A/N: Hey guys! So although I haven't gotten any reviews on the first chapter, I did get a few favs and follows which made me want to post another chapter quickly! I have season one all written out already so the more reviews, favs, and follows I get, the quicker the chapters will be posted! Hope you continue reading!
Disclaimer: I only own my character, Casady.
No one was in more shocked than Monty. His mouth is parted, he is breathing heavily, and he is staring into space (no pun intended lol).
Finn shakes Monty frantically, "Monty. Come on! We got to go!"
"Monty, get up!" Octavia demands.
"Casady help Octavia," Clarke yells at me.
I trip over my own feet to pull Octavia's arm around my shoulder. She's in more pain as we run faster. I feel guilty but my goal is to get us out of harm's way as fast as possible. I feel even guiltier leaving Jasper's body behind.
"Who are they?" Finn asks. Crows squawk above. Finn rethinks his question, "What are they?"
"We are so screwed," Octavia grumbles.
Our heads snap to a distant scream behind us. Male, deep…Jasper.
"Jasper," Clarke says. "He's alive."
She is about to turn around and save Jasper, but Finn stops her. "Clarke. Wait! Wait." She turns around, ready to yell and fight back. But Finn speaks before she can object, "Stay out of the trees."
Poor Octavia. We turn around and run back to where Jasper was. When we peer over the rock, his body is no longer there—only the puddle of blood from his abdomen.
"He was right there," Clarke points.
"No," Monty shakes his head. Anxiety bubbling up, "Where is he?"
"They took him," I say.
Clarke takes one last look at Octavia and sighs, "We need to get back to Camp. Warn the others. We'll head out for Jasper later tonight. They wouldn't keep him if he was dead."
We walk back to Camp. As we get closer, screams, and chants, and other loud noises become more clear. Obviously we left the camp to chaos.
Kids stand around in a circle. Their arms are raised, punching the air. They chant, "Fight!"
My small group pushes our way through the energized crowd. Wells and a boy named Atom wrestle each other, throwing lethal punches and hard kicks. Atom's nose is bleeding. Wells is clutching his ribs.
Clarke runs to her old best friend and pulls him off of Atom, "Wells! Let him go!"
"Whoa! Hey!" Murphy takes a step forward, irritated that his night of entertainment had come to an end.
"Enough, Murphy."
Bellamy spots Octavia under my arm and rushes towards his sister, "Octavia! Are you alright?" Before she can answer, he says to me, "I thought I told you watch out for her."
"I'm fine Bell," Octavia says. "She's the reason why I still have my leg. Leave her alone."
"Move so she can sit down," I say, not meeting his eyes. I'm still pissed about our previous conversation.
"I can take it from here," He gently pulls Octavia out from under my arm. "Where's the food?"
"We didn't make it to Mount Weather," I tell him.
"What the hell happened out there?"
"We were attacked," Clarke says loudly. Not only gaining Bellamy's attention but a few other delinquents around her.
"Attacked? By what?"
"It turns out, when the last man from the ground died on the Ark, he wasn't the last Grounder," Finn explains.
People whispered, "It's true. 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."
"Yeah but the grounders will," I mutter under my breath. Clarke sends daggers my way.
Bellamy sighs, "Where's the kid with the goggles?"
"Jasper was hit," Clarke says. "They took him," She glances at his arm, her attention shifting, "Where's your wristband?"
I look at Bellamy's hand and to the others. Many are missing their bracelets that we were strapped with before flying down here.
"Ask him," Bellamy points to Murphy.
Clarke seethes, turning to Murphy and asks, "How many?"
"Twenty-four and counting," He says with a smirk.
Clarke's face turns red, "You idiots. 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. You're killing us!"
Bellamy turns to the people, shouting, "We're stronger than you think. Don't listen to her. She's one of the privileged. If they come down, she'll have it good. How many of you can say 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 your crimes. I say you're not criminals! You're fighters, survivors! The Grounders should worry about us!"
