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Chapter Text

        My entire life I'd been trapped. Since I was a child I was expected to help my father stay mentally sane after my mother was floated. And by floated I mean she was locked in an airlock and shot out into space. Because of the trauma my father stopped doing anything for himself. I ended up having to steal extra rations for him so we could survive. After my father was found dead from a supposed heart attack they checked the room to see if they could find anything related to his death. And they of course found the stash of rations I had stolen. They had put the pieces together and I was arrested. I'd been trapped by guilt and now, trapped in this damn cell.

I sat on my bed as the door to my cell slammed open. I flinched backward and two guards entered my room.

"Prisoner 313, face the wall," A guard told me. I started to get up and did as told. Compliance was the easier option.

"Excuse me, but last I checked my 18th birthday is still in a few months. 8 months exactly if I'm correct," I said confused.

"You're still 17," He told me his expression unreadable.

"Then what is this about?"

"Quiet," He snapped. "Hold out your right arm," I did as told. I turned my head around. I saw him open a metal case and pull something out. It was a metal bracelet that appeared to have a needle inside it.

The needle they used to stop all your muscles until your heart stops. No. No no no no no. I am not dying early.

"No. Sir, please. I'm still 17," I said, stepping away.

"Quiet," He said again. The second guard rushed over and held me still while I screamed.

"Please sir, I'm begging you," I protested. "I'm not 18 yet! You can't do this until I've had a trial!"

"Quiet!" He snapped. I held my breath as he clamped the bracelet around my arm. I held back the tears of fear and took a few deep breaths, that could very well be my last. After a few seconds, I became curious- by the fact that I hadn't collapsed and stopped moving.

"Come on," He grabbed my arms and dragged me out of my cell. I saw other kids all throughout the Skybox being given the bracelets and escorted out by guards. The guards walked me through a hallway and toward a line of other kids my age. The youngest I'd guess, looked 12 or 13. The guard pushed me to the end of the line. In front of me was a girl with brunette hair that went down to her mid-back. She turned her head around and I smiled at her. She gave me a half-smile.

"I'm Hunter," I said to her.

"Octavia," She responded.

"That's a beautiful name,"

"Thanks. My brother picked it," I turned my head in confusion. Another rule on the Ark. No siblings. If you have more than one, the child gets sent to the Skybox and the parents floated.

"Brother?"

"Yeah,"

"Oh, so you're the little girl from the floor," A boy said. He had a slim build with light brown hair.

"Yeah, you gotta problem with that?" I asked.

"I see you got yourself a bodyguard," He said to Octavia. She frowned a little.

"No, but you'll need one if you keep running your mouth," I threatened. He looked me up and down then turned to face the front of the line.

"You didn't have to do that for me," Octavia told me.

"Yeah well, piss off my friend, you piss off me," I said, right as I finished the line started moving. As we walked I saw Dr. Abby Griffin and Marcus Kane standing next to the wall, watching us as we walked.

"Have you seen Monty? Is he already on board?" I heard a boy ask. on board what? That's when I saw a drop-ship. We were directed inside before I could refuse. Wait! Are they gonna- no. no. no. no. the Earth won't be inhabitable for 100 more years. Why are they sending us down? I- no. This can't be happening. I looked around in panic. A guard stood inside directing us on which way to go. The guard gestured up a ladder. Before I started climbing, I launched myself at the guard.

"Please, sir! Don't let them do this!" I reached my hand around his waist and started to fake cry. "This can't be happening. They're going to kill us all!" My hand hit what I had been looking for. Bingo.

He pushed me away from him and I pulled my hand holding his gun behind my back. "Get up there," He snarled. I started climbing it and realized I was the last person to go in. I found an empty seat and sat down, quickly shoving the gun in my belt. The boy beside me had dark hair and dark skin, he saw the gun and raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"Buckle your seats," The same guard demanded. Once everyone had been bucked into the seats, the guard gave us a nod and left the room. We all sat in silence for a few seconds. I glanced around

Click.

All of a sudden, we dropped. I let out a small yelp of surprise and grabbed the thigh of the boy next to me. Screams could be heard from around the dropship. We fell for about a minute before a crash was heard. More screams. The lights flashed. The screens around the room turned on. Chancellor Jaha appeared on the screen. I awkwardly let go of his thigh and he smirked a little at me.

"Could've asked my name before you jumped me," he said as the recording started.

"Prisoners of the Ark, hear me now. You've been given a second chance. And as your Chancellor, it is my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you, but a chance for all of us. Indeed for mankind itself. We have no idea what's waiting for you down there. If the odds of survival were better, we would've sent others. Frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you expendable,"

"Your Dad's a dick, Wells!" Someone yelled to Wells Jaha. I held in a laugh.

"Those crimes will be forgiven, your records wiped clean. The drop site has been chosen carefully. Before the last war, Mount Weather was a military base built within the Moutain. it was to be stocked with enough non-perishable to sustain 300 people for up to two years..."

The boy leaned forward in his seat and hit my leg, getting my attention. He pointed up to the middle of the dropship. A boy had gotten out of his seat and was floating around the dropship. Finn Collins. He went into lockup a few months before me.

"So what is your name?" I asked as cheers started up for the spacewalker.

"Bellamy, you?" He responded as we watched Finn float down in front of Wells.

"Hunter Damon." After that, we shut up and listened to Finn.

"Your Dad floated me after all," Finn said to Wells. Wells scowled.

"You should strap in before the parachutes deploy," Was all Wells said as a reply. Two boys across from me started to undo their seatbelts as well.

"Hey! you two! Stay put if you want to live," Shouted another female voice.

"Mount Weather is life," Jaha's video continued. "You must locate those supplies immediately,"

"You're the traitor that's been in solitary for a year," Finn said to a blonde girl next to Wells. Clarke Griffin.

"You're the idiot who wasted a month of oxygen on an illegal spacewalk," Clarke retorted.

"But it was fun. I'm Finn," He said. Is he seriously flirting right now?

"Your one responsibility is: stay alive," The girl next to me started to unbuckle her seat belt, but I grabbed her hand firmly. I shook my head no. She rolled her eyes but stopped.

"Stay in your seat!" Clarke yelled. Another boy started floating up into the air. The dropship jolted in the air. The parachutes.

The three boys flew into the walls. Screams filled the dropship. The lights flashed even more and all I heard were screams. I felt the dropship stop. The engines powered down. I sighed in relief.

"Listen," A boy said. "No engine hum,"

"That's a first," Someone else muttered. Buckles clicked and people stood up. I undid my buckle and stood up. Bellamy did the same. The first thing I did was find Octavia in the jumble of people. I joined her side and watched Clarke rush to the two boys beside Finn who got out of their seats. Finn was fine but the other two weren't breathing.

"The outer door is on the lower level!" Someone yelled.

"Let's go!" Another voice yelled.

"No! We can't just open the doors!" Clarke yelled. I climbed down the ladder and jumped down once I got low enough. Clarke was right behind me.

"Hey, just back it up, guys," Bellamy said. He somehow got out before me. He was standing in front of a group of people. He turned and put his hand out to open the hatch door.

"Stop!" Clarke yelled. She pushed through the crowd and made her way to the front.

"The air could be toxic," Clarke said.

"If the air is toxic we're all dead anyway," Bellamy responded.

"Bellamy?" Octavia said, climbing down the ladder. He turned around. Octavia pushed her way through the crowd.

"My God, look how big you are," He said to her. She engulfed him in a hug. Octavia's brother, I guessed. Funny that I met them both already.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Octavia asked. "A guard's uniform" She sounded part shocked part exasperated.

"I borrowed it to get on the dropship. Someone has got to keep an eye on you," Bellamy said. They hugged again as I made my way up to the front.

"Where's your wristband?" Clarke asked him.

"Do you mind? I haven't seen my brother in a year," Octavia snapped.

"No one has a brother," Someone said from within the crowd.

"That's Octavia Blake, the girl they found hidden in the floor," Another person said. Octavia lunged forward, but Bellamy held her back.

"Octavia, Octavia no. Let's give them something else to remember you by," Bellamy said.

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Being the first person on the ground in 100 years," Bellamy suggested. I held my breath as Bellamy pulled the lever. The door blew open, revealing something I'd never thought I'd see.

The Earth.

The bright sun blazed between two tall trees, hitting my face. The trees stretched up to the sky as if they were being pulled up by a string. Everything was so green.

Octavia took a few steps forward. She took a deep breath and nothing happened. She walked down the dropship door and stood at the edge. She jumped off the edge and her feet came in contact with the ground. First-person on the ground in 97 years. I released the breath I had been holding in. The air felt so fresh as it went through my lungs. Nothing could compare to it.

"We're back, bitches!" Octavia yelled, throwing her hands in the air. Everyone cheered as we ran out of the dropship. I jumped and my feet hit the ground. Through the chaos, I managed to find Octavia, who was standing with Bellamy.

"Bell, this is Hunter. Hunter, this is Bellamy," Octavia introduced.

"Nice to meet you again Bellamy," I joked.

"You too," He said, nodding his head slightly. After the cheering died down I made my way back to the dropship to look for supplies. I heard footsteps approaching as someone started to walk next to me.

"You need something?" I asked him.

"No, I just happen to be going to the same place as you," the boy told me. "Jasper,"

"Hunter,"  He had short brunette hair and wore goggles on his head. I recognized him from the line into the dropship. He'd been looking for a kid named Monty.

"Ah, cool. A map," Jasper said as we approached Clarke and Wells. "They got a bar in this town? I'll buy you a beer," Jasper said to Clarke.

"You mind?" Wells said pushing Jasper back. Jackass.

"Hey, hey, hey. Hands off of him. He's with us," John Murphy said walking toward us. Behind him was a group of guys from the Skybox. Delightful.

"Relax," Wells said, putting his hands up. "we're just trying to figure out where we are,"

"We're on the ground. That not good enough for you?" Bellamy said, walking over. Seems we were collecting a crowd.

"We need to find Mount Weather," Wells said walking over to Bellamy. "You heard my father's message. That has to be our priority,"

"Screw your father," Octavia said. "What, you think you're in charge here, you and little princess."

"Do you think we care who's in charge?" Clarke asked. "we need to get to Mount Weather. Not because the Chancellor said so, but because the longer we wait, the hungrier we'll get and the harder this will be. How long do you think we'll last without those supplies? We're looking at a 20-mile trek, okay? So if we want to get there before dark, we need to leave now,"

"I got a better idea," Bellamy said. "You two go, find it for us. Let the privileged do the hard work for a change,"

"Yeah!" A group of people chorused.

"You're not listening. We all need to go," Wells yelled out. Murphy shoved Wells forward.

"Look at this, everybody. The Chancellor of Earth," Murphy said, advancing on Wells.

"You think that's funny?" Wells asked. Murphy hooked his foot behind Wells' leg. Wells fell and I heard a familiar crack.

"Wells!" Clarke said. She went to help him, but one of Murphy's guys next to her swung his arm out, preventing her from moving forward.

"No. But that was," Murphy said. Wells put his fists in front of his chest and spread his feet shoulder-width apart. Which was when I noticed his leg was hurt. Murphy pretended to lung at him and Wells flinched back. Finn jumped down off of a ledge on the dropship. He landed right between Murphy and Wells, preventing the fight from continuing.

"Kid has only got one leg. How 'bout you wait until it's a fair fight," Finn said. Murphy looked Finn up and down.

"Hey Spacewalker," Octavia called. "Rescue me next," Finn smirked at Octavia. Murphy turned away followed by his goons. Everyone cleared out and I made my way to a tree. I jumped up and grabbed onto a branch. I pulled myself up and put my foot on the branch. I made my way up the tree and positioned myself comfortably on a branch. I looked up and out over our new home. It was beautiful. No matter how many times my parents told me stories about Earth and what it was like on the ground, that was nothing compared to this. The green tops of the trees spread out for miles. Mountains poked above the skyline, breaking through the sky.

I was at least 10 feet up when two figures walked underneath me. I smirked and grabbed a branch off the tree. I lined it up and threw it directly at one of the figure's heads.

"Hey!" A voice yelled, who I recognized as Jasper.

"Hey, Jasper. Who's your friend?" I asked.

"Monty Green. Farm Station. You?" Jasper's friend asked me.

"Hunter Damon," I introduced. I started to climb down and once I got about 4 feet from the ground I jumped onto the ground. I landed and shook Monty's hand.

"So, what are you two doing out here?" I asked.

"Exploring," Jasper told me.

"I think Clarke's taking a team to Mount Weather. Feel free to join me if you want real exploring," I offered as I started to walk back to the drop ship.

"Oooh. Sounds fun," Jasper said, following me.

"Sounds dangerous," Monty countered.

"Most things that are fun, are also dangerous," I smiled back at them, then kept walking. I saw Clarke helping Wells while she talked to Finn. I made my way over toward them and started to pick up on their conversation.

"How are the two of you gonna carry enough food for 100?" Wells asked Finn and Clarke. Finn turned around and threw his arms around Jasper and Monty.

"Make it four," Finn said. "Can we go now?"

"Five," I said, raising my hand slightly.

"Sounds like a party. Make it six," Octavia said walking over.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Bellamy asked, joining her side.

"Going for a walk," Octavia responded.

"Hey were you trying to take this off?" Clarke asked Finn. She grabbed his wrist and lifted it up so we could see his bracelet.

"Yeah. So?" He asked.

"So this wristband transmits your vital signs to the ark," Clarke explained. "Take it off and they'll think you're dead."

"Should I care?" Finn asked. Clarke dropped his arm.

"Well, I don't know. Do you want the people you love to think you're dead? Do you want them to follow you down here in two months? Because they won't if they think we're dying," Finn looked down at his wristband. "Okay. Now, let's go." Note to self: Clarke is a pessimist. Finn just nodded. He walked out of the camp, the rest of us following after.

We'd been walking for about an hour now and besides Jasper and Monty, everyone had been quiet. All I had picked up on from their conversation was "See that one's your type" Jasper had said to Monty.

"She'll probably punch me in the face before I could ask her out," Monty had responded.

"A black eye is worth it in love." Is it though?

We passed a cluster of purple flowers in a green bush. Finn plucked one off the bush. He pushed Octavia's hair behind her ear and placed the flower behind her ear.

"Now that my friend is game," Jasper whispered to Monty, gesturing to Octavia.

"That, my friend, is poison sumac," Monty responded.

"What? It is?" Octavia said swatting the flower out.

"The flowers aren't poisonous. They're medicinal, calming, actually," Monty said, taking a bite out of one.

"His family grows all the pharmaceuticals on the Ark," Jasper explained.

"Hey, guys, would you try to keep up?" Clarke asked us.

"Come on Clarke, how do you block all this out?" Finn asked.

"Well, it's simple. I wonder, 'Why haven't we seen any animals?' Maybe it's because there are none. Maybe we've already been exposed to enough radiation to kill us. Sure is pretty though. Come on," She explained.

"Someone should slip her some poison sumac," Octavia muttered. Jasper chuckled.

"I got to know what you two did to get busted," Finn said to Jasper and Monty.

"Sumac isn't the only herb in the garden if you know what I mean," Monty said.

"Someone forgot to replace what we took," Jasper said.

"Someone has apologized like 1,000 times," Monty countered.

"How 'bout you Hunter? What'd they get you for?" Finn asked me.

"Stealing rations for my dad. After a few months, his heart gave out and they found my extra stash of food and meds for him. When they tried to arrest me and I ended up with a bullet in my thigh. Let's just say, I wasn't the only one who walked out of there bleeding."

"Oh," Finn responded shortly. He looked away.

"Octavia, you?" Jasper asked.

"Being born," She deadpanned, running up to Clarke.

"That is so not game," Monty said. Jasper slapped Monty's shoulder. Monty slapped Jasper's shoulder back. They seem close. They slapped each other a couple more times before we saw Clarke crouch down infront of us. We all crouched down next to Clarke. She put her finger to her lips. In the middle of the field was a deer. I smiled.

"It's survivable," I muttered.

"No animals, huh?" Finn said to Clarke. Finn took a few small steps forward. He took another step and a twig snapped underneath his foot. The deer snapped its head over to us. I let out a small scream. To the left of its face was another head next to it, covered in blood. It took off sprinting away from us.

"We are so screwed."

"Hey, you know what I'd like to know?" Finn said as we walked. "Why send us down today after 97 years? What changed?"

"Who cares? I'm just glad they did," Octavia said. "I woke up rotting in a cell and now, I'm spinning in a forest," Octavia swung around a tree.

"Maybe they found something on a satellite," Monty suggested. "You know, like an old weather satellite or-"

"It wasn't a satellite," Clarke said. "The ark is dying," We all stopped. "At the current population level, there are roughly 3 months left of life support maybe 4 now that we're gone," Clarke kept walking as she talked.

"So that was the secret they locked you up to keep, why they kept you in solitary. Floated your old man?" Finn asked as we all followed Clarke.

"My father was the engineer who discovered the flaw. He thought the people had a right to know. The council disagreed. My mother disagreed. They were afraid it'd cause a panic. We were gonna go public anyway when Wells..."

"What, turned in your Dad?" Monty half joked but looked a little shocked when she didn't correct him.

"Anyway the guard showed up before we could. That's why today. That's why it was worth the risk. Even if we all dead, at least they bought themselves some more time," Clarke explained.

"They're gonna kill more people aren't they," Monty said.

"Good," Octavia said. "After what they did to me, I say, float them all,"

"You don't mean that," Jasper said following Octavia.

"We have to warn them," Finn suggested.

"That's what my father said," Clarke said. The topic was quickly changed when we saw the river.

"Oh damn, I love Earth," Jasper said. Octavia was standing on the edge of a rock over water. She pulled her pants down and walked toward the edge.

"Octavia! What the hell are you doing?" Clarke asked. Octavia looked back at us, and then jumped into the water. We all ran toward the edge. The water was to Octavia's chin.

"Octavia," Monty said. "we can't swim." He pointed out.

"I know, but we can stand," She said. As she stood up the water hit her mid-chest.

"Wait, there's not supposed to be a river here," Clarke said. Looking around in confusion.

"Well, there is. So take off your damn clothes," Finn said. Jasper and Monty started to take off their jackets. I grabbed the ends of my shirt and pulled it off above my head. I pulled my pants down and jumped into the water with Octavia.

Finn cheered as I splashed down into the water. The temperature was cool but not bad. The water felt different than the water on the Ark. Jasper stopped and looked out into the water.

"Octavia, Hunter, get out of the water," Jasper said. Me and Octavia turned around and saw a large ripple coming toward us.

There was something in the water. Shit.

"Run!" I yelled. I started to run toward the surface as I heard Octavia scream. I turned around and saw Octavia had been pulled underwater.

"Octavia!" Jasper yelled. She struggled against the creature, trying to force herself to the surface. I tried to make my way closer to Octavia.

"Hunter, don't!" Monty yelled. I felt something wrap around my leg. I was pulled underwater as I screamed. Water filled my mouth and I tried to push against the creature to break free. I struggled against the current. I looked around in a panic, but couldn't find Octavia. My eyes stung from the water but I forced them open. Bubbles rushed upward to the right. Octavia. I kept fighting the creature to let me go. I heard a faint scream and I tried not to run out of breath.

I felt the creature move away from me and I pressed up off my feet as fast as I could. I gasped for air as I broke free of the water. I tried to touch the ground but I couldn't without going underwater. Me and Octavia struggled to get to shore. I took a deep breath and dove underwater. I reached around for Octavia's leg. I grabbed it and pulled her toward me. I felt around and felt a rock. I gripped it and pulled me and Octavia forward. I lost my grip as things started to get dark. The last thing I was aware of, was Octavia being pulled out of the water.

   3rd POV

Jasper dove right into the water as soon as Hunter stopped moving. He frantically tried to swim through the water to the best of his ability. He wrapped his arm underneath Octavia's shoulder, but couldn't grab Hunter.

"I got you," Jasper said as he reached out for a big rock in front of them. He grabbed it and dragged himself and Octavia up.

"It's coming back!" Finn yelled, concern in his voice. "It's headed straight for you guys!" Jasper helped Octavia up the rock and then dove back down for Hunter. He forced his eyes open and scanned around for Hunter. He felt a limp body floating through the water. He grabbed her arm and pulled her as fast as he could toward the rock.

"Come on. Come on. Keep going," Jasper said. Jasper pulled himself up the rock and then pulled Hunter up as quickly as he could.

Everyone else ran down to help. Finn grabbed Hunter's limp body and pulled her further up the rock. Octavia gasped for air. Her leg had been bitten and was covered in blood. Clarke bent down and started to examine Octavia's wound. She ripped a piece of Jasper's shirt off and tied it around Octavia's leg.

Hunter's arm had been bitten and was now soaked in blood. Finn took off his jacket and ripped off the sleeve. He handed it to Clarke and she tied it around Hunter's arm to stop the bleeding.

"Thank you. Thank you," Octavia said hugging Jasper.

"You're gonna be okay," Clarke said. Finn bent down next to Hunter. He bent down and put his ear up to her nose.

"She's not breathing!" Finn yelled. Clarke snapped her head up. She moved around Jasper and checked Hunter's pulse. Nothing. Panic set through Clarke. She started doing CPR.

"Come on Hunter," Clarke said. "Come on," Clarke checked her pulse again. She plugged Hunter's nose and did two rescue breaths. "Come on!" Nothing. Clarke yelled as she slammed his hands into Hunter's chest over and over again.

Hunter's POV

My eyes shot open and water spewed from my mouth. My throat burned as I gasped for breath. Clarke placed a hand on my shoulder.

"What happened?" I asked, struggling to breathe through the pain.

"Jasper jumped in to save us," Octavia said a smile of relief on her face. "That thing attacked us,"  I slowly sat up and looked at Jasper. I wrapped my good arm around Jasper's shoulder.

"Thank you," I said. I leaned in and kissed Jasper on the cheek. I turned back and started looking at my arm.

"Note to self," Monty said. "next time, save the girls." Jasper, Octavia, and I started laughing. Clarke finished helping Octavia and tending to her leg then she switched over to my arm. After it was properly rapped we set up a small camp.

The next morning we'd all moved out from our temporary camp in the forest. We were back at the river trying to figure out a way across it without swimming. Finn and Jasper had found a thick vine we could swing across from. Clarke, Octavia, Monty, and I all stood on the rock platform whereas Finn and Jasper were up on a higher ledge with the vine. Finn pulled down on the vine to make sure it could hold his weight.

"You wanted to go first. Now quit stalling," Clarke said to Finn. "Mount weather awaits." I got the feeling she was teasing him a little.

"Just hang on till the apogee and you'll be fine," Jasper advised.

"The apogee like the Indians, right?" Finn asked.

"Apogee, not apache," Jasper said.

"He knows," Clarke said. "Today, Finn,"

"Aye, aye, captain. See you on the other side," Finn pulled the vine back and got ready to swing.

"Wait," Jasper said.

"What?" Finn asked. Jasper looked at me.

"Let me," Jasper said. "I can do it,"

"I knew there was a badass in there somewhere," Finn said to Jasper. Jasper took a shaky breath.

"Hey, it's okay to be afraid, Jasper," Finn said. "The trick is not fighting it," Jasper exhaled and re-situated his grip on the vine.

"See you on the other side," Jasper said. He jumped and swung across the river.

"Whoo! yeah!" Jasper yelled as he swung. He let go and flew forward. He landed on his feet and stumbled forward onto his hands and knees. We all ran toward the edge. Finn grabbed the vine. Jasper stood up.

"We are apogee!" Jasper yelled.

"Yeah!" Everyone cheered as Jasper threw his hands in the air.

"Hell yeah!" I yelled.

"You did it, Jasper!" Clarke exclaimed. Jasper jumped around while laughing.

"Let's go, Princess," Finn said to Clarke. "You're up," Finn handed Clarke the vine.

"Come on Clarke! You got this!" Jasper cheered. Jasper took a few steps back. He rubbed his hand through some dirt and sticks on the ground. He picked up a metal scrap.

"We did it!" Jasper yelled. He held up the metal. It read Mount Weather in big letters. "Mount Weather! Whoo!" As cheered again.

A whooshing sound flung past my ears and I looked up at Jasper. A spear poked out of his upper chest, blood soaking into his shirt. He was stuck back into the tree behind him.

"Jasper!" I yelled.

"Come on. Come on," Finn said, grabbing me and Clarke's hands.

"Jasper!" Clarke yelled.

"Come on!" Finn said.

"Jasper! No!" I yelled.

"Get down. Get down," Finn said. We all crouched behind a boulder about 20 feet from the ledge we'd been on. I panted as I squatted down. Clarke took a shaky breath.

"We're not alone." 

Chapter Text

We approached the dropship and the first thing we were welcomed with was Wells pulling Murphy into a headlock with a knife to his throat.

"Wells!" Clarke yelled. "Let him go!" Wells looked over at us and then moved the knife. He shoved Murphy forward and Murphy charged at Wells.

"Enough Murphy!" Bellamy snapped, catching him by the shoulders. He let go once he saw his sister. "Octavia, are you alright?" Monty helped Octavia walk toward Bellamy. Bellamy ran toward them and helped Octavia the rest of the way.

"Yeah," Octavia said.

"Where's the food?" Bellamy asked. Finn sat down on a log next to me.

"We didn't make it to Mount Weather."

"What the hell happened out there?" Bellamy asked.

"We were attacked," Clarke told him.

"Attacked? By what?" Wells asked.

"Not what," I said, "Who."

"It turns out when the last man from the ground died on the Ark. He wasn't the last grounder," Finn said.

"It's true," Clarke confirmed. "Everything we thought we knew about the ground is wrong. There are people here, survivors. The good news is, that means we can survive. Radiation won't kill us." So now she's being optimistic.

"Yeah, the bad news is the grounders will," I said, as Wells came over to me. He started unwrapping Finn's jacket sleeve from my arm.

"Where's the kid with the goggles?" He asked as he dabbed it with the bottom part of his shirt, clearing away the blood. Clarke rushed over and squatted down next to me. She tied a sling around my arm with some scrap fabric she had found.

"Jasper was hit. They took him," Clarke finished tying the sling and looked over at Wells, then down at his wrist. "Where's your wristband?"

"Ask him," Wells said, gesturing to Bellamy.

"How many?" Clarke growled, standing up.

"24 and counting," Murphy gloated.

"You idiots," Clarke said. "life support on the Ark is failing. That's why they brought us down here. They need to know the ground is survivable again and we need their help against whoever is out there. If you take off your wristbands, you're not just killing them. Your killing us!"

"We're stronger than you think," Bellamy countered. "Don't listen to her. She's one of the privileged. If they come down here, she'll have it good. How many of you can stay the same? We can take care of ourselves. That wristband on your arm? It makes you a Prisoner. We are not prisoners anymore! They say they'll forgive you for your crimes. I say you're not criminals! You're fighters, survivors! The Grounders should be worried about us!" Cheers went up from around camp. I shot Bellamy a glare. Clarke stormed away from the group and me and Monty followed.

"What do we do now?" Monty asked. Clarke kept walking.

"Now we go after Jasper."

We made our way back to the dropship and packed up the little supplies we had. I crouched down next to Monty as Clarke and Wells argued above us.

"Don't worry. We'll find Jasper," I told Monty. Monty nodded slightly.

"It's not your ankle Wells. It's you," Clarke said, as she started climbing down the ladder.

"You came back for reinforcements. I'm gonna help," Wells protested. I stood up as Clarke dropped from the ladder.

"Clarke, he's right. We need him," I said, as Monty stood up next to me.

"And so far no one else has volunteered," Monty added.

"I'm sorry Monty, but you're not going either," Clarke said. Monty walked toward her.

"Like hell, I'm not. Jasper's my best friend," He countered.

"You're too important. You were raised on farm station and recruited by engineering," Clarke said.

"So?"

"So food and communication. What's up here, is gonna save us all," Clarke said, putting a finger to the side of Monty's head. "You figure out how to talk to the Ark and I'll bring Jasper back," Monty nodded and Clarke turned around.

"Hey, you ready?" She asked Finn as he entered to dropship.

"I'm not going anywhere. And neither should any of you. That spear was thrown with pinpoint accuracy from 300 feet," Finn said.

"So what, we let Jasper die?" Monty said.

"That's not gonna happen," Clarke reassured. "Spacewalker? What a joke. You think you're such an adventurer. You're really just a coward,"

"It's not an adventure, Clarke," Finn said as Clarke started to get her gear together. "It's a suicide mission," Clarke shook her head and left the dropship. Wells walked over to Finn.

"Build a wall. Use fallen trees. I'll watch out for her," Wells left the drop ship and I followed behind him. Wells and I followed Clarke as she walked over toward Bellamy, who was tending to the wound on Octavia's leg.

"What the hell was it?" Bellamy asked his sister.

"I don't know. The others said it looked like a giant snake."

"You could've been killed,"

"She would've been if Jasper didn't jump in and pull both her and Hunter out," Clarke interrupted.

"You guys leaving? I'm coming too," Octavia said.

"No, no, no way. Not again," Bellamy said.

"He's right. Your leg's just gonna slow us down," Clarke agreed.

"What about Hunter?" Octavia asked.

"She can walk without using her arm," Clarke moved her glance from Octavia to Bellamy. "I'm here for you."

"Clarke, what are you doing?" Wells asked.

"I hear you have a gun," Bellamy looked down and pulled up the bottom of his shirt, revealing a handgun.

"Good. Now follow me."

"And why would I do that?" Bellamy asked.

"Because you want them to follow you, and right now, they're only thinking one of us is scared," Bellamy looked over to Murphy as Clarke started to leave.

"Murphy. Come with me. Atom? My sister doesn't leave this camp. Is that clear," Bellamy said, putting on his jacket. I looked back at Octavia then followed after Clarke and Wells.

"Those guys aren't just bullies, Clarke," Wells said. "They're dangerous criminals,"

"I'm counting on it," Clarke responded with a small grimace.

"And Wells. I think you're forgetting you're standing right next to one too," I smirked at him then skipped off ahead of them. 

"Hey hold up," Bellamy said, trying to catch up to me, Clarke, and Wells. "What's the rush?" He asked, throwing up his hands, one of which was gripping his gun "You don't survive a spear through the heart."

"Put the gun away, Bellamy," Wells said, lunging at him.

"Well, why don't you do something about it then," Murphy said, pushing Wells back.

"Jasper screamed when they moved him. If the spear had struck his heart, he'd have died instantly," Clarke said, stepping in front of Bellamy. "It doesn't mean we have time to waste." Clarke turned but Bellamy grabbed her wrist.

"As soon as you take that wristband off, we can go. You too, Flowers," He said, looking over to me. Clarke pulled her hand away.

"The only way the Ark is gonna think I'm dead is if I'm dead. Got it?" Her and Bellamy were less than a foot apart now. I could feel the anger between the two of them.

"Brave Princess," Bellamy said, holding eye contact with Clarke.

"Hey, why don't you find your own nickname," Finn said, walking up from behind Bellamy. "You call this a rescue party? We got to split up. Cover more ground. Clarke, Hunter, come with me," Finn walked passed us and me and Clarke joined his side.

"Better late than never," Clarke said.

"I like to think so."

"So I've been thinking about Mount Weather," Finn said after about five miles of walking. "How come they didn't attack until Jasper crossed the river? It's not like we were being quiet and they didn't know we were there."

"They waited for us to cross," Clarke stopped. "The rivers a boundary."

"Which means Mount Weather is off limits," I said. Clarke scoffed.

"How are we supposed to get those supplies? What are we gonna do for food?" Finn looked around and then ran out in front of us. Clarke and I followed behind him. Finn stopped behind a tree and rested his hand on the trunk.

"Wow," Clarke said. A few feet in front of us was a waterfall. It was beautiful. The water fell into a pool at the bottom.

"Well at least we don't have to worry about water," I said. Finn smiled and started making his way down toward the water. He stepped over the rocks that had been submerged in the water for, well, maybe since the nuclear war. Once the water got to a little above our knees Finn started splashing some water onto his face. Clarke tossed her pack to the side and I did the same.

"Oh yeah," Finn said, continuing to splash his face. Clarke pulled out a canteen to store water in. Finn looked at me and cocked his head toward Clarke.

"Watch," He mouthed. He splashed Clarke in the face and I tried to hide my laughter. They were cute.

"Come on, guys. We don't have time for this."

"Clarke we've been hiking for hours," Finn said. "We need to take a break."

"I'll take a break when we find Jasper," Clarke was stressed out.

"Clarke, we might not find him for days. This might be the last water we see until we find him," I said, trying to coax her into relaxing a little.

"Still. For all we know he could be dying right now. Come on," Clarke started walking out of the water but Finn grabbed her hand.

"No. No. Finn! Don't!" Finn pulled Clarke back into the water, soaking all of us in the process. "Damn it, Finn!" Clarke splashed water into Finn's face. I fell back into the water next to them. Finn laughed and flipped his hair out of his face. The water was cold but not horrible. Compared to nonstop walking, I'll take it.

"Oh wow. Okay," Clarke said. "Maybe just a minute."

"Yeah," Finn agreed. "I think I know why you're so hell-bent on finding Jasper, why your always taking care of everyone else," Clarke scoffed.

"Now you sound like my mother," She said. "No. Go on. This should be good. The delinquent psychiatrist."

"You couldn't save your Father," Finn said. I immediately felt the vibe change. I felt, for a moment, like I was intruding in a moment. Clarke looked down, avoiding eye contact. When she looked up again, her eye caught on something. She climbed out of the water and Finn and I followed. I grabbed our packs as Clarke kept walking. Clarke and Finn stopped.

Blood. That's what Clarke had seen. Blood dripped down the rocks and onto the ground. I looked around and saw goggles sitting mixed in with some rocks. Jaspers goggles. I bent down and grabbed them. I looked over to Finn and looked back down at the goggles.

"Jasper was here," I said.

"We should get the others," Clarke said. Finn crouched down and touched his fingers on one of the rocks covered in blood. He moved his hand and the blood was now on his hand.

"We're close."

We had met up with the others and kept walking toward where the trail of blood led us. My feet ached as we walked over a trail of rocks in between an archway of trees.

"Hey, how do we know this is the right way?" Murphy asked as we walked.

"We don't," Bellamy said. "Spacewalker thinks he's a tracker." Bellamy slowed down a bit and walked behind the group over toward Finn.

"It's called "cutting sign" fourth-year earth skills. He's good," Wells said.

"Do you wanna keep it down or should I paint a target on your backs?" Finn asked. He stopped in front of a bush and part of a broken branch. Finn crouched down and Clarke joined his side. A small splatter of blood stained a rock in front of them. Clarke and Finn looked up and held eye contact.

"See?" Bellamy said to Wells. "You're invisible."

"Are you seriously trying to get Clarke laid right now?" I asked Bellamy exasperated. He turned and smirked at me, his dimples showing. Our attention shifted from the blood stain and Bellamy poking fun at Wells when a cry of pain filled our ears.

"What the hell was that?" Murphy asked.

"Now would be a good time to take out that gun," Clarke said, looking over to Bellamy. I let my hand drift to my belt where the gun I took from the guard was. Bellamy glanced at me and nodded. We ran toward the voice and as we got closer it got louder. We walked in between two bushes on either side of us and Finn stopped. In front of us was a giant dead tree covered in moss. Hanging from the tree was a shirtless Jasper.

His hands were bound together and the rope was tied around one of the tree branches. His torso had been tied around the trunk of the tree. The spear wound had been filled with something, a rock maybe.

"Jasper," Clarke gasped. "Oh my god," Clarke led the group over toward the tree.

"What the hell is this?" Bellamy asked.

"I'm gonna guess a warning," I said. "Or a-" Clarke stepped forward and the ground fell out from underneath her. Bellamy reached out and grabbed her hand before she hit the bottom. "-trap" She finished.

"Clarke! Get her up! Pull her up!" Finn yelled. He and Wells ran over to Bellamy and helped Clarke to her feet.

"You okay?" Finn asked.

"Yeah. We need to get him down," Clarke said.

"I'll climb up there and cut the vines," Finn said.

"Yeah, yeah I'm with you," Wells said.

"No, stay with Clarke and watch him," Finn said. "You, let's go," Murphy followed after Finn.

"There's a poultice on his wound," Clarke said.

"Medicine?" Wells asked. "Why would they save his life just to string him up as live bait?"

"Maybe what they're trying to catch likes its dinner to be breathing," Bellamy suggested.

"That's reassuring," I muttered under my breath. Bellamy huffed out a laugh at that.

"Maybe what they're trying to catch is us," Finn said. Murphy and Finn had climbed up into the tree and Finn started sawing at the vines with a pocket knife and Murphy had been given the job of untying them.

"Hurry up, Murphy," Finn said.

"Be careful," Clarke said. Behind us, I heard a low growl that didn't sound human.

"What the hell was that?" Murphy asked.

"Grounders?" Bellamy suggested.

"I don't think so, it didn't sound human," I countered. A few yards away in an opening in the trees a creature crawled into view. It looked like a panther but with some differences. I didn't have much time to look at it cause as soon as we saw it, it charged at us.

"Bellamy, gun!" Clarke yelled. Bellamy stepped in front of me and reached for his gun, but his hand hit nothing.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

I looked up and saw that Wells was holding Bellamy's gun, pointed at the creature, smoke billowing out of the tip. Wells kept firing as the creature snuck around toward me and Bellamy. Bellamy put a hand out in front of me and looked around. After a few seconds, nothing happened and Bellamy relaxed his hand. That's when the creature roared and launched itself at us. Wells fired the gun again but it clicked.

Reflexively, I pulled mine from my belt and shot at the creature as fast as I could manage. The creature dropped dead in front of us.

Bellamy looked at me from behind him and I kept my gun firm in my hand. Wells dropped his gun and Bellamy moved his gaze from me, to Clarke, then to Wells.

"Now she sees you." He then turned to me. "Nice shot flowers."

"They're back!" Someone yelled as we walked into camp. Finn. Wells, Clarke, and I had taken shifts carrying Jasper back to camp, two at a time. Which left Murphy and Bellamy to carry the creature, which we had wrapped in one of our tents.

"Is he-" Monty asked, running over to us.

"He's alive. I need boiled water and strips of cloth for bandage," Clarke said. Murphy and Bellamy set the creature down on the ground near the firepit.

"Who's hungry!" Bellamy yelled. The camp was filled with cheers as Clarke rushed to help Jasper. I started to walk toward the drop ship but someone grabbed my hand.

"You hungry, flowers?" Bellamy asked me.

"We haven't had any food since we landed, what do you think?" I responded. Bellamy cocked his head over to the fire pit, where the meat was being cooked.

"Come on." He stopped once we got next to the fire. Next to us, a line started to form, which I presumed was for dinner.

"All you gotta do is take off that wristband and dinner is yours."

"So that's what this is about?" I asked. "You're gonna force these kids to take off the only thing letting the Ark know we're alive and if they don't, they don't get to eat? God, I thought you were better than that." I stood up and started to walk away. Bellamy reached out grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. I turned around and decked Bellamy in the face as hard as I could. "Leave me the fuck alone Blake." I turned and walked away from the fire. I saw Finn and Clarke standing next to each other and I joined their side.

"He's stable for now, but without medicine..." Clarke trailed off. "They're taking off their wristbands for food? No way, I- I won't do it."

"I'm not either. Bellamy tried to make me. I think he got the message," I said glancing at him over my shoulder. He was touching his lip gently. He pulled away and I saw blood on his fingers. Good.

"You don't have to," Finn said, ignoring my comment. Finn walked over and reached his hand out to grab a stick with meat on it.

"Whoa, wait, wait, wait," Murphy said, putting his arm out, in front of the food. "What you think you play by different rules?"

"I thought there were no rules," Finn said. He stared at Murphy and then grabbed three sticks, one for each of us. Finn handed me mine and started walking away from the rest of the camp. Clarke followed but I opted for a more quiet spot. I climbed up on a ledge on the dropship about five and a half feet above the ground.

As I ate the world seemed to pass by as if I was an outside viewer. As if all of our lives weren't at stake. As if Jasper wasn't near death on the other side of the wall I was leaning against. I let it pass as I ate and soon I was the only one outside still. Everyone else was asleep. I knew if I tried to sleep it would be a waste. Even on the Ark, I had nightmares but now, with everything that's happened, sleep wasn't an option.

Chapter Text

        Jasper had kept everyone up the entire night. Unintentionally, of course, it's not like he asked to be speared through the chest. But that didn't change the fact that none of us got any sleep that night. I'd always had sleep problems and Jasper trying not to die in the dropship wasn't exactly helping. I hate to say it, but it's true. I mean, if you had to hear someone yelling and moaning in pain all night would you be able to fall asleep? Probably not.

"The Grounders cauterized the wound. Saved his life," Clarke said, dabbing a wet cloth on Jasper's wounds.

"Saved his life so they could string him up as live bait," Finn said, ever the optimist. He walked over to where Clarke was crouching next to Jasper. He leaned against the dropship wall and crossed his arms over his chest. "Garden of Eden this ain't."

"This is infected," Clarke said. "He could be septic. Any progress on using the wristbands to contact the Ark?" Monty didn't answer. He kept staring at Jasper. I couldn't imagine watching your best friend get speared through the chest than seeing them strung up as bait. And on top of that, nearly everyone in camp wanted Jasper dead. "Monty!" Clarke snapped, causing Monty to bring his focus back to the conversation.

"That would be a firm no," Monty said.

"My Mother would know what to do," Clarke said, to herself. Wells climbed up the ladder onto the level and sat down next to Clarke.

"How's he doing?" He asked. Clarke didn't look up at him.

"How does it look like he's doing, Wells?" Clarke snapped.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help," He said. Jasper moaned in pain as Clarke moved the cloth from his wound.

"Right. You want to help? Hold him down," Clarke told him. Wells did as told and placed his hands right above Jasper's knees. I pushed off the wall I'd been leaning on and walked over to help and Finn did the same. I sat down next to Jasper and put my hands on his shoulders. Clarke put her knife into the tin full of burning coals.

"I'm not gonna like this am I?" Monty said. I looked up at Monty and pressed my lips together with a sharp shake of my head. Clarke touched the blade to Jasper's skin. Jasper screamed in pain and his body started jerking, trying to get away. I tightened my grip on his shoulders.

"Hold him still," Clarke said. "I need to cut away the infected flesh," Jasper's head fell to the side as he slipped out of consciousness.

"Stop it!" Octavia yelled, climbing up the ladder. "You're killing him!" She rushed to Clarke's side.

"She's trying to save his life," Finn corrected.

"She can't," Bellamy said, getting to the top of the ladder. Wells stood up and I glared at Bellamy.

"Back off," Wells said protectively.

"We didn't drag him through miles of wood just to let him die," Clarke said to Bellamy. Bellamy looked from Jasper to Clarke.

"Kids a goner. If you can't see that, you're deluded. He's making people crazy-"

"Sorry if Jasper is an inconvenience to you but this isn't the Ark. Down here, every life matters," Clarke spat.

"Take a look at him," Bellamy said, as Clarke put the rag on Jasper's forehead. "He's a lost cause," I hated to admit it, but Bellamy made a good point. I don't think Jasper should die, and I am nowhere near wanting him to. But there is a possibility Jasper doesn't make it through. Clarke moved the rag and glanced up at Octavia.

"Octavia, I've spent my whole life watching my mother heal people. If I say there's hope, there's hope," Clarke said.

"This isn't about hope," Bellamy told Clarke. "it's about guts. You don't have the guts to make the hard choices. I do. He's been like this for three days. If he's not better by tomorrow, I'll kill him myself," Bellamy gave Wells one last look then walked over to the ladder. He put his hand on the top rung, then stopped. "Octavia, let's go,"

"I'm staying here," She said firmly. Bellamy climbed down the ladder and Monty didn't wait for him to be out of earshot before talking.

"Power-hungry, self-serving jackass. He doesn't care about anyone besides himself," Octavia looked down. "No offense," He added. Octavia shrugged in response.

"Yeah, Bellamy is all that," Finn said. "but he also happens to be right." We all shared grim looks.

"Damon!" Bellamy called, walking into the dropship. I looked up from my jacket, which I had sitting on my thighs. "We're going hunting. Come on,"

"What makes you think I'd go with you?" I asked. I was well aware that this was another ploy to get me to take off my wristband and I wasn't going to fall for it. And on top of that, why was he asking me? I had punched him in the face the night before. If I were him, I wouldn't want to be near me let alone, invite me to go hunting. Bellamy twirled his hatchet in his hand.

"Practice for when the Grounders come," I sighed, got to my feet, and tossed my jacket onto the ground.

Bellamy led me and a group of others out into the woods. We had walked about two miles from camp. I held my gun tight in my hand and I tried to quiet my breathing as we watched a warthog-type creature in front of us. Oinking, it trotted around us into a nearby bush.

"Shhh, she's mine," Bellamy said, stepping forward. He flipped his hatchet again and pulled it back to throw.

Crack.

Bellamy spun around and released the hatchet from his hand. It stuck in the tree behind him about a foot from me. On the other side of the tree was a girl. The youngest of the hundred. 12 or 13, I'd guess. The warthog squealed and ran the other way.

"Get her!" Someone yelled. Everyone besides me, Bellamy, Atom, and the girl ran after the hog. Bellamy walked toward the girl.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked.

"Charlotte," She responded, completely unfazed by the fact that she could've died.

"I almost killed you," Bellamy said, pulling the hatchet out of the tree. I walked behind him and stood next to him.

"Why aren't you back at camp?" I asked.

"Well, with the guy who was dying, I just... I couldn't listen anymore," She explained.

"There's grounders out here," Atom said. "It's too dangerous for a little girl,"

"I'm not little," Charlotte protested.

"Okay then," Bellamy said. "But you can't hunt without a weapon," He pulled a knife from his pocket and handed it to Charlotte. "Ever killed something before?" Charlotte shook her head. "Who knows? Maybe you're good at it." Interesting thing to say to a child. We started walking off when a horn went off.

"What was that?" I asked Bellamy as he stopped.

"No idea."

"Grounders?" Atom suggested. “Maybe it’s a battle cry or something."

"What's that?" Charlotte asked looking behind us. I turned around and my eyes went wide. Behind us was a yellowish fog that was moving toward us. And from what I could tell, it wasn't good.

“Run!” Bellamy yelled.

We took off sprinting and I grabbed Charlotte's hand. The group was running quicker than me and Charlotte by a mile. Charlotte was slowing us down. I turned behind to make sure Charlotte was still okay and where the fog was. My foot caught something and my body slammed into the ground. My arm throbbed and blood started oozing through the wrap Clarke had put around the wound. I didn't have time for that. Charlotte stopped next to me and tried to help.

"No! Keep going," I told her. Charlotte looked at me apologetically and started sprinting to catch up to the others. Even though I was slower, I could still make it. I moved my arm and started to get up. Pain shot up my arm, and I collapsed back onto the ground. Panic started to take over. I couldn't see the fog but I knew it was close behind me. I wasn't going to make it. I couldn’t get off the ground quick enough to outrun the fog. I was gonna die.

"Hunter!" I heard Bellamy yell. He sprinted toward me without a second thought. I felt a sharp heat getting closer. The fog. I could feel it start to sear my skin.

"Go!" I tried to yell to Bellamy, but the words couldn't form. Bellamy grabbed my grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. I looked up at him and as much as I would want him to get Charlotte to safety, I couldn't help but feel relief that he was here with me. He put his arm around me and picked me up bridal style not asking me first. He ran after Charlotte as fast as he could.

"Charlotte!" Bellamy yelled after her.

"Bellamy! Where are you?" She yelled back.

"There's a cave up ahead. We’ll meet you there! Run!" Bellamy picked up speed and ran up the hill toward the caves. We saw Charlotte run into the cave and Bellamy ran in after her.

"Bellamy!" I heard someone yell. Atom. He wasn’t going to make it. Bellamy stopped in his tracks as the fog started inching toward us. He stepped back a few paces and shifted my weight to hold me with one arm. He reached out for Atom's hand but before he could grab it the fog reached my legs and Bellamy's hand. It burned my skin and I started coughing. With one last look to Atom Bellamy ran into the cave, shielding us from the fog.

Once we were inside we both saw Charlotte sitting in the corner of the room, her knees pulled to her chest.

"Charlotte," Bellamy said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Is she?" Charlotte asked and Bellamy slowly put my legs onto the ground. I smiled at him and tried to walk forward. My knee wobbled and I started to fall. Bellamy's hands shot out on either side of my waist.

"Thanks," I said, as Bellamy helped me sit down.

"No problem," He responded shortly and sat down on my left.

The cave was colder than expected and I was regretting not bringing my jacket now more than ever. Charlotte had been asleep for about an hour now and me and Bellamy hadn't talked since we'd gotten into the cave. I wanted to thank him but I wasn't sure if thank you was enough. He risked his life to save mine. Did Thank You even cut it?

He looked down at my leg, which was blistered and bright red. "Let me help you," He started. I shook my head a bit,

"No, it's alright. You don't have to."

"I want to," he left no room to argue. He patted down all of his pockets looking for his knife, and started getting to work cutting off the ends of my pants. He tore threw them with his knife, careful not to touch my skin, until one side was knee length. We were quiet while he worked, he carefully but off the pants around the burnt area and used his water canister to clean some of the wound off, giving me the rest to drink. He then used the strips off my jeans to start wrapping my leg. Halfway through he ran out of fabric and looked around a little. obviously looking for something else to use.

"Here," I said pulling off my shirt. "Use this." Bellamy took it and started pulling it into strips. He finished wrapping my wound and looked up at me. He made eye contact with me and we stared for a minute. He looked away and instead looked down at my chest. He blushed and looked away.

"Better?" He asked clearing his throat while trying to busy himself with something else.

"Yeah, a little cold though," I admitted crossing my arms and hugging myself.

"Here," He said taking off his guard's jacket. He put it around my shoulders and I slid my arms through, trying to ignore the sharp pain in my arm. I winced a little as I shifted to the side to let him sit down by me.

"Thanks," We sat in silence as tension hung in the air. "Thank you. For y'know. Saving my life."

"You really think I'd let you die, Flowers?" He asked meeting my eyes. "Cause I wouldn't."

"For the record, I wouldn't let you die either," I told him truthfully. Bellamy smiled a little and looked down at his hand, which was also burned a little from the fog. He flexed his hand, and I recognized the pain he was hiding in his expression.

"Let me take a look at that. Reciprocity or whatever," He put his hand out reluctantly. It was blistering and bright red. I gently placed my fingers on the top of his hand and he winced in pain.

"Sorry," I said pulling my hand back. I let go of his hand and started looking through the pockets of Bellamy's jacket for the rest of my shirt. I came up empty, it seemed that he had used all of it for my leg.

"Here," Bellamy said, ripping the bottom of his shirt off. "Use this," He smirked a bit as he repeated back to me what I had said before. My lips twitched as I took the scrap of fabric and started wrapping it around his hand, weaving it between his fingers.

"There," I said finishing. He pulled his hand back and looked down at it.

"I'm sorry about the wristbands," Bellamy said after a moment of silence.

"What?" I asked shocked. He didn't seem the type to apologize.

"I'm sorry I was such a jackass about the wristbands. It had nothing to do with you," He told me. "I don't know what I was thinking," I didn't know what the sudden personality switch was. Had he heard what Monty had said? About him being a "power-hungry, self-serving jackass"? And even if he had, I don't think he'd let that affect him.

"You were a massive dick," I told him honestly. He tilted his head to the side. And smiled a little. Showing his dimples.

"Past tense. What am I now? A mediocre dick?" Bellamy asked. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"And I guess I'm sorry for punching you," I said, and despite my joking tone, I did mean it. I mean, he deserved it, but still. Sort've out of pocket.

"I don't blame you," He agreed. We sat there for a while taking comfort in each other's presence. Just knowing I had someone next to me that was willing to save my life, even if it meant risking his own, made me feel a sense of safety that I hadn't felt in a long time. It was nice.

Bellamy absentmindedly ran his fingers through the dirt below us. His eyebrows knitted together. And he looked down.

"What is it?" I asked looking down at the dirt. He grabbed a little piece of silver and pulled it out from underneath a small rock. A necklace. It had a silver chain with a circle attached to it.

"How did it survive down here?" I asked, looking at it in Bellamy's hand.

"No idea. Here. Turn around," Hesitantly I listened and Bellamy brushed my hair over my shoulder. He put the necklace in front of me and fastened the clasp in the back. He put my hair back to normal and I looked down at the necklace. I turned back and looked at Bellamy smiling. His dimples back in full force. I grinned back.

"Thanks," Bellamy smiled at me and we held eye contact. A few seconds passed and I felt the exhaustion take over my body. I covered my mouth as I yawned, trying to keep my eyes from closing. I looked at the entrance of the cave wearily.

"It's okay. You can sleep. We're safe here. If anyone is still out there, the fog is so thick you can't see the cave." Bellamy told me.

"If I need sleep, you do too," Bellamy shifted until he was lying on the ground with his upper back leaning on a large rock. I dragged my leg back around and slid back so I could lay between his legs, with my head on his thigh. He looked down at me and raised an eyebrow.

"I thought we've gone over this, flowers, what did I say about jumping me?"

"I know your name already," I didn't even look up at him, just snuggled closer into his leg.

"Really, what are you doing?"

"Sleeping, comfortably."

"Umm, ok...?" He still sounded confused but didn't make me move.

"Night Bellamy," I said, closing my eyes.

"Goodnight, flowers," Bellamy whispered. I relaxed and let the sound of Bellamy’s breathing relax me until I drifted off to sleep.  

"No!" Charlotte yelled, waking me up from a nightmare. I shot up and looked over my shoulder back at Charlotte. Bellamy sat up quickly and put a hand on her thigh.

"Charlotte, wake up," He said comfortingly. I untangled myself from his legs. And sat up a little straighter.

"I'm sorry," Charlotte said. Bellamy looked over at me, then back to Charlotte.

"Does it happen often?" He asked. Charlotte's eyes darted down and she sighed. I took that as a yes. "What are you afraid of?" Charlotte didn't look up. "You know what, it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is what you do about it,"

"But... I'm asleep," Charlotte countered.

"Fears are fears," Bellamy said. "Slay your demons when you're awake, they won't be there to get you when you sleep,"

"Yeah, but how?" She asked.

"You can't afford to be weak," Bellamy said. "Down here, weakness is death, fear is death," He paused. "Let me see that knife I gave you," Charlotte pulled out the small knife and handed it to Bellamy. "Now, when you feel afraid, you hold tight to that knife and say, "screw you, I'm not afraid," Charlotte took the knife back and held it in her hand.

"Screw you. I'm not afraid," She said to herself. "Screw you. I'm not afraid," She said again, this time bolder.

"Slay your demons, kid, then you'll be able to sleep," Bellamy laid back against the rock, and I did the same. This time with my back against his chest, still between his legs.

"You did good," I muttered sleepily to him, I never heard his response.

"It's all clear," Bellamy said as we walked out of the cave. I was able to stand but walking was still difficult, so Bellamy held me up most of the way. Charlotte followed behind us. Bellamy looked around. Trying to find the others. "Anybody out there! Jones!"

"We're here!" Jones yelled. Bellamy sped up and walked toward the sound of his voice with me and Charlotte in tow.

"Lost you in the stew," Bellamy said as we approached them. "Where'd you go?"

"Made it to a cave down there. The hell was that?" Jones asked.

"I don't know. Where's Atom?" Bellamy asked. Alarm lit up in Jones' eyes as he made eye contact with Bellamy. Shit.

"Go!" Bellamy said. "Search the woods! Hunter, Charlotte you're with me," We split up and started searching for Atom. Maybe five minutes into our search I heard Charlotte scream. Bellamy and I turned around and ran as best as we could with Bellamy supporting me toward Charlotte. Bellamy got to her and put an arm around her shoulders. I stood at his side and inhaled sharply.

"Atom," I breathed. Atom was lying on the ground, his skin was red and oozing with welts. I looked over to Bellamy, his eyes full of... fear? Anger? Sadness? I couldn't tell. He had chosen to save me over Atom. If he had left me in the fog, he could've saved Atom.

"Son of a bitch. Atom," Bellamy said, rushing to his side. I stumbled a little at the loss of support but I steadied myself and put my arm around Charlotte and held her close. She had seen enough trauma for one lifetime. Atom gasped and his legs jerked in pain. His breathing was shaky and staggered.

"Kill me," Atom gasped. "Kill me," He begged desperately. The others who had been with Jones ran over and stood with me and Charlotte. Bellamy stood up, his eyes not leaving Atom. Charlotte walked over to Bellamy as Atom coughed. Charlotte pulled her knife out of her pocket and put it in Bellamy's hand.

Bellamy looked down at the knife and took it.

"Don't be afraid," Charlotte said. Seems she would be a killer after all. Bellamy looked back at me and the others.

"Go back to camp," He said. Jones and the others gave Atom one last look then turned and left. I didn't move. "Charlotte, Hunter, you too," He said. Charlotte turned and left following after the others.

"I'm not leaving you alone," I said, limping over to Bellamy. He looked at me, pain in his teary eyes. He kneeled down next to Atom.

"Kill me," Atom said again. Bellamy held the knife in his hand, not moving. "Bellamy, please," Atom begged. Bellamy snapped his head around behind him. Clarke was standing a few feet behind us. She walked over and set her pack on the ground. She crouched down on the other side of Atom.

"I heard screams," She said simply, not taking her eyes off of Atom.

"Charlotte found him," Bellamy said, his voice shaky. "I sent her back to camp," Clarke examined Atom's body and looked up at us. She shook her head slightly. Atom wasn't savable. Bellamy swallowed and looked down. I placed a reassuring hand on his back. Clarke took a deep breath.

"Okay," She said to Atom. "I'm gonna help you, alright?" Clarke placed a hand in his hair and ran her fingers through it. Softly, comfortingly. She hummed a song I recognized faintly. She didn't take her eyes off Atom. She took the knife from Bellamy and kept humming. She slid the knife into Atom's neck and then pulled it out. Blood started oozing out of the wound. Clarke kept humming. Atom closed his eyes and he was gone.

I looked up at Bellamy who had his eyes closed. A single tear falling down his cheek. When he opened his eyes they were cold.

"Hey, they're back!" I heard someone inside camp yell. I was limping behind them, while Bellamy and a couple others held Atom.

"We've gotta get to Jasper," Clarke said to Finn. "I'll need boiled water to make medicine," Bellamy set down the makeshift stretcher with Well's help.

"Get Clarke whatever she needs," He ordered Jones.

"I better go get this grave dug," Wells said walking off. It was interesting to see him act as a gravedigger.

"It's about time," Octavia said walking out of the dropship and over to Clarke. "There's gonna kill Jasper. Did you get the medicine?"

"Yeah. I- I got it. Come on," Clarke said, trying to get Octavia away from Atom's body. "Let's go talk," Octavia started walking over toward the stretcher.

"Octavia, just stay there, please stay back," Bellamy said, putting his hands on Octavia's shoulders.

"Stop," She said pushing past him. She crouched down and lifted Atom's jacket from over his face. Gasps went up from around camp. "Atom," She breathed.

"There's nothing I could do," Bellamy said.

"Don't," Octavia said, putting her hand up. Tears streamed down her face. She looked at Atom then pulled the jacket back over his face. She stood up and stormed back Bellamy. He put his hand out trying to stop her.

"O, O please," He said.

"Don't," Octavia walked right past him. I looked over at Bellamy and saw the pain in his eyes. One of his friends had just died when he could've saved him instead of me and now his little sister was mad at him. Murphy walked up toward us and looked at Atom. Bellamy sniffed then asked,

"Lose anyone here?"

"No," He said.

"Jasper?" Bellamy asked.

"Still breathing. Barely. I tried to take him out but your psycho little sister-" Bellamy shoved him backward and grabbed his jacket collar.

"Bellamy-" I said, stepping forward.

"My what? My what!" He yelled.

"Your little sister," Murphy said, shoving Bellamy off of him.

"Yeah, that's right. My little sister. Anything else you want to say about her?" Bellamy was pissed.

"Nothing," Murphy said blank-faced. "Sorry," Bellamy turned.

"Get him out of here," He said to Jones and a few others. Bellamy looked back at Murphy and started to walk away.

"Bellamy-" I said trying to grab his hand. He kept walking, ignoring me. Murphy gripped his knife in his hand and threw it into a tree. I glanced at him but ultimately just walked past Murphy and made my way into the dropship. I took off Bellamy's jacket and grabbed a shirt that was just sitting around. I pulled it on and looked between my jacket and Bellamy's guard jacket. I shook my head a little and swung Bellamy's back on.

Clarke must have left the dropship cause she was gone when I got up to the top. Octavia, Monty, and Finn were all sitting around a table. Monty took a sip of what looked to be alcohol.

"Smooth," Monty said. Immediately afterward, he started coughing. He handed the bottle to Octavia and she took a swing.

"Disgusting," She said. "I love it," She handed it to Finn as I walked over to them.

"Want a sip?" Finn asked handing the bottle to me. I put it to my lips and the liquid burned my throat. I coughed then handed the bottle back to Finn. He went to take a sip but stopped when we heard a small groan.

"Can I uh, get a hit of that?" A voice asked.

"Jasper!" I said.

"Let's start with the soft stuff," Finn said, grabbing a bottle and putting it to Jasper's lips. "Welcome back, buddy," Jasper put his hand up and Monty grabbed it and smiled at him.

"Was that a dream, or did I get speared?" He asked.

"You'll have a very impressive scar to prove it," Clarke said walking over. Where the fuck did she come from?

"My savior," Jasper said as Clarke crouched down next to him.

"Thank you, for not dying. I don't think I could've taken that today."

"I'll try not to die tomorrow, too if that's cool," Jasper said getting a small laugh out of everyone. Octavia took Jasper's hand.

"Oh hello," He said. He turned his head and drifted into sleep. I chuckled lightly.

