The forest was too quiet. There were no wind rustling the leaves, no animals scurrying away from sight, nothing. The atmosphere was heavy, the air pressing on my lungs so hard, it was getting hard to breathe.
I knew most of what I was feeling came from nerves. But as we departed from our camp to chase a mysterious village by the sea, an army of Grounders after us, I couldn't help but feel I was right to be nervous. At least, I had my bow and a good number of arrows in my quiver. I wasn't defenceless, and that was a big step up from the whole Murphy situation.
I looked back at Bellamy. He was walking a few steps behind me, his gun held tightly in his hands. His face was the picture of concentration, but there was fear too in the crease between his brows and the tightness of his jaws. His eyes met mine and I offered him a small smile, the best I could do at the moment.
Suddenly, we stopped. I tried to see what was happening, but the boys in front of me were too tall.
'Why are we stopping?' Raven asked weakly. She was lying on an improvised stretcher, her wound too serious for her to walk.
'I don't know,' Finn answered.
We heard shouts come from the head of the group, and Jasper started yelling about Grounders. I nocked an arrow and pushed my way to the front. Drew was dead on the ground with a wicked-looking blade embedded in his face. Bellamy joined me, and we both squinted at the woods, trying to spot the enemy.
'I don't see anything!' I said frantically.
'Me neither. Damn it. Everyone, back to camp!'
At the speed we were going, it didn't take us long to get back to the dropship. We ran in, a crowd of scared, screaming teenagers and I climbed the platform so I could see over the wall. Bellamy and Clarke were already there, squinting at the darkening woods.
'Where are they?' Bellamy asked. 'Why aren't they attacking?'
Clarke's eyes widened.
'Because we're doing exactly what they wanted us to do.'
'What are you talking about?'
Ignoring Bellamy's question, she turned to Finn who was looking at her from the ground. His hands were stained with Raven's blood and I averted my eyes.
'Lincoln said scouts would be the first to arrive,' Clarke said.
'If it's just scouts,' Octavia replied, 'we can fight our way out. That's what Lincoln would do.'
'We're done doing what that Grounder would do,' Bellamy scowled, jumping down. 'We tried it and now Drew is dead. You wanna be next?'
'That Grounder saved our lives!' Finn protested. 'I agree with Octavia. For all we know, there's one scout out there.'
'Or twenty!' I scoffed.
'With insanely good aim,' Jasper added.
'Clarke, we can still do this!' Octavia insisted.
We all stared at Clarke, knowing she would be the one to make the decision.
'They're looking to you, princess,' Bellamy told her and I had to bite my cheek to stop myself from scowling. Now was not the time for me to be jealous of a stupid nickname. Bellamy continued: 'What's it gonna be? Run and get picked off out in the open or stand and fight back?'
She looked at the woods, her hands clenched together. I didn't envy her. To have the lives of dozens of people in her hands, knowing that if she made the wrong decision, we would all die? It was a terrible responsibility to have. Her face set, she jumped down the platform.
'Clarke,' Finn stopped her, 'if we're still here when Tristan gets here-'
'Lincoln said "scouts",' she interrupted him. 'As in more than one. He said, "Get home before the scouts arrive." Finn, they're already here.'
She then turned to Bellamy.
'Looks like you've got your fight.'
Bellamy nodded and turned to the crowd.
'Okay then,' he said loudly. 'This is what we've been preparing for. Kill them before they kill us. Gunners, to your posts. Use the tunnels to get in and out. From now on, the gate stays closed.'
The group dispersed, every one of them running to their designated positions. The gunners in the foxholes, some on lookout, the others inside the dropship. My position was a little more complicated. The problem with living in the woods, was that we had poor visibility. When the Grounders attack, we wouldn't know about it until they were already close.
But I had another plan. The Grounders weren't the only ones to have scouts. If I went into the woods and found the army, I could warn my friends of their numbers, their weapons, how fast they were going and from which direction they were coming. That knowledge was invaluable. Of course, if I didn't get caught and slaughtered first.
