I am on fire with my quick updates! Here's chapter 41 and we're drawing close to the end of Book one guys. *le weep*

Also shout out to A43Cordero who made the awesome cover at the side. Thanks man, I really like it!

Bold= Swedish.

F O U R T Y   O N E | RUNNING OFF BORROWED TIME

With every prolonged second, Carter's uneasiness grew. She wondered how long it could take to hot-wire a door, but then she wasn't entirely sure where the motherboard for all the electronics was allocated, it wasn't something she really needed to know on the Ark. She tapped her fingers impatiently on her knee counting the minutes that passed anxiously.

...4.

...5.

...6-

"Screw it, I need to help them." She grumbled, going to stand up from the log that she was sat on when Octavia put her hands out to stop Carter from getting up further, although she didn't have to try very hard as the engineer swayed slightly and fell back down onto the log, holding her thumping head. She scrunched her eyes shut as the vision began to fuzz and groaned at the regrettable decision to stand up fast when both her head and foot hadn't fully adapted to their injuries.

"You're not going anywhere." Octavia commanded firmly, handing Carter a damp rag for her head.

"How long do we have to sit and wait?" Carter sighed, wincing at the coldness of the cloth to the open wound by her eyebrow. "We're letting Murphy have the upper hand like this."

"The second those doors open, he's as good as dead." Octavia smiled weakly, patting Carter on the shoulder in a companionable fashion. "My brother can hold his own, stop worrying." Carter didn't respond, instead she pursed her lips and stared down at her lap. A sudden chill ran down her spine and she began to wish she never left her jacket in the Drop ship.

The more she started to think the more guilty she felt. Knowing that there was a high likelihood that Bellamy wouldn't make it out unscathed, her decision to disregard him seemed completely stupid of her. She liked him, yes, and sure, they kissed, but that didn't give her the right to just ignore him. Once again, she was acting out purely on her emotions. She should have spoken to him about it instead of acting like a child, she should have told him that what happened hurt her, it made her feel betrayed, but she didn't. Just like always, she pushed it off, thinking they would have more time.

You would have thought by now, she would know time was a luxury thing for them and not something leisurely.

She just wanted to tell him it was okay. They were okay. In the midst of her all of her feelings of betrayal, it was like she forgot that one piece of information Raven told her when she confessed about what happened.

"... He stopped it. I said we had to be quick before you noticed I was gone and he pushed me away. He said he wasn't going to do that to you."

And despite this, Carter still decided to avoid him. It wasn't like they were an actual thing, he technically did nothing wrong, so why the hell did she get so worked up about it? Carter swatted the thought away, disinterested. It didn't matter about what happened between Bellamy and Raven, it didn't matter why Carter acted like such a diva. All that did matter was she could sort it out. Their time on Earth was uncertain, and she certainly planned on holding no grudges. Look where that got Murphy. She was going to make things right with him, she had to. He was the only person who had ever managed to get under her skin and past her defenses. She wasn't going to let him go that easily. No way.

Carter was hauled from her deep thoughts when she noticed a certain figure running around from the back of the Drop ship, his face full of urgency. She slowly got to her feet, favoring the unscathed foot, and limped her way over to where Jasper had ran to, stopping right next to him and Octavia.

"Has she done it?" Carter asked, grabbing a gun off of one of the camp members as they readied themselves for the Drop ship door to lower. Jasper turned to face her, his eyes widening as he caught sight of her wrists, but instead of voicing his startlement he simply offered her a nod. "It's about time, looks like she's getting a little rusty."

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch for doing this to us." Jasper growled vehemently.

"Yeah, get in line." Carter scoffed, glancing at her friend sidelong.

"When the door comes down, I want you to stay behind me, okay?" The boy instructed Octavia who nodded her head, slightly surprised to see Jasper taking the initiative. He turned his head to Carter. "And I want you to sit this one out, you're hurt enough."

"I might have concussion, Jasper, I'm not crippled." Carter deadpanned, staring him out evenly. "I've suffered far worse, remember?" There was no time for Jasper to argue as a series of shots echoed from within the Drop ship and all three of them turned rigid, fearing the worse. Carter stared at the door with wide eyes. Come on, come on...

Suddenly, there was a hissing noise as the locks on the door withdrew, allowing for it to descend downwards and Carter exhaled with relief.

