006.

"𝐌𝐫.𝐂?" Emerson said as she walked into The Wreck. After leaving Kie and John B at the lighthouse, JJ and Pope dropped her off so that she could help out at the restaurant. She heard that there were holes in some of the walls, and she wanted to help spackle them.

She found some spackling paste and tools, and started to cover up the holes. She kept wincing in pain though, since her bruises were still fresh.

"Hey Emerson, already helping out?" Mr. C asks as he walks through the door with Kie. "Of course! I've got nothing better to do." Emerson smiles. When Mr. C walked through the doors into the kitchen, Emerson asked a load of questions to Kie.

"Holy shit, are you okay? What happened? I'm so sorry for leaving you, I didn't want to." Emerson rambled. "Hey, I'm okay. The dude at the lighthouse called the cops saying that we were, and I quote, 'I got two kids on drugs up here at the lighthouse. Call the police.' so we ran and the cops caught up to us, and ended up arresting us. My dad bailed us out, but he wasn't too happy." Kie explains. Emerson eyes widen hearing everything that went down, and she couldn't help but feel extra sorry for leaving them.

All of a sudden, Pope bursted through the doors. "John B's concocting again. Let's roll." he said, as Kie and Emerson followed him out.

"Woah, what happened to you?" Emerson asks John B as she hops into the passenger seat. "I got chased and electrocuted." John B responded. "I'm sorry, what?" Emerson's eye widen, and looked at John B a little bit closer. John B just sighed as they began to drive off towards the cemetery.

"How're your bruises Em?" Pope asks her. "They're still fresh so they still hurt, but I'll manage." Emerson smiles.

···

"So, Redfield. This whole time I thought it was a place, right? But it's not a place. It's a person." John B said as he held up his flashlight to reveal the name 𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 on a tombstone. "Voi-effing-la." JJ said.

"Is this a clue to finding our parents? I mean, you didn't really explain much back at the lighthouse." Emerson spoke up, creeped out by the cemetery. "Well, I know our parents are trying to tell us something, that's for sure." John B said as he tried to move the heavy door with the boys.

"This door is like 700 pounds, man. It's not gonna budge." Pope said, continuing to try to push the door opened. "We didn't come this far to get this far, all right?"

Suddenly, a snake came out of the tombstone, scaring everyone. "That's a moccasin, all right. Ye olde Dr. Cottonmouth. Death in tall grass." JJ said and started barking at the snake.

"JJ, shut up!"

"Shut up!"

"What the fuck are you doing? Stop!"

"You're gonna wake the dead, man." Pope said and got JJ to stop. "They're afraid of dogs. Everyone knows that, man." JJ said as Emerson smacked the back of his head.

"Wait, hold on. If there's one, there's probably dozens." JJ stated as he continued to bark again. "Shut up, guys, look. We're not gonna get in there, alright? It's not budging. We should probably just go." Pope said.

"Stop with your negativity, would you? I can get through that hole." Emerson said as she pointed her flashlight towards a small opening. "What? No, no, no, no. You think you're gonna fit through the hole? That hole?" John B tried to protest. "Look Bird, I really want to know what happened to our parents. Don't you?"

John B sighed as everyone began to help Emerson through the hole. "Okay, flashlight?"

Once Emerson received her flashlight, she looked for any clues that could help anything about their parents. "You alive? You got, like, a... a heartbeat and everything?"

"No actually, I'm dead. This is Emerson's spirit you're talking to." Emerson giggled. She could hear the rest of the group chuckle too. "I need some more light."

As John B provided more light for her, she found two Fed-Ex envelopes in a little cubby. One of them read 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘥 and the other read 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘉𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘢.

"Did you find anything?"

"Is there gold?"

Emerson couldn't help but look at the two envelopes in shock. "Holy shit."

···

"That's not gold." Pope said in disappointment. "Of course it's not gold dumbass. Who would even put gold in someone's tombstone?" Emerson said annoyed as she hopped through the hole, and back outside.

"Holy shit. This is from our parents." John B said looking at Emerson. "Code red. Code red. Square groupers! Square groupers!" JJ suddenly said. They all ran to the back of the tombstone.

"It's the guys who robbed your houses." JJ said pointing at Emerson and John B. "Lights!" Everyone started turning their lights off. Emerson hoped she didn't have to run. She still felt really weak from the attack earlier.