'Y/N.'
I turned as Bellamy called my name. He had a gun in his hand, the one he had brought with him from the Ark. He handed it to me and I took it gingerly.
'What is this for?' I asked.
'It's a last resort. In case your bow isn't enough. There's only one bullet inside, there weren't any more left.'
I ran my fingers down the metal. It was smooth and cold to the touch.
'Thank you,' I said, looking up at him. 'I'll take care of it.'
For a minute, we stared at each other. There were so many things I wanted to say, but with death looming over us, my feelings seemed trivial. And maybe I was a coward, but I didn't think I would be able to deal with his inevitable rejection. Not when this might be the last time I saw him.
Slowly, savouring every second, I rose on my tiptoes and wound my arms around his neck, pulling him against me. He didn't hesitate and held me, his hands gripping the back of my shirt. I buried my head in the crook of his neck, taking a deep breath. He smelled of sweat, gunpowder and the unmistakable scent of the forest. I could feel his heart beat against my chest, hard and fast.
'You better come back, Kane,' he said, his voice low and rough.
I laughed, the sound small and broken.
'Is that a threat, Blake?'
'If that's what it takes to make sure you return in one piece? Then, yeah, you bet your ass it's a threat.'
I pulled away and gave him my best smile.
'Consider me threatened,' I said and he chuckled.
Without another word, I turned away from Bellamy and walked out of the gate, watching as they closed it behind me. Faced with the darkening woods, I suddenly felt alone. It seemed as if the world had fallen upon my shoulders and I took a deep breath, trying to find enough courage to keep going. The lives of my friends depended on it.
My priority was making sure I wouldn't be seen. I was wearing dark clothes and a cloth around my face to make sure my skin wouldn't show too much. Whatever I couldn't hide, I covered with mud.
The Grounder's village was most likely after the bridge Raven had blown up, and even if it would take them longer to get here without it, that was probably the direction they would come from. I headed there, walking as quietly as I could, aware that even the smallest mistakes could mean my death.
Twice, I spotted scouts. The first one surprised me and I nearly walked into him. Thankfully, he seemed rather focused on the cooked squirrel he was munching on and didn't see me. I walked away from him, sweat trickling down my back and my heart hammering in my chest. On my hip, Bellamy's gun was a constant reassurance and it felt as if a part of him was here with me. Protecting me.
I managed to sneak past the second scout without much difficulty, and before I knew it, I heard the clamour of hundreds of voices, drums and blades being sharpened. I crouched, crawling in the dirt until I could peek over a ridge.
I stifled a gasp. There were so many Grounders. I counted roughly three hundred of them, armed to the teeth. I saw swords, machetes, bows, hatchets, maces, spears… My heart sank. We couldn't face an army like this one. Not without a hundred guns, and a thousand bullets. We had to flee.
How could I have been so stupid, thinking staying in camp was the better option? We should have listened to Octavia, to Finn. That mistake would cost us our lives.
The army was moving fast, they would reach the camp before midnight. We didn't have much time left. I backed away, staying down until I was sure they wouldn't see me. Quickly and quietly, I started walking back to camp. People had to know. Bellamy had to know.
I was crossing the river, the freezing water up to my knees when I heard it. Splashing, coming from behind me. I whirled around and my eyes widened when I saw a Grounder, a battle axe in his hands. He was looking at me, a dark look in his eyes.
'Yu laik stedaun, skaigada,' he said, his voice dark.
He was too close. By the time I nocked an arrow, he would already be on me. And if I fired the gun, the entire army would find me. There was only one solution. Running.
I took off, struggling in the water. The man was large and was dressed in heavy leather. I was fastest, I could lose him. I was nearly to the other bank when I felt a sharp pain in my thigh. I cried out and when I tried to take a step, my leg gave out underneath me and I collapsed. I turned around, wincing at the pain. There was a dagger, embedded in my leg. It wasn't deep, but the wound burned.
