The storm that raged outside the dropship was violent, so violent that I could feel the metal underneath me vibrate with each gust of wind. I was leaning against the wall, my head between my knees and I wanted to die.
For hours now, I had been struggling not to throw up as the pain in my head increased. Clarke had quickly diagnosed me with a concussion before returning to Finn. Jasper had disappeared with Monty and I was left with Octavia, the both of us trying to recuperate from the day's event.
'I hate this,' Octavia said, looking at Finn.
He was still unconscious, lying on an improvised table. Raven had been working on the radio for hours, trying to reach the Ark and more importantly, Clarke's mother, Dr Abby Griffin. But it didn't take a doctor to see that Finn didn't have much time left.
'He'll be fine,' I answered Octavia. My words were slurred.
The crack of thunder echoed throughout the dropship and I whimpered as the sound reverberated in my head. Octavia patted my knee and I was grateful for the small comfort. I had never dealt with pain well. Even as a child, the smallest cut on a finger made me scream as if my whole hand had been ripped off.
And the noise the others made around us didn't improve my raging headache. Due to the storm, almost everyone had taken shelter on the first level of the dropship. Bellamy was gone, along with Monty and Jasper. The more time passed, the more violent the storm got and the more worried I was.
On the other side of the room, Raven was trying to contact the Ark. Clarke couldn't take the knife out of Finn's chest on her own and she needed her mother's help. But so far, Raven's calls had been unanswered.
I suddenly felt someone shaking me. I struggled to open my eyes, and it took me some time to realize I had been falling asleep. Octavia was looking at me worriedly and Clarke was rushing to us.
'Y/N, you can't sleep yet,' Clarke said, kneeling beside me.
'I know,' I answered. 'I'm trying.'
'Try harder,' Octavia said. 'You scared me for a second.'
I sent her an apologetic smile.
'Octavia,' Clarke began, 'could you get me something to sterilize my tools please? I'll handle Y/N.'
Octavia stood up and walked out of the dropship. I was relieved to see she wasn't limping as badly as before. I focused back on Clarke, who was observing me with a serious look on her face.
'What's your name?' she asked.
'You don't know my name?' I answered, insulted.
She rolled her eyes.
'Of course, I know your name. I'm just making sure you still do.'
'Y/N Kane,' I said. 'And before you ask, yes, I know who the Chancellor is.'
Without dignifying my wit with an answer, she dug in her pocket and took a flashlight. She shone it in my eyes, one after the other, and sighed.
'Your pupils are still dilated,' she said. 'I expected them to react normally to the light by now.'
'So? What does that mean?'
'I don't know. I've never dealt with a concussion before. Just focus on staying awake for now, all right?'
I nodded, even though I wanted nothing more than lying down and sleeping for the next century or so. Clarke went back to Finn, and checked his wound. I rested my head against the wall, struggling to keep my eyes open.
'Calling Ark Station,' Raven repeated on the other side of the room. 'Come in, please. Ark Station, this is Raven Reyes. Are you there? Please, come in.'
She shook her head at the silence, defeated.
'Repeat, calling Ark Station. The Hundred are alive. Can anyone hear me?'
I was staring at her, and when a voice crackled from the radio, I saw the disbelief and surprise in her eyes.
'This is a restricted channel,' the voice said. 'Who is this? Please identify yourself.'
We all looked at Raven, some even getting closer. She had done it. After hours of unanswered calls, she had managed to contact the Ark.
'This is Raven Reyes,' she answered. 'I'm from Mecha Station, I'm transmitting from the ground. The Hundred are alive.'
I stood up slowly, leaning against the wall. Monroe saw me and hurried over, helping me to the table where Raven sat. The Chancellor would most likely want to talk to us himself, and with luck, my father would too. After weeks apart, I wanted nothing more than to hear his voice.
'You need to get Dr. Abby Griffin,' Raven continued. 'Dr. Abby Griffin, now.'
'Hang on,' the man answered. 'We're trying to boost your signal.'
