"You are damaged and broken and unhinged.
But so are the shooting stars and the comets."
( the 100 ) ( season 1 ) ( book 1 of the hazel hudson series )
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THE SOFT CRUNCH of fallen leaves underfoot was the only noise present as the sullen group of delinquents made their way through the trees.
Hazel felt like a ghost, gliding forwards but not able to actually feel anything. All she had left was a strange numbness that had settled in her bones.
They had lost Atom, Trina and Pascal. Wells, and now Charlotte too.
The mechanic shivered lightly, and folded her arms over her chest. One taunting question replayed itself over and over in her mind.
Who's next?
It was less than a week ago that they had landed on the Ground, and already Earth had claimed a substantial amount of victims.
The realization was chilling.
But it also set a solid resolve in Hazel. Contacting the Ark was no longer just an option, it was detrimental; the very key to survival. There was no way in hell they would make it out alive without help from the rest of their people.
"Hey," Finn brushed up against Hazel, his shoulder continuing to bump against her as they walked. "Are you okay?"
"Not really," the mechanic mumbled.
"I didn't think so. But I don't think any of us are."
His gaze lifted and fell on the quiet leaders up ahead. Bellamy was farther away, his head bent low and a dismal frown settled on his lips. Clarke trailed a few feet behind him, her shoulders slumped in defeat.
"I just feel so helpless," Hazel explained. "Like why couldn't I have stopped all this from happening? Finn, if we would've gone with Wells to help him dig Atom's grave, we could've saved both him and Charlotte - "
"Stop it. Don't you dare think like that," the Spacewalker warned.
"It's hard not to."
—
Since sleep seemed to be impossible, Hazel had createda workspace on the drop-ship ramp. She set out dozens of fizzling wristbands, charred wires and other partially destroyed tech in front of her.
Quite frankly, it was overwhelming. And the noise outside didn't help.
The entire camp seemed to still be awake, buzzing loudly despite the fact that it was the middle of the night. News of Charlotte's death, and Murphy being outlawed had spread like a forest fire. Nobody could rest, not after all that. The nervousness and dread-filled excitement was burning fresh in their veins.
