Here we are again … I'm embarking on a new journey of a fanfiction story. This time, we're going with a post-apocalyptic vibe. I recently watched The 100 on Netflix. I'd been intrigued to write a story based off that show/series of novels. I decided to write it for NaNoWriMo. I'm starting almost halfway through the month, but I'm determined to, at least, get something going.
In regard to how many chapters, update schedule and all that jazz, I'm not certain, but I'm hoping to get a big chunk written in the next fifteen days.
I do apologize for the delay. A couple of things happened … one, I had to put my sweet little furbaby (the aforementioned cranky dog) to sleep. She had a pretty substantial seizure that resulted in paralysis in her back legs. I loved my baby girl. She was my best friend and constant companion through my divorce, my mom's death, and COVID-19. I will, in time, get another furbaby, but for now, I need to grieve her. For those of you passed on condolences for my Wrigley. I appreciate it.
Two, I'm going back to school. In a new position. A new position that will undoubtedly give me more grey hairs and stomach ulcers. I can't say how it'll impact my update schedule, but we'll have to see.
I wanted to add more in the previous chapter, but it seemed like a good stopping point. So, what I had, I started the next chapter. But, things are growing between these two. Bella is still coming to grips with her time in the prison and her father's black and white take of her crime. Now, we may bounce back and forth between Bella and Edward. We'll also hear more from what's going on up in the Ark.
Chapter Five: On the Ground … Five Miles from Mount Weather
Edward
The next morning, we got up and packed up our campsite. Tyler and I doused the fire while Emmett and Bella tried to figure out a way to cross the river. After some wandering, they found a location where the river trickled down to a stream that we could cross without any fear of being devoured by some insane water monster.
We ate what was left over from dinner before leaving our campsite. Alice was limping, but she was still moving. By mid-day, we were halfway to Mount Weather. We also saw proof that the terrain we were crossing had once been a city. There were street signs, abandoned stores and crumbling homes. Bella used a Geiger counter to check the radiation levels and whatever wasn't too irradiated to touch, we took. Namely, we found handguns, ammunition, hunting knives, pots, pans, utensils, and some other camping gear. We also needed some clothing, but the fabrics had disintegrated from years of exposure to the elements and radiation.
We also found several neighborhoods. In one of the houses along the way to Mount Weather, we found some more backpacks. It made it easier to carry our finds.
In one of the deserted homes, Bella was standing inside a nursery, staring blankly at the crib. The furniture was covered in a fine layer of dust and what could have been a cheery room was covered in a pall, with grey walls and decaying wood. I walked over to her, jumping back when I saw what Bella was staring at. Inside of the crib, there was a skeleton of a child. "Fuck me," I gasped.
Her lips curled up in a sad grin, but her eyes were trained on the skeleton. "This baby and its family never stood a chance," she whispered. "The first of the bombs went off in the Ohio River Valley. The radiation coated this neighborhood … this baby … knew nothing but pain."
"Now, it's at peace," I murmured, picking up a tattered blanket and covering the remains. "At least, I hope it is."
"Could you imagine living during this time?" she asked, shuddering visibly. "Watching everyone you know slowly die from radiation poisoning?"
"There were some bunkers that could withstand the bombs," I said. "If they were able to survive that initial blast, they could check periodically if the air had become less irradiated."
"But, we haven't seen any indication that there are humans on the planet. The biggest living creature we've seen was the creepy water snake," she argued, turning to leave the nursery, and walking through the darkened home.
"I saw some deer and a few moose," I explained. They had been some fucked up deer and the moose was ginormous. I damn near pissed myself when I saw it strolling through a parking lot of a strip mall.
"If we could get our hands on a moose or a deer? That could feed us for …" Bella murmured. "We'd be able to dry the meat and we'd have protein. Real protein … not plant protein."
"I take it that you enjoyed the rabbit stew Lauren made?" I asked, grinning crookedly at her.
"More than I probably should," she answered honestly with a wry grin and a shrug. "There's nothing more here. We should continue on to Mount Weather. We have another day's hike, if I had to hazard a guess."
"It would be easier if we had some sort of vehicle or cart to carry everything we've found," I sighed.
