A/N: Warning: Graphic

Chapter 36

Raven Pov

"Raven! Raven! Can you hear me?"

Monty's shouts met Raven's ears as nothing but distant echos. She could see his lips moving a second before she heard his voice and only then let herself feel the pain she was in.

It washed over her as if a bucket of water had been poured on her head, and she cried out in pain as she felt the small fibers of rope bury themselves deeper into her flesh.

"It's okay, I'm here, Raven, you're safe now," he said in a forced calm voice, looking like he was going to pass out.

Just then, Finn's much bigger hand gripped Monty's shoulder, stopping his movements.

"I'll do it," he growled.

Without out another thought once he saw the look in the boys eyes, Monty scooted away, watching as Finn took his place, bending down beside Raven, taking out is knife, and cutting the rope away from the tree which was now smeared with her bright red blood.

A burst of light flared up behind them, and Raven saw Bellamy's face come into view in the light of the torch he had lit, now wandering around the area, looking at the bodies.

Harper stood next to him, not making a single move to get away.

They all knew that she knew that if she did, she would be dead by morning. The girl was much to self obsessed to do anything like scavenging or hunting, let alone sleeping on the ground. It was why she had been kicked off the hunting team, even though she had a good aim with her knife – something that had also been taking away from her.

No one in camp was aloud to carry a weapon unless they were a part of the hunting team, or a guard on the wall.

Raven winced, sucking in air through her teeth when Finn had to peel the rope away from her flesh. It had gone so deep that it had stuck there when the rope had been cut, but Monty took her mind off the pain when she turned and saw his profile in the fire's light, bent over and looking like he was going to throw-up. The sight almost made her smile at how easily he could become disturbed.

She turned her attention back to Finn who's hands were so delicate when he removed the rope from around her bloody wrists, his gentleness making her remember why she had fallen in love with him.

A single tear slid down her face, glinting in the light of the fire and a look of pain came over Finn's face when he saw it.

Ever so gently, he reached out a finger and brushed it away, before pulling her into a tight hug, just breathing in the scent of her and rocking back and forth.

A commotion from behind them made Finn turn his head around to see Bellamy standing over the body of James, with Monty, who he hadn't realized had left them alone, just a few feet away from him sitting on the ground with his legs pulled up, elbows on his knees, his head down, and hands fisted in his black hair.

"Finn," Raven whispered.

Her head had left his chest, looking in the same direction he was at the two boys next to the body.

"Oh, God," breathed Finn.

They both got to their feet, Finn helping Raven to stand and slowly walked over to the scene.

Raven felt like she was in a dream, feeling as though she were somehow outside of her body. She was breathing slow and heavy as she neared the body on the ground, knowing what she would find when she reached and not knowing if she wanted to at all.

Raven reached out for Finn's hand, not caring about the pain that it caused her, needing to feel some kind of comfort.

She looked up at Bellamy's face as he looked down at the boy at his feet, a grave expression on his face when he lifted his head to look back at her.

"He's dead," said Bellamy just as they reached him.

James was dead.

Raven felt as though she should feel sorrow for the loss of one of their camp members, or as terrible as it sounded to her, at the very least relived that he couldn't hurt her anymore.

But, she felt nothing.

Her whole body from the inside out was numb as she stared down at the lifeless boy at her feet, his still, paling body glowing orange from the sparking fire.

"We'll have to come back for him in the morning. Miller's unconscious, we have to carry him back, Raven is in no shape to help, and we have to keep an eye on Harper - and Monty-" he cut off looking at the trembling boy on the ground, leaving what he was going to say hang in the air. "We'll come back as soon as the sun comes up. I'll carry Miller, Finn you help Raven if she needs it, and both of you keep an eye on Harper."

"They're coming back with us?" Finn shouted, making Raven jump at the venom his voice held.

Bellamy fixed him with a hard gaze. "Miller was our friend," he lowered his voice to a whisper so that Harper couldn't hear. "I not going to banish them without getting some answers first."

Raven had almost forgotten about Harper, and at the small reminder, looked around the dark trees around them, looking for the girl.

She could just make out her face, standing a yard away from them, looking for all the world like a stone statue. Her back was as straight as an arrow, arms at her sides and hands balled into fists. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and her mouth was hanging slightly open. She looked like she had gone into shock, frozen in place, her eyes fixed on James, laying on his stomach on the ground.

However, she felt no sympathy for the girl. After what she had done to Ella and then to her, she could care less about what Harper was feeling at the moment, after all, she had tried to do that very same thing to both her and Ella.

Numb.

Raven just stood there with dead eyes, feeling nothing as she looked back down at the boy at her feet - nothing as she looked at the girl he had just started dating.

Her only hope at feeling anything ever again, was the slight pain in her wrists, mixed with the small pain she felt at seeing Monty rocking back and forth with his knees tucked in, on the ground, mumbling something under his breath.

Bellamy had bent down beside him and was now talking to him in such a quiet voice that she was unable to hear what he was saying to him, but Monty didn't seem to be listening.

He had killed someone.

Raven couldn't even imagine what that must feel like.

He hadn't meant to, he had just been trying to help, and now that boy was dead because of him.

Knowing that he wasn't breaking through to him, Bellamy started talking a little bit louder and she was now able to hear some of what he was whispering to the boy in a tone softer than she had even known he was capable of.

"It wasn't your fault. We all know that you didn't mean to do it. They were going to do something terrible to Raven, and you saved her. You won't be banished for saving someones life. James wasn't a good person and would have been banished."

But, Monty still wasn't listening as he stared at the ground, fists almost pulling his hair out of his scalp and rocking back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.