Everyone's afraid to say it. So, let me be the first. There is a serial killer amongst us. San Francisco had the Zodiac, New Orleans had the Axeman, Texarkana, Texas, had the Phantom Killer. The list goes on and on. Add to their ranks Riverdale's very own psychopath, the Black Hood.
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Jughead and I walked around the isles of the library, searching for the books we needed, after successfully finding them we walked up to the receptionist.
The books slammed into the desk as the woman started to check them out. "These research for school?" She asked, her voice was soft and gentle.
"Research." I spoke up, a soft smile playing on my lips as Jughead spoke up "Not for school."
She shook her head gently and sighed "it's terrible what's going on in this town."
"Who would've thunk it?" Jughead spoke as I crossed my arms "A serial killer in Riverdale."
"I'm not just talking about him." The woman said as she looked up at us, I tilted my head slightly "What do you mean?" I asked slightly confused.
"I'm also talking about that awful video, those boys put up." She explained.
Jughead and I shared a look of confusion.
There it was. Terror was sleeping into the bedrock of Riverdale. A town hall meeting had been set by mayor McCoy. People were afraid to walk the streets alone, especially as dusk approached. Shops closed early, locks were added to doors. Suspicion between the North and South side deepened...fanned into flames by Alice Cooper. As everyone wondered what danger lurked in the dark.....when we would hear from the Black Hood next...or when Juliet would get her next phone call...and how far into darkness would Archie go on his quest to avenge his father...and to stop the Black Hood.
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"Hey, Cooper, look at this!" Sweet Pea spoke as he patted the chair next to him, I sat down and looked at him "what am I supposed to be looking at, Pea?" I asked as he turned his computer towards me, it was a video of Archie, something about him starting a group called the 'Red circle'
"Guess we're not watching funny cat videos." I heard my boyfriend ask as he walked over to us, I looked up and smiled at him as I heard Toni trying not to laugh at the video.
"And we will find you." The video ended as I shook my head. "Check this out." Sweet Pea spoke as he turned the computer to face Jughead. "Some sick-in-the-head Northsider posted a crazy ass video, and we were just talking."
"About what?" Jughead asked as I looked over at Toni who shrugged, both of us not having listened to Serpents conversation.
"Fogarty whats to earn his serpent stripes." Sweet Pea spoke patting the said boy on the back "I say bring us the head of that Northsider and you're in."
"I'm down with that." Forgarty spoke as Sweet pea laughed and banged his fist against the table manically.
"No, guys. No." Jughead raised his voice as Sweet Pea looked annoyed "what, Jones?"
"Juliet and I know this guy, he's a milquetoast. He's a football player." Jughead said as I nodded.
"It's a lame target, that's all Jughead is trying to say." I spoke standing up and walking to stand by my boyfriend.
"You wanna prove something?" Jughead asked "why don't you go after the Black Hood?"
"Why would we do that?" Sweet Pea asked "He's targeting Northsiders, who blame the Southside for everything that's wrong with this town and we're sick of it. Black Hood is doing our work for us." He paused "He's a hero."
I shook my head and grasped hold of jughead's hand, smiling at him as I dragged him away from the others, slowly placing my lips onto his cheek for a few seconds "ignore him, Juggy."
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"Betty, why did you call me here?" I asked as I rushed into the Blue and Gold room, Betty had called me in a panic, telling me to hurry and tell nobody about me coming here.
She gestured for me to take a seat as I did, Kevin was already sat down in a chair, sending me a little smile. "Betty? What's wrong?" I asked, leaning forward in the chair, as she looked distant and upset.
"What is it, Betty?" Kevin asked.
"I was going through the Blue and Gold's mail." Betty paused "and I got a letter from the Black Hood killer." My breath hitched as I shook my head gently, he's not going after my sister as-well, isn't one Cooper enough.
I closed my eyes and ran my fingers through my hair. "Juliet?" She asked as I opened my eyes. "He said he's doing it for us."
I knew she was talking about the murders, what else could she be possibly talking about.
"I know, he's been calling me for a few days." I spoke up, getting the heavy weight that was pushing on my chest to disappear, finally telling the truth.
"What do you mean?" She asked, sitting up, waiting for me to continue.
"He wouldn't let me tell anyone, he said were the same, like I was meant to be with him." I laughed darkly "He even went as far as threatening to kill Jerome if I didn't take him out of my life."
"That's why you shouted at Jerome?" Betty asked as I nodded. "He also threatened Jughead and I's relationship, that's why I told Jughead." I confessed as Betty nodded.
Betty reached over and handed Kevin the letter as he started to read, Betty Placing her hand over mine for comfort.
"Betty, your words at the jubilee inspired me." Kevin started "the towns sinners must show their contrition. If not, there will be more suffering and bloodshed, enclosed is a cipher. It details where I will punish the next sinner. It is a test. Only you and Juliet may solve it, Betty."
"Turn it over." Betty spoke as he did so.
"Your sister, Juliet, is more like me, darkness lingers within her just aching to climb out and be free, one day I will have her....we will be as one."
"What the fuck." I whispered, wiping the tears that had fell. "Your speech." I spoke looking at Betty as she nodded.
"My speech, inspired him." She exclaimed In disgust "that stupid speech I wrote."
"So, the Black Hood was at the jubilee." Kevin exclaimed.