"Raven, you did it!" Jasper hollered, itching to get inside the Drop ship and making Murphy pay for what he had done. Not only for him, but for Conner, Myles, Carter and Bellamy too. The door was mere inches from the ground when Jasper rushed forward, his gun poised and ready. "Stay behind me!" Jasper pushed back the drape and peered in with his gun. Carter heard his gasp before he bolted it into the ship, forgetting about the potential threats. That's when Carter knew it had to be bad.

Nothing could have prepared her for the scene that awaited her from behind the drape. At first, she had to let her eyes adjust to the darkness, But when they did, she wished she had never entered the Drop ship. "Oh my god," She stammered, blinking numbly at Bellamy, who was suspended from one the poles, a noose made of seat belts snagged around his neck. Jasper held up his legs, keeping his airway open. Her entire body went cold. It was like her worst fear right in front of her; losing the people she cared about.

"Bell!" Octavia gasped running to her brother's aid, her face written with panic. She began to talk to Bellamy, though Carter didn't pay attention. Instead, she frowned as realization washed over her.

"I'm going to make Bellamy feel exactly what I felt the day he kicked the box out from underneath me."

That was Murphy's plan all along. To hang Bellamy just as he was.Carter snapped from her comprehension the minute she saw Octavia struggling to find a way to free her brother. "The seat belts!" Carter rushed out, vigorously pointing to the makeshift noose. "Unclasp one of the seat belts!" Octavia rapidly did as Carter said and once the snap sounded, Bellamy fell to the floor, limp.

"Breathe, breathe!" Jasper shook Bellamy, trying to snap him back into his senses. Carter gnawed on her bottom lip from apprehension, silently preying for him to start breathing. He suddenly gulped at the air potently and Carter breathed with relief, her muscles relaxing. It didn't take their leader long to regain some of his strength and he stumbled back up to his feet, with the help of Jasper and Octavia, and forced his way over to the hatch that lead to the second level. Carter didn't need to guess that's where Murphy had barricaded himself like the coward he was.

"Murphy!" Bellamy bellowed, both his demeanor and voice were soaked with red-hot-rage, something Carter had never seen on him before. Sure, he was a hot head, but he was never looked the way he did when he began to pound on the hatch, trying to force it open with any strength he could muster. "It's over! There's only one way out of this for you now!"

Bellamy kept pushing with everything he had to get that hatch open, and none of the others wanted to stop him. Even Octavia hadn't seen him so riled up before, it she would be lying if she said she wasn't unnerved by the sight. Without warning, an overwhelming explosion echoed loudly from above them and the whole Drop ship shook from it's power. Carter looked up at the metal ceiling with a clenched jaw. Please tell me he didn't cause that explosion with the rest of the gun powder...

Finally, Bellamy broke through the hatch and stormed his way up to the second level, Jasper hot on his tail. After seeing the dusting of smoke swirl around the hatch opening, Carter decided to check it out for herself. She struggled up the ladder, giving that her foot still hurt like hell, and coughed as the smoke racked against the back of her throat. Once she had made it up to the top, the first thing she saw was the unmistakably gaping hole in the wall of the Drop ship. It's edges were ragged and torn from the strength of the explosion and Carter mused at the fact that they couldn't feel it as much as they did. A detonation of that ferocity would be enough to tear down that whole side of the wall and whoever was in the room with it. She definitely underestimated the strength of the Drop ship, that's for sure.

"Where did he go?" She coughed, swiping away at the smoke with one hand whilst the other covered her mouth. Tentatively, she made her way over to where Bellamy and Jasper stood and watched Murphy's retreating figure, running through the treeline.

It was like Bellamy had only just realized that Carter was there and looked at her with wide eyes before he drove into her, wrapping his arms around her and tucked his head in the crook of her neck, mumbling something inaudible. Carter was taken back at first, her muscles rigid, but eventually she relaxed and rested her head on his shoulder, allowing herself the moment to relish in the fact that Bellamy was okay, and relatively unscathed-- psychically speaking. Mentally was a whole different matter.

He pulled away from her, his eyes still wide. "He told me you were dead. Murphy said he killed you." Bellamy spoke lowly, his voice was hoarse from having his windpipe crushed. He looked down and noticed the dark red wounds woven around her wrists and he clenched his jaw, the muscle contracting as he grounded his teeth. "I'm so sorry, Carter, I should have never let you leave camp."

