chapter twenty-four | cliffhanger & factory station
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"Keep your eyes peeled, everyone. We're in grounder territory," Bellamy cautioned the group as they moved quickly.
"Everywhere is grounder territory, alright?" Murphy grumbled. "I can't keep running." The group came to a stop, and Finn approached Murphy, trying to motivate him. "We don't even know if the guy Hunter killed was telling the truth," he said as he grabbed Murphy's shoulder, encouraging him to continue.
"Give him a minute," Bellamy said, stepping in.
Finn turned to Bellamy, concern in his eyes. "You heard what the grounder said, 'they'll outlive their usefulness.'"
"I heard what he said when she had a gun to his head," Bellamy snapped, his frustration evident.
Hunter interjected, approaching Bellamy. "Look, you think I wanted to do that? He would've told his people we were coming, and by the time we got there, our people would be dead. Maybe that's something you can live with, but I can't!" She tried to walk past him, but Bellamy stopped her.
"Hey, you did what you think you had to do, but you are not yourself right now, and I can't be out here with another loose cannon," Bellamy told her firmly.
"Guys," Munroe interrupted. The group suddenly noticed the smell and the sound of flies around them. They looked around and saw bodies scattered everywhere.
"Fall in," Bellamy ordered, and the group slowly moved forward, their guns raised.
"Where the hell did they come from?" Murphy asked, realizing the bodies were from the Ark.
"From the Ark," Bellamy sighed.
They reached the edge of a cliff and saw Factory Station in ruins, with no survivors in sight.
"Rough landing," Murphy commented.
"There's nothing we can do for these people," Bellamy said, and the group began to turn around. Then, they heard a faint scream.
"Did you hear that?" Murphy leaned over the edge, along with the others.
"Hey, someone's down there," Munroe pointed out. They looked down and saw a young woman clinging to a tree on a small ledge below.
"Hey!" Bellamy called out. "Up here!"
"Please help me!" She cried out.
"Mel?" Sterling recognized her.
"You know her?" Murphy asked.
"Shut up, Murphy. She's my friend. We have to do something," Sterling insisted.
Finn, Hunter, and Bellamy conferred. "We can't stop," Finn said.
"This isn't a grounder, Finn," Bellamy tried. "We have a rope."
"You saw her; she'd never be able to hold onto it. We'd have to lower somebody down, and it'll take time that we don't have," Finn argued.
"Finn," Bellamy looked at him.
"I hate this as much as you -" Finn began.
"I know. I know," Bellamy sighed.
"We'll come back for her," Hunter assured Bellamy. "Okay?" He nodded in agreement.
"We're moving out," Bellamy decided, before realizing that Sterling was already descending to help her.
"Wait! Sterling!" Hunter called out and rushed over to him.
"Well, it looks like we're taking that break after all," Murphy sighed.
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"I'm almost there!" Sterling called out. "Once I have her, pull us up!"
"Well, I'd say he's heard one too many of your motivational speeches," Murphy joked.
"Shut up, Murphy," Bellamy retorted.
They watched as Sterling descended the cliff, reaching out to Mel but slipping in the process. He tried again, but the rope gave way, and everyone scrambled to grab it. However, it was too late, and Sterling fell to his death, leaving the group on edge.
"Mel! Mel, hold on!" Bellamy called out, attempting to reassure her.
"Oh no!" Mel cried out.
"Yes, you can! You're strong!" Bellamy encouraged.
"I'm not strong! Stubborn maybe!" Mel replied.
"So, be stubborn a little longer," Bellamy urged, kneeling down. "We're not gonna let you die, you hear me?" He stood up and walked over to Finn and Hunter.
"We're out of rope," Finn said.
"So we make a new one," Bellamy stated.
"If anything happens to our friends, when we could -" Finn started, his frustration evident.
"Finn! We don't know if we can even save our friends!" Hunter reminded him. "You know how much I want to. But we can't leave her; we can save her. Isn't that worth something?" She looked at him.
"Sterling was one of us, and she's his friend. I'm in," Munroe declared.
"How do we do it?" Murphy asked.
"We make a new rope from the wreckage. Go find wires, seatbelts, anything," Hunter instructed. Murphy and Munroe left to gather materials.
