𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐁𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐍 ᯓ outer banks

chapter seventy-seven

"Exactly."

"We wait till we get there, they'll trap us," Pope says.

"We have no chance," Brooklyn intervenes.

"No, Brooke, there's something else," John B pauses and looks over at Brooklyn to read her face expression when he says, "Ward's alive. He's alive, and he's on this boat."

"What?" She says a little too loudly.

"Yeah."

"You gotta be kidding me."

"Are you serious?"

"It was all a setup, blowing up the boat, the confession to Shoupe. Think about it. That was to clear Rafe's name," John B says quietly. "And he does what? Goes to the Druthers. And what's on the Druthers?"

"Scuba."

"Bingo."

"So, Ward's alive, huh?" JJ scoffs, finding it just as ridiculous as everyone else. "And he has the gold and the cross and Sarah."

"Thanks for rubbing that in," Kiara says.

"So he's just gonna get away with everything again, huh? Not happening," the boy says as if he could actually do something without being killed. "We're not watching this movie again, right, Pope? You said we need the win. And with her," JJ points over to Cleo. "we're going to the bridge, and we're gonna take it right now. You with me?"

"Let's do it."

"I'm with you, and I wanna be the one to take that bridge," Pope says.

"That's what I'm talking about."

Cleo begins to chuckle from behind them. "He's gonna take the bridge?" She points over to Pope. "He couldn't even take me," she says.

Brooklyn stifles a laugh from behind the boy. "First of all, I was going easy on you."

"Seriously?"

"I went easy on you," Cleo says.

"I love her," Brooklyn whispers to Kiara.

"Shut up—"

"Relax, all of you," John B cuts them off from going at each other in another fight once again.

"If you're really with us, if we use that knife, we can go up into the bridge, hold it up against the captain's neck, then we go on the intercom and make him tell the rest of the crew to meet up in the forward hull. Once they're in the same place, bam, we lock them in there, and we take back what's ous," JJ says and honestly, it sounded like a solid well working plan.

"I like it. It could work."

"Are you with us, then?" JJ asked Cleo.

"No," she simply replies. "This is stupid," she tells John B.

"All right, let's open these things up!" someone from outside yells, banging a hand on the canister.

"They're checking the containers," Brooklyn says.

"Uh-oh."

Cleo began to reach for the vent. "What are you doing?"

She began to shush them as she pulled off the vent and handed it over to Kiara. She climbed herself out while the others stood around in confusion. Kiara placed the vent back over incase someone happened to walk by and catch them.

Cleo ran out to the men who were about to open it up and yelled, "Macias!"

"She's gonna tell them. Shit!"

"Hold up!" Cleo called. "This one's clear, sir."

"Are you sure?"

"Went through it inch by inch," Cleo tells them. "Nothing but tubing and plastics in there."

"What if the stowaway had been in there?"

"Well, he wasn't, so... Come on, man. We have work to do," Cleo says. "Move your bumper, man."

Cleo waits until the men walk off to check another container before heading back to the group. "Okay, shes on our side. That's good," Pope whispers.

"Okay, Pope, you're up. We'll wait for your signal, okay?"

Cleo whistled from outside the container and Pope pulled back the vent. He climbed out quickly to join Cleo. "Thanks for that, by the way," he says. "Look, I don't know why you did that, but I'm not gonna argue. Why'd you do that?"

"Not for charity," she shrugged. "Just figure I'm better off with you guys than with Eberhimi."

"Right."

"And now you guys owe me a cut of that treasure," she says, which makes Brooklyn laugh a little from inside.

"That's fair."

"All right. How we take over this fort, chief?"

"Um... Can I borrow your knife?" Pope asked but everyone knew the answer would be no. Cleo was looking at him like he was crazy.

"I got a better idea. Come on."

Cleo and Pope ran off to do their plan and the other four stayed behind in the container until the coast was clear. They knew the coast was clear when they heard the captain of the ship say, "Attention, all passengers, all crew, report to the tween forward hull. That's an order. Repeat. All hands and all passengers report to the tween forward hull immediately."

"They took the bridge. They did it."

"That's our boy," JJ says with a smile on his face.

"Okay, split up. Once they're in the hull, Brooke and I will lock them inside," JJ says, crawling his way out and giving Brooklyn a hand.

"Me and Kie will find Sarah and get the lifeboat," John B says. He and Kiara climb out of the container and join the other two.

"We'll meet you, load the cross and get outta here," Brooklyn says, placing a hand on John B's shoulder.

"Let's roll." JJ takes Brooklyn's hand.

"Brooke," John B whispers. "Be safe, okay? No getting shot."

She steps over to John B and wraps her arms around him almost like this would be the last time she ever sees him again. "Be safe. Get to Sarah and be careful, okay? Be careful of Ward..." She pulls away and looks over at Kiara. "Neither of you get shot, okay?"

"Come on, guys," JJ says, taking Brooolyn's hand back and the two walk ahead of John B and Kiara.

𝐓𝐁𝐇𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐒
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— SERIOUS QUESTION...
do y'all seriously want brooklyn to be
shot?