It was a blessing that the cameras were out in this part of the bunker, as I was able to access the stairwells instead of slowly crawling through vents and ladders to get to level three. Following Vincent's directions, I jogged down several flights of stairs with his words racing through my mind. They only led to an exit on level two and I fell into a stealthier posture as I became aware that I could bump into guards out in the open. I followed the hallways in search of another covert route and halted in my tracks as I caught the sound of footsteps around the next corner. I listened closely as I identified enough steps for a group and noticed a strange metallic clanking sound that I couldn't recognise. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and crept around the corner.
The turn emerged behind a guard who walked at the back of a captive group of my people. I snuck closer to discover the source of the strange noise; they were handcuffed and chained together with another sentinel leading at the front. My stomach lurched in a wave of panic before I was overwhelmed with anger. I discreetly slid a knife from my boot and stealthily approached the minder at the back. I straightened up at the last possible moment to kick him in the back of his knee joint and when he fell forward, I took the opportunity to stab the knife into his neck. There was a commotion as he cried out and the others turned to witness me. They gasped in relief and my presence spurred them to fight in whatever means they could through their restraints. This allowed me the time to grab a gun from the guard whom I'd demobilised. The group had caused enough of a distraction to shield me from attack by the captor at the front, who continually struggled to get past them. I held the gun up in preparation but I couldn't get him in my sights and I didn't fancy my chances against him in a fight.
"Get down!" I commanded and they all dropped to the ground without question. As soon as they were out of the way and the assailant was exposed to me, I aimed for his face. I didn't hesitate for a second as I shot him down and immediately turned my attention to the group. I seized keys from the two bodies and unlocked the first person that I reached before handing the second key to them to assist. We efficiently freed everyone between us and I turned to face the group, counting the six of them with disbelief.
"Did anyone else get taken from you?" I questioned as I analysed them and was surprised to find them split into such small groups.
"We were with Monty on the third floor but they decided that it was too risky to stay in such a large group. They moved us to another apartment but the guards found us." A girl at the front explained with a stressed expression.
"What happened to Monty?" I investigated in a worried voice as I surveyed their traumatised faces.
"He stayed in Mrs Ryan's apartment with the other half of the group. I don't know if they found them yet." She answered and I felt nerves building in my stomach at her uncertainty.
"Okay, you need to get to the harvest chamber, Bellamy has a plan. Follow this and be ready to fight." I instructed as I handed them the map from my pocket. It was certain that I would find it difficult to navigate without it but I felt that it was more important for them to reach the meeting point. I snatched the gun from the other guard that I'd killed and handed it to her firmly. Then I collected several knives from my pockets and assigned them to a couple of the others. "That's all I can give you. Stay out of sight and keep close, cover each other's backs." I ordered and they nodded thankfully before hurriedly leaving.
Their departure prompted me to continue in the direction of the next stairwell through the damaged hallways. It wasn't long before I approached the end of the un-monitored areas and I could tell from the condition of the remaining hall that the cameras there were likely to be supervised. I growled in frustration as I wrecked my mind for an alternative. My eyes were drawn to another entrance to the air vents just before the end of the decrepit area and I sighed in reluctance. Begrudgingly, I entered the vent with a feeling of dread and crawled until I came to the central chamber with the ladders again. I could hear some kind of announcement from the main building, but the sound was muffled in the chamber and I couldn't make out any of the information.
Although I had been here before, it was still fear inducing to climb the ladder that seemed to hang over a bottomless pit. My legs shook as I stepped onto the bars and I slowly made my way down. My hands clung to the ladder nervously and I kept my focus on the wall in front of me in an effort to prevent myself from looking down. Every step was harrowing and I could feel a cold bead of sweat running down my back. I stepped onto the third floor with a breath of relief and took a moment to compose myself from the ordeal before squeezing back into the claustrophobic space of a vent. I crawled through in a heavy state of exhaustion as I practically dragged myself onward and I panted from the energy that it took to keep going. There was a blaring alarm sound followed by an announcement that echoed through the narrow metal tunnels.
"Attention, class one quarantine protocols are now in effect. All citizens must report to level five immediately. Hard seal lockdown in T minus 30 minutes and counting. This is not a drill."
