𝐅 𝐈 𝐅 𝐓 𝐘 - 𝐒 𝐄 𝐕 𝐄 𝐍
the north drain

The next day, after Meredith took a shower to wash away all of the dread, the Pogues were at the end of her driveway right after school, declaring that they had no time to waste. After a very detailed conversation with Jenna over the phone, reassuring her mother she was only with some friends from school, she let her go. Granted, her mother hadn't recognized the car up front at the end of their driveway, so she had no trouble sneaking out with the Pogues, who were definitely not teenage girls she had told her mother about.

After showering, Meredith had changed into a black skirt, which ended mid-thigh. She also wore a tan long sleeve shirt, considering it was relatively cold out, summer slowly slipping away into the next season. From recent experience, she made sure to wear her sneakers, knowing that it was endless exercise when it came to the pogues, and she knew she'd most likely be running sometime that day. Besides, she would not be ruining an expensive pair of boots for a damn gun.

Kiara's car was waiting at the end of her driveway, and from her porch, she could see JJ's arm hanging from the back seat window. As soon as she was feet from the vehicle, she opened her mouth to complain.

"Did you know that I suddenly have a curfew?" She scoffed, throwing her hands up in exasperation, swinging the back door open. "'Cause I didn't."

"What?" Kiara furrowed her brows, speaking through an amused chuckle. She glanced over her shoulder at the girl, who was seemingly all better after what she had witnessed. Maybe even too better.

Meredith slid into the seat beside JJ, and he couldn't help but let his eyes trail down her body, taking in the skirt that ended mid-thigh. Those were always her favorite, he thought.

"Yeah," She scoffed. "'Be home by eleven'. What is this?" She complained, tossing her phone onto the middle seat between her and JJ. "Like, you know who should have a curfew? Your husband."

The three all turned their heads in her direction, Pope's face screwed up in bother, looking her up and down wearily. But, even when she could feel their stares, she wasn't finished yet.

"Or, what about Richard?" She hummed, pulling her buckle over her chest, the mechanism clicking softly. "Where's his curfew? Hm?"

"Who's... Richard?" JJ knitted his eyebrows together, turning to look at her with a perplexed expression. Kiara sent her a look from the driver's seat, her mind practically spiraling with the new information.

"My mom's bodyguard," the words rolled off her tongue in a mocking manner, her ebony eyes rolling. "How stupid does that sound? He's paid to feel welcome and all that bullshit."

As she went on, Kiara took this time to start the car, peeling out of the driveway and onto the main road. All while Meredith spoke, the three listened with attentive ears, voicing their concerns every once in a while.

"And, also," She added. "Father dearest does not like him one bit, so, who knows how that'll end. Another man held at gunpoint, maybe?" The girl chuckled at her own joke, but when the car remained silent, she looked around.

"Not funny?" When neither of them answered, she pursed her lips. JJ watched her closely– and ever since last night at the construction site, she was far too nonchalant for her own good, and it almost scared him how normal she was acting. Her jokes and bubbly behavior were only a facade, and he noticed instantly. "No? Okay."

"Uhm..." Pope gave Kiara a sideways glance before he cleared his throat. "Okay, anyways, why does your Mom need a bodyguard?"

"I don't know," Meredith shrugged. "She said that's only his title and that he was really around to get things done and basically do everything I want him to. But, who knows."

"So, your personal maid?" JJ glared, lips parted in confusion.

"Yeah, pretty much," She nodded, meeting his eyes momentarily. With pursed lips, she turned back to face forward, looking between Pope and Kiara. "So, what's the plan?"

"Well," Pope began, reveling in his moment. "We are heading to the drain on the north side of the island in hopes that the gun washed out into the sewage."

"And if it didn't?" The sable-haired girl proposed.

"Well, then, you finally get the opportunity to cross 'crawling into a sewer' off of your bucket list." He turned around with an innocent smile when she gave him a deadpanned expression. "With style, of course." He added, watching her roll her eyes.

