Kass Morgan - Day 21

“If this is your idea of fine, I’d hate to see what you think is bad,” Bellamy said, his voice colder than the damp air.

Sasha sighed and pushed the door open further. “Just come with me. I’m taking you to see my father. Everything will make sense after you talk to him.”

Clarke and Bellamy exchanged glances. She knew he didn’t believe Sasha any more than she did, but their only shot at escaping was to get out of the cell. “Fine,” Clarke said, taking Bellamy’s hand. “We’ll go, but then you have to show us the way out.”

“Absolutely.” Sasha nodded. “I promise.”

Clarke and Bellamy followed her out of the cell and into a dimly lit hallway. Most of the doors they passed were shut, but when she saw one that was open, Clarke paused a moment to look inside.

It was an infirmary, or something like it. The equipment was similar to what they had on Phoenix; she recognized a heart-rate monitor, respirators, and an X-ray machine. Yet the narrow beds were covered with ragged, mismatched blankets, or in one case, what appeared to be animal fur.

And most striking of all, it was empty—no doctors, nurses, or patients in sight. In fact, as Sasha led them through a series of corridors, Clarke didn’t see a single person anywhere. “I thought you said there were hundreds of you. Where is everyone?” she asked, curiosity momentarily overpowering her wariness.

Bellamy was less easily distracted. “Probably out kidnapping more of our people.”

Sasha stopped and turned to Clarke. “No one’s actually lived down here for fifty years. Now the bunker’s mainly used to store all the generators and the medical equipment, things that couldn’t be moved to the surface.”

“So where do you live?” Clarke asked.

“I’m going to show you. Come on.” Sasha led them around a corner, past another open room full of empty metal cages that Clarke could only hope had once contained animals, then stopped in front of a ladder that extended up through an opening in the ceiling.

“After you,” Sasha said, gesturing toward the rungs.

“Like hell we’re going first,” Bellamy said, grabbing Clarke’s hand.

Sasha glanced between Clarke and Bellamy, then pressed her lips together and stepped lightly onto one of the lower rungs. She scaled the ladder so quickly, she’d nearly disappeared through the opening when she called for them to follow her.

“You first,” Bellamy said to Clarke. “I’ll be right behind you.”

It was harder work than Sasha made it look. Or perhaps that was just because Clarke was shaking so much, she had to use all her strength to keep her hands from slipping.

The ladder disappeared into some sort of airshaft, almost a vertical tunnel. It was so narrow that Clarke could feel the back of her shirt scrape against the rock wall. She closed her eyes and kept climbing, imagining that she was climbing through the Colony, not under thousands of pounds of stone that felt like they were stifling her, crushing down on her until she couldn’t breathe. Her hands were sweaty, and she tried to wipe them on her shirt, terrified that at any moment, she’d slip and crash into Bellamy. She forced herself to breathe steadily.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she glimpsed daylight above her.

As she grasped the top rung, a hand reached down. Clarke was so exhausted that she grabbed it without hesitation, and allowed Sasha to pull her up onto the grass.

While Clarke gasped for breath and rose shakily to her feet, Sasha reached down for Bellamy.

“Do you climb that thing every day?” Bellamy panted, placing his hands on his knees and taking a deep breath of the cool morning air.

“Oh, there’s a much easier way in and out. But I thought you’d appreciate the view from up here,” Sasha said, smiling. They were standing at the top of a hill looking out over a valley filled with wooden structures. There were dozens of small houses whose narrow chimneys were sending streams of smoke into the air, a larger building that might’ve been an assembly hall, and a few fenced-in areas filled with grazing animals.

Clarke couldn’t stop staring at the people. They were everywhere: carrying baskets full of vegetables, pushing huge piles of firewood in wheeled carts, running down the streets and greeting one another. Children laughed as they played some kind of game along the dirt path that wove around the houses.

Clarke turned to Bellamy and saw the same look of awe reflected in his eyes. For once, he was at a loss for words.

“Come on,” Sasha said as she started to make her way down the hill. “My dad is waiting for us.”

This time, neither of them protested. Bellamy took Clarke’s hand, and they followed Sasha down the slope.

Before they even reached the bottom, dozens of people had stopped to stare at them. And by the time they set off down one of the dirt roads, it seemed like the entire village had gathered to catch a glimpse of Clarke and Bellamy.

Most of the Earthborns merely looked surprised or curious, though a few were glaring at them with open suspicion, or even anger.

“Don’t worry about them,” Sasha said cheerfully. “They’ll come around.”

Up ahead, a tall man was standing with two women, who were talking animatedly, clearly arguing. He listened to them both, nodding gravely and saying little. He had close-shaved hair and a gray beard, with pronounced hollows underneath his sharp cheekbones. Yet despite his somewhat gaunt appearance, he radiated strength. As his eyes fell on Sasha, Clarke, and Bellamy, he excused himself from the women and strode forward with powerful, purposeful steps.

“Dad.” Sasha stopped in front of him. “These are the Colonists I told you about.”

“I’m Clarke.” Clarke stepped forward, extending her hand without thinking about it. She still didn’t know whether she could trust these people, but something about the man compelled her to be polite. “And this is Bellamy.”

“Max Walgrove,” he said, shaking her hand firmly, then reaching over to do the same to Bellamy.

“I’m looking for my sister,” Bellamy said without preamble. “Do you know where she is?”

Max nodded, his brow furrowed. “A little over a year ago, a few members of our community broke off, believing that they’d be better off living by their own rules. They were the ones who took your sister—and most unfortunately, killed those two kids.”

Next to her, Clarke could sense Bellamy growing frustrated. He clenched and unclenched his fists, and when he spoke again, his face strained with the effort of keeping his voice steady. “Yeah, Sasha keeps mentioning this other ‘faction’ you have running around. But so far, no one’s been able to tell me how the hell I’m supposed to find my sister.” He crossed his arms and surveyed the Earthborn leader through narrowed eyes. “And how do I know you’re not the one who took her?”

Clarke tensed and tried to give Bellamy a warning look. But Sasha’s father seemed more amused than insulted by Bellamy’s accusatory tone. He turned to glance over his shoulder at a field enclosed by a wooden fence. On the far side, a group of children seemed to be playing tag. Max raised his hand in the air, and they all began running toward them.

As they came closer, Clarke realized that they weren’t all children. An older girl was with them, her long dark hair streaming behind her as she ran, laughing, across the field.

“Octavia!” Bellamy broke into a sprint, and in a flash, he’d swept her into his arms. He was too far away for Clarke to hear, but by the way his shoulders were moving, he was either laughing or sobbing. Possibly both at the same time.

A strange mix of feelings welled up in Clarke’s chest as she watched the reunion. She was overjoyed that Octavia was safe, but part of her ached thinking about the reunion that she might never get to have.