Metal grinding against metal.

People screaming.

Chuck's boyish features staring up at her terrified.

"Go to the Council Hall and start barricading the doors. Don't open them until someone comes to get you."

The boy only nodded.

Running.

She was headed for the tree line, panic instilling itself in her bones. She wanted to scream out, warn everyone but it seemed to be too late. Then she was being lifted off her feet, spun around in the other direction. Gally stood over her, screaming something she didn't hear.

She dropped into the box, the floor shaking some with the sudden weight. Three other boys she recognized but couldn't name cowered in the darkness and the door above slammed shut.

Flames climbed huts and trees, the heat and smoke making her eyes water. She looked around at her home, the remnants of what remained and let out a sob. Her heart ached as she tried to drown out the hollow cries of injured and terrified boys. Everything they had, gone. In minutes. Taken from them without hesitation. Her hands shook and she couldn't pin point the feeling building inside her. In the distant, she could hear the metal whirling and growling of retreating Grievers.

Closing her eyes, she prayed that when she opened them again it would all be a dream.

It hadn't been a dream, but the Glade had disappeared. Instead, the Right Arm's camp lay before her, the stinging wave of heat from another explosion blowing past her as she tightened her grasp on Thomas. The metal grinding had been replaced with gunfire, Grievers replaced with Wicked soldiers.

People panicked below, but seemed to be doing what they could, defending their camp. Men in black suits dropped down from above, their weapons more advanced and powerful than the fighters. Cleo and Thomas watched in horror as people were being taken down left and right.

Finally, with a tug, Thomas pulled her along behind him, entering the camp from the back. They hoped to get as close as they couldn't without being caught. Cleo's only priority was to get her friends safe and as far away as she could. She spotted them surrounding a truck just on the outer ring of the camp with Vince in the cab and Harriet and Sonya, handling guns as if they were born to do so. Firing at anyone coming for them, they were handling themselves well enough.

She slipped her hand out of Thomas's causing the boy to spin around towards her.

"Go! Find Brenda and Jorge! I'll get the others!"

She was gone before he could reply, dodging explosions and gunfire. The smoke coated her lungs and she could taste it on her tongue. Coughing, her vision blurred with watery eyes. She could make out her friends just a head of her before a rather thick cloud of dust blocked her line of sight. Pushing through, she ran straight into one of Wicked's guard, his gun pointed at her forehead. She stumbled backwards, hands up in defense and searched rapidly for a way out. Her friends continued to shoot until a blue spark ignited at Vince's feet and they dropped to the ground, convulsing. Her minor distraction enabled the guard to grab ahold of her. With one arm twisted behind her back and a gun pressed to her shoulder blade, she had no other choice than to comply.

Above her, a helicopter descended. It kicked up dust that burnt her eyes but she could still see Jansen step out and walk confidently towards the line of people kneeling on the ground.

The rest of her friends were placed at the front and she was positioned between Frypan and Aris. Everyone was accounted for. She found her mother, making eye contact with the woman. Mary gave her a small shake of her head and Cleo swallowed.

A man stood to her left, holding a clipboard. His eyes would flicker up towards them every now and again, his mouth silently moving. Then he would write something down and repeat the process. Another man, this one masked, stepped behind Sonya. Pushing her head forward, he held a small black device to the back of her head. He moved to Aris next; pushing his head forward, pressing the device to his neck.

Cleo resisted some, but he had more leverage and before she knew it the device was pressed against her neck. It was cold to the touch and gave her goosebumps but she ignored it, whipping her head back in defiance when he let go.

"A-7." He gruffed stepping behind Frypan to repeat his process.

He did this all the way down the line, before stepping off to the side by the man with the clipboard once he was finished.

Jansen had arrived finally, striding confidently through the people to stand in front of them.

"How many did we get?" He asked the man with the clipboard.

The man didn't even glance upwards from his paper, "All of them. Give or take."

"Give or take?" Jansen repeated, raising a questioning eyebrow.

The man met his look, a small smirk on his lips, "Well, they lost a few."