"He's not the only one who needs sleep. I'll sit up here and watch him," I offered. I didn't think I'd be getting much sleep anyway. Insomnia's a bitch.

"Thanks, Hunter," Clarke said standing up. "I'll be on second watch," I nodded and they all climbed down the ladder. Keeping myself awake wasn't hard. I wasn't very tired in the first place. I never ended up waking Clarke up for the second watch. I figured if I wasn't tired why wake her when she could be getting the sleep she so desperately needed?

Chapter Text

        Wells was dead. The news had spread through Camp like wildfire. He was found missing two fingers and with a stab wound in his neck, the same way Clarke had killed Atom. It  Bellamy had sent everyone back to camp before he died. And I know I didn't do it. But that didn't mean Bellamy or Clarke did. Someone could've just killed Wells and it happened to be in the same way Atom died. We hadn't found his fingers or the weapon used. For now, we were saying that the grounders did it.

"Hunter?" Monty called from the other side of the drop ship.

"What's up?" I asked, turning my head toward him.

"Clarke wants me to try and contact the Ark using our wristbands and I haven't had any luck yet but I think I know what I'm doing wrong. They die as soon as they get taken off, but if I can try to jump-start the communication process before it comes all the way off maybe the signal will stay long enough to get it to the Ark," Monty rambled on. I didn't follow much, but I did understand one thing.

"So, you're asking if I'll be a guinea pig?" I tilted my head.

"Well not exactly. It would invol-"

"I'm in," I made my way over to Monty's workstation and sat down next to him. I took off Bellamy's jacket, which had gotten some weird looks around camp, and put my arm out.

"This may hurt a little," He warned. I looked down at my wrist skeptically but didn't back out. Monty flipped my wrist over and pried a piece of metal in between the wristband and my skin.

"Ready?" He asked. I took a nervous breath and nodded. Can't be much worse than cramps.

"Yeah," He applied pressure to the metal, and a sharp pain shot up my arm. I groaned a little and the wristband popped off.

"No," Monty said. The wristband clattered to the floor. "Damn it," He picked up the wrist band and it had died.

"It's okay Monty," I said. "I'm not the only one who still has a wristband."

"I knew this would work. I just applied too much pressure. I-"

"Monty, it's fine," I said again. "Maybe Clarke will give you hers. I know it's unlikely but if it will help us contact the Ark I think she'll do it. Besides, theirs no one that needs to know if I'm alive or not up there anyways."

"Have you seen how stubborn Clarke is? Unless it's for a really big cause she won't."

"Communicating to the Ark is a big cause," I stood up and made my way down the dropship ladder. And right as I did Clarke walked in followed by Finn.

"Where's Monty?" Clarke demanded. I looked her up and down, taking her tone into consideration. She seemed to be pissed off.

"Upstairs. Why?" I asked. She did answer and pushed passed me. She climbed up the ladder and I looked over at Finn.

"What's with her?" I asked once Clarke was upstairs.

"Rough day," Was all he said. I walked out of the dropship and everyone was doing their part of building a wall around camp. Charlotte was even working on tying knots around some wood. I saw Bellamy standing over to the side watching and I strolled over to him.

"How's Jasper?" Bellamy asked.

"Better. He only woke up a few times last night and when he did I could get him to sleep again after getting him some water," I told them.

"I'm glad. We're gonna need everyone to finish this wall before the Grounders come," Murphy walked up from behind us and stood next to Bellamy.

"This section should be finished by tomorrow," He said. Someone in front of us, Connor I believe was his name dropped the log he had been carrying and kneeled down, taking a breath.

"Hey!" Murphy yelled, walking over to him. "You think the grounders are just gonna sit around and wait for us to finish the wall? Maybe we should let the little girl do the lifting for you, huh?" He said gesturing to Charlotte. I looked over to Bellamy and we walked over to them.

"I just need some water, okay? Then I'll be fine," Connor said.

"Murphy, get this guy some water," Reluctantly, Murphy walked away to get him the water. Bellamy looked over to Charlotte. "Hey, you got this?" He was obviously joking but Charlotte started to walk toward the log but Bellamy put his hand on her arm.

"I'm just kidding," He said smiling. Charlotte smiled back at him and Bellamy picked up the log himself. I gave Charlotte a quick smile and saw Octavia and Jasper walking toward the entrance to camp. Jasper seemed to be walking fine. I knew this must be nerve-racking for him. Be out of the safety of camp. I knew Octavia was with him and people were close enough, nothing would happen to them but I didn't blame Jasper for being nervous. The grounders tried to kill him before, there was no guarantee they wouldn't again.

Bellamy, Clarke, Octavia, Jasper, and I all stood around a table inside the tent. On the table were two fingers and a handmade knife. When Jasper and Octavia had gone outside of the wall, Jasper had found the fingers and knife on the ground. The fingers were quickly identified as Wells, meaning the knife was the murder weapon. It wasn't the grounders.

I picked up the knife from the table and examined it. It was definitely handmade, that was obvious. There was a sinking feeling in the bit of my stomach. Like I'd seen this knife before. But I couldn't place where. Clarke put her hand out and looked at me. I put the knife in her hand and she looked at it.

"This knife was made of metal from the dropship," She said. I felt the pit in my stomach deepen.

"What do you mean?" Jasper asked his eyes wide.

"Who else knows about this?" Bellamy asked Octavia.

"No one. We brought it straight here," She told us.

"Clarke?" Jasper asked. Clarke was still staring at the knife.

"It means the grounders didn't kill Wells. It was one of us."

"So, there's a murderer in the camp," Jasper said nervously.

"There's more than one murderer in this camp. This isn't news. We need to keep this quiet," Bellamy pointed out. He was angled towards Clarke and in front of the door. Clarke set the knife back down on the table and started for the door.

"Get out of my way, Bellamy," Clarke demanded.

"Be smart about this. Look at what we've achieved. The wall, the patrols. Like it or not, thinking the grounders killed Wells is good for us," Bellamy said.

"Oh good for you, you mean. What, keep people afraid and they'll work for you. Is that it?"

"Yeah, that's it. But it's good for all of us. Fear of the grounders is building that wall. And besides, what are you gonna do just walk out there and ask the killer to step forward? You don't even know whose knife that is," Bellamy said staying surprisingly calm.

"Yes we do," I said putting the pieces together. "That's Murphy's. Bellamy, think. Before the acid fog, we were axe throwing with Murphy. And he kept missing. It's his. I know it is," Clarke looked back at me and then to Bellamy.

"You don't have proof," Bellamy countered.

"JM. John Murphy," Clarke said, showing Bellamy the carving on the inside of the knife. "the people have the right to know," Clarke pushed past Bellamy and stormed out of the tent. I followed right behind her with Octavia, Bellamy, and Jasper following suit.

"Hunter..." Bellamy held my arm back for a moment. He looked at me panicked.

"I know," I replied simply before we left the tent. We were greeted with the sight of Clarke yelling at Murphy.

"You son of a bitch!" Clarke yelled pushing Murphy back.

"What's your problem?" He asked. Clarke held up the knife.

"Recognize this?"

"It's my knife. Where'd you find it?" He asked sounding clueless. He stepped forward to grab it but Clarke pulled it back. My eyes were wide in shock. Murphy didn't know.

"Where you dropped it after you killed Wells," Everyone went silent and their attention turned from building to the conversation that was happening.

"Where I what?" Murphy asked. Bellamy crossed his arms over his chest next to me. "The grounders killed Wells, not me."

"I know what you did, and you're gonna pay for it," Clarke said tears forming in her eyes. Wait since when did she care about him? I thought he got her dad floated.

"Really? Bellamy, you really believe this crap?" He asked. Bellamy didn't move. I could see his eyes harden.

"You threatened to kill him, we all heard you. You hated Wells," Clarke snapped.

"Clarke-" I interrupted, but Murphy spoke over me.

"Plenty of people hated Wells. His father was the chancellor that locked us up."

"Yeah, but you're the only one who got in a knife fight with him!"

"Yeah, I didn't kill him then either," He retorted.

"Tried to kill Jasper too," Octavia added. I winced at the extra fuel to the fire and glanced at Bellamy for help. He hadn't moved an inch.

"What?" Jasper whispered behind me. Murphy looked around.

"Come on, this is ridiculous I don't have to answer to you. I don't have to answer to anyone," Murphy walked past Clarke.

"Come again?" Bellamy asked. Murphy stopped in front of Bellamy.

"Bellamy, look, I'm telling you, man. I didn't do this shit."

"They found his fingers on the ground with your knife," Bellamy stated.

"Is this the kind of society that we want?" Clarke said. "You say there should be no rules. Does that means we can kill each other without punishment?"

"I already told you. I didn't kill anyone," Murphy said.

"I say we float him!" Connor yelled standing in the crowd.

"Yeah!" A few voices yelled in agreement. Clarke turned around.

"That's not what I'm saying." She desperately tried to backtrack.

"Why not?" Connor continued. "He deserves to float, it's justice."

"Revenge isn't justice," Clarke stated firmly. I nodded.

"It's justice!" Connor stated chanting. "Float him! Float him! Float him!" The crowd continued chanting and Muprhy lunged at Connor. Someone kicked his knee from behind and Murphy fell to the ground. I stood next to Bellamy as everyone began to run at Murphy. I didn't want to be grabbed in the crossfire.

"No! Get off him!" Clarke yelled.

"Okay-" Octavia walked forward to stop this but Bellamy grabbed her arm. The crowd grabbed his hands and put a gag on him.

"Let him go!" Clarke yelled again, trying to get free of the hold two members of the crowd had on her. They tied his hands and dragged him toward a clearing. They shoved him down the hill into a pile of mud. "You can't do this!" I was forced forward by the crowd but tried to stay by Bellamy and Octavia. Clarke tried to get to Murphy but Connor stepped in her way.

"Get off of me!" Clarke yelled. I stood back by Octavia feeling helpless. Me and Murphy had never really gotten along, but that didn't mean I wanted him to die. Myles threw a rope over a tree branch and tied the other end into a noose. He put it around Murphy's neck and I looked over to Bellamy.

"Bellamy, are you just gonna let them do this?" I asked him over all of the commotions. He just turned back and looked at me. His eyes dead. Connor pulled the jump, pulling Murphy into the air. They put a box under his feet and Clarke ran at Bellamy.

"You can stop this!" She yelled. "They'll listen to you!"

"Bellamy!" Connor said after tying the rest of the rope to another tree. "You should do it!" The crowd started chanting Bellamy's name. I grabbed Charlotte's hand, who was standing next to me. I couldn't even being to imagine how traumatizing this all was for her. Her hands we sweaty and I could feel her pulse racing.

"I saw you in the woods with Atom. I know you're not a killer," Clarke said. "Bellamy, don't do this." She begged desperately. Bellamy walked forward toward Murphy and Clarke chased after him. "No! Don't!" Bellamy pushed Clarke back with one hand and she continued to yell. Murphy tried to stop Bellamy but no sound came out. Bellamy kicked the crate out from underneath Murphy. Murphy struggled in the air, even though there was nothing he could do. His hands were bound behind him and his body jerked.

"This is on you Princess!" Bellamy yelled in Clarke's face. He pushed her back."You should've kept your mouth shut!"

"What the hell are you doing?" Finn yelled, running in from the woods.  "Cut him down! Hunter! Get Charlotte out of here! Cut him down!" He yelled. I grabbed a tighter hold of Charlotte's hand and tried to turn around but was stopped by the crowd. Charlotte ripped her hand from my grasp and started thrashing out and screaming. Octavia and I tried to hold her back but she pulled away.

"Stop!" She yelled. "Okay! Murphy didn't kill Wells! I did!" 

        I froze. Octavia reached out and grabbed my hand. "Oh my god," Clarke pulled Bellamy's hatchet off of his belt and cut down the rope. Murphy fell to the ground and Finn pull the noose away from his throat, allowing him to breathe. Bellamy turned around and grabbed Charlotte by her sides and pulled her into the tent. I followed them with Clarke and Finn.

I frantically closed the door behind us and stared at the others in shock.

"Bring out the girl Bellamy!" Murphy yelled once we all had rushed into the tent.

"Why, Charlotte?" Bellamy asked, ignoring the commotion outside.

"I was just trying to slay my demons, like you told me," I reached out and grabbed Bellamy's hand. He didn't move. Just stared at the girl in shock.

"What the hell is she talking about?" Clarke asked.

"She misunderstood him," I said. "Charlotte that is not what he meant." I scolded her.

"Bring the girl out now!" Murphy yelled again.

"Please don't let them hurt me," Charlotte said teary-eyed.

"If guys have any bright ideas, speak up," Bellamy said. Clarke, Finn, and I didn't say anything. I didn't want to but the only thing I could think of was to give Murphy what he wants. Which I wasn't going to do. "Now you stay quiet." He muttered.

"Those are your boys out there," Finn accused.

"This is not my fault! If she had listened to me, those idiots would still be building the wall," Bellamy defended himself.

"He's right. This is on you, Clarke. And you kid, you killed him. That isn't ok," I said dragging a hand down my face.

"You wanted to build a society, Princess," Murphy yelled. Finn lifted the flap entrance of the tent and peered down. "Let's build a society. Bring her out!" Finn dropped the flap.

"No! Please Bellamy," Charlotte begged. He squatted down next to her.

"Charlotte, hey, it's gonna be ok," He said. "Just stay with them," Bellamy turned and left the tent. I heard arguing from outside and Finn took the lead.

"Come on," He lifted up back of the tent. I crouched down underneath and waited behind the tent for everyone else. I followed close behind Finn as we snuck around to the camp exit.

"Charlotte!" Murphy screamed. "Charlotte, I know you can hear me! And when I find you, your gonna pay!" We ran past the graves and into the woods, praying that they didn't see us.

"It's gonna be night soon, Finn. Where are we going?" Clarke asked. Finn didn't stop walking. "At least tell me you have a plan and we're not just wandering aimlessly through the woods."

"I have a plan," Finn said. Charlotte reached her hand out and tried to hold Clarke's hand. Clarke pulled her hand back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Clarke snapped. "Just because we saved you, doesn't mean you're forgiven. Got it?" Fair.

"Clarke," Finn said.

"What?" He looked at Charlotte.

"She's just a kid."

"She's a killer. You killed someone Charlotte. Ended his life. Did you stop to think about that for even one second?" Charlotte kept her head down as tears flowed down her face. "Look at me! You can't just kill someone to make yourself feel better!"

"Charlotte!" Murphy yelled from somewhere in the woods. "Clarke, Finn, and Hunter can't save you! You can't run forever!"

"Yeah, that's one way to go," Finn said. "I like my plan better," Finn crouched down and opened a hatch door. "Get it," Once we all had climbed inside, Finn pulled the hatch door closed behind us, cutting off all light in the room. Clarke clicked on her flashlight and looked around. Supplies. There were art supplies, markers, paints, pictures, everything.

"Finn, what is this place?" Clarke asked.

"For now, it's home."

"Finn! Hunter! Wake up!" My eyes shot open and I immediately sat up. My head bashed into the ceiling and I groaned in pain.

"What?" I asked.

"She's gone," Clarke said. Finn stood up and I started to climb down off of the top bunk. I jumped down and my feet hit the floor. We raced out of the bunker and ran through the woods.

"Where would she have gone?" I asked as we ran. Finn slowed down. He shined his flashlight on the ground and squatted down. Fresh tracks. But they weren't Charlottes. They were adult-sized.

"Someone else was here," Finn said.

"No, no!" I heard a voice scream. Charlotte. "Murphy!"

"Murphy has her," I said. We stood up and ran toward her voice. The rain started to pour, soaking all of us. My hair dripped down my back and water bounced on my face.

"Fire. Look!" I pointed out ahead of us. Flames dances on torches in front of us and we picked up the pace. I pushed through the bushes and saw Murphy and his guys surrounding Bellamy and Charlotte.

"Bellamy! Stop!" I yelled. "This has gone too far. Just calm down. We'll talk about this," Murphy seemed to be considering the offer when he grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him. He held me against his chest and held a knife to my throat.

"I'm sick of listening to you talk," Murphy said in my ear. My heart raced and I tried not to move. Bellamy lunged forward.

"Let her go!" Bellamy yelled, alarm flaring in his eyes.

"I will slit her throat," Murphy said, pointing a finger at Bellamy.

"No, please. Please don't hurt her," Charlotte cried.

"Don't hurt her?" Murphy repeated. "Okay, I'll make you a deal. You come with me right now, I will let her go,"

"Don't do it Charlotte!" I told her. Charlotte tried to step forward but Bellamy stopped her. "Charlotte, don't do it!" She tried to fight against Bellamy's hold.

"No! No, I have to!"

"Stop," Bellamy said. Once Charlotte calmed down he turned back to Murphy. "Murphy, this is not happening,"

"I can't let any of you get hurt anymore. Not because of me. Not after what I did," Charlotte said. (TW) Charlotte turned around and I thrashed out against Murphy's hold. He tightened his grip on me preventing me from moving.

"Charlotte!" Clarke yelled. Charlotte launched herself off of the cliff behind her.

"No!" Bellamy yelled. Him and Clarke raced to the edge of the cliff. Murphy let go of me and moved his knife. I pushed off of him and stood next to Bellamy. He turned around to face Murphy, rage behind his eyes.

"Bellamy," Murphy said, his eyes wide with terror. Bellamy stood up and ran at Murphy. I tried to stop him but he just pushed past me. Bellamy yelled as he knocked Murphy to the ground. Bellamy punched Murphy in the face, again and again.

"Bellamy stop!" I yelled. "You'll kill him!" Finn pulled Bellamy off of him.

"Let go of me! He deserves to die!" He shouted, trying to get Finn to let go.

"No!" Clarke yelled. "We don't decide who lives and dies. Not down here!"

"So help me God if you say the people have a right to decide-" Bellamy was furious.

"No, I was wrong before, okay. You were right. Sometimes it's dangerous to tell people the truth. But if we're gonna survive down here we can't just live by whatever the hell we want. We need rules."

"And who makes those rules, huh, you?" Bellamy asked.

"For now, we make the rules, okay?"

"So what, then? We just take him back in and pretend like it never happened?"

"No!" Clarke turned to Murphy then back to Bellamy. "We banish him," I held eye contact with Bellamy. He pulled his eyes away and pulled Murphy to his feet.

"Get up," He walked Murphy over to the edge of the cliff.

"Bellamy! Stop!" I yelled.

"If I ever catch you near camp, we'll be back here. Understand?" Murphy nodded weakly. Bellamy shoved Murphy to the ground. "As for the four of you," He said to Murphy's goons. "You can come back and follow me or go off with him to die. Your choice," Bellamy started walking toward camp.

"Bellamy-" I reached my hand out but he pushed past me. The four of Murphy's goons followed after Bellamy. Me and Clarke followed after them leaving Murphy to fend for himself.

"That's why we've decided to banish him from camp," Clarke said finishing her speech, telling the rest of camp about what happened.

"Anybody got a problem with that?" Bellamy asked. No one said anything. Everyone started clearing out for the night. Clarke turned and left with the rest of the group. I looked over to Bellamy and gave him a half-hearted smile. I turned and walked into the dropship to try and get as much sleep as possible, knowing a 12-year-old girl had killed herself to save me.

Chapter Text

        "Hunter!" Someone yelled entering the dropship. I groaned pulling Bellamy's jacket further up my shoulder. I saw a figure running over to me but I couldn't comprehend who it was. "Hunter, wake up," The soft voice said again. Octavia squatted down next to me. I forced myself to sit up and I leaned my head against the dropship wall.

"Did you have a reason for waking me up or was it just to be a jackass?" I groaned.

"An escape pod," She said. "from the Ark," That woke me up. I quickly got to my feet and started to put on my jacket.

"When are we leaving?" I asked, Octavia starting to walk out of the dropship.

"Bellamy said at first light," Octavia told me and based on the tone of her voice I assumed that wasn't her choice.

"But what if the grounders get to it first?"

"That's what I said." I followed her outside the dropship and saw Clarke and Finn walking back into camp. I had no idea where they had been but I didn't have the time to ask.

"Did you guys see that?" I asked walking over to them. "It has to be from the Ark, right?"

"Grab your stuff. Let's find out," Clarke responded.

"Bellamy said we were gonna wait till first light," I told her.

"Where is he?" Clarke asked.

"His tent probably. Your guess is as good as mine," Clarke walked toward his tent and barged in with me and Finn behind.

"Ever hear of knocking, bitch?" A girl inside his tent said to Clarke. Had they been..? Me and Bellamy didn't have anything between us but seeing two girls nearly naked inside his tent for some reason left an off feeling in my stomach. The only thing that had happened between Bellamy and me was that night in the cave but he seemed to have forgotten about that. Well, I had held his hand in the tent with Charlotte. But finding out a 12-year-old girl killed someone because you told her to "slay her demons" wasn't a comforting thing to hear.

Finn walked in behind us, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Oh great, it's a free show. Anyone else want to take a look?"

"Where the hell is Bellamy?" Clarke snapped.

"He took off a while ago," The girl responded, sounding more annoyed than anything.

"The gear's gone," I said looking around the tent. "He told everyone to stay."

"Whatever is in that thing, he wants it. We've gotta get there before he does. Clarke turned and me and Finn followed her out of the tent.

"This isn't your fault Clarke," Finn said as we walked through camp.

"I should've known he'd go for the radio," Clarke said.

"How are you supposed to know something like that?" I asked, sliding past a group of kids.

"Because he's spent every single minute since we landed making sure no one on the Ark finds out we're alive," She grabbed a pocket knife off of a table and kept walking. I grabbed one as well and slid it into my pocket.

"It doesn't mean you can predict what people are gonna do," Finn said.

"That's exactly what I have to do. I screwed up. Let myself get distracted."

It was now light and we still hadn't found Bellamy anywhere. He may have already gotten to the escape pod and taken the radio.

"Shoulder we split up?" Clarke asked as we ran.

"Yeah. You two go that way," Finn said. "I'll check bottom."

"Will do." We split off and me and Clarke kept running. We ran through a clump of bushes into a clearing. In the middle sat a rusty escape pod. Clarke and I forced the door open. Inside the pod was a girl who looked to be in her early twenties. She had blood stained around her hairline and a slight bruise around her eye.

"Oh my god," Clarke gasped.

"Hi," She responded weakly. "I made it?" I smiled at her and nodded. I didn't know who she was but I knew she was from the Ark. And this was her first time on Earth. She got out of the pod and walked around, taking in everything around her. She laughed. The rain started drizzling down over us, as she spun around.

"I dreamed it would smell like this." She breathed in the cool air. "Is this rain?" Clarke nodded.

"Welcome home." She laughed and stuck her tongue out, letting the water hit her mouth.

"Raven!" Finn yelled running over to us. The girl turned around and her face lit up.

"Finn!" She ran over and placed her hands on his face.

"I knew you couldn't be dead," Raven said just looking at him.

"He's too stubborn for that," I joked, watching the two of them reunite.

"Your bleeding," Finn observed.

"I don't care." She pulled him in and kissed him. Smiling, I looked over to Clarke. Her face dropped as she stared at the two of them. Raven chuckled and Finn kept holding her.

"How did you get here?" He asked.

"You know that big scrap hold, the one on K deck," Finn looked over at the escape pod.

"You built that from scrap?" Raven shrugged.

"I kinda rebuilt it," Finn laughed. "Please like that's hard. It just needed a couple parts and some love."

"You're insane," Finn told her.

"I'd do more for you and worse. Just like you would for me," Finn gave Clarke a quick look, and I wondered what was going on. I put together that Raven and Finn had been dating or at least infatuated with eachother. But based on the way Clarke was acting... something was up. Before I could put anything else together, Raven's leg gave out but Finn caught her before she hit the ground.

"Come on, sit down. Sit down here." Raven nodded and sat down on a rock. Finn took off his jacket and wrapped it around Raven's shoulders. Clarke looked in her pack and pulled out cloth for Raven.

"Let me get something for that," Finn turned and walked toward Clarke. Clarke handed him the cloth reluctantly.

"I'm sorry," He whispered.

"Let's not talk about this," Clarke said, closing her pack.

"We've known each other our whole lives."

"We don't need to talk about it. She needs to put pressure on the wound." We all walked over toward Raven and Finn handed her the cloth. She placed it over her wound lightly.

"This is Clarke and Hunter. They were on the dropship too," He introduced.

"Clarke?" Raven asked standing up. "This was all because of your mom."

"My mom?"

"This was all her plan. We were trying to come down here together. If we waited- oh my god. We couldn't wait because the council was voting whether to kill 300 people to save air," Raven told us. I exchanged a look with Finn.

"When?" Clarke asked.

"Today. We have to tell them you're alive." Raven ran back toward the escape pod and we followed. "The radio's gone. It must've gotten loose during reentry. I should've strapped it to the A-strut. Stupid!" Raven slammed her hand against the pod.

"No, no, this is my fault. Someone got here before us," Clarke said. "We have to find him." Clarke turned around we all followed her into the woods.

"Hey! Bellamy!" I yelled as I ran after him. He kept walking, ignoring me. I ran to his side and grabbed his arm. "Where is it?" He pushed me off.

"Hey Flowers, you taking a walk through the woods?" He asked me

"They're getting ready to kill 300 people up there," I told him. "To save oxygen. And I can guarantee you it won't be council members. It'll be working people. Your people."

"Bellamy!" Finn yelled shoving him backward. "Where's the radio?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Bellamy said pushing him off. Clarke and Raven ran over next to us.

"Bellamy Blake?" Raven asked. "They're everywhere looking for you."

"Shut up," Bellamy snapped.

"Looking for him why?" I asked, not taking my eyes off him.

"He shot Chancellor Jaha."

"That's why you took off the wristbands. Needed everyone to think we're dead," Clarke said.

"And all that "whatever the hell we want"? You just care about saving your own skin," Finn said. Bellamy turned and started walking away. Raven caught up to him.

"Hey! Shooter! Where's my radio," She said stepping in front of him.

"Get out of my way," He told her.

"Where is it?"

"I should've killed you when I had the chance."

"Well, I'm right here," She deadpanned. Bellamy grabbed her collar and slammed her against a tree. Finn jumped into action but Raven pulled out a switchblade and held it to his throat.

"Where's my radio?" Raven asked.

"Okay, stop it," I told them. They kept looking at each other then Bellamy pulled away. Raven dropped her knife to her side and slid it into her pocket.

"Jaha deserved to die, you all know that," He said walking away.

"Yeah, he's not my favorite person either," Raven agreed. "But he isn't dead."

"What?" Bellamy said.

"You're a lousy shot."

"Bellamy don't you see what this means?" I said walking over to him. "You're not a murderer. You always did what you had to do to protect your sister. That's who you are. And you can do it again. By protecting 300 of your people. Where's the radio?"

"It's too late."

The river. He had thrown the radio into the fucking river. Great. Finn had gone back to camp and got a group together to come look in the river, while the rest of us got a head start on looking. The more eyes looking the better. Everyone except Bellamy had put in their share. I walked through the river, about knee-deep, looking through the dirt.

"Hey, I found it!" Jones yelled. I turned around and we all made our way toward him.

"Can you fix it?" Clarke asked Raven as she examined the radio.

"Maybe. But it'll take half a day just to dry out components to see what's broken."

"Like I said, it's too late," Bellamy said. Raven turned around and I walked toward him.

"Do you have any idea what you did? Do you even care?" I snapped.

"You asked me to help. I helped."

"Doing what? Sitting there watching? 300 people are gonna die today because of you!"

"Hold up," Raven said. "We don't have to talk to the Ark. We just have to let them know we're down here right?"

"Yeah, but how do we do that with no radio?" Finn asked. Raven looked up from the radio and smirked.

We made our way back to camp with the radio and Raven took the lead on setting up her plan. Flares.

"We need to launch those flares ASAP if we have any hope of saving those people!" She told everyone. "Finn, get that panel to camp. Hunter, pull out those firing circuits in one piece or they won't work. Clarke, can I have a hand?" Clarke left my side and went to help Raven. I gently wedged a piece of metal around the circuits. Once they were nearly out, I held it with my hand and put the metal down. I slowly pulled the circuits and called Raven over once they were out.

"What now?" I asked her, holding them gently in my hands.

"Here. I'll take 'em," I handed it to her and she walked off.

Night had fallen and we had finished setting everything up. The three flares sat on perched and hopefully should shoot off into space and close enough where the Ark would see it. But for all we know they had already killed the 300 and nothing would change anything. But regardless of if she realized this or not Raven was determined to launch them.

She lit the flares and back up before getting her face blasted off. The flares launched into the sky. Three bright lights burned brightly against the night sky. I stood next to Bellamy as a few cheers went up around camp.

"You think they can see it from up there?" Bellamy asked, watching the flares.

"I don't know. I hope so. Can you wish on this kind of shooting star?" Bellamy looked over at me, his eyebrows knitted together. "Forget it," I muttered.

"I wouldn't even know what to wish for. What about you?" He asked. I looked up at the flares.

"Hope." 

Chapter Text

        "Hey everybody, gather around and grab a weapon!" Bellamy yelled walking into the middle of camp. He dropped a pile of weapons wrapped in a cloth onto the ground. I jumped off the ledge of the dropship and strolled over to Bellamy.

"My sister's been out there alone for twelve hours! Arm up. We're not coming back without her," Bellamy said, making his voice loud enough to be heard throughout the camp. I stood next to him and he glanced over at me. I looked down at his hand which was holding a gun. He followed my eyes to his hand and then looked back at me, he raised an eyebrow. I shrugged and tapped my own gun that was hidden in my waistband. He nodded.

"Hey Jasper, you don't have to do this," I heard Clarke say to Jasper. "You haven't left camp since we brought you back."

"Clarke, I need to do this," Jasper told her. Bellamy walked over toward them and I trailed behind him, curious as to what he was going on about.

"We need all the people we can get," Bellamy told her. So he needs an injured guy? Great. Jasper nodded then walked away. "We need a tracker," Bellamy said to Clarke. She gave a slight nod. "Finn! Get out here!" Nothing. I exchanged a look with Bellamy. "Finn! We're leaving!" Bellamy yelled again.

"All right! Coming," Finn said walking out of his tent. His hair seemed to be more tame than normal, and it looked slightly shorter. I kept walking at the front of the group by Bellamy. Jones and a few of the others walked behind us, holding lit torches and weapons.

"Look!" Someone yelled from behind me. I looked back and followed where they were pointing.

"There! What is it?" Clarke and Finn walked up toward us. Glowing lights shot down from the sky, like shooting stars.

"It's beautiful," I said.

"They didn't work," Raven said walking up toward the group. "They didn't see the flares." I realized what she meant seconds after she said it. Shit.

"A meteor shower tells you that?" Bellamy asked.

"It's not a meteor shower. It's a funeral. Hundreds of bodies being returned to the earth from the Ark. This is what it looks like from the other side," I looked over to Bellamy and his eyes shot to the ground. "They didn't get our message."

"This is all because of you!" Raven yelled, charging at Bellamy. Finn snagged her by her waist, holding her back. She thrashed out against his grip.

"I helped you find the radio," Bellamy said defensively.

"Yeah after you jacked it from my pod and trashed it!" You know, that's a fair point.

"Yeah, he knows. And now he has to live with it," Clarke said trying to defuse the situation. Bellamy looked back up at the funeral, then to Raven, as the crowd started to leave.

"All I know is that my sister is out there and I'm gonna find her. You coming or what?"

"Yeah," Finn muttered. Letting go of Raven.

"What are we waiting for?" Bellamy raised his voice to be heard by the crowd. "Move out!"  Bellamy lead the group out of camp but I stayed where I was standing with Clarke, Finn, Raven, and Jasper.

"We have to talk to them. Three hundred won't be enough. The oxygen level will just keep dropping. If we don't tell them that they can survive down here, they'll kill more people, they have to."

"Guys..." Jasper said, his eyes glossy. "They're leaving, we got to go." Finn stepped forward then turned back to Raven.

"I gotta do this," Finn said. "And you should stay and fix the radio, okay."

"Fix it? The transmitter's smashed. Unless there's a parts depot down here we're not talking to the Ark," As Raven finished Clarke looked down trying to find a solution. As if a lightbulb went off in her head, she looked up at Finn and I.

"Arts supply store," She said. Where we went with Charlotte. "I know a place you might be able to get a transmitter."

"Great," Raven said, looking between us. "It looks like you're coming with me instead."

"Finn," Jasper said. "We're not gonna find her without you. And Hunter. We need someone to keep Bellamy in check in case...," Jasper didn't have to finish. We all knew what he meant. As much as I hated to think about it, there was a chance Octavia had been killed. Or would be before we found her. I knew if we found Octavia dead, Bellamy would kill anyone or anything that got in his way of revenge. And I knew I, unfortunately, had the best chance to calm him down. We didn't talk much around camp, besides the small conversations we had. But did they mean anything to him? The only thing I knew for sure was, that they meant something to me.

"Be careful," Finn said to Raven and Clarke. Finn turned to walk with us but Raven reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Hey," She pressed her lips to his, pulled back, and looked at him. "I love you." Finn smiled halfheartedly before responding. Tension hung in the air.

"I love you too."

"Come on, lover boy, let's go," I said, walking up ahead with the others.

I hiked next to Jasper at the back of the group as we made our way through the woods. I looked over at Jasper as he nervously looked around. We were close to where we had found him after the grounders strung him up like live bait. He gave me a halfhearted smile.

"Look! Over here!" A boy named John Mege yelled from the front of the group. Bellamy and a few others pushed to the front. Finn took off after them and I followed with Jasper.

"What is it?" Bellamy asked. I couldn't see what it was in the dark but based on Bellamy's silence I assumed it was hers.

"Rope," Bellamy said, putting his hand out. Someone from within the crowd handed him the rope and Bellamy got to work. He tied one end onto a root on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Finn asked as I followed him to the front of the group.

"We need the rope to get back up," Bellamy said simply. He tossed it down the hill and turned to John. "Flashlight." Jones handed it to him and he gripped the rope. He made his way down the hill and got a better look at whatever was in the bush.

"It's her," He said, grabbing it. "I'm going all the way down." Jasper walked over to the rope and looked to Finn. He handed him the lit torch he was holding. Finn took it and Jasper made his way down the hill. I gave Finn a quick shrug then followed behind Jasper.

My feet hit the ground and I nearly fell into Jasper. I looked over and saw Bellamy crouching down on the ground. I let go of the rope and we walked over to him. I looked down at Bellamy's hand. There was deep red blood sitting on his fingers. It was fresh. We were close.

Finn followed behind us and landed with a thud behind us. Finn looked around and crouched down next to us.

"Someone else is here," Bellamy said. I looked down at the ground and saw a seat of footprints.

"The prints are deeper going that way," Finn said, pointing off in front of us. "He was carrying her." Another group of people dropped down from the hill behind us.

"If they took her, she's alive," Jasper said. "Like when they took me." His voice faltered. Bellamy stood up and started walking forward. I followed after him with Finn, Jasper, and the others in toe. We kept walking and I stayed in the front with Bellamy, Finn, and Jasper.

I kept looking down as we walked, watching the tracks as if they were going to disappear at any moment. I felt a hand shoot out in front of me. I looked up and gasped. Rotting skeletons were hanging by nooses. I felt a glace shift to my eyes and I looked over to Bellamy. He looked scared. As much as he put on the badass act in front of the others, I knew he was scared for Octavia. I would be too. I knew he would blame himself if anything happened to her.

"I don't speak grounder but I'm pretty sure this mean keeps out," Finn said. Bellamy pulled his eyes away from mine and looked over to Finn.

"Let's get out of here, it's crazy," Someone from the crowd pipped up.

"I'm outta here," Another said.

"Yeah me too."

"I'm out."

"Go back if you want," Bellamy said. "My sister, my responsibility." Bellamy walked through the gravesite without hesitation. Jasper looked over at me.

"I'd walk into hell to find her," He said. He really liked her. You could tell. Jasper didn't try to hide it, or if he did he's a horrible actor. Jasper walked forward and Finn looked over to me. I shrugged and we followed after him.

"I think we just did," I said joining Jasper's side. We followed after Bellamy and through the maze of dead bodies.

Night turned to day and we still hadn't found Octavia. We walked through the forest and me and Finn walked over to Bellamy.

"I got nothing," Finn said. "We lost the trail."

"Keep looking," Bellamy ordered.

"Wandering around aimlessly isn't the way to find Octavia," I said. "I think we should backtrack, try to get on the trail again-"

"I'm not going back," Bellamy snapped raising his voice. He walked toward me and my back slammed into the trunk of a tree.

"That's what I'm saying. I just think-"

"Hey," Roma said from the back of the group. "Where's John?" We all looked around and but he was nowhere in sight.

"I just saw him a second ago," Jasper said, looking around frantically.

"Spread out," Bellamy commanded, letting go of my shoulders. "He couldn't have gotten that far," As soon as I took a step forward something slammed into the ground behind us. I spun around on my heels and saw John's body lying on the floor with blood oozing from his throat. His lifeless eyes stared up at us, as Finn, Bellamy, and I ran over to his body.

"They use the trees," Finn said looking up. I looked up. We were in the middle of nowhere. They could attack at any moment. They had the upper hand.

"We shouldn't have crossed the boundary," Diggs said panicked.

"Now can we go back?" Roma asked.

"There," Jasper pointed at a figure standing in between two trees. Grounders.

"Another one," Diggs said looking in a different direction. I looked around, staying close to Finn and Bellamy. Grounders were standing everywhere.

"We should run," Finn suggested. Bellamy glanced over at him then we all started sprinting. The grounders chased after us and I didn't stop running.

"Go! Let's go!" Diggs yelled. I swerved to the left of a giant tree and picked up the pace.

"What are we gonna do, they keep cutting us off?" Jasper asked as we ran.

"Just keep running!"

"I can't run much longer!" Jasper gasped as he ran.

"I'm not stopping for him!" Diggs yelled running past us.

"I'm sick of running anyway," Bellamy stopped and I did the same, hoping he had a plan.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"They know where she is."

"Diggs! Where are you?" Roma yelled running off after him.

"Roma!" Bellamy called after her. We ran after them as fast as we could. An ear-piercing scream shot through the woods. Roma ran off and I stopped in my tracks. We were greeted with Diggs' lifeless eyes looking at us as blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. He had been impaled by a grounder trap.

"Wait! Roma! There could be more!" Finn yelled. Finn and Bellamy stopped in front of Diggs and Jasper and Monroe stood next to me.

"They were leading us here," Jasper said. "It's the only direction we could run in,"

"Hey, where'd they go?" Finn asked.

"After Roma." Bellamy started running toward her and we all followed suit.

"There she is. Roma!" Monroe hissed after about 20 minutes of straight running. Roma was standing against the tree trunk with her back to us. We walked toward her and I gripped the gun on my side. Once we got closer we could see something sticking out of her chest. A spear. We had lost three people in a day. And who's to say no one else would die?

"They're playing with us," Finn realized. Bellamy closed Roma's eyes with his fingers.

"She only came because of me," He said quietly.

"They can kill us whenever they want," Finn said, the gravity of the situation dawning on him.

"Then they should GET IT OVER WITH!" Jasper screamed. I ran over to him and tried to get him to stop. "COME ON! WE KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE! YOU WANT TO KILL US-" I looked around and my eyes landed on a grounder running at us.

"Bel!" I yelled, getting his attention. We all looked around for a way out but there wasn't one. We were surrounded. They closed in on us but stopped as a horn blew through the forest. They all took off scattering.

"They're leaving," Bellamy said, panting. The horn blew again.

"The horn?" Jasper asked. "What does it mean?"

"Acid fog," I said, remembering the horn that blew before the fog nearly killed me. Finn grabbed his pack and started pulling out his chem tent.

"We have to run," Monroe said.

"There's no time," Finn laid the tent down and we all laid down. He pulled the rest of the rest overtop of us and we all lay there, huddled together.

"How long are we supposed to wait?" Jasper asked.

"Will this even work?" Monroe asked.

"We'll find out," Finn said.

"No, we won't," Bellamy said. I turned my head over. He pulled the tent off of his head and looked outside.

"There's no fog," He said. We all pulled the tent off and got to our feet.

"Maybe it was a false alarm," Finn suggested.

"They're coming back," Bellamy said, looking around.

"I think he's alone."

"Now can we run?" Monroe asked as we crouched down and watched the grounder.

"He doesn't see us. I'm going after him," Bellamy said nonchalantly.

"And what? Kill him?" I asked, turning my head to him.

"No. Catch him. Make him tell me where Octavia is, then kill him." Bellamy stood up and walked after the grounder.

"How do we know he's not leading us to another trap?" Jasper asked quietly.

"We don't."

We followed the grounder through the woods, leaving enough space between us where we could see him but he couldn't see us. He walked into a cave and we waited for a second before entering.

"After you," I said, guesting into the cave. Bellamy walked in and I followed after him. Bellamy turned a corner and stopped.

"Bellamy?" A quiet voice asked.

"Octavia," Bellamy rushed over to her.

"Get the key," She told him. Bellamy grabbed the key and quickly unchained Octavia as I turned the corner into the cave, Finn, Jasper, and Monroe following behind me. A grounder lay on the ground, either dead or unconscious.

"Monroe, watch the entrance," Bellamy told her. She nodded and stood outside the cave. Once the chains were off Octavia, she engulfed Bellamy in a hug. He wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"You're okay. You'll be okay," He said, but I didn't know if he was talking to Octavia or himself.

"How did you find me?" Octavia asked running over to hug Jasper.

"Followed him."

"We should go. Now. Before he wakes up," She said, her voice trembling. Finn crouched down next to the grounder.

"He's not gonna wake up," Bellamy grabbed a spear that was leaning against the cave wall and walked toward the grounder.

"Bellamy stop. He didn't hurt me. Let's just go," She pleaded.

"They started this. Finn. Move," Bellamy ordered.

"Foghorn," Finn muttered. WHAM! Finn flew backward into the ground and Bellamy was knocked off his feet. The grounder woke up. I lunged at him and pulled back to punch him. As I did, with my other hand I reached for my gun. I screamed out in pain as a burning sharp pain shot through my upper arm. The grounder pulled his knife back and I countered back, clutching my arm. I hit the wall and pulled my hand away. Red blood stained my hand and I winced in pain.

Bellamy ran at the grounder and started fighting. The grounder ripped the spear from Bellamy and knocked him onto the ground. He held the spear at his throat but Bellamy's hand shot up and grabbed the spear. He tried to push the spear away.

"Stop! That's my brother!" Octavia yelled. The grounder didn't stop. Bellamy kept trying to fight back but nothing was working. Jasper ran at him and slammed a stick of metal over the grounder's head. The grounder dropped to the floor. Jasper ran over to Finn. I hadn't even noticed the knife sticking out of Finn's chest. Fuck.

"Clarke! Where's Clarke? Get Clarke now!" Jasper yelled as we ran into camp.

"Hey. I'm here. What's up?" She asked running over. "Finn," She gasped. Bellamy carried Finn into camp, blood staining his shirt. "Oh, my god. Oh my god."

"Oh my god," Raven said running over. Clarke checked his pulse.

"He's alive."

"Bellamy, wouldn't let me take the knife out," Jasper said. Clarke nodded frantically.

"No, that was a good call. Get him in the dropship now. Go!" Bellamy handed Finn over to two others and they carried him into the dropship.

"Clarke! Can you save him?" Raven asked.

"No. Not me. I need my mother," She told her. "I need to talk to her."

"There's still no radio."

"Raven, fix it! Go!" Raven nodded and the two of them ran into the dropship. I gave Bellamy one more look and ran into the dropship after them. 

Chapter Text

        "This is Raven Reyes calling Ark station. Come in, Ark station," Raven said into the radio. Nothing. She repeated herself as rain poured down against the metal of the dropship. The makeshift door using a parachute was flying all over the place, letting rain inside. I was sitting down in one of the dropship seats, holding a cloth against my arm. The bleeding had stopped for the most part but it still hurt like a bitch. It stung even when I wasn't touching it and anything I moved it at all or applied even the slightest pressure it burned as if someone had poured acid fire onto my arm.

"Ark station, please come in. I'm on the ground with the 100. We need you," Raven's voice broke as she looked over to Finn, who was lying unconscious as Clarke tried to clean up some of the blood. "Calling Ark ship. Come in Ark station. Are you there? Please come in. The 100 are alive. Can anyone hear me?"

"This is a restricted channel. Who is this? Please identify yourself?" A voice asked, from over the radio. Wait. From over the radio! It worked! Yes! Ha! Raven did it!

"This is Raven Reyes. I'm from Mecha station. I'm- I'm transmitting from the ground. The 100 are alive. Please, you need to get Dr. Abby Griffin. Dr. Abby Griffin. Now."

"Hang on, Raven. We're trying to boost your signal. Get her off the Ark-wide channel, this room only, copy?" The voice said again. It was silent for a moment.

"Raven? Are you there?" A different voice asked. Clarke's expression shifted.

"Mom? Mom, it's me."

"Clarke?"

"Mom, I need your help. Two of our people were stabbed by a grounder. Hunter should be fine, but Finn..."

"Clarke, this is the chancellor," A third voice said. "Are you saying there are survivors on the ground?"

"Yes. The Earth is survivable. We're not alone," She paused. "Mom, he's dying. The knife's still in his chest."

"Okay, can you patch me through to medical?" The doctor asked.

"Clarke, is my son with you?" Jaha asked. Wells... Clarke stopped pacing.

"I'm so sorry," She said. "Wells is... Wells is dead." The line went quiet.

"I'm gonna talk you through it step by step," Dr. Griffin said. Thunder rumbled and the dropship shifted again. "Give me 5- to medical- medical."

"What? Raven's what's wrong?" Clarke asked as the radio glitched out.

"It's not the radio. It's the storm," Raven said. Octavia ran into the drop ship carrying a canteen. She handed it to Clarke. Clarke opened the top and smelled it.

"Monty's moonshine?" She asked.

"I'm pretty sure no germ can survive it," Octavia responded. There was another blast of thunder.

"The storm's getting worse. Monroe, close the doors."

"We still have people out there," Monroe told her.

"Monty and Jasper still aren't back yet. Neither is Bellamy," Octavia said in a hushed voice.

"It's alright. They'll find somewhere to ride it out."

"Look. One suture needle," Raven said running over. She held a small needle in between her fingers.

"Right, I still need something to close the wound," Clarke said, thinking out loud.

"There's some wire on the second level I use for tents."

"Let's see it."

"Stay away from the blue wire, that runs through the ceiling. I rigged it to the solar cells in the roof. That means they're hot, you got that?" Raven said as Octavia started to make her way up the ladder.

"Yeah, I got that."

"Tell me you can do this," Raven said to Clarke.

"Hey, they're back!" Monroe yelled, looking out the doors. Bellamy walked inside, soaking wet.

"Bellamy!" Octavia said, jumping off the ladder. He was followed by two of his "goons". They were dragging a grounder behind him. The same grounder who had kidnapped Octavia and stabbed Finn. He was blindfolded and knocked unconscious. They tossed him onto the ground.

"What the hell are you doing?" Octavia asked, running over.

"It's time to get some answers," Bellamy said, rain dripping down his face.

"Oh, you mean revenge," Octavia corrected.

"I mean intel. Get him upstairs," He ordered.

"Bellamy, she's right," I said, getting up. I walked over to him but stopped.

"Clarke, honey, we're ready," Dr. Griffin's glitchy voice played over the radio. "Can you hear me?"

"Look, this is not who we are," I said. He held my gaze, then looked down at the grounder.

"It is now," Bellamy followed him "goons" up the ladder, hoisting up the grounder with them. I watched them drag the unconscious grounder up the ladder, pressing a blood-covered cloth against the gash on my arm.  Once they left Clarke and Dr. Griffin got to work.

"The blade is at a sharp upward angle, between the sixth and seventh ribs," Clarke said as Raven paced around nervously.

"Okay, how deep?" Dr. Griffin asked.

"I can't tell how deep it goes," Clarke said as Raven continued to pace. I sat down in one of the dropship seats, holding my arm.

"That's all right. Just don't remove the knife yet," Dr. Griffin said after a moment.

"Hey, here. Sterilize your hands," Clarke said to Raven and me. I grabbed the canteen and removed my jacket. I tossed it onto the ground and poured some of the liquid onto my hands, I cupped the liquid up to my arm and let the liquid over the wound. It burned and I groaned in pain. I handed the canteen to Raven. She poured some onto her hands and then drank some of it.

"Clarke, can you see any fluid?" Dr. Griffin asked and Raven rubbed her hands together.

"Hey watch it!" Someone yelled as he got into a fight with another person.

"Damn it," Clarke said. "Clear the room," She ordered.

"Everyone, upstairs! Now! Let's go!" She yelled.

"Move it!" I yelled as a group of lingering kids. They all filled up the ladder, leaving just me, Raven, Clarke, and Finn alone in the room.

"He feels a little warm," Clarke said, placing a hand on Finn's forehead.

"Okay. That's all right. Fever sometimes accompanies trauma. Clarke, I need you to tell me if there is any fluid leaking from the wound,"

"Uh... no," She said looking at the wound. Dr. Griffin sighed in relief.

"Pleural membrane's intact. That's good. Actually really good. He got lucky."

"Hear that?" Raven said leaning closer to Finn. "You're lucky."

"Okay, Clarke, firm grip on the knife. You're gonna need to angle it upward and to the left very slightly to the left as it exits the rib cage," Dr. Griffin advised her daughter.

"How very slightly?" Clarke asked.

"Three mil- Clarke? Three-"

"Wait what was that? You dropped out," Clarke said as Raven continued to pace around.

"Clarke, three millimeters. Got it?" Dr. Griffin said again.

"Yeah. Okay, I got it. Here goes."

"Steady hand, Clarke. You've assisted me on trickier procedures than this. And once that knife is out, the hard part is over," Dr. Griffin comforted. Clarke nodded slowly bracing herself. There was another rumbling outside.

"All right. Extracting now," Clarke said. Clarke gripped her hand around the knife and placed her other hand against his chest. She started to pull the knife.

"He's waking up!" Raven yelled as Finn's eyes flickered opened.

"Hold him still," Clarke told us. Raven supported his head and I placed my hand on his shoulder, applying enough pressure to hold him down.

"I'm gonna get that knife out of you, okay?" Clarke said.

"Good plan," Finn groaned.

"Finn, you can't move. You got it?" Finn groaned and nodded his head. "Okay. Here it goes."

"Nice and slow, Clarke," Dr. Griffin said.

"Finn, do not move. Almost got it," Finn kept groaning in pain. "Hold still." BANG! The dropship shook, sending all of us to the ground.

"Clarke?" Dr. Griffin said. Clarke gripped the knife in her hands and got to her feet. I stood up and we both ran over to Finn. "Clarke. Clarke, what's happening? Clarke, can you hear us?" Finn looked up at us and held his hand over the wound. He was okay.

"It's out," I sighed in relief. "She did it." We got Finn back onto the table and Clarke got back to work. She threaded a string through the wound and cut it with pliers.

"Okay. I'm done," She said, leaning back.

"Do you have anything to cover the wound?" Dr. Griffin asked.

"We'll make do, like always. Hunter let me help with yours." I sat down next to Clarke and she examined my arm. I moved the cloth I'd been holding against it and Clarke touched her finger to it. I winced in pain and reflectively pulled back. "Sorry," She said, looking at the wound. She grabbed the rest of the string and looked up at me.

"This is gonna hurt," She warned. I exhaled and as soon as Clarke started, I winced. I squeezed my eyes shut as she worked through the stitches. The less I saw the better. "Done." She said after a couple of minutes. I opened my eyes and looked down at my arm. The wound wasn't super deep but enough that it would get infected without someone keeping an eye on it.

"Should he be this pale? Warm too?" Raven asked looking at Finn.

"He's lost a lot of blood, Raven, but if your boyfriend's anywhere near as tough as you, I'm sure he'll be fine," Dr. Griffin said, but Clarke seemed to disagree. She touched the back of her bloody hand on his chest.

"Wait, Mom, she's right. He's feverish, and his breathing's uneven," Clarke informed her mother.

"You need to give him some time to recover.  Let me know if he gets any worse, but I think, I think he might just be out of the woods," Dr. Griffin told us.

"Well, down here, there's nothing but woods," Clarke said hostile. "I need a break," She stood up quickly.

"Clarke? Clarke, wait," Clarke stopped. "Raven, Hunter- could you give us a few minutes?"

"Sure," I said standing up.

"No. No, stay with Finn," Clarke said.

"I'll be back," I said walking over toward the ladder.

"Where are you going?" Clarke asked, walking after me.

"To make sure Bellamy doesn't do anything stupid." I climbed up the ladder and opened the hatch above me. Before I could even take a step toward Bellamy, one of his goons stepped into my path.

"Get the hell out of my way," I said, letting my tone tell him I wouldn't take no for an answer.

"It's okay. Let her through," Bellamy said. I pushed past and walked over. The grounder was tried up by his arm. He was bloody and bruised and his shirt was tattered. His wrists were red from the restraints. Dried blood stained his face and I looked to Bellamy.

"Well, if he didn't hate us before he does now," I told him. Bellamy glanced back to the grounder. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me aside. He looked down at me with concern.

"How's Finn?" He asked, not letting go of my arm.

"Alive. His people will care. How long until they figure out where he is? And what happens when they do? I mean, when they come looking for him. They will, Bellamy."

"Relax Flowers, no one saw us take him," Bellamy said. "He was chained up in that cave the entire time, and thanks to the storm we didn't see a soul on the way back," There was another bang and the dropship shook. I stumbled around slightly but regained my balance quickly. Bellamy flipped through a notebook and showed me one of the pages. There were lines on the page, 11 of which were exed out. The number of people we've lost. He shoved the book in my hands.

"Okay, in case you missed it, his people are already killing us. How many more of our people need to die until you realize we're fighting a war." I closed the book and looked up at him. "We're not soldiers, Bellamy. Look at him," I said, lowering my voice to a whisper. "We can't win."

"You're right. We can't. If we don't fight," Bellamy and I maintained eye contact. I blinked my eyes as my head swirled. My hand flew up to the side of my head as an ache overwhelmed my senses.

"Hey- Flowers, you okay-"

"Yeah..." I nodded slowly, blinking hard hoping the pain would magically go away without me doing anything. My knees buckled and my body hit the dropship floor.

"Woah! Hey- Hey, Hunter-" Bellamy dropped to the ground next to me.

"I'm fine," I pushed him off, not needing his sympathy. I pressed my hand against one of the dropship seats and used it as leverage in order to stand.

"He's seizing!" I heard Raven yell from the lower level.

"Fuck," I muttered. I stood and Bellamy's hand fell onto my sides. I pushed him off and took a step toward the ladder. I stumbled a bit but once I got my footing I raced down the ladder, the hatch slamming down behind me. I dropped my feet onto the ground.

"One minute he was fine the next-"

"Get my mother on the radio," Clarke ordered cutting Raven off. Clarke ran over to Finn but Raven didn't move.

"The radio's dead! Interference from the storm," Finn's body jerked as the storm raged outside the dropship. "Please don't let him die," Raven said looking down at her boyfriend. Clarke and I held him down and his body shook under our hands. After about three minutes Finn's body started to slow down.

"Okay. It stopped," Clarke said as Finn went limp. "Quick, help me get him on his side." Raven didn't move. "Raven, there is fluid in his lungs, he could choke. Quick." I shoved my hand under his shoulder and rolled him onto his side.

"God, he's burning up," Clarke said placing the back of her hand on his neck.

"Fluid, in his lungs does that mean the knife hit something?" Raven asked panicking.

"No, this isn't blood. This is something else. I did- I did everything she told me," Clarke stuttered flipping Finn over more. Clarke watched as liquid dripped from the corner of Finn's mouth. "Wait, I've seen this before. Shortness of breath. Fever. Seizing. It's poison."

"Clarke, you sterilized everything. We watched you do it. And why would I be having issues, if me and Finn didn't touch anything," I told her.

"What do you mean issues?" Clarke asked, springing into action, moving things off of the table, mentally checking them off a list.

"I- I collapsed. I got lightheaded and fell. I'm fine. Finn's the one we need to worry about-"

"The knife. Stay here." Clarke grabbed the knife and ran to the ladder. I stood there with Raven watching Finn. Soon after Clarke left, I heard Bellamy arguing above us.

"Damn it." I climbed up the ladder, ignoring the screaming in my arm, and when I got to the top level I saw a scene playing out. Bellamy was cutting the grounder's shirt off and Miller was holding Octavia back.

"What the hell is going on?" I yelled looking around.

"The grounder wants Finn to die," Bellamy said as he kept cutting. "You just collapsed onto the floor because of this jackass. He could've killed either one of you." He gripped a seat belt from the dropship seats in his free hand. "You're gonna show us the antidote or you're gonna wish you had," Bellamy pulled off the rest of the shirt, revealing the grounder's tattoos.

"Bellamy, no please," Octavia begged. Bellamy whipped the seat belt across the grounder's chest and the metal clasp hit his stomach. Bellamy swung at him again and the grounder's knees drop out from under him. Clarke raced over in front of the grounder and laid all the vials out on the ground in front of him. She looked up at him.

"Please, which was in the antidote? Just tell them," She said. "Please," The grounder didn't budge.

"Clarke," Bellamy placed a hand on my shoulder. She sighed and got up. She walked back over next to me and we watched as Bellamy tortured the grounder again and again.

"Please stop!" Octavia begged again.

"Clarke! He's getting worse!" Raven yelled from the lower level.

"We're running out of time," Clarke said. She sat down with the vials in front of the grounder. "Which one? Which one is it? If you tell us, they'll stop. Please tell us which is the antidote and they'll stop this." The grounder didn't say anything. All he did was shift his weight to be even, telling us he wasn't going to help us no matter what we did. Bellamy threw down the belt and grabbed something off a crate.

"If that doesn't work maybe this will." In his hand was a giant nail from the dropship. "Hunter you don't have to be here for this." I was tempted to take the deal, go downstairs, and get away from all of the torture and pain but my feet were frozen to the ground.

"I'm not leaving until we get that antidote," I told him firmly. Bellamy walked up to the grounder.

"Last chance," He said to the grounder. The grounder didn't move. Bellamy stabbed the nail into the grounder's hand all the way through and my hands shot up to my mouth.

"What's taking so long!" Raven yelled climbing up the ladder. "He stopped breathing."

"What!" Clarke yelled.

"He started again, but next time he might not."

"He won't tell us anything."

"You wanna bet?" Raven walked over to the panel and ripped the wires out.

"What are you doing?" Bellamy asked watching Raven.

"Showing him something new," The grounder stepped back in fear. Raven scrapped the wires against each other and they sparked. The grounder flinched back every time sparks flew. Raven jammed the wires against his chest and the grounder screamed. The lights flickered.

"Which one is it?" Raven yelled. "Come on!" She put the wire back and the grounder screamed again. Electricity buzzed through the dropship.

"He's all I have!" Raven yelled through tears.

"No more!" Octavia yelled, holding the knife in her hand.

"He's letting Finn die!" Raven yelled. Octavia took the knife down her arm.

"Octavia no!" Bellamy yelled. He stepped toward her but I grabbed his wrist. He turned back at me and pulled his arm away.

"He won't let me die," Octavia said tears dripping down her face.

"Octavia what the hell did you-" Bellamy walked toward Octavia but she crouched down in front of the grounder. She tapped the ground next to each vial with the knife.

"This one?" No response. "Huh?" He shook his head slightly. "Good." She grabbed one and held it up for him to see better. "This one?" The grounder nodded slowly. Octavia handed it to Clarke and Raven, Clarke, and I all raced down the ladder.

Clarke poured the antidote into Finn's mouth and held the vial carefully. She turned back to me.

"Take some," She said.

"He needs it more than me-"

"You got cut too. Take it." Reluctantly I took the vial and poured half of what was left into my mouth, leaving the rest for Octavia. It tasted like a cross between vanilla extract and dirt. Disgusting. I swallowed and handed the vial back to Clarke.

"How do we know if it works?" Raven asked.

"We'll know when he wakes up. He'll need water when he does. Do you mind?" Clarke asked.

"Sure," Raven got up and climbed up to the second level.

"I'm gonna go check in on Octavia, make sure her wounds are clean," Clarke nodded and I made my way toward the ladder. "Thank you, Clarke," I said before climbing up. I found Octavia sitting on the second level in the back corner. I walked over to her and grabbed a wet rag off one of the seats.

"Hey," I said sitting down next to her.

"Did my brother send you?" She asked, glancing up at me.

"No. And even if he did, I don't take orders from your brother. Take this." I put the vial in her hand and she drank what was left of it. "That was brave. What you did up there," I said, placing the cloth over her forearm. Octavia hummed quietly and we sat quietly as I cleaned up her wound. I wrapped it with a different cloth and once I secured it I made my way outside. The camp was a mess, parts of the wall were littered across the ground and whole sections had fallen down.

But the worse part about it all was it wasn't our only problem. And it most certainly wasn't the worse of them. 

Chapter Text

        Bellamy had a happen of making his presence known. Not in an "everyone throws me flowers every time you see me" way, but when we were near you, you knew. In the same way, you can feel when someone is right behind you. And that was the feeling I woke up to.

"Flowers," Bellamy called walking into my tent. I looked up and groaned.

"What?" I asked him, still half asleep.

"Clarke needs us to run out to a supply depot," I sat up.

"Why can't she go on her own?" I asked.

"Jaha wants her on the radio with him. We're meeting in ten." I waited for Bellamy to leave before getting up, due to my lack of a shirt. I grabbed my tank top and put it on along with my jacket. I straightened out the necklace Bellamy had given me what felt like years ago and rebraided my hair. The night me and Bellamy spent in the cave with Charlotte seemed to have disappeared from his mind. He had been so caring that night and the next day went back to being a jackass around camp and torturing grounders. Just what I wanted.

