SMOKE SIGNALS / OUTERBANKS
ੈ✩‧₊˚ written by catie . . . © vqnillascented
chapter thirteen ━━ ' the runway '
ALEX COULDN'T STAY in that house for another second longer.
Throwing the front door open, she stepped out into the early morning air, tears already streaking down her face.
Taking a left down the street, she headed for the only place she could go.
The gravel crunched underfoot as she approached Tanneyhill, the sound almost covering her stifled sobs.
It only took a second for her to realize that something was very, very wrong.
All of the lights in the house were off, but even from where she was standing, Alex could hear muffled, aggravated voices coming from within the walls.
Alex ran the rest of the way to the house, pressing her back against the siding. Slowly sliding across the wall, she made it to the back porch, where she climbed up on a chair to look into Sarah's bedroom window that overlooked the backyard.
Sarah's lamp was on, so Alex knew she was in there. She got off the chair and grabbed a smallish rock from the grass beside her, reeling back her arm and then chucking it at the window.
It made a solid noise when it hit, and soon, Sarah was coming over to her window to investigate.
Alex waved frantically, her own tears long forgotten when she caught sight of her best friend's damp cheeks.
Sarah's face lit up when she saw her, and she held up a finger, motioning for Alex to wait before disappearing from view.
When she returned, she had a notebook in hand. Alex watched as she scribbled on the paper and then held the message against the glass for Alex to read.
I'M LOCKED IN
Her brows pinching together with confusion, Alex mouthed back, "Why?"
Before Sarah could answer, she was interrupted by the sound of tires rolling against the driveway. Alex quickly dove behind the grill, making sure she was completely tucked out of sight.
She leaned forward until she could see the approaching vehicle through a crevice, without being seen herself.
Rafe's motorcycle stalled in front of the house, and he pulled off his helmet and shook out his hair. Alex heard him huff frustratedly before getting off and walking up to the house. She felt a pang of guilt spark in her chest, for running away from him like that at Barry's, but she didn't let the feeling linger, focusing in on the voices she hears start talking.
"Where have you been?" Ward.
Alex looks up at Sarah and then points towards the front of the house, silently informing her that's where she headed. She's so eager to leave, that she misses Sarah desperately shaking her head to try and stop her.
"You don't care." Rafe scoffed, his voice clearer now that Alex was closer. She kept herself pressed hard against the side of the house, balancing not being seen and being close enough to listen in on their conversation.
A pause, then Ward says, "I need you to stay close by today alright?"
"Yeah? Why?"
"I told you that I was taking John B out fishing, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, he attacked me. With a spear gun on the Druther's."
Alex felt her stomach hit the ground.
"Shit, what?"
"He was drinking, and throwing accusations at me, like I had stolen money and that I was the one who killed Big John, I mean," Ward scoffs. "Absolutely ridiculous claims. Then, he found the gun and fired it at me. He grazed my arm but I managed to get away."
Rafe hissed, which made Alex think that his father was showing him a wound of some kind. Her ears were ringing, and her skin felt cold to the touch.
That didn't sound like something that John b would do. Attack Ward Cameron, the father of his girlfriend and legal guardian because he was drunk? No way.
On the other hand, Alex knew, from that first night at the Boneyard, that John B's father was a sensitive topic for him, as expected, but he had literally gotten into a fight with Topper about it. If he had heard or seen something suggesting that Ward had something to do with it, maybe it messed with his head and he acted out violently.
That explains why Sarah was in her room, she was probably really upset about hearing all of this. But why had she been locked in?
Alex's mind raced as she tried to sort out the truth, but it was all too muddy. She needed to find John B, and hear his side of the story.
But first, she needed a pit stop to solve another mystery.
There's only one hotel close to the Thornburys' house, so Alex assumes and crosses her fingers that's where her father went, after saying that he's leaving and not coming back.
There was still a lot of confusion in her mind surrounding her parents' sudden divorce. It seemed to come out of nowhere, at least to Alex. Her parents never argued, in fact, they rarely even disagreed. She had no idea what could've lead to such extreme measures, and she felt like she had to demand answers.
And her father was as good a start as any.
Alex approached the front desk, the receptionist blowing a large, pink bubble with their gum directly in her face.
"Hi." Alex winced against the loud popping sound. "My Dad checked into a room earlier this morning and I'm meeting him for lunch, can you tell me what room he's in. I don't need a key or anything, I'll just knock."
The blonde eyed her up and down, chewing obnoxiously. "Name?"
"George Thornbury."
Acrylic nails tapped against the screen. "217."
"Thanks." Alex quickly headed for the stairs, figuring her legs could carry her faster than the elevator.
Once she had made it to the second floor, she scanned over all the doors until the correct number caught her eye. Her heart dropped down to her toes.
The door to room 217 was wide open.
She crept the rest of the way over, knees feeling unstable beneath her. Peering inside the room, she braced herself for the worst.
And the worst is exactly what she found.
