It's a Scream, Baby!

by Ferrari_McLaren_18

Summary:

Florida isn't Woodsboro, or is it?

These college students are about to learn that lesson the hard way.

(A Scream AU)

Notes:

Hey, everyone!! I have been for ages wanting to do a fic like this but have been holding off for ages. I kept seeing TikToks of who would be the ghostfaces of F1 and I started to write something, but put it off for ages until now. So here we are!!! I hope y'all enjoy it and plz comment! I feel comments would help keep me motivated to continue this, so plz do comment! Also, thanks to @SapphireSainz19 for kind of being the beta reader! Okay, on to the story!!!

Chapter 1

It was that time of the school year when parties were booming, drawing massive attendance. While many would be out partying, chasing the thrill of packed houses, free alcohol, and loud music, three students decided to take a quieter path this week. For once, they decided in the midst of their hectic college life, they were going to enjoy a night together as friends, something that was rare to come by with everything. 

 

Oscar Piastri, Mick Schumacher, and Zhou Guanyu were in Oscar’s dorm room, for his roommate, Lando Norris, was out partying, and with the free dorm room, they decided to watch Scream. Or, they were trying to watch the movie, but Zhou kept cutting into the movie dialogue to point out something or just to comment on what’s on his mind, with Mick and Oscar giving their opinions too. 

 

“I just don’t see how such a popular franchise like Halloween failed at giving a great ending within their stories, while Scream usually always delivers.” Oscar said while grabbing a handful of popcorn.

 

Zhou shrugged. “Scream never changes too much up and sticks to the basics while staying within the times, keeping the movies fresh, and living up to what fans expect.” 

 

“That would make sense,” Mick says, “and honestly, it's impressive.”

 

“Oh, definitely! The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise wishes it could do as well as the Scream franchise.” Zhou says before turning back to the movie. 

 

Oscar laughed a bit. “That’s true, though.” 

 

Before Zhou could respond, the sound of banging sounded throughout the room, letting them know of a guest. While Oscar got up to answer the door, Mick stopped him. 

 

“What if it happens to be, you know?”

 

“Mate, we live in Florida, not Woodsboro. Also, the chances of a serial killer going for us are hilarious to think of; we are nothing to this school and people here.” 

 

At the mention of that, Mick released his grip on Oscar’s wrist, and Oscar headed to the door. 

 

With a quick glance back at his friends, he opened the door to see his roommate and two buddies standing there. Or, more accurately, his roommate’s two buddies holding his roommate up with all his body weight being on them. 

 

“Hey, Oscar.”

 

“Uh, hey Alex… and George.” 

 

“Hey mate,” Alex says, giving a guilty smile, “Lando is pretty drunk, as you can see, and didn’t have his key card.”

 

“That would explain the knocking; sorry about that, by the way,” George adds, cutting off Alex. 

 

Oscar glanced at them, noting that Lando was clearly close to falling asleep standing up and that George had actually started to hold Lando’s weight more than Alex. 

 

Shaking his head, he opened the door wider for them. “It’s all good; you can just set him on his bed, and I’ll deal with him.” 

 

“Thanks.”

 

So, they dragged Lando into the room, and Oscar followed. Giving Mick and Zhou a quick glance, with both men giving a nod and standing up to clean everything, he went back to the three Brits. 

 

“Sorry once again.”

 

“It’s all good. Thanks for bringing him back safely.”

 

Alex gave a dorky thumbs-up. “Anytime, see you around.”

 

“See you.” 

 

Once George and Alex leave, Mick and Zhou begin to head towards the door.

 

“Guess that's our sign to leave.” Mick says, messing with Oscar's hair while walking by.

 

“Mate, stop,” Oscar mumbled, attempting to fix his hair. “But thanks for this. We'll have to do it again.”

 

Zhou eagerly nodded. “For sure! Thanks for having us!”

 

Mick, opening the door, turned back and smiled at Oscar. “Yeah, thanks! See you around!”

 

Oscar gave a smile back. “See ya.”

 

And just like that, the dorm was quiet, with the occasional sound of Lando moving on his bed. 

 

He was fully passed out, for sleep welcomed him the moment he fell on the bed, so that left Oscar alone to get everything put together in the dorm a bit more. Although Oscar didn't mind because a drunk Lando was a distracting one, and he would never get to cleaning up the room otherwise.

 

However, out of nowhere, Oscar's phone started to ring, and he quickly attempted to find it.

 

“Where is it?” He mumbled before finding it in between the couch cushions, hastily answering, “Hello?” 

 

“Hello, Oscar.” A scratchy, deep voice answered back.

 

A bit confused, Oscar looks at the caller ID to see unknown. “Who's this?” 

 

“Aw, you don't remember me,” the voice laughed a little. “Maybe this will help. What's your favorite scary movie, Oscar?” 

 

Laughing a little, Oscar turned off the TV. “Good prank, Mick and Zhou, but maybe be a bit more original next time, yeah? I'll talk with you guys tomorrow.”

 

“You hang up, and your friends will be gutted like a fucking fish, you hear me?” The voice angrily yelled. 

 

“What? If this is some dickhead trying to be funny, it's not working, so just fuck off.” 

 

“Funny, you really can't tell I'm being real, but maybe this will help.”

 

Before Oscar could reply, he heard commotion and then a sound of a muffled scream, followed quickly by a second one.

 

The voice came back on the line: “Is that real enough for you, Oscar? Because I sure hope so, or else your buddies here might not be so lucky.” 

 

“Fine.” He mumbled, looking out the window, trying to see if he could find anyone outside on their phone. “What do you want?”

 

“I wouldn't worry about looking outside; you won't find me.”

 

Oscar stopped dead in his tracks, feeling a sense of dread hit him. “You can see me then.”

 

“Wouldn't you like to know?” The voice mockingly laughed. “Now, Oscar, what's your favorite scary movie?”

 

Oscar gulped. “Candyman.”

 

“Interesting… I assume you know how this goes, so Oscar, first question. What did Candyman die from?” 

 

“Bee stings.” He mumbled, making sure the door was locked.

 

“Correct! Next one, what weapon did Candyman use?” The voice asked.

 

He checked on Lando, seeing he was still breathing. ”A hook.” 

 

“Look at you getting them correct! Last question, and if you get it right, your friends are free! Don't let them down now.” The voice gleefully teased before asking. “Now, how many times do you have to say his name for him to appear?” 

 

“That's such an easy answer, you dumbass! It's three!” Going over to the window, trying not to wake Lando, he harshly whispered. “Now let them go!” 

 

“Three times?”

 

“Yes! It's three.” But he was beginning to second-guess himself. “I swear.”

 

“Ah, isn't that sad? You were so close.”

 

“What, wait, no, no! It's five! Please, it's five; don't you dare do anything!” He pleaded. 

 

All he heard was laughter before the line went dead. At the same time, he saw something go past the window before hearing a thud. Hesitantly, Oscar opened the window to see Mick's body on the ground, gutted. “No…” 

 

He went to move but felt something warm land on his hand, and with a glance down, he saw a red dot that was slowly running down the back of his hand.

 

Fearfully, he turned his gaze up to see Zhou's body hanging halfway out the window, with a person in a Ghostface mask looking down at him. The figure gave a small wave before slashing Zhou's throat and shoving him out the window. 

 

“Zhou!” He yelled, watching his body splat against the ground.

 

Hands shooting up to his face, Oscar tried not to puke at the sight. Peeking back up, he saw the Ghostface point the knife at him, mimicking slashing his throat. 

 

Watching the Ghostface disappear into the room, he couldn’t help but feel his blood run cold. “Fuck…” 

 

He hurried to the door after receiving a text warning him to get out or else Lando would get it. Without thinking it through fully, Oscar rushed out of the room, making sure the door was locked before sprinting down the hallway. 

 

Right away, he headed down the stairs, trying to make it to the first floor from the fifth; however, once on the third floor, the door into the stairwell opened, and standing there was Ghostface. 

 

“Shit.” He attempted to head back up, but Ghostface charged at him. Somehow, Oscar was able to dodge out of the way, just barely, before shoving Ghostface. But as the Ghostface began to fall, the person grabbed Oscar, sending them both tumbling down the stairs. 

 

Once stopped, Oscar groaned and tried to get up, but Ghostface was up first and tackled him. Stabbing him in the side during the takedown. 

 

A scream found its way past Oscar’s lips as a blinding pain radiated throughout his body as the knife entered his side. With the last of his strength, he shoved Ghostface into the wall. Gritting his teeth, he slowly made his way up to his feet, opening the door to the second-floor dorms.  Oscar knew that Logan's dorm was on this floor, and it was his closest choice to safety.

 

Weirdly though, the lights on the floor were all off, and the hallway was only glowing red from the exit sign, leaving a feeling of eeriness. But Oscar was desperate and couldn’t care about that small detail. Using the wall to help, he began to make his way down the hall, leaving a trail of blood along the wall. Noticing the dorm number #202, he pushed off the wall to get to it but felt someone tug him back before something plunged into him. 

 

Looking down, he saw the knife pulled out from his stomach, and a ton of blood began to pour out. Before he could fully register what was happening, the knife entered his stomach again. He whimpered from the pain and tried to call for help, but the person covered his mouth before stabbing him a fourth time. 

 

The agony began to take over, and his legs gave out, which caused the person to throw him on the ground. Landing on his back and looking up at the ceiling, the last thing he saw was the Ghostface mask and a bloody knife coming down towards his heart. 

 

Accepting his fate, Oscar can only hope that Lando was okay before darkness took over his vision. 

 

About five minutes later, another student, who did go partying but was leaving early, was on his phone while walking back to his dorm. Seeing news about a power outage hitting a certain part of the dorms, he noticed a text coming in from Oscar, telling him to look up.

 

Listening, he looked up to see Zhou, Mick, and Oscar's bodies hanging from a tree. Zhou’s and Mick’s bodies were falling apart at the seams, while Oscar’s body was more intact but had blood all over the front of him.

 

Screaming for help, he ran over to them. Noticeably, Zhou and Mick seemed to have been gutted, along with falling from a high place. Their bodies looked like they were crumbling from the gravity, if it indicated anything. But Oscar was still breathing; however, it was slowing down with each breath. 

 

“No, no, Oscar!” He cried. “I promise you'll be okay; you'll be fine.” 

 

Looking around and seeing no one, he began to call 911, pleading for help. 

 

As soon as he got the campus name out of his mouth, a scream could be heard behind him. Turning, he noticed more students had come out to see what the ruckus was about, and the others were going to or returning from a party. While sirens could be heard coming closer, he couldn’t help but watch Oscar. 

 

The shallow, deep breaths he was trying to take, the blood pouring out of him, and the glazed look that was taking over his eyes. 

 

And just like that…

 

Lifeless .

Chapter 2

Notes:

I'm back! I haven't really been gone from ao3, but I wasn't uploading this story.

I ended up starting a whole new story that's Marble Hornets/Creepypasta, so if interested in any of those things, I would recommend checking out my story! Plus, I've been uploading my F1 chat fic here and there, so if anything, can find some F1 content there too.

Now, done with my shameless plug, I will admit that my motivation for this story will be up and down, just as my love for F1. I'm going to try to write out some chapters, so I can upload at least a few for this story, but no promises on actually pulling that off. Also, I went and improved Chapter 1 with a few things, so I'd advise to read it for a way better chapter than what it originally was.

Anyway, that's all I have to say, so I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's not exciting, but ofc we need building chapters, and this is that.

The keys of computers being pushed down harshly, chairs scraping across the floor from being pulled out and pushed in, and the low mumbling of others were all that Charles could hear. As he sat in one of the most uncomfortable chairs he has ever sat on, his thoughts were only about Oscar, Zhou, and Mick and the grim reality he found himself in. 

