The following day I found myself behind the dropship, collecting more wood for fires. We had returned to camp with the large cat Wells had killed, Bellamy using everyone's hunger as a way to get them to remove their wristbands. I was able to hold out, sneaking some food once everyone had piled into the dropship for the night.

I hadn't gotten much sleep last night. Jasper spent most of it groaning in pain, while the other delinquents yelled for him to shut up. The groaning was still going on, though I'd begun to tune it out for the most part.

Grabbing my pile of wood, I headed around the dropship and towards the fire, dropping it all into the pile Wells had started earlier. Just as the wood fell to the ground, the sound of screaming filled my ears.

I ran towards the dropship, climbing the ladder to the top floor and shoving the door open.

"Hold him still, I need to cut away the infected flesh." Clarke held a knife in her hand, while Monty, Wells and Finn held Jasper down.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" I asked.

Octavia soon climbed through the door, standing at my side. "Stop it! You're killing him."

"She's trying to save his life." Finn rolled his eyes.

"She can't," Bellamy spoke, joining us on the top floor. "Look at him, he might as well be dead already."

Wells stood up, stepping in front of Bellamy. "Back off."

"We didn't drag him through miles of woods just to let him die," Clarke said.

"He's making us all crazy, Clarke," I spoke up.

"This isn't the Ark, Athena." Clarke snapped. "Down here, every life matters."

I shook my head. "I'm not saying his life doesn't matter. Just look at him, he's suffering. He's not going to make it."

Clarke shook her head, her eyes meeting Octavia's. "Octavia, I've spent my whole life watching my mother heal people. If I say there's hope, there's hope."

"This isn't about hope, it's about guts," Bellamy said. "You don't have the guts to make the hard choices. I do. He's been like this for three days. If he's not better by tomorrow, I'll kill him myself."

I kicked my feet and bit my lower lip, catching Wells' eyes. "Athena, come on. You can't be on his side."

"I'm sorry, but I am," I said, my eyes fixed on the metal floor beneath me. "The longer you four play doctor, the more he's suffering for nothing. It's time to let go."

Bellamy and I turned to leave. "Come on, O." He said.

"I'm staying here."

Bellamy shook his head, climbing back down the ladder.

I turned to the group. "I hope you guys are right about this, but if you're not..." I trailed off, shaking my head and heading down the ladder myself.

...

Later that afternoon, I watched as a group prepped to go hunting. The sound of Jasper screaming in pain was starting to give me a headache and all I wanted to do was leave camp.

When I spotted Bellamy exit the dropship to join them, I rushed to his side.

"Hey, you guys are going hunting?"

He raised an eyebrow. "We are."

"Good, I'm in."

Bellamy shook his head, smirking. "You want to go hunting?"

I stepped in front of him, both of us coming to a complete stop. "Look, I can't listen to Jasper anymore. I need to get out of here. Besides, an extra hand can't hurt, can it?"

Looking me up and down, Bellamy sighed. "Do you know anything about hunting?"

"No, but I'm a quick learner."

"As long as you don't get in the way, sure you can come."

I clapped my hands together. "Let's go then."

...

We had been hunting for a few hours before finally coming across a boar. It was plumb, enough meat on its bones to feed all of us tonight. My mouth was watering just thinking about how good it would taste.

Bellamy pressed his pointer finger to his lips. "Shh... She's mine."

I watched as he stepped closer and just as he was about to attack, a stick snapped behind us. Bellamy spun around, throwing his axe in the direction of the noise as the boar ran off. The rest of the group, aside from Atom ran after it, screaming like a bunch of idiots.

Turning around, I spotted a young blonde girl peeking out from behind a tree. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the axe which had hit the tree next to her head.

Bellamy dropped his hands to his sides. "Who the hell are you?"

"C-Charlotte." The girl mumbled.

"He could've killed you." I hissed, causing the girl to frown.

Bellamy sighed, stepping forward. "Why aren't you back at camp?"

"The guy who is dying," Charlotte spoke, her eyes fixed on the ground. "I just couldn't listen to it anymore."

I couldn't help but let out a sigh. "You and me both,"

"There are grounders out here," Atom spoke. "It's not safe for a little girl."

"I'm not little."

Bellamy and I exchanged glances. "Well then," Bellamy said, pulling a knife out of his pocket. "You can't hunt without a weapon." He handed Charlotte the knife. "Ever kill anything before?"