I left my tent and Bellamy was waiting outside. He stood in front of the bin of rations, waiting for me.

"Tick-tock flowers," He said, looking down at his fake watch.

"Yeah yeah. Where's the depot?" I asked, stopping next to him.

"Just a little north of here according to Clarke," Bellamy said. I nodded.

"That's a lot of rations," I said as Bellamy stuffed his bag full. "You realize this is a day trip."

"A lot can happen in a day," Bellamy told me, closing the bin. I saw Octavia step out from the dropship. Bellamy glanced over to her, then he followed me out of camp without saying a word.

"The depot is supposed to be around here somewhere." He said as we stood in front of an abandoned city.

"There's got to be a door," I said looking around. I paused. "Maybe he'll be lenient," I said changing the topic to Jaha.

"Look. I shot the man, Hunter. He not just gonna forgive and forget. Let's just split up,  cover more ground. Stay within shouting distance." Bellamy went off without another word and went off looking. Didn't want to talk about it. Got it.

I walked down a hill and started looking through the overgrown bushes. My hand hit something hard on the ground. After further inspection, I saw a handle.

"Bellamy!" I called out. "Over here. I found the door!" Bellamy climbed down the hill, and leaves and sticks were crushed under his boots. He squatted down next to me examining the door. "I think it's rusted shut," I said pulling on the hatch. Nothing.

"Here. Watch your foot," Bellamy said. I moved my foot back and he swung his hatchet at the handle. "Okay, give me a hand." We pulled open the hatch with some struggle but once it was open I climbed down. Bellamy followed, making his way down the stairs after me. Inside was covered in dust and cobwebs and its smell was awful.

It seemed like at least 100 people died down here. I pulled out two flashlights and turned them on. I handed the extra to Bellamy and shined mine around, trying to get a better view at what exactly was down here.

"Really think this place hasn't been touched since the war?" Bellamy asked, looking around at the cobwebs and dust covering the bunker ceiling to floor.

"A girl can dream. Come on," I said and started off down a dark hallway. We kept walking and I jumped back when my foot hit something. I shined my flashlight at the figure and I gasped.

A skeleton.

"Delightful," I muttered under my breath.

"Hell of a place to die," Bellamy said as we walked past.

"So much for living down here. This place is disguising," I said as we turned a corner. "Anything left down here is in ruins," Water drops fell onto the ground to my right and landed in a puddle on the ground.

"They must have distributed most of the supplies before the last bomb went off," I said as Bellamy opened an old bag from a crate. He cracked a glow stick and we started looking around the room. I opened the top of a box and inside was a cloth of some sort. I put my hand on it and smiled.

"Hey, I found blankets," I said and Bellamy tossed one of his glowsticks to the side.

"Excited about a couple of blankets?" He asked as he walked forward.

"Well, it's something," I said, turning to him.

"How about a canteen or a med kit," He said. "Or a decent fricking tent!" He tore the top off of a barrel. He dipped his fingers into the liquid in the barrel. He pulled back annoyed and slammed his foot into the side of the container. Oil spilled all over the ground and I turned back to him. I exhaled and kept looking around.

"Oh my god," Bellamy said crouching down behind the barrel.

"What?" I asked, turning to him. I walked over to him and he grabbed something out of the oil and held it up. A rifle. A fully loaded rifle. He looked up at me and smirked. He got to his feet and dipped his fingers into the oil. He drew out an X on a curtain that hung in the hall. Target practice. Yippy.

"This changes everything. No more running from spears. Ready to be a badass, Flowers?" Bellamy said popping a few nuts from his rations into his mouth. He put his hand out offering them and I popped them into my mouth.

"Look, I'm not gonna fight you on bringing guns back to camp. I know we need them, but don't expect me to like it," I said once I finished chewing.

"We're lucky the rifles were packed in grease. The fact that they survived means we're not sitting ducks anymore. You need to learn how to do this," Bellamy said.

"I already know how. I shot that leopard on our second day down here, remember?" I asked.

"A rifle is much different than a pistol," He said, putting one of the rifles in my hand.

"So, I just hold it on my shoulder?" I asked, getting into position. My left hand gripped the forestock and my right held the grip. I shifted my feet to be about shoulder-width apart.

"Yeah, just a little higher now. That end," He said, placing his hand on my back and his other hand over mine on the gun.

"Yeah, uh, that's good. Watch and learn," Bellamy said, picking up his own gun. He pulled the trigger and the gun clicked. He cocked it and aimed at the target. It clicked again.

"Still watching," I said.

"My bullets are duds. Try yours," He said, taking the cartridge. I stepped forward and got back into position. I looked through the scope and lined up the gun with the target. I pulled my finger down on the trigger and the bullet shot through the curtain.

"That was amazing," I breathed, relaxing my stance. "Am I horrible for thinking that?" Bellamy smiled and shook his head.

"Try again," He said.

"No, we shouldn't waste the ammunition," I countered.

"You need to practice."

"No. We need to talk about how we're gonna keep guns around camp. Where are we gonna keep them, and who has access," Bellamy aimed his gun and fired at the target. "You left Miller in charge of the grounder. You must trust him."

"You should keep him close. The others listen to him."

"I should keep him close?" I asked walking closer to him. "Bellamy, what's going on? You've been acting weird all day. All the rations you took," I looked down at his pack and it clicked. "You're gonna run. That's why you agreed to come out here. You were gonna load up on supplies and just disappear."

"I don't have a choice. The Ark will be here soon. You heard Clarke, Jaha wanted to talk to her, and for all we know he told her that they're coming down in an hour and by the time we get back they'll be on their way,"

"So you're just gonna leave Octavia?" I asked.

"Octavia hates me. She'll be fine."

"You don't know-"

"I shot the chancellor. They're gonna kill me, Hunter. Best case scenario they lock me up with the grounder for the rest of my life, and they're no way in hell I'm giving Jaha the satisfaction. Keep practicing, I need some air," Bellamy told me.

"Bellamy, just hear me out-" He kept walking past me. "I can't do it without you-" My voice faltered. I hated the idea of being without Bellamy. It just didn't sit right with me.

Once Bellamy was gone I gripped my gun tighter and aimed it at the target. I fired a shot and it just nearly missed my target. As another bullet fired, my vision swayed and I looked around. My head spun and I took a few steps back. My gun dropped to the floor and my head slammed against the stone wall. My eyesight burred and I collapsed. (TW starts here)

My head cleared and I opened my eyes. I was in the hospital waiting room. On the Ark. How was I- I was just in the depot- I tried to clear my head and take in my surroundings. I was sitting in one of the chairs and the door next to me slid open. A man walked through the door with dark ginger hair and brown eyes. He was tall with soft features and he wore a warm smile. He walked forward and didn't look at me.

"Dad?" I asked, standing up. He snapped his head over to me and I gasped. His face was covered in his own blood and he held a cracked beer bottle in his hand. I shard from the bottle was lodged into his forehead and his eyes were bloodshot. His smile dropped and he looked as if he was going insane.

"What happened?" I asked, breathing heavily. He didn't say anything and I took a step back. My thigh hit my chair and I looked up at him. He turned to me and stood still. No one moved. The only sound was my heart pounding inside my rib cage.

Dad sprung forward and ran at me. I tried to move but my shoe hit the bottom of the seat and I tumbled down onto my back. I propped myself up with my hands and Dad stood over me. He kept staring at me as if blinking was an impossible task. I tried to move back but my back was against a wall. Dad reached down and grabbed the collar of my jacket. He pulled me to my feet and I tried to run. I got to the door but Dad was faster. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. He slammed a hand against my chest and pushed me into the wall behind me. He gripped his hand around my throat and regripped his beer bottle. He pulled it back and tried to swing it at my face. I moved my head to the right just enough for it to miss. The bottle shattered against the wall and a shard knicked my forehead. I felt a thin drip of blood roll down my face.

"Dad please," I begged. "What are you doing?" He kept glaring at me. He kept his hand at my throat but tightened his grip. I could still breathe but just barely.

"Dad," I gasped. "Stop it! Please!" He squeezed his hand around my throat and I tried to gasp for a breath. "Dad," I croaked.

"Whatever. Crazy bitch." I felt a thundering pain in the back of my head and everything went black. (TW over)

My eyes fluttered open and I groaned. My head pounded and I propped myself up on my elbows. I slowly got to my feet trying to remember what had happened- Bellamy!

I grabbed my gun and raced through the maze of hallways until I found the stairs that led outside. I raced through the trees. I picked up the speed when I heard a thud against the ground. I ran into a clearing of trees and Bellamy was lying on the ground. Someone stood over him holding a gun aimed at his head. Dax.

His gun clicked right as I got a grip on my gun. Bellamy reached next to him and looked like he was holding an invisible object. Dax took a step forward, with his gun at Bellamy's head.

"Put it down, Dax," I demanded, holding my gun at him. He spun around and pointed his gun at me.

"Should've stayed down there, Hunter," He told me. "I tried not to kill you but here you are, and as Shumway said no witnesses."

"What is he talking about?" I asked Bellamy who was trying to process what was happening.

"Shumway set it up," Bellamy said. "He gave me the gun to shoot the Chancellor."

"Walk away now and I won't kill you," Dax told me.

"Put it down," I ordered, holding my gun as steady as I could with my shaking hands.

"Your choice," I pulled the trigger back and the gun clicked. Shit. I rolled behind a tree and heard gunshots.

"No!" I heard Bellamy yell as Dax's body hit the ground. Bellamy tried to get a hit on Dax but Dax threw him off as quickly as he could.

I tried to unjam my gun as they kept fighting. Damn it! I struggled with the gun some more and moved out from behind the tree.

"Get the hell off him!" I yelled, running at him. Dax had Bellamy pinned down and was holding the gun against his throat, cutting off his air supply. Dax swung back and landed his elbow into my gut. I flew into the ground but the distraction gave Bellamy enough time to grab a bullet off the ground and jam it into Dax's neck. Dax fell to the ground and his body went limp.

I sat up and leaned my back against the tree behind me. Bellamy got off the ground and ran over to me. He sat down next to me and we both tried to catch our breath.

"You're okay," I said with relief.

"No. I'm not," He said with blood splattered across his face. "My mother... if she knew what I've done, who I am- She raised me to be better, to be good."

"Bellamy-"

"And all I do is hurt people. I'm a monster."

"Hey," I said as a tear slid down his face. Seeing someone who was normally so strong at such a vulnerable moment... it broke me. Bellamy was one of the few people on the ground who I hadn't seen get emotional. I didn't know what to do. "You've saved my life multiple times. You may be a total ass half the time but, I need you. We all need you. None of us would've survived this place if it wasn't for you." He looked down at the ground.

"If you want forgiveness, I'll give it to you. You're forgiven, okay? But you can't run, Bellamy. You have to come back with me. You have to face it." Bellamy stopped. "All I think about every day is how we're gonna keep everyone alive, but we don't have a choice." Bellamy sniffled.

"Jaha will kill me when he comes down," He said, his brown eyes glossy in the moonlight.

"I'll kill him before he gets the chance," I promised.

"Flowers?" He asked, looking up at me.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you." His head dropped onto my shoulder and I smiled.
"He's gone! The grounder's gone!" A voice yelled from inside Camp. I exchanged a look with Bellamy but he seemed surprisingly calm.

"What if he brings other grounders back? He'll kill us all," Someone said.

"Or worse," Another said. Bellamy and I walked into camp holding the rope that tied around the guns.

"Let the grounders come," Bellamy said. "We've been afraid of them for far too long and why? Because of their knives and spears. I don't know about you. But I'm tired of being afraid." Bellamy looked over to me and we moved the guns to be seen. The crowd murmured.

"These are weapons, okay, not toys," I said. "And we have to be prepared to give them up to the guard when the dropships come but until then, they're gonna help keep us safe."

"And there are plenty more where these came from," Bellamy pitched in. "Tomorrow, we start training, and if the grounders come we're gonna be ready to fight."

The crowd dispersed and Bellamy walked over to Octavia. He put a blanket over her shoulders and I saw Clarke walk out of her tent. I nodded at her and walked over to Bellamy.

"Bellamy," I said. "It's time." He gave Octavia one last look and walked toward me. He stopped midstride.

"That grounder escaping, was that you?" He asked Octavia.

"I had nothing to do with it," She told him. Bellamy turned to walk toward me. "Thanks for the blanket." He watched her for a second then followed me into the tent.

"Mr. Blake," Jaha said over the radio, once me and Bellamy sat down with the headsets on. "I've wanted to talk to you for some time now,"

"Before you do," I said before the conversation could go any further. "I'd like to say something. When you sent us down here, you sent us to die. But miraculously, most of us are still alive. In large part, that is because of him. Because of Bellamy," My hand rubbed against Bellamy's and he grabbed it. "He's one of us, and he deserves to be pardoned for his crimes just like the rest of us,"

"Miss. Damon, I appreciate your point of view but it's not that simple," Jaha started.

"It is," Bellamy said. "if you want to know who on the Ark wants you dead." Jaha leaned forward.

"Bellamy Blake, you're pardoned for your crimes," Jaha said slowly. I sighed in relief and a small smile crept onto my face. I looked over at Bellamy and he held my hand tight under the table. "Now, tell me who gave you the gun." 

Chapter Text

        "My friends," Jaha said over the video feed. "this is a historic Unity Day. Every year we mark the moment our ancestors of the 12 stations joined to form the Ark but this is the last time we do so while aboard her. Next year... on the ground," There was cheering and applause from over the video feed.

"Right, after we did all the work," Miller said as we all stood around and watched. "Someone shut him up."

"You shut up, Miller. No one's forcing you to watch," Raven said.

"For 97 years, we have eked out an existence hoping that someday our descendants would return to earth." Jasper ran out of his tent and cheered.

"Whoo! Yeah! Monty strikes again!" he held a giant canaster above his head. "Hey! Hey! Call this batch unity juice! Who's thirsty!" He ran over to a table and started pouring. I cheered and ran over. Jasper poured me a cup and I downed it.

"To our sons and daughters on Earth listening to this message, we will see you soon. The first exodus ship will launch in under 60 hours carrying the reinforcements that you need. So stay strong. Help is on the way." The video faded into the background and we kept on celebrating with Monty's Unity Juice until it was dark.

I walked through the crowd of people celebrating and drinking. I spotted Bellamy in the back of the crowd standing alone.

"Hey," I said as I walked up to him. "Clarke wanted me to tell you that the comms are still dead. They cut out during the pageant."

"Best unity day ever," Bellamy said. I chuckled.

"Do you really think now is a good time to be having a party? I mean, the grounder is still out there?"

"Grounders," Bellamy corrected. "By now, he's made it back home. He's probably putting together a lynch mob. Relax. I got security covered. Why don't you go get a drink? You look like you could use one." I looked out to the others all celebrating and having fun.

"I could use more than one," I sighed.

"Then have more than one," Bellamy said. "Hunter, the Exodus ship comes down here in two days. After that, the party's over. Have some fun while you still can. You deserve it."

"Yeah," I said. "Okay," I turned and walked toward the others. I stopped mid-stride and turned back to him. "So do you... by the way."

"I'll have my fun when the grounders come." I laughed.

"Alright," I went over to Jasper and got myself a drink. I felt a hand grab my shoulder and I swung around. Finn stood behind me, a panicked look on his face. He looked around, then jerked his head over to the side. I followed after him and we stopped just before the wall.

"I need your help," He said.

"With?" He looked around then leaned closer to me.

"I'm going after the grounder. Maybe we can come to a peaceful agreement. Octavia just left camp and I'm pretty sure she was going to find him. He saved her life. Maybe there's more like him."

"I- That would be a suicide mission. What is she thinking?" I asked. Finn grabbed my upper arm and pulled me closer to the wall around camp.

"What if she helped him break out," He said, his voice barely a whisper.

"Why not ask Clarke or Raven? Why me?" I asked glancing behind me.

"You want peace just as much as I do." I didn't say anything. I knew he was right. I hated that he was right. Finn turned and walked out of camp. I looked around at everyone celebrating and I followed him out of camp.

Finn and I walked through the forest, not saying a word. My chest rose and fell as we walked. We walked side by side, weaving between trees. I saw movement in front of us and I looked over at Finn. He'd seen it too. We kept walking forward and a branch snapped under Finn's boats.

My jaw dropped at the sight in front of me. Bellamy was gonna flip. Octavia stood with the grounder, their lips pressed together.

"Finn? Hunter? Lincoln, wait!" Octavia said once she'd seen us. The grounder slid in front of her and drew his knife from his side. Octavia grabbed his shoulder as he lunged at us. "They're my friends." Finn panted next to me. He gripped something in his hand. He opened his palm and inside was the grounders knife he'd stabbed Finn with.

"I think you lost this."

We followed the grounder, Lincoln, back to the cave he lived in. Octavia followed close behind me and Finn, not entirely trusting what we were doing.

"So what the hell are you doing here?" Octavia asked as we walked inside.

"I could ask you the same thing," Finn said. "I could also ask how long you've known he speaks English, but I won't," I looked around at the cave. There were cave paintings on the wall, lit by a torch on the wall. In front of the back wall was a shelf full of different things I couldn't name. The one thing I did recognize was a horn. I picked it up to look at it closer.

"You blew this when your people were hunting us,” I said, looking up at Lincoln. He nodded slowly.

“You saved our lives. I have to believe there's more like you,” Finn said, sounding much calmer than I felt.

“I stabbed you both,” Lincoln said. I kept my eyes on him, trying not to look down at my arm where the knife had been.

“And we tortured you. If we can get along, then maybe there's hope. Learn from history instead of repeating it, right?” Finn said.

“How’s that gonna happen?” Octavia asked joining the conversation.

“For starters… no more killing,” Finn said.

"I don't have the power to call a truce," Lincoln told us.

"Then bring us to someone who does," I stated firmly, trying to look more powerful than I felt. Lincoln turned to Octavia.

"Hey, look," I said. "The rest of our people are coming down here. The first ship lands in two days."

"It's true," Octavia confirmed.

"And because of the attacks, they’re sending mostly soldiers. The people that enforce our laws. The Ark is about survival at any cost and they’ll kill people who fall out of line. When those people get down here, if they feel threatened they will start a war and I don’t want that. Neither do you and I think that’s why you blew the horn. Once the soldiers get here it’ll be too late and we’ll have no power to stop them but if they see that we're at peace, then maybe we have a chance to stay that way,” Finn told the grounder. Lincoln stopped for a moment.

“Alright,” Lincoln nodded. “You bring your leader, I’ll bring mine.”

“What, Bellamy?” Octavia said. “He’ll never go for this,”

“No,” Lincoln said. “Not your brother.” Finn looked at Lincoln and we both knew who he meant.

“Clarke.”

Finn and I walked back into camp and the party hadn't stopped. The camp was lit by torches, illuminating the games happening. I spotted Clarke standing at a table with Sterling and Fox. A chip that Clarke had been balancing on her nose fell to the table and Finn caught it.

"What is it?" Clarke asked seeing the look on Finn's and my faces. He cocked his head toward the camp entrance.

"Let's take a walk," He said. She looked at him for a moment then nodded her head.

"Sorry," She said to the others. Clarke followed me toward the gate into camp.

"Did something happen?" Clarke asked as we walked.

"I need you to come with us, but we can't tell you why, okay?" Finn told her.

"Finn, tell me," Clarke argued. He put a hand on her upper arm but she hit it off.

"Don't." She looked up at him, frustration edged on her face. Finn let out a breath and looked up at Clarke.

"We set up a meeting with the grounders," He said. She looked around, mouth open and eyes wide.

"A meeting?" She exclaimed. "I don't understand. With who? How?"

“I was just with the grounder we had in the dropship. His name is Lincoln,” Finn told her, and Clarke got more confused.

“W- wait a second. He spoke to you?”

"It’s not important. If we wanna live in peace-”

“Finn, we can’t live in peace with people who've done nothing but kill us."

"Can you think of a better way to stop the bloodshed?" Finn asked.

"Yeah. With the guns that the guard brings down."

"You really want a war?" I asked her. "Because at this rate, that's what's coming. Look. We know it's a long shot but this is our world now and... I think we can do better than the first time around. I trust him." She shook her head.

"I don't," I sighed and looked at Finn. "But if we go, we have to bring back up."

"No way. We're not bringing guns. Those weren't the terms and if we're gonna do this we gotta give it a fair shot." Clarke bit her lip, considering what we were telling her. She sighed.

"Okay. Okay. I- I'll get my pack, and I'll meet you at the gate," Clarke agreed.

"Okay."

Once the three of us had our things we slip through the crowd and made our way out of camp.

"I'd love it if you were right about it but did you ever consider that it might be a trap?" Clarke asked as we walked toward the meeting point.

"Yup, but since it's unity day I decided to have hope instead," Finn told her. Finn groaned in pain as he stepped forward.

"Hey, let me have a look at that," Clarke said referring to his wound. He unzipped his jacket and lifted his shirt just above the wound. They exchanged a look for a moment and there definitely something going on it didn't know about.

"Seriously Finn," Clarke said dropping his shirt. "you're putting a lot of faith in a guy who stuck a knife into you."

"And you're sounding more and more like Bellamy," Finn countered.

"I'm just trying to keep us alive," Clarke told him.

"So am I."

We'd walked through what was left of the night and the sun had risen. I saw Octavia passing back and forth on the bridge and I ran over to her, followed by Finn and Clarke.

"So that's how you set this up," Clarke said seeing Octavia. "You helped him escape didn't you."

"I trust him, Clarke," She told him.

"There's a lot of that going around."

"Someone's coming," Finn said as footsteps approached the bridge. Lincoln ran through the trees on the other side of the bridge and Octavia ran toward him. He engulfed her in a tight hug and they stayed like that. When Lincoln pulled away he saw us and his smile dropped. Clarke took a few steps back and Finn grabbed her hand.

Hoofs pounded against the ground and I perked up. Three beautiful horses rode through the forest and onto the bridge. Two of the horses had black fur and on top of them sat two other grounders. They both head swords in their hands. The horse in the middle had caramel brown fur with white spots here and there. A woman dressed in armor sat atop the horse and an elegant present glowed off of her.

"Hey, we said no weapons!" Finn said running up to Lincoln.

"I was told there wouldn't be," Lincoln said, turning around to see the grounders.

"It's too late now," Clarke said next to me. Finn looked over to Clarke and an understanding passed between them. Finn stepped forward with Clarke but Lincoln put his hand out, blocking Finn.

"She goes alone," Lincoln told her. Finn looked over to Clarke.

"I'll be fine," She told him.

"Clarke-"

"Hey," She cut him off. "It's time to do better." Clarke walked forward and the woman got off of her horse. She walked toward Clarke and Clarke didn't back down. She looked back at us over her shoulder but kept walking. They both stopped in the middle and the fate of our future was at stake.

I couldn't hear what was happening between the woman and Clarke but I was nervous. I fiddled with the necklace around my neck.

"Clarke run!" I heard a voice yell. I snapped my head around and Jasper ran out of the trees and started firing his gun. "Run!" I ducked as an arrow flew over my head. I grabbed for my gun and then remembered I left it at camp. Oh fucking hell.

"Clarke, get down!" Finn yelled running toward her. Clarke dove toward the ground right as an arrow struck the ground right where she would've been.

"Finn, get back!"

"Go! Go!" I heard another voice yell. Raven. More gunshots rang out and ran over to Octavia. An arrow flew toward Octavia. Lincoln, thinking quickly, rolled in front of her and the arrow struck his chest.

"Oh my god, Lincoln. You've been hit," Octavia said panicked.

"It's just a scratch," He told her, snapping part of the arrow off. "Okay run," He said when we all got to him. "don't stop until you're behind your walls. Go! Take her!" He pushed Octavia toward us

"Lincoln, no!" Octavia yelled as Clarke dragged her back toward camp. We ran through the trees and I saw Bellamy standing there waiting, with his gun.

I didn't know how to feel. I was pissed that Clarke went behind our backs and brought backup but without them, we wouldn't have made it out alive. But Jasper fired the first shot. If it wasn't for him we could've made it out without conflict. But he did save our lives. I was pissed at Bellamy for agreeing to come with guns but I knew there was no stopping him.

We ran as fast as we could through the trees. My side burned as we ran. My chest rose and fell as my heart pounded. We came to a stop at the clearing in front of camp. Panting, I leaned my arm against a tree and tried to steady my breath.

"Got something to say?" Bellamy asked. Finn had a look in his eyes of pure hatred.

"I told you no guns!" He exclaimed, seconds away from losing his shit.

"I told you we couldn't trust the grounders. I was right," Clarke defended.

"Why didn't you tell me what you were up to? Why bring Hunter?" Raven asked Finn, the tension rising between the group.

"I tried but you were too busy making bullets for your guns!"

"You're lucky she brought that!" Bellamy yelled. "They came there to kill you, Finn."

"You don't know that!" Finn yelled. "Jasper fired the first shot!"

"You ruined everything," Octavia spat at Jasper, turning and storming off into camp.

"I saved up!" He yelled after her. He scoffed. "You're welcome." He pushed past me and went into camp.

"Well if we weren't at war already we sure as hell are now," I said the anger of everyone else pouring into me.

"You didn't have to trust the grounders," Finn said. "You just had to trust me." He exhaled and followed Jasper into camp. Raven followed after him leaving me, Clarke, and Bellamy.

"Got anything you wanna say, Flowers?" Bellamy asked me, frustration filling his tone. As if he has any right to be frustrated. He chose to doom all of us by bringing guns. I scoffed.

"People are going to die. Our people will die. Because of you," I spat before storming off into camp, pushing past everyone inside. We're fucked. 

Chapter Text

        "Jasper, tell us again, how'd you stay so calm? I would've been terrified," Harper asked Jasper after his fifth time in a row telling everyone about "how he saved all of us at the bridge." I stood a few feet away from them, leaning against a tree, listening in on what was happening.

The truth was, I didn't blame Jasper. If I had seen a bunch of grounders in the trees with weapons, I would've fired too. But I'm pissed at Clarke and Bellamy. Apparently, Clarke had gone to him before we left and told him to bring guns and backup. If we didn't have an inevitable grounder attack coming at any second, I would've put a good-sized dent in her face. But as much as I hated to admit it, and I mean HATED to admit it, we needed her. She kept us alive this long. Somehow.

"Fear is only a problem if you let it stop you, right," Jasper said quoting Finn. But no one in the group knew that wasn't a Jasper original. "I saw the grounders in the trees it was like nothing I ever felt. Pure animal instinct took over. One pull of the trigger, two grounders dead."

Yeah, that's complete bullshit. But I wasn't gonna ruin Jasper's moment. I guess I won't be an ass for once.

"You don't really know what you're made of until a moment like that where it's kill or be killed and there's nothing between you and the tip of the spear." I tried not to laugh. This was ridiculous but I loved it. Jasper was happy. The camp was happy. And I was happy enough not to kill Clarke.

Jasper gave out fist bumps and high fives but the joy was quickly cut off when a rattling sound filled camp.

"Someone hit the trip wire!" Connor yelled and I pulled my handgun from my holster.

"I got nothing," One of the scouts, Derek, said. "Connor?"

"Nothing," Connor answered.

"Something moved!" Someone yelled. "There! There! There!" They pulled the triggers on their guns and gunfire rang out. I grabbed a torch off the wall and raced out the camp door. Octavia raced out in front of me.

"Octavia, be careful," I told her as she started to move around a tree. She crouched down next to the figure lying on the ground. She placed her hand lightly on their back and the figure jerked up. I pulled my gun up reflective and nearly dropped the torch in my other hand. The figure scurried back away from me and put up a blood-covered hand.

They were bruised and covered in blood. Red dripped down his face and arms. The few parts of his body that weren't covered in blood were covered in bruises so deep I couldn't see any resemblance to how his skin had once been. His eyes were swollen and the circles under his eyes were the darkest I'd ever seen anyone be. His shirt was torn and soaked in his own blood. Underneath the shirt, you could see his chest, which had scars and bruises covering every inch. I almost couldn't recognize his face. I holstered my gun and inched the torch closer to him. In the light of the flames, I could make out who I was staring at.

"Murphy?"

"Where is he?" Bellamy asked, pushing his way into the dropship. I stepped back and the rest of the people guarding Murphy did the same.

"Everyone but Connor, Derek, and Hunter, out... now!" Bellamy snapped.

"He says he was with the grounders," I told Bellamy. "We caught him trying to sneak back into camp."

"I wasn't sneaking," Murphy said weakly. "I was running from the grounders."

"Anyone see the Grounders?" Bellamy asked, not taking his eyes off Murphy.

"No," I told him.

"Well in that case," Bellamy lifted his gun. My hand shot out and I pushed the gun down.

"We were clear what would happen if he came back," Bellamy aimed his gun at Murphy again. I stepped in between Murphy and the tip of Bellamy's gun.

"No. If he was with the grounders, then he knows things that can help us," I argued.

"Help us? We hanged him, we banished him, and now we're gonna kill him. Get the hell out of my way, Flowers," Bellamy said, getting a better grip on his gun.

"No. Hunter is right," Clarke said from behind Bellamy. Clarke pushed past Bellamy and went over to Murphy.

"Like hell, she is," Bellamy disagreed and I ignored what felt like a direct punch to my stomach. "Clarke, think about Charlotte."

"I am thinking about her. But what happened to Charlotte was as much our fault as it was his," Clarke told him, crouching down next to Murphy. Clarke held Murphy's bloody hands and examined his wounds.

"He's not lying," She said. "His fingernails were torn off. They tortured him."

"You and the grounders should compare notes," Finn said to Bellamy.

"The grounders know we're at war. What did you tell them about us!" Bellamy demanded raising his voice at Murphy. Murphy swallowed.

"Everything."

I looked over to Bellamy. He looked at me anger burning in his eyes. Clarke stood up and stopped in front of Bellamy.

"Once he's better, we find out what he knows then he's out of here, okay," Clarke said, her tone clear that she wasn't willing to take no for an answer. She pushed past him toward the dropship door.

"What if he refuses to leave? What do we do with him then," Bellamy asked. Clarke spun around and glared at Bellamy. She glanced down to Murphy, then back to Bellamy.

"Then we kill him."

"Hunter!" I heard a voice yell. "Flowers get out here!" Bellamy burst into my tent panic etched into every corner of his face.

"Is everything okay?" I asked him.

"Not exactly," I pushed past him and raced out of my tent. Outside everything was in chaos. People were coughing and throwing up left and right. Blood. They were throwing up blood.

"How the hell did this happen?" I asked Bellamy watching everything in front of me. He didn't respond. I ran toward the dropship and pushed the curtain aside.  Clarke was crouching down next to Murphy. She heard me walk in and turned around.

"Hunter, stay back," She told me. Bellamy came in right behind me, holding his gun.

"Did he do something to you?" Bellamy asked. Clarke shook her head. Under her eyes was stained red. Lines of blood streaked down her face, the same way tears would've. Blood sat splattered around Murphy's mouth.

"What the hell is this?" I asked. Clarke looked from Murphy to us.

"Biological warfare. You were waiting for the grounders to retaliate for the bridge? This is it. Murphy is the weapon."

"Is this your revenge?" Bellamy asked Murphy. "Helping the grounders kill us."

"I didn't know about this, okay, I swear," Murphy said his voice weak and hoarse. His eyes were bloodshot and strands of his hair were sticking to his forehead.

"Stop lying! When are they coming?" Bellamy yelled.

"Murphy," Clarke said in a much calmer voice. "Think, all right? What can you tell us that's useful? Did you hear anything?"

"They are vicious," He said. "Cruel."

"You wanna see vicious?" Bellamy asked stepping forward. I took a step forward and put my hand out, stopping Bellamy.

"Hey. Don't. Whatever this thing is it spread through contact," Clarke explained to Bellamy but I wasn't sure it would stop him from killing Murphy.

"Clarke!" Finn said bursting into the dropship.

"Finn you shouldn't be in here. No one should," Clarke told him.

"I heard you were sick," He said. "Clarke, what is this?"

"I don't know," She said honestly. "Some kind of hemorrhagic fever. We just need to contain it before-" She was cut off by the sounds of struggling. I looked behind me. Derek was on the ground seizing. His body shook and jerked in unnatural ways. His head seized back against the dropship floor. Clarke got up and raced toward him. Finn put a hand out to stop her.

"Hey. Don't touch me. You could get sick," She said, pushing him off. "Wash your hands now." Derek started to sit up, still seizing and blood sprayed from his mouth.

"What the hell is happening to him?" I asked, exchanging a panicked look with Bellamy.

"I don't know," Clarke responded watching what was happening. Derek kept coughing on his own blood. The blood splattered across his clothes and the ground around him. He collapsed onto the ground and the coughing stopped. A trail of blood dripped out of his mouth and down his chin.

Clarke moved his jacket collar and put two fingers against his neck.

"Is he-" Bellamy didn't need to finish. Clarke looked up at us and her face said it all.

"He's dead."

She got up and grabbed a bottle off a shelf.

"Here. Alcohol. Hold out your hands," She said to Finn. She poured the liquid onto his hands.

"What do we do?" Finn asked. Clarke paused.

"Quarantine," She said finally. "Round up everyone who had contact with Murphy. Bring them here." Finn ran out of the dropship.

"And everyone they had contact with?" Bellamy asked.

"Well, we have to start somewhere. Connor," She turned to him. "Who was with you when you found him? Who carried him? Think." We both knew who it was.

"The first one there was Octavia." Fuck. Before anyone could say anything Bellamy sprinted out of the dropship.

Another person dead. All because of this damn virus. I stood outside next to Bellamy as two of the already sick carried out the deceased body. Clarke stood outside the dropship but away from all of us.

"Alright. Show's over," Bellamy said. "Get back to your post." As everyone started to clear out he walked toward Clarke.

"You got enough food in there? Water?" He asked her.

"Yeah. Some medicine might be nice," She joked weakly. Bellamy cracked a smile.

"I'll see what I can do," He said. Clarke gave him a light nod then turned back toward the dropship.

"Octavia, you okay?" He called into the dropship. No response. He walked forward toward the dropship.

"Bellamy, wait. She's not here. I sent her to see Lincoln. Look if there's a cure, he has it. I didn't tell you because I knew you wouldn't let her go," Clarke told him. He looked up at her.

"If anything happens to her you and me are gonna have problems," He said and with that, he turned away walking toward the camp door.

"Bellamy-" Clarke called after him. "Bellamy!"

"Out of my way," He said to the guy blocking the door. He turned around and I inhaled sharply. Blood dripped from his bloodshot eyes.

"Dude, your eyes," Someone said.

"Nobody touch him!" Another said pointing his gun at him.

"Get to the dropship," Bellamy said. The guy reached up to touch under his eyes. "Now!"

"Hey, are you okay?" I heard Raven ask behind me. I turned around just in time to see Fox collapse in on herself. Blood splattered from her mouth all over the man next to her.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! It's on me!" He yelled trying to wipe the blood off his face.

"Get back!" More people yelled getting their guns. Screams went up and chaos ensued.

"Put that gun down!" I heard Finn yell. "Put it down!"

"Calm down!" I tried to yell but my voice was drowned out by the chaos.

BANG! BANG!

I spun around on my heels and saw Clarke outside of the dropship holding a gun. It was aimed toward the sky and everyone went quiet. She walked forward, her footsteps making the only noise in camp.

"This is exactly what the grounders want," She said. "Don't you see that? They don't have to kill us if we kill each other first."

"They won't have to kill us if we all catch the virus. Get back in the damn dropship!" Someone yelled aiming his gun at Clarke. Bellamy rushed over and disarmed him faster than he could react. Bellamy slammed the butt of his gun into the guy's face.

"Not to state the obvious," Bellamy said lowly. "but your quarantine isn't working." Clarke's arm dropped to her side and the gun fell from her hand. Her knees buckled and Finn ran over.

"Finn don't touch her!" Raven yelled as Clarke fell to the ground. Finn put his arms around her and she landed on his lap.

"Hey, let me go. I'm okay," Clarke said to Finn, her voice small and weak.

"No, you're not," Finn told her.

"Octavia will come back with a cure," Clarke said.

"There is no cure." I turned around and Octavia pushed through the crowd into camp. "But the grounders don't use the sickness to kill."

"Really? Tell that to them," Bellamy said pointing at the tarp with the bodies of our dead on it. "I warned you about seeing that grounder again."

"Yeah well, I have a warning for you too. The grounders are coming. And they're attacking at first light." A murmur spread through the camp and I tried to wrap my mind around it.

First light? We wouldn't have time to prepare. That only left us with a few hours and half our camp was sick. Most of our gunners had been in contact with Murphy when he came in and the rest of camp hadn't touched a gun in their life.

Octavia pushed past her brother, trying to get to Clarke. Bellamy grabbed her forearm and stopped her. She glared at him and pulled away.

"Come on," She said. "I'll help you get Clarke into the dropship."

"How many bullets can you make by first light?" Bellamy asked turning to Raven.

"There's five to a clip. Let's go," Bellamy said as we loaded the guns. "We need to get these guns on the wall."

"Why just five?" Monty asked.

"We're running out of gunpowder," Raven told him.

"Oh we're so dead," Harper said loading another gun.

"Don't worry, I got your back," Jasper said. Monty scoffed. "Got something to say?"

"Hey, guys. Stay focused. We're doing good. We need as many rounds done by dawn as we can," Raven said stopping them from fighting.

"It won't matter if there's no one left who can shoot," Finn said bursting into the tent. "What do we need to build a bomb?"

"Depends on what you're trying to blow up," Raven told him. Finn looked at her.

"How 'bout a bridge?"

"What are you talking about?" Bellamy asked.

"Murphy says he crossed a bridge on his way back here from the grounders camp. Sound familiar?" Finn asked. The bridge we met the grounders at.

"Yeah. So what?" I asked him, trying to piece together what he was saying.

"So the virus is fast. He's already getting better. Blowing the bridge won't stop the attack but the longer we can delay it, the more of us will be able to fight,"

"Even if Murphy is telling the truth- and that's a big if- that bridge has survived a nuclear war and 97 years of weather," Bellamy told him. Raven smirked ever so slightly.

"It won't survive me."

Before I knew it they were back at camp with the explosive and Raven got to work on the bomb. I sat on a log around the campfire with a few others and waited for the bomb to be ready. I heard a crash from behind me. I turned around and got to my feet.

Bellamy had collapsed into a tent. I ran over to him and squatted down next to him.

"Flowers- get back," He told me.

"Are you okay?" I asked him. "What happened?"

"Get back!" He told me again. I froze when I saw what he was talking about. A red strand of blood dripped down his nose. Jasper stood behind me a few feet. He tried to get close but Bellamy told him off.

"No! Stay back. Make the shot. Find Finn. Go," Bellamy told Jasper.

"Don't just stand there! Get him into the dropship!" Jasper told two guys watching what was happening. They ran over and I got to my feet. They each put an arm under Bellamy's shoulders and hoisted him to his feet. They dragged him into the dropship and I followed close behind them.

"Bel? No," Octavia said as Bellamy came into the dropship. "Clear some space. Lay him down," They lowered Bellamy onto his side and he started coughing. Blood spewed from his mouth and Octavia rolled him over to his side. I closed my eyes as blood sprayed all over the ground beside him.

"Hunter, you need to get out of here," Octavia told me as she whipped Bellamy's mouth.

"I'm not leaving him-"

"Unless you wanna get sick too, get out," She said her voice stronger. I knew Octavia wouldn't let me stay in here unless I was sick. Knowing there was nothing I could do about it, I left the dropship leaving Bellamy in the hands of his sister and Murphy.

"Hunter!" Finn yelled. I looked up from my neckless I'd been fidgeting with. Jasper ran up behind him frantically. "Where's Raven?"

"Last I checked she was with Monty. Haven't seen her in a while though," I told him. Not bothering to respond, he took off toward her tent. I got to my feet and ran after him.

"It's gone," He said as I ran into the tent behind him. I looked around the table in front of me. The bomb Raven made. It was missing.

"Monty, where's Raven?" Finn asked Monty who was wrapped up in an orange blanket.

"She left a while ago," He told us.

"The bomb," Finn said realization dawning on him. "She's planting it herself." No sooner than he said that he was off. He ran out of the tent not waiting for us.

"You wanna come?" Jasper asked Monty quietly.

"Why don't you ask your new friends," Monty shot back. There was something between these two. And I didn't like it. You could feel the tension in the air.

"Guys! Let's go!" I heard Finn yell from outside the tent. Jasper looked back up at Monty but Monty looked down, avoiding Jasper's gaze.

"Come on," Jasper said to me before walking out of the tent with me right behind him.

War drums pounded through the wood and we kept running. Finn came to a stop and listened.

"You hear that?" Jasper asked.

"War drums," Finn said before sprinting toward the bridge.

"Oh, we're running toward the war drums?" Jasper called after Finn. "Oh, I hate this plan," We took off running after him and I tried to ignore the cramping pain in my side.

Finn stopped at a small cleaning at overlooked the bridge below it. Raven sat in the middle of the bridge holding the bomb in her hands.

"Raven!" Finn yelled. Jasper looked threw the scope of his gun.

"She's still building the bomb," He said. Finn started running.

"Hey! No, wait Finn. She's got this," Jasper said, grabbing his arm. Raven slowly got to her feet and limped over to the end of the bridge. She took two steps, then collapsed onto the bridge. The war drums got louder.

"No," Finn said.

"Raven get out of there now!" I yelled at her.

"Line up the shot!" Finn told Jasper as he sprinted down toward Raven. Raven pulled herself weakly toward her gun. She lifted it up and lined up the shot.

"Raven!" Finn yelled getting to the bridge. He slid down next to her and hoisted her to her feet. He ran back toward us, his arms around Raven.

Spots of orange danced through the tree. Fire. The torches. The grounders were coming.

"Shoot, Jasper!" Finn yelled. "Shoot!"

BANG!

Jasper pulled the trigger and the bullet flew. Nothing happened. He pulled the trigger again, but the gun clicked.

"Oh damn it. Damn it," Jasper muttered as he kept pulling the trigger. The grounders had slowed at the shot but kept coming.

"You call that shooting?" A voice asked from behind us. I spun around and Monty stood behind us with a loaded gun in his hand.

"Monty?" Jasper asked. "Last time was a fluke. I panicked,"

"So what? You still made the shot right?" He asked crouching down next to us.

"Twice. How many rounds?" He asked taking the gun.

"Three," Jasper stopped. "You got this," Monty smiled at his friend. The grounders ran through the tree line and started coming onto the bridge.

Jasper fired a shot. It hit two inches to the left.

"Damn it," He muttered. The grounders stopped at the sound.

"Did you not hear me say you got this?" Monty joked. Jasper lined up his gun.

BOOM!

Grey smoke erupted from the bridge. The smoke rose into the air and everything within a hundred miles as it. I looked at Jasper and I gave him a giant hug.

"Great shot," I told him and he laughed the hardest I'd heard him laugh since we got here.

"There! It's them! Open the gate!" Harper yelled as Jasper, Monty, and I trudged back into camp. The door opened and everyone started cheering.

"Don't let it get to your head," Jasper whispered to Monty. Finn and Raven walked in after us, Finn supporting all of Raven's weight. I stood next to Jasper and Monty with the camp celebrating around us.

The grounders knew what we did. They knew we'd stopped the attack and killed some of their own in the process. And they knew we weren't going down without a fight. 

Chapter Text

        It had been two days since everything happened with the bomb. Connor had died in the dropship the night we got back. No one knew what had happened to him. His heart gave out I guess. No one saw it coming. We buried him next to the rest of the graves and had a small memorial for him like we did for all the others.

No one had heard anything from the radio connecting to the Ark and after the Exodus ship crashed we didn't know if we would. The grounders hadn't been back since the bridge, which I was still a bit shaken up from. I'd had a killer headache since the explosion that I hadn't been able to shake.

"Fire!" Someone yelled from outside, snapping me out of my relaxation. Screams went up from the camp which didn't help my head at all. I scrambled to my feet and darted through the opening of my tent.

The smokehouse had gone up in flames and a billow of smoke surrounded the hut. The surrounding area was burnt and the air felt full of smoke. Adrenaline taking over, I ran out to help. A hand shot out in front of me, blocking my path. I looked up at Bellamy, glaring at him.

"Stay back," He told me firmly. Octavia stumbled out of the smokehouse and Bellamy ran toward her. I ran out after him and he leaned against a crate, trying to cough the smoke out of his lungs. After regaining some of his strength, he pushed his hands off the crate and sauntered over toward Del, who was outside the smokehouse.

"This is all your fault," Murphy growled launching himself at Del. "We told you it was too much wood."

"Get the hell away from me!" Del defended, trying to shove Murphy off of him. Murphy slammed his fist into the side of Del's face. Del threw a punch at Murphy and Murphy took it with ease. The two kept throwing punches, trying to get hits on the other. Bellamy finally intervened and shoved Murphy off of Del.

"Hey! Hey! Stop! Save it for the grounders," He said, looking between the two boys. His voice was full of command and Murphy and Del stopped.

"Well, now what are we gonna do?" Octavia asked, turning to Bellamy. "That was all the food." Bellamy looked back at his sister, then at the burning fire in front of us.

"Each group takes someone with a gun, and they're for killing grounders, not food. We don't have the ammo. Use the spears for hunting. Get what you can. Be back by nightfall. No one stays out after dark," Bellamy said projecting his voice through the drop ship. Everyone got into pairs and got their things. Bellamy came up next to me watching the few groups still in the dropship

"You going with them?" He asked me. I shook my head, looking from the groups to him.

"No. I'm still a bit shaken from the bridge. Killer headache. Is there anything I can do around here?" I asked him as the last group left the dropship.

"Get some rest," He told me.

"What?"

"Take it easy today. There are enough people to do things around here. We need everyone to be at their bests when the grounders come. And that means you have to get some rest. Doctor's orders," He said. I nodded, not whiling to admit he was right. I hadn't been sleeping well since we got here and this headache would be the death of me if it did fuck off soon. My eyes wander down to the ground and I didn't bother to hide the concern on my face.

"You good, Flowers?" Bellamy asked picking up on my uneasy body language. I blinked, then looked up at him, meeting his eyes.

"You seriously think we can pull this off?" I asked him. "The grounders have more weapons and numbers than we could imagine. And on top of that, we don't even know how many of them there are. Maybe have killed all of them at the bridge but that might not even have made a dent. We could be walking straight into a suicide mission."

"We'll get through it," He looked at me reassuringly. "We haven't seen them in two days. Maybe we scared them off for good."

"You really believe that?" I asked skeptically.

"No, but is it making you feel better?" I huffed out a tired laugh.

"You really know how to make a girl feel special, Blake," I joked. He smirked at me. I rolled my eyes, despite being amused.

"You'd know wouldn't you." He grabbed my pack off the dropship floor and tossed it to me. I gave him a smile and reluctantly left the dropship and went back toward my tent.

By the time the sun had set and all of the hunting groups had gotten back. Except for Clarke and Finn. They'd gone out with a boy I didn't know and none of them had come back. Monty had helped get together a group to go after them, which I was a part of, despite Bellamy wanting me to rest.

"I thought you said you were heading west? Where are you?" Monty asked over the radio. I stayed close behind Bellamy, holding my gun tight in my hand.

"Just keep the moon on your left and you'll find us," He told Monty. A screeching noise could be heard through the trees and I looked over to Bellamy. It didn't sound quite human, more like a crying creature of some sort.

"Is anyone else hearing this signal?" Monty asked, concern creeping into his voice.

"Just keep your eyes open," Raven told him.

"I think it's the same thing we heard in the black box," Monty went on.

"Damn it, Monty, pay attention. Do you see anything?" Bellamy asked him. "Report," Bellamy told him after not getting a response. The screeching got louder and a static sound came from the radio.

"There's someone in the bushes," Raven said quietly. I pulled my gun up, ready for use, and moved closer still following close behind Bellamy.

"Myles?" I heard Octavia's voice crackle in person and through the radio. "Myles? What happened?" Bellamy and I ran over toward them.

"Where are they?" Raven asked as I squatted down next to them. "Clarke and Finn, where are they?"

"Grounders took them," Myles managed to get out. He sounded as if his vocal cords had been ripped out, put into a blender, then shoved back down his throat.

"Take it easy," Bellamy told him. "We have to get him back to camp."

"Bel, what about Clarke and Finn?" Octavia asked looking up at her brother. Raven looked down at the ground and then got to her feet. Bellamy stood up and went over to her.

"Raven," He said. "I'm sorry."

"We need to make a stretcher," Raven told him getting right to work. Bellamy put the walkie up to his mouth.

"Monty, we're heading home. You copy?" Nothing. "Monty, can you hear me?" Still nothing. "Monty? Monty, where the hell are you? Report. Monty?" Bellamy kept asking for Monty but all he was getting was dead air.

Chapter Text

        "Come on. These foxholes aren't gonna build themselves," Bellamy said as I helped Raven and Jasper set up one of many landmines. Raven looked up over her shoulder at Bellamy and I exhaled slowly. Bellamy looked over the crowd and I got back to work.

"Better hope these landmines work," Bellamy said walking up behind Raven. "All the ground powder we're wasting, we could be making more grenades."

"You want to come over and test one?" Raven sassed not looking up at Bellamy.

"Cute. I need this entire section mined by morning. Then you finish the south field," He told us. Bellamy turned around without another word. Raven jumped to her feet and raced after him.

"Hey. I told you, we're going after Finn, Clarke, and Monty in the morning," Raven said lowering her voice.

"And I told you, nobody leaves this camp," Bellamy told her continuing to walk away. Raven followed after him again.

"I'm talking to you. We can't just abandon our people. You want to lead them, show them you give a damn," Raven told him. I kept watching Bellamy and Raven as a pop rang out. Adrenaline kicked in at the sound and I jumped to my feet.

"Whoa! What the hell was that!" Someone yelled. Jasper jumped up next to me and we exchanged a quick look.

"Hey!" Bellamy said approaching Sterling, who'd fired the shot. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

"I'm sorry man. I fell asleep. I've been on watch all day," Sterling said as Bellamy kept walking toward him. Bellamy grabbed the collar of his jacket and slammed his back against the trunk of a tree.

"We've all been on watch all day! That bullet was one less dead grounder!" Bellamy yelled and I looked down to the ground.

"Bel, you're scaring people," Octavia said, trying to defuse his anger.

"They should be scared!" Bellamy dropped Sterling's collar and turned around to face the rest of us. "The bomb on the bridge bought us some time to prepare but that time is up! The grounders are out there right now, waiting for us to leave and picking us off one by one when we do! Clarke, Finn, and Monty are gone, probably dead, and if you want to be next, I can't stop you, but no guns are leaving this camp! this camp is the other thing keeping us alive! Get back to work!" I watched Bellamy as he turned around and left the rest of us to finish.

I pushed open the curtain and walked into the dropship. I saw Bellamy looking at me, with his hands on a table leaning onto the table in front of him. I didn't bother to hide my annoyance with him. He was an idiot for not looking for Clarke, Finn, and Monty. Clarke was the only reason half of us were alive. Monty was a tech genius and without his help, we wouldn't have made contact with the Ark. And Finn had stopped multiple horrible ideas from happening. We needed them. I shook my head in frustration and took a step toward the ladder.

"You don't think I want to go after them too?" Bellamy asked turning around to face me. I stopped mid-stride.

"If it was you out there, you think Monty, Clarke, or Finn would hide behind these walls? That I'd hide here? Just assume you're dead? Cause I wouldn't." I said holding my gaze at Bellamy.

"No. You'd go after me. Then you'd be dead too. I am doing what I think is right for the group." I shook my head slightly, looking away from Bellamy. I set down my gun on the table in the corner of the room.

"It's funny. You didn't think that way when Octavia went missing," I said reaching my hand up onto the ladder.

"Where are you going?" Bellamy asked me. I put my hand up to my forehead.

"More gunpowder for your minefield sir," I said mockingly saluting him. Ignoring the pained look on Bellamy's face, I made my way up the ladder. I grabbed the tin of gunpowder from the supply table. I poured some of it into a smaller tin that would be easier to transport. I grabbed the tin and started making my way down the ladder, careful not to spill the gunpowder.

I jumped off the bottom step and turned around. Murphy stood over Myles's makeshift hospital bed, holding a bag in his hands. Murphy turned around and saw me. He looked back down at Myles. Myles wasn't breathing. His still eyes were filled with horror. Murphy killed him.

"He stopped breathing. I was- I was trying to help him," He said, clearly lying. It'd be idiotic to call him out for it. Who knows what he'd do? All I had to do was leave the dropship as if nothing had happened and tell Bellamy what I'd seen and we'd deal with it together. I glanced over to my gun I'd put down on the table. If I could grab that Murphy wouldn't be able to do anything and I'd have the upper hand.

Murphy seemed to pick up on what I'd been thinking and he lunged for the gun. I tried to run for the gun, thinking I could get to it first. Murphy grabbed it and I reflectively backed away. And there went my plan to get to Bellamy. I reached my hand into my pocket and squeezed down on the button on the side of my walkie. I put my other hand out slightly, showing that I wasn't going to hurt him.

"Murphy just put the gun down," I said, trying to stay as calm as possible.

"He tried to kill me," Murphy said taking a quick look back at Myles. As soon as his eyes were on Myles, I took his distraction to my advantage and raced toward the door. Murphy pulled his gun up and aimed it at me, stopping me in my tracks.

"Hey, don't move!"

"Okay, okay," I said, taking a quick glance at Myles's body. "It's cool."

"No. It's not. You know what'll happen to me if you tell Bellamy," Murphy said, keeping the gun leveled at my chest. My hands sweat and my finger slipped off the button.

"Tell Bellamy what?" Bellamy's voice said, crackling through the walkie. Murphy took a deep breath.

"Give me the radio, Hunter," Murphy said, his voice sounding surprisingly calm. Which meant he had a plan. Yeah, I don't like that. I kept one hand out, showing I wasn't going to attack him and I slowly pulled the radio from my pocket. I exhaled shakily and pulled the walkie to my mouth as fast as I could.

"Murphy has a gun. He killed Myles." Murphy was fast, but not fast enough. Right after I got the words out the side of his gun slammed into my head and my vision swam before I slipped into unconsciousness.

I'd woken up about an hour before with a pounding headache. I tried to stretch out my hands, but they wouldn't move. I tried to look behind me but without seeing it, I knew what had happened. My hands had been bound behind my back and a dropship seat belt kept me from moving out of the seat. Murphy had tied it around my waist and around the dropship seat. A gag sat in my mouth, preventing me from talking. Murphy had been pacing around the dropship the whole time. I had tried to fight against the restraints but nothing had happened. Murphy had closed the drop ship door before anyone could get in. Bellamy had threatened to kill Murphy if he touched me, but Murphy didn't fold. I hadn't heard anything from Bel for about 15 minutes and I was starting to lose hope.

"Murphy, I know you can hear me. All of our ammo and food is in the middle level you know that. You're leaving us venerable to an attack. I can't let that happen," Bellamy's voice came through the radio. My eyes watered at the sound of his voice. Despite my situation, his voice managed to calm my shaking hands. Not by much, but it was something. Murphy grabbed the radio off the table and held it up to his mouth.

"Yeah, well in case you haven't noticed you're not exactly in control right now," Murphy said into the radio.

"Come on, Murphy. You don't want to hurt Hunter. You want to hurt me," Murphy's eyes flashed over to the dropship door. "So what do you say? How 'bout you trade her for me?" No. He couldn't. Murphy would kill him. I couldn't let him give up his life for mine.

"No!" I tried to yell, but it just came out as a muffled scream. I thrashed out against the restraints. "No! Bel! Please no!" Murphy's eyes flashed to mine, glaring at me.

"All you have to do is let her go, unharmed, and I'll take her place."

"No! Don't! Bellamy!" I tried to scream again, but it was no use. Murphy looked over at me and smirked.

"How?" Murphy asked. Bellamy didn't respond, as if he was talking to someone else. I couldn't let him do this. He'd already put his life on the line for me before and I wouldn't let him do it again. I couldn't bare to see Octavia without him. I couldn't bare to see myself without him. As much of a jackass he is, I needed him.

"Simple," Bellamy said, breaking the silence. "You open the door, I walk in, she walks out." Murphy looked from the table in front of him to me. I tried to hide the fear on my face as I swallowed. He went over to the lever to open the dropship. Murphy pulled the lever and the drop ship door creaked open.

"Just you, Bellamy, unarmed!" Murphy yelled, stepping closer to me. "Ten seconds, or I'll put one in Hunter's leg. One. Two. Three. Four. Five-"

"I'm here! Where's Hunter? Is she okay?" Bellamy's rough voice came through and all I wanted was to run to him.

"She's here!" Murphy yelled. He pulled the gag from my mouth and it hung around my neck. He pulled his gun up and aimed it at me.

"I'm here! Bel, please-" Murphy cocked his gun, threateningly. A hand pushed the curtain to the side and Bellamy pushed past. Tears stung my eyes as we exchanged a quick look.

"Now let her go," Bellamy said. Murphy kept the gun trailed on me.

"No."

"What?" Bellamy's eyes flickered back to me. My breath quickened in my chest. No. I- That wasn't what he said-

"I need to know you'll do what I tell you," Murphy told him.

"That wasn't the deal-"

"Deal changed." Bellamy looked at me with a look in his eyes. Fear. Complete and utter fear.

Murphy threw a clump of detached seat belts at Bellamy's feet. They clattered to the ground and Bellamy glanced down at them.

"Tie them together," Murphy ordered, leaving no room for negotiation.

"No," Bellamy retorted, keeping his eyes on Murphy. Without turning around, Murphy fired a shot. It flew above my head and hit the wall slightly to my right. I whimpered in fear at the sound.

"Do what I say, or the next one goes in her leg."

"Bellamy? Bellamy, are you okay? Where's Hunter?" Octavia's voice crackled through the radio, concern dripping in her tone.

"You want her to know you're alive? Start tying." Bellamy squatted down next to the seatbelts and followed Murphy's orders.

"I'm fine," Bellamy said as Murphy pushed the radio's button. "Just a misfire. Stop worrying about me and get back to work. All of you. And tell Raven to hurry her ass up."

"Alright, that's long enough," Murphy decided putting the radio into his pant pocket. "Tie those two ends together," As Bellamy did what he was told, I thrashed out against my restraints as Murphy's plan clicked in my head. A noose. Bellamy was making a noose. Murphy was going to hang him, just like Bellamy did to him. No. I couldn't let that happen. Fear shot through me like a fire and I kept thrashing out, trying to get free. The last thing I would’ve said to him would’ve been mocking him. Telling him it was wrong to leave Finn, Clarke, and Monty out there to fend for themselves. I wouldn’t get a chance to tell him how thankful I was for him. How much he’d done for me.

Murphy turned his gun on me. "Shut it, Flowers." I wanted to scream at Murphy for using the nickname. It felt wrong coming from anyone's mouth but Bellamy's. It was his nickname for me. Not Murphy's. I stopped struggling and Murphy's attention returned to Bellamy but kept the gun trailed at me.

"Alright, now get up and toss it over." Bellamy looked up he had put the pieces together. He knew what was coming. And there was nothing either of us could do about it. I didn't have any weapons on me and Murphy had a gun to my head. I feared Bellamy would do anything Murphy ordered as long as it meant I was safe.

Bellamy got to his feet and did as told. Murphy smirked, knowing using me as leverage was working. The seatbelt noose landed on the other side of the railing and Murphy grabbed the other end.

"What do you want me to say? You want me to apologize? I'm-" He stepped toward Murphy and he put the gun closer to my head. Bellamy stopped. "I'm sorry."

"You got it all wrong, Bellamy. I don't want you to say anything. I want you to feel what I felt. And then... I want you to die." I tried to scream at Murphy, and I thrashed out. He couldn't die. I wouldn't let Bellamy die. I'd do anything to keep him safe, even if it meant I died.

With a bang! a bullet flew through the air and I screamed. It slammed into the ground next to me and I took a shaky breath. Bellamy lunged toward me but Murphy turned his gun on him. Bellamy stopped mid-stride and Murphy smirked.

"Get the bench, or the next one goes between her eyes," Murphy said cocking his head over toward a small metal bench. Bellamy obeyed and dragged the bench under the beam.

"Stand on it," Murphy ordered. Bellamy climbed onto the bench looking at the noose. "Put it over your head."

"This is insane. The Grounders could've-" Murphy shot cutting him off. The bullet passed so close to my face, I couldn't tell if Murphy meant to miss. I closed my eyes as tears dropped from my eyes.

"Put it over your head. Or I won't miss." Bellamy's eyes locked with mine and I tried to plead with him not to do what Murphy said. Murphy wrapped his side of the rope around his hand. Bellamy put the noose around his neck, ignoring my silent plead.

"Happy now?" Bellamy asked, trying to appear defiant. Murphy pulled on his end of the rope and Bellamy had to go up on his toes to keep the rope was strangling him. He tried to grasp at the top of the rope and my heart raced.

"You're so brave, aren't you?" Murphy taunted. "I mean, you came in here thinking you were just gonna turn this whole thing around. What you were stronger than me, that maybe one of your friends would come and help you. That I'd let Hunter go. Well, what are you thinking now, Bellamy? Hm."

Murphy pulled on the rope again and I scream in frustration. I slammed my feet into the floor, trying to distract Murphy, maybe giving Bellamy enough time to think of something. Murphy smirked and let go of the rope.

"You know, I gotta hand it to you, Bellamy. You got them all fooled. They actually look up to you. Almost as much as they look up to Clarke. Yeah, but we know the truth, don't we? You're a coward. I learned that the day you kicked out the crate from beneath me. For the people. Isn't that what you said? That you were just giving them what they wanted. Right?" Murphy said as he tied his end of the rope to the wall, causing the crate to be the only thing keeping Bel alive.

"I should have stopped them."

I could hear the regret in his voice. He was sorry. He made a mistake. But Murphy wasn't going to see that. He didn't care what anyone felt. He just wanted revenge.

