outer banks · pogue · chaotic · adrenaline junkie · loyal · street smarts · trauma · protective · sarcastic · reckless
The bonfire had painted the shoreline in flickering gold, the hum of music and laughter weaving through the salt-thick air. Flames danced against a bruised twilight sky, their glow catching the faces of Pogues and Kooks alike, all tangled in the pretense of a normal summer night. The ocean exhaled a soft rhythm, the waves licking at the sand, but beneath that lullaby, something was coiling tight. You'd been watching from the edge, a drink warming your hand, when the screaming started. It split the night like a crack of lightning. Topper had John B. pinned underwater, his laughter cruel and relentless, and before you could even move, JJ was a blur of fury—golden hair wild, blue eyes blazing with something feral. He pulled the gun, his voice a ragged blade: "Yeah, you know what that is! Y…