Chapter 14: Exodus Pt. II

The fleet of FBI vehicles slowed to a crawl and turned down a rocky road, shutting off their lights and disappearing underneath a sea of trees. Veronica flipped the truck's lights off and turned onto the path as well. All three passengers in the truck leaned forward, trying to keep the cars within their view.

They had only crossed the border about twenty minutes ago and were not expecting to go dark so quickly. Border patrol had been smoother than they had expected – the line of police and federal vehicles had sped through swiftly, and when they pulled the truck up, Jughead had panicked and instead of showing his passport, he flashed his FBI badge. The poor border agent had looked so flustered that he just waved them through.

And now they were on the outskirts of Cornwall, pulling into an open field behind a large school building.

Veronica stopped the truck a good distance away from where the FBI convoy was heading. Kevin pulled up beside them.

"Do you think she's inside?" Archie nervously asked the group, the wind whipping around his jacket as he jumped down from the truck.

Jughead peered across the field to the building. He could see scattered lights on through the windows. "Hopefully," he said hastily, starting a fast walk across the field. "Come on, let's go!"

"Jones!"

Uh-oh.

Agent Kane was plodding across the field toward them, anger in his eyes. FP was jogging behind him.

"What the hell are you kids doing here? You had direct orders to stay behind!" Agent Kane looked more intimidating than usual with his Kevlar vest and a large assault rifle in his hands, but Jughead stayed planted where he was. "How did you even know where we were heading?"

"I know how to track a car. I know how to tail someone, even if they are in an unmarked vehicle." Jughead took a defiant step forward, staring down Kane. "And I don't care if we had direct orders from a federal agent - Betty needs us." He paused for a second as Archie, Veronica, Kevin, and Cheryl came up on either side of him. "And if one of our friends needs us, you can be damn sure we'll be there for them."

Jughead's eyes glowed through the dark as he kept them locked on Kane's. FP came bustling up between them.

"Listen, Quinton, I'll take full responsibility for my son and his friends if anything happens, but I thought it would make a world of difference to Betty if she could see her friends here – out of danger-," FP throw Jughead a sharp look, "-before she gets overwhelmed by the bureaucratic aftermath of this thing."

Agent Kane kept his tense stance as he looked between FP and Jughead. "They cannot come anywhere near the building. And if I have to I will send one of my highly-trained agents out here to be a babysitter. Which I'm sure they'll be just thrilled about." He turned brusquely and jogged back toward the amassing FBI agents.

"Thanks, Dad," Jughead said as FP swung around to face him. "I thought we were far enough away that we wouldn't evoke the wrath of Kane."

"Lay off the jokes, Jug, this is high-pressure stuff. He's lost men in the field before, he doesn't want the blood of teenagers on his hands." FP was looking slightly past Jughead as he answered. Jughead could see his gun shaking in his hands.

"Sorry, Mr. Jones." Archie stepped forward, "We understand the seriousness of the situation, we won't take it lightly." He threw a look to Jughead before turning back to FP. "But, do we get vests, too? To keep us safe?"

"Oh no," FP straightened up, "You aren't going in."

Everyone began protesting now. "What? Then why would you tell us to come all this way?" Jughead's eyes flashed.

"As I said – you're here for when we get Betty out. She needs you all in one piece."

Jughead stared at FP, searching his face before relaxing his shoulders. He sighed, "And we need her - and you - back in one piece." Jughead grabbed his dad's shaking hands.

FP nodded, then turned and ran toward the building. The teens watched from a distance as a dozen or so small tactical lights blinked on and circled the school. The lights were still for a moment, then a shout rang through the wind, and a swarm of FBI agents burst through the doors.

Alice ran down the hall, poking her head into every open room she passed, making sure no one was in any of them; Farmie or Betty alike. She figured she wasn't here, but given what Charles had told her and Edgar's crazed exit with a loaded gun, she couldn't be too far away.

A knot was twisting in Alice's stomach. Missing for weeks. Charles' words bounced around her head. Edgar's had her baby for weeks. The food, the medical supplies he carried off... the night he came back covered in dirt and scratches - it all left a different taste in her mouth now. She should've known. She should've tried to stop him earlier. But now it might be too late.

A few drowsy and flustered-looking people jogged past and Alice told them to head to the cafeteria.

She had convinced Evelyn to gather everyone there so they could all be accounted for and then easily escorted out through one of the back doors. To Alice, this meant that everyone would be in one place and could easily be contained if the FBI really was on their way. And considering her call to Charles had been a few hours ago, she assumed they would be here any minute.

The rest of the hall was clear and she bounced into the closest stairwell.

Heavy footfalls and small radio chatter suddenly sounded below her on the staircase. Alice's heart pounded.

Yes.

They were here. She was just about to round the corner when she caught a glimpse of who was approaching through the banister.

No.

Alice pressed herself into an alcove in the wall and slowed her breathing. It wasn't the FBI heading toward her, but two of Edgar's followers with walkie-talkies in hand. They tromped past her and disappeared through a door. Alice was about to follow them when Evelyn appeared in the stairwell above her.

"Alice! Everyone is out from the top floors, I think just about everyone is in the cafeteria, we should go join them."

"No!" Alice was surprised at how strong her response was, but her anger and fear was growing. Evelyn stared at her quizzically as she joined Alice on the lower landing. "I mean, if the authorities really were following Penelope, then they might be here any second. We should make sure you get out before anyone else. So you can meet up with Edgar just in case anything happens here."

Evelyn looked sympathetically at Alice. "You would do that?"

"Of course." Alice gave her a smile. "We're sisters. Now, come on. This way, I think I know a way out." She grabbed Evelyn's arm and raced down the closest hallway.

