It was confirmed. There was never going to be a normal day hanging out with the Pogues.

JJ was describing how he and John B had witnessed someone getting attacked in their own house rather dramatically. Pope and Kie grilled him while John B paced back and forth.

"You're sure they were the guys that shot at us yesterday?" you asked, looking up from your hands.

"Yes!" JJ said, letting a puff of smoke out of his mouth.

"How do you know if you can't describe them?" Pope yelled, exasperated.

"I wasn't taking little mental polaroids the entire time! I was under duress, okay?" JJ took a step back before taking another hit from his vape pen.

"That's alright," you said, putting up a hand as Pope shook his head and crossed his arms.

"But I can tell you," JJ said, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself down. "By the way Ms. Lana was screaming, these guys were serious hombres, man."

"Wait," you said, scowling. "Ms. Lana? That's whose house you were at?"

"Yeah," JJ said, running his hands through his hair.

You stood quickly, picking your bag off the ground.

"Where are you going?" Pope asked.

"I've got to go see Ms. Lana. I can't leave her there alone," you said. You made for the door of the porch, but JJ grabbed your wrist.

"You can't go there," he said, shaking his head. "Those guys could come back."
"I don't have anything they want, do I? Ms. Lana is my friend, I can't just-"

"Why do they want the compass anyway?" Kie asked, sitting up straighter.

"Yeah, it's a piece of shit," Pope said before looking back at John B, who was still pacing. "No offense dude, I know it's in the family-"

"The office," John B said, looking at JJ.

"What?"

"My dad," John B made for the front door. "My dad's office."

You watched him walk inside, one hand still on the porch door. JJ tossed you a pleading look. You couldn't leave him here when he wanted you to stay, but how could you leave Ms. Lana there knowing that she was hurting?

"Dammit," you murmured to yourself as you turned toward JJ and followed them inside the house.

"He always kept the office locked in case anyone tried to steal his Royal Merchant research," John B explained as he led you all through the house. "We used to laugh about it, but now that he's gone I've just...I've kind of kept it has it was."

The door you stood in front of looked like every other door in the house; white, wooden, plain. The only difference was the lock that kept it shut. John B stared at the lock for a few moments, as if deciding whether or not it was worth it.

"For when he gets back," Kie said. She sent a very pointed look to JJ and Pope, who rolled their eyes. It was clear to you that there were some in this group who weren't one hundred percent sure that Big John was coming back. For John B's sake, you really really hoped he was going to.

John B unlocked the door and pushed it open slowly.

The room was an absolute mess. Papers, books, charts, and maps littered almost every surface, You weren't sure how anyone was supposed to find anything of use in this room. It was a fire hazard. You also didn't want to mention that a locked door wasn't really much use when there were glass windows surrounding the place, so you kept it to yourself.

"I've slept over here like 600 times," Pope said aimlessly. "I've never seen this door opened."

Even though you couldn't really understand the room, John B seemed to know right where he was going. As you wandered around, looking at the intricate drawings and pictures hanging on the wall, John B picked up a corkboard of pictures and scribblings. He set it on top of a large pile of papers, the others starting to crowd around it. You glanced out the window, a bad feeling settling in your stomach.

"Here, this is the original owner." John B pointed at the first picture on a corkboard. A sailor. He went through each of the pictures, describing how they got the compass and what happened to them.

"So, you have a death compass," Pope said, a little nod of his head. 'Great."

"It's not a death compass!" John B protested.

"It's cursed," JJ said, pressing his lips together. "You have to get rid of it."

John B turned away from the corkboard and sat down on the only clear surface in the room.

"Look, there's this compartment in the back," John B said, flipping the compass over. "Where soldiers could hide secret notes or whatever."

You and Kie leaned over to see what was on the inside. John B twisted the back off, looking at the compass.

"Look," you said, pointing at the back. "There's something etched in there."

"What is that?" Kie asked.

