RUNNING TOWARDS a the lab room, Phoenix grabbed the keys that hanged near the door. As soon as everyone was in, she slammed it shut and immediately secured the locks on the door, whilst Deena and Sam tried to drag a desk in front of the door to stop them from entering. Like it would help, Phoenix thought. You just banged them into pieces and nothing happened. You're fucked. We're fucked.
"Come on! They're coming!" Deena yelled, urging for Sam to drag the desk faster against the door.
"We're fucked!" Simon yelled angrily, slamming his fists against a desk table. Phoenix let out a loud yell, wanting to do nothing except run back home. It wasn't her, anyway. She could sit this one out, right? She technically wasn't even who Sarah Fier wanted dead.
Neither was Simon. Or Kate. Or Deena. Or Josh.
"No, no! We are not fucked!" Kate responded, looking over at Sam. "She's fucked. They're coming for her. If we out Sam in the hall, we end this now."
"You're a monster," Deena said, walking over to Kate, anger starting to rise up.
Phoenix sighed. Anger is useful only to a certain point. After that, it becomes rage, and rage will make you careless.
Fuck that.
"Kate's being reasonable, Deena!" Phoenix yelled, pulling her own hair out of frustration. Her pale cheeks were flushed, hands shaking, as she continued to yell at her friend. "So many people have died for tonight. For what? Just so we can save one person?"
"We can't run anymore!" Kate chimed in, the same frustration on her face. "A bullet won't stop them, fine. They're really strong. But we just tried to goddamn explode them, and that didn't work!"
"So you two are suggesting killing her?"
"I mean, that's not exactly what they're saying," Josh added.
"Oh, so you're on her side?" Deena accused.
"You'd let us all die to protect her. Look at this," Kate started, taking Josh's bag off of his shoulder with so much brute force. She unzipped the backpack, threw it away, and took out each of the articles. "Okay, all of this. Dead, dead, dead!" She knocked them off of the table, the papers falling onto the floor. "This is the way. It's the only way. Sam's gotta go."
"Are you kidding me?"
"Deena, let's be realistic here." Phoenix whisper-yelled. "Five people die or one person dies? Do you not see this?"
"Kate and Phoenix are right," Sam interrupted, inhaling deeply. "I don't want you guys to die for me. I'm going. I'm ending this."
Phoenix stopped pacing, as if she expected a different answer from Sam.
"No, you're not," Deena said, tears in her eyes are as she walked over to the girl. The girl who was the reason for so many lives lost tonight. "Are you crazy?"
Sam put their foreheads against each other, a small tear dropping out of her eye as she let Deena go.
Phoenix watched, wide eyed, as Kate pulled the door open and locked it immediately once Sam got out of the room. Simon was holding down Deena with all the strength he could muster.
Nixie stared at the door. This is what you wanted, she reminded herself sternly. This is what needs to happen. This is the most logical thing to do.
Deena was still fighting against Simon's grip. "Let me go. Let me go! Let me..."
He kept his grip on her tighter.
She turned to look at Josh. "Help me! Help!"
Josh didn't say a word.
"We're letting her die! We're killing her! Please!"
Phoenix glanced uncomfortably at Deena. She knew that she was at fault, but it was the only option they had left. It was either all of them died, or Sam died on her own.
But she didn't know— it wasn't like she expected for Sam to not agree. Why was she so willing to sacrifice herself in their places?
"This isn't your fault," Kate said, kneeling beside Josh who was sitting on his knees by the discarded articles laid down on the floor.
"Please." Deena sobbed, "please."
Phoenix bit her nails nervously, the screams of pain an anguish coming from her friend digging this huge hole in her heart. She knew that letting go of Sam was the right thing to do, but now that they've done it... why did she suddenly feel so... guilty?
"Phoenix, open the door and grab Sam."
For some reason, even without knowing why, Phoenix immediately bolted and unlocked the blue door, pulling Sam back inside with her hair. It might've hurt, but Phoenix was relieved that she got her on time, because the moment she did, the Camp Nightwing killer swung an axe at the door. Her hands immediately locked the door.
