Chapter 3: Wake Me Up

Jughead's POV

I had a dream last night.

It was both bad and good.

Bad because someone tried to kill me.

Good because I saw her.

The person I've been looking for.

Betty.

It was really good to see her, but to feel her nails and - wait a minute - are those fangs? Nails and fangs under my skin. Literally.

So I had that dream. A dream where she almost killed me.

After that, I woke up in an eerie looking room. It was a little dark, though the room was surrounded by ancient looking lamp and different statues of black birds with blinking red lights in their eyes. Behind one of those statues, there I saw a figure with blonde hair. My eyes widened when I recognized Betty.

"Shit." I mumbled as my heart raced with eagerness, with delight, that finally, finally I found her. I was so happy, I almost jumped off the bed I was - actually tied on. "Wait what..." I looked at my arms and my feet, which were attached to the bed rails with a chain. I blinked my eyes and looked around for Betty but she wasn't there anymore. I panicked quietly, in a very unlikely calm manner, as I was unable to process what was actually going on.

"Betty? Are you here?" I asked, but all I received was an uncanny silence.

Oh well obviously, I'm dreaming again. Why does it feel so real?

It is real," someone said - it was Betty's voice. Before I could even search the room for her, Betty magically appeared on the bedside table. "Your chains," she added as she looked down on me. And I just looked at her, the same gaze I normally give her when she's not looking. In fact, the moment felt so real.

She looked so real.

She looked almost the same as the last time I'd seen her. Her voice was even the same. Her hair was longer though, and she kind of looked paler, but I thought maybe it was because winter was coming in a few days.

There was something strikingly different about her blue eyes though. It was as though she was sad, distant, and cold. I wanted to hold her and ask. "Betty..." I started, a whisper, afraid she'd disappear if I was loud."Are you okay?" I managed to ask as a flashback from that dream - or last night - came back to me. There was an image of Betty covered in blood from her hands and face. "Last night..." I added hesitantly. "You were bleeding. You were hurt."

"Look who's talking," Betty said. For a moment, she looked like she was about to laugh. But then she had that same expression on her face when I first saw her hiding behind a statue. She then pressed on my wound that was swathed with bandages, as if to mocking me - "now who's hurt? the man is hurt." I grimaced when she pressed harder for no reason. The sudden pain somehow woke me up from a dreamy moment.

"I tied you up by the way," she continued, as if that was something to be proud of.

"Yeah I can see that," I said sarcastically. "S-so why am I tied on a bed again?" I choked a small laugh. "Are you some kind of masochist now?" I was trying to be funny, but obviously, Betty didn't find that quite funny. She was strangely... serious.

"I'm just making sure you're not going anywhere," was her honest answer.

"That's so sweet," I gulped, surprised. I thought it was sweet. Well, that was before Betty threatened to kill me.

"You're my prisoner. You try to escape, you're dead," she explained. She tried to look scary but, for some odd reason, I thought she was hot. Betty had always been the sweet, perfect girl next door.

I only see another side of her in my dreams.

"Well, it is a pleasure to be your prisoner." I smiled wide, she seemed taken aback. "Oh come on," I huffed. "I went all the way here to find you, just to escape? No way is that gonna happen. Even if this is just dream. I'd like to stay here with you."

She stared at me quietly, intently, right into my eyes. Like she wanted something. Like she needed something. Answers, maybe?

"Am I actually still dreaming?" I whispered, not wanting to look away from those blue eyes that stared back at me. "Are you really...here, Betty?"

"You're not dreaming, human. Last night wasn't a dream either," she replied calmly. "I hurt you. I bit your neck, but it wasn't that bad. I didn't have to bandage it. I almost killed you though. I probably will if you don't talk honestly with me."

"...What? I'm confused- aw!!!!l" I let out a yelp when she pressed my wound, which was now bleeding through the bandages.

"Why were you looking for me?" She asked angrily. "Answer me honestly."

"W-What? Why, isn't it obvious? You've been missing for 6 months, Betty-" she pressed harder. "- stop that. I care about you okay. I care about you, of course I'd come looking for you!"

Then she stopped, giving me space to breathe. "What did you say?"

"I'm supposed to keep my feelings in check, and a secret from you, so don't make me repeat things," I said. And I shouldn't have said such nonsense because it made her look even more confused.

"Feelings? I'm not talking about your fucking feelings. I'm asking why you're here. Is that your death wish, human?!," she raged.

I'm having such a weird depressing dream. I'm being called a human by the woman I love.

