Hello again! Sorry this chapter took so long, but life has a tendency to get in the way. But here it is at last! Hope you enjoy and be sure to review!
CHAPTER 7
Her eyes stung from the sudden brightness cast down from the sun, which was directly above their heads. Lincoln's strides were twice as long as hers, but she managed to keep up as they raced across a large open area. The explosion had drawn everyone's attention away from the drop ship and towards a now smoking tent near the gate. Worried citizens ran to the flames to help put the fire out. Autumn felt like a fish swimming against the current as Lincoln pulled her through a crowd of people who were scurrying in the opposite direction. To her surprise, not a single pair of eyes landed on her as they moved closer to the Western wall of the camp.
Her legs were burning by the time Lincoln finally came to a stop in front of a rather large tent. She was unceremoniously shoved inside and greeted by four pairs of waiting eyes. Before she was able to identify any of the others, Abby threw herself into Autumn's line of vision. The doctor's small hands settled on her shoulders and her eyes traveled up and down her body, no doubt searching for any injuries.
"Are you hurt?" Abby asked, confirming Autumn's suspicions.
"No trouble on the way out of the drop ship." Lincoln interjected, saving Autumn from having to lie and tell the doctor she felt fine. The deep, recently reopened gash on her thigh sent a sharp pain through her leg with each step. Not to mention the agonizing emptiness of her stomach, which was causing her to feel light headed at times.
"Good." Kane stepped into view from behind Abby. "Miller has rounded up more support than I had anticipated." His voice was heavy with disappointment.
"Well what were you expecting?" This voice belonged to Bellamy. His expression was dark and cold, and for a moment Autumn thought she saw some resentment thrown her way from his nearly-black eyes. Could she blame him? From what she'd heard so far, their camp was close to breaking out into some sort of civil war, and she was the cause.
"This plan is illogical and will most like end in a war between us and them." Bellamy pointed in the general direction of the forest beyond the fence, referencing Trikru. "It's a huge risk."
"It's your plan Bellamy." A younger, dark haired girl piped up from behind him. Autumn blinked in surprise as the girl walked around and came to stand on the other side of Lincoln. She was smaller than the rest, but something told Autumn that she was a force to be reckoned with. "You're the one who decided to take the risk." Her eyes bore into his like nails, slowly sinking deeper and deeper into the surface.
"I tend to be pretty shitty at making decisions." He stepped closer, staring down at the girl Autumn was impressed to see that the brunet didn't seem the least bit intimidated by Bellamy's overpowering presence. "Just ask Jaha, or Wells, or the victims of the culling, or the people of Mount…"
"Enough." Kane interrupted. He clapped a hand onto Bellamy's shoulder which seemed to bring the man out of the staring contest he'd started with the younger girl. "Your plan will work." She saw him give Bellamy's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "We don't have time to reconsider. You four need to move."
"We're waiting for Nate." The girl spoke again. The four Sky People lapsed into a quick discussion about their next plan of action. They used names that she didn't recognize, words that she didn't understand, and past events that she knew nothing of. It was all too much for her to follow, and the more she tried to the more her head hurt. The room began to spin, the floor developing an unnatural dip in the center. Autumn reached out and steadied herself on Lincoln's arm. He glanced over at her and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off as a familiar face entered the tent.
"What the hell took you so long?" Bellamy asked as new appearance stepped further into the tent, lugging two large black bags behind him. Autumn's blood froze at the sight of the kid who had attacked her in the woods.
"What'd ya get for us Miller?" the brunet girl asked, striding past Bellamy to examine the two bags.
"A few canteens for water, as many rations as I could, some knives, and a few extra packages of amo." Miller peered over at Autumn from the corner of his eyes as he continued. "Blankets, socks, ropes. I just grabbed whatever I could find."
"Good work." Kane commended. Autumn could do little more than stare at Miller as he crossed the small room. His brown eyes constantly glancing towards her, but never long enough for her to read them clearly. He was the last Sky Person she had expected to see in what was rapidly becoming a rescue mission; rescuing her from them, that is.
"She's bleeding!" Abby gasped bending down to get a better look at Autumn's leg. Autumn gave an exasperated sigh. She'd forgotten that in the daylight, the blood seeping through the denim would be more noticeable.
