Scream

Reyna Copulas

Maren and I engage in our push and pull over the double-edged knife. Out of nowhere, Grayson and Makai come limping out of the theatre as fast as they can.

"What the hell?" Grayson shouts, ducking to the ground and grabbing a pistol. I'd tell him that it has an empty mag, but I can't expend any of my energy. 

 "Help me, Grayson!" Maren cries. Like, physically cries. Literal tears spill down her face. "Please. Reyna's trying to kill me."

Her breath gives me an extra inch of room from the knife. Do I tell them she's wrongand risk being slashed by my ex-best friend? Or do I trust that my half-twin brother andGrayson will realize I'm the victim here?

"I can't hold on...any longer," Maren says through breaths. 

Sweat from nerves lather my hands and the salt starts to sting my gashes. My hold on the knife changes as my hands slips around the flat sides of the Bowie knife. Now, the tip ispointing down at Maren, and now she's the one who has to hold the knife by the blade. Our hands rub against each other – my hands on the hilt, hers on the blade base. 

"Reyna, stop. She's one of us," Makai argues. "She would never kill Ozzy!"

 There's no breath to waste now...just a little...bit...more, and she'll be finished. I propmy right leg against the wall and push, adding weight to my force. "Grayson, go get Enzo'sgun from his car. Hurry!"

Grayson takes off and Makai grabs the knife. He pushes against me. "Reyna, quit it. Weneed to get out of this together!"

"She's the killer!" I finally spurt out, losing the inch I had previously gained. The knife starts to close in on me and Maren smirks with satisfaction. 

I feel my face morph into the expression of horror at the sight of Maren's triumph. Sheturned friends against friends. She turned loved ones against loved ones. Now she's turning blood against blood.

At the sight of my expression, Makai glances down and notices Maren's smirk."Maren?" he asks, now not so sure of her innocence, though he still fights against me. 

"Shut up!" she barks. "It's not me!" 

"Reyna wouldn't have held the blade if she was the one who attacked you first..." hepieces together, pulling away from the knife. 

"Because I figured out it was her," Maren counters through gritted teeth.

"And you're the only one struggling to get me on your side," Kai points out. "You weren't there at the carnival when everyone died, or at the hospital! It is you."

Makai stands behind Maren and pulls the knife away from me and towards her. At last,she didn't turn blood against blood, but made the bond stronger. Slowly, the knife makesits way towards her pale, sweaty neck. Panic resonates in her eyes. "No, it isn't supposedto happen like this," she hisses. 

Then her face has a spark in it; like there's something she hadn't thought of yet. All atonce, I feel the force of her fight withdraw as she steps to the side and pushes to bladeaway from me. Why? 

Time seems to slow down and I feel like I'm out of my own body as I watch whathappens. Maren uses my own momentum against me as she pushes the blade towardsMakai, who was pulling it in his direction while Maren was in front of him. She lets go andallows me to do her dirty work. 

 I feel each layer of my brother's skin snap with each centimetre the knife sinks into hisheart. I feel his heartbeat slow down through the blade. Unintentionally, I've trusted theBowie into Makai. His shirt begins to blossom with the bright stain of blood and hismouth opens in an "O."

I don't hear the thud Makai causes as he crashes to the ground. I don't hear myselfscream. I don't hear Maren's chortled laughter. I don't hear anything but a loud ringing in my ears. My brain is at work, trying to mute this terrible mistake. Tears overflow in my eyes and spill down my cheeks. Teardrop after teardrop fall onto Makai as I bend downand hover over him. 

"I'm so sorry," I apologize, trying to apply pressure to hss wound. "I'm so, so, so sorry. This is my fault. I killed you, I killed you." 

Makai reaches up, fingertips touching my face. His voice sounds like an echo – adistant, cool echo. "None of this is your fault. I knew the risk of pulling the knife my way."

"I love you so much, brother." 

I latch onto Makai's hand, which shakes. I squeeze him so tightly as if doing so will keep his soul on this earth. Like I can be stronger than the universe.

"See you on the flipside, sister."

Makai smiles before coughing. His blood splatters on my face as he does so. Now, he's heaving – gasping for air that his lungs can't get enough of. His heart can't pump oxygento them. Hysterically, I sob at seeing the pain of my dying brother. I don't care what hesaid about taking the risk to help me – I still killed him. 

Makai Keanu, my half-twin brother, exhales for the last time and closes his eyes as he takes a permanent rest.

"Oopsies," Maren falsely apologizes. "Did I do that?"

 "Fuck you, you psychotic bitch!" I roar, turning to see her standing above me with a knife in her hand. "Go ahead and kill me. I want to die! How fun is it to kill me when I want to die?" All of my family is dead, Enzo lost my trust, and my longest existing friend hasbeen the one planning my demise.

 "I'll still enjoy every second of it," Maren promises. Her knife starts to come down when there's a sound of metal vibrating. Suddenly, the murderer's face goes stock-stilland she wavers in her stance. Behind her, there's a person standing. They swing an object– a crowbar – into Maren Desario's skull.

 And then she goes down, knife scattering across the ground.