Scream the MTV Series S4E10 - "Beneath The Mask, Part Two"

EPISODE TEN

“Beneath The Mask, Part Two”

TWO WEEKS LATER

“So there’s still no update on a body being found?” Andrew is heard asking his friend, Brooke. Andrew, Noah and Brooke stand together at school. Seemingly all that’s left of the big group that they’d started with before this happened for a third time. Brooke shakes her head no and puts her head down, sad.

“It’s a shame really. I just don’t understand why Kevin would have made his body so hard for the public to come upon. That doesn’t seem like his forte. His high came from the public finding out about his kills. The drama of it all. Why would he have made Stavo’s so hard for us to find?... I just wish that we were on good terms before he went missing.” Brooke’s eyes get watery and she puts her head to Noah’s shoulder, crying.

“You don’t think that he could still be out there, do you?” Noah asks “Because you’re right, hiding the bodies was never his game plan. He had clearly planned for his reveal at Emma’s house… Why would he have left Stavo somewhere dead unless…”

“We’re still playing the game even after he’s dead…” Andrew finishes Noah’s sentence for him, pointing towards the theory that Stavo is still alive. “I still think Larius was involved some way. Do you have any way of contacting him?” Andrew turns his head to Brooke, Brooke gives Andrew a weird look.

“No! I cut ties with that sorry excuse of a man. Last I heard he was getting arrested by Sheriff Dwayne for his involvement in trying to plant the mask on Stavo. Something about tampering with an on-going police investigation…” She says, Noah and Andrew understands, it doesn’t sound like much of a shock to them, so this must have been big news in the past two weeks. “What about Em?” Brooke asks, asking Andrew about his girlfriend. “When’s she supposed to get out of her.. Classes?” She clarifies.

“She’s supposed to be out by next week… I think it might be a little too early. She watched both of her parents die… Two weeks of counselling isn’t really enough to cover all of that. I hope she’s better, believe me. I’m just saying..”

“Well we better hope that she is out by next week.” Brooke shoots a dirty look at Andrew. “If we’re going searching for Stavo, then we’re going to need her.”

“Are you mad, Brooke?” Andrew’s voice raises “Maybe you didn’t hear me… Her mother and father died… RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER!” Andrew’s face reddens. “There’s no way I’m going to allow you or Noah to lead her through a wild goose chase to find YOUR EX-BOYFRIEND, WHO’S PROBABLY ALREADY DEAD!” Andrew storms off, leaving Brooke with an angry face. She flips him off behind his back as he walks away. Before she can say anything though, her name is heard over the intercom to come to the office.

“It’s your call.” A tall, husky man stands in front of Brooke with a suit on. Very assumable that he’s the interim principal, in replacement of Showalter, in wake of his recent death.

“You’re really asking me if the prom should still hold after everything that's happened, Mr. Moore?” Brooke looks at the principal in disgust. Her voice, showing attitude and defiance in it as well.

“My apologies, Ms. Maddox…” He replies, sincerely. He clearly didn’t mean to offend her, but he just wanted to let her make the decision.

At first her face continues showing disgust, but then her face lightens into a smile “Yes.” Her soft voice gently leaves her mouth. “Stupid question honestly.” Her voice doesn’t show disgust now, more of a cheerful, clearly trying to drown the pain behind an event, as she always has, with pep rallies, dances and parties. She’s finally beginning to find herself again after nothing bad happening for two weeks. “This is my senior prom aaaand… I already bought a dress. I’ll be damned if it’s cancelled because some psychopath moved in with me and terrorized me and my friends.” She tilts her head with a smile. “Tootles…” Brooke frollicks out the door, leaving Mr. Moore confused.

Noah waits at the door to see what she’d been called into the office for. He doesn’t even have to say anything. With a tilt of the head and curled eyebrows, she speaks to him. “He asked if I wanted the dance to still hold tomorrow night. They’ve had two whole weeks to ask me and they wait for the night before? Classic George Washington High, right? Speaking of the dance, I need a date with Stavo still AWOL. Looks like you’re the lucky one, Foster… All my other friends are dead…” She tries appealing to him with dark humor.

“Usually, I’d love some dark humor, Brooke, but are you sure about this? You’re going through a lot. The school is going through a lot. It wouldn’t be fair to have senior prom without Emma… and Audrey.” Noah says with compassion, now it’s Brooke with the confused look on her face.