We waited in tense silence for some time. Monroe had an arm around my waist to make sure I wouldn't fall, and I could feel her shaking. She was brave, arguably one of the bravest people in the room, but at this moment, she was nothing more than a scared kid. Like the rest of us.
The radio crackled again, and the person who spoke was a woman.
'Raven,' she said. 'Are you there?'
Clarke gasped, her face suddenly pale. She leaned over Raven's shoulder, staring at the radio in wonder.
'Mom?' she called.
'Clarke?' the woman answered.
Raven looked at Finn, breathing a sigh of relief. Dr. Griffin was there and she would hopefully be able to help with his wound. But, as selfish as it made me feel, all I cared about was hearing my father's voice.
'Mom, I need your help,' Clarke continued, focusing back on the situation at hand. 'One of our people was stabbed by a Grounder.'
'Clarke, this is the Chancellor,' a man answered. I recognized Jaha's voice and wondered if my father was in the room as well. 'Are you saying there are survivors on the ground?'
'Yes. The Earth is survivable. We're not alone.'
There was silence on the other side as they processed the information. But we had no time to spare.
'Mom,' Clarke said, 'he's dying. The knife's still in his chest. And Y/N got hit in the head. I think she has a concussion.'
'Y/N Kane?' a man asked. I recognized the voice immediately and my heart skipped a beat. It was my father's voice. I teared up and inhaled sharply. Clarke smiled at me encouragingly and I leaned over the radio.
'Dad?' I asked with a shaky voice. 'Is that you?'
'It's me,' he answered immediately. 'Are you hurt?' His voice was devoid of any emotion and to anyone else, it would have seemed as if he didn't care about me at all. But I knew better. I could hear the relief and worry underneath his detached tone.
'I'll be fine,' I said. I wanted nothing more than to keep talking with him, but Finn had to come first. 'We can talk later.'
For a second, I considered stopping there. But there was one more thing I needed to say, one thing I hadn't said to my father in years.
'I love you.'
I held my breath as I waited and the silence was deafening. But after what seemed like an eternity, the radio crackled again.
'I love you too. Be careful.'
I breathed out, smiling tearfully. I couldn't wait to see him again, so we could finally fix all that had come between us these past few years. He was my father. We would make it work.
'Thank you,' I whispered to Raven.
Without her, we wouldn't have been able to contact the Ark and they would have suffocated in space, unaware that we had survived. We owed everything to her. She nodded. The radio crackled again and we focused back on the task at hand.
'Clarke,' Jaha called. 'Is my son with you?'
We could have heard a pin drop in the ship. We all turned to look at Clarke, who seemed heartbroken. With all that had happened, I had nearly forgotten how close Wells and she used to be. I admired her strength. Despite everything, she kept going and tried to protect as many people as she could.
'I'm so sorry,' she said. 'Wells is- Wells is dead.'
Jaha didn't answer. After some time, Dr. Griffin spoke again.
'Alright,' she said 'Let's focus on your friend. I'm gonna talk you through it step by step,'
Clarke, who was leaning over Finn, nodded. The storm picked up again and we heard metal grinding, the sound reverberating painfully in my head. I whimpered and Monroe looked at me, worried.
'Are you okay?'
'There's too much noise,' I answered, eyes squeezed shut.
'Let's get you somewhere quieter then.'
She led me to the ladder and I stared at her in disbelief. There was no way I could climb that in my condition. But it seemed Monroe didn't care. She insisted and I grabbed the bars, pushing myself up. It was slow progress and I was terrified of falling the whole time, but Monroe was right behind me. I reached the second level, but there were people there as well. I climbed again, my head swimming. By the time I reached the third level, I was gasping for breath and the nausea was overwhelming.
'Do you want to sit down?' Monroe asked.
'No, I'll fall.'
She nodded and pulled me until I was leaning against the wall. I closed my eyes, trying to quell the dizziness. It was blessedly quiet and even the storm seemed farther away.
'Don't fall asleep!' Monroe ordered.
I opened my eyes, annoyed. As if I hadn't understood the first ten times. But it wouldn't be fair to yell when all she was trying to do was help. We suddenly heard a commotion coming from the lower levels. Monroe opened the hatch and gasped.
