𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐈𝐈: 𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐒
𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐍𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐀'𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐍. The longer she kept running, the more her wound seemed to grow bigger. She wouldn't be surprised if her ribs would be showing at this point. The pain slowed her down, and she was quickly overtaken by the others, same as Octavia. Clarke stopped once to try and see if Jasper could still be seen. Finn had to drag her away, both of them now taking over the rear, Monty going first, then Octavia, then Maggie then Finn and Clarke.
They just kept running. They were worn out, and Maggie could feel herself swaying slightly, but she brushed it off. They continued sprinting until Monty tripped over. When he lifted his head, he and the others were disgusted to find a human skeleton. Octavia and Finn had to help the boy up.
"Who are they?" Finn asked quietly. Some birds cawed in the distance as Clarke picked up the skull.
Maggie made a noise of disgust, clutching her side. "Don't pick it up. It could have disease. You're supposed to be the doctor."
Clarke ignored her as the deformed skull that looked like E.T (Maggie loved that movie) stared at them with empty sockets. "What are they?"
"We are so screwed," Octavia breathed out. Suddenly a scream that sounded curiously like Jasper's filled the air. Clarke dropped the skull.
"Jasper," she murmured. "He's alive." She took off, the others following her.
"Oh, we're still running. Fantastic," Maggie panted, also following, just largely behind them. Finn tried to stop her, but she wouldn't be halted.
"Clarke. Wait. Stay under the trees." His advice stopped her. Or maybe it was the empty spot where Jasper had previously been that stopped her. "He was right there. No. Where is he?"
"They took him," Clarke said. Maggie ran up to them.
"Of course they took him. You don't leave lunch out in the open, do you?" Everyone looked at her incredulously. "What? We don't know what they did with him. Maybe they're cannibals."
"You need to start being more optimistic, Mags," Octavia sighed out. Maggie opted for a lazy smile.
"You know me, Via. Always one for the dramatics," Maggie panted. "Speaking of dramatics, I think I'm gonna pass out now." She leaned to the side as her eyes rolled into the back of her head, limp as a rag doll. Monty just managed to catch her.
"Maggie!" Clarke yelled out, rushing to her injured side. The blood was staining her yellow jumpsuit that she wore on the way down from the Ark. The blonde put two fingers to the older girl's neck. A faint thumping made her sigh in relief.
"She's got a pulse. Someone has to carry her," she announced. Finn was already putting his arm under her knees and upper back. Monty helped to hoist them both up, her head and other arm falling limp. Finn adjusted his grip, making her head fall against his chest and Octavia put her arm over her stomach.
"I'll do it." Meanwhile, Clarke and Monty helped Octavia walk better, the adrenaline wearing off.
The walk back was longer than the walk from the drop ship, and during that time, Magnolia had opened her eyes, although it hurt to move. She realised that she was being carried, and she angled her stiff neck to see her rescuer. She smiled slightly when she saw Finn's chiselled jawline above her hair.
"My hero," she whispered hoarsely. Finn's eyes darted down to hers, and he smiled back.
"Evening, flower. Keep your eyes open. We're almost home."
Maggie hummed. "Home." She head thumped against his chest again, but she did as he asked and didn't close her eyes. She just took in all the green around her, the sound of arguing filling her ears. Clarke darted forward, most likely to stop a fight, while Finn and Magnolia hovered near the back. She was more awake now, insisting that she could walk.
Bellamy heard the weak voice of Maggie and the amused tone of Finn as he helped Octavia down from the small step, her leg obviously causing discomfort. He looked and saw Maggie pushing his chest away.
"You'd lose a fight to an ant, Maggie. You aren't walking anywhere," Finn chuckled. Maggie pouted.
"I'll have you know, ants can sting. Of course I'd lose a fight to ant, now let me walk."
A pang of something made Bellamy frown at their interaction. He ignored it and addressed Clarke.
"Where's the food?"
Finn grunted. "We didn't make it to Mount Weather." He set Magnolia down on a rock, keeping a hand on her back in case she fell. Clarke instantly flooded to her side.
"What the hell happened out there?" Bellamy demanded. His emotions were running high, what with Octavia and Maggie hurt on their first day here.
"We were attacked," Clarke answered, Wells immediately becoming concerned.
"Attacked? By what?"
"Wasn't a 'what', love," Maggie ground out. She stared the dark boy straight in the eye. "It was a 'who'."
Finn continued for her. "Turns out, when the last man from Earth died on the ground, he wasn't the last Grounder." Clarke nodded.
"It's true. Everything we thought we knew about the ground is wrong. There are people here-"
"People who didn't like when a scrap piece of metal burst into their atmosphere," Maggie muttered. She had perked up considerably well, noting that maybe running with a wound in your side was not the best idea in the world. Finn's hand left her back, replaced but the larger and more calloused one of Bellamy's. She smiled up at him. He didn't smile back.
He was too busy noticing the large red spot that stained her otherwise yellow jumpsuit. It was about the size of one-and-a-half handprint, stretching from just below her armpit to the bottom of her ribcage. For the most part, that only seemed to be the blood. They wouldn't know the size and intensity of the wound until they cut open her jumpsuit.
The thought made Bellamy blush. He cleared his throat and caught the last part of Clarke's speech, the previous part being drowned out by his thoughts of Maggie. He managed to focus in just as Wells addressed him about the wristband. He simply raised a brow.