 

All were so young and had so much more life to live, yet they were treated as worthless pieces of shit by whoever decided to attack them. Or, at least, Zhou and Mick were. Somehow, Oscar was still hanging onto his life by a thread. 

 

Charles was praying that Clotho would be able to keep spinning the thread of fate, that Lachesis would measure it to be longer than it seemed, and that Atropos wouldn’t be cutting it soon. He just had to keep telling himself that if anyone could survive the unexpected, it would be Oscar. He just had that type of spirit. 

 

“Mr. Leclerc.” 

 

Looking up, he saw Lieutenant Hamilton standing in front of him. 

 

“I would like to say thank you for being willing to stay in case we had any more questions; I know how stressful this could be.” Charles doubted that but kept quiet. “Luckily, we have everything we need so far, which means you’re free to go, but don’t be surprised if you do get called in for questioning at any point.”

 

He nodded and stood before thinking of something. 

 

“I actually have one question.” 

 

Lieutenant Hamilton turned back towards him. “What’s up?”

 

“Will I and some friends be able to visit Oscar in the hospital?”

 

“Of course.” Hamilton smiled slightly at him. “We have security around his room in case the attacker comes back, but his room is open to go visit.”

 

“Okay, thank you.” Charles gave a smile before walking off, wanting to get out as fast as he could.

 

However, while walking out, he saw his two classmates, Alex Albon and George Russell, waiting by the door. 

 

“All good?” 

 

Alex nodded while George spoke. “Yeah, come in with Lando, and we are now waiting for him.” 

 

“Which, I don’t know why they are taking so long.” Alex complained. 

 

George sighed. “Because they have to make sure he isn’t a suspect since he is Oscar’s roommate.”

 

“Please,” Alex scoffed. “Lando wouldn’t dare hurt Oscar. He cares too much about him.” 

 

“True.” Charles mumbled. 

 

“Yeah, we all know that, but the police don’t and are just making sure.” George replied. 

 

Alex gave a half-hearted shrug. “I guess.” 

 

It made sense to Charles, but he wasn’t going to get on Alex’s bad side. 

 

“Even he should be out soon because his story will match up with ours, clearing his name.” George added on.

 

“Good.” Alex said, half-heartedly glaring at a cop that walked by. 

 

George nodded, while Charles looked outside to see Carlos and Pierre waiting. 

 

“I have to go. I hope Lando gets out soon.” He gave both of them a fake smile before leaving the building. 

 

Pierre’s head snapped up when the door opened, and Charles couldn’t prepare himself for the tight embrace he found himself in. 

 

“Are you okay, Calamar?” Pierre’s muffled voice asked, squeezing Charles even tighter. 

 

“Yeah, I’m okay.” He responded, hugging back before slowly pulling away. “It wasn’t like I was attacked.” 

 

“Still, that’s a traumatic scene to stumble upon.” 

 

He shrugged listlessly. “I guess, yeah.” 

 

Before Pierre could reprimand Charles for acting like it wasn’t huge, Carlos made his way over.

 

“Hey, Cabrón.” 

 

“Hey, Carlos.” Charles gave him a slight side hug. 

 

Returning the hug, Carlos asked. “How are you holding up?” 

 

“Could be better, but I’m not the one in the hospital, so.”

 

Carlos nodded at that. “Small victories.” 

 

“If you could even call it that.” 

 

Before any more comments could be made, the sound of a door opening caught all three of their attention, and out came Lando, with Alex and George behind him.

 

If Charles had to describe what Lando looked like at the moment, he would say it was as if Lando had gotten yelled at for hours on end. His eyes were glassy and red all around, showing that he had been bawling his eyes out. Plus, his usual curly hair was even messier, seeming as if he continually pulled at it. 

 

No words were exchanged as they passed by, only George giving a nod to acknowledge them. 

 

“You know,” Pierre began the moment the three were out of hearing range. “I don't get how he didn't hear Oscar having issues on the phone with someone.” 

 

“Well, seeing as he was shitfaced drunk, there was no way he was waking up from the slumber he was in.” Carlos explained with a bite in his tone. 

 

That caused Pierre to give him a look before smiling. “Forgot, can't say stuff about your ‘boyfriend’ or else.”

 

Carlos hit his shoulder while glaring. “He's not my boyfriend.” 

 

While Charles was laughing at the conversation, he caught the eyes of someone looking at them and couldn't look away. 

 

“Charles… Cha— Oh.” 

 

Not expecting it, he felt Pierre shove him a little, making him break eye contact with the other person, turning his attention back to him.

 

“What?” He asked, a little annoyed.

 

Pierre heard the annoyance in his tone but ignored it with a roll of his eyes. “I wouldn’t get too distracted by him. He’s most likely the killer.”

 

Charles shook his head in disbelief at that. “Just because he likes horror movies doesn't mean he's the killer. If that was the case, Daniel and Lance would be suspicious too.” 

 

Pierre attempted to defend himself. “Yeah, but they don’t give off the same vibes as he does.”

 

“We can’t just be basing things off vibes.” Charles remarked before feeling a presence beside him. 

 

Glancing over to his right, he saw Max Verstappen. The one that Pierre was accusing of being the murderer and the “asshole” of the campus. Everyone knew Max Verstappen, whether it be from personal experience or stories. But it was known: no one should cross him. 

 

However, if fear was one trait attached to his name, pity was the other. It was known that he grew up with a rough childhood, being forced to stay with his father when the court ruled his dad as his rightful guardian. A ruling that would change his life from being filled with love to being filled with hatred. His father was the scum of the earth, worse than getting shit stuck on the bottom of your shoe. And Max was subjected to his torture for ages, making him develop a hard exterior to protect himself from getting done wrong, like his younger self was. 

 

But Charles knew that under that hard exterior was a sweet guy who had way too big of a passion for geography. He could confidently say that the only perk of being forced to help clean up the classroom with Max last year was learning the real him. 

 

“I'd be careful what you say, Gasly,” Max said, staring Pierre down. “Never know when it can come back and bite you.”

 

“Is that meant to be a threat?” Pierre asked, stepping up to Max. 

 

Max smiled mockingly. “No, just a warning.”

 

Seeing where this was about to go, Charles quickly stepped between Pierre and Max, pushing Pierre to the side a bit. 

 

“How about we don't have a fight right now?” 

 

“Charles is right. You’re asking to be arrested fighting at the police station.” Carlos added. 

 

Looking as if he was about to argue, Max quickly shut his mouth and nodded. “Fine with me.” 

 

Watching Max walk off, Charles couldn't help but wonder what caused that reaction. Checking around, he didn't understand until he made direct eye contact with the police chief, Sebastian Vettel.

 

Now he understood. 

 

“I hate that motherfucker.” Pierre spat, his frustration showing in every word. 

 

Carlos gently nodded. “Definitely not everyone's cup of tea.” 

 

“You don't understand!” Pierre said, clenching his fist. “He probably did the murders and is walking around freely, thinking he's the best!” 

 

“Pierre,” Charles shook his head, feeling a bit disappointed in everything. “You need to let it go. Getting worked up on him isn't worth it.” 

 

“Charles is right again,” Carlos tacked on. “Let's forget about Verstappen and just hang out.”

 

While he knew Carlos meant no harm in his wording, Charles couldn't help but flinch at hearing the word “hang,” remembering what he saw the night before. 

 

“Sorry—“”

 

“No,” Charles interrupted Carlos. “You don't have to apologize.”

 

“Sure?” Carlos looked at him, guilt swimming in his eyes.

 

Seeing it made Charles feel sick. He didn’t want his friends to act like he was fine china, going to crack from the simplest of things. “Positive.” 

 

“Okay,” Carlos began, moving on. “How about we go to our dorm?”

 

Charles nodded. “Sounds good to me. Pierre?” 

 

“Count me in.” 

 

With that, they began their journey back to campus, being only a 10-minute walk away. While Pierre and Carlos kept a conversation going between them, Charles couldn't help but let his thoughts run free.

 

As much as he wanted to move on, he couldn't get the lifeless looks of Mick's and Zhou's bodies hanging there, swaying now and then from the wind. Plus, he might have seen Oscar take his last breath while he couldn't do anything but watch. Charles wasn't a newbie to death, but he never saw it so clearly in his face like that moment, and he hated it. 

 

But what he hated most was the feeling of uneasiness that was following him. The killer targeted him by calling his phone and apparently knew he would be passing by the gruesome scene at the exact time. So, not only did he have to deal with the murder of his friends, but he also had a stalker to handle. 

 

Furthermore, he felt that the killer wasn't going to stop at those deaths, especially if Oscar was to live. There was no way the killer wouldn't come back to finish Oscar off while adding terror to everyone's life with more murders of students. Yet, all of this made him wonder one thing.

 

When would the killer strike again?

Chapter 3

Notes:

Another chapter that's not months apart yay!

If I can, I'm going to attempt to release another chapter tomorrow for Halloween; however, no promises. I have the concept for the next chapter down, it's just writing it that might take a bit longer than a day, so we shall see.

Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter!

In the beginning, spending time in his dorm room didn't sound bad to Charles, but now he knew he definitely didn't think it through. His dorm room was a normal-sized dorm, meaning there wasn't as much space as he'd hoped. 

 

Luckily, though, Carlos was his roommate and kept his side of the room spotless. Charles tried to return the favor by keeping his side decently clean, with only a few hoodies or shirts lying around at times. 

 

Either way, their room was perfect to host them and maybe two others, not nine people altogether. Somehow, though, they were all making it work. 

 

Carlos was on his own bed with Franco Colapinto, a recent exchange student from Argentina who had joined their friend group randomly one day, sitting at the edge of the bed. Charles, himself, was on his own bed, lying down with his feet on Pierre’s thighs, who was also on his bed. Along with them on his bed was Yuki Tsunoda, a Japanese student who attached himself to Pierre his first year at the university, which would explain why he was lying right on top of Pierre’s chest. 

 

Liam Lawson, a New Zealander who was more friends with Oscar than the rest of them, was chilling in Carlos’ desk chair. While Lance Stroll, a rich student from Canada, was sitting on the edge of Charles' desk with his best friend — also Pierre’s slight enemy — Esteban Ocon on the floor, leaning against the desk with Lance's legs on either side of him. 

 

And the final person of this pack of sardines was Daniel Ricciardo, an Australian student, who was pacing the small length of the room he had to himself. 

 

Daniel finally stopped pacing and smiled at everyone. “Okay, I've called this meeting to talk about last night's events.”

 

Carlos scoffed, “Mate, you heard we were hanging out and decided to drop in with others.” 

 

This time, Charles was able to hold the flinch in. 

 

“Oh, well,” Daniel shrugged shamelessly. “We're here now, and I'm ready to figure out who did the killing.”

 

“Who says it was a student and not some random dude?” Yuki asked, picking his head up from Pierre’s chest to look at everyone.

 

“There's no way some random person knew to text Charles the moment he was perfectly walking by the crime scene,” Lance explained. 

 

Charles tensed up at that thought. “So, it has to be someone who knows me?”

 

Lance gave him an apologetic look. “Not necessarily, but it seems to be the best way to look at it. At least it's someone who knows of you.”

 

“So, literally the whole campus.” Liam plainly stated. 

 

Charles attempted to defend himself. “That's not tr—”

 

He was cut off by a collective exchange of “yes, it is” by everyone, leaving him slightly bothered. 

 

“I get it. I’m popular.” 

 

“Nothing wrong with being popular.” Franco said before adding. “Just makes this whole situation harder to solve.” 

