Audrey let out a growl of pure disbelief. Coming out of the main entrance to the fun house only to see neither Noah or Zoe was just perfect. How could she have lost them in the first place? She shook her head before heading right back inside, intent on coming back out of there with her friends in one piece.

She turned her back to the mirrored corridors they had come from and instead walked another direction only to get a clown blowing fog in her face. Cursing none too charmingly she pushed through it, punching a clown doll that took her by surprise. When she saw an open door up ahead she hurried toward it, recognizing the outlines of Zoe only for it to be replaced by the larger shape of the killer.

"Hey!" she yelled just too late. Seeing the door snap shut and Zoe being dragged inside. Audrey didn't think. Didn't allow herself to as she more or less tackled the masked murderer. It wasn't as much as tackling as in what felt like running into a brick wall, but the killer did move his attention off of Zoe in favor of defending himself.
The shouts from the others on the other side of the door caused a second of distraction, allowing her to move away from the killer down the dark corridors with fog blurring her way. She turned around just in time to meet the killer face to face, jumping back to avoid the dagger, but instead found her back pressed against a wall. She gasped as she felt the dagger plunge into her shoulder, but couldn't allow herself to pause. Kneeing the killer between the legs resulting in the dagger being pulled out harshly. Cutting sideways through more skin and muscles on the way out.

Her arm and side were still covered in the blood from a blow earlier so the second injury was really starting to tear her down. Pushing against the larger figure without much luck the killer grabbed her by the collar of her shirt before knocking her head back against the wall with force. White light blinded her for a moment as pain erupted through her head, but she fought back the best she could. Throwing a blow square into the jaw of the person just below the mask, knocking him off of her.

She heard the shouts of her friends outside coming closer, blinking in the dark trying to see where they might be at right now. Spotting a broken down door just down the hall, more mirrors adorning the walls. Focusing on her attacker she followed her punch with a knee to the person's stomach, but by now she had grown too weak to cause much more damage. She noticed the killer was well aware of the others closing in on them, wasting no time before plunging the knife into her ribs, only for it collide with her ribs. Her back crashed into the glass behind her, shattering into a million pieces. The killer tried again to stab her in the side, but this time she used her remaining energy to push against him, the both of them crashing into the glass on the other side, causing a whole lot of ruckus.
Audrey collapsed to the floor, her legs not holding her up any longer and the killer taking that chance to get out before the place were surrounded by police.

Brooke had tears in her eyes, a hammer from a high striker game in her hand she had picked up somewhere along the way.
"We have to find another way in," Stavo was already running around the back of the building followed by the other two, rounding the corner in time to hear the sound of fighting and glass breaking just on the other side of the wall.
"Police are coming!" Brooke gasped, seeing the flashlights and shouts off in the distance.
The door they arrived to was already open, broken beyond repair and they reached it just as Emma and Eli rounded another corner. An eerie silence except from distant screams and shouts followed.
"Oh god-" Noah wasn't even aware of his cheeks being wet from tears and probably quite a bit of sweat.
"Audrey!" Emma had peeked through the door into the fun house when finally spotting their friend on the ground clutching at her side with shaking hands and gasping for air. Both Emma and Noah was through the door, taking the chance that the killer had left with the sounds of sirens nearing them.
"What happened to you? Where'd you go?" Noah asked, dropping down next to Audrey and gently cupped her face to try and keep her from moving too much.
"I... I could ask you the same thing," she smiled a little despite the pain, resisting when Emma tried to remove her hands from her ribs so she could take a look.
"Is she okay?" Brooke asked from the door, looking from the trio to Stavo as he grabbed the toy hammer from her and walked straight into the fun house. His intentions clear as he vanished into the dark, punching another clown doll in the head with the hammer as he passed.
"Mmm. Wonderful," Audrey mumbled, eyes starting to slip while Noah had moved his focus to the nasty stab wound in her shoulder and her bloody arm laying motionless on the ground next to her. He quickly pulled off his outer shirt and ripped the arm off to try and wrap around her bleeding arm, only to find the cut going from her thumb all the way to her elbow. A jagged, nasty wound most likely received while trying to block the killer from cutting her neck clean off.
"Oh hey no no. Open your eyes, Audrey!" Noah ordered, his voice reaching a higher pitch when he realized she wouldn't hear him. Emma gasped, giving her a little shake to no use, feeling tears tickle down her cheeks as she looked over at Brooke.
"They're coming," Brooke assured again, waving at someone outside to come. Noah searched desperately for a pulse and though relieved when finding one it was hard to feel a victory over it. Blood was sticking to the side of her face and hair, her arm, chest and shoulders and that just going by the injuries they could see now.

Everything from there on was a blur. Stavo had returned with blood on his hands and an unreadable look on his face. The hammer gone and shaking his head at Brooke which caused the blond to start crying quiet tears. Noah didn't want to think of what it meant. Who's blood was on Stavo's hand and why Zoe wasn't here with them. He couldn't allow his mind to go there. Not now with Audrey unconscious and bleeding out right under his very hands. Police filtered in whom thankfully called on paramedics the moment they saw what they were dealing with. Noah's mind went back and forth between Audrey and Zoe. Not knowing where his girlfriend had ended up or how she was doing was tearing him down because it was getting harder to deny that she had survived a stab wound to the heart. Having his hand pressed against Audrey's shoulder and getting zero response from her as minutes passed made the situation all the much worse and he found himself silently cursing her if she dared to die on him.

