Carson Keller used to think her biggest problem was their rivalry against the Kooks, but that was until buried secrets rose to the surface. Now her biggest problems included a dangerous treasure hunt and a hot-headed teenage boy.
✰ season 1-3 ✰
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IT WAS A SUDDEN CHANGE between Pope laying basically dead on the table a few minutes earlier to the excited state he was in. If he had been determined to get the cross earlier, now it was like nothing could stand in his way.
"Uh, Pope, you're driving pretty fast," Sarah commented. He just let out a loud howl of excitement.
"Pope, last to judge and all, but I think you should slow down just a little," JJ said.
"Yeah, considering the fact that I am on JJ's lap, I say I'd have to agree with them," Carson said. His arms were wrapped tightly around her waist. It was already dangerous the fact that they were all shoved into the truck, but now with Pope driving like he was the only one on the road, the lack of an extra seat was not ideal.
"That would definitely delay our arrival to the cross. We gotta get there," he said, ignoring all of their pleas for him to slow down.
"Why did we let him drive again?" Kiara asked.
"Because I said I'd rip your ears off," Pope answered.
"Because he said he'd rip our ears off," Sarah reiterated.
"I was joking about that, by the way," he said.
"Were you?" Carson said. "'Cause I really can't tell right now if I'm being honest."
"Okay, well, you're going really fast right now," John B said.
"Really fast!" They all started screaming as he began swerving in the road. None of them were in the mood to get in a car accident, and that most definitely would delay them getting to the cross too.
"I don't know if you noticed, but there's these giant oak trees all along the road. They're like six inches off the road," John B continued. It was like nothing they said to him was getting through because he proceeded to drive into the other lane to get around the car that was in front of them.
"You don't need to pass," they all started telling him. JJ's grip tightened on Carson as the car swerved at the last minute, barely missing them.
"What an asshole, right?" Pope said, as if they were going to be on his side in this.
"Pope, he's going the speed limit," Kiara stated.
"We're not gonna get to the cross if we're dead, Pope," John B yelled.
"We're not gonna die. It's our divine right to get that cross," he said.
"And it'll be my divine right to hunt you down in the afterlife and kill you again if you kill us now," Carson said. He looked back at her and began laughing, but in that decision, his eyes had come off the road for too long. The car swerved as he tried to correct its course until it finally hit a tree. Carson threw her hands forward to try to stop her from flying into the back of Kiara's headrest, but when the truck finally stopped, she went flying back and the back of her head smacked directly into JJ's forehead. They all groaned in pain as they tried to recover from the crash.
"Is everyone okay?" John B asked.
"Besides the concussion that Carson probably just gave me, yep, never better," JJ groaned as he rubbed his head.
"I'm sorry, would you have preferred that I flew out the front windshield?" she said as she rubbed her own head in pain.
"No, but-"
"There's a 'but' to that sentence?" she said.
"Like I said, old married couple," Kiara cut in.
"Shut up," they both responded. They all pushed their way out of the truck. It wasn't until after the shock wore off that Kiara suddenly realized that her dad's truck was now destroyed.
"Kie, one word. Totaled," JJ said.
"My parents are gonna kill me," she said. "For real this time."
"Yeah, well, weren't they already gonna do that anyway?" JJ pointed out.
"Helpful, thank you."
"We're gonna have to walk the rest of the way," Pope said.
"Dude," Sarah said.
"I'm going to get my cross," he said. John B tried stopping him and knocking some sense into him, but it was no use. It was no use for two reasons: 1) Pope was determined to get that cross, no matter what and 2) Rafe and Renfield drove by a few seconds later in a giant truck with smirks on their faces.
"Oh, that is not good," Carson said. This time, they all didn't hesitate before breaking out into a run to get to the church. When they got there, it was empty, like nothing had ever been there.
"Dammit!" JJ screamed. "I knew I didn't hide it well enough."
"It's not your fault," Carson said. Pope had been dying; no one would have had enough time to hide a giant gold cross where no one could find it. Besides, it seemed that Rafe and Renfield had already figured out where the cross was.
"Alright, here's what we do," JJ said as he began to get all worked up as he did best. "We'll grab some kerosene tanks from the Chat, then we... we go to my dad's shop and grab some dynamite. And then we drive down to Charleston and tell this lady who she's messing with! Because this is some bullshit, y'all!"
Carson rubbed the back of her head, both because of the pain she was still in and also because of the insane plan that JJ just threw out. No one was surprised by it because it obviously had not been the first that he had come up with, clearly, but it was still insane.
"That's not gonna help," Sarah said calmy.
"Well, what is, Sarah?" JJ snapped.
"I'm thinking, okay?" John B said. "We can't just go blow shit up, JJ."
"Pope, I'm sorry," JJ finally said in a much calmer voice.
"Denmark would've stood right here, preaching to everyone he set free," Pope said. He stood at the altar, feeling the loss of the cross so heavily. "A slave, the sole survivor of the Royal Merchant. He got the gold and the cross, and he brought them both to shore and he used it to free every person who walked through those doors. He made a church, a family, a congregation, a home. And the Limbreys took everything from him. They sicced dogs on his wife and his kids, and when he tried to go get her remains, they hung him. Well, I'm done. I'm tired of that shit. That is not how this is gonna end. We need a freaking win, guys. I'm going to get my family's cross." He walked past them but before he could leave, he turned around. "You guys coming?"
"Hm, Pope's really giving JJ a run for his money for best speech," Carson said with a smile. "I'm in."
