The Storm: Chapter Eleven

Maya returned several hours later gasping for air. She hunched over and took four deep breaths until it levelled off. Maggie passed her a cannister of water and she gladly took it. She gulped down three mouthfuls than gave it back.

It was at this point she registered my presence.

"Clarke, where'd you come from?" she said in shock. She held up her hand before I could reply. "Wait, I can hear that in a sec. The girls have moved on. I overheard what they said and they think there is still a way to go till the clear the Pass.

"Also, there's a boy with that group. Not sure of the dynamic, but I think he's their prisoner." She shrugged her shoulders and plonked herself down by Maggie.

"A boy?" I questioned. "What did the boy look like?

"I dunno, like all boys do," she sarcastically replied. "It was dark, couldn't see much."

"Did you get a name?" I pressed her.

"Why are you so concerned about this one boy? Is it Newt?"

"No!" I immediately snapped. "I mean … no … sorry. I was just curious."

Maya remained silent at my sudden outburst. "Alright, well to feed your curiosity, one of the girls called him Thomas. Happy?"

"Thanks," I mumbled, now a little embarrassed at the outburst.

"Anyway," Maggie interrupted, stirring the conversation away from the talk of Thomas. "How long do you think we have left until the checkpoint?"

"Not sure," Maya answered her. "We must be nearing the end now. The old man said to travel north in so many days and we had done that."

"We should get moving then," Lottie added. She had been sleeping the whole time we were waiting for Maya to return. Poe fed her every now and again, and made sure she was getting enough fluids. But you could see that whatever was happening inside of her was having an effect. She was slowly crumbling away and there was nothing we could do apart from getting her to WICKED as fast as we could.

Maggie helped me up, making sure not to place too much pressure on my chest area. We had only managed to get the coughing under control. Even then it was temperamental. For the sake of Maggie and the others, I had tried to contain it best I could. There was more to worry about then my struggling to breath. Lottie was in far worst state.

Maya clasped the strap of my pack and hauled it onto her shoulder. "You want help walking?"

I shook my head. "I'm gonna see how long I last."

"Fair." Maya strode beside me and matched my slow pace. We were ahead of Lottie and Poe, leading the way through the Pass.

"So," Maya begun. "This must be second time you've died."

"Third," I corrected her. "Died in the Maze as well."

"Oh." She nodded her head. "Wanna share you latest death with me?"

I filled Maya in on what happened on the ledge with Leo and Georgie. She stayed quiet through my retelling of the story. When it came to explaining the one night I was absent from them, I omitted the details about finding the Gladers.

"You just walked your way up here like that?" Maya motioned with her arms to my body. "Wow, you're some superhuman."

"I wish."

"I would have to see your death with my own eyes to believe that your actually dead. It's getting to that point now." She winked at me. I didn't return a reply, or even a smile.

It took longer than we thought to reach the other side of the Pass. We kept our distance from the girls. Maya and Maggie making sure of that. According to Maya, they had agreed between them that one would take turns in tracking them ahead. When they stopped, so did we further back. Every few hours, the girls would switch positions to let the other rest.

Lottie was no better. The constant movement wreaked havoc with her. In her brawl, Georgie managed to stab Lottie in her thigh. Deep. Maggie had managed to stop the bleeding when it first happened, but the loss of blood weakened her. She could barely stand without Poe keeping her upright at all times. One minute she would be awake, the next Poe had to shake her until she opened her eyes again. And the worse of it, not only had an infection embedded itself into her wound, a fever had settled in. There was a battle going on inside of Lottie, and we were losing.

At one point, Lottie barely put a foot out forward before she pleaded with Poe to leave her behind. That was swiftly shut down as Poe refused to hear anymore of it. He told her that he would get her to the end and he would save her. She gave him a weak smile and thanked him.

We were in the middle of the second night of marching when Maya called up ahead that the girls had reached the end. She was in full spirit when she returned, mentioning that there wasn't far to go now. We decided as a group to rest up here and wait for the girls to clear the opening. That way when we arrived, we were still out of sight, and far enough way that the idea of them attacking us was slim.

Settled down against the cliff wall, we eat the diminishing food supply that we had left. I had started to eat food again, from the annoyance of Maggie. She had noticed how little I consumed when the cans were passed my way. It got to the point that I struggled to hide my shaking hands from her. She sat me down and watched me take every last bite of the can. I was grateful for her insistence, and horrified at the same time at how scary she could be when someone disobeyed her. I learnt not to cross her. Ever.

