Braking Hard (Riverdale-Jughead Jones)

14

TW // CHAPTER DEPICTS VIOLENCE 

I turned my neck to look around me as the road slowly got shorter, but shook my head and faced back in front of me. It was nearly 2 in the morning and my feet were killing me from walking around all night.

Click

I snapped my body around and held onto my bags strap tight but once again shook my head and continued walking. I was imagining it. That was the simple explanation.

Click.

I ignored the noise this time but sped up slightly. I was headed towards the yard to pick up the keys for my trailer and then I would be able to ring Jughead for a lift. He would pick up, right? I mean, if the idiot had got over it and turned his phone back on.

As I reached the yard my eyes scanned the dark road and my fingers fumbled for the keys to the gate.

I slammed it shut after stepping inside and took a deep breath to myself as I locked it behind me. I rested my head on the cool metal and turned to head into the office.

My eyes were met with a set of harsh green ones, glaring at me from behind a black hood. My breath caught in my throat. I choked as I tried to make a noise but my entire body was frozen and I couldn't scream.

He took a step towards me and I looked him up and down, trying not to let a tear fall down my face.

I stepped back against the gate and felt my fingers trying to unlock it behind me but I had dropped the key when I saw him. He reached out and stroked a finger along my chin and I trembled under his touch.

"Sinner." His voice was a surprise to me. All the reports of the attacks said he'd never spoken, and I let out a slight noise at the rough low sound that left his throat.

I gasped as a sharp pain ran through my lower abdomen and I finally let the tear that had been begging to fall slip down my cheek, as the black hood turned and walked over to what looked to be a hole in the fence. I looked down at my stomach.

I saw the handle of something thin and small, a knife, and I started letting full tears fall slowly down my cheeks as I gasped for air and sucked it in. I let my body slip down to the floor as I leant against the gate and held my arms against myself.

The place where the knife was seemed to almost be burning, and all I could think about was how I never managed to mop the floor that morning.

What a stupid thing to think about when you're dying. I chuckled to myself in the silent night and smiled at the sky.

My eyes slowly drifted shut as I thought about all the cleaning I had put off, and how I was going to die with bike oil in my hair.

***

My eyes fluttered open as someone gently shook my shoulders and I looked up to see Garret with a look of concern on his face.

I smiled at him and sighed. The sky was lighter now, it looked to be morning, and I looked around at the yard.

It was definitely a giant hole in the fence. I frowned. That would cost a lot to fix. I looked up to see Garret talking to me and chuckled. I couldn't hear a word he was saying.

He was pushing down on my stomach and chattering to someone behind me, so I tried to turn but I couldn't do it, and my eyes fluttered shut again as I tried to guess the time.

***

I took a breath in and my hand closed tighter around the person holding it.

I slowly blinked my eyes open and turned my head to see Jughead sitting next to me. I smiled and squeezed his hand lightly as he did the same to me.

I looked around at the hospital room I was situated in and chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Jughead asked looking slightly confused.

"I thought I was going to die with bike oil in my hair." I wheezed back. It was hard to talk, probably not because of the knife, but because of shock.

He laughed with me and turned more towards the bed.

"What happened Al? I came to pick you up for school, and apologize for yesterday, and the whole yard was taped off by the police. When I got to school I got pulled out of class by the principal to be told you were here." He told me and I smiled wider.

"Black hood got me Juggie. Black hood got me. But I'm ok. I think." I finished.

The door pushed open and I turned to look as a doctor walked in and gestured for Jug to leave. He looked at me for conformation and I smiled in reassurance and nodded.

As he left I tilted my head back onto the pillow and sighed.

"Are you in any pain?" The doctor asked and I chuckled.

"Well my whole body feels like I've been run over by a truck, but yes. My lower stomach really hurts." I joked. He didn't find it funny.

"Ok then, I'll get you some painkillers. But before I do, I have something important to discuss." He sat down next to the bed and I turned to face him. "I'm so sorry, but the knife wound to your lower abdominal caused significant injury to your uterus."

I frowned in confusion slightly.

"You needed to have surgery, but when we got in, there was nothing we could do. We had to perform a hysterectomy." I looked at him blankly before speaking.

"English please, not medical jarble."

"We had to remove your uterus. I'm sorry Alison, but you're not going to be able to become pregnant." I took a deep breath and smiled at him.

"Well at least it means I can go off the pill, right?" I tried to joke. "How was the uterus even affected?"

"The uterus is very small, and normally it would be difficult to target as the attacker would need to push the knife in a very specific place. It's very unlikely that this was sheer dumb luck." The doctor told me seriously.

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning your attacker knew exactly what they were doing. They targeted your uterus on purpose. The police will be by to talk to you in about an hour. Try to stay awake, even thought the painkillers will make you tired." He finished, resting a hand on my shoulder gently and smiling for the first time since he'd entered the room.

As he left I lifted my hand to my face to wipe my eye, and the tear that was threatening to fall.