Excitement over the missiles died down pretty quickly, campers necks growing tired from staring up into the night sky. None of them really knew what they should expect either. It could be a while before they got a response from the Arc, if they got anything. Their best bet was just to wait it out. So slowly, the crowd dispersed, finding other things to busy themselves with. Elliot was still lost in the stars when a thought hit her. Turning to look at the teens talking around her, she searched for a familiar brown haired girl. In her eagerness to get communication to the Arc, she had completely forgotten about Octavia. And now, she didn't see the girl anywhere. Breaking away from the group, she started searching through the crowd. She avoided Bellamy as much as possible, keeping distance between her and Octavia's older brother.
It wasn't until later, when her hope was dwindling and her heart was pounding that he pulled her aside, hand wrapped tightly around her forearm.
"Have you seen Octavia?"
Elliot swallowed. She knew lying to him wasn't going to get her anyway but she couldn't find the words to tell him that his sister was missing. Instead, she just shook her head, taking another glance around the camp. Most of the others had gone to their tents to sleep, only a few stragglers sat around a dying fire, talking quietly.
She expected the older brother to be furious with her. She expected him to blame her, but instead he let her go, his hard look changing to panic. He mimicked her early action and looked around the camp, half expecting to see his little sister, like he had just overlooked her or something. Elliot felt bad, shoulders slumping.
"I'll help you look," She assured him, "You check the tents and I'll check the fence. Maybe she's on lookout or watching for a sign from the Arc." She didn't even believe herself, but it seemed to tide Bellamy over some. He gave her a thankful nod and stepped away.
She look in a deep breath, looking at him as he walked away. She knew Octavia wasn't in the camp. Octavia was out there, somewhere. Alone, maybe even injured. Steeling herself, Elliot grabbed a flashlight and a makeshift machete from the weapons table. Slipping into the darkness beside the drop ship, she snuck out the fence and into the woods.
When Bellamy reached Clarke's tent minutes later, his panic had risen substantially. Clarke offered her help, saying she wasn't doing it for him but for Octavia. But another sweep over the camp came up not only without Octavia but now without Elliot.
"She knew she wasn't in camp." Bellamy growled, angry that Elliot had lied to him.
"We can't jump to any conclusions," Clarke tried to reason with him, knowing if he was getting angry it wasn't going to help anything, "She probably just assumed Octavia had run off. It wouldn't be that surprising."
"Yeah, or a Grounder got her." The comment was made by a tall brunette girl, Roma, rolling her eyes and glancing to the two girls beside her. Clarke squinted at her, trying to figure out if she knew or cared about the girl. Finding she didn't, she brushed the comment away.
Bellamy had called for a search party, handing out weapons to anyone able and willing. Even Jasper stepped up. Seeing this, Clarke pulled him to the side.
"You don't have to do this. You haven't left camp since we brought you back."
Jasper shifted anxiously on his feet, "Did Elliot really leave camp alone?"
The blonde nodded, momentarily forgetting about Elliot's disappearance as well. And Jasper straightened his back.
"Clarke, I have to do this."
Clarke watched him grab a weapon, hands shaking as he prepared himself to leave the comfort and safety of camp. Then she was thinking about Elliot. Why had she taken off like that? Lied to Bellamy and snuck out without telling anyone where she was going. Another thought popped in her head, and she hurried towards where Bellamy and Finn stood.
"We need to find Elliot first." She ordered, causing the older Blake to look at her incredulously.
Before he could respond, she continued, "Elliot had to have left with some kind of plan. She probably knows where Octavia is, or where Octavia was last. We find her, she can help us get to Octavia."
The boys looked at one another. Bellamy seemed hesitate about the idea, angry that the focus of the mission wasn't fully on his little sister at the moment, but Finn liked the idea.
"It could save us time as well. Elliot can lead us to the last place she saw Octavia and I can follow the trail from there."
Still hesitate, Bellamy nodded. He called the group back together, telling them the change of plans and they headed out into the darkness.
