The next day I take my time going back to Lincoln. I sleep into late morning before getting up, I set a trap and catch a hare and skin it, cut it up and cook it, I collect some nuts and herbs (medicinal) and a few berries. I figured it couldn't hurt to bring a few treats plus I was running a little low on provisions at my bird nest (her look out outside the camp). I get back to Lincoln's cave mid afternoon. I felt slightly bad for yelling at him the way I did but I was only trying to protect him. He needed to see that these skai people were a threat to us and they needed to be taken care of. I heard the fog horn as it echoed throughout the forest around me and curse, I was still at least twenty minutes from the caves I would have to go back the way I came or hope for shelter up north. I took my chances and started sprinting north hopefully there would be more caves or some kind of structure somewhere that I could take cover in until the fog passed. I continued sprinting until I tripped over something and was sent sprawling across the dirt. I looked back an saw a metal handle sticking out of the ground jut barely peaking out of the fallen leaves and brush growing around it. I didn't know how much longer I had left so I crawled back over and yanked hard on the handle, it moved up with a squeak revealing a door. I scraped away some leaves around the door and dropped in, closing the door around me. Now i wait. I tried to explore whatever I was in but couldn't due to the lack of light. It smelled wet and dirty and I could feel the area was tiny and there wasn't much room so I sat and I waited . About thirty minutes passed before I realized I hadn't heard the howls and cracks of the fog. Deciding it was worth the risk I pressed up against the door pushing it open. No fog. I climbed out of my hiding spot and started back in the direction I believed the caves were. I reached the caves about thirty minutes later and headed inside.
I hear voices ahead and slowed down creeping out of the shadows. I saw a group of skai crew standing around over Lincoln the leader with a spear aimed at Lincoln's throat. I let out a cry rushing forward knocking the leader to the side. I rolled us over and slammed my fist into his face before I was hit in the back of the head and the world went black...
When I come to I'm in an unknown place, I feel someone near my left hand and try to swing with my right but I can't i jerk myself forward trying to get free. "Help! She's waking up!" Someone screams, my arm is pulled taut and I can't move either of my arms. I try to kick my feet but they are chained down to the ground. I lurch forward trying to free myself from the bindings but to know avail. I grunt and growl giving another harsh lurch forward towards the skai invaders successfully scaring the male closest to me and the scrawny one towards the back.
"Tighten those up I don't want them getting loose. Especially her, she's quite the spitfire." I glare at the leader in front of me as my arms are stretched higher and my body protests but I show no sign of discomfort. I smirk at the bruise that has bloomed across his jaw- a dark purple and yellow color. I glance around the room taking in the four skai people, possible exits, and Lincoln who is strung up across from me. The room shakes and skai people are knocked around. I can hear the wind howling outside. A storm. I hear the low rumble of thunder and can only assume the skies have opened up around us. The leader straightens himself up and walks over to Lincoln leaning forward into his face and started asking questions. Lincoln looks at me and I shake my head slightly. Not a word. One of the others starts going through our things and picks up Lincoln's journal and starts to flip through it.
"Hey! Check it out!" The leader walks over and starts to flip through the pages, Lincoln lurches forward and I cringe there must be something important in there. Shit. I thrash against my holds trying to gain their attention but to no avail.
"I think we found something they don't want us to see Miller." He continues flipping before stopping on a page. A picture of the skai girl. I roll my eyes at the fascination towards the boring girl. He closes the book and starts to flip through mine until he stops on the picture of their camp and the tallies I've kept of how many of them there were and how many I knew had died. "That's our camp. She marked down a 102 but 10 are crossed off- that's how many people we've lost. " He closes the book and walks over to Lincoln again. Lincoln looks forward holding my gaze. "They've been watching us ever since we got here." The leader is questioning Lincoln about things in my book like he would know when the floor opens up and the girl known as Clarke climbs through the hole and stands in front of the oaf blocking her path.
"Get the hell out of my way." She sighs. The oaf just stares at her.
"It's alright, let her through." The oaf obeys the order and Clarke walks over standing in front of Lincoln and the male. She glances around the room her eyes pausing on me. I smirk- baring my teeth and she flinches slightly stepping back a little.
"Well if they didn't hate us before they do now." She snaps taking in the sight of Lincoln's battered and bloody form. I mentally give a snort this skai girl has no idea what we are- who we are. This is nothing. Once our people come or we get free they will know what pain is. The male grabs Clarke by the arm dragging her into a corner where they whisper harshly I can only make out a few words here and there but it's obvious by their body language that they're fighting. A large boom shakes the structure and they glance around nervously. I close my eyes and tilt my head back trying to relax the tension in my shoulders. A voice calls for help below and I hear footsteps as I assume Clarke hurries back down below. There's a bang and I hear footsteps slowly nearing towards me. A large hand grabs my face yanking it down, my eyes flash open looking at the male in front of me roughly gripping my face.
