Chapter 8- I was under duress
Maddi's pov-
I wake up the next morning with the sun shining through my windows. I get up and walk to bathroom and jiggle the nob, it was locked.
"John B open up I gotta pee" I whine banging on the door.
"I'm in the shower, just hold it." He screams through the door. I groan and roll my eyes as I start to walk into the livingroom. When I walk in the livingroom I see JJ sleeping. He looked so peaceful and cute. I walk over bend down and kiss his cheek.
"Morning" I say as he groans I go to stand up but he grabs me and pulls me ontop of him.
"JJ what are you doing John b could walk in." I say as he wraps his arms around me and kisses my forehead.
"He's in the shower." JJ says before kissing me again.
"still not a mistake?" I giggle as I sit up on the side of the pull out. JJ sits up leaning against the back of the couch.
"Definantly not" He says leaning in to kiss me. We hear the bathroom door open I quickly stand up akwardly.
"Whats up" John b says drying his hair with a towel.
"Nothing" I say trying to be casual.
"Wow JJ up before 12 pm" John B chuckles
"Okay I really need to pee now" I say running into the bathroom.
~
JJ, John b and me head to mrs.lana's place to ask her about the compass. John b is driving while JJ is in the passenger seat. Im in the back behind John B's seat staring out the window. I can't help but smile when I think about last night. I guess I was showing it because John B noticed.
"Why are you so smiley this morning" My brother asked looking at me in the rear view mirror. I straighten up and clear my throat.
"Um I don't know I'm just in a good mood." I say, I think John B believed it because he went back to looking at the road. I tune them out as we drive down the road but start to tune back in when I hear them talking about Kie.
"I'm just saying, I don't understand why you don't atleast try with kiara. She clearly likes you" JJ tells my brother. "She's like oh john b" JJ said pretending to moan.
"Really" John B says not amused by JJ's theory.
"yeah! Right maddi?" JJ says looking back at me. I raise my hands up in surrender as John b glares at me
"I'm not getting in the middle of this" I tell them .
"She's sketch about you diving then she kissed you." JJ says
"On the cheek" I say. JJ whipped his head around and gave me a look.
"Just saying" I shrug. After a while of them argueing about what's going on between Kie and him JJ reaches up and grabs the compass. John b jumped forward to grab it from him. The van swerved making me fall out of my seat.
"Sh*t John B" I say grabbing my side where the stiches were.
"You okay maddi" JJ said looking at me as I lift myself back in the seat.
"Yeah it's not like I just got out of the hospital or anything" I say sarcastically.
"Are your stitches good?" John B ask. I lift up the plain black t-shirt I was wearing which I matched with some blue jean shorts. They weren't ripped which was good.
"Yeah they're fine." I say as we pull into mrs lanas driveway. The house was in bad shape, like most other houses on the cut but somehow worse.
"This looks like it belongs to someone who smokes too much weed"JJ remarked.
"Wow JJ didn't know you lived here." I Joked to him as he playfully shoved me.
"Guys stop messing around." John B said as we heard a loud crash from inside. JJ grabbed my hand as we all rushed to the side of the house.
"Maybe this is a bad time" JJ said with a worried look in his eyes.
"Just shut up" John b said, I scoffed at John B's rude comment.
"BULLSH*T" We heard a loud voice from inside shout followed by some more crashing.
"TELL ME WHERE IT IS OR I'LL MESS YOU UP" another voice yelled. JJ sqeezed my hand tighter. I was about to say we should leave when I heard a womens voice begging for them not to hurt her. My heart hurt for this women I just wanted to run in and help her. we were pressed against the wall when little white flecks fell from above us.
"what's this" I ask looking to JJ and John b.
"paint" John B said. I looked up to JJ and then back at the house when I heard more screaming. We slowly moved forward when we heard the men agree that they should leave. They walked out of the house as JJ pulled me closer to him.
"those are the guys that shot at us" JJ said peeking around the corner. We stayed pressed against the wall as we saw the boat pull away. We all crept into the house. It was torn to pieces, broken glass and funiture scattered everywhere. There was a wimper from the bathroom. I pushed past JJ and John b to get to mrs.lana.
"Maddi what are you doing?" John b said as I put my finger to my lips to quiet him. I opened the bathroom door to see mrs. lana on the floor bloody and bruised. I knelt down next to her and grabbed her hand.
"Hey it's okay they're gone now" I say while rubbing her hand trying to calm her.
"Dude, she's tweaking" I hear JJ say but I'm focused on mrs. lana.
"Do you need a doctor?" John B asked getting closer. "Let's call the sherrifs."
"No cops! Please!" Mrs.lana said. I nodded my head.
"that's not good" JJ said getting visable stressed. "let's go"
"you shouldn't be here" She yelled at us.
"that's enough for me" JJ said as he tried to grab my hand. I brush him off as I stand up and wet a washcloth to clean her wounds.
"Wait wait, what do you know about those guys" John B questioned as I knelt back down and softly patted the washcloth against her cuts on her face.
"They were looking for something" She trembled. I took a deep breath and looked at John b as he pulled out the compass.
"was it this? This was my fathers and scooter had it, why?" John B started to pry her with questions.
"John b stop" I say. He wanted answers but I wanted to make sure she was okay first.
"Scooter didn't have it okay" She cried out. "you need to get out of here" She yelled. At this point John b was ready to go to but I was still worried about her.
"It's okay let me help you" I say while pressing the rag against her cheek.
"No go! Go!" She shouted. JJ put his hands under my armpits and lifted me up.
"come on, she'll be okay" He says while walking me outside.