Elliot kept her flashlight off as she jogged through the woods. The moon was providing just enough light that her eyes could make out objects. The flashlight would only draw attention to anything out and around her. Keeping her weapon held firmly in her hand, she moved forward, retracing her and Octavia's steps from earlier. She found the spot where they had confronted Bellamy and spun around. Everything looked different in the dark now. Gritting her teeth, she took off parallel to the direction she had come from.
In a matter of minutes, she reached a standstill. This was the place she had lost Octavia in. She could vaguely remember the direction she saw the brunette hair disappear, but other than that, she had nothing. She had no idea where Octavia could have gone.
"Dammit." She whimpered, eyes welling with angry tears. How could she let this happen? This wasn't supposed to be her fault. She should have just stayed with Octavia instead of running after Bellamy. It didn't help anything anyway. The radio was still broken and the people on the Arc were still going to die. Wiping at her nose with the sleeve of her shirt, she tried to focus once again on where the younger girl could have gone.
Above her, something caught her eye. Through the tree tops, she could see, what looked like meteors falling from the sky. And a lot of them. But they were clustered close together, each burning with the same intensity and blue-ish hue. And they were coming from the Arc. They had been too late. The three hundred people had been killed. But she didn't have time to mourn or worry. Behind her, she could just make out the tone of voices. There were at least three that she could make out. She looked around for any kind of hiding place and quickly disappeared into the brush beside her. She hoped that whoever was following her, would pass without any idea she was there, and she lowered herself even further to the cold ground.
"I've got nothing anymore. Tracks stop here."
Elliot stood up immediately, relief in her expression, "Finn?"
She was surprised by how many people were standing there, whipping around at the sound of her voice. Finn and Bellamy stood at the front of the group, holding large torches.
"Where's Octavia?" The latter stepped towards her. His tone and mannerisms caused her to back up some. She'd seen him angry before, but now that it was directed at her, it seemed terrifying. Finn stepped between them, reassuring her to step out of the bushes. She was met by Jasper, who stood beside her for a sense of support as she replied to Bellamy.
"I- I don't know. This was the last place I saw her. I thought if I could get here, I could figure out where she went. Bellamy, I'm so sorry. I never should have left her," She was looking around her, hoping something would spark a memory or suddenly she would just know which way the younger Blake sibling had ran off in, "This is my fault. If I had been able to keep up with her this wouldn't be happening."
Jasper grabbed her shoulder, "Ellie, you need to calm down, alright? We'll find her. Which way did she go?"
Elliot shook her head, "I don't know."
"Ellie, come on. I need you to think. Which way did Octavia go?"
Elliot stepped away from him, looking back at the area ahead of them. If it was daylight, it would be so much better. No the moon was casting frightening shadows on the ground around them, stretching trees to twice their length.
"Left," She finally whispered, looking back at him, "But I could be wrong. I don't know where she went."
Finn stepped in this time, giving her a kind smile, "I can figure it out."
He waved the group forward, and they all picked up into a light jog, following Finn as he weaved through the woods. She picked up into a jog beside Jasper, keeping her mouth shut. She didn't need to know why he was out here looking for Octavia. She was just glad he was. Instead, she looked around for Clarke. It was strange that the girl who made sure they could all live, wasn't leading the pack.
"Where's Clarke?" She asked, trying to calm her nerves and keep herself from thinking about Octavia.
"With Raven. She was taking her somewhere to find something." Jasper replied. It wasn't much help but it gave some explanation to their leader's absence. The answer would have to do, because seconds later, Mbege shouted out that he had found something.
The group veered off to the right, stumble through thick brush before coming up on a steep hill. Elliot stopped just beside Bellamy, peering down at whatever Mbege's flashlight had landed on.
"You think that's Octavia's?" She asked, tearing her eyes away from the fabric tangled in a skeletal looking bush and looking at him.
"Rope." He shouted out. The ordered wasn't directed towards her but was a response all the same. Stepping out of the way, so Bellamy could loop the rope around a tree trunk, she looked back at the brush below.
Finn stepped around her, skeptical about the idea, "What are you doing?"
Bellamy paused only briefly, "We need the rope to get back up," He glanced at Elliot, "Flashlight."
