Taming Chaos // J.M // The 100

Chapter 29

They're running.

Ethan doesn't know where. He doesn't know how long it's been.

But he sees a grounder behind them, slithering through the trees. There's a spear in the man's hand and it's rearing back to throw.

Ethan's eyes widen, "Bell-!" He lunges to the side, taking Bellamy to the ground with him. They roll, slamming against a tree.

And the spear misses them.

Ethan groans, moving onto his knees. He exhales harshly at seeing Bellamy alive - doesn't know what he would have done if he'd failed - who quickly nods at him, wheezing when he twists onto his front and then onto his feet.

Bellamy helps Ethan up, eyes landing on the spear. He tears it from the soil, bolting back into the woods.

It's the only weapon they have but at least it's something.

An hour passes, they're fighting against their own need for air, struggling to stay on their feet.

"I think we lost them," Ethan uses the closest tree to come to a controlled crash, bending over trembling legs to heave in desperate breaths.

"We can't stop," Bellamy says. Panting, he reaches out, "Come on."

Ethan feels Bellamy's hand on the back of his neck. He braces himself with a flinch, knees trembling - but it only nudges him to keep running.

"Okay," Ethan glances behind them, "Yeah." Then follows Bellamy back into the same routine they'd set for the past few hours. He hopes Bellamy is a damn good shot with that spear.

He struggles in between breaths, managing to string together another sentence. "We should- find a- river or something," to lose our tracks in, he wants to say but they both stop, heels digging into dirt.

There's someone nearby.

Bellamy lifts his spear to strike, but the bodies they see are people of their own, Monroe and William. Bellamy heaves a sigh of relief, ordering them back down into hiding to scour the area alone.

"Have you seen Finn?"

Monroe's eyes widen, "Finn's alive?"

Ethan nods, kneeling down, "He was. We lost him before the blast, had to run from the surviving grounders. It's good to see you guys are okay." He pats them both on the shoulder.

"How'd you two get out?"

They share a glance. There's hesitance in William's voice when he answers, "We saw the Ark come down and went to get help. I think a piece of it landed around here. Monroe thinks it's mecha but I think it's -"

Four heads swing simultaneously over to the right, tracking the first sign of voices that aren't theirs.

"Follow me. Stay low and quiet." Bellamy orders, taking lead.

They step where he steps, up to higher ground where the trees provide them cover to peek at the brown horse trotting down a dirt path. The owner of the animal is the one and only grounder they'd tried to finish off at camp.

Ethan follows the rope tied to the horse to see two more people.

He strains his ears and recognizes one of them.

Finn's alive.

When the other kid bound by rope trips and doesn't get back up, Ethan digs his fingers into the bark. He looks away when the grounder grabs him by the hair, tilts his head back and slides his knife across his neck.

Dead.

The four survivors rush through the terrain without an end in sight to keep Finn in view. Ethan can tell Bellamy is trying to think of a way to help him, but with the fighters he has, it isn't going to be easy.