─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
JUNE HAD YET TO FACE A GROUNDER. She's heard enough horror about them from Clarke, Octavia, and Monty after Jasper was speared in the chest for only crossing a border. She wanted peace as much as the next person, believed that with enough caring energy, that Earth could be a better place. But she was positive that the grounders didn't see it that way. If they had survived this long through the radiation, generation after generation growing to adjust to their newfound culture of savage instinct. Bellamy wanted them to be soldiers, and despite the weapon's handle gripped tightly in her hand, June knew she was only a delinquent with a mind full of love for technology.
Coming face to face with old, rotten bones hanging off trees didn't ease June's suspicions about the grounders. She had to cover her mouth for a moment, disgusted and frightened at what had to have been a warning from the grounders. "What is this?" She spoke up, lowering her hand and glancing at Bellamy briefly.
Finn stared at the bones in disbelief. "I don't speak grounder... But I'm pretty sure this means keep out," he stated.
From behind them, a few delinquents start to mumble in shock from the frightful sight and back away, deciding to leave. June considered joining them, nearly stumbling back over her boots, knowing that it was smarter before remembering who deeply she was. She flicked her blonde hair over her shoulders, clenching her round jaw. Bellamy took the lead, puffing his chest and speaking in a firm, brave tone. "Go back if you want," he told the others. "My sister, my responsibility."
June watched, silent for a moment, as Bellamy stormed past the hanging bones and through the trees. She turned her head from Finn to Jasper before shrugging despite the ball of fear she was feeling. "Well, living's overrated anyway," she muttered, voice laced with sarcasm before acting as brave as possible and following Bellamy past the warning sign. June shivered at the feeling of the ancient bones dragging across her while pretending she couldn't hear Finn and Jasper talk about walking through hell.
Although, hours later, June wasn't sure which was worse. Walking aimlessly through the woods, leaving her feet aching and eyelids heavy from lack of sleep, or the terror that grounders have been watching their every move and were waiting for the perfect minute to strike. She pushed the thoughts out of her head, knowing that when she worried or scared, that she became sloppy and risked her life. Instead, June clenched the weapon until her knuckles turned white and ignored every warning emotion she was feeling.
From where Finn crouched, studying the mud with his forehead creased in concentration before shaking his head. He rose to his feet, facing Bellamy with an apologetic expression. "I got nothing," he said, defeated. "We lost the trail."
"Keep looking," Bellamy ordered.
"Bellamy," June cut in, almost scolding. She didn't want to say that there may be no hope that they could find Octavia, but they at least had to think logically. "It's not safe out here. Be smart about this-"
Before June could finish, Bellamy turned, staring at her with dark and frigid eyes to cut her off. "I am being smart about this." He moved once more, rushing ahead first again.
Rolling his eyes, Finn held his hand towards Bellamy in defense to keep him cool. "Wandering around aimlessly isn't the way to find your sister," he pointed out. "We should backtrack-"
"I'm not going back," Bellamy interrupted harshly.
June tore her eyes away long enough to notice Roma staring around them nervously, searching for someone. "What is it?" She questioned her, urging to speak up.
"It's John," Roma responded, her eyes squinting before looking back to June. "Where is he?" Mbege, June remembered, turning her head to scan the trees as if he would pop out, safe and sound.
The worrying caught the others, especially Jasper, whose deep-rooted fear of the grounders settled in. "I just saw him a second ago," he whispered.
"Spread out," Bellamy demanded, finally calmed down enough. "He couldn't have gotten that far."
June was prepared to back up, walk through the trees to find Mbege, that is, until the trees shuffle and a heavy weight falls. It hits the ground, hard, and her breath hitches in her throat at the sight. It's Mbege, still, with a deep slash across his throat. His eyes are wide as if he was terrified, open and staring into nothing. A breathless gasp made its way out of June's mouth, staring in shock and unable to look away.
Bellamy and Finn had ran towards the body as if there was a chance the poor kid could be revived. Finn's head tilted back, staring at the top of the tree Mbege had fallen from. "They use the trees," he said, panic rushing through.
"We shouldn't have crossed the boundary," another delinquent of the small group said, backing away from the tree and Mbege's body.
"Now can we go back?!" Roma exclaimed, pleading with Bellamy, who June even noticed looked scared. It was the first time she saw the emotion on him, but before she could bring him back to their reality to make a decision for them, a black figure ran past the corner of her eyes.
Beginning to curse under her breath, June stared in the direction she swore she saw it in, but it was long gone. Jasper nudged her before pointing to the other side with his weapon. "There. Right there." June followed the point, her brown eyes widening at the sight of a tall figure. They were dressed from head to toe in black, holding a weapon. They were frozen in place, just staring at them.
"Another one!" Diggs says, pointing at another direction.
June couldn't move, not too even look, unable to tear her current stare with the grounder, until Finn offered some wise advice. "We should run."