"The entire town was there, Kevin." I spoke up, giving him a look as he sighed "we have to give this to my dad."
"And what?" I asked. "Then Your Dad will know that the Black Hood is obsessed with me."
"Juliet's right, we will give the Cipher, just not the letter." Betty spoke up as she took the letter from his hands "this-This is just...for Juliet and I, we can't tell anyone."
"It's evidence." Kevin spoke.
"Kevin, if you give this to your dad he will tell our mom." Betty spoke looking at me before she looked back at Kevin. "And She will make sure we're nowhere near this."
"Good." Kevin said as Betty shook her head. "No! This...." She paused "is a test."
"Just like he said in the letter, he's testing us, what if the start of the test is to see what we do with the letter?" I asked "do we share it? Or not?...are we strong? Or are we weak? Are we worthy?"
"He is a psychopath, Juliet, Betty, and you are in high school, not the FBI." Kevin spoke as he looked at us.
Betty wasn't having any of it "isn't it better for people to be focusing on the cipher rather than the letter?"
"How would that even happen?" He asked.
Before I knew it Betty and I were sitting at the kitchen table, the cipher in front of us as we sat across from Alice, our mascara smudged from the 'crying' we had done.
"Mom." Betty spoke "we're so scared."
"We didn't know what to do or who to call." I spoke as I looked up at Alice, Alice placed her hands on our Arm "oh, my baby's, please tell me what's going on so I can make it better."
"Juliet and I got this envelope at the Blue and gold." Betty spoke.
"Another letter from the Black Hood?" Alice asked as we both shook our heads "No, it wasn't a letter." I spoke.
Betty pointed towards the cipher as Alice picked it up and looked at it.
Betty and I shared a look, hopefully this is the right thing we're doing.
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I was sitting next to Jughead in the Red and Black room, my head resting on his shoulder as I told him about the letter Betty had revived, before long we were both scribbling down notes from the books we had gotten as he listed to me, sometimes speaking at parts as I answered his questions.
The door opened as Toni walked in "so, what are you reading?" She asked as she nods towards the book on the table, i twirled the Blue pen in-between my fingers, leaning back in the chair.
Jughead sighed and shut the book Turing it so she could see the cover "Ah, Beware the zodiac, it's decent, though I prefer Robert Graysmith's definitive books on the subject."
My phone started to ring as I looked at it. "Do you need to get that?" Toni asked as I reached towards it, looking at the caller to see it was 'Unknown' should I answer it?
"Yeah." I sighed, excusing myself and walked into the corridor leaning against the wall.
"Hello?" I answered, looking at some students as the passed me, heavy breathing came from the other end as I sighed "what do you want?"
"Betty showed you the letter?" His voice came through the phone, slightly rough and scratchy.
"Yes, She did."
"Good, like I said...this is your problem to solve now."
"Why are you doing this?" I asked "Why are you hurting these innocent people?"
"They were nothing but sinners, Juliet, I'm trying to get rid of them." His voice held a twinge of anger within it as I closed my eyes "I wanted to kill you that night, but I couldn't."
"Why not?" I asked, opening my eyes, looking around to see the corridor empty, nobody around to hear the conversation I was having,
"Your eyes, they held the same look of anger that mine did, the same shade the same everything." He paused for a moment before he chuckled "you reminded me of myself, because you are like me."
"I will never be like you." I scoffed before going to hang up before he spoke again "one day you will see what I mean, and it will be the best day of my life."
The phone went blank as he hung up, I shook my head and walked back into the room, listening to Toni ask us if he wanted to help her break the Cipher.
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A knock was sounded on jughead's trailer door as I climbed out of jughead's bed and yawned, walking towards the door and opening it, Jughead following me as he walked over to the fridge.
"Betty?" I asked, before I turned to look at the clock "what time is it?"
"Seven-fifteen." She said as she walked in holding the newspaper in her hand "I wanted to catch you both before school." She smiled as she gave me a hug.
"Do you want coffee or Tea?" Jughead asked as he stood by the counter eating a bar of chocolate.
"No, I'm actually on my way to the library." She said "I asked Ms. Paroo to set aside all the books she has about cryptograms and ciphers."
I grabbed two plates and placed them on the counter as Jughead handed me the cereal, I smiled and poured some into the bowls.
"I thought it might help us crack the Black Hoods code, which I'm hoping is something we could all do together?" She asked as I handed Jughead one of the Bowls as I munched on my own cereal.
We both froze slightly, we already told Toni we would help her crack the code "um." I muttered "actually, Jughead and I promised we would help Toni with it."
"We started working on it yesterday at the Red and back." Jughead spoke as he sat down at the table, I placed two glasses of juice on the table before I sat down with my own bowl. "We can show you want we have so far."
"Toni." Betty asked "because let me guess she loves Serial killers."
Jughead nodded "yes, she does have an affinity for the darker side of things."
"Mm." Betty muttered "in that case, why don't we all work on it together?" She asked. "You, me, Juliet, Toni and Kevin."
"Kevin?" Jughead asked, as I munched on my cereal, already wishing that I was still asleep right now.
"Yeah, it'll be like a little..." Betty started as I smiled.
"Like a little code-breaking party?" I smirked as Betty nodded and started to speak "it'll be so fun!" She then playfully slapped jughead's arm "you guys can host."
Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that pink mind of hers.
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Authors Note, what did you think?
~Robyn