chapter twenty | the final attack & the dropship
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The camp was on high alert, prepared for the impending danger. They had managed to cauterize Raven's wound, but the bullet still lodged inside her required her to be carried on a stretcher. Bellamy reluctantly joined the group, his desire to stay behind and fight evident on his face.

Clarke, Bellamy, and Hunter stood together, watching Bellamy's expression of disappointment and anger. "We did good here, Bellamy," Clarke tried to reassure him.

"Eighteen dead," Bellamy responded grimly, his gaze still heavy.

"Eighty-two alive," Hunter chimed in. "You did good," She offered him some consolation, and Bellamy nodded before extinguishing the campfire with a water barrel.

The group joined the others, and they all moved through the forest, armed and tense. Suddenly, everyone froze, sensing that something was amiss. A blade cut through the air and pierced the face of one of the delinquents, causing him to fall lifelessly.

"Grounders!" Jasper yelled.

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Amidst the chaos, all Hunter could perceive was pandemonium. She felt disoriented, pushed through the crowd. While everyone managed to make it back to camp, she lost sight of Clarke and Bellamy but could hear them shouting orders. She stood in the middle of the camp, constantly turning around, watching everyone rush to their designated positions. Raven was carried back into the dropship, and Octavia ran up to her, asking, "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah," Hunter snapped back into reality. "I - I need to find Clarke and Bellamy." Octavia pointed in their direction, and Hunter hurried over, her attention caught by the tail end of Clarke's sentence to Finn: "...said the scouts would be the first to arrive."

Octavia followed behind her, saying, "If it's just scouts, we can fight our way out. That's what Lincoln would do."

"We're done doing what that Grounder would do," Bellamy interjected as he jumped down next to Octavia. "We tried it, and now Drew is dead. You want to be next?"

"That Grounder saved our lives," Finn said, addressing Bellamy. "I agree with Octavia; for all we know, there's only one scout out there."

"One scout with insanely good aim," Hunter added.

"Clarke, we can still do this," Octavia implored.

"Looking to you, Princess. What's it going to be?" Bellamy inquired of Clarke. "Run and get picked out in the open? Or stand and fight back?"

Hunter watched as Clarke's decision weighed heavily on her. Finally, Hunter nodded and said, "I'm with you, whatever you say."

Clarke jumped down, and Finn grabbed her arm. "Clarke, if we're still here when Tristan gets here—"

"Lincoln said scouts. More than one," Clarke interrupted. "Finn, they're already here."

"Then this is what we've been preparing for. Kill them before they kill us. Gunners, to your posts. Use the tunnels to get in and out. From now on, the gate stays closed," Bellamy declared. The entire camp rushed to their positions.

Hunter approached Bellamy and asked, "So, how the hell do we do this?"

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"We've got 25 rifles with 20 rounds each, give or take. Roughly 500 rounds of ammo. While you two were gone, we made some improvements. Thanks to Raven, the gully's mined," Bellamy informed the group, which consisted of Clarke, Finn, Hunter, and Raven. They were inside the dropship, studying a makeshift map of the camp.

"Partially mined, thanks to Murphy," Raven sighed in frustration.

"Still, it's the main route in. And if the Grounders use it, we'll know," Bellamy stated. "She also built grenades."

"It's not many," Clarke noted.

"Again, thank you, Murphy," Raven added with irritation.

Hunter tensed up and took a deep breath. "We'll make them count."

"If the Grounders make it through the front gate, guns and grenades should force them back," Bellamy explained.

"And then?" Clarke inquired.

"Then we close the door and pray," Raven said.

"And pray what?" Clarke turned to face her. "That the ship keeps them out, because it won't," Clarke returned her gaze to Bellamy.

"Then let's not let them get through the gate," Bellamy responded, picking up the radio. "All foxholes, listen up. Keep your eyes and ears open. Inflict casualties, as many as possible. We can hold them off long enough to make them turn back. That's the plan."

"That's always your plan. Just like the bomb at the bridge," Finn remarked.

"Damn right. You got a better idea?" Bellamy challenged.

Clarke studied the map on the desk. "It can't be that simple," Clarke stated, then turned to Raven. "You said there's fuel in those rockets, right? Enough to build a hundred bombs."

"I also said we've got no gunpowder left," Raven replied.

"I don't wanna build a bomb," Clarke said. "I want to blast off."

Hunter realized what she was suggesting. "Draw them in close, blast off. Barbecued Grounders. I like it."

"Will it work?" Finn asked.

Raven looked down. "The wiring's a mess down there, but yeah. You give me enough time, I'll cook them real good."

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Raven was paralyzed, bleeding internally, and time was running out. Finn remembered that Lincoln had some coagulant that could slow bleeding. Despite Raven's objections, Finn knew that if Raven died, everyone's fate would be sealed. Hunter wouldn't let him go alone, so she joined him.

