1 MONTH LATER...
Madi was walking back from scavenging when she saw Carl.
She was scaling a valley, hefting the haul of gears along when she felt the shadow behind her. Madi whipped her head around, and saw Carl, foreboding and large, up on top of the valley that she was walking up to, and she felt her heart quicken in excitement.
It had been a month since she'd last seen him, ever since their last talk in the cave and since the trap. Madi had tried to visit, every day in the week, but every single time the boulder that blocked the cave door was closed, and she never saw him since. Soon, her mind had turned away from Carl to other things, like helping Lexa fix her wheelchair (it was a bit better now—they'd managed to find all the parts, and Madi was trying to add a fold-to-rigid mechanism so it'd be easier to use), or peeking around corners to see if she could find a flash of a presence or a shadow, but it didn't mean that she'd forgotten about him.
Madi felt elation, felt happiness at seeing him finally... but then she noticed his state. Breathing loud, hard, as careless as he had been when Madi first met him. Overbearing and large, his shadow cast over her, and she felt like prey, felt like she couldn't run...
The gears dropped.
''Carl...'' Madi said, voice frighteningly hoarse. His shadow, his figure still towered over her... and she couldn't help but feel on edge. Her hand felt for her dagger by her side... but to her surprise, there was nothing but thin air. Crap! I left it at the abode. Apprehensively, she asked: ''W-what are you doing...?''
Carl growled. Advanced a step towards Madi as she took a step back. ''I-I'm sorry, Madi. But the past few weeks have been long... and I've thought things over. It's nothing personal.''
Involuntarily, images of the trap appeared in her mind, the trap that was his but wasn't all the same, and she felt an emotion in her heat manifest. And then of their talk in the cave, of how his words were seeded with regret, with defeat, and Madi felt fear creep into her heart. ''Carl, please... leave.''
Another step. Madi took a step back, feeling the slope uneven underneath her feet, as Carl towered above her with emotions she couldn't discern. Shrouded by the light, shadows cast over his face. Madi tried again: ''You're a good person, Carl. You—'' she paused. ''—what are you doing?''
He didn't seem to hear her. ''You know, Madi, I was thinking about the words you've said before. Back at the cave. About me being Maunon. And about how we'll never get over our pasts, and how you'll always be Grounder, and I'll always be Maunon. Of how there's always gonna be strife in our bloodlines.''
Madi took a step back. Apprehensively, she said: ''W-what are you gettin' at?''
Carl smiled, bitterly. ''You're wrong, Madi. There's no way both of us can live together in peace.''
Oh Spirits, my outburst! Spirits, Spirits, Spirits, what did I say? Why did I say that?!
Madi held up her palms in an attempt to pacify him, and for whatever whimsical protection she had left. ''But I was wrong!'' she said, and backed three steps away. And she thought of their talk back in the cave, and she apologised for it, didn't she? Didn't they agree that she was wrong? ''I thought we—we agreed about that! W-we agreed I was wrong! I-I didn't mean it, Carl!''
''Whatever I do, you'll always choose them over me.'' Carl growled, his shadow overbearing and large as it towered above her. ''They'll always be your people. I'll always be the last survivor. It's only one or the other. There's nothing we can do about it.''
''No! But it doesn't have to be like this!'' Madi protested. ''No one said it had to be like this!'' And Madi felt like she was stuffing her words back in her mouth, because she did, she did say that, and now even with an apology, there was no turning back from it. ''Can't—can't we just put back our pasts, our histories and move on? Why does it matter now, when we're the last people left on Earth anyway?!'' Madi took a breath. Tried not to think of the traps or the cave or the threats of death hanging above all their heads. Carl was breathing hard, blinking at her—almost bewildered, confused even. Madi took the chance.
''Just one chance. One talk with Clarke and Lexa. You can sort things out, and none of this—'' Madi's gaze tore away from Carl to his hands and to the forests below, ''—whatever you're doing, none of it would need to happen.'' she said firmly. And then she thought about the trap; remembered his confusion; thought of the flash of brown; and felt the gnawing doubt in her chest fully-form. ''Whatever it is, we can sort it out. I'm sure of it.''
His gaze was desperate, wilful—his eyes darted around, as if looking, pleading for a chance and Madi hoped, oh she hoped so bad that what she said worked. But then his gaze reverted back and no no no no no his brow narrowed and the stubbornness was on his face again and no no no he chuckled and didn't want to change. ''Too late, Madi.''
And then, he advanced towards Madi with two quick steps, pressed a hand against her mouth and arm-locked her under his shoulder, all before Madi could get out the second scream.
