'Miss Kane, tell us again what happened.'

I sighed, closing my eyes and trying to keep calm. For two hours now, I had been kept in a chair, faced with five guards and Abby Griffin, who I had learned was now the Chancellor. My father had left on a dangerous mission to broker peace with the Grounders' Commander, and no one had any idea if he was still alive.

I was exhausted, my head was killing me and I was barely holding it together. But I had to stay calm. My freedom depended on it.

'We were looking for our friends,' I said once again. 'We thought the Grounders had captured them.'

'Why?' Abby asked.

'Who else? We didn't know about those mountain men. Grounders were the only possibility. We had just killed hundreds of their warriors, it made sense that they wanted revenge.'

'What did you do next?'

'Murphy led us to a village. The Grounders had stuff that belonged to us, and one of them was wearing Clarke's watch around his neck. We captured him and brought him to an underground bunker so we could interrogate him. He told us our friends where in another village, a little further south from our camp.'

Byrne, the guard on Abby's right side, scoffed. I narrowed my eyes. In two days, they had summoned me four times, and no matter how much I repeated my story, that woman still didn't believe me.

'He just gave you a map?' she asked, raising a single eyebrow.

'Yes,' I said. 'Finn threatened to kill him, and the Grounder told us everything.'

'Do you think Mr. Collins would have shot the Grounder, if he hadn't answered the question?' a woman I couldn't remember the name of asked.

I hesitated, like I always did. I wanted to believe Finn wouldn't have shot him. But after what had happened in Tondc… I wasn't so sure.

'I can't answer that.'

'Can't… or won't?' the woman asked.

'It doesn't matter,' I replied, annoyed.

'Doesn't it? You said Mr. Collins did end up killing the man.'

'He thought he didn't have a choice.'

Abby leaned in, and looked at me, her eyes soft. She was the only friendly face in the room, and I drew comfort and strength from it.

'Do you think there was another choice, Y/N?'

'I- we could have brought him back here. As a prisoner.'

'Why didn't you?'

'Finn shot him before we could discuss that possibility.'

I felt like I was throwing him under the bus, but what choice did I have? I wasn't going to lie. And I could still remember the sound the bullet had made as it shattered the Grounder's skull.

'What then?' Abby asked.

'We headed for Tondc, following the Grounder's map. On the way, we found the remains of Factory Station, and we rescued Mel. Sterling died and Monroe got injured, so we decided to split the group. I went to the village with Finn and Murphy. When we got there, there wasn't any sign of our friends. The Grounders were children and elders, not warriors.'

'If you knew your friends weren't there, why did you attack the village?' Byrne asked.

'We didn't attack!' I snapped. 'Finn wanted to look around, that's it. Things just got… out of hand.'

Byrne scoffed once more and I ground my teeth, anger coursing through my veins.

'Out of hand?' she said. 'Eighteen dead Grounders are not what I would call "out of hand".'

'Finn found jackets that belonged to us,' I explained, taking deep breaths to stay calm. 'He was convinced they'd done something to our friends. Murphy and I… we tried to tell him it might not mean anything. Murphy thought they were scavengers, that they had just found them somewhere. But Finn…'

'What made him shoot, Y/N?' Abby asked.

'A man tried to flee. Finn panicked and he… he killed him. I don't… I don't remember what happened, not in details. Everything was so loud, and so fast. People were trying to run away, and Finn just kept shooting. Murphy and I tried to make him stop, but he wasn't listening and I… I couldn't do anything. I swear, I didn't kill these people!'

I closed my mouth, squeezing my eyes shut to stop the tears that I knew were close. No matter how many times I told the story, it was still hard for me to do so without remembering the bodies, the screams, the blood… I couldn't bear it.

'Alright,' Abby sighed. 'That's all we wanted to hear. We still need to listen to Finn's testimony one more time, but I think we can proceed to the vote on your case.'

I inhaled sharply. Each member of the council straightened in their seats and my heart started hammering in my chest. They could either pardon me… or send me to jail for the rest of my days.

'All those in favour of clearing the accused, raise your hands,' Abby said.

One, two, three… four hands raised in the air and I sagged in my chair, the relief making me dizzy. Only Byrne hadn't raised her hand, but I couldn't have cared less. I was free.