"That wasn't there before." You could feel John B tense as he looked back at Kie. "This is my dad's handwriting."

"How can you tell?" asked Pope as he neared, a hand on his hip.

"He does that thing with his R's. See?" John B showed Pope the carving. There was in fact a very strangely drawn R.

"Can I see it?" JJ asked, leaning over you as you crouched on the ground. John B showed the compass to JJ. "Red...Rout-"

"That's an A," you said, pointing at the little letter.

"It says Redfield," Kie said.

"Right."

"What's Redfield?" Kie asked.

"Maybe...maybe it's a clue," John B offered, leaning back in his chair. "Maybe it's a clue to where he's hiding."

You felt yourself grimace. He wanted to believe so badly that his dad was still out there, but nine months was such a long time to be away. If his dad was still alive, why hadn't he come back?

"A clue? C'mon, that's-" Pope looked over at Kie, who shook her head, giving him the same look as before. He cleared his throat. "If it's a clue, it might be an anagram."

That was all John B needed to hear.

"Yes, an anagram. Perfect." He stood, shuffling around on the desk. "You'll need some paper."

Pope took the paper and pencil and started to write.

"How do you concentrate with that thing crowing at you?" Pope asked.

"JJ loves the rooster," John B said.

"I love the rooster," Kie added.

As Kie, Pope, and JJ leaned over the paper to try and solve the anagram, John B started to dig through some of the other things in the room.

"How can I help?" You asked him. He shook his head, scribbling something on a piece of paper. You turned back to the anagram station, listening to them bicker.

"You're missing a letter," Kie said, pointing at the paper. Pope smacked her hand away.

"Guys," John B said. "Somebody's here."

You all moved toward the window slowly, peering outside. A black car had pulled up beside John B's van, two large men stepping out. They were definitely the guys that shot at you yesterday, which meant they were the same people who had attacked Ms. Lana. Your blood began to boil at the sight of them.

"Son of a bitch," you muttered, narrowing your eyes as they approached the house.

"This is suboptimal," Pope said, voice so monotone you almost laughed despite the fact that there were very dangerous people approaching the house.

"No," JJ moaned, shaking his head and stepping back. "I told you. Why does it always-"

"JJ, listen to me," John B said, pushing his friend against the wall in hopes to quiet him down. "Where's the gun?"

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

"Now you don't have the gun?" Kie cried. "The one time we need the gun?"

You wrapped your arms around yourself, moving to stand as close to Pope as you could. You were hoping to absorb some of his strange calmness into yourself before your head blew off from stress.

"It's on the porch," JJ said finally.

"Go get it!"

JJ ran from the room and you felt your heart sink. Kie stepped back toward you and you laced your fingers through hers, giving her hand a tight squeeze. Maybe if you couldn't take any of Pope's calmness, you and Kie could pass some kind of comfort to each other.

JJ ran back into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Where's the compass?" You heard one of the men yell from outside. You shuddered at the sound of his voice.

"Where's the gun?" John B asked. JJ looked around the room, eyes wide.

"They're on the front porch."

"Routledge!" A man yelled. "Where you at, boy?"

"Shit!"

"The window! Out the window."

JJ and Pope ran to the closest window, trying to pry it open, but it wouldn't budge.

"It's painted shut!" JJ snapped as Pope continued to push it upward.

"We can break it," you offered.

"Too loud," Kie said, shaking her head.

John B leaned up against the door, eyes closed, his breathing steady. How he managed to stay calm despite there being two men in his house who wanted to kill him was beyond you. You and Kie shuffled through the stuff on the desk for something sharp.

"Routledge!"

You felt something slice against your finger. Despite the sting of pain, you shoved papers away to reveal a letter opener.

"Kie!" You tossed the letter opener to her and she ran to the window. You shoved your now bleeding finger against your jeans and made for the window. Pope ran to the door, standing beside John B.

"Hurry," JJ said as Kie started to cut away at the paint.

"I'm going as fast as I can!"

