The Author's First Plan

The Author's First Plan was a story written by Donald Newton. It was meant to be a trilogy. Be a sequel was never written. This was also at a time when the character bio description of the first or second chapter as opening credits.

Chapter 1
DEFINITION OF “AUTHOR”:

“An author is a person who created (or is creating) a written work such as a book, poem, or article.”

DONALD NEWTON’S DEFINITION OF “AUTHOR”:

“Creator of anything. Rather it be a list, thought, chart...or a plan.”

Saturday, August 19, 2000 - Clearwood, Washington

(Note: Clearwood is my main fictional city that I place most of my stories at regardless of the story. Scream or other)

A station wagon drives into a garage. In the garage, ELLEN GROVES (30) gets out of the station wagon. Despite her living arrangements, Ellen looks classy, successful, and high class.

The back passenger door opens and getting out is Ellen’s son EDDIE GROVES (8). He’s excited to be home. While he runs inside the house, Ellen unbuckles MADDY GROVES, her infant daughter.

ELLEN: Hey, Maddy. We’re home.

Ellen picks her up and carries her inside the house.

ELLEN: That’s my big girl.

Inside the house, PHIL GROVES, Ellen’s husband, sits on his recliner chair. He doesn’t look anything like the kind of man that Ellen would be with. Whereas Ellen looks clean, has money, and more fashionable, Phil has long hair, scrubby face, trailer-trash clothes. Obviously has an extremely low paying job.

However, despite their difference in class and appearance, it’s obvious by how they smile at each other when she walks in that they are in love. Ellen approaches and kisses her husband. His lower class appearance does not bother her, even as she looks like a Queen compared to his bum-like appearance.

PHIL: How was the party?

ELLEN: It was okay. The usual business stuff.

PHIL: Still had fun though?

ELLEN: I guess.

Eddie goes down to the basement where his bedroom is. As he enters his bedroom, he hears the sounds of footsteps approaching from outside his window.

Outside are four men; RICHARD BISHOP, DARRELL LATHAM, JERRY BLAIR, and GARY FEWIN. They approach the house with their own boxes of gasoline filled bottles.

RICHARD: The station wagon is not here. That means she hasn’t come home yet. We’re good.

DARRELL: Good.

RICHARD: You guys ready?

GUYS: YEAH!

RICHARD: Let’s get this loser.

The men approach the house as they light the cloths in their bottles. Eddie sees them through his bedroom window. They do not see him. The men split into different areas of the house. Richard takes the front, Darrell takes the back, Jerry takes the east side of the house, and Gary takes the west side.

They begin throwing their lit up bottles into the house. It’s Richard who throws his flaming bottle into Eddie’s bedroom. He never even saw him. Chances are, Richard would have changed his mind about this if he saw the boy. Their target is Phil. Not the rest of the family.

Eddie begins to panic. He looks around for a way to escape.

In the living room, Phil and Ellen, who is holding baby Maddy, find themselves being surrounded by flames consuming their house. Ellen is scared. Phil tries to stay strong for his wife.

PHIL: GO! Take Maddy and get out of here!

ELLEN: What about Eddie?

PHIL: I’ll go get him. You get yourselves out!

Outside, the four men drive away in their black oldsmobile. Their oldsmobile disappears into the dark just as the front door opens. Ellen comes out with baby Maddy, unaware of the men and the car that just drove off from the scene.

Ellen watches as her house is disappearing into flames. She’s scared for her son and husband.

ELLEN: PHIL! EDDIE! GET OUT OF THERE!

Ellen begins to cry.

Phil runs down the basement stairs.

PHIL: EDDIE!

Phil runs into Eddie’s bedroom. It’s filled with fire. But no Eddie.

PHIL: Eddie?

Phil looks around for Eddie. The boy is nowhere in the basement.

PHIL: Eddie? Where are you?

In the woods that’s next to the Groves house, Richard, Darrell, Jerry, and Gary carries out DEL GIVENS, who is drunk and unconscious, out of the trunk of the car. They lay him down on the ground. Afterwards, they place empty beer bottles around him. They leave the leftover gasoline filled bottles by him.

The four men hurry back into the Oldsmobile and drive off. Del’s unconscious body is left behind. Appearing like he's responsible for the fire.

In the basement, Phil begins to hear noises of the house being destroyed by the fire as he looks for a way out.

Outside in the front, Ellen sees that the house begins to collapse.

ELLEN: PHIL!

Phil looks around. The stairs to the first floor is filled with smoke. The entire first floor is burning. He cannot escape to the first floor. He looks around the basement for a window large enough for him. But there is none. He’s screwed.

He looks up. The ceiling, the floor to the first floor, begins to cave in.

PHIL: Shit.

Outside, the house begins to collapse. It’s a major disaster. Ellen begins to scream.

ELLEN: PHIL!

The house commences to fall on Phil. He screams out.

ELLEN: NO!

The entire house collapses. Ellen is distraught. Fearing the worst for her husband and son.

The next morning, the firefighters have taken out the fire. An ambulance carrying Phil leaves. Ellen, still holding Baby Maddy, cries as she gives her statement to the police.

A handcuffed Del is being put into the a police car. He, too, believes that he's responsible for the fire because he was drunk.

A FEMALE REPORTER begins reporting the news about the fire.

FEMALE REPORTER: Last night ended tragically here on State and 31st in Clearwood. A local man, Del Givens, had set this house behind me on fire while under the influence of alcohol. There were four people in the house at the time. Two parents, a little boy, who has been identified as Eddie Groves, and an infant girl. The mother and the baby girl were able to escape safely. However, the father, identified as Phil Groves, stayed behind to find their son. Before either one of them can escape from the fire, the house collapsed on them. The father was found unconscious and is in critical condition. It isn't certain if he will survive or. Sadly, rescue workers have not found the boy and are fearing the worst…

SCREAM: The Author's First Blood

STARRING:

MADDY REYNOLDS (16): The daughter of Phil and Ellen, stepdaughter of Tom Reynolds. Younger sister of Eddie Groves, step sister of Eric, Scott, and Olivia Reynolds. Because the fire that put her biological father in a coma and killed her brother happened when she was a baby, she has grown up believing that Tom and his kids are her real father and siblings. She is shy, innocent, and socially awkward compared to her older siblings. She is the story's final girl.

ELLEN REYNOLDS (45): Wife of Tom Reynolds, ex-wife of Phil Groves, mother of Maddy and Eddie Groves, stepmother of Eric, Scott, and Olivia Reynolds. Was originally married to Phil until the fire put him in a coma. Believing he would either die or never wake up, she moved on and remarried to Tom Reynolds. She raised Maddy to believe that Tom was her father.

BILL MCKINLEY (48): Maddy’s history teacher. He has a dark secret and past.

SHERIFF JACK KENNEDY (40s): Brother-in-Law of Richard Bishop. Apparently he knew the truth about the house fire but covered it up on behalf of his sister. He is the Uncle of Sabrina Fewin.

TOM REYNOLDS (50): Second husband of Ellen Reynolds, father of Eric, Scott, and Olivia Reynolds, and the stepfather of Maddy Reynolds. Married Ellen after she decided to move on for baby Maddy when it appeared that her first husband would either die or never wake up from his coma. He is a successful businessman.

ERIC REYNOLDS (23): Tom's eldest son. He is a store employee and is engaged to be married to his longtime girlfriend Colleen Wilson. Sees Maddy as his little sister despite her being his step sister.

SCOTT REYNOLDS (21): Tom's second son. He is a college football player. He likes to think he's a tough guy. He's dating cheerleader Rachel Millard. Sees Maddy as his little sister despite her being his step sister.

OLIVIA REYNOLDS (19): Tom's daughter and youngest child. She is a part hippie, part Goth, and part skater. Stoner. She's a high school dropout. She's dating fellow stoner Jeff Rivers. Sees Maddy as her little sister despite her being her step sister.

NICK REEVES (17): Maddy's very first boyfriend. Very handsome and popular. Unlike most popular guys, he's not stuck-up or your typical jerk. He is very kind and friendly to those who are considered below his social status. In fact, he chose the social outcast Maddy over Aurora Van Dyke, the most popular girl in school who likes him.

JOSH EVANS (23): A close friend of the Reynolds kids. Very protective of Maddy. Refers to Ellen as mom like most of the kids’ friends. He works with Eric at the local store.

COLLEEN WILSON (20s): Eric's beautiful and independent fiancee. She has been with Eric for so long that she's considered part of the family.

RACHEL MILLARD (21): Scott's beautiful college cheerleader girlfriend.

JEFF RIVERS (20s): Olivia's stoner dumbass boyfriend.

SEAN DAVIS (23): A new friend of the Reynolds kids.

BIG DENNIS (20s): A close friend of the Reynolds kids. He is large guy. Tough and badass. Willing to fight to the death. Refers to Ellen as mom like most of the kids’ friends.

KAITLYN BISHOP (16): Friend of Maddy’s and daughter of Richard Bishop.

ZACH LATHAM (16): Friend of Maddy’s, Kaitlyn’s boyfriend, and the son of Darrell Latham.

JAMES BLAIR (16): Friend of Maddy’s and the son of Jerry Blair.

RONNIE CLEVELAND (16): Friend of Maddy’s and the girlfriend of James Blair.

AURORA VAN DYKE (17): A rich bitch and the most popular girl in school. She has a crush on Nick Reeves. But when Nick choses Maddy over her, she begins to be obsessive and stalks the two.

SABRINA FEWIN (17): An acquaintance of Maddy and her friends. Daughter of the late Gary Fewin and the niece of Sheriff Jack Kennedy. Lives with Kennedy.

PHIL GROVES: Ex-husband of Ellen Reynolds and father of Maddy and Eddie Groves. Has been in a coma since the fire.

EDDIE GROVES (8): The son of Phil and Ellen Groves and older brother of Maddy. His body was never recovered from the fire and is presumed dead.

RICHARD BISHOP: The father of Kaitlyn Bishop. He lead the group of men to set the Groves house on fire.

GARY FEWIN: Father of Sabrina Fewin and brother-in-law of Sheriff Jack Kennedy. He was one of the four men who set the Groves house on fire. He died sometime after the incident.

DARRELL LATHAM: Father of Zach Latham. He was one of the four men who set the Groves house on fire.

JERRY BLAIR: Father of James Blair. He was one of the four men who set the Groves house on fire.

And

DEL GIVENS: The man who was framed by Richard Bishop, Darrell Latham, Jerry Blair, and Gary Fewin for setting the Groves house on fire. Because he was drunk was the four men attacked him, he had no knowledge of what happened and took responsibility for the fire despite being innocent. He died while in prison.

Chapter 2
FIFTEEN YEARS LATER - OCTOBER 19, 2016

RINGING ON A LARGE FLAT SCREEN TV

SABRINA FEWIN (17) looks up to her TV. She’s on the couch, on top of her boyfriend WAYNE COLE (17). His shirt is unbuttoned and open.

WAYNE: What is it?

SABRINA: Oh, it’s just somebody trying to send me a video chat request.

She grabs the remote control and presses it towards the TV. The video call is declined. The TV goes back to the TEENAGE DRAMA show that they were watching before.

SABRINA: Now, where were we?

They smile and begin to make out. It gets hot and heavy pretty quickly.

We MOVE AWAY from them as clothes begin to be thrown on the floor. We move to the window. It is dark outside. The porch light is on. A shadow of a person appears on the grass. The shadow walks away, disappearing from the light and into the darkness.

Later, we see a picture of Sabrina and her dad Gary (One of the Groves' arsonist) together that is sitting on a stand by the couch. On the couch is Sabrina and Wayne, putting their clothes back on. Sabrina, wearing a bra, is putting her shirt back on. Wayne is buttoning up his shirt. He is sweaty.

SABRINA: I need to shower before my Uncle gets home. You should leave before he catches you here.

Sabrina gets up and walks off without saying goodbye to Wayne. He is clearly hurt and upset by this.

In Sabrina's bathroom, the shower head turns on. The water sprays all over Sabrina. She soaks her hair in the hot water. She allows the water to rinse her body as she’s suddenly lost in thought. She’s having post coital tristesse.

Wayne gets inside his car. He slams his car door shut. He’s still upset by how Sabrina just told him to shove off after sex.

WAYNE: Bitch.

Wayne starts the car. He backs his car out of the driveway and into the road. He drives off.

Wayne turns the radio on. A POP SONG plays. He sings along with it.

In the backseat, we find a dark figure lying down. The figure rises. From the rear-view mirror, we see the figure rising. It’s a MAN. Wayne is oblivious to this.

We CUT TO:

Outside the shower in Sabrina’s bathroom. The shower door is glass with a RAIN texture that distorts the glass, making it hard to see Sabrina’s nude body inside. The shower is turned off. She slightly opens the door to reach for the towel hung up right next to the shower.

We can see through the distorted glass that Sabrina wraps the towel around her, covering up her chest and lower torso.

Sabrina, now wearing a white shirt and pajama bottoms, comes down the stairs and turns into the living room. She goes over to the couch and turns on the TV. A movie is playing.

The SAME VIDEO CHAT REQUEST appears on the TV screen. This time it’s from Wayne.

SABRINA: What the hell do you want, Wayne?

She uses the remote to accept the request.

VIDEO:

The video chat begins and she sees WAYNE tied to a chair. His mouth is taped up. He’s bloodied up. Tears are running down his face. He’s terrified for his life.

Sabrina is stricken with horror.

SABRINA: (frightened) Wayne?

The camera turns away from Wayne to show GHOSTFACE. He's wearing all black. Black hooded jacket, pants, boots, and gloves. The mask is a combination of what the original FATHER DEATH mask from the Scream movies and the BRANDON JAMES mask from the TV series would look like together. The same exact mask and attire from the Tyler and Nancy stories. Just as frightening.

Sabrina gasps. Filled with horror. Frightened by the appearance of her boyfriend’s attacker.

SABRINA: What are you?

GHOSTFACE: Hello, Sabrina. It’s nice to finally meet you. Our families go back fifteen years. We are apart of history, you and I.

SABRINA: What are you talking about?

GHOSTFACE: I'm talking about what your father did. Gary Fewin.

FLASHBACK:

GARY FEWIN and the other four men are seen throwing the lit up bottles into the Groves House. Setting the house ablaze.

BACK TO 2016

GHOSTFACE: Your father destroyed my family. He and his friends destroyed my family. Your uncle, the Sheriff, knows the truth. Yet, he covered it up because your mother asked him to protect your father and his friends. They know the truth. And they let it go. There was no justice for what they did. And they shall suffer the consequences. I lived to feel the pain of my loss. I'll spare them their lives. But Richard Bishop, Darrell Latham, and Jerry Blair shall live to feel my pain. Your father has already died. But your Uncle can suffer the same pain for his part. So I’m beginning that punishment tonight. Starting with your boyfriend…

Ghostface turns the camera back to Wayne, pointing a knife at the frighten boyfriend. Both Wayne and Sabrina cry. Begging for his life.

SABRINA: No, please.

The camera stays on Wayne as Ghostface continues to talk.

GHOSTFACE: However, you can end this. You can prevent a repeat of another Clearwood tragedy and save your boyfriend. Follow my instructions and you and your boyfriend will live. Take your phone with you and go into your uncle’s bedroom.

Sabrina, in a sheer panic and confusion, can’t move. Very hesitant.

GHOSTFACE: Just do it.

Sabrina gets up, runs out of the living room, and runs up the stairs.

Sabrina enters her uncle’s bedroom. She turns on the light. We can hear Ghostface talking from her phone.

GHOSTFACE: Now go to the closet. There should be a safe.

Sabrina goes to the closet and opens it. Standing inside is a safe. The lock is electronic with a keypad.

SABRINA:I don’t know the...

GHOSTFACE: The combination is your birthday. Zero-two-twenty-eight-double-nine.

Sabrina types in the code: 02-28-99. A click is heard. It’s unlocked. Sabrina opens it. Inside is an old revolver.

GHOSTFACE: See the gun?

SABRINA: Yes.

GHOSTFACE: Take it.

Sabrina grabs the gun. She watches the video. Waiting for instructions.

GHOSTFACE: You have one chance to save your boyfriend. Look out the window by the bed.

Sabrina hurries to the window by the bed. She peeks through. She sees Wayne, stilled taped up to the chair. But Ghostface is nowhere to be found.

GHOSTFACE: Come and get him.

Sabrina runs out of the bedroom.

Outside in the backyard, the chair-bound Wayne is still sitting just off of the porch, facing the backdoor. From our view from behind him, we can’t tell what he’s doing.

Sabrina is watching the video as she enters the kitchen. She can see that Wayne is scared and crying. She is hurrying to the backdoor. She opens the backdoor. She walks out to find…

WAYNE’S DEAD BODY. His throat has been slashed.

SABRINA: NO! WAYNE!

