On the Ark
I stood next to Abby, as people, the volunteers that had choose to self-sacrifice, to give us time. Time, it's what we needed, it was our hope of a longer future ahead of us. We needed both. It was heartbreaking, seeing parents and loved ones hug each other for the last time. Marcus than joined us, standing on the other side of me.
"All nonessential personnel, please vacate section 17" said the intercoms. As we watched Jaha shake and older woman's hand.
"Have any word from Raven?" Abby asked, across me, to Marcus. Who looked down to her, then back at Jaha, who shook and older mans hand, "What changed his mind?" Abby whispered, asking why Jaha choose to live, to stay as our leader, I looked up to Marcus, knowing that he was the last person to see our Chancellor, before Jaha had walked down here. Did he change his mind somehow?
Moments later he, Marcus gave an answer, "Just the truth." He stated simply, then went on, "I reminded him that transitioning to a new Chancellor, would be destabilizing. We can't afford any more upheaval. "
I look to Jaha, "No, we can't. We need to keep our leadership sound, till were safe to do so." I whispered.
"I've left two men, monitoring the radio." Marcus stated,, causing both myself and Abby to look up at him, "If there's any word from Raven, they'll call down immediately." He then looked to both of us, "I gave them clear orders."
"Thank you" Was all Abby could muster. Saying what I wanted to say, but was lost for words. His eyes meeting mine in the moment of quiet, as if saying more. His eyes shined a bit more in this moment then they had for the past month. He had hope in them now. I gave a soft smile, and nodded. Understanding his look. We would hear from Raven, we would hear from our daughter. We would see Jonah again. Hope flowed through me in this moment. However, it slightly dimmed as I looked to Jaha, shaking the hand of Tor Lemkin, he started this, he was the one that started giving this Ark hope, a future. His death would be one of the many that would ensure that we would get to the ground. To Jonah, to be a family once again.
Once all of the three hundred and twenty or so people were inside the room, we all ended up in the control center. Looking at the monitors, that were replaced now with video footage of the large room, that held inside of it three hundred were giving more than their lives. They were giving us hope, time and a chance.
"Sir, all vents and hatchways to section seventeen are closed." Said the chief engineer aboard the Ark, Sinclair, "we have a hard seal." We all then took time to look at the screens, see the faces, that we wouldn't see alive for much longer. Jaha, taking the longest look at them, "Sir?" Sinclair questioned, getting the Chancellor, who looked to him, "The order?" Sinclair reminded him almost.
Jaha than walked over to the control panel, Sinclair backing away, Jaha stood there for a moment before he pressed the button. We could hear the stopping of the fans to sector seventeen. We watched as the air had stopped flowing into the room.
"And we hereby commit these souls to the deep..." Jaha whispered, "Who at their last gave all to the world of the living. May they be remembered forever. Until there is no more pain, no more suffering, and the abyss itself shall give up her dead and return them to us. " Moments that felt like days seemed to pass, till the three hundred and twenty people all dropped their heads, as they dozed off. Forever.
Walking into the now open doorway, I stood their looking at them all there. They were gone. Their corpses were all that remained. We then proceeded to take them all out. To prep them for their last funeral, where they would end up among the stars, forever. Till they fall to earth
On the Ground
It wasn't even dawn when I gasped, launching myself forward in my bed. In the tent I shared with Clarke, and about three other people. I placed a heart over my pounding heart. I felt fear and the adrenaline pump through me, taking deep breaths I managed to calm myself down, though I could still feel my blood pumping
"Are you alright?" Clarke whispered, sitting up in her bed. Looking me over.
I gave a nod, "Just a bad dream I guess, why aren't you asleep?" I shook my head, already knowing the answer, "Don't answer that, how's everything?" I whispered, crawling to her, till I laid in her bed, next to her, looking out our entrance, observing the quiet camp. Everyone had ended up going to bed last night.
"It's quiet" She replied. "I think someone's awake" she stated, motioning to the light of a torch that was moving from tent, as it got closer, I recognized who it was. Bellamy
"You're up?" Bellamy, who ended up at are tent, looking down at us, we both came out of our tent.
"Yeah. Knowing that hundred of people might be dying on the Ark makes it pretty hard to sleep" Clrake stated, ripping Bellamy once again, for destroying the radio.
