Kingdom of Life - The 100 [4]

Chapter 6

Venus's POV

The pain set in before we reached the hastily set up medical station. Each shard of glass cut its way deeper into my skin with every movement. Tears ceased running down my cheek, my body running too low on water to produce them.

One of Abby's medical assistants worked on pulling the glass shards out one by one. He was gentle, at first. But as the task stretched from a few minutes to nearly an hour, I could sense his frustration as he began to work quickly and almost carelessly. I was grateful when Niylah took over to remove the bigger shards and stitch up the cuts that were too deep to leave open.

I stared at the Ark as she worked, watching the flames slowly die down. Using the Ark as a bunker was only plan B, and yet, it felt like all hope was lost. If Abby couldn't make a radiation vaccine from Luna's blood, we were all doomed. Less than six months. That's all we had left.

Niylah finished up quietly, carefully going back over my arms and legs making sure she didn't miss any pieces. Once she was certain I was free of glass, she gently pushed my back to lay down on the make-shift stretcher. "You need to rest." I nodded my head and readily let my eyelids droop closed. I welcomed sleep happily. Not because I was tired, but because something inside of me hoped if I fell asleep, then I would wake up back in the Ark and this would all have been a bad dream.

Sleep came quickly, and felt as though it ended just as quickly. When I opened my eyes, my heart leapt for a second or two. I was back in the Ark, with no flames surrounding me or panic of people running around. As I pushed myself up with my arms, an intense wave of pain rushed through them and I dropped back down to the cot gasping for air. I reached around to my left arm where the pain hurt the most, and found a bandage tightly wrapped around it from shoulder to elbow. It wasn't a dream after all.

I looked around and noticed I was in the medical station inside the Ark. Numerous others were there as well, most of them sitting up and receiving oxygen. Far away, on the other side of the room, a single blanket was laid out, bulging in certain places to take on the shape of a human body. The fire had taken more than just our plan B.

"Venus." I rolled my head to the other side, taking my eyes off the small body under the blanket. My father was sitting next to my cot. A small smile made its way across his face as I looked at him. "I'm glad you're okay. The picture of your mother-"

"Where's Ilian?"

He went quiet for a few seconds, his smile quickly disappearing. "Venus..."

"Where's Ilian?" I repeated.

"He's locked up."

I nodded, the answer half satisfying me. "When is his execution?"

My father sighed and shook his head. When he opened his mouth to answer, I quickly cut him off.

"He nearly blew up the Ark. You've floated people for less."

Now my father's expression became stern, almost angry. "We floated people because we had to. Down here, things are different. We can't just-"

"We can! If Abby can't get the vaccine to work, then we're all..." Even in my anger and my hate of Ilian, I couldn't get myself to finish the sentence, the reality of it suddenly too real.

"We'll find another way. But that other way does not involve killing Ilian. That's not who we are."

I glared at him. He still wasn't getting it. "He's a Grounder. All Grounders want to do is kill and cause pain."

He let a short pause pass before he responded, making sure I was done. "The Grounder that found you and Apollon at the cabin and saved your life, did he kill or cause pain?"