XX

[PREVIOUSLY: Murphy, Finn and Octavia look after the sick but disaster strikes when Octavia stumbles across Conner's dead body. She leaves the drop-ship, trying to find Finn, but instead, she bumps into Bellamy. In the meanwhile, Murphy's evil deed is brought into the light when he traps everyone, including Jasper, inside the drop-ship. It's a game of survival now, for if they try to forcefully enter, Jasper dies].

KLUNK.

The drop-ship door slid shut, inclosing Jasper, Harper and the rest of the sick inside!

"Oh god," I groaned, clutching my hair with two grubby hands. "Bellamy, what are we going to do?"

For a moment, Bellamy didn't reply, then, he lifted the walkie-talkie to his mouth and growled, "Murphy, I know you can hear me. All our food and ammo's in there and you know that. You're leaving us vulnerable to an attack. I can't let that happen."

"Yeah? Well, you do anything about it and I'll put a bullet through Jasper's brain," Murphy sneered in response. "Your choice."

Bellamy heaved a deep sigh as he lowered the walkie-talkie.

"Bellamy! My friend's in there with a killer!" I shouted as I flailed my arms about. "As are all the others!" Without waiting for him to respond, I stomped right up to the drop-ship door and pounding furiously on it as I yelled, "Murphy! Murphy! If you even touch Jasper or anyone else, I swear to God, you're dead!"

"Octavia!" Bellamy grabbed my arm and pulled me back. "I've got this."

"Really? Because it doesn't look like you're doing anything about it!" I jerked my arm away from him, trying not to let him see the angry tears that were starting to fill my eyes.

"Bellamy! Octavia! What's going on?"

At the sound of Finn's voice, both Bellamy and I turned around, just in time to see Finn jogging through the front gate, two full water buckets in his hands.

Bellamy rolled his eyes as he snorted, "So, the Spacewalker finally decides to show up."

"Hey," Finn frowned at him. "Take it easy. What are you doing out of bed anyway?"

"Murphy," I muttered under my breath as I kicked aimlessly at a loose stone on the ground.

"What?" Finn demanded, his body growing tense and rigid.

"Murphy, you dumbass," I grumbled. "He's got Jasper and everyone else locked up inside! He killed Conner and then tried to cover it up, but Jasper or someone else must've caught him redhanded. Now he's threatening to kill them all too."

"You serious?" Finn slammed his water buckets down on the ground and stormed over to the drop-ship door. "You bloody bastard!" he shouted. "You open this door, right now!"

"Murphy's enjoying this way too much," I let out a peeved sigh, pressing my fingers to my temple.

"Look, shouting at him is just going to make things worse," Bellamy pointed out blatantly. "We need to find another way inside."

"But how?" I persisted.

"Anything I can help you with?"

With startled gasps, the three of us whirled around to see Raven, accompanied by Monty and Bryce, standing in the doorway of a nearby tent that we had set up for the radio station.

"W-what?" I stammered, confused. "How did you ...?"

"We've been in here for a while," Raven smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I was just fiddling with the radio, trying to see if we could reconnect to the Ark. Monty and Bryce offered to help me and later, Bellamy came out to check up on us. That's when we heard you going off your head."

"B-but how are you guys feeling?" I queried worriedly. "I thought ..."

"We're better," Raven assured me. "Not amazing, but better. And if Murphy thinks, for even a moment, that he can outsmart me, the youngest mechanic to walk the Ark in sixty years, then he's got another thing coming."

I exhaled shakily, nodding my head in the process. "Fine. Fine. But is there another way inside the drop-ship?"

"A couple days ago, Jasper and I went exploring," Monty piped up as he stuck his hands deep inside his jacket pockets. "There's a loose panel around the back. If we pop it, we can get in through the floor."

"Good. Do it," Bellamy ordered briskly.

Raven nodded and squared her shoulders as she looked pointedly at Finn. "I'm going to need some help though."

"I'm onto it," Monty quickly offered, giving Bryce a sharp nudge with his elbow.

"Yeah, yeah," he stuttered uncertainly. "Me too."

