Sometimes goodbye is a second chance.

— Second Chance, Shinedown

━━━━━━ September 23, 2149

"THE THING IS, WE'VE never had meat in our diets before now. Protein, yes, but how meat from a living creature breaks down in our systems is different. That's why some of these kids are getting sick and throwing up. Their bodies aren't used to how hard it is to process."

⠀⠀⠀Casey took Murphy's advice after spending time with Bellamy in the fog. They weren't friends, but they weren't necessarily enemies. For now, seeing that Bellamy was a decent human being who did care for them, she would put aside her differences in an effort to survive. He had invited her to their council room and given her the audience to speak to him and Clarke as co-leaders of their camp.

⠀⠀⠀"And how do you suggest we fix that?" Bellamy asked, giving her a soft nod.

⠀⠀⠀Casey crossed her arms as she considered her words, finger tapping against the inside of her arm.

⠀⠀⠀"We need to find an alternative source of protein from plants. We mainly ate soybeans on the Ark, but we would need something to buffer the meat so that we're not eating too much at a time. Our bodies will get used to it, but it might take months for that to happen."

⠀⠀⠀Clarke glanced from Bellamy to Casey, frowning.

⠀⠀⠀"We can't chance searching for something we don't have any idea of where to find it. Especially with the grounders out there," she said.

⠀⠀⠀"I understand, but we do have hunting parties going out. We can ask them to keep an eye out for nuts and berries for the time being until we can spare resources to search for edible plants," Casey agreed.

⠀⠀⠀"Then what?" Bellamy asked.

⠀⠀⠀"Then we start a garden so that by this time next year, we're not worrying about looking. All I'd need is space, preferably outside of the walls," Casey claimed. She knew it was hard to ask for a garden outside the walls. Just a few days ago, Wells had been killed sitting out there alone. It hit them hard, especially Clarke. Some were just paranoid about the grounders getting to them next. But for people who knew him like Clarke and even less like Casey, it was a horrible loss.

⠀⠀⠀Clarke was about to argue with Casey's idea when Octavia and Jasper stumbled into the tent. It had been a week since Jasper was stabbed through the chest. It had been three days since Casey last spoke to Octavia. At the sight of her, Octavia scowled and then turned to her brother to blatantly ignore her presence.

⠀⠀⠀"Octavia," Bellamy said in surprise. "We're in the middle of something."

⠀⠀⠀"You need to see this," Octavia stated, setting down a cloth and revealing Wells' fingers.

⠀⠀⠀"Are those—?" Clarke began, unable to finish her sentence. Her face turned green at the sight.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah. They're Wells' fingers."

⠀⠀⠀"We already know the grounders killed him," Bellamy interrupted with a frown. "He was outside of the walls when he wasn't supposed to."

⠀⠀⠀"Right," Octavia nodded.

⠀⠀⠀She turned to Jasper expectantly. He frantically dug into his pockets and pulled out a knife. He passed it over to Clarke, and she eyed it to see what they meant. She kept it just out of sight, making it impossible for Casey to see.

⠀⠀⠀"The knife was made of metal from the dropship," Clarke concluded.

⠀⠀⠀"What do you mean?" Jasper asked, his eyes wide in horror.

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy narrowed his eyes into slits as he looked between Jasper and Octavia. He walked past Jasper's question and asked, "Who else knows about this?"

⠀⠀⠀"No one," Octavia assured him. "We brought it straight here."

⠀⠀⠀"Clarke?" Jasper pressed, pleading for an answer.

⠀⠀⠀"It means the grounders didn't kill Wells. It was one of us," Clarke claimed, the words draining out of her, leaving her pale and detached.

⠀⠀⠀"There's more than one murderer in this camp. This isn't news. We need to keep it quiet," Bellamy said.

⠀⠀⠀For once, they were all in agreement. Even Casey, who was quick to argue with Bellamy, knew that this situation could blow out of proportion. They needed to figure out what they did in situations like these. Especially in a fragile community such as their own.

⠀⠀⠀Although, Clarke was beginning to unravel. She went to leave the tent, but Bellamy stepped in her way. She viewed this situation as Wells' friend and not about the ramifications if this got out. Chaos would erupt, they would be dead within days.

