MATILDA! CHAPTER NINETEEN:
THE OLD BAT TRICKED US
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Liz, Sarah and Kie all sat in the van, looking at the horrid drawing Pope had drawn to show what the plan was. Liz's mind kept going back to last night, when JJ kissed her. It was like an itch she'd finally been able to scratch but now she was confused... did the kiss mean anything to JJ?

"He said it looked something like this. So..." Kie explained

"That's 50 feet down, and they're using 100-feet rope." Liz said "So I guess this little wagon will go...straight to the gold room."

"Who drew this?" Sarah asked with a laugh

"Who do you think?" Kie said as they looked out to Pope who already looked at them with a small smile.

You'd think Kie was blind to see the way Pope looked at her. He's looked at her since they'd become friends and it seemed like Liz was the only one who noticed.

"Buffy, This better work." JJ said as he tossed the three pieces of gold down on the inside of the van "We can't pawn this if there's a giant wheat symbol on it."

"It's gonna work." Liz said while pointing to Kie who held up a fire torch

After Kie had melted the wheat sign on the gold it was now just a huge hunk of gold. They pulled up to the pawn shop, that traded gold for money "Hell of a job melting it down, Dr. Frankenstein." JJ said as they got out

"Like you could've done any better."

"I could have, I took a welding class."

"You--when?" Kie asked

"Whoa, whoa. Hey. Sh! Chill out, okay?" John B said trying to stop the two from bickering

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one
that has to pawn this piece of shit off. How did I get this job anyway?" JJ asked

"Cause you're the best liar." Liz said before they went inside

"Afternoon, ma'am. Afternoon." JJ said "I see you buy gold."

"That's what the sign say, don't it?" The lady asked

"Well, I sure hope you buy a lot of it, because I'm about to blow your mind." JJ put his bag on the counter

"I ain't got much mind left to blow, so have at it." JJ took out the gold and put it in front of the lady

"How about them gold apples?" JJ asked as he placed the gold down in front of the lady

"That ain't real." She said

"That ain't real?" JJ repeated

"It can't be."

"Feel how heavy it is. Mm-hm. Mm-hm! Let's get some light on that."

"Spray-painted tungsten."

"Spray-painted tungsten? Really? Okay. Why don't you see how, uh, soft it is?"

"You mind?"

"No, go for it."

"Wow. Would you look at that?"

"Hold your horses. We ain't got to the acid test yet."

"Ooh! The acid test. My favorite, guys." JJ said and he looked around at them and Liz giggled a bit

"Well, it ain't plated, and it ain't painted."

"Ma'am, I'm telling ya, this is as real as the day is long."

"It looks like somebody tried to melt it down."

"My mom. She had all this jewelry laying around the house, and she thought it was best
to-- to melt it down. To 'consolidate' it."

"Seven pounds? That's a lot of earrings."

"Okay, to be honest, ma'am, ...it's really hard to see my mom fall apart with Alzheimer's."

"Alzheimer's?"

"Mhmm"

"Give me a minute."

"Take your time, ma'am."

The lady disappeared towards the back of the shop leaving the others. After a few minutes the lady came back out

"So, I, uh... I talked to my boss." She said

"And?"

"And, uh, this is what I can do." The lady put a check down. JJ looked almost offended at it

"Fifty thousand? You think I walked in here not knowin' the spot price? Ma'am, I know for a fact this is worth 140, at least." He said

"you in a pawnshop. Zurich. Do I look Swiss to you?" The lady asked

"Ninety, or I walk."

"Seventy. Half price...and, um... I don't ask questions about where you got this."

JJ looked around to the rest of them, John b gave him a look and he turned back to the lady. They didn't need to get it taken away. Not after what they went through

"I'm gonna need that in large denominations, please." JJ said

"Well, here's the snag. I don't have that much denominated, not here anyway. I can write you a cashier's check."

"Cash... No, ma'am. I want the cold hard. That's what that sign says. Cash for gold. And that's what I expect. I'm gonna get it in cold hard."

"Well, I have to send you to the warehouse. I have the money there. Is that all right?"

"Where's this warehouse?"

Liz sat in the back of the van with The others, JJ sitting beside her with his arm slightly above her while John B drove and Sarah sat in the passengers seat beside him.

"So they keep money out here?" Pope asked

"That's what she said." JJ said and he chuckled "That's what she said."

