Chapter Twenty-Three: Betty
My head thumps against the wall of the crate as the truck comes to a stop, and I pray that we've actually reached Riverdale and it's not just another stop light. I was unconscious when the Scorpions kidnapped me, but Jug said he thought his trip was probably at least an hour and a half. It's hard to keep track of time in here. What feels like 30 minutes was probably only ten.
I can only guess how much time has passed now. It's definitely been hours, now. I think.
I tried early on to pull the lid off, but couldn't get a good enough grip or enough leverage from my cramped position. Finally I had to give up, which was the moment the first panic attack started. I've had three so far, having had nothing to keep me from imagining all the horrible things Juggie must be going through right now.
My face feels sensitive and puffy, eyes crusty, and body aching from the uncomfortable trip. There's an awful bruise on my side from where Venom kicked me, which I'm reminded of every time we hit a bad bump. My chest tightens in guilt every time I start to feel sorry for myself - it feels wrong to complain about some aches and bruises when Jug has already gone through so much worse.
What else did they do to him once I got out? I have to stifle the sobs threatening to escape. I can't keep panicking. I can't shut down. I can't afford to be weak.
What if we can't save him in time?
The loud sound of the truck door opening startles me from my dark thoughts. I instantly hold my breath, unsure who the approaching footsteps belong to.
"Which one you in, girl?" The voice brings a wave of relief, and I instantly kick at the crate, desperate to get out.
"In here!"
The lid slides away, and I flinch as the bright light suddenly shines in. Cain reaches his hand out, and I take it long enough for him to help me out before pushing him away.
The action makes him huff in indignance, but I don't care, too focused on getting out of the truck. "How long was the drive?"
"Two and a half hours."
The answer makes my stomach clench. What did they do to Jughead in those two and a half hours? I jump out and onto the pavement, only to stop as I take in my surroundings.
"This is the cemetery," I say accusingly, pointing to the fenced in graves to my left.
"Yep," Cain answers, pushing me to the side so he can close the truck again.
"You were supposed to bring me to the police station!" I snap, turning to glare at him.
He laughs, shaking his head. "With a truckload of drugs? No way in hell am I bringing this into town. This is as far as I take you."
My fists clench at my sides, nails digging into my palms. "Jughead is still in there! We're wasting time!"
"Tough shit, blondie," Cain shrugs, turning to walk back to the driver's side. "I did you a helluva favor taking you this far, already. I'm not putting my ass on the line more than I already have."
"Jug's life is at stake!" I seethe, running after him.
"Better get going, then. The station is three miles away."
"At least tell me where they're keeping him!"
"Got a deadline to meet," is the callous response. Cain doesn't waste anymore time, fully turning his back on me and climbing into the truck.
"Go to hell!" I yell back, flipping the man off. I hear him laugh at the response before the truck rumbles back to life, quickly leaving me behind.
"Shit," I whisper to myself, hands flying to my head as I look at my surroundings again. "Shit, shit, shit, shit..."
Enough time has been wasted. Too much time.
I start running towards town.
Three miles.
I curse under my breath. That'll probably take at least 30 minutes, if I'm running at a steady pace the whole time.
No choice. I push myself to go faster. I can't afford the time - Jughead can't afford any extra time.
My head is already pounding with a migraine, stomach in knots from the fear and lack of food. None of it matters.
The graveyard fades out of my peripheral vision, and I focus ahead to the next street.
I'm in plain sight, which brings its own dangers. Did Venom send anyone out to find me? Am I being watched right now? I briefly consider dodging into the woods, but quickly push it away. Better to stay where someone can hear me scream.
The church comes and goes to my left. That means there's two miles left until the police station. I'm thankful that I've lived in Riverdale my whole life - I know this town like the back of my hand.
I take the shortcut through the park. It'll only shave off a minute, but Jug needs every minute I can give him.
