[COLD OPEN – SECURITY FOOTAGE / 10 YEARS AGO]
A grainy video plays on an old monitor. Black-and-white. Flickering.
Location: East Science Wing – Basement – 10:34 PM.
The camera captures a girl—Abigail Thorne—being dragged down a hallway.
She's kicking. Screaming. One shoe missing.
Two masked staff members are pulling her. One of them speaks in a deep, filtered voice.
"She saw too much. Lock her in. Tomorrow we clean this mess." The person says.
The vanish through a door.
Seconds later…
A third figure appears in frame
A tall man. Black coat. No mask.
He walks slowly to the same door.
Lights flicker—
Suddenly, flames erupt from under the doorframe.
And the feed cuts.
Watchtower High Volume 1 Chapter 8: The Night She Burned.
———————
[COMPUTER LAB - ETHAN ZHOU]
We see Ethan Zhou sitting where he usually sits typing on his computer screen.
A quick flashback happens with Him and Naomi, talking about how they're going to track down the location from where the device that was used to unlock student doors, used by The Watcher.
After a while of typing, a screen pops up on his computer, "LETS GO I GOT IT!" Ethan says.
Right when he is about to read where the location is coming from, he sees that it is coming from none other than their History Class.
Ethan stares at it to make sure he's not seeing things. "But the history class, isn't that Mr. Witherhall's classroom?"
Ethan gets up and grabs his jacket, he puts it on quickly, grabs his phone and leaves the computer lab.
As Ethan is walking down the school halls, he quickly dials a number and puts the phone to his ear. The phone instantly goes to voicemail, Ethan hangs up and calls again.
The caller doesn't pick up again. Ethan than puts the phone to his ear trying to leave a message. "Hey Naomi, it's Ethan. Why are you hanging up your phone? Maybe it's off but who cares, when you get this message I want you to know that I found a location for the device that was used to open student doors. It leads to Mr. Witherhall's classroom, I just want you to know that i'm gonna check it out because teachers should've already went home by now. Call me when you her this message."
[History Classroom - Night]
Ethan stands at the entrance of the History Classroom. He tries to open the door and it's unlocked. "Aren't teachers supposed to lock doors before they clock out?"
He pushes the door open and walks in, Everything seems normal. "I can't just go through his things." Ethan says.
He looks around the classroom and sees that there isn't much, and he decides to walk out.
Before he walks out of the classroom, he turns to look at the teachers desk that's at the back of the room, he walks towards it slowly and moves a radio that was on the desk, he's shocked to see that there was a gun hiding behind the radio.
Ethan pulls out his phone to call Naomi once again, when he punches in her number, he hears a ringing noise coming from behind the desk.
Ethan slowly walks behind the desk and sees, Naomi, on the floor blood all over the ground and her throat is slit.
Ethan gasps and falls backgrounds, as he gets up getting ready to run to the door, Mr. Witherhall is standing at the entrance.
Ethan backs up slowly whilst his legs are trembling. "Ya' know, I didn't want it to end like this Ethan." Mr. Witherhall says.
Witherhall is seen wearing a black glove on his right hand, he grabs a glove out of his pocket to put on his left.
"I have to admit. You were my favorite student, I truly didn't want our story to end this way." Witherhall says cockily with narrowed eyes.
"Naomi found out before me didn't she, she came here, found the location of your device, and before she could report it you killed her.." Ethan asks while backing up to the wall.
"SEE!? This is exactly what i'm talking about, you're too smart, and usually being the smartest in the room isn't the best thing. Everyone hates a know it all." Witherhall says while walking slowly towards Ethan.
Ethan quickly remembers the gun on the desk and rushes to grab it, Witherhall stands in place and Ethan now has a gun pointed towards him. "You killed all those boys and girls, I want to know why.." Ethan says.
Witherhall scoffs, "Ethan.." He takes one step.
"STOP, STAND WHERE YOU ARE AND DO NOT MOVE!!" Ethan yells.
