"I'm here baby."
--☆--☆--☆--
"You got rope?" John B asked from the front seat of the twinkie as the group of pogues drove towards the Crain House.
"Got it," Pope said from the backseat.
"Grappling hook?"
"We don't have a grappling hook," Pope said, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "We're not batman."
"Yeah- yeah, whatever," John B replied, shaking his head. "Pulley?"
"Check," Kiara chimed in.
"Dark clothes?"
"Yup," Emerson said, looking around her at everyone who was now wearing black clothes.
"Flashlights?"
"Check," JJ announced.
"All right, good," John B said, hopeful that their plan to steal the gold might actually work. "We're ready."
"Let's go," Kiara said.
"Let's go get rich, guys," JJ added, as John B began walking around to the other side of the van.
"Yeah, hell yeah," Kiara smiled. John B opened the door to the van, so everyone could get out. "Let's go boys... and girls," Kiara added, as she glanced at the two new additions to their group.
"Right on," Sarah nodded.
"Wait, wait," John B said, stopping the group. "I wanna say thank you, guys. Seriously." John B looked around at each member of the group with a small smile on his face. "It means a lot to me that you're here tonight."
"Always," Kiara told him with a smile on her face, making him chuckle happily.
"Of course, man," Pope agreed, then the two boys did the famous pogue handshake.
"All right, we done with the circle jerk?" JJ asked, with the rope now over his shoulder. "Can we go do this?"
"Hell yeah," Emerson said, as she stood up to get out of the van.
"Let's get that wheat in the water," Pope replied.
"Weed? I'm up for weed," JJ interjected.
"Wheat," Pope said slowly, so JJ would understand him. "I said wheat."
"After you," Kiara said, smiling at Sarah.
"Ladies first," Sarah laughed quietly.
Each of them took their turn hopping over the fence to get into Mrs. Crain's yard. The place was spookier than Emerson remembered it being, the only time she spent in the place was if one of the kooks dared her to go in. The sound of a twig snapping behind her made her jump and when she tried to back away she crashed into JJ.
"Don't worry princess, I'll protect you," He said with a smirk. Emerson rolled her eyes at him, but didn't hesitate to stay by his side as they continued to walk further into the yard.
"Friends JJ," She said in an attempt to remind him of the situation they were in.
"I protect my friends," JJ told her then continued walking in the direction of the Crain house. Emerson rolled her eyes at him, but didn't hesitate to stay by his side as they continued to walk further into the yard.
The darkness surrounded them, the only light coming from the few flashlights they had brought with them. However, what they weren't expecting was a large flash of lights that Mrs. Crain had installed at some point since they were kids.
"Shit!" John B cursed as the group ducked into the closest bush, quickly turning their flashlights off.
"It's on strobe," JJ whispered as he struggled to turn his flashlight off.
"Shh," John B held his finger up to his lips, silencing the group.
"Okay... Okay, so she has motion sensor lights," Pope sighed.
"Really? I hadn't noticed," Emerson said sarcastically.
"We could, uh... move really slowly, maybe?" JJ offered.
"What?" Sarah questioned.
"That's not really how it works," Pope told him.
"Oh shit," John B sighed as an idea popped into his head, "let's throw a rock at it."
"What?" Pope asked, his voice going a couple octaves higher than normal.
"That's a really good idea, actually," Kiara interrupted. "Let the axe murderer know that we're here."
"Throw a rock at it?" Pope asked in disappointment.
"You have a better idea?" John B asked.
"Literally anything but that," Kiara said.
"What about the breakers?" Emerson suggested as she looked at Sarah. "In the circuit box on the porch."
"We used to play hide-and-seek here as kids," Sarah added, explaining how Emerson knew where the breakers were. "If we were brave enough, we'd go all the way up to the porch."
"Sarah and I have both seen it," Emerson nodded.
"No, no," John B said, looking right at Sarah. "You're not going in the house alone."
"Am I invisible or something?" Emerson asked, looking at Kiara who struggled to hold in her laughter.
Ever since the girls got picked up from the boat that morning Emerson seemed to adopt a new persona. She no longer seemed to think before she spoke and frankly she started to act like a pogue. It was like somebody flipped a switch in her mind and she was free from everything that held her back.
"Watch me," Sarah said, ignoring Emerson's question.
"Crain chops people into pieces," JJ reminded them.
"Thank you for the reminder JJ, we really needed that," Emerson told the blond boy next to her.
"And that's if you believe the rumors, but she's like what, 85?" Sarah asked.
"Yeah, somethin' like that," JJ answered.
"She's probably barely still kicking," Sarah told them.
"Yeah, we can totally take on an 80 year old," Emerson stated proudly.
"An 80 year old axe murder," Pope reminder her.
"Potato, potahto," Emerson shrugged, clearly not grasping the danger about the situation she might find herself in.
"I'll go with them," Kiara added.
"Girls trip," Emerson whispered in a sing-songy voice.
"Yeah," Sarah smiled.
"We'll wait for your signal," Pope told the girls.