 

“Wow, that makes me feel so much better.” Charles deadpanned. 

 

Pierre chuckled a little at that. “Now, don't get all snappy. I doubt he meant harm with that comment.”

 

Franco nodded. “The French man is correct.”

 

Charles sighed. “Sorry, I'm still a bit on edge.”

 

“All good.” Franco smiled. “A stressful situation all around, right?”

 

He could definitely say that again, Charles thought. 

 

“Anyway,” Pierre began, messing with Yuki's hair a bit. “Let's not send Charles down a road of feeling miserable.” 

 

Everyone nodded at that. 

 

“Well, I have my suspect list in mind.” Daniel said, changing the subject. 

 

“Do enlighten us.” Esteban replied, speaking for the first time since arriving. 

 

“Gladly!” Daniel gave a huge smile. “So, obviously, our first suspect would be Max Verstappen. I mean, he fits the mold of exactly what everyone would be looking for; however, with these murders feeling Scream- coded because of the alleged phone call, it lowers the chances of him.”

 

“Why's that?” Carlos asked, looking interested in Daniel's rambling. 

 

“Because Max hates the Scream franchise, seeing it as uninteresting because it really doesn't play well with the shock value that it could have. Also, he finds explaining the horror movie rules such a bad running gag.” 

 

That's when Daniel looked at Lance.

 

“However, our buddy, Lance, here loves the whole Scream franchise.” 

 

“It's a good one,” Lance commented.

 

“Plus, it couldn't be him.” Esteban jumped in to defend him. “He was with me last night.” 

 

“There's always two killers.” Daniel rebuttal. 

 

“We were with Checo, too, so you could ask him if you really don't believe us.” Esteban responded, glaring a little. 

 

Daniel rolled his eyes. “Fine. You both are cleared as suspects. Now, my next sus—”

 

But before he could say anything, a ringing filled the room. 

 

“Oh, sorry.” Liam apologized, getting his phone out, but glanced up after seeing it. “Um, it's an unknown number.”

 

“Answer!” Daniel exclaimed. “Everyone else, stay quiet!” 

 

Liam hits the answer button. “Hello?” 

 

“Hello, Liam.” A slightly robotic voice says back.

 

At the sound of the voice, almost everyone in the room went tense. Lance and Daniel made eye contact, for whatever reason Charles couldn't think of. While Yuki actually got off Pierre to get a better view of Liam, reminding Charles that Yuki was close friends with Liam too. 

 

“Um, who is this?” Liam hesitantly asked. 

 

“Now, I'm not here to chat. I was just wondering one thing. Do you like games?”

 

Liam glanced up, looking confused but also worried. Daniel gave him a slight nod, encouraging him to say yes. 

 

“Yeah,” Liam took a small breath. “I do.”

 

“Perfect.” Charles couldn't help but feel uncomfortable hearing the voice and felt worse knowing it might have been the last one Oscar heard. “Then I have the perfect game to play.”

 

“I'm not playing your fucking games!” Liam barked. 

 

Charles couldn't blame him because he would've done the exact same thing, but Daniel didn't look as understanding. He seemed to be a bit upset at Liam snapping. 

 

“Well, if you want your friend alive, you'll want to play.” The voice spoke calmly, clearly in control of the situation.

 

That caused everyone to freeze.

 

“What?” Liam rubbed his temple. “What do you mean?”

 

“I knew that would capture your attention.” The voice laughed. “One of your friends is all alone, and I'm watching him. He'd be the perfect victim, but I'm giving you a chance to save him. Just have to figure out who I mean.” 

 

“How long would I have?” Liam asked worriedly. 

 

“About 20 minutes, since I'm feeling so nice.” The voice replied.

 

“Okay.”

 

“Oh, and Liam.” The voice added. 

 

“Yes?”

 

“Tell everyone else that they can gladly join the hunt.” With that, the call dropped. 

 

“Fuck,” Daniel swore. “He knew that we were all here.”

 

“Which means they have to be on the campus grounds, though. Also, it's definitely a copy of Scream ; the voice is the same as the movies.” Lance supplied.  

 

“Okay, so who's still on campus?” Pierre asked. 

 

“Checo.” Esteban replied. 

 

“Alex?” Franco questionably said. 

 

“No.” Charles shook his head. “He's most likely still with Lando and George.”

 

“Ah, okay.” Franco nodded at that. 

 

“Logan.” Liam stated before groaning at his phone. “And he won't answer his damn phone.” 

 

“Okay, so half of us will go find Checo, and the other half will find Logan.” Daniel replied. “Charles, Liam, Carlos, and mys-”

 

“Why don't we just tell the cops?” Carlos interrupted, trying to be the voice of reason.

 

“For all we know, this could be some sick joke that a student is playing on us. We don't want to send them on a wild goose chase just for it to be false.” Lance explained. “It would give ‘boy who cried wolf,’ which might make the cops not trust us the next time it's actually something serious.”

 

Carlos thought about his response a bit before nodding. “I guess that makes sense.”

 

“I hate to bring bad news, but we're wasting time here.” Liam stated, getting up from the chair.

 

“Well, before I was so rudely interrupted,” Daniel looked at Carlos, who flipped him off. “I was going to say that myself, Charles, Carlos, and Liam will attempt to find Logan. The rest can go find Checo.”

 

Everyone nodded at that and began their way out of the room, not wanting to waste more time. 

 

But Charles couldn't stop himself from making eye contact with Pierre, who gave him a small smile. 

 

“Be safe out there.” 

 

Charles nodded. “You too.” 

 

“Always.” 

 

With that, Pierre walked off, and Charles quickly caught up with the others. While Daniel did try to keep up a conversation to make it less tense, it was clear no one was sure what to expect. 

 

Honestly, Charles wasn't even sure if he was ready for what was to come. He just knew he would have to push through.

 

Logan's or Checo's life depended on it.

Chapter 4

Notes:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

I hope everyone had a great time today with whatever you did. I ended up watching Scream 6, so fun times!

Either way, here's a new chapter that is a bit worse than the last two sadly imo. I hate this chapter and kind of just want to rid of it; however, it's needed and that's final. But I will definitely come back with a better chapter next time, especially cause it's getting juicy finally. (might even rewrite this chapter if I feel like it, which if I do, I'll make it known in a chapter notes.)

However, I can't promise when my next upload of this book will be because of some personal matters, but I will try to make sure it's before November 10th lol.

Anyway, enjoy!

As the four of them began to arrive at the dorm building that Logan resided in, it was clear to Charles that none of them actually thought it through. Seeing as the entire building was blocked off from anyone entering with crime scene tape. 

 

Oh, right, Oscar lived in the same building, Charles thought.

 

“Well, now what?” Carlos asked, breaking the silence that fell over the group. 

 

Daniel looked at Liam. “Anywhere else you could think he would be?”

 

“Um,” Liam looked deep in thought. “Maybe the gym? Or the football field.”

 

“Liam?” A voice randomly said, but it made everyone cast their gaze at the front of the building.

 

Standing right at the entrance with a bag was Logan. 

 

“Logan!” Liam exclaimed, quickly embracing him.

 

Logan, though confused, returned the hug. “Everything okay?”

 

“We thought.” Liam began, stumbling over his words. “We thought the killer was after you!” 

 

“Wait, what?” Logan asked, in a high-pitched voice, portraying the worry they were all feeling. 

 

“Charles,” Carlos voiced, catching his attention. “Check with Pierre if they found Checo.”

 

Nodding, he took out his phone to see that Pierre had already texted, stating they found Checo unharmed.

 

“Pierre said they found Checo unharmed.” He replied with the information.

 

“So, did we outsmart the killer?” Liam questioned.

 

“Nope,” Daniel shook his head. “We have to be missing something. There's no way they'd slip up like this unless they really didn't plan it out.” 

 

That's when another text comes through.

 

“Fuck,” he swore. “An unknown number just texted me a picture.” 

 

Instantly, everyone, even Logan, crowded around him to see what it was.

 

“Is that a hospital hallway?” Liam asked. 

 

“Shit. They must be trying to finish off Oscar.” Carlos voiced. 

 

Hearing that, Charles began to run in the direction of the hospital, with any rational thoughts flying out of his head. The moment Carlos made that statement, he felt like it was his chance to make up for his failure to help Oscar beforehand. 

 

As he turned the corner, a hand tightly grasped his hand and tugged him to stop, causing him to almost fall over from the speed he was going at. 

 

“Charles!” The voice shouted, stopping him from falling over.

 

Looking at who stopped him, he couldn't help but feel a rush of annoyance at seeing Lance's face. 

 

“What?” He angrily asked, pulling his hand away.

 

“What's going on?” Lance asked, worried. 

 

“I don't have time! Oscar is in trouble!” Charles attempted to run away, but once again Lance stopped him. 

 

“I'll help.”

 

With that, Lance began to drag him towards the street and whistled for a car to stop. As the car came to a stop, they both jumped into the car.

 

“If you can speed us to the hospital, I'll pay you two hundred dollars.” Lance rushed out. 

 

“On it.” The driver easily agreed.

 

With them speeding towards what could be their deaths, Charles couldn't help but feel anxious. Everything around him was falling apart, and he wasn't sure how strong he could be. But if anything, he had to keep it together to save Oscar, at least. 

 

“I told Esteban to meet us there, and Carlos texted that they are heading there too.” 

 

Charles could only nod at Lance’s words, not feeling like he could speak without puking his guts out. 

 

Arriving at the hospital, Charles basically fell out of the car with how fast he was trying to get out. Luckily, Lance stayed back to pay the driver, even giving him a tip from what Charles was able to hear before being too far away. 

 

“Where's Oscar Piastri’s room?” He frantically cried out the moment he entered the lobby. 

 

Of course, that caused a ton of the people in the waiting room to look at him like he was crazy, with even mothers covering their young kids' eyes. 

 

“Excuse me, sir, what do you need?” The nurse behind the front desk asked. 

 

“Oscar Piastri's room!” He began to repeat himself while the nurse tried to calm him down.

 

“Charles!” Lance's voice cuts through his demands and the nurse's denials.

 

“What?” He harshly turned his head towards him.

 

“You need to settle down.” Lance held onto his arm before looking at the nurse. “Can you please tell us Oscar Piastri's room number? We badly need to see him.” 

 

With that, the nurse caved, and once he heard the number, he darted off. Ignoring the yells of Lance, Charles made his way through the blank, white hallways. The smell of the hospital wasn't helping his stomach, but he could hold off puking. Unless he was to stumble upon another crime scene, and with that thought in his head, he began to sprint harder in hopes of making it. 

 

As he turned the corner to Oscar’s room, he made eye contact with Lieutenant Hamilton, who seemed surprised to see him. 

 

“Charles?”

 

“Is Oscar okay?” He rushed towards the room but got stopped before he could enter.

 

“Oscar is fine. He's just sleeping, so it's probably better to not barge in there.” Hamilton reassured him. “But why are you freaking out?”

 

“The Killer—” He took a few seconds to catch his breath and clear his mind. “The killer called and sent us on a wild goose chase, but he was here. He took a picture of this hallway and sent it to me!” He took his phone out and showed the picture. “See?”

 

Hamilton looked at the phone. “Why didn't you call us cops?” 

 

“Because we feared it would make it seem like a ‘boy who cried wolf’ story.” Lance's voice came from behind him. 

 

“And?”

 

“It seems we were right because everything has turned out fine.” 

 

Hamilton nodded. “I'm going to need your phone, Charles, to check out some things.” He gave a slight nod while Hamilton continued. “And whoever else got contacted. We'll figure out more from there.”