"How many?" Clarke seethed. He didn't answer. Murphy did.
"Twenty-four and counting." He was smug for someone who set fire to a guard's quarters. Maggie narrowed her eyes into slits at him. Stupid.
Fortunately, Clarke felt the same way, hissing, "You idiots. Life support on the Ark is failing. That's why they brought us down here. They need to know the ground is survivable again, and we need their help against whoever is out there." There was stunned silence.
"If you take off your wristbands, you're not just killing them," the blond kept going, "you're killing us."
Bellamy spoke next, his low voice booming through the small camp. "We're stronger than you think." He turned to the crowd. "Don't listen to her. She' sone of the privileged. If they come down, she'll have it good. How many of you can say the same? We can take care of ourselves. That wristband on your arm, it makes you a prisoner. We are not prisoners anymore!"
Cheers met his words, and he continued.
"They say they'll forgive your crimes. I say, you're not criminals. You're fighters. Survivors. The Grounders should worry about us!"
More cheers. Maggie rolled her eyes. He was being cocky, but at least he gave a good pep talk. Her side stinged again, and she winced. Monty noticed, and quickly pulled her up with an arm around her waist. Clarke smiled reassuringly at her.
"Let's get you looked after."
"Oh, good," Maggie said sarcastically. "I was worried I'd have to endure yet another speech."
"Hey, don't diss my speeches," Clarke returned, a smile playing on her lips.
⊰❃⊱
𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐈𝐄, 𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐀 𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐓-𝐒𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐒, 𝐒𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏, 𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐔𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓. She wanted to go on the trip to rescue Jasper. Unfortunately, she and Bellamy had been arguing about it for a few minutes now.
"Oh, come one, Bluebell, you and I both know that I'll be fine."
"Nope. Out of the question. Besides, you're creative skills are needed here, to make weapons and other supplies we may need."
"Oh, yeah? Like what? Reed baskets?" Magnolia knew she was pestering him, but he was surprisingly civil and patient with her. He simply crossed his arms.
"No."
"Dammit," Maggie muttered. Bellamy swallowed back a laugh. He knew how much she hated to lose. She huffed.
"Fine. I'll make the weapons," she grumbled, pouting and crossing her arms. Bellamy smiled triumphantly and kissed her head. This was the normal for them. Displays of affection that confused them as a couple, when instead they were just friends.
"Thank you, Magazine. You are the best."
"Yeah, I know." With that being said, he joined Clarke and the others that agreed to go on the expedition. Monty came up behind her.
"Clarke left you too, huh?" he asked.
"Actually, it was Bellamy. But I guess he does have a point." Maggie grinned. "I'm awesome at making weapons."
Monty raised his brows. "You make weapons?"
"Yeah. I was quite creative. I helped his mother with sewing, too. I enjoyed it." And she really did. She and Aurora had spent many an afternoon together before she was floated. When she died, Maggie 'inherited' her sewing supplies, so to speak. More like she was given the supplies after Bellamy had announced that he didn't want it. That was no problem. She was like a hyena, taking anything leftover.
"That's quite a useful skill to have here on the ground," Monty praised. He thought for a moment. "Do you need any tools to help?"
Maggie smiled at the boy. "Don't worry, Monty. I'll make those too."
Soon, she was leaning over a large boulder she had dragged next to the fire, a self-made hammer in one hand, and scalding hot piece of drop ship metal in the other. She lay the fiery red metal ion the rock with a gloved hand as she beat it into shape with the hammer she had in the other. Her clanging mingled with the chatting and laughter of the other residents that built the wall. A sort of fence to surround them and keep out intruders. She quite liked the solitude that the weapon-making gave her. It helped her to think.
After she was pleased with the design, she put it into the bucket of water that sat on the opposite side to the fire, sizzling as it cooled down. She waited a couple seconds for it to completely settle down, taking it out and tapping a few times on the boulder she previously hammered it on, satisfied when it didn't bend or break. She wiped on her t-shirt, taking another small stone and 'sanding' it, fining out the edges and making it sharper. Footsteps distracted her for a moment and she lifted her head to meet eyes with John Murphy.
"Johnnie-boy, how can I help you?" she asked sarcastically. He rolled his eyes.
"I just wanted you to know that the first knife you finish will be mine."
Maggie narrowed her eyes. "Ask nicer, and maybe I'll consider it."
He grumbled. "Please can I have the first knife?"
She was silent, putting a finger to her chin and tapping it a couple times, feigning her thinking face. She sighed dramatically. "Oh, fine. If you must."
"Thanks?"
"Don't thank me." She took another stool she had made - literally just a sharp stone on a stick - and carved his initials into the inner hilt of the knife. J. M. She looked it over to make sure that it satisfied her, and she grinned when it did. She flipped it over in her hand, handle toward Murphy.
"Here you go. You're just in luck. I just finished it," she announced innocently. Murphy took it and smirked.
"You're good at weaponry."
She shrugged her shoulders and fluttered her eyelashes. She probably looked like she was having a seizure judging by the look on the boy's face. "Just a talent, I guess."
"Right." Murphy drew out the 'i' in the word. He smirked again and sauntered away. Maggie's grin immediately dropped and she fake gagged, putting her finger in her mouth. A couple of girls giggled behind her back. Maggie grabbed another piece of metal and began making that into another weapon. Maybe, since it was a bit longer, it could be made to be a dagger instead of just a knife.