Red Tide² ━ FTWD

CHAPTER 23: Four-Days Dead

RED TIDE

chapter twenty-three: four-days dead

[ season 2, episode 7; shiva ]

NIGHT 21—DAY 22

Katie rushed with Madison to Strand's room, the place where the gunshot had originated from. She'd left Heather with Alicia outside while she checked what had happened — the girls were together, and armed in case anything happened.

When they arrived, Celia was standing over their captain, berating him as a small crowd gathered to watch. Katie turned to see as Madison's son entered the room, accompanied by her eldest daughter. Strange — she'd thought Meghan was with Ofelia. She didn't have time to waste on questioning her, however, as the bereaved voice of Celia broke through her thoughts.

"Where are your words now?" the woman demanded. "What can you tell him?"

Strand sat with shoulders hunched upon the bed, refusing to meet Celia's accusing gaze. Laid beside him, Thomas' head was covered by one of the pillows, white plush covering up what Katie knew to be an unsightly hole through his head.

"This man, who loved you..." as Celia continued her lecture, Travis turned to leave, ignoring as Madison called after him. "...who died believing your lies. You tell him the truth. That you looked inside yourself, deep into the place where your soul should be, and you found it empty."

Strand shook his head, something shaky, and opened his mouth before closing it again — an aborted attempt at denial.

Celia's voice rose. "You tell him that!" She drew back her arm, then back-handed him across the cheek. The hard sound of knuckles meeting flesh echoed through the room as Strand's head snapped to one side — too lost in his own grief to even try and avoid the woman's anger. She spat out something in Spanish that sounded like a curse, and drew her hand back again, but Madison stepped forward and caught it before she made contact.

"No, no, that's enough," the blonde said, desperately trying to defuse the situation as she stepped between the two. "That's enough."

Celia snatched her hand from the woman's light grip and looked at her with open disdain. "Why are you here? Who are you?"

Madison looked to Katie briefly as the other woman came to stand beside her, a silent wall of defense for their once captain. He needed it now more than ever — even in the middle of the apocalypse, she'd never seen Strand as broken as he was now. Like his heart had been carved from his chest.

"His friends," Madison offered softly.

Celia scoffed bitterly. "You are his fools. So was my son," her voice broke, and she turned away, met with the comforting face of Nick Clark.