Spill Your Guts || Billy Loomis & Stu Macher

Aftermath, Revelations, and a New Beginning

There was an annoying beeping noise.

I grumbled, squeezing my eyes shut even further, and snuggled deeper into my covers. The movement felt strange though, my body tense and my clothing too tight or too loose in some areas. Was I not in my pijamas? Why did my bed feel so stiff? What the FUCK was that beeping noise?

The task of prying my lids open was genuinely monumental and as soon as light peeked through I wanted to immediately shut them again. But I powered through and was soon blinking at a ceiling made up of styrofoam tiles and fluorescent lights. I looked around at unfamiliar white walls, white tiles, and a whole host of medical equipment next to my bed. I furrowed my brows.

This wasn't my room.

That astute observation had a whole new rush of awareness flood over me. I was in a hospital. I was in a hospital after... after the party! Yeah, the party at Stu's! We were at the party, and then-

I reached up, my arm heavy, and tapped at the side of my head. It was wrapped up with gauze that looped around my forehead, the fabric itchy and too-tight against my skull. I felt at a patch that had a particularly large bit of cotton trapped against my head before dropping my hand and inspecting the weight on my finger. There was a heartbeat monitor there, the wire extending up to one of the machines. That explained the beeping, at least.

I noted the flowers on the side table and the few 'Get Well!' cards lined up there. There was even a balloon tied to the end of my hospital bed. It was an ugly creamsicle color. I felt my eyes well up.

Tatum.

God, what had happened? I remembered Billy and Stu, remembered their whole spiel, remembered finding Tatum's corpse and watching Randy get shot and watching Gale get shot and watching Mr. Prescott get shot and-

I had begun to hyperventilate, the monitor beeping louder and faster now, and it wasn't long before the door to my room burst open. I jolted as a nurse entered and stopped in her tracks at the sight of me sitting up. "Oh, miss! You're awake!" It was a lady in her forties, her hair done in beautiful box braids. She rushed over to me. "It's ok, you're at the Woodsboro Medical Center and you're safe. Are you feeling dazed? Hurting anywhere?" Her eyes flicked between my gauzed up head and face, brows pinched in worry.

I opened my mouth to speak, had the words get caught in my throat, and instead croaked out, "Water."

"Of course." She reached over onto the side table and poured some from a pitcher before presenting me with a paper cup. I downed it immediately. Then another. And then I nodded that I was alright. "Is there anything else? Pain? Discomfort?"

"I- my head's throbbing a bit." I mumbled. She nodded.

"That's to be expected. You received a hairline fracture to the skull, but that's something that will heal with time. It's your mind we're more worried about. Do you feel any fogginess? Any changes in vision you notice?" I squinted. I wasn't really sure, to be honest. The room felt too bright, the lights refracting in shards that hurt my eyes. It felt like I was slower, like my mind was sluggish to keep up, but I felt pretty coherent.

"Uh, just feel like things are moving in slow motion. Could you, um, turn the lights down?" A few seconds later they were turned off and the blinds were cracked to let in some less offensive light. Blue skies outside. Fluffy clouds, chirping birds... "W-Where are my parents?"

"I know your mom is in the building somewhere, sweetie. I'll page someone to get a hold of her. I think she just went out for a little lunch, that's all." A gentle smile on her face, the woman picked up a small black box from her hip and pressed a few buttons. I flinched violently at the sight of it. "Oh, I'm sorry! I- did I startle you?"