Grinded: Part II (2023)

READY FOR ROUND 2?

## Grinded Part II

Grinded Part II is a slasher story, and the sequel to Grinded, as well as the second instalment in the franchise overall.

It follows survivor August Thrombey, who travels to Los Angeles to reunite with his friends and fellow survivors. But it isn't long before bodies begin dropping once again, as August finds himself in a sick version of deja-vu as he and his friends try to figure out who the killer is.

The story stars August Thrombey, Sophie Dlamini, David Evans, Carly Blake, Luis Dominguez, with Thomas Strode and Alanda Laurent.

The prologue was released on 8th January 2024 and is expected to conclude by November 2024.

## Plot

### Synopsis:

> *It's been three years since the brutal killings of Sunset Ridge, and survivor August Thrombey is finally finishing college for summer break. Not wanting to stick around the town that dripped blood all summer, he travels out to Los Angeles to reunite with his friends, and fellow survivors, Sophie Dlamini and Thomas Strode.*
> *What was originally meant to be an easy summer quickly turns into another harrowing game of cat and mouse, with the survivors finding themselves at the centre of a new string of killings.*
>
>

### Summary:

On the night of the Sunset Ridge Massacre, 2018, August Thrombey wakes to find himself in hospital. Overhearing a report of the murders, August tears up and shuts off the TV, just as Sheriff Sarah Abbott walks in and attempts to comfort him. She promises the teen he'll get through it and that Thomas Strode and Sophie Dlamini, August's friends, are okay. Suddenly, a hysterical woman rushes in angrily, pointing at August. He recognises her instantly as Jasmine Blackwell, the mother of Freddie Blackwell. Jasmine angrily and tearfully blames August for taking away her son. As August struggles to keep himself calm, Sarah manages to escort the devastated mother out of the room, while August then breaks down in tears.

Three years later, in 2021, and August is now living in New York City to attend college. When he has a nightmare of Freddie, he wakes to find himself slicked with sweat and breathless. Pushing the dream to the back of his mind, he then finds a string of messages from Sophie. He reads through them, appreciating her want for him to go out to Los Angeles and visit both her and Thomas, but he is apprehensive about the trip. His roommate, Miles L. Ray, enters their room, and checks if August is okay. Miles urges August to take Sophie up on her offer, claiming a trip away to the beach could do him a world of good. After listening to Miles's words of encouragement, August decides to go ahead and call Sophie.

Two days later, and Thomas is anxiously checking the time, waiting for the moment August gets into the city. He heads into the kitchen to find his roommate and close friend, David Evans, manically cleaning the kitchen. As they wait for a new pot of coffee, Thomas gets a text from August, stating his excitement to see Thomas. David playfully teases Thomas, asking if he is nervous to see August again after their last encounter before showing Thomas three joints he had rolled for himself, Thomas and August when it was time to go out. A text message then grabs Thomas attention but when he sees who it is, his stomach drops. David notices the change in his face and asks what's up, to which Thomas tells him Reese Rivers is coming over to pick up a shirt. Thomas promises to put Reese in his place if he shows up with a nose for trouble, but before Thomas can reply to the sex pest, he gets a call from Carly Blake, Sophie's assistant. After settling on the time for them to meet Sophie, David decides he's going to swing by the gym quickly but not before reminding Thomas he can talk to him about anything. After David leaves, Thomas gets a message on Grindr - 'that scar looks good on you, bud. tough guy huh?'. Without even a second a thought, he deletes the chat.

In downtown LA, Sophie is finishing a cigarette as she waits for Thomas, August and David. After replying to a text from Carly, Sophie catches the eye of fellow artist and rival, Nichole Peterson. And right behind her is Ivan Cascella, her assistant to which Sophie pities for having to deal with Nichole full time. Nichole brings up August and her intrigue of him, making Sophie promise to introduce them to each other. As Nichole flippantly walks off to answer her phone, Ivan apologises on behalf of her, while Sophie expresses admiration towards his persistence to putting up with her. She then heads back inside where she runs into Tyler Montoya, the man who pretty much runs which exhibits are shown, and he helps her up, apologising for scaring her. Tyler hypes Sophie up, promising her painting will impress everyone and will help launch a successful career. Carly rejoins the two and immediately recognises the stress on Sophie's face, urging her to relax. Tyler agrees before heading back to work, and Sophie teases Carly over her attraction to Tyler but her assistant brushes it off. A sudden scream from Nichole startles the two, earning an an irritated comment from Carly.

As Sophie expresses worry over her painting again, they're then joined by Luis Dominguez, a friend of the women who happens to be an apsiring journalist. He's there for the talent showcase later that evening, when Sophie warns him of Nichole's presence, to his chagrin. Luis then asks if Sophie has told August what exactly her painting is of, but she hasn't, to which Luis reprimands her for, believing August deserves to know. When Luis gets a Grindr message, Sophie freezes up for a moment, while Carly nosely tries to see who it is. Another message comes through that seems to unnerve Luis, and when Sophie reads it, she glances around the gallery, feeling watched.