It wasn't until much later at the hospital that he received the news. Zoe was dead. He had lost her. Right in front of his eyes and he hadn't been able to do a single thing to protect her. To save her. It was Stavo who had found her body just at the inside of the door where she had been attacked.
So there he was in a waiting room, the hospital busy through the night after the attacks on the Carnival, but to Noah everything had stopped. He vaguely noticed Brooke and Emma sitting with him the whole time until his parents arrived, but beyond that he simply sat there staring at nothing. Where the girls went after that he didn't quite catch, but they were undoubtedly still at the hospital. Kieran even showing up for the first time that evening.
Audrey, Zoe. Audrey, Zoe... Riley... Zoe. Riley. Audrey. Audrey... She was still alive when he last saw her. She was why he was still there. Every girl he loved were dying and the growing sense of guilt was hard to swallow. He wasn't one willing to give up hope so easily, but it was hard to hope for anything good now. If he lost Audrey too that would be it. He'd have lost it all.

After having spoken to the police of what he knew though they were told to head home without getting to see Audrey. Only her father would be allowed in, but at least she was out of danger. Noah wanted to resist, but the hospital was busy with other families wanting to know what was going on and waiting on news of their loved ones.
School was closed the following day for obvious reasons. The killer had gotten away, leaving five dead and three injured. Two students Zoe and Haley. One cop, a teacher and a seemingly random man from town. It wasn't until the following evening that he got a phone from Audrey's father letting him know she had woken up and he was free to come visit if he wanted to. Noah felt numb. When Riley died it had been much the same, but then he had been eager to try and... Well, deal with it. Now he wandered to the hospital like a shell. On Autopilot. A weight had lifted off his shoulders knowing Audrey would make it, but they would feel the weight of the world again the moment it would sway back to Zoe. She hadn't deserved what had happened to her. He hadn't deserved her. Getting close to anyone after all that had happened had only put her on the killers' list. He couldn't help wondering if he hadn't gotten close to her she wouldn't have been at the Carnival. Not with him anyway.

"Hey," it was a soft spoken voice that pulled him from his thoughts as he clearly had reached Audrey's hospital room. His whole composure tensed seeing her like this. Even with a slight smile on her lips it was hitting him hard to see her with her arm bandaged and various wires being strapped to her body. Her dark hair a tad unruly, her eyes red and the side of her face sore from the beating it had taken. The sheets and hospital gown covering the wounds and terrible bruises on the rest of her body.
"You're a sight for sore eyes," Noah tried to smile without much success in faking it. He closed the door behind him before walking up to the chair by her bed, not wasting any time taking her unharmed arm in both of his.
Again she smiled at him, but didn't say anything else just yet. Just observed him for the longest of time. When Noah didn't break the silence either she sighed and brushed a finger against his cheek when he held her hand to his lips, his grip quite firm on her as if worried she'd slip from between his fingers,
"Emma came by. I heard about Zoe," she whispered and slipped her hand around his neck when he leaned forward until his face hit the mattress. Letting her fingers slip through his hair when he nodded, undoubtedly all the emotions he had been holding back surfaced now that he was alone with Audrey. His shoulders hitched as the bed sheets soaked up the tears and all the time Audrey tried to console him the best she could.

"I should never have gotten close to her. I brought her right into the middle of this. He got to her right before my eyes and I couldn't do a thing to stop it," he mumbled against the mattress making it almost impossible for Audrey to catch what he was saying. She pinched at his neck to make him look up, shifting carefully to the side,
"Stop talking like that, Noah. She knew very well who you were when she got involved with you. The dangers you've been through and what that could mean when this started up again. I'm not saying she deserved what happened. Not at all, but neither do you deserve blaming yourself. I doubt she'd want that," she explained until she started coughing, jarring her wounds and made her clutch at her side.
Noah was about to call for a nurse when she waved him off, feeling visibly miserable as she pointed at the water pitcher on the table next to the bed. He poured water into a cup before carefully helping her sit up just enough to take a sip.
"Oh I hate this. I feel so damn weak," she complained once she could lay back down, sweat tickling down her temple and neck.
"You were close to dying, Audrey. You're the most bad ass person I know, but even you're not unbreakable," Noah sighed, running his hand through his hair once he was sure she was doing alright.

"Shows what you know," she winked at him playfully followed by a cheeky little smirk,
"Now come on. I need a better pillow than this and you look like you could sleep for a week," she said, pulling at his hand when he was reluctant to join her on the hospital bed. Only reason he eventually gave in was it being a rather big bed for a petite girl like Audrey and saying no to said girl tended to be harder than it should be. He was careful as he laid down, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as if she was made of porcelain and didn't allow his muscles to relax until she had gotten somewhat comfortable with her head on his shoulder.

"Please don't blame yourself," she whispered after another long moment of silence, curling her arm around his chest to offer as much comfort as she could. Zoe hadn't been particularly fond of her so how much her being the one offering comfort to Noah for the loss she didn't want to think about, but she wasn't going to avoid offering it anyway.
"I'm cursed," he whispered back, his arm wrapped securely, but carefully around her back to keep her close.
"You're not, Noah. You're a good person bad things has happened to. Same with Emma and Brooke," she consoled, her fingers absentmindedly picking at his shirt.
"And you," he added quietly, glancing down at her though she was avoiding his gaze.
"If you say so," she muttered, pressing her eyes shut and pressed her face against his shoulder. Clearly not considering herself as 'good' as her friends. Not after what she had done and quite frankly it was ridiculous how she could ever deserve a friend such as Noah.
"Just get some sleep, virgin," she said, pinching his cheek without looking, but could feel she recieved a small smile from it.
"Virgin, right... Thanks to you," he snorted, closing his eyes while Audrey sighed when she couldn't quite refuse that claim and instead curled up a little more. Hoping that they'd be safe for now.

There we go. One chapter left after this. Let me know what you think :)