Tensions start to run high as our favorite radio host finds a way to make a quick buck, while another person takes off their mask and reveals their true self...
*Jumping off from where the previous episode ended, Carolina questions Anya furiously as Kimberly watches from a doorframe*
Anya: The person you are looking for…is Noah! Noah Grays!
Carolina: Seriously?
Anya: Yes! I swear…I swear on my life!
Carolina: I’ve known that boy since before he started puberty…I’m quite confident he didn’t do this…
Anya: I saw him do it!
Carolina: Do what?
Anya: I was going door to door delivering the weekly Enviromental Newsletter when I saw him…walking out of his house. I hid in a bush and watched him drag everyone else out of the house…
Carolina: So you’re saying that Noah Grays, who can barely count to 100 and was on the verge of failing out of high school, is the one behind kidnapping my siblings and probably murdering the town detectives?
Anya: Yes but…he wasn’t alone! There was someone else there!
Carolina: Who?
Anya: I don’t know…they were wearing a gas mask, like one of those really creepy ones they used in the war
Carolina: So you’re saying that Noah and a random person in a gas mask are a pair of serial killers?
Anya: Yes…yes, I am!
Carolina: But that still doesn’t explain why you broke into my house wearing a dark hood and carrying a knife, then trashed the place!
Anya: I saw the door was open, so I came in, then I saw you two in here and I thought you were also intruders…I’m so sorry!
*Carolina shakes her head, the puzzle pieces still not adding up. Kimberly stands back, waiting for instruction*
Carolina: For now, we’re going to put you in the basement, and when you’re finally ready to tell us the truth, we’ll let you go…
*Kimberly steps forward, and the pair help Anya to her feet, walking her over to the basement door*
Anya: Please…I’m sorry!
*They open the door, tossing Anya inside, before quickly locking it behind her*
Kimberly: This feels so wrong…
Carolina: She broke into my house with a knife and threatened us with it. I don’t know where the fuck the police are right now, but until they show up the entire town is safer if she’s locked up down there
*Kimberly nods, starting to understand Carolina’s reasoning*
Kimberly: Do you think anything she said is true?
Carolina: Do I think Noah Grays is a raging sociopath who is keeping my siblings in some sort of evil saw-style dungeon right now? Honestly…no, Anya’s clearly high or something
*Kimberly nods, but seems distracted thinking about something else. Carolina decides to double bolt the basement door, before standing back and dramatically sinking to the floor*
Carolina: If only this nightmare would hurry up and end already…
~~~~~3 YEARS AGO~~~~~
*A younger Anya stands outside the high school, bag firmly in her hand as she stares at the hoards of teens going inside. Behind her, an older girl taps her on the shoulder, before introducing herself*
Cassie: Hey, I’m Cassie Parker…I assume you’re Anya Rogers, the new girl right?
*Anya nervously nods*
Cassie: The principal asked me to show you around…I’m the head of the Student Council and it’s very important to me that everyone enjoys their time at this school! We can wait for the morning rush to clear out then I’ll give you the grand tour…does that sound ok?
*Anya smiles at Cassie, nodding more enthusiastically now. As the final few students rush into the school, Anya follows Cassie inside*
Cassie: Here at Golden Valley High, we are more than a school, we are a community!
*As Cassie says these words, two girls suddenly run out of a classroom screaming at one another*
Girl 1: YOU HORE, YOU SLEPT WITH MY BROTHER!
Girl 2: BITCH, YOU SLEPT WITH MY BOYFRIEND FIRST!
Girl 1: AT LEAST MY MOM ISN’T A PORN STAR!
Girl 2: AT LEAST MY MOM DOESN’T WORK AT CHICKEN HUT!
*Their screaming continues until a teacher follows them out of the classroom, angrily shouting them back inside. Cassie quickly pulls Anya away from the scene, and continues down the corridor*
Cassie: We have loads of clubs here to suit everyone’s interests! We have darts…swimming… environment…there have even been petitions to start a Drag club but the principal isn’t exactly eager. Everyone finds friends here, no matter what!
