen feels the wet warmth seep into his shirt that he realises he’s been hit by something. He raises a bloodied hand to his abdomen, pinching at the sharp edge of what he assumes to be a small piece of glass. He pulls it out, and when he feels the movement from deep inside his flesh, he realises he’s made a mistake. He drops the long piece of thick glass, and the blood flow increases. Even still, he dismisses his own injuries for the sake of Nel.

The dog raises the mallet, prepared to hit the injured girl right between the eyes with the heavy weapon, but Owen grips her beneath the arms and drags her out of the way just in time, the mallet slamming against the ground beneath her legs instead. He pulls her to his feet as quick as he can, beginning to feel lightheaded. “Run and get help,” he says quickly, gently shoving her in the right direction.

“I can’t just leave you!” Nel is panicked, gripping onto his arms as if to drag him along with her, “I’d be dead right now if it weren’t for you, I can’t leave you!” she knows that she’ll forever be grateful for his help – and for that reason, she can’t bring herself to leave him behind.

Owen gives her another gentle shove, “I don’t know if I’m going to make it, see?” he motioned to the blood dripping down his body, “Please - run and get help. You’re going to be okay.”

The dog swings the mallet and it strikes Owen right in the ribs. The impact breaks them with a loud, sickening crack. Nel takes two terrified steps backwards, breaking into a sob. Owen falls to the ground, feeling tiny shards dig into his knees, shins and hands. “Run,” his voice is weaker this time, holding a hand to the gaping hole in his abdomen as if it might somehow ease the pain.

Nel runs. She runs to get help, tears stinging her eyes as she wonders if Owen has any chance of making it out alive, and wondering what she did to deserve such kindness from someone who didn’t even know her.

On unstable feet, she finds the scene unfolding not far from the tunnel of love, and in turn, she finds the paramedics. They’re immediately concerned for her, though Nel is more concerned for Owen. She recounts the attack briefly, stressing the fact that she needs someone to go in there to rescue Owen immediately. The paramedics try to force her into calmness, but Nel refuses to listen to them and she refuses their help until they promise to get to Owen.

When the funhouse is searched for the dog’s other victim, no one is to be found.

plot drop 010 features eleven of our muses encountering the bubblegum twins + the animal killers.

chandler kolinsky is left with a concussion, a head wound and severe bruising.

clementyne spry is left with scrapes and bruises all over, and is almost drowned.

eleanor 'nel' almeida is left with a concussion, a broken nose, full body bruising and cuts resulting in minor blood loss.

florence quint is left with a cut hand, multiple wounds resulting in substantial blood loss and is almost drowned.

hedwig blackwood is left with a grazed face, deep cuts over both palms, bruising, a sprained ankle, a broken arm and a cut along his side resulting in severe blood loss.

joshua sommer is left with many wounds and bruises and blood loss.

loki romanov is left with a grazed face, broken ribs and multiple wounds resulting in substantial blood loss.

naomi yamada is left with a sprained wrist and mild bruising.

philip john 'pj' bolton is left with second degree burns, bruising around the neck, scrapes all over and a concussion.

wilhelmina 'billie' reid is left with many bruises and wounds resulting in severe blood loss.

xena george is left with deep cuts over both palms, bruising, a concussion and a cut across the back resulting in severe blood loss.

#plot drop 10 #shrikekillers #blood tw #gore tw #violence tw #murder tw #burn tw #drowning tw #choking tw #stabbing tw #broken bone tw #suicide ideation tw #swords tw

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shriketimes · 2 years

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wednesday september 21st, 1988

Every year a carnival comes to the town of Shrike Heights to celebrate the conclusion of the Summer just gone, and every year on the very first day the carnival is open, up and running, a parade passes through the town to get the residents into the carnival spirit. As it passes through the entire town, anyone who wishes to catch sight of it has the opportunity to do so; no one has to travel very far to watch at the very least a portion of it - a perk of living in such a small town. Most residents make a point of attending the festivities rolling through town as it’s a joyous time, an entertaining show, and dressed up performers in the parade often give out treats and free entry tickets or tickets to go on different rides at the carnival. Not to mention, the carnival always works closely with the students of Shrike Heights, so family members are often morally obliged to attend to see their children walking, performing, or showcasing the floats they helped to build over the summer.

This year the carnival is coming to town a little later compared to the year previous. After the gruesome events at the conclusion of the end of summer carnival in ‘87, some residents question whether or not it’s canceled this year, and some residents speak loudly about how it should be, if it’s still set to go ahead. The event is indeed set to go ahead, and town officials hype up the occasion regardless of what the residents think, speaking about how eager they are to give their people the chance to find joy amongst all the pain that typically befalls Shrike Heights.

11:21 a.m.

The parade makes its grand way down the streets of Shrike Heights, and residents line the sidewalks as it does so, watching on in amusement and at times cheering with glee. It’s a spectacular sight, and even a lot of those who plan on skipping the carnival come out of their homes or places of work to view some of the show. Valentine Ortiz doesn’t plan on attending the carnival this year, not after what happened to him there last time, but he’s in good spirits as he watches on; maybe recovery is possible after all, he thinks, maybe in a years time he won’t only be watching the parade, but he’ll make it back to the carnival. His service dog Merry sits obediently beside him, though he doesn’t feel the need to call upon him for his services. It’s a good morning.

The closer you get to Town Center, the larger the crowd on either side of the parade is; Valentine has chosen to steer clear of the larger crowd, not only for his sake, but for the sake of Kit Sombun too, another survivor of the attacks. They’re both still working on their recoveries, and pushing themselves too hard too fast isn’t part of their plan. As the crowd is much thinner where they stand, they’re able to get front row positions to the show, and it makes them laugh as they watch the animated, costumed performers wave to them and occasionally interact with them as they walk by, much like what they do with the children who typically fight for the front row position down where the crowd gets more populated.

Despite understandably having reservations and doubts about coming out to the event, the energy of the parade and its performers is contagious. Valentine and Kit both smile as they watch dancers, musicians, school students and the carnies advertise the carnival and the end of summer celebrations with grandeur, their eyes only diverting from the floats that pass them by when a performer steps up to them. The performer wears an animal costume, bright yellow in colour, a mask clearly resembling the features of a mouse; the costumed performer doesn’t stick out from the rest of the bright display of the parade in the slightest, though something feels vaguely familiar about them to Valentine. Without saying a word, the mouse hands the two men pieces of wrapped up candy, and then they continue their walk down the street, handing out more sweets to other chosen individuals.

“Can’t say no to free candy.” Valentine laughs, immediately unwrapping a piece and throwing it into his mouth. Kit smiles, though he slides his own piece into his pocket; he’ll be able to enjoy that later, he thinks, his entire focus going back to the parade. The parade holds Kit’s focus until minutes pass and Valentine catches his attention by handing him Merry’s leash, an expression of discomfort on his face. “My tummy hurts.” He tells him, wrapping his arms around his own center. “Kinda… Pretty bad.” He’s been trying to power through the pain that slowly intensifies, trying to enjoy the parade as it’s a big step to get back into the community like this, and as it’s been such a pleasant time thus far, but his stomach begins to cramp up in a way that it never has before. Kit’s smile drops as he notices Valentine growing more pale and slightly sweaty. He’s about to suggest they head home, his body immediately overcome with panic as he jumps to morbid conclusions, but before Kit can speak a single word, Valentine is rushing off.

Kit and Merry follow him, both concerned, and they catch up to him in the nearest alley to find him throwing up into a trash can. Merry paws at Valentine’s leg as Kit begins to rub his back soothingly, unsure of what to do and fretting over the fact. “Do you know what’s causing it?” He asks, and Valentine is only able to answer with a shake of his head and groan. “It’s not like you ate anything bad this morning.” Kit thinks out loud, trying to work out what’s wrong so that he can remedy the situation. “And you weren’t showing any signs of anything until-” until Valentine ate the candy. “You’re not allergic to anything, are you?” He questions, anxiety causing his voice to shake as he digs into his pocket to pull out the piece of candy. Again, Valentine shakes his head, straightening up but still holding his stomach; his breakfast has now left him, but the pain hasn’t. “Candy to die for.” Kit begins reading the small text printed on the wrapper out loud as he looks for the ingredients. “Love from your friends, the Animals.” He looks up to Valentine, about to comment on how strange the packaging, but he falls silent when he sees Valentine’s mortified expression. Kit doesn’t understand what he’s just read, but Valentine knows. The Animals are back, and they’ve just poisoned him.

11:33 a.m.

Edward Cunningham has missed the past two years of these celebrations, and despite now being back in Shrike Heights, he’s not in any hurry to watch the parade or to attend the carnival. Perhaps if his younger siblings were in his care today, like they so often are, he would have been more excited, but without them he’s not sure if he’ll even catch sight of a single float. He has other things to do around town, he’s not prioritizing anything other than those mindless errands, but he happens to breeze through them; perhaps because most of the other residents are making a point of seeing the parade, the stores in the mall he visits aren’t crowded enough to stop him from getting everything he needs promptly. He makes it outside and over to the main street where the parade passes by after all.

A face he’s not expecting to meet on the curb next to the parade is the one that belongs to Omar Hassan. Edward can’t recall seeing him outside of the mall since he’s been back in town, since the mall’s construction, and the truth is that he’s a little surprised to see the man there. He’s surprised that anything could have taken him away from his work, but he smiles in his direction and he honestly doesn’t think much more of it as he walks over to greet him. He supposes it’s a good look for the mall to have their more internal employees attending town festivities, and he’s glad to see that Omar isn’t being made to miss out on anything because of his duties at the mall. They begin to catch up with friendly small talk, though like the rest of the crowd, they quickly get entranced by the parade’s show.

The float that begins to slowly pass them by has what looks to be hundreds of helium filled balloons floating above it. Performers dressed as clowns, characters, animals and other undecipherable yet brightly coloured things both perform skits on their float and walk alongside it, interacting with the crowd that watches them pass. Neither Omar or Edward are particularly interested in the crowd work being done, but they both silently think about how nice it is to be surrounded by people who seem to be excited and happy about the festivities. The crowd around them isn’t terribly large, but it’s substantial enough all throughout town to keep the upbeat energy that is certainly feel good, even for those who have reservations about the parade, the carnival and all else that’s happening in Shrike Heights right now.

As they stand beside each other and silently watch on, a person costumed in bright red with a mask resembling the features of a dog of the same colour approaches. He holds out a red balloon for Omar to take, though with a laugh Omar shakes his head and his hands, rejecting the offer. He doesn’t particularly want to have to take it back to his office, knowing it will only inevitably linger there until the helium no longer holds it up against the roof; not to mention, he feels a little foolish at the thought of carrying around a balloon as a grown man. Edward has the same worry of looking silly, carrying a balloon across town at his age, but the dog is insistent on one of them accepting his offer, so Edward takes one for the team and he wraps his hand around the string of the balloon. He laughs, already a little embarrassed, but he knows his younger siblings will be elated to see the balloon when he returns home, so he supposes it will be worth it in the end. Unfortunately, however, Edward never makes it home with the balloon.

He plans on only watching the parade for a small while longer, as does Omar, though neither of them discuss this. They just stay standing on the curb, taking in the details of the next float that passes, the float being one of many that accentuates features of and advertises the carnival games. At the front of the float is a man holding a collection of darts; he keeps pretending that he’s going to throw them at the balloon float ahead of them, but he does no such thing due to the safety risk. People laugh at his act, but Edward and Omar aren’t able to laugh for very long before their mood is terribly soured. A dart comes out of nowhere, perhaps from another person on the same float that passes, and it pops the balloon Edward holds. The act would have been fine, if it wasn’t for the fact that once popped, a liquid that has gone undetected inside of the floating balloon drops down and splatters the two men all over. They both groan and begin to gag, not hesitating to rush off to clean up; there’s no mistaking what the dark, red liquid is that covers them from head to toe. They’ve been drenched in blood.

11:49 a.m.

Down where the crowd gets larger and louder, Aera Davies is watching the parade with glee. It’s safe to assume that all of the mall workers have been suffering since the attacks began here in Shrike Heights, and there’s no need to only assume that Aera has suffered when she so recently lost a co-worker to the killers. Bodhi is on her mind today. She doesn’t think the parade would have been his scene, but she’s still saddened that he doesn’t even get the option to attend, should he have wanted to. She decides to make the most of the events that she can enjoy, not only for her own sake, but in honour of Bodhi and the other friends and family that they have all lost because of the serial murders that have now thankfully slowed down. Aera isn’t confident enough to say that this is all over with, but she’s an optimistic person and she’s confident enough to enjoy festivities like the parade.

Someone who can’t say the same is Johanna Prinsen. There’s not an optimistic bone in that woman’s body, but regardless of the fact, she’s made it to the parade too, and she stands just behind Aera in the crowd. Johanna isn’t able to enjoy the parade at all, but she puts on a brave face and she acts like she’s having a blast for the sake of appearances. She doesn’t want anyone to know just how much she’s struggling, so she wears her best smile and she tries to lose herself in the colorful display. She might not be feeling good, but she does enjoy aspects of the performances, and her smile becomes a little more genuine as she watches the cheerleading team from Shrike High pass them by. She remembers the day when used to be recruited for the parade performance as a high schooler, and while so many positive changes have happened for her since then, she can’t help but feel a longing to have those days back, those days when their town wasn’t under attack.

While the students and some other members of the town get to walk, perform and make the welcoming parade the grand spectacle that it always is, the main reason for the parade is to highlight the arrival of the carnival. Aera and Johanna are reminded of the fact as the cheer squad passes them by and another float highlighting the carnival games begins to roll down the street in front of them. This one is safe from sharps, but many people standing on the float hold water pistols in their hands, not the kind one might use for a water fight in their own backyard, but instead the kind one might use at the carnival games that require you to shoot water into the mouths of fiberglass clown heads. The performers use these water pistols to spray the crowd, evoking screams of mostly joy, mixed with some screams of horror as they wet newly done perms or ruin bright, powdery makeup.

Johanna is glad to be a row behind others, glad to be out of the line of fire - well, water - but Aera isn’t so lucky. Aera doesn’t need to worry about her hair, nor does she particularly care for her makeup, but she’s still hoping the water will avoid her. She squeals with joy and nervousness as she watches someone close to her get sprayed with the water, and though she thinks she’s prepared enough to be able to dodge the pistol, she’s wrong. Her assumption isn’t the only thing that’s wrong, however, but the carnie’s aim proves to be wrongfully precise and they shoot water right into Aera’s eye. She gasps, then inhales the water that drips down her face, and as she coughs and splutters she falls backwards into the rest of the crowd. Johanna groans as she’s unexpectedly tasked with catching the weight of the woman, but thankfully she’s relieved of her duty swiftly as a performer with a green rabbit mask helps her back up and onto her feet steadily. “Thank you.” Aera says graciously, despite the fact that she can’t see who’s helped her as her eyes are squeezed shut tightly in an effort to protect them from the water. The rabbit pulls a handkerchief out of their pocket, and they place it in Aera’s hand. Understanding even without her sight, Aera begins to wipe and dry her face, and the rabbit walks off with the rest of the parade.

Aera begins to find the humor and the fun in the situation, that is, until she opens her eyes and looks at the handkerchief she’s just used. A jagged gasp leaves her, and she stumbles back with fright. Once again, her body has knocked into Johanna’s, but this time Aera takes them both down. Aera spins and catches herself on her arm, grazing her skin and most likely earning herself bruises, but Johanna is less fortunate, falling back without being able to catch herself, her head hitting the sidewalk with a harsh thud. Before she can do a thing to react to anything that has just happened, Aera is helping her up. “I’m so sorry, I’m so- I’m sorry.” She shakes her head, and Johanna suddenly cares less about her injury as she grows more concerned for Aera. The fear in her eyes is disturbing, but it makes perfect sense the second her eyes find the handkerchief she holds. Embroidered onto the fabric are yet graphic scenes of people being murdered in many different ways; the stitch work is tiny, but impeccable, making the scenes clearly understood. Across one edge of the fabric, the stitches speak. ‘Shrike Heights, 1987 -’, the embroidered text says, and the words are chilling enough to cause Johanna to shiver. “I was just frightened.” Aera explains, though there’s no need to. Johanna is frightened too.

12:00 p.m.

With so much commotion surrounding the parade, it’s easy for unfortunate incidents to be missed, and this is especially true for those in the busier parts of the crowd. August Vogel hasn’t noticed any poisoned candy, blood spills or sinister handkerchiefs as he stands in the crowd, and neither has Moss Oliva, not even when Moss is now awfully observant due to great paranoia. They both have reservations about being out at the parade, though they’re both trying their hardest to enjoy the moment and to experience the joy that’s been promised to them by the likes of Mayor Sweeney and other town officials who have been advertising the parade and the carnival. They stand at the start of the busiest portion of town, where the crowd begins to swell and still grow, and surrounding them is excited chatter about the best part of the show arriving.

The parade doesn’t have much longer to go, and everyone knows that it’s at this point when things grow to be a little more engaging, where all down the line the performers give it their all while those who are less performative begin to really work the crowd by gifting their best vouchers and sweet little presents - or not so sweet, if you’ve been unlucky enough to be given items that have clearly been tampered with… Cheers from the crowd grow louder as those walking amongst or standing on top of floats demand it, and the environment only grows to be louder as costumed individuals begin handing out treats and prizes to most who stand at the front of the crowd at the edges of the street. Moss jumps as the first confetti cannon goes off with a loud bang, and August can’t help his first response being to laugh. “You okay?” He then asks, to ensure he’s not coming across as insensitive, reaching out to place a hand on Moss’ shoulder reassuringly. With a small laugh of his own, Moss nods.

More and more confetti cannons begin to go off, sprinkling little pieces of confetti all over the crowd on either side of the road. It’s a marvelous sight, to look up into the sky and see slow falling rain of every color falling down, and it strangely brightens the mood of most in the crowd, including the at the time hesitant Moss and the at the time slightly pessimistic August. The volume of the event is undeniably overwhelming, but it feels good to be overwhelmed with something that isn’t only complete despair. Moss smiles, and he turns his head to look at August, who he shares the nice moment with. The smile is returned by August, who gains more optimism from Moss, and who then allows himself to enjoy the event a little more. Neither of them are aware that killers are present, and neither of them are expecting things to go sour, even if they both are worried underneath their layer of temporary joy.

Suddenly a performer stops their walk right in front of the two. Their costume is all purple, their mask closely resembling the features of a bear. They don’t say a word, but they hand both August and Moss free tickets for the carnival’s largest roller coaster, and then they step back, shooting a small confetti cannon of their own over the two. Unlike the rest of the confetti that flies through the skies, the confetti that falls on mainly August and Moss, the two prize winners, is only black and white. August notes this immediately, and he picks a piece off of his shirt to examine. “Hey, it’s like proper paper.” He tells Moss as the bear is no longer anywhere to be seen, having walked along with the rest of the parade. “See, it’s got some text on it.” He shows the other man, picking more pieces off of himself to try to find words, only out of sheer curiosity. With a laugh, he keeps speaking. “It looks like the confetti is made out of other free tickets. See, ‘coaster’. Maybe if we piece it all together we can have unlimited rides.” He jokes, not seriously caring to do so, but finding the thought entertaining.

Moss finds the thought entertaining also. He’s not sure if he will even make it to the carnival, but he too begins to collect pieces of the confetti to read and potentially piece together. Shortly after picking the second piece out of his own hair, his face drops. He falls to a knee, and he begins to search through the pieces of confetti that have now fallen to the floor frantically. After a moment longer of searching, he straightens up, still on his knee, and August can see tears rolling down Moss’ cheeks. The rest of the parade is completely forgotten by the both of them. “Flora Oliva.” Moss reads the name of his late wife, the one taken from him far too soon in one of the attacks. He hands the pieces to August, and he continues. “Charlotte Davis.” His voice is quiet, but August can hear him loud and clear, remembering Charlie. “Bodhi Kol.” He hands these pieces to August, too, but he no longer continues searching, instead handing even more of the already found pieces to him, pieces that contain segments of dates and other details. “It’s not just made out of free tickets. It’s made out of death certificates.” His voice shakes as he looks up to August, still crying.

12:03 p.m.

For such a small town, the crowd around the parade is unexpectedly big. Most of the residents suppose it makes sense, with how many new people have made their way to Shrike Heights since the construction of the mall, but it’s still a jarring sight. Both Kang Mina and Tatum Lee understand the growth that their small town has seen lately, though they both find themselves surprised by the crowd nonetheless. Are so many people really that eager to see a silly little show filled with adults playing dress up? Neither of them are sure, but somehow, the two of them get stuck in the thick of the crowd anyway. They have to push their way to the front to preserve their ability to breathe, and once there, they decide to watch part of the show. May as well see what all of the fuss is about, right? And besides, with all the commotion, neither of them are sure that they’ll find an easy path out. So much for Shrike Heights being a small town.

The atmosphere is just as loud and chaotic, even when all of the crowd is behind or beside them, no longer fully surrounding the two, but at least they can actually see the details of the show now. In a break between two tremendously large floats, a group of dancers dressed in their best begin to pass them, performing with wide, attention grabbing smiles. Mina’s eyes immediately begin scanning their faces of makeup; it’s more alternative than they would have thought them to have, and they immediately go on to wonder about the products used to craft their looks. Beside them, Tatum’s eyes are also fixed on the dancers, though instead of thinking about their makeup, she begins to examine their outfits. A dancer close to them wears a costume with red lace on it that reminds her of a couple of the new arrivals found in Jennifer’s; she wonders if now would be a good time to head over to the mall to obtain some for herself, of if the emptiness of the stores would only make it more likely that she’ll get caught paying with a five finger discount.

There are aspects of the parade that can entertain anyone, it seems, though this very fact may act as part of the parade’s downfall. It’s simply chaotic. Minutes have passed and confetti cannons still go off; people - mostly children with high pitched vocal abilities - scream as performers hand out vouchers, candy, balloons and more; people in the crowd talk to each other loudly to be heard over the music that blasts from floats and the loud voices amplified as spoken through microphones; whistles are blown, hands are clapped, drums are hit, horns are honked, sirens go off in the distance; mothers call out to their children that walk to represent Shrike Elementary for the very first time. Chaotic very quickly turns into overstimulating, and many in the crowd don’t care enough for the parade to stick around for the entire thing, many including both Mina and Tatum.

Unfortunately in their spot, wedged at the front of the thickest part of the crowd, it’s not easy to make an escape. Neither of them speak to each other about it, they instead both try to wait it out for a moment, but that quickly gets old as the grubby faced child next to Tatum keeps bumping into her as he jumps to the beat of the music that plays. “I need some space.” Mina tells the other, as if reading Tatum’s mind - though it’s not hard to assume one doesn’t want to stay in the suffocating position for long. The two of them begin to push their way back through the crowd, struggling but making decent work of it, and feeling relief with each step they take away from the overzealous crowd members and performers. They settle in a section a little ways away from the worst of the crowd, though they stop earlier than planned as Mina catches sight of someone she knew in high school standing at the top of a float. It’s still overwhelming where they stand there, but both of them are planning on heading further out and going their own ways in only moments, so a minute longer won’t hurt either of them - or so they think.

Suddenly, Tatum is knocked into Mina from the side by someone she assumes is trying to skate past them, through the crowd that contains only just large enough gaps for them to weave through, from the looks of things. They both scan their surroundings, but before they can spot the brightly coloured roller skater with no respect, a performer from the street comes flying their way, seemingly accidentally, and they collide with both Mina and Tatum harshly. Though the collision seemed accidental, the cat recovers with ease, and they keep on walking before Mina and Tatum can even take a step back to try to steady themselves. Unfortunately once they do step back, they find an inability to steady themselves, as they in almost perfect synchronization feel a stinging pain in the back of their calves and quickly fall down onto the ground, landing on their backs. Everything happens so quickly. As they lay on the filthy sidewalk with throbbing, aching bodies and stinging, bleeding legs, they both catch sight of one bubblegum twin each, and though the wind has been knocked out of them, they feel even more breathless as they begin to register what has happened. The twins skate away before Mina or Tatum - or any of the few people in the crowd that even noticed the fall, though somehow not the killers or the attack - can say anything, though before they’re completely out of sight, Tatum just catches a glance of the razor wire that the twins used to trip the two.

12:06 p.m.

It’s not surprising in the slightest, the fact that so many in the crowd find themselves more overwhelmed than what they might have felt at the welcoming parade last year, or certainly the year before. Not only has the size of the town grown, but many residents of Shrike Heights have experienced horrors they never even saw coming in years prior. Only a small collection of attack survivors come out to watch the parade, but because of the obscene amount of survivors that there are, they happen to make up a large population of the crowd. Soren Chen happens to be one of these survivors, accompanied by Sawyer Pearson, naturally. It’s a big step to be in the community again after suffering such a brutal fate in the last recorded attack, but Soren doesn’t feel so scared when Sawyer is by their side, vowing protection.

Despite promises uttered and reassurance given, Soren is finding herself quickly overwhelmed. She trusts Sawyer, but she can no longer say that she trusts Shrike Heights - though the more she thinks about it, the more she realizes she’s never had much trust in anything at all, even before the attack. As always, Soren is trying to be brave. The loud noises make her flinch, the screams make her gut churn, and the masked performers make her angry. How anyone can don a mask when that’s the exact criteria for a Shrike Killer, she doesn’t know; she’s not the only one who thinks that the insensitive act of wearing masks, carving faces into jack-o-lanterns or even owning white sheets should be banned from this town. But despite all she feels, and all she thinks, she doesn’t say a word. She’s uncharacteristically quiet with Sawyer, but the attorney knows her well enough to read her regardless of the absence of speech.

“Would you like to get out of here?” Sawyer asks her, a comforting hand on Soren’s shoulder that proves ineffective as Soren’s breath still noticeably hitches when the conversation is initiated. Perhaps to say it was noticeable was a stretch; perhaps it’s only noticeable to Sawyer. Perhaps this is why Soren trusts only her to help navigate the extremely large, extremely loud outing that Soren isn’t sure she’s ready for yet, despite wanting so badly to have a nice time here. “Come on,” Sawyer begins affectionately, not needing to wait for a verbal answer when the look on Soren’s face reads overwhelmed and done with the event well enough alone. “The best of the parade is over now, anyway.” She tries to make leaving sound like a choice better than it is, despite not being local to Shrike Heights, despite not really knowing what the end of this welcoming parade typically looks like.

Together, they begin to walk away from the thick of the crowd. Soren’s arm is still securely trapped in their cast, so the two walk slowly and steadily to ensure no more damage is done to them; lord knows, Soren has endured enough injury for one lifetime. “They didn’t bring back my favourite float this year, anyway.” Soren speaks quietly, yet still loudly enough to be heard over the crowd. To say they feel disappointed over having their life so deeply changed by the killers would be an understatement, but they’re trying their best to pick out the positives in their experiences. With Sawyer there, that’s a little easier to do. “I think-” before she can finish her sentence, two brightly colored individuals zoom past them on their skates, causing the two to stop quickly and harshly to avoid a collision. Being a skater herself, Soren knows it’s not hard to respect others when your chosen method of transport is on wheels; she knows that their rudeness was a choice, though that’s no surprise, though she doesn’t yet understand how sinister their choices are. “Let’s go.” The nervousness in Soren’s voice is louder now, and their steps are faster. She was already feeling positively overwhelmed, but now overstimulated doesn’t even cover how she feels.

They both think their path to safety is clear ahead of them, despite the hiccup with the skaters, but as they keep walking they’re suddenly proven wrong, and they’re suddenly made to realize that these aren’t just any skaters. These are the Bubblegum Twins. The twins begin to skate around the two individuals, and suddenly Soren can’t breathe. She looks to Sawyer, then she looks around them, and it seems that no one else even notices them behind the crowd, all eyes pointing in the other direction, to the parade. The twins begin to chant, they begin taunting them, with their focus on Soren in particular; it seems that they find it fun, picking on the weakest link, the one already injured. Soren feels no luck, but it is a good thing that the rising panic attack hinders her ability to register the words spoken to her. She feels suffocated, as if there’s no escape, shades of baby pink and blue swirling around and around and around them until she’s dizzy. “Stop it!” Sawyer yells, holding onto Soren securely and following through with her promise of protection. Unlike her companion, the words spoken by the Bubblegum Twins do register in her mind, and all she can think about is how she can get Soren out of here safely. “Leave us alone! Leave her alone! Stop it!” There is fear in her eyes, but fierce, angry, protectiveness overpowers it. “Leave her alone!” She shouts, louder than before, and the volume is enough to turn a couple of heads in the crowd. The twins share a look before following Sawyer’s orders, first stopping, and then fleeing. The only words that Soren is sure she’s heard correctly are the very last of what the twins say, when they promise to see her again soon.

#partial plot drop 004 #shrikekillers #vomit tw #blood tw #injury tw #death tw #trauma tw #violence tw

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shriketimes · 2 years

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monday september 12, 1988

Business owners in Downtown Shrike have reported misconduct and outlandish behavior around their establishments multiple times over this past weekend. It’s been said that no more than two individuals have been taunting and bothering business owners, employees and their customers, particularly late each evening since the first reported incident on Thursday. Witnesses report that these individuals are undoubtedly bad for business, and that they’re also proving to be hazardous to the safety of those around as these individuals are always seen skating recklessly on roller skates and vandalizing surroundings. James Creepie, the owner of Creepie’s Bar wishes to speak out against these individuals, warning against this behavior as he in no way needs more trouble after all he’s been through recently; James Creepie was amongst the many victims of the attack that took place at the fundraising event held in Town Center last June. Town authorities wish to inform these individuals, along with other trouble makers, that anyone found behaving recklessly or criminally after dark around these areas will be taken in for questioning.

#shrikekillers #prompt 09

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shriketimes · 2 years

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saturday august 20, 1988

Mayor Sweeney's office has once again been the target of vandalism, with a brick being thrown through the window of his office in the early hours of the morning, shortly after the Mayor had arrived for work. The Mayor is yet to comment on the ordeal, though inside sources have reported that attached to this brick was a note containing only one word; 'Talk'. The message comes as no surprise as the Mayor has received backlash for his lack of public appearances and statements after the capture of the two main Shrike Killers, though the authorities stress that residents must not commit crimes against the man who has worked diligently to protect the people of Shrike County. Representatives have spoken on behalf of Mayor Sweeney, asking residents to give him time to heal from the trauma he's faced at this time. Mayor representatives and town officials also wish to remind town residents that they are safe, now that the authorities' hard work has paid off with the Jack-O-Lantern killer and the Hunter behind bars. Anyone with more information on the act of vandalism are encouraged to step forward.

#shrikekillers #prompt 08

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shriketimes · 2 years

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monday july 18th, 1988.

After a successful weekend of celebratory sales at the Shrike Heights mall, the establishment has taken yet another horrific blow during closing hours last night. Despite precautionary measures that our police force has taken, the malls power was cut, leaving employees locked inside with the killers known as the Jack-o-lantern and the Hunter. Several members of our police force sacrificed themselves for the safety of our town. Fortunately, law enforcement has been able to capture the suspected ringleaders of the attacks, and the deputy sheriff has made a statement on behalf of the SHPD to say that it is expected that there will be a decrease in crime within the upcoming months. Still they suggest that residents be vigilant in order to protect themselves until police finish interrogating the perpetrators. A memorial will be held in the town center by the newly constructed historical museum for anyone who wishes to pay respects to those who laid down their lives to protect us.

sunday july 17th, 1988.

A fact known by most of the residents of Shrike Heights, is that early July marks the anniversary of the founding of this brilliant little town. For this reason, in 1987, the biggest development of the town yet, the Shrike Heights Mall, had been scheduled for completion in late June in order to be prepared for the celebrations held in July. 1988 marks the 130th anniversary of the founding of Shrike, and to celebrate, a new building has been erected in the town center. The Shrike Heights Historical Museum is the town's latest new addition.

To celebrate its construction, and the town's big birthday, the mall has had extended operating hours over the weekend, along with fantastic sales across all stores in the mall. It’s been one of the busiest weekends by far, competing even with its grand opening in 1987. Despite the protest from mall employees, most of them had still been rostered on over the weekend, pushing each and every person to their limits. The mall investors had no choice but to compromise with the employees - agreeing to provide the mall with extra security in the form of police on standby, along with extra mall security.

Saturday was a perfect day, the mall reaping profit from the locals and tourists from nearby towns coming to score a bargain and get their hands on things that are otherwise unavailable to them. There were no issues aside from a few pairs of middle aged shoppers fighting each other over the last of the item they had their sights on, along with some minor theft here and there - nothing altogether out of the ordinary. Sunday too is coming to an end without any sign of trouble, which makes some in the town feel hopeful. Others know very well that they can never let their guard down, even on the better days.

At the end of such a busy day of successful sales, most of the stores in the mall are packing up for the night, a little later than usual. Florian Bonavita and Lou Ryder make sure that Come What May is locked up properly before the two of them head down the escalators to the ground floor. “I’m surprised we actually had as many customers as we did,” Florian says as he leads Lou towards the back entrance.

Lou laughs, shaking their head in response, “No, with those deals I’m surprised we didn’t have more.” Though really, they’re thankful they didn’t - the weekend had been busy enough as it was. They found themself wondering how Charlie’s shift had gone - but figured they’d get to ask him any minute now.

Before they continue the conversation, one of the few remaining mall security guards, Deo Ramesh, calls out to the duo. “Allow me to escort you out!” he says with a smile so friendly that almost anyone would feel cruel to decline his offer. “Just to be sure you feel safe.”

“Sure, thank you,” Florian says, motioning with his head for Lou to follow.

“You’ve all done such a great job this weekend, working so hard. It must be nice to know that things’ll be calming down over the next few days.”

“Yeah, I’m personally dying for a break,” Lou felt that if they had to stand around much longer, they’d have permanent damage to their spine.

When they reach the doors, it’s evident that they’ve been locked, as they don’t automatically open when the employees approach. That’s not a cause for concern, however, as the back door is usually locked at this time of night, leaving only the front doors open. Deo presses the button to open them, but the doors don’t budge. He hums and presses it again. And again. “Strange… it should be set to open with the button. This is a hazard. I’m going to have to call-” Deo doesn’t get to finish his sentence before he notices the sound of big, heavy boots thudding on the linoleum behind them. Assuming that it’s yet another employee attempting the back entrance, he turns to tell them not to bother. Only it’s not an employee at all.

