Fire and Ice

"No, no, no, no" Clarke whispered, taking a deep breath in as she bolted towards Arcadia. "Please god no, no, no, no." She repeated it as if it the words held the power to stop the horror she saw before her.

She had been travelling back towards Arkadia from her meeting with Roan and his army when she was stopped in her tracks by the thunderous sound of the explosion. Her head whipped in the direction of the sound, The Ark, Clarke thought in horror. Before she could even think she had one foot in front of the other pounding on the ground as she ran, Bellamy close behind her. The closer she got the bigger the fire grew, she could see the orange blaze through the trees and soon she could hear the screams of her friends against the roar of fire and metal colliding.

People were flooding out of the ark, spluttering and coughing until their lungs could burst, the smoke poisoning them, they were gasping for air. Clarke's need to help them was kicking in but she held back. She gazed at the survivor's faces as they passed her, one by one crossing them off the list in her head, each on bringing relief tainted with dread. Where was Niylah?

"Octavia?!" Bellamy called out as he did the same, searching for her within the crowd.

"Over here!" Ilian said, supporting the majority of her weight as they stumbled out the Ark. Bellamy ran past Clarke to reach for her, scooping her off the ground and taking her further away to safety. Clarke tried to look past them, tried to look past the rising black smoke too. She gave one quick once over the crowd again before joining Bellamy at his side.

"O, are you okay?" Bellamy asked, his eyes running over her, checking if there was any immediate damage.

She could only cough in response.

"Octavia, where is Niylah?" Clarke asked trying to hide the panic rising in the voice like bile.

Octavia took a deep gulp of air before replying "She was right next to me."

Ilian looked down, like a child who was guilty, he couldn't look bare to look at Clarke as he explained. "I could only carry one. If I tried to take both we might not have gotten out in time."

Clarke was almost sure her heart had stopped, her breathing became slow and all colour, feeling, and warmth she had felt a few seconds before were ripped away from her.

"No!" Bellamy shouted, forcing his voice over the chaos of screams. "Clarke, it's not safe!"

But his words slid off her like a spray of ash. She made a beeline for the Ark, smoke filling her lungs, blinking to see in the smouldering air.

"Niylah!" She felt as if she were in a living nightmare, she didn't feel like herself, her feet seemed to carry her forward as if they had a mind of their own and her voice sounded as if her screams were by someone else miles away. Time seemed to pass agonisingly slow, she couldn't get there fast enough.

Everything came back in an instant, in the instant that she felt strong arms bind around her. She had control of her body, her voice sounded as her own again and time came snapping back but she couldn't move.

His arm wrapped around her waist tighter like a steel band, pulling her forcibly back towards him.

"Let me go", she shrieked, thrashing with all her might. But Bellamy held her tight, forcing her to watch helplessly as fire engulfed the Ark. The entire shell of it was now up in flames, explosions could still be heard as the fire made its way through, destroying everything in its path.

"Get off me" She sobbed, twisting again as she tried to wrestle free.

He slid his arm under her and began dragging her backward.

"No", she shrieked, feeling the sound tear her throat, pounding at him helplessly with her fists. "I need to get her out." She dug her heels into the grass, but Bellamy was stronger, and she couldn't hold her ground. "Niylah!"

"Clarke, I'm so sorry", Bellamy whispered in her ear. She could tell he was sincere, but she didn't care. "You'll die if you go in there. I can't let you."

The word die ignited a reserve of power that exploded through her. Clarke gritted her teeth and lunged forward, momentarily escaping Bellamy hold. Her entire being had reduced to a single, desperate thought saving the only friend she had left in the universe.

She screamed as her arm was wrenched behind her back. "Let me go." This time, it was more of a plea than an order.
"I'm begging you, Bellamy. Please let me go."

"I can't," he said, wrapping his arms around her again. His voice was shaking. "You know I can't."

The clearing was empty now, everyone retreating into the edge of the woods watching in horror as their home was lost. Most
of them were carrying supplies but no one had thought to grab Niylah who was now being burned alive just a few meters away.

"I'm sorry," Clarke cried. "I'm so sorry, Niylah."

Neither Bellamy or her spoke but he continued to hold her, the whole time terrified that if he loosened his grip for one second Clarke would seize the opportunity to break free and risk her life running in after Niylah. In this state, she couldn't be trusted.

All she could see was an orange blur as her tears stung her eyes. There was a crack, and the flames shot up even higher, Clarke shrieked with horror as parts of the Arc collapsed into a storm of fire, then slowly crumbled into ash.

Clarke felt her legs give out and her whole body turn numb. Bellamy slowly guided her down onto the damp ground, scared that if he let her go she would just fall. Something inside her broke, her tears had dried up but she still felt like her heart had been ripped out.

It was over.

Just to let you know that I have used exerts from the book. Let me know what you think and if you'd like me to continue! Thanks for reading!