Conflate | Bellamy Blake ¹ ✓

※ | chapter thirteen

❝i have a theory that selflessness and bravery aren't all that different.❞

-tobias eaton, divergent

♛

MY LEGS ARE GOING to give out soon, I'm sure of it. They feel heavy and buckle with every step. However, I force myself to stay standing and help Octavia move through the forest. She will definitely fall without my support.

Bellamy and Jasper trail behind us, switching who carries Finn every so often. The knife is still stuck in his skin up to the hilt since Bellamy wouldn't allow Jasper to pull it out. The fabric of his tan shirt has turned black with blood. He lost consciousness a long while ago.

Monroe will occasionally help me with Octavia, but she mostly walks just behind me in case one or both of us falls. She doesn't really say much other than asking me if I'm okay every so often. I decide to like her, since she seems kind enough.

Finally, we reach camp. Jasper runs ahead to hold the door of the wall open for everyone else, screaming out, "Clarke! Where's Clarke?" He turns to one of the guards at the door with an urgent expression on his pale face. "Get Clarke, now."

I wobble through the entrance with Octavia, knees shaking with strain. Monroe follows me with her arms slightly held out in case I collapse.

Clarke appears, running through the bustling crowd around us. A concerned look appears on her face. "I'm here. What's up?"

Bellamy comes through the door, struggling to get Finn's feet through the entrance. Once he does, Clarke's face falls and her eyes grow to the size of small planets. She pushes past Monroe, Octavia, and I, unintentionally knocking me off my feet.

Monroe catches Octavia, which is definitely the better choice since she's injured more than I am. I land hard on my backside. My jaw clenches as pain flares up from my back where I had fallen before.

Raven rushes to help me up. She holds out a hand and carefully hoists me to my feet, where she gives me a brief once-over. "You okay?"

I nod, brushing loose dirt off of my clothes with a clenched jaw. "Fine."

Raven's eyes catch sight of Finn, whom I guess she hadn't noticed before. Her expression becomes crestfallen. "Oh, my God."

"He's alive," I hear Clarke announce. She's pressing two fingers to Finn's neck in order to check for a pulse.

"Bellamy wouldn't let me take the knife out," Jasper informs so quickly that his words jumble together.

"No, that was a good call," she praises. "Get him in the dropship now. Go!"

At some point, Bellamy passed Finn on to two other boys who had been nearby. They both hold Finn's weak body and stumble to the dropship.

"Clarke, can you save him?" Raven questions desperately, tears filling her eyes. I have never seen her cry before. In the short time I have known her, she always seemed to be so strong and guarded. Now I'm witnessing her walls crumble down.

"No, not me. I need my mother," Clarke answers honestly, worry creasing her brow as her gaze sweeps across the crowd. "And Fallon. Fallon!"

My head snaps up. I'm surprised that she's even acknowledging me, since she didn't seem to even notice my existence before. There's no venom in my voice as I ask, "What?"

"Can you help me with this?" Clarke questions, eyes pleading for me to help her. For a second I feel like I'm fifteen again in the Ark, watching those same eyes trail after me as I'm escorted away by guards.

I'm both physically and mentally exhausted. My eyes can barely stay open and my legs are begging for rest, but Finn's life is more important. We have a soul on the line. So I find myself nodding and saying, "Yes."