My body screamed in rebellion against me despite my urgent desire to move faster. Now that the announcement was clear, I knew that I had to be close to an exit. My mind rattled over what could have happened to cause them to retreat to level five and I reminded myself not to panic. I considered that they may have taken this action so that they were free to pursue us and that this would make it impossible for any of the others to remain in hiding. I rushed to make it to the grate and aggressively punched it out in my haste. I knew that it couldn't be much further to the room where Monty was hidden and I prayed that I wasn't too late. My legs carried me in a jog as I followed the bunker numbers and neared Mrs Ryan's apartment. I turned the corner to discover that the apartment door was wide open with a woman lying in a puddle of blood.
I pulled the gun from my pocket and approached the scene cautiously. As I reached her side, I was horrified to discern a bullet wound in her head and the manner that she was lying in revealed that she had not received any warning before she was brutally killed. The terrifying calculation struck me that the guards were likely shooting any residents suspected of hiding our people and I felt my chest tighten with anxiety. I crept into the apartment with the gun raised ahead of me and it was clear that the accommodations had been thoroughly ransacked. All of the furniture was either overturned or broken and there was a painting on it's side next to an opening in the wall. I peered through the gap to find a crawl space that would have been large enough to hide the group that was here and I instinctively knew that they had been discovered.
I felt panic gripping me as I put the pieces together in my mind and I was unable to consider navigating through the bunker stealthily any longer. My feelings dragged me from the room and frantically down the hallways until I found a stairwell. I descended the stairs two at a time in my urgency to reach the meeting point. My mind willed with every part of me that Jasper and Monty were still safe and I forced myself to have faith in Bellamy's plan. I knew that I needed to assist with the attack now that our numbers were dwindling and I was relieved that I managed to remember enough of the map that I'd given away earlier to seek out the harvest chamber. There was a surreal feeling as I willingly walked into it after viewing it from the slats in terror the first time and recalled that I had prayed I wouldn't ever end up here.
Almost immediately through the entrance was the body of Vincent who had been abandoned in a similar execution pose as the last person who had helped us. I gasped as I almost stumbled over him and dragged my gaze up to notice the rows of cages along the wall. Although it had been shocking to observe them when Maya revealed this room to us, it was nothing compared to the haunting feeling of seeing them up close. I wandered past them in a daze as it registered to me that they were now empty.
Once I reached the edge of the platform that I stood on I could glimpse up into the massive circular chamber to the numerous floors of alcoves, all of which were filled with empty cages. The reality of the situation dawned on me and I felt myself shaking in alarm. This chamber should have been filled with a combination of captured grounders and our people, and I assumed from the information that Vincent had given me earlier that Bellamy had planned to use them to fight our way out. It struck me that Bellamy was also missing and I felt my mind crumbling under the stress. I lashed out and kicked a cage before I dropped to a crouch and gripped my head in my hands.
I tugged at the roots of my hair and struggled to hold my fragile psyche together. I didn't have enough intel about Bellamy's plan to conceive any immediate ideas and I had no indication on who else was still available to help. It was likely that most of the people who had been hidden or that I'd sent here to meet were now in the hands of the mountain and I was unsure how long it would take to extract the bone marrow from all of them. The sudden realisation washed over me that Bellamy would have the same immunity as those of us who had been captive here and that he would be at risk of being operated on. This fact smashed through my breakdown and I rocketed back into a standing position.
I paced the space in the hope that it would prompt some kind of revelation but all I could focus on was the fear that my three boys were being drilled into at this exact moment. I knew that wherever they were being held would be heavily guarded and I only had limited shots in the pistol and one knife left stashed in my boot. Every instinct in my body wanted to charge in and sacrifice myself if necessary, but I knew that if I were captured then it would truly be the end for us all. If Bellamy could manage to not be impulsive in his time searching for a way to rescue us, then I had to follow his example. I understood that I might be the last of our people who remained free and mobile in the bunker and I felt extreme pressure to make the right choice for us all.
