Survivor ; 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥

006. ꕥ Six Year Changes

Out of the two people that I knew who had returned after six years, I was definitely most excited to have seen Clarke propelling down into the Second Dawn Bunker. Unlike Bellamy, Clarke was someone I was actually grateful to see alive and well. The blond and I might not have always had the most stable relationship, but that didn't mean I wasn't ecstatic to see her when she approached me, offering to change the bandage around my stomach wound.

It was sometime in the early morning, dusk having broken an hour ago, and I spent the entirety of the night helping people as best as I could. At one point during the night, when Ethan had begun yawning, tiredness catching up with him, I asked Callan to take Ethan back into the bunker when it made so that we could return and insisted that he get some sleep himself. He had refused greatly, but after I told him I wanted him to stay with Ethan, Callan finally agreed, gaining the rest he deserved. I knew I wasn't going to get any sleep, so if I could let Callan get some, then I would.

Clarke and I were standing under what used to be an overpass between two buildings that were now crumbling, and the blond was taking the roll of white medical tape, wrapping it several times around my injury. When removing my old crimson-stained one that Callan had frantically done last night and inspecting the wound the size of my fist, she happily told me that she didn't see any signs of infection. She also said that didn't mean there wouldn't be one, but for now, I was in the clear, lucky that my wound only went so far in my stomach.

A sigh of relief escaped my mouth when I could finally put my arms down after Clarke was finished tearing off the remaining bandage and tucking it behind another layer around my torso to keep it in place. I looked up at Clarke with a grateful smile on my face. "Thank you." In return, I got a nod and a corresponding grin. "I'm happy you're alive, Clarke."

"You too." She replied, placing what was left of the roll of bandage in her coat pocket, moving to another person that was hurt during last night's events. People were scattered against the tunnel's walls, some on makeshift cots while others were on the floor — the attack injured many people and killed two. Clarke was checking a barely conscious man's head when she said, "Jo, I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye."

I merely shook my head where I stood. "Don't be. You didn't have a choice, and neither did I."

Hearing the bitterness in my words, Clarke turned to look at me stoically, signifying that she did indeed know what happened on the day of Praimfaya. "I know. It's just — I feel guilty."

"Clarke, don't feel guilty." I told her in an honest tone as she went back to the man, taking out the roll of bandage in her pocket and ripping a piece off to press to the man's forehead. "I'm glad you're here. But you didn't go to space, did you? So how did you survive?"

"No, I didn't go to space. I survived in Shallow Valley, the same valley Diyoza was talking about." She said.

"Damn, we should start calling you the cockroach." I mused, the two of us sharing a quick chuckle before I walked beside Clarke near the cot. "So what happened? Praimfaya just decided to skip over that valley?"

"No." Clarke sadly shook her head. "Not really. The radiation still went through, but the wave didn't damage any part of it."

I was trying to piece together everything in my head, a certainly puzzling look etching my features. "You survived because...?"

"Because I'm a Nightblood." Clarke finished, moving away from the man, and now we were more towards the middle of the tunnel. "Synthetically, I mean. It turned out the serum my Mom created in Becca's lab works."

"Oh." I drawled the word, a part in the back of my mind wondering what would've happened if we got that serum to everyone. "I can't believe you survived on earth for six years by yourself."