Bruised Beyond Beauty // John Murphy// The 100

Chapter 2: Banished

Darkness devoured the clearing, eating up any light, save a few burning torches as Ace slowly seeped back into consciousness. Though nothing had hardly changed, the forest looked warped and eerie in the faded moon light giving a sense of uneasiness.

"Charlotte! I know you can hear me! Come on out Charlotte!" Murphy's unmistakable voice rang through the air calling for the surrender of the 12 year old girl.

"Over here Murphy!" A small, terrified but nonetheless loud, voice screamed before a muffled shriek. Jumping to her feet at the sound Ace scrambles about the underbrush for several seconds before discovering her bow missing along with her quiver, leaving only a select few knives strapped to her hip.

I don't have time for this.

Ace thought frustrated before dashing off in the direction of the voice. Branches whipped at her face and caught in her braid, some snapping off in it, others pulling stands out of her brown tangled hair, leaving thick stands flopping from random places.
She ignored everything around her, only focusing on finding Charlotte, maybe if she stopped Murphy from getting to her she could save the little girl as well as saving Murphy from becoming a ligament killer.

"Bellamy! Let me go! Murphy!" Charlottes voice called out from a few yards away, causing Ace to sharply turn, and suddenly burst into the clearing where Clarke, Finn, Bellamy and Charlotte stand beside a cliff.

"What are you doing here?!" Finn exclaimed, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"What happened to your head? You're bleeding pretty bad." Clarke asked, the gash across Aces face prominent against her pale skin , leaving a thick trail of dark blood down the side of her face slightly mixing with her hair. Touching her face, Ace felt the thick liquid coat her fingers before more people burst through the trees.

"Hand her over Princess." Murphy shouted at the five cornered teens. Several people appeared in the tree line, all armed with knives and badly carved spears, obviously siding with Murphy.

Where were you twats when he was being hung?

Ace thought as they closed in around them. Bellamy stood keeping Charlotte behind his back, while Finn and Clarke stand in front of them pleading with Murphy to stop.
Ace turned to Murphy with a knife sitting in her fingers, silently threatening anyone of Murphy's gang. She was not a popular person, but her skills with a knife or bow were known enough to keep them a safe distance from the group.

As well as being a skilled shot, she was also a criminal, there were few people Ace would hesitate to hurt if they threatened her, people she cared about or an innocent. So when Murphy grabbed Clarke and held a knife to her throat, she didn't throw the knife, she didn't move a muscle.

Ace Jet hesitated to defend, and it was Murphy's fault.

"Murphy, please, stop this. What they did to you was wrong, be better than them!" Ace finally spoke up silencing the shouts between the groups.

"You're better than this." She continued as she slipped her knife back into her belt before putting her hands in the air in a surrendering gesture.

"I'm sick of listening to you talk!" Murphy shouted back at her as Clarke struggled in his grip, the jagged metal of his knife pressed firmly to her neck restricting most movement.

"I will slit her throat-" he continued with rage in his eyes before he's cut off by Charlotte.

"No! Please... please don't hurt her." She plead catching Murphy's attention.

"Don't hurt her? Okay, I'll make you a deal. If you come with me right now, I will let her go." Murphy offered, opportunity handsomely presenting itself to him, instantly setting Clarke off.