carpentergirl

[carpentergirl]

Picture Perfect Moment

Tara and Sam Share a moment... Of course Gale is there to record it.

Word count: 1860

Tara Carpenter was nothing like any other student at Blackmore University. She was rather the poster child for heinous murders and the country's beloved victim. While her sister on the other hand was the exact opposite of that. She was the one blamed for the murders. 

Everyone gave Tara the same look; the one where they saw her as a prisoner in the familial relationship, like she was nothing more than a naive and manipulated little girl. After surviving Woodboro they had relocated to New York for this very reason, thinking they could outrun the past which was quickly proven wrong when they yet again encountered another Ghostface.

After their last run in Tara decided she was taking her life back from the horror movie it had become, she made the decision to dorm at school (with Mindy of course). And start her life over (again). Sam was very supportive during all of it, finally learning and accepting that Tara was more than capable of taking care of herself.

Sam had stayed close to Blackmore, moving into a new apartment with Kirby Reed, her high school friend and now FBI agent, which Tara was thankful for because she always had a safe place to rest her head when Mindy made plans for the night, the kind that Tara was not included in. However, Tara, Chad, and Mindy were going to spend winter break with the 2 girls. Even Sidney and her kids were planning on visiting for the holidays meaning of course Gale would be in attendance.

They had done lots of catching up considering it had been years since they were all in the same place at once.

Tara walked through the door to the seemingly empty apartment owned by Kirby and Sam. 

If it wasn't for the familiar jacket thrown onto the couch she wouldn’t have explored the house for her sister. Tara had expected most of the crew to be set up in the living room watching a movie or even decorating the apartment that the two girls were “too busy” to have done themselves, but clearly, this wasn't the case. They all must've gone out.

"Sam?" The girl had cried out, with no response to follow. She put her bag down in the entryway. Making her way down the narrow hall to the last door. She pressed her ear against it while calling her name once more.

With no answer, yet again, Tara let herself into the room just to make sure she wasn't home, but instead of an empty room, she saw the taller girl laying in bed face down.

"Sammy?" she whispered softly.

"Mhm?" The older girl mumbled with her voice being muffled by the pillow.

"What are you doing?" Tara asked, bouncing on her heel while still standing in the doorway. Not really sure what to do or even say.

"I'm pretending the world doesn't exist- more importantly that I don't exist." Sam replied once again with her head still buried in the pillow. The younger Carpenter slowly nodded her head understanding where her sister was coming from.

Tara knew Sam all too well to know that Sam was feeling existential dread in her stomach, the kind that she may have accidentally planted in her sister after a fight about independence. It pained Tara to see Sam's face while Sidney talked about her life and kids. But Sam never said anything. She also didn't think the fact that Kirby shared she’d be going overseas for an assignment without previously telling Sam exactly helped the situation.

Tara didn't speak a word. She simply pushed her sister over in the bed to make enough room for herself. Before laying there with Sam.

For the first time, Sam raised her head.

"What are you doing?" She asked what she called her "Small Child".

"I'm pretending we don't exist." Tara simply replies face first into the pillow.

As Sam laid back down she could help but feel a smile curl at her lips.

"Kirby is leaving for who knows how long, Sidney has a perfect family , I quit my job, Gale even wrote a book about someone else’s tragic experiences. Not that I was hung up on the books,- It's just, everyone is moving forward with their lives and here I am, still hiding from everything, and wanting more than anything for whatever fucked up family GhostFace made of us to be back together. I thought that last night was going to make that happen. Once we all got back together no one would want to leave, but they aren't like me. They've moved on."

It was hard for Sam to move on, not in the mental sense she thought she had gotten over the past. Spent most of her time in therapy, And did she mention how she let Tara move out. Sam definitely was getting better. But that didn't change the fact that Sam felt as if one of her feet was cemented to Woodsboro and the other in New york.

She felt like she wasn’t able to physically move on. Not the way Sidney did. Sidney was great, she was never blamed for any of the shit she went through, she got married, SHE HAD KIDS. All things Sam wanted in her life.

She wanted a fresh start like Kirby who had turned all that pain into something meaningful and successful. How could Sam be upset when the opportunity of a lifetime was knocking on the door for her best friend.

And Tara, oh Tara, Sam wanted the world for her, but the idea that in just a few years Tara would be a college graduate, ready to set out on the world with or without Sam. Would Sam be ready to move then? Would Tara want her to follow her? Was Sam willing to live in the shadows of her sister for the rest of their lives? Tara was right, Sam had no plans. 

There was a beat of silence as the smaller girl weighed her options: problem solve or just be there.

