I do not own The Maze Runner Trilogy
My breathing grew shallower with every step towards my room. I just wanted to get back inside, and have a chance to think this new information through. But of course… the door was locked.
I rolled my eyes. Now it locks. What the hell was I supposed to do when Janson came back down the hallway? They even locked the bathrooms, which was unfortunate during the middle of the night. The only thing they didn't lock was the elevator.
Using my shoulder, I checked the side of the door. With every failure, I winced. After a minute, the door reluctantly budged open, just as I heard the clicking of Janson's old dress shoes.
The second I stepped foot in my room, I whipped around and shut door quietly. Falling back against the door, I sighed.
What the hell was I gonna do? I had to escape. I had to get out of here. Few days and I was already going insane. I wasn't going to escape without the others though, but something told me that they already had a plan to leave.
"I'm headed down there now!" I heard Janson yell as he passed my door "Don't you dare let them escape. Find them, find them quickly. I'm not letting them go too."
Who else could he be talking about?
I was so proud of myself. I still clutched onto the small inhaler in the pocket of my white pants I was clad in but I no longer needed it anymore. It would help, but it really made me feel good to not have to use it, to endure without it's help. I didn't really need it again.
Except for right now.
Right now, I needed it like hell. I took three rescue breaths. Three. Then I continued my run down the hallway. My door budged open, only after the butt of my gun hit it repeatedly. My calves screamed in agonizing pain as I tried to push myself further. The second the elevator doors opened, the alarm went off again. The same from before. Sirens went off and the yellow lights flashed dazzlingly in my eyes as some of the daytime lights shut off.
"Crap." I breathed. I turned to the stairwell and quickly sped down the stairs. One flight. Two flights. Floor. I rammed into the push-door with my right shoulder, launcher in hand, and darted into the middle of the deserted cafeteria. Where were they? They were escaping. I had to find them. I had to find them at the perfect time so they didn't kill anyone.
"Hey! Miss! What are you doing out of your room—"
I jerked back at the jolt of the launcher as it went off, its electric grenade firing twice before hitting a man square in the chest. His body convulsed profusely before falling to the floor, unconscious.
The worst part about the launcher was that it was deafeningly loud… which meant I would draw attention.
I stumbled around a few times, pivoting back and forth. Where would they go? What would they do? What exit would they use?
SHIT!
If I was escaping… I'd need the Bliss. There would be no way for me to cross the Scorch without it.
I groaned to myself, knowing that I probably had lots of time anyway, and darted for the medical wing. Luckily, just the same as before, alarms going off meant less guards. Less guards meant it was easier to get past. I had no time for talking, no time to negotiate, no mercy, this time I just fired. I shot the pulsating grenade to the single guard protecting the medical wing, and hopped over him as I ran through the doors. I searched the first room on the left, but it appeared to just be an empty medical room. The next room I moved to had a bluish liquid sitting in tiny glass tubes on the counter, labeled 'The Bliss'. I just needed the gun to inject it with.
I bit my lip, twirling around the room hoping my eyes would magically scan across one.
"Aha!" I cheered to myself, noticing through the open doorway that the room across from this one did. I snatched it up, then ran back down the exit I came from.
Gradually galloping down the hallway, I noticed from my peripheral the security room, with only a single security guard in it. There were plenty of security rooms all over this building, the main one being next to Janson's office, but all of them has access to all of the cameras. I took a couple steps back, eyeing the monitors without being caught. There was no movement for awhile; until the very top left screen started to move. A few dark bodies passed through the screen, running past the leisure center in the building. I recognized that hallway, and i recognized the people in the footage; all too well.
Agh, there were so many things I needed to bring. I needed to find a backpack, that was what I needed to do next. Maybe I could grab a water bottle or two and then head for the others. By the time I was finished they should be past all the guards and heading out.
The backpack was easy to get. They left him in the garage for workers to steal whenever. I only had to shoot twice. The water bottles were even easier considering no one was in the kitchen. I ended up stealing a few, and I grabbed two apples, all that would fit in my little backpack.
