Marc pushed the door shut as they began to finish up for the night. It was a busy night at the food bank. The bank was placed in a dark alley in West Hollywood and provided much needed help. And the summer of 2024 was fairly busy.
The bank was filled with tall shelves loaded up with dry food. In the stock room there were coolers filled with even more food. Marc, Indya and Aleck worked 5 days a week to keep the bank running. This is when they weren’t discussing movies. And they all leaned toward a certain type of movies. They all were big fans of horror.
Indya was a short Black woman with close cut hair. Her skin was a deep dark brown and she had a thick build. She was a senior in college and Marc had just graduated. Marc was a tall south asian man with dark eyes. He was a manager of the food bank. Aleck was fairly new to the job. Aleck was a white latino and he was average height and slightly muscular. And he stood there staring into his phone screen as Marc and Indya worked.
“Out by 8?” Marc asked.
“Out by 8” Indya confirmed.
“Definitely” Aleck answered while texting.
“Ok then lets clean up and go” Marc said grabbing a rag and a spray bottle.
They all cleaned as fast as they could. Aleck eventually had to finish once Marc noticed that he wasn’t any help. It was now 10 minutes before their shifts ended. Marc finally found time to meet with Indya.Each of them were fans of horror. Every day at the end of their shifts they sat down and discussed their favorite films. But today was different. Marc and Indya sat across from each other to discuss organizing.
Aleck remained uninterested as he swept the floors.
They sat there and discussed the possibilities of a boycott.
A boycott for one of the biggest stories in horror.
“You really think that this will work?” Marc asked.
“Absolutely” Indya said with confidence.
“Indya we have about twenty two hundred followers between the two of us” Marc reminded her.
“So?” Indya responded.
“So how can we orchestrate that?”
“The same way other people do with even fewer followers” Indya answered.
“Indya” Marc said sternly.
“Marc” Indya replied.
“I want to help out” Marc assured her “but I feel like we can’t just go around telling fans what to do.”
Indya gave Marc an expressionless stare.
“Yes the fuck we can. That’s what a boycott is. You tell people how to boycott. Besides people are told what to buy every single day. What do you think an advertisement is? Why do you think they use harmless jingles that stick in your fucking head?”
“To stand out from the thousands of other places selling the same shit” Marc answered.
“And this is why you should actually watch Halloween 3. No. All of that is to influence you. There's quite a lot of that going around. Hello? Influencers?”
Marc sighed as Indya explained.
“Marc we need people to feel compelled enough to get off of their asses and do something. Especially in a time when people feel helpless. So horror fans seriously need to focus on their buying power. And we need to ask them boycott this film. And there are only 3 options.”
“I’m listening” Marc said.
“The first option is to pirate the film. Pirate the film and make all of the spoilers as accessible as possible. If people know what happens in the film then they won’t want to see it in theaters as badly.”
Aleck rolled his eyes.
“The second option is the waiting game. The fans are absolutely going to feel like they have to see this shitty film. So we just have to remind them that the film will be released on streaming at some point. The studios would make pennies from the streams. And digital? 8 people can watch the film off of a 10–20 dollar purchase. If the fans did that then that’s still a huge loss. Which is why we need to focus on the theatrical release.”
“And the third option?” Marc asked.
Aleck walked into the stock room to make sure that the coolers were working for the night. The room was very dark and almost pitch black. He flipped the switch to the right of him and nothing happened.
“The third option is for the zombies of all zombies” Indya explained “for the people who feel that they have no choice but to head to the theaters.”
Marc looked puzzled now.
“So the fanbase is filled with whiny ass white millennials who wouldn’t miss a sequel if their lives depended on it. When they’re not complaining about sequels and reboots they’re waiting for them to wrap up. They can’t get enough of these stories. Even when there’s absolutely no story left. Even when the only motive unexplored is a murder for hire or a final girl gone bad. And please don’t talk about fans who feel it would make sense to go supernatural this far into a 30 year old franchise.”
Mark chuckled.
Aleck slowly walked into the stock room. He could only see figures in the darkness. As he walked further inside he observed a dark figure rushing behind a shelf. He stopped dead in his tracks.
