SEVERED CONNECTIONS
They stayed outside of Bellamy's tent, goading him to come out. Cassie didn't get involved, waiting for the moment that he would so she could get the chance to punch him. She'd wanted to do it since the first day on the ground, and now seemed the perfect excuse.
Just as Cassie was about to storm in there and drag him out by the hem of his shirt, Bellamy came out. His hands were held up high, in a mock surrender. His face seemed even more tired than usual. She wanted to pity him - she couldn't find the strength to do it.
"Dial it down and back off."
Cassie giggled, cocking her head at Bellamy. He wasn't exactly in the position to make decisions, especially after he'd been made to look like a hypocrite in front of all of his loyal subjects. It amused her that he thought he still had that power over everyone, when he himself was the reason his crown fractured.
"Or what? What are you going to do? Hang me?" Murphy's bitterness radiated off of him.
Bellamy carefully scoured his eyes over the crowd. His eyes lingered on Cassie's defiant form for a second longer than most, before they hopped to the next person. "I was just giving the people what they wanted."
"Just like the bitch you are." Cassie didn't realise she'd spoken until all attention was drawn to her. She was tempted to spit in his face; she held back.
Murphy ignored Cassie's comment, continuing with his rant. "Why don't we do that now? Let's give the people what they want. So, who here wants to see the real murderer hung up? All in favour?"
Murphy raised his hand in the air, his back to the crowd of people behind him. Cassie didn't even think about it before raising her hand with him, her focus remaining on Bellamy the entire time. She pretended not to hear the gasp that resonated from inside the tent, the voice that she'd grown fond of. Bellamy stared at her in disbelief.
Cassie spoke her mind, voice casual, as if she was talking about what she'd had for breakfast that morning. "She's old enough to know the difference between right and wrong."
When Cassie broke her gaze from Bellamy, her stomach dropped. Including her and Murphy, only four other people had lifted their arms. The rest of them shuffled on their feet uncomfortably, refusing to look at the pair in the eye. Cassie sneered at them.
"I see." Murphy's words were drawn out, deliberately slow. Cassie had to gulp down the fear that arose with that tone. "So, it's okay to string me up for nothing, but when this little bitch confesses, you all let her walk? Cowards! All of you are cowards!"
"Murphy, it's over."
Bellamy set her teeth on edge. Without a signal from Murphy, Cassie drew her fist back, bringing it at full speed towards Bellamy's face. He had no time to react as her knuckles connected with his cheek, spending him sprawling on the ground. Her knuckles were alight, tiny pinpricks of agony working their way up her arm. She shook her fist out as she spat on Bellamy's unconscious body. "It's over when we get justice."
Murphy sent her an approving nod. Her mind ran with all of the possibilities - maybe she'd been trying to ally with the wrong people all along. She needed to find people like her, with a thirst for adrenaline and hands itching for a fight. It made her fate even more secure - the corrupt will take chances the innocent frown upon.
Octavia came rushing out of the tent, Jay at her side. Cassie didn't look at him, not watching as one of Murphy's cronies cracked a rock against her skull. She didn't warn them about the chance of it killing her. She just attempted to tune out the sickening thud.
Jay screamed out, turning his heated glare towards the small group. As one of the teenagers stepped forwards to make Jay unconscious, Cassie grabbed a hold of his forearm. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Just look at him, he couldn't even hurt a fly."
"But he's helping hide Charlotte!" The teenage criminal whined, moving closer to Jay. He was shaking but holding his ground - it made her proud.
Cassie let a sadistic laugh erupt from her. The teenager frowned at her, taking an instinctive step back. She closed the gap between them easily. "A kid with a hero complex should be the least of your priorities."
In a matter of minutes, Jay was tied up in the drop ship. He shouted at them to let him go, all of them ignoring him. Cassie wanted to apologise as she wrapped the cable around his wrists, wanted to sing her palinode as she locked him inside the drop ship.
She kept all of her doubts to herself. She didn't want to lose what little trust she had with Murphy - she'd risked enough sparing Jay. All she could do was make sure that the ties weren't too tight, and let her fingers run through his hair momentarily in a hidden moment.
The entire time he didn't even spare her a glance.
They all rushed inside of the tent, slashing aside the tarp. Cassie's eyes hungrily scoured the area, frowning when she didn't see anyone. She let her gaze flicker to under the bed - it was empty. She groaned, smacking her head lightly. Bellamy's ranting made sense now.
"Where the hell is she?" Murphy exploded, kicking a stray lamp to the ground. It shattered, the glass showering the floor.
Cassie pushed past the four other teenagers who joined them in their mission, forcing her way to Murphy's side. "Isn't it obvious? Clarke and Finn helped her escape. I always knew Bellamy was a man of few words, no wonder he talked for so long. It was a distraction."
Murphy clenched his fists, shaking his head. "I can't believe we fell for that."
"Don't worry, they can't have gone far. We'll find them, and then we can get justice."
