Fallen

Chapter Three: The Fog

A scream pulls Ash from sleep. She rubs her eyes before walking to the source of the scream only to find Clarke sitting with a young girl. The two of them just talking. 

"May I join you?" she asks. The young girl nods her head. The three females sit there near the ashes of the firepit.

"Why are you down here, Charlotte?" Clarke asks the girl.

"I assaulted a guard when he tried to takes my parents' stuff for the redistribution center," she quietly answers.

"They need a good beating sometimes," Ash chuckles, playfully nudging the girl. Charlotte chuckles slightly while Clarke rolls her eyes.

"The Ark is behind us," Clarke tells them. "The ground is our second chance."

"I made it to eighteen," Ash points out. "I know my review would have come back as guilty."

"What did you do?" Charlotte asks.

"I also assaulted a guard. But for a whole other reason." She gets up and stretches. "Why don't you crash with me tonight? I found company helps keep the nightmares away."

Charlotte nods her head before following her to spot in camp she is sleeping.

*****

Ash sits on the ground, tying the seatbelts together to make straps for a backpack. Jasper's cries of pain echo through the camp. Many people are getting aggravated by him and the morale seems to be even lower. Bellamy walks over, tossing her a handmade spear.

"We're going for a hunt," he states. 

"And you want me to join, why?" she responds.

"I need someone I trust. Murphy is staying here to keep an eye on things."

She rolls her eyes before getting up, holding the spear. She tosses the mess of belts at him.

"Better find someone to finish this," she states. He hands the task off to someone else as the two meet with the others hunting with them. The group start moving through the woods in hopes of finding something. Though most creatures are probably scared by how loud they are moving through the trees. 

Eventually, someone spots recent tracks to a boar. They follow it deeper into the forest. There is a loud rustle behind the hunting party, startling them. Bellamy automatically turns, throwing his hatchet. It lodges into a tree, narrowly missing Charlotte.

"What are you doing out here?" Ash asks. 

"I wanted to help," she responds.

"It's not safe for little girls outside of camp," Atom states.

"I'm not a little girl."

"You still shouldn't be sneaking up on anyone from our camp," Ash scolds. "Especially if they have a weapon in their hand."

Bellamy walks over and hands a knife to Charlotte.

"Have you ever killed something before?" he asks. She shakes her head. "Who knows? Maybe you would be good at it."

The group returns to following the tracks laid out before them. The group keeps running until they hear a horn blown. A yellow tinted fog starts rolling towards them. Animals flee from it. The group takes off running away from the fog in hopes of finding shelter. Bellamy spots a cave nearby.

"In here," he calls. Ash pulls Charlotte into the cave as they follow him in. Atom trips on a root, landing face first into the ground.

"Bellamy," he calls out for help as the fog gets closer. Ash goes to help him, but Bellamy pulls her back into the cave as the fog passes over the fallen member. "It's too late."

Atom's screams eventually fade, making it safe to assume he is dead. Ash sinks to the dirt ground, watching the entrance of the cave. As time flies by, everyone dozes off. That is, until Charlotte wakes up screaming from nightmares. Bellamy scooches over to her and tries to comfort her.

"Do you still have the knife I gave you?" he asks. She nods her head before showing it. "Keep this close. Slay your demons while you're awake, they won't hurt you in your sleep."

She nods her head before trying to go back to sleep. Bellamy moves so he sits across from Ash.

"How are we going to explain Atom's death to Octavia?" she asks.

"I'm not sure yet."

She watches the fog continue to move past the entrance. Dangerous fog is not what she would have predicted. But then again, no one knew what they were entering into when they left the Ark. Based off of the horn she heard, fair to assume even Grounders are terrified of it. 

"Get some rest," Bellamy orders. "I'll watch over the area."

"Cause that makes me feels safe," she jokes before getting comfortable. 

"I do try occasionally," he tells her. "I do have my reason for everything I do."

But what if it hurts others? Her eyes glued to the outside until eventually she falls asleep.

*****

The group steps out of the cave as Clarke, Finn, and Wells run over. The forest is mostly the same as before the fog. A scream causes them to all look to see Charlotte standing by Atom's body. The poor man is still alive, but suffering. His skin is covered in blisters and he is struggling to breathe. Obviously he is suffering while surviving. Bellamy stands there in shock, unsure what to do. Clarke quickly responds. She kneels by Atom.

"It's okay," she coos, pulling out her knife. She softly hums while stroking his hair. Once Atom lays there, a bit calmer, she plunges the blade into his neck, killing him instantly. No longer suffering. Part of Ash's mind wanders if it in the end, Atom got off easy. He won't have to try and survive on this planet any longer.

 Finn and Wells carry the body back to camp where everyone is. Clarke hurries to help Jasper while others are yelling. Octavia spots the body and looks at it in complete shock. She goes to help bury him while Bellamy goes to talk to Murphy. 

Ash watches as various people do different tasks. She sits near the fire, watching everything. Her fingers wrap around her wristband, twisting it. Bellamy walk over.

"Do you think we can make safer tents?" he asks her. "In case the fog comes back."

"I'm going to need to see what we have," she responds. "Once we get more of a hunt, we can figure out how to tan hides. That could help." He nods his head. "You promise you're doing everything for a reason?" He nods his head once again. She lifts up her arm. "Then help me take this metal off."

He sits beside her and uses a knife to pry it open. She tosses the wristband into the flames, watching it burn away.