Rolling his eyes, he replied, "Ravens flares will work."
I rolled my eyes this time, "let's hope they work in time. The radio would've been better." I replied. Earning a glare from Bellamy.
Bellamy then went to ask us a question, "Have either of you seen Octavia?"
I shook my head while Clarke gave a verbal suggestion, "Nope, but it's Octavia, she's probably chasing butterflies."
"I haven't seen her since last night" I whisper sharing the worry with Bellamy, I felt a knot forming in my stomach, it was obvious she wasn't here at all.
"I've checked the camp, she's not here" He stated, his tone, face and posture suggested he was being honest, again why would he even dream about lying about his sister. The one person I doubt he'd lie about, if it meant saving her.
"I'll help check, I'll walk along the walls" I whispered, "You check the tents in the middle again, Clarke check the drop ship and the tents around it, alright?" I gave them an order, walking away to do a sweep around the wall, "Meet back at the dropship" I said as I walked away. But as I expected, there was nothing along the walls, Miller and three others had kept guard around the gate, they hadn't seen anything. None of the tents around the wall had her. Walking to the dropship, after three looks around the wall and in tents, I see that Clarke and Bellamy had bad looks also, telling me without words, that they didn't find her.
"we need to call for a meeting" Bellamy mumbled, and did just that. Waking everyone up, ordering them to come around us. "Gather around and grab a weapon" Bellamy instructed, "My sister's been out there alone for at least twelve hours, maybe more. Arm up. We're not coming back without her." At hos words, many of the group grabbed weapons from the stash in the dropship. Even Jasper, who was still afraid and injured from the Grounders. I had grabbed a spear, that had a peace of the dropship at the end.
"We also need to get a radio going" I stated, joing Bellamy, "We should task, Raven and-" Before I could finish I spotted something glittering from the corner of my eyes.
"guys, guys! Come here!" Some kid yelled.
"What is that?" Another asked.
I looked up at the sky, I gasped, in fear, realizing what it was. They were the hundred of bodies, falling into the atmosphere, burning up as they did, looking like sparkles.
"It didn't work" I whispered, looking to Clarke, we both share the same look, as our deepest fear was realized, she knew what it meant.
"They didn't work. They didn't see the flares" Raven said, walking closer, Finn behind her.
Bellamy being the dolt he was didn't understand, "A meteor shower tells you that?" He asks skeptically. I looked to him with a sad expression, then at Raven, she looked like she was going to blow.
"It's not a meteor shower" Clarke stated, "It's a culling"
I looked to Bellamy, my reflexes ready to bounce, "Hundred of bodies being returned to the Earth from the Ark, they're bodies are burning up as they are going through the atmosphere, which is why it looks like that"
"This is what it looks like from this side" Clarke added.
"This is all because of you!" On cue, Raven went to throw herself at Bellamy, only to be knocked back, as I jumped in front and pushed her back. Glaring her down, she returned the glare, "You're protecting him."
"Killing him, will not bring anyone back." I growled at her coldly.
"I helped you find the radio" Bellamy stated, stupid should've kept his mouth shut.
Clarke and Finn held Raven back. "Yeah, after you jacked it from my pod and trashed it!"
"Yeah, he knows." Clarke stated, looking from Raven, to Bellamy, who was standing behind me, "Now he has to live with it."
"All I know is that my sister is out there and I'm going to find her." Bellamy stated, "Who's coming?"
"Yeah" Finn stated, while I nodded.
I then looked to Raven, "get that Radio working, Clarke will help you, and Monty can help out as well." I shared, looking to Clarke I gave her a nod, "stay smart" I then followed Bellamy as he started leading us away, with a group of us following behind him. Finn catching up.
We moved quietly and on high alert.I brought up the rear, keeping everyone a head of me, so I could keep an eye on each of their dark figures in the moonlight. If something were to happen, I'd know.
"Look over here!" Someone yelled, Bellamy ran over quickly to the kid, close to a steep hill, the rest of us following his lead. At the bottom of the steep hill there was something catching the light, a buckle it looked like?
"Rope" Bellamy ordered, I walked closer handing him the rope.
"I'll go down first, follow behind when I give the thumbs up, alright?" I instructed him, "No arguments. With a nod he tied the rope to a near by tree. I then entagled myself in the rope, having thw rope wrapped around my elbows, wrists and being held onto by my hands.
