Radioactive

Chapter Eighteen

My eyes fly open. I'm drenched in a cold sweat, and I can feel the tears streaming down my face. I sit up, careful not to disturb a still sleeping Bellamy, and take a deep breath. I close my eyes and run a hand through my loose hair. Fire. That's all I remember from my dream, my nightmare. Fire and terror. My eyes adjust to the darkness of the tent, and I get out of bed, by crawling to the foot of it, and begin changing. There's no way I'm going to go back to sleep after that.

I step out of the tent, shrugging on my jacket, and take in the quietness of the camp. No one is awake yet, except the people on the wall, but other than that, I'm the only one up. I make my way to one of the dying fires and take a seat on one of the logs. I stare into the glowing embers and allow them to heat me up in the chilly pre-dawn air.

I jump when a person sits down next to me. I turn and see a familiar face. "Jeeze, Clarke. You scared the shit out of me." I say, turning back to the fire. "You couldn't sleep either," She states, and I just shake my head. "I'm gonna go with the group going to the crash site." She says quietly, and I turn to look at her, and this time I really study her face.

Her skin is slightly pale. Her eyes are red and puffy and there are dark patches under her eyes indicating her lack of sleep. She sighs as she turns to face me. "If you're going, then I'm going." I say, throwing an arm around her shoulder and bringing her closer to me. Clarke is slightly taller than me, so it makes it a more difficult process, but I hope it gives her at least a little bit of comfort. "Carter, it's not gonna be pretty." She says, and I can hear the pain in her voice. I nod. "I know, but you need me there, so I'll be there." I say softly, squeezing her shoulders. "Thank you." She mumbles, laying her head on my shoulder. "That's what family's for." I say, leaning my head on top of hers. I let my eyes close, and somehow in this seemingly uncomfortable position, I fall into a dreamless sleep.

My eyes open, and I see the lightening sky of dawn. My eyebrows scrunch in confusion when I feel like I'm moving, but I'm not using any of my muscles. I raise my head slightly and see, just as I begin to feel his arms around me, Bellamy is carrying me bridal style. "Morning, Princess." He says with a soft smile. "Where are you taking me?" I mumble, still not fully awake. "Back to our tent." He says, and my eyes shoot open. "No, I'm coming with you guys to the crash sight." I say and start trying to get out of his arms. "Carter, you shouldn't be there." He sighs, tightening his grip on my wiggling body. "Bellamy, Clarke is going, and I need to be there for her." I say, causing him to look down at me. "When are you gonna start looking out for yourself." He says, causing me to stop my struggle as he stops walking.

"I'm trying to look out for the people that I care about, Bellamy. Why is that such a bad thing?" I ask, all grogginess gone from my voice. Bellamy sets me down and rubs at his forehead with one hand. "No offense, Carter, but you look terrible." He says, and I scoff, crossing my arms over my chest. "My sister needs me, I hoped you would understand that." I say, it coming out a little more harsh than intended. He sighs, and I let my arms fall to my sides, taking a step closer to him. "Bell, I'm going with you, and you don't let me, then I'll find a way to sneak out because I need to be there for Clarke." I say, and he places his hands on my forearms. "Who's going to be there for you?" He asks, almost a whisper, and I smile softly, almost sadly. "Well, I thought that that would be your job. If you want." I say, looking down at my boots. A hand on my chin forces me to look up. "Of course." He says, and my lips twitch up in a smile.

In another few minutes, the group consisting of me, Bellamy, Clarke, Finn, Raven and a few others that I don't know very well meet at the front gate. "Alright everyone, listen up. The Grounders are probably out there, so keep your guns close and eyes open. We need to get to the crash sight and back to camp before dark. Let's go." Bellamy says, keeping every short, sweet, and to the point. Bellamy leads our group, and Clarke and I follow right behind him, walking side by side. No one really talks as we begin making our way through the forest.