DAMNATION.

chapter forty-two, you burn with us.
[ season nine, episode three ]

WAKING UP TO CARL'S empty bedroom never gets easier. Odessa wakes up some mornings and forgets he's gone. She'll walk across the hall to his bedroom to wake him up, but he's never there.

Odessa sits up in her bed, she rubs her eyes. The sun peeks in through the blinds. She looks over at the sleeping girl at her side. Brielle hasn't been feeling well, neither has Judith. Rick thinks they've both caught whatever bug is going around. It scares Odessa. It reminds her of the sickness that went around the prison just before it fell.

Odessa throws her legs over her bed and quickly changes into a pair of blue jeans and a black tank top. She throws one of Carl's flannels on over the tank stop. She puts on her boots. And lastly, she gathers all of her weapons.

She lets Brielle and Judith sleep as she makes breakfast for everyone in her house. Her family. Rick, Michonne, Theo, Judith, and Brielle. It's her way of apologizing to her father for their little argument yesterday.

She makes eggs and bacon.

She pours herself a glass of orange juice and fixes herself a small plate. She sits at the dining table, waiting for the rest of her family to join her, she waits for her father to come down the steps so she can look him in his eyes and say sorry. Something he's never done for her.

After ten minutes, she eats the small amount of food that's on her plate. Then she places her plate, fork, and cup in the sink. And goes about her day.

When Rick comes down the stairs twenty minutes later, he's sure his heart breaks in half. His eyes settle on the food wrapped in aluminum foil. He spots Odessa's dishes in the sink. He doesn't see his daughter anywhere in the house.

He eats without her.

Then he waits for Michonne to wake the younger girls. Brielle, Michonne, and Judith all eat their breakfast. Then they take them to the infirmary where Siddiq does a check up on them both. Rick and Michonne spend the day with the two girls. They play hide and seek, they play in their home, they have a picnic.

Then they're told that Justin turned up dead.

Immediately, Rick has his suspicions.

He first thought, Odessa.

Then he thinks of Daryl, Theo maybe. Hell, he even considers Cori.

When he reaches the camp, the Saviors and his people are separated into two different groups. "Everyone, back off. Right now!" He demands as he comes barreling between them on his horse.

He looks around, his eyes fall onto his daughter. She stands at the back of the group. Her eyes meet his. She shakes her head with the roll of her eyes. She turns on her heel, and she walks away.

"I'll talk to Rick," Alden speaks up. "I'll try to find away to make everybody feel safe."

"Start the redirect. Pair off to work the grid," Rick orders as people begin to walk away.

Odessa makes her way to her sent. Cori catches up to her. "Hey," she greets. "How're you?"

"I'm fine," Odessa replies. "You know who killed Justin?"

"No, I wish I did, though." Cori replies as she sits on Odessa's cot. "Do you know?"

"If I did I would tell my dad," Odessa tells her. "My dad is gonna ask if it was you. He's gonna ask Daryl the same thing. Y'all both use arrows and bolts."

Just as she says this, a tap sound on the wood that holds her tent up. "Yeah?"

Her dad walks in two second later.

"I didn't kill Justin," Cori says almost immediately. Rick raises his eyebrows. "I wish I did though."

Odessa's eyes dart over to her, wide with shock. Cori's never been vicious or blood-thirsty like her girlfriend. She's been afraid of killing people since Silas was murdered but now?

Cori wishes she was the one that killed a man.

"He hurt my girlfriend, your daughter. You didn't even defend her yesterday, Rick. Daryl did." Cori stands, a mean look in her eyes. "Daryl's been more of a father to Odessa than you have in the last year. You do realize that right?"

Rick stares at her, no expression on his face. It's just blank. "Cori—"

"I'm not done talkin'." She says. "Carl is dead. We know it. We've all accepted it. You have Judith to take care of now. But you're doin' exactly what Odessa told me your wife did to her. You're forgetting you have another child. Odessa is your first born. And yes, she may be an adult now, but, damnit, Rick, she still needs her dad. I never had one. Mine was a drug addict and an abuser. So, give your daughter fucking love."

Cori brushes past him, knocking shoulders with him as she leaves the tent. Odessa stares at the floor in silence. Rick finally looks to her. "That how you feel?"

She doesn't answer his question. "I cooked breakfast this morning. It was my way of apologizing for our argument yesterday," she whispers. "No one came downstairs to eat with me."

"I'm sorry, Des." He tells her. "Look— you're my girl, my first born, and I love you with all of my heart. But I can't be everywhere at once."

"I'm not asking you to be," she snaps. "I'm asking you to be my dad again. I love you. More than anyone in the goddam world now that Carl is gone. But Dad, I need you to step up, please. I can't lose you like I lost Mom."

Rick stares at her, unwelcome tears gather in his Georgian blues. He then reaches forward and pulls his daughter into his arms. She wraps her arms around his middle, burying her face in his chest. He holds her. He holds her and he doesn't let go. He holds her because he can feel his daughter slowly slipping from his fingers.

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Odessa and Daryl walk side-by-side. They've been silent since they started working the grid. They've barely spoken.