⠀⠀⠀"Get out of my way, Bellamy," Clarke hissed.

⠀⠀⠀"Clarke, be smart about this. Look at what we've achieved. The wall, the patrols. Like it or not, thinking the grounders killed Wells is good for us," Bellamy said. Casey didn't fully agree with that perspective. They did have an active murderer in their ranks, but they also didn't have the evidence to show for it.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, good for you, you mean," Clarke spat. Her eyes squinted as she looked unimpressed with Bellamy's defense. "What? Keep people afraid, and they'll work for you? Is that it?"

⠀⠀⠀"We're still fragile, and we don't have any evidence. Bellamy's right. This could break us," Casey piped in.

⠀⠀⠀Clarke turned to Casey, her mouth open and eyes wide, surprised she had taken Bellamy's side. She turned back to Bellamy and demanded, "Move."

⠀⠀⠀"Listen. Fear of the grounders is good for all of us. It's building that wall and keeping us on the same side," Bellamy claimed, nodding his head in Casey's direction. "And, besides, what are you gonna do? Just walk out there and ask the killer to step forward. You don't even know whose knife that is."

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, really?" Clarke bit back. She raised the knife, and Casey's stomach dropped. It looked identical to the one in her pocket. "JM, John Murphy. The people have a right to know."

⠀⠀⠀Clarke slipped past Bellamy, and a beat of silence followed her absence.

⠀⠀⠀"She did not just say—"

⠀⠀⠀But the look on Bellamy's face told her Clarke did.

⠀⠀⠀Casey sprinted out of the tent. Her eyes darted around the camp before landing on the crowd beginning to form. In the middle, Clarke and Murphy stood. Murphy faced her, his face relaxed as he looked at the knife raised in her hand.

⠀⠀⠀"Where'd you find it?" Murphy asked. He reached out his hand to take it, but she snatched her arm away, enraged.

⠀⠀⠀"Where you dropped it after you killed Wells," Clarke spat.

⠀⠀⠀Casey pushed her way between the two, puffing out her chest and throwing her hands at her sides to become a barrier Clarke couldn't get through. Her lips were a thin line, and the two inches she held over Clarke made it feel like she was towering over her. Clarke glared right back, unafraid.

⠀⠀⠀Casey took in a deep breath and said, "You need to back off, Clarke, and think this through."

⠀⠀⠀"I've thought it through enough," Clarke assured her. Her eyes narrowed on Casey.

⠀⠀⠀"Wait, where I did what?" Murphy asked in confusion. "The Grounders killed Wells, not me," he chuckled as if he needed to remind Clarke what happened.

⠀⠀⠀Clarke's hand clamped along Casey's bicep and threw her out of the way with the strength of a raging bear. Casey stumbled, her leg still weak, but she was able to hold herself upright as Clarke bit tore into Murphy.

⠀⠀⠀"I know what you did, and you're gonna pay for it," Clarke hissed.

⠀⠀⠀"Really?" Murphy laughed.

⠀⠀⠀Casey's eye twitched at Murphy's blasé attitude. He didn't care to read the tone of a situation. If it led to a fight, well, that just made his day a little more interesting. Even if it did cause Casey to lecture him on being more careful. Ironic that she was arrested for assault.

⠀⠀⠀"Bellamy, you really believe this crap?" Murphy asked, looking over Casey's head to the man himself. He stood with his arms crossed and a scowl as he said nothing. His face was comparatively neutral to the two girls arguing over Murphy's fate.

⠀⠀⠀"You threatened to kill him," Clarke continued. "We all heard you. You hated Wells."

⠀⠀⠀"Plenty of people hated Wells. His father was the Chancellor who locked us up!" he shouted, turning to the crowd with his voice growing in size like Bellamy's.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, but you're the only one who got in a knife fight with him," Clarke rebutted.

⠀⠀⠀Casey could feel this getting out of hand. Murphy opened his mouth.

⠀⠀⠀Casey quickly interrupted, "John, shut up." Then, she turned to Clarke and said, "This is over. We're not doing this here."

⠀⠀⠀"Did you help him?" Clarke asked, furrowing her brows as if astounded Casey would be friends with the likes of Murphy.

