XX

[PREVIOUSLY: A fight breaks out between the grounders and Skikru, resulting in Aidan defying Heda to save Octavia's life. In the meanwhile, the representatives from the camp escape only to learn that by the actions of a treacherous Diana Sydney, their fate is sealed].

Darkness had fallen upon the once-peaceful serenity of earth. The threat of impending war from an enemy much stronger and more powerful than us was enough to send fear pummelling through the veins of even our bravest. The fact that no reinforcements and no back-up supplies were arriving from the Ark made our situation look that much bleaker.

The 100 innocent prisoners who stepped off that drop-ship into a greenery-layered paradise were now 96 armed and bruised delinquents, preparing for an inevitable end: death.

Unable to sleep, I took first watch at the gate that night with Zoe and Bryce. As our shift rolled to an end, the two sleepily stumbled to their tents, but I remained put. I could not, would not, rest. There had to be some explanation for all of this - some reason! I had seen the other side of the grounders and I refused to shake off my impending instinct for a mere hatred that was going to get me nowhere.

Why did Anya trick us into coming to the bridge? To kill us? To take us alive? Why did Aidan shoot his own commander ... to save me? Surely he'd be considered a traitor now, unfit to live. I shuddered to think of what the grounders might do to him. But, on the other hand, if they were so savage and untrustworthy, then why, when I entered TonDC, did I see families, friendship, happiness, even love?

No one else was prepared to see things from their perspective. No one else was really willing to give them a second chance ... Except for me.

I needed to get answers to the questions that were swarming throughout my brain. I needed to find Aidan.

My head lolled to the side and my heavy eyes began to close.

Maybe, just maybe, I would be able to thank Aidan for his chivalry in person ...

A sudden burst of bright light flashed across the sky, startling me into wakefulness. With a surprised gasp, I sat straight up and tipped my head back, my eyes scanning the night-time canvas above me.

A streak of purplish white light lit up the darkness, bathing the camp in it's eerie glow.

Struggling to my feet, I stared, wide-eyed, at the light as it careened closer and closer towards the earth.

What the heck? T-that can't be a meteorite ... oh my god. That's the exodus ship! I suddenly realised.

I continued to watch as the light, blinking on and off, revealed a grey metallic spacecraft. It was falling heavily through the atmosphere and being guided in a direction that was just over the distant knolls sitting in between us and Mount Weather.

As the ship blasted through the last atmospheric layer, I furrowed my brow in confusion. The rocket launchers hadn't separated from the main craft's compartment. That was unusual - very unusual ...

Wait a minute. Too fast. No parachute? Something's wrong.

BOOM.

The exodus ship hit the ground with such force that a massive wall of fire and a billowing black cloud of smoke blew up hundreds of metres into the sky. I could see specks of ash floating in the air and a tinge of burnt gas filled my nostrils.

I stumbled backwards, gasping and choking. I clapped a hand over my mouth to stifle the cry of dismay that threatened to escape my lips.

The exodus ship and everyone on it was ... gone.

Dawn had just broken over the horizon when the horrific news spread throughout the camp like wildfire. People, angry, sad, confused, fearful, and full of rage, gathered around the drop-ship, demanding answers from Bellamy and Clarke.

After a brief discussion, it was decided that Raven, Finn, Bellamy, Clarke, Monty and I, along with Nate and a few other ex-guards from the drop-ship, would go out to inspect the damage.

The only reason I was needed for the excursion was because I knew the rough location of the crash. Bellamy didn't want me exposed to danger again, but Clarke insisted that I accompany them. Sometimes, she could act as stubborn as Bellamy.

Bellamy was forced to reluctantly agree. So, with Dustin and Harper guarding the camp and Bryce and Jasper keeping watch over Murphy, we set out from camp less than an hour later.

As we trekked through the deep, shadowy woods that spread out for miles in every direction, I couldn't help but wonder how such beauty could hide such violence and death.

It didn't take us long to find the site of the crash as the thickening, nauseating smell of burnt flesh and engine parts tainted the air with it's toxic stench.

Finally, as we all clambered over the last knoll, the smell was so overpowering that we had to wrap our scarfs and any pieces of loose clothing over our noses and mouths. It didn't help much but it was better than nothing.

Clarke, Finn and I reached the top of the slope first. All of us, unable to hide our shock and horror, froze stock-still and stared at the scene in front of us.

