Book 1: We are grounders - The 100 (Raven Reyes x reader)

Episode 3 - Earth Kills

Jasper lay sprawled on the cold floor, his body convulsing in pain, groaning with every breath he took. Clarke knelt beside him, her fingers pressed firmly against his wrist, her face pale and tense. "His pulse is at 380," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, filled with dread. Suddenly, Jasper let out a tortured moan, louder than before, his eyes rolling back as his body writhed. The sound was heart-wrenching, each cry a reminder of how close they were to losing him.

Riley stood nearby, scratching at the back of her neck anxiously. She bit her lip, her mind racing as panic gnawed at the edges of her thoughts. She was good at patching people up—cuts, scrapes, stitches—but this? A wound this severe, a stab that had ripped right through Jasper's body? That was far beyond her limited medical skills. Normally, Clarke would take charge, but even she looked frazzled. The tension in the air was suffocating.

Voices from below the dropship broke the silence, angry and impatient. "Shut him up already!" "Go back to sleep!" The delinquents downstairs were getting restless, annoyed by Jasper's continuous wails. But Riley wasn't about to let their complaints get in the way. She turned her focus back to Jasper, determined. "This isn't good," she muttered under her breath, her hands trembling slightly as she placed them on his sweat-soaked forehead. She gently stroked his hair, hoping the soft touch might calm him, keep him grounded. She had heard somewhere that soothing a patient could help them hold on to hope, and that's exactly what Jasper needed right now—hope.

"Don't listen to them, alright?" Riley whispered fiercely, leaning closer to Jasper, her voice filled with desperate reassurance. "You're going to make it. You can do this." But even as she spoke, doubt flickered in her chest. Jasper had been crying and moaning for what felt like hours, his body weakening with every second. They had cleaned the blood from his face, but the real danger was the wound, the deep gash that hadn't stopped bleeding. His life was slipping away, and she was powerless to stop it.

"Can he just die already?" a boy yelled from downstairs, his voice dripping with cruelty. Riley's face flushed red with anger. Her heart pounded in her chest, and without thinking, she slammed her fist against the metal floor. The sharp sound echoed through the dropship, a warning to the others that their lack of compassion wouldn't go unnoticed. She clenched her jaw, her hands shaking with fury. "I'll deal with them later," she muttered, her voice tight with frustration.

"I'm going to get clean water," Clarke said suddenly, rising to her feet. She looked weary, dark circles under her eyes. "Keep an eye on him."

Riley nodded as Clarke disappeared down the ladder, but the weight of responsibility pressed heavy on her shoulders. Jasper's moans were quieter now, more labored, as if he was growing too tired to fight anymore. Riley's throat tightened. She wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye and glanced at Monty, who sat beside Jasper, his face pale with worry. "I'm so sorry, Monty," Riley whispered, her voice barely audible. "I promised myself I wouldn't let anyone die again. I can't let this happen to Jasper." The guilt twisted in her gut, making her stomach churn. She could barely look Monty in the eye.

"I'll be back too. Please... take care of him," Riley said softly. She rubbed Jasper's face one last time, her fingers lingering on his clammy skin, before standing up. She tried to ruffle Monty's hair in a playful gesture, but the mood was far too grim. Just as she was about to descend the ladder, Monty's voice stopped her.

"Hey, Riley," he called out quietly, his voice hesitant. She turned, offering him a small, tired smile. "Yeah?"

Monty looked at her with a mixture of admiration and sadness. "You're doing good. If I didn't know what you'd done... your crime... I wouldn't believe it."

For a brief moment, Riley felt a flicker of warmth amidst the chaos. She knew she looked innocent, like a kid who'd never done anything wrong, let alone commit a crime that got her sent here. But appearances were deceiving. "I try my best," she chuckled softly, her heart aching at the irony of it all. Monty managed a weak chuckle too, a shared moment of humanity in the darkness.