⠀⠀⠀"Excuse me?" Casey asked, offended.

⠀⠀⠀"Wells was killed the same way Atom was," Clarke claimed. "Knife to the throat."

⠀⠀⠀Casey was quiet then. For a moment, she had nothing to say. Clarke took it as a win while Casey was still suffering from the guilt of killing Atom. She could see it in Clarke's face, and that broke her.

⠀⠀⠀"You just want someone to blame because you know, deep down, you've wanted Wells dead since we got here. He got your father floated, right?" Casey spat. The shock that bloomed over Clarke's face was satisfying, to say the least.

⠀⠀⠀"Come on. This is ridiculous," Murphy groaned. "I don't have to answer to you. I don't have to answer to anyone!"

⠀⠀⠀"Come again?" Bellamy asked his voice deep and brow raised.

⠀⠀⠀"Bellamy, look. I'm telling you, man. I didn't do this, and neither did Casey," Murphy pleaded with him.

⠀⠀⠀"They found his fingers on the ground with your knife," Bellamy said, his opinion now laid out to them.

⠀⠀⠀Casey moved past Clarke and stood beside Murphy. "I know Murphy. He wouldn't kill someone."

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy's gaze cut to her, void of all emotion, as he asked, "Did you ever think you were capable of killing someone?"

⠀⠀⠀Casey's mouth opened, but no words came out. She was no longer a person but the action she had committed. A murderer. And yet, Bellamy would have fallen into this same fate if she hadn't stepped in. She had done him a kindness, and as soon as it profited him, he threw it back in her face.

⠀⠀⠀"He tried to kill Jasper, too," Octavia claimed, stepping away from the crowd as she looked between those in the middle. Casey turned to glare at her, but Octavia's green eyes had already pierced through her heart. She knew this was the twist of the knife for Casey and relished in her demise.

⠀⠀⠀"Is this the kind of society we want?" Clarke asked, turning to the crowd. "You say there should be no rules. Does that mean we can kill each other without punishment?"

⠀⠀⠀"I already told you. I didn't kill anyone," Murphy repeated, but no one was listening.

⠀⠀⠀"I say we float him!" a voice from the crowd shouted. It came from Ethan. In seconds, others were cheering at the call for blood.

⠀⠀⠀Clarke turned to the voice. Her previous determination deteriorated as she realized how quickly her morals fell on deaf ears. Stumbling over her words, she said, "That's not what I'm saying."

⠀⠀⠀"Why not?"

⠀⠀⠀"Revenge isn't justice," Clarke lectured, but these kids didn't want a lesson in ethics. They wanted blood.

⠀⠀⠀"It's justice!"

⠀⠀⠀The crowd of campers began to chant 'FLOAT HIM, FLOAT HIM!' cornering Murphy. His eyes locked on Ethan before he lunged forward to attack him. Murphy was tripped by someone else in the crowd and fell into the dirt. The crowd swarmed, going in for the kill.

⠀⠀⠀Casey tried to push forward into the crowd, but she was caught in the crossfire and punched along the jaw. She paused, grabbing her bearings, before rage erupted into her veins, and she started kicking and pushing the other kids out of her way. When she reached Murphy, her head was already spinning. She tried to pull him up to his feet and get out of this festering crowd, but she was kicked down beside him. Feet flew into her stomach and ribs, keeping her down.

⠀⠀⠀There was no break in the beating until they'd gone to the next extreme. Seat belts torn from the dropship were used to tie a gag around Murphy's mouth and hold his arms behind his back. He was dragged away, leaving Casey behind in the dirt.

⠀⠀⠀Casey struggled but forced herself to her feet. All she saw was red as she forced her way through the crowd by a tree. She breathed heavily, ready to fight all one hundred of these selfish, inhuman teenagers if it meant keeping Murphy alive. Then, her body went cold as she noticed the noose strung around Murphy's neck. He stood on a crate, barely able to keep himself upright.

⠀⠀⠀"Stop it!" Casey screamed, lunging forward.

