FIVE.   I am not fireproof

      Tatum had two choices.

   1. Hit her head repeatedly against the closest tree.
   2. Walk through a forest with John Murphy.

Unfortunately for her, Finn wouldn't let her mutilate herself so she was stuck with option two.

They followed behind Clarke and Wells while Bellamy and Murphy walked behind them, taking their sweet time. "Hey, hold up. What's the rush?" Bellamy called out. They turned around to see him with a smile on his face while waving his gun around like it was nothing. "You don't survive a spear through the heart."

"Put the gun away, Bellamy." Clarke exasperated.

He stepped forward into her space. "Well, why don't you do something about it, huh?" He taunted her.

"Jasper screamed when they moved him. If the spear struck his heart, he'd have died instantly. It doesn't mean we have time to waste." She described, ready to turn back around until Bellamy grabbed at her wrist.

"As soon as you take this wristband off, we can go."

Tatum scoffed out loud. "You're a fucking idiot."

"Careful now guys. Little Miss Killer might strike again." Jeered Murphy just like he did back at camp.

Her glare shifted in his direction, her ears and cheeks burned red. "Why don't you come here and we can find out—"

Like Finn did before, Wells grabbed her arm and pulled her back. He quickly let go, and she glanced at him and nodded slightly, and he hinted a small smile. It was an awkward situation. Tatum didn't blame him for being wary. She killed someone. He barely knew her.  

"The only way the Ark is gonna think we're dead is if we're dead. Got it?"

Bellamy's smiled was derided. "Brave Princess."

"Hey, why don't you find your own nickname?" Finn snapped. "You call this a rescue party? Got to split up, cover more ground. Clarke, come with me." He said to the blonde and then looked at Wells and Tatum.  "Tate, stay with them. I don't trust them unless you're with them."

"I'm not sure about that, Finny. One might not come back," she emphasized and slowly turned her head to Murphy, receiving a glare from him.

Finn and Clarke started their path leaving the other four still standing. Tatum huffed and grabbed Wells's arm. "C'mon, Wells."

"Aww, don't act like you don't love me, Tater." Murphy teased her.

"Don't call me that, John."

She left the boys to themselves and walked far ahead of them, keeping her eyes glued to the area around her. "You look a little stressed, Tater." Said Bellamy when he came up beside her with the gun in his hold, a teasing smirk on his lips.

She immediately shook her head. "No, nope, do not start that." She objected.

He laughed. "I think it's funny. I might just have to use it more often."

She rolled her eyes. "I only let people I like give me nicknames." She jeered.

"You don't like me?"

"Not particularly, no."

"And why's that?" He pressed.

"I think you think that you're all big and tough to get people to like you, but I think you're hiding something." She stated and continued looking around her.

She didn't see but he faltered a little bit. "And what do you think that is?" He asked and refrained from getting angry.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Not sure. I don't really care."

"Well, if we're talking about hiding things. Why'd you kill Riley?" He asked the forbidden question.

"Did you know him?"

"Not really."

"Then it's none of your concern." Tatum contradicted and turned a corner around a tree.

"You're really stubborn, you know that?" Bellamy itched and continued to try and get under her skin. He wanted to see if she would break.

"The next time I need an unsolicited and uninformed opinion, i'll come find you."

It went quiet for a split second. "Oh, i'm sorry—I didn't realize I was supposed to laugh." He shot back,nalso being sarcastic.

Tatum rolled her eyes again. "Haha, very cute."

"You're irritating."

She hummed approvingly. "It's one of my many talents." She said with a delighted grin.

"What are the others?" He asked and followed her, staying by her side.

"Keeping things to myself."

"Like why you killed him?"

Tatum finally came to a stop and faced him with a harsh glare. "Why are you so concerned? Why do you care?" She asked irritably.

Bellamy looked down at her and shrugged. "I don't. Just think it's important to know considering we'll all be living together for a while," he stated his opinion and took a step closer to her. "I also don't believe a girl like you could kill somebody without reasoning."

