Chapter 13
Clarke woke up with some incoherent babbling on her right side. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around her. She noticed that she was once again in her human-form and still in the same room as before.
Clarke turned her head towards the voice. She saw Lexa probably cursing in her native language and still chained to the table. So she got up and moved towards the other girl.
When Lexa saw her she stopped cursing. "Clarke, are you ok?" She looked at the blonde girl assessing for any injuries, as well as she could due to her position.
Clarke touched her own spine which weirdly buzzed. "I'm fine. What about you?" Lexa released a sigh of relief and opened her mouth to say something but Clarke interrupted her. "If you tell me that you're safe and sound, I'll leave you there."
Lexa frowned. She averted her gaze from Clarke and said nothing. "Look I'm a healer. I can help you or at least try to find something here to help you with the pain."
Lexa growled but spoke anyway. "My right leg hurts." Clarke nodded and moved to a drawer not to far away. After a few moments Clarke found some painkillers and handed them to Lexa. "This should help." She said as the Commander swallowed the medication.
The blonde started unchaining her. "What happened?"
"I couldn't see much but I heard you whimpering. After that you fainted and changed back to a human." Clarke thought that she probably fainted because she was dehydrated or something like that.
Lexa was finally free. She tried to stand but her right leg couldn't support her and she started falling. Clarke luckily caught her. Lexa growled and moved away from the other girl. "We have to go before some of the mountain men return."
Clarke frowned. She didn't understand why the other girl was acting this way and she didn't understand anything she was saying. "Mountain men?"
"I'll explain it later." The blonde accepted Lexa's response and they turned towards the door.
Clarke saw for the first time what she did when she let her wolf takeover. She stopped mid step with wide eyes as she looked at the bodies in front of her.
"I did this?" Clarke whispered, but Lexa heard it anyways. "Yes. You did what was necessary Clarke."
Clarke moved behind the table Lexa was leaning on and vomited. Lexa looked at her scared, wondered what the mountain men did to other alpha. She moved closer and caressed Clarke's back since there wasn't much more she could offer in the moment.
Clarke stopped vomiting and wiped her mouth. When she saw Lexa's worried expression she felt the need to tell the other girl that she doesn't need to worry about her. "I'm fine." Lexa expression didn't change so Clarke continued. "You should be more worried about your leg."
Lexa tried to convince herself that Clarke would be fine, but it wasn't working the way she hoped. "You cannot know what they were doing to us when we were unconscious."
Clarke sighed. "By standing here we are wasting time and not helping anyone. Let's just go." Lexa frowned but followed Clarke anyway.
"Wait." Clarke moved to the table and took the vials with Lexa's bone marrow. She saw how Lexa looked at her and began to explain. "Whatever they need your bone marrow for must be for something important. If we leave it there they could use it against us later." Lexa nodded.
Both of them slowly stepped over the dead bodies leading to the door and made their way outside. They found themselves in an empty long hall forced to decide if they should go right or left. Clarke decided for them and started walking towards the right.
Clarke moved a few steps when she heard growling behind her. She turned around and saw Lexa limping. She rushed to her and put Lexa's arm over her shoulder and wrapped her arm around brunette's body to support her.
Lexa pushed her away and hissed. "I'm not weak."
Clarke glared at her. "I would never describe you as weak. A few minutes ago someone drilled into your leg and you're still walking. But if you don't let me help you they can catch us and they will probably kill us." Lexa once again spoke in a language that the sky girl didn't understand, but she put her arm around Clarke's shoulder anyway.
Clarke smiled and supported her weight. "When we get back to TonDC you will teach me your language. It's unfair that I don't understand you."
Lexa nodded and smiled at the thought of spending more time with the blonde girl next to her.
After few moments Lexa's leg healed enough so she didn't need to rely on Clarke for support anymore. That didn't stop Clarke from being as close to the other girl as possible. The blonde tried to convince herself that she was doing it just to be sure that they made it outside quickly. Lexa didn't mind it at all, this time. The closeness of the other girl took her mind away from the pain she could constantly feel in her leg.
At end of the corridor they saw at least six soldiers. They stopped and hid behind a corner. Clarke looked around and saw some doors. She nudged Lexa and pointed in the direction of the closest set of doors. Lexa nodded and they slowly made it into the closest room before any guard could see them.
In the room, they found a dark haired girl with her back to them. Lexa moved away from Clarke and towards the other girl. She put her hand over her mouth and whispered into her ear. "If you make a sound, I kill you and it will be painfully. Do you understand?" Her captive started shaking but nodded her understanding.
Clarke moved towards the other two girls. "Could you tell us which way will lead us outside?" After a moment while Clarke was looking at the terrified girl she added. "Or maybe rather show us." The girl nodded again.
Lexa slowly released her and glared at her. "Don't you dare try to do something stupid or I will do what I said before." The mountain girl gulped and nodded.
