AFTERLIFE :: Riverdale

XIV: Resident Evil

Author's Note: yo, if you're enjoying the story, send a nomination my way for the Riverdale Awards @ riverdalesociety :) (noms end 8-30-17)

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When the Blossom murder case was solved, somehow, everything went back to normal, resolved. That spring night, however, none of us expected that the murder case was literally coming back to life.

I hadn't laid my eyes on him in person at the time he emerged from the ground, but I understood the gist of the story from the account given to the Register by the gravekeeper. Apparently, Jason punched his way out of his coffin—his knuckles were reported bloody—and dug his way out of the grave. It was all a little hard to believe.

But, I couldn't argue with the testimonies of Archie, Betty, and Veronica. They claimed to have seen the man in the rotting flesh, so who was I to deny the word of my friends?

Even still, the whole thing seemed suspicious, and evidence was piling up that it couldn't be true. Two weeks into the apocalypse told me that a bullet to the brain was the end of it. That was the mark of Jason's death.

Yet, here we were, sitting before a perfectly breathing Jason Blossom. His eyes, their color a reflecting emerald, were set far back in his head, making them appear to be glowing against a black background. His body was emaciated, and nowhere did that shine through better than his skull. There were parts of his flesh missing as if he cut off the parts that hung over the rest and his jaw had been sewn back on. His hair was still the brilliant red it had always been, reminding me slightly of Archie's, though Archie's was a tad darker. Jason was dressed in a crimson tuxedo, a white undershirt, beige jeans, and a maroon tie nearly hidden by the high collar of his suit.

Like Archie and Veronica, I couldn't help but stare at the bullet hole right in the middle of his head. Jason shone a toothy smile at us, but we couldn't look away.

He took a seat at the head of the table, kissing Polly's hand as he did so, but very reluctantly, I noticed. Still, he had the same charming aura about him as he always did from what I had seen of him, but even then, he struck me as untrustworthy as the rest of the Blossom's.

"I'm very glad you all have made it." Jason held his arms out with gratitude. "Everything seems to have been leading us to this moment! Let us have an enjoyable time."

"What a prayer." I made the snarky aside to Archie who was barely paying attention.

I was ready to ignore Jason completely and try not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but everything was just wrong about this whole scenario. I had to question it because Polly and Cheryl were indoctrinated not to, Veronica was scared out of her wits, and Archie was being too positive to look at the horrifying negatives.

"So, Jason, why did you call me here?" I asked, taking a bite of the salad afterward. It wasn't poisoned from what I could tell.

Jason looked up at me from his plate, startled and caught off-guard. He had been cutting a piece of turkey with a steak knife and my heart froze for a second, feeling that there was nothing stopping him from throwing it at me. When he was done staring me down, he licked his lips and returned his gaze to his plate.

"I've noticed you around and I thought it would be nice to actually invite you over to talk, Forsythe. You seem like an interesting guy. Besides, you were writing a book based around my death. What better time to converse than the apocalypse?" Jason responded.

I raised a brow. "That's all well and good, but riddle me this, why did you have to kidnap Veronica to do it?"

Veronica's eyes widened and she dropped her utensils, leaning back in her seat and staring at her plate blankly. Cheryl and Polly exchanged looks of worry. Archie held his breath.