CHAPTER FIFTY:
DEVIL TOWN
(episode six: my druthers | trigger warning: mentions of death)

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SOMEHOW, THE NOVELTY OF John B's (hopefully permanent) return had worn off in the space of an hour. The Twinkie was dead quiet. Pope had taken to staring out the window, brows furrowed in thought. JJ and Arden were squashed in at his side, murmuring heated words to each other that Haven only caught bits of. Where were you? she heard JJ ask, bitter. I was being a parent, Arden retorted with just as much venom. JJ sat back then, jaw clenched, and nothing else was said. Instead, the group was left with John B and Sarah staring at each other through the rear-view mirror, this sudden distance between them almost tangible. Haven had taken the front seat, leaving Sarah in the back beside Kie. Everything was just weird, and Haven blamed it on Ward.

The sooner Shoupe charged him and Rafe, the better.

Maybe then, life would be normal again.

"Guys, the thing that Limbrey said," Pope spoke for the first time since leaving his dad. His voice was sharp, shattering through the quiet, through the chasm growing in Haven's head. "I don't think she meant to let it slip. She said the key leads to the Cross of Santo Domingo"

"Huh," JJ echoed, words going in one ear and out the other. He pointed to the key Pope held in his hands. "Can I see that?"

Pope passed it to him, shaking his head as JJ frowned at it in confusion. Haven watched him for a moment before sighing and turning back to Pope, whose eyes were locked with Sarah's as she asked, "Are we supposed to know what that is?"

Pope shrugged. "I'm guessing it's some sort of historical artefact of great importance."

"Why don't we just look it up?" Arden grumbled, arms folded stubbornly over her chest. She didn't smile, not at JJ's antics, not at Sarah's head resting on her shoulder in a weak attempt at comforting her. Arden was even quieter than Haven, and that was saying something.

"Doing that now, Ardy," Kie mumbled, scrolling on her phone. "Okay. According to the interwebs, it was a gift from New Spain to the Spanish King."

"New Spain?" JJ repeated. "Is there an Old Spain?"

At the same time, Haven and John B glanced over their shoulders at him, wearing matching glares of disbelief. When JJ merely shrugged defensively, John B rolled his eyes and turned back to face the road, leaving Haven to lean over the centre console towards Kie as the girl in question held out her phone for Haven to see the Wikipedia page.

"Talk about over-gifting," she chuckled. "Look at this thing."

"Holy fuck," Haven swore at the sight. The cross was several feet tall, easily towering over everyone in the group. In the description, it was said to be made of pure gold. "And Limbrey thinks Pope has this? Where would you even put it?"

Pope just sighed in response, taking Kie's phone from her to read for himself once Haven was done marvelling at it. Both she and Kie watched him closely, waiting for something, anything. Instead, he remained blank-faced, merely listening as Kie rattled off the information she'd found. "It was widely considered at the time to be the most extravagant tribute ever from the provinces. It was lost of the coast of Bermuda in 1829."

At that, JJ gasped. "Did you just say Bermuda?"

"Oh, no, not the triangle," John B deadpanned, causing Haven to snicker. "Don't laugh, Havey, we're never gonna hear the end of this."

"It always leads back to the triangle, dude," JJ insisted, his voice raising to block out John B's annoyance. "Like, every single time something's weird, it's Bermuda."

"Coincidence," Haven was quick to dismiss.

"Havey, no," he pouted at her head, almost looking betrayed that she wasn't agreeing with him. "Haven't you ever watched Teen Wolf? Sheriff Stilinski says that if one's an accident, two's a coincidence, and three's a pattern, then what's four? This is four, Haven! It can't be a coincidence if it happens all the time―"

"Well, now you're just exaggerating," she said, then smirked at the disappointed look John B sent her as JJ started rambling again.

Fortunately, Kie was quick to intervene, voice raising to match JJ's until he went quiet with defeat. "Okay, so what does a key found above Pope's Mee-Maw's pharmacy have to do with any of this? Where do we come in?"

Subconsciously, all eyes turned to Pope, waiting. "I don't know," the boy murmured, turning back to the window so he didn't have to face them. "That's a good question."