She handed it over to him and watched with the others as he quickly descended down the hill. Moments later, he stood up, verifying that the belt was in fact Octavia's. Elliot didn't waste time, following him down with Jasper and Finn right behind her. They landed one by one of the soft, muddy ground, coming to crouch around Bellamy.
"Someone else was here." He informed, pointing towards a trail of large foot prints.
Finn stared at them for a moment, glancing back at the other footprints made by whoever had been standing earlier just beside where they all crouched now, "The prints are deeper going that way. He was carrying her."
"They took her, she's alive," Jasper responded, "Like when they took me."
The others looked between one another. That wasn't good news. Jasper had almost died. Most of the camp had completely lost faith in the kid surviving. If the same thing happened to Octavia, Elliot wouldn't be able to live with herself. And she knew Bellamy would be able to either. Before any of the others moved, she was up and walking, following the tracks as best she could in the dark. Now she didn't care if they were following her or not, she had a lead and she was going to find Octavia.
The others did follow her, not to her surprise, and Finn took up guiding again. This trail was a lot denser. Most of them were having to cut at thick underbrush and vines, tripping up on roots growing out of the ground and sinking into mud. But Finn seemed to be locked on to whoever had Octavia and it was worth it.
Elliot almost collided into Jasper's back when he stopped suddenly. She scooted around him, already grumbling at him when her eyes caught what had stopped them. Just a few feet ahead, tied in the trees, where about twenty decaying skeletons.
"I don't speak Grounder, but I'm pretty sure this means keep out." Finn's words were joking but his tone was serious. They were standing on a boundary. And there was no telling what would happen once they crossed it. If they crossed it.
Behind them, teens were beginning to grow weary. A few even started to turn back. Elliot couldn't blame them. She would be right there with them, ready to make the long trek back to camp if it had been anyone but Octavia in there, and if she was hurt, they needed to keep going.
"Go back if you want," Bellamy cut their complaining short, "My sister, my responsibility." The last part was barely audible, like he was talking to himself more than the rest of the group. Resting a hand on the weapon at his side, he ventured into the new territory. Elliot didn't hesitate to follow him. Behind her, she could hear the shuffling of feet and was almost relieved to see Jasper and Finn coming up behind. And not long after, Mbege, Monroe, and a couple others followed as well. At least they had some kind of fighting chance.
There was a still silence resting over the trees and it seemed like this portion of the forest was darker. Elliot was convinced her mind was playing tricks on her, making her see and hear things that weren't there. You're just scared. Get over it. She repeated this to herself multiple times through the trek until Finn stopped them, turning around with a defeated look on his face.
"I've got nothing. We lost the trail."
The statement didn't sit well with Bellamy and he urged the other teen to continue looking. Finn threw up his hands, turning around to gesture towards the trees with emphasis.
"Wandering around aimlessly isn't the way to find your sister. We should backtrack."
Bellamy shook his head, "I'm not going back."
"We don't have time to backtrack," Elliot mumbled, eyes still scanning the tree line, she was positive she had seen something this time, "We need to keep going."
Before Finn could argue with her, a girl named Roma spoke up from the back.
"Where's John?"
The others looked around, searching for the eighth member of their group, finding him nowhere. Elliot and Jasper looked at one another and she could see the sweat begin to bead on his forehead, his chest rising and falling more rapidly.
"Spread out," Bellamy ordered, "He couldn't have gotten that far."
Elliot took a step forward, reaching for her weapon in case of an attack. She stumbled backwards, tripping over her own feet as something came falling from the trees, landing just inches from where she stood. She continued tripping over herself when she realized it was Mbege's lifeless body. She lost her balance, finally, landing hard on her bottom with a jolt. But her eyes stayed glued to the dead kid that had fallen from the trees.
"They use the trees." Finn breathed, stating the obvious.
Elliot groaned as the pain from her fall traveled up her spine and down her legs. She had definitely bruised something. Grunting, she pushed herself forward on to her knees and began to push herself up. A hand grabbed her arm, hoisting her up the rest of the way. She turned to thank Bellamy for helping her, but found he wasn't even looking at her now.
"There." He breathed, and she positioned herself to look at whatever had him mesmerized. Her blood ran cold when she saw the large figure standing in the trees just yards from them.
