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Chapter Text

The squeaks of the screwdriver were all that filled Gabrielle's bedroom as she twisted away at her prototype. The wires, the pieces of metal, the microchips; everything just came together, and it made Gabrielle happy. It was nice to see something that was once scattered pieces create an invention by her own hands.

She picked up the new device she had spent weeks building. The blueprint process, along with trail and error, didn't stop her from finishing the device. Excited, she pressed the power button. The little machine's screen lit up and began to heat. After a few seconds of incoherent clunking of metal and the loud whirring, it turned off. Gabrielle sighed.

Gabrielle knew that it wasn't bound to work on the first try. It was something she had to learn the hard way as a freelance inventor. Still, she was a little disappointed that it didn't work out. Nevertheless, she moved the device to the side and pulled out the blueprint, which was rolled away under the desk.

She turned on another lamp, shining two light sources onto the blueprint. She took our her notepad, writing down what went right and wrong with the trial. As she was writing, her phone lit up. She looked over to see a text from Tiffany. She smiled.

Picking up the phone, she typed away to respond. Tiffany had asked Gabrielle how her invention was going. Gabrielle told her that it was going great and that it just needed some minor improvements. Putting down her phone, she continued writing on her notepad.

Suddenly, the house phone from the living room began to ring. Gabrielle stood up and walked over, as her parents had gone out for the night. She picked up the phone and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hi. Nice to meet you. What's your name?" a mysterious voice asked on the other side. Gabrielle was confused as to why this random person was calling her. With the house phone, too.

"Why do you want to know my name," Gabrielle asked. "It's not like I know you or anything." She took the phone with her back into her bedroom, placing it down as she continued writing.

A silence came right after. "What're you doing right now?" the voice asked, annoying Gabrielle.

"Well, unless you tell me who you are, I'm not answering anything," Gabrielle replied sternly. "Anyways, stop using that voice changer. It's weird."

"Alright, I'm sorry," the voice said. "I just wanted to make a new friend, that's all!"

"Oh really? What's your name?" Gabrielle asked, her hand still writing in her notepad. A strand got in her face, making Gabrielle push it back.

"Hey, I asked that question first," the person on the phone said playfully. "You need to answer my question, first. That's how phone calls work!"

Gabrielle giggled. "Okay, Mr. Strange Voice. If you can guess my name, I'll tell you what I'm doing." she said, rolling her eyes at the sheer stupidity.

"Hmm," the voice thought. "Is your name Harlee?"

"Not even close," Gabrielle replied with a giggle. "You're gonna have to guess again. Don't take too long, though!"

"Alright then," they continued. "Madison? Cecelia? Ashley? Oh, I know—Tiffany!"

Gabrielle's heart skipped a beat when they mentioned Tiffany's name, but she chose to ignore it. "No to all of them, unfortunately," Gabrielle said apologetically before putting down the phone and studying her blueprint.

The person on the phone sighed. "Just tell me who you are... Gabi." Gabrielle's heart stopped. She immediately grabbed the house phone and hung up on them. She tried to steady her breathing, assuring herself it was just a prank from one of her friends. Yeah! They must've used a voice changer to scare her, that's all. Although, she couldn't shake the strange feeling that she was being watched. Suddenly, her phone exploded in notifications, the dinging sound playing over and over again.

Gabrielle grabbed her phone to see who was texting her. Tiffany. She quickly read through the dozens of texts sent by her—well, what was coming from her number anyway. What Tiffany's was sending her were alarming; threats filled the text boxes. "Tiffany, this isn't funny" Gabrielle wrote, her heart still pounding. Tiffany's number quickly texted back, "This isn't Tiffany." Gabrielle's heart picked up speed again.

"Then who are you? This really isn't funny" Gabrielle replied, her hands shaking her eyes focused on the keyboard. A video was sent to her, and she quickly clicked on it. The video contained someone recording Tiffany from outside her window, unbeknownst to Tiffany. The person recording then brought their giant weapon into view; a deadly-sharp karambit stained with dried blood. Just then, the house phone began to ring again.

Gabrielle reluctantly answered the phone. "Who the fuck are you," Gabrielle yelled at the phone, her voice trembling and her arms shaking. "Leave Tiffany alone, I'm begging you!" A maniacal laughter hit Gabrielle's ear.

