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Okay, so I know that I should've published this a long time ago, but my mom having a stroke and ending up in the hospital for two weeks, me finding out that I actually wasn't friends with the Madeleine McGraw, and my grandma passing away shortly afterwards kinda got in the way of me making writing a main priority.
But, lo and behold, I've returned at last to finish my SOSS s4 one-shots after my life has finally returned to normal.
However, make sure that you grab your tissues folks. Not only is this gonna be full of angst, but there may or may not be a character death in this.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
Word count: 11848 words. I feel like I actually cooked a whole five-course meal for you guys. lol. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As Harper ascended the bunker steps to the year 2049 with Topher and Zoey, she honestly couldn't believe that her and Griffin's future son, Nick, just straight up faded out of existence. Just like Griffin, she wasn't expecting to get so attached to her son, but that's exactly what happened. He was a good kid, and she already loved him with all of her heart.
And based on the little clues that Nick gave them, Harper guessed that whatever happened in 2049 must've been pretty serious if it meant that he was going to be erased from existence.
"So, what are we gonna do once we get to 2049?" asked Topher as he opened the hatch and hooked the chain before going up the steps.
"I don't have a clue, but our best bet would be to start at The Tremont, and----- Ahhh!!!" Harper screamed when she went through the hatch.
Zoey and Topher looked at each other. "Harper?!" they cried and quickly started to run up the steps towards the hatch, only to be met with a painful burning sensation when they went through.
"Although we haven't been time traveling for as long as you and Griffin have, I do know that the hatch shouldn't do that," Zoey said as she rubbed at her side and groaned.
"I feel like my ribs and spine are on fire. And that's not an exaggeration," Topher cried as he winced in pain.
"I know," Harper replied, her voice laced with urgency. "This is much worse than we thought. I just hope that Griffin, Wyatt, and Savannah are having better luck in 1962," she said as she stood back up and looked at their surroundings, feeling a chill go down her spine when she saw that although there were no clouds in the dark nighttime sky, all of the trees were cold and damp and covered in swamp moss.
"Hey, Harper, question: When you and Savannah went to 2024 to retrieve Griffin and Sam, did the hatch look like it had been set on fire and burned to a crisp?" Topher asked as he brushed some moss off of his shoes.
Harper shook her head. "No, Topher. Why?"
"Because that's exactly what it looks like now," he replied grimly, and Zoey and Harper walked over to him and saw that he was speaking the truth.
The hatch had been burned to a crisp and there were char marks caked all over it, and the wheel to open it from the outside had been partially melted.
"Well, that's grim," Zoey said after they had stood there in a shocked silence for a few minutes.
"Yep," Topher said dryly.
Harper cleared her throat and started to walk away. "We don't have a lot of time. We better find out what happened here so that way we can prevent it from ever happening in the present so that way Nick can exist," she declared resolutely, her voice firm.
"Good call, Harper," Topher responded as he and Zoey were quick to walk away from the hatch and join her.
As they continued to walk through the damp and moss-caked woods, no one really said anything. They were all haunted by the sight of the hatch being burned to a crisp, and desperately hoped that this wasn't the work of Judge Walker.
"So, what do you think happened here?" asked Zoey as she waved her hand to shoo away a mosquito that was the size of her pinky finger.
"Your guess is as good as mine, Zoey," Harper answered. "Whatever it is, it must've been pretty bad, and it's not a future that I want to see come to pass," she said as she thought about the sight of the burnt Tremont in the first bad 2024, and hoped that although Nick had been erased from existence, her future self and her family were still okay. She and Griffin had worked so hard to prevent him from dying or Topher ending up in his coma, and she didn't want all of their hard work to have been for nothing.
Just then, Topher spoke up. "Ugh!!!! What stinks?!"
"Probably your farts after you eat, like, five of your mom's corned beef burritos," Zoey stated as she stepped over a large rock.
"This time, it wasn't me. It smells like that black gunk that was seeping out of the door to room 205," he said insistently. "Don't you smell that?"
Harper and Zoey looked at each other skeptically, but sniffed the air around them and realized that Topher was right. The air not only smelled like the gunk that was running down room 205's door, but it also reeked of sewage water, dried-up moss, and moldy food.
"Okay, this stinks. Literally," Harper exclaimed as she fanned the air in front of her with her hand as she plugged her nose so she wouldn't vomit.
"I agree," Topher said as he stepped backwards to avoid a large chunk of dried-up moss that had fallen off a tree branch.
"We need to get to The Tremont and make sure that our future selves are okay," Zoey said. "There's no way in hell that any of us would willingly want to stay here," she stated as she turned to look at Topher, and her face paled even more. "Uh, guys, you need to come take a look at this," she said as she suddenly felt feverish chills run down her spine.
"What's wrong, Zoey?" Topher asked with obvious concern laced in his voice before he and Harper reached her and their faces also paled.
The springs had turned a sickly dark gray color and the water was chunky and swirling around at an unnatural pace as little bits of gunk and mold came flying out of the water.
As they took in the haunting sight of the springs, their hearts felt heavy as their thoughts continued to race in a million different directions. Clearly, this future was not pleasant in any sense of the word, and none of them wanted to see it come to pass. It felt like something that was straight out of a horror movie, or their worst nightmares.
"H-How?" Topher asked softly as they slowly backed away from the springs and resumed walking towards The Tremont.
"How what, Topher?" Harper asked.
"How did our future become this messed up? What happened here?" he asked with worry and fear in his voice, and both Harper and Zoey could tell that he was genuinely concerned and didn't like seeing his family's land in such a repulsive and sickening state.
"I don't know, Toph, but I'm hoping our future selves can answer that for us," Zoey replied as they finally reached the edge of the woods and started to walk up the path leading towards The Tremont, only to be met with another jarring and horrifying sight awaiting them.
The Tremont hotel wasn't even a hotel anymore. The lampposts in the front yard had been destroyed and bent into an unrecognizable pretzel shape, the roof was missing some shingles, and a few windows had been boarded up.
"Or maybe not," Topher remarked as he pointed at the boarded up windows.
"It doesn't even look like a hotel anymore," Zoey said sadly as a few unexpected tears started to run down her face, and Topher pulled her into a gentle hug in order to offer her some comfort.
"It looks like it did back in 1930," Harper said in hushed awe, and it was true what she had said.
Sometime in between 2020 and 2049, The Tremont had been deconstructed back into a house and looked almost exactly like it did back when Harper had gotten stuck in 1930, except this time there weren't any farm animals on the property and the siding was peeling in a few different places.
"Wait, what were you doing in 1930, Harper?" Topher asked as he continued to hold Zoey close to him and rubbed little circles on her back with the tip of his finger.
"That's not important," she snapped as she started to walk up the porch steps.
"Uh, yeah it is. Besides, you and Griffin promised not to keep us out of the loop anymore," Topher replied as he and Zoey followed her.