"This is the north drain," the four teenagers stood before the sewage drain, the putrid stench wafting around them, and Meredith had to resist the urge to gag. Their was also an abundance of trash littered along the ground, some even floating in the water, and JJ stepped around it to lead them towards the manhole. "It should've gotten washed into the gully. So, if it got flushed out from this drain, it would've been pushed out to, like–"

"Somewhere in this trash," Pope finished for him, motioning to the trash-filled puddle, Meredith's lips curling up in disgust.

"Correct," the blonde nodded.

"Oh, my God," Kiara sighed, having recently tied her violent curls into a bun. "People who use plastic should be shot."

Meredith snorted, squinting up at Kiara through the sun. "Girl," She chuckled. "Doesn't The Wreck, like, run on plastic? Aren't those food carriers plastic? Oh, and the–"

"Shut up," Kiara held a hand up mid-air to stop her. "Just be quiet."

Meredith chuckled in triumph, lips curled into an amused grin. JJ, who was watching the encounter, added, "Okay, personally, I love plastic. Use it every day. Love the stuff."

"Hopefully, you recycle it and don't let it flush into the ocean," She retorted, tilting her head at the blonde challengingly, who was tearing a fish net out of the trash.

"I thought you'd say something like that, so... trash bags," Pope intervened, holding up a rolled stack of black trash bags, sending Kiara a smirk. The girl returned it, staring down into Pope's glinting eyes, and Meredith felt like she was intruding on something.

"Did you just proactively protect the environment?" She smiled, scrunching her nose up. Meredith turned to look at JJ, and they both shared a look.

"Maybe," Pope smiled.

"You want us to leave you two alone, or..." JJ muttered awkwardly, and quickly, he was met with the black trash bags being chucked his way.

"Just pick up the trash," Pope ordered, hanging his head in embarrassment. Meredith smirked knowingly between the two, already sensing the vibe between them. She had seen it with Sarah and John B– hell, she had even seen it in herself with JJ. Needless to say, she was well aware of what was going on between them.

As JJ and Pope began filling trash bags, she couldn't help but think how much that had changed. In fact, she no longer saw the affectionate glint in JJ's eyes when he looked at her. In fact, she hardly felt it. That wasn't because he had done anything wrong, but because she had. She left him, and now, with the intense silent treatment, she realized just how much that pierced his soul and left him wounded. If only she could take it back–

"Well, that was fun," said boy's voice dragged her from her spiraling thoughts, and before she could even think to help clean up the trash– which she wouldn't have done over her dead body, by the way– he was already tying off the last bag.

Kiara wiped a line of sweat off of her forehead with the back of her hand. "If it's not in the trash, then it's gotta be in the storm drain."

"It's in..." JJ sighed, accepting their fate. "It's in the drain." He pursed his lips, glancing around between the equally shared disappointment. Pope cursed.

"That's fantastic," Meredith mused sarcastically, hands propped up on her hips.

"Of course it is," Kiara scoffed.

"Good thing I brought the crow," JJ piped up, reaching for the crow bar that was resting on the ground behind him.

"So, are we gonna do, like, rock, paper, scissors?" Kiara began suggesting, while JJ brought the crow bar up to the barred entrance of the manhole. "Or alphabetically?"

"Nah," JJ declined. "On three, Pope. One, two, three," at the same time, they worked to pull the metal grate off of the entrance, grunting from the exertion.

Kiara blowed a long breath out of her lips, "or, like, the oldest goes?"

JJ swung the grate open, letting it clatter to the floor. "In the sewer, there's this worm that you get when you're down there. It gets into your blood, and then it has to come out your pecker." Meredith scrunched her face up. "So, uh... that would be a hard pass for me."

"That's gonna be a no for me." Pope agreed, both of them turning their head towards the two girls, but Meredith was already refuting it.

