✓ DEFENSIVE | Z. BERMAN

vii. THE CHASE

JULY 19th, 1978
10:07 P.M.

After establishing a pulley system, Ziggy finally lower the bucket down to Alice and Cindy. "Get on!" She yells down to the pair, "We're pulling you up." Ziggy instructs.

After a few moments, Ziggy turns to the other two and says simply "Now." Before the three start to pull, Gary as the anchor and Y/N the Ziggy pulling on the rope.

The group pulls, the rope burning their hands and the weight straining their muscles. "Come on, kelp pulling!" Y/N encourages, the door creaking open after her words.

Y/N and Ziggy don't pay attention as Gary turns towards the figure and let's put a relieved breath, "Tommy!" but the panic rises in his voice as Tommy raises the axe in his hands, "Tommy, what are you do — " He swings the weapon, Gary's body tumbling to the floor as his head rolls away, Y/N and Ziggy letting out ear-piercing screams.

Tommy raises his axe over Y/N before Ziggy pulls them out of the way just in time, the axe sticking into the floor for a moment, just enough for Y/N and Ziggy to stumble through the door.

They both start to run, Y/N looking over her shoulder to see Tommy exit the outhouse, a frightened gasp leaving her, stumbling over a root but the pair not stopping, Ziggy's grip on her hand keeping her on her feet, running blindly through the night before running face first into another figure, a scream leaving both of the girls again at the surprise.

"Y/N, Ziggy, what are you guys doing out here?" Nick panics when he sees the pair.

Y/N's hand reaches out for him, the other still clinging to Ziggy to assure herself that they're actually here, and she's not going completely insane. "He's here!" She rushes out, her tone frantic as Ziggy tries to pull the pair away from the area, trying to put as much distance between them and Tommy.

"Come on!" She urges as Nick's face pales, but he's quick to snap out of it as he leads the girls to the science and nature cabin, where the pair had spent most of the night in pure bliss before the horrors that awaited them in the camp.

Y/N pulls a panicking Ziggy around the table as Nick locks the door, crouching under it for some form of protection, their hands still tightly locked, the previous nervousness they might've previously had replaced by pure terror.

Nick runs to joins them, Ziggy sneaking a peak over the table, looking towards the door as if the psycho counselor would show up any minute. "Did we lose him?" She questions Nick as he looks over the two trembling girls before him, his eyes lingering on their hands, but thankfully choosing to ignore it.

"Yeah, I think so." Nick answers Ziggy, then proceeding to ask, "Are you guys ok? You hurt?" He asks, his eyes trailing over the red spots on their clothes.

"It's not ours." Y/N informs him, "It's Gary's." Her eyes then spot his own shirt, which is smudges with dee red. "And yours?"!

"Um... Sean, J — Jesse, Rod, Stacey." He shudders in response.

Y/N looks to Ziggy, both of their eyes wide with panic. "They were kids..." She whispers, her voice wavering.

"Shadysiders. It's the curse." Ziggy continues, shaking her head nervously.

Nick clears his throat, tearing their eyes away from each other as he tries to console them in any possible way. "No, it's, uh, it's just some psycho."