Devotion | Outer Banks

8: The Recording

"I need a light!" I yell out to the boys and Kie. 

"Yeah, here." Kie sticks the flashlight through the opening.  I grab onto it and turn it on, looking around the inside of the mausoleum. 

"You alive?" I hear my brother's concerned voice, "You got, like, a-- a heartbeat and everything?" 

"So far." I shine the flashlight towards the ceiling. 

"That's good." My brother replies, awkwardly. "That's good." 

"Yep." I reply, "Hey, what I said before about dad, I-" I begin to tell him that I didn't really mean it, but he cuts me off before I can finish. 

"I know." He reassures me and for a moment it feels as though we are the only two here. 

"Uh... I need some more light." I clear my throat, changing the subject as I am squinting around the dim area. 

"Yeah, yeah, here." My brother sticks a lantern through the hole, "Yeah, I gotcha." 

"Did you find something?  Is there gold?" JJ questions from outside the mausoleum. 

"Oh, my God." My mouth drops open and I slowly walk closer to the item.  I look at it, almost not believing that this is actually real as my lips turn up into a slight smile. 

I grab the white FedEx envelope in my hands, running my fingers over the words written on it in black marker.  'FOR BUNNY + BIRD' is labeled clearly on the front of it, unmistakably in my dad's writing.  I walk over to the hole, handing the envelope to my brother.  

"That's, not gold." Pope states as John B pulls out the envelope.  I begin to hoist myself up, JJ grabbing onto my waist and helping me down.  

"Holy shit." My brother looks at the envelope, "This is from my dad." He reveals, looking between the four of us. 

"Code red.  Code red." JJ sounds panicked as he looks past me, "Square groupers!  Square groupers!" He tugs on my hand before I can look back.  

"Go." Kie says as we all rush to the other side of the tomb. 

"It's the guys who robbed your house." JJ turns to me and my brother as we crouch down. 

"Light!" Kie commands as we all frantically try to turn our lights off. 

"Light." Pope repeats, "Turn your light off, man!" He yells at JJ, reaching over to press the button for him. 

"John B?" Kie looks over at him, "Your light!" She scolds the boy who is trying to hide it under his shirt. 

"I see something!" Someone yells as some sort of golf cart vehicle pulls up on the gravel path of the cemetery.  

"Do you think it's them?" Kie inquires as she and JJ peer around the corner. 

"Homie's got a gun." JJ observes. 

"Screw this." I shake my head, making a run for it.  The other four run after me as I can hear men shouting after us.  I hop the metal fence as JJ, Kie, and John B follow after me.  Pope, however, gets stuck at the top. 

"Hurry up!" JJ calls out. 

"Go!" Kie yells. 

"Guys!  Guys!" Pope whispers. 

"Shit." Kie turns back, noticing that the boy is caught on the fence. 

"Guys, I'm stuck." Pope is now freaking out. 

"Pope, come on!" JJ shouts at the boy. 

"All right, guys..." John B warns. 

"I got you." Kie assures Pope.