"Time to track down the killer." Cassie blindly followed Murphy out of the tent without a falter in her step. The girl who killed Wells needed to understand that there were consequences to her actions, and Cassie was going to make sure that her fist in the girls gut was it.
They traipsed through the forest, the leaves crunching beneath their feet, roots planning on tripping them up rising out of the ground. Cassie bypassed each and every one, not letting anything slow her down. No matter how fast she walked, Murphy matched her pace, panting slightly from the strenuous exercise.
Murphy cupped his hands around his mouth, bellowing. "Charlotte! Clarke and Finn can't save you!"
"You moron!" Cassie slapped Murphy over the back of the head, rolling her eyes at his stupidity. "You're just telling them where we are. We want to attack when they least expect, not give them time to hide."
"I guess you're right." Murphy lowered his cupped hands, silence lapsing between the two. Cassie made no attempt to break it, constantly keeping an eye out for any sign of the murdering child. Murphy seemed uncomfortable with it, cracking his knuckles awkwardly. "I, uh, have something to say."
Cassie frowned. "You just did."
"No, I mean." Murphy sighed, looking down at his hands. "I thought you hated me."
"Trust me, I still hate you," Cassie laughed, spinning her weapon in her hands. "Don't get too comfortable. Once this girl is dead I'll go straight back to whooping your ass."
Murphy paused. "Thank you."
Cassie choked on her own spit. John Murphy being grateful? The mere thought left her shell shocked. She managed to squeeze enough words to ask, "For what?"
"For standing by me when no one else would." Cassie turned her head back to the four teenagers trailing them. They had their weapons in the offensive position, determined on their faces.
"No one else huh?"
"They're mindless fools. They're only in it for the entertainment. You - you understand."
Cassie felt hot rage build up. Her hands instinctively clenched, and for a minute she forgot one of the reasons why she joined Murphy. Her words emotions poisoned her words, striking Murphy. "You and I are nothing alike."
Murphy opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. Cassie didn't mention it.
The rest of the hunt passed in silence. The teenagers behind them still lagged behind as the pair powered through, darkness falling around them. Cassie's feet began to ache, her legs feel weary and her eyes droopy. She still carried on at her constant speed, refusing to give up so easily.
Her patience paid off.
A high pitched scream echoed throughout the woods, scaring the birds in the trees and making them flee their habitats. Cassie felt her heart soar - the sound came from nearby. Instantly, she was sprinting in the direction of the sound, not caring if the others followed. The sound of pounding footsteps hit her ears, and she knew that they were on her heels.
She smiled.
She'd get justice.
Cassie slapped branches out of the way, pushing herself harder. Her arms pumped rhythmically at her sides, her heart racing. Her legs screamed under the sudden effort, burning as though they'd been set on fire. Cassie ignored the feeling, forcing herself to go faster.
The clash of water hitting rocks became louder the more she ran, it soon drowning out her ragged breaths. She felt her legs buckle slightly as she saw a break in the trees, a cliffs edge in sight. Just a little further, she encouraged herself, driving her closer to her destination.
There.
By the edge of the cliff, there stood four figures. Bingo. She felt her steps falter she got closer, her movements slowing. As Cassie came into sight, they all spun around in time to see her crumble to the ground, gasping for breath. She pounded on the ground, taking out her frustrations at her struggling breath.
Murphy ran straight past her, towards the four. He didn't care about her at all. Cassie should've predicted this - it was the whole reason why she hadn't tried making allies with him sooner. He'd let her die if it let him get his own way, just like she would.
The reason she didn't try to ally with him was because he was too much like her.
It all happened before she could comprehend it. Murphy yanked Clarke into his grasp, a knife pressed to her throat. The pressure was so hard that a bubble of blood had already appeared. Cassie reined in her gasp, blinking slowly at the scene before her.
Still trying to regain her breath, she stumbled to her feet, focusing her furious gaze on Murphy. "How in the actual fuck is that going to help?"
Murphy stared at her, jaw dropping. "I thought you were on my side?"
"I agreed with you one thing, and that was Charlotte getting her fair share of karma. Not taking Clarke down in the process, as annoying as she is. We'd all be royally screwed with her dead." Cassie took small steps towards Murphy, offering an open palm to him. "Give me the knife Murphy."
His face twisted. "I will slit her throat."
Charlotte whimpered, crying out. "Don't hurt her!"
Cassie took another small step towards him, arms up in surrender. "Do you really want to kill the closest thing we have to a doctor?"
Murphy blanked Cassie, keeping his wild eyes on Charlotte. "Don't hurt her? Okay, I'll make you a deal. You come with me right now, I will let her go."
Her stomach churned. Cassie couldn't think about Charlotte being in Murphy's presence without wanting to vomit. He wouldn't just kill her - he'd make sure she begged for death. She kicked herself for naively following the orders of maniac, letting herself fall under his spell. She'd been yearning for justice; she never really thought about what that would mean for Charlotte.
