Sorry for the break there. I had a moment of serious writers block. One of those i know where i want this to end but not sure how to get there type deals. I also wasnt sure i wanted this chapter to go this direction. I felt like i was putting to much angst and hurt for it. But YOLO right.
Good news... I have the new three chapters laid out, and now i just have to find time to write them. Additionally i know exactly how i plan to include season two with Rowyn and this story line. That being said this story will have three more chapters to finish off my version of season 1 and will be starting my version of season 2 in a new story.
As always all error will remain mine
JJ POV
We woke up uncomfortable on the boat dock the next morning. After the small ceremony where John B let go of his dad none of us wanted to move, eventually lying down around each other. Rowyn had her head pillowed on my stomach, John B's head resting on her lap. Rowyn and John B were close from the moment she joined our little group. I realized after awhile my behavior with Rowyn may have been because I was jealous of their relationship, but sitting here now, it was never a romantic one, they were the closest thing to a brother and sister either had had.
As we slowly woke up, I ran my hands softly through Rowyn's hair. She moved her head to look up at me and she gave a soft sigh leaning her head slightly into my hand. John B stirred from her lap and slowly sat up rubbing his eyes.
"Are you sure she will be there?" He asked pulling his knees up wrapping his arms around them looking out at the rising sun on the horizon. With a small groan and stretch Rowyn pushed herself up running a hand through her hair. I followed stretching my arms out over my head with an exaggerated yawn.
"She told me to pick her up." Rowyn nodded, "I don't think she would have said that if she didn't plan to be there."
"She didn't believe me…" he said quietly shaking his head, dropping it to his knees. Rowyn moved to sit beside him, made a point to be close enough that he knew she was there but not smothering him. I stood from my spot and leaned on the railing looking down at them.
"That's not true…" She shook her head. "You didn't give her a chance to process. Something like that, its hard to wrap your head around, but I think deep down… she knows her dad isn't straightlaced." I watched him process the information nodding slowly. She placed her hand on his back rubbing it slowly. "She loves you John B." he let out a breath that sounded like a sob and I had to look away. John B was one of the strongest people I knew, and to have him reduced to a broken shell hurt.
Kie joined us after awhile slowly making her way down the dock. Rowyn and I hadn't seen her since she stalked off after her fight with Pope. She didn't look like she had slept much and looked about as wrecked as John B.
"Hey Kie." I say as she came and sat across from us her back against one of the posts. She nodded at me and gave me a soft smile before looking back down at her feet. We made up a pretty depressing group right now. Sitting quietly watching the sunrise Rowyn finally stood up.
"I am going to go get Sarah." She sighed looking from John B to Kie then finally to me. "We will figure this out." I followed behind her as she went to her car grabbing her keys from the porch. "Keep an eye on them yeah?"
"Yeah." I nodded wrapping my arms around her as she melted into me. Looking up at me she smiled, and I couldn't help but smile as well leaning down to place a kiss chastely on her lips.
"I love you." She whispered against my lips. Bringing my hands from her back up to her face I placed them on her cheeks and pulled her back slightly so I could look her in the eyes.
"I love you too…" I whispered back. I didn't have to think about saying it, with all my heart, as broken and bruised as it was, I knew and felt the words I was saying. "Be careful."
"Oh, I will be so careful." She laughed kissing me one more time before getting into her car and waiving as she pulled away. Adjusting my hat on my head I turned back towards the dock hands going into the pockets of my shorts. When I got back John B was laying on his back now his eyes closed.
Squinting into the rising sun I watched as John B grabbed his now dirty and grungy cast and pulled it, somewhat painfully, off his arm. "You know I knew, deep down, I knew there wasn't going to be a happy ending to the story…" he said throwing the cast further up the dock.
"John B…" Kie commented
"What Kie… it's a hairline fracture, who cares…" he interrupted with a sigh lifting his hand up and wiggling his fingers in front of her to prove a point. Rolling my eyes, I turned back to the horizon.
"You should. Your arm's gonna be messed up for life." She said under her breath with a disapproving tone.
"It's fine." He said. Down the driveway we heard a voice yelling and footstep running on the gravel. Turning, Pope was running towards us, his button-down shirt untucked and sweat soaked.
"Guys!" Pope yelled. "Guys… God… I ran all the way here." He was out of breath and bent over next to Kie on the dock trying to catch he breath.
