XXXVI.   what's small turned to a friendship

Bridger's arm stretched out of the open window of Heyward's truck. He eyed the large houses Pope slowly drove by. "They're fancy people. They've had three governors in the family. They've run Charleston for, like, 300 years." Said Kiara.

"These Kooks make our Kooks look like Pogues." JJ said in utter disbelief. "Sorry, B."

"No need." Bridger responded while looking at the houses still. "I think my house is still bigger."

"Thanks for the reminder." Pope muttered to himself.

"You sure this is the place, Pope?"

"Pretty sure."

He parked the truck in front of a large home with a gated fence.

"Fat City, for sure."

"Twenty-seven King Street." Pope he confirmed.

"Talk about home security." Said JJ sarcastically and they exited the truck.

Bridger got a weird feeling in his stomach as he eyed the home. He looked at the spikes on top of the fence and pointed at them. "Are those, uh—"

"Meant to keep people in." Answered Pope. He pointed to the other side of the house. "Slave quarters are over there."

"Jesus, and we want to make a deal with these people?"

JJ's hand brushed against his back and they walked up the walkway to the front door. Pope knocked on the door with the metal lion head handle. He took a step back. "You think that was too much?" He awkwardly asked.

"It echoed the entire house. That's for sure.  So they definitely heard it." JJ confidmed.

"Maybe nobody's home?" Kiara proposed.

"I feel like I'm standing in front of Murder House." Said Bridger. The three of them eyed him. "From American Horror Story?" No response. "No? Okay."

When Pope knocked on the door again, a man opened the door and the friends stood back. He scanned the teenagers with creepy eyes, stopping at Pope. "You must be Pope." He voiced.

"Why? Cause he's—"

Pope quickly slapped Bridger's arm. "Are you Mr. Limbrey?" He quickly asked.

"Ms. Limbrey was expecting you yesterday." The unknown man responded.

"Oh. I'm. . . I'm sorry. My car broke down on the way up here."

"Carburetor blew up on the middle of Nowheresville." Said JJ.

"And none of us are equipped to fix it." Finished Bridger, still looking at the man strangely.

"Yeah. She was, uh, real upset when you didn't show up."

"We tried calling, but, there was no number on the invitation. We got here as fast as we could." Kiara explained.

The unnamed man observed the friend group. "She also expected you to come alone." He said to Pope.

Pope looked uncomfortable. "I mean, these are my friends. They helped me find the Royal Merchant, too. I-"

He was cut off. "Yeah, the instructions were explicit. Your friends can stay outside."

Bridger took a step forward. "We came together so we stay together." He stated.

"Yeah, we're kind of a package deal, man." JJ agreed with him.

Pope looked at his friends. "I'll be fine." He insisted.

"You sure man?" Bridger asked him, the weird feeling still buzzing around in his stomach.

He nodded. "Yeah. Just keep the truck running."

Kiara forced a smile. "We'll be right here." She hid her skepticism.

Giving them a final nod, Pope walked inside the house and the door closed behind him, creating another echo. Bridger's worry still didn't settle.

The remaining three waited in the truck patiently/impatiently for Pope to come back. Kiara was outside and she leaned against the passenger side door. JJ was in the driver's seat with his arm rested on the window sill. He glanced at his boyfriend, who was also slouched in the middle seat with his head leaned back. "Are you okay? Y'know, after last night?"

Bridger turned his head and smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thank you for listening."

"Of course, baby." JJ used his other hand to grab his.

"You think this is gonna work? You think they'll help us get John B and Sarah back?"

JJ didn't want to admit to his friends that he had his doubts about the situation. He was the positive one in the group. He had to have hope. But his hope was always taken from him at some point in his life. It was hard to believe in things when you're used to losing them. But nevertheless, he kept a hold of his hope. "We'll see." He answered with a half smile.

Suddenly, Kiara looked into the window, looking panicked. "Guys, they're taking Pope into the alleyway!"

"What?" Shouted Bridger.

"Get in! Get in!" Yelled JJ and she quickly climbed into the truck. He pressed on the gas and drove down the road.

"Be chill." Said Kiara.

Bridger searched through the fence and trees to try and spot Pope. JJ kept a steady pace. "Where the hell is he?" He said somewhat rhetorically.

Soon, Kiara spotted Pope and the man turn a corner. "THERE!" She shouted.

JJ stomped on the break and turned the three of them fled the truck. Bridger ran as fast as his legs could possibly carry him. The closed they got, he could hear rustling coming from the other side of the wall.

They ran through the gate and Bridger saw the guy on top of Pope holding a taster. "Oh, fuck!" He cursed and sprinted forward. He tackled him to the ground. The taser fell and Pope quickly rolled over, gasping for air. Bridger wrestled the guy until he was able to pin him down. "Grab the taser!"

"Pope, Bridger, come on!" Shouted JJ.

Bridger released the man and scrambled to his feet. "Go! Go! Go!" He climbed over the wall and they sprinted back to Heyward's truck.

"Go! Go, go, go!" Shouted JJ as he got in the drivers seat.