She turns to the video. She is totally confused by what she sees.

VIDEO:

We see that Wayne is still alive and crying as Ghostface comes up behind him with his knife. It’s clear to us now that this video is a delayed broadcast, not consisted with the accurate time.

WAYNE: (begging) No, please. Please, don’t.

GHOSTFACE: I’m sorry, dear. But this is between your family and mine. Wayne has no place for us. I’m gonna have to cut him loose.

Ghostface slashes Wayne’s throat. As Wayne dies, Ghostface grabs the camera and runs off into the yard.

We can see the entire backyard from the camera’s view. Moments later we see Sabrina opening the backdoor and walking out to find Wayne’s dead body.

VIDEO GOES BLACK

Sabrina looks up at her backyard. Her backyard is huge. Bushes and trees are everywhere. Beyond that is black and unknown. Many places for him to be hiding. He could be anywhere. She hurries back inside.

Sabrina slams the door shut and locks the door. She begins to cry.

RING

Sabrina jumps at the sound of her phone ringing. She checks it. It’s the video request. She presses the accept button.

VIDEO:

Ghostface appears on the video. He is giving the camera a creepy-cold stare. He’s enjoying the horror he’s putting her through.

GHOSTFACE: (video) Now you understand how this game works. No matter when you get these calls, they will never be on your time. I can be seen outside in the video. But in your real time, I could be...(in person)...INSIDE!

Sabrina looks up to find...GHOSTFACE standing at the entrance of the kitchen.

Sabrina screams. She points the gun at him and pulls the trigger. CLICK! CLICK! No bullets.

SABRINA: Oh, no.

Ghostface raises his knife and goes for her. Sabrina jumps away from the door. He nearly stabs the door. She runs through the kitchen. He’s right on her tail.

She runs around the island-countertop, going around where Ghostface was before, and heads out of the kitchen.

Sabrina runs through the living room and into the foyer. She attempts to unlock the front door but Ghostface is too fast for her to get out on time. She turns and runs up the stairs. She kicks Ghostface, who loses his balance and trips down a few steps.

Sabrina runs through the dark hallway and into her Uncle’s bedroom.

Sabrina locks the door. She looks around for a place to hide. Before she can decide, the door is banged on. She shrieks and backs away. The door is being stabbed. She screams as Ghostface continuously stabs the door.

Sabrina turns to the same window from earlier. She hurries over to it and uncovers the blinds. Ghostface can still be heard assaulting the door as she unlocks the window. She opens it.

Sabrina slowly and carefully climbs out of the window and walks on the backyard awning next to the window. She looks down at the edge. It’s too high.

SABRINA: Oh, my God.

Ghostface kicks the door open.

Sabrina hears this and begins to panic. She trips. She slides down the awning and goes over the edge. She grabs the gutter, which almost breaks off. She hangs on for dear life.

Ghostface goes over to the window. He sees his target in a vulnerable position. He pulls out a throwing knife from a belt full of small weapons.

Sabrina can only watch as Ghostface aims his knife at her hands.

SABRINA: Please. No!

Ghostface throws the knife at the gutter. It forces her to let go. She screams as she falls to the ground.

Ghostface moves away from the window.

Sabrina gains consciousness. She looks up and gasps. Ghostface is right above her. He’s filming her with her own phone.

SABRINA: No, please.

A car’s headlights can be seen from the side of house. A car is pulling into the driveway.

GHOSTFACE: Uncle Jack is home.

The SHERIFF’S CAR parks in the driveway.

SHERIFF JACK KENNEDY (45) turns the engine off. Even though he has a youthfulness to him, he is showing signs of age and stress from his job. He is Sabrina's Uncle and legal guardian since her parents are dead.

PHONE RINGS

Kennedy checks his phone. He is receiving a video request from Sabrina.

KENNEDY: If you’d wait a moment, you’d see that I’m home.

He presses the accept button.

VIDEO:

Ghostface appears. Though his face cannot be seen, he's staring at the camera with anger and hatred.

Kennedy is horrified. He cannot believe what he's seeing in his niece’s video.

KENNEDY: What the hell?

GHOSTFACE: Hello, Jack. Finally we meet. After fifteen years of pain and suffering, I finally get to meet the man who serves the law but does not provide justice for the innocent. Who allows the corrupt and privilege to roam free after destroying a family.

KENNEDY: Who are you?

GHOSTFACE: Someone who lost loved ones because of your brother in law. You knew what he did. You know why he did it. But you didn't do the right thing. You covered it up for him because of your sister, him, and his friends over their friends and connections. Business people, politics, and money. To live the good life. But all good things must come to an end. And that starts tonight. Starting with you lovely niece...

The video cuts to Sabrina crying and begging for her life.

KENNEDY: Oh, God. Sabrina!

GHOSTFACE: You have one chance, Sheriff. You can ends this before it begins. Come to the backyard. Come save your niece.

Kennedy jumps out of his car. He runs to the side of the house that leads to the backyard. Kennedy finds his way into the backyard but stops when he finds...

SABRINA'S DEAD BODY.

KENNEDY: NO! SABRINA!

Kennedy breaks down and sobs over his niece’s bloody body. He places his head and hands on her. Crying uncontrollably. As he lifts up his head, we see that he is covered in her blood.

RINGS

Kennedy answers it.

VIDEO:

Ghostface just stares at the camera. Content and amused.

GHOSTFACE: Oh, it hurts doesn’t it? To have everything you love and hold be taken from you. Now you know the pain you put on me when you covered up your brother-in-law's crimes and didn't serve justice. But soon...justice will be served. Your niece was just the beginning.

The video cuts back to Sabrina crying. The video gets closer to her, implying that Ghostface got down to her.

We TRANSITION from the VIDEO of Sabrina's final attack to the ACTUAL MOMENT of her demise:

Ghostface, with the phone in his hand, kneels down on a crying Sabrina. He rubs her face with the knife still in his hands.

SABRINA: (crying) Please. Let me go.

GHOSTFACE: I'm sorry, Sabrina. But I must provide justice for my family. For what your father did. For your uncle covering it up. And you're the penalty for the sins of your father and uncle's crimes.

Ghostface raises the knife. Sabrina screams. He slams the knife down into her and we...

CUT TO BLACK

Chapter 3
It’s still the night of Sabrina and Wayne’s murder.

A car drives up to a beautiful three-story house. A red brick Georgian. The homeowner has money by the appearance of the house and the yard. Very upper class.

The driver is NICK HARDING (17), a gentle-kind hearted high school football player. His passenger is MADDY REAGAN (15 going on 16 in two days), very shy-like, definitely a virgin, and a good-girl compared to most girls at their school. They just began a relationship and it's not well accepted by other popular kids due to Maddy being socially beneath them.

MADDY: Thanks for the ride.

NICK: No problem. I'm sorry for how Aurora was treating you. She can be a bitch sometimes.

MADDY: I don't blame her. She deserves you more than I do.

Nick shakes his head.

NICK: No, she doesn't. You're a better woman than her.

MADDY: How so? She's pretty, popular, and cool.

NICK: You're beautiful and very cool. Don't talk about yourself like that. You're amazing.

Maddy smiles. Nobody has ever spoken to her like that before.

MADDY: Thanks.

They smile at each other. Nick leans in towards her. Maddy finishes it and their lips meet. Their first kiss. In fact, it's Maddy's first kiss ever.

MADDY: Wow.

NICK: You like?

MADDY: I love it.

They continue to kiss which turns into a makeout session.

Somebody suddenly appears at the passenger side window, knocking on it. Maddy and Nick are both startled by it. They turn to find that it's ELLEN REYNOLDS (46), Maddy's mom. That's right. Phil's wife, who is now remarried. That means that this Maddy is the same Maddy that was a baby from the first chapter.

MADDY: Oh, mom.

Maddy rolls down the window.

ELLEN: Hey, Sweetie. Who's your friend?

Maddy smiles so proudly. Her mother has never seen her smile like this before. This is a big deal to her daughter.

MADDY: Mom, I'd like you to meet Nick Reeves. My boyfriend.

Ellen is shocked and surprised. His name is familiar.

ELLEN: As in Robert Reeves?

NICK: That’s my dad.

Nick offers her his hand.

NICK: Hello, Mrs. Reynolds. It’s nice to meet you.

ELLEN: Nice to meet you, too, Nick. Tell your Dad that Ellen Reynolds says hi. He knows my husband so he’ll know who I am.

NICK: Okay. I will.

MADDY: (to Nick) I’ll see you tomorrow.

NICK: Alright.

Maddy gets out of the car. After Maddy gets out, she closes the passenger door and looks at him through the window. She can't help but smile. She’s so happy.

Both Maddy and Ellen wave to him as he drives off.

ELLEN: He’s a good guy.

MADDY: Yes, he is. I’m so happy, mom.

ELLEN: I’m happy for you, honey.

Ellen gives her daughter a kiss on the head.

MADDY: Well, I’m going to bed.

ELLEN :Okay. Good night, baby.

MADDY: Night.

Maddy walks towards the house, leaving her mother behind. Ellen pulls out a pack of cigarettes and lights one up.

The next morning, the sun gives us a better view of the Reynolds home. It’s an extremely beautiful house.

In the dining room, we meet the rest of the Reynolds family. At the end of the table that is facing the window is the father TOM REYNOLDS (late 40s), brown hair with sprinkles of grey. He’s wearing his business suit and reading the newspaper.

To his left are his sons; ERIC (23) and SCOTT (21). Eric is a working man. He’s wearing the required uniform of a store employee. Scott, a football player, is wearing his college letterman jacket. The boys appear to be mature, yet still the type with a great sense of humor. Their gentle nature and humor makes them more popular than the average well-to-do or jock types. They’re the type who would befriend the poor loser that nobody likes despite their high social status.

To Tom’s right are his daughters; Maddy, whom we already know, and OLIVIA (19). Olivia is part hippie, part Goth, and part Skater. In other words; a rebellious stoner.

Ellen comes out from the kitchen with two plates full of pancakes.

ELLEN: Okay, everyone. Eat up.

TOM: Ooh, honey, those look delicious.

She carefully places the plates at the center of the table. The kids already begin taking pancakes from the first plate before she’s even placed the second plate down. Each member of the family takes two except for Maddy, who just takes one of the smaller ones.

TOM: Maddy, is that all you’re having?

MADDY: For now. I’m not that hungry.

TOM: Well, there is plenty so don’t be shy, sweetheart.

Tom turns to Scott, who has a plate of three pancakes.

TOM: Scott, on the other hand, is having more than he could handle.

SCOTT: A college football player has got to eat, Dad. Otherwise they do not have the nutrients they need to kick ass on the field.

Tom slightly laughs to himself. He looks up to his wife, signaling her to bring up a particular subject. She responds with a nod.

ELLEN: So tomorrow is Maddy’s birthday.

Maddy rolls her eyes up. Slightly embarrassed that she’s about to be the center of attention. Too shy for this.

MADDY: Mom, you don’t have to.

ELLEN: Yes, I do. My baby is turning sixteen. It’s a big moment for you, honey.

MADDY: I know. But you know how I am with crowds and being the center of attention. It’s too awkward for me.

OLIVIA: You’ve got to get over that, Maddy. You’re never going anywhere with that kind of attitude.

SCOTT: Not necessary. She can have a career that doesn’t require crowds.

ERIC: She can find something within her comfort zone.

OLIVIA: Well, it’ll ruin her social and love life.

MADDY: Newsflash: I have a boyfriend now.

The older siblings are shocked by this.

OLIVIA: What?!

SCOTT: No way!

ERIC: Really?

TOM: I heard about it last night.

ELLEN: I met him last night.

TOM: You won’t believe who he is, too.

OLIVIA: Who is he?

MADDY: Nick Reeves.

This really shocks the siblings. A familiar name.

ERIC: As in Robert Reeves’ son?

MADDY: Yep

SIBLINGS: NO WAY!

OLIVIA: You’re dating the Mayor’s son?

MADDY: Yeah. I was surprised that he was even interested in me. Aurora Van Dyke likes him. She’s the most popular girl in school. But he chose me over her. She got mad.

OLIVIA: I bet. Good for you, Maddy.

ELLEN: Well, back to the subject at hand. Maddy, what would you like to do for your birthday?

MADDY: It really doesn’t matter to me. Whatever you guys wanna do is fine with me.

ERIC: Mom, Dad. You two are going to busy tomorrow, right?

TOM: Yeah. I have work until seven.

ELLEN: I have a meeting that ends around six. I might not be able to cook dinner.

ERIC: How about after we get out of work and school, while you two are still at work, we’ll take her out to a movie and to dinner before coming home for cake and ice cream with you two?

The parents give each other a glance. It’s positive. They agree.

TOM: It’s up to her.

ELLEN: Maddy, what do you think?

MADDY: Sounds good to me. I really didn’t have anything planned.

TOM: Good. Then it’s settled. Eric, Scott, and Olivia; you guys take care of the afternoon part of her birthday and Mom and I will take care of the evening part.

ERIC: Awesome.

Maddy finishes her breakfast. She really doesn’t care to put in her two cents into her own birthday plans. It’s a "Whatever they want" thing.

Chapter 4
The Reynolds kids exit the house. Waiting for them are their friends. Three cars; the best looking car is leaned on by two beautiful young ladies. They are COLLEEN WILSON (23), Eric’s conservatively dressed girlfriend. The other is RACHEL MILLARD (21), college cheerleader, and, obviously, Scott’s girlfriend. The second car is a beat up old black car, which belongs to JEFF RIVERS (20s), Olivia’s rebellious skater stoner boyfriend. The third car is surrounded by three guys; BIG DENNIS (mid 20s), JOSH EVANS (23), and SEAN DAVIS (23). They’re friendly guys. Dennis is the biggest guy there.

Eric approaches to Colleen with a loving smile.

ERIC: Hey, Colleen. My love.

COLLEEN: Hey, Eric. My love.

They kiss. Scott just goes up to Rachel and begins mauling her without saying hello. It’s obvious to us that Eric and Colleen are the in-love and mature couple. Scott and Rachel are the all-about-the-sex couple.

Olivia approaches Jeff and gives him a peck.

JEFF: (hands her a joint) Here, babe.

OLIVIA: Thanks, Jeff.

She takes a hit. Jeff notices Tom exiting the house.

JEFF: Your dad.

Olivia hands it back to Jeff and he hides it. Tom passes the kids.

ALL THE KIDS: Hey, Dad/Hey, Mr. Reynolds.

TOM: (passing them by) Morning, everyone. Jeff, Olivia, I smell it. Get rid of it, please.

JEFF: Yes, Sir.

In front of him, Jeff steps on the joint. Tom continues on. Behind Tom’s back as he walks to his car, Jeff picks up the joint and observes it. It's still good.

JEFF: Oh, good.

Jeff takes a hit.

Tom gets into his car. Dennis takes Sean to the car before Tom starts the car. Dennis knocks on the window. Tom opens the window.

DENNIS: Hey, Tom. This is our new friend Sean Davis. Sean, this is Tom.

SEAN: (Respectful) Nice to meet you, sir.

TOM: Good to meet you, Sean. I’d stay and chat but I have to go to work.

SEAN: Of course, I’ll probably see you later. Have a good day, Tom.

TOM: You, too.

Sean and Dennis step away as Tom backs his car out. They watch as Tom drives off. Dennis gives Sean a friendly slap on the shoulder.

DENNIS: Nice guy, huh?

SEAN: Yeah. He seems cool.

Ellen nonchalantly walks out of the house, stepping onto the porch and watches the kids, whom all notice her.

COLLEEN & RACHEL: Hi, Mom!

ELLEN: Colleen, Rachel. How are you?

RACHEL: Oh, uh, same old thing.

ELLEN: (to herself) Okay? Whatever that means.

Dennis walks Sean to Ellen.

DENNIS: Hello, Mom.

ELLEN: Hello, Dennis. Who’s your friend?

DENNIS: Ellen this is Sean. Sean this is Ellen. We all call her mom. She’s everyone’s mom.

The two shake hands.

SEAN: Nice meet you...Mom.

ELLEN: It’s nice to meet you, Sean.

Ellen glances at Sean. A sense of familiarity towards him.

ELLEN: Have we met before?

SEAN: I don’t think so.

ELLEN: I feel like that I’ve seen you before.

SEAN: Well, I hang around all over Clearwood a lot. Perhaps we’ve seen each other in town like maybe the store.

Ellen laughs.

ELLEN: Of course. Yes, I go to the store a lot. That makes sense.Well, it’s good to meet you.

SEAN: You, too.

Maddy comes out of the house with her backpack on.

MADDY: (to Ellen) I’m going to my bus stop.

Maddy passes her mother. She notices Sean. The two smile at each other upon making eye contact. An immediate connection is made between them and they haven’t even met yet.

