SEASON TWO,
CHAPTER 27:
THE SPECIAL CROSS
"You did it, Pope."
✦ · · · · ──────────── · · · · ✦
ONCE THE TEENAGERS managed to come together to pull the campervan out of the murky water and away from the alligators, they finally set off. The drive on the road is rough due to the fact that the mechanics of the vehicle has become slightly after sitting in the water for nearly an hour. While they're driving, the wound resting on John B's leg is being tended to in order to ensure that it won't get infected and so that the amount of blood loss can be controlled.
Eventually, the Pogues arrive at the location that all of them have been meaning to go to ever since Pope figured out that the church will have the cross. Each one of them climb out of the vehicles and make their way inside of the building to see that it's completely abandoned, untouched from civilisation. Ivy's grown up the rusted wooden walls, as well as specks of dust being scattered onto the broken pieces of furniture.
"This is where the cross is hidden?" JJ questions in disbelief. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure." Pope replies with a nod. "It's got to be here somewhere."
"What if we have to push a secret button or play a certain chord, and then, all of a sudden, the ground beneath us reveals the catacombs or something on which we stand?" JJ rambles.
"It's not an escape room." Kie reminds, bluntly.
"How about we try to find more obvious clues instead?" John B suggests.
Spreading out, they all search around the inside of the church in a desperate attempt to find the cross because it's the only reason as to why they're there. Pope appears to be becoming more stressed as each minute passes by, afraid of losing hope. But nothing to do with the cross can be found, nor does anything look suspicious enough to give them a possible hint.
"There's no way he would set us up on a freaking goose chase that would lead us to a church that has nothing in it!" Pope exclaims.
"I get!" John B replies. "I don't know what to tell you, man."
"The clues led us here." Pope states, still feeling confident. "The cross is in this church."
"It'll be okay. We've had setbacks in the past, and we figure it. We're gonna find it." John B tells him.
A sigh slips past Pope's lips as he grows unsure of what to do now. Fingers fumble with the spyglass as he then pulls it open and lifting it up to his eye, just trying to see if they've somehow missed something. However, as the boy looks up at the ceiling, his face falls and the spyglass is slowly lowered so that he's able to view it from a normal perspective. This grabs the five's attention and causes their gazes to shift up as well, trying to get a better understanding of what their friend is currently staring at.
All of a sudden, Pope can now be seen scaling up the walls of the church. Both dust and dirt tumble down with each movement that he takes, clearly not used to the sudden weight being applied to the wood. The rest of the teenagers are firing their complaints at the boy, repeatedly stating that it's unsafe and he can get himself harmed in the process. But Pope doesn't seem to care about the repercussions and continues to climb towards the support beams above.
"Let me just be real, you're not the most coordinated person on planet Earth." JJ states.
"What the hell are you doing?" Delilah adds. "That's rotten as shit up there."
"Pope, get down." Kie demands.
After eventually reaching the wooden beams, Pope is able to haul himself up and stable himself to ensure that he won't fall and break a bone. He knocks on the wood and doesn't receive any hollow sound emitting from it, allowing him to shout to his friends that it's completely solid wood. Then, the teenager proceeds to move around the beam and onto the middle one so that he can knock on that one too.
"Pope, hate to break it to you, but that's wood." JJ tells him.
"No, no. It has to be here. I know it!" Pope insists.
"Just watch out for the giant wasp nest above your head." Delilah warns.
"Move slow, alright? Nice and easy." John B adds.
Pope shifts in his place to move around the support beam, trying to be careful of the stinging insects that are flying all around him. But as this action is made, his foot slips and causes the rusting wood to break off almost instantly. Realisation crosses over his face as he pays attention to the fact that it's hollow, which is exactly what he was looking for.
"Go get me a crowbar." Pope instructs.
"On it." Sarah replies.
"What are you gonna do?" JJ asks, both curious and concerned. "I don't want to have this entire church to collapse on top of us, okay?"
Sarah had disappeared off to the campervan where she rummaged around through the bag of tools that JJ had picked up from the Château, looking for the correct one. Then, once the girl is done with that, she walks back inside the church with the crowbar held firmly in her hand — a few odd noises were heard along the way, but she decided to brush it off.
"Here, I got it." Sarah informs. "How am I gonna give it to you?"
"Just throw it." Pope replies.
The group take a few step backwards as a precaution since none of them know whether Sarah's throwing skills are good or not. The blonde girl launches it up to where Pope is sitting on the beams, making sure that her aim is precise to avoid hitting the boy or just missing in general. Fortunately, Pope is able to grab ahold of the crowbar and catch it as it soars through the air. A smile then splits across Sarah's face as she feels proud of herself for doing that, receiving claps from them all in response.
With the crowbar, the teenage boy now finds himself repeatedly slamming it down against the beam. The wood splinters off and crashes down to the ground beneath, causing the other five to take a couple more steps back to avoid being hit. Dust flies off the solid material and enters the air around them all, finally being knocked off after many long years. But Pope chooses to ignore these two factors and continues to hack away, actions growing frantic and desperate.