A huge cavern of dirt and rock had been carved into the face of the once-flat earth. The ground dropped sharply down dozens of metres below us. Pieces of disfigured tin, roles of melting rubber, cylinders of burnt cement, and empty, gassed-out rocket blazers were scattered throughout the entire ravine.

As my eyes swept over the horrendous mess before me, I suddenly spotted something in the middle of all that rubber and tin; something that looked peculiarly familiar, something that seemed the colour of darkened flesh ...

I gasped and stumbled backwards, instinctively reaching out and clutching Finn's arm with both hands. Finn, in return, placed his own hand on the small of my back to steady me and turned towards me with a worried expression in his brown eyes.

"What is it?" he queried, his voice muffled by the thick material of his scarf.

"It's - it's ... it's an arm!" I blurted, pointing in the direction of the sickening sight.

Finn gagged and quickly looked away. "That's disgusting."

"Everything alright up here?" Raven called out roughly, suddenly appearing and glaring down towards Finn and I's intertwined hands.

Awkwardly, I slipped my hand from Finn's grasp and moved away, pretending to be preoccupied with watching Bellamy climb up the last of the slope.

"This ... this is awful," Clarke breathed. "They came down here to help us and now? Look at this. There's nothing left. No reinforcements, no supplies, no back-up ... We're so screwed."

I sighed heavily. "As much as I hate to say this, I have to agree with Clarke."

Bellamy and Monty finally joined us up on the knoll and gazed, disgusted, at the remains of the exodus ship.

"Well, that's Plan B done and dusted," Monty muttered.

"Stay sharp," Bellamy ordered as he glanced around furtively. "Grounder retaliation for what happened on the bridge is coming. It's just a matter of when."

"Huh, can you blame them?" Finn asked as he looked pointedly at Bellamy, eyebrows raised.

Bellamy paused a moment before replying, "No. I blame you. You're the one who came up with the dumb-ass idea in the first place. I can't believe I was stupid enough to go along with it."

"Well, maybe if you hadn't brought guns ..." Finn started to argue.

"If we hadn't brought guns, we would've all been killed!" Raven snapped, frustrated by the same, recurring conversation.

"Look, it doesn't matter when they're coming," Bellamy shot back. "It's just our job to be ready when they do. We're on our own now."

"This stench is unbearable," Clarke coughed. "Bell, we need to head back to camp. When the smell dies down, we can return and scavenge around. But, for now? We better clear outta here before the grounders decide to take a shot at us."

Bellamy nodded. "You're right. Okay, clear out. Weapons hot, everyone. Nate, take the rear, let's go."

A shaky breath left my chapped, dry lips as I turned and followed the others back down the slope. I gazed fixedly down at the ground as my combat boots splashed through puddles of mud and trudged through clumps of thick, prickly thorn.

The tragedy of what had happened began to hit me. Who knew how many lives had been lost that day?

And they knew, the grounders knew that we were all alone.

As everyone else marched confidently back through the camp gates, I paused, just outside the walls, to tie up a loose shoe-lace. As I straightened back up, I caught a glimpse of something small and white in the corner of my eye. I turned around to have a better look and realised, with a jolt of surprise, that a beautiful pink-tinged flower was lodged into a crack in a nearby oak tree.

Glancing around furtively, I scurried over and plucked the flower from the scratchy, rough bark. As I stood there, contemplating, I turned the flower over and over in my hands.

I pursed my lips in thought as I examined it.

The bright green stem protruding from underneath the petals was still fresh and moist. My fingers gently traced the delicate pattern on the underside of the flower. My eyes watched as a sprinkle of dew-drops escalated down the stem ...

I squinted, confused, and ducked down to take a closer look. Then, I froze.

The stem hadn't grown from inside of the tree ... it had been cut and placed there - by somebody else.

CRACKLE.

My head snapped up when I heard the sound and my eyes darted nervously from side-to-side.

What was that?

Not willing to take any chances, I whirled around on my heel, intent on running straight back to the camp gates. But, before I could make another move, something muscular and warm wrapped around my waist and tugged me backwards.

Something clammy and suffocating was slammed over my mouth, preventing me from screaming out for help. My body was hastily pulled down into the bushes next to the tree.

I writhed and kicked and yelled out incoherent strings of curse words, but nothing worked. My attacker was strong, too strong.

As my energy began to drain, I felt a tickle of air fan my ear and a familiar voice whisper, "Octavia...calm down. It's me."

My eyes widened in shock.

Aidan?

Gif: Octavia glances up when she hears a suspicious sound.

XX