Today's weather report is calling for a high emotional front to roll in with this chapter. You are advised to stop and take a deep breath before continuing, and maybe have a tissue or two ready.

CHAPTER 4

The water level in the pit rose at an alarming rate and was making Clarke panic. Already, it was above their hips and climbing fast. As far as she was concerned, there was very little chance anyone was going to find them in time. There was just no possible way they had enough time for someone to get to them from the city.

Realization dawned on her cruelly – once the water got high enough, she wouldn't be able to keep her head above the water. "Lexa, I can't swim," she panicked.

The brunette moved closer to Clarke, taking her hand. "It will be okay," she said calmly. "I'll help you. We'll hold on to one of those beams overhead, don't worry."

Clarke nodded slowly, looking at the hand clasped gently around hers. "If I had to get stuck down here, I'm glad it's with you."

"Let's check our phones one more time, see if there's any signal," Lexa suggested. She hoped with something to do, she could distract the blonde from their decidedly bleak outlook.

The blonde looked at her phone and held it up toward the debris above them, hoping to get a signal. Beside her, Lexa did the same thing, but it wasn't looking good… until, suddenly, Clarke's phone registered a single bar of reception.

"Oh my god, I've got one!" she said happily, hitting her mother's number. It went straight to voicemail, but it was better than nothing. "Mom! Mom, we need your help! The building collapsed, we're trapped – there's water rushing in! Please, hurry!"

The phone went dead, water having killed her battery. "That's… that's it."

"Remember what I said, Clarke, it's going to be okay," Lexa reminded the other. "Come over here. There was a ledge on the front side of the pit. We can stand on it, get us closer to where we can hold on before the water gets too high."

With gentle coaxing, Lexa drew Clarke to the front of the pit and they stepped up onto the ledge. It wasn't much of a difference, but it would be easier for them to reach the steel and concrete above.

"Wait, all those chemicals you were talking about… are we going to, like, get poisoned?" Clarke questioned. "Or irradiated? I don't think I could do the whole two head thing."

"No," Lexa shook her head.

"But you said this place is soaked in chemicals and hazardous waste."

"We won't be in the water long enough for it to have an effect, but we should both probably take a hot shower after this."

"Oh." Clarke couldn't decide if that was comforting or not. She knew that meant they would either get rescued before the toxins could harm them, or they would drown. Actually, it wasn't all that comforting after all. It was fairly depressing, honestly.

It seemed that the higher the water climbed, the faster the pit began to fill up. Even though they were standing higher now, the water was still getting to chest height.

Abby and the high schoolers had finally broken free from the city proper and were working their way out into the country. Their surroundings weren't promising – damage everywhere, houses gone, debris in the road… It made Abby's heart rate skyrocket with anxiety for her only daughter's well-being.

A large flatbed truck was coming down the road in the opposite direction. "Wave them down," Abby told Octavia.

The teenager did as she was bid, rolling down her window and flagging the truck. The man driving slowed down and stuck his head out the window to talk to them. "There's a shelter at the high school, that's where you should be heading," he advised.

Raven turned her camera on the vehicle beside them, sweeping over more than a dozen people sitting in the back. They lined the plywood braced bed, and another row sat down the middle.

"We just came from there, you should keep going," Abby replied. "Have you been by the paper mill to the north?"

"Uh, yeah, there's nothing left," the man answered. "The whole industrial park is totally flattened."

Abby felt her heart hit the ground when he spoke. "You should get those people to the shelter, it's still dangerous to be out here." She didn't wait for his response, rolling up the passenger window and taking off again. If there really was that much damage… she needed to get to Clarke.

The teens in the car had fallen to solemn silence, also worried about the blonde. They knew it was a bad sign, if the factory was flattened. There was a chance they weren't going to-

The buzzing of a phone went off, and Abby shifted in her seat to pull hers out. Since she was driving, she handed it off to Octavia. "See what it is," she said.

Octavia took the phone, Raven and Bellamy leaning up from the backseat to try and get a look. "It's a voicemail," the brunette announced, hitting play and putting the message on speaker.

"Mom! Mom, we need your help! The building collapsed, we're trapped – there's water rushing in!"

Whether there was more to the message or not, it cut out there. Abby lifted a hand over her mouth, her daughter's terrified voice echoing in her ears.

