Say You Won't Let Go

I found you

Time was running out. WICKED knew we were here. One wrong step could quickly lead to failure and the possibility of getting us caught.

I race down the corridors in the opposite direction where I sent Quintin to. With him on our side, we had access to saving more lives with the bliss. Helping myself was the last thing on my mind. It seemed selfish to put myself in front of Minho who had spent the last six months, being tortured by WICKED to find a cure. He was the one who needed saving. Him first.

Countless times, I had watched my friends die before my eyes. Not being able to do anything to help. Every time I saw them in pain, I couldn't imagine how terrible it must've felt. All until, I myself had gotten into a similar situation. This time, it was my turn. I would be the one to die for the others to get the freedom they deserved. And I was willing to make that sacrifice. All of this was for them. Newt, Thomas, Minho, Frypan, Gally, Brenda, Jorge, Quintin, every person at the Right Arm's camp, all those kids we were planning to save from WICKED. The ones who are still breathing. You could call them the lucky ones. They all deserved far better than everything they had been through in this world.

I will do whatever I can to make their future worth it all. All the blood, sweat, tears, bruises, losses. None of it would be worth it if this plan didn't work. All the fighting and trying would all go to waste. But failure was not an option in my eyes. This might be a one in a million chance, but its still a chance. Something worth fighting for.

All I had to do was fight the flare a little while longer. Not let myself become a crank. I couldn't let the virus inside tear me apart and take control of me. My friends need me now more than ever. I will not fail them. No matter how many battles I have to fight at once. They will come out of this fight alive.

So I kept running, the only thing I knew how to do well in my life. Running is what kept me alive up till this point. Why now would it fail me?

I climb stairways, jog down hallways, and keep moving forward. I was almost there. According to the security system status, Minho was at the medical wing. That's where Thomas and Newt were headed. That's where I plan on going.

Before I coincidentally met up with Quintin. I was on the right path and so close to making it to that part of the building. I just needed to pass a few more halls and hopefully I would find the others there.

Every so often, I found myself panting and desperately needing fresh air that wasn't held captive by the mask that covered my entire head. My lungs were starting to fail. The Flare was spreading faster than ever. My throat starts to swell, and sweat drips down from the top of my forehead.

I grip onto my launcher a little tighter as I feel an unfamiliar feeling make my arm flinch. Pain immediately follows and my bite my bottom lip to avoid letting out a groan. The virus feeds off the insides of my arm, desperately trying to get into my brain where it will be unstoppable.

I've got to hurry. I have to find Newt and Thomas, wherever they might be. I pick up my pace once bullet sounds disrupt me from my thoughts. Dashing through the corridor, I quickly make it towards the corner. Right beside me I can hear the guns trigger clicking over and over. I take in a deep breath while I lean on the wall. Here goes nothing.

I turn down the new corridor, raising my weapon, trying to find a designated target: anyone who works for WICKED. One of the WICKED guards, not two therefore I shouldn't have to worry about it being Newt or Thomas, stands alone. They immediately spot me and are too slow to pull out their own weapon, that I shoot them down in no time. I rush towards the dead persons body, taking off any weapon that could be useful. I grab their pistol, shoving it down my uniform's pant pocket. The only other useful item I can find is a dagger. I rip it off the dead man's belt and secure it before safely putting the knife in my other pocket. The more protection the better. There's a 100% chance I'll run into the enemies again, so I got to be extra prepared now that they know we're here.

I rise back up to my feet, and pull off my mask for a second, allowing my lungs to get some fresh air. I push back the h/c hairs from my face that somehow managed to come out of my low ponytail. Along with that, I quickly wipe off a pile of sweat from my face before coving myself once more. I grab my launcher with both hands then scan the area, looking for any signs that will inform me of my whereabouts.

Before I can find anything useful, the sirens start to blare once more. The sound of footsteps echo through the facilities halls and my breathing accelerates for what seems like the millionth time in the past hours. I force myself to start jogging down the hall, away from whoever's come for us the invaders.

The sound of bullets behind me grows again and I make the mistake of looking behind me.

Never stop running.
And never look back.

Two mottos us gladers lived by.

I continue to run, even though my legs want to give out beneath me and my lungs feel like they're exploding, but I can't give up now that we're so close to freeing Minho. I quickly turn the corner at the end of the hall, but to my luck, I run into someone. The force was strong enough to push me to the ground and my eyes close for a second. An explosion nearby causes a high pitched ringing to fill my ears. I'm then forced up and pinned to the wall by my shoulders. I finally open my eyes and meet the ones of my attacker.

Thomas? I ask myself, looking at the brunette boy. Is it my mind playing tricks on me? I force myself to blink, trying to focus my eyesight and am shocked to see that it's actually him.

Thomas however shoves me hard against the wall assuming I'm an actual WICKED guard, as he cannot see my face because of the mask.

"Thomas! THOMAS ITS ME!" I desperately shout, pulling off my mask to avoid getting myself accidentally killed.

"YN?!" Thomas let's go of me, and that's when I see my boyfriend Newt standing behind him. "What the hell are you doing here? I was about to kill you!"

"YN?" The accented voice of the blonde boy questions as Thomas removes his hands from my shoulders, stepping back from me.

"Wait, YN?!" A third voice speaks. I peek behind Thomas who still stands in front of me, to find my long lost friend.

"Minho?!" I gasp as I stare at the jet black haired boy. "It's really you!" I shove past the two boys to attack my friend in an embrace. I bury my head in his shoulder and let out a few tears of joy. "I thought I was never going to see you again." I cry, finally being able to hug the boy I called my friend. 6 months, I waited for this moment. We realized in those six months how much we really needed Minho.

"Can't get rid of me that easily," Minho speaks into my shoulder, quoting what he used to tell me back in the glade more than a year ago.

*******