Sophie asks who sent it as Carly tries to get her to calm down. She then feels someone creeping up behind her, but when she turns, she only finds Alanda Laurent, her girlfriend, and Chai Hardin, another artist at the gallery, with mischevious grins on their faces. Chai gives Sophie some peace and mind over her nerves towards her first art showing, before he leaves to begrudingly talk with Nichole. Sophie and Alanda walk over to her sheeted painting, with Alanda stating firmly that August will appreciate it. Sophie makes Alanda promise to be good, to which Alanda agrees but only until a remark is made regarding the painting. They return to Luis and Carly just as Alanda gets a notification on her phone, tearing her away from the group, and Sophie watches curiously as she walks off.

August, having arrived in LA, gets out of his Uber at Thomas and David's apartment. He makes his way to their front door and is greeted by David. They move into the kitchen and David asks how August is doing while preparing them a cup of coffee. Just as David goes to probe, they're interrupted by Thomas, who then warns David about smoking inside. When they're alone, they finally hug and take a minute to embrace each others company. After a friendly, yet flirty conversation, August tries to address the last time they saw each other, but David rushes back inside and claims Sophie is becoming impatient as she knows August is here now. Thomas promises August they can talk about their history later. He then tosses August a joint, instructing him its for the walk down to the art gallery. August apprehensively takes it, and the three head outside, where they're stopped by Reese Rivers.

Thomas demands the shirt he supposedly left at Reese's place, but his words are ignored as Reese makes a comment regarding August. When Reese continues making remarks, Thomas almost punches him, but is stopped. After taking a minute to calm himself, Thomas tells Reese to keep the shirt and keep away from him and then the three set off towards the gallery. August awkwardly brings up the mentioned history between Thomas and Reese, and while Thomas admits they slept together, he firmly states it was nothing more than last resort sex and that it'd been months since they'd done it.

Back at the art gallery, and Sophie, after sending Carly to get her a drink, waits with Tyler, Alanda and Luis. Tyler excuses himself once more, and Sophie points out how miserable Ivan appears to be, expressing sympathy for him. They then notice Nichole heading over in their direction. Nichole is blunt with Luis, her feelings still hurt over his review of her last art piece. She then invites Sophie to a publicity event later that week, as well as her friends, before walking away just as Carly returns. Sophie then believes she sees someone dressed in a Blank Face outfit and pushes through the crowd of people, only to find no one at the other side of the room. Alanda joins her with growing worry, but Sophie downplays it and brushes it off, keeping the lingering feeling of dread to herself.

August, Thomas and David get to the gallery as they finish smoking their joints. David quickly makes his way inside, while Thomas reassures August and promises him that it's going to be okay. The two then join David, and it isn't long before Sophie descends onto them, the three survivors having a group hug. She then introduces August to Carly, Luis and Alanda. After taking a moment to properly take in the space around him, August admits how impressed he is with where Sophie is at now. He then asks to see her own painting, noticing when Alanda and Sophie have a hushed and heated moment. As Sophie then leads August to her work, she brushes it off when August asks about. She leads him to where he piece is and his eyes instantly recognise the faint glimpses of the mask Freddie had used three years ago. A dispute breaks out between the survivors, as August finds the inspiration behind her painting to be in poor taste and exploitative, while Sophie believes it to have acted as a way to cope and sort through her own trauma.

They're then interrupted suddenly by Chai, who is eager to introduce himself to August and wastes no time in expressing admiration towards August for his inability to give up. Sophie invites him to join them for drinks later that night, but Chai reveals he's spoken for on Grindr. After Chai leaves, Thomas asks if Chai is always that flirty and Sophie teases him, but then tells him he shouldn't be worried about any competition. August tells them he thinks Sophie's art is good, but he wished he'd been informed of it prior. He asks if she's happy and when she replies with yes, August thinks that maybe now is the perfect time and chance for himself to heal and put the past behind him.

A little while later and Thomas has excused himself to the bathroom. He gets a notification from Grindr, and toys with the idea of ignoring. But he gives into curiosity and checks it - 'damn youre still looking good, tommy ;)'. A photo then comes through and to his chagrin, its someone he'd slept with before. Thomas deletes the chat and exits the bathroom when he runs into Luis, startling them both. Luis mentions avoiding Nichole before he begins asking about August, specifically Thomas and August's relationship and where they stand. Thomas stops in his tracks, taken aback from Luis's nosiness. Luis is quick to apologise for overstepping and hurries off, just as August taps Thomas on the shoulder. He asks Thomas what caused Luis to take off, and Thomas downplays it to being because of Nichole. The boys start walking through the gallery, observing the various pieces surrounding them. It doesn't take long for them to circle back to them having sex when August was last in LA; Thomas believes August ghosted them because of what he told him, but August is silent. Thomas echoes the sentiments he told August months ago, promising that its true. August admits that these feelings terrify him and fears that Thomas will get hurt because of him, which Thomas assures will never happen. They hear someone call Thomas's name and turn to find Tyler jogging over to them. He introduces himself briefly to August, before telling them that Sophie and the rest are waiting to head to the Mudhole for drinks. Thomas double checks that August is okay with going, and he is, so they reconvene with their friends.

