Clarke
Somber, apprehensive, and uneasy, the four of them slipped through the back of the fence and into Camp Jaha. The silence was eerie, and Clarke stayed close to the Blakes, disturbed by the fact that even Lia seemed on edge, almost nervous.
Their first impression was that everyone had just disappeared. There were no fires burning, and where they stood near the back of the camp, nothing seemed out of place or damaged. But as they crept forward, skirting the buildings, they could see that all was definitely not well.
In the main area of camp, which was really just a big clearing, there were bodies strewn about, silent and still.
Bellamy knelt by the first one, who was wearing a guard uniform, and flipped him over so he was face-up. "Scott," he said softly, shaking his head a little. He sighed and picked up the man's rifle, slinging it over his shoulder.
"Bellamy became a guard after you left," Octavia said softly to Clarke. "Scott was his friend."
Clarke went over to him and squeezed his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said softly.
"This happened recently," Lia volunteered. "The bodies have not yet attracted scavengers. Even insects have not begun to feast."
"Hey," Clarke said sharply. "These are people we knew. Our friends might be lying dead in this camp."
Seeming confused, Lia said, "And if they are? What I have said is still true."
"Don't even bother," Octavia muttered to Clarke.
Pulling Scott's two handguns, Bellamy handed one to Clarke and said, "It's fine. Let's just figure out what's going on here." He held out the second handgun to Octavia, who hesitated only a moment before taking it. "Stay close," he said, holding his rifle at the ready just in case.
But it was so quiet; it was hard to believe that anything might jump out. It seemed like Lia was right- whatever had happened here, happened a while ago.
They checked the other bodies, acknowledging more lost colleagues- though Clarke was relieved that none of the people she considered to be friends were among the fallen. Most of the dead were soldiers and guards, and each one seemed to weigh heavier and heavier on Bellamy's shoulders. With each gun he took on or passed to them, it was like another burden he had to carry.
Lia didn't seem particularly interested in looking at the bodies, but Clarke felt she was being respectful as she sat near the entrance to the station and waited for them to do what needed to be done.
Clarke and the Blakes carried on through all the tents and outlying buildings. Some were devoid of bodies, exactly as they'd been left when last in use, and showed no evidence of attack. The bodies had a mixture of wounds- arrows, knife wounds, and bullet holes- so it was difficult to guess just what had happened here. Clarke did note the absence of darts, though.
Finally they came to the last body that lay outside, and Bellamy seemed more disturbed by that one than all the others. Tentatively Clarke looked down at the man, who had three arrows in his chest, his green eyes open to the sky. "Was he a friend?" she asked gently.
"No," Bellamy answered, and he sounded perplexed, disturbed even. "I don't know him at all."
Clarke looked closely at the face and realised that she, too, had never seen the man before. A quick look at Octavia told her that not one of them had ever seen this person. Immediately Clarke realised what it meant. "They found another station."
Bellamy released his breath, nodding his head. "Looks that way. Come on, let's check inside. Fall in, weapons hot."
Half-crouched, Bellamy led them toward the man hold of Alpha Station. Clarke stayed close to his back, with Octavia bringing up the rear. Lia joined them, trailing behind. Just inside the door there were more bodies- some they knew and some they didn't.
"We've been gone for months," Octavia whispered. "They were looking for the other stations. I guess it makes sense that they found one."
"There's no one here," Clarke whispered back. "Everything's dead." It was so quiet inside the station that she couldn't believe they would find a single survivor. But where were all the bodies? The few they passed plus the ones outside barely made up half the population that had been here when she left, and if they'd found another station then there should have been even more people.
They finished their sweep and Clarke led the others to the council chamber, sitting down at the table with them. Despite the dire situation, Bellamy and Octavia exchanged wry grins, obviously amused by the fact that they of all people were seated in council chairs.
"By my count there are a hundred and six bodies inside Camp Jaha, including the station," Bellamy said.
Octavia folded her arms on the table and dropped her chin onto her forearms. "It wasn't Trikru. Some of them were shot."
"Could they have started using guns?" Clarke suggested. "Mount Weather was the only reason they didn't, right?"
Octavia seemed to debate that for a minute, and then she allowed, "Maybe… but I doubt it."