"You alright?" John B asked without turning towards him.
"How was the interview Pope?" I asked.
"Don't ask." He shook his head. "Look man, John B I am sorry about your dad, but I think you were right."
"Right about what?" John B asked sitting up.
"About the message in the compass." Pope said standing up straight his face scrunched in pain as he took in a full breath of air. "You know how when you're trying to remember a song and can't remember who sings it?"
Watching us nod he continued frantically, "So I am in my interview, and they start asking about family and lineage and shit like that, and I started thinking about the name in the compass… Any way so Redfield. This whole time we were thinking it was a place, like the lighthouse right."
"Yeah." John B nodded scowling at him.
"What if its not a place, but a person. Like a person you know or are related to?" I scowled and turned to face him as he said that. I could see John B working the idea out in his head pulling the compass out from his pocket his fingers running over the it. "I mean didn't your dad have a grandma or something?"
"The office." He said standing up and walking down the dock towards the Chateau. Looking from Kie to Pope I quickly followed behind him as he jumped up the front steps.
"John B what are you talking about?" I asked as he stopped in front of the closed door in the back of the shack. I had passed the locked door daily but never tried to open.
"My dad," he said, "My dad's office, he always kept the office locked because he was worried about his competitors stealing his Royal Merchant research. We used to laugh at him like he was gonna find it, I mean he did but now that… I just left it as he kept it." Kie gave his shoulder a small squeeze as he placed the key to the door in the lock and opened the office.
"I've slept over here like 600 times, and I have never seen this door opened." Pope said walking into the office.
"Here, take a look at this." John B said grabbing a corkboard that leaned on the bookshelf placing it on the cluttered table in the middle of the office. "The original owner right here."
"Robert Q. Routledge, 1880 to 1920." Kie nodded tilting her head as she looked at the aged picture.
"And look there is the lucky compass." I pointed out in the picture.
"Actually, he was shot after he bought it." John B said an awkward silence consuming the room. "Then the compass was shipped back to Henry… He was uh… he was killed in a crop-dusting accident when he had the compass. After he died, the compass was given to Stephen. Stephen had the compass with him when he died in Vietnam…"
"Let me guess, he died in action, right?" I asked.
"Sort of…" he answered his voice stuttering as he shrugged. "Uh, he was killed by a banana truck… in country…. Anyways, after that the compass was passed down to him…my dad."
"Hm. Sounds like there's a reoccurring theme here…" I stated a little anxious about the revelation of previous owners of the compass, that currently sat in the palm of my best friend.
"Yeah…. You have a death compass" Pope added agreeing with me.
"I do not." John B rolled his eyes.
"Dude you have a death compass. Get rid of it man." I stated.
"Can we focus please…" he sighed rubbing his head directing our attention back to the board. "Pope's right about Redfield not being a place. Look here."
"Olivia R. Routledge." Kie read the small piece of paper in the corner of the corkboard. "Who's that?"
"My great, great, Grandmother Olivia Redfield Routledge." John B said and I could hear Pope and Kie take a sudden gasp of air at the revelation.
"Okay so your dad was hinting towards your dead grandma?" I asked raising an eyebrow confused.
"There's a crypt in the cemetery that my dad would always talk about, talk about being the place where he could go…"
"A creepy crypt surrounded by dead people…" Kie commented.
"Okay so we go to the crypt then what?" I asked and John B moved around the table to run his hand through his hair and try and put all the pieces to the puzzle together.
"What if we're wrong, what if…"
"Guys…"
"Weren't you the one that was telling me to support him?" Pope asked Kie as she questioned the whole crypt scenario.
"I'm just saying that it's a stretch…"
"Guys!" John B exclaimed pulling us from the argument to stare at him. "Somebody's here." We rushed to the window and saw what John B was talking about. Pulling up to the house was a black pick up. As we watched the truck park two men got out and I felt my heart drop.
"Guy's is that them?" Kie asked.
"No…" I said under my breath stepping back putting my hands on my head trying to control the pounding in my chest as my anxiety began to climb.
"Is that them?" Kie asked again watching me walk away from the window.
"John B… I told you man…" I started to say turning to pace the room, "Why does it always…" I was instantly cut off as John B turned me and pushed me into the wall putting a finger up to his lips to tell me to shut up.