⠀⠀⠀Casey punched Ethan in the nose as he got in her way, kneed Myles in the crotch as he tried to grab her, and made it to the tree where the rope was tied. She whipped out her knife and started to fray the ropes when her feet were dragged off of the ground and pulled back.

⠀⠀⠀"No, get off of me! Get the fuck off of me! You'll kill him! You'll fucking kill him!" she raged, tears streaking down her face. She kicked her legs back, trying to knock the person behind her off balance. They had a lock-tight grip on her, and despite her fight, she wasn't going anywhere.

⠀⠀⠀Behind them, the crowd began to chant Bellamy's name. Bellamy, Bellamy, Bellamy, Bellamy. He stepped forward as Clarke begged him not to do it like this wasn't her idea, like this wasn't her fault! Then, Bellamy kicked the crate beneath Murphy's feet.

⠀⠀⠀Casey screamed until her voice turned raw and scratchy. She could do nothing but beg and plead and rage as she watched her best friend—her brother—as the life choked out of him. In all that time waiting for death, Casey never imagined it to be anyone but her.

⠀⠀⠀"STOP!" a shriek screamed out, causing the crowd to pause and turn to Charlotte. "OKAY? MURPHY DIDN'T KILL WELLS! I DID!"

⠀⠀⠀Clarke cut Murphy down. Finn, who had returned from scouting, helped Murphy loosen the noose from his neck. Casey's ears rang. She turned to stare at Charlotte. She could feel the tension behind her eyes. Charlotte was just a child, and yet she was the second of them to kill. The first to kill in cold blood.

⠀⠀⠀Casey slammed her heels back into the boy's shin that held her. He grunted, and his grip loosened. She darted to Murphy's side, her fingers brushing his cheek and catching his attention. Murphy was breathing heavily, still dazed from lack of oxygen. Then, his face turned bright red, and he realized he was still alive. His eyes blazed as he glared in Charlotte's direction.

⠀⠀⠀Murphy stood to his feet with a strained cry and launched for Charlotte. Bellamy caught him halfway, pushing him back and away from Charlotte.

⠀⠀⠀"She's the murderer! She should be hanged!" Murphy screamed at Bellamy as he pointed wildly at Charlotte.

⠀⠀⠀"No," Bellamy said, his hand resting on Murphy's shoulder with a firm grip.

⠀⠀⠀Murphy screamed again and tried to bulldoze his way through Bellamy. Finn and Clarke rushed around them, quickly moving Charlotte out of the spotlight and into the strategy tent.

⠀⠀⠀"John," Casey said, walking from where she kneeled to stand beside Bellamy. She looked at Murphy, her face open and honest, as she told him, "Let us get her side of the story. See what happened."

⠀⠀⠀"SHE WAS GOING TO LET ME DIE!" Murphy roared at her, frustrated and hurt. She understood his feelings, but this was the same path that led him to get arrested in the first place. She wouldn't let it happen again.

⠀⠀⠀"SHE'S A SCARED KID WHO JUST SAW HOW QUICK EVERYONE TURNED ON YOU!" Casey screamed back. She didn't like Charlotte, didn't trust Charlotte, but she wasn't looking to condemn her as they had Murphy. It would only make her the same. "You just got hanged for no reason. I'm not letting that happen to someone else," she said firmly, her gaze now a glare, waiting for him to continue arguing.

⠀⠀⠀He scoffed, annoyed, but he knew where he could push Casey. This wasn't it.

⠀⠀⠀"Fine," he snapped, crossing his arms, and a scowl worked down his face. "Twenty minutes."

⠀⠀⠀They'd gotten their twenty minutes, but most of that ticking clock was cannibalized by Charlotte panicking and Clarke trying to soothe her. When they finally got her to calm down and talk, Murphy was now impatient and thirsty for revenge.

⠀⠀⠀"BRING OUT THE GIRL, BELLAMY!" Murphy screamed, his voice calloused from the rope.

⠀⠀⠀Those inside the tent ignored him, needing answers before their time ran out.

⠀⠀⠀"Why, Charlotte?" Bellamy asked as she stood between Finn and Clarke. She cowered, her hands close to her chest as her mouth curved into the half-sob Casey had become familiar with her.

⠀⠀⠀"I was just trying to slay my demons... like you told me," Charlotte explained with a stutter out of fear.

