𝐇𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒, 𝗉𝗈𝗉𝖾 𝗁𝖾𝗒𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽

32: 𝚐𝚘𝚗𝚎

The sun had fully set, the moon now coming up but it was hidden beneath the dark clouds that blended in with the night sky. The sirens all around the tents were loud as the four Pogues had been shoved in the back of a police car and taken to a place where tents laid out, full of police officers who were all trying to find John B for a crime he didn't do. Shoupe and a few more officers led the teenagers out of the vehicle and into a tent, getting them all to sit down in a few chairs that had been placed by the side of the tent full of officers.

"Sit down. Don't move. We got a lot to talk about." Shoupe tells them in a stern voice. "Keep an eye on these kids."

And with that, Shoupe ventures away from the four teenagers and stops right by a long table where many officers sat, computers in front of them as they continued to try and track John B Routledge. An officer stood in front of the young group, a blank expression laying on his face with a gun in his arms, even though the Pogues looked harmless.

"Blockade is up at the marsh and Masonboro and all other inlets from Shem Creek to Breach Inlet." A man announces. "I want eyes on all coastal access points, people. Let's get this guy."

Pope looks towards his girlfriend who sat beside him, her hands on her knees as one of her legs were bouncing up and down. Staring at her, he places his hand on hers, giving her hand a small squeeze. Looking to her boyfriend, Y/n lifts her palm upwards, interlacing their fingers together, the pad of Pope's thumb caressing the back of her soft hand to give her any sort of comfort he could give.

Y/n glances to the Heyward boy again, giving up a tight smile before leaning up and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek, making him smile just a little as she leans down, resting her head on his shoulder, taking a deep breath. What caught all of their attention was the sound of shouting, the words of 'there they are' and 'that's them' or 'we found them' being shouted over the many voices of people around the tent and even outside near the water.

The four all exchange glances, their eyes going a little wide as they heard from the officers that John B and even Sarah have been spotted on the Phantom out into the open water, which explains the amount of officers running around. The couple were on the Phantom, in the rough waves that were passing each minute as the storm got closer and closer to the island, rain soon pouring down.

The group of four only waited for a few minutes, hoping their two friends made it through the storm as the shouts continued, even hearing some say they were driving through the large storm. Eventually, after a while, Shoupe, Deputy Plumb and Deputy Thomas entered the tent, taking the hoods of their jackets off. Glancing at one another, the Pogues stood up and walked towards them.

"Did you find them?" Pope asks.

Shoupe shakes his head. "No."

"So, they got away?" Kie concludes, hope in her tone of voice.

"We, uh..." Shoupe starts, glancing between them all while gulping. "We lost them. I'm sorry."

"You lost them? What do you mean you lost them? Like, they're gone? What are you talking about?" Pope questions frantically, wondering what happened to their friends.

"They took an open boat into a tropical depression, Pope." Shoupe states.

"So, they're dead?" Y/n asks, hearing her voice crack as tears filled her eyes.

"We don't know." Shoupe replies.

The four Pogues found themselves trying to hold back tears at the sudden news that hit all their already broken hearts that were pounding in their chests, neither of the four wanting to believe that John B and Sarah were dead all because Ward Cameron was a coward and framed it on a teenage boy who is completely innocent in all of this.

"You drove them straight through the storm, man! Are you kidding me? Come here! I'm gonna kill you, you bastard!" JJ threatens in a shout.

Suddenly, the blonde was lunging at Shoupe which caused all the yelling inside the tent to happen all around. Deputy Thomas had grabbed ahold of the Maybank boy, holding him back and away from Shoupe who he continued to try and get to while the Carrera sisters and Pope had been shouting for them to stop, Pope shouting in Shoupe's face, saying about how John B wasn't a killer and he didn't do anything and died because of his girlfriend's father.

As quiet sobs escaped them, tears falling down her cheeks, the sisters in the tent found themselves holding one another as JJ had soon calmed down from his rage, tears falling from his eyes. The sight of Pope and Kiara and Y/n's parents could be seen as they rushed inside the tent after being called about their children being here because of their two friends who had been in the rough storm.

The sisters looked over to the entrance, meeting their mothers eyes. Anna held a frown on her face, walking towards her daughters who did the same thing, all three of them meeting halfway in a tight hug. Their father, Mike, had been quick to join, wrapping his arms around his daughters and his wife, both parents hearing the daughters sob against them at the loss of their two best friends.

Pope was standing in the same spot he had been in, eyes wide as he was still in shock while watching his mother rush towards him, her arms opening as she engulfed her son in a hug to which he had immediately hugged back. Heyward was trailing behind his wife, patting JJ's shoulder before he was hugging his wife and son, Pope murmuring 'I'm sorry' to his father as what had happened earlier in the day.

"They didn't make it, Mom." Y/n sobs as Anna held her daughter's faces.

Meanwhile, JJ continued to stand all by himself, tears falling from his blue eyes and down his rosy cheeks. The Heyward family who were just in front of him pulled apart slightly, turning to the blonde as Heyward held out an arm, signaling for the blonde to join. JJ steps forward, soon being pulled into the hug with the small family as Pope rested his forehead against JJ's, JJ doing the same while resting his forehead against one of the Heyward boy's shoulders, both sobbing together.

Soon enough, the small family and JJ were pulling away as Pope turned around, seeing his girlfriend standing there. The young couple wrap their arms around one another as Y/n sobbed against her boyfriend's shoulder. Kie had walked to JJ and hugged him, feeling his shakily hug her back as the group of four grieved of the loss they just had, their hearts in their chests deeply broken.

John B Routledge and Sarah Cameron were gone.