~~~
"it's a heavy vibe right now, okay? i'm not liking this very much." JJ told his friends.
"why do they want the compass?" Kie argued not understanding the big deal.
"it's a piece of shit. you couldn't pawn it off for five bucks if you wanted to. no offense, John B. i know it's in your family." Pope stated his idea of the compass.
"or maybe there's some history behind it and it's worth a shit ton of money?" Belle asked hinting her idea.
"the office." John B finally spoke up.
"what?"
"my dad. my dads office. he always kept the office locked because he was worried about his competitors stealing his Royal Merchant research. we used to laugh at him like he was gonna find it. but now that he's gone, i've just kinda.. i just left it as he kept it." John B went inside making his way to a door, the Pogues followed closely behind him.
"yeah, for when he gets back." Kie assured the boy.
Belle looked at her which Kie just motioned her head to him and shrugged, Belle nodded agreeing with Kie.
"yeah. i'm sure he'll be happy it's been left the same." Belle sent John B a smile.
"yeah."
Belle grabbed the juul from JJ's lips placing it on hers inhaling the smoke. John B unlocked the door stepping inside and everyone followed.
"i've slept over here like 600 times, and i've never seen this door opened." Pope admitted looking around the room.
"mm." Kie agreed.
"here, look. this is the original owner, right here." John grabbed a board setting in the middle of the table.
"okay. Robert Q. Routledge, 1880 to 1920. there's the lucky compass, right there." Kie pointed to the picture.
"actually, um.. he was shot after he bought it." John B started, Belle raised her eyebrows at her friend and then turned to JJ.
"then the compass was shipped back to Henry. he was killed in a crop-dusting accident when he had the compass. after he died, the compass was given to Stephen. Stephen had the compass with him when he died in Vietnam." John B continued to explain to his friends about the compass.
"let me guess, he died in action, right?" JJ asked.
"sort of. uh, a-actually he was killed by a banana truck. in- in country. anyways, after that, Stephen passed the compass down to him, my dad."
"so i think there's a theme going on here" Belle said, "just taking a wilde guess." she shrugged.
"hm, i agree. sounds like there's a reoccurring theme here." JJ added wrapping his arm around Belle's shoulder.
"yeah, you have a death compass." Pope deadpans.
"i do not." John B denied.
"yes you do." Belle told her best friend who just stared at her.
"you have a death compass." Pope repeated.
"get rid of it. it's cursed, and made its way back to you." JJ told John B who wasn't listening.
"look, my dad used to talk about this compartment in here. soldiers used to hide secret notes." John B ignored his friends sitting down opening the compass.
"what's that?" Kie pointed out.
"that wasn't there before. this is my dad's handwriting." John B recognized the hand writing looking at everyone.
"how can you know that?" Pope asked.
"because he does these weird Rs with the- see it?" John B showed off the compass to Pope who still didn't believe it.
"can i see it?" JJ asked grabbing the compass, Belle leaned into him slightly looking at the compass."
"red-rout- no i think that's an A."
"it says Redfield." Belle moved away looking through the books Big John had around.
"right."
"okay, well, what's Redfield?" Kie asked.
"besides the most common name in the county." Belle looked through some books keeping her eyes on it.
"oh, maybe- maybe it's a clue. maybe it's a clue to where he's hiding." John B thought giving suggestions.
"a clue? come on, that's- but if it's a clue, maybe it's an anagram?" Pope suggested.
"yes. perfect. anagram. you need paper."
"what are you reading there bookworm?" JJ approached Belle standing behind her.
"some book about the ship, it's actually really good." Belle turned her head to him.
"take it." JJ shrugs.
"i don't think John B would be too happy if i take it." she closed the book hearing the rooster crow louder.
"how can you concentrate with that thing constantly crowing at you." Pope argued annoyed with the animal outside.
"JJ loves the rooster." John B said handing Pope some paper.
"i love the rooster." Kie argued.
"why are we arguing on who loves the damn rooster?" Belle asked looking at her friends.
everyone started giving suggestions on what 'Redfield' could possibly mean but so far nobody got anything good.
"guys. guys! somebody's here." John B yelled turning to his friends.
Belle walked over and froze seeing the black truck and the two men who shot at them step out.
"guys, guys, is that them?" Kie whimpered.
"it's them." Belle grabbed John B's arm tightly who pulled her to his side.
"no." JJ muttered.
"is that them?" Kie panicked.
"this is suboptimal." Pope whispered.
