Children of the Ark

Out of the Woods

OUT OF THE WOODS - PART TWO OF CHAPTER SEVEN

Minutes that feel like hours passed by as I crouched in the secluded, pitch black area. I waited for a sound to come, to tell me that there was something still out there stalking me, but no sound came. It was as if the creature had disappeared into the night. The woods were silent. It was a frightening silence that chilled my bones even more than the cool breeze. The silence raised the hair on my arms and caused me to hug my legs even tighter. But as more time passed, the silence began to comfort me. It eased my nerves and soothed my mind. It told me that I was safe, my life was spared. An inevitable smile inched onto my face, and I let out the breath that I had been holding in. I let out a shaky sigh of relief. It was over, I was safe. So I untwined my fingers that had become stiff from clutching my other hand, and I moved to my knees. Once I got to my feet, I would make a run for it, back up the mountains and back into camp. I placed my hands on the ground under me and pushed up, but before I could even straighten my legs, a sound erupted in front of one of the caves that I was wedged in between.

Crack.

The sound sent my whole body into a numb state, and I couldn't. It wasn't because of the fear that tingled throughout my body. No, I was stuck where I crouched. Moving was not an option when there was a creature less than twenty feet away. A single movement and a stick would break, a leaf would crunch, and my position would be revealed. And all I could do to stop from crying was cover my mouth and bite my lip. I was biting so hard that I could feel a stream of blood running down my chin. My fingers shook slightly against my skin as I mentally curse myself for being dumb enough to believe I was actually safe. I was Payte for fucks sake. I couldn't go a day on this planet without having my life threatened. I hated Earth. I really did. It was a beautiful place. Yeah, I get that, but I had not planned on being in so many life or death situations. Well I mean it was better than the Ark in some ways. At least here no one was trying to kill you to supply oxygen for some of the people you loved. That was actually a pretty noble death in my book. But no, here you would just be killed by some rabid mutant or hunted down by a crazy tribe of people for no apparent reason. So much better.
Crack.

I instantly shutter when the noise hits my ear. The sound was just as blood curling as the other yet there was something different about it. It was closer, right under my feet. I had moved. My weight had shifted. A stick had broken, and I was screwed. It was without a doubt that whatever was out there had heard the noise, and now I had a big, blinking sign saying here I am. Great, just great. There was no recovering from that mishap, but boy did I try. I quickly sucked in a large breath and froze. Every muscle in my body was stiff and eventually cramping. I started to pray and think about all that I had to do. I prayed that the creature would ignore the harsh crunch or that it would think that the sound was another creature of the night. I hoped that I would make it out of that small cubby filled with bushes and small trees. I prayed that I would be able to see Octavia again and tell her how much she means to me. I hoped that I could be wrapped in Bellamy's arms again and be able to tell him how I really feel.

I had so much I needed to do, but as the creature inched closer to the opening of my hiding place, the more unlikely it seemed that I would ever be able to finish the list. But as I sat there, I realized that even though there would be things I would never do, there was so many things that I had already done. I broke into the Ark's firewall. I broke into a lab. I got arrested. I came to Earth. I found a best friend in a girl who cares about me. I found a boy who would risk his life for me. I found a man who irritates me to the fullest but I can't help but have feelings for the idiot. I did the right things. I protected, served, and fought for the 100. I learned things about myself that I never would have learned on the Ark. I learned I was brave, I was strong, and I was good. And in my eyes, that was good enough. I didn't want to die, and I would do anything to prevent dying. But if death was inescapable, I had come to terms with it while I sat there.