𝐃𝐔𝐁𝐈𝐄𝐓𝐘 ── bellamy blake ¹ ✓

[ 22 ] the end

[ 2.22. THE END ]
this is it. the last chapter of dubiety, almost 12 hours of me crying throughout writing it, before the epilogue. do you have any predictions?

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"YOU STILL CRYING?" Aiden turns his head to the side from his position in front of me, appearing humored yet still speaking with a certain amount of hesitancy. His words cause the rest of the group to twist their heads towards me, except Maya, who stays with her shoulder flush against my side and fingers woven through mine, even through the hazmat suit. It is somewhat uncomfortable, but all that matters is that Maya is safe. She needs the support, anyway, now that Vincent is gone.

"No," I clear my throat in response, sniffing dryly and dragging a hand across my cheek. Jasper and Monty share silent glances with an interjection of Aiden's own gaze, and Bellamy stops in the middle of the hallway, bringing us all with him.

He tilts his head momentarily, pausing for a second before he approaches me with two small steps and brushes a strand of my hair behind my ear. My head instinctively leans into his hold and my eyes set onto nothing in particular in the distance as he brushes his thumb against the skin just below my eye, "Hey, look at me. It's not your fault. You couldn't have known."

"Could I?" I challenge quietly, just barely allowing my eyes to flicker up to his. They ache stubbornly, void of any moisture after the time I spent crying in the holds of my friends after they had found me in the harvest chamber. It was a long shot of reunions and consoling Maya, so it's no wonder that everybody seems to be drained of any energy. The Vie girl next to me barely has the power to let go of my hand, but her touch becomes a phantom of its memory in a matter of seconds as Jasper reaches her side and decides to linger by it.

Bellamy shakes his head, silent, and situates himself beside me, firmly grasping my hand. My lip quivers, but I suck in a breath of air and swallow the urge to cry again. The man begins walking once again, so the rest of our team stays behind us this time, only the shuffling of feet informing us of their presence. It's only a few steps until we reach the door that will grant us entry into the caves, where the grounder army should be. At this point, the curse of a bloodbath is inevitable, but a part of me deep down just can't wait until this nightmare is over, no matter what cost.

Absentmindedly, I hear the sharp click of a gun cocking, so I sigh myself out of my dazed mindfulness and shortly look up at Bellamy, who holds a gun in his free hand and jerks his chin out towards the metal door, a wordless gesture to have me open it. I fumble to wrap my hand around the handle, seeing how Monty shortly fumbles with the keyreader, and move it down. It bleeps melodically and I can push open the slate of metal, hastily positioning myself behind Bellamy's frame. And the door is ajar.

First thing I notice is a person, hair of woven precision and the appropriate attire of a grounder warrior. It's Octavia, her arm halfway across her shoulder and threatening to reach the end of the sword that pokes out behind her shoulder. She stills in place, dropping her hand while her eyes of soft ice dance between Bellamy and I, wrapped in each other's hold, even through the swallowing darkness of the cave, finally freezing onto her brother, "Oh, Bellamy!"