𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 | Tara Carpenter SCREAM VI/VII

the end of SCREAM VI

We were running fast toward the abandoned cinema, trying to shake off Ghostface. That bastard was at the subway, and we knew we had little time. Tara grabbed my hand, pulling me inside the cinema. Behind us, Kirby had stopped, indecisive, and I had no idea what she was doing.

We had split up after the unfortunate event that involved Mindy and Anika, who were trapped in the subway. Chad, Sam, Tara, Kirby, and I had finally made it here, but the terror of what was happening was suffocating us. I slowed down for a moment, and my gaze fell on a hanging sheet we hadn't noticed before. It was strange, but at that moment, no one seemed interested in investigating.

“Let’s split up, okay?” Sam suggested, throwing a worried glance at her sister. “Chad will come with me.” She gave me a quick look, and I nodded, feeling anxiety rise.

Tara agreed with a nod. “When we see Kirby, I’ll tell her to join you,” she said calmly before turning and walking with Chad through the dark, dusty hallways of the cinema.

Tara and I started walking slowly among the display cases, my curiosity drawn to the exhibited items. An old, well-preserved cigarette box caught my attention. Instinctively, I reached out to grab it, but in doing so, my fingers brushed against Tara’s.

I turned to her and saw that her cheeks were flushed. “You take it,” she whispered weakly, and my heart began to race against my ribcage.

“No, you take it…” I replied with a nervous smile, feeling her curious gaze settle on me.

“It’s old now… I don’t need it,” Tara joked, keeping her eyes fixed on mine. That moment made me lose my train of thought; her brown eyes were a deep well, and something inside me melted as if butterflies were being released in my stomach. Tara lowered her head, nervously playing with her fingers.

“I…” she began, but she seemed hesitant.

Oh, fuck it.

I lunged forward, quickly leaning in toward her face. Our lips met in a brusque, intense kiss. Tara gasped in surprise, our teeth clashing slightly before our tongues intertwined. I knew we were at the end of the journey: in a moment like this, I didn’t want to die without having tasted her lips. Tara wrapped her arms around my waist, melting into the kiss.

I reluctantly broke the kiss, air escaping my lungs. “Sorry… You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” I murmured, panting.

Her arms were still around my waist, her chin lifted to look at me. Her eyes sparkled brightly, and a smile spread across her lips.

“You should have done it sooner, you know?” she teased, standing on her tiptoes. One of her hands moved to my neck, her fingers firmly wrapped around it. “But now you can do it as much as you want,” she whispered, biting her lower lip and inching closer to me.

But in that moment, Tara suddenly shifted with a scream.

“Tara!” I exclaimed with concern, blocking Ghostface’s hand that was about to strike me. Grabbing Tara's hand, we headed toward a door, startled when I saw Sam looking at us in panic.

“Kirby is Ghostface; she locked the gate!” she said quickly.

Her eyes fixed on Ghostface behind us, and she motioned for us to run behind her into another room. An old popcorn machine came into my view, and I stopped to knock it over, diverting Ghostface's direction.

“Take this, you piece of shit!” I yelled, grabbing an abandoned video camera and smashing it right into Ghostface's face, making him stagger.

Tara pulled me behind her and we followed Sam through a narrow corridor, the camera still in my free hand. “Take that, asshole!” I growled, throwing the camera behind me and slowing down Ghostface.