Chapter 10: Alternate Ending: Guardian Angel

'You will not be able to stop what you put into motion.' That was what Peter's fortune cookie said. He knew as soon as he opened it that it was a warning of some sort. He just didn't know that within the next few days, he would lose some good friends, as well as his best friend. That was four long months ago. Only Ethan as well as himself survived. Now he sat in the Starbucks near his house. This was the very same place that he and Emma used to always get together. But now, it was just him and her diary.

He found it a day after her funeral. Her aunt and uncle knew that he was her best friend, so they let him take some things to remember her by. Inside he found out things that he never knew she felt. She had written about how much she missed her mother, how much she hid her sadness, and sometimes just how alone she felt.

Peter felt awful. In all the time when he was sick and suicidal, she had been there for him no matter what. Somewhere along the line, he lost touch with her feelings. He became selfish, always thinking about his problems more than anything. If there was anything that he wanted right now, it would be one thing. His greatest regret was taking their friendship for granted. He wished he could've been there more for her. But it was too late.

Peter's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock on the window next to him. It was Ethan. Coming from the parking behind him came Peter's good friend and co-worker Kim Quy, as well as Erica Bivona who was his ex-girlfriend.

Smirking at the goofy faces Ethan was making through the glass, Peter stuffed Emma's diary into his schoolbag that was hanging on the back of his chair.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy dude!", said Ethan as he came in.

"Yoooooooo E'! Hahaha. What's up you guys?" Peter stood up and did a 'bro hug' with Ethan before giving Kim and Erica a kiss on the cheek. The group sat down at the table and exhaled loudly with relief.

"Finals are done!", the four of them yelled in unison. Their laughter made everyone inside the Starbucks look over at them. But while they all looked happy, they were all thinking the same thing.

"So Peter. I have something for you.", said Kim with a smile. Kim was Vietnamese with black shoulder-length hair. She was an eternal optimist and lately, she had been helping everybody cope with the tragic events that took place just months before.

"Really? What is it?" Peter wondered what his friend was talking about.

"Patience. I have it right here." She reached into her bag and pulled out a small book. "This is a really good motivational book. Sometimes when I feel down, I take it and flip it open to a random page. Almost every time, it says something that I can relate to. Who knows, maybe it can tell you what's in store for your future." Kim handed him the book and smiled.

"Well, fortunes really aren't for me anymore but thank you Kim. It sounds nice." As soon as Peter finished his statement, somebody came in; a heavy breeze coming inside and turning the pages of the book that Kim had just given to him. The book sat still once the door closed. As the girls fixed their hair, Peter noticed that the open page in front of him was blank. It was as if he had no future and the book was showing him. Or was it Death…?

The feeling from that night at the club came back. Looking up, he noticed that Ethan had seen it too. Showing no sign of fear, Ethan reached across the table and closed the book.

"Well Petey boy, I'm gonna go get a latte. You want another?", he said.

"No thanks, I think I've had enough caffeine for one day. You guys should get something."

Kim stood up, looking towards the menu. "I think I will. Erica are you getting something too?"

"Uh, no. I'm just gonna wait here for you guys.", Erica replied. She looked at Peter as she said that, and Ethan got the idea.

"Okay. We'll leave you to it.", he said.

As soon as Kim and Ethan walked away, Erica cleared her throat. Before she could say anything, Peter reached forward and grabbed her right hand. Erica's eyes went wide with shock.

"I'm sorry.", he said.

"For…what?"

"I wasn't there for you like I should've been."

Erica gripped his hand tighter before replying, "It's okay. If anything, you needed me more."

"No Erica. I made this same mistake with Emma and now it's too late for me to fix things with her. I don't want you and me turning out the same."

"Peter…I have no regrets. Certainly no grudges. You don't have to worry. Maybe we can find our way back to each other."

"Can we?"

The two said nothing else. Their eyes did all the talking for them. Peter wanted to lean in and kiss her, but he held back. Unknowingly to him, Erica was doing the same. Any possible attempts were cut off when Kim and Ethan came back to the table. Peter and Erica quickly let go of each other's hands and acted as if nothing had happened.

"I can't believe summer is finally here!", said Kim with an enthusiastic smile.

"It's been a long year." As Ethan said that, he looked to Peter. It had been a long and hard year for everyone, but especially for the two young men. They knew that they could use a break.

"So what are you guys doing for summer vacation? Anything cool?", asked Ethan.

"Not sure yet. For now, I just need to chill out. School's been crazy.", replied Erica.

"Who knows, maybe we can all take a road trip or something." After Kim put her suggestion out there, Ethan and Erica agreed.

"Yeah it could be fun. Let me know where you guys wanna go. I'm in.", said Peter. In his mind, he wanted to go far away. Someplace where he could forget about all the crazy events this past year. Trailing off into his own thoughts, he realized that it was starting to get dark outside. It was about that time for him to go. He had someplace to be.

"Alright you guys, I'd better head out."

"Going home so soon? Why not stay around and celebrate?", asked Kim.

