#beth and misty are aliving and thriving

[ginger-grimm]

Fun house mirrors and broken glass

A thousand times Beth had told Misty that she didn't want to go to the carnival. Her experiences there had never been peachy and she didn't trust anything in Riverdale to be normal. She had heard about bad things happening there before.

"Murders, Mis. People got murdered here!"

Misty sighed. "Ay, reina del drama. You are such a buzz kill."

"I am not!" Beth insisted as they trudged towards the fun house. "I am concerned for our safety. You can't deny the creepiness of people having been killed here."

Misty held up a finger. "One person," she reminded Beth. "One person got murdered here. People get murdered every day all over the planet. All over Riverdale, even. That girl got murdered like twenty years ago. We're going to be fine."

Beth sighed, twirling her thumbs as they entered the fun house. She whimpered slightly. Misty considered leaving, Beth already getting on her nerves. "You don't have to go in with me."

"So I can get killed out here? No thank you, Misty. Just don't leave me alone!"

She stomped through the crepe paper strips that functioned as the entrance. The inside of the house was terrifying. Big warped mirrors ordained every wall. Spiral designs painted on the wall caused Beth nausea already.

"I hate this," she whispered. There was no one else despite the two girls as far as Beth could see, which only made it creepier.

"Calm your crazy ass down, chica! You're getting on my nerves. I should have taken Jupiter out instead. He never complains."

"He doesn't complain because he wants to fit in-"

Beth halted abruptly, nearly causing Misty to crash into her.

"Ay, ahora que?!"

"I saw something! In the mirrors!"

"Baby, it ain't even Halloween yet. You have got to calm down."

Beth threw her hands up. "It's in two days. Riverdale has had crazier things happen. I don't put it past anyone to start a killing spree now."

"You know what, crazy? I'm gonna keep going. Either you come with or you leave now and wait for me it's up to you."

Misty walked away from her. Beth scoffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She turned and went for the exit. "Fine. Don't haunt me when you get murdered."

Beth walked out and leaned against the wall, whipping out her phone to text her dad. She couldn't wait to get home. She hated Halloween and the weeks leading up to it. It made the people in Riverdale act up in erratic ways.

"I hate this fucking town," she whispered as she typed away on her phone.

She got startled by a scream. It came from Misty, she was sure of it. It got cut off as soon as it started. "Goddamnit!"

Beth balled up one of her fists, clutching her phone harder with the other. She should call someone. The police. Too bad all Riverdale cops were useless and in Hiram Lodge's pocket.

"Oh, come on!"

She looked around for anyone that could help. The carnival was near deserted. "Seriously?"

"Fuck it!"

Beth slowly walked into the house once more, her hands shaking as she swatted the crepe out of her way. She halted for a second, her breath hitched. She didn't want to go in, but Misty could be in trouble. She could be dead.

"Oh, God," she mumbled as she kept moving.

Something was off now. Different. Maybe it was because she was scared. Maybe there was nothing. She just had to move quickly. Get Misty, drag her out. Go home. Curl up in bed. Don't leave it until Halloween is over.

The further she got into the fun house, the trippier it got. The mirrors were starting to make her see double. Tripple. Beth wasn't sure if she would find her way out again if she tried.

She halted abruptly when she crashed into one of the mirrors. She whinced, holding her nose. There was a bit of blood coming from it, but it didn't look broken. "Christ!"

Beth turned around. There she was again in the reflection. Every which way she turned she saw herself in the mirrors. No Misty anywhere in sight. Beth wanted to run home. Misty had gotten herself into whatever mess she was in. But that would be cruel. She could actually be hurt.

Beth continued on to find her best friend. The deeper she got the harder it would be to find their way out again.

She was lost in her thoughts, trying to negate the sinking feeling in her stomach. It was not out of the ordinary for someone to snap around Halloween and try to be the next Michael Myers or Jason Vorhees.

Beth halted again when she encountered a broken mirror in front of her. There was a strand of hair tucked into it, blood smeared all over it.

"Oh fuck me, this is not really happening right now!"

She turned, trying to find her way out again, when suddenly Misty popped up in front of her, screaming at the top of her lungs. Beth shrieked. She only stopped when Misty stopped and started laughing maniacly instead.

Beth stared at her, mouth agape. "Are you serious, right now? Misty!"

Misty continued to laugh, pulling a tube of fake blood out of her sleeve. Beth scoffed, throwing her hands up. "Unbelievable!"

"Oh come on, chica! You needed a good boost of scariness before the crazy starts. You need to get used to these things-"

Beth rolled her eyes as a knife suddenly burst through Misty's neck. "Really? You're not done yet?"

Misty grabbed at her throat, choking on her own blood. She grappled for Beth, trying to hold on to her as she went down. Beth took a step back, her face scrunched in disgust as she wiped at it furiously. "You got fake blood all over my jacket!"

Misty fell to the floor and onto her stomach, still gurgling. A guy in a Black Hood mask stood behind her, wiping off the knife he pulled from Misty's throat.

"Okay, who is this? Booker? Sweet Pea? Fangs? Don't tell me it's Reggie."

He stalked forward her as Misty's gurgling died down. He knelt next to Misty's body. Beth narrowed her eyes and let out a bemused chuckle as the guy started wailing in on Misty more, stabbing her in the bag over and over again.

"You guys really went the extra mile for this, huh? How are you pulling this off right now?"

With a grunt, the black-hodded man delievered once last hard stab to Misty's back.

He got back up. His eyes were a piercing light blue and they were practically staring into her soul as he stood quietly in front of her. He continued to eye her down as she realized that there were no people with eyes this blue in their circle of friends. There was no way Misty hired an actual actor to do this.

Beth's eyes wandered down to Misty's body. She was laying still. Not breathing. She wouldn't go this far for a joke.

"Oh, God."

She swore she heard the black-hooded man silently giggle as it finally dawned on her. She turned to run, finally breaking out of her schock, only for the man to yank her back by the hair and slice the knife across her throat.

Beth gurgled as she fell to her knees. She looked up at the man. He stared at her for a while, watching as she started trying to crawl away. Eventually, she stopped and went still.

That Halloween, twenty people were murdered by what Sheriff Keller could clearly indicate was a Black Hood copycat. Only this Black Hood wasn't incompetent. He didn't differenciate between sinners and saints. He killed everyone the same. And he made sure no one lived to tell their stories.

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