The Jack-o-Lantern killer comes to a halt, standing completely still as if he doesn’t even need to breathe. Deo thinks quickly. It’ll be safer to split up, he thinks. He doesn’t wait too long before he gives a command. “Run.”

The trio split up, and Deo steps closer trying to keep the attention on himself. “Hey, ugly!” he spits out the first insult he can think of, hoping that perhaps it will infuriate Jack enough to make him target Deo. Unfortunately, Jack is not phased by the petty insult. The killer turns to Florian, who is looking back at them with a panicked expression. The second that Jack takes a step towards him, he tries to flee - but he makes the mistake of underestimating the killer's speed. He thinks he has a chance of escaping without injury until he feels the sharp searing pain of the carving knife slicing down his back.

Lou considers checking on Florian until they remember that it’s not likely for Jack to be working alone. “Charlie,” they whisper. Without even filling the others in on what their plan is, they sprint in the direction of Angel’s, worried to death about their twin and praying for his safety. Their sudden movements have piqued Jack’s interest, and he follows them at a fast paced walk, as though he’s not too worried about losing them. Deo makes a move towards Florian to be sure he’s okay - when the power suddenly goes out.

They stand in silence for a moment, the only sound their heavy breathing. Deo pulls the flashlight from his belt and turns it on, rushing to Florian and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay? Tell me how you’re feeling.”

“Fuck - it hurts. Am I… Am I going to die?” Florian asks, wincing as Deo pulls up the back of Florian’s shirt to examine the wound.

“No, you’re going to be fine. I’ve seen those real bad injuries that have nearly killed people. This doesn’t look so bad. Even if it could be life threatening, we’re going to get help before it gets to that point,” he reassures him. Florian lets out a shaky sigh, full of regret. After only having just built up the courage to return to the mall, the worst has happened yet again.

The two of them hear footsteps approaching, and Deo shines the flashlight right into the eyes of the perpetrators, anxious about what terrors may be stalking them. However, to his relief, it’s Jane Howard and Glenda Adams, both wincing at the pain of the light hitting their eyes. “Sorry, sorry,” he apologises quickly, shining the light elsewhere.

“Is that blood?” Jane asks, her brows knitting together anxiously.

“I’m fine,” Florian says quietly - though he’s not so sure he believes it.

“Everything is going to be okay. We need to stay calm. I’m going to call Desi and see if he can get through the front exit.” Deo unclips his radio from his belt and speaks into it, “Calderon, this is Ramesh, do you copy?”

There is a crackling of white noise before the voice of Desi Calderon comes through. “Hey Deo, I read you loud and clear. Do you have any idea what’s going on with the power?”

“No, I don’t - but that’s not what I’m contacting you for. I have an injured employee here with me. The killers have somehow gotten past the security and the police outside and I can’t open the back doors. I wanted to know if you could check the front to see if you can secure an exit for us.”

“I’ll try my best. Stay safe, Deo, and take care of the employees as best you can. Someone has to do it.”

“I’ll try my best.”

“Glenda - we need to go back upstairs. I don’t think I saw Orwell leave yet. If they’re up there all by themself-” Jane started, her voice full of panic. She’d seen enough friends hurt physically and emotionally by the killers.

Glenda put a reassuring hand on Jane’s shoulder, and she tried to hide the pang of anxiety deep in her chest. She knew that the Showtime employee had a tough exterior, but truthfully, they were more fragile than they let on. “It’s going to be okay. Deo - we need to go and make sure Orwell is okay.”

“Of course, I’ll take you there. I refuse to leave anyone behind.”

Outside of the mall, a dozen or so officers are left in darkness. It’s a complete surprise to them all. Thankfully each is equipped with a flashlight, which they all immediately turn on so as not to leave themselves practically blind in the night. “Is it a town-wide outage?” One officer asks. But another points out the lights in the distance. “No you idiot, it’s an isolated outage. You can see the lights in the apartments over yonder.” They motioned to the apartment buildings in the distance, only visible by their tiny little lit-up windows. Their voice was dripping with sarcasm. “If you don’t understand what that means - it’s just the mall.”

In order to investigate, the officers attempt to go through the front doors, only to find that they can’t get them open. Despite standing there, looking like idiots as they stomped and tried to set off the motion sensor, one of them finally realised what the issue was. “The power. The doors can’t open because there’s no power.” Someone slaps them across the back of the head in a less-than-playful manner. “Let’s split up. Surely we can get through one of the many fire doors. Or even a back entrance.”

“You stay here. Only a few of us need to go, we still need protection at the front, especially if the power comes back on,” Cara Wright is the one to take charge. Though she’d never admit it, she is scared of the unpredictable situation, and the only way to make herself feel remotely better is to put herself in charge of other people (no matter how unfit for the job she is.) “Jonathan will go with me. Antonia, Robert and Marius will go solo. Surely one of us will find an open door.”

Antonia Linwood makes the journey alone, along the side of the building and then along the back. It wasn’t the first time that Cara had put her into an uncomfortable situation, but she’s one of the more timid police workers, and doesn’t want to cause trouble by sticking up for herself. Despite this, she thinks about how much she dislikes her co-worker, and resents her for making her take the trip alone. She thinks perhaps this is worse than the time the woman took credit for her work and got a promotion because of it. At least taking credit for my intelligence wasn’t putting me in danger, she thinks. Over the sound of her own thoughts, Antonia doesn’t hear the figure approach from behind. As she takes another step, The Skeleton swings his femur bone in front of her, and he holds it against her neck. With his overwhelming strength, he squeezes her neck until she can’t breathe.

Antonia struggles against his grasp, but her brain is losing oxygen fast, and her body is going limp. When she can no longer fight back, the skeleton snaps her neck with a quick little twist. He made it seem as easy as snapping a dry twig. She drops to the floor, completely lifeless.

Inside, even in the dark, Lou manages to find their twin brother, Charlie Ryder. Alongside him are Topher Hancock and his co-worker Jupiter Bernstein. Lou is so relieved that their brother is safe that they throw their arms around him, holding him tight for just a moment. “The killers are here. We’re in so much danger - we are so fucked,” Lou tells them, hands still resting on Charlie’s shoulders, “We need to find a way out of here.”

“Dolly,” Topher says, the panic setting in. He feels like his stomach is going to crawl right out of his mouth. Unable to stand not knowing if she’s safe, he rushes up the escalator, and the others follow close behind him.

Topher’s eyes haven’t quite adjusted to the dark yet, so when he runs right into Dolly Jensen, he isn’t immediately aware that it’s her. Dolly holds his arms and squints in the dark, and within a few moments she’s able to see the features of his face. “Killers,” he says a little breathlessly, “Lou said we’re in danger.”

“I had a feeling in my gut that something was wrong,” Dolly says, swinging her arms around Topher's shoulders to hold him tight for just a moment. She’d had somewhat of a premonition the second the power went out; of course, she was only just putting two and two together, but she was thankful that she’d been taking the situation seriously from the beginning.

“How are we going to get out of the doors if the power is out?” Antonio Betancourt chimes in from behind Dolly. Lou, Charlie and Topher are surprised to hear from him, as they hadn’t even seen him standing there, a considerable distance away.

“I didn’t want to leave Antonio. I knew something serious was going on, and I couldn’t live with myself if-”

“I get it,” Lou nods, “We need to stick together right now.”

Topher rounds everyone up, making sure that everyone is together before he ushers them all towards the escalators. “Watch your step, you don’t want to fall down those right now,” he tells them, particularly taking note of Dolly's movements, making sure that everyone heads down before him. With a sigh of relief he takes a step forward. There’s a flash of darkness before his eyes and before he knows it, there’s something tight around his neck. His hands immediately grasp at the rope, but the pressure only increases.

Dolly turns to see Topher strung from a beam above, and she screams his name as he’s slowly lifted into the air by his neck, completely unable to breathe. She runs back towards the escalator with the intent of getting him down, one way or another. A masked figure appears in the darkness and knocks her to the ground with such force that it knocks the air out of her. Her head throbs from the contact with the ground, and she takes a moment to catch her breath. She whimpers as she holds her hand to her head, which feels warm and wet with blood. “Topher!’ her voice cracks. As she helps herself to her feet, there’s a sharp sound in the air.

Charlie stands wide-eyed with shock, blood trickling down his arm from where an arrow was now protruding from his bicep. He reaches for it, but pauses, unsure as to whether or not he should pull it out. The killer is standing with another arrow aimed in his direction. He’s not sure if he should run. Would moving make any difference at all? The Hunter has a brilliant shot, it seems. Lou feels their heart sink in their chest. They can’t imagine losing their brother - yet they can’t think of how to get out of this situation.

Dolly cries, tears running down her cheeks. She has to make a difficult decision. She can either try to save Charlie from the next arrow, or she can try to get Topher down from the beam he’s currently hanging from. It would be a difficult decision for anyone with a conscience - choosing to save one person over another. But being forced to choose between two people she cares about, it’s too much for her - and she freezes. The panic has taken over and she can’t force herself to make either choice.

As the hunter pulls the arrow back further, prepared to release, Lou makes a difficult decision. They leap in front of Charlie just as the killer's fingers let go of the arrow. The arrow zips through the air with a sharp thwip, and it pierces through Lou’s abdomen. The pain is so severe that they can’t even react. This certainly isn’t how I expected it to feel, they thought, reaching a hand up to pull at the arrow. Something shifts uncomfortably and painfully inside of them and that’s when they start to lose their composure. A second arrow zips through the air and lands in their thigh, ripping through their clothing and their flesh as though it were nothing but a piece of paper. Lou starts to cry. Charlie is going to have to watch me die. They collapse to their knees, their body shaking with the sobs.

Charlie rushes to them, “I can’t believe you just did that,” he says sternly as his own eyes fill with tears that he desperately tries to hold back. He seems to have completely forgotten about the pain in his arm now that he has his twin to worry about.

Meanwhile, Jupiter and Antonio have found the end of the rope tied to the railing. The two of them struggle to untie it in the dark, and once they get it loose, the weight of Topher’s barely conscious body causes it to unravel, sending him toppling to the ground with a heavy thump. His head is spinning and throbbing with pain, and he has such little oxygen that he doesn’t have the strength to lift himself up. They make their way over to him to check him over.

Knowing that both Charlie and Topher are safe for now, Dolly has come to her senses. She slides over to Lou, reaching for the arrow in their thigh and tearing it out quickly without so much as a warning. The barbed arrowhead causes more damage on the way out. “Dolly, what the fuck?” they seethe, holding their hands over the wound that is now bleeding more than before. Their eyes have adjusted better to the dark now, and they can see the blood spilling onto the floor through their tears. They hadn’t meant to snap at Dolly, but they were going into shock now.

“Don’t pull the other one out!” Jupiter says quickly as he helps Topher sit up, supporting his back as Antonio checks over his head to be sure there isn’t any serious wounds, “You could kill them.”

"I was only trying to help!" Dolly sobs, but as she's overwhelmed by the amount of help all three of her good friends require, it's understandable to all around her that she had acted so hastily.

“God only knows what the arrow has pierced - if you pull it out they could bleed to death. We need to get them to a hospital to get it out safely,” Antonio agreed, while gently tapping Topher on the cheek, “Come on Topher, keep your eyes open - you gotta get on your feet.” He and Jupiter help Topher to his feet, though he’s still unsteady.

With all the commotion, none of the employees had been keeping an eye on the hunter - so none of them expect the rain of flaming arrows that comes next. It’s difficult for them to dodge the assault while trying to support one another, and Antonio doesn’t quite dodge in time. The flaming arrow hits his chest and falls to the ground. His clothes catch fire almost immediately, and to prevent the fire from spreading to Topher and Jupiter, he jumps back and rolls on the floor, desperate to stop the searing pain all over his torso. He has no choice but to pull the remains of his shirt off to stop the fibres from melting into his skin. It doesn’t appear too bad, but his skin is blistering and no doubt it will leave a scar, even just temporarily.

Jupiter, in an attempt to avoid yet another arrow flying in his direction, takes a step in the wrong direction. When his left foot hits the ground, there’s a loud metallic screeching sound as his foot is caught in a bear trap. He screams as the sharp metal teeth dig deep into his flesh, threatening to cut right through if he makes any movement. Blood gushes out of the wound and onto the linoleum floor at an alarming rate, so he can only assume that an important artery has been hit. He doesn’t need to test his foot out to know that his ankle is broken.

Luckily, Dolly appears at Topher’s side to ensure he’s conscious enough now to support himself, or else he would have toppled down with Jupiter. Despite his dizziness, Topher gets to his knees and starts to pry at the trap, “I can’t see how to open it-” he says, his voice still weak after hanging by his neck, “it’s too dark, I can’t see.” But that doesn’t stop him from trying. Antonio joins him, taking hold of one side and pulling with all of his strength. The trap is wet with blood, and with every time they pry it away from the wound, Jupiters leg squelches as the wound fills with more blood. Dolly tries to take hold of Jupiter's wounded leg to allow them to more easily pull it from the trap, but holding the trap open proves to be a difficult feat and Topher doesn't let Dolly's fingers linger in between the sharp teeth of it.

“We need to tie up his leg, he’s going to bleed out,” Antonio says.

“I’m right here guys can we please not talk about me as if I’m not here?” Jupiter asks in a panic.

“Sorry, I’m sorry,” Antonio says quickly, using the rest of the material from his shirt to tie tightly around his leg, just below the knee. He wasn’t entirely sure if that was the right place to tie it, but he figured it was better than not tying it at all.

As Antonio and Topher start to pry at the trap again, Dolly trying to help Jupiter with his wound, Antonio is unexpectedly pulled back by his hair. The force is so intense that it wouldn’t surprise him if he were to be left with a bald patch on his head if he were to survive. He pushes through the pain to give up a fight - but the hunter slams his face against the ground several times, again and again. He feels the crunch, but the others hear it. First his nose breaks, and then his jaw. When Antonio feels the hunter’s knife puncture his abdomen, he starts to think that he doesn’t even have enough time to see these wounds become more scars added to his collection. The hunter kicks him aside, seemingly frustrated.

Topher’s arms shake and sweat drips down his forehead as he holds the trap open long enough for Jupiter to drag his leg out of it. Dolly wraps her hands around the man's torn apart flesh and she assists Jupiter with lifting the leg out as swiftly as possible to save Topher's hands from meeting the same fate. The second it’s free, Topher lets go, careful not to get any of his fingers caught between the snapping metal teeth. The two help Jupiter to his feet - or, foot. Jupiter can’t even hold his foot at a natural angle, the bone so mangled that it hangs there like the limb of a ragdoll. A scream is heard in the distance, causing Dolly to wince and reach over to Topher desperately, and the hunter takes interest, deciding to leave the mangled employees behind. Dolly cries as they make the most of the hunter's attention being elsewhere, all catching their breaths.

“Put pressure on your wounds,” Jupiter says a little breathlessly. The loss of blood and the panic from the pain is making him a little woozy. “Tie up Lou’s leg before they lose any more blood. And don’t pull any more arrows out.”

Charlie helps Lou by tearing the leg of their jeans off, starting from the tear that was made by the large arrowhead. He ties it securely above the wound as tight as she possibly can. He's not going to let this be the end of his twin, he's not going to let them die for him. Dolly struggles with letting go of Topher, first examining his already bruising and swollen neck, but she soon steps away to help Antonio as best as she can, trying to put as much pressure against his stab wound as she can manage with her shaking and already bloody hands.

Out in the darkness of the night, Robert Sutton is alone along the side of the building. He holds his flashlight out in front of him as he searches for the nearest fire door - which takes longer than expected due to him not knowing the layout of the mall. Despite the warm summer night air, he can’t help but get chills as he wanders the area alone. When he finally finds the door, he tries with all of his upper body strength to open it. When that fails him, he tries to throw himself against it over and over and over again in an attempt to force it open. He has no luck. One more try and I’ll move on, he thinks to himself, taking a moment to catch his breath. He takes a few steps back, prepared to get a little more speed this time. Before he can take his first step, someone grabs him from behind, and he feels a sharp pain across his neck. Blood pours down the front of his body. He barely has time to process what has happened before he hits the ground, gurgling blood as he tries to breathe. His hands reach for his throat in an attempt to stop the blood flow, but it’s too late. It only takes a few minutes for him to die. But he stares at the figure covered in a sheet to make them look like a Ghost until he takes his last breath. He’s terrified the entire time.

After hearing the commotion downstairs just before the power had gone out, Arne Berman runs up the escalator to take refuge on the first floor, desperate to find someone to cling to for the sake of safety in numbers. Though it takes a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark, he soon runs into Sami Zahid and Ryanne Williams, who had met each other in the dark only moments before.

“Something is very wrong - did you hear the screams?” Arne asks them, his voice a little jittery.

“No, we didn’t hear any screams, we were just worried about the power,” Ryanne answers, Sami nodding in agreeance.

“I have a really bad feeling ab-” before he can finish his sentence, the three of them hear fast, heavy footsteps coming their way. At first they suspect it could be a scared employee - but very quickly they realise that Arne was right to have been paranoid.

Even in the dark they can see the roundness of the jack-o-lantern mask that the killer wears as he approaches with his arm out to the side, carving knife prepared for slaughter. The three of them make a run for it, dodging past the first set of escalators and running down the concourse. Arne, lagging behind the others, trips over his own feet and lands harshly on the floor, his hands catching his fall. Jack is quick to catch him, pulling him up by the back of his shirt and slashing the carving knife along the man's abdomen.

Though Jack raises his arm once more, prepared to butcher Arne further, he doesn’t get the chance. Sami picks up a (thankfully empty) trash can with some effort, and he throws it at the killer. Arne groans as it hits his shoulder, but it ultimately does the trick - distracting Jack. The killer drops him and takes a few unbalanced steps backwards. Arne doesn’t have time to calm his anxious breathing before he’s running again, this time towards the second set of escalators. “Get in front, we don’t want to lose you,” Sami says as he pushes Arne ahead of him.

“Thank you for that,” he says through heavy breaths.

“Do me a favor and thank me when we get out of here,” he pats Arne reassuringly on the back. Once Arne is a decent distance ahead of him, he starts to move again. Unbeknownst to him, Jack has recovered from his little stumble, and it seems he is particularly frustrated with Sami’s little stunt. Before Sami can get very far, he feels a sharp pain across his back, which quickly grows wet with blood, soaking through his shirt. He quickly turns around and with all of his strength, kicks Jack in the center of the chest, sending him toppling down the still-standing escalators.

Though their pace slows with exhaustion, they continue to run once they reach level two. Running towards Bloom Boutique, Ryanne nearly crashes into Rebecca Kibo. There’s no time to explain the situation, so she grabs her by the arm and drags her along.

“What’s going on? Are we under attack?” Rebecca asks, struggling to keep up with the other employees, even despite Ryanne’s tight grip on her arm.

“Killer,” Ryanne huffs as she leads the group into Bloom, which is still open due to a panicked Glenda who hadn’t wanted to waste her time locking the store in the dark.

Inside the store it is terrifyingly dark, even moreso than out in the open space of the mall concourse. “We need to hide - not all together, I don’t think there’s enough space,” Ryanne says to the group. Sami nods and makes his way behind the counter, poking his head over the top to be sure he’ll be securely hidden underneath. Once he’s satisfied, he disappears from view. Rebecca makes her way to the change rooms, where she half wraps herself in a curtain, trying to keep it looking as natural as possible. This way, if she needed to, she’d be able to make a run for it without much effort. For a similar reason, Ryanne hides herself within a clothing rack full of half-price winter jackets that the store had desperately been trying to sell now that Summer is in full effect. She feels secure there, and knows that as long as she can control her breathing, she shouldn’t be found easily.

Arne is crouching behind a tall shelf, shuffling slowly from place to place, trying to find the best place to hide. He’s unsure of himself, and any hiding place he thinks of doesn’t feel right. He turns the corner and immediately freezes. Ahead of him is a large, shadowy figure. It’s even harder to make out their features in the dark store, but he knows for a fact that it’s none of the employees that accompanied him into the store. His breathing, though quiet, is fast paced and erratic, and he panics that even the slightest movement from him will catch the attention of the figure ahead of him.

Everyone holds their breath as best they can, knowing that it is a matter of life or death.

With a sudden, loud thunk, the head of the figure goes flying. Ryanne holds back a gasp as the head hits the floor with so much force that the sound makes her jump ever so slightly - thankfully not enough to move the rack that she was hiding in. It rolls beside her and tears fill her eyes. In the dark she’s unable to distinguish the features of the head, and thinks it must be one of her companions. Simultaneously, Arne screams as Jack steps in front of him, which makes him realise that the now headless figure was actually nothing more than a mannequin after all.

Arne tries to run but he’s caught by the hair. His whole body is shaking as he thinks about the mannequin head. Surely my head is next. This is it for me. Sweat runs down his forehead and he closes his eyes tight, unable to watch what was surely to happen next. Jack effortlessly slams Arne’s head into the shelf beside them, over and over. Arne feels and hears a crack in his face, and a sharp pain shoots through his eye socket. He’s never experienced such pain in his head before - and he’s sure that something in his skull has fractured. Jack stabs him again and the searing pain is so bad that Arne almost faints.

From the change room, Rebecca can hear Arne’s struggle. Anxiety is tugging at her insides, but she feels that it’s not right to just stand there doing nothing. She doubts that they’ll make it out alive but she figures she has to do something. After all, if they’re all going to die, she doesn’t want to die being a selfish asshole. She carefully slips out from behind the curtain and sneaks around the side of the shelf. Pushing with all of her body weight, the shelf topples over onto Jack. Arne is dropped, and before the shelf comes down completely, he crawls towards the counter where Sami promptly helps him. Jack takes a step back and lets the shelf drop to the floor, and in a furious rage he spins around and blindly slashes his carving knife. The blade slices Rebecca across the chest and the arm that she instinctively holds up to protect her face.

Ryanne leaps out from the clothes rack and they all make a run for the entrance of the boutique. Ryanne breathes a sigh of relief when she sees that all three of her companions still have their heads on their shoulders. When everyone is out, she pulls the security grille down as quickly as possible in an attempt to slow the killer. She cursed for the fact she didn’t have the key - but doubted that she’d be able to lock it very quickly in such darkness. Before she pulls away, Jack appears right before her, faster than seems would be possible. He grabs her shirt through the grille and slams her face against the grate, bringing his knife up to slice her across the chest. Ryanne truly believes she’s done for until Rebecca grabs onto her and manages to help her break free before the killer can do any further damage.

They run until the killer is no longer in sight.

“How is everyone?” Ryanne asks, trying to catch her breath from the intense, panic-fuelled running.

Arne can’t bring himself to use words to respond. His body shakes still with fear and with pain, and he feels himself losing blood at an alarming rate. No doubt he had left a blood trail that could have led the killer right to them. Sami lifts Arne’s shirt and tries hard to assess the wound in the darkness. “Arne’s in bad shape. But it’s okay, I think we’re in the clear now. We’re gonna get you some help, okay?” he tries to be reassuring despite being uncertain. “My back fucking kills. Bastard got me good. How about you, are you okay?”

Ryanne looks down at her shirt, which has been sliced and is now soaked with blood - but not nearly as much blood as Arne. “He got me pretty good too. But I’ll be okay.”

“I really didn’t think we were going to get out of there. I still don’t, actually, if I’m being completely honest,” Rebecca says as she examines her own wounds, wincing as she prods at the deep laceration on her forearm, “I think we’re lucky to be alive right now. So that’s something. We need to find a way to get out of here, or else we might not be so lucky by the end of the night. What happened to the cops that were supposed to be on standby?”

“The power is out, so the doors are locked, I’m guessing. I’m sure they’ll find a way in soon enough,” Sami is helping Arne out of his shirt so that he can tie it around his torso, to put some amount of pressure on the stab wound.

“What good have they ever done in these situations anyway?” Ryanne’s voice is full of disappointment, and the others know she’s completely right.

Police officer Marius Bass searches alongside the building, also looking for a fire door. Something tells him that they should have been better prepared - with a map of the layout and a plan in case anything did happen. But that’s not how things are in the Shrike Heights police department. Instead of a fire door, he’s met with the loading bay where the trucks bring in stock for the stores. As he shines his flashlight around, he notices a Scarecrow in the garden bed nearby. Strange… very strange place for a scarecrow, he thinks to himself, it must be some kind of inside joke. He tries the loading bay door, but has no luck.

Snap. He hears something from behind him. He swiftly turns around and aims his flashlight behind him, but there’s nothing there. He’s so panicked that he doesn’t even realise that the scarecrow is no longer in the garden bed. He stays put, listening closely. When he turns back to the door, he’s met with a pitchfork through the neck. The last thing he sees is the gnarly scarecrow’s face before he loses consciousness.

On the third floor of the mall, Christy Boyer has gone searching for a friend – very concerned about the power outage. She finds it awfully suspicious that the mall should lose power on one of the busiest nights of the year. In the dark, she finds Nora Davies, and it takes her a moment to figure out her identity before she’s close enough to see her face.

“Do you have any idea what’s going on? I couldn’t even manage to lock up it’s so dark,” Nora asks. The moment that the power went out, she found herself feeling increasingly anxious. “It doesn’t make sense. Something must be wrong… right?”

“Right – my thoughts exactly. It’d be too much of a coincidence for this to happen now,” Christy agrees. Ordinarily she wouldn’t have been so paranoid - but this is Shrike Heights, after all. The last year of absolute chaos has been enough for her to assume that every bad thing that happens is related to the supposedly invulnerable killers who plague the town.

Nora stands in silence for a moment, thinking of the best plan of action. The doors won’t open, we won’t be able to break through, our only option is to try the fire exits. She motions for Christy to follow her, “Come with me. We need to get out of here before anything serious happens. I have way too much going on to deal with any of this.” The two of them carefully tread down the escalators, careful of the uneven steps towards the beginning and end where the track had paused when the power went out. On the first floor, they can hear voices nearby - soft, unthreatening whispers that tell Nora and Christy that it’s safe to follow.

Mary-Beth Jameson and Posey Bryant are discussing the events when the others find them. Mary jumps with surprise when she sees the figures approaching, but quickly recognises them. “You nearly scared the life out of me,” she says, hand over her fast-beating heart, “if you’re here to ask if we know anything about the outage, unfortunately we can’t help. Posey has already asked me a million questions.”

“Guilty,” they raise their hand. If they’d moved their hand a fraction to the right, they would have been met with a painful surprise. A flaming arrow shot past their head, so close that they felt the heat of the flames. They pull their hand back to their chest, eyes focused on the figure in the distance holding yet another flaming projectile. “Something very bad is happening.”

As the arrows begin to rain down around them at a scarily fast pace, they make their way to the escalators. Mary and Posey head down one side, and Christy and Nora down the other. Nora slips on the uneven steps and slides down a few steps before she regains her balance. Though Christy had thought Nora was quite unlucky for that, she very soon finds out that she’s wrong. As she runs down the steps, Christy finds herself caught in a trap, a snare snapping tight around her neck and cutting into her throat. The sudden stop gives her whiplash, but she’s thankful she wasn’t running faster, or else she might have suffered worse injuries. The snare is so tight around her neck that she can’t undo it by herself.

While Christy is tied up, the hunter makes his way down the first escalator, his eyes set on the other three employees – figuring that he can deal with Christy once he’s done with the others. He marches towards Posey and Nora first, hunting knife in hand. While distracted with them, Mary pulls together all the courage she can muster in order to sneak back up the escalator where Christy is pulling at the wire around her neck.

“Shh, hold still, let me figure this out,” Mary-Beth whispers, gently pushing her fingers beneath the sharp wire. The pressure causes the wire to cut into her hands, scraping the skin just enough for it to bleed. “Ouch – is your neck okay?” she asks, pulling the wire at just the right spot to loosen it. It’s too difficult for her to see where the snare is attached to, so she works slowly and carefully so as not to cut her hands or Christy’s neck any more than it already has.

“I’m okay – somehow,” Christy replies. Aside from the sting of the wound, all she feels is a dull pain in the muscles of her neck.

From there it’s easy to pull the wire open enough for Christy’s head to slip through. A wave of relief washes over them, but neither realise that they’ve caught the attention of the hunter again, who sees Mary freeing his victim. He quickly draws an arrow from the quiver and there’s no time for either of them to move. Both Christy and Mary expect impact, but the arrow only pierces Mary’s thigh. She cries out in pain and Christy crouches on the escalator, helping the other girl down so that she’d have some cover.

“Shit,” Christy places a hand on Mary-Beth’s thigh and feels the blood that is already dripping from the wound. “Are you okay, do you think you can walk? Or- run?”

Mary stretched her leg out and winced at the pain that came with her muscles stretching. “It hurts, but I think considering the circumstances, I’ll manage.”

“Good, if that’s the case… I think we should get the others and hide in the Jazzercize studio.”

“Okay… just give me a minute.”

Meanwhile, Posey reaches down to grasp one of the still-burning arrows. The flames and the heat of the burnt wood burn their hand, but they grit their teeth through the pain so that they can throw the arrow back to the killer in an attempt to inflict injury. They haven’t forgotten the searing pain of the injury that one of the hunter’s arrows had left across their chest back in March, and they refuse to go down now without a fight. The flaming arrow misses, but the hunter seems to withdraw in fear. This is something Posey will remember. As the arrow slowly burns out, the hunter moves to close quarter combat, and uses the sharp hunting knife to slash Posey multiple times, across the arms, across the chest and abdomen. Flecks of blood fly with each movement, flicking off of the knife as the hunter attacks again and again. It’s evident that he’s growing increasingly frustrated, as if he would almost prefer for the employees to accept their fate and go down easy.

Nora is considering running, leaving the others behind, thinking that it might possibly be her only chance to make it out alive. But before she can make a move, the hunter turns quickly and catches Nora’s neck with a sharp wire, squeezing it so tight that it cuts into her skin. She can hardly breathe with the pressure of the wire, her throat bruising as he squeezes tighter and tighter – she fears that if he pulls any harder it just might slice into her jugular. With his hand, he pulls an arrow from the quiver and stabs it directly into Nora’s chest. There’s an intense pain in her chest, and from the hole in her chest she can feel air escaping. Her lung has been punctured. The hunter uses the wire to drag her to the ground and he crushes one of her hands beneath his feet, the bones of her fingers crunching and breaking beneath his weight. Tears spill from the corners of her eyes as she finds herself closing them tight, afraid to watch as he delivers the final blow.

Mary-Beth however, despite her fear, can’t watch Nora die without trying to do something. She uses the darkness and the heat of the moment to take advantage of the killer. She kicks the killer right in the back of the knee, which sends him toppling forward. His knife slides across the floor and he loosens his grip on the wire around Nora’s neck. Christy pulls it over her head and drags her body aside before helping her to her feet, while Mary is quick to support Posey.

The four of them hobble away from the hunter, and when they turn to see if he’s hot on their tails, he’s nowhere to be seen. It’s almost as if he was never there in the first place. Posey feels a shiver go down their spine – but they’re unsure if it’s because of the unique situation, or if they’re feeling cold because of the amount of blood they’re losing.

“Into the studio, we can hide here until the power comes back on,” Mary guides them into her workplace, and pulls the grille down a little more than halfway, so that if anyone were to open it, they’d all be alerted of their presence. Once inside, they all pile into the staff room, taking a seat on the floor to rest and catch their breath. Posey and Nora are in bad shape, the two of them slumped against the wall in pain, wondering if they’ll last long enough for help to come.

“I’m surprised we made it out of there,” Posey said with a half-hearted smile. Their hair is damp with sweat, and there is so much blood that their clothes are dark and damp.

“I’m surprised she made it out of there,” Nora said, giving a nudge towards Mary-Beth.

“Hey – Mary, you did a great job. Thank you. If it weren’t for you I’d definitely be dead meat right now,” Christy places a hand on her shoulder and gives it a squeeze.

“I don’t think you need to thank me, I was just trying to do the right thing.”

Posey laughs weakly. They close their eyes and start to lean sideways, their body exhausted from the pain and the loss of blood. Nora nudges them harshly but doesn’t get a response. Christy leans forward and carefully takes a hold of their shoulders, “C’mon Posey. Stay awake. Stay awake until help comes.”

Posey groans.

Cara Wright and Jonathan Grey are making their way down the back of the building. Despite the power outage, which has given them a larger workload than the woman would have liked, she’s thankful for the dark so that Jonathan can’t see her trembling with fear. “If we don’t at the very least pretend to do our job, we’ll get shit from both the boss and the public,” she says to Jonathan. “It’s important that we get into the mall so that it looks like we actually know what we’re doing.”

“But… we don’t know what we’re doing, do we?” Jonathan asks her, using his flashlight to look around them to be sure that they aren’t being followed. He too is a rather cowardly officer.

“As long as it looks like we care, that’s all that matters. The important part is controlling mass hysteria. Nothing else that goes on here really matters,” she snaps. Though some might have thought she was speaking only for herself, it was no surprise that she was speaking for the entire police department.

Cara turns the corner and Jonathan doesn’t follow.

Jonathan is pulled back around the corner, much to his surprise. At first, he suspects another officer trying to get his attention to give him some news. But he feels someone punch him in the back repeatedly, over and over and over again. It isn’t until the blood starts to pour down his back that he realises he’s not being punched – he’s being stabbed. He tries to call out for Cara, but he finds that he can’t seem to get enough air into his lungs, meaning they’ve likely been punctured. The stabbing continues, over fifty stab wounds in his torso. He’s dead before he even has the chance to feel the last dozen.

Deo, Jane, Glenda and Florian make their way up to the third floor, Deo having no issues leading them to Showtime even in the dark. He knows the place like the back of his hand – perhaps even better than that. Just as suspected, Orwell Washington hasn’t left the store yet. They’re standing behind the counter with a broom for self-defence and a lost expression on their face when they approach.

“Orwell! Are you okay?” Jane asks, relieved that Orwell is alive.

“Can I think about that one and tell you the answer later? I must say that even though I’m not scared of the dark – and I swear I’m not – I am not a fan of being alone in the dark, considering the climate you must admit that it feels a little threatening,” Orwell says, seemingly all in one breath. The way they’re talking all breathy immediately clues Jane and Glenda onto the fact that they’re incredibly anxious.

“It’s okay, you’re not alone, or in the dark anymore,” Glenda says sympathetically, reaching out, squeezing their arm in a way that said, I’m here for you. “We can talk about it later if you want. But for now, let's get out of here.”

