✯ North Star ✯

Part 16

I stayed at John b's that night not wanting to ever have to go back to toppers
"That was epic" Pope says as they talk about the fight
"Did you guys see Kelce's face?" John B asks them
"Bomb drop!" JJ says dunking the basketball landing on the couch
"Another broken couch. You gotta sleep there tonight." John b tells him
"I always sleep there anyway" JJ shrugs
"Well hello princess." JJ says as Sarah walks in
"What's up?" Kie asks her
"Long time no see" Pope says
"Coming back to hang out again?" I ask her with a smile
"Actually I'm here for Pope. I think I found the island room." She tells him

"Guys listen to this. The diary says the cross holds the most holy relic in all of Christendom the Garment of the Savior." Pope tells us
"So wait he's saying there's a holy garment inside the cross?" Kie asks him
"Yeah. It says the garment is capable of healing the sick from any malady" Pope says
"Mmm yeah. 'If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.' " JJ says and we all look at him
"What? I went to Sunday school." JJ says
"Sure." Kie says
"Well that explains why Limbrey would want the cross so bad" I tell them
"She thinks it can heal her" Pope adds
"What else does it say?" Kie asks him
"Many feel that we have sinned to steal such a sacred thing and God will strike His vengeance on us." Pope reads the diary
"Thing is God did have His vengeance" Kie says.
"He sent a hurricane to sink the ship" Pope says
"Only Denmark survived." He adds

We start to walk through the house as Sarah leads us to the room
"This place still freaks me out" John B says
"Yeah same" JJ agrees with him

Sarah opens a door
"Pope look." She says as we all follow her in to see the wallpaper ripped off of the walls
"Whoa! You've got to be kidding me" Pope sayys
"Yeah. I know right? It's the island room" Sarah says
"It's been here this whole time" I say shocked
"No freaking way" John B says
"This definitely means something" JJ says
"Wow" I say looking around
"This is incredible. Yo this is a map of the whole island." John b says
"Yeah John B I think you're right because this is Rixon's right here." JJ says pointing at it
"And then there's the lighthouse" I say
"Guys look Parcel 9 and the well." Kie says
"So if that's Parcel 9 and then if that's Rixon's" John B says
"Then that's gotta be the surf break at Mase."
JJ finishes pulling out the cope of Denmark Tanny's diary
"Right. And look. Pope come here. This is Denmark's handwriting for sure." JJ says
"The drawings they match up" Pope says
"Holy shit'' John B says
"Denmark you genius! These are all his drawings. He... he painted this entire room." Pope tells us
"Yeah question is why. What's he trying to tell us?" Kie asks
"It's gotta have something to do with the key right?" JJ asks
"Yeah but what?" I ask
"How did you know it was here?" John B
asks Sarah
"I didn't. It was like this when I got home" Sarah answers
"What?" JJ asks
"Okay then who did it?" Kie asks her
"I don't know" Sarah tells us
"The freaks." A voice says behind us. We all turn to see wheezie there
"Wheezie!" I say going over to give her a hug
"Wait what freaks are we talking about
Wheeze?" JJ asks her
"Uh... that sick lady and her attack dog"
Wheezie answers
"They... they showed up last night and they wanted to talk to Rafe." She tells us
"Wait. Pale blond lady?" I ask her
"She have crutches?" Kie asks
"Uh-huh." Wheezie nods
"It's gotta be Limbrey" Pope says
"Wh... what happened?" John B asks her
"Well at first they searched the whole house looking for something and then Rafe told me to go upstairs. But I didn't wanna miss out so I listened through the grate. And they were talking about getting across the sand flamingo" Wheezie tells us
"That's code. That's code for something" JJ says
"The cross. The Cross of Santo Domingo?" Pope asks her
"Yeah that's it. Oh and they were talking about angels. A lot of angel talk. I don't know." Wheezie tells us
"Angels?" I ask
"Guys Denmark's famous last words. He buried the real treasure at the foot of the angel. They're looking for an angel. We have to find the angel in the room." Pope says
"Start looking" JJ says as we all look around
"Spread out" Kie says
"There's a church over here" Sarah tells us
"Yeah check the church" John B says
"Looking for an angel" Pope mumbles
"Wait could this be an angel?" JJ asks
"What's... what's going on? Are you guys gonna tell me?" Wheezie asks us
"The lighthouse maybe?" Pope asks us
"Maybe it's heat-sensitive" Kie suggests
"Do you see it? Is there an angel?" I ask JJ
"It's still there. Hey yo! Hey guys, I think I found something. Come here. This humongous tree is still on Goat Island. You know what it's called?" JJ asks us
"Angel Oak" Pope says
"Look there. There's the keyhole." JJ says pointing at it
"Wait" John B says
"That means the cross is buried at the foot of the angel. Wow that must be where he put it. That must be where they are right now! We have to go!" Pope says
"I think I'm Sherlock Holmes all right? You're welcome by the way" JJ says
"Yeah. Hurry up Sherlock" John B says as they all run out. I quickly stop and talk to wheezie

