Warriors | The 100 | Season 1

0 0 6. S1 E3 Part 2

Several boys including Murphy and I followed Bellamy into the woods to hunt. I'd discovered I was quite handy with a spear. Bellamy motioned for us to stay low and quiet as we spotted and approached a bore. "Shh... She's mine."
He drew back his makeshift axe and got ready to strike. Behind us a twig snapped, startling us all. Bellamy spun around and threw his axe, lodging it in a tree inches from the face of a little girl. The snapping of the twig was heard by the bore and it ran off, several boys following it, not wanting it to get away so they won't go hungry tonight.
Bellamy, Atom and I were the only ones that had stayed behind.
"Who are you?" I asked the girl.
"Charlotte." She announced, remaining still, shaken from the near-death experience.
Bellamy walked over to the tree to pull out his axe and said: "I almost killed you. Why aren't you back at camp?"
"Well, what with that guy who was dying, I just... I couldn't listen anymore." She said with a distraught sigh. We all knew the feeling. It was one of the reasons I asked to come along with the hunting party.
"There's Grounders out here. It's too dangerous for a little girl." Atom told her.
"I'm not little." She defended, making me laugh.
"I used to say the exact same thing when I was your age."
Bellamy smiled at my comment "Okay, then..." Bellamy pulled out a knife and handed it to Charlotte. "But you can't hunt without a weapon. Ever killed something before?" She shook her head, 'no' in response. "Who knows? Maybe you're good at it."
Charlotte cautiously took the knife from Bellamy's hand and held it carefully in her hands.
"Come on, let's keep going," I muttered briefly tugging on Bellamy's jacket sleeve.
Bellamy walked by my side, Atom walked in front of us with Charlotte not far behind him. Bellamy gently nudged me with his elbow and said, "She's almost as tall as you." He grinned watching me roll my eyes.
"She's a foot shorter than me," I mentioned.
"She's half a foot shorter than you. And she's... What, six years younger than you." He mocked
"Eight years younger." I corrected.
Charlotte was ten years old, for me to say that I was eight years older than her clearly confused him. "How old are you?" He asked, keeping his voice down.
"Eighteen," I said simply.
"How are you down here then? Shouldn't you have been floated when you turned eighteen?" He asked stepping over a rock.
I jumped over a log and said "They couldn't float me while I was still underage. Unless they decided to send us down tomorrow, then yes I would have been."
He stopped in his tracks, catching onto what I was saying. "Is it your birthday today?" I turned to face him and nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.
"I didn't see the point. Can't exactly throw a kick-ass party down here while we are fighting or our lives." I explained as I kept walking.
"Wait," He called after me, grabbing my hand, turning me back to face him. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the sound of a distant horn sounding.
"Grounders?" I whispered. We scanned the area around us, then we saw it. Not grounders, but a yellow mist, flowing through the trees at an alarming speed. Atom and Charlotte turned around and we all began to run. We couldn't outrun it forever.
Bellamy took my hand pulling me along behind him. "Come on! There are caves this way." He shouted.
I didn't stop running until Bellamy pulled me into a cave and ushered Charlotte in as well.
"Where's everyone else?" I asked, coughing.
"They could have found some other caves."
"What about Atom?"
"Bellamy!" Atom called out in the distance. Bellamy hesitated in the mouth of the cave, wanting to go back for him when he started coughing. Atom called out again in an agonised cry "Bellamy!" the fog was too close, and it was burning our eyes and throat.
Bellamy stumbled into the cave, coughing and rubbing his eyes. "Where's Atom?" I asked, glancing behind him.
"I lost him." He wheezed. "Hopefully he made it to another cave in time."
"What is that?" Charlotte asked.
Bellamy shook his head unsure. Whatever it was, it was dangerous. "We will just have to wait it out."
We weren't sure how long it would take, it could be gone in a few minutes, it could take hours or even days. All we knew was that the fog was dangerous. After hours of nothing, we waited some more. Boredom turned into fatigue. I offered Charlotte my jacket to sleep on, which she gladly accepted. I fiddled with my spear, not knowing exactly what to do, Bellamy sat by himself, fiddling with a piece of wood and a knife. I briefly wondered how many knives he had on him, but I dismissed the thought, not really caring.
I sat with my legs stretched out in front of me, my back and head rested up against the side of the cave, watching a beetle crawl along the opposite wall. Bellamy still fiddled away with his wood silently. I slowly nodded off to sleep not really knowing when I did. I didn't dream. but I wished I did. I would be somewhere safe, in a little house in a meadow of sweet-smelling flowers. Inside would be an old couch in front of a fire place that crackled with warmth, curled up with a good book and someone to keep me company on a rainy day. But when I opened my eyes I was still stuck in a cave.
I was startled from my dreamless sleep when a shrill scream filled the cave. I turned to see Charlotte slightly thrashing about. She was having a nightmare.
Bellamy calmly rushed over to her and gently shook her "Charlotte, wake up."
Charlotte's eyes flew open and she realised what had happened. "I'm sorry." She said weepily.
