CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Redfield
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(PRESENT)

Avery spammed the horn, making John B let out a loud laugh.

Standing out the back of the docks, JJ and Pope turned to see the two beaming at them. John B gestured with his hand, not even having to say anything to encourage them to get in. They wandered over to the van and the side door slid open, JJ jumped in first with Pope following, shutting the door behind him.

It was a short drive through the Cut to the Wreck, Pope was the first to volunteer to go get Kiara. Although the boy emerged, calling out that she wasn't coming. Both blonde's looked over at John B, Avery frowned before her eyes widening. She had been observing the pair for the last few days, noticing every little thing.

"What'd you do to her, John B?" JJ frowned, narrowing his eyes at his friend. The brunet cursed out loud.

"You did not!" Avery gasped, her parted lips formed a grin as her friend shot a glare her way, making her throw her head back and laugh like a child.

"Hang on. I'll deal with it" John B said, opening the car door and stepping out.

"Am I missing something here?" JJ asked with a baffled expression. His arms snaked around the back of her seat, resting over her shoulders as she leaned against the seat, her head titled towards the window.

She turned her head and peered over at him, only noticing him resting his chin on his bicep. His face was close, his warm breath tickled her neck, causing her skin to bubble. Avery hummed, "he totally kissed her"

"There is no way he actually did it" JJ chuckled. He knew that John B had a thing for Kiara but never believed that he would make a move on her.

"He totally did. That's why she won't come with us, it's awkward. I know it" She grinned, being overly sure she had sussed her friend's situation.

"Bet on it," JJ smirked cheekily, "If he did, you win–"

"New surfboard wax. Watermelon scented" Avery finished his sentence with a smile.

He chuckled and continued, "and if he doesn't, I win a kiss"

"It's a bet" Avery giggled and stuck her hand up for him to shake, which he gladly did, taking her hand in his and shook on it.

"What's a bet?" Pope appeared by the passenger window, leaning his folded arms on frame. His eyes bounced between the two grinning blonde's skeptically.

"Alright, she's in!" John B called out.

His curls bounced as he jogged out of the restaurant and towards the vehicle, Kiara following in suit, offering a smile at the trio. As the brunet climbed back into the drivers side, he narrowed his eyes at his friend. Avery fought back the shit-eating grin threatening to spread across her face.

Ever since they were little, she had a way of reading John B, especially when it came to his feelings. Maybe it was because he had a crush on her when they were ten. He actually stole her first kiss on the playground. And he knew that she would figure it out every time.

The sun started to set on their drive. Avery kept shotgun, leaving Pope and Kiara to sit in the backseats, with JJ sprawled behind the bench. Avery sat with one foot up on the seat, leaning against the window besides her. She watched the darkening road ahead and drummed her fingers along to the random tune spinning in her head against bare her knee.

"You mind if I just relax on this one? It's been a long day, and a lot of weird stuff's gone down. I'm just gonna lay low. Oh, did you want a hit of this?" JJ caught Pope staring, shoving the freshly rolled joint towards him.

The Heyward boy put his hand up, "I keep the signal clear"

"Dude, okay. Do you understand that your problem is that you don't get creative? If you got creative, then–" The blond boy rambled on, lecturing his up-tight, smarter friend on living a little. Avery snorted a laugh, shaking her head slightly.

"Look, I– I know I was wrong about the lighthouse, all right? And pretty much wrong about everything else going on. But I– I was right about one thing" John B blurted out, quietening JJ's ranting. The teens looked over and listened to him.

"Your dad is telling you something" Avery nodded curtly, a smile playing on her lips as she was genuinely feeling good about this mission.

Although, that feeling faltered when they started to trek through the graveyard in the dark. She had watched way too many movies to know how this ends, either with a miracle or death, she didn't particularly want to experience the latter one. With the torch tightly in her hand, Avery shone it ahead of them, squirming at the spooky scene they were walking through.

"Come on, J" Avery whispered, turning around to see the boy clumsily stepping over the uneven grounds. She couldn't help but giggle at the sight of him, he was in a faint high with a head torch strapped to his head.

"You know how you're trying to remember a song and you can't remember who sings it?" John B quipped, the metaphor wasn't the best one to use for his point but Kiara agreed, awaiting on him to continue. "So, Redfield. This whole time, I thought it was a place, right? But it's not a place"

Their pace slowed as they approached a grave. John B lifted up his light to shine it onto the large name chiselled in the stone. Avery breathlessly chuckled, "it's a person"

"Voi-effing-lá" JJ slurred. He hiccuped, feeling something jab into his side. Avery scrunched up her nose at the bright light that shone in her face as he looked down at her. She used her free hand to playfully push his face away, turning it back at face the grave.

"See, my great-great-grandmother Olivia Redfield. That was her maiden name" John B informed them. "Help me with the door, come on"

For once, Pope kept his comment to himself, it was as if he finally realised that John B might be onto something after all. The boy stepped forward and pressed his hands against the tomb, helping John B push with all his strength. Avery nudged JJ with her torch, nodding her head to signal that he should help, making him move from his spot.

"This door is like seven hundred pounds. It's not gonna budge" Pope grunted, his voice straining as he continued to force his strength against the stone.

"We didn't come this far to get this far, alright? We got this" JJ encouraged them.

Noticing movement slithering out of a crack, Avery squealed at the sight of the hissing snake. The boys were quick to also notice the reptile, immediately stepping back and away from the door as the snake slid down the stone and to the ground.