"There are cars, but their batteries are obviously fried, and the gas has probably evaporated," Bella said, stepping out of the house. She took a deep breath, undoubtedly, to try to forget the smell of death, rot, and decay. "We should get another few hours of hiking before setting up camp." She pulled out the map, checking our location. "We're here. We can get to this location, overlooking a nearby lake. We'll have access to fresh water and maybe some more wildlife for food."
"Excellent," Emmett said, carrying two long, slender sticks.
"What are those?" I asked.
"Fishing rods," he responded. "We also found lures, fishing line and hooks. When we were at the river, I did see some fish before that thing attacked Paul and Alice."
"We also found this," Alice said, pulling a rusted red wagon. She was walking with Jacob, who was looking at my sister with an appraising eye. "There was another one, but the wheels were broken."
"Let's load up this stuff," Bella ordered. Jacob gaze snapped to Bella and his lip curled up in hatred. "We have about another two hours or so of hiking before we can stop for the night."
"I've had it with your bossy attitude, Isabella," Jacob snapped. "You're not in charge here. Not like your daddy. If you keep this up, you'll end up like the Chancellor … with a bullet in your head."
"W-W-W-What?" Bella asked, her brown eyes wide with shock and sadness. "What did you say?" A broken sob shuddered through her.
"Oh, you didn't know?" Jacob asked coldly, arching a brow. "When we were leaving the Ark, there was an assassination attempt on your father's life. As far as I know, he's floating in space, where he belongs."
"Jacob, shut up," Emmett snapped.
"It's the fucking truth. Chancellor Swan was a weak leader and he let the power get to his head. He got what he deserved," Jacob hissed. "He floated my father for something he didn't even do." He huffed out a breath, taking the handle of the red wagon. "I think I'll take all this and go out on my own."
That's when Emmett reared back, hitting Jacob's jaw, and sending him flying onto the grass. "You steal from the people we're trying to save? You are such an asshole. If you want to go out on your own? Fine, but you'll have to do it on your own, no help from us."
"Quil?" Jacob asked.
"He's right," Quil shrugged. "I think we can go out on our own, but after we've seen the lay of the land from Mount Weather. Do you know how to get back to camp? How to hunt?"
Jacob stood up, scowling at his buddy and shook his head. "I'll stay, but she's not in charge of me." He shot up and stomped away, heading in the direction of Mount Weather. He didn't pick up any of the supplies.
Alice tried to go to Bella, but she was crying and not seeing what was in front of her. I walked over to my sister. "Go with Emmett. We'll catch up with you," I whispered.
"Maybe Jacob wasn't telling you the truth," Alice said to Bella, taking her hand. "Your dad is probably fine."
"Alice," I urged. "We'll be right behind you." My sister nodded, running to catch up with Emmett. They left and I took Bella's face in my hands, wiping the tears away with my thumbs. "Ignore Jacob. He doesn't know what he's saying …"
"I remember hearing sirens before I went under," she sniffled. "My mom was an anxious mess. Something happened, Edward." She looked at me, searching my face. "What happened? You were awake. You were there. Tell me!" Her hands gripped my jacket as more tears streaked down her stark face.
"Your mom did say that your dad was shot, but I don't know anything else besides that. I don't know if he survived or not, but my father and your mom could save him. They are the best doctors on the station," I explained, pulling her into my arms. She cried into my chest, and I let her shatter. "I'm sorry, Bella. I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault," she whispered, pulling away and wiping her face. "I'm sorry about turning into a snot-sobbing mess."
"The past few months have been a ginormous cluster fuck," I teased, following our group. I could hear them talking about which path to take toward Mount Weather. "Bella, Jacob … he's … there's something that I don't trust about him. He doesn't belong with us. He wasn't in the prison and what he said about his dad …"
"I'm with you. Hopefully, what Alice said is true," Bella shrugged, not really believing what she said. "We should keep up with the group. I'll be fine. I'll grieve in my own way."
I trailed my fingers down her arm and I twined our hands together. She leaned her cheek against my bicep as we followed our group toward Mount Weather. Almost three hours later, we arrived at the lake that Bella had described. We set up camp. Bella checked on Alice's leg while Emmett, Quil and I fished for dinner. Jacob just leaned against a log, sleeping or at least, appearing to be asleep.