You ran your hands through your hair, wishing that you could somehow be of more help. The doorknob rattled. You stuck your knuckles against your mouth to keep from crying out. JJ took the letter opener from Kie and tore through the paint as the man outside the door started to kick it in.

"You better not be in there!" he yelled from the outside. John B and Pope hurried away from the door, everyone now crowded by the window. You took Kie's hand in yours again. There were tears in her eyes and she squeezed your hand repeatedly.

When the gun went off, you jumped, but kept your mouth clamped shut. Your jaw began to ache from how hard you were clenching your jaw.

JJ finally managed to pull the window open and then stepped out of the way. Kie jumped through the window, dragging you along with her. One by one, the boys hopped out after.

"Where do we go?" Kie whispered. You pointed toward the chicken coop, where the rooster was still crowing happily. The two of you bolted toward the coop, the boys following not far behind. You helped Kie inside and waited for the boys to reach you, herding them in with your hand. You were the last inside, shutting the coop behind you.

You scurried to the back, as far from the door as you could get. You sat between JJ and Kie, breathing heavily. You looked at JJ and he glanced down at you, slowly reaching out to take your hand. The rooster continued to crow as you sat, every cluck making your pulse spike.

"Pope, shut it up," JJ hissed, pointing at the chicken by Pope's feet.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Pet it or talk to it or something!" Kie said, tears running from her eyes. "I don't know!"

"He's coming," John B said, sitting back against the wall of the chicken coop. You sucked in a deep breath, closing your eyes. For all the times you thought about how you were going to die, going out in a chicken coop had never been on your list. Still, you would die surrounded by friends, so there was something beautiful in that.

"You do something!" Pope said. You felt JJ's hand pull away from yours as he reached out a grabbed the rooster. You tried to look away as he broke the rooster's neck, shutting it up instantly. Kie let out a shuddering sob, but no one made another sound.

"Ratter! What the hell are you going?" The other man yelled. "Let's go!"

You saw the man's feet slowly retreat away from the coop, letting yourself breathe once. When the engine started, you heard Kie let out another sob.

Even after the black truck pulled away, no one moved a muscle. It was a few minutes before John B pushed himself onto his hands and crawled out of the coop. Pope scurried out next and Kie after him. JJ sat there, holding the dead rooster in his hands. You crawled over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I loved this rooster," he said, staring at the body. You slowly wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"I know," you whispered, gently moving your hand onto the rooster's body. "You did what you had to do."

A few tears stung your eyes, blurring your vision. You blinked and they fell, preferring to cry when JJ couldn't see you. You kissed the top of his head and took the rooster out of his hands and setting it on the ground.

"Come on," you said gently. "Let's go."

The two of you emerged from the coop. You noticed a shift in JJ as soon as you stepped out. The shock was gone instantly, replaced by a fake version of excitement.

"That was crazy," he said, grinning at John B who let out a deep sigh.

Kie walked toward you and JJ, her tears starting to dry on her face. She put one arm around your neck and the other around JJ.

"We almost died," she breathed.

"Nah, we woulda been fine," JJ said, patting her on the head. You held her tight, knowing full well that she was right.

"I really need to go," you said, finally pulling away from her. "I need to see Ms. Lana."

"What if those guys come back for her?" Pope asked.

"Then she needs someone there to protect her," you said, jogging back to the porch for your purse.

"And it has to be you?" JJ asked, arms crossed.

"If it's not me then who?"

JJ sighed, looking down at the leaves.

"I'll be there until the sun goes down," you said to John B. "If there are any new updates, I'll be at Ms. Lana's or my house. Come get me."

John B nodded.

"Thank you."

You put a hand on his arm and waved to the others.

"Babe, wait!" JJ ran after you as you went to the car. "You'll be safe?"

"Of course," you told him, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. Before you turned away again, JJ grabbed your wrist, pulling you back for a real kiss. You felt yourself smile against his lips. An ocean roared in your stomach, wanting nothing more than to stay here with him, to hold him until all the horrible thoughts were out of his head. But you couldn't.

