All the pogues were hanging out on Heyward's dock in town discussing what to do with the key when they hear the familiar sound of crutches turn the corner. Limbrey appears with a smile on her face, Renfield sneers down at all of them.
"We know you have the key Pope. Hand it too us now and I can leave easily and there will be no problems. You have no idea what you're dealing with." Renfield steps closer to Pope, invading his personal space. John B holds his breath in anticipation but it's JJ that actually acts.
"Hey, fuck off man. We have no clue what you're talking about." JJ lies easily, slipping off of his tongue.
Renfield's had goes into his pocket and everyone tenses, but the object that is revealed is a small syringe filled with clear liquid. "I wouldn't interfere son, this right here is enough to OD and then kill you." JJ gulps but stays put in his spot between Pope and the large man in front of him.
Kiara and Sarah glance nervously between them, especially when Renfield just smiles confidently and steps closer to their friend. He towers over JJ, who keeps a protective hand behind him to push Pope backwards and out of the way.
"Hey Renfield! Stop man, we honestly have no clue what key you're talking about." John B shouts, more-so fearing what JJ would do to him rather then the other way around. "Oh really?" He questions, laughing.
Limbrey pipes up from her corner, looking pale as ever. "We heard your boys talking about it before we turned the corner. You're never actually alone you know."
Limbrey hobbles closer, once again going toward Pope. "Give us the key Pope, and we won't hurt you or your friends." Pope purses his lips, refusing to give up the key they just got but also not quite believing they'd hurt him or the other pogues. It's silent for a little bit until Renfield takes another step closer to Pope, smiling menacingly with the needle in hand.
"You looking for this?" Everyone's heads turn to face John B, who is holding up a golden key. Only 2 people know that it's not the real one.
Limbrey's eyes grow in awe and pride. "Yes, now hand it over."
"Nah I don't think so. You see? You just threatened not only me, but my best friends." John B laughs sarcastically before turning and facing the water surrounding them. "If i threw this, i doubt you'd ever find it. Like ever. Especially with the current pushing it further out." John B laughs as he pretends to throw it and causes both Limbrey and Renfield to take sudden steps forward as a knee-jerk reaction to save the key.
"ugh!" Limbrey grunts, she makes eyes contact with Renfield and nods as if confirming something. John B tenses in anticipation, ready for a fight.
Luckily his best friend is there to protect him and JJ once again interferes and face down the taller man. "Fuck off man!" JJ shouts, being his only defense as he is grabbed by the neck with one hand and pushed backwards until his back slams into a wooden post supporting the offset ceiling above them.
"Hey!"
"Stop it!
"JJ!"
There were many verbal protests against the aggression, but they got louder and more desperate when the needle of syringe is stabbed into JJ's bicep.
They all run towards the burly man and shove him off of their friend, it seemed that the syringe was not plunged all the way in.
You wouldn't be wrong if you said that you saw fear in JJ's eyes, his eyes widened as the others take in his condition. "Don't wanna die." He demands, looking at his arm and squeezing it. He suddenly light-headed and has to get balanced by his surrounding friends when he stumbles on nothing. Pope, Kiara and Sarah lower him to the wooden ground and all eye each other with concerned looks. "Don't worry Jay we're not gonna let you die, you'll be alright." Pope weakly attempted to reassured him.
John B takes the fake key and storms over to where the two assaulters stood. "Take the damn key and never come the fuck back to the cut!" Limbrey's shaking hands reach out and hold the golden key, grasping it into her fist with a grin adorning her face. She limps away with his crutches and Renfield on her tail. Then John B runs back to his friend.
JJ is laying on the boards, having collapsed after he was seated.
"Pope what do I do?" Kiara asks frantically. "I don't know I don't know. Do you think I'm a doctor?"
JJ seemed to go unresponsive and his eyes clouded. "What the hell is happening to him?!" John B shouts as he kneels by JJ's head.
"Is he dying?" Sarah asks through a sob. "Oh my god, he's dying." Kiara holds back tears of her own as the same question runs through her head.
Just then JJ jerks on the floor, scaring all of them. His eyes squeeze shut and his jaw clenches together. His back arches off the dock and and flies out, just hardly missing a wild punch to his friend's knee. His muscles contract and spasm as JJ convulses.
"Is this a seizure?" Kiara asks quietly, unsure of what to do because she's only ever read about them. She's never heard of them.
