iv. acid fog and attempted murder
earth kills

THE CAMP became unbearably restless since Jasper's return. Although Clarke found a form of medicine slapped onto the boy's chest, he was far too injured to be magically healed by that alone. His horrific moans and screams ripped across the landscape and prevented anyone from getting a good night's rest. Not to mention they were sickening to hear.

Sawyer tried to ignore it. Instead, she began to devise a schedule of expeditions to collect water and hunt for more food. The slaughtered panther only got them so far. If they were going to survive, everyone would have to put in their fair share of work to make it possible.

At daybreak, Sawyer discovered that two of their people had been missing since the crash landing to Earth. In the chaos, she understood why she missed their disappearance. But now, it was important that they were found before the Grounders, the elusive nuclear war survivors who stabbed Jasper through the chest.

Sawyer found herself near a water basin setup near the dropship. She and Miller ventured to the nearest stream earlier that morning and filled multiple basins around the camp for communal use. Once she made sure there would be enough for the day, or two, she made her way through the camp to check on the hunting party that was set to go out in the next hour. To her dismay, Bellamy had been the first to volunteer for the trip. Sawyer did not understand why. He never volunteered to do anything since landing on the radiation soaked planet, which prompted her to wonder about his hidden agenda.

But, Sawyer had no time to contemplate the thought any longer as she heard the conversation that took place several dozen feet away from the dropship.

"Look, Bellamy, people are scared, and the dying kid, he's not helping the morale around here," Atom voiced as he stood next to the eldest Blake sibling and Murphy.

Bellamy ripped a metallic axe from the trunk of a nearby tree and replied, "morale will go up when I find them more food."

Sawyer rolled her eyes and approached them with an exasperated huff. This caught the boys' attention, forcing them to shift their gaze to the girl. "If I remember correctly, Blake, I believe Wells was the one to shoot the panther. Not you," she voiced, crossing her arms over her chest.

Bellamy scoffed. "I don't see you going out there and bringing back a kill."

"Someone's gotta make sure no one else dies," Sawyer quipped and shifted her gaze to the other boy. "Speaking of, find any sign of Trina and Pascal?"

Atom his head. "We searched a half-mile all directions. Couldn't find them. Could be Grounders."

Murphy snorted as he twirled the palm-sized blade in his hands. "Yeah, or they could be in pound town. Lot of that going around recently." He glanced toward the Wesley girl with raised brows.

Sawyer caught the look and her brows raised. "Implying something, John?"

Murphy pursed his lips. "Nothing that hasn't already happened before."

Atom's eyes widened at the insinuation, while Bellamy just appeared a bit surprised.

Sawyer simply allowed an amused smirk to form on her lips. "Oh, hun, you forgot we're not fifteen anymore." She took a step forward, before she turned on her heel. "And I no longer like asshole's who become somebody's bitch," she quipped with a sharp glance in the eldest Blake sibling's direction and then turned back in the direction of the dropship.

Even before she was out of earshot, Atom turned to Murphy and questioned, "you slept with Sawyer?"

Murphy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, so what?"

Bellamy had not said a word throughout the entire exchanged, until that point. "Explains a lot, actually," he mused and headed toward the tent setup for weapons and strategy planning.

Murphy stared after the man with creased brows. "What's that supposed to mean?" he inquired, following after him.

_______

Sawyer resisted the urge to clamp her hands over her ears as Jasper's moans got louder and lasted longer. She hated hearing the horrendous noises that were released by the boy, who writhed in pain on the highest level of the dropship. And according to the chorus of delinquents shouting for Jasper to "just go ahead and die already", she was not the only one who felt the same way. Although, her unease failed to reach the point of wishing for someone's death.

Sawyer rested her back against the rough bark of a log that was situated next to one of the many fires around the camp. Many of the juvenile offenders lounged in various spots nearby, joking amongst themselves and basking in the mid-day sun. Sawyer wanted to enjoy the moment, despite the responsibility of leading her people and making sure they were fed hanging over her head. She needed a bit of peace to herself, no matter how small. She leaned back and allowed her head to rest against Harper's legs that were spread across the log behind her. Miller occupied one of the dropship's chairs a few feet away and recalled a story from his many thieving excursions on the Ark. And even though she knew every detail of the tale, Sawyer listened nonetheless.

