t w e n t y

__________

IT WAS RARE that the group ever got to just enjoy each other's company like that. Rare to get a chance to fully be college students just trying to get by and not murder victims to be.

Of course, the second they get that chance, they all end up right in the killer's trap, staring him down as Quinn lay lifeless on top of Anika.

"Go, go, go," Eli urges Chad, Jamie and Tara out, briefly seeing Alex follow behind him.

However, before she can get to the door like the rest of them, the killer grabs her by the waist, dropping her into the coffee table as the four make it out the door, not even seeing it.

She groans loudly at the painful fall, weakly opening her eyes to see him slash Mindy, which makes Anika grab his leg.

"Anika, no," she tries to get up, feeling pieces of glass slice her hands.

The killer then grabs Anika by the neck, forcefully pulling her up as Alex limps to the closet, expecting to see the Carpenters' bat inside as it always is.

Instead, all that's there are a few pairs of shoes and a coat, much to her frustration.

Anika lets out a shrill scream, grabbing Alex's attention. The brunette's eyes widen as she sees the killer's knife plunge into Anika's stomach, dragging it up.

Taking a short breath, Alex runs and jumps on his back, which startles him enough to let Anika go.

Sam run back into the room just as he pushes himself backwards into the wall, knocking Alex off.

Immediately, Sam hits him across his head with the knife block, helping Anika and Alex up while Mindy follows them into Quinn's bedroom.

Meanwhile, in the stairwell, Eli and Chad look behind them for a split second, noticing both of their sisters are missing.

"Shit, Alex," Eli turns right back around, reaching the door just as the killer slams it.

Tara shrieks, eyes watering as she realizes her sister and best friends were locked in with the killer with no way out.

"Shit, shit, do you have the keys?"

"No I left them inside," she cries.

"Jamie, call the cops," Eli stays calm as his sister immediately begins to cry in defeat, horrified that they somehow left without Alex.

Alex was just as terrified, realizing they ran the wrong way, further into the apartment rather than the front door.

She doesn't give herself a chance to pity them however, helping Anika sit down on the bed as Sam locks the door.

Quickly she notices the bathroom door wide open, running to close it just as the killer reaches it.

She pushes as hard as she can, Mindy and Sam coming to help her fight the killer's strong push of the door.

With just a bit of luck, Mindy successfully locks the door, giving Sam and Alex a chance to push the dresser against it to buy them some time.

"What are we gonna do?" Alex looks around in panic, bloody hands dripping onto the wood next to her feet.

"Hey!" Danny yells from across the building, much to Sam's relief.

She opens the window, looking down at the fall from here, growing nervous.

"Don't worry, I got you," he pulls out a ladder, beginning to push it out of the window.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Fuck, no."

Alex's heart immediately drops as she realizes what they needed to do to get out of here.

Alex was by no means a fearless person, but she prided herself on not scaring easily. The one thing in this world that truly freaked her out beyond repair was heights.

And something like climbing across an ill-supported ladder over a three story fall? Enough to practically send her into a spiral.

"You three go first. Mindy!"

"What? No. Someone needs to hold the door. Alex, go."

"No, no, I can't," she shakes her head frantically, back planted against the door. "It's... It's too high. Sam, go."

"Alex, what? We don't have a choice."

"Sam, we're wasting time, go!"

She crawls across the ladder, pausing only a few times before she makes it into Danny's apartment.

"Come on! Come on Mindy!"

"Mindy, go," Alex pushes the dresser against the door, leaning against it. "Anika, you gotta put pressure on this."

"You have to go first," Mindy grabs her girlfriend, Alex frowning as the door continues to bang against her back.

"One of you has to go!"

"You have to go, you have to go," Mindy stresses to Anika.

"Mindy, no. I'll be right behind you, I promise," she assures, giving her one last kiss.

Quickly, Mindy crawls across, crying as Alex gets knocked to the ground by how hard Ghostface was kicking the door.

Once she makes it across, Anika looks over at Alex weakly. "Alex, you have to go first."

