*Hannah was still in disbelief at what her father had said. Yet, no matter what, even though he had lied to her for so long, even though he had done something unthinkable and unforgivable, she couldn’t bring herself to hate him. She just couldn’t do that. She looked at Drew, silently, before walking over and hugging him, for the first time in a long time. She remained close to him, not wanting to pull away, trying her best to hold back tears.*
Hannah: I-It’s okay dad. I understand
*Drew wanted to tell Hannah that it was not okay. What he did could never be taken back, and he knew that. But as he looked down at her, he knew that he had to accept this. If not for himself, than for Hannah. He returned the hug, looking down at Hannah, not saying a word. He just held her close to him, before finally pulling away, and before finally feeling a terrible pain coming from the back of his neck. He groaned as the paruparo emerged from the back of his neck, before it fell to the ground, withering before falling silent. Hannah knew that Drew had been saved. And with that, she was slowly waking up once again, the nightmares fading once more.*

*Hannah woke up inside the hospital once again. She looked around the room, slightly moving in her bed, before giving a pained groan. She slowly removed the covers to find her wounds, having leaked blood onto the bed. She knew this would cause some confusion if the doctors saw it. This was proven when she heard the hospital door open. But those fears were replaced with relief when she saw William walk in, carrying a few bedsheets from his hospital room. Once he saw the bloodstain on the white sheet, he gave a heavy sigh.*
William: Jesus. You really know how to get yourself into trouble, Hannah
Hannah: I’m used to it
William: Well hurry up. Get your wound fixed so I can change the sheets. The doctors would freak out if they saw that
*Hannah nodded and stepped out of bed, the sering pain coming at the slightest move. She did her best to bandage the wounds as William replaced the sheets, holding onto the stained sheets to dispose of later, folding them to look less obvious. Once Hannah’s wound was patched, and she was back onto her hospital bed, William turned and spoke to her.*
William: So, did you find anything out about our mystery killer?
Hannah: No. I just know that it is someone who knows my address.
William: In a small town like this? Anyone can know your address if they ask you enough
Hannah: I know, I know. But there has to be some clues. If he knows where I am, and he knows that I have been stopping him from killing people, than surely, I would’ve met him sa pamamagitan ng now. Or at least had a few run ins with him without knowing
William: I see. Well, whoever it is that’s doing this, we can’t just sit around and wait another second. We gotta find out fast. I don’t know if it really will stop the nightmares… But dammit, I don’t have much other options. I’ll do what I can. I’m already done here, so I’ll be heading out today. I’ll probably never be able to walk out normally again after this, but I’ll do what I can on my end, Hannah. Until then, you just get some rest
Hannah: Thank you
*William turned and made his way out, leaving Hannah to be in thought. Someone who knew her address, who knew of her connection to all of this, and someone who she has met with before. Those were the only clues she had to go on. She had to find out who he was, and fast,*

*A few days later, Hannah was back from the hospital, a scar on the left side of her stomach. It was still sore, but aside from that, she was perfectly fine. She came back to the house with Drew, who was doing everything he could to be with Hannah as often as possible. He still thought of everything that had happened as a dream, but as long as he was fine, that was all that Hannah needed. And he seemed to have changed some. Once Hannah got home, the first thing she decided to do was text Rebecca. She hadn’t gotten word from Rebecca since the incident, and she was a little worried. No messages on her phone, and she hadn’t answered Hannah in a week. It was starting to trouble her. As she continued to text Rebecca, there was a knock at the door. She didn’t have any interest in answering anyone else at the moment. Drew, however, went to the door immediately to answer it. There was a brief moment of silence, since Hannah was in the dining room, but soon heard voices from Drew, mentioning the person at the door.*
Drew: Ah, Mr. Franklin. Good to see you again
Franklin: I came as soon as I heard Hannah was discharged from the hospital. I just had to see how she was doing. After all, she’s my student
Drew: Of course, come in
*As Hannah heard them walk to the kitchen, Hannah sent another message, before setting her phone down. She looked up to see Drew walk in with Mr. Franklin, who greeted Hannah with a smile.*
Franklin: Ms. Asher, how are you doing
Hannah: For someone who had a bullet put in them, pretty good
Franklin: A bit morbid, but it’s good to see that you are doing well. I came to see how you were doing. But, I feel like now isn’t the best time for a talk. Do you think you’ll be able to come back to school tomorrow?
Drew: M-Mr. Franklin, don’t you think that’s a bit sudden? She only just got home-
Hannah: Of course, Mr. Franklin. I planned to anyway
Franklin: Oh. Perfect. Then I look pasulong to our meeting. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then. I’ll let you get some rest
*With a nod and a smile, Mr. Franklin made his way out of the house. Once he was gone, Drew turned to Hannah with a worried expression*
Drew: Hannah, you don’t have to go back to school if you don’t want to-
Hannah: Dad, please. I know you’re worried, but I’m fine. Really
*Drew gave a sigh and a pained expression.*
Drew: Alright. Just be careful, okay?
Hannah: I will. Don’t worry

