Burned | John Murphy [ON HOLD]

┋┊Six┊┋

"Ninety eight," Clarke corrected.

Maggie narrowed her eyes. "I was rounding."

"Hey, Clarke!" someone called from behind them. Wells Jaha, whom Maggie recognized from the Ark, was now standing next to the three of them. "Was I interrupting something?"

"Not at all," Clarke said spitefully. "We were just leaving."

Maggie could sense the tension between them, as could Finn, but they both remained silent, hoping everything could play out calmly.

"Woah, wait, Clarke! I just want to help," Wells said. "You'll need the extra manpower."

"When you find someone with extra manpower," she said, "let us know."

┋┊┋┊┋

Maggie went to search for more people to join the party for supplies, but it was surprisingly difficult. "Why should we help you?" they asked. "It's time to throw a party, not join a pointless search."

Eventually, Maggie gave up and returned to Clarke, Wells, and Finn. When she arrived, Wells was injured, and Clarke and Finn were already heading out. "They left without me?" she asked Wells. She was slightly angry at them for doing so; she wanted to get herself into the elites.

"They found more people," he told her. He was wincing in pain from his injury. "Besides, they wanted you here to help me."

"Help you with what?" she asked. "Killing the people who injured you?"

"We are not killing anyone," he said firmly. "This is not the Ark."

But it was exactly like the Ark. People needed order, and she could provide order. However, Maggie kept silent and nodded. "It's probably better that you didn't go with them," she told him. "You and Clarke aren't exactly on good terms, are you?"

"What do you know about that?" he asked.

"Nothing much," she admitted. "But the way she speaks to you compared to everyone else is a huge contrast. What did you do to her?"

"It's what I didn't do that hurt her," he said. "But there's no point talking about it now; the damage is done."

"The damage might be done, but talking about it might give you some peace," she told him kindly.

"I suppose you'd like to talk about the arson then. Might—how did you put it?—give you some peace."

Maggie nodded. "Touché."

Wells stood up, grimacing. Maggie helped him up. "Who did this to you?" she asked.

"Murphy," he told her.

Her face contorted angrily. "I'll make him pay for this—"

"No," he interrupted. "This is not the Ark."

"Maybe not, but injuring someone is still a crime, and crimes can not go unpunished."

"Let it go." There was something in his eyes that made Maggie pity him. Son of the chancellor, the man who put everyone down on the earth. He was probably going to be attacked again, not just by Murphy.

"Fine," she said. "I'll let it go, but only on one condition."

"Name it," he said.

"I guard you day in and day out as protection from future attacks. I will not allow this to happen again."

"Maggie, you don't have to do this."

"But I do."

┋┊┋┊┋

The group that went for supplies had been gone for a while now, and things around the camp were worsening. Bellamy Blake was taking control of the camp, and he recruited John Murphy and John Mbege to help him. Maggie scoffed at this and approached Bellamy about it later. "Blake, I know what you're doing here, and I need you to end this."

"End it?" he asked her. "I'm only just beginning."

"You're turning this camp into a dictatorship, and you're doing a lousy job at that," she told him. "Murphy and Mbege... the two most useless piles of shit on the earth. You can do so much better."

"You mean with your help?" he asked.

"Yes, with my help," she said. "I'm trained for this type of situation."

"Oh, and what is this type of situation exactly?" he asked. "I don't think Earth Skills class covered crash landing on a forgotten planet."

"I'm not talking about Earth Skills," she told him. "I'm talking about my guard training. I know you think you call the shots; and I'm all for it; but Clarke thinks she calls the shots too; and there can be only one leader."

"The people like me more," he said.

"But she's persuasive, and she's tactical."

"Am I not persuasive?" he asked. "I do believe this little thing can be very persuasive." In his hand, he held a gun that was pointed directly at Maggie's chest.

"You're not going to pull the trigger," she told him.

"And why do you think that?"

"The people won't follow a leader who has blood on his hands," she said. His expression faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained his cool stance.

He put the gun back under his shirt. "What's your angle?" he asked.

"I'll help you become the leader over Clarke," she said, "and you'll come to me before making any type of decision that potentially risks anyone's life. I also get command over our defenses and the order around here; the only person I am obliged to answer to is you. Think of it as a partnership, but you're the one who essentially calls the shots."

He nodded. "What's our first move?"

She smirked. "Get the people on your side."