"Oh don't worry, Gabi," the voice said cheerfully. "She will live so long as you play a game with me." Gabrielle held back tears and she ran to the kitchen, grabbing a knife. "You really shouldn't leave the safety of your bedroom, y'know." Upon hearing those words, Gabrielle froze up.

"H-How did you know...?"

"That's for you to find out. Let's begin the game, shall we?" Gabrielle refused to respond, scared that whoever was on the phone was inside her house, too. She defensively waved her knife around in all directions, backing herself into a corner.

"You can answer three questions correctly and Tiffany gets to live. Get it wrong however... and that blonde bitch won't live to see another day." A snickering followed the statement, throwing Gabrielle into a state of terror and anger simultaneously.

"Question one: Who played the first killer in Shriek?" the voice asked. Gabrielle quickly searched up the answer on her phone. She scrolled through the cast members until she found the actor.

"Jason Riversmith!" Gabrielle shouted.

"Correct," the voice exclaimed. "Now, onto question two: Name at least one actor who has shown up in every Shriek movie throughout the years?" Again, Gabrielle searched up the answer. She quickly compared the castings until she found a few recurring actors.

"Uh—David Wellington! Cecelia Sickles! Gideon Garcia! All of them—!"

A small applause came from the house phone. "Wow, that phone must be coming in handy, eh?" That reminded Gabrielle whoever was calling her and threatening Tiffany was most likely watching her, worsening her anxiety. She considered called the police, but she didn't want her best friend to die. She chose to remain strong, the grip on her kitchen knife tightening.

"Final question: Who is the first girl that gets diced up in the original Shriek?" Gabrielle swiftly pulled up the first killing scene in Shriek. She winced at the stabbings and screaming, but eventually got the answer she needed. She pulled up the casting and blurted the answer.

"A-Avery Robinson! Yes, I got it! I fucking got it, bitch!!" Gabrielle began to celebrate, relieved she got the questions correct—that is, until the voice on the house phone said otherwise.

"Oh, I'm sorry Gabrielle... but I think you're wrong." Gabrielle's heart dropped as the smile disappeared from her face. She began to shake uncontrollably. "W-What do you mean!? Avery Robinson... the actress who played the first girl! I'm right, dickhead!"

"I was asking for the girl's name Avery played, which was Xenia Demirs," the voice replied disappointedly before returning the cheerful tone. "Maybe you weren't CUT for movie questions! I would wish Tiffany goodbye if I were you." Those words hit Gabrielle like a truck. Determined not to lose her best friend, she ran to the front door, knife in one-hand, the house phone in the other.

She swung open the front door where she was met face-to-face with a masked killer on the other side. She screamed in shock as the killer swung at her with their karambit, creating a deep gash in Gabrielle's thigh. She screamed before punching the killer and slamming the door, locking it. She quickly backed away from the door absolutely terrified, clutching onto the gash on her thigh. She started crying, the pain being unbearable. Knowing what she needed to do, she ran to her phone and called the police. One call later and the officers were on their way to her house. Grabbing a chair, Gabrielle slowly sat down at the dinner table, sucking up the waves of pain that came with every movement.

She breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm herself down. The sudden ringing of the house phone on the table made Gabrielle jump in terror. She reached out to answer the phone, knowing she wasn't safe just yet. "I'll give you a bonus question, Gabrielle Cole," the voice said menacingly before erupting in laughter. "If you get it right, I'll let you go... for tonight." An opportunity to escape death wasn't something Gabrielle was about to give up so easily. So, she agreed.

"Bonus question: Am I at the front door...," The hair on the back of Gabrielle's neck stood up. "...the back doors..." Gabrielle looked at the back door in the corner of her eye. "...or..."

"...behind you?"

Before Gabrielle could react, a hand suddenly yanked her by the hair before a karambit was jabbed into her back sideways. Gabrielle let out a bloodcurdling scream, crying in pain as the killer kicked her off the chair, making her land on her newly inflicted wound. Gabrielle reached out, grabbed her phone, and threw it at the killer's mask, knocking them back. With the remaining energy she had left, Gabrielle forced herself to stand up and wobble towards the front door, leaving behind pools of blood. Suddenly, the killer lunged at her lower legs, causing her to fall onto the carpet, the blood seeping in.

