First floor. Door on the left.

Michael walked in and locked the door behind him—less because he was intent on obeying the stalker's orders and more so because he didn't want the stalker to spring in behind him. He was too tired and injured to be able to fend anyone off.

His head still hurt and he felt like he had a permanent headache. Looking at anything in direct light made his eyes feel as though he was looking right at the sun in the middle of July, and his entire body felt weaker than he was used to.

Overall, not the best night for him to be messed with whatsoever.

Michael looked at the wall directly across from him; the room was dimly lit but it was clear that there were two different papers hanging on the wall: one was some sort of official document and the other a screenshot of a text chain.

Michael slowly walked closer until he could make out what each individual paper said. Reading made his head feel like a hammer was pounding against it, but he managed to fight through the pain enough to read what was on the wall—making his chest tighten and the pain in his head feel miniscule compared to the damage he knew these documents could do.

To the right was a copy of a restraining order, only partly filled out: only the last name of the person it was being filed against was there.

Hadden.

Michael remembered Jordan's words about what she had found in Erin's room from one of the first nights that their dysfunctional little murderer-hunting group had gotten together.

"It was a restraining order. And I'm not sure who it was against. She didn't fill it out all the way, and the only thing on it was the last name. It was Hadden."

Michael knew which Hadden the order was going to be filed against. And the text messages to the left of the restraining order proved that without a shadow of a doubt. It was a screenshot taken from Erin's phone, in a conversation with Michael himself.

Michael remembered that night. The night that those texts were sent, the night that landed Mary in the hospital. He remembered it like it was yesterday. And still, it brought a blind rage to him to even remember that Erin Green existed at all.

***

"She told her, Mary. She told her and I'm not letting her get away with it."

"Calm down, Michael. I mean...Rachel was going to find out sooner or later."

"No, she wasn't. That's the whole point." Michael shook his head, the headlights from the cars going in the other direction blinding him every other second. "I'm hanging up now. You can't change my mind."

"Michael—"

He hit the 'end call' button and put his phone on the empty passenger's seat beside him. He could see the Green's mansion up ahead, towering over everything around it. Seeing it made his mind go red with rage. Seeing anything related to the whore who had just ruined his entire life made him want to die.

He pulled into the driveway and saw exactly what he knew would be there: one car. Erin's. Her parents were at a dinner party with his own parents, and Roland was at a study group. Michael knew she was home alone. And he knew what he was going to do.

"Erin!" Michael shouted as he walked through the front door, slamming it shut behind him, "Erin Green!"

She came shooting around the banister in the foyer, her eyes narrowed and brows raised.

"Can I help you with something, Michael?"

"Damn straight you can help me with something." Michael replied, stepping forward slightly. "You can help me figure out why in the living hell you would tell my girlfriend anything about my...extracurriculars."

"Oh, how you cheated on her with like eighteen other girls?" Erin smirked, leaning against the side of the banister, "I think you should refer to her as your 'ex-girlfriend' now, don't you?"

Michael shook his head.

"This is all your fault. You stuck your nose in where it didn't belong and now Rachel doesn't know what she's doing."

"I think she knows exactly what she's doing, actually." Erin replied, "I'd dump you in a heartbeat if someone finally came forward with everything you'd been doing."

"I was going to marry her, Erin. I was going to clean myself up and marry her when we graduated."

"Aw, that's sweet. And completely twisted." Erin laughed, "You should be thanking me. Better for her to find out now than during the engagement. Calling off a wedding can be so expensive, depending on how far along you are."

Michael put his left hand in his back pocket slowly, fumbling around for the hunting knife he had swiped from his dad's collection before leaving the house. It was there—he could feel the cool wood of the handle wrapped in his hand as his mind fought desperately with his instincts. He shouldn't use it. He shouldn't do what he went to the Green's mansion to do.

And yet his instincts told him that that was exactly what he should do. That that was exactly what anyone in their twisted little city would do. That that was exactly what people in their twisted little city had done plenty of times before.

