nepenthe

Chapter 8

         As Katherine sauntered within eyeshot behind Bellamy and Atom with Charlotte attached to her side, she muttered under her breath. "Damn Bellamy, fucking asshole. Lowlife, self centered jackass, fucking.." Her blood boiled at his name. Yet she was meant to be on his side, fighting for his cause. "Uh, miss?" Charlotte said, tapping Katherine's arm. "Are you ok?" A look of pure confusion painted her fair face. "Yeah I'm fine," Katherine replied, clearing her throat. "It's Katherine, not miss." "Okay.. I'll call you Kat. I heard Clarke call you that," Charlotte perked up. "Fun," Katherine groaned sarcastically.

         "Could you two keep up?" Bellamy's voice gruffed from ahead. Neither of the girls answered, causing him to look over his shoulder. Katherine blatantly rolled her eyes and held up her middle finger. An annoyed puff of air was heard from Bellamy before he turned around. "Why don't you like Bellamy? He's really nice," Charlotte whispered. "To you, he is. Remember the boy at camp that's dying who bothers you?" Katherine looked down at Charlotte, her eyes narrow with anger. "Yeah.." Charlotte replied, her eyes darting away from Katherine's gaze. "That's my best friend, Jasper. And he wants him dead the most, just for the fact that he is suffering to stay alive and it's an inconvenience," Katherine pointed at Bellamy. "Oh.." The younger girl mumbled faintly.

         Disturbing the silence, a loud horn blast blared, seemingly shaking the entire forest. The group stopped in their tracks, scanning the area. Bellamy spun around to look behind them. "The hell?," Katherine griped. "Come on, let's go!" Bellamy shouted, his eyes widened. "Wait why?" Charlotte seemed to freeze in place. "I said let's go!" Bellamy rushed towards her and grabbed her arm. Out of instinct, the terrified girl grabbed Katherine's hand and bolted. As she ran, Katherine glanced over her shoulder, agasp. Behind them, a cloud of yellowish smoke inched closer and closer.

        The rest of the hunting party ran in different directions, frantically looking for shelter. "Come on! There are caves this way!" Bellamy yelled from where he had sprinted ahead. He stopped for a moment to allow Charlotte and Katherine to catch up enough to grab the small girl's hand. Stumbling up a small hill, they reached a cave. Katherine pushed Charlotte inside as she gasped for air. Bellamy suddenly stopped when his name was desperately called out. Atom. He wasn't behind them and had somehow gotten left behind. With nothing else he could do to help, Bellamy covered his mouth from the fog and ran inside the cave.

        At the drop ship, everyone else had been as shocked by the fog as the hunting group had been. The teens slammed the door shut and crowded inside the drop ship. On the second floor, Monty and Octavia were overwhelmed by those who had climbed up looking for more space. Octavia knelt holding a dampened cloth to Jasper's feverish head, deeply confused. "What's going on?" Monty asked a girl besides him who was coughing nonstop. "Air got thick, everybody's skin started burning," she coughed out, ripping off her coat. Worry flashed over Octavia's face. "Monty, Katherine and my brother are out there," she said. "They'll be fine. We'll all be fine," the boy replied, trying to console the brunette and also himself.

         Outside at the cave, it had become dark and the fog dissipated. Charlotte curled up in a corner and eventually fell asleep. Close by was Bellamy, who propped himself against the cold stone wall. Katherine laid on her side to doze off, her back facing the two. A shriek ripped her from sleep, her eyes shot open. It was Charlotte waking up from a nightmare. Instead of sitting up, Katherine listened. "Charlotte, wake up" Bellamy tapped the girls leg. "I'm sorry," Charlotte whimpered, her eyes not daring to meet the boy's. Looking at her with compassion, Bellamy asked, "does it happen often?" Charlotte huffed, afraid to answer. "What are you scared of?" Bellamy pressed. Charlotte remained quiet. "You know what? It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is what you do about it," Bellamy continued, offering a tender smile. "But, I'm asleep," Charlotte said, puzzled. "Fears are fears. Slay your demons when you're awake, they won't be there to get you when you sleep,"

         "Yeah, but.. How?" Charlotte asked, intrigued. "You can't afford to be weak. Down here, weakness is death, fear is death," Bellamy paused. He watched the girl's face turn sour at the dreaded word. "Let me see that knife I gave you," he held out his hand. Charlotte reached into her pocket, retrieving the knife and placing it gingerly in his hand. Holding it up, he began again. "Now, when you feel afraid, you hold tight to that knife and you say, 'Screw you. I'm not afraid'," he handed the knife back which she took.

       
Charlotte gathered her words and held the knife close. "Screw you. I'm not afraid," she looked up at Bellamy for assurance. He tilted his head down, his expression showing encouragement. Again, Charlotte repeated the words, this time with more nerve. "Screw you. I'm not afraid." Bellamy patted Charlotte's knee, finally satisfied with her new bravery. "Slay your demons, kid. Then you'll be able to sleep," he turned and laid down.

         Completely still and quiet, Katherine had overheard everything. She felt a smile spread across her tired face. When no one was around, Bellamy Blake seemed to be not that unbearable. But, the desire to be a powerful, ruthless leader of the 100 shielded it from view. Except she had seen a part of his true self.. and liked it.

         The sun shone through the small entrance to the cave, its warm rays shining onto Katherine's face. Her eyes flickered open. Forgetting where she was, she sat up. A dark leather jacket laid on her lap. Feeling the fabric between her fingers, she realized whose it was. Looking behind her, leaning against the cave's wall was Bellamy. His head was propped on his knees, as if he had dozed off while keeping watch. Rising to her feet, she walked towards him and tossed the jacket at him. His head craned up at her, his hair in disarray. "You coming or not?" She said, dusting off her pants. "Yeah. I'll wake her up," he droned. His voice was oddly deep and raspier than usual. It tickled something in Katherine's stomach, urging her lip to curl upwards.

        Bellamy lightly shook Charlotte awake. She let out a yawn and went to quietly stand behind Katherine. Bellamy took the lead and exited the cave. "It's all clear," he told the girls who carefully stepped out from behind him. "Anybody out here? Jones?" Bellamy yelled into the forest, waiting for any signs of life. "We're here!" Someone called from the opposite side of the cave. Bellamy began to walk towards the voice. Katherine shortly followed with Charlotte. Three of the hunting group approached them. "Lost you in the stew. Where'd you go?" Bellamy asked. "Made it to a a cave down there. The hell was that?" One of them quizzed. "I don't know," Bellamy said. Katherine suddenly grabbed Bellamy's shoulder. He eyed at her , confused. "Where's Atom?" Her face drained of color, as did Bellamy's. The others all shared an unsure look. Shit.

        The remaining members of the group tramped through the forest, looking for a way back to camp along with any sign of Atom. Charlotte ran ahead, scanning the green trees and rustic brown bark. Her delight was ripped away when she skidded to a stop. She let out a scream of pure terror. Bellamy and Katherine instantly ran up behind her. "Oh my God," Katherine gasped, holding Charlotte by the shoulders; comprehending what the girl had just found.

A/N

fyi for Katherine and Charlotte(🤮), id like their short lived relationship to give off "your a kid so I care about you but you suck as a person" vibe 😌 also, "lost you in the stew, where'd you go?" My bad Bells, I was floating on a potato 😂 aannnd.. Bellamy gave Katherine butterfliess AHHH!! 😆