'What is it?' I asked.
'Stay back,' she answered.
I huffed, ready to get up and see for myself what was happening, when Bellamy's head appeared. He climbed in and I looked at him carefully, searching for any wound. He was completely drenched, but he seemed all right. He saw me and frowned at the dark bruises that covered the right side of my face, from my temple to my jaw. Kneeling beside me, he cupped my chin. The gesture was so comforting, I didn't think to be surprised at how easily he was touching me.
'Hey there, Sunshine,' he said. 'How's the head?'
'Concussed,' I replied with a small smile. 'Where were you?'
He didn't answer, and as I turned to the hatch, I understood why. Miller and Thomas were pulling something heavy to the third level.
Not something, I realized. Someone.
The Grounder. He was blindfolded and had been beaten unconscious, but as he was dropped on the floor, I could see he was waking up. Bellamy looked at him with hatred and I shivered.
'Why did you bring him here?' I asked, even though I was pretty sure I already knew.
'We need answers,' he replied, watching as Miller and Thomas tied him up in a standing position. 'We need to know why they're killing us.'
'And you think he's just going to tell you?'
Bellamy looked at me and the darkness in his eyes worried me. That Grounder had kidnapped and hurt Octavia. There was no telling what Bellamy would do to him.
'I'll make him tell me.'
I was about to protest but the Grounder suddenly woke up, fighting against the restraints. In the darkness of the cave, I hadn't been able to look at him closely. But now, under the light of the dropship, I saw that he was older than me by a few years, in his mid-twenties, dark-skinned and well-built. He twisted to the side and for a second, I noticed that the back of his shirt was soaked in blood. I remembered stabbing him with my knife, and although it wasn't a long blade, I kept it sharpened. And yet, the Grounder didn't even seem to notice the injury.
'He's awake!' Miller said.
'Tighter!' Bellamy ordered, standing up. 'Last thing we need is this bastard getting free because you screwed up!'
Octavia climbed in as well, eyes fixed on the Grounder. She looked horrified. As soon as he saw her, the Grounder calmed down, no longer pulling on the restraints.
'Octavia, get out of here!' Bellamy said.
'I told you, he was protecting me,' she answered. 'You didn't have to do this.'
'This isn't about you. I'm doing this for all of us.'
'You did that for all of us?' she asked, gesturing at the bruises on the Grounder's face.
'No,' he answered darkly. 'I did that for Finn, and Jasper, and Diggs, and John, and Roma.'
'It wasn't even him!'
'You don't know that. We need to know what we're up against. How many are there? Why are they killing us? And he's gonna tell us right now.'
He walked to the Grounder but Octavia tried to stop him.
'No, Bellamy, please!'
Bellamy shook her off.
'Miller, get her out of here.'
'I was there,' she protested. 'I swea- Hey! Get off of me!'
She yanked her arm out of Miller's grip, scowling. She then turned to me, her eyes pleading.
'You can't be okay with this,' she said. 'Tell him to stop!'
'Stop?' Bellamy scoffed. 'Look at her face. He hurt her. If you think I'm stopping now-'
'Y/N, please!' Octavia begged.
I hesitated. On one hand, tying someone up and torturing them was beyond wrong. It was horrifying, an act so despicable I could barely stand to think about it. On the other hand, three people had just died and if we did nothing, we were as good as dead. This was war. If the Grounder had answers, we needed to hear them.
I looked at Octavia, staying silent.
'You're not who I thought you were,' she said and I flinched at the harshness of her tone. She then turned to Bellamy with a sneer. 'I don't even think he speaks English. He won't understand you.'
She climbed down as Bellamy approached the Grounder.
'Oh, I think he will.'
I sighed deeply after Octavia was gone. The entire situation was messed up.
'What's your name?' Bellamy asked.
The Grounder stayed silent, staring at the wall.
'Your name,' Bellamy insisted. 'What is it?'
