Fallen

Chapter Twenty-One: Red

Ash and the other eleven on the run hide in the hall.

"It's cramp in here," someone mutters.

"Octavia did this for seventeen years," Ash reminds them. "I think we can last a couple days."

Someone goes to speak, but Ash covers their mouth. She can hear the door opening.

"Mrs. Ryan," a male voice states.

"Emerson," the woman responds. Ash could hear the fake smile. "Please. Come in."

Through the small slits, she can see Emerson and a few other guards enter. 

"We're looking for the murderers from level five."

"Well, as you can see, there is no one here but me. Plus my home has already been checked."

"Just a follow up ma'am."

Ash motions for the others to remain quiet. As one of the guards come close to the false wall, she holds her breath. The guard blocks her view of what is going on. However she can hear all the commotion going on. It sounds like they are tossing furniture. She can sort of hear a walkie go off a static voice that she can't make out.

"Check the walls," Emerson orders. Ash pushes the others back some just as the wall opens up. A gun is aimed directly at them. She tries to make sure she is in between the barrel of the gun and the others. She flinches as a gun goes off, however feels nothing. A thud comes from behind the guards. 

"We found twelve more," Emerson says into the walkie. He motions for them to exit from where they are hiding. Ash cautiously walks out with her hands up. Emerson handcuffs her as they drag the others out. In the corner of her eye, she can see Mrs. Ryan had been shot in the head.

"And you call us murderers," she sneers. They are forced out of the home and down the concrete passage ways. Her heart is pounding so much, she is pretty sure others can here it as well. An announcement goes over the intercoms, stating that everyone needs to get to level five soon. Emergency lockdown will be taken into effect soon. The group of twelve is taken back into the dorms and handcuffed to the wall. Cage watches as them while guards line the wall. Fox is picked up and strapped down to the surgical table.

"Let her go," Ash snaps, trying to pull free. A guard walks over to stop her, so she kicks him in the groin. He double over in pain while another hits her with a shock baton. The electricity causes her to stop. Cage leaves as a doctor enters. The sound of the bone drill rings out through the dorm along with Fox's screams. Tears well up in Ash's eyes as she watches a person she tried to save die in front of her. And there is nothing she can do. 

Soon they finish drilling into Fox. They take her corpse out of the room and start on another person. Ash has to listen to another drilled into and killed. Just as they finish, Cage enters with new group of people being brought in. Raven, Kyle Wick (an engineer from the Ark), Sergeant Miller, Abby Griffin, and Marcus Kane. They are chained up across from the other group.

"Dad," Ash cries out, her voice weak. Even though the last time they had a chance to talk, they argued with each other, it still brought her some relief to see him alive. But now he is imprisoned just like her.

"Ash," he responds with relief. Cage looks between them.

"I do see the similarities," he states before looking at Marcus. "You know your daughter has caused me as much trouble as Clarke."

The doctor grabs Raven and drags her to the table. She quickly bites his nose in self defense. A guard hits her with the shock baton, allowing them to strap her down to the table. Cage leaves as the drill starts once again. Raven's screams become painful to hear. Ash tries to pull at the cuff, hoping something is old enough to cause it to break.

"Stop it," she hears a guard yell at her. She ignores it, her brain only processing the sounds of drilling and screaming. A solid force makes contact with her face, splitting her lip some. She looks up at the guard, running the tip of her tongue against blood on her lip, collecting some in her mouth. Staring him down, she spits it out onto his face.

"Bitch," he snaps, wiping it the bloody saliva away. He hits her once more, this time in the stomach. As she is bent over, she lifts her knee up, knocking the keys off. Her foot slides on top of it.

"Give it back," he orders.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she smirks, kicking it down to the others. Harper catches it with her foot. The guard points the gun at her head.

"Ash," her dad warns.

"If they wanted us dead they would have just shot us on the spot," she states. "My guess is marrow has limited time after death to be harvested."

She kicks the gun out of the guard's hands before slamming her foot into his stomach. The other guards rush over to help, managing to get the keys back from those playing keep away. Cage enters.

"Stop," he orders. He then points at Abby. "Put her on the table instead."

"No," Marcus snaps. "Look. No one needs to die. We can donate. There is enough people we can donate marrow."

A barely conscious Raven is chained to the wall while Abby is being strapped down.

"I already tried this," Ash states before raising his voice. "Before he murdered more of my friends."

"You killed ten of our people," he yells at Ash, pointing at her. 

"After you murdered mine."

"We can't all survive. Start the drilling!"

The drill starts back up as Cage leaves. After a couple of minutes, an alarm goes off. The guards and doctors start forming blisters and falling down in pain. Ash manages to get a set of keys again, this time kicking them up to catch them. She unlocks herself before going to unlock the others. Octavia runs in, dressed in full Grounder's gear.

"Good to see you're alive," Ash states, tossing her the keys. She picks up a gun off of the body.

"Where are you going?" Octavia asks. Ash checks to make sure it's loaded.

"After Cage. Fucker has been treated."

Ash takes off down the halls, straight towards the exits. She soon catches up with Cage , following him out a tunnel. He stops when Lincoln appears. He looks at both of them chuckling a bi before pulling a vile of a red liquid.

"Kill her and you get this," he tells Lincoln. Ash starts to raise her weapon, aiming for Cage. Lincoln walks forward, blocking her view.

"Move!" she snaps. He stares at her before ripping the vial out of Cage's hand. He plunges the needle into the former president's neck.

"You don't control me," Lincoln states, pushing the plunger. He moves out of the way and Ash fire. A bullet landing right in the center of his head. Lincoln rushes into the bunker, leaving her alone in the tunnel with the body. The rage is soon replaced with other emotions. 

No more having to pretend to be tough or hiding her fear. All the fear, pain, and sadness slams into her at once. No one is here to see her fall apart. She drops the gun, collapsing onto her knees. She cries into her hands, letting all the feelings she has been holding in out.

Bellamy goes through the door, seeing her crying. He hurries over to her, wrapping his arms around her. She continues to cry, knowing with him she is safe to show her true emotions.

"The nightmare is over," he promises softly. "We'll get through this together."

She nods her head before wiping away the tears. He pulls her up, wiping away some of the tears. Others start to exit the bunker. Abby and Raven are carried out on stretchers. Marcus goes and embraces his daughter.

"Let's go home," he states. Clarke and him take the lead of the group. Ash and Bellamy hold each other's hands, taking up the rear of the group. A parade of survivors making it to Camp Jaha. The gates open wide for them as they all make it to safety. Ash smiles at the number of people who made it down to Earth. A moment since they landed on this planet of peace. A moment with a sense of hope.