The 100: Ways To Survive

Chapter 17: Arrows

Murphy

Rose didn't cry for long, a few minutes. She quickly dried her eyes and then she turned to face us, all of us staring at her. Her face turned cold, her eyes still watery, but her face hardened. She walked in between Clarke and me, barging me as she passed. She didn't even look at me. I watched her walk towards a bench and saw her sit down, her legs open, her elbows resting on them and her hands in front of her mouth, like she was praying. Her eyes stared vacantly at the floor in front. I don't know what took over me, but my feet started walking towards her, and before I knew it, I was sat on the bench next to her. I examined her face, her blue eyes were watery and red and puffy. Her cheeks were also red with tears and on her left cheek was a little scar.

"I think you need training with knives," I sarcastically said in a joking manner and then smirked, she didn't reply. "I bet that's how you got that scar," I begun, my voice lighthearted, "tripped and fell. Should be more careful." Still silence. I looked over to my group, Octavia had picked out a sword and was preparing for the cuboid training simulator thing. Hagan was saying something, Clarke, Bellamy and Jasper were listening intently. Clarke had her arms folded, I kept seeing her glance back at me. Bellamy was watching his sister picking up numerous weapons. There were swords, axes, knives, bows, arrows, maces, nunchucks, and various guns, from shotguns to machine guns, from rifles to handguns, from snipers to flamethrowers. So Many weapons, makes you wonder how they obtained them.

I looked back at Rose, still vacant. "So," I begun, awkward and struggling for words, "what... um... the... what's...-"
"Struggling for words?" Octavia asked, with a raised eyebrow and battle axe in her hands, as she walked over and sat on the other side of Rose, "not like you, you usually can't shut up."
"Aren't you meant to be going in there?" I said, pointing over to the training simulator.
"Yeah, I am, I've come to say you're next," Octavia informed me and then she stood up, looked at us, and then walked back over to the simulator and entered.
"So," I begun again. What do I ask her? The locket? The breakdown? "So, well-"
"You only know how to shoot guns?" Rose interrupted me, taking me by surprise, she still didn't look at me.
"Um, yeah, I mean, Octavia can use other weapons, she doesn't like guns. But, yeah, I use guns. I can use knives, but not as good as you," I gushed out, stammering and stuttering. What's happening to me? I'm usually sarcastic and shit, now I'm struggling for words?

"I can use more than knives. I can shoot with a bow, I'm pretty good," Rose told me, her voice flat and monotone. Her eyes still vacant and looking ahead.
"No need to brag," I rolled my eyes, playfully. I then saw her reach into the neck of her jacket and pull out a golden heart-shaped locket. My voice became slightly serious, "Where did you get that?"
"Get what?"
"That-"
"Murphy!" I heard a voice shout and I turned my head to look at Hagan, Octavia was putting her battle axe back, and in the corner of my eye I saw Rose put the locket away.

"What?" I asked.
"It's your time to enter the simulation. Come and choose a weapon," Hagan told me.
"Can't it wait? I'm sure Bellamy wants put some bullets in the back of their heads," I groaned.
"Murphy, I-"
"It's okay, Hagan," Rose cut him off, "Murphy is still in bad shape from his... injuries, so I'm going to do some shoot practice with arrows. They should learn stealth kills. Guns aren't always useful."
"If you're okay with it, Bellamy, I guess you can train next," Hagan begun to say and then I tuned him out.

Rose stood up and led me to the targets. She picked up a bow and a quiver with several arrows, she put the quiver on her back. She raised the bow to her face, and placed an arrow. She pulled back the string and fired. Bullseye.
"You're turn." She stated and moved out the way. I picked up a bow and an arrow, I lifted the bow to my face, copying what she did, and then I released. It hit the wall behind it.
"Better luck next time," Rose mumbled.
"Sorry I'm not perfect like you," I grumbled.

Rose ignored my attitude and handed me another arrow, she came stood behind me and began moving my arms and bow into place, "Stand straight, don't slouch," Rose scolded me, "Keep your elbow straight and up here. When I tell you to let go, let go."
I waited for her command.
"Now!" Rose commanded me, and I let go, it wasn't in the head, or the chest. It wasn't in the stomach or even the leg or foot. I hit the dummy in the hand.
"Better," Rose said with a slight smirk.
I begun to snap "Give me a gun and I can-"
"But that's not stealth, everyone will be alerted. And I doubt you could chuck a knife. Besides, archery is a very good skill because you can easy make a bow an arrow, you can't make a knife."
"Whatever," I grumbled, rolling my eyes.