"What are you doing?" Finn demanded, walking next to me.
"we need the rope to get back up" Bellamy explained, as I started my way down. Once I was on leveled ground, I looked around the area seeing nothing, I gave my thumbs up, so the others could follow, I kneeled on the ground with my little flashlight that was in my bag, I grabbed the buckle, seeing it was an entire belt, Bellamy now down here, grabbed it from me. I then looked to a rock, that had dried up bloody finger prints, there were also footprints, that got heavier going forward.
"It's her's" Bellamy whispered, as Finn joined me, kneeling on the ground.
"he was carrying her?" I questioned, not entirly an expert on tracking, not as much as Finn was.
He nodded, then we both stood up, "The prints are deeper going that way" Fin stated, "as if they were carrying her"
I looked at Bellamy, "There isn't a lot of blood, she might have just fallen and knocked herself out hitting the rock and the grounder found her." I stated.
Then we started walking once again, Finn in the front, tracking, everyone in the middle then me bringing up the rear. the walk didn't last long as everyone stopped walking, I forced myself through the crowed, gasping once I reached the front, there were skeletons pinned against trees, some still had rotten flesh on them.
"Savages" I whispered, I could count at least twenty skeletons.
"I don's speak Grounder, but I'm pretty sure this means keep out" Finn said, standing up, looking at Bellamy. As the group behind us started to whisper. They wanted to leave.
"Go back if you want" Bellamy roared, looking to them, then back at the sketeons, muttering something under his breath as he walked along.
I followed behind him, I could hear Jasper state something, how he'd walk through hell to find Octavia.
"I think we just walked into it" Finn said in the back.
The path was narrow, I didn't want to step on any of the bones, I wouldn't want anyone stepping on mine.
"You didn't need to come with" Bellamy stated, lowly so only I could hear him.
I rolled my eyes, "I know, but she's my friend, I also doubt you'd be able to lead these people smartly without me." I paused going on, "I'd go through hell to protect my people, as I currently am doing." I smiled to myself, "Octavia would come find me, if I were the one that went missing"
We searched for so long, the new day was starting to show, as the night faded, we ended up following the trail into the forest, the trees were massive.
Finn let out a heavy, defeated sigh, "I got nothing" He stated, standing up he looked around "We lost the trail"
"Keep looking" Bellamy ordered.
I looked at him, "Wandering around aimlessly isn't the way to find your sister, it's a stupid idea" I looked at Finn, "What do you suggest?"
"we should backtrack" He responded, I nodded in agreement.
"I'm not going back" Bellamy snapped, his emotions getting the better of him.
"We're not suggesting giving up, alright? We're going to find her, we just need to be smart about this" I stated, "And the smart play would to go back to where we lost the trail and look there"
"Hey, where's John?" A girl I knew to be Roma asked, causing the myself and the others to look around, she was right. One of us were missing, but how? How did none of us see who, or what got him? Did he just walk away?
"I just saw him a second ago" Jasper mumbled, looking around in confusion.
"Spread out. He couldn't have gotten that far" Bellamy instructed.
I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. We were being watch, I looked around, trying to spot whatever was looking at us. I saw nothing.
"I have a bad feeling" I whispered softly.
"Bad? How?" Finn questioned, meeting my gaze.
I looked at him, "As if we're in enemy territory and they're watching us-"
That moment something fell to the ground behind us, I jumped and pulled my knife out, looking to see it was John, his throat slashed open, his eyes glossed over and frozen in a fearful state. They were using the trees.
Looking up in the trees, I looked at the branches, Finn voiceing my thoughts, "They use the trees"
"We shouldn't have crossed the boundary" Digg, a boy in our group said.
"Now can we go back?" Roma asked, breathless fear.
"There" Jasper muttered, pointing in one direction, there was a tall black figure. My heart was pounding in the sight.
"Another one" Digg cried out. More figures were popping up.
"We need to go now!" I hissed, not liking the situation.
That moment the Grounders started running after us, we then bolted as a group. We kept getting cut off, it was like they were playing with us.
I stopped running, to watch the Grounders movements, they were treating us like livestock. They were making us go where they wanted. I gasped at the realization.
