"Hold up, Claires alive?" Mike questioned, looking up from the table.
"Yup," Ke$ha murmured empathetically, tracing her fingers on the table.
"So the killers are obviously infuriated"
"I'd imagine so… I mean, they're trying to get rid of everyone before the cops come, so they don't get questioned."
"But wouldn't the cops know who went on the trip and deduce that if two of them were missing they were the killers?" Mike asked, a puzzled look crossing his face.
"I wish It was that easy" Ke$ha responded, taking a sip of her coffee.
A blurred mob of figures surrounded her.
"Don't touch me!" she shrieked, pushing them away.
"I want to go home!"
She tried running.
Her legs wouldn't work.
The ground felt like thick molasses.
She fell to the ground.
A blurry figure with tangled brown hair hovered over her, saying words she couldn't understand.
"Take me home!"
She shot up, pushing the brunette away.
Again, her limbs gave way.
She balanced herself on a tree, clinging to the bark.
Another figure grabbed her, picking her up.
She kicked and screamed, thrusting her body around, attempting to break free.
The headlights of a car came into view.
"No!" she screamed.
The blurred figures looked at her with concern.
She perceived it as malice.
"Let me go!"
The car came closer.
She saw herself in another dimension, flying into the air, landing against the hard bark before plummeting into a bush of prickers.
"Don't kill me!"
The figure holding her gripped her tighter, her screams echoing through the woods.
The car stopped.
Her screams didn't.
She kicked one behind her; their blonde locks falling to the mossy earth.
The back door opened, and she was carried in.
The car engine started, and bright lights appeared around her.
Another figure rubbed her head.
"You're safe now."
Claire woke up in the living room of the cabin. It was morning, and the birds weren't chirping as usual, instead murmuring over the windy forest.
"She's awake!" Michelle yelled from the kitchen.
She felt a familiar hand on her shoulder.
It was Jan.
"You were out for a while there" he said.
She nodded, confused as to what he was referencing.
"We thought you were dead."
Claire stopped, and she whipped her head around to face him.
"What!?" she snapped.
"Shit" Jan muttered, getting up and running towards the stairs.
"I'm alive and I don't feel weird," Claire thought aloud.
It wasn't until she examined her skin that a striking change became apparent.
Her usually soft skin was littered with bruises and puncture marks. Scratches weaved their way up and down her arms, and spots of blood were visible on her clothing. She felt scratches on her face, and her hair was matted, tangled with dirt and leaves.
Lauri and Mark approached her, sitting down beside her.
"We gotta tell you something?" Lauri said; Mark nodded.
"Why, was Jan too chicken to tell me himself?" she snorted.
"No, but we figured you'd rather hear it from us than him" Mark said, pushing back his hair in frustration.
The three sat in silence, Claire looking at the floorboards.
"They hit you with a car and left you for dead. They intended to kill you."
"Wait, there's a they now?"
"Yeah."
"And they tried to kill me?"
"Yes…"
"They tried to fucking kill me?!" she shrieked, standing up.
She ran into the kitchen, pushing Steven aside. She ran up to Michelle, pushing her bowl of cereal onto the floor.
"What?" Michelle yelped, looking defenseless.
"All of you fucking left me for dead?" she screamed, looking around the room.
"We had no idea until…"
"Until you happened to stumble upon my near lifeless body?"
"Claire, it's not…" Steven said, stumbling over his words.
"Not like what?" she snapped, picking up his glass and smashing it against the wall.
Jane rushed into the room, with Vivian in tow.
"What the FUCK is going on?" Vivian yelled.
Claire whipped around, pointing at her.
"And you, Mrs. 'I'm the boss and I direct the group.' Yeah, you're a real great leader, leaving your friends in the middle of the woods stranded."
"I was trying to find you, you ignorant bitch!" Vivian sniped, glaring at her.
"Oh, what am I, and accessory you lost?"
"Jesus fucking Christ!" Jane yelled, pushing Vivian aside.
