Persphyni : I am Destruction

22

I turned Erebus around when I heard the alarm. His head and mine snapping towards the sound as we halted in our tracks. The three boar I had been chasing fled, their high pitched squeals in victory as they escaped my grasp unlike their fallen brethren who was being drug behind us.

"Damn it." I hissed into the open forest, Erebus and I already in motion as we made it back to Arkadia in time to see the gate opening and a group of grounders outside with weapons pointed at them.

"Stand down!" I shouted, my eyes on my men as they pointed weapons at the sickly people. "That's an order." Erebus slowed to a walk as I moved in between the two groups. My eyes piercing through the men making them quickly drop their weapons.

"Nyko." I watched as Clarke and Bellamy pushed their way in front of the crowd. The blonde moving on front of Erebus as I sat atop the stallion waiting.

"What if it's a grounder attack, like they did with Murphy." I shot Bellamy a look to find his eyes already burning into the back of my head. I shook my head at Miller's suggestion, they wouldn't try it again. Not to mention these people look a different level of sick.

"What happened to these people?" I asked, my eyes catching sight of the sickly young girl making my breath catch in my throat, Adria.

"The sickness. We lost forty people on the way." Nyko's eyes looked from me to Clarke before catching Bellamy's as he walked over to us. My own drifted down to the curly headed figure cough her lungs out.

"Luna?" She lifted her head and I held back my shock.

"Please don't turn us away because of what I did to you." Her eyes drifted from Bellamy and Clarke to me atop Erebus. Her pleading swirled within them as she begged through the windows. I already knew that we'd take them in, though I figured this was something near incurable.

This had to be the first sign of radiation. They were fine a week ago, and Raven had calculated that radiation level would rise soon above what we could withstand.

"Please, let me through." Abby pushed her way through the crowd and around Erebus as I moved out of the way. The large boar dragging with us.

"Gideon, Bryce." I gestured over towards them, the two teens moving quickly through the crowd as they reached me once I had dismounted.

"Take this boar to your mother." I instructed, my eyes on Gideon. His grey eyes haunted by horrors from Alie and the City of Light. The two nodded and grabbed the rope I had unhooked from the saddle and began to drag through the crowd. The Arkies separated and watched the boar go with hunger and desire.

I remounted Erebus as Abby began to speak in a low whisper. Her words catching my ears as I sat silently atop the black gelding.

"Acute Radiation Sickness." Shit. I kept my gaze on Adria as Abby asked questions. Luna answering as she held back coughs.

"The fish are dying?" Raven asked, her mind turning as she counted down how long we might actually have.

"Floating on the sea to the horizon in every direction." Nyko's information did little to help Raven's turmoil as she turned to Clarke. My eyes not leaving Adria's weak form, not even to look at the piercing gaze directed right at me.

"It's not contagious. Let's get them to medbay." I nodded at Abby's words and called for help.

"Devan, Miller, James, help take these people to medbay. Quickly." I ordered, my eyes finally drifting away to show the three men I was serious. My thought was to get everyone back inside the gate to speak with Clarke and Bellamy. Knowing if Miller and the other two who were at the front went then the rest of the crowd would disperse. Which it did.

Slowly, I moved Erebus over to the side of the dead body on the ground that my co-leaders were squatting by.

"It's already here." Clarke whispered, stress in her voice as she looked at Bellamy. His brown eyes flickered from the body to me as I spoke up.

"It's been here." The two stood up and looked around at the group. Silence deafening as I sighed and extended a hand out to Bellamy.

"I owe you an explanation; and you owe me a hunt." I saw a hint of a smile on his lips before he glanced at Clarke who was already looking at the two of us with a small devious grin.

"Go. I can handle them for a few hours." I saw her send me a wink making me roll my eyes as Bellamy grasped my hand and reached up with his other to grab the front of the saddle.

"Catch some big ones." Clarke's smile was forced, and I knew why. Food was low and less and less meat was coming in to store.

"We won't come back until we do." Bellamy's words were raspy as he settled himself behind me, his hands coming around to rest at my hips while he stuck his feet into the stirrups.

"I'm sure you'd like that." I shot Clarke a glare before rolling my eyes. She didn't even know what happened between us when she left, unless someone told her.

"Yeah, keeps us away from this stress hive." I tried to steer her away but her smirk just grew.

"We'll be back soon." Bellamy's words cut in from Clarke and I's silent conversation. "Don't miss us too much."

"We'll be here. Waiting." Clarke gave us one last smile before I turned Erebus to face the forest.

"Hold on." I barely gave him time to adjust as I clicked and Erebus started into a trot. Bellamy's hands dug in slightly as he steadied himself making me chuckle quietly to myself.

"I thought you said we'd go faster next time." I smirked at Bellamy's words as he spoke into my ear. Turning my head slightly to see his own smirk on his face.

"Be careful what you wish for." My tone was mocking, but Erebus's speed was not. Just as we crossed the tree line, I sent Erebus into a gallop. His feet racing along the ground as we flew through the forest.