Warriors | The 100 | Season 1

0 0 6. S1 E3 Part 2

Several boys, including Murphy and me, followed Bellamy into the woods to hunt. I'd discovered I was pretty handy with a spear. Bellamy motioned for us to stay low and quiet as we spotted and approached a boar. "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 boar heard the twig snapping, and it ran off. Several boys followed it, not wanting it to get away, so they wouldn't go hungry tonight.
Bellamy, Atom and I were the only ones who 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. "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'd asked to come along with the hunting party.
"There are 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. Have you 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.
"Come on, let's keep going," I muttered, tugging Bellamy's jacket sleeve.
Bellamy walked by my side, Atom walked in front of us, and Charlotte was 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, and for me to say that I was eight years older than her 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 on to 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 for our lives." I explained as I kept walking.
"Wait," he called after me, grabbing my hand and turning me back to face him. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of a distant horn.
"Grounders?" I whispered. We scanned the area around us, and 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.
"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, 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 or 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 resting against the cave's side, 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 fireplace that crackled with warmth, curled up with a good book and someone to keep me company on a rainy day. But I was still stuck in a cave when I opened my eyes.
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 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 timidly repeated his words: "Screw you. I'm not afraid." Bellamy looked at Charlotte and told her she could do better. She tried again, this time with more confidence and oomf: "Screw you. I'm not afraid."
Bellamy smiled, patted her back, and said, "Slay your demons, kid. Then you'll be able to sleep."
She nodded in response and lay back down. Bellamy stood beside her and looked 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. His hands hid it, 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. It was a carved animal—something small, soft-edged—a rabbit, maybe? The wood was smoothed from his fingers, and the cord was tied with more care than I expected from someone like him. My throat tightened. No one had ever given me something just to make me feel... remembered.
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 glanced up from the animal, smiled at him, and said, "Thank you." In honesty, I'd never been given anything 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 lying 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 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, and I grabbed my jacket as she stood up, rubbing her eyes. I pointed to Bellamy, still asleep, and motioned to be quiet. She nodded her head, and I snuck over to him. Kneeling, I pounced my hands on his arm and shouted, 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 up.
"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. Is 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 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 also missing. We all ran 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. Atom's 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 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 choked 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 utter the words, "I... can't... breathe."
Charlotte walked over beside Bellamy and held out the knife he had given 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 noted, "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 knelt beside Atom." Plea...se." he begged, his eyes meeting Clarke's.
Clarke looked up at Bellamy and me. "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, knowing there was nothing more they could do for him. Clarke sighed, looking back down at Atom. She said
"Okay. I'm going to help you, all right?" Clarke reached over, calmly ran her fingers through Atom's hair, and began humming.
I had to turn away; I couldn't bear to watch them kill him, even if it were 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 and turned around to see that 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 sprang into action. "We've got to get to Jasper. I'll need boiled water to make the medicine." She and Finn headed towards the dropship 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'd better go get this grave dug."
Octavia appeared from the drop ship and ran over to us, intercepting Clarke. "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 and 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 coat 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 say another word.
Bellamy sniffed, knowing how to hurt his sister was hurting 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 his tone of voice. He glanced up at me, and his expression 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 and 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 alone," 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 he'd get one from his sister tonight. I had to stand on my toes 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 to take advantage of me, so I nodded and said, "Ok. But you sleep in your own bed, alright." I replied with 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.