16 - Gone
I roll over on the bed, hands tugging at the blankets to cover my body better. The inside of the bunker wasn't hot or cool, yet I felt the need to be completely under the covers. Once I'm comfortable again, I instinctively reach out for Charlotte, feeling slight comfort in knowing she's beside me and not with Murphy. My hand pats the bed instead of her arm. Sleepily, I reach further out, assuming that she rolled over on her side.
My fingers reach the side of the bed and find thin air. In less than a second, my eyes snap open. The bunker is dimly lit with the candles that are still burning. Suddenly wide awake, I push myself up in a sitting position to find Charlotte in the dimly lit bunker.
"Charlotte?" I call out for the little girl that I've grown very protective over.
Only silence fills the bunker.
"No, no, no!" I begin to freak out. I climb to my feet, shoving my shoes back on. "Shit!" I exclaim when I realize that she left us. I pull my jacket back on. I snatch up one of the paint brushes off of the table and throw it at Clarke and Finn, who had fallen asleep on the couch. "Get the hell up! She's gone!"
I don't bother waiting for them as I climb up the ladder. I climb out of the bunker and shut the door behind me. Night has fallen by now. Darkness surrounded me in every direction I looked. I eye the dirt beneath my boots for small boot prints. Once I spot some, I head in the direction that they were headed in.
How far could she have gotten? When did she even leave? Why didn't I wake up?
I race through the woods, only guided by the moonlight shining down between the trees.
"Charlotte, where are you?" Murphy shouts in the distance.
His yell catches me off guard and I slide on the ground. My feet slip on the dirt and I quickly head in the opposite direction. Murphy hasn't caught her yet which is very good. If Murphy catches me, I'm dead. He wouldn't think twice about killing me for protecting her.
My legs easily carry me over fallen down trees and small holes in the ground. I push myself faster, praying that I am running in the right direction towards Charlotte. I have to find her before Murphy or anyone else does.
I reach a small break between the trees and slow down to a stop. I snap my head around in every direction. Behind me, Murhpy and his gang sounds even closer than before. My head turns to the right just to see a dark shape headed straight for me. I open my mouth to scream, automatically assuming that it's Murphy.
The guy wraps their arm around my waist with their other hand clamped around my mouth, cutting off my scream. The two of us stumble backwards into a tree. Rough bark presses against my back as he presses against me. I fight back against them.
"Shh! Shh!" Bellamy hushes me. His face suddenly lit up by the moonlight in this new angle.
I immediately quit squirming in his grasp. I suck in a breath, relieved. His hand falls from my mouth, but his other arm stays wrapped around my waist. "Bellamy!"
"Where is she?" Bellamy demands.
I shake my head, rapidly. "I-I don't know. We had fallen asleep in this underground bunker and the next thing I know, she's gone."
Bellamy curses under his breath. "We have to find her."
I nod. "I was following her tracks, but then I had to switch directions when I heard Murphy." I rush to tell him in a whisper. "We- We can't let Murphy get ahold of her."
"Charlotte!" Murphy shouts from nearby.
Bellamy lifts his head to listen to Murphy. His eyes widen at something around the tree. "They're coming."
"They'll kiss us, Bellamy." I worriedly glance around the tree. Bright lights shine through the trees from torches that they had lit.
He remains silent and moves his hands to grip my waist. Bellamy forces me against the tree even more, his own body pressed flush against my own. "Stay quiet." His lips brush against my cheek from how close he is.
My fingers tightly grasp on to his shirt underneath his jacket. The shouting grows louder as they grow even closer. Bellamy steps even closer to me if that's even possible. Our cheeks are touching as we try to keep our breathing under control.
"Charlotte!" Murhpy yells out from the other side of the tree. "You can't hide forever! Don't worry! We Won't hurt you!" He races by with a few other guys behind him.
Bellamy and I stand still for a little longer before he takes a step back. My heart hammers in my chest. His eyes widen when he spots something. I whirl around to see Charlotte running right towards us. She hasn't noticed us yet, but she's headed right in the direction that Murphy and his goons ran off in.