“Are you all okay?” Orwell asks.

“I’ve seen better days,” Florian answers glumly.

“We’re fine,” Jane says on behalf of herself and Glenda.

“Now if you don’t mind, I’d love to take you out to the front entrance to see if we can get you to safety. I don’t doubt that Desi will figure something out for us,” the security guard ushers the four employees together. But little do they know, they aren’t alone on the third floor.

Jack, after having escaped from Bloom, has circled the area and has returned to the third floor, hoping to find some of his previous victims. He’s in luck. Before they’re even aware that he’s there, they begin to hear the sound of heavy boots slamming against the linoleum like he weighs more than any average man could. They see the pumpkin-headed man appear in front of the store, standing and staring with the already bloodied carving knife in his hand.

The four of them try to space themselves out around the video store, trying to keep distance between themselves and the killer. Jack takes his first step into the store, and it's all he needs to be able to reach out and take hold of Jane by the arm. With wide eyes watching the perpetrator carefully, Jane is able to see him coming, and while she's unable to move fast enough to avoid his grip she is so frightened that she jumps dramatically, slipping out of the killer's hands but accidentally backing into a shelf of videos. The shelf topples over, and Jane loses her footing so terribly that she falls on top of it, feeling the sharp corners of the VHS tape covers digging into her from all angles, scraping at her skin. Glenda steps backwards, wincing and reaching down to hold her leg. The shelf had scraped against her, ripping into her flesh. Jane immediately gets to her feet, absolutely racked with guilt. “I’m so sorry, Glenda.”

“It’s okay, just be careful – for you, not for me,” she reassures her through the sharp sting.

Orwell becomes the next target. When the killer reaches for their hair they move too fast – his fingers only just grazing the ends, not enough for him to hold. She lets out a sigh of relief, but she celebrates her escape too soon. Jack’s strong hand lands on her shoulder and he spins her around, and with the knife he holds in the other hand, he slashes across her chest, tearing through her work shirt and into her skin. Wet blood trickles down and starts to seep into her clothing.

They take several unbalanced steps backward, but the same fist on their shoulder reaches for their hair once more, this time taking a fistful of the messy locks. Orwell’s lower lip trembles with fear and they kick and struggle against the beastly man. He slams their head against one of the shelves twice, the first hurting, but the second splitting their forehead open. Jack’s strength made Orwell seem like they weighed no more than a doll.

“Please, please leave me!” Orwell sobs, blood trickling from her forehead over her freckled cheeks, “Please leave me, let me go, please don’t kill me! Don’t…” she stops being able to form coherent sentences through her sobs. Jack shows no mercy, driving the carving knife deep into their abdomen several times before dropping their limp body.

Jane’s eyes fill with tears as she’s forced to watch the assault on her friend. Glenda feels like she’ll never really forget this moment.

“Help Orwell,” Deo says quietly, preparing himself to be braver than he’s ever been in his life. He breaks into a sprint, and when he reaches the shelf next to the killer, he throws his body weight against it. The shelf goes toppling over onto Jack, but it doesn’t fall to the ground, which is exactly what Deo was counting on. Glenda and Jane rush to the aisle where Orwell is lying limp on the ground, and with a team effort they drag them out of the way. The killer frustratedly swings his weapon, slicing Glenda’s forearm in the process. She doesn’t even flinch, just thankful that they’ve managed to get Orwell out of the way before Jack loses his balance and the shelf falls completely on top of him. Deo dusts himself off and removes his jacket, tying it tightly around Orwell’s torso. “I can’t… I can’t say for sure if they’re going to be okay,” he delivers the bad news. Panic sets in. He doesn’t want to see another person die. “But we can try our best to help.”

“Wake up, Orwell,” Jane gently holds Orwell, tears falling from her cheeks onto Orwell’s bloodied face, “Come on, you need to get up, we need to get out.”

“I would try to carry her but I don’t think I can manage it with my back,” Florian frowns.

“Orwell… come on,” Glenda gently taps her cheek until groggy blue eyes open. “Good, good, you doin’ okay?”

“Fuck,” Orwell says, holding her hand to her torso and feeling the dampness of all the blood. Despite the jacket tied tight around her wounds, the blood is already soaking the fabric of the makeshift tie, “I’m pretty sure that’s supposed to be on the inside.”

“Get up for me,” Glenda gets to her feet, arms hooked under Orwell’s to help them to their feet.

As Jack is pulling himself out from underneath the shelf, Deo ushers everyone out of the store, making sure that Orwell is fully supported on both sides by Jane and Glenda. “Get out of here, I’ll distract him, okay?” Deo says. His heart is beating so fast that he swears that he could go into cardiac arrest at any moment, though he knows that’s not quite how it works. He swallows hard and gently prompts Florian out beside the others. "Hurry. You won't have much time, especially with Orwell down so bad. Make sure Florian doesn't lose so much blood either."

“What about you?” Glenda asks.

“I’ll be fine. I know my way around this place better than my own home. I’ll lose him.”

“Okay… good luck. Thank you for your help Deo. We owe you our lives,” she says softly. Something in her gut tells her that they won’t be seeing Deo again, but she’s too scared to bring it up.

“Don’t mention it. I love my job.”

The employees make a run for it, as fast as they can with a barely conscious Orwell and a struggling Florian, and Deo is left alone to face the killer. As he stands in the doorway, watching the others escape, he takes a moment to think back over all the important moments of his life. He’d had a good one, considering his struggling parents and his large family. There wasn’t a moment of his life that went by where he didn’t feel loved and appreciated by at least one person in his life. He doesn’t even realise that he’s sobbing, tears spilling uncontrollably down his cheeks. His one regret would be that he didn’t get to savour the last hug his mother gave him, nor did he get to say ‘I love you’ to each and every one of his siblings before he went to work.

He knows when it’s coming. Jack drives the knife furiously into his back multiple times. He keeps his strength for as long as he physically can, holding onto the frame of the door and refusing to move out of the way. But the blood loss gets the best of him. He slides to the ground and Jack walks over him as if he isn’t even there, leaving him to bleed out. At this point, the others aren’t visible from Showtime, and he relaxes now knowing that there’s a chance they’ll get to safety.

Deo reaches for his radio. “Hey - Desi?”

White noise. “Copy. What can I help you with, Deo?”

“Nothing really, it’s just…” he finds it difficult to speak - like his air supply is limited. “The pumpkin got me good.”

There’s a pause. “Deo? Are you serious?”

“I’m not going to make it, Desi. I just know I’m not going to. I feel it.”

Desi’s eyes fill with tears as he listens to his co-worker talk to him on the radio. He refuses to believe it. Refuses to lose him. “Deo hold on. I promise you we’re going to get you some help, just stay awake and hold on for me.”

“I can’t… but Desi please, do one thing for me.”

“No, no I won’t. Deo, stay awake.”

“Please… tell my family I love them. More than anything.”

Desi’s hands shake as he holds back a sob, though the tears keep flowing, “Deo, you can tell them that yourself. Listen to me - stay awake. Keep talking to me until I get to you. Where are you?”

“Take care of yourself, Desi. And the other employees. Someone has to do it,” the weak smile is evident in the tone of Deo’s voice as he repeats what Desi had told him earlier in the night.

“Deo. Deo, please keep talking!”

The next sound he hears is a terrifying gurgle before silence.

“Deo!” Desi calls his name one last time. He understands now that there won’t be an answer. “I’ll try my best.” He says quietly, switching off the radio and holding his hands to his face, breathing heavily. He knows he has to compose himself soon. Everyone in the mall is in grave danger, himself included.

Bodhi Kol places a hand on Desi’s shoulder. “I’m… I’m so sorry. Please know that this isn’t your fault.” Desi doesn’t answer, knowing that if he tries his voice might crack as he cries. Bodhi understands, and doesn’t pressure him to speak, allowing him this moment to grieve.

Along the back of the building, Cara reaches one of the many fire doors. With a half-hearted jiggle, she’s unable to get it to open. Remembering what she’d said to Jonathan earlier, she pushes harder - knowing that the reward of getting inside (even if it happens to be too late) will be greater than the punishment from the townspeople of Shrike if she doesn’t get in at all. “Jonathan, can you try this stupid fucking door? Aren’t fire doors supposed to open no matter what? That’s a health and safety issue, right?” But there’s no response from her co-worker.

Cara turns around and sees that he’s nowhere to be found. “You’re an idiot, Jonathan,” she mutters under her breath, marching back in the direction they came, prepared to scold him like a schoolyard bully who didn’t get her way. She backtracks around the corner and gasps when she sees Jonathan’s body. She quickly gets to her knees beside him, shaking his body vigorously, though from the amount of blood on the pavement around him, she knows in her gut that he’s not waking up. “I’m going to get so much shit for this, I swear to god if you don’t wake up…”

The Skeleton takes a swing from behind. The heavy femur bone collides with the back of her skull, a loud crack echoing in the quiet night. Cara slumps forward, stunned by the pain but still conscious. Blood is seeping into her hair from where the collision split her scalp, but the killer isn’t stopping there. With another fullbodied swing, the back of her head bursts open, blood splattering over Jonathan’s dead body and the wall of the mall. He doesn’t stop there. Swing after swing, bone cracks, brain matter splatters over the pavement, there’s a symphony of wet squelches and crunches, bone scraping against bone. Cara won’t be taking charge of anyone in the police department ever again.

It takes a moment for Desi to collect himself, but he forces himself to do so. “Thank you for being patient with me,” he says quietly, straightening himself up and preparing to continue his task.

“You don’t need to thank me for that. I’m just trying to be a good person,” Bodhi answers. They often had to make an effort to be the kind of person that they never encountered. They were perfectly capable of putting aside the issues that they previously had with Desi during such a difficult time - they weren’t heartless.

“Desi, is that you?” the voice is familiar to the security guard.

He turns around and sees Dhruv Acharya approaching with Scott Laurence by their side. Immediate relief washes over him upon seeing that they’re okay, and he places his hand on Dhruv’s upper arm - a gesture to show just how happy he was to see them. “Thank god you’re okay. Things aren’t looking good around here. We need to get to the front door to see if we can open it.”

“Got it,” Scott says, his voice a little quiet. Desi takes it as a sign that he’s nervous - and he doesn’t blame him.

“But let’s not get too excited until we’re actually out,” Dhruv says seriously. They know there’s no reason to celebrate until everyone inside the mall is safe and out of harms way.

“We’re going to be fine. I’m not losing anyone else tonight.” Once Desi turns away from them, Scott gives Desi a terrified expression - almost as if he doesn’t quite trust the security guard to protect them. Dhruv dismisses him with a wave of his hand. If there’s anyone in the building that he trusts, it’s Desi.

The four of them head back towards the front of the mall, walking along the concourse. At every new store or corridor, Desi shines his flashlight so that he’s completely aware of his surroundings. However, at the next corner, his flashlight shines in someone's face. Soren Chen stands with her skateboard above her head, prepared to bring it down upon Desi’s head until she sees who she’s come face to face with.

“Woah, put that down, kid,” Desi takes a defensive step back, concerned that he’s about to be given a concussion by the familiar face.

“Sorry old man, just instinct!” Soren says defensively, tucking their skateboard under their arm and holding a hand up, “It’s the only thing I have to defend myself right now.”

“I understand where you’re coming from, but you could’ve knocked me out. Follow us, we’re getting out of here.” Soren gave a little salute and joined the group, walking a little closer than she normally would have. She was secretly very thankful to come across Desi. If it had been anyone else, she would have found herself distrustful. If it weren’t for her having known him for most of her life, she would have risked an escape attempt all on her own.

After having lost the remaining survivors of the other group, the Jack-o-lantern killer is furious. He hears Soren and Desi conversing and is drawn to them. With every heavy step he seems to get louder and louder, and it’s soon very evident to the group that he is approaching. Even in the dull light of the night they can see that every step he takes leaves behind a bloodied footprint. Desi immediately ushers the others forward and they make a run for it.

Scott struggles to keep up with the others, trailing just behind Dhruv as they run. Even so, Jack shouldn’t have been able to keep up with the group – yet somehow, he has. Heavy boots thudding so fast behind them that they’re too scared to turn in case it causes them to slow down even a fraction. Scott feels like he’s overextending his legs as he tries to run faster than he’s ever ran before. Even still, it doesn’t save him. Jack is uncomfortably close, and with a wide swipe of his arm, he slashes the carving knife deep into the side of Scott’s abdomen. Scott trips forward and slides onto his hands and knees, crawling across the linoleum, desperately trying to get back to his feet to escape the killer.

As Jack approaches, Soren takes action. Boldly, she steps in front of Jack, a mischievous gleam in her eye. She raises the skateboard above her head and with all of her strength, slams it over the perpetrators pumpkin head. The board breaks clean in half, the other half falling to the ground with a clatter. Her fear can no longer be hidden, as clear as day in her eyes, though she still tries. She throws the other half of the board and turns around quickly, helping Scott to his feet and guiding him into Bodhi’s arms.

Scott’s eyes are full of tears as he’s overwhelmed with the pain and anxiety, but Bodhi supports him. “Hey, look at me - it’s okay. I know it hurts now, and I know it’s scary, but it’ll be okay.” In response, Scott’s breathing starts to slow and he nods his head in response, obviously feeling a little more under control with the help of their words.

The killer turns his attention to Soren now, her act of heroism obviously setting him off. She makes a run for it, down the side of the concourse near the vending machines. Already she’s a little out of breath - running has never been one of her strengths. She starts to regret it when Jack hits her in the center of her back, sending her hurtling into the ground. She winces, pulling herself along the ground in a desperate crawl as she tries to get away. Jack has other plans.

Jack reaches to the cigarette machine beside them. Soren, still crawling away, has no idea what is about to happen. With very little effort, Jack pulls the cigarette machine down, holding it above them for a moment as if to tease them. Soren rolls aside as fast as they can, but they don’t make it in time. The machine catches their left arm, crushing the bones in an instant. Soren’s scream is so gut-wrenching that it makes their throat ache. As if the pain isn’t bad enough, Jack steps up onto the machine, his entire weight supported by the heavy machinery crushing her arm. Soren sobs. Okay, okay, you got me. You win. The metal corner of the machine cuts deep into her elbow. I’m going to lose my arm. Holy shit I’m going to lose my arm.

The killer takes slow steps on the machine, stopping right on top of her arm. At this point Soren can’t even bring herself to make any noise, so instead she silently cries with her face against the floor as her arm pulses with all kinds of pain. He crouches nice and slow, taking his time to reach forward and take hold of her free arm - the right arm. He pulls her arm back, which pulls her left shoulder in an unnatural way, dislocating it with a painful pop. Soren groans through gritted teeth, her tears completely involuntary. Equally as slowly as his other movements, he slides the carving knife deep into her side. Soren is sure she’ll die now.

Dhruv can’t stand by any longer. Despite his fear, he approaches the killer and starts to throw punches to the back of his masked head, putting all of his strength into each and every hit. Jack pulls the knife from Soren’s wound and spins around, swiping the bloody blade across Dhruv’s face. They stumble backwards, holding their hand to their face in surprise. Jack steps off the machine and holds the knife out towards Dhruv in a threatening manner - but Desi refuses to let him be threatened. He pushes Dhruv aside and takes his place, with nothing but his flashlight in hand. Jack swipes at him and Desi uses his flashlight to protect himself - the blade meeting the metal hilt of the tool with a sharp noise. He lets out a shaky breath. Desi isn’t so lucky the second time. The knife misses the flashlight and slices across his forearms, leaving him with a terrible, searing pain.

Bodhi and Dhruv make their way over to Soren as quickly as they’re able, using teamwork to lift the machine up, and Scott helps to drag them away from the machine. Scott nearly vomits when he sees the state of her arm, but he hides his reaction from her. Bodhi and Dhruv breathe in sharply as they help her to her feet.

“Soren, Soren do me a favour and don’t look at your arm, okay?” Bodhi says softly.

“I don’t… I don’t want to lose my arm,” Soren whimpers, clenching her eyes shut tight. She doesn’t need to see her arm to know that absolutely nothing is right with it. The bone has broken through the skin, and the limb is purple with contusions and swollen due to the break. If she didn’t get medical assistance soon, no doubt she would lose function of the arm.

“It’s okay, we don’t know that yet, so just focus on breathing deep for me,” he tells her. “Shit, I don’t think you’re stable enough to walk on your own-”

“She’s probably in shock,” Scott says, standing aside with his arms wrapped around himself.

“Don’t worry, we can support her. I’ll even carry her if we need to,” Dhruv stands to support Soren’s other side, and they start to hobble away from the scene behind them of Desi fighting with the pumpkin-headed killer.

“Run!” Desi says, taking his own chance to run, catching up with the others in no time at all.

Once the group is clear of the killer, Bodhi takes the time to check up on Scott, who still seems rather reserved considering the situation. Scott, who insists he’s fine, is very clearly not. His face is pale and he seems a little shaky, and Bodhi can tell that it’s not because of blood loss, but because of the sheer anxiety of it all. “I know I told Soren to focus on breathing, but I want you to do it too.”

“Okay…” Scott nods. It’s not something that he hasn’t heard before, and it’s definitely not something that always works, but for Bodhi’s sake he tries.

“I’m… gonna lose…” Soren muttered, “so much blood. There is so much blood.”

“I’m sorry, kid,” Desi says, brows furrowing as he shines the flashlight over her abdomen. Her clothes are soaking with blood and her shirt is torn from where she was stabbed. “You’re gonna be okay. But for the love of all that is good, please do not look at your arm.”

After hearing screams, Delilah Lennox finds Fiona Torres and Hector Reyes close by, but it's evident that the gut wrenching sounds have not come from them. She keeps them close and they all move to investigate, all sure that something extremely sinister is happening in the dark mall tonight. They make their way upstairs, where Delilah is sure the screaming has come from, and while they aren't exactly sure if they've been led to the right group of victims, they can only assume so.

“We heard screams, are you okay?” Hector asks as they approach.

“Holy shit, she is not okay,” Delilah motions to Soren, “That’s…” Fiona nudges Delilah and gives her a stern look. Don’t comment. She signs. That’s all the warning Delilah needs before she shuts her mouth.

Desi, Dhruv, Bodhi and Scott are almost certain that Jack is likely to be following them still, so they all take a moment to think about the best plan. Though it feels cruel to think, Soren is slowing them down a considerable amount. There’s no way Desi is going to put Soren in a situation that is any more dangerous than the one they’re already in, but he realises that they need to separate in order to keep everyone safe. “I have an idea.” Desi signs in ASL as he speaks. “We have a killer that’s moments away from finding us. So… Fiona, Delilah, Hector, you take Soren and help hide her somewhere that we can come back to as soon as we figure out a way out of here.”

“You’re getting rid of me?” Soren asks with a pout. She’s almost seeing double now, and she’s so very tired. She tries her hardest to sign to Fiona, they’re getting rid of me! But her left arm is useless. Fiona shakes her head and signs back, save your strength, you’re not doing well. Soren shrugs in response.

“Alright, we’ll make sure she’s safe. There should be an abundance of hiding places around here,” Hector agrees to the challenge, “But… to be clear, if anything happens, I can’t be held responsible, right?”

Delilah shakes her head, “Hector, you’re not the one that did that. It’s just a game of chance now.”

Desi holds Soren’s face in his hands for a moment, “I’m not abandoning you, okay? I’m trying to help you. Stay safe out there, kid. I’m gonna see you on the other side of this.”

“Sure thing, old man,” she was practically slurring her words now.

The two groups separate once again, one having lost a party member and one having gained one. Soren is being supported by Hector and Fiona as they walk back down the hall, looking for some kind of open store to hide Soren in until they could get assistance. It’s not long into their search that they begin to hear the heavy boots following at a slow pace behind them. They’re unsure as to how Jack found them, but they know they need to get out of there, and fast.

The three of them practically carry Soren into the employee’s only hall, figuring that would be their best bet instead of seeking stores that hadn’t yet been locked up properly. They know that without Soren, they’ll escape quicker. And with Soren hidden, they won’t be a target. It’s a win-win situation if they all make it out alive.

In the hall, they meet Karim Díaz, who had been cleaning up for the night when the power went out. Karim shines the flashlight in their direction; he instantly panics at the sight of Soren, with her mangled arm and blood-covered torso. “What the fuck happened here?” he asks, the raise in pitch of his voice evidence of his nerves. Her arm was enough to make him feel queasy.

“She was with a group and they were attacked by a killer. Our plan is to hide her so that we can get away faster, while also protecting her by keeping her hidden. Does that make sense to you?” Delilah asks him. She can only hope that it does, because she can’t think of a better way to explain it than that, with all of her nerves.

Karim nods his head, even if he does find the whole situation to be a little sad. “Of course. Well, the storage closet back here is clean. It’s got a lot of stuff in there but in a way that’ll make her easier to hide. We should be able to pull that off.”

Hector certainly can’t think of a better idea with a killer hot on his tail, so he helps Soren into the nearby storage closet, where Karim builds up a pile of empty boxes to better hide her if someone were to take a peek inside. “I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but so long as we know this closet is the one we put her in, we’ll be able to find her again, easily. As soon as we’re out and we have some kind of protection we can get paramedics in here or something.”

Fiona thanks him. Despite understanding that it’s a perfectly reasonable solution when it comes to self preservation, she still feels guilty for what they’re about to do. She doesn't like the idea of Soren being alone after suffering such great trauma, and she worries that the blood loss will catch up to her sooner than what they can get help. But Fiona is aware that all she can do in her position, being pursued by a killer, is trust that Desi hasn't led them astray; at the very least she knows he's right in thinking that they'd be in trouble trying to defend themselves with Soren to look after.

“Thank you, Karim,” Delilah nods.

I’m sorry. Fiona says to Soren. Soren shrugs her good shoulder. She understands that she’s dragging them down. There’s a pang of guilt - and a fear that perhaps all Soren has done all of her life is drag other people down. You need to conserve strength. Rest here until we come back for you. Fiona signs. Soren feels bad for being unable to sign back, but she hopes that with Karim’s flashlight, she may be able to read her lips. “Okay. But if I die… can you please make sure that no mouthbreathers are at my funeral pretending that they were my friends when they actually hated my guts? I hate that…”

The four of them make sure that Soren is secure before going back out into the open space of the mall to see if they’re in the clear. Karim, Delilah and Hector are listening closely for any sign of him. When they start to hear the footsteps yet again, they’re much closer than they expected. They signal to Fiona, and she motions for them to follow. She figures that trying the fire escape might throw him off, at least a little bit. And at the very least, they’d get the killer off of the third floor.

The door to the fire escape is heavy, and they strain to open it in a hurry. The moment that all four employees are through, they desperately try to slam the door behind them, but Jack’s boot prevents them from doing so. “Shit - run!” Hector says. Karim runs first, then Hector, then Delilah. As Fiona turns away from the door to run, Jack bursts through and pushes her down the stairs. She hits Delilah’s back, who in turn topples into Hector.

Karim manages to escape the collision, pressing himself into the corner as the others tumblr down onto the platform. Hector is lucky enough to escape with nothing but a graze on the side of his face and bruises over his body. Delilah is not so fortunate. As she tumbles down the stairs, she smashes a knee against the edge of the concrete stairs, which breaks her patella clean in half. She holds her hands out to help break her fall, scraping her palms in the process. She cries out as she lands on the platform, twisting herself around so that there’s no pressure on her knee. She’s too terrified to move due to the severe pain.

When Fiona hits the platform, she catches herself with her hands to prevent from rolling into Delilah and her clearly broken kneecap. She winces at the sharp pain in her left wrist. The redness developing at the joint tells her that she’s at the very least sprained it. She watches the killer descend the stairs slowly, as if he’s attempting to be more threatening this way. He’s made Delilah his target, approaching her directly. She tries to scramble backwards, but she winces and cries, trying to hold her leg still as if that will stop the pain she’s just triggered in her knee. Jack raises a hand, carving knife ready to plunge right into the fallen girl, when Fiona uses the last of her strength to kick him in the back of his knee, sending him toppling down the next flight of stairs.

“My knee - I don’t think I can walk,” Delilah sobs, her breathing heavy with panic. She knows that if she can’t get herself up then she’ll be in the same situation as Soren. “I don’t want to be left alone. Please don’t leave me alone down here.”

“It’s okay, I can carry you a short while,” Karim tells her, “You’ll have to hold the flashlight.”

Fiona gets to her feet and dusts herself off, her entire body aching. She motions to Jack, who is slowly pulling himself to his feet. “Go,” Hector nods, pushing his body weight against the door. It’s so heavy and rarely-used that it screeches as he does so. Karim carefully scoops Delilah up into his arms, and they’re the first through the door. Hector follows suit. As Fiona slides through the half-open door, the carving knife leaves a nasty cut from her shoulder blade down to her hip. Jack has caught up faster than Fiona had been expecting, and somehow that makes the pain of his attack even greater. Once she’s through, they all slam the door shut on the killer's arm, causing him to withdraw.

Hector lets out a sigh of relief, refusing to move from the door for a moment, hoping that Jack will go elsewhere to play his sick games. “Fiona, you alright?” he asks.

Fiona nods. As okay as I can be. She signs, her wrist aching with the action. She’s thankful however that she’ll still be fine to use a notebook and pen to communicate while she lets her wrist heal. She’s confident that it’s only a matter of time before they get out of this hellhole.

“I don’t think my knee is supposed to look like that… please tell me it’s just dislocated,” Delilah says, throwing her head back and exhaling slowly as she tries to get rid of the nauseous feeling in her stomach.

“I really hate to break it to you, but that’s not a knee dislocation,” Hector tells her, as much as he wishes he could tell Delilah what she wants to hear. “It’s definitely broken. I’ve seen a few of those in my time. And most of the time, they heal pretty well! If that makes you feel any better.” Of course he assumes that Delilah won’t be playing any sports competitively any time soon.

Outside of the mall, police officers are growing impatient. Cara and the others have been gone far too long for their liking, but surely if they had managed to get inside, they would have called for backup. It makes sense to no-one as to why they hadn’t made contact yet. Joel Price picks up his radio and attempts to reach Antonia. “Officer Linwood, do you copy?” When he’s met with radio silence, he feels his heart rate increase ever so slightly. “Officer Sutton, do you copy?” Silence. “Officer Bass, do you copy?” White noise. “Grey! Do you copy?” Nothing. “Cara, you pathetic coward, answer me!” His hand shakes with how tightly he’s gripping the radio; he’s panicking.

“Sir - please calm down,” another officer says, used to the man's outbursts. “Maybe something is interfering with the signal. It’s the only thing that makes sense. Let's arm ourselves and go see if they’ve made any progress.”

Of course, none of the officers who had attempted entry had made any progress. Joel and his companion make their way around the mall and find the bodies one by one, getting increasingly disturbed and more distraught by each and every one. Cara’s body is the one that scars them the most. When the officer sees Cara’s brain matter splattered over the ground with pieces of her skull, he vomits into the nearby garden bed.

“We need to get inside. If the public finds out we let this happen, we’re going to be in deep shit.”

Desi, Bodhi, Scott and Dhruv make their way down to the ground floor at last. All four are exhausted from their encounters and the physical exertion. They make their way through the food court towards the front entrance of the mall - where Deo had originally asked Desi to try the front doors. Of course they don’t open automatically, but it doesn’t stop the security guard from trying to pry the doors open with his bare hands. He groans with frustration. I’ve failed. Even after all of that, I can’t do what Deo asked of me. Desi thinks. He doesn’t have the energy to cry anymore, but he slams his fist against the security glass in frustration.

Scott is breathing heavier than before, his body heaving with the deep breaths. He feels like his chest is restricted, like something heavy is sitting on top of him. He’s very familiar with this feeling. And silently, Bodhi recognises it, too. They carefully approach Scott, being careful not to overwhelm him. When they’re sure it’s okay to place a hand on his shoulder, they do so.

“I get these too, you know,” Bodhi motions to Scott with their other hand, “The constricting feeling. Like something is squeezing you way too tight and you can’t seem to get enough air no matter how hard you try… right?”

Scott finds himself breathing a little more naturally as he focuses on Bodhi’s words, nodding his head.

“You’re not alone, is what I’m trying to say. And if you can hold on just a little longer and make it through this, then I don’t doubt you can make it through anything,” it’s something that perhaps they could have benefitted from hearing at some point in their life. “We’re going to protect you. We’re getting out of here.”

“Thank you,” he says - his body slowly starting to ease up on him, allowing air into his lungs. The anxiety doesn’t leave him entirely, of course, but he keeps telling himself that he just needs to get through this.

“Is there anything you can do for the door?” Dhruv asks Desi.

Desi stands with his hands on his hips, an expression of defeat on his face. “I dont know. These doors have security glass. I don’t think we’d be able to break through them if we tried, it’d take some real force. Force that we don’t have, even with four of us.”

Dhruv runs a hand through his hair, the stress evident in his body language, “What about the fire doors? They’d work, right?”

“Something tells me they won’t. I feel like we’re very intentionally trapped in here.”

As Bodhi finishes giving Scott somewhat of a pep talk, he turns to see a large figure standing directly behind Dhruv and Desi. There is no mistaking the shape of the jack-o-lantern mask. It takes him a moment to register it properly - after all, why hadn’t they heard the footsteps? Why hadn’t they seen the killer walk past? It gave them the chills to think about how someone so dangerous could be so stealthy, despite their size. “Hey, pumpkin-head!” He calls, hoping to catch his attention while warning their companions.

Jack turns to face Bodhi, and approaches with such a speed that it terrifies them. Before Bodhi even has time to think of a plan, the killer wraps his hand tight around their throat, picking them up with ease. He feels the blood supply cut off from his brain, and the killer has clenched so tightly that he can’t breathe at all. With an effortless movement, the killer throws Bodhi to the ground with great force. He instinctively puts his arms out to break his fall, and he hears the snap before his body lets him feel it. Unable to crawl away with a severe break, Bodhi kicks and lashes out at the villain. Jack drives the carving knife deep into Bodhi’s side, just above his hip.

Desi feels his heart drop as he witnesses the attack. I can’t let this happen again. Not on my watch. He refuses to allow Bodhi to meet the same fate as Deo. He quickly passes the flashlight to Dhruv, and pushes Jack away from the injured person on the floor. Dhruv struggles to help them to their feet with the flashlight in their hand, but with Bodhi’s arm around them, they guide them to safety until they’re sure they can stand on their own. Desi approaches the killer with clenched fists in a proper fighting stance. Despite his external confidence, he doesn’t truly believe in himself.

At first there are a few missed swings from both parties, but Jack is the first one to land a punch. His fist collides with Desi’s face with a strength that seems almost unnatural. Desi feels a deep pain across the center of his face, deep down into his head. He can tell immediately that his nose is broken, blood dripping down over his lips. He has no time to think about the pain when another punch is thrown his way. He retaliates quickly, but his fist never meets the killer. He struggles to see through the involuntary tears in his eyes that come reflexively with the broken nose. Jack swipes the knife and Desi instinctively holds his hands up, allowing the blade to slice over his palms.

“Desi, don’t!” Bodhi cries, wincing at the pain of their muscles tensing, “You’re going to get yourself killed.”

Desi ignores him. He throws another punch and this time it lands right into Jack’s chest. The pumpkin-headed killer doesn’t flinch. He doesn’t react at all. In fact, he stands completely still, as if it were a scene on a VHS that had just been paused. Desi takes several steps back, confused as to what the man has up his sleeve.

He hears a thwip and a grunt.

Desi turns around to see Bodhi standing with an arrow through his abdomen, piercing completely through from back to front. He’s frozen with shock, as is Bodhi. Desi, with his back turned to the jack-o-lantern killer, is stabbed in the back, only inches away from his spine. One wrong move and there would be permanent damage. Desi can’t even react to the pain, because his eyes are focused on the person he was trying so hard to protect. Bodhi slowly reaches up to the bloodied arrow and gently puts his hand over it.

Another thwip.

An arrow pierces his throat. He coughs up blood and immediately struggles to breathe.

“Bodhi!” Desi screams his name, finally able to break through his shock enough to outwardly react.

The power switches back on all very suddenly, the light so bright that it’s almost blinding to the employees who have spent so long in the dark now. The scene in front of them is so much worse now that the deep red blood is completely visible. Bodhi stumbles forward a few steps before falling to his knees. The killers walk away from the group, making it very obvious that they’re done with their game for the moment. Not a single person can understand their motives.

All but those who were hidden for their safety have ended up on the ground floor, most of the employees having had the same idea of trying the front doors. They stay clear of the food court and the scene unfolding, terrified of being out in the open and vulnerable to yet another attack.

Glenda sees Hector’s face and approaches him, reaching up to hold him in order to get a better look, “Oh Hector, you poor thing. Did you get hurt anywhere else?” She can’t help but feel concerned for him - having known him for so long.

“I’m fine - but you! Are you okay?” he feels a little queasy at the sight of the open wound on her arm.

“Nothing I can’t handle. There are people here who have it much worse than me.”

Dolly, who just about thought she had run out of tears to cry, bursts into tears once more when she sees Orwell drenched in blood and paler than they’ve ever been. She rushes to their side and has to resist the overwhelming urge to throw her arms around them. Their eyes are tired, and they lean heavily on Jane, looking as though they could pass out at any moment. “Orwell! Look at you… How are you feeling?” She holds the back of her hand to Orwell’s forehead, which is unnaturally cold.

“Never been better,” they lie easily, as if anyone could believe them in that state.

“Oh shush, don’t lie to me. The killers are gone, the power is back on. I know you’re not okay, but I think you’re going to be just fine. Just hold on for me, okay?”

Desi rushes to Bodhi and takes him into his arms, his own pain and injuries the last thing on his mind. They can hear the police outside now, coming through the automatic doors, speaking in their angry, domineering voices at one another about catching the perpetrators. Desi doesn’t believe for a second that they’re capable of doing so. Otherwise this would have stopped a long time ago. “Bodhi, hold on, hold on, help is coming. Stay with me, kid.”

Bodhi can’t speak, they can’t even breathe. Desi promises that help is on the way but Bodhi knows that even though it’s true, it’s too late for him. He gurgles and blood spits out of his mouth, splattering Desi’s already blood-stained work shirt.