"Chad broke up with me. I'm flunking most of my classes, and need to be tutored by Mindy. Do you have any idea what it’s like to have Mindy tutor you? And honestly I haven’t made a single friend since everything happened. I miss you and I don't want to leave because I want something more from life but at the same time I don't want to stay because there's too much that lurks there."

Tara broke the silence deciding it seemed like the best time to share all her recent shortcomings as well. 

Ever since the Woodsboro attacks Sam had been her constant strength even when it aggravated Tara, there was never a time that Sam didn't try to get the smaller girl to voice her thoughts so she didn't have to bottle it up. But those feelings were always so big and took up a lot of Sam’s energy and time, Tara never felt the need to bring up the little things like now trying to be less of a burden.

Chad and her had just broken up the week prior, nothing crazy, the chemistry had just fizzed out and they mutually decided to be friends again before they made anything too awkward to come back from. And he had happily moved on to the next girl. It still hurts her in a way though, being able to let him in the way she hasn’t before only to have it fade out. Is this what all relationships are like?

And school was so hard she made it through high school because of- Amber. The girl was a genius even if she hid that part of her with her cruel sense of humor and sarcasm. And now well without her around Tara couldn’t understand anything. Amber had a way of explaining things to Tara that just made everything click and she was the only person Tara was able to learn from and not feel like an absolute idiot. Then there was Anika, and for the first time in her college career she thought she actually could make it through. Anika was so patient and even if she didn't understand Tara the same way Amber did, she still benefited greatly from her help. Now she had Mindy, and well she wasn’t as kind as Anika. 

Mindy was very to the point, it is the way it is because well that's how it is, not really a method Tara was able to resonate with. But she helped with her papers and assignments, even if she sometimes made comments on Tara’s work that made her feel small. She was thankful nonetheless.

Tara was feeling a multitude of things at once, but most importantly she missed her sister. Even though they had lived with each other for maybe a year at most, she missed coming home and seeing Sam try to make a meal in the kitchen. She missed being able to curl into bed with her after a bad night. She missed the constant music playing from her bedroom even if she hated the music itself. She just missed her presence. It also kind of stung when Sam didn’t put up a fight when Tara said she wanted to dorm with Mindy. But then again it’s what she asked for right?

"Oh yeah about Chad. I've gotta have a talk with him." Sam said and Tara chuckled but it soon faded because she realized she was serious.

They both laid there for a while just crying and spilling to each other, a rare occurrence nowadays, especially for one Sam Carpenter. They stayed there comforted by each other’s presence and inevitably fell asleep. Both now had their heads turned to the side, enabling their breathing.

It was only a matter of time until the rest of the party arrived back at the apartment and when they did they were confused due to the silence of the house they knew that Tara had been residing in.

"Tar" Kirby called out with, of course, no response. They searched the spare room and Mindy even checked all the cabinets just in case Tara had been trying to scare them and ultimately fell asleep awaiting their arrival, just as previous occurrences had played out. But still, none of them could find Tara.

"Guys" Sidney motioned to Sam's room at the end of the hall. The door was cracked open and considering Sam never left her bedroom door open it was a sure sign that something was up. Gale pulled out her phone and snapped a picture, of course, wanting to preserve the sweet moment.

...

And that is how the picture of Tara and Sam laying in bed together fast asleep, with Sam’s arm protectively over Tara, ended up on the mantle of Samantha Carpenter’s new house.

The picture was humiliating for both the girls because little did anyone know that was one of their rawest moments- and they-they would rather pretend that the whole didn't exist.

Except for that one part about Chad, to sum it up a black eye did not look too good on him.

#tara carpenter #Sam and Tara #sam carpenter #mindy meeks martin #chad meeks martin #kirby reed #sidney prescott #gale weathers #Scream 6 #amber freeman #Tamber #anika kayoko

[carpentergirl]

Raising Flags

Tara Carpenter and Amber Freeman are the newest stars on Woodboro High’s Girl’s Soccer team... When Tara gets hurt, all bets are off

Word Count: 2249

Amber Freeman and Tara Carpenter were a force to be reckoned with on the soccer field. The duo just clicked together so well that not even the best defensive players could stop those two from scoring.

The two girls quickly realized their unreal talent after joining Woodsboro’s Girls’ Soccer team their freshman year and before they knew it they had quickly been moved to the varsity team with the upperclassmen. Their chemistry on the field was electric, the way they so easily played off each was like watching a famous artist paint a masterpiece.

Their friends were always their biggest cheerleaders, literally and figuratively. Chad, Mindy, and Wes were always in the stands with cringy signs and face paint. Eager to cheer on the young team members. The entire first season the crew did not miss a game, the tradition followed into Chad’s football season (even if he spent 90% of it on the bench). They quickly added Liv, a cheerleader to their friend group after she recognized Tara at their summer job and complemented their supportiveness for the not-so-football player.