ELLEN: Okay, sweetie. Have a good day at school.

MADDY: I’ll try.

ELLEN: Love you.

MADDY: Love you, too.

Maddy walks away from her house and to the bus stop.

Ellen turns to Dennis and Sean.

ELLEN: I can’t believe that tomorrow she’ll be sixteen.

DENNIS: I know.

ELLEN: (starting to get emotional) I’ll see you guys later.

DENNIS: Alright.

Ellen walks back inside and shuts the door.

SEAN: (re: Maddy) Who’s the kid?

DENNIS: That’s Maddy. She’s the baby of the family.

SEAN: Oh yeah? Seems like a nice kid.

DENNIS: She’s a great kid.

FLASH CUT TO:

MULTIPLE CAMERA FLASHES OF THE CRIME SCENE.

The bodies of both SABRINA FEWIN and WAYNE COLE are photographed by police investigators. Kennedy sits at his desk in personal home office. Still covered in Sabrina’s blood. He sits still like he’s frozen. Still processing everything inside.

KENNEDY: (to himself, crying) He killed my niece.

Two officers HANCOCK and WINFIELD approach him. They’re hesitating to speak. Uncertain what to say.

HANCOCK: Sheriff?

Kennedy opens his eyes. He looks at his Deputies who still are having a hard to finding the right words to say to him.

KENNEDY: I’m going to find this son of a bitch who done this. I will kill him myself.

BELL RINGS.

History class begins. The teacher is BILL MCKINLEY (48), youthful and handsome for his age. Has the vibe of somebody who looks so young and cool that he’s most likely more of an older brother or a much older friend to his students than the typical tight-ass teacher. But he still knows when to put on the discipline-authoritative teacher mode.

MCKINLEY: So do any of you remember where we left off yesterday?

The students consist of Maddy, Nick, whom we already met last night, KAITLYN BISHOP, her boyfriend ZACH LATHAM, their friend JAMES BLAIR, and his tomboy but pretty girlfriend RONNIE CLEVELAND. There are other unknown students.

They’re all looking through their books.

NICK: I can’t remember. I totally forgot what we were even doing yesterday.

MCKINLEY: Mr. Reeves, do you ever pay attention to my class?

NICK: I try to.

McKinley rolls his eyes up and snickers.

MADDY: Uh, Mr. McKinley? We’re on page 96. The surrender of General Lee.

MCKINLEY: Thank you, Maddy. Yes. It was on April 9, 1865, when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at the village of Appomattox Court House. And…

Sounds of people talking loud in the hallway can be heard. We can hear several people say things such as: "I can’t believe it.", "This is horrible.", and "She was the Sheriff’s niece."

MCKINLEY: (irritated) Why do they have to make so much noise during class time?

A male student opens the door and walks in.

MALE STUDENT: Mr. McKinley, you’re not...

MCKINLEY: Excuse me, young man. I’m in the middle of class. What are...

MALE STUDENT: Sabrina Fewin and Wayne Cole were murdered last night.

MCKINLEY’S STUDENTS: (shocked) What?

KAITLYN: Oh, my God. Sabrina.

NICK: Sheriff Kennedy’s niece?

McKinley is stunned. Uncertain how to react.

After school, sitting around the water fountain in the middle of the school’s main courtyard is Maddy, with Nick having his arm around her, Kaitlyn sitting on Zach’s lap, James and Ronnie sitting next to each other while holding hands. Kaitlyn holds a laptop in front of them as they are all huddled around her.

They’re watching a news video.

REPORTER: The killer had sent Sheriff Kennedy a video of the murders. According to sources, the video was a delayed broadcast. It appeared live and that Sabrina was still alive. However, when Kennedy found his niece, she was already dead.

The kids are still shocked by the news.

KAITLYN: This shit is crazy.

ZACH: Kennedy must be looking for blood now.

JAMES: A dude murders his niece and leaves behind the video of him doing it for him to see it. Yeah, I think he’s out for blood.

NICK: He must have been shitting himself when he saw that video. The girls are uncomfortable with the subject. Kaitlyn tries to change the subject.

KAITLYN: Let’s talk about something important. Tomorrow is Maddy’s birthday. So what are we gonna do? We can’t just not do anything. We should celebrate.

MADDY: My parents have something planned for tomorrow night. Cake and ice cream around eight. Maybe afterward we can do something.

Everyone glances at each other. They’re all in agreement.

KAITLYN: Alright. We’ll all come by and join you for a late night celebration.

MADDY: (shrugs, doesn’t care) Okay.

Not far from them is AURORA VAN DYKE (17) and her friends. She’s the most popular girl in school. She likes Nick and is pissed about his new relationship with the outcast Maddy.

AURORA: How could he choose her over me? She’s just nothing but a lower class girl who just lives with an upperclass family.

AURORA’S FRIEND: She doesn’t deserve Nick.

AURORA: Exactly. Her Dad maybe a successful businessman but my Daddy owns most of the state. He can push the Governor around. What can her Dad do?

AURORA’S FRIEND: Exactly.

AURORA: Sure, her Dad has connections with the police and is friends with the richest business owners in town. But my Dad is friends with Bill Gates. How can Nick pass that up?

AURORA’S FRIEND: She must have something we don’t know about.

AURORA: Impossible. Maybe he just has bad taste in girls.

Chapter 5
That night in the dining room, Ellen is putting together pictures of Maddy throughout her life into a scrap book. Maddy is beside her watching.

ELLEN: (emotional) My baby is growing up. How did this happen so fast?

MADDY: Sure didn’t feel so fast to me.

ELLEN: I know. But it did for me. (looking for more picture) There isn’t enough picture here. There’s some more in the my closet.

MADDY: I’ll get them.

ELLEN: Okay. They’re on the shelf of boxes in the box that says "Maddy."

MADDY: Okay.

Maddy walks off as Tom comes in with a beer.

TOM: (to Ellen) The birthday scrapbook routine?

ELLEN: Yep. I’m doing it for Maddy. Just like I did it for your kids.

TOM: You know, Ellen. They’re your kids, too.

ELLEN: But Maddy is my baby, Tom.

Tom nods. Won’t say more.

Maddy walks into her parents' bedroom. She goes into the closet and looks up. Several boxes on the shelves. She grabs the stepping stoop and stands on it. She goes through the boxes. She finds the one that is marked "Maddy." It’s stacked between two boxes in the back. She slowly and carefully pulls it out. But in the process, accidentally bumps another box down. The contents of that box fall out onto the floor.

MADDY: Whoops.

She climbs off the stool and gets on her knees to pick up the contents. The lid says "Mom’s Private Stuff." Maddy begins to collect the contents when she notices something on a paper.

It’s Maddy’s birth certificate. It claims that her mother is "ELLEN GROVES" but that her father is "PHIL GROVES."

MADDY: What?

Another paper she finds is the marriage license for Tom and Ellen. It's dated on December 15, 2001. Behind the marriage license, she finds a picture of Ellen, Phil, Eddie, and herself as a baby. She recognizes herself.

Maddy looks inside the box and finds a newspaper clipping. It's titled, "WIFE AND BABY ARE SOLE SURVIVORS." It shows a photo of Ellen, crying while holding baby Maddy. She reads the article. She’s horrified by what she learns.

MADDY: Oh, my God.

Maddy walks in the dining room with a box. The contents from Ellen’s box are on top of it. Ellen is finishing up with the pictures while Tom is finishing up his beer.

MADDY: (placing the box on the table) Here’s the other pictures.

ELLEN: Thank you.

MADDY: Mom?

ELLEN: Yes?

MADDY: When I went to get the box out, another box fell and the stuff inside came out.

ELLEN: Did you pick them up?

MADDY: Yes, I did. And I’m pretty sure you didn’t want me to see what it was...Dammit, Mom, why didn’t you tell me?!

Maddy slams the pictures, papers, and articles on the table. Both Ellen and Tom are startled by the slamming.

ELLEN: What are you talking about?

Ellen looks through the contents.

ELLEN: Oh, God. Maddy.

MADDY: Why didn’t you tell me?

ELLEN: I was hoping I wouldn’t have to.

Tom closes his eyes. Sadden by this. Maddy looks at him. The man who she thought was her father for the first fifteen years of her life.

MADDY: Daddy isn’t my real dad, isn’t he?

Ellen begins to tear up as she shakes her head "No." She’s been dreading this moment for a long time. Now she must confess everything.

TOM: (pointing to living room) Maybe I should...

ELLEN: No. You can stay. Be here for her.

Ellen pats a chair, signaling Maddy to sit, which she does so. She shows Maddy the picture of their Groves family. She points to Phil.

ELLEN: This man, Phil Groves, is your real father. The little boy is your big brother Eddie.

MADDY: What happened?

ELLEN: I had gone to a function which you father...Stepfather…(gesturing Tom)...was hosting for work. I had decided to leave early the party early. I picked you and your brother up from your Grandparents’. We went home. A few minutes later, a man throw lit up bottles into house. Our entire house was set on fire. Your brother Eddie was in his bedroom in the basement at the time. Your real father had me take you and told me to leave the house. He stayed behind to find your brother. Before he could, the house collapsed. Your father was found the next morning. He was in a coma. Eddie was never found. So as of nine years ago, your brother has been declared legally dead. I was so devastated at losing your father and brother. But I had move on for you. The job I had at the time in Tom’s business was not enough to care for the both of us. So Tom stepped in and help. We fell in love and got married a year later.

MADDY: Why didn’t you wait until my real Dad woke up from his coma before you decided to remarry?

ELLEN: At the time, the doctors told me that he wasn’t sure if Phil would survive. And even if he did survive, he’d be in a coma for so long that it wasn’t worth the wait. So I felt that I couldn’t wait. I needed to focus on taking care of you. So that’s why I married Tom without waiting.

MADDY: Why didn’t you tell me the truth?

ELLEN: Because it was too painful for me. I figured it would confuse you. So not believing that Phil would ever wake up, I raised you to believe that Tom was your real father and that your stepsiblings were your real siblings. I figured that would be best for you. Then you wouldn’t have to live with the pain of ever knowing the tragedy.

MADDY: So is my real father still in coma?

ELLEN: No. His doctor told me that he woke up five years ago. When I married your Dad, I left Phil a note, telling him that I was sorry but that I had to move on. I didn’t tell him anything more. So he has no idea where we are or our new last name.

MADDY: Well, now that we know that he’s awake and that I know about him, is there anyway that I could meet him? If you’d let me?

ELLEN: Since you now know, I’d let you meet him if that’s what you really want. But, unfortunately, he left Clearwood without telling anyone anything. Nobody has seen or heard from your father in five years. We have no idea where he went.

MADDY: I wish I could have known my brother, too.

ELLEN: He loved you. He was excited when he heard that I was pregnant with you. I just wish that I could have saved your brother.

MADDY: It’s not your fault, Mom. You didn’t know that the fire would start.

Maddy and Ellen embrace each other.

MADDY: I love you, Mom.

ELLEN: I love you, too, sweetie. I just wish I could understand why the fire was stated. Why did that man start the fire?

Tom has this cold stare on his face when Ellen talks about the fire. Like it's a touchy subject to him, too.

(NOTE: The next scene originally was supposed to be what was seen in the opening SCREAM 3: The Final Honor between Brandon and Jackie. That scene was meant for James and Ronnie. There will be several similarities such as the dialog. The only major changes is the location.)

Outside the old Groves house, a car parks into the garage. The house is abandoned. Coming out of the car is James and Ronnie. They’re both carrying their own separate sleeping bags and pillows.

RONNIE: Man, I remember hearing when this place was set on fire.

JAMES: It was a shitty house anyways. The man who lived here with his wife and kids was a loser anyways from what I’ve heard.

RONNIE: They say that his little boy died in the fire.

JAMES: That’s what they say.

RONNIE: I wonder if he haunts the place.

JAMES: Well, we’re about to find out.

They walk towards the front door.

Sometime later, we’re in the MASTER BEDROOM. There are lit candlelights all over the room. James and Ronnie are having sex. Ronnie is on top of James.

RONNIE: (moaning) Oh, James!

James is sweaty and getting extremely tired.

JAMES: (pleasured yet tired) Oh, fuck!

RONNIE: Keep going. Keep going, baby.

He’s reached her spot as she moans louder.

RONNIE: That’s it. Right there.

They move faster. Their moaning and groaning gets louder.

The bedroom door is open. It’s dark out there. Someone walks past the door. The figure’s silhouette shadow pass through the room. It’s unseen by the horny couple.

They gasps loudly. Climaxed. Ronnie just drops to her boyfriend’s shoulders. They just hold each other while catching their breath. Exhausted.

RONNIE: Oh, that was the shit.

JAMES: Yeah. I love breaking and entry sex.

RONNIE: I bet you do.

JAMES: Don’t you?

RONNIE: Yes, I do. I love having sex in weird places and positions with you.

JAMES: You’re the coolest, man.

RONNIE: You know it. I gotta pee.

Ronnie gets off of James and stands up, completely naked. She walks to the closed bathroom door. She attempts to open it but it's locked.

RONNIE: Shit, I can't get in.

JAMES: There's another bathroom in the hall on the other side of the house.

RONNIE: Will have to do. I'll be back.

Ronnie take a candlelight and walks out of the bedroom.

RONNIE: (outside the room) It's dark out here.

James pulls up his pants and stays laying down on his sleeping bag. He grabs his phone and turns on a soft rock song. He begins singing along to it.

RING.

James picks up his phone. An unknown caller is sending him a video chat request.

JAMES: (to himself) Who are you and what do you want?

He accepts it.

VIDEO:

Ghostface stares at the camera.

GHOSTFACE: Good evening, James.

James is both confused and alarmed by this.

JAMES: What the fuck?

GHOSTFACE: You like having sex in public?

JAMES: What the fuck do you want?

GHOSTFACE: Ever try having sex in a school yard or in the park?

JAMES: You sick fuck.

GHOSTFACE: How about breaking and entry sex?

Ghostface turns the camera to show that he's following behind a naked Ronnie, who is heading into the hallway.

JAMES: You mother...

GHOSTFACE: Your girlfriend is cute for a tomboy.

VIDEO:

The video shows Ronnie, unaware of Ghostface's presence, walking into the bathroom. She shuts the door. Ghostface approaches the door.

JAMES: Leave her alone.

GHOSTFACE: It's not her I want. It's you, James.

JAMES: Why? What have I done to you?

GHOSTFACE: It's not what you've done. It's what your father, Jerry Blair, has done.

FLASHBACK:

JERRY BLAIR and the other four men are seen throwing the lit up bottles into the Groves House. Setting the house ablaze.

BACK TO 2016

James is horrified.

GHOSTFACE: He and his friends are the ones who set this house on fire. They destroyed my life and made me a orphan. Now I'm taking revenge for what he and his friends did to me.

JAMES: Please, leave us alone.

GHOSTFACE: Oh, by the way this video is delayed. By the time you realize the time difference between this video and reality, you may be too late.

Panic strikes James. He turns his head to the door, as if to look at the bathroom.

JAMES: RONNIE! GET OUT OF THERE!

GHOSTFACE: You don’t have much time. If you want to save her, you better run over here now.

The video CUTS TO BLACK.

Fuck this. It’s time for James to save his girlfriend. He jumps out of his sleeping bag and runs out the door.

James runs through the house and runs to the hallway. He goes to turn to the bathroom when it opens. He runs into...RONNIE.

They both shriek upon impact.

JAMES: (hugs her) Ronnie, are you okay?

RONNIE: Yeah. Why? What’s wrong?

JAMES: (pointing to bathroom) That fucking psycho just sent me a video of him following you to the bathroom.

RONNIE: What? There was nobody...

Before Ronnie can finish her sentence, Ghostface tackles her and stabs her in the chest.

JAMES: NO!

James jumps on the Ghostface. But it’s too late. His girlfriend has died. Her naked body falls to the floor. James is attempting to strangle the killer with his arm. But Ghostface grabs him and flips him over. Ghostface throws James to the floor.

JAMES: AH!

Ghostface hovers over him.

GHOSTFACE: You’re weak like your father. And you’re gonna pay for his sins.

Ghostface raises his knife up and stabs James.

Chapter 6
The next morning at school, Maddy walks through the courtyard. Trembling and crying. Filled with emotions over learning about her paternal origins and the news of James and Ronnie’s murder.

A News Reporter can be heard reporting over our shot of Maddy.

NEWS REPORTER: (V.O.) Last night, two Clearwood High School students, James Blair and Veronica Cleveland, were murdered outside of town in the parking lot of a rest stop. Police are still investigating on rather or not these murders are related to the murders of Sabrina Fewin and Wayne Cole.

KAITLYN: (O.S.) Maddy!

Kaitlyn approaches her and they hug. She’s followed by Nick and Zach. The girls are crying together.