“I don’t know if you heard me right, Noah, but I said you’re taking me… Every guy at this school would be dying to take me.” Brooke says, not taking no as an answer.

“No offense Brooke but you’re not my type, maybe you should look towards one of the majority.” He tries to walk away, but turns back around when he hears her basically squeal.

“Ewwww, I don’t mean it like that, loser. You’re all I got left. Maybe we didn’t get along in the past and maybe I’m not Riley, or Zoe… or Audrey… but I need this dance, I need this distraction. I’ve been under so much stress lately, I need to do something to get my mind off everything that’s happened.” Noah rolls his eyes at Brooke.

“Okay, whatever, but you’re picking me up.” He laughs, which chain reacts in her laughing. “I was definitely not into Audrey though.”

The two begin walking to class together, Brooke rolls her eyes at him. “You totally were.” The bell rings as the two take a seat beside each other. Mr. Wizworth’s class, he stands up in front of the class.

“Now class, I know it’s hard to focus with so much are your mind at this time of the year… Especially in Lakewood. Prom around the corner, finals, summer vacation coming up…” he’s cut off by a quiet remark by Brooke

“Serial killers..” She puts her head down when she says it, but Mr. Wizworth stairs right into the crown of her head.

“I wasn’t going to be the one to say it.” He laughs, being able to enjoy the dry humor. Brooke smiles that he laughed about her remark, instead of tearing her a new one. “Anyways, despite everything going on right now, I have to ask for your attention for these last few weeks. I have this assignment ready to hand out- hold the groans it’s a fun one.” He says laughing, as the whole class begins to groan when he mentions ‘assignment.’ “This is going to be an in class assignment, as long as you all put your full focus into it on my time, it shouldn’t pile over into your time. What I’m saying is, this shouldn’t turn into homework, there’s no reason it should.” He continues by handing out sheets of paper. Everyone passes the extras behind them. “If you look at the handouts that you’re being handed right now, this will be considered your final. You have no final test. I want you to all pair up and by the last day of school, I want you to all have a completed writing of a rewritten ending for your favorite horror movie. While you’re working on this-” Mr. Wizworth is cut off by the door opening. A stunning face enters the room, Emma Duval stands at an opened door, all eyes lock onto her, including Wizworth. “Ms. Duval…” he’s speechless, knowing his son is dating her, and not expecting her to return to classes for weeks.

“Don’t let me interrupt.” She says, “Let me take a seat and continue.” she walks over to the empty desk behind Brooke, that Brooke had clearly reserved for her.

“As I was saying, keep in mind while working on this assignment, the desirable traits in the ending of a horror movie. Suspense. Drama. Fear factor, and maybe most importantly, twists. Everybody loves a good twist ending. It’s the topping on the cake of any movie-” It’s clear that nobody is listening to Wizworth, chatting to each other, assumably about Emma, who seems to be the only person paying attention. “Actually, why don’t we take an intermission. Take a break and come back in five minutes and we will continue.” Mr. Wizworth kicks his feet up onto his desk and relaxes back as the class shuffles out, except for Noah, Brooke, Emma and Andrew. Andrew’s the first one to Emma’s side.

“I thought you were in the therapy school for a month?” He states, but he’s more of asking her why she’s out already.

“My doctor said I was making remarkable progress. It was my decision. I wanted to come back. I couldn’t leave you here by yourself.. I couldn’t leave Brooke and Noah by themselves.” She says, putting her arm around Brooke.

“Emma.. This was supposed to be time for you to focus on you. How are you to focus on you if you’re focusing on us?” He says, caringly.

“I’m sorry Andrew, it seems like you.. Don’t want me here? I was doing well. They said I could leave whenever I wanted and I wanted. Isn’t the dance tomorrow? My boyfriend should be HAPPY I’m back in time for the dance.” Emma is clearly frustrated with Andrew basically rejecting her decision to come back to public school already. “I don’t want to finish my senior year out in some mental health clinic. I’m eighteen years old now, I can live alone. I can make my own decisions. I’ve been through this three times now, Andrew. This is your first time and I understand that you’re concerned about me, but maybe it’s YOU who needs the help.”

“Em. That’s not fair-” Andrew is cut off by Brooke.