"Uh well-"

"Whatever. Don't say a word," she shot me a glare. "You are a very unlucky prisoner, so you are gonna do whatever I tell you to do. If you don't wanna die, you're staying here as my blood bag."

It's getting even weirder. I'm getting even more worried.

"W-what?" I almost cried. "Are you like...cancer-sick?"

"What?" She scoffed. "No you fool! That's what we vampires do! Make humans our punching bags - I mean blood bags!" She corrected, seemingly embarrassed as she turned back and took a deep breath while I remained frozen, and unsure whether I should be amused or not.

"I wasn't dreaming?" I asked myself loudly.

"No, idiot. You probably think everything is a dream because you're human but now that you're my prisoner, you're gonna be regretting going into the woods for the rest of your life," she bragged as she cautiously unlocks the chains off me.

"If I'm not dreaming, then why aren't you coming home?" I looked at her as she avoided my gaze.

"Don't ask," she replied quietly.

"If this isn't a dream, then I'll probably still die if you want me to be a blood bag," I added. "One for breakfast, one for lunch, one for dinner, one midnight snack... I'll be dead in one day. Am I right?"

"Are you scared?"

"No," I answered truthfully. "I'm just glad we're talking again. I need to say as much as I can, even if it's random and nonsense. I haven't talked to you in so long, I feel like I owe you that." I smiled genuinely, still looking up at her, and I smiled even wider, when she decided to meet the loving gaze I was giving her.

"Would you rather leave me and die before you even reach that door? Or would you rather live and die a few weeks later?" She made me choose. So I had to choose wisely.

I gave her a playful smirk. "The latter. A few weeks? That's at least more than 7 days? I can live that long? Honestly, I thought I'd only last three days or less if I were still in the woods with that wild dog chasing me like I was some kind of dog bone."

She chuckled. I paused, sensing my cheeks burning up shyly. "You're a funny human," she mumbled softly. "Anyways, get up and follow me. I want to properly introduce you to my family as my..."

"Who the fuck is this?" Upon hearing a man join us by the door, Betty and I literally jumped from our awkward positions.

"Jason!" She exclaimed, and I looked at the man before us with horror and exasperation. Jason and I glanced at each other, and he had that same look in his eyes, like he was scared of something. "I was just..." Betty started explaining. "About to introduce you guys to my new blood bag."

"Your what?" Jason questioned without meeting her gaze. The intense look in his eyes were glued on mine like he wanted to secretly kill me behind Betty's back.

None of these is making any sense. Why is Jason here? Why did Betty say she's a vampire? Am I in some kind of supernatural kind of dream? This doesn't feel like a dream.

But both of them are here.

Jason and Betty.

"I caught him and he was about to bring more people in," Betty continued. "So I decided to take him. He could be useful."

"You decided to take him in here when you could've just-" Jason paused, letting me guess what he was just about to say.

"Kill me?" I guessed, blinking somehow innocently. His silence proved me right.

"Betty," he called. "Outside," he ordered as he motioned for Betty to follow him. When she didn't, he grabbed her by the arm rather forcefully, so I knew I had to do something.

Or maybe I was wrong to make a move.

"Hey don't touch her like that," I interjected and pulled Betty back, surprising her. When I mentioned Jason's name she seemed even more surprised. Well, that day itself was full of surprises. "Look, I have no idea what's happening here, and I'm confused as hell. So do you mind explaining what's happening in here? Did you kidnap-"

"Shut the hell up and let her go. Also, mind your own business," he stated in the most manipulative way possible. I had no idea what was happening to my body, but I strangely froze when he said that. It was like I had no control over my body and I couldn't quite think or see clearly after that. Then I felt something painful on the back of my head which had me falling onto the floor like a broken doll. I was still half-awake for some odd reason. Dad was right, I'm a hardheaded person. "I'm sorry bro but I had to do that," I heard a voice spoke and it was definitely a male, who had an alien voice in my spinning head.

Then another voice broke in and I couldn't be more emotionally and physically disturbed. "Archie," a female voice called the man who I later recognized as my other redhead best friend. "You didn't have to do that," the girl told him.

"Of course, I did."

A/N: to aussiebornwriter, thank you for the very first comment, I really appreciate it. Heheeh. I didn't know how to reply to your comment so I just decided to write it here lol.

Thank you for reading everyone! this must be confusing to y'all. But you'll see why this is happening later. P.S. This chapter is not a dream, it's real (in this fanfic). Jughead just thought it was a dream because he didn't believe in vampires. Pls excuse my wrong grammar and spelling.