She stared at him in silence. He was tough and cocky. The smirk on his face indicated that he usual got whatever he wanted but Tatum wouldn't give him that satisfaction. She took a step closer till they were nearly chest to chest. "You don't know me. I don't know you. You don't know what i've been through in my life and I don't know yours and frankly, I don't give a shit. Just cause i'm friends with your sister doesn't mean I have to be friends with you. We're also in the middle of finding my best friend and making sure he isn't dead. So if you don't want that gun you're holding to be pointed at your head I suggest you stop talking and keep looking."

Bellamy watched her storm off and he released a quiet breath. He turned around and saw Murphy and Wells standing there, their eyes slightly wide. "Well don't just stand there, come on."

The group of four caught back up with Finn and Clarke. They informed them they had found blood on their trail. "Hey, how do we know this is the right way?" Wells asked.

"We don't. Spacewalker thinks he's a tracker," Bellamy commented with bitterness.

Tatum swore if she rolled her eyes again she would be able to see her brain. "He is a tracker. It's called cutting sign. Fourth year earth skills."

"You want to keep it down or should I paint a target on
your backs?" Finn chimed as he walked towards
a small branch with leaves just weighing off to the side.

"No need for the attitude, Prince Charming."

They went silent and looked around the woods,  making sure they weren't being followed. In the distance, there was a loud moan of pain and it gained everyone's attention. "What was that?" Tatum asked in a low voice.

"Now would be a good time to take out that gun." Clarke spoke directly to Bellamy before they all started to jog after the sound in the distance it was coming from.

Moving out from behind bushes, Tatum saw ahead of her a large tree where Jasper was held against. His arms were tied above his head and a rope was secured around his waist. He looked like he was already dead. 

Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with tears in her eyes. She moved to walk closer but Finn grabbed her. "Tatum, no." He quickly said.

She shrugged him off. "Get off me. He needs help!"

She and Clarke wasted no time leaving them behind and making their way to Jasper. Bellamy followed them. "Clarke, Tatum, wait!"

Once they got close, Tatum slowed down her steps and her jaw slacked at the sight of her best friend on the verge of death. She let out a quiet sob and her heart squeezed in her chest.

Clarke was further ahead and suddenly, the ground beneath her collapsed and Clarke fell. Bellamy quick to grab ahold of her hand. "Clarke!" They all shouted in a panic.

"Bellamy, pull her up!" Yelled Tatum and she ran next to him to help him pull her up.

The other boys grabbed onto the both of them and helped pull Clarke out of the hole. They saw at the bottom were multiple spears standing with their points up. Once they successfully pulled Clarke up, Tatum fell to her back and exhaled deeply. "God, what is with these people and spears?" 

Wells grabbed her hands and hoisted her off the ground. "We need to get him down." Clarke motioned to Jasper.

"I'll climb up there and cut the vines," Finn insisted.

"Yeah, yeah, i'm with you." Wells agreed and went to follow but Finn stopped him.

"No, stay with the girls. Watch him." He instructed, nodding towards Bellamy. He turned to Murphy who was silent in the back. "You, let's go."

Tatum bit her nails, a nervous habit of hers, as she watched Finn and Murphy climb up the tree to Jasper.  Bellamy and Wells looked around to make sure no one was watching or trying to kill them. "There's poultice on his wound," Clarke stated, causing Tatum to look harder and see that he indeed had medicine applied on his chest where the wound was.

"Why would they save his life just to string him up as live bait?" Asked Wells.

"Maybe waiting to ring the next dinner bell." Tatum suggested nervously. Then, in the distance, a low growl was heard by them all. "Did you guys hear that?"

Bellamy looked at her. "Grounders?" He suggested,  unsure of himself.

Ahead of them appeared a black cougar slowly making its way through the grass, growling. "Nope, definitely not a grounder." She muttered and backed away slowly.

"Bellamy, gun!" Clarke ordered.

Before he could do anything, shots were fired by Wells and each bullet he shot, he missed the cougar. Tatum backed away in fear and her breath quickening. She tripped over something and fell backward onto the harsh ground. Her motion made the cougar charge at her.

"Tatum!" Shouted Finn from the top of the tree.

"NO!" Someone else shouted but Tatum was not paying attention. She quickly rolled on her stomach as the cougar pounced on her. She hid her face in the ground and when she get the animal's claws slash across her back, a painful scream rippled out of her throat. 

"SHOOT IT!"