MADDY: Oh, God. Kaitlyn.

KAITLYN: I can’t believe this has happened. Why James and Ronnie?

MADDY: I don’t know.

Nick and Zach glance at each other. Uncertain what to say to each other in their time of shock and grief.

ZACH: First Sabrina and Wayne and now James and Ronnie. Who the fuck is doing this shit?

NICK: Some sick fuck. That's who.

Maddy releases Kaitlyn and moves in for the boys. Nick opens up for her and she walks into his arms.

MADDY: (while in Nick’s arms) First I learn about the horrible truth about my past and now my friends have been killed.

KAITLYN: Wait, you’re what?

NICK: What happened in your past?

Maddy leads them to the fountain and they take a seat. She opens her backpack and takes out the contents from her mom’s private box.

MADDY: I found these inside a box in my parents’ room.

Each of the friends look through them. They’re surprised and shocked by what they see.

KAITLYN: Oh, my God.

ZACH: That’s some crazy shit.

NICK: Jesus, that’s your Mom and Phil Groves.

Maddy nods. Her friends are suddenly stricken by realization.

KAITLYN: You mean that Phil Groves is your real father? That the boy Eddie is your real brother? That house, where our friends were killed at last night, was your house?

MADDY: That's exactly what I'm saying. The irony of it all.

ZACH: That's spooky, man. You learn where you really come from on the same night that our friends are killed at your very own babyhood home. I'm so sorry, Maddy. I can't imagine what you must be going through.

In History class, McKinley approaches the front of his class without much to say. He appears to be down in the dumps. So does the rest of the class.

MCKINLEY: I know today nobody really feels like doing anything. We’re all in shock over the loss of James and Ronnie. So instead of doing any reading, I’m going to play a movie.

The lights are off in the classroom. They are watching a civil war movie. Maddy is the only one not watching. She’s got her head down on her desk. Nick and Zach are both sitting next to her on opposite sides of each other. They glance at each other. Nick shows concern for her.

McKinley is zoned out. Distracted in his own thoughts. The sounds of a woman screaming and a baby crying can be heard. It’s obvious to us that these are sounds in his head. Memories of the past.

BELL RINGS

McKinley is snapped out of his thoughts. The lights are turned on. Students are hurrying to leave. Maddy is taking her time. Visibly distraught. McKinley notices this.

MCKINLEY: Hey, Maddy. Can you stay for a moment?

MADDY: Yeah.

Maddy gives her friends the "Give me a moment" stare, which they read and understand as they leave. Maddy approaches McKinley’s desk.

MCKINLEY: I’m sorry to keep you but I’ve noticed all day that you’ve been down in the dumps. I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am to hear about James and Ronnie.

MADDY: That's not even half of my problems. Today is my sixteenth birthday.

MCKINLEY: It's your birthday?

MADDY: Yeah. And what better way to turn sixteen than to learn that your friends were killed in the same house you once lived in.

MCKINLEY: Wait, what? You lived in the Groves house?

MADDY: I just found out that my real father is Phil Groves. That I had a brother name Eddie. All these years I thought that my father and siblings were real family. But nope.

MCKINLEY: (stunned) Oh, I see.

McKinley hardly speak. Too stunned to comprehend or react. He tries to hide it but Maddy takes notice of it.

MADDY: Are you okay, Mr. McKinley?

MCKINLEY: Uh, yeah. That is just shocking. This must be rough for you. The murders and this truth that you’ve just learned.

Maddy nods sadfully.

McKinley just stares at Maddy for moment. Gives her a look of realization. Like he’s meeting her for the first time even though he’s known her for quite some time now. He puts on a smile.

MCKINLEY: Hey, you know what? This is suppose to be your day. Give me a smile.

Despite how creepy that sounds, Maddy feels comfortable with it. Maddy finds enough strength to give him a smile. There is clearly a familiar vibe between them that she senses. Like their relationship is more than just the typical teacher/student relationship. But something much deeper.

MCKINLEY: That’s it. You should have a good day today. It’s suppose to be the big one. So go have fun. Don’t be sad.

MADDY: I’ll try.

MCKINLEY: Happy Birthday, Maddy.

MADDY: Thank you, Mr. McKinley.

MCKINLEY: See you on Monday.

MADDY: See ya. Bye.

Maddy walks off and leaves the classroom. Once she’s left, McKinley sighs. He’s now back to being stunned and begins to tremble.

MCKINLEY: Oh, my God. Is this really happening? Is that my...It can’t be. Can it?

A computer screen shows PERSONAL BOOK, a social media website. McKinley types in "Maddy Reynolds." He finds her profile and clicks into it. He looks through her list of family. He finds Ellen under MOTHER. He clicks on her page. He clicks on her profile page and observes it.

McKinley is now shocked.

MCKINLEY: Ellen?

Somehwere in town, Ellen is driving around. She’s wearing her nice work clothes.

PHONE RINGS. She answers the phone.

ELLEN: Hello?

McKinley becomes excited at hearing Ellen’s voice. Instantly recognizing her voice.

MCKINLEY: Is this Ellen Reynolds, Maddy’s mother?

ELLEN: Yes.

MCKINLEY: Hi, this is Bill McKinley, Maddy’s history teacher.

ELLEN: Is everything okay?

MCKINLEY: Well, I’ve noticed that Maddy has been upset all day. I was a bit concerned about her. So I wanted to call to see if everything is okay.

ELLEN: Oh, yeah. With the murders of her friends and last night I had to tell her the truth about her real father that she didn’t know about. So the poor thing has not had a good birthday so far. Her step father and I are planning a birthday party for her. She deserves to have some fun after everything that has happened.

MCKINLEY: I understand. I have kids of my own. I haven’t seen them in years. My daughter...she just turned sixteen as well. She lives with her mother. My son sadly died years ago.

Ellen thinks for a moment. Debating rather or not to tell him something. She feels comfortable talking to McKinley about these personal things. She finally makes the decision. She sighs.

ELLEN: I had a son. He, too, died. He was killed in a fire. Was ex-husband was injured in the fire as well.

McKinley closes his eyes. His suspicions are officially confirmed.

MCKINLEY: I'm sorry to hear that.

ELLEN: Thank you. But I’ve moved on from that. I had to for Maddy. Everything I’ve done was for Maddy.

MCKINLEY: I think you’ve done a good job. She’s an amazing young lady.

ELLEN: Well, thank you. You know your voice sounds familiar. Have we met before?

MCKINLEY: Uh, yeah. I think we have...at a parent-teacher conference thing.

ELLEN: Right. Yes. I go to those all the time. I must have met you several times.

MCKINLEY: Right.

ELLEN: Well, I better get going. I’m almost to another meeting. Thanks or the call. I appreciate the concern and caring you have for Maddy.

MCKINLEY: My pleasure. Goodbye, Ellen.

ELLEN: Goodbye, Mr. McKinley.

They hang up. McKinley sits back. Thinks for a moment. He begins to breakdown. Crying.

MCKINLEY: (sobbing) Oh, my God. All this time. The whole time they’ve been here. I found them.

He wipes his tears. The tears smudges the "skin color" makeup, exposing BURN MARKS.

Chapter 7
At the Sheriff's office, Kennedy is on his laptop. Depressed and obsessed. He’s replaying a clip from the murder video.

GHOSTFACE: (in video) I’m sorry, dear. But this is between your family and mine. Wayne has no place for us. I’m gonna have to cut him loose.

Kennedy replays it.

GHOSTFACE: I’m sorry, dear. But this is between your family and mine. Wayne has no place for us. I’m gonna have to cut him loose.

PHONE RINGS

Kennedy answers his cellphone.

KENNEDY: This is Sheriff Kennedy.

MCKINLEY: Sheriff, this is Bill McKinley, History Teacher at Clearwood High School.

KENNEDY: Yes, Mr. McKinley. How can I help you?

MCKINLEY: I think I have some information on the murders.

KENNEDY: Are you sure?

MCKINLEY: Yes. I can’t tell you much over the phone. Can you meet me?

KENNEDY: Sure. Where are you?

MCKINLEY: I’m at the high school. My classroom is room two-o-three.

KENNEDY: Okay, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.

MCKINLEY: I'll be waiting.

Kennedy hangs up. He gets up from his chair and grabs his jacket before leaving.

Nick parks his car in front of Maddy's house.

Maddy and Nick smile at each other. Feeling better since earlier.

NICK: You going to be okay?

MADDY: I'm going to try to be.

NICK: You know I'm here for you if you ever need to talk or something.

Maddy smiles and gives him a kiss.

NICK: I love you, Maddy.

MADDY: I love you, too, Nick.

NICK: You still want me to come over later tonight?

MADDY: I’ll call you to let you know.

NICK: Okay.

Maddy opens the passenger door and begins to get out.

NICK: Hey, Maddy.

Maddy stops and looks at him.

NICK: Happy Birthday.

MADDY: (smiles) Thanks.

They give each other one last smile before she shuts the door. Nick watches Maddy run up to her front door before driving off.

Kennedy’s car parks in an empty parking space. He exits the car and looks around the area to make sure that nobody knows that he’s there. He heads for BUILDING TWO.

Kennedy walks through the empty locker-filled corridors. No staff or students in sight. He checks each classroom door number. He quickly finds Room 203.

Kennedy walks in. McKinley is at his desk. He appears surprised by Kennedy’s sudden entrance. Like he wasn’t expecting him.

MCKINLEY: Sheriff Kennedy?

KENNEDY: Bill McKinley?

MCKINLEY: Yes, Sir. How can I help you?

KENNEDY: Well, you called me. You told me that you had information for me regarding the recent murders.

McKinley is struck with confusion, surprise, and shock.

MCKINLEY: I have no idea what you’re talking about. I did not call you.

KENNEDY: You did call me. It was your voice.

MCKINLEY: My voice?

KENNEDY: Yes. I thought it was you.

McKinley is seriosusly and geniunely confused. The Sheriff realizes this by the look on his face.

KENNEDY: It really wasn’t you, wasn’t it?

MCKINLEY: (Shaking his head) NO!

KENNEDY: If it wasn’t you then who...(Realizes)...Oh, shit.

RING!

They both turn to McKinley’s TV. A video chat request is seen.

MCKINLEY: Something's not right.

KENNEDY: How so?

MCKINLEY: I don’t have it set up to do that.

It continues to ring. McKinley grabs his remote and clicks accept.

VIDEO:

Ghostface appears and chuckles.

GHOSTFACE: Hello, Gentlemen.

Both Kennedy and McKinley react differently. Kennedy is full of rage. McKinley is scared out of his mind by Ghostface's appearance.

GHOSTFACE: Phase one is complete. Time for phase two. Bringing those involved in our history together. I just did you a favor, McKinley...or shall I say...Phil Groves?

McKinley is horrified. His cover has been blown. Kennedy turns to him.

KENNEDY: Phil Groves?

MCKINLEY: (to Ghostface) Where did you get that information?

Kennedy is pissed.

KENNEDY: You did this? Is this revenge for what happened?

MCKINLEY: No! You arrested the guy who did this to me.

KENNEDY: You know damn well what really happened.

MCKINLEY: What do you mean?

Kennedy pulls out his gun. He shoves McKinley on his desk. Pointing his gun at him.

KENNEDY: You know that it wasn't Del Givens who set your house on fire and put you in a coma.

McKinley is genuinely shocked at hearing this news. He never knew the truth.

MCKINLEY: It wasn't?

KENNEDY: Oh, don't play dumb. You knew all along. And now you're seek revenge on those responsible by killing their kids.

MCKINLEY: That's not true.

KENNEDY: YOU KILLED MY NIECE!

MCKINLEY: NO! I swear I never killed anyone.

Ghostface appears behind them.

MCKINLEY: BEHIND YOU!

Kennedy turns around only to find himself at the receiving end of Ghostface’s fist. Kennedy goes down. McKinley just helplessly watches as the killer beats the Sheriff down.

Kennedy is unconscious. Ghostface turns his attention on McKinley.

GHOSTFACE: Hello, McKinley. It’s so nice to meet you...Phil.

MCKINLEY: I’m not Phil. Phil Groves is dead. I’m Bill McKinley.

As Ghostface talks, he backs McKinley to a wall.

GHOSTFACE: You can call yourself any name you like. You can cover up your scars. You can change your appearance to anyone you like. But you can never escape from who you really are.

Ghostface grabs him by the shirt and rubs his face with the same hand that he’s holding his knife with. McKinley is now crying.

GHOSTFACE: You are a victim. A victim who shall be given justice for all of your pain. I have spent years searching for you. And now, not only have I found you, but I’ve also found your wife and your daughter.

McKinley gasps. He cannot believe this.

GHOSTFACE: And after tonight, you’ll be a family again. The Grove family will be together again.

Ghostface decks McKinley and we...

CUT TO THE END OF THIS CHAPTER.

Chapter 8
At the Reynolds, the house is filled with the kids and their significant others. Maddy is on the chair while playing with her phone in the living room.

Olivia and Jeff are searching for something in a hidden compartment of the rec room shelf.

OLIVIA: I know that I put it in here. Nobody knows about it. Oh, here it is.

Olivia finds a tin box.

OLIVIA: To anyone who finds it will think it's breath mints.

JEFF: Weed mints.

Olivia laughs at his comment.

Colleen is coming out of the bathroom. Eric shows concern for her.

ERIC: Are you okay, sweetheart.

COLLEEN: I’m fine, Eric. I think I must have a stomach flu or something.

Eric puts his arm around her and kisses her head.

DOOR BELL RINGS

Scott opens the front door and walking in is Dennis and Sean.

SCOTT: Sup, guys?

DENNIS: Hey, Scott.

Scott and Dennis give each other a man-hug/pound (handshake that turns into a hug). This is followed by Scott and Sean doing the same thing.

Josh, who just came either alone or came in late with Sean and Dennis, comes up to the door.

JOSH: Hey, guys.

Scott and Josh give each other the man-hug.

SCOTT: How’s it going, Josh?

JOSH: Busy day, man.

In the kitchen, Maddy is eating some chips and a soda. Dennis, Sean, and Josh come in and they go to the refrigerator.

JOSH: Hi, Maddy.

DENNIS: Hey, sweetie.

MADDY: Hi, guys.

DENNIS: Maddy, this is Sean. Sean, this is Maddy.

SEAN: Hello, Maddy. How are you?

MADDY: Better than earlier. How about yourself?

SEAN: Oh, just getting to know the family.

MADDY: That’s cool. Dennis, Josh. How is your day?

DENNIS: It’s okay.

JOSH: Mine has been busy. I’ve had to make a few calls and visit a few people. Lots of running around to do. But I will be here tonight for your party.

MADDY: That’s cool. I understand if you’re too busy to hang out tonight.

JOSH: I might be able to stop by and do a few things.

DENNIS: We’ll be here.

SEAN: Definitely will be here tonight.

MADDY: Cool.

JOSH: So I’ve heard that you’ve had a stressful day.

MADDY: Yeah. It wasn’t bad enough that I just learned that my dad and siblings aren’t my real dad and siblings, I have another father who was in a coma and a big brother that is dead. They were caught in that fire from…

JOSH: The Groves house. I’ve heard the story. Those kids who were killed in that house last night.

MADDY: They were my friends.

SEAN: I’m so sorry for your loss.

MADDY: Thanks.

SEAN: I know what it’s like to lose a loved one.

MADDY: Oh, yeah?

SEAN: Yeah. My father was killed and my mother and little sister were kidnapped when I was a kid. They were never found. The man responsible was never caught.

MADDY: I’m sorry.

JOSH: My parents and siblings are dead, too. I know how you both feel.

MADDY: It sucks learning about all of this the way I did.

SEAN: I hear you, little sister. It must suck.

MADDY: At least we have something in common.

SEAN: Yeah. And I know that we just met but if you ever need to talk, I’m here for you.

Maddy smiles. She feels comfortable with Sean despite just meeting him. This is a callback to their immediate spark connection when they first smiled at each other that morning.

MADDY: Thanks, Sean.

SEAN: You’re welcome, Maddy.

JOSH: I’m here for you, too, Maddy. You know I’ll do anything to help you.

DENNIS: Absolutely.

MADDY: Yeah. I appreciate you guys. You’re awesome.

DENNIS: So are you.

Later, the Reynolds and their significant others are getting into the van. It’s full. Only one spot at the end with Maddy.

ERIC: We got one more spot. One of you guys wanna sit with Maddy?

Eric is talking to Dennis, Sean, and Josh.

JOSH: (to Dennis and Sean) You go ahead. I got places to go to.

DENNIS: I’m too big. I’ve got to meet up with someone.

SEAN: I guess I’ll go.

ERIC: Hope in, Sean.

Sean jumps in the back with Maddy. The two smile at each other when he sits down.

