❝ 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿-
𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘆
𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 ❞
- 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝘀

𝗔𝘃𝗮'𝘀 𝗣𝗢𝗩

I'm currently sat next to Monty, eating cake with strawberries and cream on it. I let out a moan of delight and look up to Jasper who is sat across from me.

"Try this" I tell him.

He takes a forkful of cake and shovels it into his mouth.

"Mmm" He hums.

"You have to try this pie" He insists.

I take a forkful of his pie and pop it in my mouth.

"Holy shit" I gasp and he grins with a nod.

We both turn to Monty and hold out our plates like little kids. He takes a bite of Jasper's pie first.

"Oh, my God. What is that?" He moans

"I don't know, but it's great" Jasper replies.

He then takes a bit of my cake, putting it in his mouth.

"God, this is amazing" He groans and I nod in agreement.

"Our turn" Jasper chirps, eyeing up Monty's chocolate cake.

"What, this? Nah. You won't like it. Yours are way better" Monty shakes his head but I can tell he's lying.

Jasper pauses for a minute before reaching out with his fork but Monty grabs his plate, pulling it away from Jasper's reach.

"Really?" Jasper asks playfully.

They both jump to their feet and their chairs scrape across the floor, drawing attention.

"Okay" Jasper grins.

They move from side to side in unison and I laugh softly.

"Oh! Hey, Clarke" I hear Jasper say.

I use Monty's distraction to my advantage and steal a forkful of his cake.

"Hey!" He whines but I grin cheekily, popping the cake in my mouth.

"Mmm!" I moan, making Jasper frown at me for getting a bit without him.

"Sit down and pretend you're happy to see me" Clarke says, sitting down next to Jasper.

"We are happy to see you" Monty replies, both boys sitting down.

"You have to try the chocolate cake" Monty tells Clarke, holding out his plate to her.

"Oh, it is so on" Jasper mutters to his best friend.

"I'm not eating their food" Clarke mutters.

grumpy much?

"Look" Clarke says, showing us her map "They gave us a map with no exits. I need you to tell me everything you've seen. Every room, every hallway, every way out"

"Way out? Look around you, Clarke. There's no one hunting us here. First time in our lives we're not hungry. Why would we want to leave?" Jasper asks in disbelief.

"Because we have friends out there who need our help" Clarke replies.

"They're looking for survivors, and they're way better equipped to find them than we are" Monty tells the blonde.

"This place is too good to be true" Clarke whispers.

"You're bumming me out. I'm...I'm gonna get more cake" Jasper says, shooting Monty and I a smile.

We watch him walk away and I see him head for the cake. He looks bummed until he turns to a girl.

They start talking and he sits down next to her. I smile at the way they both smile and laugh while chatting.

"You okay?" I hear Monty ask and I nod, moving my gaze down to our table.

"I'll survive" I reply as Clarke leaves the table.

"Life is about more than just surviving, Ava. It's about living" Monty tells me.

"I'm sorry, Monty, but I've lost almost everything I loved in the past twenty four hours and I just don't feel like I can do much more than survive right now" I explain.

"You've still got me" The boy smiles softly.

"I've still got you" I nod, patting his shoulder gratefully.

"Thank God I've got you" I sigh with a warm smile.

I notice Clarke walking away from Jasper and the girl he's sitting with. She puts something in her pocket and I roll my eyes.

she's about to do something incredibly stupid

"I'll be right back" I excuse myself before chasing after the girl.

"What the hell are you up to, blondie?" I ask as we speed walk side by side.

"I took Maya's key card, we're getting out of here" She answers.

"It's about time" I grumble as we turn a corner.

Lights abruptly start flashing and sirens go off as an alarm is triggered.

they know

"Alert! Code five!" A woman's voice says through the speakers.

"Not a prisoner, huh?" Clarke mumbles.

We break out into a run but stop when we see multiple guards running towards us. I spin around to see guards behind us too.

shit

"This way" Clarke orders, running into a large space full of pipes and pillars.

I chase after her until we reach a large metal door with the words 'Restricted Area' written on it. Clarke swipes Maya's key card and the light flashes green letting us yank the door open.

We pull it shut behind us and I turn to see we're standing on stairs that go miles up and down the way from where we are.

Clarke is in awe at the stairs but I turn back to the door, grabbing the wires I know are connected to the card reader.

I snap them from the door and they spark, causing a loud zapping sound. The green light on the card reader turns red before dying off completely.

"Good job" Clarke praises me before running up the stairs.

"Holy hell" I grumble, chasing the blonde up the mountain of steps.

We finally reach the top and enter another large door, running down a corridor and sliding to a stop at the corner.

"Unauthorised access!" The woman on the speakers drones loudly.

I see a large round metal door that I assume leads us outside and I run towards it with Clarke on my tail.

She immediately grabs the lever, pulling it with all her strength but it doesn't budge.

