Disclaimer: The usual. I don't own anything.
A/N: Wow. I thought I could have this story up close to when the first part completed. But it took longer than I expected. Time flew by with the newborn and in a blink of an eye, two months have passed by. Apologies for the long wait. I will keep updating once a week from now onwards.
The surviving delinquents stayed inside the dropship for a while, waiting for the sounds to subside. The screaming of grounders being burned were loud enough to come through the dropship walls. It was horrifying, and some sobbed when they heard the cries. They waited until it became quiet and then stayed inside for a few more hours to be sure.
Clarke took the first steps to move towards the handle to release the door. She pulled it down and the light came through as it did when they landed. Sun was up in the sky shining bright. The first sensation that came was the smell. Smell of burned flesh came like a rushing tidal wave inside the dropship. A few of the delinquents threw up at the burnt smell. Clarke could tolerate it, having worked as a medical student in the ark and faced burnt injuries.
She walked out and saw the charred remains all around the camp. The bodies were spread everywhere facing towards and away from the dropship. She couldn't identify which ones were dead bodies from the delinquents and which one were grounders. It didn't matter anyway. All dead bodies looked the same. A life lost, and it was by her hands. A necessary evil, her mind told her. She wished she could believe it.
One by one, the delinquents came out of the dropship. Whoever survived the attack anyway. She saw that some of them were injured and still bleeding from their wounds. It didn't come into her mind to treat them while they waited. She was in shock, unable to form a rational thought. It was too much for her. What she had to do and as a result, killing Bellamy Blake in the process. The one person she has been relying on since they landed. He has been her strength and now he was dead because of her choice.
She saw Murphy walk out, looking at the bodies and silently started to move them out of the camp. Those who are able to, started cleaning up the camp of the remains.
"See if you can tell if it's one of us." Clarke said out loud to no one in particular. But they heard her. They paused to look back at her and nodded before resuming what they were doing.
Now that she spoke, she realized she had duties to perform. To keep herself busy, so she won't be overwhelmed by the thoughts in her head. Focusing on what was in front of her, she found Miller near the dropship doorway.
"Get the injured back into the dropship and others outside. I'll treat the wounded first." She ordered him. Miller nodded in response and sprung to action. She followed him inside and went to the med bay to organize the medical supplies that were tossed around when the delinquents moved inside.
One by one, the injured delinquents came to her. Some only had scrapes and bruises. Any of the bleeding were treated by the yarrow paste and bandaged with clean clothes. Luckily there were no shrapnel from bullets for her to treat or surgery she had to perform. The blades and clubs caused injuries that were easier to treat.
Once she was done with that, she came out of the dropship and saw that the bodies had been moved out of the camp already. She saw two piles outside the camp wall and realized they had separated the grounders from the delinquents.
"Did you find him?" She asked Murphy who was near the delinquent pile. He looked at her, unsure how to respond.
"All the bodies were burned too much to be recognizable." He answered her.
"But he's the tallest." She argued weakly. She knew it was not practical, but she felt like she would be able to tell if it was him or not. Unfortunately, she couldn't find the courage to do it herself.
"They all looked the same, Clarke." He told her, a glint of sympathy in his voice. She nodded accepting it and went back into the camp.
Once the bodies had been moved, people were looking for any of their items surviving the fire. All their tents were burnt in the fire and any personal belongings turned to ashes. All their food reserves were destroyed and their water containers were melted. The fire was destructive to humans and properties alike.
Clarke saw the delinquents looking lost at what to do. She knew she had to keep them busy before they fall into despair with their situation.
"We need a team to find the Ark survivors from the crash." She announced. That caught everyone's attention. In the aftermath of the battle, they had forgotten that the Ark had crashed to earth in pieces. And they saw one land close to their place between them and the mountain.
"I'll go." Finn volunteered. Clarke looked over at him and saw that he was unharmed from the battle. She nodded at him. Others came forward as well. She assembled a team of five with Finn in charge to go in the direction of the Ark crash and bring back any of the survivors.
She couldn't lead the team herself, because she needed to remain in the camp to maintain order and ensure that people don't panic.
"I want to go too." Raven asked.
"No Raven. You're needed here." Clarke told her. Raven looked quizzically and Clarke answered.
"If the Ark stations survived, they are probably broadcasting to find any others. I need you to work on the radio to find any broadcast coming from any of them." She explained. Raven nodded in understanding.
