One of Two // JJ Maybank

the gold: three

i woke up in a bed next to sarah. my head was aching. i hear sarah stir as the man came and grabbed us by our arms, dragging us out to the porch of the house. he shoved us down on the couch as we waited for someone else. it was hot and humid, making me sweat again. my leg started bouncing, i was getting anxious. we all sat in silence, sarah grabbed my hand and squeezed it slightly.

not long went by until john b showed up. "hey, found your boyfriend." a girl said, shoving john b towards us.

sarah gave him a dirty look then looked away. john b walked up to us, i side-glanced him. "hey." he starred. "listen."

sarah stood up and shoved him. "liar!" she yelled out.

one of then men grabbed john b by the throat and started choking him as i stood up next to sarah. "i wouldn't provoke him." the captain from the ship that found us said, walking around to grab a drink. "it tends to not go so well." the man lety go of john b's throat, causing him to cough and gasp for air. "you can run, but you cant hide, john b. i got eyes and ears everywhere." the man that choked john b, lightly patted his cheek with a smile, then shoved him onto a couch.

i rolled my eyes and stood closely to sarah, not wanting to be here at all. "took you long enough." the captain said to the girl, who was twirling her knife.

the girl rolled her eyes and scoffed. "next time get him yourself." she replied cockily.

i chuckled to myself as she sent me a glare and i quickly stopped, definitely not wanting to be killed on the spot. "after all our hospitality, you left without saying goodbye." the captain said to john b.

i watch sarah step closer to the captain as john b rubbed his neck from being choked out, just a few moments ago. "let us go!" sarah shouted angrily.

the captain looked at her and shook his head. "i got fifty thousands reason why that sint gonna happen." he replied.

i scoffed and shook my head. "he didn't do anything." i said firmly, trying to stand our ground, hoping this guy could let us go.

the captain sat on the couch with one arm on the arm rest. "maybe he didn't, maybe he didn't. i don't care." he replied to me. "we let the courts decide." he looked to the girl and she laughed. "bring him to the proper authorities."

john b looked up. "what are you talking about?" he asked as the man that choked him, grabbed him by his backpack and shoved him towards me and sarah. "listen! listen, i can pay. i can pay you."

i closed my eyes and let out a tiny breath. "you got 50k in your back pocket?" the captain asked. "if not, bye-bye."

i turned to see john b take off his backpack while looking at me and sarah. i held my breath as the man grabbed the bag and unzipped it. i reached inside the bag and walked over to the captain. "easy girlie." he said to me. i rolled my eyes and held it up in front of the captain. the girl looked at me with her eyes wide and the captain did the same, stepping closer. i heard john b and sarah step closer, making sure the guy didn't hurt me. "what is it?" he asked.

i glared at him, holding up the heavy gold in my hand, my hair sticking to my face. "what's it look like?" i said sarcastically.

"give it to me." the captain said lowly.

i slowly handed it to him, and he took it and bit into it. sarah and john b then stepped to my side. "one hundred and forty three thousand reasons to let us go." i replied sternly, not taking my eyes off the captain. the man that almost killed john b looked at me with strange eyes and so did the captain, who raised his eyebrows. "more than the bounty."

the captain looked at the gold and handed it to the girl who let a small smile slip onto her face, she tapped it with her knife a few times and the captain looked back to us three. "i'll tell you what." he started. "that is your rescue fee." my face dropped as son as i realized. "but i want my bounty too."

the man grabbed john b by his backpack and started pulling him away from me and sarah. 

"terrance!" he kept shouting as i turned back to the captain. so that was his name.

my jaw dropped as i turned to john b then back at the captain. "no!" i yelled at him. "that wasn't the deal."

"that's one!" john b shouted. "that's just one! there's more!" the commotion stopped as terrance looked to john b with furrowed eyebrows. i muttered to myself, this kid is really gonna rat us out with all this gold, there won't be enough left for any of us. "look, i went to paradise island, to their family's house." sarah glared at john b and so did i. sarah made him promise both of us he wouldn't go and he did. liar. john b got out fo the man's grasp and walked towards us. "there's hundred's of millions of dollars' worth of that gold there." the girl looked to john b with her brows raised and terrance stood up. "it is an empty, undefended house. they have the entry codes."

terrance looked to me and sarah. this time i let sarah speak up for us. "it's our family's house." she sniffled, fighting the sweat and her hair. "the gold's there, and we can get you to it." terrance looked to me and i nodded, not wiping off the glare look i had on my face.