I'm back with Chapter 2! This one is a flashback, and I hope I've done it justice. I'm still a little wishy-washy about this whole storyline. Something just seems so off about what Carol did, and the way Rick handled it. I dunno...I suppose since I'm watching a show about zombies, I should let these things go, haha : P
Thank you all a million times for your sweet, sweet reviews. They're just the best thing ever. : ) It really gets me all excited to get a notification of a new review. Woohoo!
I also wanted to point out that, in Chapter 1, I realize I didn't address the fact that no one else knew what Carol did when Rick said it out loud (and would have had pretty big reactions, I'm sure), or the fact that Daryl and Rick didn't know that Tyreese knew the truth...anyways, it's kind of bothering me and I might actually change that part. But every time I go to write something, it's like ten other complications pop up that need to be fixed. *sigh*
Oh, and I should probably add a disclaimer, right? I am not affiliated in any way, shape or form with TWD and own nothing that you may recognize (boo!).
Carol didn't know where else to go.
She hadn't a clue what to do with herself, now that she'd turned her entire life upside down in a matter of minutes. But it wasn't just her life that would be so intensely affected, and that's what hurt her the most.
So she went to Daryl's cell and hid there, praying he'd come back soon, and that no one would come looking for her there. Praying he wouldn't hate her after she told him what she'd done.
He had been looking all over the prison for her after the chaos of Patrick dying and taken half the prison with him. He just wanted to see her. Make sure she was okay. And his own cell was the last place he'd thought to search.
"There you are," he said with a smile when he saw the back of her figure standing at his dresser. "Been lookin' for y-"
"His words were cut off abruptly as she spun around to face him, hands covering her mouth and tears streaming fast down her face.
"The fuck happened?" he asked urgently, tossing his crossbow on his bunk and flying quickly to her side.
She shook her head, her hands not budging from their place, clasped tightly over her mouth, and she sprouted more tears.
"Carol," he breathed, his hands coming to rest on her biceps, bringing himself down to her eye level. "Tell me."
Her glassy eyes stared widely at him for another brief moment before she finally drew her hands away slowly, holding them helplessly at her sides, clenching and unclenching her fists. As though the motion would buy her some time. Or at least give her the strength to pull it together long enough to tell him.
"I..." but she couldn't finish. She shook her head again in an attempt to clear her mind and find the words. She'd come here for a reason, she had to tell him. He had to know. She needed him.
He waited her out, giving her arms a reassuring squeeze.
She took a deep, shuddering breath, closed her eyes for a beat, and looked into his eyes.
"I killed them," she whispered as she fought back a cry, though there was barely a sound that escaped.
"What?" he asked in disbelief, drawing his body back slightly to get a better look at her. He had no idea who or what she was talking about.
"Karen and David. I...killed them."
He had to strain to hear her, she was whispering so quietly so no one else would hear, and he couldn't believe his ears.
He turned swiftly to shut his cell door, pulling his sheet down for privacy. It was darker now, but he could still make out the glassiness of her eyes, wet and red from her never-ending tears.
"What the fuck are you talkin' about?" he hissed as he returned to her.
"I went this morning to check on them, bring them some water," she began, but stopped to allow a sob to escape. "David. He was...he was choking. Daryl, he was choking," she repeated in a heated whisper, her hand coming up to her throat as if to illustrate what that meant. "He couldn't breathe. I didn't know what to do. Was I supposed to just sit there beside him and just watch him die? Leave him there and go about my day? I couldn't leave him."
She paused once more, shaking her head against the visuals that wouldn't escape her mind. She would never forget this day, it had changed her irrevocably. "He reached for my knife. He put it in...in my hand. And then he took my hand, Daryl, and he pointed my knife at his head. Right in the middle of his forehead," she went through the motions, illustrating her story to him so that he would understand. But just as her hands came up in a mimicking manner to her forehead, she became incoherent again as she cried, attempting a steadying breath before going on with her story. "And he was staring at me with these eyes, they were all red, and he just looked so scared."