"There'll be plenty of time for that. I'm gonna go visit Emma."

Everybody went quiet upon hearing Peter's statement. Even though Emma had been dead for awhile now, Peter never stopped visiting her grave. They all understood this, so they left him alone about it. Kim got up and gave him a hug before saying bye to him. She was going with Erica to a party in a bit. Ethan figured he'd join them.

Gathering their belongings, the four friends left the Starbucks and headed to their cars. Kim got in her car and started it but Erica told her to wait for a minute. She had something to say to Peter. As he sat in his car and put the key in the ignition, Erica came over and leaned through the driver's side window, giving him a warm kiss on the cheek. It startled him at first but once he realized what she was doing, he felt at ease.

"Call me later?", Erica asked once she finished her kiss. Blushing, Peter nodded with a smile. For once, it felt like the feelings they had for each other were starting to return. He liked it. Once Erica got in the passenger seat of Kim's car and drove off, Ethan came over to Peter with a smile on his face.

"So it looks like the two of you will be upgraded back up to relationship status. How's it feel, Pete?"

"Honestly? Really good. Hey, aren't you going with them to the party?"

"Yeah, I know where it's at. Told them I'd meet up with them there." With that, Ethan came over to the passenger side and got in.

"Listen," he started, "I know you're still worried about the fortune cookie, but hear me out. It's been months and you've been safe. I think what it meant was that you wouldn't be able to save everybody. Maybe by you changing the way things were supposed to happen, you changed your own fate. Think about it. You were the only one who had the vision, the only one who really saw the signs. I think you intervened yourself and now you're not on the list anymore."

It was a lot for Peter to digest but in some way, Ethan made some sense. However, he had seen a variety of subliminal messages in those fortune cookies and he was convinced that his fortune was telling him that he would somehow cause his own death.

'You will not be able to stop what you put into motion.'

That's what he felt his message alluded to. Since then, he'd been very careful as to what he did. He always took the stove off when he wasn't using it, he always checked for gas leaks and water spills, he bundled up when it was cold, he did everything possible to avoid accidents. So far, it had done him well. He didn't want to bother Ethan with this information. He figured he'd just keep staying cautious and everything would be fine.

"You have a good point Ethan. But don't worry, I'll be fine. If I could survive all the things we went through, I could survive anything. Tell you what, text my phone where this party is gonna be at and I'll swing by later on."

"Now we're talkin'! So bro, I'll be seeing you in a few. Take it easy man.", Ethan said as he got out of Peter's car and headed to his own. The two friends waved each other off as Peter pulled out of the parking lot. In a minute, he was off and headed towards the cemetery.

The car was quiet. Normally, Emma would be with him and they'd be driving to have all kinds of weird adventures and thrills. But now it was only him. Being unable to deal with the silence any longer, he switched on the radio.

'Why does my heart go on beating? Why do these eyes of mine cry? Don't they know it's the end of the world, it ended when you said goodbye.' The End of the World by Skeeter Davis played on the classics station with its sad and emotional lyrics, ironically just as Peter was thinking about Emma. With watery eyes, he switched off the radio, decided to stick with silence.

The sound of his breathing was the only one audible. Looking ahead, he saw that he was driving down the same street where Drew was killed months ago. Even though the road was clear and the grass was green, he could still see a wrecked car with bloody snow all around it. Pushing the unpleasant memory away, he was surprised when he looked to his left a minute later.

It was the lake that Cassandra died at. Up the hill was the delivery building that she worked in. The abandoned factory stood next to it. Peter noticed an old wind mill spinning slowly with the wind. Instantly, he was reminded of the high-powered fan that had caused Frederick's death. The graphic images of the deaths he witnessed flashed through his mind. It was disgusting and horribly terrifying.

It had gotten fairly dark by the time he reached the cemetery. Nobody was supposed to be in the graveyard once it was dark. The side entrance was open, the gate swinging almost like he was being welcomed by someone…or something.

'I'll make this quick.', he thought as he pulled over on the side of the road. Nobody was ever supposed to park here, especially at night. With only a few working street lights, drivers probably couldn't see as well as they would during the day. Taking the key out of the ignition, Peter opened his door and got out, taking an item from the back seat with him. A street light buzzed to life behind his car, startling him slightly. It seemed to be the only one working in his immediate vicinity.

Letting out a deep breath, he took a step forward. As soon as he put his foot down on the ground, he felt something solid get kicked forward. It sounded like a glass container or something. Looking down, he found a brown glass beer bottle. It made him angry the fact that it was so close to his tire. With a muttered curse word, he kicked it away from his car.

"Inconsiderate bitches. That shit could've popped my damn tires." With a roll of his eyes, he proceeded forward to the gate. Peter noticed that he felt suddenly uncomfortable once he stood before the gate. It was black with spikes on top, just like the one around Tobias' house. The very same one that Tobias had been impaled on. He took a step back, trying to calm himself when suddenly, he heard a car horn beeping at him. He jumped forward just in time to avoid a white van speeding down the street. Emma's tragic death came to mind once he realized what had almost happened.

