She froze. Unable to move, it was as though Josie was glued to the spot. The only thing she was capable of doing was screaming, whilst Sarah battled with the masked man, whipping out her knife and trying to block his chainsaw swipes.
"JOSIE YOU NEED TO MOVE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
She tried to say something in return, but her voice had gone raspy. All she could do was mouth "I can't" towards Sarah. Almost immediately, Sarah lunged herself at Josie and pushed her to the other side of the room before commencing her fight against the man. However, it was all too easy how Sarah had been able to push Josie, all the way across the room, without her falling over someone...
Confused, Josie looked to the floor. Anna was no longer there. Right before she could tell Sarah, a thin arm wrapped itself around Josie's neck and another arm held a glimmering knife to it.
"Stop fighting!"
Both Sarah and the masked man turned to face Josie. Behind her was a bloodied girl who looked like she had been stabbed many times. Anna.
"Wha- Anna, what are you-"
"Quiet! I want you both to drop your weapons."
The man turned his chainsaw off and threw it to the floor immediately. Sarah seemed to be putting up a fight, as she glared over at Anna, knife still in her hand.
"Or what are you gonna do?"
"I'll slit Josie's neck right across the jugular vein and she'll bleed to death in a matter of minutes. Your choice."
Reluctantly, Sarah dropped the knife.
"Alright, I've dropped my weapon. Now drop yours."
"Oh, I'm afraid it doesn't work like that, Sarah. You see, I make the rules now. You're under my control."
The man picked up both weapons from the floor and joined Anna and Josie on the other side of the room.
"Meet my accomplice, Jones. Without him, tonight's events wouldn't have been possible. Let's all give him a round of applause."
Lamely, Anna started clapping. No one else joined her in her celebration. Josie saw her opportunity while her neck was free and elbowed Anna in the stomach. As she stumbled back, cursing out of pain, Jones made a move to grab Josie, but it was too late. She slipped from his clutches and her and Sarah ran into the same room that Jones had emerged from in the first place, closing the door just in time, as Jones was about to wedge his foot in it. Sarah locked the door with the key already in it. However, it was obvious that the door wasn't going to withstand the beating it was enduring from Jones' feet and hands. Josie desperately looked around for something.
"Over here! Sarah, help me move this cupboard."
The girls ran over to the cupboard on the adjacent wall and pushed it over to the door. It took every last ounce of their energy, but they were safe for now. They both collapsed in a heap in front of the cupboard.
"This can't be happening. Why would Anna turn against us like that?"
"I don't know, Jo. God, I always knew she was different. Like an outcast to our group. I should've known."
"How could you have known that someone was planning our murder? Jesus Christ, Sarah, it isn't just something that is made obvious."
Sarah shook her head.
"No, but all the signs were there. The way she isolated herself from the group. The way she lashed out over nothing."
The next part she whispered.
"The way she threatened to kill me."
"What??! Why didn't you tell me about this?"
"I didn't think she actually would... Why would I worry you over nothing?"
"But it wasn't nothing, clearly! If it was nothing, we wouldn't be in this situation right now."
"You're right, Jo. I should've told you. I'm sorry. I just didn't want you to change your opinion of either of us. I didn't want her to be outcast from the group..."
"She did that herself!"
The girls were so caught up in their conversation that they forgot all about the banging at the door, and failed to notice that Jones had successfully broke the door down...