THE FOUR waited at the dump for John B, who still hadn't arrived. Rory hadn't heard from Sarah either, which was another reason for why she was on the edge of an anxiety attack. JJ prepared the boat for his arrival, whilst Aurora paced the deck.
"Where is he?" Kiara worried.
Rory agreed, "He should be here by now."
"Give him a second." Pope reassured, "He'll be here."
"He's coming." JJ nodded, "He'll be fine."
Unexpectedly, a police car pulled up in front of the group. The Pogues went into panic mode, joining JJ on the ship. Rory chucked her joint into the water,
"For fuck sake." She muttered frustratedly, brushing her blonde hair out of her face with her hand, preparing to act natural. The car door opened quickly and the group were quick to notice that it wasn't a cop- it was John B. Aurora took a sigh of relief, before climbing off the boat and embracing him in a tight hug,
"Shit, you stole a cop car?"
Kiara smiled in surprise, "No effing way."
"You've got to be kidding me." JJ smiled, as the rest of the group climbed off of the boat to hug John.
Rory chuckled, "We thought you were a Pig."
"Shoupe let me take it for a spin." John B explained.
"Okay, that's believable." Kie replied sarcastically, "We'll buy that for now."
"It wasn't easy, bro, but we got the Phantom for you." JJ exclaimed, "You ready to go?"
John B smiled, then it quickly faded, "Where's Sarah?"
"She's not with you?" Rory questioned, cracking her knuckles from anxiety.
"No, no. We got separated in the swamp." John B explained, "She said she was gonna meet me here."
"Fuck." Rory mumbled through gritted teeth.
"We haven't seen her, man." Pope told him.
"Okay, well, I'm not leaving without her." John replied frustratedly.
"John B, look at me." JJ said, "I know you feel bad for leaving but there's no time, man. You got plenty of gas, plenty of food. Once you get around that point, it's a straight shot across the sound to Dismal Swamp, okay? Once you get there, lay low. Hang out for a couple of weeks, and then go overland, cross the border at Brownsville, you got that?"
"Yeah, yeah." John B replied hesitatingly, "I got it."
John B boarded the boat by himself, his friends watching him go on the deck. His eyes filled his tears, and so did theirs. John turned around,
"I'm sorry for basically... throwing us off a cliff with this whole treasure hunt thing." He sniffed, "I'm sorry."
JJ reassured, "Hey, John B, yo.. we were bound to run off a cliff at some point, right?"
"At least we did it together." Rory added, as Kie wrapped her arm around Aurora's shoulders, "Pogue Style."
"Pogue Style." John B repeated with a smile through tears.
"Get out of here. Please." Kiara chuckled, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Now." Pope agreed, "See you in two months, down in Mexico."
"We love you." JJ smiled, and John B nodded as tears ran down his cheeks.
John B reluctantly left on the boat, knowing he had to leave or else he'd end up in jail- even though he didn't commit the murder. Aurora sat on the car bonnet with JJ, sharing a joint to release their stress. They both glanced at Kie and Pope, who were kissing on the deck. Thankfully, they were interrupted by the sound of sirens.