Charlotte shook her head.

"Who knows, maybe you'll be good at it." Bellamy smiled before turning around and heading off to find the others.

I smiled at her as well. "Come on,"

Charlotte and I followed Bellamy and Atom through the forest. We had yet to find the others when suddenly, a swarm of bugs flew past us.

"What the hell?" Atom asked.

Rats, which I had yet to see on the ground, began scurrying in the same direction the bugs had flown. I watched as a cloud of yellow began forming in front of us, a horn sounding in the air.

"That can't be good." I mumbled.

"Come on! There are caves this way." Bellamy spoke, running off.

The three of us followed Bellamy, myself being sure to keep Charlotte within my reach. I watched as Atom tripped, though I didn't stop. I just kept running until I too fell.

My head connected with a rock, causing me to scream out in pain.

This is it. This is how I die.

Just as I accepted my fate, a pair of strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me from the ground. "Charlotte, keep going!" It was Bellamy.

I tried my best to run, though Bellamy pulled me most of the way. Finally, we reached the cave and Bellamy let go of me, closing the entrance with a larger rock. I slid down the wall of the cave, pressing my hand to the back of my head.

"Are you okay?" Charlotte asked.

I nodded, removing my hand and examining the blood on it. "Yeah, I'll be alright."

"What happened to Atom?" Bellamy asked.

I looked away, unable to explain how I left him behind.

Bellamy sighed. "We should be safe here for the night."

"Should be?" Charlotte asked.

"Will be," I spoke up. "We will be safe here."

Charlotte frowned, and I knew she believed that as much as I did.

...

We had been stuck in the cave for a while, Charlotte having fallen asleep. Bellamy inspected the wound on my head, touching it lightly. I let out a yelp, swatting his hand away.

He moved back. "Sorry."

"It's okay," I spoke, my voice shaking. "Is it bad?"

"It looks like the bleeding has stopped at least. No sleeping for you though."

I sighed. "Not like I've done much sleeping down here anyways."

We were both silent for a few moments before finally, Bellamy cleared his throat. "Do you think everyone back at camp is okay?"

"I'm sure they are," I said. "They probably all hid inside the dropship."

"Safer there than here, I guess."

"I was sure the fog would've slipped through a crack of this cave." I looked over at Charlotte. "Poor kid probably didn't expect to almost die twice today. She's lucky your aim sucks."

Bellamy chuckled. "It wasn't bad considering I wasn't looking in that direction."

"Alright, I'll give you that." I smiled, before the thought of Atom filled my mind. "I left him behind..."

"What?"

"Atom," I said. "I saw him fall. I could've stopped and helped him up, but I didn't."

Bellamy shook his head. "You were afraid."

"And you weren't?" I asked, tears welling in my eyes. "You ran back to save me. You shouldn't have. You should've kept going."

"What's done is done, Athena. You can't change it now, so learn from it, do better next time."

I nodded, my eyes beginning to flutter shut as a wave of exhaustion washed over me. "You almost sound like my father."

Bellamy ignored my remark. "Hey, no sleeping, alright?"

"I'm tired."

"Too bad," Bellamy frowned. "Why did you get locked up?"

"What?"

"If you keep talking, you'll stay awake. Tell me why you got locked up."

I shook my head. "It was stupid."

"How stupid?"

"Bellamy-"

"Athena." His voice was stern.

I took a deep breath. "Someone I cared about, their father was sick. The Ark wouldn't give him the medication he needed, so I stole it." Bellamy's eyes grew slightly wider. "I stole my mother's keycard to get into the medicine cabinet and of course, they figured out it was me and thus I was arrested."

"You must've really cared about that person," Bellamy mumbled.

"He was like my second father," I admitted. "I mean, you know how my dad is. When I started dating my boyfriend, his father was always nice to me. Always making sure I was okay, something my dad never really bothered to do." I paused for a second, wiping my eyes. "I couldn't just sit back and watch him die. Not after everything he's done for me."

Bellamy was silent for a moment. "Did he make it?"

"Yeah, he did." I smiled. "Knowing that makes all of this worth it, as much as I wish I wasn't down here right now. I would give anything to be able to see my mom again, hug her, tell her I love her." I watched as Bellamy's face fell. "Bellamy, I'm sorry-"

"No, it's okay." He said, mustering up a small smile.