"Yeah, it's a little late for that now," Murphy told him.

"How does this end for you, Murphy? You think they're just gonna let you walk out of here?" Bellamy asked, clearly trying to stall for time.

"Well, I think the princess is dead. And I know the king and his girlfriend are about to die, so who's really gonna lead these people? Huh? Me. That's who. And yeah, maybe I have to kill your grounder-pounding little sister-" Bellamy slammed his foot into Murphy's chest. Murphy ran to the rope and pulled it so hard, Bellamy rose off the crate and his air supply was cut off.

I tried to scream. Beg Murphy not to kill him. But Murphy didn't listen. Bellamy twisted in the air his mouth wide, desperate for any air he could get. This was where Bellamy was going to die. Right here. In front of me. And there was nothing I could do about it. I was convinced he was going to die, but I heard a quick yell come from below the floor. Murphy let go of the rope and Bellamy's feet hit the crate.

"I'm guessing that's her right now." Murphy grabbed his gun and fired into the ground. Bellamy screamed but Murphy kept shooting. Murphy's gun clicked and jammed. Bellamy took the opportunity to get free from the noose. But Murphy caught him. Murphy kicked the crate from under Bellamy's feet. I screamed and I used the rest of my energy to thrash against the restraints.

Smirking, Murphy ran over to me and untied me from the dropship seat. He yanked me to my feet and dragged me kicking and screaming over to the ladder. I watched in horror as Bellamy's body contorted and twitched as he gasped for air.

"Climb." Murphy's voice was forceful and I did as told. I struggled my way up the ladder, with my hands still bound together. I pulled myself up the ladder with Murphy right behind me. As I reached the top of the ladder I heard the drop ship door creak open.

"Raven you did it!" I heard someone yell. I heard screaming and chaos issuing below us. Murphy slammed me into the ground and pushed a pipe through the hatch, locking it behind us. He started rummaging through crates for ammo and my heart pounded in my chest.

"Come on!" Murphy yelled at his failed attempts. He picked through a crate and pulled out a small tin. He grabbed a singular bullet and loaded it into his gun.

"Murphy!"

I sighed in relief, leaning my back against the dropship wall. It was Bellamy's voice. Rough and shaky, yes, but alive. Murphy looked down at the hatch, terrified.

"Murphy! It's over!"

Bellamy slammed into the hatch, trying to open it. The pipe wouldn't hold for long, and we all knew that.

"There's only one way out of this for you!" He yelled. Murphy yanked me to my feet and the hatch burst open.

"Get back or I'll put a bullet in her head!" Murphy yelled.

"Touch her and I'll kill you!" Murphy looked around the dropship. There was no way out of him. He only had grabbed one bullet. If he shot me, there'd be nothing stopping Bellamy's rage. And if he shot Bellamy I'd slam him into the ground so hard his skull cracked down the middle. Murphy's eyes locked on the tin can of gunpowder. I thrashed out and managed to pry myself free of his grip. I ran to Bellamy and he threw his arms around me.

"You're okay, Flowers," Bellamy whispered in my ear. I felt his body tense and he turned us around, crouching down on the floor. I pulled back slightly and turned around. An explosion had knocked a giant hole in the side of the dropship wall. Murphy had jumped out of it and was sprinting from camp as fast as he could.

Bellamy got up and raced over to the open hole. I followed after him and Jasper joined our side as we watched Murphy run from camp.

"The guy knows how to make an exit," Jasper said next to me. "Should we go after him?"

"No," Bellamy answered, putting his arm under mine. "The Grounders will take care of Murphy. We're going after Clarke, Finn, and Monty." I looked up at him a small smile on my face. "You guys were right. We don't abandon our own. Two guns, you and me. That's it. Raven stays here to build up defense."

"I'm going too," I protested.

"Not happening Flowers. I'm not putting you in danger again. You're staying here. We lost a day because of this. And our gunpowder. Go check in on the others, we'll be down in a second."

"Long way from "whatever the hell you want," Jasper said. Bellamy chuckled and Jasper raced down the ladder. Bellamy looked at me, a small smile on his face. He grabbed my hands and pulled a sharp shard of metal from the ground. He used the sharp edge and stabbed through the seat belt scrap Murphy used to tie my hands together. He ran his finger over my blood-stained hands. He looked up at me and he wrapped his arms around me and I did the same.

"You could at least bring me on a date before you jump me," I said repeating a modified version of the first thing he said to me on the dropship. He laughed and pulled back slightly, looking at me. A tear slipped down my cheek as I looked up at Bellamy, taking in the comfort of his presents. He whipped the tear away with his thumb.

"All gunners, we got movement outside the south wall." Miller's voice crackled through the radio, breaking the silence. We jumped into action and made our way down the ladder. We met the others at the entry wall, running out of the dropship.

"Wait!" Miller yelled over the crowd. "Hold your fire, it's Clarke and Finn! Open the gate!" As soon as the gate was open, Finn and Clarke ran in, both of them looking exhausted.

"Hey, we heard an explosion what happened?" Clarke asked.

"Murphy happened," Bellamy said, glancing at me and sliding his hand into mine.

"Thank god," Jasper said pulling Clarke into a hug. "Where have you been? Where's Monty?"

"Monty's gone?" Jasper's face fell but before anyone could ask any questions Finn cut in.

"Clarke, we need to leave, now. All of us do. There's an army of Grounders, unlike anything we've ever seen coming for us right now. We need to pack what we can and run."

"Like hell we do. We knew this was coming," Bellamy scoffed, not letting go of my hand.

"Bel, we're not prepared," Octavia protested. I hated to admit it, but she was right.

"They're not here yet. We still have time to get ready. Besides, where would we go? Where would we be safer than behind these walls?"

"There's an ocean to the east. People there will help us," Finn asked.

"You saw Lincoln," Octavia realized. He nodded.

"You expect us to trust a Grounders, but you won't give us any more information?" Bellamy said before turning to the rest of camp. "This is our home now. We built this from nothing with our bare hands. Our dead are buried behind that wall, in this ground. Our ground! The Grounders think they can take that away. They think that because we came from the sky that we don't belong here. But they've yet to realize one very important fact. We are on the ground now. And that means we are Grounders!"

The rest of the camp cheered, shaking their weapons above their heads.

"Grounders with guns!" Someone yelled.

"Damn right. I say let them come," Bellamy looked to Clarke for her support.

"Bellamy's right," She agreed. "If we leave, we may never find a place as safe as this. And god knows, in this world, we could be faced with something even worse tomorrow. But that doesn't change the simple fact that if we stay here, we will die tonight. So pack your things. Just take what you can carry."

The crowd dispersed, going into their tents. Bellamy looked down at me and gave me a half-hearted smile.

"Help me!"

I turned and saw Raven limping toward us. She had her hand pressed at her side and blood stained her clothes. We ran toward her and Finn lifted her into his arms.

"Murphy shot her," Jasper said. She must have been the one under the dropship when Murphy was shooting, not Octavia.

"Get her into the dropship," Clarke demanded. Finn ran into the dropship, holding Raven tight in his arms. Clarke went to follow after them but Bellamy stopped her.

"Clarke. Leaving here is a mistake."

"I agree," I said. "We're safe here. It'll take more time to transport all of our stuff and our people than it will to set up camp for a fight. And how do we know they won't find us again?"

"The decision has been made," She said firmly.

"Crowds make bad decisions," Bellamy countered. "Just ask Murphy. Leaders go what they think is right."

"I am." And she left without another word, leaving me and Bellamy standing there watching her.

The grounders were coming. And there was nothing we could do about that. Regardless of where we go, they'll find us. Fighting was our only option. No matter what path we take to get there, it'll all end in a fight. And we'd probably die. I'd come to terms with that as soon as we landed.

But we wouldn't go down without giving the grounders a hell of a fight. 

Chapter Text

        I followed closely with the mob of us marching through the forests we'd grown to fear. Bellamy was close to my side, holding his gun in his hand. I'd found my gun with the rest of my things in my tent and thrown it all into my pack. I looked over at Bellamy and offered him a small smile. He return it, but I couldn't help but notice the nervousness on his face. We both knew we were out in the open. The grounders had the upper hand if an attack came.

The group stopped and I tried to look up ahead to see why.

"Why are we stopping?" Raven asked her voice weak. She was on a stretcher which wasn't her call. Clarke ordered she didn't walk until she could get the bullet out.

"I don't know," Finn answered. Screams echoed from the front of the group and I looked up from Raven. My eyes darted around the group, trying to see what was happening before Jasper's voice ripped through the crowd.

"GROUNDERS!"

Everyone took off running toward camp and I got mixed in with the crowd, losing sight of Bellamy. I stumbled through the crowd trying to keep up with those ahead. I kept my gun cocked and ready in my hand and ran as fast as I could. My heart pounded inside my chest and my side ached. My chest rose and fell as the adrenaline began to build.

"Move! Move! Move!" Bellamy yelled as everyone ran inside the camp walls.

"I don't see anyone!" Jasper yelled over the screams. He stood up on one of the lookout ledges, with his gun at the ready.

"They're right behind us!" Octavia yelled to him. "Go! Go! Go!"

"Shut the gate! Close the gate!"

I climbed up onto another lookout ledge with my gun at the ready. Bellamy and Clarke joined my side and we waited for a Grounder to strike.

"Where are they?" Bellamy asked looking through the scope of his gun. "Why aren't they attacking,"

"Because we're doing exactly what they wanted us to do," Clarke said her breath heavy.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, holding my gun on the top of the wall. Clarke turned around and looked down at Finn.

"Lincoln said the scouts would be the first to arrive," She said.

"If it's just scouts we can fight our way out. That's what Lincoln would do," Octavia said joining Finn's side.

"We're done doing what that Grounder would do," Bellamy said, jumping off the ledge. "We tried it and now Drew is dead. You want to be next?"

"That Grounder saved our lives," Finn said. "I agree with Octavia. For all, we know there's one scout out there."

"For all, we know there could be hundreds," I put in, jumping off the platform.

"Or one scout with insanely good aim," Jasper said from another ledge.

"Clarke, we can still do this," Octavia insisted. I looked over to Clarke.

"Looking to you Princess. What's it gonna be?" Bellamy asked. "Run and get picked off out in the open, or stand and fight back?" Clarke turned and looked out around camp. She jumped down from the lookout and Finn stopped in front of her.

"Clarke. If we're still here when Tristan gets here-"

"Lincoln said "scouts" more than one. He said, "Get home before the scouts arrive". Finn they're already here," She turned to Bellamy. "Looks like you've got your fight." He nodded and turned to face to rest of camp.

"Okay then," He said projecting his voice to be heard. "This is what we've been preparing for. Kill them before they kill us. Gunners, to your posts. Use the tunnels to get in and out. From now on, the gate stays closed."

Everyone dispersed and we got ready for the fight of our lives.

After grabbing my gun and Bellamy's guard jacket I'd stolen way back when I made my way to my post with Miller and Monroe. Octavia had left a few minutes ago and didn't say anything. A drum beat echoed through camp. I looked up and peered above the wall. Another beat. Bellamy appeared behind us holding his gun. He squatted down next to me.

"Where's Octavia?" Bellamy asked.

"She left five minutes ago. Didn't say where to. She thinks she's a damn samurai," Miller said. Bellamy adjusted his gun in his hands.

"You see anything?" He asked.

"No. What the hell are they waiting for?" Monroe asked her voice rough and angered.

"The longer they wait the better. This is about buying time for Raven," Bellamy said, looking through his scope.

"I see them! They're moving!" Sterling yelled over the walkie. "I count one, two, three, no wait, there's more. I don't know man, there's too damn many of them!" I strained my vision, trying to make out anything in the darkness. I squinted my eyes trying to see anything. I heard a gunshot from the south foxhole and I tensed.

"Who was that?" Bellamy asked.

"Sterling I think. South foxhole," Miller answered. Bellamy pulled the walkie to his mouth.

"South foxhole, report now." More gunfire echoed through the woods and I tried not to panic.

"Yeah, yeah, we're okay," Sterling's voice came through the radio with static mixed in. "They didn't attack. It's like shooting at ghosts,"

"There!" Monroe said. "I see them!" I saw a dark figure immerge between the trees. I pulled the trigger of my gun repetitively at the moving figures.

"Stop! Stop! Hold your fire! Hold your fire!" I stopped shooting immediately. Miller's gun clicked along with Monroe's.

"Reload. Now," Bellamy told them.

"Those were our last clips," Miller said and Bellamy looked over at him.

"We should fall back," Monroe said. Bellamy regripped his gun.

"No. If this position falls, they walk right threw the front door."

"They're everywhere! Get down! We need backup!" Jasper's voice yelled from the radio. An explosion near the south foxhole went off, catching my attention. Dirt and grounder limbs flew into the air and splashed down into the mud. I smirked ever so slightly. The mines worked.

"Raven! Our mines actually worked!" Jasper yelled. Static came through the radio, followed by Clarke's voice.

"Jasper, we need you in the dropship right now."

"Negative. We can't give up the west woods," Bellamy told her.

"The west woods are minded Bellamy. The grounders just figured that out. Jasper get in here,"

More gunfire went off from the south foxhole and I fired a shot at a grounder.

"All gunners, listen up," Jasper's voice said. "The grounders are not attacking. They're making us waste bullets. Don't shoot when they're running laterally."

"Jasper's right. Don't fire until you're sure it's an attack. Repeat, do not fire until you are sure," Bellamy said into his radio. We sat there and the only sound I could hear was my heart pounding inside my chest. As each minute past the air seemed to tense. The silence was broken by gunshots and screaming to my right.

"Here they come!" Miller yelled as the Grounders ran toward the wall. I fired my gun at the Grounders alongside Bellamy. Monroe ran from her post and Miller yelled after her. I kept firing at the approaching grounders, trying not to talk my eyes off them. The second I turned back to see Monroe running, a Grounder launched himself onto the lookout. More followed after him and I sprung into action.

A grounder launched himself at Bellamy and tackled him to the ground. I slammed the butt of my gun into the grounder's head, as the grounder wrapped his hands around Bel's neck.

"Bellamy!" I yelled. I heard Miller scream from behind me but before I could help him, my face was shoved into the dirt. I swung my elbow backward, trying to force whatever had tackled me off. I slammed the side of my gun into the Grounder's head and they went limp, falling next to me. I sprung to my feet in time to see Octavia thrust her sword through a grounder's head. The grounder fell off of Bellamy and Octavia pulled out her sword, leaving a hole in the grounder's head.

"Admit it," She said standing over her brother. "You want one." He smirked up at her and an arrow flew past me. I slid out of the way and the arrow pierced Octavia's leg.

"You're hit!" Bellamy exclaimed. "Fall back now! Can you walk?" Octavia nodded quickly and took a step forward. As soon as her weight shifted she collapsed into Bel's arms. "O, hold on to me. Let me get you behind that wall." Shouts went up around camp as the grounders ripped through the woods. Guns fired left and right and I ran toward the closest lookout ledge. I climbed up with Miller as Bel got Octavia to safety.

"There are too many! Everybody to the dropship now!" Miller yelled as one of my bullets flew through the air.

"No!" Clarke yelled. "We need more time. Gunners stay at your posts. The rest of you inside. Come on quick, move." I stayed at my post next to Miller, firing at the grounders. Bellamy and Octavia were nowhere to be seen. Everyone else rushed inside the dropship but stopped as a distant explosion echoed through the forest.

I looked up to where the explosion had come from and in the sky. The fighting stopped and we watched as something fell from the sky. It was engulfed in flames. But nonetheless, I knew what it was. The only thing in space that could make that loud of a noise to be heard from here.

The Ark.

The ship broke into several parts, some exploding in the air. I didn't have time to look at it further when a cry of an army pushed through the woods.

"Reapers!" A grounder shouted. The reapers roared and launched themselves at the grounders. They fought each other as if forgetting we were here. I used the chaos as a chance to take out as many grounders as I could. Bullet after bullet grounders fell to the ground. I fired another bullet and my gun clicked.

Shit.

I pulled the trigger again, hoping it'd fire. Nothing. Damn it!

The camp gate fell to the ground and grounders poured into camp. They stormed in, weapons hot.

"Use the grenades!" Someone yelled. I grabbed a handful of grenades from a pile next to a lookout. I threw them as hard as I could toward the entrance and the wall erupted in flames.

"All right Jasper, get everyone, get inside now!" Clarke yelled running out of the dropship. An arrow soared past her head and Finn pulled her behind a rock.

"There he is!" I heard Finn say, pointing to the left. My eyes followed his finger and I saw Bellamy running back into camp. He saw me and jumping off the platform I sprinted toward him. Before I could reach him, a grounder slammed his knee into Bellamy's chest. Bellamy doubled over in pain and I ran at the grounder. I slammed the butt of my gun into his head, but the grounder was fast. He turned around before I could comprehend what was happening. He sliced his sword behind me and searing pain shot through my arm. I countered back and a hand grabbed my shoulder, spinning me around. A grounder threw their fist at my face and before I could swing out of the way, the punch landed against my face.

I slammed into the ground, punch after punch flying at my face, blood splattering left and right.

I heard a gunfire and the grounder in front of me dropped dead. Another gunshot rang out and the grounder fighting Bellamy slammed into the ground. Finn ran toward us, a gun in his hand. Bellamy ran at a grounder and tackled him onto the ground. He slammed a knife into his chest and I was slammed into the ground.

A set of hands wrapped around my neck and panic set it. I kicked my feet up at the grounder above me but they didn't stop. I squirmed under his grip, trying to get any oxygen I could. My vision swirled and I felt my body going limp. Before my eyes closed, I saw a figure slam into the grounder above me. I gasped for breath and felt overwhelmed by the air trying to force its way into my lungs. Above me stood Bellamy with a blood-covered spear in his hand.

He grabbed my hand and put a hand on my shoulder. He pulled me to my feet and took off sprinting, holding tight to my hand. Finn followed close behind us and we ran as fast as physically possible. Bellamy kept a tight grip on my hand and Finn was on my other side. We heard a blast coming from the dropship and Bellamy pulled me over behind a large rock. I tensed waiting for something to happen.

But nothing did.

We survived.

I looked up at Bellamy a look of relief on his face. I got to my feet along with the others. I took a few steps forward and could barely make out what was left of our camp. Above the wall was a thick red smoke floating through the air.

"What the hell?" Bellamy muttered standing next to me. From around the camp wall, I could make out silhouettes of people standing with guns. But they weren't our people. And they clearly weren't the grounder. I looked over to Bellamy both of us knowing the same thing.

The Grounders were gone, but that didn't mean we were safe. 

Chapter Text

        Bellamy and I sprinted through the tree, and I risked a look over my shoulders to see if the grounder was still following us. I didn't know where Finn had gone but I couldn't worry about him right now. Before the fire went off, a grounder had managed to escape the blast zone and had followed me, Bellamy, and Finn. Bellamy and I came to a stop in a small clearing of trees, trying to catch our breath.

"Bellamy?" A quiet voice said behind us. Bellamy spun around with his spear ready. Monroe and Sterling stood behind us, panicked looks on their faces.

"Get back down," Bellamy said and we all ducked behind a fallen tree.

"Where you followed?" Monroe asked the two of us.

"Quiet," Bellamy hissed, looking out above the trunk.

"Have you seen Finn?" I asked Monroe and Sterling.

"Finn's alive?" Sterling asked. Bellamy squatted down and turned to us.

"He was," He said. "We got separated. We knew the fire was coming, so we ran. But one of them followed." Sterling and Monroe looked over the trunk.

"How'd you guys get out?" I asked addressing the main question I had.

"We, uh, saw The Ark come down, and we thought we'd come get help. A piece of it came down this way. Monroe thinks it Mecha but personally, I think it's-" Sterling stopped as a chattering sound was heard.

"Follow me. Stay low and quiet," Bellamy said, his voice a whisper. Bellamy took off and I followed close behind him. Bellamy stopped behind a tree and I watched. A horse appeared in view and on it rode a grounder. The grounder who'd chased me, Bel, and Finn through the woods. Attached to the saddle were two ropes that dragged behind the horse. On the other end, was a tied-up Finn and another member of the 100 I didn't know. We stumbled forward and the other kid tripped over his own feet.

"On your feet," The grounder demanded. Finn rushed over to him and pulled him onto his feet.

"I can't," The boy managed to get out. Finn looked up at the grounder.

"He can't keep up," Finn said.

"I said get on your feet," The grounder climbed off the horse and Finn tried to pull the boy to his feet.

"You gotta get up. Get up. Come on," Finn said. The grounder pulled on the rope connecting to his hands. The boy flew forward and the grounder drew his sword.

"No!" Finn yelled as the grounder put the boy in a headlock. "No!" The grounder sliced the blade across the boy's throat and red blood spluttered from his neck. The boy collapsed forward and I watched in horror.

"That's one," The grounder said. "I lost 300." The grounder walked forward toward Finn. Finn stumbled back and slammed into the ground. Finn inched backward until he slammed against a tree trunk. The grounder stopped holding his sword at his side. He pulled something from his side and handed it to Finn.

"Drink. You're lucky. I need to keep one of you alive to talk to the commander." Finn took the drink and pulled it to his mouth. The grounder yanked Finn to his feet. The grounder took the drink and got back on the horse. They stumbled forward and we followed. The four of us ran through the trees, trying to keep Finn and the Grounder in view. We came to a stop behind a tall bush. I crouched down next to Bellamy.

"I know you're scared. But we are warriors. We can do this," Bellamy said to Monroe and Sterling.

"How?" Sterling asked.

"We attack as a team," Bellamy answered. "Hunter comes with me as backup. Monroe goes for Finn. Once he's free, it's five on-one."

"What do I do?" Sterling asked. Bellamy panted and looked from Finn to Sterling.

"Try not to die." He looked back at Finn. "Ready? One. Two. Three!" Bellamy took off sprinted toward the grounder and I followed behind him.

"Hey!" Bellamy yelled. I stopped a few steps behind Bellamy. Finn and the Grounder turned their heads around and stared at us.

"Get out of here!" Finn yelled. The grounder pulled on the reins and willed the horse forward. Finn yelped as he flew into the ground and the grounder ran at Finn. Bellamy threw his spear and the grounder ducked to the side. It flew passed his head and the grounder slammed the butt of his axe into Bel's chest. I ran forward at the grounder. He got off the horse and I pulled my gun from the thigh. I cocked it back and aimed it at the grounder. Before I could fire, the grounder knocked it out of my hands. He slammed his fist into the side of my head. I slammed into the ground and my head pounded, as if little people were inside my skull banging against the outside. Bellamy tried to get to his feet next to me but the grounder kicked him onto the ground. He yacked Bellamy up by the collar of his shirt and landed a punch against his face.

"No!" I yelled trying to stand. The grounder punched him repetitively and I pulled myself to my feet. I ran at the grounder, weaponless. He slammed his hand around and I flew into the ground. Finn scurried toward me as the grounder landed another punch against Bellamy's face. Bellamy's limp body slammed into the dirt as the grounder dropped his collar. He made his way toward me, keeping his sword directed at Bellamy. He tied a rope around my hands, not bothering to check to see if it was too tight. He tied the other end to the saddle and did the same to Bellamy after pulling him to his feet. The grounder secured the ropes to the saddle and Finn took the opportunity to talk.

"You have to stay on your feet," He tol

d us. "He'll kill you if you don't." Great. Just how I wanted to spend my day.

As the grounder was about to climb up onto the horse, screams shot up through the woods. I turned around and saw Sterling and Monroe running toward us. The grounder grinned and readied his sword.

Before the two could attack a bullet slammed through the grounder's chest, causing blood to spew from his chest. The grounder froze and another bullet shot through his head. He collapsed onto the floor and I looked up.

Vice Chancellor Marcus Kane stepped through the bushes, holding a gun in his hands. Smoke poured out of the tip and he walked toward us. The others had arrived. More of the guard followed behind him, each armed.

"We're here now," Kane said. "Everything's gonna be okay." I exchanged a look with Finn and Bel. Kane walked closer and untied the three of us. I stretched out my wrists and Bellamy look at me, a look of concern on his face. Kane moved from us to the grounder and flipped him over. After a quick examination, he nodded his head at the guard behind him and he swooped his hand over, calling the others.

Hundreds of the others came out from behind bushes and trees. A woman with dark blonde hair approached the three of us. She had natural highlights and an air of concern like a mother would for her children.

"Don't stand," She told us, grabbing a med backpack from another woman.

"I'm fine. We need to get back to the dropship," Bellamy said, ignoring her order. Finn took a step toward Bellamy, but the woman put her arm out, stopping him.

"Hey. Where's Clarke? Is she alright?" As soon as she said Clarke's name I knew who I was talking to. Clarke's mother. The doctor who'd helped talk Clarke through saving Finn in the dropship.

"She was when we left," Finn answered. "We'll take you to her."

"Wait," Kane intervened as we started walking. "Slow down. Sinclair, we're splitting up," A man stepped from the crowd and toward Kane. "One guard detail comes with me to the dropship. Everyone else here goes with you to Alpha station. You have the coordinates, we'll follow when we can."

"Yes sir." Before the man could follow through with the orders, Kane stopped him. They exchanged a whisper and got straight to work.

"You six with me. You three, lead the way," Kane said, I gave a sharp nod and Bellamy looked over to me. He gave me a half-hearted smile before leading Kane, Clarke's mother, and the guards to the place we had called home since we'd been on the ground.

We made our way toward the camp, which was oddly quiet, to say the least. Bloody bodies littered the ground left and right, which swords, spears, and arrows sticking through their cold limp bodies. We all crouched down next to a fallen log.

"It's too quiet," Bellamy said next to me. He started to make his way forward but Kane stopped him.

"We'll take it from here. Banks, Scanlan, you stay with them. We'll signal once we're sure it's safe." The rest of the guards made their way to the dropship. I looked over at Bellamy and let out an annoyed sigh. They come down here and think they get to play the leader card. No. You stopped being a leader when you sent 100 kids down to Earth to die. I stopped respecting each member of the council the day they decided to reduce the population they were going to kill children. Children! Charlotte was 12 years old for god's sake! They were going to kill her! We survived down here this far by doing it our way. Not the way they want us to be doing it. Their way is going to get us all killed.

Bellamy paced impatiently as we waited for something to happen.

"We need a stretcher!" A man yelled after minutes of silence. The three of us ran toward the dropship, ready to help. Two hands shot out from the guards, stopping us.

"Woah woah," The guard said. I looked over to Bellamy, knowing he was thinking the same thing. I looked to Finn and once we got the message he nodded at me. In unison, we all took off sprinting.

"Halt right there!" One guard yelled.

"Get back here!"

We ran into the entrance to the foxhole tunnel's we'd built to get around. We kept running, not losing our speed until we got to the other side. We came to a stop in what was left of our camp. Everything had been burnt to ash. There were zero colors in anything around us. As if the fire had drained the spirit of everything. Skeletons littered the ground and I tried to avoid looking at them. The most noticeable thing though, was the lack of people. No one was there besides us.

"Where is everyone?" Bellamy asked taking in the sight. I heard grunting and a voice coming from inside the dropship.

"It was awful, it was awful. There were hundreds of them. If it wasn't for Raven, I don't know what would've happened."

Murphy limped out of the dropship, being helped by Kane. He looked around and his eyes landed on me and Bel. I glared dangerously at him, not trying to hide my rage.

"Bellamy, Hunter, you're uh you're alive," He said. I yelled, letting all of my hatred for him pour out of me. I slammed my hands into his shoulders, pushing him toward the ground. He started to regain his balance and pull his fist back, but Bellamy slammed him into the ground before he could lay a hit on me.

"You murdering son of a bitch!" Bellamy yelled. He slammed his fist into Murphy's face and I wished it was me who was punching him. All I wanted was to watch his face bleed as my fist slammed into his face repetitively as he begged for mercy. I wanted revenge. I wanted to kill him for hurting Bellamy.

"Bellamy! Stop!" Finn yelled. Finn ran over to him and pulled Bellamy off of Murphy. I took the opportunity to get my revenge. Right as Murphy started to get up, I slammed my fist into his face, causing it to slam into the dirt.

"You thought you could hurt him and get away with it! I'll fucking kill you!" I screamed, throwing punch after punch. "This is for Raven!" A sharp pain jabbed my side and a way of shock coursed through my body. I gasped as my body twitched in pain. My neck jerked as I gasped. I rolled off of Murphy and slammed into the ground. Bellamy ran toward me, but the guard stepped in his way.

"Place them both under arrest," Kane said. I barely could process his words and I tried to get my body to function. Two guards pulled me to my feet and held me still. A guard grabbed Bellamy and pulled his arms behind his back.

"You don't understand. Murphy murdered two of our people. He shot another one. He held her hostage and made her watch as he tried to hang Bellamy," Finn defended as the guard pulled me backward.

"I don't care," Kane said as the guards put restraints around me and Bellamy's wrists. "You are not animals. There are rules. Laws. You are not in control here anymore." I looked up at Kane, frustration piercing through my body. I spat at his face. He whipped his face and glared at me.

Two guards made their way out of the dropship, holding a stretcher. Laying on it was an unconscious Raven. Finn rushed over to her.

"She's lost a lot of blood. It's a miracle she's still alive. There's no one else in there. Come on. Put her down over here," The doctor said. Kane helped Murphy to his feet and anger boiled in my blood. As soon as these handcuffs were off Murphy was going to pay. And my revenge would be so much worse than he could ever imagine.

I sat next to Bellamy on a log, my hands held behind my back. We hadn't said a word to each other. Finn made his way over toward us.

"We're leaving," He said.

"What?" Bellamy asked. "This is where they'll come back."

"I don't think they're coming back," Finn said. "The Grounders took them and you know that." He squatted down in front of us. "Look. We go with Kane to Alpha station. We get reinforcements. Weapons. Then we find our friends," He said lowering his voice to a whisper.

"One question: How many more of us will be dead by then?" Bellamy asked. Finn looked down, avoiding eye contact. He looked behind us at Raven.

"Abby says Raven needs surgery or she's gonna die. It's time to go." Finn got up and left as guards came over to me and Bel. They pulled us to our feet and held our arms, keeping us from strangling anyone, specifically Murphy.

"Abby, time to go," Kane said. I looked over and saw the doctor, Abby, scratching a message into the dropship wall. "We've got to get there before dark." I walked next to Bellamy, not having a choice due to the guard beside me. I looked over to Bellamy and for once I wished I could go back to getting hunted by grounders.

We kept walking for hours and by the time we finally arrived, I was about ready to rip the guard's hand off. He'd kept his hand on my arm the whole walk, even when we took breaks. As if he thought I was going to kill someone. I mean, I was, but how could he know that?

In front of us was the crash site from the Ark. It sat in a beautiful field and the sun poked through a crack between walls. Before I could even take in the site of my home in front of me, I was pulled to the side away from the others with Bellamy. We were escorted into a holding cell and our wrists were untied. The door closed and locked behind us and I couldn't help but think about the last time I was in a cell. The day we were sent down to Earth. The day we were sent to die. 

Chapter Text

        I'd spent the next few hours in silence with Bellamy. The guards hadn't left their post outside the doors. Bellamy had started kicking things left and right out of frustration and I couldn't blame him. I want Murphy dead. I wanted to see him suffering on the ground while I laugh at his expense.

Once he'd stopped kicking things, he hadn't settled down completely. He paced back and forth through the room while I leaned my back against the chilled cell walls. Without warning, the cell door slid open and Bellamy spun around. I didn't bother getting up. Kane wasn't worth that sort of energy.

"How long are you gonna keep us locked up in here?" Bellamy asked, his voice low with a sort of growl to it. Kane took a breath before answering.

"Till I'm confident you're no longer a threat to others," Kane answered and I scoffed.

"Tell Murphy not to hang anyone- oh wait, he already did," I snarked from the ground. Kane didn't even give me a second look. He reached out and pulled over a chair.

"You said there were hundreds of Grounders attacking," Kane said sitting down to face us as he started to unzip his jacket. Getting comfortable, huh? I don't know why he thought he'd be staying here long. I'd smash his face in if he stayed longer than he needed to. Which was no time. Cause we didn't do anything wrong. Karma's a bitch. No wait- Murphy's a bitch.

"Two, three hundred?"

"I didn't count," Bellamy shot back. Kane glared at him.

"Why do you think they attacked? What provoked them?" Kane asked trying to stay level-headed.

"We were here. That was enough."

"You sent a hundred kids down to a place you knew nothing about and thought that was a good idea? Spoiler alert: it fucking wasn't," I said earning myself another glare from Kane's direction.

"We're wasting time," Bellamy said looking up at Kane. "The others didn't just vanish into thin air. They were taken. And we need to go after them."

"A search team is prepping to leave," Kane reassured. I exchanged a look with Bellamy and we seemed to be on the same page. Kane's a jackass and I want him dead. Glad we felt the same. "But not before we've gotten the intel we need from you two." Bellamy walked forward and squatted down in front of Kane's chair.

"I need to be on that team. Please."

"It's out of the question. You're not trained. It's too dangerous," Kane told him.

"You sent us down here to die, and now it's too dangerous? Honey, at least be consistent," I said as condescendingly as I could manage, still not getting up. Bellamy looked back at me and then at Kane.

"Those are our people out there."

Kane leaned forward, "They're my people too. You want to help them? Tell me what we are up against. Grounder tactics. Their numbers. What kind of weapons they used?" Bellamy stared off at the floor.

"Arrows and spears. Axes. Swords. Their teeth."

"No guns?" Bellamy shook his head. "You had guns."

"The guns we found at the aid depot leveled the playing field. Maybe..." He took a breath. "Maybe if we had more bullets, we could've-"

"There were more bullets. Search team just returned from the bunker. Found two more barrels with rifles and a third filled with bullets," Kane said, cutting him off. I could see the exhaustion and pain on Bellamy's face. He felt like he didn't do enough. And I could tell. Damn, these hero boys thinking they have to protect everyone.

"We should have looked harder," Bellamy muttered barely audible. Before Kane or I could say anything the cell door slid open.

"Keep walking," The guard said and I looked up. Two guards dragged a bloody Murphy in handcuffs. Boy, I couldn't wait for Kane to leave so I could fucking kill him.

"What is he doing here?" Bellamy asked as I rose to my feet. Bellamy did the same and if I wasn't imagining things I could've sworn he took a step in front of me.

"Excuse me, sir," The female guard said. "Dr. Griffin cleared Mr. Murphy out of medical." Kane got to his feet. 'Mr. Murphy' more like 'I'm gonna hang someone, Murphy.' Bellamy turned his head slightly, silently pleading with Kane not to put Murphy in here. I didn't care. If he was in here, that meant I could crack his skull into the ground.

"Put him over there, Major Byrne," Kane said looking over at the corner of the cell. Bellamy looked at Kane with a mix of frustration and pleading. Major Byrne walked Murphy to the wall and two more guards walked in and ordered me and Bellamy onto our knees. The two of us were restrained along with Murphy. That'll make it harder to kill him.

"Well this will be fun," Murphy said as he got restrained. Outside the cell, I could hear faint sounds of gunfire and screaming. I clearly wasn't the only one who heard it. Kane and the guards jumped to attention and raced out of the room after Kane's command. I pulled on the restraints as they ran out hoping they'd come off. But to no success, I leaned back and looked over at Murphy.

"Best day ever."

About two hours had passed and three of us had sat in silence the whole time. I wanted nothing to do with Murphy. If the next time I saw him was at his funeral I wouldn't complain. Actually, I'd be pleased. The silence was broken by the sounds of screams filling the Ark. The three of us looked up at the noise and Bellamy glanced over to me.

"Yeah, that was me at the Grounder camp. I did everything I could not to scream, but eventually-" Murphy started.

"-But eventually, you broke and told them everything," Bellamy shot back.

"And you wouldn't have because you're better."

"Damn right," Bellamy answered without looking up. "I'm not a traitor. I didn't tell them where they could find us."

"And I did," Murphy said simply. Bellamy looked up at Murphy. "Yeah, I did. After they tortured me in their prison camp for three days. But go ahead," Murphy went on as the screams continued. "You just keep believing, even if you are in here, just like me."

"Well, unlike you, Bellamy didn't try to hang anyone and force another person to watch. He tried to beat up a low-life coward who pretends he was tougher than he looks," I shot back. "And he gave you mercy. I would've stuck my nails into our neck and laughed as you choked on your own blood, then I'd do it all over again. So, don't you go even think for a second you're half the man Bellamy is."

We hadn't heard anything from anyone since Kane left. The three of us hadn't said a word to each other. Murphy had asked a guard to take him to the bathroom and the guard, reluctantly, agreed after Murphy said that he would "do his business" right here and make it the guard's problem.

Add that to the on-growing list of reasons I want to punch Murphy. Thankfully it gave me a few minutes alone with Bellamy. I mean, the other guard was still right there but it was the best were gonna get.

"Hey," I said to him noticing the fact that he'd been zoning out. He blinked a few times and turned his head toward me. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Fine."

"Last I checked, you're a shit liar, and uh, point still stands. What's going on?" Dumb question, I scolded myself. What's going on is his sister is gone with some grounder dude and we have no idea where she is. Clarke and the others are missing somewhere and he has to sit here with the guy who tried to kill him, knowing he can't do anything about it. That's what's going on.

Bellamy didn't answer any further and I didn't blame him. I wouldn't want to talk if I was in his position. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, I want Murphy's head on a stick more than anything else. I can't imagine what you're dealing with right now-"

Bellamy hummed mindlessly.

"Look, I get it. Octavia's gone off with Lincoln and the others are missing. But it's gonna be okay. I can't tell you it's gonna be okay right now, hell it might not be okay for a while. But it will be. Whether it's now or in a year. Things will be better. And as shitty as that sounds, it's true. I'm not one to sugarcoat things and I'm not gonna start now. But at least do me one thing, promise me you'll take out your anger on Murphy and not me."

Bellamy huffed out a laugh and looked over at me. "You really think I'd take my anger out on you, Flowers? You might be small but you can be pretty fucking scary."

"You know it."

I smiled at him and a second later the cell door slid open and Murphy was escorted back into the room by the guard. Cue the awkward silence.

Another hour had passed in silence and my daydreaming session of killing Murphy in every way I know how, was interrupted by Finn running into the cell after opening the door. He squatted down next to Bellamy and dropped his backpack down in front of him. Monroe ran in behind him.

"Get up. We're going after them," Finn said and I saw Murphy perk up out of the corner of my eye. Finn grabbed pliers from his bag and cut Bellamy free.

"It's about time," Bellamy said as Finn moved over to me.

"Can't prevent myself from killing this bastard forever," I said as the restraints fell to the floor. Bellamy and I got to our feet and started toward the door.

"Hey, whoa, wait," Murphy said stopping us. "What about me?" Finn looked over at the two of us and I shook my head slightly. Bellamy grabbed the pliers from the ground and walked toward Murphy.

"Wait, no. What are you doing?" Finn asked stepping forward and extending his hand in front of Bellamy. Bellamy pushed past and undid the chain attaching the handcuffs to the wall. Bellamy dropped the pliers and grabbed Murphy's collar, keeping his hands bound.

"He's coming with us."

"Like hell he is," I said overlapping Finn's "No way"

"He's been to the Grounder Prison camp," Bellamy said pulling Murphy to his feet.

"He's right. Okay? I can take you there," Murphy said, and I looked over to Bellamy. What the fuck Bellamy?

"Hey, Sterling just signaled. Someone's coming," Monroe said from the doorway. Finn looked between the three of us and we started running down the hall, Bellamy holding Murphy by the collar.

We'd successfully made it out of camp without getting caught and I'd only threatened to kill Murphy once. New record.

"You don't think anyone saw us?" Bellamy asked as we walked through the forest outside of camp.

"Shh. Keep it down," Finn snapped. Finn upped the pace to a jog as we rounded the corner around a tree. As soon as we turned, lights flashed against my eyes. My hands shot up, trying to block the light. Once my eyes adjusted I moved my hands and holding the flashlight was David Miller. Abby Griffin walked up to his other side and I stopped.

"You're late," She said to Finn. She knew.

"Bellamy decided to bring company," Finn said referring to Murphy.

"Yeah, believe me, wasn't my top choice either," I said taking in her upset expression.

"He's the only person that's been to their camp," Bellamy reasoned. David looked over at Abby. She pulled out a gun and handed it to Finn. Abby pulled out another one and Finn handed it to me. David pulled out a rile and handed it to Bellamy.

"Here. Find my son. His name is Nathan Miller." Bellamy nodded and David handed Monroe a gun. Abby looked between the six of us.

"Bring them home."

Finn was the first to head out and we all followed behind him. Bellamy pushed Murphy forward and we all filled into a group and started our hike to find our friends. 

Chapter Text

        "Alright Murphy," Bellamy said as we tracked through the woods. "Where to now?"

"What do you say we lose these first, huh?" Murphy said holding his hands up, which were still zip-tied together.

"No."

"If we get attacked, I have nothing to defend myself with," Murphy protested as Bellamy spun around to face him.

"I don't care," Bellamy told him. Finn turned around, holding a pair of pliers, and snapped the ties before walking off.

"What the hell, Finn? Do you not remember that he killed two people in cold blood, taunted Charlotte until she threw herself off a cliff, oh yeah, and hung Bellamy and threatened to kill me? And you're just gonna let him walk around free?" I snapped but Finn just kept walking. Bellamy walked up to catch up with Finn, taking a much calmer approach than me.

"Hunter's right. What the hell are you doing?" Bellamy said lowering his voice and I begrudgingly followed after them, knowing if I had to spend one more second around Murphy I was gonna kill him.

"It was your idea to bring him," Finn told Bellamy as Murphy and the other trailed behind us.

"Yeah, he's the only one who's seen where the grounders keep their prisons," Bellamy said defending his decision.

"Then we probably shouldn't let him be defenseless out here," Finn argued. "We can handle Murphy."

"You better hope so," Bellamy said as Finn walked up ahead of the group.

"So, do I get a gun now?" Murphy asked walking up toward me and Bellamy. I shoved him forward toward Finn, well aware that we could handle Murphy, but the question was could I handle not killing him?

We continued our way through what felt like the forest of never-ending trees and my gun never left my hand. Even though we hadn't been on Earth for long, I'd learned that some motherfucker can jump out of a tree and try to kill you at any point in time no matter who you're with or where you are.

"Everybody down," Murphy said as we approached what I assumed was the Grounder Camp.. I dropped down behind a log and watched as a grounder push a wheelbarrow into the camp.

"This is it," Murphy said confirming my thoughts. He turned to Bellamy. "Told you I'd find it."

"Want a gold star?" I mocked as Bellamy looked through the scope of his rifle.

"I see nothing but grounders," Bellamy said as Finn grabbed Sterling's rifle and looked through the scope. "Our people aren't here."

"Wait a minute," Finn said, looking through the scope. "They've got stuff from our dropship." Bellamy looked up.

"So maybe they know where our friends are."

"Yeah, or maybe they killed them already," Murphy countered.

"Yeah, or that," I said. Let's make this clear I'm not agreeing with Murphy. Just agreeing that his outcome is possible.

"Son of a bitch," Finn muttered and I looked over at him.

"What is it?" Bellamy asked.

"The guy with one eye," Finn said and Bellamy looked through his gun's scope. "Around his neck."

"What am I looking at?" Bellamy asked and I grabbed the gun from him. I lined up my eye with the scope and peered through at the Grounder. Around his neck was a string and hanging from the string like a charm was an old watch.

"He's got Clarke's watch," Finn said looking over at us. "It was her fathers."

"She wouldn't give that up without a fight," Bellamy said as if we didn't already know that. Finn looked back through his scope.

"Neither will we."

"Okay, you two with me," Bellamy said to me and Finn. "You two stay out of sight. If this thing goes South, take out the other grounders. But don't shoot the grounder with the watch. Copy."

"Copy," Monroe said. "What about Murphy?"

"Yeah, do I get a gun now?"

"Something like that," Bellamy said pulling Murphy toward him and to his feet. The four of us dashed out from behind the fallen tree.

I squatted down behind a bush watching as the one-eye Grounder looked around the trees. Murphy hit the two rocks together that Bellamy had given him. The Grounder walked toward where Murphy was hiding and I watched Bellamy for the signal.

He counted us down with his fingers once the grounder was standing in the middle of the triangle we had positioned ourselves in. When Bellamy got down to one I sprung up to my feet as Bellamy swung the butt of his gun into the Grounder's head.

Finn, Murphy, and I rushed over to the unconscious grounder and Finn ripped the watch from around his neck.

"We need to take him somewhere quiet," Bellamy whispered, trying not to alert the other Grounders. Finn looked from the watch in his hand to Bellamy.

"I know just the place."

Finn led us back to the Art Supply Store with the grounder. We were able to get the grounder inside and tied up. He was sitting up on his knees as Bellamy paced back and forth. Finn stood near the wall watching Bellamy. I leaned my back against the wall opposite Finn. Murphy, Monroe, and Sterling sat on the bunkbeds and watched the scene play out.

"We're gonna do this again..." Bellamy said glaring at the grounder. "...and this time, you're gonna stop screwing with us. Where did you find this?" Bellamy held out the watch and the ground looked up at Bellamy.

"I told you," He said, his voice hoarse. "I found it outside your camp."

"He's lying," Finn said. "She would never take it off voluntarily."

"I know," Bellamy said as Finn grabbed the watch from him.

"Where is the girl who was wearing this watch?" Finn asked holding it up to his face as if he hadn't already seen it.

"Another lie. Maybe you should stop asking him nicely-" I turned around and shot a glare at Murphy as I pushed off the wall.

"Maybe you should shut up."

"Where are our friends?" Bellamy asked the grounder as I stopped next to one of the bunk beds. "You took them. We know you did. Just tell us where.

"Murphy's right," Finn said.

"I never thought I'd hear those words," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

"We're wasting time." Finn lunged forward and punched the grounder across the face. "Answer the question!"

"Hey. Hey!" Bellamy said trying to pull him back.

"Where's the girl who was wearing this watch!"

"Hey. Finn, stop! You don't want to do this. Trust me," Bellamy told him, holding him back.

"I mean, it's not gonna make you feel worse," I commented earning myself a glare from Bellamy.

"There are some lines you can't uncross." Finn relaxed, taking in Bellamy's words and he backed up, turning away from the grounder.

Seconds later Finn spun around and threw punch after punch screaming at the grounder, desperately trying to find out where Clarke was.

"Where is she?! Where is- Back off!" Finn yelled shoving Bellamy off him as he tried to pull him back. Finn had his gun pulled and aimed at Bellamy. I pushed off the bed and stepped closer to Finn.

"Put down the gun, Finn," Bellamy said much calmer than I felt. Finn's breath raced, each breath choppy and quick. He turned around and put the gun against the grounder's head.

"Three seconds! Two! One."

"Okay!" The grounder yelled. "I'll tell you. Your friends are east of you. The village where we take our prisoners of war."

"East where? How do we get to them?" Finn said sounding on the verge of going insane.

"Finn, take a breath," I tried to say before he snapped.

"He has Clarke! Where is she!"

"I can draw you a map... but you should hurry, soon they'll outlive their usefulness." Finn put the gun down.

"Get him something to draw a map." Monroe walked up with a paper and a pen.

"You thought I was the crazy one, huh?" Murphy said walking past Bellamy. He shoved past me and I lifted the bottom of my shirt slightly, revealing the gun I had stashed in my belt. I looked him up and down and he seemed to get the message.

I wanted him dead.

The grounder finished drawing his map and we all gathered around it to see where we were going. Bellamy stood up, still looking down at the map, trying to memorize it.

"Gather up your gear," He instructed. "We're leaving."

"What about him?" Sterling asked, looking back at the grounder, who now had a cloth around his mouth acting as a gag.

"For now, we leave him. We'll deal with him when we're done," Bellamy said and Murphy was quick to protest.

"What if he escapes? He knows exactly where we're going."

"We're not killing him."

"I'm not seeing another option here. If we don't take care of this now, this is gonna blow back on us and you know it."

"He's unarmed, Murphy."

"He's a grounder. Really?" Murphy said addressing the rest of us. "Tell him."

"I don't know," Monroe said.

"You don't know what? He's gonna tell his people everything. We're as good as dead. Our friends too."

"Look, we're not doing this. End of discussion. You want him, you go through me," Bellamy told Murphy, stepping in between him and the grounder.

"What exactly happened to you, huh? You're talking like you never killed a grounder before," Murphy countered.

"That was in battle. This would be an execution-"

Bellamy's comment was cut off with a gunshot and the thud of a body.

The grounder fell to the floor with a bullet hole in the side of his head, pooling blood that oozed down his head and onto the ground, creating a halo of his own blood.

And the one who had pulled the trigger was Finn.

"Let's get moving," He said like he didn't just shoot a man dead. He grabbed his pack and made his way out of the art supply store. Monroe grabbed Bellamy's gun and handed it to him. He took it and the rest of us grabbed our things. Bellamy and I exchanged a look then stared at the dead grounder.

Finn did that. And didn't hesitate. 

Chapter Text

        "Everyone, eyes peeled. We're in grounder territory," Bellamy said as we ran through the forest, guns ready.

"Everything is grounder territory, all right? I can't keep running," Murphy complained, coming to a stop. I stopped next to Bellamy and Finn. Finn walked toward him as I exchanged a look with Bellamy. "We don't even know if the guy Finn killed is telling the truth."

Finn grabbed Murphy's collar and dragged him forward. "Keep moving."

"We can give them a minute," Bellamy said pulling Finn away from Murphy.

"No, we can't. You heard what that grounder said: "They'll outlive their usefulness"," Finn argued.

"That's what he said when you had a gun to his head," Bellamy told Finn.

"Before you so kindly pulled the trigger," I chimed in with a smile.

"Look, do you think I wanted to do that?" Finn asked, snapping his head over to me. "He would've told his people we're coming. And by the time we got there, our people would be dead. Maybe that's something you can live with, but I can't." Finn tried to shove past me but I pushed him back harder. Bellamy stepped forward, shifting his weight to be slightly in front of me.

"I know you did what you think you had to do. But you are not yourself right now and I can't be out here with another loose cannon," Bellamy said, his voice hushed as he glanced over to Murphy.

"You guys," Monroe muttered, getting our attention. She pulled her gun up and aimed it at a buzzing noise. My eyes followed the tip of her gun to bodies littered in the dirt. Some deeper into the bushes, others in the middle of our path. The bodies each had a greenish-blue tint to them, any warmth gone. Their eyes stared up at us, some expressions of relief, others panic.

"Fall in," Bellamy said, his breath heavy.

"Where the hell did they come from?" Murphy asked as we walked forward, stepping around the bodies. Bellamy looked up at me.

"From the Ark."

We pressed forward until the bodies were out of the side when we came up to an edge that led to the bottom of a cavern. Inside the cavern was a piece of the Ark station. At least what was left of it.

"That's a rough landing," Murphy muttered.

"There's nothing we can do for these people," Bellamy said taking a step away from the edge. "We gotta go."

We started our way back up to the path when a faint cry filled the air.

"Did you hear that?" Murphy asked walking back toward the edge. We all peered down, looking for where the cry had come from.

"Hey. Hey someone down there," Monroe said pointing to a woman hanging from a thin tree.

"Hey! Up here!" Bellamy called and the woman looked up.

"Please help me!"

"Mel?" Sterling asked, staring down at her.

"Help me!"

"You know her?"

"Shut up, Murphy she's my friend. We have to do something," Sterling said without taking a breath. Finn looked over to me and Bellamy and we took a few steps away from the rest of the group.

"Help me!" She screamed again. "Sterling please!"

"We can't stop," Finn said.

"This isn't a Grounder Finn. We have a rope," Bellamy protested.

"You saw her. She'd never be able to hold on to it," Finn countered. "We'd have to lower somebody down. It'll take time that we don't have."

"Imagine it was Raven. She had come down from the Ark with everyone else and was the only survivor. And you could help her. I'm pretty damn sure that's how Sterling feels," I argued, looking from the edge of the cliff to Finn.

"I hate this as much as you, but our friends-"

"I know. Okay? I know," Bellamy told him.

"Just hold on. Just hold on, Mel!" Sterling called down to her.

"Sterling!"

"We'll come back for her. Okay."

"Please!"

"We're moving out," Bellamy ordered.

"Wait, Sterling!" Finn yelled as he turned around. I snapped my neck around and saw Sterling right as he started to repel down the cliff.

"I can't hang on!" Mel yelled.

"Yeah, well, it looks like we're taking that break after all, huh?" Murphy joked, resulting in me shooting him a glare.

I couldn't blame Sterling. Yeah he probably should've talked it through with the rest of us but I wouldn't have hesitated to through myself off that cliff if it was one of my friends.

"I'm almost there!" Sterling yelled up about 15 minutes later. "Once I have her, pull us up!"

"I'd say he's heard one too many of your motivational speeches," Murphy muttered staring down at him. God, how much more tempting could it be? To shove him off this goddamn cliff, the same fate as Charlotte.

"Shut up, Murphy," Bellamy growled. The rope caught and all I heard was screams. I peered down below and saw Mel hanging on from the thin tree branch and Sterling hanging mid-air, reaching out his hand to her.

I heard another ear-piercing scream.

The scream that comes before death.

The rope snapped in between our legs and flew off the cliff. Monroe and Murphy were the first to dive to try and grab it, but the rope slipped through their hands, like how Sterling's life slipped away from his body and he hit the ground below.

Monroe panted staring wide-eyed as she comprehended her best friend dying. As the rope slipped through her fingers. She couldn't save him. And she'd be haunted by it until she died.

"Mel. Mel hold on. Focus on me. You can do this," Bellamy told her, squatting down.

"No!"

"Yes, you can. You're strong."

"I'm not strong! Stubborn, maybe!"

"So be stubborn a little longer. Yeah. I'm not gonna let you die. You hear me?" Bellamy called down to her and she nodded, sniffling down a sob.

"We're out of rope," Finn said, anger creeping up his throat.

"So we make a new one."

"If anything happens to our friends-"

"We don't know if we can save our friends!" Bellamy exploded. "For all we know, they may be dead already. We've all thought it. But what we do know is we can save this one girl."

"Sterling was one of us," Monroe said, her voice hoarse from crying. "She was his friend. I'm in."

"How do we do it?" Murphy asked.

"We make new rope from the wreckage. Go find wires, seat belts, anything," Bellamy said and Murphy and Monroe took off.

"I hope you're right about this," Finn said before running off after them. I gave Bellamy one last look and followed suit.

"All right. Ease it out slowly," Murphy instructed as we slowly gave Bellamy enough slack to get him down the cliff. It had only taken us about an hour to get the seatbelts and wires together to make a rope and Bellamy had wrapped it around himself as a harness.

We stepped closer to the edge of the cliff, not letting the rope fall on its own like it did with Sterling. Bellamy talked to Mel the whole way down, reassuring her it would be okay. I watched as Bellamy grabbed onto Mel's waist and she put her arms around his shoulders before he yelled up.

"I got her! Pull us up!"

"Don't you worry Bellamy, I won't drop you," Murphy said and if it wouldn't most certainly end up killing Bellamy, I'd kick Murphy's face in.

"Do it and I'll fucking kill you," I growled, glaring holes into the back of his head.

"Come on, Murphy," Finn said as we pulled. I couldn't tell how far from the top Bellamy and Mel were but my arms were screaming. My wrists and fingers throbbed from pulling on the rope and my feet wanted to sink into the dirt and I dug them into the ground from traction.

Within a second everything went wrong. The seatbelt clasp flew apart and Murphy was left holding onto both ends alone as me, Finn, and Monroe were thrown to the floor. I scrambled to my feet and ran over to Murphy.

"Come on, a little help!"

Murphy dropped onto the floor and me and Finn slid to either side, pulling up the rope as hard as I could, knowing if one of us messed up for even a second, Bellamy and Mel would die.

"Monroe! Come pull!" Finn screamed as pulled with all my might. Monroe slid down next to me and yanked on the rope.

"What the hell is happening up there?" Bellamy screamed.

"Just hold on!" Finn yelled.

SWOOSH!

"GROUNDERS!" Monroe screamed as a flood of arrows rained down around us and I pulled on the rope as hard as I could.

"Monroe, cover us!" Finn yelled, grabbing his gun and handing it to Monroe.

"How many are there?" Bellamy yelled.

"We can't see them!" Finn yelled back down. "In the trees! In the trees! Aim for the trees!" Finn yelled to Monroe as she fired shot after shot. Finn rolled out of the way as an arrow sank into the ground right where his heart would've been, leaving me and Murphy alone to hold us the rope. I heard Mel scream as Finn scrambled to get back to the rope.

"He's gonna need to cut her loose, we can't do this," Murphy said frantically as Monroe let out a scream.

"Bellamy, you gotta cut her loose!" Finn yelled down.

"No way!"

"Cut her loose!" A horn blew and the arrows stopped within seconds. Acid fog.

"Monroe, back on the rope! Come on!" Finn screamed, knowing we only had seconds before the fog got to us. She grunted and pulled on the rope and we all pulled the rope back, nearly elbowing each other's faces multiple times.

I kept pulling as I saw Bellamy's head peak over the edge, followed by Mel. He pushed her up onto the safety of the solid ground and crawled up after her.

I dropped the rope and my back slammed into the dirt as Mel gasped out a thank you and I pushed myself up to sitting. I pushed myself toward Bellamy and helped undo the seat belt around his waist, knowing we were running out of time before the fog arrived.

"We have to take cover from the fog," Finn said, reading my mind.

"Bellamy," A voice called from behind us. I spun around and saw Octavia standing in front of us. She was here. Alive. The grounders didn't get her.

"No, we don't," Bellamy corrected smiling at the sight of his little sister alive.

"She blew the horn," Murphy said putting the pieces together. Me, Finn, and Bellamy were the first to our feet.

"Octavia," Bellamy rasped. She ran towards him and he threw his arms around him. She wrapped her hand around his neck and I smiled at her.

Thank you she mouthed.

For keeping your idiot brother alive, no problem.

Octavia pulled back and the two just looked at each other, taking in the relief that the other was alive. Bellamy wrapped his arm around her shoulders and turned back to the group.

We'd set up a makeshift camp near the cliff and I helped wrap Mel's arm in a sling after she'd broken it in the crash and smiled a thank you.

"Thank God you came when you did," Monroe said as Octavia wrapped her leg, which had been shot with an arrow.

"I was going back to camp when I heard shots," Octavia explained and Murphy wandered over to the pair.

"Nice foghorn. What happened to your boyfriend?" He picked up the horn and Octavia slapped his hand away.

"He's gone."

"Right," He said walking back toward me, Bellamy, and Mel. Bellamy walked over and squatted down behind Octavia. And moments later Octavia stood up.

"The grounders will be back, so we need to go. Now," She said, swinging her pack over her shoulder.

"Yes we do," Finn agreed, looking over the map he'd been staring at the last 30 minutes. Bellamy, Octavia, and I made our way over towards him and Finn stood up.

"Octavia says the arrow might be poisoned. We have to take them home," Bellamy said to Finn as I joined his side.

"I know," Finn agreed hanging Bellamy a map he'd copied.

"We'll meet you as soon as I can," Bellamy said to him, folding the map and putting it in his pocket.

"I know." And with that, Finn ran off into the forest as Murphy made his way over to follow.

"Parting. Such sweet sorrow, right?" Murphy said with a shrug.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Bellamy asked staring at Murphy and he stopped.

"Come on. Bellamy, you know if I go with you, they'll just lock me up again," Murphy said. And he had a point. Word would get around and sooner than later Murphy would be trialed. Bellamy grabbed a rifle and tossed it to Murphy.

"Really?" Octavia asked from behind him.

"Yeah, your brother's done a lot of stupid shit while you've been gone," I told her as Murphy cocked the gun.

"Watch his back," Bellamy ordered and Murphy nodded before running after Finn.

"We can't get them home without you," Bellamy said, turning to his sister.

"Of course, you can't."

"Let's go," Bellamy said, walking past her back to the rest of the group. I followed after him with Octavia walking behind me. We were going back home. 

Chapter Text

        After hours of trekking through the forest, Monroe's wounded leg slowing us down quite a bit, we arrived outside of Camp Jaha. I had since taken off Bellamy's old guard jacket I'd stolen that night in the cave and tied it around my waist. We walked up to the camp entrance, Bellamy and Mel leading the way.

"We're gonna need your weapon," A guard said to Bellamy and I, taking our guns. Abby saw us as we passed through the entrance. She moved over toward us and immediately stopped in front of Mel.

"I know you. Factory Station. Where are the others?" Abby asked, placing a gentle hand on Me's cheek. Mel nodded and exchanged a quick look with Bellamy.

"There are no others."

"We found her a day from here," Bellamy told Abby. "No survivors. Lots of supplies."

"Get her to Medical," Abby ordered a nearby woman. The woman placed an arm around Mel's shoulders and guided her toward the Ark. Bellamy patted Monroe's back, telling her to follow and she did, and Abby trailed behind her.

The three of us weren't alone for long. Moments later a woman ran full force at Bellamy and engulfed him in a hug. Bellamy hesitated as he realized who was hugging him and wrapped his arms around her.

Clarke.

Clarke was alive.

"Now there's something I never thought I'd see," Octavia muttered referring to Clarke being alive. Clarke pulled back and hugged me and Octavia.

"It's good to see you," I told her.

"You too."

"How many are with you?" Bellamy asked hopefully. Clarke let out a breath.

"None."

Raven hobbled over towards us and Clarke's expression sank.

"Where's Finn?" I exchanged a look with Bellamy.

"Looking for you."

"What? No. You can't just cut them loose," Clarke protested after her mother explained that we didn't have the manpower to go out to search for Finn and Murphy on top of searching for Kane, who had gone out on a mission and not come back.

"We don't have the manpower to send out two rescue missions and protect our camp," Abby defended.