“Hello?” Aleck said into the shadows.
The figure was still.
Indya continued explaining in the next room.
“There’s thirty years of revenge motives in every and any flavor. I think it’s safe to say that they’re out of ideas. The story sailed after the 3rd film. And while we enjoyed the 4th adaption the ‘fame at all costs’ motive was just a repackaging of the first two. We’ve seen it all. And everybody who watches a Scream film knows that she will always make it.”
Aleck stared at the corner of the stockroom as he squinted.
Aleck observed the figure move.
“Ah nah fuck this,” Aleck said turning around.
Aleck was a grabbed from behind and a hand held down on his mouth!
And it was jabbed into his side again and again and again!
“Yeah that’s the whole point Indya we love that she will always manage to survive” Marc explained.
“Yeah but there’s privilege in surviving” Indya reminded him.
He stared as she continued.
“And this particular final girl? She’s just different. She’s not Laurie Strode running from Michael in several clumsy timelines. She’s not Nancy who couldn’t wake up from a fucking nightmare. Sidney gets to survive any and everything. She will survive any pissed off visionary who puts on the ghost face mask. And that’s the most ridiculous part of it all.”
Marc concentrated while Indya continued.
“But we always need to know how it ends. Even when there’s no end in sight. But it’s not enough anymore. So option 3 is manipulating the purchases. Fans could buy tickets for another film and just waltz into a screening of this one. That’s not that hard. None of this is. There’s so many ways to see this film without helping Spyglass.”
A motionless Aleck was dragged into the back of the stockroom as they sat there unaware.
“See the film. Get your fix off of another money grab. Do all of that. Make your videos, post your tiktoks, make 10 more fucking Facebook groups. I don’t care. Nobody wants to miss out on the next scare. But at the very least? Let’s hold on to some fucking dignity. And let’s hold on to some money too. Because none of what is happening is alright.”
“Agreed,” Marc stated “she shouldn’t have been fired.”
“It’s more so about why she’s out of a job” Indya added “she called out Israel and the active genocide against the Palestinian people.”
Marc sat up straight as he watched her.
“So Melissa lost something but what are we willing to lose?” she asked.
“I don’t think that I can afford to lose anything” Marc confessed.
“Ha” Indya said as her chest rose “then you’re no where near ready to stand for anything.”
The knob of the stock room door turned.
“Operating from a place of comfortability is a privilege all by itself” Indya assured him “and it must be nice.”
Marc sat in silence.
Scratching could be heard.
The knob finished turning
The stockroom door flew open and it slammed into the wall loudly!
Indya and Marc jumped up.
“..the hell?” Marc let out.
Indya tried to stare into the dark room from a distance but she couldn’t make out anything.
“Aleck?” Marc said squinting.
Indya stood there frozen as she stared.
“Aleck?” Marc called out.
Silence filled the air.
“Why isn’t he answering?” Indya asked.
“I’m not sure” Marc said as he stared as well.
“Aleck!” he yelled again.
Marc walked toward the door and as he got a few feet before the doorway Indya yelled.
“Marc!”
“What?” he said aggravated as he turned around to face her.
“I don’t think that you should go in there” Indya warned.
“Well I can’t leave until everyone is out. So I need to see what’s taking him so long.”
“That’s what I’m saying why would he just be in there in the dark?!”
“Well if he’s not in there then who is?”
Marc’s phone rang.
It was a call from Aleck.
Marc seemed unamused as he stared down at his phone.
“Who is it?” Indya ask quietly.
“It’s Aleck” Marc explained before answering his phone “Aleck”.
No one answered.
“Aleck come on lets go” Marc said as he waited “I don’t feel doing overtime tonight because you want to play When A Loser Calls.”
And then suddenly a deep cold voice answered back.
“Hello Marc.”
Marc pulled his phone away from his ear to stare at it.
He was perplexed.
“I’m leaving” Indya said before shaking her head and turning around.
“Please come out” Marc complained “I don’t have time for this.
“Looks to me like you don’t have time for anything. Isn’t that right, Marc?”
Indya went over to the coat rack by the window and grabbed her jacket. As she put on her jacket she looked into the window. She stopped.
