𝐍𝐎 𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘, 𝐍𝐎 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄 - kiara carrera²

𝒙𝒙𝒙𝒊𝒙. 𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒔, 𝒑𝒊𝒑𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒖𝒏𝒔, 𝒐𝒉 𝒎𝒚

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

Tatum Quinn stood in front of her friends, fists clenched in fury as she remembered this man as the same person who beat up her dad and stole her baby brother. If it weren't for the comforting arm Kiara Carrera held onto her, she would've done it. She would've killed him. The Midnight Ghoul would've returned to the haunted town.

Renfield smirked, hands empty and raised in defence, knowing that just his presence taunted the hell out of his niece and nephew, and strolled towards the teenagers, not a single hint of fear in his eyes by the weapons pointed at him by Tatum and JJ. A rotten pipe and a stolen gun; how very southside of them.

"Look, I, uh...I don't hold a grudge with any of y'all, all right?" he started saying, arms still raised, but his nephew wasn't fooled into thinking he was here unarmed. "But this can go hard..." He opened up his leather jacket, patting himself down to prove that there wasn't a single deadly or dangerous object on him. "...or this can go easy." He shrugged. "You know what I'm here for."

While Pope Heyward glared at the man with only anger and resentment, Kiara's eyes flickered towards her girlfriend who was standing beside her, still oblivious to the deal.

In order for the pouges to get TJ back, they cut a deal with the Limbreys: baby for the key. Of course, the key they gave Carla was extremely fake - an old, rusted one that lead you to the bathroom of the Wreck.

However, something else was put into the deal, too. Something that, for some reason, Carla was eager to have. Her daughter, Tatum Quinn.

When the deal was made, the pouges weren't even sure if the girl was alive or not. They weren't sure if they'd ever see her again. So, in a desperate act of impulsiveness, they agreed.

And now Renfield was back. And he was wanting his and his sister's payment.

During the relief over the saved life of their girl, the deal had gone completely over the pouge's head, and eventually they'd completely forgotten to tell Tatum about it. Which meant she was unprepared. Her reaction was unpredictable.

Kie squeezed her girlfriend's hand tighter, pulling her closer so that Tatum was standing in her arms, in the comfort of her anchor, where she felt no anger to anyone, where she was put at peace.

Though, her left hand was still grasping tightly to the pink handle of her pistol.

"Let me give you a demonstration," said Renfield, gaze switching from Pope to JJ, a pipe in his hand. "You see that swing right there?"

The blonde boy nodded, jaw clenched as he held up his weapon, prepared to strike at the man so obviously threatening his friends.

"I got the best bow hunters in the Army Rangers with me. Hidden."

JJ hummed sarcastically, challengingly, and grasped the rope of the swing he and John B made for Tatum at eight years old after Pope told them it would quickly drain all the mad energy her little brain held.

Rising to a teenage boy's challenge, Renfield whistled and an arrow bearly missed JJ's face, making its own way through the rope of the swing and into the tree beside them.

Cameron flinched in surprise, stumbling back into the Maybank boy, who only pushed him back in return, eyes not leaving Renfield's.

"Now, they're out there," the uncle went on, feeling powerful at the startled faces of six kids. "They'll stick you just as soon as I say so."

He stepped closer to Pope, getting into his face until the boy could practically taste the bitter larger in his breath.

Tatum wasn't in her girlfriend's arms anymore. Fuck being peaceful.

Standing behind her uncle, Tatum Quinn stuck her gun in the back of his head.

He whistled again, and this time, the arrow his her. It didn't hurt as much as she thought it would. It was nowhere near as bad as the knife wounds she had when playing with her brothers as a little girl. And it was only her bicep, so the stupid thing bearly reached her muscle.

She clicked off the safety switch. She prepared for the blood.

"Shoot that thing, Princess, and the next one will be at your head."

Tatum smirked. "I never was one for life, anyway," she shrugged, pressing it harder into his neck.

A deafening shot could be heard throughout the whole of the island. It probably could've been stretched all the way to Charleston if one's hearing was good enough.

The first shot of a gun was always the loudest.

A pair of muscular arms grabbed Tatum tightly, pulling her back, causing her aim to go to the floor, bullet shooting through the healthy grass she loved so much.

Kiara quickly landed at her side as JJ pulled her down, quick to inspect her fastly, deeply bleeding arm with extreme care.

"I'm fine, Kie," she whispered with insurance, eyes soft under the girl's gaze. She shrugged, a sweet smile on her lips. "Just a little scratch."

"I'll stitch it up later," her girlfriend told her, hand softly caressing Tatum's pale face.

Tatum grinned, brows wiggling. "I'm sure you will."

JJ didn't even have time to laugh at the dirty indication, too focused on wrapping his shirt around Tatum's arm to help the blood pressure around it. They had just gotten her back to normal; he wasn't going to let a single thing harm her now. He was not going to open up the sellotaped cracks in her heart.

However, while he was fiercely protective of his siblings, she took things to a whole 'nother level. If Renfield even thought about hurting Pope, he was dead. It was that simple. She would kill him.

"The key," her uncle demanded, turning back to the Heyward boy.

Pope paused for a moment, froze, terrified, unable to calculate his next move. Pulling out the golden key in his pocket, he shook his head and whispered, "No."

"Oh." Renfield looked to the ground, tongue twisting with challenge.

"This key belongs to my family."

A proud smile grew on Tatum's face. Ever since they were little, Pope struggled with his confidence more than anything in the world. While she, JJ and John B had no problem running around and saying whatever the hell they wanted, he was always a lot quieter, a lot more cautious and unsure what to say. Twitchy and paranoid of crowds and people. Then he met Thomas Quinn, someone who was never afraid to share his opinion, and he finally grew a voice.

"I'm losing my patience with you, Pope," Renfield said with a short, fake laugh. He raised his fingers to his mouth and Tatum jumped. The three boys behind her pulled her down before she could made a stupid move.

Pope gave him the key.

Renfield grinned.

He turned around. Paused. Looked at Tatum and Cameron.

"Your mom's not too fussed on havin' you back, Cam," he said, "but you're coming with me, girlie."

a/n: im sorry it took me three whole days before posting this. and im sorry its not even that much either. im just really scared to end this story and i think im trying to stretch it ould for as long as i can and avoiding the last chapter.

but, like, tatum is going back to the limbreys?

thank you for reading - taylor <33