SMOKE SIGNALS / OUTERBANKS
ੈ✩‧₊˚ written by catie . . . © vqnillascented
chapter ten ━━  ' gold in the well '

"Y'ALL I SWEAR, if we get murdered tonight, I will ━━" JJ was quickly shushed by John B, who's trying to run through a checklist of everything the group will need for tonight.

There's this creepy old house just a few streets over from Tanneyhill, and an uncomfortably close distance away from Alex's own house.

The house is rumored to be haunted, but it's probably not by ghosts. An old lady, Ms. Crain, lives there all alone, after she allegedly went crazy and murdered her husband with an ax. Nobody ever sees her come out of her house, and nobody has heard from her since everything with her husband went down.

Allegedly, of course.

And (also allegedly) the map that Sarah helped John B find said that the gold was buried in a well, deep in the ground, on the land where Ms.Crain's house currently stands.

So, they're going inside the ax-murderer's house. Obviously.

They teens are all wedged into the back of the Twinkie, making sure they've got themselves together, because once they hop the fence, there's no turning back.

"Flashlights?" John B finished rattling off a basic list of survival gear.

"Check." Sarah holds them up.

"Alright, good." He nods. "We're ready."

"Let's go." Kiara says, yanking the heavy door open.

"Let's go get rich, losers." JJ jokes from his place beside Alex, and she laughs softly.

Kiara looks over her shoulder before climbing out, "Ready, Sarah?"

She and Sarah had decided that they could be cordial, for the sake of the hunt, after their night on the boat, which was absolutely shocking to Alex. Locking two stubborn girls up in a confined space seemed like a recipe for disaster, but they've seemed to work it out.

"I'm so ready." Sarah grins, pushing herself to her feet, ducking down so she can move out of the van.

"Wait, wait." John B stops them from climbing out. "I wanna say thank you, guys. Seriously. It means a lot to me that you're here tonight."

He gives his friends a genuine look, and they can't help but to smile back, feeling a bit sappy.

"Always," Kiara tells him.

"Of course, man." Pope pats his friend's arm reassuringly.

"We've got your back," Alex says, pulling her sleeves over her hands, the cold air leaking in from the open door sending a shiver down her spine.

"Alright, are we done with the circle jerk?" JJ asks, a bundle of rope slung over his shoulder. "Can we go do this?"

"Yup," John B nods and this gives Kiara and Sarah the green light to finish jumping outside, their feet landing in the gravel with satisfying crunching sounds.

John B is the next to step out, followed by Pope, then JJ. Since Alex was wedged in the corner, she's the last one out, and she has to slide across the floor on her ass to reach the door.

She's about to swing her feet over the edge when suddenly, a hand is stuck out in front of her, an open palm pointed up at her face expectantly. She glances up to see who's offering, and she feels her heart betray her and skip a beat when she sees that it's JJ.

"M'lady." He says. Alex knows that he's just joking, but her stomach still flips as her palm slides into his and he helps her to her feet.

"Thanks," She tries to smile, hoping that she sounds casual.

"Of course." He nods at her, before leaving her side to catch up with the others, who have already crossed the street and are scaling the large, stone fence.

It takes Alex a minute to steady herself enough to walk, but soon she's with the group as well.

Sarah goes first, wedging her feet into any of the bricks that are sticking out, before hoisting herself over the top. The others follow her lead, and Alex finds it difficult to hide her disappointment when JJ doesn't offer to catch her when she jumps down to the other side.

She lands in an overgrown lawn, which appears to have once been a garden, but is now more like a jungle. The teens click on their flashlights and then push through thick brush, making their way to the house.

When they are within a few feet of one of the outside walls, the porch light flickers on, sending them scrambling behind bushes and trees to hide from the spotlight.

"Okay," Pope heaves, all of them struggling to catch their breath from the scare. "So, she has motion sensor lights."

"We could, uh, move really slowly?" JJ offers.

"Yeah, that's not how that works." Pope deadpans.

"Oh shit," John B adds. "Let's throw a rock at it."

"I don't think that'll work either," Alex says. "My dad's installed so many of these light systems and I've watched him put a few in. It's gonna take more than a rock to break it."

"So, what do we do?" Kiara asks.

"Alex," Sarah grabs Alex's arm, and she fights back a groan as her best friend's nails dig through her hoodie sleeves. "We would play hide-and-seek here as kids, do you remember?"

Suddenly, the memory hits her. Alex knew there had to be a reason that her feet found the path so easy and she knew exactly when to dodge branches. "God, I forgot about that." She says. "Yeah, I remember."

