𝗠𝘆 𝗘𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 ⇉ 𝗝𝗝 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗸

Closure

THE TEENS huddle in the den, the air thick with a tension that clung to them like the humid Outer Banks air.

Shadows dance across the walls, cast by a single flickering bulb that seems to amplify their anxiety.

The restless rustling of the surrounding roosters was incessant, but one stood out, its clucking a jarring, desperate cry that echoeds ominously in the confined space.

This was the rooster JJ and Ari had affectionately named "Clucky," a symbol of their fleeting attempt at normalcy amidst the chaos.

Now, Clucky's insistent noise was a beacon, threatening to shatter their fragile sanctuary.

"Pope, do something, man. Shut him up!" JJ's voice was a low growl, his arm a protective barricade around Ari's waist.

His eyes dart nervously towards the rooster, each cluck driving him closer to the edge.

Pope, sweat beading on his forehead, shot JJ a look of desperation. "What do you want me to do, JJ? I'm not exactly Dr. Doolittle here."

Ari, her face pale and drawn, ran a shaky hand through her tangled hair. "Just...pet it, maybe? Talk to it? Please, Pope, before we're all caught."

Her voice trembles, barely a whisper above Clucky's insistent cries.

As if on cue, the rooster's squawking seems to pierce the quiet, drawing the attention of one of the menacing figures lurking outside.

Ariella, her eyes wide with fear, yanks John B and Kie back from the makeshift peepholes in the wall, praying they hadn't been spotted.

The rough wood splinters against her fingers as she moves, a small pain that barely registers in the face of their larger peril.

Pope, feeling the weight of their collective safety on his shoulders, thrust the rooster towards JJ. "You do something, JJ. You're the animal whisperer."

JJ hesitates for a split second, then moves away from Ari, breaking their physical connection.

Instantly, Ari sought refuge in John B's arms, burying her face against his chest. He held her tight, his heart a frantic drum against her ear, a desperate attempt to ground her in the present.

Without another word, JJ's hand shot out, grabbing Clucky by the neck. A swift, brutal twist, and the rooster's cries were abruptly silenced, the sudden quiet almost deafening in its starkness.

Ari's eyes well with tears, a mix of grief and horror, but she focuses on the frantic rhythm of John B's heartbeat, clinging to it as an anchor.

Beside Pope, Kie gasp, her knuckles white as she clutches his hand, silent sobs wracking her body.

"Ratter! What the hell are you doin' in there? Let's go, man!" The impatient shout from outside was laced with irritation.

The sound of heavy footsteps retreating towards the car brought a sliver of relief.

The teens watch in strained silence as the car finally roared to life and sped away, leaving a cloud of dust and a lingering sense of dread.

They exchange haunted glances, the gravity of the situation settling heavily upon them. The rooster lay still, a stark reminder of the lengths they were willing to go to survive, and the innocence they had lost along the way.

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧.𖡼

The interior of the van was a cacophony of anxieties and unspoken fears, the humid Outer Banks air thick with the weight of John B's words. Rain lashes against the windows as he sped away from the old house, each droplet a stark reminder of the storm brewing within them all.