*stumble* *flop* *drag drag* -walker continues chasing after a yummy-looking Rick- (He is pretty yummy-looking, if you know what I mean ;D)
:):):):):):):)
Hey there! So I was scrolling through some Caryl fics when I came across the story Lost In The Ashes (Mourn The Phoenix That Doesn't Rise) by The Readers Muse, and it inspired me to write this. So I can't take all the credit.
Prompt: What happens when Carol falls down the stairs, hits her head, and loses her memories? And not just a week or so, but the past three years! What does the group have to do to get her to remember? Read on to find out!
Disclaimer: I own nothing of The Walking Dead. *sob sob*
**WARNING!**
There will be some language in here.
Also- this takes place after Terminus, but before they find Beth at Grady. Sort of an in-between, I suppose. The group Carol and Daryl with now will only be Rick, Carl, Judith, Tyreese, Sasha, Michonne, Glenn, Maggie, and Hershel. So the group's obviously scattered.
Anyway, on to the story! Enjoy! :D
Remember
Chapter One: The Accident
Carol had joined Daryl, Rick, and Michonne on a run to local stores to look for matches, water, and medicine. Nothing too big. They took one car- the SUV- and set off at first light. It was meant to be quick and simple, in and out, like always. And although Carol didn't normally go on runs with others, Rick asked her to come, to be back up and help them out. After she accepted them into 'her group', everyone began actually respecting her. Of course, they had no idea what her and Tyreese had been through, and maybe they never would. She was honestly terrified they would leave her behind again if they found out she shot Lizzie. It haunted her at night, her own voice ringing in her ears, look at the flowers...
"You okay?"
Carol was snapped out of her daze by Daryl's gruff voice.
"What? Yeah."
He looked at her suspiciously as she turned her gaze back out the window.
"We're almost there."
Rick announced and Carol gulped. She's obviously gone on runs before with Rick and them, and could easily defend herself. But...it would never be the same after Karen and David. Did she regret it? No. She saved many lives, and accepted that no one else would ever see her point of view. It ate away at her heart, and sometimes she'd cry out of guilt secretly at night, but no, she didn't regret. It just had to be done.
"We're here."
Michonne said and Carol readied her knife, stepping out of the car with the others.
"Okay, Michonne and I will head down this line of stores,"
Rick said, pointing to one side of the street."
"Daryl, you go with Carol, and check out those."
He pointed at the other side of the street.
"Meet back here in about thirty minutes."
And with that, they parted ways.
"You see anything?"
Carol asked after they took out three walkers in a shop.
"Nah, nothin' useful. What 'bout you?"
"There's some gauze here. Needle and thread."
"Medical thread?"
He asked hopefully.
"No."
She replied.
"But if it's an emergency, it'll work as a replacement. If not, we could work on stitching up clothes and shoes."
It was silent for awhile until Daryl said,
"Got a pack of matches of here."
"How many?"
She asked as she walked over to him.
"'bout fifteen."
He shrugged.
"It's better than nothin'."
"Let's head to the place next door."
"Alright."
There was only one walker hiding in the back, near the cash register, growling softly. It was just a typical walker, except...it was a kid- a little girl. Carol choked down a sob. She was about Mika's age.
"You don't have to."
Daryl said as she took a step forward.
"No, I do. I never got...closure."
His eyebrows furrowed.
"For what?"
Taking a deep breath, she replied:
"For Mik-"
But she cut herself off.
"For one of the girls I was with. She just...it happened so suddenly, and I was so blind. I should've known."
And before Daryl could say anything, she rammed the knife into the girl's rotting skull, and she flopped to the floor. Carol sniffled and wiped at her tears.
"Come on, let's see what there is here."
He nodded, letting it go. For now, at least.
"We should be heading back."
Carol said after they'd raided three more stores.
"The sun's setting, it's probably been about half an hour."
Daryl nodded.
"Yeah, lets go."
And so they walked back in silence.
When they got back to the car, they found Rick and Michonne putting their full bags in the truck.
"It's gunna be dark soon."
Rick said as he spotted them.
"Find anything good?"
"Some gauze, thread, matches, expired cans of fruit. Not much but,"
Carol shrugged.
I"It's better than nothing."
"What about you guys?"
She asked as they got in the car and began driving back.
"We actually found some meds in a pharmacy, down a ways."
Michonne replied.
"Found clothes. Should fit some of us. Got a pair of boots for you, too."
She glanced down at her hole-filled shoes.
"I think you need them."
Carol swallowed with difficulty. Should she tell them that she didn't want those boots? That her holy shoes were the last link she had to her past life? To Ed and her family? That they were a birthday present from Sophia? No, they wouldn't understand. They just wouldn't.
"Thanks, Michonne."
Carol smiled instead, pushing the thought to the back of her mind. Maybe she could just put the shoes in the bottom of her bag when she wears the boots; there was no way in Hell she'd throw them away.
It was about fifteen minutes until they arrived back at the secluded cabin they were staying in, out in the woods, about a mile from the nearest road.
