She had planned to spend her day gathering medicinal herbs. The med bay was getting dangerously low, and she was constantly worried that something would go wrong while they were so depleted. So, early that morning, she had risen, collected a gun and her satchel, and set off for the woods. Alone. It was against the rules they had put into place. But they desperately needed more herbs. Their people tended to be clumsy, and she was always tending to cuts that they dared not leave to risk any infection.
So, there she was. Deep in the woods, gathering the plants that Lincoln had identified as useful. She grabbed as many as she could, and placed them gingerly in the bag. It wouldn't do to stuff them, and destroy the precious leaves. They needed to remain as intact as she could keep them, to achieve maximum usefulness. If that meant more trips, then so be it. Only the best for her people.
The day was growing warm as the sun lifted above the horizon. She lifted her arm to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Dirt marred her face, but that was no different than usual. They were all used to the dirt covering their faces, and the stench that covered them all. Bathing was a luxury they didn't often get to partake in. She sometimes missed the easy days of the ark, when showers and razors were taken for granted.
It was tedious, boring work. She passed the time, and filled the quiet with humming. Any tune that came to mind, she expressed. It wasn't much, but it helped pass the time quicker. She was surprised that none of the others had come looking for her yet. With the relative peace they had seen in the previous weeks, she figured they didn't see much need in it. Or they had yet to realize she was missing from her tent. She chuckled quietly, and shook her head. Of course they had notice her absence. Bellamy noticed all. He must just be giving her space.
She supposed she was glad for that. While another person might make the task less irritating and slow going, she knew she would have to explain every plant they encountered. That would take even longer. The privacy was enjoyable, as well. Being rocketed to the leaderboards among the group meant she didn't really get a lot of time to herself anymore. Slowly, she felt herself relaxing. The sounds of nature invaded her psyche, and she couldn't imagine returning to a place as dull as the ark had been, even with the flowing water and sharp razors that removed hair so effectively.
Humming and dazed as she had grown in the last few moments, she barely heard the twig snap somewhere behind her. Instantly, she was spinning around, searching for the cause of the disturbance. A two-headed, three-eyed hare sped away from her location. She pressed her hand to her chest, willing her rapidly beating heart to calm. After the scare, she supposed it might be time to head back. The day had advanced far past when she initially intended to return to base. The sun was high overhead, and she noticed a spring in her step. It was turning out to be a pretty good day.
And then, the next thing she knew, she was laying on the ground. She fought the darkness that was lapping at the edges of her consciousness, willing herself to stay awake. A warm trickle of blood slid down her face, mixing with the dirt she had inadvertently wiped on herself. Fur covered feet stepped into her line of vision, and her heart began to race. This was definitely not good.
When she awoke, her head was throbbing. She still lay on her stomach, with the smell of the rotten leaves permeating her nose. She remembered the boots, and her eyes shot open. She realized, with a start, that she lay spread-eagle, with her limbs tied to the trees. Oh, no. Her struggled against the strongly crafted ropes were futile at best. She was no match for them at full capacity, let alone woozy and weak from a head injury. She wasn't sure what the mystery booted person wanted, but she knew she didn't have much that she could offer him. Certainly nothing he would want. She didn't have time to fully explore the idea before the darkness ate away at her again.
She woke again, with the sun setting somewhere to her left. She had no idea where she was, where Boots had tied her up. Gently, she lifted her head and tried to look around. A fire was blazing to her right, with a gnarled Grounder sitting on the far side. Though she could barely make out his face, she knew he was staring at her. Hard. Her heart leaped to her throat.
In the distance, she heard more pairs of feet tromping loudly through the woods. They wanted it to be known that they were advancing on the fire, but the Grounder never took his eyes off of her. Suddenly, she feared for her life. What were they going to do to her?
She had a pretty good idea.
Four Grounders burst from the bushes, looking first at the Fire Grounder. Her eyes slid to his feet. Boots. Within seconds, the group noticed her tied just feet away, and started hollering. Yep, she knew exactly where this was going, and she began frantically pulling at her restraints. They laughed while she expended what little energy she had fighting the vines. They knew she wasn't getting free unless they wanted to let her go.
Finally, her limbs could pull no more, and dropped limply to the ground. Boots stood from his place by the fire and advanced silently. It felt as though her heart was going to beat out of her chest. He knelt by her head, and ran a gentle finger from her hairline to her neck. Her eyes grew wide. Quickly, his hand fisted in her hair and he gave a sharp jerk. Her head launched backwards with his grip, and a pained gasp slipped through her mouth. The others hollered.
Boots slipped his hunting knife from his belt. This is it. She prayed he would just slit her throat instead of the alternative. Instead, he lifted her shirt slightly, and slipped the knife beneath the material. He yanked, pulling the collar flush with her neck. For a moment, she struggled to breathe, then the fabric gave. He ripped it the rest of the way.
The bare expanse of her back was open for them to ogle. It wouldn't hold them long. Boots pressed his knife to the lone freckle she knew they were staring at. Gently, he slid it down her back, towards her butt. She resumed her struggling, and felt the sharp blade pierce her skin. She didn't care anymore. Silently, the others approached, and pushed her body into the dirt. The creep continued his agonizingly slow reveal of her body. Her eyes started to burn with unshed tears. There was no getting out of this. She sobbed openly when he sliced her thin jeans from hip to ankle, and then her worn panties.
