CHAPTER 12

HOPE WAS AN UNFAMILIAR SENTIMENT and yet it was the only thing Jinny could feel at that moment. Everyone was busy scuttling around the campsite, trying to figure out what they had just seen. Some people thought that the Ark was sending more people down to the ground but it was too small to be another dropship. The pod could possibly be supplies, medicine, maybe even a working radio. She wanted to get her hands on it.

"No, I say we wait until dawn," Bellamy said.

"Well, I say you can screw yourself," she retorted as she started to grab some gear.

"Jin," he lowered his voice as he stopped her from hurrying out of the tent. "If there are Grounders out there, they know the terrain better than we do. They might be setting up an ambush as we speak and getting caught in the dark isn't going to help anyone."

"I'm pretty good in the dark," she told him. "In fact, I'm excellent."

"I can't risk you dying." He turned her around and she looked into his earnest eyes. There was a strange feeling in her chest, but she couldn't discern what it was. Jinny let out a sigh and dropped her things back onto the table.

"Fine." She glanced at Octavia before the both of them left his tent.

They circled the camp in agitation, keeping a lookout for any suspicious behaviour. Most of the delinquents were chattering excitedly, wondering whether the Ark was going to join them soon. Jones put most of the torches out an hour before dawn, when the first tendril of light seeped through the darkened sky.

When the sun was finally broke through the horizon, Octavia nudged Jinny's side and cocked her head towards the opposite side of the camp. Bellamy's tall figure slipped out through a gap in the wall and disappeared into the forest.

"Come on," Jinny said, quickly getting up to go after him. Octavia was close by her side as they meandered around the groups of kids and snuck out the same way as Bellamy. Jinny patted her back pocket, making sure that she had her knife close at hand. They broke out into a brisk jog when they saw the man doing the same, making their way deeper through the thicket.

Finally, he slowed down enough for them to catch up and Octavia called out to him sharply. Bellamy turned around, his face apprehensive when he saw them. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Go back to camp, it isn't safe," he told her.

"You lied to everyone," Octavia said. "You lied to us. You just want whatever's in that pod."

"Just go!" Bellamy roughly shoved at his sister's shoulder, making her stumble backwards.

"Bellamy, what the hell?!" Jinny protested loudly, stepping in between them.

"You always wanna play the big brother, huh?" Octavia continued. "Well, guess what? Joke's on me, you're just a selfish dick."

"I did this for you!" Bellamy snapped. "For both of you. To protect you. The Ark finds out we're alive, they'll come down and when they do... I'm dead."

"Wait, what do you mean you're dead?" Jinny asked.

"What did you do?" Octavia frowned.

He hesitated, glancing towards Jinny with apparent uneasiness. "I shot him. I shot Jaha."

"What?" Octavia's voice lowered to a deathly whisper as she visibly blanched. Jinny stared at him with widened eyes, her mind going back to the gun he had brought along with him. An uncomfortable feeling sat on her chest, making her feel nauseous.

"I found out they were sending you to Earth," Bellamy went on. "I couldn't let you go alone. Someone came to me with a deal. Do this—kill him—and they'll get me on the dropship." He paused. "And I did it."

"You killed the Chancellor?" Octavia asked.

"He floated our mother," he told her. "He locked you up. He deserved it."

She shook her head, looking back at him with hard eyes. "I didn't ask you to do that."

Bellamy bit his lip before nodding curtly. He made a face as if swallowing something bitter down his throat. "You're right, I made a choice. This is on me. Whatever they sent down, I'll take care of it."

"I didn't ask for any of this," Octavia said, her voice shuddering. Bellamy looked at her sadly as she whirled around and ran back to camp. He turned towards Jinny, who was looking at the ground thoughtfully.

"You should go after her," he said.

"Who told you?" she asked, voice soft. He stiffened, his gaze holding fear and dread as he looked back at her. Jinny raised her voice, the flare of anger evident in her tone. "Who gave you the gun, Bellamy?"

"It doesn't matter." He shook his head, turning around to continue his previous trek.

Jinny went after him obstinately, grabbing his arm and pulling him to a stop. He looked down at her with obvious unease, her eyes boring holes into his head as she stared back at him heatedly. The feeling in her chest continued to expand, like a stream of poison flooding her veins.

"It was just another radical, okay?" He tried to shake her off but he forgot how tenacious she could be when she wanted to.

The girl twisted his arm painfully, earning a cry of pain from him as she bent his wrist into his forearm. She stepped to the side, pulling him forwards and pinning his arm awkwardly behind his back, before pushing him into a tree. Bellamy grunted as his face pressed against the rough bark.

"Are you telling me the truth?" she asked dangerously.

"Yes, for God's sake, let me go!" he cried out.

Jinny clenched her teeth but released her grip on the man nonetheless. She took a step back as Bellamy staggered away from her, massaging his wrist with a slight grimace. He looked at her as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Why did you say it was for me too then?" she questioned. "How did you know I was going to be on the dropship?"

"I didn't," he said quickly. "You just happened to be here when I was telling Octavia."

She eyed him dubiously before remembering that he had been up to something before their little scuffle. Bellamy seemed to as well, turning around to look out into the distance. There was a faint trail of smoke wafting into the sky from the crash site.

"What did you want to find?" she asked him. "Why did you lie to everyone and came out here on your own?"

"I just wanted to make sure it was safe," he told her gruffly. "Scout out for any potential threats."

Jinny scoffed, then thought that she probably would have done the same. "Fine, let's go then." She went ahead of him, boots stomping through the foliage. Bellamy quickly went after her and they made their way towards the river.

The trees started to thin out as they drew closer to the pod, and Jinny slowed down her pace. She dropped into a crouch, looking around the trees cautiously for any sign of movement. All around her, she could hear the rustle of leaves in a faint breeze and small animals calling out to each other nearby. They eventually reached open ground where the underbrush seemed to flourish vibrantly from the water source nearby.

In front of them sat the pod in its wreckage. Some parts had flown off through entry, which was no big surprise. Static from the radio caught her attention and she could somewhat make out the voice that was speaking. It sounded like Jackson, continuously asking for a response like he was on loop. The vessel looked ancient, even more archaic than the dropship. Jinny would be surprised if there was anyone actually inside that thing, let alone survive the landing trip. Why did the Ark send supplies down in this thing? Were they really being that frugal?

Bellamy opened the hatch and she cried out in shock.

"What the actual living fuck?!"

"Wow, fucking language," he shot her an incredulous look.

There was an actual human being inside, decked out in a pressure augmented space suit. There was a crack on the helmet and blood was smeared on the other side. She went closer to inspect the person further, frowning at the feminine features behind the polycarbonate visor. Jinny suddenly started when Bellamy pulled out his knife and cut off the wire to the radio, yanking it out of the pod.

The static immediately died, a shocked silence taking place in its wake.

"What the hell, Bellamy?!" she shouted as he ran off.

She sprinted after him, yelling obscenities at his back and ignoring the scratches of stray branches catching against her skin. They tore through the dense underbrush again, and she could hear the rushing surge of water from the river up ahead. Bellamy stopped about fifteen meters away from her and she watched in horror as he flung the radio into the stream. Jinny skidded to a halt next to him as her jaw dropped in disbelief, the tide having completely swallowed up the piece of equipment already.

"You stupid idiot!" she screamed, pushing Bellamy into the water with a loud splash.