3 - INTRUDERS

[ INTRUDERS ]

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   "So this. . . chancellor?" Sayah asks. "He would 'float' any of the criminals when they turn a certain age?"

Murphy nods. Sayah continues talking. "And you and 100 other criminals were sent here, from the sky, to see if you could live down here?"

Murphy nods again. "101, including Bellamy—"

"Who' s the leader, along with the blonde girl, Clarke." Sayah notes aloud, more-so to herself.

"Yeah," Murphy replies. "To protect Octavia."

"Octavia?" Sayah questions. She furrows her brows in thought. "Oh, the sister." She realises.

Murphy nods lazily. "Yes."

Sayah leans back and nods. "I'll have to tell a messenger everything, let Heda know. . ." She mutters.

"What? The Commander?" Murphy questions. "No! She'll kill us."

"She already wants you all dead." Sayah deadpans. "You're lucky you are even still alive yourself, I had orders to kill you." She adds.

Murphy pauses. "You did?"

"Of course not," Sayah rolls her eyes. "I was ordered to get information out of you and make sure you don't escape," She glances at his wrists. "Which I doubt will happen." Murphy huffs at her words, annoyed.

"Should've killed me. I'm better off dead."

"Why do you say that?" Her voice is gentle.

   "No one there likes me. I don't blame them. I treated them harshly. And I was willing to kill a child. . ."

"The child was in the wrong." Sayah states, remembering what Murphy had told her about the situation. "You never should have been punished the way you were, Murphy — you were innocent."

   "And yet they hung me," He snarls. "And watched me nearly suffocate."

   Sayah glances at the gravel, not knowing what to say. It was truly a horrible action. But she remembers that their traditions weren't any nicer. "You were wrong about killing the girl." Sayah speaks up. "She deserved punishment but not death. Killing a person in cold blood haunts you forever. She should've lived with the guilt."

"And now I have to." He mumbles so quietly that Sayah misses it.

She sighs before getting up. "I have to go." She announces. "Stay quiet."

Murphy nods, Sayah can tell his mind is somewhere else.

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After a late training session, Sayah washes her face with water and enters the main area of the village. It's quiet but it is late, so Sayah is not surprised. She looks up to the sky when she hears it.

Then she sees it.

Something was coming down from the sky. Murphy spoke about his people coming down. Is this them?

"Sayah. Sayah!" A hushed voice calls out to her. She turns her head to the voice, spotting Lincoln. He motions for her to follow him. She obliges. She catches up to him and realises they were walking to the cave where Murphy was being held.

"What is it?"

"Quiet." Lincoln whispers. Sayah furrows her brows. Lincoln began to speak. "Did the boy speak of this?"

"Boy?" Sayah questions.

Lincoln looks on the verge of rolling his eyes. "The prisoner."

"Murphy? Yes, and no. He never mentioned that more of his people would come down so soon. Only that they would if they believe that is it safe down here." Sayah explains.

"There are more coming?" Lincoln mumbles, his gaze to the ground.

Sayah takes a deep breath. "It would seem so."

They enter the familiar cave. Murphy's face seems to lighten up a little at the sight of Sayah. His face falls when he sees Lincoln trailing behind her.

"What is it?" He questions, noticing how they both look at him as if they know of something he doesn't.

"There is something coming down from the sky." Sayah tells him. "What could it be?"

Murphy glances between the two grounders. "Was it big?"

"How big is big?" Sayah asks, brows furrowed. Murphy thinks for a moment, gaze down.

"It might just be a pod full of supplies. Those bastards are smart; they might've contacted the Ark and asked for supplies." He meets Sayah's confused eyes.

"Supplies?"

"Yeah. Food, water, medicine." Murphy explains.

"Weapons?" Lincoln questions.

Murphy thinks for a moment. "No, as if they'd give us weapons. But. . ." His face falls.

"What?" Sayah questions.

"There'd be a radio." He states.

"Radio?"

"A communication device." Murphy explains. "It'd mean they could get in contact with the Ark if they haven't already. If the Ark are told it's safe down here, they'll—"

"Come down." Lincoln finishes.

"It'd be war." Sayah states, facing Lincoln. "We have to speak to Anya. People will die. Innocent people; children—" Sayah begins.

