BRUTAL !

CHAPTER SIX:
"Death has come to your little town"

WHEN THEY KNOCKED, Mindy opened the door with a smile and a hint of surprise about Nate being there. She walked the group into the living room of the house.

"How do you know so much about Stab?" Richie asked, his eyes flickering around the big room.

"Runs in her family." Dewey answered before Mindy had a chance.

"Randy was our uncle." She said simply. "RIP."

Sam, Richie and Nate looked at the pictures above the fireplace. There was a huge one of Randy and then a few smaller ones underneath and a plaque that read: 'Randy Meeks, Memorial Home Theatre'.

"You said to bring everybody." Mindy muttered in a sing-song voice.

Kitty let herself fall on the edge of the sofa, into the empty spot beside Wes.

"Woo, suspects!" Martha Meeks-Martin came walking into the room with a tray full of snacks. "My brother would be so proud."

"Hey, Martha." Dewey greeted.

"Dewey! Hi!" Martha smiled, hugging the man. "You look..." She nodded repeatedly, not finding the right words. The awkwardness was visible as Dewey nodded right back. "How's the wife?"

"Okay, Mom," Chad interrupted before the room could grow even more uncomfortable. "We're good. Thank you."

"All right, kids, have fun." Martha smiled before she excused herself and left the room.

"I asked Mindy to call everybody here, because..." Sam struggled to finish her sentence, looking back at Richie who gave her an encouraging nod. "There's something I have to tell you."

A short while later, the group had settled around the living room, watching a documentary about the night of the first-ever Woodsboro massacre. Billy Loomis and Stu Macher had been revealed as the killers, who went on a killing spree to get famous.

"So let me get this straight," Chad said as soon as the documentary had finished playing. "You're saying that you're the daughter of Billy Loomis, and, what, that one of us is the killer?"

"The killer told me he knew my secret." Sam nodded. "He attacked Tara to lure me back here."

"But then why immediately go and murder some douche-nozzle that was stalking Liv?"

"And why does it have to be one of us?" Wes asked. "What about Deputy Dewey here? Maybe he's the killer. No offense."

"None taken, but what's my motive?" Dewey leaned forward, furrowing his brows.

"You got stabbed a billion times, got dumped by your famous wife, and crawled into a bottle. I think it's safe to say you're on the suspect list."

"Wes," Kitty sighed, putting a hand on her boyfriend's arm, to keep him from going even further.

"Well, maybe you're the killer," Dewey said suddenly, eying Wes and the way he was looking at Kitty. "Because that cut deep."

Wes looked regretful as the Ex-Sheriff leaned back in his seat, clearly shaken by the accusation.

"That douche-nozzle is connected." Amber suddenly added. "I googled him. His Mom is Leslie Macher. Stu Macher's sister."

"Yeah, she's right," Nate nodded. "That's why I'm here. I saw the police report about the death of that Vince guy and knew that something was really wrong."

"Who's Stu Macher?" Liv asked confused. "And sorry, but who are you?" She turned her head to look at Nate.

"Stu Macher was Billy Loomis's accomplice," Kitty muttered. "And he is my brother." She nodded her head at Nate. "A Cop from New York."

"A real loony tune." Dewey sighed. "Uh, not you, Walker, Stu Macher obviously."

"Yeah." Nate agreed.

"Exactly," Mindy said, her tone far too cheerful given the circumstances. She leaned forward with a glint in her eye, her words slowing for emphasis. "And someone has a clear hitlist. Which is why we need to talk about patterns—and partnerships."

Her gaze shifted, sharp and deliberate, landing squarely on Wes and Kitty. A sly grin spread across her face.

"Specifically, you two."

Kitty froze, her posture stiffening as if bracing for impact. Nate, who had been silently observing, turned to her sharply, his brows knitting together.

"What?" Kitty's voice came out defensive, but there was a crack in it, a note of uncertainty she couldn't quite suppress.

"Oh, come on." Mindy said, rolling her eyes as if she'd just solved a trivial puzzle. "We all know you two have been together for ages, but since the start of the year? You two have barely left each other's side."