"Right there." She didn't have to look to know what Jasper meant.
Diggs, who was standing with his back to them, announced the arrival of another one standing the same distance away but to their right now.
Elliot's body became tense. She shifted her glance from the Grounder in front of her to Bellamy and then to Finn.
"Run." She hissed under her breath. In unison, the group took off, staying as close to one another as they could.
It was hard running as fast as you could, dodging vines and fallen tree trunks. The pain in Elliot's back had lessened though the constant motion keep it at a dull throb. She allowed herself to fall to the back, excusing it as making sure Jasper kept with the group. He was still on the mend from his own injury and running wasn't helping the kid that had been speared in the chest.
Bellamy led the group, constantly urging them to continue running. But each time they made any progress, another one would appear in front and lead them off. Elliot was almost rejoiceful when Jasper stumbled to a stop. She did the same, using a tree to lean against.
"I can't run for much longer." Jasper rasped. His breathing was heavy and ragged.
The others stopped, all except Diggs, who pushed his way through everyone, "I'm not stopping for him," and continued running.
"I'm sick of running anyway." Bellamy breathed, drawing his weapon. He turned as if, he was going to go back, but Finn stepped in his way.
"Hey, what are you going?"
"They know where she is." Bellamy explained.
"Diggs, where are you?" Roma called out into the quiet woods, getting no response from the other teen. Elliot watched as her paced quickened and hurried around Jasper.
A second later, Diggs called back to her and Roma took off. Elliot, knowing that it had to be some kind of trap, followed behind her.
"Roma! Elliot!" Finn was following behind, maybe the rest of them even if Bellamy hadn't decided to run off in the other direction, towards the fight.
Elliot kept up with Roma as best she could, surprised at how fast the girl could still go even though they had been running for a while now. They stopped abruptly in a small clearing. Both staring wide eyed at Diggs. The Grounders had rigged some kind of contraption, a booby trap. It had swung out from wherever it had been hidden and impaled him through the chest. Blood dripped from his mouth and nose and he stared back at them with glossy eyes. Roma screamed, taking off again, but Elliot stayed put. She couldn't take her eyes away from his face.
She could see him lying there. The now only vague depiction of her home on the arc, forming around them. She stared down at him, unwavering. The lifeless stare of her father's brown eyes, looking up at her –no, past her, a glossy, almost teary eyed sheen to them, like when you find herself stuck staring at something for too long and your eyes become dry and tears start welling up. The blood that run from his mouth, down his cheek and had begun to pool by his ear. He was dead. He had been dead the moment he hit the ground. But she knew he had suffered. Felt the blade that stabbed through his skin and sunk deep into his body. She knew he had felt death coming. But he didn't look like it now. His eyes didn't show that he had been stabbed. His facial expression didn't show that he was in pain or that he was dead. He just looked distant. Distracted. Unamused.
"Elliot!"
Larkin's voice came in distant, but she continued to stare at her father.
"Elliot!"
This time the voice was off, the tone had changed and the urgency was different. It wasn't panicked like she had remembered. It was concerned. Worried.
"Elliot!" She blinked, and there was Bellamy, staring into her eyes with confusion and what she wanted to believe was worry.
He had reached out and grabbed her arm, as if he was trying to hold her steady. And she blinked, reality falling back into place around her. She suddenly became aware again of what was happening and shook away the mental picture still stuck in the back of her mind.
"You good?" He asked, keeping his voice low.
She just nodded, stepping away from him. She kept herself from looking at Diggs anymore and focused on the Grounders around them. Or lack of Grounders for that matter.
"Where'd they go?" Finn asked, coming up beside her.
She shook her head, narrowing her eyes like it would help her see any clearer or further into the trees. A scream rippled back at them and they all took a collective step towards one another.
"After Roma." Bellamy answered and they were running again.
Elliot knew they shouldn't run towards the sound of Roma. It was a trap. Something wasn't right about the way she was screaming. It wasn't for help. It wasn't even directed at them. It was out of fear. Terror. She was being hunt and she knew it.
