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</div>Rachel stood against the door of the infirmary. The door was solid and strong, used both for support and to prevent any of Hale’s guards from coming inside. She knew she couldn’t trust Ayo, not really. Not when his name was conveniently excluded from Hale’s list of victims. Not when his life and livelihood and safety weren’t being torn from his very hands. Rachel knew the man better than he knew himself and she could guarantee that she would not be granted the time she needed with Aurora.<br/><div style="text-align: justify"><br/>
She wiped the fallen tears from her rosy cheeks and stole a few brief seconds to steel herself against her emotions. Anger. Sadness. Frustration. Desperation. Disappointment. Rachel felt everything all at once, hitting her like a freight train, and it took every ounce of her to not let the emotions overrun her.<br/>
<br/>
Rachel stepped through the privacy curtain and smiled at the young blond as she approached the bed.<br/>
<br/>
“Hi, sweetie. How are you feeling?” Aurora’s forehead glimmered with a light layer of sweat. Rachel had tried to keep her comfortable with over-the-counter pain medication, but there was only so much that could be administered in a 24 hour period. The marvel that was modern medicine disappeared as soon as the apocalypse showed up on their doorstep, leaving them with just their ingenuity to get by. Rachel smoothed her hand over the girl’s forehead and poured her a cup of water from a nearby pitcher.<br/>
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“I’m doing okay.” Aurora responded with a small wince, holding the swell of her belly. Her pretty brown eyes closed as she fisted a hand into the fabric of the robe she lounged in. <div class="bbImageWrapper bbImageAligned--right js-lbImage" data-lb-caption-extra-html="" data-lb-sidebar-href="" data-single-image="1" data-src="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/attachments/captureaurora-jpg.121258/" title="Captureaurora.JPG">
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<br/>
“It’s okay, honey. Just count it out. One Mississippi, two Mississippi…”<br/>
<br/>
Rachel heard the door click open. She prayed silently that she wouldn’t be greeted by tall men in khaki uniforms as she glanced over her shoulder. Instead, Tobias appeared from behind the curtain and quelled her with nothing more than a look as he sidled up beside her.<br/>
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“Tobias.” Aurora almost swooned, temporarily distracted from her contractions by his handsome face.<br/>
<br/>
“How are you doing, Mama?” Tobias took her hand in his and kissed the back of her knuckles. She submitted to another wave of pain almost immediately, gripping his hand with enough force to crack his fingers. Tobias simply stood by and rubbed her stomach and hips as Rachel counted aloud beside him.<br/>
<br/>
His sister swore as the door opened again. Ayo strolled in, followed by two additional guards. Tobias didn’t care for the lot of them. Egotistical, holier-than-thou-because-I-have-handcuffs-on-my-belt douchebags. There was a lot to unpack about their desires to be in control and have unbalanced power over others, but Tobias didn’t have time for that right now, no matter how far his mind wandered.<br/>
<br/>
“Rachel, Tobias, can we speak in the hallway?” Ayo spoke curtly, keeping his eyes on the siblings while Aurora pulled her robe closed. It wasn’t typical for the non-medical folk to come strolling into the infirmary, especially when they knew there was a baby to be born. He tried to grant her privacy, despite realizing that the polite thing would have been to knock. What she didn’t know was that Ayo was here to collect the siblings and knocking would have given them ample chance to locate weapons.<br/>
<br/>
“Ayo.” Rachel turned to face him, her eyes pleading after she noted the unwavering expression on his face. She felt her features soften, her shoulders fall with defeat. “Ayo, please. Please.” From behind him stepped Mr. Frazier in his white lab coat, a stethoscope looped around his shoulders. Suddenly, it felt like ice was forming in her veins and she could hardly breathe. Why did it feel like they were being gathered to be led off to the gas chambers? Firing squad? Would Hale really let them go or dispatch them outside the property lines? She stared at the guardsmen, her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.<br/>
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</div>“Rach,” Tobias looked to his sister, his hand rubbing up and down her back. “We need to go with Ayo. You know what you need to do, okay?” She was frozen against his touch. “Come on, Rach. It’s okay.” He whispered to her, not wanting to alarm Aurora who rested near behind them.<br/>
<br/>
The brunette took a second to thaw before she gave a rigid nod and turned back to Aurora. Her eyes were red with the beginnings of tears. She gathered Aurora’s hand in hers and leaned to kiss her forehead. The confused look on the young girl’s face was all but expected. Rachel smoothed Aurora’s hair back from her face, brushing it neatly behind her ear. Her brain was telling her to find a rubber band to pull her hair back, but she doubted that would be permitted. Instead, she could only lie to her.<br/>
<br/>
“I need to go with Tobias and Ayo, okay? I will see you later.” Aurora took on a scared expression and Rachel choked back tears. “I will be back, Aurora. I promise. Mr. Frazier is here, and, and, and Bonnie. They will take such good care of you and your sweet baby. I need you to be brave for your baby.” She brushed her hand over Aurora’s precious bump and kissed the center of it. “I will be back.”<br/>
<br/>
Rachel blocked out Aurora’s confused cries as Tobias led her from the room. They followed Ayo into the hallway, but didn’t stop there to chat. No, that wasn’t the plan and they all knew it. Instead, they were guided outside of the place they had, until very recently, called home. Their safe haven.<br/>
<br/>
Tobias walked with his hand on Rachel’s back, making sure she didn’t try to turn back to Aurora. She cooperated, her hands curled into fists, her back rigid against his touch. Across the field walked another guard, unfamiliar to him until they neared each other. Armando, Hale’s right hand man.<br/>
<br/>
“Armando!” Rachel shouted, walking to him at a speed that nearly left a gust of wind in her wake. She approached him and with all of the fury in her might, slapped him across the face. Her fingers, curled, carved at his flesh and left bloody trails of red across his cheek.<br/>
<br/>
Tobias jogged after his sister and caught her before she could have another go at the man. He held her tightly, pinning her arms to her sides as she spewed out the hatred she felt towards Armando.<br/>
<br/>
“You absolute bastard! How could you stand by and let this happen?! Just because you get the privilege of sleeping outside Leader Hale’s bedroom like a damn dog does not mean that you’re undeserving of this same treatment we are receiving! Hale will turn on you eventually.”<br/>
<br/>
“You know,” Tobias grinned as he wrangled his sister, speaking over her as she screamed at the man, “that’s a good look on you.” Tobias freed one hand to gesture wildly to his own face as if to signify the marks on Armando’s face. "I personally prefer scratches down the back, but you know, in the heat of the moment..." He winked.​</div>