“I agree with Emma. You’re her boyfriend, not her guardian angel. You should support her with decisions like this, not belittle what she decided to do. So be her boyfriend, put on your happy face and take your lovely girlfriend to Prom.” Brooke grabs Emma’s hand and twirls her. “It’s tomorrow, so you should probably take her dress shopping… and soon.” The class comes rolling back in and Mr. Wizworth returns to talking about the assignment.

✟

Stavo lays on a cold cement floor. His breath is visible when he breathes, however it’s a warm spring time outside, which shows that he’s being kept somewhere cold. Blood drips from his head, he’s unconscious. “Wake up, bellend.” Someone wearing the Brandon James mask says, splashing cold water on Stavo’s face. The voice is altered with the changer that the killer uses for phone calls. Stavo jumps up in shock and gives a confused look to the killer. They reach into their poncho and wave the voice changer in his face.

“What the Hell do you want from me?!” Stavo yells out, trying to kick his foot. It’s no longer in a bear trap, but it’s clearly broken.

“I want you dead.” The same voice that’s haunted Stavo and his friends says.

“That’s not true! I know how you work. If you wanted me dead you would have killed me already. You’re holding me here to mess with someone. Brooke, huh? Don’t touch her, I’ll-” Stavo groans in pain, holding his stomach as he’s getting worked up. “I’ll kill you.”

The person wearing the Brandon James mask shrugs off Stavo’s threat, knowing he can’t do anything in the state he’s in, walking away and closing the door on the way out.

✟

“You look…” Andrew doesn’t get to finish his sentence before he’s cut off by Brooke.

“Stunning. I know.” She smiles. “I did her make up and hair.” Brooke refers to Emma, who’s standing at the top of her stairs, beside her. “And you..” She walks down the stairs grabbing Noah by one of his suspenders. “You look a little less nerdy than usual.”

“I thought you two were just going as friends?” Emma whispers into Brooke’s ear. Brooke smirks.

“Does that mean I’m not allowed to have a little fun?” She laughs back at Emma, “Let’s get going, we’ve got to dance our booties off!” Brooke is showing the same energy she used, before anything happened. The past Brooke. It makes Emma happy to see Brooke returning to her old self and makes Emma believe that she can too.

“Shouldn’t you be worried about Stavo?” Andrew says, clearly upset with how Brooke is brushing everything off. He didn’t know her before she was broken. “He’s still out there and all you’ve been worried about the past 48 hours is dancing and..” He sniffs and smells alcohol on her breath, “drinking.” She raises her eyebrows, annoyed with him attacking her. “I’m just saying I think you have bigger things to worry about right now.”

Brooke pushes Andrew “I think for once in your life you should maybe worry about yourself.”

“Brooke-” Emma tries to intervene but Brooke just takes another step towards Andrew, getting in his face a little more.

“No, I’m sorry you have to see this Emma, but you haven’t been here for the past two weeks. With every chance he’s gotten, Andrew has tried to undermine me, belittle me and attack me. He’s had it out for me since you two have gotten together. Emma, I’ll meet you at the dance.. Andrew.. Go fuck yourself.” Brooke grabs Noah’s arm and marches out the door with him.

There’s a moment of silence between Andrew and Emma after Brooke leaves, it’s very awkward. Emma breaks the ice. “Is it true?” she asks Andrew, trying to verify if Brooke had a right to go off. “Have you been attacking her?”

“Not physically, no..” Andrew drops his head. Emma throws up her hands in anger.

“But mentally?!” Emma yells, now being the one to push Andrew.

“I’m sorry.” He continues hanging his head low. “It’s just that- you two are so close. I want to be that close to you. Sometimes I think that if it came down to Brooke and I, you’d choose Brooke.” Andrew shows his sorrow.

“That’s no excuse to undermine her.” Emma is still upset.

“I know, I know. I just think that sometimes she gets over her head. You’re telling me you don’t agree with me?! You don’t think that she should be looking for her boyfriend instead of off sloozing with Noah? Drinking on prom night? She had the option to shut prom down Emma, and she chose prom over her own boyfriend who could still be alive out there. You don’t think that’s messed up?” Now Andrew is showing anger, but not with Emma.

“You don’t know Brooke. You have no clue who she is, you have no clue what she’s gone through. You have no clue what we’ve gone through together and for you to think we are ‘too close?’ It’s bullshit, it really is Andrew. I know Brooke and I thought I knew you.” Emma opens up the door. “You can sit at home on prom night like you wanted. I’m going alone. We’re done, Andrew.”

