[trikruanya]

“Not really.  You wouldn’t have been tortured first,” Anya pointed out, barely keeping the smirk from her face.  The Sky People were so expressive, making them so easy to goad reactions from as she’d taken a liking to.  The fact that this one had the appropriate amount of respect for her abilities and position to very obviously try to curb his tendencies toward an outburst only made it that much more amusing to her.

“Obviously I don’t.  Or I might laugh at the state of your face,” Anya remarked back, rising to the unspoken challenge with naught but a raised eyebrow.  She’d wait patiently for his attempt at rebuttal, but she too was very good at being insulting.

[wandererjohnmurphy]

“Oh, wow. I wouldn’t put it past your lot to simply torture me anyway.” Murphy sneered, nose wrinkling as his head shook. He managed to uncurl his hands for a second, but his nails were digging back into his skin quickly enough. “Or maybe the delinquents would have had at me. Who knows.”

“Evidently. And can’t say yours is any better. At least I have some semblance of a personality to go with it.” And he had nice hair. At least, it used to be nice. Now it was just a mess. 

[wandererjohnmurphy]

hope and hopelessness || week 4 challenge

They had struck while he was out hunting. Straying too far from the group in his arrogance, Murphy had been taken down with ruthless efficiency. The cage had been small, confining, and pressure on his back grew more painful with time, digging into his skin.

The first day began.  

Hands had been bound tightly with above his head and the pain had started. How easy would it be to give everyone up? To just tell them about their plans, about how to defeat them. The pain could stop. But someone was going to come and find him right? Bellamy would look for him, and even if Clarke and him didn’t get along, she wouldn’t just let him suffer like this right? Right? 

They were going to come for him and take him home, and this would all be over. He would be okay.

Except the pain didn’t stop. Not in the night, not in the day, not ever. Or at least, that’s how it felt. It probably hadn’t even been a day yet. Hopefully. The blows came steadily, but slowly, almost lazily. But he suffered through wave after wave of agony, because someone had to come for him right? He wasn’t just going to be abandoned like this, left to die while these monsters tried to tear their secrets out of him. 

Murphy held strong. Mostly. He pleaded, begged to be let go, for food, for water, for a fucking nap, screaming until his voice was hoarse. Despite the overwhelming pain, he didn’t tell them anything actually useful. The first day fell into night, but Murphy didn’t sleep. 

On the second day, he managed to pass out for a moment. 

The exact length of his nap was unknown, but it ended abruptly with a kick in the gut. His attacker had exited for a moment, and now he was back and shouting, loudly. Although Murphy had no idea what they were saying he flinched away anyway, trying to curl in on himself as their cruel laughter rang through the air.

The blows were faster this time, fast and calculated. Tear ducts ran dry, and although his voice was gone Murphy still gasped loudly, a pain settling in his chest that wasn’t entirely physical. They had to come for him. He wasn’t going to be left here, strung up and beaten until he died. They were going to come find him. Someone was going to help him this time. 

And so the second day passed, tortuously slow. 

The third day began, and Murphy was done. He was out of patience, out of strength and out of hope. Of course nobody was going to come find him. He was just a grunt, a stupid asshole tricked into thinking someone might have cared about him. Nobody had ever saved him before anyway.

On this day, they wanted to try something new. Strapped to some sort of weird seat, they ripped out his fingernails. One by one. 

And so he broke, empty and lost. Once he’d begun, the words just poured out. All of their secrets, tactics, weapons, their lack of ammunition. Everything. Anything to make this end.

But the Grounders still didn’t stop. There was more of that laughter, and he was left hanging up for a while, blood dripping slowly down his skin and shivering in the cold air. 

Being shoved back into a cage wasn’t really what he’d thought he’d get for spilling his guts, for betraying his people, but it was better than being hit again. For the first hour or so, at least. Soon enough he had started to ache, muscles starting to cramp as he crouched, curling into a ball. Frustration started to set in, but melted into something else easily.

Something wet slid down his face, something that mixed with blood on his face to shine pink on his fingers. Murphy had thought his tears had run dry, had thought he had finished crying, finished being weak. But then again, he had nothing else to lose now. 

