Don't Stand By Me (COMPLETE) - Chapter 28: Chapter 28

August 6th: 23:46
Violet
"Oh my fucking god!"
"What is that?"
"Kiara!"
"Everyone calm down!"
"What do we do?"
I was jolted awake by the RV swerving sideways, throwing me off of the couch. Prying my eyes open I gaped and looked around dazedly as people stood around the RV, yelling, while Kiara was attempting to turn the wheel rapidly.
"What is going on?" I gasped, jumping to my feet.
"Someone's ramming the RV!" Pearl squealed, "That's my gig!"
Elvis and Dixon practically tumbled through the privacy curtain separating the bunk beds, tripping over each other's feet in their groggy haze. Dixon's hair was stuck up at all angles while Elvis could barely keep his eyes open, head turning from side to side as he tried to decipher what was going on in his half asleep state.
"Whazgunon?" Elvis drawled, grabbing Dixon's arm as the pair adjusted themselves so they were standing up straight.
Before anyone could respond, the pair went flying as the RV swerved and a deafening thud echoed throughout. They landed on top of me on the couch and I screeched as one of their elbows nailed me right in the ribs. They scrambled off of me, plopping down on the other end of the couch and gaping at all of us, waiting for answers.
"Who the fuck?" Elvis wheezed, rubbing his eyes with his fists.
"The RV's being rammed!" Pearl repeated as she clung to Brent, who had a firm arm wrapped around her waist as he held tightly to the driver's seat.
"Do you think it could be the FBI?" Dixon clung to the back of the couch, knuckles white from the pressure.
"Surely there'd be sirens." Elvis eyed up the window, "I'm thinking it could be Charles' men."
Without saying another word Elvis darted forward towards the window, ignoring our concerned cries and stuck his head out.
"Holy shit!" He yelled, dragging himself back in as the sound of a gun fired, "They have guns! Like a lot of guns."
"Let me see!" Pearl jumped up towards the window, moving abruptly sideways to avoid Elvis who was attempting to yank her backwards, "Oh my goodness! It's me!"
The gunfire stopped.
"I don't think daddy would be very happy to find a bullet in my brain, now would he?" She called, "Maybe I should call him?"
"No! No!" A voice, presumably Jeffrey, called, "We just want Charles. He's been kidnapped!"
"No he hasn't!" Pearl snorted, "He's asleep in the back. He's fine with me."
"But he hasn't been responding-"
"He lost his phone privileges when I saw his...new friend. But you would know all about her, wouldn't you, Jeffrey?"
Silence. Kiara managed to stop swerving the RV, driving straight forward, gripping the wheel tightly. The RV was practically wheezing at the exertion of trying to keep the speed.
"Go home, Jeffrey!" She snapped, "I'll have him home in a few days, once he's thoroughly made it up to me."
"Yes ma'am..."
"They just exited the highway." Pearl said smugly, coming down from the window.
"Who was that?" I asked.
"Charles' right hand man. Bad sign if he's suspicious, something must be going on."
"I mean, no one's heard from Charles in close to a week. In his line of work...it's safe to assume he's dead." Elvis noted.
"How did he know who to look for?" Cassie piped up.
"That is what we need to find out." Brent looked thoughtful, "I have an idea, but it means we need to pull over somewhere."
"Is that really safe right now? What if that was a ploy?" I asked.
"Jeffrey's an idiot." Pearl shrugged, "I don't think he would. But, Charles' father may be an issue. The sooner we get to your destination the better."
Silence fell over the RV.
"I'll take the next exit. There's a town about twenty miles away." Kiara said quietly from behind the wheel, one of her shaking hands clutching Cassie's, who was whispering something to her.
The energy sapped from the RV. No one said a word as Kiara continued to drive, everyone finding a chair to sit in and just sitting in silence. Elvis looked deep in thought, fist pressed to his mouth and legs folded, brows furrowed. I wanted to reach over to him, pull him into a hug, but I didn't think he'd appreciate it.
