Saturday, 27/09/2149
After my talk with Lilly, I ordered everyone to stop what they were doing and to listen to me.
I told them all about the cyclone the ark had warned me about, and the preparation started.
Tents were packed up, and beds were taken into the drop ship. The fire setup up dismantled and packed away, and all drying racks, the curing hut and the toilet, raven set up were dismantled. The last 6 hours before the cyclone hit were used wisely.
Everyone who was out hunting, gathering water, nuts or picking Berries were brought back and told what was happening. As the winds pick up and the cyclone moves closer, I order everyone inside and closed the door until the cyclone is over.
The cyclone only passed over us early this morning. After it passed the radio was working again and I was able to talk with the council about the coming winter.
"How is your preparation for winter coming along?"
"I've increased how many times we hunt a day, focusing on curing our meat and drying furs, collecting nuts and berries, digging for roots, the truth is we'll freeze before we starve," I tell them grimly.
"there's good news on that front, according to civil defence plans from before the war there is an old emergency aid depot not far from the landing site, here are the coordinates" Kane says I write this down.
"In addition to supplies, it could provide shelter for the 100 and for the citizens coming down from the ark."
"And what makes you think it's intact?"
"It was designed to withstand nuclear warfare."
"It's worth a shot," I say, optimistic for the council but not so much in reality.
We end this meeting, and I reluctantly go and get Bellamy in front of the camp.
"Listen up, the ark has informed me of an emergency aid depot, I am gathering a team to come with Bellamy and me, we only need four people, however, that does not mean everyone left as camp can do nothing, winter is coming and we have to prepare" with news of the grounds watching us every time we leave camp almost no one wanted to volunteer
Lilly came to me wanting to come, promising to stay next to Octavia, who had not volunteered to come, but I guess got roped into it by Lilly. Murphy agreed to come and manhandled Conner into coming too.
"Everyone ready?" I ask the group. Everyone nods, and we start to make our way out of camp.
"Miller", I yell, catching his attention.
"I'm in charge until you get back, got it?" he yells back with a smile.
"Best second in command ever," I say to myself, but Bellamy, who's close enough to hear me, chuckles.
"I want to apologise, I know I promised not to tell anyone and I did, not really breaking your trust since I was technically blackmailing you but after what happened in your tent," I say feeling awkward saying that out loud, "our relationship changed and I did break your trust but if you would allow me to explain it, it was for a good reason" Bellamy looks at me as we continue walking for a second before shaking his head and dropping to the back.
I drop my head in shame, feeling tears starting to gather in my eyes. I see Lilly's legs as she joins me at the front, which allows me to get my emotions under control.
What's up, buttercup cup?" She rolls her eyes but smiles as she does.
"You looked lonely thought I would walk with you" I throw my arm over her shoulder despite our height different.
"Thanks for checking on me Lilly but I'm ok" She rolls her eyes again I can't tell she doesn't believe me but lets it go.
the rest of the journey is mostly silent until we get to the clearing where the depot hatch is supposed to be.
"All alright it's here somewhere, let's spread out but stay in pairs" Lilly joins Octavia while Murphy joins me, leaving Bellamy and Conner together.
with us all spread out, we find the hatch in no time, and with the crowbar, I found in the first bunker it opened in no time.
"Keep an eye open we don't know what's down here, and I'm guessing it's a lot bigger than the one I found in the forest" I go down first lighting my way with a fully charged flashlight.
The first thing I see is a skeleton with ragged clothing just lying on the last couple of stairs.
"Hell of a place to die," Bellamy says.
"So much for living down here, this place is disgusting" I scrunch my nose up, looking around.
As everyone gathers at the bottom of the stairs with me, "Check everything, but we are mainly looking for things that will make winter easier" Everyone nods, staying in pairs as they check everything.
Bellamy swaps with Murphy, "Explain."
I let out a breath of relief. "I'm going to get Jaha to pardon you, but it's not going to matter much after I tell the camp I'm not going to join the ark once they come down, and anyone who wants to join me is welcome."
Bellamy stops walking and just stares at me shocked, "It's not just about having to give up my leadership position, it's about being better, the ark is corrupted, just look at Diana Sydney and Commander Shumway, or myself for that manner, I want to lead my people better and I want them to have better lives, as many children as they like and to not fear they're going to be killed over stupid shit everyday" I have more to say but Lilly shouts out she found blankets, glow sticks and Octavia found med kits.
I continue looking when I bump into a metal drum, curious as to what's in it, I open the lid and poking out the top is a metal cylinder, I pull up my sleeve and reach into the oil to grab the metal which turns out to be a rifle.
"Guns, now we're talking", Bellamy cheers, grabbing the gun from my hand. I wipe the grease off my hands with a rag from my backpack and continue looking through the barrels.
"three barrels of guns and six barrels of bullets, three boxes of orange blankets, 8 med kits, a full box of yellow glow sticks, 10 two-man tents and 10 eight-man tents, six walkie talkies none that work but spare parts for Raven and a box of canned tuna but no place to spend the winter," I tell everyone to start packing everything up together so we can all take things back to camp easier but lunch first.