"Mom, They're in trouble," Clarke argued further as Bellamy paced behind them. "They're either gonna get killed or make things worse with the Grounders who we need to get our people out of Mount Weather."

"I know you feel this is unfair but our priority has to be with Chancellor Kane if there is any hope for peace."

"If you wanted peace, you shouldn't have killed the Grounder who was gonna help us," Clarke said standing her ground.

"I'm sorry. The decision's been made."

"You're sorry?" Bellamy snapped walking toward Abby and Clarke. Oh, this is gonna be good.

"Finn and Murphy are out there looking for your daughter with guns you gave us. And now she's home, you're just going to abandon them? if you can't spare the guards, we know the terrain. We have a map. We can do it ourselves," Bellamy argued.

"No, absolutely not."

"Mom-"

"I just got you back," Abby snapped.

"Abby!" Jackson called running into the room. He stopped, noticing the tension between the four of us. "I'm sorry. We need you in Medical."

"You better go," Clarke said.

"Byrne," Abby called to the guard behind us who was talking to Sinclair. "No one leaves this camp."

"Yes ma'am."

Abby walked past Clarke and looked at me and Bellamy before leaving the room with Jackson. Clarke turned around, not bothering to hide her frustration with her mother. She walked toward us, her footsteps echoing in the silent room.

"We're gonna need guns."

Raven dropped down a duffel bag of guns on a rock in front of the two of us and Bellamy. She unzipped the bag and pulled the sides open.

"Scored you a couple of extra clips," She said as Bellamy grabbed a gun from the bag and handed it to me. It was a rifle, which was different than what I was used to, normally I had a handgun, but a gun's a gun. Bellamy took one for himself as Clarke walked over.

"Hey. My mom's in surgery and the team going after Kane just left. We should too," She said. The scars on her face looked much cleaner but were still noticeable.

"Did you find Octavia?" Bellamy asked her.

"No. I found you," Octavia said walking over to join us. "I'm not letting you leave here without me."

"Octavia-" Clarke tried to protest but Octavia cut her off.

"Finn and Murphy are headed for Lincoln's village. I've been there. Have you? Has she?" She questioned. And again, she was right.

"You done?" Bellamy asked. Clarke handed over a backpack and Bellamy passed it on to Octavia.

"What's this?"

"Your pack. Lead the way."

I swung the gun over my shoulder and Bellamy did the same. Octavia held the pack in her head and started to leave. Raven stuck out her hand.

"Whoa. Not so fast, Pocahontas." She grabbed a steel rod and touched it to the wires next to it. It sizzled and sparks flew up around it.

"I thought you said it was handled," Clarke whispered to Raven.

"It is." Raven took her walkie from her jacket pocket. "Shut her down, Wick." The radio beeped twice and Raven touched the pole to the wires. Nothing. Raven turned to Clarke.

"Handled."

Octavia threw her pack through the wires and slid through them stepping out onto the other side of camp. Bellamy went next and I followed behind him. Clarke trailed behind me as the four of us made our way into the forest.

"I'm glad she's back," I said looking at Octavia. Bellamy hummed as we sat around a campfire where we'd made our temporary camp for the night. Clarke and Octavia had fallen asleep about two ago. Both me and Bellamy had given up on sleeping through the night.

"She's stronger than we give her credit for," I said walking toward the uncomfortable bed I'd made by the log Bellamy was sitting on. I sat down next to him and he just stared at the fire.

"She shouldn't have to be this strong."

"None of us should." I took a breath. "But I get it. She's your little sister. You're her big brother. Your job is to protect her, and when you don't know where she is for days that can... complicate things."

"I'm her protector. I keep her out of harm's way. Which is nearly impossible when she keeps running into danger head-on not pausing to think about the outcome," Bellamy said, finally tearing his eyes away from the fire to meet mine.

"Yeah, I wonder where she gets it from."

Bellamy sent a glare my way and I elbowed side side and laughed. I grinned watching him admit to himself that I was right. My eyes met his and it felt like I couldn't look away. Just smiling and staring at him.

My eyes flickered down as I saw a slight movement out of the corner of my eye. Clarke's eyes fluttered open and I smiled at her. I yawned covering my mouth with the back of my hand.

"I'm gonna try to get some rest," I said as Clarke sat up. "Don't do anything stupid without me." I dropped down onto the ground and curled up with my knees to my chest, facing away from Clarke and Bellamy as their conversation continued.

I listened to them talk for the next five minutes, only half paying attention until Octavia chimed in.

"I think we've slept long enough," She said sitting up.

"I've literally been asleep for five minutes-" I protested.

"You'll live."

"Actually, I might not. We never know who might be waiting to slit our throats," I countered sitting up. Octavia smirked before getting to her feet. Bellamy, Clarke, and I did the same, grabbing our things.

I swung my rifle over my shoulder as Bellamy kicked out the fire. I followed after Octavia as she led us closer to the grounder camp Finn and Murphy were going to.

The sun had risen and we hadn't stopped walking. I swear one of these times my feet are gonna fall off. We made our way down a hill and Octavia stopped for a moment. Then continued towards the grounder camp.

"This is it," Bellamy said looking down at the map for confirmation. We came to a stop and in front of us was a statue made out of stone of a man sitting in a chair with his arms on the armrests.

"Which way to the village?" Bellamy asked. We looked to Octavia for an answer but she didn't say anything. Her breath was heavy and her eyes glossy.

"O..."

Bellamy watched as his sister took a breath.

"The reapers came from there," Octavia said pointing a stick towards the statue. Octavia stiffened a sob and turned to Bellamy.

"I couldn't save him, Bel-"

Octavia's voice cut off with her sobs as she threw her arms around Bellamy. He held her tight to his chest as tears poured down her cheeks.

"I couldn't save him," She sobbed into his shoulder and Bellamy ran his fingers through her hair.

"Shh, it's okay."

Octavia stopped crying and we continued toward the campsite. Octavia led the way up a hill and gunshots fired through the trees.

"God, not this again," I groaned as we came to a stop. Clarke, Bellamy, and I ran up ahead and Octavia followed behind. Screams echoed through the forest and we all picked up the pace. The gunshots got louder and louder as we ran faster and faster. The screams got louder to the point I could pick out Murphy's voice screaming for Finn to stop.

We ran down a hill and into the grounder camp and I froze.

Finn had shot nearly everyone in the camp. And from what I hear, with no hesitation. Grounders were littered everywhere and Murphy let go of his arm. Finn turned and trailed the gun on the four of us, and for a second, I thought he was gonna fire.

His gun dropped to his side as the chaos stopped. Grounders ran out of a shelter toward the bodies of their people. Octavia looked horrified and ran toward Finn. She dropped down to a grounder's side and me, Clarke, and Bellamy ran closer.

We stopped next to Finn and Murphy and I looked between them. Finn took a step toward Clarke but she backed up.

"I found you."

Chapter Text

        The night had passed but it felt like we'd gone back in time. I sat with my back against the dropship wall a few feet from Octavia as she fiddled with her jacket zipper. We'd brought Lincoln back to the dropship after the run-in inside of Mount Weather, or outside of Mount Weather cause we nearly died before we could get inside. Great start guys.

Lincoln had been restrained by the wrists and ankles just like he had been after he'd "kidnapped" Octavia. Bellamy's overprotectiveness kicked in and here we are.

Back where we started.

 I climbed up the ladder and opened the hatch above me. Before I could even take a step toward Bellamy, one of his goons stepped into my path.

"Get the hell out of my way," I said, letting my tone tell him I wouldn't take no for an answer.

"It's okay. Let her through," Bellamy said. I pushed past and walked over. The grounder was tried up by his arm. He was bloody and bruised and his shirt was tattered. His wrists were red from the restraints. Dried blood stained his face and I looked to Bellamy.

"Well, if he didn't hate us before he does now," I told him. Bellamy glanced back to the grounder. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me aside. He looked down at me with concern.

"How's Finn?" He asked, not letting go of my arm.

"Alive. His people will care. How long until they figure out where he is? And what happens when they do? I mean, when they come looking for him. They will, Bellamy."

"Relax Flowers, no one saw us take him," Bellamy said. "He was chained up in that cave the entire time, and thanks to the storm we didn't see a soul on the way back." 

Clarke placed her med kit on the landing next to the ladder and climbed up, followed by Bellamy. As soon as she took a step off the ladder and onto solid ground, Lincoln screamed bloody murder.

"It's okay. He's been restrained," Bellamy reassured Clarke as Lincoln continued to lash out against the restraints.

"I can't believe we're back here again," Clarke said in disbelief.

"You and me both," I said looking up at her.

"Can you help him?" Octavia asked quietly, clearly struggling with the situation. Which makes sense. She thought Lincoln died, then found out he was alive, only for him to try and kill her, and then her brother tied him up in the dropship again. I'd be pretty pissed too.

"I don't know," Clarke admitted. "I knew Mount Weather controlled the Reapers. I had no idea they were creating them."

"If they can do that to Lincoln, what are they doing to our friends?" Bellamy asked as Lincoln screamed as if he was trying to be heard by the dead. Minutes later the screaming had stopped and Lincoln's body twitched and jerked, pulling on the chains.

"He's convulsing," Clarke said and I could see gears turning in her mind.

"S- So what does it mean?" Octavia asked, holding the flashlight to be pointing at Lincoln. Clarke shook her head slightly taking everything in. She stopped and her eyes landed on his leg.

"What happened to his leg?" She asked, noticing the blood-soaked cloth that wrapped his calf. Octavia's eyes didn't leave the ground.

"I shot him."

"Clarke," Bellamy intervened. "He's lost a lot of blood." Clarke readied herself, then took a step forward. Lincoln lunged out at her, screaming. Clarke flinched but her feet didn't move.

"Can you shine the light on his neck?" She asked Octavia and she raised the flashlight. "Needle marks."

"You think she's been drugged?" Bellamy asked.

"It would make sense," I agreed, stepping towards Lincoln and Clarke countered back. "On the Ark, there were plenty of drugs that would affect your behavior and characteristics, I see no reason Mount Weather wouldn't have that too."

"Who knew we were in the presence of a drug expert," Bellamy joked with a smirk.

"Before my- uh- before my dad died, I stole a lot. To steal you have to know what you're stealing. Emotional changes, erratic behavior, and violence, all are common side effects of drugs. It would explain what happened back at Mount Weather. Lincoln wouldn't hurt a fly. Reaper Lincoln... is a different story."

Seconds later, the chain that had been restraining Lincoln, flew off the wall and his arm wrapped around my neck. His screams rattled my brain as Bellamy ran toward us followed by Octavia and Clarke.

"Lincoln!" Octavia yelled. Lincoln's free arm flew out and flung Octavia into the dropship wall. I kicked my legs out behind me, fighting to get free as my throat began to burn from lack of oxygen. My brain swirled, trying to navigate flight or fight mode. I flung my arms out behind me at Lincoln's sides and arms, trying to get free. Bellamy ran forward, fear in his eyes, yanking at Lincoln's arms, which stayed firmly wrapped around my neck, throwing punch after punch. Lincoln grabbed Bellamy by the throat and threw him backward after landing his knee to his gut.

My throat burned and I felt as if I was on fire. Lincoln let go and my back slammed into the ground. I gasped for the air that seconds ago I'd been begging for now overwhelmed by lungs. Bellamy ran over to me and placed his arms on my shoulders.

"You okay?" Bellamy asked, helping me to my feet. Lincoln ripped the chains off, the only thing holding him back being the chain still connected to his left foot. The chain caught and he fell to the floor screaming and clawing at us.

"Yeah, I'll live," I said as I painfully rose to my feet. Bellamy grabbed an electric baton from his belt and ran at Lincoln as he started to yank at the last chain keeping us safe.

The chain flew from the ground and Lincoln flipped Bellamy onto the ground and threw punch after punch into his face. I ran towards Lincoln, pure adrenaline taking over. Lincoln swung out his arm and the momentum behind the punch threw me back into the ground.

I heard Clarke scream as I started to reorientation myself.

I heard a groan and a body hit the floor next to me. I looked up and saw Lincoln on the ground unconscious. Octavia gasped and dropped down to Bellamy. His chest rose up and down as his body filled his lungs with air.

We'd secured Lincoln down with a net from the dropship and even more chains. We had him lying on his back, which would make it harder for him to get free, which also made it easier on us by not having to move him.

"We have to stop the bleeding and get the bullet out. Hold his leg down," Clarke said to Bellamy, knowing we didn't have long before Lincoln woke up again and-

As soon as Octavia poured some water in Lincoln's mouth as he began to stir, he lashed out and grunted, spilling all the water onto the ground.

"I'll get some more," Octavia said, closing the canister. Bellamy stood and stopped between Octavia and the ladder.

"O, once the drug is out of his system he'll be okay," Bellamy said, trying to reassure her.

"You can't protect me from this one, big brother," Octavia said before leaving the dropship. As soon as she left, Clarke got to work.

She took the shitty pair of pliers we found on the ground and as Bellamy held Lincoln down she started to remove the bullet.

After a lot of screaming and work, Clarke managed to remove the bullet and bandage his leg.

"Your mom would be proud," Bellamy said as Clarke finished up.

"My mom would know how to save him," Clarke said, her tone dismissive and irritated. She stood up and went over to the half-empty med kit we had as Octavia made her way back up the ladder. Following her was another grounder I had never met.

Bellamy reached for his gun and I pulled mine from the holster on my thigh. I cocked the gun and aimed it at the grounder's head.

"Don't. He's Lincoln's friend and their healer," Octavia said, stepping in front of the grounder. I glanced to my left at Bellamy and lowered my gun. To my right, Lincoln's body twitched and jerked again as roam poured from his mouth.

"He's seizing again," Clarke said and Bellamy, still with his gun up, nodded his head in Lincoln's direction. The ground stepped forward and reached over to what appeared to be a grounder med kit.

"What is that?" Clarke asked. The grounder bent down next to Lincoln after taking a vile from the kit. He spoke a phrase in what I recognized as the Grounder language. The grounder tipped the vial and a drop fell from the top.

Clarke's hand shot out, blocking the droplet. "Wait." The grounder drew a knife but kept it away from Clarke.

"Back off, right now," Bellamy ordered. Clarke paused. Then repeated what the grounder had said seconds ago.

"It's what they say before death," She realized. Octavia's head snapped over toward Clarke. "He's not trying to heal him. He's trying to kill him."

"Nyko," Octavia said to the grounder as my hand wrapped around my gun that sat on my thigh. "Is it true?"

"Yes. Death is the only way."

"Hold on," Clarke said cutting him off. "There could be a way to bring him back."

"None that I've ever seen," Nyko said, keeping his glace locked with Clarke's.

"We have to go. The camp's leaving," A male voice said and I turned around, drawing my gun.

Finn.

"You!" Nyko yelled rage boiling over.

"We have to stop-"

Nyko ran at Finn, cutting him off, and slammed him against the wall. Nyko wrapped his hands around Finn's neck and I aimed my gun at the back of Nyko's head.

"Get off him!" I yelled as Bellamy cocked his gun.

"You slaughtered my people," Nyko said to Finn as if this was the moment he'd dreamed about. "Elders. Children."

"Stop it!" I screamed.

"Nyko, you're killing him!" Octavia ran toward him, trying to pull him off of Finn.

"Blood must have blood!" Nyko screamed.

"Get out of the way," Bellamy demanded and Octavia swung her head around to face him.

"You're not shooting him!"

"Tell him to stop killing Finn and I will!" I snapped readjusting how I was holding my gun.

"No!"

"Move now!" Bellamy yelled, not dropping his gun.

"You can't kill him!" I heard a grunt and a body thud against the floor. I looked past Octavia, who was still fuming with rage, to see Clarke pick up the electric baton and aim it into Nyko's back. Octavia's eyes moved from Nyko to Lincoln, who, in all the chaos, had stopped moving.

"Lincoln?" Octavia dropped down to his side and her eyes scanned his chest, looking for movement. "He's not breathing." Clarke sprung to action and dropped down next to Octavia.

I exchanged a look with Bellamy as I slid my gun into my sheath. Clarke pressed two fingers to Lincoln's neck.

"His heart stopped. Move," Clarke ordered Octavia who quickly scurried back. Clarke positioned herself on her knees, next to Lincoln's body. She overlapped her hands, letting her fingers intertwine, before pressing down on Lincoln's chest with a steady rhythm.

After a few suspenseful seconds, Lincoln gasped for air. Tears filled Octavia's eyes but she refused to let them fall.

"He was dead," Nyko said, confusion etched into his face. "How did you do that?"

"You've tried bringing Reapers back before?" Clarke asked. Nyko nodded. "And they died like this."

"What is it?" Bellamy asked Clarke, sensing the realization hitting her. She looked up.

"I know how to stop the attack."

Clarke and Finn had made their way back to camp as quickly as they could on foot, leaving me, Octavia, Bellamy, and Nyko to watch over Lincoln while we waited. We'd waited a few hours and I had only now taken my first break away from Lincoln, who had been going in and out of consciousness.

I pushed the curtain back as I walked out onto the ramp into the dropship. The sun hadn't risen yet. Stars dotted the sky as if they had been sprinkled into the darkness to perfection. The light from millions of miles away took my breath away. The breeze nipped at my skin and pulled closed the stolen guard jacket I'd taken from Bellamy.

God, has time flown by.

Everything has changed. I've changed. Seeing the trees everywhere doesn't faze me anymore. The lack of machine humming from the Ark has grown to become a new normal. Bellamy. God, I couldn't stand him. His arrogant, entitled, blunt, cocky, horrible-

"Hey Flowers," A voice said behind me and I relaxed my shoulders at the sight of Bellamy walking up next to me. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, uh, just thinking," I answered looking over at him.

"About what?"

"How much of an ass you used to be. I wanted to break your nose so bad-"

"You forget you almost did. That night at the campfire."

"You were forcing people to take off their wristbands just to eat. God, I couldn't stand you," I told him and the corner of his mouth turned up into the smirk I‘d seen so many times I had every inch of it memorized.

"What changed?"

"Everything," I said taking a step forward and onto the ground. "You. Me. So much has happened. To all of us. When we found out we weren't alone after the Grounder impaled Jasper. Wells dying. Banishing Murphy, everything with Charlotte." As soon as I said her name the image of her innocent smile filled my mind like a sickness that wouldn't let me go. "When we thought Lincoln had kidnapped Octavia, torturing him for hours. Then- then Murphy came back and-"

My glance met Bellamy's and it felt like I couldn't look away.

"He tried to kill you. Bel- that was the scariest day of my life. Murphy knew exactly how to get what he wanted and he didn't make a single mistake. He knew exactly how to get you to cooperate."

I didn't have to say anything else.

"Hunter, say the word and I will run back to camp right now and kill that son of a bitch where he stands." And I knew Bellamy would do it. And that's what scares me. How do I have the power to make someone want to kill another person in cold blood? Just because they don't want me to die. No person should be able to bend the morals of someone else.

Yet here we are.

And I have that power over Bellamy.

Whether I want it or not.

Bellamy stopped. He looked down and his eyes wandered down to my chest and he squinted. My eyes met his and I raised an eyebrow.

"You checking me out right now Blake?" I asked him, fighting the urge to smile.

"Is that my jacket?" He asked ignoring my question and asking his own.

"Yeah."

"How long have you had it?"

"Since the night in the cave."

He shook his head before looking back at me. "I- That was- God, you never cease to amaze me, Flowers."

"I try my best." A smile spread across my face and Bellamy laughed. His smile, even in the darkness, sent a wave of comfort washing over my mind that I still wasn't used to. Any moment that we didn't spend running through the forest from grounders, or arguing with the council about what the right decision was, would always seem... wrong.

"So there's no chance of getting it back is there?" Bellamy asked, grabbing the edge of the jacket and I swatted at his hand.

"Fuck no. It looks better on me anyway" We both laughed as a drop of rain landed on my cheek. I looked up at the sky, which had droplets falling down onto us. I stuck my hand out as the droplet hit my skin. I looked back at Bellamy with a childish grin.

"I'll still never get used to this," I said as his hand lifted and graced my cheek. His palm cupped around my jawline. With his thumb, he whipped away the rain that had splattered onto my face. A blush rushed across my cheeks and I prayed Bellamy couldn't feel the heat trying to burst out of my skin. My stomach tied into a knot as his other hand found my face and I breathed in the protection radiating from his very being.

"Hey, Lovebirds!"

I jumped and Bellamy's arm fell to his side. I turned and saw Octavia leaning against the walls of the dropship, watching. I glanced down and noticed Bellamy's foot had countered in front of mine.

"Any updates?" Bellamy asked as Octavia pushed off the wall. She shook her head and when she looked up any trace of tiredness or grief had disappeared.

"I'll take watch," I said taking a step forward. Bellamy followed but I turned to face him. "I'll be fine. I'm not the one who needs you right now."

He nodded slowly and I made my way into the dropship and not even seconds later I heard Octavia's muffled sobs and Bellamy telling her it would be okay.

BELLAMY'S POV
I wrapped my arms around Octavia, letting her cry into my shirt. I held her close while her chest shuttered and she gasped for air between sobs. I held my hand against the back of her head, keeping her close to me. I moved my thumb in circles against her back in a soothing motion that our mother had done to me.

God I just want to fix it. Make everything right. Have all the answers. Make everyone happy. Protect them.

My tear-soaked shirt was a constant reminder that I had failed.

We sat there like that. Staying still. The only movement was Octavia's body shuttering against mine. Her sobs filled the quiet night air and I tried telling her that it would be okay. That we would figure it out. Clarke and Abby would fix it. That I would protect her.

I had no way of knowing if that was true.

Last time I'd seen Clarke she was bringing a man back to life after he died right before our eyes. Then she said she knew how to fix it. Knew how to stop the attack.

And Abby's a doctor. She's taken people from death to on their feet in just days before. She can do it again. Except for this time, she'd be taking a man whom we know nothing about and how his body is different based on the radioactive chemicals that are normal on Earth who also happened to get turned into a murder-driven psycho into a normal person.

We got this.

Octavia pulled back away from me and my heart shattered into a million pieces at the sight of the tears staining her cheeks. Streaking down the blood that had dried into her skin. The red veins in her eyes from crying.

"You okay?" I asked her and before the words were out of my mouth I wanted to punch myself. Stupid question. Stupid fucking question.

"I- I'll feel a lot better when Clarke and Abby are here," She said, her voice still hoarse and shaky.

"Me too."

"Now about you and Hunter-"

"O-"

"No. This is more important than my feelings." I sighed. I didn't know what was going on between me and Hunter. I- I care about her. More than I care about anyone else but-

"You love her."

My head snapped up and my eyes met Octavia's.

"What?" I asked her, in complete shock. Did I love Hunter? Do I even know how to love someone? Romance wasn't a huge thing that filled my mind y'know considering we have enough trouble staying alive. Why through something else into the mix? I mean, I'd had my fair share of fun with girls both on the Ark and on the ground but... that's not what it is with Hunter.

It's so much different.

I want to have a relationship with her. Not just one night and were done. No. I want to hold her when she's hurt. I want to help her no matter what she needs. I want to put her needs before mine. I want to love her.

But I don't know how.

"You love her, Bel. Whether you want to or not. You do. And it's really fucking obvious." The first smile I'd seen in weeks spread across her face and I couldn't help but smile back.

"I don't even know how to love."

"What about all the girls on the Ark. You're not new to this whole wanting to fuck someone thing-"

"But that's the thing," I said, cutting her off before she could reveal more she knew about my personal life. And made me want to punch myself even more. "It's only ever been that. There's never been anyone, and I mean anyone, I cared about in the same way I care about her. I act differently around her. I feel safe around her, but at the same time, all I want is to make her safe."

"That's love, Bel. Real, true love. And if that's how you feel about Hunter. Then you and I both know that there is no doubt that you love her."

"How does my little sister know more about my feelings than I do?" I asked laughing so I don't cry.

"Because I know you," She said, placing a soft hand on my chest. "And I love you, big brother."

"I love you too. More than you know."

HUNTER'S POV

"Oh thank God," Octavia said, ringing out a wet rag over a bucket of water as Finn followed quickly by Abby. "Where's Clarke?"

"Trying to stop a war," Finn told her as the two climbed up the ladder. I stood my hand fiddling with the zipper of Bellamy's guard jacket.  Lincoln was barely moving but his quick breaths seemed to vibrate his body. Abby squatted down next to him and forced his eyelid open.

All I saw was red. Surrounding the brown of his pupil were red veins crossing over one another, completely hiding the whites of his eyes.

"Pupils are unresponsive," Abby said and Octavia exchanged a look with Bellamy who stood at my side. "Tie of his arm. Tight as you can." Octavia didn't hesitate to follow orders. She took the rope and got to work.

"Thanks to the supplies your brother found, Lincoln might have a chance," Abby said to Octavia, prepping a syringe.

"What's that?" Octavia asked looking up for the knots she'd tied around Lincoln's arm.

"This will bring down his fever," Abby told her before injecting it into his arm. Lincoln grunted and jerked away and Abby pulled back the needle after successfully injecting him. Lincoln kept thrashing out against the restraints. "Hold him down!"

Finn, Bellamy, and I rushed in, Finn taking his legs and me and Bellamy on either arm. I pushed almost all of my weight into keeping Lincoln from moving, trying to make Abby's job easier. If this worked the war would stop.

We'd be safe.

We'd all live.

Lincoln's thrashing turned into what I thought looked like seizing but before I could figure it out, he stopped. His body fell limp against the ground. I lightened my grip and relax slightly.

"What's happening?" Octavia asked. "Why isn't it working?"

Abby pressed two fingers against Lincoln's neck.

"His heart stopped."

We're fucked.

Nyko moved for the first time in hours and took a few steps toward us as Abby readied herself to perform CPR.

"You're their healer?" Abby asked Nyko while doing compressions. "Tilt his head back. Pull his chin down and open his airway."

Bellamy stood up from where he had been squatting next to Octavia and I looked up at him. We both knew what would happen if Lincoln didn't wake up. How much time did we have before Clarke arrived with the grounders? There was a very strong likely hood that we're absolutely 100% fucked.

Finn's glance met the floor avoiding a glare from Nyko as my attention returned to the scene at hand.

"Come on," Octavia said her voice barely a whisper. Abby began to slow, the compressions getting weaker before stopping completely.

"You're stopping. What's wrong?" Octavia asked, the pain radiating off of her indescribable.

"I'm sorry. He's gone."

"No, it's not possible. You're wrong." Grief-stricken, Octavia pushed Abby out of the way and began administering her own, much sloppier compressions.

"Octavia-" Bellamy pleaded.

"Come back. Please-" Octavia began to wail, tears pouring down her face. I watched as Bellamy stared at his heartbroken little sister and an ache lurched at my stomach.

The hatch swung open.

Fuck.

Clarke stood up and looked around, taking in what had happened. She looked to her mom and Abby shook her head, horrified. A woman, a grounder, followed after Clarke. She had dark brown hair that had a slight curl to it. She wore black war paint around her eyes and was dressed in more sophisticated clothing than any other grounder I'd ever seen. There leader I assumed. She was hot as fuck I'll give her that.

Another woman followed and she looked pissed. She wore her hair short and was dressed in some sort of battle armor. Her presence demanded respect.

Bellamy looked at me, then to Clarke. She returned the look and I locked eyes with Bellamy as we each, very slowly, reached for our guns, mine at my hip, his on the ground.

The first woman, their leader, nodded at the second.

"Kill them all."

And at that moment everyone drew their weapons. The grounders drew the swords and spears and the rest of us reached for our guns. You could feel the tension steaming from the room.

"Please," Clarke pleaded, knowing we would lose if we fought, "You don't have to do this."

"You lied," The Grounder Leader said. "And you're out of time." Abby was the first to move. She took the electric baton she'd grabbed earlier and slammed it against Lincoln's chest. I could see the gears turning in Clarke's head.

"Hit him again," She said and Abby did.

Lincoln gasped.

Holy shit.

He was alive.

"Lincoln," Octavia said breathlessly.

"Octavia," He said just as quietly.

We did it.

The leader sheathed her weapons and Clarke nodded at her. We stopped the war. 

Chapter Text

        "Look! Movement in the tree line! 12:00 o'clock!"

I cringed at the shouting and readied my gun, hoping no one noticed the fact that I'd been asleep for the last 30 minutes. They really expected us to sit out here for hours in the middle of the night and not fall asleep? Fucking idiots. It doesn't matter though, Bellamy leads this shift and I'm positive he does not give a singular fuck.

I aimed my gun at the approaching figures, carrying lit torches. Some of the figures were riding horses back but one towards the front of the group was on the ground.

"Hold your fire," Bellamy ordered, shouting to all of the gunners. "She's back." Clarke.

"Open the gate"

"Power up the gate. Secure all access points. Stay ready."

The gate opened and I followed Clarke and the others with my eyes, not wanting to move from the pile of empty crates I'd been leaning against.

Clarke walked forward but the others, who I now saw were Grounders, didn't follow. She walked through the gate and Finn ran through the path into camp and met her halfway.

"Are you okay?" He asked her and Clarke turned to a guard.

"Shut the gate."

Oh fuck.

"Well, that's probably not a good sign," I muttered to Bellamy, starting to stand up. Clarke grabbed Finn's arm and began to pull him back towards camp, whispering as they walked. Stumbling to my feet, I exchanged a nervous look with Bellamy and the two of us abandoned our post, following after the pair.

Abby ran up and hugged her daughter as Bellamy and I stopped next to Finn.

"What did she say?" Abby asked as a crowd began to form around us. "Is there a chance for a truce?"

Clarke paused, breathing heavily. "Yes."

"What's wrong?" Finn asked, picking up the tension radiating off of Clarke. Clarke turned to him.

"They want you." Everything stopped.

"If we want a truce, we have to give them Finn."

"Fuck," I whispered breathlessly and Bellamy looked at me silently agreeing. Whispers spread through the crowd and Raven pushed her way forward.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"That's their offer," Clarke told her.

"That's not an offer-"

"It's a punishment." Finn kept his eyes locked on Clarke finishing the thought for the rest of us who didn't dare say a word. "For what happened in the village. Blood for blood."

"That's insane," Bellamy said, loud enough to be heard but only by those close to us.

"You're only just now realizing that?" I turned to Clarke, Raven, Abby, and Finn. "We've been playing cat and mouse with these people since the moment we landed. Letting them chase us around in circles, getting nowhere. We act as if they have all the power. As if they hold all the cards. Look, I don't know if you people forgot. We have guns. They don't. And as much as I don't want to just march into their village and start blasting away 'cause that's exactly what got us here in the first place-" I shot a glare to Finn "-but we need to remember that we aren't powerless.."

"More violence isn't the answer, Hunter," Clarke scolded, finally peeling her glace off of Finn and onto me.

"Yeah, but it's an option if nothing else works. And our only other option is letting them slaughter Finn. If we give them Finn, he'll be dead before we can do anything about it. I don't think you handle any more death on your hands, Clarke. What's to say after they kill Finn they won't want revenge for the 300 of their people we slaughtered at the dropship? Or for the days of torture, we put Lincoln through?"

"I trust them."

"Why?"

Clarke didn't respond.

"It's really a simple question. Only three words. It should be that hard to answer, Clarke. Why do you trust the people who have tried to kill us and have killed us even though we did nothing wrong to be with?"

"If we refuse?" Abby asked and my attention turned to her.

"They'll kill us anyway." I stopped, seeing the hurt expression on Finn's face. "Look, I don't want to give them Finn. I don't want anyone else to die unless it's completely necessary but those are our options. Let them kill Finn and give them the chance to kill the rest of us? Or fight back."

"Hunter, stop it," Clarke scoffed.

"No. No, I won't," I started to walk forward, getting closer to Clarke as I continued. "God, Clarke, it's like you crave the idea of playing the victim. Like making choices involving people's lives is fun to you. Like it a game. Taking all the blame and putting it onto yourself then being a bitch about it-"

Tears stung my eyes and a sharp pain shot through my cheek. I doubled over and stumbled back upon impact. I gasped, the air having flown out of my lungs. I could feel Bellamy walking up to my side and I looked up, not giving Abby the satisfaction of knowing what a strong arm she had.

"Hey! Back the fuck up," Bellamy ordered, stepping in front of me.

A metallic taste filled my mouth and I took a shaky breath through my nose. I spit the blood pooling in my mouth out onto the ground and locked eyes with Abby.

"She's just mad I'm right."

The crowd began to talk and my eyes didn't leave Abby's even after she looked away from me. I knew she was protective over Clarke but I didn't know she was that insane. Guess a parent's love passes any extreme.

"Give them to him," A voice said, louder than the rest of the crowd.

"I say we give him up!"

"Get rid of him!"

"Easy people!" A guard warned.

"Give him to the Grounders!" A man ordered, stepping forward. I didn't have time to decide whether or not the warmth spreading across my cheeks was from the hand print stinging my skin or Bellamy's lingering glance on my face before Raven shoved a man backward.

"Back off!"

Clarke pulled her back before she got more involved and Bellamy stepped between Raven and the man, grabbing his fist before it made contact with her face.

Perfect, now I can channel my anger into breaking someone's nose.

Maybe it'll make me feel better.

"I'm not dying for him. Spacewalker burned three months of oxygen from The Ark. He should've floated a long time ago," Another man said, getting closer. Raven lunged at him and threw her fist into his nose before I got to him. Damn. I'll get the next one.

"Stop! Reyes!" A guard yelled approaching and Raven swung around and threw her fist into the guard's face. Two more guards sprung to action, restraining her.

A fist flew towards my face and I grabbed the woman's wrist, pulling her forward and locking her arm in my control, bending it far enough for her to cry about. I jammed my knee into the back of her leg, dropping her arm as she fell to the floor.

I dodged another fist and nearly fell into another one as it made contact with the back of my face. I swung around and landed my knee in between the man's leg and he yelled before collapsing to the floor.

Before I could keep going, Bellamy grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back towards him and away from the angry mob of people.

"Don't, Flowers. Unless you want to join Raven in a cell until all of the decisions have been made." I groaned, shrugging off his grip, but not running back towards the fight.

I turned my head towards two guys throwing punches at one another and Bellamy's hand graced my jawline, turning my head towards him. His thumb slid over the patch of skin Abby had slapped, gentle enough for me to barely feel it.

"How bad is it?" I asked, letting his hand stay where it was.

"You've had worse." I shrugged at his vague response. "I had no idea Abby had it in her."

"Well, I did call her daughter a bitch so..."

Bellamy chuckled. "Still. She hit you good." He dropped his hand from my cheek to his side.

"Yeah, no shit." I peered past Bellamy's head and saw a determined Clarke walking towards us and I looked back to Bellamy.

"I'm gonna go find..." I stopped. "anywhere to hide from the wrath of the victim queen herself. Have fun," I slapped his shoulder before walking past, not in the mood to deal with Clarke's bullshit.

I found Finn and Murphy sitting to the side away from all of the chaos.

"Hey," I said approaching. Finn looked up as if I'd startled him.

"You really handed it to Clarke," Murphy said, leaning forward as if he found all of this entertaining.

"Yeah, then her mom bitch slapped slapped me. And I'd advise you shut the fuck up considering I'm in the mood to kill someone.." He stopped for a moment, then leaned back against the wall, taking my advice.

"Hey. We're reinforcing our defenses. Doubles on the perimeter. No one's getting past that wire," Bellamy said walking over with Clarke next to him. I took a step to the side, leaving a good-sized space between me and Clarke, giving us lots of room for unneeded tension on her part.

Finn stood up. "I'll see where they're thin."

"No. You should head inside," Bellamy countered. "B Corridor would be easier to defend, if it comes to that." Clarke nodded.

"I'm not gonna hide," Finn protested. Clarke looked at him with sympathy.

"Right now, we have to think about keeping you safe. I'm going to talk to Lincoln."

"Come on," Bellamy said. "Finn."

Begrudgingly, Finn followed after Bellamy and in order to not be left alone with Clarke and Murphy I followed after them.

Chants filled the air, murmurs spreading through the camp as the war cries got louder. I didn't know what the Grounders were chanting but I knew I'd heard it before. Something along the lines of "let's kill Finn" I would guess.

I stood my ground next to Bellamy, staring at the two grounds on horseback waiting outside the gate with hundreds more behind them.

"They're trying to scare us," He said to the surrounding people.

"Yeah, pretty sure it's working. I don't care what anyone else thinks that's fucking terrifying," I commented, ignoring the glare coming from Abby.

Moments later, Abby broke from our position and started towards the gate, followed by me, Clarke, and Bellamy.

"Open the gate," She ordered. The guards nearby did as told and the gate slid open.

"Where's the boy?" One of the Grounders on horseback asked.

"We are not giving him up," Abby answered, appearing more calm than any of us felt. "We're ready to fight, if that's what it comes to." Seconds after the words left her mouth, a foghorn flew from somewhere within the forest. The horses pulled back and they made there way back towards the forest.

"Watch the woods! Watch for movement!" Bellamy ordered as I cocked my gun.

"Bellamy," Clarke whispered, nodding her head towards the forest I followed her eye line and saw a figure appear, slowly getting closer. I closed one eye and lined up my gun, ready to fire as soon as the command was given.

"Don't shoot!" A male voice yelled. "Don't shoot!"

Fucking Marcus Kane.

He walked closer and made his way through the gate towards Abby. He stopped once he got about a foot in front of her, no injuries in sight.

"Marcus," She said, clearly relieved to see him alive. Her voice sounded much smaller than it had moments ago when speaking with the grounders.

"Chancellor."

"I was afraid that I wouldn't see you again," She said.

"I had those fears myself." He looked past her at the camp. "It's good to see this place again."

"You can't be out in the open. We need to get somewhere safe," Bellamy said as the two of us and Clarke started walking towards them. The tension was still there between me and Clarke, and considering I called her a victimizing bitch it made sense, but I no longer wanted to throttle her into the sun.

"It's safe, for the moment," He said walking past Abby and towards us. "Come on. We need to talk. I managed to buy us a bit of time."

Bellamy, Raven, and I waited outside of what was left of the council room trying to peak through the glass doors in order to figure out what was happening.

"What's going on?" Raven asked, as the doors slid open and Abby walked through. We followed after her as she started to walk.

"You were in there a long time," Bellamy said falling into line.

"There was a lot to talk about."

"Well, what's going on?" Raven demanded.

"Well, there was a lot to talk about," Abby stated again.

"Hey." Bellamy stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "We are not turning him over to the Grounders."

"Step aside now." Bellamy took a small step backward, but not enough to give her a clear path towards the corridor. "We're all trying to find a way out of this."

"Yeah, we got that part. What I'm not getting is why it's such a complicated decision. Finn stays here. We protected him for as long as we can and if we need to fight the grounders then we fucking do it. It's really not that difficult to work out," I protested, picking another fight with her. Twice in two days, guess we're lucky.

"Given the fact that you are a child and I am your Chancellor, I'd suggest you get out of my way."

"I stopped being a child the day you sent us to die. Finn might have fucked up- and by fucked up I mean fucked up so bad he killed 18 innocent people- but that doesn't mean we get to throw him to the side for the grounders to kill in any way they please. You say this isn't the Ark. That the rules are different on the ground. But how is this any different than floating him? How is this any different than the parents you murdered just because they made a mistake? Any different than your husband? You said we don't kill each other. That no one dies on our own hands, but does this not count? Let me ask you a question, Chancellor. Can you afford any more blood on your hands?"

Abby didn't wait for me to make my next point before pushing past me and continuing down the corridor as if I wasn't there.

"They're gonna give him up."

We made our way down a brightly lit corridor where Finn had been hiding out reluctantly since the grounders showed up outside of camp.

"Finn!" Bellamy called as the two of us made our way toward him and Clarke.

"Where would he go?" Clarke asked, peeling her eyes off of Finn's.

"The drop ship." Finn started walking with us and Clarke ran after protesting.

"No. You know that this is the safest place-"

"Yeah until ten minutes ago when your mom decided she was gonna throw him out and give him to the grounders. And Finn, unless you are interested in dying in the next 24 hours I suggest you ignore whatever bullshit Clarke's been telling you and follow us," I told him, earning myself another glare from Clarke.

"Look, you might not like it but we can protect him at the dropship till we figure this out," Bellamy agreed, taking a much calmer approach. "Grab your gear, meet at Raven's gate in five. She's already working on cutting the power for the fence."

"Okay, but nobody's coming with me."

"Yeah, fuck no," I said stopping in front of him.

"That isn't up for discussion," Bellamy told him, stopping next to me.

"We are surrounded by Grounders-" Clarke argued.

"We've been surrounded by grounders since the day we landed, I like we can live through another-"

Bellamy cut me off. "We'll split up, take the low ground, we'll make it through. Meet at the dropship," Bellamy whispered not to be overheard by the civilians nearby.

"There he is," A man said walking at Finn with a metal rod. "You're gonna get us killed." The man swung the rod back, preparing to strike Finn and Bellamy stepped in the way and punched him in the side of the head, knocking him out cold.

"Anyone else?" He asked, staring down the rest of the group the man had come with.

"Bellamy's right. We have to go," Clarke said, finally getting it through her thick skull.

"You're just now realizing that? Go. We'll meet you there."

Bellamy and I arrived to the dropship before the others. Clarke and Finn hadn't arrived yet and Raven out looking for them again. We'd been waiting about an hour and hadn't heard from anyone.

I leaned my back against one of the dropship seats we'd been sent down in, staring at the chair Murphy had tied me to, and tried to kill Bellamy. I still couldn't believe that happened. I mean, I knew it did. The nightmares were enough to prove it without the constant reminder of the fact that Murphy's still breathing and walking around camp with a smug arrogant smirk on his face. But thinking about it too much made my head spin.

Except I couldn't think about anything else.

The fear and panic in Bellamy's eyes watched as Murphy threatened to blow a bullet through my brain. Watching Bellamy hang himself just so I could stay alive. The sound of the stool getting kicked out from underneath Bellamy's feet, watching as he struggled for air, knowing there was nothing I could do about it. The guilt and terror that filled me as Murphy dragged me upstairs knowing Bellamy was dying.

The relief of hearing his voice yell for Murphy.

Bellamy made his way down the dropship ladder and sat down in the chair next to me. He took a deep breath and rested his head against the wall behind him.

"Any sign of them?" He asked, looking over at me.

"Nothing. God, I can't believe the council is so fucking stupid that the only way to keep Finn alive is to run back to the death machine they sent us down to this hellhole in," I groaned.

"You really went off on Abby."

"You think she didn't have it coming?" He didn't response. "Okay, maybe bringing up her dead husband was a low blow but I honestly don't give a single fuck. Yeah, Finn is a fucking idiot and quite honestly isn't my favorite person in the world but he doesn't deserve to die."

"No one does."

"I can name someone who does."

Bellamy looked at me a silent conversation passing between us. Murphy.

"You haven't been the same since then," Bellamy said, breaking the silence that had filled the room. "I mean, how could you be?"

"I could've shoved it all into a little box in the back of my brain with the rest of my unprocessed trauma and never thought about it again." I paused, noticing the clear discomfort on Bellamy's face. "Sorry."

"Don't be. You have nothing to be sorry for. You've gone through a lot. You shouldn't apologize for finding a way to cope with your feelings," Bellamy told me, not breaking eye contact. And for once, holding eye contact did feel uncomfortable. It felt warm. Like someone was hugging my heart. A sense of relief.

"I'm sure I wasn't the only one whose mental stability got fucked up by Murphy," I said, not really knowing how to approach the subject of Bellamy's emotions. He wasn't a very open person. Not in a bad way. He just put others first. For better or for worse, he doesn't prioritize himself.

"I'm fine, Flowers. You don't need to worry about me."

But the pain in his eyes he was trying to hide made me think otherwise.

"Bellamy-" A reached out for his hand but he flinched at the touch. I pulled my hand back, surprised at his rejection. I held my hand close to my aching chest. "Sorry." Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. He's a grown adult for god's sake he doesn't need my pity.

The dropship curtain pushed open and Raven walked through. Bellamy looked up at her.

"I checked again. Still no sign of them," She reported. Bellamy stood up.

"Where are they?"

"We shouldn't have split up," Raven whispered to herself. Footsteps pounded on the ground outside the dropship and I pulled my gun from its holster, standing up. Bellamy readied his gun.

"Someone's coming." A silhouette of a person appeared against the curtain door and Murphy walked in.

"Hey. Hey. Hey," He said, noticing two guns pinned on him. He put his hands up.

"Murphy," Bellamy said. Raven placed a hand on Bellamy's gun pushing it down, knowing he'd take the shot in seconds.

Raven wasn't close enough to me to stop me from firing at his skull.

The bullet pierced through the curtain not even an inch away from his head.

He jumped and the fear in his eyes made the corner of my mouth turn up. Now he knows how it feels.

"What the fuck was that for?!" He yelled, enraged.

"Holding me at gunpoint and forcing Bellamy to hang himself threatening to kill me if he didn't. Maybe next time I won't miss," I said repeating the words he spoke to Bellamy as he held a gun to my head.

"What are you doing here?" Bellamy asked him, taking his eyes off of me.

"I believe I was invited," Murphy said gesturing to Raven.

"I thought we could use an extra gun," She explained, looking between me and my gun still trained on Murphy.

"And I thought he's tried to kill all three of us, what the fuck we're you thinking!" I exclaimed.

"Relax Hunter. You think the three of us, plus Finn and Clarke could take on an army of Grounders?" She asked.

"No, but I'd rather die than work with Murphy," I spat, and Bellamy put his arm out, stopping me from getting any closer to Raven.

"Might be a good idea," Bellamy said to Raven then looking at me reassuringly. I put my gun down and Murphy made his way into the dropship and out of the doorway.

"Finn should've been right behind you," Raven said to Murphy.

"Don't worry," Murphy said. "The spacewalker's gonna be fine."

Murphy had found a seat, leaning up against the dropship wall. Raven hadn't stopped pacing, nervously waiting for Clarke and Finn to return. I had sat back down and rested my elbows on my thighs, holding my head in my hands.

"Hey," Bellamy said walking over, careful not to be too loud. "You okay?"

"Fine."

"Are you-"

"I'm fine, Blake."

The dropship curtain shifted to the side as Finn ran in, holding an unconscious Clarke in his arms.

"What happened?" Bellamy asked running over, helping Finn move Clarke onto the ground. I sprung up from my seat as Raven and Murphy did the same.

"Grounder. Hit her on the head," Finn answered, out of breath.

"Put her here," Murphy said, getting up off of the mat he'd been lying on. Finn and Bellamy set Clarke onto the mat.

"I need a bandage, a wrap, anything," Bellamy said, squatting down next to her. Finn ran to grab a rag and I sat down next to Clarke. I moved her hair off of her face to get a better look at the blood pooling from a cut on her forehead.

"Hold her head," Bellamy instructed Murphy and he sat down next to me. I tensed, feeling his arm brush up against mine as he wrapped his arms around Clarke's head as support.

"Clarke. Can you hear me?" Bellamy asked.

"Does someone have water? Something to clean out the cut?" I asked looking around. Finn dropped his backpack and paced back and forth.

"Nothing," Raven answered. I took the rag Finn had grabbed and placed it against her wound, trying to absorb the blood.

"Clarke? Clarke," Bellamy said again. Clarke seemed to move her head slightly, but her eyes remained closed. "You're gonna be fine. You just need rest." Raven made her way over to Finn and moments later he stormed out of the tent. Raven looked back at us before following him out.

"We've got company!" Bellamy screamed a few hours later. "Get out here!" I jumped up from my seat on the upper floor of the dropship and scurried down the ladder, seeing Finn helping Clarke up.

I grabbed my gun from my holster and ran out the dropship door. Finn and Clarke followed close behind me.

"Hey, get down. Grounders."

I ran to my left and crouched down behind a fallen tree that was big enough to hide the majority of my body. Clarke and Finn crouched down behind a mound of dirt and rubble slightly in front of me.

As soon as I sat down, I immediately noticed the movement from behind the camp walls. I counted at least seven and those were only the ones I could see.

"We're surrounded," Clarke whispered.

We'd managed to sneak our way back inside the dropship, taking turns covering one another from behind our covers. Bellamy peered out of the curtain with Murphy on the other side.

"They're not moving any closer," Murphy said.

"They're staying out of range. They'll be waiting until it's dark," Bellamy said, pulling back and walking towards us, Murphy following his lead.

"if we hit them now, we take them by surprise-"

"We don't even know how many of them are there," Clarke said cutting Murphy off.

"I'm not hearing any better ideas, Clarke."

"We'll give them something," Raven suggested.

"All they want is Finn," Bellamy countered.

"Finn wasn't the only one at the village."

"What are you talking about?" Clarke asked. She wasn't there.

"Raven, hold on-" Bellamy said.

"I don't see what the issue is. I am 100 percent on board with letting them kill Murphy," I said with a smirk.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Raven, I came here to protect him. You were the one who wanted to come. You-" Murphy stopped. "That's why you asked me to come along."

"Enough Grounders saw him. They'd believe he was the shooter," Raven explained and I was liker her plan more and more by each second.

"You sick bitch," Murphy muttered.

"Raven, you don't mean this," Clarke protested.

"You know what they do to people-" I cut off Bellamy.

"And you know what he did to you." That stopped Bellamy.

"Hunter-"

"They want a murderer. We'll give them one," Raven said but my eyes never left Bellamy. Raven cocked her gun and aimed it at Murphy. "Drop your gun."

Murphy walked closer to the barrel of her gun. "Go to hell, Raven."

"Put it down, Raven," Clarke ordered. "Like it or not, he's one of us."

"I said drop it-" Raven pressed the gun closer to Murphy and Finn intervened.

"Stop! Stop." He pushed her gun down, stepping between them.

"We're not doing this," Finn said. "I know you both hate Murphy. I know what he did to you both-" Finn looked at me. "but they've got us surrounded. The only thing we can do is stay and defend this place."

"I'm with you," Bellamy said nodding. Clarke nodded. I glared at Murphy, hatred filling every fiber of my being.

"Fine."

"Murphy?" Finn asked looking to him after getting a reluctant nod from Raven.

"Yeah."

"Go upstairs, watch the rear. I'll take the lower level. You four, take the front gate. That's the plan, all right?" Once Finn was finished Murphy pushed past me and I drove my fist into his cheekbone. He stumbled back, his hand flying up to his face.

"Whoa! Whoa. Hunter-" Clarke scolded, taking a step toward me but I ignored her. I took a step towards Murphy who looked up at me, a stream of blood dripping down his face.

"The Grounders might not kill you today, but no promises I won't." I grabbed my gun and pushed my way through the curtain, leaving everyone else inside.

I crouched down, ready to fire at any second, the cramp in my calf killing me.

"See anything?" Clarke asked.

"No."

"If I saw something I would've shot at it," I answered. Leaves rustled outside the gate and I snapped to attention.

"Someone's coming," Raven warned.

"There," Clarke said as footsteps approached. A figure appeared from behind the camp wall and my eyes went wide.

His hand rose into the air and he stopped in the middle of the path.

"Finn?" Raven gasped.

"No," Clarke got up and Finn turned around to face us. "Finn!" Clarke screamed and ran towards him, but the grounders were quicker. A heard of them ran up to him, grabbing him and pulling him off through the forest.

We stood around at the edge of Camp, watching as the grounders cheered and chanted from the camp. Torches illuminated the ground between the camps. I stood next to Bellamy, staring off into the distance. The torches spread for what looked like miles around the main section of the grounder's camp.

"What is that?" Raven asked somewhere to my right, referring to a pole that had just been put up and secured to the ground in the middle of the camp.

"It's for Finn," Clarke answered quietly standing next to her. "They want us to watch."

"We're gonna get him," Bellamy promised. "We'll get in close, and we'll hit them hard." But my hope for Finn's survival was gone the second I saw him walk out from behind the gate.

"Son-" Kane said on the other side of Bellamy. "There's thousands of them. Even if we could kill hundreds. They'd still wipe out this camp and your friend would still die."

"We have to try."

"Abby," Raven said turning to the woman next to her. "Abby, we have to do something."

"No Raven."

Clarke looked down the row of people, her, Raven, Abby, Kane, Bellamy, and I and locked eyes with Bellamy. She nodded slightly, and Bellamy squeezed my hand before following after her. Raven saw and ran after them and I followed after her.

"Take this," I heard Clarke say, shoving something, I assumed her gun, into his hands.

"What are you doing?" Bellamy asked her.

"I'm gonna talk to the commander."

"What else do you have to say?"

"I don't know. I don't know."

"Clarke."

"Give me your hand," Raven told Clarke, catching up to the pair. Clarke did as told. Raven took a small blade from her pocket and slid it up Clarke's sleeve, careful not to cut skin.

"If she won't let him go, kill her. Things will go crazy, and then we'll grab you and Finn. Clarke. You have to help. I owe him my life." I exchanged a look with Bellamy. That would never work. If Clarke even managed to get close enough to the commander to kill her and actually was able to, the grounders would go insane and Clarke and Finn would be slaughtered along with the rest of our camp.

Clarke nodded and turned away. She slipped through the gate and I looked over at a teary-eyed Raven.

The three of us watched together as Clarke made her way up the torch-lit path and toward the commander's tent.

"What is she doing?" Raven asked. She stopped in front of a female grounder I recognized from the dropship with Lincoln.

Everything stopped.

Then the commander left her tent and made her way towards Clarke. The female grounder let Clarke pass and she made her way towards the Commander. More chanting came from the camp as a few Grounders on horseback escorted a restrained Finn towards the pole.

"Finn-" Raven breathed. Instinctively, I reached out and grabbed Bellamy's hand in mine. His fingers interlocked with mine.

The grounders placed Finn against the pole and tied him up as Clarke continued to talk with the Commander.

"Come on, Clarke, do it," Raven whispered. I held my breath, waiting for something, anything, to happen.

Moments later, Clarke started to walk towards where Finn was tied. But the commander was still standing.

"What is she doing?" Raven whispered, practically reading my mind. She started to run towards Finn. Once she got to him, she pressed her lips against his. They started like that for a moment, before Clarke pulled back, leaving her hand resting on his jawline.

And as if in slow motion, Finn's head dropped onto Clarke's shoulder.

Clarke took a step backward.

Finn didn't move.

He stayed frozen.

He'd never move again.

The grounders tried to run towards her but the commander stopped them.

Bellamy squeezed my hand as he realized what Clarke had done.

That she killed him.

A single tear rolled down my cheek but I couldn't move.

Clarke killed him.

Raven screamed.

Chapter Text

        Bellamy didn't leave my side. All night.

After the crowd cleared from camp I made my way back to his room, I knew my room was open. There was no reason not to spend the night there instead.

I don't know.

Being alone just felt wrong.

The door to Bellamy's room slid open, his hand still silently interlocked with mine.

His room looked almost identical to mine. He had a bed in the far corner and across from it was a bookshelf that seemed very old. A desk sat in the opposite corner of the room from the bed, leaning up against the wall. Papers sat on top of the desk with a few pens, but that was the least of my concerns.

I stepped inside, Bellamy following close behind me. Once we were both inside the door slid closed. He sat down his gun on the desk and put his hand out to grab mine. I felt weird but I took the gun from my holster and handed it to him to put down.

Normally, I slept with my gun loaded and underneath my pillow in case of emergency but I figured Bellamy would be just as efficient in an emergency as a gun.

I sat down on the edge of his bed and he sat down in his desk chair. Neither one of us spoke.

I didn't know how to process what had happened. I didn't know how to grieve.

I hadn't been very close to Finn, but he'd been responsible for saving my life multiple times. Not him directly, but he'd made decisions alongside Clarke that I'm sure saved my ass. He'd always been there for meetings, fights, or really, anything. He was always there. And up until Clarke vanished he'd always done what was best for everyone.

I knew he was dead. I wasn't insane enough to believe he'd somehow survived a knife to the stomach. But I couldn't believe it had really happened. He was dead dead. Not just temporally gone from existence.

He wasn't gonna sit down in the cafeteria tomorrow for breakfast and sit with me, Bellamy, Clarke, and Raven. He wasn't gonna get drinks with us on Friday nights anymore. He wasn't going to help us get into Mount Weather.

He was dead.

I had felt numb to the whole thing. Raven wasn't sleeping at all. I could hear her screaming and sobbing from down the hall. I hated hearing her pain. I hated hearing the screams of terror and horror coming from- no it wasn't coming from her room. It was coming from the other side of the hallway.

Finn's room.

My gut lurched at the heartbreak. I knew she wouldn't sleep tonight. I mean, how could she? The love of her life died. She said she owed him her life. And now he was dead.

I knew I would barely sleep. I didn't even know what to feel.

I looked up at Bellamy and his eyes were glossy with tears.

Finn had been one of his closest friends. They didn't always see eye to eye, but only so many of us had survived this far. No matter your relationship with the person surviving all we've been through builds a bond like no other.

I felt like my reaction wasn't enough. I had barely cried since it happened. I mean, I had cried, but not much. I wasn't screaming and wailing. I was probably going to fall asleep eventually. But I felt like Finn deserved more. His death reserves more.

A knock at the door startled me out of my thoughts.

Bellamy stood up and the door slid open. Kane stood on the other side with a sad expression on his face.

"I'm just making my rounds checking in on those I can. Is there anything I can do to help you two? I know you were good friends with him," Kane said, looking past Bellamy at me.

"Uh, I think we're okay. Thank you, Kane," Bellamy answered looking back at me to confirm I felt the same.

"Let me know if there's anything you need," He said before making his way down the hall and the door slid closed behind him. Bellamy looked back at me and I saw tears rolling down his cheek.

"Bel-"

I stood up from the bed and crossed the room towards him. I wrapped my arms around his body and rested my head against his, holding him tight. His arms wrapped around me and we stayed like that for a while.

Minutes later, I pulled back, tears staining both of our cheeks. I took his hand gently, and after no protest, I moved towards the bed and sat down on a much comfier surface than standing. He laid down, pulling the covers over him. I climbed into the bed next to him. I turned onto my side to face him, resting my head on his chest.

Bellamy ran his fingers through my knotted hair and I could feel his heart beating in his chest and I couldn't help but think about Finn. Whose heart would never beat again.

We made our way down a dirt path, all of us walking in silence towards the Grounder-style memorial for Finn. The sun beat down on us, making the walk even more miserable.

I walked next to Clarke and Bellamy, the three of us not saying a word. What was there to say?

Clarke stared off at a clearing in the path as if she was seeing a ghost. I peered down the clearing but didn't see anything besides grass, rocks, and trees.

"Hey," Bellamy said, snapping her out of whatever trance she was in. She blinked, finally taking her eyes off the clearing. "Doing all right?"

"Yeah," She said, looking away.

"You did the right thing," He told her and as much as it hurt I knew he meant it.

"Now I get to live with it. You still think this truce is a bad idea don't you," Clarke said.

"I think we're wasting time with politics while our friends are in trouble," Bellamy corrected.

"We need their army to get to Mount Weather and you know it," Clarke countered.

"Yeah, but their army has tried to kill us how many times now?" I said and Clarke ignored me.

"Their army has been getting their ass kicked by Mount Weather forever. What we need is an inside man. Someone to be our eyes and ears," Bellamy suggested and I could tell he'd been thinking about it.

"Forget it. It's too dangerous," Clarke said dismissively.

"Not if they went alone. Two people go in, and lets say one of them gets caught the plan doesn't go to shit. There's still another person to have their back. It'd be safer," I added, having no interest in letting Bellamy go inside of Mount Weather alone.

"Not safe enough."

"Clarke, if you can make it out, I ran make it in," Bellamy whispered.

"I said no."

"Since I don't take orders from you I'm gonna need a better reason-"

"I can't lose you two. Okay?" Bellamy and I stopped talking but I knew he was determined to get inside of the Mountain.

Once the sun had gone down, we set up a temporary camp in a clearing of trees. I stood around a fire next to Bellamy and Abby who was sitting in front of her tent. I watched as Clarke began to set up her stuff on the Grounder side of camp.

I nudged Bellamy's arm and nodded my head in her direction. He nodded and made his way over towards her.

"Clarke. It's safer on our side."

"We need to trust them, Bellamy," She protested. "There are no more sides." Bellamy took his pack off of his shoulders and set it down near by Clarke, but still close enough to Kane and Abby where the Grounders, in theory, wouldn't try anything.

I grabbed my pack and found a spot on the other side of Clarke and somehow managed to get comfortable enough to fall asleep.

The next morning we approached where the memorial would be happening. The gate slid open and two grounders, Gustus being one of them, made there way towards us.

"Weapons," Gustus demanded.

"We need to disarm before we enter," Lincoln told us handing his knife to the Gustus. Clarke placed her gun in the basket and I reluctantly did the same.

"I better get that back," I muttered, walking back towards the group. Once all of us had disarmed a different grounder made his way towards Raven and plucked all of her knives off her body. The grounder said something in their language that I assumed meant something like "Yo kinda scary but attractive Commander, these bitches don't have their weapons on them anymore. We're all good."

We made our way through the gate, following the Commander. It was the same camp Finn had shot up. Oh fuck.

The grounders from the camp yelled in protest as we walked through the camp, throwing out what I assumed were their versions of fuck you left and right. A grounder stood in our way and after talking to the Commander, Gustus walked forward and sucker-punched the grounder in the face, knocking him to the floor, blood splattering from his face as Nyko continued to beat the man to death.

Clarke pushed up towards the Commander, stopping at her side.

"Commander," She pleaded. "Stop him. Please. They'll blame us for this too." The Commander spoke in their language, and Gustus stopped, letting the man scurry up and leave. The Commander turned to face the village of angry Grounders. "The Sky People march with us now. Anyone who tries to stop that will pay with their life." She turned and continued her way through the village the rest of us following behind.

"Warm welcome," Bellamy muttered.

About an hour later, we stood around a while of logs that Finn's wrapped body laid on top of with the bodies of the 18 he slaughtered. The commander spoke in her native language as Lincoln translated for our small group of "Sky people".

