"Who is this?" Sam held tightly onto the phone as she looked around in search of the caller. Corey pulled the pocket knife out of his back pocket with no hesitation as he stood in front of the girls.

"I want you to think long and hard about whether you really want to do this. Because the last two people that fucked with us, ended up dead".

At the sight of a man walking down the sidewalk Sam pushes Tara behind her slickly. When he walks past them she lets out a breath of relief.

Corey keeps looking around his grasp tightening on his pocket knife. "You shouldn't believe everything you read on the internet, asshole".

Corey heard the soft tap of footsteps making him frown deeply as he looked around. Then Tara screamed as she was grabbed from behind.

"No!" Corey sneered angrily as he tackled the figure into a pile of trash cans. He groaned as he landed on his side roughly "I'm too old for this shit". He stood up punching the figure he turned "go girls! I'm right behind you!".

They ran off and he pulled a trash can lid upwards the second the killer swung the knife at him. The knife slammed into the trash can lid roughly.

"Yeah I know your little party tricks" Corey smirked as he kicked the figure. Then he turned around and ran after the girls "why are we always running, gosh I'm exhausted already".

He let out a heavy breath as he ran inside the store Tara and Sam were going crazy asking the man behind the counter for help. Corey walked towards them "sir call the fucking cops now! I swear to god I will personally kick your ass if you don't hurry up".

"Hey man there's a line here!" the door opened and Corey pushed Tara and Sam behind him at the sight of the killer. He pushed his pocket knife forward while the killer attacked two innocent men.

People screamed as they ran out of the store "great, guess that means I get front of the line now". Corey pushed Tara and Sam more back when the man behind the counter grabbed a gun.

He missed terribly when he shot it making Corey roll his eyes as he ran towards ghostface. "Mother fucker!" he threw his arms around them and threw them over the counter.

He ignored the sting of the cut on his hand as he walked towards the killer. "We really gotta stop meeting like this, if you want my autograph so bad, you honestly just gotta ask man".

He jumped into the wall when the figure fired the gun at him. He screamed as the bullet slammed into his arm "ah fuck! I'm gonna kill you!".

His gaze darkened as he pushed himself off the ground pushing her arm against his chest as he used the other one to hold his pocket knife.

He let out a sigh "I don't see the whole appeal of wearing a mask while killing people, I mean if you want me dead, then do it like a man and show your face, you fucking bitch!".

He kicked the gun roughly out of ghostfaces grasp so much rage built within him as he grabbed the figure roughly. Pushing them into the wall ignoring the sting on his arm as he looked at there mask.

"What game you playing at asshat? what the fuck do you want from us! Huh? Why'd I do to you?". The figure tilted there head as they leaned closer to Corey, there hands gripping his face harshly.

He winced as he pushed his pocket knife into there arm making them let his face go. He cried out when they grabbed his arm pushing into the wound.

He is thrown onto the ground, Corey groans as he holds onto himself "run girls!" Tara and Sam run out of the store and then when Corey turns the killer is gone. A mask on the ground and beside it a photo. He falls to the ground slightly as he grabs the photo looking down at it.

Corey is smiling brightly as he holds onto Mickeys hand as the little boy takes his first steps. Roman is beside him laughing happily as he looks at the duo.

Corey let's out a shaky breath as tears slip down his cheeks his hands shaking as he flips the photo around. The red marker was fresh, the boldness of the letters making him get a sense of deja vu.

Mickey Bridger-Becker & Jill Roberts (2011)

He sighed deeply "oh would you look at that, it's my mask" Mickey smirked slightly as he poked the mask with annoyance. "I always hated wearing that stupid thing, it was hard to see shit".

Corey blinked "go away" he stood up looking down at the photo with sadness "I thought you lost that photo dad, I remember you freaking out over it".

"They're getting these things from somewhere, it's a warning, a count down to something....". He looked at the mask on the ground "I'm not gonna let them get away with this, not this time".