A van full of people. Eric is driving with Colleen as his side passenger. Three backseat rows. Scott and Rachel in the first row making out. In the second row is Olivia and Jeff. Both are stoned out while listening to music on a phone with a two-way headset. Of course, Maddy and Sean chilling in the back third row.

Maddy is texting on her phone. Sean notices and becomes curious.

SEAN: What are you doing?

MADDY: Oh, just texting my boyfriend Nick.

SEAN: Oh, right. I heard you’re dating the Mayor’s son. Right?

MADDY: Yeah.

SEAN: How is that going?

MADDY: It’s going good.

SEAN: That’s cool.

Eric checks on Colleen. She’s still feeling sick.

ERIC: How you feeling, Colleen?

COLLEEN: Like shit. I just feel so irritable, stomach ache, and ugh! This gas doesn’t help either.

ERIC: I’m sorry, hun.

COLLEEN: It’s okay. I’m going to check something out later.

ERIC: What is that?

COLLEEN: I don’t want to say anything about it yet. I don’t want to make it a big thing until I know.

Eric is totally confused.

ERIC: Okay.

COLLEEN: Don’t worry about it, Eric. I’ll be okay.

Colleen gives him a kiss on the cheek. Eric looks at everybody through the rear-view mirror.

ERIC: In the first row, we’ve got the make out crew. Second row; the tripped out. And in the very back is Sean and our baby girl on her birthday. Is anyone even here?

COLLEEN: We are.

ERIC: Yeah, but everybody should be here. This is Maddy’s day and even she’s not ’here.’

COLLEEN: You know how she is. She doesn’t like being in the spotlight. She seems happy where things are.

ERIC: I just want her to be distracted. To have some fun tonight. She’s been through alot in the last few days. Her friends were just killed at the house that turns out to be her own house when she was a baby. And then she finds out that our dad isn’t her real dad.

COLLEEN: I know. I feel for her. It’s not something someone should go through on their sixteenth birthday.

Eric looks at the rear-view mirror.

ERIC: Say, Maddy, how about a movie?

MADDY: Sure.

ERIC: It’s your birthday. What movie would you like to see?

MADDY: Whatever sounds good.

SCOTT: What about Space Battles?

RACHEL: It’s a chick’s birthday, how about a chick flick?

JEFF: Maybe a horror movie.

Olivia gives him an unapproved glare.

JEFF: What?

OLIVIA: Remember what I told you this morning?

JEFF: Oh, right. Sorry. No scary movies then.

MADDY: It doesn’t matter to me. Whatever you guys like is fine with me.

OLIVIA: Isn’t there anything you wanna do for your birthday? Don’t leave it all up to us.

Maddy takes a moment to think. Then she smiles. An idea has popped into her head.

A movie plays on the big screen. The two characters are played Robin Williams-like and Adam Sandler-like actors. It’s obvious that this movie is a comedy by their acting and the audience’s reaction to their acting.

Our group is laughing at it including Maddy.

Chapter 9
The sun is setting. The day is falling and night is coming. Tom’s car is in the middle of traffic.

Tom is tired from work. He appears relieved to be done for the day. The passenger seat has a birthday cake for Maddy.

RING

Tom checks his phone. It’s a video chat request.

TOM: I don’t know you and I’m driving.

He presses the decline button. He continues driving and doesn’t think of it.

DING

Tom checks his text message. It’s from ELLEN.

ELLEN: (via text) If you won’t accept the video than I’ll make you watch it.

A video suddenly pops on the screen.

VIDEO

The video takes place in a dark room. We see Ellen come upstairs from the hallway and walk into her bedroom. The camera exits from the room it was hiding in and moves in on her door. We see Ellen getting undressed. She is unaware that she’s being filmed. The camera turns to GHOSTFACE.

TOM: What is this shit?

GHOSTFACE: Hello, Tom. I see that you like stealing other men's wives. I know what you did. I know why you did it. You don't deserve Ellen. How you got her...was a mistake. What you did. You took her by hurting her.

Tom begins sweating. He knows exactly what Ghostface is talking to.

GHOSTFACE: If you want to see her again, hurry home. No cops. Go to the cops and you'll never see her again. That's a promise. This is your only chance and your only warning.

VIDEO CUTS TO BLACK

Tom turns the wheel, therefore, the car, and floors it.

Tom’s car drives through a crowded road. He honks the horn at people as he makes illegal moves to pass them. People get angry at him.

MALE DRIVER: Hey, stay in your lane, asshole!

FEMALE DRIVER: Watch it, you idiot!

He speeds through several lane changes to get through the traffic.

In the master bedroom, Ellen comes out of the bathroom wearing a towel. She heads for her king size bed. A pair of clothes are folded on the bed for her. She undoes the towel.

We follow the towel as she allows it to fall on the floor. We do not see Ellen’s body. Once the towel lands on the floor, we move to the door. Ghostface’s shadow can be seen hanging outside the bedroom. She is totally oblivious to his presence.

Still on the road, Tom is panicking. He’s doing his best to hurry home without getting pulled over. Tom is entering the residential areas. Close to his own neighborhood. Still some traffic but nothing major.

Back at the house, Ellen has her new clothes on. She’s sitting at her vanity table putting on some makeup.

CREAK!

Ellen turns around. She senses that she’s not alone. There is nobody by the door. She slowly gets up. She quietly and calmly walks out the bedroom door.

Ellen walks through the hallway and slowly goes down the stairs. Once she lands on the halfway landing, she peaks through the railing.

ELLEN: Tom? Kids? Is somebody there?

Nothing but silence. She looks around and finds that there is nothing and nobody around. She thinks for a moment and decides that she must have heard nothing. She moves away from the railing.

We move away from the stairs to find Ghostface hiding in the entryway of the kitchen, right beneath the stairs, and out of what was Ellen’s view of the first floor.

Tom’s car speeds into the neighborhood. With no other cars around, he takes advantage of this and speeds up even faster.

Tom is sweating and shaking. He mumbles to himself in shear panic.

TOM: Almost there.

Tom parks his car right in front of his house. He jumps out of his car and runs to the door.

Tom walks in and looks up at the stairs.

TOM: Ellen?!

Tom runs to the living room. He grabs a fireplace poker. He runs out of the living room, runs up the stairs, enters the hallway and into his bedroom.

There is nothing and nobody here.

Tom is shaking. Frightened. Thinking the worst. He notices the bathroom door shut. He slowly approaches the door.

TOM: Ellen? Sweetheart? You okay?

He reaches the door. He slightly kicks it open and checks inside. There is nobody inside the bathroom.

He hears the sound of a door opening from downstairs. He recognizes which door it is.

TOM: Basement.

He runs out of his bedroom, goes downstairs, turns to the kitchen entrance, and runs into the kitchen. He turns for the basement and runs into...ELLEN.

They both scream.

TOM: Oh, Ellen. Thank God, you’re alright.

He hugs and kisses his confused wife.

ELLEN: Tom, what’s going on?

TOM: There is an intruder here.

ELLEN: (horrified) What?

TOM: He sent me a video of him watching you.

Tom hands her his phone and she watches the video.

ELLEN: Oh, my God. He saw me get undressed.

They hear noises from all around the house. They cannot tell where the source is really coming from. Ghostface can be anywhere now.

TOM: We gotta get out of here.

ELLEN: I’m calling the cops.

TOM: Okay. Stay close to me.

They begin to walk away as Ellen begins to dial. But before she can finish -- Ghostface sneaks up behind her and grabs her. She screams.

ELLEN: TOM!

Tom turns around to find Ghostface attacking his wife. He raises the fireplace poker.

TOM: LET HER GO!

As Tom charges at him, Ghostface pushes Ellen into her husband. The couple fall to the floor and Tom drops the fireplace poker. Tom hits his head upon impact. The couple are very slow to get up.

Ghostface grabs the fireplace poker. He pulls Ellen off of Tom. The two stare at each other. She's horrified by his appearance.

Ghostface turns to Tom. Ellen becomes horrified, realizing Ghostface’s intentions. She attempts to protect her husband by trying to shield him.

ELLEN: No.

Ghostface points the poker at her. Giving her the "Back off" threat. All she can do is cry as Ghostface stares into Tom, who is too weak to get up.

GHOSTFACE: (to Tom) You shouldn’t have touched what didn’t belong to you. You could have saved your family and yourself from all of this. But you had to have her. You had to play a part in separating a family. And now you must suffer the consequences.

Ghostface raises the fireplace poker. Both Tom and Ellen are horrified and cannot do anything about it. Ghostface begins beating Tom repeatedly with the fireplace poker.

After a while, Ghostface stop. Tom is weak and bloody. He's breathing heavily. Scared.

TOM: Just get it over with. Just kill me. You're going to anyways.

GHOSTFACE: I'm not done with you yet.

Ghostface drags Tom to the open basement door. While he’s doing that, Ellen attempts to drag herself away towards the dining room. Ghostface throws Tom down the basement stairs. He turns to Ellen.

Ellen is halfway to the dining room. Ghostface calmly walks over to her and grabs her leg. She begins crying, which turns into screaming, as he begins to drag her by the leg.

ELLEN: NO! PLEASE! NO!

Ghostface drags her into the basement and down a few steps so that she is not within reach of the door. He goes up those stairs and slams the door shut.

In the basement, Tom and Ellen are tied to chairs. Ghostface approaches them. He unties Ellen and gives her a pen and paper that has a written note.

GHOSTFACE: Sign it.

Ellen reads the note. She realizes what the notes mean.

ELLEN: I won’t do it.

Ghostface puts a knife to Tom’s throat, threatening his life.

ELLEN: Okay! Okay! Okay! I’ll sign it.

Ellen signs the note.

Ghostface ties her back up. He takes out his cell phone and voice changer. He dials a number.

HOUSE PHONE RINGS

Tom and Ellen realizes that Ghostface is calling their house.

TOM: (voicemail) You’ve reached the Reynolds. Please leave your name and number and we’ll call you back as soon as we can. Thank you. Bye.

GHOSTFACE: (in Tom’s voice) Hey, kids. It’s Dad. I’m gonna be extremely late. There’s been a last minute change at work. I cannot get out of it. Behave and have fun tonight. Goodbye.

Ghostface hangs up. Tom and Ellen are shocked by his ability to talk in Tom’s voice.

Ghostface pulls out a bottle of chloral hydrate and douces a rag with it. He approaches Ellen slowly.

ELLEN: What are you doing?

TOM: Stay away from her!

Ghostface shoves the rag into Ellen’s face.

TOM: STOP IT! LEAVE HER ALONE!

Ghostface ignores Tom’s pleas as Ellen passes out.

TOM: YOU BASTARD!

As Tom continues to yell at him, Ghostface redouces the rag. He goes for Tom.

TOM: FUCK YOU! GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU OF A BITCH!

Ghostface shoves the rag into Tom’s face.

Chapter 10
At the football field of Clearwood High School, a game between CLEARWOOD and EVERETT is occurring. Several families and friends are cheering on their respective players and teams. Among them is Kaitlyn.

The board shows that there are only ten seconds left in the game. It is the fourth quarter. The score is tied at Twenty-three.

Clearwood has the ball. They’re at Everett’s thirteen yard line. It’s third and three. The CLEARWOOD QUARTERBACK gives his teammates signals as Zach, the RUNNING BACK wearing number 48, stands behind.

QUARTERBACK: HIKE!

The ball is snapped to the Quarterback. The players on both sides begin to charge at each other. Just as an EVERETT PLAYER goes to tackle the Quarterback, Zach is given the ball.

All defence players turn their attention to Zach, who is able to sneak through a gap of players covering each other. He slips through the three yard marks onto first down. He’s finally tackled by an Everett Defender.

ANNOUNCER: First and goal. A third down completion by Zach Lathan.

The CLEARWOOD COACH calls for a timeout. He signals the players to huddle with him, which they do.

ANNOUNCER: Timeout called by Clearwood.

The Coach and the Team discusses their next move. We do not hear them. The Coach is constantly looking and pointing at both the Quarterback and Zach. They signal an understanding.

The team goes back out and get into position. Zach goes behind the Quarterback.

Kaitlyn watches. Has her hands together. Praying that Zach will get it.

The Quarterback calls out code words and shows hand gesture signals to his teammates.

QUARTERBACK: HIKE!

The ball is snapped to the Quarterback. Zach runs fast and is given the ball. He crashes through the crowd of players. He barely makes it out and continues on when he slips through everyone.

The defense give chase. Several defenders are taken down by other Clearwood players as Zach runs off.

The audience start to cheer loudly. The clock is ticking towards the end. It’s extremely tight.

Zach passes the five yard line with only two defenders behind him. The first one is tackled by another Clearwood player. The second closes in on Zach.

Zach is tackled down. Everyone freezes. Did he make it?

With the football in his hands, Zach turns to find that...HE PASSED THE GOAL LING. HE SCORED.

The crowd cheers. The clock ticks to zero. It’s over.

ANNOUNCER: TOUCHDOWN! CLEARWOOD WINS!

The scoreboard shows CLEARWOOD at Twenty-nine and EVERETT at Twenty-three.

The field is suddenly filled with families and friends celebrating the victory with the players.

Kaitlyn runs and jumps up at Zach and he catches her. They kiss as he spins her around.

KAITLYN: YOU DID IT!

ZACH: You know it.

They continue to hold each other when ZACH’S PARENTS approaches and hugs them. His father is Darrell Latham, one of the arsonist against the Groves house. Then there is his mother MRS. LATHAM.

MRS. LATHAM: We’re so proud of you.

ZACH: Thanks, Mom.

The parking lot is emptying out as people leave the school grounds.

Zach and Kaitlyn are walking hand in hand to her car. His parents go to their own car as they call out to him.

MRS. LATHAM: Be careful tonight.

ZACH: I will.

DARRELL: Have fun.

ZACH: I’m sure we will.

They get into her car. Zach is the passenger. Kaitlyn starts the car and she drives off.

The parents wave goodbye to them s Kaitlyn’s car passes them. The parents look at each other. Sad smiles.

MRS. LATHAM: How did he grow up so fast?

DARRELL: I don’t know. He just did.

They get into their car. The parents closes their doors and put on their seat belts.

From the rear-view mirror, we see GHOSTFACE sitting up from hiding behind them in the backseat. The parents take notice and are shocked by what they are seeing.

Kaitlyn drives on a desert back road. There are no other cars or any other person around. Just the road and trees.

Kaitlyn and Zach are a happy couple. Smiling and holding hands even as she drives.

KAITLYN: First you win the game and now we’re going to celebrate Maddy's birthday. Things just can’t get any better than this.

ZACH: I know. I can’t believe it either. We just have to get through the rest of the school year and next year before we graduate and head for U-Dub.

KAITLYN: I only wish that James and Ronnie could be here to see it.

ZACH: (sadly) I know.

Another car, Zach’s parents’ car, speeds towards them. Closing in on Kaitlyn’s car extremely close. hey see it coming.

KAITLYN: What the hell?

ZACH: Is that my parents’ car?

The car bumps Kaitlyn’s car. They’re now very disturbed by this.

KAITLYN: (yelling) What the hell are you doing?

ZACH: That can’t be my parents doing that?!

The car continues to bump Kaitlyn’s car. The car eventually drives on the wrong lane, bumping her sides.

They are now panicking.

KAITLYN: What is he doing?!

The car bumping her side eventually forces her to make a sharp turn to her left, blocking the other car’s path.

They watch as the parents’ car begins to back away.

KAITLYN: Why is he doing this?

ZACH: What the hell are you doing?

They suddenly realize the other car is speeding at them.

ZACH: Get us out of here.

Kaitlyn switches to reverse. She begins to go in reverse...

CRASH!

The other car had crashed into her car before she can get out of the way.

SMOKE FILLS OUR SCREEN

The smoke fades. Both Zach and Kaitlyn are out of it. They lift their heads off of the dashboard. Both have cuts and bruises on their heads.

ZACH: Kaitlyn. You okay?

KAITLYN: I think so. Where is he?

ZACH: I don’t know.

Suddenly Kaitlyn’s door window breaks. A hand comes in and shoves a knife into her throat. Zach screams for her.

ZACH: KAITLYN! NO! Kaitlyn gags as blood gushes out of both her throat and mouth. We see the figure of GHOSTFACE move away from her side to the front of the car.

Zach sees Ghostface staring at him from the windshield. He's horrified.

ZACH: Oh, fuck!

Ghostface continues moving on to Zach’s side of the car. Zach begins to panic. He turns to Kaitlyn, who is now dead. He begins to slightly cry.

Ghostface opens Zach's door.

ZACH: No, please. Don’t.

Ghostface pulls him out and has Zach face him. Zach is scared out of his mind. He stares into his dark cold eyes.

ZACH: What do you want?

GHOSTFACE: Justice for what your father, Darrell Latham, and Kaitlyn's father, Richard Bishop, did to my father.