Asshole.
After we caught a bunch of fish, Lauren worked her magic over the fire and dinner was just as good as the rabbit stew. Tyler, Lauren, Bella, and I took the first watch. Emmett, Alice and Quil volunteered to take the second watch and that left Jacob and Mike for the last watch before dawn. Mike wrinkled his nose that he'd probably be on his own since Jacob showed no indication he was going to pull his weight. I volunteered to take it, but Emmett said he'd step up since I'd pulled double duty last night.
Sitting around the fire, Tyler warmed his hands and his brow furrowed. Emmett, Alice, Quil, Mike and Jacob had gone to sleep. Tyler blinked up at me. "Why are we keeping watch? We haven't seen proof of any human life since we've got here," he asked.
"Part of it is the unknown," I answered. "We may not have seen humans, but we have seen wildlife. The water snake, for example?"
"Good point," Tyler chuckled humorlessly. "What's the other part?"
"What if there are humans?" Bella asked. "We don't know if they're friendly. So, we need to be ready if we do run into someone, friendly or not."
"Do you think there are humans down here?" Lauren whispered.
"I don't know," Bella shrugged. "We haven't seen any indication of human life, but they could still be in bunkers."
"What about Mount Weather? You said that it was a government bunker," Tyler said. "Could there be people in there?"
"Again, I don't know," Bella answered. "We'll find out when we get there."
While the others slept, we got to know each other. Bella was very quiet, idly tracing shapes on the dirt. She was obviously trying to process what Jacob had blurted out. She eventually leaned against me; her cheek pressed against my bicep. She must have drifted off because Lauren smiled sadly at her. "Is it true? What you said about her dad? Was he shot?"
"I know as much as you do," I replied, gently guiding Bella to sleep with her head on my thigh. "I do know that there was a medical emergency as we were leaving. Bella's mom did say that her husband was shot, but I don't know the outcome."
"Do you think that …" Tyler trailed off, blinking to Jacob. "Could he have been involved?"
I frowned deeply. "I wouldn't put it past him," I said. Emmett, Alice and Quil came out of the tents. "Let's get some sleep. Emmett, there wasn't much of anything except bugs and popping flames."
"Hopefully, it'll stay that way," Emmett chuckled.
"Wake me if you need me," I said, gently nudging Bella awake. She stood up blearily, stumbling to the tents. Her hand found mine, tugging me into her tent. She truly missed human contact if she wanted to snuggle with me. I wasn't about to stay no. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I curled around her, and sleep found us easily.
xx MWMA xx
Renee … On the Ark, One Week After's the Chancellor's Shooting
"Charlie, you need to sit down," I chided. "You should still be in medical, under a doctor's care."
"I have a doctor. I'm married to one," Charlie argued, flipping through information on a tablet.
"We may be married, Charlie, but I'm still fucking pissed at you," I snapped. "It was your actions that caused everything that happened! You were so intent on making our daughter pay with her life for something any other good person would have done. You did the right thing in sending the prisoners down to the surface, but it was too little too late. I'm separated from my child by hundreds of miles while we orbit the planet in a space station that is dying."
"I know! I will forever hate what I did," he whispered, sitting down heavily. "I hate myself. I hate that my daughter probably hates me."
"She feels betrayed by you, Charlie," I muttered. "As do I. Our child! It was nonviolent offense. I don't know if I can forgive you. You cared more optics than your own child, our baby girl." I stood up, walking to the window, and looked at the glittering orb. We were somewhere above Russia. I pressed my hand to the window, wishing I could be with my daughter. "She was the one who discovered the information about the oxygen scrubbers. Information that you knew about …"
"I didn't, Ren," he argued, looking up at me. His skin was ashen. "Aro was the one who dealt with information about the oxygen scrubbers."
"Then, Aro is the one who is guilty of treason. His inaction led to the deaths of so many people in D and E-Block," I hissed. "If he had notified the council, we could have eliminated this situation and our daughter would still be here. Not on the ground."
"Have we established contact with the one hundred?" Charlie asked wearily.