The Grounder was running towards me, with a wide smile on his face. I was terrified. I wasn't a fighter, like Bellamy or Munroe. I was a hunter, a scavenger. My arrows were never meant for human beings. Was I going to die, here, in this river? Would my body float away and rot, for the pleasure of the crows?
I was ready to give up. I was so tired, and the pain in my leg made me see stars. But if I died, then the camp would never know about how big the army was, or when they would arrive. It didn't mean much. Perhaps the information wouldn't change anything. But I had a job to do, and I couldn't die like this.
With a cry of pain, I rose on my feet. My thigh throbbed, but I did my best to ignore the pain. I pulled out my dagger and threw a dark look at the Grounder. He stopped running and tilted his head, staring at me with a smirk.
'There is a fire in you, Sky-girl,' he said. 'I had not expected that.'
He took a step forward, swinging his axe as if it was nothing. The fear rose in me, but I crushed it.
'Leave,' I said, 'or you will die today.' For a second, it was as if my father was speaking. My voice was strong, unwavering. The Kane voice.
The Grounder laughed, throwing his head back.
'Do your best, child.'
With a yell, he rushed towards me, his axe raised above his head. I crouched at the last second, the blade slicing the air above my head. I sprang back up and slashed at his chest with my dagger but he evaded, and before I could move, his fist crashed into the side of my face. The sheer strength of the blow sent me flying in the river and I coughed as I swallowed a mouthful of water. The Grounder stood over me, smirking.
'I will enjoy killing you, girl.'
I tried to get up but he kicked me in the ribs, pain erupting in my side. He dropped to his knees, straddling me and his hands gripped my jacket. He pulled me up until my face was mere centimetres away from his.
'Yu gonplei ste odon.'
He pushed me under the water. I struggled against his grip with all I had, clawing and hitting and tearing, but his grip was strong and I couldn't shake him. My head was pounding from the lack of oxygen, my heart hammering in my chest so hard, it was all I could hear. The water was reddening from the blood leaking from my thigh, and I was starting to see stars. I thought about Bellamy, his smile, his voice, his eyes.
His gun! I thought in a last bit of sanity.
I reached for my hip and pulled the gun from the waistband of my jeans. I didn't know if guns could even fire underwater, but my dagger was lost, my bow unusable and it was my last resort. I used the last of my strength and aimed at the Grounder, pulling the trigger.
I had expected the sound to be muffled by the water. How wrong I'd been. The shot was deafening, the sound ringing in my ears. The Grounder's hold loosened and I sat up, my head breaching the surface. I coughed up half the river, gasping for air, tears streaming from my eyes. The Grounder was lying in the water, his body sinking in a sea of red.
I dragged myself to the shore and collapsed on my back, enjoying the air filling my lungs. It wasn't long before the pain from my thigh forced me to focus back on the task at hand. I sat up, groaning, and looked at the wound. It was ugly, but not as deep as I'd feared. I tore a piece of cloth from my shirt and tied it tightly around the wound, hoping it would hold until I reached camp. I only hoped no one had heard the gunshot.
Either way, I couldn't stay there. I put the now empty gun back in the waistband of my jeans, made sure my arrows were still in my quiver and rose to my feet. The pain increased tenfold, but I ignored it and started limping towards camp. Would I even make it back in time? Maybe the Grounders wouldn't attack right away.
The moon was high in the sky when I finally saw the wall.
'Open the gate!' I yelled.
There were gasps on the outside, voices shouting. The gate opened and Bellamy shot out, his eyes wide.
'Y/N? What the hell happened to you?'
He reached me and put one of my arms around his shoulders, helping me inside.
'I'm sorry,' I said. 'I tried to go faster, but I couldn't.'
Bellamy led me in the dropship, shouting for Clarke. He forced me to sit still as Clarke inspected my leg.
'It's deep,' she said. 'The cut needs stitches.'
'There's no time for that,' I said. 'The army is coming.'
