There was something eerie in the way the buildings surrounding them stood, half alive, and half dead, years and years of neglect and radiation having done it's damage. It was quiet, save for the sounds of footsteps and curious whispers, and Clarke was lost in the details of broken bricks and doors that barley stood. Most of the windows were smashed, and instead of glass, there was fabric blowing in the light breeze that had shown up. Some of the buildings looked a little more loved than others. There were five in total. They stood in front of the largest one, two much tinier ones sitting side by side just to it's right. The other two were behind the group, and were certainly in the worst condition.

"What do you want to do?" Bellamy watched Clarke as she looked around, an unreadable expression on her face. Usually he had a pretty good idea what she was thinking, but right now was not one of those times.

She bit her lip, while contemplating the risks of checking out these buildings. They were unfamiliar territory, and very likely unstable. They could be infested with bugs or critters of some kind, or worse— this could already be somebody else's home. That being said…they needed all the allies they could get, and even if there was no one else, the sun was beginning to set and they needed to set up camp somewhere. Who knows if the opportunity to be kept out of the open would come up again? This could be all there is out here.

"Look around." She finally said. "But first, we should create groups of five or six, and make sure each group has at least two guns."

Bellamy nodded his okay, and turned to look at the others.

"Alright, this is how it's going to go." He called out, grabbing everybody's attention. "There are five buildings, and thirty-five of us. We are going to send out groups, one to each of the smaller ones, and two to the largest one. Most groups will have six people, and at least two guns. Do not leave anybody behind. You watch each other's backs, and if you come face to face with any form of trouble, you shoot and you get the hell out of there, you hear me? The second we hear gun shots, everybody meets where we are standing right now. Safety in numbers, alright?"

"So which building should I take?" Clarke smiled lightly. There was something sweet (and attractive) in the way Bellamy took charge. There was something even sweeter (and more attractive) in the way he looked to her first.

"Oh no, we're definitely not splitting up. We'll group with Octavia, Murphy, Monty and Raven. Miller will lead one group, Wick can lead another. That leave us with three more, so, uh, Jackson, Lexa, and… "

"Bellamy, don't be ridiculous. I can handle myself, and so can the others. Raven should go with Wick, Jackson with Lexa, Miller with Monty, Octavia with you, and—" She glanced towards a smiling Murphy, and almost groaned. "And Murphy with me."

"What? No." Bellamy shook his head, and Clarke rested a hand against his chest.

"I wasn't asking permission." Her tone was serious, but her face softened when she noticed the concern in his eyes.

"I'll be careful." She promised, and perhaps it was the way she whispered it so only he could hear it, but it felt almost intimate, and left him a little more at ease.

"Okay, then." He nodded. "Stay safe."

And with that, him and Octavia and the others set off to form groups. She turned toward Murphy, an eyebrow arched.

"Please tell me you're not going to be a pain in my ass."

"Well, I can be a pain in other places, if you'd prefer." He winked and she had to bite back the urge not to gag, before shoving him lightly, and hiding a smile. She needed small moments like this, where nothing was suppose to be taken seriously. It was a rarity indeed, and from that moment on she intended on basking in them as long as she could.

When they had found four others to join them, they headed towards the farthest building, which also happened to be the smallest. The moment they entered, the sound of broken glass crunching beneath their shoes echoed against what was left of the walls. Broken furniture and other objects laid sprawled across the floor. It was dark, and dusty, and Clarke found herself, at one point, covered in spiderwebs. She peeled them away, her disgust clear in her features, Murphy laughing at her from where he stood.

"I will shoot you." She swore, and he only laughed harder.

"Here." Lizzie, a girl who was maybe fifteen or sixteen, began pulling away at the webs and Clarke smiled at her in return.

"Thanks. At least somebody knows how to be polite around here." Her eyes narrowed towards Murphy, and he shrugged, a lazy smile put in place perfectly. It suited him well.

They began moving down a hallway, with Clarke now the one in lead, but Murphy remained close behind. He had really changed a lot since the first few days on Earth. It was a pleasant surprise, although she would never admit it. Okay, maybe she would one day. If they lived long enough.

"So, you and Bellamy." Murphy's tone seemed as though he was implying something, Clarke wasn't quite grasping.

"What about us?"

He eyed her for a moment, before shrugging.

"Nothing."

