MY THOUGHTS were crazy as John B dragged me through the dense trees in a rush. I didn't know where we were going, what we were doing or what our plan was but I was panicking. The both of us were on foot and it was broad daylight, we had hours until the sun went down and even if we made it until the night we had to survive that and then half of tomorrow before we met back with JJ, Pope and Kie.

I honestly did not know how John B and I were going to get out of this alive or without being arrested.

Our posters were all over the island now, there wouldn't be a person who wasn't out on the lookout for us. The reward was massive and hell, if I knew there was a 50 thousand dollar reward out for the both of us as a collective I'd be out looking. That was a lot of money, especially to anyone living on the Cut. It could get you a long way.

So were John B and I being idiotic by running together or should we split up?

I tugged back on my friends hand once I was sure we were covered enough by the trees that a passer by wouldn't notice us and I started to dig my feet into the ground. John B continued to pull me along in response but I basically forced him to stop, calling his name breathlessly.

"Mally we need to run." He turned to me with wide eyes once he stopped.

I shook my head breathlessly and put my hands on my knees, doubling over. I was relatively fit but at the moment my body was screaming for me to stop and I didn't know if I could last the whole night running and evading the cops.

"Just—" I panted, "Just let me get my breath back."

All of a sudden my stomach cramped painfully and I clutched it, squeezing my eyes shut. It was more of a nauseating feeling and it was slowly creeping up into my throat.

"God." I murmured, the feeling actually developing into vomit. I kept my hands on my knees and I wretched once, twice before I was sick.

John B watched me as I threw up, his hand on my shoulder while he pulled my hair away from my face.

I didn't know what I'd done to cause myself to vomit, especially this much. It couldn't of been from running surely. Maybe it was anxiety or stress, I was under a lot of that at the moment that was for sure.

I was glad when I stopped being sick but I wished I had a drink with me to take a sip out of afterwards because the aftertaste was disgusting. That in itself almost made me hurl again but I kept it down seeing how much I'd actually thrown up already.

I straightened my back but I became dizzy as soon as I stood up, my body swaying sideways. John B held my shoulder tighter and I gripped to his arm as I closed my eyes, holding my hand to my forehead and waiting for the spell to pass. I was having dizzy spells too frequently now and I'd never suffered with them before. Dizzy spells, headaches, double vision all of them new and random symptoms that had developed over the course of four or five days I think.

"What's going on with you?" John B asked me quietly.

I sighed, dropping my hand and opening my eyes to look at him, "I don't know." I shook my head, "But it's getting more frequent."

"You being sick?" He asked.

"No." I shook my head again, "That's a first." I said, "But the dizziness isn't."

"And you didn't think to tell any of us?" He asked.

I narrowed my eyes, "I mean it's pretty obvious when it happens, JB."

He nodded in agreement, "Like at Rixon's Cove?"

"Yeah." I nodded, "At first I thought I might've just been tipsy but it happened at the summer movie series when I had that fight with Rafe, at the Crain house and even yesterday morning."

"It doesn't sound good." He said to me.

"No." I agreed, "But at the moment I've got more important things on my mind."

John B sighed and looked around the trees, "What are we gonna do?"

"We've just gotta lay low." I shrugged, "Find somewhere to hide for now."

"Don't suppose you know a place we can hide do you?" He asked me, arching a brow.

I started shaking my head until I had a thought and my lips parted in remembrance, "Actually.."

"Good." John B said eagerly, "Good, where?"

I remember falling asleep and waking up in that old wooden and abandoned shack in the middle of nowhere the day JJ got arrested. I got so tired that when I passed the old shed I went inside and fell asleep. I knew it was on Figure Eight, over on the far side of the island.

I met John B's eyes hesitantly, "That's the thing."

He groaned, dragging his hand over his face in despair. I wracked my brain trying to retrace the path I took, maybe if we ventured to the Maybank residence and worked our way from there we'd find it. But that was a lot of open space and too big of a chance to take.

