ASSHOLES | scream au

19. Reveal

Amber, standing behind the concession stand with her newfound axe, still relished the weight of Kirby's gift. She glanced down at the rows of candy on display, her eyes narrowing skeptically. Tara stood beside her, equally dubious as they both reached for the same box of Milk Duds. Their hands brushed, a fleeting touch that made Tara's heart skip a beat.

"You can have them," Tara offered with a hesitant smile, her awkwardness bubbling to the surface. She felt a pang of guilt-she'd been making Amber feel bad for far too long, and she knew it.

Amber shrugged casually. "We'll share."

Tara shook her head, rolling her eyes. "I don't even have an appetite, and these are probably older than we are." She hesitated for a second, then added, "You should take them if you-"

Before she could finish, Amber leaped down from the counter, catching Tara by surprise. Amber grabbed her by the face and kissed her with a sudden, fiery passion. "You are such a bitch, Tara Carpenter," Amber muttered against her lips.

Tara couldn't help but laugh, pulling Amber closer as she kissed her back. "You have no idea how much I already know that."

They kissed again, the moment charged with long-buried feelings. Tara broke away just enough to whisper, "I missed actually being happy with you-"

But her words were cut short as Ghostface emerged from the shadows behind them, stepping out of an alcove with terrifying silence. In an instant, the knife plunged into Tara's back, and she let out a blood-curdling scream.

"Tara!" Amber screamed, her voice raw with panic as she stumbled back, falling off the concession stand in shock.

Tara collapsed forward, Ghostface pulling the knife out with a sickening squelch. The room spun as she fell, her scream echoing as pain shot through her body.

Suddenly, Chad burst through the lobby doors, about to boast about finding something cool when he froze, his eyes widening in horror at the sight of Ghostface. Without a second thought, Chad charged forward, tackling Ghostface into a wall of Stab movie posters with full force.

"Run!" he shouted at Tara and Amber, who were both scrambling to get to their feet. Amber grabbed her axe, teeth clenched, while Tara, weak from the stab wound, struggled to move.

Ghostface slashed at Chad, but Chad ducked the blade and threw a right hook, sending Ghostface stumbling. Chad, Amber, and Tara bolted, running straight into Sam, who was just arriving. Tara collapsed into Sam's arms, her face pale, and Sam's eyes widened in horror at the sight of her sister's blood.

"Tara!" Sam cried, panic gripping her.

Amber, adrenaline pumping, tried to get Sam's attention. "Sam, we've gotta-" she started, but Chad was already pushing them toward the door.

"Come on, we gotta move!" Chad yelled, trying to keep them all moving.

As they rushed through the lobby, Sam's face darkened. "It's Kirby! She's the killer!" she shouted.

Amber's grip tightened on her axe, her head spinning. That couldn't be true-Kirby had given her the axe. Why would she do that if she were the killer?

"No shit!" Chad barked sarcastically, still charging toward the back of the theater where they'd come in.

But Sam pulled him back. "No, that door's locked!"

Chad's heart sank. "We're trapped?"

"She made the whole theater the killbox," Sam explained breathlessly, "for us."

Tara, clutching her bleeding side, looked up toward the balcony. "What about up there...?" she pointed. "There might be a door to the roof."

They all turned their gaze upward toward the scaffolding near the stage. If they could just climb it, maybe they'd find a way out.