The boys stood in the Andrews' kitchen, talking solemnly.
"I drove past the apartment building," Archie said. "Jug, Mad Dog was right. I saw Gargoyles coming in and out like they owned the place."
"How many?"
"A lot."
Jughead nodded, considering. "That must be where Kurtz is doing his cooking."
"Well... Should we go to your dad?"
"No, that's the nuclear option. Remember? My dad beat my ass after we interrupted his bust. He doesn't even want us on the street," Jug sighed. "I'll talk to the guys. See if they're willing to risk their necks against the Gargoyles. …Or my dad and his belt for that matter."
"Well, count us in too," the redhead said. "Me, Mad Dog, and the crew. They can fight. Every last one of them."
"The more the merrier."
At the El Royale, the Serpents and the boxing crew stood around waiting to hear why they had been summoned to the gym.
Archie cleared his throat. "Thanks for coming. Mad Dog has found where Kurtz and the Gargoyles are cooking the drugs. Jughead, Mad Dog, and I plan on doing something about it. We'd like your help but you need to understand the risks."
"Right," Jughead said. "The Gargoyles are organized and may be armed. I want you to know what you're agreeing to before we start. …And, if we're caught, my dad has promised to throw us all in jail. And, Serpents, he's also promised some Club justice too."
Fangs and Sweet Pea exchanged knowing looks.
"If you want to sit this—" began Jug.
"Shut it, Jones," Sweet Pea snapped. "We're in. I'm mean what does it matter if we have to face FP? If we get arrested, we'll still have face our own dads."
And so the boys began plotting their next moves.
"All right, listen up," Jughead proclaimed. "This is it. Thanks to Mad Dog's recon, we have a pretty decent idea of the layout of the apartment building."
The boys gathered around the plans laid out on one of the tables.
"But we still need to be vigilant in there," Jug continued. "We will enter from the side door. There should be two guards, easy to take down. Then we have access to the stairs. We'll clear the floors simultaneously. Four to six of us per floor. Everyone know which floor is theirs and who to be looking out for?" Murmurs of assent and nods all around confirmed that the boys were clear about their targets.
"Alright, then," Jughead said. "Let's do this."
When they arrived at the apartment building, Sweet Pea knocked on the door. Two Gargoyles opened it and the boys forced their way inside. The teens ran up the stairs, breaking off into groups at each level to search for the cook house. Instead of sticking with his group, Jughead continued up the flight of stairs to the final level. Alone, he opened the door and stepped into the hallway. A shadowy figure in a Gargoyle mask appeared on the opposite end of the hallway. The two stood considering one another for a moment, and then the Gargoyle raised his hand, pointing a gun at Jughead. Shots rang out and Jug dove behind the door frame. As the Gargoyle approached, gun still raised, Jughead grabbed the only weapon available to him, a fire extinguisher. He sprayed the Gargoyle, blinding and choking the boy long enough to knock him out with the canister and kick the gun away. Just as the Gargoyle hit the floor, a door opened and another masked gunman appeared.
Jughead froze as the Gargoyle pointed the gun at him. Before it could be fired, Archie tackled the Gargoyle from behind. Mad Dog stood by ready to fight.
"You good, Jug?" the redhead asked.
"Yeah. Thanks," murmured Jughead. "Good job."
A door at the opposite end of the hall banged opened and five more Gargoyles stormed in.
"I'll take care of them. Go find the scumbag cook," Mad Dog said, crouching into a fighting stance.
Archie nodded and kicked open the door that the gunmen had exited. Inside the decrepit apartment, he and Jughead found Jingle Jangle and Fizzle Rocks, drug cooking supplies and lots of guns. The teens split up to look around. Jughead turned a corned to see an arm extended from a closet, pointing a gun at Archie's back. The boy threw himself against the door, causing the gun to clatter to the floor. Then Jug flung the door open, punching the occupant in the face several times. Archie quickly joined him in pinning the struggling Kurtz to the ground. They tied his arms with zip ties and dragged him out of the apartment.
Mad Dog was still fighting the horde of Gargoyles down the hall.
"Go help him," Jughead called. "I've got Kurtz."
Archie did not need to be told twice. He plowed into the fray. Quickly the two boxers finished the Gargoyles off. It was then that the redhead heard his friend's scream and an explosion of breaking glass and boards.
Mad Dog and Archie sprinted down the stairs and found Jughead getting to his feet unsteadily, having fallen from a third-floor window.
"Jug…."
But the boy pushed his friend away, yelling "Don't let Kurtz get away!"
Archie took off running after him.
Jughead stood still, breathing hard. After a few minutes, he heard the side door open and Sweet Pea call him.
"Jug.… Jughead."
"What, Sweet Pea?" he snapped, annoyed.
The boy turned to see Sweet Pea, looking gloomy, standing next to a sheriff's deputy.
Jughead's heart sank.
"How?" the boy said aloud.
"How did we find out about your latest stunt?" he heard his father's sharp voice ask.
FP pushed passed Sweet Pea and the deputy and stood glaring at his son.
"Maybe because we had about half a dozen calls about a melee in the damn hallways, shots fired. You will tell me everything that happened here tonight, but first you, me and the rest of the Serpents are going to have a Club meeting. Understood?"
Jughead nodded, glancing quickly at Sweet Pea and grimacing.
