𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄─𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞¹ (𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠)

114. payback

My eyes opened with a jolt, a mixture of fear and pain being the first thing I felt.

Slowly, my senses returned, and I was able to feel the tight bounds around my wrists and ankles. The gag in my mouth wasn't hard to miss either.

My head was pounding in pain, causing me to feel disoriented as I moved my eyes across the area in front of me.

I was in the airlock...but I wasn't alone.

All of my friends save for Bellamy, Clarke and Sinclair were tied up in the same way I was. Miller, Bryan and Harper were here as well, explaining why they hadn't responded to our calls.

Most of us were seated, aside from Miller and Octavia who were standing, their arms tied to the wall.

And standing in the middle of the room, was none other than Emerson. The Mount Weather guard who had received our blood, and eventually, bone marrow treatment after being exposed to radiation. The same man who had been our prisoner here in Arkadia, let go to send a message to his people. He was back, and he looked angry.

He held a radio to his mouth, and eventually I recognized the voice on the other end as Clarke's. "Let my friends go." she ordered. "Do that, and you can have me."

Emerson wore a smirk as he spoke into the radio. "You're brave, Clarke." he taunted. "They're lucky to have a friend like you." taking a small step forward, he spoke again. "Come to the airlock. No weapons. Right now."

---

Only a matter of minutes had passed by the time Clarke had come into view. She made her way down the corridor slowly, hands raised in surrender.

At the sight of her, a smug look covered Emerson's face...he knew he was going to win.

He still wore the menacing look as he turned to me, not wasting anytime in harshly pulling me up to my feet. My eyes grew wide as did everyone else's, all of us confused as to what was going on.

Jasper, who was seated beside me, attempted to kick at Emerson, which resulted in him behind hit over the head. I let out a muffled scream, watching as Jasper slumped up against the wall.

Emerson yanked me to the middle of the airlock, his arm wrapped tightly around me.

"I'm here." Clarke announced, her eyes flickering toward me. "Now let my friends go."

Emerson let out a dry laugh, his breath hitting the back of my neck, causing me to shudder. "Tell Bellamy to show himself first."

Clarke wavered, but ever so slightly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Emerson didn't reply, but instead aggressively drove his foot into the back of my knee. I let out a pained cry as I fell to the ground, my knees screaming in pain as they hit the metal floor.

Bellamy was out of hiding within a matter of seconds, his gun pointed toward Emerson.

I was harshly pulled back to my feet, and in one swift movement, Emerson had pressed the cool blade of his knife to my throat. "Good." he approved, his voice inches from my ears. "Now take out the clip and throw it down the hall. Put the gun on the ground. And then get inside."

Bellamy's chest was quickly rising and falling as the gun in his hands began to tremble. We all knew that if he gave himself up, all of us were as good as dead. 

So when he finally looked me in the eye, I gave him a small shake of my head. He couldn't give himself up, not for me. The minute Emerson killed me, Bellamy could shoot him. Then all of my friends would be safe. 

It was a bargain I was willing to take. 

"Please," Clarke begged, "You wanted me, okay? I'll get inside once you let them go."

"I was talking to Bellamy." Emerson taunted before grabbing a fistful of my hair. 

A pained gasp fell from my lips as he roughly pulled my head back before beginning to slice the blade across my neck. I winced, trying to fight the tears that were threatening to spill. Bellamy couldn't know I was afraid, he couldn't turn himself in for me. 

But it looks like he was going to. "Okay, okay. Just stop." he ordered. 

Clarke spun to look at him, lightly shaking her head. "Bellamy, don't." At least someone else realized how stupid of an idea this was. 

Emerson seemed to be growing impatient as he pulled me closer, adjusting the grip he had on me as he placed the blade against my jugular. One cut and I was gone. 

Bellamy gave Clarke a quick look before wordlessly taking the off the gun from around his shoulder. He quickly met my eyes as he released the clip, throwing it down the hall like Emerson ordered. 

I tried to plead with him with my eyes to stop. He was going to get himself killed. 

Tears streamed down my cheeks as Bellamy slowly made his way toward us, hands raised. 

This was really the end. 

"Those are yours." Emerson announced, nodding toward a spare set of handcuffs that hung on the wall next to Jasper. 

Bellamy tried to give me a comforting look as he secured the cuffs around his wrist, but it provided me with no comfort. Crippling fear overtook me as I met his gaze. We were all going to die in here. 

Once Emerson ensured there was no longer any threat to himself, he pulled the knife from my throat, shoving me back onto the ground. 

I hit the ground with a thud, pain engulfing my body as I curled in on myself, afraid Emerson was going to target me again. Octavia looked down at me, her eyes full of concern. 

"Get on your knees, Clarke." Emerson ordered, his gun now pointed at her. Clarke did as he said, slowly lowering herself onto her knees. "Put your hands on your head." he demanded.

Once she had done so, Emerson slowly walked out of the airlock. We all watched in horror as he pressed a few buttons on the keypad, closing the doors behind him. 

He then yanked Clarke to her feet, pushing her toward the closed doors. He pushed he up against them, forcing her to look at us as he said something to her, something I couldn't hear. 

Clarke was crying as Emerson turned and hit his hand against a large red button. 

The minute he did so, the lights dimmed from within the airlock, changing to a red colour. "Airlock 5, oxygen venting. Airlock 5, oxygen venting."

My eyes grew wide as realization sunk in...he was suffocating us. 

"Avery-" Bellamy's voice was strangled as he spoke, barely a whisper as a result of the oxygen being pulled from the air around us. 

My own breathing was laboured as the air thinned around us. It felt like my lungs were going to explode as I looked over at him. I couldn't speak, but managed to give him a small nod. I knew what he wanted to say, and I wanted to say the same thing. 

I was losing feeling in all of my limbs as my eyes began to droop, black blurring my vision for the second time today. I kept my eyes locked on Bellamy for as long as I could. He was watching me as well, his own eyelids beginning to close. 

I tried to force myself to stay awake as long as possible, but it was too much. My heart was pounding against my ribcage, seeming to be in panic mode as I slowly lost consciousness.

I guess, after all of this, all we had gone through since the Skybox...we were all floated anyway.