My body feels clammy despite the cold air hitting my face. A stitch has begun in my side, and I wince as I force myself to push through it. I keep whipping my head around, paranoid I'll be jumped when I'm so close to my goal.
One and a half miles.
My body already feels exhausted, begging me to slow down, but that feels like giving up on Juggie, and I can't do that. I'll never do that.
I swat the loose hair from my face, having lost my ponytail somewhere between the crate and now.
The Riverdale High parking lot is empty as I run past. What day is it? We couldn't have been gone long enough for it to be the weekend again, right?
It doesn't matter.
I'm entering town now, the library to my left, and the antique shop to my right, followed by a row of other businesses. The pet groomer, the bakery, the dry cleaner, the bookstore...
One mile left.
No one is driving or walking around. Some lights are on in a couple shops and a few cars are parked in front, but that's the only sign of life.
What the hell is going on?
Half a mile.
I take the next turn, off the main street. I pass the pawn shop, then see The Riverdale Register.
The sight sends a pang through my heart. Are my parents there? The thought almost makes me stop in my tracks, but I can't be selfish right now. I have to help Juggie. I'll see mom later.
Tears start streaming down my face the moment my eyes land on the police station. It looks like there are people inside, judging off the cars in the parking lot and the lights shining through the windows.
Time feels like it drags as I shove the doors open, stumbling into the lobby. A woman's shrill voice is only slightly muffled behind a closed door, but my mind can't focus on that.
My legs give out under me, and I just manage to stumble to the front desk.
"Betty Cooper?" The lady sitting behind it instantly jumps to her feet, and all I can do is nod frantically, trying to catch my breath.
"Sheriff!" She shouts. I heave in lungfuls of air, forehead falling against the desk.
Safe.
"Oh my god - Betty!" Kevin. Suddenly he's hugging me, holding me up in his arms. I can't help but sob against him.
I'm safe.
I hear my name again, looking up to see my mom standing in the doorway ahead of me, FP straining against the bars of his cell behind her. I realize the shouting voice was hers.
Kevin's arms slip away as I stumble against my mom's chest. We're both sobbing now. I can't speak, but she's babbling. My heart feels like it's going to give out.
"Betty - I can't believe - I thought I lost you - How did you - Where have you been?"
I'm safe.
Mom shifts me away slightly so she can get a better look at me, hands going from my shoulders to my cheeks. "Are you hurt?"
"Betty -" FP's voice is strained, and I can hear the hope and fear in it. I turn towards him, unsure of what to say. I can't tell him Jug is okay, because I know he isn't. "Is...Is Jug with you?"
"No." The word comes out as a whisper, my heart clenching as a fresh wave of guilt washes over me. The feeling is multiplied as FP's face crumbles, shoulders sagging as he looks away.
Kevin is beside me again, holding onto my arm as if he knows I need the extra support.
"He helped me escape, but we got separated and they -" my breath hitches, and I have to pause to get it back under control. FP is looking at me intently again, hanging onto every word. "They got him. B-But he was alive. He is alive."
Is he? The thought makes my knees buckle, but Kevin holds me up.
"She needs to sit," Mom insists, starting to guide me back towards the lobby. The door begins to swing shut as she moves away.
"No!" FP shouts desperately, reaching out towards me through the bars. "Please - "
"Betty!" Sheriff Keller runs into the lobby. "Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine -"
"She needs to sit down -"
"I know, Alice, let's just step into my office -"
"Hey! Don't just leave me in here! I have to know where my son -"
"Guys, can we give her some space, maybe? -"
"Kevin, I know you want to help your friend, but I need you to step out -"
"No, dad -"
"Betty please, where are they keeping Jughead -"
"You! Yes you, stop gawking and get her some water -"
I shake my head against all the voices, swatting my mom's hands away as she tries to lead me to a chair.
"Shut up!" I scream. The lobby goes silent, all eyes on me. "All of you! We're wasting time! We have to hurry up and get Jug out of there before they kill him!" My voice cracks, and it takes everything in me to not burst into tears again.
