Everyone sprung into action. Bellamy grabbed his gun, Octavia and Lincoln pulled out their knives, and everyone else grabbed a shovel. They rounded a stone outcropping to find Jasper laughing at Monty so hard he was doubled over. Monty was dusting off his pants and mumbling to himself.
"What the hell happened here?" Kane demanded, out of breath from the adrenaline and short run.
"I thought I heard something in the trees. I looked toward the noise and tripped over a log." Monty said, still dusting himself angrily. "I am glad I could entertain you, Jasper. Take a breath before you keel over."
"Ok, everyone, let's get back inside." Bellamy said, eyeing the tree line. The grounders would have no reason for coming to the mountain and the only people from the Ark that should be there were the ones that were sitting around the fire earlier. The noise could have been an animal, but Bellamy had a feeling it was more sinister than that. The group walked back to their makeshift camp just inside the door, more alert than before.
"This doesn't feel right." Clarke said. "
"You're right," Octavia glanced at Lincoln, "there is someone out there. We don't know if it's friend, foe, or stranger. We need to have a sentry until we get back to camp." Lincoln nodded, agreeing to take the first shift.
They sat around the fire again, this time, Jasper and Monty sat next to Miller, chatting easily. It wasn't the rambunctious camaraderie they had before , but it was progress. Kane, Octavia, Clarke and Bellamy shared worried glances.
"Who do you think it was? Grounders?" Kane asked.
""No," Clarke said, "at least not one that stormed the mountain with us. Lexa now knows that the mountain is no longer a concern. Unless some of the other tribes are scouting this place for a land grab? Now that the mountain men are neutralized, the mountain and it's surrounding area are unclaimed territory."
"That's possible, but it also could have been a nomad. A loner." Octavia suggested.
"Is it possible there are any mountain men left? Did you find Emerson's body?" Bellamy asked Clarke.
"He ran when we reversed the air flow. I haven't seen him since." She looked broken and worried.
"We'll scout the woods at daylight. If there is any evidence someone was there, we'll find it." Kane said. "Monty, tomorrow can you show me where the noise came from?"
"No!" Clarke interrupted. "No. We finish the graves tomorrow. We are so close. Once we finish we can leave this mountain. Forever. We'll let everyone else fight over it. I am done killing."
Bellamy grabbed her hand again. Clarke had no idea when he decided he could just hold her hand whenever he wanted, but she was grateful he had. She started stroking her thumb over his and felt his hand squeeze in answer. Bellamy seemed to need the contact just and much as she did. They all got quiet and stared at the fire, almost hypnotized.
"I'll take next shift." Kane called to Lincoln after a while. "Everyone else, get some rest. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."
Exhausted, Clarke went to the wall and sat in the same position she had been sleeping in for days. Bellamy sat next to her and they fell to sleep leaning against each other. When Kane woke Bellamy up for the third shift of watch, Clarke woke up too.
"Your mother misses you, you know." He said to her.
"I miss her too. How is she doing? Are they sure the infection is gone?"
"She is doing alright. The streaking has disappeared and her fever broke. All signs show that the infection is gone. How are you holding up?"
"I am surviving. I feel like Atlas, the world on my shoulders. At least while I was out here alone I didn't have to put on a face and act like my soul hasn't been shattered. I know. I made an impossible choice in an impossible situation." She looked at Kane, "I guess I can understand the council members a bit more now. Willfully taking lives, so many lives, is so hard. Will I ever be able to put myself back together? Have you?"
"Reassembling yourself is like trying to repair a shattered vase. You can glue it back together, but you can still see the cracks and there may be pieces still missing. What has helped your mother and me is finding someone we can commiserate with, and having a large support system surrounding you can't hurt either." He looked at their current sentry, "You have all those things at your disposal back at Camp Jaha."
"Get some sleep." She said, needing to change the subject. "The sun will be up soon and it's going to be a long day."
Kane looked like he was about to argue, but he reconsidered and went to his pallet to get some rest. The weather was a little chilly, but with the small fire still burning and the mountain protecting them from the wind, the makeshift camp was comfortable. Clarke was fully awake now and restless. She put a couple more logs on the fire and set about gathering the materials for the morning.
As soon as the sun had breached the horizon the group awakened and resumed their grave digging. The sound of birds chirping added melody to the rhythmic crunch- slide of five shovels. The ones who didn't have shovels were now guarding those that did, the cross making put aside temporarily. They made short work of the remaining graves, interring the bodies before the sun had a chance to fully sink again. Clarke wasn't sure what she expected to feel, maybe she was still numb. Maybe laying all these people to rest made no difference and she would forever be broken and haunted. Maybe she was never the good guy, and this emptiness was her punishment.
Because they weren't able to finish all the markers for the graves and whoever had startled Monty hadn't made their presence known, the group decided that one more night in the mountain was manageable. Now that the mountain was empty, the group decided to see what food was available in the kitchen. The Ark was a place where they never wasted anything, now there was an entire mountain full of resources and food that would go to waste if they weren't used.
"It seems a shame this place will go to waste." Miller said. "They have technology and facilities that would take us years- decades- to build."
"Not to mention the chocolate cake." Monty all but moaned, Jasper punched him in the arm playfully.
"Wouldn't it feel weird though? Living in a place that people just died in?" Octavia asked, appalled at the idea.
"The grounders believe that once a family dies, their earthly possessions, home included, should be reabsorbed into the village. The home is given to a new family, the possessions left are to be distributed to those who need it. There is nothing disrespectful about living in once inhabited quarters." Lincoln put his arm around Octavia.
"We did something similar on the Ark." Kane said, "We would divide up the sentimental items to any living relatives or friends, and the material things; clothes, bedding, toys, would go back into the community. The apartment would then be available for the next family unit. The mountain could be a great solution for a lot of our problems. We wouldn't have to worry about the elements, or invading on another tribe's territory, or whether we'd have enough bed space."
"Don't tell me you are actually considering moving everyone here! Do you really think that is a good idea?" Clarke asked, aghast.
"Logistically, it makes sense Clarke. Abby and I have discussed moving every one to the mountain, you have to remember that it was our initial plan. When we sent the 100 to Earth, our intention was for you all to live within Mount Weather. When we found out the mountain was occupied, that's when we made our contingency plan, Camp Jaha. Now that it isn't occupied-"
"Let me stop you there, Kane. These people didn't die so we could take their home. The sole purpose of pulling that lever was to save our people! Not to get you a more comfortable bed!" Clarke yelled.
Bellamy was there, a hand on her arm, eyes imploring her to calm down. "Clarke, everyone knows that wasn't the reason we pulled the lever. Kane was just thinking out loud. Right Kane? We will not be moving into the mountain any time soon. We are just going to eat a hot meal tonight, finish the crosses and burial ceremony tomorrow, and then we'll head back to camp. Does that sound like a good plan?"
"Yeah. Don't forget, we also have to check out the woods, see if we actually had a visitor last night or if Monty is just jumpy." Clarke conceded.
"Right." Kane said. He was pensive and quiet the remainder of the night. The entire group had a big dinner, though they were still somber and aware of their surroundings. They didn't want to leave a guard alone at their camp, everyone had worked hard that day and deserved a hot meal with the others. When they were finished eating they cleaned up and went back to the camp to sleep. When they arrived at the door, something was wrong. The fire was completely put out, ashes doused in water and sand, and when the fire was re-lit they could see a message scrawled on the wall in charcoal:
This isn't over.
"So, I guess I wasn't just imagining things, huh?" Monty said shakily.