But now they were sophomores heading into their second season on the varsity soccer team. It was a very important game for the duo and well the whole school. They were of course playing their rivals in the name of school spirit.

Tara and Amber were superstitious when they had big games coming up. It started with a sleepover that Mindy always crashed of course followed by Chad and Liv and eventually Wes. They’d get ready for school together and Amber always ensured that Tara took her medication for her Asthma as she didn’t want the younger girl to literally kill herself on the field. They always had pepperoni pizza for lunch and drank yellow Gatorade before heading to practice.

“So ladies, are we gonna rock it tonight?” Mindy asked as they prepared their backpacks. Each girl wore their royal blue jerseys and Mindy of course wore Tara’s gold away jersey that she had proudly stolen from the girl’s closet Carpenter 03 across her back. Amber would describe it as a serious case of FOMO but Tara loved it.

“That's always the plan Ms. Carpenter.” Tara teased the girl. Eying her own jersey on her best friend’s back and chuckling.

“You don’t wear my jerseys” Chad whined from the other side of the table.

“You’re lucky they even let you wear a jersey.” Mindy snapped back. “Plus you gave Liv your jersey remember.” Chad stood up a little stung from his sister’s comment.

“At least he gave it to someone, you had to steal yours” Amber rolled her eyes.

Mindy loved when the little green monster jumped out of Amber it was almost always directed towards Wes but sometimes she could summon it, like when Tara would allow Mindy to rest her head on her shoulder during movie nights or when she would like in this instance steal some of Tara’s clothes. Mindy liked that side of Amber- she was more relatable when she was snarky. Plus she knew that she had secretly wanted to have been the one who was wearing the extra Carpenter jersey, but how could she when she was wearing her own? Why let the opportunity go to waste?

Mindy was hyper-aware of everyone’s dynamics, she loved to use it to her advantage. She knew Amber has had a crush on Tara since last year. The little green monster first appeared when Wes shared the news of him and Tara beginning a relationship last summer. Amber was less than ecstatic, often making the boy’s life as close to a living hell as possible. So when word that they had broken up earlier this summer got out Mindy knew Amber would waste no time schmoozing her way close to Tara. Now the two were inseparable. Mindy was just waiting for indisputable evidence to bring to her best friend’s attention so that the two can live happily ever after.

…

“9 and 14 switch!” Coach Fox called out to Amber on the field. She threw her hands up rushing over to the bench.  The game was going great, they were winning 3-1. She didn’t understand why she had been benched or why she would separate her from Tara, but with a stern look from her coach, she just sat down, saving her energy for the later part of the game. She sent a daggering look to Liv across the field in her cheerleading uniform just for the heck of it, she needed someone to feel her wrath and clearly, it was not the field nor her coach.

The rest of the group was in the audience cheering the girls on and absolutely being enamored in the sea of blue. Once again they broke into the face paint. Mindy had each girls’ number painted on either cheek and Chad had alternating eye black in the school’s colors. Wes of course opted out but was wearing a homemade shirt that read I’m with #3 that he had made last season but never stopped wearing it when he and the player broke up.

Tara broke through the neutral zone. The small girl took the ball and dribbled her way past a crowd of orange jerseys. The crowd was on their feet. Tara was about to seal the deal of the game and give her team a 3-point lead and a nearly deadly choke hold. The crowd was roaring. She wound up her leg for a kick and just as her foot was about to make contact with the ball she felt forceful hands meet her chest knocking the air out of her. The crowd fell silent as Tara hit the ground backward, her head bouncing upon contact with the ground, and the opposing teammate landed on top of her.

It felt like she was watching it in slow motion Mindy took off out of the stands trying to get to her friend running faster than she ever had before in her life and the rest followed her.

Amber was on her feet the second she saw the orange jersey zone in on Tara and rushed off the bench the second she had made contact with the smaller girl and to the scene the similar slow-motion effect taking over her vision, She grabbed the player who was on off of Tara by the collar of their jersey ripping them to her feet and pushing her back causing the player to stumble. She was seeing red, a rage fired within her and then before she could even register what was happening Amber delivered a punch square in the face that didn’t go unanswered by a teammate.  Eventually, a brawl between both teams broke out before any ref or coach could intervene. Amber at the heart of it threw punches at anyone who tried to get between her and the dick who hit Tara.

Mindy was the first one to Tara’s side; she ran straight through the field and to her motionless friend.

“Tar” She huffed gently, placing her hands on the girl’s shoulder, scared she would hurt her more. She had her back to the brawl trying to protect Tara from the fights behind them.

