"Just a simple spat between friends. We sent the other girl home," one of the officers turned and answered me. "We're just reminding this young lady that recording someone can be illegal in some places and that it's best not to mess with certain families in this town."
"Certain families?" I raised an eyebrow. Who had been here?
"Therese," Eisley answered, reading my face. "Thank you, officers, I won't do it again."
"Thank you. Come on, Nate," the officer said to his partner, and I followed them to the door, making sure it was locked behind them. I returned to the kitchen to find Eisley shaking and crying softly, covering her face in her hands.
"Care to explain?" I crossed my arms and looked around the room. There had been some sort of fight. Flour and some other dry goods were exploded all over the floor.
"I thought I could save her by keeping her on the live with me. But then she attacked me."
"On the live?"
"Yeah, my followers called the police, not me. I shut it off before they came inside. And of course," she threw her hands up. "they took her story over mine."
"Which was?"
"Therese told them that I'd pulled the knife on her and chased her around the kitchen. She did that, not me."
"Naturally, they saw her point of view. Where did she take off to then?"
"No idea. She hit her head pretty hard. I think she might have a concussion."
"Fucking great," I muttered. "We need to find her."
"Do we though?" She stood and strode over to me with a hardened expression. "I don't want to do this if this means all my friends die. I think this is just some sick and twisted game you're playing with me. Magick isn't real. The Reanimator isn't real, and you just wanted revenge for what their families did to us."
"You can say it all you want, we all know that's not true." I looked around. "Let's get this place cleaned up and then you can pack a bag. This isn't a safe place anymore."
"What do you mean? This is my house."
"Yeah, and she’s broken in once already, destroyed your stuff, and now she almost murdered you in it. Let's just go back to the Church, where Kansas is, and figure out a plan for the last two." I reached for her to take her up the stairs.
"Last two?" She flinched.
"Remember what I said about not asking questions?" I raised an eyebrow. Her shoulders slouched, and a swarm of guilt ran through me. I softened and reached for her, pulling her into my embrace. I kissed the top of her head. "It's fine. No one is going to hurt you ever again. You want to stay here tonight? Let's just go get Kansas so we can be together, okay?"
She sniffled and nodded.
We left and drove to the back of the woods, and on the way, we passed the front entrance, which was still lined with caution tape from the teenager's deaths, and now even more from the documentary crews deaths.
"They didn't really commit suicide, did they?" she asked me.
"No. They did however try to kill Kansas for their movie, so it was deserved."
"I guess eventually someone will have a good story to make about this whole thing. When we're long gone."
"If they can make money off of it, you know they will. Hopefully, they'll skip the doc route and go for a Hollywood blockbuster." I grinned. "Get some real actors to come to Shelley Vale and film."
She smiled, genuinely smiled, for the first time in days. "Who would you want to play you?"
"Hmm, maybe one of the kids that played in the newer IT movies. They'll be old enough by then. Unless they cast men in their forties to play a twenty-year-old, then you gotta go Patrick Wilson, always."
"I think he'd make a good Kansas, with the lighter hair. Maybe Ian Somerhalder for you," she teased.
"And you?" I loved watching her face light up. I hoped once this was all over and we ditched this fucking town, I'd see it a lot more.
"Well, Mia Goth has been knocking it out of the park with shit lately, but you gotta have that BIPOC rep, so I think they'd be smart to get a Latina actress completely new to the industry for me. My name and how they over exaggerate my tits and brains will be her burst onto the scene." She sighed, imagining it. "I'd love to be a final girl."