Without warning, he shoved himself inside her to the hilt. Giving no thought to his actions, he simply pounded away, thrusting as deeply as he could. The act was over in a few minutes, but to Clarke, it felt like hours. He paused briefly as he spilled himself inside her, then removed himself. She hoped it was over. She was dead wrong. Another quickly took his place. The Grounder was huge. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see what was happening.
Based on his body size, she figured it applied everywhere. She wasn't wrong. She felt herself stretch painfully at the intrusion. He rammed into her so hard, she felt the vines at her ankles digging into her skin. The next one was smaller, but not by much. He took his time, though his dirty fingernails dug into her sides, and his sharp teeth busted the skin on her shoulder.
She lay defeated in the dirt as the fourth one lined himself up. It didn't hurt as much now. The deposits from the first three had coated her body, so she was no longer dry. Like a bullet, he shot into her body with a forceful grunt. Slowly, he pulled back to her entrance before repeating the process over and over. I've died, and I've gone to hell.
The fifth one didn't waste any time getting his rocks off, either. She thought maybe now they were finished using her, and would be on their way. Eventually, she might be able to work herself free. But this wasn't her day anymore.
Fresh tears welled in her eyes as they lined up for round two. She wasn't sure how long she could endure the torture they were riddling her body with. It was hell, to put it mildly. Never would she have imagined ending up in such a position when she had set out early that morning. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she felt herself wishing she had informed someone of her whereabouts before she had left. Maybe then, she wouldn't be in this situation. Maybe she would be back in camp, laughing over dinner with Bellamy. Bellamy.
They would be disgusted with her after this. She had gone from being pure, to taking a severe pounding. No one would ever want someone as destroyed as she was sure she was now. It was hopeless. Her life on Earth had been ruined by the four rapists.
She wasn't sure how long it was before they finally decided they'd had enough. She'd long lost track of which brute was pounding away at her body. The back and forth motion had rubbed her wrists and ankles raw. She could see the blood making a slow trail down her arm to muddy the ground. And then, by some miracle, they were finished. They kicked dirt over their fire, gathered their things, sliced one of her hands free, and set off into the forest.
For a long time, she lay still. Her body was numb to all feeling. She ached everywhere. The fog in her mind barely let her register that she was partially free, and that there was no longer an intruder in her body. But she was stiff, and she felt as though she were no longer attached to the body she had once known so well. Slowly, she worked her free hand to the tied one. As much as she fumbled with the tight knot, it barely moved. She couldn't seem to untangle the vines.
Abused and frustrated, sobs racked her body once more. She trembled so harshly, she ended up clawing at her own arm in her attempts to escape. Footsteps and cracking branches sent her into a panic, and she franticly tore at her binds. She needed to escape. They were coming back, she just knew it. They were being loud. They wanted to terrify her. They wanted her to think that they had finished, and had let her free. But she knew better. They were coming back, and there would be more of them this time. They would all want a turn riding the queen of the Sky People. What a great title they could carry with them.
Then voices were echoing through the trees. She recognized her name, and Bellamy's voice. "St-stop." She wanted to say it louder. She didn't want him to see her like this. She had wanted him to see her stripped of clothing under different circumstances. "Pl-please, Bell. St-stop. D-don't look at m-me." But he had already broken through the tree line. Quickly, he shouted a halt to the rest of the team following him, saving what dignity she had left.
Her body shook violently with her sobs. Her forehead pressed to the cold, muddied by blood dirt under her head. She wanted to sink into the ground, and never resurface. She didn't want to see the horror and disgust that she knew was covering Bellamy's face now. Her despair broke through her puckered lips, and she inhaled grains of dirt with each breath. Her hand resumed its action, trying desperately to free herself so she could escape his judgment.
And then he was by her side, slicing her free with quick flicks of his knife. Instantly, she curled herself into a ball, making herself as small as possible, and leaving as little exposed as she could. Gently, he laid a hand on her shoulder, and she flinched away. "Clarke…" She was sure she imagined the concern that weighed his words down. All he could be feeling right now had to be revulsion. He couldn't possibly be concerned about something as dirty as she felt.
Her hands came up to cover her ears, not wanted to hear what she was imagining. She didn't want to be fooled by words that came out sounding differently than what he meant. She wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he just left her there, to rot away like the trash that she was. She deserved it, for getting herself into such a mess.
But he didn't. Instead, he sat by her side silently, ever so gently stroking her hair, until she no longer flinched at his touch. Hesitantly, she gripped the fabric of his pants, afraid he would flee at her returned touch. She felt him move, and she withdrew her hand, regretting her move. Of course he wouldn't want something nasty like herself touching him.
She felt something light settle over her stripped body, and his scent instantly flooded her nostrils. He had removed his shirt, and now used it to cover her nakedness. She was grateful, and showed it by returning her grip to his pants leg. It was a long time before she felt safe enough to open her eyes. The sun was beginning to rise. The woods were slowly lightening. Bellamy still sat quietly by her side, stroking her hair. He leaned on one arm, with one leg stretched in front of him. The one she grabbed stayed diligently bent at the knee, close enough that she could hold on.
He smiled down at her gently. She tried to smile back, but her face was frozen against all emotion but fear. "It's okay. I've got you." She launched herself into his arms, clinging to his neck. The shirt slipped off of her, and he calmly brought it up to cover what wasn't hidden against his body. He held her tightly as she cried again, dampening his skin quickly.