Serenading Sunshine - JJ Maybank

Page 77

Gasping in a bit of shock as he wrapped his hand tightly around my wrist I followed him. He was panicky, looking around us as he pulled me around the side of the worn down building. "Are you sure this place will be safe?"

"Yeah, no one comes down this road anymore after the hurricane that hit a few years ago, the whole place started to fall apart and when they started repairing the priest guy died. Built a new church and got a new priest after that..." Nodding I stayed quiet, following after him quietly as he pulled me to the back of the building and up to a set of old wooden double doors barred up with planks of wood.

"John it's barre-" my eyes blink as I flinch back, his foot connecting with one of the planks across the bottom, snapping it. The wood splinters apart as he reaches down and grabs the broken plank, ripping it apart the rest of the way in a sea-saw motion. Once the wood splits off from the door frame he's ducking and pushing open the doors to get inside as he pulls me behind him.

"Watch your step," I nod as he tosses the plank down and it skids across the ground and into the wall, "wow..." John B smiles as he looks back at me, forgetting about everything for a moment as he responds to my curiosity, "yeah... Come on, we can hide upstairs till we know we're good."

He motioned for me first, moving to the doors as I put my foot upon the ladder readying myself to climb up to the bell tower, "looks like we're food for the moment," climbing up i pause as the ladder creaks, John's hand instinctively reaches up to my side just under my hip, "you okay?"

"Yeah," climbing up, I push the hatch door open with the side of my forearm. The attic area is dusty and hazardous looking; the ground floor is seemingly safer. As soon as i'm fully up inside the attic area I turn back to look at him, my hand pulling the hatch back so he can climb up without having to stop.

"Did you scratch yourself on something?" I ask as he stands, his hand is rubbing his arm roughly as if he was trying to minimize the pain in the area. He replies with a shake of his head, "just scraped it, i'm fine."

"Okay," he spoke before I could get another word in, he was clearly exhausted and cautious as he moved across the attic towards the bell at the other end, "we should be good here for a few minutes at least, then I can get to the Chateau before morning hopefully and you can get back to the guys."

"Wait, why, why the Chateau? That's a bit far from the dock isn't it?" He nodded, shaking his head as he answered, "it is, but I gotta get my bag. There's no way I can survive without money," he sighed, taking a deep breath before continuing, "hey, uh..." He turned back to me, fidgeting, "have you heard anything from Sarah yet?"

"From what Kie said Ward locked her up in her room, but there's no telling really, that was about an hour or two ago..."

"Was she okay?" I shrugged, answering him to the best of my knowledge, "no idea, but her window was sealed shut and her room is locked up, Wards probably the only one who has the key..." He nodded, understanding albeit worried, "shit..." He mumbled.

"You were planning to take her with you weren't y-," my words and our conversation were cut short at the noise below us, "stay back," John whispered before moving quickly as he shushed me. He moved to stand in front of me with an old candle stick holder as his chosen weapon after he picked it up from beside us and held it above his head ready to strike if need be.

"Hi."

The tone hit me first before I registered who the voice belonged to, the hatch stuck halfway open as a body popped up; Sarah Cameron had just made her entrance by pushing up the hatch and sticking her head up, a timid and exhausted greeting leaving her mouth.