The tears stung as they slid over the scratches on his face, and he wiped at them again. Soon, the tears were joined by a sniffle. Then a gasping sob. Until Murphy was crying, like he hadn’t since he was eleven and he had found his mothers dead body. Everything had risen to the surface, age old pains and fresh wounds, his feelings at the forefront of his mind.

He cried for his mother, for his father, for the people that were now going to die because of him. He cried for himself. For everything he’d had to go through, and for how he knew that when he returned he was going to be back at the bottom. Hated. There would be no sympathy, only more ‘you should have been better’ and ‘why didn’t you try harder’. 

He couldn't stay with the others. His temper was too quick, and the mass hostility he would be subject to would make him easy to scapegoat. But survival alone, in this condition? Impossible. He could never belong anywhere.

On the forth day, his cage was left unlocked, and there was nobody around. Suspiciously, yet as swiftly as he could, Murphy got out and he ran. 

The blood dripping down his skin, the disgusting feeling of not having bathed or been allowed to change his clothes was all a reminder. He’d made it. Nobody had come for him, nobody had looked for him, and he had definitely been set free on purpose, but he’d made it. He’d survived, if nothing else.

On the fifth night, the fever began. And Murphy followed the light of the fires back home. Better rest in the arms of righteous hatred then unemotional violence and cold, haunting laughter. 

[warriorveined-archive]

Lexa averted her eyes, made uncomfortable by the boy’s obvious distress. She was not used to seeing people cry and she never knew how to react when it happened. She stood idly, tracing a line in the dirt with her boot. When Murphy told her to fuck off, she chuckled. The Skaikru’s curse words had become known to her now and this one in particular was so guttural that it amused her greatly. 

“Great. Have fun freezing to death and drowning in your own tears.”

[wandererjohnmurphy]

“’d be better than your company anyway.” He sniffled, rubbing at his face with his sleeve. Now he was pushing the blankets off with more force, alternating between untangling himself and trying to wipe away his tears. 

“And these blankets are the warmest shit. Shut up.” They were patched together from the small pieces of fabric he was able to rustle up, and honestly the only good thing Murphy could give himself credit for doing.

[wandererjohnmurphy]

“And how well did that work out for you,” Anya pointed out a little harshly, gesturing at him, “Tortured, then cast out by your people for zero reason.  I’d say you made the wrong choice.”  Okay, so maybe that wasn’t exactly called for, but the truth was a harsh thing, and just as good as a sword if utilized correctly.

“No, because they’re already dead because their arm grew tired,” Anya said with a scoff, eyeing him with obvious distaste, “You are not as funny as you seem to think.  I may take offense one day and remove your tongue for the insult.”

“The exact same thing would have happened if I’d of given them up without a fight.” Murphy rolled his eyes, biting the inside of his cheek. His fingers dug into his palm harshly, and what they lacked in length they made up for in shortness. He could never press hard enough to make himself bleed, but it was enough to clear his mind. Shouting at Anya would only result in more pain. 

“I am hilarious, you obviously just don’t have a sense of humour.” Eyes averted, Murphy raised his eyebrows sharply for a moment. He could talk shit easily, but he wasn’t game enough to look Anya in the eye as he did. 

[wandererjohnmurphy]

lexa--heda:

As the sight of the boy in the blankets came into view, Lexa drew her weapon. She recognized him immediately as the person who had been with Finn that day in the village. She knew of Murphy and the things he had done. Of all of the people here, he was one of them that she trusted the least. Despite all this, she was shocked to find him in such a state. She stared at him in the dark, lit up by the moon. She wasn’t sure at first how to react to the crying boy. On one hand she almost wanted to laugh, but on the other she sort of felt bad for him. If she didn’t know the things she did about him.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Lots of things, just-” He sniffed pathetically. Murphy began wriggling slightly, sighing in relief when the blankets slowly slipped off of his shoulders. 

His eyes were still blurring with seemingly unstoppable tears. Murphy’s mother could have come up and he could guarantee he wouldn’t be able to recognise her. Blood rushed towards his ears and cheeks, skin flushing red in shame. Not that it was to visible under all the dirt. He hoped. 

