𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧: 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄𝐒 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐈𝐍 the twinkie, driving to where the angel oak tree was. it's been awhile since coby had been out that far so she was taking in all the details. it was mainly abandoned buildings and fields of grass and plants that haven't been touched in years. there was still a dirt road though, meaning that people have been here recently.

"guys, we're coming up on freedman's church." pope announced. "it's the church denmark built for all the slaves he freed."

"there it is, angel oak." kie said, looking past all the plants that was ahead of them and at the leaves of a tree that was clearly huge.

john b continued to drive down the road, cursing when he realized how muddy it was starting to get. "tide's coming in. um. . ."

"hey, wait a second. look." pope said, pointing to the tire tracks. "they already came through here. those have to be limber's tire tracks. guys, we gotta go."

jj hummed, looking at john b. "what do you think, chief?"

"i'm thinking it's looking a little dicey." john b answered.

"yeah, i'm gonna have to agree with that statement." jj nodded.

"okay, clearly, they made it. no?" kie pointed out.

"but i don't think their vehicle was a 30-year-old volkswagen bus." coby mumbled, making jj and john b point at her in agreement.

"why are y'all acting like you're not gonna do it anyways? like when have y'all ever done the safe thing?" sarah quizzed, looking between the three stooges, as i like to call them.

john b, coby, and jj all shared a look before they nodded their heads, agreeing with what sarah had said. the three then faced forward, bringing their attention back to the muddy road in front of them.

"speed is your friend here, okay?" jj told john b. "so, put her down in second and hammer down, brother."

"and stick to the high ground in the middle." pope added.

"all right, ready? here we go." john b mumbled, quickly doing as told before he stepped on the accelerator.

"come on, bro. punch it. speed is your friend. you're not going fast enough." jj quickly told the routledge boy when he saw how slow they were going.

"i'm in second." john b reasoned.

"it's gonna slide." kie told john b.

"you're fishtailing already." jj added.

"i know." john b said.

"all right, not to put anymore pressure on you but if you don't make it through, we'll be stuck here forever." pope decided to say.

"put your head back, okay." john b mumbled, pushing the heyward boy back.

"there was no point in saying that. we're already on the other side." coby told pope.

"extra motivation." he shrugged, sending coby a smile.

"all right, right here is good." jj said, making john b come to a stop. the blonde boy got out of the passenger seat, going to slide open the side door. "angel oak is right through here. all right, so word to the wise, definitely know that gators nest back here, so keep your eyes peeled, okay? you don't wanna step on a mama gator. that's the last thing you want."

"they have nests?" kie questioned as they began to walk towards the tree.

"seems like a good place to park." sarah commented.

"you don't wanna be a pat womack." jj said, making coby furrow her eyebrows. the boy had somehow gotten his hands on a branch. "she had her calf chewed off by a gator, right? you know that, right?"

"that's actually not true." kie mumbled.

"i don't even know who you're talking about." coby admitted.

"pat womack was injured in a car accident, but i hear you." kie said, both informing coby and correcting jj.

"okay, just live in ignorance. but like, she had her calf chewed off by a mama gator. i know that for a fact. they like the brackish water." jj continued, walking over to the edge of the road that was about a foot above water. "wait. hold on. i see something."

"what are you doing?" kie asked, watching the maybank boy crouch down before hitting splashing the water with his branch.

"right. wake them up. that's smart." sarah said sarcastically.

"i was just making sure it wasn't a gator. that's all, all right?" jj quickly defended.

the group continued to walk, pushing branches out of the way. coby had ended up hitting herself in the face with a branch, earning a cute little giggle from sarah. the sawyer girl looked over at her girlfriend with narrowed eyes, trying to bite back a smile. coby then wrapped her arms around sarah, making more giggles escape the blonde's mouth. pope was quick to turn around and shush them, making the couple go silent. they heard the sound of vehicles moving around caught everyone's attention. they walked up to some bushed, peaking over them to see that there was a bulldozer digging.

"i don't see shit!" rafe's voice appeared, the boy walking around with a shovel in his hand. "you sure this is the right spot?"

"it's there. the garment will be in the cross, and the cross will be at the foot of the tree." limbrey answered. she was leaning an old green car, renfield and henry being close by.

"all right, well, whatever we find, i get my cut." rafe said.

"the actual garment. you understand the significance." limbrey said, looking over at renfield who was getting a foldable chair from out of the trunk.

"i do, carla. completely." rafe nodded.

"one touch of it, and i'll be healed, and this long nightmare will be over." limbrey said, talking more so to renfield and henry.

"your lips to god's ears." renfield mumble, sharing a knowing look with henry before he turned and walked off. he unfolds the chair, placing it about a foot away from the digging sight.

