-🪓🔪 Final Girl 🔪🪓-
Heya! Took me two days to get this done. Anyway, there might be an afterword tomorrow. Happy Halloween!
Trigger warnings: Fear, haunted house, violence, arguing, blood, dog violence, dead dogs
Max and I sit across from each other on the floor, hiding in one of the dead ends of the maze. Max leans against the wall while I use a piece of metal debris to try and scratch onto the floor what we remembered of the map.
Somehow, none of us had thought to grab extra, and with Jace gone we were left in the dark. Figuratively, and literally.
“Do you remember where we were supposed to turn next? Or—”
“This is such bullshit!” Max shouts and pushes off the wall. “What are we supposed to do? Keep marching blindly ahead and wait for him to kill us as well?”
I sigh and sit back. “We’ve gone over this, what else can we do? Sit and wait?”
He turns toward me with wide eyes. “I say we fight back.”
I’m barely able to hold back a scornful laugh before I nod. “Oh yeah, I’m sure he hasn’t planned for that scenario."
He glares at me. “It’s not like anything else has worked! Our friends are dead and I don’t want to join them!”
”I’m not letting anyone else die.”
He scoffs. “What makes you think you can save anyone? Sorry Steph, but you’re no hero.”
I go back to trying to sketch out the map, ignoring his uncomfortable staring.
”What Jace said..“ Struggling with grief, he decides to go a different direction. “I’m not friends with you just because of Cass.”
I look up, trying to keep my own sorrow in check. “Just help me finish this, okay?”
He sits down next to me, occasionally pitching in. And about ten minutes later we have a rough idea of how to get to the exit.
”Do you think we can make it?”
I don’t know how to respond, fearing any reassurances would come out sounding fake. “I don’t know.”
I move to stand, but he grabs my arm. “Stephanie, wait. I have an idea.”
Although I was skeptical at first, his plan might actually work. There was only one problem.
“Getting rid of our last phone sounds like a really bad idea.” I mention as we scout out the room we’ve picked. “If we manage to get out we’ll have to find some other way to call for help.”
“We have to get out first.” He says, brow furrowing as he examines one of the corners. Ever since our talk he’s seemed to have pulled himself together, concerningly calm.
”… Are you okay?” I ask, taking a step closer to try and see his reaction.
He looks away. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
I frown slightly, but I don’t push it. We just don’t have the time right now.
We decide the room is suitable soI take out my phone and pull up the recording we made a few minutes ago. “Ready for this?”
He nods and walks toward the corner of the room, shooting me a nervous expression.
I hit play and quickly joined him, our prerecorded conversation blasting at full volume. As we stood there, I couldn't help but worry that we hadn’t made the recording long enough. Who knows how long it would take Scarecrow to show?
Just as I have that thought, I hear whistling in the distance. It unnerves me how close he must have been to have instantly heard the recording.
After that it’s not long until we can hear his footsteps, the sound of his metal axe dragging across the wood floor behind him.
And then, feeling completely unprepared, we watch Scarecrow walk in. He has fresh bloodstains covering up the ones we had first seen, his axe glinting in the dim light.
He steps into the room, the burlap sack he calls a mask limits his field of vision as he looks around.
Max and I stay as still as possible, as quiet as the dead.
Scarecrow puts down his axe and focuses on the phone. He kneels down to pick it up, turning it over in his hands.
Without a moment's hesitation we run. We take the hall he had come from, hearing his enraged howl as he realized what we’ve done.
“Faster!” I hiss, pulling Max along.
“When did you get so fast?!” Max responds, out of breath as we take the first turn.
Scarecrow couldn’t have caught up yet, but the way sounds reflect off the walls makes it feel as if he’s right behind us.
A thin, eerie voice reaches our ears, “Little kiddies- Come out, come out wherever you are!”
Max visibly bristles, throwing a glance over his shoulder. “I don’t see him.”
“If we’re lucky, it’ll stay that way. Come on!”
We run down the halls, anxious at every turn that we’ll run into a dead end or get turned around somehow.
“Come on little bat! If you surrender, maybe I’ll let your friend go! After all, you’ve already lost soooo many!”
Max shoots me a look and I ignore him, focusing on which turn to take next.
Miraculously we don’t get lost, or walk into a trap, or run into any other horrible surprises. We managed to make it through the maze and to the exit.
The only problem was the hatch. The only way to reach it was by a ladder, and there was no way we’d both be able to get up and out before Scarecrow caught up to us.
I’m trying to find a way to block the door, but I stop as I see Max pick up a piece of rebar and block it himself.
“What are you doing?!”
“You need to get out of here.”
“We both need to get out!”
He shakes his head. “I’m not stupid Steph. I finally pieced it together, you know? Took me long enough. You’re one of Batman's vigilantes.”
I freeze. “How did you—”
“Scarecrow literally called you one of the bats Steph.”
“It’s not your fault.”
I’m shocked by how easily he says it. “He did this because of me.” I explain, wondering if he hadn’t understood somehow.
He shakes his head. “You don’t know that. Even if he did, that’s still not your fault.”
I frown but nod. “Well, since you know who I am, you should know what I’m gonna do next.”
He looks back at me, following my movements as I pick up another piece of rebar and join him.
I roll out my neck and get into position. “I’m not leaving this place without you. We’re both going to get out of here alive, or neither of us are.”
“I’m trying to save you—”
“I don’t need to be saved.”
Nothing more needs to be said as we look down the dark hall, waiting for our foe to step out into the light.
