"Go, go, go!" Sam screamed, shoving the three of them through the door of the apartment building.

Tara and Mindy fell over one another, but Chad was there to pick them both up by an arm. "FUCKING GO," he yelled, hauling them along.

In the lobby, the receptionist glared at them, mouth open most likely to reprimand them, but Sam beat her to the yelling. "Get out of here! Go!" She flung a hand behind her at the Ghostface at her heels. "Murderer!"

Before Ghostface could become preoccupied with a different victim, the receptionist sprinted through a rear door where Sam heard a lock click.

Chad glanced at her. "Elevators?"

"No fucking way."

"Those things are death traps," Tara muttered.

Mindy grabbed Tara by the wrist and shot for the stairs. "No talk. Just fucking run."

As they ran, Sam fumbled for her taser in the inside pocket of her jacket. Once in hand, she clutched it like her lifeline. In this new apartment building, they were on the second floor, but she couldn't lead Ghostface back to their exact door. Not to where Danny was sleeping.

"Keep going!" she called up to the others. "Do not stop until we get to the fifth floor!"

The top of her boot scuffed the next stair and she stumbled. In that split-second, pain bloomed down the length of her calf. Despite the wound, Sam turned and blindly fired the taser which made contact with the chest of Ghostface. He dropped the knife and fell backwards, crashing down the remaining flight of stairs.

She glanced at the line of blood soaking her jeans and then at the bloodied knife by her foot. She wasn't stupid enough to try and end things right here. Ghostface, no matter who lay beneath the mask, always had a second weapon, and Sam wouldn't fall for that.

So she snatched up the knife and scrambled the rest of the way.

When they all reached the fifth floor, they hurried through the door and continued down the hall. After a moment, an uneasy quiet settled.

Tara glanced past Chad's shoulder. "Did we lose him?"

Mindy pointed at the bloody knife in Sam's hand as she approached. "Holy shit, did you get him?"

Sam's throat bobbed, the open wound beginning to burn, and with each step she could feel where her flesh separated. She shook her head, limping the rest of the way to the group. "He got me."

"Oh, shit," Tara whispered, pushing past Chad.

She bent down, but Sam stopped her from touching it. "I'm fine," she said. "I managed to taser him, and then he fell down the stairs." She lifted the knife, the ghost of a smirk on her lips. "And now we've got this."

"Yeah, that's great, Sam," Mindy said, "except for the fact that you're bleeding all over the hallway carpet."

"I can deal with this issue in a bit, but for now, we wait here for a little before we head down to the apartment."

"I agree," Chad said. He glanced down at Tara. "We don't want to risk Ghostface knowing where you two live."

"And Danny's vulnerable right now," Sam said. "I won't put him in danger."

Tara shot up. "Call him. Make sure he knows. Make sure he's awake."

Sam nodded, already dialing. "Everyone turn your locations off. Don't let him be able to track you without having to work for it." She lifted the phone to her ear. "Pick up, pick up, pick up. Come on, Danny."

Danny's raspy, sleep-ridden voice answered after two rings. "Hey, baby. Is something wrong?"

"He's back," she whispered. "He's back, Danny."

A brief pause of silence filled the static between them before she heard rustling in the background. "Okay," he said. "I'm up. I'm getting dressed. Where are you?"

"Fifth floor."

"Are you alright?"

Sam nodded, swallowing the pain down. "Yeah. I'm fine. Everyone is fine. Mindy and Chad are with us."

"What happened?"

"I'll tell you when we get back."

"Okay." He exhaled lightly and Sam could picture him running a hand over his close-shaved hair. "Okay."

"I love you," Sam whispered.

"I love you too."

Tara and Mindy both helped Sam walk while Chad went ahead to the opposite end of the building to the other stairwell. While the three girls struggled down the stairs, he went a flight ahead to make sure the coast was clear. When they at last made it down the three flights to the second floor, Chad opened the apartment door where Danny was waiting, baseball bat in hand.

"Sam," he muttered, dropping the bat and taking her from Tara and Mindy. "You said you were fine."

"I am fine."

"No, she's not," Tara said, shrugging off Chad's jacket and tossing her shoes to the side.

"Here," Danny said, helping Sam sit at a kitchen chair. Then he got a bowl of cold water, a cloth, and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and handed them to Mindy and Chad. "Go out in the hall and the stairwell and make sure you clean any blood that you see. If Sam left a trail, then that could lead him to us."

"Oh, shit," Chad whispered.

"Let's go," Mindy said.

Danny caught Chad's shoulder. "Here," he said, handing Chad his concealed carry. "Be safe, man."

Chad nodded. "We'll be right—"

Mindy slapped the back of his head. "Don't you fucking say it," she said as they walked out the door.

Then Danny turned to Sam who had slumped in the chair, exhaustion hitting her all at once. She closed her eyes but snapped them open again when she saw Ghostface, his blade aimed at her.

Danny pulled up a chair in front of her, a pair of scissors in hand, and placed a palm on her thigh which drew her attention to him. "Are you okay, Samantha?"