"Anika, you don't understand, I can't-"

"Yes, you can!" she encourages. "You aren't afraid of anything, it's why I wanted to be your friend. And the Alex I've known wouldn't... let this idiot in a mask kill her just because she was afraid of falling."

She smiles warmly at her, tears falling as she realizes this girl was not gonna make it whether she got out of this room or not.

"Okay," she shakes it off, trying to secure the dresser back before climbing on the ladder. "Right behind me, right?"

"Promise."

Her heart beats ten times faster, so loud she was sure Mindy and Sam could hear it. She lets out a few shallow breaths, arms trembling as she begins crawling.

"Oh, God," she shrieks, crying harder. "Guys I don't know-"

"Alex, go. You can do this!" Sam nods.

She avoids looking down at the ground, deciding to crawl across as fast as she can without falling.

Each step feels like a thousand years, the sounds of the door breaking only fueling her movements. She had to make it for Anika, even if her chances were low.

The final step into the apartment is like a weight off of her chest, her sobs getting out of hand as she curls up on the ground next to the window.

"Anika, come on!"

She nods, struggling to leverage herself onto the ladder as the barricade behind her grows weaker by the second.

"I can't do it. I can't do it," she panics, shaking her head.

"Anika," Alex sits up, a stern voice coming through the tears. "Yes you can."

"Okay, okay," she begins crawling, making it almost halfway when the killer finally makes it into the room.

"Oh God," Alex gasps in horror at the sight of the killer standing ominously behind Anika.

"What?"

"Anika, Anika, you need to move right now!"

She briefly looks back, eyes wide in horror. "No God, please no!"

"Anika, move!"

He stabs his knife into windowsill, opting to grab the ends of the ladder, bouncing it up.

It was as if he was toying with her, just as a cat toys with its food before devouring it.

Anika struggles to hold on when he continues bouncing the ladder, sending everyone into a frenzy.

"I don't want to die!" she shouts, getting closer and closer to the group.

"Anika, grab my hand!" Sam reaches out, and just as Anika touches it, the killer tilts the ladder, sending her to her death.

The crushing sound of her head hitting the garbage can below is enough to make Alex slip back to the ground, completely defeated.

_____

As soon as they make it downstairs to see the police questioning Jamie, Tara, Chad and Eli, they immediately run into their siblings' arms.

"She's- She's gone," Mindy sobs into Chad's shoulder.

Alex just blankly stares at Eli and Jamie, mascara running down her face and blood covering her hands.

"She... Anika, she-" she trembles, and Jamie and Eli wrap her in a hug.

"Shh, shh, it's okay. You're okay."

"I thought I was gonna die," she sniffles. "And she was so scared, I just-"

"It's okay, you're okay," Eli assures. "What happened to your hands?"

"He pushed me into the coffee table. The glass broke and cut me," she explains, still struggling to breathe.

"Alex, hey," Tara grabs her shoulder. "You need to breathe."

"She needs to sit down and get that wrapped," Eli guides them over to the paramedics, while Alex continues to hyperventilate.

"She could've made it," she chokes out. "She was right there."

Eli and Jamie share a sad look, the latter beginning to cry again at the loss of her friend.

The older boy looks around with a solemn look, frowning at all of his friends and his sisters sobbing and hurt in some way.

It was clear everyone hoped this was just a one-off, one of those situations that just isn't real. But now, there was no denying that they were in danger.

And whoever this was really wanted them dead.

_____

For the next few hours, the cops question each of the group members, finally finishing up as the sun comes up.

"I'm so exhausted," Alex sighs, leaning on Chad's shoulder.

"I just want this day to be over," Mindy closes her eyes, leaning on his other side.

"We'll be out of here soon."

"You guys can stay at our place tonight," Eli assures, back against the ambulance.

"Yeah, there's no reason we should be on our own," Jamie nods.

"Thanks, guys," Tara smiles weakly.

"Sticking together didn't work the first time," Mindy curtly remarks.

"He caught us off guard. He knew we'd all be there. Who knows how long he'd been hiding?"

"Ye-" Alex agrees, stopping as Ethan pushes past the police tape, running over to his friends.

Chad and Eli immediately stop him, the former pushing him hard against the police van while Eli glares.