“Fuck off. I’m not conscious enough to deal with anyone’s bullshit right now.” 

[pypermarkham-deactivated2015102]

“I don’t think everyone else is as dumb as I am, so…” Pyper said, before pouting slightly “not everyone is a plant expert y’know… some other people know how to climb down trees,” she said, poking fun at one of their previous encounters. 

[wandererjohnmurphy]

“Well the bottom is pretty far down, I’m not surprised nobody has joined you yet.” He sighed, head shaking slowly from side to side. “There were no branches to climb on. Even though I am pretty amazing, I can’t fly.” 

[trikruanya]

“It’s not like you were cooperating when we asked,” Anya said with a small shrug, watching him without a hint of remorse.  She knew that they’d done what they needed to when it came to this particular Sky Person, and she wouldn’t feel bad for that just because they got a little rough.  Such was war.

“Of course I am.  I’m not a leader for no reason,” the warrior replied with no small amount of sarcasm, “That generally only happens when you destroy any of the competition.  And using the wellbeing of the entirety of the Skaikru against their leaders is an easy tactic.” 

[wandererjohnmurphy]

“Let me just betray my-..my people and presumably get them killed along with myself.” Murphy snorted, head shaking slowly from side to side. He really didn’t need to explain why he tried not to just give up the other delinquents secrets, did he?

“I thought you would have just picked whoever had the biggest sword.” Sniggering, Murphy took a small step back, his pointer finger slowly rubbing across his top lip before his hand returned to his side. 

[wandererjohnmurphy]

trikruanya:

“You ask that like it’s my problem,” Anya said wryly before turning to look at him with a raised eyebrow, “We weren’t torturing you for retribution.  We wanted information.”

Frowning slightly at his reaction, Anya smirked slightly immediately after, eyes focusing on the camp once more.  “The knowledge and means to survive the winter,” she said easily, thumbs hooking in her belt for a moment as she watched quietly, “I figured I’d make an effort to solve it diplomatically before I do something…rash.”

“Surely there are... other ways to get infomation.” Nose wrinkling, Murphy shifting on his feet again, the side of his hand rubbing just under his nose for a moment. 

“Hmm. They’ll need that, although they’ll never admit it.” He would too, but hopefully he’d just be able to work it out by observation. He nodded slowly, watching quietly as he slowly stopped shifting on his feet. “And aren’t you just full of great ideas.”

[wandererjohnmurphy]

warrioroctxvia:

“The funny thing is that I could still kick your ass.” her words were followed by a playful smirk, and she wondered if even under all the braids and dirtied features if he saw her as anything more than a Grounder now. “Sounds delicious. Glad I’m not part of that disaster. Light a fire to set the mood, you and your hand will have a great night together.”

“You could try.” She could totally whoop his ass. At this point, even a toddler could probably beat him in any sort of physical competition. “I’m sure we will. Don’t think I’m gonna leave a fire going with my hands in my pants though, wouldn’t exactly be romantic if I got caught.”

[wandererjohnmurphy]

linkonthechain:

“Perfect.” Lincoln crossed his arms. “I think we’ll start with a hunt. You look like you haven’t eaten in days. Protecting yourself is important, but it’s useless if you end up starving to death.”

“Yeah, it’s always nice to have a body to defend.” Murphy sighed, chewing absentmindedly on the inside of his cheek. Making an awkward, sloppy two fingered salute, Murphy turned and started to walk away. 

[wandererjohnmurphy]

ravensdropship:

“Whatever,” she said, scoffing as she kept walking. Raven rose an eyebrow, “Well, hypothetically, I’d just cash in a favor whenever I need it.”

“I’m not a part of Camp Phoenix, Murphy,” she said, kicking a rock forward as she looked down at the ground. 

“Okay.” He nodded once, squinting at the ground. More than once he’d managed to miss the opening to his bunker and tripped over it. 

“What.” Murphy hadn’t even thought to question it. “What the fuck. Camp Jaha’s name honestly isn’t that much better.”