"Stop!" I ordered, looking behind me, seeing the others were a ways away from me. I ran over, as Bellamy looked at me, they seemed to have stopped running on there own, Bellamy pulling out his knife. I darted over to them
"Hey, where'd they go?" Jasper asked, looking around.
"Where's Roma? I questioned, I got my answer as I hear her scream. We all ran to where we heard her scream, seeing her behind a tree. I stopped running, looking around, the Grounders weren't to be seen.
"She's only our here because of me" I hear Bellamy whisper, I look over seeing he and the others had sad looks, as they looked at Roma, their looks told me everything, she was dead.
I walked over to them, to see she, Roma had been impaled by a spear, through her chest, sticking her to the tree. I shut my eyes, bowing my head slightly.
"They can kill us whenever they want" Finn muttered.
I looked up at him, nodding, "They know this forest, they know where their traps are, we know nothing"
"Then they should get it over with!" Jasper shouted, I slamed my hand on his mouth, trying to shut him up, but I was to late. The Grounders knew exactly where we were. Moron, just killed us all. He kept screaming, struggling as I held him with one arm, my hand over his mouth still.
"Shut him up!" Bellamy hissed the order, that's when Jasper bit my hand, and got loose.
"We know you're our there!" Jasper shouted once more. Accepting the invination they showed themselves.
"Shit" I whispered, seeing three coming in the drection, Jasper and I were looking, they were running for us.
"They're coming!" A girl named Monroe called, we all then went back to back, I gripped my knives, both out, ready to put up a fight. As they got closer they stopped at the sound of a horn, bellowing through the air. Moments later they went back the way they came.
"That horn, what does it mean?" Jasper asked, nervously.
"Acid fog" Finn whispered, ripping his tent out of his bag.
"We have to run" Monroe instructed.
"No time, plus I haven't seen a building or cave to hide in, have you?" I questioned, Fin had his tent out, fully, we couldn't set it up in time, instead we quickly went under it, wrapping it around us all. I was stuck between Jasper and Finn.
It was getting hot under the tent, we were packed in close together.
"How long are we suppose to wait?" Jasper asked out of the blue.
"Will this even work?" Monroe asked, sarcastically.
"Well, we're not melting yet, are you?" I demanded her, hot and annoyed by this situation. I was never a fan of being to warm, I always preferred being cold.
"We'll find out" Fin muttered.
Bellamy then responded, "No, we don't" He sand yanked off his part of the tent, "there's no fog" he stated. Without hesitation, I threw the tent off my head, and launched forward, getting out, and standing up, happy not to be stuck in there, sharing the body heat of four other people. I then spotted something in the distance. A Grounder, but it was only him, it looked like his back was to us.
"False alarm?" Finn asked standing up.
"I think he's alone?" I whispered, causing everyone to look where I was.
"A Grounder?" Bellamy questioned, "is he coming back?"
I shook my head, "His back is to us, he's running away" I replied to him.
"Can we run, now?" Monroe asked in a whisper.
"He doesn't see us. I'm going after him" Bellamy stated,
I nodded in agreement, "He'll lead us to their camp at least and then we can start searching for Octavia" I stated, "We need to keep quiet and keep a distance. so for now on, no talking and follow the footsteps in front of you" I ordered, taking the lead, making sure not to step on twigs, sticks, leaves of anything that would get us noticed.
Quietly following him, he didn't lead us to a camp, instead he lead us to a cave. I looked to Monroe and Diggs, hinting that they stand by the exit, without giving a word, they nodded, understanding, while I walked in with Bellamy by me, Jasper and Finn following us. I could hear the sound of a grunt, and the clanging sound of metal, echoing the cave walls. The metal continued to jingle. I nodded to Bellamy, that we'd jump in ready to attack, once we jumped to the back of the cave, there she was, Octavia and on the ground was well, the Grounder.
Octavia looked terrible, as if in agony, but she looked delighted when she saw us. "Bellamy?" She whispered in surprise, as if she couldn't believe it, "Get the key" She instructed, Bellamy did just that finding it, he then made quick work of her chains that had bounded Octavia to the cave wall, she then threw her arms around her brother.
I crouched next to the Grounder, he had a head wound and a rock next to him, I presume Octavias doing.
"How did you find me?" Octacia asked, as she pulled Jasper into a hug.
