Please pardon any grammar mistakes, like, switching between tenses on accident. My other fanfiction is written in past tense. I've read over this five times, but I probably still missed a lot of it.
I'm sorry.
It's a stick. The Safe Haven is a stick.
I'm going to scream.
" Maybe WICKED will come and pick us up. " Some girl—Isylia, I think—suggests. Some people nod in agreement, but I just shake my head. WICKED won't make it that easy. There's over an hour left and all we have is a stick with an orange ribbon tied around it. I know I just got here, but there has to be a catch.
" What's going on? " I hear a familiar voice ask from behind me. I turn around, slowly, just in case I was hearing things. Last time I saw him he had shadows under his eyes, and seemed to be sagging with the weight of his own life. Then he disappeared with Teresa, and I assumed he was dead.
I was wrong.
Thomas is standing there, looking around at everyone. Teresa and Aris are standing behind him and off to the side, conversing with each other. I would glare at them, but right now, Thomas is here, and alive. He looks like hell, but he's breathing. That's a good thing. Looks like Teresa is going to survive for another day.
I nearly sprint the ten feet towards him and put my hands on his shoulders. I examine his face, the empty look in his eyes that I know so well, and the few scratches his has on his arms.
" Thomas, " I breathe out as I see that physically, he's fine. " You had me so worried. "
" I said it would be okay, didn't I? " He manages a small smile, but I can tell he doesn't really feel that way. What happened in those mountains? Was it Teresa? Did she do something to him?
" What the hell happened to you? "
He shakes his head and glances at Brenda. Brenda looks wide-eyed and shocked as well, but her face quickly morphs into a glare as she looks at Teresa.
" Brenda. " Thomas says, something resembling a grimace appearing on his face.
" Hey there," She replies, walking right past me and practically pushing me away. I glare at her as I stumble back, bracing myself to fall, but Minho's hands on my arms stabilizes me. I ignore the way my stomach fills with butterflies and send him a grateful smile over my shoulder as Brenda continues talking. " This is the girl you were telling me about? When you and I were snuggling in that truck? "
My eyebrows shoot up into my hairline and a small laugh escapes my chapped lips. Her? Thomas? Snuggling? Looks like Noah didn't mean much to her.
" Yeah. "
Teresa warily holds her hand out to Brenda, her icy blue eyes distrusting. Brenda takes it with a fake smile. " Nice to meet you, " She says, " I"m a Crank. I'm slowly going crazy. I keep wanting to chew off my own fingers and randomly kill people. Thomas here promised to save me. "
I wait for the grin or laugh to show she's joking, but she doesn't do anything.
" Funny Bre— "
The sound of a Berg fills the air. Everyone looks up, hope in their eyes. I know there's still an hour left, and that they would leave us down here to suffer as long as possible, but I can't help but feel like maybe, just maybe, this is all over. Then the thing I remembered fills my mind and I wish WICKED would wait. Because going up there and having all of this be over, means facing what I saw. My own mother, calling me a filthy rat.
Minho's arms circles around my waist and he rests his chin on my shoulder. Any idea about my parents flies out of my head and the only thing filling it is the nearness of him. I let out a shaky breath, and can't help but be grateful that he drove the thoughts away without even trying.
" How are you? " Minho asks. I would have shrugged, but because his head is on my shoulder, I decide to speak.
" Fine. And you? " That's exactly what I'm supposed to say, right?
" Better now. "
Despite the darkness inside me, I manage a small smile. " That's good. Maybe we'll both live and be normal. "
" I think we're already normal. " He says with an indignant huff.
" I don't know what your definition of normal is, but we are definitely not normal. " I say with a soft laugh, leaning into Minho. But, I catch Newt looking at us, his face contorted into an emotion I can't identify, and something just hurts. I pull away from Minho and stand in front of him, my hands on my hips, a smile on my face to hide the pain. I swear hurt flashes through his eyes, but it disappears so quickly I question whether or not I saw it in the first place.
" Did Reed hurt you? " Minho's face turns serious, and my smile falters. Reed. The person who was my friend; the person who violated me; the person I tried to kill. Minho seems to notice the change in my face because rage blossoms across his face, " I swear to god Louisa, if he hurt you…. Wait. Did he.. ?"