[wandererjohnmurphy]

pypermarkham:

Pyper scrunched up her nose and shook her head “I’ve never been good at testing food out, never ended out good for me,” she remember the time she’d eaten some kind of berries and they ended up giving her a stomach virus. She smiled “Yeah, not picking poisonous shit would help very much actually,” the brunette said, trying to be serious but she ended up letting a smile come to her face.

“You realise you don’t have to eat food in order to test it right?” Murphy bit his lip for a moment before bursting into laughter. “You don’t just eat shit, there are other ways to test it first.” He couldn’t stop laughing for a moment, and then two, and maybe three. It died down to a weak chuckle, but Murphy still found himself grinning. “Ohmygod, has everyone just been eating food to check if it’s poison or not? That’s fucking hilarious, woah.”

[wandererjohnmurphy]

fighterkalia:

Kalia rubbed her temples at his remark, at this rate she was considering duct taping his mouth closed.

“Considering the things they’ve said it makes you a very interesting character.” She hummed running her eyes over him. “Sounds like you’ve run out of interesting entertainment. Seriously, what’s the real reason you were shrieking like a kid?”

“Ooh, really? What do they say?” He smirked, but his head was tilted in genuine curiosity. Hopefully they’d made up some nice bullshit to justify abandoning him to themselves. 

“I was just screaming for fun, what other reason is there when you live in hell?” Murphy laughed, but he was surprised by the intensity of his own bitterness. 

[wandererjohnmurphy]

warrioroctxvia:

“Yeah? Why not?” she made sure he caught a glimpse of the teasing smirk upon her lips before she glanced downwards in search of the wild onions. “You making a romantic meal for one?”

“Have you seen yourself lately? I might be pretty emaciated but you are definitely catching up.” Murphy grinned, head shaking slowly as he huffed. “Ah yes, a romantic meal of wild onions for me, myself and I.” 

[wandererjohnmurphy]

linkonthechain:

“I wouldn’t know. It’s the only life I know. For you it must be very different going from the Ark to the ground. But I have always been here. I will always be here.” Lincoln waited for the apology that he hoped was coming. Murphy was difficult to predict, the definition of a loose cannon. But he hoped that in helping him he could reign it in and become more focused. “Thank you.”

“Welcome.” Murphy frowned, and found himself biting the inside of his cheek viciously. The irritation grew, but he wasn’t a child anymore and he needed training in order to survive on his own. That, and hopefuly he’d look pitiful enough that Lincoln would give him something decent to eat. “I’ll be here tomorrow then.”

[wandererjohnmurphy]

ravensdropship:

Raven shook her head, “Not us. We’ve got showers. Actual showers. Thanks to yours truly.” She rose an eyebrow, “Do you want me to hold one of those for you?”

Raven rolled her eyes, “Like you wouldn’t want to be associated with me.”

“I’m fine.” He scoffed, nose wrinkling slightly as he shook his head. “Thanks to you huh? Well then, if, hypothetically, my bunker had a shower, could you fix it and what would I owe you?”

“I don’t really want to be associated with anyone who lives in a place called ‘Camp Phoenix. Sounds like a setting out of a shitty children’s book.”

[wandererjohnmurphy]

fighterkalia:

“Aren’t you suppose to be tough? You’d think with all we’ve been through some of us might of actually grew up a little.” She spoke sharply. She hated when people mentioned her parents but she supposed it was fair considering his mother came up in the conversation. “They did. And they taught me to be brave and harsh when need be.”

“Apart of the 100. I just generally stayed quiet and did what was needed of me.” She said as she watched his movements, whatever had happened had him on edge. “Murphy huh? Heard that name a couple of times, but I try not to make judgements on people before I meet them. So in that case it’s nice to meet you.” She gestured to his wrist. “If you don’t mind me asking what made you scream? Also do you need a hand?”

“Oooh touchy.” He laughed again, pulling at the cord as it slowly loosened. 

“Huh. And if anyone has spoken about me it’s probably going to be shit, and it’s also probably true.” He slowly began to disentangle himself, slowly wriggling his way out of his nest. “Oh you know, I was just screaming for fun. And I’m fine.“  Pulling all his hair back, he proceeded to wrap the cord around what he could, and then folded his small attempt as a ponytail in half to create a haphazard bun, tying it off tightly with shaking fingers.