Emma closes the door on Andrew, walking outside. She continues on by getting in her car. As soon as she starts her engine, she receives a phone call. “Hello, Emma.” It’s the voice that has been used in the past to haunt her. Most recently by someone that she’d believed her whole life was her father. She looks down at her phone and sees no one on the phone. She must have imagined it. Maybe Andrew was right, maybe she wasn’t fit to return home yet. Then her phone rings again. Unknown caller. Emma answers. “I don’t like being hung up on, Emma.” Emma’s heart drops knowing that it’s real this time.

“What- what do you want.” A tear rolls down her cheek.

“I want to see if your insides look as much like your mothers as your outsides did.” The voice says, dropping Emma’s heart even more.

“This can’t be possible. Kevin’s dead.” Emma says right before the caller hangs up the phone.

Emma puts her foot on the gas. She has to warn Brooke and Noah that someone’s out there still. As impossible as it sounds. Will they even believe her? They know that she’d left counselling early. Regardless, she has to make her best attempt. She checks her bag and pulls out a gun. She then puts the gun right back in the bag, knowing that she’ll be safe as long as she has it on her. She’ll be able to protect her friends, like she’d wanted to for the past few years.

Pulling into the school parking lot, she knows she’s safe and so are her friends.

She puts her bag on her back and enters the school building. The dance is at its peak. The floor is lively with a majority of the body on it, dancing. The first thing that strikes her eye is Brooke and Noah standing by the punch bowl laughing. Emma walks up to the two. “Hey guys…” She shows in her emotion that something is up. “I’ve got something to tell you.” Emma says.

“Can you hold that thought? Brooke just spiked the punch bowl and I want to see how this plays out.” The two laugh, but Emma’s face stays serious. Less than pleased, obviously.

“Are you serious? You two are ridiculous. With everything going on right now, you’re more worried about high school stunts still, like spiking the punch bowl?” Emma is growing frustrated, starting to understand where Andrew was coming from.

“You’re really taking his side, Emma?” Brooke starts to raise her voice, “Can’t you see he’s mentally abusive? Telling you what to do, becoming jealous of your friends, restricting you from everyone but himself. He’s a sociopath, Emma and we both know what happens when sociopaths get to Lakewood-” Brooke is stopped by the music stopping, Emma just gazes on at Brooke in anger. “Now if you don’t mind, I’ll go accept my crown as prom queen.”

Right as Brooke begins to walk away, Emma spots Troy James across the floor. She walks over to confront him, “If I find out you have something to do with this you’re dead meat.” She says to him, backing him in the corner. “What the Hell are you doing here?”

“Something to do with what Emma?” Troy is confused. “I’m your father and I know I haven’t been there for your whole life. I couldn’t be, Maggie wouldn’t let me, but now I want to be. I want you to move in with me. Get out of Lakewood.”

“You’re not my father. You’re a dead beat.” Emma stomps away from Troy.

Brooke begins to get on stage, but before she can someone on the stage begins talking. “It’s under my instruction to enforce a lockdown. We believe somebody may be in this school prepared to cause harm to others. Please do not panic. If we could all report to classrooms in the Science wing on the right, that would be perfect. Police have been informed of our situation and are currently on their way. In the meantime, we have security guards who will be searching everybody’s bags in their classrooms. Thank you for your cooperation.” The voice stops.

“Shit. We gotta get out of here.” Emma says to Brooke. Brooke gives Emma a confused look and Emma knows that Brooke is wondering why. “I have something in my bag.” Emma opens up her bag and shows Brooke the gun inside, Brooke covers her mouth and tells Noah to get to a classroom. “It’s cold down here.”

“Taking advice from your dead, psycho-serial killer-murderer boyfriend and bringing a gun to school, Emma? What has gotten into you?” Emma puts her head down, thinking that Brooke is disappointed in her. “I’m impressed.” Emma puts her head back up and smiles.

“This is no time to be impressed, Brooke. I did it to protect you.” Brooke looks puzzled.

“You knew about the lockdown?” She asks confused on why Emma would be wanting to protect her.

“Not exactly. I got a call. Somebody using the same voice.. They said they wanted to see my insides. I had a feeling you and Noah were in danger.” Brooke’s jaw drops

“Are you serious? You got a call, Emma? You’re just now telling me?” Brooke seems upset that Emma hadn’t told her before.

