"Loving and fighting
Accusing, denying
I can't imagine a world with you gone
The joy and the chaos, the demons we're made of
I'd be so lost if you left me alone"
-Hold on, Chord Overstreet
*****
As Ash climbs the hill back toward the camp, her mind spins in circles, desperately searching for an alternative. But no matter how hard she tries, the answer remains the same—a truth she can barely comprehend, let alone speak.
Finn has to die in order for them to have peace.
How does someone tell their first friend on a new planet that his life is the cost of survival? she thinks bitterly, her steps feeling heavier with each one.
Beside her, Clarke's face is equally pale, her shoulders stiff with the same impossible burden. Both have tried to come up with another way, but the Grounders have made it clear: blood must have blood.
They reach the gate, and before Ash can fully process the weight of what they are about to do, Bellamy's voice breaks through the haze.
"Hold your fire!" he shouts from inside the camp. "They're back."
The gate creaks open, and they slip through, the sound of metal grinding shut behind them. The camp is bustling, with people scrambling to secure the perimeter, their faces a mix of fear and exhaustion. Bellamy and Finn push through the crowd, their expressions mirroring concern and confusion. Bellamy reaches Ash first, his hands landing firmly on her shoulders, his eyes searching her face.
"What's wrong?" His voice is laced with worry, but Ash can't bring herself to meet his eyes. Not with this news.
Finn, too, is scanning Clarke, his brow furrowing as she avoids his gaze.
"Shut the gate," Clarke orders, her tone sharp, yanking Finn by the arm and pulling him farther into the camp. "You can't be out here."
"Hey, what's going on?" Finn asks, confusion clouding his voice, but there's a hint of dread beneath it.
Ash swallows hard, her stomach twisting into knots as she murmurs, "It's bad, Bellamy."
Before Bellamy can ask more, Abby Griffin storms through the gathering crowd, her eyes narrowing on Clarke and Ash. "What did they say?" Abby's voice trembles slightly, though she tries to keep her composure. "Is there a chance for peace?"
Clarke hesitates, her throat tight. "Yes."
A brief flicker of relief washes over Abby, but it's short-lived. "Then what's wrong?" Abby asks, her voice sharp with suspicion. "We have peace—"
"They want Finn," Ash blurts out, her voice breaking, each word tasting like poison on her tongue. "If we want peace, we have to give them Finn."
For a moment, the camp is utterly silent, the weight of her words hanging like a heavy fog. And then, as if on cue, murmurs erupt around them—some horrified, others angry.
Raven is the first to break through the rising clamor. "What the hell are you talking about?" she demands, eyes flicking between Ash and Clarke.
"That's their offer," Clarke says softly, the weight of the ultimatum dragging her voice down.
"That's not an offer," Raven snaps.
"It's a punishment," Finn interrupts, his voice hauntingly calm. "For what happened at the village. Blood must have blood."
"That's insane," Bellamy says, his grip on Ash's shoulders tightening as if he can somehow protect her from the situation. "They can't just—"
"If we refuse?" Abby's question cuts through the rising panic, her voice just loud enough to be heard.
YOU ARE READING
somewhere | b.blake ✔️
Fanfiction"somewhere there's peace, they just have to find it." in which a girl whose smile is the brightest of them all finds herself falling in love with a curly haired boy on a planet that isn't supposed to be survivable. [SEASONS ONE TO TWO COMPLETED] hig...
