Chapter 25
Author's note: thanks for those who reviewed, anyone else feel free to leave your opinion about the whole sex thing because that's coming up soon, whatever episode he sleeps with Raven in. Currently we're on episode ten which I want to wrap up soon so possibly in a few chapters.
Ari blinked, the vertigo of sleeping in an unfamiliar place causing her to jolt with panic for a moment before recognizing the warmth around her. Bellamy still appeared to be asleep, his arms wrapped around her as her tiny frame was pressed into the curve of his body. She relaxed into his touch, relieved he still wanted to touch her after she had lain out her story to him the night before. She knew respectively that what had happened, any of it, wasn't her fault yet sometimes she couldn't help feeling weak and dirty, used. Bell chased those feelings away, he didn't see a weak girl who was too stupid to realize she was going to be raped. He saw a strong young woman who had faced the brunt of cruelty and could still see hope, that's one of the reasons he loves her. Around him, she can feel whole.
Their position had changed some from its former last night. They had started out with him on his back, an arm slung around her lower back as she curled against his chest. They were spooning now, one of his arms wrapped around her stomach and the other under her breasts, making her blush. She reached out, moving his arm down slightly to a more innocent placing. This backfired though as he groaned in his sleep and pulled her flush against him. She let out an embarrassed squeak, face turning tomato red, as she felt the hard lump against her lower back. Shuffling hurriedly out of his grasp she overshot, thumping onto the dirt floor with a shocked gasp.
She pushed her long, brown hair from her face as she glanced up, finding Bell leaned over the edge of the bed eyeing her with amusement. "How's the weather down there?" She gave him a sarcastic thumbs up, "Peachy." Laughing, he climbed from the bed and stretched which gave her a nice view of his muscles. She peeked subtly, trying not to look like she was staring at him as hungrily as she must be. He didn't buy it, "See something you like?" Scoffing self consciously, she got to her feet. "Pssh..no..I wasn't…oh fuck it," she muttered as she pulled her boots back on before grabbing her jacket As he watched her amusedly.
Seeing how worn the tank top she wore was, he grabbed a t-shirt from his sack of clothing and passed it to her. "Here," he offered causing her to look up curiously. She took the shirt slowly, staring at it as if she hadn't ever been given a present before. Considering the backstory he had heard the night before, it was likely she hadn't. She smiled up at him, a genuine smile that showed how happy she was to have his shirt. She slipped it on over her tank top, immensely enjoying the added warmth and the lingering smell of Bellamy on it. "Thanks," she all but whispered. He only nodded, starting to pull on his own jacket as she did.
As they approached the entrance of his tent, he turned to her. "You know they'll talk about us, right?" She stopped beside him, smirking as she grabbed his hand. "Let them."
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They left the tent, hand in hand as the others took notice of them and began to whisper amongst themselves. He snuck a glance down at the small girl by his side to see how she would handle their gossip. Ari's chin lifted slightly as she stared at the crowd, meeting eyes with some and causing them to look away. She smirked at them before calling out, "Take a picture! It'll last longer!" He chuckled, pride shining in his eyes for his fierce girl. The crowd turned reluctantly back to their tasks, ignoring the couple as they headed for the dropship.
They were halfway there when calls for Clarke reached their ears. Ari glanced up at him, confused as Connor suddenly appeared with blood running from his nose. Fear was added as Clarke came rushing from Raven's tent with tears of blood trickling from her eyes. "What's going on?" Clarke glanced up at his question as she paused her examining of Connor, "I don't know."
Ari ran a hand through her hair nervously at the hopeless whisper, others around them beginning to bleed from their orifices. "Guys..get away from us," Clarke warned as she came to the conclusion. She rushed for the dropship with the others hot in her trail, "They're the ones that brought Murphy in."
They found him half leaned over, puking up blood onto the metal floor. Clarke knelt by him, "Murphy, listen to me. I need you to tell me exactly how you escaped from the grounders." Murphy shook his head wearily, panting as he recovered. "They forgot to lock my cage one day. When I woke up, I was the only one there so I ran."
Ari paced agitatedly, tugging her soft locks in anxiety. She laughed humorlessly, "They let you go." Bellamy strode in then, having gone to get a gun before heading for the dropship. "Bellamy, Ari, stay back," Clarke warned as he stopped by the shorter girl. "Did he do something to you?" The blonde shook her head at his question, his eyes flicking to notice the blood Murphy had thrown up and the stains on Clarke's cheeks. "What the hell is this?"
Clark sighed, "Biological warfare. You were waiting for retaliation for the bridge, well this is it." He nodded along, swallowing heavily at the implications that came with this disease. Clarke glanced at the battered boy beside her, "Murphy's the weapon." The two mens' eyes met as they both contemplated getting rid of the other.
[page break][bellamy]
"Is this your revenge, helping the grounders?" His questions were ignored by most, only Murphy paying attention as Clarke dabbed at his wounds. "I didn't know about this I swear," Murphy promised. "Stop lying!" Clarke and Ari ignored his outburst, both turning to Murphy. "Is there anything you can tell us that will help us?" Ari added on to Clarke's question, "Anything you heard or saw?"
