008. knife to your throat
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BY NIGHTFALL, QUINN WAS GROWING EXHAUSTED IN BEING DRAGGED AROUND FOR MILES THROUGH THE WOODS. Murphy had tied her hands together during the search for Charlotte, making it harder for Quinn to think of an escape plan. Kinsley and the other boys that joined Murphy's side would take turns keeping a grip on the girl's forearm, hauling Quinn with them despite her attempts to struggle.
Never had Quinn become self-aware of her lack of strength, yet right now, she hated herself for how weak she seemed. She wasn't the strongest competitor, laughing at her attempts to put up a fight. Quinn tripped over her feet, almost catapulting to the ground if it wasn't for Kinsley continuing to hold her up, groaning as she brought the girl back to her feet. Murphy glanced back at the sounds, meeting Kinsley's eyes. The West girl nodded her head, pushing Quinn in front.
Once Quinn watched Murphy turn back around, holding the fire post for a source of light and continuing his search, the McKenna girl took it as her time to get through Kinsley. If Clarke had been right—if Bellamy was right—then Quinn had to at least try to make Kinsley listen to her. "What will happen to Charlotte if you do find her?" She asked, eyeing Kinsley closely as best she could whilst being kept in front.
Kinsley ignored Quinn at first, diverting her attention to anything other than Quinn. The brunette examined the West girl, slightly noticing the glint of regret laced in her eyes. At least, that's what Quinn thought it to be. Again, she repeated her question, which made Kinsley groan in annoyance. "I don't know yet," she stubbornly answered. "It's up to Murphy what happens with the girl."
Quinn frowned when she noticed how Kinsley hadn't been able to say Charlotte's name aloud. Instead, she continued to refer to her as 'the girl' when she did know her name. A sign of guilt, maybe. "Kinsley," she softly spoke, dragging her feet as they walked. "She's twelve years old. She deserves another chance, no matter what she did." Kinsley scoffed, biting her tongue on wanting to respond. "Kinsley, please."
"But if John was the killer, no one would have stepped in to help him from being hung." Her tone was vicious, cutting into Quinn. "Everyone is so forgiving when it comes to her, but not him. How the fuck is that fair, hmm? Since you're supposed to be the nice and innocent girl, tell me, does any of that make sense?"
Quinn turned, stopping in her tracks. Kinsley slightly raised her brows at the girl's actions, yet she hadn't made an effort to turn her around and order her to keep moving. "I didn't want Murphy to be hanged, Kinsley." Kinsley seemed to hold a look of doubt on her face. "Please. You have to believe me on that. Kinsley, you might see me as one of the privileged, but we were all sent down here to die. I don't know about you, but I think that gives us all a good reason to stick together. Help each other out," persuaded Quinn.
"I'm trying to help you, Kinsley, because if you do find Charlotte and do what you're planning, how can you ever forgive yourself for killing a twelve-year-old?" Kinsley flared her nostrils as she continued to listen to Quinn, not meeting the McKenna girl's eyes. "Kinsley, you can still fix this. You might be the only one Murphy will listen to about putting an end to all of this."
Kinsley shook her head, showing true emotions for the first time that night. "Not about this, Quinn," she said, her tone solemn. "Nothing's going to change John's mind. Not even me." Now that Kinsley's anger had time to fade, the girl was beginning to realise the depth her actions were causing. Seeing the binds strapped around Quinn's hands was enough proof for Kinsley to realise this had gone too far.
Kinsley wasn't a monster that others may think. She was a teenage girl who had been put through hell, having to change to survive. And Quinn began to comprehend this as she saw the tears gathering in the West girl's eyes, sadly nodding her head to the information. Quinn took a glimpse at the ties around her wrists, slowly turning around to take note of where Murphy and the other boys spread out through the woods. "You can cut me loose."
Kinsley frowned, her eyes darting to the knife Murphy made for her and back to the brunette. She whisked around quickly, checking their surroundings. "How are you going to get out of here without them noticing? If Murphy finds out you're gone, he'll know I let you go." Quinn closed her eyes, not thinking about what would happen to Kinsley if she were to suddenly disappear from her watch. Her mind had been so set on Charlotte that she completely forgot about the possible consequences Kinsley could face. "If you're worrying about me, don't. John wouldn't hurt me. He's reckless, that's for sure, but he's different when he's around me. I'm more worried about you. They wouldn't just hunt down the girl, but also you."
Quinn stiffly nodded. "That's fine," she said. "I need to get to Charlotte. She's all I can think about right now. I need to know if Clarke and Finn got her somewhere safe—" Murphy calling out to them had cut their conversation off, harshly telling them to keep up. Quinn didn't look back, yet she knew John was walking up to them as he groaned. Kinsley seemed to be stuck on what to do, but as Quinn called her name, pleading for her to be released, the West girl grumbled as she untucked her knife, cutting the ropes and binding her hands.
