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Chapter Thirteen: Jughead

The heavy door being thrown open startles me out of a restless sleep. I don't have the energy to get up off the floor, not that I would be able to do much with the chain wrapped tightly around my waist, anyway. It's tethering me to the pipe I have grown to hate so much, which refuses to budge no matter how much I've tried to rip it from the wall. And then there's the hunger that has been gnawing away at my stomach. I don't know exactly how long I have been down here, but I'm desperate enough to wolf down a veggie burger at this point. And that's saying something.

I look towards the door and food no longer matters as my whole world crashes down around me, breath stuck in my throat.

I thought that I was in hell before, but that was nothing compared to the new reality before me. This is quite possibly the worst surprise I could have received. The person I have wanted to see more than anything, and the one who I want far away from here.

I can't seem to talk or breathe as I watch the blonde ponytail fall to the ground, body limp as Cruncher drops her.

My ribs are screaming in pain, and I can't seem to process why until I realize that I'm pulling against the chain, having run as far as it will let me go. Dropping down to my knees, I try to reach her, but she's just barely too far away. She's not moving. She's not moving…

"Betty…" My gasp comes out raspy as I desperately try to search for signs of breathing. I'm close to tears when I see her chest rising and falling gently, although it doesn't look like she's waking up. I stagger to my feet, grabbing Cruncher by the front of his jacket. "You son of a bitch! What did you do to her?" I shout, shaking the man violently.

He shoves me back to the floor easily, pressing a heavy boot against my ribcage when I try to get back up. The action sends pain ricocheting throughout my body, rendering me momentarily breathless, mouth open in a silent cry. "Relax," he spits down into my face. "She's only unconscious."

Venom walks into the room, eyeing me in distain. He doesn't say anything, simply nodding to the corner. Cruncher reaches down, wrenching me up by the arm and propelling me back over to the pipe. I watch in panic as Venom leans down over Betty, grabbing her face roughly.

"Don't touch her!" I fight against Cruncher, but he's twice my size and I stand no chance as he loops his arms under mine, effectively holding me back. "Don't touch her! Please!" My voice cracks as I fight through the pain and hysteria that are threatening to take over, too intent on getting to Betty to really care.

Venom prods Betty with his foot, prompting a growl to start in my throat. "How much chloroform did you give her?" He asked gruffly.

Cruncher speaks up from behind me, as if his response were as casual as the weather. "Bitch kept waking up, so I had to choke her back down and give her some large doses of ketamine here and there."

"What?"

"Relax, kid!" Venom snaps at me, clearly irritated by my continuous outbursts. He kneels down next to Betty, and before I even know it his hand is striking down against her cheek. I shout an angry protest, but Cruncher drags me back before I can reach my girlfriend. The slap seemed to do the trick, though, because she is sluggishly blinking awake, her lips parting as they try and fail to form words.

"Betty…" Her name rises in my throat, coming out as a broken whisper even as it pounds incessantly through my brain. Venom grabs her face, and my stomach drops. "Get the hell away from her!"

Venom makes an impatient sound, pushing Betty as he rises to his feet. He storms out of the room for a moment before coming back in with a heavy chain like the one they've been using on me, and a water bottle. Dropping the latter on the ground, he hooks the chain around another pipe in the corner opposite mine. Fury bubbles in my chest as I watch Venom grab Betty's right ankle, wrapping the links around it and securing it all with a sturdy padlock.

Betty is very slowly waking up, her beautiful blue-green eyes still glassy. My whole body strains forward as I desperately want to hold her, to protect her, but Cruncher's grip tightens around my arms.

Apparently Venom decided it was taking too long for her to wake up, because he's now dumping the contents of the water bottle on Betty's face.

"Hey!" I shout furiously, anger swelling in my chest. "Stop it!"

"Cruncher!" Venom snaps, turning to us with a glower. "Duct tape the brat's mouth shut. I'm tired of his voice."

I'm thrown to the ground before I can come up with a witty retort. Cruncher storms out of the room to fulfill the order, leaving me slumped on the floor. I try to jump to my feet, but am alarmed when my body feels almost too drained to move at all. By the time I've crawled forward into a kneeling position, Cruncher is back, ripping off a large piece of duct tape. My struggles are entirely useless as the man holds my head still and slaps the thick tape over my mouth.

Betty's cloudy eyes meet mine, and nothing else in the room matters in that moment.

I see the confusion, the fight against the drugs, the slow realization. And then she's crawling away, her movements sluggish as the fear kicks in.

My feet slip out from under me as I strain towards her again, but Cruncher holds his ground. Betty's name is an unintelligible shout around the duct tape, but I can't help but call to her. We're both fighting to get to each other, but I'm held back and her legs still haven't caught up with her mind.

"You have nobody to blame but yourself, Sweetheart," Venom sneers down at Betty. My skin crawls at the demeaning pet name, but I don't fight this time, knowing that it's no use. "You should have let us take care of your boyfriend instead of rattling your mouth off to the Serpents."

Betty mumbles something in reply, but her words are thick and mixed together. Venom kneels down next to her, his head tilted to the side. "What was that, Sweetheart? I didn't quite catch that."

"Go to hell," Betty growls before spitting in his face. I feel an equal amount of pride and terror.

Venom lashes out, strong figures gripping around her throat. She's choking, and I'm yelling words that even I don't understand. Venom looks over at me, and actually smiles.

That son of a bitch is enjoying this.

Finally, the man lets go of her, leaving Betty struggling for breath on the concrete floor. I can't seem to take my watering eyes off of her until Venom is suddenly right in front of my face.

"If you had held your mouth before, she would still be safe. Hopefully now you understand what happens when you cross us." I recoil, guilt closing in on my chest so much that I have to physically force myself to meet Venom's steely gaze as he continues to talk. "So don't test me, Jones. Or it'll only get worse for her."