"Look, it was right here, and that's where that maniac claimed his next victim!"

Elora didn't know how Ward had done it.

In the forty five minutes it had taken for Shoupe and his deputies to get to the crime scene, he'd cleared it. He'd cleaned the blood, washed the footsteps and taken away any signs.

So as Shoupe listened to Kie's screams about murders and maniacs, the rest of the Pogues agreeing with her, it came as no surprise that he didn't believe them.

"Uh-huh, his next victim?" Shoupe asked with a frown.

"Yeah."

"Right," Shoupe nodded. "How long ago did you say it happened?"

"Forty five minutes ago, Shoupe!" JJ said, barely containing his anger and he kneeled down close to the ground, trying to see if any traces remained.

"Okay," Shoupe noted it down, definitely not believing them. "And so, Ward Cameron just popped one off and shot him?"

"Yes!"

"Execution style?"

"Yeah!"

"And then cleaned it all up in forty five minutes?"

"Shoupe," Elora said sharply, crossing her arms. "I know it sounds fucking insane, well not really if you believed Rafe shot Peterkin, but could you just get out of your damn kissass Kook brain and work with us for once?!"

"Don't talk to me like that," Shoupe snapped back at her.

"Actually believe us, then," Elora shot back.

"Listen, we filmed the entire thing," Tyler informed him.

That got Shoupe's attention. "You filmed it?"

"Yes, but we can't fucking show it to you because I stepped on JJ's hand and he kicked Pope and then the shitty camera thing broke!" Elora rattled off, going red in the face because of her anger for this man.

It would be fine if he was skeptical, but he was just being flat out rude.

"This is a telephoto, and we needed to get a long distance image, and- and-" Pope stammered. "And I fell, and it broke, so the video is basically unusable. But- but we were there and we're-"

"So the dog ate your homework?" Shoupe sounded amused.

Kie sounded desperate. "No, Shoupe, I know it sounds-"

"Look, I don't know what you kids expect me to do with this," Shoupe raised his voice, looking at each and every one of them. "Alright? You drag me out here in the middle of the night for a whole lot of nothing."

"Do we look like we'd just make this shit up?!" Elora shrieked. "Shoupe, I know moat of us are just rejects from the Cut, but we are not liars."

"So you're still sticking with your story about how Ward Cameron's on some crazy killing spree?" Shoupe questioned.

"We're not making this up!" JJ yelled.

"And it's not a random killing spree!" Tyler added. "Gavin was the pilot and he was paying him off because he had the gun that Rafe used to kill Peterkin!"

"But it wasn't enough, and then he shot him!" JJ added on the end. "With the murder weapon!"

Shoupe looked at them, biting his lip. "How do you know that?"

"Well, Pope did this thing with his phone," Kie began to explain. "He, like, put it in his car, and-"

"I heard their whole conversation!" Pope nodded along.

"You wiretapped him?" Shoupe demanded.

"No!"

"No-"

"Is that bad-?"

"Stop, just stop," Shoupe got them to be quiet. "I've had enough."

As he turned away from them, anger flared inside Elora.

"You're seriously just gonna look the other way again?" She raised her voice at Shoupe. "You know, Ward and Rafe are laughing right now because of incompetent you a-"

"Have you ever heard about the boy who cried wolf?" Shoupe shouted behind him as he headed down the scaffolding, all five Pogues screaming and protesting behind him.

"Why would we make this up?!"

"Shoupe, would you just believe us for once-?"

"Why would we lie-?"

"Get back here and look me in the eye-"

"Listen, I know it sounds crazy, but-"

"Alright, there's nothing there! It was a false alarm," Shoupe announced to his deputies as they got out onto the street. "Let's all go home!"

Elora clenched her fists, turnting to Tyler and muttering. "Oh, I am gonna punch someone right now-"

"Don't."

When he grabbed her hands, her whole resolve dissolved and their eyes met. His eyes were sparkling with concern as they looked into hers, looking just like-

"Can you just do your job, for like twenty minutes?" Kie was yelling at Shoupe, following him to the car. "Like, just listen, it makes sense!"

"Listen, I know, I know you're upset," Shoupe told the five of them. "And I know you think your friend was innocent."