'Did you see it?' she asked.
I nodded.
'There's too many of them,' I said. 'About three hundred warriors, all armed, and they'll be here by midnight. We can't survive this.'
Clarke and Bellamy exchanged a look.
'We have a plan,' Bellamy told me. 'If we give Raven enough time, she can hotwire the dropship and fire the engines. The Grounders won't know what hit them.'
'How much time does she need?' I asked, wincing as Clarke poured Moonshine over my wound.
'As long as possible.'
'Better stitch me up fast, then,' I smiled at Clarke.
Bellamy frowned, but didn't say anything. I had a feeling he knew I wouldn't stay in the dropship, no matter how hard he wanted me to. Also, he couldn't afford to lose a fighter, even a terrible one like me.
Clarke stitched me up as fast as she could, and although my leg looked seriously messed up, at least it wasn't bleeding. Once she was done, I went back out and joined Miller and Monroe in the north foxhole.
It wasn't long before we heard drums. The army was there, a little after midnight, just like I'd guessed. I gripped my bow tightly, fear and adrenaline coursing through my system. Bellamy ran in with his rifle and looked around.
'Where's Octavia?' he asked.
'She left five minutes ago, right before Y/N came in,' Miller answered. 'Didn't say where to. She thinks she's a damn samurai.'
Bellamy nodded, although the worry for his sister shown on his face.
'You see anything?' he asked.
'No,' Monroe replied. 'What the hell are they waiting for?'
'The longer they wait, the better,' Bellamy said. 'This is about buying time for Raven.'
The radio suddenly crackled, Sterling's panicked voice coming through.
'I see them!' he yelled. 'They're moving! I count one, two, three- No, wait, there's four. I don't know, man, there's too damn many of them!'
We heard gunshots, the noise echoing in the dark woods.
'Who was that?'
'Sterling, I think,' Miller answered. 'South foxhole.'
'South foxhole, report now!' Bellamy ordered through the radio.
'We're okay,' Sterling replied. 'They didn't attack. It's like shooting at ghosts.'
I frowned. It didn't make sense. Why weren't they attacking? I exchanged a puzzled look with Bellamy, but he didn't have any answer for me.
Suddenly, we saw a shadow shoot through the trees. Someone was running, nearly too fast for me to see.
'There!' Monroe said. 'I see them!'
I didn't shoot any arrow, knowing I wouldn't hit anything, but Miller and Monroe both opened fire. Bellamy ordered them to stop but they kept shooting until their clips were empty.
'We should- we should fall back,' Monroe said, her voice shaky.
'No,' Bellamy replied. 'If this position falls, they walk right to the front door.'
'Looks like it's up to you and me, now,' I said grimly.
More gunshots echoed, people shouting over the radio. No one managed to hit anything, and all I could think about was how many bullets they were wasting. Something was wrong, and it was Jasper who finally figured it out.
'All gunners, listen up,' he said over the radio. 'The Grounders are not attacking. They're making us waste bullets. Don't shoot when they're running laterally.'
'Jasper's right,' Bellamy agreed. 'Don't fire until you're sure it's attack. Repeat. Do not fire until you are sure.'
I shared a look with Bellamy. We were both aware of how many bullets we had just wasted. I still had all my arrows, but what good were they against three hundred Grounders? Our only chance was in Raven.
Suddenly, we heard yells and when I looked at the woods, I saw dozens of Grounders charging towards camp.
'Here they come!' Miller yelled.
I nocked an arrow, drew the string and let go. A Grounder fell, his hands grasping at his wound. I didn't have time to watch him die. I didn't even have time to be shocked that I had just killed another man. I shot another arrow, barely aware of my fingers moving. Beside me, Monroe ran away and I heard Miller call her name. But I had to focus. One of the Grounders was only a few yards away. I dropped my bow and grabbed my dagger, embedding it in his chest before he could impale me with his sword. But there was another one behind him and I had to jump out to evade his spear. My wounded leg couldn't keep me upright and I crashed, my eyes wide as the Grounder took the opportunity. But before he could stab me, a machete cut his head cleaned off.
