𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄, slay your demons

      𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐆 𝐈𝐒 𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐖, giving the trio in the cave the opportunity to leave. Makayla had been able to get a good night's rest — she woke up and felt a lot better about herself, and even after she had rested she could tell that the air had shifted between her and Bellamy. The trio immediately exits the cave, Bellamy calling out for the people that they had gotten separated from the day before.

      "Anybody out here? Jones?" He calls, his voice echoing through the forest. Makayla hopes that no Grounders track them down. She's praying that they don't get ambushed, especially after she narrowly survived the poisonous fog. 

      Jones announces that himself and the rest of the group are there, still alive and unscathed from the day before. The groups are quick to meet up, and Makayla gives them all smiles as they find each other, only a few of the boys returning the smile. Charlotte's close behind her, almost tugging on her jacket as they walk.

      "Lost you in the stew. Where'd you go?" Bellamy questions, staring at the three boys that had come with them. Makayla figures that they must've found a cave like they had, probably not too far from where they had spent the night. "Made it to a cave down there" Jones says in response.

      Bellamy questions what the fog was from the day before, but nobody in the other half of the group has an answer for them. "It has to be some sort of poisonous fog. Maybe acid fog?" Makayla interjects, receiving looks from the rest of the group.

      Nobody comments on her hypothesis. She doesn't feel a tug on her jacket anymore, but she assumes that Charlotte probably doesn't want to hold onto her anymore. She's twelve after all. Bellamy's looking around, scanning the area for Atom, and Makayla can see the hope in his eyes that he made it out of the fog and found somewhere to hide. 

      She looks behind her as Bellamy asks where Atom is, only to find no Charlotte. She starts looking around, frantically for the young girl, only to see no trace of her. "Where the hell is Charlotte?" She questions, and Bellamy immediately snaps his head in her direction.

      Before he can say anything, there's a shriek in the forest. It echoes around, and Makayla and Bellamy have the same idea — it's Charlotte. Makayla's quick to assume it's a Grounder — Atom's right about the forest being dangerous for a young girl, even though Charlotte didn't want to admit that he was right. She takes off running in the direction of the scream, Bellamy not far behind her.

      When they finally find her, she's still shrieking like a mad man, but what she's terrified of comes into view. It's Atom, lying on the ground, covered in angry red welts and his eyes glossed over. He literally looks like he just took a bath in acid, making Makayla's beliefs true. What they saw the day before, the mysterious yellow fog that chased them through the forest, is acid fog. 

      Bellamy rests a comforting hand on Charlotte's shoulder as he mumbles something to himself. He rushes up to the boy, while Makayla stays behind, keeping Charlotte close.

      She spots Atom trying to say something, and it looks like he's struggling to breathe. She makes the decision to go up to the boy, trying to figure out what he's trying to tell them. And she hears something she doesn't want to hear — she never, ever, imagined beforehand that someone would say something like this.

      "Kill me" He chokes out, causing Makayla and Bellamy to hesitantly glance at each other before looking back down at the boy in front of them. She bites her tongue, immediately blaming herself for what happened to the poor boy in front of her. She thinks that she could've done something to save him — something, anything to change his fate.

      He chokes out the two words once more, and Makayla bites down on her tongue again, trying to hold back tears she fears will be shed. 

      The remaining three of the hunting party appear behind them, Bellamy standing up as Makayla stays hunched over him. "Makayla — Please" He chokes out, and Makayla feels like she can almost feel his pain. She doesn't know what to do — she wants to respect his wishes, and she knows there's a knife in her pocket that she could use to end his misery, but she can't bring herself to do it.

      "Don't be afraid" She hears Charlotte say, and she looks up to see the young girl handing Bellamy the same knife he handed her the day before — the same knife, cheaply wrapped in materials from the dropship. The same knife that she used to tell her demons that she's not afraid.

      Bellamy looks over at the hunting party, and commands them to go back to camp. When Charlotte doesn't move, her eyes stuck on the teenage boy who doesn't deserve the fate he has, Bellamy commands her to leave too. She does so reluctantly, and the man then crouches back down next to Makayla.

      "You don't have to be here for this" He says, telling Makayla that she should go back to camp and let him face this task. There's a look on his face that Makayla cannot read. She shakes her head, telling him that she'll stay. Just like back in the cave — she feels guilty over Atom's situation as well.