"You may not remember this since, hmm, you got hit by a car, but we all split up before you got attacked. None of us had any damn idea were you and Alex were."
The room went silent.
"Where's Alex" Claire whispered, retreat in her voice.
Jane exchanged a nervous glance with Mark. Michelle looked down into her coffee, humming 'Blue Jeans.'
"He's dead" Jan replied from the table.
Tears welled up in Claire's eyes, and she collapsed into Jane's arms.
"Where's the body?" she asked.
"We left it in the forest – we were more concerned about getting you back to the house safely" Lauri responded.
"You just left it there?"
"You need to calm down" Vivian quipped from the sink as Michelle shot her a cold glare.
"I am so tired of your shit" Michelle shot from the counter, moving up to Vivian.
"You've been nothing but a bitch ever since all of this happened. We GET it. Playing the victim and blaming yourself for everything can only get you so far."
"Oh, I'm playing the victim?" Vivian cooed, following Michelle into the living room.
"You hosted your own pity party with a full guest list after Steven dumped your ass for a little boob action with me." Steven turned away, embarrassed. "And not to mention that you try to make yourself seem like hot shit, when in reality you're no better than the rest of us."
Michelle stood, glaring at Vivian, her nostrils flaring in anger.
"P.S. Lana Del Rey is an ugly bitch"
Michelle screamed and ran at Vivian, pushing her into the wall. Throwing Vivian to the ground, she whipped around and headed over to the CD display where a framed copy of Keri Hilsons 'No Boys Allowed' rested against a golden backdrop. Michelle picked it up and mercilessly threw it against the wall.
"No!" Vivian shrieked. "That's only one of the seven copies sold worldwide!"
"Call Lana ugly again."
"Lana's an ugly cow."
Michelle whipped around, grabbing her bag off of the couch. She yanked out a bottle labeled 'Holy Water.' Lana Del Rey's face was embellished on the front side.
"What are you doing?" Vivian gasped and Michelle started yelling, pouring the liquid onto Vivian.
"Marilyn's my mother, Elvis is my daddy, Jesus is my bestest friend" Michelle chanted while Vivian tried to stand up.
Vivian grabbed onto Michelle's leg and thrust her arms forward, knocking her onto the ground. She crawled forward, struggling the get up.
Mark had his iPhone open, recording the struggle.
Michelle gripped onto the edge of the couch and pushed herself up. Vivian appeared behind her and shoved her over the edge, her body landing on the hardwood floor.
Vivian rummaged through Michelle's bag, and a devilish smile lit up her face when she found the item she was looking for.
"Don't do it" Michelle pleaded; attempting to raise herself up from the floor, sweat beading across her forehead.
Michelle's signed copy of Born To Die was in pieces within seconds. She let out a wail of horror as the pieces dashed and divided across the hard surface.
Michelle charged up from the ground, pushing Vivian into a barstool chair, and knocked her head against the table. Vivian grabbed Michelle's hair and yanked, a scream emitting from her mouth as she clawed at Vivian's arms.
Vivian's arms started bleeding within seconds, and Michelle smacked her across the face. Vivian grabbed Michelle's shoulders, restraining her, and spit. Lauri let out a gasp.
Michelle kneed Vivian in the shin, grabbing her blonde locks, turning her around, and elbowed her in the back, sending her flying into the ground. Claire mumbled, "yes!" under her breath.
Before Michelle could kick Vivian while she was on the ground, Vivian grabbed Michelle's ankle and pulled, sending Michelle toppling down, smacking her head against the counter. Michelle's body fell limp on the ground as she heaved heavily, not making an effort to get up.
Vivian crawled over to her, but before she could so much as touch her, Michelle grabbed Vivians hand and bit down, hard.
A shotgun blast rang through the halls.
Everyone screamed, while Vivian and Michelle broke up their fight.
Jane stood, holding the gun in her hands, the barrel pointed at the ceiling.
"They stole everything in the garage."
The group stood in the now empty garage, the cold cement tingling there feet.