"Did anyone actually check her? Search her for weapons or anything useful she might have on her under all this?" he gestures with his free hand toward my clothed body. I snarl at him daring him to touch me. I'll bite his fingers off if he tries. His eyes snap up and lets out a little laugh. "Obviously she does..McCullough! Search her...and be thorough." One of the boys steps away from the shadows and walks forward a smirk stretched across his face. I look straight ahead at Lincoln making no visible sign of discomfort. The boy stand in front of me and unhooks my jacket exposing the layers underneath before tearing it off my body. My scarf is yanked off roughly pulling out some hair that had become entrapped in it. I stare hard at Lincoln as the boy pats down my legs slowly running his hand along them. He removes the small knife that was hidden in my boot. Then stands up my knife in hand. He reaches forward grabbing the tattered shirt and for a moment i think he's going to stab me until I hear a gentle rip and feel a breeze drift across me sending a few bumps across my skin. My eyes flicker down and I see this skai scum has cut off my shirt and I now stand in only my pants and a black bra that was slightly too small for me. But they were hard to come by so I was making it work. I scan the room and see all eyes are on me as the boy pockets my knife and lets his slimy hands roam across my bare skin. He cups my breast and skims his hands across my back before giving a smirk and stepping away.
"She's clear. Nowhere left for anything to hide." The male nods his head walking back over to me, circling around me slowly. He comes back to stand in front of me and stares at me.
"What are those scars across your back? Are those from radiation? Animals?" He demands. I ignore him continuing to stare him in the eyes. He didn't deserve any knowledge about me or my people. "Answer me!" He yells, spit flying. Again I ignore him this time staring ahead at the wall in annoyance. This was pathetic. A sting flares across my face as it's knocked sideways, a coppery taste fills my mouth and I grin looking at the leader in front of me before spitting blood at his feet and closing my eyes. I hear stomps and my face is grabbed roughly and my hair yanked back with a sharp pull. My eyes remain closed. " I said what are they?!!" I remain silent and await the next blow but it's interrupted by banging on metal. I open my eyes and stare at the hole as it opens and Clarke comes barging through walking straight over to Lincoln. She holds up his blade and i smirk a little knowing what's on it.
"What's on this?" she demands.
"What are you talking about?" The male questioned leaving me and walking over to examine the blade.
"He poisoned this. All this time he knew Finn was going to die no matter what we did." I smirk a little more, smart girl. The boy-Finn would be dead by the time the storm rolled out. "What is it?! Is there a cure?" She screams.
"Clarke he doesn't understand you." Lincoln's pet speaks up.
"The vials." The boy walks over to our pile of belonging and sifts through them grabbing the case with the vials in it. They won't be able to guess which one in time not without killing themselves or the boy.
"Which one?" Clarke demands showing the case to him.
"Show us." The pet begs. "Please."
"Which one?" Clarke begs again. This is just pathetic. "Our friend is dying and you can stop that."
The boy walks forward, "I'll get him to talk." The pet tries to stop him as he goes to hit Lincoln, telling him to stop saying it wasn't who they are. But she ignores the stubborn girl and nods her head at the boy. He walks over to the wall cutting off a piece of red with something dangling from the end, I can't see it well from here. I cuts off Lincoln's shirt, wrapping the red around his head as he whips Lincoln with the dangling piece. It slashes his chest and he grunts pulling away at the restraints. The pet begs for him to stop but to no avail. We were trained warriors this was something we hadn't seen yet but we had been through much much worse. The beating continues and I thrash against my restraints trying to get free they were hurting him. Lincoln wasn't a warrior he wasn't trained to survive things like this for long. I thrash hard trying to pull myself free but nothing is working. When Lincoln doesn't give in he throws the whip to the side and grabs something off the floor, holding it in his hand. "You don't have to be here for this." He tells Clarke.
"I'm not leaving until i get that antidote." He stares at her a moment longer.
"Last chance." He warns walking close and grabbing Lincoln's hand tightly. Silence. He plunges his hand forward forcing the item through his hand, Lincoln gives a grunt and gasps for air clenching his jaw.
Another girl climbs through the hole. "What's taking so long?! He stopped breathing. I got him to start again but next time he might not."
"He won't tell us anything." Clarke looks down away from Lincoln. The girl stares harshly at me and has a strange glint flash through her eyes. She marches over yanking something out of the wall and it comes out with a spark in my direction. I whimper yanking against my resttraints trying to get away.
"What are you doing?" The male asks. "It wasn't her knife."
"She knows. And so does he. I'm showing them something new." She plunges the things into my side and my body convulses as a white hot pain courses through my body, I clench my teeth together and curl my fingers into my fists trying to remain strong. She pulls away and i spit at her, she growls lunging forward shoving it into my skin again- my body shakes and convulses and I cry out as the pain increases. It feels like my skin is on fire. She pulls away and i go limp in my restraints, sweat dripping down across my face. She marche over to Lincoln and he goes through the same torture crying out in pain. But i'm too weak to struggle. The pet walks forward knife raised.
"No more!" She yells.
"They're letting him die!" The new girl cries desperately. My vision starts going dark and the last thing I see is blood dripping down the pet's arm and into a puddle at her feet.