I pulled on the straps of my backpack, tightening them, and I rocked back on my heels as I let out a organized breath of air.
Okay. This was it. We were getting out. I hope. Oh God. Rhea was right.
"ALL PERSONNEL TO THE LEFT WING. I REPEAT ALL PERSONNEL TO THE LEFT WING. WEAPONS READY."
It's like they wanted me to escape. I smirked to myself, and let my feet take me there. I slid down the hallway, my feet squeaking with every step. I had four bullets left, but I had used one on the way to my friends: which left me with three.
I could hear the commotion being vocalized as I approached the scenario.
"OPEN THE DAMN DOOR JANSON." It was so good to hear my best friends voice. I missed Thomas.
"Listen to me Thomas!" The devil himself (Janson) tried to reason, "I'm trying to save your life!"
Ha, yeah right. Once I cornered the end of the hallway, I stopped. At the end of the hallway were the north doors. I could see them all, much closer this time. Thomas, Teresa, Fry, Minho, and Newt. Minho held a key card, repeatedly trying to slid it through the scanner but failing miserably. The 'ERROR' message popped up and the lights flashed red.
Thomas advanced towards Janson and his posy, launcher in hand. He threatened Janson repeatedly, who only stood still; hand's raised in surrender.
None of them had noticed me yet. I was hidden behind the small crowd advancing towards my friends. The hallway was decently narrow, and brightly lit. Pipes lined the ceiling, and sirens attached to them, flashing yellow.
"I only wants what's best for you…" Janson tried to plead in a soft voice. He moved past the bullet-proof shields his guards had and towards Thomas, to show how much he truly meant it. (ha.)
"Yeah?" He responded, licking his cupid bow lips, "Let me guess. WICKED is good?"
I snorted.
Janson dropped his hands and I could practically see the steam fuming from him. He relaxed, stomping a foot on the floor, and in a relaxed voice he said "You're not getting through that door."
As if on cue, the door opened. The keypad flashed "ACCEPTED" and a bright green, and the metal door slid up, revealing two bodies beside it. Aris. My Aris (who couldn't remember me). And Winston! Oh Winston.
"Hey guys!" Aris smiled.
They all transformed into a sprint, except for Thomas.
"Come on!"
"Let's go!"
"Thomas!"
He didn't budge.
"THOMAS LET'S GO!" Newt's voice sent shivers through me. So close. So close. I just had to get past the MASS hoard of people with weapons that were blocking my way.
Thomas jolted into action and started firing off bullets. One bullet. Two. Unfortunately, they both missed Janson, after that, the gun ran out. In a frenzy, Thomas threw the gun at them and made a run for it.
"THE LEFT WING DOOR—SHUT THE MAIN VAULT DOOR!" Janson yelled into his wrist, talking to his other personnel.
Everyone was sprinting now, even me.
I cocked my gun and fired it. Three more bullets. I shut one to the guy closest to me, which hit him square in the ass. The next shot hit the guy to the left of him in the hip. The next bullet hit the well and blew off a chunk of cement because I had slipped on one unconscious woman's pants fabric.
"Shit!" I cursed, dropping the gun; just as Thomas had. There were still 5 of them, including Janson.
Unfortunately for Thomas, Janson was a fast runner. He caught up to the boy and tackled him to the ground.
"NO!" I heard the others scream.
I smirked to myself. This was the perfect opportunity.
Janson started to let out a maniacal chuckle. He pulled Thomas up to a kneeling position and grabbed both of his hands to hold him back.
I breathed, taking a comforting breathe before taking the leap.
I took a few steps back, then started the run.
I breathed in and out routinely as my feet pitter pattered on the laminate floor. I used the other unconscious employee that I had just shot as a little bit of a boost. Like a trampoline, I used his body to catapult me towards the ceiling. I grabbed on to one of the long pipes that lined the ceiling and pushed my legs in front of me. I grunted quietly as I pushed my lower portion closer to Janson, my hands still gripping the rusty pipe.