“Is he… coming?” Max asks, moving his head around to get a better look.
“I thought he was. I mean, he has to know we’re down here.”
We wait a few more minutes before coming to the conclusion that he’s really not going to show.
Max looks relieved but I can’t help but look back up at the hatch. “He wouldn’t have just given up.”
He follows my gaze. “He can’t have looped around that quickly… What do you think is up there?”
I shake my head. “Nothing good, but we can’t exactly go back now can we?”
Max sighs. “Why can’t any of this be easy?”
It almost makes me laugh. Almost.
After another minute of gathering up our courage, I convince Max to let me take the lead and we climb.
I push open the hatch and we climb out into the dark night, the wet grass squishing beneath our sneakers. Rain was no longer falling from the clouds, but they still managed to block out any light.
“Shit—” Max almost falls as soon as he gets out, and I have to help him stay upright.
We look around and find that the small area we’re in is surrounded by a wire fence. There’s complete darkness except for a glowing red bulb by the gate, reflecting off the soaked walls of the house behind us.
“I guess that’s probably the way out…” He says with the same amount of trepidation that I feel.
I nod and find a button by the light. “Are you ready? We might have to run.”
He takes a breath before nodding. “Let’s go.”
I press the button and there’s a loud buzz. There’s an audible click as the light turns green and the gate swings open.
We push it the rest of the way open and cautiously start our trek to the front yard.
At first, it seems fine as we make our way across the soggy grass, the sound of crickets and mushy steps the only audible disturbance.
It’s when we’re nearing the corner of the house that the barking starts.
I assume it’s nothing, probably coming from somewhere else. Then it gets louder, obviously coming our way.
When we’re about to turn the corner I glance back and see a pack of dogs quickly making their way across the yard, leaping and bounding and coming straight toward us.
“Run— RUN!” I shout, not bothering with stealth any longer.
Max starts to run and doesn’t look back, but it’s not enough.
By myself, I would have been able to make it to the front yard in plenty of time. But Max is bigger than me, he can’t run nearly as fast.
Just as the dogs round the corner I see a fire escape. “Over there!”
We rush over, but the ladder doesn’t hang down far enough for either of us to reach.
Max quickly kneels down and puts his hands out for me to step on, and I follow his lead. He boosts me up, and I throw the piece of rebar onto the platform before climbing up myself.
I try to ignore the increasing terror as the sound of barking increases, our time running out.
I finally manage to unlock the ladder's sliding mechanism and it falls down.
“Get up! Get up now! Come on!” I shout, watching as Max discards his weapon and starts to climb.
The dogs have caught up and one manages to grab his pant leg, tugging hard enough for Max to almost lose his grip.
I grab onto his shirt and try to pull him up. “Kick it off!”
He tries, a look of terror on his face as the rest of the dogs catch up and sink in their teeth, getting more than just cloth.
My grip on his shirt isn’t strong enough to hold him up as the dogs drag him down. He falls, letting out a pained scream as the dogs converge on him.
His screams are horrific, and enough to push me into action. I grab my makeshift weapon and jump down.
It’s bloody, and I get my fair share of bites, but by the end half of them run away.
The other half aren’t moving anymore.
I’m shaking and out of breath, covered in blood as I drop my weapon and kneel beside Max. I plead to everything and nothing as I check his pulse.
I let out a broken laugh that ends with a sob. Moving quickly, I haul his unconscious body up, dragging him along. “Come on, I told you I’d get you out alive.”
I only manage to get to the front lawn before I see him.
He’s standing in front of the entrance with a casualness that makes my blood boil. How many had he killed for this stunt? How could he just stand there like nothing had happened?
He doesn’t say a word, he just lifts his axe to rest it over his shoulder.
“Get out of my way.” I snarl, holding onto Max just a bit better.
Scarecrow laughs. “It’s cute to see the little bat try to seem so big.”
I gently lower Max to the ground. “I don’t have time for any more of your mind games Crane—”
“Haven’t you wondered why nobody’s come to find you yet?” Scarecrow inquires, taking a step forward.
I don't give any ground. “They don’t know I’m in danger.”
He laughs. “Is that what you think? Or is it possible they’re just sick of saving you?”
His words send a chill down my spine, somehow knowing the worst possible things to say. “I’m their family.”
“Please. You’re not even that. They’re sick of you, they don’t want you around anymore…”
He steps closer again. “And they’re not coming to save you.”
Without any warning he lurches forward and swings his axe, leaving me only a moment to duck out of the way.
I shout as he manages to trip me, my face hitting the soft ground, fingers digging into the grass and mud for a piece of debris, a rock, something.
He laughs as he stands over me, his axe primed to swing at any moment.
“Goodbye, Stephanie Brown.”
As he swings I propel myself up and forward, knocking him down.
He reaches up to throw me off but I slam my knee into his gut and start punching him in the face.
I keep hitting, and hitting, and hitting until I can feel the skin on my knuckles splitting open.
Someone grabs me from behind and I scream, trying to throw them off with pure adrenaline fueled force.
“Stephanie. Stephanie calm down. Look at me.”
The steady voice causes me to pause and I look up, seeing Cass’s worried face staring down at my bloody one.
“It’s okay, I’ve got you.”
I shake as she wraps her arms around me and as I realize that I’m safe, that it’s over, and I start to sob. I collapse into her arms, clinging to her like a lifeline.
The sound of sirens reaches my ears as I look over her shoulder, realizing the sky has started to lighten.
The night was finally over.
