Sanction -Minho-

Chapter 41

They used a staircase on the outside of the building to climb down. Grace struggled a bit. Her body was disoriented, and her mind felt clouded. She also felt tired, far more tired than she ever had before. But there wasn't time to slow down. They needed to find the others and get to the Right Arm, who Grace believed were real. They had to be real. There was no backup plan if they weren't. The Right Arm was their only option.

They had to be real.

Grace climbed down the last few steps, her body hunching over. "Hey," Thomas placed a hand on her back. "You okay?" All she could do was give him a thumbs up. "Come on." They had to keep going. As Grace prepared to complain, Brenda sat down. She grabbed a bandage from her bag. "You okay?" The question was now directed at Brenda.

Grace stood up, wiping the sweat and fresh blood off her forehead. She watched as Brenda rolled up her pant leg, revealing a bite mark. "Shit." One of the creatures had bit her.

"Brenda," Thomas breathed. Grace began to realize what that meant. She could become like Winston. The injury he sustained spread like a disease through his body.

"Yeah, yeah. I know." She was clearly scared of what that meant for her. Brenda wrapped the bandage around the injury. "We need to find Marcus." That was the plan. Grace watched as the girl stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Okay." Without speaking further on the subject, they began walking. Thomas kept an eye on both the girls. They had both been injured in two very different ways, and he worried about them. If the others were gone, then they were all he had. He was closer with Grace, naturally. They had a history that stemmed past the Maze. Although, neither of them was sure what that meant. The question Thomas wanted answered was, how did they know each other?

Grace found herself thinking of Minho. She felt ridiculous. She was dependent on him. Being away from him terrified her. Every time they were apart, something happened. She hopes he's alive. Grace wonders if Minho's worried about her. Of course, she misses all of the others, but Minho was different. She cared for him beyond words. She loved him. But most importantly, she felt safe with him.

They exited the alley, venturing into an area full of people. There was a street between the large buildings. It was full of tents. It seemed to be a housing development of sorts. "Try and blend in," Brenda instructed them.

It was going to be hard for them. Everything they had seen since leaving the Maze was new. This was normal for Brenda, but not them. All of the Gladers lost their memories. Grace could be from this area and not even know it. That thought terrified her.

"Come on." Thomas gently nudged her forward. She had gotten lost in her thoughts, again. Grace walked forward, staying close to Thomas's side. There were lots of people, all different ages. There were even a few children. It was hard to understand what she was seeing. Why wasn't WICKED going after them? Why were they here? Everything was confusing. It didn't help that Grace had sustained some sort of head injury.

They walked until they reached a building. There was a giant red banner that said Zone A. Grace had no idea what that meant. The building was the most popular. Everyone was younger. A lot of the women were walking around half-naked and in heels. Grace couldn't imagine they were comfortable.

The group continued to keep their heads down. It was easier that way. "Are you sure this is the place?" Thomas was following Brenda's lead. This seemed like an odd place for Jorge to be.

"Are you here for the party," someone asked from behind. Grace flinched, glancing at the woman behind them. She was older, taller, and blonde.

"No," Brenda responds. "We are looking for someone. Marcus. This is his place, right?"

"This is my place," a man says. The woman pushed the three forward. Grace inspected the new man. He was older as well, with heavy smudged makeup, blond hair, and an open shirt.

"Are you Marcus?" Grace stared at the man hopefully. Marcus was their only connection to the Right Arm and their friends.

"Marcus doesn't live here anymore," the man explained.

That confused them. "Well, where can we find him," Grace questioned.

"He's over in Zone B."

Thomas raised an eyebrow. "What's Zone B?"

"That's where they burn the bodies," the woman whispers as her fingers trail over Thomas's shoulder. She seemed to have taken an interest in him.

That meant Marcus was dead. They needed him. "Okay." Thomas licked his lips. "Okay. Has anyone else been by here searching for him?" He was talking about the others. "A group of kids around our age. They would have had a girl with them. Dark hair."

The man closed his eyes, searching his mind. Grace leaned closer, eager to hear if Minho was there. "You know what," he pointed at them. "I think they might be inside." He pulled something out of his jacket. "Here." He opened the bottle and held it out for Thomas. "Drink this?"

Grace didn't want to drink the unknown liquid. "What is it?"

"The price of admission." None of them moved. This was unknown. Anything could be in the liquid. "Drink it!" Brenda took the bottle, taking a sip. She pulled it away from her lips and gagged. Grace grabbed the bottle and took a sip without thinking. She was desperate to find Minho. The liquid was bitter but burned at the same time. Once she was done, it was Thomas's turn. "Your turn." He was still hesitant, but he wanted to find the others.

As he lifted the bottle, the blonde woman pushed it higher, making him drink more. Grace prepared to stop her, but she let go. The man laughed, wrapping his arms around them. "Okay," he said. "You three, enjoy the party." He shoved them forward.

Grace stumbled through the curtain into the room. There was darkness surrounding them and then a second curtain. As they walked inside, Grace was shocked by what she saw. There was music and people dancing. Both the men and woman were half-naked. "We should split up," Brenda declares. "See if we can find the others that way." Grace blinks a few times, feeling more disoriented than before. "Hey." Brenda placed a hand on Thomas's shoulder. "Don't drink anything else."

Grace walked away from them without saying a word. She ventured through the bodies, ignoring the pulsing of her heart. Everything was blurry, and her body felt heavy. It wasn't a feeling she enjoyed. It was uncomfortable and warm. She struggled to remain focused. Find Minho, she would repeat in her head. Find your friends, she kept thinking. They had to be here. This was the only place they could be.

Unless they stayed at the destroyed building, hoping Thomas and Grace would return. She started to doubt that they were here at all. This could have been a mistake. Marcus was dead. He was their ticket to the Right Arm. Without him, they would never make it. Grace laughed in her delirious state. If they weren't here, she would never see them again. 

She would never see Minho again.

As she ventured around the building, she realized that they weren't here. None of them were here. It was just the three of them, drugged in a random man's building. Grace realized how stupid they were. They drank an unknown liquid that was clearly laced, all in an effort to find their friends, who weren't even here. If she was thinking clearly, she would have known it was a trick. Minho would never have drank the liquid and entered the building. He was smarter than that.

But Minho was gone. Everyone was gone. They were on their own. Grace threw her hand back, taking a deep breath. She couldn't find the Right Arm with Minho. She didn't want to.

The bodies around her started getting heavier. Grace turned around, trying to break free. In front of her was Marcus. He laughed hysterically. She tripped over her feet, trying to find either Brenda or Thomas. "Brenda," she shouted, but the music was too loud. "Thomas."

"Grace." She spun around, coming face to face with Jeff.

Seeing him was a shock. "Jeff?" The world started to get blurrier. It became harder to see, but she pushed through. "Jeff." He was gone, but someone else had taken his place. It was Chuck. "Chuck?"

"Grace." Someone grabbed her arm. The blonde stopped walking, turning to look at the person. It was Brenda. "Grace." The words were slurred.

"I think," she began. "I think-" but no words came out. Grace fell forward as the doors to the building flew open.