Clarke was beside him, her voice soft yet firm. "Don't listen to them, you're going to be just fine," she reassured Jasper, though her eyes betrayed her own uncertainty.
I sat next to Monty, who was engrossed in his work. "Hey man, how are you?" I asked, trying to gauge his state of mind.
"Could be better, could be worse," he sighed, his attention never leaving his task.
Clarke excused herself to fetch water, leaving Monty and me with Jasper. When she returned, she brought troubling news. "The Grounders cauterized his wound. They saved him," she informed us, her voice a mixture of gratitude and concern.
"But they saved him to use as bait," Finn added, following Clarke into the room.
"The Garden of Eden's saint," I muttered, reflecting on the cruel irony of our situation.
Clarke turned to Monty, her tone urgent. "Any progress on using the wristbands to contact the Ark?"
Monty's silence was answer enough. His gaze was fixed on Jasper, lost in thought.
"That would be a firm no," he finally responded, his voice tinged with defeat.
Clarke's frustration was palpable. "My mother would know what to do," she huffed, her helplessness evident.
Wells joined the conversation, concerned. "How's he doing?" he asked.
Clarke's snapped response reflected the tension we all felt. "How does it look like he's doing, Wells?"
Wells attempted to defend his intentions, but Clarke was already moving into action. "Alright, you want to help? Hold him down," she directed.
Finn and I complied, securing Jasper's limbs as Clarke prepared a knife in the fire. The seriousness of the situation was not lost on any of us.
"Hold him still! I need to cut away the infected flesh," Clarke instructed, her voice steady despite the gruesome task at hand.
Octavia's sudden arrival and outcry added to the tension. "Stop it, you're killing him!"
"She's trying to save his life," I countered, defending Clarke's actions.
Bellamy's skepticism only fueled the fire. "The kid's a goner. If you can't see that, you're deluded," he said dismissively.
I couldn't contain my frustration. "Every life matters here, Bellamy. This isn't the Ark," I snapped, challenging his callous attitude.
Bellamy's response was cold and pragmatic. "If he's not better by tomorrow, I'll kill him myself," he threatened, revealing his willingness to make the hard decisions.
As he left, Monty muttered under his breath, "Power-hungry, self-serving, jackass."
Finn, however, surprised us all with his agreement. "Yeah, Bellamy is all that, but he also happens to be right," he said, causing a stir among us.
After Clarke, Wells, and Finn left, Octavia and I stayed behind to watch over Jasper. Monty was deep in his work, tinkering with a wristband, his focus unwavering.
The camp was suddenly abuzz with activity. "What's going on?" I asked a passing kid.
"A yellow fog just appeared; it burns your skin," the kid replied, his voice filled with panic.
Octavia's concern for her brother was immediate. "Kegan, my brother's out there," she said anxiously.
I tried to offer some reassurance amidst the chaos. "We're fine, we'll all be fine," I said, trying to calm her fears.