Finn and Hunter rushed into Lincoln's cave, frantically searching for Lincoln's vials. However, their mission came to a halt when Lincoln revealed himself.

"Lincoln, you made it," Finn greeted.

"I told you to leave," Lincoln said, realizing who had entered his domain.

"We tried, but the scouts were already there," Finn explained.

"Sterling, do you copy?" A delinquent called over the radio. Hunter grabbed the radio.

"What is that?" Lincoln asked, and Hunter handed it to him.

Multiple voices came over the radio, asking, "Why are you not there?"

"Raven was shot," Hunter explained. "We need medicine to slow the bleeding."

"You came to save one life?" Lincoln scoffed.

"I don't have time to explain," Hunter pleaded. "Do you have the medicine or not?"

"I have it," Lincoln replied, tossing it to Hunter. He looked at the radio, listening to Bellamy. "I'm going with you. Let's go." Finn and Hunter started to move, but Finn tripped over Lincoln's book, which contained a drawing of the Reapers.

"Wait!" Finn called out.

"Finn, we don't have time; Raven needs you," Hunter urged.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Finn whispered.

"Finn, let's move," Lincoln insisted.

"How far did the Reapers chase you?" Finn asked.

"Who?" Hunter questioned, concerned.

"They'd still be chasing me if I didn't lose them. Why?" Lincoln inquired, out of breath.

"I have a really bad idea," Finn said.

"Why do I have a feeling I'm not gonna like this?" Hunter sighed.

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The Reapers pursued Finn, Hunter, and Lincoln all the way back to camp. As they approached, the trio noticed the Ark breaking through the atmosphere in the sky. Finn grabbed Hunter's hand, pulling her to the side, with Lincoln following. The Reapers halted, staring at the Grounders in front of them. Both sides erupted in screams and shouts as they clashed, providing the camp with more time to seek refuge in the dropship.

Finn and Hunter navigated their way through the tunnel, and Clarke stood there, waiting and observing the spectacle unfolding outside. She rushed up to Hunter and enveloped her in a tight hug, catching Hunter off guard. Hunter smiled and returned the hug.

"What did you do?" Clarke asked.

Finn joined them and said, "Kicked the hornets' nest."

"You brought the Reapers?" Clarke inquired, her concern evident.

"Believe me, I would have loved not to bring them here, but it bought us time," Hunter explained.

"How's Raven?" Finn asked.

"She's not good," Clarke replied, shaking her head. All three of them made their way to the dropship. Hunter handed Clarke the vials. "And the rockets aren't ready yet; Jasper's working on them now."

"Wait, Jasper?" Finn stopped. "What's plan B?"

"Jasper was plan B," Clarke sighed, and they entered the dropship.

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Clarke administered the coagulant to Raven, and most of the group had sought refuge inside the dropship. Hunter and Finn knelt beside Raven.

"Clarke, they're taking down the gate," Miller called out.

"Good. Because I did it," Jasper popped his head up. "I think."

"I'm closing the door," Miller announced.

"Wait! We still have people out there. Bellamy's not back yet," Clarke said, rushing outside with Finn and Hunter following.

"All right, Jasper did it! Everybody get inside now!" Hunter yelled out. Arrows began flying toward them, and Finn pushed her out of the way, taking cover behind a sandbag wall. Clarke joined them.

Gunners managed to eliminate some of the Grounders, but they were still closing in. Bellamy finally emerged from the bushes. "There he is," Finn pointed out.

"He's never gonna make it," Clarke lamented.

"Bellamy, run!" Clarke screamed.

Bellamy grabbed a gun, but it had no ammunition. Tristan, the Grounder leader, brandished a blade and began to assault Bellamy.

"He's killing him," Clarke cried.

"Like hell he is," Hunter stood up, grabbed a gun, and shot at Tristan. She then ran over to Bellamy and tackled him to the ground.

"Hunter!" Finn shouted, running after her.

"Hunter! No!" Clarke wailed. "No!"

Miller ran out and grabbed Clarke. "Clarke! You can't save everyone. Let's go!" And he headed for the dropship.

Clarke watched as Hunter and Finn tried to fight Tristan, only to be knocked down. Hunter sat up and locked eyes with Clarke, understanding the sacrifice she had to make. Hunter nodded at her, then a Grounder came over and attempted to strike her with a blade, but she managed to dodge it.

Clarke stood up and went inside the dropship, tears streaming down her face. She left behind three people she cared about, embarking on a mission that only she could undertake to save her people. 

She fired the rockets, incinerating 300 Grounders

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- ahhhh, I did it. Oh my lord. I never thought I ever would finish it, but I did. But don't worry, it doesn't end here. Season two will be underway shortly. And can I just say, I don't think I've ever read a book where the OC doesn't go to Mount Weather. So this is going to be so much fun.

And if you're asking, if Finn still shoots up a village because he's trying to find Clarke, but in my story he's with Hunter and she's with him. Is he still going to do it?

Well you're gonna have to read and find out ;)

love you broksis xo