"Don't be," Carter smiled, a genuine smile, one that held both an element of sadness and happiness all at the same time. "I'm to blame for what happened, I let my guard down and it was stupid,"

"I'd hate to be the one to break this up," Jasper began hesitantly, gaining the attention from the pair. "But what are we going to do about Murphy?"

"The Grounders will take care of Murphy." Bellamy murmured, glancing out of the massive hole they had acquired, courtesy of Murphy. He turned back to face Carter and Jasper with softened features. "We're going after Finn, Clarke and Monty." Carter's smile grew and Jasper raised his eyebrows in surprise. Was this the same 'no-one-is-leaving-this-camp' Bellamy as a few hours ago? "You were right. We don't abandon our own." He focused in on Jasper. "Two guns, you and me, that's it." Hesitantly, he glanced over to Carter, expecting her to have some kind of fit at the fact she couldn't go, but instead she stared at him evenly and shrugged.

"I'm in no state to help look for them, I would only slow you down," She didn't like the idea of staying back, but she knew she would be of more help at camp than she would trekking through the woods. "Murphy really did a number on my foot." She attempted to laugh but it didn't defuse the dark expression on Bellamy's face.

"So you can stay here and help Raven build up our defenses." Bellamy instructed and in turn, Carter nodded, having no objections with his plan. "We lost a day because of this, and our gunpowder." Bellamy began to walk over to the hatch, when Jasper called out.

"Bellamy, wait! Look, I just..." The younger boy seemed to struggle finding the words to express his gratitude so instead he engulfed the leader in a hug. Carter smiled fondly at Jasper and caught Bellamy's eye, nodding her head in silent encouragement for Bellamy to hug him back. Hesitantly, the leader patted Jasper awkwardly on the back with mild confusion. "Thank you," Jasper whispered, pulling away and smiling slightly. "A long way from 'whatever the hell you want'." A faint smile weaved it's way onto Bellamy's lips and Jasper patted his shoulder, turning to look at Carter and sent her a nod, which she returned, before he descended down the ladder.

Before Bellamy could head down the hatch too, Carter grabbed his arm, stopping him. He turned around and looked down at her hand, somewhat amusingly. "Isn't usually me to grab you?"

"Usually." Carter grinned, though it faded pretty quickly. "Look, we need to talk."

"If this is about the other nigh-"

"-Woah, let me speak first, before you manage to dig yourself a deeper hole," Carter began, the ghost of a smirk on her lips. "Don't expect some kind of lovey-dovey crap off me, because that's not what I'm doing." She sighed deeply, running a hand through her hair. "I know right now isn't the best time to have this conversation, but come on- when is? I was planning on ignoring you for a while, you know run away from my problems like usual. But, if there's one thing I've figured out today, is that we're running off borrowed time. We don't if we're going to be here tomorrow, much less in a weeks time, and I can't be bothered with grudges. If... If I lost you today, I would tear myself a new one knowing I never sorted things out with you because I was over-dramatic-- as always. Yeah, I was pissed at you, I mean, it's quite a normal reaction after someone kisses you and then jumps to your best friend, but I took things to the extreme and I completely disregarded the fact that you pushed her away... for me." She coughed awkwardly. "I just got caught up in it all, I guess. I'm not going to apologize for how I acted, because I like you... a lot, I had every reason to lose my shit with you, but I went about it the complete wrong way. I should have just slapped you or something." She sighed once more, and briefly closed her eyes. "Time isn't on our side anymore, it hasn't been since the moment we stepped off the damn Drop ship, so I'm not going to wait for the 'right time' or whatever the cliche people say. I really do like you, Bellamy, more than I'd like to. I still have no idea how I went from hating you to... this, but honestly? I don't care how it happened, and it's okay if you don't feel the same, as long as you know how I feel." She smiled contently. It felt like a massive weight had been heaved off her chest.