Her father was sprawled out on the floor, laying in a puddle of fresh, bright red blood that stood out from the beige carpet. His eyes were half shut, pupils rolled up towards the ceiling, and from where she was standing ━━ Alex couldn't tell if he was breathing.
She felt a gasp rip through her, and she flung herself into the room. The carpet ripped her knees raw as she dropped to the floor in front of her dad.
"Dad? Dad, please." Her throat burned. She took his head into her hands and quickly felt for a pulse below his jaw. After a few seconds, a weak thump, thump, thump started up beneath her fingertips.
She released a breath. He wasn't dead, but by the looks of how much blood he had lost, there wasn't much time. Alex dove onto the bed, snatching up the telephone from its box, dialing the Kildare County Sheriff Department with violently shaking hands.
Alex waited as patiently as she could, while a large number of nurses and doctors huddled around her father. She just sat in the waiting room of the hospital, her head held in her hands. Tears had long-dried to her face, making her cheeks sticky and stiff.
"Alex?"
She looked up quickly, anxiety easing slightly when she saw that it was Sheriff Peterkin who was standing in front of her.
"They said you can go see him now." She smiled softly, politely at Alex.
"Okay, thank you." Alex didn't waste a second rushing down the hall and into his father's room. She knelt at his bedside and clutched at his arm, feeling hot tears poking at the corners of her eyes once again.
"Hey, Dad." She whispered against the lump in her throat. "What happened to you?"
Curiosity got the better of her, and slowly, Alex lifted a corner of the blanket thrown over him, revealing his recently cleaned up arms.
She could see the wounds that caused all that blood now. Circular holes driven deep into him, tearing through muscle and flesh on its way down and then clean back out. Three on his left arm and two on his right.
"I've seen wounds like that before."
Alex jerked around to see Peterkin standing in the doorway. The sheriff held up her hands apologetically. "I'm sorry, kid. You probably don't want to hear ━━"
"What is it?" Alex interrupted.
Peterkin sucked down a deep breath. "Two bodies washed up a few weeks back, with those exact kind of puncture wounds. I've only ever seen something like that in large fish, sometimes dolphins or manatees that get mistaken for fish."
"What's it from?" Alex's eyebrows furrow. "The wounds. What causes them?"
"A fishing hook."
"I don't understand." Alex shook her head, an ache starting to form behind her temples.
"I think your father was attacked."
"No shit." Alex snapped, feeling annoyance bubbling up inside of her. "But with a fishing hook?"
Peterkin simply nodded. "Just like those bodies that washed up from the marshes. And I think I know who did it, and this attack on your father has only strengthened my theory."
"Who?" I blurted.
Peterkin parts her lips, about to answer when a nurse pushes past her into the room. "Sorry, ladies, we have to run a few more tests. Mind stepping outside for a second?"
"Of course not." Peterkin flashes Alex a look before moving out of the doorway, leaving th teen girl still crouched on the floor, feeling more confused than she had been in her entire life.
Alex spent the night at the hospital, sleeping a few hours in the waiting room, sitting up in a chair, and a few more in her dad's room, staying wide awake, just staring at the constant heartbeat on the monitor.
Around seven, she got sent home by one of the nurses. It was either that or call her mother, and Alex didn't want to see her, and she was pretty sure that her father didn't either.
So, she obliged when asked to go home for a few hours. But she didn't go home.
She went back to Tanneyhill.
She had to make sure Sarah was okay, and, if she was being honest, she was sure that her brain would explode if she had to spend a single moment alone with her thoughts, focused on her own problems. So, she just crunched up the long Tanneyhill driveway instead.
Distant shouts made her stop in her tracks, and after a few seconds she was able to locate the noises. She ran over to the side of the house, letting out a loud gasp when she saw that Ward's pickup truck was parked nearby, and he had a tight grip on Sarah, trying to force her into the backseat. He's able to get the door closed on her before Alex can get close enough.
"Hey, Mr. Cameron!" Alex tried to keep her voice level. She approached him slowly and carefully.
He whipped around at the sound of her voice, his eyes wild in a way that sent a chill down her spine. Quickly, he corrected his face and flashed a big smile at her. "Alex! What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to talk to Sarah." She tries to sneak a glance into the truck for any sight of her best friend. "Are you two going somewhere?"
"Oh, yes." Ward laughed, a little too hard. "Just some father daughter bonding. Gonna get lunch and then...walk around or something. See you, Alex." He waved to her before climbing in behind the wheel.
For that brief moment that the door was open, Alex heard Sarah shriek, "Help!"
She remained completely still until Ward had pulled out of the driveway. Then, she sprinted as fast as she possibly could to the back of the house. She found what she was looking for very quickly.
Swinging her leg over Rafe's motorcycle, she started up the engine before even fully on the seat. Adrenaline fueled her not to be scared as she lurched forward, and then shot down the driveway.
Somehow, Alex managed to stay upright on the road, which she counted as a win. She held back a few feet from the truck, but kept up enough to keep them in her sights.