Elora scoffed. "Think isn't exactly how I'd put i-"

"But you weren't there," Shoupe pointed at finger at her.

"Neither were you!"

"Yes, but the only actual witnesses who are above ground say they exactly opposite, alright?" Shoupe told them.

"No!" Elora yelled. "Ward and Rafe are murderous assholes who have you wrapped around their fat fingers-"

"And both of them have a hell of a lot more credibility than any of you right now," the sheriff finished. "We saw your little art project. On Ward's wall."

Elora scoffed, tipping her head back before directing her sparkling eyes back at him.

"How on earth can't you see it?" She demanded, voice breaking.

Shoupe opened the car door. "Elora-"

"Rafe shot Peterkin," Elora stated, staring him right in the face. "Not John B. And we just saw Ward Cameron shoot Gavin. And if you don't believe me, then it's just too damn bad."

Shoupe looked right back at her. "Well, I guess it's just too damn bad then."

And as he got into the car, ordering his deputies to go home, Elora felt like becoming a murderer herself.

"I told you this would happen!" JJ said, rounding on Pope. "Like, you're the one who had to drop the damn camera!"

"It was your fault!" Kie screamed at him, Pope turning his back on the group.

"Oh, that was my fault-?"

"Yeah, it was your fault!"

"Why do you always take HIS side?" JJ yelled in her face, gesturing to Pope. "Why do you never take mi-?"

"Hey, hey, HEY!" Tyler said, getting in between them because they both looked as furious as each other, possibly about to throw hands. He looked at both of them, hissing. "Calm. Down. Okay?"

"Wait, guys!" Elora said, before either of them could say anything else, and glimmer of hope having just overturned the entire situation for her. "We're not out of this yet."

She was smirking as she gestured down at the drain, her hair wet, her eyes wild, and her body shaking.

But this time, hope wasn't lost.

"We could just go get the gun."

𔓘𔓘𔓘

The next day dawned with the Pogues driving out to a remote spot on the Cut, where they could get into the drains.

"This is the north drain," JJ said as they approached the grate. "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 pointed at the murky water with a load of plastic bags inside it.

Kie clenched her fists. "Oh my god, people who use plastic should be shot."

"Okay, personally, I love plastic," JJ said, purely to get on her nerves. "Use it everyday. Love the stuff."

Tyler chuckled slightly. Elora rolled her eyes.

"Okay well hopefully you recycle it and don't just flush it into the ocean," Kie narrowed her eyes at him.

"Ah..."

"Well, I thought you'd say something like this, so... trash bags," Pope handed Kiara the bags, smiling slightly.

Kie smiled slightly. "Did you just proactively protect the environment?"

Pope smiled back. "Maybe."

Elora mimed being sick at JJ. He disguised his snort as a cough.

Not very well, however, as next second Pope chucked the trash bags at both of them.

"Stop it, you two," he rolled his eyes. "Come on, help us pick this up."

Elora sighed, rolling her eyes slightly as she and JJ smirked at each other.

Neither noticed Tyler behind them, looking enviously at them.

Okay, so he knew Elle and JJ were like brother and sister, always bouncing off each other like this, and that they would never ever catch feelings for each other.

But it was hard, watching her joke around with him.

He just wanted her to be his.

𔓘𔓘𔓘

"

Well, that was fun," JJ said fifteen minutes later, wiping his brow as he stared down at the six full trash bags below them.

None of which contained the gun.

"Where the fuck is it?" Elora growled, looking all around.

"Well, if it's not in the trash, then it's gotta be in the storm drain," Pope said, gesturing down at the grate opposite them. "Damn it."

"Of course it is," Kie rolled her eyes.

"Well that's just fucking great," Tyler bit his lip.

"It's a good thing I brought the crow," JJ put in, digging in his bag.

"So, are we gonna do like, rock paper scissors?" Kie asked hesitantly.

"No."

"Or alphabetically...?"

"Nah," JJ beckoned Tyler down to help him with the crowbar. "On three, Ty. One, two, three-"

"Or, like, oldest goes?"