Whistles were blowing, the crowd was yelling for the refs to make a call on the play, and Chad tried to navigate through the yelling teams to find the one who had thrown the first punch. Removing her from the situation before she got herself into any more trouble, he grabbed Amber holding her arms as she tried to break free from him.

“You want to make a cheap shot then you better be prepared to take one!” Amber yelled at the girl who had tackled Tara. She flailed in the large boy's arms until he basically threw her to the side placing himself in between her and the fight.

“Stop Amber!” He grabbed her shoulders forcing her to plant her feet. “Tara is hurt, you need to stop” He bargained with her and the anger in her eyes faded into a soft one he was unfamiliar with. She stopped fighting against him and dropped her arms. The severity of what happened drew her back to reality. Tara was hurt.

She rushed back towards Tara who was still lying motionless on the field. Wes held her head still as Mindy tried to wake the girl up.

“Tara!” Amber cried falling to her knees next to her. She brushed the loose strands of hair away from the girl's face.

“Come on T, please wake up.” She smoothed the girl's hair. Mindy noticed the tears in the girl’s eyes that threatened to fall, the way it looked like her world was crumbling around her this was definitely indisputable evidence she thought to herself.

“Tara baby please.” Amber whispered. “Please” Amber wiped a small train of blood from Tara’s nose, clearly from impact with the other girl's elbow when they fell. She was disturbingly still. It was honestly terrifying. Moments later the girl's eyes scrunched and she shifted slowly. Amber and Mindy looked at each other as Mindy moved Wes’ hand from the girl. He mumbled something about head injuries in his “mall cop know it all” fashion and Amber pushed him back further making him lose balance and fall on his ass.

Tara’s eyes shot open and quickly closed just as quickly with a groan. She tried opening them again as she tried to sit up. Amber and Mindy quickly pushed her back down, placing a gentle hand on either side of the girl.

“No Tar you need to lie down” Mindy said.

“What happened?’ Tara groaned as she rubbed her temples and kept her eyes shut, the stadium lights burning them.

“Tara, you took a pretty bad hit during the game, we’re waiting for the ambulance.” Liv spoke up, putting her phone back in her pocket. Amber gave the girl a soft thankful look, one that Liv had never even imagined receiving from her.

“No no, the game. I’ve gotta get to the game.'' Tara shook her head sitting up again, a wave of dizziness taking over. This time Amber grabbed her, pulling her into her lap.

“Tara, you're at the game, you got hurt, everything is going to be okay.” She tried to soothe the girl. Mindy gave her a concerned glance.

Tara didn’t remember. Not even something they said a few moments ago.

Tara couldn’t understand what Amver was saying. All she could hear was static ringing and muffled voices. She heard high-pitched whistles that made her head hurt more, oh yeah- her head hurt, how did that happen? Tara didn’t know what was going on. She could barely see anything with these blinding lights and all she knew was she needed to get to the game. She began to panic.

Amber noticed the unevenness of her chest rising and falling as her breathing became labored and hoarse.

“She’s having an asthma attack.” She met Mindy’s eyes, praying she had the girl’s inhaler as she usually would during a game being neither of the girls could keep it and play. Mindy nodded frantically, patting her pockets.

“MINDY NOW.” She yelled startling everyone around her including Tara. Mindy found the inhaler in her hoodie pocket under her jacket and fumbled trying to hand it to Amber.

“Okay baby girl, let’s breathe.” She said Bringing the inhaler to the girl’s lips, Tara’s hands shakily meeting Amber’s.

“Deep breaths, you’re okay.” Amber rubbed her back trying to relax the girl.

“What do we have?” Was the last thing Tara heard before being ushered to the paramedics and into the back of an ambulance.

…

The next time Tara remembered waking up she was home. In the comfort of her own bed. She sat up to look around, instantly regretting it with the dizziness that consumed her. Once she was able to focus she found she had collected quite the crowd in her room. Mandy, Chad, Liv, and Wes all asleep scattered around the floor of her room.

Her heart sank when she didn’t immediately see Amber. She couldn’t remember exactly what happened but she was sure Amber would’ve been here if everyone else was. She went to get out of bed swinging her legs to the edge of her bed.

“Absolutely not.” She heard that voice. The voice she melted to. To be honest it startled her but she automatically relaxed as she heard it again. “You’re staying in bed.”

Amber sat up in the chair that had been moved from her desk to the side of her bed. Tara turned to her. She could see she had been crying tears trails down her cheeks, and she noticed a bruise forming under her eye.

“Amber what happened.” She harshly whispered trying to get to the taller girl who was on the opposite side of the bed. She slowly reached out to examine the injury before her hand was caught by a bruised one.

“Amber.” Tara whispered softly this time.

“What happened?” She took her hand into her own.

