( episode nine- the bell tower )
AFTER THE POGUES FLED THE SCENE, THEY HID IN AN ABANDONED GARAGE, ITS SPACE CLUTTERED WITH DISCARDED ITEMS AND FORGOTTEN. The air in the garage was thick with the scent of old relics. The distant hum of a passing plane broke the group's silence, and all eyes turned skyward.
Pope's disappointed voice cut through, "There goes the gold." JJ, seething with frustration, unleashed a brutal kick, splintering a chair nearby. The sound made Lia wince, but her attention quickly shifted to Pope.
His cries filled the space as he went on a rampage, hurling objects around in a fit of rage. Kiara's voice, a mix of shock and concern, echoed through the chaos, "Pope!"
In the midst of his frenzy, Pope stumbled upon a forgotten bat on the ground, wielding it around. Each swing was a destructive act, shattering glass and obliterating whatever caught his eye.
Kiara, JJ, and Lia exchanged worried glances. This wasn't the Pope they knew, the easygoing Pogue who always had a calm demeanour.
Pope continued his destructive rampage until suddenly, he halted, his breath coming in rapid gasps. His hyperventilation filled the air, drowning out the echoes of his previous fury.
"Pope!" Kiara's desperate cry pierced through the chaos. Ignoring her, Pope sank to the ground, tears dripping down his face, the remnants of his rage giving way to overwhelming distress. As the three remaining friends looked around the garage, Lia noticed the devastation left in Pope's face. It dawned on her that this entire situation had struck a deeply personal chord within him, revealing a side of him they had never seen before.
Lia's gaze softened as she turned her attention to Pope, offering him a sad, understanding smile before approaching him. "Pope," she spoke gently, her voice tinged with compassion, only to be interrupted by JJ.
"Yeah, dude," JJ interjected bluntly, cutting off Lia's attempt to comfort Pope. He walked towards his friend, "I was wondering when this was gonna happen."
Kiara and Lia exchanged a knowing glance as JJ handed his vape to Pope, "Here you go, chief. A little weed never hurt no one."
"JJ," Kiara shook her head, a tight-lipped grimace on her face, showing her disapproval. "Relax, Kie," JJ dismissed her, shrugging nonchalantly. "You know he doesn't smoke."
Unexpectedly, Pope snatched the vape from JJ's hand, looking at it closely. "Well, maybe not until today," JJ commented, settling down next to Pope.
"Pope," Kiara repeated, her voice a gentle plea. "Yeah, what is that gonna help?" Pope lifted his eyes to meet Kiara's, his expression heavy with defeat. "I lost my scholarship. Walked out in the middle of the interview. Every- It's gone. It's not gonna happen."
"You did that for us?" Lia looked at him. Pope's eyes shifted to Lia, "No, not for us," he replied bitterly, taking a step closer to Aelia until their faces were mere inches apart. Kiara instinctively pulled Lia back.
"I'm here for you, Pope," JJ intervened, rushing to Pope's side and placing his hands on the boy's shoulders. He turned Pope to face him, their bodies intertwined in a side-hug. "Welcome to my world, okay?"
"JJ," Kiara interjected softly. "What, Kie? He's right," JJ asserted, releasing Pope from his embrace. "It doesn't matter anymore."
Lia felt her head spinning, a surge of heat pulsating through her temples. The escalating argument among her friends became unbearable. She needed air. Slowly, she distanced herself from the group, gathering her hair into a ponytail as she walked over to the open door to feel the coolness of the air.
Kiara watched Lia walk away, her eyes filled with worry. She debated whether to approach her and offer comfort or to give her a moment of privacy. Ultimately, she opted to let Lia be, glancing back and forth between the two boys in front of her as Pope brought the vape to his lips, inhaling its contents.
"You don't have to do that," Kiara voiced her worry. Pope rolled his eyes, exhaling a cloud of smoke, his attention set on Kiara. "What do you care?"
"John B," the voice trembled with both fear and urgency, echoing just a few feet away. The trio of Pogues turned to find Lia standing there infront of John B, a wave of fear crashing over them. Without hesitation, they sprinted toward her and the visibly shaken John B, their hearts pounding in their chests.
"Dude! Dude, you good?" JJ's voice yelled with genuine concern as he closed in on John B. "Oh, my God! John B!" Kiara's exclaimed, her eyes locked on John B.
Aelia noticed crimson blood stains on John B's hands and, without thinking, gently held them. Her touch feeling like a lifeline in the growing darkness. "Is this yours? Are you okay?" Fear tinged her voice as she looked into John B's confused eyes, finding only uncertainty that sent shivers down her spine.