Harper turned back to look at him with a scornful look on her face. "Trust me, I know that. And as soon as we get back to 2020, I'll tell you everything, but right now, what's important is getting answers from our future selves," she replied as she turned back around and knocked on the front door, and after a few seconds later, someone walked out to greet them.
This person had fairly dark skin and curly black hair that had been tied up into a braid, hazel-colored eyes that were full of an unexplained sadness behind them, and they were using a cane to help them walk since their left leg was bent.
Zoey and Topher gasped softly, while Harper just stared at this person in disbelief.
It was her.
"Harper?" Topher asked softly, his voice barely above a whisper, as he stared at his future sister and wondered how she had ended up like this.
"Yes, Topher. It's me," Future Harper said as a few tears fell down her face.
"Are you okay? What happened here? What happened to you?" Zoey asked as she looked at the dilapidated state of The Tremont again so she wouldn't have to make eye contact with Future Harper since her face and arms were slightly burnt and had scars all over them.
"I'm sure you must have a lot of questions, so why don't you come inside and I'll try to answer them as best as I can so you can prevent this from happening in the present," she said as she hobbled over to the side of the doorframe so her younger self, Topher, and Zoey could come inside.
"Some future this is," Topher mumbled under his breath as he stepped into the place that was like a second home to him, but had sadly become nothing more than a rickety and distasteful shack that was beyond the state of repair.
As Future Harper watched everyone get seated at the dining room table, she slowly walked back out onto the porch and stared up at the starry night sky, seemingly unfazed by the unpleasant smells in the air.
"Don't worry, everyone. I'm going to make this right. I promise you," she said softly as one single tear fell down her face before she turned around and went back inside. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, back in 2020, Ben and Sarah were sitting in the chairs next to Mrs. Barker's hospital bed, not really saying anything while they waited for Jess to return with some coffees for them.
Finally, the silence was broken when Ben spoke up. "Hey, Sarah, what do you think Mrs. Barker was doing at the springs all by herself? I mean, it seems pretty strange that an old lady such as herself would want to go out there," he said absentmindedly as he scratched his beard.
Sarah simply just shrugged. "Well, whatever the reason, I don't blame her. Ever since we re-opened the hotel, people have been clamoring to get a chance to relax by the springs. I've even heard some folks say it had magical healing powers back in the day before they dried up," she said with a wry chuckle.
Ben hummed in response. "While I personally don't believe those stories, I do know that Jess does, or at least, she did. Back in the summer of '88 when we were at camp, after she had came down with the chicken pox, she did nothing but soak in the springs for two-and-a-half weeks straight," he said with a fond smile on his face.
"Huh. Now, that's interesting," Sarah said as she stood up and went over to the door. "Do you think you could handle watching Mrs. Barker by yourself? I'm gonna go to the bathroom," she said as she opened the door.
He nodded. "Yeah, I got it," he answered calmly.
"Great. Thanks," she said as she stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind her and leaving Ben and Mrs. Barker alone.
As Ben sat in silence, never taking his gaze off of Mrs. Barker's sleeping form, he couldn't help but think about how Wyatt and Zoey thought she was a ghost. And honestly, he couldn't blame them for thinking that. Her face was so pale, it almost was a ghostly white color. He sighed heavily. He'd heard from Jess about how Mrs. Barker had become a very isolated person following the death of her husband and barely talked to anyone afterwards. She didn't deserve to be here in the hospital. It just wasn't right.
Suddenly, Ben was snapped out of his thoughts by quiet mumbling, and he could see that Mrs. Barker's lips were moving slightly. Getting up from his chair, he pressed the call button for a nurse, figuring that she was probably thirsty or needed some assistance going to the bathroom, and went to go sit back down when he suddenly felt something cold grab his wrist and saw that Mrs. Barker had grabbed a hold of his hand.
"I-I missed you," she said quietly.
Ben smiled in thought. She must've been confused, but he wasn't going to correct her. Not after what happened with Sarah and the ghost, and so he just knelt down and took her hand in his own. "I missed you, too. We all did. We were all worried about you," he said as he suddenly felt a few tears start to pool in his eyes for no discernible reason.
"I-I-It's time," she said as she gently loosened her grip on his hand. "It's time to-to go home."
Ben sniffled. "Yes, I'm sure it is. You'll be back at Shady Acres in no time at all. I promise," he said as his eyes started to become puffy and red.
Mrs. Barker shook her head as she slowly opened her eyes. "No," she said with a small smile on her face. "Not Shady Acres. It's time to go home. I can see Jordan and my mother, and it's beautiful."
Ben gasped softly as he stood up. "No, y-you can't," he said in disbelief as he watched her breathing get heavier and heavier.
Mrs. Barker turned to look at him with a smile on her face. "Don't cry, Ben. I loved being your friend and spending time with you at camp. But it's time for me to go. Please give my best to Harry and Hermione, and always remember to do what makes you happy," she said warmly as she gently squeezed his hand before she looked back up at the ceiling.
"H-hey, Jordan. Let's go for a drive," she said with a chuckle, and then her heart monitor started beeping rapidly and she closed her eyes, and then, she was gone. She didn't have a pulse, and she was just laying limp and lifeless in her hospital bed.
Ben gasped in disbelief as nurses came running into the room. He couldn't believe that she was gone.
He slowly stepped out into the hallway where Jess and Sarah were waiting for him, and without any warning, he fell down to his knees and let out a few loud, heartbreaking sobs and Sarah was quick to kneel down next to him and wrap her arms around his shaking figure to offer him some comfort.
"Ben, what happened in there?" Jess asked as she looked in the direction of the hospital room door.
"She's gone," he answered quietly as a single sob escaped from his mouth as the nurses came out of the room, their faces equally grim and saddened as Ben's was.
Jess gasped softly while Sarah simply said nothing and helped Ben stand back up. As they walked back to the waiting room, no one said anything. This night had officially gone from bad to worse, and they couldn't believe that she had just passed away.
However, as they made themselves comfortable in some chairs in the waiting room, they took some small comfort in knowing that she had passed away knowing that Jordan and her mother would be waiting for her on the other side and she wouldn't be hurting or in any more pain. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Griffin, Savannah, and Wyatt came out of the hatch and arrived in 1962, they were met with a sharp, cold wind blowing in all of their faces as thunder rumbled in the distance.
"Well, that's just wonderful," Wyatt remarked, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he literally jumped into a nearby ditch to avoid getting whacked in the face by a large tree branch.
Griffin and Savannah shivered against the cold wind as they looked up and saw large storm clouds in the sky and heard the rumbling thunder get closer to them.
"So, all in favor of getting to The Tremont as fast as possible so we can save Jordan from whatever terrible fate will be waiting for him?" asked Wyatt loudly, having to yell so he could be heard over the rushing winds and booming thunder.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Griffin said quickly.
"I'm in," Savannah replied.