The distracting sound of movement outside of the chamber caught my attention and I rushed out into the hall with a crushing nervousness in my chest. I scanned both directions but couldn't see anyone, so I waited with fearful anticipation. After a few seconds I picked up the sound of footsteps and I crept in their direction. There were several tense turns as I followed my prey and I prepared myself to fight whomever I found at the source of it. As I turned the last corner I was met with a guard who was fully protected by a hazmat suit and seemed to be unaware of my presence as he strode away from me.
The suit confused me for a moment before I remembered the announcement from earlier and I assumed that lockdown must have been caused by radiation intruding the other levels. A wave of fury pushed me as I leapt forward to seize the guard and dragged him onto his back at my feet. I snatched one of the tubes on the front of his mask and ripped it from the oxygen port to test my radiation theory. I observed with interest as his face burned up at the exposure and he wheezed desperately as he strained to fight me even through his pain. I quickly inserted the tube into the mask to pause the damage and he gasped at the return of fresh oxygen. With a newfound determination I easily slid him along the floor into a small room and slammed the door.
My new captive seemed to consider fighting me even as he panted for air causing the mask to fog up and I stood firmly between him and the door. He stepped forward and I kicked between his legs as forcefully as I could. With a raspy groan he dropped to the ground and I glanced over to notice a metal chair to the side of me. I grabbed his arm and threw him into the seat with more force than necessary. Inspiration struck as I raced behind him and briefly disconnected some of the wires from his oxygen tank. He screamed wildly in pain at the effects and I deftly wrapped the wires tightly around the back of the chair before reconnecting them. I noticed a dial on the back of the tank and as I drew closer it beeped, alerting me that there were only 30 minutes of oxygen remaining inside. By the time I stepped back in front of the guard his face had broken out in blisters and he was panting as he recovered from the ordeal.
"I'm sure you know what that sound means." I commented as I crossed my arms and fixed him with a firm stare. "You've got thirty minutes to tell me everything I want to know and get back to safety. I suggest you don't waste any time." I spoke coldly and he peered up at me in unfiltered terror. He fidgeted slightly in his seat and I tutted at him. "I would keep still if I were you. I've connected your oxygen tank to the chair. If you try to escape or attack me at all, it's game over." I threatened and I was confident in the knowledge that he couldn't reach the connection as it was squarely in the centre of his back. He sighed and stared up at me with a scolding stare.
"I'm not telling you anything. You wont kill me, I'm your only way in." He sneered as he assessed me and I struggled to keep my temper in check. "I guess we're at a standoff." He added confidently and I raised a brow at him.
I felt a wave of nerves building in my stomach as I considered what actions I could take to force him to answer my questions. The radiation had become an inconvenience as I acknowledged that I couldn't hurt him without the risk of damaging the suit that he was wearing and after the burns that he'd endured so far, I wasn't sure how much more he could survive. For the time being, he was correct in his assumption that I wouldn't kill him but my morals on the lengths that I would go to were rapidly slipping. I glanced over his shoulder and noticed a roll of thick tape amongst various other tools. I smiled sadistically at this discovery and my desperation overruled any conviction that I'd previously had about forcing information from people.
"If you think this is a bargaining situation I can assure you, you've grossly misjudged me." I growled as I viewed him and he maintained his steely expression. "I'm giving you a chance to do this the easy way." I offered as I heard my dark and threatening voice, whilst a plan formed in the desperate corners of my mind. "You've only seen the relaxed side of us, you don't know what we're willing to do for each other yet. I'd recommend you take it." I advised as I felt my hands shaking at the invasive image of Bellamy and the others being harvested that forced its way into my consciousness.
"I am willing to die for my people to reach the ground. I won't tell you anything." He stated firmly. I was disappointed that my initial hope that the mere threat of torture would be enough to earn co-operation hadn't been accurate, but I felt my patience snap as the images of drilling continued to flood my mind. I crossed the room in a few furious strides and snatched the tape from the shelf. There were several screwdrivers lying next to it and I stowed them in my pockets as I returned to face him. I bent forward to meet his eyes and my voice dropped to a low, malicious tone.