Amber got up from the chair and sat on the bed next to Tara. She thought about her words carefully. She laid back gently pulling Tara into her side and stroking a loose piece of hair behind her ear. Honestly Amber couldn’t even remember what happened. It was like she blacked out on all the details but she knew one thing: “Let’s just say we’re both benched for a month.”

#tara and amber #tara carpenter #tamber #chad meeks martin #mindy meeks martin #wes hicks #liv mckenzie #amber freeman #Scream 5 #highschool #soccer au #woodsboro

[carpentergirl]

A Few More Minutes

Sam and Tara get trapped by Ghostface... Probably not the best time for Tara to have an Asthma Attack.

Author’s notes: I was inspired by @autism-swagger post about Tara’s asthma in scream 6 kinda outlined this.

This is my first time writing so idk if its anything people will like so good luck ig.

I probably dragged this out too much.

Just Sam and Tara being well Sam and Tara. 

Word count: 3871

: )

Sam and Tara had left their apartment rather early in the morning. More like Sam had a plan to get out of the house before Tara woke up. But in usual Samantha Carpenter style things never went as planned and Tara was miraculously up already and Sam acquired her presence anyway.

She didn’t mind her company of course, she just didn’t want to pull Tara down the path she was heading. But Tara being well- Tara would not take no for an answer and rushed to get ready.

Moving to New York was not the fresh start Sam had hoped it would be, Rather her reputation or persevered reputation preceded her to the big city where everyone had their opinions. Some were sympathetic to the young woman who had tragically been caught up in a legacy bestowed upon by her estranged father who died before she was even born. While others believed that Sam was Billy reincarnated and was meant to finish what he had started all those years ago, much believing in the story that Richie and Amber had tried to create.

Sam knew little to nothing about her father besides of course the conspiracy and movies about him. That wasn’t enough for her. Of course she didn't set out to miraculously find out he was a great guy and was just misunderstood as most cliche villains would be- she knew that wasn’t the truth. Her father was no villain, he was true evil but despite that and even if she hated to admit it- he was still a prominent part of her and she was desperate for some identity outside of ghostface.

Tara during the transition was- well, again, Tara. She didn’t say much about moving. She didn’t say much about anything as a matter of fact. She was just happy to once again be with her sister. After basically fending for herself ever since Sam left she was having a hard time adjusting to having a helicopter parent. She would never admit it but having Sam be there for her, especially when she didn’t want her to be, was something she could never find the words to thank her for. Tara didn’t deal too much with her past in the new city. She didn’t want to live in the past. It was too painful to remember the town of Woodborough. Everything she had gone through and all before the ghostface attacks. She’d rather forget it all. Some people were curious but rarely cruel, or maybe she never gave them the chance to be, Tara avoided people like the plague. The only time you would find Tara in any social situation is if she was about 3 shots too gone which is what led to Sam’s alleged stalking.

But at the end of the day Tara would always be with Sam, as long as Sam would have her of course.

Even with that being said Tara found it extremely difficult to be blindly led by her older sister into a psycho’s lair. Yes, Tara knew she asked for this when she volunteered herself as Sam’s companion for the day and yes Tara could at any point leave and go back to the safety of their apartment but she’s made it this far right?

“I don’t know, maybe we should go back home?” Tara sheepishly suggested her feet planted firmly on the sidewalk outside the abandoned movie theater. She knew why they were there, she knew Sam wanted answers, she just wished the answers didn't have to be so creepy.

“T, I told you not to come, I’ll call Kirby to come and get-” “No. You’re not going alone.” The girls bantered walking up to the entrance.

The lair was exactly the same as the first time they were there. When Gale had brought them looking for insight on who the newest masked freaks were. To no avail, it was just a ganky collection of Ghostface memorable. Pieces from the killers and victims. An unsettling tomb of whatever screwed up legacy Billy had started.

Tara knew Sam had been itching to come back, alone, she saw the way Sam gawked at her father’s robe, the knife he had used to murder people. She saw Sam’s need for answers and Tara knew she didn’t understand and she knew couldn’t understand which is why she didn’t want to get in between Sam and the answers she was looking for.

They crept their way through the shrine and Tara started to get uneasy. Everything about this gave her the untimely shiver of impending doom. It was almost as if every step brought her closer to the end of her being. She slid her hands over the display cases filled with bloody artifacts to some infamous murders and innocent victims, who, just as herself, had been brutally attacked. She was surprised that nothing of hers ended up behind the glass walls to be shown off like a trophy.

At the head of the room were the costumes, the same ones that made Tara shutter at the sight of even if it was nothing more than a costume at a party. Her eyes fell on Amber’s. Someone who had not crossed the oh so complicated mind of Tara Carpenter in a long time. A weighted rope had wrapped itself tightly around Tara’s heart and given into gravity. She didn’t want to think about Amber, the worst part of Woodsborough.