"Where did you go?" Wheezie asks me
"Uhh it's complicated but I was at John b's last night. And let's just say I won't be spending the night at toppers anymore " I tell her.
"Good. He's kinda a bitch" She says
"You sound like me now" I fake gasp 
"When are you coming back home?" She asks me after laughing at my comment
"As soon as we figure a few things out." I tell her pulling her into a hug
"I promise." I say

"Guys we're coming up on Freedman's Church.
The church Denmark built for all the slaves he freed" Pope tells us
"There it is Angel Oak" Kie says as we start to pull into it
The road we were driving on slowly turns into mud
"Oh shit! Tide's coming in" John B says
"Um..." he mumbles
"Hey wait a second. Look. They already came through here. Those have to be Limbrey's tire tracks. Guys we gotta go" Pope tells us
"Mmm what do you think chief?" JJ asks John b
"I'm thinking it's looking a little dicey" John B says
"Yeah I'm gonna have to agree with that statement" JJ says
"Okay clearly they made it. No?" Kie says 
"In a two-wheel drive? I don't know about that." JJ says
"Why are y'all acting like you're not gonna do it anyways?" Sarah asks them
"You never take the safe option so just do it" I tell them
"They got a point" John B says
"Speed is your friend here okay?" JJ says
"So put her down in second and hammer down brother." JJ adds
"Stick to the high ground in the middle John
B" Pope says
"All right ready? Here we go" John B says then floors it
"Come on bro. Punch it. Speed is your friend. You're not going fast enough." Pope says
"I'm in second" John B says
"It's gonna slide" Kie warns him
"You're fishtailing already" JJ says to John B.
"I know" John B says
"Not to put any more pressure on you but if you don't make it through we'll be stuck here forever." Pope tells him
"Put your head back okay?" John b tells pope

Some how some way we made it through
"See I told you we'd make it" John B says
"That's my girl. All right, right here.That's good." JJ says and John B stops the van.
"Angel Oak is right through here. All right so word to the wise definitely know that gators nest back here so keep your eyes peeled okay?" JJ says
"You don't wanna step on a mama gator. That's the last thing you want to have happen." He adds
"They have nests?" I ask him 
"Seems like a good place to park" Sarah says.
"All right. You don't wanna be a Pat Womack. She had her calf chewed off by a gator right? You know that right?" JJ says after picking up a stick
"JJ that's actually not true. Pat Womack was injured in a car accident." I tell him
"Okay just live in ignorance. But like she had her calf chewed off by a mama gator. I know that for a fact. They like the brackish water." JJ says
"Wait. Hold on. I see something." JJ says stopping
"What are you doing?" I ask him
JJ throws the stick in the water
"Right. Wake them up. That's smart" I tell him
"I was just making sure it wasn't a gator. That's all. All right?" JJ says 

We all hide behind a bush seeing rafe and Limbrey already there
"I don't see shit. You sure this is the right spot?" Rafe asks her
"It's there. The garment will be in the cross and the cross will be at the foot of the tree" Limbrey says
"Well whatever we find I get my cut" Renfield says
"The actual garment. You understand the significance" Limbrey says
"I do Carla. Completely" Renfield tells her
"One touch of it and I'll be healed and this long nightmare will be over" Limbrey tells him 
"Your lips to God's ears" Renfield says
"I know you don't believe it but countless stories over millennia prove that...miracles happen." She says and we hear wood crushing
"Hey! Wait! Stop! Stop. Please stop. Did you hear it? Hey get in there boys. Do it by hand." She yells
"Oh. This has gotta be the cross." Limbrey says. "It's smaller than I thought. It looks like a-" she starts to say
"Casket" Rafe finishes
"He put it in a casket." Limbrey laughs
"Denmark put it in a casket. Get it up." She says
"Let's go" Renfield says
"Here. Come on" Rafe says as they start getting it up
"They got the cross? What do we do? What do we do?" JJ asks us
"What can we do?" John B yells him
"Be careful" Limbrey says.
"Don't touch anything inside! Don't touch anything inside!" She tells them
They open the casket
"It's just a corpse. Sorry Carla." Renfield tells her
"We must have missed something" Limbrey says
"Of course. Of course yeah. Of course it's just a dead body. Jesus!" Rafe yells
"We just got the wrong place. We'll go back to the island room. We're going back! We're going back! It's not over!" Limbrey yells as they pack up and leave