"Are you sure about that?" I suggested and as he opened his mouth to respond I thrust the thinnest screwdriver into his thigh. He howled out in pain and I watched patiently as his skin started to crackle around the tear in the suit. I allowed it to spread for a few seconds before yanking the tool out and taped the suit closed to stop the poisoned air from suffocating him. "Where are my people?" I spat and I leaned into his personal space as he screamed. I waited for a while as the shocked tears streamed down his face and he tried to compose himself. "You'd better answer me or so help me god, I will stab you again!" I hissed as I held up another screwdriver with a thicker end for him to understand the danger.
"The dorms! They're holding them in the dorms on level five!" He gasped in a frantic voice and I stepped back to consider this information. I knew that level five was where all of the mountains people were, which would likely include all of their guards. Although I recalled that there were no surgical rooms there, I calculated that they would speed up operations now that they were aware that treatments were successful. With the limited viable space I expected that they were likely holding all of our people together.
"How many guards? Are they moving them from storage to an operation room? How many entrances?" I asked one question after another as I stared at my captive frustratedly and he stuttered without managing to form a sentence. "Give me a way in!" I hissed maniacally and he flinched away from me.
"That's impossible! All of our guards are there, there's no way you can get to them!" He exclaimed and I stomped forward to punch his thigh where the stab wound was.
"You have my family in that room, you sick asshole! Impossible isn't good enough!" I snarled as I broke into pacing in front of him. I turned the information over and over in my mind in an attempt to find an angle that I'd missed. "They want all of us right? If they see me, they'll come for me. How many of your guards are immune to radiation?" I interrogated as I pointed the screwdriver at him threateningly.
"There's hardly any left of those who had the initial treatments. " He confirmed as he watched me nervously. "They're not stupid though, they won't follow you from the level." He warned and I kicked the ground to release some of the pent up anger that threatened to destroy me.
"I need solutions, not problems." I hissed as I threw my hands into the air in annoyance. "You know this place well, you know their tactics, tell me how to get to my people!" I demanded as I became aware of myself losing control. I knew that every minute my people were captive was costing us a life and I couldn't prevent my mind from obsessing over who we may have lost already.
"There isn't a way to do what you're asking." He breathed, before fixing me with a spiteful glare. "Your people are going to die." He stated in a cold tone. I crossed the space to him in a blind rage and I planted the second screwdriver into his other thigh, twisting it maliciously. He wailed as his skin audibly sizzled and I stared at him with a furious look.
"You had better pray that you're wrong about that!" I drawled as I waited much longer this time before removing the tool and taping over the tear in the suit. "Shh, shh. Don't worry, I won't let you die just yet. You've still got oxygen in your tank, which means we have time to keep discussing the plan that you're going to give me." I instructed as I taunted him with the bloody screwdriver and he tried to lean away from my insane behaviour. "Think harder." I snarled as I stepped back to watch him with my arms crossed.
"You're a crazy bitch." He breathed and he struggled to speak through his distress. I shrugged and studied him expectantly. He continued to squirm in discomfort and I broke into pacing again. I wasn't sure what else I could do to him without the risk of killing him and I knew that I'd intimidated him enough to make him talk. I had to accept that I couldn't rely on him to form the plan for me and instead I decided that it was perhaps a case of asking the right questions.
"I assume that the new President Wallace is already immune?" I asked as I levelled him with a scrutinising look and he nodded in confirmation. "I've already seen that there are people that don't agree with his agenda. If I were to find another way to take him out of the equation-"
"The whole mountain knows that you and your people are the cure to the radiation, Cage announced it to motivate the residents hiding your people to turn them in. Anyone who helped you before is dead. The rest of the citizens know the cost of their freedom and right now all of them are gathered in the dining hall patiently waiting for their turn to receive your bone marrow." He interrupted me to speak in a condescending tone and I sighed in frustration.
"They won't give up just because Cage is gone, they're willing to do what it takes to walk on the ground. You can't stop this." He asserted and I rubbed my forehead as I struggled for another idea. I thought about the dining room, imagining it full of people who I'd once considered innocent but after hearing him describe them as willing to sacrifice us all, my perspective had changed somewhat. I felt myself growing angry at this information and a new suggestion emerged.
"All of the residents are in the dining room?" I confirmed and he nodded back. "There has to be someone they would trade for?" I suggested and he scoffed. I wasn't sure who I would be willing to harm but for now I needed to focus on getting my people back at any cost.
