Y/n wakes, the bed cold and empty. Usually, Thomas waits until after she's woken up to start the day. It worries her, with what happened last night.

Slowly, she rises from the bed, changing into a t-shirt and shorts. The clothes were picked off of a woman's corpse by Luda. She'd really rather not where them, but Thomas's blood stained clothes weren't much better.

Downstairs, Luda has breakfast out. Eggs and berries. Y/n sighs with relief when it's not something human. The family had come into some money by selling their new meat source in Luda's market. Absolutely disgusting.

She fills a plate, sitting at the table. It's quiet, peaceful. She might just be able to run out the door and escape right now.

"Good morning, dear." Luda chirps, coming in from the back door.

"Morning."

"It's quiet with the men gone, isn't it?" She asks. Y/n nods.

"Charlie and Thomas left early this morning. They found a couple of careless teenagers."

Y/n gulps, staring at her food.

"Don't forget about your chores, dear. I'll be out on the porch, so don't think about running."

Luda walks back out, leaving y/n in the quiet again. Her new way of life reminds her of a grounded teenager.

Only she's an adult, with a job and a life. And her "parents" are redneck cannibals.

With a sigh, she gets up to do the dishes. When that's done, she sets out to grab the laundry from the line outside.

The wind blows through her hair softly, sending a shiver down her spine. She hasn't thought about it in a while, but Fall will be coming soon.

As she puts the laundry into a weaved basket, Hoyt's police car pulls up. She hears screaming as Thomas gets out and opens the back door.

They're alive

He pulls out a teenage girl, slinging her over his shoulder. Then, he turns towards y/n's direction. She freezes up when she sees his face.

His new face.

He's wearing the mask from real skin she made for him.

She fights back vomit as realization dawns on her.

The mask wasn't because he was self-conscious, it was his battle face.

The screams persist as Thomas brings in another one- a boy. Y/n approaches quietly, watching from the back door.

He throws the last one down the basement stairs. Hoyt runs in, wearing his Sherrif getup. He sees her in the doorway.

"Go upstairs!"

She complies, speed-walking past them. She heads to her room, closing the door behind her. There, she waits. There's screaming for a long time. Eventually, it stops.

Her hands shake, heart hammering in her ears. They never brought them back alive before. Today, she gets to hear it all.

But it's quiet. For a long time. She pulls back the window curtains, glancing at the front yard. The car is still there. Nobody's left.

She jumps when there's a knock on the door. She opens it, finding Luda.

"You left the laundry out, dear. Go get it, it may rain tonight."

Y/n nods, slipping past her. She glimpses the living room, seeing no blood. Kitchen is goreless as well.

Sure enough, the sky is grey and cold. She shivers as she throws the rest of the laundry in the basket. She hoists it onto her hip, walking back inside. She freezes when she sees two teenagers, muddy and fearful, in the kitchen.

They go to run, but the boy stops.

"You're the mask maker from town! I-I've been to your store, I bought a hockey mask! You've been missing for weeks!"

The girl grabs his hand.

"She's doing their laundry! She's with them, let's go!"

"Wait!" Y/n speaks up. She points to the front door.

"There's keys right there to a truck in the back. It's got gas, you guys should be able to get out if you hurry."

The girl stares, astonished.

"Come with us!" The boy insists.

"There's only two seats."

"We'll come back for you!" The girl says, grabbing the boy and running to the front door.

You better.

Y/n thinks to herself, as she takes the laundry upstairs. She goes back in her room, watching the front from her window. She hears yelling- Hoyt- as a truck pulls out of the garage.

They're doing It! They're gonna go get help! She'll be saved!

Her hope sheds away when she sees Thomas sprinting at the truck. They're not fast enough.

He flings open the driver side door, grabbing the boy and throwing him to the ground. The car keeps going, about to hit a tree.

The girl jumps out just in time, rolling onto the grass with a yelp. Hoyt runs over, grabbing her and dragging her back to the house.

Together, the two bring the screaming kids inside. Hoyt yells at Thomas to get the chainsaw and finish them. He runs to the shed, grabbing the huge, metal killing machine.

His eyes trail up to the bedroom window, meeting y/n's. He falters for a second, she notices. His eyes trail down to the chainsaw in his hands, then back up to her. She shakes his head at him.

Miraculously, he drops the chainsaw back on the ground.

"The fuck are you doing?" Hoyt yells from inside the house.

Thomas shakes his head at him.

"Fine, I'll do it myself!"

as Hoyt grabs the chainsaw, stomping inside the house and to the basement door.

"This thing is fuckin heavy!" He yells, struggling to start it.

Thomas doesn't help. He watches from the doorway. Y/n's terrified eyes are burned into his brain. He scared her. He didn't want to do that.

"You stupid son of a bitch."

The chainsaw starts up with a roar. Hoyt kicks open the basement door. The teenager's screams echo off the walls. Hoyt cackles.

Thomas turns to the top of the stairs, where y/n watches. Her gloved hands grip the railing, watching him.

He approaches her, leaving the wet screams of murder behind. She watches him, head tilting up to meet his eyes as he makes it to the top step. The screams continue as the two stare at each other.

Slowly, her hands let go of the railing. Her head drops, staring at the floor. Thomas puts a hand on her arm, leading her to the room, where he closes the door behind them.

Sorry if this chapter seems rushed. The book is nearing it's end. I'm trying to finish it before my winter break, so I can focus on for my school's newspaper. I'll try