Fearless (Bellamy Blake - Book 1)

Chapter 32

I run for what feels like hours. My legs are starting to ache, and my head pounds with all the possible outcomes tonight could have, but that only pushes me to run faster and find Charlotte.

The sun has long since set and the now dark sky above makes it almost impossible to see what's around me. I could have taken a torch from camp but I don't want to give Murphy the satisfaction of finding me so easily.

God, he was so pissed off, and I can't really blame him, but I was honest when I told him that wasn't how we wanted to handle things.

My legs start to ache from the steady jog that I've been going at, so I start to slow my pace to a walk, before stopping altogether.

A sigh escapes my lips and I rest my hands on my hips.

I have absolutely no idea where Clarke and Finn could have taken Charlotte, and for all I know I'm going in completely the wrong direction.

For all I know, Murphy could already have her.

The sound of someone yelling in the distance causes me to turn abruptly, the faint glow of fire moving within the trees.

Murphy.

Thankfully he's far away from me, but the very fact that he's still out here is enough to anger me once more.

Charlotte is a kid. She's a young girl who made a mistake. I get that Murphy is pissed because no one believed him, but that doesn't mean he can get his revenge on her.

I understand that what she did was wrong, but she didn't think through the consequences of her actions before she tried to fix things. I get that, I did that.

I start to jog at a steady pace again, but when a twig snaps from behind me I stop and turn, squinting into the darkness and my heart thumps loudly in my chest.

It can't be Murphy, he was too far away to make it over here that quickly and besides, they wouldn't put out their torches.

My eyes dart around as if something is going to pop out at me, and I release a shaky breath.

"Charlotte?" I call out, hoping it's her or Finn.

Heck, at this point I'll even be happy for it to be Clarke.

The sound of leaves rustling and footsteps approaching closer have me stepping backwards slowly, my back hitting the trunk of a tree.

I should run, but I don't want to in case whoever or whatever is out there is faster than me.

The footsteps come closer and my breathing speeds up, thankfully the moon has risen high enough to create a faint glow so I'm not completely in the dark, and that's when my follower is revealed and I release a breath of relief.

"Bellamy."

I act without thinking and throw myself at him, my arms winding around his neck tightly. He responds instantly and wraps his arms tight around my middle, lifting me in the air slightly.

It's odd, but I'm actually really glad that he's okay. I have no idea what the hell I would do if he got seriously hurt or worse, and it makes me realise I'm actually really dependent on Bellamy, and I might even go as far as calling us friends.

When we part I take him in and frown. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you have like, a concussion or something?"

"Would you be able to spot the symptoms if I did?" He asks.

"No." I tell him truthfully, and I faintly see him smile.

"Then it's a good thing I don't have a concussion."

I shake my head and smile before it drops, reality hitting me.

"Charlotte." I say, walking away. "Come on, we have to find her."

Bellamy follows me as we jog through the woods, but my jog soon turns to a full on sprint, something I don't realise until I notice Bellamy lagging behind.

"Hey, will you just slow down?"

"Come on, Blake we don't have time to waste."

"Carter. Hey."

He grabs my arm, causing me to stop moving and face him with a frown. Bellamy is silent for a moment and I watch as he just frowns and looks at me. Bellamy opens his mouth to say something but we both turn our heads when we hear something further up ahead from where we stand.