13 - REUNITED

[ REUNITED ]

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Murphy, within his in short time on the ground (which felt already felt like an eternity), had finally realised that he hated running.

He hated running, he hated his legs, he hated the stupid bugs, and he hated the branches and leaves that brushed against him all the damn time— He hated it all.

Well, not all of it. Part of him argued.

"Everyone, eyes peeled. We're in Grounder Territory." Bellamy reminded them all as they rushed through the forest.

Murphy sighed in exasperation. "Everything is Grounder territory, alright? I can't keep running." He stopped in his tracks. Bellamy and Finn, who were leading, turned to face him. "We don't even know if the guy Finn killed is telling the truth." Murphy added.

Finn approached him, grabbing his shoulder harshly and pulled him forward. "Keep moving. Move." Finn ordered as Murphy stumbled over his feet.

Bellamy pulled Finn back. "We can give them a minute."

"No, we can't." Finn denied. "You heard what that Grounder said: 'They'll outlive their usefulness'."

"I heard what he said when you had a gun to his head." Bellamy leaned towards Finn.

"Look, you think I wanted to do that?" Finn questioned. "He would've told his people we're coming, and by the time we got there our people would be dead. Maybe that's something you can live with, but I can't." Finn went to push past him but Bellamy shoved him back.

"I know you did what you think you had to do." Bellamy told Finn sternly. "But you are not yourself right now and I can't be out here with another loose cannon." Bellamy glanced over to Murphy at the last words.

Murphy rolled his eyes. He wasn't that crazy.

"You guys," Monroe suddenly spoke up, gesturing ahead of them where flies and insects buzzed around. . . Bodies.

"Fall in," Bellamy ordered lowly, taking the lead. They all followed, Murphy gulping at the sight of several bodies littered on the side of the path.

"Where the hell did they come from?" Murphy questioned, glancing around.

"From the Ark." Bellamy replied, not turning to look at him. They continued walking, following the path. Murphy hated how he side-stepped a rotting corpse on his way.

Soon the five of them reached a sort of clearing and a cliff. They approached it carefully, glancing down. "That's a rough landing," Murphy commented as they all stared down at a crashed part of the Ark far ahead of them.

After a moment of silence, Bellamy spoke up, backing away from the edge. "There's nothing we can do for these people." He announced, preparing to leave. "We gotta go."

They all turned to leave but a sound stop them. Whimpering. "Did you hear that?" Murphy rushed back over to the edge, peering down.

"Hey— Hey, there's someone down there." Monroe pointed. A young girl, maybe the same age as them or just younger clung helplessly to a branch on the side of the cliff, her only footing being on a very short ledge.

"Hey! Up here!" Bellamy called out to the girl.

"Please help me!" The girl cried out.

"Mel?" Sterling called out in confusion.

Mel, recognising her name, called out in response. "Help me!"

"You know her?" Murphy asked Sterling in surprise.

"Shut up, Murphy. She's my friend. We have to do something." Sterling rushed out. Finn glanced over to Bellamy in slight annoyance. Bellamy eyed him warily.

Sterling, fed up with the lack of action, moved away from the ledge, pulling out his rope from his bag. Finn turned to Bellamy and in a low voice told him, "We can't stop."

"This isn't a Grounder, Finn. We have a rope." Bellamy argued. Finn shook his head, sighing.

"You saw her. She'd never be able to hold onto it." Finn snapped back. "We'd have to lower somebody down. It'll take time that we don't have. I hate this as much as you do but our friends—"

"I know, okay? I know." Bellamy cut him off with a frown.

"Just hold on! Hold on!" Sterling was yelling out.

"We'll come back for her," Finn shared a look with Bellamy. Bellamy just stared back at him, something similar to shock in his eyes. "Okay?" Finn questioned.

Bellamy glanced at the ground, hating the idea of leaving this helpless girl to die. Especially when they had a chance right now, to save her.

Bellamy avoided Finn's impatient gaze and just nodded, feeling his stomach twist. "We're moving out," He announced, the words burning his tongue. He turned around but it was too late.

Sterling was already lowering himself down, rope tied to a near-by log and attached around his waist.

"I can't hang on!" Mel cried out.

"Yeah, well, it looks like we're taking that break after all, huh?" Murphy's smart mouth got the better of him and he turned away from the ledge.

After a moment of Murphy staring at the thin rope uneasily, Sterling's voice called out from below. "I'm almost there! Once I have her, pull us up!"

"Well, I'd say he's heard one too many of your motivational speeches." Murphy pursed his lips, looking over to Bellamy.

"Shut up, Murphy." Bellamy replied.

They watched as Sterling reached to Mel, holding out his hand for hers to grab. Suddenly, he let out a loud gasp and Mel shrieked. Murphy glanced over the edge carefully. The ledge, the only footing she had, was gone.

Seconds passed and Murphy became uneasy. Then he heard it. Suddenly, the rope slipped and untied, flying past Murphy's feet before he could grab it. The four on the cliff edge stumbled around and Murphy gripped onto Monroe as she got too close to the edge. Sterling's scream echoed as he fell to his death. He was gone.

