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𝐀 guilt-struck wince crumbles her features, ocean-blue eyes hesitantly inspecting the text messages that had invaded her phone late last night. They're all from her parents; messages and missed calls molded into a mess of lost notifications.
"They're gonna kill me."
"Well..." JJ shrugs, fingers rhythmically tapping the leather of the steering wheel. They decided on him driving back home, and although they're still waiting for Pope, Marlowe finds herself satisfied to be back in the passenger seat. "They're already gonna kill you for takin' the car, so, like, what's a bit more damage gonna do? They can only kill you once."
She throws him an unimpressed look. "Not helping, JJ. Like, actually, you just made me more anxious. Thank you."
"Just tell them the truth, Mar," Kiara suggests from the backseat.
"Nah, last thing you should do is start diggin'," JJ shakes his head. "Just don't reply at all."
Marlowe wanders into a few seconds of thought before inhaling sharply, unlocking her phone. "I'm gonna call them."
She brings the device to her ear, ignoring JJ's protesting remark. As the familiar ringing submerges, she nervously diverts her eyes to the window, focusing on anything other than the nerve-wracking moment to come.
However, she catches sight of Pope being led out of the house, apprehensively peaking over his shoulder, and the phone subconsciously lowers. "Does that look voluntary?"
The blond looks over at her, following her line of sight. "That would be a negative."
"Yeah, definitely not," Kiara agrees.
'Marlowe? Marlo-'
Her mother's voice is cut off as she presses the red button, using Pope's questionable situation as an excuse to wimp out.
"They're definitely gonna kill you now," JJ speaks her thoughts, turning the key to ignite the engine.
"Just shut up and drive."
And so he does. He steps on the gas, making the vehicle lurch forward. "Looks like they're going into the alley." His gaze flickers from Pope and the two people walking with him, to the road ahead.
As they round the corner at the end of the property, Kiara's worry grows to panic. "I- I can't see them. Do you see them?" she mopes, the panic growing as the brunette reluctantly shakes her head.
"What if they went underground?" JJ exaggerates. "Because, in C.H.U.D., when they took people down into the sewers-"
"JJ..." Marlowe crams her eyes shut.
"-it would turn the humans into humanoids 'cause of the radiation. And then, all of a sudden-"
"Focus," Kiara snaps, still scouting the perimeter of the Limbrey property. "That doesn't make any sense."
