𝐑𝐔𝐁𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐃, 𝙌𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙣, 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚𝘾𝙪𝙩

06.

  six.

  

Amber's heart pounds loudly in her ears as her fingers grip the railing of the stairs, in hopes of not falling off. It's not a far fall, but she still wouldn't want to land in the now wet grass- that'd be embarrassing. And totally inconvenient for their quiet approach on finding Emmy before the killer finds her or them.

  "We should split up. Cover more ground." Lucy's voice carries over to Amber as she finally looks up from her shoes, her heart not as loud as before. "Okay, groups, sure. Uh-"

  "I call Lucy." Summer quickly states, latching on to the tall girl's arm and practically dragging her towards the back of the museum where she's sure the two will have better luck.

Amber glances at Quinn who awkwardly scratches his neck, watching the two disappear but she doesn't give him a chance to complain as she walks ahead towards the side of the boat.

"Hey, you can't just walk up unprepared." Quinn groans quietly, jogging up to catch Amber who looks at him weirdly, showing him her hammer. "I have a hammer."

  "Two against one."

Amber stares at him for a moment before slowly nodding, letting the awkward silence hang in their air around them. It didn't last long, the silence, but the awkwardness still continued. "Hey, look about Lucy and I- it's not what you think." Amber lets out a sigh as she peeks through a window, her eyes tracking every dark shadow casted in the corners.

  "Quinn you can see whoever you want to see. We were never together- we just went on a homecoming date. That's all. It's okay to be with someone else." Amber whispers, watching in the corner of her eyes his expression shifting back and forth from wanting to say more and just shutting up. He finally takes a deep breath from his nose, opening his mouth to respond.

  "Oh my god." Amber whispers quickly, her heart spiking as she watches in the window; a man with some weird mask and a dark hoodie advances slowly through the halls. Quinn curses, grabbing Amber's forearm and bringing her close before making their way to the other side of the museum to help the others.

Her feet slow to a stop when she enters the side where Summer and Lucy are- their shouts getting louder in hopes to reach Emmy's ears. Emmy looks over at Summer, her face morphing into confusion before she registers what she's trying to say.

Quickly turning around, Emmy's breath stops for a moment as she forgets her CD player on the counter and books it to the door nearest to her, struggling to get it open. Amber holds onto Quinn's hand which had moved further down her arm and connects his hand to hers in fear of watching Emmy get caught.

    "Fuck, fuck, fuck." Lucy cries out, slamming the door shut behind Emmy just as the killer in the mask reaches them. Summer and Emmy share a quick hug before Lucy hurries them to continue on, worrying about the now gone killer.

     "Shit! Go, go, go!" Quinn shouts, pushing the group behind him as the killer steps out of a window slowly, his mask locked onto the group who quickly run the opposite direction.

   Amber's eyes become glossy making it hard for her to see so she puts all her trust into Quinn who guides her around the museum to the front where the group begins to climb down the netting before booking it to Quinn's truck.

      Amber takes one last glance back, her heart dropping once she catches eyes with the killer standing on top of the museum, watching them all flee. She feels as though he's specifically watching her which sends shivers down her spine, causing her to squeeze Quinn's hand which was still pressed against hers.

"At Least we saved one person." Amber listens to Lucy whisper in the back seat of the truck, her head leaned against the seat's headrest.

    They were all exhausted from tonight's event, now dropping Emmy off at her house to which Summer insisted she walk Emmy to her door. Amber watches the two from the passenger seat, her mind clicking like a clock trying to piece everything together about the two. She's come up with one thing- Summer loves Emmy.

   And not in a girl best friend kind of way, I mean she's sure they are each other's best friend, but more than that. And she's honestly happy for them, Summer hadn't been the same since they stopped talking.

     "I hope she lives a very long, boring, and uneventful life." Amber chuckles softly at Quinn's remark, his eyes finding hers to offer a small smile. "Lucy," Amber turns half her body to face the girl in the back who's head rises at her name. "Does the killer kill anyone else?"

    Lucy bites the inside of her cheek at the question, her eyes darting from Amber to Quinn to Summer outside. She lets out a deep sigh. "You and Summer are next."

  Quinn turns around in his seat instantly, his eyes wide at the statement Lucy just made as Amber slowly leans back in her seat. She had a feeling she was on the list.

   The killer's pattern is her friends. Summers' friends. Did the killer have a grudge with Summer? Or her? "Lucy, why didn't you say something? We could be driving by state lines by now- somewhere safe, we have to get out of here." Amber rests a hand on Quinn's arm to stop his fast paced speech. "When does it happen?"

    Lucy finds Amber's eyes once more, a wave of guilt washing over her. She hadn't even tried to warn Amber of her fate, sweet Amber who had been there for the group this entire time. Her head had been too wrapped up on Summers' death to even think about how close hers is. "Amber your death is different- it isn't something I thought I could control- but if we save Summer I think we can."

    Ambers eyebrows pinch at this new information before her mind finally pieces together what Lucy is trying to say.

   She can tell by Lucys eyes how sorry she means by her words. Amber takes a deep breath, folding her hands onto her lap and looking out the passenger of the car. "The killer doesn't kill me, does he."

   She can hear Lucy shift uncomfortably in the back as Quinn stares at Amber, his eyes still wide in disbelief.

      Amber Acosta knew now that she never had to fear the killer, he was never after her.

    The only thing she has to fear is herself.