FLASHBACK:

RICHARD BISHOP and DARRELL along with the two set the Groves house on fire.

BACK TO 2016

GHOSTFACE: The children always pay for the sins of their parents.

Ghostface begins viciously stabbing Zach. He can barely scream. His stomach and chest is destroyed by the knife.

Zach Latham is dead.

Chapter 11
A cupcake with a single candle is placed on a table in front of Maddy. The waitresses begin singing Happy Birthday to her. Maddy blushes. She’s still extremely too shy to be the center of attention.

Her siblings, their significant others, and Sean are together, huddled around her. It’s even more awkward for her now.

WAITRESSES: Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Maddy. Happy Birthday to you.

Maddy takes a moment to think. She closes her eyes and blows the candle out. Everyone claps. The waitresses leave.

MADDY: Thank you, Guys.

A waitress comes by with the check. Eric signals for her to hand him the check. He reads it. He places his credit card with the check and hands it back to the waitress.

ERIC: This is on me, everyone.

EVERYONE: Thank you.

ERIC: No problem. But I’m doing this for Maddy.

Maddy gives Eric a smile. He’s a caring brother. Maddy knows that in her heart that this is brother despite not being blood related. He has been there for her for all of her life.

Outside the Reynolds house, Dennis’s car is parked in front of the house. The lights are on inside.

Dennis and Josh are sitting and listening t music. They're waiting for the Reynolds to return.

DENNIS: Shame we didn’t go to dinner for her birthday.

JOSH: Yeah. At least we came for cake and ice cream.

DENNIS: True...true.

JOSH: When are they coming home?

Headlights blur their vision. It’s the van.

DENNIS: Right now.

They open their doors and get out.

The van pulls in. The doors open and everyone gets out except for Maddy.

DENNIS: What’s up, y’all?

ERIC: Dennis. Josh.

Eric and Josh gives each other the bro-hug.

ERIC: Thanks for coming.

JOSH: No problem, bro. Where’s Maddy?

The back of the van opens and Maddy steps out.

DENNIS: There she is. Happy Birthday, Baby girl.

Maddy and Dennis hug each other.

MADDY: Thank you, Dennis.

Josh approaches her for a hug.

MADDY: (hugging Josh) Thank you for coming. I know you been busy lately.

JOSH: I'm happy to see you for your birthday.

ERIC: I don't see Mom and Dad's cars. Let's get in the house and find out if they're home.

EVERYONE: Alright.

They all head to the front door. The Reynolds and their friends enters.

ERIC: Mom? Dad?

SCOTT: Looks like they’re not here.

They go into the kitchen. They find the note signed by Ellen. Eric takes it and reads it.

ERIC: (reading out loud) Dear kids, I went out to get some stuff for Maddy’s birthday. Won’t be back for few hours. Behave and be safe. Love, Mom.

SCOTT: There’s a message on the answer machine.

Scott presses play.

GHOSTFACE: (Tom’s voice) Hey, kids. It’s Dad. I’m gonna be extremely late. There’s been a last minute change at work. I cannot get out of it. Behave and have fun tonight. Goodbye.

ERIC: So mom and dad are gone. What do we do?

Maddy and Sean both pull out their phones. Both are texting.

SCOTT: I have no clue.

Josh receives a text message and checks his phone.

JOSH: I have to get going. I’m being called away.

ERIC: Okay.

JOSH: Later, everyone.

Josh hugs everyone. After hugging everyone, he gives Maddy a big hug and a kiss on the head.

JOSH: Happy birthday, Maddy. Love you.

MADDY: Thank you. Love you, too.

JOSH: See ya later, guys.

EVERYONE: Bye.

Josh exits the house.

As Josh heads for his car, he hears footsteps. He stops walking and looks around.

JOSH: Is someone there?

There’s nobody around. So he keeps on walking.

As Josh goes to his car, we find a FIGURE wearing the same BLACK HOODED JACKET as Ghostface...watching him. Is this GHOSTFACE?

Back inside the house, Sean has received a text message. He smiles when he reads it.

SEAN: Well, this is good news.

MADDY: What is it?

SEAN: My mother and sister...they’ve been found.

ERIC: That’s great.

OLIVIA: Oh, my God.

SCOTT: Great news.

MADDY: That’s amazing. What about the guy who took them?

SEAN: He’s been caught, too. I gotta go. I will be seeing my mother and sister for the first time in many years.

ERIC: Good luck.

Sean ignores everyone else as he gives Maddy a hug. It’s a very special, loving, affectionate, and brotherly hug. Despite them just meeting, Maddy feels good in his arms. Like she senses something special between them. Nothing romantic. But more like he’s family to her.

SEAN: Later, you guys.

Sean leaves.

ERIC: So what are we all gonna do?

MADDY: (as she heads for the stairs) I don’t care what you guys do. But I’m going to my room. Until Mom and Dad get home, this birthday girl is going to make plans with her friends.

They watch Maddy disappear up the stairs. They’re now uncertain what they want to do.

DENNIS: Well if birthday girl is done with us, what do we do then?

ERIC: Whatever we want. She’s spent the whole day with us. It’s her birthday. Let her make her plans. She’ll still be here when Mom and Dad come home. What does everyone else wanna do?

OLIVIA: I need to smoke...badly.

JEFF: The one we had earlier was the last one on me.

OLIVIA: You know I think I know where we can find some.

Olivia grabs Jeff’s hand and starts walking up stairs.

OLIVIA: Come with me to the attic.

ERIC: Why do you have weed in the attic?

OLIVIA: It’s the only place where Dad wouldn’t look for it.

The stoners abandon the rest and disappear upstairs.

SCOTT: Wonder what the rest of us will do?

RACHEL: I know something we can do.

SCOTT: What?

RACHEL: Something we can do upstairs.

DENNIS: What the heck could we all do upstairs?

RACHEL: Not you guys. Just Scott and I.

SCOTT: Like what...(realizes) OHHHHH!

He follows Rachel upstairs.

DENNIS: Why don’t the rest of us just drink and chill?

ERIC: Yeah. I’m down for that.

COLLEEN: (to Eric) Actually, how about you and I go relax in the hot tub? Just you and I.

ERIC: Is that what you want?

Colleen nods.

ERIC: Okay, then. (to Dennis) You're on your own, Dennis.

DENNIS: No problem, bro.

Eric and Colleen go upstairs.

Across the street, Sean is about to unlock his car when...GHOSTFACE sneaks up behind him. He stabs him in the back/shoulder. He screams out.

SEAN: WHAT THE HELL?!

Ghostface turns him around. Sean at first is afraid. But something comes to his mind as he stares at the killer. Not afraid of him.

SEAN: Ghostface!

Ghostface cocks his head upon hearing that. The killer has a mixture of shock, fear, and surprise. The killer starts to tremble. Feeling like he’s done wrong by stabbing Sean.

SEAN: You won’t kill me now, won’t ya? But you can take me out. Go ahead. Do it!

With that...Ghostface grabs Sean and slams him against his own car. Sean is now unconscious. Ghostface allows Sean’s unconscious body fall to the ground and walks away from him.

Chapter 12
Maddy is lying on her bed while texting on her phone.

MADDY: (via text) I’m just waiting for mom and dad to get home.

NICK: (via text) Cool. You still want me to come over afterwards?

MADDY: (via text) That is the plan. I’ll let you know.

NICK: (via text) Alright, Babe.

She smiles.

Dennis is in the basement drinking and watching TV.

We’re in Eric and Scott's bedroom. Messy. Eric’s side is cleaner than Scott’s side. On Scott’s side is mostly sports stuff and posters of hot girls in bikinis. Scott and Rachel are on his bed, making out as they help each other take their clothes off.

With both of their shirts and pants off, Rachel pushes Scott on the bed. As he lies there, she unbuttons her bra and exposes her breasts. Scott is enjoying the moment. Rachel removes her panties and gets on him. They kiss more before she goes down his chest, stomach, and begins removing his briefs.

We do not see what Rachel is doing down there. But by Scott's facial reaction...we get the idea.

In the attic, Olivia opens the attic window as Jeff stuffs some marijuana in a bong. He lights up a lighter and takes the first hit. It’s a long one. The water inside the bong bubbles up. He exhales, filling up the room with smoke.

JEFF: Oh, shit, dude. That is a big one.

OLIVIA: I can do better than that.

She snatches the bong and takes a hit. Hers is much longer and she inhales faster. She exhales more smoke out. But she begins coughing.

OLIVIA: FUCK!

Jeff laughs at her. She elbows him.

OLIVIA: Shut up or I’m not letting you get any.

JEFF: Hey, I gave you some of mine.

OLIVIA: I’m not talking about the weed, dumbass.

She takes off her shirt, revealing a sexy black bra. Jeff takes the hint.

JEFF: Nice hit, babe. You hit it better than me.

OLIVIA: That’s what I thought. (gives him the bong) Here.

Jeff takes the bong but stares at Olivia’s breast.

JEFF: Am I gonna get some of that, too?

OLIVIA: Be nice and maybe you will.

JEFF: I’ll be good, mom. I promise.

OLIVIA: Oh, stop it and take a hit.

Jeff takes a hit.

In the backyard, Eric and Colleen are making out in the hot tub that is at the end of the patio. They stop to give each other a loving smile. There is an obvious difference between their making out and the making out between Scott and Rachel. These two truly love each other and are meant for each other.

ERIC: I love you.

COLLEEN: I love you, too.

ERIC: How much?

COLLEEN: With all my heart and soul. How about you?

ERIC: I wanna spend the rest of my life with you.

COLLEEN: So do I.

ERIC: Will you marry me?

COLLEEN: Are you asking me? I mean...are you really proposing to me?

ERIC: Yes, I am.

Colleen is surprised. She can hardly speak or think. Eric mistakes her facial expression as a negative reaction.

ERIC: I know that this isn’t the exact way you would want me to propose and I don’t even have a ring but I’ve thought about it a lot lately and I know that I want this and...

COLLEEN: YES! I will marry you.

ERIC: Really?

COLLEEN: Really.

ERIC: Oh, that’s great.

They embrace each other and kiss.

COLLEEN: I can’t believe this. We’re engaged.

ERIC: I know. Mom and Dad are gonna so happy.

In the basement, Dennis is drunk. He goes and grabs another can beer from the twenty-four pack. As he goes to sit back down on the couch, his drunkenness causes his to drop the beer.

The beer rolls into the dark open room.

DENNIS: Shit. I gotta get up, don’t I?

Dennis struggles to bring himself.

DENNIS: Oh, son of a bitch.

Dennis eventually gets up and walks into the dark room. He retrieves the can. But he hears the sounds of muffling.

DENNIS: What the hell?

Dennis turns on the light and finds ELLEN, TOM, MCKINLEY, and KENNEDY tied up.

DENNIS: Oh, shit!

The four tied up sees somebody behind Dennis. They try to warn him but they cannot speak because they’re all gagged. Dennis turns around...GHOSTFACE STABS HIM. Dennis falls and presumably dies.

Back in the hot tub, Eric and Colleen are still in the hot tub.

ERIC: How are you feeling?

COLLEEN: Okay. I’ll be right back. I’m going to the bathroom.

ERIC: Okay.

Colleen grabs her phone and gets out. She grabs her towel from a wooden-patio-chair, wrapping it around herself, and goes inside the house through the sliding glass door that leads to the kitchen.

Colleen is on the toilet as she types away on her phone. She’s on her PERSONAL BOOK page. Her latest post states that she and Eric are "ENGAGED." It already has many LIKES and COMMENTS of congratulations.

In the attic, Olivia and Jeff are stoned out. Olivia’s phone dings. She checks it out. She begins laughing.

OLIVIA: I must be totally stoned. It says "Eric and Colleen are engaged."

They laugh. Olivia then stops and thinks for a moment.

OLIVIA: (realizes) Oh, shit. They just got engaged. We need to celebrate.

JEFF: Let’s smoke so more.

Jeff takes another hit at the bong.

In Eric and Scott's bedroom, Both Scott and Rachel’s phones ding. But they’re being ignored. Scott and Rachel are in the middle of fucking. They moan loudly.

The moaning can be heard in Maddy’s bedroom. Maddy puts on a pair of headphones and connects it to her phone. She chooses a loud rock song to listen to. The music succeeds in drowning out their moaning.

Maddy reads Colleen’s engagement post. She puts on a big smile. She presses the LIKE button and begins commenting on it.

Colleen reads Maddy’s comment.

MADDY: (via comment) OMG! I am so happy for you two. I love you both very much. I’m so happy that you’re going to officially be my sister. <3 <3

Colleen smiles. She presses the HEART button.

Colleen grabs her purse and goes to grab something.

COLLEEN: I must find out. I must know.

Before we find out what it is that she’s pulling out, we CUT TO:

Eric sits back and relaxes in the hot water. He smiles and closes his eyes. He’s the happiest man on earth.

RING

Eric grabs his phone and checks it out. It’s a video chat request. He presses accept.

VIDEO:

Ghostface appears.

Hello, Eric. I hear congratulations are in order.

ERIC: (confused) What the...?

GHOSTFACE: You have such a perfect life, don’t you? And you think you can take other people and make their lives perfect? You and your family took in a damaged woman and her baby girl and turned them into one of you. Giving them the perfect life that you people believed they would have been denied.

The video cuts to a view of the camera looking outside of Maddy’s bedroom from a distance. She can be seen cleaning up her bedroom.

GHOSTFACE: She’s a sweet little thing, isn’t she?

ERIC: I swear to God if you hurt her I will fucking kill you.

GHOSTFACE: Aww. Listen to yourself. A protective big brother. You see her as your own. But she’s not. She doesn’t belong to you. She doesn’t belong to any of you. She belongs to another family. And tonight, I am going to bring them back together.

A hand grabs Eric by the hair and pulls him back. Eric stares up at Ghostface, who quickly pulls the knife across his throat. Eric gasps and gags as he bleeds to death. Ghostface pushes his head forward, which drops to the water. The water turns red.

Back in the bathroom, Colleen is looking at something. She’s crying. But they’re tears of joy. She’s surprised, shocked, and trembling. She smiles.

COLLEEN: Oh, my God. I can’t believe it.

Colleen walks out of the kitchen through the sliding glass door. She has a smile on her face. She unwraps the towel off of her and throws it back on the same chair that it was on earlier. She goes over to the hot tub. She is holding something in her hands. But we cannot see what it is.

COLLEEN: Oh, my God. Eric, I have something that I have to tell you…

She sees that the water is red and that Eric isn’t moving.

COLLEEN: ERIC? Oh, my God.

Colleen backs into Ghostface. She turns around. He raises his knife up and is prepared to kill her.

Out of fear, Colleen drops what she’s holding. It falls to the ground. Ghostface looks to see what it is. It turns out to be a PREGNANCY TEST. It’s POSITIVE.

COLLEEN IS PREGNANT.

Ghostface looks back up to her. Colleen, shocked by her fiance’s death, by Ghostface’s appearance, and of her condition, she faits.

Ghostface catches her. He picks her up and carries her inside. He’s not willing to kill Colleen.

Chapter 13
Scott and Rachel are lying down together. Finished. Both are exhausted and sweaty. Rachel is leaning her head on Scott’s shoulder and is rubbing her hand on his chest.

Scott grabs their cellphones. He gives Rachel her phone. They both read the notification they received and ignored earlier.

SCOTT: Whoa!

RACHEL: Oh, my God. Really!

SCOTT: So Eric and Colleen are getting married.

RACHEL: That is so awesome. Good for them.

SCOTT: It’s about time.

RACHEL: We should get married someday.

SCOTT: Yeah, let’s wait until after college.

RACHEL: I know. That’s why I said "someday."

SCOTT: Yeah. Well, I’m hungry. You want anything?

RACHEL: Just a soda maybe.

SCOTT: Alright.

Scott gets out of bed and puts on his jeans.

Scott comes down stairs. As he reaches the final step, he suddenly hears some long-term noises coming from the kitchen.

SCOTT: What the hell is that?

Scott walks in and finds the source of the noise. It’s the garbage disposal. Somebody has turned it on with a knife inside. The blade is sticking out and spinning around.

SCOTT: What the fuck?

RING

Scott checks his phone. It’s a video chat request from ERIC. He accepts.

VIDEO:

The video shows Scott walking into the kitchen. His back is towards the camera. He goes to the sink to find the spinning knife.

Scott turns around and finds Eric’s phone standing in the ice/water dispenser of the refrigerator. He approaches it.

SCOTT: Okay, Eric. You crazy bastard.

Scott grabs Eric’s phone and uses it to end the call. Just then he gets another video call. This time it’s from COLLEEN.

SCOTT: Oh, I see. A little couple’s prank here. Alright. I’ll play your game.

He accepts the request.

VIDEO:

We see Scott finding Eric’s phone from another angle. The camera is facing Scott’s right.

