Taming Chaos // J.M // The 100

Chapter 35

"Murphy, we can't just kill people we don't like." Ethan shoves Murphy a step back, blocking his path. "You should know what it feels like to be tortured for information."

"If we don't take care of this now, this is gonna blow back on us."

"Yeah," Ethan scoffs bitterly, "Just like you blew back on us." He turns away, dragging a hand down his face.

It's cold in the bunker, a small relief while striving to interrogate.

But with the way Murphy looks at him, having heard his words, is like fire. It's not anger, it's guilt. But Ethan doesn't see that.

"He's unarmed, Murphy," Bellamy says.

Murphy replies right after, "He's a grounder."

They stare at each other, struggling to understand opposing views.

Murphy looks away, towards Monroe and William, "Come on, tell him." He gestures.

It's the fear talking, Ethan knows Murphy needs someone to agree. Someone to understand how cruel these people are. Because he wants someone to be cruel back.

He wants revenge.

But just like the last time he wanted revenge, things didn't go so well.

"I don't know," Monroe mumbles, chewing on her lip.

"You don't know what?" Murphy twists, expression tightening, "He's gonna tell his people everything. We'll be as good as dead."

Ethan locks eyes with him.

Murphy adds, shortly, "Our friends too."

Sorry, our friends?

Who is he and what has he done with Murphy?

"Look, we're not doing this." Bellamy blocks Murphy with an arm, "End of discussion. You want him, you go through me." He decides.

"What exactly happened to you, huh? You're talking like you never killed a grounder before." Murphy tilts his head.

Ethan sticks his tongue into his cheek, rolling his eyes. He finds himself doing that a lot these days. "People change, Murphy. You haven't."

Murphy's eyes flinch, darting away. It throws Ethan off.

Bellamy sighs, "I killed in battle. This would be an execution -"

A flash and a horrendous noise tears through the small room.

Huddled in a group, the five of them jolt in reaction to the bullet embedding into the other side of the wall, blood splattered across the ground to create a path. They're tense, ready to run, ready to fight.

All five of them.

The sixth, missing from the circle, is lowering the smoking handgun.

By his feet, the one-eyed grounder. Dead.

Breathing heavily, Ethan watches Finn walk past them, a blank look on his face. "Let's get moving."

One by one they exit.

Ethan stares at the dead body, mouth parted. "What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck -"

Placing a hand on Ethan's shoulder, Bellamy steers him away. He himself gives the body one last, forlorn look. Finn isn't supposed to be like this. Finn was supposed to be better than them.

Finn is so hung up by the fact that the grounders might have Clarke that he's losing his freaking mind.

And he won't quit running from his fears.