𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋

𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕖

"Billy!" you called. "I got Bride of Chucky stuck in the DVR again!"

You twisted around on the couch to shout up the stairs. Your voice echoed against the bare walls, but there was no other response. Frowning, you tossed the remote aside and crawled out of your comfortable cocoon of blankets.

"Billy?" you tried again, padding around to the base of the stairs. "Stu?"

They should have known by now that you were beyond used to their stupid jokes and low-brow scares. Nothing topped your experience at Windsor or the massacre two years before that inspired it.

You were about to call out again—half bored, half desperate to finish your movie before you fell asleep—when suddenly a loud creak resonated deep within the floorboards that ran along overhead. Footsteps.

Groaning, you tossed your head back dramatically and began to climb the steep wooden stairs. Billy was probably listening to his walkman again or something. He better be. You weren't nearly awake enough to react if he had another fake skeleton hanging from the rafters.

As you crept up the stairs, you kept an ear open for the quiet blaring of music. With the thin walls of the cabin, you could usually tell right away. But the sound never came. No ear-splitting guitar riffs or thundering bass. No foreseeable reason for why the boys couldn't have responded to you.

"The TV won't fix itself, guys!"

The second floor was eerily quiet and it finally occurred to you that maybe—maybe—this wasn't a joke at all. "...Guys?"

Cautiously, you creep to the other side of the wide hallway and nudge the door to Stu's bedroom open with the toe of your sock-clad foot. Inside it was dark aside from the static of his TV fizzling in the corner. It was just as messy as ever, but otherwise completely empty.

You didn't even bother with Billy's room, knowing that it was always locked up whether or not he was inside. "This isn't funny," you mumbled, shutting the door and continuing onwards toward your own bedroom. The door was slotted open, like always, but unlike always, you could have sworn that you shut it that morning when you came downstairs for breakfast.

Story of my life, you thought bitterly, sucking in a breath and pushing a hand against the white painted wood.

Your bed was messily made and your teddy bear was sitting proud against the headboard, just like you'd left it. Your eyes narrowed as you peered around, searching for something out of place or missing. Everything was suspiciously still.

There was a clatter as you kicked something across the floor with the toe of your sock. Forgetting the unease that had creeped up into your head, you smiled and bent over to pick up the stray cassette tape. "I was looking for you," you mumbled, bending over. "C'mere."

While you were busy picking it up, the door slammed behind you. Before you could think to react, two strong hands snaked around your waist. "Boo!"

Your breath hitched and you squeaked in surprise, twisting out of the loose hold and spinning around to face your attacker. A tall figure, face obstructed by the ghostface mask pulled over their head. Your playful terror turned to panic, then faded away completely as the mask lifted.

"Stu, I fucking hate you!"

Stu chuckled, flashing you his famous million-dollar smile. "C'mon, baby you don't mean that."

You lugged the tape at his chest—which he caught—and groaned in frustration. Once a scream queen, always a scream queen. Stu pouted and reached out for you again. "Don't be like that, (Y/N). You know you love me." 

Yeah right, you thought. As he spoke, he came up behind you once more and lifted you off of your feet by your middle.

Your grudge didn't last long and you couldn't help but break out into laughter as he carried you over his shoulder, down the staircase and back into the living room, tossing you onto the sofa with reckless abandon. You scrambled to your knees with a pillow at the ready, prepared to throw it at him, when you spotted Billy standing by the front door with a duffle bag by his feet.

You didn't react when Stu hooked his arms around your shoulders, kissing at your throat. "Where are you going?" You asked, lowering your fluffy weapon. 

Billy chewed his bottom lip, looking out the window to avoid your confused puppy-dog expression. "Nevada. Just for the night. We've got some business to take care of."

"Business?"

"Yeah sweetheart," Stu snickered, holding up the mask to the side of your face. "Business."

The implications didn't sit right with you and you squirmed on the couch. "You're not seriously leaving me here, are you?" You asked, hugging the pillow close to your chest.

"Forty-eight hours tops," Billy replied shortly, finally looking your way. His eyes softened when he noticed your look of fear, but he held fast. No use in training a dog if you're just gonna break whenever it whines at your feet.

Stu broke your pout with an assault of pecks on your cheek. "Cheer up. You get the house all to yourself!"

Cause that's exactly what I want, you thought, closing your eyes to avoid rolling them back into your head. Billy looked between you and Stu, eyes narrow as if he was just now realizing what he was doing by leaving you all by yourself. "Yeah," he said. "Don't let it get to your head."

"No parties, you mean?"

Darkness flickered across his gaze and you gulped, suddenly backtracking. "Alright, fine. No parties."

"You know the rules," he said, stepping back over to the couch and crouching in front of you so you had no choice but to look him in the eye. He was magnetic. Avoiding him was out of the question.

"Mhm," you said obediently, perking up instantly. "No leaving the property, no answering the door, and only pick up the phone on the third ring of the second call."

Billy offered you a smile, reaching up to pat your cheek proudly. He'd trained you well. "Good girl."

You waved them off from the front step—not allowing yourself to go any further than that. They promised they'd be back when you woke up the next morning, but you knew they would call you every thirty minutes as soon as night fell. You just knew. 

(A/N: This is...late. And short. But so much happens in the next one, I swear. School starts next week and I have a lot to do before that so my updates will probably be few and far between for the rest of August. My halloween special is in the works. I plan on writing every chapter in advance, then publishing one chapter a day in October. Thanks for reading! More edits coming soon).