'Y/N Kane, you are pardoned for your crimes. You can go.'

I nodded, and left the room. I headed outside the building on shaky legs, and immediately spotted Bellamy. He was filling glasses, but he put them down as I approached.

'Hey,' he greeted me. 'You okay?'

'Yeah,' I breathed out. 'They pardoned me.'

'I told you they would. Come on, let's sit down, you look like you're going to faint.'

I let him lead me to a table, and I sat heavily on the bench, burying my head in my arms. I felt metal touch the bare skin of my hand and grasped the cup blindly, raising my head just long enough to take a refreshing sip.

'I'm a mess,' I said, my voice muffled.

'You're tired. It'll be better once you get some sleep.'

I raised my head, giving him a disbelieving look.

'Bellamy, my father left on a suicide mission, our friends are missing, Finn's gone insane and to top it all, we don't have enough food to last us through winter. Sleep isn't gonna do a damn thing.'

He raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, and I winced, aware that I was just lashing out.

'I'm sorry.'

'Like I said, Kane. You need sleep.'

I went to answer, but I was interrupted when Clarke sat next to me. I gave her a tight smile. I had been relieved to see her, once the shock over Finn's murdering spree had somewhat dissolved, but unfortunately, she'd had nothing but bad news. Our missing friends had been taken by a group of people living inside Mount Weather. They couldn't survive the radiations, and were reduced to capturing Grounders and harvesting their blood to survive. It seemed unbelievable, but Clarke had seen it with her own eyes and I trusted her.

'Did they pardon you?' she asked me.

'Yeah. They're probably interrogating Finn again.'

Clarke's face hardened at his name, and I couldn't blame her. Some part of her must have felt responsible. Finn had been looking for her when he'd massacred those villagers.

'Tell us about the mountain,' I said, changing the subject. 'Bellamy says you have a map?'

She nodded, and pulled a piece of paper from her pocket. She flattened it on the table and we leant in, studying the different levels and corridors.

'As you can see,' Clarke began, 'it's a labyrinth. We got to the dam through this tunnel, right here. It's all connected to the mine system. That's our way in.'

'Sure,' Bellamy said, 'if we can get past the Reapers and the Mountain Men. I swear to God, if your mom doesn't sanction a mission soon, I'm going by myself.'

'You won't be by yourself,' Clarke replied.

'If you think we're letting you go in alone, you've got another thing coming, Blake,' I agreed.

He nodded, sending the both of us grateful smiles. Clarke's gaze shifted, and when I followed it, I saw Finn getting out of the main building.

'I guess the inquisition's over,' Bellamy said, before he turned back to Clarke. 'How's Finn doing, anyway?'

'I haven't talked to him since we got back. I don't know what to say. He just kept shooting.'

'We're at war, Clarke,' Bellamy protested. 'We've all done things.'

Finn reached the table, and tried to meet Clarke's eyes, but she seemed to be unable to look at him. After a few seconds of tense silence, Bellamy and I exchanged an awkward glance.

'Next round is on me,' Bellamy said, grabbing our cups. 'Come on, Sunshine. I could use some help.'

I didn't need to be told twice and I stood up, following Bellamy until we were out of Clarke and Finn's sight. Bellamy put down the cups and sighed heavily.

'Man, they've got a lot of shit to deal with.'

'Tell me about it. Well, I'm beat. I'm gonna head to bed.'

'Good. Where do you sleep, anyway?'

'In my father's cabin. It's not much, but at least there's a real mattress.'

Bellamy's eyes widened.

'You're joking. You've got a mattress? I got a fucking tent.'

I laughed, and he gave me an annoyed look.

'Think that's funny? You could share, at least.'

'You're gonna have to try harder if you want to get into my bed, Blake,' I said as I started walking away. 'I'm not that easy.'

'Does that mean it's a possibility?' he shouted at my retreating back.

I laughed without turning around, and when I disappeared inside the building, I still had a smile on my face, and my heart was hammering in my chest.

Yes, Bellamy, I thought. It's a big possibility.

I woke up eight hours later, to the sound of someone knocking on my door. I groaned, pushing back the covers and stumbled to the door, opening it to find Raven standing on the other side.

