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John B had finally found the right key and led his friends inside the untouched office. Annabelle's eyes scanned the unorganized office with piles of documents, books, and scattered maps covering every open surface. It looked and felt just like it did when Big John was still there. An organized mess as he used to call it.

John B shuffled through the room until he picked off a board from the wall, presenting it to his friends who all gathered around it.

"This is the original owner right here." He pointed to a photo and Annabelle read the name under it out loud.

"Robert Q. Routledge, 1880 to 1920." Her eyes trailed to a black-and-white photo of a man in a suit. "He's kinda hot." She said earring werid looks from both Pope and JJ.

"There's the lucky compass right there." Kiara pointed to the object in the man's hand

"Actually uhm... he was shot after he bought it." John B spoke up. Annabelle cocked her head to the side, running her hand over her face.

"Then the compass was shipped back to Henry." John Bs finger trailed over to another photo of a man smiling brightly with a group of friends. John B hesitated for a moment before he spoke up again. "He was killed in a crop dusting accident when he had the compass."

Annabelle looked up, meeting JJ's concerned gaze. He instantly forced a reassuring smile on his face when he noticed the look on her face.

John B pointed to the next person and his friends were already prepared for the outcome. "Steven had the compass with him when he died in Vietnam."

"Let me guess. He died." Annabelle muttered crossing her arms over her chest.

John B lifted his shoulders to his ears. "Sort of...." He said under his breath.

"Sort of?" Annabelle repeated, her mouth forming a straight thin line.

"Uh, a-actually he was killed by a banana truck..." John B said. "In country."

His friends sighed and rolled their eyes.

"Anyway, after that, Stephen passed the compass down to him.." John B pointed to a picture of what looked like John B only older. Annabelle smiled seeing the picture of big John. He was sitting next to a small boy both smiling brightly with a fishing hook in their hands.

"Sounds like there's a reoccurring theme here," JJ spoke up, earning an agreeing hum from Pope.

"No, you know what it sounds like..?" Annabelle leaned forward, resting her elbows against the table that the pouges had crowded around. "It sounds like you have a death compass."

"I do not have a death compass." John B sighed.

"You have a death compass." JJ agreed making the brunette roll his eyes and edged away from the table. "Get rid of it. It's cursed and made its way back to you."

John B sank down in one of the armchairs, ignoring the piles of papers and books on it. He fiddled with the compass as he continued to argue with his two boy best friends.

"Look, my dad used to talk about this compartment in here." John B said and Annabelle leaned even further, with her head in her palms as she supported herself up with her elbows. The boy managed to click the compass open making a piece fall to the floor.

"Hey, what's that?" Kiara questioned, referring to the engraved letters in the piece that remained in John Bs hand.

"That wasn't there before." John B stared at it with wide eyes. "This is my dad's handwriting."

Pope glanced over at Annabelle, sending her an uncertain look. "How can you know that?" He asked.

"Because he does these weird Rs with the..." he held up the compas allowing Annabelle and Poep to read it. Annabelle stared at the pointy R and nodded, hoping to look as convinced as possible.

"Can I see it?" JJ asked, rounding the chair to lean over and read the carved in letters. "Red...Rout... no I think that's an A.." he read out loud.

"It says Redfield," Kiara said.

"Right, okay, so what's Redfield," Annabelle asked, starting to get bored of her friends trying to play Sherlock Holmes.

"The most common name in the country," Pope muttered.

"Oh, maybe!" John B spoke up. "Maybe it's a clue. Maybe it's a clue to where he's hiding."

Annabelle's gaze met the floor, refusing to look at John B or anyone else. The room fell silent for a moment before Pope sighed. "Oh come on.."
He quickly shut up, seeing the piercing glare that Kiara sent him. "But if it is a clue, maybe it's an anagram."

Pope's words immediately sent an idea into John B's head as he quickly spun around and shuffled through the piles of documents.
"Yeah, perfect! Anagram you need paper." He said as he handed a piece of paper to Pope.

