Guiltless Sin || John Murphy

Epilogue

/\/\/

/\/\/

Byrd held her mother's hand as she stood facing Kane, the man standing before them all with Jaha and Abby behind him. The area was filled to the brim with people, the chatter bouncing off the walls until the trio had stepped out of the main office to stand before them. She looked up at them, studying them as they looked over the remaining residents of Arkadia.

'We have faced extinction before, and we have persevered, but we have always been familiar with sacrifice, and today we will be tested once again,' Kane spoke with confidence; 'The ground won't be survivable for five years. We've confirmed that this bunker can only generate oxygen and food for twelve hundred people for that length of time. By mandate of the Conclave, our clan has been given one hundred spaces, an equal number of spots as all the rest. To fill them, we will hold a fair lottery. We will hold a fair lottery, an equal chance for everybody.'

Harriett looked straight to her daughter, her body trembling as fear coursed through her. The chatter and protest of everyone around them echoed off the walls, growing louder with each passing second.

'How long do you think the Grounders would last in here without us?' A man called; 'Our people know how to operate oxygen scrubbers and hydro farms. We're gonna be running this place. We deserve more spots.'

'I don't like this any more than you do, but we must call upon the better angels of our nature to guide us,' Kane tried to reason; 'Like the culling on the Ark, some must die today so that our people may survive.'

'What about her? Is her name in the lottery, too?' The man pointed to Niylah; 'We're just gonna let some Grounder take a bed from one of our own?'

People yelled out with no's, agreeing with his words.

'I say we let her own people save her,' He spat.

Byrd clenched her hand into a fist, glaring over at the man as she squeezed her mother's hand in reassurance.

'What about her?' Someone else spoke up, all eyes falling to her; 'She's a murderer, you gonna let her run around with us? She'll kill us all because she's a savage.'

'No!' Harriett stepped in front of her daughter.

'I'd shut up if I were you, arsehole,' Byrd drawled; 'Because as my reputation proceeds me, I will slit your throat.'

'Everybody calm down,' Kane called; 'We've come too far to turn on each other now.'

'You're just saying that because you know you're safe,' The same man from before yelled.

'Let it go, Hardy,' Miller sneered as Byrd stepped forward.

'Let's throw her out,' Another man yelled, before lurching forward.

'Leave her alone! Let her go!' Jackson yelled as he tried to stop him.

'Guard, stop them. Stop them,' Kane yelled.