"Don't do it Charlotte." Cassie warned Charlotte, sparing her a glance. "He's manipulating you. Maybe I was wrong. Yes, justice needs to be served; there has to be a better way than this. I'm so tired of fighting. I'm tired of death."
Charlotte seemed to have heard what she said. She paused, mulling it over.
Then she took a step towards Murphy.
" I have to! Murphy, this is not happening. I can't let any of you get hurt anymore. Not because of me. Not after what I did."
Cassie blinked. One moment, Charlotte was next to Murphy, the next she was plunging to her death off of the side of the cliff. Cassie froze.
It felt like she was under water. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Bellamy lunged himself at Murphy, beating the living crap out of him. Clarke protested, begging him to stop. Finn was in a similar state to Cassie. Occasionally, she'd find herself looking back over to the cliffs edge, where the thirteen year old girl had committed suicide.
Just like that, she was six years old again. She was unable to help, no matter how much she screamed and hoped that their hearts would beat again. She had gone to their room too late.
She'd realised she was wrong too late.
Maybe if she was on Charlotte's side, she would still be alive. Maybe Cassie would've intercepted Murphy before he got his grimy hands on Clarke, been able to knock him unconscious and they all go back to camp. Maybe she could have dragged Charlotte back from that cliff, instead of her falling to her doom.
A hand landed on her arm. She tensed; she didn't shake it off. Cassie blinked, looking up at the figure crouched in front of her: Finn. He offered her a small smile, guiding her to her feet. She didn't think about it, she was running on auto pilot, relying on her primal instincts.
One thought kept playing on her mind, repeating into the empty abyss.
"Did we just kill her?"
Finn silenced, keeping his hand on her arm. He led her away from the cliffs edge, halting for a moment to throw a rations pack at Murphy's side. Cassie's curiosity peaked at the sight of his bloody and beaten face, and at why he was still on the ground.
It's because they weren't allowing him to come back.
Cassie reeled at the thought. She couldn't help but wonder if she hadn't changed her mind last minute, if she'd have been in the same position as Murphy, lying broken on the ground on a planet out to kill them all.
She felt like that's what she deserved.
During that entire walk home, all she saw was Charlotte's body plummeting to nothingness.
*
Walking back into camp wasn't the warmest experience. The teenagers all sent icy glares at Cassie, some even shouting abuse at her. She didn't care, pulling away from Finn with a small, grateful smile and nearly running to her tent. As soon as she sat down on her bed, her lip wobbled. It was on the verge of painful to swallow past the lump that had built in her throat. Tears flooded silently down her face, leaving trails in the smears of dirt on her cheeks. Metallic blood filled her mouth as she bit down hard on her lower lip, trying to control the quivering.
It took all she had not to wail.
She pressed the backs of her hands into her eyes, hiding herself away from the world. Her heart was shattering, all of the pent up pain being released in one tsunami.
She killed a child.
A fresh wave of tears took control of her, her emotions making her a slave. She pressed her hands harder into her eyes, relishing the pulsing pain that followed. She deserved it all. It was nothing compared to what she made Charlotte experience.
"You know what Cassie," Jay stormed into their tent, whipping the opening to the side. He seemed oblivious to her distraught state. "You are a real bitch at times, you know that? I can't believe you would subject a child, a child, to death! You really are the monster you think you are."
Cassie felt her hands shake more. Her heart broke more. The lump in her throat was close to choking her. Her eyes poured more tears.
"I thought you changed. I guess we're all wrong at times, huh?" He waited for a response. He didn't get one. Jay snickered, and Cassie could tell that he was glaring down at her. "Just like I thought. I bet you don't even regret what happened. I bet you're celebrating at the fact that the thirteen year old child is dead."
"Fuck off Jay!" Cassie exploded. She jumped to her feet, taking her hands away from her face, exposing her tear-tracked cheeks. "Just, fuck off Jay. I know I fucked up, and I'm going to have to live with that for the rest of my monstrous life. Maybe I should've taken a nose dive off of that cliff with her, it'd be better for everyone."
Jay's anger slipped off of his face as he took in her dishevelled features, and heard her scratchy voice. He was at a loss of words, seeing the strong woman before him looking so frail. He was reminded of a porcelain doll - able to break after a single fall.
"Cassie." He reached out for her, she shook him off. She turned her back to him, unable to look at him. "Please."
A sharp shock attacked her wrist. Cassie hissed, attention diverting to her arm. The usual lights of the wristband faded before her very eyes.
The wristbands had died.
Cassie's fingernails scrambled at the edge of wristband, trying to pry it off of her wrist. Jay grabbed a hold of her hands, frowning at her. She looked up at him with her sorrowful eyes, voice weak. "I'd rather my family think I'm dead than have hope that I'm alive only to find out I'm a killer."
Words failed him as she carried on trying to break the connection to her family that had already been severed.