"In the sewer, there's this worm that you get when you're down there," JJ shrugged. "It gets into your blood, and then is has to come out your pecker. So, uh... that's a hard pass for me."

"Yeah, it's gonna be a no for me, too," Pope nodded.

"I'm not very keen either," Tyler said.

"Pussies," Elora snorted, exchanging a look with Kie before doing something she was probably going to regret. "I'll do it."

She knew it was rash, and stupid, but she also really wanted to get that gun, and wipe the smirk of Ward, Rafe and Shoupe's faces.

Tyler looked at her blankly. "Elora-"

"I'll do it, Tyler," Elora said firmly. "Just get the stupid grate off for me."

Tyler sighed, looking down. "Okay, just... be careful."

Elora rolled her eyes as they opened it up for her, nodding. "Do you know me at all?"

He shrugged. "I deserved that."

Elora smiled slightly.

She could keep on doing this with Tyler. Flirting slightly, being snarky, but never actually going anywhere. And when they grew up, and he found the love of his life, she'd sit back and laugh about the mindless crush she used to have on him when they were seventeen. She could do this.

(She wouldn't always think about how soft his lips looked, and how much she wanted to kiss them again. She wouldn't always wonder what it would feel like sleeping wrapped up in his arms. She wouldn't always burn with jealousy at the thought of other girls getting anywhere near him.

Right?)

"Just, uh, holler if you need anything!" JJ said hesitantly as she got down on her hands and knees at the entrance of the pipe, the cold water shocking her slightly, her shins chafing on the rough metal.

As she looked into the pipe ahead of her, just wide enough for her to fit, seeing the sewer drain about five meters across, it became clear she needed to push all thoughts of Tyler out her head.

She had bigger fish to fry.

So she began to crawl into the dark pipe, keeping an eye out for the gun everywhere.

"Shit," she grunted as she was met with a few stray branches in the face, squeezing her eyes shut to avoid them.

"Elora, you find anything yet?" Pope's voice echoed down the pipe.

"Yeah, Elle, do you see the gun?" JJ chimed in.

"You haven't exactly given me time yet!" Elora yelled back testily.

Pope continued undeterred. "It's probably at the bottom of the catch basin!"

She was soaked and dirty, and her arms and legs were hurting already, and her light blue denim shorts were probably caked in mud by now.

She winced as she got to the end of the pipe, looking all around to assess the catch basin.

The water was murky and deep as far as she could see. There were leaves and shit floating about on top of it. Moss and ivy were growing on the stone walls around her, and the whole thing was just a bit disgusting. She frowned in disgust as she turned in the pipe, shuffling backwards into the basin and using a black ladder on the side of it to keep herself from going under.

It wasn't that deep. It went up to about her chest. And as she looked up at the ladder she saw daylight seeping in from above. Another drain.

Meanwhile, outside the drain, Pope and Kie were talking quietly, and JJ was facing Tyler.

"Alright," he said seriously. "I see you vibing on Elle, right?"

Tyler rolled his eyes. "Shut up, JJ. It's never going to go anywhere."

"Whoa," JJ put his hands up, staring at his fellow blonde in disbelief. "What's going on, bro?"

"It's just..." Tyler bit his lip, staring down the way. "She's her. Elora. Someone I've known for fucking ages yet have been nice to for all of five minutes. And as I said, part of me just thinks that she'll never forgive the mistakes I've made, which I wouldn't blame her for."

"Tyler," JJ chuckled. "Have you seen the way she looks at you? I mean, I ain't no matchmaker, but I can see there's something there."

Tyler looked at him, trying to assess the truth of this statement.

"I don't know, man," he shrugged. "All that really matters is-"

"Guys, I think I found something!"

And she had. Elora had been poking around amonst the very gross and littered sewage for at least a two minutes and finally, finally she'd managed to get her hands on the fucking metal she'd been hoping for.

"Wait, you got it?" Tyler's hopeful voice floated through to her. "You got the gun?"

And she had every intention of telling them, slipping it into the back of her shorts and shoving it down, until her hands caught on something and she pulled up the flesh of a-

"Urgh! URGH! Guys, I think there's something dead in here!"

"Like- like a person?!"

