Yelling.

Someone was yelling.

Many someones were yelling.

She tried opening her eyes, still loopy from the sedative. She could hear them, clear as day now. Newt. Minho. Thomas. They were here. They had come for her.

Wicked is good.

"Cleo!" Minho was shouting at her, his voice loud in her ears. He was shaking her, hands grabbing onto her shoulders tightly. Her brain rattled around in her head for a moment. Sound reverberated around her until it fell heavy on her ears. He was real. And so were the commotions around them.

Open your eyes. Open your damn eyes!

"Is she okay?" Another voice. Frypan. He was real too.

Wake up!

Her eyes opened widely, a gasp escaping her lips. The rest of the world fell in, an alarm going off, the sound of others shouting. Glass breaking. Minho was standing over her, face inches from her own. He pulled away when he realized she had finally come to.

"Time to go, sleepyhead." He spoke, pushing her into the sitting position, "Can you walk?"

Disoriented still, she tried to focus on his face. Blinking a few times, she resisted the urge to reach out and grab at his cheeks. Alive. He was real and he was alive. A door breaking down somewhere just out of eye sight told her she didn't have a second to orient herself.

"I'm gonna have to." She groaned, lifting off the bed. Minho caught her as her knees buckled, wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her upright.

Leading her out the door to the right of the bed, they were joined by the others. Teresa came to her side immediately, taking Minho's place so he could move ahead. Her hooded eyes found Thomas in the flurry. He stared back at her. With a slight nod of his head, he took off after Minho.

They had reached the exit, stumbling into the door due to momentum. Cleo pried away from Teresa to lean against the wall, giving her friend a moments rest as Thomas revealed a thin key card and worked to get the door open. Her head had cleared some, but the blaring alarm and bright lights above didn't help in soothing her headache. Neither did the persistent cries from her friends. She had remembered the hallway from their arrival. The door they were crowded around, leading into the large workshop area. She knew they were running out of time.

"Thomas." Cleo breathed, eyes drifting down the hallway.

Thomas and the others turned to see Jansen making his way towards them. Four or five men marched side by side behind him, guns raised.

"Open this door, Jansen!" Thomas called out.

The asshole didn't even slow down, "You really don't want me to."

Thomas threw the card to the ground, twisting the strap across his shoulder around to present his own large, black gun. He pointed it at Jansen, taking threatening steps forward.

"Open the damn door!" He called out once more.

Minho picked up the key card, mimicking Thomas's earlier actions and tried to get the door open. The light continued to blink red up at them.

"Listen to me," Cleo's eyes stayed glued to the man in the turtleneck, watching his every move, "I'm trying to save your life. The Maze is one thing, but you kids wouldn't last one day out in the Scorch. If the elements don't kill you, the Cranks will."

The group urged Minho to go faster, expressing their disdain loudly each time the red light blinked.

"Thomas you have to believe me. I only want what's best for you."

"Yeah, let me guess. Wicked is good?" Thomas sneered.

"You're not getting through that door, Thomas."

And then, by some miracle, the light flashed green and the door hissed. It began to rise steadily. The teens slipped underneath, turning to urge their left behind friend. Realizing the door had been unlocked, Thomas fired the gun, emptying the bullets as he stumbled backwards. Throwing it in a last attempted diversion, he took off running, the door already beginning to close again. Cleo watched as his face disappeared behind the metal and then his upper body and then his knees.

"Thomas!" She screamed out. Vision darkening for a moment. The scream had felt distant, barely registering in her ears though she felt it burn her throat.

Just before the door could close, Thomas came sliding out, twisting to jump up onto his feet. The others helped him up, staring at Jansen through the window. Thinking fast, the new kid, Aris lunged forward and smashed the keycard machine. Thomas stared Jansen down through the window, before raising his middle finger. The gesture would have been funny at some other time, but now wasn't it. With an aspirated sigh, Minho pulled Thomas after the others. They ran back through the warehouse into the open expansion. No one seemed to think anything of it, however, barely lifting their heads at the escaping teens.

Coming to a stop in front of the large doors, Cleo was shocked to see how simple it was for Thomas to pull a single lever.

For everything Jansen had told them about the Cranks and the Scorch, security seemed to need some work. They had made it up and over the ridge before people flooded outside with flashlights and atvs. The group sank into the sand, which was still hot from the day before. Their breathing was ragged, but quiet, watching with baited breath as their pursuers scanned the surrounding areas.

"Stay low, stay low." Thomas whispered, ducking his own head down further over the ridge.

"We gotta go!" Cleo hissed. Teresa helped her off her stomach, guiding her down the embankment and away from the bunker. They ran until their legs burned and then slowed to a jog. It was Teresa that caught sight of the dilapidated building, overturned and partially buried in sand. She pulled Cleo along with her, earning worried exclamations from Thomas and the other boys before they ducked inside.