I shook my head. "No, It's not. Nothing about what they do up there is okay."

Just as Bellamy went to speak, Charlotte began tossing, letting out a small scream.

"Charlotte," Bellamy spoke, rushing to her side. "Wake up."

Charlotte shot up, panting. "I'm sorry."

Bellamy frowned. "Does that happen often?"

Charlotte nodded.

"What are you scared of?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter," Bellamy said. "The only thing that matters is what you do about it."

I almost felt like he was talking to me as well.

"But, I'm asleep," Charlotte mumbled.

"Fears are fears. Slay your demons while you're awake, they won't be able to get you while you sleep."

"How?"

Bellamy looked over at me for a moment, before looking back to Charlotte. "You can't afford to be weak. Down here, weakness is death. Let me see that knife I gave you." Charlotte nodded, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the knife. She handed it over to Bellamy, who squeezed the handle in his hand. "Now, when you feel afraid, you hold this knife tight and say 'screw you, I'm not afraid'."

He handed the knife back to Charlotte, who held onto the knife as tight as she could with both hands. "S-screw you, I'm not afraid."

"Louder."

Charlotte looked to me, and I nodded. "Screw you. I'm not afraid."

Bellamy smiled, patting her on the shoulder. "Slay your demons kid, then you'll be able to sleep."

Charlotte nodded with a small smile. Still holding the knife in her hands, she rolled back over and fell back asleep. Bellamy made his way back over to me, sitting down with his back against the cave wall.

"I think I'm starting to see where Octavia gets it from,"

...

The following morning, Bellamy pushed the rock covering the cave opening out of the way. He stepped outside, looking around.

"It's all clear," He said before stepping out further. "Is anyone out here? Jones?"

"We're here!" Jones called out.

I stood from my spot, my legs shaking under me. "It's okay, Charlotte. We can head back to camp now."

Charlotte nodded, standing up and following me out of the cave.

"Where'd you guys go?" Bellamy asked Jones.

"We made it to a cave down there," Jones pointed to the West.

I stepped forward. "Did you guys see Atom?"

Jones shook his head, causing me to frown.

"We'll find him," Bellamy assured me. "Let's head back to camp."

...

Most of the walk back to camp was quiet, aside from the occasional call-out for Atom. We had yet to find him, a fact that was slowly driving me insane. I could feel my fingernails piercing the palm of my hands hidden under my jacket, surly drawing blood.

A hand landed on my shoulder, causing me to jump slightly.

"Sorry," Bellamy said, looking me over. "You've been quiet, I just wanted to make sure you're alright."

Last night had shown a different side of Bellamy I had never expected to see. I had half expected him to switch back to his douchebag persona the second we left that cave. Instead, here he was, asking if I was alright.

My cheeks began to heat up, causing me to focus on the ground underneath my feet. "I'll feel a lot better once we find Atom."

Bellamy nodded.

The rest of the group had fallen behind us, though Charlotte was so far ahead of us I could barely make out her silhouette through the trees. No matter how many times I had called out for her, she just kept going.

Charlotte finally disappeared from my sight and just a few moments later, her frightened screams rang out through the forest. Without hesitating, Bellamy and I sprung into action, running in her direction.

Before long we found her, standing over a body.

Atom.

"Oh my god,"

Bellamy moved closer, kneeling down and looking Atom over. He was covered in bloody boils and blisters, his skin looking as if it had been slowly burned away. His eyes were glossy, his pupils small.

I placed my hand on Charlotte's shoulder before making my way over to the two. Atom was shaking, stuttering incoherently. Finally, he was able to get out a few broken words: kill me, please.

Bellamy stood up, taking a few steps back as the rest of the group joined us. Stepping forward, Charlotte pulled out the knife Bellamy had given her earlier. She handed it to Bellamy and whispered, "Done be afraid."

Taking a deep breath, Bellamy cleared his throat. "All of you head back to camp. Charlotte, you too."

The group dispersed, including Charlotte, though she was more reluctant to leave than rest had been. Bellamy eyed me, still standing just a few meters away.

"Bellamy, I can't-"

"I know," He spoke, nodding.

Bellamy knelt back down, holding the knife in his hand. I sat across from him on the other side of Atom, watching as Bellamy's eyes shifted around.

Atom spoke again through broken words, begging Bellamy to do it. I watched as Bellamy sat there unable to move. Finally, I reached over, taking the hand he was holding the knife with in mine.

