Strangers

we are grounders part 1

i glare at anya as she warms her hands up by the fire. we hear a horse  start moving. "your left flank is vulnerable" a man says, i look at him. "my archers are in the trees ordered to kill anyone hostile. you're not hostile, are you, tristan?" anya asks as the man walks over to me. i scoot away as he steps closer. "so this is who's beating you?"

"who are you?"

"i'm the man sent to slaughter your people" he says. "the commander sent you?"

"your unit is mine now. my rangers are hungry, they're at the river. go feed them" the man says, "we march on the invaders camp at first light. i'll make quick work of what you failed to do, starting with this one" 

"anya over there" a man yells. "a signal fire" she says. i look and see a fire, "reapers" he says. "reapers" tristan says, "let them know we see it. i'll send my fastest rider to warn the commander"

"no. there is no time, kill the prisoner. get to the river" anya looks at me and a grounder walks over to her, "is the boy dead?" she asks he nods.

no. "finn" i mumble, "good. kill the girl, then catch up" i look at my hands as i start crying. i look up and see the grounder walking to me, i try crawling away and he yanks my chains pulling me down. i feel my head hit something as my vision goes black.

...

i open my eyes and notice how we're going to a fire. the horse stops and the grounder pulls me off the horse, he cuts the ropes and i look ahead. i see finn walk around the fire.

"oh my god" i run over to finn wrapping my arms around his neck. he hugs me back holding me tightly. i pull away and look at him. "i don't understand how-" he looks at the grounder and i turn, the grounder takes off his mask. revealing lincoln. "lincoln saved my life, he killed one of his own people to do it" finn says.

i walk over to lincoln, "signal fire? that was you?" i ask. "we needed a distraction" he says, "i'd say it worked" finn says. suddenly the fire across trees goes out. "not well enough"

"what does that mean?" finn asks, "it means anya knows clarkes not dead. we need to hurry" he lets the horse go and it runs, "let's hope they follow the horse"

"hey what do we do now!"

"now we run" he says. finn grabs my hand as we run.

...

"come on, it's right up here" lincoln says. "what is?"

"some place they won't follow" we run to a tunnel, "where does it lead?"

"everywhere. there's a tunnel to your camp, if we make it through, we should get there before tristan" lincoln says. we hear horses. "go. go!" lincoln yells. we run into the tunnel going as far as we can.

...

we stopped running and lincoln lights us a fire. "you were right. they didn't follow us" finn states, "reapers use these tunnels. tristan wouldn't risk running into them"

"what the hells a reaper?" finn asks. "pray you never find out"

he holds the torch up and i stand, "we have to keep moving"

"lincoln your hit!" i look and see an arrow in Lincolns back, "let me look at that" finn takes the torch and i lift up Lincolns shirt, "i've fought battles with worse wounds than this" lincoln says. "we're not in a battle right now" i state. "yes we are"

i look at him, "why are you helping us?" i ask. "this can't just be about octavia" finn mumbles. 

"fine. don't tell us. give me your knife" i take the knife and hand it to finn. "heat the blade"