Neither Kie nor the others had a chance to reply before John B turned the Twinkie around the corner and Kildare County's local nursing home appeared in the distance. Not many cars were around, leaving John B to easily park beside the curb. Pope was the first one out, closely followed by Kie, only for the girl to be stopped by him shaking his head.

"Hey, I think I'm gonna do this one by myself."

The tension was evident with every word, and Kie was quick to notice. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I can handle it," he said, unable to keep the bite out of this tone. "I don't really need you, so..."

"Oh, yikes," Haven muttered before she was able to stop herself. John B, the only one who heard her, met her eyes with amusement, but quickly looked away as Sarah shifted in the back, almost like a reminder that she was there and something strange was wrong between them.

JJ, of all people, was the one to notice it. He stuck his head out the open door, cringing at the frown that had taken over Kie's features. "Well, we're just all one big happy family today, aren't we?"

Refusing to take the bait, Pope stormed up the nursing home driveway without another word, merely waving without looking back when John B called out a 'see you later.' Kie watched him go before he disappeared from sight. Only then did she let JJ take her hand, nudging her inside to sit between him and Arden.

If Arden noticed, she didn't say anything.

"Where to now?" John B asked when no one in the back made a move to offer up suggestions. "Haven?"

Haven hummed in thought. "Anyone else hungry?" she asked after a moment. "I saw a cafe around the corner."

"Cool, let's go there," he said, not even waiting for the others to agree before he pulled away from the road and started following her directions.

Each second stretched on forever as Arden and Sarah broke away from JJ and Kie, their murmurs soft where Arden and JJ's hadn't been. No one acknowledged John B and Haven in the front, not even JJ, who sat staring at the side of Arden's head, just waiting for her to meet his eyes, with Kie stuck in the middle looking out of place. Everyone and everything had splintered, missing pieces even then. Like the united land of Pangaea breaking apart, there was no foreseeable way back to where they knew the other was.

It was almost funny to Haven. Hadn't she predicted this already, time and time again?

"Here," she said, the words hollow even to her own ears.

At first, no one moved. Then at once, they burst away from each other, like the flood gates had opened and let them out to sea. Arden and Sarah disappeared inside with Kie slowly following them. JJ walked a lap around the van in frustration before eventually clambering into the back to sit in silence. Haven was about to ask what he and John B wanted to eat before she spotted a familiar face in the crowd and popped open her door, ignoring their confused questions as she jogged away.

"Mum?" she called out, speeding up as Melinda's face went pale. "Mum, wait."

The blonde woman disappeared around the corner, shoving past two teens that Haven paid no mind to as she tried to step past them. But they seemed to have other intentions, for their bodies blocked her path and Melinda Maybank managed to slip out of her grasp, a broken heart seeping into smoke.

"Haven?" Leonie Schneider echoed her name like a stranger. "Where the fuck have you been? Didn't you get our messages?"

Tearing her eyes away from the retreating blonde figure, Haven had to force herself to meet Leonie's fiery stare. The shorter girl had her arms crossed over her chest, fingers carving crescent moons into the smooth skin of her palms. At her side was Allison, who seemed nervous but distant too. There was no Brec with them, and Haven wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. She and Brec were okay, or so she thought. But Haven knew how protective Leo and Allison were, and the realisation seemed to only make the heated tension worse.

"You broke up with Brec," Leo stated knowingly.

Haven's stomach twisted. "Well, it was mutual," she corrected, struggling not to look back at where she knew the Twinkie was parked. Was John B and JJ watching her? Could they sense the wariness too? "I know I've been distant, I'm―"

"Distant is one word for it," Leo scoffed. "Try 'absent' maybe?"

"Right," Haven sighed. "I'm sorry. Shit's just been happening, but I promise I'm not ditching you guys or anything. Maybe we can hang out tomorrow?"

The tiniest bit of tension fell from Leo's shoulders. It wasn't much, but Haven was quick to notice it and store it away for the keeping. As it was, Haven Murphy felt stretched thin, but she'd push herself even farther if it meant things would stay subdued, for as long as they could be. After a look that Haven didn't understand, Leo and Allison turned back to her, the latter smiling in content while the other remained painfully indifferent.

