Alone Together • JJ Maybank

Thirty Eight.

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Watching out of the window as the trees blurred past us, I leant back into Kiara lap from my spot on the floor as she braided small sections of my hair, humming contently along to the soft music.

"So, they keep money out here?" Pope asked hesitantly. I sat up a little taller to get a better look out of the window. I hadn't been this deep into the depths of the Cut since being here. We were surrounded by overgrown trees and bushes on either side of the road, passing only a few small run down houses that looked to be in an even worse state than the Chateau was.

"That's what she said." JJ answered as he also sat forward in his seat opposite me, glancing out of the window too.

"I've never even heard of Resurrection Drive." Sarah turned round to face us from her spot beside John B.

"That's cos you're rich." I kicked my foot at JJ's leg, giving him a stern glare as he mumbled back to Sarah. He grabbed my ankle, playfully glaring back at me and mouthing an oww as if I had hurt him.

"You've never heard of it either." Kiara huffed behind me, silencing JJ. "There's nothing but weeds back here."

"Just cause it's just weeds, doesn't mean it's, like..." JJ decided to carry on, but was cut off by the sound of sirens behind us. I pulled my leg back from JJ's grip as I turned my body to look out the back window, seeing the blue and red flashing lights following us.

"Seriously? Cops?" Kiara groaned.

"Why would they even be out here in the middle of nowhere?" I questioned, looking from Kie to Pope who both looked as confused as I was.

"God! Are you kidding me?"

"What did we do?" Everyone began to panic as John B pulled over to the side of the road. JJ jumped up from his seat to start hiding things.

"Did you bring the gun?"

"You don't have any weed on you, do you?" John B and I both fired questions at him.

"No, and no." He said as he quickly wrapped the gold in an old t-shirt, shoving it into his backpack and into the compartment under his seat. "Everybody told me to leave it back at the place."

"Thank god."

Pope leapt forward, joining me on the floor to help JJ hide everything before the cop saw. I shuffled out of their way, climbing onto the seat that Pope had just moved from as Kiara reeled off more questions in a panic.

"Guys, hurry. He's walking up." I said, noticing the figure come into my view beside the van. Kiara lent forward, helping the boys in their panic, but as I looked up at the cop again, the unusual dark clothing caught my attention as he slowly reached behind him.

As if everything was in slow motion, I watched the figure pull a shotgun round to his front as he reached John B's open window. "Oh my god, John B." I lifted my hand to cover my mouth in shock as I processed what was happening. But my warning was too late. The sound of the gun cocking, aimed directly at John B, instantly caused a silence to fill the van.

"Why don't I go ahead and see them hands in the air?" No one dared to move as the man spoke. I kept my hand over my mouth to muffle the whimper I felt growing in my throat.