Alone Together • JJ Maybank

Fifty One.

⚓⚓⚓

The sound of thunder rumbled overhead, echoing around the white police tent we had been taken to. After being ambushed by the cops and the SBI, we were taken in for questioning since we had been harboring a fugitive. But it didn't take long for the police to grow tired and frustrated of our persistence that John B was innocent.

A number of different cops had tried to get information about John B's escape route but the buzz growing outside of the tent, and our lack of cooperation, had them giving up soon enough, with them more eager to join the hunt outside than babysit us.

The four of us sat silently side by side. We were exhausted, scared and anxious. I glanced to the entrance of the tent, seeing an endless flow of cops and SBI agents walking around in the darkness. Every now and then a nearby radio would buzz with the sound of static voices explaining more information about the island-wide manhunt.

I dropped my head as I looked away, taking a shaky breath to calm my nerves. How had we gotten into this mess? And how had it escalated so drastically?

JJ placed his hand gently on top of mine, slotting our fingers together and resting both our hands on my knee. I looked up, locking eyes with his worried ones as Kiara broke the silence.

"Do you think he's gotten far enough away yet?" Her voice was quiet, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention our way.

I turned to my left, taking in Kie's worn appearance that matched mine before I spoke. "He must have by now, surely?"

"It's not exactly been long since he left." Pope quietly droned from the other side of Kie, staring forward as if he was in a trance.

"The Phantom's fast, bro. He'll be long gone." JJ quickly countered optimistically, but I could hear the doubt lacing his words.

I tried desperately to cling to any kind of optimism I could, but Pope made it even harder as he mumbled under his breath. "I wouldn't be so sure." Kie and I locked nervous eyes once more, not wanting to admit out loud that Pope was right.

"It'll be fine." I found myself speaking more to myself than to the others. "He'll get away, and as soon as we can go home I'll just re-build my case against Ward. I'll get all of the evidence he stole from me and we will clear John B's name." Kiara nodded, her lips rolling into the smallest of smiles but her eyes remained unconvinced. In all honesty, I had no idea if I could even get all that information again. And Ward knew exactly what I had found out. What's to stop him from clearing his tracks first? I looked back to JJ, desperately needing someone to validate the plan so that I could at least believe we were able to fix this mess. 

But the next five words I heard knocked any last shred of optimism out of my body.

"That's them! There they are!"

JJ's hand clamped tighter around mine and I heard Kiara gasp from beside me. Our heads all shot to look at the opening of the tent, unsure what we even expected to see. The loose white tarpaulin was blowing in the growing wind and I could see the heavy raindrops starting to fall. But what I hadn't expected to see was the bright glow of lights.

"The powers back on." I said with breathless realisation.

Yells of demands grew louder as the SBI agents sprung into action, sparking a flurry of commotion among the police, nosy residents and reporters that had taken stand outside to witness the mayhem unfold.

The sound of multiple sirens started up again, and the heavy sound of propellers overhead seemed to grow closer within seconds. My body jumped in shock as another crash of thunder roared out, the rain now hammering down on the tent. The storm was getting worse, in more ways than one.