Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters.

Ecstasy

"Wow… I never knew haunted houses could make me so horny." Lauren sighed, caving back against the headboard.

"Yeah, remind me of that fact the next time we hit a rough spot," Mike replied, kicking the only sheet left covering him down to the foot of the bed. "Damn, this place needs an air conditioner."

"Now that I'll agree to." She nodded, closing her eyes in an attempt to block the heat out.

Several moments of silence passed between the two, the only sound coming from their vastly slowing breathing.

Lauren eventually broke it. "You know, I was thinking about that picture and-"

"Oh great. While I was thinking about lust and ecstasy, you were contemplating those damn creepers in that painting?" Mike cut in, rolling his eyes. "Why do I have to have such a screwed up girlfriend?"

"And I kept thinking about that damn family. They just look so familiar. Especially the older boy and the kid with the teddy bear." She pressed on, ignoring his interruption.

"And what an ugly bear it was." He breathed out, recalling the rugged eyes and patch-work heart.

"I mean, doesn't it just strike you as eerie? The resemblance to-"

"Lauren, sweetie, the whole damn painting is eerie."

"But can't you see it? Some far off familiarity to-"

"Can we please stop talking about the fucking family portrait from hell?" Mike said between gritted teeth. "You know I didn't want to come here in the first place tonight, and now you're doing everything humanly possible to etch it into my mind."

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Lauren sat up and began hunting for her clothes on the floor at her feet. "It didn't seem like you didn't want to be here when you were spouting out the game rules by the vehicles earlier on." She said, slipping on her panties.

"Yeah, well, I figured that if you were forcing me to be here, I might as well put on a good face." He said, just now realizing that she was in a state of redress. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

Ignoring his question, she pulled her sweater over her head and pressed "And you were pretty gung ho about winning this thing. You still haven't told me what you prize is going to be, by the way."

"As far as I'm concerned, it's none of your damn business." He growled, getting annoyed.

"I told you what I wanted."

"Oh yes, how could I forget? All of this work just to get Brandon's damn necklace. Even if you do win, what makes you think she'll give up a family heirloom like that, anyways?"

"The fact that the deal was the winner would get whoever or whatever they wanted. I want that necklace. Besides, rubies just make her look dead."

Mike just snorted.

"Look, whatever. I'm going to the bathroom. Be back in a sec," She tossed over her shoulder as she pulled on her jeans and headed out the door.

"No shoes?" He called after her, "Are you crazy? You could get tetanus in a place like this!"

"Whatever, douche-bag!" Echoed back to him.

Shrugging in indifference, Mike stretched out his tired limbs, relaxing back against the moth-eaten sheets. Glancing down at the discarded condom on the floor, his eyes glazed over, giving way to one of his frequent fantasies.

"What do I want when I win this thing?" He asked the stale night air. "And I thought it was obvious…" Wrapping his sweaty hand around his hardening erection, he began stroking fervently, his thoughts lingering to a certain brown eyed beauty that was somewhere on the floor below him right at this very minute, having absolutely no idea what he was doing.

"Oh Bella, if your mind wasn't so clouded with thoughts of that retard Cullen, you'd be able to see just how well we'd fit together. You'd be the beauty; I'd be the brains… Together, we could rule this fuck ass town, wiping out all of the scum… McCartney and Hale would go first, then Cullen, then Whitlock and Brandon followed by Mallory-"

He cut himself off when the only light in the room- a tiny tea light Lauren had brought with her- was extinguished in a gust of air.

"Freaking bitch, leaving the window open," Mike cursed.

He was answered by a creaky floorboard.

"Lauren? Is that you?" Mike turned his head towards what he thought was the doorway.

Silence resonated through the darkness, answering only in the barely there whisperings of the group downstairs.

"Come on, Lauren. I know you're there. Hurry your scrawny ass up and get in here! I'm ready for round two!"

"It's not Lauren." A phantom voice replied from somewhere in the shadows. "Like I would ever be desperate enough to fuck someone like you."

Sitting up to seek out the owner, he was met with something shark and cold colliding with his lower abdomen.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Let the bodies hit the floor. Let the bodies hit the floor. Let the bodies hit the floor."

***

Lauren was on her way to the bathroom. Stepping on her toes, she was trying her best to avoid the visibly large splinters and rusty nails that were sticking up out of the old floorboards.

