Eastside ₒ OBX

10- The Well Under the House (pt. 2)

Spending time with Sam and Candice was what Jade needed, some time away from the Pogues vs Kooks drama. 
   "So how'd you guys like the movie?" Candice questions from the backseat of Sam's car. 
   "I thought it was great," Sam says. 
   "You fell asleep halfway through," Jade points out. 
   "It was a nine forty-five showing and its now eleven thirty. I was tired and I'm driving because neither of you can." 
   "I can too drive," Candice says, "I just choose not to." 
   "I just haven't gotten to my license test yet," Jade replies. 
   "Sure," Sam scoffs. 
   "Hey what's this about you two being your stage spouses?" Candice reaches up to their Sour-patch Kids stash in the center console. "Its super dumb. I mean, you guys aren't even dating." 
   "Candy, Jade's already talking to John B, and I've been texting Sarah." 
   "I was and then he started talking to Sarah," Jade crosses her arms. 
   "Well, Jade, sometimes your crush ends up talking to a hoe. It happens," Candice says through a mouthful of gummies. 
   "Sarah's not a hoe," Sam responds. "And Jade, there's something I need to tell--" 
   "Hey, Sam, can you pull over for a sec?" Jade asks, sitting upright. She spots the HMS Pogue plugging along the marshy area. 
   "Why?" He slows down the vehicle along the edge of the water. 
   Candice leans over the back of the seat, "actually, we have to go. I can see John B, JJ and Pope all the way from here. Keep driving." 
   Jade unbuckles her seatbelt. "You do that and I'm going to have jump out." 
   "Put your seatbelt back on," Sam glances over from looking at the road. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Candice." 
   "Fine. I'm out." She vaults out of the moving vehicle and lands in the grass. 
   "Holy shit. Did you see that? She went flying," JJ's voice nearly echoes in the open space. 

   "No shit, JJ, she jumped from the car," Pope responds. "You okay?" 
   "I'll be fine," Jade uses the guardrail to climb up and spits grass. 
   John B offers her a hand up, "why'd you do that?" 
   "They weren't going to stop driving and we've still got gold to find." 
   Sam's blue SUV backs up and parks. Him and Candice get out and look at them. 
   "What the hell, Jade?" Sam exclaims. 
   "What have you been smoking?" Candice shuts the door hard. 
   "I'm sure you'd want to know," JJ answers. 
   "Shut up, JJ. You're such d--k." 
   "Why didn't you stop the car? She could've gotten hurt," John B tells Sam. 
   "I thought she was bluffing, and its better if she didn't hang out with you," he replies. 
   "That isn't your decision, Sam. Jade can decide whoever she wants to be with, so stop trying to control her." 
   "Whoa, whoa, hey," Jade intervenes. "No one is forcing me to do anything. I'm going with the Pogues as promised and then I'll come back around. I'll text you guys when we're done here. You don't have to worry," she hugs Candice and Sam quickly. 
   Sam and Candice reluctantly agree with her and get back into the vehicle.  
   Jade turns back to the Pogues. "Where's Kie?" she asks as she hops onboard the HMS Pogue. 
   "We dumped her on a boat with Sarah Cameron," JJ says. 
   "Why'd you do that?" 
   "So they can bond," Pope states. 
   "They might try to kill each other, you know that, right?" Jade looks over at John B. "Are you willing to take that risk?" 
   John B nods slowly in response, "yeah." 
   "Alright then. So what's on the agenda for today?" 
   "Tomfoolery," JJ slides on his shades. 
   "Dope," she smirks. 

With Kiara and Sarah joining Jade and the boys for the rest of their treasure hunt, they head for the Crain house again. They creep through the undergrowth along the property until the motion sensor lights come on. 
   "Shit," Sarah dives behind an overgrown bush. 
   "Turn off the damn flashlight," Pope hisses. 
   "I'm trying but its a strobe," JJ smacks the button. 
   Jade yanks her dark hood over her head. "Maybe she'll mistaken us for wild animals and not bother looking?" 
   "We could, uh... move really slowly, maybe?" 
   "That's not how it works," Pope replies. 
   "We could throw a rock at it," John B suggests. 
   "Throw a rock?" 
   "She's definitely going to know something's wrong when her camera's broken," Jade says. 
   "You have a better idea?" Pope asks John B. 
   "There's a breaker box on the porch," Sarah says. "It'll turn the camera off." 
   "I'll go with you," Kie volunteers. 
   "Okay, cool." 
   "Hey, be safe," John B cautions. 
   "We will." 
   "Be safe," JJ mimics him. 
   "I'll be so safe, I'll be safe for you," Pope plays along. 
   "Can you guys shut up? Stop. I'm gonna kill you," John B grumbles. 
   "But how would that keep us safe?" 
   Jade blinks, "I'm surrounded by idiots." She looks back and forth between the three boys that she had spent the entire day with.