Scott turns to his right. He sees Colleen’s phone taped to the sliding glass door. He scoffs at it.

SCOTT: Oh, you guys. This is good. Messing with my head here.

The video chat ends. Ended by Colleen’s phone. The camera light on her phone turns off. This confuses Scott. A phone ending it’s call without it being touched by the caller.

SCOTT: Whoa! How did you guys do that?

Scott receives another video chat request. This time it’s from ELLEN.

SCOTT: Mom? You’re in on this, too?

He accepts it.

VIDEO:

The video shows the top of Scott’s head. The camera is above him.

Scott looks up. Ellen’s phone is taped to the ceiling.

SCOTT: Okay, this got weird.

VIDEO:

This time the video is live and consistent with the actual time. We see Scott trying to laugh at the situation.

SCOTT: How are you guys controlling the phones without touching them?

Video ends.

Scott shakes his head and scoffs.

SCOTT: Crazy people.

The phone rings again with another video chat request. This time from TOM.

SCOTT: Okay, Dad. Give me your best shot.

He accepts the call once again.

VIDEO:

The video shows that the camera is outside and facing the window where the kitchen sink is. We see Scott with his back towards the window.

Scott turns to the window. Obviously, due to it being dark outside and the lights being on inside, he cannot see the person filming him. But he believes he’s caught them.

SCOTT: That is a stupid place to hide. Right outside the window.

Scott goes over to the window and opens it - NOTHING.

SCOTT: What the...?

He sticks his head out and looks around. There is nobody around.

SCOTT: (shaking his head) How are they doing this?

He brings himself back in. The garbage disposal is still going with the spinning knife.

SCOTT: This is going to ruin the garbage disposal.

Scott goes to turn the switch off when -- GHOSTFACE pops in from outside the window and grabs Scott. The two struggle. Scott is actually putting up a fight.

SCOTT: GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!

Despite Scott, a fit-six-pack tough football player, putting up a good fight, Ghostface is proving to be much more superior. Ghostface is pulling him down to the sink as he continues to fight him off.

SCOTT: WHAT ARE YOU DOING? NO! FUCK!

Scott tries to move his face away from the spinning knife but his head is getting closer and closer.

Ghostface takes in all of his energy and pushes Scott’s head down hard and fast. Scott gives out a very brief scream. The scream ends when we hear the sounds of flesh ripping, followed by the sounds of blood splattering. The last thing we hear is the sound of the blade scraping bone.

Scott has stopped fighting. Dead.

Ghostface’s mask is covered in blood.

Back in Eric and Scott's bedroom, Rachel is still lying on the bed. She is now wearing one of Scott’s jerseys. She is wearing headphones with a POP song playing from her phone. Her eyes are closed as she hums along to the song.

On the stairs, Ghostface slowly walks up the steps to the halfway landing. When he makes it to the halfway landing, he turns to the second case of stairs to the second floor and looks up at his options. Maddy’s bedroom is the bedroom on his right, facing forward towards the front of the house. But Eric and Scott’s bedroom is also on his right but facing the backyard. He continues up the second stairs.

Ghostface reaches the second floor and turns to face the direction of boys’ bedroom. He walks over towards the boys’ bedroom, passing Maddy’s bedroom. Maddy’s door is open only by a crack.

Maddy is at her desk drawing. Her drawings are actually portraits of people in her life. We find drawings of her parents, her siblings, and friends. She’s currently drawing a portrait of Nick.

She observes her work. His eyes and his smiles. It forces a smile on her. She is missing him and wishes he was there with her.

Ghostface reaches the boy’s bedroom. The door is halfway opened. He slowly and quietly pushes the door all the way open.

Ghostface sees Rachel lying on the bed with the music still playing. She’s starting to doze off. He slowly approaches her. She does not hear, feel, or see him coming towards her.

When he goes to the bed, he slowly puts his hand on her face. He rubs her face. Thinking that it’s Scott, Rachel smiles and giggles.

RACHEL: Scott, what are you doing?

She opens her eyes to find Ghostface above her. She gasps and goes to scream. Ghostface covers her mouth. He grabs the pillow and puts it over her face. Her screaming is muffled now but still loud enough to be heard.

Maddy hears her screaming. She shakes her head and rolls her eyes up. Mistaking her screams for help as her moaning over sex.

MADDY: How do they even have the energy for a second round?

She turns on a loud rock song. This time without headphones. It drowns out Rachel’s screaming.

Rachel is still screaming and fighting with the pillow over her face. Ghostface raises his knife up. Rachel doesn’t know what’s coming. He begins stabbing her. She stops screaming. He continues to stab her but we do not see where he’s stabbing her at. He is being very vicious with stabbing her. Fast and long. It feels like a never-ending murder. A definite overkill.

Rachel’s arm slumps down on the side of the bed. Blood can be seen crawling down her arm and the sheets.

Ghostface has stopped stabbing her. He stares at her for a moment before he leaves the bedroom. Rachel’s body still has the pillow covering her face. However, the pillow is destroyed. Blood covers the entire pillow. Though we don’t see it, we know that her face is also destroyed.

Chapter 14
Jeff is nearly out as Olivia rides him. Olivia is just wearing her black bra. She is moaning while doing all the work. She apparently doesn’t mind though.

OLIVIA: Oh, yeah. Yeah!. You lovin it, baby?

JEFF: (slurred, distorted) Wi wuv wit.

OLIVIA: I’ll take that as a yes.

In Maddy's bedroom, the loud music is still playing.

Maddy is finishing up her drawing of Nick. We find that someone is peeking through the crack of her bedroom door. It’s Ghostface.

Ghostface stares at Maddy. But from his facial expression, there are no signs of a desire to kill her. It’s like he’s watching over her rather than stalking her. Almost like he’s wanting to protect her.

OLIVIA: (O.S.) OH YES! AH!

Ghostface turns his head to the stairs leading up to the attic. He gives Maddy one last look before he heads for the attic stairs.

Olivia slips on her black panties as she stares at Jeff, who is not getting up. Stoned and exhausted.

OLIVIA: You are so done for the night.

Jeff mumbles something. Olivia puts on her pants as Jeff continues to mumble.

OLIVIA: I’ll get us some water.

Olivia puts on her shirt as she walks towards the stairs.

The area near the stairs is very dark. The only light visible is the one shining from down the stairs to the second floor. It’s so dark that Olivia doesn’t realize it when she passes Ghostface as she makes the turn for the stairs. Olivia goes down stairs.

Once she’s gone, Ghostface comes out from the darkness towards Jeff, who notices him but is too stoned and exhausted to react. Ghostface just stares at him.

In the kitchen, Olivia opens the refrigerator and pulls out two bottles of water. She closes the refrigerator.

Olivia carries the water bottles as she walks up the stairs.

(NOTE: Scott's body and blood has been cleaned up. So Olivia hadn't noticed it.)

Olivia walks up the steps to the attic. She makes the turn through the dark spot and out into the light side of the attic. She stops and drops the water bottles. Her face turns to utter shock and surprise.

OLIVIA: JEFF!

Jeff is tied up to a chair with rope. His mouth is taped. We find a nail gun aimed right at him on a table. It appears like a booby trap.

Olivia observes her her surroundings. Looking for anything around her that could lead to the nailgun like a wire connected to the nail gun that she could try avoid tripping. Nothing. She must have walked in on the killer trying to set up to torture him.

Olivia finds a pair of scissors on a table next to her. She takes it and goes to Jeff.

OLIVIA: Hold on, Jeff. I’ll get you out of this.

JEFF: (muffling) NO!

Jeff keeps shaking his head and trying to get her to stop but she doesn’t realize it.

Olivia cuts a row of the rope. But she realizes upon doing so, the rope flies off towards the wall.

Suddenly out of nowhere...an AXE FLIES DOWN...AND SLAMS INTO JEFF'S FACE.

JEFF IS DEAD.

OLIVIA: JEFF!

Olivia looks above Jeff and realizes that by cutting the rope, it released the axe down. She suddenly remembers the nail gun. She turns to the table in front of Jeff. It’s gone.

CREAK!

Olivia turns around.

POP!

Olivia goes down.

Ghostface appears from out of the dark spot of the attic with the nail gun. He looks down at her body.

Olivia lies dead on the floor with a nail in her head.

Maddy is texting with Nick again.

MADDY: (via text) Even though I haven’t heard from Mom and Dad, I’d like you to come over.

NICK: (via text) When?

MADDY: Now. I’m tired of being everyone’s baby. Tonight, I want to be a full woman. And there is only one way that could happen...and it’s something only you can do. I’m ready. Come over and make me a woman.

NICK: On my way.

She smiles. She jumps off of her bed and takes her shirt off. She opens her dresser and picks out a cute blue spaghetti strap tunic shirt.

In the kitchen, Ghostface is pulling somebody out from inside the basement. We cannot see who it is.

Maddy is now wearing the blue tunic with tight blue jeans. Very date-like outfit.

RING

Maddy picks up her phone and finds that it’s a video chat request from her MOM. She accepts.

VIDEO:

Ghostface appears.

Maddy is horrified.

MADDY: Who are you?

GHOSTFACE: Hello, Maddy. It’s great to finally meet you. You have grown to be a beautiful young woman. Are you ready to learn the truth about your life? The truth about your father.

MADDY: I already know that Tom Reynolds isn't my real father.

GHOSTFACE: Oh, but there is more to it than that. It's how he became your father.

MADDY: I know how.

GHOSTFACE: No, you don't. You only know what you were told by your mom. Your mom only knows what she's been told. There's another side of the story. One that will sting like a bitch when you learn the truth.

MADDY: Leave me alone.

GHOSTFACE: Tonight, you will be reunited with your real father. They're all here with me. Your parents.

MADDY: (scared) What are you talking about?

GHOSTFACE: I’m talking about this...

VIDEO:

Ghostface turns the camera to a taped bound Ellen. She’s crying and muffling.

MADDY: MOM!

Maddy begins crying.

MADDY: Please, don’t hurt my mom.

GHOSTFACE: I’m not going to hurt her. I need her. She’s part of the family now. I need her just as much as I need you. Come on downstairs and join us. Your real family is waiting for you.

Maddy runs down the stairs. Panicked.

She turns into the living room to find - ELLEN, MCKINLEY, TOM, and KENNEDY all taped up. Ellen and McKinley are sitting on the couch together. Tom and Kennedy are sitting on their own chairs. Tom is on the right of Ellen and Kennedy is on the left of McKinley.

Maddy approaches her mom.

MADDY: Mom!

She rips the tape off of her mouth.

ELLEN: Maddy. Are you okay, baby?

MADDY: I’m fine. Where is he?

Ghostface sneaks in through the entry of the recreation room next to the living room.

ELLEN: RIGHT THERE!

Maddy turns around only to be slapped by Ghostface. She goes down.

ELLEN: LEAVE HER ALONE!

Maddy turns herself and begins crawling backwards as Ghostface slowly approaches her. He lunges at her but Maddy gets up and storms off. He is behind her. The chase between the two is on.

Maddy runs up the stairs. When she reaches the halfway landing, she pushes Ghostface who falls on the steps. She continues to run as the killer rolls down a few steps.

GHOSTFACE: FUCK!

Ghostface slowly gets up. He is in some pain. By the time he reaches the halfway landing, Maddy has already reached the second floor.

Maddy runs up the stairs to the attic. She disappears into the darkness of the attic.

Ghostface finally makes it up to the second floor. He appears pissed as fuck. He looks around the hallway. He realizes that the door to the attic stairs are open.

Maddy is hiding inside a box that her tiny body is able to fit in. She can hear footsteps climbing up the stairs to the attic. She covers her mouth as she begins trembling.

Ghostface enters the attic after passing the dark spot. He looks around. We now understand how large the attic is. There are several places for her to hide. She can be anywhere. Ghostface begins tearing the place apart.

Maddy tries to keep herself together as she hears Ghostface destroy the place. She understands through the violent sounds of him throwing stuff around that he really has it in for her.

Ghostface continues throwing stuff around. He looks around and notices something. We do not see what he sees. But he’s suspicious of whatever it is that he’s seeing. But he walks off screen in another direction.

Maddy is still keeping herself together. Trying hard not to breathe or make any sounds or sudden moves that would make her presence known.

Suddenly the box moves. It’s being pushed to it’s side and Maddy screams. She falls out.

Ghostface grabs her and tries to drag her. Maddy kicks his hand away. He attempts to scare her into thinking that he’s going to stab her but this does not work. She kicks the knife out of his hand. Ghostface lunges at her but then -- She kicks him in the face.

Ghostface goes down. Maddy gets up and runs out of the attic. He gets up and sees her disappear down the stairs. His nose is bleeding.

Maddy runs down the stairs. She goes for the front door and tries to unlock it. Before she can -- a throwing knife is thrown at the door. She screams and turns around.

Ghostface is at the halfway landing of the stairs. He pulls out another throwing knife and aims it at her. She’s lating.

GHOSTFACE: It’s useless to run. I will not stop until we have justice for our pain.

Maddy stares at him and the dining room. He gives her the "Don’t try it" look. But fuck it. She goes for it. He throws the knife. It misses her. He jumps over the railing. The impact of him landing on the floor causes the entire house to vibrate.

Maddy feels it as she shrieks. Nearly losing her balance. She heads for the door leading to the kitchen -- At the same time as Ghostface heads for the kitchen through the foyer.

The two nearly collide as they both enter the kitchen at the same time. Ghostface nearly catches her but both slip backwards, trying to avoid crashing into each other. As a result, Maddy is able to evade him and continues to run through the kitchen.

She starts grabbing and throwing things around the kitchen as a way to block him from catching her. Ghostface blocks each item with his arm as they’re being thrown at him.

Maddy grabs a knife and turns to him in a threatening manner. She looks pissed as fuck. Deadly. Even the fact that she’s a tiny little woman doesn’t stop us from wanting to back away from her. Ghostface feels her anger and vibe. He sees her soul through her fire-filled eyes.

Maddy loses it. She yells and charges at Ghostface. He grabs her wrist. The two struggle. But this is no ordinary struggle. Nothing like the ones we seen Ghostface have with his other victims before. This tiny little girl is actually giving this big muscular full grown man a challenge. Ghostface is actually showing signs of fear over this tiny girl. He cannot believe the fight she’s putting up.

Maddy and Ghostface swing each other into the sliding glass door. It’s Ghostface’s body whose impact shatters the glass and they both fall out together with Maddy on top of him.

Maddy, still on top, tries to stab Ghostface but he uses his foot to flip her off of him. She’s flipped on her back against the hot tub and loses her grip on the knife.

He gets up first. She recovers and uses the hot tub to pick herself up. She finds Eric’s body inside the hot tub. She screams.

Ghostface pulls out his knife. She turns to him. She sees her knife on the ground. She attempts to grab it but Ghostface quickly kicks it away. She feels helpless now.

Maddy takes off running. She escapes from the patio with Ghostface chasing her. She heads for the dark woods.

Maddy runs into the woods. It’s very dark. She finds several trees to hide behind. Ghostface runs in as well. He looks around for her. They are very close to each other but only Maddy knows it. She covers her mouth.

As Ghostface continues walking through the woods, he finds that he might be getting lost. He hears noises everywhere. Mostly from birds and other small animals. But either of those noises could be from Maddy.

GHOSTFACE: Maddy. You have no place to run. You can hide out here all night but there is no place to go beyond these woods. The only way out of here is to go back to your house.

Maddy breathes as she peeks behind her tree. He’s already passed her but still in a position to catch her should he see her.

GHOSTFACE: Just give it up, Maddy. The only way you can save yourself is to surrender and join your real family. It’ll be safe and easier for you.

As Ghostface continues walking away from Maddy’s position, she slowly backs away from her spot.

GHOSTFACE: (continues) Don’t be afraid, Maddy. Just come out and embrace your destiny.

Maddy is almost out of the woods. She can see the lights from her house from where she’s at. She can see Ghostface’s outline from afar. He is unaware that his target is slipping away from him.

Suddenly Maddy’s feet steps on twigs...SNAP!

Ghostface heard the snap. He turns around. Maddy sees him reacting.

MADDY: Oh, no.

The chase is on again. She runs out of the woods. He’s still got some ways to go.

Maddy goes back to the patio. She grabs the knife that she had earlier and hides behind the hot tub. Ghostface finally comes out of the woods and heads for the patio. When he steps onto the patio, he does not see Maddy.

He heads for the glass door when -- Maddy comes out from behind the hot tub. Yelling and charging at Ghostface. He turns around but it’s too late. Maddy slams the knife into his chest.

Ghostface gasps. He’s in pain and in shock. He falls to his nees. Maddy just stands there watching him fall apart. The two cousins look into each other’s eyes. Finally a sense of a connection between them. Even Maddy is beginning to feel it. Almost like she’s feeling guilty that she just hurt someone she loves. He touches her face in a loving manner.