'Wow, your hair looks like it was styled by a four-year-old,' she mocked.

'Screw you, Reyes. Is there a good reason you're waking me up?'

'We're going to Mount Weather. Get dressed, or we're leaving without you.'

My eyes widened and Raven smirked. She pushed past me and sat on the bed, extending her braced leg in front of her. I quickly slipped a somewhat clean shirt over my head and put on pants. I was tying my shoes when she finally started talking.

'I found out that Mount Weather's jamming us yesterday. I also found a way to destroy their radio tower. Once the jamming signal is out, we can contact the other stations. Am I a genius or what?'

I rolled my eyes.

'I'm not answering that. Your ego's big enough already. Is Abby sanctioning the mission or are we gonna have to sneak out again?'

'Actually, she's coming with us, along with some guards.'

'So we're doing this within the rules for once? Feels weird.'

Raven smirked, and I didn't have to ask to know that wasn't the case.

'Destroying the tower is the official mission. But Octavia, Bellamy and you have another one. You're going to find a way into Mount Weather.'

'About time.'

'Tell me about it. Clarke thinks you can find ruins around the mountain, that could lead us straight to the mines. Your job's to sneak out, find a way in and report back. That okay with you?'

I nodded. I needed a mission, a real one, to help me push the memories of the massacre away. We walked out of the station and joined the others. Bellamy, Octavia, Clarke and Abby were there, as well as a few guards. And to my surprise, Finn. Octavia was looking at him with daggers in her eyes and I couldn't blame her.

We left camp, and I automatically took the head of the group. The woods were familiar to me, and I knew the shortest path for Mount Weather. No one seemed to have a problem with it, and I led them at a steady pace towards the mountain.

Sometime after noon, Clarke joined me.

'Hey,' she said. 'We're close. It's time.'

She didn't have to say any more and I nodded. As Clarke took the head of the group, I slowed down until I joined Bellamy and Octavia at the rear. Discreetly, we hung back and left the path, walking until we couldn't hear the others.

'What are we looking for, exactly?' Octavia asked.

'According to Clarke, before the bombs, there were buildings everywhere here,' Bellamy answered. 'I'm guessing some of them had access to the bunker. So we're looking for ruins, anything that's man-made, okay?'

I was about to reply when someone called Bellamy's name. I cursed and turned around, scowling as I saw three of the guards had found us.

'Let's go, right now,' the one named Scott said.

'In case you've forgotten, we're not under your command,' Bellamy protested.

'Don't make us do this the hard way.'

'Come on, Scott. Forty-seven of our people are prisoners in this mountain.'

'That's why we're out here,' Scott said.

'Wrong,' Bellamy insisted. 'You're out here to find other stations of the Ark. We're out here to find our friends.'

He turned around and I was about to follow, but Octavia stayed frozen, her eyes glued to the ground. I followed her gaze and frowned as I saw hundreds of insects scurrying away. They were running away, but from what? I found my answer when I looked up.

'Acid fog!' Bellamy yelled. 'We need cover, now! Deploy your tents, let's go!'

I didn't have one. That was the price of carrying my bow, which was already much too big and heavy for me to bring anything more than food and water. I waited anxiously as Bellamy and the guards got to work, when Octavia left my side and started following the insects.

'What are you doing?' I said frantically.

She grabbed my wrist and pulled me with her towards a huge moss-covered rock. Bellamy called our names, but I had finally realized what she was looking for. The insects were disappearing under the stone, which meant this wasn't a simple rock.

'Bell!' Octavia yelled. 'There's something in here! Maybe it's the ruins.'

Bellamy called for the guards as the three of us tried to find an opening. The fog was creeping closer, and my throat was already burning. Scott and Bellamy pulled, their faces red with effort and finally a door opened. I pushed Octavia inside and grabbed Bellamy's jacket, pulling him along. But he resisted, looking at the two guards that had stayed behind.

'Hurry, quick!' he shouted. 'Get inside!'

One of the guards obeyed, but the last one took too much time and he was swallowed up by the fog before he could join us. Scott pushed past me to try and save him, but we all knew it was too late and Bellamy pulled him back inside, shutting the door right as the fog reached us.

