Exhale, Outer Banks [ 1 ]

044. STOWAWAYS

"Nice work, John B. You know these things lock from the outside, right?" JJ asks.

"Okay, I was just trying to get us on the boat, JJ." John B says. "I wasn't thinking that far ahead."

"Yeah, well, now we're stuck in here like rats." JJ says.

"It's hot." Kie notes, taking her jacket off.

"In this death cage!" JJ exclaims.

"It's getting smaller, right? Is it getting smaller?" Cordelia asks, pacing a small section of the container and fanning herself with her hands. "It's getting tiny, isn't it?"

"It isn't shrinking, Delly." Pope tells her.

"It's not? You sure, cause... cause I think it's shrinking." Cordelia says. "It's... something is definitely shrinking." She says, nervously laughing.

"JJ, you're not helping." Pope says.

"You don't have a whole lot of room to talk right now, Pope. You said you had a plan, but what happened to thinking ahead?" JJ asks.

"I find your lack of self knowledge disturbing." Pope says.

"Last I checked, you literally shot an oil container with the gat." JJ says.

"Oh, my God! Shut up." Kie orders, putting her leg between them. "Shut up! Pull it together."

"Okay, this is definitely getting smaller!" Cordelia declares.

"Hey, hey." John B jumps down from where he's sitting and goes over to her. JJ also walks over, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's not shrinking. Nothing's wrong."

"We're trapped in a container that's getting smaller. I think something's wrong." Cordelia says, breathing heavily.

"Hey, hey, Delly." John B cups her face with one hand. "Breathe. Just take deep breaths."

"Yeah. Yeah, focus on, uh, on... I don't know, pizza or something." JJ says.

"Pizza?" Cordelia pants, looking at him weirdly.

"What? You love pizza." JJ says. "I don't really know. Just focus on your breathing." He gives her shoulder a comforting squeeze, keeping his hand there to ground her.

"I don't-- it's too hot." Cordelia whispers, shaking her head.

"Hey, hey." John B makes her look at him. "Okay, take a deep breath in." He mimics taking a deep breath and Cordelia takes a deep breath. She holds it, looking between them.

"Let it out!" The boys yell at her and she quickly releases the breath she was holding.

"Don't yell at me." Cordelia whimpers, tears pricking her eyes.

"Don't try to make yourself pass out." JJ retorts.

"I-- I'm not thinking clearly. I-I'm hot an-and cramped and... and I don't know." She says, letting a couple of tears out, immediately wiping them away.

"Hey. Hey, there's a window right there. There's sunshine. We're gonna be fine." John B promises.

"Yeah. Right. Yeah." Cordelia nods, trying to calm down. JJ helps her take her jacket off and he puts it somewhere, not really caring.

"Let's try to find a way out of here." Pope says.

~ ~ ~

They're still in the container, all practically dying of heat.

"Hey, Pope? How do you kill a snake?" JJ asks. He's standing next to Cordelia and is letting her play with his hand to calm her claustrophobic anxiety.

"You go for the head." Pope says quietly.