⠀⠀⠀"What the hell is she talking about?" Clarke demanded, whipping her head toward Bellamy.

⠀⠀⠀"She misunderstood me," Bellamy claimed. He glanced at Casey briefly, guilt bleeding out of him, before turning back to Charlotte. "Charlotte, that is not what I meant."

⠀⠀⠀"BRING THE GIRL OUT! NOW!"

⠀⠀⠀"Please, don't let them hurt me," Charlotte begged.

⠀⠀⠀"If you guys have any bright ideas, speak up!" Bellamy shouted at the room, frustrated.

⠀⠀⠀Clarke looked like she was about to throw up after she had caused this chaos; Finn held his eyes downcast, guilty for not being there sooner; and Casey...

⠀⠀⠀Casey rested her amber eyes heavily on Bellamy. She was disappointed and appalled by his actions, by Clarke's actions. Sadly, even Casey could come to understand Clarke's decision. In the heat of the moment, desperate to avenge her friend, she believed what she was doing was right. Bellamy had only attempted to kill Murphy because he was pressured by the other teens.

⠀⠀⠀"Now you stay quiet!" he snapped at them.

⠀⠀⠀"Those are your boys out there," Finn stated. He was not about to take Bellamy's blame for something he hadn't participated in.

⠀⠀⠀"This is not my fault!" Bellamy claimed, pointing at Clarke. "If she had listened—"

⠀⠀⠀"If you had stood up to her baseless accusations, we could have gotten out of it!" Casey snapped, her arms crossed and chin raised ever so slightly to mimic looking down on him. "So, shut the hell up so we can figure out where to go from here."

⠀⠀⠀"YOU WANT TO BUILD A SOCIETY, PRINCESS? LET'S BUILD A SOCIETY! BRING HER OUT!"

⠀⠀⠀"No! Please, Bellamy," Charlotte cried when Bellamy walked past her to exit the tent.

⠀⠀⠀"Charlotte, hey, it's gonna be okay. Just stay with them," Bellamy assured her softly, his brotherly tone coming into play as he nodded toward Clarke and Finn. "Casey," he called, nodding his head toward the entrance.

⠀⠀⠀She followed, knowing she would be better help dealing with Murphy than Charlotte. As they stepped out, Murphy stood with the whole camp behind him, watching and waiting for what would happen next. One moment, they wanted him dead. The next, they're fighting alongside him. Murphy approached the pair with a cocky step in his walk as he met them halfway.

⠀⠀⠀"Well, well, well. Look who decided to join us," Murphy chuckled, his gaze stuck on Bellamy. He hadn't even looked at Casey, likely knowing that this facade would melt away in seconds if he did.

⠀⠀⠀"Dial it down and back off," Bellamy ordered, but he had lost all sense of control the second he left Murphy hanging.

⠀⠀⠀"Or what? What are you gonna do about me? Hang me?" Murphy asked. He squared his shoulders and straightened his back so he could stare Bellamy Blake right in the eye.

⠀⠀⠀"I was just giving the people what they wanted," Bellamy said plainly.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah," Murphy scoffed. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Why don't we do that right now?" he asked, turning to the crowd. "So, who here wants to see the real murderer hung up? All in favor?" he said, raising his hands. Only a few followed, but even they took a hesitant moment to do so. Murphy turned sharply to look at Casey, but her arms were crossed, and she watched him warily. "I see. So, it's okay to string me up for nothing, but when this little bitch confessed, you all let her walk? Cowards! All of you are cowards!" he screamed back into the crowd.

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy walked over to him, resting his hand on Murphy's shoulder, and said, "Hey, Murphy! Murphy. It's over."

⠀⠀⠀Murphy looked at him, then at Casey. He paused a second, then conceded, nodding his head and sagged his shoulders in surrender.

⠀⠀⠀"Whatever you say, boss," he muttered reluctantly.

⠀⠀⠀Appeased by Murphy's statement, Bellamy nodded and returned to the tent. Casey watched Bellamy from the corner of her eye, knowing not to trust Murphy's quick surrender. Murphy picked up a log in his hands and stalked toward Bellamy with it raised. Casey rushed Murphy, knocking him into the dirt, and sent a clean punch to his face. Murphy groaned in pain. As she reared back to punch him again, he flung forward, slamming their heads together and thus knocking her out.

