Rogue | outer banks

010 - Full Kook

When we arrived back at The Château, John B was the first one to get out of the Twinkie and into his house. The boy was quick to sit down and stare at the envelope.

"The bread has mold on it," Pope told JJ, who was making some sort of sandwich.

"Yeah, I'll just pull off the bad parts," JJ said nonchalantly. "Plus, mold is good for you. It's just a natural organism."

"JJ," I called out, seeing John B prepared to finally open the envelope.

"Yep, yep, I'm coming," he quickly appeared beside me. "Let's do it."

All of a sudden, a gagging noise was heard, and I turned my head with a disgusted but amused face towards JJ. "What were you saying?" I teased.

"No way," Kiara almost whispered as John B took out a folded piece of paper that turned out to be a map.

"Holy shit," John B mumbled, looking at the map that he had spread out on the table.

"Oh, X marks the spot," Pope pointed at the X marked on the paper.

"Longitude, latitude," John B mumbled out loud as he looked in the envelope again to see if his dad had left him anything else to understand what the map was for. "Wait, there's something else in here."

"What's that?" JJ frowned at the small, black tape recorder in the boy's hand.

"A tape recorder, dumbass," I looked at JJ, confused.

John B finally mustered up the courage to press the button on the tape recorder.

"Dear Bird."

It was Big John's voice.

"Who's Bird?" JJ asked.

"That's what my dad called me," John B whispered.

"I hate to say, 'I told you so,' but I told you so. And you doubted your old man. I suspected at this moment, you're filled with guilt and self-loathing over our last fight, but don't kill yourself just yet, kid. I didn't expect to find the Merchant either."

We shared looks of shock at the fact that he had found the Royal Merchant. Our attention went back to the recording when we heard the noise of clattering coming from the tape, which John B knew to be his father probably searching through his office.

"You were probably right to call me out. Wasn't exactly father of the decade." You could hear him sigh on the other end before continuing. "What can I say kid? I could smell the barn. And hopefully, we're listenin' to this in our brand new sugar-shack down in Costa Rica, livin' off passive investments and pulling on permits."

"If not, and you find this for less optimal reasons, well, that's what the map is for. There she is, the wreck of the Merchant. If somethin' happens to me, finish what I started. Go for the gold, kid. I love you, Bird, even if I didn't always act like it."

The sound of a vehicle approaching made us look at eachother as Big John said his last words. "I'll see you on the other side." And that was it, as static came through the tape before it clicked off.

"Holy shit, he did it!" JJ practically shouted while John B had quickly got up from his seat and attempted to make it outside. But the boy only made it to the door that led to the front porch as he latched onto the door frame like it was his lifeline. "Big John. He found it, the Merchant. Can you believe it?"

"JJ. Can you... not please?" I told him as I walked over to John B and put my arms around him as sobs escaped his body, Kiara then joining me.

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