"Alright, we're back."
Rick announced.
"Thank God,"
Michonne muttered.
"I think I need some sleep."
Rick smiled.
"Maybe you could get in a full three hours?"
She laughed and they all brought their things in.
"I'm going to take some milk up to Judith."
Carol announced.
"Tyreese said she hasn't been feeling good."
She started up the steep stairs when she lost her balance and, before anyone could help her, tumbled down the wooden stairs, hitting her head hard on the old tile floor.
"Carol!"
Daryl was the first one to run to her, laying her head on his lap.
"She's bleeding!"
Rick ran to get Hershel and Glenn and Maggie rushed over to them, horrified to see Carol had a good amount of blood oozing out of her head and falling onto Daryl's hands.
"Set her on the couch, quickly."
Hershel arrived, crutching over to them as fast as he could..
"And by God, be gentle. We need a towel to stop the bleeding, quickly."
Maggie ran into the bathroom to look for one.
"Do we have any tea bags?"
"I think so."
Glenn said.
"Go get them and bring them to me. About one should do it."
Hershel turned to Daryl who had set her onto the couch, on her side.
"Daryl, we need to close the wound. What do we have?"
"Needle and thread- it's not medical, though."
"Do we have any candles?"
"I think so."
"Go get one and light it. The wax will help to seal the wound."
By the time Daryl ran off to get a candle, Maggie and Glenn returned.
"Let me see that cloth."
Maggie handed him a dish towel, and pressed it had against the spot on the back of her head.
"Okay, we need to cut her hair around the wound, or I won't be able to properly fix it. Do we scissors?"
"I have a knife."
Glenn said, the tea bags in his hands.
"That'll have to do."
Hershel replied and began cutting off the hair around the cut, leaving a small bald spot on her head.
"I found a candle."
Daryl said, then his eyebrows furrowed.
"You cut her hair?"
"Need to see the wound better, or I won't be able to help."
Daryl nodded.
"Don't matter as long as we can save her."
"Glenn, hand me those tea bags."
Hershel ripped them open, gently placing them over the slash.
"Daryl, I need the candle."
He handed it to him, and began dripping the wax over the tea bags.
"This'll close the wound for now, but we need to bind it. Daryl, I could use that thread right about now."
Daryl nodded and shuffled around Carol's bag until he found it, handing it to the vet.
"Before the wax hardens all the way, I need to sew this, in case it won't hold."
And so that's just what he did, everyone waiting anxiously, with Rick, Carl, Tyreese, Sasha, and Judith joining them in the living room.
"Will she be okay?"
Rick asked worriedly, biting at his nail.
"She should be. Might be out for a day or two, and most likely has a bad concussion."
"How bad?"
Daryl asked suspiciously. Hershel shrugged honestly.
"Might be weeks, might be months, might even be a year."
"A year?!"
Tyreese exclaimed.
"She took a nasty fall."
Hershel said patiently.
"A large, bruised wound like this typically take away at least fourteen months of memory. The worst case scenario,"
He took a deep breath.
"She won't remember this apocalypse at all. But that's highly unlikely. Just...prepare yourselves for the worst."
Everyone sat in shock.
"We need someone to stay here with her at all times, until she wakes up. And when she does, come get me immediately. Understood?'
They all muttered yes.
"I'll stay with her."
Daryl volunteered, and nobody objected because they knew how much she meant to him. Tyreese sat down next to him for a moment, a terrible question plaguing his mind.
"If she forgets all this...how will we tell her?"
"I dunno."
He shrugged helplessly.
"So much shit has happened to her. Ed's death, losing Sophia, being banished-"
"Losing the girls."
Tyreese said, tears in his eyes, and met Daryl's gaze.
"Maybe she doesn't need to know about that."
"No,"
Tyreese shook his head.
"She has to. It's too damn important. It taught her that- well, it's complicated."
Daryl thought for a moment.
"What happened? I know they ain't here now, but...I know there's more to it."
"There is."
Tyreese sighed.
"And it hurt her so much. It hurt us both so much. But...she has to know. She has to understand what happened. Those two little girls thought of her like a mother. She thought of them like daughters. I thought of them like daughters…"
"...what did it teach her?"
"That the dead aren't the only killers out there. That you can't trust people, no matter how much you want to. That if you see something's wrong, you have to fix it before it's too late. That if you can't fix it…"
He trailed off, getting lost in the memory of finding Lizzie, blood covering her hands, Mika laying dead behind her, and Judith only a few feet away.
"Judith can change too. I was just about to-"
"She can't even walk yet."
"You're right."
Tyreese shuddered.
"it was a bad time for her. And she won't forgive herself for not being there to protect- never mind. The point is, sometimes it doesn't matter how hard you try. You can't always protect the ones you love. She hates herself for it- I can see it in her eyes. But,"
He sighed deeply, blinking back tears.
"She needs to know. She does."
Tyreese was silent for a moment before saying goodbye and walking outside to get some fresh air, leaving Daryl alone with Carol.