Wednesday, 17/09/2149
Another night of restless sleep passes, punctuated by the haunting cries of Finn echoing through the night. Determined to check on him as I had for the past three days, I ascend the dropship to the second level, where I encounter Bellamy in a heated exchange with Clarke.
"If you can't see that, you're diluted; he's making people crazy," Bellamy spat, his voice tinged with accusation.
"Sorry if Finns an inconvenience to you, but this isn't the ark, down here, every life matters down here," Clarke fires back defiantly.
"Take a look at him; he's a lost cause." Before Bellamy can continue, I intervene, my presence cutting through the tension.
"That's enough, Blake, leave now before I have someone remove you," I say with a stern tone; he turns to me. Walking over.
"You know I'm right," he says as he passes by me.
"He's wrong. I believe in Clarke; if anyone can save him, it's her," I affirm, sensing Clarke's silent appreciation as she refocuses her attention on Finn's plight.
Inspecting the poultice on Finn's wound, Clarke murmured to herself, "What is this? Whatever it is, it has to have had antibiotic properties"
Wells comes in closer, asking for the sample "Before you refuse my help, remember who aced botany in earth skills" Wells takes a closer look at the sample.
"The grounders used it as a poultice, but I'm thinking a tea might be more effective if we can figure out what it is," Clarke suggests, her mind already working on a solution.
"I know what it is, seaweed; look at the root structure," Wells observes, a sense of revelation in his voice.
"Well, there must be a water source nearby," Clarke deduces, eager to put the pieces together.
"Yeah, it would have to have a slow current and lots of rocks, and the water would probably be more red than green," Wells deduces.
"I know just the place," I interject, prompting surprised glances from Clarke and Wells.
"I can show you, but you have to walk quickly because I promised to teach Lilly, Charlotte and Will how to fight." The two of them reluctantly look at each other.
"I can do this alone," Clarke says.
"Except you can't 'cause I just gave you an order. Take wells with you; no one is allowed out by themselves." Clarke looks like she's going to argue, but, for some reason, gives in.
I gather my backpack; my three little ducks are waiting for me by the front gate of our finished log wall. A symbol of our hard work and determination.
"Atom, you're with us." Atom stops what he's doing, nods and grabs his pack.
The seven of us make our way to the small river filled with red seaweed.
"Atom, make sure these two make it back to the camp in one piece. Remember, Clarke's our only doctor," he nods; I can see he's taking my orders to heart.
Venturing off alone into uncharted territory, I guide three eager ducklings - Lilly, Charlotte, and Will - through the forest.
"Now, there are 4 things I'm going to teach you over the next couple of days until I feel you can do them with confidence. One, during the altercation, you want to avoid punching with your fists. You don't want to end up breaking your hands because there are many small, fragile bones in our hands that break easily. They take a long time to heal, and down here, we need our hands. That is why using your elbows and your knees at close range is ideal," I began, adopting a serious tone. I show the three of them the best places to elbow and knee someone.
"But don't knee a guy in the groin unless you are absolutely sure it will take them down. Most of the time, it will only anger them and make it hard to either escape or knock them out. Two - A Chokehold, taking an opponent to the ground, controlling one's opponent, gaining a dominant position and allowing you to knock someone out or if you are not alone, allowing your partner to knock them out" I demonstrate how to get someone into a chokehold each of them taking to turns to put me into a chokehold.
"Three - Palm Strikes, Tiger Claws and throat chop, striking someone with the palm of your hand, scratching them across the face or karate chopping someone in the throat might be effective enough to fend off an attacker" I demonstrate these three things against a tree, showing them proper form and technique.
"And lastly, four - running and hiding. The best way to protect yourself from a fight is by avoiding the situation altogether. Knowing how to diffuse a potential physical altercation with words. But that doesn't always work. Sometimes, you just need to run away. The best way to do this is to stay in shape and listen to Bellamy's or my instructions and warnings. If you are asked to go into the woods, stay near the group leader and listen to what is being said." I drill this into their heads.
I go to say more but I notice the forest creatures fleeing in panic; I spot a yellow fog creeping towards us, my warning bells in my head go off and I pick up Will, telling the other two girls the run and follow me.
Not really knowing where I'm going, I see a familiar ledge, and I follow it down, helping the girls quickly. This leads to a cave; I'm quick to push the girls in first, the yellow fog catching the back of my right arm as I shimmy into the cave.
Grimacing in pain, I hurry to tend to my injury, dousing the fog burn with water. "What was that?" Charlotte's frightened voice reaches my ears.
"I don't know, whatever it was, it burns your skin, now come close, we may be here for a while might as well take a nap" With Charlotte on my left and Lilly on my right, Will takes the space between my legs, the three of them fall into slumber.
I think about how this sudden yellow fog will delay Clark's treatment for Finn; he's survived for this long; hopefully, he stays that way until this passes and allows us to get back to camp.