SAM YANKS TATUM TOWARDS THE LADDER, AND TATUM FOLLOWS HER WITHOUT THINKING. She can feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins as she climbs, one hand gripping the rungs, the other holding onto her injured thigh. She senses the weight of Ethan's stare on her back as they run.
Tara is already ahead of them, climbing steadily towards the second floor.
The ladder is old and rickety, every step causing it to shake and groan. Tatum can feel her heart pounding in her chest as she climbs, her eyes fixed on the exit door above her head, her movements quick and sure.
As they climb, Tatum can hear the faint sounds of chaos below them. Shouting, gunfire, and the unmistakable sound of Ethan's voice. She can feel Sam's body tense beside her, and she knows that they're running out of time.
The pathway to the second floor is so obstructed that they have to climb in between objects. They squeeze their way through, trying not to lose their balance. One slip, and they'll fall back to the first floor. Tatum's leg aches from the stab wound, making it even harder to keep going.
Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot echoes through the theater. Tatum flinches, and in that moment, she loses her grip on the railing. She slips, her legs dangling over the edge of the ladder. Panic sets in as she struggles to hold on, her hands slipping on the sweaty, bloody metal.
Ethan's voice breaks through her panic. "Hold on, Tatum!" he yells, his eyes locked on hers. He tries to jump his father, but Wayne is quicker and points the gun at Ethan's chest, stopping him in his tracks.
Tatum can see the fear in Ethan's eyes, and she wants to reach out to him, to hold him close and never let go. But she knows that she can't. She clings to the railing, her fingers numb with cold and fear. Tara reaches out to grab her hand, but their skin is slick with blood and sweat, and they can't get a grip.
Tatum can feel herself slipping, her heart racing as she fights to keep her hold on. She can't afford to fall, not now. Not when she's so close to escaping.
They'll make it out of this, she tells herself. They have to.
Promise me you'll do whatever it takes to survive.
I promise.
Sam's arms are straining as she tries to hold onto Tatum, sweat pouring down her face as she struggles to keep her grip. Tara is in a similar position, her eyes wide with fear as she grips onto Tatum's other hand.
Quinn's eyes are fixed hungrily on Tatum's dangling foot, the knife held aloft. She's waiting for the moment when Tatum loses her grip and falls into her waiting arms. Tatum can feel the sharp edge of the knife as it cuts into her skin, drawing a fresh wave of pain.
Ethan shouts at Quinn to leave Tatum alone, but his pleas fall on deaf ears. Wayne, gun pointed at Ethan, interrupts the chaos. Tatum watches in horror as Ethan starts to move towards Quinn, and Wayne readies himself to shoot.
Wayne glares at Ethan with disgust and anger, his finger hovering over the trigger of the gun he's holding. "You've always been a disappointment to me, Ethan," he snarls. "I knew you weren't good enough to be Ghostface. You came out weak from your mother's womb."
Ethan's face contorts with hurt and rage. "I'm not weak!" he protests.
Wayne chuckles, shaking his head. "Richie was always smarter than you. You think he would have screwed everything up for Samantha? Never, never. And then you do it for one who's not even half as interesting."
Tatum can feel the tension building between the two, and she tries to catch Ethan's eye. She wants to tell him to stop, to not provoke his father any further, but she can't find the words.
Ethan's voice rises, his anger getting the best of him. "You don't know anything, dipshit."
The room falls silent as Wayne raises the gun, pointing it directly at Ethan's chest. Tatum's heart pounds in her chest as she watches the standoff.
Wayne's expression darkens, and Tatum can see the glint of madness in his eyes. "And you're no Kirsch. You're an irrelevant little try hard, and I won't even waste my precious time shooting your brains out."
The world around Tatum is a blur of chaos and terror. It must be fucked up that she's getting used to it.
"Take care of your brother, darling. I got bigger fish," Wayne says to Quinn, handing her the gun.
Quinn grins, relishing the opportunity to do her father's bidding. She abandons her post trying to catch Tatum and instead points the gun at Ethan. Tatum's heart sinks as she realizes that they are all alone in this fight. She feels powerless and trapped, dangling precariously in the air with only Sam and Tara to keep her from falling.
Suddenly, a gunshot rings out, and Ethan cries out in agony. Tatum's eyes widen in terror as Quinn taunts her younger brother.
"I'm going to off you, little bro, and then I'm going to grab your little girlfriend by the hair and stab her, slowly, but again and again and again until my knife breaks and she's begging me to take her out of her misery."
Tatum can feel her blood run cold as Quinn's words sink in. She looks up at Sam and Tara, tears streaming down her face. Wayne is climbing up the stairs, coming for them.
"I'm going to let go now, and you two take care of Bailey or whatever the fuck his name is, and I'll deal with my mess. Then, we'll make it out of here. OK?" Tatum says, her voice shaking with fear.
Sam and Tara nod hesitantly, looking down at Tatum with concern etched on their faces. Tatum takes a deep breath, and with a sense of finality, she lets go of their hands and falls to the ground below.
