chapter nine
MY RESPONSIBILITY
"when the lights go out all around, whispers fill the air."
"Hey, everybody, gather around and grab a weapon." Bellamy shouted as he dropped a bundle of knives on the dirt, "My sister's been out there alone for 12 hours. Arm up. We're not coming back without her."
Evelynn grabbed a flashlight and stuck it in her jacket pocket as she turned to see Jasper cautiously joining the group with a torch in hand.
"Jasp, what are you doing?"
He turned to her and lifted his torch slightly with a forced smile, "I'm joining the search party."
Evelynn felt someone push past her to interject in the conversation, "Jasper, you don't have to do this. You haven't left camp since we brought you back."
Jasper turned his attention to the blonde, "Clarke, I need to do this."
"We need all the people we can get," Bellamy stepped into the little circle the three had created to interrupt the conversation as well.
As the group departed a bit, Evelynn stayed back to keep Jasper company. His hand was resting hesitantly on his chest where he was struck with the spear. He always kept his hand there as a new anxious habit. Evelynn grabbed his arm and linked it with hers like they had done many times before. She felt Jasper let go of some of his tension in her grasp.
"Guys, guys, come here!"
Everyone made their way over to create a large group as they looked to the sky together. What looked like hundreds of shooting stars fell from the sky, twinkling and shining.
"Do you see that?" Jasper asked in a hushed tone. Evelynn nodded in awe as they moved closer in the group to get a better view.
"They didn't work." Raven burst out, "They didn't see the flares."
Bellamy furrowed his brows and turned himself toward her, "A meteor shower tells you that?"
Clarke shook her head, her voice sharp, "It's not a meteor shower, it's a funeral."
Evelynn felt her heart drop to her stomach as she watched the twinkling bodies of people trail across the sky.
"Hundreds of bodies being returned to the Earth from The Ark. This is what it looks like from the other side." Clarke said growing more distressed, "They didn't get our message."
Evelynn felt Jasper's eyes on her as she became aware of her wide eyes full of tears that threatened to spill.
She quickly shook her head and blinked back her tears as rubbed Jasper's arm to comfort him, ignoring her emotions that begged to be expressed.
They failed, and 300 people paid the price. Maybe people that they knew. She couldn't find any words to make it better.
"This is all because of you!" Raven shoved her way through the crowd to face Bellamy, who was quick to put up his defense.
"I helped you find the radio."
"Yeah, after you jacked it from my pod and trashed it!" Raven spit, veins popping from her neck in anger as Finn and Clarke held her back.
"Yeah, he knows. Now has to live with it." Clarke said, her tone calming Raven slightly.
Bellamy's jaw clenched as he turned his gaze from the sky to the forest, "All I know is that my sister is out there and I'm gonna find her."
Evelynn watched him as he walked away from the rest of the group, every part of her aching to help him in some way.
Jasper tightened his grip on Evelynn as she rested her head on his arm as they started their descent into the Grounder-infested woods.
»»————- ★ ————-««
The night wore on slowly as the group followed Bellamy through forest, everyone complaining.
Finally, someone found something down a dark hill, "You see it? Is that Octavia's?"
Evelynn squinted as her and Jasper made their way up the the front of the group by Finn and Bellamy.
"Rope." Bellamy demanded with and open hand.
Finn handed it to him, "What are you doing?"
Bellamy tossed the the rope down the steep hill and adjusted his grip, "We need the rope to get back up." He peered down the drop and turned back to the group, "Flashlight."
Evelynn reluctantly dropped her own flashlight into Bellamy open palm. He grabbed it and immediately made his way down the hill.
He stopped at a small bush before calling up to them, "It's hers." Evelynn felt both herself and Jasper sigh in relief in unison. "I'm going all the way down."
Jasper immediately unlatched from Evelynn and handed his torch to Finn with shaky hands. Finn gave him an encouraging smile, knowing exactly what his plans were.
Jasper then held to the rope and, in a moment of blind bravery, followed after Bellamy down the hill.
Finn didn't hesitate to jump in line next to join the two other boys at the bottom of the hill.
Evelynn turned at looked around her. About a dozen kids already turned to head back to camp and a dozen more stood waiting for someone to go next down the rope.
