Disclaimer: The Maze Runner trilogy and movies are not mine. They belong to James Dashner and respective owners.

They had been running for about three hours, making no breaks or slowed paces to relieve the gasping and furiously sweating members of their group as they drifted in and out of buildings to lose their pursuers that had long given up on following them. But Jorge was a paranoid man and he wanted to get them as close as possible to the mountains before sundown. The worry over his companion, Brenda, didn't even exist in his quick gait and dark eyes as he kept calling for the others to keep up. Don't stop. Just run.

Wei was getting tired of that word, and if her calves were anything to go by – so was her body. The Maze had been one thing, but this was something completely new. Heat coupled with no rest and little provisions – she would die from running first before she would be even given a chance at getting the cure. And even then, she wondered if that even existed.

"Water for your thoughts?" Clint had been her unfailing companion since she found herself trapped with the boys of Group A. Somewhere in between the danger and the losses, they had formed an unshaking bond; that or he had just a natural inclination to help others; Wei preferred the former thought though as she gladly took the pack from his hand. With the discipline only a Runner could have, she forced herself to take four sparing gulps before handing it over.

Clint shook his head. "It's Minho's," he said to clear the furrowed eyebrows etched onto her forehead.
"I think it's the klunkhead's way of saying thanks for treating his wounds."

"But you helped too," Wei reasoned, capping the water pack. She threw one inconspicuous look over the group before her eyes locked onto the built back of the Runner.

"Yeah, but it's my job," Clint chuckled and patted her back. "You should return it."

Wei looked down at her legs, then back at him. Clint rolled his eyes and took the water pack to her glee. "Tell him I said thanks," she smiled, waving him goodbye.

Clint let out a huff before shaking his head and marching off to the Runner. Her eyes remained glued to him and watched the interaction develop between the Medic and Runner only to see that their eyes turned to return the contact - Clint motioned her to come forward as Jorge moved to join the duo as well.

Grudgingly, she rose and came over. "Yes?"

"These hermanos, tell me you run?" Jorge spoke instead of the two boys. Wei turned her attention to him and nodded. "We need scouts for tonight," he gestured at two boys already organizing their packs at the edge of their group. "Fast ones."

"I'll do it,"she didn't hesitate. Sleep wasn't going to visit her again, anyway, so she might as well do something, she decided.

"Si, you –"

"No, no, wait," Minho raised a hand as he fixed both her and Jorge a glare. "I don't care if she's fast or the second best runner this Scorch has ever seen," he pointed a finger at her. "She's useless if all she's gonna do is drop dead in the middle of a run."

"Second best, eh?" Newt took the only vacant seat by Minho.

Wei shook her head. "I'm not going to 'drop dead,' I can do it," she argued.

"Listen, Greenie," Minho began.

"Wei," she cut off. "My name is Wei."

"Well, Wei," Minho drawled out. "You're just the new girl who's going to slow me down, okay?"

"Who do you think you are?" she huffed, she was not going to let herself dragged further into the argument. He had just thrown the gender card – they were supposed to be above that; "I can run with or without you," she settled and with that, she stormed off to where the other Runners were prepping. While she knew that her outburst was unwarranted, Wei refused to turn back and apologize. She reasoned that her aggravation was due to Minho's blatant insult on her gender but deep down, she recognized that his 'concern' was probably brought upon the fact that she hadn't slept since their escape – and if she knew anything about what she looked like at the moment, she was confident that the bags under her size were prominent enough even to the most blind eye out there. So maybe he was right to voice it out, but as Wei settled down on her rock, she kept to her decision of scouting for the night.

Jorge approached her and she warily watched him make a seat beside her. He grinned at her reproving gaze. "I come in peace, hermana," he teasingly raised his hands up in mock truce. "You reminded of Brenda back there," he added, nodding off to Minho and his cluster of boys. Despite not seeing his face, Wei could still spot by the red tinge to his ears and the mirth in his companions eyes that he was still fuming over her little explosion.

"When do you think she and Thomas will find us?" Wei settled on asking. She watched as the older man titled his head up to the darkening sky, traces of nostalgia crinkling the creases of his eyes.

"You are sure it is her and not us who will find them?" he retorted.

"She's a girl," she replied, earning a smile from him. "Her sense of direction is probably miles better than Thomas'."