The wind couldn't reach them in here, and Cleo was relieved that they could stop and take a moment to rest. The moment ended the second Thomas slid down beside her, grabbing onto her arm and pulling her as well as the others further on.

"No, Thomas, stop!" Teresa stayed where she stood, defiantly disobeying Thomas. He spun around, hand still wrapped tightly around Cleo's arm.

"Tell me what's going on?"

Cleo knew. Thomas had been right all along. They should have escaped a long time ago. She could sense the tension from the boy beside her, and moved to squeeze his forearm with her free hand. He must have forgotten he was holding her, because his hand dropped immediately, a jolt of surprise running through him as he looked at her and then to the girl in front of them.

"It's Wicked," He stated, "It's Wicked. They lied to us. We never escaped. Me and Aris, we found bodies. Too many to count."

Teresa shook her head in disbelief, "What do you mean? Dead bodies?"

"No, but they weren't alive either. They had them strung up. With tubes coming out of them. They were being drained," Cleo shivered, blinking up at Thomas as he explained, "There's something inside of us that Wicked wants. Something in our blood. So we have to get as far away from them as possible."

"So, what's the plan?" Newt asked. His tone still held some speculation, but he trusted Thomas all the same.

Thomas shifted his weight around, swallowing nervously.

"You do have a plan, right?"

"Yeah, I don't know." Thomas shook his head.

"Well, we followed you out here, Thomas and now you're saying that you have no idea where we're going," Newt blinked repeatedly, "Or what we're doing."

Cleo wanted to say something. Assure everyone that they would figure something out like they always did, but the kid in the back spoke up before her.

"Wait. Jansen said something about people hiding in the mountains. Some kind of resistance or army."

"The Right Arm." Her words were just as startling to her as they were to Thomas. How did she know that?

"The Right Arm," But as confused as he was, Thomas nodded, agreeing with her, "If they're really against Wicked, maybe they can help us."

Newt scoffed, "People. In the mountains. Mountain people. That's your plan?"

"It's the only chance we have."

"Hey, guys. Check this out." Winston had broken up the discussion, which Cleo was grateful for. Her head wasn't clear enough to deal with an argument. Lagging behind the others, she tried to calm the pounding in her brain.

You were one of Eva's favorites.

She couldn't get Rat Man out of her head. His voice, his face. She wanted him gone. Wanted everything that had happened to them since they left the Maze gone. She wanted to forget again. Maybe her head would hurt a little less if all she could remember was her name.

Thomas appeared then, standing in front of her, eyes searching. She blinked, staring back at him. His eyebrows were scrunched together, forehead creased with wrinkles. He had reached out to her, hands resting on her elbows lightly.

"You okay? How are you feeling?"

One hand reached up to rake away the hair that had fallen in her face. It was gentle, soothing, and she suddenly felt exhausted. But she gave him a smile and shook her head.

"I'm fine. Things are still a little fuzzy, but I'll be alright."

He stared at her for a moment longer, obviously not believing her. It wasn't worth the fight now. At least, not until she was feeling better. So, returning the small smile, he guided her after the others.

It was hard to pinpoint where exactly they were, but there were dry clothes and supplies that they could use. Cleo's head had cleared substantially, though moving too fast gave her a dizzy spell. Her and Teresa had sorted through a pile of clothing while the boys ransacked everything else. She was able to find a pair of pants that fit pretty well, though the legs were a little short. Her sweater was too big and hung off one shoulder, but she kept her white tank top on and found a decent jacket to wear over. Shoes were next and if she were lucky a pair of socks.

Socks were harder to find and she had to settled on a holey pair, but the boots she found hidden behind a stack of boxes and crates were almost too good to be true. They fit snuggly around her feet, warming her toes. The warmth reminded her of the Glade and her heart ached. Taking a deep breath, she pushed away the feeling.

Her next mission was to find a backpack. As she searched, she collected supplies. A flashlight here, a small bundle of rope there. Anything that could be of help to them later. She had just found a backpack decent enough to hold up for a little while when the lights above them flickered on. The group gathered together, an unsettling feeling coming over all of them.

Then came the commotion from down the hall. Newt and Cleo stood a few feet in front of the others, both of their minds travelling to Thomas and Minho, whom had left them earlier to explore further in the building.

"What the hell was that?" Cleo breathed.

"I don't know."

When Thomas came sprinting around the corner, they knew things were about to become terribly inconvenient.

Newt's hand clasped her wrist in a scathingly tight grip, whipping her around in a hurry. Minho had come racing around the corner just on Thomas's heels and moments later a group of sickly looking humans followed suit. Cleo didn't have to look long to understand that they were what Rat Man had warned them about.

Cranks.

The group was sent deeper into the building, climbing upstairs and jumping over fallen objects. Thomas and Minho had taken the lead, though it did little in helping them. No one knew where they were going and it seemed like everything had been turned around since they entered.