"Why don't we try and get over on to Figure Eight?" I suggested, "It's right over on the North side. Topper said it was virtually the end of the island."

John B pressed his lips together, "We can try." He nodded.

"Okay." I nodded, "The only thing is it might be a lot of ground to cover, especially when we meet JJ at the dump."

"It'll be all right." John B said, "We've got to try it.. and if we pass anything else on the way we can hide out there."

"Deal." I nodded, the two of us starting to walk away again. John B passed my bag over to me and I slung one strap over my shoulder, gripping it tightly. My friend put his jacket back on, pulling the hood over his head and I repositioned JJ's cap on my head in an attempt to cover as much of my face as I could. I slipped my hair into a messy low bun through the back of the cap and we were on our way.

The both of us were silent. The air was tense, hell it probably was around the whole island. John B and I were against all the odds and I was forcing myself to remain optimistic but I had big doubts that we were going to make it through the night. There were sirens everywhere, echoing into the air and a constant reminder that I was on the run from the police right now.

It was two sixteen year olds against the cops — fifty or so officers all out in squad cars searching this tiny island.

I had an unsettling feeling in my stomach.. anxiety? Maybe. I didn't want to go down for this, for a crime I never committed and that made my want to survive significantly higher. I was determined not to get caught, the fight response kicking in and fuelling me. I was going to run circles around these cops if that meant staying out of prison and if I had to flee the island I had to flee the island..

• • •

John B and I quickly realised that Figure Eight was a bad idea. God it was the worst idea we'd ever had I think because as the sun went in and night settled across the island the search had been upped significantly. There were police cars on every damn street and I regretted going on foot, I regretted leaving the safety of the trees.

What John B and I probably should've done was head deeper into the South side of the Cut, while it was full of crackheads we probably would've been safe there. The police wouldn't search it as much depth as they were searching Figure Eight right now.

I tried to keep my breathing quiet as John B and I ran across someone's front lawn but as I saw a blue and white cop car pass us I curled my fingers in my friends jacket and pulled him down to a crouch. John B was just as tired as I was, we'd been running now for about three or so hours I think and we were running out of luck.

"This was a bad idea." I muttered quietly to my friend.

John B looked at me and nodded, "Not gonna disagree with you there." He replied, peaking over the fence to check if the coast was clear, "C'mon."

I stood up and the both of us hopped the fence and ran across the street. I didn't have enough eyes to keep a lookout for cops coming from every direction and it made me paranoid. If John B was looking forwards I was looking backwards to see if there was someone tailing us. I was being cautious and I never stopped looking around, my eyes eagle wide and searching frantically with every step we took.

It was torturous hearing the sirens but not seeing the cars they were emitting from. It was just a reminder that they were close and over the course of the hours John B and I had been on foot I'd gotten pretty good at judging how close the cars were depending on how loud or faint the sirens were.

I followed John B into someone else's back yard and hopped over the bush fence they had into another persons back yard. This is what we were doing, just running from house to house and I was honestly surprised no one hadn't seen us yet.

I ran round the edge of the pool and across the yard, round to the front of the house when I saw blue lights flashing, the sound of the siren blaring.

"Shit." John B swore, twisting sharply to change direction and grabbing my hand to pull me along as the cop car drove passed the house.

Almost two weeks ago I was running through a renovation site while laughing with my friends, JJ by my side as we evaded Gary the security guard and his friend. That was fun, it was carefree and I was having a good time. Now I was evading the police and I was stressed, freaking out in fear of being caught.

John B opened the white gate and the both of us ran out of the yard, down the driveway and into the street. He was in front of me as I saw another series of flashing lights and he ducked behind a bush for cover. I joined him as we waited for the car to pass and I rested my forehead on his shoulder, panting heavily, "John B we need to get the fuck out of here."

"I know." He replied, pulling his hood up, "I'm gonna get us out, don't worry."

