Chapter Four

Night had soon fallen over Outer Banks. At night, we're driving onto a bridge in the van. We had finally caught up with John B and Kie again.

JJ smokes a joint. "You mind if I just relax on this one?" JJ asked. "It's been a long day, and a lot of weird stuff has gone down. I'm just gonna lay low." JJ looked at me. "Oh, did you wanna hit of this?"

I shake my head. "No, thank you."

JJ looked at Pope. "You wanna hit of this?"

"I keep the signal clear," Pope replied.

"Dude, okay." JJ began. "Do you understand what your problem is that you don't get creative? If you got creative, then—"

"Look, I— I know I was wrong about the lighthouse." John B had cut JJ off. "All right? And wrong about everything else going on. But I was right about one thing. Okay? My Dad is trying to tell me something."

We had pulled up into a graveyard. "This place is scary." I had whined as we entered. I felt chills go all over my body.

"Awe, come on, Hollywood." JJ had wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "Need a shoulder to cry on?"

I shoved him off. "No."

"John B, what are we doing here?" Kie had asked. John B hasn't told us what his plan was and I'm getting rather anxious. We all hold flashlights in our hands as John B guides us through the graveyard.

"You know how you're trying to remember a song and you can't remember who the singer is?" John B questioned.

I beamed. "I have that issue all the time."

"So, Redfield." John B continued. "This whole time, I thought it was like a place, right? But it's not a place." We approach a mausoleum engraved in was the name, Redfield. "I'm a person." 

"Voi-effing-la." JJ had said. 

"See, my great-great-grandmother, Olivia Redfield." John B had announced. "That was her maiden name." Vines had grown over the entrance. A large hole marks of the door. "Help me with the door. Come on."

"All right," Pope muttered and the boys counted down. "Are you pushing?"

"Yeah, I'm pushing," John B grunts as they push against the door.

"Here, I got it," JJ insisted and helped the boys pushed while Kie and I stay back.

"Come on, this door is like 700 pounds." Pope groaned. "It's not gonna budge."

"We didn't get come this far to get this far, all right?" JJ told them. Suddenly, a snake appeared through the cracks, letting out a loud hiss. I let out a squeal, jumping backwards.

"I'm out!" I had yelled and turned sharply on my heel, but Kie grabbed my by the arm. I huffed and turned back around, standing a few meters away from the boys.

"That's a moccasin, all right!" JJ and the boys had jumped backwards. "Ye old Dr. Cottonmouth. Death in tall grass." JJ began barking at the snake like a dog.

"JJ." I snapped. "Shut up! Shut up." I grabbed him by the arm, pulling him closer to me.

"You're gonna wake up the freakin' dead, man." Pope had told him.

"They're afraid of dogs." JJ had turned to me. "Everyone knows that, Hollywood. Wait, hold on, hold on." JJ had grabbed John B's shoulder.

"What?" Kie had groaned.

"If there's one, there's probably dozens."  JJ had informed us.

"What?" Pope's eyes widen.

"Can you stop? You're scaring me." Kie had snapped.

JJ continued to bark like a dog. I almost found myself smiling at how crazy he looked. "Stop barking at the snakes." I had told JJ.

"Just making sure it's clear." JJ had told me, turning to me.

"Don't worry, big dog, you got 'em." I had patted his shoulder and he looked at me, unamused.

"John, look, we're not gonna get in there." Pope had protested. "All right? It's not budging. We should probably just go."

I flashed the torch, a crack was big enough for me to fit. I'm the smallest out of the five of us, I can easily fit. "I can get through."

"What?" John B questioned.

"No, absolutely not." JJ had quickly said. "You think you can fit through that hole? That hole?"

"Look, this is about your Dad." I told John B. "And honestly, I really don't believe in it, but you deserve to know the truth." The four friends said nothing. JJ looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't. "I'll do it. Come on, can you help me, with that?"

The boys and Kie shifted the vines to the side, exposing the hole. "Give her a boost." John B had said as he holds back the vines.

"I'm gonna give you the boost, yeah?" JJ had told me and I nodded, walking over to him. "I've seen it in the movies a couple of times. Ready?"

JJ leans against the wall and cups his hands. "Remind me what we're looking for," I said.

"You'll know when you see it." John B informed me. I nodded. Great, that's so helpful. I frowned and licked my lips.

"Hold my flashlight." I had given my flashlight to Kie.

  "All right, so put your hands here," JJ guided me and I placed my hands on his shoulder. "Place your foot in here. All right, on three."

"Three!" I had exclaimed and he lifts me up.

I grasped onto the hole. "Okay, just forgot about three," JJ muttered.