'Octavia!' I gasped.
She didn't even look at me, and instead ran to Bellamy, who was pinned down by a Grounder. She made quick work of him as well.
'Admit it,' she said. 'You want one.'
Bellamy chuckled, but that soon turned into a scream when an arrow embedded itself into Octavia's thigh.
'Miller, fall back now!' Bellamy ordered as he helped Octavia up. 'Y/N, you too.'
'But Bell-' I protested, reluctant to leave him alone.
'Do it!'
Miller grabbed my arm and pulled me with him. It was chaos. There were bodies everywhere, and I stopped counting how many limbs I stepped on as we ran for the tunnel. We both climbed to the platform, shooting at the Grounders on the other side. Soon enough, half my arrows were gone and Miller was down to his last clip.
'There are too many!' Miller yelled. 'Everybody to the dropship now!'
'No!' Clarke shouted. 'We need more time. Gunners, stay at your posts. The rest of you, inside. Come on, quick.'
As people rushed inside the dropship, I focused back on killing as many Grounders as I could. Bellamy and Octavia were nowhere to be seen, and the worry ate at me more and more with each passing minute.
Suddenly, we heard an explosion but the sound was unlike any I'd ever heard. And it came from above. Uncaring of the Grounder army, I looked up. There was something falling from the sky, so bright it hurt to even look at it. The people in the camp, the Grounders, everyone stopped fighting to watch it fall.
I knew what it was. There was only one thing in space big enough make such a noise as it breached the atmosphere.
The Ark.
It broke into several parts, some exploding in bright bursts of fire. My mind was a mess of questions and wonders, but I didn't have time to think about it. The Grounders were attacking again. But before they could reach the gate, we heard a queer whooping noise come from deep in the woods. People cheering and laughing.
'Reapers!' A Grounder yelled.
And then, the strangest thing happened. Another group of Grounders, somehow different from the others, appeared. The two groups stared at each other, and at once, attacked. I watched, confused, as they fought.
'What the hell is going on?' I muttered.
'No idea. But hell, at least it's buying us some time,' Miller replied.
As it turned out, it wasn't a lot of time. Before long, the Grounder army had slaughtered their enemies and were once again charging towards us. Arrows flew, one of them passing so close to my face it left a deep cut on my cheek. Miller was shot in the shoulder and he fell off the platform.
'Are you okay?' I yelled.
'I've been better!' He shouted back. 'We have to fall back!'
'Go! I'll try to slow them down!'
Miller begged me to go with him but I wouldn't listen. The Grounders had just brought horses, and were attaching ropes to the gate. They were going to destroy it. I aimed at the beasts and shot one in the eye. I reared up, shaking its head wildly and the Grounder couldn't keep old of it. It ran off into the woods.
I was so focused on the horses, I didn't see the ladder until a Grounder launched itself at me. We fell backwards off the platform and I landed on the ground, the impact forcing the air out of my lungs. The fall had torn off my stitches and I could feel the blood dampening my jeans. I grabbed an arrow and stabbed the Grounder in the neck, shoving him off me.
But when I looked back at the dropship, all I saw was the door seal shut. They were going to fire the engines, and I knew without a doubt that if I stayed here, I would die. The Grounders rushed in, banging against the metal and I tried to get up but my leg wasn't strong enough to hold my weight.
With tears of fear and pain running down my face, I crawled to the tunnel, desperate to reach it. I had just managed to get inside when I heard an explosion, and all I could see as I turned my head was fire rushing towards me. I wasn't far enough. I would burn, just like the Grounders. In a last ditch-attempt to save my life, I kicked at the beam supporting the tunnel.
The passage collapsed on me, tons of dirt and rocks burying me alive. I could feel myself losing consciousness, and I wondered if I would ever open my eyes again.
