CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
"Are you?"
——

~PS. This chapter is a little long so.. sorry in advance 😬~

Nova kept her eyes closed and hugged herself trying to keep herself warm when she heard a loud clang from the cell. Nova opened her eyes quickly when Finn rushed to the cell and Nova realized it was Lincoln, the grounder they kept hostage and the grounder who stabbed her.

"Lincoln?" Nova questioned as she shivered and slowly to her feet and held onto the wall. "We have to go now" Lincoln demands and Nova and Finn glare at each other before shrugging their shoulders as this could be their only way out. Finn walked over to Nova and put her arm around his shoulder and started walking out with her and Lincoln.

They followed Lincoln the whole way and soon Nova got warmed up and regained her balance. They wandered through the woods until they ran into Clarke. A smile appeared on Novas face as she let out a breath of relief and ran towards Clarke wrapping her arms around her and Clarke doing the same.

"Nova. Thank god. Oh, my God. I don't understand how..." Clarke mumbled furrowing her eyebrows in confusion as she turned to Lincoln. "Lincoln saved us" Finn says and Clarke nodded her head slowly "Signal fire? That was you?" Clarke asked and Lincoln nodded.

"We needed a distraction" Lincoln says and Nova nodded "I say it worked" Nova chuckles softly. "Not well enough. Anya knows Clarke is not dead. We need to hurry. Let's hope they follow the horse" Lincoln says trying to sound hopeful.

"What do we do now?" Nova asks as she slowly lets go of Clarke's hand and looks to Lincoln. "Now we run. Come on. It's right up here" Lincoln says as he starts walking and Nova furrows her eyebrows. "Wait, Where does it lead?" Nova asks as she steps over a log.

"Everywhere. There's a tunnel to your camp. If we make it through, we should get there before Tristan" Lincoln says as people appear on the hill behind them and Lincoln starts rushing them. "We have to go. Go!" Lincoln shouts before Clarke, Nova and Finn run into the tunnel with Lincoln following behind.

——

While walking through the tunnel all you heard were stones clacking together or falling off the walls of the tunnel. "You were right. They didn't follow us" Finn says as they step over rocks every now and then. "Reapers use these tunnels. Tristan wouldn't risk running into them" Lincoln says and Novas eyes widen.

"I don't know who or what a reaper is but they sound scary so maybe we should turn around" Nova suggests as she turns around but Clarke stands behind her and puts her hands on Novas shoulders and turns her back around to face front.

"Lincoln, you're hit" Finn points out and Clarke goes to the front where Lincoln and stands beside him checking his wound. "I've fought battles with worse wounds than this" Lincoln says trying to shake it off but Clarke stops him "Were not in a battle right now" Clarke says and Nova scoffs "Yes, we are" Nova mumbles wiping dust off her pants.

"Why are you helping us?" Clarke asks and Finn crosses his arms "This can't be about Octavia" Finn says and Nova clears her throat softly. Lincoln doesn't answer and just looks away.

"Fine. Don't tell us. Give me your knife. Heat the blade. You might want something to bite down on" Clarke says as Lincoln heats the blade and hands it to Clarke.

"You people are so soft. If you don't learn to be more..." Lincoln says before he is cut off by Clarke placing the heated blade on his wound. "aah! What my people are doing to yours is wrong" Lincoln says as he wraps his arm up and continues walking through the tunnel with Nova, Clarke and Finn following.

The group continued walking through the tunnel asking many questions about Lincoln's grounder lifestyle. "Wait. If you never were down here, how'd you map it?" Finn asks and Lincoln sighs "Spoils of war" Lincoln answers as he ducks trying not to hit his head on the lower part of the ceiling until distant shouting is heard making everyone stop in their tracks.

"What is that?" Nova and Clarke asks in unison.

"Reapers" Lincoln answers.

Nova, Clarke, Finn and Lincoln slowly make their way through the tunnel getting closer to the screaming and the light shining through. Nova and the group watches as these big muscular men eat people violently around a camp fire. Nova widens her eyes and takes a deep breath "What the hell is this?" Nova asks curiously.

"The tunnel on the right will lead you through the woods into your camp. Take this" Lincoln says turning around to face the group, handing Finn a notebook.

"Wait, Lincoln what will you do?" Nova asks. I'm gonna lead them away. Wait until they follow me, then run. For Octavia" Lincoln states handing his weapon to Nova.

"If they catch you, they'll kill you" Clarke points out and Lincoln shrugs softly. "Worry about yourselves. Most of Tristan's rangers will be at your gate by nightfall, but he'll send riders ahead, scouts. All of you have to be gone before they arrive" Lincoln states.

Nova hears a weapon scrap against the ground and foot steps in the distance. "Guys, I think one of them is coming" Nova points out sticking her head out from corner. Clarke pulls Lincoln shoulder making him face her "Where are we supposed to go from here?" Clarke asks and Lincoln looks behind him then back at the group. "In my book, there's a map. Chart course to the eastern sea. There's a clan there, led by a woman called Luna, a friend. Tell her I sent you" Lincoln says and Nova nods as does Clarke.

"Thank you".

"Just get Octavia out of there" Lincoln says before rushing to the reaper who was about to walk away and stabbing him in the stomach with his sword. The rest of the reapers hear and notice what's going on and begin chasing after Lincoln.