"What... what... what is going on?" Sam asked with a frown.
"You're not doing this alone," Kate answered.
"There's another way," Josh said, looking at them with a paper on his hand. "C. Berman. She's the key."
"Kate, look for her in the phonebook." Phoenix yelled out, suddenly feeling this sense of refreshment course through her. Did she really almost let Sam die? "Simon, we need to barricade the door. Help me with this desk."
"Camp Nightwing. Summer of '78," Sam began to read the article as Simon and Phoenix pushed the desk against the wall, doing their best to stall some more time. "Group of campers, brutal massacre."
There wasn't really anything to utilize in the lab room, but Simon and Nixie grabbed a bunch of chairs and covered the door with it, using their bodies to stop the man with an axe from knocking it out.
"There was one Shadyside survivor," Josh read, "C. Berman."
"The still traumatized girl claims that amidst the carnage, she saw the witch," Sam paused.
"So, if she survived, I'm pretty sure—"
"There may be a way for me to live too."
"I got it!" Kate exclaimed, pointing to a name and address in the phone book. "C. Berman! 9006 Brennan Way. This has got to be her!"
As Deena walked up towards the phone, Kate looked back down at the phone book, "155-4747!"
"Hurry up! Please." Phoenix yelled, body thumping forward when the axe was swung once again. The door was being smashed into pieces, and neither she or Simon could hold it down.
"Kate!" Phoenix yelled, thudding against the door once again. "Help us!"
As Kate ran over towards the door, the killer slammed his axe one last time, causing it to tear a hole in the door.
"This shit isn't gonna hold!" Simon yelled, pulling Phoenix, who was dangerously close to the hole, to his left.
Through the hole, a hand came in and started to pull on Simon's hair. His black hair that Phoenix loved so much.
Not his hair, you bitch.
"Let him go, you fucker!" Phoenix yelled, voice creaking, as she climbed on top of Simon while she grabbing the metal part of the chair, stabbing his hand repeatedly.
Once the hand backed away, she jumped from his lap, whilst Simon got pulled away by Kate.
With only being able to grab the things that were in a close proximity to them, Phoenix grabbed the table, and flew it against the door. Josh was keeping thr chair against it, Simon was pushing the cabinet, but overall, the killer still had the advantage.
"What is it? The fucking rhyme. The fucking rhyme!" Deena yelled.
"She'll take your blood. She'll take your head. She'll follow you until you're dead!" Nixie yelled, before falling down from the force of the axe against the door. "Jesus christ, hurry up!"
The axe continued to pound against the door, and the four of them were yelling uncomfortably. The door was seconds away from being broken open by the axe.
"What are you saying?" Kate yelled from across the room.
"Hurry up!"
Deena ran over towards the window and opened it. "Come on! Jump out!"
Phoenix looked behind her. The window was now wide open, and Sam had already bolted to the stolen ambulance.
"On three!" Phoenix yelled at the rest of her companions, who were struggling to keep their grip tight on the door. "One... two... three!"
At the same time, each one of them let go of the piece of furniture they held against the door, bolting out of the window and into the lawn.
Phoenix feels the sensation of Simon pulling on her arm before spinning. Not thinking twice, she runs twice the speed she was already in.
Phoenix ran down the sidewalk, her feet hitting the concrete hard, sending shockwaves right up to her brain. Her lungs heaved like the air was acidic and every part of her felt like it would break if she didn't stop.
Once she reached the ambulance, she was in need of air to breathe. Her foot slammed on the pedal at the sound of the door crashing shut.
"Let's Timothy this bitch!"
As she drove away, she felt herself struggling to breathe. It's okay. You're alive. You managed this.
"Hey," she called out, voice hoarse. "Any of you got water?"
—-
ok so i know phoenix sounds like a bitch right now but i'm trying to make her character as realistic as possible.. cause ill be honest if i was in that situation id do the same thing as kate