Outside — The Campus
Andrew settles in beside Son, smile fading slightly.
"How you holding up, man? I heard about your dad. That was... that hit different."
Son nods slowly.
"Yeah. It did." He looks at Andrew. "What about you? What are you doing here?"
"Transferred. My old university went downhill fast — wasn't worth staying."
"For real?"
"Yeah. But hey — when I was coming through the gate just now I saw a girl with y'all. She was crying. Walked off by herself."
"That's because Leo accused her of being the killer," Johnny says flatly.
Andrew raises an eyebrow.
"Who's Leo?"
"My bad," Son says. "Introductions — this is Leo Martin, my boy since freshman year. This is George Marco, met him around the same time. This is Johnny Wilson, met him this year. And the girl who left — that's Gowin Jan. She's one of us too, met her this year."
Andrew nods at each of them.
"Good to know you all."
"Good that you're building a circle," he says to Son. "Real talk."
"Yeah," Son says. "But we got a serious problem."
"The killer?"
"You know?"
"I saw the news."
George leans forward.
"He killed Son's dad. Killed two girls — one named Emma Kane, one named Gina Mike. Just tried to kill Gowin today. She fought him off."
"And on top of that," Johnny adds, "I've been digging and there's a whole history — killings going back three years, all connected to the same guy. I finished my research today. That's actually why we're all supposed to come to my place tonight."
Andrew looks around at them.
"Can I come?"
Son doesn't hesitate.
"Obviously."
Andrew turns to Johnny.
"You sure? I don't want to just invite myself in—"
"Nah, you're good," Johnny says. "Honestly I don't even know why, but I already feel comfortable around you."
Andrew smiles.
"Appreciate that."
Outside — The Campus
"What's this killer's name?" Andrew asks.
"We don't know his real name or what he actually looks like," Son says. "But we know what he calls himself. Moster."
"Moster," Andrew repeats quietly.
"I saw that guy Jason earlier," Andrew says. "Could he be the killer?"
"No," Leo says. "Based on what Gowin told us — Moster took his mask off and had Jason's face. But the real Jason showed up right after looking for something to stop the bleeding on his head. Because Son hit him with a rock."
"Right, got it." Andrew thinks for a moment. "But Jason's alwayss trying to kill someone. And there's alwayss this one guy — Taiga — who stops him every time. You notice that?"
"Yeah," Son says slowly.
Andrew looks at him.
"You think Taiga could be the killer, Son?"
George and Leo and Johnny all go still.
"...That's actually possible," George says. "In every murder case I've ever heard of — the one who's alwayss trying to PREVENT the killing is usually the one doing it."
"Yeah, could be," Son says. "And he alwayss has this look In his eyes. Something off about It."
Gowin walks back over and stops in front of Leo.
"I forgive you, Leo. But I'm not the killer."
Leo meets her eyes.
"...I'm sorry."
Gowin nods once. Then sits back down with the group.
Her eyes land on Andrew.
Her face goes red.
"...Who is that?"
"My boy since we were kids," Son says. "Andrew Cain."
Andrew looks over at her with an easy smile.
"Hey. Gowin Jan, right?"
Gowin blinks.
"...Yeah. How did you know my name?"
"Son told me."
Gowin holds his gaze for a moment —
And feels something she can't explain. Something strange and warm and unsettling all at once. Andrew Is still smiling. And his eyes —
Something glows inside them. Deep. Like embers.
"Aight guys," Johnny says, standing up. "My place. Let's go."
Everyone gets up.
"Andrew's coming with us," Gowin says.
Son glances at her — just for a second — and smiles.
"Obviously. Come on."
Andrew stands and stretches.
"I'm glad I'm with y'all. For real."
"We're glad you're here too," they say.
And they walk together into the evening.
Johnny's House
Johnny rushes inside ahead of everyone and tidies up his room fast. The group files In behind him.
"So… what do y'all think?" Johnny asks, looking around.
"It's a little neat," Gowin says.
"It's great bro," George says.
"Looks like you've been putting in serious work on this research," Andrew says, eyeing the walls.
"You have no idea," Johnny mutters.
Leo reaches out and unpins a sheet of paper from the wall.
"What's this?"
"A murder case from 2024. Moster's work."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah."
"That's insane," Gowin says.
"Gather around," Johnny says. He connects his laptop to the TV and pulls up his research on the big screen. "Look at this."
Everyone crowds around.
"In early 2023, a man named Philip Foster was killed in Queens, right here in New York. His wife and all five of his kids were killed with him. Philip took fifty stab wounds. Security footage caught someone in a red outfit, full black mask, red light glowing from the eyes."
"That's Moster," Leo says.
"Yeah. And in 2023 alone — Moster killed three hundred people. Stranglings, slashings, stabbings. Every single victim had a part of them consumed. An arm. A head. A heart — like Gina. A liver. Some were just killed outright."
The room goes quiet.
"In 2024 — six hundred kills. Same methods."
"Six hundred," Son repeats.
"In 2025 the number dropped. Only a hundred and twenty."
"And 2026 — this year — seven confirmed so far. Mr. John Chad. Emma Kane. Gina. The three officers. And one unknown victim, last reported in this area — District 320."
Son turns to Andrew.
"Isn't that your neighborhood, Andrew?"
"It was," Andrew says. "I moved to 321 recently. I need to be careful."
"Jason is in 322," Leo says slowly. "And Taiga is in 320."
George slaps his hands together.
"That's it. We don't need to investigate anymore — Taiga IS the killer."
"Easy," Son says. "I hear you, and yeah, everything's pointing that way. But the only proof that actually matters is pulling that mask off ourselves."
"We'll be dead before that happens," Leo mutters.
The lights go out.
Complete darkness.
"What the—" Gowin steps back —
And walks into someone.
"...That's you, right Son?"
A voice. Low. Wrong.
"...No."
Something moves toward her —
A body slams into Moster from the side, hard.
"AHHH—"
The lights snap back on.
Moster is gone.
Gowin spins around —
Andrew is on the floor, back against the wall, hand gripping his arm. A deep cut through his sleeve, bleeding through his fingers.
"Oh my God—" Gowin drops to her knees beside him.
"Johnny, you got a first aid kit?" Son says immediately.
"Yeah — give me two seconds." Johnny is already moving.
"You okay?" Son asks, crouching down.
"I'm sorry," Gowin says, voice tight.
"Don't be," Andrew says. He exhales slowly, managing a small smile. "It's fine. I'm okay. Thank God it didn't hit anything vital."