ꜰᴏᴏʟ'ꜱ ᴍᴀᴛᴇ || ᴛᴡᴅ

099: ꜱᴇᴇɪɴɢ ᴅᴀᴅ ᴄʀʏ

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When she awoke, they were inside a mine shaft.

The others were digging nearby, apparently they were right below the surface, right below a way out. 

Rachel sat and watched them, not saying anything, for a while. She was tired, and cold. She was glad to have Daryl's vest. She was surprised he parted with it. But, she had it over her shoulders, at least helping her pretend she was warmer with it. But even with that and her coat, she was cold. And sweaty.

Her shoe was gone, and the pain in her foot was horrible, but it was bandaged. She was honestly frightened to ask what they'd done. Either her toes were gone, or she was going to turn soon.  She wasn't sure if she hoped for either of them, but she knew her foot was still there. It was bandaged, though, so she couldn't see the toes.

Daryl glanced over, noticing she was awake, and made his way over.

"Hey. You alright?"

She nodded, and looked at her bandaged foot.

"You'll be alright."

So, they cut it off. She wondered where her toes were, what they did it them. 

"We'll get you home, and you'll feel better." He said, crouching beside her. "Get you some meds and water."

"I just wanna see Danny."

"I know."

She looked at where the others were digging. "Can we get out that way?"

"Yeah. We'll be out, and head straight home."

She glanced around, and noticed something. "Where's Carol?"

Daryl looked at a box nearby, filled with dynamite, and got to his feet. "Shit. I'll be back."

He ran down the nearby shaft, and vanished.

Connie walked over to her, then, signing to her. 'You okay?'

She nodded.

'I'm sorry we had to cut off your toes.' She chuckled.

'I hate toes anyway, I'll get over it. They're just very alien.'

She smiled at that, too, and sat with Rachel while they waited. She wanted to help, and had gotten to stand on one foot, but then the world spun, making her almost puke, and she couldn't put weight on her foot, meaning she could only hope. She thought of Sami, being able to do almost anything on one leg. But he'd only had one leg for six or seven years. She hoped she learn to be good with her toes quicker than that.

But soon, there was a loud bang. 

It shook the earth beneath and above them, shaking the ceiling loose. The wooden slats holding the Earth above them fell, almost hitting Magna and Jerry, and Aaron fell from his spot where he was digging a hole out of the mine.

Jerry grabbed a fallen slat, holding it above himself and yelling, Aaron helping him, to hold the earth above them so they could get out. 

Kelly climbed out, first, but Rachel began hopping the way Daryl had gone. 

Connie grabbed her arm, stopping her. 

'They could be hurt. I'm not leaving.' Rachel signed.

'You can't help them if they're hurt. Get out, I can go get them.' 

She vanished a moment later, Magna running after her.

Rachel wanted to go after them, but Connie was right. She'd just be a burden. So, she made her way over to Jerry and Aaron, climbing out, Kelly pulling her out on the other side.

"Whisperers!" She yelled, as she pulled Rachel up. "They're here!"

Rachel pulled out her knife, and stood on her good foot. "I'll try have your back."

The Whisperers ran at them, and they attacked. Rachel used her bow, taking out two before one swung at her arm, making her dodge back. 

She stood on her left foot and yelled, falling to the ground, but didn't miss a beat, stabbing the whisperer in the back of the knee, making him yell and fall before she stabbed his head.

The ground was still shaking beneath them, as Rachel got to her feet and grabbed a whisperers head, slamming it into Aaron's mace-arm as he swung it towards him. 

Daryl's head popped out of the ground, and Rachel hopped over, grabbing his arm and helping him up.

"You okay?" He asked, panting, and when she nodded he instantly leaned down on his stomach, reaching his arm in to get Carol. "Give me your hand!"

Carol was there a moment later, blood running down her forehead, limp, Daryl having to drag her.

Rachel dived onto her stomach, reaching her hand in to Jerry. "Jerry! Jerry, give me your hand!"

He yelled, and the slat fell, making him turn and grab her hand, letting her pull him out of the crumbling cave.

"Get you to the others!" He panted, helping her hop over to where the others were, the ground still shaking. 

But then came the real explosion.

Daryl had come over to get Rachel, and shielded her body with his as the sand and rubble flew into the sky, the ground seeming to sink beneath them as it shook violently, the air becoming a haze of brown with the sand.

Rachel pushed Daryl's arm away as she looked back at the now pile of rubble where they had just been. 

Connie and Magna.

Kelly sobbed and ran towards it, as Daryl ran over, too, and began digging.

But there was no use. He was grabbing large rocks, throwing them aside, but that's all there was. Even if he was to find them beneath it . . . 

Rachel hopped forward, dragging her foot. "Daryl. Daryl, we can't clear this."

"Help me!" He turned his head to look at her, but his eyes fell on Kelly instead.

"We can't!" She stood, tears staining her dust covered face as she pulled away from Jerry, who was trying to comfort her. "This blast is going to call walkers and whisperers from a hundred miles from here. We don't want our backs pressed against this mountain when they come. We can't save them if we're dead."

"Come on." Aaron reached his hand out to help Daryl down, and he took it, climbing down and putting hand on Rachel's shoulder.

That's when it clicked. Daryl looking at the dynamite, the explosion. Carol being so beaten up.

It was her. She did this. 

And all doubt left Rachel's mind as Daryl's eyes fell to Carol, and he almost cried, pointing at her.

"Say it to me." He tried to pass her, but she spoke and stopped him. "Say it. Just say it to me. You were right about everything. Just say it."

He said nothing, trying to walk past her again, but she cried, grabbing his arm.

"No, please! You cared about her. And now she's gone because of me. Please, just say it! Please say it." She cried into her hands.

Daryl looked back at them. "Go home. Tell the others we found the horde."

Rachel shook her head, furiously. He can't leave. He can't go out alone, not now. She needed him here. "No. No, Daryl-"

"there's gotta be another way in."

"Then I'll-"

He shook his head, and walked away.

"Let him go." Aaron said, standing beside her. "You can't be out here."

She wanted to object. She wanted to fight. She wanted to scream, and run after Daryl, and tell him he can't leave her. She wanted to be home. She wanted it to stop. Everything. 

But she didn't do any of that. The adrenaline was wearing off. The losses were weighing on her. And seeing Daryl cry made her feel like the world was lost. Broken. And nothing could pull it back together.

That wasn't supposed to happen.

So, they left Carol crying by the rubble.