AS SOON AS Ethan Landry was dismissed from the hospital, the group took the steps outside in two. They practically ran to the train station, the boy who previously threw off his hospital gown claiming he was alright with the high amounts of physical exertion and cardiovascular activities. In reality, he was, but that didn't stop Juliet from continually making sure the curly-haired boy was okay.
When they got to the station, they realised they'd truly underestimated how many citizens and tourists of the bustling city took the train as a source of transport. People were everywhere, wheeling suitcases and carrying bags as they tried to avoid any type of human contact. The group couldn't help but watch as they failed.
"Stay close to me," Ethan whispered down into Juliet's ear as he moved forward, hand linking with her own. She nodded as she pressed her shoulder against his, walking in-between her group of friends as they began to push through the crowds of people. "Is this even a good plan?"
Tara rolled her eyes, looking back over her shoulder at the boy beside her blonde friend. "You don't have to come if you don't want to," she shrugged with annoyance, sparing her friend beside him a fed-up look before turning back around completely.
The boy widened his eyes, quickly shaking his head. "No, no, I'm coming . . . I just feel like this is gonna backfire," he reasoned, trying to word his statement as politely as he could. Juliet squeezed his hand in reassurance, a sign to tell him that he was fine.
"Let's just get to the theatre," Sam mumbled as she pushed past everyone, stepping onto the train with her boyfriend. Tara and Chad were quick to follow her, Juliet walking onto the train just as the doors started to close.
"Mindy, come on!" She shouted blindly as she quickly pulled Ethan onto the train. As soon as his feet were on she looked over his shoulder, the boy himself too looking back to see the girl struggling to push past people. "Mindy!"
The sound of the doors closing filled her ears, watching as the girl stopped at the end of the cement helplessly with sagging shoulders. She managed a smile with a hint of a nod, one to say I'll be okay. That wasn't true, and none of them believed it.
"Where's Mindy?" Sam asked naively as she turned to face her friends, missing the distressed looks Ethan and Juliet seemed to share.
"She missed the train," Chad grumbled, eyes flicking to eye Sam's boyfriend suspiciously. "I was gonna wait for them but cute boy kept dragging us on."
Pulling Juliet out of her worried thoughts for the stranded girl, Ethan tugged on the sleeve of her jacket, eyes straying elsewhere. She followed his train of sight as he gently pulled her backwards, eyes widening as she came to the overwhelming realisation they weren't alone. At least six people in their carriage were wearing the signature Ghostface costume.
"Oh shit," the blonde muttered beneath her breath, voice coming out raspy, as her hand not holding the boys palm found the sleeve of his jacket instead. She pushed herself closer to him as he warily eyed the people dotted around the train, sharing a nervous look with Chad and Tara as they too caught onto his finding.
"How many stops do we have?" Tara asked worriedly, shuffling closer to Chad. The lights flickered around them as the train shuddered along the tracks, causing Juliet to gulp down her anxiety.
Sam peered over Danny's shoulder, looking at the map before glancing back at them all sadly. "Ten," she muttered, her voice full of her heart's inner nerves.
"Has anyone heard from Mindy yet?" Juliet asked quietly, earning a softened yet worried glance from the boy she was currently clinging onto like her life depended on it. She raised her brows, locking eyes with Tara hopefully, only to receive a sad shake of her head.
"I've got nothing either," Chad mumbled, disheartened.
The announcement above them sounded, signalling the crowd of people inside the crammed train to stir back to life. People got off their seats, moving around and pushing people away as they tried to reach the open doors in time. Since the group was huddled so close to one of these parted doors, they were instantly hammered with a large surge of people. Even the tight grip Juliet had on Ethan's arm and hand was broken during the mix.
She heard the boy shout her name as she was pushed backwards, away from her friends. While still on the train, people only continued to move in front of her, stopping her from merging back with her own friends.
She bounced her leg, foot tapping against the unsanitary ground of the public train, as she nervously glanced around behind her. Just as her head swivelled around, the sea of people behind her finally parting, someone collided with her back. To her luck, and complete misfortune, it was someone dressed in a black coat and white mask. That one, haunting mask.
"Hey!" Ethan shouted from behind her as he caught a glance through the wave of people, forcefully pushing himself through them to reach her side. He pulled her back as the person behind the mask looked up, keeping a protective hand on her waist while the person shook their head and pushed themselves forward. Ethan watched cautiously as the cloaked figure moved around them to exit the train, eyeing him until the doors were completely closed.
"Are you okay?" He asked as soon as the train began moving again, hands holding her shoulders as his eyes surveyed her face. It'd become so natural that he hadn't thought twice about it, having committed the act countless times over the previous week to ensure her health and safety. All she'd learnt to do was force a smile and nod vicariously while she pushed her nerves and bubbling anxiety down.
"Yeah, just . . . scared me, a little," she smiled sheepishly, as though she were embarrassed about it. Ethan glanced up with a clenched jaw, eyes watching their surroundings as he sent others looking their way narrowed looks that sent their sight to the floor. However, his anger and annoyed demeanour soon washed away when the girl in front of him reached up and ran her fingers across his jaw, softening his tenseness until it'd disappeared.
He looked down, furrowed brows of confusion watching her light face smile through the negativity of the space. He couldn't help but find himself to smile too, as the girl he adored made the monsters in the background fade away.
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