"People of Tondc. In fire, we cleanse the pain of the past."

The Commander's second, whose name I learned to be Indra, handed the Commander a torch. The Commander took it, then slowly turned towards us.

"Clarke." She stretched out her arm. Confused murmurs spread throughout the Grounders but the Commander nodded her head. Clarke stepped forward. She took the torch and stepped on a small platform next to the Commander.

Clarke hesitated.

She looked down at the open space beside her and started to move the torch down. As the fire began to burn across the wood, Clarke spoke the phrase in the Grounder language I'd heard before.

"Your fight is over."

The Commander looked at her, surprised she had learned the phrase. Clarke and the Commander stepped off of the platform as the fire burned.

Tears pricked at my eyes watching the body of my friend begin to burn alongside those he'd killed.

We stood around a long table filled with food and drinks, the Grounders on one side the rest of us on the other. An hour had passed since the burning memorial. Clarke found her seat across from the Commander, Kane, and Abby next to her on either side, Octavia next to Abby, on the other side of Kane Bellamy, then me, then Raven.

"Please, accept this gift commander," Kane said. "We drink this at special occasions. I believe this qualifies." He reached out his hand, holding a bottle. The Commander looked to Gustus, who outstretched his hand and took the bottle before handing it to the Commander.

"Thank you, Marcus of the Sky People."

"You're welcome, Lexa com Trikru," Kane spoke, finishing in the Grounder language. Trikru. That must be where she was from. "Just, uh, don't drink too much of it."

"Clarke," Lexa said turning away from Kane. "Let us drink together."

"It would be my pleasure." A grounder stepped forward, handing two cups to Gustus. He placed them on the table and the Commander poured the liquid into them. She handed one of the glasses to Clarke from across the table. Clarke took it.

"Heda. Allow me," Gustus said next to her. He reached for the glass and took a sip before handing it back to the Commander as she started her speech.

"Tonight, we celebrate our newfound peace. Tomorrow, we plan our war. To those we've lost," The Commander put up her glass. "And to those we shall soon find." Clarke raised her glass and the two brought the drinks to their lips.

Gustus dropped onto the table, plates clattering against the ground. He began coughing and groaning, backing up against the wall.

'It's poison," A grounder said running over it him.

I looked at Bellamy. That wasn't us right? We wouldn't do that. Bellamy knocked the drink out of Clarke's hand, the liquid flying across the table.

"It was the Sky People!" Indra yelled, pulling out her sword. A Grounder pulled our half of the table out of the way, giving the grounders a clear path towards us.

"This wasn't us! You have to know it wasn't us," Clarke protested, being held back by Bellamy. The Commander turned to a grounder next to a collapsed Gustus and gave him orders in their language.

The grounders ran at us and began to search us. I put my hands up, trying to show we didn't do anything. A Grounder began to pat me down and I didn't put up a fight. Clarke protested and argued with the grounders.

"No. No. We didn't do this."

"Gustus warned me about you. I didn't listen," Lexa said walking towards Clarke.

"Lexa please-"

"Tell me something Clarke. When you plunged the knife into the heart of the boy you loved did you not wish that it was mine?"

"Heda."

The chaos stopped. A grounder pulled a vile out of Raven's jacket pocket.

"That's not mine!" She shouted. The grounder handed it to the commander. "I'm telling you that's not mine! He put it there when he searched me!"

"No Sky Person leaves this room!" The Commander ordered, yelling over the crowd. She stormed out of the room, Grounders following after her.

"Indra!" Lincoln yelled. "Indra-" She stopped and turned to face Lincoln. They exchanged words in their language before she slammed the door on him.

20 minutes had passed and Abby and Kane had tried to make a plan. I stood against the wall, leaning my back against the tile. I watched as Clarke made her way over to Raven. Raven swung her fist at Clarke and Clarke grunted, holding her cheek in her hand.

"You're the only murderer here-" Raven's voice broke, heavy with emotion. Abby ran over to her daughter, Octavia following close behind her. Clarke stared past Raven at the wall.

"Leave me alone." Raven followed her eyes. "You gave me no choice. Why did you turn yourself in?" Clarke's eyes were glossed over with tears as she spoke. She was seeing Finn. This whole time she had been seeing Finn.

"Baby-" Abby said, stepping between Clarke and where Clarke had been staring. Clarke moved away from her mom, sitting down away from everyone else.

More time had passed and nothing had happened. Abby had gone back over to Clarke, trying to comfort her.

"You're talking about Dad?" Clarke said, raising her voice. "What I did to Finn was nothing like what you did to him."

"Don't do this now," Abby said, not raising her voice at her daughter.

"I was protecting everyone. I didn't have a choice, you did."

"No-"

"You turned him in!"

"I trusted Thelonious to talk to your Father and convince him not to go public."

"You knew Dad would never stop. You knew what would happen to him."

"I was protecting everyone too. I was protecting you." Clarke scoffed and stood up walking away from her mom. "Clarke please." Clarke turned back to her mom, tears filling her mother's eyes watching her daughter speak.

"We are the same."

More time had passed since anything interesting had happened. I had been fidgeting with the zipper on Bellamy's old guard jacket for the last 30 minutes, trying to distract my brain.

"We need to find out who would want her dead," I heard Kane saying to Clarke.

"Too many to count," Lincoln answered, standing up. "Forming an alliance with you was a risk. Especially after what Finn did to this village."

"So it had to be someone trying to break the alliance," Octavia finished for him, standing up.

Footsteps rattled above the room and down the stairs and the door unlocked. Two Grounders and Indra made their way into the room.

"How's Gustus?" Lincoln asked.

"Gustus will live."

"Take her away," Indra ordered. Two more Grounders pushed past and made their way toward Raven.

"Wait. Wait what are you doing?" Kane asked, walking next to the grounders.

"She didn't poison anyone!" Bellamy protested, getting in their way. The Grounder shoved him back and he stumbled back next to me.

"I argued for all of you to die," Indra spoke. "But the commander is merciful. She wants only one."

"Ah gee, thanks," I snapped.

"She innocent," Lincoln demanded.

"I don't care," Indra spat walking closer. "They move. They bleed." A grounder shoved Bellamy backward after he lunged forward. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders, stopping the momentum from taking him into the wall behind us. The grounders grabbed Raven and pulled her towards the door.

"The rest of you are free," Indra told us. "When she's dead so is the alliance. You should run."

Raven had been tied to a pole, the same way Finn had, her hands fastened above her head, her torso secured to the post.

"I take no joy in this, Raven," The Commander spoke, walking towards her. "But this time, justice will be done."

"I didn't do it," Raven protested. "How is that justice?" Lexa raised her knife and placed it against the bare skin of Raven's arm.

"We have to do something-" Bellamy said walking forward, but Kane stopped him.

"Lincoln, talk to them," Octavia suggested as Raven cried out, blood pouring down her arm and shirt. Raven whimpered as Indra walked forward, lifting her shift and cutting across her stomach. Raven screamed.

"You can talk to them," Octavia said. "These are your people."

"Not anymore," Lincoln said walking forward. Nyko stopped him from getting much closer.

"You're no longer safe here, my friend. I'll do my best to make sure you get away. Then you'll be on your own." The two hugged and Abby called down the stairs to Clarke.

"Clarke! We need to move now." Raven's screams just got louder and louder as more grounders stepped up to take their turn cutting away at her skin. Clarke didn't respond. "Clarke now!" Clarke made her way up the stairs and pushed past our group.

"Stop. What are you doing? You'll get yourself killed!" Bellamy protested, following after her.

"I need that bottle now." Nyko slipped into the commander's tent as we followed Clarke towards Raven.

"Stop!" She yelled. Lexa turned toward us.

"Let her pass."

"One of your people tried to kill you, Lexa, not one of mine," Clarke told her. I exchanged a look with Bellamy. What the fuck was she on about?

"You should have run," Indra warned.

"I can prove it."

Nyko came out of the tent with the bottle and handed it to Clarke. She took it, popped the cork, and pressed it to her lips, letting the liquid pour down her throat. Clarke moved the bottle and took a breath. This better fucking work, Clarke.

"Explain," Lexa demanded.

"The poison wasn't in the bottle. It was in the cup." Gustus leaned forward and whispered something to the Commander.

"It was you," Bellamy said. "He tested the cup, he searched Raven."

"Gustus would never harm me," Lexa countered.

"You weren't the target. The alliance was."

"We didn't do this, and you know it." The commander turned to Gustus and spoke to him in their language.

"This alliance would cost you your life, Heda. I could not let that happen."

"This treachery will cost you yours." The Commander spoke to her people and they held Gustus back. I ran to Raven, the rest of the group following. Lincoln used a knife to cut the ropes free and Raven panted and we helped her move away from the post as they tied Gustus in her place.

Raven was wrapped in a blanket next to Abby as we want Gustus getting tortured the same way Raven had been but by every person in the village.

"This would've been Finn-" Raven's quiet voice broke off. Raven looked back over her shoulder at Clarke for the first time since Finn died. A grounder slid a knife out of Gustus' stomach.

Lexa stepped forward and looked at the struggling man. The man she called her friend.

Gustus whispered something to Lexa that I couldn't hear before she drew her sword. She lined it up with his chest.

"Your fight is over."

She twisted the sword and shoved it through his chest. Blood squirted from the wound as his head dropped.

"We're not so different, are we?" Abby whispered.

That night Bellamy, Lincoln, Octavia and I sat around a campfire long past the camp had settled down for the night.

"How did you know it was Gustus?" Lincoln asked Bellamy.

"He'd do anything for her. To protect her." I felt his glace on the side of my head as he spoke. "It just makes sense." I tossed the stick I'd been fidgeting with into the fire.

"Look at the thanks he got," Octavia said, looking up at her brother.

"Guys!" Raven shouted, running out of her tent with her radio.

"What is it?"

"Listen to this," Raven said as a voice crackled through the radio. Clarke ran over to us as the voice became clearer.

Jasper.

"Forty-seven of us are trapped inside Mount Weather. They've taken Harper-"

"Talk to him. Say something," Clarke said.

"She may already be dead. We don't know how much time we have left."

"It's repeating," Raven pointed out.

"Please hurry. This is Jasper Jordan."

"They're alive," Octavia gasped.

"But for how much longer?" I asked.

"We need help."

"We need to do this now," Bellamy said, taking action. "We've got the alliance now's the time to use it.

"They've taken Harper. She may already be dead."

"First we need an inside man," Clarke suggested, taking Bellamy's idea from earlier. "You were right. Without someone on the inside to lower their defenses, turn off the acid fog, an army is useless. You should go."

"I thought you hated that plan. That I would get myself killed," Bellamy said, remembering her words from our conversation yesterday.

"I was being weak. It's worth the risk."

"You're not going alone-" I protested.

"Yes, I am, Flowers."

"No, you're not. Whether you want me there or not, I'm going with you. We don't have to talk to each other at all, but I'm not letting you go inside of that death trap of a mountain alone. You will die." I started towards camp to grab my things but Bellamy grabbed my wrist.

"I'm not letting your death end up on my conscience," He argued.

"It won't be because I won't die."

"Hunter's right. She's going with you," Clarke said, not taking no for an answer. "My map of Mount Weather." She took the map from inside her jacket and handed it to me. "Find a way to get on that radio and talk to us. Good luck." With that, she turned and walked away. Octavia turned to her brother.

"Bel, how are you two-"

"I can get you both through the tunnels," Lincoln told us.

"You can't go back there. Not yet-" Octavia protested.

"Let me show you what to look for," Raven said to the two of us and we followed her back to her tent knowing that if we fucked this up, not only would the two of us die but every single one of our friends inside of Mount Weather.

And it would be our fault. 

Chapter Text

        Bellamy, Lincoln, and I raced down a side of a hill towards a deer Lincoln had just shot. Lincoln squatted down next to the deer and got to work carving open the deer. Bellamy and I watched as Lincoln reached his hand inside the dead deer and when he pulled his hands back they were covered with thick blood he began to cover his face with it. To look like a reaper.

I exchanged a disgusted look with Bellamy and the two of us squatted down next to the deer.

"Okay," Bellamy said to Lincoln. "So we make it to the intake door without any of the real Reapers seeing us. What happens then?"

"I kill everyone and you two slip inside," Lincoln answered, blood from the deer dripping off of his chin. "Limestone." Bellamy pulled the limestone from his jacket pocket and handed it to Lincoln. Lincoln opened the pouch and dipped three fingers inside. He pulled his fingers back and slid them across his face in three lines. "Let's go. We've got a lot of ground to cover before dark."

"We need to know what happened after the intake door," Bellamy said as we walked. Lincoln paused, then started talking.

"They remove your clothes. Blast you with boiling water, then douse you with something that burns even worse. Then we were sorted. The others were tagged "harvest." I was tagged "Cerberus" and turned into a Reaper."

"Cerberus," Bellamy repeated. "Three-headed dog that guards the underworld." Lincoln and I turned to Bellamy, not following what he was saying. "My mom read mythology to us all the time. Octavia loved it." Bellamy stopped. "You're good for her. You made her strong."

"She was already strong," Lincoln corrected. Bellamy stopped walking.

"Hey, I need to ask you something." Lincoln stopped and turned around. "You protected my sister before you even knew her. Why?"

Lincoln walked toward us. "When I was a boy I saw a ship fall from the sky. Like Raven's. The man inside was hurt, his body broken."

"Suicide by Earth," I said.

"I heard the stories in the guard. I just didn't know they were true," Bellamy explained.

"I brought him food, water. I didn't speak the enemy's language yet. So I couldn't understand him, but I wanted to. So on the third day, I told my Father. He made me kill him. The world's been trying to turn me into a monster for as long as I can remember. Let's keep moving." Lincoln looked between us and started running toward Mount Weather.

"Wait," Bellamy called after him. Lincoln stopped. "The parking garage where we found you it's North, that way."

"There's a mine entrance closer to where the Reapers hand us over. We go into the underworld when we have to. No before." Lincoln started walking again and me and Bellamy followed behind him.

Later that day, Bellamy and I stared down at the map Clarke had given us before we left. Lincoln had stopped behind us. We were close enough to Mount Weather to see it, just not to get inside.

"The mountain has many eyes between here and the tunnels," Lincoln told us. "From now on, details must be exact."

"What if we run into real Reapers?" Bellamy asked, "Wouldn't they wonder where you've been?"

"And I'm pretty sure they could kill all three of us without breaking a sweat," I added.

"All they see is the Red. Once you taken, nothing else matters. Just how you'll get more," Lincoln answered.

"How much do you remember from when you were on it?" Bellamy asked. Lincoln looked up.

"Everything."

Lincoln grabbed two large sticks and rope from the ground and his pack. "Turn around."

Me and Bellamy did as instructed. One at a time, Lincoln placed the sticks on our shoulders and we placed our wrists against the back side of it. Lincoln tied the rope around our wrists, securing it to the stick. We'd be posing as his prisoners in order to get inside. He tied another section of the rope around the centers of each of the sticks to one another and when the time came he would hold onto it so "we couldn't leave".

We followed Lincoln through a cave system and the sound of footsteps behind me stopped.

"Why'd we stop?" Bellamy asked Lincoln, turning to face him. Lincoln's eyes didn't leave the ground as he stared at an empty bottle with the smallest drop of a red liquid in it. The red. Lincoln had mentioned it earlier. What they use to make grounders. He pressed his boot down overtop of the vial, letting it break underneath his foot.

"You okay?" Bellamy asked him.

"As soon as they open the intake doors, we attack. Do not let it close. Once they're all dead, go in. I'll make it look like you escaped," Lincoln ordered. "Once you're inside-"

"I know," Bellamy cut him off. Shouting echoed down the hall and lights flickered down the cave.

"Another raider party," Lincoln said, looking at the shadows on the turn in the cave. Lincoln turned around and started to untie Bellamy.

"What's happening?" I asked. "What are you doing?"

"We have to go back."

"Go back? No way," Bellamy yelled.

"Three maybe four. We can fight our way through-"

"We'll never get a better chance," Bellamy protested, pulling back against Lincoln.

"I thought I could do this, but I can't. Okay? It's over."

"No, it's not," Bellamy argued.

"You can do it Lincoln. It'll be okay," I told him. "We've gotten this far, we can get through the intake door."

"We can join them. Listen to me. When they bring out the Red, you grab it, and you run like hell," Bellamy ordered. "The Reapers will go nuts, the Grounders will run and Mountain Men will have to deal with it. No one will be looking for a Grounder running into the mountain." Lincoln reached for the stick behind Bellamy's head to take it off, but I swung my leg around, knocking Lincoln off balance as the Reapers ran towards us.

"Fight back!" I hissed at him as Bellamy got the idea.

"They'll think we're trying to escape," He finished for me, taking a swing at Lincoln. Lincoln threw a punch at me and I flew back into the wall. My head slammed into the rock and my head dropped from the impact. I heard Bellamy and Lincoln fighting and I slowly lifted my head, pretending the impact hurt more than it did in order to through off the Reapers. But it still hurt like a bitch.

I met Bellamy's eyes, real concern flashing through them and I gave him a small nod to know I was okay. Lincoln had him fighting against a headlock with a knife against his head.

Lincoln spoke something in the Grounder language and I let my body go limp against the wall, faking unconsciousness. A reaper spoke in a strong demanding voice. Two sets of footsteps approached, but I kept my eyes closed, if they thought I was unconscious they wouldn't think about the fact that I could whoop their ass.

They pulled me up and I let my body fall limp as they held me up from underneath my arms. I heard Lincoln move with Bellamy at least, I think. I felt a cloth wrap over my eyes and tied behind my head.

After putting up a fake protest, showing the grounders I'd regained my consciousness, my hands were tied and I was forced onto my knees. The cloth was removed from my eyes and I looked to my right and saw Bellamy. The Reapers had removed my shirt and jacket, leaving me in just my sports bra and my underwear. Bellamy, along with everyone else in the row of people, were in the same boat.

The door on my right slid open and a person walked in, dressed in what looked like a radiation suit. A high-pitched buzz filled the room and the Reapers stepped back as the person walked through the line of people. The door closed behind the person and I felt Bellamy's tied hands brush against my bare thigh, just enough for me to get the message.

I'm here.

"First dose up," A man, who I guessed was from Mount Weather said before injecting a needle into a Reaper. The Red.

The person in the radiation suit made her way down the line with a clipboard, marking each of us either Harvest or Cerberus.

"Next." The next reaper walked forward and received the Red.

She stopped in front of me.

"Harvest."

"Next." The reaper collapsed to the ground, moaning and muttering to himself before the next one walked forward.

She moved to Bellamy and after looking him up and down she jotted down on her clipboard.

"Harvest."

"Next."

It was Lincoln's turn.

Both me and Bellamy looked at him. Stick to the plan. Stick to the plan. Run like hell. Create a distraction.

"What's the hold-up?" The man asked Lincoln. Lincoln dropped to his knees.

No.

Horror filled my every thought. Lincoln was leaving us to fend for ourselves with no way out. Bellamy shook his head in terror, realizing just how fucked we were. Lincoln tilted his head to the side and the man injected the needle into his neck. Lincoln's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he dropped to the floor.

I looked at Bellamy, terror in both of our eyes. No. No this wasn't the plan. My breathing quickened, my heart racing in my chest.

"Harvest them all," The woman said.

"No-" I said my voice barely a whisper. The guards pulled us all to our feet. I swung my elbow backward, landing a blow to the oxygen mask of the guard trying to restrain me. A guard lunged out and grabbed my wrist pulling me back.

"Bellamy!" The guard pressed my bare back against his chest, holding his forearm over my neck.

"Hunt-" A fist flew into the back of Bellamy's head. He stumbled forward and two more guards pulled him back, dragging the two of us through the door, slamming it behind us. 

Chapter Text

Everything was a blur. A painful, brutal blur of chaos. All I remember was pain. The pure and utter terror-filled screams left my throat until my throat was hoarse. My head spun from the scorching, burning pain that covered my body from head to toe.

They poked and prodded at my skin until all of the blood and dirt that had been built up since we landed was gone and washed away. A needle had been pushed into my forearm and all I felt was pain. My body wanted to give up. I wanted to let go. I wished my heart would stop if it meant the pain would stop.

I wanted to die.

But I kept fighting. Kept enduring the radiating pain throughout my body the one thought keeping me fighting was; Bellamy.

I couldn't let him go into Mount Weather alone.

We wouldn't survive.

I had to keep him alive.

Bellamy's screams pierced through the room I'd been tortured in and I had no idea where it was coming from. No one else besides me and the guards were in the room. I couldn't tell whether it was coming from the room next to mine or inside of my brain, I didn't know which was worse. His ragged screams filled my mind and echoed through my brain as if I wasn't allowed to hear anything else.

"Flowers!" A voice hissed. "Flowers! Hunter!" My eyes fluttered open and I lifted my throbbing head. The first thing I noticed was the bars around me. I sat up quick enough to give myself whiplash and looked around. I was in a cage. there were cages full of hundreds of people some unconscious others not moving. Past the cages in the center of the room, there was what looked to be a medical set up. There was a woman hanging upside down by her ankle. I looked away quickly, trying to pretend I hadn't seen it.

"Bellamy?" I said looking back at him. "What- where are we?"

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" He asked, placing his hand on the bars connecting our cages.

"I- I'm fine."

"Hunter-"

"We need to get out of here," I told him. I reached my hand through the bars of the cage, contorting my wrist in order to try and reach the lock. Nothing. I pulled back and began lashing out and shaking the cage. Bellamy did the same in hopes to get his cage open.

A woman on the other side of Bellamy spoke in a language I recognized as the language of the Grounders.

"We can't... I don't understand you," Bellamy said quietly. She looked up, anger flashing in her eyes. She sat up and glared at us.

"Sky person?"

Bellamy nodded his head and the grounder spat in his face.

"Hey!" I yelled.

"I take it," Bellamy said, wiping his face. "No one has told you we're not enemies anymore." The grounder sat back in her cage not saying anything. "We need to get out of here."

"And then what?" The grounder asked.

"And then we kill everyone in this mountain," Bellamy said quietly. Bellamy took a deep breath and started lashing out against the cage.

Bellamy and I had been shaking and rattling our cages for god knows how long. I heard a quick beep and a door slid open.

"Here they come," The grounder next to us said. But Bellamy didn't stop lashing out. "Quiet!" She hissed and he stopped. Two guards came inside the room and began to walk down the line of cages. They stopped in front of the grounder woman and paused.

"This one will do."

I saw the terror on the woman's face and began to lash out against the cage.

"We got us a live one," One of the guards said. He stuck a rod into the cage and electricity flashed through my body as the rod was pressed against my skin. I jerked and flinched back into the corner of the cage and fear flashed in Bellamy's eyes.

My breath quickened as the cage unlocked. The door opened and I began to move forward. The guard shoved the rod against my chest and pain roared through every inch of my body. My back slammed into the wall of the cage and the other guard pulled a needle from his pocket and pressed it into my arm.

My vision began to swirl and the last thing I saw before complete darkness was Bellamy's eyes meeting mine.

I don't know how much time had passed before my eyes shot open and I gasped for air. Once my brain began to process the world around me I saw a woman dressed in a pink top with dark brown hair standing in front of me. She didn't look like a doctor or a guard. More like a civilian who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The next thing I noticed was that I was upside down. My head hung about half a foot above the ground, my body being supported by my ankles that were chained to the ceiling. I looked around and saw an unconscious Bellamy hanging next to me.

Why would the guards take both of us?

Unless...?

The guards chose me over the grounder because I was acting up. Bellamy must have gone batshit or something and ended up unconscious next to me with tubes sticking out of his body funneling into some sort of medical system I didn't recognize.

Wait tubes? I looked up at my body and saw I was in the same position as Bellamy.

The woman who had woken me up squatted down in front of me so we were at eye level.

"Who are you?" She demanded. I didn't say anything. "You're from the Ark, aren't you?" I looked at her and slowly nodded my head, even that small of movement hurting.

"Yeah," I said breathlessly. My head spun and throbbed just my the act of having my eyes open.

"Do you know Jasper?" The woman asked.

"Maya," I said, remembering Jasper mentioning a girl named Maya on his recording. She nodded. "How about waking up my friend, Bellamy," I nodded my head toward Bellamy's unconscious body. "Then getting me down?" She nodded quickly and started to remove the heart monitors from my chest, then moved over to Bellamy. She woke him up in the same way she had woken up me and he jumped awake, taking in the surrounding space.

"Hey-" I said slowly. "Bel. Bel, this is Maya. She's gonna get us out of here. She's a friend of Jaspers. We can trust her." Bellamy nodded slowly.

"Hunter?"

"I'm okay, Bellamy. I'm here." Maya started to pull the different medical tubes and heartrate monitors off of Bellamy but stopped as the door opened.

"Lovejoy. Parkinson. Hey," She said as two guards entered the room.

"What are you doing here? You're not cleared for this facility," One of the guards asked.

"I know. I'm sorry," She said. "I just wanted to see what was so special about them but... they're dead." I closed my eyes and didn't move my body, going along with Maya's plan. The two guards footsteps got closer.

"So they are," The other one, and this one was a female voice, said and I felt the air shift as the guards walked past. I heard gears turning as my feet started lowering to the ground. I let my body fall naturally as the blood began to distribute naturally throughout my body rather than pooling in my head. The gears stopped and the guards moved to me and Bellamy, they started undoing the chains around our ankles.

"You're a brave girl, coming in here alone-" The guard's voice was cut off by a grunt as Bellamy landed a kick to his face. The other guard near me jumped but before he could react I did the same to him. I pulled myself free of the chains and the guards grabbed their guns, aiming them at both of us.

"Don't move! Don't move!" They ordered. "On your feet. On your feet!" Maya reached behind her, grabbed a small blade, and jammed it into one of the guard's necks, but it wasn't big enough to do any serious damage. The guard plucked it out but dropped his gun. I grabbed a surgical knife off of the ground and used it to slice the female guard's neck. Blood flew out of her throat and onto my clothes. She dropped to the floor as Bellamy continued to fight.

The guard swung the blade at Bellamy, cutting skin, as I got to my feet. The gun fell from Bellamy's hand as the two began to throw punch after punch at one another.

I ran over towards Maya and she reached for the gun. She picked it up and aimed it at the guard.

"Stop!"

"No don't! They'll hear!" Bellamy told her. The guard flipped Bellamy over and punched him in the stomach. Bellamy doubled over and I ran to help, but before I got there the Grounder woman grabbed the guard's arm and pulled it against the cage, giving Bellamy enough time to recover and choke the man out.

I ran towards him as he dropped the body and placed my blood-covered hand on his shoulder. He looked up at the woman.

"Thank you," He told her. He turned to me and looked me over. "Are you okay?"

"I'll survive."

He nodded and turned to face Maya. "Are you all right?" She didn't move clutching the gun with all of her strength aimed at the floor. He placed a hand on her arm. "Hey. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She kept staring at the body of the guard Bellamy had killed. Bellamy started walking toward the guard and the two of us managed to get him undressed from uniform and then did the same to the female guard.

Once the guard uniforms were off the guards and the bodies taken care of the two of us changed into the uniforms. Bellamy pressed a button on the wall and an alarm wailed as the disposal hatch opened letting the bodies slide down into Reaper land.

"You've done enough," Bellamy told Maya. "You should walk away."

"You don't know where you're going."

"So draw us a map," Bellamy said.

"No. I'm in." She handed each of us a keycard and a gun.

"Thanks," I said, checking it for ammo. Full. Perfect.

"We need to get to the radio so we can contract Clarke. We heard Jasper's SOS-"

"I helped them set that up. I know where it is," Maya told us. "Look, your people are disappearing. Two so far. Monty and Harper. I thought they'd be in here but-"

"I wanna see the others," Bellamy said. "Now."

"The dorm's on the way to the radio," Maya said and me and Bellamy started toward the door.

"Wait." We stopped and Maya ripped the Velcro name tags off of the uniforms. "Everyone here knows everyone. Pull these on and roll up your sleeves." Maya handed each of us a hat. I pulled my hair out of the loosened ponytail it had been tied in, put the hat on, and rolled up my shirt sleeves.

"The tracking chip," Maya said. "It'll trip alarms once we start moving. We have to take it out." She hesitated.

"Do it," Bellamy told her as she picked up a small knife. She set the knife against my skin.

"How'd you know what my name was before I told you?" She asked me, sliding the knife down my arm.

"Clarke. Clarke said Jasper couldn't stop talking about someone named Maya," I answered and she smiled as she removed the chip.  I pressed a cloth against the open wound and she cut out Bellamy's tracker. She held out the two trackers, making sure to give them to the right person.

"Put these in your cages," She said. We took the chips and walked down the line of cages. I opened the door to the cage and set the tracker inside. Bellamy stopped and looked at the grounder woman.

"We'll come back for you. I promise." Bellamy turned around and we started walking back toward Maya. "Take us to our friends."

"There are 382 people inside this mountain," Maya said as we rounded a corner and kept walking down a dimly lit hallway. "If any of them realize you're not one of us, you're dead."

"That's reassuring," I muttered, adjusting my guard hat.

Maya scanned a card and a keypad beeped. "We're on level two. The dorms on five. There's a camera in the upper-right-hand corner. Keep your head down. Tip your heads down." The elevator door slid open and we followed Maya inside. I kept my head down to avoid being seen by the camera and Bellamy did the same. Maya pressed the fifth-floor button on the keypad and the door began to slid shut.

"Hold the elevator!"

Fuck.

A hand slid through the doors and I looked to Bellamy, meeting his eyes. The elevator doors opened and a man made his way inside.

"Hey Maya," He said pressing a number on the keypad. "You know I missed you in my Expressionist class." The elevator doors slid closed and we began to move.

"Yeah, uh, I had some work to do," Maya said not exactly lying. He looked back over his shoulder at her.

"I'll get you the notes," He whispered. Maya's eyes drifted down to Bellamy's hold which was holding his gun in its holster. Maya shook her head slightly and Bellamy's hand moved. The elevator beeped and two more people filed inside. I dipped my head and turned toward Bellamy just enough to seem natural but far enough away not to be seen.

Moments later the elevator beeped and stopped, letting the doors slide open. Maya looked to the two of us and nodded. The couple made there way out and Maya pushed past the man who I assumed was one of her teachers. I followed close behind her, Bellamy behind me.

"Hey, you're bleeding," The man said to Bellamy. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. "Are you okay?" Maya was quick to act.

"You're exposed. We need to retrace your steps and find the breach!" She exclaimed and I'm sure it would've been a bigger deal had I known what she meant. She snatched the handkerchief from the mans suit and pressed it up against the wound on the side of Bellamy's neck. "You better go."

"What about you?" The man asked concerned.

"This is my job. I'll be fine," She said with a very forced smile.

"Keep the handkerchief," He said stepping out of the elevator and moving down the hall. The elevator doors closed.

We'd waited in the elevator a few minutes before exiting off at the same floor, not to be seen. We turned the corner and Maya stopped mid-stride. I nearly fell into Bellamy as I stopped. A school bell rang down the hall and a crowd of kids ran out into a classroom. Maya peered down the hall and once it was all clear she began to move down the hall again.

"Come on."

We followed after her and a small quiet voice startled me.

"Mister?"

It was a little boy. He had sandy blond hair and wore the same uniform as all of the other kids. He grabbed Bellamy's hand and Bellamy stopped, turning to face the kid.

"Are you guys on a ground unit?" He asked looking between the two of us. "My dad's training for a ground unit."

"It's pretty cool up there," Bellamy told the kid. "I hope he makes it." A huge smile spread across the kid's face and he turned to me. He waved his small hand before turning around and heading back into his classroom, the name on his backpack flashing through my mind.

Lovejoy.

The guard Bellamy killed.

Bellamy's face fell and my heart broke for him. He just talked to the kid of the man he killed in cold blood. Fuck. Bellamy took a shaky breath and I reached for his hand. He didn't move but let me slip mine into his.

"Hey. It's okay," I whispered to him.

"They're just kids," He said just as quiet.

"What'd you expect you'd find here?" Maya asked, tears in her eyes. Noticing the harshness in her tone, she turned and kept walking down the path. Bellamy squeezed my hand before letting go and following after her, me right behind him.

Maya led us through corridor after corridor each as dark and grim as the last. We turned a corner and stopped in front of an open doorway.

Inside we're bunkbeds and nightstands with enough room for everyone. It looked peaceful.

Inside, Jasper stood talking to Monty along with the rest of the missing 48. Well, not everyone.

I took a step forward toward the door but an alarm sounded and the doors began to slide shut.

"What the hell's going on?" Bellamy whispered to Maya, taking the words from my mouth.

"I don't know. It's not a breach, but it can't be good," She answered. I glanced over my shoulder and locked eyes with Jasper who was still pounding at the door. He stopped.

He was alive.

"Get me to that radio."

"Camp Jaha, this is Mount Weather. Anyone read me?" Bellamy said, talking into the radio that had been hidden in the wall in what looked like an abandoned art storage room.

"Please work. Please work," I whispered, standing behind Bellamy.

"Camp Jaha, this is Mount Weather. Does anyone read me?" He repeated.

"Bellamy?" 

"Clarke?"

"Are you two alright?" 

"We're fine," I said over Bellamy's shoulder. "But that's the only good news."

"We have to talk fast. Something has changed," Bellamy said quickly. "Jasper, Monty, everyone is locked in the dorm."

"But they're alive? All of them?" 

"I think so. For now," Bellamy told her. "Maya says they're already using their blood. Things will get ugly in here real fast."

Clarke paused.

"Maya's with you?" 

"She helped us escape," He told her. "If not for her, we'd be dead. And Clarke," He stopped. "there are kids in here. We need a plan that doesn't kill everyone. Please tell me we have one."

"I hear you. But we can't do anything until you two disable the acid fog. Raven's gonna help."

"Got it. What else?"

"You have to figure out a way to free the grounder prisoners. There's a whole army inside that mountain and they don't even realize it." 

"A Trojan horse. Good plan."

"Bel, you've got to remember I don't understand your nerdy mythology references," I muttered and he chuckled, one side of his mouth turning up.

"We attack from the inside. Get the army suited up and while the army outside tries to get in, we can still fight. We're not helpless," Bellamy translated.

"What does Maya think? Is it doable?" 

Maya shook her head and shrugged.

"She says it's not a problem."

"Liar," I whispered.

"Clarke, if we're gonna pull this off, we need you to buy us some time. It won't be long before they realize we don't belong here and if that happens-"

"That can't happen. I'll come up with something." 

"Come up with it quick."

"Copy that. And guys?"  "Yeah?" We both said in unison. "You came through. I knew you would." "All we've done so far is not get killed," Bellamy told her. "Keep doing that." 

Chapter Text

        The alarm sounded and the dorm doors flew open. Two by two me and Bellamy pushed through the doors along with all of the other guards.

"Back up, everyone! Back up!" Orders were shouted at the 48. I pulled my gun and moved with a few other guards, forcing the 48 to the back of the room. I stood next to Bellamy with my gun up. Two guards pushed forward and grabbed either of Harper's arms.

I looked down at the floor, unable to watch my friend get dragged off to god knows where. Monty screamed in protest, trying to pull the guards off of her.

"No! Not her! She needs more time to recover!" The doctor who had escorted the doors in said and the pure look on Monty's face broke me. "This one." The guards moved over to a boy and dragged him out the doors. My stomach ached. I didn't even know his name.

"Stop!" Jasper yelled. "You can't keep doing this to us." The doctor walked toward him but Jasper stood his ground, standing with his shoulders back and his head held high. "President Wallace said we could go."

"That President Wallace is no longer in command. He had to step down for health reasons," She said and the look of terror in Jasper's eyes told me that wasn't a good thing. "I'm sorry it has to be like this. I hope you know you're all incredibly special to us."

"Clear out!" I walked backward out of the room with the rest of the guards, watching as Jasper exchanged a nervous look with Monty.

"Work station, do you read me?" Bellamy said into the radio about an hour later than Clarke had instructed. My words exactly had been 'She can suck it if were an hour late'. "Anybody there?"

"Bellamy, Hunter, you're late. Every three hours means every three hours," Clarke scolded.

"Are you through?" Bellamy asked her ignoring her anger.

"Have you found the source of the acid fog?"

"Not yet. Something else came up," I told her, leaning over Bellamy's shoulder.

"What? Hunter, no. Nothing is more important than that."

"Our friends being slaughtered by these people are. They've started taking them from the dorm one at a time, every few hours," I told her.

"Taking them where?" Raven asked through the radio.

"We don't know," Bellamy told them. "We tried to follow them, but they went to a classified level. Maya borrowed the schematics of the vent system from her boss... and we're still trying to find a way in. Anything?" He asked Maya and she looked up.

"I think I found a path, but it's gonna be tight. Here's the walkie Raven asked for and the earbuds." I grabbed the walkie and earbuds from her.

"You have to find them."

"That's the plan."

"If you don't all of this is for nothing."

"Yeah."

Bellamy and I pushed through Mount Weather's air ducks, crawling on our hands and knees one in front of the other. The corridor seemed to go forever as my knees burned.

"Okay, so tell us where you're at now," Raven instructed over the radio.

"Finally at the end of this damn tunnel," I muttered.

"We're at an intersection. Which way?" Bellamy asked stopping.

"Guys, we think you're close. The lab should be up ahead," Clarke said, taking the radio from Raven.

"That's vague," I said, not bothering to keep it to myself.

"Any chance you can be more specific?" Bellamy asked looking at the four different paths we could take. The sound of a drill echoed through the tunnels and I exchanged a look with Bellamy.

"Never mind," I told Clarke. I handed the radio back to Bellamy and smiled. "We got this." we made our way toward the whirling sound. I stopped as the floor dropped down below us. I rested my hands on either side of the wall and slowly dropped down. I climbed forward and Bellamy did the same.

I stopped and peered through the air duct, leaving room for Bellamy next to me. Inside the room was the doctor I'd recognized as the doctor who was taking away the 48. She held a drill against a blood-covered hole in the side of the boy they'd dragged off earlier. My stomach ached watching in horror.

The doctor took a syringe and placed it inside the wound, extracting the blood. She walked over toward a Mount Weather guard past empty cages.

"You ready for the last treatment you'll ever need, lieutenant?" She asked the man.

"You have no idea," He told her, pulling down his shirt collar. "I've waited my whole life to breathe fresh air."

"That's Emerson."

"Let's get back to this secret army that she claims to have. She tell you anything that might help us find it?" Another man asked. His dark hair was slicked back, his suit adding to the "I demand respect" aura radiating off of him. The new President Wallace I assumed.

The sound the drilling pierced through the air.

"Stop drilling, please," The man said.

"The window for extraction after death is incredibly short," The doctor said. Fuck.

"I only need a minute," The president promised.

"No, sir," The guard, Emerson said. "Nothing about the army. She did say she was coming for you. And that if we let her people go, she'll let our people live."

"Well, it's a little late for that."

"I'm sorry I failed, sir," Emerson said, lowering his head.

"No, it's okay," The President promised. "We'll finish the job tonight. Whitman just radioed in. Apparently, there's a War Council meeting happening tonight in one of their villages. The leaders are gonna be there."

"Sir, I feel good. Let me take a team out, support Whitman-"

"No, he has less chance of being spotted if he's alone," The President said.

"Sir, Whitman's good, but he can't take out that many targets alone." The president grinned.

"Which is why we're gonna use a missile. This time we're not gonna miss."

Bellamy and I exchanged a nervous look and began to climb further into the tunnels, away from the drilling hall or whatever hell zone you wanna call it. I put my feet and once I was fully out of the tunnel, stood up, letting my back stretch out. Bellamy did the same following my lead, readjusting the earpiece connecting us to Clarke and Raven.

"Please tell me you heard all that," Bellamy said as I cracked my back after the painful crawl through the tunnels.

"We heard it,"  Clarke reassured us. Silence. "If I leave now, I can make it there in time."  Bellamy's head fell back against the wall.

"In time to be blown up, you mean," Raven corrected.

"When I get back, I wanna know our friends are safe and the acid fog is down. Can you handle that?"  Clarke ordered. I looked over at Bellamy. He took a deep breath.

"Yeah, we can handle it-"  Bellamy cut Raven off.

"Clarke wait. Octavia was in Tondc when I left. Is she..?"

"She's here. She's safe."  Thank God. Bellamy nodded slowly.

"Okay. Good. You be safe too," He told her.

"I will."

Hours later the alarm sounded and Bellamy and I pushed through the dorm room doors with the other guards. The 48 stood with their arms linked. We stopped, letting the doctor walk forward to examine which one of the 48 she wanted to take.

She stopped in front of a blond girl I didn't recognize.

"This one."

"Alright, let's go!"

The guards pushed forward and I followed suit. The 48 started to fight back but it wasn't enough. I saw as Bellamy made his way over to Jasper, pretending to be fighting with him. Following his lead, I found Monty in the crowd. I grabbed his arm and threw my fist into his face before slamming his back against the wall.

"Sorry," I whispered breathlessly, trying to drown out all of the screams.

"Hunter?" I nodded quickly. "What-"

"Bellamy's here too. Listen. You don't have long. We're trying to take down the acid fog from the inside so Clarke can lead an army inside. We have a plan. Well... a plan based on a lot of luck. But you need to fight back. Punch me."

"What?"

"You heard me."

Monty's first flew into my hand and I stumbled back, surprised by his strong arm. I lunged back at him, grabbing his one of his shoulders and pressing him against the wall.

"Next time, you need to fight back harder. Don't let them win." The screams started to die down. I formed a fist with my hand and decked Monty again before following out of the dorms with the rest of the guards hoping Monty got the message.

Me and Bellamy slipped from the rest of the guards, turning down the hallway in the opposite direction.

"We need to find Dante Wallace. Jasper said he'd help us," Bellamy said, looking over to me as we walked.

"Dante Wallace. The doctor said something about "that President Wallace is no longer in command". I found Monty," I said quickly without taking a breath. "He said they'd fight back. Harder and stronger."

"I gave Jasper a gun."

"What? How the absolute fuck did you get a gun to Jasper?"

"Snuck it in in my uniform, during all the chaos I pulled Jasper aside punched him, and slid the gun into his hands. If we can find Dante maybe he can tell us where to find the acid fog. Or at least something helpful," Bellamy suggested. I hummed in agreement.

"Okay. We find Dante. We see what he knows and then we find the acid fog. Then maybe Clarke will get off our asses," I joked and Bellamy smiled.

The door lock clicked and the small light flashed green. The door slid open, revealing the dullest-looking room I'd ever seen. The quarantine cells. Everything was white. The walls, the decorate, everything. The only color was the scarf around the former President's neck and the painting in the corner of the room.

I closed the door behind us, keeping my head down after noting the security camera above us. Bellamy looked up at Dante.

"Your evening meal, President Wallace," He said as the former President looked the two of us up and down. He took a few steps towards us and I reached for my gun. I wrapped my fingers around it but Dante reached down towards the record player and turned up the volume dial.

Bellamy walked forward, taking each of the plates, bowls, and cups from the food tray and onto the nightstand next to Dante's bed.

"Who are you?" Dante asked slowly, watching Bellamy and I like a hawk.

"Jasper sent us," Bellamy told him, not looking at the way up at the former President to avoid the camera.

"Look we need your help," I said, standing close to the door to avoid extra suspicion. "Your bitch of a son is killing our friends."

"I'm a prisoner. Same as them."

"A prisoner who knows every inch of this mountain. Every security measure." Bellamy turned away from the bedside table and kept his head down as he took the old dishes off of Dante's bed.

"Who's helping you two?" Dante asked looking between the two of us.

"That's not important right now," Bellamy told him.

"After Clarke escaped I had all exits fortified and put under extra surveillance. My son has no doubt changed all access and entrance codes by now. Your friends will never even make it off of Level 5." Dante talked slowly and with a presence that demanded a listening ear.

"Way to look at it with an optimistic attitude," I muttered.

"I won't let them die here," Bellamy said his "leader" tone coming into view.

"I'm sorry. I can't help them escape."

"Yeah, you're gonna be fucking sorry-" I said walking toward him, making a fist with my hand. Bellamy took a step in front of me, stopping me. "But I may be able to buy them sometime."

Me and Bellamy snuck down the hallway out of the quarantine section of the Mountain, Bellamy turned the knob on a door to our left. He slipped inside and I followed after him. He set the food tray down on a shelf and I reached for the door, closing it behind me as my heart raced at the idea of what we had to pull off.

Sneaking around a Mountain was one thing. Breaking into a secure facility, hacking there system, and turning off their strongest defense? That's another.

Footsteps pounded outside the door and my breath hitched in my chest. Fuck.

Muffled voices echoed through the hall and into the empty storage closet. I wrapped my fingers around the grip of my gun, slowly pulling it from it's holster. I looked over and saw Bellamy doing the same, not taking his eyes off of the door.

The voices began to fade and the footsteps disappeared down the hall.

I sighed in relief, letting my shoulders drop and my gun fall back into the holster.

"Hey. Everything gonna be fine. Clarke is going to Tondc and is gonna warn everyone. She'll be fine. She's smart and the Commander will believe her-"

"I know."

"Octavia and Raven are back at camp. Raven is sitting by the radio as we speak and is ready to help us 24/7-"

"That's not the problem."

"Then what is?"

"We could die."

Bellamy didn't say anything.

The buzz of the air vent above us rattled through my ears as my chest rose up and down with each panicked breath.

"And I know that's not exactly new for us. But-" I took a shaky breath. "You could die. And for the first time, it truly scares me. We could get caught. We could be caught and lined up for slaughter with our friends. They can kill us anytime they want to. We're not spies, Bellamy. We're kids."

"Hunter-"

"No. I know this is irrational. We'll be fine. We always are. Dante is right. His plan will work. We'll turn off the acid fog. We'll live. But I- I'm scared. I'm scared, okay? I put up this tough girl act and don't let people see the cracks. I don't give in to fear. I run head-first into battle and don't hesitate. Because Wells hesitated. He's dead. Dax hesitated. I put a bullet through his brain. Sterling hesitated. He's dead. Finn hesitated. He dead. The two guards we killed with Maya. They hesitated. They're dead-"

"Hunter stop!" I froze, and the tears I'd been holding back fell. Tears flooded down my cheeks but I refused to break.

"I'm scared Bel-"

"I- I know. I know, Hunter. And it's okay. We're going to be okay. Nothing is going to happen. We'll get through it. We'll fight together. We will find our friends. Together. Hunter, I swear I will not leave your side until we are out of this Mountain. Until we are safe back at camp. Until all of our friends are safe. I will not let you go. We fight together."

"God you're such a heroic ass," I scoffed, a grin tugging at the sides of my mouth.

"I mean it, Hunter." I stopped as he took my hands. "We can do this. Dante's plan will work. We'll be okay."

I'd pulled myself together and we'd made our way back through the tunnel system. I lowered myself down and Bellamy followed after me.

"Talk to me. What do you see?" Raven's voice cracked through the radio as we took in our surroundings.

"Close your eyes," Bellamy told her. "Imagine a bottomless pit."

"Stick with it. According to Dante's coordinates, you're almost there," Raven said as we began to crawl through the tunnels.

"What's happening on your end? Did they evacuate Tondc?" Bellamy asked as I reached up to grab one of the ladder rungs. I pulled myself up, Bellamy following close behind.

"Don't know yet. But it's Clarke. She'll get it done. Concentrate on squeezing your ass through the vents. Stop worrying about your sister."

Bellamy stopped.

"Octavia's in Tondc. She's there? Raven."

"She's gonna be okay." Fuck. Damn it Clarke. "Clarke fired out of here. She's gonna get there on time."  Bellamy let out a shaky breath.

"How could you keep this from me?"

"Clarke was trying to protect you. Listen, you still have a job to do. I know you're worried about Octavia, but you have to focus."

"Let's just get this done."

We made our way through the tunnels in silence and found the control center for Dante's plan. Irradiate Level Five. The 48 would survive but the guards would die from the radiation. We stopped at a control panel and Bellamy started examining the wires.

"Just tell me how we know if it's even working," Bellamy said, pulling on one of the wires. An alarm sounded across the room and lights flashed.

"CONTAINMENT BREACH." An automated voice sounded over the alarm.

"I'd say it's working," Raven joked.

"Thank you, Mr. President," Bellamy muttered before we ran off towards level five.

We made our way through hallway after hallway, running around aimlessly trying to find our to Level Five. Footsteps pounded across the floor and I looked over at Bellamy. The footsteps for louder and a formation of guards turned the corner at the other end of the hallway.

The group of guards we were supposed to be with.

Fuck.

I don't know what Bellamy was expecting but I don't think he thought I was going to try and break his nose. He stumbled back and clutched his face and the footsteps got louder behind me. I pulled up my knee and landed a blow to his stomach.

I knew this was stupid.

I knew it was a bad idea.

I knew I might die.

But he'd stay alive.

He'd finish the mission.

He'd be safe.

I spun around on my heel, faking surprise at the sight of the formation of guards led by the Doctor. I took a few steps backward and looked over at Bellamy.

I'm so sorry.

I punched him again and ran down the hall, knowing I'd be followed by at least two guards. Bellamy would be left without suspicion and he'd be able to sneak up to Level Five.

"Get her!" Footsteps raced behind me and I refused to look behind me at Bellamy as the guards caught up to me. Two hands grabbed my back and I flew into the ground below me. I scrambled onto my back and stared up at the Doctor.

She pulled off my guard hat and stared at me for a moment before turning her head.

"I don't know you. You're with the 48, aren't you?" I didn't say anything, keeping my eyes locked with hers. The other guards, including Bellamy, ran towards us, forming a clump around the Doctor. I keep my eyes away from Bellamy's. I can't blow his cover. "Get rid of her." Two guards grabbed my arms and pulled me to my feet.

"I don't have time for this," The Doctor muttered. "I'll deal with this later. We need to get to Level Five. You two, take her away. Everyone else with me." The guards turned and followed the Doctor back towards Level Five, Bellamy's horrified eyes not leaving mine until the guards dragged me around the corner and into the Harvest Chamber. 

Chapter Text

3rd POV

Bellamy didn't stop running. He ran faster and faster as the screams got louder. He'd snuck out of guard formation and ran after Hunter.

Hunter.

His heart ached and his mind screamed at the idea she could be dead. That she gave up her life just so he had a chance to save their friends.

I will not let you go. We will fight together. 

That's what he'd told her. Minutes before she gave herself up for him.

The screams echoed through the hall and Bellamy pulled his gun from the holster. Maya ran behind him as he turned the corner. Through the open doorway saw what he assumed was the harvest chamber.

His breath hitched when the scared girl in front of him was Fox. Not Hunter.

He kept his gun held up and Fox jumped back, her hands flying up above her head. He kept the gun trailed on her and she took a few steps to the side. Bellamy moved the gun and let two bullets fly from the gun, leaving the two guards' lifeless bodies on the floor.

Bellamy ripped off his goggles and helmet and stared down at the bodies of the men he'd killed.

"Bellamy!" Fox cried running into his arms, tears running down her cheeks. Her chest rose and fell with each sob of relief at the sight of Bellamy.

"You okay?" He asked her, wrapping an arm around her waist, wishing that it was Hunter. He was this close. Where else could she be?  Fox sobbed into Bellamy's stolen guard uniform.

"Come on. We have to get her someplace safe," Maya took a few steps into the room and stopped, looking around. "Where's Hunter?"

Bellamy's chest ached and he shook his head. Later. 

Maya opened the door and slipped inside and froze in the doorway before walking forward to let Bellamy and Fox inside.

"Dad. You're home."

"Drill bit broke again," He said groggily, sitting up on the couch. Bellamy closed the door behind him and Maya's dad sprung up and off the couch.

"What are they doing here?" He asked Maya, his breath heavy.

"They're in trouble. We just need someplace safe to stay," Maya told him slowly. Vincent shook his head.

"They need to go, now."

"Let me explain-"

"Explain where you got that uniform." Vincent looked at Bellamy before turning back to his daughter. "Maya, you know how dangerous this is. What are you doing?"

"What Mom would've done."

Vincent took a shaky breath. "I need you to leave."

"Sorry, we can't do that," Bellamy said, not taking no for an answer.

"That's okay," Maya said. "He's gonna help us."

"Really? Because I'm not getting that." Vincent looked back at Bellamy but Maya kept talking.

"My parents were part of a movement that was against using outsider blood. My mom refused the treatments, and it killed her. She was willing to die for what she believed in."

"Maya, you were five-" Vincent argued quietly. "I couldn't leave you alone."

"I'm not a little girl anymore."

"They were willing to kill you before. If you get caught-"

"We won't if you help us."

"Please," Fox begged. "They're killing us. We don't have anywhere else to go." Vincent stopped and took a breath.

"Just this once. Just for one night." Maya turned and led Fox down the hall.

"Bedroom's this way," She said and Bellamy looked up at Vincent before following after them.

"Thank you," Bellamy took a step down the hall but Vincent's hand shot out, stopping him.

"You know they'll never stop right? If the rumors are true and your bone marrow can get us back to the ground, they'll never stop." Bellamy bit his tongue, forcing himself not to let his burning anger take over before following Maya and Fox down the hall.

"Let me know if there's anything else I can get you Fox," Maya said before closing the bedroom door and turning to face Bellamy. "Where's Hunter?"

Bellamy stopped. His eyes moved from the ground to Maya the silent message passing between them.

"No," She whispered. Bellamy didn't say anything. "They probably just brought her to Level Five with the others. It's okay. We'll find her. Fox can stay here with my Dad. He'll keep an eye on her."

"Okay," Bellamy said but his mind was elsewhere. Hunter was missing. She gave up herself for him. She didn't even tell him, she just turned and punched him then gave herself up.

She didn't hesitate. She said she doesn't hesitate. Because hesitation could lead to death, but she didn't hesitate. And she could still die. How the hell is that fair?

Bellamy replayed in his head hundreds of times, watching the panic on her face at the sight of the guards, the plan forming inside her head, the silent apology, and that was it. Each time he tried to find something different. Something that might help him find her. But the only thing he could see was Finn.

Finn stepping out from behind the dropship walls.

Hunter letting the guards capture her.

Finn being dragged off by the Grounders.

Hunter being taken away by the Guards.

Finn dying.

Hunter-

Bellamy couldn't finish the thought.

"Bellamy," Maya said staring at him and from her tone, he'd known it wasn't the first time she'd called for him. "Hey. Let's go."

They made their way through the hallways and Maya led the way. "Lovejoy's key card will get you in the armory. The guns are locked. The guard has the key. I can lure him away if-"

"No. There's no time. Once I get the guns how do I get them to Level Five? They're watching every door."

"Maybe not," Maya said stopping mid-stride. "The mess hall has a trash chute."

"A trash chute?" Bellamy repeated.

"There's one on every level. Best part, no radiation alarms. The hatches leak like crazy, so they put in airlocks to be safe. You get the guns. I'll get them to the mess hall," Maya planned and Bellamy looked up at her.

"You're a natural-born revolutionary."

"My mom was the revolutionary. I'm just trying to do what's right."

"Meet back here in 30 minutes," Bellamy said and Maya nodded. Bellamy made his way down the hall leaving Maya alone in the hallway.

Bellamy made his way to get the guns and the only thing he could think about was Hunter. As he made his way down the halls, into the armory, to the Mess Hall. The only thought in his head was Hunter. Whether she was safe. Whether she was alive or not.

He made sure the coast was clear and pushed the trash chute open. Bellamy secured the guns and began to inch his way up the chute. As he climbed he took note of the opens in the tunnel, showing the different levels.

At the fifth opening, he started banging on the door, trying to push it open. He braced his back against the tunnel and pushed. Bellamy grunted and shoved his shoulder into the door and it popped open.

"Bellamy," Monty gasped as he climbed out of the chute. Bellamy saw Maya in a quarantine suit and his eyes went wide.

"Get her in here," He ordered. "Go! Go! Go!" He slid back down the chute, Maya and Jasper following behind him.

Bellamy's body thudded into a metal container and the thuds of Maya and Jasper hitting the ground rattled the metal. Steam hissed above us as the trash chute door slammed closed. Jasper jumped to his feet and ripped the quarantine suit helmet off of Maya's head and she gasped for air.

"I got you," He said throwing his arms around her.

"Decontamination complete. All clear." A computer voice echoed through the tunnel as Bellamy climbed out of the metal container. Maya and Jasper pulled apart, Maya still breathing heavily. Jasper looked down at his feet and saw a gun lying on the ground. He picked it up and handed it to Bellamy.

A door slammed and Vincent rounded the corner making his way towards them.

"Dad? What are you doing here?"

"What your mother would've done," Vincent said, holding his daughter in his arms. Jasper laughed breathlessly and opened his arms for a hug. Bellamy smiled at the sight of his missing friend and returned the hug.

"Hey listen to me," Bellamy said after they pulled apart. "Clarke is coming with an army of Grounders."

"What?"

"We have to keep you safe till then," Bellamy said and Jasper smiled.

"Don't tell me Finn finally got his peace talks." Bellamy's heart sank. Jasper didn't know. No one inside the Mountain did. Fuck. 

"Something like that." Bellamy looked over at Maya and then back to Jasper before making his way towards the door.

"Wait-" Jasper said, placing a hand on Bellamy's shoulder. "Where's Hunter? Monty said she came in with you-"

Maya looked up and stared at Bellamy. Bellamy looked up at Jasper, forcing the tears out of his eyes.

"They took her. Come on, we've got a lot of work to do."

After managing to get every one of the 48 out of the dorm and down the trash chute Bellamy led the group through the deserted hallways.

"What if they-"

"Relax," Bellamy said, cutting off a voice from the crowd. "Maya took out the cameras."

"Well, we're still sitting ducks in a group like this," Miller argued as the group walked.

"You're right," Bellamy admitted. "So we're gonna split up."

"No," Monty said, grabbing Bellamy's shoulder, and stopping him. We do this together. We survive together." Bellamy's heart ached at the parallel to what he told Hunter.

 I will not let you go. We fight together. 

"Bellamy is right," Jasper agreed.

"Well, they don't trust Maya anymore," Miller noted coming up to the front of the group. "Who the hell's gonna help us now?" Bellamy nodded his head towards the hall and kept walking.

"They are," Bellamy said as the group turned the corner revealing a group of Mount Weather civilians standing with Maya and Vincent.

"We're going to hide you. Not everyone here agrees with Cage. Not by a long shot," Maya explained.

"Come with me," Vincent said. "We'll divide you along the way." The 48 made their way forward walking with the group from Mount Weather.

"You'll be okay. Let's go. You're safe now. Quick, quick. Keep going, find you people," Vincent said as he divided the group into smaller groups of three or four.

"Hey, we're coming with you," Jasper said walking towards Bellamy with Monty, Miller, and Harper.

"No, you're not."

"They still don't know I'm here. Hunter made sure of that. I need to keep it that way," Bellamy protested.

"So, what do we do?" Monty asked.

"Stay alive. Be ready to fight." Bellamy looked down the hall. "War is coming."

Raw screams rang through the hall as Hunter thrashed out against her restraints. Electricity ran through her veins as Cage kept his finger pressed on the control panel. He pulled his finger off and Hunter gasped for air, taking in each breath as something sacred.

"This can all be over. You just have to answer the question," Cage said, his tone staying relaxed and calm. Hunter's chest rose up and down with each shaky breath.

"I told you," She took another shaky breath, "no one else is with me."

"Now why, why don't I believe that?" Cage asked tilting his head to the side. Despite the constant pain she was in Hunter managed to laugh.

"I don't know, maybe because you're fucking stupid-" Her words were cut off by a hoarse scream echoing through the hall as the never-ending cycle of torture continued. 

Chapter Text

        Bellamy tapped Lovejoy's key card against the scanner and the lock beeped and flashed red. Bellamy pulled on the door but it didn't budge. He tapped the keycard again. Nothing.

"Bellamy, come in."

"Yeah, I'm a little busy here, Raven," Bellamy said, running from the door to find a different way inside.

"You missed check-in. Did you find the source of the acid fog yet?" 

"Making my way there now," Bellamy answered. "It's taking longer than I thought."

"I don't know enough to crack it on this end," Raven admitted "Hunter, maybe if you-"

"Hunter isn't here."

"What? Bellamy, what the hell do you mean Hunter isn't here?" 

"She gave herself up. We were gonna get caught she- They took her." Bellamy hated having to explain it over and over again. Every time reliving it in his head watching it play out again and again.

Raven went silent.

"We'll find her." 

Bellamy hummed continuing to walk through what felt like a never-ending room.

"She's okay, Bellamy. You know, Hunter. She's stubborn. She will be okay." 

"Then why am I having trouble believing that?" Bellamy muttered as he came up to another card scanner. He tapped Lovejoy's card against it and it flashed red. "Something's wrong."

"What?" 

"My key card isn't working."

"That's not good," Raven commented.

"I need to find another way in. I'll call you back."

"Stay right there!"

Bellamy's head snapped toward the noise and two guards were standing facing him with their guns trailed on him. "Hands in the air!" Bellamy looked down at the ground before sprinting up the stairs next to him. A moving target is harder to hit.

"In pursuit of the target. It's not Lovejoy. Repeat, it's not Lovejoy!"

Bellamy ran up another flight of stairs as fast as possible, fearing the worst. If they know who Bellamy is... what happened to Hunter? How far did they push her? Did she give in? Maybe she didn't say anything and they figured it out on there own. Maybe they killed her after finding out she wasn't working alone.

Bellamy tried to push down his panic as alarms blared through the Mountain. He took off, trying to ignore the aching pain in his side.

He risked a look behind him and saw the guards gaining on him. Bellamy took a sharp turn and after a second sprinted back down the stairs, throwing himself down multiple at a time.

"Checking in. Go back down to the base level," One of the guards ordered.