 

After everything got checked out with the cops, Charles and Lance got cleared to go into Oscar's room. Entering, Charles couldn't believe his eyes. 

 

Oscar lay in the bed, paler than normal, with a ton of machines attached to him. Even though his chest was rising, it wouldn't be hard to be convinced that he was dead from the wrappings covering his arms and even the ones peeking through the hospital gown. 

 

“Wow,” Lance mumbled. “They really got him good.”

 

Charles nodded, trying to will the images of Oscar hanging from the tree away from his mind. He knew that was an impossible ask, though, because he was only human. After about ten minutes of sitting in his misery, the door opened and Carlos’ head peeked in before he walked in with everyone else. 

 

“Seems we got played.” Daniel quietly stated, once in the room.

 

Everyone nodded at that.

 

“Wait.” Charles looked at everyone around the room. “Where are Liam, Logan, and Checo?”

 

“Checo had soccer practice, so he couldn't stay.” Franco explained. 

 

“Liam got dragged away by a friend to help with a project, and Logan was going to the extra dorms set up with Alex because their building was being shut down.” Carlos added.

 

“Oh, okay.” Charles let out a breath of relief. 

 

Feeling a presence next to him, he glanced up to see Pierre. Without thinking about it, he laid his head down on Pierre’s shoulder while Pierre wrapped his arm around him. As long as they were all together or somewhere safe, it would be okay. The killer couldn't get to them. At least, that's how Charles wanted to view it. 

 

But life has a funny way of working, Charles realized. As the silence that filled the room was broken by one single sound, a sound that would haunt all of their dreams if they made it through this nightmare.

 

The sound of a phone ringing.

Chapter 5

Notes:

Well, it's the 10th, but not pass it, so I'll call it a win that I got this up! I feel like this chapter is a bit meh, but I promise, it'll get better.

I've been having a rough few weeks, so that definitely made it harder to write and get anything done, but I'll try my best to get another chapter or two up before the ending of November at least.

Anyway, enjoy!

Charles felt as if someone stole all the air from the room. The heavy feeling that settled in his chest from hearing the ringing was only making it harder for him to breathe. But it was as if the person whose phone was going off was taking forever to check it. Which made him wonder, whose phone was it? 

 

“It's only Liam.” A heavy-accented voice spoke, one that Charles easily identified as Carlos. 

 

While what he said was so simple, it was reassuring. And it seemed everyone else agreed because everyone let the tension leave their bodies. 

 

Carlos answered his phone. “Hello?” 

 

As Charles watched, he couldn't help but feel something was off by the facial expression shown on Carlos’ face, and as he rushed to turn the speaker on, Charles knew what to expect. 

 

“Surprise, surprise!” The same voice that haunted his mind excitedly spoke. “You know, I thought you all would be smarter than what you really are, but of course I was proven wrong.” 

 

“Why's that?” Carlos asked in a booming voice, trying to appear strong. 

 

“Because,” the voice laughed. “You left poor little Liam alone.” 

 

Charles felt his heart stop. 

 

“Want to guess where he is now?” The voice teased. 

 

“You better not lay a hand on him.” Carlos growled. 

 

“Oh, please, I've already done more than that! He put up an excellent fight, you know? Sadly, he couldn't really stop a knife from slicing through him.” 

 

At that moment, Yuki covered his ears. Charles felt for him; it wasn't a pleasing thing to hear how your best friend fought just to end up caught. 

 

“Did you kill him?” Franco innocently asked. 

 

“No, I will give you guys a chance to save him.” The voice lost the whimsical tone it held throughout the conversation. “At a price, of course.”

 

Charles knew there was going to be something impossible as the price. “What's that?” 

 

“Leave the hospital.”

 

Everyone tensed up at that. 

 

“Why?”

 

“Does it matter?” The killer asked, mocking fake offense. “Liam's life means that little to you all?”

 

It didn't take rocket science to know the killer would want to finish off Oscar; however, Charles wasn't sure he could allow that after everything that he went through. But Liam was so young and deserved to live too. 

 

Daniel sighed. “We'll do it.” Charles’ head snapped over to Daniel's direction, showing a face of disappointment that he ignored. “We'll even take a picture of the entrance outside to show you we left.” He added. 

 

A hum of approval was heard over the line before it cut off. 

 

“What were you thinking?” Charles' voice cracked. 

 

“Only one of us has to send a picture of the outside to make it believable we left.” Daniel began to explain. “They never stated anything about having to be in the photo. So, someone sends the picture to Liam's phone, and then they'll probably send us a location to get Liam. That means half of us stay here to catch that fucker, and the other half helps find Liam.”

 

“That's a horrible plan.” Esteban plainly stated. 

 

“And yet the best we have.” Daniel rebuttal. 

 

Which he was right about, sadly, Charles thought. 

 

“I'll do it.” Pierre stood up. “I need a break from this whole place.”

 

“I'm coming.” Yuki said, standing up.

 

Pierre nodded. “We'll both go take the picture before going on a small walk. I think we both need it.”

 

Charles knew that Pierre was only offering that to not make Yuki feel alone, knowing Pierre would have just taken the photo and returned if he went by himself. 

 

“Sounds good.” Lance replied. “Stay safe.”

 

Yuki gave a thumbs-up while Pierre nodded before they both headed out. 

 

“Is it really going to be that easy?” Franco vocalized what everyone was wondering. 

 

“It has to.” Daniel uttered, “Or else, we're fucked.” 

 

“More so, Liam is.” Carlos corrected. 

 

“Oh, right.” Daniel said. “Liam's fucked.” 

 

“We just can’t think that way. This killer has been a bit messy with their planning, so we might have actually tricked them.” Lance attempted to reassure everyone. 

 

The truth was that everyone knew it was a weak plan at best, but it was the best they could offer. Just as Charles was about to add something to what Lance said, the sound of a painful groan behind him caught his attention.

 

Turning back, he was shocked to see Oscar attempting to open his eyes but struggling because of the lights. “Oscar!” 

 

“I’ll get the doctor.” Lance quickly left while Franco turned the lights off. “To help him open his eyes.” 

 

With the lights being shut off, Oscar was able to open his eyes. 

 

“Guys?” He weakly mumbled. 

 

Charles felt like crying. He really didn’t imagine he’d hear Oscar’s voice again, and being able to hear it again was something else, even if his voice was quieter than normal. 

 

The nurses rushed in, making everyone wait outside the room, and by the time they were allowed back in, it was agreed to break the news of Zhou and Mick to him slowly. 

 

“Hey, how are you feeling, Oscar?” Daniel asked while entering the room.

 

“Like I was stabbed repeatedly.” Oscar deadpanned. “Oh, wait, I was.” 

 

“Really, dude?” 

 

“What?” He looked at them all. “I just almost lost my life, and I learned that some of my best friends are dead. I'm allowed to joke about it.”

 

The tension everybody felt about having to relay the news was gone, seeing he already knew about it, but Charles couldn't shake away the feeling of weariness in his gut. 

 

With the quiet taking over, Oscar spoke again. “Was anyone else hurt?” 

 

“No, there haven't been any other attacks.”

 

“That's good.” 

 

Once again, silence fell upon the room, but Oscar seemed to take it in stride with his eyes slowly closing shut. However, before he could fall into any type of sleep, a phone going off woke him up. 

 

“Sorry.” Carlos apologized, getting his phone out before answering. “Hello?”

 

“You think you're so fucking smart?” The voice growled out.

 

“I don't know what you mean.” Carlos faked confusion. 

 

“Don't know what I mean? Maybe this will help you.” 

 

With that, the sound of a painful scream was heard — a scream that was easily identifiable as Liam's. As the screaming came to a stop, the voice came back. “Now, do you understand?”

 

It was clear to everyone that their plan hadn't worked. 

 

“Yes.”

 

“Good.” The person laughed. “Now, tell your buddy Daniel to answer his phone.”

 

Carlos peeked at Daniel, who quickly took his phone out to see a FaceTime call on it from Checo's number. A rush of confusion filled him, but he accepted, just to be met with the scene of Liam bleeding out on a chair while Checo was tied to one, looking better off.

 

“What the fuck.” Daniel said in disbelief. Or disgust. Charles couldn’t tell. 

 

At that, everyone got up to see, except Oscar, who relied on the others' facial expressions to understand what was going on. 

 

“Oh, God.” Lance turned away, covering his mouth. 

 

“It's a beautiful sight, isn't it? Brings a tear to the eye.” The voice mocked. “But now, let's play a game! And who's better as the main player than Charles?”

 

Hearing his name, Charles felt his heart stop for a second. “No, fuck off.”

 

“Aw, is that the way to speak to me when I could gut your friends right here?” 

 

Charles stayed silent as everyone stared at him.

 

“Ah, the silent treatment.” On the phone, the figure could be seen getting closer to Liam and placing the knife against his throat, which caused Liam to tense up. “Going to stay silent now?”

 

“Fine!” Charles spat out, “What do you want?”

 

“Ever heard of the game Until Dawn?” The person questioned but continued on to explain before Charles could answer. “There's an interesting scene where the player has to pick who they want to save, Ashley or Josh… So, Charles, you have the choice of saving Liam or Checo!” 

 

At that, Charles felt like crying. He knew the game was going to be hard, but he never expected it to be impossible. He couldn’t dare pick one of them to live, and it seemed the murderer knew that. 

 

“What's wrong? Cats got your tongue?” 

 

“Fuck you.” Charles rasped out, feeling tears begin to fill his eyes. “I can't pick, and you know that.” 

 

“But if you don't pick, they both are dead. You're really going to allow that to happen?” The voice cruel asked. 

 

Charles knew they were fucking with him, but the reality of Liam and Checo's lives being on his shoulders was starting to hit. And he was only human. 

 

He begged. “Please don't do this. I can't pick… please.”

 

Seeing Daniel's figure retreat out the door, he realized that he was probably going to get Lewis, finally catching on that this situation wasn't one they could handle alone. 

 

“Fine, I'll help you, Charlie.” The person was purposely making their voice go soft on the word ‘Charlie’. 

 

With that, the knife that was resting on Liam's throat was cut through like butter, and blood began to pour out of the cut. Liam, for a moment, made a gasping noise that sounded as if he were gargling water before his head fell to the side. 

 

The sound of a gasp beside him was all Charles could make out as he felt like he was going to puke. Just like that, Liam had lost his life as if he were nothing. As the phone screen shook — because Carlos was shaking himself — the figure on the screen walked over to Checo, who was trying to get free from the chair and move away at the same time. 

 

The figure laughed before plunging the knife right into Checo's stomach. Seeing that, Charles came back to his senses.

 

“Stop!” 

 

But as if the figure didn't hear him, or more so didn't care, they continued to use Checo like a pincushion.

 

“If only you had picked, then this wouldn't have happened.” 

 

Hearing that voice, Charles stared at the screen, lost. The figure never turned around to speak, nor did they seem to have a phone on them, so how did they speak perfectly while assaulting Checo? Yet, before any thought could really go into it, the phone was snatched out of Carlos’ hand, and swearing took place. 

 

With that, a rush of people entered the room and started to move everyone around or out of the room; Charles could only follow like a zombie. 

 

Ahead of him, he saw Lance leaning into Esteban while Franco was speaking in rapid Spanish to Carlos, who looked pale compared to his usual tan complex. Daniel was being talked to by another cop but was clearly trying to come off strong, when in reality he had a slight shake to his form. 

 

Charles himself wasn't sure if he tried to do anything that wasn't directed, he would be able to succeed. Everything felt like too much for him to handle, so being able to not think about certain actions helped. Which is why he easily went along with the cops pushing him away from the room and toward the elevator, but as he blinked, he found himself in the lobby, leaning against the wall. 