Eventually, the majority of the beam is torn away to reveal that a golden cross has been residing inside of it. The colour is so bright compared to the wood that has started to rot after being abandoned for so many years, not being properly taken care of and respected as a religious building. Gasps leave their mouths in shock of what they're currently looking at, amazed by the sight. This is then followed by cheers that just echo around the unfurnished room as the teenagers all scream and yell in excitement with smiles spread across each of their faces.
However, the moment of joy is only short lived due to the fact that the wasps have started to sting Pope. He tries to swat them away to avoid being stung even more, but this only makes him lose him footing upon the support beam. The boy tumbles off and manages to grab ahold of the beam with his hand to stop the fall, fear racing through his body. Panicked screams leave Pope's mouth as he desperately calls out to his friends for them to help in any way possible.
Everyone starts to sprint around the room as panic faces through their own bodies, knowing that it's up to themselves to save their friend. All of the pillows are ripped off the top of the broken benches resting nearby, not caring how dusty they are. It's all then thrown down onto the hard flooring beneath where Pope is hanging from the ceiling to ensure that he'll land directly on top of it. As well as that, they make sure that it's enough to provide a decent amount of cushioning to soften the fall.
All of a sudden, without any warning, Pope's hand slips away from the wood and his body falls through the air before crashing down on top of the pillows. Groans of pain slips past Pope's lips as he tries to regain himself from both the shock and the terror that he just has to experience. Everything appears muffled as the group crowd around his fallen body, trying to make sure that their friend okay. But the boy's attention then focuses onto the golden cross that has slipped out of the beam and is currently hurdling down towards them all.
"Move!" Pope shouts.
The teenagers all disperse away from the cushions, each diving into different directions — JJ grabs onto Delilah and pulls her safely towards his chest. The cross crashes against the hard flooring and causes a loud clang to ripple through the air. Relieved breaths leave their mouths as they're thankful no one got hit, chests heaving up and down.
"You did it, Pope." John B states before his eyes fall onto a keyhole. "Guys, look. This is why Limbrey wanted that key so bad."
"How much do you think it's worth?" JJ asks. "Like, if we melted her old bones down, I'm talking high billions."
"No, no." John B protests, shaking his head. "This belongs in a museum."
"Actually, it belongs to Pope." Delilah reminds.
"Del's right." Pope agrees, sharply inhaling. "It's my ancestors cross. This is bigger than money, and the world's gonna know the truth."
"If we don't get this shit out of here before Limbrey arrives, nobody's gonna know." John B informs.
Everyone mutually agrees to work together when it comes to moving the cross covered in rich gold and jewels, already knowing how heavy it's going to be. They all each put as much strength as they can must together into lifting the cross so that the weight can be evenly distributed across each individual. Grunts leave their mouths as they find themselves instantly struggling, veins protruding in their necks. Blames start to be thrown around as bickering is created to either argue against someone or defend themselves.
However, Pope finds that he's beginning to struggle even more than his friends are, already having to put up with the pain that he endured from both the wasp stings and the fall. Breathing becomes irregular as he tries his best to hold it altogether while shouting out to them all that he can't continue with these actions. Then, without any warning, the cross is dropped and everyone let's go to then have it crash back down to the hard floor once again.
"Damn it, yo!" JJ exclaims, whipping around to face the blonde girl. "You almost dropped it on my foot."
"'Cause I'm the only one lifting it!" Sarah argues.
"Oh, sure—" JJ begins.
"Okay, guys, stop!" John B demands, interrupting them. "We'll make a sling or something."
Meanwhile, as the group are deciding on their next plan of action, Delilah's attention is pulled over to where Pope is laying on the floor. The girl crouches down beside him as she listens to the sharp inhales of breaths leaving the boys mouth — she can tell that he's in more pain than he's telling them. Pope's eyes appear as completely swollen while rashes begin to flare up all over his body, which only makes Delilah even more concerned for her friend.
"I'm not okay, Del." Pope informs as he hisses from the pain. "I can't... I can't breathe."
"Guys!" Delilah calls, grabbing their attention. "Shut up with a plan for a bit. We need to help Pope."
"Shit, man. Your eye!" JJ exclaims to the boy.
"What's happening?" Sarah asks.
"He said he can't breathe, and his eyes are swollen now." Delilah informs.
"He's having an allergic reaction." Kie states. "We need to get him somewhere quickly."
Both Delilah and Kiara sling Pope's arms over their shoulders so that they're able to keep him steady. He leans into their bodies as they walk towards where the cars are parked outside, using them to maintain his balance. John B and Sarah remain beside them all to make sure that they're able to help if anything happens to go wrong, as well as the fact that they're the ones having to push/pull doors. JJ, on the other hand, is trying his best to hide the cross beneath the many pillows so that it's not out in the open.
