We're only 12 hours late but we finally make it to Charleston. We drive down the streets looking for the address on the card.
"They're a bunch of fancy people. They've had three governors in the family. They've run Charleston for, like, 300 years," Kie tells us.
"These Kooks make our Kooks look like Pogues," I state.
We stop in front of a huge three floor house.
"You sure this is the place, Pope?" JJ asks.
"Pretty sure," Pops tells us.
"All right." JJ jumps out of the truck. "Fat City, for sure."
Pope holds up the letter in front of the house. "Twenty-seven King Street."
I gesture to the tall rawd iron fence around the property. "Talk about home security."
"Are those spikes to keep people out?" JJ asks.
Kie shakes her head slightly. "No."
"The slave quarters are over there." Pope sighs. "These spikes were to keep people in."
We walk up to the front door of the house. Honestly, I'm a little unnerved by the whole thing. Pope is the one to knock on the door.
"You think that was too much?" Pope asks.
"It echoed the entire house. That's for sure. So, they definitely heard it," JJ insists.
"Maybe nobody's home," Kie offers.
As Pope goes to knock on the door again it opens. A guy probably around thirty is standing there. He points at Pope.
"You must be Pope."
"Um... Are you Mr. Limbrey?" Pope asks.
"Ms. Limbrey was expecting you yesterday," the guy says.
"Oh. I'm... I'm sorry. My car broke down on the way up here," Pope explains.
"Carburetor blew up in the middle of Nowheresville. Sorry about that," JJ tells the guy.
"Yeah, she was, uh, real upset when you didn't show up," the guy says.
"We tried to call, but there's no number on the invitation," Rafe tells him.
"We got here as fast as we could," Kie assures.
"She also expected you to come alone," the guy says.
"I mean, these are my friends. They helped find the Royal Merchant too. I..." Pope starts.
The guy cuts him off, "The instructions were explicit. Your friends can stay outside."
"We're kind of a package deal, man," JJ tells him.
"JJ. It's okay. I got this," Pope assures. "I'll be good."
"Yeah. We'll be right here," Kie tells him.
"Keep the car running," Pope tells her.
Kie, JJ, Rafe, and I are sitting in the truck. Who knows how long Pope is going to be in there for? Or what the hell this is even about.
"Look, if Limbrey is legit, then Ward gets arrested, and maybe Sarah and Rafe get the gold," Kie offers.
Pope and the guy from earlier walk out of the house following after a woman walking with crutches. Pope looks back at us and I can tell he needs help.
"Does that look voluntary?" I ask.
"Keep walking." The guy shoves Pope.
"That would be a negative," JJ tells me.
"Come on," Kie says as she moves to get out of the truck.
I stop her. "Wait, hold on, hold on."
"What?" Kie asks.
"They're going into the alley," Rafe states.
"Go around back?" Kie asks.
"Yeah. We'll meet them on the other side," JJ tells her.
"Okay," Kie agrees. "Hey, be chill. Be chill."
"Yeah, sure," JJ says.
We drive off looking to find the alley. But we lose sight of Pope.
"Look, where did they go?" Rafe asks.
"What if they went underground? Because in C.H.U.D., when they took people down into the sewers, it would turn the humans into humanoids 'cause of the radiation. And then all of a sudden..." JJ starts.
I make a face. "JJ, focus. That doesn't make any sense. None of your C.H.U.D. references ever make any sense."
"Right. Sorry. Did you see him?" JJ asks.
Kie shakes her head. "No."
Finally, we find a way into the alley. We park the truck and rush to find Pope. I hear what sounds like people fighting. Kie, JJ, Rafe, and I take off running. Pope and the guy that opened the door are one the ground wrestling. JJ kicks a taser towards me and I pick it up.
"Come on!" Kie shouts.
"Pope!" I shout.
"Pope, come on!" JJ shouts.
Pope pulls himself up off of the guy.
"Come on!" Rafe shouts.
Pope punches the guy in the face.
"Go! Just leave him! Leave him!" JJ shouts.
We rush back to the truck and pile in.
"Go! Go, go, go!" JJ shouts.
"Who were those people?" I shout.
"Let's get the hell out of here," Rafe states.
"That was crazy. Let's get out of here," Pope says.
JJ floors it and the tires screech. "Here we go now!"
"I think he's following us," Kie warns.
"This is a one-way," Pope tells JJ.
"Go left," I tell him.
"I know," JJ assures.
"Go that way," Rafe tells him.
"This is a one-way!" Pope and Kie shout at the same time.
"They're following us," Kie warns.
"Hey! There's another car! Turn now!" Pope shouts. "Turn! Turn right!"
I hold my breath. Just before we hit the oncoming car JJ turns right. Two people walk out into the middle of the street and JJ barely misses them.
"Look out!" I shout.
"Oh my God!" Kie shouts.
"What the hell?" Rafe remarks.
"Get out of the road!" JJ yells.
"Those were people! Jesus Christ!" Pope shouts.
"That was evasive driving technique right there, y'all," JJ says.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
"Hang on. I'll lose him," JJ tells us.
He suddenly turns left causing all of us to shift to one side of the truck.
"JJ!" I shout.
