THE REDHEAD ☾ jj maybank

19 | boat explosions

A phone starts to ring with an incoming call, the girl proceeding to glance down at her phone to see that it's Topper calling. Sarah quickly mumbles a quick apology to the two girls before walking away to take the phone call, both curious and confused as to what the boy could possibly want. Delilah and Kiara just exchange the same looks at one another, silently communicating through facial expressions.

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Ward Cameron is wanted by the police. On the call, Topper had informed the daughter of the family that the warrant had been signed and police officers are currently after the man to lock him up for his crimes. The group didn't waste any time climbing into the campervan and driving to where Tannyhill is located on the Figure Eight side, spotting several police cars along the way. Sarah just wants a chance to speak to her own father before anything can happen, and the five friends all understand that.

Each frantically climbing out of the campervan, they all sprint across the green lawn to see that the docks are lined with a large group of police officers staring at the pristine white boat floating in the water. Ward is standing upon the boat with tears welling in his blue soulless eyes as he continues to talk to the cops. The teenagers just edge closer so that they're now standing amongst the scene, all of their gazes being shifted towards the adult.

"Dad!" Sarah calls.

"What are you doing here, Sarah?" Ward asks.

"Dad!" Sarah repeats. "What are you doing?"

"Vic, you've got to get her out of here!" Ward tells him. "She can't be here right now!"

"Just come on in." Shoupe demands. "And then you can talk to her yourself."

"Sarah, I'm so sorry, baby. I can't." Ward apologises.

"What are you doing? Dad, no, no!" Sarah protests.

"Ward! This ain't gonna end the way you want it to." Shoupe informs.

Sirens wail loudly and suddenly fill the already tense atmosphere. Police boats speed across the icy waters and travels closer to where the Druthers floats in an attempt to block Ward off from being able to move anywhere else. But all of the officers quickly realise that the man's intention was never to escape, hence why he wants his daughter to be far away from the scene that'll commence.

All of a sudden, an explosion bursts from the bow of the Druthers before spreading across the entirety of the boat. Each of the small flames created combine together to create one ginormous one, erupting like a volcano that's been sitting dormant for years. Thick black smoke fills the air in one giant cloud, a distinct burning smell filling the bystanders noses. Material from the Druthers itself soars through the air as the impact of the explosion causes it to be ripped away from the structure of the boat. But no one puts much thought into it, only paying attention to the fact that Ward was inside of the boat and made it happen.

Everyone stands upon the docks and simply stare at the chaos that has suddenly unfolded before their eyes. Not a single one of them were ever expecting to witness something like that in their whole life, nor did they ever want to. Bodies are frozen in shock as they're completely stunned by what's just happened. A mixture of emotions swirl around in each of the individuals stomachs, hanging high in the smoky air.

Delilah turns her body as she peels her teary green eyes away from the burning boat. She feels sick to her stomach and as though she wants to throw up. This is now the third death that Delilah has now had the misfortune of witnessing — each one slowly rips away at her. JJ wraps his arms around the girl and holds her close to his body, not planning on letting go until she does first. The blond has been there for Ly every time that something traumatic has taken place, and he's picked her back up every single time.

But Sarah Cameron is the person that everyone is supposed to be worried about.

Sobs bubble up from the inside of Sarah's throat and loudly erupt from her mouth. Tears are now starting to stream down the cold skin of her cheeks, creating a salty taste on her tongue. The girl frantically calls out for her dad through the wails of her cries. Body is shaking uncontrollably as gasps of air are heard, struggling to breath as she begins to hyperventilate. Knees weakly give way and only causes her to crash down onto the wooden docks beside the group, but she doesn't seem to care. Arms then wrap around Sarah's body, making her glance up to see Topper.

The teenage girl has unfortunately been a witness to her own fathers death and has to live with that.

Delilah finally manages to push herself out of the comfort of JJ's arms, feeling his warmth around her body instantly disappear. But this feeling is ignored as Del chooses not to be selfish in this moment, just wanting to be there for one of her best friends. The girl rushes over to where the blonde is sobbing upon the wooden docks, lightly pushing Topper away from her and not caring to notice his dirty look. Delilah's arms wrap around Sarah's shaky body, pulling her in for a tight hug that will only provide comfort. Sarah holds onto the redhead tightly as her tears seep into her shoulder, continuing to sob loudly.

"D- Delilah." Sarah breathlessly stammers. "My dad! My dad... He just—"

"Shh, shh." Delilah hushes. "It's okay to cry. But just breathe, okay? I've got you."