Carolina- OUTER BANKS

Ch. 41

We got to the church and i frowned "Okay, you're telling me Denmark Tanny decided to hide the cross here?" JJ questioned and I shrugged and looked around.

"Everybody, just spread out." "Okay, well, if I was a cross and wanted to be hidden in an old church, where would I hide?" John B asked and I sighed "Are you sure that Denmark hid the cross here, Pope? Like, are we at the right church?" JJ said coming over to me.

"It's gotta be here somewhere, guys." "What if we have to push a secret button or, like, play, like, a... a certain chord, and then, all of a sudden, the ground beneath us reveals the catacombs or something on which we stand?" JJ asked and i frowned "How about we try to find obvious clues?" "It's not an escape room." John B and Kiara said and I nodded "Yeah, we aren't Indiana Jones or Nathan Drake, JJ." I muttered and he went off and kept looking.

"It's gotta be in here. Come on." Pope kept hitting the walls to see if they were hollow "I can't see where they'd hide a giant cross here." John B said and Pope shook his head. "No, no. There's no way he would set us up on a freaking goose chase that would lead us to a church that has nothing." Pope said.

"Yes, I get it." John B said and shrugged "I don't know what to tell you, man." "The clues led us here. The cross is in this church." Pope shouted sitting on a pew and I sighed.

"Pope, it'll be all right." "We've had setbacks in the past, and we figured it out. We're gonna find it." Me and John B said and Kie sat next to him. "He's right." "We've just gotta think about this logically, all right? Where else would you hide a seven-foot-tall cross made of gold?" John B said and I saw Pope look through the spy glass and i frowned "Pope?" I questioned and I looked at the ceiling to where he was staring and I saw the beams that looked like crosses.

"What?" JJ muttered and Pope stood up.

"Oh my God! Look at that." I muttered and Pope started climbing the wall "Pope. What? What are you doing?" I questioned and we all frowned.

"Hey, no!" "Now Pope's climbing the wall." John B said and we looked up at him "Wait. Pope, wait. This is crazy." "Pope, this church is old. Like really old. This isn't safe." Sarah and Kiara told him and i covered my eye's hoping he wouldn't fall.

"Yo! This church gots to be at least 200 years old." "He's right. It's too dangerous." JJ and John B shouted at him but he just kept climbing to the rafters. "Yo, let me just be real. You're not the most coordinated person on planet Earth."  JJ yelled and I sighed "Okay, I know he's not going to listen to a word we say." I said and looked up at Pope.

"Pope, just be careful!" I yelled to him and he tried the beam but it was solid wood "I'm gonna try the other beam." He said and I nodded "Pope, that's rotten as shit
right there, okay?" JJ said and he went to the next beam. "Pope, I hate to break it to you, but that's wood." JJ said and I rolled my eyes.

"Pope, just look out for that giant wasp nest right above your head." I told him and he looked up to see the wasps buzzing around the nest. "Hey, just... just move slow, all right?" "Nice and easy, all right?" Me and John B told him and he stepped by the beam and a piece of wood fell off almost hitting me.

"Whoa, hey! Yo!" "God!" The others shouted and I sighed in relief "Look! It's hollow." Pope told us and i frowned "Go get me a crowbar!" Pope said and I nodded. "I'll be right back." I told them then ran out to the Twinkie to get a crowbar for Pope.

I opened the door to the Twinkie and looked through the bag of tools JJ brought then suddenly I heard a twig crunch. I snapped my head to look towards the trees but saw nothing, it probably was a rabbit or something. I grabbed the crowbar then closed the door and heard a crow caw and leaves rustle "Okay, that's a huge no." I mumbled and quickly went back inside the church.