"I'll help her too." Monty told her. Clarke smiled at him gratefully.
Miller and Jasper continued helping the delinquents who were having trouble accepting what had happened during the attack. Some had lost their friends; some lost their treasured items and some lost the only home they had since coming out of sky box.
Clarke went back inside the dropship to get some shut eye. It was a tiresome morning and she couldn't wait for the day to end. She didn't think she could sleep, but the exhaustion and the emotional drain overwhelmed her and she fell asleep with her back to the dropship wall.
- 100 -
When she woke up, she realized she had a blanket over her. Someone had put a blanket on top of her, while she slept. She looked around, trying to get her bearing and clear the cobwebs from her sleep. That's when she heard it. A loud horn being blown at a distance.
She immediately sprung to her feet and ran out of the dropship. She saw that most of the remaining camp were with her staring into the distance where the horn blaring was coming from. The sun had started to set and darkness was taking over.
"Is it another attack?" Someone asked scared.
"What shall we do?" Another asked panicking.
"Stop it. Everyone." Murphy yelled out, quietening the camp from chatter. He looked at Clarke who was still looking in the direction of the horn.
"You should say something to them, Clarke." He whispered to her, so only she can hear him. She turned to look at him and realizing he was right, she turned towards the camp.
"We don't know what it is. It could be a sound of retreat. It could be a sound of backup. We have heard horns during acid fog as well. We don't know what it means." She told the camp.
"But we should be prepared. Get the guns and any ammo you can find. Reload and arm yourself." She ordered them all, who started to move. She quickly spoke before they left.
"Do NOT do anything until I expressly tell you to. Don't provoke them unless we have to. Keep your safety on." She enforced that as a command. She didn't want to start another war, because someone was trigger happy and panicking.
With that, camp was rushing around with something to do. They found the guns they had abandoned inside the dropship and the magazines with ammo they had stored inside. There wasn't enough for everyone, but they had more than enough to at least put up some defence.
Everyone remained in the open area of the camp. Someone had lit a firepit using the firewood that survived the ring of fire somehow. They had some light shining from the pit around the camp.
The darkness gave them another additional benefit. It allowed them to see light from a distance. With their gate down, they had a clear view into the woods for a distance. Miller saw it first and pointed it to Clarke. It looked like three small dots in a distance. But it was moving closer and closer, and once it was close enough, Clarke could tell that it was torches being carried by people. Their movement is slow and relaxed as if they are not a threat. Clarke hoped they were not, because she wasn't sure she could live through another attack.
The torches were waving as they came nearer and Clarke could see why when they reached the camp. The people carrying the torch are sitting in horses, trotting towards the camp. The torch shined light into their faces and Clarke could tell that they were grounders. There were three grounder riders moving towards the camp as if that was their destination. She waited for them to stop and dismount, watching them apprehensively.
The grounder in the front got off the horse he was riding at ease and walked inside the camp with his fellow riders following him behind. He was a tall muscular man with scars and tattoos covering his face. He looked fearsome and intimidating. When he stepped in, all the delinquents in front raised their guns threateningly. The grounder put up his hand and Clarke could see a parchment in his hand. He recognized Clarke as the leader and moved closer towards her and handed the parchment to her.
"What's this?" Clarke asked confused as she accepted it and looked. She couldn't read what it said. She looked back at the grounder who was sneering at her.
"Our commander has requested the presence of you and your people." He told Clarke. He pointed to the parchment. "This ensures that your safety is guaranteed. No harm will come to any of you." He explained in a tone that sounded as if he didn't agree with it, but had to.
"Why?" Clarke asked, once again confused. She didn't understand what was happening.
"I don't know. I do as I'm told. I was told to escort you and any survivors back to TonDC." He said exasperated.
"TonDC?" Clarke asked again.
The grounder huffed in frustration. "Stop asking too many questions and do as you are told." He answered harshly.
"What will happen if we refuse?" Clarke asked defiantly. The grounder looked surprised at that response, since the thought never crossed his mind.
"Commander would have no choice but to attack with her army. It won't be anything like what you faced today." He warned her. Seeing Clarke hesitate, he toned down.
"The commander has guaranteed your safety. It doesn't happen often. Don't look for reasons to ruin it. Please follow me." He asked in the politest way he could muster.
