WARNINGS: swearing, violence, sexual tension, dirty talk.
After sundown, everyone files out of the drop ship. Someone said the fog was gone and we were all eager enough to believe them. I watch Clarke rush past me and up to Jasper with a red plant in hand. I really hope she saves him or John won't let me hear the end of it. He's off with Bellamy who seems to be threatening him. I really don't understand their dynamic.
I ignore the pair, walking outside the makeshift wall and to Wells. He's digging a grave next to the other two. Apparently, two guys died when we landed so he buried them. But there's another one.
"Who was it then?" I ask, sitting at the heads of the graves.
He looks up at me. "Am I allowed to talk to you now?"
"As long as you don't say anything I don't like," I say, nodding. I'm barely able to look him in the eye.
"Atom," he replies, packing the soil firmly down.
"Never met him," I say, shaking my head.
"He was nice. He wasn't a dick to me which was surprising enough," he says, dropping the shovel and staring at the dirt.
"You know," I say, standing and brushing myself off, "I hate you. It's true, I despise every little thing about you. The only reason for that happens to be your father. And I'm sorry that I'm gonna be a dick to you but I can't be to him so you're my only option."
He nods. "Alright. I guess I'll be trying to avoid you then."
"Good luck with that," I reply, turning and walking back inside the wall.
As soon as I'm inside, John's grabbing my hand and dragging me forward. I would protest but he seems upset and I don't want to push him further. So, I let him pull me toward our tent and through the entrance. He zips down the door and then stands to face me, taking a long breath. He stalks closer to me with slow steps. He eventually reaches me, fingers coming under my chin to lift my gaze.
"Take off your clothes."
_•_•_
"Cam, can we talk?"
I look up from the axe I was building to find Finn standing behind the table I'm working at with a cautious expression. I nod, dropping the weapon on the table and following him to the wall. We go to where the graves are and I see another one joining the three. Clarke is kneeling in front of it with flowers.
"Who?" I ask quietly.
"Wells," he answers.
I look over at him, shocked. He only nods and I return my gaze to Clarke. "Well, I can't exactly say that I'm disappointed-"
"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asks, turning to face me.
"Listen, Finn, his father killed my mother. I tried to let it go but every time I saw him, it was like I was back with her when she was crying all over me and they sent her into space. I'm not happy that he suffered but I am glad that I won't have to look at him everyday," I say, shaking my head.
"Well, I was gonna ask if you'd talk to her but that's out of the question now," he says, frowning.
"Why would I be the one to talk to her?" I ask.
"Because you seem close enough and you're a girl and I'm not sure how to talk to her," he admits.
"Okay, we are not close so that was your first mistake. And if you wanna talk to her, just don't be too harsh. She's grieving and you don't want to say anything that'll make her more emotional. Which might be anything since she's a girl. Maybe just stick to good news and plan everything out in your head first," I advise, nodding.
"Thank you," he says, walking over to her.
I slip back behind the wall, searching for something to do. I catch John yelling at Connor and I frown. That isn't something I really feel like watching. So, I go to the drop ship. Jasper and Octavia are standing on the bottom floor. He looks infinitely better than he did yesterday.
"Hey, Mar," he says, smiling.
"Hey, Jasper," I respond. "What's going on?"
"We're gonna go for a walk," Octavia says, nodding.
"Well, have fun," I say, smiling and going to the ladder. I climb up it to find Monty in here. He's slaving over a couple wristbands. "What's this?" I ask, walking over and sitting across from him.
"I'm looking for a way to communicate with the Ark," he says, nodding.
"Can I help?" I ask, smiling a bit.
"Not unless you're handy with electronics," he says.
"Well, that was the only class I failed so I guess I'm the wrong person," I say, shrugging.
"Do you mind just staying here with me?" he asks, meeting my eyes.
"Sure," I say back.
Clarke climbs up the ladder, walking to us quickly. She offers her wrist to Monty without a word and he nods, staring to tinker with it. I know I said I would stay but Clarke won't look me in the eyes and I have a feeling whatever I say will be taken the wrong way.
"I'll be going then," I say, walking to the ladder and descending it.
I walk out of the drop ship and find everyone working. I really don't feel like manual labour right now. So, I stalk to my tent and go inside it. I zip it down and sit on the mattress, laying back.
Was I wrong to tell Wells all that yesterday? It was all the truth but I wonder if I knew he would die, would I have held back? I really hope I would because someone definitely doesn't deserve their last conversation to have the words "I hate you" in it. Maybe John is right. About everything. Maybe it's better to approach life with extreme caution and self loathing. That's when I hear the shouts.