"What is she talking about?" Nate asked quietly, his voice low but commanding as he fixed Kitty with a pointed stare.

"Well, sex," Mindy said flatly, almost as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "Ms. Innocent and Mr. Taser here have been sleeping together."

"What?" Chad blurted, looking between Wes and Kitty with wide eyes. "You're doing what?" His initial shock melted into a teasing grin. "Why didn't you tell me, brother? But wait—" He placed a hand over his heart dramatically. "Now I'm the only virgin?"

"Chad, stop," Wes groaned, his face burning as he buried it in his hands.

"Oh my god." Kitty muttered under her breath, before she finally found the courage to look up at her friends. "Look it was going to happen eventually. But you don't need to make a big deal out of it. We've been together long enough." She shot a quick, cautious glance at her brother, unwilling to make this the subject of their family discussion.

Nate's expression hardened as he locked eyes with his sister, his tone cold. "You lied to me, then."

Kitty's shoulders sagged, shame coloring her face as she mumbled, "I didn't think it mattered. And I was going to tell you... eventually."

"Oh, sure," Mindy chimed in, still lounging comfortably as if watching her favorite show. "Right after graduation, right? Or maybe at your wedding. Would've been a great toast."

"Shut up, Mindy," Wes snapped. "Look, Nate—"

"I'm Mr. Walker to you," Nate interrupted, his tone sharp and unyielding.

"Nate, please, let's not discuss that now, okay?"

"No, let's discuss this right now." Mindy interrupted, her arms crossed. "A couple that's this close in the middle of a murder mystery? That screams accomplices. The rotten apple doesn't fall far from the tree, right, Kitty? You're just like your brother and his messed up girlfriend.. Charlie and Jill junior?"

"Enough, Mindy!" Sam said sternly.

"But she's not exactly wrong, is she?" Liv asked carefully. "Kitty's brother was in a relationship with that girl and they were the killers, right?"

"Yeah," Dewey nodded, with obvious distaste. He knew Kitty. He knew her well enough to understand that it was her worst nightmare to become anything like her brother. "Kitty's and Nate's family has a history, to say the least."

"I'm not like him." Kitty shook her head. "I'm not a monster."

Wes smiled at her, squeezing her hand to comfort her. Nate's cold gaze flicked over them, his expression unreadable, but he remained silent.

Mindy wasn't finished. She leaned forward, a sly smirk spreading across her face. "Think about it. You two are so close, you practically read each other's minds. You've got that 'perfect killer duo' vibe, like no one could ever betray the other."

"Can we please continue this in a civilized manner?" Amber asked, tired of fighting with her friends. "We won't get far if we keep saying hurtful things to each other."

Kitty smiled at her friend thankfully and nodded, blinking a hint of tears away.

"Okay. Okay." Sam nodded. "So the first three attacks are all on people related to the original killers."

"Oh, my God. He's making a requel!" Mindy said excitedly.

"A what?" Sam asked baffled.

"Or a legacyquel." Mindy shrugged. "Fans are torn on the terminology."

"God. Please speak English." Chad begged.

"Remember the Stab movie that came out last year?" Mindy asked, trying to keep her explanation simple.

"Oh, yeah! The one the Knives Out guy directed, right?" Liv asked. "I actually really liked that one."

"Of course you did." Mindy smiled sarcastically. "You have terrible taste."

"I hate you."

"That one was shit," Kitty mumbled and Mindy pointed in her direction, before she continued and Mindy let her hand sink, her face twisting into disappointment. "Like every movie of that stupid franchise was."

"Well," Mindy sighed. "Agree to disagree, okay? The point is, the hard-core Stab fans hated it. You go on 4chan and Dreadit, all they're talking about is how Stab 8 pissed on their childhoods. How they crammed in social commentary just to elevate it. How the main character's a Mary Sue." She ranted.

"What's a Mary Sue?" Richie asked confused. Richie, Dewey, Nate and Sam leaned forward interested to hear Mindy's explanation.

"You really don't want to know." Wes muttered with a shake of his head.

"What's wrong with elevated horror?" Amber shook her head, like she didn't understand a thing of what Mindy was trying to say. "I mean, Jordan Peele fucking rules."