FP's heart raced as he followed Charles into the building. It looked like they had entered somewhere on the main floor and he could hear gasps and screams ahead as agents rushed through the lobby and spread throughout the halls.

The hall they were currently in was dark and FP was treading carefully behind Charles and Kane as they navigated their way further in, knocking doors open as they went. FP had been in his fair share of close calls and precarious situations with the Serpents, but this was on a whole new level. The only thing he could see was the red and white lights from the surrounding agents, and his heavy breathing was uncomfortably loud in his ears. There was no way he could imagine bringing all the kids into a scene like this.

Kane suddenly raised a fist and everyone stopped. Hurried footsteps could be heard coming from a hallway off to their left and the agents pressed themselves against the wall, flanking either side of the door. FP pressed himself next to Charles and craned his neck, trying to see what was happening.

Two people burst through the door and froze as the agents turned their lights and weapons on them.

"Whoops. Must have made a wrong turn."

FP pushed aside the agent that was in front of him. He could recognize that cutting sass anywhere. Alice was standing in front of him with her arms raised, staring smugly at a gaping Evelyn.

"Alice?" FP stepped forward hesitantly. Two agents rushed passed him and held Evelyn's arms behind her back as they cuffed her.

Alice whipped her head around. "FP!" Her face relaxed as she saw him and he couldn't help but smile.

"That's Riverdale's sheriff…" He could hear Evelyn say as she looked angrily around at the agents that were now continuing to move past her down the hall. "…and the FBI." She turned her eyes to Alice. "You."

"Me." Alice smirked and waved at Evelyn as she was dragged away. Evelyn let out a frustrated scream as she was pushed around a corner. Alice watched and then dropped her arms, turning toward FP.

"FP, Charles, oh thank goodness you're here. Did you get Edgar? Did you find Betty?" She was talking fast and her eyes darted between the two of them.

FP looked at Charles, who had gone up to Alice and was holding her shoulders. "No, Alice. What do you mean? Edgar isn't keeping Betty here?"

"No!" Alice was growing more panicked. "I don't know where he has her. But Edgar left about twenty minutes ago, and oh God, he had a gun. And two of his followers went after him just a few minutes ago, did you see them?"

Charles shook his head. "No, we haven't seen anybody leave the building. Edgar's not here?" Charles looked over to Kane. FP continued staring at Alice.

"No! And did you hear me? He has a gun and he said he had one more thing to take care of! He's talking about Betty! We have to go. Now!" Alice barked at Kane as she pushed Charles toward the door.

"Alice, we will, we promise. We just have to finish our sweep here." Charles looked to FP. "FP, get her outside. I'll meet you there as soon as I can." Charles nodded to him and then disappeared down the hall with Agent Kane.

"Come on, FP. We have to go." Alice shoved past him toward the nearest door.

"Hold on," FP grabbed her arm and when she spun toward him, he leaned down and kissed her. He closed his eyes and stayed there for a moment, but he felt Alice thrust him back.

FP opened his eyes to see Alice running out the door. "Edgar! Gun! Intimacy can wait!" She disappeared out of view and FP smiled as he jogged after her.

The wind rustled through the tree branches above Jughead as he impatiently paced in front of the two trucks. The FBI had rushed the building only a few minutes ago and they could neither see nor hear anything going on in the school. Luckily Kane hadn't followed through with his threat of a babysitter and the teens were left to themselves outside.

"If you pace any harder, Jughead, you're going to start digging a trench." Kevin gave him a tentative smile. Jughead glared back.

"What else is there to do? Just wait? I can't take it!" Jughead threw up his hands irritably.

"Yeah, me neither." Archie had been leaning against his truck bed but shot up and walked over to Jughead. "I'm getting restless."

"Hey, what's that?" Veronica pointed at the side of the school. Jughead squinted in the direction of her finger.

Two men were bounding up a stairwell that looked like it came up from a basement. When they reached the grass, they abruptly turned and started running toward the field all the cars were parked in.

"Hey, they're coming this way. Get down!" Jughead pushed Archie and Veronica down and crawled under Archie's truck. Kevin dived under his own truck and Cheryl edged next to him. The teens held their breath as the two pairs of legs neared the trucks.

Jughead could hear radio static and he peeked out from around the tire. The taller of the two men was talking into a walkie-talkie. Static poured into the night, but then a chilling voice answered over the radio.

One of the men responded back and then clipped the radio onto his belt.

"What are we doing?" the other asked as the two started moving away from the trucks. "Are we helping him get out of town?"

"He wants us to meet him in the park."

"Did the girl get out again?"

Jughead almost gasped but Veronica slapped a hand over his mouth before he could make a sound.

"Don't know, he didn't say..."

Their voices trailed off as they reached a car hidden at the edge of the tree line and climbed inside. Its headlights glared in the dark and Jughead turned his eyes away. When the light faded, he turned back, watching as the car sped off into the dark.

Jughead shimmied out into the open and stood, everyone else following. They all looked around at each other, their grave and spooked expressions speaking a wordless agreement. Even in their panicked state, they were already starting to scramble back into the cars.

Veronica roared the truck's engine to life and they sped down the path they had watched the two men drive away on. Jughead glanced back at the school as they passed, its large silhouette looming back at him against the light of the moon overhead. A few shadows passed by one of the windows. He swallowed; his dad wouldn't know that they had left. There was no time to tell the FBI about who wasn't in the building.

But this was it.

This might be his last chance to find her.

Hiram stood in the hallway, staring gleefully in the direction of the courtyard. Captain Patton walked up beside him, flanked with six other senior security personnel.

"Are you ready for this, Hiram?"

"You should be asking yourself if you're ready, Patton. I've been waiting for this moment since I arrived at this prison." Hiram shot a lurid smile at Captain Patton and nodded. "Let's do this, boys."