"I know, Sayah. We will figure it out. For now, we make sure this one," Lincoln motions to Murphy. "Is still here."

Murphy stays silent. Sayah purses her lips. "I'll watch him."

Lincoln glances at Murphy and then at Sayah. "Goodnight Sayah, we will get our orders at sunrise."

"Goodnight."

Lincoln leaves. Murphy sighs. "He's tense."

"He's good." Sayah replies, sitting down on the boulder once more. "He doesn't want a war."

"And, do you?" Murphy questiones.

"Me? I don't know what I want. Maybe just for the people I care about to live."

"Your family?"

"Lincoln is my family." Sayah responds.

   "What about your mother or father?" Murphy asks. Sayah is quiet for a moment before she purses her lips and replies:

   "A story for another time."

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   "Sayah. Up! Up!" Lincoln's voice awakes her. Sayah sits up from her bed, rubbing her eyes.

   "What is it?" Her voice is raspy.

   "The village. West of us. It was attacked." Lincoln states. Sayah's eyes widen.

   "The children—"

   "Only some survived." He cuts her off. Her lips part. She moves quickly, brushing past Lincoln and grabbing her appropriate armour. "What type of attack?"

   "They say a sky attack." He explains. She pauses. "Was it them? The Sky People?"

   Lincoln scoffs. "Who else would it be? The whole village. . . burned to the ground." Sayah doesn't reply to that.

   "Leave. I shall meet you outside." She tells him lowly. Lincoln obliges.

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   "They're inside our territory." Lincoln informs Sayah as they walk through the busy village. Sayah furrows her brows. Why? Then it hits her. Murphy.

   "Brother, it's Murphy. They've come for him." Sayah tells him.

   Lincoln seems confused. "But you said he told you that they didn't care for him — they banished him. Left him to die."

   "Perhaps they need him back. Or they've come to kill him themselves— Whatever reason it may be, why else would they come to us? Is it all of them?"

   "No."

  "Then they're outnumbered if their plans are to fight." Sayah explains. Lincoln sighs.

   "I'm going with the group to deal with them," He says.

   "Let me grab my things—"

   "No. If what you say is true, and the boy—"

   "Murphy." She corrects without thinking.

   He continues. "Then you need to watch him. This could be a planned attack of some sort. Just stay here."

   Sayah clenches her jaw. "Fine. Stay alive."

   Lincoln and her grip each others wrists before pulling each other into a hug. "Go." He tells her before leaving with the others. Sayah purses his lips before heading to Murphy's cave.

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   "They attacked a village? Are you sure?"

   Sayah didn't respond for a moment. "Some sky attack." She explains. "Many lost their lives. Only very little survived."

   Murphy stares at the ground then back to her. "Sayah, they wouldn't purposely attack a village— Not unless they had done something to them. Bellamy and Clarke are indeed assholes," He scowls, remembering the night they banished him. "But Finn is also there, and he's all for peace."

   Sayah shakes her head. "Doesn't matter. Heda has been informed. They will pay eventually. Accident or not."

   "You don't believe me?"

   "It doesn't matter what I believe." Sayah is quick to reply. Murphy stays silent for a moment.

   "I've been thinking," He begins before letting out a sigh. Why was he doing this? God, he'd end up torturing himself soon if he keeps acting this way towards this girl. "I wanted to say. . . thank you," He winces at the words.

   Sayah seems amused. "It seems those are words you don't say very often."

   "You'd be correct to assume that."

   "I feel honoured, John Murphy." She smiles a little. Murphy hates that he likes the sound of his name when she says it. "But what for?"

   "For not killing me on the cliff,"

   Sayah inhales. "I was following—"

   "Orders, yeah I know." Murphy stops her. "I get that, but. . ." But something tells me if it was anyone else, they would've done it in a heartbeat, orders or not. He wants to say but instead his clears his throat. "Yeah. Just. . . thanks."

   Sayah's gaze falls to the floor. "You surprise me, Murphy." She murmurs.

   He hums in reply, eyes glancing up at her in confusion before he knits his brows. "I don't understand."

   Sayah holds his gaze, lips turning up slightly at the corners. She lowers her head but says nothing else. Murphy admits to himself that the silence between them is nice. Comforting.

