❪ chapter eleven ! ❫
xi.         the theater

THE GROUP WALKED through an alleyway. Rue looked around, walking next to Ethan. There was one wall that had a huge spray-painted picture of Ghost face along with text that read, what's your favorite scary movie?

     "Jason and Greg were little Atlanta rich boys. Apparently, they used fake names to rent this place." Gale explained to the group. "How did you find it?" Kirby asked.

     "It's called investigative journalism for a reason. How didn't you find out? Weren't you tracking them?" Gale went on.

     In the back, Rue and Ethan walked. "This is scary." Rue looked around, noticing all of the graffiti and the big painting. "Yeah, it's weird." Ethan let out. "It's crazy how some people obsess over this. Over a killer or killers."

     They walked into the building, Gale held a flashlight that lit a small part of the area up. "What is this?" Rue questioned, struggling to get up the stairs from her injured leg.

     "What's with all the security?" Sam asked. The lights turned on, and Rue closed her eyes, trying to adjust to the light. "It's a movie theater," Tara answered.

     "It's not just a theater. It's a shrine." Gale explained as curtains lifted revealing artifacts of previous ghost face killings and multiple ghost face outfits. Everyone focused on it, looking at everything.

     "They got the whole goddamn franchise," Mindy said aloud.

     Rue walked over to one of the casings, looking at a bloody knife and a mask. "You all have been through so much." Detective Bailey told everyone.

     She placed her hand along the glass, she was so angry. All these items brought back such awful memories of the past. The nights she was stabbed ten times to the point she nearly died, to when she was backstabbed by her friend Amber. "This is fucked up," Rue whispered to herself.

     "Um, why am I here exactly? My alibi checks out." Ethan asked "So I can keep an eye on you, roomie." Chad told him

     "The killer must have found this place before he murdered Jason and Greg and then he took the mask off the mannequins. All nine, from Stu and Billy to Amber and Richie." Gale explained.

     Rue walked up to the mannequins that wore the previous ghost face outfits. "So, somebody killed these chuckle fucks, took over?" Chad asked. "Someone who believes that Sam masterminded Woodsboro," Gale answered.

     "If this were a normal stab movie we would be in the killer's lair." Mindy let out. Kirby looked at her, "Which means this ain't a normal stab move."

     Rue furrowed her brows, "This is too much for me." Rue walked out of the building.

     Rue walked through the alleyway, looking at all the graffiti again. "If only they went through our pain." She sighed, stopping to take a deep breath. Whilst doing so, she felt something touch her making her jump.

     "Holy shit." She turned around, Ethan standing there. "Did I scare you?" He looked at Rue, who laughed. "Duh, you can't just creep up on someone like that."

     "Sorry," he paused, "I didn't mean to do that, it's just I don't really understand my need for being here. I didn't do anything."

     "He's just being cautious, I mean you can never really trust anyone," Rue explained to him. He sighed, "I guess."

★ミ

     Rue didn't follow along with the rest of the group, instead, she went to the doctor. She was still losing blood, "Am I going to be okay?"

     The doctor replaced the layer of gauze, but before that, she added ointment to the wound which was closing up slowly but surely. "You will be, I will give you a few packs of gauze and some ointment. Change it at least once a day."

     Rue stood up, the pain was still there but she got used to it. The doctor handed her the gauze and ointment. She then left the hospital, making her way back to the rest of the group.

     Walking she received a call from Tara.

     "Hello?"

     "Gale was attacked."

     "Is she okay?!"

     "We hope."

     "I'm coming right now."

     Rue hung up the phone, rushing over to the rest of the group — feeling a little numb to the pain in her leg —

     She rushed inside the building seeing Tara, Sam, Mindy, Chad, and Ethan in one area. "I'm here!" Rue yelled, breathing heavily. "Rue." Ethan walked over to her, hugging her tightly.

     "I'm scared you guys. I really don't wanna get hurt again." Mindy looked down at her legs. "Neither do I." Chad's voice cracked. "I don't want you getting hurt, again either."

     Rue looked over to them, watching their dreary moods carry through one another. "So what do we do now?" Chad asked. "Maybe he gets to win this time," Sam answered.

     Rue furrowed her brows. "He wants to punish me," Sam paused, "Me. So maybe I let him. I'll just, give myself up. If this is what I have to do, to keep you safe, it's worth it." Tears slid down her cheeks.

     "No, we're not doing this Sam. You went back to Woodsboro to protect me. Every single day you make the decision to protect me. None of us would even be alive if it weren't for you. You have to let us protect you this time." Tara stood up.

     "No."

     "Yes. We're a team remember."

     Mindy stood up, "Actually we're family." Chad clapped, smiling, "let's go! Core five. Actually, I've got an even better name; fantastic five." He placed his hand out.

     Rue walked over placing her hand on top of Chads, the rest did the same. "Fantastic five, that has a ring to it." Rue smiled. "Fantastic what?" Danny asked, "It's an us thing." Chad responded.

     "He's gonna keep coming after us." Sam's voice was low. "Isn't there somewhere like, safe we could just hold up in?" Ethan asked. "He's just gonna keep finding us." Tara sighed.

     "Great." Ethan let out.

     "We could use that though," Tara told everyone.

     Tara put her phone on speaker, talking to Detective Bailey.

     " I'm being forced to drop the investigation and now you want me to do what?"

     " We wanna lure him into a secure location and trap him inside."

     "And then what?"

     "We execute him."

     Detective bailey was silent, the group waited for a response to come out of him.

     "Are you gonna help us?"

     "Let's kill this son of a bitch. I have to stay here but Gale gave us the key cards to the theater. It's got surveillance and security cameras but we can use that against him. I'll tell Kirby to meet you there and I'll join as soon as I can."

     "Got it."

     "Remember, travel in public. More people around you the less chance he gets to take a shot at you before you get there."

published ; 03.26.23
vote and comment please !   
     guys rue is about to die in the next few chapters. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️