Captain Patton raised his gun and entered the hallway leading to the courtyard, Hiram keeping in step next to him.

The first clue that something was wrong was when Hiram couldn't hear anything beyond the doors. He frowned, but it wasn't enough to make him worry. He built this place with thick walls, after all.

They approached the double doors and stopped. Captain Patton looked over and Hiram nodded slowly. The security officers lined up against the door alongside him, all ready to ram against the blockade.

"Go!" Hiram shouted and they all pushed at once. The doors swung open far more easily than he was anticipating and he almost tumbled into the courtyard. But he regained his composure and stood as Captain Patton rushed beside him.

His face dropped. He certainly was not expecting to find what was in front of him.

All of the inmates were restrained and lined up against the fence. A handful of them along with a few guards were sitting at a picnic table having their injuries tended to. Tom Keller was standing in the middle of the yard facing the doors, his arms crossed and an expectant smile on his face.

"Well, well, Hiram. Late to your own party. How very uncharacteristic of you." He smirked and sauntered forward.

Hiram frowned and stepped toward Tom. He reached a hand out to Patton, telling him to lower his gun.

Tom swung a pair of handcuffs around in his hand. "What were you planning to do, Hiram? Storm in here with all the guards that are in your pocket and take back your prison? Pretending to be loyal to your fellow inmates while you were actually just setting them up for failure?" Tom was talking a bit louder than he needed to be.

Hiram glowered at Tom, but put his hands behind his back and straightened up. "No, sir. These fellows are my friends-," Hiram raised his hands toward the prisoners lined against the wall. "I was coming to help them, but Captain Patton was on my tail."

"Oh yeah? Then why did he lower his weapon on your order?" Tom raised his arms in response and swept his gaze over the mix of guards and inmates. He turned back to Hiram. "You can cut the act, Hiram. You already started losing people when that hole in the fence you told them about ended up not existing."

Hiram glanced at Donnie. His nose was bleeding and he had a black eye forming, but he gave Hiram a murderous look. "Should've known a snake doesn't shed his skin so easily," Donnie howled, spitting a mouthful of blood on the ground. Jack and Vic were sitting at the picnic table getting injuries wrapped, but looked up as well.

"Once they started noticing something was off, it was quite easy to corral everyone," Tom continued. "Once they saw that there was one lie, they began to question everything else. They know that you let Chic go. They also know that he's dead."

There were a few bays and howls from the inmates.

"And oh, turns out that the donation at the rally wasn't from Captain Patton, but lo and behold, from you, Hiram. And to add fuel to the fire you started, you took away everyone's wages. Except for yours, of course."

Hiram could feel a dozen eyes burning into him.

"And Patton," Tom walked up in between Hiram and the captain, "you didn't really think you were getting that money he promised, did you? You do know his assets are frozen, right?"

Captain Patton glanced over at Hiram, but now even he was glaring. Hiram shuffled his feet.

"Solid game, Hiram. But for what?"

"Good graces, Tom. I think you know a thing or two about having your name disgraced in front of a whole town."

"No thanks to you," Tom huffed.

"I wanted Riverdale to see me in the light again. I don't belong inside my own prison."

"I believe that's called dramatic irony." Tom smiled as he placed the handcuffs on Hiram's wrists and turned him toward the doors. "Now you aren't getting out of here for a long time."

Hiram grimaced as he was led past all the scowling inmates and guards. "Is that all, Tom? Are you done with this public ridicule yet?"

"One more thing," Tom said as he led Hiram inside. He walked in front of him and looked Hiram in the eye. "Veronica wanted me to tell you: checkmate."

Betty pushed herself up against the door and jimmied the wire inside the lock. She twisted and turned until she heard it click. Turning the knob, she repositioned herself against the door as the chain on the outside caught. No falling through this time.

The new lock that had been installed was a bit more difficult than the one before, but she thrust the wire inside with determination. No threats, no fear - nothing was keeping her from getting out this time. She could feel herself shaking slightly; she still didn't have much strength, but, whatever may come she had to push through. She shook and pried the wire around until she finally felt the tumblers fall into place.

Pop.

She threw the chain down and pushed open the door, drinking in the moonlight as it washed over the porch. Betty looked out into the forest in front of her and paused.

Edgar was standing in the grass just in front of the cabin, his eyes wild and his mouth twisted into a twitching sneer.

Betty took a step forward and situated herself at the top of the stairs. Edgar didn't move. He just kept his eyes trained on her.

"I thought you said you weren't going to come back for a while," Betty cautioned, inching onto the top step.

"Change of plans," Edgar uttered, his chest rising and falling forcefully, his eyes unblinking.

"Uh-huh." Betty took another step forward. This time, so did Edgar. She stopped. "Is the devil following you now too, Edgar?"

The wind shook the swing on the porch and the chains creaked jarringly. The orange light from the cabin shined warmly at Betty's back while the blue moonlight bathed her in an ethereal swell. Her shadow stretched over the grass, almost reaching to where Edgar stood with his back to the light.

"We're at the end, Betty."

He moved his hands from behind his back. A chill crept up Betty's spine.

"Is this how it was always going to end?" Her voice melancholic as she stared at the gun in his hand. "Torture then death?"

"No." Edgar took a few slow steps forward, his expression seeming almost sad. He titled his head, moonlight reflecting off of his cold eyes. "The end was going to be beautiful. Fate found… nothing more beautiful than that. I was giving you time to make a choice. But now fate is forcing my hand." There was a troubling ache in his words.

Betty crept down another step. Edgar edged forward. "But I've already made a choice. You said this was a battleground, right?" She spoke in a rhythmic tone, sliding her tongue over a few words. "Well, I'm choosing to get back up."

Edgar grimaced and moved his arm. Betty flinched but didn't lose eye contact.