"Followed Jonah who followed him" Jasper answered
"We should go before he wakes up" I advised, standing up.
"He's not gonna wake up" Bellamy stated simply.
"Bellamy, stop! He didn't hurt me. Let's just go" Octavia pleaded, not wanting to hurt the man on the ground.
"They started it" Bellamy stated as he held up his spear. Finn then got in the way, "Finn, walk"
"Fog horn..." Finn stated, we all looked to the Grounder's belt seeing the small horn there.
I then whispered, "He saved us" in a flash, before anyone could react, the Grounder reached up, and jabbed a knife into Finn's chest, then kicked Bellamy's feet out from under him, the Grounder had the upper hand, it had the spear and turned the pointed end to Bellamy, who was on the ground again.
"Stop!" Octavia cried, "That's my brother!" The Grounder seemed distracted, as if it understood Octavia, and was listening, considering what she said before acting.
I looked to Finn, he was bleeding, I took a step to try and help him, but the Grounder reacted, he must've thought I was going to attack, as he turned so quickly, his hand was so big, it held my neck I could feel the pressure he was using. He could easily crush my neck.
I instinctively grabbed his arm, and started kicking, speaking trying to breath, "I - I just want to- check on - him" I gasped, "I won't hurt - you" in that moment, just as I couldn't get anymore air, Jasper had smacked the Grounder with a large stick, knocking him out again, and causing me to fall to the ground, I held my neck, I could feel the impressions of this Grounders palm, his fingers, as I greedily took in a breath of air, gasping and coughing as I tried to calm myself down. I'd have some terrible hand print of a bruise later.
"Jonah, are you okay?" Jasper asked, looking down at me.
I looked up at him and nodded, not able to say a word, If I could, I'd thank him over and over again, he basically saved my life. I then looked to Finn, rushing over, I see the knife was in his lung, a lot of blood still, gasping as I spoke I gave a simple statement, "we need to get him back to camp now - or he's going to die" I whispered, the knife was in a weird angle, this wasn't good.
Jasper was sent ahead of us, to warn Clarke, while Octavia, Monroe and I were carrying Finn in a makeshift stretcher, Bellamy and Diggs taking turns to carry him.
"What's up?" Clarke called out, as we walked into the camp, she jogged over, seeing an unconscious Finn, her look was filled with dreed the moment she saw him, she placed her fingers over his neck.
"He's alive" I whispered to her, she then looked up at me, her eyes going wide at what must've been a large bruise around my neck, "Later, right now we need to get him preped for surgery" I barcked at her. She nodded, and led the way through the crowds, Raven running over, wide eyes and terrified.
"Jonah, wouldn't let me take the knife out" Jasper admitted.
"No, that was a good call, get him to the Dropship, now Go!" She shouted, as three more people, three guys took the stretcher from us and took it to the Dropship, I followed close behind. Figuring Clarke would want help.
"Clarke, can you save him?" Raven demanded, hysterically as Finn was placed on a makeshift table.
"No. Not me, I need my mother. I need to talk to her!" Clarke responded, I looked over Finn, having Octavia, cutting his shirt off, just in case we were going to cut him open.
"There's still no radio" Raven stuttering slightly with her nerves, running her fingers through her hair.
"Raven! Fix it! Go!" I snapped loudly, "You have a job to do, and for Clarke to get hers done you need to get yours done, now!" With no objections she ran off to the radio.
"Are you both okay?" Clarke asked walking over to Octavia and I.
"Yeah, I need a moment" Octavia said, she then walked outside of the Dropship.
Clarke than walked over to me, looking at my neck, "What happened?"
"I must've left the Grounders field of vision and he reacted, like a wild, cornered animal would have" I informed her, I felt my voice crack as I spoke, it hurt to talk, "If Jasper didn't knock him out, I'd probably be dead"
"Sounds and looks like their might be some nerve damage, are you going to be okay?" She whispered, worry in her voice , "I'd like your help with Finn, but if you don't feel alright-"
I nodded, "I'm fine," my voice cracked, "I already figured I'd be helping out." I then looked to Finn then at her, "I'll go get us some water, and I think Jasper made a still, I'll ask for some moonshine, should help kill anything on our hands" I stated, walking out. I could hear and fill the wind whipping my hair all around the place, a crack of thunder. This was going to be a long night.