Sanction -Minho-

Chapter 40

Grace gripped the flashlight tightly as she followed Thomas through the tunnel. Her body's hunched over in an uncomfortable position. A moment later, they exit the tunnel. Grace jumped out, a soft thud echoing down the corridor. They entered a new tunnel. This one was taller than the last. The walls were covered in different words, all in different fonts and colors.

"I think it's this way," Brenda said. Although, she didn't sound too sure. Grace had no idea where they are, but she trusted Brenda to guide them. All she wanted was to get back to the others, to get back to Minho.

"You think?" Thomas glanced at Grace, waiting for her input.

"What choice do we have?" None. The answer was none. This was their only option.

They started walking down the tunnel. Grace used the flashlight to guide herself. She was calmer now, more clear-headed, but she was still afraid. Being separated from her closest friends, not knowing what happened to them, terrified her. What if Wicked got them? What if Minho ran back towards the building after realizing they weren't coming down the zipline and died in the explosion? What if they stayed back to wait for them instead of looking for Marcus? There were so many what-if questions running through her mind.

Since leaving the Glade, she had lost a lot. Clint and Jeff were dead. They weren't coming back. Grace tried not to think about him, but it was hard. She thought about their smiles. The way they would joke around in the Med-Jack when days were slow. She was always a bit closer with Jeff, but she loved them equally. They were her best friends.

"Do people live down here?" Thomas asked after a while. Grace automatically thought no, but doubted herself.

"The solar storms forced people underground," Brenda explained to them. "Jorge said there are settlements all over the tunnels."

"What about Jorge? Is he your father?"

Grace stayed silent as they walked. "Close enough." It was cold underground. "Honestly, I don't know what he is. I just know that he has always been there." She paused, "I have always done what he has asked of me. No matter how stupid."

Thomas and Grace glanced at each other. "You don't think the Right Arm is real?" Before Brenda could answer, something behind them screeched. The three of them turn around, shining their flashlights down the passage.

"I think," Brenda kept walking. "Hope is a dangerous thing." Unfortunately, Grace agreed with her. Hope could be dangerous. It could be disappointing. "Hope has killed more of my friends than the Scorch and the Flare combined." She kept her head down. "I thought Jorge was smarter than that."

The group arrived at a divide—the passage split into six separate tunnels. "Shit," Grace whispered at the sight.

"Damn." Brenda seemed conflicted.

Thomas studied the area with his flashlight. There were several choices, each with a variety of outcomes. They didn't have time to pick the wrong tunnel. Their friends could be in trouble. Grace went with Thomas, not wanting to be separated from his side. She trusted him the most.

Staring down the tunnel, she noticed a bit of light. Light meant an exit, or so she hoped. It also meant it wasn't nighttime anymore. Grace had no idea how long they had been separated from the others. Her guess was a few hours. "I think it's this way."

There was silence. Grace turned around, but Brenda was nowhere to be seen. "Brenda?" Where had she gone?

"Brenda?"

"Over here." Hearing her voice relaxed her. The two walked around a corner. "Look at this." The short-haired girl was standing in another passage.

"What is it?" They weren't sure what they were seeing. It appeared to be something growing on the walls. Brenda used her flashlight to follow the unknown entity. Grace trailed behind her, unsure of how this was relevant to finding the others. Following some unknown, black, viney substance was on the bottom of her priority list.