"I got it." I informed JJ and climbed through the hole. I landed on the ground, letting out a grunt as I'm submerged into darkness. I could feel my heart pounding, but I ignored the feeling. "Okay, flashlight?"

"Yeah, here." Kie hands me the flashlight and I grabbed onto it, shining the light around inside the mausoleum.

"You alive?" John B questions. "You got a— a heartbeat and everything?"

"So far," I answered, looking around carefully. Hopefully, I can find anything.

"That's good, that's good." John B speaks.

"Uh... I need more light." I requested.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Here, I got it." John B informed me and shoves a lantern through the hole. I moved towards the wall and gaped.

"Did you find something?" JJ asked. "Is there gold?"

"Oh, my God," I muttered. A faint smile spreads across my face. There was an envelope through some cracks. I pulled it out. I took a good look at it. There was some writing on it; Bird. I passed the envelope through the hole out to John B. I had slipped through the crack again.

JJ walked over to me. "You okay?" JJ asked softly.

I nodded. "I'm fine," I informed him.

"That's not gold." I heard Pope say.

"This is from my Dad." I heard John B faintly say. 

"Code red. Code red." I turned and looked to see bright lights entering the graveyard. My heart drops. Fuck, we're dead. "Square groupers! Square groupers!"

"Go, go." Kie had said and we all pressed ourselves against the wall, hiding behind it.

"It's the guys that robbed your house," JJ informed.

"Light. Light." Kie hisses to everyone and we all turned off our lights. John B seemed to have trouble with his, so, he shoved his light up his t-shirt.

The car stops in the distance. "Do you think it's them?" I questioned nervously.

"Homie's got a gun," JJ informed as he peaked his head out to the side.

"Screw this." Kie had said and began to run. We all began to run towards the gate. Kie and John B jumped the tall fence.

"I'm not gonna make it," I say, biting my lower lip.

"Come on." JJ had cupped his hands and lifted me up and over the fence. I hoped over and landed on the ground. JJ had lifted himself over the fence.

"Guys! I'm stuck!" Pope had called out and I turned behind me to see his pants being caught on the fence.

"Pope, come on, man!" JJ had groaned.

JJ had pulled out the gun and aimed it towards the men as John B and Kie went to help Pope. "JJ, no." I had placed my hand on the gun, shaking my head.

"We're gonna have to use it, Hollywood." JJ had said.

"Wait. You're gonna rip—" As Kie pried Pope off the gate, Pope's shorts come off and I held back a smirk at the sight of his boxes.

"Nice!" JJ smirked. "It's a little tootsie roll."

JJ had quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the van, we all piled in. John B starts up the van and drives away.

✫✫✫

"You still haven't come home yet, Stormy," my sister was getting rather frustrated with me. "But, I've told Dad that you're staying with Topper tonight. He was getting suspicious."

I sighed as I walked into John B's kitchen. "I know, and I'm sorry, I'll explain everything tomorrow." Everyone was giving me these looks, 'what the fuck', and I glared at them. I'll make up some excuse. "Thank you so much, sissy. I'll be home tomorrow, I promise." 

"Okay. Should I be worried?" Sarah asked, nerves seeping through her voice.

"No, I'm not doing anything illegal, I promise." I had half-lied. God, I'm making a lot of promises tonight.

"I miss you, sissy. I haven't seen you all day." Sarah had complained.

"I miss you too, S. I'll be home tomorrow before you know it. I've gotta go. I love you." I had quickly told her.

"I love you, too."

And then, we hung up. I sighed, putting my phone in my pocket. I feel bad for lying to her.

"Everything okay?" I was surprised that Kie was the one asking me this question.

"Yup. Everything's perfect." I somewhat lied to Kie.

"That bread has mould on it three days ago." Pope had informed JJ. I looked over at JJ who was making a sandwich and I scrunched up my nose. Okay, that's disgusting...

"I'll just pull off the bad part. Plus, mould is good for you. It's just a natural organism."  JJ had turned to me. "Want one, Hollywood?"

"I'll pass." I shake my head. I had placed the last lamp next to JJ so he has some light. We were placing lamps all over the place to lighten up the room.

I walked over to John B who sits at a desk with the letter. "JJ." Kie had called JJ over.

"Hot damn!" JJ had slung an arm over my shoulders. "Let's do it."

John B rips opened the mail envelope, as JJ chews. JJ gags and removed himself from me, spitting out the bread and chucking it in the bin.

He returns with me with a sour expression, and I looked at him, grinning. "Shush." He messes up my hair and I scowled at him, pushing him away from me.

"I didn't say anything." I put my hands up in defence.

"You didn't have to." JJ faked a pout. Huh, that's kind of adorable.