*Kimberly struts past the pair, trying not to meet Cassie’s eye. She still stops her anyway*
Cassie: Hey, Kimberly, I’d like to introduce you to-
Kimberly: Not interested. Don’t care…
*Kimberly continues walking down the hallway, Cassie’s confidence now clearly knocked*
Cassie: Sure, some people here aren’t exactly great, but once you get to know them all they are sweet on the inside!
*They reach the end of the hallway, Cassy smiling beside a door reading “7D”*
Cassie: This is your homeroom…it’s one of the biggest rooms in the school, and Mrs. Bagwaggle is a lovely teacher, she used to be married to the mayor, actually!
*Anya opens the door to see her class. At the back of the room, Camila’s cult chat about the latest gossip of the school. Noticing an empty desk near them, Aya makes her way over. As she sits down, Noah quite angrily turns to her*
Noah: Did someone invite you to sit here?
Anya: This is the only seat available though…
Noah: This row is invitation only. Find somewhere else!
*Anya scans the room, but is unable to see anywhere. Mrs Bagwaggle is too busy watching Maria Sweeterson’s YouTube videos to care about what her class is doing*
Anya: There’s nowhere else for me to sit…
Noah: Then sit on the floor or I will peel your nails off and eat them like potato chips!
*Crying, Anya stands up and sits on the floor next to a desk a few rows in front*
Mrs Bagwaggle: Noah…
Noah: Yes, Miss?
Mrs Bagwaggle: Let the girl sit down, please
Noah: But it’s Zoe’s seat, it’s been hers since the start of the year!
Mrs Bagwaggle: Well, Zoe’s not in today. Let the new girl take a seat
*Noah rolls his eyes, as Anya gets up, sitting down next to him*
Noah (whisering): This isn’t over, you need to understand that…
~~~~~PRESENT DAY, LARA ANDREW’S HOUSE~~~~~
*Heidi, Maria, and Cecily all sit on Lara’s couch as she pours red wine into fancy glasses*
Heidi: I’ve got an important meeting tonight…can we do this quickly?
Lara: Of course…as the three of you know, I recently got a tip off that some people in this town are not as honest as they seem…
Maria: I hope you aren’t implying we have something to hide?
Lara: Well…as I rather like you three ladies, it would be a shame if those secrets were to get out, would it not?
Cecily: Are you blackmailing us?
Lara: No!
Maria: Of course she is…
Lara (smiling as she turns to Maria): I’m not the one who held a charity stream asking my fans to donate for the greater good, only to keep all the money, am I?
Maria: That…never happened!
Lara: Of course it didn’t, of course…$20,000 you raised, didn’t you? Quite a sum of money don’t you think…nothing to be sniffed at after all
Maria: And it all went to the greater good in the end…
Lara: That greater good being a full Gucci outfit…
*She then turns to Cecily, who seems extremely nervous hearing this about Maria*
Lara: Cecily…is it true you really slept with the head of the UCL admissions office to get your little pumpkins into college?
Cecily: I…um…no!
*Lara finally turns to Heidi, who seems the most nervous of them all*
Lara: Heidi…the girl who bullied another model so much she went on to hang herself from a bridge…
Heidi: That was her choice…I never touched her!
Lara: Sometimes, words cut the deepest…
Cecily: What do you want from you?
Lara: Well, now you all know each other’s deepest darkest secret…I’d quite like to take a vacation to Bali!
Heidi: So that’s it? Do you want us to pay for your vacation to Bali? We can do that, can’t we ladies?
*The other two both nervously nod*
Lara: That would be nice, yes, but when I come home, I’d quite like an upgrade. That mansion on Bismark road seems rather tempting…
Heidi: It’s a very risky road you’re taking here…
Lara: Oh I’m aware of that, so I have so extra security. If anything happens to me, the secrets of everyone in this town will be automatically broadcast on repeat to the entire town! So there, those are all of your options, on the table…
*Lara reaches to the counter next to her, revealing her cheque book*
Lara: Let’s start with a nice, easy number. $5k from each of you. Not a lot. It seems rather reasonable if you ask me, but that should be enough for a two-way first class flight and a very nice hotel in my dream destination…
*Lara hands the cheque book and a pen to Maria first, who begrudgingly writes in it. She then hands it over to Heidi, and then to Cecily*
Cecily: Are you done literally robbing us?