"So what exactly was in here that was important?" Jan asked, looking around.
"Anything that could be used to fix the house, really. Flashlights, ropes, wires, screws, ladders…" Vivian said, examining the wall fixtures.
"Why would they need that stuff though?" Mark questioned.
"To keep us in and to keep us from finding a way out" Jane replied. "This garage housed anything that would essentially help us get out of here, or defend ourselves."
"That's weird" Vivian said, scanning the large space.
"They stole the fireworks too."
"What would they need those for?" Lauri asked, sticking her head out from behind a cabinet.
"God knows" Steven said, staring at the cement.
"We need to look for anything in here of value" Vivian said, sending the group in different directions.
"At face value, you would think everything's gone, but there's so many cabinets and cupboards in here that they probably didn't get to"
"What's the point of going through it all?" Mark asked.
"You never know when something will come in handy" Vivian replied, shooting him a cold smile.
Lauri rummaged through a set of drawers, finding some rope and a few flashlights.
"Perfect!"
Mark managed to locate some binoculars and a compass.
"Not much, but it'll work."
The group was digging and digging, rummaging through every possible storage unit in the room.
Jane had wandered off into a darker corner of the garage, an old closet appearing in front of her.
"Hey, they probably didn't go in here" Jane shouted to the group.
"Check it out" Michelle shouted.
The door was jammed.
"Does anyone have a key?"
"I have no idea where my parents keep them" Vivian yelled back.
Jane applied force, and the door gave way, creaking loudly as it swung open.
She flicked the switch near the entrance, and an iridescent bulb flickered into life, illuminating the inside.
She looked inside.
What greeted her eyes was not what she expected.
Jane screamed, falling back, her face pale.
"Holy shit" Jan gasped, rushing over to Jane.
"Look!" she shrieked, pointing inside of the closet, a foul odor emitting from the inside.
"Oh my god"
Christine and Peters bodies sat propped against the wall, their pale skin glowing in the light.
On the wall, a single sheet of paper was attached.
'FOOL ME ONCE, SHAME ON YOU. FOOL ME TWICE, I SHOVE A KNIFE INTO YOUR THROAT.'
"Get back inside, now."
"Wait!" Michelle yelped.
The group looked around, edging closer and closer to the exit.
"Oh my god" Jan remarked, realizing Michelle's discovery.
Claire was gone.
The group rushed outside, their faces strewn with worry.
"Where we she go?" Vivian questioned, rushing ahead of the group.
"I know exactly where she'll be" Jan said, running into the woods.
Passing through bushes and vines, trees and roots, Jan led them back to the clearing. Claire sat in the dim afternoon light near Alex's body, crying.
She heard them approach, and whipped her head around, a look of anger shooting across her face.
She got up, looking directly at Michelle.
"Claire? Are you okay hon…"
"You fucking CUNT"
Claire smacked her straight across the face. Steven winced.
"It was YOU. You vile, filthy BITCH!" Claire screamed, clawing at Michelle's face while Steven and Jan attempted to restrain her.
"What the hell?" Michelle replied, stepping back.
"You KILLED THEM!" Claire shouted, trying to break free.
The group stopped and stared at Michelle. She looked around to see their shocked faces.
"Why would you say something like that?" Michelle whispered, tears forming in her eyes.
"I don't know, ask the little Mark on Alex's face."
Vivian walked over to Alex's lifeless body, turning his head over.
"Killer Red" she said, looking up at the group.
"That's your color, Michelle."
One of the figures stood in the distance, looking out onto the group.
Michelle had been blamed for a crime she didn't commit, and better yet, Claire was the one to discover it.
The killer reached down into its pocket, lifting up a small red ball with a fuse attached. The packaging read "CHERRY BOMB – HANDLE WITH CARE."
Pulling out its lighter, it lit the fuse, throwing the small red explosive into the shrubbery. It let out a loud bang, sending a plume of smoke into the air.
In the distance, it saw Jan look up, confused.
Turning around, the figure headed back into the woods, unwrapping another firecracker.