Without being caught.

Erin watched him thoughtfully, her eyes not seeming to catch his left hand's actions.

"What are you going to do, Michael? Yell at me until your throat hurts and you go back home to Mommy and Daddy? I'm sure they wouldn't want to know about your...how did you put them? Extracurriculars?" She smirked again, "And here you were thinking all socialites were dumb little rich girls."

"A dumb little rich girl who's about to get what's coming to her." Michael growled, the knife coming out of his pocket and flashing in the air. "Do I have your attention now?"

Erin swallowed uncomfortably but held her ground.

"Come on, Michael. Spoiled rich white boy isn't going to risk it all to kill someone who confessed his cheating to his unsuspecting girlfriend."

"A life for a life, Erin." Michael replied, his voice low as he saw true fear flash in Erin's eyes for the first time that night. "You ruin mine, and I take yours."

The door opened and shut behind him as a third voice could be heard.

"Michael!"

But he was already moving, and everything that happened next seem to go in slow motion. Michael lunged at Erin, the knife poised perfectly to meet its mark. But the third person, the person who had walked in at the worst possible time, sprinted in between Michael and Erin and the blade met their side instead, embedding itself before Michael could change his course.

An ear-splitting shriek echoed throughout the empty mansion as Mary fell to the floor, clutching at the knife in her side as Michael dropped to his knees, his hands covered in his sister's blood and his eyes wide with horror at what he had done.

"Mary, I'm so sorry—why did you do that? Why did you save her?" Michael shook his head, "Erin, call 911!"

Erin rolled her eyes, but Michael could tell that she was shaken beyond anything she had ever experienced before.

"Oh yeah. I'm going to call an ambulance to save the sister of the guy who just tried to kill me."

"I did just save your life." Mary shrugged casually as she grimaced in pain, "Might want to think about it."

Erin hesitated for a second before pulling out her phone and dialing.

"Yes, hello. We have an emergency at the Green residence in Easton. My...friend...was just attacked with a knife and required immediate medical attention."

Michael shook his head as he looked down at his sister, tears forming in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Mary." He whispered, "You shouldn't have saved her."

Mary winced slightly before reaching up with the arm furthest from the knife and smacking her brother lightly.

"You're an idiot. I don't care about Erin's life. I'm just not about to see my brother go to jail for murder."

Michael shook his head.

"But I did this. I did this to you."

Mary shrugged.

"We'll find someone to take the fall. Pay people enough money and they'll do anything you ask."

***

"You're going to die, you know."

Michael jumped back into reality as a robotic voice echoed through the walls of the cabin room. He looked around slowly, trying to figure out where it was coming from.

"Excuse me?"

"You're going to die, you know."

Michael paused for a moment before deciding to just talk to the room at large.

"Everyone's going to die." He replied, "What's the big deal?"

"You're going to die within the next 48 hours." The voice replied, and Michael felt his chest tighten. "I'm going to ensure it."

Michael raised his eyebrows.

"What do you gain by killing me?"

"Satisfaction." The voice stated shortly, "But I do have an option for you if you don't like my first one."

Michael was silent.

"You don't want to hear it?" The voice asked.

"Of course I want to hear it." Michael snapped. "What is it?"

"Come clean."

Michael paused.

"What?"

"Come clean about the night that you tried to kill Erin Green." The voice elaborated, "Tell the police everything about that night and your life will be spared."

"My life won't be worth anything. I'll be thrown in prison for attempted murder."

"What about Mary? I can easily have her killed as well."

Michael shook his head immediately. They may have been twins, but he had always been protective over his sister like an older brother would be.

"Don't."

"Then you have a choice." The voice repeated, "Turn yourself in and confess everything about the night you tried to kill Erin Green, or your own life will end in 48 hours."

"But—"

"48 hours, Mr. Hadden." The voice repeated. "48 hours."

A/N: I've had this one planned since Chapter 1 and I am SO PSYCHED that you guys finally know about it. Thoughts??

-Katherine