CARMEN, riverdale.

' independence '

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     THE FIRST few hours of return to Riverdale was a complete and actual hell. Sweet Pea was pissed for the abrupt exit, he didn't even know about Carmen's well-being because no one would tell him, and on top of that, Wynona wasn't speaking at all, and the questionable amount of blood coating her was beginning to worry him. There was even some in her hair.

Then came the days and watching Robin Murdock's trial on screen, how Novak had put his daughter in a critical, near-death situation and admitted all the crimes against his family. The thing that won him was that Novak had been threatening him to do all what he did, because if he didn't, Novak was going to kill Carmen. Robin told the media that he'd learned not to take that threat lightly because Novak had already killed his wife and son. He didn't need the man he used to serve with to wipe out his entire family when he's already got half and the evidences, the cctv clips supported his statement.

No one told him anything, it wasn't like he could actually just go up to Carmen's northside friends. His pride took the best of him as he constantly pestered Wynona to no end, his temper sent over the roof as she refused to answer him again.

"She's either dead, or she's not! One simple question, Wynona! It's a yes or no, just fucking tell me!" Sweet Pea had never called her by her full name before. It was always just Wyn.

Wynona slapped him, hard. He didn't realize it until he turned back to look at her and felt his cheek sting from the impact. Her usually neat hair more disheveled, and her eyes red from sleep-deprived nights and stress. "Don't you speak to me like that," She grits out, jabbing her pointer finger to his chest. "You weren't there, you don't know what happened."

"So tell me, goddamit!" He snapped. Wynona flinches, it takes him a second to realize that his palm was up in the air like he was going to hit her. His eyes widened, his mouth failing to formulate words as he retrieved his hand. Toni pulled Wynona away from him, shooting him a pointed look. Fogarty stands beside him, rubbing his arm.

Then Wynona turned back, sniffling. "She's dead," She gave him a nod, swallowing. "That's what you wanted to know, right? Yeah, she's dead."

What the fuck, was that why everything, almost the entirety of Riverdale, had been so silent? He felt like he'd been punched in the gut, harder than when he went through the Serpent initiation.

Stunned, he sat back at the gallery, sighing through his nose. This was why he avoided getting close to anyone outside of the Serpents, if he lost them, he'd shut down again. He looked back to their last sensible talk, she thanked him back then. She never thanked anyone, was that some sort of unknown goodbye? When she surrendered herself willingly that night, something she wasn't ever known to do, was it some sick kind of sacrifice?

Dammit, he was drunk again as he took large sips of the liquor in the bottle that he held. His hazy gaze set upon something in the forest, a crow, more likely. The crow reminded him of Carmen, beautiful and haunting, a symbol for death.

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     THE SWEET taste of desperation ran through his veins. It was like losing Eliana and Chandler all over again. He was fighting against those hands holding him down, the pain in his chest severe. He jerked his head every which way, see behind the people blocking his view. They were pressing down on her chest again, yells tumbling from their mouths to save the girl.