WHITE DWARF • THE 100

25

Jay screamed out, turning his heated glare towards the small group. As one of the teenagers stepped forwards to make Jay unconscious, Cassie grabbed a hold of his forearm. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Just look at him, he couldn't even hurt a fly."

"But he's helping hide Charlotte!" The teenage criminal whined, moving closer to Jay. He was shaking but holding his ground - it made her proud.

Cassie let a sadistic laugh erupt from her. The teenager frowned at her, taking an instinctive step back. She closed the gap between them easily. "A kid with a hero complex should be the least of your priorities."

In a matter of minutes, Jay was tied up in the drop ship. He shouted at them to let him go, all of them ignoring him. Cassie wanted to apologise as she wrapped the cable around his wrists, wanted to sing her palinode as she locked him inside the drop ship.

She kept all of her doubts to herself. She didn't want to lose what little trust she had with Murphy - she'd risked enough sparing Jay. All she could do was make sure that the ties weren't too tight, and let her fingers run through his hair momentarily in a hidden moment.

The entire time he didn't even spare her a glance.

They all rushed inside of the tent, slashing aside the tarp. Cassie's eyes hungrily scoured the area, frowning when she didn't see anyone. She let her gaze flicker to under the bed - it was empty. She groaned, smacking her head lightly. Bellamy's ranting made sense now.

"Where the hell is she?" Murphy exploded, kicking a stray lamp to the ground. It shattered, the glass showering the floor.

Cassie pushed past the four other teenagers who joined them in their mission, forcing her way to Murphy's side. "Isn't it obvious? Clarke and Finn helped her escape. I always knew Bellamy was a man of few words, no wonder he talked for so long. It was a distraction."

Murphy clenched his fists, shaking his head. "I can't believe we fell for that."

"Don't worry, they can't have gone far. We'll find them, and then we can get justice."

"Time to track down the killer." Cassie blindly followed Murphy out of the tent without a falter in her step. The girl who killed Wells needed to understand that there were consequences to her actions, and Cassie was going to make sure that her fist in the girls gut was it.

They traipsed through the forest, the leaves crunching beneath their feet, roots planning on tripping them up rising out of the ground. Cassie bypassed each and every one, not letting anything slow her down. No matter how fast she walked, Murphy matched her pace, panting slightly from the strenuous exercise.

Murphy cupped his hands around his mouth, bellowing. "Charlotte! Clarke and Finn can't save you!"

"You moron!" Cassie slapped Murphy over the back of the head, rolling her eyes at his stupidity. "You're just telling them where we are. We want to attack when they least expect, not give them time to hide."

"I guess you're right." Murphy lowered his cupped hands, silence lapsing between the two. Cassie made no attempt to break it, constantly keeping an eye out for any sign of the murdering child. Murphy seemed uncomfortable with it, cracking his knuckles awkwardly. "I, uh, have something to say."

Cassie frowned. "You just did."

"No, I mean." Murphy sighed, looking down at his hands. "I thought you hated me."

"Trust me, I still hate you," Cassie laughed, spinning her weapon in her hands. "Don't get too comfortable. Once this girl is dead I'll go straight back to whooping your ass."

Murphy paused. "Thank you."

Cassie choked on her own spit. John Murphy being grateful? The mere thought left her shell shocked. She managed to squeeze enough words to ask, "For what?"