She noticed Sam in the center once again examining her father’s robe, she just couldn’t understand any of this, and quite frankly she didn't want to. It was becoming all too much for Tara.

“Sam, I don't feel well.” she said taking two puffs of her rescue inhaler, cursing herself for not using her orange one earlier in the morning, the one that prevented asthma attacks.

“Okay, Just a few more minutes and we'll get out of here.” Sam said concern glistening in her eyes but she was too close to turn around now- surly tara would be fine if they stuck around for a few minutes more.

Tara nodded, agreeing that a few more minutes wouldn’t kill her, she walked around the theater trying to find more theatrical attributes rather than the homicidal ones she was far too familiar with. She wandered past the wretched museum into the old concessions rooms looking at the abandoned candy trying to pinpoint a possible year of extinction for the theater.

She ran her fingers through the dust again causing her to cough again. Tara should’ve known better than to be stirring up dust when she was already at a  disadvantage for the day.

The youngest Carpenter had been looking at an old movie’s reel, trying to make sense of the little pictures in the frame holding them up to the light. She heard something behind her fall and she jumped to attention slowly turning around. To see absolutely nothing.

I'm losing my mind. Tara thought to herself, after all the shit she’s been through, she thinks it finally got to her.

And got to her it indeed did. The next time Tara heard a suspicious noise she once again contributed it to her new found psychosis and hallucinations. Until it was no longer a hallucination she could write off but instead a menacing Ghostface who had grabbed her from behind.

Tara let out an ungodly scream before laying a blow to the reaper’s stomach with her elbow and kicking at their knee. In which she was freed enough to take a running start and right into Sam’s arms.

The two  Carpenter sisters now found themselves one again being chased down by a robed figure. They raced to navigate the halls of the abandoned movie theater trying to escape.

Tara was not faring well to begin with and definitely not now with this whole running situation. She miserably tried to keep up with Sam running- stumbling was more like it. Her breathing was unsteady, panic glistened over her as she tried to keep up. While they had only been running a few minutes her anxiety coming face to face with a reaper once again was an accelerant for disaster and was taking a toll on her.

“Sam” the younger sister gasped, reaching out for the taller girl “I-”  Tara coughed.

Sam turned to the smaller girl chopping her step, Tara was hunched down at the waist, hands on her knees as she tried to stabilize her breathing.

This was all her own fault Tara thought to herself, if she wasn’t so instant on going then she would’ve remembered her inhaler this morning. Then again if she hadn’t been there then Sam would’ve been with Ghostface alone and without warning.

Everything burned. Her lips were dry and her mouth felt chalky, usually meaning it was time for an inhaler dose and possibly even something stronger. Her throat was on fire as if it was trying to burn a way to breathe for her. Sam grabbed her wrist pulling the girl with her as she heard the clatter of Ghost Face getting closer to them.

The next time the girls came to a stop was about 20 seconds later when Sam felt the tug of Tara hitting the ground, before she had only felt the staggering of the smaller girl which was enough for her to keep Tara in tow.

“Tara!” Sam yelled for her attention as the youngest carpenter grasped at her chest in a desperate attempt to let air in.

“T, calm down. You gotta try to calm down.” Sam rubbed circles into the girl's back while trying to pull her back up and failing Tara’s legs struggling to support her.

“You can’t out run me forever” Tara’s eyes found her sister’s, filled with tears and pure fear across her face. For the first time Sam was really forced to take in her appearance. Her lips tinted white with sweaty glistening skin over the color she had lost making her look ghostly.

Sam tugged Tara up yet again, this time taking the little breath she had left. She had to do something, there was no way Sam would let GhostFace get to Tara. Forcing the smaller girl to her feet and starting running once again, as fast as she possibly could she was basically dragging the girl who could only be heard by the rapsiness of her gasps. Then she spotted it, the storage room in which she had earlier caught Chad and Tara in successfully cockblocking them… again. She basically threw the younger girl in the room and barricaded the door with a shelving unit. Surveying it for anything useful as a means for defense with no luck.

Tara’s face had taken on an unnatural tone. She choked on her coughs. No matter how hard she tried she simply could not get air in. It seemed impossible.

Her mind was panicked. She could not go out like this. So miserably choking on her own inability to properly breathe. She could not die running from the fool who thought it was a good idea to dress up as her ex girlfriend, her sister’s father, a complete psycho.

She did not survive Amber’s attack to die like this. She did make this far to die because she couldn’t remember one day’s dose of medication. She couldn’t die. She wasn’t ready.

