Make Quiet Things Heard

Chapter 12 : Just Find Josie (Ep. 6|Part 2)

Hope's POV

Me and Rafael are sitting on the floor right by the entrance to the gymnasium, where we are bored watching the second hand of the clock on the wall as it ticks loudly. "One more minute." I state. We sit in silence for a long moment before I decided to take the opportunity to clear the air between us.
"Raf, I didn't just send Landon away. I sent him to someone who's gonna help him find his birth mom." I say. Though this confession was meant to make Rafael feel better about Landon leaving Mystic Falls, it ultimately does the opposite, making Rafael scoff incredulously.

"You sent him away by himself to find the woman that gave him up?" he asks.
I frown not understanding the problem.
"What if she's amazing and he finally gets a family?" I say.
"He had a family! He had me." he replies.
"A crew isn't the same. Family is always and forever." I say.
"Yeah, you're right-- he's not my blood, but he is my brother. If anything, maybe you should try doubling down on friends to make up for the family you don't have." he says. This comment hurt my feelings, as tears start filling my eyes and we sit in awkward silence for a long moment before Rafael turns to check the clock. Realizing our magical imprisonment is finally over, Rafael sighs as he stands to his feet.

"Time's up, lonely girl." he says.
Rafael walks right past me without another word, leaving me to think about what we have talked about today. After I got out of the gym I immediately went to my room to change into a maroon ball gown. Josie might be looking for me. I went to the party and look for her. But I couldn't find her anywhere, Lizzie and everyone else didn't even notice she isn't here. I went everywhere to try and find her, but she was nowhere to be found. I went outside and saw Dr. Saltzman pin a woman in a choke-hold against the nearby tree. Then I interrupt the whole situation. "Dr. Saltzman? What's going on?" He almost seems relieved to see me and pants for breath for a long moment before he finally speaks.

"Hope, I need your help." he says. My eyes widen in alarm when he tells me that Josie is buried alive in the cemetery. My heart dropped at the thought of losing Josie. Dr. Saltzman told me to find Josie while he goes and retrieves the knife. I march off into the woods with a large flashlight, a shovel.
"You gonna howl at the moon wearing that?" Penelope asks as I pass them. I, with bigger things on my mind, simply roll my eyes and don't so much as slow down as I walk past them.
"Sorry, no time for bitchy banter..." I stop and think for a moment, realizing that Penelope and MG may be of use. I usually work alone, but I can't find her fast on my own. I need help to find Josie or I might lose her. And I can't have that.

"Actually... I could use your help finding Josie." I say. "What happened?"
"Apparently, her possessed biological mother buried her alive in the cemetery." I explain. Penelope wastes no time grabbing a shovel laying around outside of the mill as she and MG follow after me, and lead them toward the graveyard.
"We're coming with you." Mg says. I continue to lead Penelope, and MG into the cemetery, all of us clutching our weapons tightly and looking worried. Determined to find my best friend, I begin to instruct the others on how to proceed. "Mg, listen for her breathing." I say. Barely a second passes before MG stops walking.
"Hold on... I hear something." Mg turns and holds out his hand to me. "Shovel."

Mg quickly starts digging up a newly-dug patch of earth in front of a gravestone but is stunned when a decomposing arm pushes itself through the soil and starts grabbing Mg by the ankle as the zombie rasps and hisses. The creature bursts out of the dirt, revealing himself, and starts clawing his way toward us. Penelope takes the shovel she's holding and swings it at the zombie, burying the blade into the side of his neck, but it barely slows him down. Mg, exasperated, and trying to protect us, calls out to us as he fights back. "That won't work!" Mg falls on his backside, grabs his shovel, and jams the end of the blade in the zombie's forehead, seemingly killing it.
"To kill a walker, you gotta go for the brain! Everybody knows that." he says.