Daryl pinched at the bridge of his nose as he listened to her story, in shock at what she was telling him, and feeling sorry that she'd had to be the one. That she had to be alone.
"I told him no, and he squeezed my hand and he couldn't even talk but I saw his mouth moving, begging me, 'please'. I freaked out. I freaked out. I just...freaked out. And then his eyes rolled back into his head and he started convulsing and the choking...he was dying...I couldn't...couldn't watch him," and she shut her eyes tight, bringing a hand up to cover them as though that would help.
All Daryl could do was gape at her.
"So I did it. I did it. Oh my God," she cried.
He took a deep breath. Ran a hand over his face. His mind was already working hard to find a solution.
"What happened to Karen?" he asked softly. But he knew there was no part of this story that would help Tyreese sleep at night. He'd be out for blood.
She looked up at him and took a steadying breath.
"I went to see her. There was blood everywhere. All over her pillow. She was asleep, I think. But the blood. It was…she had blood running all down her face. Like it was leaking out of her eyes, Daryl. I didn't know what to do. She didn't even know I was there. I checked her pulse. It was so...so weak. I just...I just..."
He didn't hesitate then. Didn't want her to have to finish that sentence. He gathered her swiftly into his arms and held her tightly as she cried silently.
"It's okay, it's alright. We'll...we'll figure this out." He murmured.
They stood that way for a few quiet minutes and then he realized.
"What did you do with them?" he muttered.
"I...burned them. I dragged them outside. I...thought maybe that might stop it from spreading to anyone else. I freaked out...I'm freaking out."
He looked down at her, horror clear in his eyes.
"Why didn't you come to me?" he growled. He couldn't imagine her doing that, all alone. He would have helped, would have done something. If someone had caught her in the act and she'd been alone…
He couldn't think about that. It worked out as it should have. This way, he'd be able to protect her.
"I panicked. I didn't think...I just..."
"It's alright," he repeated. "We'll figure it out."
And then he pulled her back tightly into him. His hand placed protectively on the back of her head, holding her against his shoulder as his mind flew rampant at a thousand miles a second.
"You need to stop cryin', alright? You need to get it together, and keep quiet 'bout this."
"But Daryl-"
He grabbed her by the arms once more.
"No way, Carol. No fuckin' way. You ain't tellin' a soul, you hear me? No one. Not even Jude. You keep quiet until I get back with those meds. I'll bring Ty with us, make sure he stays away from you. And then I'll come back and we'll figure this shit out. Promise me, Carol," he urged.
She was motionless - speechless - as she looked up at him with desperation in her eyes.
"I can't lie," she squeaked. "What if someone figures it out? I can't, Daryl."
"Fuckin' promise me. Say it," he implored, ignoring her pleas.
"I promise," she finally conceded with a defeated whisper.
He pulled her in tight and held her firmly against him, and her hands flew up to his back, squeezing for dear life.
He was fighting back his own tears when he whispered fiercely, "We're gonna be fine."
They both jumped when they heard Tyreese's bellowing shout come from down below.
"Daryl!"
"Stay here," Daryl told her. "You stay right here."
She shook her head and mumbled a quiet, "no", holding onto his arm desperately as he moved towards his cell door.
He shook her off in an attempt to get to Tyreese as quickly as he could, and Carol held back for only a brief moment, taking a deep breath to steady herself before she followed Rick, Daryl and Tyreese out the door where the burnt bodies of their friends lay.
...aaaaaand that brings us to the beginning of episode 4x03 (I think?)...the one that starts with Ty freaking out about what happened.
The next chapter will bring us back to Terminus (and let's be honest, guys, I have no clue what's going on there, which is why I started Chapter 1 the way I did. I'll just skip over the big giant question mark that I can't figure out, thankyouverymuch) ; )
Thank you so much for reading!