AN:/ If the last chapter didn't convince you I was evil, this one will. If you're confused don't hesitate to review or message me. Have fun!


Running to the Enemy's Arms

Chapter 51: Death is Indiscriminate

by: deadlydaisy8o8

Originally Uploaded: Monday, June 18, 2012, 8:33PM


Sam's POV

You always hear about how seeing death will change a person. It's always talked about in books or movies. The main character will watch someone die and that motivates them to do something spectacular. I guess I believed that stuff, even if I did think it was cliché and overdone. I mean really, if you saw someone die in front of you, wouldn't you be more freaked out and depressed than worrying about how it's going to change your life? I guess it never quite made enough sense to me for me to accept that that was what happens when you watch someone die.


The smell of ozone was thick in the air from disconnected wires. There was a mad cackling from within the Computer Store. Me and Tucker launched ourselves out of my car, already laden with ecto-weapons. Tucker's eyes widened as he recognized the mad cackle. He had a specific beef with this particular Ghost.

"Technus, I'd know that laugh anywhere." I looked briefly to Tucker as he was digging around in his pocket for his PDA. It had always come in handy when defeating this ghost before.


It was starting to make sense though. People all reacted differently to death. Some people did use it to drive them for a greater purpose, but some people shut down and caved in on themselves. Other people just went on, like nothing ever happened. I didn't know how I was going to deal with something like this. I had never really had to deal with death before. Danny hadn't really died in the portal. I hadn't ever really attended any funerals of people who were close to me.


"Tucker, are you sure this is going to work? I know this is what was usually do with Danny, but-"

"Sam, it's not like we have any other choice anyway. It will be fine. All Danny ever did was provide the distraction anyway. We'll be fine without him. We've been doing okay so far, haven't we?" Tucker clicked on his scuffed and abused scooter helmet. Mine was already on. We never went into battles without them anymore. We'd been reminded that Danny wasn't there to put a shield over our heads more than once.


The thing I didn't expect about watching someone die was the crushing guilt I was going to feel. I knew it wasn't my fault. I knew there was nothing I could do, but I still felt responsible. There should have been something that I could have done to prevent it. I had a weapon in my hand; all I had to do was pull the trigger and the big screen TV would have at least been thrown off course.


"Tucker, get out of there as soon as you have the virus uploaded. Without Technus supporting all of the electronics we don't know what is going to come crashing to the floor okay?" Tucker sent me one of those adorable cheeky smiles before he charged forward.

"Just distract him for as long as you can Sam, don't worry about the rest! We got this!" I let out a heavy breath as I watched Tucker disappear around the back of the building. I charged forward, screaming at where I thought Technus was in the store.

"Hey mullet boy! Are you still trying to figure out where the floppy disks are supposed to go? Or were you distracted by the shiny disks again?"


Another thing I didn't expect about watching someone die was the anger. It wasn't a specific anger either, it just made me want to scream and cry and thrash for no reason at all. It wasn't fair! This shouldn't have happened. It had no reason to happen. It didn't accomplish anything. Maybe if the Fentons hadn't suddenly hauled up in their house, refusing to come out, maybe if we knew why the ghosts that were showing up were steadily becoming more and more powerful, we might be able to stop them. But they weren't and we didn't.

It was a senseless murder, a mistake that never should have happened. I walked up the stairs to Tucker's house and knocked on the door. Tucker's mom answered. Her face was solemn; none of the usual matronly love and joy was there. She didn't call me 'sugar' or invite me inside. She simply stepped aside and I walked in.


"Hold still so you may meet your doom at the hands of me, Technus, Master of all Technolo-AAAAH-AH-AH-A" Technus started to scream in a static-y voice that skipped like a CD in a bad CD player. The screens that were hovering around me started to crash to the ground as they went to static and then powered off. The crash of broken glass and cracking plastic started to crescendo. I called out for my partner, still not seeing him emerge from the back room.

"Tucker!" The door to a small room behind the wall of cash registers burst open and Tucker came out, halfway dragging a petrified cashier along with him. Tucker shouted at me over the noise.

"Sam, help me get him out of here! He's going into shock!" The guy, about our age, was gasping and sweating profusely. I didn't give it a second thought as I started to move towards them, ready to help. A spark above them caught my eye. It had come from a TV, an old analog television that was mounted above the doorway and much too large to be reasonable. Its mount was still only barely attached to the wall. I watched the mount tilt just a small amount and the TV start to slide off.

"Tucker, above you!"


I walked into Tucker's room. It was completely dark, besides the "snake pipes" screen saver that was running on Tucker's computer. The glow reflected off of Tucker's face. His glasses especially, were like mirrors in the dark room. I didn't turn on the light and instead I stubbed my toe on something as I made my way over to the bed, which was right next to the computer so that I could sit with him. I watched him stare at the screen for a long minute. When it was clear he wasn't going to acknowledge my presence, I spoke softly.

"Tucker, this isn't your-"

"Don't say that."

"No! You listen to me! This is not your fault any more than it is mine!" I glared angrily at Tucker. He finally spun his chair to look at me. His face was thrown into sharp relief by the computer screen. A seriousness that was never there was amplified by the unusual lighting.

"I could have pulled him away. I should have pulled him away. It should have been me."

"Tucker Benjamin Foley don't you ever say that to me again! Do you know what it is like knowing that could have been you? If you hadn't jumped to the side, if I hadn't said anything, if you had been just a second slower. Don't patronize me with this! If you had… I couldn't…" tears were making their way down my cheeks at a rapid pace. Snot was starting to clog my nose and my breathing was heavy from shouting. I kept up my glare regardless and Tucker looked down, suddenly ashamed. His voice was a whisper.

"I'm sorry Sam. You are right, like always, just please don't cry." He shifted with a practiced movement from his computer chair to the bed. The extra weight causing it to dip to the side, unintentionally tipping me into him. I felt more than saw his arm come and rest on my shoulders. I turned and latched tightly onto him. Crying noisily into his shirt. I gasped through my tears.

"Don't ever leave me Tucker Benjamin Foley. Do you understand? You are never allowed to leave. If you did, I…I don't think I would…" I felt the slow movement of a rough hand on my back. My breath automatically shuddered and came gradually back under control.

"Shhh, I'm not going to go anywhere Sam. I'll be here as long as you want me to be. Okay?" It was silent again but Tucker just continued to rub my back, even though I was back under control and only a few tears still leaked from my eyes.

They say that death changes people, that it changes their outlook on life. Now I finally understood what they said. Now I understood what death does to people. It's not about realizing what you've lost. It's about realizing what you still have to loose. It's about realizing what you have that is important to you and just how fragile life really is. It's about realizing that you only live once, and that if you don't act now, you may never get the chance to.

"We're always going to be there for each other, right Tucker? You'll be there for me and I'll be there for you. Even when we're really old and I'll have to use a scooter like my Grandma Ida. I want you to always be there with me." I felt fingers gently run through my hair. The silence in the room was thick. I felt like I was breathing the same air over and over again as I pressed my face into Tucker's chest but I didn't care. I didn't want to loose him. I didn't want to loose this. I felt Tucker draw in a breath, his hands never pausing.

"Sam."

"Hm?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."