Taming Chaos // J.M // The 100

Chapter 80

It wasn't just a long day.

It was a long week.

Jeremy stands at the entrance of the cave, notebook in hand and a smug smile plastered across his face.

We found another two stragglers, just bums travelling through. They're useless. Should we dispose of them?

The boy is starting to give. We find the baton is most effective and have started training him as we've done with the girl. He speaks the grounder language only when he thinks we're not listening. We believe he uses English to convince us he's not like them.

That look in his eyes, though. Animalistic. 

He says he knows Kane, but he also says he's met the Commander, so we think he must've been Trikru like the stragglers we picked up. We're getting somewhere.

Today we'll ask more about the Commander's closest allies. It'll give us insight on the war we know is coming.

The radio buzzes against his hip.

Jeremy wastes no second to yank it out and wave Erica over, the rations for their allocated break in hand.

"Sergeant. . . the grounders, they. . ." the man on the other end takes a shaky breath, "They nuked Mount Weather."

Like a sucker punch to the gut, Jeremy wheezes his next breath. He lowers himself to the dirt, a hand pressed against the hasty rise and fall of his chest.

Erica covers her trembling mouth, not breathing entirely.

"We lost all thirty-eight of our people."

She sobs, barreling into her fellow guard. Jeremy stares into the distance, shaking in rage, hand tightening further around the walkie-talkie.

"I'm sorry."

∆

"We've yet to find Ethan." Emori starts, feeding the fire. Her face is pursed, hesitant in her own direction of talk. Within the second the words leave her lips, she can see Murphy tense, pausing in his packing. "It might be best to head for your home, find Otan, and get some help. You said there was a truce, so your people might know where Ethan's been taken."

Murphy sighs through his nose, annoyed, and drops the bag to the ground.

"We've talked about this." He turns around, eyes narrowed, "I'm not leaving him behind." They probably wouldn't even let them in without him. 

The days have been long without Ethan by his side and though Emori has been a great help - a good friend, even, if Murphy wasn't so scared of putting a label to things. He always lost those kinds of people.

"You also said that when people leave, they never come back." She counters, crossing her arms.

Murphy clenches his jaw, "He didn't leave. There's a difference."

"Look, I want to find my brother just as much as we want to find Ethan." She sighs, softly, and moves closer. "I'm just saying we could get some help."

Murphy scrubs a tired hand over his face. He should've been the bait that day, and Ethan would've never been taken.

He always manages to lose the people he cares about.