A Sixth Sense
Author's note- this is my spin off of Final Destination. I hope to not copy the movie too much, but alas, the main idea is the same.
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"This is gonna be cool!" Joey exclaimed happily. The guys of Nsync hurried off the bus and ran towards Disney World, flashing their complementary passes as they went through the gates.
"This is the best part of our job," Justin smiled. "We should be professional ride-testers for amusement parks."
"Just as long as it doesn't go too high," Chris said, swallowing the lump of nerves that had risen in his throat.
"Oh please," J.C. teased. "I thought you were over that."
"You don't just 'get over' your phobia," Chris replied, following the others through the near-empty park.
The guys had been chosen by Disney's owners to be the first to ride 'Rush', Disney's newest roller coaster. The guys agreed eagerly and were flown down the next day. The park was closed to the public unless you were lucky enough to win a pass from a radio station. Photographers had already swarmed the amusement park and followed the guys on their walk to the ride. The bright, warm summer sun made perfect conditions for picture taking.
But Chris had doubts. There was a nagging feeling inside him, and it was destroying his insides in attempt to be heard. Any other day Chris Kirkpatrick would be his normal, high energy self, bouncing along beside his friends. But today his brown hair wouldn't stand right, he cut himself while shaving around his goatee, and his stomach was in knots. He walked like a puppy about to get hit, and the others sensed his uneasiness.
"You don't look so good," Lance noted, walking beside Chris.
"Something's not right," Chris replied as they walked by a row of Bleeding Hearts. "I can't explain it."
Lance spared Chris a sympathetic glance then turned his green eyes to the path. "Cheer up," he smiled, talking in his deep, southern voice. "You love near-death experiences."
Chris's stomach tightened at Lance's words, but he ignored it. They finally reached 'Rush'; a towering 200-foot roller coaster that had more loops and turns than a clump of steel wool. They stood in awe, admiring the long metal track as cameras went off around them.
Joey turned and smiled at the others, his anticipation building. His Italian, teddy bear smile eased Chris for a moment. Joey Fatone was so photogenic it was almost impossible for him not to look good, Joey was a hands on person, and the group's 'cheerleader'. Always looking for a good time, Joey was first in line as the guys started towards the ride.
Justin was right behind Joey, smiling excitedly as they walked up the slight hill. The kid had finally cut his hair after constant teasing by the others. Justin's blonde Afro turned out to be less than what he expected anyway and it took attention away from his sparkling blue eyes.
J.C. followed Justin, rambling something Chris might have listened to if he had not been so preoccupied. J.C. was the serious one in the group, but he still liked to have fun with the guys. With his brown hair and blue eyes, he looked fairly normal, but his voice was far from it.
The five guys reached the sheltered waiting area where people would be split into lines. The management was running the car to test it once more, but Nsync would be the first to ride it. The cars screeched to a halt in front of its passengers, then some part of it hissed.
Chris swore he heard the track groan under the car's weight. He grew lightheaded and numb, stumbling back against the rail separating the lines. The metal's groans grew louder, echoing painfully in his head. His stomach tied itself in knots, forcing Chris to his knees.
Lance tried to help his friend while cameras began flashing around them. Chris's surroundings faded, pounding the weak metal sound his head. A cracking sound accompanied it, then a loud crash, forcing Chris to cover his ears.
He felt the other's hands on him but couldn't hear their voices. His head felt ready to explode when it suddenly stopped.
Chris looked up confused and saw the worried faces of his friends around him. The pain in his stomach eased and his normal hearing returned. Unsteadily, Chris picked himself up off the concrete floor, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Joey's question finally broke through Chris's confusion. "Are you okay?"
Chris sighed and nodded, trying to pull himself together. "I don't know what happened," he whispered.
"But you're okay now, right?" Justin asked.
"I think so but-"
"Well let's go then!" Justin exclaimed, stepping towards the waiting roller coaster.
