Moving On

C h a p t e r 2 0

Jughead POV
"Wait, so, after you did the job to bring Betty into the bunker, that was the last time you saw her?"
"I mean, yeah. I saw her suffering in my dreams. That's when I put you on my list of people I can see. Because I wanted to warn you, I did. I just wanted to wait until you were ready."
"Got it. You know, Chic, I got to go."
"Hey. Good luck, Jughead."
"Thank you so much. I'll be sure to get you transferred as soon as possible."
"Thank you." I got up, and ran out the exit. I got back on the ferry, and out back onto the truck. I got back into town nearly 2 hours later. It was around 2:30 in the afternoon. My stomach began to growl. I grabbed something quick at pops and got back into the car. I pumped the gas quickly, then, I drove out to fox forest. I circled around a lot. I hesitated a lot. I had a pocket knife on hand. I went back to my house, and got my serpent jacket. I put the classic beanie on. I then walked out of the house, grabbing a picture out of the drawer. It was a picture of Betty and I with newborn Juliet the day we brought her home. She was perfect. Our life was perfect. I put it into my pocket. I wiped a slight tear away. I then called Toni.
"Jughead?"
"Toni, if anything happens to me, just tell Julie I love her very much."
"Jughe-"
"Don't freak out. I just want to make sure she knows that. Goodbye."
"Goodbye?" She said confused. I got into the truck and drove out to fox forest, slowly. Soon, I parked the car. I got out slowly. I stuffed the keys in my pocket. I walked into the forest. Slowly, cautiously. I finally reached the bunker. There was a lock on it. Great. Just wonderful. All of this time. What a waste. I wished Betty was here. She'd usually have a Bobby pin in her hair. Then, that's when I remembered something. On the bottom of my serpent jacket, I kept one of Betty's iconic Bobby pins. Betty put it there when I first joined the serpents as a reminder that she would always be with me. That didn't age well. But, the Bobby pin non the less was still useful. It picked the lock. I slowly opened up the bunker. I began to climb down the ladder. Once I got inside, it was cold, damaged. I looked around. There was all of these markings on one of the walls. Like tick-marks. There were old bobby-pins sitting there all bent out of shape on the ground next to it. I immediately knew they were Betty's. I looked around a bit more. There was as an empty chair there. There were blood drip stains on the ground. There were handcuffs on the ground as if she had been taken somewhere else. The cot was still in the corner, all rusty. The sheets were all stained and had dirt on them. There was another room that looked like it had been added on to. I walked in. There was a supply room. Boxes and boxes full of stuff. Like toilet paper, canned foods, stuff for like a homeless shelter. There were also drugs of some kind. Next to bottled waters. I think they'd drugged her. That's what it seemed like. I couldn't tell. Then, I heard a deep, dark voice.
"Jughead."
"Who's there?" I yelled as I walked out of the room.
"Who does it sound like?"
"The black hood." I whispered in fear.
"You would be correct." I slowly turned around reaching for the pocket knife in my pocket.
"I'm unarmed. I trust that you'd be the same." He said holding his hands up in the air.
"Yeah. I'm unarmed." I lied.
"Your looking for Betty, I assume."
"Then you'd be correct."
"Well, I'll take you to her. If you do a favor for me."
"What kind of favor?"
"How about, bringing one of your children here."
"Children plural?"
"Yes. Unless you didn't know that." I then whispered to myself.
"Hope."
"What did you say?"
"Oh, nothing."
"No, I want to hear what you'd said."
"Well, I said no."
"Then, I guess you'll have to be punished."
"I guess not." I pulled out my knife and ran over to stab him. I stabbed him right in the gut.
"Ahhhhhh!!" He screamed in agony. I took the knife out and climbed up the ladder. The door got jammed.
"Stop!!" He said in a blood-curdling scream. I looked back and merely smiled. The door was still stuck. I walked over to him, as I saw something he had dropped. A map of some kind.
"Empty your pockets."
"I won't listen to you."
"If you don't, you will die right this minute. I won't hesitate."
"Fine." He began to empty his pockets. A note covered in his blood read,"meet me on the greendale side of sweet water river." It was Betty's handwriting.
"Did she write this?"
"I'm not telling you."
"She did. I can tell. You must have stolen it so it would never get to me." He still lay on the ground. I put my foot right on top of his gut where I had stabbed him.
"You won't be going anywhere."
"I'm going to be making a call." I turned around.
"Archie, come to the bunker I need to-" everything went black. I have no idea what had happened. All I knew was I had been clubbed in the back of the head. Soon, I heard sirens. Then, banging. The fbi soon was all coming down and into the bunker. All I could think about was Julie. How I had dangers her again. When I woke up, Hal was gone. Penelope, however, had suddenly appeared there. I explained what happened, and Penelope said she was the one who clubbed me with a metal pipe. They began to bring her down to the station and gave me some ice and left. Archie sit next to me at the top of the bunker.
"Jug, what has been going on with you lately? It's like I'm not even talking to the same person anymore." I was still a little dizzy.
"I- Oh my god, Betty!"