All Too Well

"FRANCHISE"

(Please play, "Reflection by The Neighborhood")

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"Okay nerds, listen up. As terrifying as this all is, Im actually glad I get a chance to redeem myself, for not calling the killers last time." Mindy stands in front of the group of teens, who were now at their college. Blackmore University. "Its fine. Okay..the way I see  it, someone is out to make a sequel to the requel."

"Um, whats a requel?" Anika raises her hand.

"You're beautiful, sweetie. Let's hold questions till the end." Mindy responds.

"Stab one took place in Woodsburo. Stab two took place in..college." Sam speaks up.

"So, do we think that the killer is trying to copy the movies?" Tara asks.

"That is one possibility. Heros now in college, check. Suspicious new characters brought in to round out the suspect list and or body count, check, check, and check." Mindy points to Anika, Ethan, then Quinn.

"I don't like this." Ethan mutters.

"It can't just be about Stab two." Mindy goes on.

"Why not?" Tara shoots back.

"It would make sense if this was a just a sequel, but we're not in a sequel. Because nobody just makes sequels anymore!" Mindy looks around for the answer. "We're in a franchise. And they're certain rules to a continuing franchise." Mindy smiles.

"I had a feeling." Sam groans out.

"Rule one, everything is bigger than last time. Bigger budget, biggest cast, bigger body count, longer chases, shoot outs, be headings, and a lot of talk about what came before to keep people coming back." Mindy explains.

"Be headings..?" Chad asks.

"Be headings. Rule two, whatever happened last time expect the opposite. Franchises only survive by exceptions. If the killers last time were whining snowflake film nerds with a letter box to count, instead of personalities. You can bet the opposite will be true here. And rule three, no one is safe. Legacy characters? Usually brought back only to be killed in some cheap bid for nostalgia. Its not looking to good for Gale and Kirby. Aw, thats not even the worst part."

"This is the part where she tells us the worst part." Chad says to Tara.

"The worst part is franchises are just continuing installments. Which means main characters are completely on the table for dying. Tony Stark, James Bond, Luke Skywalker. All those people died, so their franchises could live on. That means its not just the friend group. Any of us could go at any time, especially Sam and Tara." Everyone glances at each other, giving uncomfortable looks.

"Wait any of us?" Ethan looks around.

"Yeah." Mindy whispers.

"Does—am..am I in the friend group?" He goes on.

"Yeah."

"Am I like one of the targets?"

"Mhm."

"Am I gonna die a virgin?" Everyone freezes at Ethans question.

"That was..a weird overshare, but it brings us to our current suspects." Mindy smiles. "Ethan. The shy dorky guy, who no one suspects, cause he's so shy and dorky."

"Okay, why am I on the suspect list? Cause Im randomly Chad's roommate?"

"Roommate lotterys can be juked. You could've fixed it to get next to us." Mindy walks over to Quinn next. "Quinn. The slutty roommate. The horror movie classic."

"Sex positive, but thank you?"

"Mhm, um, how did you come to live with Sam and Tara?"

"I answered there ad online..?"

"Okay! Say no more! You already exposed yourself enough!"

"It was anonymous ad, Mindy. And you know we checked her, plus her dad is a cop—" Tara tries defending Quinn.

"And that makes it more likely that shes the killer, because having a cop dad is a great cover. Do you not remember the movies, Tara?!" Mindy shouts at the girl.

"Is she always like this..?" Quinn asks, Sam nods.

"And finally..Anika." Anika blows a kiss at Mindy, Mindy blowing it back. "Never trust the love interest." Anika's smile, quickly drops.

"Okay, so we have our rules. And we have our suspects." Sam looks around at everyone.

"Not quite, Sam." Mindy says to the group. Everyone looks around confused. "Y/n. You know, I love you, but you are on the suspect board."

"What—?"

"We are responsible for your dead girlfriend, you can't get over. Plus, your dad. Im sorry, Y/n/n. But you are kinda on the top of the list."

"Mindy—you know me. I would never hurt anyone. Let alone you guys!"

"Im sorry, Y/n."

Y/n rolls her eyes mad. Tara's hand on her thigh, trying to calm her.

"Wait, wait, wait. What about you guys?" Ethan points at the rest of the four.

"I mean, I think its pretty safe to rule out the four of us, who went through this last year in Woodsboro, and don't have a reason to kill."

"Agreed." Chad smiles.

"Um, not agreed. What if the trauma you all went through caused one—or more of you to snap?" Quinn raises her eyebrows.

"Yeah, or the killings made you thirsty for more." Ethan pauses. "I mean to be honest here, some of the theories online about Sam are.." Ethan then trails off.

"Don't you fucking dare." Tara looks at him, his eyes widening.

"Okay, shes right though. I mean face facts. If we're all suspects, you're all suspects." Anika tells us. Everyone looks around yet again.

-

"Look at me in the eyes, dammit!" Amber yells, into the mirror. Y/n slowly looks up, eyes detaching from the sink.

Seeing her reflection in her eyes.

"Did you really even love me?" Amber scoffs.

"Of course I did—! I would do anything for you!"

"Then why'd you let them kill me..?"

"Because you were gonna kill me, Amber!"

Y/n and Ambers reflection in the mirror begin arguing.

Sure, Y/n knew that this wasn't real, but that sure as hell doesn't mean it felt like it.

"If you'd do anything for me...kill them all. They are the ones who took me away from you!"

"They're my friends."

"Mindy thinks you are the killer, Chad keeps flirting with Tara every second of the day, and Sam doesn't trust you."

"She's right, sweetheart." Roman appears. "They don't care about you. So, why should you care about them?"

"Because, Im not like you guys."

"Bullshit."

"You smile at the sight of blood, you are like us."

"Im not a killer."

Both of the previous ghost-faces laugh.

"You will be." Roman says. The bathroom door knocks, making Y/n's head snap that way. She looks back in the mirror to see Amber and Roman gone.

"Y/n—? You done yet?" Mindy can be heard from the other side of the door.

"Yeah—sorry. Just had to..freshen up." Y/n opens the door, letting Mindy in.

The whole group now staying at Sam and Tara's, none of them wanting to be alone.

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