And so it began. Bellamy asked questions, the Grounder stayed silent and the rest of us watched, waiting to see who would break first. At least, the presence of a tied up, pissed off man in the room kept me from falling asleep. Clarke would be thrilled.
An hour later, the storm got worse. We could hear trees falling in the distance, the wind was howling and the rain was deafening. Suddenly, the ship lurched. I fell backwards and my head smacked against a crate, the agonizing pain reverberating through my entire body. I whimpered, curling up in a foetal position on the floor. I felt hands grab my waist and I was pulled up carefully. Bellamy, because of course it was him, led me to a chair and helped me sit, looking at me with worried eyes.
'Thomas, get down there and make sure it's not a Grounder attack,' he ordered. 'Miller, check the restraints.'
Both boys got to work but Bellamy stayed with me and gently cupped my face in his hands, turning my head so he could get a look at the wound. His fingers ran through my hair and he scowled when they came back stained with blood.
He teared a piece of his shirt and held it against the wound, stroking my arm softly when I cried out. I took a deep breath and worked past the pain.
'I'm okay,' I said.
'Like hell you are,' he answered. 'Keep this up and you're gonna need a helmet, Sunshine.'
I glared at him and he smirked. Thomas came back up and Bellamy turned to him.
'What the hell was that? Are we under attack or not?'
'Storm damage,' Thomas answered. 'We're okay.'
I sighed in relief, but Bellamy looked even more tense. I didn't think that was possible.
'We're gonna try this one more time,' he said darkly at the Grounder. 'What's your name?'
The Grounder stayed silent and Bellamy clenched his jaw in anger.
'Where's your camp? How many of you are there?'
'Hey!' Miller called suddenly. 'Check it out.'
He was kneeling next to the Grounder's pack and I tried to get up to join him but before I could, Bellamy had an arm around my waist. I was too exhausted to be annoyed, so I let him walk me to Miller and offered him a smile when he helped me sit.
'What is all this stuff?' Miller asked. He was holding a box, filled with vials of different liquids.
'Who the hell knows with these people,' Bellamy answered. He was ready to dismiss the box but I grabbed it. I opened one of the vials and inhaled. I recognized the smell immediately.
'This is sage,' I told the others. 'You can use it to reduce inflammation, kill bacteria or just to fight a cold.' I opened another. 'And that one is feverfew. Mild painkiller.'
I took another one, expecting a medicinal plant like the others but when I unscrewed the cap, I started coughing violently. Bellamy ripped it from my hand and screwed the cap back.
'That's deadly nightshade,' I coughed. 'Mixed with something else, I don't know what. It's poison.'
Bellamy took the box from my hands, putting it away and I rolled my eyes. But I quickly forgot about the vials when he pulled out a notebook out of the pack. The Grounder grunted, pulling against his restraints and staring at the book.
'I think we found something he doesn't want us to see,' Bellamy said.
He flipped it open and we saw drawings on almost every page or forests, animals and ruins.
'These aren't bad,' Bellamy said. But as he turned the next page, we saw a portrait of Octavia. Bellamy looked at the Grounder with a dark look on his face, but ignored it for the time being. As he skimmed through the book, he stopped on a drawing of our camp. And besides it, dozens of little marks.
'It's our camp,' Bellamy said. 'I'm guessing if I counted all those marks, it would add up to 103. Ten are crossed out. That's how many people we've lost.'
He stood up, walking to the Grounder.
'They've been watching us ever since we got here.'
The interrogation resumed, but I focused on the box of vials. I felt useless, sitting here, doing nothing. If I could identify what was in those vials, I would at least have done something useful.
Carefully, I sniffed each one. I worked fast, and in a matter of minutes, I had identified three medicinal ones and three that were poisonous. I couldn't figure out the last two by smell alone, and I wasn't about to taste them.
I heard someone come up the ladder and Clarke entered, her hair dishevelled and her hands covered in blood.
'How's Finn?' I asked.
'Alive,' she answered. She was staring at the Grounder, wary. She tried to get closer but Thomas stopped her.
'Get the hell out of my way!'
'It's okay,' Bellamy said. 'Let her through.'
