Children of the Ark

Play with Fire

 The journey back to camp was filled with painful groans, cuss words, and sweat, a lot of sweat. It had taken the entire afternoon to travel the miles between the tree and the outskirts of camp. By then, the sun had already kissed the Earth goodnight, leaving the world dark.  Thankfully, the moon had replaced the ball of fire in the sky. There, in the dark, was where I noticed the radiation hadn't soaked the vegetation here like it had in the depths of the forest. I hated that. I hated that Bellamy wouldn't see such beautiful things, but that meant that the flowers were going to be a secret between Octavia and me.

        Clarke, Finn, Wells, and I entered the camp first, our tired arms struggling to keep Jasper up. We were all exhausted, our muscles almost worn out.  It had taken all four of us to carry him the last mile and a half to the camp. However, when we got in the camp, our legs shaking with each step, no one offered to help. Instead, they stayed seated, their bodies illuminated by the hazy oranges from the fire which they sat around. Most were Bellamy's guys, who just looked at us, shrugged, and turned back to the fire. They were bitter people.

        “Oh thanks for the help. I appreciate it,” I told them, anger and sarcasm dripping off my words.

        "They're back!" some guy began to yell as he rounded the capsule. Uh no shit. Even if you were on the other side of camp, you could hear Jasper's groans a mile away. Everyone here was so dramatic, clapping and running around the capsule to see us. Some of them even blocked the way to tell us how badass we were. I continued to walk since I already knew what a badass I was. No, I continued because I knew if we didn't get Jasper in fast, he could die. Anyone could tell that since his groans were becoming deeper and more of a gargle, each one making my stomach turn.

         "Hold on, Buddy. We are almost there," Finn grunted, struggling to keep a hold on Jasper. He and Wells had carried him most of the way, and his arms were shaking. In return, Jasper did about the only thing he could do, groan. We were so close to the capsule, but I didn't know if we could make it the next ten feet.

        "He's alive. Oh thank god," Monty said, pulling back the plastic from the capsule. Relief washed over his entire body at the sight of his best friend. His hand went over his heart, and he wore the biggest grin I have ever seen.

         "Can you help us get him inside?" Clarke asked, pushing Jasper's sweaty hair back. Besides the fact it was as hot as Satan’s balls, Jasper was burning up with a fever.

         "Yeah. Yeah, sure," Monty said, coming to where I was. He took my spot, leaving me to rest for a few seconds. Slowly, I made my way to the ground to catch my breath and let my muscles relax. Closing my eyes, I leaned back against the capsule. Its cold metal sent a sudden chill over my warm skin.

          "Payte!" I heard some yell before arms were wrapped around me tightly. Slowly, I sat up and opened my eyes. My eyes were filled with the dark brown hair of my best friend, and my body was in her embrace. "You're okay, right?"

          "Hey, yeah. I'm fine. Just a bit tired," I replied, letting her go. Octavia moved back, standing up.

          "And Jasper? He's alive?" she asked. I nodded, carefully getting up. I wiped my hands on my shirt and then spoke.

          "Yeah, he's alive. He is in pretty bad condition though. You can go in there. They probably need some help," I told her, watching the entrance of camp.

          "Aren't you coming?  You know more about medical stuff than I do," Octavia asked.

          "I'll be in in a minute," I replied. "I'm waiting on someone." From the corner of my eye, I saw a large smile grow on her face. Shaking her head, she laughed and started walking for the capsule entrance. I turned to watch her enter but quickly turned back when I heard cheering and yells.
        
          At first, people crowded around him to the extent where I couldn't see him at all, but the people slowly began to back up, leaving his full stature visible. He was sweaty from the walk, but he was still wearing a jacket. They were carrying the panther in a piece of tarp they had found about an hour away, and I could see their arms were slightly shaking.