Jason moved through the perimeter with a calm expression, his eyes sweeping every shadow, every flicker of movement.
He muttered to himself, "If the grounders didn't know our exact location which I doubt they don't… they sure as hell do by now."
Finishing his patrol, he circled back into camp and frowned when he saw Clarke and Bellamy off to the side, deep in conversation by the dying glow of the fire. Their postures were tense, two different worlds trying to find common ground.
Jason tilted his head. "What are they doing?" he muttered, stepping closer.
"Hey," he said as he approached, voice low and casual. "Can't sleep either?"
Clarke gave a humorless laugh, folding her arms. "No. Knowing that hundreds of people might be dying on the Ark makes it pretty hard to sleep." Her tone wasn't aimed at him, it was pointed at Bellamy.
"Raven's flares will work," Bellamy shot back defensively.
Jason sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. 'Yeah… but for some reason…'
"Her radio would have worked better," Clarke cut in sharply, tossing her hair back in irritation.
Bellamy ignored her and shifted his weight, frowning. "Have you seen Octavia?"
"Not since this morning," Jason replied, his gaze flicking between the two of them. His brow creased. 'Come to think of it, I didn't see her during the whole damn flare setup either.'
Clarke shrugged dismissively. "It's Octavia. She's probably chasing butterflies."
Bellamy's jaw tightened. "Clarke, I've checked the camp. She's not here."
Jason studied him for a moment and the worry in Bellamy's voice wasn't subtle anymore. Finally, Jason nodded once. "Okay. We'll help you find her."
Clarke exhaled through her nose and gave a short nod. "Let's check the camp again."
Jason gestured toward the dropship. "You take the tents. I'll check around the ship. We'll cover more ground."
Bellamy nodded. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me," Clarke muttered, already moving. "I'm doing it for Octavia."
——————
Jason moved methodically through the camp, checking every tent after he checked the dropship. The campfires had died down, leaving pools of darkness where fear liked to hide. No sign of her.
He frowned. "Okay… this could be a problem," he muttered, scanning the empty pathways. His memories of how things played out in the show were blurry, faces, events, moments but the sequence of this night was fogged over. 'Great. Real helpful, brain.'
Sighing in frustration, he made his way back to the others. "I didn't find her," he said as he approached Clarke and Bellamy.
Bellamy's expression hardened. "Alright. We'll gather some people and go out looking for her."
Jason didn't argue. The man's anxiety was written all over his face and this wasn't something words could fix. He helped Clarke gather a few willing volunteers while Bellamy armed himself.
"Hey, everybody, grab a weapon!" Bellamy shouted, voice echoing through the camp. "My sister's been out there alone for twelve hours. Arm up! We're not coming back without her."
The camp stirred with uneasy movement as teens picked up makeshift weapons. Jason ducked into his tent, grabbed his knife, and stepped out, nodding at passing faces carrying crude spears and clubs.
When he reached Bellamy's side, the older boy was tightening a grip on his weapon.
"You ready? We're about to head out," Bellamy said.
Jason glanced at him, then at the group forming behind them. "You're nervous."
"Damn right I am," Bellamy admitted, eyes scanning the treeline.
Jason placed a steady hand on his shoulder. "We'll find Octavia. That, I can assure you. But you need to calm down. She'll need her brother in one piece."
Bellamy gave a tight nod, though his jaw still worked with tension. "If we stall too long, we won't find her."
"You're right," Jason sighed. "Let's move."
———————-
As they began walking, Jason caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Finn stepping out of Raven's tent with a fresh haircut. Jason rolled his eyes. 'Of course.'
Before he could comment, something bright flickered in the night sky. A few people stopped and stared upward, murmuring. Jason followed their gaze, his brow furrowing. 'What the hell is that?'
"They didn't work," came Raven's voice behind them. She stepped forward, her tone flat and defeated.
"They didn't see the flares," she added, eyes lifting toward the sky.
"A meteor shower tells you that?" Bellamy asked skeptically.
"It's not a meteor shower," Clarke said quietly, her voice heavy. "It's a funeral. Hundreds of bodies returned to the earth from the Ark."
The words hit like a hammer. The group fell silent as streaks of burning debris cut across the heavens.
"This is what it looks like from the other side," Clarke murmured. "They didn't get our message."
Jason's throat tightened. "Shit…" he muttered under his breath. His eyes swept the camp and saw dozens of faces staring upward, horror dawning as the truth sank in. Three hundred and twenty gone… and maybe some of their parents among them.
"This is all because of you!" Raven suddenly shouted, lunging at Bellamy before Clarke caught her.
"I helped you find the radio," Bellamy snapped back.
"Yeah, after you jacked it from my pod and trashed it!" Raven yelled.
"Yeah, he knows," Clarke intervened. "But right now, we need to find Octavia."
Bellamy straightened, breathing heavily. "All I know is that my sister's out there, and I'm gonna find her. You coming or what?"
Jason's tone cut through the tension, calm but firm. "There's nothing we can do now but mourn the dead. What we can do is move now. Focus on finding Octavia. She's still alive. Let's keep it that way."
Bellamy gave a sharp nod. "What are we waiting for? Move out!"
