TWELVE.   I'm hell bent on loving you

      The hunt to find Octavia was a long one. It was still dark out and the torches only brought so much light. Tatum kept her eyes on the ground for footprints. She passed Earth Skills with flying colors, she just didn't tell people that. She searched for fresh or dry blood. The knife she had was clutched in her hand.

From not too far away, Bellamy watched as she attentively searched for his sister. She still refused to meet his eye but she was doing everything to find Octavia. And it made him happy. He was thankful. But he missed the way things were before Raven showed up. He missed how close they were, how much they were getting to know each other, and the way both felt being in each other's presence. It only made him feel more guilty for not being truthful with her. 

Would she understand the mistake he made if he just told her the truth? Of course she would. But Bellamy was too scared to take that chance. He was too afraid of losing her forever. He was willing to have be angry with him and not know the truth than to know the truth and hate him, because he was hell bent on loving her.

"Look! Over here!" One of the boys from camp shouted.

Bellamy immediately rushed to his side. "What is it?" He saw him pointing down the sloped hill.

"Right there. You see that? Is that Octavia's?"

Tatum appeared next to them in a flash. She followed his finger and saw that he was pointing to a splash of blood on a rock. She felt sick.

"Rope." He demanded.

She looked at him. "What?"

"We'll need rope to get back," he told her. He took the rope that someone gave him and carefully made his way down the hill. She watched with a wavering feeling in her stomach. After Bellamy took a minute to observe the blood, he shouted, "It's hers!"

Tatum immediately took the rope and climbed down the slope. Planting her feet on the ground, she kneeled beside Bellamy and examined the blood herself. She took two fingers and dipped it in the liquid, the red color coating her fingers. "It's still fresh. This just happened."

Anger appeared on Bellamy's face. "Someone else was here."

Finn pointed down the trail. "The prints are deeper going that way."

"He was carrying her." Said Tatum.

"If they took her, she's alive. Like when they took me."  Jasper spoke up.

Bellamy took off deeper into the woods and Tatum followed close behind. Her stomach twisted painfully after finding the blood and it made her feel more determined to find Octavia. She kept her eyes peeled on the ground and in the trees.

Bellamy glanced at her briefly. "How are you so good at this?" He wondered.

"Earth Skills was my best class." She stated firmly. "I also read a lot of crime novels."

"I didn't know that."

"There was a lot of free time in the sky box."

He frowned a bit at that. He looked forward again, his gun clutched in his hands.

Tatum looked at him from the corner of her eye. "Comes in handy when you pull pranks on your friends."

Bellamy looked at her again and raised his brows. "You pulled pranks?"

She smirked a little. "I wasn't called the Ark Bandit for no reason. They were mostly on Finn. He's always been the most gullible." She let out a chuckled. "I-I remember this one time when we were, like, fifteen, I put ketchup in my hair and on my face to make it look like I got a blow to the head. When Finn came in and saw me, he screamed so loud for the guards. He thought someone had killed me and I felt terrible." She told the story and her laughter gradually got louder.

Bellamy shook his head and pushed his tongue to his left cheek, trying to keep from laughing, but he still smiled. "That's so terrible. I would have been pissed off if Octavia did that to me."

"Try being the one that has to get the ketchup out of your hair."

They both laughed simultaneously. Tatum felt the anger she was feeling towards him fade ever so slightly. From ahead of them, she saw something that made her stop walking, as did everyone else. Hanging from the trees was multiple skeletons, and Tatum covered her mouth, shivering from disturbance.

"I don't speak grounder but i'm pretty sure this means keep out." Said Finn, feeling creeped out.

"Let's get out of here. This is crazy." Someone in the group spoke.

"I'm outta here."

"Yeah, me too."

"Go back if you want," Bellamy insisted, still looking around the woods. "My sister, my responsibility."

"I'd walk through hell to find her." Declared Jasper, but they already knew that.

"I think we just did." Tatum and Finn said in unison, still looking up at the various hanging skeletons.