A piercing scream ripped through the peaceful air of the camp. Sawyer snapped up from her relaxed position and whirled in the direction the agonizing cry that persisted on.

Miller released a loud snort. "Looks like goggle boy's finally kicking the bucket."

Sawyer looked at him with an expression of incredulity. "You're all class," she scoffed and stood to head toward the dropship. "Make yourself useful and start rounding up people to build the wall around camp. You know, unless you want to end up like goggle boy," she spat, storming up the small incline that led to the massive structure.

As she got closer to the parachute covered entrance, Sawyer was nearly run down by a frantic Octavia speeding past her through the red and white fabric. She blinked at the sudden movement, but she continued on her path. Jasper's screams were bloodcurdling before, but in the confined metal space, the sound was multiplied tenfold. Sawyer winced at the loud volume and proceeded to climb the central ladder that would bring her to the third level of the dropship. She squeezed through the open hatch of the highest level, her brows furrowing at the sight before her.

In the center of the room, Clarke knelt next to Jasper's pale and sweat covered body with a sharp blade in one hand and the other placed on his chest. The blonde cut away the dark colored flesh around the boy's spear wound, forcing horrendous screams to escape the boy's lips.

"Stop it! You're killing him," Octavia exclaimed, rushing to Jasper's side to push the girl out of the way, but Finn stopped her.

"She's trying to save his life," he spoke from Clarke's side.

"I don't know much about medical stuff," Sawyer spoke and drew all of their attention to her, "but that doesn't look like you're killing him, not saving him."

"She can't," Bellamy's voice interrupted the conversation as he stepped onto the level. 

Wells, who had been kneeling around Jasper like the rest of the group, stood to his feet and stomped toward the man with a hard glare. "Back off."

Clarke picked up a water soaked cloth that set next to her on the ground and placed it on the injured boy's chest to wipe away the excess blood. "We didn't drag him through miles of woods just to let him die."

Bellamy scoffed. "Kid's a goner. If you can't see that, you're deluded. He's making people crazy."

Sawyer rolled her eyes at his words. "The people around here are already crazy, if you haven't noticed," she said in a pointed manner, meeting his gaze. "And ask any one of them out there. Despite their obscene comments, we don't leave our people to die."

Bellamy's eyes narrowed. "Take a look at him." He jutted his arm out in the boy's direction. "He's a lost cause."

Everyone fell quiet and cast their eyes to a comatose Jasper. Aside from the gapping hole in the boy's chest, several other cuts and scrapes covered his torso and face. A thick layer of sweat clung to his ghostly pale skin, as well as patches of dirt from where the Grounders most likely dragged him through the forest. If Sawyer was being honest with herself, Jasper looked to be a mere cough away from death.

Eventually, Clarke broke the silence. "Octavia, I've spent my whole life watching my mother heal people. If I say there's hope, there's hope."

Bellamy rolled his eyes. "This isn't about hope, it's about guts," he stated with a sharp look in the Wesley girl's direction. "You don't have the guts to make the hard choices. I do. He's been like this for three days. If he's not better by tomorrow, I'll kill him myself."

Bellamy made a move to leave the level, but Sawyer was not about to let him have the last word. She intercepted his path and almost forced him to bump into her by his brash movements. Her gaze narrowed as she stared up at him. "You're not going to kill him," she sneered. "And if you so much as harm a single hair on his head, I will personally kick your ass and send it packing to the Grounders' front door." Sawyer took a threatening step forward. "So I suggest you get going on that hunt before I jump the gun and do it now."

Bellamy stared down at the girl with a hardened expression. His jaw clenched, but he remained quiet. He simply huffed and looked back toward his sister. "Octavia, let's go." He made a move to leave the level, while his sibling stayed put.

"I'm staying here," Octavia voiced with a glance in her brother's direction, but she then returned it to the injured boy in front of her.

With metaphorical lines drawn, Bellamy shook his head and exited the level.