They group surrounding their seizing friend sat dumbly, except for Pope who was hyper focused on what to do. "Kie start timing it, if it goes over 5 minutes tell me cause then we have to call an ambulance. John B make sure you protect his head from hitting the boards becuase we don't want a concussion. Sarah try and move everything out of the way so he doesn't hurt himself." Everyone does there takes and Pope freezes when he realizes that JJ lets out a choked breath and his head jerks up, his chin towards his chest.
"John B!" Pope shouts.
John B is quick to react and just barely protects JJ's head as it slams back down into John B's hands a few moments later. As much as it hurts his hands, John B is proud. It scares them all when JJ still chokes in a breath and it occurs to Pope what he missed.
"Guys! Help me roll him onto his side, he can't breath." With combined team effort, JJ is rolled onto his left side and his tongue rolls out of his throat, allowing a massive intake of oxygen in the form of a wheeze followed by him holding his breath once again. Everyone winces.
Pope knew it wasn't uncommon for people to stop breathing during seizures but it didn't make it any less scary to witness.
It kills John B to see JJ like this, having no control over his limbs.
"Three minutes and forty-five seconds." Kiara informs them, checking on the stopwatch she set on her phone.
That meant JJ hadn't;t taken a solid breath in about 2 minutes. That was a long ass time Pope observed silently, not wanting to stress the others further.
Another choked breath is heard from their friend, sucked in sharply with no exhale. Concern grows.
"I think it's ending soon." Sarah observes, catching everyones attention. It seems that she's correct because the hand that has been pressing into the wood floor with all of JJ's strength, beyond a bruising grip, had eased a bit. The convulsions and spasms that went through their limp friends body became spaced out as some of the tension oozed out of him.
Around 20 seconds later JJ was completely limp and an odd silence filled the air, occupied by his labored breathing that appeared to take too much effort.
"Yo JJ? You mind waking up man, just open your eyes?" John B asks, tapping his cheek lightly in hopes of awakening him. He received no response for a couple minutes, but he kept trying.
The group had relaxed marginally when the seizure ended so they quickly became alert again once they realized that JJ hand twitched in Kiara's and an airy groan was released from his mouth.
"Hey Jayje you here with us? Can you hear me?" Kiara asks, swiping his sun-kissed hair off of his forehead.
JJ's eyes squeeze shut again before cracking open just a bit. His pupils are dilated and add on to the fearful look in his face.
"Hey man good?" Sarah asks from next to Kie.
JJ's nods his head and lets it loll around from where it was resting in John B's lap. "ts'up?" He murmurs raspily, lips barely moving. His eyes are barely open and he seems barely coherent enough to know what's happening around him, yet can still crack a joke. Kiara lets out a half sob/laugh.
"Hey JJ can you say my name?" Pope questions lightly, trying to prompt a proper response from the utterly confused kid beneath him.
After a moment of relearning how to make sound, JJ responds quietly. "...pope...?" Pope smiles in response, resting his hand confidently on JJ's shoulder. "...happen'd...?" JJ's voice is stronger this time.
Sarah answers this one. "Renfield put the needle in your arm but you didn't get the full injection so it wasn't fatal." She explained carefully for his currently slow brain to comprehend.
"oh." JJ's eyes slide shut before struggling to open back up. "tired." It seems that he's limited to one word sentences for now, it feels to JJ that his tongue isn't working properly and feels fat and dry.
JJ actually is the one to bring up the forgotten point. "key?" As his brain seems to catch up on the memories of the recent events, he tries to push himself up into a sitting position. John B effortlessly helps from behind, pulling JJ's upper body up by lifting under his friend's armpits. JJ groans as his sore muscles are used, but ignores the anxious looks he receives.
"John B gave her the fake. I'd say we have about a half an hour until she realizes it's not real, we should probably go." Pope says, still quite surprised John B managed to pull that off.
"Thanks to you JJ." John B laughs, "It was his stupid plan to have a fake." That causes everyone else to laugh.
"Of course it was." Kiara chuckles. "As you say, stupid things have-"
JJ gives a small smiles before he finishes with her. "Have good outcomes all the time."
Very carefully after that, JJ is hoisted up to his feet and walked back to the Twinkie with the hopes of getting as far away from town as he could. By the unspoken rule just created, JJ wasn't allowed to be alone for a while because they didn't know if he was okay yet from the drug given to him.
So they ended up just chillin' at the Chateau and JJ caught up on some well deserved sleep, eyes closed peacefully with a thin blanket tossed over his body. His legs were across Sarah's lap, who was cuddled against John B, and his back rested against Kiara's shoulder. Pope sat on the floor with Kiara's legs around him.
Everyone was relaxed as could be in the environment, they were home.