Not What It Seems | Octavia Blake [2]

Chapter 23

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  As much as Addison hated this, she made the decision to go back inside her cage, the lock dummy-locked incase someone came in. She felt human again, the IV drip Maya had rigged up coursing into her veins and through her system. Her eyes wider, skin less pale.

Now all she had to do was wait until Bellamy and Maya came back with clothes, shoes, a map and a sonic-stick, then she was free from this place.

But what about the others? Dante said his son and Dr. Tsing were drilling Harper for her bone marrow three days ago. Was he able to send them outside before Cage could get his claws on them?

  Bellamy blending in as a Mountain Man and him gone with Maya told Addison's gut one thing —his intentions aren't a one-man rescue op. Her stomach twisted, and she felt sick.

  While Addison's gut pleaded her to stay, her heart pulled her to the surface, to Octavia, to Liam .  .  . to Raven, who Addison thought was dead.

  "He isn't back," Echo stated in a hard voice.

  "Bellamy promised he'll come back and free you, and he will." Addison assured, meeting the woman's anxious warm brown eyes. "All of you will be."

  "You trust him?"

  Addison didn't need to think —she knew. "With my life."

  Echo hmpf-ed. And all Addison could hear were the pained moans and dehydrated coughs of Grounders —it's all she's heard for days.

  The door beep!-ed. "Talk about timing, Blake," Addison looked past him, a small, confused smile appearing on her lips. "Emilia."

  Addison reached between the paneling on the cage door, undid the dummy-lock, and step out, ripping out the IV as she did so. "You're alive," said Emilia. They pulled one another into a quick hug.

"Yeah." Addison pulled back and looked at Bellamy. "Where's Maya?"

  He removed a black backpack from his shoulder. "Making sure we haven't been suspicious. For now, we're all good." He unzipped the pack, pulled out some clothes, and walked them the short distance to Addison. "Here."

"They're not your clothes from the surface, since we destroyed those, but they were the ones from inside here," Emilia informed. "I also stole this." She pulled something out the waistband of her pants and held it out.

  Addison's eyes lit up: it was her pistol from the dropship. "Don't lose it again," Bellamy jested, smirking. "Now get dressed. We don't have much time."

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"Alright listen: it's 13 miles back to camp. It's an eight-hour hike, and since you're not in hiking condition, it's gonna take you guys longer," Bellamy informed, the three of them gathered around the map he had made that was laid out atop the instruments in the metal surgical tray.

  Addison was glad to be in normal clothes again: skin-tight (though not as snug anymore) black jeans that cupped at her ankles, a plain grey tank-top beneath Emilia's blue zip-up jacket —part of the left sleeve stained with the former-Lieutenant Pierson's blood— and those off-white shoes from before. She's safer knowing her pistol was back in the waistband of her pants, loaded and ready to fire at anyone who stood in their way.