 

Feeling hands on his face that forced him to look up, he made eye contact with chocolate brown eyes. 

 

“Charles,” a soft British accent filled his eyes, confirming the person as Lewis Hamilton. “You have to come with us to the police station.” He nodded, but Lewis continued on. “Oscar will be safely guarded, and we're going to find where your friends are.”

 

Oscar, how could Charles be selfish? He forgot about Oscar needing to be protected, but Lewis assured him that it would be okay, and he had to believe him. If he didn't, he'd end up losing it, and he was trying to avoid that. While finding his friends, he knew it wouldn't matter; both were probably dead, and he couldn’t even step up to save one of them when giving them a shot. 

 

“Now is not the time to think about everything and allow the thoughts to win.” Lewis’ voice broke through his thoughts. “Let's go.”

 

Gently, Lewis began to guide Charles towards the exit, with Charles easily allowing it. He could only hope that this was some dream, but Charles knew the truth. 

 

It was a real-life nightmare that only just began. 

Chapter 6

Notes:

Hey, everyone! I know, a shock that I am actually uploading this, but I finally had some motivation to finish the chapter. And the good news is that this chapter is a decently long one to apologize for how long it has been.

Truly, I just had life catch up to me and keep me so busy that I had no push to write this story. Now, this upload doesn't mean I will be back and uploading this story much; however, I believe when the F1 season is in motion, I'll be more incline to write this story. So, yeah, I can't promise another upload any time soon, but I can promise I will continue to write this story. Even if it takes me forever to finish it.

Once again, sorry for the wait, but hopefully you enjoy this chapter! I did a little fun POV with it, that I hope you all will like and that it won't be too confusing.

Anyway, enjoy! See you whenever I upload again lol.

Once again, Charles found himself sitting in the uncomfortable chairs of the police station. Yet, this time around, he wasn't alone.

 

Pierre sat across from him, holding Yuki like his life depended on it, while also shooting concerned glances at Charles. Yuki was holding onto Pierre and burying his face against his chest, trying to stop others from seeing him cry. They both had been caught in the hallway returning from their walk and taken along with the rest of them to the station. 

 

Franco was sitting a seat away, leaving space for Carlos, and checking his phone — that he got back after it got cleared — constantly. What for? Charles had no clue, but he hoped it would bring the kid some comfort. Soon after, Carlos returned from the bathroom and sat down, which drew Franco's attention, and they began to speak to one another. 

 

Lance and Esteban were having what seemed to be an argument with each other in the hallway that was in Charles' line of vision. What it could be about beat him, but it seemed that Lance was slowly breaking Esteban's stubbornness. Deciding to give them privacy —well, as much as they could get in a police station — Charles averted his eyes to the door of Hamilton's office, where Daniel was being questioned.

 

Daniel was the last of them to be taken in, and honestly, Charles was hoping it would be over soon. He wanted to get out of this place as soon as he could. It might be a bit silly to think, but the police station, along with the hospital, was giving him the creeps.

 

Watching as the door of Hamilton's office opened, Charles could only sigh when he saw the devastated look on Daniel's face. Daniel, though, gave a small smile to Hamilton before making his way back to the rest and sitting right next to Charles.

 

“Well?” Charles couldn't help but ask. While it was his second time being questioned, he knew it was the first for Daniel and was interested to know if it went smoothly or not. 

 

Daniel shrugged. “It went as well as it could with the circumstances. Though, Hamilton said he had an idea to try to keep us safe but wouldn't tell me unless it got confirmed.” 

 

Charles slightly nodded. “So, we probably won't be leaving for a while?”

 

“Yeah, most likely.” Daniel replied, giving a grimace. “I'm not happy about it either.”

 

Before they could continue their conversation, Lance and Esteban made their way back over. While Lance looked a bit shameful, Esteban just seemed unbothered. Almost as if this entire situation didn't matter to him. 

 

While Charles wouldn't just assume anything about little actions, he decided to note the emotions everyone was feeling. He didn't want to believe it could be anyone amongst them, but he wasn’t dumb either. With how everything was going, it would be foolish to not believe it was one of them. Who was the main question, though. 

 

“Well, I have good and bad news.” Lieutenant Hamilton spoke, stopping just in front of all of them.

 

“What's that?” Daniel asked, always being the one stepping up to take control of an unknown situation. 

 

“We were able to work out a last-minute arrangement with your university to get a frat house for you all to stay in. The students in the house agreed to it, believing that the situation is dire enough that you all must stay together.” Honestly, Charles bet there was something else given to the students to get them to make the agreement, but he wasn’t going to say anything. “So, you all will be moving to this frat house to live together. It will make it easier for us to have police watching the place and ensuring you are all safe.”

 

Everyone nodded or gave a sense of acknowledgment before Carlos spoke up. “And the bad news?”

 

Lewis gave them all a sorrowful look. “We found your friends outside the dorm building of Oscar's, and they were both pronounced dead.”

 

While Charles expected that update, he couldn't help but feel his heart break even more. Two innocent souls gone like that. Just because he couldn't get his act together and pick. 

 

“Hey—” he felt someone squeeze his shoulder, and looking up, he saw it was Hamilton. “Don't blame yourself. This is an event that no one could prepare themselves for, and you haven't done anything wrong. You acted the same way that anyone would have.”

 

“He's right, Charles.” Pierre voiced. “It isn't your fault. It's none of our fault. If anything, it's the crazy bastards who decided to go on this killing spree and target us.”

 

Truly, Pierre’s words didn't calm him down as much as he would hope, but he swallowed and nodded. “You're right…”

 

“I'd hate to ruin the moment, but you all have to get your stuff together and start to move in the frat house. The sooner it gets done, the better.” Lewis said, guilt covering his tone. 

 

“Of course.” Carlos replied and stood up, which everyone began to copy. However, Lance looked a bit nervous. 

 

“Um, Esteban and I won't need to move to the house.” Lance announced. 

 

“What? Why?” Franco asked for them all. 

 

“My dad heard the news and isn't comfortable with me staying here.” Of course, Lance's dad was going to protect his son the best he could. Even in a whole other country. “He already spoke with the university and even got permission to allow Esteban to come along.”

 

Silence filled the air. It was clear that not everyone knew how to feel about it, but Daniel, being Daniel, stepped up.

 

“Well, I'm glad that you both will be taken to safety.” 

 

“Thanks…” 

 

“I mean, Lance and I could go to Oscar's for the night and make sure he has extra protection.” Esteban offered, clearly wanting to make up for the fact they would be jumping ship soon. 

 

“That could work… It would probably help Oscar, too.” Lewis vocalized. “Having familiar faces with him after what just happened.”

 

“Can I go, too?” Yuki questioned. “I'd appreciate being able to be near Oscar after everything.”

 

Before Lewis could reply, Pierre cut in. “I'll make sure his stuff gets taken from his dorm room to the house.” 

 

“Of course.” Lewis nodded. “Now, let us get a move on.” 

 

×

 

At the hospital, Oscar was relieved to see Lance, Esteban, and Yuki. The walls felt like they were closing in on him every second he spent alone, so having familiar faces with him helped. It wasn't the easiest time with all of them trying to avoid the elephant in the room, but it was still something. 

 

Hell, they had already helped Oscar convince a nurse to allow him to wear a hoodie, so it was a win having them there. Even if they acted as if nothing happened. 

 

“Um, so, do you think I'll be able to move into the house if I recover enough to leave soon?” Oscar questioned after Lance got done telling him about Hamilton's idea involving a frat house. 

 

“I don't see why not.” Yuki mumbled. “You're one of the main victims, so they'd be stupid to not include you.”

 

Esteban agreed. “They already cleared out this whole floor for you and have a guard stationed right outside watching the door. Believe me, you'll be allowed.”

 

“That's relieving.” Oscar uttered before yawning. 

 

Lance lightly chuckled at that. “Okay, I think it's time to sleep. It's been an eventful day, and you're still recovering, so you'll need some sleep.” 

 

“But—”

 

“No, Oscar.” Lance reprimanded, “You need it, and honestly, we do, too.”

 

“Fine…” Oscar mumbled before lying down. “Night, guys.” 

 

The sounds of other ‘nights’ filled the air as Esteban turned off the lights before finding his seat. Everyone slowly settled in and allowed sleep to take them away for the night. Everyone but one. 

 

Lance struggled to sleep and look around. The others were all dead asleep, and Lance could only sigh. Knowing he wouldn't be getting back to sleep, he slowly rose up and made his way to the door. 

 

Maybe a midnight stroll would do him some good. With that thought, he left the room, not knowing what awaited him. 

 

×

 

As the text came through that stated it was showtime, a certain figure couldn’t help but feel a rush of energy. While this started off as a means to gain attention, he couldn’t help but actually get enjoyment out of the killings. 

 

To be the one to take the last breath of air away from someone was a powerful feeling. One that he was starting to crave more and more. He believed that he could stop when the plan was carried out; however, if he got away with this, he could probably get away with worse. Although he knew that it was an issue for another day. 

 

Peeking around the corner, he smirked when he saw the figure of Lance make his way out of the room. Lance probably thought he was untouchable, but he was going to show how false of a belief that was.

 

But first, he had to handle the security guard that was sitting at the reception desk, eating donuts. It was hilarious how stereotypical the guard was being, but it did make his job easier, so he appreciated it.

 

Slowly creeping his way behind the guard, he wasted no time in covering the mouth of the guard before slitting his throat. The male couldn't put up any sort of fight, and while that disappointed him a bit, he knew he needed to get a move on. So, removing his hand from his mouth, he couldn't help but position the guard where it would be obvious to anyone who left Oscar's room that he was dead.

 

It was his nice little treat to Esteban. He knew he was hiding away in that room, like a coward. He was given a shot to escape after this night, but jokes on him. He wasn't going to make it through the night.

 

Satisfied with how he left the guard, he began his trek down the same hallway that Lance went. Easily catching up to where Lance was, he couldn't help but laugh to himself. The hallway lights were flickering, making this moment so entirely cliché, and yet, he loved it because it was clear how uncomfortable Lance was feeling. 

 

However, nothing was better than Lance realizing he was followed when he sharply turned to see him. Waving his hand with the knife, he could make out Lance mumbling to himself, “Fuck,” before turning to bolt away. Unlucky for Lance, though, was the fact his Ghostface partner had arrived, blocking that hallway.

 

Being caught between two Ghostfaces, he didn’t expect Lance to escape them, but he was mistaken. Charging towards the other Ghostface, he watched as Lance baseball slid his way past his partner, who swung at Lance and succeeded in cutting his shoulder. 

 

Lance, on the other hand, winced at the pain but shot up instantly and began running down the hallway, not caring where he was going. He only had the thought of surviving on his mind. Glancing back, he was relieved to see only one of the murderers chasing him. Obviously, he knew that didn’t mean the other one wouldn’t be around, but it gave him time to deal with one before dealing with the other one.

 

The further he made it down the hall, the more annoyed he was getting at the lack of options to help himself. Yet, he quickly retracted that thought when he saw a hospital bed against a wall and an open room. Making his way over to the bed, he wasted no time in shoving it at the one chasing him, sending that certain Ghostface crashing to the floor. Not waiting around, he darted into the open room he spotted beforehand and hid behind the door, allowing himself to catch his breath. His heart was pounding against his chest, but he knew he couldn’t let his guard down yet, so he focused on the entranceway and held his breath when he saw the Ghostface appear in it.