Bellamy tapped his finger on the table as he said, "They point is, we're looking at a hundred bodies. When O and I left, the population of Camp Jaha was close to three hundred. If they found another station, then that number will have risen- maybe by fifty, maybe by two hundred, we don't know. But either way, there's a decent chunk of people who aren't here, including all of our friends."
"But where would they go?" Octavia asked, frowning up at them from her arms.
Clarke exchanged a grim glance with Bellamy and she could see that he knew what she was thinking, but neither one of them wanted to say it out loud, as if that would make it real.
"What?" Octavia asked, lifting her head up and looking between the two of them. She had a frown, almost a scowl on her face, as she complained, "Bell, what? I can't read your little looks."
Clarke gritted her teeth and said, "Mount Weather. That's the only place that makes sense. It's the only place they could get to quickly if they were attacked… it's the only place the survivors would be safe from all of this."
"Maybe the Trikru took them in," Bellamy suggested.
"Doubtful," Lia said. "Clarke killed their leader. Even now that they have chosen a new Commander, that does not mean they will be quick to help the Sky People."
Letting out a long breath, Clarke tried to banish the memories of Mount Weather from her mind. She knew the bodies would be gone, because she knew they would have gutted the mountain of useful supplies, particularly weapons and medicines… but the ghosts would be there. The reminders of what she and Bellamy had done, everywhere. She didn't want to face that. She couldn't… not now, and maybe not ever.
Sitting up straight in her chair, Clarke shook her head to dispel her dark imaginings. "It doesn't matter," she said firmly. "We're not going to Mount Weather. If the Trikru have them, then they're probably watching the camp, and they probably already know that we're here. And if they're inside Mount Weather, then they're safe for now."
"That is a bold statement to make," Lia spoke up. "They may be in danger inside the mountain. Whoever attacked them here may have followed them."
Clarke imagined her mother inside Mount Weather, trapped and afraid. She imagined the others too- Jasper and Monty especially, who also had terrible memories from inside that place. But she had to shake that all away as she said, "We have to focus on detoxing Bellamy before we think about anything else."
"But it's not safe," Octavia protested. "What if the people who did this are watching the camp?"
"Then we would already be dead," Lia spoke up.
"But it's loud," Octavia protested further, looking at Clarke. "Remember how loud Lincoln was?"
"We'll be doing it in medical," she answered. "We'll seal the doors and make sure it's safe." Sliding her eyes to Bellamy, she could see a deep frown on his face, see his eyes fixed on the table and not on any of them. She wasn't even sure if he was listening to what they were saying. Reaching out to him, Clarke laid her palm over the back of his hand and gave it a squeeze. "You know we have to."
Letting out a heavy breath, he nodded his head. "Yeah," he said, turning his hand over and squeezing hers. "I know." They shared a smile, and then he looked at his sister and said, "But first I promised I'd go check your tent with you." Octavia's expression had been dark, but now it brightened significantly, as though she'd thought he might have forgotten about her. It made Clarke wonder if she had any idea at all just how central she was to Bellamy's world. She had worried about it more than once in the last couple of weeks, every time she let herself imagine a future with Bellamy. But there was no use dwelling on it; she'd never met siblings before them, but it was clear their bond was deep and unbreakable.
"Okay," she said, drawing their attention back to her. "I have to get the supplies I need anyway… so why don't you two go do that, and Lia can help me prepare medical? And then, once this is over, we'll figure out where the others are."
"If they're in trouble," Bellamy said carefully. "And we delay going after them because of me…" Clarke wasn't sure if he was saying that because he was apprehensive about detox or if he was legitimately concerned about their people.
"No, Bell, we have to help you," Octavia said gently. "This needs to happen now. You can't stay on that drug another minute."
"She's right," Clarke agreed gently, nodding her head and looking at Bellamy. "You know we have to do this."
Heavily he said, "Yeah… fine. Let's just get it over with." He stood up from the table and nodded to Octavia. "O, come on." Without another word he stood up and left the council chamber.
Octavia rose to her feet, but before she followed him she gave Clarke a reassuring smile and said, "Don't worry. He's just scared."
Returning the smile, Clarke nodded her head. "I know. This is the best possible place to do this… it'll be fine." She did wish her mother was there to help, but otherwise what she'd said was true.
"I know," Octavia answered. "I trust you." Clarke knew that statement was a miracle, but she only nodded her head, and she was left alone with Lia in the council chamber.