"There's a circuit breaker on the porch, by the door."

If Alex's memory serves her correctly, Sarah's right.

"Sarah, you're a genius." Alex squeezes her arm back, then looks at the group. "If we flip the right switch it shuts the system down, and we'll be able to get inside without being seen. I know which switch to flip, most breakers are the same or very similar. I'll do it."

"You can't go onto the porch." John B shakes his head fast. "She'll see you."

"So?" Alex furrows my brow.

"So?" JJ is appalled, "Crain chops people into pieces."

"Allegedly," Alex reminds him.

"Oh, so you're willing to risk it?" He glares at me.

Alex rolls her eyes. "She's basically 100 years old at this point, what's she going to do?"

"Chop you into peices!" JJ raises his voice and Pope and John B have to shush him again.

"Idea," Kiara whispers once we've quieted down again. "Sarah, Alex and I go to the breaker, and you boys wait here until the light is off then go to the basement and find the well. We'll meet you down there."

"Okay, fine." John B says. "Be careful, all of you."

"Don't get chopped into pieces." JJ hisses aggressively as the three girls stand up and start to walk off.

Sarah turns on her flashlight again, leading the way through the remainder of the overgrown path, until they reach the porch. Kiara and Sarah move so Alex can creep up the stairs first, heading straight for the electrical box ahead. The lock on the side is hanging open and Alex is grateful, that is, until she swings the small door open. "What the hell?"

Inside is a mess of wires, forming a tangled ball. No sign of a switch of any kind.

"What's wrong?" Sarah brushes up beside her. "Wait, where are the switches?"

"I don't know." Alex whispers back, biting down on my lip as she tries to think.

"Guys, look." Kiara is beside them on the porch now, pointing up at the water-stained roof. Alex follows her fingers, spotting the covered wire that goes up from the box up to the ceiling, then curves and heads inside.

"It goes inside." Sarah whispers in disbelief.

"I guess that we are too." Alex sucks in a deep breath, reaching for the door next to her, slowly opening the creaky screen layer.

To her surprise, the knob turns under my grasp and she's able to push the real door open, and step inside.

Alex hears Sarah and Kiara's soft, careful footsteps trailing behind her, but it's taking too much of her energy to keep walking through her fear, let alone turn around and make sure they're keeping up.

She lifts a shaking hand up to her headlamp and turns it on, illuminating the dusty room before her in a blue-ish glow.

The furniture around is scattered, pushed out of place messily, and everything in sight is covered in cobwebs. There are few patches of floor that aren't completely hidden by more clutter and mess.

Alex glances up at the ceiling, watching the lead from the outside box turn into another room. She follows it, stepping on an especially creaky floorboard, wincing as the sound carries.

The room turns out to be a laundry/storage room of sorts, and finally, she sees it. The actual breaker box. She yanks the door open and stares at the switches before her.

Alex hears Sarah breathe a sigh of relief from behind her, so she knows that they're all together. None of the switches are labeled, something that is usually done when installed, so Alex figures that her best bet is to turn them all to off.

The first switch gives way with a loud crack, clearly old and unused. Alex bites down on the inside of her cheek as the sound echoes through the house, waiting for a moment before pulling on the next one.

Slowly, they all go, and Kiara hurries over to the window to see if their efforts were successful. "It's off." She breathes, and Alex nearly collapses with happiness.

She moves away from the board, saying, "Let's get the hell out of here."

"Agreed." Sarah murmurs, and Alex lets her lead the way back out into the hallway, Kiara following behind.

Just then, the floor underneath them gives a loud creak, and after Alex gasps with surprise, she whispers to Sarah, "You think it's them?"

"It better be them." It's Kiara who answers. "Now let's hurry, I feel like I can't breathe in here."

Alex couldn't agree more, and Sarah picks up her pace to lead the way to the door. There's more loud clanging from below, and Alex could swear that she can hear muffled shouts.

Only moments after the commotion, a rhythmic thudding comes from the top of the stairs, and slowly, the sound descends, always followed by two slumbling footfalls.

It's the worst sound Alex has ever heard in her entire life.

"Fuck," She breathes, leaning her head against the wall and squeezing her eyes shut. This can't be real.

"It's late, Leon." The scratchy voice bounces off the walls, and Alex is so scared, she's fighting to keep her knees from buckling.

The footsteps are getting terrifyingly closer, and soon, Alex can see her.

