Sanction -Minho-

Chapter 50

Grace slipped through the shadows of the buildings, eyes searching for her friends. If she knew Thomas well enough, he would wait until most people were asleep to make it easier. She had at least an hour before Vince left his post to sleep. That was who Thomas was avoiding the most.

She moved around a corner, noticing Frypan and Newt. Luckily, it was just the two of them. There was nobody else around. "Hey," Grace moved quickly. "Pack your bags."

"What?" Frypan was already in bed. "Why?"

Newt tilted his head to the side. "Grace," he began. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that Thomas is an idiot." That surprised both of them. "He's going after Minho alone. I think the three of us make his chances of survival a little bit better." Grace loved Thomas, but he couldn't survive on his own. He needed them, whether he wanted to admit that or not.

Newt glanced at Frypan, who was already getting out of bed. "I knew it." He knew Thomas would try to go after Minho alone. He wasn't the type of person to give up. "Okay, we'll pack a bag."

"He'll take the car after Vince leaves his post."

Frypan rubbed the sleep from his eyes, knowing it would be a long night. "Great." The two boys grabbed their bags, stuffing their belongings inside.

"I'll meet you guys back here." Grace needed to get her stuff. "Then we can go."

As she turned away, Newt grabbed her arm. "Hey," his voice was low. "Thank you."

"For what?"

He shrugged. "Not leaving without us."

She smiled at him. It was a genuine smile. "I'd never leave without you, Newt."

That brought him a lot of comfort. "Good. Get your stuff. We're going to get that stupid Shank." She let out a laugh, not bothering to respond. Quickly, she slipped out of the room and walked down the hallway.

Today had been hard. After six months of planning, they had failed in their plan to save Minho. But at the same time, if they had rescued Minho, Aris and Sonya would have been left behind. Nobody would have gone to rescue them. Harriet would have wanted to, but she was too loyal to Vince to disobey him.

Grace got into her room. Harriet wasn't there, but Brenda was. She slept silently, her arm draped over her eyes. For a moment, she thought about waking her. But she didn't. Brenda wasn't immune. If anything happened to her, she would never be able to forgive herself. She wasn't as close with Minho. They had only known each other for a few days.

Grace didn't want anything to happen to her. So, she didn't wake her. Instead, she silently packed a bag full of things she could possibly need. Water. Food. Two changes of clothes. Socks. Her hands were trembling. This was not going to be easy. They  had hundreds of miles to cover, and there was still a chance the city was run down. Minho could be somewhere else, but it was a risk they had to take.

Once she had all of her items, she stood up. Grace knew Brenda would be upset with her choice to leave her behind, but it was for her protection. Thomas was right when he said they had lost too much. Grace slung her bag over her shoulder and slipped out of the room.

However, she barely made it ten feet when someone spoke. "You're leaving?" It was Harriet.

The blonde girl instantly froze. She turned slowly. "Harriet-"

"I'll come with-"

"No, no." Grace didn't want that. It wasn't worth the risk. "Vince doesn't need to hate both of us."

Harriet playfully glared at her. "He could never hate you. He cares about you." The two had gotten close after Minho was taken, but the trust they had built would be broken the moment she left. "Do you have to do this?"

"Yeah," she whispered. "I have to get him back." If it were her, she knew Minho would do anything to save her. "Keep Vince busy, okay?" Harriet nodded, placing a hand on Grace's cheek. "We'll be back in a week. I understand if you can't wait for us-"

"We'll wait," she promised. "I'm not letting that boat leave without you." Grace smiled at her. She knew Harriet was telling the truth. "Be careful, okay?"

"I will." Harriet hugged her, and she hugged back. They held each other for a moment but had to let go. There wasn't much time. "I'll be back soon."

"I know."

She stepped back, vanishing in the shadows. Harriet placed a hand over her mouth, unsure if she should allow Grace to leave without her. However, she had to stay and convince Vince to wait.

Grace rushed back to her friends, finding them exactly where she expected. "Hey," Frypan said. "You ready?"

"Yeah," she confirmed. "Let's go wait for Thomas."

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

Grace sat on the car's hood, playing with her fingers as they waited in the dark. It was Newt's idea to wait in the dark. She thought it was a bit dramatic, but he didn't want to alert Thomas. It worked. Thomas jogged up the stairs about thirty minutes later with a bag. "Where do you think you're going?" Newt flipped on the light. Grace did the same. He seemed surprised to see the two of them.

Thomas's shoulders dropped in defeat. "Newt." He knew Grace must have told him.

"Don't be twat about it." Newt walked toward him. "I'm already in." He grabbed Thomas's bag and walked back toward the vehicle. Grace slipped off the hood, dusting off her pants. "Come on."

"No," Thomas said. "Not this time." He didn't want them coming. Newt put the bag in the back seat. "Even if we find Minho, there is no guarantee we make it back from this."

Newt didn't care. None of them did. "Well, you'll need all the help you can get, right?" He opened the driver's door, revealing Frypan. Thomas scoffed, shaking his head. He should have known better. Grace smirked, crossing her arms. "We started this together," Newt said. "We might as well end it that way too."

Thomas nodded before he spoke. Grace was relieved that he was allowing them to accompany him. Even if he said no, they would go anyway. Minho meant a lot to all of them. "Okay," he said. "Let's go get him back." Newt crawled into the back seat. Thomas glanced at his sister, who offered him a comforting smile. She then got in the back seat of the car with Newt. Thomas got in the passenger seat. Once they were all set, Frypan began driving. He waited until they were outside of the compound before turning on the lights.

As they drove into the unknown, Grace could only hope that this time, they were able to save Minho. But this time, she wasn't sure what was waiting for them when they returned.