   He was an idiot. Hell, he knew he was. But he also knew that he would die soon, one day, either by her own hand, or someone else's. He couldn't stay in the cave forever, he couldn't share everything, could he?

   He could, to survive. It was either that or be tortured. He glances up at Sayah, who is silent, brows pulled together in thought. He wonders if she would do it. He wonders if she'd regret it, maybe even feel guilty. Maybe. Deep, deep down. Maybe.

   Maybe not. She's a warrior. He wouldn't be her first victim. But it was hard to ignore that she seemed the same age as him, and even though he was John Murphy, supposed psycho of the delinquents (what a stupid title), doing anything of the sort did for a moment. . . have him feel a tinge of guilt.

   But it was washed away as soon as the rope was around his neck, and as soon as Bellamy stood in front of him with eyes that told him Murphy meant nothing to him. Even though he was innocent.

   "Dial it down, and back off." Were Bellamy's words, stern, demanding, an order. But Murphy wasn't taking orders from anyone anymore. Not then. Not now.

   But it was different for Sayah. She had orders, and so far she had stuck by them. Sure, Murphy noticed she was more gentle and kinder than what he would've assumed a Grounder guard would be like, but at the end of the day, when she was ordered to know more, would he tell her? Or would he stay silent—knowing she'd have to rip away the kind-friendly-guard act, and get her own way?

   Was he scared? Of her? Not at the moment. Of what she might do if he didn't strike first? A little. So as John Murphy sat, chained, tired, hungry and banished, he planned out how he would do what he was made for—survival.

   He glanced back up at Sayah, who still was frowning, hard to read, but obviously gentle-hearted, he had noticed that much already. Yeah, he was right. She was his only way. Would he turn her? Too difficult. Befriend her? He had never been good at friends.

   He'd do what he'd have to survive, though. See how long that lasts.

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   "Just come quickly." Lincoln orders, dragging Sayah by the wrist. Sayah narrows her eyes. "What did you do this time?" She whispers harshly, following him into one of the caves.

   Sayah nearly walks into his back as he stops abruptly. "Lincoln, whatever it is—" She stops herself and instead lets out a gasp at what she sees.

   It was one of the sky people. A girl.

   "Silly boy!" Sayah shoves him before rushing towards her cautiously. Sayah spots dry blood coated on her forehead as she slowly brushes some hair out of her face, careful not to wake her up.

   "Is one sky person not enough?" Sayah turns towards him, her voice low. Lincoln keeps his gaze on the girl.

   "She fell and hit her head. If it was anyone else that'd found her—"

   "She'd be dead." Sayah mutters. "Yes, that's true. But her people will come for her." Sayah glances at the girl.

   "She did something to her knee as well, but. . ." He clears his throat. "I fixed it best I could."

   Sayah furrows her brows, confused as to why Lincoln had helped this girl. They were the enemy, weren't they? She confused herself even more when asking the question.

   Sayah notices that the more time she spends with Murphy, the more her opinion on the Sky People changes. "How long have you had her?" She asks Lincoln.

   He takes a moment to answer. "That's who they came looking for. I kept her here before, but she escaped." He explains. "She would've been killed out there so I brought her back."

   So it wasn't Murphy they wanted. It was the girl. "And chained her up?" Sayah questions, referring to the shackles.

   Lincoln didn't seemed fazed. "Unless you want her to escape again, then yes. I chained her up."

   "Her brother is out there. . ." Lincoln mumbles. "She said he is coming; looking for her."

   "The brother. . ." Sayah whispers, before widening her eyes. "Yes, they're siblings! The girl. . ." Sayah tries to remember the name Murphy had told her.

   "Her brother, he's one of the leaders of them." She explains.

   "Sayah. . ." Lincoln meets her eyes. "I can't let him die."

   Sayah furrows her brows. "What do you mean?"

   He glances towards the girl for a moment then back to Sayah. "I have to call the scouts off." He trudges past her, a determined look on his face.

   "How will you do that? They've been ordered to kill the intruders. It might even be too late."

   "Then I'll have to hurry." Lincoln responds before leaving quickly. Sayah watches him go with confusion all over her features. It seems she wasn't the only one questioning who's side they were on.

