Fearless (Bellamy Blake - Book 1)

Chapter 51

My lungs stop working and panic surges through my whole body in the space of a second as I wait for Bellamy to scream in pain...but he doesn't, and Finn takes that as a good sign. He moves the fabric back and allows both mine and his heads out of the tent, and I breathe out in relief at the sight of nothing, no fog.

"There's no fog." Bellamy removes the tent off all of us, and we gradually sit up.

"Maybe it was a false alarm?" Finn asks, sitting back on his knees. 

"They're coming back." Bellamy declares, looking at something in the distance before turning to look around us.

"I think he's alone." Jasper whispers and I silently agree, not seeing any other grounders around us. 

"Now can we run?" Monroe asks. 

"Why would only one grounder come back?" I say out loud, "he must know he can't fight all of us."

"He doesn't see us." Bellamy realises, I look up and see gears turning in his mind. "I'm going after him. 

"And then what?" Finn says, "kill him?"

"No. Catch him, make him tell me where Octavia is...then kill him." Bellamy stands and I follow suit. 

"Seems easy enough."

He gives me a nod and we take off, following the grounder as he runs through the trees. 

We manage to stay a safe distance away from the grounder, close enough to see where he goes but far enough so he can't know we're there right behind him. When his pace slows we pause and hide behind a few trees and bushes, and watch as he opens up a hidden hatch and climbs down underground.

"Well that's just plain sneaky." I comment with a frown, suddenly pissed that the grounders literally live underground. 

"Bellamy, are you sure about this?" Finn asks, looking at the entrance.

"My sister's in there." Bellamy declares. "I'm going in."

"Finn's right," I say, "it could be a trap."

Bellamy doesn't answer, instead, he opens up the hatch and climbs down. I shake my head but follow after him, the others following me. 

The drop down isn't high, but it is rather cramped as damp walls suddenly surround me. We walk through a tunnel until we get to a small opening, where the grounder we followed into here lies on the floor, Octavia Blake chained to the wall.

"Bellamy?" She croaks out. 

"Octavia." He immediately rushes to her side, crouching down. 

"The key." I hear Octavia say, but my gaze wanders around the cave-like space we ventured into to. 

So this is how grounders live...it makes me grateful for our campsite.

"Holy shit." I whisper, wide eyed, and look down at the unconscious grounder at my feet. 

He looks rather big and bulky, but that could be due to him being clad in what seems to be different types of animal skins and furs, but he isn't wearing a mask like the other grounders were when they attacked us. His head holds a large gash, fresh blood seeping out. 

"Remind me never to piss you off." I say to Octavia as she hugs me. She's limping slightly, and there's blood on the side of her head and dirt all over her. 

"Ditto." She smiles, showing me that despite what she's been through, she's tough as hell. "How did you guys find me?"

"Followed him." Jasper chuckles as he hugs Octavia. 

"We should go. Now, before he wakes up."

"He's not gonna wake up." Bellamy says, moving to the other side of the cave. 

I crouch down beside the grounder, taking him in. Is he the one that threw the spear at Jasper, and strung him up as live bait? Was he one of the grounders that was taunting us today, murdering our friends before our very eyes?

"Bellamy, stop. He didn't hurt me, let's just go." 

"I agree with Octavia." I say.

"They started this!" Bellamy starts to grow agitated, I hear it in his voice. "Carter, Finn, move."

"What is that?" I say quietly, a small frown on my face as I look down at what Finn is holding in his hands.

He says something that I can't hear, so I move toward him to try and see for myself. My knee hits the body of the grounder before us, and as if sparking something within him, he jolts awake, grabbing something from his belt. 

"Chris!" Finn pushes me and I fall back with a yelp of surprise, my head hitting the metal handle of the chains used on Octavia. 

A groan escapes me as pain throbs from the back of my head, my eyes searing every time I move them. I try to sit up, my actions seeming to be slower than usual. I vaguely hear Octavia yell something about her brother, and as my gaze wanders from Bellamy being pinned down by the grounder, to Finn laying, unmoving on the ground, I start to force the pain away, and my body to move faster. 

"Finn?" I manage to say, curious as to why Octavia is crouched before him, why he isn't moving. I swallow thickly and shake my head, jumping at the impact of the grounder's body when he hits the ground, Jasper quickly helping me to my feet. 

I stagger but push him away slightly when I regain my balance, rushing over to Finn and half kneeling, half falling beside him. He's conscious, fear etched onto his face as he stares up at me, but there's a knife stuck in his chest and the sight alone is enough to knock me off my feet again. 

"Oh my god." Panic starts to course through me as I look down at the boy who has always been like a brother to me, who always seemed invincible, now lying on the ground, a knife in his chest. "Finn."