✓ DEFENSIVE | Z. BERMAN

ix. THE END?

JULY 19th, 1978
11:02 P.M.

"There it is, go!" Cindy yells as the clearing of the tree comes into view.

Running the distance between the woods the tree, looking behind them every few seconds, Ziggy asks, "Here?"

"Yes!" Cindy answers quickly, the three quickly and desperately digging the dirty at the roots of the tree.

Y/N worked with shaky hands and sharp breaths, her mind screaming at her to just run as far as she could, but knowing she couldn't just leave them here. Especially not now, not when they're so close.

"Cindy?" Ziggy mumbles worriedly, making them look up to see a Shadyside killer, later identified as the Billy Barker, a killer from 1922, stalking towards them, his large bat hitting the ground as he walks.

"Just keep digging!" She orders, Y/N quickly obliging as she looks around, seeing more and more killers who were presumed dead emerge from the woods.

She hears the singing again, as Cindy and Ziggy urge them to move faster, Y/N glancing up to see someone that sends a shiver down her spine, Ruby Lane.

Nurse Lane's daughter.

Ziggy moves the shovel again and a noise rings out, "I hit something!" She exclaims.

Without wasting a moment, the girls are on their hands and knees, trying to bring up what they hope to be the bones of Sarah Fier.

As Ziggy and Cindy lift it up, Y/N's heart drops as she realizes it's nothing but a stone with an engraving.

"THE WITCH FOREVER LIVES."

Ziggy reads the message aloud, panicking as she looks to her sister. "Cindy, what does it mean? Cindy?"

"I don't know." She answers tiredly, her eyes closing in disbelief.

Y/N's already erratic breathing becomes unstable as she watches the killers get closer, Ziggy still questioning Cindy about the body, but Y/N looks around with panic, "Guys!" She yells, shutting up the arguing sisters as they look up to see what had Y/N so freaked.

Cindy stand next to her and has Ziggy stand as well, pulling the two girls with her as she says, "This way. Come on!"

Turning behind them, they all scream as they see the familiar yet horrifying figure running towards them, the same one they've been trying to escape all night.

Frozen in their places as they look between the numerous killers all closing in on them.

"What do you want, Sarah Fier?" Cindy screams in question to the killers. She crouches down and grabs the bone hand, "You want this? You can have it!" She screams, "Just let them live! Just let them live!" She cries, standing in front of Ziggy and Y/N as the two girls lock hands, both trembling immensely.

Dropping the hand and grabbing the shovel, Cindy turns to her sister, "Ziggy, you bled on the bone. They're after you."

"No!" Y/N cries, looking to Ziggy, "Cindy — "

"Get ready to run." She instructs sternly.

Ziggy realizes what she's doing and starts to hyperventilate. "No, Cindy, no!"

Cindy grabs their hands and pulls them to the gap between the killers, Ziggy pleads still echoing as Cindy and Y/N share a look before Cindy pushes the two girls out of the way, going to distract the killer that was once her beloved Tommy.

Y/N pulls Ziggy's hand to keep her running, but the girl screams in protest as she watches her sister get struck down by the killer.

"No!" She screams, Y/N's gasps and grunts desperately trying to pull her away, Ziggy too fear-stricken at the scene before her.