"I'll do anything you need," Finn assured her.

Raven motioned for the boys to follow her as she shouldered a pack full of tools and gadgets. "Lead the way, Monty," she stated.

As the four walked off, I hesitated, glancing over at Bellamy. "This had better work."

Bellamy bit his lip. "It will ... But just in case it won't ..."

I furrowed my brow as I studied his features closely.

Bellamy swallowed as he slowly lifted the walkie-talkie to his mouth. "C'mon, Murphy," he taunted. "You don't wanna hurt Jasper, you wanna hurt me."

I let out a slight guffaw. "What are you going on about?"

Bellamy glanced sideways at me. "He - he still hasn't forgiven me for trying to kill him for Wells' death. That's why he murdered Conner. He was helping me tie up the noose for Murphy's neck."

I scowled. "If only his neck had gone through it."

Bellamy ignored me as he continued talking to Murphy through the walkie-talkie, "So, what do you say? How about you trade him for me?"

My eyebrows flew upwards in horror. "No!" I gasped, lurching forward to tug at Bellamy's jacket.

Bellamy paid no mind to me as he stated, "Look, all you need to do is let Jasper go and I'll take his place."

I backed away, shaking my head in disbelief.

"How?" Murphy's twisted voice crackled through the speaker.

"Bellamy, if you do this, he will kill you!" I cried out.

"If I don't, and our plan doesn't work, he'll kill Jasper," Bellamy hissed in a low tone as he stepped towards me. "And, possibly even the others that are in there!" Turning away from me, he spoke back into the radio, "Simple. You open the door. I walk it. He walks out."

Only silence met Bellamy's demand, however.

In the tense moments that followed, I couldn't help but stare, shocked and terrified at my brother. What he was offering to do, exchange his life for Jasper's and the others, was something that I had never before witnessed. It was the ultimate sacrifice. But I would be damned if I was going to let him go down by Murphy's hands!

CCRREEAAKK.

The drop-ship door was shoved upon with a loud hiss and a grunt, its sides scraping up against the metal frame boxing it in.

Bellamy and I both turned to watch as the door descended to the ground. Instinctively, my hand flew to the hilt of my sword and I partially drew the blade out of my sheath.

"Don't ... even ... think ... about ... it, Octavia," Murphy growled from deep within the darkness shadowing the inside of the drop-ship. "Just you, Bellamy! Unarmed! Ten seconds or I'm putting a bullet in Jasper's head! One ..."

Bellamy slipped the rifle that he had been carrying over his shoulders.

"Two ..."

He dropped the weapon onto the ground, the metal hitting the cobblestoned ground with a loud clatter.

"Three ..."

Bellamy shoved the walkie-talkie into my hands.

"Four ..."

He turned away and began walking towards the drop-ship door.

"Five ..."

I reached over and grasped Bellamy's jacket.

"Six ..."

Spinning him around to face me, I opened my mouth to speak.

"Seven ..."

"Raven will find a way to get you out," I whispered. "I promise. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Eight ..."

Bellamy shook his head as he pulled away from me. "I can handle Murphy."

"Nine ..."

"I'm here!" he let out a yell as he clambered up to the door. Without a second thought, Bellamy took a deep breath and stepped inside.

One minute he had been standing beside me, safe and sound, the next he had disappeared into the very den of the lion.

Murphy stepped forward, levelling his rifle at Bellamy's chest. "Get out ... Jasper ..." he snarled. "Now."

A half-muffled sob ripped through the air as Jasper's figure was suddenly shoved out of the door. Unable to stop himself, Jasper plunged, face first, into the dirt just outside of the drop-ship.

"Jasper!" I breathed as I fell to my knees beside his trembling body. "Jasper, are you okay?"

Jasper nodded wordlessly as he glanced up and stared, wide-eyed, at the drop-ship door.

CCRREEAAKK.

I jerked my head up, watching in horror as the door clanked shut.

Bellamy was stuck inside, alone, with a murderer who wanted to take his life!

Gif: Octavia as she watches the drop-ship door close for the second time.

XX