Riverdale: What no one saw coming...

Chapter Thirty

Together, Betty and Jughead huddled around the old laptop belonging to Jughead. The age it was , it took a long period of time to start up, no to the benefit of either Betty or Jughead's nerves. Yet some how stalling the inevitable was exactly what they wanted to do. Whatever was on this file was going to affect them in ways neither of them could imagine. But with holding the information was something neither of them could afford, especially not Jughead.

The grey laptop finally loaded up to Jughead's home page. Files were scattered all along the bottom row .From school work to the manuscript of his very own novel. Jughead knew he had nothing to hide, yet for some reason a wave a panic and guilt hit him. For some reason he was defensive about sharing his laptop, his one prize possession. However he forged on loading up his document centre.

Betty held up the faux ring, swallowing a lump in her throat. She turned her neck towards him, almost looking for his permission. In response he nodded his head slightly. She inserted the USB into the laptop, earning a loud buzzing noise in reply.

This wasn't right.

The laptop was beginning to crackle, freeze and stall. Immediately Betty pulled the memory card out of the laptop, allowing it to breathe and cool down.

"What the Hell?" Betty asked as Jughead used both of his hands to fan down his laptop.

"I'm imagining that either the card has been encrypted, contains a bug or has too large of a memory for my 2006 edition MacBook to handle." He explained.

"Now what?" He asked finally resting his arms.

"My computer." She jumped at the idea after pacing trying to figure out a solution. "It is kind of new, I'm sure it will be able to handle the storage."

"Okay ... lets go." He said with no hesitation grabbing his jacket and heading for the door. He motioned for her to join, so she complied.

Heading out the door, she grabbed his hand.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked looking at him , face filled to the brim with concern.

He squeezed her hand. " Yeah. I know what you mean Betts, but I have to know. One way or another, I have to know if he's really wrapped up in all of this."  Betty nodded understandably. He was ready know, but she wasn't sure she was.

They jogged through town, the sky filled with thick fog. The streets were bare. Almost like everyone was in the first stage of grief. Mourning the death of the towns star boy who's killer was finally arrested and sentenced to what he deserved. But Betty was never so sure that it was the case.

The streets seem scared . The events staining on the side walks they took place on. The fouls smell of death and suffering parading the air.The small innocent town , now filled with horrors, mysteries and cover ups. She couldn't believe that this was the place she called home for the sixteen years of her life. The reputation of the town, all built on lies.

Once again hand in hand they turned the corner onto her street. From what she could remember, every part of this journey they did together , hand in hand. Almost as if the universe was preparing them, giving each other a form of support system- each other.

They passed house after house, no longer jogging, slowing down into a quick pace.

To both Betty and Jughead's surprise, they passed Archie's house. No movement . It was now ten in the morning. He should of at least began to stir in his bedroom, especially with Veronica around.

They started up her drive way as they did many a time before. Except this time was different . Neither of them knew what the out come would be the next time they retreated back down.

Jughead noticed something. Some one. Two undistinctive figures huddled at his girl friends door.

Archie and Veronica, the princess and the player of course.

As soon as Jughead and Bettys arrival was made clear, both walked down to meet the two. Veronica immediately engulfing Betty into a hug.

"Where have you two been, after our call we have been calling and texting for hours." Archie asked agitation clear in his voice.

"Sorry my phone died." Betty admitted sheepishly.

"Listen we don't have time for this. We found a memory card in my Dads trailer. We are here to find out what's on it." Jughead explained , Betty was already at the door unlocking it with her spare key.

With no invitation, all three followed her into the house, shutting the tall door behind them and heading straight up the stairs. They nervously crept down the hall and into Bettys bedroom. All scared about what to suspect.

Archie started up the computer as Betty drew her curtains. They didn't want any street cameras or nosey neighbours googling into what they were up to before they were knew what they wanted to do with it.

Betty calmed herself. Reassuring herself that the memory card probably didn't contain any evidence. Its most probable use was to pirate illegal movies. At least that was what she kept telling herself.

The computer chimed as the home screen loaded.

Archie, Veronica ,herself and Jughead all circled the computer with Betty sat on the desk chair holding the base of the ring out in front of her. Everyone paraded worrisome glances, not daring to look one another in the eye.

"Here goes nothing.." Betty said. In her head sounding bold and confident, realistically sounding shaky and nerve ridden. She inserted the card in her computer , USB side first. She waited for her computer to make the sounds of an minor volcanic eruption. But instead the drive loaded up painstakingly and manually. Betty almost seemed disappointed, she wasn't so sure she was ready to know what theses files may hold.

Unsteadily, Betty took control of the mouse clicking on the file the card had uploaded onto her computer.

She heard Veronica let out an unintentional whimper, channelling all the feeling every one was going through.

Before she had the chance to stop herself, she clicked onto the file. Inside were three documents.

The first an image. The photo evidence of the connection to the Serpents Sheriff Keller already had already found and had in his possession. The brief case brimmed with cash forced memories to flood back to Jughead. Forcing memories of his Dad to re surface .

The second file was a video file. What was there to film? Betty thought to herself, as she opened the file unsure what to expect.

The file took ten seconds to load due to the sheer amount of data it held.

But then a freeze frame popped up asking if were ready to play the file.

The frame included Jason Blossom tied up to a chair in some dingy, unhinged basement in one of Freddy Kruger's nightmares. All four released a gasp.

"Oh. my ..." Veronica stuttered.

"Is this ..." Archie began.

"This is how Jason died." Jughead interrupted.

The realisation suddenly hit them. They were about to come to the end of a six month long mystery and finally find out who the killer was.

But were they ready?