A few hours later, Thomas, August, Sophie, David, Carly, and Luis are at the Mudhole, all of them borderline tipsy. When Sophie tries to pass of the next round to August, Thomas gladly offers to get it and heads to the bar, where he unhappily finds Reese working. Thomas tries to peacefully order the drinks, but Reese insists on getting under his skin and Thomas becomes aggressive, warning Reese to stay quiet. Reese ignores the warning and starts making lewd remarks about August and Thomas isn't able to hold back, and punches Reese in the face. Luis and David are quick to run up to the bar and keep Thomas at bay, with David repeating that Reese isn't worth it. The back doors slam open as the manager, Ben, storms out and demands to know what's happened. He berates both Thomas and Reese before warning them that it'll be the last time this happens. Ben then returns to the back while Luis insists on getting the drinks, instructing David to take Thomas back to the table. Once back, the group are quick to check on Thomas and find out what happened. Thomas fills them in and asks them to let it go, throwing back a drink.

Not long after and the group have loosened up; Carly and David are dancing, while Sophie and Luis cackled in the back of the booth. As Thomas and August begin flirting, they're suddenly startled by Tyler, who falls down besides them in the booth. Sophie asks him where Alanda is and he explains she'd offered to finish up. Annoyed, Sophie excuses herself as she calls her girlfriend. Thomas then gets a Grindr message that asks him if he wants to play. When he clicked on the profile, he finds a blank account and doesn't think twice about blocking it. August notices the change in Thomas's demeanour and asks him about it but before he can respond, Ben marches over. He tells Thomas to apologise to Reese tomorrow sternly and returns to where he'd come from.

At the end of the night, Reese is sulking as he tends to his nose. He notices Ben and a go-go dancer, Ricky, laughing and, thinking its about him, Reese storms over and confronts them. Ben quickly lets him know the world doesn't revolve around, and in the midst of him talking Ricky dismisses himself awkwardly. Ben then grabs his binder and leaves Reese as he heads into the back. Frustrated, Reese decides to go on Grindr, responding to a message asking if he's alone. Reese plans to hook-up with the person when a muffled noise catches his attention. As he ventures over to investigate, another message comes through - 'you done locking up yet?'. He becomes instilled with panic and rushes to the back, when he runs into Ben. Reese shows him the account in the hopes he'll know who it is, but Ben isn't familiar with the profile. He reminds Reese to lock up before leaving for his Uber. As he returns to Grindr , the faint sound of a door locking catches his immediate attention. Reese doesn't waste time in going into the back to get his things but another message stops him in his tracks - 'don't worry about the back door. i already locked it.' The message sends him into a panicked frenzy and he sprints out of the back but ends up getting clotheslined by Blank Face. Managing to get his hand on a wine bottle, Reese throws it to the masked assailant and takes the chance to run to the doors. Blank Face tackles him to the ground after swiftly catching up, breaking Reese's arm in the process. After a brief struggle, Reese gains the upperhand and gets to the doors, only to find they're locked. He asks what they want from him, offering his money. The killer lunges at Reese, but he acts fast and throws himself to the side. Pushing the pain of glass slicing his hands open to the back of his mind, he grabs another bottle and throws it at Blank Face. He then runs straight for the bar and throws himself over. In the process, he finds a bottle opener. Blank Face moves quick and quickly overpowers Reese, pinning him to the bar counter. Grabbing the bottle opener from Reese's hand, the killer then shoves it into his eyesocket, keeping there until Reese is dead, blood pouring onto the bar and floor.

At Sophie's apartment the next morning, Sophie wakes and heads into the kitchen after texting Carly to meet her at the studio. She sees Alanda making breakfast for them but Sophie is still unhappy with Alanda not coming to drinks last night. Alanda tries apologising yet Sophie barely pays it any attention. When Carly reads but doesn't answer Sophie's texts, she rings her. Carly tells her to turn the news on and when Sophie does, she and Alanda witness the breaking news of Reese's murder.

As news of Reese's murder breaks, Thomas has been taken to the LA downtown precinct to answer questions regarding his encounter with Reese. He meets the abrasive and cold detective, Brad Mayfield, who is working on the case. It becomes quickly clear the two don't like each other. Mayfield grills Thomas about his whereabouts and past with Reese, while Thomas gives him enough information to keep himself out of the suspect list. Mayfield then promises he'll be in touch and dismisses Thomas, who eagerly leaves the precinct.

August anxiously watches a report of the murder at Thomas's apartment just as Thomas returns, hanging up on Ben as he comes through the door. August points out Thomas's past with him, but he is calmed down by a self-assured Thomas who promises that Reese had more enemies than friends. David comes through the front door to August and Thomas's surprise. When Thomas inquires where he was, David reminds them that he went to a hook-up. They get scared initially when hearing David's Grindr go off until Sophie texts Thomas, telling them she's outside. Thomas tells David to give them some space and he and August go down to see Sophie.

