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.𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄R THIRTY-TWO.
[32]. The Four Horsemen.
【 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 ONE】
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❝ ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ ʜᴇʀᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ
ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ ❞
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THE GROUP PREPARED and worked on the ship the past few days. They continued to figure out another way where their people and the grounders would be able to stay safe. Bellamy and Alexander continued to carry needed equipment inside and work with the group.
"Two meals a day for people working as hard as ours, we won't make any friends." Bellamy huffed as he carried two bins inside.
"Well if there's one thing our people understand it's rationing," Clarke responded as she helped the boys.
Alexander narrowed his eyes. "when the doors close, how many meals will everyone be eating?"
"It'll be one meal a day for the next five years."
Raven turned towards the group. "Yet one meal every other day." she paused as she climbed down the ladder. "hunting parties are cooking back with less and less. Thanks to your friend Niylah, we're preserving more meat than ever but it's still not enough."
"Well I and my best men can hunt," Alexander offered
"No," Raven shook her head. "We're good on meat but we'll still need water. And without a way to make water, growing our protein like we did ok the ark is not an option." she turned towards Bellamy. "remember that when we're starving."
Bellamy glanced at Raven. "I won't be starving, because I won't be inside."
"Yes, you will," Clarke argued
Alexander shook his head. "no, we're not. I and Bellamy talked about it already."
"Wait— you what?" Raven scoffed which was followed by her shaking her head before turning to Clarke. "Clarke, does that mean you made the list?"
"No. What about drinking water?"
Raven rolled her eyes. "Clarke. Don't change the subject. We need to know who's going to be on the inside of these doors when radiation comes."
"We don't need to know," Clarke responded whispering
Before Raven could argue a man on P.A. spoke out. 'We need some medical help at the front gate. Looks like we got some sick people there.' the four ran out the door and made their way towards the outside gate. As Alexander made it to the front with others following behind he pushed through everyone.
"Nyko? brother, what happened to them?" Alexander questioned as he kept his eyes on the sick girl in his arms.
"The sickness. We lost more than forty on the way."
That's when Alexander's eyes met Luna's, she started coughing badly and the boy scoffed. "Look what the cat dragged in."
Luna looked up and locked her eyes with Alexander's. "Ale, please don't turn us away because of what I did to you all."
Alexander's jaw tensed up, the boy turned towards Abby. "what's wrong with them?"
"Fever. Lesions, vomiting." Abby paused turning towards the group. "It's an ARS."
"what's ARS?" Bellamy inquired
"Acute radiation sickness."
Alexander turned towards the group as Abby talked to Luna and the others. Everyone could tell that by the look on the boy's face he would've left Luna to rot to death.
"What happened?" Raven questioned
Bellamy slightly chuckled. "Alex has a past with Luna."
"You guys dated?"
Alexander nearly gaged. "what? no. I—she was family."
"Was?"
"Mhm." Alexander nodded. "was."
"Let's get to them to Medbay," Abby announced to the group. As she interrupted their conversation. Alexander walked towards the dead body of the little girl and he crouched down.
"It's already here, Clarke."
Without another word, the group made their way inside. Alexander went back to training for the conclave as he prepared all he could do was take the anger out on a punching bag.
"Raven's looking for us," Bellamy said getting Alexander's attention.
The boy looked up and nodded as he grabbed his towel and made his way towards Raven and the others. Once he walked into the room Raven was sitting behind a bunch of computers.
"So Luna's rig is here, and if the fish in their waters are dying, well. Basically, we're screwed," She explained
Bellamy shook his head. "I don't understand. Alie said we have six months"
"We don't."
"Well. Then how long do we have?" Clarke asked
Raven sighed. "I don't know. It's hard to say. Radiation is dispersed by the jet stream and carried by ocean currents, so it's not an exact science, but the leading indicators are small species Die-Offs- Fish, insects. Based on the new data I'd say we have.." Raven paused. "two months of survivability. Maybe less."
"The Ark won't be ready," Alexander stated
Raven nodded as she turned around to face them. "It'll be close—why are you only wearing a towel?" she questioned Alexander who had no shirt on, except for a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Oh—I was going to shower but Bellamy told me you wanted to speak to us." He shrugged
Raven furrowed her eyebrows. "Okay. anyway, if we triply the man-hours and work around the clock, we should be able to achieve a hard seal before the black rain comes. We just have to decide who gets to live here."
"Raven. We're not talking about the list again," Clarke instantly responded.
Raven stood from her seat. "Clarke. We are running out of time. We have to make a plan for the day we close the doors, drill for it make sure only the survivors have guns, agree on protocols for dealing with the people who are pissed off they're not chosen. You asked me to be in charge of rationing, and I am doing it but choosing who gets to live or die is your specialty." Raven spat.
The three stood in silence until they heard the engine for the Rover.
"No one's scheduled to take the Rover."
With that, they ran outside once again to find Jaha being the one who started the truck.
Bellamy rolled his eyes and knocked on the door. "Out of the vehicle."
"I need to make a run," Jaha replied as he opened the door.
"All supply runs go through me," Raven snarked before raising an eyebrow. "And shouldn't you be working on the patch to sector five?"
Alexander gave Jaha a look and the man sighed and turned the engine off. Once he did he walked out of the car and shut the door. "A patch for a ship that only saves a hundred people? Why are you surprised? I am an engineer. We have no way to generate water. The harder number is 400. Can you really sentence 400 more of our own people to death—"
"We don't have a choice!" Clarke spat in annoyance, Alexander nudged her and the girl turned around as all eyes were on her.