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   Sayah hated to admit that the foghorn was a good idea to get the scouts back. But what she didn't understand was Lincoln's sudden change of heart. Why did he want them alive? It wasn't to kill them himself, Sayah knew Lincoln wasn't like that. He was too kind-hearted.

   "Should've let them die." Murphy mumbles, eyes closed with his head leaning against the rock wall.

   "You are indeed cruel, Murphy." Sayah comments.

   "And you aren't?" He cracks open an eye. "You were willing to kill us all."

   "I have my orders." She defends. "As well as the fact that you landed in our home."

   "It was our home too," He replies, sitting up straighter, eyes wide but serious. "I guess."

   She snorts slightly. Murphy hides his smile. Sayah eyes him intently. There was something about him. She couldn't understand it. "Do you miss your family?" Sayah questions suddenly. Murphy's lips part. Sayah realises she may have gone too far.

   "I'm sorry—"

   "It's fine." Murphy reassures her. "Really, it is. I think we were going to dive into this topic sooner or later."

   Sayah ignores how he implies that they would eventually share details about their lives with one another. Did he think they were close enough for that? She didn't know who the fool was in the situation: herself, asking personal questions with her prisoner, or him, starting to believe that there was something similar to a friendship between them.

   Murphy clears his throat. "I got sick, on the Ark." He begins. "My father he. . . he stole medicine for me. He was caught and arrested. You remember what I told you about the laws up there?"

   Sayah nods. He purses his lips. "They floated him. My mom, she started drinking. Too much. She drank heavily and she. . ." He pauses, letting out a sigh. Sayah glances down, already knowing what he meant. "The last thing she said was. . . was that I killed my father."

   Sayah looks up at him again, only to see him looking at down at the gravel. He wipes one eye with the back of his hand and Sayah stands up and approaches him.

   She crouches down and takes a seat next to him. "I'm sorry, Murphy." He doesn't reply. "Don't blame yourself. Your father did what he could for you; he was willing to sacrifice himself for you."

   She hesitantly wraps her arms around him. She didn't understand it, what she was doing, but she didn't care. All Sayah could think about was how much she wanted to be held every time she spoke or thought about her parents. So, that's what she did. She held him.

   Sayah feels him tense beneath her but after a few seconds he relaxes and leans into her. "Feel special, not many people know that." He mumbles, his humour somehow finding it's way through again. Sayah hums in slight amusement.

   "Are you tired?" She whispers.

   "A little." He replies, just as quietly.

   "Would you like me to go?" She questions softly. Murphy is quiet for what Sayah feels like is centuries. She considers letting him go before he can answer and running out of the cave in embarrassment but his shaky reply changes her mind.

   "Please stay."

   Sayah only nods and he leans into her even more. She doesn't resist. She only wonders, as she hears his soft breathing and calm heartbeat, when she had decided to attach herself to this boy so deeply. And why didn't she regret it?

   He was just a boy. Just as she was just a girl. But he was strong, she could tell. Maybe if things were different. But things weren't. This is who they are. Enemies. Although it was different to remember when she had her arms wrapped around him.

   Her gut was screaming at her, enraged, disappointed. She could only brush it away. She knew, she knew, she knew this was bad. But it was too late now.

   He knew that too. She could tell by the way his breathing slows, and his body seems to melt into her own. He was giving up, giving in. He was a fool.

   So was she.

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   Murphy falls asleep in her arms only a few moments later. She goes against the part of her that wishes to stay with him, instead gently detaching herself from him and leaving the cave, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

   Maybe she really was the fool. Maybe she had been wrong about him. And maybe part of her — more than just part of her (but she'd never admit it) — welcomed it. Maybe this is what she wanted. She didn't even know herself.

   Her mind races as she travels to Lincoln's cave, determined to distract herself and go and check up on him and the Sky Girl he had. Anyone would think they were twins: capturing Sky people and beginning to go against themselves.

   As she slowly enters the cave, the sound of a loud grunt and moving metal causes Sayah to move quicker. She turns around the corner to see Lincoln on the ground, and the girl standing over him, a rock in her hands.

   Sayah and the girl's eyes meet. Sayah raises her hands in surrender. The girl just watches her, fear swimming in her eyes. Sayah glances at Lincoln then back at the girl.

