Emotionless »« Newt

EIGHT

Music begins blaring over the speakers, slow and soothing, the kind of thing people would dance to back in the days the Flare didn't exist. The kids frown in confusion but Leandra's yells for them to hurry snap them out of their thoughts, making them rush after her and Brenda up the stairs. "Brenda!" Leah shouts at the sight of a WICKED soldier, but the girl's already nodding with a smirk before shooting him in the chest, knocking him down. The girls smile at each other.

"Uh... Anyone wondering when these two became best friends?" Newt questions in a rising voice, a strange unfamiliar surge of protection travelling through him. "How can we trust Brenda?"

"Trust me!" Leandra shouts back, and they finally reach the top platform where Jorge's waiting with a bag slung over his shoulder and a gun in hand. "We don't have much time!"

"Let's go!" Jorge yells, the group immediately rushing to the other side of the room. "Right this way!" He shoves open some windows, revealing a long zipline leading from the building to another one in the close distance, and Frypan's heart sinks in his chest. "Plan B, hermano. You kids wanna get to the Right Arm? I'll lead you to them. But you're gonna owe me." He reaches up and grabs some sort of dangling rope, tugging on it before jumping out of the window, yelling, "Follow me!"

The boys watch with wide eyes, but Brenda's yells snap them out of it. Minho goes first, yelling the whole way down, then Frypan. "Go next!" Andi turns to Newt, but he's immediately shaking his head.

"No, you're going first!"

"This is no time to fall in love with me, Newt!" Lee grabs the rope before shoving it in Newt's hands, hoping he has a good enough grip before pushing him out of the window, hearing him yell in shock. She manages a grin, turning to Aris. "Better not die!"

"Not planning on it!" he smiles as she grabs it, holding on tight before jumping out of the window.

The sudden drop in her stomach and the air rushing under her is strangely comfortable, something unexpected yet delightful all at once. Leandra's always loved the rush of blood in her veins, the feeling of her heart doing flips in her chest. She can't help but whoop in delight, and when the beam of the WICKED berg falls on her, she just smirks.

When she gets to the other side, arms wrap around her and steady her, but the momentum sends the two crashing to the ground. A sudden puff of air escapes Newt's lips as the girl lands on top of him, but she just grins. "Hi." She's quick to jump to her feet, though, tugging him up just before Aris lands in the spot they were just at.

Once Teresa's down, a full minute passes before Jorge realises something's wrong, heart sinking in his chest. "Brenda should be down by now," he breathes, eyes glued to the window of the building they shot out of. "Where are they?"

"Held up by WICKED!" Andi shouts back, already reaching for her gun from the waistband of her jeans before shooting a few Cranks she sensed coming in their direction, Frypan letting out a surprised shriek at the proximity of one behind him that he didn't see coming.

"Is there a rendezvous?" Minho questions loudly over the chaos. "Some place we can meet them?"

"We are not leaving Brenda!"

"It's not like I wanna leave Thomas with her, but we don't have a choice before WICKED gets us!" Minho yells at Jorge angrily, Newt and Aris pulling out their own guns to help Leandra out. "But Thomas knows how to survive, and I bet Brenda does, too! Now shucking tell me, is there a place Brenda knows where to meet us?!"

Jorge hesitates for a moment, then nods. "Yes! But just– Give it a minute! They might make it out before the song ends!"

"What's so big about the song ending?" Frypan shouts, then a few of them scream as the building suddenly blows up in a burst of smoke and flame, catching them all off-guard. "Oh. That."