mess it up, ˢᵃᵐ ᶜᵃʳᵖᵉⁿᵗᵉʳ

𝟎𝟎𝟐.

The two girls pulled on their jackets and stepped out of the apartment after warning everyone else to stay put.

Tara trailed after them, prompting Sam to turn around. "You should go back upstairs and lock the door—"

Madison placed a firm hand on Tara's arm, silently backing Sam. They needed to do this alone.

"Oh, now we shouldn't stick together?" Tara snapped back, sarcasm curling in her voice.

Sam didn't argue. She just nodded, conceding with a quiet heaviness.

Her sister had a point.

They continued walking when Madison's phone rang, again. The sudden noise made her flinch. She glanced down: No Caller ID. With a clenched jaw, she powered the phone off without hesitation.

Sam and Tara both started to protest, but Madison cut them off with a single look, her face sharp and commanding.

Then Sam's phone lit up, vibrating in her hand.

Richie's name flashed across the screen.

Tara sucked in a breath, her eyes flicking toward the older girls. "What the fuck...?"

Madison said nothing.

"I never deleted his contact," Sam murmured. "This is... It's his number."

The phone kept ringing. Madison's face tightened.

She snatched the phone from Sam and answered it.

"Who is this?" Two voices spoke in unison, Madison's and Sam's blended in a tragic rage.

"Hello, Samantha. Madison. Did you miss me?"

All three of them scanned their surroundings, eyes darting from window to shadow, shadow to alleyway, searching for movement.

"I want you to think long and hard about whether you really want to do this," Sam said, eyes locked on Madison. "Because the last two people who fucked with us ended up dead."

"You should be thanking me, girls," the voice rasped. "Jason and Greg were planning to kill you and your baby siblings. I gutted them before they had the chance."

Sam scoffed. "So what, you're protecting us?" Her tone was thick with disbelief.

"Not quite. I'm going to show the world who you really are. Liars. Killers. I'm going to punish you both."

Madison let out a short, dry laugh. "You shouldn't believe everything you read online."

The caller chuckled darkly. "Don't be cute, Madison. You're both going to pay for what you did. I'm going to butcher you—and everyone you love."

Madison laughed again, masking the knot tightening in her chest.

It wasn't for herself. It never was.

Her fear was for the twins. For Tara.

For Sam.

That was always the way it had been, long before the murders. Everyone else's safety, their feelings, their pain, that came first. Madison didn't know how to be any other way. She was a selfless people-pleaser, whether it was a strength or a flaw.

Her mother used to say her Uncle Randy had been the same.

"You're just another psycho like all the others—" Sam snapped, but the voice talked over her.

"Oh, there's never been one like me, Sam. I'm something... different. You'd better watch your backs."

Madison scanned the street again. No one looked out of place, but her nerves remained taut, screaming. "You better watch yours—" she began, but the words caught in her throat.