"Good. Now, we better start running like hell, 'cause I've got a feeling that this storm is only gonna get much worse," Wyatt stated bluntly before the three of them took off running as fast as they could.
As they raced towards The Tremont, ducking into ditches to avoid more flying tree branches, pieces of rock and moss, and a few stray newspapers, Savannah hoped that they didn't get back to 1962 too late, and that they would be able to save Jordan. She really cared for him, and she didn't want to see him get hurt in any way, shape, or form. And as they reached The Tremont and raced up the front porch steps, the realization finally dawned on her: Jordan was her very own Seahorse.
Panting heavily as they ran into the lobby, Wyatt felt his knees give out from under him and he collapsed right in front of the front desk.
"Hey, man. You okay? You look more redder than a cherry tomato. You need a hand?" asked a kind voice.
"Yeah, sure. T-Thanks," Wyatt said in between deep gasps for air as he was pulled back up on his feet and saw who had helped him up. It was a boy who looked to be about Griffin's age, and he had light blonde hair, striking blue eyes, and a dimple on the left side of his face, and for some reason, Wyatt thought that this guy looked like a baby faced Chris Pine.
"Don't mention it," the boy said with a warm smile on his face.
"Jordan! You're okay," Savannah cried as she pulled him into a tight hug without any warning.
Jordan snorted in response. "Pssh, of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be? Although, you and friends certainly look beat. What were you guys doing out in the storm?" he asked as he began to check Savannah over for any bruises.
Griffin and Wyatt looked at Savannah nervously, but she just smiled at them reassuringly. "We were just making sure that the bunkhouses were secure and nothing was gonna get seriously damaged by the wind and the rain," she said as her and Jordan went over to go sit in one of the couches in the lobby, much to Wyatt's annoyance.
As he watched them strike up a hushed conversation on the couch, Wyatt couldn't help but feel an odd sensation in his stomach as he watched Savannah get lost in Jordan's eyes. Ever since that night a few weeks ago when he and Zoey met her and she called him cute and adjusted his hat, he couldn't help but feel happy in his heart whenever he thought of or about Savannah.
Griffin noticed his expression and pulled him over towards the staircase, where they could talk in moderate secrecy. "Hey, Wyatt, what's going on with you? You're not looking so great," he said with concern laced in his voice.
Wyatt sneered. "I'm fine, Griffin. It's nothing."
Griffin looked at Wyatt, before his attention shifted back towards where Savannah and Jordan were engaged in a lively conversation, and a light bulb went off in his mind. "You like Savannah, don't you?" he inquired with a cocky smirk adorned on his face.
Wyatt's eyes widened in disbelief as his nostrils flared. "Shut up! You don't know anything!!!" he hissed angrily.
Griffin chuckled. "Uh-huh, sure. Look, Wyatt, you can lie to me all you want, but I can tell that you're absolutely smitten with her. Did something happen the night you and Zoey went through the hatch and met her?" he asked as he and Wyatt heard Savannah let out a chuckle at something Jordan said.
Wyatt sighed heavily as he sat down on the first step and put his head in his hands. "Well, I guess that there's no point in hiding it. The night we met, Savannah had explained to us how the radio worked and how she actually went missing the night of the camp dance in 1990. And right before she went back to The Tremont, she had adjusted my hat and kinda, sorta, maybe called me cute. And now, as I'm watching her get knocked off her feet by Jordan, I can't help but feel a funny feeling in my stomach, and I don't like it at all," he said sadly as he let out another sigh and a few tears fell down his face.
As he listened to Wyatt's anecdote about his feelings for Savannah, Griffin noticed the anguish and sadness that was etched on his younger brother's face and in a moment of empathy, he placed his hand on his shoulder to offer him a little bit of comfort. "It's gonna be okay, Wyatt. I promise," he said as he sat down next to him on the staircase.
"How do you know that, though, Griffin? How do you know that this won't end with me getting my heart broken?" Wyatt asked as he let out a quiet sob.
Griffin sighed. "I don't know, Wyatt. And I wish I could do more to make you feel better, but there isn't. And if you do get your heart broken, I'll be right here to help you feel better. I promise," he said earnestly as he and Wyatt embraced each other in a tight hug that was full of brotherly love and understanding for one another.
Just then, Savannah came walking up to them. "Hey, so, I don't mean to interrupt this tender moment, but I managed to come up with a genius way for us to keep an eye on Jordan so that way he won't get hurt," she said with a sly grin on her face.
Griffin and Wyatt raised their eyebrows in confusion as they stood back up. "Okay. What is it?" Griffin asked expectantly.
"We're gonna help Jordan with his chores around the hotel!!!" she cried excitedly.
"And, how exactly does that help us keep him out of harm's way?" Wyatt inquired as he scratched his forehead.
Savannah rolled her eyes. "It's simple, Wyatt. If we help Jordan out and we spot some form of paranormal activity happening around us, we'll be able to get him out of here and bam!!!---- he'll be safe and sound," she said as she made an exploding fireworks motion with her hands, which made Wyatt start to blush profusely.
Griffin shrugged. "Okay. Seems simple enough. Where do we start?"
"On the veranda and in the parlor. Lately, we've been having a little bit of a spider infestation, and Mom's been hounding me about getting it taken care of. Better late than never, right?" Savannah said as she grabbed two bottles of vinegar out from behind the front desk.
"I guess so," Wyatt replied with a wry chuckle.
"Let's get going, then. Jordan's waiting for us," Savannah said as she started to walk towards the parlor, with Griffin and Wyatt right behind her.
However, as they got to work killing the spiders that were hiding in crevices and underneath the tables and chairs in the parlor using the vinegar, Wyatt couldn't help but think about what he liked about Savannah the most, and how he probably was going to get his heart broken at the end of all of this.
Sometimes, he really hated the way being in love with someone made you turn into a really stupid person. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"So, what do you want to know first?" Future Harper asked as she sat down at the dining room table and sipped on the honey lemon tea her younger self had prepared for everyone in the kitchen.
"Where do we even begin?" Topher replied as he shivered. "The hatch has been burned to a crisp, the springs are a mess, and you're living here all by yourself," he cried in disbelief.
"And Jordan Barker might soon be meeting some terrible fate back in 1962," Zoey said as she sipped on some tea.
Future Harper sighed heavily. "Yes, I know, Zoey. I guess it all started the night Nick came back to 2020. He said that destroying the radio would be a huge mistake and that our future would get much, much worse if we didn't help him solve a problem in 2054. But Griffin and I didn't listen to him, thinking that you and Wyatt or Topher were pranking us because you guys didn't want to stop time traveling, and so, we sent him back to the future and Griffin smashed the radio with a hammer."
"Okay, time out," Topher said as he made a 'T' with his hands. "First off, we don't have that many friends in the present, and we knew better than to go around telling people about the radio and the bunker, so why the hell would you think that we would be pranking you?!" he asked as he stared at his future sister with a mixture of shock and disbelief on his face.
