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"What the fuck do you mean is it them?" I freaked, looking at the pogues. They momentarily were frozen, looking at each other until John B turned to JJ. "JJ where is the gun" He frantically asked. "Gun? I, uh, I can't..." JJ stuttered, and breathing felt heavy for me.
"Now you don't have the gun, the one time we need the gun?" Kiara sounded on the verge of tears and her arms went to me. I held onto Kiara's hand and tilted my head back, what else could possibly go wrong today? JJ ran out to the porch, where his gun currently was. But I had a really bad feeling about all of it.
"John Routledge!" A man yelled and I watched as JJ slid and turned around racing back into the office and shutting the door. Kiara's grip on my hand tightened and she was panicking.
The men's yelling was so faint in my head, I was shutting down and even though I was usually good on my feet I was frozen. This was so much more than an adventure and it was scaring me.
"Guys, window. Window." I let out, finally getting a breath in as the boys ran to the window trying to pry it open but it wouldn't budge.
"What... what's happening? Why is it taking so long?" Kiara asked, the glass shattering in the house sounding so distant.
"It's painted shut, okay?" JJ whispered trying not to freak out, Kiara and I moved to try and find something to open it. "Okay, guys. Guys. Here, I got it" Kiara said as I handed her something to use off of the desk.
Again, like the fight, it seemed that things were moving in incredibly slow motion but fast at the same time. It felt like some foggy dream and my eyes focused on John B who stood in front of the door.
The men's yelling was getting louder and it seemed closer, footsteps outside of the door. I moved over to JJ and Kiara, trying to help open the window as Pope ran over to the door.
"Shh..." John B whispered, the steps outside stopping in front of the door as I let out a shaky breath. The door handle jiggled and then someone slammed against it. "You better not be in there!"
The door began rattling as one of the men started to kick at it, JJ and I working faster if it were possible. With the first few kicks, John B and Pope moved out of the way. The door was almost open.
There was a gunshot to the door and the next thing I knew, I was sitting on the grass outside of the office window. The five of us looked at each other, trying to figure out what to do.
"the rooster coop" JJ whispered, and even though it seemed stupid it was the only place we could think to run to in time to hide.
Kiara and I went first, half crawling half crunched over running towards the structure. The boys followed behind, the five of us crammed into the rooster coop. None of us really knew what had just happened.
Kiara sat next to me, both of our shaky breaths in sync. Kiara laid her hand down next to mine and I placed mine on top. The only remote comfort we had at the moment.
One of the problems of hiding in a rooster coop was that roosters were loud, and they did not seem to like people using their coop as a hiding spot.
I watched as John B scooted closer to Kiara and me, the boy sitting next to me. Trying to make as little noise as possible, none if he could.
"Do something, Pope. Shut him up." JJ said pointing at the rooster who was giving up their spot. I brought my free hand to my face, moving it to cup my mouth, in an attempt to hush my shaky breaths.
"What do you want me to do?" Pope asked freaking out. "Pet it or something, or talk to it. I don't know." Kiara sobbed. I held onto her hand tighter and the girl moved closer to me. I pulled my hand from hers and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, trying to comfort her.
"You do something," Pope said looking at JJ. He moved to grab the rooster. He tried to get a hold of it but was only able to push it into the ground. Eventually, his weight snapped the rooster's neck.
The sound of the snapping neck made me wince, and Kiara sob. I tried to hold her closer to quiet her cries. John B placed his hand on my back, something I was appreciative of.
We could hear footsteps outside now, the men had left the house but the footsteps were approaching the rooster coop. The man had stopped and my heart dropped. I wondered if Sam was at home yet, if he could see what was happening.
"Ratter! What the hell are you doin'? Let's go." One of the men yelled, the footsteps leading away from the rooster coop now. And when we finally heard the truck peel away from the house each of us let out our breaths.
We stayed still for a few moments, each of us in shock from what happened. I was trying to process it, my mind reeling.
Once we got out, no one really spoke. We just walked into the house, taking in how much damage had been done. "fuck!" John B let out, flipping one of the half-open drawers and he threw it. The pogues and I took a step back.
We had sat down back on the porch, light conversation flowing between us. We had gotten back onto the topic of Redfield and John B suggested going to the lighthouse.
"Listen, we were almost killed while we sat in a fucking rooster coup because of this cursed compass you have," I said before leaning my head down into my hands.
"I just mean, that maybe you shouldn't get your hopes up too high, it just might be a dead-end treasure hunt," I said before getting up and walking to the van, grabbing my board and walking through the yard toward my house.
"to be fair, I really do hope you find what you're looking for" I shouted as I turned around looking back at them before walking into the house. I could feel the pogues watching my steps.
And I did hope, for the sake of John B's mental state they found what he wanted. I loved adventures and on paper, going to the lighthouse with them to hunt for more clues should be right up my alley but after the morning I had and what had just happened, all I wanted to do was to fall right into bed.
But this was a lie, it was because I was tired and wanted to be in bed. It wasn't because of the day I had. It was because I had only known the pogues for three days. And yet I was finding myself worrying for them, and hurting for them and that couldn't happen.
And even though I had now bonded with them through a damn near-death experience
I wouldn't admit it.
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