𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃─𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

sixty.

─☼☼☼─

𝙇𝙀𝙎𝙎 𝙏𝙃𝘼𝙉 𝙏𝙒𝙀𝙇𝙑𝙀 hours ago, the Cross of Santo Domingo had been one of the most beautiful things Charlotte Carrera had even seen. But now, looking down at the cross formed a pit of despair in her stomach, one that coiled through her entire body, gripping her in darkness.

Honestly, if not for Pope, she would have been keen to toss this thing in the ocean and never look back. That damn thing had caused too much turmoil in the short amount of time that they had known about its existence. 

JJ and Kiara did not share that sentiment, as the two were looking down at the cross like it was their newborn child. "Surf trip?" JJ wondered, a wicked grin on his face. 

Kiara let out a small laugh, the two of them engaging in a quick little handshake, smiling the entire time. 

"You're invited too, Charls." JJ assured, noting the uncomfortable look on the girl's face. 

She forced a smile, eyes trained on the cross. "Yeah...thanks, J."

Something sounded from up above, light creeping through the cracks as the roof above them began to open. Someone was coming. 

Charlotte froze, watching in fear as the section of the ship opened completely. 

But it wasn't Ward Cameron standing on the upper level, it was none other than Pope Heyward himself. 

He stared down at them, face determined as he focused on the cross. 

JJ and Kiara were letting out yells of excitement, prompting Pope to raise a fist in the air. "The time when people do shit to us and we just sit back and take it is over!"

Charlotte couldn't help but let a smile creep across her face, slowly, and then all encompassing. A small laugh tumbled from her lips at the sound of her sister and JJ's cheers. 

"That's what I'm talking about, baby!" JJ yelled, "Let's get this W!"

"Come on!" Kie urged in excited, "Let's tie it up."

Stealing a glance upwards, Charlotte noticed that Pope had disappeared. Turning to the other two, she rose her first concern. "I hate to be a downer...but what exactly is the plan here?"

Knowing what the hell was going on was probably an important part of the plan. 

In the midst of tying up the cross, JJ looked over at her. "John B's gone to find Sarah. We're gonna get this baby tied up, and Pope's gonna run the crane. We'll load it into the lifeboat, get our asses on there and Bob's your uncle."

About a million thing that could go wrong ran through Charlotte's mind as he spoke. The biggest one standing out to her right now was the fact that Pope was about to be running a large machine that he really had no business operating. 

"Shit." She muttered, already turning toward the ladder. 

"Where are you going!?" Kie called after her. 

Arriving at the top deck, Charlotte looked down at them. "To spot Pope!" She answered, squinting through the sunlight to watch as the crane fired up. "Lord help us all." She muttered.