      "Kill me —" The injured boy chokes out once again, his chest barely rising and falling as he talks. "Makayla, Bellamy, please". She can see Bellamy's hesitation — he doesn't want to end the boy's life, even if that's what he's asking for. He's begging the two to kill him, and neither of them can being themselves to do it. Makayla doesn't want his blood on her hands — she already feels like it's there, staining her hands a dull red color the more she looks at them.

      She hears rustling behind her and turns her head to see Clarke, rushing towards them with a concerned look on her face. She's glad Clarke's here, even though she doesn't know how she got there, but Clarke always seems to know what to do. She hopes that the girl will know what to do in this situation.

      She crouches down next to Atom, stammering over her words as she attempts to absorb what has happened to the boy. She tells them that she heard screams, and Makayla connects the dots to Charlotte, but Clarke still looks uneasy about Atom's situation. 

      "He, uh, got stuck in the acid fog" Makayla whispers to the girl, her voice low as her eyes dart back over to Atom's blister-covered face. Clarke nods, and looks over at the damaged boy as Makayla tries not to throw up with how nauseous she's feeling. 

      "Charlotte found him. I sent her back to camp" Bellamy adds, his voice just as low as Makayla's had been. They both seem uneasy, silently blaming themselves for what has happened to the teenager. Makayla runs a hand through her hair, finding her fingers stuck on knots lost in the middle sections of her hair. She'd pull them out, but her eyes still remain on Atom's broken body as Clarke gives a silent signal to Bellamy that she'll do what needs to be done. 

      "Okay. I'm gonna help you, all right?" Clarke says, her voice soothing as she gestures to Bellamy to hand over the knife made out of scrap metal. The girl runs her hands through Atom's hair, humming a soft song as she brings the knife up to his neck, piercing it as she continues humming the soft song. Makayla's eyes are stuck on Atom — her gaze never falling, watching as the life drains from the poor boy's body.

      And then it's over, just like that.

      Finn appears, and they all make a makeshift gurney with any supplies they can find. Finn and Clarke lead them back to camp, with Bellamy and Makayla holding the ends of the gurney. Makayla's in the back, trying her best not to drop the gurney onto the ground out of pure exhaustion — she's not exactly the most athletic. When the reach camp, she's quick to place her side on the ground, and tries to walk away as soon as possible.

      She doesn't exactly want to deal with everyone else right now.

      Wells comes up to the pair, and notices the body they have hauled into the campgrounds. He offers to go dig the grave, Bellamy giving him a small nod as he walks away. Makayla runs her fingers through her hair once again, finding them getting caught on the knots that have formed once more. She spots Octavia rushing towards where she is, presumably to look at the body, and she decides that she can't deal with anything else right now.

—————————————————————————————

      𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐍𝐍 𝐇𝐀𝐒𝐍'𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃.

      She doesn't exactly know what she's supposed to like about being on the ground. She has close to no friends, except for Octavia, and somehow Makayla, who she's talked to for maybe a total of five minutes. And, Makayla's almost never free, she's either helping inside the dropship with whatever's going on in there or she's out on trips with Bellamy and whoever he decides to take with him.

      And Octavia's either supervising Jasper or making out with some random boy — who Quinn doesn't even think is that good looking anyway. She's not exactly surprised Octavia is quick to go have some sort of relations with any boy that's willing to, because she hasn't exactly had many human interactions. But still, it's been seven days!

      As much as she hates waking up early, she's up at the crack of dawn sharpening the knives she's made over the past week, even though she doesn't know if they'll be any help against the Grounders, she's up and at it, trying to help defend the camp in any way possible.

      There's a piece of metal not too far from her that she has attempted to make into a sword, but it didn't turn out that great, and probably wouldn't do any damage to a Grounder if someone had to use it against one of them. She continues to glance over at it, looking at the shitty piece of metal she's crafted, and just finds it to be a reminder of how she's not exactly a winner, in any light.

      She used to steal, back on the Ark, mainly from the kids on Alpha Station just because she wanted to be petty and get back at the kids that were assholes to her, but eventually, that all came to an end. She had such a good streak too, she got away with so many little crimes, so many rations stolen, but eventually the council caught her.

      Just her luck, right?

      At least she got a good cellmate after a while, her cellmate being Octavia Blake. Once she arrived, she actually had a pretty decent time in the Sky Box, at least a decent enough time where she wouldn't want to gouge her eyes out from boredom. 