He walked out of the store his grasp tight on the photo "sir you can't be touching anything in there, it's evidence.. you could be...".

Corey glared at the detective "this is mine you dick! Mine! this asshat stole it from me! This is MINE!" He was pissed off now as he walked towards the man "Corey!" Sam and Tara ran towards him.

He pressed his hand angrily into the man's chest "you ain't got no right trying to tell me what not to touch, I've gone through this shit before! Don't touch anything, you'll ruin everything, don't fuck up the crime scene.. let me tell you something asshole! There wouldn't be a crime scene if you did your fucking job!".

"Sir..." Corey punched the police officer the man falling towards the ground. "I don't care who you are, Detective Bailey or Barney! Do your fucking job, or I will do it myself!".

He ripped the photo up screaming out in frustration as he let it fly onto Baileys body. "Corey!" he walked off down the sidewalk in a rush.

Sam looked down at the ripped shards of the photo smiling sadly at the sight of Corey's face seen. The man's smile bright and his eyes full of such light.

Now all that was left was a broken man.

—

Sam worried the entire time she was in the police station. The second she was able to leave she sent Tara home and went searching for Corey.

She had hoped this sixth bar was the place he found some comfort in. She walked inside letting out a nervous breath as she let her gaze look around.

Then she saw him, hidden in the corner of the bar he sat alone. His face red from crying as he held onto a beer bottle tightly.

She walked towards him quickly "Corey" she sat down across from him and he sighed deeply. "You shouldn't be here Samatha" he took a drink of his beer ignoring the sting it caused his throat.

"I was worried about you, I wasn't just gonna let you gloat here alone for the rest of the night". He sighed deeply "you're like Sidney, always trying to get me to not feel so shitty about my life, well newsflash it's shit! I can't catch a break".

He leaned forward into the table "I use to think if I was a good person, that if I just pretended I was normal and not insane, that I'd finally be free of this shit, but it just keeps coming back. It's like I'm stuck in a time loop, and there's no escape".

Sam grabbed his hand "hey there is a way out, you can still have a normal life, we can't let these assholes break us, that's what they want". Corey laughed lightly "no they want us dead Sam, I don't really care who they are. It's probably some asshole who wants revenge or fame, it's always the same bullshit motive, you would think they'd think of something new every once in awhile".

He sighed "just go home Sam, I'll be fine here, gonna drink until I can't feel anything anymore, or everything in this place looks dizzy".

He takes a drink of his beer, Sam grabs the bottle from his hand "no way I'm letting you do that, come on get up, you're going with me".

She stood up and Corey sighed as he leaned back "I do not agree to that, I'd rather deal with ghostface right now then do that!".

Sam sighed deeply as she helped him out of the bar "there's no way I'm leaving you alone right now, not with some psycho trying to kill us".

Corey looked at Sam "I'd be surprised if no one was trying to kill us right now". Sam stopped walking and unlocked the door for the apartment "okay you're staying here tonight, and there's no way you're gonna get your way out of here".

He huffed in annoyance as he was helped up the stairs. Sam opened the door "Sam where were you?" Tara's voice was the first he could hear as he was helped inside the room.

"She was out ruining my fun hour" Corey threw himself onto the couch sighing deeply as he threw his head back. "He was drunk, I wasn't just gonna let him be alone, especially with ghostface out".

Sam walked down the hallway and Tara sat down beside Corey "I should probably get you water, make you sober up faster so Sam will stop worrying about you all night".

Corey smiled "don't worry about me kid, I'm a tough guy, I can handle a few bottles of beers, honestly known of you should even be worrying about me. I should be the one protecting you".

Tara shock her head slightly "but then who would protect you? I mean you almost died trying to keep me and Tara save from ghostface, you literally let yourself get shot in the arm for us".

Corey looked at his arm "it'll heal, it's fine.. I'd rather take damage then let you girls get hurt, its not fun being attacked by someone all the time".

He sighed "how do you handle it all? I mean you've had years in your life where you've been attacked, and then you had these big gaps where you healed. Only for it to be ruined again by ghostface".