He shifted next to her, making himself more comfortable where he sat. "Does it happen often?" She sighed, giving Bellamy his answer. "What are you scared of? You know what? It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is what you do about it."
"But... I'm asleep." She reminded him.
"Fears are fears. Slay your demons when you're awake, they won't be there to get you when you sleep." He had a point. Fear is only a problem if you let it stop you.
She shrugged and said "Yeah, but... How?"
"You can't afford to be weak. Down here, weakness is death, fear is death. Let me see that knife I gave you." Charlotte handed over the knife and Bellamy gripped it tightly, holding it up for her to see. "Now, when you feel afraid, you hold tight to that knife and you say, 'screw you. I'm not afraid.'"
He handed the knife back to her and she repeated his words timidly. "Screw you. I'm not afraid." Bellamy gave Charlotte a look, telling her she can do better. She tried again. This time with more confidence and oomf. "Screw you. I'm not afraid."
Bellamy smiled and patted her on the back and said "Slay your demons, kid. Then you'll be able to sleep."
She nodded in response and laid back down. Bellamy stood from beside her and looked over at me, seeing I was now awake. He sauntered over and sat down next to me, sighing as he did so. I pulled my legs in and crossed them, we sat in silence for a moment until he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. It was hidden by his hands, and I couldn't see what it was.
"I wanted to give this to you earlier, but you were asleep." He held out his open hand to show me a small carved animal. It had a small body, with long ears laying flat on top of its head. Where its tail was, it had a hole with a piece of cord threaded through. The cord was long enough that I could wear it around my neck and tied in a knot.
I took it and turned it over in my hands. "Is this what you were playing with earlier?"
"Happy birthday." He said with a smile, gently bumping me with his shoulder.
I glance up from the animal and smiled at him and said: "Thank you." In honesty, I'd never been given something on any of my birthdays. The last seven years I'd been locked up, I had only seen my mother twice in all those years. It was hard to blame her. She was always so busy. To be given this was strange, but I welcomed the feeling wholeheartedly.
The rest of the night was spent in silence as we tried to sleep. When I woke up I was laying on something warm. I felt a pair of arms draped around me. I could hear a heartbeat against my ear. I lifted my head to see that my head was lying on Bellamy's chest. I gently pried myself from his arms, trying not to wake him. Once I was standing I walked over to where Charlotte was sleeping peacefully.
I laid my hand on her shoulder and gently spoke her name in a soft sing-song voice. She stirred and opened her eyes enough to look up at me. "How did you sleep?" I asked her.
"Ok," she replied in a groggy voice.
"I think the fog has cleared, we should wake Bellamy and get back to camp," I suggested. She nodded her head and I grabbed my jacket as she stood up, rubbing her eyes. I pointed to Bellamy who was still asleep and motioned to be quiet. she nodded her head and I snuck over to him. Kneeling down I pounced my hands on his arm and shouted loudly, scaring him awake.
He jumped and flailed his arms around wildly as he woke up properly. Charlotte and I both laughed at him. When he realised what I had done, he rolled his eyes and stood from the ground.
"We should get going." He said grabbing his jacket from the ground beside him. "Has the fog cleared yet?" He asked no one in particular.
"Yeah, it's all clear," I said.
The three of us walked outside. The rest of the hunting party from yesterday must have taken shelter in some of the other caves that Bellamy had mentioned.
Bellamy called out "It's all clear. Anybody out here? Jones?"
"We're here!" He replied in the distance.
We ran towards where they sounded and met them halfway. "Lost you in the stew. Where'd you go?" Bellamy asked.
Jones then gestured behind him "Made it to a cave down there.
"The hell was that?"
Jones replied: "I don't know."
Bellamy looked over the group, making sure everyone was here. "Where's Atom?"
Suddenly a scream filled our ears and we noticed Charlotte was missing too now. We all run in the direction of the screams and found Charlotte pointing over to a body. Atom's body. My jaw slackened at the sight of him. I took slow steps towards him until I stood over his head. "Oh my god. Atom." I muttered. His body was covered in burns and blisters. I covered my mouth with my hand to choke back a horrified shriek.
Bellamy stood beside me but quickly knelt down beside Atom "Son of a bitch." he muttered. He looked unsure. How could Atom still be alive? He looked horrifying and he looked sad.
Atom managed to mutter something barely audible. "Kill me. Kill me. Kill... me." He begged. His voice was choking on pain and lack of oxygen.
Just then the others show up standing behind Charlotte. They all stare in silence. Atom was a good guy, he didn't deserve to go out like this.
Atom barely managed to get the words out of his mouth "I... can't... breathe."
Charlotte walked over to beside Bellamy and held out the knife he had given to her yesterday. "Don't be afraid." She said, echoing his words from last night.
Bellamy looked up at the hunting party. "Go back to camp," he ordered. They did as he said but Charlotte stood where she was until Bellamy said to her" Charlotte, you too." She turned slowly and left.
