DEATH IS LIFE | SCREAM

06 Bar Fights

WES HAD DRIVEN TATUM HOME, she quickly got out of the car and called Artemis. Tatum quickly went inside and saw that her dad was fast asleep, so she quickly wrote him a note and stuck it onto one of the empty beer bottles that scattered across the coffee table. She then put Artemis into her crate before quickly grabbing a jacket and heading back outside.

She ran to the mini van and climbed in. Amber wouldn't move out of her way, so she pushed past her, which earned Tatum a scoff and a hard push.

"Bitch." Tatum said, pushing Amber back.

"You pushed me first."

"Because you wouldn't move."

"Okay, girls." Chad interrupted, wanting to avoid a fight, "Let's not have a cat fight while the car is actively moving."

"I'm not the one who started it." Amber said.

"You literally were." Tatum retorted.

Minutes later, they arrived at the bar and the group of teens decided to play pool.

   "So what is she like, the sister?" Liv wondered.

  "Sam? Oh, Sam is so cool." Chad exclaimed.

Mindy playfully scoffed at her brother, "You only say that because she let you wear Pokémon onesies to bed for a year."

He shamelessly nodded in agreement, "That's true. That's a true statement."

  "No, trust me. Sam is not cool." Amber disagreed.

Tatum rolled her eyes as she lined up the stick and the white ball with the black eight ball, "You're just a hater, and Sam is cool." She pulled the stick back before thrusting it it forward, Tatum stood up and watched as the white ball smacked right into the black one before rolling straight into the hole.

Amber scoffed, "Sam's totally lame. Her dad left her mom, right? Walks right out when Tara's eight, Sam's thirteen." She explained as she poured drinks to everyone in the group except for Tatum, "Sam started acting out, getting in trouble with the cops. And then on Sam's eighteenth birthday, she leaves. Ghosts them all. Maybe Sam's changed. I just don't want to see Tara hurt again."

  "So what, you're protecting Tara from her own sister now?" Wes asked.

  "Well someone has to." Amber responded.

Tatum laughed, finding it hilarious that Amber thought she would be the one to protect Tara from danger, her, a barely one hundred pound girl, "And you're going to be the one to do that?"

Amber stared straight at the blonde, not an ounce of emotion behind her eyes, "Yeah."

Tatum refused to break eye contact first.

  "Okay, so no guys are good enough for her, and now her family's off limits too?" Wes said, breaking Amber's concentration.

Mindy hummed, "Mmm, motive. 'If I can't have her no one can."

Wes scoffed, "What?"

  "We all know you have a crush on Tara." Mindy said.

  "Come on Mindy."

  "But we're all suspects." Mindy stated, "Except maybe Liv."

Liv smiled, "Thank you."

"You're way too boring to be a psycho."

  "Hey!"

Mindy ignored the pink haired girl, before turning to the blonde, "And Tatum, she's too loyal of a friend to be the killer."

Amber groaned out, "Oh come on. She's a literal psychopath."

  "Yo Liv!" Someone yelled from across the bar before Tatum had a change to respond.

Some greasy looking guy slowly walked over to the group of teens but stopped right in front of Liv, "You want a real drink? Or are you happy sitting at this kids table?"

Tatum had no clue who this man was.

Chad let out a huff before pushing himself off of the pool table and angrily rushing over to the man, "Alright hey, listen up, uglier Michael Myers. It was a summer fling. Alright, it meant nothing." He said as he went right ip to his face.

Tatum watched on in amusement, she hadn't had this much fun in days.

The two males continued their dispute, which was escalating rather quick.

The man pulled out a switch knife, causing Chad to step a step back.

The bartender behind the bar had been watched the scene and apparently that's where she drew the line because she called out to the group.

  "Hey! Get out of here, or I'm calling the cops." She yelled at the man.

Tatum watched as the man slowly back out but not before taunting Chad before leaving.

  "You kids too! Let's go!" The lady yelled at them.

Chad scoffed, "Did you see that shit?"

  "Yes, we clearly did." Tatum said.

He wrapped his arm around the blonde's shoulders, "Sorry about ruining your fun, Tate."

Tatum pushed him off, "You're apology is not accepted."

The group excited the bar, Chad, Mindy, and Liv  left the group first. Amber had gotten a ride from her neighbor. Leaving Tatum and Wes standing in the front of the bar.

   "I can give you a ride." Wes offered.

Tatum shook her head, even though she complained about the town, she absolutely loved the fresh air.

  "It's okay, I'll walk." She said, "Besides, it's in the opposite direction."

  "You sure. I don't mind."

  "I'll be fine. I promise." She said.

  "Be careful. Please," Wes begged, "Your dad will kill me if anything happens to you."

"I can handle myself, Wes." Tatum said, before walking away from him.

In order to get to the trailer park, Tatum had to go around building.

She pulled out her kid phone from her back pocket and went to the control center so she could bypass the parental controls. No matter how many different things she tried, none of them seemed to work.

And the stupid old people (she honestly did not know what it was) music didn't help her concentrate. Nor did the blaring bright headlights of a car.

She placed her hand up to shield herself from the lights.

She was about to call out to the person to shut the lights off when suddenly she tripped and fell face first. With the lights still blinding her she couldn't tell what she fell on but it was hard and slippery, yet sticky.

Tatum let out a groan, "Ow," she most definitely had scrapped her knees and she had let go of the phone, so it was probably broken.

Pushing herself up, so she sat on her knees, Tatum examined her palms, both were cut up and bloody.

She frowned, there was way too much blood on her hands, the copper liquid was basically dripping down her hands and running down her arms. The amount of blood did not make sense because she would have to have major injuries on her hands, she was doubtful a stable would cause major injuries.

Tatum tore her gaze from her hands and looked to see what she had tripped over.

There lay the creepy man from earlier that was hitting on Liv, Vince (she guessed his name was), facedown on the asphalt in a pool of his own blood.

Tatum leapt back, trying to put some distance between herself and the body.

   "Oh. My. Fucking. God." She gasped out.

Tatum was abruptly pulled up to her feet, the bartender from earlier was checking in her, "Oh lord. Are you okay?"

The blonde nodded, "I'm fine it's not my blonde... I think."

   "I already called the cops, they're on the way."