Mountain's first strike
"Do you really think that he can survive?" Wells asked Clarke as they walked through the forest, Finn walking a little behind them. "I do, despite what everyone seems to think. I already got the infected skin out, if I can get his fever to come down, then he will be fine and this seaweed is just what I need. You know, you should have more faith in me," she said and he laughed. "That's the same thing you said before you tried to jump from the table to the couch and got your arm broken when we were five." Wells said and she laughed.
"No one is perfect, Wells and when it was healed, I did make the jump." She said and he laughed too. As she took the lead and the boys kind of fell in step together. "You're really close, right?" Finn asked him and Clarke stayed within hearing distance. "We grew up together since we were babies. Why?" Wells answered and Finn looked at him. "Does she know about your feelings?" he asked and Clarke smiled. Last time, hearing it made her feel very uncomfortable but not this time. "Yes, and we talked. I have a girlfriend now who I like very much." Wells said shutting the conversation down.
Then Finn stepped on the automobile as he did before as she stopped to look at them crunching down and looking at it. "What is it?" she asked already knowing what it was and how badly they will need it in a couple of minutes. Finn opened the door. "It's an automobile," Wells said. "Alright, Finn. Quit looking at it. This thing is not going anywhere. Jasper can't have us wasting time. So, can we please get moving? On the way back, I will let you guys take a look at it, I promise." She said and they looked at her before she kept going and they followed her through the forest.
Back on camp, Murphy was able to get Atom to stay in camp by telling him that he needed help with something that he didn't even know what and that he would be quiet too about whatever the boy wanted to talk to Octavia. Truthfully, he invented any lie he thought might change the guy's mind about going with Bellamy's crew and it worked and he went to check on Charlotte and Jasper. He went all the way up. "How is Goggles doing?" he asked and the girl sighed. "His fever is still pretty high but he is holding up." She said.
"Do you know where my brother is?" Octavia asked and he nodded. "He and his goons went hunting. Atom is here though," He said and she smiled. "Okay, I will go check on him," She said and got down and Charlotte looked at him. "Playing matchmaker, Johnny?" she asked smiling and he shrugged. "No, I was just making a comment. It's not my fault their hormones are raging and they can't keep it in their pants," He said and she smiled as Jasper moaned again and she turned to look at him. "It's going to be okay," Charlotte said. They were there for a few moments before Octavia went back up and looked at Murphy. "Atom is not here." She said and he silently cursed. Stupid idiot.
The other three walking in the forest finally got to where Finn said the seaweed could be. "Wells, what does the seaweed look like?" she asked Wells as they came to stop by the river and he pointed in front of them. "Like that. That thing that bit Octavia, how big was it?" he asked stuttering a little and she smiled before walking towards him and smirked at him. "Very big," She said jokingly before she walked into the river and started to grab the seaweed and putting it inside her bag waiting for the bird to announce the acid fog and they soon enough passed by them.
She walked out of the river and just as the horns sounded. "Grounders?" she asked already knowing. "It could be a war cry," Wells said. "Or it could be a warning?" Finn said and Clarke looked at the yellow cloud. "Surely, it's about that. We need to leave. Now," She said and started running away from it, the boys quickly following her. They came across the automobile again and Finn opened the door and Clarke got in first, the Wells and then Finn as he closed it. "It's getting inside. Seal the openings." She said and they started doing it.
Back in camp, Murphy got out in time just as the horns sounded and he saw the yellow cloud. Acid fog. "Everyone, get inside the dropship now! Come on. Do it now!" He started screaming for people to get inside and once they saw the cloud coming their way, they followed him in. Last time, no one would have done that. Followed him, not by choice, certainly not because they trusted him to help them but now there were people looking up to him. It was all very new and weird. And once everyone was inside, he closed the door of the dropship. "Seal any opening there is. Now," He said to the rest of the hundred, the ones who were inside after they did that.
As he came to where Charlotte was, Jessica started helping him close the ones there. "You guys okay?" he asked and they nodded. "What is going on, John?" Charlotte asked. "I don't know, braids. Some kind of acid fog, people's skin started burning. Jessica, make sure to keep this sealed, okay?" he said and the girl nodded. "What about the others? My brother?" Octavia asked. "And Clarke and the boys?" Monty joined in and Murphy looked at them sighing. "They must have found somewhere to hide. I will see if there is anyone hurt down there." He said and went down to check on the others as the others continued taking care of Jasper.
He got down to the lowest level where practically everyone was and he stood in a small stoop so they could all see him. "Listen up guys," He said and they all looked at him waiting. "We don't know what the hell was that fog out there and we don't know what it can do to us so this door is not being open under any circumstance until we know for sure it is safe to go outside, we don't need more bodies to bury today. So everyone will stay inside, use a piece of clothing to help you breathe better and just stay in here quiet." He said to them and they nodded.