Outside of Thomas's apartment, August and Thomas find Sophie, who hugs them and immediately checks up. August expresses his opinion that it isn't a coincidence but Sophie questions him, believing him to be fearmongering. After Thomas detains the situation, Sophie invites them to hang out at her studio, so long as they don't bring up August's theory again.

At the Mudhole, Detective Mayfield shuts down the journalist storm while Luis watches. He's startled by Chai and Tyler; Chai reveals details regarding Reese's death, claiming Nichole to know someone working on the force. He then goes on to state the media circus is free publicity for Sophie before Luis asks where she is. Tyler tells him to check the studio and Luis invites them along, but ends up heading to the studio alone.

August, Thomas and Sophie get to the studio, only to find it empty and quiet; Sophie claims its always like this when a noise startles them. They investigate and end up coming across Carly and Alanda. As Alanda apologises to Sophie, August takes a look around her space. Carly asks if he's okay before she gets a text from an artist, reminding her of an event she and Sophie are supposed to attend that night. Sophie agrees to go, but Alanda expresses concern. Sophie assures her it'll be fine. She then gets a text from Luis, informing her that he's outside. She goes to collect him while August starts sorting through Sophie's sketches, to Carly's disapproval. He finds a one with the mask of the killer and Alanda explains how difficult it has been for Sophie to open up and let go. The conversation quickly esculates, with Alanda angrily claiming August to be pivoting attention to himself, which is to Sophie's detriment. Thomas warns Alanda but its too late, as August storms off.

August finds a bathroom and stops himself from breaking down. After ignoring a noise, he hears a metallic scratching outside of the bathroom; upon looking, August finds the fire exit door slightly ajar. He turns to return to the group but runs into Thomas, scaring them both. August believes that people blame him for it, but Thomas comforts him, promising that isn't the case. To cheer him up, Thomas proposes the two of them going out that night, alone. August is eager to agree and they head back to the group.

Sophie and Luis are walking through the studio, and Sophie drops about Thomas's questioning which peaks Luis's interest. They eventually get to the group and notice August and Thomas's absense. Sophie is quick to get to the bottom of it, becoming angered after finding out the argument between Alanda and August. August and Thomas also rejoin and Alanda apologises. August awkwardly accepts it before Thomas takes over, announcing he and August are doing their own thing today. Sophie gives them a hug, apologising for Alanda once more. When they leave, Sophie confronts her girlfriend. Alanda claims it was out of worry for Sophie, but Sophie shuts her down and tells her to stop making things as difficult as possible.

Night falls and at the event, Chai is throwing back drinks with his friends, Hanna and Gio. He entertains someone on Grindr simultaneously, wanting an easy hook-up for the night. Tyler stops by and Chai expresses his enjoyment over Nichole's clear upset towards the turnout. As a server comes by with a platter of drinks, Chai reaches out for one but is stopped when Ivan comes from behind him and takes it, eagerly throwing it back in one. Chai recognises him and introduces himself. He advises Ivan to get out of there, something which he plans on doing anyways. Chai then sees Sophie and Luis walking through the event and dismisses himself to see them. As they chat over how Sophie's doing, Chai continues messaging the Grindr profile he's into. The conversation moves to the art being displayed, none of them too impressed with it. Luis catches the Grindr notification, calling Chai popular. Chai tells them he has business to attend to and walks off; he ends up agreeing to fooling around with the account in the bathroom at the event. He moves himself to the bathrooms towards the back of the building and begins preparing himself. A voice at the door startles him, but its someone looking for an available toilet. A few moments pass when the handle twists. Chai calls out that its occupied but within seconds, the person is banging heavily against the door. Chai begins calling the police when the door comes off its hinges, facing him with Blank face. He tackles them into the mirror and tries shouting for help, but his mouth is covered. Luckily, Chai manages to free himself of the grip but falls head first into the ground. Blank Face stamps on his arm before ending it with slitting Chai's throat with a shard of glass, killing him.

At a cannabis cafe near the Santa Monica Pierre, August and Thomas finish smoking as their drinks get there. After talking about college, August apologises and explains his reasoning behind ghosting Thomas. Thomas then reveals that he has been in love with August for years, only just realising his own feelings after the murders. He asks August where they go next and August promises him they'll figure it out together. A sudden flurry of sirens race by outside, catching their attention as Thomas quickly realises they're headed towards the gallery.

They quickly get back to the apartment where they find a bewildered David who informs them of a body being found at the gallery. He confirms Sophie's safety before dismissing himself for a cigarette. August immediately shares his beliefs that there is another killer on the loose, but when Thomas rebuffs his worries, August excuses himself to get some air. Alone, Thomas gets a message on Grindr, greeting him. He deletes the app without hesitation when he hears the front door locks click. A text message then comes through - 'i wasn't done talking to you.' Thomas grabs a knife and races out of the front door, bolting towards a fire escape. But as he turns the corner, he's ambushed by Blank Face. He throws them back and makes a run for it but the killer catches up and throws him through the glass. Thomas manages to fend off the killer using a plant pot before dropping the ladder between them, allowing him to hurry inside. Running along the corridor, Thomas collides with August just as a neighbor comes out of their apartment. Thomas points to the door and when the neighbor checks, they say nothing is there as they call the police. The two boys are then startled by David's coincidental return, waiting for the cops.

