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Annabelle slipped inside the house, the door clicking shut behind her being the only sound in the still house except for the muffled music, coming from the backyard. Annabelle dropped her bags on the floor, stretching her back with a groan.

She walked through the house, almost instantly picking up on the thick tension in the air, mixed with a faint smell of weed. The girl felt a quick breeze on her skin, her eyes flickering up on the backdoor that stood ajar. Through the glass, she saw Rafe, leaning over the outdoor table, music thumping from out there with the remains of a line dusting the table.

Annabelle creaked the door open slowly, catching Rafe's attention instantly. The boy stared at her for a moment almost as if registering who she was before pushing himself off the armchair he was sitting in.

"Where the hell-" He charged at her, his muscles tense and his finger pointed in her face. He stopped in his steps, sucking in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "Where have you been?" He asked, his voice lower this time but laced with the same amount of suppressed rage.

"I'm sorry, Rafe." Annabelle breathed. "The boys thought it would be fun to lock me and Kiara out on a boat in the middle of absolutely nowhere."

Rafe squinted his eyes, his jaw tightening. "And you didn't think to call me?"

"Of course I did. But there was no service." Annabelle explained, his towering frame surprisingly intimidating.

The boy let out a deep, hoarse breath, shaking his head with a scoff. "Fuck, Bells-" His jaw clenched further and he dragged his hands through his hair, sweat beading his forehead. "You've been gone all night. Do you know what that did to me?" His chest heaved and he swallowed hard, his eyes shooting daggers down on the girl. "I- I had no idea where you were. I thought something had happened to you. Do you know what kind of shit runs through my head when I don't know where you are? When you don't answer?"

Annabelle sucked in a quick breath, her eyes flickering at him. Her stomach tightened at his raised voice. She didn't think it would be this big of a deal. She knew that she shouldn't have just left without saying anything but she hadn't been prepared for the boys to lure her out to sea and strand her on a boat. But maybe she shouldn't have left at all. Not when she knew that Rafe was hurting after what happened with Ward.

"I'm sorry, Rafe. I-"

"You can't do that to me," he roared and his fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. Annabelle tried to reach for him but he yanked his arm away. "I don't—fuck," He muttered and sucked in a deep breath. "I don't have anyone else." His breath hitched, his hands running over his face like he was trying to keep himself from unraveling completely. "You can't just disappear on me like that."

Annabelle's eyes followed him as he paced along the porch, letting it creak under his rushed steps. The boy moved frantically, a mix of anger and the high from the drugs fueling him. The girl was left watching him closely, her heart racing within her chest. "I know, I messed up." She eased closer to him.

"Messed up?" He repeated, slowing down his steps. "I couldn't sleep. I was worried out of my mind." His voice dropped and he finally looked at her, his expression twisted with the shadow of desperation.

The girl met his gaze and let out a shaky breath. Silence hung over them for a few moments before she spoke up. "I'm here now."

The boy stepped toward her, a long exhale slipping out of his mouth. His hands gripped her waist, holding her firmly as his fingers dug into her sides. Annabelle's breath hitched, unprepared for the harsh grip.

"Don't ever do that again. Ever." He murmured as he towered over her, his breath brushing over her forehead. "I'll lose my fucking mind if you do."

Annabelle placed her hands on his heaving chest, his heart racing beneath her palms. The boy tilted his head down at her touch, gentle in the storm of emotions that were twirling inside him. He let out a shaky breath allowing her closeness to drip through his nerves like honey, smooth and calming.

"I promise," She breathed out. "I'm sorry." Her gaze flickered up to his face, scanning him closely like she was holding her breath for his reaction. The boy sucked in a deep breath and tightened his grip on her.

He nodded and hummed at her words. And just like that, the heated anger has washed off. His thumbs caressed her sides, but the feeling of his tight grip lingered on Annabelle's skin, her heart still racing.

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

The sun began to set as the group rolled over the roads of Outerbanks. This time there were not only five people in the car. There, in front of her sat Sarah Cameron, the last person Annabelle suspected would become a pouge. It was almost instantly that the girl fit into the group.

"You got the rope?" Pope asked for the twelfth time.

"Got it," Annabelle said, lifting the long and thick rope from her backpack.

"Grappling hook?" John B chimed in.

"No grappling hook," Pope spoke. "We're not Batman."

The moment they parked in front of the Crain house, Annabelle felt the unsettling sensation climb up her back. She shifted in her seat, staring up at the house that looked ten times scarier in the dark.

"Flashlights ready?" John B asked, turning around from the front seat.

JJ lifted his flashlight, shining it in the boy's eye. "Check."

"Alright," He squinted and shoved it away from his face. "We're ready."

"Let's go." Kiara pulled her beanie over her head.

"Let's go get rich, guys." JJ grinned as he jumped out of the van.

Annabelle stepped out into the cold night, her skin prickling at the sight before her. "Do we really have to do this at night?"

"Oh, come one scaredy cat." JJ pulled her arm and began dragging her toward the part of the fence that had collapsed but John B stepped in front of them.

"Wait," He huffed. "I wanna say thank you guys. All of you. Seriously. It means a lot to me that you're here tonight."

Kiara smiled up at him. "Always."

"Let's go get that wheat in the water," Pope said as he began walking.

"Weed?" JJ rushed up beside him. "I'm up for weed."

"Wheat. I said wheat." Pope rolled his eyes at him.

"Ladies first," Annabelle motioned for Sarah to walk before her into the dark garden.