Bellamy was coughing harshly, his eyes red and his hands shaking. I quickly pulled out my water bottle and tilted his head back with gentle fingers, before I poured the refreshing liquid over his face. I washed his hands as well, and he shot me a grateful smile. Scott had been burned as well, but before I could get to him, the other guard had imitated me and was washing his friend's face.

'Octavia, you okay?' I asked.

'I'm fine.'

I looked at her carefully, not trusting her to say the truth. It was no secret that the Blake siblings tended to make light of their injuries. But for once, Octavia hadn't lied. She had been the first one inside, and the fog hadn't reached her.

'Okay,' Bellamy said firmly as we turned on our flashlights. 'Let's go.'

'Where are we?' Scott asked.

'Looks like a garage.'

'More like a tomb,' Octavia shivered.

I had to agree. The darkness, the dust, the deep silence only broken by the echoes of our steps and the skittering of insects…it was unnerving.

'Look,' Bellamy began, 'I'm sorry about your man. But we need to find an access door to Mount Weather.'

He started to walk away, but Scott stopped him.

'Sir,' Bellamy protested, 'that fog will keep us pinned down-'

Scott pulled out a gun from his waistband and handed it to Bellamy, interrupting his protests.

'We'll split up,' Scott said. 'Meet back here in 15. Be safe.'

Bellamy nodded gratefully, and him, Octavia and I headed south, as Scott and the other guard left the opposite way. We stayed silent, searching for any door or passage that could lead us inside the mountain. I was on edge, dread forming a deep pit in my stomach. I wished I could grab my bow, but I knew handling the flashlight was more important. I had my dagger in my other hand, but it was a meagre comfort.

We had just found a door when we heard the echo of a distant scream. We froze, looking at each other with confusion.

'What the hell was that?' I whispered.

'It sounded like Scott,' Bellamy answered. 'Let's go.'

We headed for the source of the scream, and as we drew nearer, we began to hear music. The sound was haunting in the darkness, and I tried to steel myself against the fear that coursed through my veins.

'Scott?' Bellamy called as we crouched near an abandoned car. 'Are you there?'

We advanced some more, and found one of the rifles and a flashlight on the floor. There was a strange crunching sound, and I exchanged a puzzled look with Octavia. Bellamy turned the light to the other side, and I froze.

There were men, crouched around a body. It took me some time to realize what was happening. The dead man was one of the guards, I couldn't see which one. But the thing that shocked me more was the gaping wound in his chest, the entrails spilling out. The two men, Grounders it seemed, had their hands inside the wound and blood covered their faces.

'Oh god,' I choked. 'They're eating him.'

'Reapers,' Octavia breathed out.

Suddenly, they saw us and started running towards us. Bellamy didn't hesitate. He opened fire, killing the Reapers in a matter of seconds. The noise was deafening, and I was hyperaware that if there were others around, they had heard us.

As Bellamy gave Octavia his gun, keeping the abandoned rifle for himself, I took out my bow. Screw the light. I would have to content myself with the one Bellamy had attached to his rifle.

It wasn't long before we found the other guard, dead on the ground. Another reaper was crouched over him, making a feast out of his entrails. Miraculously, he hadn't seen us and Bellamy prepared himself to shoot.

'Don't!' Octavia gasped. 'It's Lincoln.'

I breathed in sharply, and now that she had said it, I recognized the Reaper. What had happened to him? I knew he had been captured by Reapers, but, like Octavia, I had assumed he was dead. This changed everything.

Lincoln rose to his feet, his eyes fixed on Octavia. But they were empty. She kept calling his name, but it was as if he didn't hear her. She begged Bellamy not to kill him and suddenly, Lincoln started running. He threw himself at Octavia, grabbing her roughly and throwing her at a car. He then started advancing towards Bellamy. I was ready to shoot him, not seeing any other solution, when the sound of a shot echoed in the empty garage. But it wasn't Bellamy who had pulled the trigger.

It was Octavia, and she looked at the wound in Lincoln's leg with haunted eyes. Bellamy took the opportunity to hit him in the head with the butt of his rifle. The man collapsed to the ground with a groan, unconscious.

'Shit,' I cursed. 'What do we do?'

'We need to get somewhere safe,' Bellamy said as he helped Octavia up.

