The Storm: Chapter Ten

My first instinct was to go back to the area where I last saw them. It made the most sense in my head.

I counted the steps back to the path we had diverged from and turned to go right when I noticed a patch of darkness in the sand. As far as I knew, the last rainfall that the Scorch experienced was that terrible thunderstorm a few nights ago. There had been no rain since. Whatever it was, it wasn't water.

I scanned the area, footprints holding my gaze the longest. Hidden partially by the dead bush, the elements hadn't destroyed them. The footprints must have been fresh-ish. However it would be described. The mountains seemed to be the destination of the group.

Here came the dilemma.

Do I risk everything and follow this path, or take the route originally intended.

Don't go back. Go forward.

What if I chose wrong?

You won't, you already know the way.

"Okay, to the mountain it is."

By the time I physically stopped to rest, the sun had risen far higher in the sky. Middy had yet to reach me, but time was a cruel mistress. Eventually, midday would come and go, and I would still be shuffling along the landscape trying to desperately to catch up. Hoping that it wasn't too late. With every step, the thought dawned on me that maybe I had made a mistake. I was so far from the original track that I following the wrong people seemed more likely.

Maybe…

I rested my head against a rock, doing my best to stay within the small shade that it offered. The pained hadn't done anything to help the situation. The cough had worsened, zapping away my breaths as soon as they were made. The hot air didn't help either. I was stuck in a breathless cycle of pain and phlegm. Knowing that this would be a struggle, I attempted to eat, drink and cough all the at the same time. I task that I struggled to achieve successfully.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and hauled the pack back onto my shoulders. I left the cannister of water out this time. It was the smarter decision to avoid dying from dehydration. Worse, I still felt rubbish. When yesterday's pains were fresh and sharp, today's were loud and aching. Added in with lack of sleep, I was a literal zombie slogging along. Crank even, if you want to get technical. Though, I doubt Cranks felt this way. From what I've seen, and that being very little, the pain fuelled their body. Those back at the room were so consumed by it that they couldn't function beyond it. I, however, was a tired person in need of aid. Not a Crank. Yet.

There wasn't much that I could distract myself with from the pain. I attempted to count the number of trees I passed, but that ended in failure. One, I could see ahead and saw how few there were – that ruined the game. And two, the argument with Newt kept creeping back to the foreground.

He, like me, had been put in an impossible situation. I, with all my heart, agreed with everything he said. If the roles were reversed, I would have said the same thing. I would have put my foot down and refused him to leave. I would not let him go again. However, there are always difficult decisions to be made. Ones that do not sit comfortably with everyone. Ones that always have to be made. I just hoped he understood where I came from.

The determination to be there at the end fuelled my every steps. I would not let him down. I would survive the final part of this journey and reunite with him. I vowed that.

Midday came and went. I carried on from the place, not wanting to linger any longer than I intended too. As I walked, I assessed the next part of my journey. Above me, rose the peak of the mountain.

When I first laid eyes on the mountains days ago, they had seemed distant and barren. At first glance, I believed that this place only served death. Now standing here looking up at the final part of it made me realise that there was more to it. I just had to beyond the first glance. Lucky so I did as in the distance three shadows shimmered caught my eye. I shook my head and blinked a few times then stared at the same spot. Again, I located the shadows. Then they disappeared, consumed by a dark entrance located between two cliff edges.

I had done it.

I found them.

Are you sure?

It was a risk I was willing to take. After all, what more had I to lose? Newt was safe. WICKED were going to save him.

Dusk settled over me by the time I reached the same position I spotted the shadows earlier that day. They had vanished long ago into the narrows walls of a passage way through the mountain. The next couple of hours was spent in the company of tall cliffs of stone and the crunching of dirt and rock under my feet. The deadline was fast approaching and I forced myself to quicken the pace. Seeing a hint of the others made it all so worthwhile to bite back the pain.

I walked until the sky darkened and the stars twinkled above me. The passage was wide enough for three people to walk side by side and dark enough that when I stretched out my hand in front of me. I barely saw my five fingers wriggling.

I stuck to one side, making sure that at least one part of my body was in contact with the wall at all times. In part for safety and in other part I was barely able to stand anymore. I walked in a daze, my legs forcing themselves to keep moving until there was nothing. I almost dropped from exhaustion when the hairs on my arms pricked up and a chill fizzled down my back. I stopped and assessed the area to determine why my body had gone onto high alert.

From what little I could see, there was nothing there. All that accompanied me as silence and the rocks. I surely would have heard a rustle at least if I was in any real danger. It wasn't like I was making a lot of noise to not hear something like that. I disregarded the sudden action as my body freaking out at nothing.

I turned around to carry on when a felt a hard sharp pain on the side of my leg. The tip of whatever had struck catching my ankle. The moment hadn't registered to me until I felt my knees buckle from me. My stomach churned over as I braced for the impact. My hands grazed along the floor, taking as much as the impact as possible. The skin tore from the palms of my hands, releasing a pain that screamed from my wrists up into my chest.