The police are quick to descend upon the apartment complex, as Sophie hurries onto the scene and spots August and Thomas. She checks on them, wild with worry, but is relieved to see Thomas is unharmed. When Thomas tells her about the police stationing an officer outside of the complex, Sophie suggests them staying with her. August questions Alanda's feelings on the situation and just as Sophie is about to reply, Alanda rushes over. August wastes no time in demanding to know where Alanda has been, rippling tension over the group. Alanda states she was working before making a smart remark, prompting Sophie to tell both of them to stop. August ignores her warnings, pointing out the strange timings of Alanda's appearances. It causes Alanda to warn August, and Sophie jumps in again with a more firmer voice. She instructs Alanda to wait with David, and when the trio are left alone, Sophie scolds August for accusing Alanda with nothing to go off of. August doesn't back down, claiming they don't know anyone from LA properly enough to dismiss them. He then states that whether they ignore it or not, that a new set of murders is afoot. Thomas comes to August's aid, telling Sophie about the Grindr account that had messaged him before they then texted him, meaning the killer clearly knows them enough to have their numbers. Sophie falls silent as the reveal simmers over her, causing her to confront the very real possibility that someone close to them was once again a serial killer.

Two days after Chai's murder, August is still torn up over it. After getting out of the shower, he overhears David talking with Luis and decides to listen in. David expresses his concern over Thomas's safety and how it seems to be compromised, while Luis warns him not to say anything. But its too late as August reveals his presence, startling both of them. August believes David to be right, blaming himself, but Luis comes to his support and promises that itsn't the case. August suggests they stay away from him when Thomas comes up the stairs with Detective Mayfield trailing after him. The detective asks August to come down to the LAPD precinct, along with Thomas and Sophie.

Luis and David follow after them, watching the cop car speed off. Neither of them know exactly why they need to talk to the survivors, while Luis begins to mentally theorise that this time the killer isn't targetting August, but actually Thomas. David then invites him to the studio to see if Carly knows what's going on and Luis agrees, waiting outside as David goes back inside to grab his keys. After getting a Grindr message, Luis notices Ivan across the street and waves at him, not realising how close he lives to Thomas. He gets another Grindr message just as David returns, but keeps it to himself and the two head into an Uber to go to the studio.

At the precinct, August, Sophie and Thomas are being interviewed by Mayfield, who displays very little patience and warmness to the survivors. He reveals a bloodied mask found on Chai's body, proving these new murders to be more directly linked with them. Mayfield asks about their friends but when nothing new is revealed, he makes a remark that insinuates they are to blame for people dying, which elicits a reaction out of Thomas. Sophie calms the atmosphere down and Mayfield promises to be in touch if anything else comes up.

The survivors exit the precinct as Sophie gets a text reminding her of an event she is to attend that night. Tensions boil between August and Sophie when she criticises his willingness to disappear, something she refuses to do. He questions their friends once again, still not fully trusting anyone but Thomas and Sophie. Sophie then reiterates that they're more than welcome to come to the event tonight before heading back home, leaving Thomas to comfort August.

Sophie gets to the studio, where she finds Carly and Alanda, both of who bombard her with questions regarding the police interview. Sophie brushes the questions off as she wants nothing more than to put it at the back of her mind and focus on the event tonight. Alanda tries to comfort her but when August comes up in the conversation, it causes tension. Her phone then rings and Sophie tells her to just answer it as she needs to get ready anyways. Ignoring Carly's sympathetic gaze, Sophie grabs her bag and heads to the back to get herself changed.

Back at Thomas's apartment, August watches TV mindlessly as Thomas showers when he's startled by David coming home. He explains he was at the Mudhole to help prepare for its reopening next week before he suggests August attending the event to help lift his spirits. David looks around for Thomas and realises he must be showering, stating he needs him to hurry as he has a hook-up tonight. Thomas then joins them with a towel around his waist and David teases the sexual tension before disappearing into the bathroom. Thomas promises he won't be long and leaves to get changed, while August goes to the kitchen to get a drink. David's phone buzzes on the counter and the notification catches August's attention - Grindr. After trying to ignore it, he gives in and snoops, where he finds an irritated message berating David for standing them up earlier this week, on the night Chai was killed. This causes a shift in August's brain as he suspects David to be the one doing it. A door opening causes August to put the phone back, just in time as David wonders into the room looking for it. August nervously laughs and points, watching David grab it and walks off, but not before glancing over his shoulder for a split second, causing even more doubt within August.