Jansen turned to survey the crowd again. The Gladers sat silently, each inching for the opportunity to jump up and continue fighting. But they were heavily outnumbered and the guns pointed at them were a reminder of that. Now, they were left to deal with whatever came next.

"Where's Thomas?" Jansen turned back to his men. The others searched for their leader, realizing then that he wasn't alongside them. Cleo felt relieved that he had escaped, but the feeling vanished when he spoke out.

"Right here."

Jansen had his guards on him with a snap of his fingers, the teenager being pushed to stand toe to toe with the older man. He smiled that disgusting, shit eating grin Cleo detested so greatly before punching Thomas in the gut. Thomas bent over, wheezing as his friends protested. They were held back by guards and Thomas was dragged to kneel beside Minho.

"Bring her in." Jansen spoke out into the air, and the soft hum of another carrier moved over the Mountain ridge.

"Why didn't you run?" Minho elbowed Thomas, the others sat silently but all felt the same.

Thomas continued to stare at Jansen, his jaw clenching and unclenching, "I'm tired of running."

000

Ava Page looked just like she did when they saw her after escaping the Maze. Her white clothing greatly contrasted the dark world around her, and it was obvious she held herself with self-proclaimed dignity. Her steps were calculated and powerful, shoulders held back and straight, chin lifted so she was looking down her nose at the teenagers kneeling in front of her.

"Is this all of them?" She turned to Jansen, who stood beside her, his own self-proclaimed dignity radiating off him.

"Most of them," He shared a look with Ava, "It'll be enough."

Ava seemed satisfied with this and flicked her wrist nonchalantly, "Start loading them in."

Guards shuffled into motion immediately, pulling people from their knees and leading them, single file, towards the large carrier. Jansen shouted orders as if to remind everyone that he, too, was in authority and Thomas was pulled to his feet once again.

"Hello, Thomas." Ava stepped forward.

Another figure had arrived to their left, and the others rose to their feet. They followed Teresa as she came to stand beside Ava, their expression just as jumbled as the emotions they were feeling.

"I'm glad your safe." Ava spoke to the girl as if to clarify she had betrayed them.

"What the hell?" Minho spoke first, and the others trailed behind.

"Wait, what's going on?" Newt questioned, eyes shifting from the bashful brunette to Thomas and then back at Cleo.

Cleo met his eyes solemnly, "She's with them."

"Since when?"

"Teresa's always had an evolved appreciation of the greater good," Jansen explained, "Once we restored her memories, it was only a matter of time."

The group couldn't tear their eyes from their friend. She had betrayed them. She had gotten people hurt. Teresa kept her eyes on the ground, toes digging into the dirt before she finally looked at them.

"I'm sorry," Teresa cried, "I had no choice. This is the only way. We have to find a cure."

But the apology wasn't accepted. Cleo wasn't sure it ever would be. By the looks of it, the others seemed to agree with her thought.

"She's right. This is all just a means to an end. You used to understand that, Thomas. No matter what you think of me," She cleared her throat, understanding she wasn't getting through to any of them, "I'm not a monster. I'm a doctor. I swore an oath to find a cure!"

Cleo scoffed, shaking her head, "No matter the cost."

"I just need more time." Ava glanced to her.

"More blood." Another voice intervened and Mary appeared, making her way towards the front of the crowd.

Ava stiffened as Mary approached, eyes shifting to Cleo again briefly.

"Hello, Mary. I hope we'd meet again. I'm sorry it had to be under these circumstances."

Mary nodded, "I'm sorry about a lot of things, too. But not this," She looked to her daughter, "At least my conscience is clear."

Ava lifted her head a bit, "So is mine."

The gunshot was unexpected and screams rippled throughout the crowd. Everyone checked themselves and one another to find who had been targeted. Mary had fallen silent, her eyes widening a bit and Jansen stepped up beside Ava. The gun in his hand was still raised, smoke rising from the barrel. Blood pooled on Mary's shirt and a stillness rushed over the crowd.

Cleo took a step forward, unable to stop the heart-wrenching sob that fell from her lips as her mother crumbled into Vince's arms. She pushed past Aris and Frypan before Jansen's gun was pointed at her head.

