Sacrifice and Survival

The Reality

.... "Shit" he muttered to himself.

"Shit shit shit!" He said with a bit more emphasis. He looked at her just standing there, hell it didn't even look like she was breathing. Not that he really cared; all he was sure of is that he had to get out of here.

He looked back over at her, God Damnit! He sighed and groaned! He couldn't just leave her. Oh he thought about, several times in the last 5 minutes, just leave her standing there looking for all the world like she no longer cared what happened to her. He stopped pacing and looked more closely .... 'did she ever care what happened to her' he thought, she took care of everyone, even him sometimes, but he wondered if she ever thought of herself.

He took her hand and tried to pull her towards the door, but she wouldn't budge. He gives her shoulders a good shake, but she continues to stare ahead, he wasn't sure if she was even blinking. Finally he turned her so she could no longer see the blood stained furs lying on the bed.

"Damn it Princess don't make me slap you and don't think I won't either" Murphy shook her shoulders much harder this time making her head snap forward.

"Look Clarke we need to get outta here!" Murphy said through his teeth, trying not to raise his voice afraid the guards outside the door would hear him. He let go of her and looked frantically around the room trying to find a way out.

He went to the window and looked down "We're not going that way?" He said, realizing they were on the top floor of about a 30 story building. "Clarke is there another way out?"

Clarke just stands there still unresponsive, silent tears rolling slowly down her face.

So he decides to try another tactic "They're going to pin this on us Princess" Murphy grips her shoulders, none to gently and gets right in her face "they'll pin it on me, you know that." She blinks. Oh now he's getting somewhere.

"Look I know you don't like me, I'm ok with that and the feeling is pretty damn mutual, but I didn't do this." he said pointing at the bloody bed "You gotta get me out of here! Come on Clarke, I can't do this without you, I need your help."

Clarke looked up into Murphy's blue eyes, she never noticed that they were blue "I wouldn't let them do that." Her voice was low and tired "I wouldn't...." she shook her head, as much to clear it as to affirm that she wouldn't let them hurt him.

"Well Princess that's what's going to happen when that scary ass bastard comes back in. Is there another way out?"

Clarke nods her head "yea..... um yes, a lot of these rooms have passages between them. This one leads to the council chamber and to .." Clarke looks back at the bed "Lexa's room"

She took a deep breath and looked at Murphy as if seeing him for the first time. "Titus doesn't know about all the passages, or he wouldn't have left us in here." Murphy's lips turn up a tiny bit, she's coming around, and he can almost hear the clockworks in her head starting to go tick tock tick tock. She looked back at the bed, wiped a tear from her face and walked towards the far wall. She opened the closet and moved clothes to the side and pushed the back wall to reveal a small opening. She stood up and motioned for Murphy to go through.

Murphy looked into the opening. "Well of course there are secret passages" he says, knowing she's not really listening "the grounders live a medieval life in modern buildings that were blown up by nukes, so you know that makes sense." he looks back at Clarke "Where does it go?"

Clarke took a step towards the bed her voice still cold and flat "to the council chamber."

"Yea I got nothing, I don't know where or what that is Princess" He says with a bit of sarcasm.