SOLDIER
book one
It's been 97 years since a nuclear explosion radiated life on Earth and life support on The Ark is now failing. In a desperate attempt to grant the citizens of the SpaceCraft more time, 100 juvenile delinquents are sent down to the...
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THE ground crunched beneath the hooves of the large, round boar, its grunts filling the forest air. Bellamy lifted his axe above his shoulder, preparing to throw it at the animal. But as branches behind him snapped, he instinctively swung around and released the weapon, the blade lodging into a tree just inches from a young girl's head.
"Charlotte?!" Bellamy exclaimed, his voice echoing through the forest and scaring away the boar. "What the hell are you doing here?" He questioned, his eyebrows furrowing as he glared down at her, annoyed she'd caused the boar to flee.
"With that guy that was dying, I just... I couldn't listen anymore," Charlotte confessed, her words stumbling as she faced the two older boys opposite her, glancing nervously between them. The rest of the hunting group had followed the boar when it ran off.
"There are Grounders out here. It's too dangerous for a little girl," Atom explained gently, full of genuine concern.
Charlotte scowled at him. "I'm not little," she protested, as she'd always despised how weak and small she always felt.
Bellamy's eyes shifted as he pondered for a moment, a smile tugging at his lips. "Okay then," he started, reaching into his trouser pocket and retrieving a makeshift knife. "But you can't hunt without a weapon," he said, passing the small blade to Charlotte. She accepted it without hesitation, though the image of Vivienne scolding her later tugged at the back of her mind.
"Ever killed something before?" Bellamy's voice carried a curious tone as he posed the question to Charlotte. She shook her head in response. "Who knows? Maybe you're good at it," he suggested with his characteristic boldness, a confident smile gracing his lips.
•••
VIVIENNE found herself spending most of the day cooped up within the dropship, tending to Jasper's needs alongside Octavia, though the two girls worked in silence, neither finding much to say to each other. Meanwhile, Monty remained deeply engrossed in his task of finding a way to contact The Ark.
As Vivienne wrung out the damp cloth she'd been using once more, allowing the murky water to drip into the small bowl, she couldn't help but curl her lips in disgust at the sight of the discolored liquid. "I'm going to refresh this," she finally broke the silence, speaking for the first time in a while as she stood up, gesturing with the bowl to Octavia, who simply nodded in acknowledgment.
Desperate to feel the sun on her skin, Vivienne quickly left the ship and made her way to the water station. Arriving, she emptied the old water onto the ground before dipping the metal bowl into the freshwater supply, filling it halfway.
Vivienne then turned around, the half-filled bowl securely gripped in both her hands, and began her way back to the ship.
"Stand back!" A commanding voice pierced through the camp, making Vivienne halt in her tracks. She glanced over to see a dense crowd of teenagers gathered at the camp's edge, their attention fixed on Murphy, who stood at the forefront with his chest puffed out confidently.