As soon as he disappeared, Sawyer turned to the rest of the group with a sigh. "I really hope you know what you're doing, Griffin."

Clarke looked up from Jasper's chest and met the dark haired girl's gaze. "I do."

Before Sawyer could reply, Monty took it upon himself to express his feelings about the rival to her reign. "Power-hungry, self-serving jackass. He doesn't care anyone but himself." He shifted his eyes to Octavia with a slightly apologetic look. "No offense."

Sawyer allowed an amused huff to escape her lips. "No, full offense. Totally, full offense."

Octavia smiled lightly at the girl. "I think I'm beginning to like you."

"Same to you." Sawyer returned the gesture.

"Yeah. Bellamy is all that," Finn spoke, pushing himself to his feet. "But he also happens to be right." He then turned on his heel to exit the level.

Sawyer was not entirely surprised by his declaration. From the moment he claimed rescuing Jasper was not worth the risk, she knew that Finn's attitude would eventually become a problem. It looked as though the infamous spacewalker was no longer the adventurous boy that used more than three months of the Ark's oxygen on an unauthorized trip through space. He was now a liability when it came to making sure their people stayed alive. And because of that, Sawyer knew that she could not trust him.

_______

Shortly after the dispute about Jasper, the camp lapsed back into a seemingly normal rhythm. Sawyer managed to coerce the delinquents into building a wall around the perimeter of their camp to protect themselves from wild animals and the vicious Grounders, while she also sent a group off into the surrounding forest to hunt for food. There were many protests, but she knew it had to be done. Sawyer was not about to let pessimistic attitudes kill them all before they even had the chance to live.

Sawyer's brown eyes scanned the minimal progress of the wall, which happened to be a thin six-foot-tall border for the time being. She stood by and oversaw the development, before she had to return to watch over Jasper for Clarke. The Ark Princess proposed an idea that the plant the Grounders used to cover the boy's wound was somewhere nearby and would help heal him of his extensive injuries. So she, Finn, and Wells ventured from camp to find the plant to use the needed medical properties it held.

Sawyer watched as two boys moved past her with a long branch-less tree held above their shoulders and proceeded to carry it toward the right side of the camp. She was about to call for them to switch and take a break, but she never got the chance.

A low sound reverberated across the landscape and captured Sawyer's attention. The noise continued to grow louder and went on longer, causing all of the delinquents to stop what they were doing. Sawyer stared off into the trees, never having heard a sound quite like it before. As it persisted, she noticed the yellowish-green fog seep through every gap and space between the vegetation. Few of the juvenile offenders that were close enough to the moving mass began to cough. They seemed perfectly fine as they ran from the dense fog until several of them screamed.

Sawyer's eyes widened when she saw blisters form on their skin. "Get to the dropship! NOW!" she shouted and began to usher everyone toward the only shelter they had against the strange floating mass. Her boots thundered across the ground as she and the rest of the delinquents raced through the covered entrance of the dropship. Once Sawyer made sure everyone inside the boundaries of camp, she slammed her hand onto the hatch lever and forced the large metal slab to rise, sealing off the interior from the poisonous fog.

"What's going on?" Monty questioned as he stepped off the central ladder to the bottom level.

Shauna coughed, attempting to expel the strange substance from her lungs. "Air got thick, everybody's skin started burning."

Sawyer did the same. Her throat felt as though it was stripped raw. "Its some kind of," she coughed harshly, "acidic fog. So much for Earth not trying to kill us."

Octavia appeared at their side with a deep frown of worry. "Sawyer, my brother's out there."

"Hey, he'll be fine." Sawyer stepped toward her, placing her hands atop the youngest Blake's shoulders. "He and the rest of them will fine somewhere to hide and ride it out, okay?"

Octavia stared at her for a moment, but she nodded in answer. "Okay."

Sawyer pulled away and scanned the room to make sure the fog had not begun to seep in through microscopic seams in the dropship's exterior. When she found no signs of the gas, she raised her voice to address the now incredibly packed space. "Okay, everyone, listen up!" she called out to gain their attention. "This is only until whatever that fog is passes, but until them, I'm gonna need you all the remain calm and try to keep the noise to a minimum. The metal only amplifies noise, so try to keep it down for now."