Lia used to be really unsettled by the sight of blood when she was younger, but now she doesn't care. Memories of her childhood, when the mere sight or smell of blood made her queasy, flashed in her mind. Nosebleeds would reduce her to sobs, while paper cuts inflicted a pain she deemed unbearable. Yet, somewhere along the line, Lia's perspective on blood had transformed. Now, she looks at it like a sign of being alive, not something about death. It's like a reminder that you bleed when you're alive.
"Whose blood is that?" Kiara's voice quavered, looking at the smeared stains on John B's hands, the ominous hue now spreading onto Lia's own hands.
"Hey, you okay, man?" Pope's voice, filled with quiet terror, shattered the stifling quietness as the group grappled with John B's silence.
Yet, John B remained frozen, his silence becoming an unbearable void that amplified their fears. With mounting dread, they pressed on, their voices trembling with an unsettling terror. "John B, are you okay?" Aelia's voice wavered.
As uncertainty clung to them like a suffocating fog, a passing cop car jolted John B out of his trance. Reacting instinctively, he bolted into the garage, hiding behind a pile of discarded wood. The rest of the group, their minds shrouded in fear and confusion, followed.
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THE TRANSITION FROM DAY TO NIGHT WAS FAST, AS THE SUN HAD LONG DISAPPEARED BEYOND THE HORIZON. Above the once-innocent and luminous island, the stars shimmered, casting an ethereal glow on the now somber and blood-stained landscape. The unfortunate events that unfolded had cast a pall of darkness.
John B, burdened by the weight of Peterkin's death, had made the decision to disclose the truth to the entire island, leading the Pogues to embark on a journey that now brought them to the steps of the police station.
"John B, why are we at the police station?" JJ asked suspiciously.
"Somebody has to tell them what really happened," John B responded with a trembling voice. The van came to a halt, and a loud cough erupted from the back of the Twinkie, capturing the attention of the four Pogues. They turned their eyes toward Pope, who seemed to be choking on air. "Easy chief," JJ let his words out slowly.
Aelia's eyes shifted to John B, visibly affected by the trauma of his shared story. Since then, he had withdrawn into a realm of distress and silence. Lia empathised with him, understanding the weight of involving the police. Yet, an unsettling feeling persisted. Lia reached out and placed her hand gently on John B's knee. He looked at her, his eyes meeting hers, and she tapped his knee four times, a small gesture that brought a flicker of a smile to his lips. He nodded in reassurance and tapped her arm twice in response.
Tapping had become the secret language of John B and Aelia, forged during their childhood. In fourth grade, they had invented a code that only they understood, a means of communication that remained hidden from others. Even JJ had attempted to decipher it, but his attempts had been unsuccessful, leading him to abandon the idea after a few days.
JJ inched closer to John B from the back, his voice infused with honesty. "Listen, I'm going to be straight with you right now." He glanced at John B before lowering his gaze. "You might be walking into a lion's den, but you're not doing it willingly. It's a fundamental rule. Like my old man always said, never trust the cops, no matter what."
"Your old man's an abusive liar," Kiara interjected from the driver's seat. Lia pointed to Kiara, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. "True. But I do also have a feeling this is going to go south. I mean, seriously, do you think the cops are going to trust a sixteen-year-old over a forty-year-old man?" Aelia shook her head. "No way." She leaned back, sighing, allowing the others to continue their discussion. Aelia knew that by now, Ward had already woven a web of lies to protect his family's reputation at all costs.
"I'm with JJ," Pope chimed in, his voice firm. "To hell with the police." Aelia chuckled at Pope's remark, but her laughter died in her throat when she caught Kiara's disapproving stare. She quickly fell silent, meeting Kiara's eyes with an apologetic expression.
Kiara furrowed her brow, "Are you turning to the dark side now?"
"When was the last time the police actually helped us?" Pope retorted.
"Peterkin had my back, alright?" John B's voice cut through the mounting tension. "Or at least she tried. They need to know."
John B exited the van, his movements deliberate as he closed the door behind him. The group of Pogues watched as their friend willingly stepped into the police station, a sense of anxiety washing over them.
Minutes stretched into an agonising wait. Aelia and JJ found distraction in a game of slapsies in the back, while Kiara sat in silence behind the wheel. Pope observed Lia and JJ, his face carrying a hint of disapproval. Normally, Aelia would find comfort in smoking weed, but the thought of getting high now felt selfish.
The group's activities abruptly halted when John B's voice grew louder and more urgent, drawing closer to the van. "Start the car, Kie!" Kiara whipped her head around, catching sight of John B sprinting towards them. "What? John B?"
Aelia, Pope, and JJ watched as John B leaped into the grey van, his voice filled with desperation. Pope began to inquire about what had happened, while Lia directed her bewildered gaze at the Routledge boy.
