Survive for Another Time

Chapter 9

"I am sure you're all wondering why we're on earth. The truth is that we've been abandoned."

With those two simple sentences Clarke had everyones attention. Some even voiced their approval. Bellamy for his part was looking at her in approval, after what he had done to Theolonius he didn't want the Arc to come down and the hundred to simply return under the council's watch.

"The Council is desperate: the air filtering system is failing and resourses are sparse. The Ark is dying. It has less than a year left."

Now the crowd was whispering, not believing her words and wary of the truth she held. But Clarke carried on, knowing that they needed to know, that she needed to get their support.

"The council has been decreasing population by floating any criminals that have attained their majority and lessening consumption by putting minors in sky-boxes."

Clarke waited a few seconds to let everyone recenter on her then pointed at herself.

"My own mother, a doctor, has to decide daily who to save or not. Who to use medicine on and who to let die. And every time she has to tell their families about how she 'tried her best to save them'. She also had my father floated when he tried to tell the entire Arc about the air system's failings and myself locked up for the same reasons."

Turning to Wells she pointed him and shouted aloud.

"As for Wells, son of Theolonius Jaha... he was put in a sky-box and sent here the same as us just because he knew about it. His status as the son of the Chancellor did not save him from being sent on a deadly radiation filled planet and it did not save his mother from dying of childbirth because she did not receive a second pouch of blood!"

Spotting Octavia who was fixing her with respect Clarke pointed at her.

"She also has a similar story of loss and pain."

She then pointed at Murphy.

"He does too. Same as all of you. Stealing to feed or treat yourself or a loved one, locked up because you saw something you didn't even know was compromising or simply because the rules were too much and you had to escape them... But, now- now its different! Now there is no more Ark, no more council, no more guards!"

The teenagers were cheering her now. Raising their fists as if in victory.

"No more sky-box or floatings!" Shouted Bellamy from the crowd.
"No more rationing!" Shouted a girl from the crowd that Clarke remembered had died when the 300 grounder warriors had attacked the exodus ship.
"No more anything!" Shouted Murphy as he smiled at Clarke.
"Yes! No more anything! And that's the problem!"

Her shout made the cries of elation lower, Bellamy and Murphy looked at her with surprise while Finn and Wells were nodding as if they already knew what she was going to say. Octavia had a frown, obviously confused.

"There is no food and water, no shelter, no clothes, no medicine, no protection from predators..."

And no more rules... She thought. No more morals and restrictions. Just utter chaos.

The crowd had become quiet now. Finally realizing where they stood and how difficult the days to come would be. Clarke had every intention to capitalize on that realization.

"We need to prepare, make a barricade using the fallen trees and cut more if needed, scout the surroundings for a source of water and food but most of all we need to make a fire or we will freeze tonight."
"Who put you in charge blondie?"

Looking from where the accusatory shout came from Clarke saw Atom, one of Bellamy's followers and Olivia's first crush. He had been the first to die from the Fog and the first she had had to kill the first time they had all descended from the sky. As a few others voiced their disaproval of Clarke she took a stance. Her back straigh, her head held up and her arm on her hips with her braided hair and toneless body she looked fierce and she knew it.

Just like Lexa when she led her army to Mount Weather.

"No one did. I am just saying what needs to be done for everyone to survive. The original plan was for us to arrive near Mount Weather. That's over there!"

And Clarke pointed to the mountain that was visible in the distance and every one turned their head and saw how far the mountain was.

"We will never make it in one day and we have no clue what kind of obstacles are between us and the mountain."

But most importantly you guys have no clue about the Maunon, the Ripa or the Gon-de. You would all die if we tried to go there unprepared.

"So what is your plan?" Asked Bellamy after getting to the front of the crowd, Octavia not far behind.

"Simple: some groups scouts and hunts, others make the baricade, others set the tents and a last one makes a fire. We will need it all before night fall."
"Make a fire? Out of what?" Asked Octavia.
"Dry or broken branches, use silexs if you find any or do it through friction."
"The hell are you talking about princess?"

The last voice was cocky. Clarke recognized it as Finn's right away.

"I have a name, spacewalker."
"Humph, so do i, princess."
"Names aside," intervened Bellamy "she is right. If we don't do anything we will starve."

With Bellamy's support things went faster. As the only adult he carried an aura of respect and forced obedience. Groups were made and people started working together, gathering shards of metal to create small hatchets to cut of branches from the fallen trees and using belts and strap-ins to carry the trunk to define the limit of the clearing. The red headed twins were creating a large circle using stones and pilling up wood to build a fire. They had asked Clarke about what she meant by silexes and friction. Clarke had also instructed a group to build a cabin in which they would smoke ant of their game.

A few minutes afterwards Clarke, Wells, Finn, Jasper, Monty, Octavia and Bellamy were ready to leave the drop ship to scout.

Maunon = Mountain Men
Ripa = Murderer
Gon-de = Coalition