"Can we go any faster?" Bellamy questioned.

The answer came as the engine grew louder and they started moving quicker along the road. They still had to be careful, in case the weather turned violent again or they came up on debris in the road, but Abby was going to get there as quickly as she could.

With water covering their shoulders, Clarke's hope was dwindling with every single drop of water that spilled down into the pit with them. "Lexa… I don't think we're going to make it out of here," she said quietly.

"It's okay," Lexa replied.

"What if we don't? What if we don't even get a chance to say goodbye?" the blonde questioned.

Lexa was silent for a few moments. Though she still had at least a shred of hope, she knew that Clarke was right. There was a chance they wouldn't make it out of the pit and wouldn't have a chance to talk to the people that they loved again.

"What about your camera?" she suggested. "We could record a message, somebody might find it."

The camera had been tucked up into a moderately dry place in the debris above them. It had been pointed down at them and was left recording. The blonde reached up and took it, making sure it was okay. With trembling hands, she turned it so that it faced Lexa.

"Whenever you're ready," Clarke said.

Lexa nodded, looking down for a moment even though all she could see was the water that lapped at her chin. She put on her best game face before looking up into the camera again. "Uncle Gus, if you're watching this, it means we – Clarke and I – didn't make it out of this pit at the old paper mill. I know there were a lot of times when you didn't feel like you were enough, after Mom and Dad… well, you were enough.

"I couldn't have asked for a better person to raise me. There was never a moment when I doubted how much you cared about or loved me. Thank you for everything you did for me and... may we meet again."

She had to pause a moment as her throat constricted and voice cracked, before gathering herself and continuing. "Costia… I'm sorry that I got mad when you told me your family was moving. And Anya, you were the best friend anyone could have asked for. Take care of each other." There was more she could have said, but instead she kept her words concise.

"Okay, that's it," she told Clarke.

The blonde was already teary-eyed as she handed over the camera. It had been emotional, watching Lexa say goodbye to those she cared about. She knew it would be even harder when she was trying to get her own out.

As the camera was turned on her, she looked into it for a moment before starting to speak. "Mom… I think you already knew this, but I blamed you for Dad's death. You save so many people every day at the hospital and you… and you couldn't save him," she paused, trying her hardest not to break down. A couple of tears still slid down her cheeks.

"Not once, not even for a moment, have I stopped blaming you. But, Dad told me forgiveness isn't about what we think someone deserves, so… I forgive you. I was probably wrong to blame you, but now I forgive you. I'm sorry that it took this long – Dad always said I got my stubborn side from you. I forgive you, Mom, and I'm sorry.

"Raven will probably tell you that this is her fault, but that's just her usual attention seeking behavior. It's just like that brace on her leg. Only one good leg, right, Raven?" She knew her best friend would understand that she was joking, and hopefully it would make this all a little easier for everyone.

"And Mom…" It was getting harder and harder not to let her emotions get the best of her. "I love you. I love you, Mom."

Bottom lip shaking, she nodded at Lexa to let her know she was done. The camera was tucked back up into its spot on the ledge – even though they couldn't get out, the camera was safe up under the debris. At least there was a chance someone would find it there.

Already, they had to hold onto the debris above them to stay above the water. The space between the liquid and the steel they were holding onto was shrinking fast.

"God, I didn't think this was how I was going to go out," Clarke commented. "I haven't done enough… haven't kissed enough people."

"Haven't kissed enough people?" the brunette repeated, lifting a brow.

"Not nearly enough," Clarke shook her head. She thought for a moment before voicing a question, "So, um, Lexa? Can we pretend this is a date? One that's gone horribly wrong, obviously, but still a date?"

"A date?"

"Yeah, if I'm mortified about asking you out, maybe I'll be a little less mortified about the fact that we're going to die."

With her free hand, Lexa grabbed a piece of metal closer to her classmate and pulled herself over through the water. "Don't be afraid, Clarke," she told the other.

"Most people are afraid of dying," the blonde pointed out.

"Because they think it's the end, but it's not. It's just another beginning. Our spirits will go on after this, and we'll meet again."

Clarke couldn't stop the couple of fresh tears that slipped free as she listened to Lexa's reassurances. The other girl was so confident of her words, Clarke couldn't help but believe her. The thought that this wasn't actually the end was a comforting one, and it actually brought her a sense of peace.