"Where the hell are we gonna go?" Someone screamed out.

At this point, it was as if they were going in circles, looping around the same hallway over and over again.

Thomas just waved them on, arms and legs flailing as he picked up speed, "We gotta find a way out of here!"

The group was brought to an immediate halt when one of the Cranks appeared in front of them. Cleo rammed into Frypan's back, using his shirt to steady herself as Aris came rushing past her. Dropping onto his knees, he swung a piece of wood at the Crank's knees incapacitating it. The impact sent the Crank sailing into the group separating them. Having no time to regroup, Thomas and Teresa were left to find their own way up as the others took off.

Head and heart pounding, Cleo didn't even argue when she was thrusted into the middle of the group, dragged up the stairs as Cranks practically grabbed at their heels. They were quickly rejoined by Thomas and Teresa, though the direction of where they should go was still a complete mystery. Cleo could feel herself slowing, falling to the back of the group with Newt and Thomas.

Don't stop. Just keep going.

She didn't hear the glass shatter on her right and barely caught a glimpse of the gruesome looking man before he tackled Newt, sending them both to the ground in a hard thud. While Newt wrestled with the Crank on top of him, Cleo scrambled to her feet. Thomas was beside her immediately, pushing her away from the danger. Coming to Newt's aid, he placed his foot against the guys abdomen and have a hard shove. The Crank, completely off balance, rocked from Newt and rolled off the side of the balcony, crashing through the glass barrier and down the ground below.

Thomas helped Newt up, both already moving again.

"Newt, you good?"

Newt gave his friend a pat on the shoulder, eyes wide at the herd of Cranks coming up from behind them, "Thanks, Tommy!"

The group twisted back around, Thomas latching onto Cleo's hand as he sped past her, the screams growing louder behind them. Minho herded them all the down a hallway and the little hope that Cleo had plummeted. Small and long, the hallway held no hope for a way out.

"Guys, where are we going?" Winston shouted from the back, almost lost over the Cranks behind. Thomas tried the first door on their right, only for it to barely budge. Without hesitation, he moved forward. He tried the next door, with the same outcome. Through the waving flash lights and thin red light, Cleo could just make out the end of the hallway.

"It's a dead end!" Minho announced. Like the others before, three doors sat on the right side of the wall. Thomas and Minho both rammed into them, using their bodies to try and break them down. Cleo watched them tediously.

We're going to die.

"This one!" Thomas announced, revealing the last door was giving a little. Frypan pushed his way to the front, shouldering the door with force only fueled by adrenaline.

"I'll hold them back!" Winston shouted. Cleo's eyes widened at the gun he pulled from the back hem of his pants, jumping as the first gun shot rang out.

"Frypan, hurry!" She turned to the boy still beating against the door.

The others were shouting, both at Frypan and just in general. And then, by the grace of God, the door swung open, Frypan stumbling out into the larger room. Thomas shuttled everyone out, grabbing at Winston's backpack as he continued to fire his gun. Twisting around, he and Minho held the door just wide enough for their friends to escape. Just as Winston crossed the threshold, he was ripped to the ground. Feet in the hands of Cranks, he grabbed at the doorframe.

"Help me! Help! Please!"

The others struggled to grab ahold of their friend, playing tug-of-war with his body against the Cranks. They watched as jagged fingernails clawed at his abdomen, emitting screams before they finally had the upper hand and Winston was dragged to safety. Newt and Frypan lifted him to his feet as Teresa pulled Cleo down the hallway.

"Go! Go!" Thomas urged. He and Minho were still barricading the door with their bodies. As more Cranks pushed back, the door opened wider.

Cleo didn't look back this time. She had to focus on running, keeping her feet moving as Teresa dragged her along. Newt, Frypan, and Winston were behind them but she couldn't hear anything that gave her the reassurance that Minho and Thomas were there as well.

Just keep going.

The hallway led them outside, through the terrain was covered in the more destroyed side of the building. Climbing over rubble, the group still had no idea where they were going.

Cleo was the one to find the small alcove for them to hid under, ushering the others in first, she was glad to see Winston didn't look as bad as she had originally thought. Minho and Thomas coming up last released a breath she didn't know she had been holding and some of the weight lifted from her shoulders. Ducking inside just before they did, she huddled between Teresa and Newt.

She wasn't sure how long they had been squeezed underneath together or when they had decided that it was safe enough to sleep but she didn't argue. Curling on her side beside Teresa, she shut her eyes and tried to block out the sounds of the Cranks off in the distance.

So sorry it's been a minute since I've updated but here it is! I'm not sure how much I like this chapter, it was actually kind of hard to write with all the action that was happening. I may or may not go back and edit it, but I'll let you know if I do! Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long for me to get up! Thanks (as always) for reviewing, favoriting, following, reading, all of it! You guys are the greatest! Xx