chapter thirteen | hallucinogens & rifles
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[making a guest appearance for this chapter is]

[Eric Dane | Hunter's Father]

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Bellamy and Hunter possessed knowledge of handling weapons. Before arriving on Earth, Bellamy had been training to be a guard. On the other hand, Hunter's father had secretly taught her how to use a gun and how to fight.

"This changes everything," Bellamy exclaimed, approaching the two girls. "No more running from spears. Ready to be badass ladies?"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I already know how to use a gun," Hunter replied confidently, holding a rifle and loading it.

"Is that so?" Bellamy grinned.

"My father taught me before he died," Hunter continued, her expression determined as she cocked the gun.

"I won't fight you on bringing guns back to camp. I know we need them, but don't expect me to like it," Clarke chimed in, grabbing a gun herself.

"We're lucky the rifles are packed in grease. The fact that they survived means we're not sitting ducks anymore. You need to learn how to do this," Bellamy emphasized, looking at the two girls.

"Did you not hear a word I said?" Hunter challenged Bellamy.

"I won't believe it until I see it," Bellamy countered with a smile.

"Your funeral," Hunter retorted, stepping in front of them. Clarke and Bellamy stood behind her, observing intently. Hunter adopted her stance and raised the gun, aiming at a target Bellamy had set up. She took a deep breath and fired three shots in quick succession, hitting the target with impressive accuracy.

"Told you," Hunter smirked.

"Holy shit," Clarke muttered.

"Your turn, princess," Hunter said, stepping back and gesturing for Clarke to take her place.

Clarke approached the makeshift shooting range, a hint of uncertainty in her eyes. "So, I just hold it on my shoulder?"

Bellamy positioned himself next to her and provided guidance on holding the gun properly. He couldn't help but admire her, earning a playful smirk from Hunter. Bellamy quickly refocused and instructed Clarke, "Yeah, just a little higher now."

Hunter stifled a chuckle, then cleared her throat. "That's good. Watch and learn."

Bellamy began to get a feel for the gun, but when he attempted to fire, nothing happened. "My bullets are duds. Try yours," Bellamy suggested.

Clarke lined up her shot and fired, feeling a sense of accomplishment. "That was amazing. Am I horrible for feeling that?"

"Try again," Bellamy encouraged.

"No, we shouldn't waste the ammunition," Clarke reasoned.

"You'll be wasting ammunition if you're shooting a target and missing every time. You need to practice," Hunter advised.

"We also need to discuss how we're going to keep guns around camp, where we're going to store them, and who will have access," Clarke added.

"You left Miller in charge of the Grounder. You must trust him," Hunter pointed out.

"You two should keep him close; the others listen to him," Bellamy suggested.

"We should keep him close?" Hunter questioned. "Bellamy, what's going on? You've been acting weird all day." She then noticed Bellamy glancing at his bag, and it suddenly clicked.

"What is it?" Clarke inquired.

"All the rations you took, you're going to run," Hunter said with a sigh.

"That's why you agreed to come with us, you were just going to load up on supplies and just disappear," Clarke added.

"I don't have a choice; the Ark will be here soon," Bellamy confessed.

"So, you're just going to leave Octavia?" Hunter questioned.

"Octavia hates me; she'll be fine," Bellamy replied.

"You don't know—"

"I shot the Chancellor! They're going to kill me, Hunter. Best-case scenario, they lock me up with the Grounder for the rest of my life, and there's no way in hell I'm going to give Jaha the satisfaction. Keep practicing. I need some air," Bellamy set his gun down and left the area.

"I need some too," Hunter sighed and started to make her way out of the bunker.

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Hunter emerged from the bunker door, her head spinning, momentarily disoriented by the bright light outside. She shielded her eyes from the sudden glare, stepping through the door.

To her surprise, Hunter found herself in her old Ark bedroom. "What?" She scanned her surroundings, the familiarity striking her. She reached out to touch the soft bed covers.

"You remember the last time you were in here?"

Hunter whirled around, and there stood Murphy, leaning casually against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

"Murphy?" Hunter rushed over and hugged him tightly, burying her head in his neck. She held onto him for what felt like an eternity before realizing the surreal nature of the situation. She broke the embrace and took a step back. "You're not real."

"I can be," Murphy teased.

"I don't know where you are; you could be - you could be dead for all I know." Hunter's eyes welled up with tears, and she sat on the bed.

"Hey," Murphy knelt down in front of her. "Then why am I here?"

"What?" Tearfully, Hunter wiped her eyes.

"Think about it," Murphy encouraged.

Hunter gazed down at the floor. "Because I feel guilty."

"About what?"

"Leaving you behind." Hunter's voice quivered as she spoke. "That you could be dead because of me."

Murphy stood up, and Hunter quickly wiped her tears away.

"There's more to it than you think, sweet pea," an older, softer voice interjected.

Hunter looked up, her breath hitching. "Dad?"

She got up and embraced him tightly, and he held her close. After a while, they broke the hug, and she looked up at him. "What did you mean?"

Her father guided her to sit beside him and wiped her tears away. "You're afraid of becoming a leader."

Hunter met his gaze, then glanced down. "After what happened with Murphy, you're afraid you don't have what it takes to be a leader. But the thing is..." Her father took her hand. "You've already proven to not only Bellamy and Clarke but to your entire camp that you do have what it takes."

Hunter looked down. "But why are you telling me this?"

