Beautiful Tragedy

Thirty-three

                    Third Person POV
                        *** Polis ***

"We have faced extinction before, and we have persevered, but we have always been familiar with sacrifice, and today we will be tested once again." Marcus Kane says looking to all the people that made up Skaikru. "The ground won't be survivable for 5 years. We've confirmed that this bunker can only generate oxygen and food for 1,200 people for that length of time." He pauses starring heavily at his people. Taking a deep breath he continues. "By mandate of the Conclave, our clan has been given 100 spaces, an equal number of spots as all the rest. To fill them, we will hold a fair lottery. We will hold a fair lottery, an equal chance for everybody."

The room filled with numerous voices, all talking at once.

"How long do you think the Grounders would last in here without us?" A man named Hardy shouts out. "Our people know how to operate oxygen scrubbers and hydro farms."

"Yeah!"
"Yeah!"

"We're gonna be running this place.We deserve more spots." He cries out.

"I don't like this any more than you do, but we must call upon the better angels of our nature to guide us." Kane calls out, talking over the others. "Like the culling on the Ark, some must die today so that our people may survive."

"What about her?" Hardy questions when the others began murmuring amongst themselves, point a finger at Niylah. "Is her name in the lottery, too? We're just gonna let some Grounder take a bed from one of our own?" He shouts angerily

"Right!" Another man shouts out. "No! I say we let her own people save her."

"Everybody calm down." Kane oders, "We've come too far to turn on each other now."

"You're just saying that because you know you're safe." Hardy sneers

"Let it go, Hardy." Sgt Miller orders when the crowd becomes even more riled up.

"Let's throw her out." Another explained, and the crowd goes wild, each charging towards the outside in their mists.

"Leave her alone! Let her go!" Jackson cries out, when the other grab ahold of a panicked Niylah. "Guard, stop them. Stop them."

"Get off me." Niylah cries. "Let go of me."

Octavia swiftly enters the room, an army of grounders at her back. Shoving the others from her path, Octavia quickly grabs ahold of Niylah, pulling her behind her back.

"Niylah, you're with me." Octavias barks out, while the woman pants heavily behind her. "She's safe." Octavia calls out darkly looking at everyone in the room. "You now have one less spot to fill."

"Octavia, please." Jaha begs stepping forward. "You got to stop this. You're Skaikru. You're one of us."

"I'm one of you?" She heavily scoffs. Taking a step forward, she stands closing to Jaha. "You made me hide under the floor. You floated my mother. I'm not hiding now, nor am I the only one."

"Don't do this." He pleads as the others murmer around him.

"Every other clan has chosen their survivors, every other clan. Skaikru is no different." She deadpans. "You have until midnight. Choose, or you all die."

And with that she leaves the room filled with the panic people.

"Are you ok?" She asks Niylah, tilting her head to the side.

"They're scared."

"We all are. It's human nature to fight."

Grabbing ahold of her hand, Niylah forces Octavia to a stop. "I'll never forget that you did for me." She says gratefully before releasing her.