They came up on Roma after a while. She was still ahead of them, leaning against a tree. The others seemed relieved to see the girl was still on her feet, but Elliot knew better. She didn't stop with the others, continuing to the tree Roma was pressed against. She knew the girl was dead before she reached her, but she had to see. Just to verify that it was true. That they had lost Roma. When she reached the girl, she was met with the same lifeless glazed look. Bellamy pushed past her, breaking her stare and she was able to turn away, distract herself with something else.
"They're playing us." Finn breathed beside her.
She backed away from Roma and Bellamy, stepping around the tree so the girl was completely out of view.
"They can kill us whenever they want." Finn continued. They were all looking around, weapons out, guards up. They were a long way from home and they didn't stand a chance against the Grounders.
Elliot nearly jumped out of her skin when Jasper began screaming out, taunting their attackers. She leaped towards him fighting to get a hand over his mouth but he was taller and stronger, keeping her hands away. Bellamy and Finn came charging at him as well, but he continued to shout.
"They're coming!" Monroe shouted out and the other three whipped around.
Sure enough the Grounders were coming at them again, this time running. They braced themselves to put up some kind of fight, knowing they were all going to die when a horn sounded. The Grounders stopped immediately, looking between one another. Then, by the grace of God, they turned and ran off away from the four.
"They're leaving." Bellamy breathed in confusion.
"That horn," Jasper pointed out, "What does it mean?"
Finn was the one to answer, exchanging a panicked look with Bellamy and Elliot, "Acid fog."
But something was different. Off. The sound was echoy, hollow. The first time, and Elliot could remember almost distinctly, it had been loud and almost thick. She remembered feeling it ring in her ears.
"We have to run." Monroe stated, but if it was the fog, they wouldn't have time. It wouldn't make any difference. They would either die right where they stood or a few feet away.
"There's no time." Finn dug through his backpack, pulling out a large parachute. He didn't need to tell everyone to hurry under it, laying as flat to the ground as they could.
"Tuck it under your feet. It'll blow up underneath and smoke us out," Elliot instructed, "Bellamy, Jasper, tuck the sides under you."
They did as she said, laying side by side anxiously as wind whipped over their heads.
"How long are we supposed to wait?"
The last time they had dealt with fog, Jasper had been dying. Or they thought he was. He hadn't experienced the burning sensation in his lungs and eyes, or on his skin. He didn't have to witness Atom's death and the agonizingly amount of time they had sit, hidden from the yellow fog before it cleared and they could return home.
"Will this even work?" Monroe and Elliot looked at one another. It was a risky idea hiding under a shear piece of fabric but if the wind that was whipping around them was acid fog, it was doing a pretty good job.
"We'll find out." Finn replied almost morbidly and Elliot hoped he was answered Jasper's question and not Monroe's.
"No we won't," Bellamy shifted, pulling the parachute out from under him and lifting it over his head quicker than any of them could react to, "There is no fog."
The others scrambled out, happy to be back in the fresh, open air even though they were still in danger, it was better than being crammed together with thick, hot air.
"Maybe it was a false alarm."
Their relief was cut short when they caught sight of a Grounder running parallel to them. He was further away than they had been before.
"I think he's alone." Jasper pointed out, but still the others scanned around them.
He was right, as far as they could tell, he was the only Grounder around.
Monroe was the first to urge them to run again, but the others were intrigued by the man. He hadn't stopped moving, but hadn't looked at them either. If he was trying to sneak up on them, he was doing a terrible job at it.
"I don't think he sees us." Elliot whispered, stepping forward to get a closer look at him.
"He doesn't." Bellamy stepped beside her, "I'm going after him."
He started to take off, but Elliot was quick to stop him, grabbing his arms tightly and tugging him back, "And what? Kill him?" She gave him a pointed look, telling him with her expression that it was a dumb idea.
Bellamy turned to her, shaking his head, "No. Catch him. Make him tell me where Octavia is, then," He hinted a smirk, "Kill him."
He easily ripped his arm from her grasp, taking off once again. Elliot spun around to the others, eyes wide. Monroe simply gestured to Bellamy and the other girl rolled her eyes. Turning back around, she picked up into a jog and followed Bellamy. Monroe joined her, keeping their pace even as the other two boys hurried behind.
