《 Đ.₩. 》
《 Đ.₩. 》
It took a moment for Rachel to calm Larke down, but at least she was successful. Putting Larke into a panic extremely challenging, but taking her out of one is excruciatingly exhausting.
But then Larke realized who she was talking to, and who was around her, and how they looked.
Gar was covered in blood.
Kory was leaning against Dick for support.
The woman next to Rachel looked pale and like she was a patient here, to Larke.
And then Larke's instincts kicked in. And she got up, and hurried with everyone out the door. They made their way to the tunnels below, everyone seemingly exhausted and still dumbfound at what this place was.
Until a group of men came around the tunnel corner, with weapons that looked to kill. The group paused for a moment, just staring and thinking.
Larke pushed Rachel behind her, but Dick stopped her with his hand on her arm.
Larke looked to him, as he shook his head.
"I've got this," his voice was a deep, almost grave tone, which the ex-assassin recognized.
It was authoritative yet a confirmation of sorts. A confirmation for only the person who uses it, to reassure themselves of their thoughts and actions.
And then Richard Grayson took out the guards with a metal pipe from the tunnel walls.
It usually was a glorious sight to see for Larke -- watching an ally beat the life out of their enemy with a singular stick of metal, but this time was different.
This time, it was terrifying. It was horrific, wired with red, and inhumane.
But Larke just stood and watched the scene unfold, as well as everyone else with the consensual flinches and blinks.
And then, Dick stands there, holding the bloodied piece of metal, taking in what he's done. He thinks no one will understand why he did this, and that they'll just comprehend he did it for them, to keep them safe.
But Larke understands. She understands completely. And so she keeps completely silent as he tells them to leave and get out of the Asylum.
And then it's her, Rachel, Gar, and presumably Rachel's birth mother, making their way outside. It's a fresh yet frigid night outside, as the group makes their way across the front lawn.
It's slightly peaceful, until the building beside them goes up in flames. It's sudden, and all three people around Larke flinch.
But Larke just stares, at the bright orange yellow waves of growing heat that encase the insane asylum. Suddenly she smiles. But she doesn't smile at the building going up in flames- she could care less about the ratched building- but at the woman walking out of the building.
A boss bitch, Larke thinks, as she sees Kory strut out of the building.
And then she comes over to the teens - and adult - and watches the building burn with them.
Breakfast was possibly the best Larke had had in a while. She wasn't expecting it, but she sure as hell enjoyed it. She sat quietly and ate, while a conversation of a house in Rachel's family came up.
Larke retained that it is in Ohio, and all were welcome to stay. For as long as they wanted. Rachel looked to Larke first, before Dick.
She knew the ex-assassin would probably be hesitant to, but the look Rachel gave Larke was one that made her heart melt. But Larke had to say no. She couldn't say yes.
"I can't,"
"Yes, you can. And you will. You'll be safe there!" Rachel tells her, and Larke takes in a sharp breath.
"I know I will be safe there. It's you who won't be. I've got people after me - very dangerous people may I add - and they won't stop until I'm dead. And that includes taking care of whomever gets in front of that," Larke responds firmly, trying to keep the mood lighter than the mood with what happened at the Asylum.
But Rachel is persistent. And so for now, she lets it go, knowing Larke will still be with them for a little while longer, and turns to Dick. She'll get more chances later, she's sure of it.
"We're totally a team," Kory says as the group - including Rachel's mother - walks behind Dick. They're saying their final goodbyes to him as they all part ways. It's slightly melancholy for Larke, as everyone says their goodbyes.
But she knows she can't stay. These people, whom she's grown to care about, have a high probability of getting hurt or killed if she goes with them. Right?
But then Larke sees Rachel call after Dick, run up to him, and embrace him. And then it hits her.
Larke wants to stay, and she possibly could. She could protect her new friends. She could protect them from the horrors of the League of Widows.
And she could hide, fight, and teach them. Not to fight like her, but to teach them how to think if caught or countered with the League of Widows.
And then Rachel lets Dick go, and the group gives their goodbye. Larke just gives a small smile and bow of her head towards him as he leaves. He just chuckles and waves.
The van rounds the corner, and Rachel elbows Larke lightly, catching her attention.
"Your coming with us, because you can't be alone. No one should, especially not with what you went through," The purple haired girl whispers to her new friend.
Larke swallows, and takes a deep breath in and out.
And then she does something she hasn't done in years. She allows herself to choose to do something good for herself. Something that will help her, not hurt her.
She turns and looks Rachel right in the eyes, saying the only thing she can think of to say.
"Okay."
A nap on a train usually is somewhat hard if your not half asleep when you get on the train. But Larke falls asleep almost immediately as she hits the seat, with Kory to her left and Gar across from her.
The boy laughs at the sight of his new friend sleeping like a baby on the train. Kory does find it funny, but can't laugh, not with the headache she's suffering.
But her headache isn't normal -- it gives her flashing images that correlate with the sounds around her. And the only way to fix it in her mind is with alcohol.
I mean, she isn't wrong, although she might actually be wrong. Getting drunk doesn't help a human headache. But Kory isn't human.
"Larke wake up," Gar says quietly, basically lifting Larke off her seat and on the ground.
She's awake and alert in seconds, eyes flying around the room, taking a couple steps backward. "We need to go find Rachel and Arella," he grabs her arm and pulls her forward.
She stumbles slightly, but regains her balance as they briskly walk down the hall of the train compartment. Larke assumes Arella is Rachel's mother-- she is correct.
"Where's Rachel?" Kory asks.
"The bathroom, why?" Arella asks, concern lacing her voice. She stands up.
"Just get Rachel and get out of here. Don't come back for me. Just do it," Kory orders, walking away.
And then it dawns on Larke that there is a problem. And she peers out each window and realizes that they are stopped, completely. That's why she felt odd, and why she regained her balance quicker than usual. The train has stopped.
"What's going on?" Larke asked quietly, as Rachel and her mother joined the group.
"I don't know, but we gotta get outta here," Gar rushes, as they make their way to a train door.
They meet the dark, thick air, a whole fleet of cop, FBI and government cars, and a sudden burst of yellow orange that blows through the side of the train.
The train bursts into flames as the group runs, but only to a certain amount. The sea of people running and yelling covers them.
"What about Kory?!" Rachel shouts.
"She told us to just go -- I believe she's handling herself just fine at the moment too," Larke replies.
It's funny, Larke realizes, that that sarcastic statement about Kory handling herself was the first real thing she's said ever since her parents died. It was truly and completely Larke.
She just smiles to herself.
Rachel just nods her head and keeps running. They run until they meet a man not too far from the train, and already know what to do.
Steal the car and pick Kory up. And that's what they do, while having the iconic rock band ACDC playing in the background.
It's awesome, in Larke's words. Arella left it on but only because she wasn't paying attention, to focused on exiting. Turns out Kory likes it too, so it's a win-win.
But what won't be a win-win are the death defying events that follow up the groups arrival to the Roth family house in Deerkill, Ohio.