      When they all got shoved onto the dropship, she thought it would just be her and Octavia, against the world. But once more, she realized that she shouldn't get her hopes up with anything, really, because she's a self-proclaimed major loser. She's not even afraid to hide the title.

      Which brings her here. Seven days into Earth, and the only three people she's really held a conversation with are Octavia, Makayla, and John fucking Murphy. She doesn't really know how it happened — they both were making weapons near each other and ended up having a conversation. It's an unspoken thing between them now that whenever they're both making weapons, or sharpening some dull ones, they talk.

      Sure, she remembers him from the Sky Box. He's an instigator. But does what happened in the Sky Box matter anymore?

      She takes one of the many knives she's crafted, and starts sharpening it against a random rock she had found only a few minutes earlier behind the dropship. Going behind the dropship to work on her weaponry gives her even the slightest bit of peace, even though she doesn't get a lot of human interaction back there, it's better than making weapons while being surrounded by a bunch of horny teenagers.

      She has her hair pulled up in a loose ponytail, making sure it doesn't fall in her face as she works with the knives. Her jacket is carelessly thrown onto a random rock, barely staying on as she works on her knives. The metal isn't exactly the best, and her eyes keep trailing over the shitty sword she had made before.

      What's the harm in trying again, right?

      She goes to grab the sword and hears the crunch of a few leaves under a shoe not too far ahead of her. She looks up fast enough to the point where she swears she could've gotten whiplash, only to see a certain blonde staring at her.

      "Holy shit, you scared me!" Quinn exclaims, her eyes trialing over Makayla as she walks closer to her. She can see a smile forming on the girl's face, something she knows is normal with the girl. She's probably the happiest girl she knows, maybe a little too happy for her own good. But the ground doesn't exactly seem like the best place to be super happy.

      "Couldn't sleep?" Makayla questions, gesturing to how the sun is rising, making the sky painted with different variants of pinks and oranges, lacking the usual blue it has. Quinn shrugs, not really knowing where the conversation's going. Makayla's supposedly her friend, but that was proclaimed by the girl herself and she hasn't exactly seen much evidence of them being friends. The girl hasn't said anything to her in days!

      She stays silent for a second. "I guess I'm a morning person" She explains, making Makayla nod her head along. She drops her eyes back down to the sword, and goes over to the rock to sharpen it. She swears she can feel Makayla's eyes burning into her skull, watching her every move like she might burst into flames if she doesn't.

      "What do you want, Makayla?" She questions since the girl hasn't said anything. Her eyes find Makayla's, and she can see how her expression has changed so quickly. She almost looks sad. Quinn hasn't seen Makayla sad before, her mind immediately associating her with everything that's stereotypically supposed to be 'happy'. 

      She sees Makayla stare back at her. "We haven't talked in a bit. And it's totally my fault, I've been stuck in the dropship for days helping with Jasper and whatever mechanical projects are going on in there, and then that hunting trip with Bellamy, and then when we got back yesterday I didn't try to —".

      "Makayla, it's fine. You're not required to talk to me" Quinn interrupts her, almost letting out a sigh as she listens to the girl ramble. She doesn't want to force the blonde to be friends with her, feeling like it would just make things more complicated and she knows she doesn't have the patience for that. She can barely deal with the kids at the camp, since most of them are a bunch of assholes who don't understand privacy. She swears people have used her shared tent, the one that Octavia and herself share, for sex.

      Makayla looks a little taken aback. "We're friends, Quinn. Why would I not talk to you?". There's a beat, and Quinn stares back at her. She feels like she has an angle, something she's trying to get at by talking to her. But she can't tell what.

      Quinn sighs. "Y'know you're one of the three people that's willing to talk to me, right?".

      There's a sincerity in Makayla's voice that tells her that she shouldn't be uneasy about her. "Well, I'm glad I'm one of them" She smiles, and Quinn stares back. She's not used to someone being so nice to her, especially someone she knows had it better than her. She doesn't seem like one of the privileged — she doesn't have the right attitude for that. 

      Quinn is able to let the smile tugging at her lips through. "Are you going to stand here while I sharpen all the weapons I've made and watch or do you want to help?".