They finally caught up to Bellamy when he came to a stop. The mouth of a cave sat just a few feet from them, and he was almost too sure it was where the Grounder had gone. He looked at them, each of them giving him a small nod and one by one they stepped inside, immediately engulfed by a stale, cold darkness.
Elliot stayed behind Bellamy. Her eyes had only began adjusting to the darkness and she could make out his shoulders vaguely. It was the only comfort she had. As long as Bellamy's shoulders stayed in front of her, she wasn't alone. She could hear Finn breathing behind her and hoped the others were there as well, with their own help of guidance.
A faint light ahead gave them some hope and their pace quickened until the light grew and they found themselves in small room. On the floor was the Grounder they had followed. He was currently unconscious, breathing shallow. To his right was a small figure, huddled against the wall with their back to the group.
"Octavia?" Bellamy rasped out, his voice almost pleading.
The figure turned around, revealing that it was in fact Octavia and relief washed over all of them. She broke into tears at the sight of her brother, and he rushed forward, dropping to his knees to unchain her from the wall. As soon as her hands were free, she leapt into his arms, pressing herself as tightly to his body as she could. He held her tightly, whisper to her that she was okay. When they pulled away, Elliot ducked around him, getting her own good look at Octavia. The younger girl seemed elated to see her, wrapping her arms around her neck. Elliot hugged her back, thankful she was alive and for the most part okay. Bellamy watched their reunion, happy to see that someone was just as worried about his little sister as he was.
The place he had called home seemed less like a home and more like a prison as time wore on. His life had flipped drastically after Octavia's arrest. He was left alone, little sister locked away, and mother floated. He had lost his job, his family. He was alone and it was his fault.
There was a knock at the door, and he was tempted to ignore it. But his feet felt otherwise and before he really knew it, he was opening the door. It was an understatement to say he was confused as to why Larkin Hobbs, one of the council members, standing on the other side.
"Cadet Blake." He spoke with prestige and class, like a councilman would, hands folded behind his back.
"It's Janitor Blake now." Bellamy replied dryly.
"My apologies." Larkin rolled his shoulders, like he was nervous about something. Bellamy noticed he was bouncing on his toes now, eyes shifting.
"May I?" The councilman gesture inside and Bellamy stepped to the right, allowing him entrance.
"You've got some nerve coming here after decided to kill my mother." He grumbled. He was tense.
"For the record, I voted against it."
Bellamy's body loosened and he really looked at Larkin. He was nervous, pacing back and forth in front of Bellamy, hands wringing together behind his back.
"Why are you here?"
"Shumway told me you were hell of a guardsman, Bellamy. He praised you."
Bellamy scoffed, "I can distinctly remember him telling me I wasn't a guardsman the night he arrested my sister."
Larkin stopped, looking at him now, "Then you should remember that you said you'd do anything for your sister. I hope that is still true."
Bellamy stepped forward, the mention of his sister raised the hair on the back of his neck, "Is she okay?"
Larkin swallowed, the nervousness returning, "What I'm about to tell you is classified," He paused, as if debating if what he was about to say was really the best idea, "Chancellor Jaha has approved a missions to Earth. He's sending the juvenile prisoners to the ground. One hundred of them; your sister included."
"N-no you can't. It's not safe. You have to stop them." Bellamy urged. Octavia was being sent to Earth. The planet soaked in radiation. For what reason? To die? Where they going to kill them?
The councilman seemed just as concerned about the idea, "I wish I could. What I can do is get you a seat on that drop ship," He glanced at Bellamy, nodding at the perplexed look in his eyes, "You're right, it's doubtful those kids will survive. But if you're there, at least Octavia won't be alone."
Bellamy clenched his jaw. There was nothing here for him. At least, he would be with Octavia one last time.
"What do I have to do?"
Larkin hesitated again, "Kill the Chancellor."
"The Chancellor?" Bellamy half thought it was a joke. There was no way he could get that close to the Chancellor.
"That's not all," Larkin continued, "My god-daughter, she turns eighteen today. They have decided to float her. I can get you close enough to the Chancellor if you can get her on the drop ship with you."
