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sweet pea

hello everyone! this part can't really be written as an instagram post, so i'm just going to narrate what happens and then in the next part the insta posts will carry on from that :)

tw- mention of blood (not very much, just a little touch upon it!!)

everyone finally arrived at Hal's apartment. well, Hal's ex-apartment. since he died the place was desolate, already decaying into itself. Cheryl swung the door open, Toni stood right by her side, entering the room as soon as she caught sight of Betty and Jughead surrounding the kitchen table. they glanced up as soon as they heard movement, then gently beckoned the search party over. lying in front of their shaking hands was a crumpled piece of paper, quite obviously ripped from a notebook months ago.

My name is Harold Cooper. Hal.
I have a Wife and two children. Alice, Polly and Elizabeth. By the time anyone is reading tHis, they may well be long-since dead. If not, make sure You give Them my best wishes. I do love them, in a twisted, manipulated sort of way.
I have an hEir. He is not in our family. He does not have a single drop of Cooper or Blossom blood in his veins, but I trust him with my existence. His name is Chic. Although I trust him so deeply, I do not yet know his surname, but I'm sure every person reading this Will know exactly who Chic is. Watch, You'll see him finish what I started, and what my father started before me. Chic will Rid this town of its sinners. Make no Mistake about it.

The teenagers scanned over the note, making sure to take in every detail. 'This guy had horrible grammar. He's put capital letters all in the wrong places. It doesn't make any sense." Toni pointed out with a sigh. "Doesn't it?" Betty furrowed her brow, moving her head closer to the letter once again. Cheryl, just finishing the analysis, tipped her head towards the ceiling in despair. "The letters aren't in the wrong places. Uncle Hal had a high GPA, he knew how to do English. Find every single capital letter in there and line them up in your heads." Immediately, Jughead began to call out each misplaced letter.
"the W in wife"
"the H in this"
"the Y in you"
"the T in them"
"the E in heir"
he paused for a second, realisation dawning on him.
"the W in will"
"the Y in you'll"
"the R in rid"
"the M in mistake."
Cheryl's glossy hair softly fell in front of her eyes and she nodded her head. "Don't you see? He left this note for Chic. He had some kind of a base, or a headquarters, at the Whyte Wyrm after it was closed down due to the drug operation there. the jingle jangle operation. V, your father closed it down. Do you think he knows about this?"
"No! He couldn't know about this." Veronica piped up from behind Toni. Cheryl nodded her head again in belief.

a quiet voice came from the other side of the room. Kevin. "Guys. Is no one going to remember that the tracker app said Fox Forest? It's either there or the Whyte Wyrm. Which do we trust? Or, to put it the other way. Which do we fall for?"
"We'll split up," Betty exclaimed, "Me, Jug, Veronica, Cheryl and Toni. Kevin, you lead Fangs and the others to Fox Forest to look for signs of our boys, anything you can find will help. You will know the forest better than we will, so I'm sure you'll find your way around. Take flashlights, it's getting dark." Each and every person in the room nodded their heads and mumbled some kind of an agreement, before backing out of the door and continuing down the decrepit hallway.

The Whyte Wyrm.

the night air was cold. freezing cold. the breath evaporating in the air made each person look as though they were smoking something pretty powerful. it was almost a relief to be inside the bar, despite the dreary, creepy atmosphere. once thriving with serpent life, the bar was now completely abandoned, a faint smell of jingle jangle still lingering in the air. Jughead - the only male in the group - took lead, closely followed by Betty and Toni.
he lead them down the familiar, rusting spiral steps at the back of the bar behind the counter. Cheryl immediately felt colder than she did outside the building, even though the temperature outside was somewhere around 20-25°F. a gentle chill ran up the arch of her spine. Toni, noticing this, grabbed her hand in consolation. "I know, baby. I know. We just get in and get out, okay?"
"Okay." she whispered in return.

the corridor lead up to an onyx iron barrier. in the time toni had worked at the bar, she had never been allowed past this door and did not even know if anything lay beyond it. however, a faint murmur from inside quickly cleared any doubts up. Jughead reached his hand out and slowly turned the door handle, trying to prevent the rust from crunching against itself too much. once it was open enough for the group to slip through, he ventured into the black void. a feeble cough came from somewhere in the room. "Babe?" Veronica recognised the cough all too well. "VERONICA!" Archie yelled, creating an echo around the room. "Please tell me you've come to save us." From another point in the abyss, Reggie's pleading voice was heard. they seemed desperate and in volatile danger. "Is Sweet Pea with you?" Toni asked. "He's unconscious, Toni. He's been knocked senseless. Please just get us outta here before Chic comes back. Please."

"It's okay baby we're getting you out. Is there a light switch?" Veronica felt the nearby walls for any bumps or buttons, finally landing upon a switch. a dim light illuminated the room, revealing the three figures inside. their faces torn, legs and wrists bound and eyes in pain. Jughead and Toni quickly flicked out their penknives, releasing Reggie and Archie from their rope shackles. Toni reached Sweet Pea, who unlike the others was lying on the ground. Black and purple bruising surrounded both eyes, scratches all over his cheeks and blood seeping out of his ears. Toni felt her eyes sting with salt as she cut him too from his ropes, not that it would make any difference. Cheryl helped her lift him from the ground before Reggie and Archie hobbled over to take control. Suddenly, footsteps were heard from the overhead floorboards.

"We need to leave. NOW!" Archie whispered in panic. "We can't leave! He's up there." Reggie retorted, almost giving up and sinking back into his chair. "There's a back entrance. Follow me, people!" Toni lead the way, dodging the piles of cardboard and shards of glass which scattered the cement floor. The first foot landed on the spiral staircase, taking its time to reach the next. The group ran past five different rooms before reaching their freedom.

out of the corner of her eye, Cheryl spotted another dimly lit room. walking past it, the others did not seem fazed. but cheryl felt different, she felt suddenly emotional and even colder than she had ever been before. a freezer, the length of a body, stood menacingly at the edge of the room. a tiny wooden chair, made for a child no older than eight, swayed in the middle. covered in ruby red paint. but it was not paint. jason blossom still lived in that room. Cheryl stepped one foot over the threshold before Toni grabbed her by the arm. "Cheryl. We have to leave. Now. If we don't go now, you won't do Jason proud. You might end up like him, please please let's leave."

with one last blink to wash away her tears, Cheryl stepped out into the moonlight and closed the heavy door behind her. she was greeted immediately by Kevin who hugged her as soon as she turned her head back round. "Nothing in Fox Forest but Archie's cell phone. I'm so glad we didn't place all our bets on the app, Cheryl. You saved the day!"
"Yeah. Thanks Kevin."
Toni turned to Cheryl, encasing her in her arms. "I'm so proud of you tonight babe. You did it. You saved the boys. I love you darling."
"I love you too, TT."

A piercing shriek came from the other side of the iron door. Chic had found them, or rather, had found them gone. The group sprinted away into the night (Archie and Reggie running as fast as they could with Sweet Pea in between them) with adrenaline pumping through their veins and joy streaming through their hearts.