"We don't have time for this!" Bellamy exploded. "Are there medical supplies in the bag?" he asked Miller.
"Uh," Miller screwed up his face in concentration. "Yeah, I definitely grabbed a med kit."
"I'll stitch her up when we're out of here." Bellamy announced. "On the Ark all the guards were given basic medical training." He added when Abby shot him a skeptical look.
"It's time." Kane's head was poking out of the tent entrance, watching the chaos that still ensued outside.
"Let's move." Bellamy huffed, shoving his way past the brunette and Miller.
"I don't want Octavia to go." Lincoln's words echoed in the silence that fell over the group. The girl beside him scoffed and glared up at him. The two shared a long look before Bellamy spoke over his shoulder to the grounder.
"Neither do I." a ghost of a smile crossed his lips. "But I dare you to try and stop her."
"You can't." She spat out before Lincoln even had time to open his moth again. "Nobody tells me what to do anymore." And with that, she strode out of the tent. Lincoln rolled his eyes and looked to Kane for support, but received nothing more than an apologetic smile. Autumn guessed that there was history between Lincoln and Octavia and she was surprised to feel a stab of jealousy creep through her bones.
Bellamy signaled for them to follow Octavia's lead. They did, leaving Kane, Abby, and Miller in the tent behind them. The fire on the other side of camp still raged, attracting the Sky People like moths to a flame. It seemed as though the entire population had circled around the burning tent with buckets of water. With their backs to Autumn, she and the rest of her group were able to sneak around the back of the drop ship. Bellamy picked up a rather large stone and tossed it at the wire fence. Autumn felt like laughing at how stupid he looked. Like a child taunting a caged animal, throwing rocks to make the beast move for the kid's entertainment. But when the stone elicited an electrical shock and shot back at him, she let out a small yelp.
"Come on Raven!" Bellamy hissed under his breath. He waited a few moments before tossing another rock at the fence, and this time no blue sparks erupted from the wires. That was the second time the invisible Raven had assisted in her escape. Bellamy pulled a knife from his back pocket and began cutting at the wires. Octavia slipped through the opening the instant it was large enough for her small body to fit through.
"Wait up." someone called from behind, just as Autumn was about to step over the bottom wire. She squinted against the sunlight to find Miller running towards them. "Bell, here!" the boy held out a smooth black object. "I figured you guys only have three guns." His eyes flicked between Bellamy and Lincoln, but ultimately landed on Autumn when he continued. "There are four of you. Take mine."
"Nate, if your father finds out that you helped us. The supplies were easy, but what happens when they do a weapon count and find out that your gun…" Octavia began, but the boy held up his hand to stop her.
"Listen, I agree with my father that sending her back to Ice Nation will start a war; a war that we have no chance of winning. But I also won't stand here and pretend to be okay with what Trikru has done." He lowered his gaze to the grass. "I'll deal with my father when the time comes." His voice was almost somber.
Autumn's mouth hung open with understanding. Miller's father was the one who was hunting her, the one who rallied the Sky People into disregarding the Council. She felt deep respect for the boy who stood in front of her; the boy who not too long ago had sliced through her skin in a fight. To disagree with his father was one thing, but to defy him took great courage.
"Thank you." It was Lincoln who took the gun from Miller, who then turned on his heels and jogged off towards the fire with the rest of Skaikru.
Within seconds, Autumn found herself running straight back to the forest that had almost claimed her life. The same dark forest that had been only minutes away from becoming her coffin. Right now, it was the only thing standing between her and her home, her family.
Well, not the only thing.
Her body tensed, the way it did when she was about to walk into battle. She looked at the three Sky People around her as their feet carried them forward. In a fight, she was sure she could take down Octavia with little effort. She was small and thin, although Autumn knew better than to underestimate her. Bellamy was bigger and made of nothing but muscle, but if she could disarm him, she could win. The Sky People weren't particularly skilled in hand to hand combat. They relied on their weapons for protection. Without his gun, Bellamy would be at a huge disadvantage. Lincoln was a different story. Not only was he twice her size, but he knew how to defend himself. His brain operated on the same level as hers, making it impossible to surprise him.
Autumn didn't want to hurt these people. They were risking their lives to bring her home. To save her. But if it came down to them or her, she would rip them apart.
