Fallen Angel [Bellamy Blake]

Chapter 23: vulnerabilities

I LOOK OVER TO BELLAMY WITH PURE PANIC. The last time we heard that sound was right before Atom died. Right before we had seen the large yellow mist consume him and burn off his skin. Bellamy's eyes meet mine with equal alarm. We didn't want a repeat of what happened, if everyone was going to get to safety we needed to leave now.

Finn pulls off his backpack hastily, unzipping it and pulling out a crumbled tent. "Acid fog," He answers Jasper's question.

"We have to run," I tell him. I wasn't sure what he was doing but there was no time to waste. The fog was fast. What happened with Atom could not happen again. I couldn't do that again. I look around the group, my breathing frantic. "Where's Sebastian?"

Finn shakes his head. "There's no time." He begins to unfold the tent. He gestures for everyone to get underneath.

I hesitate. Sebastian was still out there. Before I could waste another minute contemplating my options, Bellamy grabs my arm and pulls me under the nylon tarp beside him. My breath escapes my lungs the minute I fall on the ground. I roll to my side and inhale.

"Sebastian is still out there!" I protest, trying to crawl back out of the tent.

Bellamy places a restraining arm around my shoulder, preventing me from moving. "You can't go out there," He says firmly. I attempt to push him away but he had the strength advantage in this position. "Katherine, you can't go out there."

I stop struggling at how afraid he sounded and knowing that he was right. There was nothing I could do. Still, a weight presses on my chest at the thought that I was in the same situation again. My friend was out there. It was Sebastian.

If the Grounders didn't already get him then the acid fog will. And here I was trapped under a damn flimsy tent with Bellamy Blake. We were touching chest to chest under this small tarp. I couldn't see his face, he was much too tall, but I could feel his breath on the top of my head.

Being this close to him reminded me of the other night when I thought I had seen a different side of Bellamy. He was nice one minute and then he acted like it never happened the next. I think I was more frustrated by the fact that I couldn't figure out why his behavior bothered me so much. Right now all I know is that I want to be as far away from him as physically possible but instead here I was basically touching every inch of his body.

After a few minutes, Jasper speaks up. "How long are we supposed to wait?"

"Will this even work?" I grunt, squirming to get some space between Bellamy and me.

"We'll find out," Finn answers.

Bellamy shifts. "No we won't. There's no fog."

We all crawl out from under the tent. I pat the dirt off my clothes as best as I could, avoiding the feeling of Bellamy's eyes on me.