“Great,” Bellamy said, loud enough to be heard over the din. “We risk our lives to prove that Earth is safe, just so they can come down and set it on fire.” His voice had its usual careless, mocking tone, but Wells could tell Bellamy was scared. Unlike the others, he’d forced his way onto the dropship—and gotten the Chancellor shot in the process. There was no way of knowing whether Bellamy would be forgiven for his crimes, or whether the guards had orders to shoot him on sight.
As the dropship moved past the clearing, Wells caught a glimpse of the letters on the side—Trillion Galactic, the company that built the ships generations ago. His stomach twisted as he realized that one was flying on its side, at a full forty-five-degree angle to Earth. What could that mean for everyone inside the cabin? It passed over the clearing, disappearing behind the tops of the tallest trees, continuing its descent out of their line of vision.
Wells held his breath, waiting. After a tortured moment, a flash of light and fire exploded far out beyond the trees. It was at least a few kilometers from their camp, but seemed as bright as a solar flare. A millisecond later came the delayed sound of the crash, a deep thundering that drowned out all other noise. Before anyone could process what they’d just seen, the second ship passed directly over their heads and landed in the same catastrophic fashion, sending up more light and noise. A third ship followed.
Each crash shook the ground, sending violent vibrations up through Wells’s feet and into his stomach. Was this what happened when their ship crashed? Their landing had also been terrible—a few people had even been killed. The frightening noises stopped abruptly. As Earth grew quiet again, flames shot into the sky, coloring the darkness, and smoke began to curl upward. Wells turned away from the trees and back to the others. Their faces, illuminated in the orange light from above, asked the same question that was repeating on a loop in his own head: Could anyone have survived that?
“We have to go to them,” Eric said firmly, raising his voice to be heard over the chorus of gasps and nervous murmurs.
“How will we find them?” Molly asked, trembling. Wells knew she hated being in the woods, especially at night.
“It looks like they might’ve landed near the lake,” Wells replied, rubbing his fingers in circles against his temples. “But they could be much farther.” If anyone even survived, he thought. He didn’t need to say it out loud. They were all thinking the same thing. Wells turned back toward the crash. The flames rising above the trees were subsiding, shrinking down into the woods. “We better start moving. Once that fire goes out, there’s no way we’ll be able to find them in the dark.”
“Wells,” Sasha murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder, “maybe you should wait until morning. It’s not safe out there.”
Wells hesitated. Sasha was right about the danger. There was a violent faction of Earthborns who’d rebelled against her father and were now roaming the woods in between Mount Weather and the hundred’s camp. They were the ones who’d kidnapped Octavia, who’d killed Asher and Priya. But he couldn’t bear the thought of the injured and scared Colonists waiting for their help.
“We won’t all go,” Wells said to the group. “I just need a few volunteers to take emergency supplies and lead everyone back to camp.” He looked around the clearing they’d worked so hard to turn into a home and felt a surge of pride.
Octavia took a few steps toward Wells so she was standing in the center of the circle. She was only fourteen, but unlike the other younger members of the group, she wasn’t shy about speaking up. “I say we let them find their own way,” she said, raising her chin defiantly. “Or better yet, they can just stay where they are. They pretty much sentenced us to die when they sent us down here. Why should we risk our lives going to rescue them?” A murmur of assent rippled around the crowd. Octavia shot a quick glance at her brother, maybe seeking his support, but when Wells looked at Bellamy, his face was strangely inscrutable.
“Are you kidding?” Felix asked, looking at Octavia with dismay. His voice was still weak from his illness, but his anxiety was clear. “If there’s even the slightest chance that my parents are out there, then I have to try to find them. Tonight.” He stepped closer to Eric, who put an arm around Felix’s shoulders and squeezed him tight.
“And I’m going with him,” Eric said.
Wells scanned the group for Clarke and Bellamy. They met his eye, then Clarke took Bellamy’s hand and hurried along the outer edge of the circle to where Wells was standing.
“I should go too,” Clarke said quietly. “There are probably injured people who need my help.”
Wells glanced over at Bellamy, waiting for him to object to the risk. But he’d gone tense and quiet, staring into the darkness beyond Wells. Perhaps he knew it was futile to argue with Clarke when she had her mind set on something.
“Okay,” Wells said. “Let’s get ready. Most of you should stay here and prepare the camp for new arrivals.”
Clarke ran to the infirmary cabin for the medical supplies, while Wells assigned other people to carry drinking water and blankets. “Eric, can you find some food—anything we’ve got.”
As his team scurried off to prepare, Wells turned back to Sasha, who was still standing next to him, her lips pressed together in concentration. “We should bring something to use as a stretcher,” she said, casting an appraising glance around the clearing. “There might be people who can’t walk back.” She started toward the supply tent without waiting for Wells to reply.
He broke into a jog after her. “Smart thinking,” he said, matching her quick strides. “But I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come with us.”
She stopped abruptly. “What are you talking about? None of you know the terrain as well as I do. If anyone can get you there and back safely, it’s me.”
Wells sighed. She was right, of course, but the thought of Sasha facing hundreds of Colonists—and, most likely, many armed guards—who had no idea Earthborns even existed sent a jolt of fear through him. He remembered the shock and disorientation he’d felt when he first laid eyes on her—it was as if his entire understanding of the universe had been flipped on its head. He certainly hadn’t trusted her at first, and it had taken the rest of his group even longer to believe that she was telling the truth about belonging to a peaceful community of people living on Earth.