[edited 6 February 2017]

•••

mess.

The forest surrounding the destroyed ship was blackened and burnt; a large crater-like area filled with debris and death. The ship itself was nothing but a few charred remains scattered around the place. The people who had been on the ship were long dead, the only thing left of them being their burnt bones.

It made Raine's stomach twist whenever she spotted a body, their jaw opened wide in a silent scream. She sucked in air through her teeth, throwing a look to Bellamy. He was cradling his gun tightly to his chest, his expression unreadable as he surveyed the area.

"Clarke shouldn't be out here." Finn spoke from beside her, and she turned to look at him in distaste.

Clarke was standing a few meters away, her face stormy as she searched the wreckage. Clarke had been a mess after the ship had crashed, blubbering about how she needed to get to the ship and save her mother. It had taken hours to convince the distressed blonde that they would search the site in the morning – that it was too dangerous to go out at night.

So, the blonde sat quietly in the corner of the camp, closest to the gate, and watched the area where the ship had crashed. Raine was unsure whether or not she had slept, but based on the large bags under her eyes she guessed not.

"Clarke's mother was on this ship. She's searching for answers." Raven replied blankly, also digging through the debris. "We need to look for a black box or any kind of records that will tell us why the ship crashed."

"You saw it happen." Raine spoke up, causing Raven and Finn to turn around, "The parachutes never deployed."

"The Ark wouldn't send people down in a ship that wasn't fit." Raven argued.

"And the ship the hundred came down in?" Raine fired back.

"You survived, didn't you?" Raven sniffed, turning her back.

"Stay sharp." Bellamy called out, "The retaliation for what happened on the bridge isn't a matter of if, it's a matter of when."

"Can you blame them?" Finn grunted.

"No, I blame you." Bellamy responded smoothly.

"If you didn't bring guns–"

Raine cut Finn off, "If we didn't bring guns we'd all be dead."

Her eyes were narrowed at him in blunt hatred, and the boy struggled to think of a response. Bellamy spoke, "When the grounders come isn't important anymore. What is important is that we're ready for them. We're on our own now."

His gaze landed on Raine, and she offered him a half-hearted smile. The pair continued to search the debris, kicking blackened rocks aside and avoiding the countless bodies. They worked in a comfortable silence, until it was broken by Raven screaming out, "Clarke! Stop!"

Raine looked up to see Raven rushing towards Clarke, who was stumbling back from a broken piece of the ship with a hand over her mouth. Finn ran towards them, Bellamy and Raine close behind. Raven and Clarke were standing next to a broken rocket, staring at a thick pink liquid as it dripped and formed a puddle at their feet.

Raine gagged as the smell hit her, and she buried her nose in her jacket. "That stuff is disgusting!"

"It's hydrazine – very unstable when not in its solid form. If this stuff meets fire, then we're all toast... very burnt toast." Raven responded, carefully dipping a small rock into the stuff. She then stood up, careful not to get any hydrazine on her hands, and she yelled, "Fire in the hole!"

She drew her arm back and pegged to rock towards a fire still burning from when the ship had crashed, and Raine gasped as there was a large explosion, spewing even more debris into the air. Gasps echoed through the teenagers scattered around the site.

Raven looked impressed with herself as she looked to the group surrounding her, "We need to clear the area."

"Okay, then." Bellamy spoke, turning to the teens behind him, "Move in formation, no straggling! Weapons hot!"

Raine tightened her grip on her rifle, much preferring to use to staff bouncing at her hip. But Bellamy had refused to let her leave camp without a gun, so here she was. She called, "We need to get back before dark."

The group of teenagers left the crash site, Clarke lingering for a moment before trailing behind them. Raine and Bellamy led the group, clutching their guns tightly as they retraced their steps back to the camp. The sun was just starting to dip as they arrived back home, and as soon they stepped into the camp Raine knew something was wrong.

People were standing in hushed groups, pointing towards the drop ship with wide eyes. They stopped to stare at Bellamy as he passed, and Raine threw him a look. "Something's not right."

Just then, a teenager came blundering out of the ship and towards them, his eyes wide, "Bellamy! Bellamy!"

"What is it?" The older boy asked, Raine coming to stand next to him.

The boy panted heavily, spluttering, "He – we found him – outside camp – Octavia–"

"Is she okay?" Bellamy cut the boy off sharply upon hearing her sister's name. Raine's stomach began to twist uneasily, and she eyed the drop ship.

