Chapter 7

Author's note: onto episode 2 guys :)

Don't stop running. You can't stop running. Even as the tears rolled down Ari's face, the words repeated themselves in her mind continuously. Stopping meant death. She was at the rear of the group, moving slower than the others with her injured leg. Somehow she managed to block it out as she ran, keeping up with the others.

Clarke stopped once and Ari shoved her, "Move." They had no time for Clarke to stop and look back. As much as it saddened her, Jasper was dead and they would be too unless they just kept running. In her panicked mind it was all she could focus on.

They moved quickly, darting over logs and shrubs. At least they were until Monty tripped, crashing heavily into the ground. Ari kneeled by him panting as she tried to help him up. She glanced down for a second, wondering why he wasn't cooperating, and froze. The deep brown, obviously aged bones littered the ground.

The others stilled as they realized what the pair on the ground were looking at so intently. "Who are they?", Finn breathed out in horror. Ari was the only to notice Clarke lift up a severely deformed skull, lifting it to eye level with them. "What are they?" "We're fucked,"Ari whispered shakily at the same time that Octavia said," We are so screwed."

It was then that an agonized scream ripped through the air, chilling them all to the bone. Ari recognized that voice," Jasper!" Her scream rang out, echoing through the greenery. She began to run back the way they came, faster than she had when fleeing. She was aware of the others chasing along behind her but paid it no mind.

Finn grabbed her, snatching her back before she could rush from the safety of the foliage. "Wait, stay in the trees."

Jasper's body was gone, she stared at the place it had been, which was now vacant. She could barely hear Monty's desperate question as to where they took him over the ringing in her ears.

"They took him."

[page break][bellamy]

He strode from the tent, swaggered was a more appropriate word. "You still don't get it do you, Chancellor?" He paused after sending the solemn boy the question, turning to the girl next to him. He pressed a quick peck to her lips, slapping her ass as she walked off. She had been an easy lay, and smelt of dirt but sex was sex. He had no pack of girls willing to sleep with him here.

"This is home now," he added turning once more to the boy who had looked away in disgust. He strode forward purposefully," Your father's rules no longer apply here." The boy gritted his jaw, obviously upset about no one listening to his practical words.

To add sting to the wounds, Bellamy snatched the shirt from the armful of clothing. Wells lunged as if to grab it back but Atom stopped him. "Atom no. You want it back? Take it."

He raised his eyebrows in challenge but Wells was the first to look away. He tossed the bundle of clothing aside, the teens swarming it like scavengers. "Is this what you want, chaos?"

The boy's question amused him, wasn't it apparent that it was exactly what he wanted? "What's wrong with a little chaos?", he shrugged.

They were interrupted by a shrill shriek which they followed hurriedly, Bellamy yanking on his shirt. There were mutters of protests as they approached the group gathered around the fire littered with discarded bracelets.

"Hey, Bellamy! We want the Ark to think that the ground is killing us right? Figured it would look better if we suffer a bit first." It was Murphy's cruel words as he held a girl's face over the fire as she struggled, obviously not wanting to be burnt. He stared in shock at Murphy before Wells rushed over.

"Let her go!" The larger boy knocked Murphy over as the girl scurried away. Wells turned to him with a pleading look," You can stop this." Bellamy smirked at the Chancellor's son. "Stop this? I'm just getting started." Wells was taken by surprise as Murphy punched him squarely in the jaw causing cheers to ring up.

Bellamy watched on in silence as the two brawled, Wells obviously having the upper hand. After stunning Murphy with a few blows he stood, turning to face Bellamy once more. "Don't you see you can't control this?"

His words made sense but Bellamy couldn't yield. He couldn't have the Ark come down. If this was what it took, so be it.

Murphy stood then, advancing with a knife gripped in hand. "You're dead," he muttered dangerously as he stalked towards Wells. Bellamy interfered," Wait." He held out a hand to stop Murphy who stated at him in disbelief.

For a moment he considered stopping the fight, but seeing the dissension in Murphy's eyes if he refused he conceded. He held out a knife, "Fair fight." He tossed the knife at Wells's feet before moving out of the way.

The two circled each other, Murphy feigned a few stabs causing the darker boy to flinch. Finally he managed to cut his adversary's arm causing him to cry out in pain. He charged at Wells yelling out," This is for my father!"