Bellamy runs out towards her, catching her in mid run. I rush over to the two of them. Charlotte struggles against Bellamy, but calms down a bit when she sees it's him. I wrap her up in a hug, partially sighing in relief.
"Let me go!" Charlotte screams, continuing to fight against him.
I stumble backwards when she pushes me away. "Charlotte, it's okay!"
She throws her arm around, wildly.
"I'm trying...hey, hey." Bellamy grabs on to her.
"We're trying to help you." I reach out to help Bellamy calm her down.
She pushes the two of us away. "I'm not your sister. Just stop helping me!" Charlotte starts to run back in Murphy's direction. "I'm over here!"
I dart forward, grabbing back on to her and pulling her to a stop. "Are you trying to get all of us killed?!" I spin her back around. "Charlotte, why would you run? We're trying to keep you safe!"
She starts to push me away. "Just go, okay? I'm the one they want."
Bellamy crouches down to her level. "Okay, Charlotte, listen to me. We won't leave you."
"Please, Bellamy, Wren." She begs us in a quieter voice.
"No." I shake my head at her.
Charlotte glances between the two of us before pushing away from the both of us. She breaks out in a sprint towards the torches. Bellamy reacts quicker and manages to catch her. He throws her over his shoulder.
"Ahh!" Charlotte screams in surprise. "Murphy! I'm over here!"
I push on Bellamy's back to urge him to run faster. With little struggle, Bellamy races through the woods with Charlotte over his shoulder and with me right behind him. Charlotte continues to scream for Murphy. I wildly glance over my shoulder to see the torch lights growing closer. Murphy's on his way.
"Come on out, Charlotte! Come on out!"
We break through a line of trees. Bellamy and I slow to a sudden stop when we notice the cliff only a few feet away. He gently lets Charlotte down.
"Damn it." Bellamy swears.
The end of the ground ends suddenly, leading down to a thick fog which shields what is at the bottom. I hold one arm up to shield Charlotte from walking any closer to it. There's no where else for us to go.
"Bellamy!"
The three of us turn around to see Murphy with a torch in his hand. Everyone fans out behind him, like, some kind of army.
"You cannot fight all of us. Give her up." Murphy says, aggressively.
I step out in front of the two of them, standing in between everyone. I clench my fist down by my sides. "Maybe not, but I guarantee we'll take a few of you down with us."
Clarke races out of the trees along with Finn. "Bellamy, Wren! Stop!" She yells, standing off to the side.
"This has gone too far. Just calm down." I hold my hands out to Murphy. I watch as he hands his torch to Connor. "Look, we don't have to fight, okay? We can talk about this instead."
Murphy slowly moves his gaze to land on Charlotte behind me. In a flash, he draws his knife and grabs on to me. I'm spun around and end up with my back to his chest, and his knife to my neck. "I'm so sick of listening to you talk, princess." Murphy sneers.
"No!" Charlotte cries.
Clarke and Finn step forward to help me until Murphy points for them to back up. I tilt my head back to keep the knife far away from my neck. Charlotte locks eyes with me. Fear is held in her eyes. I look at Bellamy to see his fist clenched and to see him resisting the urge to come to my side, which greatly surprises me.
"Let her go!" Bellamy orders. He stays standing beside Charlotte, but his eyes never leave mine.
Murphy jabs his finger at him. "I will slit her throat." He threatens by pressing the knife against my throat. Any further movement and he'll slice the skin open.
"No, please!" Charlotte's chin begins to quiver. "Please don't hurt her!"
Murphy presses his cheek against mine. His left hand holds me up against his chest with a firm hold. "Don't hurt her? Okay, I'll make you a deal." Murphy rests his face beside mine. "You come with me right now," He pats my shoulder. "I will let her go."
"Don't do it, Charlotte!" I tell her. I can't let Charlotte get hurt. I just can't.
Charlotte tries to pass Bellamy, but he stops her.
"No!" I shout at her. "Don't do it, Charlotte! It's okay."
Charlotte shakes her head, starting to cry. "No, I didn't want you to get hurt. That's why I left. I didn't want him to kill you."
I flicker my eyes to Bellamy's dark ones. "Don't let her do it."