Corey pressed his hands against his legs "you don't ever really handle it... shit I'm still tore up about 1996, I didn't even know Billy Loomis and the guy killed my sister and then almost killed me. It was all because I just so happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, if he had killed me that first night, I wouldn't even be sitting here right now".

"Aren't you ever scared someone will finally kill you? That you'll finally meet your match?". Corey was silent for a moment "I'm not scared to die, I haven't been for a very long time. I guess that happens when you almost die a lot. But sometimes I am scared it'll all finally catch up to me, that someone under that mask will finally kill me".

He looked at Tara "but I'll make sure that doesn't happen to me or anyone else. I'll keep all of you safe from this fucker. I don't know who it is, but we won't let them get away with it".

Tara smiled as she stood up from the couch "you're a good person Corey, and I promise I'll make sure you don't get killed, because we still need you".

Sam appeared holding onto a pillow and blanket "Quinn let me borrow these, took her a good while to find them, she had company with her".

Tara smiled softly "good night Corey" she walked off down the hallway. "I see you two are starting to get along" Sam placed the pillow and blanket down.

Corey smiled "she's a good kid. Reminds me of myself, when I was that age". He laid down sighing deeply "you both remind me so much of myself, and I don't know if it's a good or bad thing".

"I'll be right down the hallway if you need anything, thanks for keeping me and Tara safe". She smiled and then she walked off.

Corey pushed the blanket over himself as he looked at the wall for a moment. His phone began ringing making him sit up quickly and grab a hold of it.

"Kirby? What's wrong?" he pushed the blanket off himself "another victim, Samantha's Therapist, same as the last crime scenes. A mask and photo left behind, dna results say the mask...".

"Roman Bridger, trust me I know the order of these masks, what's the photo this time?". He stood up off the couch "Corey I'm calling because the mask and photo were stolen from evidence, I personally didn't see the photo yet, but it's likely not good".

Corey frowned "why would the killer steal it back? That doesn't make any sense Kirby". A knock on the door made him tense up "I think they wanted you to see it Corey, look where are you? I'm coming to get you, it's not safe for you right now...".

The call ended and Corey looked down at his phone a new caller ID popping up. Roman Bridger

Corey picked it up quickly pressing the phone against his ear "you have about five seconds to tell me how the fuck you got this number before I really start losing my temper".

"Does your wife know you still pay for your dead husbands phone? All so you can listen to his pathetic voicemail when you feel like shit?".

"Look asshat, I don't know who are, but you're not gonna get away with this, you think you're being cute leaving behind photos of my life? I mean I'm truly honored you think I'm special".

"Oh but you are special Corey, It would be an honor to kill you, to see the life leave your eyes, just like you saw the light leave your family's eyes. I'm gonna make sure you suffer, this isn't about Sam... it's about you Corey, all of it is".

He looked at the door seeing the blood seep under the doorway in a rapid pace. "I left you a little gift, I do hope you love it, it's rather special".

The call ended and Corey sneered angrily as he pulled the door open. He gasped when the blood poured all over him. He let out a heavy breath as he looked at the body on the ground.

The blood soaking into his shoes as he looked at the photo taped to there chest. He kneeled down pulling it off and looking at it. Roman was smiling as he sat down on a couch, a cake in front of him. In the background in big bolded letters the wall saying happy 29th birthday Roman.

Corey flipped the photo over "thank you my love for the best birthday ever!.... Roman Bridger (2000) I hope you like my gift Corey".

He looked down at the body the mask covering there face familiar. Corey kneeled down grabbing the end of the mask the same mask that ruined his life so many years ago.

He expected to see some innocent persons body but instead it was a mannequin he was greeted by. He looked down at the mask sighing deeply.

—
authors notes:
I'm sick asf... hence why this update is so late, I was suppose to upload it like 2 days ago, anyways I'm keeping this short I'm exhausted. Enjoy! 8 chapters left on the countdown!