Tatum was beyond exhausted. The sun had risen and caused a strain on her eyes, making them appear red. Purple bags hung under them and she felt weak from the lack of sleep and hydration. But she still wouldn't give up. Octavia wouldn't give up on her.

The group tried to stay on trail of footprints, but after a while of walking through the forest, the trail was lost. "I got nothing. I lost the trail." Finn told them.

Tatum huffed and rubbed her forehead. "You don't say." She spoke sarcastically.

"Keep looking." Demanded Bellamy, who was just as tired as they were.

"Wandering around aimlessly isn't the way to find your sister. We should backtrack."

Tatum shook her head. "Hey, don't give up now."

"I'm not going back."

"Hey, where's John?" Announced Roma when she noticed that her friend was around.

The group looked around but caught no sight of the boy. "Spread out, he couldn't have gotten that far."Bellamy ordered.

Tatum walked ahead of them with her gun high and gripped tightly. It was almost an eery kind of quiet, the faint sound of them calling John's name behind her, but there was still no rustling of footsteps. The hairs on her arms and neck stood. Suddenly, a body fell from the trees, and she screamed when it landed on her.

"TATUM!"

Blood dripped from the body and onto her, and Tatum gripped the corpse. There was another terrified scream when she realized it was John, and his blood was trailing down her jacket.

"Tatum!" The boys shouted her name again.

Bellamy ran to her side. When he eyed the body on her, his eyes widened. "Holy shit."

Jasper threw John's body off of her and he tried to help her up. "Uh, no, not really." She stammered while shaking.

Finn looked up. "They use the trees."

"We shouldn't have crossed the boundary. This happens in every horror movie." She said fearfully, her blue eyes wide and filled with terror.

"Now can we go back?"

Jasper pointed to a silhouette in the distance. "There,  right there!"

"We should run."

"Good enough for me." Tatum exhaled and immediately sprinted off. Adrenaline coursed in her veins and her hearing kind of muffled. She avoiding tripping over the tree branches and she ran theology the forest.

"I can't run much longer!" Said Jasper when he started running out of breath.

"I'm not stopping for him." Hissed one of three boys.

Tatum backtracked by his side. "I'm not leaving him!" She snapped fiercely.

Not listening to the arguing, Bellamy stopped again and it caused her to ram into his back by accident.  "Sorry, sorry!"

"I'm sick of running anyway." He grunted.

"Is this the part of the movie where the people run toward the killers? Cause I would love not to be those people."

Bellamy rolled his eyes. "You're so dramatic."

"Hey, what are you doing?" Finn announced.

"They know where she is."

Roma suddenly ran passed them. "Diggs, where are you?" She shouted to the open forest.

She took off again and Tatum followed after her.  "Roma!" She called out. Her legs started to grow tired the more she ran but she was determined not give up.  A piercing scream rippled through the forest, sending Roma to run in the direction of it. Tatum gasped loudly when she spotted a boy from their group hanging from a tree branch with daggers sealed into it.  The blades were sunken into his stomach to where the tips were showing. "Oh god, I'm going to throw up."  She groaned. She reluctantly ducked under the branch and ran after the girl again. 

"Tatum, wait!" She could hear Bellamy shout after her but she was too focused on finding Roma that she didn't pay attention.

Just when she thought she had found her, Tatum ran past a tree and her eyes widened in horror seeing Roma's body attached to it with a spear driven through her chest. Blood dripped from her chest and mouth and she could feel nausea creep through her body.

"Tatum!" The others shouted her name. When they got closer, they found her staring at Roma's dead body.

Jasper immediately took her by the shoulders. "Don't ever do that again!" He shouted at her.

Instead of answering with words, she leaned over to the side of the ground and threw up everything in her stomach.

Bellamy's eyes turned sad when he looked at Roma's dead body. "She only came because of me." He guiltily spoke. He finely closed her eyes with two fingers.

"They're playing with us." Jasper declared while looking around him.

"They can kill us whenever they want." Finn muttered and they started walking again.

"Then they should get it over with!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.

Tatum's eyes widened. "Jasper, no—"

"Come on!" 

