ASCENSION: BOOK 3- APOCALYPSE.

Chapter 29: Praimfaya.

"Griffin is that you?" She answered in surprise.
"Still in the land of the living... just about," I light heartedly replied.
"Where are you? Lincoln and Indra made it back but they said the news wasn't good out there," she spoke.
We were relieved they'd made it back with the children but the sense of urgency over the current situation was now so prevelent, "Our warrior's and Freya's assasins are dead. Lexa and I made it to Arkadia, there's no one here left alive. Raven I need you to listen carefully, we don't have much time. The death wave is already here. It'll hit Skaikru territory within a couple of hours, Polis not long after. Please tell me you have that bunker open?"
"I'm sitting inside the Comms room right now, we've started to move everyone inside. What was left of Freya's forces have been defeated. I can't believe Praimfaya is already here! I'm sorry, I over-calculated the time we had left. It was hard to pin point a definitive answer," Ravens voice was full of sorrow.
"Raven, its not your fault. We always knew we were on borrowed time. The main thing is that our people have a chance to survive this. It's what Lexa and I fought for. Tell our people to stay strong," I said with pride.
The closer the wave of fire and radiation got to Arkadia the worse radio contact became.
"Clarke, listen to me. Those that stayed behind had supplies, dried food, water recyclers, an old air scrubber unit they were fixing up in the lower levels of Arkadia. Shelter as deep as you can in there, use the old airlock door, for protection against the toxic air. Also, your mom left them medication for radiation poisoning, it'll help your bodies to recover if you get sick, maybe even give that Nightblood time to adapt," Raven offered with hope.
The radio crackled, Raven's voice began to break up, "Raven! Can you hear me? Raven!" I called out.
"I'm here, were all here," she said as a familar voice came over the air waves.
"Clarke." The sound of my mother's voice filled my heart with joy and with sadness.
"Mom, I can hear you. You made it!"
"We're all safe because of you both," she said in gratitude.
"That's all that matters now. There's no time left for us to make it back to Polis. I'm sorry I couldn't see you one last time," I said in sorrow.
"This isn't the end, Clarke. Stay sheltered inside The Ark, use all that you can for the both of you to get through this. I believe in my heart we will meet again. Never forget how much I love you," she spoke with confidence not wishing to allow our dark reality to overwhelm her mind.
"I love you too. Keep our people alive in that bunker, ste yuj," I replied.
Lexa and I smiled knowing those we cared about were safe.
I gave the handset to Lexa, knowing that they needed to hear from their Commander.
"Remember you are Wonkru. Hofli Keryon kom Heda na shoun ‘so op en shil 'so klin. Hofli oso na mafta op sampada kom Beka Pramheda na lok op oso fousen geda ona graun. Kom graun, oso na groun op. Kom folau, oso na gyon op. May we meet again."
Their response was too distorted to understand. All we were left with was the sound of radiation, the sound of the end.

I felt lost hearing the voices of our people voice disappear in the crackle of radiation, but we couldn't waste any moments on such sorrow.
It was time to make the preparations  we needed to in order to ride out the nightmare that was coming for us.
I closed the entrance to The Ark and moved to the lower levels. Climbing down through a circular hatch, sealing it behind us, we accessed  the lower levels of The Ark and headed through the large airlock door. From here we locked ourselves away from the upper areas of the structure, in the event they didn't manage to hold up against the force of the death wave. I hoped Raven was right and the seals on the old airlock and the hatch beyond door would help to prevent such massive levels of radiation from filtering through.
Looking around at the supplies down there, we estimated there was enough food and water stored for six months for the two of us. There was a purification system for the barrels of water for when it turned stagnant.
We had a capacitor that had energy stored and candles for when we needed to ration that power. It was doubtful the solar panels would survive the death wave.
It became clear my people hadn't planned on making it out of here alive. With the timeframe they had left to prepare, they'd given themselves just enough extra time to spend their last months in the arms of those they loved, to leave this life on their own terms. I only wish they'd had their chance to say their goodbyes properly.
As I switched on the air scrubber  system, Lexa informed me that she'd discovered a smaller communications room that had been set up by those who intended to stay here. I hoped it would prove useful if we survived Praimfaya and once the radiation interference had begun to subside maybe there was a chance we could contact Polis.
As for the radiation, There was no way of knowing if our bodies would adapt to such extreme levels that were about to cover The Earth. We'd seen how Nightblood offered us a high level of immunity but for how long?
Eveything we could possibly think of had been done to try and survive Praimfaya, but as we sat in exhaustion upon the floor of one of the corridors with our backs against the wall, we wondered if The Ark would become our sanctuary or our tomb.

Unease had found it's way into our hearts and minds as the lights started to flicker all around us. The Ark began to shake and creak under pressure as the death wave coursed over it.
I hoped with all of my might it would stand strong, that it would save us as it saved my people when they were stranded amongst the stars.
Yet, even as The Ark vibrated around us there was still a part of me that felt safe. Lexa pulled me close and shielded me tightly in her arms. She rested her head against mine and told me she loved me.
I held her tightly, never wanting to let go of my warrior woman. There was so much I wanted to say, so much time I had taken for granted. A feeling of regret surfaced, a yearning for the past as our future seemed so bleak.
"Lexa, if we don't make it..."
She swiftly interrupted me, "Don't say it, don't give up on hope."
I looked up at her, those piercing emerald eyes holding my gaze and said what I felt in my heart, "I need you to know you saved me. Time and time again, through the darkeness you were always my light, Heda."
She smiled back at me and spoke with determination, "Our fight is not over, Skaigada. Death has taken enough souls for one day. Mark my words, in five years time when this is over, the two of us will greet our people once again."
Lexa's words sparked a memory from my past as I began to recall Queen Freya's telling of the legend of Ragnarök. She spoke of war, the death of The Gods, a world consumed by water and by fire, but this wasn't the final chapter of the old Norse legend.
I remembered the books I read growing up, myths of the old world and how the tale of the Norse Apocalypse came to a close. A new world will begin, the surviving Gods will once again meet and two humans, Lìf and Lífþrasir will stand upon The Earth looking towards the future.
I smiled to myself. Maybe there was some truth in our legends of old? Maybe instead of Lìf and Lífþrasir two warrior women born out of fire would still stand to see this world once again come back to life?
However our tale ended I knew in that moment I was right where I wanted to be, encapsulate  in the arms of the woman I loved with all of my heart, my soul finally complete.