CASEY BLINKED ONCE, TWICE, three times then squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again to see a blurry figure hovering over her. Her forehead was cool and damp, and she was lying on a cot with a blanket resting on her legs. She groaned, throwing her arm over her eyes as she could begin to feel the bruise.

⠀⠀⠀At first, she could hardly remember what was happening. Then, it hit her like a splash of cold water. Murphy, Charlotte, getting knocked out, and Bellamy... She looked around the room and found Bellamy on a cot with Octavia tending to him. Unlike her, he was still knocked out.

⠀⠀⠀Casey stood to her feet and pushed back Octavia despite her protests. Her hands gripped Bellamy's shoulders and shook him wildly. Who knew how much time had passed? What had Murphy done in the meantime?

⠀⠀⠀"Bellamy! Bellamy, wake up!" she yelled.

⠀⠀⠀His eyes opened groggily. He turned his head back and forth, trying to figure out where he was as he muttered, "Casey?" Then, it all came back to him. "Oh, shit. We have to go. Where are they?" he asked Octavia.

⠀⠀⠀She scowled, her arms crossed over her chest, but answered, "They went towards the woods."

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy passed her a quick thank you as Casey snatched his hand and forced him to follow her. They sprinted for the woods, and once within, they paused to listen. It was quiet, eerily so, no sounds of nature alerting them of the calm. Something sinister brewed within. Quietly, they proceeded, keeping to the shadows before one of Murphy's gang noticed them.

⠀⠀⠀It wasn't long before they heard Murphy's shouting, muffled and distant. They followed it, Bellamy leading through the woods. He lifted a finger to his lips to signal keeping quiet as they listened for anything that might tell them where Charlotte had gone.

⠀⠀⠀Twigs snapped, and heavy footfalls sounded from their left. A blur moved through the trees. Bellamy moved quickly, holding out his arms, and gripped Charlotte tightly against his chest. She screamed bloody murder.

⠀⠀⠀"CHARLOTTE! YOU CAN'T HIDE FOREVER! DON'T WORRY! WE WON'T HURT YOU!"

⠀⠀⠀"Let me go!" Charlotte screamed, punching her fists at Bellamy.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm trying..." Bellamy began but struggled against Charlotte, trying to squirm away. "Hey, hey! I'm trying to help you!" he scolded.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm not your sister! Just stop helping me!" Charlotte screamed at him. Something had flipped in Charlotte's mind; whereas before, she had begged for them to keep her safe, now, she was trying to attract her death. "I'M OVER HERE!" she screamed into the woods.

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy took Charlotte by the shoulders and forced her to look him in the eyes.

⠀⠀⠀"Are you trying to get all three of us killed?" Bellamy hissed.

⠀⠀⠀"Just go, okay? I'm the one they want," Charlotte said softly, her face forming into that half-sob again.

⠀⠀⠀"Okay, Charlotte," Bellamy agreed, nodding his head. "Listen to me. I won't leave you."

⠀⠀⠀"Please, Bellamy," Charlotte cried. "Aah! Murphy! I'm over here!" she screamed.

⠀⠀⠀Charlotte launched herself out of Bellamy's arms and right into Casey's. Her arms latched onto Charlotte's waist with an iron grip, raising her feet a few inches off the ground. Bellamy turned to them, his shoulders slumping as he sent Casey a thankful gaze. They headed back into the woods with only the plan to keep their distance from Murphy.

⠀⠀⠀"COME ON OUT, CHARLOTTE! COME ON OUT!" Murphy crowed back.

⠀⠀⠀Through all of Charlotte's screaming and crying, Bellamy and Casey made it to the end of their journey as they stood at a cliff's edge. Murphy and his friends walked out of the woods, effectively trapping them there. Casey's arms were growing stiff. She set Charlotte down, digging her hands into her shoulders before she could attempt another escape.

⠀⠀⠀"Bellamy! You can't fight all of us," Murphy claimed, finality in his tone. "Give her up."

