CHAPTER FIVE.
go into the woods they said,
it'll be fine, they said.

━━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━━

Sage and the others worked quickly and in no time she found herself tying together pieces of material as Murphy continued to add to a collection pile. Sage's tongue gently grazed the outside of her upper lip as she frowned in concentration. Her hands worked almost independently as they fiddled and tied the seat-belts and wires into a long cord. And before long she was left with a twenty five metre long rope.

The curly haired girl swiftly pushed herself to her feet, rope in hand as she beckoned Bellamy over. He did so and accepted said string from her hands.

"Okay let's get this show on the road!" Murphy announced, clasping his hands together excitedly. Bellamy instantly shot the bloodied boy a look as Sage rolled her eyes at his actions.

"What? I'm lightening the mood." He defended with a shrug.

Before long the four teenagers arranged themselves along the rope as Bellamy began to wrap his waist and legs with it. A thousand thoughts ran through Sage's mind as she imagined all of the possible ways the rescue mission could go south. As Bellamy continued to descend himself Sage's heart began to pick up it's pace until she reassured herself he was safe within their grasp.

The four teenagers grunted as they continued to lower their leader, struggling under his weight. Sage planted her feet into the ground and utilised the entirety of her stubbornness to remain in the one position. Sage released a small grunt as she attempted to remain still and not fall into the figure of Murphy in front of her.

"Just hang on. I'm almost there." Bellamy informed Mel, his voice was distant therefore Sage only just made out his words.

The lack of vision Sage obtained over the cliff's face was irritating her deeply. She couldn't see Bellamy or if he was even close to Mel and it was only causing her more discomfort. The teenagers atop of the cliff could only assume Bellamy was close to retrieving Mel when they briefly heard him mutter a small series of 'it's okay' and 'I got you'.

They waited anxiously for the boy to beckon their assistance only to discover Bellamy had captured the girl in his arms upon noticing the extra weight they were now collectively holding.

"I got her. Pull us up!" Bellamy called.

Finn, Monroe and Sage did as they were told and began to heave the duo back up the cliff. However Murphy, being Murphy of course figured it was a brilliant moment to express his usual sarcasm.

"Don't you worry, Bellamy. I won't drop you." He commented as he began to strain himself like his fellow labourers.

"Not now, Murphy." Sage struggled out through gritted teeth as she continued to haul the pair up.

The makeshift rope threaded through their hands as the weight of the pair caused the group of four to overwork their muscles. Which for people such as Sage didn't have much of. As they continued to strain every inch of their bodies Sage began questioning whether or not their efforts were even making a difference. Bellamy wasn't anywhere near in sight and she was utilising every bit of upper body strength to retrieve the pair.

"Come on you guys." Finn said as he watched the two in front of him struggling to tug the seatbelt rope.

Sage yelled as she flung to the ground upon a snap in the rope. Flying to the floor, the crown of her skull crashed upon a pile of rocks causing her to let out a yelp. However there were slightly bigger concerns as Murphy held the two ends of the rope with each of his hands, solely carrying both the weight and fates of the two below.

"Come on, a little help!" The wounded boy screamed as Sage, Finn and Monroe scrambled to their feet. Sage instantly grabbed a hold of the left side of the rope as Finn latched onto the right. The trio slipped closer towards the edge of the cliff as they lowered onto their backs to remain grounded. Sage's fear began to sink in also increasing her heart rate and building her fear.

Sage was unsure of where Monroe had landed however she was too strained in the moment to care. Along with the two boys, she exerted all of her strength into the hauling and grunted at the weight. Realising they would definitely require additional support, Sage beckoned Monroe over hurriedly. The other female swiftly slid beside Sage so quickly she was perplexed as to how she hadn't plummeted down like Sterling had previously.

"What the hell is happening up there?" Bellamy shouted worriedly.

"Just hold on!" Finn yelled in response.

Just as Sage figured the group were making some progress in their haul an arrow from above came whizzing toward them, landing dangerously close to Monroe's side.

"Grounders!" She shouted as the arrows continued to fly toward the four. Sage grunted angrily as she resumed her tugging on the rope still praying they could rescue the pair.

"Monroe, cover us. Go!" Finn shouted over the chaos as he retracted a rifle and handed it to the female. She obeyed and swiftly released the rope handing additional weight onto Sage who struggled under the load.

"How many are there?" Bellamy questioned loudly.

"We can't see them!" Finn replied just as furiously.

Murphy and Sage descended onto their backs in order to remain on the cliff and not down the side as Finn yelled over the pair.

"In the trees! In the trees! Aim for the trees!" He commanded as gunshots resumed their firing.

Sage screamed involuntarily as an arrow imbedded into the ground between Murphy and Finn causing the long haired boy to move out of the way. Once again leaving the burden on Murphy and Sage.

"No!"

