𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐺𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 [ 𝑇ℎ𝑒100]

Chapter 1

I sat cross-legged on the cold, hard floor of my jail cell, the metallic scent of the Ark's machinery enveloping me like a suffocating shroud. I traced the grooves of the concrete with the tip of my finger, each line a desperate attempt to etch my existence into this forsaken place. The dull hum of engines throbbed in my ears, a relentless reminder of the ticking clock. Two weeks until my eighteenth birthday—a milestone that felt more like a countdown to doom than a celebration.

My heart raced as I heard heavy footsteps approaching, the clinking of handcuffs sending a chill down my spine. The door swung open with a metallic screech, and two guards stepped in, their faces obscured by the dim light.

"Turn around and face the wall," one of them barked, his voice a whip crack in the oppressive silence.

But something snapped inside me. I couldn't just comply. I needed answers.

 "Why now? What's happening?" My voice trembled with urgency, but their faces remained impassive, stone-carved masks that betrayed nothing.

Fueled by adrenaline, I lunged past them. My heart pounded like a drum, each beat echoing the fear coursing through my veins. I darted down the corridor, glancing over my shoulder just in time to see other kids—my peers—being herded like cattle, their faces pale with dread.

"Luna, wait!" a voice called, but I pressed on until a sudden, blinding pain erupted in my head. Darkness swallowed me whole, and I crumpled to the floor, the last thing I heard was the distant wail of my own thoughts.

When I finally opened my eyes, bright light flooded in, blinding me momentarily. I instinctively placed a hand on my forehead, feeling the warmth radiating from my skin. As my vision cleared, I took in the surroundings: the metallic walls of a ship, the hum of machinery, and the soft scuffling of others nearby. Panic surged through me as the memories came crashing back.

"Luna! You're awake!"

I turned to see Jasper and Monty across the small compartment, their faces lighting up with relief.

"We thought we lost you!" Monty added, a grin breaking across his worried features.

"I'm still alive, you won't get rid of me that easily," I laughed, though the fear still clung to my voice like a shadow.

"What's going on? Where are they taking us? Did they send us all to die?" I blurted, my questions tumbling out in a frantic rush. "Is this some kind of massive murder case?"

"Luna..." Monty hesitated, glancing around as if afraid of being overheard. "I heard they're taking us to Earth..."

Before he could finish, the ship violently shook, sending a jolt through my body.

"What was that?" I gasped, instinctively gripping the edge of my seat.

"That was the atmosphere," a boy next to a blonde girl answered. I recognized him—Wells, the son of the chancellors. Why was he here?

The small monitors around the ship flickered to life, and the voice of Chancellor Jaha filled the air, echoing ominously.

"Prisoners of the Ark, hear me now. You've been given a second chance. As your Chancellor, it is my hope that you see this not just as a chance for yourselves, but for all of mankind. We have no idea what awaits you down there. If the odds of survival were better, we would have sent others. But frankly, we are sending you because your crimes have made you expendable..."

"Your dad is a dick, Wells!" someone shouted from my left, causing a ripple of nervous laughter and tension in the cramped space.

"Those crimes will be forgiven, your records wiped clean. The drop site has been carefully chosen. Before the last war, Mount Weather was a military base built within a mountain, stocked with enough non-perishables to sustain three hundred people for up to two years."