"i know that you don't believe it, but countless over millennia prove that. . ." limbrey told him as she followed after him. she gave renfield her crutches before henry helped her sit down, the blonde woman releasing a sigh. "miracles happen."

the pogues continued to watch, the diggers starting to use their shovels once the bulldozer had hit something. a few minutes later, an old wooden casket was being pulled out of the hole.

"they got the cross? what do we do? what do we do?" jj quizzed in a hush voiced, looking at his friends for answers.

"what can we do?" john b asked.

the group of six watched as renfield and rafe opened the casket up, throwing the wooden top onto the ground. limbrey was quick to get onto the ground, going to see if the cross was inside the casket. but when the smile on the woman's face dropped, coby knew that the cross wasn't there. a small part of her felt relieved that the cross wasn't there, meaning that they still had time to find it before limbrey and her goons did. limbrey got up from the ground, gathering the digging crew up and telling them that they were going back to the island room.

the pogues waited for everyone to leave, not moving until the very last car was out of sight. pope was the first to move, running to where the casket was left open one the ground. everyone tried to get him to slow down, but the heyward boy was eager. they watched as he crouched down next to the casket, looking inside.

"cecilia tanny, denmark's wife." pope realized before he looked up at the tree, standing back up. "he wasn't talking about the cross. he buried her at the foot of the angel."

"the true treasure." kie added, a small smile on her lips.

"his wife." john b whispered.

pope turned back around and crouched down, tears trailing down his cheeks as he looked inside of the casket. the others surrounded the casket before they crouched down as well, looking at pope with worried eyes. "denmark was hung for burying his wife, and now they defiled her grave."

coby shook her head slightly, anger starting to bubble inside her chest. she watched as pope reach inside the casket, picking a small item before he wiped off the dust and dirt. coby could see the anger in his face, knowing that he felt obligated to get the cross since he was related to denmark. coby made a promise to herself that she was gonna help him get that cross.

"this must have been from denmark. her wedding ring." sarah whispered, making coby look down at what she was holding. the two girls shared a knowing glance, sarah bringing her other hand up to the necklace that coby had given to her.

pope placed the small object back to it's rightful place before he looked at his friends. "we can't leave her like this."

"we won't." john b reassured.

without another word, him and jj stood up, grabbing the wooden top to the casket before they placed it onto the casket. jj then grabbed a crowbar that had been left, hammering the nails so that the casket would stay close. pope had picked some daisies from the ground, gently placing them onto the casket. the boys then went to where the twinkie was left, leaving the girls with the casket. a few minutes later, the twinkie appeared, the boys piling out. they all had shovels in their hands, jj handing one to coby. the sawyer girl grabbed it, rolling up her sleeves. john b and jj placed the casket back into the hole. with that, coby had joined them in placing the dirt back into the hole. it took a few minutes, but they made it work.

"i - i - i just don't get it. i mean, you guys saw the map." pope started, pacing the small area in front of the tree. "he hides his gold so no one finds it for 170 years. and then he sends a message to his son roberts to come here to his mother's grave, but the message never gets to him. and denmark wanted him to find the cross. i know we're in the right spot. it just feels like -"

"like we missed something?" jj interrupted, gaining everyone's attention. the blonde boy was looking up at the tree, making everyone else do the same. "guys. come here." he mumbled, starting to climb onto the twinkie. the others did as told, gathering around the van. kie followed him up. he was pointing to a hole in the tree. "that looks like -"

"the painting in the island room." kie finished before she looked down at the others.

"it's worth a shot, right?" jj asked.

"yeah." kie nodded.

"go for it."

"no chance."

"you do it!" sarah quickly chimed in.

"sorry. i - i went in the storm drain so. . ." kie reminded.

"she did go in the storm drain." pope confirmed.

"yeah. no, i'm gonna do it. it's just. . ." jj said, his voice trailing off as he raised his hand.

"he's scared." kie whispered down to the others.

"i'm not scared, dude. i just. . ." jj defended.

"you seem scared." kie shrugged.

coby smiled, starting to make chicken noises just to get under jj's skin. the maybank boy quickly looked down at her, slightly offended. he then stuck his hand inside the hole, coby's smile widening at this.

"there's something in here." jj muttered. a nervous chuckle escaped his lips. "wait." before anyone could say anything, he started screaming, pretending like something was attacking his arm.

the pogues was quick to react, all of them starting to climb onto the twinkie to try to help. kie quickly wrapped her arms around the blonde boy's torso, going to pull him back. but everyone's panicked state quickly vanished when they heard jj laughing. john b dropped is head onto the roof of the twinkie, a loud clang sound echoing through the air.

"oh, you asshole." pope spat.

"oh, man. i got all of you on that one." jj bragged, looking around at everyone with a grin on his lips.

"oh, yeah, real original." pope dismissed.

"wait, but seriously, there's something in here." jj announced, reaching back into the hole. he pulled his arm back out, revealing an old cylinder.

"let me see." pope said, holding his hand out. jj was quick to give it to him, the heyward boy looking down at the lettering on it. "hms royal merchant."