"Call it out." Rick's voice comes over the radio.

"Grid one— clear so far." Jerry pipes over the radio from where he and Theo work grid one.

"Grid two's clear," Odessa says into her radio.

"Three is clear," Rick then speaks up.

"Grid four is clear," Maggie replies.

"Five is clear," Arat speaks up. Cori had been paired up with her to clear the grids.

"Piper One, anything up top?" Rick asks.

"We're good. Nothin' movin' our war," Dianne replies.

"Stay sharp, eyes open. We still got missin' people out here." Rick tells them.

"Got activity nearby. Gonna check it out," Maggie suddenly says.

"We're headed your way. Grid five, do the same," Rick instructs.

When Daryl and Odessa reach grid five, it doesn't take long to find Maggie and Cyndie. Daryl quickly fires a bolt into the walker Cyndie fights off. Rick and Rosita rush to help Maggie with the walkers that pile at the door.

"You okay?" Odessa asks Cyndie. She nods.

"Where the hell are Arat and Cori? They shoulda got here way before any of us," Odessa looks around.

Rick raises his radio to his mouth. "Grid five, what's your status?"

No response.

"Oh, my God," Odessa whispers. Fear settles in her heart. She can't lose anyone else.

Before anyone can react, Odessa is jumping off the porch and sprinting in the direction of grid five.

"Odessa!" Rick calls after her. She can hear them running behind her so she doesn't dare slow down.

She rushes through the woods, calling for Cori.

When she sees red hair in the distance, she picks up her hair. When she gets closer, she sees that Cori is on the ground. "No," Odessa says in terror. She reaches Cori in no time. "Cori."

She checks her pulse.

Relief floods her body.

There's a pulse.

"Cori," Odessa shakes her. "Cori, wake up." Cori groans in pain. She lifts her hand to the back of her head. "Hey, you okay?"

Cori sits up, looking around at the others. "Yeah," you're okay." Odessa smiles. She kisses Cori. Rick turns his eyes away.

When they pull apart, Odessa asks, "what happened? Where's Arat?"

"Arat called in an all clear and we headed towards the road, and then... I don't know. Something hit me from behind I think," Cori tells them.

"Arat?" Rick questions. Cori only shrugs. Odessa grabs Cori's hands and pulls her to her feet.

"Whoever did this took her," Maggie speaks up. All eyes turn to her, she holds up Arat's radio and knife.

"Oh, shit."

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As soon as the group returns to the camp, they all gather in the main tent. Carol. Carol, Jerry, and Theo join them.

"We have to find her." Rick says from where he leans on the table.

"Do the Saviors know?" Cyndie questions.

"Not yet, they think Arat's on watch through the night." Carol replies. She glances around at everyone. "Come morning, they will.

"She could be dead already." Maggie speaks up.

"If we don't figure out what happened, Sanctuary is gone." Carol says, worried for the community seeing as it's now her responsibly since Daryl walked away from it.

"If that happens, we won't finish the work before the water rises. We'll lose the bridge." Odessa pipes. "After all the hard work, we can't risk it."

"Yo." Jerry raises his hand. All eyes move over to him. "Say we nab the perp. Then what? Who decides what happens next? Is it— is it gonna be a Gregory or a Negan?"

Odessa's eyes fall onto her hands that rest on the table. She wonders the same thing.

"Well, whoever it is, when the time comes they'll get what they deserve." Cori says with the shake of her head.

Odessa's eyes flicker up to hers. As soon as their eyes meet, Odessa knows. Cori knows that she knows. Cori feels her stomach sink to her stomach. Ever so slightly, Cori shakes her head, silently begging her girlfriend not to say anything.

And then, Odessa nods.

"Pair up with someone you trust. We're out there til we find her." Rick tells everyone.

And so Cyndie and Cori pair up together.

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Theo and Odessa walk through the woods. "You think someone actually took her?" Odessa looks to her brother.

Theo shakes his head. "No," he tells her. "I think she ran off, just wishin' to not be apart of this anymore, you know?"

"I know," Odessa says. "Maybe she just doesn't wanna live the way Dad wants everyone to live anymore. She might be tired of living in a shithole place like the Sanctuary."

"There's a lot of reasons she could've left." Theo shrugs. "You don't think she's alive, do you?"

Odessa shakes her head. "No."

"Did you kill Justin?" Theo then asks.

"I wish I had." Odessa looks over at him. "But no, I didn't kill Justin. I don't use weapons that make round wound like that. If I had killed Justin, his throat woulda been sliced wide open or there woulda been a stab wound right in his heart."

"You know who did it," Theo states. Odessa's brows furrow. "I do, too. It's Oceanside. Cyndie told me. That's why I'm leading us away from where they are."

"Why do you think Cori partnered up with Cyndie instead of me?" Odessa's eyes flicker over to her brother.

Theo's brows shoot upwards in surprise. "Cori's helping them? Because of Silas?"

"That's my guess." Odessa responds. Theo nods.