"Hey, JJ!" Pope called from around the house. "Get your ass back over here!"
JJ groaned and you felt the vibration against your lips. When you pulled away, he tried to take your lips back but you put a finger against his mouth.

"Your friends are scheming, Maybank," you said. "And I have to go."

With a roll of his eyes, JJ dropped his hands from your waist.

"I'll see you later, yeah?" You said, smiling at him. He smiled back, starting to back away slowly.

"Yeah. Stay safe out there, sailor," he said, giving you a mock salute.

"You too, bucko."

There was a smile on your face as you drove away. How in the world had the boy managed it? Just minutes ago, you were seconds away from dying and yet JJ could still make you smile. You weren't sure whether your heart was pounding from the adrenaline or from the lingering feeling of JJ's lips on yours.

Your smile didn't leave your face until you pulled up to Ms. Lana's house. You could hear her crying before you even made it to the front door.

"Ms. Lana?" You called into the open window. "It's El."

"El?" You heard her quiet voice coming from somewhere in the house. "El, darling, you shouldn't be here."

"Can I come in, Ms. Lana?"

"You shouldn't."

You pushed the door open anyway. Your heart dropped into your stomach at the sight of her home. Glass was shattered on the floor, papers flitting in the wind of all the broken windows. The furniture was overturned and books were scattered about.

You found her sitting on the floor of the bathroom, head in her hands.

"Oh, Ms. Lana." She startled at the sound of your voice, looking up. You saw the tears running down her face, her eyes puffy and red from crying.

"You shouldn't be here, child," she said, shaking her head as her lower lip quivered.

"You've always been there for me." You sat beside her, draping an arm over her shoulders. "Now I'm here for you."

She dropped her forehead to your shoulder and started to cry. She took your hand gently, squeezing it in the same way Kie had earlier. You could feel her tears rolling down your arm, soaking through your shirt. When her tears slowly started to subside, her sobbing returning to normal breathing, she sat up, wiping her cheeks.

"Here." You pushed yourself off the ground and put out for your hand for her to take. "Let's pick some things up."

"It's such a mess," she said, looking around. "I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"Well, I'm here now," you said, smiling. "I'll help you."

It was nearly impossible to figure out where to start. But once Ms. Lana was on her feet, she knew exactly what to do. She grabbed a broom and started to sweep up the glass and other broken things from the floor. You tried to right some of the furniture, moving them all to the same spot so she could sweep.

You spent the next few hours trying to return Ms. Lana's house to somewhat livable. Even though her house looked like a hurricane blew through it, there was no longer anything on the ground to step on and there were places to sit.

As you placed books back onto the shelf as best as you could, Ms. Lana made something to eat. The two of you ate outside, looking out at the water. Sweat beaded down your neck, the ocean glaring off the water and shining against your face.

"How did you know to come here?" Ms. Lana asked. You took your time swallowing as you tried to come up with a reason that wouldn't immediately let her know that JJ was the boy she and you had told her about.

"I wanted to come see you after I heard about Scooter."

Ms. Lana looked at her cup of tea.

"Those boys told you, didn't they?"

"I don't know what-"

"You don't have to lie to me, honey. I told you, I'm not going to tell your daddy anything." You breathed in a deep breath. "That boy you were telling me about. It was John B, wasn't it?"

You scoffed and rolled your eyes.

"God, no. He's just a friend."

"JJ then."

You grimaced and tried to play it off in the same way, but Ms. Lana already knew. You set your cup down and met her gaze. The game was up. You were caught.

"Yes," you said finally. "Yeah, it's JJ."

Ms. Lana smiled as she took another drink from her cup. You always thought that if anyone found out about the two of you doing...whatever it was that you did...that they would be disappointed, try to steer you away. But Ms. Lana just smiled.

"Tell me about it," she said.

