Clarke awoke to the pitch-blackness of the hut and there was a searing pain on the side of neck, like someone had just put a burning ember under her skin. "Bell! Bellamy!" she cried out, the pain getting worse by the second.
He woke up, as did the rest of the ten. "What? What happened?" he nearly yelled.
"The lantern, get the lantern!" Clarke was practically crying at this point
The lantern went on suddenly and there was a large deep red blotch on Clarke's neck and when Bellamy looked closer there were two small holes about an inch apart from each other.
"What the hell? Was it a snake? A spider?"
"No." Indra said, "I've seen this before."
Hedra crouched next to Clarke and surveyed the wound. "It looks like Mountain Beetle poison."
Clarke began cry out, the pain was unbearable at this point. "The poison has a toxin in it that makes it feel like lava is being poured into your veins. Right now, she's probably feeling like she's on fire from the inside out." said Hedra.
"How do you know this?!" Bellamy was holding onto his gun, ready for whoever might come in because of the sound of Clarke's screaming.
"I'm a healer in my village." Hedra said.
"Can you help her?"
"I can try. We have to get out of here though. There is a plant I need to find."
"Not before we get answers." said Indra.
Clarke started to writhe uncontrollably, incoherent noises coming from her mouth. Hedra turned her onto her side and she continued to shake.
"Is there a time frame?" Raven asked.
"She probably has until dawn."
Everyone was silent for a moment. That was so soon. How would they find a plant in the dark? How would they get out of here alive when someone wanted Clarke dead?
Clarke stopped moving, but continued to breathe rapidly, wheezing. She shifted her head up slightly, catching Bellamy's attention. He dropped to the ground and put his face close to hers.
"Go." The word barely escaped her lips.
He sat back, anger rising into his face. "Damnit, Clarke. You are not dying and we aren't leaving you, not after everything we've done to survive." His voice softened slightly, "You're not dying."
Bellamy stood quickly. "Octavia, Raven, Monty, Wick. Get a rover and the horse. Have guns ready. Take Clarke and Hedra with you. We will meet past the ridge we saw on the way in. Indra, Gerald and I are going to see who is responsible and if there's an antidote available. Try not to kill anyone, but if someone gets in your way, do what is necessary to stop them."
Everyone moved like a well-oiled machine. Wick lifted Clarke off of the ground, cradling her. Hedra led the way out of the back of the hut and the rest of the group followed.
Bellamy called to Octavia before she left, "O!"
She turned to face him.
"Take care of them all. You're in charge." He said.
She nodded and ran out.
Bellamy's group went out of the front door and headed straight for the leaders hut. He signaled them to go in through the side and back exits and he went into through the front. He entered the room they ate in only hours ago. Not much had changed except for the absence of food. He could see that Gerald had already entered though the side and they both headed towards the back, hopeful that Indra had found someone to question.
Thankfully, she did. Casis was in the back room on his knees with Indra standing over him, sword at his throat.
"Who did it?" she demanded.
"I don't know what you are talking about. I have been asleep in my quarters." He simply.
"Where is Serena?" Bellamy nearly shouted.
"She is normally here, sleeping at this time, but I am unaware of where she is right now."
"Who do you know that would have access to mountain beetle poison?"
"The only people who would have access to that are our healers and blacksmiths. They use it sometimes for weapons, to incapacitate enemies."
Indra looked at Bellamy and they knew where to go. Gerald stepped forward and hit Casis over the head, knocking him out cold. The other two looked at him.
"Just in case. We don't need him running to Serena once we leave."
They ran to the blacksmith hut and there was a candle burning low, as though it were lit not an hour ago. Bellamy knocked and waited while Indra and Gerald hid on the side of hut, anticipating the door's opening.
After a few minutes it opened to a man that clearly hadn't been sleeping. Bellamy immediately grabbed him and pushed him into the hut and Indra and Gerald followed, closing the door behind them.
"Was it you?!" Bellamy shouted, holding the man by his neck against the wall.
He could barely speak, partly because he was terrified and partly because his vocal cords were being crushed. He was not a soldier by any means, he was an older man with a white bead, that had never been to battle, but simply made the weapons for people who did.
"You have one more chance to answer or she puts her sword through you."
He began to splutter, trying to speak. Bellamy let get of his throat.
"She made me…" he forced out, coughing in the process. "She said she needed the poison and a way to make it look like it wasn't a person."
"Who?! Who made you?" Indra demanded.
"Serena-"
"Do you know where she is?" Bellamy asked.
"No, I don't. I'm sorry."
Bellamy yelled in frustration. "We're running out of time!" He stood quietly for a moment. "Get up!" he yelled at the old man. He barely rose and Bellamy was dragging him out of the house.
"What are you doing?!" Indra didn't want the uprising of a village on her hands.
Too late. Bellamy shot about ten rounds into the air, waking everyone up. Terrified people and angry soldiers began emerging from their huts.
"Listen up! Your leader hurt one of my own tonight for reasons we do not know. She is nowhere to by found, and we want answers. It seems that the only way I will get answers is if I start hurting one of hers. I'll start with him and then I'll move on to you. You can spare yourselves if you just tell me where she is. All we want is justice!"
The village people stood quietly, confusion on the faces of some, anger on the faces of others.
"You have until the count of three. 1! 2!-" Bellamy took his knife out and held it to the mans neck.
"Bellamy, stop this. We'll have a war on our hands." Indra insisted.
"It's too late. They made the first move. We didn't want this!"
"3!" Bellamy shouted and just as he was about to slit the man's throat an arrow shot his knife out of his hand and entered the mans chest, killing him.
"I'm right here." Serena came out of the darkness of the forest with a bow slung over her shoulder. "Leave these people alone."
Bellamy pointed his gun at her. "Drop the bow."
She placed the bow and the sack of arrows on the ground and walked up to Bellamy.
"It's me you want."
"Why'd you do it? We thought you were impressed with Wanheda." Indra asked.
"To be a leader, you must have as little rivals as possible, especially a rival that is feared among the tribes. I debated on killing you, but you are praised, not feared and admiration does not command the same kind of respect that fear does."
Bellamy's finger inched towards the trigger, the safety already off.
"So you wanted her dead because you didn't want the competition? Clarke wasn't competing against anyone. She just wants to be left alone." Bellamy spat.
"How am I supposed to know that? For all I know she's building an army of her own, ready to rise against the clans."
"Where is the antidote?"
"There is none. It's used for our enemies. We're not foolish enough to have an antidote." She nearly laughed and Bellamy was too ready to pull the trigger. "It's probably too late at this point, she's dead by now."
"You shouldn't have surrendered because you're dying for nothing." Gerald said.
"Blood must have blood." Indra said.
Gerald and Indra continued to say it, "Jus drein jus daun. Jus drein jus daun.
Surprisingly, the village people started to chant it as well. "Jus drein jus daun, jus drein jus daun. Jus drein jus daun. Jus drein jus daun."
Serena stood still, her stoic face unwavering, ready to accept her fate.
There was a single shot that reverberated off the mountain, echoing through the trees.
The three of them looked around, waiting to see of anyone would attack, but they didn't.
"We need to leave." Indra said. They ran through the gates that led up the mountain to reach the others. Bellamy headed the group, hoping they weren't too late.