"I hope you're right about this," Finn said, looking at Hunter, before walking away.
"So do I," Hunter muttered.
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Bellamy volunteered to descend the cliff, with Hunter in front and Murphy behind her, while the others slowly lowered Bellamy. They moved closer to the edge to watch him.
"Just hang on, I'm almost there," Bellamy reassured Mel as he reached her. The rope grew heavier as Mel clung to him. "I got her! Pull us up!"
"Don't worry, Bellamy. I won't drop you," Murphy strained.
"Just pull, Murphy," Finn urged.
As they began to ascend, Hunter's foot slipped, and the seatbelt holding the rope together snapped, causing her to fall down the side of the cliff. She managed to grasp onto a rock, her hand bleeding.
"Hunter!" Murphy yelled.
"Rylee!" Finn called out.
Hunter hung on for her life. "I'm here! Just get them up!" She cried out, struggling to hold herself up.
"Just hold on!" Murphy yelled.
Munroe, Finn, and Murphy held onto the rope, trying to pull them up. Suddenly, arrows rained down on them from the trees, and Munroe called out, "Grounders!"
"Munroe, cover us!" Finn handed her the rifle.
"How many are there?" Bellamy asked.
"We can't see them; they're in the trees!" Finn shouted.
"Hurry up! I'm slipping!" Hunter cried out, her hand cutting into the rock.
"Just hold on!" Murphy yelled.
Munroe was hit by an arrow in her leg, causing her to stop shooting. Finn and Murphy struggled to hold on to the rope. "He's gonna have to cut her loose; it's too much," Murphy strained.
"No way!" Bellamy yelled.
Then the foghorn sounded, causing the grounders to retreat. "Munroe! Back on the rope! Come on!" She struggled but managed to get back on the rope and pull them up. Mel and Bellamy reached the top, gasping for breath.
"A little help here, please!" Hunter called out.
Murphy rushed to the ledge and extended his hand. "Grab my hand! Come on!"
Hunter immediately held onto his hand, and he pulled her up, holding her tightly. He was trembling, terrified of losing her. Hunter lifted herself up shakily and looked at him, her breath trembling. "Thank you," Murphy nodded slowly, giving her a small smile.
Finn rushed over to her and helped her up, concern etched on his face. She showed him her wounded hands, and he examined them.
"Yeah, I'm okay," she assured him before glancing at Murphy, who was sitting nearby.
"We have to take cover from the fog," Finn informed everyone.
"Bellamy," a voice called out. They turned to see Octavia, dressed as a grounder and holding the foghorn.
"No, we don't," Bellamy said with a smile as he walked over to her and hugged her tightly. Hunter followed suit, hugging Octavia with tears in her eyes.
"You blew the horn," she said with a smile.
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Finn and Hunter studied the map after bandaging her hands, while Bellamy fashioned a sling for Mel's injured arm. Octavia tended to Munroe's arrow wound.
"The grounders will be back, so we need to go. Now," Octavia urged.
"Yes, we do," Finn said, looking at Hunter and Bellamy as he approached.
"Octavia says the arrow might be poisoned. I have to take them home," Bellamy explained.
"I know," Hunter said, handing him a map.
"I'll meet you as soon as I can," Bellamy told her.
She nodded, taking Finn's hand as they both walked away. "I know," Finn held a rifle, and Hunter had a handgun.
"Parting is such sweet sorrow, right," Murphy said as he started to follow them. Finn and Hunter turned around.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Bellamy asked.
"Come on, Bellamy. You really think I'm gonna let her go after she nearly fell off that cliff?" Murphy replied.
"She hates you, Murphy. You know that, right?" Bellamy pointed out.
"Yeah, well, I don't hate her. She's the only family I have left. Besides, we both know they're gonna lock me up when I get back," Hunter looked at him, hearing what he said. Bellamy nodded and handed him a rifle.
"Really?" Octavia questioned.
Murphy checked the gun, ensuring it was loaded. "Watch their back," Bellamy instructed. Murphy nodded and followed Hunter and Finn
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- a lil moment between hunter & murphy eeee
and moment of truth y'all, next chapter is going to be intense