Storm Chaser // JJ Maybank

37

John B and JJ place the lid back on the casket and hammer it in place. Pope gets flowers and lays them on top. John B and JJ put the casket back in the place it was buried and replace the dirt on top of it.

"I... I just don't get it. I mean, you guys saw the map. He hides his gold so no one finds it for 170 years. And then he sends a message to his son Robert to come here to his mother's grave, but the message never gets to him. Denmark wanted him to find the cross. I know we're in the right spot," Pope insists. "It just feels like..."

"Like we missed something?" JJ asks. "Guys. Come here." JJ climbs on top of the van.

"There he goes," John B remarks.

I follow JJ up onto the van.

JJ points to a hole in the tree. "That looks like..."

"The painting in the island room," I state.

"It's worth a shot, right?" JJ says.

"Yeah," I tell him.

"Let's do it," John B says.

"Go for it," JJ tells me.

"Not a chance," I tell him.

"You do it!" Sarah tells JJ.

"Sorry. I... I went in that crypt remember," I tell him.

"She did go in the crypt," Kie agrees.

"Yeah. No, I'm gonna do it. It's just..." JJ trails off.

"He's scared," I tease.

"I'm not scared, Storm," JJ insists.

"You seem scared," I tell him.

JJ sticks his hand into the hole. "There's something in here." JJ laughs. "Wait." JJ starts to scream.

I try to grab him and pull his arm out of the hole. "Come here!"

JJ stops screaming and starts to laugh.

"Oh, you asshole," Pope tells him.

"Oh, man! I got all of you on that one," JJ states.

"Oh, yeah, real original," Pope says.

"Wait, but seriously, there's something in here," JJ tells us. JJ pulls out something in the shape of a cylinder.

"Let me see it," Pope tells him. He grabs the thing from JJ. "HMS Royal Merchant."

JJ jumps down from the van and grabs it back from Pope. "Give it to the captain. Here we go. It's a spyglass."

"There's something on the ends," I tell him.

"An inscription right there," John B says. "Look at that shit."

"Oh, what does it say?" JJ asks.

Pope reads it, "'You've come this far. Do not falter. The cross is on the Freedman's altar. Freedman's altar.' The cross is at the church!"

"What are we doing here, guys?" JJ remarks.

"Come on!" Pope shouts. "We got it!"

Pope and JJ handshake. "Woogity-woogity."

I jump down from the Van and JJ catches me. "Let's go."

We start the drive back to the church. The road is completely washed out.

"Ah, crap! The tide!" John B says.

"Oh, this doesn't look good," Pope states.

"How deep is that?" Kie asks.