FP turned and said, "Get the gym rats in the paddy wagon. Gargoyles too. All cuffed. And have someone sit back there with them. I don't want any more trouble out of any of them!"
"What do you want us to do with the Serpents, boss?" one of the deputies asked.
"Oh, they will be along in a bit. Just wait here for us. I need to have a word with these boys before we go to the station."
"Sure thing, Sheriff."
"Jughead, lead the way. The first apartment on the left is vacant and open," his father ordered. "Hey, where is Red?"
"He went after Kurtz, who ran—"
Someone cleared his throat and said, "Actually, I lost him in the woods."
Archie stepped out of the shadows. "Uh, Mr. Jones, I—"
"Red, whatever you are about to say, save it," FP said, sharply. "You're coming with me." He grabbed the boy's left bicep and pulled him back into the apartment building.
Once inside the empty apartment, the boys paced or slouched against the wall or stood still, waiting. After everyone was inside, FP slammed the door behind himself.
"When we were training at the high school, NOT EVEN A WEEK AGO, I told you—ALL OF YOU—that you were not ready for the streets. I prohibited you from doing any work until I SAID YOU WERE READY. And now I find you have DEFIED ME in the most UNIMAGINABLE way possible!"
FP paced the room. He looked from one boy to another as he spoke. "You all came to this RESIDENTIAL building to do BATTLE with a rival gang. CHILDREN live here! GRANDPARENTS live here! Obviously you thought NOTHING about your own safety. Did you think about theirs? Fangs? Sweet Pea? Did you think about that? No?"
Both boys looked at the ground and murmured, "No, sir."
"What about you, Weasel? Termite? Jinx?" All three boys shook their heads no.
FP stopped in front of Archie and Jughead. "I know NEITHER of you did." He starred hard at both boys, his rage barely contained.
"Well, Serpents, you have a decision to make, right here and now. Accept the consequence for defying me or leave your jackets by the door, you're out. Out of the Serpents. Effective immediately. What will it be?"
No one spoke.
"Well," the furious man bellowed. "What will it be?"
"Mr. Jones," Archie started.
"No, shut your trap, Red," FP snarled. "I don't give a damn what you two have to say. You both are the exceptions to the rule. Neither of you have a choice as to what happens next."
The man turned back to the other teenagers and yelled, "Well, what will it be, gentlemen? In or out?"
"In," each boy said, confirming his intent to remain a Serpent.
"Very well," FP said, nodding. "Now for the consequences. Jughead, let's start with you. Show them how it's done."
Jughead nodded, feeling weak and nauseated. He turned to face the wall, leaned forward, and placed his hands against the wall to brace himself.
"Pants," his father stated, as he pulled his belt free.
The boy sighed quietly, straightened up, undid his pants and pushed them to his knees. He resumed his position and concentrated on not making a sound. The belt came hard and fast, ten times. In less than a minute, the whipping was over. Jughead was thankful that he had managed to stay quiet and not cry. Stiffly he pulled his pants into place and stood up, forcing himself to make eye contact with his dad.
"Red," FP said. "You're next."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Jones."
"You will be, Archie. You've taken this vigilantism too far. Your father and I discussed how to handle you awhile back, since we have both tried to reason with you to no avail. From now, every time one of us catches you taking the law into your own hands, we will be taking our belts to your ass. Got it?"
"Yessir," the boy replied. The teen followed Jughead's example and unfastened his pants, letting them fall to his ankles. Then he bent forward, positioned his hands against the wall.
FP's belt sliced across the middle of his backside. He gritted his teeth and held his breath. The teen felt like all eyes were on him. The second lick landed in the same spot, causing the boy to inhale sharply and momentarily forget his humiliation. As the third blow fell, Archie thought about his dad. He knew he had another whipping coming. Four, the boy counted. He'd never been punished like this before. Five, by someone other than his father, publicly and in a crowd. Six, at least they were all going to get the same. The next smack landed just below Archie's rear end, on his upper thighs. The pain was shocking and he nearly straightened up. FP paused to give the boy a moment to compose himself. The final three blows came in quick succession, all landing across the center of his butt. The teen bit his lip, heard FP step away and say, "Sweet Pea." After Archie was certain his punishment was over, he then bent down to drag his pants back into place.
The redhead looked around to see the tall boy move forward, push his jeans down, and bend forward to the wall, leaning on his forearms. Sweet Pea made no sound or movement during the entire punishment.
Fangs stepped up quickly when he was summoned. His jeans bunched at his feet and he pressed his hands against the deteriorating white wall. The boy took the thrashing stoically and hoped this punishment meant he would escape his father's belt later.
FP then whipped Jinx, Termite, and Weasel. Each received the same ten licks with no fuss.
Once all of the punishments had been meted out, FP refastened his belt and said, sternly, "I hope I have made myself crystal clear. No more taking the law into your hands. Do you understand?"
Every boy answered either "Yessir" or "Yes, boss."
"Good. Now get your asses in that paddy wagon." The teens filed out of the apartment and to where the large vehicle was waiting. Each boy was cuffed using a wide, smooth zip tie, and helped into the truck. They sat squished together on the benches.
The ride to the station was mostly silent until Mad Dog leaned over and asked Archie, "What was all that about? A Serpent meeting? Why were you involved?"
The redhead nodded, but said nothing for a long moment. "Everything is okay. I'll explain later, ok?"
Mad Dog nodded and all the boys sat quietly, collectively dreading what would happen next.