She lands with a thud, pain shooting through her body as she hits the hard ground. But she knows that she has to keep going, has to find a way to save Ethan before it's too late. With a grim determination, she picks herself up off the ground and starts running towards Quinn
Tatum is hurt. She's pretty sure she broke a couple of ribs during the fall, and she feels the pain every time she breathes. She tries to take deep breaths to calm herself down, but it only makes the pain worse. Her thigh and foot are bleeding profusely, and she knows that if she doesn't get help soon, she'll bleed out. But she can't focus on that right now. Adrenaline is pumping through her veins and she needs to save Ethan.
Quinn has her gun pointed at Ethan's head, and Tatum knows that she has to act fast. She jumps on Quinn's back, hoping to knock her down and disarm her. But even as Ethan was rising up to his feet to aid Tatum in her attack, Quinn still manages to shoot Ethan on his other shoulder, the strength of the shot sending him to the ground, where he hits his head hard on the floor and seems to pass out.
Tatum knows she's on her own now. Sam and Tara are upstairs, fighting off Bailey, and Ethan is out cold. It's just her and Quinn.
The gun was thrown away from them somewhere on the floor, and they scramble to grab it. Each one pushes the other, hits, slaps, kicks, it's messy and dirty. Tatum can feel the pain in her body, and she can barely stand. Quinn presses hard on Tatum's stab wound on her thigh, and she feels like she might pass out from the pain. She's dizzy and wants to throw up from how much it hurts, and in that split second, Quinn gets the upper hand.
Quinn gets on top of Tatum and starts hitting her, putting pressure on her wounds and taunting her. "You're nothing, Tatum," Quinn hisses. "You're weak, just like my pathetic brother."
Tatum grits her teeth and tries to fight back, but she can barely move. She can feel her consciousness slipping away. She thinks of Ethan, of how he tried to protect her, and of how she can't let him down. She can't let Quinn win.
Tatum grits her teeth and tries to push Quinn off, but Quinn is too strong. She hits Tatum again, making her see stars.
"You're going to die down here, Tatum," Quinn says, leaning in close to Tatum's face. "And no one is going to save you. Not Ethan, not Sam, not Tara. They're all going to leave you here to rot."
Tatum's vision starts to blur as Quinn's grip tightens around her neck, cutting off her oxygen supply. Panic sets in as she realizes she might not make it out of this alive. Her body convulses, fighting for breath, but Quinn's hold only tightens.
Quinn's eyes are filled with malice and hatred, her lips twisted into a cruel smirk. Tatum can feel her life slipping away, and she wonders if anyone will even remember her when she's gone. Will her mother be proud of her for fighting until the very end? Or will she live in regret about not being there to protect her?
She can see her dad, his arm holding out for her, welcoming. She can see her friends, her family, all waiting for her to join them. And then, she can see the pocket knife. The one Ethan had given her back when she was on a mission to save her mom. The same pocket knife that he said he didn't want back, that she kept, that she had with her right now.
She reaches for her back pocket and feels the cool metal of the knife. With all the strength she can muster, Tatum plunges the knife into Quinn's hand, causing the girl to release her grip. Tatum gasps for air, grateful for the reprieve.
Two, when you have the chance, you can't hesitate, you can't have mercy, you go for the kill, got it?
With a fierce determination, Tatum lunges at Quinn, knocking her to the ground. She straddles the girl's chest, knife in hand, and begins to repeatedly stab her, one blow after another.
The sound of flesh hitting metal fills the air, mixed with the grunts and gasps of the two girls. Tatum doesn't stop until she's sure that Quinn is dead. She takes out all her frustration, anger, and fear on the girl's lifeless body.
In that moment, nothing else exists except for Tatum and the knife. She feels the adrenaline pumping through her veins, and it's like she's in a trance.
When it's over, Tatum collapses on top of Quinn's body, sobbing. She's exhausted, physically and emotionally.She feels like she's been through a war, and she's not sure if she's going to make it out alive.
Blood splatters all over Tatum's face and clothes, and she feels like she's lost a part of herself in the process. But she's alive, and that's all that matters right now. She takes a deep breath, feeling the sharp pain in her chest and thigh, and looks around for Ethan.
He's lying on the ground, unconscious and bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds. Tatum crawls towards him, tears streaming down her face, and cradles his head in her lap.
She knows that they need to get out of there before Wayne comes back, but she can't bring herself to leave Ethan behind.
"Come on, E.T. Wake up," she whispers, shaking him gently. "It's me, it's Riley, we have to go." But he doesn't respond, and Tatum can feel the weight of despair settling in her heart.
She checks his pulse the way her father had taught her. He's still alive, but barely. She tries to lift him, but her injuries make it difficult. She can hear Sam and Tara fighting off Bailey on the second floor, and she knows they need to leave now.
Tatum looks down at the knife in her hand, still covered in Quinn's blood. She wipes it off on her shirt, then slides it back into her pocket.
Just in case.