"Okay, well, someone has to do it," Meredith squinted her eyes, hands pressed on her hips. She stared down the manhole, lips curled upwards in disgust at the stench, let alone the mud stained into the rusty metal. When the three around her went silent, she lifted her gaze in suspicion. Quickly, she picked up on the way they were looking at her, and she parted her lips to argue.

"What? No way!" She shouted, taking a step back from the manhole. "No! No– I'm not doing it."

"Yeah, you are," Kiara chuckled, nodding eagerly. Meredith began shaking her head repeatedly, eyes wide as she stepped away from the sewer. "No, uh-huh. Nope, that's disgusting. Why do I have to do it?!"

"It's the pecker thing," Pope quickly retorted, dipping his head at the thought of looking like a chicken, which she would quickly call him if they forced her to go into the sewer. Which, at this rate, she would have to.

"Screw you and your pecker!" She squealed, voice raised octaves higher in fear. "Please, don't make me– you promised."

Meredith looked like a little kid, pleading with her parent to not be exiled into time-out, and it forced a smile onto JJ's lips. He watched her in amusement, standing a far distance away from the sewer in case they decided to toss her in and shut the grate.

"You kind of owe us," Kiara spoke, and Meredith quickly whirled around at the girl's bravery to challenge her. "After, let's see... bullying me for a year..." Kiara counted on her fingers, Meredith scoffing loudly. "...making our lives a living hell with your kook sobriety...oh, and up and leaving us for no reason."

"Hey!" She whined, throwing her hands up into the air. She felt extremely outnumbered when they all stood against her, although with amused smirks. "That's not fair! I said sorry for most of that!"

"Get in the sewer," Kiara pointed, eyebrows raised. When Meredith didn't budge, the curly-haired girl sent her another glare, and it reminded her somewhat of her mother's heated gaze to the point where she couldn't say no.

"But that's gross," her shoulders slouched, and she heard JJ laugh. As soon as the sound left his mouth, she turned to him, burning holes into the side of his face.

When neither of them gave up on their final decision, the sable-haired girl groaned dramatically, pulling at her roots. She took a step towards the manhole, skin itching anxiously. "I hate you. All of you." She rested her hand on the top of the sewer, crouching down on her haunches to look inside.

The three hovered around her, staring into the endless darkness, and they had to admit, they felt sorry for the girl who had to crawl right into it.

"Okay, just, you know, be careful," Pope spoke over her shoulder, a shiver traveling down her spine at the thought of quite literally swimming in sewage water. Staring down her demise, she suddenly felt a hand envelope her shoulder. When she had the courage to look back, she was met with JJ's concerned gaze, which he tried hiding.

"Uh," he paused. "Be careful," he finally spoke, eyes locking with hers for what felt like minutes. She only looked away when she realized that she had been staring far too long for her liking, turning back to face the entrance.

Carefully, her knees dropped to the cement, and when her palms met the slimy floor of the sewer, she swallowed in disgust.

"Just, uh, holler if you need anything, okay?" The blonde pogue called out to her when she had begun crawling further into the sewage entrance, holding back a gag every time her knees lifted from the sticky floor. "We'll, uh... we'll holler back."

"Shut up, JJ," Meredith silenced him, face scrunched in disgust. She continued to crawl further, shivering when her hand was met with an awkwardly wet spot in the sewer.

"Yeah, yes, ma'am," She heard his faded voice before she was at the catch basin of the manhole, and she rested at the ledge.

"Meredith, find anything yet?" She recognized the echoed voice as Pope's, and she held back her sassy retorts. She shook her head, but then realized he couldn't see her.

"No," She called, voice bouncing off of the metal walls.

"Yeah, Mer, do you see the gun?" JJ then questioned, leaning towards the entrance, his antsy fingers tapped at the top of the sewer.

"Nothing!" She called again, growing agitated with being in a putrid, sticky sewer while they were living the life outside of it.

