XX
[PREVIOUSLY: A bitter battle erupts between the Trikru and Skikru clans. The Skikru gunners are pushed back and Octavia is wounded in the process of saving her brother's life. While he tries to get his sister to safety, Bellamy tells Clarke to get everyone inside and blow the rockets]!
THUD.
The noise of the drop-ship door shutting reverberated throughout the dark forest.
Letting out a shaky gasp, I leaned back against the tree-trunk behind me and closed my eyes. Wiping at the stray tears that were still lingering on my cheeks, I queried, "So, what do we do now, Bell?"
Bellamy opened his mouth to reply when his gaze abruptly diverted from my face. Gazing over my shoulder towards camp, he stiffened in shock as he breathed, "Oh no. Oh no."
"W-what? What is it?" I swivelled around and followed his line-of-sight. Then, my eyes widened in shock and my hand flew to my mouth. "Oh my god!"
The drop-ship door was fastened shut but, just within the walls, was the clear outlines of two figures who hadn't been lucky enough to get inside ...
"T-that's Finn! Bellamy, one of them's Finn!" I cried out as I seized my brother's arm.
"Yeah, and the other one's Bryce," Bellamy replied grimly.
"What?" I gasped. "Oh no. Oh no. Bell, we have to do something! We can't let them die!"
"What do you expect me to do, O?" Bellamy snapped as he turned on me. "I'm not leaving you here alone. You're injured and you're unarmed. Finn can take care of himself, trust me."
Tears blurred my vision as I turned my attention back towards the gruesome scene. The grounders had almost broken through the camp walls. Ferocious battle cries and the distinct sound of clattering armour ripped through the air as the situation began to rapidly escalate.
"Oh god," I buried my face in my knees, my shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs. Finn and Bryce were going to be killed by the grounders and neither me nor Bellamy could do a thing about it!
"O, O, look!" the wonder and excitement in my brother's tone was enough to gain my attention.
"What?"
All Bellamy did was point towards the sky.
Furrowing my brow in surprise, I tilted my head back and gazed up towards the night-time canvas, dotted with stars.
Suddenly, a bright light flashed across the atmosphere. A large, metallic-type shape streaked down from the sky, illuminating the area with a glow that was caused by an eruption of flames and sparks.
"What on earth?" I murmured as I scrunched up my brow. "How is this possible? Is - is that from the Ark?"
Bellamy shook his head, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "No. That is the Ark."
My mouth fell open as I gazed, wide-eyed, up at the sky, lit with orange and yellow hues. "Reinforcements. They're sending reinforcements. Bell, they're coming down to help us!"
"If they get here in time," Bellamy sighed as he chanced a quick glance down at the attacking grounders. "Oh crap."
Whirling around, I peeked out from behind the tree just in time to see the front wall of the camp go crashing to the ground.
SSMMAASSHH.
Swarms of grounders rushed into the camp, screaming profanities and waving their swords and axes high in the air.
Surrounding the drop-ship, they began pummelling angrily on it, demanding entrance. They began pushing it back and forth, causing the contraption to rock precariously sideways.
I swallowed hard as I drew my knees up to my chest. "W-what if the rockets don't work, Bell?"
"They will," Bellamy told me pointedly as he seated himself beside me. His arm encircled my shoulders and his fingers tightened against my skin. Slowly, my head drooped onto his shoulder. My muscles were tense and rigid as I waited for the worst to happen.
Then, just as I anticipated, the walkie-talkie attached to Bellamy's belt crackled to life. "Bellamy, can you read me? This is Clarke. W-we're going to fire the rockets now."
Bellamy let out a pent-up breath as he responded, "Yes, Clarke, I hear you. Do what you have to do."
"I pray to God that you stay safe, Bell, both you and Octavia."
Bellamy nodded. "We will, Clarke. May we meet again."
Only the crackling of loud static met his statement, however, and, in defeat, Bellamy lowered the walkie-talkie from his mouth.
"It's time," he spoke softly as he pulled me closer to him.
I screwed my eyes tightly shut and bit the inside of my lip. Reaching over, I grasped Bellamy's hand in my own. "I love you, big brother."
Bellamy sent me a compassionate smile as he responded softly, "I love you too, O."
"Together we live and together we'll die," I whispered.
BBOOOOMM.