"yo, it's a a spyglass." coby informed, knowing how one had looked thanks to her brother. pope was quick to hand it to her, the sawyer girl extending it. "there's something on the ends."

"an inscription. look at that shit." john b breathed out, a smile pulling at his lips.

"oh, what does it say?" jj questioned, jumping down from the twinkie.

coby handed back to pope, letting him see for himself. a smile pulled at pope's lips as he looked at the words. "'you've come this far. do not falter. the cross is on the freedom's alter.'" pope read, quickly realizing what it had meat. "'freedom's alter.' the cross is at the church!"

"what are we doing here, guys?" jj asked.

"come on!" pope urged, pushing the spyglass closed.

"woogity woogity!" jj, pope, and coby all said in a high-pitched voice as they wiggled their fingers together.

coby then moved over to where kie was, the carrera girl still standing on the roof of the twinkie. kie knew what coby was gonna do, jumping down. coby was quick to catch her, gently placing kie back onto the ground. the two curly haired girls shared exciting looks with one another before they ran around the to the side door. everyone followed pursuit, climbing inside of the van so that they could get to the church. they went back the way they came, thinking that they would be able to beat the tide. but when they had gotten to the road, they quickly realized that they had thought wrong.

"ah, crap! the tide!" pope hissed.

"well, this doesn't look good." coby mumbled.

"how deep is that?" kie asked.

"i dunno. the road's gone." john b answered.

"the tide rose a little faster than i thought it would." jj said.

"just a little bit." john b added.

"uh, john b, how high are the spark plugs?" jj questioned.

"they're good. we're fine." the routledge boy nodded.

"how high are they?" pope, coby, and jj all repeated.

"oh, uh. . ." john b muttered, sticking his head out the window and looking back. "just about the taillight."

"okay, so that's, what, three feet?" pope asked.

"that's three feet. yeah." jj confirmed.

"that water can't be three feet deep." kie said.

"so then what's the problem?" john b challenged.

"not a problem. no, we're good. we're good. she'll make it." jj shook his head.

"uh. . ." coby let out, sharing a look with sarah.

"yeah." john b nodded. "ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts. hold onto something. we're going into hyperdrive."

"i'm gonna say a quick prayer." jj mumbled, closing his eyes.

"since when do you pray?" coby asked, looking at the blonde boy with furrowed eyebrows while john b counted down.

the routledge boy then stepped on the gas, speeding towards the water. coby brought a hand up onto the ceiling, bracing herself just incase they stopped short. jj and pope were encouraging john b, almost as if that was gonna make the volkswagen bus go any faster. the water splashed around the van as they drove through, everyone saying words of encouragement. and just as they thought that they were gonna make it, the twinkie slipped to the right and ended up in the swamp.

"no, no, no, no, no." john b mumbled, slowly processing what had just happened.

"i think we miscalculated." pope said, earning a look from coby.

"i should've driven." jj then said.

"if you drove, the twinkie would be on it's side." coby told him, making kie and pope nod in agreement.

with that, they all piled out of the twinkie and into the water. coby grimaced at the feeling of her shoes squishing in the water, knowing that she would have to deal with that for the next few hours. john b had walked out to see how bad the damage was, but they couldn't exactly see since they were surrounded by knee deep water.

"okay, maybe we can walk from here." pope suggested.

"what? and leave the twinkie? the - the tide's coming in." john b pointed out.

"so then what are we supposed to do?" sarah questioned.

"not stay here." jj answered.

"i can take my dad's truck." kie volunteered, making everyone look at her.

"kie, are you sure?" pope asked.

"how much worse can it get, you know?" the curly haired girl shrugged.

"we need something to pull her out with. there's the winch at the château. that's, like, two miles." jj announced, looking at everyone.

"yeah, that's a good idea." sarah nodded.

"hey, if you're gonna do it, let's go, okay?" john b told jj and kie. "tide's coming in. twinkie's going underwater."

with that, kie and jj grabbed their bags from out the van and started to walk. coby blew out a breath, puffing her cheeks out as she did so. she knew that they would have to wait awhile for the two pogues to get back. so she grabbed her board from inside the twinkie and threw it up onto the roof. she then saw sarah struggling to climb up, so she helped her before she joined her up there.

"let's hope they don't take forever." coby mumbled, feeling sarah lean into her.

daij speaks!
so this chapter is a little later than usual. it's actually a day late and i don't have an excuse for it. but i wanted to get this chapter out before i go to sleep (it's 1 am where i am). i don't really like this chapter, but i'm not going back to change or fix anything so i'm just gonna suck it up. so i am sorry if it is shittier than usual.

also, i published another book. it's a tslocg books and it's called different if any of you wanna check it out. i'll try to have the first chapter out soon, but only once i'm done with this book cause i promised i would finish before season three.

but i hope u guys enjoyed 🫶🏼