After awhile, Kie said "Screw this" and started running towards the van. John B grabbed onto Emerson's hand, but she was running really slow from all the bruises. When they reached the gate, John B helped Emerson up and JJ helped her down. She grimaced from all the pain, but she kept telling herself to suck it up.

"Guys, I'm stuck!" Pope called out. The group got annoyed as Emerson decided to head to the van first, since she was already running painfully slow from the pain. They ended up ripping Pope's pants on the metal gate, and they all laughed as they escaped.

···

"That bread had mold on it three days ago." Pope informed JJ, who was putting peanut butter on some moldy bread. "I'll just pull off the bad parts. Plus, mold is good for you. It's just a natural organism." JJ said and Emerson mentally facepalmed herself.

Currently, John B and Emerson were looking through the envelopes that she had found. They both had the same exact map that had the same coordinates on it. "Holy shit."

"Oh. X marks the spot." Pope said, pointing to the X's on both maps. John B and Emerson continued to look through the envelopes to find a tape recorder in each envelope. "You go first." Emerson tells John B. John B nods and hits play on his tape recorder.

"Dear Bird." the voice started. It was Big John.

"Who's Bird?" JJ asks. "It's John B. That's the nickname we gave him when we were younger."

"I hate to say 'I told you so' but I told you so. And you doubted your old man. I suspect at this moment, you're filled with guilt and self-loathing over our last fight, but don't kill yourself yet, kid. We didn't expect to find the Merchant either. You were probably right to call me out. Wasn't exactly Father of the Decade. What can I say, kid? I could smell the barn. And hopefully we're listening to this in our brand new sugar-shack down in Costa Rica with Bubba and her family, livin' off passive investments and pulling on permits. If not, and you find this for less than optimal reason, well, that's what the map is for. There she is, the wreck of the Merchant. If something happens to me and Bubba's parents, you and Bubba finish what we started. Go for the gold, kids. I love you two, especially you Bird, even if I didn't always act like it. I'll see you on the other side."

And with that, the tape ended. John B had tears in his eyes as he looked over to Emerson to see tears running down her face. He looked at her and gestured her to play her tape recorder. Although Emerson didn't want to, she still played it.

"Dear Bubba. How're you doing, kid? Doing alright? I sure hope so. I know you might be really confused right now, and let's hope we're listening to this together in our new sugar-shack in Costa Rica, but if not and you find this for other reasons, that's why I put the map there. For you to find the gold. I'm sorry that me and your mother didn't give you the best attention we should've given you, but what can we say? As Big John liked to say it, 'We could smell the barn.' I sure hope I'll be alive after this, but if not, I want you and Bird to finish what we started. Also, make sure to take care of yourself and Bird. It would break my heart to see you not taking care of yourself because me and your mother aren't there. Anyways, it's best I get going now. Next up you're gonna hear your mother, so don't end the tape yet kid. I love you Bubba, even if I didn't always act like it."

Emerson couldn't help but feel helpless. 𝘞𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥? Then another voice spoke up.

"Hey Bubba. What's up? First of all, I really wanted to say I'm sorry about how I focused my life on the Royal Merchant more than you. I really wish I didn't. Anyways, hopefully we're in Costa Rica right now when you're listening to this? I sure hope so, we would be living in a sugar-shack with Big John and Bird next door, and we would just be drinking all our problems away and enjoying life. Now that is what you call luxury. Anyways, if you find this for any other reasoning, that's why your father and I put a map in the envelope. We want you and Bird to go finish what we started. 400 million gold. Remember 'God believes in you, and it's about time you believe in yourself' alright? Anyways, I gotta get going Bubba. I love you and tell Bird I love him too. He was like the son I never had. I love you guys with all I have, and I'll see you on the other side."

Then the tape ends. It ended. And they're not in Costa Rica drinking all their problems away. Instead, they have tears running down their faces.

John B stands up and tries to leave the room, but ends up collapsing on the kitchen door frame. Emerson tried to process everything that just happened, but all she kept thinking was 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘕𝘰, 𝘯𝘰, 𝘯𝘰. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘺.

"Holy shit, they did it. Big John, Elizabeth, and Michael. They found the Merchant!" JJ said but Kie quickly cut him off. "Can you please?" she asked as she went over to John B to comfort him. Pope put his hand on Emerson's shoulder, as she stood up and hugged him. She couldn't help but sob against his shirt, as all she could think was 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥.

···

author's note: [word count: 1802]

episode two is done :) sorry if this is absolute, complete trash.