𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐃𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒, 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

FIFTY-FOUR| food for the gators

EDEN'S eyes centered on the giant tree in the distance.

Sitting in the back of the Twinkie, she contently listened to her fellow Pogues converse as they traveled towards Angel oak. Pope was pointing out different landmarks, such as Freedman Church—a church that Denmark happened to build—while John B. drove through wetland and tall fields.

"There it is." Kie pipes up as they neared a winding dirt road, "Angel oak."

The Bexley quickly looks out the windshield—she wasn't sure how John B. safely drove, given it was hard to see anything clearly through the cracks the glass held—and sure enough, standing a little ahead of them, was their ultimate goal; Angel oak. 

The drive through the winding road is easy, however, the van comes to a small halt as the path turns into a muddy standstill, swamp water from either side of the path flooding the area within the small dips it had.

"Oh, shit!" John B. curses as he sees the water flooding the pathway, "Tides coming in." 

Eden comes forward, leaning past the center console as she squints out the windshield. Looking through the muddy path, she's quick to spot tire tracks—someone had clearly come through. And, with Limbrey searching high and low for the cross, it was most certainly clear it was her.

Pointing toward the tracks, Eden voices, "Those are tire tracks. And, unless someone else is going for a drive through the tide,  that means Limbrey has already passed." The woman was always one step ahead.

Pope looks at Eden before stating, "Guys, we gotta go."

JJ eyes the water suspiciously taking in their options—either they used speed to push the van through or they turned around and let Limbrey take the cross without a fight. To him, the answer was clear, but, it was John B.'s call in the end; it was his van.

The Maybank boy hums before looking at his best friend in the drivers seat, "What do you think, chief?"

"I'm thinking it's looking a little dicey." the Routledge boy swallows, not making eye contact with the blonde as he replies. He too stared at the mud—the tide was clearly coming in, which while not terrible now, could cost them later. 

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree with that statement."

"Yeah."

From the back, Kiara pipes in, "Okay, well, clearly they made it, no?"

"In a two wheel drive?" JJ shakes his head in disagreement, "I don't know about that."

Suddenly, Sarah speaks up with a wry smile on her face, "Why are ya'll acting like you're not gonna do it anyways." The two boys in the front turn back to look at her, John B. honestly surprised she pitched in her opinion. "Like when have ya'll ever done the safe thing." 

"I mean, she's not wrong." Eden nods in agreement—she'd been tested and put through shit decision after shit decision by the two boys the entirety she's known them. "John, you and Pope literally surfed the surge. I don't think you're going to back up over the tide."

John B. looks over at the blonde boy with a knowing expression, "She's got a point."

"Alright." JJ conceded all too easily, following after the Routledge boy. He switches mindsets, leaning forward as he begins to lecture his friend through the mud, "Speed is your friend here, okay? So, put her down in second and hammer down, brother."

Beside Eden, Pope also leans forward to state, "Stick to the high ground in the middle, John B."

"Alright, ready? Here we go." John B. warns before hitting on the gas. The Twinkie immediately starts to speed forward through the sodden path, brown sludge spraying past the vehicle as it passes through.