We carried on after a while of waiting, deciding that the girls had moved on far enough. The distance wasn't as far as I had anticipated. Soon enough we were all clustering in a wide swarth of broken rock that fanned out from the narrow canyon of the Pass before it dropped down into a steep slope to the bottom of the mountain far below. The three-quarter moon shone down onto the valley in front of us, casting the valley in a deep purple. Making it look eerie. And very, very flat. There was nothing for miles around but the sparse, dead land.

There was absolutely nothing.

No sign of anything that could even resemble the checkpoint. And apparently we were supposed to be reaching distance of it.

"Maybe we just can't see it," Poe suggested. We all thought what he spoke and the hope that were laced within the words.

"Yeah," Maya added. "It might be an entrance to an underground tunnel. Like the one back in the Maze. I'm sure it's there."

"How many more miles do you think we have left?" Poe questioned.

"Can't be more than ten, based on where we started and how far the old man said we had to go," Maya answered, sounding upbeat about the situation. "Probably more like seven or eight. You know, I'd thought we would see a nice big flag pointing down where we had to go."

I searched the darkness whilst they spoke. Hoping to find something in the dim light. I couldn't find anything. There was just a sea of black stretching to the horizon where it seemed like a curtain of stars had been pulled down.

"Well," I announced. "Not much choice but to keep heading north. We should've known better than to expect something easy. Maybe we can make it to the bottom of the mountain by sunrise."

The others agreed with me. We started off again, heading down the switchback-laden path. The loose soil and rock crunched beneath my feet. We made our way down the mountain, crisscrossing back and forth on the trail in silence. I lingered near the back with Maya. We didn't speak much. A good thing as there was nothing I felt I could talk to her about. I still hadn't told them my reunion with the Gladers. It wasn't a sort of topic I knew how to bring up, let alone discuss about. And then there was the dangers that lay all around us. Them knowing so much and me knowing so little started to play on my mind. When this was over, I would ask more about Eden.

After an hour or so of travelling, my legs and chest started to burn from the awkward downhill walk. At one point, we came across a pocket of dead trees that arrowed up the mountain in a big swarth. It almost looked as if at one time a waterfall might have irrigated the land to form the odd formation of trees. Though if it had done that, the last drop of water had long surrendered to the Scorch.

Poe called up to Maya, who had stormed ahead in our walk to keep an eye on the girls, to tell her to stop. She turned around at the point of one of the switchbacks and jogged back. He walked himself and Lottie to the forest area and lowered her down next to the nearest one. Her head swaying as he did this.

"Lottie, stay with me." He kneeled beside her and gently pulled her head up to rest against the tree bark. "Open your eyes Lots."

Her eyes were partially open, the moon light illuminating her now greying skin. Lottie lifted her shaking hand and reached out for Poe, who clutched it like a lifeline to her. A brutal cough erupted from her chest, flecks of blood staining her shirt and sides of her mouth.

"Please don't go," she softly spoke, her voice no louder than a whisper.

"I won't," Poe promised.

Lottie's once softly bright eyes scanned the area until they settled on me. She stretched out her other arm, extending her hand my way. "Clarke," she croaked, beckoning me to come to her side. I limped to her and did my best do crouch down beside her. I hid the discomfort that bellowed in my chest. This was not my time to gain sympathy from anyone. Not at this moment.

"Clarke," she said again. Her body shuddered as she struggled to take a breath. "I'm glad we met again. Even if ya don't remember me."

"I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to fill me in with the rest." Lottie stared back at me with an expression that I read all too well. I didn't want to even think it because then it would have made the situation all too real. My throat tightened, hoarse from the fatigue. Cough threatened to ensure. I swallowed hard to try and subdue it. Pain ricocheted in my chest, but I hid reaction as best I could.

"One day perhaps. I have so much to tell you." Lottie sniffed, letting go of me hand to wipe away the snot. "Thank you for being my friend."

My throat released and the tears slid down my face. Droplets fell from the corners of her eyes as I started to come to terms with what was happening. There wasn't much else I could do. This was not the way that this was supposed to happen. To lose slowly lose everyone I cared about. Past and present.

"Thank you, my friends, Maggie and Maya," her coarse voice spoke, barely above a whisper. "I will forever treasure you both."

Maya gulped, unable to control the overwhelming emotions that flooded her. Maggie took her into her arms and cradled her. She wiped away a tear as the rest fell from her cheeks.

"Please, just a few more days," Poe pleaded with the now ever weaker Lottie. "We can get help."

"Poe, it's okay." Lottie brushed her fingertips over his cheek, wiping away a tear that fell. She weakly smiled at him. "You're the best thing to happen to me."