When Thomas returns, August is initially quiet about the messages but it isn't long before Thomas figures out something is wrong and learns about what August found. Thomas, in somewhat shock, is apprehensive, but their theorising is silenced when David saunters back into the kitchen. Thomas asks David his plans for the evening and when David hints at another hook-up, revealing that it is Ivan, Nichole's assistant. David returns to his bedroom to finish getting ready, leaving August to suggest going to the event instead, confusing Thomas. He thinks going to the event will be safer than being at the apartment, and they could possibly find Ivan to see if David is in fact the killer. Thomas reluctantly agrees, knowing it's the only chance they have right now to potentially stop the killer.

Sophie, Carly and Alanda arrive at the event, where they're greeted by Demi who thanks them for coming and points them in the direction of the bar. Carly offers to get them a drink, much to Sophie's relief. Tyler is also there, asking if Thomas and August are coming and becomes visibly frustrated when mentioning August, admitting to not having a good feeling about him. Sophie claps back at him, reminding him of what the three of them went through but Tyler is firm, claiming that Chai may still have been alive had August not came to the city. As Carly returns with the drinks, Tyler bluntly dismisses himself just in time for Nichole to worm her way into the conversation, having overheard. Alanda attempts to get rid of Nichole, but she is resistant and expresses her frustrations to her own event not doing to well earlier that week; she makes a remark regarding Sophie taking up the limelight before complaining about Ivan disappearing on her for a Grindr date. Sophie notices Detective Mayfield arriving at the event, concerning her.

Wanting to distract herself, Sophie begins to mingle and talks with a high profile artist, Camille Monterey. The conversation is brief when she sees Mayfield heading straight for her. She says goodbye to Camille just as Mayfield stops before her, and she isn't afraid to beat around the bush, asking why he's there. He laughs smugly and reminds her of the serious investigation taking place, explaining he's there to keep an eye on things in case any of the survivors give him more reason to believe they're involved. He thinks they're the reason for everything and tells her to say hi to the other two before walking off. Feeling like everyone is looking at her like a freakshow, Sophie throws back her drink and races for the exit to head for the studio. Carly follows after her and despite the insistence on her to remain, she joins Sophie in going to the studio.

August and Thomas show up to the event but have trouble finding anyone they know at first. August begins to worry and notices Mayfield lurking around the event, giving Thomas a heads up; he speculates the possibility of Mayfield being the killer. From behind they're startled by Nichole, butting in once again to ask what they're talking about. When she refuses to leave them alone, August tells her to back off and give him some space. Nichole walks off after that, and August moves back to Mayfield, suggesting him being a detective can allow him to tamper evidence and be in place he isn't meant to be. Thomas chews on the thought when he spies Luis, suggesting they get his help but August is adamant they leave everyone out of it. August tells Thomas to look around for Sophie while he tries her phone again.

After sorting through the party, Thomas does eventually run into Luis, who reveals that Alanda disappeared not too long ago, while he has no idea where Sophie is. Thomas begins to think there may be two killers this time and Luis notices his worried expression and asks if everything is okay. Thomas politely thanks him for asking and promises he is fine. He turns to look around the party, when he's startled by Mayfield. Not in the mood for any games, Thomas sighs and simply shoves lightly past him and gets a text from Sophie, asking why she has three missed calls from August.

As August looks around the party he finds Tyler and decides to ask him if he's seen Sophie, but as he approaches Tyler's face twists and he walks off. August's stomach sinks - everyone holds him responsible. A text comes through from a blocked number, asking if he wants to have some fun. He knows its the killer and when another one comes through, hinting at them having Sophie, he rushes to find Thomas, who has discovered where Sophie is. They then race out of the event, desperate to find Sophie.

At the studio, Sophie has been gradually throwing back a bottle of whiskey as Carly tries to comfort her. Sophie admits feeling deflated lately and begins to agree with how a majority of people seem to blame her and her friends. She then tries finding her phone but grows angered when she realises she must've dropped it at the event and throws the whiskey bottle, shattering it. Carly sits Sophie down and tells her to calm down before she hurries off to grab a broom and a glass of water. Sophie looks up to find Carly transfixed on someone.

Stepping over, she finds Ivan before Carly. He smiles at them awkwardly, phone in his hand. He stutters his way through why he's there, explaining he's meeting David, or was supposed to, but he went radio silent. Sophie finds it strange and discreetly tugs Carly back when the killer steps out from behind Ivan and stabs him. The girls scream as Ivan falls to the ground. With a twirl of their knife, the killer raises it into the air and makes chase after the two.

They're relentlessly pursued through the studio, throwing tools and paintings behind them to slow the killer down. Sprinting through the warehouse-like studio, they run into a supply room. They snake their way through the tall shelves, hearing the footsteps of the killer echo around them. Carly tries calling the police when the killer's hand shoots through the shelves and grabs her. Sophie manages to help free her but the killer turns the tables, pushing the shelve ontop of the two women. Sophie stumbles back and trips while Carly becomes pinned beneath the planks. Sophie, having hit her head, struggles to get her bearings together in time; she's made to then watch as the killer stalks over to Carly and slits her throat, killing her. She pushes herself up and tries tackling them, but winds up with a stab to the gut. Becoming limp, she falls back to the ground as the killer grabs her foot and stabs her again. Sophie's eyes fall closed and the killer seemingly finishes her off.

