CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT:
BOUNTY
(episode nine: the bell tower | trigger warning: mentions of murder)

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"AND THERE GOES THE gold," Pope sighed as they watched Ward's plane fly away.

After dragging JJ away from the airstrip, the four pogues had taken cover in the first bit of shelter they could find; an abandoned shed cluttered with empty boxes, upturned furniture and a bunch of other junk. Haven searched through it while the others crowded around the entrance. She didn't think she'd be able to watch the gold disappear for good. If it was enough to have Pope shouting in frustration and throwing things against the wall, she knew it would be rough.

"Pope!" Kie cried, instinctively reaching out to grip Haven's hand as the boy found a bat at the bottom of a box and swung it against a table. "Pope, watch out!"

But he was too far gone. Haven couldn't blame him for lashing out. He'd abandoned his scholarship interview, his key to a good future, in the hopes of finding that gold for John B again. Only for those hopes to be ruthlessly dashed away, leaving him with nothing but his father's disappointment and a long life spent stuck in Outer Banks. Glass shattered and popped as the bat continued to wreak havoc. Haven stayed well out of Pope's way as he circled the room, wincing with every crash but finding herself unable to speak up. She felt suffocated, like nothing she or any of them said or did would make any real difference.

Finally, he went quiet, dropping down onto a moth-ridden couch with his head in his hands. Haven hesitated for a moment before eventually stepping forward. She waited for him to lash out again, to push her away and retreat. But he didn't. Instead, he just sighed to himself, frozen as she lowered herself down beside him. Neither of them said anything, but it was enough. Kie and JJ soon joined them, Kie looking ready to cry while JJ just stared at Pope in awe, like he was seeing him in an entirely new light.

"Hell yeah, dude," he gave an impressed grin. "I was wondering when this was going to happen."

"JJ, what are you—"

Haven went quiet as she saw the outstretched blunt in his hands. She looked at Pope then, wondering what he'd choose. He was rather like her in the sense that he didn't need drugs to make himself feel better, but even people like Pope Heyward were pushed to their limits sometimes. He slowly reached out to take the blunt, just blinking at it for a second. And with JJ saying shit like 'a little weed never hurt no one' he seemed to come to his decision. One that Kie definitely didn't like.

"Really, JJ?"

"Oh, relax, Kie," he waved her off with a roll of his eyes.

"You know he doesn't smoke."

"Well, maybe not until today."

If anything, Kie's strong aversion to it seemed to only encourage Pope more. He went to raise the blunt to his lips as JJ sat down on his other side, before she quickly intervened again.

"What is that going to help, Pope?" she scoffed, prompting his eyes to narrow into slits.

"I lost my scholarship," he spat. Haven's heart dropped. She'd had her suspicions but it was something else entirely to hear him say it. "I walked out in the middle of the interview, and now it's gone. It's never going to happen."

"I'm sorry, Pope," Haven sighed, brushing her shoulder against his. She couldn't change how he was feeling, but she could remind him that she was there. He didn't have to face the consequences alone.

"You did that for us?"

Wrong choice of words, Kie.

"No, not for us," Pope sneered, and slowly stood to his feet so that he could look her in the eyes. "For nothing."

"I'm here for you, Pope," JJ assured the boy with a pat on the back. "Welcome to my world, okay?" Haven wasn't sure if he could sense Pope's anger at Kie or if he was just happy for a distraction from Arden throwing herself head-first into danger, but JJ was taking to Pope's new perspective of weed like a house on fire. Kie hated it.

"JJ—"

"What, Kie?" he sneered. "He's right. It doesn't matter anymore."

Now that everyone was standing again, Haven forced herself to move. Her appearance at JJ's side caught Kie's attention, prompting her to turn her glare onto her instead. Haven bristled under the look, unsure what it was that Kie wanted from her.

"You're not going to say anything then?"

"What's there to say?" JJ cut in, his arms crossed defensively over his chest.

Haven nodded in reluctant agreement. "I can't stop him, Kie. I'm not his mother." Even if she didn't necessarily agree that weed would make any difference, she wouldn't police what he could and couldn't do. If weed was what he wanted to take the ache away, Haven wouldn't fight him so long as he didn't push too far.

Still, Kie gave it one last shot.

"You don't have to do that," she insisted as Pope raised the the blunt to his lips again.