From a distance, she could see grounders running toward them. "They're coming!"  She shouted to them.  She felt Bellamy take her hand and drag her through the woods. They raced on their feet as numerous grounders chased after them. Her dark hair flew in her face but she made no attempt to remove it. Her heart felt like it was in her throat. 

A loud sound blared through the air like a horn. They stopped when they saw the grounders immediately leave. "They're leaving." Tatum inhaled and exhaled.

"What was that sound?" Asked Jasper frantically.

"Acid fog." Finn answered with and his eyes were wide.

"We have to run!" Said Monroe.

"There's no time." He took the makeshift tent out from his backpack and laid it flat on the ground.

Tatum found herself being squished between Bellamy and Finn as they laid on the floor in the tent. The intense heat grew from the body heat and breathing being mixed together. "You know, when I said I wanted to be closer to you guys, this isn't exactly what I meant." Her sarcasm came through while she tried to steady her breathing.

"Tatum, please be quiet." Muttered Finn even though he was used to her sarcasm when she got nervous.

"Sorry."

"I thought it was funny." Monroe chimed from the end of the tent.

"Thank you, Monroe."

"Will this even work?" Asked Sterling.

"We'll find out." Finn replied.

Bellamy shifted under the tent and Tatum glanced his way. "No, we won't." He grunted and lifted the tent from his head. "There's no fog."

"You've got to be kidding me." She huffed and threw the tent off of her body to see that there was no fog around them.

They got up from the ground and looked around.  "Maybe it was a false alarm," Finn considered

In the distance, they spotted a bulky man with a built structure walking through the forest. He was carrying a load of weapons. "They're coming back." Tatum pointed out.

"I think he's alone." Whispered Jasper.

"Now can we run?" Asked Monroe.

"He doesn't see us. I'm going after him." Bellamy determined.

"And do what? Kill him?" Finn sarcastically inquired.

"No. Catch him, make him tell me where Octavia is, then kill him." He grumbled and started following the grounder.

Tatum scolded. "Oh yeah, great plan, Will Graham."

"Is that your nervousness talking?"

"No, that's just me thinking that you're an idiot."

They walked side by side. "Still mad?"

"Let's find Via and then we'll see."

He couldn't contain the half grin that appeared on his lips. "Thanks for helping look for her."

Tatum shrugged slightly. "Course. I'll always look for her."

The group came upon a cave entrance. Bellamy paused hesitantly before walking in, Tatum and the others following behind him. Darkness surrounded them and the sound of their footsteps echoed. "Bellamy?" She heard a small voice say, and she realized it was Octavia.

She was crouched in the corner of the cave, her wrists shackled and face dirty with light bruises. "Octavia." Said Bellamy and he immediately ran to her.

Tatum sighed shakily, feeling relieved, and the adrenaline in her still wavered.

"Get the key," Octavia said with a shaky voice.

While Bellamy searched for the key, Tatum crouched in front of her. "Hey, Via." She said teary eyed.

"Tatum, you came." Octavia sniffled at the sight of her.

"Like anyone was going to stop me."

"Monroe, watch the entrance," Bellamy demanded and he found the key. He came back and unlocked the shackles from his sister's wrists.

When the chains hit the solid ground, her arms flung around his neck and they hugged each other tightly. "How did you find me?" She asked through tears.

"We followed him." Answered Tatum and she pointed to the unconscious grounder.

Octavia pulled away from her brother and hugged her just as tight. "I love you so much." She cried into her hair.

Tatum sniffled. "You're the only person who can make me cry like this."

She laughed. They pulled away and Octavia glanced at the grounder. "We should go before he wakes up."

"He's not gonna wake up." Said Bellamy and grabbed a spear from the corner of the cave.

His sister stopped him before he could do anything. "Bellamy, stop! He didn't hurt me. Let's just go."She protested.

Tatum watched as Finn bend down and lean over the grounder. She followed his movements. There was a fool attached to his clothes. Finn picked it up. They seemed to realize as the same time. "Fog horn?" She raised her eyebrow and they looked at each other.

"Tatum, Finn, move."