"It appeared that the radio was damaged in the descent from the station," I explained, curling up on the couch nearest the window. "The cuffs are transmitting their life signs and they all appear to be strong. No indications that they are sick. We lost three suddenly. Two upon landing and the third a day later."
"Bella?" he choked out.
"She's alive," I answered. "What are we going to do about Aro? He was too eager to float me, Carlisle, and Marcus for saving your life."
"He needs to pay for his crimes," Charlie growled. "If anyone deserves to be floated, it's Aro Volturi."
"Do we have proof of his crimes? His treason? The only thing we know for certain is that he neglected to tell the council that the oxygen scrubbers are not functioning properly, and we do not have the means to repair them," I explained.
"What do you mean?" Charlie asked.
"Our space suits are as old as the station and they are in need of repair, as well," I huffed. "If the kids do well, we can take the other drop ships, or hell, navigate the entire station back down to the ground." I got up and pulled up our findings on the tablet. Charlie's already pale face grew even whiter. It was like he never saw these readings because of what Aro had done.
"I'm convening the council," Charlie whispered. "Tomorrow, we'll discuss these readings and how to proceed in the future. We also need to … Vice Chancellor Aro … he's done."
"Done, as in fired or done, as in floating out of an airlock?" I asked.
"For now, he's fired and only time will tell if he'll be floated," Charlie growled. He blinked up at me, remorse filling his eyes. "I should have listened to you. I was too prideful and focused on … I will forever work for your forgiveness and the forgiveness of Bella, should she survive her time on the ground and we're able to reunite." He reached across the table, taking my hand. I didn't pull away, but there was a tension between us that hadn't been there before.
It would take time for our relationship to heal.
Would we have that time?
A nagging voice in my head told me that we wouldn't. I prayed that we did …
xx MWMA xx
Bella … Outside of Mount Weather
We stood outside of the government bunker with no way inside. There appeared to be a code we needed to enter which we did not have. We'd been outside for well over an hour, trying to figure out a way into the bunker. Jacob was growing more agitated and was eager to head back to base camp, if only to go off and do his own shit.
"Bella, try this code," Emmett said, handing me the map. "It was on the back of the map. I'm not sure if this is a six or a nine. The ink has rubbed off."
I bit my lip, punching in the numbers on the back of the map. It took two tries because the number was a nine, not a six. After the two attempts, the lock disengaged, and the door pushed open. "It worked," I whispered. I looked back at Emmett with a wide grin. "Come on!"
Edward took out a flashlight and his side arm, stepping in front of me. "Stay close," he whispered. "Emmett, Tyler bring up the rear. Jacob, don't bitch and get in the middle with Quil and Mike. Lauren, Alice? Stay behind me."
Jacob muttered under his breath, but slid into position behind Lauren, Alice, and me. We made our way inside of the open door and the scent of stale air hit us like a ton of bricks. It was dark in the entrance, but in the distance we saw a flickering fluorescent light. It was also freezing cold in the facility. I shivered, wanting to burrow close to Edward, but he was leading our group down the hallway.
We got to an elevator, shocked to see that it was still working. I had to put in the code again.
"How is everything still working?" Quil asked.
"If memory serves, Mount Weather used hydroelectricity to work. There's a waterfall on the far side of the mountain," I said. "As long as the waterfall had enough volume, there would be power inside the mountain."
We got into the elevator, riding down a floor to the medical wing. What greeted us was nothing short of a nightmare. Alice screamed out when we saw skeletons and mummified corpses.
"What happened here?" Lauren asked, sounding like she was going to throw up.
I bit back bile as I looked around. "It appears that there was a broken seal that let in the radiation." I took out the Geiger counter. The residual radiation was nominal at best. "They tried to save everyone, but in the end the radiation must have gotten to them."
Lauren walked to a computer terminal. She tried to start it up, but shook her head. "I think the computer system was fried if this was exposed to the radiation. Perhaps the equipment that was not irradiated will work. Are there any more floors?"
Emmett found a map. "The command center is six floors down. There's also a garage with solar vehicles. We can drive back."
"We don't know how to drive," Alice pointed out. "I'll come with you. You'll need some help with the computers."
"I'll gladly take it," Lauren nodded.
"I hate to split up," Edward frowned.