The others squished together in the truck. "Ow! Who were those people?" Yelled Kiara.

"Why does this shit always happen to us!?"

JJ pulled out onto the open road, the tires squealing on the pavement. "Here we go now!"

Bridger held on tightly to the dash. "Holy shit!" He exhaled while panicking.

"Guys, I think he's following up!" Said Kiara when she looked out the back windshield.

"This is a one-way!"

Bridger's vision focused and he saw that JJ was indeed driving on a one way street. His eyes widened. "JJ, you're on a one-way!"

"I know!" JJ hollered.

"This is a one way!" All three of them shouted.

"He's following us!"

"Car! CAR!" Bridger practically screamed in JJ's ear when he saw a car coming their way.

"Turn now! Right!" Pope screamed.

JJ cut the wheel harshly and turned down a different road. The impact caused them to fall over in their seats. Seeing two people run out in front of the truck, Bridger gripped JJ's arm. "PEOPLE!"

Jumping, JJ swerved and they again went rumbling to the side.

"Jesus, look out!"

"Oh my god!"

"Those were people! Jesus Christ!"

JJ pointed his finger at him. "Don't do that!" He yelled at him.

"I PANICKED!" Bridger yelled back with his eyes nearly widened out of his head.

"That was evasive driving technique right there, y'all!"

"We gotta lose 'em!"

"Hang on!" JJ cut the wheel again sharply and went down another road. Suddenly, the car started smoking at the worst time. "You said he fixed the carburetor!"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Cursed Bridger.

"No, no, no, no!"

"You said he fixed it!"

"He did!" Yelled Pope.

The truck broke down. "Okay, what now, Mario?" Said Kiara and they quickly got out of the vehicle.

"Number one rule: Never trust mechanics!"

Bridger saw the guy's car coming their way and his heart jolted. "Yo, we gotta go! We gotta go!" He shouted to them.

"Go!"

"Go, go, go, go, go!"

They bolted down the alley way at full speed. "Guys, I think he has a gun!" Kiara shouted when she looked back.

"Shit, get down!"

"Come on!"

"Go, go, go, go!"

"I think I'm cramping!"

They came to the end of the alley way and the four friends turned a corner that led to a street with a bunch of houses. "This way! We might have to split you." Said JJ while breathing heavy.

"Like hell we are!" His partner said back.

"I don't know where to go, okay? We gotta lose them!"

Seeing the man at the end of the street, they started running again, accident bumping to a mail man in the process. "So sorry!"

"Sorry about that!"

"GO!"

They dashed down the street and the guy was on the verge of catching them. Bridger nearly tripped on the sidewalk from his fast he was running. Suddenly, as they came to the open road, they nearly crashed into a pair of people on a scooter. Just as he was about to yell, Bridger paused, and his whole body went numb.

John B and Sarah stared at their friends like they weren't real, and the reality that they were quickly set in. Bridger blinked multiple times, feeling like he was in a dream.

"Get in! Get in! Get in! Come on!" John B urged them.

They quickly climbed on their scooter and John B peddled down the street. "Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" Hollered Bridger. He squeezed in the seat with Sarah and Kiara while JJ answered Pope ran and pushed the scooter

"Go, John B! Go!" Shouted JJ.

"Oh, shit!"

"Come on, Pope! Push! Come on!"

The man chasing them ran faster and nearly caught up with them. "Push with your legs, man!" Bridger encouraged with another panicked yell.

"Pedal, B! He's gaining!"

"I'm peddling!" Shouted John B.

It was all happening so fast. Bridger gripped the seat with white knuckles and kept looking back and forth between the guy chasing them and the road ahead. Finally, Pope jumped onto the scooter and John B peddled as fast as he could away from the guy.

"See ya later, alligator!" JJ shouted comically at the top of his lungs.

Bridger released a thrilling laugh. "Let's go, baby!" He hollered and threw his arm around his shoulder.

Their excitement never died down. When they reached the boat to take them back home, the adrenaline settled and that's when the tears came falling. Sarah fell into Bridger's arm. He held her tightly. "Damn you, Cameron." He said with tears in his eyes.

"I missed you so much." She cried into his neck and pressed her hand to the nape of it. "I'm so sorry."

He closed his eyes tightly. The emotions he'd been feeling since the night he thought she was dead unraveled. The sickness. The guilt. The anger. He held her even tighter. "Don't leave like that again." He whispered.

"I promise I won't."

When they pulled away, Bridger hugged John B. "Hey, you fucker."

John B laughed and patted his back. "You know what you're good at, Bridger?" He asked with hugging him tightly.

"What's that?"

"Making me laugh when I feel like crying."

Bridger smiled and patted his back again. "Someone's gotta be the comedian besides JJ."

They laughed again. Bridger didn't feel anxious or stressed. In fact, the tightness in his muscles released and he felt serenity. He was happy. He's just been chased all through Charleston but he was with his friends. His family. He grabbed JJ's face and kissed him, feeling high on love and joy. He held onto that feeling for as long as he could.