Sorry this took so long! But it's finally out. Three chapters left till the big ending! You'll finally find out who the killer is! :o Thank you all for sticking with me till the end. Also, if you're reading The House On Red Hill Drive then June 2nd is up. Not much in it, but it's up.


"Chapter 7 - Cry Wolf"

As soon as the door closed behind me, I fell to my knees. My legs and body felt so weak; I couldn't find the strength to stay up. My eyelids, they were getting heavier too.

I hope there isn't much more to these tests.

I saw red arrows painted on the floor. With what strength I had, I followed the arrows by crawling across the floor. If anyone saw me, they'd think I was pretty damn pathetic. To be honest, I felt pathetic. I felt tired, scared, and lonely. I wanted to go home, to be with my husband, to forget this horrible night ever happened.

The arrows led me to one of the old science rooms. I reached up to the handle, trying to grasp it, but it was just out of my reach. Then, the door slowly creaked open and I peered into the large, dark room. I heard a girl groan quietly as if she were in pain.

"It's about time you got up," a boy said. "Who's that?" a girl replied. I assumed it was the same girl that had groaned earlier. "Why's it dark in here? Where am I?" Someone sighed. "You ever seen any of the Saw movies?" I heard someone shaking in their chains trying to escape. "Fuck!" she shouted. "I just can't get a break!"

"Watch your language," another girl reprimanded. "We'll all get out of this alright."

"Wait, wait, wait," another boy interjected. "Who all is in here? Everyone state your names." Then, everyone spoke at once. I tried to catch a name, but couldn't distinguish any of them. "Everyone hush!" the boy interrupted. "Everyone reach your hand to the left and grab that person. The person who isn't touching anyone on their left will go first. Then we'll go down the line since everyone can hear the person right beside them."

I heard chains as they moved about and waited for their names.

"Paige."

"Ellie."

"Craig."

"Ashley."

"Jimmy."

"Alex."

"Marco."

I gasped after Marco said his name. How could all of them be in this? What had anyone, especially Marco or Jimmy, done to deserve this? I didn't even know what 'this' was...

Then, with the worst luck possible, I sneezed. It was quiet, but it was still audible.

"Did you hear that?" Paige whispered. "Someone's at the door!" Craig exclaimed. "Help us!" Ellie screamed. "We don't want to die here!"

With shaky legs, I managed to get up to my feet. "I'm gonna get you out of here," I told them all. There were some small murmurs going on inside. "Emma?" Marco called in surprise. I coughed softly. "It's me," I assured him softly.

I stepped into the room and the lights flicked on. I could see all of them chained to the wall by their hands, but they were loose chains that allowed them to move. Their feet were also chained to the wall, but those chains weren't loose. A large wall of glass stood between me and them.

There was a TV in this room, and it flicked on. That same creepy doll filled the screen. "Hello, Emma," it greeted. "This test will be the toughest of them all. Before you are seven people you know well and may or may not like. But one of them is hiding a secret; one of these people is marked. One of them is the wolf. All of their jobs are to convince you that they are not the wolf. You must use that gun, and one by one you will set them free. And if you happen to release the wolf, their test begins. You may not survive what their test has in store. But if you should decide that you don't want to kill the wolf, everyone in this room, including yourself, will die. You control the fate of nine people; choose wisely, Emma. "

"Nine?" Ellie exclaimed. "What's that supposed to mean?" Everyone else looked around in shock as they counted the number of people in the room. "Someone's pregnant," I stated matter-of-factly. Paige, Ashley, and Ellie gasped. "Maybe I'm pregnant with Jesse's baby!" Paige exclaimed happily. Alex scoffed. "You slept with that asshole?" she spat.

Paige glared at Alex. "You're just jealous because we're not together anymore," she excused. Alex chuckled sardonically. "You think I give a damn about whether or not we're together?" she asked hatefully. "I just highly doubt you're pregnant."

"Maybe it's me!" Ellie interjected. She smiled towards Craig. "You were always wanting a child." Craig smiled back at her and Ashley coughed in response. "I'm the one who's pregnant," she stated. She turned to Jimmy. "I went to the doctor while you were at physical therapy last week and he told me I was pregnant." She smiled brightly at him. "You're gonna be a father, Jimmy."

Jimmy was at a loss for words. At first, he only stared at the ground. Then his eyes met Ashley's and he smiled brightly at her.

"That's all fine and dandy that you're pregnant," Marco interrupted, "But one of us is going to die soon. I'd really rather not die today. My boyfriend's probably worried sick."

"I'll get you out of here," I said. I pulled the gun from my pocket. "Now which one of you is the wolf?" None one responded. They just looked at each other then at me. I rolled my eyes. "Don't all answer at once."

"Like the wolf would tell you," Paige sneered at me. "No one in here wants to die tonight." I pointed my gun at Paige and her eyes went wide with fear as her face went white as a ghost. "Listen, Michalchuk," I ordered. "I've had a hell of a night. I was drugged, taken here, had to saw my arms and lose some blood, watched my best friend die, save a mother from dying, choose between my ex-boyfriend and husband, both whom I love very much, and on top of all that, I got stabbed in the fucking shoulder. I'm nowhere near in the mood for your bullshit."

