THIRTY. no time to die

      Bellamy was going crazy. His anxiety was high, he was worried out of his mind, his blood boiled with anger, but most of all he was afraid — afraid that he we was given false hope that everyone he'd grown to love was alive. Afraid that his sister was gone. That the love of his life was dead. He'd known loss his whole life. But there was something he was certain of: like the oceans find the shore, Bellamy would always find her.

He sped walked through the woods with everyone else trying to find the grounder village. "Everyone, eyes peeled. We're in grounded territory." He ordered.

"Everything is grounder territory, all right? I can't keep running," Murphy complained and it caused them to stop.

Finn turned around in anger.

"We don't even know if the guy Finn killed it telling the truth—"

The spacewalker gripped his jacket. "Keep moving." He barked.

"We can give him a minute," Bellamy insisted.

"No, we can't. You heard what that grounder said:  They'll outlive their usefulness." He threw at him.

"I heard what he said when you had a gun to his head."

Finn shook his head. "Look, you think I wanted to do that?" He questioned. "He would've told his people we're coming and by the time we got there, our people would be dead!" He exclaimed.

"I know you did what you think you had to do. But you are not yourself right now and I cannot be out here with another loose cannon," said Bellamy, taking a jab at Murphy.

Finn glared at him. "You might be able to live with losing them, but I can't!"

Bellamy'd face darkened into a glare "Don't do that.  You have no idea how I'm feeling."

"Really? I haven't seen you freak out once since we found Murphy. Now we know that there's a chance Tate and Clarke are alive and you still don't—"

He shoved him hard by the shoulders. "Really? Cause all I've been hearing from you is about Clarke. You don't seem to care about Tatum at all." He snapped and got in his space.

Murphy quickly got in between them. "Okay, stop—"

"I've known her longer than you, Bellamy. She's my best friend!"

"You two seem to really like throwing that at me." Scoffed Bellamy and looked between him and Murphy. He glared at Finn. "If you think for one second that I don't care about Tatum, then you're out of your damn mind. I'm driving myself crazy over here!"

They went silent as his voice raised.

"Okay, I'm worrying myself sick about her!" His glare darkened but his eyes showed true emotion, that he was feeling miserable. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about her since what happened at camp but I'm trying my best here so we can save her and our people. So don't you dare tell me that I don't care about Tatum because I love her and i'll burn the whole goddamn world to the ground if it means I can get her back." He exhaled deeply and his breathing hitched.

Finn stared at him in silence. His eyes lowered to the ground and Murphy backed off, not being able to say anything either. They knew Tatum their whole lives and they had never seen someone love her as much as Bellamy did, not even Riley.

Tatum flinched when the door swung open and three grounders came storming inside. She instinctively cowered away. "What do you want?" She shakily let out.

"Indra let your little sky friend go," one of them harshly spoke. "We have no use for you anymore."

His words made her sit up straight. "Wait, what? D-Does that mean I can leave?" She stammered and her voice went high at the hope of getting to finally leave.

"Not exactly."

Her world darkened. When they walked closer to her, her eyes widened. "Wait, what—" They unlocking the shackles around her ankle and wrist. Tatum cried out when they pulled her up from the ground. "Wait, no, please!" She cried and they dragged her outside.

They threw her to the ground all the village people stopped what they were doing and turned to them. She felt her skin scorch from the sun. She pushed the curtain of hair away from her face and she looked around the village. "Please. Please let me go." She begged.

"Indra states that you know too much," the grounder man spoke and he exited the hut. They stood around her and Tatum began to shake uncontrollably. "We have two options. . ." She watched him pull out a swords from the waistband on his pants.

"I can kill you right here."

More tears began to fill her red eyes.

"Or. . . You can fight for your life." He finished and his voice grew dark.

She stared at the heavy set men with terror written on her face. To them, she looked like a wounded animal with her pale blue eyes and straggly black hair. Her skin was as dirty as the ground below her. To them, she was weak. That's how she felt as well.