Gabrielle screamed and she looked behind her to see the killer slowly approaching her. Desperate to live, she began to crawl towards the front door, praying that the officers arrived faster. A sudden stab to her lungs mercilessly shattered that prayer. Gabrielle couldn't make a sound anymore, any air escaping her mouth being replaced with the gurgles of fresh blood that has shot up her throat.

The killer was relentless, slashing away at her back, swiping their karambit left to right as though it were merely a spoon. Gabrielle fell to the ground in defeat, tears and blood streaming down her face. With each stab, more blood kept shooting into Gabrielle's mouth, giving her no room to breathe. Suddenly, she could hear the faint noises of police sirens in the distance, with glimpses of red and blue lights painting the living room walls. The killer quickly ran away, disappearing just as fast as they appeared.

Gabrielle didn't die from her injuries. No, she died from suffocation, the thickness of her blood blocking off her airways. She died a slow and painful death, as she laid there on the ground, thinking about all the people she would be leaving behind. Her friends, family, Tiffany...

None of it mattered though...

At least not to Taliyah.

Chapter Text

Adriana sat in her living room, giggling to herself as she had just ended a nice phone call with Yara. She was excited to meet up tomorrow and spend the whole day shopping with the runner. Her daydreams of walking along the lavish stores inside the city mall were interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Adriana walked over to see that her packages had arrived. She hurriedly took them inside and immediately tore apart the cardboard box, revealing the newest makeup brands inside.

She checked the labels and the shipping address to ensure it wasn't sent to the wrong house. After confirming it was her order, Adriana quickly took everything in her arms and ran to her bedroom. There, she quickly applied a soft amount of makeup, tidied up her hair, adjusted the lighting, and got on her phone. Grabbing her phone tripod and selfie stick, she set it up in front of her at her desk. Adriana checked herself with the camera app to make sure she was presentable.

She then pressed 'Live'. Instantly, dozens of fans began joining, the chat flooding with messages like 'hello!' and 'omg i'm early!'. Adriana liked to see her fans get so excited over a simple live. She began to greet her fans, blowing kisses and giving random shoutouts to any usernames her eyes laid on. Her heart fluttered when three people followed her at once, presented by text and a cute GIF. Although she had been living the influencer life for months now, she still got excited over small things like new followers.

"Thank you so much for the follow, biggitybar28, ashleycvte, and yariix," Adriana thanked with a smile. "Ooh I like the user yariix! It reminds me of the name of someone dear to me!" She watched with glee as yariix exploded in the chat with hearts and squealing through text. It was nice to flatter her fans, something Adriana could only dream to do as a teenager.

"Anyways, you all know why you're here right?" Adriana asked the live. The chat gave mixed answers; some said they were simply there because they saw she was live, some said it was for a new makeup review, and a handful had no idea. She giggled before revealing the shiny mascara tube, glittering lip gloss, and the dark red lipstick. The chat lit up—they were just as excited as Adriana was.

Adriana decided to review the lip gloss first. "This is the Lemon Lip Plumper Lip Gloss Extravagant: Limited Edition by Sarang-Heart," Adriana said as she showed the live the lip gloss. "It comes in the colors pastel yellow, pastel green, and transparent with a hint of orange!" Adriana watched as the chat began to write their first impressions of the lip gloss. Adriana put on the lip gloss, her face getting closer to the phone.

After a few seconds of application, Adriana's lips began to burn. "Okay guys, my lips are starting to feel tingly," Adriana said, smiling off the discomfort. "Don't worry, guys! The stinging, burning feeling is what comes with lip plumpers. It'll go away soon if you want long enough. Sarang-Heart products are guaranteed to stop burning after 2-3 minutes!" After waiting a bit, she showed off her lips to the live. "Wow... they look bigger, don't they?"

She created a poll to see the general opinion. The lip gloss received majority positive votes. "Alright, it's 85% positive votes! Y'know what that means?" The chat knew exactly how to response. Almost instantly, the chat flooded with the words, "Adriana Approved!" Adriana laughed as she wiped off the lip gloss with a wet paper towel. She grabbed the mascara and showed it to the live.

"This is Clarity's Volumizing, Lengthening, and Waterproof Mascara by Overtaken," Adriana said as she neared her face to the camera, ready to apply the mascara to her eyelashes. She gently applied it onto herself and, within a moment's notice, now had extra long lashes. She showed them off to the live with a smile, asking how it looked on her. Creating another poll, she watched as her fans casted their votes. The ending result came out as 75% positive votes, meaning it was Adriana Approved.