The idea was insane. Larkin was asking more than enough of Bellamy who had no idea if he would be able to pull this off or not. Seeing the doubt in his face, Larkin hurriedly explained the plan.
"If words travels fast enough that Jaha has been shot, security will be scarce. We can get to Elliot before anyone else and get you both on the ship. You'll be with your sister again and Elliot has a chance to live."
"So you believe we can survive down there?" Bellamy questioned, eyeing the councilman.
Larkin nodded, "I do, Bellamy. Please. Ship launches in 20 minutes. If you're gonna do this, we have to leave. Right now."
"How did you find me?" Octavia had pulled away from Elliot to hug Jasper.
Jasper jutted his head in the direction of the unconscious Grounder, "Followed him."
Octavia's attitude seemed to change and she returned to her brother, tugging at him, "We should go now, before he wakes up."
But Bellamy had other plans. Stepping away from his sister, he moved towards the Grounder, "He's not gonna wake up." He pulled a small knife from his pocket, readying himself to kill the unconscious man, but Octavia fought him.
"He didn't hurt me. Let's just go." She struggled against her brother. Elliot watched as Bellamy let the girl shove him back. He could have easily moved her to the side, finished what he started to do and be done with it. Instead, he waited until she had let him go before stepping forward again.
"They started this," he argued, "Finn, move."
But Finn was preoccupied. He lifted something up to eye level, examining it in the dim light, "Foghorn."
Then in a flash of limbs, the Grounder sat up, stabbing a blade into Finn's chest. Elliot reacted immediately, jumping at the Grounder. She was able to dodge his swinging arm but not quick enough to miss the swift kick that sent her back into the cave wall. Her head slammed hard against the rock surface, vision blurring in and out for a moment before fading to black.
She woke up with a jolt, only unconscious for a moment. Jasper was leaning over her, pulling her up onto her feet.
"Finn." She groaned, voice sounded more meek and strained than she had meant for it to be.
"Bellamy has him. Can you walk?"
She nodded, letting Jasper wrap an arm around her waist. She looped her arm around his neck, pain pounding at the back of her head. Octavia came up on her left, attempting to help her, but Elliot had seen the limp in her own walk and pushed her off.
"Monroe," She grumbled out, "Help Octavia."
She looked back at Bellamy, watching him lift Finn off the ground. His shirt was soaked in blood, the knife still protruding from his chest.
"We'll lead." She spoke, urging Jasper to start moving.
She was able to gain stability after a while, keeping up with Jasper as they hurried ahead of the others. Things around her were foggy and it seemed too bright outside even with the cloud cover but she kept going, pushing herself. She followed Jasper, pace slowly as the familiar wall of camp appeared, letting him race ahead. He turned to see if she was with him, stopping and hurrying back to her.
"I'm fine, Jasper." She breathed, blinking slowly. Jasper just pursed his lips, grabbing a hold of her once again. He kept his pace reasonable, the others now right behind them as he led her in the gate.
"Clarke! Where's Clarke!"
Clarke came running through the crowd, worry on her face, "I'm here. What's up?"
Her immediately worry fell on Elliot but the brunette shook her head, "Finn."
As if on cue, Bellamy appeared with Finn draped in his arms. His skin had paled and he was sweating. He didn't look good at all.
Raven appeared behind Clarke, horror on her face at the sight of Finn. Elliot stayed closed to Clarke, watching her examine over the injured boy before breathing out a hopeful statement.
"He's alive."
"Bellamy wouldn't let me take the knife out." Jasper replied, still holding on to Elliot. She could feel her legs giving out on her, and felt bad that she was relying on Jasper to keep her up, but he didn't see fazed.
Clarke shook her head, "No, that was a good call," She waved over a couple other boys, who took Finn from Bellamy, "Get him in the dropship now."
They carried him as quickly and gently as they could, careful not to disturb the wound. Jasper left Elliot's side to help them, and she ducked away, hoping to find a quiet place away from the others to rest. Her head was throbbing and sleep sounded amazing.