*Hannah’s first araw back to school was met with many rumors. People whispered about her, about how she was shot. They were worried and amazed that she was able to survive such a thing. But they were also scared that a mysterious shooter was able to disappear from the police without so much as a suspect. Once school had come to an end, Hannah was ibingiay a notice to head to the meeting room at the end of the hall. She sat in there, looking at the clock on the wall. 5:40 PM. It was getting really late now. Hannah didn’t know what was happening, but she had to stay here regardless. She sent a few madami messages on her phone before the clock struck 5:55 PM. Finally, Mr. Franklin stepped inside, looking a little tired. He text book with him, one about the creative arts. He set the book on the table, before taking a upuan close to Hannah. He looked at her with a smile, before speaking.*
Franklin: Hannah, I know you are going through a lot right now, but I must continue to stress this. Are you sure that you are not getting into the wrong crowd
Hannah: No, Mr. Franklin. I know that I am hanging a lot of people a kid my age shouldn’t. But I’ve made good mga kaibigan with Officer Marcus, Diana, and William. I don’t think that those people are bad company, do you? A bit secretive, but we all have secrets
Franklin: I suppose so. It’s just that… It’s right for a teacher to worry, you know?
Hannah: Is it worry, Mr. Franklin? Or is it something else?
Franklin: Hannah, I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Hannah: Mr. Franklin, why are you so obsessed with following me around? You spoke with my dad to get meetings, you meet with me every araw after class, you came to the hospital, to my house, and now, here I am, at six in the evening, hours before everyone else has left, and here you are, meeting me in particular. I’m starting to think there’s madami to this.
*Mr. Franklin gave a confused expression, before chuckling.*
Franklin: Hannah, I promise you, it isn’t anything like that. What this is is merely a student-teacher relationship. I have no intentions of-
*Hannah stood up from the table, slamming her hands on the table.*
Hannah: Quit beating around the bush, goddammit! Mr. Franklin, you are everywhere you have no right to be. You are always where I am! And you know where I have been at all times?! Why?! What do you know about me!
Franklin: H-Hannah, please. I’m just doing this because-
Hannah: Because you worry, right? Because you want to make sure the one student that goes around town that is looking into these strange cases is alright? What is your connection to these cases, Mr. Franklin?!
Franklin: Hannah, please. I have no connection to these cases. I have no idea what you are talking about. I know this because I worry. You do so much stuff. You go to crime scenes, you text in class, you are always tired, you go to that bar, and you were recently injured. How can I not worry
*In that sentence, Hannah knew that she had found something.*
Hannah: What was that about the bar?
Franklin: That bar. That one in the alley. No high schooler should go there
Hannah: Mr. Franklin… Only someone who really knows about this case would know about that bar. That bar shouldn’t even exist
*Finally, Mr. Franklin was silent. He starred forward. Not at Hannah, just forward, lost. But instead of stammering or trying to lie his way out, he gave a short chuckle. It was immediately followed sa pamamagitan ng grabbing hold of the textbook quickly. Hannah knew this was going to happen, and grabbed the other end, trying to pull it from his grasp. But her injuries kept her from keeping a tight hold onto it, and she was knocked to the floor, hitting the back of her head on the wall. She groaned a little, before attempting to get up, only for Mr. Franklin to kick her hard in the face. She groaned for a minute, her vision blurred, but stopped once she was struck in the back of the head with the book, knocking her completely unconscious.*
Mr. Franklin: You just couldn’t stop, could you? Couldn’t just go to school like a normal kid. Getting involved in murders and monsters and all that. Stupid bitch!
*He set the book back onto the table, before reaching into his amerikana pocket, and taking out a single black glove. Once it was on, he reached into his back pocket, and pulled out a single gun, loaded with a few bullets. The same gun that shot Hannah and William. As Mr. Franklin looked at Hannah, he aimed the gun at her while leaning against the table. As if on cue, there were the sounds of footsteps closing in, before the door was thrown open, with William standing at the doorway.*
William: Andrew! What the hell are you doing?!
Franklin: Ah, William. Don’t you have some other business to take care of? Something that won’t put your life in danger?
William: Why are you doing this, dammit?!
Franklin: That’s not something for you to know. What matters is that you are here. I knew Hannah and you were partners in all this. I saw it all. She was going to call you for help soon.
William: Dammit. So you knew, huh?
Franklin: Oh, but don’t be so mad. After all, you are a scapegoat. I can’t believe that William was the one who did it all. Hannah dead, and poor Andrew Franklin injured so badly, but just barely able to get to safety.
William: You fucker!
*As William took a step forward, Franklin aimed the gun at Hannah’s head, looking at William*
Franklin: Step the fuck back! I’ll blow her brains out right here
William: You’re not gonna get away with this, Franklin!
Franklin: But there’s no other way this is gonna turn out. After all, you gave your weapon to Hannah, didn’t you? You’ve only doomed yourself sa pamamagitan ng helping her. But don’t worry, I’ll make it quick
*As William remained still, and Franklin looking down at Hannah, his finger on the trigger, William took this chance to grab the textbook on the mesa as fast as he could and throw it at Franklin’s hand. The book barely hit, making the gun aim to the pader as it fired. The book fell to the floor, inches away from Hannah’s body. Once the gun went off, William ran over to Franklin and punched in hard in the face, knocking him to the ground. Before he could react, William punched him hard in the face again, this time, knocking him out. He turned to Hannah, thankful that she was still alive, but the sudden realization came to him. She was now alone with that madman in the nightmares.*