As the arrows continued to fly and the gunshots only contributed to the chaos, the workload only began to increase in pressure. Just as Finn returned to the rope, Sage was cut off as an arrow pierced right through her injured shoulder. Releasing the rope she rolled into the soil and yelped praying the two boys would carry the pair without her help. She wailed in pain and crumbled on the floor, hoping no other arrows would puncture herself or the others.

"Sage!" Murphy yelled glancing to where the girl lay. His gut feeling told him to assist the injured teen however he knew he must stay pulling on the rope otherwise he'd have to add another two to add to the list of people whom he had killed.

Once again the universe seemed to betray her as the gunshots ended and Monroe released a loud yelp. The two boys proceeded with their haul only to conclude they could not pull up both Bellamy and Mel.

"He's gotta cut her loose. We can't do this." Murphy shook his head. "Bellamy, you gotta cut her loose!"

"No way!" The older boy objected.

"Cut her loose!" Murphy repeated.

A length blowing of a horn sounded and Sage soon recognised it as the fog horn. The delinquents paused at the sound before realising that retrieving the pair was just a bit more crucial at the moment.

"Sage, Monroe, back on the rope! Come on!" Finn demanded hurriedly. The females followed the order and quickly returned to the rope despite their injuries. Sage released an agonising yelp as she felt a ripping sensation in her shoulder. She knew it was her shoulder wound and a series of tears dripped down her cheeks as the cut tore further open. Slowly but surely the group of four began to tug the rope far enough that Bellamy was able to assist via climbing and eventually reach the top. With Mel by his side they arrived at the peak of the cliff where Mel instantly fell onto Finn's chest. Sage released her section of the rope and glanced down at her formerly burnt and bandaged hands which were now seeping with crimson stains.

Heavy breaths escaped all of the delinquent's lips as they attempted to regain any strength they had. Sage still laid on the floor but quickly curled into a fetus position as waves of agony shuddered through her chest and torso.

"We have to take cover from the fog." Finn announced.

Sage frowned painfully and released a throaty groan before beginning to push onto her backside only to halt at the voice of another female.

"Bellamy?"

It turned out it was Octavia who sounded the Acid fog horn. Relief instantly swarmed through Sage's veins as she realised there was no need for herself and the others to take cover.

A bloodied hand crossed her line of vision as it reached for her uninjured arm. Sage soon registered that the hand belonged to Murphy who was merely trying to help her up. Gratefully, the dark haired female accepted his aid and allowed him to pull her up. Sage winced at the quick movement as the injury continued to throb harder than it ever had before. Noticing the fact that the arrow was still situated in her shoulder, Sage gripped the end of it. Preparing herself for the agony, Sage scrunched up her face and took a deep breath before harshly ripping it out.

Noticing this, Murphy gazed down at the girl in concern and analysed her shoulder with his creased eyes.

"You alright Sage?" Murphy questioned.

"I'm fine." She muttered through gritted teeth alerting the boy that her tone said something her words couldn't.

"Are you?" Sage asked as she watched the boy with a deep frown.

"Nothing I can't handle." He mumbled although it sounded more like a groan. As Bellamy and his sister reunited Sage and Murphy began to assist their fellow delinquents. Little did they know that they were both sneaking glances at each other in attempt to ensure safety for one another. And despite their sworn secrecy, they both knew the other wasn't as okay as they claimed they were.

The day clocked by slowly and Sage soon found herself in desperate need of a nap. Unfortunately for her she was beckoned by Bellamy who requested her assistance in attending to Mel who was very evidently injured from the landing. Sage being the only one of the group with some form of medical and nursing experience, took to the job willingly and soon got to work, wrapping the older woman's shoulder and arm as Bellamy aided her in a rather emotional approach. Sage attempted to concentrate on her task despite the penetrating gaze of a crouched Murphy, whose eyes followed her every movement.

Octavia assisted Sage for a while, helping her attend to Monroe's wound before focusing on her own. They worked quickly despite the various interruptions by Murphy and the other boys.

"The Grounders will be back, so we need to go. Now." The girl announced, picking up her bag and pulling herself to her feet. Sage followed in suite, ignoring the pain soaring through her shoulder yet again.

"Yes, we do." Finn agreed. Sage brushed her hands together, removing the dust as she turned to face the long haired boy who was crouched over a crate, observing some kind of map.

"Octavia says the arrow might be poisoned, we have to take them home." Bellamy stated, glancing over at Monroe and Mel.

"I know." Finn nodded.

"I'll meet you as soon as I can." Bellamy decided, looking up from Sage's map.

"I know." Finn repeated before turning on his heel and beginning to walk away.

"Parting. Such a sweet sorrow, right?" Murphy mused, trailing backwards in the same direction Finn was headed.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Bellamy questioned the boy.

