Bruised Beyond Beauty // John Murphy// The 100

Chapter 3: What the Morning Brings

"Where are you going Ace?" Bellamy's voice rang through the air calling my name.

Now is not the time, Bellamy.

"I need some space Blake. I just lost a few important people in my life." I reply tugging on the strap of my pack that hangs of one shoulder as I continue to walk away from the camp.
He doesn't reply or follow, knowing well that if I want to be alone, he'd best let me. But I'm not going to be alone, I'm going to find Murphy.

The forest looks different in the day, less threatening and eerie. Trees look greener and welcoming with the sounds of small forest animals scuttling through the leaves. My feet crunch softly on the dried ground as I find my way back to the clearing where I last saw Murphy, and moments later I find it.
An open clearing about 15 yards squared with a drop at the end of it appear on the other side of the tree line. A dark patch of grass catches my eye and I see dried blood covering the short grass.

Murphy.

A dark trail leads away from the patch of grass and back into the forest. Quickly I start to follow it and see signs of Murphy being there. A broken branch here, muddy footprint there, but always a constant trail of blood.

By midmorning I find him hidden under a tree that sits propped up under its roots as if it were sitting on a two foot high stool, leaving an empty space underneath, but still well hidden leaving only a hole at its base to crawl into. I see Murphy's slightly matted brown hair peaking slightly out of the entrance, unmoving. The only thing that lets me know he is alive are his heavy breaths, sounding as if he is struggling to get as much air as his lungs can hold. I've seen this before as an after effect of almost dying by Asfixiation.
My best friend used to do this after she almost drowned, I'm still not sure how she managed to do that since on the ark we have very little standing water and the most water we encounter is in our showers and drinking water.

I set my pack, full of supplies for Murphy, at the entrance of the tree, before collecting wood and setting up a fire a few meters from the entrance.
I gather herbs, berries and roots as Murphy sleeps for him to eat, but also to help patch up some of his cuts and bruises. In our Earth Sciences class, I always had a 4.0 average, I found everything about Earth fascinating, however this is not what I thought my experience would be like.

I pull out some meat I had saved last night in a bag for Murphy. I find a stick I had been whittling and impale the meat with it before setting it over the fire to cook. I don't think he's eaten in a while and if he has, he's weak anyway and it will help him gain his strength faster.
Eventually I get bored from doing mediocre tasks and by mid afternoon I have a huge pile of fire wood built up and stored under a tree with low hanging branches to keep it dry, a meal cooked, bandages and medicine made and stored in a dry container made from the drop ship, and now sit on a stone beside the fire whittling a hunk of wood into something I'm not quite sure of yet.
Dark soon overtakes the clearing and I keep the fire stoked as I sit beside it. I'm going to stay the night to make sure Murphy's okay. So as I sit, cold creeps in and I throw a few logs onto the fire before stretching out in front of it, letting its warm embrace seep into my skin. I keep my bow at my side and my knives and arrows (which I found in the grass where I was knocked out) strapped firmly to me, conscious of Grounders still roaming about. However, soon my eyes droop and I'm consumed by sleep beside the warm fire blazing at my side.

Groans catch my ears as I open my eyes scanning the clearing, my vision slowly adjusting to the dim light. I hear heavy breathing and what sounds like shivering coming from where Murphy lay a few feet away.
Quickly I throw a few logs onto the dimming fire, setting it roaring after a minute before I pull a thick blanket made from the parachute out of the pack. I creep closer to the opening where Murphy lay only to see his body shaking as he's curled into a ball, unaware he's putting pressure on his bruises, making him groan in pain. I slip the thick material over his body. However it doesn't take effect on him as its the same temperature as the rest of the clearing. An idea forms in my head as I take off my jacket, leaving me in a loose black t-shirt. I hold it out in front of the fire for a couple of minutes till its warm to the touch before taking it back to Murphy and laying it over his torso as I take the blanket off.
I hear him sigh in relief as he tugs the jacket closer to his body making him look like a child clutching its favorite blanket.
I hold the blanket up to the fire the same as I had done with my jacket, being mindful not to let it catch fire. Slowly it heats up and I know that it will be awhile before it cools off again. I ease my jacket from his grasp before quickly replacing it with the blanket, balling up my still warm jacket and slowly placing it under his head.
I sit by the entrance till I see Murphy's chest slowly rise and fall with ease, and all hint of cold gone.