“I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry, I couldn’t protect you,” tears fill his eyes, blurring Bodhi’s face. I couldn’t protect anyone. “Please hold on. I can’t lose someone else tonight, I can’t watch this happen…” He cries. “You’re strong, kid, just hold onto that for a little longer. Just a little longer, Bodhi, just a little longer.”

Bodhi places a gentle, but bloodied hand on Desi’s shoulder. It feels reassuring, as though they’re letting Desi know that he tried his best, and that he shouldn’t blame himself. At least, that was Bodhi’s intentions - they hoped that it came across that way. The world around them is spinning, and their vision gets spotty. They know this is the end, and that there’s nothing they can do about it.

With a final breath, Bodhi’s hand slips from Desi’s shoulder, and he falls limp in his arms.

Scott hugs himself, tears filling his eyes spilling down his face. He understands that the last thing Bodhi ever did, in a dark and terrifying moment, was give the kind of kindness that they never received, to those who needed it most.

Dhruv approaches Desi carefully, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Desi… we have to get you some help right now, you’re bleeding. Come on.” Desi slowly and carefully puts Bodhi’s body down and gets to his feet with the help of Dhruv. He throws his bloody arms around Dhruv and hugs him tightly, sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder. He understands what Dhruv has told him, he understands that he needs to get help for his injuries, but they in no way even compare to the pain he feels over the loss he’s endured tonight. “I’ve got you, Desi. I’ve got you.” Desi trusts Dhruv more than most, and while it’s uncharacteristic, all he can do is lean on them for support, squeezing them and listening to their reassurance as he cries.

Meanwhile, half of the remaining police officers from outside of the building have piled into the back entrance. Jack and the hunter seem to have missed their chance to escape - the officers can’t believe their eyes as they approach. Several officers pull taser guns from their belt and rush towards the perpetrators, firing the taser in their direction. Other than a little movement, the stun guns have no effect on the men.

“It’s those damn costumes,” officer Joel Price says, retrieving handcuffs from his belt as his coworkers are waiting for his next command, “Take them down, handcuff them. We need them alive.” He’s an aggressive man, and he believes the killers need to pay for the crimes they’ve committed; he’s sure the entire town of Shrike Heights feel the same.

The officers pile onto the killers, and handcuff them with little to no issues. Joel Price has never been prouder of himself. It almost seems too easy, but he puts it down to him being great at his job. Perhaps the killers are also fatigued after doing so much damage in only one night, but that’s part of his logic that Joel won’t be quick to share while boasting, once back at the station. Once the killers are back on their feet, they’re surrounded by law enforcement and are taken to the police station.

Despite questioning and prodding from officers, the two men are silent the entire time.

plot drop 009 features twenty-seven of our muses encountering the jack-o-lantern + the hunter.

antonio betancourt is left with mild burns on his torso, a broken jaw, a broken nose and a stab wound resulting in severe blood loss.

arne berman is left with a superficial wound on the forehead, a broken eye socket, a mild concussion and two stab wounds resulting in severe blood loss.

charlie ryder is left with an arrow through the bicep.

christy boyer is left with a minor cut around the neck and whiplash.

delilah lennox is left with grazed hands and knees and a broken kneecap.

desi calderon is left with deep cuts along his forearms and palms, a broken nose and a stab wound resulting in severe blood loss.

dhruv acharya is left with a minor cut on the face.

dolly jensen is left with bruising and a minor cut on the forehead.

fiona torres is left with a sprained wrist and a cut down her back resulting in mild blood loss.

florian bonavita is left with a stab wound, resulting in substantial blood loss.

glenda adams is left with a minor wound on the leg and a stab wound across the arm.

hector reyes is left with a grazed cheek.

jane howard is left with scrapes and bruises.

jupiter bernstein is left with a broken ankle and a severed artery resulting in severe blood loss.

karim díaz is left unharmed.

lou ryder is left with a minor wound on the arm, and an arrow in the abdomen and thigh, resulting in severe blood loss.

mary-beth jameson is left with minor cuts on the hands and an arrow to the thigh, resulting in mild blood loss.

nora davies is left with a stab wound resulting in substantial blood loss and a punctured lung, a cut around the throat with severe bruising and several broken fingers.

orwell washington is left with a head injury, a cut down the center of their chest and multiple stab wounds resulting in severe blood loss.

posey bryant is left with burns to their hands and several deep slashes across their torso/abdomen, resulting in severe blood loss.

rebecca kibo is left with minor knife wounds across the chest and arm, resulting in mild blood loss.

ryanne williams is left with bruising and a graze on the face and a cut across the chest resulting in mild blood loss.

sami zahid is left with a deep cut across the back, resulting in substantial blood loss.

scott laurence is left with a deep slash on the abdomen resulting in substantial blood loss.

soren chen is left with a broken arm, a dislocated shoulder and a stab wound resulting in severe blood loss.

topher hancock is left with severe bruising around the neck.

bodhi kol is left with a stab wound, a broken arm, and two arrows piercing through the abdomen and neck – both of which are fatal.

#violence tw #gore tw #stabbing tw #death tw #injury tw #blood tw #hanging tw #plot drop 09

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shriketimes · 2 years

Text

thursday june 2nd, 1988.

Yet another town event in Shrike Heights has taken a dark turn. The fundraising event held last night kicking off the start of summer in our beloved town came to a jarring end much earlier than anticipated, with the auction held by Mayor Sweeney being interrupted by another horrific attack. Despite the Mayor’s private security team being assigned the duty of protecting residents and visitors, three known killers and one new attacker present found victims amongst the crowd. The killers known as the Ghost, the Skeleton and the Scarecrow were reportedly responsible for the injuries, along with someone posing as the statue of Murray Sweeney, the Shrike Heights hero. Mayor Sweeney is yet to make a formal statement on last night’s events that he narrowly escaped unharmed, but authorities are once again asking for anyone with information to step forward and they urge residents to stay safe and to act smart.

wednesday june 1st, 1988.

The early summer isn’t too much different from spring in appearance, apart from the slight change in hue of the blossoms. Native flowers fill the flowerbeds in the town center, and wildflowers are strewn throughout the grass in the park. Many residents say that this is their favourite part of town at this time of year. The trees remain thick with green leaves until the last weeks of summer, making them optimal for shade from the heat of the sun. Despite the weather still being mild, many people take shelter under them throughout the afternoon until sundown. Today is a perfect day for the Shrike Heights fundraiser auction. The aesthetic appeal of the town center meeting the aesthetic of the artworks on display makes it an incredible sight to see.

When the sun is hidden by the distant mountains and the sky is growing darker, people flock to the town square, moving in from Willow Bridge and the nearby park. Nobody wants to miss the big auction - whether it’s to see and admire the art, or to make fun of those who’d be stupid enough to spend so much money on a painting that wasn’t by an artist that most Shrike Heights residents could name. Mayor Sweeney is to be making an appearance, which seems to be a rare occurrence nowadays. It has some residents on edge, while others are bristling with excitement.

The grey-haired, bearded man steps onto the stage, and the audience gives half-hearted applause for their mayor. He clears his throat and taps the microphone to be sure that it’s turned on. “Welcome to the fundraiser auction! It’s wonderful to see so many of you out here tonight supporting our wonderful little town.” It’s near impossible to ignore the private security guards that stand surrounding the stage, standing in wait to protect him should a threat appear. There had been a promise of security at the fundraiser, but it was becoming increasingly clear that the mayor was first priority over the rest of the attendees.

“Shrike Heights has gone through many changes throughout the past few years. Every year our little town grows larger and stronger. I must say I have never seen a town so resilient. We couldn’t be what we are today if it weren’t for all of you… but there are a select few people that we must thank in particular. The distinguished members of our society deserve a special mention. Those who have invested in our mall, bringing it to life and creating thousands of new jobs. Those who have donated to our college, bringing more traffic to our town and helping the youth of Shrike and surrounding towns get a better education. Those who have funded public projects and who have kept the town running smoothly for so many years. These people are the true unsung heroes of Shrike Heights. Everyone give them a round of applause,” his voice drips with pride, but his smile seems cold. Truth is, he had been expecting a larger crowd - many of the residents had made their way home already after making their donations or browsing through all of the local artists’ stalls. “These people are the ones who have donated these near priceless artworks for us to auction off today, so that we may put more funds back into our deserving town. The first piece we have here is-”

Before Mayor Sweeney can unveil the first piece behind him, there is a shrill, blood-curdling scream in the crowd.

There is a moment of silence, people glancing nervously all around them as they try to figure out where the scream had come from. Very suddenly, a group of people shuffle away, pushing into other members of the crowd. From the stage, Mayor Sweeney keeps his composure - not allowing anyone to believe for one moment that he might be nervous. Once the crowd starts to move, his eyes focus on the area that the residents are avoiding. On the ground is the body of a woman, lying in a pool of her own blood. He swallows hard when he sees the gaping wound in her neck from where her throat was violently slit.

Panic erupts. The second there is another scream from the crowd, the security team rushes onto the stage, surrounding the mayor and immediately ushering him to safety, leaving the rest of the crowd nearly defenceless against whatever it was that had killed Trudy McAlister. The crowd becomes a stampede of desperate people trying to get to safety, trying not to crush Trudy’s body beneath their feet as they do so. Escape becomes more difficult with the intense, unorganised chaos.

The crowd disperses in all directions, attempting to use the nearest paths to get out of the town square. Several people find themselves getting nowhere with the foot traffic. Amongst those, are Loki Romanov, Alicia Sloane and James Creepie, who all are getting pushed against one another by the passersby. Alicia looks around her, eyes honing in on the nearby park. “Through the park,” she says, nudging Loki - her voice quiet enough for only those directly surrounding her to hear. The last thing she wanted to do was cause a flood of people to ruin their last chance of a quick escape, “We’ll be able to get through there!”

“Right right, quick, through the garden beds!” Loki gently shoves Alicia in the right direction before she has the chance to move herself. Similarly, she doesn’t want too many people catching on to their plan. The two of them push through the garden beds, twigs snagging on their clothing as they begin in the direction of the park. Footsteps behind them give Alicia a brief moment of anxiety before she turns to see James following them after having eavesdropped on their plan. One more person can’t hurt, she thinks, thankful that it was no more than that. Loki isn’t particularly pleased. When he catches up to them, another piercing scream is heard across the town square. They stop in their tracks, breath heavy, hearts beating fast. They’re all too focused on trying to find the source of the sound over the footsteps of the terrified crowd that they don’t hear the twigs snapping behind them.

The Scarecrow had gone unnoticed due to the semi-appropriate positioning of it in the garden bed - right beneath one of the oak trees just outside the park. Nobody has the chance to notice the killer until Loki is hit on the side of the head with a great whack. The doctor’s vision goes black for just a moment, doubling over with pain. When she comes-to, her vision is blurred, eyes full of involuntary tears as warm blood trickles down her face. A scream is heard over the sharp ringing in her ears, which she instinctively wants to cover as if it might stop the noise. What really brings her back to reality is the pitchfork that drives into her side, ripping into her flesh and digging deep. Please don’t pull it out, please don’t pull it out, she silently begs - but the killer rips the prongs from her body, allowing a flow of fresh, hot blood to spill down the side of her.

She gasps and stumbles away as quickly as she can. Normally the smell of blood wouldn’t phase her, but her stomach churns as the strong metallic odour takes over her senses. She doesn’t let her panic get the best of her. Loki breaks open her blouse, leaving herself in only an undershirt. She carefully wraps it around her waist and pulls it uncomfortably tight, so that the bleeding might slow down. Though unsure of the state of her internal organs - she knows that it won’t take too long for her to bleed out if she doesn’t get help soon.

While Loki is in the middle of wrapping her wounds, the Scarecrow turns their attention to Alicia, who has, until now, been in shock. She turns fast on her heels, prepared to run. But before she can take another step, the killer swings their pitchfork, and the prongs pierce through Alicia’s clothing and drag deep through her flesh. The girl cries out in pain as the force of the blow knocks her to the ground.

Loki, despite the pain and loss of blood, rushes over to the fallen girl. The Scarecrow seems to have given their attention to the man who had followed them. She groans agonisingly as she bends over to help Alicia to her feet. “This way,” Loki says breathlessly, hobbling quickly into the park, trying her hardest not to move in a way that hurts her stab wounds too badly. When the two of them are some distance away from the killer, Loki turns Alicia around to look at the wound. Her clothing is soaked with blood, and it shows no sign of stopping any time soon. The doctor carefully removes Alicia’s cardigan, and pushes the fabric of her torn shirt up so that she can see just how deep the gashes are.

“How bad is it?” Alicia asks through heavy breaths, “Do I want to know how bad it is?”

“You’re bleeding a lot. That’s the main concern. You know, generally blood is supposed to stay inside the body. But don’t panic, you need a clear mind. This wound is not so bad. You will be fine,” she realises now how her work bleeds into her everyday life in ways she doesn’t expect, as she tries her best to comfort her. Loki ties the cardigan around Alicia’s torso, pulling it as tight as possible. “I’m sorry if it’s uncomfortable but that’s the only way.”

“No it’s fine - thank you,” she says appreciatively, “Will you be okay?”

“I’m not so sure, I’m losing a lot of blood. First I need your help getting out of here.”

Alicia allows Loki to wrap her arm around her shoulder, and she supports her as they make a run for it.

James Creepie is not so fortunate. The Scarecrow mercilessly hits the man in the back of the head, the heavy metal of the pitchfork hitting him so harshly that he falls flat on his face. James loses vision temporarily, and he blindly reaches out in front of him in an attempt to find something to help him push himself to his feet. He finally pushes himself to his hands and knees, and as he tries to get back on his feet - the Scarecrow attacks again. He isn’t sure whether he hears it or feels it first - pitchfork prongs driving through his ankle, shattering the bone in the process. James struggles against the killer, sharp pain shooting up his entire leg.

He lets out a guttural scream as the killer rips the pitchfork from his ankle. As if the noise and the pain wasn’t enough to prove that his ankle was destroyed, his inability to move it at the joint was certainly confirmation of the brutal break. James desperately rolls onto his back, trying to shuffle away from the killer. The Scarecrow raises their pitchfork to strike again, but James lashes out with his good leg, his foot colliding with the Scarecrow’s hand. Hay falls from the villain and lands all over the man, but the pitchfork falls to the ground with a rattle, and James takes the chance to army crawl to safety, his arms and knees getting scraped up in the process.

While the Scarecrow is at work, a small group of people are trying to make their way out of the town square in the opposite direction. Within said group is Malakai Kings, Dustin Waerea and Coral Reeves - the three of them eager to get away from whatever killer has decided to show up to the Shrike fundraising event. The three of them are certain that they’re not going to let themselves become victims. “This seems like the safest way to go,” Dustin says as he leads the others to the clearest path.

“Seems like the safest bet,” Malakai agrees with him, allowing Dustin to lead the way, but following close behind him. There is a positive energy throughout the trio - the three of them thankful that they’ve escaped Trudy Mcalister’s killer. Coral breathes a sigh of relief as they hurry down the path, away from the rest of the panicked crowd.

Unfortunately for Dustin, who is in the lead, the path is vacant for a reason. From out of the shadows steps The Skeleton, so close that Dustin has to skid to a halt. Malakai almost crashes into his back, but very quickly stumbles backwards so that he’s out of reach of the killer. Before Dustin can make a move, the Skeleton swings the femur bone that he brandishes as a weapon, and hits him over the head. The loud crack makes Malakai and Coral cringe, and Dustin falls to the ground with a heavy thud, completely unconscious. “Dustin!” Malakai rushes to his side, holding his head off the ground and shaking his torso in an attempt to wake him. “Dustin, get up!” He quickly checks his friend’s pulse, and when he feels that there is a heartbeat, he begins to assess his wounds.

While Malakai is tending to Dustin, the Skeleton turns to Coral. They swallow hard as he seems to stare at them with empty eyes. They only get the chance to take several steps backwards before the killer leaps towards them, swinging his bone with all of his strength right into their face. The impact is so harsh that the skin on their cheekbone splits open, blood dripping down their face. “Damn it,” they reach up to put pressure on their wound in an attempt to stop some of the bleeding, but the Skeleton takes the opportunity to hit them again and again, the strong femur bone hitting their arms over and over as they try to defend themself against the savage blows. It takes only a moment before they’re knocked to the ground, crying out in pain.

Malakai gently slaps his friend’s face, desperate for him to wake. While Coral is being targeted, Dustin manages to open his eyes. He feels a wave of nausea overcome him. “Dustin, you have to get up,” he tells him, hooking his arms under Dustin’s in order to lift him up to his feet. “We have to get out of here.” Though he agrees, Dustin struggles to move, dizzier than he’s ever been before. He sways slightly on his feet, leaning forward to support himself on Malakai.

Before Dustin has the chance to do so, the Skeleton steps forward, and decides that Malakai will be his next victim. He swings the bone with intense force, the blunt object hitting the blonde’s torso with a loud thud. It takes all of the air out of him, and it feels for a minute as though he’s forgotten how to breathe. The pain makes him equally as vulnerable as his friend who is still standing, swaying on the spot beside him and seeing double.

The Skeleton lands blow after blow, delivering heavy hits to both Dustin and Malakai. Dustin is unable to run, but he attempts to shield himself with his arms crossed over his face; the Skeleton’s weapon makes impact with his wrist, and after another sickening crack upon impact Dustin isn’t sure if his wrist is just sprained or completely broken. As Dustin groans and stumbles backwards, the Skeleton turns to make sure Coral is given equal attention, but he finds that he’s given her too much time. Coral is fleeing. He takes a few steps forward as though he wants to pursue her, but he knows that there isn’t a good chance of catching up to her. Frustrated, he turns back to Dustin and Malakai, but once again he has given his victims too much time, and they’ve begun to make their escape.

The killer decides to move on, searching for more victims now that the fun has been sapped out of the encounter with Coral, Malakai and Dustin.

As the crowd scatters and the attacks around Trudy’s lifeless body begin, Rosie Mahelona, Florian Bonavita and Amavi Rosales find themselves in close proximity to each other. No-one is really sure of who the perpetrator might be, unsure of who could have ended Trudy’s life so brutally in front of such a large audience. None of them had seen a thing, but they don’t have any time to discuss as they hurry to find a hiding place.

The crowd and the intense panic is too much for the trio to try to tackle. “It’s not worth the risk,” Rosie tells them. “We should hide until we can figure out the safest route.” The trio feel that the sooner they get to safety, the better - it’s too much of a risk to go with the bustling crowd when their lives are truly in danger. For all they know they could be cut down right there in the middle of the crowd, just like Trudy. Florian holds onto Amavi tightly, more afraid than he cares to admit, needing the comfort of the other man while also secretly hoping that he doesn’t run off and risk being injured.

The three of them spot one of many statues that have been in the town square for generations. This particular statue was made in the early 1900s, erected in honour of Murray Sweeney, the miner who saved as many co-workers as he could when the mines in Shrike Heights collapsed in a terrible accident. It’s the shiniest statue in the whole town - they suppose because the mayor, a descendant of the hero, ensures that it’s cleaned regularly. But it’s also one of the largest (being of multiple men and their tools, slightly larger than life-sized.) “Quick, behind the statue! It should give us enough cover to buy us some time,” Florian says, ushering the others towards it.

They all breathe heavily. Even if they weren’t frightened, the whole situation is incredibly overwhelming with the commotion and the sound of the screams, along with the rush to get to safety - it leaves them breathless. They huddle close together, minds racing to figure out the best possible route out of the town square.

“Do you think the park would be the safest option?” Rosie asks.

“I think that’s unlikely, surely it’s already full of people,” Amavi replies.

Though they’re under the impression they have a minute or so to work out the best route out of the town center, Rosie and Amavi are suddenly interrupted by Florian’s sudden yelping. They turn to find him being lifted into the air by a tight grip around his neck, strangling him in the process. He kicks out as he tries to break free, trying to gasp but having no ability to even do that. His hands claw at the hands around his neck, though his efforts are futile.

“Who the- why would someone- Florian.” Rosie struggles to string together a sentence as she can’t even make sense of the sight. It seems as though The Statue of Murray Sweeney has come to life, and he’s holding Florian in a tight and painful grip. She doesn’t know how to articulate herself or her fright - and she can’t make sense of why someone would go to the effort of masking themselves in the costume of a statue in order to add themselves to the roster of killers in Shrike Heights. Amavi can’t believe his eyes either, and in shock, he finds himself speechless, unsure of how he can help his friend.

Florian’s struggle slowly becomes less intense as his vision starts to fade to black. Before he’s rendered unconscious, he’s thrown down harshly, his body hitting the ground with a heavy thump. The uninjured duo attempt to rush to his side, desperate to be of aid and get him away from the new threat, but before Rosie can reach her friend, the pickaxe that the Statue holds is plunged down into the side of her thigh. The pain pulses through her leg, and she lets out a scream, one that becomes devastatingly louder when the pickaxe is ripped from her thigh and blood gushes down her leg.

“Are you okay?” Amavi asks Florian in a hurry, hands on his shoulders as he waits for an intelligible response.

“So dizzy,” Florian responds between loud, deep breaths.

Rosie drops to the ground, panicking desperately as she tries to put pressure on the wound. No matter how hard she tries, she can’t seem to stop the flow of blood. Amavi jumps back up from Florian’s side, prepared to defend the trio from the assailant. But before he can make a move he’s hit across his head by the arm of the Statue, and the blow is so hard and powerful that the skin splits open on his forehead and he’s sent falling to the ground, grasping at his head to feel the warm liquid trickling down the side of his face.

Rosie and Amavi scramble to crawl away from the assailant, both wounded and terrified for their lives. Florian, however, takes a moment longer to recover. He gasps for breath as his vision returns to normal, and he’s only able to feel his body again enough to move it when the Statue swings down with his pickaxe, aiming to plunge it deep into his abdomen. Florian moves aside as quickly as possible, his legs feeling numb beneath him. While he’s fortunate enough not to have a severe injury inflicted upon him, the pick cuts sharply down his side, tearing into his flesh.

Despite the sharp pain, he tries to move away from the attacker as his two friends do too, but things are looking bleak for the trio. Florian is sure they won’t make it out alive, tears threatening to spill as he thinks, is this really how it’s going to end for us? That’s when Loki and Alicia reach them, in the middle of running from their own attacker.

“Help! Please help us,” Rosie calls for them, not having seen the duo’s injuries at first. Upon closer inspection she realises that they are both in bad shape, and immediately feels bad for calling for them in their current state. But even so, Loki reaches down for her, pulling her up onto her feet.

Alicia is in tears, fighting through her pain and the overwhelming emotions from the horror show that the event turned out to be. Still, she helps Amavi up onto his feet, and he in turn helps Florian, so that they can join Loki and Rosie to make their way away from the Statue. “Put as much pressure on this as possible,” Loki orders, “When we’re out of reach I can assess it and wrap it in an article of clothing until we get help.”

At first, the Statue is hot on their trail. One wrong move and someone would end up in his grasp. But the crew of injured residents are able to defy odds, and they make it to safety with enough determination and teamwork.

As the Statue makes his first appearance and is responsible for his first handful of injuries, the rest of the crowd tries their hardest to get out of the town center after being what they feel is abandoned by the security that had been promised to them by Mayor Sweeney. It’s a terrifying situation for everyone, especially with a multitude of screams coming from all different directions, coming from a multitude of different sources.

Celia Thomas can’t handle all of the overwhelming commotion, and very quickly she finds herself too far in a panic to cope. She does the only thing she can think of doing - and she runs, trying to find a space away from the others to hide, hoping that it can keep her safe until the worst of the situation is over.

The first place that catches her attention is up onto the small stage, behind the row of paintings waiting to be auctioned off, all protected under crisp white sheets. She breathes heavily as she squats down as close to one of the sheets as possible, thinking that if any threat were to come closer, she could simply hide underneath the sheet, out of sight. She doesn’t feel safe as she hides, but she never would have expected to be in as much danger as she finds herself in now.

Suddenly a sharp pain is felt in her side, enough to warrant an agonising scream. She jumps aside, though in her position, she stumbles and falls down on her side - the one opposite to the one that now feels suspiciously warm and wet. She looks down to see that it now oozes blood from a new rip in her shirt. At first she thinks that perhaps she might have caught herself on a nail - but before she has time to investigate her theory, The Ghost’s knife comes down on her again. Before she can act, before she can defend herself or attempt to escape, she’s being slashed at and cut all over her body by the killer.

The attack is quick and even more overwhelming than the ordeal with the crowd had been. Celia is cut across her chest, her stomach, her sides and her arms as she tries to shield herself from the attack. She screams in terror and agony, more blood splattering over her than she can stomach. She feels wet all over, and she can’t even figure out exactly where the blood is coming from there is so much of it. Through the pain, she turns her back on the killer and she tries to crawl away enough to get up onto her feet. She refuses to give up without a fight.

As she moves, she’s suddenly overcome with severe dizziness, and her bloody hand slips out from underneath her, leaving her to fall down on the ground with a loud thud. She rolls in an attempt of escaping the knife, not once, but twice, until she finds herself laying on her stomach underneath the sheets draped over the donated artwork. She’s lifeless, but the Ghost still slashes her once across her back and down one of her thighs before she slips into unconsciousness. The Ghost believes they’ve been successful.

Ernest Goodarzi jumps up onto the stage for the same reason as Celia - he’s afraid of what’s happening, wanting to avoid the chaos of the screaming crowd who are trying their hardest to escape and protect themselves now that the security team are nowhere to be seen. He doesn’t see the unconscious Celia concealed under the sheets, nor is he able to differentiate the Ghost’s figure under their white sheet as it stands amongst the artworks that are still all covered up. The only evidence of an attack easily seen is the blood splattered thickly all over the floor, seeping out from Celia’s seemingly lifeless body, but he doesn’t look at the ground as he - much like Celia had - expects the space to be safe. He’s too busy looking behind him to see the mess ahead of him.

It happens as quickly as Celia’s attack; he stands there panting, trying to catch his breath one second, then the next a sharp and hideous pain is inflicted upon him, stinging down his entire back where the Ghost’s blade strikes. He wants to scream, but no sound comes out. He turns around to face the killer, dread and fear washing over him completely. It causes him to freeze, his body paralysed and his mind following suit. He no longer even feels the pain - only complete numbness as he seems to go into shock - until the Ghost strikes again. Ernest’s attack is as rapid as it is intense. The Ghost slashes him across his stomach, then his sides, and though his arms move up in an attempt to defend himself, the blade slices open his cheek before he can stop it.

Finally Ernest can scream out in pain, the injuries being way more intense than any he’s used to. The Ghost continues their attack, slicing Ernest’s arms and hand open as he tries to defend himself, his legs finally working again as he stumbles backwards. He tries his best to dodge the attack, but it’s harder than he ever would have expected, especially with the addition of the horrific amount of cuts he’s suffering through, the cuts that drench his clothing and splatter all over their surroundings.

He falls, landing on his backside and almost falling off the stage. He only realises upon impact when a loud cry escapes his lips that he’s crying, tears rolling down his cheeks, half alongside blood that rolls down from the cut on his face.

He doesn’t know how he’ll make it out. Not until he spots Diego Muñoz on his way out of the town square alongside the rest of the residents who are fortunate enough to have the ability to do so. “Diego!” he calls for his coworker. Diego doesn’t owe him anything - as it’s no secret that Ernest isn’t the best High Scores employee - but he desperately pleads for the man’s help as he fears he’s about to meet the end of his life. “Diego- please!”

He never would have guessed he would be so afraid of dying.

Diego mightn’t have even seen the attack happening if Ernest didn’t call out his name, likely not even alerted by the sound as the commotion of the fleeing crowd is loud and chaotic - and it would have been easy for Ernest’s calls to be drowned out with the crowd. Being in close proximity, he can’t let Ernest die. Though the last thing Diego wants to do is get closer to the figure under the sheet that once again reaches the younger man and cuts across his side a second time. Diego knows that at the very least, he has to try.

He jumps up onto the stage, grabbing the crying, bloody man under his arms so that he can pull him up in one swift motion. Ernest doesn’t even have time to utter a thank you before the Ghost tries to attack the two men on the stage. Diego ushers Ernest away, trying to rush over to the other side of the small stage, purely because it's further away from the assailant. Diego’s stomach drops at the sight of the blood splattered and pooled all over the floor. He assumes that it’s all Ernie’s. It makes sense considering the state of him, and Ernie is growing too faint due to his own blood loss that he’s unable to differentiate what belongs to him and what belonged to Celia, still unnoticed by the Ghost’s two new victims.

As they try to pass the worst of the pooling blood, Ernest slips, nearly taking Diego down with him as he lands on the ground with a loud, wet thud. He tries to get back up, but the slippery surface and the wooziness prevents him from being able to do so on his own. He feels himself grow weaker and weaker. He reaches for the easel closest to him, but only knocks a row of four down like dominoes. Celia’s body was only one away from being found bleeding out, close to death.

Diego is unable to help Ernest, as the Ghost fixates on trying to injure him now, as they have the other two. The killer is insistent on having their fun. The Ghost slashes the space in front of them, inches away from Diego. He dodges the knife as best as he can, trying to save himself from slipping on the blood as he moves towards an escape, only earning a few small cuts over his body.

As Diego dodges the blade, Ernest gasps through the pain of the deep cuts all over, and pushes himself up, only to then shove aside one of the paintings and easels to create a gap wide enough for him to jump off of the stage. He lands on shaky feet, almost falling over with the impact. He wants nothing more to assist Diego, but he feels himself getting closer and closer to falling unconscious.

Seemingly out of nowhere, his co-worker - Coral - appears. She’s bleeding with a cut of her own, but she recognises that she’s in a far better state than Ernest, who struggles to even stand. Though she’s frightened, she reaches out to support him. “Hold onto me,” she tells him, letting him wrap an arm around her shoulder for support.

“We… have to help Diego,” he says, trying to stay as alert as possible, “He saved my life.”

That’s when Coral spots the other man facing the attack. Back on the small stage, Diego tries his best to avoid meeting the same fate as Ernest - or, unknowingly, Celia. He does a good job of it, nearing the gap where the easels and paintings have been knocked down and away, the gap where Ernest had been able to jump through. Diego has the intention of doing the same, but no matter how hard he tries to stay on his feet, he slips on the blood.

Much to his dismay, he slips towards the killer, and as he does so, the Ghost uncharacteristically plunges their knife deep into Diego’s abdomen. He jumps back, a shock reflex that earns him more pain, the slippery surface underneath him causing him to finally fall down onto his back. He knocks the air out of himself and struggles, trying to slide away from the killer with his limited ability.

Diego doesn’t believe that he’ll be able to make it up and to the stairs that he’d climbed up onto the stage with, nor does he think he’d be able to stand and jump down following Ernest now that he’s in this position, but he knows he needs to get away before more damage is done. He rolls off the stage in one quick movement, groaning out in pain as he lands on his back even harsher than he had fallen onto the stage moments before. He’s paralysed with pain and shock for a moment, but with Coral’s help - and Ernest’s, to a degree, though he’s hardly able to be much help despite trying - the High Scores employees make their way back onto their feet and away from the killer, each of them relieved that they just may live to see another day.

The commotion of the crowd running is hectic, but the town square starts emptying effectively shortly after the attacks that come to an end. None of the victims believe it really will be the end of the attacks, however, and they’re right to think that - as none of the four present killers seem to be in any hurry to leave.

It’s only when the sound of sirens fills the space that the few killers spotted start to disappear, and while the private security team that Mayor Sweeney promised don’t make their return to assist those hurt, police and paramedics are soon on the scene to start cleaning up the mess that the town had already seen far too much of.

All of the victims but Trudy make it to Shrike County hospital in time to receive life saving assistance, even victims such as Celia, who at first glance aren’t so easy to find.

plot drop 008 features eleven of our muses encountering the scarecrow, the skeleton, the statue + the ghost.

alicia sloane is left with four large cuts down her back and substantial blood loss.

amavi rosales is left with a wound on his forehead and substantial bruising.

celia thomas is left with cuts across her chest, stomach, sides, arms, thighs and back, and severe blood loss.

coral reeves is left with a wound on her cheek and substantial bruising to her face and arms.

diego muñoz is left with a stab to his lower abdomen, multiple small cuts over his body, substantial bruising and severe blood loss.

dustin waerea is left with a sprained wrist, severe bruising all over his body and a concussion.

ernest goodarzi is left with deep cuts all over his body and severe blood loss.

florian bonavita is left with severe bruising to his neck, substantial bruising to his body, a deep cut on his side and substantial blood loss.

loki romanov is left with a wound on her face, substantial bruising to her face, deep pitchfork wounds to her side and severe blood loss.

malakai kings is left with severe bruising all over his body.

rosie mahelona is left with a deep wound to her thigh and severe blood loss.

as police and paramedics arrive at the scene in time, all victims other than trudy mcalister are recovered and survive the ordeal.

#shrikekillers #stabbing tw #blood tw #murder tw #death tw #injury tw

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shriketimes · 2 years

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saturday april 16, 1988

The Mayor has woken to a disturbing scene this morning, finding that his office located in Shrike Town Center has been broken into overnight. All that resided in the office, including confidential papers and private information relating to residents and businesses located in Shrike Heights, were reportedly strewn all over the office, with quite a lot of damage done to the property. Town officials are working diligently to assure nothing was taken. The Mayor warns against such acts of vandalism, expressing that if anyone is attempting to find anything, he has nothing to offer, and that if this is the work of reckless hooligans trying to rile him up or be destructive for no good reason, they will be caught and punished. The perpetrator/s are currently unknown, yet local authorities are looking into residents that they have reason to believe might have information. This incident is said to be unrelated to the Shrike Killers, and authorities are asking for any witnesses to come forward with their information.

#shrikekillers #prompt 07

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shriketimes · 2 years

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Seemingly no one has been able to shake the feelings of dread and hopelessness since the last high-scale attack on Shrike Heights residents took place. It nears two months after the last incident and it still feels like it was only yesterday that beloved community members had their lives either stolen from them forever or at least permanently changed after acquiring injuries and mental anguish in the attack. The end of this doesn’t seem like something that will ever be realized, and the tensions and fear only grow as more and more incidents occur across town.

tuesday march 22nd, 1988

It’s the afternoon in Shrike Heights, though darkness isn’t approaching to render residents afraid just yet. It’s still bright enough and pleasant enough for people to be out and about without the paralyzing fear or paranoia that comes with the darkening of the sky like clockwork, though the uncharacteristically windy skies today bring a chill over them as they enjoy their freedom while it lasts. Arne Berman is one of the many people around town today; he walks down the street in a quiet part of Downtown, not thinking much of what’s happening around him as nothing out of the ordinary graces his presence to catch his interest.

