Rafe, Pope, JJ, and Kie get in the car, and we head to the dock. We get the boat in the water and wait for John B. I can still hear sirens and thunder rumbles overhead. We're running out of time.
"Dude, where is he?" Kie asks.
"Give him a second. He'll be here," Pope assures.
"He's coming," JJ insists.
"He'll be fine," I add. Suddenly I hear sirens and see a cop car driving towards us. "JJ!"
"Hey, yeah. Get back on the boat. Untie it," JJ instructs.
"Shit," Kie mutters.
Suddenly John B gets out of the driver's side of the cop car.
"Wait. No way," JJ remarks.
"No f'ing way," Pope states.
Kie looks confused. "I'm sorry."
I shake my head. "You've gotta be kidding me."
Kie laughs. "Uh..."
John B walks towards us. "Shoupe let me take it for a spin."
"Okay. That's believable. I'll buy that for now." Kie pulls John B into a hug.
"It wasn't easy, bro, but I got the Phantom for you, and she runs like she was made yesterday." JJ throws the key at him.
"You ready to go?" I ask.
"Where's Sarah?" John B asks.
"She's not with you?" Rafe questions.
"No, we got separated in the swamp. She said she'd meet me here," John B explains.
"No. No, we haven't seen her man," Rafe states.
"Okay, well, I'm not leaving without her," John B insists.
"John B, look at me. I know you feel bad for leaving, but there's no time, man. You've got plenty of gas, plenty of food. Once you get around that point, it's a straight shot across the sound to Dismal Swamp, okay? Once you get there, lay low, all right?" JJ tells him. John B doesn't look at him. "Hang out for a couple of weeks and then go overland, cross the border at Brownsville, you got that? Brownsville. You..." JJ grabs John B and makes him look him in the eyes. "Hey! You got that?"
"Yeah, yeah. Brownsville," John B says.
Thunder cracks overhead.
"All right. Saddle her up, saltwater cowboy. Let's do this," JJ states.
John B gets on the boat. "Yeah." He stops in the middle of the boat. "Hey. Hey. I'm sorry for basically... throwing us off a cliff with this whole treasure hunt thing."
"Hey, John B, yo... we were bound to run off a cliff at some point, right?" JJ offers.
Everyone laughs.
"Yeah." John B nods, tears in his eyes.
"At least we did it together, though," I state.
JJ wraps his arms around Kie and I. "Pogue style."
"Pogue style," John B repeats.
"Get out of here! Please," Kie tells him.
Pope points. "Now. We'll see you in two months..."
"Down in Mexico," I finish.
"Love you," JJ states.
John B starts to get a move on. "Hey, wait... wait a second." He fights back tears. "Tell Sarah I said goodbye, okay?" John B salutes and we all return it.
"Don't forget. Cross the border at Brownsville, okay?" JJ reminds him.
"Got it," John B assures.
With that John B starts off on his next adventure, without us. Rafe wraps his arm around my waist. I rest my head on his chest. I can hear sirens in the distance.
"You okay?" Kie asks Pope.
Pope fumbles over his words, "I'm sorry for... acting like a dumbass. I was just upset, and I was acting petty..."
"Yeah," Kie agrees.
"...and I just..." Pope continues.
"It's okay," Kie tells him.
"...just wanna be friends again," Pope finishes.
As the sirens get closer, I turn around to see Kie and Pope kissing. "Hey, guys, I'm sorry to ruin the party, but, uh, we gotta go right now."
"Come on!" JJ shouts.
Before we can go anywhere, we're surrounded by cop cars. Kie, JJ, Rafe, and I put our hands up. Pope doesn't stop.
"Pope," Kie calls after him.
A cop comes at us. "Move. Hands up! Hands up!"
"Pope, hands," Kie tells him.
"We're too late. He's gone. God damn it!" Shoupe shouts. "Bratcher, have your guys stand down. Let me talk to these kids. All right, where the hell is he? Where the hell is he? JJ? I see you're livin' up to your name. Dragging Adeline into another bad decision. Pope, how about you? This isn't a fucking game! You can do the right thing now! Where'd he go?"
The cop, Bratcher, speaks into a radio, "Suspect has just left Station 26 in a small boat. Need marine patrol to respond."
Shoupe takes us to the command center where they are trying to find John B. The storm is moving in with the rain getting heavier.
"Follow Plumb to that tent. Wait for your friends," Shoupe tells Pope.
We all get out of the cars one by one. Hesitant to what may happen.
"This way," Plumb tells us.
There is media and reporters everywhere. Cops and other law enforcement are running all over the place. All these people looking for John B when the murderer they should be looking for is running free.
"Come on," Plumb tells us.
"Right to your left here," Shoupe instructs.