"Who looks like they could be the wolf?" Ellie spoke up. Everyone looked around again then they all came to a consensus. "Paige!" they all shouted in unison. Paige called out a different name, but I couldn't tell what it was. Paige looked appalled at what had just happened.

Her gaze specifically rested on Alex. "How could you, Alex?" she questioned. Alex glared at Paige. "Don't act so innocent," she spat. "Everything about you screams wolf, backstabber, and bitch. I'm not the wolf, but you've got all the potential." Alex turned to me. "I know you don't like me," she said, "But I've got a wife at home. I'm not the wolf, okay? So please get me out of here. Michaela's probably worried sick about me."

"I didn't know you got married," Marco announced with a smile. "How long?" Alex smiled, something I've never seen her do before. "It'll be a year next month," she replied. Then she turned back to me. "Please get me out of this."

"Give me a reason why you're not the wolf," I demanded of her. I turned to everyone else. "All of you!" I pointed my gun to Alex, so she was the first to speak. "I'm not the wolf because the wolf is a conniving, hateful bastard. I've had my problems with you, but I can honestly say I'm not the wolf. I'm glad I'm not the wolf; if I were, and you didn't kill me, then I would have to kill you. I may not like you, but I don't want to kill you."

I pointed the gun to Ellie and she looked at me like I was being stupid. "I'm not the wolf because the wolf is someone you'd least expect," Ellie stated. "You'd expect me to be the wolf because I'm dark and gloomy. But I'm not the wolf."

Next was Craig. His face went pale white and he started freaking out. "The wolf is someone you've known for a long time and hasn't hurt you," Craig told me. "I know I've hurt you before, but I couldn't bear to do it again."

Next was Jimmy. Out of all of them, I really hoped he wasn't the wolf. "It's not me!" Jimmy exclaimed. "The tape even said it wasn't me!" Jimmy struggled in his chains. "I could never attack you anyway, Emma! I'm still in physical therapy."

I didn't point at Ashley, but she spoke anyway. "Well it can't be me," Ashley pointed out. "I'm pregnant and I highly doubt he'd make me risk two lives trying to kill you, whoever he is."

I pointed my gun to Marco. I didn't really suspect him, but that was the only way I could get an answer. "Listen to them, Emma," Marco ordered of me, "The wolf is conniving, hateful, least expected, and someone close to you. I couldn't be the wolf. You know I'm not hateful. You hardly know me anyway!"

Last was Paige. "You're up, Michalchuk," I stated with my gun pointed at her. "Tell me why I shouldn't blow your head off." Paige's eyes widened as they stared at the loaded gun. "I-I'm not the wolf be-because I could never p-pull something like this off," she stuttered out. "Life or death decisions? I can't deal with that kind of pressure. I'm a spoiled little ex-rich girl, not a fighter. I couldn't be the wolf."

I lowered my gun. "So you all have alibis," I said. "How can I-" I was interrupted by the splitting pain in my shoulder. I let out a loud scream and fell to the ground. The gun slid across the floor and I lay there crying as the seven of them stared at me.

"How the hell are we supposed to get out of this alive when our 'savior' is crumpled up on the floor?" Paige questioned. I saw her struggling in her chains, trying to break free. "We only have ten minutes and she's gonna waste them all on the ground!"

"What did you say?" I asked weakly, looking up at Paige. Paige sneered. "I said you're gonna waste the only ten minutes we have to live on the floor." I made my way to my feet, my legs shaking. Something wasn't right here…

"How do you know how much time we have in here?" I questioned. Paige didn't respond. I pointed my gun at her. "How did you know?" I shouted. She flinched at the loudness of my voice. "The voice told me!" she shouted back at me. Paige looked to the others. "Tell her how the voice told us!" she ordered frantically. No one spoke up.

Paige started struggling in her chains. "I'm telling the truth, Emma!" she exclaimed. "I'm not the wolf! I can't be! I'm too young to die! Remember my brother, Dylan? I'm the one who's taking care of him since he's sick. If you kill me then who's gonna take care of him? Jesse sure as hell won't. You-"

"Shut up!" I shouted. I put the handle of the gun to my temple and held the other side of my head. "I don't need this," I muttered under my breath. "Then kill her!" Ellie demanded. "Kill her so we can get out of here!" I quickly pointed the gun at Ellie. "You can shut the hell up too!" I told her. "I don't need you or anyone else telling me what to do."