 

As the Ghostface stepped further in, Lance shoved them from behind and right into the bed. Spotting a bedpan, he quickly grabbed it before nailing the figure in the back of the head. The Ghostface landed on the bed but gradually slid down, collapsing on the floor. Lance could just barely make out the groaning that was coming from the figure. Slowly backing out, Lance kept an eye on the figure, being ready to swing at them again if needed at all. 

 

However, nothing could prepare Lance for the feeling of cold washing down his spine, almost as if someone had thrown ice water on him. It didn’t take long for Lance to feel that his nervous system was destroyed beyond saving, and he couldn’t do anything but gasp in pain as another shock — almost like someone had punched him — spread throughout his body. Though this time from his stomach. Where he saw a knife being plunged into him, and it didn’t take rocket science to figure out that the other Ghostface had caught up, stabbing him in the back. 

 

Yet, as if skewering him wasn’t enough, both Ghostfaces began to twist the knives, cutting through every circuit in his back and abdomen, leaving them demolished. And Lance could do nothing but cry out in pain, wishing and praying that the torture would stop. As if the world heard him, the twisting stopped, and soon he felt the dragging of the knives as they left his body, but the damage had already been done. Not being able to support himself, Lance’s legs gave out, and he dropped to the floor, bleeding out. 

 

Feeling his eyelids grow heavy, Lance could only watch as black boots walked away from him, heading towards the direction of where he originally came from. And the last thing he felt, other than the cold seeping through his clothes, were hands grabbing him by the arm and lifting him up. 

 

It seems he wouldn’t be getting out of here alive like his dad had wanted. 

 

×

 

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Esteban began to peer around the room, taking note of everybody. Yuki was curled up in a ball on the floor, near Oscar’s bed, almost like a guard dog. While Oscar was sleeping in the hospital bed, cuddling into the hoodie he had on that everyone fought to allow him to wear, which Esteban was pretty sure was Lando’s. Relieved that Oscar was catching sleep, though, Esteban glanced at the chair he knew Lance was sleeping on. However, instead of seeing Lance snoozing, the chair was empty.

 

Shooting up from his chair, he quickly went to the door and opened it to peek in the hall. 

 

“Oh, fuck!” He semi-shouted before slamming the door shut. 

 

Right there at the front desk, pointing at their room, was the bodyguard, but the front of his suit was covered in blood from the slit throat that was on display, too. Turning back around to the room, he wasn't shocked to find that his previous action had awakened the other two in the room. 

 

“What is with the door slamming?” Oscar mumbled, groaning a bit while he attempted to sit up.

 

“Not—” Esteban took a deep breath, knowing how serious the situation was and that he had to keep a level head. “Not to alarm anyone, but the bodyguard meant to protect our room was murdered.” 

 

Hearing that, Yuki scrambled up from the floor and stood protectively over Oscar's bed. “What do you mean?” 

 

“I mean, he's alive and just pulling a joke on us. What do you think I mean?” Esteban couldn't stop himself from being sarcastic, even though he knew it wasn't the right time. “The bodyguard got murdered, and we are next if we don't get a move on!” 

 

“Glad to see you're still a dick in a situation like this!” Yuki snapped.

 

“Guys… Stop!” Oscar called out, and both looked at him. “Fighting won't save us; instead, we have to get out of here.” 

 

With that, Oscar slowly began to move off the bed, pushing through some of the pain he felt from the painkillers wearing off. Yuki immediately stopped him from standing, pointing out the wires that hooked him to machines. 

 

Staying seated on the edge of the bed, Oscar began to speak again. “Where is Lance?”

 

“Shit…” Esteban swore, remembering that Lance was missing. “He— he's gone. I have to go look for him.”

 

“Are you crazy?” Yuki asked, looking at him like he was stupid. “You'll get killed!”

 

“I don't care!” Esteban shouted back before quieting down. “I'm not leaving him alone in this place, just in case he is still alive.” Glancing at the doorknob, he sighed. “You get Oscar out of here, Yuki. I'll find Lance.”

 

Yuki nodded but glared at him. “You better come back, or else I'll kill you myself.”

 

“Deal.” Esteban mumbled before opening the door and glancing back at them. “Be safe.” 

 

“You, too.” Oscar gave a pained smile. 

 

“Thanks.” He replied before leaving the room.

 

Stepping out into the hallway, Esteban kept his gaze off of the front desk. He didn’t want to have to see the dead body again if he could prevent it. Deciding to keep his gaze down a bit, he wasn’t ready for when he accidentally bumped into an abandoned hospital bed in the middle of the hall. Though, he was able to notice the blood trail leading to a certain door. 

 

Taking a deep breath, he sidestepped the bed and slowly made his way to the door. “Lance… please be alive.” Saying that last thought, he harshly pulled the door open and felt a heavy weight fall on him. 

 

Freaking out, Esteban shoved whatever fell on him off and stumbled back, cringing at the loud thud that sounded when whatever he shoved away landed. Having a gut feeling about what the object was, Esteban glanced down before instantly moving his sight to the door. 

 

On the floor was Lance's dead body. The killer had set it up perfectly for him to find the body, making a joke out of the death of Lance. However, Esteban knew that the murderer(s) must be nearby and went to move away before he heard the sound of a door opening beside him. Glancing to the right, he came face to face with a Ghostface mask, who tilted their head to the side. 

 

Not being like those horror movie characters that waste time screaming, Esteban took off right away, attempting to get away. The Ghostface, though, had a speed advantage and quickly caught up, tackling Esteban. 

 

Face meeting the floor, Esteban could only groan before he felt himself being flipped over to his back. Realizing what was going to happen as the figure drew back before slashing down, he quickly put his arms up. Hissing at the pain of the knife cutting through his skin, he took the small second to try to shove at the murderer; however, the murderer wasn't having that and grabbed his one arm with the free hand.

 

Being left with only one arm, Esteban tried to use it to hit at the chest of the killer, although when he saw the knife going for his chest, he attempted to block it with one arm.

 

That move was a grave mistake, though, because the attacker took the one moment of Esteban’s arm being closer to his chest to quickly move their weapon and slash his throat.

 

In a state of shock, Esteban used his open hand to try to stop the bleeding of his throat, which the Ghostface took as an opening and began to pierce his chest over and over. 

 

Treating Esteban’s body like his own personal voodoo doll, Ghostface couldn't help but feel a rush of enjoyment run through him. With each cut into the chest of Esteban, he felt powerful. Finally able to get back at Esteban for everything. 

 

This was an attack he personally claimed, not wanting to let anyone else get to him. It was the relief he badly needed, and the action spoke to him as he expected. His hatred for Esteban would always be real, and this was him finally closing that chapter.

 

Taking a chance to catch his breath from everything, he couldn't help but marvel at his masterpiece. Esteban had finally gotten what he deserved. 

 

And as he watched the blood pool around the body, he mumbled to himself.

 

“And then there were two.”

Chapter 7

Notes:

Hey, everyone! I know it's been forever since I've updated, and I apologize for that. I really didn't have motivation for this story, and I was focusing on finishing up my other story; however, now that I am done with that, I should be able to focus a bit more on this one. The next update for this one might take a little while because I am rethinking a few things about this story, but I promise I will try to make sure it's not months like last time.

In other news, I rewrote the chapters before this one to make them a bit more refined and fixed some grammar mistakes that I had missed. And while I am not too huge on this chapter, I think it's still a pretty solid one, and hopefully you all will agree.

Anyway, enjoy!

As soon as Esteban left the room, Yuki scrambled to unhook the machines from Oscar. 

 

“Do you think you can walk on your own?” 

 

Oscar could only shrug at that. Truly, he had no clue if he could, but he wasn’t going to just stick around either. If he had to force himself to push it, he would. “I’ll make it work.” 

 

Normally, Yuki would put up more of a fight to ensure Oscar was positive, but the circumstances of their situation didn’t allow that, so he just had to accept Oscar’s answer. “If you think you’re going to faint or fall at any point, tell me.” 

 

The harshness in his tone told Oscar that he wasn’t fucking around. “Yeah, I will…” 

 

The hesitation in Oscar’s tone bled through, but Yuki decided to ignore it and finish his goal at the moment. Once the machines were all unhooked, Yuki placed his arm around Oscar's waist and helped him stand up. For a moment, Oscar’s legs trembled under his own weight, but with the help of Yuki and pure adrenaline, he stayed upright. 

 

“Okay, we have to move now.” Yuki hissed. 

 

Staggering towards the hallway, Yuki kept a hold on Oscar, who was limping heavily. The only sound filling the hospital was their footsteps that bounced off the walls. 

 

Then, out of nowhere, a metal tray clattered to the floor. Soon followed by slow footsteps.  

 

Both boys froze, staring at each other in fear. However, instead of sticking around like those in a horror movie would, Yuki began to half-drag Oscar down the hall faster. The speed left Oscar grunting with every step and Yuki wincing, knowing they were giving away their spots. 

 

Gaining ground to the door that leads to the next hallway, Yuki yanked them backwards when a shadow flickered through a doorway near it. Pulling Oscar into a side corridor, he kept his hand over Oscar's mouth while Oscar attempted to bite back his moans of pain. 

 

Also trying to silence his breathing, Yuki listened to the footsteps that were making their way over to them, purposely slowing down the closer they got as if to mock them. 

 

“Come on, Yuki.” The distorted yet recognizable voice spoke. “Let’s make this interesting.” 

 

Oscar’s breath hitched. “That’s the killer.” 

 

“No shit, Sherlock.” Yuki muttered. 

 

Honestly speaking, it was a tempting offer to avenge the friends he had lost because of this one single person, but Yuki knew better. He had nothing to defend himself with, while that monster would most likely have a weapon. It would be as if he brought a knife to a gunfight. 

 

“Yuki…” Oscar’s muffled voice caught his attention. “Look over there.” 

 

Following where Oscar’s head nodded, he saw that there was a stairwell at the far end. The only thing between them and the stairwell was the hallway. The one that the murderer was walking down. 

 

Well, that and a medical table holding supplies. 

 

While it wasn't the smartest idea, Yuki knew this was one of the only chances of escape they might have. 

 

“Listen, when the killer walks past, we run.” Yuki instructed, but Oscar shook his head. “What do you mean no?” 

 

“I’m just going to slow you down…” 

 

“Oscar, I am not leaving you behind, so don’t even think of it.” 

 

“But—” 

 

Yuki slapped his head against Oscar’s mouth, shutting him up. Oscar stared at him, confused, before realizing why he did it. Just beyond the corridor, he could hear slow, deliberate footsteps. Until he saw him. 

 

The killer moved like a shadow, dressed in a flowy black cape with jagged edges, as if someone tore it apart, that brushed the floor with every step, and in the low light, the material of it shimmered. However, the worst of it was the white mask. The mouth of the mask was grotesquely stretched and frozen in a scream, while the eyes had black mesh concealing them, making it as if they were staring into an endless void.

 

Seeing the mask again sent a chill down Oscar’s spine, but he kept still. Yuki slowly removed his hand, but Oscar knew he had to stay quiet, so he did, never removing his eyes from the figure. After an agonizing minute, the killer seemed to have made their way further down the hallway, and Yuki grabbed around his waist. 

 

“Ready?” Yuki whispered, keeping an eye on the hall. 

 

He wasn’t, but he wasn’t going to hold them back. He couldn’t.

 

“Yeah.” 

 

With his confirmation, Yuki began to run to the stairwell, dragging a limping Oscar along. As the door got closer, Oscar felt relief, realizing how close they were getting to escaping this nightmare. However, the relief was short-lived.

 

Without warning, something crashed into him, sending him into the medical table. He heard glass shatter, metal clattered against the wall, and medical supplies scattered all over the floor. As his body met the ground, he felt the air be knocked out of his lungs, leaving him struggling to breathe as he stared up at the ceiling.