⠀⠀⠀"Maybe not, but I guarantee I'll take a few of you with me," Bellamy claimed, readying himself for a fight.

⠀⠀⠀"It's not too late to back down, John," Casey spoke up, glancing at Bellamy to make sure he wouldn't relay the opposite opinion. "We can go home."

⠀⠀⠀"Chaos, anger, that is my home," Murphy sneered. He kept his gaze away from her, though, and she knew her John was still in there, buried in the hurt of a reckless decision.

⠀⠀⠀Clarke and Finn sprinted out of the woods and into the middle of the ring. Clarke's hands raised out to both sides as she screamed, "Bellamy! Stop! This has gone too far. Just calm down. We'll talk about this!"

⠀⠀⠀Murphy didn't listen, didn't want to listen. Instead, he caught Clarke between his chest and his knife.

⠀⠀⠀"Let her go!" Bellamy bellowed, taking a few steps forward.

⠀⠀⠀"I will slit her throat," Murphy hissed, stopping Bellamy in his tracks. His eyes darted to Casey's, dark and raging through the firelight. "Casey, say one word, and I'll do it."

⠀⠀⠀She believed him in that moment. Her John was gone, replaced by Murphy, the boy who wanted revenge.

⠀⠀⠀"No, please," Charlotte begged, tears pooling at the edges of her eyes as she started to pull herself from Casey's weakening grip. "Please don't hurt her."

⠀⠀⠀"Don't hurt her?" Murphy asked, peeling his eyes from Casey to grin callously at Charlotte. "Okay. I'll make you a deal. You come with me right now. I will let her go."

⠀⠀⠀Charlotte started to inch her feet toward Murphy. Casey returned to her senses as her fingers lifted from Charlotte's shoulders. She quickly dragged her back while Bellamy begged her not to listen.

⠀⠀⠀"No! No, I have to!" Charlotte exclaimed. "Murphy, this is not happening. I can't let any of you get hurt anymore. Not because of me. Not after what I did," she explained, slipping out of Casey's grip and looking solemnly toward her. "What I would've done."

⠀⠀⠀None of them were prepared for what Charlotte was ready to do. She turned towards the cliff and jumped. Casey followed after her, not realizing the extent of what Charlotte had done. She had one foot over the edge to try to catch Charlotte when Bellamy's arms were around her waist. He pulled her back into his chest, only a step from the cliff, as they watched Charlotte's small body sink into the crashing waves.

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy's breathing was heavy against her neck, his skin was hot, and he peeled away from Casey as he turned to Murphy. He tackled Murphy into the dirt, fists engraved into Murphy's bloodied face, ready to kill him for a second time that day. Clarke screamed for him to stop, but it was no use. Bellamy was too hurt, too betrayed by Murphy to stop.

⠀⠀⠀Casey watched, unperturbed, as Bellamy dragged Murphy to the cliff's edge. Murphy locked eyes with Casey. This was the end. Unemotional and disappointed, that was how he would see her for the last time. Ruthless and temperamental, that was how he would remember him.

⠀⠀⠀"If I ever catch you near camp, we'll be back here. Understand?" Bellamy hissed.

⠀⠀⠀Murphy nodded slowly, dragging his gaze back to Bellamy. All that fire from before flushed out of his system as he came to terms with what he had done. Bellamy let him go and turned to the others that had sided against him.

⠀⠀⠀"As for the four of you, you can come back and follow me or go off with him to die. Your choice," he stated simply, barging his way back to camp.

⠀⠀⠀Everyone except for Casey and Finn followed his lead. Murphy lay on the ground, beaten and bruised. Casey didn't know what happened next. And Finn stayed behind to make sure someone watched Casey's back.

⠀⠀⠀Murphy stood to his feet, stumbling slightly from the pain. He leaned his hand against a tree and hung his head low. As Casey approached, she could see a slight gleam through his lashes.

⠀⠀⠀"I fucking hate you, y'know," Casey whispered. Her hands clenched at her sides.

⠀⠀⠀"I know," he replied.

⠀⠀⠀Casey nodded before pulling him into a hug. Murphy returned it almost instantly, holding her as close as he could before they never saw each other again. He buried his nose into her shoulder, shuddering a breath. Casey pressed her head against his chest, tears running down her face. They swayed eight times together before Casey pulled away.