Mrs. Crain is walking right towards the three girls, her walking stick landing hard against the floor, leading the way. She's in front of them now, moving right past them, mere inches away, but she doesn't notice the intruders.

Still, Alex isn't taking any chances. She holds her breath and tries to make herself as flush with the wall as possible, wishing that she could melt right into it.

"I can hear you, Leon." Crain croaks.

Sarah whimpers and this gets Crain's attention and she whips around with a growl.

Alex can't stop myself from screaming as the girls take off sprinting through the house, away from the old lady.

"Go! Go!" Kiara yells, and they're all pushing each other and practically tripping over one another as they run down the hall, no idea which direction they are going.

They end up in an old office, and Kiara finds an extra door and bursts through it, Sarah and Alex hurriedly going after her. They find another door, but it's boarded up and locked.

"Shit!" Kiara grunts as she puts her whole body weight against the chain holding it shut.

"I'll help!" Sarah joins in, adding her own strength to the mix.

Alex is left on her own, and she can hear Crain getting closer. There's no way out of this room besides the locked one and the one that the murderous woman is about to come through.

Her first instinct is to grab the fire poker from the dust-covered fireplace, next to her, wielding it like a baseball bat.

When Mrs.Crain finally does come into the room, teeth bared and grunting like an animal, Sarah screams.

"Keep working on the door," Alex calls over her shoulder, having to dodge the attempts that Ms. Crain is making at her head with her walking stick.

Alex swings the fire poker at her, deflecting her crane like they're sword fighting, and this stuns her for a second, before she comes back, angrier than before.

When she swings again, she knocks the fire poker from Alex's grasp and she trips over it as it clatters at her feet, both her and her weapon landing hard on the floor.

Crain swings at her again, but this time all Alex can do is catch her weapon with her hand, the metal crane stinging painfully as it slaps against her palm.

The older woman is surprisingly strong, and Alex's arm is shaking underneath her efforts. She whimpers as Crain's snarling face gets closer, and closer, and-

"Alex!" Sarah yells, shoving Crain off of her with a grunt. "Come on!" She holds out her hand and Alex tales it. She drags her to her feet and then they're running again, Kiara at the front, having given up on the bolted door.

"In here, in here!" Kiara cries, darting into a small room in the hallway. The second that they're all inside, they drive their body weight against the door, using all of their energy to keep Crain out.

With a startling crackle, the walking stick is shoved through the door, nearly poking Alex's eye out as it breaks through wood to come out the other side.

The girls are screaming again, diving away from the door as Crain gets to work on breaking it down. Alex dives behind a desk, pulling her knees to her chest, preparing for her fast approaching death.

"Come on!" Sarah yells. "This way. It goes under the house." And just like that, they're all running yet again, somehow escaping the crazy lady by the skin on their teeth.

It doesn't take long for them to reach the basement stairs, and we descend them so fast Alex is surprised that none of them trip. They sprint deeper into the basement, yelling out for the guys.

Finally they spot them; JJ next to a large spinning wheel of rope, slowly releasing some of the line to Pope, who's got the end of it dangling down into a large hole in the dirt.

"What's going on?" Pope's eyes are wide at our panic.

"Mrs. Crain!" Sarah gasps, out of breath. "She's up there!"

"She woke up and fucking attacked us!" Alex heaves, leaning against a wall to regain her strength.

Kiara nods, also exhausted. "She tried to kill us with a fire poker."

"We locked her in the parlor, but we have to go." Sarah adds.

"Okay, no, okay, that's code red!" JJ scrambles into action, getting ready to pull up on the rope.

Pope flings himself down to the ground, sticking his face over the hole and yelling, "John B, we gotta go, man!"

"I'm coming," John B's voice is faint as it echoes back up the well to us.

"Here, if we all pull it'll be faster," JJ says, and the girls hurry into position, getting a firm grip on the rope and hoisting it backwards.

The end of the rope snaps up to greet them, and they fall to the ground from the force. But there's no sign of John B.

"Shit," Pope gasps.

"Where is he?" Sarah scrambles to her feet.

They all hurry to stand and then huddle around the well, staring down and listening carefully for any signs of him.

"JJ! Pope!" Comes echoing up at them.

"He doesn't sound okay," JJ says, reaching for the loose rope.

"Yeah, yeah, we have to help him." They all agree, talking over each other as they fumble to get the rope back into the hole, in panic mode.

"John B, get back on the rope!" Pope commands him. "We're gonna pull you up, don't worry, we got you."

