ATARAXIA • BELLAMY BLAKE

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I'm sat on the ground, staring at the empty stone wall in front of me while waiting for the others to wake up, when Bellamy stirs a bit in his sleep. Charlotte still seems to be out like a light.

I push myself to stand up before silently walking up to the cave's opening. The fog has disappeared and all there is to be seen is clear woods. It's as if nothing ever happened out there. As if a deadly fog hadn't roamed the perimeter for the past many hours, probably killing any creature that was unlucky enough to be caught in its yellow depths.

Hearing some shuffling behind me, I turn to see Bellamy sit up from his lying position, rubbing his eyes a bit as to adjust them to the light that seeps through the cave's opening. He lets out a pained grunt as he stretches his back.

I can't imagine he slept very well judging from how he looks. I barely slept a wink myself. Bellamy sweeps a look across the cave through squinted eyes as if he can't remember how he had ended up here. He then picks up his axe that he had removed from his pants last night before getting to his feet.

"Coast's clear," I reluctantly tell him just as he returns the axe to his waistband. I point to the cave opening, his eyes following. "We can leave whenever you guys are ready."

Without a word, Bellamy walks over to where Charlotte lays. "Charlotte," he says gently. She cracks her eyes open slowly, sitting up a bit straighter. "Come on, we need to go."

Charlotte holds back a yawn but nods at Bellamy's words, getting up from the ground. I notice how her braids are a bit messy from sleeping just as she gives Bellamy back his jacket with a small 'thank you'. He smiles at her, putting back on his jacket as we all walk back outside.

Bellamy stops right as we exit the cave, looking around for a bit. "Anybody out here?" he calls out. "Jones?"

Just as he says that, another voice can be heard. "We're here."

We start to follow the direction the voice had come from, Bellamy taking a quick look back to make sure that Charlotte is still following.

"Lost you in the stew. Where'd you go?" Bellamy asks when three other people from the hunting team, whose names I don't know, walk up to meet us. I squint my eyes in thought, seeming to recall them having been four the day before.

"Made it to a cave down there," one of them replies while pointing a finger behind himself. Realizing the person missing from the group is Atom, I take a slight step forward to make myself known.

"Where's Atom?" I rasp before clearing my sore throat. They all shrug, sharing uncertain looks.

I jump when a loud scream can be heard. Everyone's head snaps in the direction of where it had come from just as I notice that Charlotte no longer is next to me. "Charlotte," I mutter to myself before breaking into a run.

I see Charlotte shaking by a tree up ahead and run over, grabbing her shoulders with both hands once reaching her side.

"You okay?" I ask, seeing no indication that she's hurt. Charlotte doesn't look at me, her eyes locked elsewhere, forcing me to follow her shocked gaze.

I gasp out in horror, my hands flying up to cover my mouth as I take in the sight in front of me. At the bottom of the hill Atom is on the ground gasping for air, his skin covered in burns and blisters.