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sixteen | suspects

A few hours later the three who had been interrogated hours prier are now sitting on a bench by the lawn near the collage, while Mindy was once again doing her how to survive horror movie.

"Ok nerds, listen up. As terrifying as this all is, I'm actually glad I get the chance to redeem myself for not finding out the killer last time." Mindy told the group of old and new friends.

"Ok. The way I see it somebody is out to make a sequel of a requal-" She continued before Anika interrupts her, "What's a reguel?" She asks with a raised hand.

"Your beautiful sweety but, let's hold the questions till the end." Mindy requested not wanting to be interrupted every two seconds. "Stab 1 took place in Woodsboro, Stab 2 took place in college." Sam told the group as she remembered the movies.

"So we think the killer is trying to copy the movies?" Tara wonders.

"That is one possibility. Heroes now in college. Check. Suspicious new character brought in to round out the suspect list and body count. Check, check and check." Mindy says as she point out the new friends.

"I don't like this." Ethan says but get's ignored by everyone, "But it can't just be about Stab 2." Mindy says making Isaac and Tara both look at her confused. Isaac knew a lot about Stab but didn't understand what Mindy was talking about in that moment, "Why not?" Tara asks.

"It would make sense if this was a sequel but we're not in a sequel because nobody just makes sequals anymore." She said earning nods from the group who started to understand her, "We're in a franchise!" Mindy said as she raised her arms in the air, "And there are certain rules to a continuing franchise." She stated getting sighs from her friends who stayed silent.

"I had a feeling." Sam said with another sigh.

"Rule one: Everything is bigger than the last time. Bigger budget, bigger cast, bigger body count, longer chases, shoot-outs, beheadings. You got to top what came before to keep people coming back." Mindy said excited, "Beheading?" Chad asked worried.

"Rule two: Whatever happened last time, expect the opposite. Franchises only survive by subverting expectations." Mindy said taking a few seconds to get some air into her lungs, "If the killers were whiny snowflake film nerds with letterbox accounts instead of personalities, you can bet the opposites will be true here." She added as she looked around her friends.

"And rule three: No one is safe. Legacy characters? Cannon fodder at this point. Usually brought back to be killed off in some cheap bid for nostalgia. It's not looking too good for Gale and Kirby. Oh and that's not even the worst part." Mindy said making Isaac worry he didn't wanne lose the last connection to his sister despite what she had done to him he still loved her. She was his older sister, the person who had protected him and cared for him, when their parents where off to somewhere again.

"This is the point where she tells us the worst part." Chad says answering a question that had been asked a few minutes before as he didn't look up from his notebook.

"The worst part is franchises are just continuing episodic instalments designed to boost an IP. Which means main characters are completely expendable now too. Laurie Strode, Nancy Thompson, Ellen Ripley, Sally Hardesty, Jigsaw, Tony Stark, James Bond. I mean even Luke Skywalker all died so their franchise could live on. That means it's not just the friend group. Any of us could go at any time, especially Sam, Isaac and Tara." Mindy said finishing her speech up.

Isaac looked over to where Sam and Tara where sitting as he was sat next to Anika, he saw the worried look in Sam's face.

"Wait, any of us?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah."

"Does - am I in the friend group?" Came directly after, "Yeah."

"Am I, like one of the targets?" He wonders, "Mm - hmm."