Alive and in one piece - Jasper Jordan

01

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GETTING TO THE RIVER FELT IMPOSSIBLE. Malin had been running for the past hour it feels like but she continues to only see trees and bushes. They were all weirdly familiar to her but then again, she's stuck in a forest where a lot of these things are. 

Maybe she would come across Monty. It was still a possibility in the back of her head that she would find a body somewhere around the area. Malin tries to shake the thought off, she feels herself get sick at the thought of encountering her best friend dead. 

When she finally hears the sound of running water, she relaxes a little. Her feet hurt and her mind screams at her to take a break but if she does, she might not get to Raven in time. The amount of things that could happen at the moment make her worry again. 

She falls down next to the river, her hands immediately reach forward, forgetting everything about water snakes and Grounders. She touches the cold liquid and makes a cup from her hands so she can bring some water to her thristy lips. A branch breaks behind her, she grabs her machete and turns to the sound only to come face to face with a familiar Grounder.

"You scared me." She tells him, lowering her weapon. 

"I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention." Lincoln replies. Malin hums and turns back to the water where she continues to drink from. "I wanted to let you know that Octavia and I are going to the sea." 

"Octavia?" Malin asks, filling the bucket with water and standing up to face Lincoln.

"She got injured so it seemed like a good solution. Tell your people that she will be fine." Malin nods. She is about to walk past him when Lincoln grabs her arm and stops her from doing so. 

"What's wrong?" 

"You saved me before, let me do the same." Lincoln replies. "My people have no mercy, if you come across them, they will want you dead. Maybe you could save yourself by speaking Trig."

"Alright, I'm listening." Malin says, confidently. 

"Ai laik Malein kom Skaikru en ai gaf gouthru klir."

"What does that mean?" Malin asks, curiously.

"I am Malin from the Sky people, and I seek safe passage." 

"You remember my name, sweet."

"Octavia talks about you a lot." Lincoln tells her. Malin smiles. "Repeat. Ai laik Malein kom Skaikru en ai gaf gouthru klir."

"Ai laik Malein kom Skaikru en ai gaf gouthru klir?"

"Sound more confident." Lincoln replies. 

"Ai laik Malein kom Skaikru en ai gaf gouthru klir." 

"Good. It might save you." 

"Thank you, and good luck with Octavia--" Just then a bone shrilling scream comes from the other side of the river. Lincoln shakes his head at Malin.

"Good luck to you too, I gotta go." She waves him goodbye and watches as he runs away. Malin remembers why she was there in the first place and starts to return with the bucket of water. Her heart races in her chest, a small bit inside of her hopes everyone is alright.

"Ai laik Malein kom Skaikru en ai gaf gouthru klir." She repeats the sentence over and over until it's completely burned into her mind. She can't forget in case she comes face to face with unfriendly Grounders. Not that they would spare her life but you never know. 

A sudden strong burned yet terrible smell hangs in the air. Malin scrunches her nose, confused as to what that could possibly be. She holds her arm up to her nose to cover it but it doesn't do much, unfortunately. It smells as if a barbecue went terribly wrong.

When she arrives in camp, she realizes exactly why this is. There are many burned bodies all over the ground. She runs towards the dropship and pulls the curtain aside to see nothing. Emptiness. Malin frowns at the sight and puts the bucket down.

"Guys?" She asks, looking around the dropship and through every floor but there's no one left. Did everyone get taken? Did they all die? Did she come too late? "Hello?!" A slight panic takes over her. Malin walks back outside, the terrible smell isn't the worst thing she has to deal with anymore. "GUYS?!" 

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! 

Malin looks around, unsure of what to do. She feels her head get lighter. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. You got this. She didn't survive all this time just to panic, right? Something catches her attention. Writing on a wall. Malin walks over and squints her eyes to try and read it. 

Clarke
Please come home
22KM South/SW
                    Mom

Mom? Mom! Clarke's mom. Abby! Dad! Malin smiles softly. There's hope. She starts running. Her excitement pulls her through the woods quickly. She jumps over logs and stones and ducks under branches so she can get there faster. 

What if her dad really is still alive? She can't wait! Malin finally feels alive again, she feels like she might make it when something pulls on her feet and she falls to the ground. Her body hits the mud hard and she groans at the shocks of pain that rush through her. 

She rolls onto her back and sees a figure in a white suit come towards her. It looks very protected and the suit has a clear helmet so the person in it can see everything. Malin puts her hand on her dagger and pulls it out right when the man tries to grab her foot. She swings the weapon and cuts open the suit. The man, however, fights back.

Malin ducks down to avoid the hits but one sharp knock of the man's fist to her stomach makes her clam her arm in front of it and she groans out. Anger floods inside of her, this could be the same thing that has Monty. She swings her knife and stabs the man in the stomach, she grabs the helmet and pulls with all her strength until it comes off. 

Immediately the man seems to suffocate on air and he falls to the ground. Malin stares at the body of the seemingly dead man. She leans down and grabs her machete before pulling it out. She pants but instead of feeling bad, she feels rather numb. 

"Chon yu bilaik?"

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Written: 18/04/2023

Word Count: 1055