smooth seas//john b

twenty three

I take off towards the boat docks as soon as my feet hit solid ground. I take off running down one of the piers. I can see John B in the boat coming towards me. "John B!"

"Mai... Maisie!" John B shouts.

"JB. Wait!" I yell.

"MC!" John B shouts.

I gasp for breath as I get to the end of the dock. "JB." I smile as he pulls the boat over towards me. I jump on the boat.

"Hey. What are you doing? I didn't think you were coming. You weren't at the dock," John B states.

I wrap my arms around his neck. "You were just gonna leave without saying goodbye?" I smile at him. John B chuckles. I pull him in for a kiss. "Don't ever leave me again."

I can hear the sirens wailing as we pull off. Thunder rumbles overhead the tropical storm on the way. I know that the search is still on for John B and for me too I guess. I can only imagine what my mom would say right now. She knew John B and I were destined to get into trouble together. I just don't think she ever realized just how much trouble.

We head past the staging era I was at earlier on the way out of the Outer Banks. I swear there are more people there now than this morning.

"It's like the entire sheriff's department." I let out a shaky breath. "Holy shit."

"We'll go dark and let the tide pull us out." John B pushes a few buttons and the lights on the boat turn off. He then turns off the engine. "Sh."

Thunder rumbles and I jump slightly. John B tightens his hold on me. We watch the people on shore moving around trying to do whatever they can to find us.

"We need eyes on the other side of the point. Go," a man instructs.

John B turns to me. "We're clear."

I smile at him. "Hey. Hey, we're gonna make it."

"Yeah, we just gotta go north through the swamp, then we just follow the..." John B starts.

I cut him off, "Follow the North Star. What everything spins around."

John B starts to fiddle with the controls. I turn around and my happy mood is spoiled. Suddenly the lights start to come back on in the Cut.

"John B, look. No, no. No, JB, the lights," I tell him.

I can hear someone shout, "Hey, we're back up. We got power."

I can see the light on the lighthouse come on. "Wait. No, no. No, no. No. Shit!"

"Get down, get down," John B tells me. John B tries to start the engine.

"Is it not turning over?" I ask.

"It's not," John B states as he gives it another try.

"What do we do? What do we do?" I ask, panicked.

"Check the engine," John B instructs. I move to the back of the boat. "Check the choke!" John B shouts. I find the choke and start to squeeze it. "Just squeeze the ball, MC."

"I'm squeezing it!" I shout back. John B rushes over to help me. I can hear boats and sirens coming towards us. "Go!"

"Come on. Come on, sweet Jesus," John B mumbles.

"Is it working?" I ask.

Suddenly the engine turns over and the boat starts to move. "Oh, here we go." John B turns to me. "Sit down, sit down."

I nod my head. "Yeah, yeah."

John B and I are chased by police boats as we try to get away. The rain starts to come down.