Clarke looked back at her camp. Everyone was looking at her, waiting to make a decision. Clarke was conflicted. On one hand, it sounded too good to be true and she may be risking the safety of the camp if she took everyone to the grounders. On the other, the camp was in no shape to survive an attack and they had lost all their possessions. They were in worse case than when they landed. If the grounders were offering a hand of peace, she should accept it.
She wondered what Bellamy would do. The old Bellamy would have scoffed at the offer. He would not trust a grounder at all. But the new Bellamy, the one who went the grounder village and made friends with Lincoln, the one who sent the only person he loved to the grounders for her safety would be willing to risk it. She decided to put her faith in the new Bellamy she had come to know and care for.
"Ok." She told the grounder and saw him visibly relax. "What is your name?" She asked him. The grounder looked surprised at the question.
"Gustus." He grumbled.
"Give us ten minutes. We have wounded that we need to take with us." She informed him. He nodded and told his companions something in Trigedasleng. They moved quickly to their horses, climbing back on it and turn away from the camp.
As Clarke promised, she assembled the rest of the surviving delinquents together. They had a total of sixty-seven left excluding Octavia. Six had left in search of Ark station survivors. A total of sixty-one of surviving delinquents in various conditions moved as a whole, out of the camp they have been calling home since they landed.
Gustus and the other grounders walked their horses in slow pace to keep up with Clarke and others. Clarke was in the lead with Miller and Raven next to her. Jasper and Monty were walking behind her, quieter than usual. Everyone was tensed about what they were going to face but they knew that they had no choice. The camp couldn't survive anymore without supplies or defend themselves from another attack.
They walked for most of the night. At one point, they came across a large statue in a raised stone. The statue was sitting in a throne like chair, staring ahead. In the moonlight, it looked magnificent. The delinquents paused in front of the statue taking in the scene.
Gustus, noticing that the group had stopped moving, reined his horse back and the other grounders did the same. He took in where they were looking and realized they were seeing it for the first time.
"This is where Trikru go to settle disputes." He explained to Clarke. She turned back to look at him.
"It looks beautiful." She said in awe.
"We need to move." Gustus nudged her with his foot and she snapped back to reality. She ordered everyone to keep moving and they carried on further.
Soon, they were hearing a lot of noise coming from a distance. There were light poles in both sides of their path, making their route more visible. Gustus started to move faster and other grounders followed. Clarke and the delinquents moved in the same pace they had been, partly because they were exhausted and partly because they were hesitant to see what they will face.
They walked up the hill and came to the clearing of the village entrance. The village was buzzing with activity even in the middle of the night. There were torches all around and firepits where grounders had gathered. There were music playing softly in the air and children running around carefree. It was not what they imagined they will be seeing.
Clarke led the delinquents into the village. The grounders were waiting for them when they walked in and Clarke was ushered in by a couple of women. She didn't understand what they were saying but they were friendly and smiling, so she didn't feel threatened. The others followed her.
"Clarke!" someone called her name and she turned around to see who it was. A large grounder approached her.
"I'm Nyko." He introduced himself. Clarke didn't feel threatened by him and his face looked friendly. She remembered Bellamy saying that Nyko was a friend of Lincoln's and Bellamy saved him. That made him trustworthy in Clarke's opinion.
"Please ask your injured to go to the healers." He pointed to the huts in the corner of the village. She nodded to Miller and he escorted the injured to the huts.
"Bellamy mentioned you." Clarke told Nyko. She choked when she mentioned his name, the emotions she had bottled up threatening to spill.
Nyko's eyes lit up at the mention of Bellamy. "I was expecting him to see here with you. Where is he?" He asked. Clarke tried to compose herself to keep her voice steady.
Before she could answer, they were interrupted by another grounder woman. Nyko nodded his head.
"I was just told that you haven't eaten anything yet. Please come dine with us." He invited them to the open area where they had meat and fruits.
The delinquents didn't eat anything all day long and seeing all the food reminded them of all they had lost at the camp. They couldn't help but resent at the cause, but the ones at the village were not the ones that attacked. The village grounders were welcoming them to share their food. After chattering between each other, their hunger took over and they dived in.
The grounders had plenty to share and the delinquents were hungry. They ate well for the night and they were offered a place to sleep at the village near a fire pit. They huddled together in fear of being killed in their sleep. They decided to have two people take turns keeping watch while the rest slept. Clarke volunteered but she was shot down by others. They needed their leader rested for the next day to face whatever was coming.