TWENTY FOUR.   linger like a tattoo kiss

      The smell of smoke still lingering in Bellamy's nose.  Bright orange fire clouded his vision. The explosion still rang in his ears. It all happened so fast but he couldn't stop seeing it. It made him want to claw his eyes out. All Bellamy could see was Tatum caught in the explosion and he couldn't get to her. It haunted him.

She lingered like a tattoo kiss. Their last kiss still wavered on his lips. He could still feel the warmth of her hug. But her voice is what he missed. What brought him to his knees. In the last moments of her life, she wanted to feel him, and now her silhouette haunted him. She haunted him in the worst possible way.

Bellamy didn't want to think about her because it was torturous. He didn't want to wonder if she was dead or alive because it was painful to think about it either way. If she was dead, that means he lost her. If she was alive, that means he still lost her.

His velvet eyes stared lifelessly at the dead grass below his feet. Tears burned his bloody and beaten face. He followed Abby and Kane to the drop ship with Finn by his side. His mind raced with questions. Is Tatum okay? Did she make out alive? Is she safe? Will I ever see her again? Bellamy was not a believer in a god but he found himself practically on his knees beginning for forgiveness of his sins, praying that she was alive.

Finn glanced at him occasionally. Though he didn't speak, his mind was racing. He was scared at the thought that his friends were dead. They both were. "She's alive, Bellamy."He spoke, breaking the silence.

Bellamy continued to look ahead of him. "You don't know that." He muttered.

Finn nodded. "I do. I can feel it." He formed a small grin. "It's kind of our thing. We can always feel if one another is okay. Jasper and Monty have it too. My gut is telling me that she's out there somewhere."

That's when Bellamy remembered that Finn had known Tatum much longer than him, since they were children. He wasn't the only one that lost her. "Are you okay?"

The spacewalker glanced around the open woods and a small smirk grew on his face. "This world can't defeat Tatum Adler." He declared.

"Only she can defeat it."

The search group traveled through what was their camp. Numerous bodies laid on the hard ground or against the trees with arrows in them. The sight made the man's stomach churn. "It's too quiet."

None of them spoke. Bellamy made a move to go forward but Kane stopped him. "We'll take it from here." he announced. "Banks, Scanlan, you stay with them. We'll signal once we're sure it's safe." He ordered.

Bellamy watched them walk down the trail to the drop shop. He shared a look with Finn. "We need a stretcher." Said one of the men in the search party.

That made the males rush forward in fear that it was one of their friends. "Whoa, whoa, whoa." One of the guys stopped them.

The two of them shared another look and bolted. They quickly ran through one of the fox holes that went directly to the camp. When Bellamy crawled through, his heart dropped. Burn bodies laid on the singed grass. It was empty and quiet. "Where is everyone?" He questioned and looked around him.

He walked forward and the grey grass crunched under his boots. He heard the grunts of someone coming from the drop ship and Kane exited with Murphy under his arm. When Bellamy's eyes locked on the him, all he saw was red.

Murphy lifted his head and made eye contact with the man. "Bellamy, you're, uh. . . You're alive—"

With a dark glare, Bellamy grabbed him and threw him to the ground. "You murdering son of a bitch!" He spat and tried choking him. Every punch he threw, he thought of how he tried to kill him in front of Tatum, how he confessed his love to her in front of him, and how he tried to hurt his friends. "This is for Raven!" He seethed through the punches. "This is for Tatum!"

"Bellamy, stop!"

An electric shock radiate through his body and he let Murphy go, falling next to him on the ground. Kane stood over him and glared. "Place him under arrest."

"Wait, you don't understand," said Finn. "Murphy murdered two of our people. He shot another one. He tried to hang Bellamy and hurt Tatum—"

"I don't care. You are not animals." Kane said firmly. "There are rules. Laws. You are not in control here anymore."

Bellamy casted the man a glare. "Says the one who threw an innocent girl in the sky box to die."

Before Kane said anything, Abby exited the drop ship with Jason. They carried Raven out on a stretcher. Her face was very pale and sickly. She didn't look alive but she was. "There's no one else in there." She told them.

Finn looked at Bellamy. The man's eyes filled with tears again. His legs gave out from under him and he dropped to his knees. "Hey—" said one of the guards.

"Stop! Let him be!" Finn warned him.

Bellamy felt like he couldn't breathe. She was gone and he knew it. His chest felt like it was closing. Her voice echoed in his head.

"I'll cross rivers to find you, Bellamy."

'May we meet again." Bellamy's last words to her played in her head like a broken record. It made her feel weak. Seeing his face, feeling his last kiss, maybe her wonder if she fought hard enough. Did she fight hard enough to stay alive? Did he make it out alive? She wanted to believe that he was still out there and that he was searching for her.

She walked with Lincoln to the river. It was a strange feeling. Their first interaction was him trying to kill her. She should've have hated him, but he cared for Octavia. They both wanted to protect her. Tatum would go to great lengths to keep her alive. "Ai laik Tatum gon the Skai Kru." I am Tatum of the sky people.

Lincoln nodded. "Very good. You learn fast."

"Second languages were always my forte."

"Along with Earth skills?"

"Passed with an A. And I didn't even have to cheat." She bragged.

Lincoln chuckled under his breath. "Octavia always tells me how smart you are."

She smiled warmly.

It went silent as the two of them continued their walk. He glanced at the side of her face. "You're different."  He spoke again. She looked his way. "You don't have that light in your eyes anymore. You are defeated."

It made her frown. "My light's most likely dead." She muttered dreadfully. "But I'm grateful to you and Octavia. I'd be dead without you guys."

Lincoln half smiled. "Does this make up for almost killing you?" 

She laughed. "Sure, why not. You're not the first person to try."

Octavia's scream is what sent them trudging through the water. With fear bubbled in her chest, Tatum ran as fast as she could across the river, ignoring the searing pain she was feeling from her back. "Via!"

"Octavia!"

She was in the same spot she was when they left but her face was as white as a sheet.

Tatum dropped to her knees by her side. "Octavia, what happened? What's wrong?"

Octavia held up the knife that Lincoln gave her. "Wait,  wait, wait, come one. Hey, hey, hey." He tried to calm her down and gently grabbed her face.

"I saw a man. It was a—it was a monster." She stammered with strained breaths.

Tatum looked at Lincoln and back at her. "A man?" She asked carefully.

"It's the poison." Lincoln confirmed and felt her forehead. "You're burning up. We have to hurry."

Tatum quickly stood up and he grabbed Octavia, pulling her to her feet and throwing her over his shoulder. "Tatum, come on!" He shouted at her.

She ran with them down the rocky path and into the forest.

"I know what we have to do."

"Where are we going?" Octavia asked while becoming disoriented.

"Just hold on." He assured her, not answering her question.

His eyes met Tatum's. She instantly knew. Tensing up, she grabbed Octavia's swinging hand. "It's okay, Via. I'm right here. Everything's going to be okay."