Dante stared at the telephone while his mind raced through every possible hiding place inside the house.
The caller could see his movements, yet Dante had heard no voice or footsteps nearby.
Either Ghostface was watching through a hidden camera or he had found an unusually good place to hide.
A faint movement near the living-room sofa caught Dante’s attention.
A dark shape shifted behind it, and something that looked suspiciously like a person’s rear stuck out from one side.
Dante raised Ivory toward the sofa.
“You’re hiding behind the couch.” The voice on the telephone went silent for a moment.
When it returned, the caller sounded genuinely surprised.
“How did you know?” “Your ass is sticking out.” A distorted laugh came through the receiver.
“Wrong answer.” Dante sensed danger behind him before the final word faded.
The air shifted as something sharp cut toward the back of his neck.
He threw himself forward and rolled across the floor.
The blade passed through the space where his head had been only a moment earlier.
Dante twisted around and finally saw his attacker.
The figure wore a long black robe that covered most of his body.
A white mask hid his face, and its stretched mouth formed a permanent scream.
Dante nearly laughed despite the danger.
“Ghostface?” The mask was impossible to mistake.
Even someone who had never watched Scream would recognize one of the most famous faces in horror.
Dante’s memories of the costume were even stronger because he had also watched Scary Movie in his previous life.
The ridiculous parody kept flashing through his mind and made the killer look far less intimidating than he probably intended.
Ghostface took advantage of Dante’s brief distraction.
He raised the large hunting knife in his hand and threw it with all his strength.
The blade spun through the air as cold metal flashed beneath the living-room lights.
Dante tilted his head at the last second, and the knife passed close enough for him to feel the wind against his cheek.
Ivory rose immediately.
Dante aimed at the black-robed figure, but Ghostface had already turned and fled around the corner.
His combat ability was not particularly impressive, yet his running speed was almost supernatural.
Dante moved toward the hallway and kept the pistol raised.
“You said I’d get a surprise if I found you.
I found you, so come back and keep your promise.” No answer came from the dark hallway.
The house remained silent, which proved that Ghostface was no more trustworthy than the average masked murderer.
Dante considered searching each room before noticing the telephone beside him.
A much easier solution came to mind.
He picked up the receiver and pressed the redial button.
A telephone began ringing upstairs.
Dante’s eyes sharpened.
“Found you.” He lowered the receiver and headed toward the staircase.
Ebony remained in his left hand while Ivory stayed ready in his right.
The ringing continued from the second floor.
It sounded like it was coming from the hallway near Lily’s bedroom.
Dante climbed quickly but kept his steps controlled.
Ghostface had already proven that he preferred surprise attacks, so rushing blindly around the corner would be foolish.
A heavy impact suddenly shook the wall above him.
Bang!
Dante reached the second floor and found Ghostface suspended against the hallway wall.
An invisible force held his arms and legs in place while his black robe twisted beneath the pressure.
Carrie stood several feet away with both hands raised.
Her face had turned red from the effort, and veins stood out across her forehead.
Ghostface struggled violently but could not move.
Carrie’s telekinesis continued pressing him deeper against the wall as fear and desperation strengthened her power.
“Carrie, it’s okay,” Dante said.
“I’m here now.” His voice reached her through the panic.
Carrie turned her head slightly.
The concentration holding Ghostface in place shattered at once, and the masked killer dropped onto the floor.
Her eyes rolled back before her body went limp.
Dante moved forward and caught her before she struck the ground.
Marquis emerged from Lily’s room and quickly approached them.
“Take care of Carrie,” Dante ordered.
Marquis accepted the unconscious girl and carried her toward the bed.
“I’ll make sure she’s fine.” Ghostface groaned and tried to crawl away.
Dante placed one foot against his back and forced him down again.
“You’re not going anywhere.” He removed the killer’s knife before searching the nearby rooms for anything that could be used as a restraint.
A length of rope from a storage closet proved strong enough for the job.
Dante tied Ghostface’s wrists and ankles before dragging him downstairs.
The masked killer cursed and struggled, but the Ox Talisman made his resistance meaningless.
Once they reached the living room, Dante placed him near the couch and called 911.
“There’s an armed intruder inside my house,” he told the dispatcher.
“He tried to kill me, but I have him restrained.” After giving the address, Dante ended the call and crouched beside the prisoner.
He caught the edge of the white mask and pulled it away.
A young man’s face appeared beneath it.
Dante studied him for several seconds before recognizing the familiar features.
“Stu Macher.” Stu looked up at him with a crooked smile.
“You know me?” “I know enough.” Dante remembered Stu as one of the original Ghostface killers from Scream.
Beneath his loud and reckless personality was a willingness to participate in murder simply because Billy Loomis manipulated him into it.
If Stu was here, Billy might also be somewhere nearby.
Dante did not have time to investigate before sirens sounded in the distance.
The noise grew louder until red and blue lights flashed across the curtains.
A patrol car stopped outside the house.
Deputy Dewey Riley stepped out and approached the front door with his service weapon drawn.
