Alive >> Jake Fitzgerald << Scream

Thirty-Three.

Cops ran around my friends and I, searching the building for the killer. He was nowhere to be found and we all knew it, he'd gotten away just as he always had and we were left standing in the aftermath just as we always were.

That was when I started thinking about what had happened to us and what was going to happen to us, I thought about it harder than I ever has before;

But there were no words. No clever quotes to sum up that day or the days before that, we'd done everything right, everything exactly right to prevent anyone else dying, but there was still Nina, and there was still Tyler and Riley, and there was almost Will and almost Jake.

And I thought; What about my friends? How many more times will they be able to stare into the abyss? How much longer will they be able to risk their lives before they lose their lives?

But like I said there were no words or any clever quotes to sum up what had happened to us and what was going to happen to us, sometimes there were no words. And sometimes there was nothing I could do.

And that was what pained me the most, that was all i could think about as the cops ran around me, and my friends hugged each other, and I sat on the floor with Jake, pressing my hands over his wound and telling him to keep his eyes open.

"Jake?" I whispered, using my blood covered hand to push his hair out of his face.

"Yeah?"

"T-The cops are here now, I'm gonna get you out of here, okay? Do you hear me? I'm gonna get you out of here."

"O-Okay..."

"You need to keep your eyes open."

"There's something I want you to have."

"Don't speak like that!" I yelled at him, all the while tears dripped down my face.

"Like what?"

"Like you're gonna die."

He only stayed silent, before repeating his sentence over, "There's something I want you to have."

"W-What is it?" I sighed

"Come on! Let's get this guy out of here!" One of the police officers yelled interrupting me, they draped Jake's left arm around their shoulders and a second officer did the same with his right.

"Where are you taking him?"

"Out front to the ambulance, he needs medical attention immediately."

"Wait..." Jake mumbled weakly, "My bag. Lydia, take my bag..."

"Why?"

"Please." He breathed uneasily, "Just check the inside pocket..."

With that the two police officers took Jake away to the ambulance and I was left stood alone, clutching his backpack against my chest as if he'd already died and that was all I had left of him.

"Lydia?"

"Kieran!" Only a matter of seconds later was I swept off the ground by my older brother, I knew I wouldn't ever forget how tightly he held me, almost as if he thought for sure that I was dead but was suddenly discovering that I was actually alive.

"Oh my god! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine." I smiled for a brief moment, "How did you even know I was here?"

"I heard the call on dad's radio, I got here as soon as I heard." He explained, "Where's Emma and the others? Are they okay?"

"Emma's fine, she's talking to a cop over there..." I told him, a sigh passed my lips. "But Jake and Will are both pretty bad."

"Jake, huh?"

"Yeah, that psycho got him when he was out here all alone, he stabbed him with his own knife... The cops just took him to the ambulance outside."

"Go with him."

"What?"

"But you said I shouldn't see him-"

"I know what I said." He cut me off, "But he's hurt and if something happens to him you won't forgive me and you won't forgive yourself... Just do me a favour?"

"Anything."

"Tell him I said I hope he gets better soon." He smiled, "And don't tell Dad I let you go! He thinks your friends are a bad influence."

"Well... He's not wrong."

At that, I slung Jake's backpack over my shoulders and ran out of the bowling alley into the parking lot.

"Wait!" I called out as the ambulance began to back out of the parking lot, "Please!"

Luckily, the paramedics pulled over and allowed me to sit in the back with Jake. He was barely conscious and every time we turned a corner he let out a groan of pain.

"Lydia?"

"Yeah?"

"You came back."

"I wasn't gonna go anywhere." I chuckled, "How are you feeling tough guy?"

"I feel pain." He said bluntly, "But I'm sure they'll give me some heavy meds when we get to the hospital."

"I bet you can't wait, huh?" I wiped the tears from my eyes

"You're crying."

He reached up and softly held a piece of my hair between his fingers, I could tell whatever painkillers they'd given him were starting to kick in.

"That's because I'm happy." I forced a smile

He shook his head, "D-Did you check my bag?"

"No."

"Open it." He told me

I lifted the bag onto my lap and pulled it open. Hesitantly, I unzipped the inside pocket to reveal a white envelope, it was a little battered around the edges and it looked as if it didn't have anything inside of it, immediately my eyes flickered up to look at Jake's.

"What is it?"

"Open it." He repeated

I tore open the envelope and inside was a single Polaroid photograph. The picture was of Jake and I.

Jake held the camera above the two of us, he had a tired smile on his face and one of his arms held me against his chest as I slept. We were lay in his bed, I could tell from the white comforter and the blue wall behind us.

I smiled as I held the picture in my hands, from that very moment  I knew it would always mean a lot to me.

"I took that the night Riley died... I was so glad you were alive, I remember how I wanted one last picture with you in case anything happened." He reminisced, "I got the call ten minutes after that."

"And you've had the picture all this time?"

"I want you to have it."

"Why?"

"Because I think I'm falling in-"

"Alright! We're here!" The ambulance doors were pulled open and sunlight flooded in, I immediately reached up to cover my eyes, "Let's get you inside!"

"So it looks like I'm going to have to take a reign check on our date..." Jake groaned in pain as the paramedics began to wheel him out of the ambulance, I took ahold of his hand as I moved along side the stretcher.

"I thought you said it wasn't a date?"

"I lied."