'We can't leave him here!' I protested.

'We don't have a choice. Come on, Y/N!'

He pushed me forward with his free arm and I didn't protest any further. Especially since Lincoln was already showing signs of waking up. We ran through the garage, searching for a place to hide. The fog kept us trapped, and none of the doors we found opened.

Finally, Octavia saw a car that seemed to be big enough to shelter the three of us. I broke a window with my elbow and unlocked it, ushering Octavia and Bellamy inside before joining them. I closed the door and spread my jacket over the window to hide the opening.

'He's a reaper,' Octavia whispered, her breathing shallow. Bellamy held her against him and I stroked her arm, but it didn't seem to be any use. Her eyes were wide, her body shivering. 'How's it even possible? He just looked right through me.'

There was the sound of glass breaking and I froze. Lincoln was right next to the car, stepping on the remnants of the window. Bellamy shushed his sister but she kept whispering, and Lincoln whirled around with a growl, his eyes staring at the window. Octavia froze, looking at him with haunted eyes.

'Can he see us?' she whispered.

'I don't know,' Bellamy answered. He had an arm around my back and pulled me tighter against him and Octavia, his eyes fixed on Lincoln. My hand was covering my mouth to try and cover my sharp, panicked breathing. Finally, Lincoln ran a bloody hand on the car and left, stumbling further down in the garage. I closed my eyes and sagged against Octavia, nearly lightheaded from relief.

'Shh,' Bellamy said as Octavia started shaking even more. 'Just listen to me. I'll get him back, I promise.'

'How?' I whispered.

'We could trick him,' Octavia answered. 'Use one of us as bait and knock him out.'

'And then what? We have nothing to tie him up.'

'Scott had rope in his pack,' Bellamy said. 'I saw him put it in. We just have to get it.'

I took a deep breath, running a hand through my hair.

'Fine,' I said. 'I'll go get the damn rope. You two stay in here.'

I quickly took off my shoes and got on my knees, ready to open the door, but Bellamy stopped me. His eyes were wide.

'No way. I'm not letting you go alone.'

I sat back down, turning until I could face him.

'I'm a hunter. I can sneak past hordes of deer without being seen. Lincoln is not going to be a problem.'

'I should go.'

'No. You're a good fighter, but not the greatest when it comes to stealth. And Octavia…'

I didn't finish my sentence, but we all knew what I was thinking. This was Lincoln, the man she loved, and she was too shocked by what had happened to him to think clearly.

'I'm sorry,' I told her. 'But you know I'm right.'

She nodded, and I was relieved to see she didn't seem angry. Bellamy was another matter entirely. His hand was still wrapped around mine and I intertwined my fingers with his, making my heart race in my chest, but not from fear. Bellamy's eyes were boring into mine, and all I could think about for a second was to surge forward and kiss him. But Octavia was in the car, Lincoln was prowling around, and I couldn't lose my focus, no matter how much I wanted to.

'I'll be fine,' I said. 'Please, just trust me on this.'

His jaw clenched and unclenched, his eyes dark, but eventually, he let go of my hand and nodded. I looked through the windows, and when I was sure Lincoln wasn't anywhere close, I got out, closing the door as quietly as I could behind me.

My greatest challenge was moving around in complete darkness. Using my flashlight was out of the question, and I had to rely on my memory alone to get to Scott and the rope. I closed my eyes and just breathed for a few minutes. I knew I had to rely on my hearing, and I was thankful for all those nights I had spent hunting with nothing but the pale light of the moon to guide me.

Soon enough, my hearing had sharpened to the point where I could hear the smallest insect skittering at the other hand of the garage. I rose to my feet and walked as slowly as I could towards the place where Scott's body lied. Every time I heard a sound, I stopped and waited for endless minutes until I moved again. Bellamy must have been going mad in the car. I had been out for at least fifteen minutes, and was only halfway there. But strangely, I was calm. My heart beat in a regular rhythm in my chest and my breathing was slow and steady. It was as if I was merely hunting some boar, and not a man I knew.

I smelled Scott's body before I saw it in the bright glow of his abandoned flashlight. The problem was, I wasn't alone. Lincoln was back, devouring what seemed to be Scott's liver. I fought not to gag as I tried to think about what to do. What was he doing here? He was supposed to be searching for us on the other side of the garage!

