𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐓 | ᵇᵉˡˡᵃᵐʸ ᵇˡᵃᵏᵉ

[7] guilt

         The cave was eerie and filled by a freezing atmosphere. It didn't help that River's neck had been burning like hell for the past hour or two they'd been stuck there. She hadn't told Bellamy, because she didn't want him to worry over something small.

"Do you think the others are okay?" Charlotte quipped from the other end of the dark cave. Her face was barely visible, but just by her voice, River was able to tell her fright.

Carefully, River got up on her feet and wandered over to take a seat next to Charlotte. She slid down the wet cave wall. "I think they are," She lied, "They probably found a cave some place near."

Charlotte's big eyes peered up at her. "But... what if they didn't?" She mumbled, "What if they're still out there?"

A sigh escaped River's mouth. "They're gonna be okay, Charlotte. Don't you worry about that. Now, try to get some sleep. You'll need it," She smiled gently as Charlotte shuffled around on the cold stone floor in an attempt to get comfortable.

River stayed by the young girl's side for a while, until she heard silent snores coming from her. By then, Bellamy still hadn't said a word. River observed him from the opposite cave wall, taking notice of his clenched jaw, the fidgeting of his fingers, and the heavy breathing. He felt guilty.

"You know it's not your fault, right?"

Bellamy's face spiked up. "What?"

"Atom," She paused, "His death is not on you."

"But I could've done more." He bit down on his lip, almost drawing blood. "I left him to die."

"Bell..." River got up on her feet, silently. The last thing she wanted was to wake up Charlotte. Her steps were cautious as she walked towards Bellamy and took place beside him. "It is not your fault. You don't have to bear everything alone, okay?" She consoled, "I could've done more too. His death is on me, too."

"No, it's not." Bellamy's eyes scanned her face. "Don't say that." As he looked at her, his gaze fell on her neck suddenly and he pinched his brows together. "What happened to your neck?"

Damn it, River thought.

"Oh—Um, it's nothing," River shrugged, "Its just a scratch."

"Don't lie to me, River. Let me see." He gently pushed her hand that covered her neck out of the way, to be able to inspect further. There were red spots all over her neck that didn't appear to be healing anytime soon. "Just a scratch?" Bellamy raised a brow.

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Does it look that bad?"

Bellamy breathed out deeply through his nose and turned his body around, so that he was sat directly in front of her. "Lean your head back," He directed, which she did. With a gentle hand, he took ahold of her jaw as a way of stabilising her head.