Mercy ran all out down the dank tunnel, following the echoing sound of Sara's voice. She stumbled as the first vision hit.
"I never had a reason to come back before I met you..." she murmurs, strong arms surrounding her.
"I want you to keep coming back, Merce," the man replied, his voice rumbling in her ear through his chest.
The memory stabbed at her heart, making her keenly aware that Donny had left her because it'd gotten too hard. As though triggered by that, another vision came to her.
She stared at him, feeling as though her heart had been thrown into a blender before her eyes. "But you said it was worth the risk..." she said, voice choked with the desire to cry.
"That was before, Merce... Before I understood what's at risk. Our lives are not worth the risk." Donny replied, reaching out and placing a hand awkwardly on her shoulder.
Mercy couldn't stop the sob that escaped as she staggered to a stop, her hand on the wall.
"You failed me, Mercy... You should've been able to save Snow, but you got yourself taken out of the fight and Snow died."
She tried to remind herself that Rowan had never said those words, but she had thought them herself... Too often, she felt herself a failure.
"No no no! SARA!" she cried desperately as the Black Fury shrunk in on herself. Mercy shook her, praying to bring her out of the catatonic stupor she'd slipped into. "Sara come back!"
Mercy felt some strength return to her, which she found vaguely ironic as the memories had thus far been tearing her down. She pushed away from the wall and took off after the echoes of Sara's voice.
That little bit of strength sustained her to where she found Sara, screaming not in pain or terror, but in rage and anger and hate. The sound of it brought Mercy up short, but then the screams changed to piteous wailing.
"Mercy... how could you?" the Fury cried as she fell to her knees.
"Sara!" Mercy called out, rushing to her side and wrapping her arms around the other ragabash desperately. "Sara, I'm right here!"
Sara flung Mercy away though, leaving her stunned on the tunnel floor. "Sara..." Mercy murmured, eyes filling with tears.