"Brec would have to be there," she said, eyes flashing as Haven merely nodded.

"I'd want her to be," she confessed. "Just because we're broken up doesn't mean I don't care about her. She'll always be my friend."

"Good," Leo said simply. "Then we'll see you tomorrow. Meet at my house for lunch?"

"That's cool with me," she nodded quickly. From the corner of her eye, she spied the girls leaving the café, arms spilling over with food. "Listen, I've really gotta go. But I'll text you later, okay?"

Hanging around long enough to hear an 'okay' back, she wheeled around and rushed back over to the car, clambering into the front seat just as John B restarted the engine and the others settled down in the back. None of the girls said anything as they continued whispering to each other, but John B and JJ's eyes lingered on her, expectant. Haven nodded, toying with her seatbelt as they set off back to the nursing home. That was enough for JJ, but not for John B. He reached out to nudge her arm a second later, prompting her eyes to meet his as they switched back and forth between her and the road ahead.

You sure you're good? His gaze seemed to ask stubbornly.

Haven just shrugged, a smile quirking up the edge of her mouth that said I'm sure.

They pulled up outside the home then, and that was the end of that.

"How'd it go, Pope?" Arden asked the second the boy crawled in beside her. There was something about the exhausted set of Pope's brows that sent shockwaves of alert through the group. Arden threw her arm around his shoulders, hand rubbing comforting circles into his skin.

"Shit just got way more personal."

Which, as it so happened, was one hell of an understatement.

Pope Heyward was related to Denmark Tanny, and he was only just finding out about it.

"I still can't believe that you're related to Denmark Tanny," John B exclaimed ten minutes later, as the group gathered beneath the awning of a shop near the docks. "Are we in the presence of a royal right now?"

"A king?" JJ echoed with a chortle, pretending to place a crown on top of an unamused Pope's head. "We shall crown him! All hail the lord of Tannyhill. We are not worthy!"

"And you say Kie is bad at accents," Arden scoffed, then rolled her eyes as he and John B pretended to bow down in front of their friend.

"Not now, Ardy," JJ shushed her with a wave of his hand. "Lord Pope needs his shoes shined."

As the group burst into chatters of excitement again, Sarah was quick to suggest, "Relocate the Cat's Ass, question mark?"

"I'm with that," JJ immediately agreed. "We'll grab Harlow from her babysitting duties, and she and Haven can show us how to shotgun wine or whatever it is the kooks drink."

"No way," Haven retorted despite John B nudging her shoulder in encouragement and the others cheering. "If anything, the actual kooks can show us how it's done. Kie? Sarah?"

"As long as I can move in," Kie shrugged in response, voice teasing with just a hint of seriousness beneath the surface. "'Cause I don't have a place to stay."

All too quickly, the lightness of the conversation faded into despondency. Despite laughing along with his friends, Pope's face was solemn, head bowed. Haven and John B went quiet first, sharing a look, before JJ and the others noticed too. At the sudden silence, Pope looked up and sighed.

"I just keep thinking about the letter," he confessed. "The one that Limbrey sent."

"What about it?" Arden frowned.

"Well, it had the wheat symbol on it. That must mean it has something to do with the Royal Merchant."

JJ hummed in agreement. "Something does seem fishy," he said, earning a sharp nudge from Arden.

"But," Pope continued, unphased by the interruption. "If we find that cross, we can split it like we were gonna split the gold."

"And what?" a new voice intervened. "Live happily ever after?"

Carla Limbrey appeared from the shadows then, like a ghost summoned from the afterlife. Through the fog of the rainy afternoon, she drifted with Renfield trailing her like a puppy, all frail bones and pale blonde hair that seemed just a wink away from grey. The group backed up as the two forced themselves beneath the small awning, crowding them in despite the anger that flashed across Pope's face.

"You assaulted my father," he spat, only to be stopped by a sharp shove to the chest from Renfield.

"I didn't assault anybody," Carla dismissed.

