AFTERLIFE :: Riverdale

XV: House of the Dead

Author's Note: Friendly reminder about the Riverdale Awards! (Nominations end on the thirtieth!)

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Lit up by a crackling fireplace, the den gave off the vibe of a place where a serious meeting could be held. Shelves lined the walls, and along them were assorted knickknacks; mostly snow globes and miniature landmarks. In the middle of it all, directly facing the flames, were two leather chairs. One was occupied.

As I had gotten closer and closer to the room, there was that same whispering from the dining room again, and this time, it became louder and louder with each step. Thankfully, it was only one voice, saying only one word, "come," but the volume and pitch of it beating into my eardrums was enough to make me double over in pain.

I collapsed in the doorway, holding my ears. I laid there for a good minute as I tried to get to my feet and ignore the voice. On hands and knees I crawled to the unoccupied chair, and once my nails dug into the leather, as if I had reached the finish line, the voice stopped abruptly.

I pulled myself over and sunk into the seat. I barely recognized Jason(who stared deeply into the fire)as sight rather than sound due to the trauma put upon my ears. One thing was for sure; he still had better posture than I at that moment even as he mimicked The Thinker. I was ready to sink out of the chair and just melt.

"What attracted you to me, Forsythe? What infatuated you?" came Jason's first questions. It was like a whisper now compared to before.

I attempted speech, but as it was too loud, I held my tongue and then cleared my throat. "I'm sorry, but I didn't have a crush on you or anything. I just figured it'd be an interesting story to follow."

"I'm sure you're curious to know how your main character came back to life?" Jason lolled his head to study me with beady green eyes.

"Well, Archie was my main character, but I suppose I have been wondering." I bit my lip.

Jason smiled small. It was the kind of grin that alerted you to the foul intentions of its owner, but didn't give you a scale of how foul it would be from them thinking dirty thoughts about you to flat-out wanting to murder you and your friends.

"I should start from the beginning. The whole reason I ran away was not for Polly. I don't care what that worthless wench says." Jason spat with a suddenly intense hatred. I jumped a little in my seat from the tone of his voice, especially concerning Polly. He eyed me with a liking for my fear. He continued, "I ran away because I was a fool who was afraid. I was afraid of the potential that the cordyceps my father imported contained. He had such strength over me. He controlled my every thought; my every whim; my every emotion."

Jason looked up and just breathed.

"It was amazing." he was breathless. His tone soon became more excited. "I hadn't realized anybody could be so powerful. I was just too young to understand, so I deserted my family and used Polly as an excuse. Then, just when it seemed that everything in my body was shutting down, I was revived by the cordyceps still in my system. Buried alive, I had been chipping away at my coffin for quite a while. All is speculation here, but I'd say my rotting roots spread the cordyceps to the other dead in the graveyard."

"So... this cordyceps... what is it? Were you exposed to it by the syrup?" I inquired. I smirked at the absurd question I had just asked.

"Oh, don't I wish... You see, cordyceps... well. It's a fungus that, when in the wild, takes over the minds of bugs and controls them, ordering them to take out the rest of the army and infecting each and every last insect until they've all been assimilated." Jason paused, seeming to have forgotten my second question. He leaned back in his seat and smirked. "We're not all that bad, Forsythe. We just have an agenda. Oh, and you've been very quiet. You've nothing to say?"