Finally, after another bullet was fired, the cougar fell dead ontop of her. Tatum groaned in agonizing pain and all she could feel was a white hot agony like somebody was pressing an iron to her skin.

"Get it off her!" Bellamy's voiced boomed in her ears.

The cougar was shoved off of her and they gasped when they saw three large slash marks swiped across her back and tore through her shirt. Her skin was cut open and bleeding at a fast pace. Clarke bent down to her. "Tatum! Tatum, are you okay?" She asked rapidly.

Her eyes began to flutter shut.

"Oh my god, she's losing a lot of blood," she said in a panic and looked at the others. "We have to get her back to camp, now!"

"Murphy, Finn, carry Jasper," Bellamy ordered and looked down at the bleeding girl. "I'll carry her."

They watched him bend down and tried to pick her up but she yelled in pain.

"Be careful!" Snapped Finn.

"i'm trying!" He snapped back even harsher. Bellamy was able to stand her up and turn around, helping her climb on his back. "Tatum, are you okay?"

She said nothing and her head lolled over on his shoulder, her cheek pressed against the fabric of his jacket. 

"She just passed out. We have to hurry!" Clarke yelled and they quickly left the open space of the woods. 

Bellamy gave his gun to Wells and hooked the girl's legs under his hands. He could hear her groaning in pain. "Is Jasper okay?" She muttered against his jacket.

"Yeah, Tatum. Jasper's okay."

They arrived back to camp with an injured Jasper and Tatum. "Clear the area, move!" Finn shouted at the camp of delinquents.

Everyone watched as they carried the injured two into the drop ship. "Jasper!" Monty yelled when he saw them carrying his friend. He stopped when he saw Tatum being carried on Bellamy's back and his face fell. "Tatum? Oh god, what happened?" He asked frantically as he made their way over to him.

"Cougar attack," Clarke answered with a shaky voice.  "I have to cauterize her wounds."

Octavia, hearing the commotion, gasped at the sight of Tatum passed out in her brother's back. "Oh my god, is she alive? Please tell me she's alive." She stammered.

"She's alive. She just passed out from the pain." Clarke answered without looking at her and cleared a table.  "Bellamy, place her on here."

Bellamy ever so carefully removed Tatum from his back and layed her gently on her stomach, her arms falling off the table and the side of her face against the metal table. She wasn't dead but damn, did she look close. Her tan skin was turning a light shade of pale and she was sweating ferociously.

Monty was torn. His two best friends were injured and it was overwhelming. He didn't know how he would handle both of them in pain for much longer. "I need to get her shirt off." Clarke spoke once she came back to Tatum.

The boys turned around and she and Octavia carefully took off the two shirts from the girl's body, leaving her in a black sports bra. Octavia covered her mouth when she saw the wounds. "Oh god."

Finn ran to them with a heated iron. "This'll cauterize the wounds." He said in a hurry.

Clarke took it from his grasp and looked at the others. "You guys might want to cover your ears." She warned with a shaky breath.

Monty was on the verge of tears and he covered his ears immediately.

"i'm sorry, Tatum." She whispered and pressed the hot piece of iron to her back. The most painful and ear splitting of screams came out of her mouth and sent chills down everyone's spine. Tatum's screams led to her crying. Nobody had seen her cry ever and to see it now with her being injured was gut wrenching.  "Someone hold her down!" Clarke ordered over the screaming.

Finn held down her legs while Monty and Bellamy held down her arms. Her screams got louder and they mixed with her tears. Octavia held her hands over her ears and sobbed. The kids from outside at camp listened to the screams.

"I'm almost done, Tate!"

Bellamy looked away, his stomach feeling queasy. Monty was in tears. Finn was trying to hold it together but it was clear that he was on the verge of breaking down as well. She was their friend since childhood. Now, she was forced to be completely vulnerable and it was impossible to watch.

With one final long, heart piercing scream, Tatum passed out again from the pain. Her back was bright red and blistering but her wounds were closed. Sweat dripped from her skin and her hair stuck to her face. Clarke moved her hair away from her cheek.

"Is it done?" Monty asked and his voice was shaky.

"For now, yes. She'll be in a lot of pain for a few days but she'll be okay."

"We should let her rest." Bellamy suggested and they agreed. He shrugged off his jacket and gently placed it over her so she wouldn't be exposed anymore.