The Lost Grounder

Chapter 3

     Clarke, Bellamy, Raven, Finn and Artemis gathered in the top of the dropship to discuss what they were going to do about the oncoming war.

"I don't want to build a bomb" Clarke said, "I want to blast off."

"Draw them in close, fire the rockets. A ring of fire."

"Barbequed Grounders" Bellamy finished. The three of them seemed to like the plan but Finn wasn't too happy about it and neither was Artemis but then she wasn't particularly happy with any plan because the end result was always the death of the Grounders. She knew it was going to be hard but she knew that she had to help Clarke, she just had to deal with the consequences it would have to her people.

"You don't seem too happy with that plan" Bellamy said to Artemis. She forced a smile on her face as she looked to him,

"no it's a great plan." She said.

"But" he pressed.

"But they're her people that you're going to barbeque, her family." Finn said before she had the chance to. They all looked to her,

"I will stand by you, I'm not going to go back to them you must know that." She said hastily.

"We know" Clarke said, "I won't ask you to kill them only to help protect others." Artemis smiled her gratitude to Clarke.

"I will kill them if they are going to kill one of your people. I promise. Just please don't ask me to be responsible for burning them all."

"I won't." Clarke confirmed.

They were all in position, waiting for the Grounders to strike. The had placed bombs under the surface of the ground that would be detonated by the Grounders stepping on them, and had forty people in bunkers with guns so they could get the Grounders before they saw them. Artemis was in the bunker opposite Bellamy's, they were in charge of the eight people inside. They would only fire at their command. Bellamy had given a walkie talkie to all the 'leaders' in each bunker so they could relay messages on where the Grounders were and where they were headed.

"They're coming towards you Bellamy" Jasper said down the walkie talkie.

"Get ready" Bellamy said to the seven people beside him. When the first group of Grounders appeared he called for them to fire, taking down five of nine. Artemis waited before telling her group to fire, she wanted to wait till there were more Grounders thus improving the chance of taking them down.

After all the Grounders had passed them they made their way back to the dropship to keep the Grounders at bay until everyone was inside the dropship and it was ready to launch. When Artemis and Bellamy got there nearly everyone was inside the dropship, only a few remaining outside to keep the Grounders at bay as the last of the people made it inside. Bellamy and Artemis headed towards the entrance but were pulled away by a Grounder who was attacking Finn.

"Go I'll handle this." Bellamy said strongly.

"You're not going to make it." She protested firing an arrow into a Grounder who was coming towards them. The Grounders had made it pretty clear that Artemis was no longer one of them as none had hesitated whilst charging towards her.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take." He called to her, "I'd rather you make it."

"Why?" She asked. He hesitated before answering,

"because you mean a lot to me Artemis. Now go!" She nodded and ran towards Clarke,

"we can't hold them much longer Clarke."

"Bellamy and Finn" she muttered staring at them.

"Clarke you can't save them all" the man beside her said. She nodded sadly heading inside with the two of them.

Clarke faltered as she placed her hand on the lever, she couldn't do it. She couldn't kill all those people. Artemis walked over to her, she didn't want to do this but it had to be done.

"You're not a killer" she said softly to Clarke as she put her hand on the lever.

"I can't ask you to do this" Clarke muttered, tears in her eyes.

"Then don't" she replied, smiling softly at her as she pulled down the lever. The dropship lifted off the ground slightly causing everyone inside to be thrown slightly as it landed roughly.

The door opened and they were greeted by the charred bodies of three hundred Grounders. Clarke looked at them with tears in her eyes. Artemis slipped her hand into Clarkes and squeezed it lightly.

"We had no choice" she muttered. Artemis nodded sadly tears dripping from her eyes,

"they would have killed everyone" she said. "This was the only way." Clarke nodded in agreement. Artemis hated to see the bodies of the people she once called a family around her but she made a choice and she couldn't go back, not that she wanted to. She knew she had done the right thing.

Canisters rolled towards them producing a green cloud of gas which surrounded everyone. Clarke looked to Artemis as she coughed and dropped to her knees before falling back on the ground. Clarke fell beside her and looked up to see men in suits with guns aimed at all of them.