Future Harper sighed. "I don't know what we were thinking that night, Topher. I think the adrenaline from defeating Judge Walker was still wearing off, and we weren't thinking straight. To this day, I still regret brushing Nick off and sending him back to 2049 without hearing what he had to say. Maybe if we had just listened to him, we could've stopped all of this from ever happening in the first place."
"So, what happened next?" Harper asked as she put a hand on her future self's shoulder to try and offer her some comfort.
"Well, in simple terms: everything went to shit," she stated bluntly.
"How?" Zoey asked.
"Well, shortly after Mrs. Campbell was released from the hospital, she and Ben couldn't stop fighting with one another and because of everything that Judge Walker did, business started to dry up," Future Harper said as she took another sip of tea.
"So? That doesn't sound too bad," Topher said hopefully.
Future Harper snorted. "You say that now, but it only got worse. Starting in the summer of 2025, Sulphur Springs began to experience an unnatural amount of hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes on an almost daily basis, and no one could explain why and at the same time, I had been having increasing visions of The Tremont being destroyed in a terrible flood that had the power to wipe out the entire state of Louisiana," she said, her voice filled with urgency, and her younger self, Topher, and Zoey all glanced at each other with unease.
"D-do you think all of those disasters might've been the work of Judge Walker?" Zoey asked slowly.
Future Harper sighed. "I honestly don't have a clue at this point, Zoey. And while all of this was happening, your parents got a divorce and Ben went back to Chicago and took Wyatt with him while Mom went bankrupt since The Tremont wasn't even in business anymore, which meant that there was no one for her to serve food to, and she went into a state of depression."
For a few minutes, no one said anything. They were all shocked by what Future Harper had just told them and Zoey looked horrified at the prospect of her parents getting a divorce and her and Wyatt being separated from each other.
"Well, that's just peachy," Topher finally said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"You said it," Future Harper replied with a dry chuckle. "And anyways, after that happened, Mrs. Campbell went to work deconstructing The Tremont back into a house since she knew that no one was gonna stay here anymore while you, Griffin, Zoey, and I spent every single day investigating the springs, trying to stop the flood from coming and keep our families safe."
"Did it work?" Harper asked.
Her future self shook her head regretfully. "Unfortunately, no. We did the best we possibly could, but it was all for nothing. Late one night as we were all getting ready for bed, the flood struck without any prior warning and everything was destroyed. The lampposts were bent from the strong currents of the water, the floorboards became extremely unstable and loose, and all of the pipes burst, covering everything in that black gunk that was running down the door to room 205," she elucidated with a heavy sigh as a few tears fell down her face.
"Woah," Topher muttered in disbelief.
"And that wasn't even the end of it. At the flood's peak, Mom, Mrs. Campbell, Griffin, Zoey, and Topher were all swept away by the strong currents, and I have no idea where they ended up or even if they're still alive today. I was the only survivor, and because the radio had been destroyed, I couldn't go back in time to save them," Future Harper said, her voice trembling with sadness as she slowly stood up and leaned against the table for support as Zoey passed her cane to her.
"But, then, wait, how we were still able to come through the hatch if the radio had been destroyed?" Topher inquired as he raised an eyebrow.
"Thanks, Zozo. And I don't really know, Topher. Shortly after that flood happened, Sulphur Springs became a ghost town and I had tried to burn the hatch down, but I guess that didn't work since you're all here. Anyways, a lot of people got out of dodge as soon it was safe to travel again, and left those who stayed behind to clean up their messes. The springs were overfilled with so much water, that they had basically become a lake of sorts and I had to finish deconstructing The Tremont all by myself because no construction crew would take the job. It was a lot of hard work, but I was able to finish it within a little over a year, and by the spring of 2026, the hotel had been deconstructed down into the house it is now. And as an extra precaution, I built a dam around the springs to make sure another flood couldn't hurt me ever again," she said with regret laced in her voice as she finished telling her story.
Harper, Topher, and Zoey all looked at each other with unease, worry, and anxiety written all over their faces. They weren't expecting their future to become such a disaster, and as they let Future Harper's anecdote set in their minds, Harper began to feel like she was on the verge of a panic attack, Topher's face was pale, and Zoey was desperately resisting the urge to vomit right then and there.
As she watched them try to wrap their heads around what she had just told them, Future Harper sighed heavily again. "Look, I know that this is clearly a lot to take in right now, but you guys have the chance to go back to 2020 and make sure that this future never comes to pass. With everything that I just told you, I have no doubt in my mind that you'll be able to come up with a plan of some sort just as soon as Griffin, Wyatt, and Savannah save Jordan back in 1962. I'm sure of it," she said with a warm smile etched on her face.
Zoey hummed in response as she slowly stood up, leaning against the table for support. "You know what? You're absolutely right, Harper. We were able to help Grace find peace and defeat Judge Walker, so there's no reason why we won't be able to prevent this flood from wiping out The Tremont and our families either," she exclaimed confidently.
"That's what I like to hear," Harper and her future self said simultaneously before they turned to look at each other and snickered. "Jinx," they said as they pointed at one another.
"But wait, there's still a big piece of the puzzle that we're missing here. Why did Griffin, Wyatt, and Savannah need to go back to 1962 and save Jordan anyways? I mean, we don't have any sort of personal connection to him, unlike how you're a descendant of the Tremonts and our great-grandmother was once married to Judge Walker until she murdered him in 1947," Zoey pointed out.
Future Harper sighed as she slowly walked out of the dining room and towards an end table located by the stairs. "Um, well, about that. I think this might answer your question Zoey," she said as she pulled out a small piece of a newspaper from a drawer and handed it to her for her, Topher, and her younger self to read. And when they read the headline, they almost felt like they were gonna pass out.
The headline read "Boy Injured: Jordan Barker hospitalized following accident at The Tremont," and the picture beneath it showed Jordan lying unconscious on a hospital bed.
"Harper, where did you find this?" Topher inquired as he waved the scrap of newspaper around before Zoey snatched it out of his hands.
"Well, one day as I was replacing some of The Tremont's pipes, I found that piece of paper hiding in a floorboard, along with a note saying not to throw it away and just to hold onto it until the time was right. And I guess that this was the right time that whoever wrote the note was referring to," Future Harper replied as she closed the drawer.
"Um, and another thing, can someone please tell me why my socks and shoes suddenly feel very cold and wet?" Topher asked as he suddenly shivered, his breath coming out in a cloud of frozen fog.
"Oh, no. This can't be happening," Future Harper cried in disbelief as she also shivered involuntarily.
"Wait, what can't be happening?" Zoey inquired as her face slowly fell before she felt something cold seep into her shoes and looked down and saw that water was covering her feet and rising at an alarming speed as the scrap of newspaper slowly fell out of her hands.