"Think about it," her father encouraged.

Hunter locked eyes with him and saw a memory of her younger self, playing with a younger Murphy. "When I grow up, I want to be Chancellor!"

"I wanted to be Chancellor when I grew up, too. So I could boss people around." A smile crept across Hunter's face. "But this is different. This is about being someone who can lead a whole camp to safety, making the right decisions that keep them alive. It's not the same."

"Isn't it?" Her father gently prodded.

Hunter looked ahead, realization dawning upon her. She turned around, and everything faded away.

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Hunter's head spun, and she collapsed to the floor, returning to reality with a throbbing headache. She rubbed her temples and looked around. She was in a corridor near the blankets. Getting to her feet, she heard commotion outside.

She rushed up the stairs and witnessed the source of the disturbance. Bellamy was on the ground, with Dax aiming a gun at him. Clarke stood behind them, gun pointed at Dax. Hunter hurried to grab her spear, but then two gunshots rang out. Startled, Hunter turned and ran towards the group.

Bellamy tackled Dax to the ground, and they grappled for control of the weapon. Clarke was behind a tree, trying to fix her gun. Seeing Hunter, Clarke tossed her the gun. Hunter attempted to fire it at Dax, but the bullets turned out to be duds. She discarded the weapon and jumped on Dax's back, choking him with her arm. Dax struggled, but Bellamy seized a bullet from the ground and lodged it into Dax's throat. Hunter released her grip and stepped away. Clarke rushed over.

Dax fell lifelessly to the ground.

Clarke and Hunter leaned against a tree, panting and catching their breath. Bellamy joined them, sitting next to Clarke.

"You're okay," Clarke reassured him.

"No, I'm not," Bellamy shook his head. "My mother, if she knew what I've done, who I am... She raised me to be better, to be good."

"Bellamy," Hunter looked at him.

"And all I do is hurt people," Bellamy sniffled. "I'm a monster."

"Hey," Clarke consoled him. "You saved our lives today. You may be a total ass half the time. But—" Clarke glanced at Hunter. "We need you. I need you."

"None of us would've survived this place if it wasn't for you," Hunter added.

"You want forgiveness, fine. I'll give it to you. You're forgiven, okay? But you can't run, Bellamy. You have to come back with us. You have to face it," Clarke said firmly.

"Like you faced your mum?" Bellamy questioned her.

Clarke took a deep breath and leaned back. "You're right. I don't want to face my mum. I don't want to face any of it. All I think about every day is how we're going to keep everyone alive. But we don't have a choice."

"Jaha will kill me when he comes down," Bellamy sniffled.

"I won't let that happen," Hunter assured him. Bellamy looked at her.

"We'll figure something out," Clarke declared.

"Can we figure it out later?"

"Whenever you're ready," Hunter replied, lying back against the tree.

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The three of them gathered as much supplies as they could, including the rifles. Upon their return to the camp, everyone was alarmed about the escaped Grounder.

"Let the Grounders come," Bellamy declared as they entered the campsite. "We've been afraid of them for far too long, and why? Because of their knives and spears. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of being afraid."

Hunter addressed the group with determination. "These are weapons, okay? Not toys. We have to be prepared to give them up to the guards when the dropships come. But until then, they're going to help keep us safe."

Clarke added to the sentiment. "There are plenty more where these came from. Tomorrow, we start training, and if the Grounders come, we're going to be ready to fight."

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Hunter entered Finn's tent to check his wound while Clarke tended to Bellamy.

"I need to check this," Hunter said as she knelt down and examined Finn's wound.

"Guns? Really?" Finn asked, sounding surprised.

"The Grounder escaped; we have to expect retaliation," Hunter explained as she began removing the bandage. "We have to be prepared."

"Yeah, our ancestors wanted to be prepared too, so they built bombs," Finn replied cynically.

"Rifles aren't the same as nukes," Hunter scoffed.

"In Bellamy's hands, they are," Finn huffed. "Hunter, come on. You can't predict what he's going to do."

"There's no perfect answer, Finn."

"The Grounder saved Octavia's life, and Bellamy brought him back here and tortured him."

"No. He didn't. I did," Hunter confessed, her voice filled with guilt. Finn looked at her in surprise. "And if he didn't bring him back, you would be dead."

"I know," Finn conceded.

"I trust him," Hunter affirmed.

"You can't be serious," Finn replied, skeptical.

"I am."

"Hunter," Finn sighed. "You, Clarke, and Bellamy are leading us down a dangerous road."

Hunter took a deep breath and looked down. "I'm doing what I think is best for everyone. If that means having guns to protect us, then so be it."

"I just wish you could've talked to me about all of this, like you used to," Finn said, looking at her with a hint of sadness.

"Things are different now, Finn. I can't always come to you, not after everything that's happened," Hunter explained, standing up and leaving the tent as Raven entered.

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Bellamy eventually relented and arranged a meeting with Jaha, with Clarke's assistance. Bellamy offered information about who helped him take Jaha's life in exchange for a pardon. Jaha accepted the deal and pardoned Bellamy.

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- this was a little difficult for me to write because I wanted Hunter to have a hallucination about her father and Murphy, but I really didn't know what I wanted out of it. Because she does feel guilty about Murphy and she also is afraid of becoming a leader as she feels that she isn't good enough.
But I hoped you enjoyed the chapter, and please, please comment on how you feel about the chapter as it does really help me.