"You shot arrow after ruthless arrow at me, and I laid there broken and bleeding for a while, just like you wanted me to." Betty stepped down to the grass, her eyes blazing now. "But it made me realize that most of my life has been shadowed by my past, but I'm finally ready to start living for my future. I know who I am. Or rather, I remembered who I am, and she's taking her life back."

Edgar's mouth twitched again and he bared his teeth in a drawn-out snarl, balling his open hand into a fist.

"That's not what you wanted to hear, was it?" Betty lulled.

"My purpose is to break people out of the silly illusions they live in," Edgar growled, his hands now joining with his mouth twitch. "You're no hero, Betty."

Betty shook her head, her eyes doing a back and forth between his face and the gun. "No, I'm not. I'm just a kid who's trying to do right. A kid who's efforts to keep her family together somehow got her a mortal enemy." Betty's lips curled into a contemptuous smile, "And how sad it is that you consider a mere 17-year-old as your biggest enemy. How uncertain of yourself you must be."

Edgar let out a savage roar, his eyes flashing. He raised the gun and fired. Betty ducked, hearing the bullet ricochet off one of the railing posts behind her. She lunged forward, producing the plate shard in her hand, and brought it down hard into Edgar's shoulder.

He howled, dropping the gun to reach for his bleeding shoulder. Betty scooped it up and frantically turned heel, running toward the sound of the stream, once more entering into the depths of the wilderness around her.

The teens continued through the darkness behind the car of the two Farmies. They had followed them to the other side of the small town and were now driving down a dirt path that was weaving through thick trees. A sign at the beginning of the road indicated that they were in an area called "Guindon Park," and were at present driving deeper and deeper into the forest.

Jughead was completely on edge and, judging by the thick silence in the truck, so was everyone else. Archie was leaning as far forward as he could to stare out the front window, even though there was nothing to see but black.

Finally, a small gravel parking lot opened to the right and the car pulled to a stop. The men jumped out of the vehicle and immediately darted into the woods.

Veronica and Kevin quietly parked, and Archie grabbed two flashlights from the glove compartment as he slipped out of the truck. He flipped one to Kevin and carried the other.

All of the teens softly jogged into the woods, keeping their distance from the men ahead of them. Jughead's blood began to boil as he watched them easily navigate the paths twisting through the forest. They had been here before.

The moonlight was disappearing and the shadows around them seemed to grow thicker. Jughead knew they were getting relatively far away from where they had entered the path.

Suddenly the two men stopped and Archie threw his arms out to stop the others. They all quickly ducked into a patch of bushes nearby and peered through the branches. The two Farmies seemed to be arguing over something, but they couldn't hear what.

"Hey guys, look!" Cheryl whispered, pointing through the trees at a faint orange glow in the distance. "What's that?"

Jughead looked past the men and squinted at the glow. "It looks like… a cabin." His breath caught in his throat. "That's it! That has to be where she is!"

"Not again," Veronica hissed, looking over at Jughead and Archie.

Kevin started to squirm. He looked between the group in the bush and the Farmies and then started climbing to his feet.

"No, Kevin!" Jughead grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. "What are you doing?"

"Jughead, if Betty is in that cabin you have to get there before those creeps do. Let me distract them. I can lead them away while you slip by." Kevin shook Jughead's hand away and stared doggedly at him.

"I'll go with him so he's not alone," Cheryl added quickly, crawling closer to the two of them.

Jughead stared between them for a moment then sighed. Archie and Veronica were looking at him, their eyebrows upturned nervously, but knowingly. He turned back and nodded. Kevin smiled reassuringly and he and Cheryl popped up from the bush.

"Wait!" Jughead whispered. He grabbed the slingshot from his back pocket and handed it to Kevin. "For good luck."

Kevin took it, giving him a small smile before nodding. Then he bounded straight toward the two men. "Hey!" he yelled. "Hey, you two!"

Cheryl whistled and waved her arms. The men looked over and began moving closer to them. Jughead, Archie, and Veronica watched them nervously.

"What are you kids doing way out here?"

"Just out on a late-night jog, and we got a little lost. Would you mind helping us? You see I need to use the restroom and I really don't want to have to use a tree," Kevin goaded, a mocking grin on his face.

The Farmies looked at each other and marched forward. Kevin's smile faltered a bit and he darted off, Cheryl right behind him. The two men gave chase.

Jughead, Archie, and Veronica waited until they were far enough out of view and then barreled their way out of the bushes and toward the orange haze of that lone cabin in the woods.

FP and Alice bounded down the front steps of the school and began fervently moving across the parking lot toward the open field. A cluster of FBI agents that included Charles was leading a group of dazed people away from the building. FP and Alice walked next to them.

"We'll take everyone to one of our facilities to get them checked out and cleared," Charles explained, "They'll have to go through a round of questioning so we can get everyone back to their proper homes or to treatment. And figure out which ones were complicit to the Evernever's operations."

"Good luck. You might have to stomach pump to get the Kool-Aid out of some of these people," Alice chided back, the wind whipping her hair fervently around her face.

"Dammit." FP had stopped in his tracks and was looking out across the field. "The kids are gone."

"What do you mean the kids are gone?" Alice rounded on FP. "What did you do, bring Jughead with you?"

FP looked down at Alice a bit sheepishly. "He and a few others followed us." When Alice continued to stare up at him ardently, he added, "They came for Betty. So she could see her friends."

Alice stared at him for a second, then shook her head, her face and shoulders relaxing slightly.

"Mom? Mom, what's going on?"

Alice turned her head. Polly was pushing her way through the group of people toward them.

Alice rushed forward, grabbing one of Polly's hands. "Baby, it's okay. Just go with these people for now, they'll keep you safe. I'll see you soon, okay? Everything's going to be fine."

