The five of us ran as fast as we possibly could, on edge and prepared for whatever we were about to walk into.
Bellamy remained close behind me as we followed after the other three, it was evident he wasn't going to let me out of his sight.
As we neared the battlefield, the sound of sporadic gunfire filled the air...someone was shooting.
We all came to a halting stop, waiting for a moment in order to try and decipher what was happening. Octavia rose her hand, signalling for all of us to fall quiet.
It was Indra's voice that carried through the forest and met our ears. "WHO FIRED? NO ONE RESPOND!"
Any efforts to keep this battle without bloodshed had seemingly failed. The war had started.
Levitt took off first, pushing past the rest of us as he sprinted toward the battlefield, desperate to stop it from going any further.
Octavia followed after him, Echo, Bellamy and I after her. "Levitt, slow down!" She pleaded, but he didn't listen.
"DON'T SHOOT!" He screamed, rushing from the safety of the forest and directly into the battlefield.
I felt my heart dip slightly as he tore off his gun, setting it down as an act of peace.
The rest of us froze just past the treeline, too hesitant to move any further out of cover. Bellamy's hand gripped onto mine as we watched Levitt raise his hands in front of him.
"HOLD!" Indra yelled to Wonkru, the leader of the Disciples doing the same.
Levitt looked to both sides, his face tight in uncertainty. This could either go well, or it could end in his death. I prayed it was the former.
"This is not the last war!" He shouted, walking back and forth, addressing both sides. "We don't achieve Transcendence through violence! Cadogan was wrong. We're being tested right now, all of us! Put down your weapons, please! We can all survived together. We can--"
A bullet cut off Levitt's words, driving through his torso and splattering his white uniform in red.
I wasn't sure where it had come from, who had fired it. But it didn't really matter. What did matter, was that the battle had broken out once again.
Bellamy yanked me back toward the forest, Octavia and Echo ducking into cover as well.
"Levitt's hit!" I screamed over the noise, unsure if the others had seen what I had.
Octavia stood up slightly from where she had been crouching, and without so much as a word she had taken off into the battlefield where Levitt lay bleeding out.
"TAVIA!" My scream tore through my throat, coming from a dark place of terror. She couldn't get him back here alone, not without getting hit.
In seconds, I had torn myself free from Bellamy's grasp, following after Octavia.
"AVERY!" Bellamy's scream mirrored that of mine moments earlier. His held more fear, more panic. Because he had two people he cared for out there. The two girls he'd sworn to protect.
"Indra, cover me!" Octavia shouted over the loud sound of gunfire.
My gun bounced off my thighs as I ran, praying that no bullet would hit either one of us. They were empty prayers, knowing there was no one looking out for us anymore. I had known that for years.
The two of us managed to reach Levitt unscathed, and in an instant had dropped to our knees next to him. As I turned my head slightly, I saw Bellamy rushing after us...of course he had followed.
"Get him up!" I yelled to the two siblings, reaching for my gun. "I'll cover us."
Bellamy gave me a quick look before crouching down next to his sister, hooking his arms under Levitt's as he hauled him to his feet. Octavia wore a distressed look as she held onto Levitt's other side, her eyes locked on the blood that was seeping across his torso.
"Go!" I shouted, lifting my gun and beginning to fire. I knew these people weren't our enemies...not really. But right now our only chance of making it off this field was to return the fire they were raining down on us.
Bellamy and Octavia dragged Levitt toward the forest as I kept my finger locked on the trigger, sending a steady stream of gunfire back at the Disciples.
The bullets from Wonkru sounded off from behind me, still providing us with the best cover fire they could.
My chest heaved as I steadily made my way after Bellamy and Octavia. My biggest concern was keeping them safe, my next one was ensuring that I was okay.
Part of my worry was lifted as Bellamy and Octavia managed to duck into the thick-it, taking Levitt with them and out of harm's way. But all of my worry was not alleviated, because before I could follow them to safety, I felt something strike my chest, just barely above my heart.
I had been shot before, twice, but this time it was different. Because this time I knew I wasn't getting off lucky...this time I knew the bullet was going to kill me.
With pain shooting through my entire body, I managed to stumbled back into the forest and was instantly met by Bellamy who had been on his way to retrieve me.
The moment he saw the look on my face, he knew something was wrong. The moment he saw the blood tricking from my chest, horror struck his face.
My eyes drooped as I collapsed into him, my head spinning and my breathing jaded. The bullet had punctured a lung, I was sure of it.
"NO!" Bellamy's scream caused me to startle slightly, and I took everything in me to open my eyes and look at him.
His face had gone pale as he held onto me, dragging me toward where Levitt had been laid down. "Avery, don't do this." He pleaded. "Don't you die on me!"