"We need to divide and conquer," I said. "We can get the medical supplies. Tyler, Jacob and Quil can raid the agricultural stores. We need seeds to plant food. According to the calendar, we're in mid-April. We can plant the seeds and have a decent harvest by fall."
"I'm not a fucking farmer," Jacob hissed.
"Oh my God, Jacob," Tyler snapped. "We're not planting the seeds. We're just gathering them. Quit being such a dick!"
"What floor has the agricultural stores?" Quil asked.
"Fifth floor," Emmett replied. "We'll go with you to make sure everything's okay and then we'll head to the command center." He grabbed Jacob's neck, dragging him toward the elevator with the rest of our group in tow, leaving me with Edward and Mike.
We moved slowly through the medical ward, careful of the dead bodies. The medical technology was as fried as the computers, but we were able to get medications, which had been locked in a hermetically sealed locker. The lack of radiation indicated it had been protected. We took as much as we could, filling several large duffel bags with medications, syringes, and bandages. We pilfered medical supplies that were not technological, including blood pressure cuffs, IV bags and cannulas of every shape and size.
"I think we should take some of the technology," Mike suggested. "The batteries may be fried, but we can repair some of this stuff. The defibrillators, EKG machines, oxygen regulators …"
"Hopefully, Emmett can get those solar vehicles going," Edward murmured, holding a stethoscope in his hand. "Trying to carry all of this back will make our trek twice as long back to the drop ship."
We took the bags back to the elevator, riding down the floor that held solar-powered vehicles. Emmett was working on them with Tyler. Jacob, shockingly, was helping with the vehicles. Edward went to help Emmett while I went in search of the command center. I found it through the help of Alice and Lauren's bickering. Stepping inside, I found them both at functioning computer terminals. "Is everything okay?" I asked.
"We're trying to make sense of these readings," Lauren sighed. "This place has gathered readings from the planet since the bombs. If I'm interpreting the information correctly, there has been evidence of people moving along the ground for the past ten years, I think."
"Do you know what happened here?" I pressed. "In the medical ward?"
"Each floor is sealed separately," Alice answered. "The seal to the medical floor failed." She typed on the keyboard, showing me a grainy photo. "See the crack in the seal?"
I squinted. "That's tiny," I whispered. "A seal that small killed all those people?"
"That seal cracked happened about a year after the bombs," Alice explained. "The radiation was still obviously lethal, even in minute amounts." She pulled up a security feed. According to the date, it was a year after the detonation of the nuclear bombs, and we watched as the people on the medical floor collapsed from the radiation. "Nearly everyone died on that floor. A handful of people survived this incident only to try going outside fifteen years later. They also died, but a slow painful death. Their bodies are in their rooms."
"Back to the people moving along the ground," I said, gesturing to Lauren.
"There are satellites in low orbit, lower than the Ark," Lauren said, fingers flying over the keyboard. "There are settlements further south. I can guarantee that they probably saw our drop ship land. If I had to hazard a guess, they may be on their way to our camp."
"We need to get back," I frowned. "Do you know if this installation has weaponry? Clothing?"
"Yes, to all of that. It's on the same floor as the seed bank," Lauren said. "This place also has portable computers, similar to our tablets with chargers. I'm taking a couple of these computers so we can have access to these satellites. We can also try to reach the Ark with these computers. I tried to contact them, but the frequency isn't right."
"I'm taking a portable radio to see if we can tweak the frequency to reach the Ark," Alice said, taking a large black box.
"We can come back. There are more supplies that we can get when we have the solar-powered vehicles," Lauren nodded, stuffing the computers into a bag.
"We probably should change the access code," Edward suggested. "There are some people in our group that I do not trust. Can you do that?"
"Yeah," Lauren nodded. She pulled up a diagnostic screen, finding the protocol to change the access code. "It'll be for the entire installation. The code needs to be nine characters long, with a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols."
Edward walked to the console, his long fingers hovering over the keyboard. He turned, pulling me to him. "I want you to know," he whispered.
I asked for one of the tablets, which Lauren handed it to me. I opened up an encrypted file to my biometric fingerprint, waiting for Edward to input the new access code. As he put in the new access code, I saved it to the tablet. I nudged Edward to add his fingerprint to the file so he could access it.