She stared at the Grounder, taking in the bruises, the blood and the restraints pulling on his wrists.
'Well,' she began. 'If he didn't hate us before, he does now.'
Bellamy scowled and pulled her away from the Grounder.
'Who cares?' he asked.
'His people will care,' she replied. 'How long until they figure out where he is? And what happens when they do? When they come looking for him? Because they will.'
'Relax, princess. No one saw us take him. He was chained up in that cave the entire time and thanks to the storm, we didn't see a soul on the way back.'
Bellamy untied the leather that kept the notebook closed and showed her the page with the marks.
'Look, in case you missed it, his people are already killing us. How many more of our people need to die until you realize we're fighting a war?'
'We're not soldiers, Bellamy!' she protested before gesturing at the Grounder. 'Look at him. We can't win.'
'You're right. We can't if we don't fight.'
She was about to insist when Raven screamed that Finn was seizing from the first level. Clarke hurried down, and as soon as she was gone, Bellamy closed the hatch, locking it behind him.
'Miller,' he called.
Miller walked to the Grounder and started again with the stream of questions, but I didn't listen. Bellamy sat down next to me and rested his head against the wall, hidden from the Grounder's sight. He suddenly looked exhausted, and I felt stupid. How had I not seen how tiring this was to him? We'd all had a rough couple of days, especially Bellamy.
'Are you okay?' I asked quietly.
He hummed, keeping his eyes closed.
'Do you think I'm wrong?' he asked. 'About bringing him here?'
'I think,' I began carefully, 'that the circumstances weren't ideal. There was the storm, Finn was hurt and the Grounders could have attacked any minute. It was either leave him in that cave and let his people find him first, or bring him here. You didn't really have a choice. And you're right, we do need answers. But how far are you willing to go to get them? That's what I'm worried about.'
He chuckled, looking at me with pity.
'You still think I'm one of the good guys, don't you? Y/N, I killed three hundred people yesterday.'
God, how I wanted to tell him the truth. That no matter what he did, those people would have died anyway. And that so many more would be killed in the weeks to come. But as always, I kept my mouth shut.
'You were scared,' I told him instead.
'Yeah. But that's no excuse, is it? Shit, I choked you. You're not even mad about that?'
I thought about it. I could still remember the feeling of his arm pressing on my throat, the pain in my head as I passed out. But so many things had happened since then.
'Bellamy, I killed a man today. You choking me isn't exactly high on my priority list.'
'I told you-'
'I didn't have a choice, yeah. But I did. And that's my cross to bear.'
Bellamy stared at me, and his face softened.
'You're too good for this world, Sunshine. What did you even do to get yourself arrested?'
My heart thudded painfully in my chest. I knew someone would ask eventually. I couldn't keep it a secret forever. But God, what was I supposed to answer? I looked at him and saw nothing but genuine interest in his eyes.
And if I didn't tell Bellamy, then who? Despite all odds, he was the person I was closest to down there.
'Do you remember the sickness that spread through the Ark two years ago?' I asked, continuing when he nodded. 'Almost everyone caught it. It mostly killed the children and the elders, but everyone was so worried they'd die.'
'Did you get sick?' he asked.
'Yeah. But I got better quickly. I didn't even need medicine. The real problem came when my grandmother caught the virus. She couldn't get out of bed, was barely conscious enough to drink. She couldn't eat at all without throwing up. She got her dose of medicine, and for a day, it worked. I thought she was going to be okay. And if she'd had more meds, she would have been. But because of rationing, she was only given one dose. And soon, the sickness took over. She was dying, and there was nothing I could do. Everyone, even my father, accepted that she was going to die. But I couldn't. Not after my mother. So, one night, I snuck out and broke into the med bay. I found the meds and stole them. I gave them to my nana and when she woke up the next morning, I knew it had worked. She wasn't out of the woods yet, but she was strong enough to recover on her own. Everyone said it was a miracle. Everyone, except my father. He took one look at me and he knew.'
'And he sold you out to the guards?' Bellamy asked, incredulous.