As soon as she took off as fast as she could, she could hear Murphy's demands, ordering the other juveniles to chase after her. Quinn continued to run, not gazing back until she thought she was at a safe distance, seeing Kinsley putting her head down as Murphy seemed to yell in her face, causing her to falter.
Being caught up in the scene beyond her, she didn't realise the male beside her until he pounced, lashing out his blade. Quinn groaned as she felt the blade slash against her arm, holding onto the injured arm as blood began to drip. She couldn't be distracted by the wound as the man attacked again, stepping back and successfully dodging the attack. Quinn yelled, her scream echoing through the trees as she was being chased, her legs too exhausted to keep up a steady and fast pace.
The male, now far away to be out of sight from Murphy and the others, lurched forward. Quinn shrieked as she was thrown to the ground, turning on her back to see the juvenile hovering above her, a wicked smirk plastered on his face, signifying Quinn's defeat. She froze as fear shivered down her spine, her tearful eyes pleadingly staring up at the male as he lifted his blade, seemingly taunting the girl as he twisted it in his palm, tilting his head sickeningly.
She didn't scream, knowing there was no point as her eyes were glued on the blade, awaiting the cold metal to protrude into her skin, taking a breath. However, as her eyes closed from the fatigue overwhelming her body as the man's knee drove into her chest, the pain never came and the pressure on top of her was gone. Quinn opened her eyes in alarm when groans and hits were heard beside her, scurrying onto her hands as she moved out of the way, squinting her eyes to make out the man that was on top of the boy, beating him senseless.
Bellamy continued to punch the boy's face until blood painted his hands, his eyes screwing shut as his head limped to the side when he was punched unconscious. Quinn's gaze stayed on the boy as he lay. Once he had been on top of her, mocking her with a knife, he was now stained with blood as he was welcomed in darkness. Bellamy clenched his fist, glancing down at the blood painting his knuckles, but the sound of hurried footsteps catching up to the two caught him off guard.
The man peered at Quinn, helping the girl lift herself from the floor, making sure she remained in front as they ran away from the noise as the footsteps continued to echo. Quinn flinched, startled when Bellamy's hand wrapped around her waist as his other reached to cover her mouth, their bodies pressing against each other as they hid behind one of the trees enwrapping the area.
Quinn closed her eyes, her cry muffled against Bellamy's hand as the footsteps were heard next to them, not coming to a halt as they zoomed past them. Bellamy stuck his head out from behind the trunk of the tree, making sure the coast was clear before taking his hands off the brunette. Quinn took a breath of relief, leaning against the tree as she regained her breath from all the heavy running they had done, allowing the fear to dissipate.
Bellamy kept his eyes on the girl, his brows slightly puckering when he noticed blood trek down her arm at a slow pace. He lightly grasped onto her, away from the injury, lifting the ripped-up fabric. "Murphy did this?" He asked, his tone kept low, which normally would cause a slight fright in Quinn, but when it came to Bellamy, she felt protected within his presence.
Quinn softly shook her head, pulling away from Bellamy's touch. "No," she reassured. "No, it wasn't Murphy. It was one of them, I don't know who. I was too busy trying to get away." Quinn noticed the concern fixed on the man's features. "I'm fine, Bellamy. When we find Charlotte, I'll take a look at it. How's your head anyway? Murphy hit you pretty hard for you to drop like that."
Bellamy brushed it off. "It's fine." Quinn lifted her brows questionably towards the Blake man. "I'm fine, Sweetheart. Don't have to worry about me," he said, barely taking notice of the nickname, yet Quinn was stuck on the word. "Octavia told me what happened. I'm going to kill Murphy after this."
Quinn shook her head. "Bellamy—" A scream ripping through the woods cut off the girl, their attention diverting into listening to the scream, shouting for Murphy. It had to be Charlotte, which set the two in motion. Bellamy was moving faster than Quinn, slightly slowing down his pace to make it easier for Quinn to keep up, yet hurrying as Charlotte continued to scream. If Bellamy and Quinn could hear her, then it was definite that Murphy also could.
They continued to follow Charlotte's shouts until Quinn lowered herself, narrowing her eyes on the figure and closing in on them, a smile placing itself on the girl's face when she knew it was Charlotte, seemingly unharmed. She reached for Bellamy's arm, pointing towards the girl aimlessly walking through the woods, and as she closed in on them, Bellamy launched forward.
