MY PURPOSE - JOHN B ROUTLEDGE

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR - PARTNERS IN CRIME

"Okay Eleanor, I need you to lower the gun you hear me?" Ward took a step towards her with his hands still in the air.

"Don't you come anyway near me!" She shouted while keeping her eyes on Sarah who was sitting on the floor by Peterkin, putting pressure on her wound with Eleanor's jacket while crying "You're a fucking murderer Ward! You really think we can just work this out?!"

"Hey! That's my father you're talking about!" Rafe went to jump at Eleanor but Ward grabbed him and dragged him back.

"I won't ask again, call the fucking police Ward!" Eleanor yelled again.

"Okay! I hear you, okay!" Ward showed her him picking up the radio and calling for some help "Rafe I need you take your sister home. Get her home"

"No, she is dying! What is wrong with you?!" Sarah cried "I'm not going until the medics come! I'm not going! No!" Sarah kicked and screamed as Rafe dragged her away from Peterkin "Get your hands off! Eleanor! No! No! No!"

"Rafe don't you fucking hurt her!" Eleanor smiled at Sarah weakly "It's okay Sarah, it's okay" Rafe shoved Sarah into his car as Eleanor thought about her options. She could stand here and keep Ward at gunpoint or try and save Peterkin so she dropped the gun that now had her fingerprints on it and ran over to Peterkin, putting pressure on her wound.

"R-run" Peterkin managed to mumble again "You need to run...please" She grabbed Eleanor's hand to stop her from putting more pressure on her wound.

Eleanor looked up and saw Ward talking on the radio in the plane and she knew that was her chance "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" She squeezed Peterkin's hand before she stood up and bolted. She could hear Ward shouting from behind her as she ran for her life and hoped she would run into the Pogues and she did.

She ended up on the main road and that's when her useful skill of hijacking cars came in handy and soon enough she made it to the police station that was the closest to her.

And she nearly screamed with joy when she saw Kiara's car parked outside. Abandoning the stolen car and banging on the car door causing JJ, Pope and Kie scream until they realised who it was.

JJ was quick to open his door as he frowned at the car Eleanor had just jumped out off "Who's car is that?"

"Who fucking cares who's car that is where's John B?!" She asked when she saw that John B wasn't in the car with them.

"He's in the station" Kie sighed "He's trying to tell them what really happened"

With that information Eleanor went to run into the station but she was soon dragged into the car by JJ when John B came running out of the station.

"Kie! Start the car! Start the car, Kie!" He yelled.

"What?" Kiara frowned, her eyes open wide in fear "John B? What did you do?"

"The cops!" He shouted as Deputy Thomas and Deputy Plumb came running out of the station after him with their hands on their guns.

"Shit!" JJ swore as John B jumped into the car while Kiara shoved the keys into the ignition as the officers banged on the window before Pope shouted to open his door causing Deputy Plumb to trip and fall as they drove away from the police station and into complete darkness.

-----

"Good news for residents of Outer Banks. Dominion Power says their underwater transmission line, which will restore power to 90% of the area..."

It was the next morning now and the Pogues were listening to the radio in Kie's car which they slept in for the night while hiding underneath a random carport shed to hide from any cops going by.

"...should be functional within 24 hours. And still, no arrest in the shooting death of Sheriff Susan Peterkin. The state police have issued a statement regarding a local person of interest, - a juvenile from..." And that was all they heard before JJ turned the radio off.

Eleanor let out a sigh from where she was leant up against the door smoking a cigarette before throwing it out the window and resting her head on John B's shoulders as he rubbed his hand up and down her arm.

"All right, let's game this out" JJ suggested as he gave Eleanor a comforting pat on the knee "Maybe you guys can help, being the smart ones and all, but..." He referred to Eleanor, Pope and Kie before sighing "...who are the cops going to believe? Ward Cameron or us?"

Pope and Kie glanced at each other before Pope put his hand over his face "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" JJ finished.

"Thanks" John B mumbled.

"And they're probably looking for me too because my fucking prints are on that gun and everyone knows who my parents are and what I've done" Eleanor added in as John B squeezed her hand.

"Okay, man. Yucatan, all right? I'm saying that's the only option. What other option do you have?" JJ went on to say, leaning his arms over the top rim of the back seats.

"Enough with the Mexico bullshit" John B sighed "Sarah will bail us out, she's El's best-friend"

"If her psycho brother hasn't killed her yet" Eleanor muttered so only John B could hear her.

"She did witness the whole thing" Kiara backed John B up.

"And she's gonna snitch on her brother?" Pope looked at the three in the backseat.

JJ sat up further in his seat "Not happening, bro. Okay? We've gotta get you off the island"

"The ferry. It's the only way" Pope finalised.