"Yeah! Yeah!" The delinquents chant.
I stomp to Clarke and Finn. "What do we do now?" I ask. My hand finds it's way to my bracelet.
"Now we go after Jasper." Clarke states.
Clarke takes Wells to the dropship to see what his injuries look like. She asks me to come with. I nod, surprised she wants me with her. Finn and Monty follow. I have a feeling this is going to be our clique. Plus Octavia once Bellamy isn't up her ass 24/7. But Octavia is stubborn. She stumbles into the dropship too with her brother.
"It's just a scratch," Wells brushes it off.
"You're making friends fast," Clarke rolls her eyes. "Keep it covered. It could get infected," She eyes his bag that sits in the corner, "Nice pack."
"Yeah, seat belts and insulation. I also packed part of the parachute, figured we could use it to carry out Jasper."
"Good. Give it to someone else," Clarke stands up and snaps, "You're not coming with us."
"I feel fine."
"I don't care about your injuries, Wells. It's you."
I look over at Finn. He purses his lips and tilts back and forth on his heels. Awkward.
"You came back for reinforcements," Wells argues. "I'm gonna help."
"Clarke he's right," Finn sighs. "We need him. So far no one else has volunteered."
"I'm sorry Monty, but you're not going either," Clarke says solemnly.
Monty glares, "Like hell I'm not. Jasper is my best friend!"
"You're too important. You were raised on Farm Station and recruited by engineering."
"So?"
"So food and communication. What's up here, it's gonna save us all." Clarke points to her head and then to the torn-apart radio. "You figure out how to talk to the Ark and I'll bring Jasper back." She eyes me staring at Monty. "Hey. You ready?"
"I don't think we should go," Finn steps in. "That spear was thrown with pinpoint accuracy from 300 feet."
"So what, we let Jasper die? That's not gonna happen." Clarke scoffs, "Spacewalker? What a joke. You think you're such an adventurer. You're really just a coward"
"It's not an adventure, Clarke, it's a suicide mission. Build a wall. Use the fallen trees."
"I'll watch out for her," Bellamy promises. Octavia groans next to him. She rubs her injured leg. Bellamy motions to her leg and asks, "What the hell was it?"
"I dont know," Octavia answers. "The others said it looked like a giant snake."
"You could have been killed."
"She would have been if Jasper didn't jump in to pull her out." Clarke says, grabbing Wells's pack. "Lets go Casady."
"You guys leaving?" Octavia tries standing up. "I'm coming, too."
"No, no. No way. Not again," Bellamy says.
"He's right," Clarke says, "Your leg's just gonna slow us down."
Clarke and I walk out of the drop ship. We give each other a look. A look that says we might not come back. But it's also a look that convinces us that we're doing the right thing. Down here, we're not prisoners. We're warriors and fighters that are reclaiming our land.
"Clarke!" Bellamy calls out for her. We turn around. Bellamy looks around to make sure no one is listening. "What are you doing?"
"I hear you have a gun," Clarke whispers. Bellamy licks his lip and lifts up his shirt an inch to show the handle of a pistol. I bite my lip at the site of skin, not realizing the good body that he had. "Good. Follow me."
"Wait, what?" I snap my head towards Clarke.
Bellamy scoffs, "And why would I do that?"
"Because you want them to follow you, and right now, they're thinking only one of us is scared."
Bellamy looks at me, almost asking for confirmation. I raise my eyebrow, silently agreeing with Clarke and challenging him to take the risk.
Bellamy nods, turns, and shouts, "Murphy! Come with me. Atom? My sister doesn't leave this camp. Is that clear?"
"I don't need a babysitter," Octavia scoffs.
"Anybody touches her, they answer to me," Bellamy threatens.
"I'm gonna make your life a living hell," Octavia sneers at Atom.
Bellamy looks back at us, "Those guys aren't just bullies. They're dangerous criminals."
"I'm counting on it," Clarke and I walk ahead of the boys.
"Why did you want me to come?" I ask when we're out of earshot.