Max Alexander appears to be in the same position as the man, vacantly walking in Downtown without alluding to having much on his mind. They walk on the same sidewalk, though they’re walking in opposite directions, walking towards each other. Neither of them make any attempt to meet the other’s eye or interact; it’s quiet and both go undisturbed as they continue to move closer and closer without hesitations or reservations.

Just as the two are about to reach each other, undoubtedly planning on passing the other and moving on to continue their separate journeys immediately, a white sheet blows rapidly in the wind across the road until it reaches the footpath they walk on. The two Shrike residents stop in their tracks to avoid being hit by it. The sheet pauses in between them, still rustling in the wind but now suspended in the air in a curious manner that makes both Max and Arne furrow their brow in confusion. They’re unsure of how the wind can hold the sheet in air as it does, but their confusion is quickly replaced by shock and a level of fear as the sheet suddenly assumes a shape that makes it look like there’s a figure standing underneath it.

This all happens in a matter of seconds, but for the two standing either side of the mysterious sheet it feels much longer, and for reasons unknown the entire scenario feels… off. It feels rather ominous, even though someone’s laundry blowing away in strong wind is hardly a threat, and even when the sheet continues to be blown by the harsh wind until it falls down in between them as quickly as what it arrived. Clearly there’s no one underneath the sheet, clearly it really is just laundry that has escaped from its owner, but that doesn’t completely ease either of their minds.

Arne and Max look to each other once the sheet is on the ground and no longer moving. They look to each other and continue standing in an uncomfortable silence until one of them speaks up to break the tension. “That was… fucking weird.” Arne says with a laugh, still looking to Max as if he’s waiting for them to validate his feelings and confirm that they saw what he did, too. Max nods his head in agreement, looking down away from Arne and to the sheet instead. “It looked like there was-” Arne continues, but is soon cut off by Max.

“Someone underneath it, yeah.” Max reassures Arne that it wasn’t just him that saw what he did, though it isn’t Max’s intention to be of reassurance. He takes one step closer and he squats down, reaching for the sheet to pick it up but then pausing as he notices for the first time the black stitching on the otherwise perfectly plain white sheet. “One shall take you away with it.” Max reads the words out loud, and the message adds to the chilling and slightly frightening energy of the situation in the worst way imaginable. An eerie silence follows the reading, even while the two of them both want to believe that the words mean nothing and aren’t something to fret about.

Before either of them can speak or more properly react, the wind picks up once more and a jarring gust of it blows the sheet upwards. Arne jumps back and out of the way, but the force knocks Max back and down onto the sidewalk viciously. He slides on the concrete a short distance, grazing his forearm quite badly. As he groans in pain and Arne moves to help him back up onto his feet, the sheet continues to blow in the wind, flying away from them and leaving them finally.

Neither of them can explain why the experience has left them feeling so shaken, so uncomfortable, so uneasy, but with no words to describe why they feel as they do, they try their hardest to resume their ordinary days. As sinister as it feels, surely it was nothing bad.

wednesday march 23rd, 1988

The closing shift at Key Of Reason isn’t any more difficult than the closing of other stores in Shrike Mall, but to be frank, closing any store in the mall isn’t an easy task right now. Most employees know by now that the closing shift is when they’re most at risk of falling victim to an attack, and understandably a lot of them try to do everything in their power to avoid having to work them. Today Veronica Velasco and Felix Carter have been unlucky enough to be left with the job of closing up their store for the day.

The work isn’t hard for them to get through, it mostly just becomes annoying when everyone is eager to get home as quickly as they can, hopefully in one piece if they can manage to escape without a sighting of one - or multiple - of the killers that love to frequent after hours. It’s frustrating feeling the pressure that comes with needing to get the job done quickly, but Veronica and Felix have almost completed their work in record time. They make idle chatter in one of the storage rooms out the back when their work is suddenly interrupted by the sound of drumming coming from the front of the store, presumably one of the display kits they have out.

“I swear, if that’s that kid back again…” Veronica huffs, straightening up, having abandoned the repositioning of a box she was packing away before the interruption. “Who sees all the lights dimmed, the store literally closing, and thinks that it’s an invitation to come test out the floor models?” She doesn’t bother Felix with more than a few comments made out of irritation before she makes her way towards the store front.

“We’re closed!” They call as they walk out, but the second they step foot out of the storage room and lay eyes on the disruption, they freeze in fear. The Skeleton stands beside the drum kit mere feet away from Veronica. He holds what appears to be a femur bone in his right hand, and he uses the bone to drum poorly and loudly; he’s unphased by Veronica’s presence, his actions unchanged despite now being seen. Veronica, by contrast, is thoroughly affected by the scene she’s walked in to. She wants to scream for help but no sound comes out on her first few attempts.

Still in the storage room, Felix trusts Veronica will be able to handle the situation of some kid bothering them past closing - it’s not uncommon and usually dealt with within seconds. He finishes the work they were doing together without thinking much of anything, but then he comes to the realisation that the drumming hasn’t stopped. He furrows his brow and he goes to check on Veronica and whoever’s causing them issues, his mind not straying to the idea that something really sinister is happening yet.

Felix finds Veronica in the doorway just in time to be of assistance. Faster than what Veronica can comprehend, too quickly to allow her to prepare or save herself from harm, the Skeleton throws the femur bone he holds with great force. It makes impact with Veronica’s forehead, splitting her skin open, sending blood dripping down her face, and she falls backwards into Felix’s arms - luckily he’s there to catch her. She almost passes out from the blow, and as she’s slumped over, limp in Felix’s arms, Felix looks ahead to see the killer for the very first time.

It’s always a terrifying experience, seeing a killer in the flesh, and the two Key Of Reason employees feel it wholeheartedly as they stare wide-eyed and frightened in the direction of the Skeleton. Just as Veronica had, Felix freezes with fear, but the second the Skeleton takes a step in their direction they both snap out of their paralysis and they fumble backwards into the storage room together. Veronica kicks the door closed and stumbles to the side, leaning against a shelving unit to save herself from falling due to the dizziness, and Felix locks the door securely as quickly as he can with his hands shaking so badly from anxiety.

They’re lucky that a bright red emergency phone hangs on the wall beside one of the shelves. Felix can’t find any words as he locates it, trying to keep his anxiety under control, but he knows that he has to call for help - knowing he’d be better for the job as Veronica’s head injury has left her woozy. Speechlessly he helps sit Veronica down on a small box packed with smaller boxes of Shure SM57 microphones inside, and as he reaches for the landline the Skeleton begins banging on the door, slow, loud, jarring thuds. It rattles Felix, but he tries to breathe through the noise and he picks up the phone to alert the police. They assure him they’ll be there momentarily, and he passes on the message to Veronica in as few words as possible.

The authorities are right in saying that they’ll only take a moment to arrive on the scene, but to Felix and Veronica it feels like forever. The banging on the door grows louder and louder, Veronica’s head throbs harder and harder with each hit, Felix’s shakes grow more and more intense with each second passed. Then suddenly the banging stops. The two inside of the vast storage room think the same thought without discussing a thing out loud; they both think the Skeleton is trying to get inside, and that the largest and loudest blow that will break down the door is about to come. It never does.

Instead, the sound of the police force fills the store. Veronica is the first to brave it outside of the storage room - eager to get medical help - and Felix follows suit. The Skeleton is no longer there, and the first police officer to speak up informs the victims that he was already gone when they arrived, that he must have known they were coming. It’s reassuring to know that they’re safer than they were moments earlier, but neither of them feel safe. Felix in particular can’t shake the feeling of direct threat; it feels like danger is still lurking around the corner, or as if the Skeleton is still there. He’s trying to hold it together as best as he can until he’s allowed to leave, and that’s when he spots the remnants of the Skeleton that have been left behind. Small bones have been arranged on the counter to spell out three words. “Bloodshed follows bloodshed.” He reads, all remaining colour draining from his face.

thursday march 24th, 1988

Samantha Webb is yawning as she approaches her place of work. It’s early in the morning, too early, she thinks, walking through an uncharacteristically empty Shrike Mall on her way Life Rose On. It’s not often that she gets the opening shift, but she’s glad it’s this over the closing one as she’s grown much too terrified to be in the mall so late, especially after her older brother was a victim of the last high scale attack here. She knows she’ll settle into the shift once the store is open and ready for customers, but for now she just accepts her sleepy state and she carries on with her business.

The air has a real chill to it this morning, and for some reason it makes Samantha feel somewhat uneasy. She keeps telling herself that it’s just her fatigue and stiff body still yet to warm up that makes her feel this way, but regardless, the hair on the back of her neck stands up and she takes a paranoid look behind her before she shivers and reaches for her keys. They go in smoothly and she unlocks the door with ease; she’s not the only employee scheduled on for the opening shift today and as she unlocks alone she hopes that whoever is to join her arrives promptly.

She still feels a degree of unnerved but she really isn’t thinking much of it. With Shrike residents continuing to be brutalised so frequently - and with it hitting so close to home after what happened to Patrick - it makes sense for Samantha to feel uncomfortable while alone here; she assumes nothing evil is lurking around the corner and that she’ll get through her entire shift just fine no matter how she feels. In the back of her mind she’s expecting to finish her shift and think there was no need to fret, but then she steps into the store and she flicks on the lights to be met with the most unexpected scene.

The shock of what she sees knocks the breath out of her. The flowers inside have almost all been crumpled and destroyed, ripped apart, trodden on, thrown all over the floor; it’s a mess inside the store that is usually so beautiful and peaceful. Not a single stem remains in its place and it’s a confronting sight, even for the split second that Samantha believes it to be the work of some underage vandals with no darker hidden agenda. Unfortunately that moment ends when Samantha steps further into the store and looks to her right, where a gruesome scene catches her eye.

“Fear him who can destroy both soul and body.” She reads the words out loud only to check if she’s capable of moving, breathing and speaking in her terrified state. The message is written in blood, the blood presumably belonging to the three dead rabbits that are hung by their necks in a rope trap so they’re level with the writing. “Oh no…” This time Samantha doesn’t realise that she’s speaking out loud, but she couldn’t care less, not when the situation at hand has just become so much darker than she first assumed it to be. She could scream, but before she can someone else steals her voice and makes the noise for her.

Posey Bryant arrives at Life Rose On only a couple of minutes late. They’re sure their co-worker won’t mind, especially not when they tell them the anecdote about the baby deer that blocked the road on their way to their shift. They walk swiftly towards the store front and as they approach, seeing the lights already on, they feel guilt wash over them. They hope Samantha hasn’t had to do too much on her own before they can jump in to assist, but the second they reach the doorway they can see plainly that that isn’t the case. They know it’s not Samantha’s doing, and they recognise that they share feelings of confusion and shock as the woman stands frozen.

Their heart breaks as they take in the picture of all of the once beautiful flowers now completely trashed. Posey doesn’t understand how anyone could do something like this to Life Rose On of all stores, a store that’s primarily responsible for sending condolences and support to victims of the attacks right now. There’s not many places in the mall that directly deal with victims and loved ones of victims, and Posey is offended and distraught knowing that their business has been disrespected and impaired in this way. Their thought process happens in an extremely similar fashion to Samantha’s; first they think some insensitive kids must be responsible, but then their body turns to the right as they still stand in the doorway and they see what Samantha looks at in horror.

Posey is speechless, and while they would have naturally come to the conclusion that whoever’s responsible for this must be a killer, the idea is confirmed in the form of an arrow wiping harshly through the air in their direction. It makes contact with their skin, only just, but enough to rip open their shirt, cut across their chest high up and send blood slowly flowing down their front. Posey screams, alerting Samantha of their presence for the first time, and the two of them look through the door just in time to miss the Hunter, who retreats into the darkness.

“My chest-” Posey reaches up with a hand to try to apply pressure to their wound, but it’s large and in an awkward place, making it somewhat difficult to stop the slow bleeding. They’re lucky that the bleeding isn’t so rapid, but they still think they might need stitches if the amount of blood that soils their shirt means it’s so bad. “We need- help.” Their words are strained and their voice isn’t coming out properly. Samantha rushes to Posey’s side and immediately reaches to support their weight as much as they need to as Posey begins to sway and struggle with the intensity of everything that’s just happened. “Should… Should we hide?” Posey whispers, their voice coming out easier that way, but their groans of pain are still full volume.

“And be trapped like rats? I don’t know… You need to go to the ER, Posey.” Samantha reaches up to hold pressure on the half of Posey’s wound that they neglect. She doesn’t mean to be so pessimistic, but their fright and their anxiety doesn’t make it easy for them to put a positive spin on anything. “We need to get out of here. I’ll help you, we just- we need to make a run for it. I can’t see him, we need to go while we still can.” Samantha doesn’t want to end up injured like Posey, or like her brother was in January. Hiding is a good choice for some, but she knows how some of the people in the last attack fared when they tried to hide… Samantha doesn’t like their chances, especially not with the urgency of Posey’s wound.

In their desperation to recieve help, Posey nods and is willing to go along with Samantha’s plan. Surely uninjured Samantha can assess the situation with more clarity than what Posey can, but they also suppose that Samantha would be more likely to get them through this if they were in more equal states. Ultimately it doesn’t matter, and Posey doesn’t care to ponder for more than a second before they let Samantha begin to lead them away. They both run, despite Posey’s injury and the horrific fear they both feel, and while they’re both thinking the worst and assuming that they’re about to be caught and killed any second, they arrive at the security office with no further issues and are immediately assisted.

friday march 25th, 1988

The sun is shining through the trees of the forest and landing on the ground in Old Shrike in intricate patterns. It’s a beautiful sight and a surprisingly beautiful day, surprising all of the residents who have gotten used to the brutal cold that has been dragging on since it began at the beginning of Winter. The nice day has brought a lot of the locals outside of their houses to enjoy the sunshine, and one pair of friends that grace the outdoors happen to be Noah Cohen and Jupiter Bernstein.

They walk with their cameras held firmly in their hands, and they seem to talk nonstop about topics both related and otherwise. Between conversations so far from the activity they’re partaking in Jupiter stops Noah and asks him for different tips and for more advice in order to make his photographs come out as good as possible. They spend a lot of time on the outskirts of the forest, Jupiter testing out different shots with Noah’s guidance, the two of them filling the space with their echoing voices.

On multiple occasions the forest becomes the point of conversation. They both seem to share the opinion that it looks especially creepy with how the sun shines through and makes the darkness inside of it appear even darker than what it really is. It’s ominous, and staring inside for too long seems to give the two men the creeps. “I feel like those pockets of light would make for some really pretty pictures, no matter how beginner level I am, but I wouldn’t dare brave it in the shadows to get there.” Jupiter muses. “It’s creepy, man. Yeah, I’m definitely staying on this side of the trees.” He shakes his head in disapproval of the idea that neither of them are proposing.

Noah’s laughing at the tone of voice Jupiter uses, laughing at how he seems to make everything dramatic, and it’s a nice feeling to escape from the feeling being around the mall provides everyone with. The thick tension that comes with the threat of killers doesn’t linger in this part of Old Shrike like it does in the Central Business District, and it’s safe to say that the likes of Jupiter and Noah deserve a break from it. Their moods are near identical and are quite positive, even while implying that something of danger could be lurking in the shadows so near to them.

The forest stays in the front of their minds as Noah suddenly spots an abnormality on one of the trees at the edge of the forest. He squints to try to better make out what’s covering the patch of tree, and when he realises someone has made a carving a wide grin spreads over his face. “Ooh, two love birds eternalising their feelings for each other, perhaps?” He gestures to the tree that’s caught his interest and Jupiter turns his head to follow his line of sight, clearly interested also. Simultaneously, they take a step towards it, but as Noah gets a closer look he suddenly stops and he speaks up again. “Wait,” he warns, his happy expression replaced with a gaze of confusion, worry, even.

Instead of there being a note etched on to the tree to express a couple’s love for one another, the words there are quite mysterious, quite unsettling. “Into the unquenchable fire…” Jupiter reads them aloud, stepping closer yet while Noah stays back. The four words are enough to change the entire tone of this outing; neither of them can explain why it makes them feel so uneasy, or why they both begin to feel slightly scared, even. They stand in a silence so different from moments earlier until Jupiter holds his camera up to snap a picture of the tree. The flash goes off and illuminates the shadows behind the large oak, and as it does Noah’s breath catches in his throat.

“Jupiter.” His voice is more serious than what Jupiter has ever heard before. It alarms the older man, who turns to look at his friend. “When your flash- It looked like…” He’s struggling to articulate himself. Fear is consuming every inch of his body and his eyes stay fixed to the darkness right behind the tree Jupiter is only feet away from. “I think someone…” He doesn’t finish his sentence, but he doesn’t have to. Jupiter looks at Noah with concern, and then silently he turns back to the forest. He takes another step towards it; Noah feels himself start to sweat, worried for Jupiter yet at the same time feeling confused as to why he’s so worried. Surely nothing so sinister is lurking so close, right?

Jupiter holds up his camera once more as Noah waits with breath. The older man hesitates; he feels more unsettled now than he has ever felt before and he is far from a fan of the feeling. It feels like an eternity passes before Jupiter finally makes a ‘click’ and takes another picture. The flash illuminates the area just in time for the two of them to see the Scarecrow there, holding his pitchfork and immediately swinging the weapon as his space lights up. Jupiter is cut across his stomach with the pitchfork, earning four deep cuts, the force of the blow throwing him down onto the ground. His camera smashes beside him, but his once beloved possession is far from his mind as he’s more concerned with making it out alive.

Against his better judgment - but because he knows it’s the right thing to do - Noah drops his camera to hang security around his neck on its strap and he rushes closer to the killer to help his friend. He moves as quickly as possible, sharing Jupiter’s desperation to make it through the ordeal with his life. “Forget it,” he says about the camera, wanting to make sure his friend isn’t going to act foolishly and cost them anything. “It’s okay.” He doesn’t know what else to say in the moment, feeling pale as he takes note of Jupiter’s wounds and shaky as he moves quickly to get him back on his feet. Jupiter groans and screams in pain, hunched over as he stands, but he pushes through to run alongside of and with the help of Noah.

They both think it’s a miracle, that they’re able to make it up without the killer worsening anyone’s state, and they’re in a mutual state of disbelief that they’re also able run away from the forest and in the direction of help. Jupiter struggles, but they reach safety and a stranger on the street who helps get them to Shrike County hospital to tend to his wounds. Though the two don’t see the Scarecrow again, they can’t shake the feeling that he’s still close.

saturday march 26th, 1988

Billie Reid hums a tune to herself absentmindedly as she walks past Town Hall. It’s a weird feeling passing through a part of town that was once so busy, especially on a Saturday morning, but she supposes she should start getting used to all of the traffic - foot and otherwise - now passing through the mall in Shrike Heights more than anywhere else. With so many new people gracing - or perhaps plaguing - their small town, Billie feels as though there should be more people still around Town Center, more people everywhere, actually; the fact that she feels so alone walking down this street has her feeling unsettled.

She feels slightly uncomfortable but she can’t quite place why. She’s not completely alone; some people come and go in the spaces around her, some pass her silently or with a smile and small ‘hello’, and cars on the street head in the direction of the grand mall. Regardless, she can’t shake how she feels, not even as she reassures herself that things are alright with every step she takes. It’s an odd feeling to feel this way without a valid reason, and the fact that it’s happening sees anxiety creeping up on her.

She battles with this inner turmoil while seeming completely unchanged to any outsider, but that changes when she suddenly stops right in her tracks. All thoughts of herself fly right out of her head as they’re replaced with fear due to what she sees. In front of her the sidewalk is painted a dark red that she knows can only be blood. Swallowing thickly and breathing an incredibly shaky breath, her eyes follow the blood up the sidewalk and around the corner until it’s out of sight; the blood trail leads her into the alleyway, and as Billie stands frozen with fear her mind is bombarded with the most intense theories of what terrifying thing she might find there. She doesn’t think she can investigate, especially not when she finds herself unable to move a single inch of her body.

Fear sticks her to the stop until footsteps are suddenly heard and someone goes to pass her. Billie turns her head, paranoid, and when her eyes fall to Rosario Moreno - someone she doesn’t believe to be a threat - she sticks out her arm and she stops them from walking. “Stop,” her voice doesn’t come out quite right, but the word is still decipherable. “Look at the sidewalk.” She orders, and Rosario’s focus that has previously been on the sky, busy with thoughts of what the weather is planning on doing for the day, now turns to the blood drenching the ground. They note that it still looks wet, fresh.

“What is it?” They ask, obviously knowing that the substance is blood and meaning to ask the source of the blood. Their feet aren’t moving any more than Billie’s are, but they’re curious to know if Billie has followed the trail to find where it ends. All Billie can do is shake her head. She’s beginning to feel nauseous, looking at the blood and now being hit with the stench that confirms it’s exactly what she thinks it is, and the uneasiness she felt before this discovery is quickly developing into a fear more uncomfortable than any she has felt previously. She can’t answer Rosario and she can’t find the strength to make any moves to lead to the discovery.

They both stand still for a moment; the sight is confronting. But then Rosario moves, taking careful steps beside the trail that glistens in the small amount of sun that shines overhead. ”That’s a lot of blood…” Rosario speaks again, turning their head back to look at Billie. Only then does she begin to walk behind the older person, keeping a distance and feeling herself grow shakier and shakier with each step. “What the fuck has…” She reaches the corner and they both note that the smell gets stronger, it gets worse. Billie takes a moment longer to arrive at the same place, and with hesitance - hesitance that Rosario doesn’t display, unlike the other - they turn the corner to find the end of the trail.

They both step back and inhale sharply with shock. A still, lifeless, clearly dead body is laying on the ground in the alley. They lay in a large, spread out puddle of their own blood and on the front of their body their clothes are torn and blood soaked. Billie can’t believe that one body could leave such a bloody mess, but Rosario is no longer thinking about the blood. Instead their eyes lock onto the victim’s face. It’s been brutally mutilated; their smile has been elongated and altered to look like a jagged jack-o-lantern smile, and their eyes have been messily cut out of their head. “This was the Jack-O-Lantern killer.” Rosario realises, and Billie’s response comes in the form of stumbling back, away from the scene and to a trash can on the side of the footpath so she can throw up the contents of her breakfast into it.

“He could still be around, we need to do something.” Rosario scans their surroundings as their heart beats harshly against their chest. It’s not that they aren’t scared - anyone would be, stumbling across such a horrific scene - they just know that actions need to be taken in order for them to protect themself. “Stay here, don’t let anyone else see it, I’m going to make a call.” They tell Billie, who still vomits and cries into the trash can, and before they can wait for an answer that isn’t going to come they rush off to the nearest pay phone. Rosario doesn’t notice just how shaken up she was over the ordeal until she notices her hands trembling as she tries to dial 911, her voice following suit as she explains what she’s found to the authorities she’s not sure will be any help to them at all.

#partial plot drop 003 #shrikekillers #blood tw #death tw #violence tw #injury tw #animal death tw #vomit tw

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shriketimes · 2 years

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thursday january 28th, 1988

What was first thought to be a Happy New Year has turned into a Horrific New Year, with the gruesome crimes returning to Shrike Heights. Authorities were beginning to believe that the Shrike Heights Killers had hung up their masks and put away their weapons after their last confirmed attack took place in October of last year and ended with the death of one of the mysterious criminals. Unfortunately late yesterday evening the Jack-O-Lantern, the Ghost and the Hunter were all responsible for the injuries of five employees and the death of two, with two other victims left physically unharmed but mentally brutalized like the rest of them. The attack took place once again in our beloved Shrike Mall, and thankfully our vigilant and dedicated team of authorities were able to arrive on the scene in time to dispatch all victims scattered throughout the mall to Shrike County Hospital; all except those found dead on arrival are reportedly in a stable condition this morning. The killers once again escaped police custody, and as usual residents and mall visitors are asked to come forward with any details on the return of the crimes that they might have.

wednesday january 27th, 1988

“I don’t want to jinx anything, but it’s actually… It’s actually been a pretty good start to the year.” Stevie Serrano’s voice sounds apprehensive over the radio, but his face in the studio has a wide smile spread across it. “1988, you’re cold, but you’re doing good so far - you’re doing alright.” A playful laugh sounds through every speaker that’s tuned into the radio station for the end of another Shrikes! show.

“1988. I can hardly believe it.” Richie Wozniak chimes in now, absentmindedly spinning side to side on his office chair, causing a small ‘ting’ each time he does so; only those with their radios turned up loud can hear it. “It’s actually shaping up to be pretty decent - I mean, less murders for starters, which is always something I look for in a good year.” He laughs, it’s questionable that he does - questionable being typical for the radio host mostly known as Trashmouth.

Stevie laughs too, but turns from his microphone so listeners can’t hear. The amusement over their co-hosts words can be heard as they speak. “I too look for no murders in a good year. And it’s been nice, not having to report about the infamous killers every night. I like having other things to talk about, I’m pretty pleased we’ve moved on from it all.” It’s not easy to talk about death and crime every single night when it’s so close to home.

“We don’t always take what our callers say as gospel, but-”

Richie is cut off by Stevie. “Ooh, but you’re going to? This must be good.” He jests, teasing the other for only a moment before he lets them resume speaking.

“But I’m going to, I am, I’m going on the record and sharing publicly that I think they’re right. I think they’re right in saying that the killers vanished when one of them… you know… died or whatever at the Halloween Spooktacular last year.”

“I think… yeah, I mean, I think they’re right too. We haven’t seen any action since then so-” It’s Richie’s turn to cut off the other's speech.

“So either they’re gone, or they’re hibernating or something.” Another inappropriate laugh leaves Richie. He finds it much easier to laugh about the situation now that friends are no longer being slaughtered in the mall every week.

“Hibernating? Don’t… don’t do that, no. I don’t wanna hear that. I don’t wanna hear anything apart from that they’re gone. They’ve left, quit, given up. No longer in Shrike Heights. That’s the energy I’m putting out there.” Stevie’s tone is laced with both amusement and exhaustion. Richie laughs at the reaction he can elicit from his friend.

“That’s a good energy, I think that’s the right energy, I really do think we’re in the clear now.” Richie sounds so sure of himself, though the simple radio host can hardly be sure of the truth.

Like every other night, Richie and Stevie wrap up their show, bidding their listeners farewell to tune of ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ by Tiffany. They exit the mall untouched alongside most other employees, neither of them worried about anything more than the cold of the winter they step out into.

Despite the amount of time it’s been since the killers’ last reported crimes, and despite the fact that most residents seem to share Shrikes!’s opinion that the killers are gone - perhaps scared off after the death of one of their own - most of the mall employees are eager to leave their workplace as quickly as possible. The threat of an attack might not be so pressing, but regardless no one is especially thrilled about working so late, especially not when the weather is so brutally cold outside. Most employees working the late shift finish their duties as and are able to leave with the likes of Stevie and Richie; few others are left finishing up jobs their co-workers have refused or forgotten to complete for the day, however.

It’s been some time since most workers clocked out but Ian Vogt hasn’t been fortunate enough to leave Late Risers just yet. One step away from completing his duties, he agrees to take two large bags of trash out on his way to his car - it’s only slightly out of his way. After walking out of the mall through one of the side exits, Ian’s senses are overwhelmed. The cold air is harsher than he expected - it always is - and he’s met with a stench coming from the overflowing dumpsters he nears. Ian isn’t surprised to see that the mall is producing more rubbish than what they can handle; the monstrosity has brought more visitors than what Ian can even fathom. He is surprised, however, at the group of large, shining, brand new trash cans lined up against the wall beside the dumpsters. They’re larger than a typical trash can, though Ian still thinks they’ll all be filled by the time he returns to the mall tomorrow. Regardless, it's good to see the mall is at least trying to handle the issue - not that people seem to be honoring their attempt as trash bags pile high up in the dumpsters, forcing their lids to stay wide open. Despite being mindful of the situation, Ian doesn’t act any different from the rest; his hands are both holding heavy trash bags that leave him unable to reach for the lid of the trash can, so instead of depositing his rubbish there he simply throws them up onto the pile. Someone else - preferably someone more appropriately dressed for the cold - can handle that while Ian heads home to avoid getting frostbite.

Ian’s feet crunch down on snow as he walks towards the front of the mall, heading in the direction of his car. It would be a lie to say he isn’t at least somewhat scared walking alone out in the open on the cold, dark night, but his car is soon in his range of sight and his eyes stay fixed there as the vehicle brings him comfort in knowing he’ll soon be inside, safe and warm. His eyes don’t move from their focus even as he turns the corner to stay on the footpath, wanting to avoid the piled up snow and the extra slippery ground elsewhere, wanting to make it home without any new bumps or bruises. With his focus being so wholeheartedly dedicated to his car, however, and to the promise of safety, he neglects to watch out for the dangers that might be hiding around the corner. He wouldn’t have believed there really was a threat on the other side of the mall wall, but she should have, as when Ian turns the corner he finds himself walking right into the Jack-O-Lantern’s knife.

The knife plunges into Ian’s lower abdomen faster than he can comprehend what’s happening. It reaches no further than two inches deep inside of him before Ian jumps back to save himself from further harm, the knife being removed as swiftly as he was initially stabbed. He’s in shock, but he recognises danger and his reflexes immediately kick in and encourage him to flee. Ian turns quickly and steps away, but his movements elicit extreme pain from his wound, and the blow of the pain mixed with the slippery surface he and the killer are on bring him down to his hands and knees. Fear washes over him intensely; he’s sure the stumble has cost him his life, but miraculously his shaking hands are pushing himself back upright before more harm can come to him. A few steps away from the Jack-O-Lantern is when he’s caught again, his attacker kicking him back down to the ground. Ian’s body slides on the ice down the path as he lands, and his head smacks the concrete path with a loud thud that makes Ian feel sick to his stomach. Blood from his stab wound begins to seep through his layers, and more blood drips down onto the path and spreads across his forehead as his skin splits open upon impact.

Ian’s vision is temporarily taken from him, and he’s never felt more dizzy or nauseous than this moment. While the shock sets in Ian’s mind is flooded with thoughts of dread, panic and sadness. He doesn’t think he can get away from the killer who has already taken so much from him and those that he loves, but he knows he needs to try. He screams with pain as he pushes himself back up onto his hands and knees, the icy ground burning the skin on his hands as he moves. He doesn’t get far before Jack catches up and gains the upper hand once more. First he kicks Ian down flat again, then he stomps down on his victim’s back; a loud crack echoes in the cold air around them, and Ian can’t believe he’s capable of functioning through so much intense pain and fear. I should be dead already… he thinks to himself, and the thought is enough to draw his emotions out; he begins to cry loudly underneath the killer.

The Jack-O-Lantern killer raises his knife and brings it down to his victim quickly, but not quicker than Ian’s next movement. Ian balls himself up, pushing his ability to function while injured as the movement introduces an entirely new level of pain to him. Ian screams, but not loud enough to stop him from hearing Jack’s knife make contact with the path beside him - where his body was only a second ago. Disbelief is added to the already long list of emotions the mall employee is feeling when he realises he’s escaped what should have been such an easy kill. Despite dodging him once, Ian still believes he’s near an inescapable death. That is, until he looks to the killer’s large boots and notices them slide on the icy surface ever so slightly as he regains his posture, ready to strike again. Ian might not have a deep history with fighting back, but this time he does fight for his life, and he uses all of his strength to kick the killer’s ankles. The large body standing over Ian slips and falls down onto the icy path; the confidence Ian gains from his plan being a success gives him the strength to scramble back up onto his feet while the killer is down, and he runs.

He quickly realises that the distance to run back into the mall is far too wide; having never been an athlete, Ian’s confidence is stripped from him instantly, and he begins to panic as he knows the killer will be back onto his feet in pursuit of him once more sooner than what he can escape. Instead of fleeing, Ian trusts his next strongest instincts and he hides. He can hardly breathe as he opens the lid to one of the trash cans he’s reached, the cold air, the pain and the cardio all working against him in conjunction. Though there’s a layer of trash on the bottom he knows he can’t waste time in being picky and searching for one completely empty. Ian jumps into the large trash can, doing everything in his power to hold in his screams as agony overwhelms all of his senses. He lets the lid he holds fall back into place over him and he continues to cry, curled up as small as possible, unsure whether or not he’s shivering due to the cold, trembling due to the fear or shaking because his body is in so much shock. Regardless, he thinks he’s found himself safe from further harm, and he finds comfort in the confined space.

That is, until a loud banging sends a sharp ringing through his ears. The trash can he’s crammed himself into begins to get smaller, the metal hitting against him and making his already bad injuries worsen. The Jack-O-Lantern killer had made it back up on his feet in time to catch Ian’s attempt at hiding, and he’s not letting the man escape while still so lively. Ian curls himself into even more of a ball, his arms coming up to shield his already wounded head from more harm. All that can be heard is the loud banging, until Ian’s fingers are caught in between the disfigured trash can and its lid, his screams adding to the noise. His screams grow louder as his fingers are broken, the ring finger twisting around so much that the skin rips open, creating another means for Ian to lose blood and gain more dizziness. Ian is well past his breaking point already, tears and snot mixing with the blood that drips down his face, but now he reaches a level where he’s unable to fight any longer. All energy is drained from him, he has no more strength left due to the intensity of his fear and the impairments from the blood loss. He’s soon rendered unconscious, trapped in the trash can that’s only just big enough to hold his weakened and no longer struggling body.

Perhaps Jack would have peeled the lid off of the can to have more gut wrenching fun with his victim if Sparrow St. Benet hadn't exited the mall from the same side door. His already unconscious victim no longer interests him; Jack begins to make his way over to Sparrow.

She’s never seen the killers in the flesh before but the sight alone is enough to turn her legs to jelly. Sparrow usually considers herself a brave person, but being brave in no way means she wants to fall victim to an attack. Not knowing that there was another victim out there, Sparrow attempts to save herself by fleeing. She runs faster than she ever has before; like Jack’s last victim, she’s never been one interested in sports, but her legs still carry her through the mall as quickly as she needs them to. She makes it to Dirtbusters out of breath, but safely; she pulls the keys from her pocket with trembling hands and she unlocks the door she had only just locked moments before on her way out. She wastes no time in running back into her workplace, not turning on a single light to avoid alerting the killer of her whereabouts, but on her way to the back she knocks over a trolley containing a basket of clothes a customer had forgotten that day. Clothes, towels and sheets fly everywhere, and the sound of the trolley rattles and echoes loudly. Sparrow ducks down in the darkness to hide herself in case the noise gives her away, squatting against the wall at the end of one row of washing machines.

