Cobwebs and Flies

Ch12• Ashes to Dust

Octavia had been training with Lincoln since they had landed weeks ago. She was a warrior and a manic with a sword. He had taught her everything Octavia needed to know to win in battle. She was a natural; the way she would grip the blade and let her body guide her against her opponent was genuinely inspirational. Bellamy wasn't a big fan of his little sister's idea in battle, but he knew she needed to learn how to survive, which was the best way for her to stay alive.

The group of delinquents had finally finished building the wall that surrounded their camp. They were safer, but the threats were only growing now that the mountain men had discovered the power of their bone marrow. The tension was high, and everyone was on edge after seeing what they had done to Murphy. He was recovering rather quickly but still couldn't move without feeling pain jolt through his skinny body. He could barely eat and was still on bed rest, thanks to Clarke. The latter was hiding her worries, for she wasn't sure if he could make a full recovery in their situation with the lack of medical care and medication. The poor boy could feel everything. However, she kept this a secret, for she knew Bellamy couldn't handle such truth. Every day, he would bring Murphy water and rations, sitting by the makeshift bed while the boy slept.

Meanwhile, Raven had been hiding in her tent, making bullets while working on her plan to flame the grounders. She was determined to win this war, which drove her to work extra hard to make this work. Their dropship ran on rocket fuel, and even though there would never be enough fuel left for them to take off, there was just enough to cause a fiery explosion that would burn the grounders to a crisp. If not, it was certainly enough to scare them away while they came up with a more permanent solution of finding a way to both live together peacefully. But that Finn's department- the peacemaker. He and Clarke had been working hard on finding a way to all live together as one before Echo murdered him. She was a warrior from the Ice Nation that Clarke had met while talking with Lexa, the loyal commander.

Lexa and Clarke were determined to make it work. Still, not every clan was in agreement, which is why Anya, the grounder that Murphy had had the pleasure to meet in the forest, was planning to attack their camp. They only knew her plan, thanks to Lincoln, who had warned Octavia about the hatred that burned in her cold heart to protect her. But the way she held a sword with her brown eyes shining bright reassured Lincoln, for she now knew how to defend herself. Night had fallen, and Bellamy headed to Murphy's tent with a cup of freshwater. Murphy's ocean eyes opened slowly, and a faint smile painted his face when he saw Bellamy kneel by his side. 

"Hey, I brought you some water."

Murphy thanked him and tried to sit up, struggling until Bellamy reached for his torso to help him. He insisted on getting out of bed and sitting by the warm fire, but Bellamy was scared he wasn't strong enough yet. "Come on, Bellamy. I'm fine."

Bellamy raised his eyebrow and gave Murphy a look, "Of course, why don't we go for a jog in the woods while we're at it."

"Sarcastic and cute, I taught you well."

Bellamy felt his cheeks turn red as he heard Murphy compliment him and his mind demanded him to lean in and kiss the chapped lips that curved into a smile. They were looking at each other for a moment; everything around them ceased to matter. Slowly, Bellamy leaned closer to Murphy, his eyes closing as he closed the gap between them. This time, he felt Murphy's lips crash onto his, and he took control, guiding Bellamy, who let him. Everything felt better when they were together. This moment felt infinite. When they pulled apart, Bellamy removed his hand from Murphy's cheek, who admitted his true feelings. "God, I've wanted to do that for so long."

Bellamy chuckled, sitting back on the ground, and they chatted until a scream echoed throughout the camp. Quickly, he jumped to his feet and leaped out of the tent to see the commotion. One of the girls, Harper, had an arrow sticking out of her thigh. Monty was carrying her to Clarke's side, who began examining the wound, "She's lucky. It missed her artery by a few centimeters."

Raven ran out, "Everyone, get in the dropship now!"

The camp began to move as the sounds of an angry army got louder, and the walls they had built began to shake as angry grounders tried knocking them down. The kids were rushing to hide, and Bellamy ran back to Murphy's tent to help him into the dropship, but his bed was empty. He looked around and saw him from a distance limping into the dropship, his heart sinking in relief. Unfortunately, the path to the dropship was filled with obstacles, and Bellamy knew that Raven couldn't wait for him or they would all be dead. They met eyes, and he nodded, watching her as she pulled the lever, sealing the dropships' door. Bellamy turned around and saw the right wall crumble down as many grounders charged inside and headed for the dropship. Bellamy knew Raven's plan, and he knew if he didn't leave now, he would join the grounders in a smoking barbecue.

Bellamy headed deep into the forest, a handful of bullets in his pocket, a radio, and a gun strapped on his shoulders. He didn't know where to go, so he just ran forward, not looking back. He felt pain as he thought of Murphy, who was in another world now. The two would be apart for who knows how long. His heart told him to worry about his little sister, but he knew better than that, for she was now a warrior of her own and knew she would keep Murphy safe.

When he felt he was far enough, he stopped to catch his breath and looked back, seeing a large mushroom cloud of smoke fill the air, bright flames following. Raven's plan had worked; he was happy to know they were safe. As he began to walk back, he was ambushed by what must have been another clan of grounders, for they were wearing white war paint on their skin and held a knife to his throat.

"You're coming with us, sky boy."