Mortality

❦Attraction❦

{ t h r e e }

♛ ❦༄

Walking back to camp was an adventure. With Wells and Bellamy refusing to move more than five feet away from me, Jasper's groaning, and Murphy's incessant complaining, I almost wish the cat had eaten me. It's taking us ten times longer to get back to camp. While I don't regret saving Jasper, I would really like to rest my damn leg. Finally, we walk through half-done walls.

"They're back!" a boy shouts. The crowd gathers around, and I push through to stand by Jasper's stretcher.

"Is he..." Monty asks, coming to stand by Jasper.

"He's alive," I assure. His shoulders deflate in relief, and I rest my hand on his back.

"I need boiled water and strips of cloth for bandages," Clarke orders. Finn and Monty rush around to gather the supplies. I help Clarke and Wells take Jasper into the dropship and up to the second level.

"Who's hungry?" I hear Bellamy's distant shout. I roll my eyes.

"Doesn't know how to give credit where it's due, does he?" Wells asks.

"And you're surprised why?" I ask distastefully. Monty and Finn come up with the supplies not long after, and Clarke gets to work. I watch in silence, there if she needs me to do something.

"Why did Bellamy shield you?" Finn asks suddenly. I look up and realize that the others, not including Clarke, are looking at me for an answer. Wells' face is a mix between annoyance and gratefulness. I toss a bolt across the room.

"Probably didn't wanna die alone," I shrug. Monty accepts this answer, but Finn looks apprehensive. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing." I eye him for a moment longer before standing up.

"You need anything, Clarke?" I ask, stopping at the ladder. She glances up and shakes her head.

"No, I'm almost done. I'll meet you out there, okay?" I nod and climb down the ladder. I wander around the first level of the dropship for a minute, not wanting to go out there alone. After five more minutes of waiting, my stomach grumbles. Finally, I relent and walk out of the dropship, confused to see people lining up. I walk closer and almost scream in frustration.

They're taking off their wristbands for food.

I cross my arms and scowl, leaning against a tree. I know there's nothing I can do to stop it. All I can do is hope that whoever is up there monitoring our vitals figures out that they sent idiots to the ground.

Murphy's eyes land on me, and he smirks triumphantly. He hands the responsibility of killing us all over to Atom and struts over to me. I don't move. He looks down at me— in more ways than one.

"If you take off your wristband, I'll give you some food." I trace my wristband, pretending to consider it.

"Okay. I'll give you my wristband in three weeks." His eyebrows furrow. I inwardly smile at his apparent confusion.

"And why three weeks?" He asks, trying to get his snarky attitude back.

"Well, it usually takes around thirty to forty days for the human body to shut down from starvation. But, given that we have a sparse amount of clean water, I'd cut down to twenty-one days. And that's being generous." Murphy stands there, not knowing what to do or say.

"Murphy!" Atom calls. Murphy turns around but looks back at me, confusion still on his face.

"Do you need me to spell it out for you?" I ask, my voice high as if speaking to a child. "The only way you'll get my wristband is when I'm dead. You can tell that to your boss over there." Murphy's look of confusion turns into pure annoyance, and he stomps back to Atom and Bellamy. Bellamy glances over as Murphy most likely tells him how much of a bitch I am. I wiggle my fingers in a mock wave and push off the tree.