"No!" Chris yelled. When Justin moved to the roller coaster, the awful groaning returned, threatening him. "We can't ride it. It's not safe."
"Chris, relax man, they just ran it and it's fine," Joey said, moving beside Justin.
Black spots danced in front of Chris. "Don't go near it," he pleaded, holding onto the rail again.
Lance studied his friend. "I'm with him," Lance said, stepping back.
"You guys," J.C. started, but ended with a sigh. "Fine, I won't get on either."
The management stepped forward to see what was going on. Seeing Chris, they asked, "Is everything okay?"
Chris eyed them suspiciously. "'There's something wrong with the ride," he said.
The older man laughed. "There is nothing wrong with this ride, I assure you!"
Chris ducked his head as Joey said, "See? There's nothing to worry about."
Joey took another step towards the waiting roller coaster, making the awful groans ricochet in Chris's head again. "Joey, don't," Chris said, stepping back. "Just go with me on this, please."
Joey studied Chris skeptically. At last he sighed and joined Chris and Lance. "Fine. I'll listen to you just this once."
The older man in a suit grew red. "What are you doing? We didn't fly the five of you down here just so you could stand here!"
"We're not standing here," Justin replied. "We're leaving."
The group started back down the path and back into the park. "Get back here!" the man yelled after them. Cameras flashed again and the photographers followed them, asking questions.
"I hope you're right," Justin whispered to Chris as they kept going.
"Thanks for believing in me," Chris replied.
Suddenly a scream sounded behind them, and the guys jumped and spun around to face the direction they had come from. The ride had started moving, and it held three teenage girls in the front row. As the ride approached the front hill, the chain that was pulling it started slipping, jerking the cars. The car started rolling back down the hill after it reached half its intended height. Then the heavy chain snapped, and the cars fell straight back. They screeched back through the loading area, creating a big gust of wind as it rolled freely.
The girls screamed as they rolled backwards with incredible speed. They approached the last hill and made it over the top, momentum carrying it half way up the next hill. But it didn't make it the whole way up, and the car rolled back down the hill forwards. It rushed through the waiting area again, then dropped out of sight with a crash.
The five guys ran to where they had last seen the roller coaster, accompanied by the photographers. The ride's technicians were already there, gathered around the deep trench that held the track. As they reached the hole, they could see where the track had broke, driving the cars about six feet to the ground as they rolled by. Smoke was rising from crash, and the guy's realized the screams had been silenced.
Nsync risked a quick look at the crash and wished they hadn't. A small fire had started at the front of the destroyed cars, and blood was splattered on the sides of the trench. Immediately, the park workers had grabbed fire extinguishers and attempted unsuccessfully to put out the fire. The manager was on the phone with a 911 operator, and the photographers used the rest of their film on the awful scene.
Lance looked to Chris, who stood frozen at the edge of the concrete ledge. Smoke billowed up from the cars, nearly gagging them. Within minutes, fire trucks and ambulances had arrived, pushing Nsync out of the way. As the guys stood off to the side, they remained silent, each of them blaming themselves for what happened.
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Chris stared out the hotel window and watched the rain plummet from the sky, watering the city of Orlando. He had barely spoken a word since the 'accident' a few hours ago. The guys had been returned to their hotel by way of police protection while the fire fighters put out the fire, getting rid of the awful, flesh-burning smell. No one had said a word about Chris's prediction…yet. The owners of the park were busy doing their best to avoid a hefty lawsuit, and the police thought the guys were merely witnesses to the unfortunate accident.
But Chris could sense the fear he had instilled in the others. His major personality change had them weary, and he felt terrible inside. Why hadn't he stayed and prevented anyone from getting on that ride? Instead he acted selfishly and got himself and the others out of danger, forgetting about everyone else. Now three young girls were dead, and it was his fault.