"That," Future Harper replied bluntly as she slowly hobbled out onto the porch, her younger self, Topher and Zoey quickly following her.
"Lemme guess: This is probably another side effect of when the flood hit, right?" Topher asked quickly as he shivered again and felt a chill run down his spine as he saw the water starting to cover the porch and the front yard.
Future Harper nodded. "Yep. We need to get down to the springs and make sure that the dam I built won't succumb to the water pressure, or else you guys won't be getting back to 2020 until at least sometime after Christmas," she exclaimed, her voice laced with urgency and warning, and they all knew that she wasn't kidding based on how fast the water was rising as the wind began to pick up again.
"Well, then, what the hell are we doing standing around here for?!" Topher cried as he leapt off the porch and broke off into a run, heading towards the springs.
As they quickly took off after him, Zoey couldn't help but whistle as she watched Topher run at such a fast pace. "Damn, Harper. Has Topher always been that fast?" she asked with piqued curiosity and intrigue.
Harper nodded. "Yes, Zoey, he has. And if he didn't hate PE so much, I'm almost certain he could make Varsity if he ever went out for track or cross-country."
Zoey hummed in response. "Huh. The more you know, I guess," she answered nonchalantly as they all ran past the hatch and the sound of rumbling thunder could be heard almost a mile away. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, back in 1962, the chores that Griffin and Wyatt had been doing alongside Savannah and Jordan had been going smoothly so far. After they took care of the invading spiders, they helped Caroline restock the freezer with Nutt-O Bars and ice cream sandwiches, replaced a tearing piece of the wallpaper in room 217, which was Zoey's bedroom in 2020, and shampooed the carpet in the lobby. And now, they were all in the kitchen, washing and drying dishes, much to Griffin's slight annoyance.
"Maybe I'm just being a bit of a jerk by saying this, but I hate doing dishes," he remarked as he dried a plate and passed it to Jordan so he could put it away in the cupboard.
Savannah chuckled wryly. "I hear you, Griffin. I would love it if I could just be somewhere other than here, washing these plates and bowls," she said as she began to wash a glass baking pan in the sink.
Jordan turned back to look at Griffin with a warm smile on his face. "Oh, cheer up, Griffin. Although I'm very responsible back home, I don't like doing the dishes, either. It seems like cruel and unusual punishment to me," he replied as he put away a bowl that Wyatt had handed to him.
"That makes me feel a little better, I guess, but I still wish that I didn't have to be----" Griffin began to say before he was suddenly cut off by the sink being abruptly turned on and him getting sprayed in the face with ice-cold water, which completely drenched the t-shirt that he was wearing.
"Oh, man!!! Come on," he cried in disbelief as he spat out some of the water and looked at Savannah in sheer astonishment. "Savannah, what the hell was that for?!" he asked as he grabbed some paper towels to dry his face off with.
"It wasn't me, Griffin. I swear. I turned the sink off. I know I did," she replied quickly, and Griffin saw that she was telling the truth. The sink's handle was pushed up all the way, which meant that it was turned off. He sighed heavily and shrugged. "Sorry about that, Savannah. But now, my t-shirt is soaking wet and I don't have a spare," he lamented as he bunched up the end of his shirt and squeezed out some of the water.
"Uh, actually, I think that we might still have some spare camp t-shirts in the supply closet," Jordan said. "You look like you're about my size, Griffin, so I think we could find you a new shirt to wear in a jiffy. Does that sound good to you?"
Griffin looked at Jordan, and realized that he was right. "Yeah, that sounds good," he answered as he grabbed another paper towel to dry his hands with.
"Great," Jordan beamed. "Come on, then. Don't be such a square, Griffin. Let's go get you a new shirt," he said as he left the kitchen, and Griffin turned back around to face Wyatt and Savannah, who were still taking care of the dishes.
"Jordan and I will be back in a few. Can you guys handle finishing doing the last of the dishes until we return?" he asked as he glanced over at Wyatt, knowing that he had a tendency to goof off when he was supposed to be doing his chores.
Savannah nodded. "Yeah, I think so."
Griffin hummed in response. "Good. I shall return. See you later, guys," as he ducked out of the kitchen, leaving Wyatt and Savannah alone, and Wyatt felt heat start to rise to his cheeks.
When he was telling Griffin that he was in love with Savannah, he had been speaking nothing but the truth. He wasn't expecting to fall for her, but when he heard her call him cute and watched her adjust his hat, something had just awoken within himself and he found himself more than naught going back to that particular moment whenever he thought of Savannah.
And as he looked over at her as she washed a bowl, he sighed heavily.
"Well, here goes nothing. It's now or never," he thought to himself as he smiled bravely.
"Hey, Savannah, can I ask you something?" he asked slowly, hoping that the reddened visage of his cheeks would not give away his true intentions behind what he was about to tell her.
"You sure can," Savannah answered with a bright smile on her face as she turned to look at him. "What's up?"
Wyatt locked eyes with her, and he felt his words start to suffocate and die in his throat as his cheeks became an even brighter shade of red, much to his frustration as he struggled to compose his thoughts. However, after a few minutes, he was able to find his voice again and took a deep breath to prepare himself before he opened his mouth to speak.
"The night when Zoey and I met you and you called me cute before you ran back to The Tremont, did you really mean that?" he asked slowly, his question carrying an air of mystery to it.
Savannah nodded. "Of course I did. I always thought that redheads were super cute, and you looked quite dashing in your hat, if you don't mind me saying so," she replied with a soft chuckle. "Why do you ask?"
Wyatt sighed as he felt his palms become moistened with anxiety and fear as sweat began to trickle down his forehead like raindrops against a window before he found the courage to look her in the eye. "Because after we had returned to 2020, Zoey started to tease me relentlessly, saying that you were probably in love with me," he said with an awkward chuckle, although he wasn't exactly lying about that.
Savannah felt her cheeks go red as she heard what Wyatt had just said, but she quickly cleared her throat and willed her face to go back to its normal shade. "That's interesting. However, if you ask me, I'm almost certain that she has a thing for Topher. I mean, although she tried her best to hide it, she looked visibly worried when I told you that he was going to end up in a coma in the future," she remarked as her eyes shone brightly. "Besides, you have to admit that they'd be really cute together."
Wyatt looked away slightly and sighed. "I think we could be cute, too," he mumbled under his breath.
Savannah turned to look at him. "What was that, Wyatt?"
As they stood silently and stared at each other, Wyatt took a deep breath to calm his nerves before he raised his hand and gently grazed her cheek with his fingertip and then slowly brought his hand downward until it was intertwined with her own and squeezed it tenderly, a warm and inviting smile etched on his face.
"Look, Savannah, I know you may think it's crazy, but that night when you called me cute, it just set something off inside me and now, I can't get you off my mind," he said softly, running his thumb against the back of her hand.
