CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

 "I am at most a glorified nurse." 

 ***

"We're leaving." 

My eyes were torn away from the grey, ashy dirt, and to Finn, who was staring down at me with a curled lip and pinned eyebrows. Bellamy shifted from beside, me, standing up and leaving me chained to the tree. "What do you mean?" 

 "I mean they're bringing us back to the Ark," his eyes flashed over to Raven, who was being carried out by two burly men. "They said it's the best option." 

 "But if our friends come back, this the first place they'll look." Bellamy defended, and they both turned to look at me, like I was the one who could make this decision. I scoffed, tugging slightly at the cuffs, although I knew it was a fruitless attempt. 

 "Do I look like someone in the best position to make a decision right now?" I asked, leaning my head against the rough tree stump, "Raven needs help, that's obvious, and the Ark might have the supplies to help her." When the looks from the two boys were still blank as the ground, I rolled my eyes and continued, "I think we should go, and then leave again to look for everyone else." 

 "Nate," Bellamy hissed through his teeth, crouching down so we were face-to-face, "who knows what their methods of arresting are on the ground? You are technically old enough to be executed." 

 I let my eyes drift over to Kane, who was talking in hushed whispers to a very worried looking Abby, "I don't think these guys are still the way they were." 

 "But you don't know that." 

 "It's a pretty good guess," I let my voice trail off when the same two guards who were carrying Raven walked over to us, making Bellamy jump up to avoid being run over. One of them walked around to undo the chain tying my arms around the tree, but they made no move to unlatch the handcuffs. 

 "Hey, I can walk by myself!" I snapped when one of them shoved me forward a little too hard and I almost tripped over a rock. Bellamy jumped in front, resting a firm hand on my arm and glaring a the guards. 

 "We'll walk." 

 They shared a look, but didn't object. Bellamy guided me over to Finn, and together, we walked towards a world that didn't exist until today. 

 ***

 The worst thing about being locked up in the new Ark station, Alpha Station, is that I am alone with Murphy. 

 "You're looking good, Masteron." He drawled, but I didn't look up, I just continued staring at the ground, a habit I have gotten into recently. Murphy chuckled, and I wondered if I looked as bad as he does. Covered in blood and dirt like it is a second skin.  "How'd your whole 'war' fantasy turn out." 

 I bit my lip, and since I am me, I just had to respond, "how'd your whole 'running off like the spineless asshole you are' thing turn out?" 

 "Would you have let me live?" 

 "Murphy, if I wasn't handcuffed you would have been dead at that camp." 

 The boy himself scoffed in disbelief, moving hi knees up and resting his arms on them. "What happened to your whole 'sassy guy who doesn't like fighting' outlook? You were the one who didn't want to hang me at the camp. 

 My chest burned in the effort to not lash out, "that's because I'm not an idiot. If they killed the wrong person, there would still be a murderer in the camp." 

 "Yeah, a little girl."  

 I clenched my teeth tighter, "I don't want to talk to you, Murphy." 

 He hummed, leaning his head back and making me do a double take when I saw that there was still a light indent carved into his pale skin from the rope. I wonder if there will always be one on Bellamy too. 

 The silence didn't last long, "who was the Grounder chick you were with? You two seemed pretty nice to each other." 

 "She helped me, I helped her." I answered blandly, "she owes me, so she isn't going to kill me, and I am not gonna hurt her." 

 "To be fair, I'd like to see you try-" 

 Even though he was one hundred percent correct, I still narrowed my eyes as Murphy continued. 

 "Didn't she cut open your stomach?" 

 My eyes flew up from the floor to stare at Murphy, who looked pleased that he finally got a reaction from me, "how the hell did you know that?" 

 "You'd be surprised how many people talk in that camp," he smirked, cracking his knuckles and licking his cracked lips. I saw that his fingernails were slowly beginning to grow back, but his skin was still raw, and looked quite painful. 

 "You need to get those cleaned and bandaged." I blurted, wishing I didn't care enough to keep quiet, it was instinct. I saw a cut, I immediately thought of a way to clean it. It kind of sucks sometimes, especially since I only know medical things because I grew up alongside a doctor. 

 Murphy's eyes drifted to his hands, a smirk still tugging at his lips. Before he could make a snarky comeback, the door flew open, and Kane rushed in, ignoring Murphy and staring right at me. To my surprise, Bellamy was right behind him. "Nathaniel, Abby needs you in medical now." 

 "What?" I fumbled with something to say as Kane hurriedly undid my cuffs, helping me to my feet as I rubbed the feeling back into my hands, "what's wrong?" 

 "Raven's in surgery," Bellamy explained, "she needs more hands." 

 "M-Me?" I blanched as Kane lightly pushed me to the door, "why me? I am at most a glorified nurse." 

 "That's something she needs. Bellamy agreed to answer some questions." 

 My mind was racing almost as fast as my heart as Kane lead me down the pristine hallway toward the medical wing. Bellamy jogged to keep up with the steady pace, and I stumbled at the fast pace we were moving. "Bellamy?" 

 "Yes." Kane flipped around so he was facing me. All of this was happening to fast for me, I didn't know what to say. "Good luck." 

 His face was the last thing I saw before the doors closed, and another set of hands grabbed me. 

 Abby and her sidekick-sorry, Jackson- were standing around the bed, Raven was lying face down on it. Her shirt had been cut off to reveal a bruise as big as my hand on her lower back. The bullet, internal breathing. 

 "Nate," her voice was dangerously quiet when she caught sight of me. She looked scared, pale, sweaty, and terrified. Finn returned to his spot next to her, grabbing her hand and muttering something under his breath to the girl.

 We had to cut her open, without anesthesia? 

 I muttered a small array of swear words as Abby guided me over to her back. "I need you to hold the skin open while I take out the bullet, and Jackson monitors her vitals." She explained, making my arms begin to shake uncontrollably, and bile rise to my throat. I have to hold open her skin? While she's still alive? 

 "I-I-" I couldn't choke out enough words to form a sentence, and sweat began to tick to my hair. "I-" 

 "I'm sorry, Nate." Abby laid a hand on my arm, her other one being occupied by a sinister looking scalpel. I swallowed, although it was harder than I thought it would be. "But we have to do this now, or she will die." 

 Won't she die if we cut her open while she's still alive?

 I didn't say that though, I just watched as Abby showed me where to put pressure. I did so, my hands quivering. I forced a breath down my constricted throat as Raven whimpered slightly. 

 "Okay, in three, two-" 

 Abby pressed the knife into he tanned skin of Raven's back, making her groan, and then scream loudly, the sound piercing through every inch of my being as Abby made another cut, and I moved my hands to lightly pull the skin away, soaking my hands with blood and making Raven's screams intensify.  My eyes wanted to shut, to block out all of the blood rushing over my hands like the worlds most horrifying river. Raven's screams turned hoarse and weaker, until they fully faded out. 

"What happened?" I shouted, but Jackson's face didn't turn grave, so I figured she must still be alive. 

 "She passed out from the pain." 

"I am almost done." Abby gritted her teeth in concentration, and for a few more seconds that felt like hours, I just held my press. 

 "Pressure!" She ordered as soon as the bullet was out, and I pressed my hands against the wound so hard they turned slightly white. Raven's back rose in rythmic breathing. 

 She was alive, it was okay. 

 For now. 

 A/N: Hi guys, sorry for the short chapter, but I have some things I need to share with you guys, special shout out to PicCollage for making it so I could create these: 

I don't know why I did this, but I think they are awesome, so I have no regrets. 

 Thanks for reading, and lots of love!