Lance sat down next to Chris, interrupting his thoughts. "Look," he started, "I've known you less than anyone, and I know you aren't responsible for those girls. You acted on a feeling. How could you have known?"
"I did know," Chris replied. "That's why we're sitting here instead of burning with those girls."
"Chris, knock it off man," Joey said from his spot on the couch. "You had nothing to do with it. It was pure chance."
Chris felt tears begin to sting his eyes and turned back to the window. 'Then why do I feel like shit?' he wondered.
Joey saw his friend's hurt action and sighed. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "It's just that this whole thing is a little freaky, you know? But no one is blaming you for it."
"It's okay," Chris replied, his tightened throat raising his voice a little. "I'm glad you guys listened to me."
"Well I for one am going to listen a lot more," Justin smiled.
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Chris sat on the couch, watching an old episode of the Mickey Mouse Club. A strange feeling came over him, but he brushed it off. He'd been feeling strange all day, so what was the difference now?
To get his mind off things, Chris got up and went to the kitchen part of the hotel room. Justin was in the bathroom drying his hair as Chris dug through the leftovers in the refrigerator.
He pulled out a pre-made sandwich and took the wrapper off before setting it on a paper plate. Chris read the name of the company, Autumn Farms. 'Never heard that before,' he thought, shrugging.
Chris could hear Joey and J.C. through the walls as his two friends got in an argument. Chris strained to hear, but only heard a few words.
"…My shirt!"
"No…"
"God, you drive me crazy!"
Chris smiled and headed back to the couch. The Mickey Mouse Club was still on, and it showed a young version of Justin and Britney Spears. The knot in his stomach became more painful, but he figured he was just hungry and began eating the sandwich.
Justin opened the bathroom door and Chris could see the steam billow out. "How can you stand it that hot?" Chris asked.
"I like it hot," Justin smiled. "Your turn."
"Oh thanks," Chris mumbled, getting up. "Now halfway through my shower, the hot water's gonna turn ice cold."
Justin just shrugged his shoulders as he threw his clothes on his bed. When he saw what Chris was watching, he groaned. "Don't watch this crap," he said, changing the channel.
"But you were so cute," Chris teased, going in the bathroom.
Justin rolled his eyes but silently agreed. Then he saw Chris's sandwich and picked it up. After inspecting it, he sat on the couch and ate the rest of it.
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Chris stared at the floor. Shakily, he reached down and picked up the 'Danger, Electrocution' tag Justin had dropped from his hairdryer cord. Something was going to happen; the feeling was too strong to ignore now.
A cold tremor swept through his body as he grew dizzy for a second. 'Oh shit,' he thought. 'Here we go again.'
As he contemplated what to do next, he heard Joey yell through the wall. "That's a bunch of BS J.C.!!"
Chris's knees gave out as a horrible feeling of anxious dread came over him. Someone was going to die. But who? The signs were there, he could feel it. Chris wracked his brain trying to put the pieces together.
He heard Justin knocking on the bathroom door. "Chris? Hurry up, we gotta go in fifteen minutes! Sometimes you are too slow!"
Chris's heart pounded as he sat on the bathroom floor. Sometimes. BS. Mickey Mouse Club. Britney Spears was next.
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Chris looked up and knew he had to call Britney and warn her. He reached up and pulled himself up by holding onto the cold sink. He then knew how she was going to die. The faucet was dripping steadily, and the drops splashed on the metal prongs of Justin's hair dryer plug.
"Justin!" Chris yelled, turning white.
Instantly, Justin opened the door. "What?" he asked.
"Call Britney," Chris whispered, forcing himself to move.
"What's wrong?" Justin asked, following Chris out to the phone.
"We gotta stop Britney," Chris said. "What's her phone number?"
"I don't know, let me find it…"
"Hurry," Chris said, out of breath. He felt like the walls were closing in and time was running out. He could almost feel Britney getting out of the shower and reaching for the hairdryer. A part of him was slipping away with her, and his energy was draining fast.