"That was definitely not a 'nothing' nothing, that was a 'something' nothing." Clarke realized how odd of a sentence that turned out to be, but she stood by her words, while looking over her shoulder at him.

"Oh, come on, Clarke. Like you don't know what everyone says about you and Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome on a daily— "

Suddenly the floor seemed to disappear beneath Clarke's feet. One second she was walking on sturdy ground, and the next she was falling. She thought she heard someone scream her name, but when her head smacked against hard stone, she was swallowed up by darkness.

/

Bellamy hated being separated from Clarke. There had come a time, where something had shifted between them, and suddenly Octavia wasn't the only one he was fiercely protective of. Yes, he knew Clarke was the right choice for leading a group, and yes it probably didn't make sense to put the best leaders all together, but those were his friends and Clarke was— something else entirely and of much more importance where his heart was concerned, but though him and Murphy were on better terms, he still didn't trust him per say, especially around Clarke, and what the fuck was that feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. Could it be? Bellamy Blake was jealous? Sure, he had felt envy throughout his life, envy for those who were much better off on the Ark than he had been, envy for those who's mother still lived and breathed— but jealousy was different. Jealousy meant the fear of losing something you already have to someone else, whereas envy was wishing you had what someone else had.

It was the first time Bellamy ever considered, that maybe a part of him believed, Clarke was his. Not in a possessive way, and he sure as hell did not see her as an object to own, but in a romantic way— like she was his other half. The one person he'd found without even realizing he was looking for her. God, what we he suppose to do with all these thoughts and feelings that seemed to devour him. There were much more important things for him to be focusing on.

Like the fact that Octavia insisted on being in the front as they searched each room. His eyes haven't left her back since and his fingers were wrapped securely around his gun, ready for anything that could possibly surprise them.

The place didn't look lived in, nor welcoming. It was filthy, and pieces of the wall were still crumbling. But, it had potential. If they were able to clean out each room, and find wood and brick from some of the other buildings, perhaps they could focus on one, and bring it back to life again. It would never be anything spectacular, but it could become home— if they put in the time and the effort. Only problem still left unsolved, was where they'd get their food and water supply from.

"Should we check the second floor?" Jason, a boy who was about Clarke's age pointed towards stairs— if they could even be called that anymore. They looked too risky to even attempt, but as Bellamy was about to put his thoughts into words someone or something flung itself onto Jason, who stumbled backwards and screamed the second it's mouth ripped into his shoulder. Bellamy didn't even hesitate to pull the trigger. It took one— two—- three times total, before the creature turned and hissed in anger, it's face distorted and red with blood. It dropped down to it's hands and feet before running up the stairs and disappearing behind the corner.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god." A boy, maybe thirteen, said over and over again, his hands still shaking. Bellamy moved his gun onto his back before bending down to examine Jason's wounds. The boy was drenched in sweat and trembling beneath his fingers. He winced, when Bellamy touched the bite, that was at least the size of a tennis ball. It looked bad, and with whatever that thing was upstairs, it was time for them to leave.

The second they got outside, everyone became very much aware of the fact that Bellamy was carrying somebody.

"Jason!" A boy screamed from the crowd, running over to him and gathering him up in his arms where Bellamy had laid him down. "I told you we shouldn't have split up, you idiot."

Jason offered as much of a smile as he could.

"I love you too." He mumbled, and the boy holding him sighed in exasperation, and wrapped a piece of fabric around his boyfriend's shoulder.

Bellamy looked around, trying to find the one person that was very much needed in a moment like this. The one person, of all people, who would have listened to instruction. He had fired bullets. Everyone should be out here, yet…

There was no sign of Clarke. No sign of Murphy, either or the four that had tagged along with them.

Suddenly, Bellamy was running towards the building they were in, a bad feeling becoming far too comfortable, far too fast in the pit of his stomach.

a/n: Soooo yeah. I kind of decided a few days ago that i'm crazy for Murphy/Clarke interaction, and I wanted to bring it in to my own story. I thought I'd might as well try developing a dynamic between them early on, so I'll have more to play with later. Hopefully there was enough bellarke hints, though I do plan on it being a bit of a slow burn (or not... I might not be able to handle that myself. like, let's be honest. If the urge to have them kiss becomes to strong, it is probably a thing that will happen earlier than I intended. I guess we shall see.)