"It's probably at the bottom of the catch basin," Pope suggested, and she visibly rolled her eyes, stopping right at the ledge of the basin itself. She grunted, now army crawling. Her elbows rested on the sludgy floor. She turned around, going feet first into the waist-deep murky water. From above, light shone down on her, and she glanced up to see the grate above, which was most likely on the other side of the street from where Pope, JJ, and Kiara were. She cringed, feet hitting the bottom of the catch basin.

Then, she slid the rest of the way into the cloudy water, the water reaching just below her waist. She looked around, searching for any hopes of the murder weapon. But, that was just wishful thinking and she'd most likely have to search the water.

She began feeling underwater for what she hoped would be the gun, but rolled her eyes when she was met with a styrofoam food take-out carrier. She shook the water off of her in revulsion when something, which she figured was a used tissue, clung to her hand.

Then, her hands met something hard, and in hopes that it was the gun, she pulled it out of the water in curiosity. Upon seeing what she had grabbed, she quickly gasped, the sight of a bone in her hand, flesh rotting around it.

"Ew, ew, ew, oh, my God!" She shrieked, quickly tossing it into the water around her. "Ew, ew– guys! Guys!"

The sound of her panic-stricken voice caused alert to wash over the three outside, and JJ rushed to the entrance. "Meredith?!" He called into the manhole, heart pounding in his chest.

"Guys– there's something dead in here!" She cried out, spine running cold as the flesh-rotting bone floated away from her. "JJ– there's something dead in here!" She repeated, shouting loudly.

"Like a person?!" Pope shouted back, and she could faintly hear his voice from her spot in the catch basin.

"Oh, my God!" Meredith screamed, shivering harshly. "Guys! There's something dead!"

"Meredith, don't touch it!" She heard JJ's voice, but with how far away he was, it did little to comfort her. "That's how you get the worms."

"Did you find the gun?" She then heard Kiara, who was spewing questions. "Is it Gavin?"

"What is it?!" JJ shouted. "Is it Gavin? Mer, do you see the gun? Do you see the gun, Mer?!"

"No!" She cried out in a panic, eyes darting around the basin in a rush, hoping to find the gun and leave. When she couldn't find anything, she groaned. "You guys owe me for life! I'm not fucking joking!"

Just as Meredith began searching again, a low gurgling sound came from the way she entered, and she looked over her shoulder to inspect the noise. Her eyes caught sight of the water slushing around her, and she quickly came to realize that it was rushing in.

"Holy shit," She panted, lips parted. Her chest rose and fell uneasily as she helplessly watched the water flood into the catch basin. Beginning to panic, she did the only thing she could think of. "Guys! Guys, the water!"

"Shit!" Pope shouted, but she couldn't hear him over the rush of the water that flushed in. "Meredith, get out of there now!"

The water slashed violently at her waist, threatening to rise further up. She began to panic, breathing unevenly when she realized she had no way out.

"I can't!" She shouted, hands grappling for the greasy ladder leading to the grate above ground. "Guys! Shit!"

She began climbing the ladder, but her foot abruptly slipped off one of the bars when the water licked the sides of the catch basin, forcing her foot to fall. "Guys!"

"Shit!" From the other end of the manhole, JJ's heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest, and he jolted into action. "Meredith! Mer!"

"Mer!" Kiara and Pope shouted in unison, leaning against the entrance to hear better over the violent sound of running water. From inside the catch basin, Meredith couldn't hear anything over the blood rushing in her ears and the aggressive gurgle of the water that began slashing and rising above her waist, even when she climbed the ladder.

"Meredith!" She could no longer hear them, especially when the three pogues had left the entrance in search of the above ground grate. JJ's legs moved as fast as they could, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He felt like all the air had been sucked out of him, and he would do just about anything to save Meredith.

The girl in question finally reached the top of the ladder, panting heavily. Her heart dropped when she glanced down at the water to see that it had risen tremendously, almost to her knees. She tangled her fingers through the grate bars, pushing roughly against it, but it didn't give way.