"JJ, look at me… Where's the gun?" He asked and I scowled trying to remember what had happened to it. When John B got back last night after he calmed down, he had handed me the gun again to put away. Where had I put it….i tried to remember.
"Gun… I uh…"
"Now you don't have the gun?" Kie said on the verge of tears.
"I put it in my backpack last night… and then I…" I tried to remember.
"Backpack…" John B nodded, and his eyes widened as he remembered. "The porch."
"It's on the porch." I nodded moving to go out the office and run to the porch. I got to the living room before I heard one of them yell out John B's name and heard the footsteps stomping up the porch."
"Where's the gold!" another yelled as I ran back into the office shutting the door quickly behind me
"Where's the gun?" John B whispered.
"They're on the front porch." I shook my head leaning on the door.
"Get out here!" the man yelled again. "Routledge! Where you at boy?"
"We gotta leave!" Kie said in a tearful whisper looking around wildly for a way out. "Guys, window! Window!" Glass could be heard shattering the floor outside the door and I quickly ran to the window with Pope trying to pry it open.
"Hurry." Kie ordered anxiously. Things were being thrown outside the door and John B was standing with his back to the door trying to stay calm. "Why is it taking so long?"
"It's painted shut, okay." I snapped turning to her frustrated. Pope turned from the window to try and find something to get the window open with, as I continued to try and muscle it open.
"Here, okay guys I got it." Kie whispered as she held out a letter opener. I stepped to the side for her to work on the window looking up through the window just as jeep pulled into the driveway. My heart already beating wildly felt like it stopped as my brain pieced together who was in that vehicle.
"Shit!" I cursed and Kie looked up and saw what I was looking at. The two men in the shack must have heard the approaching car because the banging stopped.
"Stop them." Pope said quickly as both John B and I pulled our phones out frantically dialing. I watched from the window as Rowyn and Sarah exited the car both stopping eyeing the black truck. Sarah was looking at her phone at the same time Rowyn answered hers.
"JJ, who…" she started to ask on the other line, but I quickly interrupted.
"Get out of here!" I nearly shouted and I could hear her telling Sarah to get back in the car.
"Don't move!" one of them men yelled and looking out the window I was a gun held up at both girls their hands instantly going into the air.
ROWYN POV
"He locked you in your room?" I asked Sarah as we drove back towards the Chateau. She had been right where she had said when I pulled up earlier and eagerly got into the car. All hesitation that I saw last night was gone, she had determination written all over her face. "How the hell did you get out?"
"Wheezie," she shrugged leaning on her elbow. "Roe, what if he did it. What if what John B said actually happened?"
"We will figure it out." I nodded tightening the grip on the wheel.
"You get it though right. How crazy this whole thing sounds?" She asked as I pulled down the road to the fishing shack. "I mean… don't you think I would know if my dad found gold?"
"Would you?" I asked pulling up to the house and parking my car.
"I don't know." She sighed defeated as we stepped out of the car. I gave her a sympathetic look opening my own door. My eyes immediately landed on the black truck parked to the left of me. I looked to the dock where I had left everyone this morning, but it was now vacant. "Whose truck is that?"
"I don't know?" I shook my head feeling my phone buzz in my hand. JJ's picture was on the screen, and I scowled putting it to my ear. "JJ, who…"
"Get out of here!" he exclaimed loudly, and I felt the panic in his voice.
"Sarah get back in the car!" I pointed to the passenger door and just as she turned to get in my hand on the door, I heard the click of a gun.
"Don't move!" a man yelled coming down the porch. My blood ran cold as I turned putting my hands up watching the man on the porch slowly come down. "Who are you?"
"Who are you?" I repeated his question.
"Don't be cute girl!" he said his voice dripping with anger. I recognized the dangerous tone and knew we needed to find a way out. Sarah and I had slowly moved to the front of my car gun still trained on us.
"My Ex took my surfboard; I want it back." I lied trying to keep the strength in my voice.
"Ratter, who are they?" a second man called from the house.
"Do you know where the gold is?" the man, Ratter, asked taking another step towards us. Ten more steps and he would be in front of my face.
"The what?" I asked looking at Sarah who shook her head as well. I could see the tremor in her hands as they held firm by her head. In the last two weeks this is the second time we had a gun trained on us.