Lara: For now! This isn’t over though, after I get back from my trip I have my sights firmly set on that mansion, I’m sure you understand being career women like myself…
~~~~~
*Meanwhile, in Matthew and George’s dorm, the pair chat over a large bowl of popcorn while watching the Scream marathon on TV*
George: Lara’s really stepped over a new line…
Matthew: Is this to do with the secrets she announced live on air?
George: Yeah…she basically announced to the entire town she was blackmailing them…
Matthew: Well, as long as there’s nothing about us in there, that’s absolutely fine by me, they probably deserve it to be honest…
George: Yeah, I guess so…I got nothing to hide, you got nothing to hide, right?
*Matthew shakes his head*
George: Then I’m sure we’ll all be absolutely fine…
*Their attention turns back to the Scream marathon, meanwhile, the Brancati’s watch the same from their couch, Paula clearly struggling to stay awake again*
~~~~~
Paula: This is more exhausting than I thought it would be…
Pauline: If you wanna go to sleep, it’s fine by me. We’ve still got a long way to go…
Paula: I’ll try to stay awake for a little longer…not sure I’ll make it through all six movies though…
*Pauline watches over her daughter, her eyes both loving but also extremely concerned*
~~~~~33 YEARS AGO, THE MATERNITY WARD OF A HOSPITAL~~~~~
*Pauline, heavily pregnant, screams in pain as a doctor waits on the other end of the bed*
Doctor: I can see the head…keep pushing!
*Pauline screams in pain again as she pushes, the baby now emerging from her body*
Pauline: Why isn’t it…crying? Is my baby ok?
*The doctor quickly speaks to a nurse as Pauline screams again, pushing once more. The doctor rushes over to the baby as it finishes coming out like one of those poops that takes forever to leave. The baby is covered in blood, and not crying*
Doctor: Nurse, starting CPR…
*The doctor starts pushing on the baby’s chest with his thumbs as the nurse tries to comfort Pauline*
Pauline: What’s…happening…is my baby ok? Paula, is she ok?
*After a few minutes of trying with no success, the doctor is forced to give up*
Doctor: Miss Brancati…I’m so sorry to tell you this but your baby didn’t survive…
*Pauline begins to cry in a dramatic montage as day turns to night and back into day. Now getting ready to leave the hospital, Pauline signs her final discharge papers*
Nurse: Miss Brancati…I’m so sorry form your loss…
Pauline: Yeah…ok…are you though?
*Pauline walks away from the desk and out of the hospital. As she walks out of the hospital, the notices another single woman pushing a baby in a pram. Waiting until no CCTV cameras are visible, she approaches this woman*
Pauline: Wow, what an adorable child you have, what’s her name?
Woman: Oh…thank you! Her name is Roberta!
Pauline: Well…congratulations!
*As the woman turns her back, Pauline takes a deep breath, suddenly grabbing her from behind and choking her. The woman makes a strangled sound before Pauline lowers her to the ground. Checking she is still alive, Pauline runs over to her baby*
Pauline: Hello…I’m taking you away from that nasty woman, she doesn’t want the best for you…but I do, Paula, I want the best for you…
*She picks the baby up out of its pram, tightly holding it in her arms*
Pauline: Let's go home…you’re safe now, I’ll never let anything happen to you…
~~~~~PRESENT DAY, THE UNDERGROUND DEATH TRAP~~~~~
*After a few more hours of waiting in darkness, the speaker finally crackles back to life, the teens shuddering as it makes its next announcement*
???: There is one rule for this game. Run!
*As the door slowly creeks open, light enters the room for the first time as the outside world is finally in view*
Zoe: What…is this?
*Camila silently emerges from the first room, covered in her brother’s blood. She looks at her three former friends emotionlessly*
Camila: I don’t know about you, but I’m getting out of here…
*She begins making her way to the door, opening it in full, and stepping outside. Hoop nervously waits behind her*
Hoop: Do you…see anyone?
