ᴴᵒʷ ˡᵒⁿᵍ ᶜᵃⁿ ʸᵒᵘ ˢᵗᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉ ʰᵉᵃᵗ?
ᴼᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ᵈᵒᵒʳʷᵃʸ ᵗʰᵉ ᵇᵘˡˡᵉᵗˢ ʳⁱᵖ

【 ♪ 】

qᵘᵉᵉⁿ
ᵃⁿᵒᵗʰᵉʳ ᵒⁿᵉ ᵇⁱᵗᵉˢ ᵗʰᵉ ᵈᵘˢᵗ

⭑━━𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙚━━⭑

"The office. My dad's office," explained John B after they all got up in hurry to follow him through the house. "He always kept it locked because he was worried about his competitors stealing his Royal Merchant research. We used to laugh at him all the time like he was actually gonna find it... But now he's gone, I just kinda... I just left it as he kept it."

He stopped in front of the office.

"Yeah, for when he gets back," said Kie as he unlocked the door.

"Yeah."

He entered first. They all came along with him inside without a question.

Big John's office was a messy room, full of paperwork.

"It looks like your dad has looong studied this wreck," said Isis, impressed.

"Almost all of his life."

"I've slept over here like... 600 times, and I've never seen this door opened," Pope pointed out.

John B covered the chaos of the table with a cork board.

"Is that a family tree or something?" asked Isis leaning over.

"Yeah, exactly," nodded her friend. "Look. This is the original owner, right here."

He pointed to a picture at the top, representing a man dressed as a sailor.

"Okay, Robert Q. Routledge, 1880 to 1920," read Kie. "There's the lucky compass right here."

"Actually, um... He was shot after he bought it," said John B.

Isis shared a look with Kiara. The rooster crowed outside.

"Then, the compass was shipped back to Henry..." resumed John B. "Henry was killed in a crop-dusting accident when he had the compass."

"I don't like the turn it takes," sighed Isis. "Please tell me it was just coincidence."

He winced.

"After he died, the compass was given to Stephen. He... He had the compass with him when he died in Vietnam."

"Let me guess," JJ spoke in. "He died in action, right?"

"...S-sort of."

"What do you mean?" asked Isis tensed up.

"Uh, actually, he was killed by a banana truck. In- in country."

"Of course..." breathed Isis, closing her eyes.

"Anyways, after that, Stephen passed the compass down to him, my dad."

"Hm. Sounds like there's a reoccurring theme here," said JJ.

"Nope, don't say it," warned Isis, eyes still closed.

"Yeah, you have a death compass," declared Pope.

"... He said it."

"I don't have a death compass," replied John B.

"Yes, you do!"

"I do not!"

"Seriously dude, get rid of it," urged JJ. It's cursed, and made its way back to you."

John B turned away with a sigh. He sat on a chair.

"Look, my dad used to talk about this... compartment in here. Soldiers used to hide secret notes..."

He fiddled with the compass and unscrewed it.

"What's that?" asked then Kie.

"What's what?" urged Isis. "I don't see anything, I forgot my glasses..."

"That wasn't there before. This is my dad's handwriting."

"How can you know that?"

"Because he does these weird Rs with the-- see it?" replied John B showing the inscription to Pope.

"Can I see it?" asked JJ.

"What's written?" inquired Isis.

"Red- Rout- no, I think that's an A."

"It says Redfield." read Kie.

"...Right."

"Okay, well, what's Redfield?"

"Besides the most common name in the county?" said Pope.

"Redfield, like the lighthouse?" asked Isis.

She received four glance stares.

"Okay, what did I say," she freaked out.

John B, suddenly overenthusiastic, dropped a kiss on the little bronze object and got to hug Isis, kissing her face passionately. Her eyes went wide.

"Iz, you're fucking brilliant!!"

"Thank you, babe... Ugh, I can't believe you kissed me after the compass" she said wiping her cheeks.

"Redfield lighthouse!!" exclaimed John B. "It's my dad favorite place! It has to be it!"

"How do you know about the lighthouse though?" Pope asked Isis.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I just remember visiting this place with my father a few years ago."

"Nice shot," said JJ.

She winked at him.

"We have to go," said John B. "Like, today. Surely there are other clues there."

"I'm in," declared Isis raising a hand.

"Yeah, me too," supported JJ.

Isis looked at Kie. The latter made a face.

"Okay, fine... I'll come with you."

Iz wrapped her arms around her shoulders with a smile.

"Pope?" asked John B with a pleading look.

"...Are you really sure about this?"

"100 percent."

The rooster crowed again. Pope sighed.

"Please, give me a second... What if Redfield's not about the lighthouse?"

"We'll seek somewhere else."

Pope seemed to think hard.