Witherhall slowly lifts his hands, "give me the gun Ethan. Hand me the gun and I might just let you leave. If you don't? I will kill you."
Ethan clenches the gun, he quickly pulls his phone out of his pockets and goes on to voice memos. "Confess."
"Confess?" Witherhall says confusingly.
"Confess for all the murders you have committed, every serial killer has a reason for why they do the things they do. So tell me!" Ethan says.
Witherhall has a blank face, but then laughs 3 seconds later. "God." Witherhall says whilst walking closer to Ethan.
"STOP NOW OR I WILL SHOOT YOU." Ethan yells.
"You're nor a killer Ethan." Witherhall walks closer to Ethan.
Ethan pulls the trigger, but no bullet goes flying.
"I mean seriously, did you honestly think that I would keep a loaded gun just lying on my desk." Witherhall says.
Ethan begins breathing really hard, and holding his head.
"Hyperventilating?" Witherhall asks.
Ethan begins to run, seeing as it's his only option.
Witherhall grabs Ethan by his shirt and wraps his arm around his neck, holding it very tight. "You should've gave me the gun."
Ethan utters his final words, "Mom.."
Snap
Witherhall snaps Ethan's neck, and his body collapses on the floor as he lets go of him. He takes one last look at his body, before picking it up.
[EAST WING BASEMENT]
Hayden, Amber, Ty, Carmen, and Chelsea stand frozen in the scorched room.
They've found the chair, the straps, the words carved into the floor.
"LET ME OUT"
The door quickly shuts. "Ok now, what the hell was that!?"
A radio at the top corner of the room plays, it says a phrase repeatedly. "You shouldn't have come here.."
Everyone is shocked. "Guys, by any chance dont you think this is the perfect time to leave!?" Chelsea exclaimed.
"Hayden and Amber can you two hurry up and make a decision..?" Carmen asks.
The radio stops playing.
"Yeah.. and that's totally not creepy." Ty says.
"Alright listen up. We'll leave ok, just let me get a better look at this thing cause it looks familiar." Amber says.
Amber walks forward, kneels by the carving, and touches it.
Suddenly—visions flood her mind.
Fire. Screams. Someone crying her name.
"Delilah! Delilah, help me."
She gasps and stumbles back, almost fainting.
"Amber!?" Hayden says worryingly.
Amber doesn't respond, shes petrified.
"Guys come on we should be leaving now. It would be bad if we were caught here. Ty says.
[TECH ROOM / COMPUTER LAB]
Carmen clicks through pages of the old Project Cassandra files.
Chelsea walked over towards Carmen who seemed to be focused on the computer.
"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is it that you're doing?" Chelsea asked
Carmen doesn't turn her head, she stays focused on the screen. "Looking through old documents."
A file suddenly decrypts itself.
Inside: A teacher's voice memo.
"Abigail Thorne was never meant to live.
She triggered the psychic response far too early.
The moment she connected to Delilah… the experiment fractured.
We had to silence her."
Carmen's eyes widen.
"They used both of them. Mother and daughter." Carmen says.
"But Abigail… she was the first one to wake up." Chelsea finishes.
Chelsea lifted her head, and walked towards the door. "Hey i'm gonna go Library with Ty."
[AMBER & MRS. KENSLEY / TEACHER'S PARKING LOT]
Amber finds Kensley about to leave school.
"You knew." Amber says.
Kensley quickly turns around, "Excuse me?"
"You knew Abigail Thorne, did you know Delilah as well..?" Ambersays.
Kensley doesn't say anything.
"With that silence i'm going to assume you did." Amber says.
Kensley put her bag in her car and took the situation serious. "Amber… I tried to protect them both. But the school—this program—it was built before I even started here.
Delilah was the strongest they ever had.
Until she vanished."
"I'm confused. Did she vanish, or did she run?" Amber asked.
"They said she went crazy. Burned her records. Faked a suicide.
But I remember what she told me.
She said… 'If they come for Abigail, they'll come for me next.'" Kensley said.
"Can you testify to the police!?" Amber asked.
