DISCORDIA

[ 15 ] dead men

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     DEAD MEN

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     THE WORST FEELING WAS NOT BEING LONELY, it was being forgotten by someone you would never forget. The darkness of the night had fully settled over them, torches coming to life with orange sparks as their flickers dotted the camp like ghost lights. Jinny had been carving a spear from a long branch she'd found earlier when Bellamy came up to her. His eyes were deep with unfathomable fear, sparkling with panic under the flames of the torch he carried with him.

     "Octavia is missing," he informed.

     Her eyebrows furrowed as she felt her heart was pricked with concern. She swallowed, getting up from the ground and racking her brain for a reasonable explanation. "It's Octavia, she likes to wander," she told him.

     "I've checked the entire camp, she's not here," he said.

     "Have you checked the dropship? She could just be outside the walls—"

     "Jin." He stopped her. "Clarke and I have checked every inch of the camp. I'm going to get some people, go out and look for her."

     She nodded. "Okay. I'll go too, then."

     He nodded back before hurrying off to somewhere. Jinny grabbed the spear she had just made and touched its tip, satisfied that it was sharp enough to cause harm. Bellamy came back not more than ten minutes later with some weapons he had scavenged, placing them on the ground in the middle of camp.

     "Hey, everybody, gather around and grab a weapon," he called loudly. "My sister's been out there alone for more than twelve hours. Arm up. We're not coming back without her."

     Monroe was the first to bend down and pick up a crudely made axe from the stockpile. Other kids went to follow suit and Jinny busied herself with grabbing more gear from her tent. She came out with a coil of rope and a small bag of medical supplies from Clarke- just in case. Jasper was just walking forward to pick up a weapon when she stopped next to Bellamy.

     "We need a tracker," he said, glancing at Clarke who nodded, then raised his voice. "Finn! Get out here!"

     "The last time we saw her was on the way to the river," Jinny said. "Bellamy, what if she was caught?"

     She saw the muscle in his jaw contract dangerously, his eyes downcast and heated. He looked like he was trying his hardest not to run off into the woods on his own to look for his sister. Jinny had always doted on Octavia, but Bellamy loved her like only a brother would.

     "Then we need to go now," he told her, making his way to the wall. "Finn, we're leaving!"

     "Alright, I'm coming!" they heard the boy call from inside his tent.

     Jinny followed after Bellamy closely with their search party right behind her. They made it halfway across the site when John started pointing towards the sky and making a huge fuss. She turned around to look out at the vast gloom when she saw a cluster of stray sparks showering down on them from space. The spray of glittering brilliance looked ethereal from the ground, like a cascade of constellations crashing down into an abyss from the heavens. It looked like the stars themselves were revolting  against their own existence.

     "What is that? It's so bright," Jasper said.

     "It's so beautiful." Jones stared in awe.

     "They didn't work." Raven emerged from her tent, joining them in their circle as they gazed off into the sky. "They didn't see the flares."

     "A meteor shower tells you that?" Bellamy asked.