The Circle of Life

Weeks passed, which stretched into months as Clarke survived on the now barren, destroyed Earth. She wandered from one place to another, without any particular goal in mind apart from trying to contact her people. She worked to improve her make-shift walkie-talkie, then decided to scourge around for parts to make a radio. She made a basic shelter which could be transported from one place to another and finally stumbled upon one of Skaikru's vehicle's which had been deserted. She spent a few weeks by the piece of metal, working to repair it so it could be used as both shelter and transport.

As the days went by, the silence began to stretch on and on. She was lucky enough to stumble upon a lone flower let alone another other living insect, bird or mammal. She was glad she'd paid attention in Earth skills, because the things she'd learnt were being put to good use now. How to start a fire. How to hunt for food when there was very little. And how to bind an injury, although that last skill had come from her mother. None the less, it was almost two years since Praimfaya had wiped everything out, when she saw it. The first sign of wildlife. A small insect, one she guessed to be a dragon fly, flew into her line of sight. She smiled in relief, that there were signs of life and the Earth was slowly recovering from its ordeal. It gave her hope, that one day, this world would be survivable again.

…

Clarke emerged from the vehicle, a shelter that was much warmer than her previous one, feeling just a little more optimistic than she had the day before. It was now three years and ten days, since Praimfaya and some of the Earth's familiar smells began to return. More and more insects began to emerge as the sounds of wildlife began to fill that empty, soundless void of nothing.

Clarke started to set up the radio, preparing for her daily routine of trying to contact her friends in space. She'd lost contact with the ones inside the bunker 63 days before. It gave her comfort, this daily exercise, to know she still had people out there, if they'd made it in the first place. She sat the aerial on the ground a few feet in front of the truck and tried to make contact three times. And each time static filled the air. She gave up her attempted and put it back into the truck before setting out in search of supplies.

…

Clarke drove up a bumpy hill after a few hours of travelling, finding a dirt track that seemed to lead up to a farmstead. Or rather, the Grounder equivalent of a farmstead. She'd been right, passing several fenced off paddocks with a lone house standing at the top. It was a mess of course, just like the rest of wooden structures that were left standing. But it still had basic structures, and didn't look like it was about the collapse. The saddest part, however, was the pitiful mounds of dust she guessed were once farm animals. Sheep, possibly cattle. And larger ones she figured used to be horses and maybe cattle. She hoped they'd been killed instantly and not by a slow, starvation death. And as she entered the house, she found three more piles of dirt mixed with white flecks she immediately recognised as bone. Human bones. They must have died here, possibly choosing to stay right until the very end. It had cost them their lives, but at least they'd died with the people they loved.

…

Clarke left the farm feeling sullen, saddened, by her findings. She knew she would come across more and more places like that, but it'd never get any easier. She drove down the hill and after a few miles, came across a road that seemed familiar. It was the same road herself, Bellamy and Jaha had travelled along to reach the first bunker. She took the long bumpy road, feeling nostalgia as she drove. It had been their first glimmer of hope. One that had quickly vanished in an instant upon discovering hundreds of dead bodies.

Clarke pulled up outside the old house and went to check for supplies. There hadn't been much the last time they were there, but it didn't hurt to check. She found an old blanket with holes in it and slung it over her shoulder since the nights were becoming increasingly cold. She didn't know how she'd survived the last two winters. But this one was already starting to show and she could feel would probably be much worse. Clarke headed towards the bunker next, seeming as there was very little items inside the house and went down the stairs, lighting up one of the few glow sticks she had left. She tried to swallow down the urge to cough, the smell of the mouldy damp air was almost suffocating. She put her hand over her mouth, coughing a few times when she heard movement up ahead in the darkness. She crept forward cautiously, her heart pounding in her chest. "Hello?" She called, keeping her voice steady despite her fear. But how could there by anyone out here? No one could survive something like…

Clarke spun to her right, seeing a shadow run across the path to her left. The brief shadow she caught a glimpse of was small. One the size of a child. "Hello? I won't hurt you." She called again, this time less fearful seeing as she was facing a child, no threat at all. She held the glow stick in front of her face, the blue hue only spreading so far. Clarke came to a sudden stop as a knife appeared out of nowhere, directly in line with her stomach. She swallowed audibly, her surprise morphing into shock. Out of the darkness stepped a little girl.