"Gracias, hermana,"Jorge nodded his head. "But the Scorch has taught me to never dream."

"Then don't dream," Wei crossed her arms. "She will get back to us somehow, that I'm sure of."

Jorge stood up and dusted the sand that had accumulated over his pants. He shrugged towards the direction of the Keeper of the Runners. "What sort of nightmare keeps you up, hermana?" he stared at her. "That boy over there wasn't judging your gender," he said as Wei kept her silence.

She looked at Minho again and found that his shoulders less tense and shaking with laughter. "I know," she quietly replied. Jorge's following chuckle startled her to look back at him.

"He needs to know his place, si," he spoke, taking out a dagger and a half-filled water pack from his pocket. "But do not sacrifice your life for pride," he handed the two items to her.

Wei nodded her head in gratitude. "I won't."

Amelia practiced multitasking and fighting off the temptations of sleep by keeping a lookout at the sewer entrance Frances and Artemis had disappeared through during the past twenty-four hours and memorizing the map of the underground tunnels. She was currently situated in a building on the opposite side of the sewer opening, hidden away on the rooftop of a building with nothing but an almost empty pack, a knife, and a ration of food and water that would last her for two more days if she was careful enough with it.

From her peripheral, she spotted a group of girls - her girls, coming through an alley and making way towards her building. One girl, in particular, stopped and looked directly at her direction. Amelia got the hint and shrugged off her thin sweater to wave it in the dry air.

Collectively, the girls hurried their pace and she was soon joined by everyone again and a new face.

"Who is she?" the new girl asked – Amelia's eyes instantly shot down as she slowly felt the blood rush up to her face.

"Amelia," she heard Harriet introduce. Then quickly, she was by her side, tilting her head up. "Mel," she spoke, relief pouring out of her single nickname. The said girl reciprocated the feeling with a tentative smile as she reached over to hand the map back over to her. But before Harriet could take it, a pale hand had already snatched it from her grasp.

"This is it," the new girl muttered, then turned to walk back to the mass of girls.

Amelia's dark green eyes clouded and she looked over at Harriet. "That's Teresa," she explained, and the she continued on to talk about the separate Maze and a Group A full of boys – their target, their way out.

"Has Wei?" her voice trailed off. While all the girls knew that the girl had been snatched up by a Screecher due to Rachel's explanation, some part of her like the others, wondered and hoped if she had somehow made it through. She had been a warrior among them – albeit somewhat blunt and calloused, but a warrior nevertheless that had helped numerous of them during their time in the Plain.

"She never mentioned another girl in her story," Harriet shook her head. An alarm slowly went off in her head. Story? Amelia stared at the older girl; did she not completely trust Teresa?

Attuned to her intuitive gaze, Harriet spared her a small smile. "She claims to know how to get us out, how to get our target – and we'll follow her until she proves that she has other motives than herself and us get out."

Amelia nodded her head. That, sounded much better, she thought. It wasn't intrinsic for Harriet to easily let someone take leadership, but now that she made her plan clear – it made better sense.

The new girl, Teresa, turned to them. "We're using a farther entrance," she announced. "The one by us is too open. It'll be too dangerous to use it."

Beside her, Harriet nodded in affirmation while Amelia sought out Beta's eyes in the crowd. Frances and Artemis had taken that route. She was about to voice this to Harriet until Beta shook her head at her. Amelia frowned, they couldn't just leave them, right?

"What's bothering you, little one?" Amelia's eyes shot over to the taller girl waiting to enter the sewer beside her and saw the iconic braided brown hair first before Ella's face. She easily smiled down at her.

"I'm," she paused. "Nothing."

The tilt of Ella's lips dropped by a tiny fraction as she turned her full attention towards the girl. "Come on, what's it gonna take? A few more life threatening experiences for you to trust me?" she wondered aloud.

Amelia's eyebrows furrowed and Ella immediately took two steps back in her approach. "Joke," she quickly said, waving her hand in the air. "Just a joke," she repeated, leaning on her spear. "But really, tell me – it seems serious."

"Artemis and Frances used the entrance that we avoided earlier," she spilled out quickly. "I was going to bring it up to Harriet but," she shut her mouth just before Beta's name left her lips.

"But?' Ella gently prodded.

