The Vanishing

"**The Vanishing"** is the tenth episode in Season 2 of the television series, *Scream*. It is the twentieth episode of the series overall and it aired on August 2nd, 2016.

## Plot

Further dividing Audrey and Emma, the killer ultimately turns Noah's love for Zoe against him. The killer dispatches the two ex-friends on a perilous yet tension-filled scavenger hunt to find him in order to save him. Secrets from their past threaten Maggie and Acosta. Brooke decides to crash at Stavro's and begins to develop love for him, but she feels guilty as she is having hallucinations of Jake. Kieran and Eli's cousin friendship has reached new heights. Kieran's aunt is being pursued by Mr. Maddox.

## Summary

The episode opens with Piper's autopsy being done by Maggie, with Acosta watching. During the autopsy, Maggie discovers a pig's heart surgically implanted inside of Piper. Emma goes to Audrey's house and demands answers from her about her involvement with Piper. Audrey reveals that she knew that Piper was Emma's half sister and that she was with Piper at the Crescent Palms motel the night Rachel was murdered, therefore, neither could have done it. Audrey insists she didn't know Piper was the killer and only wanted to make a documentary about Brandon James but Emma does not believe her claims and leaves when she doesn't change her story.

Meanwhile, Acosta tells Deputy Shell that should anyone see Gustavo, who has still not come home, they are to bring him in immediately. He then suggests to Maggie that Brandon James could be alive and the new killer, wanting revenge for Piper's death but Maggie doesn't believe him. A flashback shows a young Maggie and Acosta helping a man dressed in black. When she doesn't show up for class, "Zoë" asks Noah to skip gym and meet her at Wren Lake. When he arrives and gets another call from "Zoë", he discovers that it is not Zoë, but the killer on the line using her phone. The killer then ambushes and stabs Noah in the stomach, then knocks him out. Afterwards, the killer calls Audrey and Emma, demanding they play a game for Noah to save him.

The killer also explains he has trapped Noah underground in a coffin with only five hours of oxygen. He also orders them not to tell anyone about their game. Noah awakens to find himself trapped inside the coffin and a camera recording him. He then begins to weaken from his stab wound as he realises he is buried alive. The first clue takes Audrey and Emma to Noah's house where they must find out "What is behind Noah's obsession?". Emma flips over a note from the killer to find a letter Audrey wrote to Piper, which she hides from Audrey. Emma and Audrey figure out that they need to look behind the murder board, where Audrey finds a daffodil behind Noah's murder-board and realises where they need to go.

As Acosta arrives at the Troy James barn, another flashback reveals that the man in black was Brandon James, who survived his shooting. They also bury his knife. In the present, Acosta enters the barn to looks for clues. Upon hearing banging noises upstairs, Acosta goes upstairs and finds a hidden room with many pictures of a young Emma, realising that someone lives here. When he looks out the window, he doesn't notice that someone wearing a black hoodie like Brandon did is outside watching him. Back in Noah's coffin, Noah begins to hallucinate Zoë in the coffin with him, who comforts him. He then hears a voice outside the coffin, that sounds like Zoë, screaming, making Noah horrified. Audrey explains that daffodils grow around the barn, revealing that Emma and Audrey first met there, which is where they need to go.

On the way, Emma shows her the letter she found, who refuses to let her explain the situation. Acosta tells Maggie of his findings of the pictures of Emma. He is growing convinced that Brandon is alive, noting that someone lives in the pig farm and that the killer knows their secrets. Maggie insists that Brandon can't be the killer and that he's dead in the woods somewhere. Knowing that Acosta can't put an APB on a supposed dead man, Maggie heads off to get proof Brandon is alive. Inside the coffin, Noah continues to romantically hallucinate Zoë until she goes away. Noah then breaks down screaming in the coffin. Audrey and Emma arrive at barn to look for Noah. The killer calls Acosta, taunting and informing him that something is going on at the barn.

Acosta rushes down there to investigate. Audrey and Emma enter the barn, finding the scythe used to kill Jake and the dead pig whose heart was used for Piper's autopsy. The killer also shows them a video of Jake's death and taunts them. Noah resumes having more dramatic hallucinates of Zoë while Audrey and Emma are unable to find him. When the two begin arguing again, Audrey reveals the reason why she hated Emma; it turns out she was in love with Emma and she broke her heart. Audrey and Emma hear Noah singing inside his coffin and locate him. After digging up and saving Noah, they find a phone live-streaming to Zoë's coffin, where hers is flooding with and water and she is screaming for help.

Despite his worsening condition, Noah refuses to let Emma take him to the hospital and orders them to head for Wren Lake to save Zoë. After the trio leave, Acosta arrives at the barn and finds the coffin and the heartless pig. At Wren lake, the trio find Zoë's coffin attached to a cord, keeping it from going into Wren Lake. They pry open the coffin and discover that Zoë has drowned to her death. Noah looks at the video to see Zoë still screaming, revealing it is a playback to fool them into thinking there was hope for Zoë, leaving Noah distraught and emotionally devastated. The police arrive at the barn, finding several items from the killer's victims that he kept as souvenirs; Haley's mask, Branson's severed hand, Zoe's lady of the lake crown and the dead pig, which an officer confirms has no heart.

At Wren lake, Zoë's corpse is taken to the morgue while Noah is taken to the hospital for his injuries. The killer calls Emma and Audrey again, taunting them that they will never win. Maggie arrives and takes Emma home for the night where Emma tells Maggie that the killer is after her and Audrey, blaming herself for Zoe's death. In another flashback, a young Maggie looks at a tree where she finds a note written in red from Brandon that says "Don't forget me". At that same tree, in the present, Maggie leaves a note telling Brandon to stay away from Emma. As the episode ends, Eli, who was hiding in the bushes, comes out and watches Maggie leave.