"i don't even know what that means." Belle whimpered turning to JJ who was already panicking.
"John B, i told you. why does it always-"
"JJ! hey, look at me. where's the gun?" John B let go of Belle walking to JJ pushing him towards the wall.
"gun? i, uh, i can't-"
"JJ!" Belle looked at the boy.
"now you don't have the gun, the one time we need the gun?" Kie cried covering her mouth.
"it was in my backpack, and then i-"
"backpack-"
"porch! you left it on the porch!" Belle ran towards the door but John B quickly carried her away from the door.
"Belle, i need you to stay here with them. i'll go get it." JJ told Belle who nodded as he ran out of the room.
"if you run out there with those psychos out there your brother will literally kill me." John B hugged the girl who sighed into his chest.
"John Routledge!"
Belle jumped turning around rushing out of the office only to be carried back in by JJ and shut the door.
"where's the gun? and you need to stay still." John B whispered.
"they're on the front porch, guys." JJ whispered holding Belle pulling her away from the door.
the two men barged into the house and started throwing everything around, JJ and Pope made their way to the window trying to open it while John B leaned against the door trying to stay as quiet as possible.
Belle checked all the drawers trying to find something to cut the paint off the window so they can all get out. Kiara found an envelope opener trying to open the window when they heard someone starting to open the door.
Belle's eyes widened and grabbed a pen which was the only thing she could find trying to cut the rest of the paint off with Kiara. suddenly a gun went off causing Belle to scream and cover her mouth, once they got the window open JJ and Kie jumped out and Pope and John B helped Belle out.
once everyone was out they made their way towards the chicken coop and crawled in. JJ opened his arms for Belle who threw herself at him and covered her mouth holding in her cries so they wouldn't be caught. suddenly the rooster started jumping around and making more noise due to the five teens inside the coop.
"do something, Pope, shut him up!" JJ argued holding Belle tightly.
"what do you want me to do?" Pope whispered.
"pet it, or talk to it. i don't know." Kie cried.
Belle had her face against JJ's chest covering her ears keeping her mouth tightly shut trying to calm down her shaking and crying but it was unsuccessful. she felt JJ move away and attempted to grab the rooster to shut him up but ended up snapping it's neck. Belle heard the snap and let out a small cry and suddenly everything went calm and quiet.
"Bells, come here." Pope whispered pulling the girl into his arms.
"are they gone?" she mumbled still keeping her ears covered.
"they're gone. we're okay." Pope whispered rubbing her back.
~~~
"i mean it's obvious, right? a family heirloom. what better place to hide a message? he had to know it was going to get back to me, right?" John B asked driving to their next location on finding the next message from his father.
"yeah. it's possible." Kie said
"it could also be possible that you're concocting wild theories to help, you know, deal with your sad feels." Pope said, Belle nudged him shaking her head.
"stop it, Pope, it's not the time." she gently told her friend.
"Belle, i swear next time you pull a stunt like that and try to leave when those psycho's come back we're both in trouble." John B snapped at the girl which caused the van to go silent.
"sorry for trying to fucking help." Belle snapped back at him moving all the way to the back of the van grabbing JJ's bag to grab a blunt.
"bro, you know how I process my side feels. dank nugs and the stickiest of ickies, that's how i do it." JJ spoke trying to lighten the mood.
"i'm not concocting, okay? my dad's trying to give me a message." John B argued with his friends.
"if it helps you believe, John B." Kiara calmly said.
"look, i-i don't need a therapy session, okay? look, i'm not trippin' out."
"it's okay to trip, bro, but-"
"look, my-my dad is missing, okay? missing. you don't know what it's like to have the person closest to you vanish and then have no idea what happened. just wake up every morning wondering." John B stated, Belle looked up finishing up rolling the blunt licking it shut.
"it's been almost a year." Kiara told him.
"hey, he could have been kidnapped. that's definitely a possibility." JJ said shrugging his shoulders.
"yeah, could be in a Soviet sub getting interrogated by the KGB somewhere." Pope said giving theories with JJ.
"absolutely. uh.. or Atlantis." JJ added.
"JJ. look, what do you think the message means?" Kiara looked back at John B.
Belle lifted up the blunt to JJ so he could toss her his lighter which he did, she caught it putting the blunt to her lips lighting it and inhaling a few times. JJ watched in awe finding it amazing at how fast she rolled the blunt and how good she looks smoking.
"Redfield. Redfield lighthouse. that's my dad's favorite place." John B finished driving straight towards the light house.