"Oh, please," Kie scoffed. "He can assault the psycho from a mile away."

"So can I," Arden added with a tight smile, moving so she was shoulder-to-shoulder with Pope. "And let's not forget the security cameras."

Carla sighed, seeming disappointed. She took a step closer to them beseechingly, crutches clicking against the floorboards, causing Haven to move back subconsciously as Renfield followed his sister like a magnet. She didn't miss the way his eyes lingered uncomfortably, only to avert back to mocking Pope as John B's jaw clenched.

"Why would my employee..." Carla began, stammering over her words like they were utterly ludicrous. "Assault your father? That's absurd."

"You wanna hear what else is absurd?"

Carla Limbrey's patience reminded Haven of Ward Cameron. Easy to lose track of, and as dangerous as a loaded gun. In a blink, the softness to her voice had switched to sharp determination, "Listen," she scowled, paying no attention to Arden as she zeroed in on Pope. "We can keep on negotiating, but the fact is that I want the key..."

The tiniest of scoff's escaped past the boy's lips. Renfield jumped at the chance, grabbing a fistful of Pope's shirt and shoving him as Pope's face split open to reveal the rage hiding beneath.

"And I won't stop until I have it," Carla continued, waving off the suddenly alert group of teens. "I don't have a choice, which means you don't either."

For a moment, no one moved let alone spoke. Carla was waiting for Pope to crack, Renfield breathing down his neck like a rabid dog. Haven wanted to do something, anything, but like the rest of the pogues, she found herself frozen, watching with anxious eyes. At her side, John B gave a soft laugh, leaning against the pole holding up the awning with a surprising amount of confidence.

"It's Limbrey, right?" he asked, dangling a key from his index finger that Carla was quick to notice. She spun around at the flash of gold, smiling with foolish hope. Haven tried her best to school her face into indifference as the suddenly frantic woman looked between her and John B, then at the others like she thought she was imagining things. Hook, line and sinker. "Is that right?"

"Yes."

"Hmm," the boy smirked. "Is this what you're looking for?"

"Yes, it is."

"Huh," John B nodded, gazing past her towards the water that lapped against the dock's edge. "Well, looking at the tide right now, I'd say it's about twenty feet deep out there. So if I just threw it in the channel, the probability of you finding it again is slim to none."

"Wait―"

"You wanna give it a shot? Let's see what happens."

"No!" Carla cried, stumbling on her crutches as John B feigned a move past her. "Hey!"

Haven's eyes tracked John B's hand as he raised it, key slipping haphazardly between his fingers. Carla deflated with exhaustion as he caught it at the last second, muscles flexing as he held it up for her to see.

"Please don't do that," she requested, though her voice was weak, like that one tiny movement had taken ten years off her life.

For a second, John B simply observed her, like he could see her deepest secrets. He didn't look at Haven as he returned to her side, but Haven could practically feel the amusement that coursed through him as he glanced at Renfield then at Pope.

"Get him to back the hell up," he said, and as Haven expected she would, Carla was quick to agree. Renfield returned to her side dutifully, pushing into the space that John B and Haven inhabited. He smelled like smoke and smog, sour as blood on hot stone, and one too many bottles of cheap beer. Haven scrunched her nose and looked away, only listening as Carla addressed an impassive Pope again. "As I have told you from the beginning, I am willing to be reasonable."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"I'll give you the key," Pope confirmed easily, eyeing the glistening gold with detachment. Well, then. At least he knew it wasn't his. That somehow, JJ and John B had found themselves a decoy. "But I want the tape."

"Of course," she breathed out, almost laughing with delight.

"Hey, Pope," John B cut in, voice raising to a pitch that Haven didn't recognise. If it was someone who knew him, they would've seen through the ruse straight away. But not Carla Limbrey. She watched with keen eyes as John B nudged past Haven to place an assuring hand on Pope's shoulder. "You don't have to do this."

"No, it's okay," Pope insisted with an eager nod.

"But dude, this is your family's..."

"It's fine," he repeated. "I mean, this is about your dad, and that's way more important."

He held out his hand, waiting. John B sighed with dramatic defeat, slowly giving him the key while Carla peered over his shoulder.