"Yeah" JJ agreed "Exit stage left while you still can man okay? Before the entire island is on lockdown"

"Guys, just get down" Eleanor said when she heard the sound of sirens as she leaned over slightly to grab JJ's arm and pull him down.

-----

After making sure they were no cops in sight, the Pogues made their way to the docks where they parked the car behind a black SUV. Eleanor had moved and was now sat in between John B and JJ   as she put JJ's jacket on with the hood up after he insisted that she wore it and Kiara was sat in the passenger seat.

John B was holding Eleanor close to him as Pope ventured out to get some tickets from the booth for the ferry ride.

Pope then came jogging back over with a leaflet in his hands as he sighed "Okay. All right, no"

"Pope, can you act normal?" Kiara sighed.

"So, um...okay, so, bad news. The ferry's closed, and there is this" He handed the leaflet he had in his hands to Kiara whose eyes went wide once she saw what it was.

"What is that? What is this?" John B asked worriedly as Kie passed the document into the back.

"Shit" Eleanor said once she saw what was on the flyer "I knew this was gonna happen"

"Well, John B, uh...this is a good framer of you" JJ commented before showing the flyer to John B.

"Okay, so the whole island's looking for John B right now" Pope said as if they didn't already know that but he was high on weed.

"That's a lot of money"

"Congratulations, John B. You're famous" JJ told him.

"God my parents and my uncles are going to murder me. Literally" Eleanor ran a hand through her hair before lighting up another cigarette.

"Guys, we got to get to the HMS. We need small, no running lights..." Kiara started.

"It's at the chateau, Kie" John B cut her off while trying to keep calm.

"And I wonder if the cops got the chateau staked out" Eleanor spoke sarcastically "Oh yeah, no, they defiantly have that whole place locked down"

"Yeah, copy that" Kie groaned.

"Let me think, just give me a second. Wait JJ" He turned around in his seat to face the blonde "Does your dad still have that boat? The cigarette boat, the Phantom. The one he used to race"

John B looked at him with hope "Maybe" JJ said, still unsure on the idea.

"You could get right up the coast, no problem" Pope said and turned back around in his seat and started the engine.

"I don't know where the keys are" JJ piped up.

"Well, find them" Pope answered quickly.

"I'm thinking!"

"Why is nobody moving forward?" Pope chanted as he waved his arms about while looking at the cars in front of him.

"Can you relax?" Kie asked him before looking back at JJ "JJ, how much weed did you give him?"

"Guys! The car's on the poster" John B tried to speak up as he looked at the flyer.

"Oh for fuck sake" Eleanor groaned.

"Can we move it?" Pope started to honk the horn repeatedly "Come on!"

"Stop honking the fucking horn man!" Eleanor leaned forward to slap his arm.

This caused a lot of attention as boy started to point at the car "It's that guy! Right there!"

"Shit, we got a snitch. Pope, turn the car on!" JJ said seriously as he banged his hands on the back of his seat.

The boy started shouting while pointing to the car before telling his mother and only a few moments later when a guy came up to the window and stared down at John B as he knocked on the glass "Hey! He's right here"

"Pope, turn the frickin' car on!"

"I am trying!"

"Dude...turn the car on!"

"Put your foot on the gas and get us the hell out of here!" Eleanor yelled at him.

So that's what he did. He slammed his foot onto the gas pedal causing them to shoot forward into the black SUV in front of them. Eleanor was very close to falling into the front of the car while JJ went into the back of Pope's chair and John B went into Kiara's.

Everyone was shouting now, Kiara screaming at him to back up and everyone else yelling at him to just drive. As Pope steered them onto the grass, Officer Plumb was shouting into her radio as they sped away.

They finally made it onto the road but Pope was still speeding and they seemed to be getting closer and closer to the mailbox on the side of the road.

"Watch out! Pope! Whoa, whoa, whoa, watch out!" Kiara screamed while trying to grab the wheel and steer them back onto the road.

"Oh shit!" Eleanor said once they hit the mailbox.

"What the fuck?" Kiara stressed, running a hand through her hair.

"Oh, I'm living my best life now!" Pope practically beamed.

"My mom's gonna kill me" Kiara sighed.

"I should be the last one to say this, but you are not okay to drive dude" JJ shouted at him from the back "God, we should've just let El drive - Pope stop!"

All of sudden he stomped on the breaks giving them all whiplash as JJ muttered "Oh, jeez"

"John B, get out" Pope told him.

"He's right" JJ nodded "We'll draw the cops to you, run. I'll get the rig, and I'll meet you both in the dump tomorrow, okay? Three o'clock, okay? Three tomorrow at the dump!"

John B jumped out of the car with Eleanor as they mumbled a series of 'yeses' to the boy before they were slamming the door and running hand in hand along the marsh.