Faithfully

89

It's a long one, folks.

Braxton stayed at Sweet Pea's for the second night in a row. After the argument she had with Rich when he told her she couldn't be with Sweet Pea, she didn't want to be around him. She figured if she wasn't living under his roof, she could be with whomever she wanted.

She woke up early, a habit she couldn't shake. Sweet Pea laid on his side with his arm around her stomach and his head on her shoulder. As she shifted under him she woke him up. "Morning." He yawned then kissed her shoulder. "Morning" she replied with a smile.

She laid there a moment longer before she sat up to get out of bed. She pulled on the clothes she grabbed from her house the night prior when she dropped Rich's medical bag back off and headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She walked back into the bedroom, sat on the edge of the bed, and slid on her shoes. "Where are you going?" Sweet Pea asked. "I have to go check on Archie. His dressing needs changed." She replied.

"Let me come with you."

"No, it's okay, you get some sleep."

"Brax."

She looked at Sweet Pea, he was trying but she could tell deep down he worried that she would be there alone with him. "Get dressed. I'll be in the Jeep waiting, okay?"

"Yes ma'am."

Braxton sat on the edge of the cot Archie was laying on as she pulled his old dressing off. There was quite a bit of bleeding but it looked like it had mostly stopped. She cleaned his wound again and placed another patch on him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked as she looked down at him. "Like I've been through hell and back." He replied.

"Do you need something for the pain? I can probably get my hands on my dads prescription pads and write a-"

"No, I don't need any of that. Thanks though."

Archie looked towards Betty and Jughead who shared his gaze but didn't say anything. Braxton could tell that the three of them were keeping something amongst them.

"What's going on?" She asked as she looked at Jughead. "Brax, we think the Warden was playing G&G." He replied.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because, he called Archie the Red Paladin." Betty said.

"Like in our quest?" Sweet Pea asked.

"Exactly. There's something else, something that I wanted to wait to tell you all until Braxton was here." Jughead sighed. "But I saw the Gargoyle King."

"Jug,what the hell, again?" Betty snapped. "When?"

"Last night when I went out to get some fresh air. I followed him into a clearing. You guys, there are others. There was like, ten of them. They look like his disciples. Like, they were worshiping the king."

"What the hell?" Braxton said.

"They had on these masks, like, they were a gang. A gang of gargoyles."

"Well, let's go see if they are still out there." Betty said as she started to walk towards the entrance.

"No. We shouldn't push our luck. Not until we know more."

"Well, who could they be, Jug?" Sweet Pea questioned.

"Joaquin." Archie groaned. "Oh my god, of course." Betty exclaimed. "Joaquin told Kevin about a new gang he joined then ran into the woods."

"It's clear Warden Norton is playing G&G, and Joaquin was doing his dirty work. It's just another piece of damning evidence that Warden Norton could be our Gargoyle King." Jughead said as he walked up to his web of evidence on his murder board.