Ready, Aim, Fire

Chapter Eight

The walk back to Camp Jaha was a lot easier than the walk to the Dropship. Clarke walks up front with the Commander, and I walk in between my mother and Bellamy. No one really says anything, we all just walk in a tense silence. We make it to Camp Jaha just as the sun is beginning to set, and instead of coming inside the gate with the rest of us, Clarke keeps walking with the Commander and follows her into the Grounder camp.

I hesitate just outside of the gate as I watch Clarke get swallowed up by the Grounder camp, but a hand on my back pushes me inside. "She'll be alright." Octavia says, removing her hand. "I need your help with Lincoln." I nod to the younger Blake as we both walk into Alpha Station, but I cast one last worried look over my shoulder before walking inside.

I help my mother and Octavia get Lincoln into Medical. She begins telling me all the things she needs in order to fix the bullet wound in his leg, and I busy myself by following her orders instead of worrying about my sister. Once Lincoln's leg is all patched up, my mother bandages the bite mark on my shoulder, and I leave Octavia with Lincoln and walk back outside, seeing the sun has now set. I quickly find Bellamy standing with the other guards at the gate and jog over to him. "Is she not back yet?" I ask, causing him to turn away from the gate and to me. "No. No sign of her yet." He says, keeping one hand firm on his gun. I sigh, and we both turn our attention towards the front gate as we hear a horse through the fog. Bellamy raises his gun, and I just wait in tense silence.

I see Clarke walking in front of two horsemen and breath a sigh of relief. "Hold your fire. She's back." Bellamy yells to the other Guards. Someone calls out to open the gate, and I walk towards it as a Guard pulls it open. I meet Clarke in the threshold and give her concerned look when I notice the expression on her face. "What's wrong?" I ask, but she doesn't answer, just walks past me and yells to the close the gate. I turn to follow her and notice Finn running up. "You okay?" He asks her, but she ignores his question as well and grabs his arm and pulls him towards the Ark. "You can't be out here." I hear her whisper.

The three of us walk past Bellamy, and I nod my head for him to follow us. Abby comes rushing outside and immediately pulls Clarke into a hug. "What did she say?" She asks as they pull apart. Clarke hesitant to answer causes me to share a worried look with Bellamy. "Is there a chance for a truce?"

"Yes." Clarke says, but I only frown. "Then why aren't you acting like someone who just saved us all?" I ask, only loud enough for the small group of our mother, Finn, Bellamy and a very confused looking Raven to hear. Clarke doesn't answer me, but Finn's expression becomes concerned. "What's wrong?" He asks firmly, and Clarke slowly turns her head towards him. "They want you." She says, and my heart stutters in my chest. "If we want a truce, we have to give them Finn." She says just as more people begin pressing towards us. Murmurs and whispers breakout from the crowd, and I feel Bellamy take a step closer to me. "What the hell are you talking about?" Raven asks, and Clarke turns to her. "That's their offer."

"That's not an offer." Raven says, and I can hear her anger and understand it. "It's a punishment. For what happened at the village. Blood for blood." Finn speaks up, sounding completely calm. "That's insane." Bellamy says, and I nod along with him. "And completely out of the question." I say as people begin yelling that we hand Finn over the Grounders. "If we refuse?" Abby asks, and Clarke shakes her head slightly. "They attack."

The shouts of the crowd get louder and more confident. One man takes a step closer to Finn and stand right next to me. "Give him to the Grounders." He says, and I turn to him with rage in my eyes. "How about you back up before I give you to the Grounders." I say, causing the man to turn to me with the same amount of rage in his own eyes. "I'm not dying for him." He spits out before turning back to Finn and point his finger at him. "Spacewalker burned three months of oxygen from the Ark. He should've floated a long time ago. Throw him out" He says, causing people to yell in agreement. "Well too bad we aren't on the Ark any more." I growl, and he whips around to face me again. "Get out of the way, little girl." He says, pushing me backwards slightly.