Consequences

Chapter 28

The Serpents had sent out the bait to the remaining Ghoulies in the form of a note that told the Ghoulies to meet them at Lodge Lodge, where Veronica, hence the Serpents, had the advantage.

The meeting date was today, and the Serpents hid and stationed themselves in the secret passages to ensure no escape of any Ghoulies.

Veronica, for once after her imprisonment, was the one giving orders to the Serpents. While Jughead, Toni and Sweet Pea would meet with the Ghoulies, Veronica would lead the others in guerilla attacks.

Sweet Pea—known for his explosive tempers—had been arranged to aim with tranquilisers behind the cabinet in the living room. He was monitored by Veronica to only shoot on order and not on impulse.

The Ghoulies entered earlier than the said time. The four of them seemed quite relaxed, as they made themselves comfy on the sofa and made coffee.

Sweet Pea raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Either they're that dumb, or they're plotting something."

"Let's hope the former, but assume the latter," Veronica cautioned. "We'll observe a bit longer before shooting."

Not long after that, Jughead, Toni and Fangs burst in the cabin in their Serpent glory. Fangs gazed apprehensively at the organised chairs the Ghoulies had set in a circle for them.

"Friends, we meet again," a Ghoulie held out his hand to shook. "My name is Verne."

Jughead merely ignored the hand and stared at him. There was a short pause before Verne, quick as lightning, stabbed Jughead with a needle.

Jughead looked down, expecting to see a needle in his arm, but the needle had clattered onto the floor. Verne was quick, but the Serpents were quicker. The snipers (aka Sweet Pea, Veronica and Cheryl) had knocked all four Ghoulies out with perfectly aimed shots.

Toni inspected the fallen needle. "I don't know what's in this, but it's best not to touch this without gloves."

Sweet Pea was about to spring out from his hiding place when Veronica put a hand on his shoulder. "No, not yet. I don't think the coast is clear."

He shot her an annoyed look and was about to argue when a gang of masked men kicked down the cabin door. They aimed their rifles at the Serpent trio.

The men parted in the middle to make way for the one and only ginger villain to walk through. Her heels clicked on the cabin floor.

"One, two, three, four, five, six," Veronica counted the men under her breath.

"Jughead Jones," Penelope Blossom eyed the frowning leader.

"Antoinette Topaz," she then glared at the pink haired Serpent who smiled at her mockingly.

"You came back from the dead," lastly, she addressed Fangs.

"Greetings. I would like to stay here and chat, but I am a woman of little time..."

"That's because your time is running out!" Cheryl Blossom rushed out from her hiding place, nocking her arrow at her mother.

"Cheryl, no!" Veronica cursed in her hiding place. All guns were aimed at Cheryl.

"Snipers, shoot on three," she immediately commanded through her headpiece to fix the dire situation.

All six of the men immediately collapsed in sync. If Penelope Blossom was surprised at how easily her men had fallen, she did not show it. She kept her attention on her daughter that she had not seen in a very long time.

"Cheryl Marjorie Blossom. Is this how you greet your mother?" she took a few steps towards Cheryl.

"Stay back! You are no mother of mine," Cheryl snarled at her mom, ready to shoot anytime.

"I wouldn't shoot if I were you," Penelope laughed. "My men are ready to cause chaos at the White Wyrm and Sunnyside Trailer with one order."

Cheryl kept her bow aimed at her. "You will give no such order."

In the secret passageways, Veronica was dialling the Serpents at their base.
"Everyone evacuate immediately, you're in danger! Notify Sunnyside Trailer as well, but don't activate the alarm, Penelope's men are on stand by."

"We see the men," FP crackled through Veronica's receiver. "I'm in the observatory and they have completely surrounded Sunnyside Trailer Park. I have sent snipers who are working on them, but judging from the...hold up, is that gasoline? Shoot! We have to shoot before they burn us alive!"

"What's going on?" Sweet Pea turned to Veronica, trying to find answers from her anxious face.

Veronica, not wanting to provoke an impulsive reaction from Sweet Pea, decided to keep him in the dark. "We need to focus on Penelope and make sure she doesn't give any orders."

As if on cue, Penelope frowned when she adjusted her earpiece and was about to say something when Veronica shot her unconcious.

The snipers immediately came out from their hiding places once they saw Veronica do so.

"Veronica, what..." for once, Cheryl was at a loss for words.

"Sorry Cheryl, but her men have surrounded Sunnyside Trailer Park with gasoline. If she gets to give the order, everyone will get burned alive," she explained the situation to the Serpents in the room.

Cheryl glared at her unconcious mother in disgust. "What a ripoff, she's copying my tactics!"

"What's the situation at the trailer? Is everyone safe?" Jughead resumed his authority as the Serpent King by instantly calling his father.

From his facial expressions during the phone call, the Serpents assumed that nobody was hurt at the moment.

"Okay, we're coming back, we're all safe," Jughead ended the phone call. "Let's get back, the men are being taken care of."