𝐍𝐎 𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘, 𝐍𝐎 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄 - kiara carrera²

𝒙𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒊𝒊. 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚

"TATUM!"

Seven horrified screams tore through the air, echoed to the other side of the world.

Kiara Carrera collapsed down to her knees, catching her girlfriend before he hit head head, doing anything, everything, she could do to stop the blood. But there was so much of it.

She looked up to face the boys in front of her.

JJ, hands shaking, tears streaming down his face.

TJ, screaming like the baby he was, in the arms of Sarah Cameron.

Pope, mouth open, frozen into his space.

John B, sobbing, chewing hard on his cheeks.

Shoupe, horrified, staring at all the dead bodies on the scene.

Cameron, calm and steady, golden pistol shinning in his hand.

"I'm going to kill -"

The sheriff shook his head before JJ could go on with the threat, taking the handcuffs out of his belt and arresting Cameron, who just stood their in silence and allowed him too.

"Why would you do that?!" Kiara screamed louder than she ever had before, holding Tatum as close to her chest as she could. "She trusted you!"

Cameron stared at her blankly, mirroring the same face his twin sister did only a few months ago, after she stabbed her first victim. "I made a deal," he revealed, and turned to the blonde girl, "with your dad. If I kill Tatum, he kills my mom." He smiled proudly and looked down at the girl he shot, her eyes wide open, hurt, betrayed. "Truth is, I started to like you, so I shot Carla instead." He shrugged. "That didn't work. Thank God you went on a rampage here so I don't feel bad about it. I don't regret it, Tatum. You're a monster; you deserve your place in hell."

"That's it -"

Cameron was thrown in the back of the cop car by Shoupe before JJ could make his move. "I'll be back in ten," the sheriff said sorrily, eyes trailing past all his fallen friends, reminding him of Peterkin all over again. He didn't get to say goodbye to her. "I'd recommend being gone before I get here, but feel free to give some last words."

John B shook his head. "No...no, she's not going to die," he told the man surely, voice shaking with shivering tears. "She never does."

"Nobody's immortal, John B," said Shoupe, and he was gone, along with the true monster.

Everything was quiet for a moment. The pouges were left alone with their silent tears. No, she wasn't - surely not.

A desperate gasp for ear came out of Tatum's throat, and now everyone was at her side, surrounding her.

"I just want you all to know..." she croaked, slowly losing her breath, slowly losing her battle to the blood that clogged up her insides. The pouges nodded, pleading for her to go on, for her to get up and stand strong like she always did. She always bounced back. Always. There was no way she could die now. "...I love you, and I'm grateful for everything."

Tears clouding their eyes, the pouges all gulped, not ready to lose the one person they always needed. They could never accomplish anything without her. They all relied on her in some way.

Sarah held TJ close to her chest, tears falling freely down her face, at the sight of this girl, the girl who she really thought was undefeatable, the girl she had the funniest relationship with, the girl who never failed to make her comfortable no matter the circumstances.

John B bowed his head down as he could not watch this. He couldn't watch her die. It was wrong. This was Tatum! Tatum didn't die. Never. She escaped death so many times that he didn't think it was possible anymore. He couldn't do it...he couldn't cope with her loss. He couldn't accept it.

Pope stared at her, eyes burning as the tears slid down, frozen and crouched by her side. They were siblings. Officially. He loved her. His whole family loved her. He needed her. Who was he supposed to lecture if she was gone? Who was supposed to bully him when she was gone? Who was supposed to stand up to his real bullies when she was gone? This death - her death - would be their family's breaking point. He couldn't lose her, not until they were old and wrinkly, and were babysitting each other's kids at Granddad's house for Thanksgiving.

JJ held her hand tightly, unable to hold back the sobs shaking against his chest. She was the only true family he had left. The only person that gave him light in the awful childhood he grew up with. His first ever friend. His sister.

Kiara pressed another kiss to her cheek, repeating the word 'no' over and over again with loud sobs and shaking hands, throwing herself into the pool of her girlfriend's blood. She had never felt such a love to anyone before. How Tatum drove her crazy all the time but she craved her so much. How every kiss they shared lit up her day. How every smile from the girl - her girl - would make all her problems run away. She couldn't lose her. Not again.

"You're the best friends I've ever had..." she went on, face wet with tears and blood, looking along the circle of all her favourite people. "...You're my family..." She coughed, blood flying out of her mouth, chest rising up and down with pauses and gaps.

"Will you do one thing for me?"

Eyes tired from all the tears falling, the pouges all nodded.

"Anything," said Kiara softly.

She nodded, a light smile on her deathly grave face. "Watch over TJ for me...make sure you all stay close to him...make sure he knows I loved him more than anything in the world."

"He already knows," Sarah assured her with a nod, holding her baby to her chest, not letting him see his sister like this.

Tatum nodded, telling Sarah she was doing the right thing by protecting her brother from the scene. "Never let him forget."

"We won't," said John B. "He's our legacy, he'll grow up hearing all about you."

JJ shook his head, unable to believe that his friends were accepting this. Accepting her death. "No, no," he sobbed. "Stay." His voice croaked and cracked. "Please."

Tatum took a moment to look at him, appreciate him in a way she never had before. "Thank you for being the only person to never stop believing in me," she said for the first time ever. Everyone had let her down at some point in her life, everyone almost gave up on her at some point, but not JJ. Never JJ. "You're going to do so much good in this world, J. You're the best thing to come out of my childhood, and....and I was so lucky to meet you."

The boy cried out loudly and shook his head again, falling into Pope's shoulder, who was still frozen into his place, unable to say anything, unable to say goodbye.

The last few moments of Tatum Quinn-Heyward's life were surrounded by her best friends, her chosen family, and she wasn't sure if she would've wanted it any different.

"I love you..." Kiara sobbed, staring into her girlfriend's eyes as they fell dead. "...I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Kie. I always have," she said, and turned her head, feeling her whole body turn numb as the pain ended. She planted one last kiss to her girlfriend's neck and fell limp into her arms.