“I tried telling you before, you wouldn’t listen because you two were too busy spiking the punch bowl. You weren’t the best listener-” Brooke is cut off by a scream. “Wait, did you hear that?”

“Yes. Was that…” She’s cut off by Brooke running down the stairs

“STAVO!” Brooke finds Stavo laying on the ground, bleeding from his face and his leg snapped. She starts to untie his hands from the chair that he’s held in place by when Andrew runs down the stairs.

“Andrew, what are you doing here?” Emma says, confused on why Andrew came, despite Emma clearly telling him not to.

“I got a call. Some freak told me they were going to carve you like linoleum tonight.” Emma draws her gun from her bag and points it at Andrew. “Emma, what the Hell? Put the gun down.” He says, trying to talk some sense into her.

“I told you not to come tonight Andrew. You didn’t get a call.” Emma keeps the gun aimed at Andrew. His hands stay in the air.

“Yes- yes I did Emma, come on. You said you know me.” Emma shakes her head.

“I said I thought I knew you. I clearly didn’t.” Emma refuses to put down the gun.

“Listen, Emma. I’m not the threat here. It was probably your psycho friend, Brooke. She’s been shady lately. You want to know why I don’t want you to hang out with her? You want to know why I didn’t want you hanging around her and why I didn’t want you coming back yet?! I DIDN’T TRUST HER. I KNEW SHE WAS UP TO SOMETHING, EM! COME ON! I wanted you to stay in there as long as you could while I investigate this WACK JOB-”

“Don’t call Brooke a wack job.”

“SHE WAS TOO CALM EMMA! HER BOYFRIEND WAS MISSING OR DEAD AND SHE DIDN’T CARE. CAN’T YOU SEE THAT SHE’S RESPONSIBLE OF THIS?! THAT’S WHY SHE DIDN’T CARE! SHE KNEW THIS WHOLE TIME! WHEN I GOT THE CALL ABOUT SLICING YOU UP, I HAD A HUNCH IT WAS HER. I CALLED IN THE LOCKDOWN!” Andrew is now screaming at Emma. Emma points the gun at Brooke.

“Em, don’t let him convince you. You know me. You’ve known me a lot longer than you’ve known him. I already told you. He’s been after me since you’ve left. He’s wanted me gone. Maybe he didn’t intend to kill you tonight, but he’s hurting you. I think he’s using this all as a way to seperate us. His jealousy holds no match. Here’s my theory.” Brooke steps over closer to Andrew. “You broke up with Andrew tonight after the way he treated your friend, he saw me as the rift that pulled you two apart, out of jealous and a little bit of being a psycho, he called you and threatened you, then called the lockdown in himself because he knew he would get alone with us. He tried to pin this on me and it’s all going according to his plan if you let it. He wants you to think that I was the one who did this because he wants you all to himself. You shoot me, or I go away to prison for a long time for what he’s pinned on me and I’m the bad guy and he lives the happy life that he’s always wanted with you. Maybe this wasn’t his plan, I don’t think he intended to hurt you. Maybe he didn’t want you back here so he could take me out himself. Maybe you weren’t the target, Emma, he wanted to kill me. Is that it, Andrew? He tried anything he could to keep you from prom so it’d just be him and I in this room. I’m not the bad guy. He is.” Brooke stomps on Andrew’s foot.

“You bitch!” Andrew yells and goes to attack Brooke.

BOOM! The gun fires Andrew looks down at his chest with a bullet hole in it.

“You.. shot me…” She looks at Andrew with no remorse and unloads the rest of the clip into his chest until the gun clicks.

“Thank you, Emma.” Brooke hugs Emma. Emma hugs back.

“He was going to hurt you. I made the wrong decision once and I’ve regretted it since then. I chose my boyfriend over my friend who actually cared about me when I shot Eli instead of Kieran. I told myself if I am ever in a situation like that again, I wouldn’t mess up again.” Brooke backs out of the hug crying. Emma’s crying too at the emotional act of friendship.