"Agreed," Sheriff Keller replies grimly. "Come with me to my office, Betty - we'll go over all the information and I'll make a plan."
"Hang on -" FP protests hurriedly. I look to see he's reaching through the bars, straining against the barrier, face stricken with fear. "Keller, you have to let me -"
"You're still under arrest," the Sheriff sighs, shaking his head. "I can't just let you out -"
"He didn't murder Jason!" I snap, sick and tired of the back and forth. "Clifford Blossom -"
Sheriff Keller holds his hand up to stop me. "I can't just take your word for it, Betty. Besides, FP confessed -"
"Because they made him!" My shrill voice fills the lobby, where several officers are watching intently.
"Betty, we can't do this here," the Sheriff warns in a low voice. "Please just -"
I shove him to the side, storming past everyone into the small room containing FP's cell. "Fine. We talk in here, then." My eyes snap up to meet FP's, nodding back at his mouthed thank you.
Mom follows after me, conflicting looks of disapproval and concern etched on her face. "Elizabeth, are you sure -"
"I'm fine," I insist with an indignant huff. "Alright? But Jug isn't, and every moment we waste fighting is another moment that we're leaving him with them!"
"Alright, alright," Sheriff Keller concedes, walking into the small room. Kevin instantly follows behind him, making his father pause. "Kevin, I don't -"
"I'm already involved, Dad," he argues, interrupting before his father can tell him to leave again. "So I'm not going anywhere."
"Excuse me -"
"It's not his fault. He saw me get the first message from the Scorpions," I explain quickly, jumping to my friend's defense.
"You've got a lot of explaining to do, Betty," Sheriff Keller sighs, gesturing for me to sit in a nearby metal chair.
Everyone is quiet when I'm finally done telling the whole story. I tried to speed through it, but kept being stopped by questions. What about this? What about that? Are you okay? What did he look like? Each interruption felt like a betrayal to Jughead. How much time has it been since I got out of there?
FP is pacing again, pulling at his short hair and cursing under his breath. Kevin has remained silent throughout it all, wide eyed and clearly horrified by all the details. Mom stopped cutting in after FP finally told her to "shut the hell up and let her talk" and miraculously hasn't said anything since. Sheriff Keller looks deep in thought, pondering over the story.
"Do you know what direction they are?" He asks, finally breaking the silence.
"No," I reply reluctantly. "Cain wouldn't tell me...But it's a big building. The basement has a bunch of rooms and hallways. And it's about 2 and a half hours away." I swallow against the lump in my throat. "That's all I really know..."
"This is all your damn fault, FP." Mom's voice is low and quivering. My eyes snap to her in surprise, suddenly taking in the dark bags under her eyes.
"Don't start on this again, Alice," FP growls back, pointing a finger at her through the bars. The use of again gives me a clue as to what they were yelling about when I ran into the station.
"You sent my daughter to meet with Penny Peabody?" Mom is all but screaming now, crossing to the cell and shoving FP with as much force as she can with the bars in the way. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"I would never do that! I sent her to Wyrm! How was I supposed to know Tall Boy would tell her to visit Penny?"
"You should have kept her out of it!"
I shake my head at the idea, knowing that even if FP had tried, I would have gotten into this mess on my own.
"Oh my god," Kevin gasps from the corner.
"Mom, I made him tell me what to do next. You can't blame him for that."
"Oh my god," Kevin repeats. We all ignore him.
"Why didn't you tell me about all of this?" Mom asks, rounding on me now. "Why didn't you go to the police?"
"I already told you! They said they'd kill Jughead if I told anyone but FP!"
"Guys!" Kevin's voice finally gets our attention, if only for a moment to glance his way. His panicked face is enough to pull me from the current conversation.
"What?"
"I got a text from the Scorpions...It's a video."