“Your inhaler” Sam questioned as Tara hadn’t already thought of that. Sam patted her pockets and then checked  the younger girl’s she knew Tara just had. She watched her put it in her pocket. She never left her house without it. And the extra one was in Sam’s backpack- of course the one she had tossed at the sound of Tara encountering Ghostface. Sam’s face dropped as she realized the inhaler simply wasn’t there, she grabbed her phone to use as a flashlight hoping it had just fallen out when she pushed the younger girl in. No such luck.

The stutter in Tara’s chest caught Sam’s attention again. Making her give up hope on the inhaler and resort to an escape plan. She pulled out her phone once again and found the previous texting chat.

Core Four

Sam: Trapped in the theater, Ghostface has us pinned in the storage closet.

Chad: We’re two blocks away, Mindy is on the phone with 911

Sam: Tara is bad- Asthma Attack- please hurry

Sam breathed a few moments of relief before the shuddering of her sister demanded her attention.

“Okay Tara, hold on a few more minutes.” Sam cooed, pulling her in close.

Sam could hear Ghostface clattering around in the halls looking for his next victims.

“Tara, Tara, Tara..” The voice menaced.

“Making me pick up after you, did your mother not teach you to pick up after yourself- oh right.” Tara was barely able to keep the focus on anything but her desperate need for air. She barely even processed what the menace was taunting her for.

Sam tried to keep Tara calm as the threats got louder.

“Well, at least I know you won’t get very far.” He threatened. Almost as if on cue Tara had let out a violent cough causing her body to shake. Sam quickly covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle the sound and not give away their location.

Tara was fading in and out; she could only see the outlines of the things around her, and her ears started to ring on top of the pounding of her heart instead of processing the sounds around her. SHe felt the strong arms around her body and the hands covering her mouth. She needed air and these hands in her way were not productive.

Sam cringed at her primal impulse to pull her arms away from her face.

The innate instinct to protect her airway.

Sam only held her tighter stiffening up against the wall.

“I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry.” Sam kept whispering in her sister’s ear as she clawed at her. She felt Tara’s heart on her forearm, beating so hard it threatened to burst out of her chest and the way Tara’s breaths were pulling on her palms erratically and the exhaled air making them feel sweaty.

All Sam could do was cry.

She never wanted to hurt Tara, She wanted nothing more than to let her go and comfort her, but she knew if she did that they’d be moments from discovery and they were at a disadvantage.

I’m so sorry was all she could say before it was a blubbering mess.

A few more seconds had passed Tara weakly pried and then dropped her arms to her sides. Her head dropped back into Sam’s shoulders and Sam felt the smaller girl’s weight fall into her. She slowly slid down the wall now sitting with Tara hoisted up between her legs. Slowly moving her hands away from Tara’s face and pulled her in closer, putting her head to her chest- hoping she would still hear her heart. Which she did. She noticed her blood-tinged lips and Sam’s hands. She sobbed as Tara continued to take uneven breaths and let out quiet gasps.

“I’m so sorry baby girl.” The guilt ate at her. It was a normal occurrence for Sam- knowing that all of this had happened because of her, if she had never found that diary, if she had never confronted her mom, if she never mentioned her real father then Tara would not be suffering the way she was.

They wouldn’t be stuck in a supply closet of a freak’s shrine of psychos.

“Oh Samantha, you thought you could hide from me.” Ghostface teased and was extremely close to the sound of it. Oh how badly she needed the others right now, there was no way to get out, and no way to protect Tara.

She heard the crunch of plastic outside the door “Oops” Ghostface muttered undoubtedly crushing the younger girl’s inhaler that he had discovered earlier. Sam slowly slid out from under Tara gently lowering her to the ground. She grabbed the rod she had found in the room earlier, it wasn’t much of anything, mostly likely a discarded mop or broomstick. But it was a last-ditch effort for Sam to defend herself. She positioned herself on the other side of the door waiting for the menace to step in.

She heard the doorknob jingle. Still blocked by the shelves.

Sam was panicking. Her ears started ringing and all she could do was prepare herself for yet another dance with the devil. She tried to remain focused on the now pushing door; it wasn't until the shelf was knocked over that Sam was zoned in and swung her “weapon”.

“Woah,” he said, catching the rod before it made contact with him.

“This is- um Inventive,” he said finally entering the room. Sweaty.

“Chad?” Sam questioned coming down from the adrenaline that had instinctively been released in her system.

She rushed over to Tara.

“Is he gone?” She questions pulling Tara’s limp body up from the ground and struggling to support her.

“I think so.” Chad said, quick to help Sam pick Tara up.

He reached for his pocket uncovering an orange inhaler. Which Tara clearly hadn’t used this morning if Chad had it. She looked down and saw the blue one crushed to pieces in the hall and shook her head.