She had been alone for a quite a while, relaxing as a storm blew in, the cool breeze cooling her skin. She would have fallen asleep if appoarching feet hadn't interrupted her. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw Bellamy standing over her.
"How's your head?" He asked, squatting down in front of her.
She blinked at him, finding she didn't want to talk at all. But she shrugged to show that it still hurt like hell but she'd survive. She expected him to leave then, but instead, he just sat on the ground in front of her.
"It was Larkin." He spoke again suddenly.
She looked up at him, eyebrows furrowing together.
"Larkin was the one who came to me about shooting Jaha," Bellamy continued, "He promised me a spot on the dropship with Octavia if I shot Jaha."
"I knew it." She wanted to ask questions, but thinking wasn't something she felt up to doing at the moment, so she tried to keep the conversation simple.
"He asked me to shoot Jaha and make sure you got on the dropship."
She wasn't sure why Bellamy was telling her any of this. It would have made more sense if she had been pestering him about it, trying to get answers out of him about what happened, but she hadn't been. The conversation had been dropped the moment Elliot gave up trying to push him for answers. It wasn't the time for it and they had other things to worry about. This didn't seem like the best time for the conversation either; she was pretty sure she'd forget it by morning.
But Bellamy continued, and his next statement made her heart race, "They were going to float you, Elliot."
She looked at him, eyes wide, or what she expected was wide. Murphy had been right. It didn't matter to them if she lived or died. They were going to kill her. They weren't even going to give her a chance. She swallowed, finding her throat was dry and tried to clear it.
"Why are you telling me this?"
Bellamy shrugged, leaning his head back and shutting his eyes for a moment, "Because you mean as much to Larkin as Octavia does to me," he shrugged, "And you wanted to know."
"But why now?" Elliot pushed, she was over thinking, which seemed like a joke because she was barely thinking at all, "Shouldn't you be consoling Octavia right now?"
There was a moment between Elliot's question and Bellamy's response. She had missed something while she was hiding from the others and it seemed to stick a nerve in Bellamy. He tensed for a second before relaxing again.
"I wouldn't have known about them sending you guys to Earth until it was too late if Larkin hadn't come to me. In an odd way, it's all thanks to you."
Elliot couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips. She shook her head, trying to ignore the change in attitude and tone in Bellamy Blake. Sure, she had seen his softer side these last couple of days, but this was a whole new level. This was like a pitiful form of flirtation. But when she looked over at him, she saw his face was serious.
Dropping the smile, she stared back at him, "Why should you be thanking me."
"Because Larking caring about you so much, helped me get to my sister. I would be up there with the rest of them, probably worrying about Octavia, maybe even thinking she's dead. But she's not and I'm not and it's because Larkin did what he could to protect you."
Again she scoffed, this time quietly, "Yeah, he was always trying to protect me."
"He loves you, Elliot. He'd do anything for you. I saw that on the Arc."
Elliot just shook her head, she was done with the conversation. Tired of talking about Larkin. Talking about how he was always there to protect her only reminded her that he was up there and she was done here. She didn't even know if he was still up there. Still alive. If something had happened. If someone had seen him helping Bellamy, that was it. She wouldn't ever see him again. It was best if she kept him out of her head.
"Well, you're welcome." She groaned, pushing herself off the ground. Bellamy was up on his feet quickly, grabbing at her as she leaned to the side.
She stood still for a moment, the world around her spin and her head rocked from side to side. She felt the urge to vomit but pushed it down. Taking in a couple deep breaths, she stood up straight.
"Come on, I'm taking you to Clarke." Bellamy offered, keeping a firm hold on her.
"No, she needs to worry about Finn." She groaned, blinking again.
She wasn't sure if Bellamy had responded or not, because an extreme head rush, sent her reeling and before she could stop herself, she was falling into his side. He had hoisted her up onto her feet some, but her legs gave out soon after.
"I can't see," She confessed, grabbing at his jacket, "Bellamy, I can't see anything."
So there is chapter 6. Got this one up a littler earlier, or later, however you guys wanna take it. I like this one better than the last two but it still needs work. Please feel free to send feedback, it's greatly appreciated. As always, hope you enjoy! Xx