"Theres no case against them Amber what do you want me to testify against?" Kensley replied with.
"Well do you at least know where she is now?" Amber asked.
"No one knows. But… I think you're seeing what she saw." Kensley says.
[SCHOOL LIBRARY / NIGHT / TY & CHELSEA]
Ty flips through an old school yearbook.
He finds Abigail Thorne's photo.
In the same photo, barely visible in the background—
A man. Watching her. A black outline around his eyes.
"I've seen him before. In my dorm hall. Late at night." Chelsea says.
"You think he's staff?" Ty asks.
"No. I think he's still here. Hiding. Watching. I just don't know where." Chelsea says.
Suddenly—Carmen bursts in.
"Guys. I tracked where the fire started. There's a sealed vent shaft under the East Wing." Carmen says.
"You saying he's been living under the school..?" Ty asks.
"I'm saying we've been sleeping above a graveyard." Carmen says.
[THE SHAFT / CRAWL SPACE]
Hayden leads the group through a crumbling vent system.
"Ya' know. I'm kinda mad I wasn't there for the big surprise.." Hayden says.
Amber, behind him, breathes heavy. "Yeah, well. Neither was I, so I guess you can say we're twins.."
They both laugh.
"Why would someone live down here?" Amber asks.
"Well, maybe it's because nobody looks for ghosts in the dark." Hayden says.
They reach a hidden crawlspace door, covered in locks.
Hayden lifts a crowbar he sees to the left, and breaks it open.
Inside?
A mattress. Old food. Burnt photos. Sketches.
One is of Amber's Mother.
The next?
Amber herself
Sleeping in her dorm. Drawn from the POV of her window.
"He's been watching me…" Amber says.
Suddenly—a creak behind them.
They turn—
The black mask stands in the tunnel.
No hesitation. He lunges at Hayden.
They crash into each other, He sits on top of Hayden. Fists flying, grunts echoing.
BANG
Hayden hits a heavy punch on him, that's when he begins to choke Hayden out and holds tightly onto his neck.
Amber grabs a nearby metal pipe, swings—
CLANG!
The Mask drops. Hayden pins him.
"WHO ARE YOU!?" Hayden says whilst ripping it off.
Mr. Hawthorne.
[INTERROGATION ROOM / POLICE STATION]
Mr. Hawthorne, bruised and quiet, sits cuffed.
Across from him: Detective Cross and Officer Raye.
"You knew what the school was doing." Cross says.
"See i'm confused, are you asking me a question or making a statement..?" Hawthorne asks.
Cross continues to stare at him, signaling that she isn't ready for his behavior.
"I didn't kill her." Hawthorne says.
"If you didn't kill her, than who did?" Cross asks.
Hawthorne Hollows his eyes. "She did it herself. She started the fire. She wanted to burn it all.
But someone stopped her from escaping.
I saw it.
A second mask."
Cross just stares at him. "Officer Raye, seize his clothes for evidence."
[HAYDEN & AMBER / DORM ROOM]
Hayden stares at the mask, resting on the table.
"So… not the killer. Just a coward." Hayden says.
"Then the real one's still out there. Still playing the game." Amber says.
"But why kill now? Why come after us?" Hayden asks.
Amber opens her mom's folder again.
"What if the children of Project Cassandra wake up? Will that be possible?" Amber asks.
"You're asking the wrong person.." Hayden says while smiling.
They both laugh.
[UNKNOWN LOCATION / BLACK MASK 2]
In a candle-lit room, someone in a newer black mask watches the news.
The TV shows:
"Midtown High Faculty Member Arrested – Abigail Thorne Case Reopened"
They slowly remove the mask—
But we only see their mouth, smirking.
They lean back into shadow and pick up a glass of Rum.
They take their mask off, and it's Mr. Witherhall.
"Things just keep getting more interesting." Witherhall says with a slight chuckle.
——————
Hayden(Voiceover): "There's always a bigger secret behind the lie.
Always another fire beneath the ashes.
And if this is the game…
I'm not running anymore."
[END OF CHAPTER 8]