However, as Savannah looked at him and listened to his kind and inviting words that were full of love and admiration, she began to feel slightly sick to her stomach as she slowly released her hand from his touch and sighed remorsefully as he raised his eyebrow, puzzled.
"Is something wrong, Savannah?"
"I'm sorry, Wyatt. I truly am. Although I meant it when I called you cute, I.....I can't," she replied.
"It's because you love Jordan, right? I've seen the way you look at him," he elucidated after a few seconds as he nervously scratched his forehead.
Savannah blushed as she nodded fervently. "What gave it away? I'm sorry for letting you down so harshly, but that's just the way it is. He makes me feel so safe and comfortable and loved, and I couldn't get him out of my head after we'd met," she answered as she chuckled.
Wyatt smirked. "I can tell. And if Jordan really makes you feel happy, then I won't stop you if you and him decide to start dating," he said with a sly chuckle.
"I don't think we're quite there yet, but I appreciate the kind words, Wyatt," Savannah replied as she smiled warmly.
"Also, you weren't harsh in letting me down. You were just blunt and straight to the point, and I respect you for that. Can we still be friends?" he asked.
She nodded. "Of course we can. You'll always be my platonic seahorse, Wyatt," she said as she stepped forward and they wrapped their arms around each other in a tight hug to reaffirm their friendship.
However, their tender embrace was interrupted when Griffin came running back into the kitchen, breathless and sweating profusely as he now wore a white Camp Tremont counselor's t-shirt that was adorned with a vibrant, bright yellow collar. "Wyatt, Savannah, thank goodness you're okay," he said in between sharp gasps for air as he pressed his hands against the kitchen's door frame.
"Of course we are, Griffin. Why wouldn't we be okay?" Savannah asked, her eyebrow raised to show her puzzlement and confusion.
Griffin's eyes looked heavy as he took a deep breath before he continued speaking. "It's Jordan. Something happened to him in the basement," he declared, his normally calm and collected voice now carrying a sense of urgency and worry to it.
Savannah's body tensed, a surge of tension and panic coursing through her veins as her eyes widened in fear. Wyatt's face paled as his pulse quickened and he felt his knees start to shake involuntarily.
Without even saying a word, the three of them quickly raced out of the kitchen, not even giving the dishes that they were supposed to be washing and drying a second thought as Savannah quickly took the lead as they ran towards the basement, with Wyatt and Griffin hot on her heels as their sneakers pounded against the cold wooden floor of the lobby, the noise mirroring the sound of their own quickening pulses and beating hearts. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The tension and anxiety in the waiting room of the hospital was palpable as Ben, Sarah, and Jess all sat in chairs and not really saying anything at all as they watched doctors and nurses come and go from Mrs. Barker's hospital room, solemn expressions etched upon all of their faces.
Finally, Ben removed his head from his hands and looked up at Sarah and Jess. "Do we know if she had any children?"
Jess shook her head. "No. Apparently, she was infertile and suffered a miscarriage back in '86. After that happened, she and her husband, Jordan, devoted the rest of their time to helping out around the community in any way that they could until he passed away and she moved to Shady Acres," she explained with a heavy sigh as she watched a doctor sign something on a clipboard.
Suddenly, Sarah piqued up. "Speaking of children, has anyone seen Griffin or the twins? I haven't seen them since we had to cancel the party so Mrs. Barker could be taken here," she inquired as she looked around the waiting room.
"You know, now that you mention it, Sarah, I haven't seen Harper or Topher for a while now, either," Jess observed. "Where do you think they could be?"
"I'll bet my bottom dollar that they just went back to The Tremont. Today's been a really busy day, and they were probably just starting to get tired," Ben noted as he got up from the chair he was sitting in.
"Yeah, that's probably it, but something still feels off to me about them going back home. Do you think you could go back and check on them, Ben?" Sarah asked.
He nodded as he checked his phone and then put his hands in his pockets. "Will do. But, what are you two gonna do here in the meantime?"
"I think we'll wait here for them in case they come back," Jess answered calmly, leaning back in the chair she was sitting in.
Ben shrugged. "Alright. If you say so," he stated calmly, giving Sarah a quick kiss on the cheek before he left the waiting room and got on the elevator to go back down to the parking lot and drive back to The Tremont.
Although, as he got in his truck and drove out of the hospital's parking lot, he quickly came to the realization that the kids had been missing for quite some time like Sarah and Jess had observed, and he hoped that they weren't spending time down in the bunker since he had strictly forbidden them from going back there and locked it up tight.
However, as he was thinking about all of this, his thoughts had slowly drifted back to the words that Mrs. Barker had said to him right before she had died, and one sentence in particular stuck out to him.
"Don't cry, Ben. I loved being your friend and spending time with you at camp."
That greatly confused him. As far as he knew, no one with the last name Barker went to Camp Tremont at the same time he did, and aside from Savannah and Harry, he didn't have any other friends at camp because his love for music and playing pranks made him an outcast among his peers.
And as he thought about how she could have possibly known him, he felt like there was something that was amiss about all of this as he tried to reach a logical conclusion as how to know Mrs. Barker could've gone to camp at the same time as him but ultimately failed altogether, his head starting to pound like a kettle drum as he started to feel a headache forming in the base of his skull, feeling utterly puzzled and bewildered by the situation as a whole. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As Harper, Zoey, Topher, and Future Harper continued to race towards the springs, the oncoming storm had gotten so bad that large gusts of wind were trying to push them back into ditches while hail-sized drops of rain fell down upon them without any mercy at all whatsoever. And by the time they had finally reached the springs, they were absolutely soaking wet.
"Now, that's one hell of a dam," Topher shouted as he, Zoey and Harper took in the sight of the dam while they all shivered relentlessly from the wind blowing up against them.
And it was true what he had said. Although the dam that Future Harper had built wasn't very big, it was still a monstrous wall that stood at an impressive 15 feet tall and was built using bricks of gray concrete and employed the use of cold steel columns to help support it. However, the concrete was starting to succumb to the water pressure since it was stained with water seeping through cracks in the dam that were growing by the minute and the steel columns were starting to bend and come loose from the dam.
"Why, thank you, Topher! I'm quite proud of it myself!!! But now, we need to hurry and reinforce these support columns before it's too late!!! Everyone grab a metal plate and a welding torch and get to work!!!" Future Harper cried as she quickly raced over to a ditch, where she kept all sorts of construction tools and grabbed a welding torch and started to apply a large metal plate to one of the support columns.
"Are you sure that this is safe?!" Zoey cried as she slipped on a loose rock and fell into the muddy ground.
"Yes!!!! I've done this before every time a storm hit Sulphur Springs after the flood, but it's never been this bad before!! Now, come on!!! We've got no time to waste!!!!" Future Harper answered as she finished applying a metal plate to one of the steel columns and repeated the task.