He stood up and ran and I followed him, running out into the street. The both of us ran down the road and at the bottom I saw a police car. I didn't waste a second before I grabbed his hand and pulled him off the road and into someone else's back yard. I let go of his hand as we ran across the driveway, jumping over the fence to get out of the property and I kept running.

I ducked into a build up of trees, moving until I knew I wouldn't be seen by someone driving past me and I leaned against the tree stump while breathing heavily.

"That was close." I muttered, gasping for air while closing my eyes.

I waited for my friends response but it never came and I turned around, John B gone.

"What the..?"

I looked around, my head twisting and turning as I circled myself. John B was actually gone, he wasn't with me and that meant I'd lost him.

"Oh, god. No, no, no, no." I muttered, "John B, where are you man?"

I looked at the house John B and I had just ran from. We were together when we crossed the road before we got to that house so surely I'd lost him there, right?

What if he was hiding around that house? I could go back but what if the cops saw me, what if I got caught? I didn't know what was for the best but I did know I couldn't just leave him behind.

I exhaled slowly, walking out of the comfort of the trees and round the back of the home. If he wasn't here or around here I was leaving, that was it.

I heard sirens getting closer as I walked round the back of the house, my heart hammering in my chest painfully. It was hurting so bad that I was holding my breath, breathing was hurting because my throat was so sore.

"All right, John B! It's Shoupe out here!"

"Shit!" I swore to myself, my eyes wide. I pressed my back into the back of the house, my head by a small vent. I was thankful the backyard was enclosed but I was so screwed if they came round.

"We got you surrounded. We don't want any more bloodshed!" Shoupe said through a megaphone.

Was John B in the house?

"We're coming in!"

I didn't know what to do, did try and I make a break back for where I'd just come from? What if the police were there, they were probably surrounding the whole fucking house which meant the chances of me getting out of here undetected was slim.

I banged my head lightly against the vent, "Oh, shit."

I stepped away when I heard rustling from behind the vent, my eyes wide but it wasn't long until it popped open.

I sighed in relief when I saw John B's head poking out the vent, "Fucking hell." I murmured as he climbed out, "Where did you go?"

He didn't answer my question, instead he grabbed my hand and pulled me to the gate, "We gotta get out of here." He told me and we hopped the fence.

It was pitch black now and I was thankful for the darkness, it made running and hiding so much easier because the police didn't have daylight on their side. Now it was in favour of John B and I, as long as we could stay hidden and out of sight there was no way the cops could find us.

The blue lights belonging to the police vehicles created a glow across the yards we ran through but the lack of sirens told me they were parked up.

While I said darkness was on our side we had to actually put some distance between us and the police and we had to do it quickly otherwise we would get caught.

I could hear people shouting about, claiming they were going to help with the search before I heard Shoupe turn them away. John B has almost just been caught and if Shoupe was out with a megaphone it would've pulled a lot of attention. Everyone on Figure Eight was nosey, they wanted to know what was going on so they would've formed a crowd.

Shoupe could tell them to go home as much as he wanted but he'd put a bounty on John B and I's heads and people would want that money. They wouldn't listen to him, I knew that and that made John B and I's escape a lot harder. Not only did we have the police to evade but the public now too.

John B pulled me behind a car and we used it for cover. I tried to catch my breath, leaning my head against the window of the car. I tried to ignore the police radios and the sound of people shouting as they searched for us but I couldn't push it away.

My mind drifted to my parents and I thought about what they were doing, where they were right now and what they were thinking. I hated the fact I was putting them through this, I couldn't begin to imagine how they were feeling. I certainly was a shit daughter, subjecting them to this. Everyone on the island would know them now as the parents of the girl who helped kill the Sheriff no matter how hard my mom fought to clear my name.

Clear my name..

The thought passed through my mind on a chain like it was nothing but it gave me an idea. It wasn't a good one, or a solid one for that matter. It was me throwing myself under a bus for the sake of John B and hoping I came out all right.

I'd draw the heat off John B's back for him to get away and if I got caught I could use my mom's attorney skills to try and prove my innocence.