Murphy watched eyes wide. He did not see that coming.

Okay, maybe he did. He just had hope that it wouldn't have happened.

Monroe, starting to panic, panted fast and backed away even more. Murphy let go of her slowly, eyes still trained down the cliff. Monroe turned away, lowering her head and placing her hands on her head.

Murphy couldn't find it in himself to comfort her. His gaze didn't leave the ledge.

Bellamy gulped. "Mel! Mel, hold on. Focus on me. You can do this."

"No!" Mel sobbed.

"Yes, you can. You're strong." Bellamy told her.

"I'm not strong." Mel denied. "Stubborn, maybe."

"So be stubborn a little longer," Bellamy replied. "Yeah, I'm not gonna let you die. You hear me?"

Mel nodded, still whimpering and holding on for dear life. "Okay." She cried.

"We're out of rope." Finn stated in annoyance, facing Bellamy.

"So we make a new one." Bellamy argued, hellbent on saving the girl. Murphy admitted he admired it.

"If anything happens to our friends—" Finn began.

"We don't know if we can save our friends!" Bellamy raised his voice. "For all we know, they may be dead already."

Murphy glanced between the two boys and Mel, clenching his jaw.

"We've all thought it." Bellamy admitted. "But what we do know is that we can save this one girl."

"Sterling was one of us." Monroe spoke up. "She was his friend. I'm in."

Murphy glanced at her before back at the ground. Friendship. He hadn't had much of that except for Sayah.

Sayah. The girl who truly had the biggest heart.

Murphy raised his chin, making up his mind. "How do we do it?" He questioned, determined.

If Bellamy was surprised at his choice to help, he didn't show it. "We make new rope from the wreckage. Go find wires, seatbelts, anything."

Murphy nodded and then turned to Monroe. "Come on," He grabbed her shoulder lightly, bringing her along with him to help search.

Finn and Bellamy shared a glance. "I hope you're right about this." Was all Finn said before walking away. Bellamy swallowed the lump in his throat.

"So do I."

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"Alright, ease it out slowly." Murphy ordered as they held the make-shift rope they had made from what they could scavenge. Bellamy had chosen to be the one to go down. Murphy was unsure of the decision (he was also unsure of when he decided he didn't want Bellamy to die), but didn't object.

Bellamy was lowered carefully, Murphy gripping the rope as tightly as he could to ensure that if it was to slip — which he hoped it wouldn't considering Finn and Monroe were also holding it — he would do his best to hold on to it.

Wow, not wanting Bellamy dead: people really do change.

"I'm almost there," Bellamy called.

Murphy felt the gravel beneath his feet roll slightly, causing him to feel the tiniest bit anxious. It wasn't really that stable. He ignored it, focusing on the task at hand.

He shuffled a bit feeling the heavier weight add onto the rope: that meant Bellamy had her. Okay, this was it. "I got her! Pull us up!" Bellamy called out.

"Don't you worry, Bellamy. I won't drop you." Murphy commented, soon realising that it probably wasn't the most encouraging statement.

"Just pull, Murphy." Finn ordered in annoyance at his comment. And so Murphy did. It was a lot heavier and he was unsure if his arms were even made out for this kind of thing. "Come on, Murphy." Finn encouraged again, gritting his teeth.

And then suddenly, as if it was a test of Murphy's strength, the two pieces of seatbelt tied together came loose. Murphy, not planning on failing to catch it again, gripped it with one arm, letting out a grunt of pain. Monroe and Finn fell back, leaving Murphy to hold onto it himself.

Bellamy and Mel dropped a bit lower at the action. Murphy struggled to hold both sides of the rope, feeling like his arms were literally being torn apart with intense force. And they essentially were.

"Come on, a little help!" Murphy struggled, his feet not finding their balance. Finn rushed back up and both boys grabbed the single rope that held Bellamy and Mel. With grunts, they used all their strength as best they could.

"Monroe! Come pull!" Finn grunted. She was quick to join them, gripping Finn's arm before grabbing a hold on the rope along with them.

"What the hell is happening up there?!" Bellamy's voice bellowed.

"Just hold on!" Finn cried back.

And as if their day couldn't get any worse. . . an arrow struck beside them. And then what Murphy felt like was ten more also flew past. "Grounders!" Monroe yelled.

"Cover us! Go!" Finn ordered, passing her a rifle. Monroe took it quickly.

"How many are there?" Bellamy questioned loudly.

"We can't see them!" Finn replied before turning slightly to Monroe, who fired her gun. "In the trees! Aim for the trees!"

A spear suddenly flew towards them, landing just between Finn and Murphy. Finn slid away just in time, once again leaving Murphy to hold onto it himself.

But Finn rushed back just as fast, groaning as they continued pulling. Monroe kept shooting, until an arrow flew straight into her thigh. She yelped out in pain.