"Ms. Lana-"

"Indulge me, El. My house was broken into and I need something to take my mind off of it."

You felt a smile grow on your face. You leaned your head back, letting out a deep sigh.

"It's like...." You sighed again. "I don't even know. It's like being alive for the first time. Like I've been in this state of comatose for my entire life and all of the sudden I'm awake."

You couldn't help your smile as you looked up at the sky.

"It feels like I'm caught in a storm but I'm not drowning. I'm not afraid. Not when I'm with him. Nothing can touch me when he's there. No one can." You looked down at your fingers.

"Do you love him?"

You snapped your head up to look at her.

"I've only known him a little over a month, Ms. Lana."

"I know," she said. "I only knew Scooter three months before we were married. I never regretted my decision."

You shook your head, the elated feeling in your chest gone. You knew your answer, but you couldn't say it. There was too much weight to it. It meant too much for you to just say out loud.

"You don't have to know now," Ms. Lana said, reaching across the table to take your hand. "But be careful. Don't get that pretty heart of yours broke and for the love of God don't break his."

You shook your head quickly, unable to form the words you wanted to say.

"There's more to do inside," you finally decided on. "We should get back to work."

Without waiting for her to respond, you took her plate and yours back to the kitchen, mind running.

Was that how your relationship, whatever it was, with JJ was supposed to end, his heart broken or yours? Why couldn't it end happy? Did everything need to fall apart or was there actually hope that something good could come from this?

You helped Ms. Lana clean for another hour or so until the sun started to set.

"You should head home, my dear," Ms. Lana said. "I am so grateful for your help."

You gave her a tight hug.

"Any time you need me," you told her, hands on her shoulders. "I will drop anything."

"Even that boy of yours?"

You rolled your eyes.

"Where do you think I came from?"

It was nice to have someone else know, someone who wasn't Kid or the Pogues. Ms. Lana was an adult who actually cared, who could give you good advice, who could help when you needed it. She was someone you could actually trust, someone to rely on. The thought made your smile grow wider.

"Have a good night, dear," Ms. Lana said, walking you to your truck.

You sent her one last wave before pulling away.

You expected your dad to be angry when you got home, but you were confident you could talk yourself out of it.

"Where were you?" He demanded, as usual. "Someone told me they saw you on the cut. I thought I told you-"

"I was at Ms. Lana's," you said, forcing tears into your eyes. "She's just so...with Scooter and everything."

You covered your face with your hands, imitating sobbing sounds. Your dad dropped his anger instantly and walked over to you. He wrapped his arms around your back, holding you tight.

"It's okay, sweetheart," he whispered, planting a kiss on your head. You sobbed to cover a gag. "Scooter's death hit us all really hard."

You lifted your head up to meet your dad's eyes, disgusted by how close he was to you.

"If you wouldn't mind," you said, voice quiet. "I think I just need some time alone. Is that okay?"

Your dad nodded his head, letting you go. You took a careful step back.

"If you need me, Kiddo, I'm always here for you," he said as you started toward the stairs. You nodded your head slowly.

"Thanks, Dad." You dragged your feet upstairs. With your back turned to him, a smile made its way onto your lips. There was nothing like a successful guilt trip. Closing your door, you let your jitters leave your body by waving your arms in the air to some inaudible beat that you made up. It was only 8 o'clock (ish) and yet you had the whole night to do whatever you wanted without your dad checking on you. He hated it when you got weepy. He didn't know how to handle it. So, he usually left you alone until the next day. That was how you had managed to sneak out to most of the parties in your past.

You just hoped the Pogues were planning something interesting that night.

JJ tapped on your window thirty minutes later. You threw the window open, shoes still on your feet.

"Where to?" You asked.

"The Wreck to pick up Kie."

"And then?"

"John B won't tell us until we're all in the car."

"That's fine by me."

You crawled out of your window, following JJ down to the ground. He took your hand as the two of you ran across the lawn and into the trees.