Thinking about it now it was a terrible plan — like really, I shouldn't go through with it, bad.

I scrapped the idea, surely I could think of something better. Well, maybe if I wasn't so stressed I'd be able to come up with a decent-ish plan but my thoughts were just getting mashed with each other. I wouldn't be surprised if I couldn't even string a sentence at the moment.

"C'mon he went this way."

My eyes widened as I turned my head to meet John B's eyes. He silently held his finger to his lips in response before leaning over the edge of the truck to see where he was. I turned and looked through the window to see Rafe and Kelce walking down the street, both of them with a flashlight in their hands.

I couldn't believe him, the fact that he'd shot and killed Peterkin yesterday and he was waking around like he hadn't done anything — like he was innocent when in reality it was John B and I who were innocent.

Rafe truly didn't know what he'd done wrong and that scared me. The proud smile on his face after he'd shot Peterkin, after he'd come to his fathers 'aid' would haunt me for the rest of my life. I didn't understand how he physically didn't see his wrongdoing. If any person had shot and killed someone they'd be wracked with guilt but he showed absolutely no remorse. Even Ward looked guilty when he was getting arrested for Big John's murder.

I wanted to blame it on the cocaine or something but looking at him now through the car windows he looked as sober as a stone.

Rafe Cameron had lived such a sheltered life for his whole nineteen years that he couldn't be independent, he didn't know how to behave as an adult and because of that he only knew how to act younger than his real age. He went around beating people up, trying to hit on girls three years younger than him and getting into fights while drinking and doing drugs as a way to rebel.

He was, as much as didn't seem it, innocent.

Not innocent in the way that he didn't do any of those things. Innocent as in he was very naive, he didn't understand what he'd done wrong. That's why he couldn't fully grasp that he'd actually murdered someone. He was too busy trying to prove to his dad that he was a good son, that's what it was about — proving himself and in Rafe's sick and twisted mind the only way to do that was do shoot someone.

Rafe had so much inner turmoil — much more than what JJ had — and it was dangerous. He was hooked on doing the wrong thing just to try and portray himself in a positive light to his dad but everything he was doing to show that light was bad.

"What is he doing here?" I whispered quietly.

"Isn't it obvious?" John B asked me, "He needs to make sure we go down for this."

I shook my head. Rafe's plan had too many flaws. If John B and I did get arrested we'd tell our side of the story — of course we would — and we'd point the blame towards him and depending on whether they believed us or not it'd be down to Sarah to pick whichever side she was going to back.

John B and I or her family.

John B picked a grappling hook out from the back of the truck we were hiding behind and held it tightly. I had no idea what he was intending on doing with it but I didn't ask.

"Where you at John B?!" I heard Rafe shout.

"He's getting closer." I whispered.

"I know." My friend nodded.

"Hey what about Davis?" I heard Kelce ask.

"What about her?" Rafe replied.

"Well you said she was there, maybe she's around here too."

"Then we kill two birds with one stone." Rafe replied and I swallowed deeply. I honestly didn't know if he was being metaphorical or if he was being genuine and that scared me a little.

A cop car drove down the road separating John B and I from Kelce and Rafe, the sirens blaring and lights flashing and I ducked somewhat.

"Hey!" I heard Rafe shout, "Hey! Where you going? This way!"

"Hey!" Kelce shouted.

John B turned and threw the grappling hook over the truck and towards Kelce and Rafe and I realised he was using it as a distraction. One of the cars, on the opposite side of the road, alarm started blaring, pulling their attention to that and I watched carefully as the two walked over to it.

"Rafe, somebody set off that alarm." Kelce said to his friend, the two of them waking over to it. The alarm didn't just draw their attention but the attention of other people looking too and they all walked over to the car, searching around it.

Another police car drove down the street and it stopped as Rafe flagged it down by standing in front of it, "Hey bro, he went this way." Kelce said.

"Are you sure?" The officer asked.

"Yeah, yeah." Kelce nodded.