"You're surrounded!" The other yelled as Bellamy took off. He turned and stopped to catch his breath behind a wall, watching for the guards.

One of the guards turned the corner and Bellamy lunged at him, throwing his elbow into the man's nose. The guard grunted as Bellamy flung his fist into the guard's temple, knocking him out cold.

Bellamy rested his arms on the stair railing, letting his head fall against his hands, his heart racing inside his chest.

"Garza, what's your status?" The guard's radio cracked. "Garza?" Bellamy reached his hand into the unconscious guard's pocket and pulled out his keycard before running off.

He stopped at a door and scanned the new key card. It flashed green and Bellamy shoved the door open. Bellamy made his way through vent system, careful not to be seen by anyone as he arrived at Maya's house

He knocked on the door and almost instantly it swung open. Vincent held the door cracked but open enough to be seen.

"Vincent, I need your help," Bellamy whispered. Vincent opened the door all the way and Bellamy made his way inside.

"It's all over the radio. They know about you. Anyone see you come here?" Vincent asked and Bellamy shook his head.

"No. I've been keeping in the vents and unmonitored halls like you said-"

"Vincent?" Bellamy swung around and at the sight of another guard, pull his gun from his holster.

"It's okay!" Vincent yelled, putting his hand between Bellamy's gun and the guard. "Lee's with us."

"Dante was like a father to me. Some of us don't agree with Cage's agenda," Lee exampled. Bellamy didn't move his gun.

"Where's Jasper, Monty, and Maya?"

"They're okay," Vincent promised. "Thanks to Lee, we moved them to a wing that's already been searched."

"Isn't that a risk?" Bellamy asked, lowering his gun.

"We had no choice," Vincent said. "They've gone public with what happened on Level Five. They're saying you killed 10 soldiers. I don't know how much longer we can keep this shell game going. Did you take out the acid fog yet?"

"No," Bellamy said walking further into the room. "That's why I'm here. I'm gonna need another route."

"Way ahead of you," Vincent said moving toward a cabinet. "You can get there through the retrofit zones. They're off limits." Vincent pulled out a map and laid it out across the table.

"What?" Bellamy asked looking down at the map.

"No cameras, no patrols. We used some to move the kids," Vincent explained grabbing something off of his desk. "You'll also gonna need this. An acetylene torch. Go to the northwest corridor.

Bellamy did as Vincent told him. He held the acetylene torch against the air vent, burning away at it. When he got to the bottom of the frame he turned off the torch and pushed the vent open. He stuck his head out of the vent and saw a sign that read CHEMICAL STORAGE.

Bellamy pulled his gun from his holster and peered around the corner. After seeing that the coast was clear, he ran forward looking for a control panel.

His eye caught on a red box with a sheet of glass covering an axe. He took the butt of his gun and, shielding his eyes, slammed the gun into the glass, shattering it into pieces. After sheathing his gun, Bellamy grabbed the ax from the box and started to examine the pipe system.

He climbed up over the pipes onto the second level, throwing his body weight over the ledge. He used the base of the ax and broke the card scanner before sliding the ax through the door handles, locking it from the inside.

"Come in, Raven, I made it," Bellamy said, tapping his earpiece. "I hope you have a plan."

"We're still working on it. Give us something to go on. What do you see?"

"A huge steel vat, uh, looks like a submarine. Some other tanks with chemical formulas. Warning labels," Bellamy listed off, climbing back down. "A bunch of pipes going into the wall. A monitor."

"Oh! Go to the monitor," An unfamiliar voice said through the radio.

"Hello to you too," Bellamy muttered, the risk of the situation starting to creep up on him.

"Don't mind Wick. He's not really helping," Raven explained.

"Hey Bellamy," Wick said. "How's my boy Monty doing?" 

Well there actively trying to kill him, but yeah he's great, Bellamy wanted to say.

"Fine, yeah. But I don't know for how long." Bellamy stopped in front of the monitors.

"Great. Pleasantries over. Listen if that monitor is a control panel, we can use it to kill this thing," Wick explained. "Look for a pH scale." 

"Right," Bellamy hummed, looking over the monitor. "It has a scale but the rest S3, V2, O5, H2, S2, 07. Look, can I just blow this thing?"

"No," Raven started but Wick's voice cut her off.

"No, they'll know their defenses are down. They'll send a tech to fix it, reroute it, or pull some weapon we don't even know about." 

"Plus you'd probably melt your face off," Raven added. Bellamy sighed, his hope starting to dwindle. "Look, you know I like a good explosion but we gotta think our way through this one. We can do this. Here we go. Do you see an actuator anywhere?" 

"I have no idea what that is."

"Come on, what else?" Wick asked.

""Internal pressure sensor"."

"No." 

"Uh, "set point and alarm"."

"Let's avoid that one." 

""Maintenance and cleaning"."

  "Bellamy, go to that subdirectory. See if there's anything there that says "passivation","  Wick suggested. Bellamy clicked on it and read through the options.

"Okay, I'm on it." Bellamy tapped on it. "I got it. It says "aqueous sodium hydroxide bath"."

"That's a base. That'll neutralize the acid. Select that," Wick told him. Bellamy pressed it and heard a pump humming from around the room.

"It's doing something."

"You should be able to hear the pump," Raven told him.

"I can hear them." Bellamy looked back at the screen and the scale. "Needle's moving. The pH is rising."

  "It's working." 

The screen beeped and a message flashed on the screen. PASSIVATION SUCCESSFUL.

""Passivation successful," Bellamy read from the screen.

"Yes!" 

"All right. Send the flare."

"Roger that," Raven said her tone much drier than normal and Bellamy couldn't help but wait for Hunter's snarky response.

He turned back and looked over the machinery behind him. His eye caught on a small dust-covered dial on the side of the tube. His head turned to the side and he made his way toward it. He wiped his finger over the dial, revealing that it said.

pH.

The needle sat at zero.

Fuck.

"Raven, we got a problem," Bellamy's voice cracked through the radio and Hunter's heart nearly stopped at the sound. Cage looked from Emerson to Hunter, a smirk on his face.

"Raven? Damn it, where are you? I don't think the acid fog is down. Get word to Clarke. We have to stop the army. Raven!" Hunter trashed out against the guards holding her arms. No. They knew Bellamy was inside. They're going to kill him.

"That's him," Cage said and the smug expression painted on his face made Hunter want to kill him even more.

"The intruder's radio has been cut off," Emerson said a similar expression on his face.

"Raven, what's going on?" 

"Reset the panel," Cage ordered to another guard. "The army's almost in range." The guard's fingers flew across his keyboard and Hunter watched as his computer screen showed the pH scale returning to zero.

It was almost as if Hunter could see Bellamy realize what was happening.

"No." 

"I'm going to fucking kill you!" Hunter screamed at Cage, thrashing out against the guards. Cage just laughed.

"Good job finding the radio, lieutenant. Do a sweep, make sure they have no more," Cage ordered Emerson.

"Yes sir."

"Bring me the intruder."

"The Veil is ready on your command, sir," Emerson said.

"Wait until they're all inside of the kill box," Cage ordered. "Ten more seconds."

"Roger that. Deploying in ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one."

"We're go for Veil," Cage ordered. Hunter watched in horror, knowing her friends were being killed one by one. Like Atom had been. There skin irradiated to the point there pleading for death. Hunter screamed.

"Well?" Cage asked seconds later. Emerson looked up confused.

"We are negative on Veil deployment."

The guards jumped to there feet and Hunter couldn't help but laugh.

"What happened?" Cage asked

"Soldiers are reporting an explosion in Chemicals Deployment," Emerson explained. "Multiple causalities." Fucking Bellamy Blake.

"The Veil system's gone," A guard's voice said over the radio.

"What else can we use?" Cage asked and Hunter kept smiling at his panic.

"The Reaper's can't take a force this large," Emerson explained. Cage slammed his fist into his desk and Emerson flinched.

"Don't tell me what we can't do. Tell me what else we have!" Cage ordered. Emerson looked up at Cage.

"Nothing. All we have is the doors."

Hunter's smile got wider and she started laughing. Cage looked at her and rather than the stubborn undercover agent he'd been thinking she was through the hours of relentless torture, he saw who she truly was. A psychotic girl, who took comfort in other people's pain.

Hunter kept laughing, her eyes wide watching as Cage kept panicking. She swung her arm around and hit the guard hard enough in the face she heard bone crack. She grabbed a gun off the desk, acting quick enough to shoot two guards in the head and turn her gun on Cage. Emerson lunged at her and she shot a bullet into his thigh, watching as he collapsed to the ground.

She turned the gun on Cage, the only person still standing.

"This is all your fault. All of the death. The destruction. The chaos. It's. On. You." Hunter began to laugh the emotions from all she'd suffered through since landing on the ground coming back to the surface.

Her first kill.

Charlotte throwing herself off a cliff.

Watching as Dax tried to kill Bellamy.

Sticking a bullet through Dax's neck.

Murphy trying to kill Bellamy.

The grounder attack.

Finn giving himself up to the Grounders.

Clarke killing him.

The torture after Lincoln left Bellamy and Hunter to fight for themselves.

Watching her friends get dragged off to be slaughtered.

Giving herself up so Bellamy could stay alive.

Being tortured endlessly by Cage.

And now.

Standing with a gun to Cage's head.

A pain shot through Hunter's shoulder and she screamed. Her knees hit the floor as blood spluttered from her shoulder. Her head dropped to the floor and this time Cage was the one to laugh.

"You thought it'd be that easy?" Cage asked staring down at her. "That I'd just, let you kill me? One shot through the brain and that'd be it? No. No, I'm better than that." The door behind Hunter slammed open and two more guards ran into the room, standing on either side of Hunter. "You're still of use to us. Your friend? Oh, what was his name? Bellamy? Isn't."

The guards grabbed Hunter by the arm and pulled her to her feet. Ignoring the excruciating pain in her shoulder and forced her head up and stared at Cage. She spit in his face before getting dragged off and down the hall by the guards, leaving Cage in the room knowing that he still held all the power.

Chapter Text

        Bellamy pushed the air vent open and crawled out of the vent. He rose to his feet inside of the lined with cages of Grounders. After seeing that the coast was clear, he holstered his gun and ran toward the grounder he and Hunter had met within their first minutes inside the mountain.

He pulled a key from his guard uniform pocket and began to unlock her cage.

"Get up. It's time to go," He told her opening the cage door. "I told you I'd come back for you. Come on. Our people are marching on Mount Weather right now. Bellamy helped her out of the cage and once she was stable on her feet, he started unlocking the cage next to hers. He swung the door open and reached his hand out to grab the grounder. The grounder flinched back against the cage and Bellamy stopped.

"Hey, it's okay. We're getting you out," He explained.

"Slow down," The female grounder ordered, stepping in between Bellamy and the cage. "They just bled him."

"Listen to me. There's an army inside this room. And I need you to help me get them ready to fight. Can you do that?" Bellamy asked, looking around the cages and back to the grounder. She nodded slowly.

"Good," Bellamy said. "Start with him." The woman got to work, speaking in the native grounder language as Bellamy kept going down the line of cages, unlocking each one as he went.

"Too much noise," Bellamy said as the grounders pounded on their cages shouting in both English and their language. The female grounder moved toward the cages and shouted to the grounders, silencing them in an instant.

"Okay," She said, looking back at Bellamy. "How do we do this?"

"There's an army outside going for the main door," Bellamy explained to her. "When they get it open, all hell will break loose. That is the signal for my friends to come here, and then-" Bellamy's voice was cut off over a buzz of the PA system.

"My fellow citizens,"  Cage's voice cracked through the speaker. "This is your president speaking. I have news to share with you that will change all of our lives forever. For 97 years, Mount Weather has been our home. It's kept us alive, but it has also held us captive. Most of us have made peace with what we've had to do to survive. We've done these things for one reason. So that our people could someday return to the ground. That day is today." 

"He's doing public," Bellamy muttered the sick realization creeping through his mind.

    "Before my friend, Lorelei Tsing was murdered by the Outsiders still at large in this mountain, she found a cure. It was in their bone marrow." 

Bellamy shoved the key into the woman's hand.

"Here. I'll be back," He told her, taking off down the line of cages.

"Where are you going?" She asked going after him.

"He's trying to get his people to turn on each other. They'll find my friends. I have to bring them here now. I'll send them in groups. You get your people ready to go, but you wait for me to come back, you understand?" She nodded and Bellamy ran to the door.

"Wait!" She called, grabbing his shoulder. Bellamy stopped and turned to face her. "Thank you."

"You free your people. Protect mine when they get here. Then I'm going after Hunter." And with that Bellamy ran out of the room, Cage's voice filling the hall.

    "This has been the dream of our people since the bombs. But to reach it now, I need your help. The 44 criminals that eradicated Level Five, killing 15 of our people, are now keeping us from that dream. Although we've repaired our home, we can never replace the lives that were so viciously taken from us. Yet as hard as it is to believe there are those among us who would help the people who did this. And I am speaking to you now. If you truly want to end the blood treatment once and for all, then the 44 murderers you're now hiding are the key to doing that. You have one hour to turn them in without punishment. After that, we'll be forced to consider you enemies of the state. I'm asking you... please... do what's right for your people, our people. So that we can all take our rightful place on the ground. We're almost home."

BANG!

Bellamy fired his gun through the air vent at the guard and watched as his body crumpled onto the ground. The gun he'd been holding against Vincent's head dropped to the ground and Miller took out the other guard.

Vincent pulled the vent cover off the wall and Bellamy waited with his gun out until Miller bashed the guard's head against the concrete wall watching as he dropped dead.

"Hey, good job," Vincent said to Bellamy as he climbed out of the vent.

"Better than you," Miller responded and Bellamy nodded.

"Get everyone to the Harvest Chamber. You'll be safer there," Bellamy ordered.

"Safe in the Harvest Chamber?" Jasper asked, pointing out the irony of Bellamy's statement.

"Just trust me," Bellamy insisted.

"Are the others there?"

"Not yet."

"Monty?" Jasper asked panicked.

"Monty's with the other group of Level Three," Vincent explained. "We moved them after the last sweep." He turned to Bellamy. "You should go there next."

"Alright. Go. Vincent will take you. I won't be long," Bellamy ordered turning down the hall.

"Hey!" Jasper called after him, picking up a gun from the dead guard. "I'm coming with you."

"Jasper-"

"I promised I'd protect them, that's exactly what I'm gonna do." Bellamy nodded.

"Let's go." And Bellamy took off down the hall, Jasper, and Maya, running behind him. They crawled their way through the air vents and the lights flickered around them and then cut out completely.

"Keep moving. Don't have much time the last 12 are on this level," Bellamy said pushing open the air vent cover and climbing out.

"Including Monty," Jasper added climbing out of the vent and helping Maya. "Which way?"

"This way," Maya said pointing down the hall.

    "Attention." A voice over the PA system said. "Class 1 quarantine protocols are now in effect. All citizens must report to Level Five immediately." Maya stopped as Bellamy and Jasper kept their guns up. Jasper stopped and ran back toward Maya. "Hard-seal lockdown in T-minus 30 minutes." 

"Listen to me," Jasper said, grabbing Maya's hands. "It's gonna be okay."

"This is not a drill." 

"You're gonna be okay. We're not gonna let anything happen to you, will we?" Jasper looked back at Bellamy who had moved back towards them. Bellamy nodded, squinting his eyes to see in the darkness of the tunnel.

"Jasper, in 30 minutes all backup power gets diverted for species continuity," Maya explained. "That means Level Five for life support and security. Radiation will seep in everywhere else. I can't go to Level Five without being shot in the head." Jasper froze and Bellamy's heart broke for him, knowing that the girl he loved would either die from radiation or a guard would slaughter her. But he knew they had to keep going. Hunter didn't have long.

"Guys," He said. "We need to keep moving."

"We'll get you your hazmat suit," Jasper said trying to stay calm. "Extra oxygen. Enough to last until your engineers get the power on."

"Then what?" Maya asked, silently accepting her fate. "Do you think Cage Wallace is gonna let me live here after that?" Jasper stopped and with four words, Bellamy knew the fun-loving, joking-making Jasper was gone.

"Then we kill him."

Footsteps pounded down the hall and two guards turned the corner, guns at the ready, running towards the group.

BANG! BANG!

Hunter took a shaky breath and forced herself off the operation table. She stumbled toward a cabinet and scrambled for the leftover gauze. She unrolled it and began to pack it against the open drill wound in her side. She wrapped another layer around her waist to keep the first in place, ripped the end with her teeth, and tucked the loose end into the wrap.

She grunted as she pushed herself towards the room door, limping the entire way. She grabbed her pistol from the table and cocked it, holding in down at the floor. She pressed her back against the door frame and turned her head just enough to see that the coast was clear.

She moved down the hall, limping with every step, holding her gun at the ready. She willed herself forward with every step with one word.

Bellamy.

Bellamy.

Bellamy. 

Hunter limped her way through the hallway, ignoring the aching her shoulder. Cage hadn't bothered to heal her shoulder, assuming she would die anyway. Hunter kept moving, keeping away from the most populated areas as the PA system repeated the same message.

   "Attention. Class 1 quarantine protocols are now in effect. All citizens must report to Level Five immediately. Hard-seal lockdown in T-minus 30 minutes. This is not a drill." 

The lights flickered as Hunter stumbled down the hall as the power went in and out. The open gash on her side screamed at her and her knees gave out from below her.

Hunter caught herself with her hands and gasped for a breath.

"Get up. You're stronger than this. Get up," She muttered to herself, pushing herself off the floor, and bracing herself with her arms and the wall next to her.

She kept willing herself down the hall one step at a time as the lights flickered back on. One step at a time, she reminded herself. She turned and corner and the pure relief that had taken over by who she saw, vanished when she saw two Mount Weather guards running at him.

She pulled her gun and fired, killing both guards before Bellamy noticed they were there.

BANG! BANG!

The two guards dropped dead, with bullet holes in each of their heads, each gushing with blood.

Bellamy spun around on his heels and all of his fears over the last few days melted with the sight of Hunter. Beautiful beautiful Hunter.

She was dressed in white cloth like the grounders had been after being bled. A massive red stain covered her side, soaking through the cloth. She wore a Mount Weather guard jacket over top of the blood-stained cloth.

Bloodstained every inch of her face like a splatter painting. Her dark auburn hair stuck to her blood-covered face, tangling and knotting at the ends. Her dark eyes were tear soaks and Bellamy could've sworn he saw tears running down her cheeks.

Bellamy broke out in a sprint, running at the girl he loved. Hunter's gun dropped from her hand and onto the floor. Bellamy threw his arms around her, breathing in her presence. He tried to will the tears out of his eyes but it was no use. She survived. She gave herself up to the guards and survived. God, he loved her. From the way she managed to get out of life-threatening situations to the way she smiled. He loved every single part of her.

Bellamy pulled back and just stared into Hunter's eyes which glistened with tears. She smiled as if Bellamy was the best thing in the world.

"Hi," She whispered, staring up at him with more relief than she ever knew she could feel. Bellamy smiled and placed his gentle hands on her cheeks, holding her as if she could blow away in the wind.

He smiled at her, taking in every moment he had with her, and kissed her.

Hunter's hands slid up from Bellamy's shoulders to his neck and into his hair as the kiss deepened. Hunter's soft lips stayed pressed against Bellamy's. She pulled back slowly, staring up at the man she realized she loved.

"I thought you were dead," Bellamy said breathlessly, keeping his hands on either side of Hunter's face.

"God, I'm so sorry Bellamy. I-"

"No. You kept me alive. I-" Bellamy finally looked at Hunter with more than just love. He looked her up and down, staring at the bleeding gash on her side. "You're hurt-"

"I'm fine. It's as bad as it looks," Hunter lied. She looked past Bellamy and smiled at the sight of Jasper and Maya. "Jasper." Jasper made his way down the hall and Hunter hugged him, thankful she didn't have to go through the loss of another friend.

"Thank you," She said as she pulled back.

"For what?" Jasper asked looking between Bellamy and Hunter.

"Keeping everyone alive." Bellamy grabbed Hunter's hand, refusing to let her out of his sight again. Hunter's heart fluttered at the touch and she stared up at him, locking eyes with him.

BANG!

Hunter torn her eyes away from Bellamy's at the gunshot.

"Monty," Jasper gasped running toward the noise. Hunter squeezed Bellamy's hand and the pair and Maya running after Jasper.

"Slow, slow," Bellamy ordered, placing his hand out in front of Jasper, stopping at the corner. "Be ready for anything." Bellamy let go of Hunter's hand and turned the corner, his gun at the ready.

Hunter poked her head around the corner and caught sight of a body lying out across the floor. Maya ran forward and gasped.

"It's Mrs. Ryan."

Blood was splattered across her face and around the gunshot wound in the middle of her forehead.

"She was hiding the last 12," Bellamy noted out loud.

"Where'd they take them?" Jasper asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"It's gotta be Level Five," Maya suggested. Jasper walked toward the stairwell and Bellamy stepped in his way.

"No."

"Get out of my way," Jasper growled.

"Every person inside this mountain is on Level Five. Every soldier. Tell him," Bellamy explained, looking to Maya and Hunter. Hunter opened her mouth to speak but Maya cut her off.

"Jasper's right," She said. "After the lockdown, it'll be almost impossible to get them out. It's now or never." Jasper's teary eyes met Bellamy's.

"All right. But how do we even get-" The door behind them creaked and Bellamy, Jasper, and Hunter readied their guns without hesitation.

The door slid open and a head poked out from behind it.

"Monty," Jasper gasped and took a step toward him but stopped as Monty crouched down next to Mrs. Ryan's body.

"What is it?" Bellamy asked. "What's wrong?" Monty looked up at them horrified.

"They know about the Grounders. That's why I hid," His broke broke. "I- I didn't do anything to save the others. I-" He took a shaky breath. "I let them kill Mrs. Ryan."

"What do you mean they know about the Grounders?" Bellamy asked, lowering his gun.

"It's on a soldier's walkie. They're going for the Harvest Chamber." Jasper and Maya looked over to Bellamy.

"If they take it, we lose everyone." Bellamy took off sprinting down the hall, desperate to save the rest of the friends and Hunter took off after him with the rest of there friends.

They made their way outside the Harvest Chamber and Bellamy threw the door open. Everyone was gone. The 48. The Grounders. Everyone. The only person left inside was a body.

Vincent.

Maya screamed and ran toward her Father's dead body.

Hunter stared at the lifeless body in front of them, grabbing Bellamy's hand. He squeezed it three times before letting go. Maya's screams filled the empty hall and Bellamy walked forward through the rows of empty cages.

They lost everything. 

Chapter Text

        1st POV

Bellamy pulled his keycard from his guard uniform and pressed it against the scanner. The door beeped as the light flashed green. I pushed the door open and sighed in relief inside the cave tunnel.

"Bellamy," Octavia gasped running to hug her brother. She pulled back and Monty, Jasper, and I pushed through the door.

"I knew it," Octavia said to Monty and jasper. "You two are too scrawny to drill." Octavia gave each of them a hug and turned to me. She threw her arms around my shoulders and I grunted at the ache in my shoulder.

"Thank you. For keeping my brother alive," She whispered and I smiled. She pulled back and pulled her sword at the sight of Maya dressed in a biohazard suit.

"It's all right," Jasper said. "She's with us." Bellamy looked over at Clarke.

"Where's your army?" He asked her.

"Gone. Just like yours." Bellamy looked over at me and I took a breath. "Say you have a plan," She told him.

"Not really. We need to talk to Dante. Maya said he's in quarantine," Bellamy suggested.

"Clarke," Jasper pushed past Bellamy and threw himself into a hug with Clarke. Monty ran after him and joined the hug. As the three hugged a beeping filled the tunnel. Jasper and Monty pulled back and turned to Maya. Jasper checked the panel on the back of Maya's suit.

"Thirty minutes," He said. "We just changed it. That can't be right. Uh, um-" Jasper looked around. "It's her last tank."

"Okay, we'll find you another one," Clarke said, springing into leader mode.

"All the supplemental oxygen is on Level Five," Maya explained as Clarke walked over to her.

"Then we have to get you to Level Five," Jasper stated.

"Five isn't safe for any of us," Maya argued.

"We'll take the trash chute again. It'll work," Jasper protested, determined to find a solution.

"To get in maybe," Bellamy said standing at my side. "But Maya's right, every soldier in this mountain is there. We'll never make it."

"We can do this," Jasper said and I had to agree with Bellamy. And not because I was just kissing him. I love Jasper don't get me wrong, but he's delusion. "We'll split up."

"Okay. You guys go for Dante," Octavia suggested looking at Clarke, Bellamy, and Monty "We'll help Maya." Jasper nodded in agreement.

"Wait-" Bellamy said before Octavia could walk into the Mountain. "I'm not leaving Hunter." My cheeks flushed and I hoped the lack of lighting in the cave hid it. Octavia looked between the two of us knowingly.

"Then she'll go with you to find Dante." With that, Octavia made her way toward the door, pulling her sword off of her back as we all followed behind her.

Bellamy and I lead Clarke and Monty through the hallways and into the quarantine section of the Mountain. We stopped outside of Dante's cell and Bellamy unlocked the door with he keycard. The door opened and we made our way inside.

Dante turned around and froze at the sight of Clarke.

"Hello, Clarke."

"Sir, we need your help again," Bellamy told him.

"It's okay. I took out the camera from the junction box in the hall," Monty explained. "We can talk freely."

"No one's watching anyway," Dante said bitterly. "Thanks to you, they're all on Level Five."

"And thanks to you, your bastard son got elected President and tried to kill me," I shot back. Bellamy reached out and took my hand in his.

"Everyone else is on Level Five, but you're not," Clarke pointed out.

"No... I'm not."

"Please," Bellamy pleaded. "We don't have much time. We need a way to get our people out without killing everyone."

"He's not gonna help us," Clarke stated, staring at Dante.

"You cut the power, risking the lives of everyone in this mountain, my people-"

"You slaughter our people," I interrupted but Dante didn't stop.

"-Even the ones who helped you."

"We knew they'd be safe on Level Five," Clarke said walking toward him. "We made sure not to destroy the turbines so you could repair them. We're the good guys here, not you!"

"Tell me," Dante went on. "If we released your people and theirs, what would have happened to mine?" Clarke shook her head and looked back at Monty.

"Can you get us into the command center? We need to see what's happening on Level Five."

"No problem."

"Let's go," Bellamy said and he grabbed Dante's arm. "You're gonna help us whether you like it or not."

"I told you," Dante said as we walked through the halls toward the command center. "there's no one here."

"Sorry if we don't take your word for it," Bellamy said holding onto his gun.

"Why aren't you with your people on Level Five?" Clarke asked Dante as we stopped outside of the command center door. Monty got to work on the door lock as we talked.

"After what I've done, they can be free. I can't." I scoffed and held my tongue, knowing sarcastic comments weren't gonna get us any further. "Deliverance comes at a cost. I bear it so they don't have to."

"It wasn't Cage," Bellamy muttered standing by my side. "It was your idea to make the deal with the Grounders." Dante looked at Bellamy and nodded.

"We're in. Got them," Monty said, backing up from the lock. Bellamy and I grabbed our guns and pushed open the door, ready for anything. After a quick scan of the room, I lowered my gun.

"It's clear," Bellamy said. "He was telling the truth."

"Let's get the monitors up," Clarke said as Monty made his way toward the control panels. Monty's fingers flew across the keyboard and the screens in front of us sprung to life, showing security footage from around the Mountain.

"The command center's live," Monty said and I looked up at the images on the screens.

"Oh my God," Clarke whispered at the sight. Raven was restrained on the same operating table I'd been strapped to only hours ago as doctors drilled into her. I tensed at the sight, the gash on my side aching. Bellamy reached out and grabbed my hand our eyes meeting.

"Is that Raven?" Bellamy asked, tearing his eyes from mine and looking back to the screen. The camera panned around the room and four more people were chained to the wall, their hands restrained above their heads. Clarke gasped.

"Mom?"

Bellamy spun around and pulled a radio off of the desk behind us and shoved it into Dante's hand.

"Tell them to stop. Now!" Dante didn't move.

"I won't do that."

"Emerson," Clarke muttered looking over the camera for the Mess Hall on Level Five. Clarke walked over and took the radio from Bellamy's hand.

"Carl Emerson, Mount Weather security detail, come in," Clarke spoke slowly.

    "Who is this?" 

"You know who it is. Give the radio to the president." I watched the screen carefully as Emerson walked out of the room and down a hallway.

"They're moving," Bellamy said and Monty's fingers tapped against the keyboard.

"Not a problem," He said. "I'll bring it on the main monitor." The big screen flashed on to see Cage holding the walkie in his hand.

  "This is President Wallace." 

"I have your Father. If you don't let my people go, I'll kill him." Cage looked up and stared at the camera in the corner of the hallway.

    "How do I know you have him?" 

Clarke extended her arm, holding the walkie out to Dante.

"Stay the course, Cage," Dante said calmly.

"You won't do it." 

"You don't know me very well. This ends now. Release my people."

"I can't do that." 

"It would mean the end of our people, Clarke," Dante said turning to look at her. Clarke took a shaky breath and pulled her gun out against Dante's head. I jumped back, me and Bellamy moved out from behind Dante. Monty rose from his chair and we exchanged a quick look.

"Clarke we need him," Bellamy explained.

"And I need his son to believe me." Clarke brought the radio to her mouth. "Don't make me do this." Half a tense moment, Cage spoke.

"Dad. I'll take care of our people."  Dante watched his son on the screen, knowing that his son would rather lose his father than lose the war.

"None of us has a choice here, Clarke," Dante said, looking at the gun in her hands.

"I didn't want this."

"Neither did I-"

BANG!

Dante doubled over, a gaping hole in his chest. Dante coughed and his body collapsed onto the floor. Clarke lowered her gun and walked toward the screen.

"Listen to me very carefully. I will not stop until my people are free. If you don't let them go... I will irradiate Level Five. Cage, listen to me. I don't want anyone else to die. Stop the drilling and we can talk. There must be a way to get us all out of this." Cage turned his back to the camera. Emerson walked across the hallway toward him. Cage handed him the radio. Emerson took the radio and started down the hall.

"Emerson's coming for us," Clarke said, watching as he ran down the hall.

"They deactivated my key card," Bellamy said to Monty. "Can you do that to his?"

"That one's easy," Monty reassured, sitting down at the monitor.

"Where's he going?" Bellamy asked watching the screen as Cage walked down the opposite end of the hall. Clarke watched as Cage moved down the hallways appearing on a different screen.

"The dorm."

My eyes shot up to the dorm camera and the door opened, letting Cage make his way inside.

"Monty, can you do it?" Clarke asked. "Can you irradiate the level?"

"I can do it."

"Wait a second, Clarke. We need to think about this," Bellamy said walking toward her.

"If Cage doesn't stop the drilling, I say we do it," I said, for once siding with Clarke. "Our people will survive. There's won't-"

"There are kids in there." I stopped, letting Bellamy's words sink in. The preschool we saw. Lovejoy's kid. The classes of innocent kids who have no idea that as they're laughing and smiling with their family we have the power to kill all of them. Clarke was the first to break the silence.

"I know."

"And people who helped us."

"Well, then, please, give me a better idea." Bellamy didn't speak. He looked over his shoulder at the screen, watching as Cage stood in the middle of the room. His mouth moved but no audio came through the camera. The doctors started unstrapping Raven from the table as Cage pointed to Abby. Two guards moved forward and unchained Abby. They dragged her toward the table as Kane thrashed out against his restraints. Abby was tied down to the table and the drilling started.

"Clarke- if we do this," Bellamy said. "There is no going back." Clarke looked up at Monty.

"Figure it out," She told him. Monty got to work on the monitor and Bellamy looked up at the screen to see two Mount Weather civilians running down the hall.

"Now what?"

Two guards rounded and corner, running toward the direction the civilians had come from. A grounder faced them and threw a sword at one of the guards, lodging it in his chest. She slid down across the hall, taking the other guard's knee. She pulled the sword from the man's chest and used it to slit the other guard's throat.

The grounder stopped as more guards rounded the corner and I saw who it was.

Octavia.

"They gotta get out of there," Bellamy said watching as Octavia and Maya ran down the hall. A fist banged against the door and I flinched back.

"He's here," Clarke said and the camera showed Emerson trying to kick in the door.

"Jasper- they caught him," Monty spoke quietly watching the dorm camera as Jasper was brought into the room by a guard.

My attention was drawn to the Mess Hall camera as Octavia and Maya ran through. They stopped as guards surrounded them from all sides. Octavia put her hands up and I reached for Bellamy's hand.

"She'll be okay," I whispered as the clicking of the keyboard stopped.

"Why are you stopping?" Clarke asked Monty.

"Because I did it. All we have to do," He pointed to the level sitting on the desk. "Is pull this. Hatches and vents will open, and the scrubbers reverse, pulling in outside air."

"He's gonna blow the door," Bellamy said turning his eyes away from the screens. I pulled my gun from my holster and Bellamy did the same, aiming it at the door.

"Clarke, we're out of time," Monty said looking between the screen and the door. She placed her hand on the lever. She looked up at the screen watching her mom trash out and scream as the drilling continued. Octavia and Maya were forced onto the ground by the guards, waiting to be executed.

"My sister," Bellamy whispered. "My responsibility."

"I have to save them," Clarke whispered, tears filling her eyes. I nodded to Bellamy and he placed his hand overtop of Clarke on the lever.

"Together," He told her. Clarke nodded and the two moved their hands over the lever and the lever clicked, falling into place. An alarm filled the room and Monty scanned the monitor. I watched the screen as Mount Weather guards, civilians, and children alike jerked and watched their skin turn red before they fell to the floor. Dead.

Cage ran from the dorm and Jasper ran after him. I watched the Mess Hall screen as everyone inside fell to their death. The Mess Hall doors flew open and Jasper ran inside.

  Maya. 

He saw her body next to Octavia and he ran. He dropped down next to her and held her against his chest as her body broke out in blisters and boils. I watched as Maya's body dropped in Jasper's arm.

Emerson ran from the door and down the hall.

"Let's go get our people," Clarke whispered breathlessly, staring at the screens filled with the death that she caused.

We made our way into the mess hall and none of us said a word, seeing firsthand the death we'd caused. Bodies were everywhere. Some still in their dining hall chairs, others had fallen to the ground. The couches were littered with bodies and I stared down at a young girl. Blisters covered every inch of her skin. She looked no older than six.

Clarke walked forward through the hall and taking Bellamy's hand, I followed. Clarke stopped and my heart shattered at the sight of Jasper.

Holding the girl he loved in his arms. Staring up at us in horror, knowing we did this.

"What did you do?" He whispered his eyes bloodshot as his voice broke.

"We had no choice." The same words Clarke used over and over again.

"I was gonna kill Cage," Jasper's voice was broken off by strained sobs. "If you'd just given me one more minute, it would've been over-"

"Jasper," Bellamy spoke calmly. "They never would've stopped."

"We have to go to the dorm," Clarke said quietly, looking back at Bellamy and I. Clarke made her way out of the room and Bellamy, Monty, and I followed.

We stopped once we made it to the dorm, seeing the guard's bodies lying on the floors. Abby and Kane stood in the middle of the room as handcuffs were being unlocked.

"Mom." Clarke ran towards her mom, pulling her into a hug.  I watched as people cried, hugged, and supported one another. Kane smiled sadly at Abby and her daughter before walking toward me and Bellamy.

"You did good," He said softly. "Not let's get these people home." Bellamy nodded.

"Yes, sir." Octavia ran over and looked between the three of us.

"Where's Cage?"

I stood side by side with Bellamy, holding his hand, as we made our way to into camp. We stopped at the gate, watching as what was the 48 walked into camp. Wick carried Raven in her arms but stopped as they walked past Jasper.

"Wait, Jasper," She said and Wick stopped. She reached for her and pulled out Jasper's goggles. "I almost forgot." Jasper took them and just stared at them as if they were foreign to him.

"My goggles. Thank you."

I watched with Bellamy as the last of the 48 came into Camp, leaving Monty and Clarke hugging outside. I looked up at Bellamy, still relieved he was alive. Somehow both of us made it out of the mountain alive.

I took a step toward camp and crumbled under my own weight. My knees gave out and I managed to catch myself with my hands before I got a face full of dirt. Bellamy sprung into action and crouched down next to me.

"Are you okay-" His voice stopped as he saw the massive blood stain on the cloth that, up until now, had been hidden underneath the Mount Weather guard jacket. "I- I thought you said you were fine?"

I took a shaky breath as the adrenaline kept warring off, forcing my body to feel all of the pain I'd been suppressing for the last 24 hours.

"I lied," I gasped for a breath. "And, in my defense, I thought I was fine." Bellamy looked up and flagged down Eric Jackson, a doctor who worked with Abby. Eric ran over squatted down next to us.

"She was drilled," Bellamy told him and Eric noticed the blood on my side. I huffed out a laugh.

"And shot."

"What?" Alarm flashed in Bellamy's eyes and I grinned.

"Yeah, Emerson's a bitch." Eric looked over at Bellamy.

"Yeah, she's always like this." Hunter laughed.

"Here, let's get you up," Eric said and Bellamy helped pull me to my feet. "You should be okay. You, along with everyone else, will have a long recovery but you'll be back on your feet in no time," Eric reassured and Bellamy nodded. He looked back over his shoulder at Clarke, who was standing alone, staring up at the Camp Jaha sign.

"Go. She needs you more than I do right now," I told him, before placing a soft hand on her cheek and pressing my lips to his.

"I'll be there soon," He told me after we pulled apart.

"Good." I wrapped my arm around Eric's shoulders and he helped me into camp and despite the pain, despite everything we'd just been through. I smiled.

I smiled because I knew Bellamy and I survived. 

Chapter Text

        Three months had passed since Mount Weather had been irradiated and for the most part, things had been great. I had made a rather speedy recovery, to both Eric Jackson's and Abby's surprise considering the gunshot wound, gaping hole in my side, and the several other minor injuries I'd sustained in Mount Weather.

Everyone had been living back and forth between the wreckage of the Ark and the now empty, Mount Weather. Bellamy had begun training with Lincoln both on his own and while leading a class for kids who wanted to learn self-defense. And by want, I mean Abby and Kane were, in her words, not forcing it, but heavily advising.

While Bellamy had been training, I started learning Trigedasleng, the language of the grounders, or Trig, for short. Even though the alliance had broken, I figured it would be a bad idea to learn it anyway.

Bellamy and I had only gotten closer over the months, adjusting to what seemed to be the start of a normal life inside of Mount Weather. Well at least as normal as it can get, living inside of a Mountain you slaughtered the original residents of.

I made my way down the hall of Alpha Station, smiling at a group of the original hundred sent down to earth. I felt bad not knowing the names of all of them, but until recently, I assumed we'd all be dead in under a year.

I pushed the door open and leaned against the open door frame, watching as Lincoln whooped my boyfriend's ass.

Lincoln ran at Bellamy, and Bellamy dodged a punch that came flying at his head and kneed Lincoln in the stomach. Lincoln doubled over and Bellamy jumped, throwing his fist into the side of Lincoln's face. Lincoln stubbled back and the chaos of the fight was the least of my concerns after noticing both men had taken off their shirts.

God, Hunter, just because Bellamy isn't wearing a shirt doesn't give you an excuse to lose your fucking mind.

But if I was gonna need an excuse this would be a pretty damn good one.

Lincoln dodged a punch from Bellamy, grabbing his wrist and using Bellamy's momentum to flip him over slamming him back into the mat, pining down his arm, and holding his fist up for three seconds before moving, claiming his victory.

Lincoln rose to his feet turned to face the group of kids watching.

"He had me, but he was too aggressive," Lincoln explained to the group. I pushed off the wall and made my way over to Bellamy and extended my hand. He took it and I pulled him to his feet.

"Which is why, ladies and gentlemen, my boyfriend keeps getting his ass kicked," I said with a smile. Bellamy scoffed, walking off the mat.

"Whatever you say." He reached for his t-shirt and Lincoln turned back to him.

"Quitting so soon?" Lincoln asked.

"Mapping run. Sector 7," I explained. "Kane's waiting for you."

"Let's get this over with," Bellamy said nodding to me. I reached down and grabbed the backpack off of the ground next to me and tossed it to Lincoln. He grabbed it and looked up at Bellamy. "The Council wants you to have that." Lincoln unzipped it and pulled out an Ark Guard Jacket.

"I'm Trikru."

"A uniform doesn't change that," Bellamy assured him. "This is our home now, Lincoln. We fought for it. Too many of our friends died for it," Bellamy turned to the rest of the group. "On the Ark, the uniform meant something different. Down here, it means what we make it mean. Together." Bellamy turned to Lincoln. "My sister will understand that eventually."

Bellamy made his way toward his stuff in the corner of the room as Lincoln instructed the class to pair up.

"Nice speech, Mr. Motivational Speaker," I joked, elbowing Bellamy's side as he reached for his new, not stolen, guard jacket.

"Hey," Lincoln said making his way over to us. "Sector 7? That puts you at the Ice Nation border."

"Yeah, I know," Bellamy said.

"Just because Azgeda is part of the Commander's coalition doesn't mean they respect the ceasefire. I should be on that scout," Lincoln said.

"I wish. We all do. But until the commander agrees to lift the kill order on you," Bellamy paused. "You're more trouble than you're worth." Bellamy gave Lincoln a sad smile before grabbing the rest of his things and making his way with me toward Kane's office.

"Where's your stuff?" Bellamy asked as we rounded the corner.

"I'm not going. Kane thinks my strengths should be used elsewhere," I grimaced.

"And you didn't argue? That's unlike you."

"Well, I tried. He said he wants me to start training a new group. Hopefully in a month of so have them training with you guys," I explained as we kept making our way down the halls.

"That'll keep you busy. Why not just bring them in with us in the first place?"

"I don't know. He said Abby wanted to have another option for those who want to learn, but not be put on the front lines when the time comes. And apparently, I'm the best teacher they could come up with."

"Why can't they have you start once we get back. I'm sure the demand isn't that high," Bellamy pointed out and I shrugged.

"I don't know, I can ask, but..." I trailed off as we stopped outside the door.

I knocked just before opening it just enough to see inside. Kane put a finger to his lips and motioned us inside.

"It's the Chancellor's first sleep in two days," He said looking over at Abby who was passed out on his couch.

"We'll be quick then," Bellamy said. "I'm going into Sector 7. I think we should arm the entire unit." Kane paused for a moment.

"Permission granted. But the rules of engagement still apply. Non-lethal response."

"Copy that," Bellamy said with a nod.

"There hasn't been an attack since Mount Weather. It's three months. Our people believe that this is real peace. Try not to screw that up," Kane advised.

Bellamy smiled. "Yes sir."

"Oh, and one quick question," I said and Kane turned his glace to me. "The class you asked me to instruct, would it be possible for it to start after the Mapping Run? I'm sure they won't be gone long and I know the area better than the majority of camp and whose left of us either is already on the team or has no interest in fighting."

About sixty-five percent of the original hundred had sworn off fighting unless absolutely necessary and honestly, I didn't blame them. We'd had three months of peace and we were finally all starting to settle down and be truly comfortable.

"Negative, Hunter. We need you here."

"Sir, I'm sure the demand of a class taught by an 18-year-old who's killed almost hundreds of people isn't so high I couldn't-"

"I'm sorry that's not gonna happen. Your first class is scheduled for later today. We need you here."

I looked over at Bellamy. I started walking toward the door and he followed behind, giving Kane a quick nod. We stepped outside the room and I closed the door behind us.

"Be safe." I lifted my heels off the ground to reach my lips to Bellamy's. My cheeks warmed with the touch and my chest ached. I still couldn't fully believe that I was dating Bellamy Blake.

This could be the last time we ever are alone together.

No. Bellamy is going to be fine. This trip is going to be fine. It's a short easy mapping run he could do in his sleep.

The two of us pulled apart and Bellamy's hand lingered on the back of my head, the warmth of his touch, melting away the thoughts clouding my mind.

"I love you," He spoke, a small smile on his lips.

"I love you too, Bel."

He smiled at me and made his way down the hall and out of sight. I set him get far enough down the hall before turning around on my heels and opening office door again.

"Hunter. Did you forget something?" Kane asked, clearly surprised to see me back in his office.

"No. No, I didn't. I just wanted to understand why I'm not on the run with everyone else. I mean, even Jasper's going and he's been nothing but a pain in your ass for the last three months."

"I- Look, Hunter, you are an extremely valuable member of our team and you can hold your own in a fight, But, there could be some liabilities on this mission regarding..." Kane trailed off but I was able to finish the thought for him.

"Regarding me and Bellamy."

Kane took a breath before speaking. "You and Bellamy make an excellent team, and it's not my place to comment on your personal relationship but-" I scoffed. "-but I know how much you both care for each other, and I can't let that be the reason a mission fails."

"A mission! This is a mapping run!"

Abby groaned and sat up on the couch. Shit, I had totally forgotten she'd be asleep.

"Marcus," She said groggily. "What's going on?"

"Your boyfriends being an ass," I said before continuing on. "This isn't even a real mission! We haven't had a real mission in 3 months! I-"

"Hunter, I understand you're upset-"

"You're quite the genius then."

"-But you have to understand. I made that call because the last time you and Bellamy were on a mission together, you sacrificed your own cover because there was potential for danger."

I scoffed. "I saved Bellamy's life and I'm still here. Clearly, I know what I'm doing."

And with that I left the room, leaving a pissed-off Kane and a very confused Chancellor.

An hour later I stood in front of a class of students. I had eleven in my group, which was more than I thought would show up. I recognized two of them as members of the hundred, Brook and Sparrow. I hadn't interacted with them but I knew who they were. There were three other kids around their ages, two boys and a girl. There was a woman who I'd known to be pregnant, I'd seen her in the med bay the last time I'd done something stupid while hanging out with Bellamy's class. Broke my wrist.

There was a father and his daughter. The girl looked to be about 13, but I hadn't met her before. A middle-aged man stood next to an older couple who looked to be in their sixties or seventies maybe.

"Alright. Let's get started. Hello, everyone. If you don't know me, I'm Hunter. I am a part of the small group still from the 100 sent down to Earth. Kane and Abby- Chancellor Griffin thought we needed a group for those who wanted to learn how to properly defend themselves, without being thrown onto the front lines should a situation arise. Hopefully, the skills you learn here, you don't have to use. I hope that we'll be able to live here and not have to worry about another impending war, but between you and me, I don't like the odds of that happening."

That got a few laughs.

"I want to let you all know that I am not a professional trainer. I did not learn from a professional trainer. I learned from the Grounders attacking the dropship and having two options. Fight, or die. Thankfully, all of you have an option. You can learn how to fight properly, learn how to fire a gun and never have to use those skills, or you can march to the front lines. The choice is yours and you do not have to choose now. All right, I want to get to know you guys, I mean, we're all going to be wiping the floor with each other soon so the least we can do is learn each other's name."

The group smiled at that. Great, I didn't suck at my job yet.

We all went down the row introducing ourselves and after the last person, Ezra, finished we got started. I divided the group into pairs and encouraged them to find someone of similar size and age to them. Because of the odd number of people, I ended up paired with Ezra. He was 15 and seemed to be one who would rather sit on his own than with a bunch of people, which I didn't mind. Less awkward small talk on my part.

"Alright. I want you to get to know your partner while you stretch. Injuries can happen during the fighting, I mean, we all know that. But despite how embarrassing it may be, more often than not those injuries happen because of you. I not going to tell you how many times I've pulled a muscle while sparing, but if you want to know, ask Bellamy, I'm sure he'd be more than happy to tell you."

The two girls who were part of the hundred laughed. I didn't know them but they knew me. I hadn't really thought about it but there were people around camp who considered me almost like a celebrity just because I was sent to Earth to die and was reckless enough to go on the first mission.

I turned away from the class and looked at Ezra. He was staring down at the ground in front of him and I could sense the anxiety radiating off of him.

"Hey. You okay?" I asked him, quietly enough not to be heard by the others. His head shot up and he nodded.

"Yeah! I'm fine. Just tired. Didn't sleep great last night," He said with a small shrug.

"Alright, but I'm not gonna go any easier on you." That got him to laugh. "So, what's your story Ezra?"

"Uh, I'm 15. Umm..." He trailed off.

"Hate to break it to you but your age doesn't tell me who you are," I said with a grin.

"I don't know, I haven't really done anything cool if that's what you're asking," He said, his eyes trailing down to the ground again. I teasingly shoved his shoulder and smiled.

"Come on, I'm sure you've done something cool."

"Well... I watched my parents get floated when I was 11."

I couldn't hide the pure shock on my face. Is this what people feel like when I make fucked up trauma jokes?

I opened my mouth to speak but the words didn't form. Ezra noticed and shrugged as if he'd told me he spilled his water on his shirt not that his parents were dead.

"I-" I didn't want to say 'I'm sorry'. It's basic and boring and makes me want to punch whoever said it.

"Nah, it's alright. I- Uh, have a habit of oversharing," He said and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Glad I'm not the only one." I glanced around behind me at the other pairs chatting and getting to know each other. "Alright," I said turning to address everyone. "Your partner is gonna be the person you train with the most during class. Yes, you will switch it up or it may be two on two, but when we are practicing one-on-one you'll likely be with that person. For now, I want to see where you all are at. This is less about who is the fastest or who can throw the best punch and more about how comfortable you are on the mat. Are you willing to risk getting yourself hurt if it means winning? Things like that."

"So," I took a few steps back, walking onto the mat Kane had provided me with that wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world but was better than concrete. "Come at me."

The group looked at one another, and I don't know whether they were trying to figure out if I was kidding or to see who would run first. And that is why I was doing it. I wanted to see who would jump into the deep end versus who would be more hesitant.

Ezra ran from the crowd. He didn't hold back as he threw both his arms out at me. Using the few seconds I had until he hit me, I grabbed at his wrists, crossing my arms. I bent my left knee just enough to slid myself under his arms. I pushed off of my bent leg and threw my entire body weight into flipping him onto the floor behind me.

His body landed with a thud and I took a quick counter step back, re-centering my balance. Ezra gasped for air, laying flat on his back, in the middle of the mat. I tried not to smile at my small victory as I turned back to the group.

"Who's next?"

Sadie ran from the group and as soon as both of her feet hit the mat, she was fair game. I crossed the length of the mat and once I was in range, she swung her left fist, and I ducked, letting her arm swing above my head. I swung my arm around her back and after shifting my weight, I jammed my knee into the back of her leg. I spun around to face her as she stumbled forward, temporarily losing her balance. I regained momentum as I ran toward her and landed my foot in the center of her back.

Her body hit the mat were Ezra had just been. I swung around, feeling the air shift around me as Ezra ran up from behind me. As soon as I saw him, he jumped and has his right leg around my torso and his right arm in front of my neck. He threw himself forward, sending both of us onto the floor.

My body ached as the air was shot from my lungs. Ezra landed on top of me and I reached for where my gun would've been. I moved my hand up and placed the tip of my finger gun against his stomach.

Defeat hung on Ezra's face as he rose to stand and offered his hand down to me. I took it and stood, taking a breath before addressing the class.

"That was great, especially for your first time. And props to you two for just jumping in and giving it your best. Sadie could've done some serious damage. If she hadn't come in straight away with her left, I would've assumed she favored her right, given that most do. A huge part of fighting is navigating how to balance between using your strengths and not revealing all of them. For example, if you are left-handed, you might not want to come in with a very left-dominant move right away, but you also can't win a fight on your weaker side. That's the most important part of fighting. Balancing the physical side versus the mental side."

I'd wrapped up class for the day and was feeling good about it. Everyone seemed to enjoy it for the most part and no one had any serious injuries, which I saw as a win. Ezra had only continued to impress me during our one-on-one sparing. We covered the basic punches and started talking about weapon usage. No one fired anything but I wanted them to get a feel of having a weapon in their hand.

I stood around sorting through clothes we'd brought in from Mount Weather. Kane and Abby had been sending people on supply runs to gather what materials we could. We'd taken the food and weapons but didn't priorities the extra things until we knew it was safe and we had the extra people to spare.

We'd found extra space in the Ark to devote to sorting supplies and dividing up what we could use versus what was trash.

My eye caught on a boy reaching his hand toward a bracelet from the bin Raven had been going through.

"Not so fast." Raven grabbed Macallan's arm stopping him from leaving with the bracelet. I finished sorting through my bin and made my way over toward them.

"I say we float him," I joked looking over to Raven.

"Come on," He looked between the two of us. "What do you guys want for it?" Raven looked over at me and I nodded.

"One song."

"Done."

Macallan nodded and made his way over to the piano we'd taken from Mount Weather. I looked over at Raven as Macallan sat at the piano.

His fingers moved across the keys and the notes traveled around the room as the crowds of people listened while they worked. His voice echoed around the room with each measure.

I saw Abby making her way across the room toward Raven and I made my to the bar in the back of the room. I figured if I was gonna be talking with Abby I'd need a drink.

I made my way back over with three glasses and set them down on the table.

"Good," Raven said, finishing her conversation as I approached. "Now shut up and drink." Abby reached out, grabbing one of the cups as the three of us drank to the sound of Macallan's voice.

I looked up and saw Jasper walking through the room toward the piano. Raven and I exchanged a quick look and she rose to her feet walking over to him. She stopped in front of him, blocking his path.

"Hey. Hey, relax," She told him. Jasper lunged out and ripped a blanket out of someone's hand. Jasper's body shook with anger as he glared at the man.

"These belong to people." Jasper threw the blanket back at the man and looked past Raven. "So did that piano." He pointed at Macallan who was still playing.

"Jasper," Raven said, trying to calm him. "Jasper!" He ran at Macallan.

"A bunch of grave robbers!" He slammed himself into Macallan, knocking him off of the bench. The crowd screamed and scattered back as Jasper continued attacking Macallan.

"Get off of him!" Raven yelled running at them.

"Jasper! Knock it off!" I followed after Raven as Macallan shoved Jasper off of him. Jasper pushed himself to his feet and Macallan slammed his fist into the side of his face.

"Get off of him!" I yelled, grabbing Jasper's arms and pulling him back as Raven pulled Macallan back.

"Enough!" Abby yelled, and the chaos stopped. Jasper's body trembled but I didn't let go of his arms. I look up at locked eyes with Raven, knowing Jasper was right. We were using the supplies of the people we massacred.

Chapter Text

        I watched as Sadie slammed his fist into Ezra's face. He stumbled back, his hand flying up to his cheek but Sadie didn't hold back. She swept her foot around his leg, through enough of her weight into the back of his knee. Ezra's knee buckled and he collapsed onto the mat below their feet.

Ezra slammed her foot up into Sadie's gut, his chest rising and falling with each breath. Sadie countered back, doubling over as Ezra jumped to his feet. He ran at Sadie and grabbed her arm. He bent his knees and pushed off the guard just enough to get the proper momentum to throw Sadie onto the ground behind him. The same move I'd used against him during our first lesson.

Sadie landed on the ground and gasped as the air was forced out of her lungs on impact. Ezra spun around and held her down as she thrashed out. She tried to pry his hands off but eventually slapped the mat twice, symbolizing Ezra's victory.

Ezra moved off of her and extended her hand. Sadie took his hand and he helped her to her feet. They made their way off of the mat and I placed a hand on Ezra's shoulder.

"Good work," I told him before walking onto the mat. "Alright," I turned to face the rest of the class. "That's it for today's class. I'm proud of all of you. You've all made incredible progress in the last few days. Whatever your reasons for joining this class I hope you are proud of what you're achieving. Whether you signed up for this to learn how to protect yourself or your family or because you were bored, you've come so far from where you started. And I'm proud of all of you."

This wasn't our last class but I wanted them to know. Everyone had put in so much work and effort both in and out of class. The other kids had been great but I was more proud of the older crowd in the class. Phoebe and James were kicking ass. James had signed up to be with his daughter but Phoebe had signed up to be able to protect her future child. It was crazy that she was doing all of this while pregnant but Abby said it wouldn't affect her or the baby's health.

The people that impressed me the most were Vic and Cooper. Vic was 67 and Cooper turned 70 in a month. Yet, they both showed up every day and learned how to protect themselves. It made me wonder if that could be me and Bellamy someday. Old and in love, still being able to protect each other. Just living out the days we had left together, our love just as strong as when we met.

I wanted to believe it was possible. And maybe it could be. We'd had three months of peace and our only potential threat was Azgeda. But as long as we didn't piss anyone off they weren't a problem. This could be real peace. Living in peace without the constant fear of death. We could finally let go of the "kill or be killed" motto we'd been living by.

"Okay," I said, forcing myself out of my thoughts. "I'll see everyone back here tomorrow. Same time as always."

I waited for everyone to leave before I picked up my things I made my way out of the camp. People were gathered around going about their lives, believing this was true peace.

"Help! We need a doctor!"

My attention switched toward the yelling near the main gate. I ran over, as murmurs spread through the crowd watching as Octavia and Lincoln ran into camp.

"Hunter!" Octavia yelled as Lincoln dragged a body over his shoulder. "Get a stretcher!" I looked over my shoulder at two guards and they jumped into attack. I stopped next to Octavia and Lincoln, both of them panting, their chests rising and falling.

"What happened?" I asked as the guards ran over with a stretcher. Octavia looked over at Lincoln who slowly moved Nyko's body off of his shoulder and onto the stretcher.

"Azgeda," Lincoln said as we positioned Nyko on the stretcher. Jackson ran over and opened his mouth to speak.

"Surprise. Surprise," I muttered under my breath. The guards positioned themselves on either end of the stretcher. They lifted it up and Octavia and I ran, leading the way towards med-bay.

Jackson ran over, over hearing the

"Abby!" Octavia yelled as we rounded the corner. "Abby it's Nyko." Abby stood there facing Jasper, who had a bandage over his neck. The two guards were close behind and ran into the room seconds after us.

"He said it was Azgeda, the Ice Nation," Lincoln told Abby as they set the stretcher down on the table.

"Where?" Abby asked.

"We don't know," Lincoln told her as Jackson lifted his jacket to reveal the wound on his side.

"His pulse is weak, and he's burning up," Jackson said and Abby jumped into action.

"Clotting will stop the flow, but he's lost too much blood," Abby said and we all stood around the table. Jackson turned and grabbed something off of the table next to the table.

"I'll type him," Jackson said as Abby started to cover and pack the wound with cloth. The device beeped and Jackson pulled the device back.

"Rh null."

"What's wrong?" Octavia asked, taking note of the glances of concern between Jackson and Abby.

"We're universal donors. Here," Octavia pulled up her sleeve. "Take mine."

"No, you can't," Abby told her. "Rh null can only take Rh null." Lincoln extended his arm, knowing he'd have he best chance of a match. Jackson pressed the device against Lincoln's arm and the device beeped. Jackson looked down at the device and shook his head.

Lincoln's face fell and he pulled his arm back.

"I don't understand," Octavia said, looking between the doctors. "Can you save him or not?"

"Not here."

"Jackson-" Abby looked up at Jackson and Octavia, Lincoln and I exchanged a quick look before anyone Lincoln spoke.

"Wait. What's he talking about?"

“I’m talking about Mount Weather,” Jackson said before Abby could stop him. The blood they took to get to the ground. “The medical facility in that mountain is state-of-the-art. They relied on blood to survive. It’s still all there.”

My eyes fell on Jasper, who just stared at the ground.

“You want me to bring a Grounder into Mount Weather for a transfusion? They killed thousands of people for that blood, Jackson.”

“We can’t just let him die, Abby. We’re doctors,” Jackson pleaded.

“I’m not just a doctor-”

“Maybe you should be.” Abby’s eyes fell to the ground.

“Lincoln. You said to me yesterday that even our supply runs were putting us at risk. That they were jeopardizing our peace. How would you advise me now?” Lincoln hesitated before answering.

“Lincoln?” Octavia said, her voice quiet.

“He’s my friend,” Lincoln said after another beat. “Save him.”

“Get him ready for transport,” Abby ordered and I nodded. She turned to face Jasper, who was still standing in the back of the room. “I hope you're ready to face your feelings.”

She rushed toward the front gates of camp, Lincoln and Jackson carrying either end of Nyko's stretcher. Abby moved to the keypad and as she entered the code to open the door foot footsteps ran up behind me and I turned around.

Ezra ran toward the gate and I looked over my shoulder back at Abby before running to meet him halfway. He stopped in front of me, his chest rising and falling with each breath.

"Hey," I said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Are you going to Mount Weather?"

I stopped and looked around before answering.

"How the hell did you know that?" I whispered as the front gate opened.

"Lucky guess. Can I come?" I glanced over my shoulder at Abby who was rushing the group out of camp before turning back to Ezra.

"Fine. But we're leaving right now." Ezra smiled and the two of us ran after the others, and I awaited Abby's inevitable anger.

“Arrived. Level 3.” We pulled the stretcher out of the elevator and we pushed it down the hall and toward the medical center, Ezra looking around in awe at my side.

“How are you holding up?” Jackson asked Abby as we made our way through a corridor. Abby didn’t even look back at him when she answered.

“Don’t worry about me. Just get the blood. I’ll prep him.”

We turned the corner and Abby, Jackson, and Lincoln kept rolling the stretcher down the hall but Octavia turned to Jasper, who stood back, staring at the walls around him.

“Don’t do anything stupid.”

Octavia gave him one last look but then kept walking down the hall at my side.

Abby and Jackson had prepped Nyko and started the surgery, leaving the rest of us to keep ourselves entertained. Jasper had gone off to god knows where and Octavia had disappeared an hour ago. I had zero interest in watching Abby find a way to victimize herself during a surgery she didn't even want to do in the first place, which meant I had two options. Still in a corner and staring at the wall or making sure Ezra didn't get himself into any trouble. Well, any more trouble than he already was for tagging along.

"Hey! Hunter," Ezra called, running up behind me. I spun around and tried to hide my surprise on my face. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I- uh." I took a breath. "I'm fine."