As she reached out to review the lipstick, a notification suddenly appeared on Adriana's phone. She looked up to see it was request from Aaliyah to join the live. She became excited, happy to see one of her friends that she met on the Internet wanted to be in the live with her. Without hesitation, she accepted the request. "Hey LeeLee~!" Adriana exclaimed, beaming at the camera. The smile faded from her face when Aaliyah's face didn't show up on her screen.

Instead, the camera showed someone in a car, one hand holding the phone and the other driving. "Aaliyah? Are you driving?" Adriana asked. No response came. Only the sounds of the car tires zooming on the concrete road and the pattering of rain against the car window. Adriana was confused as to why Aaliyah was acting so weird.

A few minutes went by and the fans were asking Adriana if she was going to continue her makeup reviewing. Adriana quickly realized of her waiting fans, so she told Aaliyah she was going to continue the live. She assumed Aaliyah was just really tired and driving, yet chose to join the live. Grabbing the lipstick, she showed it to the live.

"This is Blood Spill Waterproof Lipstick by Crimsons," Adriana said as she began applying the lipstick. "Let's see how it looks on me-" Adriana paused her speech when, in the corner of her eye, saw Aaliyah's camera stop moving. As she stepped out, the camera panned up to reveal Adriana's house from the end of the street. Upon seeing her pink room visible from afar, her heart dropped. She never gave Aaliyah her address.

"A-Aaliyah...?" Adriana asked, her voice cracking. Her fans started asking if she was okay in the chat. Although she tried to lie her way through it, Adriana didn't have a good poker face. "It's really okay, guys! Uh—right, the poll. L-Let's see what you all think of the lipstick!" She created the poll and watched the votes flow in. This time, it was poorly received, with only 42% positive votes.

"Awh, I guess this lipstick is Adriana UnAccepted," Adriana said with a sigh, her heart still beating. "Shame, no hate to the company, though!" As she wiped off the lipstick, she looked over at Aaliyah's camera to see her walking towards her house. An uneasy feeling washed over Adriana's body. That's when Aaliyah unexpectedly left. Just as she caught her breath, a notification came on her phone again, scaring her. She looked over to see it was Aaliyah again, requesting to join.

This time, she declined. She knew Aaliyah—or whoever was behind the camera—was down the street, and she didn't feel safe. She had only ever FaceTime'd Aaliyah twice, both times her face was out of frame due to her shyness. A cold sweat ran down Adriana's face when she remembered Aaliyah still had yet to obtain her driver's licensee. Adriana wondered who was driving and... holding Aaliyah's phone. The realization terrified Adriana, and she told her fans something came up and she had to go for a moment. She kissed her fans goodbye before leaving her bedroom.

She had never left her fans like that before, but this was urgent. She quickly took the phone off the selfie stick, moved the live to the side, and messaged her parents to come home immediately. Then, she texted 911 and asked for police officers to arrive as quickly as they could. Adriana believed Aaliyah was in trouble, and she going to be next if she didn't do something. She looked at the time. 11:56pm. It was pretty damn late.

That's when reality began to sink in. Adriana was a girl home alone, late at night, and defenseless. Well, she could at least clear defenseless off the list. Adriana made her way into the kitchen and grabbed a pair of scissors. As she stood in the kitchen, she suddenly got a FaceTime request from Aaliyah's number. Terrified, she quickly declined it. The request came in again, and Adriana rejected. Right then, she received a text from Aaliyah. "Answer the phone, fucking bitch" it wrote. Adriana was now absolutely shaken up—she knew Aaliyah would never use such words. She knew it wasn't Aaliyah behind the phone.

As she stretched her thumb to turn off the phone, she accidentally pressed the accept button just as the FaceTime request came up again. When Adriana looked at her phone, she was shaken to her core to see the person a few meters away from her house. "W-Who the fuck are you!?" Adriana shouted, the grip on her scissors tightening. "Stay back, I'm not afraid to swing on you!"

The person seemed unaffected by her words as they walked up to her front door and pressed the doorbell. Just then, the doorbell rung across the house in sync with the video. Adriana yelped in horror before ending the call. She ran past the front door as she watched it jiggle viciously, the person on the other side wanting entry. She ran over to the back of the house, trying to find a safe place. She backed up against the back door, scissors in-hand.