'No. Not yet. First, he took me to the med bay. It was empty, save for one bed. There was a little girl, lying there. Dead. There wasn't any medicine left to save her.'
'Y/N-'
'I killed that child. I was so hellbent on saving my grandmother, I didn't even think to consider the cost. My dad told me she was supposed to get the last dose of meds. The one I'd stolen the night before. He told me her name was Kira. She was five years old, and she wanted to be a doctor. I remember her face. How small she looked in the bed.'
I wiped the tears from my cheeks, trying to control myself.
'But still. I didn't regret what I'd done. So my father told the guards I had stolen food, since it wasn't as serious as medicine. I had a good record. I'm sure he thought I would be in my cell for a year and then I could just go home. I bet he didn't consider that I would be sent to Earth.'
Bellamy was silent next to me. I didn't dare look at him. Would he think differently of me, now that he knew what I'd done? Would he hate me? I wouldn't blame him if he did. I had never told anyone why I was arrested. Not even my grandmother knew the truth. I was too scared she would stop visiting me in the Skybox.
'Maybe the real problem was the Ark,' Bellamy finally said, 'rationing meds when people were dying. Did you ever think about that? Maybe they're the real monsters here, Y/N.'
He took my hand and rubbed his thumb over my knuckles. I nodded, my eyes blurry with unshed tears.
I was about to thank him when someone started pounding on the hatch. I recognized Clarke's voice.
'Open the door!' she yelled.
Miller removed the box that kept the hatch closed and opened it. Clarke climbed in, ordering him to get out of her way. Octavia followed, still limping. Bellamy got up as Clarke walked up to the Grounder, her face contorted in anger. She held a knife up to his face, and I realized it was the one the Grounder had used to stab Finn.
'What's on this?' she asked.
'What are you talking about?' Bellamy asked.
'He poisoned the blade. All this time, he knew Finn was gonna die no matter what we did! What is it? Is there an antidote?'
'Clarke, he doesn't understand you!' Octavia protested.
Bellamy turned around and our eyes locked. In a second, we both realized we'd forgotten about the box. I got up, leaning against the wall and seized the vials. Bellamy ran to me.
'It's gotta be here,' he said.
'One of those five,' I said, handing him those I had identified as medicinal and the two I couldn't figure out. 'The others are poisonous.'
Clarke took the vials, studying them with a sharp eye.
'You'd have to be stupid to have a poison around this long without an antidote,' she said. She turned to the Grounder once again. 'Which one?'
'Answer the question!' Bellamy ordered.
The Grounder stayed silent. He was looking at Octavia, who seemed desperate.
'Show us,' she begged. 'Please.'
'Which one?' Clarke repeated. 'Our friend is dying down there and you can stop that!'
The Grounder remained quiet, his face blank, his body still.
'I'll get him to talk,' Bellamy said.
'Bellamy, no!' Octavia protested. She grabbed his arm and tried to pull her back but he pushed her away.
'He wants Finn to die! Why can't you see that?' he yelled at her before turning to Clarke. 'Do you want him to live or not?'
'Clarke,' Octavia said,' you even said it yourself. This is not who we are. He was protecting me. He saved my life.'
'We're talking about Finn's life!' Bellamy replied.
They both looked at Clarke, awaiting her answer.
'Do it,' she said.
'No,' Octavia breathed.
Bellamy moved to one of the seats as Octavia begged the Grounder to tell us which was the antidote. But he kept staring at her in silence. Miller and Thomas started to push her back as Bellamy ripped one of the seatbelts. He cut the shirt of the Grounder, baring his chest.
'You're gonna show us the antidote,' he said, 'or you're gonna wish you had.'
Octavia begged him to stop, but Bellamy struck, the metal of the belt hitting the Grounder with a sickening noise. He grunted, the only sign of the pain he must be feeling. I couldn't move. This was wrong, so wrong but Finn would die without the antidote. I tried to think of a better way but my mind was a mess and I came up empty.
Bellamy struck a second time, and Clarke stopped him, kneeling in front of the Grounder and spreading the vials in front of the Grounder.
