𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 - JJ Maybank

Chapter 63: Moral Compass

JJ poked his head out of one of the archways to spot a group of armed men hurrying up the path towards the abandoned hotel.

Game time.

He hurried higher up into the ruins while his friends took their positions.

"Portis!" one of the men called from below. "Are you in here?"

"Yo, I got them up here! There's two of them!" JJ shouted before rushing away from the top of the stairwell. He placed himself behind a wall as he caught his breath.

"Where you at, mate?" came the same voice, this time closer. "Portis?"

JJ willed his racing heart to slow. "Yeah, yeah! Take a left at the hallway." He continued sliding down the wall, distancing himself from the man wielding a pistol. "The stairway's right on your right."

JJ pushed a dangling tarp aside and ran up another flight of stairs to hide behind another wall with Pope. "He's coming," JJ whispered, "Y'all ready?"

Pope and Cleo nodded before JJ took off once more, continuing up the stairs.

"Up here!" JJ shouted after the man called for him, "One more flight of stairs now! You're almost there!"

JJ froze when he could no longer hear the sound of footsteps. "You're coming, right?"

"Yeah!"

JJ rushed around a corner.

"Portis?"

"Oh yeah! No, I'm still here. You just gotta come right in here! Come on in!" JJ intentionally muffled his voice, trying to make it sound like he was in the blocked off room.

"I'm coming in!"

The door swung open to reveal Sarah and John B tied to a pole. 

"Please untie us," John B was quick to beg.

"Help," Sarah added.

"All right." The man shifted the gun back and forth between the couple. "Keep your hands still."

The guard took a step forward only for the distinct sound of wood splintering to fill the room. He fell right through the floorboards and into the sinkhole. He landed on his back in the room Cleo and Pope had been camped out in.

Cleo was quick to swing for the gun, knocking it out of his hands.

A final bullet rattled off towards JJ who was waiting as backup out in the hallway. He could hear Pope and Cleo struggling and took that as his signal.

Metal clanged as Pope and Cleo dropped their pieces of rebar. 

JJ ran in. "Okay, I'm coming!"

"Don't move! Hold it!" 

A gun cocked.

Another guard that they hadn't accounted for had Cleo and Pope frozen with their arms up. JJ stopped in his tracks.

He stared towards Pope who nodded down at the ground in front of him.

JJ followed his line of sight to see the pistol only a couple feet away from him.

"Don't even think about it." The guard had noticed their silent conversation.

Suddenly chaos broke out. 

John B jumped down from the upper floor, taking the guard down with him. JJ dove for the gun and Pope and Cleo collected their weapons once more.

JJ was quick to straighten up and point the pistol towards the two guards. "Hey, now! Hey, now! Easy! I would take it nice and slow now. It's time for y'all to freeze."