The One Who's Fallen

Chapter 102

I watch the skies, barely blinking. It isn't long before I see something high up and squint. It's getting bigger and I stare as it starts to break apart.

I clench my jaw and try to make out which part is which station. But it's moving too quickly for me to be able to tell.

I nearly jump out of the tree in surprise when one of the stations explodes. Lexa's quick reflexes keeps me from losing my balance and falling. I watch the reds and oranges and yellows in the sky as the magnitude of the sound seems to shake the Earth itself. I look at the other stations, watching in horror as two more explode in quick succession.

Logically, I know there are only four stations that have people in them and I saw at least ten pieces at the beginning. But the fact is, my mom might already be dead. She could have been on one of them.

I keep my eyes on the stations, only wasting a moment to blink the tears away. In the end, only four pieces make it to to the ground intact. As in, not broken in half or thirds of quarters or exploded. The impact of the larger pieces can be felt even on this tree. I clutch onto the trunk, managing to not fall somehow.

"The nearest one is over there," I point. "Let's go."

Lexa nods and luckily does not try to stop me or try to make me see reason. Yeah, it's dangerous. But so was falling out of the sky. My mom could be in that station and there's no way I'm leaving her.

We swiftly get down the tree, making risky jumps and drops from one branch to another. If I weren't in such a hurry I would worry about by safety. But now, I'm much more worried about my mom's safety.

As soon as my feet hit the ground, I'm off like a shot. I run through the forest in the direction of the closest station. Lexa, to her credit, doesn't complain and just runs by my side, following my lead. We reach a clearing that wasn't there before, a large station has smashed into the ground here, knocking over trees and other plants.

I stop in my tracks when I see it, recognizing the station. I know the shape from when Dad used to show me the maps of the Ark. This isn't one anyone was in. That means... At least one of the stations with people in it exploded. I shudder at the thought and nearly miss noticing three people standing near the still smoking hunk of metal.

"Heda!" One of them calls. "There is no one here! But there is a lot of tek (technology)!"

Lexa nods. "Then mark this area on a map, we will want to come back later. After you are done with that, go to next nearest station." She turns to me. "Clarke."

I nod, understanding what she isn't saying. "The nearest one is that way," I point so the three others know what direction to head in.

We run through the trees again and any other time, the feeling would be freeing. Now I just have worry and panic settling in my chest that will not go away until I find out what has happened to my mom.

When we finally reach the next station, I nearly cry in relief. Raven, Anya, and Luna are there helping people out of the wreckage. For such a large station, there are not many people coming out of it. I study the shape and my mouth falls open. This... This is the one my mom went on.

"Raven! Have you seen Abby?" Lexa calls.

"No, sorry!" Raven yells back as she helps a little girl get out from the station.

"Abby Griffin?" A nearby woman asks. "Yeah, she was on this station along with Marcus Kane and that bastard Thelonius Jaha. I haven't seen her come out yet. She's probably still in there."

After she finishes speaking, I quickly thank her and sprint towards the station. I hear Lexa's footsteps behind me but don't look back. I step into the hole in the side of the station that is definitely not natural. I put my bets on Raven blowing a hole in the side of it somehow.

I go slower down the corridor, calling out for my mom and Kane. I pause in between to listen and Lexa and I end up finding a few more people who got lost or trapped. She walks beside me, a constant comforting presence. I tell her to keep listening since she has better hearing than I do.

We keep moving until Lexa suddenly pauses. I don't ask, not wanting to disrupt her. She moves to the side of the hall and opens a door. That is when I can hear it more clearly. The familiar sound of something heavy falling and hitting the metal floor. I frown, wondering what the heck that could be when it comes again. And again. With similar time intervals in between the noises.

"It is someone trapped. They are smart, not using their voice. Conserve their energy." Lexa murmurs.

She goes over to the wall where the sound seems to be coming from and knocks along it until she hears a hollow sound. Lexa's face lights up and she pulls the screws out. She takes off the metal plate, revealing an oxygen tunnel. I think that's what it is, at least.

Lexa crouches down and maneuvers herself until she can get into the tunnel. She army crawls forward since it's too small to even try to crawl normally. I follow behind her, impressed by how easily and confidently she moves through a couple twists and turns.

When Lexa reaches our destination, she punches the metal grate in front of her when pushing it only slides her backwards. After a few well placed punches, the grate clatters to the floor and she crawls through. I come through after her and gasp at the sight.

"Mom?"

Ooh, right when it gets interesting! Just so you know, last chapter I was hoping to get to the first explosion to make you think Abby's dead ;) but nope! Abby's here! Thank you all for reading and for your amazing comments! Stay awesome!