Gate : 18

Minho stood in front of our small team. We were waiting behind several other groups of hybrids as we were slowly shunted towards the gate. The gate to Xylem. It stood tall at the very back of the empty room, sitting flat on the ground 10 feet high and 6 feet wide. It was shaped like a horseshoe with thick supporting beams jutting away and into the concrete walls. Four arms in the corners of the gate met in the center.

'So the scientists decided to make the hole bigger, big enough so that people could go through, and you know what they found?'

The group of 4 just ahead of us were next. The four arms pulled away from each other and a blue, shimmering opening was revealed. The hybrids stepped through, disappeared, and the four arms contracted quickly, blocking off the opening. I gulped as Minho led us forward to stand directly in front of the gate.

"Just stick close to us and you'll be fine." Alby whispered in my ear. The gate opened once again, the shimmering blue screen beckoning. Minho led the way.

Stepping through the gate felt like walking through a sheet of icy water. It passed over me completely and I closed my eyes tightly. I stood still, listening hard. Nothing felt out of the ordinary. Normal temperature, solid ground, I could breathe…

"Newt, it's okay." Brenda gently pushed me forward and I opened my eyes. We were inside a warehouse room that looked identical to the one we had just left. I spun around, taking in all the details.

The gate we had stepped into had been so small. The gate we had come out of spanned the entire length and width of the wall, nearly 50 feet across and 30 feet high. The arms that had kept our portal closed were wide open in this one. A wall of shimmering blue sparkled and rippled.

"Just wait till we get outside." Minho rolled his eyes and began walking away. Brenda and Alby followed him. I quickly turned around and jogged to catch up.

A wall of concrete was up ahead. It went all the way up to the ceiling and walls, but only had three entrances cut into it. Each entrance was barely big enough for a human to get through and was blocked by a steel gate. We walked through the middle one and I looked up. On both sides of the wall, armed guards stood on catwalks built into it, or peered through small windows, like the wall of a castle. I bumped into Brenda's back, not realizing that we had stopped.

"From this point on, we're on our own." Minho spoke to everyone. I looked over Brenda's shoulder. Minho stood in front of a massive steel door nearly the length of the room. Dozens of other hybrids stood nearby, all split into their own groups. "In less than 5 minutes, this gate will open, and we will go."

My heart was beginning to pound in my chest. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe.

Thomas? Lizzy? Where are you?

We're here. My eyes snapped open and I scanned the growing crowd. A smaller one was forming away from ours in the far left corner. Thomas stood there holding Lizzy's hand. A plaque on the wall behind him read; Property of WICKED. Thomas locked onto me. Don't do anything stupid, we don't know what we're up against yet.

I should be with you. I clenched my jaw. Someone else drifted into my mind.

Listen to him, Newt. You're with us. Brenda. I glared over at her, but she had her eyes on Minho. Before I could say anything, a loud buzzer sounded and the door shot upwards. Every hybrid with wings rushed forward and took off.

It was dark and gloomy with clouds filling the overcast sky. A sparse forest was in front of me with wispy grass, jagged boulders, and barren shrubs. The few trees that stood were weathered and old. Their thick trunks had strips of bark peeling off and thin branches reached upwards like skeletal fingers.

Newt, come on! I jumped as Alby's voice rang in my ears.

I stumbled forward and out of the warehouse. The grass still felt like normal grass and the air smelled earthy and wet. I looked back into the warehouse but Thomas' group had disappeared. Opening my wings wide, I jumped into the air and followed my group.

As far as I could see were forests. Densely packed trees with only a few clearings here and there. Below us was a massive network of buildings. WICKED. The pale gray fortress stood in what looked like a man made clearing. The ground had been scraped flat and any trees close to the circular border were dead or dying. A smaller plot behind the building was shaped like a long rectangle and had rows of evenly spaced trees. Brenda coasted past me, cutting off my sight of the complex. Her wide, white wings brushed me as she went. I met her concerned gaze.

You'll have plenty of time to explore.

I don't want to explore, I want to find my sister. I looked back down at the WICKED building. It was just a small spot in the overwhelming sea of green. A sea that had swallowed Thomas and Lizzy.

They'll be alright, trust me. They have the easier job.

I didn't respond and I could feel the irritation and worry from her. Minho was flying away. He knew exactly where he was going and the others were following him. Faint specks on the horizon were the other airborne hybrid groups. I grit my teeth and followed Alby.

We were supposed to wait for group B to find a wraith and flush it out. Then it was group A's job to lure it back to a gate. There it would be captured and dragged into WICKED's partner in crime, the Venom Trade. Simple enough. We coasted on air currents high above a deep canyon. The rising, warmer air helped ease my shivering. The cargo pants and hoodie I had been given didn't exactly help block out the wind. We hadn't landed in the past three hours and my wings already felt sore and heavy. Endless circles as we waited for group B.

Waves of dizziness plagued me. A headache pounded behind my eyes and my hands were shaky. I knew what it was, I had seen it many times in mom. Low blood sugar. I looked over at Minho and his large, black wings. He held them steady without the slightest hint of fatigue.

Can we land and take a break? I asked carefully.

No, we need to be ready.

Minho, we can be ready on the ground. He's going to faint. Alby cut in and I felt a wave of relief. A gripping fear seized my heart almost immediately after. Landing meant we would have to enter the formidable forest below. Minho didn't answer, but began his descent. Slowly, we all banked and followed him, spiraling downwards.

Minho tucked his wings in tightly and slipped between the small gap in the treetops. I copied his movements and ducked under the thick branches. Opening my wings wide to slow down, I touched down on the flat rock below. Minho had picked this place well. Trees all around the rocky clearing provided cover, and the small gap above allowed for an easy take off. Immediately I sat down, my dizziness slamming into me with full force.

"You okay?" Brenda sat down next to me and took my shaky hand. I panted and nodded, though my eyes were squeezed shut.

"This is why we need to find one today." Minho said from somewhere behind me. "The director doesn't care if you starve. No wraith, no food."

"And what if I can't fight one because I'm dizzy?" I growled. "The longer you don't eat, the weaker you are."

"Then you were weak to begin with."

I opened my eyes and looked back at him. He leaned against a large boulder with his arms crossed.

"The director has no sympathy for hybrids. We are literally on our own." Minho slowly walked towards me and crouched down. "If you want to survive, then you need to fight."