I'm Just A Kid

Chapter 21: We Are Grounders

"We got movement on the south wall!"

The shout cut through the camp so suddenly that Harper instinctively grabbed me and pulled me backwards. My entire body tensed, and for a second, I forgot about the weakness in my legs and the blood slowly soaking through my clothes. All I could think about was the Grounders. Harper's hand tightened around my good arm as everyone holding a gun rushed towards the wall, and I stumbled when she stepped backwards. She immediately caught me before I could completely lose my balance.

"Easy," she whispered, her voice tense as she kept me close to her. "I've got you."

I tried to straighten myself, but my head was spinning too badly. The amount of blood I had already lost was beginning to catch up with me, and the entire camp seemed to tilt slightly every time I moved. My injured arm hung heavily at my side, and I could feel blood slowly slipping beneath the makeshift covering around the wound. Everyone waited, and for one horrible second, the entire camp fell silent.

"Wait! Hold your fire! It's Clarke and Finn, open the gates!"

My heart jumped into my throat. I sucked in a breath and immediately clutched it closer to my body as Harper looked down at me with concern.

"Emmy, don't move too quickly."

The gates opened, and Clarke and Finn came running through. The relief that washed over me was almost overwhelming. After everything that had happened, after Myles had returned without them and Monty had disappeared, I had begun to prepare myself for the possibility that they weren't coming back. Seeing Clarke standing there alive felt almost unreal.

"Hey, we heard an explosion what happened?" Clarke asked, immediately looking around the camp as though expecting to find another disaster waiting for her.

Jasper rushed forward and engulfed her in the biggest hug. "Murphy happened. Thank god you're okay! Where have you been? Where's Monty?" The relief in his voice disappeared the moment he asked that last question, and Clarke slowly pulled away from him, her expression immediately changing.

"Monty's gone?"

The words made my stomach sink, but before anyone could explain what had happened, Finn suddenly stepped forward and raised his voice so everyone in the camp could hear him.

"Clarke we need to leave now all of us do. There's an army of grounders, unlike anything we've ever seen coming for us right now! We need to pack what we can and run!"

Everyone went quiet. Even in the state I was in, struggling to remain upright beside Harper, I could feel the fear spreading through the crowd. An army of Grounders was coming for us. Not just a few warriors searching through the woods. An entire army.

My stomach twisted as everyone began shouting and arguing around us, the noise making my head spin even faster. My vision started to blur around the edges, and I suddenly realised that Harper's arm was the only reason I was still standing. "Harper," I said quietly, and she immediately turned towards me.

"Harper," I whispered.

She immediately looked at me.

One glance at my face seemed to tell her everything.

My skin must have been completely pale because her expression changed almost instantly. Her eyes travelled down to my arm, where blood had soaked through my clothing and was still slowly running down my skin.

"Oh, Emmy."

Her voice became quiet.

She carefully adjusted her grip on me.

"It's okay. I've got you."

I wanted to tell her that I was fine.

I wanted to tell everyone to stop worrying about me when there were far more important things happening.