Alone Together | Bughead Oneshots

Black Hood

IT'S MY THREE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF BEING SALTIESTANGEL!!! ENJOY!

Betty's POV

"When I was eight, I fell off of my scooter and scraped my knee on the sidewalk; you were the one to put the Band-Aid on me. And after that, we went to Pop's for orange freezes so that I'd feel better--and I did. You made me feel better. Because that's what fathers are supposed to do."

"How does it happen? How does somebody you've known your entire life, who helped give you life become a monster in your eyes? How does someone you would run to with a smile on your face become someone you run from with tears in your eyes?"

"I'll never know how you managed to think of blood and carnage while your daughter was in your sight. Because up until now, I thought the only masks you wore were the ones for Halloween that'd be stocked away in the attic come November 1st."

"But you never took your mask off. The only times you ever showed your true nature were times when you had a corpse to claim and another tally mark to your kill count. How could you lie to me like that? Lie to Mom, lie to Polly?"

"How dare you let me think of you as a hero. How dare you let me smile to you and draw pictures of our family with you in the center. How dare you raise me as your daughter and hurt me like a stranger."

"And you never stop. You're six feet under with liter and spray paint covering your grave and you're still ruining my life. I'm trapped in the Murder House of Elm street with a blood-red door. I'm claimed 'Cooper' after the notorious killer. I carry your genes and your hereditary evil."

"I saw you die with my own eyes and I regret mourning you. I hate that I allowed myself to cry and sob and grieve your loss because truly it was no loss at all; it was a win. When I saw your body collapse to the ground, that should have been my victory. It should have been a burden off of my shoulders now that the rotting branch of the family tree had been trimmed, but instead it was my moment of weakness."

"This is my victory. Standing here, right now, knowing that I can finally let you go. You've finally lost all hold on me. I'm free from you, Black Hood."

I sighed, finally having said everything I've been holding on to before grabbing the sledge hammer I'd brought with me, bouncing it twice in my hand before pulling it back over my shoulder. I exhaled slowly and brought it swinging down, letting out a guttural yell before doing the exact same gesture again.

The concrete slab of a grave began crumbling beneath the impact of the hammer as I continued to hit it, feeling my chest and shoulders get lighter with each strike.

I didn't stop until the only thing left was a hollowed-out cement hole above the grass. With a few heavy breaths, I threw the entire hammer down onto the pieces of stone and inhaled slowly before closing my eyes. I let out my breath slowly, a small whistling sound accompanying it before I opened them, finding relief in what I'd done.

I sighed again, the corners of my mouth curving up into a smile as I chuckled, tears of joy coming to my eyes. "I'm free."