Responsible for survival

Smashing

MONROE'S POV:

Loreli jumps, and the drill falls to the floor. It smashes. Air escapes my lungs. Harper's eyes sparkle with new tears of hope. "Cage is dead." Clarke's voice is emotionless. "We will do our best to save you, because you do deserve life. However," Clarke's harsh tone wakes up the guards from their shock. They blink, as if seeing what they're doing for the first time. They stare at the pile of bodies. Kids. "If someone knows how to log into the main computer system and protect the canteen floor, now is the time to step forward. Or all of you will die." The tannoy flicks off. The guard puts Amaya down, putting her behind him, glaring at Loreli.
"Idiots." Loreli snaps at the guards, who turn together and glare at her. "Pass me the other drill. She's too far gone to extract more out of... I want this one's bone marrow. Then I want Amaya's." The guards unanimously turn to the drill, but then look at Harper's tear streaked face, and then to Amaya, openly sobbing, shaking, and pale, curled up in a blue ball behind the guard's legs. I scream, tugging against my chains. One of their faces twitches. The one who yelled at Loreli. He crosses his arms. "No." He snaps, before walking out. The others quickly follow. The drill rests on Charlotte's cold blue body.

MURPHY'S POV:

I check the back rows of the cages. I don't want to leave anyone behind. Lillith is playing with the other kids here. Some of them have parents. Many don't seem to. I check the last row on this floor, and a pair of terrified eyes meet mine. I step forward. A woman, a long tattoo cuts her cheek bones to a point. Her eyes well with tears, and she pushes herself further back into the cage. "Hey." I whisper, putting the torch down. Her hairs wild, but a single tight braid falls across her face. "I won't hurt you." She lifts a hand to sweep the braid out of her eyes. But it's not a hand. It's a pair of fingers, unusually long, and pinched together. But does it matter? "I'm going to get you out of here." I smile at her, and unlock the cage. She doesn't move forward, but tries to push herself further back. "I won't hurt you." I hold out my arms to catch her. She shakes her head. "I won't let anyone hurt you." She shimmies forward, and places both of her hands onto my shoulders. I help her down. She's freezing. "Lillith!" I yell over the banister, reassuringly holding the woman's hand. "Stolen blankets! Now!"

ABBY'S POV:

Dust swirls. Something smells sickly sweet. Something else smells metallic. I blink in the swirling light. Kane is slumped against me. He'd wrapped around me as we crashed. I'm perfectly fine. I hope he is to. "EVERYONE!" I yell over the deafening silence. A few faces look at me, tear streaked but excited. "We need to get the injured out." I help Marcus up, and carry him out the ship.

The sunlight is blinding. Our breath shimmers in front of us. The air is damp, but oddly reassuring. Trees shimmer on one side, and open rolling hills shine green to the other. The sun shimmers on the long grasses that sway in a cold breeze. I carefully carry Marcus to the grasses and press him a pillow to see the sky. I kiss his cheek. "Hey?" I whisper. "Wake up, look at the trees. We made it." I check his pulse.
"It's almost as beautiful as you." He whispers.

CLARKE'S POV

Cage's dead body still dribbles blood.
"Fucking hell Clarke." Bell says eventually.
"You in?" I ask Monty. He nods, but is staring at the screens. My eyes scan them until I see what he sees.
Doctor Tsing is shoving a drill into Harper. Charlotte's unmoving body lays on the bed next to it. Other bodies, only one I recgonise, are thrown in a pile. Fox. Tears burn.
"We've got to do something." He sniffs.
"Turn on the radiation protection and we'll go." He nods, and rapidly begins typing into the computer. I tap my leg, waiting. Hoping. Hoping I can save my best friend. Hoping we can stop this.
"Done." He calls. We run, Cage's dead body left to bleed over that perfectly white floor.

We have a vague idea where it is. I hope I do anyway. Monty is running fastest. We skid round corners, up stairs and onto a well lit floor. I slam and lock the door behind me, pressing a button. I know there were two groups entering the mountain. One is O and Lincoln, the other's are trapped in the harvest room. Guards bump into us.
"CLARKE!" One of them yells. "We know the password."
"It's fine." I snap, keeping running, "We've done it. If you can help us stop Doctor Tsing, that'd be useful." They nod and run with us, guns pulled. We stumble round the corner and the screams hit us. Monty swings his gun up.

That's when one of the guards starts choking. The next one's skin starts to blister.
"Radiation leak." Monty snaps. "Get upstairs, or into suits. NOW." They nods, but can barely run. They stumble, blood dripping behind them. We crash the door open.