"Oh, you're a good friend," she cooed at Pope, reaching for the key already.

But Pope held it away, just out of sight. "The tape?"

Carla sighed then nodded her head impatiently at Renfield. "Give him the tape."

And so the exchange was made. Carla Limbrey cried with glee as the key passed into her grasp and the tape was dropped into Pope's. Even with it in her hands, the sheer cheapness of it was lost on her. Haven's heart hammered with every passing moment, eyes meeting Kie's for a second with the same tentative hope.

"You know," Carla said, and both of their face's dropped for a split second. Did she know? "I wish that you'd come to this decision earlier. We could've avoided all this unpleasantness."

Okay, maybe not.

Without another word, Carla turned around and hobbled off into the rain again, not even waiting for Renfield to open the umbrella for her again. Instead, the rat-faced man hung back to snicker at them, eyes tracing Haven's figure once before John B and JJ blocked his view, forcing him to look at Pope instead. The shaking boy's arm was gripped in a death-hold by Arden, but neither seemed to notice as Renfield waved teasingly.

"See you around, Pope."

"Just go," Kie spat.

Fortunately for them, he did. No one spoke for a moment, careful that their voices didn't carry. But the second Carla's crutches could no longer be heard, JJ burst into laughter, head lolling onto Haven's shoulder as she sighed.

"How long do you think we have until she realises she has your father's old key?"

"Ten minutes," John B deadpanned.

"I give it twenty," Haven countered. "Renfield might be a creep, but he doesn't have much going on in that head of his."

The sounds of their voices seemed to awaken the rest of the group. Pope spun on them in pure shock, joining JJ's laughter as he questioned, "Whose idea was the fake key?"

"Shockingly, not mine," Kie retorted.

When Pope's eyes met his, John B swung an arm around JJ's shoulder, smirking as the boy shrugged bashfully. "Hmm, I don't know. Should we tell him?"

"Oh, wow."

"Did hell freeze over?"

"You're not joking?" Arden queried, jaw dropped. Momentarily, JJ's brows furrowed, only to smile a mere beat later as she nudged John B and threw her own arms around him. "You're a genius, baby!"

"I know!"

Soon enough, the conversation drifted back to the issue at hand. With the tape now in his hands, John B had everything he needed, and everyone there knew it. Haven found herself watching Sarah's face drop as John B declared a trip to the police department. It frustrated her. Before she could think twice, she fell into step beside the blonde at the back of the group.

"What did you think was going to happen?" she asked the burning question.

Sarah frowned. "What?"

"Ward's getting what he deserves," she said.

"He's still my dad, Haven."

"Murderers can be fathers, too. Doesn't change what they've done."

Whatever Sarah had to respond was left for the wind's ears only. Haven hurried after the group, catching up to JJ and throwing her arm around his waist.

"I've gotta admit, J," she began. "I'm impressed with you."

"You see, Havey? I'm not just a pretty face."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far."

"Wha ― hey!"

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JUDGEMENT DAY HAD COME for the devil himself. It was sunset when Sarah got the news. Topper had called as the group (minus the devil's daughter) celebrated the news John B had gotten from Shoupe when he handed in the tape. It was time. Topper's grandfather signed the warrant for Ward's arrest. And before she knew it, Haven was crammed in the back of the Twinkie as it cruised down the streets after a line of blaring cop cars.

"Can you please hurry?" Sarah cried from the front. "I need to be there for Wheezie."

John B scoffed, "You think I wanna miss this?"

The retort had Sarah's face falling in hurt. She looked to the others in the back, but not a word was said. Instead, they stayed silent, listening to the piercing wails of the judge, jury and executioner ready and waiting for Ward. The freshly cut grass of the Cameron household was marred with tyre tracks as police cars came from every angle. From their skewed view of the stone wall, the pogues caught sight of Shoupe marching down the winding drive away from Rose Cameron and... towards the Druthers? Behind him was a layer of defence, guns drawn.

"Screw it," John B breathed out, jaw locked with stubborn intent. "I'm going over."