An unknown emotion is held in his eyes. He stares back at me silently for a few seconds before nodding. Charlotte lunges forward once more. Bellamy catches her just in time, forcefully shoving her behind him.
"No! No, I have to!" She fights back.
"Charlotte, stop!" I command her. Thankfully, she obeys. I bite down on my lip, willing myself not to cry in front of her. "It's okay."
Bellamy turns back to Murphy, who is holding me way to tight to him. He glares at the knife pressed to my neck. "Murphy, this is not happening. You're not hurting her. Now, let her go."
Charlotte meets my gaze with a sorrowful expression. "I can't let any of you get hurt anymore. Not because of me." She shakes her head. "Not after what I did-"
"Charlotte?" I worriedly watch her.
"I'm sorry." She whimpers. Charlotte suddenly spins around and flings herself off of the edge.
"No!" I scream in fear. The hold Murphy had on me disappears and I race to the edge of the cliff, following to my knees beside Bellamy. "Charlotte!" I cry as her body falls through the air. Her body disappears in the thick fog. "No! No, no, no!" I cry, hysterically. "Charlotte!" I desperately scream.
I struggle to catch my breath, gasping. I claw at the ground beneath my hands. How could she just kill herself? I hang my head with tears streaming down my face. We could have worked something out. We could have all lived. Rain starts to fall from the sky, wetting my clothes and hair.
On my right, Bellamy turns around to focus on Murphy behind us.
"Bellamy." Murphy quietly says.
Bellamy jumps to his feet. I gaze down at the cliff, wishing things had ended differently. Yells come from behind me. I turn around to see Bellamy on top of Murphy on the ground, slamming his fist to his face.
"Bellamy, stop!" Clarke shouts over their fighting. "You'll kill him!"
I push myself to my feet, quickly. Finn reaches Bellamy first and pulls him off Murphy, who's face is covered in blood.
"Get off me!" Bellamy tries to push Finn off of him.
I jump in front of Bellamy, pushing on his chest. "Bellamy, stop!"
Bellamy shoves his hand around me, angrily pointing his finger at Murphy. "He deserves to die!"
I use all of my weight to push him back. "No!" I yell over him. "We don't decide who lives and dies. Not down here!"
Bellamy's cheek flares. "So help me god, if you say the people have a right to decide-"
Clarke walks up to the two of us. "No, we were wrong before, okay?" She peers up at him. "You were right. Sometimes, it's dangerous to tell peope the truth, but if we're gonna survive down here, we can't just live by whatever the hell we want. We need rules."
"And, who makes those rules, huh?" Bellamy wipes his face with his hand. His knuckles covered in Murphy's blood. "You two?"
I shake my head, still standing in front of him. "For now, we make the rules." I look between him and Clarke with an eyebrow raised. "Okay?"
"So, what, then?" Bellamy points to the ground where Murphy lays. "We just take him back and pretend like it never happened?"
I put one hand on his chest to keep him from advancing towards Murphy. "No, we banish him!" I glare down at Murphy, not caring at all that he's now covered in cuts.
Bellamy glimpses between the two of us, taking in my words. He lunges down at Murphy, lifting him up by his jacket. "Get up!" He pushes Murphy towards the cliff.
"Bellamy!" I shout, rushing up to him.
"Stop!" Clarke remains in her place.
Bellamy holds Murphy close to the edge, still with a hold on his jacket. He drops his voice to a low and threatening whisper. "If I ever catch you near camp, we'll be back here. Understand?"
Murphy weakly nods his head. Satisfied, Bellamy throws him to the ground.
I turn to the four other guys. "As for the four of you," I begin in a threatening voice. They need to learn who their new leaders are. "You can either come back and follow us, or go off with him."
Bellamy stands beside me with his arms firmly crossed over his chest. "Your choice."
Without another word, Bellamy and I march back through the woods away from everyone else. I bite down hard on my lip, trying to keep myself from crying out loud. If they see weakness, they'll try to walk right over me. I need to be strong.
The sound of footsteps come from behind us, indicating that they chose to follow us. I hold my head up high. Down here, you can't let emotions get the best of you. But, right now, all I want to do is curl up in a ball and cry.
