Destroyer - The Death Cure (Book 3)

Chapter 32: Shuck

#sorry...not sorry...

**EMOTIONAL DAMAGE**

The five Gladers ran in a clump, as fast as Newt could go, out of the WICKED grounds and into the city. They ran and stumbled down a few back allies. Cop cars, WICKED armor trucks, and every available Guard and soldier were out crawling the streets.

Twice they were cut off by a guard or two. Both times Alex flew at them. She had no weapon but that didn't stop her. She was the weapon, the WICKED trained elite soldier, the Right Arm mission leader and the defender and protecter of her family.

The guard shot her with his electricity gun, giving her that boost. She leapt at him with a feral scream, her body full of dancing blue sparks. She tackled him to the ground. The guard dropped to the ground twitching and screaming, the electricity transferred to him. Alex rolled off and came up on her knees, spun around to face him. She didn't pause. She didn't blink, she grabbed his head and in a swift fluid movement she broke his neck. His screamd stopped abruptly and his body went still. Alex grabbed his knife from his belt and stood up.

She turned back to the boys who stood shoulder to shoulder, staring mouths open.

"Wholly Shuck."

They all said in unison. But they all said it with different meanings and facial expressions. Thomas and Newt both had a mixture of terror and unease. They knew what she was capable of, having seen little bits of it during Right Arm Intel missions and raids. Gally looked shooked but impressed. While Minho looked both proud and turned on.

A loud explosion broke the stunned silence.

They ran another block, only to be stopped by a small group of soilders. Again Alex leapt forward, not hesitating to throw her body into harms way. But this time Gally was beside her and shot two of the guards and Minho was on her other side taking out another. Alex quickly slit their throats.

"Should have let me do that." Minho panted through his ragged breathing.

"I already have blood on my hands. What's a few more?" She spat bitterly. "You've never taken a human life up close and personal before. It changed you. I'm already shucked up. No need for you to be too." She finished flatly.

She could see Minho's eye twitch just slightly, while his jaw clamped shut.

"Come on! We need to go!" Thomas yelled. Newt had started caughing and couldn't catch his breath, Thomas was pretty much carrying him at this point.

Alex grabbed Minho's hand and pulled him, they would have to try work through whatever mind glitch he was having on the run, while also trying to get Newt to the tunnels before he fully cranked out.

The group rounded another corner and came out onto a main street a building exploded, followed by a second and third one. The buildings rained debris and chunks of stone and metal everywhere. The street was swarming with WICKED soldiers and guards, all firing at what appeared to be armed civilians.

"We're supposed to take down WICKED, not the whole damn city!" Gally stopped dead and looked around in shock. His fists clenched and unclenched.

Something hit the parked car in front of them and it exploded, making the group dive for cover.

"HEY! STAY LOW! STAY LOW!" Thomas called, ducking his head.

"No shuck Sherlock!" Alex called back.

Minho was starting to smack his forehead now, and growl from the back of his throat.

"Gally, come on! We gotta keep going!"

Gally was still staring at the damage done by the resistance group he said he was a part of. Thomas was pulling his arm.