I stand, grabbing my sword and walking out of the tent. A crowd has gathered and they're all shuffling unevenly into the woods. I follow them at a jog as they stop at a tree. I try pushing through but it takes a couple seconds. Once I'm in the middle, I see Clarke in front of me, Bellamy in front of her, and John strung up to a tree with a noose around his neck. Bellamy kicks the crate beneath his feet and he falls.
"What the fuck!?" I shout, ramming into Bellamy's chest.
He looks down at me with calm eyes. "He deserves this, Cam."
"What!? No!! Cut him down!!" I shout, reaching for my sword.
"He killed Wells," Bellamy says, grabbing my arms.
"He was with me all last night!" I yell, finally getting past him and swinging my blade at the rope.
He falls to the ground and I drop my weapon, kneeling next to him. The first thing I do is pull the noose from his neck and examine the bruises. The next is untie his hands and take the gag from his mouth. I sit him up against the tree and make sure he's alright.
"I'm fine, sweetheart," he says, frowning weakly.
"Like hell you are," I respond, poking one of his bruises so that he winces.
"Cam."
I turn to find Clarke staring at me. I roll my eyes as I turn back to John. "What?"
"Jasper found this," she says, dropping a knife with John's initials on it. "He found it with two of Wells' fingers."
"I don't know what to tell you. We were together all night and I would've woken up if he left since I'm a light sleeper. It wasn't him," I say, shaking my head.
"Then who?" Clarke asks, stepping closer to me.
"Me."
A little girl steps forward out of the crowd, a scared expression on her face. Bellamy wastes no time in grabbing her hand and pulling her back to camp. Everyone manages to follow.
"Oh, hell no," John says, standing and following them.
"John!" I shout after him, grabbing his arm.
He pulls out of my grasp, storming in through the walls. "She deserves to suffer like I did, Cam."
"She's just a girl, John," I say, following him to a tent that everyone is crowded around.
"A girl who murdered someone," he says, stopping in front of the entrance.
I move in front of him, hands on his chest. "You didn't care about Wells. Why are you so insistent on killing her?"
"Because they seemed okay with it when it was me," he says, shaking his head.
"Give me a minute," I say, entering the tent just to have Bellamy's gun pointed at my head. "It's just me."
"Just you? You're Murphy's girl, he clearly sent you in here," Bellamy says, not dropping his aim at my forehead.
I grab his wrist, putting pressure on the right points so that he drops the gun. I catch it before it drops to the ground, aiming it at Bellamy's head before lowering it. I shift my stance, noticing Finn has been in here the whole time along with Clarke and the little girl.
"You need me. And lucky for you, I wanna help," I say, nodding.
"Why?" Finn asks quickly.
My gaze turns to the child. "You're just a girl. Sure, you're a murderer but you're just a girl."
"We'll split up. Finn, Clarke take Charlotte. Cam and I will lead them elsewhere," Bellamy says, opening his hand for his gun.
I place it in his palm. "See you on the other side."
We all sneak out the back of the tent and head in opposite directions. I walk fast since I know they must already be following. I also remember to keep my guard up since the Grounders (as the others have called them) must be watching us closely. My feet are silent on the leaves, calculated. There are shouts after about twenty minutes of walking. I start to run but I'm pressed against a tree with a forearm to my neck. John looks at me with wide, angry eyes.
He frowns. "Really, toy?"
"Really," I say as he drops me.
"Don't you think she deserves this?" he asks.
"I think she's a child!" I shout, throwing my hands out to the side.
"And you don't think it was wrong to hang me?" he asks, dipping his head down.
"Who cut you down from that tree?" I ask, crossing my arms over my stomach. "She's a killer but she's a fucking child, John. You're really gonna kill her?"
"They had no problem killing me," he says, shrugging.
I step closer to him. "I'm not gonna let you."
He moves closer too. "You can't stop me."
"Who says?" I say, resting my arms on his shoulders and putting my body against his.
He breathes a laugh, looking down. "Sweeth-"
I cut him off with my mouth on his. My hands tangle into his hair as I push him backward and into a tree. His hands are hesitant on my waist but I pull him closer, making his decision easier.
"Cam-"
"Fuck me, Daddy," I say, trailing my lips down to his jawline.
"Jesus, why are you doing this to me?" he asks.
"I just want you," I whisper to his neck, hands travelling from his neck to his chest.
He's swift. His hands grab my waist tightly, spinning me around and planting my back against the tree. He looks like he's about to do something but decides against it. His eyes are on mine, switching between them quickly. He's backing away, shaking his head.
"John, wait-"
"No, Cam. I have to do this," he says, eyes pained as he jogs into the trees.
WORD COUNT: 1972
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