Suddenly, she heard a thump against the back door. Adriana spun around to see someone wearing a bunny mask with a karambit in their hand pressed up against the door. Adriana screamed in sheer terror as she ran away. As she dashed into the living room, she remember she didn't lock the back door. Out of instinct, she immediately turned around to go back and lock it.

Right as she ran into the kitchen where the back door was, the killer suddenly came from the side and jabbed Adriana in the right side of her abdomen. Adriana let out a horrified scream as she fell over, landing on her wound. She screamed in agony and she turned around to see the killer walking over to her. Grabbing the scissors, Adriana swung at the killer, injuring them on their feet. The killer yelped in pain quietly as Adriana stood up and ran away, shutting the kitchen door behind her.

Adriana had one hand over her wound and the other over her mouth, muffling her cries of pain. She painfully made her way up the stairs, the killer just now standing up. She made it to the top of the staircase, the killer at the bottom. "Go to hell!" Adriana screamed as she grabbed a flower vase and throwing it at the killer, the vase smashing to pieces and causing them to fall over.

Seizing the opportunity, Adriana made her way into her parents' master bedroom and locked it. She patted down her pockets and grew frustrated when she realized her phone was still downstairs. Adriana began to look around the room, trying to find her mother's laptop. Upon finding it, she logged into her account, planning to write everything that was happening on her story. As she logged onto her social media account, she was ready to create a post when she realized there was a problem.

She couldn't post stories on a laptop. Adriana cursed at the laptop, angry with how things were unfolding. Just then, the killer banged against the parents' bedroom door. They've found her. Adriana held back her scream as she shut the laptop and threw it under the bed frame. She looked around for a good hiding spot. Her eyes landed on the giant closet her mother owned. She jumped in, blending herself in amongst the piles of clothing.

It took everything in Adriana not to scream when she heard the killer bust down the door, the sound of metal breaking and clanging against the cold marble floor. Based on the puddles of blood on the floor, the killer knew Adriana was in the room. Adriana covered her mouth with both her hands, the smell of blood reeking into her nose. Adriana tried her hardest to breathe as quietly as possible through her mouth.

Adriana listened as the killer groaned, presumably from being unable to find her. It was strange, especially since Adriana was unable to hear the killer's footsteps at all. Right as she thought the killer had left, she suddenly felt a hand grab her by the neck.

She let out an agonizing scream as the karambit dug its way into Adriana's side, piercing her lungs. The killer dragged her out the closet by the hair, her bloods staining the clothing and the once-sparkling floor. The killer forcefully flipped Adriana on her side as they raised their karambit in the air before stabbing Adriana in the chest with it. Adriana screamed and cried as blood made its way into her mouth, the bitter, metallic taste invading her taste buds.

The killer took their karambit and, with all their strength, shoved it into Adriana's stomach. The influencer couldn't scream anymore, her throat flooded with thick blood. The killer twisted the karambit, cutting apart Adriana's organs. The pain was unbearable, Adriana letting out the tiniest of screams through the blood in her mouth. Reaching into the huge gash, they pulled out a chunk of Adriana's intestine, dangling it in front of Adriana's eyes before erupting in laughter.

The killer then looked down at Adriana and grew annoyed that Adriana hadn't died yet. So, they lifted their karambit in the air, and with one final stab, shoved the sharp weapon into Adriana's head. The blood began to gush out like a geyser, spraying everywhere as Adriana could do nothing but choke on her own blood as waves of pain came from all directions. The killer stood up and left, wiping the blood off their karambit on the walls.

The fans who heard Adriana scream and run, accompanied with sounds of violence, were all confused as to what happened to Adriana that night. Turns out, she had never actually ended the live. Her sudden leaving had caught the attention of her fans, some deciding to record. Soon enough, the recording went viral online.

When the news of Adriana's gruesome death reached the general public, all hell broke loose. Amongst all the rumors, theories, and mourning fans, Taliyah giggled to herself as she stared at the once active page of @adrixnaa_a now nothing more than a memory.

Looking through Adriana's highlights, Taliyah's eyes fell upon a tag. @yara_vallexx—Yara. She scoffed at Yara's stories of her screaming and crying over her girlfriend's death. Taliyah figured that if she loved Adriana so much, she wouldn't mind suffering the same fate as her girlfriend. The thought excited Taliyah. Without a minute to lose, she grabbed her karambit, put on her mask, and left her apartment.