"Yeah! She's fine – but the kid – it's – it's–"

"Who is it?" Bellamy cut the boy off again, visibly growing agitated. "Who did they find outside camp?"

The boy glanced between Raine and Bellamy, before speaking slowly, "Murphy. They found Murphy."

•••

"Where is he?" Bellamy demanded coldly, charging into the drop ship. Raine followed, Clarke and Finn close behind. A large group of teenagers all held guns, standing in a loose ring around Murphy.

"Everyone but Connor and Derick out." Bellamy commanded, and the other teenagers began to leave obediently. Raine pushed past Bellamy, dodging his outstretched hands, and gasped as she took in Murphy.

He was curled up in the corner, his body shaking in terror. Cuts littered his face and Raine could see scars up and down his arms. His eyes were almost swelled shut, his lips cut in multiple places. Blood covered every inch of his skin, some dried and some still fresh. His hair was considerably longer, curled into the start of tight dreadlocks.

"He claims he was with the grounders." Derick spoke up, throwing Murphy a dirty look.

"We caught him sneaking back into camp." Connor hissed.

"I wasn't sneaking." Murphy spoke, his voice shaking, and he wheezed, "I was running from the grounders."

"Did anyone see grounders?" Bellamy questioned, his tone heavy with authority. Both of the boys shook their heads. "Well, in that case..."

Raine was horrified when Bellamy raised his gun, preparing to shoot Murphy, and she threw herself in front of the injured boy. She cried, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"It was clear what would happen if he came back. Now, move." Bellamy ordered.

"If he was with the grounders he could help us!" Raine snapped. "Put the damn gun down, Bellamy!"

The older boy glared at her harshly, but lowered his gun anyway. Bellamy barked, "We hanged him, we banished him, and now we're going to kill him."

"No, you hanged him!" Raine fired back, "I tried to stop that from happening, remember?"

"Get the hell out of my way, Mist." He growled, ignoring her words and raising his gun again.

Anger flooded Raine and she gripped her own gun tightly, refusing to back down. "No. I won't let you kill him."

"Stop!" Clarke cried, "Raine's right – he can help us."

She pushed past Raine, kneeling next to Murphy and Bellamy exploded in fury. "Like hell he can! Clarke, think about Charlotte!"

"I am thinking about Charlotte." Clarke replied quietly. "But what happened to Charlotte was as much our fault as it was his."

Raine let out a harsh laugh, "Charlotte? Charlotte? Are you insane? I can't believe you're still on that!"

She ran a hand through her hair angrily, shooting daggers at Bellamy as she turned around and kneeled beside Murphy. Bellamy's face was twisted into rage and he let out a deep breath, clenching his fists.

"He's not lying." Clarke spoke as she held Murphy's bloodied hand in her own. "His fingernails were torn off. They tortured him."

"You and the grounders should compare notes." Finn finally spoke up, directing his comment at Bellamy.

"We're at war." Bellamy ground out. He turned his gaze back to Murphy, snapping, "What did you tell them about us?"

When the bloodied boy didn't respond, Raine spoke softly, "Murphy, please. What did you tell the grounders?"

Bellamy resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the sight, and Murphy turned to look at Raine sadly. It made Raine's heart clench when she took in his frightened eyes, and he spoke dejectedly, "Everything."

A look of horror crossed everyone's features, and Bellamy took a few steps back in surprise. Clarke clenched her jaw, standing up and declaring, "Once he's better, we find out what he knows and then he's out of here."

"What? No, Clarke!" Raine protested, but Bellamy ignored her as he turned to watch Clarke leave.

"What if he refuses to go?" Bellamy asked Clarke, ignoring Raine's protests. "What do we do with him then?"

Clarke spun around, her features twisted into an anger Raine had never seen before. Clarke spat, "Then we kill him."

"No, absolutely not!" Raine snapped, but Clarke had already left. Raine turned to look Bellamy, "You're not going to kill him."

"And who's going to stop me?" Bellamy retorted, "You?"

Raine was shaking with anger as she spat, "Don't you dare try and scare me, Bellamy Blake. It will not work."

Bellamy jutted his chin out in defiance, staring down at the girl as he replied, "You're willing to risk your life for him?"

"We all deserve second chances; I'm sure you're well aware of that."

