Chasing Solace (Bellamy Blake x Reader)

X - Matryoska

Driven by the desperation for survival, I raced through the woods on the motorcycle. I hoped that Gabriel was still alive, that this wasn't all for nothing. I wasn't going to let Josephine win. I had death wrapped around my finger for far too long to fall victim to it now, like this. I'd gotten an impossible second chance. It wasn't going to go to waste.

"Be careful," Josephine's voice warned. "We're close to the camp now! When Gabriel hears the engines, he'll-"

I huffed, struggling to stay on balance on the motorcycle. It was so vastly different from the rover. "Quiet. I'm concentrating."

My vision went blurry. Colors faded together, before sharpening back to distinct structures. Hands shaking, I honed all my energy on making the wheel stay straight. It didn't work. I gasped as I lost my balance, and fell. I curled in on myself, protecting my soft spots as I tumbled across the ground. Groaning, I pulled the helmet off my head.

Joesphine snorted. "I told you I should drive." I turned onto my back to see her standing above me, irritated. "Now will you give me back control, or do I have to wait until you fall asleep."

Definitely the latter. But I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold on. It was late morning. Exhaustion hung heavy over me, beckoning me towards sleep. Dirt caked underneath my nails as I scrambled across the ground for the radio. "Shut up. I have to call Gabriel."

My stomach dropped when I saw the antenna hanging by a frayed wire. It wasn't going to work. Shit.

Josephine paced around me. "Yeah, you broke that too."

Motorcycle engines in the distance made my heart stop. I crawled towards a tree, ignoring the way the world spun around me. "I have to hide."

Panic lined Josephine's voice. Good. That meant I was getting closer to getting her out of my head. "Okay. Here's the deal. If we go back to Sanctum, I'll give you your body back."

Using the tree for balance, I staggered to my feet. No way in hell was that the truth. Even if it was, I wasn't going to risk it. Not after everything Bellamy did to get me here. To save me. I glared at her.

"Fine!" Josephine threw her hands up. "We can just wait for my guards to find us! It shouldn't be long now."

I shook my head. "We don't know that they're your people. What if the Children of Gabriel took out your guards? I mean, they do kinda suck. You want to risk losing our head?"

She pursed her lips. At least she had some sense. I threw her a wry smile before heading away from the sound of engines, hopefully towards Gabriel's camp. Every step was excruciating. I think I twisted my ankle when I fell. Nausea flipped my stomach over. Black spots danced in my eyes. I stumbled through the forest after Josephine, using every tree I can find to help propel me forwards.

"I swear to god if you're lying," I panted, trying to focus on Josephine whose figure was doubling. "I'll take out the mind drive myself and destroy it before I die."

Josephine rolled her eyes. "Yeesh. Tense much? Relax. Just keep your eyes moving all around so I can see." I did as she instructed, trying to get in every bit of my surroundings. "We're looking for...this!" She nodded towards a hilly structure beneath a tangle of tree roots. "Clear the leaves. You'll find a hatch."

I did as she said. Brushing away colorful fallen leaves, I was relieved to find truth to her words. Metal scraped against my fingernails. I pulled on the handle, lifting up a hatch to reveal a dark hole covered with spiderwebs. I stared at her, unsure of how to proceed. She could very well be tricking me, even if she relied on my body. She'd still be fine. But the approaching motorcycles made the decision for me.