Polly stared after Alice with worry in her eyes as she was pushed forward with the flow of the crowd. Alice turned back to FP, her expression completely altered.

"I can't lose another kid, FP. I can't." Alice's voice was shaking. She started to wring her hands.

"Alice, look at me." FP grabbed her shoulders and looked resolutely in her eyes. "We're going to find her. It's going to be okay." But he could hear his own voice wavering. They didn't know where Edgar had gone. And now he didn't know where the kids he had allowed to come had gone either.

Just then, Charles came hurrying over, "Look who we found."

Kane was leading a cuffed and irate Penelope toward them. Alice's eyes flared and she pulled out of FP's grip, marching forcefully over to Penelope.

"Where is she, Penelope? What did you do?" Alice screamed, getting into Penelope's face. FP jogged over and reached a hand out to Alice, but Charles put an arm out and shook his head.

"Well, Alice, you really fooled us all," Penelope droned, "I really thought you had gone off the deep end, but a double agent? I'm impressed."

"Stop stalling! I heard you and Edgar talking, where is she? Where's my daughter?" Alice's words were flying out in a rushed tone.

Penelope slowly rolled her head to stare at Alice, a small chuckle on her lips. "You just talked to her, Alice. She's over there with the rest of the flock."

"Stop it!" Alice shouted, her eyes in a wild fury as she sprang forward, prompting Kane to pull back a bit. "You know who I'm talking about!"

"Where's Betty?" FP spat, joining in the shouting match.

"And think carefully about your next answer," Charles interjected sharply, coming up beside Alice. "We already know you're involved with this."

"And let's not forget about last spring," FP added angrily.

Charles nodded and continued, "So you're going down regardless. But Edgar left you here to take his fall, you can make sure he goes down too."

Everyone's eyes drilled into Penelope. She carefully looked around and exhaled. "I don't know. Edgar never let me see where he was keeping the brat."

"Liar!" Alice sprang again, tears bubbling in her eyes.

Kevin and Cheryl hurtled down a lightly worn path, finding themselves in parallel step to a stream that cut through the forest. They could hear the Farmies crashing through the trees behind them.

"So, what's the plan?" Cheryl shouted over at Kevin as she ducked under a low-hanging tree branch.

"Uhh, well," Kevin huffed, throwing her an apologetic smile, "running away was the plan."

Cheryl grew quiet next to him and he glanced over his shoulder; there was currently a fair distance between them and Edgar's orderlies, but he knew that wouldn't last forever. He had no idea what direction they were heading and the woods were dark and unfamiliar. His heart was thumping and his panicked breathing stuck in his ears.

He panned his head; he wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he peered into the dark anyway, searching, hoping for anything that might give him an idea. A faint light appeared, flitting between the trees in the distance. Cheryl hissed at him and pointed, noticing it too. Kevin pushed himself into a faster stride.

Rounding a small thicket of bushes and trees, Kevin and Cheryl slowed to a halt in front of a small outpost. Kevin opened the door and clicked on his flashlight, its hazy light falling over mapped walls and a large desk.

"There's a radio here!" Kevin whispered excitedly, scrambling over to the desk. "We can tap into the frequency on FP's radio and let them know where we are!"

"Do you even know how to use that thing?" Cheryl eyed the transistor radio skeptically.

"Oh, please," Kevin puffed. "I've been playing with the police departments' radio system since I was a kid and those things are ancient. This is nothing." He flipped the board to life and started fiddling with the knobs.

A loud bang sounded through the room as the door burst open.

"There you kids are."

The two men blocked the doorway, grinning menacingly at Kevin and Cheryl. Kevin backed up. He could feel Cheryl tense up beside him.

"Hey, we recognize you two." A sly smiled curled on one of the men's lips. "You were at The Farm back in Riverdale. You were the one that got left behind." He stepped forward and nodded his head at Kevin. "Aw, did you miss Edgar?"

"No, you dime-store Death Eater!" Cheryl spat, stepping in front of Kevin. "We came to end that monster's reign of terror."

The man smiled wickedly, taking another step forward. "Is that right? Your little friend tried to do that, too. Didn't turn out so well for her. In fact-," the man panned his head around the station. "-she tried hiding here." His gaze went down to the floor. So did Kevin's. His stomach dropped.

Scratch marks covered the floor under his feet.

Both men snickered as Kevin and Cheryl staggered backward. Kevin's hands trembled but he felt his anger rising in place of his fear. He looked over at Cheryl. "Get the frequency set to 45.37 and get FP. These guys are going down," Kevin whispered, handing her the transceiver.

"Rahh!" He leaped forward, ramming into the first man's chest. The impact knocked them into the other and all three toppled through the door and onto the grass in a flurry of startled grunts.

The man tried to grab Kevin's arms as they landed, but he flipped around to his back, wrapping his heels around the man's, pinning his legs to the ground. They were both about the same build and Kevin could tell he was strong, but he could also tell by his jerky movements that the goon had probably never wrestled in his life.

The man snarled and tried to kick out, but found he couldn't. Kevin wrapped his arms around his neck in a chokehold and held until he could feel the man's breathing slow. As soon as the man went limp under his grip, Kevin rolled out from under him and attempted to stand, but found a heel crunching into the back of his knee.

Kevin yelped and looked up. The other man was looking down at him, his face shadowed in the broken moonlight that reached through the canopy of trees. He was holding a large rock above his head, a cruel smile on his face. He twisted his foot down harder on Kevin's leg. Kevin stretched forward and tried to grab at the man's other leg, but his body was contorted at a weird angle. He swallowed and closed his eyes as the man brought his arm down.

Whump!

