This is the final chapter of The Scream Team, and I can't believe it's lasted this long. I haven't been the best at updating, but you guys have been so awesome! Thanks so much for being so great and reviewing and just being all around cool people!


I groaned before I opened my eyes, the back of my head throbbing. I winced and reached back, but my elbow hit something sturdy and made me swear under my breath. When I opened my eyes, I saw that it was black all around me and I was laying down on something. I tried to sit up, but my head slammed against something so hard I saw stars.

"What the hell? Where am I?" I asked nobody.

I pushed the pain to the back of my mind and took stock of where I was. It felt like I was sitting on carpet, but there wasn't enough room for me to fully stretch out. I had a sudden flashback of playing hide and go seek as a kid with a bunch of kids that lived on my block. I had the genius idea to hide in the trunk of my mom's Honda Civic, only to realize I couldn't get back out. I was stuffed inside a trunk, but whoever did it hadn't tied my arms or legs. The only thing working in my favor right now.

Someone grabbed me when I opened the door of the closet and knocked me unconscious. Oh my god, what about Noah? He was right behind me in the closet, did they hurt him? I thought about calling out to him but immediately squashed the idea. The killer didn't know I was conscious and it would buy me time to escape, then I'd find Noah. I just hoped he was okay right now and not in harm's way.

Like when I was trapped in the trunk of my mom's Civic, I started feeling around for a release handle, but there wasn't one. Then I remembered some cars had a spot you could push forward from the trunk in the backseat. It was a longshot, but it was about all I had to go on so I took the chance. I touched blindly until my fingers found a break in the fabric, and I pushed with both hands. It gave way and I saw into the barely lit backseat. Thank god for getting stabbed, it taught me how to keep my cool better than I realized.

Now came the challenge of fitting my body through the tiny hole. I could fit, if I squeezed and shimmied for all I was worth so that's exactly what I did. I pulled off my jacket and pushed it through first, taking off anything possible to make me slimmer. Then I took a breath and stuck my arms through followed by my head. My sides ached and I'm sure there would be bruises and scrapes, but I pulled my entire body through and laid in the backseat to catch my breath.

I redressed myself and pushed the seat back to its original position. I needed the killer to think I was still hopelessly trapped in the trunk for as long as possible. I almost grabbed the door handle and swung open the door, then I saw it was locked and probably had an alarm set just in case I escaped. I maneuvered myself into the front seat and clicked to unlock all the doors, sliding out and relocking them before I shut the door.

I was in the same garage we'd entered through earlier, but Piper was no longer lying on the ground. Either the killer decided to move her body or she was the killer, and I was theorizing it was the latter. I picked up a baseball bat from the floor and crept back inside, holding the bat at the ready to knock the shit out of anyone that came too close to me.

I was out on the back deck when I heard a shrill scream, a familiar scream. Noah was in trouble; I rushed as stealthily as I could over to him. I rounded the corner with the bat held high only to find Audrey and Noah on the other side, Noah gripping his chest and Audrey leaning against the wall with blood on her.

"Audrey! You're bleeding!" I said, lowering the bat and rushing over to her. "Are you hurt? Is this your blood?"

"It's just my shoulder, I'm fine," she said dismissively, then she tilted my head up and looked at me. "What about you? There's blood all in your hair and your nose looks like it's been bleeding."

I reached up and felt my nose, wincing when I realized how tender it was. That bitch must've hit me in my face while I was unconscious. What the hell?

"Oh yeah, that was my fault," Noah said from behind me. "The killer knocked you out and you fell flat on your face. It must've busted your nose."

I turned and wrapped my arms tight around him, kissing his jaw repeatedly. "You're okay! I was so worried you weren't!"

"I'm fine, the killer just left me in the closet until I woke up," he replied, kissing the crown of my head.

"What the hell? You got left in a closet and I woke up locked in a freakin' trunk? How's that fair?" I cried, leaning against him with my bat still in hand.

"You woke up in a trunk?" Audrey asked in surprise. "How are you here?"

"I might've escaped through the breakaway spot in the backseat and tripped the locks to quiet the alarm," I shrugged nonchalantly. "But I think my shirt's a no-go, it's pretty soaked in blood."

"Not to ruin this moment, but I see the rest of the Scooby Gang gathered inside," Audrey said, taking my hand and leading the three of us inside.

"You're alive!" Emma sighed when she saw the three of us. "I thought you were all dead."

"I'm bleeding, but I'll survive," I replied, nodding to the others. "Brooke, you look like you can't stand. Are you okay?"

"Considering I spent way too long in an ice chest, I'm great," she told me, pulling the blanket around her shoulders tighter. "Can someone please call a doctor so I survive?"

Noah glanced at his phone and said, "Cell phones are still out."

"There's a landline in the kitchen."

"A landline? What is this, 1996?" Jake asked, trying to lighten the mood but nobody laughed and he stepped back.

"Okay, you guys keep watch. I'm going to go call my mom and try and get some help," Emma told us before she disappeared to find the phone.

"I'm going to find a first aid kit," I announced, Noah following closely behind me as I walked away from the group.

We went into a bathroom and I looked under the sink, making a nose of excitement when I found it on the first try. That was the first bout of good luck we'd had a long time. Noah took the kit from me and lifted me, surprisingly, up onto the sink.