"I – I didn't know, or well –" Amelia stammered as she fought to find an excuse emitting Beta's name. She knew Ella, although not as well as others, she knew her enough to know that the girl had a quicker temper like some others and she didn't know if exposing Beta's decision of leaving them behind, (for a good reason though, she justified), would entice the anger out of the older girl.

"It's okay," the smile was wiped off her face and traded for a grimace. "I get it - I think," she mumbled as she turned towards Harriet.

Their previous leader turned towards them as if sensing their approach. "Yes?" she asked, her gaze going from Ella's sure stance and Amelia's flittering eyes.

And then the bomb was dropped and Ella's mouth quickly filled her in on the predicament that had been bothering Amelia. When she was done, they were the only three left behind to go into the sewer.

"They'll be fine," she decided, earning a frown from Ella.

"Fine? You heard Teresa earlier, that way - their way – is more dangerous," she argued. "We have to go back."

"No," Harriet shot down; Amelia's eyes flew back and forth between the two in silence. "It's too dangerous, I can't lose anymore girls."

"You can't? Then go and save the ones you will lose if you leave those two behind!" Ella's voice was rising.

"Artemis is smart, Frances is strong enough –"

"You're just making up reasons!" Ella cut off.

"We are not going back!" Harriet pressed her eyes close. "Now go into that slickin' sewer and follow orders!"

Amelia's gaze wandered over to the tightening grip on Ella's spear. "Why should I? Teresa's the leader now, isn't she?"

"Yes,"Harriet glared at her. "And she said to go in the sewer, stick, so move it."

Ella gave out one more huff before promptly turning on her heel and stomping into the sewer. Harriet turned the smaller girl who had remained quiet throughout the whole argument.

"Amelia," she began tiredly. The girl's eyes closed then flickered open to fix her with a heavy glare.

"We're not them," she managed out quietly. "We should be better than this,"and with that, she too went through the entrance.

Harriet heaved out a long sigh as she slid in right after. The darkness was welcomed and instantly, her eyes readjusted to the muted light of flashlights up ahead. Beside her, Sonya slid to flank her left and nodded towards the two girls she had contested with just a few minutes ago.

"Everything good?" she asked quietly. Just beyond them, the sound of Teresa ordering a girl to watch her back echoed past their heads.

"Just lew,"she mumbled as the squelch of an arrow going through flesh followed her words.

"Oh, shuck it," Wei raised an eyebrow at the pacing Runner in front of her. Keeping true to her word, she had left their camp to do her scouting only to be trailed after by Minho finally relenting and taking lead by following the vague directions that Jorge had given him to follow. It was well past midnight now and probably half way through the night before sunrise until Minho deigned them worthy to take a break. They had gotten as close as about ten miles away from the exit of the city before they were warded off by nearby campfires, loud improvised music, and incomprehensible chanting.

Wei, for all her willpower did her, managed to not only keep up with her partner but also managed not to lag or, 'drop dead.' She leaned her back against the building they were resting behind and kept an ear out for suspicious sounds.

"You say something, stick?" she knew she shouldn't have done it, but Minho was so easy to rile up, and with their goal met, it was getting increasingly harder to keep awake. Poking at the boy was an easy entertainment that kept her mind up. She heard his pacing stop and pried one eye open.

"Nothing you klunk," and then his mouth audibly shut closed as curses directed at him were murmured under his breath. "Shuck," he repeated. "Greenie," Wei closed her eye again. "I mean Wei," she looked at him, fighting with all her might to not laugh at the obvious awkwardness that was emanating from him due to the situation. "I'm sorry," he spat out, then as if a magic lock had fallen off, he kept going. "I wasn't making fun of you being a girl or something, I was just – shit," this time, an actual curse left his mouth and none of the Glader lingo that Clint and introduced to her a while ago.

"Sorry?" Wei finally took pity on him. "I'm sorry, too, if it helps. It was nice of you to think of me, but when I say I can do it, I mean it," she got up to her feet. "I appreciate the concern but I know my own limitations."

She looked at him, and Minho stared back before slowly nodding his head. "Newt said it would be easier," he kicked a rock. "Apologizing, that is," he elaborated.

"I take it that was your first?" Wei smirked.

"Okay, I'm not that bad," Minho took back, but the slight upturn of his lips told her everything was fine between them again.

"Sure you aren't, stick – now lead the way back, I could use some sleep."

Minho started the pace without protestation. "So you're human after all?" he teased.