And it was totally a person, maybe it was even Gavin, but fucking hell was it scary, and Elora couldn't help the terrified squeal she let out at the sight of it.

"Guys! Guys! There's something dead I can see it!"

"Elle, don't touch it!"

"Elle, is there a gun? Do you see the gun?"

She was freaking out and not replying, and she knew she wasn't replying, just yelling out stupid shit.

"You guys owe me for life! Like, seriously, this is-"

"Wait! Wait, Elle, wait!"

And Elora heard it, too. The same thing Kie was yelling about as she told her to shut up.

Running water.

Water running specifically into this basin.

Filling it up.

"Oh, shit!" She cursed, wildly thrashing to get back to the pipe she came in through, only to see it half full already, and not a viable escape option. "SHIT! GUYS?! GUYS, THE WATER!"

Her legs were burning and she was sweating and shivering at the same time, but none of that mattered.

Because she was about to drown.

"Shit- ELORA! GET OUT OF THERE NOW!" Pope yelled urgently into the pipe.

"I CAN'T!" Elora yelled desperately back.

"You have to try!"

"I don't have time!"

The water was sloshing in at an alarming rate, the pipe almost completely full by now, and Elora was having to climb the ladder just to avoid it.

"GUYS!" She screamed, heart hammering against her ribs as the water splashed wildly against her legs. "Shit! Oh no!"

"Shit!" Tyler cursed in sync with her outside the storm drain, eyes wide with worry and panic.

She was drowning. If they didn't get her out of there, she was going to drown.

And as a life without Elora Easton by his side flashed before his eyes, he screamed at the top of his lungs. "ELLE!"

"ELLE, YOU NEED TO GET OUT!" Kie was also yelling, tears in her panicked eyes.

"ELORA!"

Elle was inside, trying to climb the ladder when she slipped off, plunging into the icy, murky water below. She screamed, mouth fully open as she sank down, thrashing wildly as the water stung her eyes.

Outside, Tyler, JJ, Pope and Kie were suddenly thrown backwards by water coming out the pipe, all scrambling to get up away from it and screaming for their friend.

"Shit! Come on!" Tyler said, scrambling to his feet as the others made to follow him. "Elora!"

Inside the storm drain, Elora was back on the ladder, whole body drenched and shaking as she climbed it as fast as her siezed up limbs would let her.

When she got to the grate up the top, she held onto it, feet planted firmly on the ladder as she yelled with her grated throat. "PLEASE! TYLER! GUYS!"

The four Pogues were on the road now, sprinting to the grate they could hear Elle inside.

"ELORA!" Tyler yelled as they got closer, fear like he'd never felt before coursing through him.

"ELORA!"

"ELLE!"

"GUYS! I'M OVER HERE!"

The others also yelled as they came to a skidding stop, seeing Elle's fingers sticking out the grate.

"PULL! Pull it!"

Tyler got to it first, keeling down and taking one look at the redhead's scared and broken expression before curling his hands around the grate and pulling as hard as he could.

"The water's coming up!" Elora yelled from inside, eyes wide with fear as they connected with those sparkling blue ones.

Even inside this drain, water dripping down her back and a gun she'd forgotten was there poking into her spine, he still managed to give her hope.

Tyler, meanwhile, was grunting heavily as he tried to get the grate off, the other four kneeling down and pulling as well, all of them as desperate as the other.

But none as desperate as Tyler.

From what he could see inside the drain, the water was coming up fast. If their strength failed them now, they could lose her forever.

And in that moment, as he looked down in horror at Elora's breathtaking yet fearful face, he made a decision. He didn't care whether she wouldn't forgive him, or would hate him, or would just think him downright stupid. If they got her out of this situation, he was going to tell her how he felt.

"TYLER! P-PLEASE!"

God, she sounded scared. She looked it, too. And it only made Tyler pull harder, an inhuman grunt escaping his lips.

"Getting closer! Pull! Pull!" JJ said, face screwed up as he tried hard to get the grate off.

Flora was still screaming and crying out, her fingers starting to weaken and become sore, her torso now fully submerged, her neck becoming the next target.

It was only a matter of time before her head went under, as well.