I shake my head no, " Minho, calm your tits. He apologized. "
He crosses his arms over his chest, " And did you forgive hi— "
The words freeze on his tongue. In fact, his entire face seems to be frozen: his eyebrows raised, his lips slightly parted, confusion in his eyes. He can obviously see me, but he can't move. Not a single, solitary, muscle.
" Minho? " I ask, my voice sounding so much louder and I realize that everyone else has frozen too. Some have disbelief on their faces, others have hope. But all of them share one thing in common. Their eyes are all trained up at the sky, and at the silver Berg that has just begun to descend from right above us.
What is WICKED doing? Am I supposed to protect all of these people from something? Why can I move and no one else can?
The Berg is only sixty feet above us now.
Are we all going to die?
Just as I am about to start grabbing people and hauling ass, the Berg stops and white ropes come out of a hatch that opened. People begin to slide down them in hazmat suits, bearing the WICKED logo on their right breasts. I look around at all of these people, all of these Gladers, and realize that they're helpless. I'm the only thing they have.
The WICKED employees drop to the ground, puffs of dirt rising around their feet due to the impact. The don't even look at anyone else; they're eyes are glued to me.
So I do what any logical, smart, person would do.
I reach around to the waist band in my pants, and I pull out the gun.
...
I'm frozen. I can't move. And Louisa needs my help.
Just seconds ago she was smiling-actually smiling-and we laughed and joked around.
Now she has a fear struck face and her hands are trembling as she raises the gun. The people in the dark, green hazmat suits falter, but they keep walking in a uniform march. It grates against my ears and I struggle against whatever is holding me, but it's useless.
" Don't come any closer. " Her voice his strong even though her body is weak. " I will shoot. "
I will her name out of my mouth, trying to force the words out, but none come. Not even a squeak. If this is WICKED, aren't they coming to save us all? She shouldn't threaten them, but she has more experience and memories with them than all of us combined. I trust her. I'll stand by her.
If only I could take that first step.
" Do not come any closer. " Louisa raises her voice, firing the gun at the closet guy. The sound rings in my ears as the bullet hits the flesh on his leg. He falls with a muted scream, his hands locked around his thigh.
The rest of them don't even flinch.
" You will not hurt them. " Her voice cracks on the word hurt, and I just want to help her. One step, one word, one sound. That's all I need to do. She needs to know I'm here, and that I will not hesitate to help her.
She fires the gun again, catching someone else in the chest. He falls, lifeless, the only sound he makes being the sound of his body thumping into the dirt. I know this is hurting Louisa, it has to be. She feels guilty about every life she takes, and everyone she couldn't spare.
I want her to stop.
She goes to pull the trigger again, but nothing happens except a quiet click. She stares at the gun in frustration and shock, then throws it at the nearest person. He catches it in one gloved hand and throws it away, past all of the Gladers and Group B, out of my sight.
Ten feet.
That's all that's separating Louisa and the entourage of 10-now 8-guards that have come for her. She seems to notice too, because she takes a step back. I don't know why, but I want her to run, and leave us all behind. I want her to save herself.
Her eyes scan the crowd of people around her, and finally come to rest on me.
No.
" Save them. " Louisa says, gesturing to us. " Give them the cure. " Her eyes dart to Newt, " Save them! " She shouts it now, her eyes clouded. " Don't just stand there! "
One of them steps forward. " We were only told to retrieve you. Ava has other... Plans for them. "
Lightning strikes overhead and the ground starts to move beneath us. The guy who spoke curses and sprints forward, seizing Louisa by the arm and dragging her to the ropes. She kicks and struggles the entire way, until I can't see her anymore. All I can hear are her screams.
" Climb the rope! " He yells.
" No. " The words seem to have to claw their way out of her throat. " Get them. Take them with us. Don't leave them out here! "
I hear shuffling footsteps and a grunt. The man mumbles something I can't hear, and Louisa falls silent. All I hear is footsteps, and then nothing. Nothing.
Louisa! I want to scream the word. I have to know if she's okay. I have to know why they're only taking her and not the rest of us. But I can't move my head; I can't move my mouth. I can't do anything against whatever they have holding me.
The sound of an engine roaring fills the air, and I find I can move again. Her name leaves my lips before I can stop it, and I stumble forward. It's useless now. She's gone. The Berg is nothing but a speck in the distance. My eyes stay trained on it, watching as it navigates the storm that's approaching us. She is on there. With WICKED.
What if Janson is there?
" Minho, worry about her later. " I hear Thomas say, his voice quivering. " We have company. "
I look up and see that we're surrounded.