"That's a moccasin, all right. Ye olde Dr. Cottonmouth. Death in tall grass" JJ blurted out, speaking in a tangy accent. The blond didn't hesitate to bark at it.

"JJ, shut up. Shut up!" Kiara panicked. The last thing they needed was to be caught raiding some dead relatives grave.

"You're gonna wake the freaking dead, man" Pope pushed JJ's shoulder and got him to stop barking.

"They're afraid of dogs" Avery shrugged, fighting the giggle that bubbled in her throat at JJ's antics. Sure, he wasn't helping the situation but it was still amusing to watch.

"Yeah, everyone knows that!" JJ pointed at Avery, making her friend's point a look at her as she innocently threw up her hands in defence and nodded. "Wait, hold on, hold on. If there's one, there's probably dozens. All around"

"God, can you stop? You're scaring me" Kiara scoffed, rolling her eyes as the boy started barking again.

"Stop barking at the snakes!" John B quietly yelled, watching Avery shove her hand over JJ's mouth. His barking was muffled, gradually silencing.

"Look, John– John, look. We're not gonna get in there, all right? It's not budging. We should probably just go" Pope concluded. The Routledge boy didn't want to listen but he knew that they wouldn't be getting the tomb open tonight.

"I can get through" Kiara butted in, her eyes trained on the small gap.

"What? No, no, no, no. You think you're gonna fit through the hole? That hole?" John B shook his head, not seeing it being possible.

"Okay, maybe I can't," She sighed and twirled around, shining her flashlight at Avery. The blonde whined at the blinding light, blinking rapidly. Kiara raised her eyebrows, "but Avery could. This is about your dad. And honestly, I really don't believe in it, but you deserve to know the truth. Avery?"

"Hell, no–"

"I'll do it. You do deserve it, Johnny" Avery cut off her best friend that seemingly had sobered up in the last ten seconds. He didn't like the idea of her climbing through the hole, knowing that there could be anything on the other side.

The two boys and Kiara cleared the weeds out of the way of the hole. John B leaned against the wall, holding most of them back for her. Avery stepped towards them, smiling at Pope as he positioned himself, ready to boost her up. JJ's rambling was ignored, making him give up as he realised that she wouldn't change her mind.

"Okay, on three, ready? One, two– alright, forget about three" Pope mumbled, pushing his interlinked hands up to hoist her up. She didn't wait to step and pull herself up, squeezing through the gap effortlessly.

"You alive? You got, like, a– a heartbeat and everything?" John B's voice echoed through the tomb. It had only been a few seconds and they were crowded around the hole, staring at it as they waited for a sign she was okay.

"I think so," She called back, cringing at the sound of her own voice bouncing off the stone walls. "Can I have some more light?"

"Yeah, I've got ya" John B mumbled and held up his lantern, pushing it through the hole.

"Did you find something?" JJ's head popped through the gap. He could only just make out her figure, guessing that she reached into another gap. "Avery, be careful"

"John B, holy shit!" She yelled in excitement, making her friends jump at her sudden outburst. Her hand popped out from the gap, holding onto a large white envelope that the brunet took in his own hand.

"That's not gold" Pope muttered. He looked back to see JJ almost dragging Avery out the hole, rolling his eyes at the sight.

The blonde let out a laugh, adrenaline flowing through her. Her best friend grasped her waist, wrapping his hands around her hips and lifting her up. A little squeal left her lips as her body folded over his shoulder, snaking her arms around his torso. Her hand sneakily stole the cigarette from his free hand, taking a hit before blowing out a cloud of smoke.

As the cloud dispersed, she spotted headlights in the distance. She frantically patted JJ's back, "code red, code red!"

They teenagers rushed over to cover, huddling behind another tomb. Avery had been dropped to her feet and followed them. She buckled besides JJ, her trembling fingers struggled to turn off her torch light. Thankfully she got it to turn off, staring up at JJ's headlight that remained one. She reached over and covered it with her hand, hoping that it would be enough to keep it from being seen.

"Do you think it's them?" Kiara whispered, voice trembling with fear.

JJ peered around Avery's body to see the vehicle stop and the faint outline of figures jump out, "homie's got a gun"

"Screw this" Kiara and Avery both said, getting to their feet and breaking out into a run, the boys quickly followed.

Reaching the gate, Avery slowed her pace and peered over her shoulder. JJ's voice snapped her out of her trace and she started moving again, reaching the gate that Pope was stuck on.

Even in the worst moment, Avery let out a snort, pushing herself up onto her tiptoes to give the boy a push. She jumped a few times, trying her best to get him to budge, while Kiara tugged him from the other side.

"You're gonna rip it. Wait, you're gonna rip it!" Pope repeated over and over, feeling himself sinking, the sound of his cargo shorts slowly tearing.

"You're fine!" Avery laughed loudly, giving the gate a shake.

"Come on!" Kiara shouted. With one last pull, the shorts broke at the seam and freed Pope. "Avery, come on!"

"Come on, Aves, I've got you" JJ appeared on the other side, his hands outstretched as he watched the girl climb the gate with ease and cock a leg over the top. "Come on, I'll catch you"

"You better, Maybank" She giggled and let herself fall, landing in JJ's hold.

AUTHORS NOTE!
i forgot how long this scene actually was and didn't want to half it or anything. so i just kept writing, sorry it's longer than the rest. i really don't have a preference to how long i write these chapters, just going with what works :)