Chris decided to sit on a chair before he fell on one. Justin returned with the number and handed it to Chris. Chris picked up the phone and clumsily dialed the number. His heart pounded as he listened to the phone ring once. Justin had left to get the others, so Chris was alone when he felt the sudden surge of electricity that slammed him into darkness.
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Justin banged on J.C. and Joey's door with unhidden urgency.
"What?" Joey snapped as he opened the door.
Justin took no offense as he said, "It's happening again."
"What is?" Joey asked.
"Chris says Britney's gonna die."
"Your Britney?"
"Yeah."
Joey called for J.C. then ran next door to Justin and Chris's room. J.C .was right on Joey's heels when they ran to the unconscious Chris.
"Do you smell smoke?" Joey asked, looking around.
Justin watched as J.C. tried to rouse Chris and saw faint wisps of smoke rising from Chris's hair.
"Chris, wake up," J.C. said, smacking Chris around. Getting no result, he turned to Justin. "What happened?"
"I don't know. He just started freaking out and said he had to stop Britney."
"Doesn't look like he did," Joey noted.
Chris slowly opened his eyes and saw the others standing around him. "She didn't make it," he whispered.
"What happened?" J.C. asked.
"She was electrocuted," Chris said, tears welling up in his soft brown eyes. "With her hairdryer."
Justin laughed. "Sorry," he said, quickly sobering.
"So what happened to you?" Joey asked, hitting Chris on the head and causing Chris's hair to crunch.
"I felt it," Chris replied.
"You were electrocuted too?" J.C. asked.
"Yeah, I think so. I feel like it."
"How would you know what it feels like, you done it before?" Joey teased.
Chris glared at him. "It was an accident."
Joey stopped laughing. "Oh."
"Should we call someone?" Justin asked.
"And tell them what? That our friend was electrocuted and so Britney Spears is dead?" J.C. asked skeptically.
"Just wondering," Justin replied.
Chris sighed. "I don't care. They will find out soon enough."
Joey looked Chris in the eyes. "Chris, you better knock it off before you kill one of us."
It was meant to be a joke but fell flat instantly. Chris's eyes dropped to the floor, hiding the tears that were threatening to fall. "Don't you think I want to stop?" he asked. "I hate this. I feel like the angel of death here. I'm scared who's going to be next. And I swear to God if it's one of you, I will do all in my power to protect you."
Joey felt so guilty. "I know you would," he replied softly.
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"Fan mail!" Joey exclaimed as he set the four huge bags on the floor in front of the couch. They had ten minutes to kill before a concert, and they were all in Lance's room because it was the nicest. The TV was on, along with the small TV in the kitchen, which Chris had expertly set up in record time to play with his Play Station on. He and Justin were playing Tomb Raider while the other guys were checking email or watching TV.
It had been an hour since Chris's 'prediction', and there was still no word on Britney. They had tried calling her again but got no answer. Chris tried to get his mind off it because he knew that in his heart she was dead. The other still held a glimmer of false hope as they watched the news.
"Is there anything for me?" Lance asked hopefully.
Joey looked in the bag quickly and said, "Nope."
"Aw. How come I never get any lovin'?" (That one's for you Brandi)
"I was just playin' with ya," Joey said. He dug through the bag and handed a handful of letters to Lance. "Here."
"That's more like it," Lance smiled.
Joey continued going through the first bag and pulled out a few for J.C. and handed them to him. J.C. took them and looked through them until he found an interesting one. He loved the funny looking letters; ones with lots of color that grabbed his attention. It showed him that the person put a lot of time into it and he felt he should at least read it.
Then Joey grabbed Justin's mail and tossed them at him. They twirled all over the place, and only one actually made it to Justin. Justin glared at Joey as he picked it up. "Oh thanks," he said sarcastically. "This one's not even mine, it's Lucky's." Justin handed it to Chris, or rather, set it on Chris's lap since the older Nsyncer was too involved in the game to notice the world around him.