————————-
They pushed through the forest in tense silence. The ground was soft beneath their boots, the night wind cool but heavy with unease.
Hours passed. The trees began to thin, and Jason knelt, scanning the earth. "Look over here!" he called.
Bellamy and the others jogged over.
"What is it?" Mbege asked, leaning forward.
Jason pointed. "You see it?"
"Rope," Bellamy said immediately, reaching for his pack. "Flashlight."
"What are you doing?" Finn asked.
"We need the rope to get back up," Bellamy said as he tossed the line over the ledge and started down.
Jason followed without hesitation.
"Jason, wait!" Finn called, but Jason had already dropped, landing beside Bellamy with a thud.
Bellamy glanced over, half startled. "How the hell—?"
Before he could finish, Jasper came sliding down the rope behind them. "Man, you're crazy," he muttered.
Jason smirked. "Crazy's just a state of mind."
He crouched, spotting something dark on the ground… blood.
Finn and the others caught up. "Someone else was here," Bellamy said grimly.
Jason ran a thumb through the dirt, studying the deep tracks. "He was carrying her."
"If they took her, she's alive," Jasper said quickly.
They followed the tracks deeper into the forest until the air shifted into something heavy and wrong. Ahead, several bodies were impaled on stakes, silent warnings from the woods.
"I don't speak Grounder," Finn muttered, "but I'm pretty sure that means keep out."
Bellamy didn't hesitate. "Go back if you want. My sister, my responsibility."
"I'd walk into hell to find her," Jasper said, stepping forward.
Jason chuckled. "Now that's conviction, people."
Finn exhaled. "I think we just did walk into hell."
———————————
Hours bled together as they searched through thick fog and silent woods. Jason's instincts screamed at him. 'Something was wrong.'
"I got nothing," Finn said, wiping sweat from his brow. "We lost the trail."
"Keep looking," Bellamy ordered.
Jason froze. His hand twitched toward his knife. "Something's off…" His eyes flicked around. 'Where's the last guy?'
He scanned the shadows and saw movements.
"Oh, you sneaky bastards…" he muttered.
"Hey, where's John?" Roma asked, looking around.
"I just saw him a second ago," Jasper said.
"The grounders are here," Jason said, voice low and sharp. "Everyone stay close and watch your steps." His pulse thundered in his ears. He almost smiled. Adrenaline was a dangerous comfort.
"Do not spread out," Jason ordered. "They'll pick us off—"
A wet sound cut him off. A thud.
Mbege hit the ground, throat slit open.
"They use the trees!" Finn shouted.
"Yeah," Jason growled, knife ready. "No shit."
Panic rippled through the group. "Now can we go back?" Roma gasped.
"There!" Jasper shouted, pointing. A masked Grounder rushed toward them.
Jason grabbed a stone and hurled it with alot of force. It moved fast and shattered the warrior's mask, dropping him instantly.
"Another one!" Diggs cried. Jason threw again, but the next one dodged.
"We should run!" Finn shouted.
Jason swore under his breath. More Grounders emerged flanking, circling.
"Move!" he barked. The group bolted through the forest.
"They're boxing us in!" Jason realized aloud as shapes flickered between the trees.
Roma screamed.
"Roma, stop running!" Jason yelled, but she didn't listen after seeing diggs run into a trap that impaled him where he stood.
A spear flew slicing the air toward her. It struck, grazing deep into her chest but before it could pierce through, Jason's hand snatched it mid-flight. He twisted, muscles flaring, and hurled it back. The weapon buried itself into a Grounder's chest with brutal precision and pinned him against a tree like a post.
Jason knelt by Roma as blood seeped through her shirt. "When I say run, you run. When I say stop, you fucking stop! You got that, idiot?"
She winced, nodding weakly.
Bellamy and Finn caught up, eyes wide.
"She just escaped death," Jason said, rising. "Barely."
"They're playing with us," Finn muttered.
"Then they can kill us whenever they want," Bellamy said darkly.
"They could've already," Jason replied. "That's the problem."
A horn suddenly echoed through the trees, it was long and low.
"They're leaving," Bellamy said, confused.
Jason frowned. "No. The horn… what does it mean?"
"Acid fog," Finn said immediately. "We have to run."
"There's no time!" Monroe shouted.
Finn yanked a tarp from his pack. "Under!"
The group huddled beneath it as the forest grew eerily silent. Jason lay between Finn and Roma, with Bellamy on the far side. Every breath was tight.
"How long do we wait?" Jasper whispered.
"Will this even work?" Monroe asked.
"We'll find out," Finn said grimly.
"No, we won't," Bellamy muttered, already tugging the tarp aside.
"Bellamy—" Jason started, but the man had already pulled it off.
"There's no fog."
Jason glanced around. The air was clear. "Must've been a false alarm…"
Then, they saw movements, a figure darting through the trees.
"They're coming back," Jason said quickly.
"I think he's alone," Jasper said.
"He doesn't see us. I'm going after him," Bellamy said.
"And what? Kill him?" Finn asked.
"No. Catch him, make him talk, then kill him," Bellamy said coldly.
Jason stepped beside him, voice low. "If this is a trap, and they overwhelm us, we run. Understood?"
Bellamy exhaled sharply, then nodded. "Fine."
They moved forward
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