"Alright, Let's go" Finn says as he sees the coast is clear. Nova, Finn and Clarke start to make a run for it until Clarke grabs Nova's arm and stops her making Finn stop in his tracks as well. "Oh my god, did you see that?" Clarke asks as she breathes heavily. "Clarke, I don't know what you mean but we have to keep moving" Nova says as she holds onto Clarke's hand.

Clarke moved her hand from Nova's and walked towards the cart and removed the tarp covering the dead bodies revealing a very much alive person. Nova backed up quickly after seeing it and started to cover her mouth. "Oh my-" Nova whispered as she coughed a few times.

"They're alive" Clarke states as she stares at the alive man in front of her. "Clarke!" Nova screamed as Finn pushed her out the way when another reaper showed up. The reaper threw Finn to the ground and punched him repeatedly. Nova found a large log on the ground and hit the reaper upside the head with it but that didn't seem to work the reaper lunged towards Nova throwing her against the concrete walls of the tunnels and put his large hands around her neck choking her out.

Nova began gasping for air as she hit the reapers arms and face trying to get him off when she noticed Finn grab a large rock and knock him upside the head with it but he didn't stop he hit the reaper multiple times in the head killing it while Nova coughed harshly falling to the ground. "Nova! Nova.." Clarke crawled over to Nova and pushed her hair back behind her face as she saw the mark the reaper made around her neck. "I'm.. Okay" Nova coughs out while Clarke patted her back.

Distant shouting is heard and Clarke helps Nova to her feet. "They're coming back" Clarke breathed out. "We got to go. Finn. Let's go" Clarke demanded as she grabbed Finns arm and started dragging him through the tunnels while Nova ran beside them.

——

After running out the tunnels they finally made it to the woods. Nova regained her strength and ran with Clarke and Finn but soon they all stopped in there tracks and looked around the woods.

"This doesn't look right" Finn says as he breathes heavily. Nova steps away from the two and looks around the woods trying to see if there any closer to camp. "What the hell was that back there? Why... why would they keep them alive? I swear to God, the more we learn about this place, the less we know" Clarke asks while Nova overhears.

"Hey, hey, hey. He would have killed us. You did what you had to do. We all have" Clarke says and Nova thinks she's referring to him killing that reaper with a rock. "I should have fought for you too" Finn states as Nova still overhears.

"Clarke. I love you. I'm in love with you".

Nova swallows the large gulp in her throat and waits for Clarke's answer. "But I know your not in love with me" Finn finishes and Nova closes her eyes and walks back to the two of them before a loud explosion is heard in the distant.

"You think it came from camp?" Nova asks and Clarke nods. "We're to late" Clarke worries as she starts running with Nova and Finn following her from behind.

——

"Hold your fire! Clarke and Finn! Open the gate! Get in!".

"Nova, Clarke and Finn! They're back!".

Nova, Finn and Clarke heard as they rushed in the gate panting heavily. "Hey, we heard an explosion. What happened?" Clarke asks rushing up to Bellamy. "Murphy happened" Bellamy answers as he rubs his neck softly.

"Thank God! Where have you been? Where's Monty?" Jasper says running out the drop-ship and hugging Nova tightly. "Monty's gone?" Nova asks frantically holding Jaspers arms.

"Clarke, we need to leave, now. All of us do. There's an army of grounders, unlike anything we've ever seen, coming for us right now. We need to pack what we can and run" Finn states and Bellamy scoffs shaking his head. "Like hell we do. We knew this was coming" Bellamy argues and Nova sighs.

"We're not prepared they have swords, crossbows. They'll win" Nova says and Bellamy shakes his head. "Guess what we have. Guns. They're not here yet. We still have time to get ready. Besides, where would we go? Where would we be safer than behind these walls?" Bellamy asks trying to start a fight. "There's an ocean to the east. People there will help us" Nova answers before glancing over at Octavia.

"You saw Lincoln" Octavia states and Finn nods his head. "You expect us to trust a grounder? This is our home now. We built this from nothing with our bare hands! Our dead are buried behind that wall in this ground! Our ground!" Bellamy shouts starting to protest and get the other delinquents fired up.

"We are on the ground now, and that means we are grounders!" Bellamy shouts putting his hand in the air while the other people cheered.

"Yeah! Grounders with guns!".

"Damn right! I say let 'em come!" Bellamy protest. "Bellamy's right. If we leave, we may never find a place as safe as this. And God knows, in this world, we could be faced with something even worse tomorrow" Clarke says and Nova sighs looking to Clarke. "If we stay. We fight. We could loose everything we've built here" Nova says gesturing around the safe place they've built.

"But— doesn't change the simple fact that if we stay here, we will die tonight. So pack your things. Just take what you can carry, now. Where is he?" Clarke says turning to Bellamy referring to Murphy.

"Help me" Someone groans over by the drop-ship making everyone turn to see Raven limping. "Raven! Raven!" Finn shouts rushing to her and holding her up.

"Murphy shot her" Bellamy answers and Nova widens her eyes. "Get her on the drop-ship" Clarke says before she walks in the drop ship with Finn and Raven. Before Nova can follow Bellamy grabs her arm and stops her.

"I know deep down you know leaving is a bad idea Nova" Bellamy states and Nova sighs "I have no say. The decision's been made" Nova states. "Crowds make bad decisions. Just ask Murphy. Leaders do what they think is right" Bellamy argues and Nova furrows her eyebrows.

"She is doing what's right. Are you?" Nova asks before she turns around enters the drop ship.

——

"What do you say Layla, Ready to see your daughter?".

"Momento Vivere".