"Great idea," June whispered under her breath, finding the feeling in her feet again. She began bolting in the opposite direction, so fast her legs ached with each pump and her lungs begged for air. She only moved quicker, making her sprints zigzag like alike to the others, knowing it was harder to hit a moving target for them than a still one. June was growing out of breath quickly though, hopping over slopes and stones, doing her best to keep her speed the same but she was growing unsure of how long she could keep this up.
However, each jump June took seemed to be nothing compared to the grounders chasing them. They were faster, on their heels, but still not making moves to attack. She wasn't complaining, but the air lacking was making it too hard to think. From behind her, Jasper was slowing down, panting. "I can't run much longer!" He called out.
"I'm not stopping for him!" Diggs retorted loudly, running past them.
Suddenly, in front of June, Bellamy came to a pit stop. June slid, narrowly catching herself as she slammed into the hard of his chest, struggling to catch her balance before she could knock them both down. "What the hell are you doing?!" She exclaimed, nearly shoving him in encouragement to keep running. "Go!"
"I'm sick of running," Bellamy declared, bold, as he pulled his weapon out of his belt. "They know where she is."
While Finn, Monroe, and Jasper stopped their running to join Bellamy, Roma and Diggs haven't. "No! Wait!" June shouted along with Finn, watching in horror as the grounders chased them instead. They couldn't leave them alone, no matter how terrorized they were. Fighting through the tiredness, June started running again with the other three, but it didn't take long for her to come to a skidding stop.
Diggs was barely a foot from June, and any further step, she would have ran into him. His body was pierced with spikes sticking out of a wooden board, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. Her jaw dropped, knowing from the cold look, he was gone within the minute he left them. "They were leading us here," Jasper said from behind her, unsteady. "It's the only direction we could run in."
"Hey," Finn said, turning to Bellamy. "Where'd they go?" Tearing her stare away from Diggs, knowing he was referring to the grounders, June scanned the area around them but didn't see any dark shadows watching them.
Bellamy responded as he looked in the distance. "After Roma." He didn't spare a second after, taking off to where Roma had went.
"Wait!" June shouted, ignoring the heavy pain in her feet and bolting quickly after him. "Wait for us!" She desperately kept her eyes on the back of Bellamy's head, keeping up with every step he made through the grass to find Roma.
Bellamy slowed before coming to a stop and June stumbled, panting before stopping beside him. "What are we waiting for?" She mumbled, seeing he was squinting at a specific tree, clutching her chest as if it would help catch her breath but caught the sight when picking her head up. The back of Roma's head was seen just in front of the tree, but she was completely still. "Is she-?"
"Roma!" Monroe shouted once she was close enough. There was no movement.
June hesitates in following her group in approaching Roma, but forces herself to do so, already putting the pieces together. Her heart sinks when she realizes she is right; Roma is pinned to the tree with a long spear sticking out of her chest. This time, June can't help the tears pooling in the corners of her eyes, unable to believe they've already lost so many in these past few days.
With a shaking hand, Bellamy reaches up and brushes his hand down Roma's face, shutting her eyes out of respect. "She only came because of me." His voice cracked at the end.
Shaking her head slowly, June tugged at the cuff of his jacket to force his attention away. "It's not your fault, Bellamy," she whispered comfortingly, knowing he didn't believe her by the way he looked over his shoulder with a kicked puppy expression.
Drawing in a deep breath, Finn forces out sad words. "They're playing with us. They can kill us whenever they want."
He was right, June had to know. Killing them off one by one was just a game to the grounders. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Jasper began to scream, angry or terrified, she didn't know. "Then they should get it over with! Come on!"
"Jasper!" June shouted, rushing over to try and stop him. "Be quiet!"
"We know you're out there!" Jasper continued to scream in a challenge to the grounders. "You want to kill us!"
"Bellamy!" Monroe shouted over Jasper, wildly pointing far away to where a grounder stood. Jasper's screaming ceased when he spotted the attacker, and now, June was sure she could feel her heart close to pounding out of her chest. There were more, she could see, prepared to come at them from all sides. Running wasn't an option. Her grip on her weapon tightened and she narrowed her eyes, prepared to fight if she had to when everything came to a stop.
A horn was blowing in the distance. June straightened, recognizing the noise immediately from her trip to retrieve seaweed for Jasper. The grounders surrounding them equally understood it, and she observed as they took off, forgetting about their targets. "That horn," Jasper said, visibly more calm, except for the edge. "What does it mean?"
"That's what I heard before the acid fog," June answered slowly, realizing the trouble they were stuck in. They were in the middle of the woods, no direction of any close shelter to take cover in. She turned, dreading it, but knowing they didn't have many options. "We have to run, now."
The suggestion flew over Finn's head as he knelt, reaching in his bag and pulling out what looked like a tent made out of a parachute. "There's no time," he stated.
It didn't take long to situate them underneath the cover, very hot and uncomfortable. June was laid on her chest in-between Bellamy and Monroe, holding onto the cover to keep them sheltered. She wasn't sure how much time has passed, but she was getting cramps in her muscles from the closeness and stillness. "This sucks," she finally whispered.
