016.

"𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞." Emerson said, as they pulled up to Tannyhill.

Their plan was to show Sarah what was happening with the whole situation with John B, and they figured she was home. She went M.I.A. since the whole shooting incident, so they figured she was locked up somewhere in Tannyhill.

Their idea was for Kie and Emerson to tell Sarah what happened, while Pope distracted. JJ would be staying in the van, so that he didn't do anything stupid.

As they were walking towards the house, Pope blurted out something unexpected. "I love you, Kie."

Emerson's eyes widen, as she looked at Kie, who was just as shocked. "What?"

"I love you. I'm in love with you." Pope said again. "You're wasted." Kie said as she started to walk away, dragging Emerson with her.

"No, I know I'm wasted, and that's why I'm saying this now. I really feel like this. I love you." Pope said, grabbing Kie's wrist to stop her from walking away.

Emerson felt extremely awkward, so she started to walk away from the two to give them some privacy. The last thing she thought she'd ever hear from Pope was him confessing his love for Kie. Emerson kinda knew he had a crush on her ever since the day at The Wreck, when they were dancing. She knew there was something up with him, you could see it from a mile away.

"Because Pogues can't mack on other Pogues." Kie said, bringing Emerson out of her thoughts. When Emerson heard what Kie said, she couldn't help but feel an unusual feeling in her stomach.

"Yeah, well that rule doesn't make sense anymore, no one follows it. I mean look at John B and Em. John B literally made that rule, and look at him all whipped for her." Pope said, and Emerson's heart dropped. 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 𝘉.

She wanted nothing more but to be right beside him. She wanted to be with him, and make sure he was okay, but she couldn't. She was so worried for John B, that she felt like crying again. But she wasn't gonna let herself get too emotional. She just prayed that everything would work out in their favor in the end.

"Come on, Em." Kie said, dragging Emerson towards the mansion, leaving Pope behind to distract. Emerson looked over at Pope, and her heart broke when she saw him crying.

"What the actual fuck just happened?" Emerson whispered. "You tell me. I'm even more confused." Kie responded.

···

When Emerson and Kie found Sarah's window, they saw Sarah's reflection through the mirror. They knocked lightly, so that whoever else was in the house couldn't hear.

Sarah looked through the window to find Emerson and Kie smiling at her. The three girls tried to lift the window to help Sarah escape, but the windows weren't budging.

"Shit."

"You gotta be fucking with me, right now."

They all sighed, as Kie took out the 'wanted' poster to show Sarah. She looked at the poster in disbelief before Emerson spoke up.

"Sarah, if I know John B, he's probably at the bell tower at the abandoned church. I can't get caught, so please help him." Emerson pleaded, and Sarah nodded.

All of a sudden, they heard Ward calling for Sarah. Emerson and Kie ran away, while Sarah jumped on her bed as if nothing happened.

···

"Meet me at the dock at three. Don't be late." Emerson heard Pope say, as she slowly woke up. The Pogues minus John B, slept inside The Wreck on the bench seats. She saw Pope storm out, and Kie followed him.

"Good morning, sunshine." JJ said when he heard Emerson shuffling. "You know what happened between those two?"

"Yeah, do you?" Emerson asked. JJ shook his head, no. "Pope confessed his love for Kie, and Kie shut him down." Emerson said, rubbing her eyes. Her back cracked a ton after sleeping on the uncomfortable bench seats all night.

"Ouch. That one must've hurt." JJ placed his hand on his heart. Emerson smacked his head, as they went outside to follow Kie and Pope.

Right when they stepped foot outside, Pope was already on his way to get gas for the Phantom. The three of them were quiet, until the sound of a helicopter interrupted the silence.

"Who is that?"

"Shit."

"This is not good."

···

Emerson decided to go talk with the police behind the Pogues' back. She needed to tell them everything about the truth.

When she walked towards the lighthouse, she saw a bunch of tents. She knew they were for John B, and she couldn't help but worry for him.

"Em?" a voice startled her.

"Sarah, fuck." Emerson said as she ran to Sarah and wrapped her arms around her. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's at one of Rose's listings, right now. What are you doing here?" Sarah asked. "I came to tell the truth." Emerson said, and Sarah nodded to show her that she came to do the same.

As they walked together towards the tent, they both felt a feeling drop in their stomachs. There were many police, and the amount of people trying to catch John B shocked the two girls.

As they walked towards one of the tents, they were stopped and told they couldn't be there by an armed man.

"No, just let us talk to someone in charge." Emerson said, trying to shove her way past the man. The man didn't allow it, as he tried to drag the two girls to a different tent.

"Just let us talk to someone in charge."

"He's not dangerous. You're after the wrong guy."

The two girls tried to argue, until Emerson spotted a SBI officer. "Excuse me! SBI guy!" she yelled, trying to catch his attention. Thankfully, it worked.