Evelynn sighed, Bellamy had her flashlight and Finn had a torch, and there was so way she would make it back to camp without light. Besides, they needed her.
"What the hell," She muttered as she grabbed onto the coarse rope and quickly made her way down the hill, mildly burning her palms.
When she finally planted her feet on solid ground, the boys were already in a huddle, examining the area.
"The prints are deeper going that way." Finn pointed at the footprints in the mud, "He was carrying her."
Bellamy solemnly nodded, unwilling to show any fear. Jasper chewed on his lip, a glimmer of what seemed like hope in his eyes, "If they took her, she's alive. Like when they took me."
The gesture was nice, but Jasper's words only scared them more. As a couple more delinquents made their way down the rope, the began to head out and follow the prints.
Bellamy quietly led the group deeper into the woods, consumed in worry.
His worry was only increased when they were met by dozens of skeletons hung on poles.
"I don't speak Grounder," Finn muttered front the front of the group, "But I'm pretty sure this means keep out."
"Let's get out of here, this is crazy." Someone said at the back of the group. More than half of the group seemed to agree and began to leave.
"Go back if you want." Bellamy's voice boomed, "My sister, my responsibility."
Evelynn watched as he stepped into Grounder territory without a second thought, the inkling of an sunrise in front of them.
Jasper spoke to Evelynn and Finn as he took a step forward, "I'd walk into hell to find her."
Finn fell into step with him, "I think we just did."
Evelynn looked behind her at the fleeing delinquents and in front of her at the boys moving ahead.
She rolled her eyes as she jogged to catch up with them, maneuvering through the hanging skeletons, "If any of you die, I'm going to kill you."
»»————- ★ ————-««
The sun that now was rising was beating down on them as they trailed further into Grounder territory. Evelynn and Jasper clung to each other as they searched the ground for more footprints.
"I got nothing. We lost the trail." Finn said, saying what everyone was thinking.
Bellamy replied gruffly, "Keep looking."
But, Finn was not on board with his idea, "Wandering around aimlessly isn't the way to find your sister. We should backtrack—"
Bellamy quickly swung around to face Finn, "I'm not going back."
Evelynn was about to step between the heated two when a girl named Roma spoke up from behind them, "Hey, where's John?"
Jasper looked around frantically, "I just saw him a second ago."
"Spread out." Bellamy ordered, trying to keep the small group calm, "He couldn't have gotten that far."
As they started to disperse, a thumping sound made them all turn to find John laying motionless, eyes wide, throat slit.
Finn stepped towards him and then looked up to where he came from, "They use the trees."
A boy called Diggs shook his head frantically, "We shouldn't have crossed the boundary."
Roma nodded in agreement, "Now can we go back?"
The sound of rustling came from all around them. The group gravitated together into a huddle, feeling safer closer together.
"There." Jasper mumbled as he pointed a shaking hand towards a figure in front of them, "Right there."
"Another one." Diggs pointed behind them. Everyone turned their heads frantically, Grounders masked in layers of weapons on every side.
Finn breathed quietly to the group, "We should run."
Evelynn nodded quickly, adrenaline beginning to coarsing through her veins, "Good plan."
They all began running as fast as they could, the Grounders catching on quickly following them in a run.
Evelynn felt herself fall behind, but she didn't care. She just needed to keep an eye on Jasper, Finn, and Bellamy as they ran in the front of the group to make sure they would be okay.
They ran for what felt like hours, every muscle in their bodies straining against the rough ground, swerving around trees, fearing their lives.
Evelynn ran past Monroe, Roma, and Diggs and moved up to run beside her friends.
"I can't run much longer!" Jasper shouted out. Evelynn ran up next to him, watching him pant with his hand on his still-healing stab wound.
"I'm not stopping for him!" Diggs yelled out as he ran past them. Evelynn gritted her teeth and came to an abrupt stop, grabbing hold to Jasper's arm, "I am."
Bellamy turned around at the sound of her voice and stopped running as well, "I'm sick of running anyway."
Finn slowed to a halt and walked back to them, "Hey, what are you doing?"
Bellamy turned to him, as if it was obvious, "They know where she is."