Not by humans. No, what we're surrounded by is far worse. Slime is dripping off of their bodies and into the sand, their faces are stuck in a snarl. They look like desert versions of a griever. Long, gleaming, metal limbs are protruding from them. They don't have stingers, but they look twice as vicious. I shudder but force myself to focus on the monsters, despite how much fear is thrumming through my veins.
" Look at the white pods behind them. " Thomas says, walking to my side but keeping his head on the creatures, " Are we supposed to get in them or…. ? "
Behind each of the things is a white pod, gleaming with a fluorescent light.
" I am not moving past those monsters. " I say even as I grab a knife from its sheath attached to my hip. I see that many people are doing the same thing, reaching for weapons and bracing themselves. I raise my voice to address the people from my group, " Everyone get in a circle! Pick one and fight it! "
They nod, grabbing the closest weapons to them. Thomas is on my left, with Teresa next to him. Newt is on my right, Frypan after that, Clint, and then Aris. Harriet is ordering Group B to do the same, and soon enough, we have a circle of people ready to defend themselves.
The creatures come closer.
Thirty feet away.
" On three, we charge. " I say, taking a deep breath after to ready myself. Full force, guns blazing. I imagine these things hurting people, the Gladers, my family, and my veins are filled with a simmering rage. No one will hurt the Gladers as long as I'm still standing.
" One! " People shift, readying themselves and getting into a sprinting stance. The monsters keep moving.
" Two! " I move my feet, bouncing on my toes with nerves. The things pause, watching us and I swear they could smirk if they have mouths.
" Three! " I charge forward with a battle cry, digging another knife out of a sheath near my chest. The creature braces itself, orange skin pulsing with an eery light. I force any fear away, thinking about how Louisa bravely faced Grievers in the Maze that week she was out there.
I have to be like her now.
I dodge the first swing of the creature's metal arms, feeling the wind from the movement brush my face. I hack away with my knives, only succeeding in leaving small cuts. The monster snarls but it sounds more like a groan. I duck, narrowly missing having my head taken off. As I duck I jab my knife at one of the protruding lumps of skin, successfully hitting it and causing sparks to rain everywhere. It pauses, and then goes back on attack mode.
Huh. So those things must be vital points.
I dodge and jab and poke and stab at the thing, feeling exhilarated each time one of the bulbs burst. Each pause gets longer and longer. It swipes for my arm, catching my hand but I keep going even as I feel blood drip down my fingertips. One last stab—
Thunder booms and lightning strikes the ground. Both me and the creature are thrown off balance. I land on the ground, a panic rising inside of me as my shoulder slams into the dirt. Lightning strikes again and the smell of burning flesh fills my nose. The image of Louisa, laying bloody on the ground with her leg chopped and a flame held to what was left passes through my mind and my muscles seize up.
No, No, No.
This isn't that. I have to get up. I have to fight this creature.
The thing is dead.
It was struck by lightning.
" Minho. " Newt says, limping over to me as fast as he can, " We gotta get inside the pods! "
I look at the one the monster I fought emerged from. Anywhere is better than outside in this lightning storm.
People scream as I take off towards the pod, others noticing and following suit. They head towards their own pods, and I push myself to run faster than I ever have before. I don't want to die. There are still things I want to do. Things I want to see. Family I want to know if I have.
I will not die.
I dive into the white pod and pull the top down, sheltering myself from the rain that begins to pour down. It thrums against the top and thunder is still booming through the sky, shaking the ground with its ferocity. I imagine the lighting paired with it and run a hand through my hair, breathing heavy into the darkness. I imagine the lightning striking the ground, hitting the pods and cracking them, electrocuting the people inside. My skin tingles with the memory of the white, hot, blinding pain and I squeeze my eyes shut.
It's just a storm. Just a little lightning.
So why do I feel so scared?
A strange wind starts to blow. It's not natural, because it doesn't whistle like wind when it's raging. If I weren't so petrified with the ghost of electrocution, I might open the pod and see what's going on. Yet, all I do is sit there, listening to the sound of my own breathing and trying to tune the thunder out.
All of a sudden the pod opens, and Thomas's face comes into view.
