Shoelaces (A Bellamy Blake Fanfiction)

7 - Wrong

Sophia bolted through the trees. Her eyes were steadily on Clarke's back, determined to keep up. They were all in a panic. It had been their first instinct to turn around and run. But, whatever had hit Jasper with that spear had been in these woods themselves to do so. Sophia wondered if they had made the right choice. They were running. Were they being chased?

"Come on!" Finn grunted as he grabbed onto Clarke's arm and pulled her along behind him. Clarke fumbled after him, not remembering Sophia as they sped further ahead of her.

Sophia wasn't a good runner. Her preferred mode of transport on the arc was walking. Every time she ran, her veins burned a hot fire through her lungs that tore at the gum of her lower jaw. It made her feel weak and in pain, so she avoided it where she could.

Now, she wished she hadn't. Clarke was getting a little further away with each second. Fear started to rise up in Sophia as she realised that the possibility of her getting lost was increasing with every step she took. She couldn't afford to get separated from the group. Not when she didn't know how to get back to camp and especially when there was something in the woods that threw spears at people and skewered them just because.

"Sophia, come on!" Octavia shouted. Sophia pushed harder, struggling past the pain that was pounding through her. Her arm had even begun to hurt, even though it had gone numb hours after Clarke had first bandaged it by the river. Sophia didn't know what was wrong with it, Clarke didn't either. Maybe that sea thing was poisonous. Sophia hoped it wasn't.

"Monty," Sophia called as Monte tripped, falling head first into what looked like a black skeleton.

"Monty, we gotta go," Finn shouted, pulling Monte up by the forearms as Octavia reached down to help him.

"Monty, get up." Octavia called. Sophia stared at the skeleton's skull with wide eyes, bending to pick it up with shaking hands.

"Who are they?" Finn asked, confused.

"What are they?" Clarke asked, looking at the skull in Sophia's hands. The frontal bone was larger than their own and bent in an odd m formation over the eyes.

"We are so screwed." Octavia interjected, looking from Sophia to the skull and back again. Sophia jolted when a pain filled scream tore through the forest.

"Jasper. He's alive." Clarke said before she took off running in the opposite direction. Octavia and Sophia shared a worried look before they took off behind Clarke. As Sophia ran, she wondered how anyone could have survived a wound like the one Jasper had. But, her basic knowledge of anatomy told her that the spear hadn't hit Jasper in the heart, it was on the wrong side. Even still, it very easily could have pierced his lung or done damage to his ribs. Sophia shook her head and pushed the thoughts out of her mind.

"Clarke, wait. Wait!" Finn scrambled after Clarke, only just managing to catch her arm and pull her down before she burst out of the treeline. "Stay out of the trees." Finn looked past Clarke, at the spot where Jasper had been and frowned. "He was right there."

"No. Where is he?" Monty asked, looking around at the surrounding forest. Jasper was gone. From what Sophia had seen, there was no way he could have moved himself. Someone had to have taken him.

"They took him." Sophia whispered, looking at a wide eyed Clarke. "He's gone."

"Why would they take him?" Octavia asked, her face contorted with fear.

"I don't know." Sophia said, shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders. "Maybe they think we're trespassing." Clarke's head snapped to Sophia's, but she didn't say anything for a few moments. Sophia watched as she stayed silent for a few moments, thinking.