Chapter 3: The People We Love
Bellamy's POV
"I am Madi and this is Aurora, we're Clarke's daughters." She said as she picked up her little sister and placed her on her hip.
"What?" I asked.
Madi sighed and whispered something into Aurora's ear before letting her back down on the floor. Then the little blue-eyed girl as silent as one could rushed into the trees and disappeared from our view.
"I told her to return to our hiding spot, come on I'll tell you everything once we're on the Rover." She said staring intently at me. She then turned her back to us and took off running in the opposite direction that Aurora had gone to.
I didn't even hesitate before I followed her through the trees. Once we reached a well-hidden clearing, I finally spotted the Rover. I couldn't believe that Clarke had been able to not only find it, but also to make it function.
"I'll drive," Madi said, heading towards the driver's seat.
I am sure my face told just how worried I was at that point. "Hey, hey wait," I said hurrying to catch her before she entered the Rover.
"Yes?" She asked turning around to see me.
"How about I drive, and you tell us everything?" I said holding her shoulders. For a second, I saw her face shift to opposition, but immediately that was replaced with a nod.
I took the driver's seat and Madi sat in the passenger, Monty, Harper, Echo, and Emori got into the back and I took off.
"So where should I start?" Madi asked thoughtfully.
"How about you tell us what exactly happened to Clarke and how she met you, girls, then you can explain why it is that the bunker remains sealed despite the Earth being safe for more than a year now?" Monty asked.
Madi nodded and begun, "Clarke told me that after she went to the tower to turn on the ring, she was suffering the effects of the death wave, full of blisters and burns… She says she thought she was going to die when she reached Becca's bunker and passed out."
She stopped to point me in which direction to turn and I did as she said.
"Then after a few days her nightblood begun to kick in, she then begun to recuperate. It was about then that she realized she was pregnant."
I stopped the Rover suddenly and everyone's body shifted forward at the sudden stop.
"Did you say pregnant?" I asked slightly disturbed. As far as I knew Clarke's most recent lover had been Niylah, and well technically there was me, but I found that rather unlikely, if not impossible. I am sure Clarke had probably slept with some other guy and little Aurora was the result of that.
"Yeah, she began preparing to set out and check on things at the bunker and also to leave Becca's bunker so she could find food and water since the bunker's resources were scarce. Within two months of Praimfaya, she felt prepared to leave and did so. She knew it was a long journey from Becca's lab to Polis, but hoped that she'd somehow make it, then she found the rover and dug it out. From there the story is short she gets to Polis and finds the buildings have collapsed on top of the bunker's entrance. She decides to look for a food and water source and finds this," she says pointing to the outside. "Then she took the time to give the village's people a proper goodbye and finds me. That's pretty much it."
"So, you guys haven't been able to open the bunker?" asked Harper. Madi responded by shaking her head.
"Bellamy the village is right ahead." Madi says and begins to prepare to get down.
"Alright everyone prepare yourselves."
Clarke's POV
When I woke up, I was tied up inside the village. There were a dozen or less soldiers walking around. That's when a tall, dark blonde woman neared me as one of the soldiers held my face up by pulling on my hair. A younger looking guy stood by her side and he gave me a grimace as he said "you only caught one?"
The one holding me, whose name I later learned was McCreary said, "we only saw one."
What? Hadn't the one who'd caught me seen Madi?
The younger boy, whose name was Shaw, turned towards the woman and begun speaking about his doubts that I was alone. The woman then began to question me about how many people were with me in the woods? I chose to stay silent and act like I couldn't understand their words.
As a response to my silence, she turned to McCreary and gave him a nod. I guess that was her signal for him to hit me with the bottom of his gun.
I fell on the floor at the contact and begun to see black spots.
McCreary then kneeled in front of me and demanded that I answer the question, to which I responded with more silence. The McCreary attempted to hit me once more, but the woman, otherwise known as Diyoza, stopped him.
"First we pray," she said, and McCreary took that as an order to restrain me in the village's church. "Secure the perimeter. Her people will come for her."
Ha-ha my people consisted of two young girls whom I had given strict orders to stay hidden, now I just had to hope and pray that Madi followed my instructions and kept Aurora safe.
Walking into the church left a bittersweet taste in my lips. There were good and bad memories here, after all this is where I'd raised my two little nightbloods and where I had also found an entire civilization extinct.
McCreary led me to a chair and then tied me to it. After he looked down on me and I continued my silence, he decided it was time to punch me.
"Hey, hey. Stop." Shaw yelled rushing in to hold McCreary down. "We need her."
They need me? Why?
Then Shaw and McCreary started fighting each other until Diyoza stepped in and stopped them.
I stopped paying attention to what was going on around me and honestly didn't even realize that Diyoza had started to question me again.
When she shook me, I came back to the situation at hand and instead focused on what was being said on the radio comms.
"Someone just came out of that cave." McCreary on radio comm said. I got nervous, knowing that the only possible choices happened to be my two little girls.
"Harris, Falk. Watch your six." Another man said through the comms.
"Got that. Fast little thing." Those words sent shivers down my spine. What was Madi thinking? "We can cut her off at the lake. Changing direction, now."