"Is dying in an acid fog, better?" Bellamy retorted, hiding his amusement behind his rough and low voice. June fought the urge to nod her head with a sarcastic remark that yes, suffocating in acid fog was better than suffocating here.
"How long are we supposed to wait?" Jasper whispered.
"Will this even work?" Monroe added.
"We'll find out," Finn responded shortly.
Having enough of the chatter, Bellamy let out a heavy sigh. "No, we won't." He lifted the end of the tent, poking his head out before ripping it off. "There's no fog."
June blinked a few times, unsure if he was right as she lifted the corner. Sure enough, Bellamy was truthful, and there was no poisonous yellow fog about to swallow them up. "Then what was the horn for?" She questioned curiously, rising to her feet. The grounders seemed too smart, and wouldn't have blown it for nothing.
"Maybe it was a false alarm," Finn suggested, shoving the tent back in his pack.
Bellamy's head tilt and his dark eyes widen at the sight of a moving figure. "They're coming back," he declared, setting June on guard once more. However, this one didn't seem to notice them, as he was running in the other direction. "He doesn't see us," Bellamy caught on. "I'm going after him."
"And what?" Finn asked. "Kill him?" June didn't want to argue with it, but her gut feeling told her it wasn't the best idea.
"No," Bellamy said calmly yet coldly. "Catch him, make him tell me where Octavia is, then kill him."
June sighed. "How do you even know he has Octavia?" She pointed out, but Bellamy was already jogging after the grounder. She didn't want to, but she knew she couldn't let him go alone. She looked down at her weapon, scared, but making her decision and following after him, into what could be a trap.
If where the grounder was heading was a trap, June hoped they'd get it over with. She was tired of being in the woods, without sleep for nearly a full twenty-four hours, and knew she was too weak to defend herself if they were. But Octavia was still missing, and Bellamy wasn't close to giving up, and June knew she couldn't leave him alone in the woods. But an open and dark cave was close, and after watching the grounder head inside a cave. Bellamy held up his hand, barely audible in the dark, but giving them the signal to wait.
June kept her boots planted in the dirt, crouched in preparation until Bellamy motioned for them to follow him inside. June was right behind him but heard a soft female voice from inside. "Bellamy?"
"Octavia," Bellamy breathed out, relieved. June could have cried in relief as she stepped through the muddy cave, glad to see Octavia alive. She seemed wounded, but she was alright. Bellamy was rushing to get the key to uncuff her from the wall, ordering Monroe to watch the entrance. "It's okay," he said, his voice gentle in a way that June hadn't heard it. "You're okay." Once she was free, she was throwing her arms over her brother and hugging him tightly. June couldn't help but smile at the sight of the Blake siblings sharing a warm moment.
"How did you find me?" Octavia asked, limping towards the others and pulling Jasper into an embrace next.
"Followed him," Bellamy answered, nodding to the unconscious grounder that June hadn't noticed. She was a bit surprised, figuring it was Octavia who took the strike but said nothing about it. She was caught off guard when Octavia hugged her next though, but relaxed quickly, returning it with her arms hung tightly around her waist.
"I'm glad that you're okay and all," June began, slowly releasing Octavia. "But we should get back to camp."
Octavia nodded quickly in agreement. "Now, before he wakes up."
But Bellamy was already moving to a wall of weapons and grabbing a long stick, a dark look taking over the soft one he once held. "He's not gonna wake up."
"Bellamy, stop," Octavia begged. "He didn't hurt me. Let's just go." As her pleads were left ignoring, Finn knelt beside the unconscious grounder, picking up a wooden object June didn't couldn't see past him.
"They started this," Bellamy argued. Too exhausted to argue, June backed up. She knew it was useless to fight with Bellamy and his stubbornness anyways, even if she disagreed. "Finn, move," he ordered.
Paying no attention to Bellamy, Finn turned the object around in his hand before whispering; "Foghorn..."
All of a sudden, the grounder was rolling over quickly. June could hardly see the silver glimmer of a blade before it's piercing Finn's chest, forcing him to fall over and shout in pain. "No!" The shout tears from June's throat as she falls to her knees beside him. Thinking back to Clarke and using any helpful nursing skills she was told when caring for Jasper, she stared at the handle. They can't pull it out... And that's about all she knows.
Echoes of Bellamy and Jasper fighting the grounder bounced off the cave walls but June desperately tried to catch her breath, knowing she couldn't figure out a way to help him. "Finn, it's alright," she whispered, grasping his large hand and letting him squeeze it. "Stay with me, okay?" She continued, stroking her thumb over the back of his hand.
"Stop!" Octavia cried out, forcing June to pick her head up. "That's my brother!" The grounder who held the pointed stick at Bellamy's throat suddenly stopped but had fallen over, revealing Jasper behind him with a heavy weapon that he knocked him out with.
"We need to get him back to the dropship!" June urged the others to hurry. "Clarke can help him there." At least, she hoped.