“There’s one problem…” Brooke says still crying. “You already did.” She looks up at Emma with no tears running out of her eyes as she pulls a mini pistol out of her high heel boots. “Isn’t it amazing that I can look so good AND bad ass at once?” Brooke chuckles. “He’s been onto me since you left Emma, and we both know that only one of us could live when somebody’s on the case. What was it that Kieran said to you? It’s a shame, it seemed like he really liked you. Let’s be real, Emma. EVERYONE WHO LIKES YOU ENDS UP DYING! You’re cursed so I had no choice but to either like you and die like the rest or kill you and finally end this once and for all.”

“So you and Kevin were…” Emma begins to ask a question, but she’s interrupted by Brooke, finishing her question for her.

“Working together? Yes. I found out a little bit after he’d moved in with us. He gave me the alternative between joining him or killing me and obviously I’m too pretty to die so I chose the first one.” Brooke boosts her own ego.

“Then why did you decide to continue after he killed himself? If you were doing it to save your own life you could have been done. Free. No one would have suspected a thing.” Emma asks, trying to stall time with Brooke, knowing police are on their way.

“We’ll get to that sugarlips, but listen to this. I’m going to be free either way. Everything is going exactly how I planned. Stavo right there, barely conscious in the chair gets off several shots at the real attacker, teachers son, evil genius, Andrew Wizworth who you did the dirty work against, right after he sliced your throat with this knife.” Brooke pulls a knife from the same boot that she’d pulled the gun from. “Then Stavo bleeds out falling victim to his originally obtained wounds. The hero, Stavo is dead.” Brooke kicks Andrew to make sure he’s dead, then nods her head. “The violent attacker, Andrew Wizworth is dead.” She smiles “And the golden, infamous ‘survivor girl’ Emma Duval is dies the tragic death that we all knew she would. Bleeding out on the floor with her throat slit-” Before Brooke can finish her sentence Stavo, on one leg, makes an attempt to charge Brooke, but she pistol whips him, knocking him to the ground. Emma shrieks. Brooke points the gun down at Stavo as she sees his eyes open. She knows he’s fully aware of the situation. “It’s a shame you fell for me Stavo. You’re a damn fool if you think I’d ever love anyone other than Jake Fitzpatrick.” She spits on him. “Especially you.” She pulls the trigger of her gun as the velocity of it sends it piercing into the skull of Stavo Acosta. He’s left in a pond of his own blood. Killed by his own girlfriend, Brooke Maddox.

Emma begins sobbing. “Okay, okay. I get the plan. Enough.” Emma continues crying. “Now why… Why are you doing this? Is it because of what happened with Jake? That’s not my fault-”

“Is this about Jake?” Brooke manically laughs “Oh let me just pull out my fuckin’ list!” Brooke says, flicking her hair back. “Let’s see FIRST OFF, WHAT HAPPENED WITH JAKE IS YOUR FAULT EMMA!” She’s screaming now, “IF YOU WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN BORN THEN JAKE WOULD STILL BE ALIVE. YOU BROUGHT PIPER AND KIERAN INTO OUR LIVES. TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, EMMA! This isn’t just about everything you’ve done to me though, Emma. You killed my father.”

“I didn’t kill Quinn, Brooke, that was Kieran.” Brooke stops Emma from talking again.

“So naive Emma. How hard is it to read between the lines. Your whore of a mom wasn’t the only person going around sleeping around. Kevin’s a lot smarter than you give him credit for, you don’t think that he could seriously believe that you’re his child, could you? Look at you. He knew that Maggie was sleeping around Troy James for MONTHS… MONTHS EMMA! You wonder why he was drinking his problems away, instead of blaming HIM FOR ALL OF THIS MAYBE YOU SHOULD BLAME MAGGIE… OR YOUR REAL DAD! This is on them. It’s not on Kevin. It’s not on me. Kevin was a regular at the bar, the same bar that sweet, young, Monica Maddox, at the time, Monica Lewis, was also a regular at. Kevin was looking to blow off steam. Monica was having second thoughts about marriage and the both of them had wayyyy too much to drink. One thing leads to another and here I am.”

“You’re Kevin’s daughter.” Emma says with her jaw dropped.