Bellamy looked up at me and for a second I could see tears welling in his blue eyes. I slowly slipped the knife out of his hand and into my own, pulling my hand away and placing it at my side.

"Athena-"

"I can do this," Taking a deep breath, I looked down at Atom. "Okay, I'm going to help you. Just breathe, alright?"

I placed my free hand on Atom's cheek, lightly brushing it with my thumb as I moved the knife towards the side of his neck. I slowly slid the blade into his skin, pulling it out just the same.

As Atom slowly bled out, I continued to comfort him as best as I could at that moment. Finally, Atom stopped moving and I knew he was gone.

Looking up, I was met with Bellamy's sorrowful eyes. It was at that moment that I realized I had been crying, a droplet of salt falling into my mouth.

I quickly wiped my eyes with my free hand before wiping the bloody knife on the ground and handing it back to Bellamy. "We should get him back to camp, bury him with the others."

...

Finn, Wells and Clarke had soon found us and helped us get Atom's body back to camp. I hadn't spoken the rest of the way back, knowing if I opened my mouth I would only start to cry again.

The camp gate was quickly opened upon our arrival, Clarke rushing ahead of us and demanding quick action in making Jasper's medicine. Bellamy ordered a few of the delinquents to get Clarke anything she needed, while Wells headed off to dig a grave for Atom.

Across the camp, I watched as Octavia exited the dropship. She chatted with Clarke for a moment before her face sunk and she yanked herself away, rushing over to myself and Bellamy.

"Octavia, just stay back, please," Bellamy commanded.

"Why?"

Octavia attempted to push past Bellamy, only to fail. Upon her second attempt, she managed to get past him, her eyes quickly falling on the body whose face was covered by a jacket. She got on her knees and looked at her brother before looking back to the jacket, slowly lifting it.

Octavia let out a small gasp, tears swelling in her eyes. "Atom."

Bellamy frowned, reaching over to touch her. "There was nothing I could do."

"Don't!" Octavia hissed, shoving his hand away before standing up.

"O, please let me explain-"

"I said don't."

With that, Octavia ran off towards the dropship.

Soon Murphy approached, earning a sigh from Bellamy. "Did you lose anyone here today?" He asked.

"No."

"Jasper?" I asked.

Murphy glared at me. "Still breathing, barely." He turned his attention back to Bellamy. "I tried to take him out but your psycho little sister-"

Bellamy quickly shoved Murphy before grabbing the collar of his shirt.

"Bellamy-"

"My what?" Bellamy asked before raising his voice even more. "My what?"

"Your little sister," Murphy mumbled, shoving Bellamy off of him.

Bellamy nodded. "Yeah, that's right. My little sister. Got anything else you want to say about her?"

Murphy stared at Bellamy for a moment before shaking his head. "Nothing, sorry."

I watched as Bellamy looked Murphy up and down. Finally, he nodded his head towards Atom's body. "Somebody get him out of here."

With that, Bellamy stormed off towards his tent.

...

Later that evening I sat on the top level of the dropship where Jasper was resting. Finn took a swig of an old bottle of alcohol he had found before offering it to Monty. Monty refused, passing it to Octavia instead.

"Smooth." He coughed.

Octavia took a sip, her face instantly crinkling. "Disgusting. I love it."

She offered the bottle to me and I shook my head. "I've got guard duty later."

"Can I, uh, get a hit of that?" A small voice spoke up.

We all looked over, Jasper's head poking up slightly from the make-shift bed. He was smiling slightly, his eyes fixated on the bottle.

"Jasper!" Octavia cheered, rushing to his bedside.

Monty smiled, also rushing over. "Let's start with the soft stuff."

Finn and I joined the group. "Welcome back, buddy."

"Was that a dream or did I get speared?"

"You'll have a very impressive scar to prove it." I turned my head, noticing Clarke had joined up. She was smiling, though I could tell she had been crying.

"My saviour." Jasper smiled.

Clarke chuckled slightly. "Thank you for not dying. I don't think I could've taken that today."

"I'll try not to die tomorrow too if that's cool."

Clarke smiled, a newfound gleam in her eyes. "Sounds like a plan."

AN: Hello, I hope you enjoyed chapter three! Please be sure to favourite and follow this story if you did, and feedback is also always appreciated!