"I bet it's weird to be back here after, y'know..." Ezra didn't need to finish.

I sighed, glancing at the cement walls that had trapped 48 of my friends inside. "Yeah."

Ezra was silent for a second but I felt his eyes lingering on me. He'd come down with Alpha station and only heard stories about our time on the ground and battles with the grounders. But the stories either left out the most fucked parts or exaggerated everything. Half of the parents and families on the ground still weren't 100 percent sure how their kid died.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up or anything. I'm sure this can't be easy for you and the last thing I want to do is make it worse for you or anyone else and I-"

"Hey," I said, cutting off Ezra's rambling. I grabbed his hand and he took a breath. "It's okay. I know this isn't easy for you either. You may not have lived it first hand but even knowing the things that happened, it's still hard to process. I wasn't in Mount Weather for that long. I wasn't with the 48 but thinking about that still makes my stomach turn. And it's okay to struggle with trauma or the idea of trauma even if it didn't directly affect you."

A small smile tugged on Ezra's lips and he threw his arms around me. I couldn't help but be a little taken aback. I tried to hide it as I wrapped my arms around Ezra. His chest rose and fell with each deep breath.

Ezra was a good kid. Not only was he a kickass student with great combat skills but he also had the ability to light up a room with his joy. He always wanted to make others feel good. But there is a fine balance between putting others first and surviving. 

Chapter Text

       Trigger Warning: Attempted Su!c!de

This happens at the very end of the chapter for those who need a more specific heads up.

The rover pulled up in the field outside of the doors to Mount Weather. I walked through the doors as Raven, Octavia, and Bellamy all climbed out of the rover. They'd brought all of there stuff over from Camp Jaha and I'd asked Bellamy to grab my things. Abby wanted me on hand to help show people where to put their things as they arrived at what would become our new home.

I walked over to Bellamy, smiling at the sight of him. He was staring off toward the trees that surrounded the small clearing and hadn't noticed I'd walked out.

"Hey," I said, and his head snapped over to me. "The summit delegation will be fine." Bellamy shook his head and looked out toward the general direction of Polis.

"I should be there."

"But then," I said slipping my hand into his. "You wouldn't be here with me." A smile crept onto his lips.

"You make a good argument," He admitted.

"Besides, as soon as your leg heals, you'll be right back out there," I reassured him but he shook his head again.

"Yeah, my leg's fine. Kane's trying to teach me a lesson," He said before grabbing my bag from the rover and handing it to me. His hand lingered on my arm as he picked up two more bags.

"Hey, you guys, did I ever tell you how I saved Sinclair's ass on the Ark?" Raven asked as I swung the backpack over my shoulder.

"Please don't," Octavia joked grabbing her things and making her way toward the door.

"You mean the time you went rogue on a spacewalk?" I asked her with a smirk on my face. She closed the rover door.

"That depends on your definition of "going rogue"."

"Really?"

"I just hopped on a robotic arm and aimed at the solar ray," I laughed as we made our way through the hallways. "The whole time I was out there, the control room thought I was just fixing a loose wire."

"That is, in fact, the definition of "going rogue". You dangled yourself within inches of an electrified array that could have killed you. But hey, who am I to judge?"

"Only time I've ever heard Sinclair lose his cool on comms," Raven admitted.

"So how long were you benched?" I asked her as we rounded another corner.

"Benched? I got the job done in record time. He promoted me. What can I say? Sinclair thinks I can do no wrong." We stopped as we entered the dining room. People filled the chairs lining each of the tables and chatter echoed through the room.

The last time anyone was eating at those tables, they all died seconds later.

"Welcome," Pike said standing from his seat at the table. Our old Earth Science teacher on the Ark. "Come. Join us."

"Someone's made themselves at home," Raven muttered

"There must be thirty of them in here," Octavia said under her breath.

"Thirty-six, but the more the merrier," Pike told us and he sounded genuine. Bellamy walked toward and Pike extended his hand and Bellamy took it.

"Thirty-six? Wow. The Grounders are gonna think we moved in," Octavia said, sarcasm dripping from her words. Bellamy glanced over his shoulder, glaring at his sister.

"Well," Pike said. "There was no room at the inn."

"And this is your option?" She asked and Bellamy spun around.

"O."

"I'm outta here," She said before turning back down the hall. Sinclair made his way through the tables and walked pass a group of people laughing and eating as if people didn't die in this room three months ago.

"Reyes! You're three hours late," He called walking closer to us. "We've got no power to medical, fluctuations on levels two and three, and blown fuses all over the place. Get on it."

Raven turned around to face me. "You can do no wrong, huh?" I joked and Raven sighed, as the two of us followed Sinclair.

The lights flickered as Raven and I made our way through the halls, following behind Sinclair. I exchanged a look with Raven and the confused expressed etched onto her face answered my question. Neither of us knew what was happening.

"Why the hell are they calling us off?" Raven asked him as we walked. "I got tripped circuits all over the grid."

"Whatever it is, it supersedes fixing the power problem," Sinclair said as we ran into the dining hall.

"Listen up," I heard Bellamy saying as we approached. "Okay,, if we want to get to Polis before the attack we have to move."

"Attack? Do we have confirmation of that?" Sinclair asked joining Bellamy, Pike, and Octavia in standing around a table. Sitting at the table was Echo, the grounder who had saved Bellamy's life in Mount Weather.

"We radioed but no answer," Bellamy told us.

"They may already be dead for all we know. And if they are, we need to be ready to respond," Pike said, his tone and body language making it clear he wasn't going to stand down.

"Don't make this about the missiles," Sinclair said to him, taking a step closer.

"This is about survival. We don't have the numbers, but the missiles in this mountain even the playing field, and you know I'm right," Pike argued.

"Even if I did agree with you, we still don't have the launch codes," Sinclair said, trying to keep his voice level.

"No," Raven said. "But we have me." Sinclair turned from Pike to face Raven.

"And you accuse engineers of arrogance?"

"I'm growing as a person." Raven and Sinclair made their way out of the room and Pike grabbed Echo's arm and forced her to her feet.

I turned to face Bellamy and I ran my hands through his hair, resting on the back of his head. I smiled at him and let my eyes stay glued to his.

"You should stay here," He told me. "Help them get those missiles ready to launch." I opened my mouth to protest but Bellamy pressed his lips to mine, cutting my words off with a kiss.

The kiss was soft but heated my entire body. God, I love everything about him. The way his hands lingered on my back after we'd hug. And not just any hug. The kind hug that leaves you feeling seen. Leaves you knowing that no matter what you do, the mistakes you could make, you'll be loved.

And I love how our eyes will meet from across the room and we'll have a million different conversations but no words have to be said. The way I know we would always be there for each other, by the others side through thick and thin. How he can give me hope when I thought there would be none. And I love the way I love him.

"Don't do anything stupidly heroic," I whispered, keeping my hands on either side of Bel's jaw, our faces only inches apart.

"Garden-variety heroic. Got it," He smiled and I kissed him again before wrapping my arms around his shoulders.

I pulled back and our hands intertwined with one another. Bellamy smiled and turned, walking down the hall.

"Hunter!" I turned around and Ezra was standing behind me. This kid just appears randomly I swear. I smiled at the sight of him and he glanced passed me, almost as if he was checking to see if others were around.

"What's up?"

"I overheard you guys talking about the" Ezra stopped, looking around and lowered his voice before continuing, "missiles, and I think I can help. I was in the middle of working a job in engineering before we came down to the ground. And I wanna help."

"Okay, yeah, I'm sure Raven wouldn't mind the extra help. Come on."

"Damnit," Raven muttered under her breath as she flipped through the papers littered across the table.

"What happened to that Raven Reyes confidence?" Sinclair asked sitting at one of the desks inside of the office. I scan the room, looking from the ceiling to the floor. I looked across the cement ground and a patch of red caught my attention. Blood. My blood.

My smile got wider and I started to laugh. Cage looked at me, and rather than the stubborn undercover agent he'd been thinking I am through the hours of relentless torture, he saw who I truly am. A psychotic girl who takes comfort in other people's pain.

I kept laughing, my eyes getting wider, watching as Cage kept panicking. My breath hitched for a moment before I swing my arms around and hit the guard hard enough in the face to hear a bone crack. I grabbed a gun off the desk, acting quick enough to shoot two guards in the head and turn the gun on Cage. Emerson lunged at me and I didn't hesitate, firing a bullet into his thigh, watching as he collapsed to the ground.

I turned the gun on Cage, the only person still standing.

"This is all your fault. All of the death. The destruction. The chaos. It's. On you." I began to laugh again, all of the emotions from everything I'd suffered through since landing on the ground.

My first kill.

Charlotte throwing herself off a cliff.

Watching as Dax tried to kill Bellamy.

Sticking a bullet through Dax's neck.

Murphy trying to kill Bellamy.

The ground attack.

Finn giving himself up to the Grounders.

Clarke killing him.

The torture after Lincoln left me and Bellamy to fight for ourselves.

Watching my friends get dragged off to be slaughtered.

Giving myself up so Bellamy could stay alive.

Being tortured endlessly by Cage.

And now.

Standing with a gun to Cage's head.

A pain shot through my shoulder and I scream. My knees hit the floor as blood splatters from my shoulder. My head dropped to the floor and this time Cage was the one to laugh.

"You thought it'd be that easy?" Cage askes, staring down at me. "That I'd just, let you kill me? One shot through the brain and that'd be it? No. No, I'm better than that." The door behind me slammed open and two more guards run into the room, standing on either side of me. "You're still of use to us. Your friend? Oh, what was his name? Bellamy? Isn't."

The guards grabbed me by the arm and pulled her to her feet. Ignoring the excruciating pain in my shoulder and forced me head up and stared at Cage. I spit in his face before getting dragged off and down the hall by the guards, leaving Cage in the room knowing that he still held all the power.

I stubbled back, forcing myself to stay upright. I place my hand on my head, trying to force the memories out of my head. I shook my head, steadying my facing heart. I felt a hand grab my arm and I yank it out of their reach.

I look up, holding my arm with my other hand, and see Ezra looking up from my arm to my eyes. He- He was just trying to help and I freaked out on him.

"I- I'm sorry, Hunter- I just-" I cut off his stuttering apologize, and shake my head. I take a breath before speaking.

"It's okay, Ezra." He opened his mouth to speak but I gave him a soft smile.

"It's a 12-digit code, there are a trillion combinations, it's gonna take me a minute," Raven kept working, but Ezra hadn't looked away from me.

Are you okay?" He mouthed, concern etched into his face.

I'm fine, I promise, I lie.

I move past him, forcing myself to focus and push the memories down. I'll deal with it later. I sit at another computer screen and Ezra follows my lead, sitting at the desk beside me. Sinclair rises from his chair, walking over.

"Hunter, Ezra, what you got?"

"Don't look at me, I'm just a grunt," Ezra said, looking past me to Sinclair.

"Oh, come on guys," Sinclair sighed. "It's gonna be dark soon. We're working analog, we're working digital, what are we missing?"

"How is the president gonna remember a number that long?" Ezra asked and I nodded in argument.

"Dante was fucking clueless and Cage was a dick. If there is any representation of the other  Mount Weather Presidents, I have a hard time believing they were capable of memorizing a number that long."

"Maybe he wrote it down somewhere?" Ezra suggested and Raven stood up from her chair.

"Oh come on. That's like setting the launch codes to all zeros," Raven said, turning to face us. She caught Sinclair's eye and a silent moment passed before he spoke.

"And yet, it's better than anything we've come up with."

"I'll check the president's office," Ezra said, practically jumping up from his seat.

"We'll keep working the tech angle and hopefully one of us will get lucky," Sinclair said looking between the three of us.

"I'll go with you, Ezra," I said, standing up from the desk chair.

"Hunter, we need you in here. As much as it sucks, you've been here before. You've seen them launch nuclear weapons from this room," Raven said and I know she's right. I nod and turn to Ezra.

"Be careful," I tell him and he nods before heading out the door.

The computer in front of Sinclair beeped and he grunted in frustration, turning and taking a few steps away from the desk as SYSTEM ACCESS LOCKED flashed across the screen.

"I tried everything, still completely locked out of the missile system. They had impressive security I'll give them that," Sinclair said with a shrug.

"On three pull. One, two, three!" Raven and I work to pull out the box inside of a panel on the wall. The box starts to come loose as we pull it the rest of the way out. It dropped into Raven's arms and she caught it with a grunt.

"Here, let me take it," I said, reaching for the box. She pulled it away and shook her head.

"No, no, I got it." She limped her way back to the desk and set it down. "This is useless. I'm better with hydrazine and gunpowder." Sinclair shakes his head.

"Reyes."

"I give up!" Silence filled the room until she spoke again. "We're too late anyway, it's already dark."

Sinclair walks around the desks until he's standing in front of Raven.

"Raven." She looked up at him. "The Raven Reyes I know doesn't give up."

"She does now."

"No, she doesn't," Sinclair said, stepping closer to her. "Have you talked to Abby?"

"About what?"

"Raven, come on," He pushes off of the table he'd been leaning against. "You're not fooling anyone."

"I'm not trying to." Sinclair takes a breath and I don't intervene.

"If this machine was broken and you knew there was a way to fix it, would you not do it because it might be hard?" Raven looked up at him, meeting his eyes. "Why the resistance? You think you deserve this pain, that this is your cross to bear for your mom, for Finn, for all you've been through. It's not, you deserve more. And with the medical equipment in this building, Abby can help you. Let her." A tear falls from Raven's eye and she doesn't meet Sinclair's eyes.

"What if she can't? What if I'm just broken?"

"If I took a chance on a Zero-G mechanic with a heart defect, why don't you take a chance on her too?" Raven took a breath and then nodded. Sinclair smiled and walked behind a desk.

"Ezra to Command Center, come in," His voice crackles through the radio.

"Go for Raven," Raven said, grabbing the walkie from the table.

"I got nothing. No launch codes. I'm sorry."

I walked over toward Raven and stood behind her chair.

"Hey, it's alright Ezra. It's okay. Just, keep looking, we'll do the same," I said, my brain running a million miles a minute. Static cuts through the radio for a moment before I rip the walkie from Raven's hand and press down on the button.

"Ezra? Ezra? Ezra, are you there?" I took a breath. "Ezra, do you copy? Ezra, what's going on?" I looked around at Raven and Sinclair, hoping they'd know what's going on. "Ezra, are you okay? Ezra!"

The line goes quiet before the sound of Ezra's straggled coughs breaks through the static.

"Hunter, we've got a problem. A- A Grounder set off the self-destruct sequence. He has the codes on his arm, you have to get them."

I see a shadow run past the open door but all I can think about is Ezra and how I can hear the strength leaving his body. Sinclair darted out into the hall not hesitating for a moment. Raven grabbed the secondary radio and ran after Sinclair.

Clutching the radio, I take off down the hall. "Ezra, hey Ezra, hold on okay? I'm coming. I'm gonna get to you. It's gonna be okay-"

"How much longer, Ezra?" Raven's voice comes through the radio and I can hear the sounds of her footsteps running down the hall.

"Forty-five seconds, Raven."

"Ezra, I'm coming. Hold on, I'll be there soon."

"No! Hunter no." I stop running. "Listen to me, Hunter. You need-" Ezra is cut off my the sound of coughing and I hear liquid splattered over the ground. "Get out of here. Save yourself, okay?"

"Ezra, no, I can't-" The words come out in a strangled cry.

"Hunter, yes you can. Do you want to know how I know that? Because you're strong. Okay? Because you gave me what-" Ezra coughed again and my breath hitched in my chest. "What I never knew I had. You gave me a purpose-" He can't get the end of the word out before I hear coughing and choking over the sound of my own sobs.

The coughing stopped and I wait for Ezra to keep talking, to hear his voice one more time. But it never comes.

"We got the code!" Raven yelled into the radio but it was too late. I tried to take a breath but it came out a sob. I force myself forward, one foot at a time before I take off into a run, my chest rising and falling with each sob.

I turned the corner, forcing my body to move. I saw the door and I pushed myself to go faster. I'm so close.

"Self Destruct Sequence will begin in ten, nine-" An AI voice over the intercom system announced and I stopped running, the sound of panicked screams filling the halls.

If I keep going, outside of the door, I have to face this. I have to face Ezra's- It becomes real. I will wake up every single day to the reality of Ezra, the 15-year-old who got killed because of me.

"Five."

I don't move.

"Four."

My feet are stuck to the ground.

"Three."

There is no going back.

"Two."

Tell Bellamy I love him.

"One." 

Chapter Text

        3rd POV

"Get her in here! Now, Jackson!" Abby yelled, clearing off the operation table in Med Bay. Jackson carried in their makeshift stretcher with the help of two guards. They set the stretcher on the table and Jackson ran around to the other side.

"Lift on three! One, two, three!" Jackson and one of the guards lifted Hunter off of the stretcher while the second guard pulled out the stretcher from underneath her. Jackson carefully set Hunter back down onto the table and the guards left the room.

"There's shrapnel embedded into her side. It must've come off of the walls during the explosion. She's alive but-"

"Hunter! Hunter! Where are you?" Bellamy slammed open the med bay doors, panting. His eyes scanned the room and finally landed on Hunter.

She lay unconscious on the operating table, a metal shard sticking out of her side. The skin around it was inflamed and stained with her own blood. Streaks of blood pooled underneath her limp body. On the side of her head was a shadow of purples and blacks blending together into a swollen bruise.

Her eyes were shut and her chest still moved. She was still breathing. It almost looked like she was asleep, peacefully drifting from one dream to the next. Bellamy just stared at Hunter, the woman he loved more than everything, still, on an operating table, with a metal shard sticking out of her body.

Because of him.

He ran toward the operating table, his breathing fast and shallow. Abby looked up at him and then moved her attention to Jackson. A silent conversation passed between them and Jackson nodded before turning to face Bellamy.

"She's alive. Here, we can talk outside, I can fill you in on everything-"

"No! I'm not leaving her." Bellamy's words come out intense and Jackson takes a deep breath.

"Bellamy, Abby's got this. Come on, we can't have unauthorized people in here right now-"

Bellamy shoves forward, throwing his shoulder into Jackson's chest. Jackson is quick to act and puts himself in between Bellamy and the table.

"Bellamy you need to leave."

Bellamy closes his eyes, hoping that he'll wake up. That this is all a terrible dream and he's gonna wake up in Hunter's arms and that none of this happened.

He turned around and headed toward the door and Jackson followed him into the hallway. Bellamy ran his fingers through his hair and screamed.

All of the anger and frustration boiling over the edge took hold of him. Hunter. Unconscious. Dying. Because of him. Because he wasn't there to protect her. Because he wasn't with her. He left her alone. It didn't matter what he was doing, he'd left her alone. And she's dying because of him.

Bellamy's throat burned and he stopped, his chest rising and falling fast. Jackson took a cautious step forward, his heart aching in sympathy.

"Hey. Bellamy," Jackson said slowly. "Hunter is going to be okay. Abby is the best doctor we have-"

"No! You don't know Hunter is going to be okay. There is no possible way you could know that! She could die and it's because of me!" Bellamy spat the words out like a poison and turned, rubbing his hands over his face.

"Your right. I don't know that. But you want to know what I know? I know that Abby is our best doctor and Hunter's best shot at surviving. And whether or not you can see it, this is not your fault, Bellamy. You had no way of knowing that this would happen. That she would get hurt." Jackson talked carefully, sensing the ticking time bomb inside of Bellamy.

Bellamy let out a breath and looked at Jackson. He opened his mouth to speak but stopped and walked down the hall.

The door to Kane's chambers slid open and Bellamy took a cautious step inside. Kane sat at his desk and didn't look up.

"Sir," Bellamy said walking closer to the desk. Kane's head snapped up, finally noticing Bellamy standing there.

"Why aren't you at your post?" Kane asked and Bellamy glanced down at the guard jacket in his hands. He was doing the right thing. He wasn't fit for this type of job. To protect people.

He set the jacket on Kane's desk and pushed it away, not meeting Kane's eyes.

"Don't do this."

"Forty-nine of the people I swore to protect died yesterday because I left. And that's not including the most important person in my life, who is lying unconscious on an operating table right now."

"That's not your fault, Bellamy. Place the blame where it belongs. On the Ice Nation," Kane said, sitting up in his chair. He spun the chair to face Bellamy, turning away from his work on the desk.

Bellamy shakes his head. "The Ice Nation didn't tell Hunter to stay there." He took a shaky breath. "That was me."

Kane stood from his chair and walked toward Bellamy. Kane placed a comforting hand on Bellamy's shoulder. Bellamy forced his head up and his eyes to meet Kane's.

"Given the information you had at the time, you made a reasonable choice. You were trying to save lives." Kane moved his hand and tears brim Bellamy's eyes.

"But I didn't."

Bellamy let out a sigh and left the room, turning down the hallway.

"All that's certain is that we die. How we die is up to us. Who will speak for Iris Jones?" Pike asked standing on the stage. Bellamy sat in the crowd of people gathered for the memorial for those lost inside of Mount Weather.

Bryan stands, rising from his seat next to Miller, and takes the stage. He stands in the middle of the floor and takes a breath before speaking.

"Iris was strong. Good with a knife. She saved my life. I'm just sorry I couldn't do the same for her." Bryan pulled a knife from his pocket. Iris' knife. He sets it on a table next to where Pike stands.

"We will miss Iris. May we meet again." Pike speaks and the crowd echoes the words.

"May we meet again."

"Who will speak for Ezra Maddox?"

Bellamy looked around the crowd. Ezra was special to Hunter. He never got to know him but he knew just what this kid meant to Hunter. Therefore he meant something to Bellamy.

Bellamy stood from his chair and walked down the aisle of chairs. He stopped standing where Bryan had just spoken from.

"I never got the chance to truly get to know Ezra. But someone really important to me did. She can't be here right now but I know just how much Ezra meant to her. He was real. I'd see her after a long day of class and she'd just beam with pride anytime Ezra would come up in the conversation. She'd tell me about how he always wanted to help. Always found the bright side. He died trying to save everyone. He deserved better. May we meet again."

Bellamy heard the sound of a door sliding open and quiet murmurs from the audience. A group of at least six guards entered the room and made their way over to Pike, who was standing behind a table filled with a plant for each of the 49 who had died.

Lincoln, who had walked in with the ground of guards, paced slowly behind the rows of chairs, not taking his eyes off of Bellamy, who still stood in front of the crowd.

"I just saw them. Whole encampment. Three hundred strong. Just behind the tree ridge. It's a bunch of them. It's Grounders. They're coming," One of the guards muttered to Pike, trying and failing, not to be heard by the crowd.

Pike nodded at the guard and crossed across the floor to Kane and Abby, who were seated on the opposite side of the floor as Pike.

Bellamy let his feet lead him over toward Pike, just close enough to hear their conversation. Kane and Abby were unfazed by him obviously eavesdropping. They had learned since first arriving on the ground that whether they liked it or not, the hundred survived on the ground without them. They made their own rules and way of life. All while being led by teenagers.

"The Grounders are here. An army. Three hundred strong. Camped less than a mile from here," Pike whispered to Kane and Abby.

"We know," Abby told him.

"What?"

"Indra radioed," Kane said, giving the short answer.

"You gave a Grounder one of our radios?" Pike's words came out louder than he had anticipated. Whispers spread amongst the crowd and a few heads turned toward Lincoln, who still stood in the back of the room.

"Sir, are we under attack?" Hannah, Monty's mom, asked, rising from her chair. The rest of the crowd followed her lead and stood from their chairs.

"No we are not under attack," Kane said, standing up to address the situation before Pike could manipulate it. "Their commander sent a peacekeeping force. To ensure that we can defend again any further attacks from the Ice Nation."

"Peacekeeping force?" Pike asked, his eyebrows raising. "Even you can't be that naïve, Marcus."

"Watch your tone," Abby ordered, staring down Pike like a predator and prey. "You're talking to the next Chancellor." Abby looked away from Pike and her eyes wandered over the crowd. "We're all grieving. This has been hard on all of us. But we can't let anger drive our policy." And with that, she turned back to look at Pike.

"Anger is our policy!" Pike turned from Abby and walked closer to the crowd. "If they're here to defend us, as you say, then tell them to go home. We can defend ourselves!"

Echoes of "Yeah!" and "Damn right!" filled the crowd and Bellamy watched Pike take control of the situation and turn it a complete 180.

"You." A man from the crowd pointed at Lincoln. "You don't belong here."

"He's one of them!" Another one yelled.

"My boy is dead!" Something launched from the man's hand and slammed into the side of Lincoln's skull with a thud. Bellamy jumped into action and ran toward Lincoln. The crowd ran toward Lincoln but the guards put themselves between him and the angry mob, pushing and shoving.

"Arrest him!"

"He's a Grounder!"

Fists flew and voices rose as Bellamy tried to push through the crowd toward Lincoln. A fist slammed into the side of Bellamy's face and he stumbled back before shoving the man back, pushing his way closer to Lincoln.

"Stop!" Kane yelled, putting himself between a fight. A sharp whistle cut through the air like a knife and the commotion stopped.

"We do not attack our own!" Pike yelled over the crowd. "Fighting each other only makes us weak! The enemy is not in this camp. The enemy is out there." Abby ran toward Lincoln, who had blood trickling down his cheek. He turned and stumbled his way down the hall knowing if he stayed, this wouldn't be the last time someone came after him.

The sun had set over the tree line and the majority of the crowds had gone in for the night. The violence had calmed down since the memorial but the tension was still there. Pike sat across from Bellamy and took a sip of his drink before speaking.

"Let's talk about Mount Weather. I know you think it was your fault. Is that why you resigned?" Pike asked and Bellamy nodded, staring at the floor behind Pike. He grabbed his shot glasses and took it down in one before setting it back down with a thud.

"You're right. It was your fault."

Bellamy looked up, meeting Pike's eyes. Bellamy wasn't expecting to hear anyone tell him that, and despite agreeing with him, it stung. Knowing that he wasn't the only one to believe that all the people dying was his fault. That someone else blamed him for what happened. It made his chest ache.

"Mine too," Pike continued. "Every life we honored at the memorial was lost because we trusted a Grounder. And the lives we came close to losing too. I heard about Hunter. And I know what she means to you, Bellamy. What you would do to protect her-"

"But I talked you into it. I knew her and I vouched for her."

"No. You don't get to own this one alone." The bartender came over and replaced the empty glasses with filled ones. One she left, Pike glanced around him before returning his attention to Bellamy.

"I knew what they were capable of. When I let my guard down one day, 35 of my people died." Pike took his glass and held it in his hand. "Never again."

Bellamy grabbed his glass. "Never again." And the two men both downed their drink in one. Pike set his drink down and looked back up at Bellamy.

"Kane's a good man, I know you're close to him. But he doesn't believe that we're fighting a war. He thinks Grounders can police Grounders. And now, they're in the woods outside our home, with a peacekeeping force?"

"What would you do?" Bellamy asked.

"What I wouldn't do is wait for them to hit us." Bellamy set his glass down and Pike leaned forward. "My scouts tell me that they've got 300 soldiers and not a single gun between them. Ten highly motivated men with automatic riffles is all it would take. I've got the men."

Bellamy glanced around the room and found multiple pairs of eyes on the two of them, waiting for the go-ahead. Bellamy recognized one as the man who threw the rock at Lincoln, another who had started the fighting at the memorial and Monty's mom. And he may not have known the rest by name, but he could tell by the look each and everyone of them had in their eyes, they would kill anyone that got in their way to avenge what they lost.

"You're asking me to get you the guns? That's treason."

"That's survival. The Grounders out there will attack this camp, and our leaders do nothing. Right now, we have the element of surprise. We wait, we die! Now, if they wanna call it treason, I'm willing to suffer the consequences to save our people. Are you?"

Bellamy looked around at the men and women Pike had already handpicked for this mission. The men and women that Pike knew would kill if it meant none of their people had to die anymore. It meant that Hunter wouldn't be hurt again.

Bellamy took a breath and nodded.

"Anything for her."

Getting the guns wasn't hard for Bellamy, the hard part was getting out of the armory holding a bag of guns without being caught. He made his way down the hall, glancing over his shoulder every ten seconds, his mind racing about what would happen if he got caught.

He stopped as he approached an open door. Med bay.

Inside the room, Abby was lying with his head in his arms with was folded over the operating table. Next to her on a cot was Hunter. Abby had removed the shrapnel and her side had been stitched up. The bruises on her face were still visible but had shifted from purple and black to a swirl of green and red.

He was doing this for her.

To protect Hunter. To keep her safe.

Bellamy had met up with the others and passed out the guns, giving one to each of them. They made their way through camp and slowed to a stop in front of the main gate, seeing Lincoln, Harper, Monty and a few others blocking the path.

Bellamy walked forward toward his friends, holding his gun in his hand. Lincoln, Harper, and Monty followed his lead and walked closer, meeting in the middle.

"You need to step aside, right now," Bellamy ordered, careful not to raise his voice and wake anyone inside the camp.

"What are the guns for?" Harper asked, his eyes moving through the small crowd.

"There's an army out there. We need to hit them before they hit us."

"That army was sent to protect us," Lincoln insisted, taking a step forward.

"Do we have a problem?" Pike asked, walking up to be only a step behind Bellamy.

"No. I have always done what is best for us. And I need you to trust that I am doing that now," Bellamy said, not backing down.

"What is best for us?" Monty asked, accusingly. "Is that what Hunter would say? That this is the right thing to do?" Bellamy made quick work of the distance between the two of them, standing inches away for Monty, his breath heavy in his chest.

"Hunter is the reason I'm doing this." Bellamy spit the words out like acid. Monty didn't move, keeping his glace level with Bellamy's.

"Bellamy." Pike's voice came from behind him and Bellamy stepped back, keeping his eyes locked on Monty for just a moment before turning his attention elsewhere.

"Monroe," He said, meeting her eyes as she stood behind the group. Monroe looked torn then her head fell and she walked away from Lincoln and the others. Bellamy's eyes landed on Harper.

"Harper."

"Sorry, Lincoln." Harper let her gun fall to her side and followed Monroe out of the way of the group.

"You too, Lincoln," Pike said, walking up next to Bellamy. "You wanna prove you're one of us, let us pass."

"I'm not moving."

The man with the rock stepped forward, lifting his gun up and trailing it on Lincoln. "Get out of the way, Grounder."

Lincoln reached for the gun and was quick with disarming the man and slamming the butt of the gun against his temple. Lincoln dropped the gun to the floor before pulling the man against his chest and into a headlock as he backed up. He pulled a knife and placed it to the man's throat and the crowd behind Bellamy all pulled their guns, aiming them toward Lincoln.

"Guns down. Guns down!" Bellamy yelled, turning to face the crowd.

"Do what he says. Now." Pike said, echoing the orders.

"So much for the good Grounder," Hannah muttered, lowering her gun.

"Quiet, Hannah." The man struggled against Lincoln's grip.

"Whose people are you defending here, Lincoln?" Pike asked.

"Lincoln put down the knife. No one has to get hurt here," Bellamy pleaded.

"I can't let you start a war," Lincoln told him, not moving the knife.

"We're already at war," Pike argued.

"You can't stop this," Bellamy told him before taking a step forward. The PA system crackled to life and a voice rang through the camp.

"All unstationed security personnel report to the main gate." Footsteps echoed from behind the crowd and Octavia pushed forward. "All unstationed security personnel report to the main gate now."

Octavia ran up next to Lincoln, who was still holding the knife against the man's throat. Octavia stopped and stared at her brother, realizing what he was about to do.

"What's wrong with you?"

Bellamy couldn't meet her eyes as guards ran up from behind the crowd Pike had gathered. A few raised their guns and orders were shouted from both groups.

"Calm down, people. Farm Station. Guns on the ground. On the ground!" Pike ordered, leading by example.

"Lincoln!" Kane yelled, pushing to the front of the group, Abby right behind him, "It's all right. Let him go."

Lincoln moved the knife and shoved the man forward. Bellamy placed his gun on the ground and looked up to see Abby standing her ground in front of Pike.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"What you didn't have the guts to," Pike said, his tone even and surprisingly calm. Kane walked forward, his eyes trained on Bellamy.

"Did you arm these people?"

Bellamy felt his stomach rolling as the weight of what he was doing dawned on him. He'd stolen guns from the guard, he'd armed people who were ready to go to war. He'd committed treason.

For her.

But Bellamy's silence gave Kane the answer he needed.

"Guards, take them to lockup. Now," Abby ordered as Kane walked back, away from Bellamy to stand side by side with the Chancellor. The guards moved past and began arresting each of the members of Pike's group.

A guard grabbed Bellamy's arms and forced them behind his back. Bellamy didn't fight it. The guard slid the cuffs around his wrists. The guard pushed him forward and Bellamy started walking.

"Everybody, back to your quarters. It's over," Abby ordered, turning to face the crowd that had gathered to watch.

"Nothing is over," Pike yelled, as he was being cuffed. "We are surrounded by warriors who want us dead."

"That's enough!" Kane yelled, stepping forward but Pike didn't back down.

"No, it isn't! Not even close. Why don't you show us all what you let the Grounders do to you yesterday?" Pike suggested, but now that he had said it, the crowd would demand Kane to explain. "Come on, Kane. I think the people who are about to vote for you have a right to know."

"Show us, Kane!"

"Yeah!"

"Come on!"

Kane rolled up the sleeve of his jacket and raised his arm in the air, revealing a symbol that had been branded into his skin. Bellamy knew what it was almost immediately.

"It's the mark of the Commander's coalition," Kane explained, turning to let the crowd see. "It means, we are the 13th clan." He turned to face Pike. "It means we are in this fight together."

"No. It's what farmers used to do to their livestock."

"Right before the slaughterhouse!" Hannah yelled from the crowd. Voices rose from the crowd and Bellamy felt sick to his stomach.

"Pike for Chancellor!" Someone yelled.

"He's right!"

"Sir," The man Lincoln had threatened stepped forward toward Pike. "You should be on the ballot tomorrow."

"Yeah, we're with you, Pike!"

"I vote for Pike!"

"Pike for chancellor!"

"That's enough," Abby said, stepping forward. "Take him away." The guard holding Pike nodded and led him into the Ark and toward lockup. Bellamy took a breath.

"Pike! Pike! Pike!" He started chanting and voices began to join him.

"Pike! Pike! Pike!" More voices.

"Pike! Pike! Pike!" And soon, the entire crowd was chanting with Bellamy as he was walked into lock up.

The next morning, Bellamy was sitting inside of lockup with Pike, Hannah, and the rest of the group. Bellamy hadn't slept the night before, and my mind filled with thoughts of Hunter, who was still unconscious in Med Bay. The door slid open outside the cell and Kane walked inside, escorted by two guards.

The guard put a code into the panel next to the cell door and it swung open. Bellamy stood and Kane walked inside, his hands behind his back. He stopped, standing in front of Pike.

"Congratulations, Mr. Chancellor."

Pike looked over his shoulder to Bellamy, who just nodded. Pike returned his attention to Kane.

"Where's Abby?"

"Wishes she could be here." Kane removed the Chancellor's pin from his pocket and handed it to Pike. "The vote wasn't close. Our people are now your responsibility, Charles." Pike took the pin from Kane. I hope you take that seriously."

"Thank you, Marcus. I certainly intend to." Pike placed the pin on his shirt. "For my first official action as Chancellor, I pardon myself and the others. For my second official action, I reject the brand that made us the 13th clan. For my third," He looked to the group around him. "Let's finish what we started."

Pike walked past Kane, leaving the cell. The rest of the group followed suit and Bellamy pushed off the wall he'd been leaning against. He walked forward, toward the door, but Kane stepped into his path.

"It's not too late to choose the right side," Kane told him.

"I already have." And with that, Bellamy left the cell, leaving Kane standing alone. 

Chapter Text

        3rd POV

Bellamy walked through the main gate of the camp, blood splattered across his face and body. There was chatter and whisperers from the crowds as they entered but Bellamy didn't hear any of it. All he could hear was the sound of bullets being fired, screams, and voices begging him for mercy.

"Bellamy, you okay?" Octavia ran toward him, concern etched into her brow.

"I'm fine."

"What happened out there?"

Bellamy didn't answer. He just kept walking.

"Lock it up!" Pike yelled and the gate slid closed behind them. He stepped onto the platform in the center of camp, and the whispers quieted.

"Everybody, listen up!" He yelled over the crowd. "Twenty-four hours ago, we elected me your Chancellor. Every action I've taken since, and every action I will take, will be to achieve one sacred goal. The creation of a self-sustaining, prosperous, and safe Arkadia."

"Yeah!" The crowd cheered in support.

"This morning, on a muddy field, our people paid tribute to those who have been taken from us by sending a message to the Grounders. This land is ours now!"

The crowd erupted with cheers.

"Resist and you will be met by force. Fight, and you will be greeted by death. Today is a new beginning. Mark it down, remember it just like the Grounders will remember it." The crowd roared and Pike stepped down from the platform and made his way through the crowd.

Bellamy stayed close behind Pike, the rest of Pike's personal guard following Bellamy's lead. Bellamy passed Kane and Abby, who were standing at the back of the crowd but Bellamy didn't meet their eyes.

Bellamy had gathered in the Chancellor's office with Pike, Hannah, and the others. They stood around Pike's desk, maps of the ground scattered across the table. Bellamy placed his hands on the edge of the table and leaned forward, glancing down at the map in front of him.

"Our goal is secure access to water and arable land with defensible terrain on as many sides as possible. A 15-kilometer perimeter around Arkadia should be sufficient," Pike said looking from the map and to the ground around him. Bellamy glanced up from the map.

"15 kilometers? Sir, there's a Grounder village," Bellamy told him, knowing what Pike would do to get that land.

"Which will no doubt be the staging area for a retaliatory attack. Clearing it will be our first order of business. What's the location of the village?"

"Clear the village?" Bellamy asked, hesitant to give Pike the answer he was looking for. He just stared at Pike. Pike looked around to the rest of the group.

"Give us the room."

"Yes sir," Hannah said with a nod. "Kane and Lincoln are waiting outside." She waited for everyone to leave before stepping into the hall and closing the door behind her. Pike waited for the door to close before stepping out from behind the table and walking toward a chair in the corner of the room.

He grabbed something that had been draped over it and then turned back to face Bellamy. He walked over and Bellamy glanced down at what was in Pike's hand. A guard jacket. The same one Bellamy had turned in.

"Thought you might like this back," Pike said, holding up the jacket.

Bellamy's mind was racing so fast he couldn't form an answer. Pike folded the jacket and set it on the desk.

"Do you have something to say to me?" Pike asked the tension in the room so thick it made Bellamy's heart race.

"We went too far."

"I know it seems harsh, but we don't leave survivors," Pike explained. "We don't have the medical supplies to treat their people and we can't risk them coming back to kill us." Bullshit. Bellamy knew for a fact that they had medical supplies to spare. Pike just didn't want to.

Pike landed against the table and crossed his arms over his chest. He turned his head to look at Bellamy as he spoke. "And we've all learned pretty quickly that war causes us to do things that we'll spend the rest of our lives trying to forget. The only advice I can give you is to think about the lives we saved today, not the ones that were lost. Can you do that?" Bellamy swallowed and took a breath.

"Yes sir."

Pike turned toward the table and grabbed the jacket off of the desk. He held it out and waited for Bellamy to take it. Pike knew the decision was his to make. That Bellamy needed to choose this on his own.

Bellamy reached out grabbed the jacket and slid his arms into it as he walked out of the office. The door slid open right as Bellamy got the jacket on and he saw Kane and Lincoln standing in front of the door.

"He's ready for you," Bellamy said, looking down to avoid seeing the disappointment on Kane's face.

"What the hell happened out there?" Lincoln asked, stopping Bellamy from walking past. Bellamy stopped and looked up at him.

"We did what we had to do." Bellamy walked past Lincoln but Kane stepped into his path.

"Wake up!" He yelled, placing a hand against Bellamy's chest. "You attacked an army that was here to help us. You murdered innocent people. Is that who you are now? You thought you couldn't live with yourself after Mount Weather? Well, you've just started a war that will kill us all."

"You need to wake up," Bellamy tried to keep his voice calm. "And don't tell me the difference between Azgeda and Trikru. Trikru killed 37 of my friends before you even touched the ground. We didn't start anything. They did."

"They?" Lincoln growled, sending an icy glare toward Bellamy. Bellamy looked over, realizing what he had said.

"You know what I meant." Lincoln walked forward until there were only inches between him and Bellamy.

"I used to."

Lincoln turned and disappeared down the hall. Bellamy looked over to Kane and started down the hall. Kane reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him. Bellamy pulled his arm back and turned to face him.

"Is this what Hunter would tell you to do?"

"Hunter is the reason I'm doing all of this!" Bellamy snapped. "I'm doing this because I couldn't keep her safe! I killed those people to protect her! To keep her safe from the next time they attack. Because believe me. There will be a next time. And I will kill anyone who tries to stop me from protecting the woman I love."

Bellamy shoved past Kane and let his feet guide him down the hall knowing that no matter what Kane, Lincoln or anyone else thought, he was doing the right thing.

"Grounders, on your feet, line up now!" A guard yelled as Bellamy followed the crowd into Sick Bay. "Move!" The guards ordered the sick Grounders to their feet and out the door and Bellamy just watched. He forced himself not to look behind him, at the girl who was in this room because of him.

"What are you doing?" Abby demanded, walking over toward Bellamy and Pike. "These are sick people. You can't just throw them out into the cold."

"We're not. They're being interned."

"What?"

The Sick Bay door slid open and Lincoln and Jackson made their way inside the room. Lincoln's brows were furrowed and his strides into the room were long. He looked as if he was one interaction away from breaking open someone's skull.

"Lincoln," Bellamy said, taking a step forward. "You don't want to be here right now."

"We asked them to come here," He said, gesturing behind him to the sick and injured Grounders.

"We can't spare the supplies."

"Come on!" A guard snapped at a Grounder who moments ago had been unconsious.

"Danae," Lincoln said, taking a step toward her. The man who'd gotten in a fight with Lincoln, Gillmer, stepped in between them and his hand landed on his gun, which was still holstered.

"Lincoln, no," Abby said but Lincoln didn't back down.

"She's too sick to move." A guard pulled her to her feet.

"Looks like she's moving just fine to me."

"Gillmer, back off," Bellamy said, stepping up to the pair. "Jackson," Bellamy turned to him. "Why did you bring him here?" Danae collapsed to the floor and groaned. Lincoln stepped toward her and Gillmer pulled his gun from the holster at his side. He aimed it at Lincoln's head but Lincoln swatted it away, throwing a punch into Gillmer's jaw. Gillmer collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Lincoln bent down and threw punch after punch at him. Bellamy ran toward him and grabbed Lincoln's shoulders, trying to pull him away.

"Lincoln-" Lincoln swung around and threw his elbow into Bellamy's face. Bellamy stumbled back, doubling over, his hand flying up to his face. His skin ached and his head rang. Bellamy was quick to get back up on his feet and stared at Lincoln.

"Lincoln!" Abby yelled. Lincoln followed Abby's concerned eyes toward Pike's gun, which he had pointed at Danae's head.

"He goes with them," Pike ordered. "Take him."

Bellamy stepped out of the way as the guards cuffed Lincoln and walked him out of the room. Pike slid his gun back into his holster.

"Sorry we had to do this the hard way," He said but Bellamy stared at Abby, who was looking right back at him. She pulled her eyes away and turned to face Pike before walking out of the room and turning around the corner.

Bellamy followed the guards down the hallways as they escorted the Grounders into Lock up. They turned the corner and a voice echoed down the corridor.

"Lincoln!"

Bellamy turned around and saw his little sister running down the hall. Bellamy put out his hand and stopped her from following after him.

"I'm okay. Don't fight this," Lincoln insisted.

"He's right," Bellamy told her.

"Lincoln what the hell is going on?" She yelled as Lincoln walked into the cell.

"We're interning the Grounders," Bellamy told her. "Lincoln's here because of a disturbance in Sick Bay." The cell door slid closed and Octavia just stared at her brother.

"What's happening to you?"

"Octavia-"

"I saw what you and Pike did to Lexa's army. Bellamy, you killed everyone!" Bellamy's heart ached with each of her words.

"Keep your voice down," He told her.

"What's wrong?" She asked, not listening to his request. "You're not proud of massacring an army that was here to help us?"

"We're not doing this here," Bellamy said, his voice low.

"Good. Then let's go because I'm not even close to done." Bellamy placed a hand on Octavia's back but she shoved him off, glancing over her shoulder at Lincoln.

"You need to be careful, O. If you keep this up, I won't be able to protect you," Bellamy told her after they turned the corner.

"Thanks for the warning."

"I'm serious. Look at yourself. It is time to stop playing Grounder before you get yourself hurt."

"I'm not playing anything. This is who I am," She snapped, stopping and turning to face him. "You're my brother. I shouldn't have to tell you that." Octavia pulled the door next to her open and Bellamy shook his head before following her into the room.

He looked up and in front of him was Clarke.

"Now, I'm done," Octavia said before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her.

"Go easy on Octavia. I had to beg her to get me into camp," Clarke told him with a sense of optimism in her voice that Bellamy didn't have time for.

"What are you doing here, Clarke?"

"We need to talk."

"Oh. You've decided that?" Bellamy asked her. "The mighty Wanheda, who chose the Grounders over her own people. Who turned her back on us when we came to rescue you? Now, you want to talk?"

"I came here to tell you that the Ice Nation has paid a price," Clarke said walking toward him. "Justice has been served for the attack on Mount Weather. I came to tell you it's over."

"There it is again. Why do you get to decide it's over?"

"We did our part," Clarke assured him.

"We?"

"Lexa and I-" Clarke took a deep breath. "The Ice Queen is dead. The problem was solved and then you let Pike ruin everything." Bellamy scoffed and crossed over to Clarke.

"Why are you here, Clarke?"

"Arkadia needs to make things right. Or Lexa and the Twelve Clans will wipe us out," Clarke explained.

"Let her try." Clarke turned her head and her brows knit together.

"Please tell me that going to war is not what you want." Bellamy was silent, but Clarke knew the answer.

"We've been at war since we landed. At least Pike understands that."

"Pike is the problem. This isn't who you are," Clarke told him.

"You're wrong. This is who I've always been. And I let you Octavia and Kane convince me that we could trust these people when they have shown over and over who they are. And I won't let anyone else get hurt for that mistake."

"Bellamy," Clarke said, her voice soft. "I need you. And we don't have much time."

"You need me?" He asked, trying to hide the complete disbelief running through his mind.

"Yes, I do. I need the guy who wouldn't let me pull that lever in Mount Weather by myself-"

"You left me. You left everyone."

"Bellamy-"

"Enough, Clarke! You're not in charge here. And that's a good thing. Because people die when you're in charge. And you were willing to let a bomb drop on my sister. Then you made a deal with Lexa who left us in Mount Weather to die, knowing that they were killing us, killing Hunter. And then you forced us to kill everyone who helped us. People who trusted me!"

"I just-" Clarke couldn't form the words as her eyes sparkled with tears. Bellamy shook his head and turned, running his hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry." Bellamy looked over his shoulder at Clarke as the words came out of her mouth. She had sat down on a stool in front of the desk. "I'm sorry for leaving. But I knew I could because they had you." Clarke let her head drop and Bellamy walked toward her.

He squatted down next to her and grabbed her wrist, looking into her eyes. Clarke looked up at him and the two exchanged a look and the corner of Clarke's mouth turned up.

"I know we can fix this."

"I'm sorry, too." Clarke smiled as Bellamy reached his hand into his pocket. He pulled out a pair of handcuffs he'd stolen earlier and closed one side around Clarke's wrist and the other around the leg of the table.

Clarke pulled against the restraints and Bellamy rose to his feet. She looked down and it dawned on her what her best friend had done.

"No, don't, no. Bellamy." She thrashed out against the cuffs as Bellamy turned toward the door. "Don't!" Bellamy closed the door, leaving Clarke inside.

An hour had passed and Bellamy dragged Clarke down the hall. Her hands were cuffed but she still struggled against the restraints. Another guard walked on the other side of Clarke, parrel to Bellamy.

"Pike should be in his quarters," Bellamy said as they walked.

"Bellamy, you don't have to do this."

"Yes, I do."

"Just let me go."

"Believe it or not, I am doing this for your own good," Bellamy insisted.

"Believe it or not, I'm doing this for yours." Octavia ran forward and slammed her knee into the back of a guard's leg, knocking him to the floor. She lifted her knee into his chest and the guard dropped onto the floor, not moving.

"You can't just hit a guard," Bellamy told his sister.

"I just did. Let her go."

"I can't do that." Voices filled the hall behind Octavia and she swung around to face the direction of the noise.

"They're coming," Clarke said and Bellamy pulled her closer to him.

"You should go," Bellamy told Octavia, his attention moving from Clarke to his sister. Clarke ran and grabbed the electric baton each of the guards carried from the unconscious body and slammed it against Bellamy's stomach. He doubled over, gasping for air. He collapsed to the floor and Clarke dug through his pockets, looking for the key to her cuffs.

"Clarke, hurry up," Octavia told her, hearing the voices getting closer. She found the key and did quick work to get the cuffs off before running down the hall with Octavia.

"Follow me," Octavia told her. They pushed past a red curtain and found Kane and Abby standing on the other side.

"Mom," Clarke said, running to throw her arms around Abby.

"We know what happened. We know what Pike did. Is there anything we can do to prevent a retaliation?" Abby asked her daughter.

"Abby, hurry," Kane urged.

"We came here to give them, Pike," Octavia told them.

"He's the duly elected Chancellor," Kane told her. "Our people knew who they were voting for. Besides, he has the guards and all the guns. Can't get close to him."

"And that's not the way we do things," Abby added and Octavia looked past Kane to meet her eyes.

"Then maybe it's time we changed the way we do things," She suggested.

"You two need to go, now," Kane told Octavia and Clarke as the alarm rang out through the hall.

"What about Lincoln?" Octavia asked.

"You want to help him?" Kane asked, reaching into his pocket. "Do it from the outside. With this. The range isn't great. Stay close and wait for me to contact you," Octavia took the walkie from Kane's hand. "Go."

Octavia and Clarke climbed through the open panel in the wall and Clarke turned around to look at Abby.

"Come with me," Clarke told her.

"I wish I could." Abby placed her hands on Clarke's face. "May we meet again." Clarke nodded before taking off down the hall after Octavia. Kane watched as Clarke disappeared around the corner and closed the open panel, knowing that unless Clarke could think of something to Commander would kill every last member of Skikru. 

Chapter Text

        My eyes fluttered open and voices filled the room. I didn't make out any of their conversation before I heard the sound of a door slid open and then close again. I squeeze my eyes shut again, hoping to get rid of the ringing in my ears.

I take a breath and force myself upright, using my hands to push myself to sit. I was sitting on a cot in Med Bay. Wait, why Med Bay- What happened?

"Hunter." The voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked up and saw Abby, standing at the edge of my bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I- uh, my head is killing me and my side hurts but besides that I, I feel fine," I said, blinking my eyes until they adjust to the light. Abby placed the back of her palm against my forehead.

"That's good, Hunter."

"Where's Bellamy? Mount Weather? Ezra-" I stopped, reading the concerned expression on Abby's face.

"Hunter. Just take a breath. You're safe. You were unconscious for 3 days," Abby said, her voice calm. My heart raced and my head pounded.

"Where is Ezra? He was there with us. Raven and Sinclair? Did they get the codes? What-" Then it dawned on me.

"Raven and Sinclair were a little banged up but they're okay. I'm sorry, Hunter. Ezra was killed before the explosion went off." Tears threatened to fall from the corners of my eyes. I slam my head against the wall behind me and force myself to breathe.

"I- I tried to- When the explosion was counting down I tried to-" My voice broke on the tears I was trying to suppress. I swallow but don't continue.

"I know, Hunter," My eyes snap up to Abby. How could she- "I know you tried everything to save him. I know how much be meant to you. I'm sorry." I don't tell Abby that I wasn't talking about Ezra.

"Where is Bellamy? I need to see him-" I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. Abby's hand flew out and she grabbed my arm.

"Wait. I-" Her eyes drop to the floor and she takes a breath before looking up at me. "Bellamy is with Pike."

"For what?" I pulled one leg back up on the bed and turned toward Abby. Somethings wrong. Abby wasn't looking at me. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her Chancellor Pin is gone. "Where's the Chancellor's pin?"

She takes a breath. "Pike has it."

"What?" I shoot up to my feet. "How does he-"

"There was an election. We didn't think anyone would run against Kane. After Mount Weather, the Commander sent an army to protect us in case the Ice Nation tried to attack again. Pike didn't see it that way. He was insistent that they were waiting for the order to attack us. After he was elected, he took the guards... and massacred the army."

"And you're telling me that Bellamy is with Pike. Right now?" She nodded.

"He must really like the undercover work-"

"He's not undercover."

"What?" I feel my chest ache and my head spins.

"Bellamy sided with Pike. He went with him when they..." Abby doesn't need to finish.

I grabbed my jacket and gun which had been set on the bedside table next to me. I slid my arms through the sleeves and shoved my gun into the holster still on my thigh. I take off toward the door and Abby called after me. But I don't listen.

I don't stop until I slam the door open to Bellamy's room. He was sitting on his bed in the corner of the room. He looked up and ran over, throwing the picture he'd been holding to the side.

He wrapped his arms around me but I shoved him off. He stumbled back and the relief of seeing me alive faded from his eyes.

"What the hell were you thinking," I demanded, and Bellamy looked at me like a deer in headlights. "Bellamy!" I placed my hands on his shoulders and shoved him back, forcing him out of his train of thought.

"Hunter, I-"

"You killed all of those people! People sent to protect us! Innocent people!"

"Hunter, I did it to stop them from attacking us. And how do you know-"

"From attacking us? Do you really believe that? God, Bellamy, Pike is brainwashing you into believing his lies. The Commander's army was here to stop an attack! Not start one. And why does it matter how I found out? What? Did you not want me to know that you killed hundreds of people?"

"I wanted to be the one to tell you. So you'd understand why I did it-"

"I don't care why you did it, Bellamy!"

"Hunter-"

"You're following Pike into a war we can't win!"

"Stop-"

"A war that is going to get all of us killed-"

"I did it for you!"

I stop.

"What? Why?"

"Because I love you, Hunter. Because you were unconscious for three days! Because I couldn't protect you."

I stayed silent, trying to process what he was telling me.

"Hunter. Hunter, please say something." I looked up at him, feeling the tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Go float yourself, Bellamy."

I turned away from him and stride down the hall, knowing that the man I thought I loved. The man I thought I knew better than I know myself. Had killed hundreds of people. Because of me.

An hour later, Abby had called me back into Med Bay considering she hadn't gotten to officially clear me before I ran off. I was sitting on the edge of a cot and Abby unstrapped the blood pressure cuff around my arm.

The door slid open and Kane walked in followed by Miller. Abby set the cuff down on the table next to me and turned toward Kane and Miller.

"Is she clear?" Miller asked Abby. "We're gonna need all the help we can get."

"She should be. All her other results came in and she's surprisingly healthy all things considered. She turned toward her computer screen. "Blood pressure is 110/68. She's good." I nearly jumped to my feet.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked and Abby walked around from behind her computer.

"We're gonna bug is office," Miller said, as Kane held up a small circular chip.

"Good luck," Abby said to Kane before the three of us left Med Bay and made our way down the hallway.

We turned the corner and Miller glanced over his shoulder for the fifth time since we'd left Med Bay. A woman walked past us and Kane waited until she was out of range before speaking.

"You two step aside, in case someone answers," Kane said and we did as told.

"I told you, no one's home," Miller told him. We stepped out of sight from the door and Kane knocked. Miller bounced on his feet and let out a breath. Kane and I exchanged a look before my glance moved to Miller.

"What?" Kane asked him.

"Bet you didn't think the three of us would be breaking the law together when you arrested us on the Ark, huh?" Miller joked and I stifled a laugh. Kane grabbed the collar of Miller's jacket and I stepped forward.

"This isn't a game, Nate. If we don't find out what Pike's up to more people will die," Kane told him.

"Then let's not get caught." Kane let go of Miller's jacket and returned to the door. He entered the code on the keypad and a light flashed green before beeping. The door slid open and Kane stepped into the doorway.

"Chancellor Pike. Good to see you," A voice said, echoing down the hall. Kane fished into his pocket and pulled out the chip. He placed it into Miller's hand.

"Hey. You two put this somewhere smart, out of sight. I'll buy you some time," Kane said before making his way down the hall toward Pike.

I pushed the door open and Miller followed me inside the office. I cracked the door behind us and watched the hall, waiting to signal to Miller if Pike was coming.

"Done." Miller walked toward me and I nodded before opening the door, letting the two of us slip out. We walked down the hall and saw Kane talking with Pike and Bellamy. My breath hitched but I kept walking. Miller nodded at Kane and we walked past, not wanting to create suspicion.

We made our way back toward Kane's room, which had been made our unofficial meeting spot. Miller closed the door behind us.

"So, this is all crazy, huh," He said, taking a seat at one of the chairs around the table in the middle of the room.

"I guess," I muttered, looking around the room.

"I mean, this whole Pike thing. It's messed up. And who would've thought Bellamy would side with him," Miller said, leaning back in his chair.

I felt a tug at my heart but just nodded. "Surprised me too."

"You seem to know him pretty well, what could possibly make him go along with all of this?" I shrugged, my eyes landing on a crack in the floor.

"I don't know," I lied and moments later the door slid open. Kane walked inside and closed the door behind him.

"Is it in place?" Miller nodded and Kane sat down next to him. I take a seat in the open chair next to Miller and we wait for something to happen. And wait. And wait. And wait.

"Okay, let's get this meeting started." I perked up at the sound of Pike's voice coming through the radio. I looked over at Miller, knowing neither of us had any interest in just sitting around and waiting for something to happen.

"Welcome Farm Station's own Monty Green and Factory girl, Zoe Monroe, as we begin our next crucial phase, expansion and salvation. And this will lead the way."

"Dirt?" Monroe's voice crackles through the radio.

"Fertile, arable soil," Pike corrected. "Vastly more rich than anything we've found since landing. We'll clear the trees and plant this within the month."

"We start with soybeans and corn. They grow the fastest," Hannah said from the other side of the radio.

"What's wrong, Monty? You don't like corn?" I couldn't help but look over to Miller as the sound of his boyfriend's voice came through with a static filter. I guess I wasn't the only one risking their love over this war.

"I've never had corn, actually," Monty replied. "Is this where we're going?"

"That's right," Pike told him.

"There's a village here. What about the people who live there?"

"That's Sector Four. We talked about this. The people there are not a threat." I winced at the sound of Bellamy's voice. I grabbed a pen from Kane's desk along with a piece of paper. I scribble down Sector Four Village and keep listening.

"We need that land," Pike insisted. "With the loss of Mount Weather's resources, Arkadia will be starving in less than a year." I stopped writing and looked up at Kane and Miller, the same concerned and surprised expressions on their faces.

"With all due respect, sir, you will haven't answered Monty's question," Bellamy asked and I can't help myself from feeling a glimpse of hope that maybe he'll be able to see through Pike's outrageous plan.

"You know the answer. Every field must be cleared of stones before it's tilled."

"We were spotted by a child. So, they'll be expecting us. But they lost their fighters when we took out the army We don't expect resistance," Hannah said.

"They're Grounders. They'll resist," Monty told her.

"Even if they don't," Bellamy said, "the Commander's message was clear. Blood must not have blood. That doesn't mean we can start taking-"

"What would you prefer? Die fighting for your home? Or starve to death? Will you do what needs to be done for your people to survive or not?" Pike's words spike a silence through the room.

Bellamy is the first to break the silence.

"We'll do what needs to be done."

Three hours later, me and Miller arrived outside of a cave Octavia had set as a meeting point. We turned into the entrance of the cave and Octavia jumped to her feet, sheathing the knife she'd been sharpening.

"Finally," She said. "Where's my horse?"

"Outside. Nice to see you too," Miller said and Octavia took off. "Octavia, wait a second!"

"Hey, slow down!" I called after her. She stopped and looked over her shoulder.

"Do you actually think that a bunch of Grounders are gonna give up their homes because you asked them to?" Miller asked her and Octavia walked toward us.

"If it's that or be wiped out, maybe."

"Okay, then what if they don't leave?" I asked her. "I trust you, Octavia, but the Grounders might not. If they don't leave we're leading our people into an ambush."

"Maybe if you just talk to your brother-" Octavia cut Miller off before he could next another word out.

"My brother is on the wrong side," She snapped.

"So what then, we don't even try?" Miller asked.

"What do you think happens when Lexa finds out that Skaikru massacred another Grounder Village?" Octavia asked, her voice thick with anger. I exchanged a quick look with Miller.

"War," He answered.

"More dead friends," I added. Octavia nodded.

"Stop the attack. Stop a war." Octavia ran out of the cave, leaving me and Miller alone.

"Hey! Where the hell have you been?" Bryan called out as me and Miller made our way into the hanger bay. He placed a hand against the base of Miller's neck.

"We lost the damn horse. Actually, the horse lost us, but..." Miller said and Bryan placed a hand on Miller's cheek.

"I'm glad you're okay."

"I wish you didn't have to go with them," Miller said, shaking his head.

"Today, Bryan." I looked up and saw Bellamy, leaning out from the back of the rover. He looked up at me and the only thing my mind could focus on was my anger.

"Duty calls," Miller said and Bryan nodded.

"Yeah."

"Hey, be careful, please," Miller said before pulling Bryan into a hug. The two pulled apart and Bryan ran to climb into the rover. Bellamy pulled his eyes away as he sat down and closed the back of the rover.

The door slid open and the rover engine roared to life before driving off into camp. Kane looked over at me and Miller and I nodded, before making my back toward my room, my heart aching for Bellamy.