mess it up, ˢᵃᵐ ᶜᵃʳᵖᵉⁿᵗᵉʳ

𝟎𝟎𝟑.

When Madison woke, she found herself sprawled on a couch she didn't recognise, the rough fabric unfamiliar against her skin. The room was dim, shadows pooling in the corners, and a faint metallic scent lingered in the air.

"Good, you're awake."

Madison's eyes fluttered open and fixed on the figure standing over her. "Mr. Bailey? What happened?" Her voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.

He carefully helped her sit up, his hands steady but gentle. "You took a hard hit to the head. Nurse says it's a minor concussion, but you'll be alright."

Madison pressed her palm to her throbbing temple, trying to steady herself as dizziness threatened to pull her under again.

In that moment, all she wanted was for it to be a nightmare, something she could just wake up from.

But Ghostface was real. Ghostface was back.

And the question clawing at her mind wasn't if she'd survive this time, but how.

She wasn't afraid of death. Never had been. But she wasn't ready to die, especially not at the hands of that relentless shadow.

"Sam and Tara are in the interrogation room," Detective Bailey said quietly. "They refused to start without you. Think you're up for it?"

Madison gave a small nod, swallowing the lump in her throat, and followed him down the sterile hallway.

As she entered, Sam's head snapped up. Without thinking, Sam lunged forward and threw herself at Madison.

The sudden contact sent a jolt through Madison's chest, but Sam pulled back quickly, cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"Sorry—" she started, but Madison stopped her with a soft shake of her head.

"It's fine," Madison assured her, even though a chill ran through her veins now that the warmth was gone. "I'm fine. Let's just get this interrogation over with so we can go home."

Madison took a seat, still feeling the echo of Sam's touch fade. Detective Wayne pulled out a set of photos and spread them on the table.

"We found this next to the body at the apartment crime scene," he said, holding up an evidence bag with a blood-smeared Ghostface mask inside. Next to it, Sam and Madison's IDs rested like sinister tokens.

"DNA points to someone named Richie Kirsch. Does that name ring a bell?"

The three women exchanged a stunned glance before Sam answered, her voice cold and clipped. "We're familiar with him."

Madison and Tara caught the flicker of something darker lurking behind Sam's eyes. Richie had broken something inside her and left a wound beneath the surface.

Tara's gaze lingered on the mask. "The one who attacked us wore a different kind of mask."

Madison nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it was older. More worn out."

Detective Wayne leaned forward, voice sharp. "Do you have alibis for earlier tonight?"

Tara spoke first, steadily. "I was at a party with friends."

Sam glanced at Madison before answering. "I was at my therapist's. I can give you his info. Then Madison and I met Tara at the party, where I tased someone. Totally unrelated."

Wayne turned to Madison, eyes waiting.

"I was at my apartment all night until the party. You can check with my neighbours or the building cameras."

He pulled out his phone. "Is that before or after this?" The screen showed a video clip, two random girls throwing drinks, the camera cutting to Sam and Madison charging at them.