Kings // c. griffin

Chapter Sixteen

The air was heavy against Isaac's eyelids, feeling as if someone were deliberately trying to force his eyes closed. Somehow, the curly haired boy managed to pry his eyes open. His neck sore, he leaned his whole body to the side as his gaze trailed along the ceiling of the drop ship. The room he was in was empty of anyone but him. His arms were burning with sleep but he pulled his elbows behind him, using the pressure of his forearms on the surface of the table to push himself up to a sitting position. His side ached fiercely as he brought his hand to the bandage wrapped around his torso, clinging to his form almost nicely. 

Slowly, he swung his spindly legs over the side of the table, planting his bare feet on the ground. The cold metal sent a shiver up his spine and he wiggled his toes uncomfortably. He forced himself to stand. His legs were weak and shaky and he almost collapsed if he hadn't sprawled out his arms onto the table. His knees buckled and he fell, his chest hitting the side of the table while his shoulders shrugged upwards as his shins grazed against the ground.

Isaac let out a soft gasp at the contact, squeezing his eyes shut for a second. Then he got his bearings and pushed himself up so he was standing. Carefully, he took a tentative step forwards. When nothing happened, he took another one. And another. It was painstakingly slow, but he managed to get to the base of the ladder without problems. He could feel his stitches tightening against his skin as he moved his hands up to grip at the rungs of the ladder and winced, shaking his head to clear the pain. He put his arms up and then moved his feet, using his arms purely for insurance purposes, as he didn't want to fall. It was a slow process, but he made it work. 

He did the same thing to the second ladder. He wasn't sure why; he could have easily called for Clarke or waited for someone to come in and check on him, but for some reason the inexplicable call to explore -even if it was just the drop ship- had overruled any rational thought at the moment. Isaac crawled up through the hole in the floor, heaving himself onto the floor of the room with a short grunt. 

Almost immediately there was a soft cry and someone was bent over in front of him, throwing their arms around his shoulders. "Isaac!" the grin was evident through Octavia's voice as she hugged him, and Isaac couldn't help the smile forming on his own lips at the sight of his friend. "Oh my god -what are you doing up here?"

She pulled back, looking at him in worry. Isaac simply smiled at her, a bit dopey, but nonetheless happy. "I'm glad you're okay," he told her. 

Octavia nodded. "Yeah, me too. But seriously, why are you up here? Does Clarke know?" Isaac shook his head and Octavia sent him a dangerous look. "Isaac, if Bellamy finds you up here with us-"

"Us?" he asked, frowning. His eyes tore away from the brunettes face and swept across the room. They suddenly landed on a huge figure. It was a grounder. Beaten and bloodied, tied up, clothing ripped off and torn at, but the fierce look in the warriors eyes was enough to make Isaac recognize him. He blinked at the grounder, who stared solemnly back at him. "Is that...?"

Octavia nodded. "Yeah, it is."

Isaac groaned as he pushed himself off the ground, and Octavia hurried to help him. He tried to shrug off her hand, but she kept a firm grip on his upper arm as he slowly walked towards the grounder. His eyes swept over the prisoners body, taking in the muscular build -but also the cuts and bruises. "What happened to him?" he asked quietly. He turned to Octavia, looking for an answer, and saw the cold look in her eyes as she stared at the ground. 

"Bellamy happened," she growled, crossing her arms over her chest.

Isaac's eyes widened considerably. "Bellamy did this?" he asked. "No... he wouldn't torture someone... would he?"

"I watched him do it," the brunette confirmed, her voice cracking ever so slightly. "I don't know if it was for revenge because of me, or to get information about a cure for the poison in you-"