The force of the explosion threw both Bellamy and I face-first onto the ground. A deafening sound cut through the air and continued to ring in my sore, throbbing ears. The heat from the wave of fire travelled rapidly across the forest, searing my clothes, burning my flesh, watering my eyes.
The strangled screams of the dying grounders were the last thing I heard before everything went black.
____
"Will she be okay?"
"When do you think she'll wake up?"
As I came back from the brink of unconscious, I became aware of the cool, fresh air blowing against my cheeks, the throbbing pain in my back and the mumble of low, questioning voices.
Groggily, I opened my eyes, only to see Bryce's face a mere inch away from my own. "Oi!" I yelped as I angrily swatted him away.
"Yep. She's awake!" he announced, a broad grin spreading across his features.
"I was wondering how long that was going to take," Raven teased.
"Oh my god, Princess, are you okay?" Finn's worried voice permeated the air as he loomed over me.
Slowly, I turned my head to gaze up at him. "Yeah, Spacewalker, I'm fine. I just got shot by an arrow. No big deal. Wait, you and Bryce were outside the drop-ship ... how ...?"
"Hey PeaceKeeper," someone gently said.
Upon recognising the voice, my eyes widened in amazement and I struggled hurriedly into a sitting position. "Lincoln!" I exclaimed. "Y-you're alive!" I threw my arms around his neck.
Lincoln huffed, pretending to be annoyed. "Yes, I'm alive. That's pretty obvious."
"How did you lose the Reapers? And, more importantly, how on earth did you get out of the tunnels?" I queried as I pulled away from Lincoln and looked him in the eye.
Lincoln shrugged. "I don't know. Just instinct, I guess. To be honest, it wasn't really that hard, I just ran like crazy. When I finally evaded the Reapers, I began the long trek back to your camp. I managed to sneak in with the attackers and get Bryce and Finn out of harm's way before the rockets blasted. But geez, it's a good thing I came when I did, or Finn, Bryce and yourself would all be dead by now."
"Yeah, you said the arrow that shot Octavia was poisoned?" Bellamy piped up from nearby as he eyeballed Lincoln suspiciously. "Will she be okay?"
"Relax, Bellamy," Finn warned him. "Don't be so aggressive. He did save our lives, a few times, remember?"
Bellamy just rolled his eyes and looked the other way.
Lincoln glanced between Finn and Bellamy before stating pointedly, "Yes. I've removed the arrow and given her the antidote. She'll be fine. She's a strong girl."
I blushed and quickly looked away. "Whatever," I grumbled.
As my gaze swept over the figures gathered around me; Finn, Lincoln, Bellamy, Raven, and Bryce, I couldn't help but frown. "W-where's everyone else?"
For a moment, no one responded, then Bryce spoke up, "This is everyone ... that's left, anyway."
"W-what do you mean?" I gasped. "Did everything not go according to plan?"
"Oh, it did, alright," Finn heaved a deep breath. "All the attacking warriors are dead and the few that did manage to get away will be badly affected by burns and smoke inflation."
"But?" I prompted.
"Everyone that was inside the drop-ship was safe," Raven took up the story. "To be safe, we waited until morning before venturing outside. You know, all the walls and gates are burned. There are dead bodies everywhere. Everything is crapped up and stuff is an absolute mess."
"What went wrong?" I pushed.
"Well, I can't be sure of what happened, exactly," Raven faltered. "You see, I went back inside to check up on the wiring beneath the drop-ship. Suddenly, I heard these shouts and screams and then, everything was still. I heard footsteps over my head and then the sound of truck engines being fired up, but, when I came back out to inspect the damage, everyone was gone. There wasn't a soul anywhere! But, what I did end up finding was this empty metal tube. It was lying on the ground near the door," she offered as she produced the item from her pocket. "It looks like it was used to gas everyone. Then, whoever did it, must've loaded all the dazed kids into trucks and driven away."
"Damn it!" I yelped as I snatched the tube off of Raven. Squinting, I examined the block words lettered on the side of the item. "M-Mount ..." I paused. "Oh my god. It says Mount Weather! The people from Mount Weather were here!"
Raven frowned as she leaned over my shoulder to see. "How did I miss that?"