*Noah and Zoe also approach the door, Zoe at the back of the queue*
Zoe: Should we go?
*Camila notices something approaching in the distance, the moonlight reflecting off a shiny metal object*
Camila: Is this fucker really about to go little red riding hood on us?
Noah: Fuck this…I’m out!
*Noah pushes up in front of his friends and sprints off into the forest. The other three follow, not far behind*
Zoe: Do we actually know what we’re running from?
Hoop: Werewolves…zombies…axe murderers, does it matter? God knows where we are…
*As the fastest of the group, the others quickly lose sight of Noah in the darkness*
Camila: Fuck…do either of you see him?
*As they look around in all directions, the trio has no luck, forming a tight triangle in order to keep watch from all directions. The snapping of a twig in Zoe’s direction makes her gulp as footsteps begin to near her*
Zoe: Noah? Is that you?
*The footsteps turn from walking into running, causing the trio to break formation and begin sprinting through the darkness in the opposite direction. Spotting a cabin light in the distance, Hoop and Camila make a break for it, unaware that behind them, Zoe is struggling to keep up running through the undergrowth*
Zoe: Hey! Wait!
*Hoop begins looking back for Zoe, but Camila grabs his arm, dragging him forward toward the cabin. As the distance between these two and Zoe widens, she suddenly falls on a tree root, her head ramming directly into the ground*
Zoe: No…shit!
*As she tries to get back to her feet, a boot from behind knocks her down to the floor as she desperately tries to squirm away*
Zoe: I don’t know who you are…just…please, let me go! I won’t tell anyone! I can…help you!
*The killer suddenly takes a step back, allowing Zoe to turn around and see the killer’s face, which is covered by a doll mask*
Zoe: Please…
*The killer raises an axe from behind their back, allowing it to glisten in the moonlight. The two have a tense stand-off as Zoe tries pleading for her life, which actually appears to be getting through to the doll mask*
Zoe: What we did all those years ago…it was bad, I know, I’m ready to go to the police now…I’m ready to tell them what really happened!
*To her shock, the killer extends a hand, which she cautiously takes. Helping her to her feet, the pair stand in silence as neither seems sure what exactly to do. Finally, the killer reaches for their mask, pulling it off as Noah hobbles backward in shock*
Zoe: …Noah?
*Noah stands before Zoe, dropping the axe, and then the mask as his eyes begin to well up with tears*
Noah: Zoe…I’m so sorry…I don’t have a choice…they are making me do this…
Zoe: They? Who are they?
Noah: I…I can’t tell you…if I do they will kill us…both of us!
Zoe: Are they here, now?
*Noah silently nods as Zoe nervously looks around in the darkness, the first suddenly becoming very quiet*
*An axe suddenly lands in Zoe’s back, causing her to gargle and fall forward. Noah screams for her, running over to where she fell and desperately holding her head in his arms*
Noah: No…NO! You are not allowed to fucking die on me!
*He looks up to the dark figure standing behind Zoe, wearing a doll mask identical to Noah’s. As Zoe begins to gargle and bleed in Noah’s arms, he furiously looks up to them*
Noah: What have you done?
*The figure speaks, their voice dark and robotic like the one in the basement*
???: We agreed. No survivors.
Noah: I thought we were saving her to the end…we had a deal!
???: She saw your face, she had to die. You have betrayed my trust, Noah…
Noah: If you want to kill me…just do it! I’ve got nothing left to live for anyway…
???: All of those years we spent planning for this…I saw it in your eyes when you were younger, that we were meant for this, a higher purpose…to rid the world of this sin!
*Zoe, still bleeding out, attempts to speak, but struggles, only able to produce gargling noises*
Noah: We’re finished…no more of this!
???: I have been preparing you for this since the first day we met! It was you, and me, until the end. I was with you when nobody else was, and you want to turn your back on that?
