Since school was still canceled, the cast came even earlier the next evening and practiced the re-rewritten play. They were reasonably confident that they could pull it off if the serial killer wouldn't strike again. Of course, as we all know, a serial killer considers no one's wishes but their own before killing.
Everybody felt considerably safer once they noticed the ten police officers standing around at the beginning of the play. Although the killer was insane, nobody was insane enough to attack people surrounded by armed policemen. Or so they thought...
Lindsay, Jenny, and several extras were onstage acting when someone wearing a ski mask crept up behind Lindsay and grabbed her.
"Help!" she shouted. "The serial killer has me!"
"Nobody's going to save you now," the serial killer said. "They all think it's part of the play!" She laughed evilly. "I do outdo myself on these plans sometimes."
The extras exchanged frightened looks and began to edge further away from the murderer.
"Once I've killed you, I'll kill them all! Then there'll be nobody left! Mwahahahahahaha!!!"
"But why are you slaughtering everybody?" Lindsay asked, trying to stall for time.
"Because Mrs. Bailey didn't give me a big enough part! Oh, sure the first murders were just to prove that I could. I didn't really need to kill Mr. Lohman or Alex, but they were there, and I needed the practice. Then, I started going after the cast members one by one. First an extra. Nobody needs the extras, but they're a good place to start. Then, I killed the people with the major roles. Now, I'm going to kill you and Jenny, and then nobody'll be left! The play will be all mine!! I'll be the star!!!!!!"
"Who are you?" Megan asked.
"Why, I thought that would be obvious by now."
"Well, since you're not Lindsay or me, no." Everybody was mentally running through the surviving cast members, trying to figure out who it was.
The serial killer pulled off her ski mask, revealing the last person anybody had thought it would be...
"Erica!" Jenny gasped. "You killed everybody? I thought you were dead!"
"Not quite," she replied. "I faked my own death, so nobody would suspect me. I guess it worked."
"Could we please stop talking and arrest Erica, please?" Lindsay hissed loudly.
The cops just stood around, eating some free cookies.
Suddenly, some of the extras ran and jumped on top of Erica. Christina brought a piece of the rope kept backstage, and Derek (being the only Boy Scout around) tied her up.
"Adam!" Minh-Bao said, noticing everybody's favorite senior trumpet player (and also the only one still alive) in the audience. "Call the insane asylum or something!"
"What about the police?" Susan asked.
"The police are here already," Melissa pointed out. "And they aren't doing anything."
"Let me go!!!" Erica shrieked as several people in hospital whites burst into the gym.
"Did somebody call for the asylum attendants?"
"That was fast," Megan noted. "Yeah, we need you to take this psycho serial killer in."
"Will do." The asylum attendants took out a straitjacket and carefully buckled Erica into it, then placed her on a stretcher and took her out.
"Excuse me, everybody!" Lindsay shouted over the sudden noise the audience was making. "I apologize for this disruption, but I don't think that our cast will be able to continue performing. If you'll just line up, we'll refund half your ticket money. Thank you."
The ragged remnants of the cast ran downstairs, glad that this ordeal was finally over.
"You know," Megan said after a few minutes, "Mrs. Bailey'll kill us for stopping the play halfway through."
"Don't use that word again," Jenny told her. "My nerves are raw and shattered, and I just want to go home and sleep."
"I guess there won't be a Denny's party tonight, either," Lindsay said. "Oh, well. What an ending to our last high school play. It's kind of sad that we don't get to finish it, though."
"Just be glad that you're still alive to see the end of your senior play," Shelly said, grabbing a cookie from the tray. "Jacob, Katy, Darrell, and James aren't."
Everybody grew quiet at this painful reminder of the people who were no longer here.
"Well," said Megan, trying to brighten the mood, "time to start packing for our cruise. Just think, four days of fun in the sun."
"That sounds good," Christina agreed.
"You know, someday you'll have to tell us what's up with the whole evil twin thing. I mean, I've known you since kindergarten, and you never told me about her."
"I have an evil twin, too," Lindsay said.
"I wouldn't doubt it," Jenny muttered.
"Okay, so who wants to go to Denny's?" Lindsay asked. "Jenny and I'll drive some of you."
Everybody left then, feeling safe and looking forward to their cruise in a month and a half. After all, what else could possibly happen?
The End...again...
***