"What if we get hungry?" A girl named Susan asked. "The rest of the panther meat is in here. I will divide it and we will share it in groups of 5 so that we can make sure everyone gets to eat something. Everyone understand?" He asked and they nodded just as Jasper moaned loudly. "What about the kid? He has been screaming since yesterday. Can you make him stop?" A guy named Jason said and Murphy looked at him as the others waited for his answer. "Jasper is currently fighting for his life so I am sorry he is a bother to you, dumbass but you will just have to deal with it. Sing a song, stuff your ear, I don't care. You do not get near him. Got it?" Murphy said and the guy shrunk where he was.
"Anymore idiotic questions?" He asked them and everyone was quiet. "Good. Make up groups of 5 and select a leader of the group and send it up to the second level where I will give you the food for your group. Anyone who takes more than their share or who takes anyone else's will be punished. We may not be in the Ark but like Clarke and Wells said we are a team and we will work together. You got it?" He said and they nodded. "Very well. Whenever you are finished selecting, send the leaders up. Everyone stay down here and cooperate." He said and stepped down before climbing up the ladder.
Inside the automobile, Finn was looking through the window to check on the situation outside. "It's still out there." He said as he started opening the compartment. Clarke had her head resting on Wells' shoulder as they sat together against one of the walls of the car. "It's acid fog. We won't be able to get out of here until it goes away. We're done if we get in contact with that." She said as Finn was able to open it and the bottle fell on his lap again. "Is that booze?" she asked chuckling and he nodded before going to sit down near the other two. "Careful with it," She said as he opened it and drank it. "Whiskey, I think. Better than the moonshine of Agro Station." He said offering to Wells and she smiled.
"Alcohol is toxic." The boy said and Clarke smiled, typical Wells. "This is Earth, everything is toxic plus is a timeless rite of passage," Finn said to him. "We will pass," Wells said and Clarke nodded. "Thanks but no thanks. The last thing Jasper needs is for me to have a hangover," She said and he looked at her. "You sure?" he said and she nodded. "Very much so," She confirmed and he shrugged. "You guys are no fun." He said drinking and she laughed. "You go and be fun all by yourself, Finn. Just don't make us have to carry you because you can't walk straight." She said and the other two laughed.
Back in camp hours later, Murphy had Charlotte sleeping in his arms while he stood guard. After he had divided part of the meat and given to the leaders and no problems since to have occurred, he went up and closed the hatch to where they were staying, he didn't know if anyone would have the same reaction he had last year but he wasn't leaving it to chance so he did what Monty and Octavia did last time and locked it with a piece of metal when the others asked for an explanation, all he gave them was. "Better to prevent if someone shares Bellamy's views on what to do with him." Everyone stayed quiet after that, knowing it was very possible for that to happen.
Then, Monty tried to go down but Murphy stopped him. "Hey, stay here. It's not safe for Jasper to open that yet. Trust me." He said quietly not to wake up Charlotte and Monty nodded as Jasper moaned and the complaints started again. "See? That is what I mean." He said and Monty and Octavia nodded and went back to taking care of Jasper as Murphy put his hand on his bag and felt the guns there and felt a little safer and surer that he could protect everyone up here. He then kissed Charlotte's head as she snuggled further into his side and he relaxed a little and even closed his eyes.
A few hours later, to which Clarke judged was quite early in the morning, the fog finally dissipated and Clarke opened the door seeing the air clean again and got out knowing it was finally safe to do so. "The fog is gone. Come on." She said and soon, Wells followed after her and then Finn closed the door behind them and they started on their track back to camp, the boys stayed behind talking and Clarke kind of ignored them as she made her way, last time Finn came to talk to her about Wells and the death of her father but those were both subjects in the past timeline, not in this one and for that she let a small smile grace her face.
They continued walking and then there was a scream. Clarke's heart clenched, this was the same thing that happened before but the scream sounded older than Charlotte's so she was relieved that at least the young girl was safe but disturbed that someone has been a victim of the fog again. She took off running in the direction of the scream. "Guys, go check on them." She said to the boys once they saw the others all hurled up together and she saw Monroe visibly shaken so Clarke judged she was the one who found the body. The boys did as she asked and she went to where she expected Bellamy was and she found him.
She found him the same way as before and with the same victim of the fog as before too. Atom. She sighed, she had hoped between Murphy and her, they could avoid his death from happening but as Bellamy turns to look at her, she knew she couldn't have and as she got closer, she kneeled down beside the suffering boy. "I heard the screams." She said to Bellamy as she looked over Atom's body. "Monroe found him." Bellamy said and she nodded noticing the knife on his hand. She looked at Atom again as he pleaded and then back up to Bellamy and shook her head and he understood.