The other half of the group did not seem to get the memo that they were done running as Roma burst past them and sprinted back from where they came, "Diggs, where are you?"
Evelynn sucked in a deep breath and grudgingly began to run again, following the rest of the group after Roma.
When they found her, she was already running away from them again. In front of them was Diggs stabbed right through the center, his body dangling from a wooden board, obviously rigged by Grounders.
"Wait! Roma!" Finn called after her, "There could be more! Stop!"
Evelynn reached out and gently closed Diggs's eyes with her thumbs, a pang of nausea washing over her.
"They were leading us here. It's the only direction we could run in." Jasper pointed out.
"Hey. Where'd they go?" Finn asked as they all searched the forest around them for the Grounders that were previously chasing them.
Bellamy started his run again, "After Roma."
The made it to a tree with a someone's jacket peeking around the corner. Monroe sighed in relief, "There she is. Roma!"
Roma didn't move. They all slowly inched closer and closer.
Evelynn felt her heart stop as she saw a spear straight through Roma's chest. Her eyes widened and she turned to jog back towards Jasper. He did not need to see this, especially after he was speared.
"They're playing with us." Finn muttered as he approached Roma.
Evelynn made her way to Jasper and immediately grabbed both his arms, "You don't want to go over there."
Jasper pushed out of her grasp, ignored her warning, and walked over to Roma.
Evelynn quickly followed after him and watched as he stopped walking, his hand lifting anxiously towards his own chest.
They both watched as Bellamy stepped away from her lifeless body after closing her eyes, a look of guilt plastered on his face.
"They can kill us whenever they want." Finn said as they all stood defenselessly in the middle of the clearing.
Jasper's emotions seemed to catch up to him as he yelled on the top of his lungs, "Then they should get it over with! Come on!"
Evelynn tried to calm him down grabbing at his flailing arms, shushing him, but it was no use, "We know you're out there!"
The whole group was together now in a circle, weapons out, as the Grounders ran at them. Suddenly, the sound of a horn broke through the air.
"They're leaving." Bellamy said, baffled, as they watched all the Grounders retreat.
"That horn," Jasper said, voice quivering, "What does it mean?"
"Acid fog." Finn said shortly.
Monroe turned to him with urgency, "We have to run."
"There's no time." Finn said as he pulled out a tent from his bag.
"Convenient." Evelynn muttered.
The five kids that were left of the search group all huddled soundlessly in the tent that they didn't have time to properly build.
They all laid down wordlessly, their hearts thumping out of their chests to a point where they could all feel eachother heartbeats.
"How long are we supposed to wait?" Jasper whispered impatiently after laying uncomfortably for nearly five minutes.
Monroe turned to Finn, "Will this even work?"
Finn looked to her with a shrug, "We'll find out."
"No, we won't." Bellamy said, moving his head out of the tent. Evelynn tried to pull him back in, but he just lifted the tent off from over them and turned to her, "There's no fog."
"Maybe it was a false alarm." Finn said, more like a question. Bellamy ignored him and pointed at a figure in the distance, "They're coming back."
They all turned to see a man walking away from them. Jasper shook his head, "I think he's alone."
"Now can we run?" Monroe groaned. Evelynn turned to her and nodded in agreement.
"He doesn't see us." Bellamy said, eyes still following the Grounder in the distance, "I'm going after him."
"And what? Kill him?" Finn asked, exasperated.
Bellamy turned around to face the group, "No. Catch him. Make him tell me where Octavia is."
Bellamy paused for a second before turning to start to walk towards the man, "Then kill him."
Jasper linked his arm back up with Evelynn, which she was grateful for, "How do we know he's not leading us to another trap?"
Finn turned to look over his shoulder, following Bellamy, "We don't."
»»————- ★ ————-««
The group followed the clueless Grounder as soundlessly as they could. He led them through the territory, past traps, and all the way to a cave.
Evelynn looked around as they walked through the narrow space. She couldn't help but feel like this was his home. They were in his hallway in the Grounder's home.
Evelynn whispered to Bellamy who stood in front of her leading the group, "Bellamy, I'm pretty sure this is breaking and entering."
