The last twenty four hours had been a big turn of events regarding the Sarah predicament. The boys had concocted a plan to trick Harley and Kiara onto Pope's dad's boat, under the pretense that it had stopped working and they needed mechanical help. Harley had been buzzing to help, whilst Kie had mocked the boys about not being able to do anything without them.
When they had arrived at the boat, JB had held Harley back and kept distracting her. He'd done so well that she hadn't really taken notice of the distance he'd created to the boat until she had heard splashes and JJ and pope swam back to the two, leaving Kiara and Sarah stranded.
She now knew the boys had changed the plan at the last minute, because she had mentioned her epilepsy medication and they weren't smart enough to remember to bring it. So, to play it safe they brought her back with them.
Naturally, Harley had been irked at their scheming and had wanted to go back to get Kiara. The boys had other ideas and had decided to team up and persuade her to give Sarah a chance, or at least agree to work along side her. It took most of the night, ten smoothies, and the boys agreeing to do whatever she wanted for a day of her choice, to get get Harley to agree to be civil. In Harley's mind that meant she could just disregard Sarah's presence, anything to ensure she could be her usual happy, bubbly self.
The next morning, they had all gone to get Kiara and Sarah. As much as the two denied sorting out their issues, Harley could tell they had and the boys were more than pleased. For the rest of the day, the group had split up to get everything they needed for their mission below the Crain house.
Which lead to now. The Pogues filtered out of the Twinkie, dressed in all black, and scampered over to the wall of the Crain house. They all hunched over and glanced amongst one another.
Oddly enough, Harley was excited to hop over the wall onto crazy Crain's land and hopefully find the gold. It felt like she was in an action movie with her friends, plus Sarah. So, she was pushing for John B to hurry up whilst he spewed how grateful he was for everyone being their with them, even Sarah.
"All right, we done with this circle jerk? Can we go do this?" JJ said from beside Harley.
Everyone agreed.
"Let's get that wheat in the water."
JJ's head could have broken at how quick he turned to Pope. "Weed? I'm up for weed."
"Wheat. I said wheat."
"Is there any point in a day where you aren't thinking about weed?" Harley laughed.
JJ stood behind Harley his hands hovered by her waist in case she needed help up over the wall. "When I'm with you," he whispered into her hair. To the others it all looked like a friendly helping hand as he hoisted Harley up, especially when he did the same for Kiara.
"Want any help over, princess Pope."
Pope rolled his eyes and playfully shoved JJ before they both scaled the wall.
"Princess Pope has a ring to it," Harley teased.
Pope's smart response was to pull Harley's bandana over her mouth. Harley, Pope and JJ all had matching dark blue bandanas tied around their necks.
The second the group stepped out of the bushes, a floodlight bathed the whole front yard in a blinding white light.
"Shit!"
The teens scurried back into the safety of the the overgrown greenery.
"Okay, so she had motion sensors lights," Pope stated.
JJ, always one for bright ideas offered a solution, "We could, uh, move really slowly, maybe?"
"I'm sure it doesn't work like that. Movement is movement, JJ." Harley responded. "Why don't we just go quickly. For all anyone knows their could be a cat out here. Plus, who can really see through all the trees and leaves and whatnot."
"Wait, so you my solution of moving slow makes no sense. But, moving quickly does."
"Yes."
"What happened to movement is movement?"
"Yeah. Moving slowly is gonna get us caught."
"So, you propose running toward the axe wielding murderer's home?"
"Hey! You two stop bickering," John B hushed the two. Harley's idea isn't so bad."
"See."
"There's a breaker in the circuit board on the front porch." Sarah spoke up. "We used to play hide and seek here as kids. If we were brave enough we'd go all the way to the front porch. I've seen it."
"Perfect. I'll go." JJ latched onto Harley's belt loops to tug her back the same time John B grabbed for her arm. "What?"
"Where do you think you're going?"
"To the porch. Where else?"
"Are you trying to die? Mrs Crain cuts people in half. I kinda like you as one whole mini Routledge."
"You're not going up there," John B told Sarah, then turned to hid sister. "Or you."
"Then we'll go together." Kiara swooped in and linked arms with both girls tugging them away before the boys could intervene.
It didn't take long for the girls to realise the breakers were no longer on the porch. The new wires lead into the house, so Harley pushed into the chilling, unlit house. The gloom had all of their nerves shot, but they still crept through the halls until they stumbled upon the fuse box and flipped the switches down. They were about to leave, triumphant in their mission, when the terrifying creek of floorboards shocked them into retreating further into the house.
Mrs Crain had woken up. Images of the girls being mutilated flashed across their eyes as their bodies skyrocketed on adrenaline. The feeble, old lady teetered towards them, her cane echoing through the home.
They held their breaths and prayed the old hag couldn't hear their hearts racing as she walked right in front of them calling out to her dead husband. Suddenly, she spun on them and the girls darted away.
"She freaking hit me!" Sarah cried.
"Hit her back!" Harley yelled back without much thought. Surely, they could take on an old lady. Three against one, the odds stacked their side. However, although Mrs Crain couldn't see, her aim with her pointy cane was scarily accurate. The grey clouds that misted her vision, and the power behind her swing made her that much more frightening as the girls ran laps of the ground floor.