"Uh-uh." She froze, watching the life leave her mother's eyes. When she was able to look away, she found her friends staring at her, each holding what she could only assume was sympathy.

Ava ordered for the rest to be loaded up, and things began moving again. Teresa turned to Cleo, starting to say something, but Ava stopped her, leading her back towards the carrier.

Sonya and Aris were taken by the arms, dragged away when Thomas started shouting. They all turned to find him holding out a bomb, his finger resting on the trigger. Another wave of panic came rushing in.

"Stand back! Everyone stand back!" Thomas threatened.

Jansen, surprisingly, waved his hands, ordering his men to hold their fire.

"Thomas, put it down." Ava pushed.

Thomas was shaking, tears in his eyes, but he held the bomb out in front of him, "Let 'em all go."

"You know I can't do that!" Ava insisted.

Teresa stepped up beside her, trying to plead with him, "Thomas, please stop. I made a deal with them. They promised we'd be safe. All of us."

"And we're supposed to trust you now?" He spat back causing the girl to shrink behind Ava some.

"It's true," Ava nodded, "It was her only condition."

"Shut up!" Thomas's voice bellowed out.

Ava shook her head, "Everything can go back to the way it was."

Cleo inched closer to her friends. She was willing to die if it meant all of this stopped. She would die for her friends, and for the Right Arm. She would die if that's what it took. Looking at her friends, she knew they were thinking the same.

"Thomas, do you really want all of them to die?" Ava's words seemed to fit perfectly.

Together the four moved to stayed around Thomas, solidifying their allegiance to him. Teresa whimpered behind the older woman.

"We're with you, Thomas." Minho reassured.

Ava and Jansen continued to persuade him but Thomas had made up his mind.

"Do it, Thomas." Cleo breathed.

Thomas closed his eyes, as did the others, his finger inching on the trigger. Just when Cleo expected the bomb to go off and the world to end, a blaring horn came from behind them. They all spun around to see Bertha barreling down the side of the mountain, Jorge laughing behind the wheel. He drove the truck straight into the helicopter. The machine exploded, sending the crowd ducking for cover.

With the sudden change of events, the group scattered, already grabbing what weapons they could to fight. Hell broke loose then, captives escaping and Wicked soldiers trying to wrangle everyone in again. As a crowd of them came rushing forward with guns, the group staggered backwards.

"Thomas, the bomb!" Cleo shouted at the boy, watching him eye the device wildly before tossing it into the soldiers. He didn't hesitate pressing to the button, turning and dropping to the ground as the explosion rang out. Cleo pulled him back to his feet and dragged him away from the chaos, back towards the others.

People shouted wildly, pushing the escaping teens as far from Wicked as they could. Cleo kept her head ducked, hoping to dodge any bullets coming her way, and kept up with Newt and Frypan. Thomas's yelling from behind, reassured her he was there. She was relieved to see that Minho has ahead of them, aiming a gun at the men pursuing them.

"I gotcha!" He shouted just as she passed him and she sent him a nod, for a moment she was back in the glade, jogging past him on their way to their respected jobs and she flattered, blinking once more, she was brought back to the war around them and yanked behind an overturned container alongside Newt and Frypan.

Thomas came stumbling along seconds later, her hand latching to his jacket to keep the four of them as crammed behind the cannister as possible. Her breath caught in her throat as Minho's gun jammed, Wicked fastly approaching.

"Minho!" Her voice cracked at the sudden outburst but the words fell flat underneath the sound of gunfire and explosions. She watched as a single round was fired and an electric wave rippled through her friend's body. His body stiffened, convulsing tightening before hitting the container behind him in a hard thud. Thomas ripped from her grasp and leapt to his feet, already racing to rescue his friend. From their left, Jorge appeared, firing at Wicked soldiers in his own attempt to help. The other three jumped into action, unsure what they were going to do once they reached their friend. Cleo's eyes never left Minho's, even after he was lifted to his feet by men and dragged away. She wanted to scream, cry, race after them but nothing happened. Instead, she let Newt take her arm and drag her back with the others as Thomas kicked and screamed against Jorge's embrace.

