WHITE DWARF • THE 100

27

A GLIMMER OF HOPE

Water bashed at her body, jolting her around. Her body was battered against rocks, being tossed around like a rag doll. Her lungs begged her to scream, to release all of the pent up agony - she obeyed. Instantly her mouth filled with water, choking her, killing her. 

Cassie shrieked silently, clawing at her throat, frantically searching for any light. It was pitch black. Her lungs felt as though they'd been set on fire, the liquid slowly filling them. 

Then, peace. 

The sickly stillness that surrounded her was oddly calming. Her once erratic heartbeat had calmed, returning to its usual occasional gentle thud. Her lungs felt as though the flames had been put out, the inferno consuming them having been contained. Not even a single ash remained. 

Light broke the water. The once empty black became a glowing pool, with different shades of blue blessing her eyes. Up ahead, there was something that betrayed the picturesque view. Cassie frowned, halfheartedly swimming towards it. 

It was a body. 

Her pulse sky rocketed. The fire in her lungs suddenly erupted again, scorching her from the inside. Even her eyes felt as though they were being embraced by flame. She didn't realise her hand was reaching for the body until it was too late. Her mind commanded her to snap her eyes closed, to not take in the horrifying sight. 

She disobeyed. 

A scream escaped her body. No sound followed, her horror being drowned out by the water. The dead body of Charlotte floated before her. 

Cassie bolted up in her cot. Her breaths left her in gasps, the overwhelming amount of oxygen leaving her dizzy. Bile coiled in her gut, the image of Charlotte's still youthful, frozen face imprinted in her memory. Another wave of dizziness overwhelmed her. Desperately, she leaned over the edge of her bed, heaving. She begged for something to come up, just so her body could be rid of the toxin poisoning her, so she could be rid of the image that plagued her mind. 

Nothing came up. 

Coughing uselessly, she collapsed to the side. Her mind was reeling from the dream she'd just had. It wasn't uncommon for her to have nightmares - they frequently visited her in the night as she was locked up; this one was much more vivid than usual. That's because you killed her, a tiny voice sneered at her. 

"Shut up," she muttered, tossing her hand over her forehead. It felt refreshing, cooling down her warm body. It still wasn't enough to distract from the nagging voice at the back of her mind screaming the same sentence on repeat. Her stomach dropped more each time. 

She rubbed at her eyes, unable to restrain the yawn that passed her lips. A quick glance at the gap in the tent revealed the world shrouded in darkness - it was the middle of the night. Cassie sighed. 

Resting her head back down on her make shift pillow, she let her eyes droop closed. The moment her lids fell, Charlotte's empty eyes stared back at her. 

Cassie barely had time to get to the tent flaps before she vomited. The sheer force of it sent her to her knees, draining her. She gripped at the dirt, uncaring about the stone harshly ripping at her nails and dirt creeping into every crevice, letting it balance her. Heavy, laboured breaths broke the eerie silence, Cassie wiping at the edge of her mouth with reluctance. The taste of it lingered, and her throat felt as though a hole had burned all the way through it. 

She definitely wasn't getting any sleep. 

"Cassie?" She spun around as quickly as her drained body would allow, seeing Jay propped up in his bed. His words were strained, a suppressed yawn breaking them. "What are you doing up?"