𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐋 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑! [𝐉𝐉 𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊]

chapter seventeen.

CRUEL SUMMER!
chapter seventeen.

( our field of dreams engulfed in fire. )

                       The glowing numbers on the dashboard read 9:04. The sun has long set, but the come of nighttime hasn't hindered any surrounding commotion. The sound of police sirens echo in the distance, growing increasingly close.

It's been a busy day, to say the least. We realized earlier upon seeing various posters of hefty bounty splayed temptingly beneath John B's face that the search has intensified by a tenfold. And of course, in true usual fashion, that only led to complications. John B had to go off on his own while the others worked to draw out the cops. It saved him from getting caught up then, but now there's no true way of knowing where he is.

It's 9:06 when I catch a glimpse of Sarah climbing over the gate surrounding her expensive prison. She spots me instantly once she lands on her feet, breaking into a sprint towards the car.

"They're looking for him," she frets once she's sitting in the passenger seat, slamming the door shut behind her. "He's gotta be around here if this is where they're focusing the search. Let's do a lap, we can ask around," her voice shakes with adrenaline, anxiety palpable.

I start the engine again, doing as she says and starting the drive around the neighborhood, passing the glare of flashing red and blue lights at every corner. "There's a burner phone in the glove box with my number saved in it, as well as JJ's, Pope's and Kiara's. Keep it on you, just in case."

Sarah quickly reaches over to claim her new device, opening up the flip phone to look through it. "Thanks. Think they'll find him before we do?"

"I think we'll find out soon enough," I mutter, eyebrows furrowing as I see a growing crowd, police and civilians alike, forming outside of Kelce's house. "Looks like something's happening there."

A moment later, a handful of cops are piling out of the house in a frantic rush, Shoupe in the lead. Whatever just happened, it sparks a huge outburst amongst the crowd. Some officers speed off, sirens blaring, while others run towards the back of the house. Even the public, in which I can now clearly see Rafe and Topper along with Kelce, start moving and shouting frantically.

Next to me, Sarah shifts nervously in her seat. "Get closer."

I do, driving slow as I pull up next to a classmate that Sarah recognizes. "Hey," she rolls the window down, sticking her head out to beckon the girl closer. "Did they catch him?" The feigned indifference to her voice is truly something admirable, given the circumstance.

"Not yet. Said he's headed to Shem Creek," she replies before she's dashing off with a few others. 

To anyone else, myself included, such a mindless detail would be insignificant. But Sarah's face suddenly wears a look of recollection. She turns to me, eyes filled with urgency. "The bell tower."

The abandoned tower looks inconspicuous enough once we arrive, all boarded up walls and decaying wood. But Sarah sounds adamant enough as she tells me to wait in the car. The unbridled confidence is the only reason I oblige. If all goes well, she'll be out soon with John B in tow and we can get the hell out of here before drawing too much attention.

But of course, optimism is a prison, and it was nothing but wishful thinking to believe that this could go by without a hitch.

Not a minute after Sarah has entered the bell tower, the apparent bane of both her and by association my existence shows up. Topper is stalking through the trees in a hurried, blinded sort of frenzy. His eyes land on my car, an enraged fire behind them but he ultimately walks past it, going straight for the tower.