Joey smiled and went back to sorting the rest of the mail. Once he had five stacks each two feet high, he announced, "Well, one down, three to-"
He stopped when he glanced at the TV.
"…And our top story this hour, pop music sensation Britney Spears has been reported dead. Her vocal coach found the teen in her bathroom, and she was apparently electrocuted when she plugged in her wet hairdryer. The accident happened around nine this morning; Britney had been dead an hour by the time her body was discovered."
It took every ounce of strength they had for the guys not to look at Chris in shock. They knew he was watching too and felt terrible enough without having them gawk at him. "It happened," J.C. whispered.
"Told you," Chris replied.
For some reason unknown even to himself, J.C. snapped, "So what? Is this something you're proud of?"
Chris was stunned. And hurt. "No-I…I…never mind," he stuttered, his throat tightening. How could J.C even say something like that? Chris hated the fact that he knew when someone was going to die. It almost made him want to…no, he couldn't think like that. If people killed themselves just because they were going through a rough time, the population would be a lot lower.
J.C. regretted it as soon as he said it. But he wasn't going to apologize. This whole deal was getting under his skin; it was too much too handle. Everything was bothering him today, and he felt like the world was breathing down his neck. He turned back to the TV and changed the channel. He could feel the others looking at him, waiting for his apology. Well they were shit out of luck.
Justin turned to Chris, who had started fumbling with the envelope, trying to open it through blurry, tear-filled eyes. "You okay?" Justin asked.
"Yeah," Chris replied, not daring to look up and reveal his feelings. "Just leave me alone before you die too."
Justin remained silent and turned to glare at J.C. J.C. turned back to the TV in the typical stubborn male way.
Chris had finally gotten the letter open and wiped his eyes in frustration so he could read it. He read the colorful letter to himself.
'Dear Chris,
Hi! You are my favorite member of Nsync, and I just wanted to let you guys know how much I love No Strings Attached. It is your best CD, and way better than the Backstreet Boys. So how's Busta? I have a Pug too, and I love him. I love seeing the pictures you take with Busta; you two are so cute!
Well, I imagine you're busy right now, so I'll let you go and get back to your important Nsync stuff. Bye Bye Bye!
Love,
Ali'
Chris was touched by the letter and it's simpleness. He never ceased to be amazed at the loyalness of the fan. This girl would probably faint if she ever met him in real life, but here she was talking to him like he was a normal person and they were long-time friends.
He was suddenly aware of Justin leaning over his shoulder and reading his mail. Chris turned to Justin, his emotions calmed from reading the letter. "What?" he asked.
"Nothing. How come you get all the normal ones?" Justin asked with a smile.
"Because I'm special," Chris said.
"Right," Justin teased, messing up Chris's hair.
"Don't touch me!" Chris yelled, ducking to get away from Justin.
They were interrupted by a knock on the door. One of the stage crew leaned in and announced, "Four minutes 'till show time! Hurry up!"
The guys sighed as they all got to their feet. Chris sighed. "Maybe we shouldn't do a concert tonight," he said. "I don't want anyone else to die."
"You aren't causing this," Joey said. "You're just sensing it. The only way someone would die is if it was their fate, in which case you can't control that."
"I guess," Chris mumbled, following the others to the door. He looked to J.C., but J.C. just looked at the ground.
"Come on, let's get this concert underway!" Justin said cheerfully.
They all followed him out into the hall, not sure of what the night's events would hold.
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The guys anxiously waited back stage, reading the posters girls were holding up. No matter how many times they preformed, nothing could take away from the excitement of going onstage. Although the butterflies that once flew wildly in their stomachs had calmed, they were still there.
As they waited for their opening group to sing their last song, Chris took a drink, hoping to drown his 'butterflies.' Something was going down tonight, of that he was sure.