"TYLER, HELP ME!"

"Come on! Pull!" Tyler screamed in desperation at the others. "PULL!"

"Tyler! Tyler- please! Tyler-" she was spewing his name out more than she should, but she needed help and she knew he'd be there-

"Don't worry, Elle, we'll get you outta there, I promise!" Tyler yelled back, though his voice was just as panicked as hers.

"JJ! Pope! Kie!" She also screamed, tears mingling with the dirty sewer water on her face as she gripped desperately to the grate, bending her neck so she was able to breathe as the water came past her neck. "HELP, PLEASE!"

"Shit!" Pope cursed outside, when the keys he was trying to use as leverage broke.

And inside, Elora was heaving in panicked breaths, her feet only just touching the ladder as the water reached her ears, her eyes-

And then spilled over the top of the grate.

Tyler couldn't even explain the panic he began to feel as he watched the water spill out. He couldn't live without her. He needed to get her out. She was down there drowning so they could find a stupid gun, and he was up her, unable to save her.

"Come on! Come on!" JJ yelled wildly, grunting heavily as he tried to pull the grate off. "Come on! Pull!"

All four of them were grunting and yelling and pulling, and still, it wasn't coming off.

And when Tyler caught a glimpse of firey red hair in the water, he lost all his resolve.

"URGH!"

He didn't know how it happened.

He didn't know if it was them, or if it was the water pressure, or if it was a combination of both.

What he did know was that in the next second the grate was off and Elora was surfacing, spluttering and gasping, hair in her face and water in her throat.

The relief coursing through him was unmatchable as he gazed down at her, covered in mud and slime and sewage water and still undeniably beautiful.

The others were on the ground, panting and gasping, and Elle was on her front behind the drain, coughing up water. Tyler was looking at her in awe, her name escaping his lips.

"Elora..."

She didn't answer, instead drawing herself up so she was on her knees, hands planted in front of her.

Tyler didn't know what made him do it, but next second he was next to her, reaching an arm round her waist. "Are you okay? I thought we lost y-"

"Tyler, get off me! Get off me!" She retched, coughing up her guts in water and sewage.

She wasn't sure how she'd survived that.

All she knew was that she was the reason Tyler was now looking like how he was, sweaty, red faced and wide eyed. He was concerned about her. And he shouldn't be.

So she forced him off her, because she deserved this. She deserved to be down on her hands and knees, her guts in her mouth. He didn't need to be involved in that.

(That's what her brain told her, anyway).

Tyler, meanwhile, was hurt and slightly angry. He was concerned about her. He had been so concerned about her, when she was fucking drowning. And she was just dismissing that?

"Elle, you good?" JJ asked hesitantly, all four of them on their feet around her as they watched the redhead convulse.

"Doin great, JJ. Just peachy," Elora replied sarcastically, feeling the gun poke her in the back and smirking slightly as she put a hand in the back of her shorts, retrieving it to show them. "We, er... we weren't looking for this piece of shit, were we?"

Well, at least her almost drowning had been for something. That's what the faces around her said. Kie gasped and covered her mouth, JJ grinned widely, Tyler let out a curse and smiled, Pope jumped up and down.

"Oh my god!" JJ said, taking the gun from her hands. "Oh my- we're gonna get this son of a bitch, man!"

"Here, Elle," Kie offered the girl a hand, and Elora accepted, getting up slowly, each limb feeling like lead.

"You did it, Elle! Come here!" JJ shouted, pulling all five of them into a group hug. Elora smiled slightly, only groaning a little as she was embraced by JJ and Kie on both sides, Tyler and Pope across from her.

She deliberately didn't look at the blonde boy as they hugged, knowing that he'd either look disappointed or angry. She wasn't sure which was better.

"Come on, let's get this to Shoupe!" Pope said with excitement as they all pulled back. "He can't deny this, it's rock solid evidence!"

"Yeah," Tyler agreed, glancing sideways at Elora, wanting more than anything to go to her, to wrap his arms around her, to tell her how scared it made him to realise she might have drowned.

But she didn't turn to face him, looking stoicly ahead.

She'd always been braver than him.

The events of today showed that.