Murphy swallowed thickly, eyes glazing over as he remembered it. "They are vicious, and they are cruel," he murmured to the two girls, pale blue eyes flicking between them. Ari sighed, "Yeah, we covered that." "You want to see vicious and cruel?" Murphy shrunk back from his outburst as Clarke stopped him, "Don't. Whatever this is, it spreads through contact."
Finn rushed in with his usual good timing, yelling out Clarke's name as he did. "Finn! What are you doing? You shouldn't be in here, none of you should," her gaze shifted to the healthy members of their group to let them know they were included in her statement. "I heard you were sick," Finn told her, as if that explained it all. It did truthfully, Bellamy would have done the same if it was Ari that was sick.
"Clarke..what is this?" It was moments like these he felt sorry for Clarke, everyone always expected her to know what to do just because her mom was a doctor. "Some kind of hemorrhagic fever, we need to contain it before-" She was cut off by the choking sounds of a seizing inpatient nearby, who began to throw up blood as Clarke rushed to help him. Finn reached out to her, and Clarke jerked back roughly. "Don't touch me, you could get sick. Wash you hands, now," she warned as she headed for the kid as Finn rushed to wash his hands in alcohol. Before Clarke could even kneel by the vomiting boy he slumped to the ground motionless. Clarke glanced up at them all, looking almost afraid to check if he was dead. They nodded in encouragement as she reached out and felt for a pulse.
"Is he…," Bellamy trailed off, unwilling to finish his question. Clarke glanced up once more, "He's dead." She got up and began preparing to move the body as Ari spoke up, "What can we do?" "Quarantine. Round everyone up that had contact with Murphy, bring them here," Clarke ordered. "And everyone they had contact with?" "We have to start somewhere," she retorted as she shook her head. Clarke hurried over to Connor, "Connor who helped bring him in? Who carried him in? Think." Connor shook his head weakly, "The first one there was Octavia." No. Not O. He glanced over at Ari's pale face, seeing his own emotions reflected there for his sister. He rushed from the tent, heart pounding as he hoped fervently he wouldn't lose his little sister too.
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He rushed into the tiny tent Octavia and Ari had shared, causing the youngest Blake to gasp and hurriedly hide her leather bound journal which he took notice of. His eyes scanned her for any sign of sickness. "How are you feeling?" She scoffed, "Fine. Get out." "Did you touch Murphy yesterday?" She rolled over as she shoot him a confused look, "What?" "Did you touch Murphy yesterday?" Her brows furrowed, "I don't know. I guess, why?" "The grounders sent him here with a virus to infect us. Another mark for your boyfriend's book, get up. Clarke has to examine you," he left before he could say anything he regretted.
"Okay," Clarke said as she clicked off the flashlight, "She shows no signs of swelling or bleeding." "Are you saying she doesn't have it?" She shook her head in answer to his question, "I'm saying she isn't showing symptoms but that could change. She should stay upstairs with the others not yet showing." He shook his head, "Are you insane? She'll get sick just being here." "Do you want to stop the spread or not?" He looked down, not wanting to keep his baby sister here but not wanting her to spread the virus either.
"I'll keep her on the third level with the others who aren't symptomatic yet. Look, think of it as a way to keep her from sneaking out again," Clarke pointed out. "Screw you, Clarke," Octavia snarled as Bellamy nodded before leaving the dropship, he had a camp to hold while the other battled the virus.
[page break][ari]
Ari stumbled from the dropship weakly, wondering if tending the sick teens all day had worn her out of it she was just exhausted. Chaos was ensuing as she drug her feet over to the group of people panicking, gun in hand. Bellamy and a few others were trying to stifle the riot that was unfolding before her eyes but they were unsuccessful. Ari raised her gun, firing three times to gain their attention.
As they all turned to her, she staggered down the ramp of the ship, calling out to them in a weak voice unaware of the blood trickling from her mouth as she spoke. "This is exactly what the grounders want. Don't you see? They won't have to kill us if we kill each other first." A man stepped forward, pointing his gun at her angrily, "They won't have to kill us if the virus does, get back in the damn dropship now!"
Bellamy grabbed the gun with both hands, yanking it back to slam into the guy's gut before pulling it from his grasp and pointing it at him. He backed over to Ari as she swayed, "Not to state the obvious but this quarantine isn't working." She didn't respond as her knees buckled. Bellamy shifted his gun before grabbing her, scooping her up into his arms.
"I'm…okay," she gasped out through the pain of her shaking muscles. "No, you're not," Bellamy retorted softly. "Tavi will come back with a cure," she muttered weakly as her head flopped into his chest as Octavia appeared. "There is no cure!" She strode down to meet them in the middle, "But the good news is the grounders don't use the sickness to kill."
"Really? Tell that to them," he jerked his head towards the two dead bodies. Octavia's face fell as he continued, "I warned you about seeing that grounder again." "Yeah, well I have a warning for you too. The grounders are coming…and they're attacking at first light." The crowd dispelled quickly after that, fear in their eyes. "Come on, I'll help you get them in the dropship," Octavia said as she nudged both Bellamy and Finn, who held a fallen Clarke in his arms as well, in the direction of it.
Bellamy placed Ari in an open space where she could lie down, Finn doing the same with Clarke. Bell turned to leave, staring down at her sadly knowing she was sick and he couldn't be in the ship with her. As he turned to leave she grasped his sleeve. He turned back as she managed to rasp out, "Tell Raven…hydrozene." Then the world went dark.