"Okay, this is it," J.C. said, crouching down behind the curtains.
"Guys?" Chris said. "Be careful tonight."
The others looked at him sympathetically as the DJ called them out. "We will," Joey mouthed, his voice drowned out by screams.
The guys ran onstage and started 'Space Cowboy'. Flashes went off from a hundred different directions and the screaming increased. Chris was tense throughout the whole dance, and he kept looking up to make sure nothing fell on them. 'That would be the most likely thing to happen,' he thought. He felt cold, like a shadow was constantly over him.
A couple times during the dance he flinched, thinking something was going to fall. The others kept an eye on him, treating him like a guard dog for their lives.
The concert was wearing Chris out. His attention was everywhere at once, plus he had to keep up with the others. He was starting to wish it would just get over with. He was tired of the horrible nagging feeling and the fear of death.
Chris was about to go insane when something finally happened.
Chris didn't have asthma, but he knew this must be what it felt like. His throat tightened and he had to fight for his breath, pulling air into his needy lungs. He stopped dancing and put his hand to his throat, signaling to the others. Chris took his ear peice and mic off as he wheezed for air. He searched the audience for the person that was really having the asthma attack.
The others ran over to Chris, not understanding the problem. "What is it?" Joey asked, his voice echoing through the arena.
Chris fell to his knees, unable to answer. His breaths grew painfully shallow, despite the burning in his lungs. 'Why doesn't she use her inhaler?' he wondered, still searching the audience. Finally he found her, about fifth row back and off to the side. Her friend was screaming and trying to get the attention of a nearby medic.
The audience grew quieter as they tried to figure out what was going on. Chris saw a paramedic approaching him and started pointing to the girl in the audience. His throat felt like it was swelling shut and his energy was draining fast. He kept pointing as he sat on the stage, and finally the medic signaled to his partner, who went for the dying girl.
The girls around the two that were the center of Chris's attention backed away in confusion. The girl's friend cried over her as the medic started tending to her. Chris was barely aware of the other medic that had begun treating him as he watched the scene in front of him. The last thing he saw was the medic desperately trying to perform CPR on the young girl. Then he grew dizzy and things grew black as the stage rushed up to meet his face.
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Chris woke up in the dressing room, breathing normally. The last thing he remembered was seeing the girl dying of an asthma attack right there in front of him. 'Guess that's over with,' he thought sadly.
As he struggled to sit up, Joey saw him. "Look who's up," he smiled.
"It's about time," Justin teased.
"Sorry," Chris relied, giving a fake smile. "What happened?" he asked.
"That's what we should be asking you," J.C. said.
"I don't know. All of a sudden my throat tightened up and I couldn't breathe. I guess it was like an asthma attack. I saw the girl that died," he added.
"She died of an asthma attack," Justin said. "Her inhaler ran out and she didn't have an extra. It was a severe attack and the paramedic couldn't save her."
"What was her name?" Chris asked. That was the only thing he couldn't figure out. He hadn't gotten any clues. Or had he?
"I talked to her friend, Denise," Joey said with a sexual hint in his voice as he raised his eyebrows. Chris rolled his eyes as Joey continued. "The dead girl's name is Ali."
The note. It was the girl that wrote the note. "I can't believe it," Chris whispered. "How much more in my face could that have been?"
"Better open your eyes," J.C. mumbled.
Chris thought about 'his latest victim' while Lance continued, "Well anyway, after you passed out and confused the hell out of the medic, we brought you back here because he couldn't figure out what was wrong with you."
"Of course nothing's wrong with me," Chris said, standing up. "That girl just died, and I only felt her pain."
"That's nice and all," J.C. said, "But are we gonna finish the concert or not?"
Justin, Joey and Lance all shot him cold looks. "I don't think we should," Joey said. "Everyone's too nervous."
"We'll have it tomorrow night," Justin said. "Right now, I say we take advantage of our night off."
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