Echoes of the past

The First strike

Eve sat in the back row of her English class, her notebook open but untouched. The words of the teacher blurred together, her voice a distant hum in the background. All Eve could think about was the previous night—her mom's warning, the unsettling texts, and Noah's insistence that this new Ghostface was targeting people connected to the original killings. It felt like the world was slowly closing in on her, piece by piece.

She hadn't told her mom about Noah's theory yet. Sidney had been through so much already, and Eve didn't want to add to her burden, not unless it was absolutely necessary. But a nagging voice in the back of her mind told her that this was only the beginning.

The bell rang, jolting her out of her thoughts. Students began shuffling out of the room, chatting and laughing like nothing was wrong. Eve wished she could feel that carefree. Instead, her stomach twisted in knots.

Lila caught up to her as they walked into the hall. "You okay?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

Eve forced a smile. "Yeah, just... tired."

Lila frowned, not buying it. "You've been off all morning. Did something else happen last night?"

Eve shook her head, unwilling to dive into the mess of thoughts swirling inside her. "I'm fine, I promise."

They continued down the hall toward their lockers, where Noah was already waiting for them. He gave Eve a small nod as they approached, his expression serious.

"Did you tell her?" Noah asked, glancing between Eve and Lila.

"Tell me what?" Lila's eyebrows shot up in confusion.

Eve sighed. "Noah's got a theory. He thinks this new Ghostface is targeting people connected to the original murders. Like my mom, Dewey, Gale, and... me."

Lila's eyes widened. "That's insane."

"Is it, though?" Noah countered. "We've seen copycats before. And if you think about it, it makes sense. Whoever's behind this isn't just going after random people—they want to make a statement."

Eve's stomach churned at the thought. It did make a twisted kind of sense. The Ghostface killers had always been obsessed with making their own mark on the legacy of the original murders. But it wasn't just that—the killer had sent her those texts. Whoever it was, they had specifically targeted her.

"So what do we do?" Lila asked, her voice shaking slightly.

"We figure out who it is before they strike again," Noah said firmly. "We can't just sit around waiting for them to make the next move."

Eve swallowed hard. The idea of actively hunting for a killer seemed insane, but what choice did they have? If Noah was right—and Eve had a sinking feeling he was—they were already in the killer's crosshairs.

Later that afternoon, Eve found herself back in the library with Noah. Lila had bailed, saying the whole thing was freaking her out too much. Eve didn't blame her. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to run as far from Woodsboro as possible. But her mom's face kept flashing in her mind. Sidney had never run from the terror of Ghostface, and neither would she.

Noah was poring over old news articles, his laptop open and several pages scattered across the table. "There's definitely a pattern here," he muttered, mostly to himself.

Eve sat across from him, tapping her fingers nervously on the table. "What kind of pattern?"

Noah leaned back, pushing his glasses up. "The original murders were personal. Billy Loomis wanted revenge for what happened to his family. And now? I think it's someone with a similar motivation. Someone who's connected to the survivors—someone who blames your mom or Gale or Dewey for something."

Eve frowned, trying to make sense of it all. "But who would want that? And why target me?"

Noah shook his head. "That's what we need to figure out."

As they sifted through more articles, Eve's phone buzzed on the table. Her heart jumped into her throat as she picked it up, her fingers trembling slightly.

It was another unknown number.

Nice try, Eve. But you're not safe. No one is.

Her breath caught. "Noah..."

He looked up, seeing the fear in her eyes. "What is it?"

She handed him the phone, her hands shaking as she did. Noah read the message, his face darkening. "It's happening again."

Before they could react, the lights in the library flickered. Eve's pulse quickened as she looked around. The library was nearly empty, just a few students scattered at different tables. It was quiet, eerily so.

Noah stood up, glancing around nervously. "We should go."

Eve nodded, grabbing her bag. But as they made their way to the exit, a loud crash echoed from the back of the library. Eve froze, her heart hammering in her chest.

Noah grabbed her arm. "Come on, let's get out of here."

They moved quickly toward the door, but just as they reached it, a figure in a black robe and white mask appeared from the shadows, blocking their path.

Ghostface.

Eve's blood turned to ice as the figure stepped forward, the glint of a knife in their hand. Noah cursed under his breath, grabbing a book from a nearby shelf and throwing it at the masked figure. It barely slowed them down.

"Run!" Noah yelled, pulling Eve with him toward the back of the library.

They sprinted through the rows of shelves, their footsteps echoing loudly in the empty space. Eve's heart pounded in her ears as they rounded a corner, desperately searching for an exit. The killer's footsteps were close behind, the sound of their boots on the tile floor growing louder with every passing second.

"This way!" Noah hissed, pulling her toward a door marked Staff Only.

They burst through the door and into a narrow hallway lined with old books and storage boxes. Noah slammed the door behind them, locking it just as Ghostface reached it. The door rattled as the killer pounded on it, the force of their blows making the entire hallway shake.

Eve's chest heaved as she leaned against the wall, her mind racing. They had barely escaped, but for how long?

Noah paced back and forth, his face pale. "We can't stay here. They'll find another way in."

Eve nodded, trying to calm her racing heart. "What do we do?"

Noah looked around, his eyes landing on a small window at the far end of the hallway. "We climb out. It's our only shot."

They hurried to the window, and Noah pushed it open, the cold night air rushing in. He helped Eve climb through first, then followed her out onto the narrow ledge. Below them was a dark alleyway, and the drop was steep, but there was no time to hesitate.

"Jump," Noah said, his voice urgent.

Eve nodded, bracing herself before leaping down onto the pavement. She stumbled but managed to stay on her feet. Noah followed, landing beside her with a grunt.

They didn't stop to catch their breath. Hand in hand, they ran, disappearing into the shadows of the alley as Ghostface watched them from the window above, the glint of their knife catching the moonlight.