The lack of comfort that Sidney had felt in her house over the past two nights was not letting up easily. This wasn't what it should have been like. Any positive memories were completely tainted by horror. Her mother's room looking like a bloodbath after she was murdered had been one of them, Billy's presence being another. The house was empty, but filled with ghosts of her past. No matter how hard she tried to get rid of them she couldn't.

"Did you sleep last night?" Kirby asked her. One thing that was looking up was her health. She had been officially told that she was going to be discharged from hospital the next morning, so it was great news for her.

"Aren't I supposed to be the one asking about your health?" Sidney retorted with a raise of an eyebrow.

"Why are you deflecting my questions?"

Sidney didn't know why Kirby's persistence still didn't cease to surprise her, but her ability to see through bullshit was one of the things Sidney really appreciated about her. A soft chuckle escaped her before she settled back.

"Is it the house?"

Sidney thought a moment. "The easy answer would be to say yes, it's the house. But to be honest, I think it's more me being there than the house itself."

"I don't understand…"

Sidney considered condensing the truth. However, she figured maybe speaking about it would alleviate some of the pressure she'd been feeling herself.

"It's like I'm living in a time-warp. If I go to my room, I see Billy crawling in through my window. If I go downstairs, I suddenly feel like I'm being chased through the house by that mask." She shook her head, pushing a hand through her hair. "Not to mention my mom's room."

"Did you…did you really find her?"

Sidney slowly nodded, her stomach churning as she recalled that painful night.

"Catch ya tomorrow, Sid." Tatum called through the window of her car, waving her hand vigorously before revving up her car and flying down the path. In all honesty, Sidney was just grateful that her feet had once again been able to touch the pavement. With her driver's permit still fresh in her purse, Tatum was a whole lot of reckless and Sidney found that she'd had to pry her hand away from the gripping the side of the door as she sped through Woodsboro.

Sidney waved at her friend before walking towards the white gate. As she approached, she heard the latch of the gate close and a tall figure in a black leather jacket rush towards the car that was parked at the opposite side of the road. She figured it was a little odd seeing as it was almost ten at night and the road was usually pretty deserted by now. They lived quite far out in the woodland area, so unless the person was visiting them specifically, it was definitely a peculiar thing.

She found herself lingering until the car had sped off, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention. It was only when the backlights disappeared did she open the gate and begin the trek up the path.

Sidney didn't know why, but she felt a pit of anxiety in the bottom of her stomach. It only grew when she caught view of the house and saw two sets of lights on. Although the rest of the house was dark, the kitchen lights were on and so were the lights in her mother's bedroom. She knew that her mother was a stickler for lights, she always had been.

'The only time a light should be on in the house is if it's dark and you're in that room, Sid. Turn the lights off after you!'

Sidney could practically repeat the phrase that her mother had used with her so often by heart, as unfortunately for her mom, Sidney had developed the habit of turning the light on in every room that she set foot in and often forgot to switch it off after her. In all honesty, she did it sometimes to simply annoy her.

That was why when she saw two sets of lights on, it made her walk up the stairs quickly turn into a jog. Reaching in her pocket for her keys, she turned them in the door and frowned. It was already unlocked.

Her mom always locked the doors. She was meticulous about it, even more so when her dad was away on business. But maybe he'd come back early.

"Mom?" Sidney called as she closed the door behind her, locking it and slowly dropping her backpack to the floor.

Silence.

"Mom…are you here?" She called out again, going to the kitchen first. Panic seized her as she turned the corner, seeing the fragments of glass on the floor from the window panels of the back door that looked like it had been forced in.

Any sense of calm and control that Sidney had previously was completely destroyed. Running out of the kitchen, Sidney gripped the bannister of the stairs, intending to head up there. However, her grip slipped from the wooden rail- and when Sidney turned her outstretched palm up, her hand was smeared with red.

A half gasp, half sob escaped her throat. Time seemed to slow down as she glacially climbed up each step, the weight of her legs feeling like lead every time she lifted them.

"Mom?" she meant to sound brave, but her voice cracked into a whimper. The end of the hallway where her parents' room was located seemed miles away, but before long she was standing outside the door, a bloody handprint smeared against the white paint.

Slowly gripping the door, Sidney turned the handle and pushed it open, staying fixed to the spot because she didn't dare go in.

The first thing she saw was the awful floral wallpaper that her mom had spent so much time selecting. She'd always teased her about it and her mom had teased her right back, saying if she wasn't careful then she would come back from school to find her own room covered in the stuff.

There were dark red spatters across it now.

When she looked down, the floor was smeared with the same substance. She didn't even realise she was crying until she choked on her own tears.