✦ · · · · ──────────── · · · · ✦
The teenagers had been set into a panic mode at the sight of their best friend struggling to breath after an allergic reaction decided to settle in — none of them had known he was allergic to wasp stings. JJ took it upon himself to take the lead, directing them to his cousins house. He knows that Ricky (his cousin) was an employed worker within hospitals, hence why JJ had stolen the ambulance from him to help John B escape from jail. But the boy is hopeful that Ricky will have some medical supplies of his own to help.
After turning up on the individuals doorstep, the six had all continuously pounded their fists against the door to grab Ricky's attention. Their voices are sore and filled with desperation as they yell out for help on behalf of Pope. Ricky had kept turning them away due to the anger he holds towards JJ for stealing an ambulance, but he eventually gives in and welcomes them all inside. A table nearby is cleared and Pope's body is dumped on top of it so that he's able to be medicinally tended to.
"I wouldn't come to you if it wasn't an emergency, Ricky." JJ informs.
"What's wrong with him?" Ricky asks.
"Wasps." Sarah replies. "It was a beehive worth of wasps."
"Wasps?" Ricky repeats with a frown. "Is he allergic to them?"
"Clearly!" Kie exclaims.
"What's his name?" Ricky asks.
"Pope." Delilah replies.
"Okay, just hang tight. I need to find my kit." Ricky informs. "Stay here with Pope."
Both Ricky and JJ sprint around the house in search for the medical kit, actions frantic. Shouts slip past some of the groups mouths as they demand for the two cousins to hurry up; the fear that they all hold is only making them come across as disrespectful, and it's something that they would never intend to do in a different situation. But, fortunately, Ricky comes sprinting out from around the corner with the kit held tightly at hand.
"Okay. Hey, Pope. How you doing, man?" Ricky asks as he grabs a needle. "You look like shit."
"What's that?" JJ asks.
"A pediatric dose of epinephrine." Ricky replies, a shaky breath then leaving his lips. "But it's ten times more than the normal dose. And if it doesn't stop his heart, it'll help him."
"Wait, what?" Delilah questions as she looks at the needle in his hands. "It can kill him?"
"Look, I've got to use the whole thing, or it won't work." Ricky informs. "But I'm not going down if he dies from this."
"Okay, fine!" JJ agrees, completely stressed out by the situation. "Do it! Come on, hurry up."
The man nods in response, understanding why all of them are so desperate for him to just do anything if it means it'll save their best friend. Ricky proceeds to carefully peel back the jacket that Pope's wearing in order to reveal bare skin. Then, the needle is injected into the boys bicep where the liquid that it contains is pushed down, allowing it to enter his bloodstream. Once this is completed, Ricky let's out another shaky breath before placing the needle to the side so that he can put it in the trash later.
"Okay, that's it." Ricky tells them. "Now we just have to sit and wait."
Nobody responds, simply choosing to put their trust into JJ's cousin. But the longer they all stare down at their friend laying upon the table, the more that they realise he's starting to look lifeless. Pope's eyes still remain swollen and rashes are still evident across his body, but his breathing seems to have rapidly slowed down and he's stopped moving as much. Worry then settles in Delilah's stomach, which causes her to take a step back and accidentally crash into JJ's body. But he quickly grabs ahold of the girls waist to hold her in place, allowing her to stay in his arms.
"You killed him." Kie mutters.
"No, I didn't." Ricky protests as he shakes his head in disagreement. "I didn't do shit."
"What did you do?" Kie exclaims.
"I did exactly what you asked me to do." Ricky tells them. "I gave you the warning."
"Pope, please." Delilah begs with tears welling up in her eyes. "Please wake up."
"Come on, bro." JJ urges.
A gasp then escapes Pope's mouth, deeply inhaling in order to get oxygen back into his lungs. Coughs are then heard as the boy becomes more conscious and is able to control his breathing. He sits up from where he was previously laying on the table, having to blink a few times to get used to the bright lights. Smiles spread across the groups faces at the sight of their friend okay and healthy, thankful that he didn't die on them.
"It's hot!" Pope informs. "I'm really hot, guys."
"It's okay. Take it easy." JJ tells him, smiling.
"Here, I can take your jacket." Delilah offers. "JB, take him outside or something for fresh air?"
"On it." John B replies.
Pope throws his jacket over to the the redhead girl, not aiming it properly and causing it to land straight on top of her head. Delilah decides against playfully threatening the boy since he's just been through a lot for the past hour, just pulling the article of clothing off of her head instead. Green eyes watch as both Kie and John B hurriedly chase after Pope as he sprints around the front lawn with energy buzzing through the entirety of his body.
"Is there any side effects we should be concerned about?" Sarah asks.
"He's gonna have a rocket up his ass for about half an hour, then he'll be fine." Ricky informs.
"Thank you for helping." Delilah tells him. "It was nice meeting you."
"Take care." Ricky replies.