It's Been A Long Time

Chapter 1: Status Alive

3 days since Praimfaya

On the Ground:

Her head hurt. Her arms hurt. Her stomach hurt. Her throat hurt. Everything hurt. But in this case, pain was good. Pain meant that she could feel something, it meant that she was alive. With shaking, blistered, hands, Clarke Griffin pulled herself to her feet. Flecks of black blood and spit colored the floor. 

"At least I'm alive." she thought, and felt an overwhelming wave of relief crash over her.  

Praimfaya had taken its toll on her, hard. The Lab had been breached, but not as much as it could've been, as she had closed the door with milliseconds to spare. For three days she had fought back against the urge to give in. Too exhausted to move, all she could do was lay on the cold floor of ALIE's lab, and try not to die. Clarke could not last any longer, though, and she knew it. She had to find food and water, fast. Earth was not an option, and she knew it. The planet was covered in a heavy haze of radiation, which would've killed every possible food source and contaminated the water. Despite having Nightblood, Clarke wasn't in the mood to get sick again. The mansion and lighthouse bunker were possible sources of food and water, assuming they hadn't been destroyed in Praimfaya, but she didn't have the energy to walk there now. Stumbling around the lab she pulled open every drawer she could find, releasing a cry of pain with each one, as the handles dug into her blistered hands. Finally, she found something. A drawer of protein bars and two small flasks of water. 

"But why would someone leave these here?" 

 Then it dawned on her. "Raven," She breathed. 

"Raven had been planning on staying behind and ending her life in Praimfaya. Someone must have left them so she wouldn't starve. In Raven's rush to prepare the rocket, she must have forgotten they were here. The rocket! They took off. I remember! They made it back into the sky! They're alive!" 

The thoughts careened into each other until one rooted itself in the middle of her brain, refusing to let go. 

 "But did they?"  It was a terrible thought, but one she could not escape. 

"Did they survive? Or was I not fast enough and they all died? What if that happened?! What if Raven, Murphy, Emori, Monty, Harper, Echo, and...Bellamy. What if he died, too? All because of me!"

The thoughts turned her glee into despair in seconds. 

"Stop," Clarke commanded herself. "Stop. They survived," 

Her voice sounded raspy and raw. She needed food and water. Now. Slowly, with barely controlled shaking hands, she unscrewed a flask of water and took a small sip. The cool liquid slid its way down her raw throat, soothing it immediately. She took two more sips and put it aside, turning to the protein bars, devouring one in seconds. She gently propped herself against the work table, letting the back of her head rest on its cool legs. 

"I lived," She thought, "Now I just have to survive." 

I know it's short and a bit bland- just testing the waters. Tell me if you like it!

A small note: Instead of POV's, I'm just going to tell it in 3rd person while noting if it is: On the Ground, On the Ark, or, In the Bunker. Yup- Wonkru coming up! I don't know how much of each, but I'll try to keep them even. Of course, things are going to get interesting when the Eligius Prisoners come down. *hehehe* Oh well, we'll see when we get there.

What are your predictions for S5? I'd love to hear!

Ps. I decided to dedicate this to @FeyGurl because she was my inspiration for this. Her work is amazing. Check it out!

-RavenReyes0G

7/25/18- Hey, I edited this to separate the speech, so it's not an update