"Okay cool," Sarah nodded as she, Kiara, and Emerson stood up.
JJ wanted to grab ahold of Emerson and keep her with him, but it wasn't his place. She has made it clear that they are to be friends, nothing more than that. He also knew she probably wouldn't listen to him even if they were together.
"Hey," John B whispered, catching Sarah's attention. "Be safe."
"We will," Sarah assured him, before walking away.
Emerson turned to Kiara with a smile on her face. "Just be so safe, Sarah Cameron," she laughed, making a grin appear on Kiara's face.
"No you be safe," She added, looking right at Emerson.
"Will you two shut up?" Sarah requested. The two girls shared a quiet laugh before continuing to make their way up towards the porch, doing their best to avoid the harsh lights. "She must have the generator plugged into the main power supply."
"Can someone spell paranoia," Emerson whispered only to earn a "shh" from Sarah as they began to climb up the stairs of the porch.
Kiara opened the small box that was connected to all the wires. All three girls looked in but immediately they knew something was missing. "Where are the breakers?" Sarah asked.
"What the hell is this?" Emerson asked as she pointed over Sarah's shoulder to the wires that were in the box.
"No, no, no," Sarah whispered in annoyance.
"Shit," Kiara breathed out. She held her flashlight up allowing the other two girls to follow her line of sight. "It goes inside."
"We're gonna die," Emerson realized as her eyes widened in horror.
Kiara stepped towards the door, slowly opening it. Emerson winced when it made a loud creaking noise and for the first time in her life she prayed that someone was deaf. Once Kiara got the door open Sarah and Emerson followed her inside. All three of them held up their flashlights as they followed the wires.
"Let's do this then get the hell out here," Emerson whispered once they found the breakers.
"All right," Kiara sighed as she flipped the switch, turning off the lights outside.
The sound of the generator powering down made all of them smile as they light out sighs of relief. However, the moment ended quickly when the floorboard above them creaked.
"Oh shit," Emerson gasped as the three of them shoved their backs against the wall.
The sound of slow footsteps making their way down the stairs had all the girls' hearts racing. They could hear a wheezy cough and Emerson could feel her breath hitch in her throat.
"It's late, Leon," An old woman's voice said, "Too late."
"Who the fuck is Leon," Emerson whispered, only to get Kiara's hand slapped over her mouth.
"Shit," Sarah breathed out.
It wasn't long before Mrs. Crain walked by the three girls, but for some reason she didn't see them. Emerson reached her hand over to Sarah, squeezing it tightly. While Kiara had her hand over her mouth, trying to eliminate any noises she could cause.
"I can hear you, Leon. I've been waiting all night!" Suddenly Mrs. Crain turned to where the three terrified girls stood.
"Go! Go!" Kiara screamed, pushing Emerson and Sarah to get the hell out of there.
"I'm going! I'm going!"
The three of them ran though the closest door but somewhere along the way Kiara parted ways with the kooks, as she tried to look for a way out.
"Leon!" Mrs. Crain screamed, Emerson immediately knew the sound of Mrs. Crain's voice would haunt her nightmares for the rest of her life.
It wasn't long before Mrs. Crain found Kiara, trying to open an obviously locked door. The old woman swung a fire poker in the girl's direction and lucky enough for Kiara she missed every time.
Sarah and Emerson ran towards the sound of Mrs. Crain yells, knowing that's where Kiara must've been. Mrs. Crain lifted her arm to swing at Kiara again but before she could Emerson stood in front of the Carrera girl. With adrenaline rushing through her veins Emerson was able to grab the fire poker from the old woman before she could swing at the girls again. When Emerson knew she had the fire poker in her grasp she chucked it as far as she could to point where Mrs. Crain wouldn't be able to find it.
"Come on, this way!" Sarah yelled as she grabbed Kiara's hand pulling her along.
The three of them ran through yet another unlocked door, this time they quickly closed it behind them, praying that Mrs. Crain wouldn't find them. The girls were only able to stand there for about thirty seconds before Mrs. Crain tried breaking through the door.
"This way! It goes underneath the house," Sarah informed them.
"Go! Go! Go!" Kiara yelled trying to get Sarah to move faster.
"I'm trying" Sarah said, once she finally made it to the bottom of the stairs.
"Guys! Guys!" Emerson shouted as she looked around for any sign of the boys.
"What's going on?" Pope asked.
"Mrs. Crain! She's up there," Sarah panted out, clearly out of breath.
"She tried to kill us with a fire poker," Kiara added, still in shock. "We gotta go."
"That crazy bitch," Emerson panted, putting her hand on Pope's shoulder to hold herself steady. "Oh god. I am so out of shape."
"We locked her in the parlor, but we gotta go," Sarah said.
"Okay, code red," JJ announced as his attention went back onto the rope. "Let's go! John B! Get back on, man!"
"JJ!" John B yelled from inside the well, but his voice sounded muffled. "Hold on, man! I'm comin'."