The young girl screamed as Bellamy placed a hand against her mouth as he did with Quinn. "Charlotte, shh. Shh."
Quinn placed a hand on Bellamy's shoulder, the man releasing his hold of the girl's mouth, keeping a secure grip on her arm. "We've got to go, Bellamy. They can't find her." Bellamy nodded his head, beginning to follow Quinn, yet Charlotte fought under Bellamy's grip. She yelled for the man to let her go, continuing to squirm as he tightened his hold, making it a struggle to move forward.
Bellamy groaned as Charlotte pulled and pulled, his patience growing thin. "Hey, hey!" He warned, coming to a halt, staring at the girl with a stern expression. "We're trying to help you, Charlotte."
"I'm not your sister. Just stop helping me!" Charlotte exclaimed, removing herself from Bellamy's grip and rushing away. "I'm over here!" Quinn swallowed nervously as she watched Bellamy chase after her, grasping onto her arm again, pulling her as he hushed her. "I'm the one they want."
"Listen, Charlotte," Bellamy lightly spoke. "We're not leaving you."
Quinn nodded, walking up to them after checking their surroundings, seeing no fire blaze in the distance or hearing any steep footsteps hurrying their way. "He's right, Charlotte. They're not going to stop unless they find you, so we need to get out of here and get you somewhere safe, okay?" The young blonde glanced towards Quinn, briefly nodding her head. Quinn glanced at Bellamy, the man gesturing his head for her to lead the way, which had her moving her feet without another thought.
As they made their way through the forest quickly, Quinn and Bellamy continued to observe their surroundings, and as they saw the fire begin to catch up to them from the distance, Quinn inhaled a sharp breath. She kept her eyes facing towards the juveniles closing in on them, Murphy being a part of them, Quinn hadn't noticed the sudden drop of a cliff beyond her until Bellamy pulled her away, feeling her lose her footing.
Quinn took a shaky breath as she looked down to where she had almost fallen if it wasn't for Bellamy, her attention being torn away when Murphy came out from the trees. "Bellamy, Quinn!" Murphy yelled out. "You can't fight all of us. Give her up." Quinn passed a worried look at Bellamy before meeting eyes with Kinsley. Thankfully, she didn't seem harmed, just as she comforted Quinn, yet a heavy expression was plastered on her face.
Bellamy shrugged. "Maybe not, but I guarantee I'll take a few of you with me." Quinn reached for Bellamy's arm, not saying a word, but shook her head at the man. Bellamy clenched his jaw, gently tearing himself out of her grasp, levelling his eyes on Murphy and his groupie.
Before a fight that was anticipated could break out, Clarke and Finn emerged from the woods and into the clearing where Bellamy and Quinn were standing at the edge of a cliff, surrounded by the other juveniles. "Bellamy, stop!" Clarke called out, turning her attention towards Murphy. "This has gone too far. Just calm down. We'll talk about this."
Within a moment, Murphy had Clarke against his chest, a knife being held to her throat. Finn instantly stepped forward when he watched, yet Murphy only inched the blade closer to the girl's neck. "I am sick of listening to you talk," Murphy spat, leaning in Clarke's ear. Quinn watched nervously, as well as Bellamy and Finn, absentmindedly inching towards them.
Kinsley shook her head beside them, glaring at Murphy as she walked beside Finn, holding out her hands slightly in front of her. "She's right, John. This has gone too far. Now, let her go, all right?" Murphy stared at his best friend disappointingly, holding out the blade in front of her, causing Finn to reach for the girl's arm, pulling her out of his way. He threatened that he would slit Clarke's neck, and Kinsley knew that he would if they weren't careful.
From the warning, Charlotte stepped forward from behind Bellamy and Quinn, but the older girl behind her forced her back once again. "No, please," the young girl whimpered. "Please don't hurt her."
Murphy raised his brows. "Don't hurt her?" He questioned mockingly. "Okay, I'll make you a deal. You come with me right now, and I'll let her go." Clarke protested against it, telling Charlotte not to, which Murphy responded with inching the blade closer. The blonde girl didn't listen, wanting to make her way to Murphy, and if it hadn't been for Bellamy holding her back, she would have.
She yelled and withered in Bellamy's grip until Kinsley shouted, directing towards Murphy. "John, fucking hell, that's enough! She's a kid, man."
"I can't let any of you get hurt anymore. Not because of me. Not after what I did." Confusion settled on everyone's expressions from her words, not having enough time to grasp what the girl was planning before she hurriedly spun around, her name being yelled by Quinn, Clarke and Bellamy as she launched herself off the cliff. Quinn gasped, dropping to her knees immediately when she watched the young girl fade into the distance, a harsh sob slipping past her throat as she heard the impact bouncing off the rocks.