August and Thomas arrive at the studio and Thomas is quick to voice his worries over being there. When they try to call Sophie and get no answer, August mulls the idea of calling Mayfield but a voice startles them. Thomas swears it sounded like David and they venture forward cautiously when a text from Sophie's phone comes through -  'took you long enough. now we can play.' The lights are then shut off and they look around frantically for something to arm themselves with when a metallic screeching causes them to freeze. A piece of draped cloth shifts to the side as the killer walks through, dragging their knife across the railings.

August grabs a steel etching needle and Thomas wields a pair of scissors just as the killer charges at them, catching them off guard. They swipe at the boys a few times, with August narrowly saving Thomas from a knife to the throat. He uses the moment to stab the killer with the needle, earning himself a kick in the ribs. Thomas pushes a stack of chairs onto the killer and helps August run. They run through the corridor, finding a door that's locked. A silence falls over them and the boys wait still for a moment; the door is then yanked open from the other side, the killer stood their. Thomas pushes August out of the way and catches the knife in his shoulder. August screams and tries to help, a brief scuffle between him and the killer breaking out. As the killer almost gets the upperhand, Thomas grabs and pulls at their robe, urging August to run. August tearfully does so, sprinting away.

He tries feeling for his phone but realises he must've dropped it at some point during the fight. Hearing a faint voice causes August to hide, waiting until the voice grows closer for him to see it's David. He steps out and demands to know why David's there. David, confused, states he's there to meet Ivan. A distant cry catches their attention and August thinks of Sophie, racing off to it.

But when they get there, they find Ivan. August rushes over to help, asking where his phone is. But before Ivan can answer that, he sees David and accuses him of being the killer. David fires back Ivan's accusations with burning rage, claiming he could've been the one that managed to get them all here. August becomes torn between the two and holds the needle up at both of them. As David angrily claims his innocence, the killer rushes out from behind and stabs him through the back of the throat. August stands there horrified as Ivan raises onto his feet with a sick smile, joining the killer's side.

Face to face with the two killers, August grips his needle as Ivan kicks David's body, making a remark regarding Thomas. August warns him to keep his mouth closed, while he tries to think of a plan to escape; he notices a clunky spool of wire by the desk and in a flash, he shoves the masked killer into it before stabbing Ivan in the palm with the needle, taking his chance to run.

It doesn't take long at all for Ivan to cut him off, who tackles August into a pile of canvasses. After another struggle, August manages to break some distance and comes across Sopihe. As they go to to run, they're stopped by Ivan once again along with the still masked second killer. Sophie tearfully asks if its Alanda, and they wait as the masked one slowly reveals themself to be Nichole, branding a bloodied smile and diabolical stare. She taunts them for not expecting her to be the one running around. Sophie asks why and Nichole presses her knife to Sophie's throat, stating they got a level of fame she'd been trying to get for years over night. She thinks August being gay gives him an easier, more sympathetic life. Sophie berates her but Ivan chimes in, explaining that Nichole will reap in the benefits of being a surviving victim while Ivan will happily go on killing. He then orders Nichole to bring in their contingency plan, both of the survivors horrified to see a bound and gagged Alanda.

Ivan maniacally explains that they plan for Alanda and David to take the fall for the murders and as he talks, August manages to discreetly grab a heavy duty stapler and hide it behind his back. Sophie catches onto and gives him a sly nod, on board with the idea to surprise them. When Ivan proclaims himself to be the one to kill August, August hits him with the stapler, splitting his head. Before Sophie can act, Nichole lunges at them and stabs Sophie before then throwing her into a stack of plywood which collapses onto her. Nichole and August face each other when Nichole bitterly admits her jealousy towards August. Using her explosive anger against her, August riles her up to bring her in closer; when she steps close enough, he laughs and stabs her in the cheek with a chisel. She screams as blood runs through her hands, furious over what he has done to her face. August angrily shouts 'Fuck your face, bitch!' and proceeds to grab another needle and shove it through the roof of her mouth, violently thrashing it around until she falls to the ground dead.

There isn't a moment to catch his breath as August turns to find Ivan twirling his knife once again, spitting out chunks of blood through his teeth. August questions Ivan's true motives, not believing his desire to just go on killing. This leads Ivan to reveal he has killed before LA. He believes the act of watching life leave someone's eyes is an artform, along with the method and buildup of committing murder. He makes a remark about how people online have a vendetta against him, leading it to be really easy to find out where August was and was going to be. The realisation that people have been watching him for years sinks into August. Ivan sighs and asks if he's finally answered all of August's questions. August sarcastically thanks him for taking the time and Ivan grabs him by the hair with gritted teeth, thrilled to finally kill August. In a sudden move, August manages to throw both of them to the floor; the knife glides across the floor and both boys scramble to get it, ripping and pulling at each other. Ivan gets the upperhand and settles himself on top of August, punching him in the face.

