Taken- A Bughead Fanific

Chapter 8: Facing Fears

JUGHEAD POV:

The drive to Southside High was painfully slow. Archie insisted he drive. I twitched my leg and bobbed it up and down, up and down till I finally decided to break the silence.

"Why do they want me, Archie? What's so special about me?" I asked, with a hint of melancholy in my voice.

I studied Archie as he took a large pause to gather his thoughts. "I think it's more about power, Jughead. It's more of a power move. You stood you're ground. You are no coward. I think they know that. You're dangerous. They are scared of you. To them, to Penny, they are simply eliminating a threat," Archie rationed. The words that came out of his mouth were carefully placed and precise.

I studied and clung to every word, trying not to break in front of Archie. "Betty is no threat," I stated in a monotone voice, doing everything in my power to hold back the quiver in my voice, "she didn't do anything to deserve this" I starred blankly onto the road, following the white stripe along the sides.

Archie reasoned, keeping his eyes in the road, "But you are. They already tried hurting you directly. Now, they are hurting you indirectly-"

"Which hurts a hell of a lot more," I interrupted, letting a tear trickle down my cheek.

"We will get her back, Jughead. We will. I promise you that," My best friend convinced me. I couldn't afford not to believe him. I stayed silent and he broke his concentration on the yellow lines on top of the black tar. "Okay?" He looked at me and said it again in a more demanding tone, "Okay?"

"Okay," I relinquished, "Okay."

"Say it. Tell me what we are gonna do," Archie pressed.

"What?" I glared at him in confusion.

"Tell me what we are about to do. Tell me what is going to happen," Archie repeated impatiently.

"I am going to get her back. We are going to save her," I told him.

"Again," he said.

I recited it back to him again. Maybe, if I said it enough, I could convince myself that I would. I replayed the two sentences over an over again like a broken record till we got to the abandoned high school.It distracted me from the horrible, worst-case scenarios that came rolling in like thunder.

BETTY POV:

My kidnappers moved me to another location. I had no idea where. I had passed out a couple times during the ride. Once we got there, Malachai and another guy drug me into some sort of hallway. I looked around me. No light came out of the windows, so it was night. I had completely lost track of time as my body grew weary and more exhausted. How long has it been since I had been kidnapped? Two days, two weeks? I didn't care anymore. I was too tired to care. I just want to close my eyes and never wake up. I didn't have the strength to walk or hold my feet or head up, so I stayed limp while they drug me and dropped me to the floor. I completely collapsed. The white tile floors where cold to the touch, which felt good on my overheated body. I pressed my flushed cheek onto the cold floor. I felt like time had stopped when the angry voices starting to fade away into a comfortable silence. I wasn't scared anymore. I wasn't scared of dying. I smiled as I rested on the floor in the same position that I had fell on the floor in. The light that came through my eyelids slowly left. A calm presence of darkness filled my eyes as I drifted into a deep slumber.

JUGHEAD POV:

I swung opened the doors and ran into the school to find Betty's body on the floor. She was so still.

Too still?

*****

CHAPTER 9 WILL BE UP BY TOMORROW!
Thank you so much for reading!