They're all back in position, with Alex at the end, just in front of JJ. They prepare to pull yet again, waiting for John B to say something.

"Okay, I'm on!" He yells up.

"Everybody, pull!" JJ says, and they do, leaning back on the rope with all their efforts combined.

Just then, a loud explosion goes off, and there's sparks just behind Alex's head, on the pillar next to JJ. He falls to the ground, dropping his hold on the rope, "Jesus Christ, what was that?"

Without his help, there's now a lot more weight on Alex and it doesn't take long for her to fall as well, her ears ringing from the noise.

JJ dives forward and grabs the end of the rope, yanking it back and tying it tightly around the stone pillar behind him. "John B," he yells over the chaos. "Pull yourself up."

"Alex, you good?" His hands hover over her shoulders, and every single muscle in her body is aching with fear and exhaustion but she nods anyway.

"Let's go," he grabs her by her arm and drags her to her feet, and quickly she's able to find her own footing.

Everybody has jumped behind something, putting distance between themselves and the direction of where the noise came from. JJ and Alex crouch behind a stack of old boxes, trying to keep their ragged breathing as quiet as possible.

"She's got a gun." Pope whispers from a few feet away.

"She can't aim for shit," Kiara hisses.

"She can't see." Sarah pipes up. "She's blind."

Another loud gunshot goes off, knocking the highest box on the stack protecting Alex and JJ off in an explosion of cardboard. Alex screams and covers her neck with her hands as the force sends the both of them falling forward. Luckily, her hands shoot out to catch her before her face can smack the ground.

"Move, move!" Kiara is yelling, and JJ and Alex stumble to their feet, still disoriented, stumbling farther away, deeper into the basement.

Sarah and Kiara are the first ones to find the wooden exit door and burst out of it, sprinting like the wind out into the overgrown garden. Pope follows shortly after, and JJ and Alex are last, taking a few extra seconds to steady ourselves.

The cold night air whips Alex's dark hair out of her face as they run, and it isn't until they reach the stone fence that she realizes that she and JJ had been holding hands the entire time.

They have to separate to get over the wall, but with the amount of adrenaline fueling them at the moment, jumping over the stone is no problem.

Everybody dives inside the Twinkie, leaning against the doors and seats as they gasp for air, still wildly terrified.

A mud-soaked John B hoists himself over the wall, sprinting after them, since JJ decided that jumping into the driver's seat and speeding off without him was a good idea.

"Wait for him!" Pope yells and JJ eases on the gas, and it's enough to give John B the chance to catch up and throw himself into the backseat. Kiara drags the door shut behind him and JJ resumes the getaway.

"Oh my God," Sarah gasps at the sight of John B, his face caked with sludge and clothes covered with filth.

"Are you okay? Are you shot?" Pope asks.

John B can only shake his head as he tries to catch his breath.

"Are any of us shot?" Pope looks around the car, getting no's and shakes of heads as answers.

"I would know if I got shot, right?" Kiara feels around her torso.

"You look disgusting!" Pope laughs at John B.

"You smell like ass!" Kiara adds, and Alex nods in agreement. It's taking a lot of effort for her not to plug her nose from the stench radiating from him.

"That was fucking crazy," She breathes, tugging at the roots of her hair, desperate for her heart to stop beating out of her chest.

"That bitch was possessed." Kiara says.

"How the hell does she move that fast?" Pope asks, still winded.

"She's possessed." Kiara urges.

"What is that?" Sarah asks and everyone quickly turns to see what she's talking about.

In his hand, John B is clutching what looks to be a slab of mud, but there's a smear where some of the dirt has been wiped away, and it glints golden in the light.

"You did not!" Pope's mouth falls open.

"We did it, baby!" John B's whole face is overtaken by a radiant grin.

"Holy shit!" Alex cries out, leaning closer to him, to the detriment of her nostrils, to get a closer look. And sure enough, beneath the thick mud, he's holding a bar of solid gold.

Celebratory shouts go up from the entire van, everybody losing their minds as they drive off.

This terrifying night might have been worth it.

catie speaks!

HI HI HI!!! ummm...i'm so so so sorry for not updating!! i was trying to bulk write to get some updates ready to go, but i think i'm just going to publish as i write, because the updates will be sooner that way. I HOPE YOU LOVED THIS CHAPTER!!!!

if there were any grammar mistakes please ignore them, i accidentally wrote the entire thing is first person and had to go back through 😭😭😭

ANYWAYS i'm back to writing this story, so expect more updates soon!

virtual hugs,
catie :)