[log] these boots are made for walking [closed]

[theurgy]

Characters: Cassel and Adelina
Location: Somewhere outside building 104
Date: Night 209
Summary: Cassel and Adelina get themselves stuck outside after lockdown and totally die.
Warnings: Death, injury, will edit as needed!


[For a while, Cassel had fallen into a comfortable rhythm with Adelina. He trusts her more than he trusts almost anyone else here, and it's somehow simultaneously a relief and terrifying that she's starting to know little bits of who he really is. She makes things easier, certainly, but he also doesn't want to let her down, and he's utterly certain that he will. There's only so long he can fake being a good person before he inevitably screws up, after all. Still, he finds himself trying to joke with her and stay somewhat cheerful, if only to combat the horror of the town for her.

And then he saw Lila's name on the obituary. No explanation, no cause of death. Just gone. He didn't even get to say goodbye, although he tells himself that wouldn't have mattered, because she hates him. Hated him. He deserves it.

It doesn't matter, though. His mood seesaws into something terrible, snippy and broody and utterly depressed, and as much as he tries not to take it out on Adelina, sometimes he does, his reactions automatic. His self-loathing has never been worse, and he blames himself completely. He barely talks, and when he does, it's clipped and filled with a barely contained grief.

So, he's silent as they walk through the snow. It's almost lockdown, and they're still heading north, aiming for the split tunnels. It's cold enough that it bites at his skin, numbs his toes and fingers, but he doesn't complain. He's getting off easy.

Adelina has warned him about his shoes a million times by now, and maybe it's that the tread wasn't meant for snow, or the fact that he can't feel his feet, or maybe both. It doesn't matter. As they're climbing over a low pile of rubble, one sole slips on a slick piece of metal, and he falls, not nearly fast enough to catch himself. His feet don't go out from under him completely—he barely keeps his balance, but one foot slides down the debris, and Cassel just barely catches himself, but it doesn't matter. A twisted, jagged piece of rebar impales his foot, going right through the rubber and his arch and out the other side. The pain is so sudden and blinding that Cassel doesn't even register the fact that he cries out.]

Comments

[bloodbiter]

[During the last few days, she's gotten used to walking in silence. It became evident to her shortly Lila's name appeared on the obituaries that she couldn't do anything to help him deal with his grief. Whether that was because he didn't want help or because she wasn't adept at that kind of assistance, she doesn't know, but at some point she decided it might be best to give him space for a while.

She almost doesn't notice that he's stopped, but his cry of pain alerts her to what's happened. She turns back towards him, looking him over until she catches sight of the piece of metal that's pierced entirely through his foot. She sets her bag down for a moment, breathing a sigh as she comes towards him. Once she's close enough, she kneels slightly so she can get a better look at what's happened.]

...Hold still. It's going to be alright.

[She doesn't know, even as she says that, whether or not it will be. It's clear to her that he won't be able to walk like this. Carefully, she reaches out to see if the piece of metal is lodged in the ground, or if he could be moved without it needing to come out just yet.]