Radioactive

Chapter Twenty-Two

I'm slowly regaining consciousness, and I can feel the hard metal floor of the dropship on my cheek along with a major pounding in my head. I groan and try to sit up, but something is restraining my wrists, preventing me from moving. I open my eyes, looking at the ceiling of the first floor of the Dropship, and roll to my side, feeling my arms restrained by my head. I gasp when I see Jasper. His hands are tied behind his back and a gag is around his mouth. "Jasper." I call out, and his eyes dart over to mine, and I notice the tears sliding out of them. "What's going..." I stop talking when Murphy comes into my line of sight, leaning over me.

"Well well well. Look who's finally awake." Murphy says, squatting down next to me on the floor, the gun still in his hands. I don't say anything but just glare at the despicable human being in front of me. "What's the matter, Princess?" he says, spitting out the last word. "Cat got your tongue?" He asks tauntingly. I continue to glare at him as he stands back up and begins pacing around. I exhale out a shaky breath before taking in my surrounding a little bit better.

Jasper is tied up by the wall just next to the door of the Dropship, and I am by the ladder, my hands tied together and around the first rung of it. Murphy is pacing back and forth between us, taking turns glaring at me and then at Jasper. I hear a bang on the door and open my mouth to yell out something, but Murphy pointing the gun in my face shuts m up pretty quickly. "You say one word, and I won't hesitate pulling the trigger." He growls out as I hear Octavia's muffled cursing at Murphy. He lowers the gun when I close my mouth. "I don't want to kill you, Carter, so please don't make me." He says just as the radio in his pocket crackles to life again.

"Murphy, I know you can hear me. All our ammo and food are on the middle level, and you know that. You're leaving us vulnerable to an attack, and I can't let that happen. " My eyes widen at Bellamy's voice. He doesn't know that I'm in here, and for some reason, Murphy wants to keep it that way. Murphy gestures at me with his gun before pulling the walkie out of his pocket and holding it to his mouth. "Yeah well, incase you haven't noticed, you're not exactly in control right now." He answers Bellamy, and I bite my bottom lip as Murphy moves back over to Jasper. I make eye contact with him. 'We'll be okay.' I mouth to him, for once listening to what Murphy said.

"Murphy, you don't wanna hurt Jasper. You wanna hurt me." I gasp at Bellamy's words. He's gonna trade himself in for Jasper and get himself killed. Murphy looks over at Jasper before turning his head to face me with his eyebrows raised. I shake my head and open my mouth to beg him to not agree to it, but he raises his gun at me again, causing me to snap my mouth closed and clench my jaw in frustration and fear. "So what do you say? How about you trade him for me."

I close my eyes, knowing that Murphy will take the deal. He wants revenge for Bellamy kicking the box out from under him. He already killed Miles for his part in it, and who else knows who he killed in his plot for revenge. I keep my eyes closed as the deal hangs in the silence of the Dropship. "All you have to do is let him go, and I'll take his place." I squeeze my eyes shut, a tear slipping out of the corner as I bite the inside of my cheek in an attempt not to beg Bellamy to do this. "How?"

My eyes fly open, and I stare at Murphy's back. No no no no no! This can't be happening. This shouldn't be happening. This is my fault. If I didn't leave Murphy a lone with Miles, then Murphy wouldn't have killed him. Hell, if I had come down the ladder a little bit later, I wouldn't have known Murphy had killed anyone. I think I would feel better if Miles was dead with Murphy getting away with it than knowing what is about to happen.

Guilt immediately floods me. How can I be thinking this? One life isn't more important than another. Bellamy's life... Is his more important than anyone else's? The immediate answer in my head makes me feel guilty and nauseous. To me, yes.