𝘼𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣'𝙨 𝙋𝙊𝙑

"This is the north drain" JJ announces "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 finishes and I share a disgusted look with Kiara.

"Correct" Makoa chirps cheerily.

"Oh, my God. People who use plastic should be shot" Kiara declares.

"Okay, personally, I love plastic. Use it everyday. Love the stuff" JJ argues.

"Hopefully, you recycle it and don't let it flush into the ocean" She retorts and Makoa snorts at the awkward smile JJ gives us in response.

"I brought these just in case, so maybe we could clean up a little?" I suggest, pulling the roll of trash bags out of my tote bag and showing the girl them,

"Did you just proactively protect the environment?" Kiara asks with a cheesy smile on her face and I can't help but mirror her look with my own smile.

"I believe I did" I shyly flirt back.

"Do you want us to leave you two alone, or what's going on?" JJ asks teasingly with a grin and Kiara plucks the trash bags from my hand, throwing them at the blonde boy.

"Pick up the trash" Pope orders and Makoa waggles his eyebrows at me, making me giggle.

We spend a while rummaging around in amongst all the mess around us, looking for the gun and picking up trash as we go along in an attempt to make a difference.

"Well, that was fun" JJ mutters sarcastically, placing the last bag of trash with the other bags full.

"If it's not in the trash, then it's gotta be somewhere in the storm drain" Pope declares.

"It's in- it's in the drain" JJ repeats.

"That's what Pope just said" Makoa sasses and JJ elbows him playfully.

"Of course it is" Kiara scoffs in annoyance.

"Good thing I brought the crow" JJ chirps.

"So, are we gonna do, like, rock, paper, scissors?" Kiara asks curiously.

"No" JJ answers.

"Or alphabetically?" Makoa suggests, glancing at me and I stick my tongue out at him.

"Nah" JJ shakes his head "On three, Pope. One, two, three"

JJ grunts as him and Pope yank off the drain cover and I share a confused look with Kiara.

"Or, like, oldest goes?" She asks.

"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" JJ explains with a grimace "So, uh...that would be a hard pass for me"

"Yeah. That's gonna be a no for me" Pope nods in agreement.

"I am not getting in that drain" Makoa states, leaving no room for an argument.

"No, I get it. I get it. You guys are scared" Kiara laughs, trying to get them to take one for the team.

"I'm not scared" JJ objects.

"It's kind of cute" She continues to coo at them.

"It's the pecker thing" Makoa argues.

"I'm not scared" Pope repeats in agreement.

"You should've just led with that. You don't have to be scared. I'll do it" Kiara shrugs nonchalantly but I can tell she doesn't want to by the way she hesitates to step towards the opening.

"Move over. I'm going in" I huff out, slipping past Kiara and Makoa.

"Thank you, sunshine" Kiara murmurs quickly and presses a kiss to my cheek.

"Be careful in there, okay?" Makoa warns me.

"I'll be careful" I nod in understanding.

I bend down and peer into the damp pipes, glancing back when I feel a tug on the back of my denim skirt. Kiara stands behind me holding my skirt down and glaring at the boys who I must've just flashed my underwear.

To avoid dealing with the embarrassment I just start crawling into the dark sewer, the dirty water soaking me as I crawl through it and I gag at the smell.

"Just, uh, holler if you need anything, okay?" JJ hollers from behind me "We'll, uh...we'll holler back"

"That's very helpful, JJ. Thank you" I reply sarcastically.

The further I crawl there is less water and a cold breeze blows towards me, making my wet frame shiver. I hear the sound of something scurrying across the pipes and I gasp loudly in fear, hoping that it's not a rat.

"Alli, you find anything yet?" Pope shouts out.

"Yeah, princess, do you see the gun?" JJ adds.

"Nothing yet" I answer simply.

"It's probably at the bottom of the catch basin" Pope informs me.

"Okay" I breathe out, carrying on into the drain.

I finally reach the catch basin and haul my self from the dirty pipe into the dark and murky water below me. My eyes glance from the ladder next to me to the drain cover above me, allowing sunlight to shine down on me.

Pulling myself to my knees, I start wading around in the litter filled water for any sign of the gun. As I'm looking around, I once again hear the pitter patter sound of tiny feet racing across the pipes and I look up to the opening opposite from where I crawled.

My eyes meet the pair of tiny black ones belonging to a decently sized rat and I feel as though my soul leaves my body, fear seizing my heart as I scream.

"Allison!" Kiara hollers, sounding concerned "What happened?"

