┗━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━┛

The three girls slammed their backs against the wall, killing their flashlights at the first creak of the stairs under Mrs. Crain's weight. Annabelle pressed so hard into the surface behind her that she was convinced she'd either merge with it or break straight through. Her heart pounded in her chest as the unmistakable sound of the old woman's wheezing cough echoed from upstairs.

The older woman reached the first floor, slowly creeping closer to the wall where the three girls were currently pressed against.

"It's late, Leon." Her raspy voice scraped down Annabelle's spine. "Too late."

The James girl held her breath as she watched the woman emerge into view, her eyes widened to their limits, her hair whitened and tussled and her wrinkly fingers wrapped tightly around her choice of weapon -- a fire poker.

The girl's hand flew to her mouth, trying to muffle her heavy breathing. The woman slowly walked past them, her gaze plastered on the end of the room. "I can hear you, Leon." She called out. The three girls went rigid against the wall, trying to make themselves one with the wallpaper when a hushed whimper left Kiara's lips.

"I've been waiting all night!" The woman spun around hastily, the girls screaming and jumping. Annabelle felt her soul briefly vacate her body. Kiara snatched her by the arm, yanking her toward the door they'd broken through earlier.

"Go, go, go!" Annabelle flickered her flashlight on as she rushed through the house. She and Sarah reached the door, throwing a quick glance over their shoulders to find that Kiara was nowhere in sight- and neither was Mrs Crain.

Kiara's scream pierced through the air, sending Annabelle into an instant sprint. She hurried to the commotion coming from the other room. At the other side of the door, Kiara panically pressed herself against the door, trying to dodge Mrs Crain as she swung the fire poker around manically. Annabelle lunged. Her hands closed around the fire poker mid-swing, and she nearly got yanked off her feet.

For someone that old and grey, she was surprisingly strong. With one last pull, Annabelle had shoved it out of her grip and Sarah rushed in, hauling Kiara to her feet.

"This way!" Annabelle shouted, quickly sprinting out of the room with the fire poker still in hand. The three girls rushed through the door and shut it behind them quickly, pressing their weights against it when it suddenly rattled and yet another fire poker ripped through the wood. Annabelle yelped and pulled her and her friends away from the door. In a moment of pure terror, they watched as Mrs Crain smashed her fire poker through the door before rushing out of the room.

They navigated their way through the house to the set of stairs leading to the basement. With Annabelle in the lead, they scurried down to the boys who were gripping the rope with John B on the other end.

"What's going on?" JJ's eyes bounced between the girls and the fire poker Annabelle was clutching.

"Mrs. Crain!" Annabelle wheezed, chucking the poker aside. "She's up there!"

"She tried to kill us with a fire poker!" Kiara leaned forward trying to catch her breath.

"We gotta go!" Sarah said with alarm.

JJ and Pope watched them with wide-open eyes. "Okay, code red!" They returned their attention to John B in the well. Annabelle leaned forward, trying to peek into the dark hole but John B was nowhere to be found.

"Let's go! John B! Get back on, man!" JJ shouted into the well as the girls grabbed the rope and positioned themselves to prepare to pull.

"Three, two, one!" Pope shouted and the group tugged on the rope, expecting the weight of John B on it, dominoed to the ground at the lack of resistance on the rope.

Fueled with adrenaline, Annabelle rushed to a stance. "Where the hell is he?"

"John B!" Sarah and Pope called out as Kiara attempted to hush them, trying to hear John B's distant and muffled shouting.

"JJ! Pope! Anna! Kie!" The boys' voice echoed through the well and all five friends instantly stood up straight.

"Yo, he's drowning!" JJ alerted and the group didn't hesitate to position themselves in a line and grab the rope.

"Hey, John B! Get back on the rope! Were gonna pull you back up, okay, buddy?!" Pope yelled into the well and after JJ counted to three, they used all their last strength to yank the rope back. Grunting and groaning, they slowly lifted John B when suddenly a gunshot rang through the air.

Kiara and Sarah dived down, huddling up behind a shelf for cover. The lack of strength holding up the rope caused Pope, JJ, and Annabelle to slide over the floor, desperately trying to keep John B up.

JJ's free hand wrapped around Annabelle and he pulled both her and Pope into a hiding spot, still clinging to the rope for dear life. Two more gunshots were fired from Mrs Crain's shotgun, and Annabelle squeezed her eyes shut desperately trying to breathe.

Moments later, John B's head finally appeared over the well's edge. The second his arms were in reach, the trio yanked him up and bolted.

"Go, go, go!" JJ shouted as they raced to the small opening, leading to the dark garden.

Annabaelles legs were moving on their own, racing through the garden without looking back. She rushed over the wrecked fence and to the van, only e few feet after Sarah and Kiara.

"Come on!" Kiara shouted and shoved the door open, practically throwing herself inside.

Sarah and Annabelle jumped inside the van, panting and gasping for breath as JJ and Pope appeared in sight.

"Why are we always getting shot at?" Pope yelled and hurried inside the driver's seat.

"Come on, John B run!" Annabelle peered her head out, shouting for the boy covered in dirt. Pope was already driving off slowly when the boy threw himself inside, splashing some dirt off him. Not an inch of John B wasn't covered in whatever goo he had been crawling around in, the stench filling the car instantly.

"Holy shit!" Kiara exclaimed, seeing her best friend.

"Everyone intact?" Annabelle panted, glancing between the members of the group as she patted herself over her body, just in case.

"I think so," JJ wheezed for breath.

"I think I'd know If I was shot right?" Kiara asked, dragging her hands over her skin to check that she wasn't impaled by one of Mrs Crain's bullets.

"You look disgusting," Pope stated, his eyes roaming John B's muddy body.

"And you smell even worse." Annabelle's face scrunched.

Sarah threw her head back, trying to steady her breathing. "What the hell just happened?"

"All-time Pouge Hall of Fame, baby!" JJ whooped from behind the driver's seat.

"Hell, yeah!" Kiara exclaimed, joining in. "That bitch is possessed."

"That bitch needs an exorcism," Annabelle stated, her eyes almost permanently widened after what just happened.

"That bitch can't aim." Sarah let out a breathy chuckle. "How does she even move so fast."

"What is that?" Kiara almost gasped, diverting everyone's attention to John B's hand, where the glimpse of something golden revealed from beneath the dirt. Annabelle's lips parted, wanting to scream and shout out loud but the sight before her stole the air from her lungs, straining her voice to a shocked exhale.

"Wha-" Pope huffed.

"No you didnt!" Annabelle couldn't contain the excited shriek that escaped her lips. She almost jumped out of her seat, her heart racing in her ear.

"We did it, baby!" John B exclaimed, confirming that they weren't all seeing things.

Shouting, hysterical laughter, and shrieks filled the van and the group squirmed in their spots, their eyes wide.

"No, you fucking didn't!" Annabelle shrieked out a giggle.

"I did it!"

"Full kook!" The van cheered in unison.

𝟏𝟑𝟏𝟕 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬
┗━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━┛

𝐀/𝐍
FULL KOOK!.... I shout as I am being dragged into the asylum