"You sure he went that way?" Rafe asked as I watched Kelce walk away in the direction opposite to us. I could feel my body relaxing slightly with every step he took, putting more and more distance between us.

"There's no other way he could've gone." Kelce replied.

"What about the girl?" I heard someone call out, "Was she with him?"

"I don't know." Kelce replied.

John B grabbed my hand, pulling my attention away from the search for the both of us and he started walking away, "C'mon." He guided and I followed him.

"Hey, do not let them get far, all right?!" Rafe yelled and as the sirens started blaring again we picked up into a run, sprinting to wherever we were going.

"John B?" I asked my friend through heavy breaths, "Where you takin' me man?"

"Just trust me." John B replied, pulling me along.

• • •

The cicadas were chirping around us as John B finally came to a stop. I looked around the dark space as I panted, reaching up and taking JJ's hat off as I ran my hand across my sweaty forehead. I could still hear sirens in the distance and although we hadn't ran far I didn't think anyone would find us here.

I saw what looked like an abandoned church building with a high bell tower that stood out against the dark sky. The windows had been boarded up and whether that was from Agatha or whether  it was done when the building closed I wasn't sure but it looked like the perfect place to hide.

When I looked over at John B I saw familiarity on his face and I figured he'd been here before and we hadn't just found this place on a whim. I was grateful to whoever had shown him this place or however he'd found it because at the moment it was looking to be our saviour, I just hoped we could get inside.

"C'mon, let's not hang about." I egged my friend on, coaxing him to the door as he stood staring up at the bell tower.

"Yeah, okay." John B nodded breathlessly and the both of us started jogging round the back of the church building to the door. I followed him under the wood that had been nailed across the doorframe and into the building, closing the door behind me, "This way." John B told me, climbing up the ladder.

"All right." I nodded, following him up and into the bell tower, closing the trap door behind us.

I drew my hands through my hair as I paced around, the sirens still clear in my ears even from up here. I just prayed that no one had followed us.

John B checked through the gaps in the poorly boarded windows and he picked up a candle stick holder as a weapon of defence.

I scoffed quietly, "Who's that gonna hurt, huh?" I asked him.

"Shh." He hissed, shaking his head at me. The both of us knew it was a bad weapon but there wasn't anything else we could use around here.

I went to retaliate but I heard thudding coming from underneath the trapped door. My heart dropped a thousand miles into the pit of my stomach in fear and I looked down to the closed wooden hatch while shaking my head. How an earth had we been caught? I was almost confident that no one had followed us.

John B grabbed my arm and pulled me over to him, pushing me behind him protectively and I gripped the shoulders of his jacket in my hands as I watched the hatch door over his shoulder. He held the candle stick holder up, over our heads slightly, and readjusted his grip of it several times.

The thumping got louder and my heart started beating wildly in my chest, John B and I's breathing rapid in fear as the person got closer and closer to finding us.

And just when I thought our jig was up, the trapped door opened and Sarah poked her head through.

I exhaled heavily in relief, my mouth dropping as John B's tense shoulders relaxed under my hands.

"Oh my god." I murmured.

John B let out a breathy laugh of disbelief and I stepped out from behind him, "Hi."

Sarah smiled in relief, "Hi." She climbed up and I didn't waste a second before I rushed forwards and hugged her tightly. I knew she'd want to see John B but I was just grateful to see her here, surely if she was here with us that meant she had our backs?

"I'm glad you're all right." Sarah mumbled to me.

I nodded into her shoulder and pulled away, "Yeah, never better." I replied humorously with a smile.

Her face dropped a little as my voice came out strained and croaked and her eyes dropped to my throat, "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault." I said to her honestly and she nodded, looking over my shoulder at John B. I stepped aside as she walked over to him slowly, the both of them looking at each other in disbelief. It was like they were almost afraid that they were dreaming and they weren't actually facing each other.

"Hi." Sarah muttered.

"Hi." John B repeated.

