mess it up, ˢᵃᵐ ᶜᵃʳᵖᵉⁿᵗᵉʳ

𝟎𝟎𝟔.

The Fantastic Five sat clustered together in the living room, laughter bubbling up between them like a fragile balm against the nightmare outside.

Their smiles were pure, fleeting moments of light, their eyes shining with a fierce, desperate love, love that somehow kept the darkness at bay, if only for a little while.

But then, faint at first, the sound of banging shattered the fragile calm. It grew louder, harsh, violent.

"I believe Quinn is entertaining a gentleman caller," Tara teased, her voice trying to mask the tension as Madison stifled a laugh, burying her face in Sam's shoulder for a moment's comfort.

The relentless pounding grew more urgent, echoing through the house like a warning.

Mindy cast a fake impressed look their way. "Get it, girl..." she joked, her tone light but eyes sharp with unease.

Madison laughed harder, but it felt brittle, like a thin glass about to break.

Suddenly, every phone pinged in unison, an incoming AirDrop. When Madison saw the image, her breath caught in her throat.

It was Quinn being attacked.

A collective gasp rose, raw and terrified.

Without hesitation, they sprinted to the living room and pressed themselves against the door from which the sounds were coming.

Their bodies trembled, adrenaline mingling with dread.

"Run," Mindy whispered, voice barely audible but trembling with fear.

The atmosphere thickened; the pounding stopped abruptly.

Silence, heavy, suffocating.

Then, the door flung open and Quinn's lifeless body was hurled into the room, crashing down on top of Madison.

Her skin was ghostly pale, her throat cruelly slit, blood spreading like a dark stain across Madison's chest.

For a moment, all five were frozen in horrified shock, eyes wide, breaths caught in their throats.

Then chaos exploded.

Everyone bolted, except Sam, who stayed rooted beside Madison, trembling as she helped her up.

The curly-haired woman shoved Chad and Tara out of the doorway with frantic urgency before following Sam into the kitchen.

Their hearts sank as they noticed the knife block was gone, every blade missing.

"Fuck," Sam cursed under her breath.

The sharp clang of metal hitting flesh rang out as Sam grabbed the knife block and swung it wildly, striking Ghostface off Anika.

She fell backward, gasping for breath. Sam immediately helped Mindy up from the floor, but no one noticed Madison lagging behind.

Suddenly, Ghostface grabbed Madison, gloved hands tightening like iron bands around her throat. She clawed desperately, trying to pry his grip away, but the struggle was brutal and frantic.

Then, a searing, agonizing pain blossomed in her thigh, a knife plunged deep into muscle and bone.

Her breath hitched in a sharp gasp, a high-pitched sound of pain that ripped through the room and alerted the others.

Sam broke from Mindy and Anika, racing back into the bedroom, her voice raw with fear as she shouted. "Get off her!"

She smashed a lamp against Ghostface's head, disorienting him, then pulled Madison away. The girl's quiet whimpers twisted Sam's heart in a vice.