Chapter Text
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"Betty?" His voice was a hoarse rasp. The girl's name came naturally, seeping from his lips before he knew what he was saying. He felt something, or rather someone, pressed to his back. Someone else's wrists were entangled with his. Which meant he'd been knocked out and taken somewhere. Probably far away from the police station, away from the studio. Maybe Vancouver itself. Jughead didn't open his eyes. His head hurt too much. His stomach was galloping, and he was pretty sure if he looked up, he'd barf. And wouldn't that set a great example for the character these crazies worshipped. "Betty, is that you?"
"It's me."
Her voice brought him copious amounts of relief, despite sounding so small, a broken sob. She grabbed for his wrists, running her fingers over his. "Jug, they took him."
Something cold slithered down his spine, and he let out a breath. The girl's words hit him like a wave, and he lifted his head, his eyes flickering open. The room was small and dimly lit. It looked cosy enough, a cream carpet and pale blue walls. But something wasn't right. There was something in front of him that his foggy mind couldn't yet distinguish. And no matter how man times he squinted, he couldn't figure it out. So Jughead tipped his head back, cleared his mind, and focused on Betty's words. Even if they hurt. He'd been expecting them, anyway. He kept his gaze glued to the ceiling.
"They took KJ?" He said softly, willing his own voice not to break. He'd saved the boy once, and vowed to protect him from being turned into Archie. But Jughead had failed, and now as well as losing a unexpected friend, he'd also pushed the doomsday clock closer to midnight.
"Yeah." Betty sniffled. "Does that mean..." She trailed off, wriggling in her restraints. "Oh, God, Jug, does that mean-"
"That the world is going to end?" He finished for her, resisting a groan. "Probably."
Betty let out a lighthearted laugh, with perhaps a twinge of fear. Her hands gently graced his. So soft. "You're surprisingly calm about this, Jug."
Admittedly, he was. But what else could he do? "What even happened? I can't remember a thing."
Betty hummed. "The crazy girl, Callie, or whatever her name is, cornered us. Me, you and KJ," she let out a breath. "You tried to jump in the way, Jug. You tried to stop her jamming the needle into him. So she knocked you out."
That explained the colossal pain in the back of his head.
The girl continued. "When you were unconscious, she threatened me, dragged the two of us here, and tied us up." Betty made a sound like a sob, and he automatically grabbed both of her hands, soothing her. "Her followers, or whatever they are, they grabbed KJ, and hit him over the head. I don't...God, I don't know where they took him."
Jughead nodded, swallowing a groan. "And where exactly is here?"
Betty let out a breath. "Some kind of facility? I didn't see much. They blindfolded me."
A facility? Jughead shivered. These wacko's had a goddamn facility dedicated to bringing his friends into this world? He pulled at his restraints, but they were strict and firm, coiled around his wrists. "We need to get the hell out of here. If they've swapped KJ, then Archie will be here. And then they'll go for Camila." He pressed his lips together, suppressing a frustrated scream. If they hadn't already. Callie seemed pretty confident they had the girl, but the world didn't look like it was ending. Which meant they had swapped either one of them, or neither. He was praying for the latter. Archie would freak out if he woke up in this world, and KJ had become a close ally. Even a friend.
"I've almost got it." Betty hissed, pulling at the ropes around their wrists. "While you were out of it I must have spent hours using my fingernail to pry into these damn ropes."