We left the command center after Lauren and Alice put the computers into hibernation mode.
"Shouldn't we move our camp closer to Mount Weather?" Mike asked. "I mean, it doesn't make sense to trek all these supplies back to camp. We could get the computers started and have … a home, warm beds, fresh water, and access to all this tech."
"He's got a point," Alice said. "I know that being down on the ground is awesome, but I miss having a bed."
"I don't want to lose the drop ship," I murmured. "It has the materials for creating a new med bay, right?"
"That's what your mom said," Edward nodded. "But, if we get this medical bay in working order, it could be more."
"We do need to address the dead people on the irradiated floor," Lauren grimaced. "I mean, gross."
"What would it take to get this place up and running?" I asked, looking at Alice.
"I just need to flip the switch," Alice answered, waking up the computers. "Um, I need that new code." Edward put it into the terminal, hiding the code from everyone, including Alice and Lauren. "If I'm running this place, I'll need it, brother mine."
"In time, Alice," Edward responded.
"Don't you trust me?" Alice snapped.
"The only person I trust is myself, Alice," Edward snapped back. "We're down here, on an alien planet that was once our ancestral home. Everything is a mess, and I don't trust anyone but me."
Alice shot up, shoving Edward, and stomping out of the command center. I blinked up at Edward. His face was red, and I could feel his anger. Lauren took over where Alice left off. I handed Edward the tablet, chasing after Alice. I found her near the elevator, curled up in a tiny ball and crying. She heard me approach, looking up at me with disdain. "I tried to leave, but I need the new code," she sneered.
"Alice, it's not personal," I argued.
"You know the code," she growled.
"No, it's on a tablet, encrypted with a fingerprint," I said. "Your brother worked with the security team. With so many unknowns, we need to have a small circle handling security on the ground. This place is a treasure trove for those humans that are roving the planet. We need to protect this."
"Maybe Jacob is right," Alice huffed. "You're power hungry." She stood up, glowering at me. "Just like your dad. I hope he's dead." Her gaze was cold when she smirked. "We'll bring this shit back to the drop ship, but I'm going with Jacob, on our own."
I narrowed my eyes at Alice. "Good luck with that. Don't come crawling back when you're starving or beg for medical care."
"Can you let me out of here?" she asked, gesturing to the elevator.
"We're leaving together. You can stay here and wait for us to finish up if you can't handle that we're doing this to protect you, protect everyone down here on the ground," I explained. I turned on my heel, walking back to the command center. I felt tears well in my eyes and I hastily wiped them away. I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she would need our help sooner rather later.
Inside the command center, Lauren had figured out the basic ins and outs of Mount Weather. There was more than enough room for everyone to stay there, but we'd have to address the bodies on level five and properly dispose of them. I was exhausted and heart weary.
Edward saw me, furrowing his brow. "I think we should table this until we can go back, discussing it with the rest of the people on the ground," he said. "We need to set up some sort of security plan, not handing out the code to everyone."
"I agree," Lauren nodded. "Only the security officers and leaders should have that type of access."
"You want the job?" Mike asked, snickering quietly. "You seem to be the most capable."
"I would love the job, but we'll have to see if there is someone more capable than me back at the camp," Lauren nodded, shutting down the computers and pushing the chair in at the desk.
We left the command center, walking to the elevators. Alice was still waiting there, barely containing her ire. She looked at her brother like he'd betrayed her by not giving her the access code to the computers. Edward caught her gaze, taking her arm and guiding her away from the elevators. I kept my eyes away from them as he argued with his sister, trying to get her to understanding the reasoning behind it.
But, I doubt she would.
She was exactly like her brother.
Hardheaded and stubborn … not wanting to think that anyone else is right.
It was an attribute that I was finding attractive in Edward, but it confused me to no end. We had other things to contend with on the ground.
Like survival.
A/N: I started this chapter in November. Finished it in June … Oy! Pictures from this chapter are on my blog. You can find a link for that on my profile. I'm also on FB: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation. Twitter, too: tufano79.
What do you all think about everything's that happening? The humans roving the planet and Jacob? Leave me your thoughts! See you soon!