The Serpent and His Girl

Princess

  A commotion down the hall wakes her up. Groggily, she blinks, clearing her vision. Angry voices bounce off the concrete, coming closer to the cold room where she's held captive. Groaning, she lifts her head, her ribs sore.

"What the hell, Sweets? I told you, don't hurt her, and whaddya do? You kick her in the damn ribs, and have her hacking up a lung. Jeez, I'm surprised you know how to spell your own name, you're so stupid! Look, I don't care if she lashed out or tried to escape, I want her in one piece, and she better be when I get in there. Cause if not, I'll make sure you suffer dearly. Capiche?" a man's deep voice growled through the door. Betty's breathing was fast and shallow, terrified. Through the moonlight, she can see the hall light on under the door. A shadow is covering part of the little window above the doorknob, clearly on the outside of the door.

"Ugh, save it. I'm going to have a little chat with our Northside friend." He spat fiercely. "Oh, and tell Topaz and Fangs not to wait up. This could either go smoothly, or it'll go south real fast." With that, the door to her prison swings open, revealing a leather-clad biker in the doorframe.

His almost ebony hair framed his face in waves, tucked underneath a grey beanie. His eyes are a steely blue, set perfectly below his furrowed brows. His lips, curled into a smirk, were thin yet perfect, as well as his jawline. If she wasn't so afraid of him, Betty would have the right mind to think he was hot. But, shaking with fear, she manages a squeak. He let out a menacingly low chuckle, slowly striding towards her.

"So, princess, this is how it's gonna go. Either you tell me what I want to know, or," Smirking, he pulls a switchblade out of his pocket. "I can make this fun for me. So, what's it gonna be?" He slowly steps towards Betty, circling around the chair she was bound to.

"So, princess, what do you know about Ms.Smith?" He growls in her ear, his breath warm on her cheek.

"W-who's Ms.Smith?" Betty stammers quietly, her volume close to a whisper. A quick slap across her face brings back her voice, and her courage as she holds his intense gaze. Chuckling darkly, he rubs his chin.

"Don't. Stammer. Just tell me what I want to know, or you'll find out just how bad pain can feel. So, let's try this again, and I'll give you something a little...simpler. What do you know about Ms. Alice Smith? Huh?" He interrogates the blonde, clearly enjoying himself, and visibly reveling in her torture.

"W-wait...you mean my, my, mother? Oh, nothing, not really." Betty gulps as he presses the blade against her throat, digging deeper when she finishes speaking. "Uh, uh, what...do you want to know?" A tear slips down her cheek, her breathing erratic.

  She's slowly becoming hysterical, the mix of pain from the blade and the anxiety of the situation blending to create a feeling of nausea.

"Where does she work?" He angrily asks, yanking at her hair to pull her head back. Her green eyes widen,her pupils growing ever smaller as he gazes at her in anger and malice.

"T-the Riverdale R-R-Register. It's a newspaper column owned and established by her and my father. Just, just please let me go, I told you all the information you want, right?" She begs, clearly losing her composure with every  intake of breath. He positions the blade just below her chin, and glares.

"Ah Ah Ah, not so fast princess. We aren't done here yet. Why, we're only just beginning." He chuckles, his laughter bouncing off the concrete walls, mocking her. "Ha!" It says, "You aren't free, yet I am. I can go anywhere, anytime."

Her silent tears become jarring sobs as she realizes that she won't be getting out anytime soon. And as this realization hits, so does the memory of texting Archie earlier. She thinks of how she's never going to see him again, and her sobs become louder, and more frequent. He slaps her again, and she only sobs harder.

"Oh, and princess? When I finish with you, you're never gonna forget the name Jughead Jones." With that, he slaps her again, and his smirk grows. "Cause trust me, sweetheart, it'll be the last thing you ever remember."