Kevin slowly opened one eye. The rock had dropped to the ground next to him. The man stumbled, a pained look on his face, then crumpled to the ground. Kevin blinked and looked up.

Cheryl was standing directly behind where the man had just been, the slingshot still nocked in her hand.

"Thanks," Kevin said as Cheryl reached out a hand to pull him up. He shook out his leg; his knee was throbbing, but everything seemed to still be working.

"Two birds." Cheryl shrugged breathlessly before heading back into the outpost. "Now, come on. Let's finish this."

"That's enough!" Kane called gruffly, pushing a recoiling Penelope out of Alice's reach and toward one of the FBI cars. "Pressure's good but we don't need emotions flaring." He walked away and Penelope cast one last contentious glare at Alice and FP.

"FP, she's lying. She has to be." Alice's voice wobbled as tears fell down her face. She pressed into FP's shoulder.

FP put his arm around her but looked fearfully over at Charles.

He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do now.

Charles shook his head. He didn't have an answer either.

Static suddenly rang out into the night air, making FP jump and pull away from Alice. FP tugged the radio off his belt and held it in front of him, waiting.

It had grown quiet.

A minute passed. Then another. Alice and Charles stared at it with bated breath. Another burst of static erupted from the radio and suddenly a voice called into the night.

FP's heart trembled and he let out a relieved gasp as he called back into the mic.

"Kevin? Is that you? Where is everyone?"

Betty raced through the woods, her heart pounding uncomfortably in her chest. Shadows whizzed past and the stream bubbled and gurgled next to her.

She fiddled with the gun, trying to pop open the chamber. Her breathing was already growing heavy and she knew she couldn't run forever, but she didn't want to fight either. She wanted the gun out of play, but her shaking fingers kept slipping against the cold metal.

A few twigs snapped rapidly behind her and before she could turn to look, she was knocked forward, falling down the bank into the stream. Ice cold water flooded her mouth and nose, and any breath she had left was now completely ripped from her lungs. A shock ran through her body and for a frightening second her vision went black, but she quickly lifted her head and sputtered, flipping upright.

Water dripped down Edgar's crazed face as he stared down over her, holding the bloodied shard above her head.

"No!" She screamed and turned her head, sending a volley of water into his face as he brought the spike down.

He choked, his hand splashing next to her ear. She kicked up, her foot connecting in just the right place as Edgar howled and rolled off her.

She crawled away, pulling herself through the water toward the shore. The gun was lying in the mud and she reached for it. A hand wrapped around her ankle instead and yanked backward. Betty could feel a rock slice through her jeans and into her skin. She gasped and got another mouthful of water.

She pushed against the bottom and raised her head. Edgar had almost reached the shore, but Betty got to her feet and leaped with what strength she could, landing on shore and wrapping her hand around the gun at the same time as Edgar.

Betty thrust upward, her injured shoulder yanking awkwardly as she twisted the gun away from Edgar, a shot firing into the air. She swept Edgar's feet out from under him and rolled to the side as he fell in the mud, his head knocking into the ground. The gun skittered away and she grabbed it.

She quickly stood to her feet, ignoring the blistering chill that was cutting through her as the air met her wet frame, and tossed the gun as hard as she could. It landed in a thorny patch of bushes.

Edgar staggered and reached toward her, but he stumbled. His forehead was bleeding and it looked like he was having trouble focusing his eyes. Betty didn't hesitate to sprint away and, through her coughing, she sucked in as much oxygen as she could, knowing full well she was running for her life.

Jughead, Archie, and Veronica ran up the steps of the cabin. The door was wide open and Archie and Veronica rushed inside. Jughead stopped on the porch and bent down, turning the lock and chain over in his hand, the enmity inside him growing.

He moved inside the cabin and looked around. Dull wood paneling lined the bare walls, and dead cinders and soot covered the floor in front of a fireplace. Veronica was hunched over an open floorboard and Archie was standing in front of a couch, gingerly holding a wrinkled blanket in his hands as he stared sullenly at the one window in the room.

"The windows have bars," Archie mumbled, twisting the blanket in his hands. "He built her a prison."

Jughead turned his eyes dejectedly away and walked past him. He passed by a small kitchenette, a few plates of uneaten food scattered around the counter. He wandered into the bedroom. The room was small and lined with the same paneling as the front area. There were more windows with more bars. A ripped up pillowcase lay across a dusty dresser in the corner and, besides a bed and small nightstand, nothing else was in the room. He sat down on the bed, sinking unexpectedly into the mattress. He stood up and turned, lifting the untidy covers to reveal a large rip in the side of the mattress.

His stomach twisted and he threw his hand against the wall to steady himself. A few splinters caught against his palm and he turned, pulling his hand away, gasping.

He found himself gazing at tally marks etched roughly into the wall. He gently stretched his hand back out, mentally counting as he traced his finger along each one.

"She stopped counting," Jughead breathed quietly as Archie and Veronica entered the room. He stood, letting his gaze fall over the desolate room once more before suddenly turning. He let out a sharp gasp and pushed through his friends until he was back out onto the porch.

He shook, letting the cold air rush over his face as he pulled in spiked breaths. He wrapped his hands around the banister and tried to breathe slowly; all the anguish he had been holding back now threatening to come loose.

He heard footsteps behind him and forced himself to turn around. Archie had walked onto the porch, tears in his eyes and the blanket still in his hand.

"She's not here." Veronica appeared behind him, her face unreadable. "But she definitely was."

"Are we too late?" Archie sniffed. He looked down hesitantly and Veronica moved in front of him, wrapping her hand around a notch on the railing.

"No." Jughead shook his head insistently, slamming his hands against the banister. "No! We are not giving up hope yet, we can't! We came all this way, we're not leaving without her!" He walked between Archie and Veronica, stretching his arms out and gesturing toward the porch. "Look, everything here suggests that we're not too late – that she got out and is still alive. And if that's the case then it's our job as her friends to go back out into the darkness until we find her!"

