ੈ♡₊˚•. ˖⋆ ━━━━━⠀WONDERING !
▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ ⋯ ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ ˓ 𑁍ࠜೄ
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 TWENTY-𝐎𝐍𝐄 ・*:·. ⇌ ஜ .·:*
"You were right, they didn't follow us."
Millie stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Lincoln with her knife drawn, he was kneeling on the ground by the small fire he ignited. She ditched the bow and arrow a while ago, strapping it to her back. Reapers got in your face, a bow wouldn't suffice. She wasn't sure how long they ran, but this was the farthest she's ever gotten in the tunnels. Only briefly using them once or twice to escape Azgeda and reapers.
"Reapers use these tunnels. Tristan wouldn't risk running into them." Lincoln informed, eyes taking in every square inch of the tunnel.
Millie scoffed. "'Cause Tristian doesn't have a death wish." She snipped, ignoring the menacing glare Lincoln was sending her.
"What the hell's a reaper?" Finn asked curiously. Millie grimaced. "Pray you never find out." Lincoln said darkly, he and Millie sharing a knowing glance.
"We have to keep moving." He added, standing up once the torch was lit. He groaned, clenching his jaw as he did so. Millies eyes tore out of the darkness, snapping to her friend who's face had gone red.
"Lincoln, you're hit." Finn stated. He turned, the arrow sticking out of his back.
"Hey, let me look at that." Clarke aided.
Finn took the torch from Lincoln, Clarke rushing over to take a better look at Lincoln's abdomen. "I've fought battles with worse wounds than this." He seethed.
Millie rolled her eyes, keeping her hand on his arm. "Okay, tough guy, just let Clarke look at you." She remarked, grinning innocently up at him.
"We're not in a battle right now."
Millie tore her eyes away, squinting into the blackness. The last thing they needed was to be ambushed by a bunch of sadistic cannibals. "Yes. We are." Lincoln strained, wincing as Clarke kept inspecting him.
Millie made her way over to Finn, who was glancing over the weaponry she'd collected from her cave. "Why're you helping us?" Clarke whispered. She kneeled down next to him, the conversation between Clarke and Lincoln droning out.
"Quite the collection you've got here." He commented, heating the tip of Lincoln's blade at the command of Clarke. Millie shrugged, Finn was holding a machete delicately in his hands. "I stole that one from an Azgeda out post, he didn't even see it coming." Millie snorted.
"Azgeda?" Finn questioned curiously, "from the words of a wise man, pray you never find out." Millie quoted Lincoln, only looking up when he grunted in pain.
"What my people are doing to yours is wrong." Lincoln stated, both Clarke and Finn stared up at him with at a new angle. Finn left Millies side, handing Clarke the knife he'd been heating.
The blonde took the blade from him, moving closer to Lincoln and holding the knife close to his abdomen. Millie bit her lip when Finn looked away, closing his eyes lightly. The hiss of the knife burning against his skin made Finn grimace.
"We need to keep moving." Millie said. She waited for Lincoln to regain his stance, watching as he nodded at her. "Tristan won't follow us through the caves, but he might meet us at the end. The longer we wait, the more time we give him."
It must've ignited some new found motivation inside Clarke, because before they knew it they were running through the tunnels. Millie shared a look with Lincoln, the two of them following until they ran fast enough that they were ahead of the sky people.
"When we get to the fork, that's when you'll be on your own." Lincoln muttered lowly to Millie. "You know where to go from there, right?"
"Yeah."
Millie recoiled. "Wait." She said between pants, "why aren't you coming with us?" She questioned frantically.
"You know why." She did. These were the reappears territory, they weren't in their terrain anymore. If they had the unfortunate chance of running into them, someone was going to have to cause a distraction.
They ran until they came across two separate tunnels. That was when Lincoln stopped and pulled out the book of drawings he kept in his jacket. He quickly flipped through it until he came across the map of the tunnels. He made a small exclamation of victory when he found it.
"Wait, if you've never been down here, how did you map it?" Finn asked. Lincoln let out a small huff of amusement.
"Spoils of war."
A sharp pang of alarm shot through her. At the end of the tunnel, was more light. As she took a small step toward it, she could distantly hear shouting coming from the same direction. Clarke stepped up beside her, her ears peeking up. Reapers. A chill froze Millie to her spot, her stomach contracts into tight ball.
"Sweet baby Jesus, we're toast." Millie muttered, swallowing down the ball of terror in her throat.
"What is that?" Clarke asked. Lincoln looked up from the journal, his eyes widening when he saw and heard what the two blondes saw and heard. "Reapers," he said, grabbing the torch from Finn's hand.
Lincoln them shoved the end of the torch into a puddle by his foot, and they were surrounded by darkness.
𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁
Millie was never afraid of the dark, not until she could hear the bone-chilling cheers from the reapers.
