Happy Death Day: Fatal Loop

9

Waking up to "Without You" yet again, I twisted in discomfort, hesitant to open my eyes.

Then I remembered: I had forgotten to change the alarm before sleeping last night.

That was a relief. I opened my eyes to the familiar sight of my white ceiling.

Sitting up, I surveyed my room: the desk, wardrobe, makeup mirror, computer, scriptbooks, and plush toys—all too familiar.

Despite spending the night in a downtown hotel to give the "Masked Murderer" ample time, I woke up in my own room. Did he fail to kill Casey last night? No, if Casey had survived, the loop would have broken, and I would have woken up in the hotel.

Casey must have been killed again. But if the "Masked Murderer" used his usual methods, and my assumptions were correct, Casey couldn't have been dismembered and still come back in the next loop. So why am I still trapped?

Was my assumption wrong, or did the "Masked Murderer" not dismember her at all?

My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts.

"Leah," Zach spoke before I could, "can you come to the city hospital?"

"What happened to you?" His sudden request confused me.

"It's not me, it's Casey! She's in the emergency room."

A chill ran through me. "What happened to her?"

"I... She..." Zach hesitated.

"Stop hiding it. She spent the night at your place, right?" I pressed him, "What happened to her?"

"She had an accident..." Zach's voice trembled, "When she tried to get up this morning, her legs were in so much pain she couldn't stand. When I touched her knees, both were fractured!"

As Zach continued, a convincing theory formed in my mind, drowning out his voice.

Last night, I encountered the "Masked Murderer" close to 11 PM. By the time he was ready and left the restroom, it was nearly 11:30 PM. Then he had to infiltrate the complex as per my instructions, track Casey, and control her as she opened her door. He would kill her inside the apartment and then begin to dismember her.

Just describing this process takes time, let alone executing it. In previous loops, I would lose consciousness at midnight, regardless of my location, and wake up in my bed.

If this reset at midnight was to forcefully end June 8th and restart the loop, then Casey would be subject to the same rule. This means the "Masked Murderer" could have only managed to sever her legs before time reset at midnight, bringing Casey back into the loop with fractured knees.

The more I thought about it, the more this seemed like the most accurate explanation. Although I couldn't use the "Masked Murderer" to successfully kill Casey, his actions provided a crucial clue, compelling me to try once more myself.

And this time would be the last.