notion • john murphy

23 - PATIENCE

[ PATIENCE ]

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"It'd sure be nice to have some sign that we're not just marching to our own deaths." A man said as they continued walking across the sand. It was silent for a moment.

   "We're not." Jaha told him. Murphy almost laughed.

   "Hey. Tell me if you know this one." The man beside Murphy spoke up.

   "Not again, please." Murphy rolled his eyes. The man had been telling terrible jokes for hours and Murphy had more than enough of it. He was fed up.

   "A Grounder and a Reaper walk into a bar," He begins, giggling slightly to himself. "Bartender looks to the Grounder, he says: 'We don't serve your kind around here.' The Reaper gets up and leaves." He starts to laugh, but no one does.

   "You get it? Reapers eat Grounders." He chuckled.

   Murphy was far from amused. "I will take Jaha's staff, and beat you to death with it."

   "John." Jaha scolded him.

   "Or this one," The man continued. "An Arker, a Grounder and a Mountain Man walk into a bar." Murphy glances up at the stars as he continued. "Arker says, 'I'll take some moonshine.' Grounder says, 'I'll take some too.' And then the Mountain Man, he says—"

   The man is cut off as a huge explosion blew Murphy to the ground. Murphy groaned, opening his eyes slowly. Then he saw it. A shoe, with a leg still inside, fell to the ground from the air.

   Suddenly, Murphy watched an arm fall down in front of the blonde woman (he didn't bother remembering the name of). She scooted back in fear and suddenly, another explosion: She was gone too.

   Murphy flinched, backing away slowly. He held a hand to his left ear, hoping to stop the ringing.

   "No one move!" Jaha ordered. "We're in the middle of a minefield."

   Murphy swallowed. "Well. . . anybody else want a sign?"

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   "How are you?" Octavia questioned as her and Sayah sit outside the Commander's tent while Clarke is inside with Lexa. Sayah keeps her eyes on the campfire in front of her.

   "My leg doesn't hurt as much anymore." Sayah sighed. "As if a small bullet wound could stop me." She joked.

   "That's not what I meant, Sayah." Octavia's voice turned soft. "At Tondc, when Lincoln and I were waking you up, I heard you say Murphy's name."

   Sayah licked her lips. "Yes, well, there you are: my subconscious betrays me." She drawled.

   "I'm serious." Octavia turned to face her properly. "If you need a break—"

   "What I need, is keep it out of my head." Sayah ran a hand down her face. "There's no time for mourning. He left, I let him, that's it."