Bellamy just stared at her for a few beats and she grew uncomfortable. Did she say something wrong? One minute, she was simply staring back at him, trying to figure out what was going on in his head and the next minute, she felt his lips on hers, taking her back. Her eyes were wide with shock for a brief second before she closed them and her muscles relaxed as he grabbed her shoulders to pull her closer. It was so unlike their first kiss which was tentative and unsure, but this one couldn't have more conviction even it tried, there was so much put into it, she was completely stunned. As Carter moved into the kiss her hands trailed up his chest and to the back of his head, one hand held onto his shoulder as the over began to weave freely through his hair. It surprised her with how soft it was and even in the heat of the moment, she couldn't help but feel envious. She pushed herself closer to him and her grabbed hold of her hips, steadying her. Her whole body ignited with a fuzzy warmth as she kissed him harder. Despite the passion between them, there was also a sense of urgency, like they didn't know how long they had left, so they put everything into that moment between them. Carter just wanted to lose herself with him, forget about all the shit around them and just have that moment, but alas, they were both oxygen-dependent creatures, and if they carried on, Carter was sure she would pass out from lack of oxygen. Even when he pulled a way he rested his forehead against hers and didn't let her go. For a stray minute, they just focused on catching their breath.

"Does that answer it for you?" Bellamy asked, his breath still uneven. Carter looked up to meet his dark gaze and she grinned.

"Definitely."

"All gunners, we've got movement on the south wall!" Miller's distorted voice crackled through the radio. It was enough to sober the two up and they both exchanged wary looks before jumping down the ladder and rushing outside. Most of the Hundred had their guns up and ready, pointing them directly at the gate, waiting for something to happen. Miller, who had been standing on the watch platform, through his hands out to stop any of the trigger-happy members. "Hold your fire! Hold your fire! It's Clarke and Finn, open the gate!"

Carter's breath caught in her throat and she pushed her way past the small crowd just as Clarke ran in, Finn not far behind her. With a smile of relieve, she began to run-limp her way over to him, throwing her arms over his shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. He quickly returned it and Carter squeezed her eyes shut. "Thank god you're safe."

Finn was the first to pull away and held her at arms length, noticing the gash on her eyebrow and grotesque red cuts around her wrists. "What happened?" He demanded, his eyebrows creasing.

"It doesn't matter right now." Carter dismissed firmly. "I'm just glad you're safe." They both turned their attention to Jasper who had just pulled Clarke into a hug-- apparently he likes hugs-- and he looked between Clarke and Finn expectantly.

"Thank god! Where have you been? Where's Monty?"

"Monty's gone?" Clarke asked, her voice laced with shock.

"Clarke, we need to leave now." Finn cut in before any other conversation about Monty's whereabouts could pursue. The cruciality in his voice set Carter on edge. Finn looked around the crowd that had gathered with pinched eyebrows as he addressed them. "All of us do. There's an army of Grounder's, unlike anything we've ever seen, coming for us right now! We need to pack what we can and run."

"Like hell we do," Bellamy contended, his voice calm compared to Finn's. "We knew this was coming."

"Bell, we're not prepared." Octavia pointed out.

"And they're not here yet." The older Blake retorted, looking to his sister and then to the rest of the Hundred. "We still have time to get ready. Besides, where would we go? Where would be safer than behind these walls?"

"There's an ocean to the east. People there will help us." Finn answered.

Carter frowned, turning to her best friend. "And you're willing to bet on that?"

"Wait, you saw Lincoln." Octavia interjected before Finn could answer. It was more of a statement than a question and Carter watched as Octavia seemed to perk up slightly at the Grounder's name.

"Yeah," Finn nodded.

"You expect us to trust a Grounder?" Bellamy quirked an eyebrow, ignoring the warning look he got off his sister. "This is our home now! We built this from nothing with our bare hands!" He pointed off in the direction of the camp wall. "Our dead are buried behind that wall in this ground! Our ground! The Grounder's think that they can take that away? They think that just because we're from the sky we don't belong here? They've yet to realize one very important fact: we're on the ground now, and that means we are Grounders!"

"Yeah!" The crowd around them cheered in agreement. It reminded Carter of Bellamy's previous 'Whatever the hell we want' speech. How times have changed...

"Grounders with guns!" On individual shouted out, his voice full with determination.

"Damn right!" Bellamy agreed. "I say let 'em come!"