"Whoa, Mr. Strong," I cooed, placing my hand on the side of his neck. "What are you doing?"

"You're bleeding and I want to make sure you're okay," he told me, getting an alcohol wipe out of the kit and wiping it across the cut on my forehead and making me hiss. "Sorry, I don't want it to get infected."

I nodded and allowed him to clean me up and bandage the cut. While he was concentrating, I reached out and twisted his hair around my fingers. His fingers shook a bit and his cheeks turned pink, but he finished what he wanted.

"You're such a little badass. I can't tell you that enough," he breathed, leaning his forehead against mine gently and kissing my nose. "God, I love you."

We'd never said that before and butterflies exploded in my stomach. Noah's face was tight as he watched me, trying to figure out what I was going to say. As if I would ever say anything to him other than the same thing.

"I love you, too," I replied, kissing him. "I love you, I love you, I love you."

His shoulders lost some of their tension as he pulled me close, repeating the phrase against the fabric of my jacket. I could've stayed with him like that forever, but I knew that wasn't an option. I hopped off the sink and headed back to the others, getting to work on Audrey's shoulder. I handed Brooke the heat blanket and she actually thanked me, taking me by surprise.

Jake was rubbing her shoulders, trying to get her warm again and I saw the makings of a relationship. They were both mean-spirited with a heart somewhere underneath all the tar inside them. Maybe they'd be good for each other, stranger things have happened in Lakewood.

"How long has Emma been gone?" I asked after about ten minutes passed without her coming back.

None of them answered so Audrey and I went into the kitchen to find her. The phone was sitting on the countertop, but Emma was nowhere to be found. The stupid girl probably went on a wild goose chase to find the killer and get herself into all kinds of trouble.

Audrey and I had just made it the backyard door when we heard the gunshot. We didn't waste any time running to find where it came from. The others could've been behind us or still inside the house for what I knew, we just had to get to Emma. It could've been a trap, but I couldn't risk it not being one.

Mrs. Duval was sitting in a chair on the dock with Emma crouched beside her. I could just make out the shape of a gun in the sun's beginning rays. I guess Emma shot the killer and went to her mother, makes sense.

"You go tell the others what happened and call the cops. I'll go to them," Audrey told me, breaking away to go comfort the two of them.

I jogged back to the living room and told the others what happened, allowing Noah to pull me close to him after I called the police. We eventually caught up with Audrey and Noah wrapped his arms around the two of us. We'd made it out alive, despite everything, and I was happy.

"You got your classic showdown at the lake, tying together the past and present. And Survivor Girl in the back of an ambulance, just like somebody predicted," Noah said, kissing the side of my head.

"I knew it was Piper deep down, but it's still surprising because she tried to be our friend," I sighed, not letting go of Noah's waist.

"It's okay, today we're all in the back of that ambulance together. Except, not really, because we wouldn't all fit," he added, making me and Audrey laugh. "But you guys know what I mean."

"We do."

"I'm just glad we found Emma," Audrey said, hitting her palm against mine and giving it a squeeze before letting them fall back down.

"Can we talk about how much of a badass G was for a second?" Noah bragged, making my face heat up. "She broke out of a trunk and brought the heat with a baseball bat to protect everyone."

"Quite the crime fighter, Virgin," Audrey told me. "Both of you."

"Right back at ya, Bi-curious," I grinned.


Noah and I were sitting in the video game store, him getting ready to start the podcast. He took over for Piper and was insanely happy about it. I was just working on a paper, watching him smile and light up the entire room.

"Hey, guys, this is Noah Foster, local student and survivor of the Lakewood Slasher murder. I'm guest podcasting the final chapter of Autopsy of a Crime for your former host, the now-deceased criminal mastermind behind the killings, Piper Shaw," he said, making a scene for the audience and a smile appear for me. "So, having made it to the end of our very own slasher movie. I think we're all just processing what we've lost and how to move on.

"Staring death in the face has a way of making you want to be more forgiving. Maybe we'll find the loss of someone we loved may lead to the promise of someone new," he looked at me and winked before going on. "Maybe we'll see this as a second chance to do things differently and make a change for the good. Or to wipe the slate clean and re-invent ourselves as someone new."

He was right, my family life had become a lot better since the final showdown. We had dinner together at least once a week and talked about our lives. Jackson and I were still battling most days, but me and Sophia were really close just like sisters should be. Dad and I even talked about why he left me and mom and started a new family, giving me the closure I'd always wanted.

"At the end of the day, we're all just grateful that it's over and that the Lakewood Slasher is dead, but there's still on thing I can't figure out," Noah continued. "Piper Shaw confessed her crimes in classic villain fashion, but she didn't explain who attacked her and Will Belmont in that abandoned building. I mean, sure, she could've banged herself on the head and made up the story, but Will confirmed it later. Much as I love the good Hollywood ending, I can't help but wonder who was wearing the mask that night? Am I just overthinking it or is there more to come?"

He finished the podcast and came over to me, offering me his hand. "Come on, let's go get some ice cream and finish Making a Murderer at my house."

I shouldered my backpack and followed him out to his car. You'd think after everything that's happened he would be over his serial killer obsession, but somethings you just can't change. And I wasn't sure I wanted them to.


Again, thanks so much! I appreciate each and every one of you! Don't forget about Am I Not Muse Enough? my continuation of Gwen and Noah's story!