"Great, this was just about to get boring," Annabelle said with sarcasm before jawning. If it was possible to die from boredom, she needed hospital treatment this instant before she'd actually die.

Everyone hovered over the piece of paper that Pope doodled over. Annabelle showed no interest instead she walked by the tables and shelves by the window, letting her hands dance over the dusty objects that covered them hoping to find something interesting.

Her friends chattering and drawing filled the room along with the sound of the rooster crowing outside. Annabelle stopped in front of a framed photograph and she lifted it from the shelf. Brushing some dust off it, she revealed the clear image of Big John and John B a few years prior. Next to them stood Annabelle herself and her parents. Her mother smiled brightly into the camera, holding a child in her arms. Tessa.

Annabelle's father stood with his arm draped over Big John's shoulders and the two gave the camera a thumbs up, both holding a beer while smiling from one ear to another.

Annabelle sat on John B.'s shoulders and the two kids stuck their tongues out while sneaking a middle finger into the picture. It was a sunny day and the two were wearing their swimwear. Annabelle remembered that day. It was one like many other summer days that the two families shared together. It was John B's birthday and the boy had just gotten a new surfboard that he and Annabelle were going to test out. It was the best waves of the century that day.

Annabelle looked up at a noise coming from outside and the warm smile that had appeared on her face after seeing the picture was quickly wiped off her face as she watched the black car roll over the gravel path to the house.

"Guys," Annabelle called out to her friends who didn't seem to hear her as they were deeply concentrated on their anagram. "Guys!" She repeated even louder as the car parked in front of the house. "Somebody's here!"

Her words seemed to have gained her friend's attention as they all began to creep closer to the window to see what Annabelle was talking about. They watched in horror as two men emerged from the car, and walked closer to the house while scanning their surroundings.

"Shit," Annabelle muttered feeling the panic slowly latch itself on her lungs making her draw sharp and unsteady breaths.

"Guys is that them?" Kiara asked, looking over at John B and JJ without gaining an answer. "Is that them?!"

"This is suboptimal," Pope said.

JJ, who had walked away from the window was now pacing back and forth in the room, panicking. "John B I told you. Why does it always.."

John B rushed after his best friend, spinning him around so that he was pressed against the wall as the brunette lifted his finger to his mouth signaling for him to shut up. "Hey, JJ, look at me. Where's the gun."

"Gun, I uh, I can't..." JJ stammered.

"Now you don't have the gun, the one time we need the gun." Kiara's voice broke as the panic consumed her, forcing tears to her waterline.

"I told you a million times, give me the gun, but you dumbasses thought it was a good idea to give it to JJ," Annabelle muttered as she held her frightened best friend. She refused to die because of JJ.

"It was in my backpack and then I—" JJ squeezed his eyes shut, rubbing the top of his head as he tried desperately to remember the one object that could mean life or death. "...on the front porch."

"Go, go, go..." John B basically pushed his best friend out of the room and into the hallway but JJ barely made it five feet before he rushed back inside the office at the sound of one of the men shouting John B's name.

JJ was swift to close the door behind him, panting as he pressed himself against it. Annabelle let go of Kiara, glaring at the blonde as she reached for the door nob.

"Don't." JJ grabbed her wrist to prevent her from waking outside. "They're walking inside." He explained.

"I have time." She argued, reaching for the door nob again. The men called out for John B again and JJ didn't waste a second before forcing Annabelle away from the exit, pressing her body against the closest wall.

She opened her mouth to spit something at him but he stared at her with full seriousness and concern and lifted his index finger to his lips.

She scowled at him but stayed quiet. He didn't seem bothered by the look she was giving him as he remained staring at her, with hawk eyes like if he tore his gaze from her, she would launch out of the room.

Annabelle was forced to take her eyes off the boy at the sound of crashing and clanking outside as the two men seemed to be turning the house upside down. She could hear glass shatter and heavy objects drop to the ground.