"Come on. Bellamy, you know if I go with you, they'll just lock me up again." He responded.

Bellamy proceeded to pick up an unattended rifle, throwing it in Murphy's direction causing the boy to catch it swiftly, a smile spreading across his face.

"Really?" Octavia muttered.

Murphy cocked the gun, gazing down at the weapon with an odd admiration. Sage frowned at him, watching as he looked back up at Bellamy, seeking approval.

"Watch his back." The older boy instructed causing Murphy to nod. As Murphy began to depart, Sage decided against the discomfort in her shoulder and the alarms in her brain telling her it was a stupid suicide mission before hauling her backpack and rifle back onto her good shoulder, following both boys.

"You're going too?"

"You trust those two alone? Anything could happen." Sage responded with a small smirk.

At this point it was clear Sage was losing her patience for the two boys she was travelling with. They didn't exactly cooperate with one another and they were proving exceedingly annoying to the girl who was in desperate need of a break. As they continued to voyage through the thick forest Sage was growing weaker by the second. She still hadn't had the opportunity to rewrap her shoulder which despite having gone a couple days still needed attention. Especially since the incident with the cliffside and retrieval of Mel, Sage nor her wound were in the greatest condition.

Despite her discomfort she pushed on, trailing between Finn and Murphy as they headed toward the Grounder camp Sage was still certain was not the location of captivity of her friends. Finn had been barking orders since the departure of Bellamy and the others while Murphy had been far too fascinated with his new gun. This left Sage who simply wallowed in her own pain.

"Finn, we need to stop." Murphy spoke up. Sage spun on her heel to see Murphy with his arms hanging loosely, indicating he was also tired.

"You tired?" Finn asked, although his voice didn't seem to be concerned but rather sarcastic and heartless.

"Um obviously. We've been walking for like four days straight." Murphy responded in an obvious tone. "Besides I can practically see Sage crumbling in front of me. She needs a break man." Murphy added.

Finn still looked reluctant to the idea of allowing a stop over however any last piece of remaining sympathy took over once he took one look at a crippled Sage, struggling to hold her rifle due to her shoulder injury.

"Fine, we stop for a night. Then we wake up early and get on our way. Sound good?" He asked.

"Perfect." Murphy grinned. He then proceeded to stroll past Sage, collect her rifle and continue on his way in what Sage assumed was to locate a new residence for the trio to stay the night.

Part of Sage was glad to lose the weight as the backpack strapped onto her back was enough of a weight on its own. However this didn't stop her from chasing after Murphy and stopping by his side to question his purchasing of her gun.

"That's stolen property thank you very much." Sage stated, pointing at the gun resting within Murphy's palms.

"Good observation darling." Murphy snickered causing Sage to frown.

"Why did you take my gun?" She questioned as they continued to walk side by side.

"Because you're practically falling apart and clearly incapable of carrying it on your own." He deadpanned, looking the shorter girl up and down.

"I'll have you know I am not incapable." She objected, her stubborn side proving more prominent.

"You're crippled, Sage. So shut your stubborn ass up and let me help you." Murphy spoke, not taking his eyes off of the path infront of him.

"Since when do you willingly help people other than yourself?" Sage scoffed, failing to believe the boy wasn't hiding some sort of ulterior motive behind his sudden assistance.

"Hey! I help when I want to. I'm not always heartless. I can be considerate." He objected.

"Seriously? You hung Bellamy. I'd hardly call that considerate." Sage scoffed.

"Yes. But did he die?" Murphy defended.

Sage rolled her eyes at his ridiculous response however she couldn't help but chuckle at it also. As violent and reckless as Murphy had been, he had also been Sage's only form of entertainment over the past days. He was also slowly starting to reveal a side of his personality that wasn't as heartless as he would have hoped for everyone to believe. And now that Sage had began to witness this alteration, she was determined to discover the remainder of whatever it was.

The trio soon discovered a location upon a valley, which was surrounded by high peaking mountains. The range was breathtaking and Sage was astounded to view such a sight. She was a bit uneasy about their temporary residence however, particularly how high up it was. Heights were proving to be one of her greatest fears, right behind water and a few others.

Murphy must have noticed this though and planted his bag and guns down near the forest which was a fair bit away from the edge. He placed his belongings carefully on the ground as he stated it wasn't best to situate too close to the edge. Sage instantly agreed with this idea and dropped her bag, followed by herself onto the ground beside Murphy's belongings.

The three soon made a temporary camp complete with a fire, courtesy to Finn who had remained silent since the last conversation about halting their journey. Besides his few one liners, the conversation only seemed to exist between Murphy and Sage.

Before they knew it, night was settling in and Sage retreated back to the forest post her lengthy session seated toward the edge of the cliff ( not too close of course ) where she watched as the sky altered from a clear blue to an array of apricot and mauve colours to the final darkness littered with twinkling lights.