Harper, Zoey, and Topher all stared at her in disbelief, but were still quick to get to work after Topher was almost forcibly pushed into a large oak tree by the wind. They hurriedly applied metal plates to the bent steel columns using the welding torches, and for a little bit of good measure, they also applied some metal plates to a few of the stained parts of the dam so the water wouldn't seep through the concrete anymore.
"How are these welding torches not going out?! The wind and rain is so intense, I would've thought that the torches would've been extinguished before I could even apply my first plate to a steel column!!!!" Topher called as he finished applying another metal plate to the dam.
"That's future construction tools for ya! Apparently, back in 2028, some inventors and physicists in Germany invented a new type of welding torch that contained an internal self-igniting system, and the fire would never be extinguished by water. I don't really know all of the specifics myself," Future Harper quickly replied as she passed some more metal plates to Zoey.
"Good to know!" Topher called back.
"So, you said that when the flood hit in 2025, Mom, Mrs. Campbell, Griffin, Topher and Zoey were all carried away by the intense currents of water! Why didn't you try calling them after the flood finally ended?!" Harper inquired to her future self as thunder boomed overhead.
"I did, but either they lost their phones, or wherever they ended up didn't have any cell service so the call couldn't come through!!! Why are you asking me about this?! We've got more important matters to worry about!!!" Future Harper shouted.
"Because, in my timeline, Griffin and I never sent Nick back to the future. We went with him to 2054, and he told us about the big disaster that happened here in 2049, although he didn't know what it was," Harper answered as she passed another metal plate to her future self.
"Well, that's a relief," Future Harper stated. "This means that there's still hope for you in the present!!! With the information I've given you, you should be able to prevent the flood from ever happening and Sulphur Springs won't become a ghost town," she declared resolutely.
"But that can only happen if Griffin, Wyatt, and Savannah can save Jordan in 1962 first," Harper replied as she took a metal plate from Zoey and used her welding torch to apply it to the dam. "Speaking of which, did whatever happen here also happen in 1962?"
Future Harper shook her head. "I don't know!!! Did something already happen?"
Harper shrugged. "Kinda. You see, the springs were infected with that black gunk that was seeping out of the door to room 205 in both 2020 and 1962, so I have a feeling that whatever happens to Jordan is related to that," she explained quickly as she struggled to finish applying the metal plate to the dam with the wind pushing up against her.
"That seems like a good theory, but I really hope that's not the case," Future Harper said worriedly as she wrapped her arms around her younger self's waist to help keep her supported with the wind pushing up against her.
"Why not?" Harper asked as she finished applying the metal plate to the dam.
"Because in my timeline, the springs being infected with the black gunk was only the start of something much, much worse that happened in 2036, and----"
But Future Harper never finished telling her younger self about what happened, because at that very moment, a large bolt of lightning struck a nearby oak tree, which fell directly onto a part of the dam that didn't have any metal plates applied to it yet, causing a large wave of water to come rushing through the other side of the dam, submerging Harper, Zoey, Topher, and Future Harper underwater.
As they were pushed away from the dam and the springs by the strong currents of the water, Zoey collided with a large rock, twisting her ankle and breaking her back, Topher was blinded by a large chunk of moss landing directly on his face, leaves and grass got tangled in Future Harper's hair, and Harper lost her shoes in the current, but she was able swim upwards and grab onto a fallen tree branch to help keep her above the water as she watched her future self, Zoey, and Topher get carried away by the rushing currents.
"Harper! Harper!!! " Zoey cried as she was pulled underwater again before she bobbed back up to the surface and started to flail her arms, trying to swim against the current, but failing because of her twisted ankle.
"Zoey! Zoey, where are you?! I can't see anything!!!" Topher yelled as he was pulled into another part of the rushing current, and was separated from Zoey and Future Harper, his calls for Zoey being the last thing Harper ever heard him say before he disappeared from her line of sight.
However, at that very moment, she saw another strike of lightning before she heard something even more devastating: The dam had cracked completely, and the next thing she knew, the rushing currents had worsened as more thunder rumbled loudly overhead and Harper saw her future self desperately trying to tell her something as she waved her hands above her head, trying to stay afloat and above the water.
"1929!!! Find Grace!!!! She'll have the answer to this, I know she will!!!! Please hurry, Harper!!! Griffin's counting on you-----"
But that was the last thing Harper heard as she watched on in horror as a large wave of biblical proportions came over her future self and Zoey and submerged them underwater, a torrential flood of emotional tears falling down her face as the storm around her only worsened and she held onto the tree branch for dear life, hoping with every fiber of her being that Griffin, Wyatt, and Savannah were having better luck than she was back in 1962. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Savannah, Griffin, and Wyatt quickly raced down the basement steps as they could hear thunder rumbling outside and they were met with a jarring sight waiting for them: Jordan was lying on the floor in front of the shelves, unconscious, with blood running out of a large gash on his forehead and an empty box and a bunch of shattered light bulbs surrounding him.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," Wyatt said quickly as he felt his lunch making its way back up his throat.
"How did this happen?" Savannah asked worriedly as she knelt down besides Jordan and started to gently shake him awake.
Griffin sighed. "Well, as I was changing out of my shirt, your mom came up to us and asked us to get the box of light bulbs off the shelf so she could change the lights in her office, and we said we could. However, when we got down here, Jordan tripped on his feet and crashed head-first into the shelf," he explained, putting his hands in his pockets.
"Well, that's just lovely," Wyatt remarked, his voice dripping with sarcasm, as Jordan let out a quiet groan.
"Unh, what's lovely? What are you all doing down here?" he asked, his voice coming out in a hoarse whisper as he let out a cough.
"Well, you tripped and crashed into the shelf, remember?" Griffin asked slowly as Savannah helped him stand back up.
Jordan shook his head. "No, I don't. I remember getting the box of light bulbs off the shelf for Miss Caroline, and then my vision just went dark," he replied insistently as he groaned from the sensation he got when he stood up.
"Well, either way, you need to rest, Jordan," Savannah stated as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Wyatt, can you help me out here?"
"Yeah, I got it."
Griffin let out a soft exhalation as he started to walk back towards the stairs. "Okay, let's get Jordan back upstairs, so he can get taken to the hospital and then, we can get this cleaned up," he commanded as he pointed at all the shattered light bulbs littered on the floor.
"Good idea, Griffin. I'm feeling pretty lightheaded to be honest," Jordan articulated as he brought his hand up to the side of his head.
"Let's go, then," Wyatt said as he and Savannah helped Jordan safely go up the stairs while Griffin took the lead.
When they got back upstairs, they found Caroline waiting for them in the lobby. "There you are. I was looking for you. You never finished doing the dishes," she affirmed as she looked at Savannah, who shook her head apologetically.
"I'm sorry, Mom, but Jordan had an accident when he and Griffin were getting the box of light bulbs, and now he needs to go the hospital. Can you call for an ambulance?" she inquired as she and Wyatt helped lay Jordan down on one of the love seats so he could rest.