He was quick to shut her down, "Evelynn, I'm pretty sure they kidnapped my sister."
"Fair point."
The group made their way to the end of the hallway, following the suspicious sound of clinking chains.
"Bellamy?"
Everyone unanimously sighed in relief as they stepped into an open room with a knocked out Grounder and Octavia.
Bellamy didn't hesitate for a second and ran straight to his sister, "Octavia!"
As soon as she was unchained, she leaped into his arms. Evelynn felt relief wash over her for them. She couldn't even imagine the pain they were going through when they were apart.
Octavia pulled out of the hug and smiled as her gaze fell on Jasper, "How did you find me?"
Jasper smirked as she engulfed him in a hug, "Followed him."
Evelynn glanced down at the him Jasper spoke of. When she saw him she felt a chill run up her body. The Grounder looked so human.
She always pictured the Grounders as monsters. But they were humans, seemingly no different then them.
"We should go." Octavia said as looked around at everyone in the search party, "Now. Before he wakes up."
Bellamy reached forward and picked up a double-ended spear from the wall, "He's not gonna wake up."
"Bellamy, stop. He didn't hurt me. Let's just go." Octavia begged.
Bellamy was unyielding, "They started this."
Their eyes all fell onto Finn who was kneeling by the Grounder. Bellamy had no patience for it, "Finn. Move."
Finn ignored him and lifted up a small horn on the Grounder's jacket. Evelynn kneeled down the the other side of the man and watched Finn brush his fingers over the engravings, "Foghorn."
Evelynn then realized it was the Grounder who sounded the foghorn to keep the others from attacking them. She looked up and made brief eye contact with Finn before the Grounder in front of them shot up.
Immediately, Finn was pushed to the ground with a knife in his abdomen.
Evelynn reacted instantly, throwing herself at the Grounder in a blind rage as she watched Finn go down. The Grounder elbowed her back, as if shoving off a small bug, and caused her to stumble backwards.
As she was shoved into the wall behind her, she felt a fiery pain shoot up the back of her arm.
She felt her knees try to buckle to response to the pain, but she fought it off. She looked behind her to see that the wall was covered in weapons- spears, knives, arrows, poles, and swords.
"That can't be good."
The source of pain registered in her mind and she reached behind herself and felt a handle coming out of her arm. Evelynn sucked in a deep breathe and let out a yelp of pain as she yanked the thing out of her arm.
She stumbled a few steps to the side as she fought her body's pain response, holding the thing in her hands. Evelynn saw that it was a knife, now covered in blood. She immediately let it drop to the ground and tried to put her hand over the wound.
Evelynn quickly retracted her hand as she felt a gaping hole in her jacket, too scared to even try to feel the damage.
She felt her focus fade from herself to the scene in front of her, the Grounder with the spear to Bellamy's throat. Octavia was screaming, "Stop! That's my brother!"
Evelynn tried to think quick on her toes, everyone in a panic. She turned quickly to the weapon wall behind her. She grabbed a pole, but instantly felt pain shoot up her arm.
Realizing she couldn't fight, she yelled, "Jasper!" And threw the pole to him.
Without hesitation, Jasper caught it and swung the pole at the Grounder and knocked him out.
After regaining their bearings, everyone went running to Finn, knife still lodged in his chest.
Bellamy immediately began to lift Finn into his arms with a grunt, "Let's go."
Jasper was helping Octavia stand when he yelled out, "Wait! Take the knife out!"
Evelynn was still stood by the wall, using it to balance herself, "No, keep it there, taking it out could cause more damage."
Jasper shook his head quickly, panic flooding his features, "How is taking the knife out going to—"
"We're keeping it there." Bellamy said sharply, cutting him off. No one argued anymore as they wordlessly made their way out of the cave as fast as they could, no one noticing Evelynn's wound at all.
Evelynn shrugged off her jacket and held it to her wound, trying to stop the bleeding and trying to keep up with the group.
She tried to convince herself that she was okay. That her injury had to be superficial and that Finn's life was on the line. Drawing attention to her would only take it away from Finn, who needed it.
Monroe turned around to see Evelynn trailing behind them all, not noticing her wound, gesturing to her to follow.
"Hurry!"