"Wow, this isn't scary at all." She breathed, stepping over the part of the fence that JJ had crushed. Their flashlights lit up the path in front of them, the darkness that consumed their surroundings giving the property a horror movie vibe. Annabelle felt a shiver run down her spine and she made sure to stay close to both Kiara and Sarah.

The group took a moment to stare up at the house, their skin prickling at the sight. Suddenly, a light shone right in their eyes as the porch light flickered on. The group cursed under their breath and they hurried to take cover behind a group of bushes.

"Flashlight!" Kiara ordered and the group hastily turned them off. John B hushed them, all of them breathing heavily.

"Okay, so she has motion sensor lights," Pope whispered. The group fell silent for a moment, trying to figure out a way to get into the house without triggering the lights.

"We could, uh.. move really slowly, maybe?" JJ suggested, the group furrowing their brows at him.

"What?"

"Yeah, that's not how it works," Pope said.

"Oh shit," John B said, his eyes lighting up along with the idea. "Let's throw a rock at it."

"Yeah, that's a great idea. Let the axe murderer know that we're here." Annabelle sighed.

"Throw a rock at it?" Pope shook his head at his stupidity.

"Don't let Pope do it," Annabelle said. "He was on the math team."

"You have a better idea?" John B defended himself against the mocking of his suggestion.

"What about the breaker?" Sarah spoke up. "In the circuit box on the porch." The group raised their brows, surprised by her idea. "We used to play hide and seek here as kids, and If we were brave enough we'd go all the way up to the porch. I've seen it."

John B shook his head immediately. "No, no. You're not going in the house alone."

"Watch me," Sarah whispered.

"Crain chops people into pieces," JJ told her.

"If you believe that, but she's like what, 85?" Sarah snapped back at him. "She's probably barely still kicking."

"I'll go with you," Annabelle spoke up. She wanted to swallow her words the moment they left her lips. The last thing she wanted to do in the dark out here was walk into the alleged axe murderer's house and play with her lights but letting Sarah go alone didn't feel right plus she still had the four hundred mil in the back of her mind.

"Woah, woah, woah." JJ scoffed. "Yeah, no. Let's just think about this."

"What is there to think about, JJ? All I can think about is four hundred mil. That's why we're here right?" Annabelle reminded her friends.

"I'll go with them," Kiara spoke up, the three girls smiling at each other.

"Yeah, why don't we all just march in there? Bring a cake while we're at it." JJ snorted out a humorless laugh.

Kiara rolled her eyes. "Let's go."

"We'll wait for your signal," Pope said.

The three girls got up and began crouching away from their spot behind the bushes. JJ's hand slithered around Annabelle's wrist, bringing her to a halt. "Really?" He huffed, his voice laced with concern.

"Nothing to lose, right?" The girl quoted the boy's own words, making him hesitantly let go of her wrist, his eyes lingering on her.

"Be careful," He whispered.

"We will," Annabelle smiled before the three girls trailed off, quietly stepping through the garden.

"She must have a generator plugged into the main power supply," Sarah whispered as they walked slowly until they reached the small set of stairs leading up to the porch. Sarah's light illuminated the small box on the wall with cables stretching out from it.

Annabelle quietly opened the box, revealing a whole bunch of nothing. "Where the hell are the breakers?"

"What is this?" Kiara leaned forward to examine the insides of the box.

"Shit," Annabelle trailed her flashlight up the wall, following a cable that slithered out through a small slot in the wall. "It goes inside."

The girls looked at each other, exchanging a hesitant look. Fighting every urge to stop and turn back, the girls exhaled deeply, averting their gazes toward the porch door.

"Oh, fuck no." Annabelle breathed.

Sarah and Kiara quietly tip-toed to the door, motioning for Annabelle to do the same. The girl swallowed hard and tightened her grip on her flashlight before she slowly followed her friends careful not to let the old wooden floor creak beneath her weight. Kiara glanced back over her shoulder as she turned the door handle making it slowly drift open. The three girls held their breath as they stepped inside as quietly as possible. Annabelle's heart hammered against her ribs. She hesitated, lingering in the doorway while Kiara and Sarah stepped inside. With one final deep breath, she followed her friend, holding her flashlight up to illumine the room that they had stepped into.

A floral-patterned couch sat against the wall, doilies carefully placed on the armrests. A rocking chair faced the window, still and undisturbed. The coffee table was cluttered with newspapers, a dusty porcelain teacup, and a half-finished crossword puzzle. The air was thick with dust, the kind that clung to forgotten things.... or dead corpses.

Annabelle let out a breath through her nose and shook her head. "This was a terrible idea." She whispered.

They continued walking deeper into the house in silence, Kiara's flashlight following the cable that slithered over the ceiling.

Turning a corner, they finally reached the breaker box. The three girls exchanged a soft, excited chuckle and Kiara was quick to flip one of the switches, the porch light losing power. Another excited and hushed laugh erupted between the girls.

"So, what no-"

Annabelle was off by a distant yell that made her flinch.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO DROP ME!"

It was John Bs voice cutting through the silence, making the group of girls stare at each other in panic. For a moment all three of them clung onto that little denial that Mrs Crain hadn't heard. Unfortunately, it didn't take long until that bubble bursted, the floorboards creaking on the second floor. Annabelle's blood ran cold.

𝟐𝟏𝟖𝟎 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬
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𝐀/𝐍
Annabelle I'm gonna hold your hand when I say this.... Rafe is toxic af

anyhow Mrs Crain, smash or pass, what do we think?