Taming Chaos // J.M // The 100

Chapter 25

The only break Ethan gets between the grounders blood fever and what's currently taking up his time was when he'd sat down with Murphy. That was it.

Now? Now Clarke's missing. 

Along with Finn and some kid called Myles.

It started like this; Some stupid kid thought disobeying Octavia and feeding the fire to the meat shack was a good idea; The whole thing burnt down, leaving them with no food; Hunting teams were put together to scavenge for more.

He can't help but think what if I was there to stop it? Because he wasn't. He'd swapped duties with Murphy, and watched the fire burn from his place at the armoury.

But when he saw Murphy going off at the kid who'd done it, he was a bit relieved to know the brunette didn't stand back and let it happen.

The hunting teams came back. 

Every one of them but Clarke's.

When Ethan was to join the supposed search squad, he received dirty looks from both Bellamy and Raven and was told to keep an eye on the people while they were gone, because "you seem to be good at that, Beckett. you kept an eye on Lincoln and Murphy, remember?" 

A bunch of idiots.

And here he was, helping those same people build landmines and place them around camp. Despite the fact that they had not only failed to bring back Clarke and Finn,

but they'd lost Monty on the way.

They'd managed to find the kid, Myles, but he's barely hanging on, a gaping wound in his chest. And Clarke isn't here to help him.

BANG!

Simultaneously, heads duck, searching for the bullet that'd shocked them all.

Ethan's eyes latch onto a kid in the upper-section, towards the tree where he's struggling to right the gun in trembling fingers. He can barely recognize his face in the darkness.

Bellamy's seen him too.

"What's the matter with you?"

"I- Sorry man, I fell asleep. I've been on watch all day." The kid steps back, shrinking under all the furious gazes but most of all Bellamy's.

Who grabs a fistful of his jumper, "We've all been on watch all day!" And slams him against the tree.

Huffing, Ethan meets eyes with a few other kids. All of which look terrified. The bags under his own eyes serve as proof to Bellamy's words.

"Blake, everyone here is trying their best, okay? In case you've forgotten, we're all common criminals, not soldiers." Ethan's stepping up beside them, but he keeps his hands to himself. He's learnt the hard way how vicious Bellamy can react.

Bellamy tightens his hold, "That bullet was one less grounder!"

"You're acting like making him shit-scared is gonna help him aim the gun. News flash, it's not." Ethan pulls the weapon out of the kid's hands and rests it against the tree, safety on. It makes an imprint in the dirt, soil tumbling onto Ethan's shoe.

"Bell, he's right. You're scaring people." Octavia pointedly looks out at the crowd.

"They should be scared!" Bellamy shoves away from the kid, turning around to jab a finger towards the forest. "The bomb on the bridge brought us some time to prepare but that time is up. The grounders are out there right now, waiting for us to leave and picking us off one by one when they do."

He drops his hand and takes a breath to continue, "Finn, Clarke and Monty are already gone. Probably dead. And if you wanna be next I can't stop you. But no guns are leaving this camp!"