Chapter Twenty-One: Betty

"JUGHEAD!" I scream, fighting against the man holding me. He grunts a bit, but my attempts to dislodge his grip are useless. I kick and scream, but my arms are pinned against his chest, feet lifted off the ground. "Let go of me!"

"Bitch is heavy," the man grumbles, tightening his grip as I thrash around. Heavy footsteps approach, amplifying the panic that has been building since they took Jughead. "You, help me with -"

I twist my body and bite as hard as I can on the man's hand, not letting up until he's thrown me off of him. My freedom is short-lived, as another large hand grabs my arm and twists it behind my back. I cry out, trying to keep my balance while also pulling away.

"Little bitch! You'll pay for that -"

"Leave it!" the new man snaps to the first - I glance up to see he's bleeding, tasting at the same time the coppery tinge in my mouth. "The boss will make her pay for that when he's ready."

I recognize this voice, and the realization fills me with a fresh new wave of anger, which only builds when I crane my neck to see Tall Boy behind me.

"You!" I spit, the other man's blood falling on the black Serpent Jacket - he's still wearing it even while he's here betraying FP. "You're in on this, too -?!"

"Shut up, Cooper," he cuts me off, shifting his grip to hold me tighter. I wince and stifle a shout when my arm twists further up my back. "You better hope the bitch doesn't have rabies."

The other man clearly doesn't find Tall Boy's joke funny. "Deal with her yourself, then. Hope she bites your damn finger off," he sneers, glaring at the Serpent and then at me. "Think the boss has put a bullet in your boyfriend's head yet?"

"I'm going to get her locked up again," Tall Boy says, clearly not in the mood to hear the other man's goading. "Get the situation back under control."

"Stupid bitch..." The man spits at me before storming away.

"Come on," Tall Boy grunts, pulling me in the opposite direction. I instantly try to fight, but there's very little I'm able to do with the tight grip still on my arm.

"No! Where the hell are you taking me? JUG -"

"Shut up, Cooper!" He whispers harshly in my ear, cutting off my scream with another twist of my arm. "I'm trying to help you, alright?"

I snap my mouth shut, surprised by the words. "What are you -"

"You can believe me or not, but I'm not the reason you got brought into this, and I'm tryin' to get you out. But I can't do that if you go off runnin' your mouth and gettin' us caught."

My heart hammers in my chest. I don't know if I can trust Tall Boy, but I don't have anyone else I can trust in here, so I really don't have a choice. It's not like it makes much difference if he's lying to me, does it? It has to be worth the tiny chance that he's telling me the truth.

"What about Jughead?" I ask quietly, no longer struggling as Tall Boy leads me down another hallway.

"We're obviously tryin' to get him out, too, but not much we can do with Venom watchin' him. We don't have much time, so we gotta get you out now while you have the chance."

"But how -"

"Friend of mine is comin' round in seven minutes for a pick up. He owes me big, so he'll be takin' you with him back to Riverdale."

We come to a stop and Tall Boy finally releases his grip. I'm quick to pull away from him, rubbing my arm where I was yanked around.

"There's an emergency exit down the hall - take a left, then a right and you'll find it. Already disarmed it for you. There's crates right outside; get in one and hide. Better be quick before Venom comes looking for you and realizes you're gone."

My eyes narrow. "Why aren't you taking me?" I whisper back suspiciously.

Tall Boy huffs at the question. "Then they'll know it was me who got you out. Not lookin' to put a target on my back just yet." He turns, opening a door behind him. Peeking inside I see it's a storage room. "You lock me in here. Venom will be pissed with me but he needs all the man power he can get, so he won't kill me."

"Are you sure -"

Tall Boy grabs my wrist and shakes it, clear frustration written on his face. "Shut up and follow the plan! It's all you've got, unless you want to get locked up again and die here?"

I swallow the lump in my throat, nodding quickly in agreement. The idea of leaving Jughead here makes me sick, but I know he'd never forgive me if I didn't try to get out. And if I get back to Riverdale I can tell the police everything, and they'll be able to rescue Juggie, too.

"Okay."

Tall Boy drops my wrist and walks into the storage room, quickly returning with a heavy metal chair. "Lock the door and lodge this under the knob, got it?"

"Yes, I -"

"Hurry up, then," he snaps. "You're wasting time."