For the first time since everything had gone down, no one could crack a smile, not even Dixon.
My own brain was spiralling a mile a minute, guilt settling in the pit of my stomach like a boulder. Brent's earlier words were taunting me, telling me that all of my friends could die or be sent to prison because of me. He wasn't far off the mark but the thought of something happening to them, any of them, had me fighting the urge to gag. My phone buzzed in my pocket, alerting me.
August 6th, 00:10 - Fitz: i wish there was something i could to to help
I gnawed on my lower lip, debating the pros and cons in my brain as I typed out several messages, deleting them instantly. I was putting a lot of trust in a man I barely knew.
August 6th, 00:11 - Violet: maybe there is.
—
Standing in a Walgreens at one am was somehow one of the weirder parts of this entire trip. Pearl had accosted Elvis and I to bring her shopping and, in fairness to her, she had been wearing our hand-me -downs since she had arrived in the RV and there were only so many of my cute dresses I was willing to give up to the other girl. I didn't realise how much I had missed drycleaning until I was stuck rotating the same outfits for a week straight, not even a steamer in sight.
"Pink or green?" Pearl held up two equally hideous dresses, neon bright and the length of a shirt at best.
"Neither." I grimaced, "God, do you always dress like someone out of 90210?"
"My style is gorge." Pearl snarked, "Not that you two would know style if it bit you in the ass."
"I resent that." Elvis grumbled, "This shirt is Gucci."
"Thrifted. At least three seasons old." Pearl stuck up her nose and I noticed Elvis' fists clenched at his side.
"Alright, children." I accosted them, taking the dresses from Pearl and steering her in the direction of the clearance rack, "Just take a look. You might be surprised."
Pearl once again stuck up her nose in an action that reminded me of myself as a teenager - a quick glance at Elvis showed he shared my sentiment as he shook his head fondly, watching her thumb through the racks as if they would bite her.
"Oh." She breathed, something akin to awe in her voice as she pulled out a pure white dress, flowy and made of simple cotton, "This...it reminds me of a dress I always wanted as a kid."
"Get it." Elvis urged her gently, "Maybe some shoes to match?"
Pearl's eyes darted between a pair of heels and a pair of scuffed white sneakers on a shoe rack nearby. She nodded, almost to herself as she picked up the sneakers, tucking them under her arm.
"Sneakers!" She giggled, "Me? My father would drop dead, I tell you that much!"
"I can think of a few other reasons why he'd drop dead." Elvis muttered and I elbowed him in the side playfully.
"Ick!" Pearl grimaced as she dropped a particularly plain purse, "Not even a Prada?"
"You're in Walgreens, honey." Elvis drawled before turning to me, "Seriously, must be like looking in a mirror for you."
"I'm not that bad!" I insisted, backing down under his raised eyebrow, "Anymore!"
"You're still pretty bad. She's just worse. Remember the necklace I got you for your 21st? That you made me return?"
"That's not fair, that thing was hideous."
"It was all I could afford." He sighed, shaking his head, "I thought it was chic."
"I didn't know that." My eyes widened.
He shrugged, "It was a tough time financially. My parents had to support five kids in college at that point. I didn't have much spare after paying for rent."
"El..."
"Are you two done?" Pearl rolled her eyes, inspecting her nails and frowning at a chip in them, "Does this gas station sell nail polish?"
"This isn't a- whatever." Elvis scowled, "Aisle three."
"You do seem like the type to know your way around a gas station." Pearl patted his cheek gently before wandering off.
"I swear she was a lot less insufferable in the RV." I noted, watching her walk off.
"I think it flares up. Bitchitis."
I snorted, shaking my head fondly and sidling up next to Elvis as we followed Pearl through the aisles, listening to her insufferable commentary as she managed to find something wrong with every item that crossed her path. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out discreetly, careful not to let Elvis see the screen.
August 6th, 01:31 - Fitz: Name a time and a place, darlin. I'll be there.
I finally knew how I could fix everything.