Sanction -Minho-

Chapter 37

They woke before the sun rose over the horizon. They walked in silence through the desert. The wind wasn't nearly as bad, but Grace kept the scarf over her head to block out the sun. Every step hurt. Her leg muscles were tight. They ached in ways she didn't know were possible. She was thirsty but had no more water.

Thomas was determined to keep going. They never stopped for breaks. Grace never complained, mostly because she didn't have the energy. The silence gave her a lot of time to think. That was the problem she was having. Thinking made her feel worse. She thought about her dead friends and the creatures that chased them.

They walked until it grew dark. Finally, Thomas decided to stop. They were all thankful for that and dropped onto the hard desert floor. There was no place to find shelter, so they laid on the ground. They couldn't make a fire either. Grace used her bag as a pillow and fell asleep almost instantly. Teresa and Frypan followed closely behind. Newt couldn't get comfortable on the hard floor. He decided to use his bag as a pillow as well, which helped. Minho couldn't stop the constant flow of thoughts running through his head. So, he stared at the sleeping girl beside him, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest. Soon, he fell asleep. Last was Thomas, who took his time falling asleep in the unknown area.

The group slept close together. Grace was curled into herself, hands tucked under her head. Minho was closest to her. Newt's feet were by her head. "Hey, hey," Thomas said as he woke up. "Newt," he tapped his leg. The blond jolted awake. "Get up. Aris, Minho, Grace, get up." Grace sat up quickly, panic rushing through her. For a moment, she thought something was wrong. "Come on, get up. I see something." She rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"What is it?" Minho's voice was rough. He had just woken up.

"See that." Thomas pointed forward. There were lights in the mountains. Lights meant people. "Lights."

"We made it." Thunder cracked the sky. The sound caught them by surprise, and they all flinched. A storm was approaching quickly. Lighting struck the ground. "Let's go. Go. We need to go." Grace grabbed her bag and threw it over her shoulders. "Let's go!" Lighting struck the ground, this time closer.

They took off in a sprint towards the lights. Grace had newfound energy to escape the lighting. They ran quickly through the desert in a desperate attempt to find shelter. The sky would brighten every time there was a lightning strike. The thunder was loud, almost deafening. There was a lighting strike to her left, meaning the storm had caught up with them. "Go," Thomas screamed. There was more lighting.

"Hurry," Teresa cried. The two girls were running side by side. The building was getting closer. They were nearly there. "Run!"

Grace's feet slammed against the ground. The last thing she wanted was to be struck by lighting. The storm was entirely over their heads now. Lighting hit the ground in front of them. Grace stumbled into Teresa. The girl helped her regain her balance. "Keep going," Thomas yelled over the thunder. At this point, the lighting was all around them. Their best chance was inside the building. "Let's go! Come on!" There was a lighting strike near Newt, but he kept going.

"We're getting closer," Minho shouted.

Grace looked up at the sky. They passed a few abandoned cars and boxes as they approached the building. Because of all the obstacles, the group spread out. Grace went with Newt, Aris, and Frypan one way while the rest ran around the other side. They ended up ahead of the others. "Just get inside," Thomas instructed. They shouldn't have to wait for them.

"Go!"

"Hurry!" There was a crashing noise behind them.

Grace pushed away from the boys and sprinted towards the doors. She wanted to get the doors open for the others. "Minho!" The agony in Thomas's voice caused Grace to slide to a stop. She spun around, eyes wide as she saw Minho. He was lying on the ground, smoke coming off his body. He appeared to have been struck by lighting.