The Twinkie groans to a stop in the cracked, overgrown parking lot of a decaying, two-story concrete motel. Vines cling to the walls, choking whatever life remains. The neon sign flickers weakly, buzzing in the silence. Half the letters are gone. One corner of the building leans like it's given up. The power's been out for days.
Kiara scanning the place, frowning."Motel or meth lab?"
Pope shrugs."Your guess is as good as mine.
John B added."Doesn't exactly scream Grady White clientele, does it?"
Kiara turns to John B, her voice dropping, almost tender."Be careful."
John B glances at her, caught off guard. For a moment, something unspoken lingers between them. JJ notices. His unease slips out in a mocking laugh and mimicking."Be careful, John B. Be sooooo careful."
Behind them, Kage watches the group, silently assessing. He knows somethings brewing—JJ's quiet crush on Kiara, Kiara's affection for John B, and the tension building between everyone. With a faint smirk, he strides toward the motel.
John B shakes his head, ignoring JJ, and follows Kage. JJ trails behind, scowling.
The trio steps cautiously into the breezeway. The cracked concrete crunches under their feet. A broken ice machine leaks steadily, forming a murky puddle. Shingles scatter the walkway, and jagged, webbed windows glint in the dull light.
JJ breaking the silence."What was that about?"
John B answered."She wants us to be careful. Maybe we should."
JJ grinning slyly."Oh, she cares now, huh? Ever since you got threatened with exile, she's been all, "Be careful, John B." he nudges John B."You've noticed, right?"
JJ drapes an arm around John B's shoulders, his grin widening."You could totally swoop on that."
John B warning."Dude. No."
JJ mocking."Why not? She's hot, rich, and hanging with us for reasons no one understands. You're saying you've never thought about it?"
John B stops, giving him a flat look."You know the rule. No Pogue-on-Pogue macking."
Kage chuckles from ahead, shaking his head."You're the only one who cares about that rule. Even Pope's been eyeing her."
JJ scoffs, but John B looks faintly embarrassed.
JJ chuckled."Hear that, you're such a Boy Scout. (beat) Also, that door's locked. I tried it already."
JJ winks as they approach Room 212. John B spoke up"You've got issues."
Kage dryly."And yet, here we all are."
They stop in front of the door. Kage motions for them to quiet down. JJ smirks, knocking once, then harder and whispered to the empty room."No persona aquí."
John B slips the key in, pausing. JJ, impatient, gestures at him."C'mon. What are you waiting for?"
He glances at a nearby security camera, its lens cracked and lifeless. JJ flips it off."No power. No one's watching. Let's go."
John B sarcastically."If only I had your courage."
JJ leans in close, lowering his voice like a movie villain."Once you open this door, there's no turning back. Everything changes."
Kage seeing the theatrics said dryly, from behind."You already made up your mind. Just turn the fucking key."
John B exhales, nods, and pushes the door open. Inside dim light seeps through torn shades, dust motes dancing in the air. The room is eerily pristine—the bed made too perfectly, the furniture unmoved for weeks. Two duffel bags rest on the floor, zippers slightly undone.
JJ rifles through a desk, his movements quick but deliberate. He pulls out a nautical map, unfolding it to reveal coordinates marked in pencil and pointing at the map."That's where they were fishing."
John B leans over, tilting his head to examine it."That's off the continental shelf. Big swell. You wouldn't fish there."
His brow furrows, suspicion growing.
Kage by his side studies it and muttered."They're looking for something."
John B questioned."You think so?"
Kage nodded and answered."Yeah. And I get the feeling it's something big."
Meanwhile, JJ rifles through one of the duffels."This isn't sketchy at all."He moves into the bathroom.
John B shouted to JJ."Anything?"
JJ yelled back."Just a fancy dopp kit you won't let me steal."
Meanwhile, Kage searches the closet. Amidst some old, dusty hangers, he finds a folded scrap of paper. Unfolding it, he sees a string of numbers.
He studies it for a moment, his instincts kicking in and muttered to himself."Passcode."
He slips the paper into his pocket, glancing back at John B and JJ, who were searching and then scans the room, his gaze stopping on the closet. He opens it, freezing."Guys. We've got something here."
An in-room safe sits in the corner, its keypad scratched.
Kiara paces next to the Twinkie, her vape trailing a thin cloud of smoke."People who fake mental illness for Instagram likes."
Pope confused questioned."That's a thing?"
Kiara nodded and answered."Apparently. Half of them don't even know what bipolar means."
Sarah added."People do anything to get views these days."
Pope chuckles, sneaking a glance at Kiara. His energy shifts around her, more alive. Sarah, watching from the back seat, notices.
Kiara to Pope."What's your biggest pet peeve?"
She offers the vape, but he waves it off."Pineapple on pizza."
Kiara laughs.
Sarah smiled and answered."Loud chewing."
Kiara smiles, but the moment shatters as headlights sweep across the lot.A Sheriff's Deputy cruiser creeps into view, its engine a low growl. Two deputies step out, walking purposefully toward the motel office.
Pope tenses."Oh, hell no."
Kiara under her breath."They're gonna get caught."
Pope muttered."If I lose my merit scholarship, someone's dying."