She stares at him and slightly kicks him. Ghostface’s body does not move or flinch. Ghostface is dead.

Maddy leaves the body and goes back inside.

NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE THE KILLER REVEAL.

Chapter 15
Maddy walks into the living room. All the hostages sigh in relief to see that she’s okay.

ELLEN: Where is he?

Maddy begins to cry.

MADDY: I killed him. I killed him.

Kennedy muffles.

ELLEN: Go help him.

Maddy goes over to Kennedy and rips the tape off of his mouth.

MADDY: Sheriff.

KENNEDY: Untape me.

Maddy tries to rip the tape around the Sheriff’s arms.

DOORBELL

Everyone is startled and they turn their heads to the foyer.

KENNEDY: My right ankle. Underneath is a gun. Take it.

Maddy pulls up his right pant leg. She finds the holstered gun and grabs it.

KENNEDY: Be careful.

A shaken Maddy slowly walks into the foyer.

She slowly approaches the front door. With her shaky hands, she unlocks the door. She grabs doorknob and quickly opens the door...

It's JOSH.

MADDY: Josh.

JOSH: (concerned by her appearance) Maddy?

They embrace each other. Josh takes notice of her behavior and the gun. He’s puzzled by this.

JOSH: What’s going on? Are you okay?

MADDY: That killer was here. But I killed him.

She begins to cry and he comforts her. He takes the gun from her.

JOSH: It's okay. It's okay.

SUDDENLY A PERSON APPEARS BEHIND JOSH - IT’S NICK AND SEAN.

MADDY: NICK!

Maddy and Nick assist Sean inside the house.

NICK: I drove over here and I found him lying on the ground.

JOSH: Let's put him in the living room.

Nick notices Maddy's behavior and the hostages all tied up.

NICK: What is going on?

MADDY: The killer was here.

NICK: Oh, shit.

Maddy and Nick leans Sean against the couch on the floor.

JOSH: Be careful. He's been stabbed in the back of the shoulder. He hit head on his car.

Nick moves his hand away from Sean's shoulder...BLOOD.

NICK: How did you know that?

Maddy and Nick turn to Josh.

JOSH: What?

NICK: How did you know he was stabbed? I didn't even notice what happened to him and I'm the one who found him.

Maddy turns to Josh. Suspicious.

MADDY: Josh? How did you know what happened to his head, too?

Josh just fucked up. He can’t find a good lie. Maddy finally realizes it…

MADDY: Oh, my God. it’s you. Isn’t it?

Josh sighs. He smiles and starts laughing. No point in trying to hide it now.

JOSH: Yeah. You’re right, Maddy. It’s me.

Josh points the gun at Nick.

NICK: What are you...?

Josh pulls the trigger. But before the bullet even gets near him, Maddy tackles him down. The bullet nearly nicks her.

The couple are lying on the floor. Maddy shields Nick with her body as Josh points the gun at them.

JOSH: Maddy, get out of the way.

MADDY: What are you doing? Why are you trying to shoot Nick?

JOSH: I’m sorry, dear. But this is between your family and mine. Nick has no place for us. I’m gonna have to cut him loose.

Kennedy’s eyes widen with horror. This is the same thing that Ghostface said to Sabrina before killing Wayne.

Josh moves for Maddy and Nick, who crawl backwards with the rest of the hostages. Maddy is still using her body to shield her boyfriend.

MADDY: I stabbed you. How did you survive?

JOSH: Body Protection Vest. You didn’t think I’d go on a killing spree without taking every precaution? I figured someone would eventually try to stab or shoot me. I came prepared.

MADDY: Why are you doing this?

JOSH: I’m bringing justice for what happened to your family fifteen years ago. The tragic event that destroyed your family when you were just a baby.

MADDY: I know about the story.

JOSH: You only know half of it. What you don’t know is who and why it happened.

ELLEN: We know how that happened, too. Some drunk guy set the house on fire.

JOSH: That’s what you were told. But that’s not who really did it.

ELLEN: Oh, really? Who did it then?

JOSH: Richard Bishop, Darrell Latham, Jerry Blair, and Gary Fewin. Fewin was Sheriff Kennedy’s brother-in-law. He knew he’d get away with it because his wife would talk her brother into covering it up. (Points the gun at Kennedy) Go ahead, Sheriff. Tell them the truth.

Kennedy nods. Guilty and ashamed.

KENNEDY: My sister was the baby of the family. She always got what she wanted. If she didn’t get her way with me, she always found a way to make me look back. She was going to turn the family against me. I didn’t think I had a choice. So I didn’t arrest Richard and his friends. I allowed an innocent man to get arrested over my stupid spoiled sister’s demands.

Ellen and McKinley are horrified at hearing this. Tom is only horrified for another reason.

JOSH: Oh, but that’s not all. See they had a motive for doing this. They had a leader. A leader who did not commit the act but arranged it.

Tom is now more horrified than ever.

ELLEN: Who?

JOSH: Your own husband. Tom Reynolds.

Ellen gasps.

TOM: LIAR!

Tom yells at him with such overconfidence and cockiness that his true colors come out in an instance. Even Ellen sees it by his reaction.

ELLEN: Tom? Is it true?

JOSH: Tell her the truth, Tom.

TOM: FUCK YOU!

JOSH: Don’t make me show her the evidence.

TOM: (cocky) You don’t got shit on me.

And there it is...all the evidence Ellen needs to know the truth. Her second husband, Tom Reynolds, is responsible for the fire that put her first husband, Phil Groves, into a coma.

ELLEN: Oh, my God. Tom? How could you?

Tom knows that he’s screwed. His cockinness and overconfidence has gotten the better of him. And he knows that cannot hide it anymore. Ellen can see right through any lie he’d try to make. So Tom will just spill it all out.

TOM: Because Phil was a loser. He didn’t deserve a woman like you. You’re too good for him. You’re beautiful, successful, full of class, and greatness. The opposite of him. How could you be with a low class idiotic loser like Phil Groves?

ELLEN: Because I loved him. You bastard! How could you hurt him? My baby boy, too? You killed my Eddie!

TOM: You weren’t suppose to be at home when it happened. The kids weren’t suppose to be there. You came home early. The guys showed up late. It was not suppose to happen that way.

JOSH: But it did. And people suffered for it.

McKinley is seen crying. His crying and presence in general confuses Ellen, Maddy, and Tom. Josh notices this and decides to turn the subject to a new direction.

JOSH: Maddy, you know Bill McKinley, right?

MADDY: He’s my teacher.

JOSH: Yes, of course. But he is someone else. Someone you’ve never met. Someone you’d like to know. Ellen, do you know Mr. McKinley?

ELLEN: I only know him as Maddy’s teacher I’ve never met him before. I don’t know him.

JOSH: But you do. You know him very well.

Maddy and Ellen are confused by this.

JOSH: Gee, Mr. McKinley. That makeup looks too bright on you. Maybe I show remove it to give you more...color.

MCKINLEY: NO! PLEASE!

Josh pulls out a tissue, wets it with his tongue, and approaches McKinley.

MCKINLEY: LEAVE ME ALONE!

Josh wipes the makeup off of McKinley and exposes his burn marks. The evidence proving that Bill McKinley is actually Phil Groves.

Ellen is shocked. She recognizes the burn marks as those that belong to Phil.

ELLEN: Oh, my God! Phil?

Maddy is shocked to find out that her teacher is her own biological father.

MADDY: You mean...Mr. McKinley is my….?

JOSH: That’s right, Maddy. Bill McKinley is really Phil Groves. Your real father.

MCKINLEY: Yes. It’s true. I am Phil Groves. But Phil Groves died in that fire with his son, Eddie. Phil Groves is dead. I am Bill McKinley.

JOSH: You cannot escape who you are like a fugitive. You’re a victim. Not a criminal. Stop hiding like one. I’ve just did you a favor and brought you to light. Now you can see your daughter for who she really is to you and not as a student.

MADDY: But what does this all have to do with you? What do you gain in doing all of this for me?

STAY TUNE TO HEAR JOSH’S MOTIVE. The truth about Josh’s past and his connection with the Reynolds and Groves.

Chapter 16
Previously: Josh revealed that he was the Ghostface killer. He revealed to Maddy and Ellen that Tom Reynolds, Ellen’s second husband and Maddy’s stepfather, was responsible for the fire that killed Eddie Groves and put Phil Groves into a coma. Josh also revealed that Maddy’s teacher, Bill McKinley, is actually her real father Phil Groves. Now he will reveal his motive and connections that resulted in the killings...

JOSH: Because I am a victim, too. That night resulted in my own loss. I lost my father, my mother, and my baby sister.

This stuns Ellen, McKinley, and Maddy. There is someone else who hasn’t been mentioned. A victim of that night. The only person they can think of who lost his parents and baby sister that night. Eddie Groves.

ELLEN: Eddie?

Josh smiles. The new twist...the next truth to be exposed:

JOSH: I wish I could give you closure. But I’m afraid that I’m not your son. As far as I know, your son, Eddie Groves, died in that fire that night. I’m sorry.

So if Josh is NOT Eddie...then why is he doing this? Who is his family that he’s lost?

JOSH: You see, you’re not the only family that was destroyed by the events of that night. I’m avenging two families. The Groves and the Givens. You see, Del Givens, the man who Richard Bishop, Darrell Latham, Jerry Blair, Gary Fewin, and Tom Reynolds framed, was my father. My mother knew that he was innocent. She couldn’t live with the fact that she had to raise me and my unborn baby sister alone for something that my father didn’t do. So she lost the will to live. She died giving birth to my baby sister. My sister died as a result. My father killed himself in prison for losing his wife, daughter, and his own freedom over a crime that he didn’t commit. My baby sister died on the night that she was born. That broke my heart. That’s why I couldn’t kill Colleen. She’s pregnant.

Ellen and Maddy gasps as they turn to the crying Colleen.

COLLEEN: I just found out tonight.

(NOTE: I totally forgot to mention that Colleen is lying on another couch.)

JOSH: If you weren’t pregnant right now, you’d be dead.

ELLEN: So you decided to take revenge by killing everyone?

JOSH: Richard Bishop, Darrell Latham, Jerry Blair, and Gary Fewin killed my family by framing my father. They took my family away from me. So I took theirs by killing Kaitlyn Bishop, Zach Latham, James Blair, and Sabrina Fewin. An eye for an eye. But I didn’t do it alone.

This horrifies everyone. There’s a second killer?

ELLEN: Another killer?

The truth…

JOSH: Not a second killer. But another person involved.

ELLEN: Who?

JOSH: That’s the crazy part about this. I have no clue who he is. He was a voice on the phone. We met once. But he wore a hood and a mask. Not the same mask I’ve been wearing. He only went by…”The Author.”

Sean laughs.

SEAN: The Author? Stupid name. Seriously, who’s your partner, Ghostface?

Josh becomes very nervous and touchy over being called “Ghostface” by Sean.

JOSH: (nervously) I don’t know his name. For real. Even if I did, I wouldn’t say. I’m too loyal. He helped me arrange all of this. I owe him.

Sean chuckles.

SEAN: You loyal son of a bitch. I’m sure your partner is glad he chose you.

JOSH: I aim to please the Author.

Sean laughs. He then passes out from the loss of blood and head injury.

JOSH: I will not disappoint the Author. I serve him. He’s the one who told me who to kill, how to kill them, when to kill them, and how to set it all up. That is why he’s called “The Author.” He authored this whole plan. The Author is wise and a genius. I’m proud that he’s chosen me for this mission.

MADDY: You and your stupid Author are never going to get away with this.

JOSH: The Author thought up something. The thing is there is no Josh Evans. And Del Givens Jr. is legally dead now. I’ve changed my whole life, my name, and face. All by the Author’s plan. He helped me. They’ll be looking someone who looks like how I do now. Not what I really look like. My voice, my hair, and eyes. None of it is real.

Josh grabs Tom.

JOSH: I’ve spoken too much. I got to get this over with. Tom Reynolds...you have destroyed two families and now is the time for you to pay the penalty. Tom Reynolds, I sentence you to death for the murders of Eddie Groves, framing of Del Givens, and for the death of his wife and daughter. May God have mercy on your soul…

Josh slashes Tom’s throat. Ellen, Maddy, and Colleen scream. Tom Reynold is dead. Josh pushes his body to the floor.

JOSH: I have one more victim to kill before I disappear and you never see Josh Evans again.

Josh unties the Sheriff and picks him up.

JOSH: You’re next. But…

Josh turns to Maddy.

JOSH: I’ll let someone else do the job.

Josh throws the knife to Maddy. He turns the Sheriff and around, facing Maddy.

JOSH: Go ahead, Maddy. Take your revenge. This man covered up for the men who destroyed your family.

MADDY: (Crying) No.

JOSH: Do it or I'll do it.

Maddy looks down at the knife. She thinks for a moment. She slowly grabs the knife. Everyone around her except for Josh is encouraging her not to. But it appears that their pleas are being ignored. She picks up the knife and approaches Kennedy. She raises the knife up at him. Everyone except for Josh closes their eyes. Unwilling to watch her make the move.

Maddy screams and swings the knife at Kennedy -- But misses, purposely, and stabs Josh instead.

Josh is heard screaming. Everyone opens their eyes to find the knife in Josh’s back. The gun falls out of his hand.

Josh slaps Maddy and she falls to the floor. He pulls the knife out of his back and goes for Maddy. Kennedy grabs him. The two struggle over the knife. During the struggling, they accidentally kick the gun away.

Nick pulls Maddy away from the struggle.

NICK: Are you okay?

MADDY: Yeah.

NICK: Help me free them.

As Maddy and Nick help the others, Josh and Kennedy continue their fight. Josh punches Kennedy, which stuns him. Josh kicks him back then goes to stab him, but Kennedy grabs him and throws him to the floor.

Maddy frees McKinley while Nick frees Colleen. Once freed, McKinley helps Maddy to free her mother. The former spouses stare into each other’s eyes.

McKinley hears the groaning between Sean and Kennedy. Josh headbutts the Sheriff and slashes his chest. Kennedy goes down. He is slow to get up while Josh hovers above him with the knife.

JOSH: Say hello to your corrupted family!

Josh goes to stab him when suddenly McKinley grabs him from behind. Josh pins McKinley to the wall and raises the knife at him.

JOSH: I do you a favor and this is how you repay me?

Nick tackles Josh. The two fight with McKinley attempting to help. But Josh proves to be stronger than both of them.

Josh stabs Nick in the shoulder. Nick screams. He goes down. Josh flips his head back, smacking McKinley in the nose. Josh grabs McKinley and throws him off of his back and onto Nick.

Maddy looks around and sees the gun.

McKinley and Nick crawl next to Kennedy. The Sheriff is still slow to get up from being slashed. All three are looked down upon by Josh.

JOSH: I might as well just finish it all. Kill everyone before I disappear.

The sound of a gun being cocked is heard from behind Josh. He turns around to find -- Maddy pointing the gun at him.

JOSH: That’s it, baby. Shoot me. You know you want to.

MADDY: I'm not going to kill you...SHERIFF!

Maddy throws the gun above Josh. Everyone looks up as the gun lands in the hands of - Sheriff Kennedy.

Kennedy points the gun at Josh, who smiles with great surprise. Everyone else moves out of the way until it’s just Kennedy and Josh in the path.

KENNEDY: It’s over. Just give up, Josh. Let it go.

JOSH: Never. I’d rather die than live to fail.

KENNEDY: Don’t do it.

Josh ignores him. Raises the knife up at him.

BANG

Josh goes down and does not get up. Everyone checks him out. A bullet in his head. JOSH IS DEAD.

Maddy and Ellen embrace each other. Relieved that it’s all over.

Ellen eyes McKinley, whom presumes not to intrude. She nods to him. Signaling for him to join them. He gets into the group hug and it’s complete. The parents and their together. The only thing missing is Eddie, who died in the fire.

Sean suddenly regains consciousness.

SEAN: What’s going on?

MADDY: It’s over.

Sean turns and finds Josh dead. He scoffs. Cannot believe it.

SEAN: Jesus Christ.

He continues to laugh as Maddy hugs him.

FEW DAYS LATER

Outside the park, Ellen’s car is parked in the parking lot.

Ellen is wearing her sunglasses and waiting for someone. She sees another car entering the parking lot. The car parks in three parking spaces from her.

Ellen gets out of her car as the other person exits his car. It’s McKinley. They slowly approach and embrace each other. They kiss for the first time in fifteen years.

Sometime later, Maddy and Sean arrives. Maddy joins her Parents as Sean just stands there smiling at the sight of Maddy with both of her parents.

For the first time as a family, they walk together into the park to spend the day together.

SCREEN GOES BLACK

THE END....OR IS IT?