Harley had ran into a room she though Kie had gone only to have to duck immediately otherwise her head would have been impaled against the wall.
"Shit! I'm starting to think dear, old Crain isn't really blind."
"What happened to hit her back?" Sarah appeared behind Harley and pulled her away.
"It went out the window the second she almost took my eye out." The two raced toward Kiara who was opening a door. "Plus, I kind of feel bad pushing an OAP, no matter how murderous and agile they are."
Harley slammed the door once they all ran through. Kiara had luckily found the door which led beneath the house. At once, the girls began screaming everything and nothing at the boys whilst they scurried down the rickety, wooden steps.
Panic set in when the door swung open with a squeal behind them and a loud bang resonated through the space.
"She has a gun!" Kiara yelled.
Sarah almost missed a step as the next shot went off. "I think she hit me!"
"You're okay." Harley's eyes snapped toward the the blood oozing from Sarah's upper arm.
Kiara had turned the corner to crash into the boys. Sarah managed next. As Harley reached the last couple of steps, her leg went straight through the plank. She tried to yank her leg out but it wouldn't budge, and all she could feel was splintered wood scratching and scraping at her ankle.
"JJ!" She wanted to tell the others she was stuck, but every time she spoke Mrs Crain's aim switched haphazardly to her. The others had ducked and dived behind the old furniture laying about whilst trying to tie off the rope holding John B in the well.
What Harley thought to be a bad action movie, switched to a really shitty horror movie starring the Pogues... and Sarah. Harley was about to be the first person to die.
"JJ!"
Mrs Crain must have sensed Harley so close, as she began to descend the steps. Frantically, Harley tried to wrench her leg free. Being able to detach your leg like a Barbie doll would have come in handy right then.
"Why are old people always batshit crazy?" JJ came barreling over and knocked into the massive shotgun. Harley ducked as another shot went off.
"JJ?" She questioned worry filling her body instantly.
The insane blond got back onto his feet and tugged on the weapon effectively sending Mrs Crain tumbling down the last step and into some chairs.
"It's okay. I'm okay." JJ answered. Harley managed to take a breath as her eyes scanned over the chaotic boy, she even breathed out a laugh at his soft smirk.
JJ kicked in the rest of the step around Harley's leg. They ran out, hand in hand, from beneath the Crain house and into the safety of the trees. He stopped Harley near the wall and held her face in his his heads.
Harley could see that he shared the same worry she held for him. So, despite all the adrenaline, excitement and fear, her heart swelled as she gazed back at JJ.
"Are you okay? Crain didn't hit you or anything."
Harley shook her head and smiled. "No, she missed."
"Good." JJ placed a soft kiss on Harley's forehead before pulling her in for a hug.
Harley melted into JJ, appreciating the warmth that always blanketed her. As she stepped back, her ankle stung and she winced.
"What's wrong?"
"My ankle just stings. It's okay."
Not taking any chances, JJ found his flashlight and flicked it on. The white light revealed torn skin and blood trickling down Harley's ankle.
"And suddenly it really hurts," Harley whined averting her gaze before she hurled at the gruesome sight. It might not be too bad, but all the blood made Harley gag.
"Okay. Let's go, the others are in the van."
"What about JB? We have to wait for him."
"We will, just in the van. If he's not out in a minute, Pope and me will go back for him."
Harley agreed. She let JJ help her up onto the wall, then waited for him to help her down and to the van. Harley sat shotgun and JJ sat behind the wheel.
"Sarah, is your arm okay?" Harley asked. Her eyes peered into the back where Pope, Kiara and Sarah were slumped. Pope had an old t shirt pressed to Sarah's arm, a half empty water bottle in Kiara's hand.
"Yeah. It's just a graze, the blood made it look way worse."
Harley nodded and turned back to her ankle.
"Hey, Kie. Pass that water, I need to clean Harley's ankle."
Harley's eyes grew with anxiety. "No. It's fine." She could already imagine the stomach curling sensation of water pouring over her ripped flesh and it made her sick. "We need to go back for John B."
As if on cue, successive gunshots fired off and a torchlight waved frantically in the air.
"That's him!" Kiara cried. "JJ, start the car."
"JJ, Go!"
"Come on! John B, run!"
JJ hollered in amusement, "Run, Forest! Run!"
John B came crashing through the open door, covered in a thick layer of wet mud, heaving for air.
Harley shot up and twisted around to stare over her brother. "You good?"
John B could only nodded through his breathlessness.
"You look disgusting," Pope laughed.
"And, you smell like ass," Kie added.
Now that Harley could breathe knowing all her friends were safe and unharmed, she laughed. "That was so creepy, but so cool."
"All-time Pogue Hall of Fame, baby." JJ grinned over at her.
"For sure, because look what I found." The shimmer of gold through a clump of mud in John B's hand caught the everyone's eye. An electric buzz waited to explode in the van. The second he wiped more mud away, the van erupted in screams an chants of joy. "We did it, baby! The Pogues are up."
"Guys, we're gonna be rich," Kiara exclaimed.
Harley's grin hurt her cheeks but she wouldn't stop smiling anytime soon as she began to chant.
"Full Kook!"
"Full Kook!"
"Full Kook!"