"And what about the goggle kid?" a boy by the name of Jamison spoke. "He's the loudest one of us all, and its only going to get worse."

A chorus of agreement rung through the lowest level, which began to annoy Sawyer to her very core. "Hey, hey, hey!" she shrieked to calm the growing hostility. "Shut the hell up! Jasper is in pain and trying to heal from the Grounders impaling him with a spear. So stop complaining about your delicate little hearing, before I do the same to one of you," she commanded, forcing them all into silence. "Now, sit tight and be quiet. We'll probably be in here for a while." Sawyer then turned away from the now low chattering crowd of delinquents to a very shocked and surprised stares.

Octavia released an amused huff. "Wow. No wonder Bell hates you. You're awesome," she said with a grin.

Sawyer rolled her eyes in a playful manner and began toward the central ladder. "Whatever, come help me with Jasper." She grabbed hold of the metal rungs and glanced over her shoulder at the Green boy. "Why don't you stay down here and make sure no one tries to kill anyone? I'm sure you could use a break."

Monty nodded and watched both girls to climb up to the highest level of the dropship to look over his injured best friend.

_______

Jasper's horrendous moans continued throughout the rest of the day and night. Sawyer somehow drowned out the sound by sleeping with her hands pressed against her ears. For the others around the dropship, she could not say the same. She knew that the unrest and irritability from the last few days would only grow when all of them trapped in a confined space for a prolonged amount of time.

Not only that, but Jasper could only get better if Clarke found her mystical plant, and that could only happen if the poisonous fog dissipated. It was a lose-lose situation. Sawyer just hoped that the situation did not blow up in her face.

Sawyer woke from her fitful sleep at the sound of a loud bang. She shot up from her discarded jacket bed and quickly swiped her gaze over the level around her. Octavia was across from her doing the same. Both of their stares landed on the open hatch where someone burst through it.

"Murphy's going to kill Jasper!" Monty exclaimed, pulling himself through the hole. He turned and slammed the heavy hatch down. It rocked up when Murphy's presumably pushed against it.

Sawyer climbed to her feet and raced over to the hatch to help Monty hold the hatch down. She shot a look to the youngest Blake as she said, "help us lock this thing."

Octavia rushed over to help, but she was cut off by Monty. "The lock's on the other side."

"Great," Sawyer groaned, feeling Murphy slam into the hatch from below.

Octavia stood and looked for something to keep the only entrance sealed shut. "Don't let him in!"

Sawyer huffed as her long hair fell in front of her face. "Wasn't planning on it."

"I'm gonna kill him, okay? Let me in!" Murphy called up through the hatch. "Let me in, Monty! Uhh!" he screamed angrily.

Sawyer shifted her body to press against the thick steel trapdoor and motioned for Monty to do the same. Both teens sat on the hatch to kept it in place.

"No rush. We're fine here," Monty quipped as their combined body weight stopped Murphy from entering the level.

Octavia tried to pry a long metal pipe from the wall. Once she finally ripped it from its holding, she raced toward them. "I got it! Move it!" she exclaimed and was about to slip the pipe through a hatch's handle when the Wesley girl stopped her.

"Wait," Sawyer voiced. "I need to do something first." Octavia and Monty gave her looks of disbelief, but she just ripped the hatch open to reveal a murderous Murphy with a blade in hand. "Eat my boot, John." She drove the heel of her right foot into the soft flesh of the boy's forehead.

Murphy yelled out, falling from the ladder and to the hard surface of the second level. Sawyer swiftly shut the hatch and Octavia positioned the pipe in between the handles. The Wesley girl then fell back onto the floor out of breath. She did not know how much longer they would be in there with a homicidal Murphy on the loose, but she she knew one thing for sure. She was not about to let him off the hook for this one. Sawyer would make sure of it.

<August 7, 2019>

Sawyer is one of my favorite OCs, just saying.

Don't forget to vote and comment.

-Jordan

P.S. Unedited chapter.