The Jack-O-Lantern killer follows Sparrow inside, but they escape him quickly. Sparrow is only safe from Jack following her when another innocent mall employee emerges from their place of work. Flora Oliva was only a moment away from locking up Perkin’s Pharmacy and heading out herself, but she steps out and walks in the direction of Dirtbusters instead when she hears the footsteps of the employee she only just catches a glimpse of as they run inside. Her focus is firmly fixed on Sparrow, but then Jack’s large, intimidating presence catches her eye. Flora runs, but she’s managed to get too close to the killer and she’s not fast enough to get away. After having Sparrow escape him, Jack doesn’t play any games in catching this kill. He chases after the woman, reaching out and gripping her long, dark hair, using it to pull her down. She hits her head against the linoleum harshly - hard enough to split skin and cause a bleed - and the blow almost knocks her out.

Jack raises the knife still bloody from his last attack, and he plunges it into her chest repetitively. There’s no question whether or not the pharmacist is going to survive the attack as he so viciously takes her life from her, blood splattering the killer and the floor around them. Though she’s dead without a doubt, Jack’s work isn’t complete; he drops down to one knee and he begins to mutilate her face, carving her a smile similar to a real Jack-O-Lantern - much like how the authorities had found Shrike Mall’s first two victims last summer. After so many victims have escaped him, the quick success he has in ending Flora Oliva’s life serves as a reminder of all he’s capable of.

Flora’s attack is another one Sparrow is unaware of. They sit in their crouched down spot in Dirtbusters, ready to wait it out for as long as they need to - they’ll sleep in the back of the store if it comes to it, and get security to escort them out when they arrive for their morning shifts. Sparrow is content with letting go of their bravery to hide like a coward so long as it saves them from the fate of becoming another soon to be forgotten name on a growing list of victims. They’re able to calm their breathing down as they wait, able to recover from the run and begin to try to talk sense into themself; they’re safe where they are, Jack would have followed them right into the store if he knew that’s where they found themself.

Sparrow is right to think that she’s safe from the Jack-O-Lantern killer, but she’s seriously misjudged her safety as a whole considering he is far from the only killer in town. Suddenly a white sheet - one that had been knocked from the basket - stands up behind her. A figure is underneath the crisp white fabric, and as they reveal their knife it’s apparent that this figure belongs to the Ghost. As Sparrow faces the front of the store and keeps her eye out for the one killer she knows is in the mall, the other killer’s presence is completely unknown to her. The Ghost moves towards her smoothly and stealthily, maintaining the secret of their presence until a light outside of the laundromat hits the shining blade of the knife, that light then hitting one of the metal rings around the glass door of the washing machine Sparrow sits opposite. The light catches her attention; she moves her focus from the exit of the store to the glass of the door, and that’s when she notices the Ghost’s movement in the reflection.

Immediately Sparrow jumps up, lunging forward in search of escape. The Ghost swings their knife at Sparrow over and over as they glide smoothly on the ground to follow; while they’re able to reach the back of her shirt with the tip of their blade - cutting the fabric in a straight line - Sparrow remains unharmed and she manages to run fast enough for the distance to further separate them. She bolts out of Dirtbusters, the door opening loudly from the force she uses, but she freezes when she finds the Jack-O-Lantern killer and Flora. Sparrow lets out a cry, feeling nauseous and overwhelmed at the sight of her. She’s paralysed with fear both mentally and physically for long enough to see the Ghost nearly catch up with her, exiting the laundromat behind her. Their presence along with Jack’s movement as he stands and stares in her direction is enough to unfreeze her, though it in no way helps ease the sickness or the terror she feels. With all close exits blocked by a killer being in their way, Sparrow runs in the only other direction she can, right up the escalator that’s now stationary as it always is after hours.

Their chest aches as their lungs show resistance, but they know they must keep running, they know they can’t join Flora and meet the same fate. They try to not look back - they’re not sure they can stomach the sight - but their paranoia and fear fails them. It’s when they turn to assess the distance between themself and the killers that they reach the top of the escalator and run right into Hen Wen Szeto. Hen Wen falls to the ground and begins to curse the other, and the altercation further shocks the already emotionally overwhelmed Sparrow. Hen Wen doesn’t think that they have valid reason for running so carelessly into them as their anger and frustration over being knocked down prevents them from thinking clearly. Sparrow wishes to warn them about the killers downstairs but only finds herself more speechless and in shock over Hen Wen’s reaction. The loud volume Hen Wen speaks at as she turns in her unplanned seated position to look at the clumsy person pulls Alicia Incanti from her own workplace, the girl hesitant yet insistent on finding out what has happened.

The second Alicia spots Hen Wen on the floor, she rushes over to help her up. “What’s going on?” She asks, all of her attention on the two people ahead of her, her eyes not once even glancing down the escalators and catching sight of the killers. “Are you okay?” She asks Hen Wen as she’s pulled back up onto her feet. Alicia assumes Sparrow is at fault - albeit presumably accidentally - until she notices her heavy breathing and the tears rolling down her cheeks. “What’s going on?” Alicia repeats, only addressing Sparrow this time, her voice serious and shaking ever so slightly. She doesn’t want to register that she feels any amount of fear, but it begins to creep up on her. The two look to Sparrow for answers - Sparrow still looking distraught, in an absolute panic having all of this happen so fast - and after her initial struggle with composing herself she begins to warn them; she knows their time is limited, knows she can’t afford to slip up and take too long.

Unfortunately, their time was more limited than what Sparrow believed - but not because of one of the killers downstairs. An arrow whips through the air quickly, a whistling sound trailing behind its feathers, and it lodges itself deep inside of Hen Wen’s bicep. Everything around them turns silent, a collective breath held amongst the group as they’re all stunned. Hen Wen’s face is immediately pale; she steps backwards as her weight distribution shifts with the force of the hit, only the step makes her trip as she finds herself stepping down onto the escalator. Alicia breaks out of her own state of shock to turn as quickly as she can, reaching out for Hen Wen, but all she can reach in time is a bracelet that breaks and sends beads flying around them as Hen Wen falls down. Guilt builds up inside of Alicia, but the guilt is swiftly replaced by the feeling of horror as she sees the killers.

Hen Wen’s fall is intense. The arrow still inside of her bicep snaps off on impact, leaving nothing left sticking out, and as her body is so viciously thrown from stair to stair every inch of her feels bruised. It’s a painful fall. She sticks an arm out to catch herself - the arm without the arrow head inside of it and the wound that oozes blood - but her forearm can’t handle the force or the weight of the catch, and the bone breaks only moments before she lands on the ground of the first floor, all of the air being knocked from her lungs. She’s unable to breathe or move more than opening her teary eyes to see the Jack-O-Lantern approach her. Jack lowers his knife to her, taking advantage of her laying still while she desperately searches for her mobility, and with the tip of the carving knife he holds, the blade dripping a mix of Ian’s and Flora’s blood down onto Hen Wen’s face, he cuts a shallow line from the edge of her mouth to curve up into half of a smile. It’s hardly as intense as the deep cut that went all the way through Flora Oliva’s face to carve her smile, instead it seems more like a guideline - as if Jack is drafting his design while Hen Wen is still able to struggle through the attack consciously.

Before the other side can earn a matching wound, Hen Wen lets out a scream and takes a struggling breath - their first since landing. They raise the hand not attached to the broken arm and they try to push Jack away from their face; they’re unable to move the figure that is simply enormous compared to them, but instead they manage to push themself away from him with their force. Pain inflicts her entire body; as she regains the ability to move once more she makes use of every muscle that will move and every limb that will carry her. She rolls onto her stomach and she pushes herself up onto her feet with another scream. Though Hen Wen isn’t optimistic, though they don’t believe they’ll manage to escape, they begin to run for the door. An intense wave of dizziness makes them stumble, and their stumble costs them their chance at escaping. Jack kicks her lower back harshly so she falls to the ground once again, the impact of his large boots breaks her coccyx and the impact of her head hitting the ground knocks her out cold.

While Hen Wen is now an easier target than ever, Jack’s attention is caught by the rattling of a knife that tumbles down the escalator in a fashion similar to Hen Wen. Jack seems to find this and the prospect of more lively victims more interesting than ensuring his current victim is killed, so without hesitation he leaves them in their growing puddle of blood and he walks with loud steps up the escalator.

As the Jack-O-Lantern took Hen Wen for his next victim, the Ghost had begun their ascent to floor one where Alicia and Sparrow had both turned to find the killer responsible for the arrow that sent Hen Wen down to such a grim fate. Immediately the Hunter loads his bow with another arrow. This arrow whips through the air as his last had, but while the feather brushes against Sparrow’s hair, it doesn’t hit her. The next arrow that is shot in quick succession once again is aimed at Alicia, but she dodges the arrow just in time. As if he finds it fun, how Alicia tries so hard to dodge the attacks, the Hunter’s target stays on her. Arrow after arrow is shot; Alicia can’t run as arrows are flying both in front and behind her, but she slowly tries her hardest to navigate herself back to Snapshot while dodging each next threat coming her way.

Sparrow is so scared for Alicia’s life as the killer makes a game of the hunt to the point where she doesn’t at all see the Ghost slowly creeping up behind her from the lower level. She’s fixated on the Hunter in case he plans to make her the target once again, standing so still with shock, but as Hen Wen screams from the lower level Sparrow turns to check on the scene - despite her horror. Rather than finding the scene of the Jack-O-Lantern and his victim, however, Sparrow turns to find the Ghost right behind her, their knife raised and about to strike. With a shriek Sparrow jumps back, and much like Alicia, she begins to dodge attack after attack. The knife is dangerously close to slicing her each time it’s brought back down to her; Sparrow moves side to side, ducking down and jumping back up again, and while she manages to stay injury free for now she knows it’s only a matter of time before she gets hurt, especially with another killer now behind her. With these thoughts she formulates a plan, thinking that it could be easy to send them down the escalator much like Hen Wen had fallen. They lunge forward and try to push the Ghost down the escalator, but they’re terrifyingly met with nothing under the sheet where they reach. They feel their chest tighten with panic and they try again, only to miss the figure underneath the sheet once more. They know they’ll likely be injured before their own plan can succeed, so instead of trying to get the entire killer away, Sparrow knocks the knife from them, sending the blade tumbling down the steps with one firm push. Sparrow turns to run, and upon looking back the Ghost has seemingly left to retrieve their weapon.

Alicia keeps dodging the Hunter’s arrows as she watches Sparrow fighting the Ghost, unable to help them herself as the killer in the wolf mask seems so adamant about wanting to injure her next. It’s only when Sparrow disarms the Ghost and causes them to vanish that she thinks she can make a run for it, hoping that the Hunter will pause for at least a moment long enough for her to be able to keep running ahead of the arrows. She stops working so hard on only dodging, running with a frightened gasp leaving her, but then an arrow grazes the back of her neck, catching her blonde hair with it and pulling some out as it continues to fly past her. The next arrow hits her as she hesitates due to the first, and it cuts across the back of her calf. The cut isn’t deep, but Alicia underestimates the amount of pain it causes. She steps forward in an attempt to run again, but the pain of landing on her injured leg is enough to cause her ankle to buckle; the ankle is sprained but she pushes herself to keep going. The pain in no way nears the level of fear she feels, nor does it near the level of desperation she feels to get through it alive.

Hot tears burn her eyes as another arrow glides past her and cuts her bicep; with her other arm she pushes through the door to enter Snapshot. She can’t tell if it’s the pain or the fear that makes her cry, but either way it adds to the burdens that overwhelm her and it causes her to falter. Upon stepping on her sprained ankle, her leg gives out and she falls down in the store, hitting her forehead harshly against the counter. It’s not hard enough to split the skin, but she knows she’ll end up with nasty bruising if she makes it out alive. If I make it out alive; the thought she has makes her feel sick, and a cry escapes her before she can conceal it. She has to make it out alive, has to see her friends again, her father. Thinking of him makes her cry harder, but it also gives her more determination to ensure she is successful in getting out.

Alicia pushes herself up with use of the counter and she puts her weight on it as she moves around the other side of it and out the door that leads her to the employees only zone. Once inside the room she takes deep breaths to calm herself, keeping the lights out so she can hide. She believes herself safe for the moment until the Ghost glides towards her, coming from the corner of the room yet seemingly out of nowhere at the same time. She has no idea how she’s found herself in the same room as the killer she hadn’t seen follow her in or lead the way, but she doesn’t waste time thinking about the logistics. Instead in her desperation she steps into the large storage closet behind her and locks herself in it. Alicia knows as an employee of the store that the locks on this particular closet are sturdy to protect their expensive equipment, and knowing the fact adds to her fear and comfort at the same time; she can’t get out of there even with the keys being in one of her pockets, but the killer also can’t get in. She sits herself down on the floor of the small pitch black space, trying to control her sobs and stop them from being so audible to those outside; the last thing she needs is to draw attention to herself or attract a killer more equipped than the Ghost who can get themselves inside of her hideout.

Locked away so safely, the Ghost doesn’t try to get to her, nor do the other killers. Instead the Ghost seems to vanish once more, and the Hunter and the Jack-O-Lantern both pursue Sparrow as she runs up the stairs to floor two. It appears there’s only one person on the floor, Kit Sombun, who wears a look of disappointment on his face as the employee he was hoping to find on this level has already locked up and gone home, leaving only a King of Diamonds employee up there. Thoughts of his disappointment vanish immediately when he catches sight of Sparrow running so hurriedly. He stops walking, furrowing his brow, looking at her with an expression of concern but not being able to think much of it yet as everything happens so quickly.

“Is anywhere still open?” Sparrow asks breathlessly, doing a better job at communicating through her fear compared to when she arrived on floor one. “Is there any unlocked store?” She elaborates, asking frantically, needing to find them both a hiding spot quickly as she knows who’s following her. Kit is confused, not answering immediately as he doesn’t understand the importance of doing so, but then Sparrow elaborates on her words one more time. “The killers!” It’s enough for the diner employee to understand the situation completely.

“King of Diamonds!” He lets Sparrow take his hand as she passes him in her run, and together the two of them flee towards the store. They burst through the door and surprise the one remaining employee, Dakota Smith, who had been just about to turn off the one remaining light - a lamp sitting on the counter - so that they could leave. “The killers?” Kit is the first to speak, informing Dakota of what’s happening while asking Sparrow for confirmation at the same time, as if he can’t believe it. Kit certainly hasn’t had the time to register the events, nor has he seen the killers with his own two eyes; Sparrow doesn’t blame him and his need for the reassurance, and she nods to confirm that what he’s said is correct.

“Three of them, two of them were following me, I was running and got ahead but they’re still coming. We need to hide.” She begins to cry again as she speaks, taking this moment to think about everything she’s endured tonight; she feels bad to have led them this way, to have involved the other innocent mall employees, but she knows she had no other choice. All she can do is hope that they don’t meet the same fate as Flora or Hen Wen; Sparrow doesn’t believe she can handle witnessing something so gruesome again.

“We need to call the police.” Dakota suggests, thinking clearly as they’ve not endured all Sparrow has, not close to being as overwhelmed. “Have you called the police?” They check, and Sparrow shakes their head. “Get behind the counter, get down low. We’ll call the police and then we’ll hide.” Dakota’s voice is dominating and confident; Kit feels reassured in their presence, and the reassurance is more than needed as he begins to grow more terrified, the situation now feeling more real. They all move to behind the counter, crouching down, and Dakota wastes no time in pulling the phone down from on top of the counter, calling the police without hesitation and using their calm composure to explain the situation and get help sent their way. As they do so, Kit thinks about how they should turn the lamp off before they hide, not wanting the light to give their position away to the killers. It’s only moments after he has the thought that the phone call is complete, which baffles him and takes most of his attention. It’s absurd that the attacks are so frequent that the police hardly need a minute on the phone before they’ve understood the situation and have been dispatched, and even though the efficiency should comfort Kit, it scares him more.

Footsteps approaching break all of them out of their separate thoughts. “They’ll be here soon, they’ll at least make the killers flee.” Dakota acts as the voice of reason. They’re not confident that the police will do a better job than what they’ve done previously, but they do believe they’ll at least save them for today. “Follow me.” They say, grabbing one of Kit’s hands and one of Sparrow’s, swiftly pulling them towards the fitting rooms where they can hide - that being the only spot available to them in a store like this. They all enter one fitting room stall together, and they seem to do so just in time for the bell to ring, indicating the killers have entered the store. Kit immediately curses himself as he realises he didn’t turn the lamp off. It’s far from Kit’s fault that the killers have reached them, but in his heightened state of emotions he instantly turns the blame to himself. If he had remembered, maybe they wouldn’t have found them so quickly; Kit thinks he’s led them right to Sparrow and Dakota, and the thought makes him begin to cry. Dakota doesn’t let a single tear fall before they’ve wrapped their arms around him, providing comfort despite not knowing him and not knowing what’s going on inside of his mind.

The three try to remain as silent as possible as they hear the killers throwing around racks of clothing, making a real mess as they’re searching for their victims. There’s nothing any of them can do but pray that they won’t be found, but the odds are not in their favour as suddenly they hear the first fitting room door be kicked open. King of Diamonds contains six fitting room stalls; the three mall employees are hiding in the fourth, and all at once they realise they’re in real danger as the door of the second is opened next. Dakota is once again the one to take charge and help them; they gesture for the two to crawl under the stall wall through the gap into the fifth, then to the last. Sparrow is the first to go as Kit wipes his tears in an attempt to clear his vision; he soon follows behind, Dakota immediately after him. They’re unable to communicate with each other, but they don’t need to speak to know that they have to gain as much distance between themselves and the killers, nor do they need to plan their next move to all know they’ll need to run from the fitting rooms before the killers reach them. Once all standing in the last of the stalls, they all know there’s no room from hesitation. The third stall door is opened by the killers, only moments before Dakota nods to the others and gives Sparrow silent encouragement to open their stall door and flee.

They run. Sparrow is the first to pass the Hunter and the Jack-O-Lantern killer as they move, with Kit stumbling right behind her. It’s the first time he’s seen the killers, and it’s overwhelming - but the stumble from shock doesn’t make him fall or give the killers the chance to catch him. Dakota is behind the two, worried for the others more than themself and fine with being last place because of it. Kit worries for them, even though they don’t worry themself. He turns his head to look behind as they run, and it’s then that he notices the Hunter following closely. The Hunter takes a tie from on top of the counter, holding one end of it with each hand, and he loops it around Dakota’s neck to catch the selfless employee. Kit gasps, and both he and Sparrow - who just reached the door - stop dead in their tracks, frightened and stunned, watching the events unfold so quickly, faster than either of them can act to help.

“Keep running!” Dakota yells before the tie is tightened around their neck harshly enough to restrict their ability to breathe and speak. It takes only a second longer before the tie is dropped and replaced by the Hunter’s knife. Kit and Sparrow don’t follow Dakota’s orders just yet; instead they watch in horror, unable to look away in time before they see him slice the employee’s throat open. Blood begins to pour from the wound. Neither Kit nor Sparrow want to leave Dakota there, but they know they have no other choice. It’s evident as Dakota reaches the end of their struggle that they’re not surviving their attack, and the two victims left know that the least they can do is ensure Dakota’s help and sacrifice have not been for nothing. Kit cries harder than he ever has before, but he allows Sparrow to pull him from the store to keep running, just as Dakota had requested.

They know the killers are still right behind them, they know they must take their closest escape route, which happens to be the stairwell that will lead them to the highest floor of the mall. The two run and climb up the stairs as quickly as possible, both sets of lungs burning to match the state of their eyes that burn with tears. When they burst through the doors that take them from the stairwell to floor three, they startle Nick Jugah and Patrick Webb, who walk towards the exit together. “Killers!” Kit and Sparrow scream in sync, and the second the word leaves their mouths the two men need no more warning or information. They’re all running in the direction that takes them back to their workplaces, back to the only place they think they’ll be able to hide.

“I’ve got my keys, we can go to RadioShack, call the police.” Patrick tells them breathlessly, noticing Nick had been trying to get his own set of keys out of his pocket as he ran; Patrick still held his in his hands, so it would be less fuss. He bends down quickly upon being the first to arrive at RadioShack, and he reaches for the lock that keeps the gate protecting the store closed securely. His hands tremble, and it feels as though his heart is about to burst out of his chest as it beats so hard, but still, Patrick manages to unlock it and pull the grate up as the others catch their breaths behind him. He stands up as he lifts the gate open enough to allow them inside with ease; a still distraught Sparrow and Kit don’t hesitate, but before Nick can follow the gate is dropped closed. Patrick is shot by the Hunter, the arrow hitting him in the abdomen and sending him down to the ground. Nick squats down beside him, wanting to help him, but he’s unable to before Patrick pulls the arrow from his flesh with an uncharacteristically loud scream. Having no history with injuries like this and being frightened by the sight of it inside of him, Patrick thought it was the best move; Nick feels panicked as he reaches to apply pressure to Patrick’s wound, wishing he could have prevented the worsening of it before it was made to bleed so much more. “Get inside.” Patrick tells the other man, speaking through groans of pain, his teary eyes squeezed shut tightly.

Patrick wants to help his friend, but so does Nick. He’s not going to abandon Patrick out there no matter what he says. “Lift the gate, lift it up. Help me get him inside.” Nick requests help from Sparrow and Kit, who obey orders despite their states. Kit lifts the grate and Sparrow squats down. The process is far from perfect, but Nick pushes Patrick the few inches he needs to move to get inside, and Sparrow pulls - they don’t have time to try to get him back up on his feet, not yet. Just as Nick goes to follow, an arrow strikes him next, hitting lodging itself into the outside of his forearm and knocking him back much like Patrick was due to the force. Nick holds in his scream, as frightened and pained as he is, and he turns to see the killers taking advantage of the setback; they approach quickly. “Put pressure on his wound.” Nick orders with an intense trembling of his voice, the pain evident no matter how hard he tries to conceal how much it’s felt. “Get out the back, try to hide.” He continues breathlessly, and then Nick does what he believes is best. He pulls the gate down shut and he locks it without hesitation, wincing as he moves and beginning to feel nauseous. The three inside RadioShack begin to protest and try to argue against his actions, but Nick can’t risk their lives for his. The killers are only steps away. “I’ll be okay.” He reassures the group selflessly, and then he runs.

He uses all of his strength to hold the injured arm against his body, using his other hand, slippery with Patrick’s wet blood, to reach for his keys, pulling them out with a struggle. His own workplace isn’t protected by a metal grate like RadioShack - not containing anything as valuable or as important according to the mall - so he believes he’ll be able to get inside and away from the killers quickly as long as he beats them there. Nick reaches Tracks before the two preying on him do. His body is shaking as it struggles with his injury, and though he holds the key firmly a single twitch caused by shooting pain through his body causes him to drop the entire set of keys onto the floor. He worries his chances of winning are long gone, and even though he knows he’s in a time sensitive situation he can’t help but turn his head to check how far away the killers are. They’re dangerously close. By the time he’s back to standing up straight, the key sliding into the keyhole with difficulty, the Jack-O-Lantern has reached him.

Jack grips the back of Nick’s head, and he slams it against the glass of the Track’s door. Nick had been trying so hard to stay strong, but there’s only so much a person can take before breaking. He shrieks, gasps and groans as the pain overwhelms every inch of him. Jack repeats his actions, slamming Nick’s head against the door so brutally that Nick almost loses consciousness. He does it again, and the glass cracks at the same time that the skin on Nick’s forehead splits open. Blood drips down into his eyes, though it can hardly obscure his vision when the impact of the blows already caused him to lose sight temporarily. Nick’s body is mostly limp he’s that near unconsciousness, but the Jack-O-Lantern doesn’t stop; he pulls Nick’s head back again, and this time it’s brought forward to smack against the surface, the glass shatters completely, falling around their feet.

Nick is so weak, so dizzy and faint; he feels as if he could pass out easily with only one more small touch to his head. The only good thing about being so injured is the way this state helps him not be able to properly register the pain he’s in or the trauma he’s enduring. Nick can hardly register much of anything at all right now, though he’s somehow capable of woozy thoughts, those thoughts including the fact that he’s still thankful he helped the others, despite now finding himself here. Nick is expecting to die; he wholeheartedly believes that this is the end of his life as Jack has such a clear shot in killing him. But then the thoughts he’s having that are steadily growing more and more unclear in his increasingly worsening state are interrupted by thoughts of the police. He thinks about the authorities, how they were hardly of help last time he was in trouble like this, and how they probably won’t be of help this time either. Unbeknownst to Nick in his declining state, those thoughts cross his mind as the top floor of the mall is suddenly filled with the voices of the police squad that have arrived.

Police fill every floor of the mall, paramedics working alongside them as they expect injured victims and know they need to get them to Shrike County Hospital as soon as possible for their greatest chance of survival - they don’t want to have to publicise information of more dead mall employees. They search high and low, following every next trail of blood, their focus being just as much on the recovery of victims as it is on catching the killers - if not even more so. Once the first of the police reach the top of the mall, the Hunter immediately flees, and the Jack-O-Lantern goes soon after him, dropping Nick to the floor in order to do so. As he lands, Nick hits his head against the floor. He’s still unable to register that help has come as this final blow sends him into the unconsciousness he was so strongly trying to fight.

plot drop 007 features seven of our muses encountering the jack-o-lantern, the ghost + the hunter.

alicia incanti is left with a graze on the back of her neck, a cut on the back of her calf, a cut across her bicep, a sprained ankle, substantial bruising on her forehead and a concussion.

christian ‘ian’ vogt is left with a stab to his lower abdomen, a head wound, a concussion, severe bruising all over his body, two broken ribs, four broken fingers, one ripped open finger tip and substantial blood loss.

hen wen szeto if left with an arrow wound in her bicep, a broken forearm, substantial bruising all over her body, a large cut on one side of her face, a broken tailbone, a head injury, a concussion and severe blood loss.

kit sombun is left uninjured.

nicholas ‘nick’ jugah is left with an arrow wound on the outside of his forearm, a split open forehead, severe bruising to his face and a concussion.

patrick webb is left with an arrow wound in his lower abdomen and severe blood loss.

sparrow st benet is left uninjured.

as police and paramedics arrive at the scene in time, all victims are found and survive the ordeal - despite the severity of some of their injuries and the success in some of their hiding places.

#shrikekillers #plot drop 007 #stabbing tw #injury tw #trauma tw #death tw #blood tw #gore tw #all only written but still !!

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shriketimes · 2 years

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saturday december 12, 1987

What was meant to be an exciting opening of three new businesses in Shrike Mall has taken a turn for the worse as sources confirmed by authorities have released information detailing the moment a brand new store owner found a dead body upon entering their business when preparing for their opening. It is said that the body was found four days prior to the opening, and that police who scouted for evidence found nothing out of place but the body on the scene. Authorities advise residents not to worry as their investigation is ongoing, and as there is no evidence alluding to the idea that this tragic death has any relation to the severe crimes Shrike Heights have seen in the past six months. If you or anyone else has any information, please reach out to the Shrike Heights Police Department promptly.

#shrikekillers #death tw #prompt 06

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shriketimes · 2 years

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sunday november 1st, 1987

October has come to a gruesome end in Shrike Heights as the annual Halloween Spooktacular has ended in twelve residents injured and three others dead. The town had been left holding its collective breath after the last vicious attack took place at the summer carnival, and while everyone was hopeful that that would turn out to be the last of the tragedy they would see in the town, the Halloween event sadly took its own very tragic turn. Two previously involved killers were reportedly involved in the attack last night, while three new and unknown attackers were also said to be the cause of the injuries and the deaths of some of our beloved residents. Authorities are yet to conclude whether or not these perpetrators were all working together, or if some of the incidents were the result of Halloween tricks gone wrong. On behalf of the entire Shrike police force, the sheriff would like to remind residents that they are working endlessly to put an end to such incidents, they wish to assure all that they are working to protect the town and its people, and they encourage anyone with any information to come forward and contact authorities as soon as possible.

saturday october 31st, 1987

As the end of the night nears, the residents of Shrike Heights who have chosen to attend the Halloween Spooktacular! are still enjoying the event and the many activities that it has to offer. Some huddle together around the bonfire, escaping from the night air that has been growing ever colder since Winter nears. Some are enjoying a spooky-themed drink at Julio’s pop-up bar. Others are revelling in their success at the Halloween costume competition. The event seems to be a much needed distraction for the townsfolk - but like most good things in Shrike Heights, it is short-lived.

Lark Delaney is the only one from their group of friends who makes it out of the corn maze for quite some time. It isn’t until they’re out in the open that they realise how claustrophobic the maze had been making them feel, with all of its twists and turns and dead ends. As they wait alone, they can’t help but feel anxious and uneasy by all of the jack-o-lanterns sitting on hay bales that surround them. They sit at various heights on the stacks of hay, some of which even sit taller than Lark themself. Their memory is jolted back to that early October night when they were almost attacked by the pumpkin-masked killer. They swallow hard as they attempt to shake the memory from their mind, but their heart stops as they swear they see a jack-o-lantern move. I have to get out of here, they think to themself. Of course they think it will be safer to wait for their friends in a crowd rather than waiting for them all alone.

So they start to follow the path back towards the start of the maze, but find themself frozen in place when they think they see yet another jack-o-lantern move. It’s all in your head. Come on. Before they can make another start - their suspicions prove themselves to be true. The Jack-o-Lantern steps out from behind a bale of hay, his boots thumping loudly against the dirt, which makes him sound a lot heavier than he looks. With a sudden gasp, Lark stumbles backwards, over a stone and onto their back. The sound of their own head hitting the ground startles them, and they don’t give themself any time to recover as they sit up and look for the killer. Their head spins and their vision is heavily blurred. Panic truly sets in as it seems jack-o-lanterns are swirling all over right in front of their eyes, though they know immediately that they can’t trust what they see. They quickly reach for one of the garden stakes that line the path, and scramble to their feet, struggling to stand upright with the way their head spins. Squinting in an attempt to regain the clarity of their vision, they’re almost certain they’ve got him with they swing the stake - but instead, a regular jack-o-lantern bursts into pieces. They take a step back, taking a shaky breath as they search desperately through the mess of their dizzy vision, and they swing yet again in hopes of hitting the killer. Pieces of yet another pumpkin go flying, and Lark is beginning to feel a real sense of hopelessness. They’re smart enough, however, to recognise that they have no chance of fighting in this state. They flee, stumbling back into the corn maze without looking back.

Similarly to Lark, Momoko Noguchi finds herself separated from her friends, much to her dismay. It’s unsurprising considering it’s her very first Halloween Spooktacular, the layout of the grounds isn’t as familiar to her as it is to some. Nearby the haunted house attraction, they run into one of their Karaoke Dokie co-workers, Nathan Berry. “Momo! I don’t suppose you want to go into the haunted house with me? N-not because I’m scared or anything, but because… I thought you mightn’t have been yet,” he asks her, voice a little high pitched as though he were in denial. Momoko has to think about it for a moment, but she doesn’t have to meet Akito for another hour or so, so she agrees to go with them. Being her first Spooktacular and her first Halloween altogether in Shrike, Momo wants to make the most of it.

Inside the haunted house, it’s so dark that they can hardly see their feet. The place is decorated heavily in cobwebs and fake spiders, and dimly lit electronic candles. Black lights light up spooky Halloween decorations and props, and every so often, spotlights turn on to illuminate the animatronics and cardboard cutouts that jump in front of them as they move through the house. The two of them find themselves startled by the initial jumpscare, but their yells are followed with laughter as they make fun of the low-quality props once they’re in clear view. With each room that they move into, the door behind them shuts and locks, so that they’re not distracted by the lighting and the music emanating from the room before them, and so that they’re made to move forward through the attraction. Momoko feels a thrill knowing there is no return to safety, but otherwise she feels safe, especially since she is not alone.

Once they reach the center room, and the door closes and locks promptly behind them, they find themselves in a ghostly-themed room, full of fake smoke and cool air being blown in their direction. Standing stationary, in the centre of the room, right in the walkway, is a person under a white sheet. Momoko is anything but impressed by the costume. Other than the sheet seemingly blowing in the machine-made breeze, there is no movement from the figure, and they begin to wonder if there is a person under the sheet at all. Nathan and Momo don’t hesitate to move forward, ready to move on to the next room. But as her co-worker takes a few steps ahead of Momoko, there is a rapid movement, and a guttural scream. Nathan stumbles back to reveal a large cut across their stomach, and blood pours down their front.

Momoko’s heart sinks, and she immediately turns on her heels to reach for the door several strides behind her. She desperately fumbles with the handle but it’s securely locked, a measure taken to keep the attraction running smoothly. The Ghost approaches her, and she instinctively holds an arm up to block an attack. The Ghost’s knife cuts into her arm. Before she has time to react, they grab her by the hair and slam her head against the door. She slides down, her head spinning so severely that she almost vomits. She starts to see double once her vision comes back to her, and right in her line of sight, she witnesses her co-worker desperately trying to escape through the door to the next room. But it’s too late. The Ghost is slashing her co-worker with the already bloodied knife. At least five more large, deep cuts are scattered over her coworkers body before they fall to their knees, their skin turning pale as blood drenches their costume and pools on the ground around them. He gasps and splutters, hands desperately going from wound to wound as if he can cover them all and hold enough pressure on them to stop the bleeding, but eventually he falls forward and goes still. Momo cries out as she watches him die, holding onto her own wound in hopes of not meeting the same fate. But the cry alerts the Ghost once more, and they turn back towards her. There is nothing that Momoko can do, but it doesn’t stop from her from trying. She scrambles across the floor until she can pull herself up, desperate to reach the door ahead of her. She only gets as far as her coworker before the Ghost slashes her across the torso multiple times, blood splattering the props around her with the flick of the knife. Momo doubles over in pain, hopelessly trying to hold her wounds, her head even dizzier before. But then, she collapses.