"Guys!" She shouted in hopes that they could hear her, but it was no use, and she'd most likely end up drowning in a goddamn sewer while they fought tooth and nail to save her. And as she fought with the grate, she refused to spend her last breath in a catch basin of a sewer. She had to tell JJ that she was sorry and that she missed him. She didn't even get to tell him she loved him.

Her muscles shook under the force, but the grate just wouldn't budge. "Guys! Please!"

Then, with the good graces of luck, she could hear their voices. His voice. "Meredith!"

"Guys– guys, please!" She cried, fingers wrapped around the bars. "I'm over here! Guys!"

"Mer!" Kiara shouted, much farther behind JJ and Pope, considering they had longer legs than her, and she wasn't running on her unconditional love like JJ was. She was sure she'd never seen the blonde run so fast.

"Meredith!" She heard JJ's voice before she saw him, and then he appeared above the manhole, the sun glowing around him like a halo.

She felt tears pricking her vision at the sight of him, legs shaking as she tried to stay stood in the ladder. "JJ!" She cried out, voice wavering at the sight of him. "JJ– please."

All in the blink of an eye, Pope and Kiara were dropping to their knees alongside JJ, and the sight of Meredith utterly terrified made Kiara lose her sense of hope that they would get her out.

"Guys– the water's coming up!" Her voice shook with fear, and it only fueled them to work faster at the grate. Their first instincts were to pull on the grate, using all of their might to take it off. Even with the help of Meredith on the other side, it was proven difficult, and the way she cried for them didn't make it any easier.

"Pull! Pull it!" JJ ushered, muscles taught as he tugged endlessly at the grate with all of his strength, cheeks flushed red. Kiara joined, her skin burning at how tight she was pulling.

"Please– hurry!" Meredith cried, feeling the water tickle her neck. "JJ! J– please!"

As they worked for the grate to come off, she felt something hit her leg and when she felt with her hands, her finger skimmed over something that felt like a trigger. She grabbed a hold of the object, praying to the Gods above that it was the gun.

JJ's hands trembled violently as he pulled his pocket knife from his pocket, slicing the bolts on the grate with the blade.

"Kie," Meredith shuddered, palm beating against the barrier. "Pope– JJ. JJ, please! Please! Hurry!"

"We'll get you out of there," Pope's wavering voice did nothing to calm her, especially when he was trying to convince himself as well. "I promise." Don't make promises you can't keep.

"Guys..." a hot tear slipped past her cheek, and JJ thought he felt his heart physically shatter at the possibility that this was where it all ended. That this was how their story ended and he hated himself that he never got to make it up to her.

The blade of his knife snapped, and Meredith felt her stomach twisted uneasily. JJ tugged at his blonde hair, ever word possibly thought was constricted in his throat. He even thought he would start crying. As a last resort, the three began pulling at the grate again, muscles burning from the exertion.

"Mer, just hold on, okay?" She heard Kiara's gentle voice, and a sob broke past her mouth. She pushed tiredly against the constricting metal from below, hands wrapped around the bars, but nothing would work.

And then, just like that, the water was far above her, and she took one final breath before it was swallowing her whole. The water flooded out of the sewer, drenching the teens above.

"Meredith!" JJ's voice was muffled as she tightened her eyes closed underwater, praying for it to end quickly and without suffer. "Shit– no! Mer!"

The girl had never given much thought to death, or what would happen when it showed up at her doorstep, violently taking her away. She had only considered the tranquility of it after her best friend had died, and she almost considered giving into the dark peacefulness. But now, as the three above begged for her safety, doing absolutely anything in their power, she realized that she wouldn't give in. For them. Because the girl above had taught her that she wasn't evil and vindictive. Pope had showed her what it was like to have a friend who didn't question her every moment. And JJ. Oh, JJ had given her unconditional love and paved the way for her to see just how exciting it was to love someone back, and she wasn't ready to lose that.