"You don't strike me as a coward," Clarke says. "I see you as a potential leader. And I need to keep my eye on you. Make sure you're okay."
"Why is that? I'm capable of taking care of myself."
"I'll tell you as soon as we get Jasper back. Alive."
"Hey, hold up!" Bellamy calls after us. "What's the rush? You don't survive a spear through the heart."
"Jasper screamed when they moved him. If the spear struck his heart, he'd have died instantly. It doesn't mean we have time to waste." I say as a matter-of-factly.
Bellamy grabs my hand, "As soon as you take this wristband off, we can go."
"The only way the Ark is going to think I'm dead is if I'm dead. Got it?"
"Let her go, Bellamy," Clarke stares him down.
Bellamy and I don't break eye contact when I rip my arm away. I have a feeling we're never going to get along.
Finn finds his way through the forest and meets us in the middle. Something about a change of heart, I guess.
"You call this a rescue party," Bellamy scoffs. "Got to split up, cover more ground. Clarke, come with me."
Finn and I walk in a different direction. I notice how aware Finn becomes in every step, and the way he is never two steps away from me. Like if something were to come our way, he would protect me. It's a natural inclination he has. I can tell.
"What do you think?" I ask. My voice is quieter than it normally would be. "Do you think Jasper is still out here? Alive?"
"I believe in miracles. Does that answer your question?" Finn says.
"Not at all," I say stepping over a fallen tree.
"So you and Octavia are friends?"
"We met in lockup." I laugh. "She had bangs at the time. But she grew them out...thank god. But yeah. Surprisingly, she was shy. Only at first, though. I like to think I helped her break out of her shell."
"Doesn't surprise me. You never came off to anyone as shy. I can sense your sarcastic persona become contagious."
"Shut up," I push him, playfully.
"Only now it's only getting her in trouble with her brother," Finn says.
"Bellamy Blake needs to ease the hell up. We're finally liberated and he is going to make this place feel like another prison cell. I don't know who made him in charge, but I don't like it."
"You hate him, don't you?" Finn smirks.
"I'm getting there." I say. "I can't be with him for more than…"
"One minute?" Finn suggests.
I add, "That's when he starts pissing me off."
I freeze when I hear a twig break a few feet to my right. I turn to Finn and he does the same thing. He steps in front of me. I look over his shoulder and see nothing. What should we do? Do we stay so that can shoot? Or do we run to cause more attention to ourselves?
"Come on," Finn says.
We sprint to the left, jumping over logs, swerving away from low hanging branches. Finn grabs my hand to help me run faster.
I run into something hard. My fingernails scrape against skin. I land hard on my back, the wind is knocked out of me. There is a hand around my throat. I panic. Lifting my right leg, I push against the person's neck and use my left leg to wrap around their legs. Caught off balance, they flip over on their own back. I raise my right hand to throw a punch, but stop when I see a familiar mop of hair.
"Bellamy?"
"Not so bad, killer," Bellamy grunts under my weight. I glare and look up and see Finn and Clarke regaining themselves from their encounter. "Not that I don't mind you on top of me, but I think we have a geek to save."
I drop my fist against the corner of his lip.
"Ow!" Bellamy turns his face and presses a hand to his lip. "What the hell was that for?"
"Sorry, it slipped," I glare, hopping off of him.
I stomp off and lead the group away from this area. Time to find the boy in the goggles.
Clarke places a hand behind my back and walks with me. Fifteen minutes of walking in silence we reach a river with a large waterfall pouring into it from above. The group stops to take a look at its glory.
"Whoa," I say.
"Guess we don't have to worry about water," Finn says, leaning down and washing his face with the clear liquid.
Clarke sighs, "Come on Finn, we don't have time for this."
"Clarke, we've been hiking for hours. We need a break."
"We'll take a break when we find Jasper," Clarke walks away.
I shrug my shoulders in Finn's direction and help him stand up straight again. I wrap my arms around his right arm and walk side by side with him.
