Roles Reversed

Chapter 5

When Bellamy first enters the valley he spots a raven perching on nearby tree. Seeing as he hasn't eaten in days this was the first true meal he would have. He takes out his gun and shoots the bird down before de-feathering it and roasting it over a fire. His stomach rumbled, please to finally being fulfilled after days of knowing hunger. Even with the magnificent discovery of the valley, Bellamy doesn't linger too long in one spot. There was so much land to explore and he still needed to find a water source. Having been dehydrated for days eating food without water did not help. And as luck would have it a small River was flowing nearby.

He undressed quickly before he dives into the water for a swim, grateful for the surplus of water. It was then he started to think of Clarke and Octavia. Back to when they first landed and his little sister had an attack by the sea monster. Bellamy was livid when they returned but Clark did all she could to not only attend to the injured Octavia but hunting down Jasper and save his life. Clarke did everything in her power to keep the hundred alive and safe even at the cost of herself. It's just who she was -is- he corrects himself. But shakes off the rest of his thoughts. Now I wasn't the time and reminisce on past memories, but to find a way to survive the next 5 years alone.

He looks away from the sky then and proceeds to dress and continue his hike thought the vast, large, valley. Five years, he can do this. Bellamy hikes for miles on end until he comes across a weathered old sign. He runs his hand over it and sighs.

"I really should have paid more attention to grounder language." He grumbles.

Ignoring the sign which he assumes says the name of the grounder clan this place use to belong to, Bellamy walks further on. What he finds is far beyond anything he could have hoped to discover. There were dozens of cabins and old Earth structures changed to fit what the grounders needed them for. There was an old gas station turned paint shop with berries scattered every which way, and a small church stood high in the middle of the village. It was incredible, vibrant, and everything the rest of the planet was not. 

From seeing the rest of Earth so grey and dead, to find a village in the valley with nothing but life and light for miles on end, it was intoxicating. The air felt sweet and cool; nothing like the radiant dry heat that scratched and clawed at Bellamy's lungs. It was perfect-almost too perfect. And upon further inspection his hunch was right. While the village may have been fully intact and the death wave seemingly have missed the Valley entirely, the radiation did not. The remaining grounders that didn't make it into the bunker lived out the rest of their moments here, in the village. 

The first body he finds is of a young boy sitting on the churches porch. And while Bellamy knew there was nothing he could do to help him, it did nothing for his guilt. Of course there was no solution to save everyone, but it didn't make the hurt burn any less. Nor did the sight of the dozens of others once Bellamy stepped foot inside the church's walls. These people were innocent, and they deserved to rest in peace. So that is what Bellamy will do.

He moves the bodies out one by one to burn and give a proper send off, that much he remembered about grounder culture. He may not know the grounder language, but he did know of a send off to give. 

"May we meet again."

After giving the bodies a send off, Bellamy searches every cabin for supplies and to make sure there weren't any others left behind. One after the next Bellamy clears them all. He finds a few others and add them into the flames for their send off. As he does so a movement from one of the last cabin catches his eye. Curious he walks towards it. The movement shifts again as the fabric from the window sways. Odd... Bellamy steps onto the porch and reaches to push the wooden handle, and yet it doesn't budge. He tries once more but the door stays shut. Weird... Not having many options to get in he uses his shoulder to break through, causing the lock to break.