Through blurry eyes, I could see Octavia's head snap up at Bellamy's words. Terror flooded her face as she turned from Levitt for a moment, watching as Bellamy laid me down. "No." She whispered, shaking her head as tears filled her eyes. "Both of you, stay with us!"
Echo joined the group of us, instantly kneeling down next to Bellamy at my side. "Stay with us, Avery" Her voice shook with worry.
Bellamy's hands pressed against my chest, becoming coated in my warm sticky blood as he attempted to slow the bleeding. Large tears had gathered in his eyes as he looked down at me, his face begging me not to go.
"Avery!"
Through my hazed state, it took me a moment to realize that it was Jordan calling my name. He and Hope rushed toward us, both of their faces wild as they dropped down next to us. "We saw you get hit. We--Oh my God." Jordan's face had been drained of its blood, her horror filled eyes landing on my bloody chest.
"That bad?" I rasped out, my voice barely even there.
Pressing harder against the wound, Bellamy shook his head. "Ave, don't speak. You need to save your strength."
"We need to stop this!" Octavia announced, her hands pressing against Levitt's wound. "This will end the human race if we don't stop it."
Levitt looked up at her, gripping onto her hands. "You have to talk to them," he breathed. "You have to tell them how we live."
She shook her head, her eyes shifting between he and I. "I can't leave you two."
"You have to." Levitt grunted as Hope switched Octavia's hands out for her own. "You can do this."
Octavia pushed her lips into a firm line, looking between Levitt and I once more before standing up. "Don't let them die." She ordered to the rest of the group. "The dead don't Transcend."
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to call on every ounce of energy I had left. I needed to stay alive.
"Baby, open your eyes."
I did as Bellamy said, my tired ones meeting his watery ones. He shook his head, looking down at the blood that was still rapidly spilling from the wound, seeping through the cracks between his fingers. "Just stay with me."
A single tear slid down my cheek as I lifted my hand, shakily placing it on Bellamy's cheek. "I'm sorry." I whispered.
He shook his head, sniffling quickly. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Don't worry about any of that right now, okay?"
I nodded, a sad smile on my lips. "I'm sorry I left you." I breathed out, my mind becoming more jumbled. "I'm sorry for every minute we spent apart...I wish I could make up for it now."
The gunfire had stopped at some point. I could only hope that meant Octavia was getting through to them.
Bellamy dipped his head slightly, tucking his chin into his chest as his body shook with sobs. When he looked back up at me, his eyes were rimmed with red. "We're together now." He whispered. "And we'll be together for the rest of our lives...wherever we end up."
Echo lightly shoved him toward my head, allowing him to remove his hands as she took over.
"We'll get married for real. And have kids." Bellamy promised, taking my hand into his own bloodied ones. "And we'll build a beautiful home...somewhere with lots of trees."
A small smile came to my face as I closed my eyes again, imaging the life we could have. "And by the beach." I whispered, opening my eyes to look at him again. "Miller wants to live by the water, and I want all of us to be together."
"Okay." He agreed with a teary smile. "We'll all be together."
Another tear slipped down my cheek as my head lolled to the side slightly, too exhausted to do anything else. "Maybe we can get a dog." I wondered.
Bellamy laughed, both of us knowing that was unlikely. But he appeased me nonetheless. "We can get as many dogs as you want."
My eyes drooped slightly as I looked at him, noting every inch of his face. I wanted to remember what he look liked when I died. I wanted his face to be the last I would see.
All the pain had subsided. Now all I felt was numb. I knew I was dying.
"Keep your eyes open." Bellamy prodded, gripping onto my hand just a bit tighter. "We're together now, baby. We're going to make it through this, okay."
"How are they?" Octavia's voice sounded like it was in a tunnel as she rejoined our group.
I forced my eyes open once again, focusing on Bellamy. "Tell Octavia I love her and that I'm proud of her." I whispered, unable to bring my voice any higher.
"I'm right here, Aves." Another hand gripped onto my free one, and although unable to look at her, I knew it was Octavia.
A sputtered cough tore through my chest, heaving up blood as it coated my lips. "I'm tired."
Bellamy let out a quiet sob, bringing my hand up to his lips and kissing it. "Don't close your eyes." He ordered, his voice thick with tears. "Keep looking at me, Ave."
His figure had become blurred. "I love you." I choked out, using all of the energy I had left to squeeze his hand. "I love you."
He reached up to push the hair out of my face before resting his forehead against my own. "I love you." He responded, his tears trickling down his cheeks and onto my own. "I love you forever."
And then, silently, I closed my eyes and drifted off to somewhere unknown. It didn't seem like death...but it didn't seem like life either.
-an-
GUYS we are SO close to the end!!!
im so sad that its almost over
but i hope you all enjoyed
love you all!
-maddy xoxo