I positioned my feet correctly and a millisecond later the bottom of my thin slippers smacked Janson square in the back of the head. I did a little somersault— for show of course— then turned to face Thomas.
I held out a hand for him, hoping he would snatch it up quickly as the man I had just knocked down regained himself.
"H-How… Why… I don't under—" He stuttered, still kneeling as his hand hesitated to move. "Your eyes… Your hair… I—"
"Come on!" I shook my hand, and then nodded towards the door. "I'll explain later!"
The door started to close. God dammit not this Thomas and I were again, holding hands, preparing to risk our lives just to squeeze through a door. Classic us."RUN!" I yelled at him, surprised he was slower than I was now.
The expression on his face was priceless, but I had no time to snap a pic or comment about it. Instead, I just yanked him forward, hoping we would make it in time.
I took my first glance towards the others, and their expressions matched Thomas': confusion, mouths agape, bug-eyed, murmurs to themselves. Minho leaned to Fry and whisper something, and Fry just shook his head.
"NO!" Teresa screamed, seconds before the door was about to close.
"WE HAVE TO SLIDE!" I yelled to Thomas.
He looked to me, giving me a look that reminded me of the glade. It was the same look he shot me before we sacrificed ourselves in the maze at night for Minho and Alby. His face was blank, but he had this sparkle in his eyes; like he was thankful that he wasn't alone.
I gave him a small smile, and at the last second, I swung my right foot under my left one and slid across the laminate floor. Our heads had just missed the door; but somehow we made it.
Aris moved quickly and bashed the receiver with a fire extinguisher so they couldn't open it again.
I expected Thomas to revel on the moment of me being alive, but instead, he released our sweaty hands and stood erect. He pivoted to the door, peering through the small square window, and held up his middle finger to Janson.
"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" He screamed back through the glass, and Thomas smiled. The second he was done with him, he turned to me. Just as everyone did. I just sat there, my butt on the cold cement, my back on the chilling metal, and my clothes soaked in a mild amount of blood from the stitches ripping open. The whiteness of my shirt didn't help.
"Uh…. Hi?" I waved, shooting them an innocent smile.
None of them moved, none of them spoke, and they all just stared. There was an awkward silence for a while, and in the meantime I just wiped the dirt of my forearms, creating the only sound in the small garage we were in.
I breathed out a long-suffering sigh, standing from my position as I readied myself to explain. "Okay… I know this is all very confusing… I just want to start off by saying: I'm not a ghost—"
"Is it really you…?" The blonde boy I had grown to love SO much in the past few months stepped through the middle of the small mass, creating a divide. He slowed to a stop in front of me and analyzed my face.
I bit my lip as I allowed him to take time to process this. His eyes scrutinized every part of me, moving from my nose, to my cheeks, my body, my breasts, my arms, my lips, my forehead, and my hair. He raised both his (shaky) hands towards my head and ran a hand through the short dark locks.
"Is it really you…?" he asked one more time, his water-welled eyes finally moving to my blue ones.
My nod wasn't very noticeable at first. I just couldn't stops staring at him. My head moved up and down and up and down and up and down until he finally grabbed a hold of me. He clutched me so tightly to his chest that I never wanted him to let go. I never wanted us to move from this position. He tensed up and I could sense that he was trying to break down right in front of everyone; especially in a crisis like this.
When he let me go, he grabbed the sides of my waist.
"Florence…." He spoke quietly, calling me by my rightful name.
My face was tense, but the moment my lips parted to say his name, it broke. I stopped biting my lip, my brows fell down the side of my face, and I couldn't help but let the tears well in my eyes. I was just so happy he wasn't mad right now—so happy he wasn't as angry as before.
"Newt." I whispered quietly, a smile creeping up on my lips.
Before I even knew what was happening, I pulled him close to me, and pressed my plump, pink lips, against his.
A/N: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOr tHE REVIEWS! So sorry for not updating... Just been so busy with college. Hope you enjoy this short chapter. More to come next time!