“Oh my God! Look who finally learned how to connect the dots. This started out just me joining Kevin, getting back at you for ruining my life, then I started connecting dots, because God forbid the oblivious Emma Duval connects them herself. I started seeing similarities. Digging. I eventually confronted him about it and he told me everything. I started helping him to get back at you for ruining my life but I kept at it because it was finally a way to connect with my REAL father. Finally time to bond with my dad. Something God knows that I couldn’t do that with Quinn, he couldn’t care less about bonding with me when he was alive. Sometimes I wonder if he knew I wasn’t his legitimate daughter…”

“Brooke, it’s clear that you’ve got some serious issues. It’s understandable. Neither of your parents were there for you while you were growing up. Neither were there for you when you were going through the losses of your friends. You know who was there though? Me, Brooke. You can blame me for this all you want, but at the end of the day, when your parents were out drinking, plotting, getting in scandals, I was the one by your side, helping you through everything. I still am. I know what you’re going through Brooke. I feel abandoned too. You don’t need to kill me. You didn’t need to kill Stavo. You need help. Serious help. You need to go through the same procedures that I did to get back to the right state of mind.” She continues to try to stall out Brooke, still waiting for police to arrive.

“You might be right.” Brooke says with remorse. Emma nods. “It’s too late for that now, though Emma. The deed is done and only one of us can make it out alive… As much as you’ve helped me find myself, I haven’t felt like myself since I’ve started killing. It’s really therapeutic. I’d tell you to try it sometime, but you don’t really have time for that any more. It’s over for you Emma.” The police sirens start loudening by the school. They’re clearly surrounding with police cars. “GET DOWN ON THE FLOOR RIGHT NOW, EMMA!” Brooke yells, crying. She’s waited possibly months for this moment and it’s all coming together, but she can’t help but feel remorse. Maybe everything Emma said got to her, all the talk about none of her parents being there for her when Emma was. It makes sense. Why is she killing the only consistent person in her life? The answer is simple. Because she has to. “Close your eyes Emma. I don’t want to hurt you. I just have to end this once and for all.” Brooke says clicking the gun back, ready to fire. “It will be over quick.”

A gun fires. Ears ring. Emma thinks it’s over until she realizes it’s Brooke’s body falling onto her. She rolls her body off of her as she’s covered in her former best friend’s blood. She sees Troy James standing at the foot of the stairs that they’d come down. “Are you okay, Emma?” Emma is speechless. She runs over to Troy and hugs him. “I told you, I never meant to hurt you Emma.”

“I know.” She replies to him, sobbing into his shoulder, covering him in blood too. That’s when police bust through the basement door.

“Drop the gun, now!” He does as instructed, laying the gun on the ground and putting his hands on his head. Emma too puts her hands on her head as police officers flood down into the basement with flashlights equipped and guns in hand. “All clear.” Sheriff Dwayne instructs. “You’re safe now, Emma.” Emma looks over towards Dwayne and nods her head, knowing that once and for all, it’s finally over. Kevin Duval is dead. Brooke Maddox is dead. The survivor girl and Noah Foster to tell the story on The Morgue. The two soul survivors.

“I think I’m going to take you up on your offer to move in with you.” Emma says to Troy, he nods, happy.

“I’m glad.”

✟

Troy James sits in the back of an Ambulance with Emma Duval, police scatter in the school parking lot. It shows the carnage with Noah Foster’s voice over it commentating. “As bodies pile in there’s no real way of knowing who was responsible for murders of who, between Brooke Maddox and Kevin Duval. It’s evident that Kevin was responsible for the school massacre of Sheriff Acosta and many more. Brooke was responsible for shooting Stavo Acosta in the head and unloading a clip into the chest of Andrew Wizworth, but all of the other fatalities have no information. Survivor girl, Emma Duval moved away from Lakewood, moving in with her new found father, Troy James. I have my first foot in the door at Lafayette, pursuing a career in journalism. It seems like this is finally over. The end of an era. The Duval family is completely eradicated from the town of Lakewood, which makes it believable that the curse is too. Larius Shore is the only other survivor still living in Lakewood, living in the local jail awaiting bail for tampering with police evidence. Larius showed us that even a bad guy, doesn’t look like a bad guy in Lakewood. He tried to frame his former best friend for murder and people are pushing for his early release because “at least he wasn’t a serial killer.” To be fair, he did go through a lot, being framed for the murders. I am pretty impartial on him getting out on an early release, but I can promise he won’t be a part of my life if he does get out soon. Something everyone can take away from this whole rollercoaster of a life is; generally people suck, but if you search hard enough, no matter what life puts you through, you’ll get stronger and you will be happy. You will be safe. This is Noah Foster of The Morgue. Signing off for the final time. Thank you everybody”