" There's a Berg! " He says and that's all I need to hear before I'm up. Is it the same one as before? Am I going to find Louisa in here? I step over and take off at a sprint, forcing my muscles to move through the storm. Each step is a step closer to my freedom, and to the girl I love. Lightning is flashing all around and those monsters are chasing us, their metal arms gleaming with fresh blood. My stomach churns and my feet nearly slip in the wet mud.
Thomas falls, unable to get traction. Teresa and I haul him up and continue running towards the open mouth of the Berg. People are standing there, long rifle-like guns in their hands as their eyes dart around. They don't make any move to save us, and why would they? This is WICKED, and they only care about themselves.
Girls from Group B are sprinting in there, nearly collapsing with relief once they get out of the rain. I push myself further, looking for Louisa. She has to be here. She has to be okay.
The Berg starts to lift off.
It's lifting slowly, but people are still trying to get on. Their legs dangle as it rises three feet off the ground. I get there and push myself up using my arms, wiggling in on my stomach. I'm breathing heavy as I pull Thomas up, and then Teresa. Only Brenda is left, hanging by her fingertips as the Berg rises higher and higher.
" Brenda! " Thomas grabs an arm and I grab the other, straining to pull her up. I feel myself start to lose traction and I slide forward a little. My heart lurches as I look at the twenty foot drop that would surely cripple me. I'm falling; I'm falling; I'm falling.
Someone grabs my ankle and I look over my shoulder to find Jorge, holding on tight to my leg. I use this as an advantage, and Thomas and I finally get Brenda pulled up. She collapses on the floor and rolls onto her back, her chest rising and falling with rapid breaths.
" Thanks, Thomas. Minho. " She nods to the both of us and I glance out of the Berg, only seeing a few dead bodies and those things. A shiver of disgust rolls down my spine.
" Who are these four people? " A man asks, pointing a gun at Brenda and Jorge, Nandini and Blake. They are sitting next to each other now, their faces pale and tight with fear. " Somebody answer me! " He yells.
I let Thomas answer since he's supposed to be the true leader. My eyes scan the small room we're in for Louisa, for her sandy blonde hair, but I find nothing. Not a single thing.
She isn't here.
Where did she go?
" They helped us get through the city—we wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. " Thomas says. The man's head snaps towards him, rage and disbelief coloring his face.
" You…. picked them up on the way? "
I don't like where this is going. " We made a deal with them. " I say, crossing my arms over my chest.
" Promised they'd get the cure too. " Thomas adds, but it doesn't help our cause any. The man just scowls.
" Doesn't matter. We didn't say you could bring citizens! " Spit flies from his mouth as he rages, but Thomas doesn't flinch. Worry causes my stomach to knot. Nandini may have left Louisa for dead, but she is Newt's sister. And Blake is her friend—someone she cared about. Brenda is close to Thomas, and Jorge is like a father figure to her. They're a package, all four of them. We can't just get rid of them.
" We did what we had to! " Thomas says, raising his voice to match the man's. He pauses, his eyes glancing between the four people.
" Fine, you can keep two of 'em. Don't choose, and they all die. "
Thomas doesn't look bothered with the declaration.
" One! "
Thomas, what are you going to do?
" Two! "
He shuts his eyes and clenches his fists.
" Three! "
The man starts to move and I start to stand, ready to defend the four shanks we picked up, but Thomas's eyes open and his fists relax as he gives his answer.
" Kill the girls. "
What's going to happen to Nandini and Brenda? Where is Louisa?
I felt like Minho would probably have a fear of thunderstorms because he got hit by lightning and it hurt like hell. Do you guys agree? Either way, it's incorporated into the story now so if you don't like it you're just going to have to deal with it.
I'm sorry if Louisa didn't seem like Louisa. I've been in another character's head for the past two weeks, so I had a little trouble writing this. Anyhow, I'm probably going to go work on the last chapter. oH WAIT THE REVIEW RESPONSES
{ review responses }
Chipmunk1123 ~ I know the flashback was confusing, but I will clarify in the next book XD And it's healing now. I've just got shin splints to go along with the tendinitis in my wrist now so yayyyyyy
Hidden-Feeling ~ THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT :)
{ end of review responses }
By the way, I feel like I should point out that chapter 34 is the last chapter. And then we're on to The Death Cure. Ohh dang I just got butterflies everyone neeDS TO CALM DOWN
Haha just kidding. It's okay to have no chill. Like me. The chill has left the room and I am plotting evil things for the final book.
I'm going to go write. Have a good day, evening, morning, afternoon, night!