With one final tug, the grate gave way and Meredith hurriedly emerged from the water. She coughed violently, leaning over the broken entrance and falling onto the concrete. JJ, Kiara and Pope and fell back from the sudden give of the grate, panting heavily.

Meredith heaved, each cough burning the pit of her chest painfully. She gasped for air, begging her lungs to take it in. Every bone in her body trembled, and she could barely obtain the strength to climb out of the manhole.

"Mer," Kiara panted in relief, chest rising and falling as she watched the girl fall lifelessly onto the cement.

Before Meredith could register what was happening, two strong arms were being wrapped around her, and she didn't have to look up to know that it was JJ. He held onto her for dear life, terrified that if he let go she would disappear. She fell tiredly in his arms, allowing him to hold her upright.

Meredith panted, lips parted as she struggled to catch her breath. One of JJ's hands were holding the back of her head, holding her tightly, yet so carefully.

"I thought I lost you," he whispered into her ear, and her eyes fluttered shut at the sound of his soothing voice. She felt like her heart couldn't pick up with the racing beats, lungs constricted. "It's okay."

From above, Kiara and Pope watched with fear-strucken eyes, the possibility of losing their friend quickly hit them like a truck. "Mer, you good?"

"Yeah," She breathed out, hands grappling for JJ's arms, trying to find a sense of tranquility, the blonde being the only one to keep her grounded. Meredith coughed, JJ's hand rubbing against her wet back.

She pushed off the ground with her hands, moving to retrieve the gun that she had tucked into the back of her skirt. She held it in front of her, lips curling up. "Say your compliments– let me hear it," proud and excited laughs erupted within the group, JJ staring forward with shocked eyes.

"Oh, my God," JJ laughed, a large smile meeting his eyes proudly. He tore his sopping wet rag from his pocket, ringing it out to dry off the gun.

"Holy shit," Pope gaped, a bewildered scoff leaving his lips.

"Oh, my God," Kiara laughed loudly, hands finding her hair as if this moment felt impossible, yet she was so proud. "You did it."

"I'm so proud of you right now– oh, my God," JJ chuckled, drying the gun off as best as he could while Kiara helped Meredith to her feet. She stood up shakily, yet laughing nonetheless.

"We're gonna get this son of a bitch, man!" JJ laughed manically, unable to wrap his mind around the fact that this was finally happening. John B was getting his rightfully earned innocence.

"Let's go, Mer," as soon as the girl was to her feet, Kiara was pulling her into a gentle hug. It caught her off guard, but she had to admit that it felt nice, so she lulled into the girl's side. "Good job," She heard her whisper, and a triumph smile couldn't help but work its way onto her lips.

"You did it, Mer. You did it, come on," JJ praised, wrapping his arms around the two in a rough yet careful hug.

Pope was forcefully pulled into their sides, and much to Meredith's shock, he didn't fight it. They were a laughing mess until eventually, Pope, being the wise one, decided it was probably best to get the murder weapon into evidence before anything worse was to happen.

"Let's get this to Shoupe," he suggested, pulling away from their momentary tranquility.

"Okay," Meredith panted, chest rising unsteadily. She tugged at her shirt, which clung uncomfortably to her skin. She cringed, slowing her pace on her feet. "Oh, I feel disgusting," her complaint elicited laughs from the others, and Kiara couldn't help but comment.

"Even life or death, you're still worried about how you look," She chuckled, the joke unsincere. Meredith laughed half-heartedly, wincing at the burning sensation in her chest whenever she spoke too much or laughed too hard.

"No, but I feel like shit," She disregarded the girl, trailing after her and Pope with the help of JJ's gentle hold. He led her to the car with his hand on her lower back, muttering a quick reassurance.

"It'll all be fine when we get this to Shoupe," he reassured. "Come on."