Reckless- The 100 English

Chapter 25

I've been working in the meat smoker with Octavia for a couple hours, getting everything ready. It's so hot I've stripped to my tank top and jeans.

"Let's get this party smoking." Del says, walking in with a bundle of wood. He begins feeding the fire.

"You don't want the fire too big. So maybe just try to knock it down with some wet leaves." Octavia suggests.

You get that from your boyfriend, Grounder pounder?" Del asks.

"She's right. A hot fire is not gonna preserve the meat as well." Murphy says.

"You can't take the heat, get out of the smokehouse. Should be kissing our asses for being allowed back in this camp." Del says.

"Hey, Del." I say. "If you don't want to be on latrine duty for the next week, shut your mouth."

Del glares at me before backing out.

"Bellamy couldn't get you two a better job? Would think anything would be better than working in the meat furnace." Murphy remarks.

"Oh, probably. That just means someone else would have to do it." Octavia replies as I rearrange the meat.

Del keeps coming and feeding the fire more and more wood.

"Idiot." I mutter as the fire leaps up almost to the roof.

Suddenly Octavia shrieks. I turn and the roof is on fire. The dry wood catches easily and soon flames surround us.

"Go, go, go!" I shout, pushing Octavia and Murphy through the smoke. We emerge, coughing.

"Are you okay?" Bellamy asks us as we collapse on the ground. I nod, hacking, as a way of responding.

"This is all your fault! We told you it was too much wood." Murphy shouts at Del, launching at him.

"Get the hell away from me!" Del retorts, and Bellamy pulls them apart.

"Hey! Hey! Hey, stop! Save it for the Grounders."

"Well, now what the hell are we gonna do? That was all the food!" Octavia says.

I stand up. "Let's start a bucket brigade, people!" I shout, my voice hoarse with smoke.

After the fire is extinguished, Bellamy and I go over the wreckage.

"Del did keep feeding the fire. He wouldn't stop. Then, suddenly, everything went up." I say.

"And you're sure you're fine?" He asks.

"Yeah." I say.

"Any idea what happened?" Clarke asks us.

"Ree and Murphy say that Del kept feeding the fire, mostly because Octavia told him it was a bad idea." Bellamy says dryly.

"We have some wild onions and nuts in the dropship. It's only enough to last us maybe one or two weeks. What's left here?" Clarke asks.

"It's all gone." I say.

"Then we have to hunt. Anyone we can spare goes out." Clarke decides.

"With the whole Grounder army out there?" Bellamy asks.

"She's right. All the gunpowder in the world won't do us any good if we're too hungry to shoot." I say.

We gather everyone we can spare in the dropship.