𝑪𝑳𝑶𝑺𝑬 𝑻𝑶 𝒀𝑶𝑼 | 𝑱𝑱 𝑴𝑨𝒀𝑩𝑨𝑵𝑲

Chapter Fourteen - Skeeter

"This is definitely the worst-case scenario." Devon comments, staring at the Crain house.

"I heard that Mrs. Crain buried her husband's head on the property." JJ says, looking at Pope.

"Look, you guys know whose house this is, right?" Kie asks as they move through the front yard.

"Oh, yeah." Devon says. "My friends and I used to play around her house."

"Honestly, I don't really believe the stories of this place." John B comments. Devon snaps her head to him with a look. "What?"

JJ plants his hand on her waist, keeping her moving forward, "which stories did you hear?"

Devon returns her gaze to JJ, "The ones where she killed her husband with an axe and she's been holed up here ever since."

"On certain nights, when the moon is full, you can see her in the window." Kie adds on, making fun of the scary stories.

"No, that's not funny." JJ says, "Those stories are all true. I knew Hollis." He flinches as he spots a statue in the corner of his eyes, "Jesus, God." He jumps, putting his fists up.

Devon grabs his raised fists and lowers them, asking, "You knew Hollis Crain?"

"Yeah, she was my babysitter. She told me all about it. Told me the truth about her mother and what happened in this house." JJ tells the story. "So, as a kid, she heard all the stories that her mother killed her father, and she was a murderer and all. Hollis didn't believe it. Until that night." He says mysteriously.

"Until what night?" John B asks.

"It all came back to her." JJ looks back at the house. "When Hollis was six years old, she heard her parents arguing downstairs. So she goes downstairs to see her mom washing her hand in a sink... full of blood." John B looks away as JJ takes a step closer. "Her mother just says that she cut her finger. The next morning, she says her father and her split up. But then, Hollis noticed something. Her mother going to the parlor constantly, in and out with plastic bags. Weeks pass, and Hollis decides to use the outhouse. And as she's using it, she looks down, and there, in the outhouse, is her father's head, looking straight back at her."

John B lets his head fall back, "God, you are so full of shit."

"Dude, I swear to God, man." JJ promises.

"Did she call the police?" Pope questions.

"She didn't have time-" JJ runs after John B who is walking away, "Wait! Hold on."

"What?" John B stops.

"You sure you want to do this? She's an axe murderer. You got a cast on."

"I don't give a shit if she's an axe murderer, okay?" John B snaps. "I got nothin' to lose, right? You comin' or what?" He bends down and starts walking, the rest of the group following behind him "Hey, come one. Come here." He whispers. "So here's the plan. We need to look for the wheat near the water like it said in Denmark's letter."

Pope nods, "Okay, like what kind of water? Like, pond water?"

JJ chuckles, "Bong water?" The entire group looks at JJ with the same expression.

"It just said look for water, okay?" John B answers.

"That's the shittiest secret message ever." Kie says, turning away.

"You wanna complain a little more, Kie?" Nobody said it was gonna be easy." John B says, annoyed.

Pope turns to JJ, "I'll search the northeast quadrant, you search the northwest quadrant."