Sanction -Minho-

Chapter 32

"Alice. Barry. Walt. Edgar. Samantha." Janson read the list of names, but Grace wasn't listening. Thomas had just told them how a boy named Aris had dragged him out of bed last night. They crawled through air vents together, and he showed Thomas something interesting. It seemed Thomas saw bodies going behind a sealed door, a place he couldn't enter.

"I need to know what's behind the door," Thomas muttered. Grace glanced at him. She understood why he was hesitant to trust this place.

"Thomas," Newt began. "We've already been through this. You don't know what you saw." Most of them didn't want to believe it. They couldn't afford to believe it. That meant this place was an illusion. They weren't safe. "They were covered up. You don't know what you saw. It could have been anything." Janson was still calling out names.

Grace placed her elbows on the table, her head resting on her palm. She believed Thomas. So far, he hadn't been wrong. "I know what I saw. They were bodies." Minho leaned closer. "Aris said they bring them in every night like clockwork."

"Who the hell is Aris," Minho questioned. Thomas pointed behind him. They all turned around. The boy, Aris, was the same one that David and Riley pointed out the day before. He had been there the longest. He was inspecting a piece of bread. "Well, I'm sold."

"Why are we even arguing about this," Grace snapped. "Thomas knows what he saw."

Thomas glanced at her. "Thanks, Grace."

Everyone began clapping. "Thank you," Janson said. "Enjoy the rest of your evening." With that, he left with a group of kids. Grace began to grow fearful for them. If Thomas was right, those kids were not going to a farm. They weren't actually leaving.

"Okay," Newt decided. "Until we know for sure, we should keep our heads down. Let's try not to draw any attention ourselves." Thomas slammed his hands against the table as he stood up, walking towards the doors.

"Thomas?" Grace didn't know what he was doing.

"What is he doing?"

"I think he's drawing attention to himself," Frypan muttered.

Thomas tried to follow the group out the doors discretely. Grace knew his plan was never going to work. He rubbed his forehead, keeping his head down. One of the guards stopped him. They couldn't hear the conversation, but they all watched carefully.

There were two guards, both eyeing Thomas cautiously. It didn't seem to be a friendly conversation. They looked angry with the young boy. Thomas turned around. Grace thought he had given up. She was wrong. Suddenly, he spun around and attempted to get through. Instantly, the group reacted. They all jumped out of their seats and ran to stop the fight. "What the hell is your problem," Thomas screamed at the man.

"Back off!" The man shoved him. Minho and Newt were quick to grab onto Thomas. Grace watched as Janson ran towards them.

"Why won't you let me see her?" Thomas wanted to see Teresa. The group hadn't seen her since the previous day.

"You need to control him!"

Janson shoved past the guards. "What's going on here?" He seemed agitated. "Thomas, I thought we could trust each other?" Thomas had calmed down, and the others released him. Grace watched Janson closely. There was something about him that made her uncomfortable. Janson placed a hand on his shoulder. "We are on the same team."

Thomas looked him in the eyes. "Are we?"

Grace noticed the twitch in Janson's lip and the anger that appeared in his eyes. There was a brief silence. "Get them to their bunks."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were not gentle when they tossed Grace into her room. She hit the ground hard, the air momentarily leaving her lungs. The girl laid there for a moment, staring at the ceiling. "Hi." The voice was unknown.