DISCORDIA

[ 17 ] bones break

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     The storm continued to beat down on them in a merciless deluge, banging and howling against the side of the dropship. Static could be heard from downstairs as Abby's crackling voice continued to guide Clarke on treating Finn. On a different day, she would have been ecstatic at the fact that they had finally contacted the Ark. Now only dried sweat and blood stained Jinny's hands as she sat down by the side, looking through an old leather bound book.

     Sprawling charcoal decorated its yellowing pages, illustrating various landscapes and objects. She stopped at a portrait of Octavia, impressed by its likeness. The Grounder strained against his restraints with a grunt of disapproval, earning a glance from the girl.

     "He likes to draw," she said, looking up at the others. "It'd be a shame if he lost a finger or two."

     "We're trying to get information, not mutilate him," Bellamy told her, pausing from his interrogation.

     "He didn't seem to mind when he almost gouged my eye out and stabbed Finn with a knife," her voice raised angrily with each word she spat out.

     "Okay, Jin, calm down." He held a hand out to her as if that would do the trick.

     "Hey, check this out," Miller called as he picked up a small rectangular tin in his hand. Bellamy went over to him and crouched down to examine the various vials wedged inside. "What is all this stuff?"

     Jinny joined them and bent down to pick a small glass bottle the length of her thumb and held it up to the light. The contents of crushed herbs shifted from side to side as she shook it.

     "Medicine," she answered. "Maybe even poison. We wouldn't know which."

     Bellamy turned his attention to the book instead, opening it to the page Jinny had left off. He stared at the drawing of his sister before his eyes flicked up with a withering glare at the captured man. He thumbed through the pages, complimenting on the quality of the drawings, before stopping on a page filled with rows of lines. An illustration of the dropship surrounded by their crude walls was next to it.

     "It's our camp," he said. "Guessing if I counted all those marks, it'll add up to 103. Ten are crossed out; that's how many people we've lost."

     He snapped the book shut and threw it back to the floor before getting up to approach the Grounder. Miller and Drew stood up as well, their eyes trained on Bellamy expectantly.

     "You've been watching us ever since we got here," he said. The beat up man continued to remain reticent, eyes stubbornly downcast to avoid their gazes.

     "He's not the only one." Jinny stomped her feet on the ground and jumped upright. "There was another kid, he had markings on his face like a wolf. I think he usually spies from the trees, reckon he'll try to save his sorry ass?"

     "We'll keep a look out for him too," Bellamy stated. That finally earned the Grounder's attention.

     "C'mon," Jinny smiled sweetly as she took a step forward. She placed a hand over the man's jaw, tracing her fingers along it to a point halfway between the chin and ear. She felt the small nodule of cartilage that housed the hypoglossal nerve bundle and squeezed it tightly.

     The Grounder gave out a sharp yell of pain.

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     "Octavia!" Bellamy rushed forwards to his sister who was kneeling on the ground. A thick set of chains were wound around her wrists as Bellamy picked up the key she had dropped to unlock her. Jinny stepped around the Grounder that was lying on the floor of the cave, looking around for any other signs of trouble.