Defier - The Scorch Trials (Book 2)

Chapter 39: Attacked

Thomas came sprinting out of his hiding place, holding the explosive high above his head.

"Everyone, stand back!" Thomas screamed again. Swinging the explosive around.

"Stand back!"

Soldiers panicked, guns were flailing, everyone was yelling. It was chaos. No one wanted to pull a trigger, in case it set off the explosive Thomas was flailing around.

"Is this the plan?" Minho yelled, throwing off the guard holding him.

"Well...we came up with a plan, we tried to execute the plan. Honestly I expect the plan to go off the rails...now we just throw away the plan. I think we're in-between off the rails and throw it away! We're wiggling it now!" Alex yelled back, she swung her elbow back into the soldier holding her, he finally backed up, holding his bloody nose.

Minho rolled his eyes, "ya sounds about right."

"Hold your fire!" Janson called.

"Everyone, stand back!" Thomas screamed, creeping closer to Alex, and the guys at the front.

"Hold your fire!" Janson called again, trying to get his men under control.

Alex noticed Captain Ronin was standing back, not doing anything, his gun hung loosely in his hands at his side. He wasn't yelling orders either.

"Stand back. Let 'em go." Thomas yelled.

"Thomas, put it down!" Ava called desperately. She had spun back around when Thomas came screaming and sprinting.

"Let 'em all go!" Thomas bellowed, his body coiled and tense.

"Tommy!" Alex yelled, "When I said blow shit up, I didn't mean us!" Alex screamed, throwing her hands up in the air, exasperated.

"You know I can't do that, I can't let them go!" Ava yelled, panicking.

"Thomas. Please. Stop." Teresa called, her body didn't move, her eyes staring straight ahead, it was very unsettling. "I made a deal with them. They promised we'd be safe. All of us." She continued in a monitored robotic voice.

"It's true. It was her only condition." Ava added, trying to reason.

"SHUT UP!" Alex yelled rounding on Ava, "you have no right! How is she supposed to make a deal when you can shucken control her!"

"How are we supposed to be safe when you shoot people in cold blood?" Newt yelled at Ava, gesturing to Mary laying on the ground in a pool of blood.

"Everything can go back to the way it was. Thomas..." Ava tried a different tactic, she tried the gentle gas lighting approach. Thomas was still holding the explosive out in one hand and his thumb over the trigger.

"Do you really want all of them to die?" Ava nodded to all the kids lined up, some being held by soldiers, some were slowly inching away from WICKED soldiers.

"Think about what you're doing." Ava had taken another step forward trying the guilt trip on him. It seemed to work for a moment, because Thomas hesitated. He quickly glanced at the kids around him. Alex met Minho's eyes. In a silent split second conversation, they agreed.

"We're with you, Thomas." Minho called.

His eyes never leaving Alex's determined ones. He laced his fingers with her and they stepped over to stand beside Thomas. They turned to face Ava and Janson. The rest of the soldiers slowly backed up, they didn't feel like getting blown up. Newt and Frypan also moved over towards Thomas.

"No." Ava whispered, "Don't!"

"Do it, Thomas!" Alex encouraged gently, "I'd rather be blown to pieces then go back with them!"