The second they enveloped into darkness, Millie felt Clarke grab onto her wrist. Her cold hands shocked Millie, not even an apology from Clarke as Millie glanced back. "This can't be the only way. Check the map." Finn repeated.
"If you want to get home before Tristan slaughters your people, this is the only way." Lincoln replied, inching forward. Millie followed behind, crouching next to him. She peered around the rock, and suddenly she didn't mind Clarke's hand on her wrist anymore.
The mother-load.
Dozens of reapers were illuminated by the light, jumping up and down sinisterly and cheered. "We're in hell." Millie mumbled, a small snort from Lincoln behind her.
"Clarke," Finn called, the blonde finally releasing her grip on Millie. "The carts." Millie swallowed, forcing her gaze away and to the ground. She knew about the carts, and she knew what they were filled with. It was why the reapers were so feared, even by the grounders.
"What the hell is this?" Clarke demanded, a hint of panic in her tone.
Millie glanced at Lincoln, his eyes already on hers. She nodded solemnly. She didn't want him to race into death, but she knew there was no convincing him otherwise. "The tunnel on the right will lead you through the woods into your camp. Millie will lead you. Take this." He ignored Clarke, handing Finn his book.
The blonde stood up, pushing herself back more to keep hidden from the reapers. "What are you gonna do?" Finn asked, glancing from the book to Lincoln.
"I'm gonna lead them away." Lincoln said, "wait until they follow me, then run." He instructed, turning back and handing Finn the sword.
"For Octavia."
Millies heart swooned for a split second, but it wasn't enough to mask the crippling fear that was close to taking over. Finn hesitantly took the sword, warily peering up at Clarke who's lips were pressed into a firm line. "Wait a second. If they catch you they'll kill you." Clarke breathed.
"Worry about yourselves. Most of Tristans rangers will be at your gate by nightfall, but he'll send riders ahead, scouts." Lincoln turned, his breathing slightly rapid. "All of you have to be gone before they arrive."
He then turned to Millie, her eyes were glazed over with a far away look. "I'll see you again, okay? Take care of Octavia for me." He said softly, waiting for Millies confirmation. She nodded.
"How are you okay with this?" Clarke turned to Millie, eyebrows creased. She didn't have a chance to explain before they were spotted, a reaper with blood smeared over his lips stalked towards them.
"One of them is coming." Finn pointed out, panicked. Millie took another step back, getting a grip on Clarke's arm. Clarke jerked, leaning down towards Lincoln.
"Where are we supposed to go?"
Millie huffed. "I know the way, Clarke. Lincoln's book will tell us if we need it to. I was thinking the Eastern Sea?" Lincoln nodded, a small quirk of his lip.
"There's a clan there, led by a woman called Luna, a friend. Tell her I sent you." Lincoln finished for Millie, pulling his knife out of its holster. The reaper had grown closer, dangerously close by this point. It was enough to shoot adrenaline through Millies veins, she bounced on her toes impatiently.
"The longer we wait, the less chance we have. Let's go." Millie rushed, pulling Clarke up.
"Just get Octavia out of there," was all he said before he walked out into the tunnel. The three of them watched as he neatly ducked underneath the reaper's arm and slit his throat. The reaper fell, alerting the others of Lincoln's presence. For a moment, all was silent — and then the reapers started screeching, and Lincoln darted down into another set of tunnels. The reapers quickly followed.
Millie wasn't risking another second, pushing Clarke and Finn forward. Their feet seemed to be glued to the ground. She only stopped when Clarke did.
"Did you see that?" Clarke shivered, looking at the cart of bodies. Millie wanted to stop Clarke from pulling the tarp back, but it was too late. The body was in plain view now, and he was breathing, and reaching toward them. Millie cursed under her breath, taking a hostile step back.
"They're alive," Clarke gasped, sounding like she was on the verge of being sick. "Oh my god."
"Clarke, we have to go — Clarke, look out!" Clarke turned just in time to see a lunge at her. Clarke squealed, narrowly dodging the reaper. Finn used is strength to hit the reaper against the head, but it did little to no damage. It jumped on Finn then, clawing at his face.
Millie lurched forward, grabbing onto the back of its jacket and pulling it off Finn. It wasn't easy, her muscles strained and the reaper fell back on top of her, pain sheeted through him her a terrible intensity. The reaper flipped around, facing Millie now.
His face was distorted, grotesque. Millie choked her bile back, using one hand to create a barrier between herself and him, while the other slid into her back pocket where her dagger was. She wrapped her fingers around the handle, pulling it out and forcing it as hard as she could into the side of its head. The reaper went absolutely silent, a look of pure horror stretched across its face. Millie spent no time in kicking it off of her, clambering to her feet.
She sucked in a breath of air, wiping the knife clean on the reapers jacket. She then looked to Finn, who was helping Clarke up with his aid. "This might sound a little controversial, but I think that went well."
𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁
They ran for a total of ten minutes before Finn and Clarke pleaded with Millie for a break, who eventually gave in. Now they were standing in the middle of the forest, it was early morning now. A soft mist flowed through the air, making their hair slightly damp. Millie easily recognized the tree line, they weren't far from their camp. Maybe a few miles or so.
"I should've fought for you."
Millies eyes snapped down to the two of them, who were crouched by a small stream. She huffed, the air recollecting in her lungs. "Finn, don't."
"Clarke. I love you."
Millie groaned. "Listen– and I mean this with full disrespect, we don't have time for you two to confess your undying love for each other. That's great. Absolutely fantastic. But it's not going to get us back any faster, and it's sure as hell not going to help you win this war so if we could just–" She broke off when an explosion sounded in the distance. All three of them turned in the same direction.
Without another word, they took off running.
Shouts rang out signalling that people were approaching the gate. Aspen, seeing a boy with a beanie standing watch at the top, cried out again. "Miller! Open the gate!" Clarke demanded.
"Guys, don't shoot!" Miller shouted, jumping from his spot on watch. "It's Clarke, Finn, and Millie! Open the gate!" As soon as it was open enough, Millie squeezed through with Clarke and Finn on her heels. A body collided with her own. Millie stilled for a split second, her arms dangling at her sides.
"Just hug me back, Millie."
Millie obliged, wrapping her arms around the girls small frame. Millie forgot what a hug felt like, she hadn't had one in so long. Her legs were trembling, her side soared with pain, her lungs ached. It all hurt. She rested her head on Octavias shoulder, peeling her eyes open.
On the other side stood the freckled Blake, standing behind Octavia with his arms crossed over her chest. He was already gazing down at her. She couldn't tell if he was angry, or tired, or hurt– maybe a mixture of both. Some gazes are the promise of protection, his was all that and more.
"We heard an explosion. What happened?" Clarke asked, trying to catch her breath. "Murphy happened." Bellamy responded, tearing his eyes away from Millie to look at Clarke.
Octavia released Millie the second Jasper grabbed Clarke, holding onto her arms. "Thank god," he breathed. "Where have you been? Where's Monty?"
"Montys gone?"
"Clarke, we need to leave now." Finn reminded, Millie groaned internally. She wanted a nap. "There's an army of grounders, unlike anything we've ever seen, coming for us right now. We need to pack what we can and run." Finn said, his voice raising as he spoke to everyone in the camp.
Octavia kept her hand on Millies, shuffling closer. "Like hell we do. We knew this was coming." Bellamy rebutted.
"Bell, we're not prepared." Octavia murmured.
"And they're not here yet. We still have time to get ready. Besides, where would we go? Where would we be safer than behind these walls?" Bellamy retorted, his voice was raspy and it was enough for Millie to tilt her head. Now that she was getting a better look, she could faintly see the outline of a red line going across his neck.
"What happened to your neck?" Bellamy's eyes flickered to hers. "Like I said, Murphy happened." Was all that was his response before he turned back towards the group.
"There's an ocean to the east. People there will help us." Finn recalled, Millie nodded. "You saw Lincoln." It wasn't a question, Octavia already knew.
"You expect us to trust a grounder?" Ouch. Millie and Octavia sent him icy glares. "This is our home now. We built this from nothing with our bare hands!" Bellamy called out, his attention to the juveniles around them.
"Our dead are buried behind that wall in this ground! Our ground! The grounders think they can take that away?" Bellamy riled them up. "They think that because we came from the sky, we don't belong here. But they're yet to realize one very important fact: We are on the ground now, and that means we are grounders!" Shouts of agreement flowed through the air.
"Yeah! Grounders with guns!" Someone from the crowd shouted.
"Damn right! I say let 'em come!" Bellamy agreed.
"Bellamy's right. If we leave, we may never find a place as safe as this." Clarke stepped up, seemingly going along with Bellamy's plan. Millie gritted her teeth, a bile of anger rising up in her throat. "And God knows, in this world, we could be faced with something even worse tomorrow. But that doesn't change the simple fact that if we stay here, we will die tonight. So pack your things. Just take what you can carry, now." She addressed all of them.
Millie let out a sigh of relief, her shoulders slumping.
The crowd dispersed, siding with Clarke. Millie watched as Bellamy's face fell, the light that was ignited in his eyes fell.
"Help me!"
Frowning, Millie searched around until she found the source of the voice. It was Raven, leaning on the side of the drop ship clutching her abdomen. They trusted forward, Raven fell into Finns arms. "Murphy shot her." Jasper informed.
"Get her onto the dropship." Clarke ordered.
Clarke turned to Millie, "I need your help again. Go in there and sterilize our things, stop the bleeding–"
"I know what I need to do Clarke, Ravens not dying on my watch."