We walk into a tent and see a row of chairs. Plumb points to them. "Right here."
"Sit down. Don't move. We got a lot to talk about." Shoupe tells us. He turns to another cop. "Keep an eye on these kids."
We can see into the tent next to ours. "Blockade is up at the marsh and Masonboro and all other inlets from Shem Creek to Breach Inlet. I want eyes on all coastal access points, people. Let's get this guy," a cop says.
I look at Rafe scared that John B isn't going to get out of this. I know Rafe is worried about his sister. He grabs my hand, squeezing it reassuringly.
People move around trying to coordinate the search. Sitting and waiting is driving me crazy. I just want to hear that they got away. They lost them in the marsh and John B is on his way to Mexico.
Suddenly I can hear people shouting outside the tent. "That's them. There they are. It's the Phantom." I hear sirens wailing.
I hear someone over a radio. "Suspect is attempting to escape to the south. Our attempts to contact the vessel were unsuccessful. We're gettin' hammered here."
"Hold your position, Captain," Bratcher instructs.
"Roger that."
"I got one more card I think we can play," Bratcher states.
They bring in Ward Cameron. "John B? John B, I know you are there, son. I know you can hear me, and if you love my daughter like I think you love my daughter, then you will turn that boat around and come back. You are going into a storm that you cannot survive. John B, please, I will make it right. I promise you. Come back. John B, I am begging you. Think of her and turn around."
John B answers, "Ward Cameron, do you hear me?"
"Yes, son, I'm right here. I'm right here. Please bring her back, okay? We'll work it all out when you get home," Ward tells him.
"You killed my father, and you framed me for a murder I didn't commit. You took everything from me! You took everything from me! But I'm still here. And I swear to God, Ward, I will come back one day and take what's mine. So, you listen to me, all right? I'm comin' for you. I'm coming for you," John B warns.
"We've lost their radio signal, sir," someone says.
"Those are kids out there. Don't stop lookin'." Shoupe turns to Ward. "You don't go anywhere. We're gonna need to talk to you."
Sirens keep blaring as the storm rages on. There's no word about John B and Sarah.
"Wanna have Search and Rescue standing by," a man shouts.
"Any response?" a woman asks.
"They're not calling it off yet," a man tells them.
Shoupe walks in followed by two other cops. We stand up and walk towards them.
"Did you find them?" Rafe asks.
Shoupe shakes his head slightly. "No."
"So, they got away?" Kie asks.
"We, uh... we lost them. I'm sorry," Shoupe tells us.
"You lost them? What do you mean you lost them?" I question.
"Like, they're gone? What are you talkin' about?" Pope asks.
"They took an open boat into a tropical depression, Pope," Shoupe states.
"So, they're dead?" Kie asks.
"We don't know," Shoupe admits.
"You drove them straight through the storm, man! Are you kidding me? Come here!" JJ lunges for Shoupe. "I'm gonna kill you!"
"JJ, stop!" I shout.
"I'm gonna kill you, you bastard!" JJ yells.
A big cop pulls JJ away from Shoupe.
Pope tries to step in, "Hey!"
"You killed him!" JJ shouts.
Pope gets in Shoupe's face. "He didn't kill anyone, and you know it!"
"We're still looking for him, all right?" Shoupe tells us.
"Pope. Pope, just stop. Please, stop." Kie sobs.
Rafe steps up to Shoupe. "You drove them into that storm! You killed my sister!"
I pull Rafe back from Shoupe. "Come here." I pull him into a hug as he lets out a sob.
Kie and Pope's parents show up. They pull their kids into hugs. Heyward pulls JJ into a hug when his dad doesn't show up.
Pope and Kie leave with their parents. I look at Shoupe knowing my mother isn't gonna show up.
"Please can I go?" I almost beg.
"Adeline you're only sixteen," Shoupe tells me. "I have to release you into the custody of an adult."
"I'll be seventeen in a week," I tell him.
"That's not enough," Shoupe says.
Rafe steps in, "I'm nineteen I can take her home."
Shoupe looks at Rafe unsure.
"Please just let me go home," I beg.
Shoupe sighs. "Alright." He turns to Rafe. "Just get her home safe."
I feel numb as we head up to my room. I sit on the edge of the bed still trying to process everything. The more I think about it the more I want to believe that this is all a dream.
"Maybe they survived. They could be on the way to Mexico," I offer.
Rafe sits down and wraps his arm around me. "Adeline..."
I shake my head. "No. No. I'm not gonna believe that they're dead until I see it with my own eyes."
Rafe nods his head. "Come here." He pulls me into a hug, and I sob into his chest. "You're okay." He puts his head on mine. "We're okay. My sister and John B are gonna be okay."