⠀⠀⠀"Goodbye, John."

⠀⠀⠀"Goodbye, Casey," Murphy whispered, roughly wiping the tears staining her cheeks.

⠀⠀⠀Casey held out her knife to him. He chuckled softly and pulled out his—stolen back from Clarke. Now, they'd always have a piece of each other. Casey nodded, gripped the knife tight, and nearly whispered Bellamy's infamous words: 'Screw you. I'm not afraid.' But she was so afraid. The second Murphy vanished, he was dead.

⠀⠀⠀She turned away, reluctant to watch him leave first. Finn stood at the edge of the woods and rested a comforting arm around her shoulders like the first day they met.

⠀⠀⠀"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

⠀⠀⠀"No," she said.

⠀⠀⠀Back at camp, Clarke and Bellamy had already discussed the issue at hand and how they would move forward with them in charge. Each person would have rules and responsibilities, and anyone who tried something like Charlotte or Murphy would be banished.

⠀⠀⠀Finn was walking Casey back to her tent when Monty peeked out of the dropship and noticed them. Excitedly, he called out, "Hey, guys! We got a wristband still functional and ready to contact the Ark!"

⠀⠀⠀Inside, Monty was joined by Clarke, Jasper, and Octavia. Finn and Casey stopped at the back of the room, drained but hopeful.

⠀⠀⠀"Will we be able to talk to them?" Clarke asked as Monty readied his tools.

⠀⠀⠀"No. More like Morse code," Monty explained. It sounded like nothing, but that was more contact than any of them had with the Ark since they landed. Monty glanced at Jasper with a knowing smile and asked, "You wanna do the honors?"

⠀⠀⠀Jasper stepped up and took the red wire from Monty.

⠀⠀⠀"That port right there," Monty directed.

⠀⠀⠀Jasper set the wire into the port cautiously, then removed his hand. A second later, the wristband sparked as the wristband died like it had the first time Casey watched. Then, the teeth on her wristband extracted from her skin, and a loud clank echoed throughout the room. They all stared at her wristband lying dead on the floor, too.

⠀⠀⠀"What happened?" Clarke asked, wide-eyed.

⠀⠀⠀"It didn't work," Monty sighed. "I think we fried all the wristbands."

⠀⠀⠀Casey closed her eyes, counting under her breath as she tried to manage her thoughts. She sighed loudly before walking out of the dropship without another word to anyone else. So many things crammed inside her head that she could only understand the main ideas of them. Murphy, Mom, the Ark, wristbands, dead, dead, dead, they were all dead!

⠀⠀⠀Casey found a log at the top of a small hill. Her head was so flooded she hadn't even realized it was where they found Wells' body. She counted under her breath. There was no way she could get in contact with her mom. She'd never see her again. Never see Murphy again. She had lost everyone that she ever loved that night.

⠀⠀⠀An hour or two or more passed. Casey sat as she had been, counting and thinking when someone sat next to her. His knees touched hers as she barely computed another's presence.

⠀⠀⠀"Are you okay?" Bellamy asked delicately.

⠀⠀⠀All he got in return was a barely intelligible string of numbers. Casey's eyes flickered side to side as she stared at the forest floor, almost as if they were written into the grains of sand and blades of grass.

⠀⠀⠀"That's okay," he assured her, looking forward as he clasped his hands. "We can just sit here together. I have nowhere else to be."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Casey is literally so close to having a breakdown. It's only a matter of time. I'm sorry to my girl, I want you to have the world.

This is one of my favorite episodes. I think it's a lot of fun just in general, and also really interesting to write with Casey and Murphy's dynamic. Plus, Casey and Bellamy are better terms now (ish), I wonder how long that will last...

CHAPTER TIME FRAME:  1x4, Murphy's Law

Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you'd like, they keep me motivated! However, this is an all kind of reader safe space. So, even if you ghost read or comment on every chapter, I hope you know it means the world to me that you've come to spend your time in this fic ♡

NEXT TIME: A pod lands on Earth. Bellamy says they'll go after it in the morning, but Casey knows him better.