Jumping into the back of John B's van. The front seat was empty, most likely reserved for Kie.

"Hey, Pope," you said as you sat next to him. "John B."

"Hey," they both replied. JJ slid into the van behind you.
"What have you boys been up to?" you asked.

"We went to the lighthouse," Pope said. "Almost got arrested."

"I did get arrested," John B said.

"Pardon?" You leaned forward.

"Yeah. We went to the Redfield Lighthouse and it was fine and dandy until I showed the guy the compass. He freaked and called the cops."

You looked back at JJ, who pulled a blunt out of his pocket. He shrugged.

"How did you get out?"

"Kie's dad bailed me out," John B said as if it was the most normal thing.

"And we're going to her workplace now?"

John B nodded his head.

"Yup."

"Let's just pray her dad doesn't kill us."

Her dad didn't kill you. But the conversation between John B and Kie went on longer than you had expected.

"What colleges are you looking at, Pope?" You asked, trying to break the silence. You heard JJ sigh dramatically as he leaned his head against the window.

"I'm going to apply to as many as I can," he said. "But it doesn't really matter if I can't get that scholarship. Have you been planning on college?"

"Yeah. I have to get myself a good job to keep myself afloat, ya know? Like a lawyer or a doctor or something," you said.

"You? A lawyer?" JJ asked with a scoff. You narrowed your eyes.

"Well, I'll have to do something to survive, won't I? I can't be a dishwasher for my entire life."

"Where are you going to apply?" Pope asked, trying to turn your attention away from JJ's comment.

"Brown, I think. And maybe Harvard. Maybe some other reputable schools. I would prefer somewhere small, but who knows."

"And I'm guessing your dad would pay for it?" Pope asked. You knew that he hadn't meant the sharpness in his words, but you heard it anyway.

"Probably not," you said, pulling at a tear in your jeans. "He doesn't want to think about me leaving the house ever. I talked about college once and he....yeah, no, I don't really bring it up."

"What would your dream job be?" Pope turned to face you fully. "If you didn't have to think about school or money or a family."

You pulled your lip in between your teeth, looking around and leaning forward as if you were about to tell a secret.

"Promise you won't laugh?"

"I promise."

"I don't," JJ said, lifting his hand. You smacked his hand out of the air before turning back to Pope.

"I want to be work in the archives of a museum," you said, whispering.

"What?"

"Like, when people discover things, I want to catalog everything and date it and figure out where it was from and who used it and stuff like that."

"That is so cool," Pope said with a smile. JJ rolled his eyes.

"You want to be a coroner, right?" Pope nodded his head quickly. "That is seriously the coolest."

"What did I say about being a kiss ass?" JJ asked from the back.

"Just because your aspirations are to be high all the time doesn't mean it's the same for the rest of us," Pope said.

The car fell silent for a bit.

"I want to be a mechanic," JJ said finally. "Like my dad."

You leaned over to look at him. He was rolling the blunt in between his fingers, staring at it. He looked up at you, one eye squeezed shut. You smiled at him and he smiled back. It wasn't his usual half-grin and it looked almost...sad, but it was a smile.

Both of the front doors opened at the same time. You turned around and smiled as Kie slid into the passenger seat.

"I heard you've had a busy day since I left," you said. Kie rolled her eyes, a smile on her face as she glanced at John B.

"Yeah, it's been crazy," she said, sharing a knowing smile with John B.

"What the hell was that?" you whispered to Pope. He shrugged, looking at his hands, all the previous joy gone from his face.

They started down the road. It didn't take long for JJ and Pope to start bickering about smoking or vaping or something along those lines.

"Look, I know I was wrong about the lighthouse," John B said, interrupting their argument from going any further. "And I was wrong about pretty much everything else. But I was right about one thing. My dad is trying to tell me something."

No one asked him what it was until he slowed to a stop at the cemetery.

"John B," you asked, wrapping your arms around yourself. "Why are we in a cemetery?"