John B unfolds a map and lays it on the table. On the map, a black X marks the coastline between a hand-drawn spiral and a set of coordinates.

"Holy shit." John B had said.

"Oh. X marks the spot." Pope pointed out on the map.

"A treasure map." I gasped with excitement. Oh, this is gonna be fun!

John B grazes his finger over the map. "Longitude, latitude. Wait, there's something else in there." John B pulls out a tape recorder.

"What's that?" JJ asked.

"It's a tape recorder, dumbass." I was quick to reply and JJ glared at me playfully. John B presses a button on the side.

"Dear Bird." The sound of an older male speaks. It sounded like it could be John B's father.

"Who's bird?" I questioned.

"That's what my Dad called me." John B informed.

"I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so." The tape recorder continued. "And you doubted your old man. I suspected at this moment, you're filled with guilt and self-loathing over our last fight, but don't kill yourself just yet, kid. I didn't expect to find the Merchant either. You were probably right to call me out. Wasn't exactly father of the Decade. What can I say, kid? I could smell the barn. And hopefully, we're listening to this in our brand new sugar-shack down in Costa Rica, livin' off passive investments and pulling on permits. If not, and you find this for less optimal reasons, well, that's what the map is for. There she is, the wreck of the Merchant. If something happens to me, finish what I started. Go for the gold, kid. I love you, Bird, even if I didn't always act like it. I'll see you on the other side."

The tape recorder turns off. John B gazes at it and I stood frozen. Holy shit. He stands and turns away, his faces crumples as he leans against the wall.

"Holy shit, he did it." JJ had said. "Big John—he found the Merchant—"

"Can you... Can you please?" Kie had cut off JJ, placing a hand on her head. John B was upset and she embraces John B from behind.

Later, we sit on the doc. Kie was playing the guitar, she was always good like that.

"How much was it again?" JJ asked as I sit next to him.

"Five hundred million." Pope had responded and I let out a breath.

"All right, let's talk split." JJ had said and I was sitting on the rails of the doc. "Now, before we say 'evenly,', may I remind you that I am the only one that can properly defend us from those groupers who were after us?" He waves his gun in the air and I rolled my eyes. "Protection? Not cheap, okay."

"You haven't trained." I pointed out. "I know how to use a gun."

"You know how to use a gun?" JJ turned to me, our faces very close and I nodded. "All right, why don't you teach me then?"

"Maybe I will, or maybe, I'll just get you to search it on YouTube." I smugly told him. "That'll be at least a five per cent bump right there."

"Any objections to this?" JJ had asked and before anyone could say no, he says; "Didn't think so!" Kie raised her hand. "Yeah, I don't hear any, so..."

"What are you gonna do with your 100 mil, Pope?" Kie had asked Pope.

"Pay for college in advance." Pope nods. "And also, textbooks. Those are expensive."

"What about you, Hollywood?" JJ wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "What does a Kook do when she has 100 mil?"

I thought about it, biting my lip. "Um, travel the world, I guess. Just fucking explore. I want to be able to get away from this Kook versus Pogue life and be my own person. Then, after a gap year or so of that. My Dad wants me to be either a lawyer or a doctor. Fuck, I don't want to do any of that. I may be a straight-A student, but it's so hard. Hopefully, I can go to Australia or New Zealand and live there, away from here."

"But can't your Dad just fund your trip?" Pope asked.

I shake my head. "Nope. They'll fund me to go to college, but that's it. They hate the idea of me leaving them. But with that 100 mil, I can go anywhere I fucking want."

They all nodded, completely understanding. "What about you, Kie?" JJ had then asked.

"Yeah, what does a socialist do when she's rich?" Pope questioned.

Kie chuckled. "Just wanna make a double album. About OBX, the Pogues. You know, the way Catch a Fire is about Kingston. Record it at Markey studio, Peter Tosh producing."

"Peter Tosh is dead." Pope and Kie spoke in sync.

Kie nods. "I know. Spirit of Peter Tosh will never die." She raises her can of beer.

"I know what I wanna do." JJ had interrupted. "I'm gonna get a big ass house on Figure Eight and go full Kook."

"You're gonna go full Kook?" Pope asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yup." JJ nods. "Gonna get a marble statue of myself, and then I'm gonna get a koi pond. Put a bunch of those fishes—"

"I'm never visiting." Kie laughs.

I chuckled. "Neither. Hopefully, I'll be halfway across the world by then."

"What are you gonna do, JB?" Pope looked over at John B who had been quiet this entire time.

John B looked at us and gave us a slight grin. "To going full Kook."

"To going full Kook." We clink our beers together and sculled it down.

A/N

Stormy's getting more and more involved... <3