 

Rolling his head over, Oscar's blurry vision saw a dark figure lying next to him. A figure that was crawling their way over to him. Blinking repeatedly to sharpen his focus, Oscar’s stomach dropped when he made eye contact with those eyeless voids. Ones that he wished he would never have to see again. 

 

Somewhere ahead of him, he could make out the sound of a struggle. Grunts, thuds of bodies colliding with each other and the wall, and even whimpers of pain. While he couldn’t see who it was from his position on the floor, he knew it had to be Yuki and what he could presume was another killer. 

 

As the masked figure beside him began to straddle him, the horrifying realization of what happened fully set in. 

 

They had outsmarted him and Yuki. There was more than one killer, but they had made it seem as if only one was after them. Leaving them with a sense of belief that they were safe, just to attack from behind. 

 

Now, Yuki was fighting for his life while Oscar was too helpless to save himself. 

 

The killer loomed above him, staring at him with a slight head tilt in mock curiosity. And while Oscar couldn’t see their eyes, he knew that they were probably filled with smugness. 

 

Oscar had escaped death once; he doubted he’d get as lucky this time around. 

 

But that didn’t mean he was going to go down easily. 

 

With every ounce of strength he could muster, he shoved at the figure. The figure hardly budged; instead, the killer pressed down on Oscar’s previous stab wound, applying pressure, and pinching. 

 

An intense pain exploded through his abdomen, and Oscar couldn’t stop the scream that tore through his throat.

 

The white-hot pain blinded him, and he nearly passed out. As the pressure went away, the haze that settled on his brain slowly lifted. A few inches away, just within his reach, were a small vial of benzodiazepine and a filled medical needle. A casualty of him being slammed into the medical table.  

 

Yet, before he could even move, he felt hands wrap around his throat, squeezing. Instantly, Oscar tried his best to fight off the hands, but he was too weak and could only weakly claw at them. 

 

“Not as strong as you thought, huh?” The killer sarcastically asked. 

 

Oscar knew that he could reach the needle, so he began slapping his hand desperately against the floor until he felt the needle. The killer ignored his movements, too caught up in seeing the light leave his eyes. Oscar curled his fingers around the needle and, without a second thought, jabbed it in the arm of the killer, slamming the plunger down. 

 

“What the fuck!” The killer jumped at the prick.

 

Glancing down, they harshly pulled the needle out and flung it away. Though Oscar couldn’t see his eyes, he knew the person behind the mask was fuming. And the fury was felt when they rewrapped their hands around Oscar's neck, tighter than before. Yet, only after a few seconds, their grip weakened and their movements became sluggish. 

 

Realizing the drug was setting in, Oscar shoved the figure off him. The killer toppled over and made a dull thud as their body hit the ground. Oscar knew they were unconscious when the killer made no move to go at him. 

 

Cautiously, Oscar sat up and turned his gaze to the scene before him. The other Ghostface was pinning Yuki against the wall and trailing the knife across his throat, drawing an invisible line. While Yuki was trying his best to fight back, the person overpowered him in height and strength.

 

From the corner of his eye, Oscar could make out the shape of a metal tray. Snatching it up, he forced himself to his feet, biting back his moans of pain, and made his way over to Yuki. Though every step felt as if his side was on fire and that he was walking through mud. 

 

“Hey, asshole.” He called out in a hoarse voice.

 

The Ghostface turned, and Oscar swung with everything he had left in him. The tray nailed the killer perfectly in the face, causing them to stagger sideways and drop the knife with a metallic clatter. But Oscar didn't see that as a sign to stop and instead continued to beat the killer over and over again. 

 

“Oscar, that’s enough!” Yuki yelled, stopping him mid-swing.  

 

Letting the tray drop from his hand, Oscar found himself breathing heavily, staring down at the figure that was groaning and holding their head in pain. At the same time, Yuki noticed the other body passed out on the floor, unconscious. 

 

“Shit, it seems Lance was right about there being two.” Oscar glanced at him, confused, but Yuki waved him off before leading him away. “Doesn't matter. We have to go now.” 

 

Oscar tried to ignore the aching pain he was feeling while also stopping himself from going down a spiral of dark thoughts. He wasn’t one for violence, normally being the one to keep the peace amongst his friends, but he couldn’t stop himself from letting out his frustration with the situation on that Ghostface. Although he knew that he was acting to save his friend, too. 

 

A familiar ding from an elevator brought Oscar back to reality, where Yuki rushed them inside.

 

“Really? An elevator?” Oscar asked, though he instantly leaned against the wall and slid down. 

 

Yuki clicked the button to the first floor. “They aren’t getting up any time soon. And people are on the first floor.” 

 

Oscar knew he meant nurses and security. People who should be able to save them.

 

Looking closer at Yuki, he frowned when he saw blood trailing down his neck. “You’re bleeding.” 

 

“Huh?” Yuki touched his neck and flinched. “Oh, yeah… The fucker nicked me. I’ll be fine though.” 

 

“Ah…” Oscar mumbled out, feeling his body begin to shut down from exhaustion and trauma. However, Yuki slapped his cheek, jolting him awake. “You need to stay awake.” 

 

Taking his words in, Oscar knew Yuki was right, but his fight against his own body was becoming impossible. Everything he had been through before and now was taking a toll on him. 

 

Out of nowhere, the elevator jolted to a stop. Oscar looked at Yuki in panic before the doors opened, revealing a lit reception area and voices spilled in.

 

“We’re here.” Yuki commented, helping Oscar up and once again taking his weight to help him walk out. 

 

As they made their way out, Oscar saw a group of nurses behind the reception desk, chatting. Yet, it wasn’t them who noticed the duo first, but instead, another patient. 

 

A little girl. 

 

Who attracted everyone's attention with a terrified shriek upon seeing them.

 

However, Oscar's struggle against his body was futile, and as his eyes closed, all he could recall was Yuki calling for assistance while he staggered back from the dead weight of Oscar and nurses racing to their aid. 

 

Then, he saw nothing. 

Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Notes:

Heyyyyy... how y'all doing?

Um, so I really didn't mean to be away for as long as I was, but I lowkey forgot about this for a while as work took over my whole summer. However, the comments reminded me, and I wrote this chapter in a whole day lol. Which means this might not be that great of a chapter, and I apologize for that.

Now, I can't really give a time of when the next chapter will be (and I almost never live up to it when I set one, sadly), but I can promise that there will definitely be one. I literally have the ending all figured out, and I'm excited for it, but the middle half is killing me lol. So, I will need time to figure that out, but other than that, this story will be complete at some point!

Also, I didn't have anyone beta read this and fix mistakes, so plz ignore those!

Anyway, that's enough talking. Enjoy the chapter!

It had been three weeks since that horrifying night in the hospital that left two dead and two alive. Oscar was sent out to a hospital in the town over, where he spent the rest of the time recovering—mentally and physically. Yuki got his neck treated but didn’t have to stay back and instead spent a few days working with the police to the best of his ability. 

 

The rest of the crew were stationed in the frat house, under the protection of the police force that made sure to have guards for the daytime and nighttime. Plus, the boys were escorted to the campus by the cops every time they had to head there for something—even for something as simple as getting food from the dining hall. Any normalcy they might have had was taken away from them.

 

Yet, all of those precautions seemed to be for nothing. The killings had just stopped. No one had any weird phone calls, texts, or even encounters. It left some of them wondering if they had really gone through those events, but the reminder of their dead friends was enough to show it had happened. 

 

The police thought they had apprehended the murderer, which would account for the decline in attacks. The person arrested was Max Verstappen on the account that a bloody knife was found in his dorm when police searched it for information about Checo. Luckily for Verstappen, he had an airtight alibi—two underclassmen, Kimi Antonelli and Gabriel Bortoleto, revealing he was with them, helping them study for Geography—that got him out of the station by the third day. 

 

Maybe even in better luck, the attacks hadn’t started up again when Max was released, confirming his innocence in a way. However, some people, like Pierre, still pushed the idea that it was Max. Even going as far as accusing Kimi and Gabriel of being accomplices to the murders. 

 

Personally, Charles thought Pierre was being too extreme. Did he fully think Max could be innocent? Debatable. Then again, he couldn’t believe anyone but himself as fully innocent. Yet, he had a feeling that Kimi and Gabriel weren't involved.

 

Either way, Max never joined them at the house, somehow getting out of it. Though, knowing Max Verstappen, he probably threatened his dad to get involved, and the police force decided they didn’t want to bark up that tree. 

 

Charles was broken out of his stupor by a knock on the bathroom door. 

 

“You okay in there, Charles?” Daniel’s voice carried through the door. 

 

Clearing his throat, Charles began to wash his hands. “Yeah!” Drying his hands off, he opened the door and gave Daniel a smile. “Sorry, my hair was a real pain.” 

 

It was a silly white lie and from the look Daniel gave him, he knew that he was caught; however, instead of calling him on it, Daniel nodded. “Fair enough.”

 

Charles hummed in agreement. 

 

“I must say though,” Daniel shot him a flirty smile. “Looking hot.” 

 

Chuckling, Charles shook his head. “Thanks.” 

 

“No problem, buckaroo.” 

 

With that, Daniel headed towards his room, while Charles turned the bathroom light off and went downstairs. Making his way into the kitchen, he wasn’t surprised to find Carlos at the stove, while Lando lay with his head on the counter. 

 

“Who decided 8am classes were smart?” Lando groaned. 

 

“You’re the one who picked your classes, muppet.” Carlos said, putting some eggs on a plate before placing the plate in front of Lando. “Eat up before the so-called classes.” 

 

Lando groaned again but sprinkled some salt and pepper on the eggs and went to take a bite when he noticed Charles. “Morning, Charlie.” 

 

“Morning.” He mumbled, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge. 

 

For a group of boys living in a frat house out of nowhere, they were doing a pretty good job at keeping it stacked. Most of it was thanks to George, who took the role of being the communicator and provider between everyone. He made a group chat and forced everyone into it, even setting up roles for everyone to follow to ensure the place stayed in top shape. 

 

Top shape, that is, for a group of young male adults to live in. 

 

“Want any eggs?” Carlos asked, cracking an egg into the pan. 

 

Sizzling filled the air as Charles shook his head. “No, I’m going to eat at the dining hall after my class.” 

 

“Risky choice.” Lando said, his mouth filled to the brim with eggs. 

 

“Don’t speak with your mouth full.” Carlos scolded, hitting him with a towel—causing Lando to yelp—while Charles just smiled at his friend's antics. 

 

It was rare to see Lando being like his old self before the murders began, especially with the fate of Oscar being unknown for so long. He had gone into his shell and was only just starting to shine again. However, Charles believed that Lando's mood was going to improve tremendously if the recent news he heard was correct. 

 

“Hey,” Charles said, catching Lando and Carlos’ attention. “Doesn’t Oscar get released soon?” 

 

At the mention of Oscar, Lando brightened. “Yes! He’s meant to be released tonight if all goes to plan.” 

 

“He’ll be moved into the house but isn’t allowed back to classes for a few more days.” Carlos added. 

 

“Mmhmm.” Lando nodded, taking a bite of his eggs. “Which sucks… I miss being able to annoy him on campus.” 

 

Carlos chuckled. “You’ll be able to annoy him all you want in the house.”

 

Lando beamed at that thought. “Perfect!” 

 

Before Charles could add his own two cents into the conversation, thunderous footsteps were heard coming down the stairs, and a few seconds later, Pierre entered the kitchen. 

 

“Have any of you seen Yuki?” Pierre asked, glancing between the three. “We were meant to head to campus together.” 