"What if you do?" Jaha responded. "what if I told you there might be a fallout shelter less than a day's drive from here."
"We've been through the chancellor's files," Alexander sighed. "All the bunkers you considered for the hundred were listed as compromised or unviable. And now Mount Weather is, too."
"Those were government bunkers," Jaha replied as he turned around and opened the door to the rover, and handing the group a device.
Bellamy narrowed his eyes. "A doomsday cult?"
"That's right—the second dawn."
"They built a bunker?"
"Their whole theology was based on riding out the end of the world."
"And why didn't you consider it."
"We couldn't prove it existed"
"So why are you considering it now?"
"Because before now we didn't need it."
Alexander narrowed his eyes before jumping into the conversation. "you found it, didn't you? why else would you be telling us."
"We can't be sure until we check it out, smart boy," Jaha replied.
Alexander turned towards Raven and she instantly caught on. "No. No. No way. we need that river for hauling pieces of 3-ton patch we're building—"
"Raven if he's here, we don't need a patch." Alexander huffed
Raven took a deep breath in. "can I talk to you guys for a second."
Alexander rolled his eyes and after about two minutes of arguing with Raven, she let the three leave. But the boy on the other hand stood back, he didn't want to risk leaving Luna in the same place as raven. And he still wanted to train. As the boy continued to fight and punch the bag. At one point he began or acting with knives.
"hey, Alex—Woah!" John yelled as a spooked out Alex threw the knife at John but luckily missed. "holy shit you samurai"
Alexander chuckled. "I'm sorry, Murphy. what's up?"
"Nothing. Just wanted to know why your girlfriend is so..mad." John shrugged taking a seat on the bench.
"She's just stressed, I guess." The boy responded
John nodded. "By the looks of it, you seem like you should use a drink."
"I definitely can." he paused for a moment and narrowed his eyes. "you look like it too, what's on your mind?"
"I wanted to stop being the hero, but it seems impossible,"
Alexander huffed. "Being the hero sucks doesn't it."
"I stole medicine from Raven, to help someone I don't even know," John scoffed. "I was never like this."
Alexander took a seat beside John and stared at the wall for a second before shrugging. "that's what love does to you, Murphy. Makes you do crazy things, makes you want to be better even though you try your best not to."
"So you love her?"
"Raven?"
"yes."
"Of course I do, I'm just afraid to love her. Anyone who's loved me tends to die on me,"
That comment made John frown, he's never talked to Alexander before or at least talked to him about his past since Alexander was a closed-off person. But hearing things about what he's been through made John understand why he is the way he is.
"You know, my dad was killed because he stole medicine," John says as he turned towards Alexander.
Alexander raised an eyebrow. "why'd he steal medicine?"
"Because I was sick. And the Ark was completely cruel and they killed for no good reason."
Alexander nodded understandingly. "you've come a long way, Murphy. Every time we've run into each other it was because you were being a hero. And I may not know you. But I'm proud of you."
John smiled. "Thank you."
Before the two could continue talking they heard Raven stomping as she walked towards Medbay. The two kids looked at each other before running after her. Just as she was about to walk in John stopped her.
"Hey, Hey, Hey."
"What the hell are you doing here—why the hell are you two together?" Raven asked sounding confused
John rolled his eyes. "Now is not a really good time."
Raven pushed past the two and as she walked she looked into John's back before pulling out a bag. "Of course. Once a cockroach. Always a cockroach, huh?"
"Raven, stop," Alexander warned
Raven just scoffed before pushing the two boys away and walking towards Abby. Abby held up a bottle of pills and handed it to Raven. "We only wasted one dose." after that she walked away leaving Raven standing there with the bottle in her hand. John walked away and Alexander watched Luna as she cried holding onto a child. Alexander saw the tears forming in Raven's eye and he couldn't help but shake his head and walking away.
After hours passed by Clarke and Bellamy finally arrived back. Alexander had just gotten out of the shower and while he was making his way back to his room he heard crying. The boy peaked into what he thought was an empty room and saw Clarke writing the list.
The boy walked towards the list and grabbed it. "You can't put me on that list if you're not adding yourself. Clarke, I won't let you."
"Alex, I can't." She replied with teary eyes.
"Write it down, or I will. Clarke if you don't stay, then I'm not staying either. I swore to keep you safe and I tend to keep that promise."
Clarke looked at the list and shook her head. The boy sighed and grabbed the pen before writing down Clarke's name. Once he finished he set the pen down and stood by her.
"So what now?" She asked him
Alexander shrugged. "Now we put it away and have hope that we won't have to take it out and use it."
"You still have hope?"
"We're still here, and breathing," he replied with a slight smile.
Clarke sniffled and the boy put his hands on her shoulder before telling her to rest. With that, he made his exit out the room and went to his room. Once he entered he was met with Raven standing by his bed.
"Hey? what are you doing here?" He questioned as he set down all his gear.
Raven sighed as she walked up to the boy. he held her in his arms and felt her body soften her posture as he rubbed her back. He could tell she was stressed, and tonight wasn't the night to talk away their feelings. All they wanted was to enjoy each other's company, and they exactly what they did.
And that's how his night ended.
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If you see any spelling mistakes I've made, please feel free to correct me, and if you got any questions go ahead and ask away.