He marched down the steps and stood in the grass, the whole night's events racing through his head, fueling the fire that was working its way through him. "You hear me, Edgar?" he screamed into the black forest, the wind swirling around him. "You won't win! She's going home!"

A gunshot responded in the distance.

He froze, turning his head in the direction of the sound. Jughead glanced at Archie and Veronica, and all three immediately dashed into the woods, the echo of the shot drifting over them in the night.

Jughead panted as he darted through the trees, begging that he hadn't spoken too soon.

Betty pushed into the middle of a large clearing. Broken moonlight splintered through the trees, casting a checkered pattern over the grass. She stopped and hunched over, pulling in ragged breaths. She grabbed her shoulder and looked down at her leg. The bottom of her jeans was red, yet she could barely even feel the gash in the cold.

She started shivering. The wind bit through her sopping clothes and black dots threatened to take over her vision. She gulped air into her stingings lungs desperately.

She couldn't stop. She had to keep going. She had to… had to… what was that?

Faint voices were floating on the wind and she thought she could hear her name. Betty leaned into the night, quieting her ragged breathing as much as possible.

The voices were growing louder and closer and they were without a doubt calling her name. One voice rose higher than the rest and there was a flicker somewhere inside her. It spread, melting through some of the chill that had enveloped her.

"Jughead?" she whispered, listening once more to make sure it wasn't just delirium. Leaf crunches and twig snaps echoed through the forest as footfalls raced toward her from somewhere in the distance. "Jughead!" she called louder, her heart racing out of something other than fatigue now. "I'm here!"

Crack.

A bullet ripped through the side of her jacket, brushing precariously close to her skin. She whirled around.

Cold, wild eyes were locked on her. The cut on Edgar's head dripped red down his snarled face as Betty found herself staring straight down the barrel of his gun.

"Jughead! I'm here!"

Betty's hoarse but very real voice met his ears and his heart and legs moved a little faster. Archie broke into a full sprint next to him and Veronica was keeping step on Jughead's other side.

There was no path through the trees where they were and so they pushed through thick undergrowth and foliage. A booming crack directly ahead kicked them into high gear as they entered a final stretch of woods until they suddenly burst forth into a silver clearing.

And then there she was.

Betty was standing across from him on the other side of the clearing. She was soaking wet, her clothes ripped and streaked with mud, and her leg was covered in blood. Jughead's gaze rose to her face and he locked eyes. She returned the stare, a soft tic pulling at the edge of her mouth.

For a moment, they were the only two in the clearing.

But then a metallic click reverberated over the wind and Betty's eyes flicked away from his. Edgar was standing in between them, pointing a gun at Betty's head.

"Edgar, you're outnumbered!" Jughead bellowed as he slowly stepped forward, pulling his knife from his pocket. His chest was tightening and not just because of the cold wrapping itself around him. He'd heard all the stories from Betty, and he had seen Edgar a handful of times before, but this was utterly alarming. Edgar was passing a crazed look over Archie, Jughead, and Veronica. His shoulders were rising and falling sharply and his mouth was twitching unnervingly as blood curled over his exposed teeth. Jughead had to admit that he was scared, but he kept his eyes firmly on Betty.

"Put the gun down. You lost."

Edgar narrowed his eyes and looked curiously between the three of them while he kept the gun aimed toward Betty. Archie curled his fists and stepped forward, trying to draw Edgar's attention to him while Veronica slowly inched around the edge of the clearing.

Betty let out a pacified sigh as her eyes bounced around the clearing. She quietly started to shuffle in Veronica's direction. "See, I told you! I told you my friends would come for me."

"Shut up!" Edgar roared, pouncing so quickly that Jughead flinched. He spun behind Betty as she tried to move, clamping a hand tightly over her mouth, the gun now pressed up against her neck.

Everyone in the clearing froze. Jughead's breath wedged in his throat.

Edgar's eyes had taken on a spectral gleam, and a small, sputtering cackle was escaping his lips. Like a decaying and discarnate banshee screech, it echoed into the biting silence, growing more manic and delirious until it became a rasping, hysterical laugh.

"Well, would you look at this. You get to make that choice after all, Betty." He smiled an incredibly unsettling smile. Betty strained against him, but Edgar tightened his grip and her eyes grew wide.

Jughead didn't like those words, he didn't like that laugh, and he most certainly did not like the way Edgar was directing that wicked smile at Betty. He tried to keep his eyes trained on hers, making sure she could see him, wanting to make sure she knew he was still there.

"The board is set for one final move. The last temptation." Edgar lifted the gun and wagged it at Archie and Jughead. "I have three bullets left. You have three friends here. Fate has sent you one final choice - you can add the blood of your friends to your hands, or-," he snapped his tongue over his teeth, "you can save them and finally end the cycle. Letting your death be the atonement."

The trees began to sway, their branches creaking gallingly, and the wind sounded like a freight train in Jughead's ear. Moonbeams slid in and out of the clearing, their silver light colliding with the silver metal that was suspended in the wake of everyone's fear.

Archie stood frozen beside Jughead, his shaking fists slowly uncurling, and Veronica was staring desperately back at him, her eyes pleading for someone to make a move.

Tears were falling down Betty's face, but Jughead noticed that her eyes were steady and her shivering had stopped. She turned those eyes to Veronica, who's face almost immediately contorted. Her eyes then went to Archie and he shuffled slightly on his feet, looking woozy. Her gaze lingered for a moment, and then she turned to Jughead.

For the second time that night, everything in him stopped working.

Betty's eyes - those soulful, sweet, green eyes - were calm.

