𝐋𝐔𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐒. ᵒᵘᵗᵉʳ ᵇᵃⁿᵏˢ ¹

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 40.

   "𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐈 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 go ahead and see them hands up in the air, right now." The man said.

I choked on my own air, causing me to reach up for my throat as the van fell quiet. The terror in my eyes accelerated when I laid them on the gun, held tight by the man wearing the mask, seconds away from possibly shooting a bullet right through John B's head. My gaze wouldn't tear away from it. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't look at the man, or John B, only the gun.

I had thought about Jj's gun a few times after that night at the beach party when he had pulled it out on Topper, but as I got to know the Pogues, I knew Jj would never use it to hurt me. But this— this man in the jumpsuit— was different, I didn't know him. And he was about to shoot my boyfriend.

"All y'alls hands up in the air, right now!" He shouted, with something higher than aggression. I winced at the volume of his loud voice.

I felt like I could no longer breathe, my throat closing up until there was no more room for air to circulate. No one said a word as hands slowly rose up.

"Oh my god," I winced, letting go of my throat and raising my own hands beside my head. I could barely get the words out, it simply sounded like a muffled voice, with an inaudible outlining of 'god'.

"You, out of the car, let's go." He ordered John B, the gun shifting back over to him.

I tore my eyes away from the weapon to look at John B, as he reached for the door handle. No one said anything at all. It seemed like we were all holding out breath as he slowly stepped out of the van, eyes carefully staring at the man in the mask.

"Out of the car, let's go, hurry!" The man demanded with a forceful tone of voice, which made me flinch, again.

I didn't want to look back at Jj, Pope or Kiara, afraid that a simple movement was going to get me killed, but I knew we were all thinking the same thing.

"Let them out," The man shouted, taking one hand off the gun for a moment to motion towards the rest of us still sitting in our seats. John B shut the door. "What you waitin' on? What you waitin' on! Let them out!" He yelled, jerking his head towards us.

My hands were shaking beside my head uncontrollably, my fingers trembling as he followed John B around the front of the van, the gun never loosing it's target on the back of his head. John B slid the back door open.

"Go on! Go on! Let's get out the car, let's go!" He was shouting mercilessly, his voice booming through the trees around us.

I pushed open the passenger door, more than reluctantly. A small whimper fell past my lips when my feet landed on the dirt, the door slowly closing shut behind me.

"There you go, pretty girl!" He shouted, as I stared at the gun. "Here we go! Get out the car, lets go, hurry up!"

With my hands shaking, I took the smallest of steps backwards, moving to stand behind John B. He barely looked down as I breathed out unsteadily, my body cowering behind his. Pope stepped out of the van next, then Kiara, the gun pointed at them at their turns.

Jj's mouth was mumbling as he ducked out of the back, "Look, we're broke—"

"Shut the hell up!" The gunman screamed, cutting him off.

"All right, okay! Just relax—" I'd never heard Jj scream so loud.

The man aggressively charged for the blonde, the gun nearly hitting his chin, "Shut the hell up! Shut up!"