"Don't…" he started to say but a clatter from the porch startled him, and he turned towards the noise. I took the opening and pushed Sarah to run. Running I heard a curse and loud shots behind us before rounding the corner of the house. The bullets passing us felt close and I swear I could feel the heat as they passed by us, but I couldn't stop to think about it.
"Hide!" I said pushing her towards the trees and I turned to run to the surf shed on the edge of the property. I stopped in the middle looking for something to use against a gun, quickly realizing that there wasn't anything that would be a good defense.
"I will only ask again… where is the fucking gold." Ratter was behind me again. Spinning his gun was still trained on me but the darkness in his eyes seemed to be darker now, like he only had one objective and letting me live wasn't going to be part of that. I am not exactly sure where he came from, but JJ was behind him and tackling him so fast it was hard to follow his movement. The gun went flying forward into the pile of old fishnets and crates at the side of the shed. JJ and the man wrestled on the ground, JJ's fist connected with the man's nose, before the man kicked him off.
Ratter got up and kicked JJ. He rolled holding his side as Ratter picked him up by the shirt kneeling in front of him his fist colliding with JJ's jaw. Grabbing the closest thing I could, which happened to be an old broken ore I swung it at the back of the angry mans back. He dropped JJ falling onto is hands before turning to me. Backing up I still had the ore in hand, but the man was ready when I swung it again, catching it and ripping it from my grasp. His hand came around my throat as he shoved me against the wall of the shed squeezing.
My throat was still sore from two days ago when my dad had made the same move. I heard myself make a choked noise as I scratched at his hands trying to pull him from me. He sneered at me, and with the little I could move, I was able to bring my leg up between his and he released me. I dropped to my knees at the same time he did, coughing and holding my throat. From his place on his knees, one hand holding his crotch he pushed towards me. I couldn't move any farther away, the shed pressed into my back. Just as fast however a surfboard came from behind Ratter hitting him hard in the head. He collapsed with a groan before JJ tossed the board on top of him hard before reaching down grabbing my hand.
Without a second thought I took it, and we ran from the shed towards the roadway. We continued to run down the driveway before the Twinkie pulled up beside us, the side door opening, and JJ lifted me slightly and placed me in the van before jumping in behind me. When he lifted me in, I felt a small hot sting at my side that took my breath away for a second, but I chose to ignore it collapsing on the floor of the Volkswagen van out of breath.
"John B. Go!" JJ and Pope both yelled. The van door sliding shut. Far enough down the road for the tension to ease someone started to laugh became contagious. From my place on the floor, I saw the black case beside me still filled with the gold.
"Told you guys…" JJ breathed out with a chuckle. "Burly." Another round of laughter filled the small space and I pushed myself up to sit with my back against the side of the fan, the small tug at my side becoming more irritating.
"What the hell was all that?" Sarah asked from the front seat, her hand tightly tangled with John Bs.
"They wanted the compass and the gold I'm guessing." Kie explained with a sigh of exhaustion.
"This is becoming way more than a simple Scooby mystery." I said leaning my head back closing my eyes. There was a collective agreement around the Twinkie. Just as we fell into a comfortable silence it was broken by Popes panicked words.
"JJ what the hell is that." I opened my eyes to see what Pope was pointed at. They widened at the red that coated his left palm. He looked down at it and shrugged searching himself for any injury. As he searched my mind drifted to the hot feeling I had when Sarah and I were running away, the sting I had when JJ picked me up into the van, and the irritating ache at my side. The Pope had moved to JJ and was poking and prodding him as I looked down at myself and slowly lifted my hand that I had placed at my side. There it was, the red from JJ's hand was replicated on my own. Kie had taken her eyes from the two boys to look at me and I looked up to meet her eyes when they widened in realization.
"Roe." She said cautiously, but it was loud enough that both Pope and JJ stopped bantering.
"I… I think its mine." I say more surprised then scared. Everyone seemed to panic at the same time. John B pulled off to the side of the road, being sure we were hidden from the main road. JJ same up pulling me from the spot I was leaning up against the fan now laying against his chest. "Stop!" I exclaimed as Pope and Kie started arguing, both hesitating at my side. Everyone froze as I lifted myself slightly from JJs chest and I could feel him reluctantly lift me up, so I was sitting up more. Cautiously my hand went to the hem of my shirt lifting it up. What greeted us was my abdomen covered in blood down to the waist of my pants. To my relief there wasn't a hole in my stomach but a large gash in my side.
