Love At First Sight (1)

Chapter 13: Leadership

It hasn't been easy sleeping well, curled on the cold ground with nothing but a jacket and a nearly empty stomach. But Mackenzie was able to doze off and sleep for what felt like hours and was slightly irked when she felt someone shaking her shoulder. A slight groan escaped her lips as her eyes flickered a few times, adjusting to the glow, but hearing Finn's clear voice, "Clarke, Mackenzie, wake up!" She thought for a split minute that she was at camp, but when shifting, remembered the cushion beneath her

She could even feel her cheek resting on Clarke's shoulder, leaving Mackenzie comfortable, but she went wide-eyed when seeing why she was being woken up. Finn was beside the bed they had Charlotte on, but it was empty, the blanket pushed to the side. Mackenzie sat up, pushing herself off Clarke, "What? Where is she?" She stammered, worried that she had gotten free

There were a hundred different endings this could take, "She's gone" Finn replied simply

Mackenzie cursed lowly under her breath, pushing herself off the couch with Clarke. After a quick search, they could see that Charlotte was nowhere inside the bunker, so she had to have left. The three grabbed what was important, and Finn was the one to take the lead as their tracker. Mackenzie sucked in a deep breath when seeing how dark it was, her gaze barely adjusting, even when Finn turned the light Clarke carried not to give them more of a direction. They raced forward through the woods, as he studied the prints in the mud closely. Mackenzie was no tracker, but as she leaned closer to get a closer view, she could see two different sets.

"Someone else was here," Finn noted in a mumble

Suddenly, in the distance, there was a familiar child screaming, "No, no! Murphy!" Mackenzie had felt herself stand straighter, becoming tense at the noise. It was Charlotte, it had to be. And there had to be someone with her.

On the same track as Mackenzie, Clarke spoke worriedly, "Murphy has her"

The only choice the group had was to run towards the sound. Mackenzie could feel her boots dig into the mud as she ran, her heart being fast in her chest, almost feeling as if she was flying through the woods, tree branches and brushes nothing but a breeze behind her. She could hear Murphy shouting Charlotte's name, her angry screams, leaving a loud echo in Mackenzie's ears. She cared, so much, and the only reason she did so was because the thought of Wells being permanently embedded her head.

Mackenzie's sprinting ceased to a stumbling when coming to an opening in the woods. She froze in place, seeing Murphy and his followers, cornering Bellamy and Charlotte to an edge of a cliff. It was too dangerous, and with how adrenaline-filled everyone was, it was only gambling with their lives.

"Bellamy!" Clarke shouted, "Stop! This has gone too far!" She moved to get closer until she was much too close to Murphy, "Just calm down. we'll talk about this," She suggested calmly, her hands held between him and Bellamy

It was quiet, except for Murphy's panting, as he mulled over his options. Before Mackenzie could blink, he lashed out, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her back to wrap an arm over her and press the blade of a knife to her throat, "I'm sick of listening to you talk" he snarled

"No!" Mackenzie cried out, lurching forward to do something; anything

Murphy jerked Clarke back before Mackenzie could get closer, pressing the knife more firmly against her skin, making her chin lift, "Stay back or I will slit her throat" He warned

"Don't, don't," Mackenzie begged, her knees becoming shaky, and forcibly using all her strength to stand. She hadn't cared how weka she was coming off, especially in front of Murphy of all people, but she couldn't watch anything bad happen to Clarke, "Please. Please, don't hurt her, I will do anything you want"