DISCORDIA

[ 43 ] monsters within

       He turned back around and started walking towards the station's hull with Jinny alongside him. She grabbed his jacket to stop him when she noticed that Scanlan had made it back to camp as well. The guardsman looked a little shaken, and he had a noticeable limp as he ducked back into the medical tent. That was something, at least. Jinny quickly went to grab some supplies that were left outside by the guard post and stuffed them into her bag.

       They didn't have to wait long for Clarke to meet them at the gate with her yellow plastic medkit. Jinny grabbed her walkie and radioed in Raven to switch off the power for them before they snuck out once again. It still took them a couple of hours to reach the dropship even though they jogged most of the way. The area around these woods had already been engraved into their retinas that they could traverse its mossy paths in the dead of night. They barely paid much attention to their footsteps while they were explaining what had happened in the garage to Clarke.

       It had been more than a week since they abandoned the dropship, and the thick layer of ash and dust now barely covered the burial grounds. The faded red, blue and white flag of old Russia was still imprinted on the face of the ship, serving as a reminder to their origins in deep space. Jinny pushed the dirty parachute canvas out of her way at the entrance and walked into the familiar room. Clarke climbed up the ladder first, her boots causing hollow rings to echo around the metal structure.

       The moment she set foot on the upper level, Lincoln greeted her with a ferocious snarl that startled the girl. Jinny and Bellamy quickly climbed up to join her, looking at the man who was straining against his chains. His eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging from taut muscles underneath his darkly tanned skin with dirt and scabs coating it. He snapped his teeth in their direction, feral growls escaping from the back of his throat as he tried to tear himself free.

       "It's okay," Bellamy said, patting Clarke on the back as she stared at Lincoln with barely concealed fear. "He's been restrained."

       "I can't believe we're back here again," she said. The sight of the man bound exactly where they had tortured him the last time made Jinny uncomfortable. They were at war then, he was an enemy, and they told themselves that they were doing what they had to do to survive. Now, they were trying to save his life and humanity.

       Jinny bent down next to Octavia who was sitting in a corner on the floor. The older woman touched her shoulder and passed her a bottle of water from her backpack. Octavia smiled gratefully and unscrewed the cap to take a gulp from it. She then looked up to Clarke with weary eyes. "Can you help him?" she asked, almost pleadingly.

       Lincoln let out a long rasping wail, gurgling and mouth frothing like an animal.

       "I don't know," Clarke replied and Octavia closed her eyes painfully. "I know Mount Weather controlled the Reapers... but I had no idea that they were creating them."

       "If they can do that to Lincoln," Bellamy said, pointing towards the man uneasily. "What're they doing to our friends?"

       That was an awful thought to ponder on and Jinny stood back up, wiping her hands on her pants as she carefully crossed the room. Lincoln's crazed eyes followed her as she moved, mouth wide open as he screamed maniacally at her. She could scarcely imagine the feelings that must be coursing through Octavia's veins to see the man she loved completely transformed into a mindless beast. Jinny glanced at Bellamy, feeling her chest tightening and the urge to hold him in her arms almost overwhelmed her completely.

       She took a deep breath as Lincoln continued to yell out, a sheen of sweat slicking his skin. "The only time I've seen someone act this way was a crackhead I arrested back on Arrow. Neighbours said he refused to leave his room for days. He was a complete mess, up to the moment we floated him."