"There's a rat!" I cry out in horror.

"It's more scared of you than you are of it" Pope advises me.

"That's easy for you to say out there!" I retort in disbelief and I hear Makoa laugh "Don't you dare laugh at me, Asterix!"

"You gotta keep looking, Blake" Makoa chuckles in amusement.

I make eye contact with the rat once more before I carefully move away from it and continue my search for the weapon. My hand touches something solid at the bottom of the water and I perk up hopefully.

"Guys, I think I found something" I alert them.

"Wait, you got it?" JJ replies.

"Is it the gun?" Pope then asks.

I pull the object up out of the water and a second scream leaves my lips when I see that it's the bones of a small animal, launching it away from me.

"Kie! Guys! Oh, my God!" I screech in disgust "You guys, there's something dead in here!"

"Like a person?" Pope questions but I only scream in response, tears filling my eyes as I freak out.

"There's something dead! I repeat, there's something dead!" I wail frantically.

"Alli, don't touch it! That's how you get the worm" JJ warns me.

"What?!" I exclaim in worry "I already touched it, JJ!"

"Did you find the gun? Is it Gavin?" Pope grills me.

"What is it, sunshine?" Kiara asks in a nicer tone.

"Don't touch it again!" Makoa shouts.

"Alli, is it a gun?" JJ questions "Do you see the gun, Alli? Do you see anything?"

"I am never doing this again!" I yell at them.

My knee hits something metal so I reach down and pull it out the water, my eyes widening when I see it's the gun. I don't even have time to celebrate because a large flood of water suddenly starts rushing at me rapidly.

"Holy shit!" I curse in fright "Guys, the water!"

I tuck the gun into the back of my skirt's waistband and pull myself to my feet, looking around in panic.

"Alli, get out of there now!" Pope shouts.

"I don't have time! Guys!" I scream in fear as water splashes at me "Please help!"

The sound of rushing water drowns out the voices of my friends screaming my name and I start to climb up the ladders to get away from the quickly rising water. I reach the top and start pushing at the manhole cover but it's too heavy for me to lift, causing a scared whimper to escape my lips.

"Please! Kie! Guys!" I cry out "Help! I'm here!"

"Allison!" I hear my friends shouting, getting nearer.

"Alli!" Kiara's voice fills my ears "Sunshine, we're coming!"

"I'm over here!" I yell pleadingly "I'm right here!"

The water climbs up my body, reaching my chest as my friends appear above me all looking as frantic and scared as I feel.

"Allison!" They shout worriedly "Alli!"

"The water is rising too fast!" I sob in fear for my life "Pull! Pull it off!"

They start heaving on the metal manhole cover but it seems to do no good because the thing doesn't even budge.

"Hurry! Hurry up!" I scream, pushing on the metal as the water reaches my neck "Kiara. Kie! Please! Please!"

"We'll get you out of there. I promise" My girlfriend tries her best to assure me, but the tears continue to roll down my cheeks.

"Kie! JJ! Koa! Pope!" I beg them to save me as the water gets to my chin.

"Shit!" Pope curses.

The water covers my head and I take a last gasp of air before holding my breath. I try not to panic, but I can't hold my breath for long and my lungs instinctively breathe in, causing me to choke on the water.

My body starts to thrash around as I drown and I almost lose all hope, but the cover is yanked off before I black out. My arms are grabbed and I'm hauled out of the water, my body collapsing onto the concrete as I cough out water.

"Allison" Makoa breathes out in relief "Are you okay?"

"I thought we lost you" Pope admits and I retch, choking up more water.

"Baby, you good?" Kiara asks worriedly and I nod in response, letting her push my wet hair out of my face.

I drag myself up on my knees and reach back, grabbing onto the gun in my waistband.

"Look what I found" I declare, letting a triumphant smile stretch across my face.

Kiara and the boys all laugh in happiness, looking at me with awed expressions of pride and a warm fuzzy feeling spreads in my chest.

"Oh, my God" JJ says, taking the gun from me and wrapping it up.

"Holy shit" Pope laughs.

"You are fucking amazing" Makoa declares, grabbing the back of my head and pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"Oh, my God" Kiara grins.

"We're gonna get this son of a bitch, man" JJ hollers happily.

"Let's go, sunshine" Kiara tells me, helping me up to my feet.

"Good job" Pope praises me and I smile at him happily.

"Thanks" I breathe out.

"You did it, princess! You did it" JJ cheers, pulling us all into a soggy group hug "Come on"

"Let's get this to Shoupe" He adds.