"She knew something" JJ says. we all nod our heads in agreement. We get back in the van and I ask the boys to drop me off at the wreck I had a shift. I walk in grab my apron and start working.
JJ's pov:
I'm back at the twins house. Kie,Pope ,John b and I were all gathered around discusing what happened earlier that day. Maddi had a shift at the wreck so she wasn't with us.
"I wasn't taking mental poloroids the whole time man I was under duress" I say to pope who keeps questioning me about what the men looked like.
"The office" John B said.
"what" Kie asked as John b walked inside, we all followed him.
"Dad always kept it locked because he was scared of his competitors stealing his work." John b says. "and since everything happened me and maddi decieded to leave it"
"for when he comes back" Kie says trying to reasure John b. He unlocks the door and walks over to the desk. He tells us about the history of the compass and how all the previous owner died after recieving the compass.
"you have a death compass." Pope exclaims.
"when dad would tell me and maddi stories he would tell us about this secret compartment" John b says as he opened the compass to reveal a secret compartment with letters marked in.
"this is from my dad" John B said excited.
"how do you know" Kie ask.
"my dad would always do these weird R's with triangles." He says.
"let me see" I say and grab the compass from him. "Maddi does her R's like this too" I say as everyone looks at me, I just shrug.
"Ra-Re" I try to read what the compass says.
"It say's redfield" Pope says.
"Right" I say casually trying to not seem stupid.
" What if it's my dad trying to send me a message" John b says. Pope starts to say something but Kie glares at him so he suggest that it's an anagram.
"Yeah you'll need paper" John B scrambles to get Pope paper and pen. I hover over Pope while he tries to figure it out until I hear John B yell.
"Guys! someone's here" He says. We all rush to the window to see the two men from earlier.
"Is that them" Kie ask. I start freaking out rambling on about something when John b slams me against the wall to get my attention.
"wheres the gun" He says holding me against the wall.
"Gun- I dont," I say trying to remember where I put it.
"you don't have the gun the one time we need it" Kie says freaking out.
"it's um in my bag on-" I say.
"On the porch go get it" John b says letting go of me. I run out of the room towards the porch when I hear one of the guys on the porch screaming for John b. I turn around almost falling my hands touch the ground as I run back and shut the door behind me.
"they're on the porch" I say
"Windows" Pope yells I run over and try to open them.
"they're painted shut" I whisper yell. Kie grabs a letter opener and starts ripping the paint. The door knob jiggles as Kie cuts through the paint. I open the window and usher everyone out. I climb out and shut the window just as I hear a gunshot and someone kick the door. We all rush into the chicken coop. The men keep going in and out taking big Johns research and putting it in the trunk. When the men both walk inside I see maddi walking up her driveway. My heart starts beating a mile a minute.
"What's she doing home" Kie questions. I give John B a look and then look back outside the coop.
"We need to help her" I say and John B nods in agreement.
"If you get caught its only going to make it worse for her" Pope says. I look at him then back at the chicken coop. She's almost to the porch when the guys walk back out. I can barley breathe. I close my eye for a second and when I open my eyes and look back out one of them has her by her arm.
"I'm going out there" I say, they try to stop me but I don't listen as I leave the coop....
Maddi's pov-
It was another slow day at the restruant. Mr.C decieded to let me leave after a couple hours. I didn't have my skateboard and I didn't want to call John b so I decieded to walk. After walking for a while I get to my driveway. I've walked this walk so many times that I know it like the back of my hand so today I really zoned out walking home. Infact I zoned out so much I didn't even notice the black truck that didn't belong to us in the driveway. I walk up and get close to the porch when I notice the doors open and everythings thrown around. A sense of fear wipes over me. That's when I look around and notice the unfamilar truck. I start to back away slowly as my instincts kick in. A guy walks out.
"Hey stop!" He screams in a loud commanding voice.
"Get away from me" I say trying to sound intimadating. I'm still slowly backing up when I feel someone grab my arm.
"Let go *sshole" I say trying to get out of another mans grip which only causes him to hold on stronger. The man is 3 times my size, i'm strong but not that strong. He starts to drag me towards the other guy. My heart is beating so fast as I see one of them holding a gun. I hear a creek behind me which causes all of us to turn around. I see JJ.
" let go of her" He says in protective tone. The man pulled me only a couple feet away from the porch. I sigh feeling a little relief only to look back and see the man pointing a gun at JJ . The man walks away from the porch while the other man pushes me closer to it still holding onto my arm. That's when I remember I have peperspray in my pocket. I grab it with my free hand and quickly spray it in his eyes giving me enough time to get out of his grip and grab JJ's bag. The man is still groaning outside of the porch as I run off the porch and hold the gun up.
"Hold up there" The man with the gun pointed at JJ says when he sees my gun. I move towards him still holding the gun and stand infront of JJ.
"Leave" I say. JJ put his hand on my lower back. A sense of comfort washed over me, until the man started talking again.
"We just wa-" The man starts to explain . I cock the gun "I said leave"
The man puts his gun back in his pocket and walk over to the other man helping him up and walking to the truck. As soon as the truck drives off I drop the gun, turn around and hug JJ. I could barley hold up my legs. My heart is still beating fast as I try to process what just happened
"you did great" He whispers in my ear as everyone crawls out of the coop. John b runs and hugs me tight.
"Kinda need to breathe here" I grunt. He lets go of me and wraps and arm around my shoulder. JJ gives me a smile. I just wanted to wrap my arms around him and never let go but of course I can't.
"Come on" John b says. We all pile in the van and were on our way....
Hey guys, hope you enjoyed this chapter! I thought it would be cool to show Maddi as a stronger charactor and thought this was the perfect time. Don't forget to vote!