XXVIII. run, boy, run

      John B was completely silent as Kiara drove them to the police station. His eyes never strayed from the road. Dylan sat in the passenger seat of Kiara's car biting her nails. All the information she just learned haunted her. Peterkin was always kind to her. She was the nicest cop in Kildare. She loved John B and she cared about him. All she ever wanted to do was help and now she was gone. 

"John B, what are we doing at the police station?" JJ voiced from the very back of the car.

"Somebody's gotta tell them what happened." He uttered shakily.

Pope let out a series of violent coughs from the weed he was smoking. Dylan hadn't spoken to him since they left. She knew she was being petty but she was angry. He didn't have the privileges like she knew her and Kiara had. The scholarship would have given him a full ride to any college he wanted to go to. She understood that helping John B was important but his future was thrown away now and she couldn't accept it.

"Easy there, chief. Damn." JJ said.

Dylan scoffed. "You're the one who gave it to him,  genius."

He leaned over the seat and patted John B on the shoulder. "All right. I'm just gonna be real with you right now. You might end up in the lions den, but you don't go there on purpose. Just like my old man told me you should never ever trust the cops, no matter what the circumstance is."

"Your old man's an abusive liar." Kiara jabbed.

Dylan immediately glared at her. "Hey, not cool."

"I agree with JJ," Pope said through another cough. "Fuck the police!"

"You goin to the dark side now?"

"Good job J, he's your evil twin now." Dylan grumbled and shook her head.

"When's the last time the police helped us?" Pope questioned. 

"Peterkin looked out for me, all right?" John B blurted out. "Tried to, at least. They need to know."

Dylan looked down at her hands and frowned. Kiara gave the smallest nod. "Do you want me to come with you?" Dylan asked.

He shook his head. "No, I can do it."

He got out of the car and shut the door behind him. Dylan tapped her nails against her knees. JJ looked between her and Pope, who was trying his hardest not to look over at her. "Okay, I don't like this," he spoke. He pointed between them. "You two are the mom and dad of the group. You two are the only ones who don't fight. Why start now?"

"We're not fighting." Dylan denied.

"No, you're just mad at me." Pope shot, finally looking at her.

"I have a reason."

"You really don't."

"Guys, stop." Kiara said.

Dylan pointed at him angrily. "I thought you were smarter than this."

He pointed at himself. "You're acting like I killed somebody. It's over, DJ!"

She opened her mouth to retaliate but no words came out. Dylan shook her head and looked out the window silently, not bothering to argue. Pope sighed and looked away, frowning.

"Kie! Start the car!" John B shouted when he came running out of the police station.

"What? John B?" She shouted.

Dylan straightened up. "What the hell?"

"What did you do?"

"Shit!"

"Go!"

Kiara immediately started the car and drove off, everyone shouting at each other. "I'm going! I'm sorry!" She shrieked.

"Go, Kie! Go!"

"Stop the car!" One of the deputies shouted as he chased after them.

Dylan's eyes widened. "JB, you idiot, what did you do?" She hollered.

"Open it." Pope ordered.

Grunting, John B opened the car door and hit the deputy with it, causing him to fall on to the ground. It went completely silent. Dylan's heart pounded quickly and she clutched onto the oh shit handle. She glanced at Kiara, both of them thinking the exact same thing, that they were screwed.

Dylan was scared to talk to her parents. The new of Peterkin's death was spreading quickly on the island her mom and dad were blowing up her phone. She felt like the world was spinning off its axis. How did they get to this point? They were searching for lost gold. How the hell did it end up being a murder scene?

"Good news for residents of the Outer Banks. Dominion Power says their underwater transmission line, which will restore power to 90% of the area. . . should be functional within 24 hours," the newsman on the radio said as police sirens came blaring down the street.

Dylan was laid back in the front seat of Kiara's car. Her cheek rested against her hands. She flinched at the sirens that drove by.

"And still, no arrest in the shooting death of Sheriff Susan Peterkin. The state police has issued a statement regarding a local person of interest—a juvenile from—"

Kiara shut off the radio.

"Let's game this out. Maybe you guys can help being a smart ones and all, but. . ." JJ trailed. "Who are the coos going to believe?"

"Obviously the richest man on the island who practically signs their checks, JJ." Dylan almost snapped, not meaning to. She was just tired.

"Right, yeah, that's what I was lending towards," JJ nodded. "So the accuser is a big shot developer, kind of lord of the island, got the governor on speed dial kind of person. And the accused. . . Is John B, who is pretty much a homeless sixteen year old boy at the moment."

"Thanks." John B muttered.

"Yeah, you really didn't make that any better JJ." Said Dylan.

"Shit." Pope muttered.

"DJ, what about your dad? He's a lawyer." Kiara mentioned.

"Yeah, yeah, true!" JJ agreed.

"I can talk with him about it, even though he's probably ready to throw me out at this point." Dylan informed, thinking about how she still hasn't been home.

"If not, Yucatán, all right? I'm saying that's one of the only options—"

"Enough with the Mexico bullshit," John B interrupted. "Sarah's going to bail me out."

Kiara nodded with a small hum. "She did witness the whole thing."

Dylan sat up slightly and looked at the boy in the backseat. "Yeah, and you know my father. He loves you. He won't let anything bad happen to you."

"You think she's gonna snitch on her brother?" Pope asked, referring to Sarah.

"No happening, bro. Okay?" JJ agreed.