"Okay, I'm going to help you. Just relax." She said as she caressed the boy's head and started singing again as she did last time. She then grabbed the knife from Bellamy's hand and slowly and very sadly plunged on Atom's neck and pulled it out as she continued singing until he died and she turned to Bellamy. "Can you help me carry him? The others are waiting not far from here." She said and he nodded as she passed him the knife and he picked up the boy and she helped him drag him back to where the others were.
Everyone was shocked to say the least and they gently put him down on the ground. "What happened?" Wells asked them and she sighed. "Acid fog, I'm guessing. Do any of you have something we could use as a stretcher like the one we did for Jasper?" Clarke asked and a dark looking kid nodded pulling out a piece of parachute. "We used as cover." He said passing down to her and she nodded. "Thank you. Guys, you know what to do." She said and Wells, Finn and Bellamy started working together in silence and quickly made it and put the body on it.
"Let's go." She said to the group of them and they started on their way back to camp, everyone was in silence. What was there to say? One of them died because of an acid fog. Clarke had really hoped she could have saved him but she doesn't have the power to control everyone's decision. She can do her best to help them choose the right one but other than that, the reigns of their lives are in their hands and so was Atom's and unfortunately for him and for her as well, he didn't make the wisest decision and now he is dead. She really hoped that she was doing good.
It didn't take them long to get back to camp but when they did it was already dark and Clarke was at least a little glad to see that the wall surrounding them was looking better than before she left though not by much, she imagined they had to stop because of the fog as well. The gates were opened and she went in Finn beside her and she turned to him. "I'll need boiled water and fast. Jasper can't wait much longer." She said and he nodded moving away as she went to the dropship door and saw Octavia there as well as Murphy, Charlotte and Maggie.
"Finally, I thought they were going to kill Jasper if it wasn't for Murphy." Octavia said and Clarke smiled sadly at her. "Octavia, something happened." She said and the girl looked at her confusedly before Clarke turned and she got a look of Bellamy and a stretcher behind him and she instantly moved there as Clarke's friend moved to her side and Charlotte hugged her on one side and Murphy on the other and he mouthed to her that he was sorry and she shook her head mouthing back that it wasn't his fault just as Octavia removed the jacket and everyone gasped at seeing Atom's body.
"How?" Jessica asked once Wells came to their side and hugged her. "Acid fog." He said and they nodded. "There was nothing I could do." Bellamy tried saying but Octavia raised her hand to stop him. "Don't." She said and covered him again with the jacket and moved past her brother who tried to stop her, pleading with her but she just shrugged him off and walked inside the dropship and Clarke sighed. "Charlie, can you help Finn with the boiled water?" she asked and the little girl nodded going to where the boy was.
"Murphy, Jessica and Wells, can you dig a grave for him, please?" she asked and they nodded. "Of course, you don't even have to ask." Wells said sadly kissing her forehead as he held Jessica's hand as Clarke smiled before she moved inside the dropship and to where Jasper was still laying down and feverish. It didn't take long for the boiled water to come and for her to make the tea.
She immediately started giving it to Jasper as Charlotte helped her. She looked at Octavia holding his head on her lap. "I'm really sorry about Atom." She said and the girl swallowed down. "I guess we are going to have to get used to people dying down here, aren't we?" she said and Clarke sighed putting her hand on the girl's shoulder. "We are but that doesn't mean it gets easier." She said and gave a small squeeze.
"But not you. You hear me? You are not allowed to die." She said to the boy and everyone looked at her. "Everyone can take a rest, it will take at least an hour for it to work." She said and moved away and so did the others. Charlotte came with her and they lay down as Clarke saw Finn pull out the bottle of whiskey from his bag. "What is that?" the girl asked and Clarke smiled. "Nothing for you to drink, not in a couple of years at least." She said and the girl smiled. "I don't like alcohol anyway." Charlotte said and Clarke smiled as she snuggled against her. "Smart girl." She said and fell asleep after the tiring day they had.
She was woken up a while later by the sound of their voices but most specifically Jasper's. "Was it a dream or did I get speared?" he asked and she got up and went to his side. "You'll have a very impressive scar to prove it." She said kneeling beside him as Charlotte came to his side as well. "My saviors." He said smiling at them. "Thank you for not dying. I don't think any of us could have taken that today." She said. "Well, I'll try not to die tomorrow too if that's cool." He said and everyone laughed and soon he fell asleep with a smile on his face.