When Sage trudged back to the two boys she couldn't help but notice Murphy staring at the sky as she had done so also. His eyes held some sort of astonishment she had never witnessed him experience before. It was as if he was an innocent little boy once more and despite the fact that she only briefly knew the boy when they were children she could vividly see his younger self channeling through him during his little gaze.

"Alright, I'm sleeping. One of you two take first watch." Finn announced abruptly.

"Night Finn." Sage mumbled while Murphy straight up refrained from speaking at all. Sage leant back on a tree trunk as she watched the fire before her intently. Murphy's gaze trailed elsewhere and instead found the night sky which was beautiful despite not being as bright as it used to appear from the windows of the Ark.

"Do you want me to take first watch?" Murphy questioned as he glanced over at Sage. His eyes were tired and Sage could clearly see the exhaustion held within them. She felt too guilty to request he take first watch and considering she wasn't all that tired anyway, she shook her head no.

"No, you rest. I'll wake you in a couple of hours." She explained. The boy smiled lazily and his eyes thanked her deeply. Sage smiled softly at his tired state before watching him make himself more comfortable and quickly doze off to sleep.

Now that the world was silent and she was alone, Sage decided to take the moment to repair her wound and get her belongings organised. Wincing at the sensation, Sage carefully peeled Abby's bandage away however there was much of it left. Fortunately the curly haired teen had been smart enough to pack bandages, disinfectant and a needle and thread in her backpack before departing Camp Jaha. Otherwise it would've been impossible to care for herself properly.

Sage carefully retrieved the medical equipment from her luggage and began to work on cleaning her wound. The disinfectant stung more than the last time she poured it and Sage assumed it was due to her days spent in the woods. Her gash had been exposed to the natural harshness of a rigid climate and dirty soils. Needless to say, the slash was definitely in need to some form of disinfectant.

She gently removed her t-shirt and poured a few droplets of anti bacterial liquid onto a small cloth before finishing the removal of her bandage. Wincing as she did so, she dabbed it on and wiped away the grime and sweat. After a long series of heavy panting and wincing, Sage finally completed the disinfectant section of her procedure. However throughout the process she also managed to awaken Murphy. Or rather perhaps he never actually fell asleep.

"What're you doing and why does it sound so painful?" The boy questioned, pushing up from his position and craning his neck to see her. He was met with the sight of a shirtless Sage, preparing a thread and needle.

"I'm fixing myself up. Why aren't you asleep?" She asked softly, in hopes to not awaken Finn also.

"Because you're really loud." He deadpanned. His voice was a lot louder than Sage's, indicating he didn't exactly care whether or not he woke up Finn.

Sage returned to her wound and carefully began to stitch it up like she had the previous time. Weaving in and out, she secured the gash which she was glad to see had thinned down until it was smaller and tighter. She quickly tied a small knot and taped it to her skin. Brushing her hands clean, Sage could feel the eyes of Murphy burning through her shirtless torso.

Her eyes lifted to meet his only to find him with a bewildered expression. His eyes were wide yet worried and Sage figured his gaze wasn't set on her torso because she was shirtless and he was perving but because he was astounded at her stitching skills.

"Need any help?" The boy asked, his azure eyes still glued to her collarbone.

"Nah, I'm good." She assured, however as soon as she completed her sentence, she let out an involuntary yawn, indicating she was exhausted, which she could safely say she was.

"Yeah you need my help again." Murphy nodded. He pushed himself up from his laying position and strolled over to Sage.

"Same shit as last time right?" He asked.

"You don't have to do this you know?" Sage stated, gazing up at his eyes which appeared an array of unusual colours due to his natural blue mixing with the embers of the fire.

"I might aswell." He shrugged.

Allowing the boy to amuse himself by cleaning up her wound, Sage sat back and let him work, directing him whenever he appeared unsure of what he should be doing. He worked carefully and his touch was as tender as ever. The way he wrapped up her bandage was so gentle it was as if he was caring for a small kitten.

Soon enough he completed the task and slumped down beside her. In pure exhaustion, the boy rested his head against her good shoulder allowing her to rest her head upon his. Sage was honestly glad the boy was in such a close proximity. Not only was he warm, but it was nice to have someone there, even in the silence, it was calming to know she wasn't the only one watching the embers of the fire drift and vanish into the abyss above.

"Did they stitch up your shoulder at Camp?" Murphy questioned randomly.

"Um. No, I did it myself." Sage responded. "Why?"

"Just curious." The boy softly replied.

Sage stayed silent, unsure of what to say next. But then a part of her realised she didn't need to say anything. The silence they shared was comfortable and in all honesty talking probably would've killed the vibe. Therefore as Sage began to drift off into a slumber she was pleased to hear the words. "Goodnight, Sage." Before her eyes shut her off from the world and left her with her mind.