A low growl rose up in the back of Lincoln's throat, causing everyone to turn and look at him. "Of course it was the mountain men. Who else could it have been? Octavia, Bellamy, this is really serious. No one has ever come out of Mount Weather alive. If your people are trapped inside, they are as good as dead."
"We have to try!" Bellamy argued persistently. "There's no way that we've all come this far, just to let the rest of our people die in some mountain! Look, we have Raven, our genius mechanic, Bryce, our best shooter, Finn, a tracker, the top of his class, and - and we have you. You know the mountains better than all of us put together. You can help us!"
"I already told you, your people are as good as dead!" Lincoln hissed. "There is no point in trying to rescue them. You'll just get captured as well. Their technology is more advanced than anything you have ever seen. You and your spindly sidekicks wouldn't have a chance against them and their guns."
"Wait, Bell!" I spoke up hurriedly. "Lincoln's right. There's only six of us and I'm wounded. It'd be a suicide mission."
"So what? You're saying we turn our backs on our people? Leave them to rot in some hell-hole? I don't think so!" Bellamy spat out angrily.
"No, listen!" I shook my head vigourously. "We just watched the Ark itself descend from the sky! If we can find out where they landed, we can tell them about our situation and they can assist us! There's a whole troop of guards aboard that Ark, Bell. They'll be able to get our people out of Mount Weather! But there's no way we can do this by ourselves. Not alone."
Raven nodded thoughtfully. "I have to say, that makes sense. I agree with Octavia."
Bryce and Finn also voiced their support of the plan and Bellamy had no choice but to reluctantly back down. "Fine. But I'm not going with you."
"What? Why?" I demanded, surprised.
"Do you really think I'm going to be warmly welcomed back after what I did to the chancellor?" Bellamy scoffed as he raised his eyebrows. "He might not be dead but he'll have my head if he ever sees me again. The rest of you find the Ark. Get help. Then, go to Mount Weather and free our people."
"And where exactly will you be?" I persisted, starting to tear up.
Bellamy hesitated. "I don't know. I'll go somewhere. Maybe I'll trek down to the eastern coast and stay under the radar for a bit."
Lincoln nodded. "Good idea. I'll go with you as far as Polis, just to make sure you pass through grounder territory in one piece."
"That sounds like a plan," Raven agreed. "Okay, well what the hell are we waiting for? We have some bad guys to catch."
As Raven leaped into action and started walking back towards the camp, Finn and Bryce at her heels, I turned my attention back towards Bellamy and Lincoln.
Bellamy, who had been crouched beside my prone figure, stood up and offered me a helping hand.
Suppressing a pained groan, I stumbled to my feet, leaning on him for support.
"Let's get you back to the drop-ship," Bellamy said. "You can recover there."
It took a few minutes for us to get down the hill but time was ticking and we didn't have a lot of it left.
Bryce and Finn met us at the outskirts of the ruined camp. "We'll take it from here," Finn offered as he slipped his arm around my waist.
"Thanks," Bellamy gave Finn a firm nod as he pulled away from me. "Take care of my sister for me, okay?"
"You know I will," Finn replied earnestly.
"Goodbye, O," Bellamy leaned forward and enveloped me in a big, bear hug.
Wrapping both arms around him, I buried my face in his shoulder. "Stay safe, big brother," I mumbled, my voice muffled by the material of his shirt.
"You too," Bellamy returned soberly as he straightened up and looked me in the eye. "Remain strong, be brave and never give up. Our people are counting on you. Don't let them down. No pressure." With a smirk, he playfully pinched my cheek as he backed away.
"G-goodbye, Lincoln," I called out, the notes of my voice disappearing along the waves of the wind.
"Goodbye, Peace Keeper," Lincoln replied. "May we meet again."
"May we meet again," I whispered as I watched Bellamy and Lincoln walk away. As I saw their tall figures disappear into the forest, I pressed my lips into a long, firm line.
My features tightening with determination, I turned to Finn and asked, "Where the hell is my sword, Spacewalker? If we're gonna win this thing, then I have to prepare."
"Prepare for what?" Bryce queried curiously.
"Another battle," I answered.
Never give up.
As Bellamy's words echoed through my mind, I gritted my teeth and vowed, "I won't let you down, big brother. I won't let our people down. I'll get them out of Mount Weather for you, I promise."
Gif: Octavia as she watches Bellamy and Lincoln leave.
TO BE CONTINUED
XX