"What have you done?" Kiara's voice trembled with fear as she struggled to navigate the vehicle away from the deputies.
"Open it," Pope instructed John B, who was grappling with a cop desperately clinging to the door handle. In a swift motion, John B flung the door open, causing the officer to stumble to the gritty ground before slamming it shut again.
The group fell into a momentary silence, their hearts heavy with the realisation that their lives had forever changed. They were now on the run from the very law enforcement meant to protect them. At the start of the summer, they were getting drunk at the partially constructed Kook's house, dodging security guards. But now, they found themselves fleeing from the police, with John B accused of a murder he did not commit.
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IN A DELIGHTFUL TURN OF EVENTS FOR THE OUTER BANKS RESIDENTS, DOMINION POWER REVEALED THAT THEIR SUBMERGED TRANSMISSION LINE, an instrumental conduit for the restoration of power to 90% of the area, would be operational within a mere 24 hours.
The Pogues drove to a quiet wooden broken down hut in the middle of a green grove. The car radio played quietly, breaking the silence of the early morning. Aelia found warmth and comfort in JJ's arms as she slept peacefully against him. The others huddled in the car, sticking together to support John B.
The sun had barely kissed the horizon, arousing everyone from their restful slumber, except for Lia, who had been the last to succumb to sleep. JJ played with his lighter, creating fleeting sparks of light in the dimness. Aelia, her head gently cradled on JJ's shoulder, basked in the tenderness of their connection, his arm enveloping her in a protective embrace. On the other side of Lia, John B fixated his gaze upon the world outside, lost in his thoughts.
Out of nowhere, the shrill wail of police sirens shattered the calm. JJ sprang up, rushing to peer through the back window at the passing patrol cars, jolting Lia from her sleep. Irritated by JJ's sudden movements, she redirected her attention to John B, blinking her eyes open to meet the gaze of his troubled soul.
The radio crackled with somber news, delivering a disheartening update on the unresolved case of Sheriff Susan Peterkin's shooting death. Kiara sensed the gloomy mood and quickly turned off the radio. Pope, sitting in the passenger seat, gave Kie a look. Meanwhile, JJ implored, "Let's game this out. Maybe you guys can help, being the smart ones and all, but...Who are the cops going to believe? Ward Cameron or us? So the accuser is a big shot developer, kind of lord of the island, got the governor on speed dial kind of person, and the accused...is John B...who is pretty much a homeless sixteen year old boy at the moment."
Aelia felt a rush of frustration as she stared at the car's ceiling, knowing deep down that whatever they planned, the result wouldn't change. In a quick act of defiance, she knocked JJ's hat over his eyes, silently warning him not to make things worse. John B, trying to process JJ's words, muttered a discontented curse.
With a contrite expression, JJ adjusted his hat, directing an apologetic look toward Lia, before shifting his attention to John B. "Listen, man, Yucatan is our best bet. It's our only option. What else can you do?" John B responded with an exasperated roll of his eyes.
"Why does it have to be Yucatan?" Lia fixed her piercing gaze upon JJ, her voice filled with annoyance. "Why not somewhere more exciting, like the Bahamas or some other place?"
A collective confusion washed over the group, their eyes fixed upon Lia, whose eyes darted from one face to another. "Blame JJ for waking me up," she declared, pointing an accusatory finger at him, her arms crossed defiantly.
Stopping the talk about Mexico, John B looked at Lia and chose not to bring up the Bahamas. "Sarah will help me out," he said, a glimmer of hope sparking in him.
"She saw everything," Kiara added. "Exactly," John B agreed, thankful.
"And she's gonna tell on her brother?" Pope wondered out loud.
JJ vigorously shook his head, taking the lit blunt out of his mouth. "No way, man. It's not happening," he insisted. Lia reached up, snatching the blunt from JJ's grasp and brought it to her lips, inhaling deeply. JJ's eyes widened in surprise. "What? You owe me for disturbing my sleep," Lia retorted.
"Will you let it go?" JJ rolled his eyes, exasperated by his best friend's obstinacy.
"Not a chance." Lia stated firmly, holding her ground. JJ redirected his attention from Aelia to John B. "We've gotta get you off the island."
Pope urgently proposed, "The ferry. It's the only way out."
"Yeah, make your exit stage left while you can, before the island is completely locked down," JJ urged, his attention drawn outside as he heard the distant sirens.
"Everyone, get down," Kiara whispered. Once the blaring sirens receded into the distance, Pope interjected, "John B, Sarah is not a Pogue." John B contemplated Pope's words, the weight of the truth settling upon him. "You can't stay here, man."
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word count!
2654
(edited)