A gurgled noise escaped my lips as a withered in agony on the floor. The sharpness preventing my breathing to the point I strained to catch a short breath. The stifled cough returned in full force. This time refusing to leave.

The cold sensation of a knife's edge placed firmly to my throat shut me up. I opened my mouth to yell out, but a hand planted themselves over it.

It was happening again.

I was going to die alone.

In so much pain.

Left for dead.

My promise broken to Newt.

Throat cut.

I tried to inhale.

Choke.

I can't breathe.

Help!

"Clarke." My name whispers into my ear. "Oh my gosh. Hold on."

The hand whipped away from my mouth and slid under my chest area. I screamed as I was turned over to lay on my back, a hand again clamped itself over my mouth muffling my screams.

"You're okay, you're okay."

"I can't … breathe," I strained to say under the hand. "I … need Newt."

"You've got Maggie," Maggie said. "Just breathe. Count with me. One … Two … Three."

I followed her direction. Maggie must have sensed that it wasn't working. She grasped my hand and squeezed it tight between hers.

"Come on Clarke," she whispered. "You can do this. Follow me."

I copied her action. Breathing in when she did. Breathing out after a long pause. Several of these motions, and I finally took control of to the point that breathing didn't hurt.

"What happened to you?" she queried. Maggie was now sat beside me, her legs straight out.

"Leo dropped me from the cliff." Through fits of gasping for air, I did my best to explain to Maggie the encounters of Leo, Georgie and the cliff. Much was omitted from the retelling, the parts of the pain and the discovery of the Gladers.

"That cow doesn't deserve the cure," Maggie cursed, her words spewing hate. Her voice then softened. "I'm glad she didn't get what she wanted."

"Nothing keeps me dead," I muttered from the brim of the water cannister.

"Too right. How many times have you 'died' now?"

"Three?"

Maggie let out a short laugh. It echoed around us. She clasped her hand over her mouth and shut her eyes. After a moment she dropped her hand and glanced down at me. She leaned in closer and whispered to me, "We need to be quiet when you get up. There's a group of girls up ahead that look dangerous."

"How far ahead are they?"

"Far enough. We made sure to hang back to put some distance between us and them. We're keeping quiet in case they can hear us. Better safe than sorry."

I nodded in agreement. I was sure that echoes didn't travel that far, but in times like these where we were fighting for survival. Maggie was right, better safe than sorry.

"I'm gonna lift you now. Hold your screams."

I squeezed my mouth shut and groaned as Maggie helped me to the floor. A tickle deep in my chest threatened to expose us, but I held it together. Barely. To support me, Maggie placed an arm round the centre of my back. I immediately cried out in pain from the sudden pressure. She snatched her arm away and held onto my elbow to stop me falling.

"Sorry, sorry," she flustered as she assessed what they best way there was to aid me.

"Don't hold on, support me," I suggested through gritted teeth. "How far?"

"Not far."

We walked in silence as Maggie directed me back to the others. She helped me as best as I could, but I saw on her face that she was struggling to balance me without causing any pain. My muscles scorched with the effort of walking. Just when I had thought the nightmare had ended, we have half-crawled through a space between a fallen boulder and emerged the other side. Maggie half-dragged me through the last part, taking most of my weight from me. We rested for a moment to let myself catch whatever breath I could, then continued on.

As we approach the place where the others were resting, Maggie stopped me and mumbled into my ear, "I won't say much, but Lottie is hurt."

"Is it bad?" I urged. In the darkness I tried to search her face. I barely made out her features, but I swore I caught the glimpse of sorrow pulling down the corners of her lips.

"I can't save her," her voice quivered. "My bag went missing with Trixie and I have nothing to help her with."

"It's not your fault, Maggie," I reassured her. I squeezed the top of her arm, hoping that the girl would take something from it.

We crossed the short distance and reached where the others rested. Well, Poe and Lottie. Maya was nowhere to be seen. Maggie helped lower me to the ground, disturbing the sleeping pair. Lottie first roused from sleep, followed soon after by Poe. She was resting in Poe's arms, her hand over her stomach, him now stroking her hair.

"Clarke, you're alive!" Lottie said, her voice hoarse. She stretched out her hands toward me. I took hold of one, noting that parts of her palms were sticky. "Please stop doing this."

"Last time, I promise," I spoke softly. Her hand dropped mine, her grip weaker than ever.

"I'm holding you to that," she said. "We searched everywhere for you."

"Leo dropped me from the cliff."

Then I told them of Georgie's intentions and her revenge plan for her treatment in Eden. The others were not shocked. In fact, Lottie laughed when I had finished speaking. "She always does this. Plays the victim card. She never takes responsibility for her actions." Lottie drew closer to me. "I can never remember what happened that day. There's always a blank whenever I try to think of it. The only thing that seems to ever come to mind is black veins all over your face. Apart from that there is nothing. It was so weird. Even Georgie couldn't remember. And she took that personally. That there was something so terrible forgotten that it meant that she was being attacked."

Lottie trailed off at the end, her voice quietening as she reminisced that day.

"Georgie was right with one thing. You were different after that."