Ruination

Chapter 19:"I'm not the one she's asking forgiveness from."

RYDER POV:

I came to a stop at the top of the hill and I knelt down, setting up the rifle and laying down on the snow, effectively freezing my balls off. I looked through the scope on my rifle, I could see two of the check points from here. Checking to see when Echo and the others have moved into position, I grabbed the radio, using morse code like Raven talked to me about. Since she was the only one of them who knew it, and it was my quietest way of getting into contact it'd have to do.

Echo and the others began walking out and to the camp and I sighed, shaking my head as a man came up, holding a gun to Murphy's head, I sighed seeing two others moving from the woods, I shot the man in the face before shooting the other two quickly. "Why the hell did you do that?" Raven hissed.

"What happened to morse code?" I tauntingly asked, checking for others.

"Ryder," she growled.

"I'm just doing my job, Reyes, I was under the impression you were just scouting." I commented, still looking around.

"We were, Murphy wanted a gun." Raven sighed.

"Of course." I muttered. "There are two men in the woods, they have one of the soundwave canons, you should probably take it." I suggested.

"Is the coast clear, Caddock?" Echo asked.

"There are three heading south-west, towards you, once I get a clear shot, I'll take care of them." I informed Echo.

"Good, be on standby until we're done here." Echo's line went dead and I sighed, shaking my head and turning back to the front, my interest was piqued as I grabbed the radio, tuning into the central system in the cave, listening in on what was going on with Diyoza and Kane. The only reason I had survived as long as I had was because I didn't trust people, I knew who would betray me and I knew who wouldn't. It was why I had been quick to speak to Ensis and why I had been reluctant to spend too much time with any one on Eligius.

"How do you decide between a monster and the devil?" Kane asked. I chuckled, shaking my head as the men came into view and one by one, I shot them, right between their eyes. Another kill that any good man would feel remorse for. But to men like me, it was just another temporary solution to a long-term problem.

ENSIS POV:

As night fell and Wonkru began to wear down we'd set up camp, clan by clan contributing. There weren't even numbers so I had members volunteer to help, and people stepped up, contributing and helping in any way they could. At this moment I stood inside of my tent with Gaia, Rigel and the delegates, Arling, Uzak, Etu, Tiber waiting outside of my tent, eating with everyone else. I groaned, rubbing my burning eyes as I launched forward to the bucket, spewing black blood into it. I groaned, wiping the blood from my mouth and standing up.

"Ensis, come in." Echo called through the radio and I reached out.

"What news do you have for me, Echo?" I quickly asked her, trying to settle my breath.

"They're a day behind you and Octavia is insisting on marching into the valley." Echo informed me. "Bellamy, Trix, Kali and Indra are alive." She informed me, lifting a weight of my chest. "But I don't know for how much longer, we've been trying to find a way for Wonkru to get into the valley."

"Have you found a way in?" I asked her.

"We have, we just have to create an opening long enough to get everyone in." Echo explained to me and I frowned, shaking my head. "You should intercept Octavia." Echo quickly said.

"I'll do what I can." I drew in a deep breath. Knowing the consequences of the path I would take would ensure I knew the sacrifices me and my people would have to make. I wanted to be a good person, I wanted to be a leader that would bring my people out of a time of war, but to tear them from Octavia and break their remaining trust in her, I needed to let her lead them into a massacre. As Lexa always said, victory must stand on the back of sacrifice. "Do you have troop size and weapons count?" I asked her.