Staring out into the blank space, Claire could feel her throat closing up. "Help!" she choked. "Help me!" Darkness engulfed the small room she was stuck in. Crumpling to the ground, Claire sobbed into her blood soaked hands. Suddenly a light flickered on, a cone of yellow spilling into the air and revealing a rusty chair. Sitting in that chair was someone Claire knew, someone that was very dear to her heart.

"Wha-what are you doing here?" Claire asked, terrified. Their head snapped up, revealing monstrous leathery skin and bulging beady eyes. Their teeth were sharp and long, like a mouth full of fangs. They hissed, twisting their head at an angle unnatural for the regular human. "Let me go..." Claire mumbled, struggling against the weight that kept her down and tears threatening to fall from the corners of her eyes. "Please." She looked to them, begging. A strangled hissing erupted from their brown lips as gears grinded in the background. Suddenly, Claire felt a sharp object clip her side. She fell over, crushing the engorging wound. Yelping in pain, she crawled to the nearest corner, gripping the chunks of mold and flesh on the ground. As soon as she reached a corner to hide, she felt a weight pressing down on top of her. She let a scream rip through the dense air, and no sooner was their yellowish hand stuck down her throat and she was choking on their slimy fingers. She looked at it with a sort of fear before she felt her eyes roll into the back of her head.

But she wasn't dead just yet-they weren't done with her. Claire heard the crisp sound of a blade being unsheathed. Then, the pains that followed. Flesh ripped to the side as the blade sliced through her arm, then her stomach, then her legs. Thick blood spilled out from her wounds, onto the pavement. She trembled, breathing through her nose one last time. Before she could do anything else, they slit her throat and more blood spluttered out of her mouth.

Finally, she grew still.

Dylan jolted upright in her bed, mid scream. It died away once she realized that it was only a dream-a fantastically terrifying nightmare. "Boy," she mumbled. "That was weird." She pulled herself upright and out of bed, throwing back her white duvet and lime green sheets. Surveying the room, she took in reality and grinned in relief. I can't believe I thought I was going to die! She thought to herself, noting the ridiculousness.

Standing up and going over to her window, she drew back the curtain- bright sunlight pouring through. There was something different though. Something dangled from the tree just next to her room and was touching the glass, red liquid streaming down the side. She backed away, shrieking in terror. Touching the walls and tables, reaching for the phone, she tripped over the rug on her hardwood floors and hit her head on the corner of her desk.

"What's going on-" Ryan burst through the doors before screaming herself. Dylan was unconscious and sprawled out on the floor in an unflattering manner. Ryan was gasping for air as she looked between her sister and the lifeless, rotting body staring back at her. "C-c-c" she stuttered.

"Claire!" She cried before dropping to her knees, pounding her fists against the floor. "Dyl wake up! Somebody help!"

Blood was starting to seep through the roots of Dylan's hair. Soon enough, it was drizzling down the side of her face and onto the floor.

A white room surrounded her. Dylan was in the hospital, she knew that much. She felt a cold weight against her skull and looked up to see a gentle hand tending to the wound. It was a milky white and had red, polished fingernails. "Am I dreaming?" Dylan asked.

The nurse laughed lightheartedly. "No..." she trailed off. "But I suppose, in your position, that would be better than the nightmare you live in," she muttered to herself. She tended to her head for a moment before disappearing around a corner.

"Hey."

Dylan turned to the voice and discovered Massie Block standing a few feet away. "Hi," she managed, weakly. "So you heard?"

Sighing, Massie walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. "As if I couldn't have. I mean, you're my best friend...and it was all over the news." She patted Dylan's leg softly. "Man, I can't believe-"

"Let's not talk about it." Dylan interrupted her, staring at the ground darkly. "Its too soon."

Massie nodded. "Yeah,"she agreed. "It's too soon."

Feet dragging, the killer walked down the musty hallway. A lopsided grin was across their face. Blood stained their skin, dripping from the tip of their fingers to the ground. They were drenched in Claire Lyons.

Soon, they reached their destination. The door opening up into the hospital bathroom. It had a shower and the clothing they stashed in one of the lockers. Silently washing off Claire's remains and seeing them swirl down the drain, they climbed out of the shower and threw on their outfit. Just a few brushes through their hair and it was dry enough to leave the bathroom. As they walked down the hall, they felt him brush against their shoulder.

"Did you finish it?" he asked, his voice husky and low

"Yes." they confirmed before departing into Dylan's hospital room. A smirk crossed their face slightly as they saw her being cared for-being loved. The nurse bumped against them on the way out.

Keep your friends close-

and your victims closer.

That's what their dad always said.

Now it's finally true.

Daddy will be proud. They'll make him proud.

well hello there.

UPDATING SPREEE

so, who do you think the killer is?! I think I know (and someone else knows too ;))

soo, see you soon!

xox,

natalie