The truck starts to slow as smoke pours out from under the hood.
"You said he fixed the carburetor," JJ says. "You said he fixed it!"
"No, no, no!" I shout.
"He did!" Pope shouts.
"Shit!" Kie yells.
Pope groans.
"Damn it!" Kie shouts.
"Okay, what now, Mario?" I taunt.
We all hop out of the truck. We have no choice but to go on foot. No way I'm letting this creepy dude get near Pope.
"Number one rule. Never trust mechanics!" JJ shouts. The guy pulls into the alley behind us. "We gotta go around!"
"Go!" Kie shouts.
"Come on!" Pope yells.
"Go, go, go, go, go!" I shout as we take off running.
The guy gets out of the car to follow after us.
"Go! Go!" Rafe shouts.
"Guys, I think he has a gun," Kie warns.
"Shit, get down!" JJ tells us.
"Come on, Kie," Pope says.
"Go, go, go! Go!" Kie shouts.
"Get to the alleyway. Come on!" I shout.
"Let's go. Come on!" Pope yells.
"I think I'm cramping," Pope complains.
"Go, go, go, go, go, go, go!" Kie yells.
We take a turn onto the main street.
"This way! We might have to split up," JJ warns. "I don't know where to go, okay? We gotta lose them!" JJ runs into a mailman making him drop all the packages he's carrying. "Whoa! Jesus! Shit!"
"Watch out!" I shout.
"Sorry!" Kie and Pope shout at the same time.
"Sorry about that!" JJ shouts.
"Our bad!" I yell.
"Right here!" JJ tells us as he makes another turn.
"Go!" Rafe shouts.
"Here, here, here!" JJ says.
"Okay!" Kie says.
"He's right there. Go, go, go!" JJ shouts.
"Go! Go!" Pope yells.
I pant as we keep running.
"He's gaining!" Rafe shouts.
"Let's go!" Pope warns.
"I am going, Pope," JJ assures. "I know, I know. You guys gotta keep up."
JJ makes another left turn and suddenly were standing in front of Sarah and John B on a pedicab. I smile widely in disbelief.
"Get in! Get in! Get in! Come on!" John B tells us.
Kie and I sit on the seat next to Sarah. JJ, Pope, and Rafe start to push the pedicab as John B pedals.
"Push! Push! Push!" JJ shouts.
"Pedal faster, John B!" Sarah tells him.
I can see the guy chasing us and another dude. He must have been chasing John B and Sarah.
"Go, John B! Go!" I shout.
"Oh shit!" Pope shouts.
"Come on, Pope! Push! Come on!" JJ instructs.
"Pedal, B! He's gaining!" JJ shouts.
"I'm pedaling," John B tells him.
"He's gaining, man," Rafe warns.
"Oh my God!" Sarah shouts.
Pope manages to trip and fall. "Oh man!"
"Pope, get up! Let's go!" John B shouts.
Pope pulls himself back onto his feet. He reaches out and grabs Kie's hand. "Kie!"
"Pedal, John B!" JJ shouts.
Kie yells as the guy chasing us catches up to the back of the pedicab. Rafe and JJ both hit the man knocking him from the pedicab.
"See you later, alligator," JJ taunts.
"See you later, asshole. Oh my God!" Pope shouts.
"Blowin' you a little big kiss," JJ yells.
I laugh as Rafe wraps his arm around me. "Whoo!"
John B pedals us to the shore where a boat is.
"Is this you?" JJ asks.
Rafe, JJ, and Pope push the boat off the shore and into the water.
We're on our way back to OBX. It feels like John B and Sarah were never gone. Like the last few weeks haven't been just one big mess.
"Anybody else starving? We need to grab some sort of breakfast," JJ states.
John B pulls the boat over next to a little dock.
"We're gonna find some food," Sarah tells the guys.
We get off the boat and walk down a small pier. We wander into someone's yard. We're far enough from the house that hopefully no one will see us. It's not our best idea but we haven't eaten in hours.
"Ugh!" Kie holds a watermelon up over her head. "Jackpot!"
We split open two watermelons and sit down to eat them. Sarah starts to tell us all about her and John B's little adventure in the Bahamas.
"Okay, so you really got married?" I ask her.
"It wasn't exactly legal, but..." Sarah smiles. "Yeah." She laughs lightly. "Am I crazy, Kie, or is there definitely something going on between you and Pope?"
Kie shrugs her shoulders. "Maybe."
"That's not a no," Sarah says.
Kie smiles slightly. "It's not a no."
"Girl," Sarah teases. Kie laughs. "And you and my brother?"
I smile. "I think I've officially brought him over to the Pogue side."
Sarah laughs. "It's about time."
We grab a few more watermelons and head back to the boat.
"Hi," Sarah greets. "What y'all talking about?"
"Uh... fishing," John B tells her.
"Dropping lures," JJ says. "That's that, you know?"
"Okay," Sarah says.
Rafe looks at me. "Need help?"
I hand him the watermelon. "Thanks."
"Goodness gracious," JJ jokes.
"What's that now?" Pope asks.
Kie hands him a watermelon. "I got breakfast."
I smile as I sit down next to Rafe. Everyone settles back on the boat for the rest of the ride back home.