Minho was loaded into the back of the carrier, his head lobbing back and forth as he fought consciousness and then he disappeared within the sea of soldiers. The remaining few stood on the ridge of the camp, mourning for the fallen and taken. Just before the door close, Cleo caught Teresa moving to stand beside Ava. Her heart broken then, if it hadn't already done so before, and she looked to the ground, flinching as the carrier lifted into the air and disappeared into the night sky.

000

Morning came slowly, most of the survivors using the rest of the night to recover any dead and to pick up what they could. Cleo stayed away from where her mother was laid, though the stark white sheet, placed over her for the time being, stuck out like a sore thumb. She hadn't spoken to anyone, let alone looked at them, and for the past couple of hours, she mindlessly collected anything they might be able to use. It wasn't until the sun was peaking over the mountains that Thomas silently guided her back to the others to sit and drink what little water they had to spare.

"What do we do now?" She asked, though her voice was soft and hoarse. She had directed the question to her friends, something she had grown used to doing and was a bit surprised when Vincent was the one to reply.

"Well, we pick up what's left of us. We stick to the plan," He came to stand beside, "We get you kids to the safe haven. Then we start over, I guess."

She wanted to laugh. Safe Haven? For the past week, they had been moved from "Safe Haven" to "Safe Haven" and all it had led to was more danger. They were never going to be "safe" and it was time to come to terms with that.

"I'm not going with you." All heads turned to the brunette boy. His bag was already strapped around his body, signaling that he meant what he was saying and there wasn't going to be any convincing him otherwise.

"What?" Vincent was flabbergasted and Cleo waved it off as not being used to Thomas's stubborn personality.

"I made a promise to Minho. I wouldn't leave him behind. I have to go after him." That was the response Cleo was looking forward. Silently, she began gathering her things.

Vincent wasn't convinced, "Hey, kid, look around you. All right? Wicked just kicked our ass," Mary came to mind and Cleo wanted to berate his choice of words, "You think about where you're headed."

Thomas nodded, no convincing, "I'm not asking anyone to come with me."

This time, Newt stood up, "Thomas, listen to me. I've known Minho for," He paused to shake his head, "Well, as long as I can remember. So if there was any way that we could help him, trust me, I would be up there standing next to you. This, what you're talking about, is impossible."

Vincent scoffed, "More like suicide."

"Minho would do the same for any of us," Cleo noted, eyes shifting towards her as she pushed to her feet, "No matter what the possibilities were, whether he died or not, Minho would go back for us. We have to do the same for him."

"It's not just about Minho," Thomas added, "It's about all of us. It's about everyone Wicked's ever taken, everyone they will take. They'll never stop," He swallowed, "They'll never stop, so I'm gonna stop them. I'm gonna kill Ava Page."

This was exactly the kind of answer Cleo was looking for.

"I have to admit," Harriet had finally spoke, standing alongside Vincent with an impressed smirk on her face, "I'd like some revenge."

Cleo could see the gears turning in Vincent's mind. She searched for a common ground, something, anything to get him on board. Blinking, she realized there was something she could use. Turning to face him fully, she looked him in the eyes.

"We lost people. Innocent people." And while she had made the statement vague, she knew immediately that he understood. They looked at once another for a moment longer before he turned to Thomas.

"Well, that's a good speech, kid," Thomas smiled a bit, "So, what's your plan?"

Holy Moses! It's finally done! Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, followed, favorited, and anything else that you can possibly do. It was all greatly appreciated and I hope you guys enjoyed it! I have to toot my own horn a bit and say, I'm actually proud of myself for finishing this story. I tend to get sidetracked and then forget all together, but I managed to not only finish the first one but also the second and I'm excited to work on the third.

As for other writings, I have a few drabbles typed up but I wanna get a couple more before I post anything. So expect them in the future but there is no set date. I'm also working on a playlist if anyone is interested in that. I'll post an update on this to let you guys know about both of those. If you have any requests for what you want me to write about or a song or anything, shoot me a PM! Also, I've gone through and started editing chapters for both this story and the first one, Within, once I'm finished with that, I'll replace old ones with new ones. And I think that's all!

Thanks again so much for your wonderful support! Xx