"Hi, we're Emerson Kennedy and Sarah Cameron. We were on the tarmac with Sheriff Peterkin. We know what happened. We were there!" Emerson tried to shout. The guy holding her and Sarah back was making it difficult for her to speak.

"Please, we just want to talk!  Please!" Sarah shouted and luckily, the SBI officer came towards them.

"How can I help you, ladies?" the SBI officer asked. Before they could say a word, they heard a voice that sent chills up their spines.

"There you two are!" Ward shouted, catching the girls' attention. "I've been looking everywhere for you." he said, running up to them.

"No, get away from me! You murderer!" Emerson screamed at Ward as he approached them. The SBI officer looked at her, confused.

"Look hear me out, officer! John B didn't shoot Peterkin. It was fucking Rafe! That son of a bitch! Peterkin was like my second mom and he killed her!" Emerson sobbed.

"Everything she's saying is true! Don't listen to my dad, he's trying to get away with murder himself too!" Sarah screamed, while Ward was trying to drag them away.

"Get your hands off me!" the two girls pushed Ward away. He looked at them, shocked.

"How long have you been lying to us? Who are you?" Sarah cried, side hugging Emerson.

"Officer, can I have a moment in private?" Ward asked the SBI officer. Sarah and Emerson started screaming at the officer to not listen to Ward, and that everything he was saying was a lie.

The armed man from earlier grabbed a hold of both the girls, and tried to get them to calm down. The two girls continued to try to escape the man's grasp, until Sarah finally kneed him where the sun doesn't shine too bright.

Sarah grabbed Emerson's hand, and they started to run away. They ran as fast as they could, so that they could return to John B.

···

When the two girls entered the house, Emerson rushed upstairs to find John B standing at the top. She smiled and instantly hugged him.

"Holy shit. You're here." he said, as they kissed each other. He noticed how both Emerson and Sarah's eyes were red and puffy.

"What happened? How'd you get here?" he asked, but both of them stayed quiet. "It's getting really bad out there." Emerson whispered.

John B held his arm out for Sarah to join the hug, seeing her also distressed. She quickly joined the hug, as the two girls continued to cry.

Suddenly, they heard police sirens coming from outside the house. "Shit."

They gave each other panicked looks, as John B dragged both the girls downstairs, and through the back door. By the time they reached the back door, they heard the cops right outside the front door. They ran outside to the dock, and found five pandleboards on the ground. They each grabbed a board, as they started to paddle away from the house.

···

After awhile of paddling, they decided to take a break. They were pretty far from land, so they thought it was a good place to stop for a bit.

"Do you really think they'll be able to steal the boat?" Sarah asked. "JJ's involved, so." Emerson and John B said at the same time.

"Y'all know each other too well. You always say the same thing at the same time, and Em even knew you would be at the bell tower." Sarah said, referring to when Emerson asked her to check the bell tower.

"So that's how you knew I was up there. Through Em." John B chuckled. "Of course I knew you would be up there. Where else would you go?" Emerson giggled.

"Well, I accidentally broke into Kelce's house and almost got caught. I moved the washing machine out of the way and somehow fit through the hole behind it just in time." John B said, amazed he even had it in him to do that.

Emerson eyes widened as she looked at John B. She knew he was being serious by the look on his face. They started to hear police sirens in the distance, so they started paddling again.

"John B, where are you going? The boat ramp's this way." Sarah told the boy. He was headed in a different direction than Emerson and Sarah.

"Look, I've gotta go home." John B said, quietly.

"What? No, there'll be cops crawling all over there."

"Are you insane? There'll be cops there."

"Yeah, and that's okay." John B tried to reassure them. "Look, the gold from Crain's house. It's at the Chateau. Our parents have been looking for that for years. It's all we got left of them. I gotta get it. And we're gonna need the money."

"You're gonna get caught."

"Okay, then I get caught." John B said but Sarah quickly cuts him off. "Then all this is for nothing."

"No, it's not. Just listen to me, please. I need you guys to go the boat dock in an hour." John B tells them.

"No, I'm going with you." Emerson tried to argue. "No, you're not. Don't worry. It's too dangerous if you come with. I'll get the gold and see you in an hour. It's the last thing of our parents, Em. Also, if we don't have money, we can't go anywhere." John B argued back.

In the back of Emerson's mind, she knew he was right. She nodded, and John B started to paddle away.

"Wait!" Emerson shouted paddling towards him. She locked their lips for what might be the last time.

"I love you, Bird."

"I love you, Bubba."

They gave each other one last kiss, as John B started to paddle towards the Chateau. Emerson felt her heart drop, as she saw John B's figure getting farther and farther away.

Emerson paddled towards Sarah, and they gave each other a comforting hug before paddling towards the boat dock.