Finally, he mustered up enough courage to go inside the cemetery. Emma's grave wasn't that far from the gate. Though he stood in a cold, dark place of death, Peter felt comforted by the sight of Emma's tombstone. Her name seemed to calm him down. It was almost as if he could feel her presence with him; he could almost smell her perfume. Out of nowhere, emotions poured out from him once he knelt down in front of her grave.

"Emma…I miss you. I wish you were still here with me now…I'm sorry, 'M. I couldn't protect you." He sat in silence for a minute as tears fell from his eyes. He decided to change the mood, wiping the tears away.

"While on the subject of apologies, I read your diary. I hope you're not mad at me. I did find something though. I read about how your mother used to buy you this flower. You wrote that it was your favorite." As he spoke, he pulled a small bouquet of flowers from behind his back.

"Here.", he said; resting them in front of her grave, "Aristea macrocarpa. I think that's how it's pronounced. I looked them up on the internet. It said something about people using them to help fill in empty voids in their heart, helping them cope with the loss of a loved one. Now I could be wrong, heheh, so don't quote me on that. Either way…I hope these help fill in those empty voids."

As he finished talking, white moonlight shined down upon him. In that moment, it was almost as if he could feel Emma's approval. He smiled, looking up to the sky. The silence was cut off by the sound of a truck driving him down the opposite side of the street. He looked over to see the word, 'Gasoline' in bold letters written on the tank attached to the truck.

An uneasy feeling rushed over him. Suddenly, the sound of a tire popping was heard.

"Damn it!", yelled Peter. He realized that he must've kicked that empty beer bottle into the street a little while ago. Sheer horror hit him once he saw the truck swerve to the opposite side of the road and smash into his car before tipping over. The truck fell to its side alone with the gasoline tank attached to it. The tank landed on the fence, just as Tobias did months ago, and spilled out waves of gasoline.

Peter's car slammed into the street light behind it, making it collapse to the ground. Almost as if in slow motion, the street light hit the ground and shattered, creating a spark that lit the gasoline. An orange burst followed, accompanied by another and then another. Both his car as well as the truck and tank exploded loudly, sending pieces of hot glass and debris flying into Peter's body and face. He could feel the flesh on his face being torn apart viciously, his right ear lobe getting sliced off before the force of the explosions sent him flying backwards through a tombstone with a snapping sound.

The impact of soft flesh and bone through the hard marble of the tombstone took the air straight out of Peter's body as well as tore it apart. After a moment of silence, Peter gasped in pain. Everything hit him at once. He could feel severe burns and cuts all over him. His lips were shredded into several dangling pieces and a shard of glass sat lodged in his left eye. He knew that his spine was broken once he tried to move and failed to do so. Jagged pieces of the shattered tombstone cut across his back; blood spilling out of him like water out of a faucet. A gash along his entire right side revealed his ribcage. The only sound filling the air was that of the flames claiming their territory.

Unable to move or even call for help, Peter let out a quiet whimper. However, even that small sound was cut off when his own blood began to fill his lungs and trickle down the corners of his mouth. His life was slipping away, pain being the only thing he felt. It was then he realized that Death was indeed waiting for him to set his own demise into motion so that It could take advantage of the situation and finish him off.

Looking over, he saw that he had crashed through the tombstone right next to Emma's. He was going to die right next to his best friend. Just as his veins were practically milked of all life force, the same white moonlight from before shined down upon him. He wasn't sure if he was hallucinating, but again he could feel Emma's presence. The light began to get brighter and brighter. A shadowy figure stepped forth. His vision adjusted to see his best friend, Emma Johnson, adorned in a white dress. It flowed in the wind along with her hair. Peter tried to reach her; he had to know that she was really there.

Emma's face looked sad. It hurt her deeply to see her friend in such a broken, helpless condition. Seeing that he had no energy to reach her, she smiled softly and grabbed hold of his hand. Once Peter felt her hand, he smiled mentally. She was there, watching over him all this time. Who better to have as a guardian angel.

His last breath escaped his body as Emma began to ascend with his soul. Even though Death had won, It wouldn't be able to cheat him out of happiness any longer. Now, he could finally rest in peace.

Author's note: Well that's it! Man this story took me forever to put together. Just some small things, I chose actors to represent my characters: Peter Colon, Jr. would be portrayed be Ricky Ullman. Emma Johnson by Enuka Okuma. Ethan Summers (my friend edrew's character) by Chad Michael Murray. Lois Kou by Brenda Song. Tobias Rabe by Erik Knudsen. Drew Grenier by Alan Ritchson. Joe Iacobetz by James Van Der Beek. Cassandra Atherton by Spencer Locke. Frederick Aalders by Tyron Leitso. Kim by Kea Wong, and Erica by Jewel Staite. Thank you so much for supporting my first finished story in over 2 years. See you in the sequel (maybe:P)!