But Tatum was a survivor. She was strong and she was determined. The only problem was she was a small person and there was no way she could take on somehow as big as the grounder men. "That seems like an unfair advantage," she blurted out in a shaky voice, her sarcasm taking over at the worst possible time.

"Nou osir, stupid gada." The one on her left spat at her. Not us, stupid girl.

Now she was confused. She looked again at the grounder in front of her. "Who?" She uttered.

The three grounder men looked at each other. There was a beat and the one to her right reached down and pulled her up by her arm, quite roughly. Tatum yelped in pain and the one to her left grabbed the other. The villages watched from where they stood. Men, women, and children. There was so many children, young and teenagers. They glared daggers at her while the grounders dragged her through their village. She was a foreign creature with her black hair straggly and her pale skin dirty.

When she found a familiar face, Dominic instantly rose to his feet. Their eyes locked as she was dragged past him and then she was forced to look away.

She was thrown into a large tent and she caught herself before she landed on the floor. Sitting in front of her was a girl, sitting on a handmade thrown made of wood and spears. She looked no older than twenty years old, maybe her age exactly. Her pale face was smudged with black war paint that covered her eyes and dropped to her temples. Her hair was brown and long and pulled back half way out of her face into braids. She wore full grounder gear and in her hand was a knife that she was twirling around her fingers.

By the throne, to the clothes, and to the multiple grounds that were surrounding her like guards, Tatum knew she had to be important.

"Heda, ai bring yu the honon." The main grounder spoke to her. Commander, I bring you the prisoner.

Heda. Heda. Heda. Tatum wracked her brain trying to remember what the word meant. Her lesson with Lincoln. Anya. And then she knew. Heda meant commander. Their leader.

The Heda eyed her. "You're the sky girl." She spoke in a slow voice. It was both light and grungy at the same time. She continued to twirl the knife in her hands.

Tatum tried to mask her fear with an intense stare. "That appears to be true." She responded wobbly. "I'm assuming by fight for my life, that means fight against you?"

"Yes," she replied to the question. She sat the knife down and straightened her posture in the chair. "Indra tells me Lincoln betrayed us for you."

Tatum shifted on her feet and squeezed her fists together below her thighs. "Not really for me. Sort
of – It was my friend. He loved her." She swallowed back the lump in her throat.

The Commander hummed. "Yes, the other skai gada.  Indra tells me she puts up a good fight. Not good enough though."

Tatum clenched her jaw and refrained from glaring at her.

"My name is Lexa. Tell me, what's yours, sky girl?"

"Tatum." She answered simply.

If she wasn't in the situation she was in, Tatum would have thought she was pretty. Beautiful, even. But she was too afraid of what was going to happen next to pay attention. Lexa stood from her throne which made the grounders around her take a step forward in protection. They watched her walk forward and stand in front of the sky girl.

Tatum held her breath as she eyed her again. She was taller than her by only a few inches but she felt small under her intimidating gaze. "Do you know how to fight, skai gada?" Lexa asked and she now stood only a few inches away from her.

She locked her eyes with hers and didn't blink. "Yes." She retorted strongly.

"Let me rephrase. . . Do you know how to fight someone like me?"

Tatum didn't respond and she didn't break eye contact. The click of her jaw seemed to be an answer enough.

Lexa looked away from her and to the grounder that was standing by the door. "Give her a sword." She demanded. 

"Sha, Heda." He obeyed and took out his sword. The light from inside the tent reflected off the steel. He walked forward with heavy footsteps and he handed out the sword. Yes, Commander.

Tatum eyed the weapon in his hand cautiously. With a shaky hand, she reached out and wrapped it around the handle and she surprised by how heavy it was. It wasn't like the spears they made back at camp or the guns they carried. She looked back at the Commander.

"To the death, skai gada." Lexa uttered.