"Its just a graze." I sighed leaning back against JJ who gratefully accepted my presence.
"That's still a lot of blood Roe." Pope said.
"What do we do?" Sarah asked her and John B had gotten out of the front of the van and were standing at the side door of the van. "Do we go to the hospital?"
"Here." John B state handing the bandana that he usually wore around his neck to Kie who, gently put pressure on my side. The previously irritating ache turned into a sudden white-hot pain, and I gasped surprised closing my eyes.
"Sorry." I could hear Kie say. JJ wrapped his arms around me tighter and I could feel how fast his heart was beating. He was about to have an anxiety attack.
" 's fine," I say through clenched teeth shaking my head at her. Once my body became numb to the pain after a few second, I took a stuttered breath and opened my eyes again. "You take me to the hospital they will call my dad and yours Sarah."
"This needs stitched up Rowyn." Kie stated firmly, "It might be worth the risk." I shook my head and groaned again clenching my teeth as Kie applied more pressure.
"I know where to go." JJ finally spoke. He had been quiet through the whole conversation up until this moment and I knew it was because he was scared. "John B you know where Ricky lives yeah?"
"Ricky?" I asked looking up at him and he just nodded, "Like your cousin, drug dealer Ricky?"
"He's an EMT." He shrugged and Kie gave him a look that made me smile. "He can do both. Economy and all." John B nodded and pulled Sarah back to the front seat before getting in and starting the van up. As the group fell into silence, I turned in JJ's arms, so I was sitting awkwardly half on his lap, half on the van. Kie was able to keep pressure on my side as I moved, understanding my need to help him.
"Jay look at me." I said softly, but he kept his eyes locked on my side. Lifting my hand, I put it under his chin and lifted it so he was staring at me. JJ was a hard to read guy, he hid behind a tough exterior and walls, but his eyes would always show his true emotion. Right now, they were swimming with concern, pain, fear, and blame. So much emotion for one person to feel at once. "Hey, I'm still right here. Not going anywhere."
He let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes bringing his forehead to mine. He nodded as I lay back against him, his hand running up my back. After a few minutes of driving the van stopped and John B jumped out followed by Sarah who opened the side door. Pope got out first and I replaced Kie's hand on my side so she could get out. Slowly I scooted on my butt to the door, JJ right behind me his hand never leaving my back. I winced as I let my feet straighten on the ground and slowly stood using the van for support. Sarah was instantly at my side until JJ was out taking my arm over his shoulder. John B was already knocking rapidly on the front door. The group seemed to stay close to JJ and I as I slowly moved forward.
Despite the hand pressing firmly at my side, my head was starting to feel light. The adrenaline was gone, and I was starting to feel incredibly light-headed. As if sensing my sudden fatigue JJ stopped walking to bend down and lift me easily into his arms. Ricky had just answered the door as we got there is annoyed face instantly turning to surprise and concern.
"Ricky, we need your help." JJ said once Ricky's eyes finally fell on his cousin. "Please."
"Inside." He stepped to the side, and we filed in. "What the hell happened JJ?" he asked coming up beside me once JJ placed me in one of the chairs.
"I was grazed by a bullet." I say when no one else knew how to answer. Carefully I lifted the now bloody bandana from my side to show him the deep graze still oozing blood. "And we can't go to a hospital."
"Why the hell not?"
"Its complicated." Sarah said. I nodded but grimaced when I felt Ricky probe the are around the torn skin.
"Ricky please. Can you help?" John B asked and JJ's cousin looked at all of us and back at me. We were definitely breaking some ethics by asking him to do this I was sure of it, so I knew he was fighting his inner self arguing with him. Finally, he groaned and nodded defeated.
"Yeah… yeah, I can stitch this up." He nodded and there was a collective sigh of relief as JJ hugged his cousin tightly before Ricky left the room I would assume to get the medical materials he needed.
Thanks for reading :)
**side note with John B's bandana... i dont plan to use the theory that it is the shroud in the cross that heals people. I just wanted to give you all that notice in case you were hoping to see that play a role here.**
Hope you all continue to finish this with me and will join me in the next round as well.