Noah: Fuck this…no more killing! Haven’t we done enough already? It’s time we turned ourselves in…
*The figure approaches as Zoe’s body becomes still, her muscles relaxing*
???: I didn’t want it to end this way…
*The figure pulls their axe out of Zoe’s body, swiftly raising it and cutting off Noah’s right foot, then his left. Screaming, he collapses backward as blood begins spurting out. The figure turns, leaving the scene to hunt for Hoop and Camila*
Noah: You can’t leave me here like this!
*The figure does not acknowledge their co-conspirator, silently walking off into the night in pursuit of the other two. Noah looks down at his rapidly bleeding stubs, then over to Zoe’s body, loudly crying into the silent void of the forest*
~~~~~
*Camila and Hoop arrive at the cabin. Running straight to the door, Camila starts furiously banging on it as Hoop looks through one of the windows*
Camila: Hello? Is anyone in there?
*To their surprise, the door opens, Doyle Mark revealing himself*
Doyle: What do you want?
Camila: Oh thank god! You have to help us!
*Camila barges inside and Hoop follows, Doyle quickly locking the door behind them*
Doyle: What’s wrong?
Camila: We…we’re being chased!
Doyle: By who?
Hoop: Some kind of masked killer, with an axe!
Doyle: Right, ok, would you be ok to like…leave now? This is my house and I’d like you to leave!
Camila: I thought you were homeless?
Doyle: It’s a hiker’s cabin. Anyone can use it. And right now I am so you need to leave
*He motions to the door. Camila and Hoop do not move toward it*
Hoop: Is there a satellite phone here? A radio? Anything that can contact the outside world?
Doyle: Not that I’ve found. Look, it’s about an hour’s walk back into town from here so I think you should get going…
*Camila nervously looks out the window, seeing nothing*
Camila: We’ll leave in the morning!
Doyle: How about now instead?
Camila: For fuck’s sake…SOMEONE IS TRYING TO KILL US!
Doyle: I don’t know-
*A sudden knock at the door stops all three in their tracks as they turn their head to look*
Hoop: Do not answer that door…
Doyle: Masked killer my ass…
*He strolls over to the door, opening it and spotting nobody*
Doyle: See…no masked killers here!
*Quite ironically, as he says this, the killer’s axe suddenly hits him in the head, blood splattering over Camila and Hoop who scream with horror and disgust. The killer steps inside as Doyle’s body falls to the floor, a mix of Zoe’s, Noah’s, and now Doyle’s blood staining the axe*
Camila: Leave us the fuck alone!
*Hoop suddenly runs over to a window, throwing it open. The killer immediately gives chase, attempting to grab him, but Hoop is too fast, jumping out of the window before the killer can catch him. Camila also takes this opportunity, running straight out the opened front door as the killer regroups, watching her run…*
~~~~~THE NEXT MORNING~~~~~
*The next morning, the sun rises over Golden Valley as the now significantly depleted population begins to wake up once again. As her mother is still asleep, Paula opens her bedroom door, creeping out and shimmying down the drainpipe*
Paula (to herself): I’ve not done this for a good few years…
*The reaches the bottom, and walks across the street from her house, walking a few blocks down to the entrance to a park. Entering, she sees Leanne waiting on a bench nearby*
Leanne: I was starting to think you wouldn’t show…
Paula: Well, I’m here now, what have you found?
*Leanne opens her handbag, revealing a dossier titled “Brancati”. Leanne hands it over to Paula, the latter quickly opening it*
Leanne: When you hired me to look into your past…I can’t say I was expecting to find this
Paula: I knew something was up when my mom refused to go for a DNA test to see our genetic makeup…
Leanne: Well, that DNA sample I asked you to get me…I rushed it through the lab and I’m afraid it doesn’t match
*Paula takes a sharp, disappointed breath*
Paula: So…I’m adopted
Leanne: That’s just the thing…there is no record of your adoption. If you were adopted legally there would be something I could trace
Paula: So you’re saying…my mom didn’t give birth to me, but she didn’t adopt you either…
Leanne: Where did you say you were born?
