CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

"Murphy's a murderer, if he didn't do it, I would've!" 

***

The first thing I noticed when we got to camp was how bad it smelled. 

 And then I noticed all of the bodies. 

 My stomach stirred, and my senses all seemed to heighten. It was like all of the dead bodies were watching me, and it was really freaking me out. I jumped over a rock, cursing and ignoring the disapproving look from Abby. 

 "Jesus Christ!" I snapped, using Finn's arm to steady me as I almost tripped over one of the Ark Guard's big bags. "Pick up your shit, guys!" 

 "You know you probably shouldn't be yelling at them," Finn mumbled under his breath, although Phia laughed loudly just to annoy the guard holding her back. I could tell by how dark her eyes were, and how she never laughs. 

 "We'll take it from here," Kane snapped as I tried to walk farther into the camp, holding his hand out like he was warning me. I raised my eyebrows incredulously, pursing my lips. He ordered two of his guards to stay with us, while he would, and I quote, "make sure that it is safe." 

 Pardon? If I wanted to get tazed, I would have reminded Kane that we were the ones who survived here on our own. That we were the ones who had to build a camp from nothing, and thrive. That we were the ones who had to watch people die, and had to fight a goddamn war. We survived here without them, and now they're in charge again? 

We just sat there while the adults did everything, although I was adult enough to be executed on the Ark, but not adult enough to help out? Sorry, I'm super pissed. Finn and I were on our third half-hearten game of rock, paper, scissors, while Bellamy watched in disdain, and Phia stood to the side, staring blankly ahead in front of the guard. 

 "Dude, you switched." I accused, right after Finn changed his rock to scissors. He shook his head. 

 "No, that was just my fist before I finished making the scissors." 

 "Shut up." 

 "We need a stretcher!" Kane yelled from the tent, and my ears perked up, twisting my body so I could look into camp. Bellamy, Finn and I stood up, walking forward at the same time. If they found someone in there, they are our friends. One of the guards shot his arm out, "woah-" 

The three of us shared a look, having a silent agreement, and as soon as the unfamiliar guard deemed that we gave up, we turned and broke into a dead sprint, ducking and pushing through the tunnels leading into camp.  The dirt got into my eyes, so I grimaced an closed them, not opening them until light shone through, and I burst into camp. 

 My mouth dropped open, and my stomach dropped to my feet. The camp was all grey, coated with ash that made it look like it was nighttime. Charred bodies littered around the wasteland, making me grimace deeply as Finn and Bellamy appeared on my side. We seemed to be... alone. 

 "W-Where is everyone?" I asked, my voice seeming to be sucked up by the emptiness of what was previously our camp. The wind blew dust around our feet, like it was preparing to suck us into the earth. When I saw the body resting on the stretcher carried out by the guards. 

 "Oh my-Raven!" I called, moving to go see her closer, but a un-charged baton pressing against my stomach rooted me in my spot. Raven's usually tanned face was ghostly pale, and dripping with sweat, her entire body seemed to be screwed up with pain. 

 The bullet wound. 

 "Oh no," I muttered under my breath, walking over slower so that I don't get shot. Finn was at her side, staring down at her with fear in his eyes. I was worried about Raven too, but my gaze was locked firmly on the pair of goggles around her wrist. 

 Jasper's goggles. 

 "She's lost a lot of blood, it's a miracle she's still alive," Abby's eyes trailed over my face, "there's no one else in there." 

 What? I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. I saw the Drop Ship doors close, I saw Clarke's face, I saw her alive.

 "It was awful." 

 My entire body stiffened like my spine had been nailed to a board at the new voice that cut into the emptiness of camp. I could feel Bellamy's eyes stare at me, silently willing me not to do anything stupid. 

 "There were hundreds of them, if not for Raven, I don't know what would have happened." 

 I slowly turned to raise my eyes to see Murphy. His face was bloody, and he walked with a strong limp, but other than that he seemed fine. That only irked me further. Of course Murphy was fine. Out of everyone who could have walked out of the Drop Ship, it is Murphy. 

 "Uh, Nate," his eyes went wide, and unreadable emotion darted across his face, "B-Bellamy you're.... alive." 

 Bellamy didn't even try to stop me as I launched myself forward, for a moment the only images in my head being of Charlotte jumping off of that cliff, and Bellamy with his blue lips as he swung from the noose on the ceiling. I grabbed onto Murphy's shoulder's, making us both fall harshly to the ground. I reared my fist back and punched him hard across the face, the blow hurting my knuckles, but managing to release some of the anger inside of me. "You son of a bitch!" I yelled, slamming his shoulders into the ground again. I ripped my arm out of the grip of Kane, who reached over to grab me. Red tinged the edges of my vision. I told Murphy I was going to kill him, and now I am. The stupid Guard can't stop me. 

 A buzzing pain went up my side, causing an electric current to surge up my body, making me jerk and fall to the side. 

 Okay, so their electric batons can stop me. 

 I gasped, the electricity burning my throat as another guard grabbed me. "Put him under arrest." 

 "Arrest?" Bellamy demanded, stalking forward as those idiots had the audacity to handcuff me. I flt better now, so I didn't resist, but the irony of being arrested again by the same people made my lip curl. "Murphy's a murderer, if he didn't do it, I would've!" 

 "Good to know, mister Blake." Kane crowed as I was shoved harshly to a tree, "but in case you haven't noticed, you are not in control anymore." 

 The question is; were we even in control since the beginning? 

 Bellamy walked over to my side as I glared at the ground, taking the spot farthest from Phia, who regarded me with newfound respect in her dark eyes. 

 "Good hit," he began, leaning his elbows on his knees as we walked Raven be carried on the stretcher. "Those guards are assholes." 

 I scoffed, "tell me about it." 

 "All we gotta do is wait here until they come back," he spoke with so much certainty in his voice, like he just knew they were all okay. That Clarke was okay, that Monty was okay, that Jasper was okay- 

 "Yeah," I shifted into a more comfortable position, figuring I would be here for a while, "they're with Clarke... right?" 

 "Right." 

 There was a long pause, and then Bellamy turned to me again, and it struck me how annoying it was that he looked good even covered in dirt and blood. "And Sunshine?" 

 "Yeah?" 

 "I'm glad you're okay." 

 I smiled to myself, because in his own way, that was Bellamy telling me he cared.