Clarke looked at girl and asked. "Are you capable of walking on the ground outside?" Lexa looked at Clarke like she had two heads but Clarke didn't pay her any attention.
The girl looked towards Lexa for consent to reply. The brunette alpha sighed and nodded.
Girl slowly nodded to Clarke's previous question. After that Clarke continued. "And you weren't before?"
"No, I wasn't." She answered with a shaking voice. Clarke thought about it for a moment and then spoke. "Interesting."
Lexa was impatient and her leg still hurt. "Can we go now?"
Clarke snapped from her daydreaming "Oh, sure." Lexa gesticulated for the girl to show them the way outside.
She led them through various corridors. After a few minutes she stopped in front of a room. "Why are you stopping?" Showing hesitation she internally debated if she should tell them or not. She decided to tell them and turned to Clarke. "Inside could be guards. Please don't kill them."
Clarke and Lexa looked at each other. The blonde was the first to speak. "It depends on how stupid they'll be, but we will try not to."
They slowly opened door and saw no one there so all three of them went inside. Girl gesticulated to another doors. "You can get outside that way."
Clarke turned to her. "You're going with us."
The girl was surprised by that. "What? I cannot go outside. I have never been out there before."
Clarke frowned in confusion. "But you said you could go outside."
Shaking with fear she replied, "They said we can but only for a few hours after we received the injection."
Lexa had enough of her excuses. "I don't care. You're going with us." She grabbed her by the wrist but before she could drag her outside two guards entered. Lexa pushed the girl to Clarke. "Watch over her. I'll take care of them." Clarke nodded in response and put her hand over the girl's mouth. Lexa moved in the way of the two guards.
Halfway towards the guards she changed into her wolf. Lexa jumped on the first guard and snapped his neck with one swift move. The other guard noticed her and aimed a shot at her. Lexa managed to dodge it and tackle him. Before he even realized that he was on the ground she was on him and ripping at his throat, effectively eliminating his chance of screaming and drawing unwanted attention.
Had Clarke not been covering the other girl's mouth her screams would have surely alerted others of their presence. Lexa moved closer to them and growled at the girl. Clarke removed her hand from the girl's mouth. "I… I did what you wanted, please don't kill me! I will even go with you outside. Please." She started crying and fell on her knees to the ground.
Clarke moved away towards the guards and began removing their clothes for her and Lexa to wear. After a moment she could hear growling and snarling. When she turned she could see how Lexa's wolf advancing on the young girl.
"Lexa no!" She quickly ran and stood between the girl and Lexa.
Lexa growled and changed back into her human form. "She can walk on the ground only because they're killing my people!"
Clarke quickly turned to the crying girl on the ground. "Were you ever outside?" The only response she gave was a shake of her head and more sobbing. The blonde turned back to an angry Lexa. "See? She didn't even take the bone marrow of your people."
"So what, Clarke? That means we will let her live?! She could tell the others about us!"
"You can't kill everyone you don't trust!" Clarke took a deep breath to calm herself and moved closer to Lexa to whisper. "And she can tell the other how we let her live, that we don't kill without reason as they seem think." She saw how the brunette was thinking about what she said, so she decided to push more. "Even if we kill her the others will know we ran out."
Lexa let out a deep sigh and nodded. "Fine, she can keep her life..." After a little pause she added. "...for now." With that she turned around to take the clothes Clarke had removed from the dead bodies and started dressing.
Clarke smiled at herself taking Lexa's reaction as a little victory and turned towards their captive who was still on the ground. She crouched so she was at the same level. "Nothing will happen to you, don't worry." The girl looked at her with watery eyes full of disbelief.
In that moment Lexa joined them and gave Clarke some clothes, who with thanks, started dressing as well while Lexa was watching the dark haired girl with an impassive look once again. "You won't mention us to anyone."
Without thinking, the girl quickly nodded at her order.
There was silence until Clarke, now fully dressed, spoke. "I'm ready to go."
Both alphas started moving towards the doors that the girl pointed to until the girl spoke. "Thank you." Lexa just scoffed and continued walking while Clarke turned around and smiled at the girl. "We are not the savages your people think we are." With that she turned around and jogged to catch up with the Commander.
They found out that way out is through some tunnels. Their journey proceeded in silence until they heard some growling. Lexa turned towards the sound and whispered. "Reapers."
Clarke never saw other girl in so much distress. She looked behind them and then back to the brunette with questions. "Reapers?"
Before other girl could answer some creatures emerged from the tunnel behind them. Lexa grabbed Clarke's wrist as she did many days ago and ran with her.
They stopped when they reached a dead end. The only way out was to jump into a lake dozens of yards under them.
Clarke looked at Lexa. "You can't be serious." Lexa looked at her and squeezed her hand. Clarke's eyes widened when she realized Lexa really wanted them to jump. The growling behind them was coming closer and closer.
"No, no, no!" Lexa didn't pay any attention to the blonde girl's protests and jumped with her forcing them into the water below.