P4L, carpe diem (JJ Maybank)

040

We drove to the "Outback" dock, setting the boat up for my brother.

As Kie, Pope and JJ finished setting it up to run, I washed my face with the ocean water. It slightly stung, and most of the bruises had kicked in.

I looked at my reflection in the water, realizing how banged up I was. "Fuck," I winced, going over my face.

"You okay, Dyl?" Kie asked me, which I shot up two sarcastic thumbs up.

I stoop up, wiping the rest of the blood on my bloody, dirty shirt. I had changed into one of the ones Kie brought for my brother and Sarah, which fit.

JJ hopped down from the boat, holding onto me. "Damn, babe. I didn't want you to take after me."

I laughed.

"Always getting into fights and such," he added, rubbing his pinkie against me. "Except I win em'."

He weakly laughed. "Shit, you do."

"Dude, where is he?" Kie shouted, trying to look around for my brother.

"Give him a second. He'll be here," JJ said, setting up a sleeping mat for the two teens. We could hear a cop siren get closer and closer, worrying me.

I turned around, watching as it got closer and closer to us, until a cop truck parked. JJ began freaking out, thinking the worse. "Get back on the back! Untie it! Untie it!" He chanted, getting behind the wheel.

I watched as the cop got out from behind the truck. Except, it wasn't a cop.

"Wait a fucking minute!" I gasped, laughing.

"No way!" Pope and JJ said, as my brother wrapped the bookbag around one of his shoulder's.

"No f'ing way," Kie exclaimed. JJ began getting off of the boat, walking over to John B.

I walked over to my brother, waiting for an explanation. "Shoupe let me take it for a spin."

I scoffed. "That's... unlikely. But it's believable," I chuckled, wrapping my arms around him.

He looked at my face, suddenly worried at the bruises and the cuts. "Dylan..."

"Well, you see here—"

"Blaken—"

"Well, Tommy and Rafe and Barry-dude jumped us while getting you the boat—"

"Routledge. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

I glared at him. "I don't know. What do the bruises tell you? That I was making out with him and he gave me hickeys? Or that JJ did-" I scoffed, as my brother gagged, grossed out.

"Point made. Did you win?"

I let out a smirk. "Wasn't easy. But I got some good punches in. We got the Phantom for you," I explained, opening up my arms and showing him the large boat behind us.

He hugged Kie, as we showed him the boat.

"She runs like she was made yesterday," J admitted, tossing my brother the keys and jumping down onto the boat and onto the wooden platform. "Ready to go?"

John B hesitated as he got onto the boat, as if worried. "Where's Sarah?"

"She's not with you?" Kie asked.

"No, no, we got separated in the swamp," John B explained, looking down at all of us. "She said she was going to meet me here."

"We haven't seen her," I shrugged, crossing my arms.

"Well, I'm not leaving without her."

JJ stepped in front of him, grabbing his shoulders. "John B, look at me. I know you feel bad for leaving, but there's no time, man. You've got plenty of gas, plenty of food. Dylan made sure of that. Once you get around that point, it's a straight shot across the sound to Dismal Swamp, okay? Once you get there, lay low, alright? Hang out for a couple of weeks and then go overland, cross the border at Brownsville, you got that? Brownsville."

My brother drifted away in the middle of the paragraph, looking off into the distance and worrying about Sarah. "Brownsville— hey!"

I snapped twice in his face, bringing him back. JJ said, using his hand to guide John B's eyes to his own. "Yeah, yeah, Brownsville," my brother muttered.

"All right, saddle her up, saltwater cowboy. Let's do this."

My brother began walking to the front of the boat, before stopping and turning around. I maneuvered my body to the rail at the front, ready to push.

"Hey, uh," my brother began, and me, JJ and Pope took a step back from the metal rail.

"I'm sorry for basically... throwing us off a cliff with this whole treasure hunt thing," he began, tearing up.

I smiled. "We're twins, dumbass. We're bound to run off a cliff at some point, huh? We just happened to drag these assholes with us," I chuckled, beginning to hear my voice crack.

"At least we did it together, though," JJ added, wrapping his arms around me and Pope, as I wrapped my arms around Kie and him. "Pogue style."

"P4L, baby," I muttered, locking my elbow around Kie.

"Pogue style," my brother agreed, crying.

I got out of the hug, stepping onto the boat and hugging onto my brother, tightly. He grasped onto me, latching his hands together behind my back.

"I'm sorry, Zazu."

"It's okay, Bird. We'll see each other again. I don't plan to be a single orphan, do I? I need my twin to do some trouble-making with," I said, latching my hand in his hair as tears fell onto his shirt.

Despite what I said, I worried that this was, in fact, our last goodbye.

The last chapter.

The last act.

The last story.

Entered with two. Ended with one, all alone, with only a few friends to keep herself company. And the other, all alone, wanted for murder in OBX.

I kissed his cheek, as my salty tears stung my cuts as they slid down my cheek like water on a cookie sheet.

He held my breath, his breath shaking on my neck. I held onto him tight in execration, wishing the moment to let go would never have to come. But it's rather this; one last hug than being sent away to life in jail for 'murdering a cop'.

I backed away, putting my hands on his cheek. "Get out of here. Now. I'll see you in 2 months. Mexico, remember?"

He nodded, kissing my forehead. "Love you, Dylan Blaken." He backed away, looking at the Pogues.

I laughed. "I love you, John Booker."

He nodded, beginning to turn and walk behind the wheel. He stopped, leaning against the small roof of the boat. "Wait a second—"

"Tell Sarah I said goodbye, okay?" He exclaimed, breaking down.

I nodded, stepping off of the boat.

"Don't forget. Cross at corner of Brownsville," JJ reminded, as I joined their hug once again.

"K," my brother agreed.

He got behind the wheel, turning on the boat as we pushed it away and off of land. He backed up, driving away.

I teared up as I watched him leave. I had a bad feeling about this. A real bad feeling. Something was gonna happen.