MTV SCREAM | SEASON THREE

IV. Hellraiser

After being interviewed for "The Morgue," Troy offered to treat Noah to some lunch at the Grindhouse cafe.

"Oh, you really don't have to do that. I'm fine," Noah replied.

Troy smiled. "C'mon, kid. It's the least I can do. When you post that interview, you'll clear my brother's name, and everyone will finally know my side of the story."

Noah nodded slightly then agreed. The two made it to the cafe and found themselves sitting across from each other at a small table. It was unusually crowded, much like the Lakewood Motel. Troy adjusted the baseball cap on his head and sank a little further down into his chair.

"I don't think anyone knows who I am, but just in case," he muttered to Noah. "I'm really not trying to draw attention."

"Eh, you get used to it," Noah said, noticing a group of people from his school pointing and whispering in his direction.

An awkward silence grew between them, then Noah began to wonder if this whole thing was a mistake.

"Hey, I know I've asked you a lot of questions, but there is one other thing I need to know."

Troy nodded.

"Does Emma know you're here?"

Troy furrowed his eyebrows. "I mean, does she need to know I'm here?"

"Well, I don't know. I just wondered since you and her mom were pretty close after everything that happened."

"How do you know that?" Troy asked with an uneasy giggle.

"Pretty much everyone knows that. I mean, Piper and Kieran used your barn to lure all of us in, several times. That's where I was buried alive. That's where Jake Fitzgerald and Mayor Maddox were killed. It's kind of hard to understand why the killer picked that place without finding a connection, so Emma had to tell us about her childhood and her and Audrey visiting, things like that. I just thought maybe you would go see them. That's all."

"Right," Troy said quietly. "I want to see them. I just don't know if I should."

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, but if you decide to stop by, just be aware that they may not be up to much talking. They've both been through hell and back, multiple times, and they're just trying to forget it all."

"Yeah, I got it."

Noah nodded again, and the silence returned.

"Well, kid. This has been great, and I'm sorry to rush off, but I really should be going."

"Yeah, of course. Thank you again for everything," Noah smiled, extending his arm.

Troy shook Noah's hand and smiled. "Can't wait to see the reaction. Good luck with everything. See you around."

Noah continued to grin as he watched Troy leave the cafe. His smile faded after a while, then he grabbed his phone from his pocket and sent a message to Audrey: I need to talk to you. In person. ASAP.

—

Noah and Audrey met up at a secluded park in one of the more abandoned parts of Lakewood. They used to go there a lot when they first became friends. It was kind of their place. No one else really knew about it. There were two sheltered picnic areas accompanied by a grill and worn down benches and a playground area with two, sad-looking swing sets and some rusted monkey bars. Other than that, it was empty and surrounded by an abundance of forest. It was probably the most likely place to get kidnapped or mugged, but they felt safe there. They felt like kids again.

But, Noah, with a bigger heart than he could handle, was about to bring reality into their place of comfort and imagination.

"Hey, loser. What's up?" Audrey greeted with a smile as she stepped out of her car and into the cold air.