JJ was quick to follow, as he always would when it came to John B. "I'm right behind you."

One-by-one, the group lunged over the fence. Something was off. Why was Ward on his boat? He knew they were coming. He would've been given warning somehow. Rose's face was terrified, like the calm before the storm. So Haven allowed JJ to tug her over the fence, Arden helping from the other side until everyone, even Sarah, was in the yard.

"Okay, so―"

Before John B could get the words out, Sarah gasped and sprinted away. With a sigh, the rest followed, falling back as a confused Wheezie opened her arms for her tearful sister.

"What's going on?" the thirteen-year-old frowned. "Why are the police here again?"

For the first time, Haven's heart ached. Wheezie was a kid. She didn't deserve to have her life uprooted like this. Sarah and Rafe were at an age where they knew what this meant, they weren't kids who needed protection. But Wheezie was different, and even John B, with hope running through his veins, slowed down enough to realise that.

"Go inside. Don't come out."

And the group was moving again. John B lead the charge down the jetty towards the Druthers. The closer they got, the easier it was to see through the brightness of the sun. Ward was at the very top, yelling down to a frozen Shoupe. He hadn't noticed them yet, but at Sarah's instinctual cry of 'dad' his face crumbled in a beat.

"What are you doing here, Sarah?" he roared as the officers parted to let the group through on Shoupe's command. "Vic, you've gotta get her out of here now! She can't be here right now!"

"Just come on in, and you... you can talk to her," Shoupe offered desperately.

For he knew what was coming. Haven knew it too. The engine of the boat was roaring dangerously low, a ticking time bomb. Ward had tears streaming down his face, dressed in his best clothes with a glass of whiskey cradled in hand. The devil dressed to the nines, ready to watch the world burn, even if it took him down with it.

"Sarah, I'm sorry, baby," Ward screamed to the wide-eyed blonde. Realisation was sinking in, but it was too late. "I can't."

"Dad, what are you doing?" Sarah screamed, hands shaking as they covered her mouth.

The anchor of the boat raised out of the waves. Behind it, a row of police boats similar to the ones that caught John B cruised the water, closing the already small gap between them and Ward. The man in question kneeled over, fighting with Sarah's pleas and the plan he'd decided on already. Haven wanted to be sick, but she couldn't move. She had John B on one side of her, JJ on the other, and a line of officers swarming the deck unsure what to do.

"I love you." The words lingered on the wind, even after Ward locked himself inside where they could no longer see him.

The next few minutes were ones Haven wasn't sure she'd ever be able to forget. Before their very eyes, the Druthers exploded in a fiery inferno, sending embers and splinters of the boat in every direction. Haven felt JJ's hands on her beck, pushing her down as the whole group avoided the debris of the blaze. The explosion echoed in their ears even after it settled to mere flames.

Ward had ended his life, his daughter and her friends there to watch.

Haven wasn't sure what to feel. She wanted to be sick, to lean over the edge and puke up the acid of her guts. She had just watched a man die. The man's daughter, her friend, was screaming in heartbreak at her side. Topper had appeared out of nowhere, embracing Sarah in his arms when John B failed to comfort her himself.

John B...

His eyes glistened as he watched the boat burn, but not in grief, not in what Sarah wanted from him. He couldn't hug her, whisper the comforts that she wanted, when his dad's last chance at vengeance laid in a fiery inferno. Ward would never face true punishment, and there would always be this resentment he'd never be able to shake for Sarah.

Haven looked between them, at the way Sarah clutched onto Topper's shirt, glaring at the edges of John B's face. On her other side, John B's hair glowed gold with the reflection of the flames. She reached out, a decision made, and her hand landed on his back.

Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. He leant into the touch and that was that.

Ward Cameron was dead.

On the other side of Figure Eight, another body burned, the first signs of smoke and memory filling the sky with dark grey clouds.

Arden Kim took off running, screaming her mother's name.

Two villains became corpses.

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A/N: The next chapter's spicy, that's all I'm gonna say. Also, there'll be a two week time skip, just for Haven's storyline. It won't make much of a difference to the plot, though, so no worries. Let me know what you thought of this :)