"Bellamy's right." Clarke nodded. "If we leave, we may never find a place as safe as this. And god knows, in this world, we could be faced with something worse tomorrow." She paused for a moment. "But that doesn't change the fact that if we stay here, we will die tonight. So pack your things, take what you can carry. Now." Murmuring broke out through the crowd as they decided on what leader to follow. Most had left to go pack their stuff, and the one's that stayed glanced around with trepidation, waiting for the next order.

Carter stood there in silence, her eyebrows weaved as she mulled over what both the leaders had said. Whatever their decision, there would be risks, but she tried to think of the idea that have less casualties involved. If the Grounders really were coming, which she didn't doubt, then there was more of a chance of them dying here than there was if they fled-- which was something Carter didn't agree with, especially since she was done with running away from her problems, but she had to swallow her pride. This was people's lives on the line, her camp mates, her family.

"We need help!" A panicked voice shouted, dragging Carter from her thoughts and back into reality. She turned her head to see Kara supporting Raven. The latter slumped over, clutching onto her side. "She's been shot!"

"Raven!" Carter breathed, running up to the two just as Finn scooped her up. "What...?"

"Murphy shot her." Kara answered the question Carter struggled to ask. "I'm gonna find the bastard for what he's done."

"Let me come with you!" Carter called, her voice weak and her eyes wide. How could one person cause so much devastation?

"No," Kara shook her head. "You need to stay here with Raven. I'll be back before it gets dark."

"But the Grounders!" Carter protested, swallowing the bile building up in her throat.

"Don't worry about me, okay? I'll be fine." Kara smiled reassuringly. Before further arguments could break out, Kara turned on her heel and ran in the direction that they had seen Murphy disappear and Carter numbly walked into the Drop ship, ready to support Raven in any way she could. She had just got Finn back, there was no way she was losing Raven too.

Kane stared at the flickering screens with pursed lips, trying to think of any way they could buy the Ark more time. He needed to keep them breathing just a little bit longer until he can figure out a way to get them to the ground.

"What if we jettison sections three though seven?" He asked, tapping his chin.

"Sir, we've run through every scenario-- twice. There are no more options," Sinclaire sighed, hanging his head in defeat. "I would really like to be with my wife." There was a sudden whoosh of the door and Sinclaire straightened up upon seeing who had entered. "Chancellor on deck."

"At ease, Sinclaire," Jaha dismissed, zoning in on Kane. " Anything to report?"

"No sir." Kane shook his head. "Nothing we've tried will save the Ark."

"Have you tried not saving it?" Jaha countered, earning looks of confusion from both Sinclaire and Kane.

"What is this about?" Abby asked from the other side of the room, her arms crossed over her chest.

"It's about going home." Jaha answered. "From where I stand, we either die in space or... we probably die trying to get to the Ground."

Kane pursed his lips. "We have no more Exodus ships, sir."

"You're wrong, Kane," Jaha smiled slightly. "There is one," Kane cocked his head to the side, waiting for Jaha to continue. "We call it the Ark." Kane raised his eyebrows and exchanged a shocked look with Sinclaire, who also seemed to be surprised with the Chancellor's answer. "Sinclaire, please tell us what would happen if we used the thrusters that keep up in orbit to propel us into the atmosphere instead."

"The Ark would break apart. First into it's original twelve stations and then further as the violence intensifies. 95% of the Ark would explode on the way down."

Jaha rolled out his schematic of the Ark and laid it out in front of the senior Engineer. "You think you're smart enough to pinpoint the 5% that wouldn't?"

"Are we really gonna do this?" Kane asked, he could feel the ignition of hope spark in his chest at the mere idea of seeing his daughter again. "Bring the Ark to the ground?"

"Have you got a better idea?" Jaha quirked an eyebrow. Sinclaire blinked for a moment, processing the information before he starting making calculations on the blueprint of the Ark, "What do you say?" The Chancellor smiled faintly at Abby and Kane. "You ready to see your children again?"

Taa-daaa! We are at the end of We Are Grounders pt 1. One more episode left, guys! And then BAM book two!

Honestly though, brace yourself for the last chapters, it's gonna be packed! I can't wait to write it all and do you know what I'm really looking forward to writing? Carter and Kane's reunion! It's gonna a long way yet. but I'm so excited.

Well, considering I have no life at the moment-- I lost my ID so I can't go out ;-; -- I'm gonna be writing a lot more so I'll probably see you lot real soon.

Thank you for reading!