"-And that's why we decided to banish him." Clarke finishes with the explanation to the rest of the camp.
The three of us stand side by side, showing off the new leadership of the three of us. Bellamy was already a leader, but, now, it's going to be the three of us. I remained silent the whole time Clarke was talking. I was able to hold back my crying, but it's only a matter of time before I explode.
"Anyone got a problem with that?" Bellamy asks.
The camp remains silent. Slowly, they start to head back to their own tents. I nod once at the two of them. Clarke and I silently walk to the dropship, where Monty was about to be able to contact the Ark, something he had been working on all day. Octavia, Finn, Clarke, Jasper, and myself stand around Monty, where he works on Clarke's wristband.
"Will we be able to talk to them?" Clarke asks Monty.
"No. More like morse code." Monty tears his gaze away from the wristband. He smiles at Jasper, holding out a red cord. "You want to do the honors?" He hands the cord off to my brother. Monty points to part of the wristband. "That port right there."
Jasper sticks the wire into the port with a grin. He takes a small step back, grinning. He wraps an arm around my shoulders. A spark shoots out of the wristband. All of us jump back in surprise. A sharp pain shoots from my own wristband and I yelp in pain.
"What happened?" I demand, frowning at my wristband.
Monty leans closer to examine the wristband. "It didn't work." He squeezes his eyes shut. "I think we fried all of the wristbands."
"What?" I gasp, staring at the wristband on my wrist. I stumble back, running my hands through my hair. Jasper reaches out for me, but I just shake my head before rushing out of the dropship. Ignoring the stares I earn from the rest of the campers still awake, I storm off towards the wall.
Tears blur my vision. I rush out of the wall, running to the closet tree to lean up against it. I gasp for a breath, finding it harder to breathe. Sobs wrack out of my body and my knees shake. As if this day couldn't get any worse. Clenching my fist, I swing at the tree with as much force as I can muster. Pain explodes in my hand, but I ignore it as I continue to punch the bark over and over again.
Hands grab at my shoulders from behind me. I whirl around and swing at whoever is behind me. Bellamy ducks just in time before my fist could collide into his cheek. "Wren, stop!"
I attempt to shake him off, crying. "Just let me go!"
His face blurs even more at the tears building up in my eyes. I sob harder over the fact that Charlotte is gone. I manage to turn myself back around. I swing my fist back and punch the tree again.
"No, stop it!" Bellamy grabs ahold of my arm.
I scream out in anger.
Bellamy appears in front of me. His face only inches from mine. My arms are forced to my sides as he holds them in his hands, roughly. "Wren, enough! Just stop."
I gasp for a breathe. "Don't you get it, Bellamy? Charlotte's dead, the wristbands are fried, and we no longer have any way to contact the Ark. We're screwed!" I shove at his chest. "We're all going to die."
"Hey, we're not going to die, okay?" Bellamy shakes me once, gently. His face appears closer to mine. "I'm not going to let you die."
I sniffle. "Charlotte's dead." I whisper, choking on a sob.
Bellamy squeezes his eyes shut. "I know."
"She did it to save me, but I couldn't save her." My knees give out on my and I nearly tumble to the ground, except Bellamy holds me up.
His hands move from my arms to wrap around my waist. He easily holds my weight up. My fingers clench his shirt and my head falls to his chest. Bellamy holds on to me, tightly.
"I-I couldn't save her, Bellamy." I whisper, squeezing my eyes shut.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
My emotions. I can't handle this. Ugh. I feel so bad for Wren. She really cared for Charlotte.
Ugh, and don't even get me started on that last season. I felt that it was really necessary for Wren to have some sort of breakdown after all of this. I thought of it being with Jasper, but I don't think Wren would want her brother to see her like this. She wants everyone to believe that she is strong.
Not to mention, that their love/hate relationship is growing. One minute, they are screaming and fighting with each other and then they are worried for each other. It's very confusing, but it works for them. On the surface, they hate each other. Deep down, they sort of care for each other.
I mean, when Murphy put his knife to her throat, Bellamy wanted to save her.
Question: What do you think of Bellamy and Wren? What about their weird love/hate relationship?
So, yeah!
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