"Curse Mike for being right," She hissed under her breath, dodging a huge hunk of plaster that had evidently fallen from the ceiling.

After their hot and sweaty tumble in the sheets, she was less than pleased with his attitude towards her. First, completely blowing her off about the portrait and then refusing to tell her what his prize is going to be when they win. He acted so nonchalant about the whole thing, claiming that he didn't care they were even at the farmhouse, let alone being there to win. After all, he was the one who suggested that they hang out in the bedroom so as to not be bothered. Surely he didn't have ulterior motives.

"Guys," She spat out in frustration. Why couldn't they just be simple like girls?

Splat!

The splashing sound echoed up to her ears, the sole of her foot screaming out in protest at the sticky, viscous substance that was covering it like tar. Daring a glance down, she was met with the sight of red as it dripped off her toes to meet with the puddle that had already gathered on the floor. Shifting her eyes to follow the trail away from the pool, Lauren gasped loudly as her gaze fell upon the now lifeless body of Jessica Stanley.

"Oh my god…" She whispered, taking in the sight of her slashed up chest, her unblinking eyes.

"Oh my god!" She screamed out, this time in realization, her mind taking in the truth of the scene before her; albeit the tiny part of her mind that was still functioning refusing t believe it.

Jessica Stanley was dead.

No, her mind corrected. Not just dead. Murdered.

Without a second thought, Lauren turned on her heel and bolted from the bathroom, forgetting entirely the original reason she had been en route there, and that in the last five seconds, she had probably got at least ten different diseases, tetanus included.

Mike, she thought, her heart racing as she ran past the playroom, the nursery. I have to get to Mike. And then we have to get out of here. Fuck Brandon and her stupid necklace.

She started calling out in a panic before she reached the door, hoping he would take the hint and come out prepared.

"Mike! Mike, sweetie, we have to go! Now! Jessica's dead, and god only knows how many of the othe- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Stopping cold just inside the doorway, she shrieked in terror. A tall red tapered candle, not her tiny tea light, lit up the room, giving way to the shadows to create macabre shapes only seen in nightmares. The walls were splattered with blood and- were those slices of flesh? Oh god, she couldn't bring herself to look anymore. She knew in her gut that Mike was dead. He had to be if the state of the vroom was any indication.

Or maybe he got away…

Forget it, her mind reasoned.

Forcing herself to look to the bed, she threw her hand over her eyes as the vision of a very dead, very bloody Mike flashed bright against the inside of her eyelids. Dismembered and slashed beyond reorganization, he had joined Jessica in her morbidly sick grave.

Choking back the sob in her throat, Lauren burst from the room, making her way to the stairs. She didn't care fi she didn't have a vehicle, she would walk home. She just needed out.

As she rounded the corner by the study, she felt her body go numb as she ran into a hard chest.

"Lauren, what is it? What's wrong?"

Lauren pulled back, staring up into the face of the person she had just so unceremoniously ran into, only to gasp in horror.

"It's you… You stay away from me!" She stuttered out, constantly stumbling over her feet as she backed away.

"You're delirious. Look, let's wipe away those tears and talk about this. What's got you all riled up?" He asked, advancing slowly so as not to scare her.

"Stay the fuck away from me, you murdering psycho!"

Spinning around, she didn't make it two steps until a second figure stepped out of the shadows of the bedroom containing Mike's mangled and dismembered body.

Boom!

***

"Was that really necessary?" He asked, lowering Lauren's limp body to the ground.

"Of course it was! One more out of the way means that we are one step closer to ending this thing."

"Yes, but did you have to use the gun? Guaranteed someone head that, and they'll be coming up to investigate."

"You know that I don't like getting my hands dirty. Besides, it got the job done, didn't it? She was onto you."

"I could've convinced her otherwise."

"Yeah right."

"Whatever. The point is that she's dead, meaning that we've still got five left to go. We need to get our asses in gear."

"Roger that."

A/N: As promised, it is Halloween, and the chapter is up. Now, I know what your mind is screaming at you: go with the obvious. The answer is right in front of your face. Or is it? By now you all know that I like a good twist, and this could just be to mess with your heads. Or is it that I know you'd think this is just to mess with your heads but in reality, the obvious is in fact right? God I love my job. I love hearing all of your theories on who the killer can and cannot be, but just remember: anything is possible. And the more reviews I get, the more motivated I am to get the next chapter up quickly. Thanks for reading!