*Hannah wandered around the school, having been inside the nightmares for a bit. She didn’t dare carry any weapons to school, she she was completely defenseless. It was madami than likely easier for Franklin and William to get one in, so she was hoping that William had come to help her when she sent him the message. But as she was in thought, a horrid voice could be heard from down the halls.*
Franklin: Haaaaaannaaaah! Where are yooooou?
*Hannah turned around to find Franklin down the hallway. The calm and welcoming expression that he once had was no longer there. It was now replaced with a crazed want to kill. He looked at Hannah, his deathly calm composure kept as he looked at her.*
Franklin: Hannah!
*Once he saw her, he took aim with his gun and fired, striking the pader susunod to her. At the moment he fired, she turned around and ran as fast as she could, hoping that she could outrun his shots. Franklin took the magazine in his gun out to see that he only had five bullets left after shooting at Hannah. He gave a chuckle, before turning in the direction she went.*
Franklin: Hannah! Get back here!

*Hannah hid in the same classroom that she had taken with Franklin before. It was the closest room she could find and hide inside. She hid under one of the desks, the blackened and rotted wood barely hiding her in the darkness of the classroom. But she was horrified to hear the voice of Franklin, just outside the doors.*
Franklin: Hannah, come out! Come on out!
*With each word spoken sa pamamagitan ng him, his aggression only grew madami and more*
Franklin: Hannah! Hey! Hannah!! Where the fuck are you!!
*But not only was his aggression growing, his voice was getting closer. And finally, it stopped, only for him to kick the door of the classroom open, and looking inside. And at the very moment that Hannah saw him, she grew silent, not even daring to breath. Franklin continued to speak.*
Franklin: I know you are here, Hannah! You can’t hide forever. I found you in the real world. I’ll find you here too. You thought you could be a little detective, did you? It doesn’t matter! You’re gonna die here! Right now!
*As if out of nowhere, he shot in a single direction. The bullet hit the pader just above Hannah, causing her to jump. That was the only hint she needed, and Franklin fired at the mesa two times, the bullets lodging into the desk. They didn’t hit Hannah, but they were enough to terrify her. Franklin walked over to the desk, chuckling as he aimed the gun at the desk. Hannah didn’t know why, or how, but she suddenly had the courage to speak up. That, or madness had finally taken her. Nevertheless, she spoke.*
Hannah: Why? Why are you doing this
Franklin: You may be surprised. I was just bored
Hannah: W-What?!
Franklin: Yeah, bored. kastanyas Pines is a dying hellhole. There’s no joy here, no reason of living here. But once I found out about these nightmares. Well, hell, I just had to use it. And once I found out I could do what I please with it, how could I refuse doing the things I love. That slut who hid behind good grades. That slacker who killed his sister. That asshole cop that killed a father. That money-grubbing asong babae who murdered her husband. William and his stupid fucking kid. Even your own dad is a real piece of shit. Don’t you see what I’m getting at? The world judges me for my fuck ups, but when they do something, they have a chance to bury it, ignore it, and never see it again. Well to hell with that! Screw the whole world! Why is it that my dirty laundry is shown to the whole world but everyone can just pretend their mistakes never happened. I never killed a man, but just because they had an excuse, that makes them better people?
Hannah: You son of a bitch!
*Hannah moved from the mesa and punched Franklin hard in the face, hoping to take the gun from him.*
Hannah: Those people regretting their choices. They never had intentions to kill. That guilt ate away at them until they almost died. But you have no sympathy or reason. You just killed for the fun of it.
Franklin: And your point? Murder is murder, no matter how you look at it!
*He struggled to pull the gun away, even kicking Hannah, which she barely withstood*
Franklin: I may be a piece of shit, but nothing in this world is worse than a hypocrite
Hannah: No matter what, that doesn’t excuse the things you did!
*Hannah gave one madami manuntok to Franklin, before taking the gun from him and aiming it at his head. She had him where she wanted him. He didn’t even dare move, but gave a slight chuckle.*
Franklin: Okay. What are you going to do? Hmm? Kill me? Prove my point then! You’ll justify it, no matter what. Even if the guilt destroys you from the inside, you’ll still wake up, telling yourself you did the right thing. It won’t make a difference. You’re just as much of a waste of human life as I am.
*Hannah could see that there was no guilt in what Franklin had done. No monsters, no fear, nothing. He was probably proud of what he had done. Hannah had the gun aimed at his head. She had him on the receiving end of the gun. She could end this all now. The man who killed Wendy and Sam, the man who almost killed her friends, even her father. The man who would kill even madami if ibingiay the chance. But that is what he wants. He wants her to be a killer. And if Franklin dies, there’s no telling what will happen to the case. But the thought of ending it all was right there. She had to make a choice*