No matter how much her life changes or how much she changed, Tatum would always protect her friends. They were her lifeline. She knew from a young age that she'd protect them from anything. A lot of people thought she only cared about herself. And why wouldn't they? She killed someone. There was a special place in hell for murders and Tatum thought that's exactly where she'd end up.

But nothing ever ends poetically.

There was a piecing scream. It echoed on the walls of the cave. It ripped through everyone's ears. "NO!" Jasper's piercing cry pulsated. Tatum had pushed Finn out of the way as the grounder awoke, and he slung a knife in their direction, and it was aimed at him. But instead of hitting him, Tatum took the hit, and the force of the hit sent her flying back. The knife lodged itself into her abdomen and blood started pouring out. "Tatum!"

Octavia screamed and covered her mouth.

The grounder kicked Bellamy's legs out from under him and he fell to the ground. He picked up the spear and pointed it at him. "Stop! That's my brother!" She shouted with scared tears in her eyes.

"No, no, no!" Jasper panicked and both him and Finn dropped to their knees by Tatum. Finn picked her upper body up and held her in his arms. Her eyes closed and her mouth gaped open slightly, blood trailing down her cheek. "No, no, Tatum. Come on, wake up!" He yelled and shook her, his eyes clouding with tears. "No, come on. Don't do this."

Finn brushed her sweaty black hair out of her face. "Tatum, wake up." His bottom lip quivered. "God dammit, come on!"

Out of pure anger, Jasper stood up and grabbed another spear. He pushed Octavia out of the way let out a battle cry, swinging the spear at the grounder. The weapon collided with the back of his head and knocked him out cold again.

"Tatum, wake up! Please!" Finn's painful shout gained their attention again.

Bellamy's scrambled to his feet. "No, no, no." He kneeled next to her and took her from Finn's hold. He put his hand under her back and neck and lifted her up. "Oh god, Tatum,"

"What do we do? Do we pull it out?" Asked Finn with rapid fear.

"No!" Octavia objected. "She'll bleed out. We have to get her back to camp."

"The hell are we waiting for? Come on!" Jasper screamed.

Bellamy picked her up they immediately ran out of the cave. He was carefully not to hit her head on anything until they exited the cave and were back to the open forest. They instantly began running back to camp. With tears in his velvet eyes, he looked down at her. "You're not allowed to die. You're not allowed to die."

When they got back to camp, Jasper and Finn searched for Clarke. "Clarke! Where's Clarke?" He shouted.

"Get Clarke now!" Shouted Finn even louder.

Bellamy felt nausea rise ok his throat. He couldn't stop staring at the knife in her abdomen and his clothes were covered in her blood.

"Hey, I'm here. What's up?" Clarke asked in a hurry when she came out. Her eyes widened at the sight of Tatum in Bellamy's arms. "Tatum? Oh my god. What happened?"

"Tatum!" Raven's cry echoed when she ran outside. "I-Is she dead?"

Finn quickly shook his head. "She's not dead. She pushed me out of the way. She saved my life." His voice was shaky.

"Octavia wouldn't let us pull the knife out." Jasper told them.

"No, that was a good call," Clarke said in a panic. "Get her to the dropship, now. Go!"

Bellamy immediately ran into the drop ship and sprinted to the back where the table was. He placed her gently on the metal table and he hovered over her with tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry. Please don't do this."

From outside, Raven was freaking out. "Clarke, can you save her?" She pleaded desperately.

"No, not me. I need my mother. I need to talk to her."

"There's still no radio." She mentioned. Her voice was full of worry, panic, and anger.

"Raven, fix it! Go!" Clarke demanded, her patience thinning.

Raven scurried off and she immediately ran to the drop ship, seeing Tatum on the metal table. The tan color in her skin paled away and she was coated with sweat. She was covered in so much blood that it made Clarke nauseous. It was on her clothes and skin and it trailed down her face from her mouth. Her black hair was sweaty and knotted and stuck to her face. She was on the verge of death and her life was in her hands. "Don't worry, Tate. I've got you. You're going to be okay."

They've come a long way from hatred.