      Makayla lets out a small laugh. "It took me hours to learn how to throw a knife, you're going to be here for a while teaching me how to sharpen one" She explains, making Quinn roll her eyes slightly. "And besides, I'm better at talking people's ears off rather than actually doing something significant towards the camp".

      "What makes you think that?" Quinn questions, finding her choice of words to be strange for someone who's so upbeat all the time. She feels like Makayla wouldn't be the type of person to talk down on herself, even if it's not something that would come across as self-hate. She sees something in Makayla's eyes, almost like she's sad.

      "I've been a personal assistant for the past few days and had absolutely no contributions towards the hunting party. I stood around while everyone else tried to catch things" Makayla states, and Quinn notices that she's picking at the skin by her fingers. She figures it's a nervous habit. 

      Quinn runs the sword along the rock, sharpening the edge slightly. "Maybe you just haven't found your thing yet" She offers, trying to make the girl feel better. She's not the best at being a therapist, especially for people who don't seem like the type to be sad. "I take it hunting isn't exactly your thing?".

      The Donnelly girl shakes her head. "Bellamy offered to teach me how to hunt, because I guess he thinks he owes me for saving his ass from a panther, but I don't care enough to expect more from him" She explains, and Quinn lets out a small laugh.

      "You saved Bellamy's ass from a panther?".

      Makayla smiles. "Yeah. All I did was pull him out of the way" She explains, her smile slightly dropping as she talks. Quinn figures she's not totally sure how she feels about her situation with Bellamy, but she thinks that's reasonable. He's a self-proclaimed authority figure, and Makayla seems like someone who would abide by the rules. Quinn doesn't give a fuck about the rules.

      "Just don't be his bitch" She suddenly lets out, silently referring to Murphy as she talks. One thing she's learned during her conversations with Murphy is that the boy practically worships the ground the man walks on. He is totally, one hundred percent, his bitch.

      Makayla laughs. "Don't worry. I don't exactly plan on going out of my way to talk to him" She says, her tone genuine. Quinn can tell that she means it. 

      She watches the sun rays escape from behind some leaves, illuminating the ground as she feels herself grow hungry. "Do you want some food?" She questions, and she watches Makayla nod. She's glad that she agrees.

      The two start walking in the direction of the main area, where the small bits of food remain. After a few seconds of silence, Makayla tells Quinn that she should call her 'Mick' or 'Mickey', not caring which one she uses. Quinn smiles, the two nicknames bouncing around in her head as she absorbs that Makayla is actually her friend, not someone who's faking it just to get something from her.

      The two girls reach the food, finding some pieces of leftover meat to eat as the sun shines through the camp. They observe the few people who are on watch, and how nobody is coming out of the tents, as time keeps moving. It's just the two of them together, enjoying each other's presence.

      "We should go see if Wells wants any. Pretty sure he's on watch near the graves" Makayla states, moving her attention to where Wells is. Quinn sighs, reluctantly agreeing to bring him a scrap piece of food as Makayla picks up another extra ration, not exactly wanting to bring him one. She's well aware that he's one of the privileged, and doesn't really like that he's one of the privileged, but she's also aware that he means well and isn't an asshole like a lot of the other Alpha Station kids she's met. 

      The two girls reach the walkway to the graves, a smile plastered onto Makayla's face as they enter. "Hey Wells? We brought you some food, figured you'd wa—" She hears her voice trails off, her hands letting go of the food as her eyes make contact with the last thing she wanted to see.

      "What?" Quinn questions, noticing how the girl's voice trailed off as she spoke. The food hits the ground with a thump, her eyes catching sight of what made Makayla go silent.

      Wells Jaha's body is laying motionless on the ground, his blood infused with the dirt around him. The wound is on his neck, presumably from a stab wound, probably from a Grounder since he's a little further from camp than the rest of the people on watch. Quinn wants to know how long he's been laying there, motionless, and dead.

      "Fuck" Is all Quinn can say, as she processes that Wells is dead. He's been the one digging the graves, and now someone needs to dig his.

      Maybe they're not as safe as they all thought they were.

      𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 —

i'm so happy i finally got to a good point where i could start writing in other povs. i think i was too excited to write quinn's pov rather than actually make makayla's flow smoothly but idrc anymore because this was just filler. the next few chapters are loaded with detail though!!

fuck charlotte. never liked her.

anyways any feedback is feedback i'd love to hear!

𝟑𝟔𝟗𝟓 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