Bellātor | BELLAMY BLAKE

fifteen

ғɪғᴛᴇᴇɴ : ғɪʀsᴛ sʜᴏᴏᴛᴇʀ
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The grounder wasn't headed towards the crash site. Clara only realizes this when it's too late.

She's at the edge of a grounder village, peering around the trunk of a tree. Grounders of all shapes and sizes wander around their camp with their weapons drawn. There aren't any kids, so it must be a warrior post or something.

Clara circles the camp with silent feet. She watches the grounders like they watched them when they first came down—with curiosity.

Their buildings are made of wood and stones, a clay solidifying the foundations. There are more horses, much to Clara's dismay. She shivers at the sight of a large one with beaty eyes and sharp teeth. The baby horse next to it is only slightly less terrifying.

Clara knows she's being stupid and risking her life. Does she care? Yes. But her curiosity is getting the better of her, and she's wondering what is going to happen now that she shot the first shot at the bridge and is probably going to get blamed for ruining their chances at a peace treaty with the grounders. She doesn't feel bad about it, she knows that if she didn't fire first then Clarke would be dead, but she still realizes the consequences of her actions. Never would she have ever thought she'd be capable of killing a living human being. The idea is so absurd that she can't even process it.

Clara is about ready to turn back and head to camp when she spots something peculiar. A large man with animal hide as armor and white face paint around his eyes escorts a bloodied figure in chains across the camp. The smaller figure is as thin as a rail and walks with a major limp. It isn't until he looks up and happens to makes eye contact with Clara that she recognizes him.

"Murphy?" She whispers, leaning against the tree as she suddenly feels ill. How long after they banished him was he captured by the grounders? Has he been being tortured for days? Weeks?

She doesn't like Murphy in the slightest, but she can't just leave after seeing him in their camp in such bad shape. He was so bloody and beat up that she almost didn't even recognize the boy. Her conscious won't let her abandon him.

Taking a deep breath, Clara starts to tiptoe towards the camp. She manages to duck behind a small building without anyone seeing her. After checking to see if the coast is clear, she sprints behind another building, one that is closer to the one the buff grounder lead Murphy into.

The sound of their native tongue to her right paralyzes her with fear. She spots the shadows of nearing grounders before seeing them.

Thinking fast, Clara turns and climbs into the window carved into the side of the building she's hiding behind. She falls to the floor, hard, and winces. It's worth it when she sees that the building is empty and the grounders walk by without noticing her presence.

Clara pokes her head out the window before climbing back out. The grounders have their backs to her, so she takes her chances and just dead sprints across the camp in the wide open.

She has never run so fast in her whole life. Phenomenally, not a single grounder spots her. She manages to slide into the building unseen with her heart racing a mile a minute.

This building is darker and larger than the last one she was in. There is a long hallway with many wooden doors on each side. One of the last doors is just closing when she enters the building, so she makes a bee-line towards that one. She grabs the handle and pushes the door open.