Dylan scoffed. "You guys have, like, no faith in her. She's one of us. She's not going to let JB take the fall for this." She took up for Sarah.

"Guys, get down." Kiara muttered and they slumped down when another police car drove by, it's sirens wailing.

"Sarah's not a Pogue, John B."

"You can't stay here, man."

Dylan rolled her eyes and sighed. She had faith in Sarah. She was her friend and she knew the girl. She wouldn't betray them.

They drove to the ferry as they instructed a plan to get John B off the island. Keeping him hidden in the car,  Pope and Dylan got out and walked over to the post it board. The ferry was closed and a wanted sign with John B's face was posted underneath it. "Shit." Pope cursed.

"What the hell are we going to do?" She asked,  looking up at him.

"I don't know anymore," he said and put a hand on her back, leading them back to the car. "Okay. Okay, all right, no."

"Pope, can you act normal?" Kiara asked from the front seat.

"No, he can't." Dylan replied with a sigh and she got in the back with JJ and John B.

"So, um. . . okay, so, bad news," Pope dragged. "The ferry's closed and there this."

He handed Kie the wanted poster. "What is that? What is this?" John B quickly asked as she handed it to JJ.

"Well, John B, uh. . . this is a good framer of you–Ow!"

Dylan glared at him.

"Okay, so, the whole island's looking for John B right now," Pope continued. 

"That's a lot of money."

"You're worth more than most criminals," Dylan said with a shaky breath.

"Congratulations, John B. You're now famous."

"Okay, guys, we got to get to the HMS," Kiara declared.  "We need it small, no running lights—"

"It's at the Chateau, Kie." John B stated.

"And I wonder if the cops got the entire place staked out." JJ visualized. "Let me think. Oh, yeah. No. They definitely have that place locked down."

"I can talk to my dad. He can help find a way to get JB off the island," Dylan spoke up.

"D, we can't trust any adults right now. I'm sorry." Kie told her.

"Let me think. Just give me a second. Give me a second," Pope muttered quickly. His eyes widened. "JJ?"

"What?"

He turned around in the seat. "Does your dad still have that boat? The cigarette boat, the Phantom? The one he use to race."

"Maybe." JJ replied.

"You could get right up to the coast, no problem."

"Okay, look—"

"It won't be easy, Pope."

"The surf's running from three to four."

"I don't know where they keys are."

"Does your dad have them, maybe?" Dylan asked the blonde.

"Possibly." He nodded. 

"Why is nobody moving forward? What's going on here?" Pope asked loudly when he started the car.

Dylan narrowed her eyes. "Pope?"

"Can you relax?" Kiara told him. "JJ how much weed did you give him?"

Dylan shoved his head to the side. "Nice going, shit-for-brains."

"I just wanted him to let loose!"

"You gave the one boy who doesn't smoke weed for the first time at the worst time possible!"

John B quietly shouted at them to be quiet, not wanting attention drawn to them. 

Pope started honking the horn. "Pope, honey, stop!" Dylan hissed.

"Don't honk the horn."

"It's that guy right there!" A little boy not too far from the announced when he saw John B in the backseat.

"Shit!"

"We got a snitch. Pope, turn the car on." JJ ordered.

"We get $25,000 if we find him!"

"Hey. He's right there!" A man shouted and started pounding on the door.

"Hey! We gotta go!" Kiara shouted.

"Pope, drive, now!" Dylan ordered loudly.

"I found him first!"

"Hell you did, you little bastard!"

"Pope, turn the freaking car on!"

"I am trying!"

Dylan clutched John B's hand rightly. "Oh shit. Oh god. Oh fuck." She let out in fear.

Before she could blink, Pope drove the car forward into another car and she screamed in fear.  The crowd outside gasped. "Pope! Jeez!" JJ breathed out.

"Dude, back up!" Kiara shouted in his ear.

He kept trying to drive forward and ended up moving the car in front of him. "The other way, Pope!" Dylan yelled.

"Just go! Pope, just go!"

Pope ended up driving through the side walk past the crowd of people, one of the sheriffs shouting at them to stop. John B held onto the girl's hand tightly as the boy drove recklessly. "Watch out! Pope, Pope, Pope!" Kiara shouted as the boy was about to drive into a mailbox.

"SWERVE!"

"Pope, oh my god!"

"JJ, I hate you!"

"Why do you hate me!"

"You gave him the weed!"

"I'm livin my best life now!" Pope shouted cheerfully.

"I'm sure you are." Dylan exhaled out in a panic.

"I should be the last one to tell you this, but you are not okay to drive, dude. Stop!" JJ ordered.

Pope stomped on the breaks and the tires squealed.  "John B, get out."

"He's right. We'll draw the cops, you run."

"Go, go, go!" Dylan urged him.

"I'll get the rig, and I'll meet you in the dump tomorrow, okay? Three o'clock, okay?" JJ instructed.

"Run!"

Pope sped down the road again and Dylan accidentally bumped into JJ. "I'm going to be sick." She groaned from all the whiplash.

"Don't throw up on." JJ said.

"I should throw up on you."

"I will throw you out of this car."

"I'll drag you with me! Then guess what? We'll all be screwed, dumbass."

"DJ, I have an idea," Kiara spoke, breaking apart their banter. She turned around in the seat to face her. She got a look in her eye.

Dylan had been thinking the same thing the entire time. "Sarah."