After lunch, an odd tension filled the air, sending waves of unease through our group. Octavia and I exchanged knowing glances. "It's the nuts, I haven't eaten any and from what I've seen neither have you," she observed, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. I nodded, recalling my aversion to nuts since childhood due to my late mother's allergies.
"My mother was allergic, so I never grew up eating them. And when I finally tried them after she passed, I didn't even like the taste," I shared. With a shared understanding, Octavia and I silently agreed to keep an eye on our companions.
Rising from the floor, I go over to Lilly first and she hugs me in a very tight hug, burrowing her face into my stomach,
"There are dead people everywhere, and they are all saying I killed them," she whispers, looking up at me with tears running down her cheeks. "I only hurt that boy cause he was making fun of me for being an orphan, I didn't kill him"
"You were protecting yourself, it might have been the wrong way, but you were only a little kid. you're not an orphan anymore and now you have two younger siblings to look out for, if you asked them they would say you're the best big sister, I forgive you so stop feeling guilty" I peck her on the forehead and hold her until I see conner laying on the floor trying to make snow angels without the snow.
I tell Lilly I'll be right back and walk over to Conner.
"What are you doing?" I inquire, intrigued by his sudden burst of happiness.
"Making snow angels, look, it's snowing," he exclaims, his joy contagious as he moves his arms faster in the leaves.
"Lilly's upset, would you sit with her while I help Bellamy?" I ask, appreciating his playful spirit. Conner jumps up from the floor.
"You're the best mum to her," he declares before heading over to Lilly, wrapping her in a side hug and engaging her in conversation about the snow.
I chuckle at his eccentricity and shake my head before going to address the situation with Bellamy.
I find him with a gun to his head, "Don't, Dax", I say.
"should have stayed with your kid Ward I don't want to kill you but Alex said no witnesses" I curse in my head as I run forward as Dax pulls the trigger but lucky the gun misfires and I tackle Dax to the ground, I get the gun out of his hand and start punching into his face trying to knock him out but he's tougher than he looks
He manages to knock me off and starts to fire at Bellamy again, and when I get up, he goes to fire at me, but Bellamy knocks him down. I decide to end this, and I grab my pistol from my backpack.
"Sorry, Dax, but it's for the best," I say with determination before pulling the trigger, ending Dax's life in an instant. Bellamy steps away from Dax's lifeless body, and I holster my gun.
Bellamy is gasping for breath, his emotions raw. "Are you okay?" I inquire, careful not to push too hard.
"No, I'm not," he confesses, his voice filled with anguish. "My mother... if she knew what I've done, who I am... she raised me to be better, to be good." After a moment's pause, I begin to offer reassurance, but he cuts me off with a pained whisper.
"I'm a monster," Bellamy admits, his tears flowing freely as he sinks against a nearby tree. I sit beside him, my own eyes welling up with tears.
"You are not a monster. You made a mistake, but most of us here are criminals. We've all done things we're not proud of," I console him. "This isn't the first time I've had to kill, and it's not easy, but it doesn't define who you are. I still believe you're a good person. If you seek forgiveness, know that I forgive you. And remember what I mentioned about Jaha - I will secure that pardon, and you will regain your freedom," I affirm, enveloping him in a tight hug. This is the scene our group comes upon, drawn by the gunshot.
"Finally, you guys made up," I hear Lilly mumble, and I laugh a little into Bellamy's shoulder.
Octavia helps us off the ground, I wipe away my and Bellamy's tears with a laugh.
"I deserve a drink. Conner was gleefully making snow angels in the leaves, and Murphy was angrily arguing with a tree." Laughter erupted, and soon enough, we all joined in.
Back at camp, while everyone was still recovering from the mass hallucination, Miller approached me with a reassuring tone. "Don't worry, some of us were affected too. Gather everyone around," he said, following my instructions.
"This is what we discovered." The group proudly displayed the contents of the boxes.
"For now, we don't have any issues with the grounders. But in case we do, we'll be prepared. Tomorrow, Bellamy and I will train a select few on using these rifles. If you're not chosen, don't complain. It simply means you haven't yet earned our trust with a weapon. Show your dedication by stepping up when help is needed, like on this trip." I put Wells in charge of organizing the new resources, and then Octavia pulled me aside.
"Do you really think this is a wise decision?" she questioned.
"The rifles will stay within the camp. I want to maintain a sense of security until we establish contact and negotiate a peace treaty with the grounders. do you understand" She nods walking away?
I brought Bellamy with me as I had set up a meeting with Jaha after returning from the depot. "Mr. Blake, I've wanted to talk to you for some time now," Jaha begins.
Before we can delve into the conversation, I interject, "When you sent the 100 down here, you sent them to die. But miraculously, most of us, minus two, are still alive. Bellamy's support played a significant role in that. He's one of the 100 and deserves to be pardoned for his crimes, just like the rest of them." Jaha nods thoughtfully.
"With the information Lieutenant Ward has provided, many of those who sought my demise are now either dead or in jail. So why should I pardon Mr. Blake if Lieutenant Ward was the one who facilitated this?"
"Because she missed one, and I know who it is," Bellamy bargains. I can't help but smirk.
"Bellamy Blake and Orella Ward, you are both pardoned for your crimes. Now, tell me who you missed."