Ready, Aim, Fire

Chapter Sixteen

The walk to the dorm was long and painful, but, once we got there, I was filled with nothing but rage. All of my friends are handcuffed to the walls, and the sound of a drill and my friends begging for mercy filled my ears. As the Mountain Man leading me announced that he found the three of us, he is ordered to handcuff us to the wall as well. Except, I intend to struggle.

He pulls my wrists up over my head, but I quickly spin out of his grasp, throwing an elbow in his stomach. I rip off his hazmat suit as he doubles over in pain and knee him in the face. I guess the other Mountain Men are stunned into stillness because it takes them a few seconds before they lunge for me. Two of them grab onto either arm and another one punches me in the face, right under my eye. I grunt in pain as I feel the skin split over my cheekbone. Another punch sends my head reeling to the side, and blood fills my mouth from my teeth biting into the back of my lips. I straighten my head before spitting out a mixture of blood and saliva at the guy in front of me. His eyes widen in anger, and he winds up to punch me again, but a voice stops him.

"Stop."

I look past Punching Maniac and see a man with gelled back black hair, a worn suite, and a sour but triumphant look on his face. "Just cuff her with the rest of them." He says as the sound of the drill stops. He handcuffs me in between Raven and Rick, and I get a good look at the person on the table being drilled into. "Fox." I whisper with tears suddenly springing into my eyes.

"That was stupid."

I turn my head to Wick, and a small, sad smile falls onto my face, memories of the simpler times of first landing on Earth, and weirdly Murphy, flashing through my mind. "Probably." I mutter, nodding in agreement before turning to my other side to look at Raven. "You okay?" I ask, but all I get in return is a grunt. "Good. Glad you're hanging in there." I say, causing the mechanic to crack a smile.

I watch in horror as they take Fox's body off the table, one of the doctor's turning towards a guy that I never got to know that well. They uncuff him from the wall, and strap him on a table. The drill starts up again. I have to stay strong. I can't let these monsters see how terrified I am or how scared I am for my people, my friends. I just have to keep the hard look on my face and pray that a miracle happens. The door opens again, and my eyes widen as Emerson walks in with people with bags over their heads. The guy in charge walks around the torture table and stands next to Emerson.

"Did we take any losses?" He asks, and I clench my jaw. "Not as many as they did, sir, but I'm afraid I'm the only one left who's been cured." Emerson says, causing me to roll my eyes. "Some of the kids are still missing. If you'd like, I can take a team in hazmats, and we'll sweep the other levels." He says, causing a small shard of hope to spark in me. Some of my friends are still alive and free.

"No." In Charge Guy says, shaking his head. "No more wasted lives." He finishes, looking around the room. "Yeah, except us." I mutter, and Wick kicks me in the ankle. I glare at him as he gives me the universal shut-the-hell-up look. "In forty-eight hours, we will all be on the Ground." Mr. Fancy Suite turns to look at the people in hoods. "Take off their hoods."

"Monroe?" I gasp as the first hood is ripped off. Hey eyes dart to me in a look of fierceness, anger, and panic. The second hood is ripped off, and I hear a familiar voice. "Dad?" I strain in my cuffs to see Miller trying to get to his father. "Nate!" The older man says, trying to get up to his son but gets hit in the back of the head with a rifle.

Nate... I'll remember to hold that against him for the rest of his life.

The third and fourth hoods come off, and my heart nearly stops in my chest. "Mom? Kane?" I gasp, straining against my cuff even more and feeling something wet drip down my wrists. "Carter?" My mom gasps back but doesn't try to get up. Smart woman. Her face is all beat up, and my eyes well up with angry tears. I'm gonna rip these people's lungs out. "What is wrong with you people?" I hear Kane mutter, and I find myself angry for his bloodied up face as well. "Where's my daughter?" Mom asks, anger and fear clear on her face. "She's talking about Clarke. But her other daughter is right over there." Emerson says, pointing to me with a smug look on his face. Mr. Fancy suite steps closer to my mother, and I struggle even more. "I'm sorry it had to come to this." He says, fake sincerity on his face, and he walks away.