He frowned at her and lowered it, only to blow a puff of sheer grey smoke right in her face. "What do you care?"

Haven could see his harshness had hurt Kie. Even after everything, the lingering tension between them, she reached out to squeeze her hand as Kie lowered her gaze to the ground. Kie squeezed back, finding comfort in the way that Haven's fingers fit between her own. But any solace she might've found was soon dashed by the unexpected arrival of John B. He appeared behind them like a ghost slinking through the walls. Neither Arden or Sarah were with him. He was on his own, and covered head-to-toe in blood.

"John B," JJ gasped, pure fear filling his eyes as he stared at the boy's red-stained hands. Was any of that Arden's? Sarah's? "Dude, are you good?"

John B didn't reply. He just stayed frozen in the doorway in some sort of shock. The others all rushed over to him, checking him for injuries but there were none. He was completely unharmed apart for the sheer amount of red that clung to him like a second skin. It made Haven feel nauseous, her head spinning as she fought to stay grounded.

"Who's blood is that?" she asked as she snatched his hand into hers. Some of the liquid smeared across her knuckles, prompting her to quickly drop him and step back with a weary groan.

"John B?" JJ prodded in her place. "Is it your's? Arden's? Answer us."

Still, he just blinked at them, the first tear trailing down his face. Whatever he'd seen had scarred him, taking any remaining innocence from his eyes without remorse. While the others kept pushing and pushing, Haven took a minute to survey their surroundings. No one had followed him. Not Sarah, not Arden, not Ward. Whoever's blood that was, they hadn't made it very far. Just when she thought it was okay to turn back, a siren blared as a police car turned the corner. Were they in search of John B?

"Shit," she heard Kie cry before she grabbed the back of Haven's shirt and dragged her behind a row of boxes with them.

On her other side was John B, panic flaring across his face to replace the familiar sight of numbness. Haven found herself inching away from him, glancing between the retreating police vehicle (was it just her or was it heading right for the airstrip John B had just ran from?) and a boy she barely recognised anymore.

What had he done?

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RAFE CAMERON WAS A murderer with Sheriff Peterkin's death on his hands. The blood that clung to John B belonged to her and no one else (which JJ was secretly happy about, but how were you supposed to say you were relieved the blood on your best friend's hands was an honest woman's and not the blood of your girlfriend?) He didn't know if Sheriff Peterkin was alive or dead, just that Rafe had come from the shadows as she went to arrest Ward for Big John's murder. Then, like father like son, Rafe had taken out a gun and shot her right in the chest.

Haven could practically picture it, as sickening as it was. The way that Ward's hands would've been chained behind his back like the horrible man he was. John B, standing there with his arms around Sarah, hopeful that his father had finally been avenged. It was something almost tangible, that overwhelming sense of resolve. And then Rafe had to destroy everything, so much that John B had run and didn't look back.

He also claimed that he never saw Arden but that wasn't exactly reassuring for any of the pogues. Arden and Rafe had unpleasant history with each other. Just one glimpse of the blonde would be enough for Rafe to turn the gun on her next. The thought had JJ wanting to go back, but fortunately they managed to convince him just how stupid that idea actually was. The airstrip would be crawling with police by now. It would be like seeing a shark in blood-stained waters and wanting to go for a swim.

Speaking of shark-infested waters, John B replaced one dumb idea with another. After managing to sneak Kie's car out of her driveway without her parents noticing the blood splattered boy in their yard, they drove right for the Kildare County Police Station. It was dark by the time they arrived, the streetlights out leaving only Kie's headlights and the half-crescent moon to guide them. Nobody was around, but Haven knew that with the recent news of Peterkin's murder, every police officer would be hanging around for news on what happened next.

For something had to happen, right? The Sheriff was murdered, and only five people knew the truth, two of which were murderers themselves and wouldn't hesitate to pin it on somebody else to get themselves out of trouble. They were in way over their heads. No, they were drowning at the bottom of the ocean with the Royal Merchant, no resolution in sight.

"John B, what are we doing at the police station?" JJ asked warily from the back.

"Somebody's gotta tell them what happened," John B insisted, prompting Kie and Haven to share an uncertain glance in the front seats. Were the police really going to believe a teenage boy from The Cut over a rich old man from Figure Eight?

