in a city of millions [scream x reader]

one.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29TH. 9:02 PM.

The party had started by now, but you weren't worried. They never really got good until later.

The party was not far from Blackmore, but it fell just outside Sam's limitations for Tara by one subway stop.

You were understanding of Sam's sheltering of Tara but you were more understanding of Tara's craving of independence. She was more than capable of taking care of herself, even without the small army that accompanied her to the party.

If Tara was going, Chad would be there. Chad and Mindy were rarely separated and if Mindy was going, Anika would follow closely. Chad forced Ethan, who had completely forgotten about the party until approximately 9 hours ago.

As for you — well, it was Halloweekend.

The subway car came to a jolting stop, the person seated next to you roughly bumping into you. You got up and watched, doing a mental headcount of all your friends before getting out yourself. If all went well tonight, you all would have fun without Sam ever knowing about your little off-campus adventure.

You led everyone up and out of the station, for you were the only one who had traveled so far so frequently. With an occasional glance back to make sure your friends were all obediently following the leader, you trudged into the cool October air, the crisp breeze refreshing compared to the stuffiness of the subway.

Times Square gleamed as it always did, but it was always more beautiful at night. Giant lights illuminated the streets and the crowds of people moving to a unique destination, each one filled with determination and a little bit of impatience.

You joined this crowd, glancing at your phone briefly for a refresher of the address. With a final look behind you, you briefly considered making your friends link arms like in kindergarten; but there were too many moving pieces and you decided against it, settling for keeping your friends as physically close as possible.

The six of you moved as one, much to annoyance of everyone around you. The packed street was hard to push through, an influx of partygoers in different costumes forcing you to forcefully press on.

And then — some asshole in a mask rammed into your shoulder so hard your body turned sideways. Just as you were about to yell vulgar words at him he disappeared into the crowd. That's when you realized — your friends were no longer behind you.

Sam was going to kill you.

"Tara!" You cried out, going back the way you came and shoving through the herds of people. You could barely see through the crowd, faces and costumes beginning to blur as the panic began to set in.

"Chad! Ethan!"

All manners were gone now. You yelled at pedestrians as you moved past them, curse words thrown your way in response. You didn't care.

"Mindy! Anika?"

There she was! You sighed in relief, moving closer as the girl who was not Anika turned around. The panic hit heavier this time, hopelessness beginning to take over.

Your head flipped wildly from side to side as you finally found a break in the crowd, taking a second to recollect yourself. You pulled out you phone and sent a text to the group chat. They had to have realized you weren't with them anymore and check their phones. You knew your friends; it was the most logical thing to do.

A sudden scream to your right caught your attention, already pounding heart going even faster. You watched as a girl slapped her friend's shoulder, clearly embarrassed that she had gotten scared so badly. It was just a mask, after all.

Your phone vibrated in your hand and you answered immediately. A voice spoke, but you could barely make out who it was with all the noise, thick crowd making it difficult to move.

"Hello? I can't hear you, give me a second-"

You weren't sure how quiet the city of New York could ever get, but you tried, moving into a clearing.

"Hello?"

Nothing. Yet the call was still going.

You looked around when you spotted a figure, clad in a black robe and a white face. A Ghostface costume. You rolled your eyes.

But this one might've been the one that bumped you, hard. This one was staring at you now, head tilting and although he was 30 feet away, his gaze on you didn't break, not even when people disrupted his line of sight.

The figure sent a cold chill throughout your body. It could just be someone messing around but... something felt wrong.

You turned quickly and moved past all the bodies in your way. You were completely turned around now, unsure of your goal other than to get the hell away from whoever that was.

You made it out, into an alleyway. You looked around desperately for an alternative route, checking your phone for any missed messages. The lights were dimmer now, the creepy atmosphere making your skin crawl.

And then you saw it. A person — no, their body — slumped on the ground, a pool of blood underneath them. Above the body, a message written in crimson.

NO ONE WILL HEAR YOU SCREAM.

You did, anyway.