I could have turned back. Gone to the car and informed Bellamy and Octavia of the situation. But not only would it take even longer, I loathed the idea of turning my back to Lincoln. No, I had to get the rope. But I couldn't fight him. However, there was a chance I could outsmart him.

I carefully search in my pockets for something to throw, and smiled when my fingers closed around my dagger. I hated having to separate myself from my weapon, but it was the only thing I could throw far enough for my plan to work. I shifted until I was in a good position and took a deep breath. Then, I threw the knife. It sailed through the air and landed impressively far in a metallic clatter.

Lincoln jumped to his feet with a roar that was barely human. I kept close to the wall, unmoving, not even breathing as he walked past me. He disappeared behind a car and I knew it was now or never.

I walked quickly to Scott's pack, which lay a few feet away from his body, and rummaged through until I got my hand on the rope. It was perfect, long and sturdy enough to immobilize an adult. I turned around, and allowed myself a brief smile when I saw that Lincoln had completely disappeared, off to look for the source of the noise somewhere else. My plan had worked.

I looped the heavy rope around my shoulder and began the long and tedious walk towards the car, where I hoped Bellamy and Octavia were still waiting for me. I kept listening intently, but there was only silence. I was grateful I'd had the forethought of taking off my shoes as my socks barely made a noise on the ground.

I was a hundred feet away from the car when a hand suddenly closed around my arm and yanked me away. It was Lincoln, and had I had time to think, I would have cursed myself for my stupidity. He hadn't left at all. He had been waiting for me to pass by, hiding behind a car, and I had fallen into his trap.

I tried to scream, but he shoved me against the concrete wall and the air left my lungs in a startled breath. I scratched at his face, but he didn't seem to care and shoved me once again against the wall. I couldn't scream, could barely breathe, and tears slid down my cheeks at the pain.

I tried to kick at him but he pressed himself against me to immobilize my legs and I gagged at the smell of blood that oozed from him.

'L-Lincoln,' I gasped. 'P-p-please, Lincoln, it's me.'

He grasped my throat and lifted me as if I weighed nothing more than a feather. I grabbed his hand, trying to dislodge it, but he didn't budge. I looked at the car, where Bellamy and Octavia must have been waiting for me. They were so close, and yet so far away.

I managed to land a kick in Lincoln's chest and he dropped me, out of surprise more than pain, I imagined. I tried to get up, but his foot crashed into my chest before I could and I wheezed as I once again lost the ability to breathe. He stared down at me, Scott's blood oozing from his mouth and I closed my eyes.

But then, I heard the crack of electricity. I opened my eyes, just in time to see Bellamy shock Lincoln into unconsciousness with a baton. The Reaper dropped to the ground and I looked at him with wide eyes.

'Octavia, get the rope,' Bellamy said as he stared at Lincoln, his face blank.

Octavia gently took the rope from around my shoulder and the siblings made quick work of tying Lincoln up. Only once it was done did Bellamy turn to me. His mask fell and he breathed in shakily.

'I knew this was a bad idea,' he said. 'You okay?'

'I'm fine,' I answered, and proved it by getting to my feet on my own. My body ached and I would probably turn black and blue for a while, but Lincoln hadn't done any serious damage. 'Sorry. I underestimated him.'

'It doesn't matter,' Octavia said. 'We got him. What do we do now?'

'We take him home,' Bellamy replied. 'The dropship is deserted, and it's not far from here. We can hold him in there before we figure out what to do.'

Octavia brushed a hand over Lincoln's head, scowling when it came back stained with grime and blood. We took him back to the car, where we waited in tense silence for a little more than two hours for the fog to lift. Bellamy opened the garage door just a smidge, and nodded to signal it was clear.

Dragging Lincoln to the dropship was a pain. The man was heavy and still in a deep slumber. Bellamy had taken most of his weight onto him, but he was struggling and neither Octavia nor I could do much to help him. But finally, as the sun rose above the horizon, we reached the scorched dropship. Once again, we heaved him to the top floor and tied him. I couldn't help but remember the last time this had happened.

I could only hope this time would go better.