Brooke and Rachel returned to the living room. There was a couple of golf clubs and metal baseball bats collected on the coffee table.
Rachel scoffed. "This is all you guys came up with? I have kitchen knives and steak knives the size of Brooke's ass in the kitchen."
Brooke looked annoyed but didn't say anything. Nathan stood up and handed Rachel one of the bats. "Yeah, I know and I hid them."
"What? Why?" Rachel asked incredulously.
"Because we are more likely to hurt ourselves with those than we are to actually hurt the psychos. Killers turn victim's weapons on themselves more often than not." Mouth answered.
"Let me guess, you actually know the statistic for that, don't ya Mouth?" Rachel mocked.
Mouth went to give Rachel the percentage but Brooke interrupted them. "Hey, where's the blondies?"
Grace looked at her sister from her spot near the window. "They went to go get the cars. Hopefully we'll be out of here." Grace answered almost robotically.
Brooke walked up to Grace and gently pulled her from the window. "Sweetie, I know you're concerned but I don't think standing near a window is a good idea right now." Grace leaned her head on Brooke's shoulder and Brooke responded with a comforting hug. "I know you're thinking about Bevin, but you have to know it wasn't your fault. You have no control over somebody else's actions."
"I know. I love you, Brooke."
"I love you too, little sister."
"You're only older by two minutes. You really need to get over that." Grace mumbled into her twin's shoulder.
B………………………D
Peyton and Lucas sprinted towards Rachel's SUV. Lucas stopped short and Peyton collided into him. Lucas paid no attention to Peyton as he stared at the SUV. All four tires were slashed and the windshield was smashed in. Bevin's convertible was in a similar condition.
"So much for a way out." Peyton muttered.
" Peyton." The two blondes jumped. They turned to see John Ryder standing in between them and the cabin. "So. You're Brooke's best friend, right?" John's words came out cold and almost teasing.
Peyton gulped and Lucas took a protective step in front of her. "Yeah."
"Well then, I guess you'll be coming with me."
Lucas swung his golf club at John, missed, and then tackled him to the ground. "Peyton, run!"
John quickly got the upper hand and punched Lucas.
Peyton sprinted away without another thought. She screamed at the top of her lungs when she turned around and saw John standing above Lucas. John snapped his neck and just like that, Lucas was gone. Peytonthen turned towards the house and ran right into the awaiting arms of Derek. Peyton screamed in horror.
G…………………..D
Grace broke out of Brooke's embrace at the sound of Peyton's scream. The twins looked outside just as Derek disappeared into the woods with Peyton kicking and screaming. Grace spotted Lucas's body on the ground.
M……………………M
"I have an idea." Mouth spoke up. "Why don't we take the ATVs? We had cell phone reception at the end of the driveway. Get there, get help."
Brooke thought about it. "I don't know. It'd be too much noise. Whoever goes would be a sitting duck."
"I'll go. It's our only shot; we are sitting ducks if we just stay here."
Rachel stood up. "I'll go with Mouth. I know these woods like the back of my Gucci handbag."
Everyone eventually agreed to the plan except for Brooke. Rachel and Mouth headed to the garage and got on the ATVs. "Scared, Mouth?"
"Absolutely."
"Me too. But now's the time to show off that dangerous side of yours."
They put their helmets on and sped out of the garage, their cell phones stowed away in their pockets. They drove in and out of the trees, quickly gaining distance. They were about halfway when suddenly a razor-like wire appeared out of what seemed like nowhere. Mouth didn't have enough reaction time to stop himself and he drove right through it. Mouth's body sliced in half. The upper half of his body fell to the forest floor as his torso and legs continued on with the ATV until it stopped a few yards away.
Rachel had to resist the urge to vomit. She continued forward, knowing there was nothing she could do for her good friend. Rachel reached the entrance a few moments later. She dialed 911, clicked send, but before she could even hear the first ring she was tackled. She felt a hand clamp over her mouth. The cell phone dropped into the mud. Rachel cried as she felt herself being pulled away. She watched as the glowing screen sunk into the ground.
B………………..D
"What the hell is taking them so long?" Brooke nervously paced around the room and checked the clock. 2:03 AM. "They should have been back."
Nathan and Grace didn't have it in them to try and comfort the distraught brunette. Anything they said would just provide false hope and that wasn't enough to keep any of them going at this point. They had lost their good friends. Nathan had lost his brother; Brooke had lost her best friend and now possibly her girlfriend. It was just too much for them to handle.
Moments later they heard a knock on the door. The three of them tensed up and Nathan picked up his golf club. "No need to be alarmed…" John's voice floated through the doorway, sending chills up their spines. "I have simple instructions for Brooke. She must follow the dirt pathway to the cliffs area. No one goes with her and she does not bring a weapon."
"Why the hell would we let her do that?" Nathan shouted.
"Because. It's the only way she gets the chance to save a life." With that, he was gone.
Brooke looked frightened but determined. "I'm going. This is just one big game to them and we won't get out of it unless we play their game." Brooke hugged Nathan and Grace before making her way outside. She didn't give them a chance to protest and she didn't give herself time to think about it.
Brooke walked along the path with her flashlight. She was scared but had to do what she had to do. Eventually she reached the cliffs that surround the pond. The cliffs were at least three stories high. At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She made her flashlight go side to side and felt short of breath when she saw Derek standing with a machete that was half the size of his body.
"Hello, other twin. I played a game with your sister already. It's too bad they couldn't follow the rules. Now it's your turn."
"What do you want from me?" Brooke's voice was shaking.
"I want you to make a choice. Have you ever played that game when you were little?"
"What game?"
"The one where you put people into situations and ask questions like 'If so-and-so were hanging off a cliff, which one would you save?' Well guess what, twin. That just came to life."