legacy // obx

0.1

THE WIND AND THE RAIN MUDDLED TOGETHER and numbed Kiara's face as she stared blankly into the water, just off the Point. She didn't notice the Kildare County Sheriff Car's sirens in the distance, presumably going to meet the search and rescue. She didn't notice the Redfield Lighthouse's burning light, slowly illuminating the water. She didn't notice her mother grabbing her arm, or JJ's broken screams at the cops. All the commotion around her faded away as soon as she heard those words.

"We lost them," Shoupe sighed, defeated. Kiara's ears began to ring as all the noise around her became fuzzy and unimportant. 

Shit had hit the fan so quickly. Kiara almost couldn't remember what things were like before John B was on the run. She thought about how they felt on the ride home after their narrow escape of the Crain property, the night John B found the gold. She could almost feel the way the excitement flowed through her when she realized they had done it. She remembered the adrenaline radiating throughout the Volkswagen Bus. She remembered the smell of the mud that was caked on every inch of her best friend. Above all, she remembered how happy they all were. Kiara would give anything to go back.

All she could imagine was John B's body, floating, cold, and alone. She thought of Sarah, gasping for air before finally taking one last breath as the saltwater filled her lungs. She pictured them holding each other until their very last moments, still fighting for one another until they couldn't anymore. She imagined about her two friends, meeting an end that they did not deserve. Kiara felt her whole body turn hot, every inch of herself aching for revenge on the people that did this to Sarah and John B. 

"Kiara!" Pope yelled, but she couldn't hear. She pictured John B face down in the water, lifeless. 

"Kiara!" She still didn't hear. She thought about Sarah and how their friendship had been given a second chance that they never got to live out. 

"Kie!" She snapped out of her daze, her face tense and angry. Her head turned towards the sound of Pope calling her name. She saw his concerned eyes looking back at her, but thinking about her friends' unfair ending had made her angrier than she'd ever felt in her life. Kiara was furious. "How fucking dare you!" She spat at Deputy Shoupe. 

If looks could kill. Shoupe stuttered as he began to speak, clearly taken aback by Kiara's tone. She cut him off before he could get any words out.  "You did this! They're dead because of you. You killed them!" 

"Kiara, listen to me-" Shoupe started, but Kiara was not about to let him get away with it. 

"No, you listen to me. You know John B. You know he would never hurt anyone. He didn't do this, and you fucking know it. You drove him away from everyone. You let Ward take everything away. You killed him! John B and Sarah are floating lifeless in that storm right now because you let it happen! I hope you're fucking happy." Tears were flowing down her face, mixing with the saltwater from the rain that had soaked her hair and her clothes. As emotional as she was, her rage took precedent. 

JJ and Pope exchanged looks with each other, neither daring to break the silence that followed. The two had been friends with Kiara for forever, but they had never seen Kiara that mad. Pope reached his hand up to touch her arm for reassurance, but Kie shook it off. A small sob escaped from her lips as her eyes softened. Her facade faded away and the brokenhearted girl beneath the fury was revealed. 

"I can't do this, " she whispered, her eyes turning towards the ground. All she wanted was to be away from everything. She wanted away from The Point, away from the police, away from all the commotion surrounding John B. She couldn't be there anymore. 

The police had already tried questioning the teenagers, to pretty much no avail. With the power out, no cameras, and no way to prove they had any help in getting John B and Sarah to the Phantom and out to sea, the cops got no answers. Just like JJ always said: deny, deny, deny. 

Kiara turned on her heel and began to run out of the tent and as far away from this nightmare as she could get. "Kiara! Don't you dare leave!" She heard her mother yell but she didn't care. Her mother was a Kook. Her parents did not and would never understand. Kiara ran, and kept running. She didn't stop until she knew she had put enough distance between her and The Point so that she could finally take a second to breathe. 

JJ turned towards Kiara's mother once Kiara took off. "Mrs. Carrerra, go home. We can take of Kie. She will be fine." Anna knew better than to protest against her daughter and her friends. She sighed. "Keep her safe." JJ offered a reassuring smile before he and Pope ran after their friend. 

- 

When they caught up with Kiara, she had stopped crying. She didn't say a word to either of them, only offering a small smile as a "thank you" for going after her. JJ and Pope joined Kiara, walking in silence to a destination none of them had determined yet. It was just an unspoken agreement that they wanted to be as far away from The Point as possible. No one wanted to remember the night, or the things they had been through within the last 24 hours, and the Point did nothing but remind them. 

"You guys really think he's gone?" Kiara was the first to break the silence. 

Pope looked at Kie. "He drove the Phantom right into the storm, Kiara." 

"That's not what I fucking asked, Pope. I know what he did," she snapped back, before realizing who she was talking to. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that," she said, her voice much softer than before. 

Pope sighed, looking ahead. "I just don't think anyone could have survived that, Kie. I mean, John B knew his way around the water for sure, but that storm?" He trailed off. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to say it. 

The trio fell silent again, and soon enough they found themselves walking up to the only place they could find comfort in. The Chateau. 

They stopped when they got close, taking in the old shack that seemed more empty and run down than it's ever been. Kiara looked at the spot where the iconic VW bus would have been parked.  She thought of all of the drives across the bridge into the cut the four of them had. She thought about how they sped away from the security guard at the very beginning of summer. She thought about their drive back to the Chateau after Midsommar, all of them laughing and smiling from the sheer experience of crashing the Kook's big party. Kiara could almost hear John B's laugh again. She could almost feel the wind in her hair as they drove with the windows down. Those days almost don't feel real anymore, like they never even happened in the first place. 

"I guess we're home," JJ muttered, blankly. 

And after everything, the crew walked into the Chateau just as they had done a thousand times before. Only this time, their heads were hung, their hearts were saddened, and they were one Pogue short. 

- 

hiiii everyone! this was kinda short but I wanted to get something out asap. im soooo excited for this bc i miss writing so much and i love outer banks so this is the perfect combination. stay tuned for the ships and all that good stuff :)