“It’s too late for that- we have to get her to a hospital.” Sam rushed him out the door. Mindy came running up to them.

“There’s no one here” She huffed out trying to catch her breath and for the first time Sam had heard the sirens all around the building. The police must’ve scared them off so she tried to rationalize.

Chad carried Tara bridal style out of the building and straight to the stretcher. Tara was ghostly white and her lips started to tint blue. Chad shuddered at how lifeless she felt in his arms.

Sam dodged the police and reporters who had gathered around asking her what had happened.

She hopped into the ambulance as the paramedics worked on his sister urgently.

Sam sat impatiently in the waiting room of the ER. Chad and Mindy there, somehow Kirby and Gale also made it there. Honestly it was all a haze to Sam.

“Tara Carpenter.” The Doctor called out to the room of eagerly waiting family members, Sam was up in an instant.

“I'm her sister.” She begged the Doctor for him to say that Tara was okay.

“Tara went into respiratory distress earlier, as a result of her asthma, luckily we don’t believe she suffered any permanent damage to her brain and she shouldn’t have any long lasting effects but we definitely want to keep her overnight to be sure. Just a few more minutes and we could’ve been having a very different conversation.” The doctor explained. A wave of relief washed over the group. This wasn’t Tara’s first close call but it was definitely the closest in a long time.

“But the blood” Sam mentioned to the doctor, as she raised her hands as proof. “X-rays are clear, just some popped capillaries from all the coughing.” He added placing a reassuring hand on Sam’s shoulders.

The older girl rushed to Tara’s room, her sister set up a heart monitor and oxygen though she was steadily breathing again. Sam stood frozen at the foot of her bed. Kirby made her way into the room leaving the others in the hallway.

“Sam…” She started. “She’s okay. You saved her.”

“I didn’t fucking save her Kirby, I almost killed her.” Sam shook her head. Her palms striking her temples. Still stained with some of Tara’s blood.

“I put my hands over her mouth. I could feel her fighting me. I suffocated her.” Sam cried, pulling her hands into view.

“You did not suffocate her, you saved her. You did what you had to do to save her.” Kirby pulled Sam’s hands down and held them. She pulled her into her arms hearing what had happened in that room for the first time.

Kirby had basically adopted the Carpenter duo as her own, she made them her responsibility even if they all liked to pretend that Sam and Tara had everything under control.

It was easy for Kirby to come in and help. It was easy for Sam to let herself go in the agent’s presence. It was even easier for Tara to relate to Kirby and accept the advice that she would offer even if it was the same advice Sam would suggest- It must’ve sounded different coming from the older girl.

“She didn’t even want to be there, she asked me to leave and I- I made her stay” Sam continued to cry into her ‘older sisters’ chest.

It wasn’t long until Sam composed herself and put on her brave face for the rest of the group and they all gathered around in Tara’s room. Sam next to her bed of course rubbed circles into the smallest girl’s hand.

Tara had regained some color, still much paler than her usual complexion, but better than before. Her lips were once again pink and she had lost the gleam of sweat. All to the group's relief.

No one dared to leave even as the early hours of the morning threatened to trap them in the hospital.

Soon the silence was broken by Chad offering himself to get chips and snacks from the vending machines which he would later regret because

A) he used all of his cash

and B) Girls are too ‘particular’.

The group shared jokes and conversations trying to move on from the earlier events and living more in the moments they were all together. They had grown quite the roar almost as if they were in the sister’s apartment and it was a casual Friday night. Arguing over what M&M flavor tasted the best with Sam reluctant to admit she thought they all tasted the same because- well didn’t they?

First there was a cough. It came from the smallest member of the group. They all stopped mid debate, assessing the situation. They watched as she stirred in her bed sitting up frantically and coughing “SAM” she yelled between her coughs.

“Tara” Sam grabbed her. “It’s okay, breathe, you’re alright” Sam cooed.

Tara took in her environment no longer in a dark dusty theater but rather in a bright antiseptic room surrounded by the worried faces of her friends, Family.

She took a deep breath in, she was sore but it didn’t burn, she was able to breath without a fight. She relaxed into Sam’s touch.

“Jesus christ I never want to do that again.” She chuckled. After a pause of her remembering the earlier events. Everyone laughed.

“Glad to see you’re doing better.” Kirby grabbed the girl’s knee in support.

They continued the night moving onto the next candy flavor they could debate about. After of course Tara added that the blue M&M is the best tasting one. And Sam could not have been more grateful to hear such ridiculous words come out of her mouth. They were okay, Sam prayed to stay like this at least for a few more minutes.

#sam carpenter #tara carpenter #sam and tara #chad meeks martin #mindy meeks martin #kirby reed #scream 6 #fanfic #scream 5