"Obviously, but that's not Stab." Mindy shrugged. "Real Stab movies are meta slasher whodunits, full stop."

"So, what you're saying is that Stab movies are meant to be stupid?" Kitty challenged with a frown.

"Have I taught you nothing, Katherine?"

"Come on, it's just a movie," Sam exclaimed with a roll of her eyes.

"No, it's not." Mindy broke into another rant. "To some people, the original is their favorite thing in the world. The movie that made them love horror. That Mom or Dad showed them when they were ten that bonded them together. And God help anyone who slightly fucks with that special memory."

Everyone started to slowly understand what she was talking about.

"Who makes a movie they think disrespects it."

"Shit," Kitty mumbled and Wes nodded.

"It sounds like our killer is writing his own version of Stab 8, but doing it as a requel." Mindy concluded.

"Which is?"

"See, you can't just reboot a franchise from scratch anymore. The fans won't stand for it. Black Christmas, Child's Play, Flatliners... that shit doesn't work. But you can't just do a straight sequel, either. You got to build something new. But not too new, or the Internet goes bug-fucking nuts. It has to be part of an ongoing story line, even if the story shouldn't have been ongoing in the first place. New main characters, yes, but supported by and related to legacy characters. Not quite a reboot, not quite a sequel. Like the new Halloween, Saw, Terminator, Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters...fuck, even Star Wars! It always, always goes back to the original!"

"Are you telling me that I'm caught in the middle of fan-fucking-fiction?" Sam asked in disbelief.

"Not just in the middle, Sam. You're the star." Mindy grinned and Kitty had to admit that she was looking kinda creepy.

"So, not to put too fine a point on it, but, according to requel rules...who's next?"

"Going by the pattern," Mindy declared. "Whoever it is has to be connected to someone that came before."

"I'm starting to regret coming here." Dewey mumbled when all eyes fell on him

"Jesus, my mom was a character in one of them." Wes exclaimed open-mouthed.

"No one cares about the shitty inferior sequels, Wes. You're safe." Mindy smiled, before she turned to her brother. "With Randy as our uncle, though, you and I are probably screwed."

"Wait. What?"

"As screwed as Nate and Kitty, but I'm not entirely convinced she's innocent just yet"

"Thank you," Kitty nodded sarcastically, leaning back on the couch and crossing her arms.

"Or you're the killer," Richie shrugged, looking back at Mindy. "And this whole elaborate monologue is just to cover your tracks."

"I think it's pretty clear who the killer is at this point."

"Who?" Nate and Sam chorused.

"You." Mindy smiled a satisfied smile at Sam. "It makes perfect requel sense."

"That actually does make a lot of sense." Chad nodded.

"Yeah." Liv agreed.

Sam looked around. Dewey looked uncomfortable but not quite unconvinced. Wes and Kitty turned their eyes away and Nate had a sympathetic expression on his face.

"Fuck this." Sam shook her head and got up, storming out of the house.

"Was that really necessary?" Kitty asked as soon as Richie had gotten up too, following his girlfriend.

"We can't be too suspicious of each other," Mindy simply shrugged.

"Yeah, you're really making sure."

"What do we do now?" Amber asked.

"I say we all go home, lock the doors and keep an eye out, and a phone nearby to call the police." Nate instructed. "Come on, Kitty."

Kitty followed her brother outside, Wes close behind her. "Could you, uh, wait in the car?" She asked Nate, who nodded reluctantly.

"Keep it short."

"Sorry about all of this," Kitty said when it was just Wes and her. She ran a hand over his chest. "And sorry about him." They both looked back to Nate in the car, who quickly acted like he hadn't been watching them.

"It's fine." Wes shook his head and sighed, a smile creeping onto his lips. "Actually, I'm glad it's out now. I mean not that it's anyone's business, but I was really getting tired of Mindy's virgin jokes."

"Yeah, me too." Kitty grinned. "At least I didn't have to decide when would be the right time to tell Nate. Even if that in there was full on shock therapy."