Wei rolled her eyes as they darted past landmarks that were slowly becoming familiar to her. They were close now, but then – she halted as a dark figure ran past their nine. Both runners stopped and with one look, agreed to go inspect. They followed quietly until Minho made the connection that it was Frypan that they had been stalking for the past hour; the sun was well over the horizon now.

"Let's just leave him," Minho decided as the boy went past a few more blocks before turning right. "Probably just doing a patrol or something," he reasoned, turning away. Wei didn't voice any objection as they began a light jog back to the camp.

Hunger and heat paired together were making her feel the intensity of her repercussions for avoiding sleep, and she was hoping to get even the shortest bit of naps upon their return. Jorge would be merciful enough, right? She thought just as the outcrops of the crowd of boys came into view.

"Home sweet camp," Minho muttered beside her as Newt and Clint stood at the edge, waving them over. However, just as they reached them, Aris had come up shouting about an approaching stranger. They all turned around to see who it was; Frypan.

"Guys!" he shouted as he neared them. "They have them!" Minho held the boy back by the shoulders.

Frypan gripped onto the hands holding him down. "The Cranks have Thomas."

And just like that, everyone snapped into place.

Minho's face contorted into a scowl as he whipped around at turned to call everyone with Newt at his heels. Clint sent Wei a wayward glance before deciding to hand her the frugal meal he had set aside for her before joining the others; she was left with Aris who was no better than a stranger at this point.

"Go," she relented, seeing the itch in his eyes. Aris nodded at her, mumbling about filling her in later as he jogged to meet up with the rest. Even Jorge who was well above all their ages gave into the anxiousness that had settled around the camp and began prodding Frypan for news about Brenda.

Wei shook her head and took spot as their watch as she ate the can half full of beans and downed the rest of her water. If the excitement was anything to go by, they were about to head off onto a rescue mission and she was going to need all her strength for it.

The abrupt meeting was brief, however, and soon, her moment of isolation was brought to a foreclosure with Minho's arrival. "I need you as lookout," he began.

Wei looked at him to continue on.

"We don't know if there are more of them out there so we need you and Clint to watch the area while we barge in and get Thomas and Brenda out," he elaborated.

A medic and a runner on standby. Wei could see some logic in that pair up, but she saw through Minho's detailing yet decided to keep her observations to herself; another hint that she was truly at the brink of running out of energy. So she nodded as her said partner joined her side. A semblance of relief seemed to escape the tautness in Minho's shoulder as he left them be.

"We go first," Clint said as the boy got farther away.

"So I can get more sleep?" Wei smiled as his cheeks colored. So she was right.

"I'll wake you up," he relented as they began walking towards their assigned position. "I'm sure I can handle looking at streets by myself."

Wei grinned, "I don't know, sounds like tough work for you. Are you sure you don't need a hand or two more?"

Clint rolled his eyes and pushed her aside. "Yes, you stickhead, I'm sure."

Although, they probably should have been more wary about the easiness in the situation. Having taken up watch on the first floor of the opposite building, Wei and Clint watched their friends' facilitated escape in silent tension that had refused to allow Wei some sleep until two familiar faces lumbered out the tiny door causing her to jump out of her seat.

Frances and Artemis.

They were alive but almost unrecognizable with the amount of bruises and dirt muddying up their appearance. They were stumbling out, cautiously being led away by some of the boys until Jorge's running figure filled her vision as he went out to carry the girl draped around two boys' shoulders. That was Brenda, pale with a dark gash running up a her forehead. Gods, she looks dead, she thought before she saw a blonde figure emerge from the vacated doorway with a pistol in his hands. He raised it up and was beginning to aim.

Wei ignored the jagged glass of the broken window and pushed her torso out of it. "Gun!" she screamed. Everyone instinctively dropped down as the shot rang out loud and clear; her heartbeat stopped as she found Brenda, alive but out of sorts, left on her feet – turn and sway to the side.

Right in line with the bullet.

A/N:

Keyboard is back! Meaning I'm back! We have about two more chapters left of the Scorch and I'm going to say sorry now if Minho seems out of character - the scenes just flowed out my hands so I tried to do everyone justice - all the characters are actually acting on their own at this point - i have no control anymore; you all will get what I mean by the next chapter. Updates will be reduced to once a week as I focus on my other stories! Hope it was good and I'll see you all next time!