'Please,' she said. 'Which one's the antidote?'
'Just tell them!' Octavia begged.
He stayed silent and Bellamy pulled Clarke up. He struck the Grounder again, and again, and I flinched with every hit.
'Enough!' Octavia yelled after another swing of the belt. The Grounder was panting, struggling to stay on his feet.
'Clarke!' came Raven's voice from the lower levels. 'He's getting worse!'
'We're running out of time,' Clarke said as she knelt in front of the Grounder again. 'Which one? Which one is it? If you tell us, they'll stop! Please, tell us which is the antidote and they'll stop this.'
At the lack of answer, Bellamy threw the belt away. He turned away from the Grounder and for a brief second, his mask of indifference dropped. He had a haunted look on his eyes and his hands shook. He met my gaze and his jaw clenched. He then took a metal rivet, turning back to the others.
'If that didn't work, maybe this will. Clarke, you don't have to be here for this.'
'I'm not leaving until I get that antidote.'
He nodded and turned to me. I shook my head. I wasn't going anywhere either.
'Last chance,' he told the Grounder.
The Grounder remained silent, and Bellamy struck, impaling his hand with the rivet. I had to fight off the urge to throw up as I saw the wound, and the blood leaking from it. The Grounder's arm was shaking, but his face was blank. That's when I realized torture wouldn't work. I grabbed Bellamy's arm, pulling him closer.
'This isn't working,' I said lowly. 'We have to find another way.'
'You got something better? I'm all ears, Sunshine.'
I was about to answer when Raven climbed in.
'What's taking so long?' she asked. 'Finn stopped breathing.'
'What?' Clarke yelled, panicked.
'He started again but next time, he might not.'
'He won't tell us anything,' Clarke told her, gesturing at the Grounder.
'Wanna bet?' Raven said. She walked to the wall and started ripping out wires.
'What are you doing?' Bellamy asked.
The wires broke and electricity crackled, making the Grounder jump.
'Showing him something new,' she answered.
For the first time, the Grounder looked afraid. He was staring at the wires with terror, trying to get away from them. But Raven pushed them against his skin and he started screaming as electricity coursed through his body.
'Which one is it?' Raven asked. 'Come on!'
She electrocuted him again, tears of despair running down her face.
'He's all I have!' she yelled.
'No more!' Octavia suddenly shouted. She had the Grounder's knife in her hand.
'He's letting Finn die!' Raven protested.
Before we could react, Octavia cut herself deeply with the knife.
'Octavia, no!' Bellamy yelled.
'He won't let me die,' she said, looking at the Grounder.
'Octavia, what the hell did-'
She pushed past Bellamy's outstretched arms, kneeling in front of the Grounder. She pointed at the vials, asking for the antidote. To my surprise, he leaned his head to the right and when she seized the smallest vial, he nodded. She gave it to Clarke, who ran downstairs with Raven.
Bellamy tried to pull his sister up but she shoved him away.
'Don't touch me!' she yelled.
She rolled a piece of cloth around the wound, and climbed down the ladder. Miller and Thomas soon left as well, and then it was just Bellamy, the Grounder and me.
Bellamy was still staring at the floor, his eyes wide with horror. I walked to him, pleased that I could do so without falling, and took his arm, leading him to the other side of the room. There, we were hidden from the Grounder's sight. Bellamy sat down on a crate, burying his head in his hands. I sat down next to him, unsure of what to do to comfort him. I wasn't even sure why I wanted to.
I didn't say anything, and neither did he. For a long time, we just stayed there and I waited for Bellamy to sort through his feelings. When he did, he straightened up and offered me a tight smile.
'Stay here,' he said. 'I'll get Clarke to take a look at you.'
I had almost forgotten about my concussion, but now that the adrenaline had left me, I was exhausted. Clarke came back up, and after assuring me that both Finn and Octavia had drank the antidote and were going to be fine, she examined me. To my relief, she deemed me well enough to sleep. I thanked her and lied down, uncaring that the Grounder was just a few feet away. I was too tired.
As soon as my head touched the floor, I was out.