As Bellamy stared below him at a scared Mel, who was clinging on to her life, he was reminded of one thing that Tatum taught him. That their lives belonged to them and it wasn't their choice whether to take those lives or not. Before, he wouldn't have cared to save anyone but himself. But for her, and for himself, we would do the right thing.

Finn and the others carefully lowered him down the cliff. Bellamy kept his feet planted against the Earth while his hands gripped the seatbelt that was around his torso. He grunted when his foot slipped but he sucked in a breath. He needed to be calm so that she would be calm.

The closer he got, the more clear Mel's crying became.  She was terrified. Her hands circled and gripped the bark of the tree but her body was hanging free. It was a life or death situation. "Just hang in there. I'm almost there." Bellamy called out to her. The gravel cracked and slipped under his boots. He began to reach his arm out towards her and he used the wall to shift closer. Finally, his hand was able to grab the material of her shirt. "It's okay. I got you. I got you." He said and grabbed Mel by the waist. "Just put your arms around me."

Mel shook her head, trembling with fear. "I can't—"

"Yes, you can. It's okay. This will hold." Bellamy reassured her and motioned to the seatbelt. "I'll get you up. I promise. Okay?"

She nodded with a noise of discomfort. Slowly, Mel released her hand from the branch and wrapped it around his neck. Then, she released the other and her arms tightened around him. 

Bellamy grunted as they shifted and he tightened his grip on the seatbelt. "I got her! Pull us up!" He shouted to the others.

"Don't you worry, Bellamy. I won't drop you." Murphy grunted and used his strength to pull back on the seatbelt. He could feel the material cut into his hands. 

He kept a tight hold on Mel and he felt himself being lifted up. He resisted the urge to look down at the horrifying view below them. It would surely make him sick. He kept himself focused. They got closer and closer to reaching the top of the cliff until suddenly,  they were jerked and lowered back down slightly. Mel let out a terrified scream and clutched onto him tighter. 

"What the hell is happening up there?" Bellamy shouted roughly while trying to steady the both of them.

"Just hold on!" Finn shouted back and he, Murphy,  and Monroe used all of their strength to pull on the seatbelt that broke. 

Suddenly, out of nowhere, arrows started flying through the air and they landed all around them.  "Grounders!" Yelled Monroe.

Finn quickly grabbed the weapon next to him and gave it to her. "Monroe, cover us. Go!" He ordered and let go of the seatbelt. It was just him and Murphy now.  "How many are there?" He heard Bellamy ask. "We can't see them!" He answered and turned his head to see Munroe fire the gun. "In the trees! In the trees! Aim for the trees!"

Then, another arrow came flying and he quickly moved out of the way before it landed on him. On accident, Finn released the seatbelt and Murphy swiftly grabbed a hold of his end, now using all his might to try and pull it back. "He's gonna have to cut her loose. We can't do this." He spoke, feeling his muscles strain. "Bellamy, you gotta cut her loose!"

"No way!"  Bellamy shouted back and kept a death grip on the girl.

They heard a horn blow and the arrows stopped flying. The familiar sound pierced through his ears. "Acid fog!"

All together, the three delinquents grunted and continued to pull on the seatbelt. Eventually, and painfully, Bellamy and Mel appeared over the cliff and the man helped her crawl to the top. He let out a deep and shaky breaths as he stayed on his knees. Lifting his head, his eyes met Murphy's and they each gave one another a curt nod.

Things happened. Terrible things that should have never happened. Bellamy would always hold some sort of resentment for the things he put him and Tatum through on the drop ship. But he understood now. They both loved her. Though it was a different love, they cared about her more than anything. Bellamy saw that now. The nod was a sign of appreciation and respect. For now, that would be enough.

Finn quickly sat up. "We have to take cover from the fog." He exhaled.

Just as he was about to respond, a small and delicate voice called out his name. Bellamy's ears twitched and he turned his head. His heart dropped drastically. A shaky breath slipped from him and he rose to his feet.  "Octavia." He uttered blissfully.