She rushed forwards, wrapping her arms around him tightly in an embrace and I pressed my lips together as I watched them, "I thought I'd never see you again." John B said to her.

I exhaled slowly. Watching them was hitting me hard and I was reminded of my own fears at the moment. For John B and Sarah it was all right because they had each other now but I didn't know if was going to see JJ again and the thought made my heart hurt. It was the fear of the unknown, what was going to happen tonight or even tomorrow morning. Would we get caught just before we got to the dump? Just before I got to JJ to see him one last time or would we make it?

As Sarah continued to sob I cleared my throat, feeling tears pricking my eyes that I didn't want to shed, "I'm gonna give you guys space." I muttered to the two.

"Don't go far." John B instructed me, looking at me over Sarah's shoulder, "I promised JJ I'd keep you safe, all right?"

I nodded silently, swallowing the lump in my throat as I crouched down by the open hatch door and climbed down the ladders. I didn't even manage two steps down before I felt my tears pushing over my eyes and falling down my cheeks freely.

I got to the bottom, my converse resting on the old wooden floor as I walked around. I knew I shouldn't leave but I felt like I just needed some air. I walked back to the door John B and I came though and opened it, ducking under the wood to get out and closing the door behind me. I didn't move for a while, I just held the old doorknob and rested my forehead on the wood, breathing steadily while I cried.

What the hell was going on?

This wasn't how summer was supposed to go, this wasn't what I had planned when school ended three and a half weeks ago. I didn't plan to get hung up on a treasure hunt, to find four hundred million dollars worth of gold. I didn't plan to become a witness to the Sheriff's murder. I didn't plan to fall in love..

I didn't really know where all this emotion had broke out from. Two weeks ago I rarely ever cried and now I was tearing up every day or so, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders — waiting for some sort of impending doom.

I felt lost, like I didn't even know this person I was at the minute and I couldn't tell if that was for the better or not. She was a more emotional person, more rational but she talked and if she didn't talk I wouldn't of ever confessed my feelings for JJ. I felt as if I'd aged — matured, even — two of three years in the span of two short weeks. They say being in dangerous situations builds character, I guess they weren't wrong.

"Shit." I swore through my tears, rubbing my nose with the back of my hand, "Get yourself together, Mal, come on." I coached.

I'd managed to keep my shit together all day and the minute I think we're out of the heat for a bit I crumble.. and why? Because all my adrenaline had ran out. I didn't have that fight response fuelling me and overriding my actions right now and because of that it left the gap for my vulnerable side to push through and take advantage of the moment.

My knees shook as I cried, flaking under the pressure of being a wanted fugitive.

But just because I was crying didn't mean I was deaf. I heard when a twig snapped under someone's heavy foot and my eyes widened in fear as I whipped around — my back pressed against the door of the old church building.

So not only had Sarah found us but someone else had found us too.

I narrowed my eyes slightly, my heart returning to the fast rhythm it'd been pumping at all day as I watched the shadowy figure against the trees. I didn't dare speak, didn't dare open my mouth and for what reason I didn't know. I was frozen in fear at the notion of being caught.

"Mally?"

No. No way.

There wasn't— it just wasn't even possible.

"Mally? Is that you?"

"Topper?" I found myself asking as the person neared me. My strained voice was swirling in confusion and I wiped my face quickly, ridding myself of tears.

"Mally, what the fuck?"

So maybe it was possible.

The moonlight scattered across Topper's face and I saw him as he approached me slowly. His face was twisted and confused, matching my own as he looked at me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked my step brother cautiously.

Topper's strides slowed significantly the closer he got to me and I could see his face clearly now. He looked from me up to the bell tower above us several times, "I-I followed Sarah.. is she here?"

"You- you what?" I asked in disbelief. Why couldn't he, for once in his life, leave Sarah alone? I shook my head, "Topper you need to leave."

"I need to leave?" He scoffed, "I need to find her, she's putting herself in danger."

