Sanction -Minho-

Chapter 60

"It's a girl." Multiple voices broke out above her. It caused a new wave of fear to take over. She had no idea how many people were out there. "Hi," Newt seemed to come to his senses. "I'm Newt." Grace noticed he had an accent but didn't speak, "it's okay. Nobody's going to hurt you." She stared at him, "let's get you out of this box, okay?"

The memory of her first interaction with Newt replayed in her head. Newt was her first friend in the Glade. The first person she ever trusted.

Grace replayed the memories in her head. Why didn't she go with Thomas instead of Newt? He should have stayed behind with Gally to get the serum. What was she thinking? It never occurred to her. Grace was so worried about Minho that she failed her friend. She failed Newt. He needed her, and she let him down.

Newt was dead, and he wasn't coming back.

Grace never imagined she would lose him too, but she did, just like everyone else in her life.

"Brenda," Jorge screamed in relief at the sight of running with the others. She ran to him, embracing him. Grace was a few feet behind, struggling to keep her footing. Newt was dead, and Thomas had vanished. The city was burning. Everything was falling apart. They had rescued Minho but at a great cost.

"Shit, Grace." Vince ran off the Berg. The girl wasn't expecting him to be here. Her lips parted to question why he was here, but she never had the chance. Vince collided into her in a forceful hug. "I was so worried about you." Grace wasn't sure what to do. Luckily, her body reacted for her. She held onto Vince, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry." Vince could hear the crack in her tone. He only held her tighter.

"Where's Thomas," Jorge questioned.

Brenda shook her head, wiping her nose. "He's gone. We have to find him." They had to find Thomas before the city burned down completely.

"And Newt?" Grace looked at Vince. No words were needed to convey the devastating news of Newt's death. "Shit." Newt was dead. They had left his body behind. He would never see the Safe Haven.

Jorge blinked a few times, glancing a Brenda. All she could do was nod. It confirmed what he already knew. Newt was dead. No matter how many times the sentence went through Grace's mind, it still didn't feel real.

Newt was dead.

How was that possible? Grace had just seen him. Brenda had the serum in her hand. If only they were a few seconds faster, things could have been different. She would never know for sure, and that was the worst part. The what-ifs would remain for eternity.

"Okay, we need to find Thomas," Jorge said. "Everyone on the Berg, now."

Grace stared at the city, watching as it burned. Buildings fell, as did bodies. People were dying. People were already dead. Newt was gone, and Thomas would be soon if they didn't find him.

"Grace," Minho grabbed her shoulders. His voice was distant as if he was far away. "Grace!" Suddenly, she was sucked back into reality. "We have to go. Come on!" Before she could process his words, Minho was dragging her onto the safety of the Berg. They were the last ones on.

"All set," Vince questioned.

"Go," Brenda and Gally yelled at the same time.

The Berg lifted into the air. Grace noticed that all of the children were on board. There were twenty-seven children rescued from WICKED. Twenty-eight including Minho. Grace rushed to the front. She couldn't think about Newt when Thomas was missing. They had to find him before it was too late. "Where is he?"

"I think he went back to the central building-"

"That's where Teresa is," Grace finished for Gally. "He would have gone back to her." It was the only logical explanation as to where he would have gone. There was nothing else connecting him to the city, just her.