August manages to grab some wood and crack it against Ivan's already split head, eliciting a bloodcurdling screech from him. August tries for the knife again, but Ivan kicks it away, claiming he doesn't need a knife to finish the job. August reminds him he won't be able to get away with it if his finger prints are all over but it only angers Ivan more, which is exactly what August wanted. Once again turning the tables, August slides two nails between his knuckles and jabs Ivan in the neck. Ivan stumbles back clutching his throat and spluttering, but he won't go down easy. He charges at August, who has since grabbed the knife, and screams when he is silenced by a surprise stab to the chest. He stumbles back again and grasps at a piece of cloth before falling to the ground. The cloth comes loose and causes a machine to fall onto Ivan's head, crushing it.

August takes a moment before he hears a phone buzz. He rushes over to Nichole's body where he finds Sophie's phone, having been stolen. He wastes no time in calling the police when he looks over to see Sophie and Alanda hobbling through the corridor. He tears up and walks over to them, with Sophie apologising, having seen Thomas's body.

As the sun comes up and police and first responders descend upon the studio, August is by an ambulance, watching as Sophie and Alanda receive help. He is approached by Mayfield, who bitterly apologises for the insinuations he's made as well as his loss. August just stares at him and solemnly thanks him, before the detective walks off. Watching after him, August sees Luis coming over. He checks on Sophie and Alanda. August is straight with him and tells him he's not getting any sort of exclusive. Luis is more than understanding and tells August he's glad that they're okay, and if he needs anything, he'll be there. August smiles lightly before asking Luis if he has a cigarette. Luis gives him one and August lights it, exhales and starts down the street, wanting to be alone once again.

## Characters

### Main Characters:

* **August Thrombey**: *The main protagonist and survivor of the Sunset Ridge massacre. He is struggling to cope with everything that happened.*
* **Sophie Dlamini**: *Survivor of the Sunset Ridge massacre, who has thrown herself into creating art, using the murders as basis for her work.*
* **David Evans**: *Thomas' friend, roommate and coworker. He is sex positive and has a strong bond with Thomas.*
* **C****arly Blake**: *Sophie's overenthuastic assistant, who has a big respect towards the three survivors.*
* **Luis Dominguez**: *An aspiring journalist and friend of Sophie and Thomas'. He takes an interest in August when they first meet.*
* **Thomas Strode**: *Survivor of the Sunset Ridge massacre. He has a complicated relationship with August after the last time they were together.*
* **Alanda Laurent**: *Sophie's girlfriend, she is protective over her and isn't afraid* *to speak her* *mind, freely and without worry of it coming back around.*

### Supporting Characters:

* **Chai Hardin****:** *An artist who Sophie holds up as a career template.*
* **Tyler Montoya**: *A manager of an art gallery that is looking to collaborate with Sophie.*
* **Reese Rivers**: *Thomas and David's coworker. He had a fling with Thomas and refuses to let it go.*
* **Nichol****e Peterson**: *An aritst with an attitude, she is looking for a new gallery space.*
* **Ivan Cascella**: *Nichole's timid assistant who catches the eye of David.*
* **Detective Brad Mayfield**: *An LAPD detective assigned to work on the murders.*

### Minor Characters:

* **Sheriff. Sarah Abbott**: *A survivor of the massacre and Sheriff of Sunset Ridge.*
* **Miles L. Ray**: *August's roommate at college.*
* **Demi**: *An artist and friend of Chai and Nichole.*
* **Ben**: *Thomas and David's co-worker and friend.*

## Trivia

* This is the third iteration of Part II; the first was scrapped during early development, while the second iteration was scrapped after completion due to a change in story.
* Both David and Carly were originally going to survive, with Carly also originally planned to appear in Part III; as the story underwent three iterations, Carly's fate was first changed, having been swapped with Nichole, who was originally going to die. David's fate was one of the final changes made, as he was expected to play an important recurring role in the series; however, it was changed when the concept for Part III drastically changed, where his role was completely removed and unlikely to be revisted.
* Just like their original survivals, Carly and David's deaths underwent two iterations; David was originally going to a hook-up's house where he would've been attacked and murdered in an alleyway, with the killer sending a photo to August. This was changed in order to fit David into act three in order to amp up the paranoia August is faced with. Carly's death originally involved her, Sophie and their friends at Demi's party where they would've been attacked by the killer and would've ended with Demi's death, with Carly being gutted in front of her friends. Her death was retooled to instead happen at the studio instead, where only she and Sophie were.
* The killers identities changed several times from conception to the finished story: Tyler was originally going to be the sole killer, having a mix of the motives trial and error'ed. Ivan was then reworked into Tyler's partner following a rework of the entire story. Ivan and Tyler remained as the killers for a majority of the writing, but when several characters changed following another retooling, Tyler's role was changed from that of a killer to the gallery's manager who developed a dislike towards August. Following this major change, Tyler eventually became replaced with Nichole; originally, she was going to serve as the unseen third killer of Part II, with her identity and motive supposed to be revealed in Part III. Her role was brought to Part II after a change in direction for Part III; her motive remains the only one to be unchanged from conception to final version of any of the original trilogy.