"Please just get me out of here," Paige insisted. "I need to get out of here. I need to go home and be with my brother and my fiancé. I-"

"Shut up!" I screamed as I pointed the gun back to her. When I did, the gun went off. But it was weird; I didn't pull the trigger. It felt like someone had grabbed my hand to keep my finger from the trigger so they could shoot Paige. I didn't want to shoot her. Everything moved in slow motion and it was like we could all see the bullet as it flew a thousand miles an hour towards Paige, who couldn't even get out of the way. As the bullet hit the glass, a piercing shatter scared us all and ripped my body in half. I watched as the glass fell to the ground like millions of glittering crystals. I watched as the bullet hit Paige directly in the chest, a little away from her heart, but close enough that it hit a vein. I watched everyone freak out. I watched as everyone screamed at the loud gunshot and listened to how the only sound made as we watched blood ooze from the hole in Paige's chest was Alex sobbing and screaming.

Then, like clock work, machinery started to move and chains clinked as they set everyone free. Paige's body fell to the ground with a sickening thump and Alex came down after her, screaming and wailing for Paige. Without hesitation, I dropped my gun and ran to Paige.

Alex had Paige's head in her lap and was sobbing as Paige's breathing grew shallow. I knelt down and reached my hand out to grab Paige's but Alex looked up at me and glared at me with pure hate in her eyes. "Don't touch her," she hissed under her breath. I drew my hand back and fell backwards in fear.

"Stop it, Alex," Paige whispered weakly. We both looked to her and Paige weakly moved so she could look at me. She reached her hand out to me. "Behind you," were her dying words.

I quickly turned around and was able to move out of the way fast enough as Marco swung a board at me. He missed and dropped the board on the ground. "What the hell are you doing, Marco?" I asked as I shot to my feet. He advanced towards me and I continued to move from his path. His eyes were filled with regret. "I'm sorry, Emma," he whispered as he lunged for me.

I didn't move as fast this time and he managed to tackle me to the ground. He was on top of me and his hands reached for my neck but I was able to keep them away. "Don't just stand there!" I shouted to the others. "Help me!" They all looked at me with sorry and pain on their faces. "We can't," Craig told me. "He'll kill us if we try," Ashley added. Great. Just great.

I continued to wrestle for my life on the cold ground with Marco trying to attack me and hurt me. From the other's view, I bet we looked like two animals fighting over a piece of food. Soon, I managed to get on top of Marco and I pinned him down with what strength I had so he wouldn't hurt me anymore.

But being in the state I was, he was stronger than I was and quickly threw me off. He threw me into the wall and my back is what hit it first. As he came toward me, I looked around for something to defend myself with. Then I saw it! My gun was just a little out of my reach!

With what strength I had, I lunged for the gun. At first, my hand missed and Marco grabbed me again. His hands found their way around my throat and he began to choke me. I grabbed his wrists and tried to pull him away from me but he was still too strong. A dirty move, I kicked my leg up as hard as I could and managed to knee him in the groin.

Marco flew over my head and rolled onto the ground, holding his crotch and moaning in pain. Without a second to spare, I reached for the gun again. I managed to grab it just as Marco was getting up off the ground and coming towards me again. From the corner of my eye, I could see the girls holding themselves and crying softly; whoever was behind this madness was making them watch as two innocent people were fighting to the death.

But before Marco could take another step toward me, I pulled the trigger. The loud bang scared everyone, but me, and made them jump. Marco held his stomach with a pained look on his face. Once again, I dropped the gun. I couldn't believe what had just happened. Could I really have hurt him? Did I really shoot him? Marco fell to the ground bleeding and proved my theory.

*The Group Tape: Hello, Marco. If you are listening to this tape, then this is your test. I'm going to play a game with you, today, and you may not survive.

In this game, you're going to be a wolf. Emma Nelson will arrive shortly after this tape is played. Your job is to convince her that you are not the wolf. If you should succeed, you will be given the chance to redeem yourself by taking Emma's life.

For years you've had a gambling problem that has led you to dark alleys your mind has desperately tried to forget. Tonight you're going to gamble with your life.

Another tape will play once Emma sets foot in the room you're in. Once the tape is finished, she will have ten minutes to find the wolf and kill it. Should she fail, you will die, as well as the other people in this room.

As for the others, you will not tell Emma who the wolf is, you will only convince her you are not the wolf. Should she release the wolf, you are not to aid her in the fight for her life. This room is heavily monitored and if anyone should break these few rules I've set up, then you will die instantly.

Each one of you, as well as Marco, decides who lives or dies tonight. Live or die; make your choice.*

The world around me seemed to freeze; nothing seemed real. If this felt like a dream at all, it definitely seemed like one now.

The door to the room opened and interrupted my thoughts. I don't think I noticed that it had been shut. Slowly, Alex, Ellie, Craig, Ashley, and Jimmy left the room. Jimmy was supported by both Craig and Ashley while Alex was leaning on Ellie for support. I'd done this to them…

The door closed behind them as soon as Jimmy had made his way out and the TV flickered on again.

"Congratulations, Emma," the doll congratulated. "You've managed to succeed in this test because of your strong will. But will that will to survive and that will to help others be strong enough to pass your final three tests? Time is ticking, Emma."

The TV flicked off without the doll saying another word. On the bright side, I only had to pass my last three tests. Then I could go home and be with my husband and forget this day ever happened.