"The dining hall is guarded just as well as the dorms. Even if you could get past them, they won't trade with you. Cage is committed to the cause." He sneered in an antagonising manner and I felt my hands shaking. His attitude only continued to feed the flames of my fury as I pondered his statement.
"How committed?" I asked as I met his eyes with a deviant smile. "Enough to allow his own father to die?" I questioned. The original President Wallace that I'd met was old and frail, it wouldn't take much to overpower him. I suspected that he was complicit in the process of murdering my people and I was certain that he had played a large part in the elaborate act that kept them unaware of the danger around them for such a long time. I felt no hesitation in the concept of killing him if needed. The guard chuckled under his breath and I felt my insides churning with impatience.
"Cage already allowed his father to die earlier. I told you, he won't stop." He explained and I hissed as I fell back into rapid pacing. I ran my fingers through my hair in a gesture of stress and considered how many more of my people they could have killed in the time that I had wasted here. "Face it kid, it's over." He taunted.
I moved without any thought to my actions and it felt as if I had completely lost control of my body. I lurched forward with my gun raised and shot three times with a frightening precision into his shoulder. I fired each shot one after the other without delay despite his agonised cries and I felt the mixture of fear and rage puppeting me. I took a deep breath in an effort to regain control of myself as he screamed at the effects of the radiation that poured into his suit and I managed to focus enough to realise that I needed to stop it. I grabbed the tape again and approached him slowly. As I reached his side and unrolled the tape, I was distracted by the sound of beeping and I glanced over to see the valve on the oxygen tank falling to empty.
"No, no!" I hissed as I viewed it with wide eyes. It wasn't due to run out for a while yet and I couldn't understand why this was happening. I took a frantic step back around to the front of the guard and watched as his skin melted beneath the mask whilst he clawed at it. He ripped the respirator off and I got a full view of the horror underneath. His face bubbled and blood leaked from the blisters that spread everywhere. He fell forward onto his knees and I crouched to grab his shoulders. "You can't die! You're my only option, no!" I shrieked as I shook him manically and barely a few moments later, he became unbearably heavy in my grip. I released him to drop to the ground and pulled my knees to my chest.
I threaded my fingers into my hair and dug into my scalp as I curled up in my panic. I wracked my anxiety ridden brain for a plan as I mentally reviewed the conversation in the hope that I'd missed something. There was an overwhelming desire to kill Cage, even though I understood that there was a high chance that it would cost me my life. The guard was undeniably right that this would not stop the people here but if I couldn't save my people, then at least I could take some vengeance. I considered methods to take as many people with me as possible and I found myself wishing that I hadn't been so exhausted during Raven's explosive instructions. My memory strained to remember details about the landmine process and I calculated a way to use that information to build something here.
There was doubt on whether it was more sensible to blow up the dining hall to cut down the amount of people that required transplants whilst I threw myself at Cage specifically, or whether to instead set off an explosion in the dorms to put people out of their misery and perhaps cause enough chaos to allow an escape. The most substantial issue would be finding something to use in substitution for rocket fuel and I knew that by the time I'd figured this out there would likely be no one remaining to rescue. Without the use of explosives my last option was to simply charge in and aim to prompt a shootout. I would kill as many as possible and if it came to the point of capture, I'd shoot myself.
I peaked down at the jagged scars on my wrists guiltily and remembered my promise to Jasper that I wouldn't do anything like that again. I cried out in stress and misery as I became aware that I was descending into the similar madness that I'd struggled with when I gave myself the scars and the seconds of internal chaos ticked by. I finally understood the weight that had been on Clarke's shoulders at the dropship when she'd closed the doors and although I still resented her decision, I admired her ability to act rather than becoming paralysed with indecision as I was now.
I recounted the last time that I'd seen Bellamy, fighting for his life outside of the dropship in vivid detail and my gut lurched at the memory. I felt a crushing moment of clarity as I reminded myself that I knew he hadn't died there according to reports of the others and although I suspected that he was in the dorms now awaiting death by harvest beside our people, I felt a certainty in my desire. I needed to see him again, just one more time. If I was going to die today I wanted to die at his side, no matter how agonising it would be for whichever of us was chosen first.