···

"Whoa, whoa! Hey, is that Sarah Cameron?" they heard a voice coming from the boat next to them.

"Shit, you start paddling the other way. Get to the boat dock, quickly." Sarah urged Emerson. "What about you?" Emerson asked Sarah.

"Don't worry about me. I'll see you at the boat dock." she replied. "What if you don't make it on time?" Emerson started to get emotional. Sarah had just become her new best friend, and she didn't know when the next time they would see each other would be.

"Then, I'll see you on the other side." Sarah whimpered, as she hugged Emerson tightly. Sarah didn't want to say goodbye to her new best friend, but only time can tell.

"I love you, Sarah." Emerson hugged her tightly. "Love you too, Em." Sarah said as they let go.

Emerson paddled as fast as she could away from Sarah and the boat, and started making her way towards the boat dock.

···

When Emerson arrived where she was supposed to meet everyone, no one was there. She thought she went to the wrong place, but everyone specifically said the boat dock, and that's where she was.

"Em?" a car pulled up to the dock, while Emerson was trying to get herself and the paddle board out of the water.

"Oh my gosh! Guys!" Emerson said, as she hugged Kie first. "Where were you? You just disappeared." Kie asked.

"I found John B. He went back to the Chateau to get his stuff, so hopefully he's fine." Emerson explained. The Pogues' eyes widen, smacking their heads. The last place John B should be would be the Chateau. "I know. Stupid, right?" Emerson chuckled.

"Emerson?" a voice scared everyone, as they all tried to get the Phantom on the water. "Sarah!" Emerson saw Sarah, running up to the boat dock. "Thank goodness, you didn't leave yet." Sarah hugged Emerson.

"Please, be safe. I'm gonna miss you, a lot." Sarah felt tears run down her cheeks. Emerson nodded, afraid her voice would break if she spoke. "I'm gonna miss you too." Emerson silently cried.

After they pulled away, Kie was next. "I can't believe my best friend is leaving the island. Who would've thought this summer would end up with you fleeing with John B?" Kie laughed, as she started to tear up. "I'm gonna miss you a lot. Have fun with the two weirdos." Emerson giggled, referring to Pope and JJ. Kie nodded, and gave her a big hug.

Next was Pope. They gave each other a bear hug, and Emerson started to cry even more. "Stay weird, Pope. I hope all goes well with you and your education." Emerson half-joked, half-serious. "And you take care of John B. He's a lot to handle." Pope chuckled as they pulled away.

Last but not least, JJ. She remembered when her and John B became friends with him in third grade. JJ was like Emerson's brother, and Emerson was like JJ's sister. They gave each other a hug, and silently stayed there. "Take care of him for me." JJ whispered in Emerson's ear. "And take care of them for me." Emerson whispered back, referring to the Pogues and Sarah. He nodded and they waited for John B to arrive.

"Where is he?" Kie asked, impatient. "You don't think he got caught, right?"

"Give him a second. He'll be here."

"He's coming. He'll be fine."

"He better be, or this was all for nothing."

All of a sudden, they heard a cop car coming towards them in the distance. Everyone started to panic, as they tried to push the Phantom further into the water.

"Wait. No way."

"No effing way."

"You gotta be kidding me."

"Shoupe let me take it for a spin." John B said, hopping out of the police car. Emerson sighed of relief when it wasn't an actual police officer.

All the Pogues and Sarah ran up to John B to give him a hug. Emerson stood aside, and watched everyone get all emotional again.

John B saw Emerson standing to the side, and walked up to her. They gave each other a kiss and hug, as they started to board the Phantom.

"You've got plenty of gas, plenty of food. Once you get around that point, it's a straight shot across the sound to Dismal Swamp, okay? Once you get there, lay low, alright? Hang out for a couple weeks and then go overland, cross the border at Brownsville, you got that? Brownsville." JJ explained to the two. The two teenagers nodded, still processing that they're fleeing the island.

"Hey. Sorry for basically throwing us off a cliff with this whole treasure hunt thing." John B tried his hardest not to cry. Emerson gripped his hand tightly, as she already had tears falling down her cheeks.

"Hey, John B. We were bound to run off a cliff at some point, right?" JJ tried to lighten the mood. "At least we did it together, though. Pogue style."

"𝘗𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦."

"Get out of here, please." Kie begged them, afraid they would get caught. "We'll see you in two months, down in Mexico." Pope said, as John B and Emerson were ready to drive off.

"Love you." JJ and Sarah said, as they watched their best friends drive away.

Emerson looked back at everyone, uncontrollable tears falling from her eyes. John B grabbed her hand tightly, as they continued to drive away from the island.

···

author's note: [word count: 2815]

episode 9 is down :) next chapter is the last chapter!