"Mom…" she called out, but even now Sidney knew she wasn't going to get an answer. She stood there for what felt like hours, although it might have only been a minute at the very most. It was like she was rooted to the spot. Sidney knew she had to step into that room, but with her mother and father's bed in the corner, she felt physically sick about what she might find.

Wiping her nose with her sleeve and taking a shaky breath, Sidney forced herself in and turned towards the left.

There was a scream.

It was hers.

The bed had puddles of blood soaked into the white sheets, outlining a figure that could not be seen but was so obviously her mother's form. Everywhere she looked there was blood and broken furniture, there was even a clump of her mom's dark hair hanging from the mattress. The clothes that she had been wearing before Sidney left were strewn all over the floor.

She didn't even make it out of the room before she heaved and retched, throwing up violently on the bedroom floor.

"Yes, I found her." Sidney said quietly. She had shed many tears over that memory, and she had no doubt that she would at some point shed more, but not right then.

"I found my mom too." Kirby said equally as quietly. When Sidney glanced up to meet her eyes, Kirby quickly added. "I know it's not the same at all… my mom was sick for a long time and we knew that she was going to die for at least six months. But it changes you. Seeing your parent like that changes you."

Nodding in agreement, Sidney slowly exhaled. "Dewey told me that you cared for her. That must have been really difficult seeing her so sick and all."

Kirby shrugged. "It was. But… I can remember how she was before she was sick and I just try and cling to that, y'know? The cancer turned her into a shell of the person I knew." She explained.

The silence between them both after that was a thoughtful one, another acknowledgement of just how similar they were. Their hardships were differently laid out, the trauma a different concept but still with the same outcome.

"I think you're really brave." Kirby broke the silence, picking at a loose thread on her hoodie. "I don't know how you went back into the house after all that happened." She shook her head and sighed. "I'm being discharged tomorrow and I'm meant to be happy. This is all over and I'm supposed to be able to get on with my life. But how can I do that when I'm too scared to set foot in my house? All that blood…Robbie's corpse…I-I can't go back there alone." Tears built in her eyes and she sniffed, only just managing to keep them at bay.

"The forensics cleaning team will have gone over the place fully…you don't have to worry about any blood." Sidney tried to comfort her. It clearly didn't go down well as Kirby's shoulders stiffened and she looked at her with that fierce steely gaze.

"Did they clean your mom's room?"

Sidney nodded.

"Then why are you still not sleeping?"

"Fair point…"

"Sorry." Kirby apologised, her shoulders sagging slightly.

"No, I'm sorry. It was a stupid thing to say. The truth is Kirby…that I found an old photo of me and my mom a couple of days ago. It had gotten smashed and when I picked it up, both of our eyes were scratched out in the photo. It brought everything flooding back a little."

Kirby looked bewildered sitting up straight. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to panic you. I didn't want to set your recovery back or make you upset."

Kirby sighed. "Did you find out who did it?"

"We don't know for certain, but I'm pretty sure Jill did it before I agreed to stay with them instead of back at home."

She nodded again. "That makes sense, I guess. That's where Jill and Trevor went to… y'know."

Sidney grimaced and shook her head. "I could have gone the rest of my whole life without knowing that information. Where did they- no, actually… in fact I don't want to know."

Her comment made Kirby giggle, and despite the sinister tone of the conversation, it visibly lightened them both up.

"Haven't you heard anything from your dad yet?" she asked softly, reflecting on what Kirby had said about her being in the house on her own.

Kirby shook her head. "Nope, nothing. I tried calling five times last night, but it just rings to voicemail."

Sidney chewed her lip as she considered the options. Technically, she didn't hold any responsibility for Kirby. But without her parents there and after such a tragic event… how could she leave her to try and cope on her own?

"Listen, Kirby. I know that we don't know each other very well…and this might seem a bit out of the blue…but if you really don't think you can stay in your house on your own, you're more than welcome to stay with me until your dad gets back." Sidney offered. "I know it's not exactly been uneventful in itself…but you don't have any memories of it, and it might be easier. Both of us not on our own." She explained.

Kirby chewed her bottom lip, clearly considering her invitation. She had two options, be by herself in her recently recovered crime-scene house… or go to Sidney's house and at least have another presence around.

"I uh…I'd like that." She spoke shyly then. "Thanks, Sidney."

The two made a plan that Sidney would collect her the following morning. They would go to Kirby's house and pick up some of her things and then return back to her own house.

On the way out of the hospital, Sidney tried to convince herself that she was doing the right thing by Kirby. After all, she had only been a year older than Sidney had been after what had happened in Woodsboro all those years ago. She'd still had her dad around to help her and keep her sane alongside Randy. Who did Kirby have right now? Nobody. However, deep down, Sidney was just as relieved that Kirby was coming to stay because maybe…just maybe it would keep the ghosts at bay until she could leave Woodsboro permanently.