Murphy shook his head fast. "He's gonna need to cut her loose, We can't do this— Bellamy, you gotta cut her loose!" Murphy yelled in desperation.

"No way!" Bellamy yelled back.

Suddenly, the familiar sound of foghorn resonated through the air. Acid fog.

"Monroe, back on the rope! Come on!" Finn ordered. Monroe slide back over, ignoring her injury and pulled once more. With grunts they continued pulling, Murphy rolled around slightly, trying to use his body strength.

And suddenly, two heads peeked up and climbed over the edge. Mel landed on Finn with a groan. "Thank you, thank you." She breathed out.

Murphy shared a look with Bellamy who eyed a pile of rope in his hand. Bellamy simply nodded slowly at him, a look of understanding passing between them.

"We have to take cover from the fog." Finn suddenly announced, still panting.

"Bellamy?" A voice rang out. Bellamy's head glanced up, and his eyes widened.

It was Octavia.

"No, we don't." Bellamy replied to Finn, getting up on his feet. "She blew the horn." Monroe realised.

Murphy turned his head to the Blake girl only for his heart to burst.

Octavia wasn't alone.

It was Sayah. His Sayah.

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Sayah felt her knees go weak.

"John?" She breathed out as his eyes met hers. Murphy stumbled up, getting to his feet as Sayah approached him.

They met eachother in the middle and Sayah let out a breathy laugh of relief, cupping his face. "I thought I lost you." Her voice was shaky.

She scanned over his face, tracing over every single detail she recognised from the picture she kept in her mind. Murphy didn't say anything, just pulled her into his arms. She embraced him back just as tightly.

"I thought I'd never see you again," He mumbled sadly as she dug her head into the crook of his neck. She sniffed and pulled away, shaking her head.

"I'm here," She nodded, a relieved grin on her face. Murphy leaned in, placing his forehead against hers. "I'm here."

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"Thank god you guys came when you did," Monroe winced as Octavia helped stop the bleeding on her thigh.

"We were going back to your camp when we heard the gunshots." Sayah replied, squeezing Murphy's hand in her own.

Bellamy eyed how Murphy glanced at Sayah and smiled. He had never seen Murphy smile like that.

"I thought you were leaving with Lincoln." Murphy furrowed his brows. Sayah shared a look with Octavia who glanced away after a moment. Murphy didn't miss it.

"Hey, what is it?" Murphy spoke softly to her, concern evident in his tone. The delinquents around them pretended to ignore how Murphy's personality easily switched up from annoying and cheeky, to soft and caring. It was definitely new.

"He's gone." Sayah simply said. A silence fell over the group. Murphy watched how Sayah shifted her weight onto her other foot; she was uncomfortable.

"We'll talk about it later?" Murphy whispered to her, knowing now wasn't the best time. Sayah glanced over to Bellamy who approached Octavia with sad eyes. She nodded quickly and cleared her throat.

"The Grounders will be back, so we need to go. Now." Octavia spoke clearly.

"Sayah, the arrow. . ." Octavia glanced towards Sayah. Sayah nodded, before turning to Murphy. "It's poisoned."

"I need to take them home," Bellamy spoke, referring to Monroe and Mel. Sayah furrowed her brows.

"What about your friends?" She questioned.

"Finn will go, we have a map." Bellamy nodded before turning to Murphy. "Murphy. . ." Murphy raised one eyebrow in interest.

Bellamy glanced over to Finn before approaching Murphy. "You'll go with Finn—"

"What?" Sayah glanced between them. "Well, fine. If John's going, so am I—"

"I need you and Octavia to come with us. We can't get them home without you two." Bellamy told her.

Sayah pursed her lips. Murphy wasn't exactly happy with the idea of being separated again either. But he sighed. "It's fine, Sayah. We'll see each other soon."

Sayah gave him an uneasy glance before looking to Octavia. Murphy noticed that something had changed between the two girls.

"Okay." Sayah nodded. "I shall go with you to your camp. John will go with Finn."

Bellamy nodded gratefully before handing Murphy a rifle. "Watch his back," He referred to Finn. Murphy nodded. Sayah eyed the weapon with a blank expression.

Murphy met her eyes and smirked. "Aren't I just the hottest Sky boy you've ever seen?" He posed dramatically.

Sayah rolled her eyes with a smile. "Go. Bring your people back." They embraced once more, Murphy holding her a bit tighter.

"Be safe." She whispered. He kissed her forehead lightly before following after Finn who had already began leaving.

"You're blushing." Octavia raised her eyebrows as she watched Sayah stare off to where Murphy had disappeared.

"Quiet," Sayah rolled her eyes. Bellamy's lips twitched up a little at the interaction.

"Let's go home," He spoke up. Octavia nodded, linking her fingers with Sayah's.

   Sayah didn't even think about the fact that she was the enemy to these people. . . and now they were heading to their camp.

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a/n

YAY they reunited🥰i was excited to write this scene but i feel like it couldve been so much better :/anyways its still good news

^ murphy praying that his lil arms will not become spaghetti so bellamy wont die