They all lined up by the rope ready to get John B up then get the hell out of there. "Three, two, one, pull!" Pope yelled, then they all began to pull on the rope. Due to the fact that John B hadn't grabbed onto the rope yet all five of them fell backwards. "Jeez! Where the hell is he?"
John B tried to yell up to his friend but his voice was still muffled from all the mud that surrounded him. The group tried to lean in closer so they could figure out what he was saying but they couldn't understand any of it.
"What's he saying?" JJ asked.
"I can't understand him," Emerson said, shaking her head.
"Yo, he's drowning! We gotta pull him up!" Kiara yelled then they all ran back over to the rope.
"Hey, John B! Get back on the rope. We're gonna pull you back up, okay, buddy?" Pope said before joining the rest of them by the rope.
Due to their fear for John B, none of them heard the sounds of Mrs. Crain making her way down the stairs to the basement. But Mrs. Crain heard them, and knew exactly where they were.
"Let's go," Pope instructed as everyone grabbed ahold of the rope. They all started pulling John B back up slowly, still not noticing the extra person in the room.
"Come on!"
"Pull!" Someone shouted right as the first gunshot went off. The girls screamed as everyone ducked out of the way.
"Jesus!' JJ yelled as he hit the deck. "Shit! Hang on!" He said, quickly tying the rope so John B wouldn't fall back into the well.
"Tie it up now, man!" Pope yelled, frantically.
"Pope, hide!" JJ yelled as both of them slid into a hiding spot.
"She can't aim for shit," Emerson commented, from her hiding spot with Kiara and Sarah.
"She can't see," Sarah realized. "She's blind."
The woman was blind but she definitely wasn't deaf, as her next bullet headed right towards where the girl's voices were. Emerson screamed, the sound making JJ try to jump up to find her, but Pope pulled him back down.
"Go! Go!" The boys heard Kiara yell as all three girls ran to new spots.
Mrs. Crain fired another shot, this time at the boys. "I don't care if she is, that's buckshot!" JJ yelled as he and Pope jumped up. All of them ran towards the door making a quick exit, as they ran as fast as they could away from the Crain house.
Emerson ran out but quickly realized there was no one by her side. They ran past her, trying to save themselves. She turned her head, looking for the one person that truly made her happy.
"JJ?" Emerson yelled as she ran out of the house, looking for any sign of the blond boy.
"I'm here baby," He said, not hesitating to grab her hand and pull her with him as they ran.
"JJ! Pope! Kie!" John B yelled as he ran to catch up with his friends.
"Get into the van!" Sarah shouted as they all dove in.
JJ quickly got into the driver's seat, ready for a quick getaway. Emerson slid into the passenger's seat just as another gunshot went off from inside the yard as all heads turned waiting for John B.
"Where is he?"
"Come on, start the car," Pope yelled, frantically. "Why are we always getting shot at!?"
"Come on! John B, run!" Kiara yelled when she saw the boy scale the fence. JJ started driving the car away but slowed down just enough for John B to jump into the backseat.
"Oh my god!" Emerson's eyes widened when she saw that John B was completely covered in mud.
"JJ, drive!"
"Go, man!"
"Are you okay? Are you shot?" JJ asked from the front seat, looking in the mirror at everyone in back.
"I think I'm good," Emerson said, trying to get her breathing to return to a normal pace.
"I think I'd know if I was shot, right?" Kiara asked as did a quick exam of her body.
"You look disgusting," Pope said to John B.
"You smell like ass," Emerson told him, not bothering to filter herself.
"What the hell just happened?"
"All-time Pogue Hall of Fame, baby, " JJ laughed from the front seat.
"Hell yeah," Kiara agreed. "That bitch is possessed."
"That bitch can't aim," Sarah commented with a scowl.
"How does she move that fast?" Pope asked, with genuine curiosity.
"She's possessed," Kiara reminded him.
"She's going to haunt us forever now," Emerson said, running a hand through her hair.
John B let out a sigh as his hand moved into his pocket. He couldn't believe it, he actually did it. He pulled the piece of metal out of his pocket holding it up in amazement.
"What is that?" Emerson asked, with joy in her eyes.
"No, you didn't," Sarah cheered.
"We did it, baby!" John B yelled in excitement.
"No, you didn't," Sarah repeated.
"I did it!"
"Oh my god!" JJ cheered.
Everyone in the van started screaming at the top of their lungs. Never in a million years did they expect to actually find the gold, but they did. They found the gold!
"Holy shit! Holy shit!"
"Wait, wait," Kiara said, getting everyone's attention. "We're gonna be rich!"
"Full kook!"
"Like Kook rich," Sarah and Emerson said in unison.
"Full kook! Full kook!" They all began chanting, taking in the moment. "Full kook! Full kook!"
author's note: I absolutely loved writing this chapter. I really enjoyed seeing more of Emerson's comedic side and I'm hoping to add some more of that in the following chapters. Let me know what you guys think in the comments, you guys are all so sweet and reading your comments inspires me to write more! Also if you liked this chapter please a vote, it keeps me motivated.
(edited)