"Routledge! Where ya at boy!" They hollered and Annabelle heard Kiara break down behind JJ. Her eyes scanned the room, desperately seeking an exit.

"Guys! The window!" Annabelle said in a hushed tone. Pope and John B paced across the room and clutched onto the edge of the window, flexing their muscles as they forcefully tried to pry it open.

"What's going on? Why is it taking so long?" Kiara questioned, watching the boys struggle.

"It's painted shut, okay?" Pope snapped at her.

A sudden realization hit Annabelle and she reached down and pulled out the pocket knife that she had stuffed in her shoe. JJ raised his eyebrows in shock and slight fear watching her flicker it between her fingers, racing across the room the the window.

"I'm not even gotta ask." He stared wide-eyed at her.

"We were shot at last night. You don't think I'm gonna bring a weapon with me at all times now?" Annabelle said. Pope and John B moved aside allowing the girl to press the blade through the small slot between the window and the window frame.

"Come on." She said under her breath.

The door to the office rattled as the man outside tried to open it. John B and pope who stood pressed against it stared in horror and Annabelle moved her knife even faster. The man outside pounded on the door to the point where wooden pieces came off from it.

With one last forceful move, Annabelle pried the window open allowing fresh air to seep into the suffocating room. JJ hastily assisted Annabelle out of the house. Once finally out the window, her head whipped around, trying to find a spot to hide. JJ who had jumped out just after her, grabbed her hand and led or more like dragged her over into the chicken coop.

Annabelle pressed herself into the corner of the tight space that slowly got more crowded as her friends made their way inside.

JJ's thumb brushed over the skin of Annabelle's hand and it wasn't until then that she realized that their hands were still intertwined. JJ smiled, realizing that the actions of his thumb seemed to calm the frightened girl as she began to steady her breathing.

She peeked out of a small slot in the wooden planks, watching as the door to the chateau opened. The two men walked outside, holding boxes of documents from Big John's office and Annabelle felt her heart sink as they got closer to them. The duo placed their stolen items into the truck of their car that stood parked only a few feet away from the chicken coop.

The group did their best to stay quiet despite their heavy breathing so as to not get caught by the men outside but the chicken in the coop seemed to have other plans for them as it hadn't managed to crow loud enough to catch the two men's attention.

"Do something, Pope. Shut him up!" JJ whispered.

"What do you want to me do?" Pope snapped back.

"Pet it or talk to it, I don't know." Kiara cried in a hushed tone. Pope reached out for the animal, hoping to calm it down by petting it but the chicken clucked even louder which instantly made one of the men turn his head in their direction.  He snapped his head toward the chicken coop and the group of friends did their best to not be seen.

Annabelle pressed herself against the wall even harder, tightening her grip on JJ's hand. The rooster was drawing attention, going wild and loud and flapping its wings almost like it wanted for the men to find them.

"You do something," Pope told JJ.

The boy's gaze shifted between the rooster and Annabelle knowing that he had to make a decision fast.

"Don't hate me for this." He told her before launching himself toward the animal that flapped manically. Annabelle stared in horror as his hands wrapped around its neck, forcing it to the ground. It crowed and squirmed violently trying to flee his fatal grip around its neck. With a snap, the animal quieted down and Annabelle almost let a horrified gasp leave her lips but she managed to stop herself by pressing her hand against her mouth as she squeezed her eyes shut.

She didn't watch what happened next. All she could do was listen as the steps outside got louder and closer. She held her breath.

"Ratter! What the hell are you doing!? Let's go!" The second man called out and Annabelle heard the car door close. She didn't allow herself to breathe until she heard the car turn on and drive off. Just then, she opened her eyes that she had squeezed shut hard enough to give her a headache.

She stared frighteningly at the dead animal in JJ's hands and she saw him staring back at her, trying to decipher her expression

𝟐𝟓𝟎𝟒 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬
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𝐀/𝐍
loving the angst sm
these past chapters were boring but I have so much planned so bare with me

also rafe will be one of the love interest so prepare for a love triangle