The Least Favorite Cameron

Chapter 31

Well getting the cross did not go how we had planned. We did not plan to be going 100mph in the opposite direction of the newly found cross and instead rushing Pope to help. When we found the cross it was hidden in the beams of the old church and when Pope was trying to get it down he got stung by a lot of wasps and apparently he's allergic.

"Faster JJ!" Kie yells as she keeps Pope's legs elevated. Sarah is in the back with them as well as John B. and I ride up front with JJ. JJ gets us back into town and slams on the breaks as we get to his cousin's house.

"I need your help man!" JJ screams as he pounds on the door and John B. and Kiara carry Pope out of the car. Ricky reluctantly lets us in the door and we throw everything off his coffee table and place Pope on it. Ricky then runs to get his medical bag. By now Pope's eyes are so swollen shut we can't even see if his eyes are open. His breathing has slowed and he's barely moving now.

"This can't be happening," I say and Kiara is crying now as she holds Pope's hand and reassures him that everything is going to be okay.

"Okay I'm gonna give him this shot of steroids but I can't be held liable if this doesn't work," Ricky says. Everyone freezes for a moment and then we all yell at him to do it. He plunges the needle into Pope's skin and we wait. These seconds feel like an eternity and Pope makes no sign of moving. Kiara is shaking as she lays her head over him and dread fills me. Then, Pope shoots off the table and starts to take off his jacket claiming he's too hot. Before anyone can stop him he runs out the door and is going crazy in the yard. Ricky ushers us out of the house and warns that Pope may be like this for an hour as the adrenaline rushes through him.

"Okay, why is Pope driving?" I yell as Pope hurls us down the two way road with no regard for the speed limit or other cars on the road.

"He said he'd cut our ears off if we didn't let him!" John B. says as we hold onto each other and the side of the car.

"I was just kidding," Pope says with a strange laugh.

"Funny joke," Kiara says sarcastically.

"Pope, slow down man!" JJ yells. And if JJ is telling you that, you've gone too far. It takes a lot for JJ to feel unsafe and this is horrible. Pope ignores our pleas with him and then drives into the other lane to go around a car in front of us.

"Pope stop!" John B. yells but it's too late. Pope sends us flying to the side of the road where the truck slams against several trees throwing us around inside. Shards of glass soar throughout the car and the airbags deploy leaving the car covered in a light dusting of white powder.

"Everyone okay?" John B. asks as we all try to get out of the truck.

"Well, I'm dead," Kiara says as she looks at the damage done to her dad's truck.

"Shit," Pope says as he sees the damage he's caused. But the truck pales in comparison to what we see next. Driving down the road we see a large truck heading towards us but its whose inside that startles us. Renfield drives by with an evil smirk on his face as drives by and he even waves at us. No, this can't be happening. There's no way they found the cross but its true. By the time we run back to the church, it's empty. No cross.

"No!" Pope Screams as he repeatedly kicks an old pew.

"There has to be something we can do," I say but I'm not confident myself. We didn't have the resources Limbrey or my dad had. I had no doubt that Renfield was taking that truck and meeting my dad somewhere with Limbrey.

"We have to get that cross back, the gold too. I am so sick of losing. That cross belongs in my family. Denmark left it here and we found it. I'm getting it back!" Pope says and we follow his lead to the Twinkie that we left behind when Pope got hurt.

As we drive back toward town again our bad luck increases. When we approach the scene with Kie's truck there are several police cars parked on the road and Shoupe waves us down and has us stop.

"Evening Officer," John B. says nervously as Shoupe shines a flashlight at all of us.

"Sheriff," He corrects.

"We pulled the tags and we know whose truck this is. Kie, yeah I see you, your parents reported the truck missing four hours ago. Come on lets go,"Shoupe says as Kiara tried to duck down in the back of the van but was unsuccessful.

"I gotta deal. Call me later, make sure I'm still alive," She says as she follows Shoupe to his car. He then tells us to get out of here and we quickly obliged.

"What now" JJ asks as we enter Figure 8 passing by all the large houses.

"We go to my house and see what we can find out. Maybe Renfield brought the cross there to my dad," I say.

"Gracie, your dad's there. That could be dangerous," John B. says looking at me through the rearview mirror.

"We have to try," I say looking at Sarah who nods her head yes. And we head towards Tannyhill, toward Ward, and hopefully to the cross.