Across the commune, the ghost train ride is running on schedule. On board are Josie Taylor, Lake Wright Townsend, Teagan Mitchell, Ángel Gasol and Sage Kahn, who are all finding the ride slightly underwhelming, but not without a little fear, being a dark ride further out from the rest. It all seems to be running smoothly, when the train stops with a sudden jolt, jerking the passengers forward uncomfortably. “What the hell was that?” someone asks. “Have we stopped moving?” another chimes. After a few moments of sharing confused looks, the passengers begin stepping off the dark-ride train in order to investigate. Though at first they think perhaps it’s just a part of the scare, the way the driver is handling the situation gives them reason to be concerned. Ángel makes his way ahead of the other passengers, to the front of the train, where the volunteer driver is examining the tracks. There, he sees what has stopped the train. Bones are scattered across the tracks, which obstructs the path of the ride. “The rides emergency stop was activated due to the obstruction,” he says as he examines the bones.

The rest of the crowd still feels uneasy about the situation. And suspicions are proven to be correct when suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a bone-clad figure swings a large femur bone and hits Josie harshly in the side. Before he even has time to register or recover from the first blow, The Skeleton figure swings again, and this time Josie feels a harsh crack in his ribs as he doubles over in pain. The other people in the attraction move quickly; some running towards the exit of the ride, others rushing to aid Josie before the Skeleton can swing at him again. Lake is the next to be hit, the Skeleton giving a full force swing of the femur right into her stomach. Lake is winded immediately, and she doubles over in pain until she’s hit once more in the shoulder, which causes her to straighten out. Tears sting her eyes and a desperate cry escapes her as she throws her arm up to block the third blow. It does nothing to help her. The collision sends a pain like no other through Lake’s entire forearm, and there’s no mistaking that the bone is broken.

Lake stumbles away from her attacker and reaches for Teagan. There’s a brief moment of hesitation from the blonde, whose fight or flight instincts have kicked in (and they’re telling her to flee). She knows she can’t leave Lake to fend for herself, however, so she carefully wraps an arm around her and helps keep her on her feet while her body aches. “Hold onto me,” Teagan tells her. Lake nods appreciatively, but she can’t find the words to thank her just yet. In the dark, they almost believe they’ve gotten out of reach of the Skeleton, and that they have some chance of making it to the exit with no additional harm coming to them. But the Skeleton is quiet and quick in the darkness, and Teagan doesn’t even have the opportunity to cry out before the femur hits her in the side of the head, almost knocking the two stumbling girls to the ground. Sage and Ángel are quick on their feet and they catch the girls to support them and immediately help them and Josie reach the end of the ride.

As the group make it out of the ghost train as safe as possible, they continue to run, concerned that the Skeleton might be right on their tail. Just as they’re passing the corn maze, with the haunted house in clear view, they all stop in their tracks. Ángel looks behind them so swiftly that he’s lucky he doesn’t pull a muscle in his neck, all to be sure that the Skeleton isn’t behind them. Though they seem to have lost him, they now face another issue. Right ahead of them in their view is the Jack-o-Lantern killer. The entire group is breathing heavily, half due to the physical exertion, the other half due to the absolute panic that is running throughout all of them.

“We should split up,” Sage is seemingly the only one with an idea in that moment as they quickly observe their surroundings. “Those of you who are injured should move to the hay bales. If Ángel and I run, we have a better chance of getting help. We can try divert his attention if we run.”

“Okay, good plan, you take the heat,” Lake nods, holding her broken arm against her, as if any amount of pressure will help the pain.

“Be careful out there,” Josie adds.

Josie, Lake and Teagan take refuge behind the hay bales, the three of them huddling together in an attempt to make themselves as small and undetectable as possible. Sage and Ángel run out in the open, making themselves seem like easy targets for the pumpkin-masked killer. They feel as though they’ve never run so fast in their lives, and they’re scared to turn back to see if their plan is working. Before they even get the chance to wonder if they should - Ángel finds himself knocked to the ground with a brutal blow to the back. Before Sage can turn around to see what’s happening, Jack repeats the action with them - lifting a heavy boot to knock them down to the ground with a force so powerful it knocks the air out of them. Sage groans and tries to pull herself away from the killer using her arms, but there’s no need. Jack has turned back to Ángel, retrieving his knife from its sheath in a quick motion, the sound of metal scraping causing Ángel’s stomach to churn.

Sage almost can’t watch as Jack plunges the knife downwards. She expects to hear a crunching blow and a guttural scream, but instead, Ángel uses the last of his strength to move at the very last minute. The carving knife slices along his bicep, but he lets out a breath of relief considering how much worse it could have been. He immediately starts thinking of his next move as he looks into the soulless eyes of the killer, who is busy raising his knife once more. But before Jack can make a move, a rock hits him square in the head with a hollow thud. While it doesn’t impair Jack’s ability, it does distract him enough for both Sage and Ángel to catch their breath and regain some strength.

Teagan is standing up from behind the hay bales, having just thrown the rock that distracted their attacker. She can feel her heart hammering in her chest as she feels the killers eyes glaring into her very soul. They stare at each other for just a moment too long, and it gives Ángel an advantage. He kicks upwards with some of his recovered strength, knocking the carving knife out of the killer's hand. Jack looks back at Ángel with what could only be assumed to be viciousness, but before he can react, Sage reaches for the knife, scrambling to their feet as quickly as possible. They waste no time plunging the knife into Jack’s neck. They let go of it, leaving the knife embedded in his neck. Jack immediately flees, and both Sage and Ángel take a moment to register what just happened.

Unbeknownst to the others, Teagan, Josie and Lake aren’t the only ones who have witnessed the attack on Sage and Ángel. Adi Hans and Hyun Min-Seok watch in horror, and they run before they get the chance to see the Jack-o-Lantern killer flee. As they escape from being seen by Jack, they see The Slayer waiting up ahead under the dim orange light of a lantern. The two of them are halted just outside of the haunted house attraction. They’re terrified, unsure of what to do. No matter which way they go, it seems they’re to be forced into danger. They’re only snapped out of their shock when an arrow is shot from a crossbow. Bambi winces as it grazes and cuts her side, and the two immediately know they need to find shelter. “The haunted house, we can try lose him!” Adi says, taking Bambi by the wrist and leading the way. With her other hand, Bambi holds her side securely in an attempt to stop the blood flow.

They burst through the doors, Adi leading the way. The two of them have been so shaken by the events outside the attraction that none of the jumpscares or booby traps bother them. They’re hoping to find some place to hide until they’re sure they’re safe. But when they reach the middle of the house, the atmosphere is different. There is no music, no spooky sound effects playing over the speakers, and the eerie quietness prepares Adi for a jumpscare that doesn’t come. Instead, all that catches their attention is three figures underneath white sheets, lined up on chairs, blood dripping from the figures and pooling at their feet. At first, they think it’s a part of the attraction, and neither of them are impressed. But the scent of blood hits them quite suddenly.

“Surely it’s pig blood,” Bambi says, trying to calm the anxiety that is building up inside them. They don’t want to consider for a moment that it could be real blood at all, but if it had to be, then they were silently begging for it to be non-human.

“No, it can’t be pig blood. The people of the commune wouldn’t support the use of real animal blood here,” there is a knot in his stomach as he approaches the first figure, slowly stretching his hand out to grasp at the fabric. He swiftly pulls it back to reveal Nathan Berry, blood dripping from his pale, lifeless body. It takes Adi a moment to unfreeze and remember to breathe. Bambi places a hand sympathetically on his shoulder from her position behind him, her insides tightening as she realises they might not be as safe as they originally thought.

Adi slowly approaches the second sheet, a little more hesitant than the first. Seeing one dead body is bad enough, but he needs to be sure of how many bodies are in the haunted house in case he makes it out to tell the authorities. He pulls the sheet back again to reveal Momoko - who he recognises vaguely from the mall. Her body appears to have fewer wounds, but she is equally as lifeless. He curses under his breath as he reaches up to wipe beads of sweat from his forehead. “You don’t have to look at the third one, Adi-” Bambi protests. But Adi insists that it’s the right thing. He pulls the third sheet back with less hesitation, but the same sinking feeling in his gut. However, when the sheet is gone, there is no-one and nothing underneath it.

The two of them stand in silence, in complete shock. How on earth could that be possible? What had caused the sheet to have such a perfect human figure, and where did the pool of blood around the third chair come from, when there was nobody there to cause it? Before they have the chance to discuss, or even ask any of these questions out loud, Bambi screams.

Adi turns to face her, just in time to see the Ghost standing behind her. As they stumble forward, Adi can see a large cut across their back, dark blood seeping into their clothing, a stark contrast compared to the fake blood of their costume. Adi catches Bambi, but the two of them stumble backwards into the wooden chairs of the victims. Nathan falls lifelessly to the floor with a heavy thud, and Momoko follows suit. Adi turns as he steadies himself and Bambi, but standing still even for the shortest moment gives the Ghost enough time to cut down his bicep. He groans, instinctively holding the wound as he stumbles backwards. Bambi gasps as she sees the body on the floor start to cough and splutter.

“She’s alive!” Bambi is astonished.

Adi immediately forgets his own injury, carefully scooping Momo into his arms and stumbling towards the door ahead of them, towards the exit of the haunted house. “Stall the Ghost, we have to get her out of here.” Bambi nods and takes no time to pick up one of the wooden chairs. With all their strength they throw the heavy chair at their attacker. The heavy wood pins the white sheet down, and the figure beneath thrashes and pulls, desperate to unpin itself. This stalls the Ghost long enough for Adi, Bambi and Momoko to get to the next room safely. The door shuts behind them, and they make their way out of the haunted house as quickly as they can with their injuries.

Back inside the corn maze, Lark’s dizziness has almost completely cleared up, though they’ve worked up a sweat and are breathless while trying to navigate their way through the corn maze. Despite their best efforts, they haven’t been able to find their friends. They suppose they’ve made it out, and it seems like Lark is the only one left inside. They need to catch their breath, and conveniently, they turn and see a scarecrow ahead that they decide they can use as a landmark of sorts. They use the place to rest for a moment, to catch their breath and compose themself. They don’t rest for long however, as they know their need to escape is dire. As soon as they’ve regained the strength, they’re running again, making mental notes of which turns they’re taking to prevent themselves from going in circles. However, that idea doesn’t seem to work, as they end up right back at the scarecrow again. Frustrated, they’re sure they just made a mistake. It’s a corn maze, after all. The twists and turns are supposed to trip you up, they think.

Almost frantically, they continue on, breaking into a sprint again. They decide to try take a different path than that of before, but as they turn a corner (one that they’re certain they didn’t turn earlier), they once again end up back at the scarecrow. This time, they’re even more confused, and their fear is steadily growing. They don’t waste much time to ponder it before they’re off again, and the next time they reach the scarecrow, their fear and confusion is added to with anger. Lark barely looks at the scarecrow this time. Instead, they back up to it and look around them. Is someone playing a sick joke on them? By taking the scarecrow from its spot to move it where Lark will find it again? To confuse them and make them lose their place? They stand still, breathing heavy, until something drips down from the scarecrow, a drop landing on their forehead.

Lark reaches up, wiping the liquid from their forehead and investigating it. Even in the slight shadow of the corn maze, they know immediately that it’s blood. Quickly, they look upwards. Lark gasps in horror and jumps back away from it. Instead of the scarecrow that they had seen the first three times, hanging up in its place is the dead body of Starstrike employee Hugh Mclaughlan. Lark barely even has time to register what has happened before they feel a sharp pain in their thigh. They push themself, leaping forward. The pain only worsens as four metal prongs that had impaled their flesh, reap down their thigh and tear out of them. They turn to see their attacker. The Scarecrow that they kept running into has seemingly come to life, and he stands holding a pitchfork that is now dripping with Lark’s blood. Warm blood rushes down their leg. The pain is intense, but the stab wounds aren’t so deep. Lark just finds themself lucky enough to still have the ability to support themself on the injured leg. They turn and hopelessly try to get away from the scarecrow. Before they can run fast enough, the pitchfork slashes them across the back. Though Lark falls forward, they’re able to scramble forward and push themselves back up to their feet, running faster than they’ve ever ran before. They don’t run into the scarecrow again, and this time, they believe they can see the start of the maze once again.

Once out of the haunted house, Adi - still carrying Momoko - and Bambi find Corey Windsor. The sight is completely unexpected, and he stares wide-eyed, completely shocked and frightened. It only takes a moment for him to register that all three of them are hurt, and once it’s realised he immediately steps forward to help Adi support Momo. “We should get back around the front. I could hear other people there only a minute ago. We need to find others who can help everyone get to safety.” Bambi and Adi hesitate for just a moment, but agree. If Corey had heard voices there only moments ago, it was very unlikely that the Slayer was loitering around that area. They assumed that he had either moved on to find new victims or that he had followed them into the house and that they were lucky enough to have lost him before having to face the Ghost.

They’re not right in thinking that the Slayer had moved on from the front of the haunted house, or in thinking he followed them inside, but they’re unfortunately right in thinking that he has found new victims. Mathew Lahde, Ryanne Williams and Miette Auclair, who have all separately found themselves in the area, are under attack.

Unfamiliar with the killer, Miette thinks that she is safe from the killer at a distance - but she couldn’t be more wrong. The Slayer makes use of his crossbow once again, an arrow landing right in the front of her thigh. She cries out, but her step doesn’t falter as she moves to duck behind a hay bale to prevent any more arrows being shot her way. Mathew is next on the Slayer’s list. He aims for the same place on him, but Mathew has a fraction more time to attempt the dodge. The arrow doesn’t lodge itself into his flesh, but it cuts his skin deep. The next arrow that is shot from the crossbow is aimed at Ryanne. She’s able to dodge it just in time, the arrow head grazing her sleeve. But in the rushed attempt to escape it, she finds herself tripping over the rocks that line the path. She catches her fall with her hands, but sharp pain in one says that she’s sprained it. She rolls onto the side of the path and scrambles behind the haybales alongside Miette. Thankfully for Mathew, the Slayer is distracted from that trio as Corey, Adi, Momoko (who is still unconscious) and Bambi emerge. The Slayer aims for Corey’s bicep and doesn’t miss. Corey cries out in shock, and near drops Momo as the pain flares in his muscle.

Miette - while struggling with her own injury - rushes out from behind the hay bales in order to help Adi and Corey with Momoko, and the Slayer aims for those further away as she does so. The larger group comprising of Sage, Ángel, Josie, Lake and Teagan are still in the same area as their run in with Jack, only a little ways down from those falling victim to the Slayer. Naturally, they freeze as they see the confrontation with the Slayer, and they try to contemplate what they can do. Spirits are low, people are injured, and things are feeling hopeless. The Slayer shoots another arrow from the crossbow and all Lake feels at first is a hard thud on her shoulder before the pain springs to life. Josie holds his arms up in front of his face and chest to protect himself from the arrows, but one of the barbed arrowheads manages to cut down his forearm as he protects himself.

Miette is once again aimed at, an arrow cutting across her back. It’s only shallow but it hurts just as much as the arrow to the thigh, as her body is already struggling to handle the physical trauma. Is this really how I go? She thinks to herself as the arrows continue to fly, aiming for all of the members of the different groups. Lark bursts through the corn maze, finally free of the scarecrow. But they stand in what is essentially a circle of different groups that the Slayer is having all too much fun targeting, that is, until he begins to miss. This fuels him with a rage that is evident in his body language. With his last arrow, he aims at the person closest. Ryanne, who has only been half protected by a hay bale, gets an arrow right through the muscle of her shoulder. She cries out and desperately tries to keep her breathing under control as she tries to think about what to do. As the Slayer moves towards his next victim, he swaps out the crossbow for one of his wooden stakes.

The Slayer reaches Mathew first, gripping onto his neck before the man can even attempt to flee. Mathew squirms and struggles in his grasp, but it’s no use. As Corey watches the attack, an idea comes to him like the switching on of a lightbulb in his head. Using his skills learnt from having played football all throughout high school, he sprints as fast as his body allows and tackles the Slayer. It doesn’t knock the killer over completely, but it at least saves Mathew from getting the stake through the chest, which is a relief. The heavily-cloaked man now stands amidst Corey, Adi, Sage, the now free Mathew and Bambi. Some are frozen in fear, some step back with an intention of escaping, and others are planning to fight as they know they can’t get away fast enough before being injured.

The first to be hit is Sage; they simply can’t move fast enough before the slayer smacks them across the side of the head with the wooden stake, so hard that it knocks them out cold, sending them crashing to the ground. Adi is next; the Slayer swipes the stake in his direction, the wood scraping across his stomach as he steps back out of the way. Mathew is next; the Slayer hits him harshly across the face, splitting his skin open and knocking him off of his feet. As he falls back, however, he reaches out and grips the stake. The Slayer lets go of it immediately, seemingly unphased, and reaches for the other stake strapped to his belt while Mathew’s grip weakens and leaves him accidentally throwing the first one aside as he falls to the floor. Next, the Slayer grips Bambi by her hair, pulling her in closer as he readjusts his stake in his hand before raising it. Bambi feels like this may truly be the end for her.

Corey panics as he watches, but the Slayer’s fumble with his stake gives him just enough time to pick up the other stake and to swing it at the killer, hitting him brutally across the head. The Slayer throws Bambi down immediately, clearly angry about the assault as he stomps and turns around to see who had had the nerve to fight back. Still in a panic, Corey does the only thing that seems to make sense to him. He uses all his strength as he lunges forward, shaky hands gripping the stake tightly, a scream of terror leaving him as he plunges the stake deep inside of the Slayer’s chest. It’s the only thing that made sense to him. He was watching everyone be brutalised in the attack, and he knew the killer’s history with injuring and killing others, including people he had known for quite some time, people he had loved. Somebody had to end it, he wasn’t about to watch more people reach the same fate as the likes of Charlie Davis, even if what he had to do was perhaps as awful as the attack itself. Corey is surprised that it was him of all people to end it, and even more shocked to see that it’s worked. The Slayer is clearly hurt beyond repair, gripping the stake in his chest as if he wants to pull it out. But he can’t. Instead, he spins and stumbles ever so slightly before falling to the ground, landing on his front, sending the stake through his entire body, sticking up tall.

Corey saved them. He saved the day, and he feels so deliriously relieved. He looks at the people around him, but for some reason they don’t seem to share the feelings of relief. Instead, they all stare at him with terror on their faces, and that’s when Corey’s relief quickly dissipates. The relief is replaced with the panic he felt so strongly only moments earlier; his entire body feels numb, yet at the same time he suddenly becomes aware of the most excruciating pain spreading from his core all over. He looks down; the Slayer has staked Corey through the chest as Corey had done the same to him. It happens quickly. Corey lets out a cry, blood gurgles in his mouth, and he turns very weak until his body no longer supports him. He falls down right on top of the Slayer, the stake in his chest plunging through him deeper, and the stake poking out from the Slayer’s body piercing completely through his stomach. While the initial stab to his chest wasn’t as deep as the one that ended the Slayer’s life so quickly, there’s no possibility of Corey surviving this now.

Despite the devastation, the others have to make the difficult decision of leaving Coreys body behind. No-one in the party is strong enough physically or mentally to carry his corpse to a safe place after having to carry both Momoko and Sage’s unconscious bodies. (And truthfully, no-one is sure that the Slayer is truly dead). When the group rejoins civilisation, the authorities are found and backup is called. No killers or suspicious figures were seen within the commune. Medics retrieved the bodies of Nathan Berry, Hugh Mclaughlan and Corey Windsor. Though no-one from the group had examined the Slayer’s body out of respect for Corey, by the time officials had arrived at the scene, there was no body to be found. All that remained of the Slayer was a perfect silhouette singed into the grass, despite there having been no fire at all.

plot drop 006 features thirteen of our muses encountering the jack-o-lantern, the ghost, the skeleton, the slayer + the scarecrow.

aditya ‘adi’ hans is left with a cut down his bicep and a scrape across the stomach.

angel gasol is left with substantial bruising on his abdomen and a cut across his bicep.

corey windsor is left with an arrow wound in his bicep, a fatal wound from a wooden stake through the chest and another wooden stake through the stomach.

joseph ‘josie’ taylor is left with substantial bruising to his side, one cracked rib and cut across the length of his forearm.

lake wright townsend is left with substantial bruising to the stomach, shoulder and arm, a broken forearm and an arrow wound in her shoulder.

lark delaney is left with a mild head injury, four wounds down the back of their thigh, four cuts across their back and substantial blood loss.

mathew lahde is left with a deep cut across his thigh, a mild head injury and a wound on his face from skin splitting upon impact.

miette auclair is left with an arrow wound in her thigh and a graze across her back.

min-seok ‘bambi’ hyun is left with a graze across her side, a cut across her back and bruising from being thrown down.

momoko noguchi is left with substantial cuts on her arm and torso, a head injury and severe blood loss.

ryanne williams is left with a sprained wrist and an arrow wound in her shoulder.

sage kahn is left with severe bruising to the torso and head and a head injury.

teagan mitchell is left with bruising to the head a head injury.

as police and paramedics arrive to the scene, all but one victim survived the ordeal - despite the severity of some of their injuries.

#shrikekillers #plot drop 006 #stabbing tw #injury tw #death tw #trauma tw #murder tw

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shriketimes · 3 years

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It has been approximately two weeks and three days since the last big attack when things start to go awry again. Since September 9th, there has been no sight of the carnival killers. The Bubblegum Twins and the Animal killers seem to be the last thing on most peoples minds, and it’s safe to assume that they left with the annual carnival. Though of course, things are not slowing down for the residents of Shrike Heights as the threatening activity is still on the rise, with the other killers being responsible for multiple happenings over the past few weeks.

saturday september 26th, 1987

The sun had set over an hour ago, and Lake Wright is almost home. She’s not entirely sure why she isn’t scared of being out so late, in the dark. Tonight, there seems to be something deep inside her that gives her an intense confidence; I shouldn’t have to abide by some suggestion of a curfew, how likely is it that I’m to be a target of the killer, anyway? She had been thinking to herself. She hadn’t been attacked so far, after all. And there hadn’t even been many, if any, genuine sightings of the killers around her block. Perhaps she has immaculate luck, perhaps the killers just aren’t all that terrifying. Either way, she doesn’t see the point in wasting energy being worked up about it on this particular night. She considers it a good feeling.

Though as she approaches the next street, she thinks just for a second that she sees someone standing beneath a tree. Her head snaps to take a better look. Lake is confused, to say the least. There is a white sheet, with a vaguely human shape beneath it. She has to take a moment to remember the date. If it were closer to Halloween, she might have thought it was a Halloween decoration. But being late September, there was no excuse. She slowly approaches the figure, watching cautiously to see if there is any movement beneath the sheet. When she’s within arms reach, she waits for a moment, holding her breath. With a sudden movement, she reaches forward and tears the sheet down. There is nothing left behind. Lark starts to laugh at herself. You idiot, it’s a sheet stuck on a branch, she thinks, letting the sheet fall to the ground. She continues her trip home. No sign of a killer tonight.

sunday september 27th, 1987

It’s only a short walk, one that Beauregard Wakefield - being carefree in nature - doesn’t find himself worrying about even with the recent events still on the town's mind. The sun has set, yet the street lights brighten his path and make it easy for him to find his way home. It’s been a long enough amount of time since Beauregard last heard of any attack in Shrike Heights, and as most of the town seem to believe the Animals and the Bubblegum Twins came and went with the carnival, the threat while walking home so late doesn’t feel so pressing; that is, until a still figure on the footpath on the opposite side of the road catches the corner of his eye. Going against his better judgement, Beauregard freezes, staring into the darkness.

They don’t look quite right; immediately Beauregard knows that this figure doesn’t belong to a person innocently out on a walk. They’re tall and slender in build, wearing clothing with nonsensical bumps and bulges all over, standing in a position mirroring Beauregard’s as he faces the other side of the road and stares. He hurriedly tries to think of the descriptions of the killers to see if he can find a match, his heart beating hard against his chest as the most unsettling feeling washes over him. This couldn’t be a killer, he thinks, but who or what else would be standing so ominously in the dark like this? Beauregard takes a step towards them, trying with all of his might to see them clearer, but when they copy his movement and close the distance between the two of them even further Beauregard knows he needs to flee. In their hand they hold something he can’t quite make out due to the dim light and the distance still existing, something similar to a baton in shape and size, something that could easily be used as a weapon. Beauregard no longer wishes to know more, and wastes no time in running off to safety. They mightn’t have looked like any of the killers he had read about before, but he’s still sure he made the right decision in getting out of there quickly.

monday september 28th, 1987

Miette Auclair doesn’t have time to think about breakfast, or a coffee, or anything else that people normally do before they head to work. In fact, they spend no more than three minutes gathering everything they need into their bag before rushing out the door, tying their hair up into a scrunchie as they push the door open with their hip. When she takes the first step out of the door, she hears crunching beneath her foot. Miette is quite accustomed to the sound of dry fall leaves beneath feet – and there’s something foreign about the noise that makes her look down. A small gasp escapes her mouth as she takes a step back.

On her doorstep is a neatly organized pile of very small animal bones (which she assumes could be a mix of rabbit bones, or other small mammals such as rats.) The way they’re organized is almost shrine-like, and it’s all too deliberate. Miette can’t help but feel anxiety well inside her as she stares at it, trying to figure out what it could possibly mean, and who could possibly have put it there. It was almost witch-like, really. The thought of someone trying to hex her sends a shiver down her spine, regardless of her level of superstitiousness. It could be the work of anyone, but somehow, deep down, she knows it’s the work of a killer. She glances down at her watch, and she’s reminded that she’s wasting minutes that she doesn’t have. As they finish tying their hair in a messy ponytail, they carefully kick the pile of bones asides and decides to deal with them later, crossing their fingers that they haven’t somehow cursed themself for touching the thing.

monday september 28th, 1987

Layton Danvers grows increasingly more nervous as he leaves Perkin’s, the sun already setting outside. He’s thankful he wasn’t required to work the closing shift, but still feels uneasy as he walks out the back exit of the mall knowing that it will be dark out in only moments. The heavy door closes behind him, and something to the left of him catches his eye; a figure stands in the shadows, and while Layton could easily walk away, headed in the opposite direction anyway, a mixture of fear and curiosity leaves him fixed to the spot. He stands and stares, his heart beating a little faster than usual, and while he hopes desperately for the figure to be just another employee or a customer who might be lost, the Slayer steps out from the shadows.

Layton is terrified, but the terror breaks him out of the frozen state he’s in and he begins running down the alleyway in the direction of safety and freedom. He can hear heavy footsteps trailing behind him, his pace not quite matched - but he knows he can’t keep up this pace. The fear already caused his chest to tighten and his breathing to become uneven, but the addition of the physical activity causes his asthma to flare up and it renders him unable to breathe completely, a sharp pain in his chest. Real panic begins to take over, but he knows he can’t stop running. He clutches his chest with one hand, his throat with the other - as if that will bring him relief - but as he does so he turns his head to see how far ahead of the killer he is, hoping to have gained enough distance for him to slow even slightly and catch his breath. Unfortunately, however, as he moves and struggles through breathlessness, pain and panic, he stumbles and falls to the ground abruptly and harshly. Wincing through the pain of his newly scraped up and bleeding forearm, Layton twists on the ground, gasping through more pain for a breath, but then suddenly he notices the Slayer is gone. He can no longer see the killer, no longer hear the footsteps - but regardless, he flees as soon as he can get back onto his feet.

tuesday september 29th, 1987

Phoenix Laurel skates home late afternoon. They’re a little slower than usual, their backpack being full of groceries that they bought at Griff’s request, with their favourite beverage from Double Shot in one hand (that they’d made themself, so it was absolutely perfect). Griff was lucky enough to have a day off working at Karaoke Dokie, so he’d sent Phoenix to work with a list of what he needed and surprisingly, Phoenix remembered to oblige. (Though Griff owed them big time.) As she approaches the door and comes to a halt on her board, she can’t help but notice that the paint has been damaged. Her brows knit together tightly as she steps aside and leans in to get a better look.

The front door to their place seems to be just as it usually is - except for one detail. There are four deep dents in the wood, evenly spaced apart. Phoenix can’t for the life of her think of what might have caused such a thing. With her free hand, she runs her fingers over the chipped paint, and over the deep indents. There is simply no way that it happened without a great deal of force. Phoenix remembers having heard of previous instances happening in the past, killers marking the doors of their next victims. Even within Shrike Heights, someone had a dangerously sharp knife stuck in their front door. This however, didn’t look like the work of knives. Sure, Phoenix wasn’t an expert on weapon analysis, or whatever it was that would determine what had made the marks. But they were sure as hell that it wasn’t a knife. With a sudden pang of guilt and anxiety, Phoenix picks up their board and heads inside to be sure that her housemate is still alive and well, and if he is, to ask how on earth he hadn’t heard whatever had attacked their front door.

thursday september 30th, 1987

Alastair Campbell walks down a thin path near the outskirts of town, watching his feet as he moves to ensure he doesn’t trip on the uneven and rocky ground; it’s in doing this that he notices something shining across the path, a silver glistening under the sun. He steps closer hesitantly, and immediately recognises the shining to be wire, the wire bent into a circle over the path. At first inspection, Alastair assumes it to be a stray wire sticking out from the fence he walked beside, where it seemed to be coming from and attached to, but it only takes a moment for him to see that it is a large snare trap in the way. The trap looks to be too big for an animal you would regularly use a snare on.

Are one of the killers responsible for this? He naturally wonders to himself, then moving carefully to inspect the area surrounding, searching for any kind of evidence or information or clue. Nothing else seems to be out of place, nothing else seems to be left behind where it shouldn’t be, but Alastair still feels a chill that makes him believe the trap was here for some sinister reason. He wishes he had a camera on him to capture the evidence, but then quickly supposes the trap itself will suffice - as he knows he must remove the trap anyway to keep anyone from getting hurt. He works carefully to remove the wire from the fence as he squats down on the ground beside it, however, just before he can complete the job, part of the wire that was previously pulled taut snaps free from the fence, striking Alastair across the face. His cheek is hot and burning with pain, a single drop of blood rolling down his face. The cut isn’t deep though - thankfully - and Alastair is left able enough to take the trap and the uneasy feeling with him home, left to wonder who planted it there, left to wonder if his gut feeling is right in thinking it was the work of a killer.

thursday october 1st, 1987

It’s early morning, and despite the blue sky and the crisp yet not too cool air, Ryanne Williams is feeling a little unsettled, for reasons unknown. As she walks down the street, pulling her scarf a little tighter around her neck, she finds herself nearly tripping right over onto the sidewalk, but she manages to regain her balance before any damage is done. For a second she thinks maybe she was just dragging her feet a little too unenthusiastically, but upon looking down, she sees what has tripped her. A trap lies across the path, sharp razor wine pulled firmly across the way. Her jeans are torn from the impact, but she’s thankful that it didn’t nick her skin. Panic seems to set in quicker than she’d like, feeling a sweat breaking out on her forehead and her heart hammering hard in her chest. It’s hard to comprehend that the Hunter would be setting up traps for unsuspecting victims outside of the mall. Tears well in her eyes as she struggles to think of what to do.

No doubt this is the skilful work of the Hunter. She knows this when she crouches down to evaluate the trap. Ryanne wipes the tears from her face and takes a deep breath before she works on dismantling the trap, pulling at the wooden pegs that seem to be hammered deep into the ground - evidence that the trap is extremely well thought out. Her hand slips as she pulls with all her strength, and her palm hits the wire. She doesn’t even have time to register the sting before blood starts beading to the surface of the wound. She curses and holds it against her jeans in an attempt to stop the blood. Despite the setback, she manages to destroy the trap, carefully kicking it aside. The minute she has access to a phone, she calls the authorities to let them know the location, so that they can dispose of it properly. Even being within the comfort of her own home again, Ryanne still feels unsettled.

friday october 2nd, 1987

Jude Graham admires the beautiful nature heavily surrounding the small town in which he lives, his old dog seeming to enjoy it too as they make use of a walking track in the forest closest to home. The leaves that are rapidly changing into shades of yellows, oranges and reds cover the path they walk, the sun shining down through the treetops to illuminate their way. Jude likes how untouched the forests are, and finds the peace and quiet to be something he desperately needs after all he’s already endured in Shrike Heights. Unfortunately on this day, however, he seems to have been lulled into a false sense of security and safety. It all happens in a flash, faster than he can comprehend or begin to understand just exactly what has happened to him.

Unaware of the trap that has been set up across the path that happened to be hidden by the leaves that were quick to fall and other pieces of foliage from around them, Jude steps right into it, being promptly swept off of his feet, landing on the ground with a loud thud while his foot caught in knotted rope is pulled into the air above him. Pain in his back and head where he landed renders him dazed for a moment, but as soon as he regains at least some of his clarity, he is able to realise how lucky he is that his weight keeps at least most of his body on the forest floor - making his escape much easier. The escape and the importance of it being achieved swiftly is at the forefront of his mind; he doesn’t want to fall victim to a killer again, the blame for this immediately being put onto them as he’s sure any hunter or person aiming to catch only an animal would steer clear of walking trails. His skin burns underneath the rope as he struggles and pulls, though with the help of an especially sharp rock he finds next to him, Jude is soon able to cut the rope and break free, not hesitating in the slightest before he leads Obi back into town.

saturday october 3rd, 1987

Larkin Delaney finds themself jogging sometime around dusk through Shrike Heights’ favourite family-friendly park. Perhaps they would have picked one of the lighter hiking trails any other day, but considering the events, they figure that with the sun nearly setting, it might be best to jog in a well-lit area with other evening traffic. So they decide to do the standard path through and around the park (with the idea of maybe doing a second lap if they felt like it afterwards - they’d see about that.) As they jog along the path and take a sharp turn, careful of the overgrown bushes that make it difficult to see around the corner, they run straight into a tall, broad figure, winding them. They cough and take a step back, hand over their abdomen as they catch their breath. It takes a moment before they can even consider apologising to the figure.

