Chapter 111 - Choices to be made

"How many ?"

No one wanted to say the number, especially since we carried bodies the whole day from afternoon to almost right before sunrise. However, even if no one counted the bodies, the fact that almost four full containers of cold weapons were left in tunnels should have been more than enough to make you a general idea about how many grounders died yesterday.

After what seemed an eternity, one of the surviving guards decided to bite the bullet and answer.

"Almost eight hundred and that's the ones in the tunnels. God knows how many of them died in the woods or jumped in the river hoping that the burns would cease to hurt them once they are in the water."

"That brings the total of confirmed deaths to a little over 1200… I tried to warn him, I even met him, and yet he sent his whole army to death."

"Chief, it wasn't your fault. This is war, people die, whether we like it or not. We have to live with what we had done and hope that we wouldn't do it again."

"Let's get this done and return inside the bunker. We spent more than enough days in those damn tunnels for a lifetime."

Another hour of filling containers of weapons and arrows, as well as burning whatever bodies were still left unborn went by before we managed to return inside the bunker. We had won this battle, albeit at a greater cost from both sides. Seeing what the new weapon that Wells and I made did to the enemy made me understand why such weapons were banned after their first use. No living being could survive being blasted with that gas in the face, particularly when you don't even know how to defend yourself from it.

If what we had done wasn't already worst, the fact that our communications with Arkadia went dark almost two days ago was even worst. We are basically on our own, and since we don't know anything that's happening there, we can only hope that the grounders hadn't attacked the place, though I doubt they would be able to send an army as big as this one for a camp that's better defended that Mount Weather's tunnels.

Just as I was about to head, back to my room, Wells, who voluntarily took the first guard shift, sound the alarm. Apparently, a rather big group of people was making their way toward the main entrance. Despite being quite advanced, the cameras didn't have a night mode, thus making everything rather hard to see, even more so when a big group was walking towards you.

As soon as I together with ten other people armed with the best weapons we had, reached the main entrance, I contacted Wells through the walkie-talkie.

"What's the situation, Wells?"

"They are making their way towards the entrance, there's no doubt about that, but call me whatever you want, but I swear the man in the lead kind of resembles my father. Though I don't know exactly. Get ready for a fight just in case they are indeed enemies. We can risk another huge battle just like the one we had just experienced, especially with how few bullets we have left. Even so, you are the leader, so it's your call."

Wells was right. It was my call if more of my people die today or if we simply bunker down and wait for Arkadia to send us some help. However, the most logical choice would be to simply wait it out, after all the bunker could easily keep a few hundred people for decades, so why couldn't we twentyish people survive down here for a few weeks or so?

Before I make up my mind, I quickly looked at the people that followed me here. All of them had the same look on their faces, showing that they would follow me no matter what I decided, and that's what makes me hesitate. In the end, I'd rather be called a cowered than risk the lives of ten people with that I went together through hell and back.

"Listen up people. We'll hold our position until whoever is coming towards the bunker make themselves known. However, even if they are enemies, we won't march out to face them. Unless they have modern technology or someone who knows how to hack panels, they won't get through this door, even if they attack it with tens of warriors. We are simply waiting and nothing more so relax and hope for the best."

A few of them let out a sigh when they heard my words and who could judge them? All of us spent the last couple of weeks fighting daily against a never-ending tide of grounders. Even though it wasn't exactly exhausting physically, the constant gore as well as all of the cries of pain and shrieks did a number on our minds.

"Leon, I have a visual on the targets. They are from Arkadia. I repeat, they are our people."

We didn't have to wait long, after Wells informed us, because, Thelonious Jaha alongside Byrne, Abby, and surprisingly enough twenty other people stood in front of the door waiting for us to open it. Just as I wanted to tell Wells to open the door, something deep inside of my head warned me of some possible danger. After what I've gone through and in special after how many I failed to listen to those feelings, I decided that for the first time I would fight against what I wanted to do and simply see what would happen.

"Wells don't open that door. No, matter what they say or do. Something's strange about them and I'd rather know that all of us are safe than risk our lives."

"Roger that, Leon. You are right to feel that way. My dad, as well as Abby, seems to be different than how we know them, but besides that, everything seems normal. There's no trace of injuries on any of them, and Monroe even checked the tunnels, there's nothing down there as well. I can't see any grounders in the woods, then again they might be hiding in our blind spots. Once again it's your call."

Whoever said that making choices was easy, must have been drunk because right now I had to choose between keeping twenty-eight people safe or risking everything by opening the door for Jaha and his group to walk inside the bunker and hope that no grounder would be waiting for the door to be open before attacking the bunker.

"Wells, how sure are we that this isn't a trap?"

"It's a fifty-fifty chance. There are only two possible outcomes: A trap or simply my father and Abby missed us."

"No offense Wells, but I'd rather believe it's a trap than think that your father misses me."

"Fair point. So what's your decision?"

"We will…"

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