She had been so focused on sticking with the truck, that she hadn't been paying attention to where they were headed. She knew that they crossed the bridge towards the Cut, but the next time that she really focused on her surroundings was when she saw dark asphalt roll up underneath her tires.
She pressed down on the brake, allowing the motorcycle to slow to a stop, whipping her head all around, riddled with confusion.
She appeared to be in the middle of an airstrip, a metal fence trapping her inside. There was a small plane a mile or two away, and Ward had kept on driving over to it when she had stopped.
"Alex?"
She turned at the sound of her name being called, both shock and relief hitting her like a tidal way when she saw the Pogues watching her through the chain link fence.
Kicking down the stand and sliding out of the seat, she ran over to them.
"What are you doing here?" Kiara's brows pinched together.
"Ward has Sarah, and she was upset, I think he's forcing her, I don't know, I just had to follow them." As she says it out loud, Alex realizes more and more that her thought process doesn't make a lot of sense.
"Sarah?" John B fumes. "He's got Sarah?"
Without waiting for a response, the brunette shoved his feet into the diamond shaped holes in the fences and hoisted himself up. Alex steps back when he crowns the top and jumps to the ground.
"Wait, I heard what happened. Ward said you attacked him, but I don't...I don't think I believe him." Alex searched John B's face.
John B paused for just long enough to let her see just how solemn his expression was. "He killed my father."
Alex's knees nearly buckled out from under her, but she didn't have time for any followup questions, because the propellers on the small plane started to spin, creating a loud whirring noise that cut through the quiet morning air.
"Guys," JJ said. "I don't think you should be in there right now, get over here."
Nodding, Alex placed her foot into the fence, but it was difficult to get a strong footing from how much her legs were shaking.
"He can't win." John B whispered to himself, before turning and hauling himself back over the fence onto the Pogues side.
He ran towards the Twinkie, which was parked a few meters away, ignoring his friends' pleas for him to stop. As soon as the engine roared to life, he slammed down on the gas until he burst through the metel fence.
Alex was able to dive out of the way just in time, landing hard on the pavement, feeling the side of her thigh get cut up by the friction.
John B sped down the runway towards the plane, eventually catching up to it and racing alongside it as it attempted to take off.
Alex felt hands under her arms, dragging her to her feet.
"You okay?" JJ's voice was gentle in her ear.
But she could only nod, her eyes glued to the chase that was taking place, horror gripping at her chest.
The Twinkie pulled ahead of the plane, making a hard left, slamming on the brakes right in the plane's path.
"Fuck, he's going to get himself killed." JJ bit out.
But, luckily, although too close for Alex's liking, the plane skidded to a stop.
Sarah climbed out and met John B halfway in an embrace, but they were soon interrupted by a not-so-happy Ward.
He reached for his daughter but she shoved his hands away, and John B held her protectively.
Alex jumped at the sound of sirens approaching, turning to see a blue and white police car speeding down the runway to the scene.
"Guys, I can't get arrested." Pope said.
JJ nodded in agreement. "I'm on probation."
"Look," Kiara says. "We're no good if we're in jail."
"I'm staying." Alex said, her voice hoarse.
"No way," JJ took a step closer to her.
"One of us has to. I'll stay, and we can meet on the pier, okay? I'll be okay."
Hesitantly, JJ nodded and moved back once again.
"Guys," Pope said anxiously, as the sirens got louder.
"Go!" Alex waved them away, and off they ran. Alex dropped to her knees behind the rubble of the collapsed fence, watching where she couldn't be seen.
The police vehicle skids to a stop and Peterkin climbs out. Alex felt her breath catch in her throat.
The sheriff pulls out a gun, and aims it at the three people on the tarmac. Alex wished so badly that she could hear what they were saying.
Luckily, Ward Cameron ending up on his knees, with his hands behind his head gave her a pretty clear idea of what was going on.
As Peterkin fumbled with putting handcuffs on his wrists, Alex wondered why he was being arrested.
It hit her all at once.
"I think I know who did it." Peterkin's words echoed in her mind, followed by John B's, "He killed my father."
Ward Cameron had a lot more secrets then Alex had ever known. And he had been the one to attack her father. That just made his arrest even more satisfying for her to watch.
Anger boiled up in her stomach, but it quickly dispersed when a colorful blur appeared in her peripheral. She turned fast, seeing yet another truck fast approaching. It stopped several yards away, and the driver climbed out, whatever was in their hand catching and reflecting the sunlight.
Alex swore her heart stopped beating when she recognized the approaching man as Rafe. And he was holding a gun.
She watched him pull it back, lace his finger through the trigger, and come around the side of the plane.
She can't remember the next few seconds, her vision cutting out as her heart raced wildly. But even over the loud pounding in her ears, she still heard the gun go off.
catie speaks!
AHHHHHHHHHHH
this was the chapter that i was SO SO SO excited to write & publish, and it's finally here! i hope you guys liked it!!
the intensity is about to GO UP FROM HERE!!!! YES EVEN MORE!!
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virtual hugs,
catie