I nod again, hurrying to close and lock the door after he's stepped back inside. Once the chair is in place I turn in the direction he showed me, heart racing as I peak around the corner. A left..then a right...and the emergency exit is right in front of me, just like he said.

An internal timer counts down in my head. I must have about four minutes, now.

My chest feels tight with guilt, but I know this is the only way. Sucking in a deep breath, I push the door open, quickly running up the flight of stairs before hesitating again at the top. I peer out the door's window, looking for anyone stationed outside, but all I see are the crates Tall Boy mentioned. You're wasting time.

I slowly open the door, fighting the instinct to cry at the feeling of fresh air drifting over my face. It's chilly out, and based on the light I'd guess it's late afternoon. It makes me wonder how long I've been here. Another sweep of the area confirms I'm alone. For now.

You're wasting time.

I sneak over to the nearest crate, pushing on the lid. It doesn't budge, and I have to swallow the rising panic. The next crate is definitely too small, so I move to the next one, pushing on the lid as hard as I can.

This one moves, and I hurriedly push faster, opening it further before hoisting myself up. The rough wood scrapes against my palms but I ignore the discomfort and I push myself in and onto the stacks of tightly wrapped packages.

I shift around inside the crate, straining to get the lid back on as best I can but struggling to get the last corner fully in place. It's hard to get in a position to grip the lid while not being in the way of it closing the last two inches.

Suddenly I hear men's voices, then their footsteps. My heart leaps into my throat and I stop fighting with the lid, instead flattening myself down as much as possible in the cramped space. I take a large lungful of air and hold it, desperate not to make a sound.

"Over here! Back in." A gruff voice calls out, far too close for comfort. My eyes are fixed on the open corner where light is streaming in. If anyone were to look in here they would see me right away. If I get caught...

The sound of tires reaches my ears - it sounds heavy, like a large truck or van.

"A bit further back - alright -" The man's voice directs. He passes directly by my crate and I tense instinctively before his footsteps retreat again.

A car door opens and closes. "All these crates, yeah?" A new voice asks. Another set of footsteps walks closer, crunching against the gravel.

"Yep," the other man replies. "Pay up."

"Yeah, yeah, don't act like we don't do this shit every month, Lurus," the newcomer chuckles. There's some rustling. "Do your countin' - I'mma do my look-see."

"Who you selling to this time, Cain?" Lurus asks.

Cain laughs at that, his footsteps stopping right next to my crate. I can see his black sweatshirt through the crack in the lid. Please keep moving...

"Don't ask stupid questions like that," he replies easily, and I swear my heart stops when he stoops down, peering into my hiding place. Our eyes meet, and I stare at his bearded face in terror. "You know I'd have to kill you if I told."

He looks away as if he never saw me, reaching over to close the crate the last couple inches. I let my eyes flutter closed in relief as the sliver of sunlight disappears, leaving me in an eerie almost-darkness.

"I know, I know," Lurus replies offhandedly. "Money's good. Load up and get out of my hair."

I lay there and listen as the men haul the crates into the vehicle, having to stop myself from gasping when my own suddenly moves.

"Damn idiots over-filled this one" Lurus grumbles. "Lazy shits...Thought they learned their lesson after last time."

Both men grunt loudly as they move my crate before unceremoniously dropping it into the truck. My head thumps against the bundles, but I keep my discomfort to myself. I'm almost out.

Apparently my crate was the last one, because their footsteps retreat again, quickly followed by the sound of a large door slamming closed, jostling the whole truck. The little bit of light that came in through the tiny cracks in my crate is now gone completely.

I'm left alone like that for several minutes before the truck rumbles beneath me and starts driving away.

Away from Jughead. I can't stop the wave of tears at the thought. The reality of it all hits differently now that I'm actually out of there and helpless to do anything but wait. Have they realized my escape yet? What are they doing to Jughead right now?

"I'm going to get you out, Juggie," I whisper into the darkness. "I promise. Just - Just hold on a little bit longer."

I originally planned to keep Betty's escape a secret, but after reading the recent comments and mulling it over I decided you guys would rather have the full story!

Please let me know what you think :) As always I sooo appreciate all the comments, subs, and support! Thank you for sticking with me and this story throughout these years (literally lol). I promise I'll be fully finishing this story in 2024!