Bellamy let out a loud scoff before turning and marching out of the tent, his two lackeys following closely behind. Raine heaved a great sigh before shaking her head. Fighting with Bellamy always seemed to leave her emotionally and physically drained.

Standing up silently, she made her way towards the exit of the drop ship, intent on getting some fresh air. She was so focused on getting outside that she didn't hear the bloodied boy behind whisper.

"Thank you."

•••

Raine was sitting by the fire when it happened.

She was eating an apple, watching as the wood crackled and burnt in front of her when the boy next to her coughed loudly. At first, she didn't think anything of it so she ignored it, but then people began to cry out and yell for help. She glanced up, her stomach dropping as she watched Derick cough again, his hand covering his mouth in an attempt to catch the blood spewing out of him.

His skin had turned translucent, his eyes bloodshot as he struggled not to choke on his own blood. Raine dropped the apple, rushing to his side. She looked around desperately, screaming, "Clarke? Clarke!"

But the blonde was making her way towards the drop ship, not hearing Raine's cries. With a sigh, Raine wrapped one of Derick's arms around her shoulder and pulled him to his feet, stumbling towards the drop ship. He coughed loudly, more blood spewing out of his mouth and into his free hand.

"Spit it out, Derick." She grunted as they climbed into the drop ship. She pushed the tent flap aside, spotting Clarke kneeling in front Murphy. Raine crossed the room, putting Derick down on the ground and fetching him a rag hanging off the ladder. She pushed the rag towards him, and he coughed a 'thank you' before hacking up more blood.

"Clarke," Raine breathed heavily, "What's going on?"

"Stay back." The blonde spoke, "Get out of here, now."

"Why?" Raine asked, confusion flooding her as she stepped away. Just then, Bellamy walked into the drop ship, his face twisted into confusion. Raine held her hands out to stop him, "Wait, Bellamy."

"Did – did he do something?" Bellamy asked, gesturing to Murphy, and Raine was surprised to hear his voice shake.

"Clarke, what is going on?" Raine repeated herself desperately as she came to stand next to Bellamy.

Clarke glanced at the girl before turning to look at Murphy. When she glanced back at the pair, she said, "Biological warfare. Bellamy, you were waiting for the grounders to retaliate, well this is it."

"Oh my god." Raine whispered. She was suddenly horribly aware of how pale Clarke was, and the red smudges under her eyes. Clarke's breathing was already beginning to grow heavy, and the blonde looked at them.

"Murphy's the weapon, Bellamy. The grounders must have done something to him."

Bellamy let out a loud curse before asking Murphy, "Is this your revenge? Killing all of us?"

"I didn't know what they had done to me." Murphy protested weakly. "I swear–"

"Stop lying!" Bellamy yelled, slicing his hand through the air. "When are they coming?"

"Murphy, think! What can you tell us that is useful?" Clarke practically begged the boy. "Did you hear anything?"

Murphy shook his head, mumbling, "They are vicious – cruel."

Bellamy seethed, "You want to see vicious?"

He began to advance towards Murphy, but Raine reached out and caught his bicep. She stepped in front of the older boy, placing her hands on his chest and pushing him backwards, "Not now, Bellamy."

"Stop. Whatever this thing is, it spreads through contact." Clarke spoke weakly.

"Contact? Are you kidding?" Raine cried, "I touched Derick!"

"What? When?" Bellamy questioned, "Why did you touch him?"

"He – he was coughing up blood. I thought I was being helpful!" Raine answered fearfully.

"Dammit, Mist." Bellamy hissed under his breath, fear beginning to grow at the thought of Raine becoming sick.

"Raine, wash your hands. Now." Clarke ordered, and Raine nodded. She crossed the room, grabbing a bottle of Monty's moonshine and pouring it over her hands. Fear consumed her as she dried her hands on her pants and glanced at Bellamy sadly.

The tent flap was pulled aside and Finn entered, looking flustered as he searched for Clarke. When he spotted her, he breathed out in relief, "Clarke."

"You shouldn't be in here – no-one should be in here." Clarke said, but Finn shook his head.

"I heard you were sick. Clarke... what is this?" Finn asked, looking around at the other sick teenagers.

"I don't know. Some kind of haemorrhagic fever. We just need to contain it–"

She was cut off as Derick began to convulse loudly, his body thrashing and twisting on the floor as he choked on his own blood. Raine made a move to help him, but Bellamy grabbed her and stopped her. Clarke crossed the room, watching helplessly as blood spewed out of Derick's mouth.

