CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE:

"PRAY YOU NEVER FIND OUT."

Hours had gone by since the group of three had tried to save Tris under Anya's command. Practically a day, almost two had passed since then and Finn and Y/n had been sent away from Clarke to be killed. The night sky was up, the crickets being heard throughout the entire forest as a fire had been created in the middle of a small place in the middle of the forest. The moon was up, hiding in the dark clouds that blended in with the dark sky that came out every single night of every few hours.

A bit near the fire, making sure to keep a safe distance away, Finn had his arms wrapped around Y/n's figure as they held one another. He had saved them. They weren't dead, they were alive. Y/n could just only hope that her twin sister was alright like they were. He had gone out to get the blonde, blending in with his own people to do so. Finn rubbed his hand up and down Y/n's jacket covered back, pressing occasional kisses to her head.

The sound of a horse neighing and hooves stomping on the ground as the sound headed their way caught their attention, making Y/n pull away from Finn a bit but held his hand as they watched a horse ride up, stopping a few feet away from them. Clarke was one of those people while the grounder hopped off, pulling the blonde off afterwards. Clarke didn't seem to notice her sister and friend standing there yet as the grounder turned her around, using his knife and cutting the ropes off her wrists.

Clarke's brows furrow in confusion as the grounder grabbed her arm, turning her to face her sister's direction. Y/n stepped out from where they stood on the other side of the fire, her hand releasing from Finn's as she revealed herself to her twin, revealing she was alive. The blonde's eyes widen, relief filling in them as Y/n's name leaves right past her lips through a small, yet soft whisper.

Not wasting another second, Clarke ran towards her sister, immediately wrapping her arms around her. Finn couldn't help but smile at the sight, glad the Griffin twins were reunited with one another after almost two days. He always loved the relationship Y/n had with her family, especially with her sister for how close they were. Clarke pulled back just a bit, placing her hands on Y/n's cheeks, wanting to make sure she wasn't hallucinating or anything. She was real. And alive.

"I don't understand, how--" Clarke begins.

Not responding with words, Y/n looks over the blonde's shoulder and at the ground, Clarke and Finn following her gaze. The grounder stared at them, reaching up with one of his hands and taking off the mask he wore, revealing his very familiar face to all three of them, even if Y/n and Finn knew who it already was who had saved them earlier.

It was Lincoln.

"Lincoln saved mine and Finn's lives. He killed one of his own people to do it." Y/n informs.

Clarke steps to Lincoln, pointing at the fire. "Signal fire? That was you?"

"We needed a distraction." Lincoln replies, looking out in the distance.

The three teenagers follow his gaze, seeing a fire in the distance, most likely being the grounders that had Clarke before Lincoln had brought her here with her sister and Finn. The four all watched as the fire disappeared.

"I'd say it worked." Finn comments.

"Not well enough." Lincoln denies.

"What's it mean?" Finn asks.

"It means Anya knows Clarke's not dead. We need to hurry." Lincoln ushers, sending the horse off in one direction. "Let's hope they follow the horse."

"Hey, what do we do now?" Finn calls as the grounder had began to walk off.

"Now we run." Lincoln calls back.

They glance over at him, watching as he runs off in one direction, seeming to know where to go. Glancing at each other, the three were quick to follow, not wanting Anya and the other grounders to find them if they strayed too long behind. For a little while, the group of four ran, soon running through the woods, jumping over logs, avoiding the branches that were close to their faces.

Lincoln had continued to lead the way, showing he probably knew somewhere they could hide. As they ran, the sound of horses neighing was heard from behind them, followed by rough hooves, letting them know that Anya and the other grounders were close behind. Finn made sure to keep Y/n and Clarke in front of him as he trailed behind the back of the group, Lincoln still in the front.

"Come on. It's right up here." Lincoln informs.

"What is?" Y/n questions.

"Someplace they won't follow." Lincoln replies, stopping in front of a cave-like entrance.

"Wait. Where does it lead?" Clarke asks.

"Everywhere. There's a tunnel to your camp. If we make it through, we should get there before Tristan." Lincoln tells them.

Glancing over his shoulder at the sound of horses neighing again, he tenses when he sees how close Anya and the others were. He could see the his fellow grounders sitting on their horses, a few holding torches as they searched for the group of four.

"Go. Go!" Lincoln demands.

Obeying, Clarke grabs her sister's hand, the two rushing inside at the same time with Finn following close behind. Lincoln was the last as he ran in just as Anya stopped, realizing it had been him. As they ran, Lincoln heard Anya shout his name as it had echoed from where she stood near the entrance.

For a little while, the four were running until they were in a large tunnel-like place. The group of four soon found themselves crouched together as Lincoln crashed stones together, trying to make a fire. Eventually, the fire was made, giving them some light. Finn stands from his crouched position, looking back and only seeing darkness.

"You were right. They didn't follow us." Finn breathes out, crouching back down beside Y/n.

"Reapers use these tunnels. Tristan wouldn't risk running into them." Lincoln informs.

Finn's brows furrow in confusion. "What the hell's a Reaper?"

"Pray you never find out." Lincoln replies, lighting up a torch and beginning to stand up. "We have to keep moving."

As he rose to his feet, a grunt of pain escaped past his lips. The three teenagers all looked over at him in concern, only for their eyes to widen at the sight of an arrow lodged into his lower back, no doubt being from Anya when she caught them earlier.

"Lincoln, you're hit." Finn observes.

"Hey, let us look at that." Y/n speaks up as her and Clarke look at the arrow while Finn takes the torch.

Clarke moves to be in front of Lincoln, lifting up his shirt a bit, revealing the lower part of his bare torso as she tried to see where the arrow had lodged into.

"I've fought battles with worse wounds than this." Lincoln breathes out quietly.

"We're not in a battle right now." Clarke denies.

Lincoln sighs. "Yes, we are."

"Why are you helping us?" Y/n questions.

"This can't just be about Octavia." Finn adds.

"Fine. Don't tell us." Clarke says when he didn't answer. "Give me your knife."

As he gives her his knife, the blonde hands it to Finn, instructing him to heat it up which he does, placing it very close to the fire on the other end of the torch he was holding tight in his grip. Lincoln was leaning against the tunnel walls, using one hand to keep his shirt lifted up.

"You might want something to bite down on." Clarke warns him.

Lincoln scoffs. "You people are so soft. If you don't learn to be more--"

The grounder, however, is cut off when Y/n pushes the arrow forward, the part that was lodged in him going through his skin and coming out the other side. As bits of blood seeped out, Lincoln brought a shaky hand to the arrow, ripping it off and throwing it to the ground, leaving a hole on his torso. He glances over his shoulder at the three, giving Y/n a look as he knew she was the one to do it before he noticed all three teenagers were staring at them.

"What my people are doing to yours is wrong." Lincoln states.

The teenagers share a glance before Finn handed Clarke the heated blade. The blonde walks in front of Lincoln and places the knife against his wound, a grunt in pain escaping his mouth when she does so.