   Sayah takes one step forward. The girl raises her hands with the rock, ready to hit her. Sayah pauses.

   "Let me go," The girl says.

   Sayah breathes heavily, glancing between her brother and the girl. "Let me go and I won't hurt you." The girl says again.

   Sayah wants to laugh. To tell her she can cause no harm but her eyes stay glued to Lincoln. He could be dead. He could be dead right now because he decided to save this girl, and now maybe karma decided to visit him in the shape of a rock.

   "The key," The girl says to her. "Where's the key?" Her voice shakes and Sayah can tell she's scared. "Where's the key?!" The girl's voice grows louder as she repeats herself and tries to escape the chains. Sayah brings one finger to her lips. Quiet. She signals.

   The girl freezes. Sayah hopes she knows that if she isn't quiet, more people will come and when they do, one look at Lincoln on the ground: they will not hesitate to kill her like Sayah has.

   "Just please. . . please tell me where the key is." The girl begs. "The key," She grasps the lock attached to her chains. "The key for this,"

   She thinks I don't understand. Sayah purses her lips.

   She sighs. Lincoln helped this girl for a reason. She trusts Lincoln. Sayah nods. The girl's face relaxes slightly. "Yes," She breathes. Sayah points to Lincoln. "It's on him?" The girl asks. "Please get it," She begs. "Please."

   Sayah, knowing she'll probably regret her actions, grabs the key carefully, watching the girl's movements with the rock in case she decides to do the same to her what she did to Lincoln.

   She grabs the key and hesitantly passes it to the girl. The girl takes it quickly, immediately using it to unlock the chains. She struggles and Sayah doesn't know whether to help her or not. She ignores it, leaning down towards Lincoln and checking his pulse; he's alive. Sayah lets out a small sigh of relief.

   Suddenly, footsteps are heard. Both girl's heads snap to the entrance. Sayah glances towards the girl, motioning her to move faster. She does so without hesitation. Sayah gulps, gripping her knife in her thigh, hoping that she won't have to end a friend's life — just because she decided to go against orders.

   "No," The girl whispers. "Get down, pretend I hit you."

   Sayah furrows her brows. If she does that and it's a scout she'll die. "If it's my people, they'll kill you! Do it! Do it now!" The girl persists. Sayah clenches her jaw but lies down beside Lincoln anyway. She closes her eyes.

   "Bellamy?" She hears the girl call out. A Sky Person.

   "Octavia." A deep voice replies. Sayah feels steps around her.

   "Here, let me." The deep voice says. She hears more footsteps. There's more of them. She cracks open an eye slighly, but is met with Lincoln's unconscious face.

   "Monroe, watch the entrance." The deep voice calls. Sayah hears unravelling of chains then shackles falling to the ground. She glances up to see Lincoln open his eyes slowly. They glance at eachother, trying to communicate with their eyes.

   Lincoln scans her face. She tells he is looking for any injuries.

   "We should go now," She hears the girl. "Before they wake up."

   "They're not gonna wake up." A deep voice replies.

   Sayah searches Lincoln's face for any indication of a plan. "Bellamy, stop. They didn't hurt me. Let's just go." The girl says. Sayah watches Lincoln close his eyes, urging her to do the same since he wouldn't have done it without a reason.

   "They started this. Finn, move." Lincoln was right. There was someone crouched beside him.

   "Foghorn," Another voice whispers. Sayah controls the urge to open her eyes. Lincoln has the foghorn. That means they're closest to him. Sayah waits for any movement. "And this girl, there's no sign of a head injury. No blood, nothing. Octavia, did you hit her or—"

   Then Sayah hears the shuffling of Lincoln and a grunt. She gets up as well. One of the boys are on the ground with a stab wound. Lincoln trips another boy and Sayah goes to help but the girl calls out to her.

   "Please don't!" She yells, holding the injured boy. Lincoln has the spear pointed at the another boy's throat as he struggles to hold it back. "Stop! That's my brother!" The girl yells once more. Sayah moves forward, ready to pull Lincoln away but before she can, she feels something hard hit her in the back of the head. Everything goes black.

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a/n

it's so weird seeing everyone in s1

^ murphy when asked "how is big is big?" 😌😌

^ octavia when lincoln held the spear to bellamy's throat