"Clarke, hold on" I tell the girl.

I grab the wheel on the door, turning it around a couple times until it clicks loudly.

"Now" I say, turning to her.

She grabs the handle and gets ready to pull it but we're stopped.

"Clarke, no!" I hear Jasper shout.

I spin around to see Jasper and Maya looking at us.

"If you pull that lever, these people will die. Even a little radiation can kill them" Jasper explains and Maya runs off.

She comes back holding a rifle and points it at Clarke.

"Don't make me shoot" Maya snaps.

"Put the damn gun down!" I retort, standing in front of Clarke.

Jasper runs over to me and turns to Maya.

"Wait" He tells her before walking over to Clarke.

I glare at Maya fiercely and the girl's strong facade falters but her stance doesn't.

"Clarke, don't do this" Jasper begs her.

"I don't believe them" Clarke croaks and Maya lowers the gun.

"Why would they lie?" Jasper asks and I turn to see both of them with teary eyes.

"Listen to me. We are safe here, because of you. We're safe" Jasper assures her.

"Not all of us" Clarke whimpers.

I fired those rockets

I killed them

"Clarke, when you pulled that lever you saved lives. Don't throw that away by pulling this one" Jasper pleads.

There is a short silence between us before I hear running and guns cocking.

"There they are. Hold it right there!" A man shouts.

I turn to see a load of guards rush in with guns and my hope of escaping depletes.

"Get your hands up!" He shouts.

I reluctantly put up my hands and I'm harshly shoved to the ground and handcuffed.

the grounders were more gentle than these buffoons

I'm dragged to my feet and pulled down the corridor behind Clarke. Two guards hold onto each of us as we're ushered through Mount Weather.

We enter what I assume is Dante's office and one guard takes a hold of Clarke and I.

"Loose the handcuffs" Dante orders, not looking away from the picture he's painting.

"There's a blank canvas if you'd like" He tells Clarke.

My handcuffs are taken off and I rub my raw wrists angrily.

it seems the only emotion I feel vividly anymore is anger

"I used to paint the ground too" Clarke tells the old man.

"It's not just the ground. It's a memory" Dante replies.

"Hold up. You've been out there?" I ask in surprise.

"Yes. Fifty six years ago, for five minutes. I was seven when the first of what we called the outsiders appeared. Before that, we thought we were all there was. Imagine our surprise" Dante elaborates.

"We don't have to imagine" Clarke assures him.

"My father, this was his office at the time, believed it meant that the earth was survivable again, and so, he opened the doors. Within a week, fifty four people were dead from the exposure. My mother and sister among them" Dante explains.

He turns to us and I feel slightly guilty for trying to open the door.

"Loss...pain, regret. Time eases these things, girls, but the only time it's ever truly gone is when I'm painting" He admits.

"You didn't bring us here to talk about painting, did you?" Clarke replies.

"I'm afraid I have bad news. Our patrols have swept the area and found no evidence of survivors, either at your camp or from the Ark" Dante tells us and a crushing feeling erupts in my chest.

they're all gone

"How can they be sure?" Clarke argues.

"They can't. I've ordered them to keep searching" Dante replies.

"I need to see for myself!" Clarke snaps.

"I'm sorry. I can't allow that. I'm doing this for your own good, Clarke. It's not safe out there" He tells her.

"Radiation has no effect on us" Clarke retorts.

"It's not the radiation I'm concerned about" Dante states.

"Then what? The grounders? I'm sure we could take a few of them to find our friends" I protest.

"You both need time to grieve" Dante says and I scoff.

"I'm done grieving" I announce clearly.

"These men will show you to your room" Dante tells us, pointing at the guards.

"And if I try to leave?" Clarke asks.

"Please don't test me, Clarke" He replies.

She spins around and I shoot the man one last glare before following the guards.

╳°»。 ∾·⁙· ღ ➵ ⁘ ➵ ღ ·⁙·∾ 。«°╳

"For the past and the future we serve" Dante says as we all stand in the dining hall hand in hand.

"We give thanks" Everyone echoes.

"Good health, good food and good company. And the blessings of new friends" Dante speaks again.

"We give thanks" Everyone says in return.

I let go of Monty and Clarke's hands and we all sit down. I look down at the food on my plate and a sick feeling swirls inside me.

"I need some space" I mumble and Clarke nods.

I get up from my seat and quickly exit the hall, ignoring the stares and questioning gazes I receive.

I enter our dorm and make my way to my bunk bed which is below Clarke's. I kick off my boots and let my hoodie fall to the floor before curling up in bed.

I tug the blanket over me and bury my face in the pillow as I take deep breaths. Sleep doesn't come easy to me, it takes me a long time to let sleep consume me.

The thing on my mind as I drift off into the unconscious darkness being all people I've lost since I first placed a foot on earth.

too many people