 

Carlos shook his head, Lando gave a shrug, and Charles spoke. “No? Maybe he headed there already?” 

 

Pierre sighed. “He wouldn’t have left without me. Especially not after…” He trailed off, but they all knew what he meant. 

 

Ever since Yuki was let free from being interrogated day after day, along with healing emotionally and physically from the attack, Pierre has been protective. Honestly, everyone has been looking out for one another more than normal, but Pierre has become overbearing even in Charles' opinion when it involves Yuki. Charles has a feeling it’s because, while he would never admit it himself, Pierre regrets how things ended with Esteban.  

 

From childhood until teen years, the three of them had been close, even planning where they all wanted to go to university together. Then, stupidly, they both allowed little things to go unsettled and it built up until it exploded. Their friendship never returned to how it used to be, with both claiming they hated each other, and only recently were they getting on talking terms again. 

 

Of course, that wouldn’t be able to happen anymore. Esteban was waiting to be buried six feet under while Pierre continued to breathe, hoping to never lose another friend. 

 

“He probably just was annoyed by your mother-henning.” Lando commented, finishing up his plate, not noticing Pierre’s glare until he looked up. “What? It’s true. You’re suffocating the poor guy.” 

 

“I just don’t want a repeat of…what happened before.” 

 

“That’s understandable.” Carlos was now eating his own plate of eggs but waiting to swallow before speaking. “But he needs his own space too.” 

 

“Let’s head to the campus; maybe you’ll be able to catch Yuki before classes.” Charles offered. 

 

“...Sure.” Pierre said, giving a slight nod before leaving. 

 

Sending Carlos and Lando a quick wave, Charles darted back to his room, grabbed his bag, and waited for Pierre at the front door. After a few minutes, Pierre joined, and both began to head to campus with a police officer in pursuit behind them. 

 

Once on the university grounds, Charles left Pierre to search for Yuki and went to his own class that was starting soon. From there, the day went on like any other day. Charles got some fruit with toast to eat right after his first class and went to the library to study. After about an hour, he went to his next class that he shared with Alex. 

 

As soon as Charles sat in his seat next to Alex, he instantly mentioned Logan getting a text from a random number. However, they believed it was a prank text because the sender only sent an emoji of a clock and nothing after that. Class started right after Alex delivered that news, so Charles couldn’t ask any questions and had to deal with the unanswered questions in his mind. 

 

Halfway through the lecture, which Charles was struggling to listen to, Alex secretly checked his text and then abruptly stood, tapping Charles' back and leaving. The tapping of his back caught his attention, knowing that was his and Alex’s way of telling them they needed to speak now. 

A few seconds later he felt his phone vibrate and when he checked, he saw a text from Alex, stating, "Lando just got a text that is freaking him out apparently; meet at the second-floor bathroom." 

 

Pocketing his phone, Charles counted to thirty before walking out. Frankly, not having to ask to leave was one of the better parts of being in university, Charles felt as he began to head to the 2nd floor. Rushing up the stairs, Charles tried to think of what Lando could have gotten that would have made him uneasy, but he didn’t have much time for that because he found himself at the bathroom door, hearing a conversation between three people as he went to open it. 

 

"Lando, settle down; we'll be alright." 

 

"Yeah? Who says?? The fucking killer is after us again." 

 

"Well, look at the bright side, we're not the main characters." 

 

"Yeah, Charlie is." And that's when he entered.

 

Instantly, three heads snap to him. 

 

“Finally!” Lando shouted, shoving his phone in Charles’ face. “I’m getting messages now!” 

 

Taking a step back to be able to focus on the phone, Charles frowned when all he saw was a text saying, “Time is ticking.” 

 

“What does that even mean?” He asked as Lando brought his phone away from his face. 

 

“How would I know?” Lando exclaimed. 

 

“Lando—”

 

Lando's phone buzzed, cutting off George, and Lando quickly checked it.

 

“Oh… oh god.” Lando mumbled, his phone slipping from his fingers.

 

Before the phone hit the floor, Charles caught it and looked at what was sent. The sight that greeted him almost had him emptying his stomach of his breakfast right there on the bathroom floor. 

 

“What?” Alex tentatively asked. 

 

Charles shoved the phone in his hand, allowing Alex and George—who peeked over Alex's shoulder—to see the photo. 

 

Right there, on Lando's phone, clear as day, was a photo of Yuki, who was tied up in a bed with blood staining the bedsheets around him.

 

“Is that…Oscar’s bed?” Alex asked, zooming in on something. 

 

Hearing Oscar’s name, Lando grabbed his phone away from Alex and began to study the picture. A choked-out whine made it out of his mouth, confirming Alex’s statement without a word needing to be said. 

 

Without a thought, Charles began to leave. “We have to help him.” 

 

George, the logical one of them all, stopped him by grabbing his wrist. “No. This could be a trap to get one of you in the room.” 

 

“We can’t just leave him th—”

 

“He’s correct!” Alex interrupted. “If this is some sort of trap, you are walking right into it. We should inform the police that the killer seems to be back.” 

 

It was smart, but the thought of leaving Yuki there, alone and beaten, made him feel sick. “You do that. I’m going to save Yuki.” 

 

Yanking his hand away from George, he leaves, though as the door shuts, he hears Lando faintly say, “They do say it’s better to go in numbers,” and then the door reopens. A glance to the side, Charles sees Lando, and just a second later the door opens again with George coming after them and Alex groaning to himself, “Fuck, why are all my friends idiots,” as he followed.

 

Arriving at the dorm building, they made their way up to Lando’s floor. Though, as they went to enter the floor, police tape blocked it off. 

 

“They were meant to reopen this floor tomorrow…” Lando mumbled, ducking under the tape. 

 

“Yeah, well, that might get pushed back even more.” George replied, following Lando’s actions. 

 

Ignoring them, Charles looked at Lando as they made it to his dorm door. “Tell me you have your keycard.” 

 

“Of course.” Lando pulled it out of his hoodie. “Oscar forced me to always bring it, and I haven’t fallen out of that habit.” 

 

As Lando unlocks the door, Charles tries to prepare himself for what they are about to enter. They very much could walk in on the killer, or killers, and be attacked. Or they could walk into Yuki’s death scene. 

 

Anything was possible at this point. 

 

“It’s… It’s clear.” Alex said, looking around as he entered. “How?” 

 

“No.” Lando shook his head, taking his phone out of his pocket. “He was here… I know he was.”

 

“Guys.” George called and nodded towards Oscar’s bed when they turned to him. Taking a step closer, Charles felt his heart skip when he saw the pool of blood on the bedsheets. 

 

Silence fell between them. It was a clear sign to them all that their nightmare wasn't over, just beginning again. And as if the killer(s) knew that they had come to the realization, Charles' phone began to ring.

 

Just like old times. 

 

“Where is he, you fucker?”

 

Through the line came the chilling voice that has haunted Charles’ mind for weeks. “Oh, isn't this fun?” 

 

Charles rolled his eyes. “I think we have different ideas of fun.” 

 

“Ah, I don't think so.” The voice laughed. “I do know, though, that you have limited time to save little Yuki.”

 

Before Charles can even give a response, the person hangs up. “Fuck!” 

 

At the same time, a text comes through with a random number. Thinking about the number, Charles groaned in frustration before laying his eyes on Alex. 

 

“Alex.” That catches his attention. “Isn't this your room number?” 

 

Right away, Alex glances at the screen and nods. “Does that… shit!”

 

He sprints out the door, and instantly the other three follow. With each step down the stairs, Charles feels as if he is losing his mind. The attacks had stopped, yet now were coming back out of nowhere. Almost as if they were waiting for Oscar to return to continue the game.

 

A game that Charles was positive he was losing in. 

 

Rounding the corner and going under the other set of police tape on this floor, Charles halts when Alex slams his dorm room shut, exclaiming, “Fuck,” and covers his mouth as he gags. 

 

“What’s wrong?” George asked. 

 

“He’s—” Alex swallows as if he’s trying to not let the words leave his mouth. “He’s dead. Believe me.” 

 

George looked at Alex, worryingly, but nodded. Always one to believe Alex right away. “Then we have to call the cops and report it.”

 

“It doesn’t make sense.” Charles mutters. “They said we had time!” 

 

Lando's jaw clenched as he spoke. “Well, they lied, and I'm not standing around to see what happens next.” He spun on his heel, storming towards the exit. 

 

He barely made it three steps before the dorm door in front of him burst open, and a shadow lunged at him. There was a flash of steel before Lando's scream tore through the corridor. A knife was driven deep in his shoulder, and Lando, with sheer adrenaline, was able to shove his attacker, a Ghostface, off of him. He stumbled back towards the others, face twisted in pain as blood seeped through his shirt.

 

Alex’s eyes darted around the hall, realizing they were at a dead end. Ignoring the panic that was attempting to dig its claws into his body. “Fuck, my room. Now!” He barked, fumbling with his key for a second before unlocking the door. 

 

Charles wasted no time to grab Lando under the arms and half-carried, half-dragged him through the doorway. Behind them, the door slammed shut, and Alex pressed his back against the wall. 

 

The sight that greeted them made Charles’ stomach lurch and saliva flooded his mouth in a warning. But the worst was the smell of copper that hung in the air as the room was covered in blood and guts. 

 

And there on the ground, ripped through as if they were a Christmas present, was Yuki. 

 

Or his body.

 

“Don't look,” Alex hissed. 

 

Too late, Charles thought. 

 

Without a word, George took off his shirt and balled it up, pressing it against Lando's shoulder, who winced in pain. 

 

“We have to leave.” George whispered. “They clearly have a key to your room, leaving us uns—”

 

A loud beep silenced him before the door shuddered violently from someone on the other side throwing their weight against it. Alex braced with all the strength he had in him, his muscles screaming at him, but the thought of allowing the killer in to finish him and his friends off made him push through it. 

 

Somehow, a hand that held a knife snaked in and swiped inches from Alex's face. 

 

“Oh, shit!” He choked out, moving to the side a bit. That forced George to step back, jostling Lando’s shoulder, who moaned in pain.

 

Not wasting a second, Charles pushed Lando to George, disregarding his yelp, and barreled into the door, catching the intruder's wrist against the frame and crushing it. A cry of pain erupted from the hallway, along with a string of vicious curses, as the knife clattered to the floor at Charles’s feet. 

 

Snatching up the knife, Charles’ knuckles began to turn white with the grip he had on it. “Open the door, Alex.” 

 

Alex’s eyes widened. “Are you insane?” 

 

“Alexander,” Charles growled, grip tightening. “Open the door.” 

 

With a shaky exhale, he obeyed, opening the door to an empty hallway. Taking a cautious step outside the dorm, Charles was shocked to find the hallway completely empty. 

 

“They’re gone.” He muttered before moving out of the way to allow the rest to leave the room. “We need to leave now.” 

 

Not needing to be told twice, the group bolted out of the building. Every step and turn left them on edge, waiting for a ghost to jump out at them. Relief washed over them as soon as they stepped outside, the sunlight falling on them. 

 

George kept his hands that were slicked with blood pressed against Lando’s wound, who was beginning to turn pale from the pain, while Alex’s fingers shook as he called 911.  

 

Charles, still holding the knife, desperately dialed the number of the first person he could think of. As soon as the car went through, Charles’ voice broke as he spoke. “Max… Can you please pick us up at the police station in an hour?” 

 

Tears welled up in Charles’ eyes as the knife slipped from his fingers, clattering to the pavement. 

 

“We were attacked again.” 

Notes:

Okay, that's the first chapter!! I can't lie and say I know when the next update will be, but I will try to not forget about this story!!! See you all next time!!!