DISCORDIA

[ 54 ] coup d'état

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       COUP D'ÉTAT

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       "JIN, NO!" OCTAVIA CRIED, darting forwards to grab her arm tenaciously. "It's too dangerous to go on your own. The Reapers could kill you!"

       "I am not waiting here a second longer," Jinny retorted, trying and failing to keep herself from shouting. "I should never have listened to Clarke in the first place!"

       "But Clarke's right, we do need you here," Raven said quickly, using her own body to block the woman from reaching the door. Both girls had her trapped in between them with the table and wall on either side of her preventing an easy escape. "You're smart, resourceful, the Grounders respect you, the Guard respects you. If you die then we're gonna be toast too."

       "I'm as worried as you about Bell but we need to trust him to do this," Octavia said coaxingly. "Jin, you need to hold out on hope."

       Jinny looked between the both of them, knowing that she could easily take them on and get the hell out of there on her own. People said that hope was humanity's greatest virtue, but it was also their worst torment. That was why it was kept in Pandora's Box together with all the other evils of the world. It laid at the very bottom, the only thing that hadn't flown out of reach, because it was too heavily burdened with its own expectations and anguish. Hope was simultaneously their one saving grace and eternal destruction.

       "If Bellamy didn't make it—if he's stuck in there with no help," she started. "Then we're all dead."

       Jinny made to push Raven out of her way while ignoring Octavia's weight on her arm, when a burst of static interrupted Jasper's looped broadcast on the radio. Her heart almost stopped in her chest and she stopped short when she heard a new voice speak through the channel. An expression of utter awe and joy lit up her face as her eyes widened at the appliance.

       "Camp Jaha, this is Mount Weather. Can anyone read me?"

       "Holy crap," Raven muttered, turning to stare at the radio. "Your boyfriend has perfect timing."

       Octavia grabbed the transceiver and held it out to Jinny, who took it with trembling fingers and pressed against the button on its side. She took a breath as her voice shook with raw emotions that coursed through her veins. "Bellamy?"

       "Jin?" he breathed out and she exhaled sharply, shoulders relaxing in relief as a delicate smile grew on her lips.

       "It's me," she answered more steadily. "I'm so glad to hear your voice. Are you okay?"

       "Me too. And yeah, I'm fine," he replied. "That's it for the good news. Is Clarke with you?"

       "I'm here." They turned around to find that the blonde had returned, walking forwards from the threshold then leaning in to the transceiver in Jinny's hand. "Tell us what's happening. Are they bleeding our friends?"

       "Yeah... Maya says that they're already using their blood and things are gonna get ugly here fast," he told them and Jinny bit her lip in concern. "Something's changed too. Jasper, Monty, everyone, they just got locked in the dorm."

       "But they're alive, all of them?" Clarke questioned.

       "I think so, for now," he replied.

       "And Maya is with you?" she went on.

       "She helped me escape. If not for her, I'd be dead. And guys... there are kids in here. We need a plan that doesn't kill everyone. Please tell me we have one."