The mirror image of himself stood before him and she smiled tearfully. Octavia walked his way and they met in the middle, falling into each other's arms. He held her tightly like he was afraid she would slip through his fingers. 

Octavia pulled away first and stared at him with tears in her bright eyes. He smiled back at her like he couldn't believe she was standing in front of him. "They have her, Bellamy."

His smile slowly dropped. "What?" He asked and took a step back. Maybe he didn't hear her right. He didn't know but he hoped to god she didn't mean what he thought she meant. 

"They have Tatum, Bellamy," she repeated and her voice dropped along with her expression. "She's in their village. I tried getting them to take me to her but they refused. She's their prisoner."

The others listened to her words. Murphy's heart lodged in his throat. "P-Prisoner? You mean like—" he stuttered and pointed to himself.

When Octavia didn't answer, Finn stepped forward.  "Wait, what does that mean? She's innocent. They can't just keep her there." He spoke rapidly and his voice went high.

"She knows too much. She knows who they are and where they are." She continued and she looked at her brother again, the look on his face making her eyes water again. "They're going to kill her."

There was nothing more painful than losing someone you love. It's like you're drowning and you can't pull yourself up to the surface. It's being trapped in a room with no light or windows. It's all of the courage and strength inside of you being stolen until you're nothing. Bellamy felt as if someone was holding his head under water. His ears clogged to where he couldn't hear anything. His heart raced to an unbelievable beat and he felt as if it was going to explode. It was an agonizing pain. An unbearable torture. 

The weakness in his knees grew stronger until he finally collapsed. He fell to his knees and held his head in his hands. His sister fell with him and her hands sat on his back. He couldn't lose her. He just couldn't.

Tatum stood dreadfully in front of the powerful female. The sword she held was heavy in her hand.  She tried to find the strength in her to do this. She had no choice. It was either fight or die. She'd been fighting to stay alive almost her entire life. But this was different. Lexa wasn't just a grounder, she was a worrier. She grew up fighting different battles. Tatum knew she stood no chance unless she believed in herself.

The village people gathered around to witness the fight. She could hear them chant Lexa's name. She was their leader. Of course they would root for her. They wanted the enemy to die. She served no purpose to them. Dominic hid behind one of the homes and stuck his head out to watch. He eyed the sky girl as she stood in front of his Commander.

"Gonplei!" The Commander's confidant, Gustus,  shouted. Fight.

Lexa stared deeply at the girl before letting out a loud grunt and swinging her sword. Tatum quickly raised her sword and it clashed with hers. Her eyes went wide. The Heda grunted again and spun around,  bending her sword forward and Tatum backed up and successfully dodged the steel. The Commander was quick on her feet. Her movements were so sharp and precise that Tatum could barely keep up.

She yelled in pain when Lexa's sword cut into her arm.  Blood ran down her exposed skin and she clutched her arm while letting out a hiss through her teeth. Shouts to their Commander grew louder and louder as they cheered for her. Tatum looked into her eyes and gave her a killer glare. Lexa only stared at her challengingly.  She swung her sword around with ease.

Tatum gritted her teeth and gripped her sword. They went at each other again. Their swords clashed high and low and Lexa lowered herself to her knee and her sword sliced into the girl's skin of her torso.

She cried out in pain again. Weakly, Tatum raised the weapon again and Lexa's came crashing down. She quickly moved to the side and leaned back before the sword could collide with her face. She was able to swing her upper body down and switch sides with her.  When Lexa's back was still turned, she took the opportunity to slice her arm.

Loud and angry protests came from the village grounders. Lexa turned around and she was almost shocked. Tatum huffed out a heavy breath and she moved her hair out of her face, gulping harshly. The Commander came at her again and she grunted, clashing her sword with hers.

They went back and forth. Left and right, the steel of the weapons hit against each other and Lexa swung at her face. When she bent backwards again, she stepped back on her foot and kicked the sky girl in the stomach.