We walk about another three miles when we hear a small moan. We freeze, tracking where it could have come from. Its distant, but I know we're close.
"What the hell was that?" Finn says.
"Now would be a good time to take out that gun," Clarke looks Bellamy up and down. I turn my head in his direction as he slowly reveals the gun from his pants. His hand grasps it naturally and leads us out of the woods.
We walk into a clear opening. A large tree stretches into the sky in the middle of the open space. In the tree propped by a branch is Jasper. His skin is a shade lighter from the loss of blood. I can already see dark circles underneath his eyes.
"Oh my god," I say.
"I'll climb up there and cut the vines," Murphy volunteers.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm with you," Finn follows.
"No," Bellamy says. "You stay with Clarke and watch him." He points to me. "You, let's go."
"There's a poultice on his wound," Clarke notices.
"Medicine? Why would they save his life just to string him up as live bait?" I step forward.
"Maybe what they're trying to catch is us," Clarke says. My blood runs cold.
"Hurry up, Murphy," Finn croaks.
"Be careful," Clarke says.
I snap my head to distant growling from behind me. "What the hell was that?"
"Grounders?" Finn suggests.
Another snarl. No way that is a Grounder.
A large four legged animal approaches from the tree. His head is low, analyzing his prey. The world around me freezes and I can only focus on this giant cat.
"This doesn't look good," I whisper. Bellamy glares my way.
The big cat sprints our way when it smells fear radiating off of our skin.
"Bellamy, gun!" Clarke shouts.
Bellamy's gun roars to life with each shot he fires, but he misses every time. The large cat comes in mine and Bellamy's direction. His gun clicks. No more bullets. My heart has never beaten so fast.
Bellamy grabs my waist jumps out of the way. I hit the ground and squeeze my eyes tight.
Another gun shot. I look at Bellamy. He is till on the ground with me, his gun out of hand. I look up and the panther is dead on the ground. One bullet through its body. A bullet that was not shot by Bellamy.
Our heads snap into the eyes of the beholder. Wells.
After successfully grabbing Jasper from the tree, Clarke and Finn help to carry him back to camp. Clarke sends Wells daggers the entire walk home. Bellamy and Murphy lead the group back to camp talking about watch plans and other soldier duties. I trail behind as I summarize what life on Earth is really going to be like. And it's a lot less luxurious than I imagined.
"They're back!" People cheer in the dead of the night as we return. There is a fire going and people drinking moonshine.
Whispers travel as they take in Jasper's appearance. 'How the hell is he going to survive?' They're all thinking it. Even I'm thinking it.
"He's alive," Clarke confirms. "I need boiled water and strips of cloth for bandages."
"Who's hungry!" Bellamy holds the panther up victoriously as if that was more important.
"Yeah!" Kids cheer.
I walk into the dropship to help Clarke. She peels off the Grounders' bandage and replaces it with our own. She bites her lip in concentration. Jasper falls asleep throughout the entire aid.
When there was nothing else we could do to help, we leave the dropship and let Jasper get some rest.
There is a line for grilled panther meat. At the beginning of the line stands Atom, taking people's wristband and giving them food in return.
"Are you kidding me," I mutter under my breath.
Clark and I walk over to Finn.
"I won't do it," Clarke sits down next to Finn on a log distant from the fire.
"You don't have to," Finn says handing his food to us for the three of us to share.
Bellamy walks over, seeing our sharing is caring motto and holds out a hand to stop us, "Whoa, whoa, wait, wait, wait. What, you think you play by different rules?"
"I thought there were no rules?" I tilt my head, chewing a piece of steak obnoxiously while smirking.
He swallows, his adam's apple bobbing up and down. He glares my way and walks in a different direction.
Clarke holds onto my arm and pulls me in close. Her hug is warm and comfortable and it feels so natural. I hold her back, taking a deep breath and closing my eyes. Whatever she had to tell me becomes unimportant as we live in the moment. Jasper's okay, Octavia is okay. And everything else is okay. For now, anyway.