I began to struggle in my chair against the rope, trying to set myself free.
"Wait, scratch that. She's running North. I got a shot"
"No!" I said to Shaw. "She's just a child." I shook my head as the worst possible scenarios played out in my head.
"See I told you, she speaks." Diyoza said listening to me plead.
"Please." I said turning to her.
"How many others are in the woods?"
"Just my two daughters and me." I said sighing. I had to answer if that meant Aurora and Madi would stay safe. "I am begging you. Tell him not to shoot."
"Fire at will." Diyoza said into the radio.
"Copy." McCreary responded on the other side. "She went behind those twin rocks! Falk! Take her on the other side."
I realized that Madi was leading them to a trap, "I know where they are. That's our summer hunting grounds. She's leading them into a trap."
"I see her. Going in. Cover me." Falk said.
I began to get really worried, "listen to me! If they don't stop right now, those men will die."
"I believe her." Shaw said.
"It's the truth." I responded. I turned back to Diyoza, "if you let her and her sister go, I'll tell you everything."
She considered it for a second before giving the command that they stop following the girl. She then told them to verify if there were traps near their location.
What? Did she expect me to risk the lives of my children and lie? Just as I had promised soon McCreary's voice verified that I had indeed shared the truth. "Report to base camp. Over and out." Diyoza said into the comms.
"Thank you." I said sincerely.
She looked at me and nodded, "thank you for telling the truth. As long as you keep doing that your children in the woods will stay alive, and so will you. Do we understand each other?"
"Yes," I said nodding as a tear slipped down my face.
How had things happened so fast. One-minute Madi, Aurora, and I were enjoying the breeze and nature the next we see the dropship and assume it's our friends, only to get caught up in some shady stuff with these strangers.
So I begun to tell Diyoza and Shaw everything that had happened. Then as I was talking the radio comm interrupted me.
"Ugh. Colonel, we have five more hostiles. At least one is armed. Are we still playing nice?"
What? There was no possible way that there were actually other people on the ground. I began to shake my head.
"Stand by." Diyoza said into the comm. "Find out where they are and reinforce their position. McCreary, you stay here." That's when she turned to me, "what did I tell you would happen if you lied to me?"
"I didn't lie." I said, "I don't know…" I was unable to finish my sentence as Diyoza punched me.
Diyoza turned towards McCreary, "take her outside. Use the collar."
"I thought you'd never ask."
Shaw then tried to rescue me, but Diyoza replied by saying that my cooperation had bought me my life, but it had not saved me from receiving punishment.
Diyoza stared at me as McCreary went to untie me from the chair. She then grabbed the radio comm, "four of ours are dead. It's time to even the score."
"No, please. I don't know who they are." I plead, but my cries fell of deaf ears.
"Get up!" McCreary said placing a collar tightly on my neck and pulled me up. He shoved me out the church's door and I rolled down the steps of the entry stairs.
I cried in pain and immediately attempted to pull on the collar.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You might burn your fingers." McCreary said as he pressed on a button and shocked me.
I heard hoots and yeah's from the other soldiers and cried.
"Please…" I begged, "I wasn't lying."
"Hit her again."
I groaned as the electricity shocked me once more.
"I don't know who that was." I plead as tears rolled down my eyes.
"Shock her again McCreary." Diyoza repeated.
"No, ple…" I fell to my knees in pain.
That's when the village center was lit with a bright white light. I looked at it and noticed it was our Rover. Oh, Madi, what have you done now?
"Hold, and fire on my command" Diyoza said to her soldiers.
I was shocked once more. "Aghhh," I yelled from the floor. I fought with all my might so I could sit up. "Madi! No!"
I saw the driver's seat open and yelled at her again, except the shadow that stepped forward was too tall to be Madi. The man had an arm raised in the air "I am unarmed."
It was Bellamy.
"I just want to talk."
"Then talk." Diyoza responded. "Give me one good reason why I should not kill you right now."
"Bellamy?"
He turned his gaze from Diyoza to me and I could see his tears sparkling in the light. He sighed and turned again towards Diyoza. "How about I give you two hundred eighty-three," he said, "that's how many people are gonna die if you and I can't make a deal." He then raised up his other hand, in which he held a mug.
He then gave a signal to the rover and I am guessing someone had crossed to the driver's seat, because the rover went backward fast and soon disappeared from sight.
He then walked closer until Diyoza told him to hold still. "Two hundred eighty-three lives for one?" Diyoza said, "she must be pretty special to you."
Bellamy didn't falter, "she is that and much more."
I smiled, my best friend, the man I had missed beyond compare for the past six years was here. Standing in front of me, alive. The father of my daughter for who's life I had risked it all. At last, I allowed myself to relax for the first time in six years.
A/N
Sorry for the codes, the first time I posted this. I didn't notice it at all. Thank you for letting me know so quickly. I hope you guys like the chapter and thank you all for the feedback, it's honestly one of the best parts of sharing these alternative stories on here. Love ya'll, stay safe, and hopefully this time the chapter will not come out full of nonsensical gibberish codes.