They were saying a million little things to him, more than anything he could ever put down on a page.

And then she gave him a gentle nod.

He shook his head, his eyes widening. Tears were falling down his face now and he stared back, trying to say his own a million little things.

No, Betty.

No, those weren't the only two options.

They could still get out of this. All of them.

Edgar watched their silent interaction, his eyes sliding between the two of them. Blood frothed around his bottom teeth as his mouth curled into a cruel smile.

He let out another scraping laugh, cocking the gun in his grip. "Then let it be so."

"No!" Jughead, Archie, and Veronica all cried as Edgar raised the gun to Betty's head.

Crack.

Jughead didn't want to look. His arms had involuntarily raised in front of his face, but he slowly lowered them, his eyes blinking open.

He sucked in a startled breath.

Edgar had stiffened, his mouth twitching as the ferocity in his eyes drained away. Blood was oozing down his arm. He stared down at the bullet wound, then out into the dark forest, the gun slipping out of his shaking grip.

"Get away from my daughter!"

Alice burst through the tree line, her narrowed eyes burning hotter than the gun in her hands. FP ran up behind her, quickly glancing down at his now-empty side holster before he raised his head, his look of amused surprise turning to concerned shock as he took in the scene in the clearing.

Red dot sights and tactical lights began to flood the clearing as FBI agents circled the area, all sights set on Edgar. Kevin and Cheryl ran up alongside Charles. Kevin waved a walkie-talkie triumphantly in his hands. "Who called for back-up?"

Betty pushed away from Edgar as he clutched his shoulder and fell to his knees. Jughead rushed forward, wrapping Betty in his arms as she came crashing into him. Veronica and Archie scurried over and joined the huddle. Archie draped the blanket he had carried with him over Betty.

FP and Charles lifted Edgar to his feet and wrenched his arms behind his back. Agent Kane chattered something into his radio and turned to Edgar. "You're going away for a long time, bub. To somewhere you can't hurt anyone anymore." Kane glanced over at Jughead, giving him a small nod. Jughead met his eye and gave him a nod back.

Alice had since moved beside Betty, but she turned and folded her arms as the agents towed Edgar past.

"Alice," Edgar stammered as he was shoved past. "You stood unwaveringly beside me. I thought you were on my side."

She snorted. "I have no sympathy for the devil, Edgar."

Edgar's eyes flared and he growled, now bucking toward Betty. Jughead tried to turn her away, but she pushed against him and faced Edgar.

"I'm still in your head, Betty. My voice – it's still there!"

Betty stood firmly in front of him. "Yeah, it is. But it's not the only one. My mom's is there, and Jughead's, my friends' – but most importantly so is mine. And with time, yours will fade."

Edgar snarled and FP and Charles shoved him away.

"Oh, and Edgar," Betty called after him, a contented smile on her lips. "That arm doesn't look too good. You might want to get that fixed up, we wouldn't want it to get infected."

Alice snickered and FP and Charles proceeded to push Edgar into the crowd of FBI agents just beyond the tree line. Kevin and Cheryl joined the circle that had formed itself around Betty. She let out a long sigh and faltered, relaxing back into Jughead's chest.

"We're so sorry, Betty," Archie started, tears hanging in his eyes. "Sorry it took us so long."

"I'm sorry we weren't there for you," Jughead continued, his hands starting to shake. He wrapped them tighter around her. "We left you alone."

"No," Betty exhaled encouragingly, "No, you didn't. You were with me the whole time. You were with me the whole ti…"

Her words started to drift off and she swayed. Jughead gently caught her and looked down. Her eyes were closed.

"Hey, Betty! Hey, stay with us!" He lowered her on the grass and Archie and Veronica knelt down too. Jughead reached down, alarm passing through him as his hand brushed against something sticky. He flipped the blanket away and saw red seeping through the side of her jacket.

"Hey, is there a medic here?" Veronica yelled, looking expectantly toward the agents bustling around. Archie pressed his hands against the wound. "We need help!"

Two agents dashed over and started pushing everyone aside. "Back up, we need room!" They laid a stretcher down and repositioned Betty onto it. Archie pulled his hands away as one of the medics took over compressing while the other looped a mask over Betty's face.

Jughead shot to his feet, watching as the medics carried her off and tried to follow, but Veronica held him back. Alice briskly walked beside the medics, holding one of Betty's hands in hers. FP and Charles re-entered the clearing, but Charles doubled back and joined Alice while FP continued toward the teens.

"Dad…"

FP drew Jughead in for a close hug.

"She's safe, she's going to be fine," FP reassured, his gaze sweeping over all the teenagers standing shaken under the moonlight. "Everyone's fine. Everyone's going home."

Jughead nodded, pressing into his dad. He peered around FP's shoulder, looking after the medics.

He breathed in and out slowly, matching the rise and fall of FP's chest.

They had found her.

She was safe.

And she was finally going home.

Author's Notes:

Okay everybody, now take a deep breath in, now out. That's better, isn't it?

Because I certainly held my breath while writing this one. I hope it was worth the long wait. I legitimately made myself cry a few times with this one; a few of the lines were just too loaded on so many fronts and my emotions got the better of me.

With that being said, I think I'm going to take a bit of a break before I continue with the next chapter (because don't worry, there's more!) I need to take care of my mental health at the moment and really push through a few things at work through the Christmas season. I'll probably be back sometime in January, maybe not until February depending on my work schedule and all-around health. No set in stone promises.

Except that I am continuing to write the story! That I will promise. I just need a bit of a break to fully focus on my health.

There's been a lot of things going on in my personal life that I need to focus on at the moment so I can come back and write clear-headed.

Thank you all though for your patience and sticking with this story so far! It's been very encouraging to read all the reviews. So, as always, let me know what you think if you feel so inclined!