"Come on, guys," was all he said. You sent a look at Kie and she simply shook her head, following John B out of the car.

"This place is freaky," she said. "John B, what are we doing?"

"You know how you're trying to remember a song, but you don't know who sings it?"

"Everyday," you grumbled.

"So, Redfield. This whole time I thought it was a place." John B stopped in front of a crypt, shining the light onto the name at the top. "But what if it's a person?"

"Voi-effing-la," JJ said, staring up at the name.

Your stomach started to squeeze. You didn't like dead things, especially not dead people. Cemeteries were creepy enough from the outside, you weren't overly fond of being inside one.

"My great great grandmother Olivia," John B said, glancing back at the group. "Her maiden name was Redfield."

"I'll be damned," you breathed.

The five of you stared up at the crypt, all in different states of shock. The etching in the cursed compass actually meant something and that something was a clue that led you all here, to this crypt. You had a feeling you were all teetering at the edge of a cliff, a cliff none of you wanted to fall down. Except maybe John B.

"Help me with this door," he said.

Pope stepped forward and tried to help him push the door open, but it wasn't moving. Even when JJ tried to help, it still remained where it was.

"This door is like 700 pounds," Pope groaned. "It's not going to budge."

"We didn't come this far to get stuck at a door," JJ said.

A quiet hiss from the door startled you. At first, you thought it was a booby trap and a poisonous gas had been released and you had all been infected, but then JJ relieved your fears.

"It's a snake!"

The boys jumped backward.

"That's a moccasin alright," JJ said. When you looked over, there was a smile on his face. "Ye old cottonmouth. Death in tall grass."

And then he proceeded to bark at it. You pressed your palm to your forehead.

"Are you seriously barking at a snake?" you asked, eyebrows pinched.

"JJ, shut up!" Kie sounded so done with him and the others and you couldn't blame her. She put up with a lot.
"You're gonna wake the dead man!" Pope said, tapping JJ's shoulder with his hand.

"What? They're afraid of snakes. Everybody knows that."

"No." You shook your head. "I don't think everybody knows that."

You stepped toward the door, trying to figure out exactly you all could get inside. There was a relatively large hole at the top.

"Hold up," JJ said. "If there's one, there's probably dozens."

You waved him off, standing on your toes to stick your hand through the hole. JJ started barking again and while the boys tried to shut him up, you put a hand on Kie's elbow and pointed at the hole.

"I can get through there," she said. You nodded your head and the two of you started to clear away the branches.

"What are you doing?" John B asked turning around.

"I can fit through the hole," Kie said, pointing at it.

"You're not going through there." He shook his head.

"Look, this is about your dad. And honestly, I don't believe in it, but you deserve to know the truth." John B looked away from her and she gave a little shrug of her shoulders. "I'll do it."

You crouched down, setting out your palms to hoist her up. Pope held onto her waist to stabilize her.

"I'm coming too," you said once she was inside. Putting a flashlight between your lips, JJ and Pope helped you through the hole after Kie. You dropped to the ground and your pulse started to race. You really hated dead things.

"You alive?" John B asked. "You got like a, a heartbeat and everything?"

"So far," Kie called back, shining the flashlight around. A shudder ran through you as your light shone over a broken casket.

"I hate it in here," you said, wandering around. "What are we looking for again?"

"You'll know it when you see it," John B told you.

"Real helpful," you mumbled, shoving your free hand into your sweater pocket.

"Oh my god," Kie breathed, standing by a crack in the wall.

"What is it?" You crossed the crypt and stood by Kie to see what was in her hands. "Oh my god."

"Did you find something?" JJ called from outside.

Kie pulled the envelope from the crack and turned to look at you, a hint of a smile on her face.

"He was right," she breathed. You smiled up at her.

"Now can we get the hell out of here?"

***

I hope you guys are all doing okay! I have so much love in my heart for all of you. Thank you for existing. 

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay groovy, folks!