“So what’s that supposed to mean?” Marc answered.
In the reflection of the window she saw them. A tall black hooded figure stood just behind Marc. And on their face was a white eerie ghost mask.
Indya gasped as she swung around.
Marc looked at her puzzled.
“What?” Marc asked as he stood there.
The doorway behind him was empty.
Indya held her chest.
Marc stared at her waiting for her to speak.
“Marc you need to get away from that door” Indya said.
“What why?”
“Someone was standing there” Indya said in a low tone.
“What?” Marc answered.
“Marc yes” Indya confirmed.
Indya opened the front door and stood there.
“Marc lets go NOW” Indya demanded.
“I can’t just leave I need to lock up” Marc explained.
“I can” Indya said before exiting and pulling the door shut.
“Indya!” Marc yelled as he heard the call end.
Marc looked down at his phone.
Marc then turned around to face the empty doorway. There was still no sign of anyone. Marc was growing impatient because he had to close the food bank. Nothing that Indya said made much sense. And all he knew was that he needed to know what Aleck was doing. But he was also growing concerned.
“Aleck!” Marc shouted.
Indya rushed out unto the street. She noticed that no one was around. She rushed to her car and as she reached her heart dropped. She was parked in. The car in front of her and the car behind herself no room for her to pull out. She noticed that the gray car in front of her was Marc’s. She didn’t feel safe standing there so she took a look around her and hurried into the car.
Marc stood before the door and he decided that was done waiting. He pulled out his phone and turned on his camera light. He then shined the light into the room and saw no none. There was no Aleck anywhere in there what he could see.
Indya slammed the car door, locked it and put the key in the ignition. She needed one person to move their. As she turned around to stare into her back window she saw a hooded figure duck behind her car. Indya jumped at the sight of it. Her breathing then became slow and shallow.
Marc walked into the stockroom slowly. He shined the light from left to right and he saw no one. He continued to walk in even further. And then he jumped at the sight of something in the back corner of the room. A motionless Aleck sat on the floor propped up on a wall as the camera light shined on him. His shirt and pants were covered in red stains.
Indya began to panic. She was alone. She stared out of her back window. She wondered who was there. She pulled out her phone to text Marc. She needed him to hurry! And out of the corner of her eye she saw the figure jump from behind her car and into an alley. She gasped and then froze. She felt less and less at ease.
Marc rushed to one knee to investigate.
“Aleck” he said shaking him. Aleck wasn’t responsive. Marc touched his red shirt and felt the wetness on his hands. He then examined the rips on Aleck’s shirt. Aleck didn’t appear alive.
Indya started to text Marc again and then she saw a small group of friends walking down the street. They all got into the car behind her. They backed away and pulled out to drive away. She felt relieved as she exhaled. Indya then took one last glance at the alley. She was concerned but also curious. Indya started the car and then pulled out of the space to speed away.
Marc was still still investigating Aleck. He wondered who did this to him. And then he saw it. A broken red marker pen that was left there on the floor. He then reexamined Alex’s torn shirt. There were no wounds. Only stains. Aleck took a deep breath and Marc fell backwards onto his back.
His light still shined on Aleck as the unconscious man groaned quietly. He appeared to have taken a blow to the head. Marc watched him as his breathing was apparent now. Aleck was still out nonetheless.
Marc was relieved but the fear had yet to leave his body.
A message was becoming clearer.
And before Marc could collect his thoughts he noticed something on the wall behind Aleck.
Marc was curious to know what it was.
So he raised the light up the wall little by little until he saw it.
The message in red capitalized letters.
And his eyes jumped up as he read it.
And it read “FUCK 7!”
Art by a artist named Jed in support of Melissa Barrera and the Palestinian people.
Please Boycott Scream 7. Spyglass dismissed the ongoing genocide in Palestine and retaliated on Melissa Barrera for supporting a free Palestine. We should boycott the theatrical release of this film and explore all options to see it for free.
Thank you for reading.
Please consider donating to this gofundme to support families displaced in Gaza due to this engoing genocide. Please denounce all genocides in the world and support a ceasefire and a Free Palestine.