"...Well, I guess there's no harm in trying out."

John B raised his fist in victory and thanked him with an embrace. Isis drew a joyful smile on her face. She heard another crow outside.

"This damn rooster never stops?" she complained, peeking out the window.

"JJ loves the rooster," said John B.

"Yeah, the rooster is super cool," added Kie.

But Isis wasn't paying attention. Her heart was racing. A black pick-up had just parked in front of the Chateau.

"Fuck," she let out in a toneless voice.

"What's wrong? Something with the rooster?" asked JJ.

"Forget about this stupid rooster!! They're here!!" she exclaimed, freaked out.

"Who?"

"Th-those guys-"

She was hitting hard the panic button. She was gasping and groaning at the same time.

"Shit!" hissed JJ, recognizing the two guys he saw earlier at Isis'. "Man, I told you, why does it always--"

"Hey, hey! Look at me!" said John B at once, holding his wrists."Where's the gun??"

"The gun, uh, I can't-"

"Now you don't have the gun the one time we need the gun???" said Kie in a high-pitched voice.

"It was in my backpack, and then I--"

"Backpack," repeated John B. "On the porch."

"It's on the porch. It--"

"Go! Go," pressed John B.

JJ left the office on the quiet. Isis watched him disappear, tensed up.

"JOHN ROUTLEDGE!!" yelled a deep voice. "COME ON OUT NOW!"

Isis bursted out sobbing.

JJ came back into the room almost knuckle-walking.

"I- I don't want them to beat me up again... P-please, d-don't let them... Please..."

"They're on the front door, guys," whispered JJ.

Isis was hardly breathing. After locking the office door, John B took her face between his hands and forced her to look at him.

"Listen to me, listen," he soothed. "We won't let anything more happen to you, okay?? They won't hurt you, do you hear me?!"

She nodded with a sob. John B pressed her against his chest and didn't let go. Still, she could hear the screams of the bad men as they sacked the house. She shut her eyes and tried to focus on JB's heartbeat.

"We gotta leave," muttered Kie. "Guys, window! Window!"

JJ and Pope hurried to the closed window and tried to lift it.

"What- what's happening?" asked Kie. "Why is it taking so long??"

"It's painted shut, okay?!" whispered JJ.

Kie managed to find some paper cutter and came back to them.

"Okay, guys, here. I got it."

"WHERE THE HELL IS THAT COMPASS??"

Isis started.

"Shh, it's okay," comforted John B's voice. "Guys, come on! We need to get her safe!"

"I'm going as fast as I can!" replied Kie.

Someone turned the handle. Isis let out a scared moan. John B covered her mouth with his hand.

"It's okay," he repeated. "It's okay, sweetheart, we'll be out soon."

The man was repetitively kicking the door. Isis' tears were smothered in the hand of her friend.

"Guys, it's good, let's go!!" finally said Kie.

John B brought Isis out first, and went with her. He led her inside the henhouse. Pope and Kie joined them a few seconds later, then JJ was last, shutting down the window behind him.

Isis was a little less scared now. She succeeded to calm her breathing down, thanks to John B's embrace.

JJ was sat across from her, his eyes fixed on her face. She twisted her lips into a grin, which was supposed to be a soft smile. But he got it, and winked at her.

According to the gunshot they heard, the men were now in the office. A few longs seconds passed before they saw them going back to their vehicle, arms full of papers.

And the rooster wouldn't stop cuckling and fluttering in fear.

"Do something Pope, shut him up!" hissed JJ between his teeth.

"What do you want me to do??" replied Pope in a low voice.

"J-just pet it, or talk to it, I don't know," said Kie, her face glowing with tears.

"Guys, one of them is coming," whispered John B, tightening his grip on Isis' slight body.

"You, do something!" hissed Pope a little too loud.

"Shh, please!!" sobbed Isis in a low voice.

Couldn't no longer bear it, JJ catched firmly the clucking rooster, and snapped its neck with a grunt. There was a shocked silence. Then :

"Oh my fucking God," Isis let out in a breath.

He looked up at her, obviously rattled. At this exact moment, she just wanted to get to him and hold him tight. But because of the bastards outside, she couldn't. So she just offered him a comforting smile-- a true one, this time.

He sat down, his hands shaking.

"Ratter!" shouted one of the men. "The hell are you doing? Let's go!"

They heard the engine start. A few seconds later, they were gone.

Isis let a heavy sigh out as John B let go of her. Straight away, she crawled to JJ and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He snuggled his face in her neck. She kissed the back of his head.

"Everything's fine," she soothed then.

⭑━━━━⭑

i love this chapter 🥺

hope you liked it too <3

next one on wednesday!!

(john b's first member of the #isisprotectionsquad)

send you all my love

☀️💓