Finally, his body gave one final thrash before he fell limp. Horror crossed Bellamy's features as he watched, and he spoke, "Is he...?"

Clarke checked his pulse, dipping her head when she didn't find one. "He's dead."

"What do we do now?" Finn asked.

Clarke thought for a moment, before speaking, "Quarantine. Round up everyone who's had contact with Murphy and bring him here."

Finn nodded, leaving the drop ship, and Bellamy asked, "What about everyone they had contact with?"

His gaze landed on Raine for a moment and she bit her lip nervously. Clarke noticed, shooting Bellamy an apologetic look, "We have to start somewhere."

She turned to look at Connor, who had also begun to bleed profusely. He was slumped against the wall of ship, holding a bloody rag in his hands. Clarke asked, "Connor, who was there with you when you found Murphy? Who brought him in? Think!"

The boy was breathing deeply, his eyes half-closed due to exhaustion. Half-delirious, he muttered, "The first one there was Octavia."

•••

Raine and Bellamy stood a little way off, rags clamped over their faces as they watched the drop ship slowly fill up with sick teenagers. After Connor revealed that Octavia had been the first one to touch Murphy, Bellamy had stormed out of the drop ship and practically dragged Octavia back.

Clarke was currently inspecting the girl, who seemed fine. Nodding, Clarke said, "We're done. There are no signs of any swelling or bleeding."

Bellamy removed the rag from his face, "So you're saying that she doesn't have it?"

"No, I'm saying that she doesn't have the symptoms." Clarke corrected him, suggesting there was still a possibility that the younger Blake sibling could be infected. "We need to keep her here, just in case."

"No way." Bellamy disagreed, shaking his head. "Look at this place; she'll get sick from just being here."

"I'll keep her on the third level with the people who aren't symptomatic." Clarke compromised, throwing a glance at Raine. "Think of it as a way to stop her sneaking out again."

Octavia threw Clarke a dirty look, spitting, "Screw you, Clarke."

Raine turned to Bellamy, placing a hand on his shoulder gently, "Bellamy, it's for the best."

Finally, Bellamy nodded. Octavia let out a scoff, clearly annoyed, and Clarke spoke, "I'll let you know if anything changes."

Bellamy turned suddenly, marching out of the drop ship. Raine chased after him, calling out, "Bellamy, wait."

The boy stopped, turning to look at Raine with an expression of complete vulnerability. His usual façade was gone, leaving behind the scared person that he was. Raine looked at him, speaking softly, "She'll be alright. She's strong."

Bellamy took a couple steps towards Raine, responding, "What about you? You could be infected."

Raine pursed her lips, "I'm not leaving your side."

Bellamy reached down to squeeze her hands, whispering, "I wasn't going to ask you to."

•••

There was no cure. The grounders were coming at first light. There was no cure. The grounders were coming at first light. There was no–

"Mist."

Raine was pulled from her chanting thoughts as she glanced at Bellamy. It hadn't been long before the camp had plunged into chaos, teens turning on each other in fear. Clarke had managed to break it up before she collapsed from exhaustion. She looked half-dead as Finn had carried her into the drop ship.

Octavia had returned from speaking with the grounder not soon before, and had revealed the reason behind the fever. The grounders only used the fever to weaken their enemy, to ensure a victory. They were going to be here at first light.

With almost two thirds of the camp having fallen prey to the fever, that didn't leave many able to defend the wall. For some reason, Raine hadn't become sick, even though she had touched Derick before he died. She was puzzled, but could only guess that it meant she was immune to whatever the fever was made up of.

Bellamy, Raven, Jasper, Monty, Harper and her were currently filling as many magazine clips as they could, stuffing them into guns urgently. Whether she liked it or not, the guns gave them an advantage against the grounders.

"What?" She asked in a clipped tone, clicking another mag into place. She put the gun down by her feet, turning to grab another one.

"We'll be okay."

"Tell that to Derick." She mumbled, her eyes cast down.

Bellamy winced briefly before saying, "We need to get these five guns to the wall."

"Why just five?" Monty piped up, looking concerned and nervous. His brows were drawn together, forming a deep crease.

"We're running out of gun powder." Raven muttered lowly, filling another mag.