Paula: The story she told me was that she got pregnant after an orgy when she was living in Chicago…
Leanne: I looked at every baby born in the country on your birthday, filtered it by females, and thousands of results came up. I filtered it some more and…I think I found you…
*Paula turns the page and sees a baby with the name “Sioned McCallan”*
Leanne: This baby was stolen a few days after you were born coming out of a hospital…the baby’s mother gave a police sketch…
*Paula turns the page once again, seeing the police sketch of her mother on the next page. She takes a deep breath, tears starting to drop from her face*
Paula: My…my mom stole me at birth?
*Leanne solemnly nods as Paula shuts the dossier*
Paula: Burn it!
Leanne: Sorry, what?
Paula: Burn it…I know the truth. Nobody else other than us need to
Leanne: if you’re sure…
Paula: I hired you for a reason. Thank you…so much for this!
Leanne: If there’s ever anything you need, you know where to contact me…
*The pair end their conversation by standing up and exiting the park in opposite directions, tears dripping off Paula’s face as she does so*
~~~~~
*Meanwhile, in Lara’s studio, she gears up for yet another morning roundup. She turns to her intern and they begin discussing the show*
George: Are you sure you want to go ahead with this?
Lara: The people of Gilden Valley deserve to know the truth, do they not? Anyway…fetch me a coffee real quick!
*George sighs, running out of the room and heading to the cafe. Lara decides to turn on her microphone, speaking with a tone of delighted glee*
Lara: She may seem sweet and innocent, but Golden Valley’s Carolina Santos is hiding something quite dark indeed. I’m assuming she’s never told you about the time her miscalculation in painkillers lead to a patient’s overdose! You heard it from me first…the only thing stopping her going down for manslaughter was the fact she apparently slept with a hospital executive and blackmailed him to stop the secret from coming out. Whoopsies! I’m sure the police will have a little field day with this one when they finally get back from being MIA…
*Lara hears someone entering the building, but shrugs it off, assuming it is just George returning with her coffee*
Lara: There’s more left to be revealed today, too! We all know Blaire Harrington, the mayor’s gifted and rather spoilt daughter. Well, did you know…
*The door suddenly opens, and a figure wearing a doll mask steps inside*
Lara: Jesus George what the fuck?
*The figure does not speak, instead walking toward her*
Lara: Not George…ok…whoever you are, you’re not allowed to be in here!
*Lara gets up from her chair, the figure suddenly running at her, ramming her against the wall. The microphone picks up Lara’s screams as the figure pulls out a pocket knife, before forcing Lara’s mouth open. She only manages to squeal as the figure begins cutting out her tongue, pulling it out, and waving it in her face. Lara then shrieks as the figure reveals a bottle of bleach, which they lift up to her mouth before pouring it in. As bleach fills her mouth, Lara desperately tries to breathe but ends up swallowing more bleach. She begins to choke, the figure allowing her to drop to the floor while still pouring bleach into her mouth and eyes. All of this happens as the microphone is still on, the horrified citizens of Golden Valley listening as their local radio host is murdered live on air. As Lara’s body falls still, the killer approaches the microphone, speaking in their usual electronic voice*
???: Golden Valley, you have a new radio host in town! The day of judgement is upon us…Lara Andrews is the latest to be judged, and she has been found guilty. Let this be a warning that I am coming for you. I know every dark little secret you hide deep in your soul, every wrong word you have said, every bad action you have taken. Know that I am coming. I will always find you. You can run, but no matter where you hide, I will find you. Mary Brucknell. Gasper Poe. Robert Dancer. Mitch Santos. Zoe Hutchings. Lara Andrews. Are you next? Ask yourself that very question as you fall asleep tonight. For now, Golden Valley, I leave you. This final track is dedicated to every citizen of golden valley, from every walk of life…
???: This is the Dollmaker signing out. Until next time, Golden Valley…
Overall I felt this episode had the most disturbing deaths so far (Lara's would be truly horrific to experience, meanwhile Noah is still alive in the woods without any feet slowly bleeding out/freezing to death so that's also a fun way to die too!). Lara honestly ended up becoming one of my favorite characters and I sort of regret not allowing her to make it further </3
Also, sorry Doyle, and also Zoe. You were both decently nice people compared to some of the psychos living in that town (Doyle especially was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, a bit like Zach from the last episode)