"What danger is she in?" I asked him hostile, my voice raising as stood opposite me. There wasn't even two meters between the two of us now and I was surprised he'd come this close if I was honest.

"You-you and John B killed the Sheriff." He said firmly, "She shouldn't be with fugitives."

I dug my hands into my hair in frustration and pulled at the roots, "God, Topper!" I yelled in annoyance, "Do you really believe I helped John B killed Peterkin?! That we actually even killed her?"

"Well if you didn't do it, who did?" He fired, his tone snappy.

"It was Rafe." I told him, "Fucking Rafe!"

Topper shook his head, chuckling to himself, "No. Nah, that's a pretty bad joke."

"It's not a joke you dickhead!" I scolded, pushing his shoulder, "He did it!"

"Why would he shoot Peterkin?" Topper asked me, his eyes narrowing.

"Stop thinking about the why and start thinking about the plausibility of it!" I snapped in irritation. Topper and I knew Rafe, we'd both seen first hand what he was like and how violent he could get. The both of us knew he wasn't all right in the head, that he was a bit of a psychopath by nature, so why now was Topper choosing to ignore everything we'd seen, "Topper you and I know exactly what Rafe is like!"

I saw his stubborn, disbelieving facade drop and I watched as doubt scattered across his face, "I-I-I don't—" He stuttered.

"Think about it Topper." I urged, my defensive tone morphing into one of pleading, "All right? He beat up Pope, he-he ganged up on JJ, he almost hit me— he-he strangled me, Topper, held a gun to my forehead.. the same gun he killed Peterkin with." I said quickly, "You have to believe me, okay? Why would I try and pin the blame on someone innocent?"

"He strangled you?" Topper asked me quietly.

"Look at my throat." I urged him, "Listen to my voice, Top, it sounds shocking."

My step brother shook his head, "Why would-why would he do that?"

"Because I tried to grab Peterkin's gun to defend myself." I told him, "Sarah was there, Topper. Come on, you have to believe me." I was actually gripping to his arm now, with my still bloodstained hands. I was begging Topper to believe me because I was desperate to have someone else on our side.

My step brother was looking at me, meeting my pleading gaze but he was fighting. He didn't know, he was conflicted and I could tell by the way his jaw clenched and unclenched lightly.

"I—" He paused and shook his head, "I have to see Sarah."

I watched him walk passed me with wide eyes and into the old church building, "Topper, please!"

But he didn't listen to me and he didn't reply, instead he just walked up the step ladders and left me. I sighed heavily, a tear rolling down my cheek out of frustration and I kicked the outside of the building. How hard was it to get someone to believe I was innocent? Who the hell was drilling into people that John B and I had actually shot Sheriff Peterkin.

The bell tower started ringing above me, the old bell echoing loudly and my eyes widened. There were cops close by, I could hear their sirens and they'd of heard that easily. We weren't even far from Figure Eight and anyone out looking for John B and I would've probably heard it as well.

"C'mon, this way!"

I groaned in annoyance. Wherever we were Rafe wasn't ever far behind us, hell it was like he was fucking haunting us.

The bell tower stopped ringing but the police sirens drew closer, as did Rafe and Kelce. I looked up to the tower knowing John B was up there with Sarah and Topper. I didn't want to leave him, I really didn't but if I went up there after them I could get busted and I didn't want that. I didn't want to get arrested after I'd spent almost thirty-two hours on the run. But then I didn't want John B to get caught either.

It was a lose-lose situation I think, whatever I did would have a consequence.

I took one last look up at the bell tower before I walked away, jogging into the trees. My heart was begging me to turn around and go back, reminding me that I'd left my best friend up there to fend for himself but my head was reminding me that I was protecting myself — that I had to run for my own good.

I was torn and I felt so guilty for leaving John B but for now I just had to pray neither of us go busted before three o'clock tomorrow.

• • •

A/N; Here's the chapter I promised yesterday. There are just three chapters left before season 1 is done! I'm so excited to release them, I'm almost sure this hasn't been done before!!