As night settles over the siblings, Odessa becomes more wary over their surroundings. They walk through the woods, still looking for a woman they aren't going to find.

As Odessa steps, something clamps down onto her leg. Before Theo can react, Odessa is on the ground, her scream sounding in the woods.

Theo hits his knees beside her. His eyes widen in horror as blood gushes from the wound in her leg. Sobs of intense pain rips through her body.

"Oh, my God." Theo mutters.

He stares down at his sister's leg. Keeping her leg in place, is a beat trap. It digs into her skin.

"Get it off!" Odessa shouts through her cries. She pushes herself up on her elbows. "Off!"

Theo doesn't remembers the last time he heard his sister in so much physical pain. It might've been when Kathleen stabbed her but she never showed that pain around him.

But her screams from now... he'll never forget those sounds. It's the sound of pure agony.

"Okay, okay." Theo breathes out.  "I'm gonna pull it apart okay."

She nods quickly.

Theo shrugs his flannel off and balls it up. "Bite down on this." He tells her. She lets Theo place the balled up shirt in her mouth

As soon as Theo starts to use all of his strength, the bear trap starts to pull out of her leg. Odessa's back arches off the ground as the pain rips through her entire body. The flannel muffles her agonized screams.

When Theo finally gets the bear trap off of her, he pulls back so it doesn't snap onto his arm. Odessa's head rolls to the side.

"Des?" He says. He leans down and presses his fingers to her neck.

There's a pulse.

Theo carries her the rest of the way back to camp.

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"Drop it!" Daryl Dixon's voice hits Cori's ears like a semi truck. Her heart falls to her stomach.

"Cori?" Maggie's distraught whisper rips through the air. She stares at the young woman who stands beside Cyndie.

"You kill Justin with that thing?" Daryl shakes his head. He stares at Bea who has her spear gun pointed at him and Maggie.

"He killed my husband." Bea informs him.

Daryl lowers his crossbow.

"Daryl, please." Arat begs.

"They got a reason?" Daryl looks down at her

"We've all done things." Arat responds.

"People will find out." Maggie says. "Cori, what're you doin'? Why are you here?"

"She's the last one, Maggie. After her, it's over for them. I haven't killed anyone. I'm just helped get them here," Cori tells her.

"Maybe for you. But it won't be. With something like this, it keeps going." Maggie looks at Cori sadly.

Cyndie shakes her head, anger on her face, "this was our home. My mother and my grandmother found this place for the group. There were so many of us then. Men and women... kids. My mom and I built a garden. Me and my brother used to play right here." She points at the spot they stand in.

Cori's eyes fall to her feet in sadness. She thinks about her own brother. Silas, who was murdered by a bad man.

"But then the Saviors came. And Simon wanted what we had. He gave us our final warning. Afterward, we ran. And we tried to forget. But, then, your people came and asked us to fight. We did because we couldn't forget. After Rick ended it, we went along because we didn't think we had a choice. Until you hung Gregory. That's when we knew. Rick's rules aren't the only rules. You showed us the way. It was time." Cyndie's voice shakes with emotion.

"You did this... because of me?" Maggie's shocked voice asks.

A sob slips past Cyndie's lips. "They murdered... my mother! She shot my brother right here. And they took everything because they could."

"Please," Arat begs. Her eyes look to Maggie and Daryl, "it's not like that anymore, okay? I'm— I'm one of you now."

"Did you do it?" Maggie questions her.

"Simon would've killed me, too!" Arat

"You asked me to beg for his life! He was crying, and you smiled! I told you I loved him. I needed him!" Cyndie sobs. Cori's eyes fill with tears as Cyndie continues. "He was only eleven years old. And what did you say?"

"I— I don't remember." Arat shakes her head, scared tears falling down her face.

"Say it!" Cyndie snaps.

"Please!" Arat begs.

"What did you say?" Maggie asks.

For a moment, Arat is silent. Then she answers, "no exceptions."

Daryl and Maggie stand still. Their eyes lock. Maggie is the first to turn. Daryl turns next. And together they walk away.

"Oh, no. Daryl, Maggie! Daryl, you can't do this! I've changed!" Arat calls after them.

The sound of flesh tearing fills their ears.

Arat is dead.

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word count: 2,750

wow, what a chapter!!!

so, cori told rick off. finally though!!! someone needed to talk (or knock) some sense into that man during the bridge era. she did not hesitate to step up and defend her girl. and she's right. but her telling rick that he's acting like lori did was pure pain to write 🥲.

anyway, odessa can never catch a break. she stepped in a bear trap. smh, that poor girl. don't worry though guys, she gets a break very, very soon!!!! right after some of the worst months of her life ofc because odessa is literally a beacon for loss and pain.

maggie now knows that cori was involved with the saviors going missing but that doesn't change her mind about the girl. she loves her way too much to ever feel any type of disdain towards her. cori and flynn are her children (other than hershel of). they mean more to her than anyone in the world (again, except hershel).

also, let's please acknowledge that odessa and rick shared their last ever hug in this chapter. that hurts so much to think about. omg.

TWO MORE CHAPTERS GUYS!!!!!!