Love to Hate [1]

The sharp knife of a short life, well, I've had just enough time.

Song: If I Die Young // The Band Perry

Bellamy's POV

Balls of fire rained down from the sky as pieces of the Ark broke up in the atmosphere. I only hoped some people would survive the descent. It wasn't likely that a lot would, though. The sight of reinforcements coming down from space didn't seem to discourage the Grounder army. In fact, it seemed to do the opposite. They threw themselves with renewed vigor at the wall, trying to bring it down. My heart sank as I saw the sheer size of their army. Why did we ever think we had a chance against that? I turned and saw Nessa staring at the sky, a look akin to hope in her eyes. Octavia whimpered in my arms and I shook myself out of my gloom. I had to keep fighting. If not for me then for them. The only two people I really cared about in this world. Suddenly the sounds of whooping came from the trees behind the Grounders. I was confused until I heard one of the Grounder leaders shout "REAPERS" and saw Finn and Lincoln running for their lives towards the camp. I smiled to myself. So they had listened to my idea. A group of Reapers came around the corner and stared at the Grounders. Then the two armies collided and chaos ensued. 

I carried O to a nearby tree and laid her down so she could rest for a second. She was breathing hard, trying not to show the pain in her face. I knelt next to her as Nessa kept watch for us with her bow strung. "While they're distracted, let's move," I explained to Octavia urgently.

She shook her head. "We'll never make it. Leave me. I'll find another way," she gasped. Cold flooded through my veins at her words. Did she seriously think I would leave her out here like this? Even if she was right I'd rather go down fighting to protect her then leave her here to die. 

"I'm not going anywhere without you," I said, my voice cracking on the last word. 

She smiled. "You need to," she breathed. "You need to protect her." She nodded at Nessa, who was watching the Reapers and Grounders fighting, oblivious to our conversation. My throat tightened. O was right. I couldn't save both of them. But I couldn't leave O either. 

"Octavia!" I heard a voice from behind me. I saw Lincoln materialize from the trees. 

"Lincoln!" Octavia cried. They embraced as I watched warily. I still didn't trust this grounder completely with my sister. But he looked at her with so much love and tenderness in his eyes. He glanced down at the arrow protruding from her leg. 

"It's deep," he said, and my heart sank. He glanced at me, then at the fighting all around us. "i can help you but you have to come with me now," he told Octavia urgently. 

He looked to me for my consent. Every instinct in my body screamed against it, but it was the only way I could save Octavia and protect Nessa. I nodded. "Go," I told him. I turned to Octavia. "Let him help."

She shook her head at me. "No, I have to see this through." I felt tears pricking at my eyes she wasn't making this easy. 

"You can't walk and Nessa and I can't get you back to the drop ship," I pleaded with her. She didn't understand that this was harder for me than it was for her. 

"He's right," Lincoln added. "This fight is over for you." Octavia looked away form both of us, but I knew we had won her over.

There was something I had to set right before she left though. Just in case- just in case it was the last time I saw her. "O, I said my life ended the day you were born," I said, not even bothering to hid the crack in my voice. "The truth is, it didn't start until then." Tears formed at the corner of my eyes as I looked at Octavia. "Go with him. I need you to live. Besides," I tried to give a teary laugh. "I got this." Octavia launched herself at me and enveloped me in a tight hug. I buried my head in her shoulder, knowing this might be the last time I held her.

When we broke apart she was crying. "I love you, big brother," she breathed. 

"May we meet again," I whispered.

"May we meet again," she responded. And with that, Lincoln picked her up and they were gone.

"Keep her safe," I whispered to his retreating figure.

Nessa's POV

I saw Lincoln disappear into the woods carrying a sobbing Octavia. Bellamy crouched behind me, staring into space. I wiped the tear that had formed as I had listened to their conversation. He would see Octavia again, I thought fiercely. I was going to personally make sure of that. I softly placed a hand on his shoulder and he flinched before realizing it was me. He looked up at me with tear-soaked eyes and I slowly pulled him up and wrapped my arms around him. He buried his face in my hair as I stroked his back. 

"It's ok," I whispered soothingly. "You still have me. And you'll see O again." I pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "But now we have to fight," I said firmly. Bellamy nodded, his jaw set. He picked up a gun laying on the ground and we made our way towards the wall. The Grounders had finished with the Reapers and we didn't have long before they cut us off from the drop ship. We only encountered a few Grounders on our way in that Bellamy shot down before they could get too close. We made it in through the tunnel just as the Grounders flooded in through the gates. They were slaughtering kids left and right, one in particular was  mowing delinquents down with his sword. 

We heard Clarke yell, "Jasper's done it! Everyone get inside!" My heart sank as I saw how far the drop ship was from our tunnel entrance and how many Grounders were in the way. We'd never make it. "Bellamy! Nessa! Run!" We heard Clarke yell again, and we snapped into action. Bellamy picked up another discarded gun and started to shoot at the closest Grounder. But his gun clicked. The bullets were gone. The Grounder raised an arm and I saw what was coming before Bellamy did. I threw myself at him and pushed him out of the way as the Grounder brought his sword slashing down. He ripped a cut across my stomach from shoulder to hip bone. I collapsed immediately, blood pooling on the ground. I heard Bellamy's strangled cry as he grabbed the closest sharp object and slit the Grounders throat. 

He kneeled next to me. "Nessa, no, no, no, please stay with me," he pleaded. I heard the tears in his voice but I couldn't keep my eyes open. "Don't die, Nessa, please. I can't lose you, too. You're all I have left." He yelled to someone I couldn't see. "Please, someone, get her in the drop ship!" The desperation in his voice tore at my heart. Just then the huge Grounder we had seen in the beginning came out of nowhere and struck at Bellamy. He barely brought his gun up in time to defend the slash from his sword. I tried to cry out, to move to help him but I couldn't. I was losing too much blood. The Grounder was beating the shit out of him. He was going to kill him. Tears ran down my face. I couldn't save him. Suddenly Finn ran past me holding a gun to help Bellamy. I heard Clarke screaming at him to get back. He got a few shots off before the Grounder disarmed him. The two boys attacked him together, but it was barely an even fight, even with two against one. 

Suddenly I felt two hands grab under my arms and drag me back towards the drop ship. I tried to protest. "No," I said weakly. I wriggle a little but the pain in my torso was too unbearable. The last time I saw Bellamy he was laying on the ground. The Grounder stood above him, sword raised. I screwed my eyes shut to keep the sobs from escaping. He couldn't die. He was all I had left too. 

The person who had dragged me into the drop ship laid me gently down. "Hold this to her wound and try to stop the bleeding," she instructed someone, and I realized it was Clarke who had saved me. I saw Jasper's face appear over me as he pressed bandages onto the gaping wound on my torso. I saw the look in his eyes as he took in my injury, and I knew I was probably going to die. This didn't upset me as much as I thought it would. If Bellamy was dead or dying, then life didn't hold too much for me anymore. Blood soaked through the bandages Jasper pressed to my stomach, and my eyelids fluttered closed. I heard Clarke close the door, and then surprised shouts. Clarke was talking, and then Jasper left me. Minutes later I heard the roar as the rocket fuel ignited, frying whoever was outside the drop ship. If the Grounder hadn't killed Bellamy, then the explosion had. Silent sobs racked my body as I finally succumbed to the pain and blood loss and everything went black.