Wells was better at combat than anyone had anticipated, soon having Murphy kneeling with a knife to his throat. "Drop it!"

The blonde girl from the day before had perfect timing, storming into the camp. "Wells! Let him go!" Her shocked voice almost made him want to laugh. She rushed towards Wells who promptly dropped Murphy. The sharp featured boy obviously hadn't learns his lesson as he tried to charge at Wells once more.

"Murphy, that's enough." He caught sight of Octavia then, with a distraught expression on her face and blood caked to her. "Octavia! Are you okay?" Concern for his sister and even fear were apparent in his voice. His little sister nodded reassuringly as he helped her over a log," I'm fine. None of its mine."

His brow furrowed in confusion, who's was it? Blondie looked fine, Spacewalker had no visible wounds. That nerdy Asian boy was fine although he didn't see the kid with the goggles. Where was the pretty brown haired one?

He saw her then, leaning heavily on a branch as she hobbled into camp. She looked downright exhausted as she watched the scene around her. Their eyes locked for a second and her brows crumpled as she caught him looking at her. He looked away quickly, focusing on the task at hand.

"Where's the food?" The blonde he directed the question at didn't answer, shooting him an anxious look. Finn answered for her," We didn't make it to Mount Weather." "Then what the hell happened out there?", he asked annoyed with them.

"We were attacked," the answer came from behind. It was Ari, the tiny brunette. Octavia was standing awfully close to her, an arm wrapped around her waist reassuringly. "By what?", Wells asked Clarke. Finn answered once more," Not what, who. Turns out when the last man from the ground died on the Ark, he wasn't the last grounder."

Everyone shared shocked looks, fear tinging the atmosphere. Bellamy reached out to pull Octavia closer but she had turned to Ari and was helping her over to a log. Bellamy was too proud to admit it but he hated having to share Octavia with this stranger. They were so much closer than he was with her and that scared him to death. He had known Octavia since she was born, she had only known Ari for a year.

"It's true. Everything we thought we knew about the ground is wrong. There are people here, survivors. The good news is we can survive, the radiation won't kill us." It was Clarke's powerful words that brought him back to the situation. He didn't miss Finn's quiet disparaging remark," Yeah. Bad news is the grounders will." "Let's not forget giant river snakes," Ari chimed in comically. Her voice was tinged with pain even as she tried to make light of the situation.

"Where's the kid with the goggles?" In an instant Ari was up and limping heavily, but quickly, across the clearing. She reached Wells, standing toe to toe with him. She sneered up at him, "He has a name. Jasper." She gave him a hard shove and Wells stumbled back, more in shock than anything.

Bellamy moved forward, restraining her gently in his arms. "Easy there tiger." "Jasper was hit. The grounders took him," Clarke continued as she ignored the little interaction.

Bellamy tried to ignore the way she fit against him or the warmth of her body against his. He tried to ignore the feel of her heart pounding against his stomach or the way he could easily rest his head on hers if he leaned down. They were silly hormonal thoughts and no more. He hadn't forgotten how dangerous she was.

"Where's your wristband?" The sudden change of subject made the short girl in his arms look down at her own. It was scratched badly as if she had tried and failed many times to get it off. He made a note of it for later, turning to face the pair in front of him with his jaw clenched.

"How many?" Clarke was turning red, her own jaw clenched in anger. "Twenty-four and counting," came Murphy's smug remark, fight apparently forgotten. The blonde stared at him in anger and disbelief. "You idiots," she whispered.

She turned to their audience and began to speak," Life support on the Ark is failing. That's why they sent us down here. They need to know the ground is survivable and we need their help against whoever is out there. If you take off your wristband you're not just killing them. You're killing us."

Bellamy released the girl, passing her on to Octavia so he could reassert his control over the anxious teens. "We're stronger than you think. She's one of the privileged, if they come down she'll have it good. How many of you can say the same? We can take care of ourselves. That wristband on your arm, it makes you a prisoner. I say you're not prisoners. They say they'll forgive your crimes, I say you're not criminals! You're fighters! Survivors! I say the grounders should worry about us!"

There were cheers and noises of agreement all around as he finished his speech. He glared at Clarke smugly as s shook her head before storming off. He glanced at Ari, not entirely sure why, to find her smiling softly at the crowd of cheering teens.

What he wouldn't have given to know what she was thinking in that moment.