Wes smiled even brighter at her joke, before his expression turned serious again. He reached out, his fingers gently tucking her jacket tighter around her. It was such a small thing— barely noticeable to anyone else-but it made Kitty's heart stutter.

"You be careful, okay?" His voice was low, firm, but filled with unspoken worry.

Kitty's lips curled up. "You too."

Wes didn't let go immediately. His fingers brushed against hers, lingering, like he wasn't ready to pull away just yet.

Behind them, the door opened and the twins walked the others outside.

"I love you," Wes muttered, before he pulled Kitty closer by her hip.

As Wes leaned in, Kitty met him halfway, her fingers curling into the front of his shirt. The kiss was warm, lingering, and far from subtle. The world around them seemed to melt away as they lost themselves in each other.

From the porch, their friends erupted into cheers and teasing shouts.

"Get it, Kitty!" Mindy hollered, making a megaphone with her hands.

"Someone call the fire department—they're gonna need to be hosed down!" Chad whooped, earning laughter from Liv.

Amber smirked, leaning casually against the doorframe. "Okay, but seriously—get a room."

The kiss stretched on, their smiles breaking through the intensity as Wes's hands moved to rest lightly on Kitty's waist. Finally, the loud, impatient honk of Nate's car horn broke the moment like a gunshot.

Kitty and Wes turned to see Nate glaring at them from the driver's seat, his hand still on the horn. His expression was unreadable, but his tight grip on the steering wheel said plenty.

"I love you more," Kitty smiled sheepishly, pressing a quick peck to Wes' lips before she walked around the car and sat in the passenger seat.

Wes and the rest of their friends waved when Nate set the car back.

After a few seconds, Nate finally broke the silence. "So.. uh Wes, huh?"

"Oh, God, no" Kitty shook her head. "We're not doing this."

"Yes, we are." Nate said, smiling uncomfortably, having about as much fun as at the dentist. "And I mean that was quite the kiss."

"Oh my god." Kitty hid her face in her hands. "Can you please calm down? It was just a kiss, okay? It's not like we were doing anything—"

"Okay, nope, don't finish that sentence," Nate cut her off, holding up a hand as if to physically block the words. "I don't need that mental image."

"Then stop bringing it up!"

Nate grinned, though it was a little strained. "Just making sure. And you two—" He gestured vaguely, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. "You're not, like, taking things too fast, right? You know what I mean?"

Kitty snorted, shaking her head. "Oh my God, Nate. We've been together for a while now. It's fine."

Nate let out a breath, relieved but still awkward. "Well, uh... good. Just... don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Kitty shot him a look. "Well, there goes that advice."

"Fair." Nate grinned sheepishly, then asked in an entirely different tone, "So, how long has this been going on?"

Kitty sighed, deciding to throw him a bone. "We've been dating for the last four years."

Nate's eyes widened, and he nearly missed a stop sign. "Four years? And you didn't think to tell me?!"

"You weren't exactly around, Nate!" Kitty snapped.

"Okay, yeah, fair point." Nate nodded. "But we've been over this and for now let's just ignore that bubbling bath of messy things."

"Fine. There are more important things now anyway." Kitty agreed.

"Just uh— tell me, are you using protection?"

Kitty's jaw dropped so fast it was a miracle it didn't unhinge. "What?"

Nate glanced at her, his expression deadly serious. "Protection. You know, like—uh—condoms. Or birth control. Because I'm just saying, accidents happen, and—"

"Oh my God, Nate, stop talking!" Kitty practically shrieked, burying her face in her hands. Her cheeks were so red she felt like she might spontaneously combust.

"I'm just trying to be responsible here!" Nate protested, his voice raising defensively. "I'm your brother, Kitty! I can't just not ask this stuff!"

"Actually, yes, you can!" Kitty groaned, rubbing her temples. "Oh my God, Nate. Mom's got it handled, okay? She had 'the talk' with me, like, years ago. You don't need to step in now."

"Oh." Nate blinked, relieved but still awkward. "Well, uh... good. That's... good to know."

"Yeah, so maybe let's never talk about this again?" Kitty muttered, slouching in her seat.

"Deal," Nate replied quickly, his cheeks redder than the stoplight ahead.

—