"Lots, it's not far. Please." Poe sat himself beside her, gently placing an arm around her and pulling her into his chest. He cradled her as she struggled for her next breath, the air rattling through her body. She moaned as she exhaled, her eyes squeezing together from the pain. Lottie lifted her head and locked eyes with his. Poe cried. He told her he loved her. She said she loved him and was sorry. Her gentle eyes fluttered. Her chest moving but only ever slightly.

We watched quietly. Her gasps for air becoming shallower with each passing moment. She was still moaning with every exhale. Her body relaxed. Her eyes were closed. She was colder. Her mouth partially open and dry. Poe wetted her lips with drops of water. We straightened her clothes. We waited for death.

She passed within the hour, quickly, quietly and loved. For her anyway.

For the rest of us, not so much.

Poe rested his head on hers and gently kissed her. Silently he rose and walked away into the lifeless forest.

For a moment, I sat there unable to move from despair. Slowly, as if not to wake her, laid her to the ground and tucked her arms to make her comfortable. There wasn't much else I could do. I couldn't bring myself to leave her like this. Past harm, but seeming utterly defenceless.

Georgie should pay for this.

And WICKED.

Jaimie's, Chuck's and now Lottie's death forced me to confront my own fury against the cruelty, the injustice that WICKED had inflicted on us. The way that they were more than happy to dispose of us if it meant that they obtaining their valuable data needed to save themselves from a virus that they probably created in the first place. Why go to so much trouble in the first place. WICKED seemed cruel enough to do that. They held no qualms in destroying our lives.

Maggie and Maya were the first ones to react. They untangled from one another, Maya's head resting in the crook of Maggie's neck. Maggie tiptoed forward, uncertain that if she got any closer the reality would hit in. Up close, Maggie's face was stained with tears, her face puffy and eyes red.

"May," she glanced over her shoulder to the back of Maya who was hugging her chest. "I know May, but we can't leave her here."

Maya's cloud of hair ruffled as she nodded her head. She slowly turned on her heel toward where we were. "I … I …" she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence before she chocked on her grief.

"I know," Maggie whispered again. She outstretched her arm to Maya, beckoning her to her. Maya responded and came to her side. She knelt opposite me, Lottie in between us all.

"Can we have a moment?" Maya asked us, looking at both of us for an answer. I nodded and bowed my head in silence.

Moments passed. Maggie lifted her arm round her shoulder and drew her into a close hug. She sobbed into Maggie's chest, letting the grief overcome her. Maggie rested her head and silently cried as they mourned their friend. Our friend.

Maggie wiped her eyes with her hands and released a long-shuddered sigh. "We should move her further in."

Maya didn't reply. She untangled herself from Maggie and inched her arms under Lottie's chest and knees. She lifted her up from the ground, Lottie's head falling backwards her black braided hair tumbled down. Maggie shot up and straightened Lottie. Resting her head against Maya's shoulder and her arms over her chest. Together they walked away from me, making sure that they headed in the opposite direction that Poe went.

I wanted to go and help them. I owed her that much. But Maggie instructed me to stay put. Her face, full of grief, shifted to concern when she noticed my wince when I attempted to stand. They wouldn't be long she informed me. They were going to rest Lottie in a safe place.

Maggie was right. The pressure of trying to keep my own pain contained was mounting up. She knew me, and must knew that I hated to burden others with my problems. I was too weak to help them. This shamed me even more as I felt completely useless to the group. I no longer had no value with them. I couldn't protect any of them. I could barely protect myself.

Heaviness infused my whole body, as if there was liquid lead rushing through my veins. I remained motionless and thoughtless until only Maya returned without her pack.

"We are taking shelter further in the forest," Maya informed me as she helped me up from the floor. My legs had stiffened from crouching in the same position for too long. They ached when weight was put on them, nearly taking me with them. Maya gripped my elbow to steady me. Acting as if the pain wasn't there was the only thing that seemed to disperse it.

"What about Poe?" I questioned through gritted teeth. He still hadn't returned. If he would return.

"Mags will keep an eye out of him. I'm sure he hasn't gone far." Her faced creased into the same feeling that I felt. We were worried about him. I couldn't imagine what it was like to lose someone that they loved. I refused to even think about losing Newt. The thought banished from my mind entirely. I rejected to accept the notion it would ever happen. And seeing how much it has destroyed Poe, I couldn't bear to face an emotion like it.

We shuffled further into the forest area until the path and mountain side were hidden from our view but close enough that Poe would be spotted immediately. Maya lowered me down next to Maggie, whose eyes were pinned in the direction we had just come from. Here, we waited for Poe's return. Nothing exchanged between us. Each handling the emotions as best we could. Neither sure on how to react to them.

"I hope he didn't do anything foolish."