She caressed his arm, already feeling safer with him next to her. She nodded.

Tara reappeared in a cropped tank and black sweats, their first aid kit in hand. "She might need stitches."

Danny took the kit, nodding at Tara. "We'll be able to tell once we get this leg off," he said and began snipping away the pant leg of her jeans. From above her knee down to her ankle, he cut until he could peel both sections away from the gash in her calf.

Sam grimaced but didn't make a sound as Danny cleaned and inspected the wound.

He looked up at her, foot in his lap. "It's maybe a quarter of an inch deep, but the bleeding's stopped, so I may be able to makeshift some big steri-strips and then wrap a bandage over it to keep the wound shut." He glanced up at her. "Unless you want to go to the hospital."

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "I already have scars; I don't mind another one."

Danny lowered Sam's bandaged leg to the ground once he'd finished. Mindy and Chad had returned a few minutes before claiming there to be no more traces of Sam's blood on or near the second floor. And at the moment, the three youngest were in the living room while Sam and Danny remained in the kitchen.

He rubbed her hand, causing her to twitch from near sleep. "Sorry, baby. I didn't mean to wake you."

Sam closed her eyes again, shaking her head. "I wasn't asleep yet."

"You had just started sleeping through the night, too," he whispered.

Sam nearly smiled. "It's easier to sleep when you're next to me."

"Speaking of which," he said, "I've decided not to go today—this weekend. Not with you in danger."

Sam put a hand on his. "No, Danny. You have to. With this asshole back, it's safer if you leave. If you're in Florida for your fight this weekend, then I won't have to worry about you. This is your job. You can't put that on hold."

"And what?" Danny said quietly. "I'm just supposed to leave you to fend for yourself?" He shook his head. "I can't do that, Sam. I want to be here."

"And I want you safe."

"I want you safe."

"That's an impossible wish."

"Samantha, baby," he sighed. "You need another set of hands. I know what I'm risking. I would never forgive myself if I let you talk me into leaving and then something happened to you. This isn't like last time." Danny leaned his forehead against Sam's and caressed her face with his thumbs. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

A thought made Sam sit up. She reached for her phone and dialed the number. "Gale," she said, "she needs to know Ghostface is back."

"For God's sake, Sam," Gale said when she answered, "do you know what time it is?"

"You need to get out of town," she said. "He's back. A new one is back, Gale. You need to leave New York."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the Ghostface that murdered a janitor and chased me and my family half an hour ago. Follow Sidney's lead: get the hell out of Dodge."

"I'm a reporter, Sam," Gale said. "If I leave, people will know."

"Gale, please."

"And what about you, Sam? You should take your own advise."

"If he's after me and my family, I won't risk moving somewhere I don't know. I know New York. At least here I know my surroundings." Sam sighed. "Danny's right. We should stay together. At the moment, it's five against one."

"I like those odds," Gale said.

"We're staying, but you should go. Sidney's your family and she's safe. Please do the same."

"I'll leave my apartment," Gale said, "just in case, but I won't leave New York. Not yet. I won't run."

"Be safe."

"You too."

Sam sighed, resting her face in her palms.

Danny rubbed her arms. "Is she going?"

She scoffed. "No, of course not. But she's taking precautions at least." She held out her hands and Danny helped her to her feet. With an arm over him, Sam limped over to the living room where the others were whispering. Chad and Mindy still wore their dress attire, but Chad's tie hung loose around his neck, and his shirt was untucked. Mindy had simply exchanged her heels for a pair of all white Vans.

Tara who had curled up against Chad, stared at Sam when they entered. She inclined her chin at her leg. "You okay?"

"I'll be fine."

"What's the plan?" Mindy asked.

Danny sighed. "We don't really have one yet."

Sam collapsed into the nearest chair as she struggled to keep her eyes open. "Sleep. I need sleep. We can talk after."

Chad raised a hand. "Sleepover in the living room?"

Mindy yawned. "I'm down."

"Me too," Tara said.

"Sleepover with the Core Four," Chad said with a smirk.

"And Danny," Mindy said.

Danny appeared with blankets and pillows and tossed them to everyone. "Yeah, and Danny," he said, feigning offense.

Sam pulled the blanket to her chin, not even bothering to change clothes. "Everyone shut up and go to sleep."

It was only a moment after silence had fallen in the dark room when Tara's phone chimed and the spike of sudden fear became palpable.

"Shit. Sorry," she said. "That's just my alarm for my birth control."

"I fucking hate you," Mindy groaned from across the room.

"You know what's worse than Ghostface?" Tara said. "A child."

"No."

"Yes. I'm not taking my chances."

"Ew," Mindy retched, "I did not need to know that."

"Know what? I didn't say anything."

"Did you forget who you're dating? That's my brother and I don't need any implications of what you two do in his dorm room—"

"Shut the hell up," Sam groaned, smacking Mindy in the face with her pillow. "Both of you before I murder you myself. Now good night."