"Where were you?"

"What? When?" he frantically questions, looking between the two in confusion.

"Last night!"

"What? I had Econ, you know this!"

"Ethan, don't fucking lie to me, man," Eli takes a turn pushing him against the van.

"Dude, I was in a study hall with a hundred other people. You can ask any of them," he swears.

Eli continues to stare at him, unconvinced, until Chad taps his arm.

"You better hope someone can prove your story," he points, stepping back over to the group.

Tara touches his back, silently telling him to relax while Ethan notices Anika's covered body.

"Oh my God," he gasps. "Who?"

"Anika and Quinn," Chad responds.

"Mindy, I'm so sorry," the curly haired boy steps closer.

"Step the fuck back," Mindy cuts him off. "You're at the top of my list."

"Alex?"

"I'm sorry, you were the only one who wasn't here," she shrugs. "I'd be stupid to trust you."

"I had Econ!"

Detective Bailey then comes out of the apartment crying, striking a nerve in everyone's hearts.

Before they can go up to apologize, Alex receives a phone call from her dad.

"It's Dad," she looks over at her siblings with tired eyes.

"You should talk to him," Eli suggests.

"Hello?" she answers.

"Hey, honey," he shakes his head. "Are you okay?"

She immediately wants to curl up into a ball and cry at his words, being reverted back into her eight year old self who was still afraid of the dark.

"No," her voice cracks. "Dad, I'm really scared."

"Okay, okay, listen to me. You're safe right now. You made it through what that asshole tried," he assures.

"He was in the apartment. He killed Quinn and Anika."

"I'm sorry."

"We were trapped in her room. We had to climb across this ladder into our neighbor's apartment. Dad, I was so sure I was gonna fall."

"No chance. You can't take down Team Hoss, right?" he tries to add some levity.

"Yeah," she chuckles, wiping her tears.

"I know you guys don't want this, but I'm coming to New York," he admits, zipping his suitcase.

"Dad-"

"I'm supposed to land tonight. Eight PM. I know I promised and I get why you don't want me there, but I have to be there for my kids."

"I was gonna say I'm glad," she corrects. "I really could use a hug right now."

"Yeah, I think we all could. Where are Eli and Jamie?"

"Right here, one sec," she hands the phone over, mouthing, "He's flying in."

"Hey Dad," Eli puts the phone on speaker.

"Hi, Dad," Jamie adds.

"Hey, guys. Are you feeling okay?"

"We've had better days."

"I'm sorry. Look, I'm flying in tonight. I know you wanted me to stay but I can't. Be careful, okay? I love you."

"Love you too. See you soon."

"He's right. We should be together right now," Eli agrees.

"Yeah-" Alex begins to agree when Gale runs up to the crime scene.

"Hey, are you okay? I came as soon as I heard."

"Gale, I swear to God."

"Truce, okay? I'm here for whatever you need," she swears, turning to the Roberts'.

"Yeah, nice try."

"Okay, fine. Off the record, okay?"

"Fine," Jamie nods, obviously still happy to see a familiar face right now.

"I'm sorry I punched you," Tara sputters.

"No, you're not."

"I'm not," she admits.

"We're glad you're here," Alex touches her shoulder.

"I'm glad you're okay," she grabs her hand, before glancing at Detective Bailey. "You're the cop, right?"

He nods, prompting her to keep going. "I did some digging on your first two victims and I found something. I know where the masks are coming from."

"Show me."

"Ladies," Kirby approaches as well.

"Kirby?"

"Woah, I haven't seen you in years," Alex widens her eyes.

"Nice badge," Eli smirks, before nudging Gale. "She's with the FBI."

"She's a child. When did they start letting children into the FBI?"

"I'm 30."

"Well, you look like a zygote."

"I have a gun, Gale."

"Okay, fine, you're gonna wanna see this too," she nods her head away from the apartment, causing the group to collect their things.

"Let's go, we've got a lead," Eli calls over Mindy, Chad, and reluctantly, Ethan.

The sooner they can get to the bottom of this, the sooner they can sleep peacefully, no longer worries about the white mask.