“Derry County Sheriff’s Department!” Dante placed Ebony and Ivory back into the System inventory before opening the door with both hands visible.
“The attacker is tied up in the living room.” Dewey entered carefully and looked toward Stu.
His expression changed the moment he recognized the prisoner.
“Stu Macher?” Stu gave him an awkward smile.
“Hey, Dewey.” Dewey immediately called for additional officers.
He checked the rope before placing handcuffs around Stu’s wrists.
“What happened here?” Dante gave him a brief account of the threatening calls, the attack, and the chase upstairs.
He left out Carrie’s telekinesis and claimed that Stu had slipped near the wall before Dante overpowered him.
Dewey looked skeptical, but Stu’s restraints and discarded weapon supported the important parts of the story.
More police cars soon arrived.
Officers searched the house and collected the knife, telephone records, and anything else that could serve as evidence.
Marquis remained upstairs with Carrie.
She used a mild illusion to keep the officers from entering Lily’s bedroom and discovering the unconscious girl.
Stu was taken outside and placed in the back of a patrol car.
Dewey asked Dante to come to the station so he could provide a complete statement.
John and Sarah had not returned yet, so Dante left Marquis in charge of Carrie.
He rode with Dewey while another officer transported Stu.
At the station, Dante spent nearly an hour inside an interview room.
He described the calls and every stage of the attack while investigators compared his statement with evidence from the house.
Stu’s arrest quickly led to further discoveries.
The police connected him to the murders of Casey Becker and Steve Orth.
Evidence also linked him to other attacks that had previously gone unsolved.
The attempted murder inside Dante’s home added another list of charges.
Whatever plans Stu and his partner had been preparing were now in danger of collapsing.
Unless Billy Loomis found a way to silence him, Stu would be spending a long time behind bars.
Dante finished signing his statement and left the interview room.
The moment he entered the main lobby, noise from outside reached him through the glass doors.
A crowd of reporters had already gathered in front of the station.
News of Ghostface’s capture had spread quickly.
Dante stepped outside and was immediately surrounded by cameras, microphones, and shouted questions.
Reporters pressed closer while police officers tried to keep a path open.
One woman pushed through the crowd more aggressively than the others.
Gale Weathers held a microphone in one hand while a cameraman followed close behind her.
Her sharp eyes focused on Dante with the intensity of a predator spotting fresh prey.
“Dante, Gale Weathers.
Can you tell us how you captured the man suspected of murdering Casey Becker?” “He broke into my house,” Dante replied.
“I defended myself.” “Did he confess to the murders?” “You should ask the police.” “Were there any other attackers?” “I didn’t see anyone else.” Gale moved closer.
“Is it true that you fought an armed killer with your bare hands?” Dante gave her a tired look.
“I used a rope too.” Several reporters laughed, but Gale immediately prepared another question.
Before she could ask it, Dante noticed John and Sarah pushing through the crowd.
Sarah’s eyes were red.
John looked pale and more frightened than Dante had ever seen him.
Dante ignored the remaining questions and moved toward them.
Sarah immediately wrapped both arms around him and held on as though she feared he might disappear.
“Are you hurt?” “I’m fine, Mom.” She pulled back and examined his face, arms, and clothing for injuries.
John placed one hand on Dante’s shoulder while trying to control his own emotions.
“Let’s get him home,” John said.
They hurried toward the family car while reporters followed.
Once everyone was inside, John drove away from the station and left the shouting crowd behind.
Dante sat in the back seat with Sarah beside him.
She kept one hand wrapped tightly around his while John watched them through the rearview mirror.
“Son, are you really okay?” John asked.
“When the police called, we thought something terrible had happened.” “I’m fine.” “You faced an armed murderer.” “And he lost.” Sarah squeezed his hand.
“This isn’t funny.” Dante saw how badly the incident had frightened both of them.
He softened his voice and patted the back of Sarah’s hand.
“I’m really okay, Mom.
Nothing happened to Carrie or Lily either.” John looked back again.
“Keep your eyes on the road,” Dante warned.
“I survived Ghostface.
I’d rather not end the night in the hospital because my father drove into a mailbox.” John quickly faced forward.
Dante leaned back and adopted an exaggeratedly proud expression.
“Besides, you both know I’m tough.
A masked idiot with a knife never stood a chance.” Sarah tried to remain serious, but the ridiculous confidence on his face broke through her fear.
A laugh escaped her before she covered her mouth.
The tension inside the car finally began to ease.
Across town, warm light shone over the dining table inside the Brennan home.
Maria sat quietly while moving food around her plate.
Amy Brennan watched her daughter for a moment before speaking with unusual excitement.
“Sweetheart, guess who I met today.” Maria lifted her eyes.
“Who?” “Sue.
George’s mother.” Amy smiled as though the name should have meant something important.
“You remember George, don’t you?
You went to science camp with him when you were younger.” Maria frowned and searched her memory.
No familiar face appeared.
“I don’t remember him.” 500 = +1 Chapter] [Review Goal: 10 = +1 Chapter]