"Stop"

"I've never even heard of Resurrection Drive." Sarah said

"Cause you're rich." JJ told the blonde girl

"You've never heard of it either." Liz retorted towards JJ

"Thank you." Sarah smiled at Liz who smiled back

"There's nothing but weeds back here." Kie said looking out to the forest

"All right, just 'cause it's just weeds, doesn't mean it's, like..." JJ was thinking of what to say but was interrupted by sirens going off behind them. Cops

"Cops? Out here?" Liz asked

"God! Are you kidding me?"

"What did we do?"

"Why are we getting pulled over?"

"Stash that." John B told JJ to hide the gold

"Chill, guys."

"I hate cops." JJ said

"Did you bring the gun?" John B asked

"No. Okay? Everybody told me to leave it back at the place." JJ said

"Thank God."

"Okay... Please, everything else in your bag."

"I am! I am, all right?"

"How much weed do you have on you, bro?"

"He's walking up." Liz said

"Nothing better to do-Sir—" John B was interrupted by a gun cocking. It was pointed right at him

"Why don't I go ahead and see them hands in the air?" He asked, nobody listened and only starred in shock— "All y'all's hands up in the air now!" He yelled and everyone put their hands up

"You, out of the car! Let's go!" John B started to get out of the front seat "Out of the car! Let's go! Hurry! Let them out!" The man yelled and John B was hesitant holding his hands up still. "What are you waitin' on? What are you waitin' on? Let them out!" John B made his way to the side of the van and opened the side door

"All y'all! Go on! Go on! Let's get out the car! Let's go! There you go, pretty girl." Sarah was first to exit the car "Here we go! Get out the car, let's go!" The man pointed the gun at Liz as she got out of the car with her hands up, hear heart racing.

"Hurry up! There you go!"

"We're broke—" JJ tried to tell the man

"Shut the hell up!" The man yelled

"All right! Just relax!"

"Shut the hell up! Shut up!"

"Chill!"

"Blow your damn head off! Lay down in the ditch! Lay down in the ditch!" He repeated "On your goddamn hands and knees! Down! Put your face on the ground! Stay here just like that! Put your head down!" Liz obeyed the man, leaning down and feeling herself slightly shake.

"Don't let me see you look up! All right? That's all y'all gotta do." The man got in the van and started to go through things.

"It's a setup, guys." Kie said

"That old bat shanked us." JJ said "Fuck Goddamn it!" he slammed his fist into the ground

"Wait. No, no, no, no. John B... No..." Sarah whimpered as John B got off the ground

"John B. Don't be a hero, man." Pope said

"John B" Liz shook her head as she cried

"Sh." John B motioned for them to be quiet

Liz herself slowly not being able to breath easily again. Like her lungs dropped all the way to her stomach and her rips were collapsing. She felt JJ grab her hand and she instantly held it back just as tight. The man finally came out of the car and again pointed the gun at them.

"All right, y'all stay like that. Unless you want your brains blown out all over this road, don't move your goddamn heads, okay?" He yelled

A few moments later they heard grunts from the car and John B was fighting the man for the gun and grabbed it. JJ was the first to spring up and help John B.

"Guys, I got the gun!" He said

JJ ran over and punched the man who punched him back to the ground. Kie attempted to fight him but he pushed her away.

John B hit the man with the gun knocking him to the ground where Sarah and Liz were grabbing into their legs making Liz scream. Both girls grabbed the door and pulled it with max force hitting him a few times

"I got the gold!" Pope said. Kie kicked him and so did JJ making sure he was away from Liz and Sarah.

"You son of a bitch!" Pope pulled the mans bandana down to reveal the man—Or boy. He didn't look much older than Rafe.

"I know this piece of shit! He's a basehead!" JJ yelled

"Probably knows my brother." Sarah said

"He sells coke to my dad."

"Listen, I didn't hurt any single one of y'all—" he said but JJ hit him with the gun

"JJ!"

"Dude, chill, man, Come on." Pope said trying to calm JJ down

"Come on, let's get outta here." Liz said

"We got one last stop." JJ said pushing John B a little, and walking to the van

"Hey!" John B called

"Let's go see where this son of a bitch lives."

"JJ!" Liz yelled towards the blonde who climbed in the can, going after him

"I'm gonna remember this shit! You can't hide from me! I know exactly who y'all are! Huh? You're gonna see me again! You hear me?"