wonderland // j.m [book three]

0.3; war drums.

The rover finally rolled to a sharp stop upon Indra's command and Freya collided with Kane's side with an "oomph". The blonde quickly pulled herself together and grabbed her rifle, following Pike and Hannah out of the back of the rover, followed by Indra and Kane. Monty and Bellamy stepped out from the front seats.

A few feet from the dirt track was a shabby, wooden hut littered with piles of rubbish such as wire and rusting barrels in the front. The two small windows on the front were covered in a thick layer of dust, hiding the inside. Freya's cocked her head in confusion, attempting to interpret the sounds coming from inside. There were furious shouts that Freya could not understand, leading her to believe they were in Trigedaslang. Even if she couldn't understand the language, she understood the screams of pain that followed them and she hurried forward, rifle resting on her shoulder despite Kane's warning shouts.

Freya kicked open the door to reveal a large grounder man with white war paint towering above a shaking, beaten, blonde woman. The man turned to her with a furious scowl and Freya pulled the trigger instinctively, sending a bullet into his shoulder. The man howled in pain but his glare merely grew fiercer. Beneath him, the woman revelled in the momentary relief whilst the man approached Freya instead.

"Stand down!" Freya shouted, her finger not wavering from the trigger. But the man didn't back down.

Freya was about to regretfully pull the trigger when the sound of a gunshot echoed in her ears and the man before her collapsed to the ground, a bullet nestled in his brain. Freya lowered her gun and looked behind her, noticing Bellamy with his gun raised, smoke pouring from the barrel.

"Thanks," Freya said breathlessly before she stepped over the man, whose blood was staining the floor and approached the woman. She was still shaking and gasping in pain, her face covered in blood. Freya offered her hand and the woman hesitantly accepted, allowing Freya to help her stand.

"Are you okay?" Bellamy asked the woman as she moved away from Freya as best she could, gripping her side.

"Bounty hunter," Indra announced as she entered the room and was met with the sight of the dead grounder. Kane entered after her, seemingly frustrated that the grounder had been killed. Indra looked at the blonde woman and said something to her in Trigedaslang that Freya could not understand. Freya made a mental note to at least try to learn some basic phrases from Lincoln when they got back to Arkadia.

"English!" Pike shouted, his voice deep and authoritative yet full of fear. Freya clenched her jaw in frustration at him.

"Pike go outside, take Hannah and Monty with you," Kane said, quickly diffusing the situation. "Search the perimeter and make sure he was alone."

Monty, Hannah and Pike quickly left the trading post, the latter seemed disappointed. Indra addressed the woman again. This time Freya only understood the word Wanheda.

"So was he," the weak woman responded in English, nodding towards the man.

"Please," Freya said desperately, stepping forward. "Clarke is our friend, we just want to help her."

The blonde stared at Freya warily so she offered her a friendly smile.

"I'm Freya Moore kom Skaikru," Freya introduced in the hopes that the girl would relax.

"Niylah," she responded shortly. "Clarke was here last night."

A flicker of hope ignited within Freya and she flashed a relieved smile at Bellamy, though his eyebrows were still furrowed in concern.

"Did she say where she was going?" Kane asked.

Niylah shook her head. "She was here when I fell asleep and gone when I woke up," she said.