Caroline nodded. "I'm on it, Savannah," she answered as she walked over to the front desk and dialed 911 on the phone.
After making sure that Jordan was okay, Griffin, Savannah, and Wyatt went back into the kitchen and shut the door so that way they could talk in moderate privacy.
"So, do you think we did it? Is Jordan going to be safe?" Savannah asked worriedly as her voice slowly trailed off.
"I'm not sure. This almost feels too easy to me. Normally, something worse happens, but that's not the case here," Griffin pointed out as he shivered.
"Who cares? Jordan is safe, and that's all that matters. Now, we should probably get back to the bunker and regroup with Harper, Zoey, and Topher before Mom and Dad send out a search party to look for us," Wyatt declared.
Griffin sighed. "Yeah, maybe you're right, Wyatt. Maybe I'm just looking into this a little too much. Come on, let's sweep up those light bulbs and then get outta here," he responded as he opened up the kitchen door and stepped back out into the hallway, shivering again.
"Griffin, you okay? It's not that cold in here," Savannah inquired as she and Wyatt stepped into the hall and also involuntarily shivered.
"Wh-wh-what's going on here? I feel like I'm in an ice cube," Wyatt asked as his teeth chattered rapidly.
"I ha-have no idea, Wyatt," Savannah answered as the lights in The Tremont started to flicker on and off before the wallpaper slowly started to be torn off the walls.
"Savannah, what's happening?" Jordan asked worriedly, clearly freaked out as the lights flickered some more.
"I have a hunch about that, but right now, keeping you safe is our number one priority," she replied quickly as the windows in the lobby slowly started to crack and black gunk started to seep out from the edges of the door frames.
"Oh, no. Harper's vision is coming true," Griffin muttered under his breath as the wallpaper came flying off the walls all at once and Caroline came walking back towards them.
"Okay, so the ambulance is on its way, but Savannah, you and your friends need to get out of here right now before one of you gets hurt," she exclaimed right before all of the windows shattered at the same time and a sharp wind came blowing into the lobby as The Tremont began to shake and rattle wildly.
"You were saying?!" Wyatt remarked angrily as he involuntarily shivered.
"Now's not the time, Wyatt. You heard Savannah's mom. We need to get out of here!!!" Griffin cried as he ducked to avoid a large, brass reading lamp that had come unplugged from the wall and was now flying around in the lobby.
"Not without Jordan!!!" Savannah shouted as she ran over to get Jordan off the love seat. However, just when she was about to take his hand, he was suddenly forcibly pulled out of the love seat by the strong gusts of wind and he was thrown about like he was a rag doll, being repeatedly slammed into corners of the walls, making the gash across his forehead grow larger as Griffin, Wyatt, Savannah and Caroline watched on in horror before another rattling sound could be heard and all of the pipes burst, covering the entire lobby in black gunk.
"Jordan!!!!" Savannah cried as she watched him be flung about some more and the wind became much worse.
"Savannah!!! Savannah, please help!!!" he yelled in pain as he was slammed directly into the door frame above them before he was thrown backwards all the way over to the other end of the lobby by the hall leading towards the basement door.
"No!!!" she exclaimed as she tried to run over to him, but was forcibly pushed away and down onto the floor by a sharp gust of wind.
"Savannah, come on! We can't worry about Jordan right now!!! We need to get out of here," Griffin declared as he shivered again.
"But I can't just leave Jordan here to die!!! What if it was Harper? Would you leave her behind?!" Savannah retorted as her nostrils flared.
"Well, no, but----"
Savannah shook her head. "Case in point. I'm not gonna leave, no matter what this thing tries to throw at me!" she exclaimed bravely as she stood up. "Did you hear me?! I'm not scared!!!"
"Oh, but you should be, my dear. You should be," a menacing voice said evilly before the lights all went out in The Tremont and Griffin, Wyatt, and Savannah were pulled into the strong gusts of wind and flung around for a few seconds before they were all literally thrown out of the hotel and onto the driveway, the front door going shut with a loud bang! before it was locked shut.
"Jordan!!! Mom!!! Hang on, I'm coming!!!" Savannah exclaimed as she tried to run back towards The Tremont, only for her to be pulled back by Wyatt.
"Savannah, no, you can't!!!! The only thing we can do right now is get back to the bunker and try to come up with a plan," he said as Jordan let out a cry of pain.
"But I can't just leave them in there to fend for themselves! They won't survive without our help," she said as she slowly fell to the ground, and Wyatt and Griffin heard her let out a few soft sniffles.
"I know that they mean a lot to you, Savannah, but we need to get out of here before something happens to one of us," Griffin explained as he let out another shiver from the cold gusts of wind blowing up against him, Wyatt, and Savannah.
"You-you're right, Griffin. We better get out of here while the getting's good," Savannah stated sadly as she let out another sniffle and she broke off into a run, heading back towards the hatch.
Wyatt walked up next to Griffin. "Do you think she's gonna be okay, Griffin?"
He shook his head. "I have no fucking clue. Now, come on. Let's go," he replied solemnly as he and Wyatt started to run after Savannah.
As the glow of the moonlight shone down upon the woods, the cloak of midnight darkness had surrounded the woods in an eerie silence that was casting a hauntingly calm and peaceful glow as Griffin, Wyatt, and Savannah hurriedly raced back towards the hatch in order to regroup with Harper, Zoey, and Topher so that way they could come up with a plan to save Jordan. Their hearts were all beating heavily as they thought about all that had transpired at The Tremont and wondered whether or not Jordan would be okay, or even survive the experience.
Suddenly, as they rounded a corner and reached the large oak tree that stood behind the hatch, a horrifying sight awaited them ----- Ben was climbing out of the hatch, wincing in pain when he felt the jolt. Griffin came to a sudden stop as he made eye contact with his father, Wyatt and Savannah crashing into him.
"Griffin, what are you doing out here?! Didn't I tell you to stay out of that bunker?!" he asked sharply.
Griffin nodded. "Yes, you did, but I can explain," he stuttered nervously.
Ben raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, you better. We've all had a stressful day, and the last thing your mom and I need is for you to be sneaking around behind our backs and lying to----" he began to say before his words suddenly died in his throat as his eyes landed on Savannah, and his mouth went agape.
"Savannah, is that really you?" he asked softly.
Savannah nodded hesitantly as she slowly stepped forward. "Yeah. Hi, Ben."
Griffin and Wyatt glanced at each other nervously as Ben and Savannah stared back at each other with wide eyes, looks of disbelief etched on both of their faces. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And that's a wrap on season 4 of Secrets of Sulphur Springs!!!! It's been a lot of fun to write this, and coincidentally, I'm dropping this on the same day the season 3 finale of SOSS aired on Disney Channel. How cool is that?! Anyways, I love y'all so damn much, and I'll see you in the next one.
Until then, Ciao 4 now!!! <3<3<3<3 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------