Adapting to the Ground (a The 100 fanfiction)

Storm

Earth: Sometime in September, 2149

    It was dark, she was cold, but she didn’t care. She was too mad to care. Everything made sense, now. Bell had shot the Chancellor, he’d killed to get on the dropship, just ‘cause she was on there! She pushed through some brush, not focusing on where her feet were taking her. So when her world turned sideways and a pain shot up her leg, she was genuinely surprised. And when there was suddenly a man standing there above her, she was genuinely scared. Her vision faded as her heart beat rapidly against her ribs, and when next she opened her eyes it was dark. She was alone, and there was no way out that she could see. Then a man, the same one from before, came in. He held a knife out, red hot and steaming. She Struggled, cried out, pleaded, backed away, and still he came. He knelt in front of her and pressed the hot blade against the wound on her leg, the one she had just noticed was there, and her vision went dark once more.

The Ark: Sometime in the Spring, 2138

    “What happened next, Tally?” Octavia tugged on the older girl’s shirt, pouting as Natalie closed the book with a final sounding thump!

    “I’ll read you the next chapter next time I come over, I have to go home.” Natalie pushed off the bed the two girls had been sprawled on, tucking the book in the space by the wall that she always hid it in.

    “You always leave, why can’t you stay?” Little Octavia let go of her shirt, looking up with big, wet eyes.

    “If I stayed for too long, my daddy would come looking for me, and he might find you. I promise I’ll come back tomorrow, okay?” Natalie headed for the door, smiling sadly. “It’s your bedtime anyway, O.”

    The door shut behind the redhead, and Octavia crawled under the covers. Her mommy was already sleeping, having fallen asleep at the beginning of the chapter Natalie had read. Bellamy was too, dead to the world since before Natalie came over. She was alone, then, in a sense. She didn’t like being alone, the monsters came out when she was alone. She squeezed her eyes shut, burrowing further under her blankets. “I am not afraid,” she whispered, focusing on what her brother always said. “I am not afraid.”

     She fell asleep soon after, the words tumbling through her dreams.

Earth: Sometime in September, 2149

    She was alone when she woke up again, and blinked away the fog from the memory dream. She had to get out of here, what if the man came back? She got up and started looking around, feeling along the rocky walls of her prison. There! The rocks were loose here, if she could only…

    Soon there was a tight opening, just big enough for her to squeeze through. She swallowed the panic that tried to set in and moved, climbing up into the hole and started the slow crawl forward. Something moved ahead, scratching against the stone. She gulped again and licked her lips, starting to whisper. “I am not afraid. I am not afraid.” She startled when she thought she felt something touch her leg, and moved forward faster, keeping up the chant. “I am not afraid. I am not afraid.”

    Finally, finally there was light! She repeated her mantra as she pushed herself into the daylight, collapsing to the ground in relief. She allowed herself a few minutes to rest, to enjoy the fresh air. Maybe too many minutes, she thought as she heard footsteps approaching.

   “En’s gada, en’s laksen!” The strange words were from a little kid, a boy with curly dark hair and dark eyes. There was a group of people behind him, holding weapons and wearing leather and fur.