𝐵𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑏𝑒𝑟//𝐸𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝐿𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑦

Chapter I

Chapter One - Killings

"Now I see something red."

⇝☠︎︎⇜

Laura Crane was sitting in a bar, waiting for her date to show up. She looks off to her right, seeing a guy walking her way, she waves her hand with a smile. "Hi."

The guy doesn't acknowledge her, just takes a corner, causing her to place her hand to her mouth and clear her throat. Her phones vibrates, so she picks it up to look at it, she sees that it's her date texting her. Laura reads his texts, which vary from 'hi' to 'I'm lost'. Laura chuckles, sending two laughing emojis back, she picks up her shot glass and down the drink, placing the glass on the counter again. Laura's date texts again, asking if he can call her. "Um..." Laura hums, moving her hair out of her face before sending a thumbs up emoji. "Okay."

"Another shot?" The lady behind the bar asks.

"Yeah, sure." Laura nods, watching as she pours another shot.

Laura's phone rings, her date calling her. She answers and puts the phone to her ear. She clears her throat before talking. "Hi. Hi, Reggie."

"Laura, hi." Reggie chuckles.

"Hello."

"Um, so nice to phone-meet you in this incredibly embarrassing way."

"Oh, you know, no-no problem. It's fine."

"Uh, this is what I get for picking a trendy place with no sign out front, huh?"

Laura chuckles. "Yeah, why do they do that here?"

"I don't know. I've only been in the city for a few months."

"Me, too! No way!"

"Oh, wow."

"Yeah. Well, um, it's a very cool restaurant."

"Is it on Hudson?"

"Yes."

"Am I on Hudson?"

"I don't know."

"I am not on Hudson. Shit." Reggie curses. "Uh, I am now walking towards Hudson."

Laura nods even though he can't see her. "Okay."

"I am so, so sorry. This is not the first impression I wanted to make on a college professor."

"Oh, pfft. Associate Professor, and it's just Film Studies, so.."

"Oh..."

"You're safe."

"Film Studies? That's..." Reggie chuckles. "Cool."

"You say that but try teaching a class on 20th-century slashers to a heap of hungover nineteen-year-olds."

"Slashers, huh?" Reggie questions, then goes on to try to imitate Ghostface. "What's your favorite scary movie?"

"Um, not that one." Laura answered, both of them laughing.

"So why slashers?"

"Uh, well, I just, you know, I think it's interesting. You can really examine the culture of the moment by looking at the tropes of the time. Like, um, the masked killer, the final girl, the different rules: don't split up. Don't have sex."

They both chuckle at that. "Don't answer the phone."

"Exactly, exactly, exactly. It's all cliché. But out of those clichés comes an opportunity for outsider art. A voice for the voiceless, you might say."