Before they were able to voice their concerns, however, Pope started hacking up a lung. Haven turned in her seat to frown at him as a cloud of smoke filled the vehicle. He hadn't let go of JJ's blunt since the boy had first given it to him. As John B had explained his horror story to the group, Pope had sat in pensive silence, just puffing away on the blunt like the weight of John B's words wasn't registering in his head. Sheriff Peterkin was dead, and yet Pope was acting like John B had asked them what they were having for dinner.

"Easy there, chief," JJ chuckled as his coughs finally subsided. "Damn."

"Pope, don't you think—" Pope cut Kie off with another hit of the blunt, an answer enough in itself.

Haven sighed and turned back to face the windshield. Rows of police vans lined the front parking spots of the station's parking lot. Kie's own car had been forced to pull up by the sidewalk under the shadows of the Kildare County sign towering on the roof. If they had to, would they manage a quick escape? She shook the thought out of her head. Why was she even considering it?

"Alright, I'm just gonna be real with you right now," JJ told John B. "You might end up in the lion's den, but you don't go there on purpose. It's fundamental. Just like my old man always told me, you should never ever trust cops, no matter what the circumstance is."

"Your old man's an abusive liar," Kie scoffed, which prompted Haven's eyes to narrow.

She bit her tongue, though, as Pope spoke up, his words slurred at the edges. "I agree with JJ. Fuck the police."

"Yeah, I won't ever agree with something that Luke Maybank started, but the police aren't exactly morally upstanding citizens," Haven mumbled.

"So you're going to the dark side now?" Kie sighed. "Both of you?"

"When's the last time the police ever helped us?"

"Peterkin looked out for me, alright?" John B snapped. They immediately went quiet. While her station was full of racist bigots who were mediocre at best when it came to helping the citizens of The Cut, Peterkin had gone out of her way to watch over John B. That much, they could all admit. It would be unfair to let her death go forgotten with a lie. "Or tried to, at least. They need to know that."

Still, Haven couldn't shake the eerie feeling that they were making a big mistake. She sighed as John B shuffled out of the car and disappeared inside. Kie went to switch off the engine, but Haven instinctively reached out to stop her.

"I wouldn't," she murmured, slowly releasing the girl's wrist to lean back in her chair. "Not just yet."

"And why not?" she frowned, suddenly wary.

Haven scoffed. "You think Ward Cameron told the police it was his son who shot the Sheriff? Please, that would ruin the Cameron reputation. But John B? A boy from The Cut who's life Ward has already fucked over several times? It would be too easy to pin it on him."

"...I didn't think of that."

Haven just shrugged helplessly. "Ward's a murderer, you guys. You never underestimate someone who can kill an honest man then invite that man's son to live with him."

"Shit," JJ shouted, punching at the door in frustrating realisation. "Should we stop him?"

"It's too late now," Haven sighed. "Just don't be surprised when John B comes running with half a dozen armed cops on his ass."

And unfortunately for them, she was right. Not even five minutes later, the door to the station burst open and John B sprinted out like fire was licking at his heels.

"Start the car," he screamed as he slammed the back door open and threw himself into it. "Kie, start the car!"

"What?" she frowned.

"Jesus, did you not hear me earlier?" Haven snapped as she hurriedly clicked her seatbelt back into place. "We've gotta get out of here."

Kie pulled out of the spot just in time for the first two officers to reach them. One was a man who slowed down the moment he saw the vehicle roaring to life, but the woman wasn't so quick to give in. She punched at the glass with furious fists, clinging to the edge of the door as the car attempted to move down the road. They veered back and forth as Kie shot frantic glances at the body weighing them down. If they didn't find a way to lose her, they'd never get out of there.

"Open it," Pope suggested out of nowhere, his eyes now alert behind the high. Something about seeing his best friend running from the law had managed to sober him up for a minute. "John B, open the door!"

Taking Pope's word for it, John B kicked the door open and breathed a sigh of relief as the lady tumbled back in surprise. Kie sped up now that she didn't have a body stuck to her car, disappearing into the night before the woman was able to stand again or the man could get any heroic ideas. The air in the car was thick with daunting silence now. Haven was gripping the edge of her chair without realising it, her heart pounding hard like she'd been the one running for dear life. They had a fugitive in their car, and a whole station of policemen out for vengeance. Not to mention Arden and Sarah were still missing in action.

"What the fuck do we do now?"

There was no reply, not that she really expected one. For once, there was no reasonable explanation, no solution in sight.