When a Stranger Calls

"**When a Stranger Calls**" is the twelfth episode and season finale of Season 2 of the television series *Scream*. It is the twenty second episode of the series overall. It aired on August 16th, 2016.

## Plot

On the run and labeled as Lakewood's most wanted, Emma and Audrey confront the killer in order to uncover Piper's ultimate surprise.

## Summary

The episode opens with Emma and Audrey handcuffed to the backseat and being arrested and brought to the police station by Deputy Stevens. However, before the car can reach the police station, the killer stands in the road in front of the car. Deputy Stevens swerves out of the road and crashes into a pole to stop himself from hitting the killer. Stevens, having survived the crashing using an emergency airbag, steps out of the car and is stabbed to death in front of Emma and Audrey. The killer enters the car and confronts them.

However, instead of trying to kill the girls, he instead gives them the keys to the handcuffs and leaves. The girls then free themselves and flee after taking Stevens' gun for protection. They then take refuge at a gas station where killer calls them. He threatens to gut someone they love if they do not play his final game, turn themselves in, or get caught. Gustavo enters Brooke's house to comfort her about her father's death. Gustavo suggests that Audrey could have killed Mayor Maddox but Brooke refuses to believe it and orders him to leave.

Emma sneaks inside Kieran's house while Audrey keeps watch outside. After Emma leaves, Eli comes home and confronts Kieran, explaining he was being questioned at the station for three hours. Eli refuses Kieran's demands to leave Emma alone and says he will do whatever he wants. While Emma and Audrey sneak inside the theater, Brooke goes to talk to Noah in the hospital.

Emma talks to Noah and Brooke and explains the situation, telling them not to come to the theater. Noah then sneaks out of the hospital with Brooke to help them. Meanwhile, Maggie and Acosta argue about Emma being the killer, with Acosta pointing out the dream journal and Emma being the best lead he has. The Lakewood five meet up at the theater where the killer calls them to taunt Brooke. Emma takes the phone and challenges the killer to come to the theater for the final showdown. The group arm themselves with weapons to protect themselves.

Noah suggests that there could be two killers again when Gustavo suddenly arrives, claiming he got a text message from Brooke to come. Noah refuses to let him in out of suspicion. Frustrated, Gustavo leaves. Everyone except Audrey goes to the screen room to see clips of the killer's victims being murdered. Realizing the killer is inside, Kieran goes to find Audrey while Emma goes up to the projector room. After turning the projector off, the killer appears in the screen room and stabs Brooke. Emma intervenes and shoots at the killer, but misses, and he runs out of the theater.

Emma instructs Noah to call for help while she pursues the killer. The killer escapes and Kieran returns to inform Emma that Audrey is not at her post. The police then arrive while Emma escape and Brooke is taken to the hospital in critical condition. Gustavo goes to the hospital and cries for Brooke, while Acosta finally finds his son. Noah then shows the evidence against Eli on Acosta's phone, pointing out that Eli could have been Piper's accomplice. Emma is shown a video of Audrey unconscious in the Orphanage, demanding that she come alone or she dies.

Armed with Stevens' gun, Emma arrives at the Orphanage and gets another call from Kieran and confess that they love each other. The killer then calls Emma, telling that she will "Never feel safe again". The killer attacks her, but only succeeds in cutting her arm before she shoots at him again, forcing him to retreat. Emma pursues him upstairs and discovers Audrey unconscious in a chair. Kieran arrives to help, with an injured Eli coming in shortly afterward. Eli claims that Kieran is the killer and he stabbed him, so he played dead and called the police.

Emma is unconvinced and forces him at gunpoint to tell her why he came to Lakewood last October. Eli then reveals the incident in Atlanta was Kieran's fault and that he lied to girl's mother to get him in trouble. This lead to Eli coming to Will's funeral as payback, but backed down when he saw how sad everyone was. Kieran denies all of this and accuses Eli of being the killer, theorizing that he stabbed himself to eliminate suspicion. When Eli tries to stab Kieran, Emma then shoots Eli in the stomach, severely incapacitating him. Emma then wakes up Audrey, telling that it's all over now. However, Kieran tells the girls that they "will feel safe soon", and Emma realizes that is very similar to what the killer said on the phone to her earlier.

Emma states "Oh my god its you. No you couldnt be, Kieran tell me that I am wrong". Kieran then begins chuckling and says "You're not wrong" and shoots Eli dead when he tries to get back up, which finally confirms that he is the killer. A psychotic Kieran confesses that he was with Piper before meeting Emma and that they both hated the affair their parents had. Kieran fell in love with Piper and his "feelings" for Emma were all a ruse so that she would trust him. He confirms that he has been working alone and is going to frame Audrey and Emma as the killers, wanting revenge for Piper's death. Before he can kill them, Audrey distracts Kieran by pushing the chair she was tied to making him fall long enough for Emma to run off.

Kieran drags Audrey out of the room at gunpoint and uses her as a hostage to lure Emma out. They play a game of hide and seek throughout the Orphanage. Kieran sees Emma through a shelf and Emma pushes the shelf on top of Kieran causing him to drop the gun. Emma picks up the gun and shoots at Kieran, missing. Audrey subdues Kieran with her chain and Emma holds the gun to his face. Despite Kieran's goading and Audrey's encouraging to kill Kieran, Emma decides to keep him alive for him to rot in prison. The police, lead by Acosta, then arrive and arrest Kieran.

In an aftermath, Ms. Lang writes a book, Noah does a monologue, Emma and Audrey go to a movie and Kieran goes to prison. Maggie finds the note she left for Brandon James with blood on it and a knife pinning it to the tree. The episode ends with Kieran being told that his lawyer wants to talk to him on the phone. On the phone, he hears someone with the killer's voice saying "Hello Kieran. Who told you, you could wear my mask?" much to Kieran's clear surprise, implying that there is another killer on the loose that he didn't know about.