4. Rescue

o n e h u n d e r e d f i f t y s e v e n

Trigger Warning

Disclaimer, this does not make anything that happened okay. But I wanted Theo to have closure. 

They arrived in Hilltop early in the morning.

Theo headed in, greeted everyone before heading down to the cells.

Daryl of course argued against it, but he had to go back out, searching with Connie for any sign of Negan as Siddiq stayed behind to check on some of the sick.

"Will you make sure she is okay when she comes back up from the cells?" Siddiq was asked as Daryl prepared to leave.

Siddiq smiled as they both watched her take a deep breath before entering the basement.

She headed towards his cell.

Standing outside of it, looking down at the man as he sat in the corner, head in his lap, hair a mess.

"What happened to you?" Theo broke the silence, he hadn't moved since she entered, she wasn't even sure he was awake and aware.

But he sound of her voice snapped him out of it, looking up at her. 

"Pardon?" He asked, his voice croaky from the lack of use. 

"What snapped in you to become the monster you were. Why threaten me when I was 11? Why hurt me like you did. Better yet, why did you save me when I overdosed?" Theo asked as she dragged a small stool in front of his cell.

"I don't know what you want from me..."

"Answers, I want fucking answers, reasoning for how you became such a fucked up person." Theo sighed. "You know, before you started sleeping with my mother, I liked you. You took care of me. You took me for ice cream, you would settle me when I cried. You helped me when I needed someone. Even fucking worse, was that you even helped me after you threatened me. You would help me stop crying when my parents argued, you showed me how to use a gun, you picked me up from school when my parents couldn't. You were like family to me. So, what was it? Were you confused when you were getting some sort of attention from someone. Did it not matter that I was 17?" Theo's voice broke as she spoke. "Were you badly treated as a kid? Were you afraid that you would never have love? Were you jealous? What was it?" Theo finally broke into tears.

"Theo..."

"I don't want any bullshit lies"

"It was all of that" He slowly moved closer to her, she caught the shine in his eyes, he was crying.

"I was assaulted as a child by my own father..." He cried.

Theo was caught off guard, hearing the broken words fall from his lips made her heart break slightly.

"He was put in prison when I was 8 for assaulting 3 boys my age. My mother was an addict, and I couldn't save her. So when I saw you on the floor after taking heroin, I saw my mother dying, and I knew I could save you" Shane cried. "Ugh, I know this doesn't make anything I did okay, god. I hate myself, so fucking much Theo, and I know it means nothing to you now but I am so fucking sorry!" He cried. "I took something away from you, I hurt you in a way that isn't forgivable. But I just hope you know I am a different person!" Shane yelled as Theo stood angrily, unlocking the door and storming inside where he continued to back up in fear.

This caused Theo to stop in her tracks.

"What's wrong princess? Are you scared?" Theo looked down at the cowardly man in front of her.

"Yes!" He cried out.

Theo shook her head in disbelief, beginning to pace backwards and forwards.

She cried before yelling out in anger, kicking him in the stomach, throwing him backwards with a groan.

"What about me! I was scared! I was 17!" Theo screamed.

Shane cried as he covered his face for protection.

"I'm sorry" He cried "I'm sorry Theo" Shane cried.

"You don't deserve to be alive, when people like Glenn, my mother, my dad, Herschel, Beth, Carl! Are all gone!" Theo yelled, screaming.

"Carl?" Shane stopped looking up at Theo.

She wiped her tears quickly as she grabbed her knife from a pocket, throwing it down to the ground.

"Yeah, Carl is gone..."

She cried.

"I'm not going to kill you. But please, don't that stop you from doing it yourself"

Theo turned on her heels, locking the door behind her, heading back upstairs.

She slammed the basement doors shut, taking a deep breath, before smiling up to the sky.

"Theodora Grimes Dixon, you can do this"

AND THAT IS TOXIC COMPLETE. 

I LOVED WRITING THIS BOOK. 

BUT THE NEXT ONE IS JUST GONNA HIT DIFFERENT AND I CAN'T WAIT:)