Clarke and Bellamy dropped beside her. As the two girls cried, staring into the abyss of the cliff, Bellamy angrily stood, hurdling towards Murphy when everyone was stunned at the scene. Murphy easily dropped to the floor, trying to defend himself from the constant blows that were being thrown onto his face, his already blood-stained face being painted with an overwhelming amount.
Kinsley forced herself out of her shock, calling out to the man, yet didn't make a move to intervene. "Bellamy, enough! You're fucking killing him!" Despite Kinsley's calls, Bellamy didn't stop, continuing with his attacks. Finn had to step forward, harshly pulling the boy away as Bellamy yelled, screaming and strongly stating that Murphy deserved to die.
Quinn turned around from the ledge with tears falling from her eyes as Clarke stepped in front of Bellamy. "No!" She shouted, denying Bellamy's claim. "We don't decide who lives and dies. Not down here."
"So help me God, if you say the people have a right to decide, I'll—" Bellamy started.
Clarke cut him off. "No, no! I was wrong before, okay? You were right," Clarke said. "Sometimes it's dangerous to tell people the truth. But if we're gonna survive down here, we can't just live by whatever the hell we want. We need rules." Bellamy wiped at his face, retorting on who makes the rules, referring to Clarke meanly. "For now, we make the rules, okay?"
Kinsley added herself to the conversation after picking Quinn off the ground beside the cliff, holding her up as she couldn't control the overflow of waterworks. "So, what now? John doesn't deserve to die, all right?" Bellamy snarled at the girl, yet Kinsley held her front, heightening her tone. "He doesn't!"
Clarke switched her gaze to the wounded boy on the floor, glancing between Bellamy, Kinsley and Quinn. "We banish him." Kinsley's face dropped, watching as Bellamy grasped onto Murphy's jacket, holding him up towards the camp. The girl nervously watched, fear spiking in her chest as Bellamy murmured words only loud enough for John to hear. It was agonising having to watch her best friend being held by the edge, not being able to do a single thing about it.
Kinsley released her hold on Quinn when Murphy had been thrown away from the cliff's edge, his body rolling. She dropped to her knees beside the boy, painfully gazing up at Bellamy. "As for the five of you," he said, dropping his gaze onto Kinsley, "you can come back and follow me ... or go off with him to die. Your choice."
Without saying another word, Bellamy saw the distraught plastered on Quinn's face, walking to her side and gently guiding her away and back to the dropship. Kinsley watched everyone disappear within the trees, sparing her and Murphy a final gaze. The girl cupped John's face in her hands, inspecting the many cuts littering his face, which was difficult considering the extreme amount of blood covering his features. "You have to go, Kinny."
The girl scoffed, trying to fight back the tears rushing in her eyes. "What?" She laughed, although nothing was funny at that moment. "I'm supposed to just leave and let my best friend die? Not a chance, Johnny." Murphy groaned in pain, meeting Kinsley's eyes, taking her hands off his face softly. The false humour once portrayed on her face vanished, contorting into a look of anguish. "That's not fair, John. You can't make me—"
"Yes, I can because that's what you're going to do." Kinsley shook her head, listening to the hoarseness of Murphy's voice. "Go back to the camp. I don't want you out here with me, Kins." The girl lowered her head as she felt the tears begin to slither down her cheek, her eyes catching the glint of her knife. She untucked it from her waistline, opened Murphy's hand, and placed the weapon on his palm. Instinctively, John closed his fingers around the blade, breathlessly snickering at the irony of him receiving the blade he had given her.
Without anything being said, Kinsley quickly inched forward, capturing Murphy's lips onto hers. A moment passed, and Murphy was immediate in returning the action, their lips moving nicely together. Kinsley and John could taste the saltiness of their tears mixing in with their saliva, yet that didn't stop them from taking in—what could be—their last moments together.
Kinsley felt cold when Murphy pulled away first, their foreheads pressing against each other. Kinsley cleared her throat before she spoke, whispering gently. "May we meet again, Johnny." Murphy didn't say anything in reply, his eyes being glued on her figure as she stood and disappeared into the trees reluctantly, leaving them both empty.
authors note.
i didn't think i'd have kinsley and murphy kiss this chapter, but when i wrote their 'goodbye', it felt right.
there's not much i can think to say LMAO. quinn being attacked and feeling defeated had me sad like my girl was ready to give up and she was still worried about charlotte.
honestly, i find charlotte annoying. argue with the wall, but her desire of giving herself up to murphy for old very quick when watching the episode ... i understand she's a young girl, but cmon bruh 💀
BELLAMY PROTECTING QUINN IS EVERYTHING !!