As they look up, they feel their stomach drop. The figure is unnaturally tall and broad. And instead of a human face, they find themselves staring at a menacing pumpkin mask. Lark feels it’s almost too unfortunate to be true, and they don’t even bother debating whether or not it could be a hoax before they’re attempting to turn and run. Before they can, however, the man grasps them by the arm with an iron grip that shoots pain down their limb. Lark struggles against his grasp, so hard that when he lets go, they tumble to the ground. Their hands and knees scrape on the pavement below, and they scramble to their feet to run as fast as they can away from the attacker, so quickly that their legs and their lungs are burning. They’re thankful for the jogging that they’ve been doing lately; or else they mightn’t have had the stamina to escape.

sunday october 4th, 1987

Tomas D’aureville isn’t particularly happy about having to work the closing shift, though he is thankful that no one seems especially interested in walking in for a spontaneous tattoo or piercing on this random, uneventful Wednesday night. He takes advantage of the lack of customers by locking the store up for a moment, only to head outside for a smoke and to stretch his legs after he’s found himself sitting in the same position working on some new designs for way too long. The air has a chill to it and the sky has darkened, though the darkness only reassures him that he can head home soon - he doesn’t find himself afraid of it, not thinking much of anything in the moment. His passive mood is quick to change as he stands out the back of the mall, unknown company suddenly appearing and grabbing him from behind, their grip so tight that it hurts, the pain earning a loud groan.

“Fuck!” It’s the only word he seems capable of speaking as he kicks a leg behind him, the perpetrator losing their footing and releasing Tommy while they steady themself once again. He turns quickly, and standing in front of him is the Hunter, a large knife grasped firmly in his hand. Tommy is given no time to think before he’s forced to jump back, the Hunter lunging towards him, his knife aimed at his victim’s stomach. A sharp gasp leaves him as his stomach is cut vertically, though thankfully it’s only slightly deeper than a scratch. Despite his injury and his terror, Tommy is able to successfully dodge the next attack, moving back far enough this time until he’s confident he has enough distance between them for him to make an escape. He runs towards the back entrance, his breath caught in his throat, but before he can reach it he’s pulled down to the ground by the back of his jacket. He lands harshly and spins to face his attacker immediately, another groan sounding at the pain, but before the Hunter can plunge his knife into his stomach as he seems to aim for, Tommy kicks it out of his hand, and once again he’s up and running away. This time he reaches the entrance, even making it back up to Skin Deep without another sight of the wolf, and though his shift isn’t scheduled to end just yet, Tommy closes the store as quickly as he can, rushing home to take care of his injuries.

sunday october 4th, 1987

Josephine June knows this area like the back of her hand. She has lived here for most of her life, after all. She knows that she’s mere minutes away from returning to her residence, so her anxiety is low, confident that she’ll make it with no issues along the way. The crickets are singing their song - surprising since the month is getting colder and colder as the days pass. Posie knows that soon her walk down this road will be silent. But the silence comes sooner than she expects it. Wondering what stopped the symphony, she turns examines her surroundings, wondering if perhaps an animal had crossed over the insects path, causing them to stop their song. However, a man was seen standing several yards behind her. In the dark, it’s hard to see - but she wears the mans head is shaped like a pumpkin. Like that of the Jack-O-Lantern killer.

It starts with slow, heavy footsteps towards her. Posie is frozen in place as she tries to figure out exactly what the figure is doing. But the footsteps get quicker, and the strides get larger, and Posie decides that she isn’t taking any chances. She breaks into a sprint, but even over the sound of her own footsteps and her heavy breathing, she can hear the footsteps catching up to her quickly. She ducks into the bushes, pushing past the prickly leaves and branches to get to the barbed wire fence behind. Jack groans as he tries to push through the thick brush, slowing the chase. Posie squeezes through the fence, barbed wire catching on the back of her shirt and scratching her skin, tearing holes in the fabric as she pulls away. She runs several yards, close to a caravan with outer lights on, where she feels a hint safer. When Posie turns back to see if she is still being pursued, the figure stares back at her several moments before he turns and walks away. She exhales with relief. She’s safe. For now.

monday october 5th, 1987

The skate park on the outskirts of town has been relatively empty at this time of night as of late; tonight there is an exception in the form of Hen Wen Szeto, who skates on a beat up board up and down the ramps. Light is scarce, but Hen Wen doesn’t feel as though anything more than an attempt at a new trick will go wrong, and they know this skate park well enough to trust their abilities even in the dark. They believe they know how to keep themself from harm, however, as they reach the top of the half pipe, moving quickly on their board, a figure catches them and they immediately feel anything but safe from harm. It takes a moment before her eyes adjust enough for her to make out that the Jack-O-Lantern killer has grabbed her tightly before she could land, panic hitting as the realisation does.

With no weapon and nothing to grip onto, Hen Wen thrashes in his arms, breathless immediately from panic but in no hurry to let that stop her trying to fight. Her legs kick out and against him at awkward angles, fists punching and palms pushing away from him as best as she can. Somehow she slips from his grip, yet he’s quick to catch her, only with his arms extended this time so she is no longer held tight against his large body. Using the position to her advantage, Hen Wen kicks both of her legs up, feet against his torso, and she flips herself over and out of his arms properly this time. She lands against the side of the half pipe harshly, her entire body hitting against the concrete multiple times as she falls to the bottom. Despite the pain and the blood dripping from their grazes and small cuts, Hen Wen immediately gets back onto their feet, running as fast as they can until they find themself safe in their apartment again.

wednesday october 7th, 1987

Though Drew Abrams wouldn’t know it until later, today was a very bad day to decide to be adventurous with the lunch food options. Unhappy with the selection in the food court, Drew decided to go to one of the smaller restaurants in town, a few blocks away from the mall. She knew she could be done and back in time for the rest of her shift, no problem. However, upon taking the shortcut through an alleyway would prove to be a poor decision. As she takes a step, she’s met with great resistance, toppling her over onto the rough pavement before her. She instinctively reaches out to catch her fall. “Fuck,” she groans. She lays still for a moment to collect herself.

When Drew has the strength to sit up, she notices her palms and her knees are scraped and bloodied. She thinks perhaps the inconvenience of finishing a shift with these wounds is worse than the actual wounds themselves. As she tries to get to her feet, she notices the resistance against her leg again. There is a thin wire wrapped tightly around her, pulling tighter with every move. She realises it’s fastened tightly to a pipe attached to one of the alleyway buildings. With no weapon or tools to free herself, she does what she can. She moves close to the pipe, and carefully pries the wire loose with her fingers. Relieved, she slips out of the trap, only to see the bloody red mark around her ankle from where the trap was digging in much too tight. She knows that all of her wounds are going to bruising and sore for several days to come, and that doesn’t bring her much excitement knowing that she’ll have to conceal them as best as possible for her upcoming shifts. She only hopes that the trap doesn’t catch anyone else.

thursday october 8th, 1987

Arthur Norwich’s board isn’t moving at a very fast pace as he begins his journey home from work, though in broad daylight he doesn’t think there’s the need for any real urgency. After being called in at the last minute for an early morning shift at Shrike Heights Radio, he’s looking forward to making it home, and he wonders what exactly he’ll do with the rest of his day now that he no longer has to come in to work later that day. His question is left unanswered and his thoughts are interrupted as he feels a sharp pain strike across his back unexpectedly. He steps one foot off of his skateboard to stop himself from moving, reaching around to feel a rip in his shirt and a repeat of the sharp pain upon touching his skin; when his hand returns to in front of him, blood lightly coats his fingers. Only a moment later, Arthur notices an arrow has landed on the ground only a foot away, the head glistening, slightly red with what he knows to be his blood.

His head turns quickly to look in the other direction, and that is where he spots the Slayer standing, reloading the crossbow he has obviously just used to attack him. It’s a terrifying sight, the first time Artie has seen a killer in person, but he doesn’t dwell on the fact. Instead, he gets back on his board properly, ignoring the pain in his back and the fear restricting his breath as he rushes away. While the Slayer is only on foot, his pace is concerning as he follows Artie, and despite this pace, he doesn’t struggle at all with shooting off a second arrow in Artie’s direction. He’s only just able to dodge the second arrow, and before he finds himself too late to dodge a third, he turns on his board to skate down the side street he almost passes. This street isn’t on his usual route home, but through the terror he feels he thinks he has a better chance at getting away if he takes as many side streets he can, wanting to give them distance yet also confuse the killer with where he might be headed. After turning down the third side street, Artie can no longer see his attacker, and though he’s out of breath, breaking a sweat and in pain from his injury, he doesn’t stop skating as fast as he can for quite some time, until he’s sure the Slayer won’t find him again.

friday october 9th, 1987

Froggie Oakes makes her way home from her afternoon hockey game, the sun setting over the heights, the sky glowing pink and orange. This alone is a great distraction from her surroundings, keeping her eye on the sky as she heads towards the outskirts of town. She’s humming to herself, finding shapes and pictures in the clouds when the sound of metal hitting the pavement behind her catches her off guard. She’s immediately brought out of her daze, and quickly notices the figure lurking near the bushes in front of her. Without her glasses, she can’t see them clearly until they take several steps towards her. It seems like a blurry, shadowy mass, that she of course assumes is a human (because why wouldn’t it be?)

Froggie turns their head quickly to see a fallen arrow beside them, and when they turn back around, the figure is close enough for them to see that it’s none other than The Hunter, his taxidermy wolf skin mask clear to them now that he is closer. He launches forward, hand ready to grasp them by the collar of their jersey, the other hand moving towards the sheath that holds his hunting knife. but before he makes contact, they swing their hockey stick with all their strength. It collides with the mask that covers his entire head like a hood, causing it to spin around - temporarily blinding the hunter. The killer groans as he tries to fix the mask back into place in order to regain his vision. Froggie turns on her heels and begins sprinting down the hill. She’s thankful that for once, Thalia isn’t with her - there’s no doubt her friend would be lagging behind with how fast she had taken off. There is a sharp thwip noise, and a sharp pain in her cheek before another arrow clatters to the ground in front of her. She takes a sharp right turn and she’s out of reach of the ranged weapon. They hold a hand to their cheek as they continue to run, and when they look back at it, it’s wet with blood.

#partial plot drop 02 #shrikekillers #blood tw #violence tw #injury tw

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shriketimes · 3 years

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wednesday september 9th, 1987

The events of last nights attacks has the entirety of Shrike Heights quite shaken. During the last night of our extended summer carnival celebration, a group of the carnival goers were brutally attacked by a variety of different perpetrators. It’s still unknown as to whether or not the killers are working together, but for now it is speculated to be so, though the motive is still unclear. The only new revelation is that these attacks are not confined just to the walls of Shrike Mall. It’s been an awful ending to our beloved annual summer carnival. The sheriff has stated that the Shrike police force are working hard on the case, and any results will be published as soon as they come in. If you or anyone you know has any information on these killers, please contact authorities as soon as possible.

tuesday september 8th, 1987

The Shrike Heights summer carnival of 1987 turned out to be a huge hit. It was exactly what the townspeople needed in such a dark and devastating time. Just for a little while, everyone seemed to forget that their beloved town was being plagued by threatening killers who had killed, and no doubt would kill again. It gave everyone a sense of normalcy - even if just for a little while. So mid-carnival week, after seeing its success, the town officials decide to extend the carnival for an extra week. For now, nothing bad has happened so long as the carnival has been running, and it keeps the townsfolk from pestering them about the status of the investigation. It’s a win-win situation, they find.

So far, the night has been full of fun, laughter, and the sound of screams from those brave enough to go on some of the more adrenaline-boosting rides. Children have eaten too much candy, won too many cheap plush toys and have accumulated so much energy that they’re able to stay awake for the long-awaited firework show that is set to go off at midnight. There aren’t many people attending the carnival who are allowing themselves to feel the eerie anxiety that the recent events have brought them outside of this environment. It’s the most normal anyone has felt in a long time, and most wish that it didn’t have to end. For this reason, it’s the busiest that the carnival has been since its opening.

Gemma Cameron and Celeste van Dievoet had both found themselves towards the entrance of the carnival, where most of the food stalls were held. Most of the stalls have closed for the firework show – so once they finish the last snacks of the night, they figure they might as well join the rest of the crowd in watching the dazzling display. As they make their way down the gravel path, however, the duo can’t help but feel some kind of change in the air – and the sudden feeling that the two of them are no longer alone.

Celeste finds herself instinctually looking around them. The bright lights are still flashing, regardless of the emptiness of this side of the carnival. She subconsciously finds herself taking a step closer to Gemma. Gemma welcomes the closeness, struggling to feel that the lights make the atmosphere and empty space anything more than absolutely terrifying. Just as they approach the unattended game stalls, they hear a crunch in the gravel behind them. Both heads snap around to see what created the noise. Neither of them are pleased with what they see.

It’s one of the animal killers. The green rabbit. Their hand settles on the sheath of their sword, and it seems to be looking in their direction. “Come on, we’re not taking any chances,” Gemma says seriously to her companion. Celeste nods, anxiety tugging at her insides. Gemma is the first to pick up the pace, and Celeste follows, the two of them breaking into a sprint, away from the rabbit. They can hardly hear the rabbits footsteps over their own, along with their heavy breathing. Neither of them even know that they’re being chased at an unnatural speed until Gemma feels something catch the back of her blouse. The fabric is torn, and the shock causes her to trip onto her knees.

“Get up!” Celeste demands quite breathlessly, helping the blonde to her feet. The rabbit has unsheathed their sword – and they’ve made it very obvious they have the intention of using it. Gemma’s eyes examine their surroundings, desperate for anything to give them a stronger chance of surviving. Her eyes spot something. Beneath the table of a small stall, beside several racks of cheap, mass-produced plush toys, there is a metal rod. She ducks, reaching out for the object. The rabbit is fast. They move quick, sword raised and ready to deliver a brutal blow – but Gemma has other plans. She swings the metal pipe around, and the sound of metal against metal rings through the air.

Celeste watches in fear as Gemma moves the pipe down the length of the sword forcefully, the metal of the rabbit’s weapon nearly grazing her cheek before she hits the perpetrator in the hand. The Rabbit winces and pulls back, their grip on their sword loosening, sending it several feet away with a flick of her wrist. Despite the lack of facial expression, they knew that the killer was fuming. With a quick shove, the rabbit sends Gemma flying into the toy rack behind her. She hits it with enough force to knock it over, and she lands on top of it, her wrist spraining as she struggles to keep herself in a proper position. She cries out in pain, quickly shifting to her good wrist to prevent any weight on the now bad one. It isn’t until moments later that she realises a piece of metal has impaled her thigh. “Fuck-“ she winces as a combination of sharp stinging and dull aching radiates from the wound.

The rabbit finds themselves occupied as they go to fetch their sword. Celeste crouches beside the injured blonde, grasping onto the metal pole that has impaled her leg. “Oh god that’s bad,” she struggles not to cringe at the sight. “Hold still… I’ll pull it out for you. Just take deep breaths.”

“Okay, okay,” she says, voice shaking from the pain. She closes her eyes and takes deep breaths. Celeste rips the pole from the wound as quickly as she can, and Gemma groans as her leg starts to bleed quite profusely.

Before Celeste can even say another word to her friend, she’s hit in the head. It takes her a moment to realise that a toy rack has been pushed on top of them. She can feel movement around her, unsure of where, exactly. It isn’t until she sees the silver sharpness of the enemy's blade stab into the ground mere inches away from her thigh that she realises they need to get out and get out now. The two of them are lucky enough to crawl out from the mess, and away from the rabbit, Celeste supporting Gemma physically as they try to make it to the crowd to call for help.

Meanwhile, Jude Graham and Valentine Ortiz have decided to try their shot at the fun house. As they approach the bright, colourfully decorated entrance, Valentine pauses. “You alright?” Jude asks, a little concerned about the hesitation. Valentine assures him that what he’s feeling is the excited kind of nervous – and that he’ll be just fine. Valentine goes first as if to prove a point, stepping through the spinning tunnel and walking through to the other side. Jude waits until Valentine is all the way through before he follows. He almost can’t believe that he’s been talked into doing this – but he doesn’t protest – they must finish it quickly before the firework show.

Jude notices through the corner of his eye that someone follows them in – probably someone who is also in a rush to finish the ride, probably in case they miss the fireworks. Once they’re on the other side, they’re met with a platform that shakes from side to side. “You think you can handle it?” Valentine asks playfully, stepping onto the platform. He takes it slowly, step by step. Jude follows close behind, worried more than anything that Valentine might fall and hurt himself. On cue, Valentine finds himself losing his balance. He spins around and Jude catches him. Jude doesn’t have time to ask why Valentine’s face drops.

Valentine is hit harshly in the side, so hard that a crack can be heard above the thud. He cries out in pain, eyes filling with tears as he stumbles backwards. Jude ushers him to the safety of the next, stable platform. He turns around to see the red dog mascot killer, mallet in hand. Before the dog can swing again, Jude pushes Val into the next section of the fun house, “Keep moving!”

“He got me…”

“I know, just keep moving, we need to get out,” Jude holds him by the shoulders, guiding Val towards the ground that resembles a fast moving treadmill. “You’ll have to move a little faster for this part, but you’ve got this.” He was quick to reassure the younger man, who in turn ended up being even quicker to fall to his knees half way through the section, the increased pace causing a sharp pain in his chest that prevented him from moving further. The platform sends Valentine screaming in pain in the direction of the killer, who’s rapidly catching up.

It feels as though there’s a lump in the back of his throat as Jude’s panic is starting to set in. He feels a responsibility to get Valentine out of this alive, and doesn’t hesitate to step closer to the dog in order to lift Valentine back up onto his feet; he screams in pain once more, but manages to get through the obstacle this time, relying heavily on Jude to guide them through the rest of the funhouse without further injury. The dog follows close behind, hitting the bat threateningly against the obstacles as they make their way through, the loud noises almost becoming too much for the ex-cop.

When they finally reach the end, they push through the curtain and their hope is shattered. Instead of meeting the end of the fun house, they are met with a mirror maze. The lights are glowing dim, cycling through the colours of the rainbow, making it even harder to see. Valentine’s brows knit together as he tries to decide which way to go. “Here, this way,” he says, taking off to the left. Jude follows, but it only takes a moment to lose him. Valentine looks behind, and feels immediate panic at having lost him. “Jude?”

“Valentine! Stay where you are, I’ll find you-“

Valentine doesn’t stay put, however. He feels as though he remembers the way he came, so he retraces his steps. Only, the maze proves his memory to be unfaithful right now as he gets himself lost further inside the maze. He calls out again and again, but he can hardly hear Jude every time he responds. Tears are spilling from his eyes, and the pain is getting too much to bear. He leans against the mirror, taking deep breaths through the agony.

Jude moves fast. His mind is set on the task of finding Valentine, and he’s going to make sure he does it before the dog does. He tries to keep himself level-headed, but he finds himself tense with worry. He turns corner after corner, desperately calling for Valentine when he reaches dead end after dead end. When he finally sees the younger man, relief washes over him. “There you are!”

“There you are!” a menacing voice mocks. Somehow, the dog has followed him. The killer takes a stride forward, and they swing their mallet, aiming right for the already injured Valentine.

Jude instinctively puts himself in front of the other man, placing a hand either side of Valentine’s head in order to shield him from the blow. Valentine wraps his arms around Jude’s body as he’s wracked with sobs. The mallet misses both of them, and shatters the mirror behind Valentine. Both of them close their eyes in anticipation, waiting to see what will happen next. But the dog doesn’t swing their mallet again. Instead, they curse under their breath and flee.

“Jude- pumpkin!” Val brings attention to the new perpetrator.

In the mirror beside them, Jude catches the jack-o-lantern killer raising his knife, ready to strike. Before he can bring the knife down to meet flesh, Jude spins around and blocks the blow, his arm colliding with the killer’s wrist. Immediately, Jude becomes aware of the almost inhumane strength of the killer. They struggle against each other for a moment, Jude giving it his all in order to protect Valentine and himself from the sharp blade. Then he has a spark of an idea.

Jude reaches for a broken piece of mirror with his spare hand, wincing as the sharp glass cuts into his palm. With all of his strength, he plunges the shard into the killer’s neck. Thick, black liquid spurts from the wound in his neck, splattering over Jude’s face as the killer retreats, slinking away into the maze. They’re not invincible… he thinks to himself. Jude turns back to Valentine, dropping the broken mirror. Valentine lets out a painful, shaky breath, reaching his hands up to wipe the black blood from the older man’s face.

“Are you okay?” Valentine asks. His breathing is shaky, and he seems to wince with every breath.

“I’m fine, Valentine. Are you?”

“I think… something is really wrong. I feel like I’m going to die.”

“No… no, we’re okay. We’re okay,” Jude reassures him as the younger man continues to cry.

Julien Durand is making his way to the gathering area, hoping that he might get a good spot to see the fireworks from. (Though when he thinks about it, he doesn’t doubt he’ll see the fireworks from anywhere he stands.) As he walks by the unattended booths, he can’t help but see someone from the corner of his eye. The carnival seems so empty that the figure throws him off guard. He turns to face them. A person with a purple bear mascot head. At first, he thinks nothing of it – it’s a carnival after all. There are people who dress to entertain. But it doesn’t take him long to realise that the Bear is holding what appears to be a gun. With no knowledge of it being a BB Gun, Julien feels his stomach drop. Fear sets in and he turns on his heels to run as fast as he can. In the distance he hears the shots go off – and he’s lucky that none of them hit.

The ferris wheel in particular is one ride still open as they prepare for the firework display. After all, the top of the ferris wheel is the best seat in the house for the show. Those with tickets have gotten to their seats, and the wheel starts turning. Eilonwy Finch has barely made it off the ground before the ferris wheel stops. She’d been looking at the crowd gathering for the show instead of focusing on the ferris wheel operator – who had seemed to disappear entirely without a trace. Her intuition tells her something is wrong. She looks to the ground, and tries to calculate the height in her head. She’s never been much of an athlete at all, so there is a nagging fear that if she jumps, she might hurt herself. But her instincts tell her that if she doesn’t jump, she might regret it. She slides underneath the bars, and drops to her feet. A sharp pain shoots up her legs, but it’s nothing serious.

The others on the lower levels of the wheel have jumped too, and they make their way to the large gathering of people, possibly in an attempt to find an official who can tell them what has happened to the operator, and whether or not they’ll be able to get a refund for their tickets. Because of the last few dwindling people, Eilonwy doesn’t notice that someone more sinister is approaching her.

The slayer gives her no warning before he readies his crossbow and fires into the back of Eilonwy’s thigh. She screams out in pain and collapses, hands grazed from the gravel. Just when she thinks she can adjust to the pain, she feels a tug. Her head turns to see the chain that is attached to the arrow. Her stomach sinks. The killer pulls on the chain, beginning to drag the helpless girl against the ground. Eilonwy screams out in pain as she’s dragged across the gravel, the pain in her leg so unbearable that she barely realises that her arms are scraped and bleeding. She desperately grasps at the ground in hopes that she can keep herself away, but she doesn’t have the strength.

She kicks and she screams, and tries to pull herself out of his reach, but her efforts are useless. The slayer pulls a stake from his belt and plunges it into Eilonwy’s back. He had been aiming for her heart, but her thrashing made that considerably difficult. Instead, it punctures her lung. He pulls the stake out, prepared to make the final blow. Before he can strike Eilonwy in the heart, Julien courageously steps in. They hold the slayer's arms, shaking with the amount of pressure they exert in order to keep him at bay. “I’ve got you. Move!”

Eilonwy struggles to move herself out of the way, desperately gasping for air as the pain in her chest increases. It’s so awful that it makes her dizzy. The killer is growing more and more infuriated by the minute. He pushes harder against Julien, until he can move his arm and hit them in the temple with the blunt end of the stake. Julien falls to their hands and knees, blood dripping down their forehead and onto the gravel below. Within seconds there’s a sharp pain in their back as an arrow is stabbed into their flesh and dragged downwards, ripping the skin. Julien gives a powerful kick to the slayer’s ankle, sending him toppling to the ground. The slayer lets go of his stake, which rolls towards Eilonwy. “Julien!” She grasps it with a shaking hand and passes it to Julien, who forces it into the killer's shoulder. The slayer needs a moment to recoup, acting truly stunned as he rips the stake out of his shoulder and holds the bleeding wound. Julien helps Eilonwy to her feet, and supports her as they lead her to the gathering. “Why can’t I…” she exhales shakily, “I think my lung is punctured. I feel like I can’t breathe.”

“Hold on, Eilonwy, we’ll get you some help,” Julien promises.

Meanwhile, the Tunnel of Love appears to be operating, despite there being no operator to supervise. “Hey, Briar, won’t you go on this ride with me? It’s the only one I haven’t been on - and it’s the last night of the carnival. It’d be a shame if I had to go alone,” Blossom suggests. She feels comfortable enough with her coworker to ask such a question. If it were anyone else, she wouldn’t have bothered.

Briar thinks it over for a moment. “Well, it is the last ride open - and it’s not one of the scary ones.”

“Who could say no to that?” Blossom smiles softly, taking Briar’s wrist and pulling her towards the ride. She climbs into the swan boat, and Briar follows suit, pulling the door closed after her.

The ride starts immediately. As the boat enters the tunnel, the air seems to get colder, and despite the promise of romantic atmosphere, Blossom can’t say she’s impressed. The music is quiet, and it’s not particularly good, and the imagery is boring. Blossom leans into Briar with a frustrated sigh. “Well this is an awfully drab way to end the carnival. People don’t actually like this shit, do they?” she asks.

Before Briar can answer, the boat slows quite suddenly. The music stops, and the spotlights shut off completely, leaving only the hot pink ambient lighting. Briar and Blossom seem to be holding their breath for a moment. There are other boats in the river – empty ones. But there seems to be movement in the water behind them that is much too loud to be coming from a boat. Blossom immediately feels her survival instincts kick in. “You’re not gonna like this, but we have to get out, now.” The urgency in Blossom’s voice prompts Briar to comply. Blossom climbs out and over the side of the swan boat, wading through the water to open the door for Briar to exit. “We need to-“

There is a sharp thwip, and Briar whimpers, quickly holding her hand against her arm. Blossom pulls at her hand to see the cut underneath. The water they’re standing in is freezing, but Blossom pulls Briar down into the water, holding a finger to her mouth to tell her to keep quiet. Briar wants to protest, but she nods. Blossom immediately starts to search the area for the thrown object, which she finds moments later, lodged into the side of the swan boat they were riding in. She pulls it from the wood and inspects it. A throwing knife. She holds it securely in her hand, poking her head around the corner of the boat behind them to see a person with a yellow mouse mascot head standing upright in the water. The lack of real eyes is unsettling. She feels as though she doesn’t know whether or not the thing is looking right at them. “Stay here,” she whispers, “Down low. Wait until I’m at the second boat behind ours, and then shout. Distract him. But stay low, be careful. I think I know what to do.”

“Blossom- please do be careful,” Briar wants nothing more than to tell her to stay, but she knows that Blossom is too stubborn to listen to her.

Blossom sneaks to the appointed boat with bated breath. When Briar screams, Blossom pays close attention to the killer. The mouse lurches forward, struggling to move too quickly in the water. Blossom grasps their leg, and using the throwing knife she had secured, she cuts the tendon at the back of their foot. The mouse screams in pain as the water fills with blood. Blossom doesn’t hesitate. She climbs onto the killer's back, and with a lot of effort, starts to cut into the neck of the perpetrator. She holds onto them with a fierce grip as she attacks, but she only lasts moments before she’s thrown into the water. When she resurfaces, she can see she’s done a decent amount of damage, and the mouse hobbles away, past Briar and towards the exit. Blossom stands staring, covered in blood, but proud of herself.

She doesn’t have too long to celebrate before she’s gripped harshly by her ponytail, forcing her to bend backwards to relieve the pressure. A hunter's knife is drawn across her lower abdomen, slicing her open. Blossom screams out in agony, and the panic makes her freeze as her blood is turning the water around her a deep, deep red. The killer draws his hand back to make another cut, but much to Blossom’s surprise, Briar tries to pry the man off her. The killer turns around and his blade slices into Briar’s arm quite deeply. Despite this, Briar uses all her strength to pull a wooden cut-out of a swan down and onto the head of the hunter, knocking him down and into the water. Blossom is just missed by the heavy decoration.

“I think… I think I’m gonna die,” Blossom whimpers, unbuttoning her blouse and removing it entirely so that she can tie it tightly around her abdomen, “There’s so much blood… I think I’m going to die…”

“We have to hurry, I don’t know how long that thing is gonna keep him down,” Briar says, her voice slightly panicked. She puts an arm around the smaller girl and leads her towards the exit. Blossom is losing blood fast. She’s so weak that she slips into the water, though she desperately tries to get herself back on her feet. Briar lifts her up and supports her, leading her out one careful step at a time.

Rowan Grey too finds herself heading for the gathering point. She finds herself feeling a little more relaxed than her previous trip to the carnival. Nothing particularly bad had happened then, after all. She was beginning to feel a little more comfortable with it now. Up ahead, the girl can see a group of friends laughing and talking amongst themselves. The fact that she’s not alone also helps to make her feel a little safer. Another couple of friends somewhere in the distance behind her are laughing too, a little too wildly. Though she doesn’t feel uneased by it at first, that feeling soon changes. The laughter doesn’t stop, but continues for an unreasonable amount of time. And it seems to be getting closer.

She turns her head in a nonchalant manner, acting as if there might be something else she’s looking at other than the people behind her. But when she looks behind her, she feels in her gut that she was right to be nervous. Two roller skaters, one pink and one blue, are half skating, half walking over the tough terrain. The worst part of it all was their clown-like makeup. Not only did it make Rowan shiver, but she knew immediately that these were the killers responsible for the death at the grocers.

Rowan speeds up to a jog, and she’s thankful that the skaters aren’t very agile in this environment. It doesn’t take her very long to shake them. The last thing she hears from them is, “I don’t think we thought this plan through…”

Lila Bhatt hadn’t had a particularly successful streak when it came to the carnival games. And god were the snarky booth owners getting on her nerves by the end of the day. As an act of revenge, she’d decided it was only fair for her to steal something from their booth while it was unattended. After all, it is incredibly stupid for a business to leave their goods unattended, out in the open where anyone might be able to snatch something. When she finds the booth of a particularly rude person, she takes her pick of the toys that she’s going to bring home with her. For free, of course. (Though was it really for free? With all the money she spent on the game without walking away with a prize?) Lila reaches over the counter, arms up, ready to pull the cat plush toy down from the hook. But her plans were rudely interrupted.

Lila is hit in the back so hard that it sends her toppling over the counter. She lands in an awkward position, her body aching in protest. She can feel the cool night air on her back, her shirt having been torn, scratches accompanying the already darkening bruise on her back. She groans and pushes herself up, climbing back to her feet. She’s dizzy with pain, her body screaming at her with every movement. She tries to find the perpetrator in the dark, and she sees them when they swiftly leap over the counter into the booth with her. A person wearing an orange cat mascot mask with a nail-covered baseball bat in their hands was standing before her. “What the-” she doesn’t even finish her sentence before she tries to climb back over the counter, out into the open. The cat grabs her by the hair and pulls her backwards, holding her still while she thrashes for a moment before they swing the baseball bat into her abdomen. Lila is winded, but she knows immediately that it’s much, much worse than that. She coughs up blood into the grass below them.

As Rowan escapes the bubblegum twins, she comes across the scene of the cat, who had decided to beat Lila near death. Her instinct to help others takes over. Her eyes dart around the area, looking for something – anything, to distract the cat from their attack. Her eyes laid on a toy that resembled a puppy of some sort. She rushed over to the booth across from the attack, pulled it from the hook, and threw it at the perpetrator. “Come here, you stupid cat!” she coaxed. “Come and get me!”

The plush toy hits the cat with more force than the killer had expected. Immediately, they’re filled with rage. They leap over the counter with much less grace than before. They swing their bat around in a flashy display before making a heavy swing towards Rowan. The girl ducks, but the nails on the bat graze her cheek ever so slightly before the bat hits the table behind her with an aggressive thump. The cat tries to pull back, but the nails are stuck in the wooden table. They growl with frustration as they try to free it. Rowan immediately rushes for Lila, who is in the middle of climbing back over the stall. “Are you okay?” Rowan asks immediately, helping Lila over the table. “I saw them hit you pretty hard-”

“I need to get to a hospital,” Lila says, her voice laced with frustration.

In the distance, the dazzling display of fireworks is set off, lighting up the sky with all sorts of colours and patterns. The crowds can be heard cheering and celebrating the brilliant show. Those who were struggling for their lives found it rather difficult to enjoy the beautiful moment - and their experiences at all future fireworks shows were likely to be tainted by these memories.

Somewhere towards the middle of the carnival, the group of victims finally unite. Eilonwy and Julien almost run right into Lila and Rowan. They’re relieved to see each other, and not more threatening faces.

“Thank god you made it out,” Eilonwy says breathlessly. The sharp pain in her chest was beginning to be too much.

“There’s no time for this, we have to move,” Lila winces as she talks, the movement of any muscle in her abdomen causing her immense pain.

“This way, towards the viewpoint for the fireworks show, there’ll be people who can help us there,” Julien tells them.

The four of them make their way ahead, different members of the party moving at considerably different paces, all of which were quite slow. Somewhere ahead of them, they see Briar and Blossom heading in the same direction, Briar with her arm around Blossom, who seems to be struggling to move. Rowan immediately winces as they get close enough to see the state of Blossom’s injury. “We need to get an ambulance here immediately, some of you are in real danger.”

Celeste and Gemma are the first to reach the crowd, Celeste supporting Gemma as they scream for help. Jude and Valentine are not too far behind, Jude supporting a weakened Valentine. As the rest of the group approach, they’re thankful someone else has gotten there before them, knowing that help will be on its way sooner than they thought.

plot drop 005 features ten of our muses encountering the hunter, the slayer, the jack-o-lantern killer, the bubblegum twins and the animals.

blossom serrano is left with a stab/open wound to the abdomen.

briar khan is left with a shallow cut on the forearm and a deep cut to the upper arm.

celeste van dievoet is left with a bruise to the head.

eilonwy finch is left with scrapes and cuts to the arms and palms, a deep wound to the back of the thigh and a stab wound resulting in a minor punctured lung.

gemma cameron is left with a small open wound to the thigh and a sprained wrist.

jude graham is left with a cut across the palm.

julien durand is left with a split on the head and a large open wound to the back.

lila bhatt is left with severe bruising to the back and internal bleeding.

rowan grey is left with minor grazes to the face.

valentine ortiz is left with a broken rib, two fractured ribs and severe bruising to the chest.

as police and paramedics arrived to the scene in time, all victims survived the ordeal - despite the severity of some of their injuries.

#plot drop 05 #shrikekillers #violence tw #blood tw #stabbing tw #gun tw #gore tw

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