I wasn't able to take my eyes off Atom. I wanted to help him so badly, but what could I do? "What are we supposed to do?" I muttered to Bellamy.
Bellamy kept his eyes on Atom "Kill... me. Bell...a...my... pl...ea..se."
Out of nowhere, Clarke appeared beside me and then knelt down beside Atom." Plea...se." he begged, his eyes meeting Clarke's.
Clarke looked up at me and Bellamy "I heard screams."
Bellamy nodded and said "Charlotte found him. I sent her back to camp."
Clarke Inspected Atom before looking back up dismally at Bellamy and shook her head. Bellamy sighed, knew there was nothing more they could do for him. Clarke sighed, looking back down at Atom she said
"Okay. I'm gonna help you, all right?" Clarke reached over and ran her fingers through Atom's hair calmingly and began humming.
I had to turn away, I couldn't bear to watch them kill him. Even if it was a mercy kill. Wells and Finn came up to me and watched what I couldn't.
After it was done, Bellamy placed a hand on my shoulder. "Are you ok?" He asked softly.
I nodded my head and turned back around to see Bellamy's jacket had been placed over Atom's head. I helped the others build a stretcher to carry him back to camp, we would bury him with the others when we got back.
By the time we got back to camp, it was dark. It had taken most of the day to stop the stretcher from falling apart. Indistinct chatter filled the air as we approached and the gate opened.
Clarke immediately sprung into action. "We've gotta get to Jasper. I'll need boiled water to make the medicine." she and Finn headed towards the dropship in order to tend to Jasper.
Bellamy put the stretcher on the ground and said: "Get Clarke whatever she needs."
Wells turned to us and said, "I better go get this grave dug."
Octavia appeared from out of the drop ship and ran over to us, intercepting Clarke on the way. "It's about time. They're gonna kill Jasper. Did you get the medicine?"
"Yeah. I... I got it. Come on. Let's go talk." Clarke tried to pull Octavia towards the Dropship but she pushed past him at headed towards Bellamy when she noticed the stretcher.
"Octavia, just stay there. Please, stay back." Bellamy warned.
Octavia kept getting closer and asked, "Why?" Bellamy tried to hold her back but she fought him. "Stop." She demanded. She shoved her way out of Bellamy's arms and knelt down. as she reached for the jacket I begged her to wait, but she ignored me and lifted the jacket to reveal Atom's face.
"Atom." She muttered, fighting back tears.
Bellamy felt useless. "There's nothing I could do." He insisted
"Don't." She spat back. A few tears rolled down her cheeks and she re-covered him.
Bellamy tried to explain to her but she wasn't having any of it "O... O... please." But she left before he could get in another word.
Bellamy sniffed, knowing how to hurt his sister was hurt him too. he managed to fight the urge to go after her and turned to Murphy "Lose anyone here?"
Murphy stood there and said "No."
"Jasper?"
"Still breathing. Barely." Murphy replied, "I tried to take him out, but your psycho little sister..."
Bellamy lunged at Murphy and shoved him harshly before grabbing him by the collar of his jacket "My what? My what?"
"Bellamy, let him go!" I scolded.
"Your little sister." Murphy carefully corrected himself and shoved Bellamy off of him.
"Yeah, that's right. My little sister. Got anything else you want to say about her?" he jeered threateningly.
Murphy impassively studied Bellamy's face "Nothing. Sorry."
Bellamy turned to Jones and gestured to Atom's dead body "Get him out of here." before glaring at Murphy one last time. Bellamy ushered me back to his tent without a word. Once I was inside he didn't say anything but instead began to pull off his shoes.
"Are you ok?" I asked softly.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied aggressively. I took a step back, afraid of the tone in his voice. He glanced up at me and the expression on his face softened. "Sorry, it's been a hard couple of days," he explained.
I nodded my head, knowing exactly what he meant. I took several steps towards him stood in front of him. He placed his hands on my arms just below my shoulders. "Thank you for being here," he said.
"What do you mean?" I asked unsurely.
"I mean... I'm actually not sure what I mean. I just don't think I'd be able to do this by myself." he admitted looking down at his feet.
I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him close. He hesitated for a moment before embracing me as well. He held me tightly. He clearly needed a good hug, and I doubted tonight he'd get one from his sister. I had to stand on my toes in order to hug him properly. Even still, I felt him leaning down to assist me a little.
"I'll always be here for you," I assured him.
"Thank you." He muttered into my neck and held me tighter.
Once he let me go he sighed heavily and looked at me with a soft smile. "Why don't you stay here. It's somewhere to sleep and keep your head dry."
I didn't know how to reply. It sounded like a proposition, yet at the same time, it sounded kind. I knew Bellamy wasn't the kind of person to take advantage of me, so I nodded my head and said "Ok. But you sleep in your own bed, alright." I replied like a warning.
He laughed softly and nodded his head.
As I lay down to sleep I couldn't help but wonder what I meant to him. Was I a good friend? Was I an advisor? Or was I a late-night booty call just waiting to happen? I didn't know yet.