Before they can stop him, Pope jumps out of the Twinkie. Kiara and Sarah scramble after him.
The parking lot sprawls beneath a fading sky, cracked and littered with shards of glass and pebbles. Two deputies step out of the motel office, their movements crisp and deliberate. Their silhouettes cut sharp lines against the neon motel sign flickering overhead.
Behind the rusting Twinkie, Pope crouches low, breath shallow, eyes darting. Cloak and dagger. He peers around the edge, spotting the median strewn with loose gravel. Desperate, he grabs a handful, winds up, and hurls them at the second floor. The pebbles rain down halfway up the wall.
Kiara's voice slices through the tension. "That was pathetic. Didn't you ever play baseball?"
Pope bristles. "I was on the math team."
"Mathlete, not an athlete," Kiara mocks.
Sarah leans in with a sheepish grin. "Hey, I wasn't athletic either."
Kiara scoffs, scooping up her own handful of pebbles. She rears back with confidence, eyes gleaming. "Watch and learn."
Inside Room 212:
Kage kneels before the closet safe, brow furrowed. His fingers hover over the keypad, punching in numbers.
JJ leans against the wall, unimpressed. "Genius plan. Just keep guessing until it opens."
Kage pulls out a crumpled scrap of paper, eyes flicking between it and the keypad. Beep. The light blinks green. The safe clicks open.
A thick stack of cash gleams under the fluorescent light.
John B's voice is hushed, stunned. "JJ... you gotta see this."
JJ saunters over, eyes widening at the sight. "Holy—did that really just happen?"
He reaches for the cash.
John B grabs his wrist. "Don't touch it."
JJ ignores him, but his hand pauses as he spots something else: a black handgun tucked in the back. His fingers hover over it.
Silence.
The buzz of Kage's phone shatters the stillness. An alert flashes: Scooter Grubbs. Dead. Deputies en route.
Kage's voice is tight. "We need to go. Now."
John B tenses. "Why?"
"The guy who owns this place is dead. Cops are coming."
JJ mutters, "Shit. Shit. Shit."
Kage grabs the gun and shoves it under his shirt. "Window. Move."
They scramble to the bathroom window, clambering onto the narrow ledge. The wind bites at their faces as they press against the side of the building.
Kage, nimble and focused, scales the motel wall with ease, vanishing onto the roof.
JJ wobbles, arms flailing. John B grabs him, steadying them both.
While outside the motel manager, a wiry man with a nervous twitch, approaches Room 212, flanked by two deputies. VICTOR SHOUP, grizzled and broad-shouldered with a cocky swagger, adjusts his belt. Beside him, TERRI PLUMB, sharp-eyed and fresh-faced, surveys the scene with quiet intensity.
The manager fumbles with a keyring, his hand trembling."Been running this place fifteen years. Never seen anything like this."
Shoupe gruffly replied."First time for everything."
The manager offers a shaky smile as he hands over the master key.
Shoupe to Plumb, eyes gleaming."Rookies get first crack. Open it up."
Plumb hesitates for half a beat before slotting the key into the lock. The door creaks as it swings open, revealing a dark, stale-smelling room. Dust motes swirl in the beam of Shoup's flashlight.
Inside Deputy Shoupe and Plumb move methodically, snapping on gloves. The manager hands them a master key before retreating. Shoupe cracks open the safe, inspecting its contents. His fingers linger on a manila envelope. He slides out a photograph, studies it briefly, then tucks it back.
Plumb speaks up. "Shouldn't we log everything?"
Shoupe smirks, splitting the cash and tucking half into his pocket. "Welcome to the program, rookie." He offers her the other half.
Her hesitation flickers for only a second before she accepts it.
Outside:
Kiara, Pope, and Sarah sit low in the Twinkie, barely visible behind the dashboard.
Kiara whispers, "What do you think's happening in there?"
Pope's eyes narrow. "Nightstick City."
They freeze as the deputies exit Room 212, dragging evidence bags and duffels. The deputies glance toward the Twinkie, but without suspicion, they climb into their cruiser and drive off.
Pope cracks the door open. "All clear—"
John B, JJ, and Kage appear from the shadows, breathless and wild-eyed. JJ struts toward the Twinkie, grinning.
"Could've given us a heads-up, you know."
Kiara shrugs. "We would've, but Pope was busy reliving his mathlete glory days."
Pope scowls, but before he can retort—
Sarah questioned."Did you find anything?"
JJ flashes the cash from under his shirt, then lifts Kage's shirt, revealing the gun.
Kage yanks his shirt down, glaring.
Pope's face pales. "You didn't take that from a crime scene, did you? Oh, God. I'm gonna lose my merit scholarship."
Kage's voice is calm. "Relax. Deputies skimmed the cash themselves. They're not reporting any of it."
JJ slings an arm around Pope. "Who needs scholarships when you've got friends like us?"
Pope shrugs him off. "I'm living a nightmare."
Kiara's tone sharpens. "We need to leave. Now."
Sarah nods. "That was too close."
The group scrambles into the Twinkie. The engine sputters to life, and they peel out of the lot, leaving the flickering neon sign and the stench of corruption behind.
— Chương tiếp theo sắp ra mắt — Viết đánh giá
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