The reason why she stuck with them was beyond her comprehension. 
   "The light's off, lets go," John B heads for the basement. 
   When they get inside, Jade puts her bag down on the ground. "Okay, I'm guessing we cast a line down?" 
   "Cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers, its from a film," JJ says randomly. "Basically its about cannibals that live in the sewers under New York and they--" 
   "Shut up," John B grabs a line of rope. 
   "And you call me the 'walking-talking reference book'," Jade remarks to JJ. 
   "Pope, how far do you think this goes?" 
   "I don't know." 
   "We could drop a glowstick," Jade suggests. 
   "Do you have a glowstick?" 
   "Yeah," she reaches into her knapsack and finds a dead one. "Not anymore." 
   "Guess we're going to have to do this the old fashioned way." John B drops one side of the rope down. "Pulley system. I just got one request... don't drop me." 
   "Dude, I don't know if Jade's chicken arms can help hold this," JJ comments. 
   "Gazelle legs and chicken arms. Sometimes I wonder how your brain actually works," Jade takes up part of the rope. 
   They begin to gradually John B into the well. "Keep goin'. Keep goin'," his voice grows distant into the darkness. 
   JJ slips in the dirt, his sneakers scoffing the floor. "Jesus." 
   "I think my hands are dying," Jade's limbs strain against the shift in power. 
   "I told you not to drop me," John B hollers from below. "I got to the bottom." 
   Pope, JJ and Jade peer over the edge. 
   "How is it down there?" Pope calls. 
   "Worse than I thought." Silence fills the room for a minute. "Pull me up! Pull me up!" 
   Jade leaps to the rope and begins tugging at it. 
   "Wait, wait, wait! Hold on a sec!" 
   "What was that?" Pope shouts. "What'd you say?" 
   "Just give me a minute. Hold on." 

Several seconds go by and the line slackens a little.
   Jade holds her position, "John B?" 
   "Guys!" Kiara's voice yells from the staircase. "Mrs Crain! She's up there!" 
   "We locked her in the parlor," Sarah reports. "She tried to kill us with a fire poker." 
   "John B, you gotta come up, man!" JJ looks over into the well. 
   "Hold on, I'm coming," John B says from below. 
   "Hurry up!" Kie paces impatiently. 
   "I found the gold!" 
   "What's he saying?" JJ asks. 
   "Pull him up, he's drowning," Pope says. "Hey, John B! Get back to the rope." 
   They all rush to the rope and yank on the line. 
   "John B, are you alright?" Jade questions. 
   "Yeah, I'm good." 
   "Lets go," Pope coils up the rope. "Come on!" 
   A gunshot goes off. Jade shrieks in alarm. 
   "Shit!" Kie yelps. 
   They all dart for cover. 
   "She can't aim for shit," Kie says. 
   "She's blind," Sarah realizes. 
   "Guys, I swear I've seen this in a horror movie," Jade pants. "This is how we die." 
   "I thought you didn't like horror movies," Pope replies. 
Another shot lands just above their heads.

Jade screams and covers her head. 
   "We gotta go, we gotta go," JJ herds her frantically out the door. 
   "What about John B?" 
   "He's coming. Go, go, go!" 
   The teenagers sprint for the van. Jade pumps her arms and races by brush and long blades of grass to the dirt road. Her heart pounds madly against her heaving lungs. 
   "Shit, shit, shit," Kie dives over the wall and slams open the door to the vehicle. 
   "Start the car," Pope shouts. "Why are we always getting shot at?" 
   "My shoes are caked in mud," Jade shrills as she slips. Another shot rings out. 
   JJ picks her back up before heading for the driver's seat. "Passenger side." 
   Jade shuts the door just as the van peels away. "Where's John B?" 
   "John B!" Kie yells, holding open the side door, "c'mon!" 
   John B flies through the opening and lands next to Pope. 
   "You good? Are you shot?" Pope asks John B. 
   "I'm okay," John B rests his head against the passenger seat. 
   "I think I'd know if I was shot, right?" Kie questions. 
   "Oh thank God. We're still alive," Jade exhales. 
   "Dude, you look disgusting," Pope tells John B. 
   "You smell like ass," Kiara states. 
   "All-time Pogue Hall of Fame, baby," JJ steers them out onto the main road. 
   "I never want to do something like that again," Jade flops across the seat. 
   "That bitch was possessed," Kie continues. 
   "That bitch can't aim," Sarah adds. 
   "As long as we..." Jade pauses once she realizes what is in John B's hand. "No frickin' way." 
   "We did it!" John B announces. 
   "Guys, we're gonna be rich," Kie says. 
   "We found the gold!" Pope yells. 
   Then they all start chanting, "full Kook! Full Kook!" 

Author's Note: 
Wrote this all in one day. Yep, I close to nothing to do today. Also you guys have been asking me to continue this for a couple days now, so I thought I do it all in one shot. 

If you liked this part, be sure to give it a vote! Byeeeeeeeeeeee! 

   ~ SHIELD-Avenger