Tatum grunted deeply and stumbled back. Lexa used that to her advantage and she came running with her sword raised. With a battle cry, she swung again, but the sky girl stepped back on her right foot and dodged the space of steel.

Tatum clutched the handle of the sword and swung right and left as loud grunts passed her lips. When she lost her footing, Lexa's blade cut into her leg. Then into her arm right where her shoulder was. She couldn't handle the pain anymore. Tatum dropped to her knees, her eyes wet with tears as the pain burned throughout her body. She wanted to a wave a white flag. She felt defeated.

All the cheers and yelling around her drowned out as she looked at Lexa. The Commander stood over her.  She knew exactly what she was doing. She was born to do this. Tatum thought about all she'd been through. What she had to endure. They were meant to bring her down but they only made her stronger. She wasn't a damsel in distress. She wouldn't give up without a fight.

Standing on her feet, Tatum released a battle cry and swung her sword. Lexa raised hers and the steel blades clashed. They went back and forth again. The Heda spun around and swung her weapon but Tatum jumped back just before it could get her. When she faced her again, the sky girl raised her weapon up.  When their steels clashed, Tatum instantly went low and her sword cut into Lexa's thigh.

The Commander didn't falter. She spun her weapon around her hand and let out another cry. Tatum ducked again when her weapon came down and she quickly moved to the side. Their swords clashed again and again until she spun around and she felt Lexa's blade sliced against her back.

There was a sharp, agonizing pain and she gasped again. The cougar attack, the explosion, it all came back to her. With boiling blood and a red face, Tatum turned around and swung the sword again. The strength inside of her was found and she backed Lexa up a good feet before the Commander was able to switch positions. She was lucky enough to bend her upper body backwards as the weapon came swiping to her face. She dropped to feet and spun around with the sword, cutting into Lexa's leg.

It was a back and forth game. Tatum was growing tired which was something Lexa didn't have to worry about.  She was powerful. She knew how to fight without getting tired. She used it to her advantage because she was seeing the sky girl grow tired and her arms were becoming loose. The Heda lunged forward with her blade and the two girls met in the middle. Their sword formed an X with each other and they looked into each other's eyes with intensity. Tatum gritted her teeth again and tried to push her back but Lexa was stronger. The Commander used all of her strength to pull her weapon up and when she did, the handle of her sword collided with Tatum's face.

She fell to the ground again, landing on her knees, and she screamed in agony. Fire ignited in her bones.  Blood dripped from her head and her nose. She took heavy breaths. She didn't give up.

The fight was over and the village people cheered for their Commander. Lexa stood over the sky girl and lifted her sword in victory, causing the noise to grow louder. Gustus slowly walked to the middle and his heavy footsteps stopped in front of the sky girl. "Yu gonplei ste odon." He spoke in Trigedasleng. Your fight is over.

Tears fell from Tatum's eyes and she closed them. She was tired. Tried of fighting, tired of being hurt, and tired of suffering. She fought her hardest but even if she won, it wouldn't bring back her friends.

Just as Gustus was about to raise his sword, Lexa stopped him. "No." The Commander objected.

The grounders started talking and Gustus turned to the girl. Tatum lifted her head and showed her bloody face. They stared at Lexa as she stood there with the bloody sword in her hand. "Hon daun em gon medical," she ordered her confidant. Take her to medical.

He shook his head. "But Commander—"

"Do not question me, Gustus." She interrupted him firmly, her eyes glaring into his.

Gustus shut his mouth and nodded. He took the girl by the arm and pulled her up. Tatum stared all around at the village people with a pain stricken expression on her face until she spotted Dominic from where he was standing behind the home. He was equally as shocked as the other grounders.

He began to lead her to the medical tent and Tatum looked at Lexa as she passed by. The Commander only stared back without saying a word. Once again, for the hundredth time, Tatum Adler defeated death.