The Wounded Healer

Chapter 8: Cranks

The Gladers all came sprinting out of the room into the open area. Every head was spinning. Teresa, Nick, Sonny and Jeff came sprinting over to Newt and Evelyn.

"What's going on?"

"GO! RUN! GO!"

Everyone spun towards the yelling. Thomas was screaming and waving his hands.

"RUN!"

"GO! What are you waiting for?"  Minho screamed, passing Thomas, sprinting straight for Teresa.

Evelyn's mind unfroze. She whipped around looking for a way out. Her eyes landed on the broken escalators.

"There! Go!" She pointed.

No one was moving, too busy staring at the oncoming mondters. Evelyn grabbed Sonny by the shirt and spun him around and shoved him harshly.

"Go!" She screamed.

He snapped his eyes to her finally, shaking his head slightly.

"Go!" She yelled again, pointing to the stairs, "lead them up!"

He nodded and started shoving the guys. Evelyn kept shoving guys, slowly they all shook their head and started sprinting after Sonny.

"Come on Eve!" Newt yelled. He grabbed her hand and pulled her, they tore after the Gladers as Minho and Thomas caught up.

"What did you guys do?" Teresa screamed.

"Just told them I had better hair!" Minho snarked.

"True. But now the neighbors are pissed!" She yelled back.

"What are those things?" Clint yelled from the middle of the group.

"Cranks." Evelyn answered.

The group had to split into two to get up the escalators. They also had to slow down to fit up the narrow stairs.

"Watch out! Watch out!" Thomas yelled.

A crank had caught up to them. Evelyn heard a scream from the crank. She felt its presence right behind her. She could smell it, sweat and rotting meat. She was shoving Chuck up the stairs as fast as his legs would go. She wasn't going to leave him.

"Go, go, go!" She urged.

They were half way up the stairs. The crank swiped at her, catching her ankle. She fell with a scream.

"Mom!"

"Go!" She screamed.

The crank screamed in triumph and tried to scramble higher. Evelyn rolled over. Trying desperately to grab any of the two weapons she scrounged. The crank was faster, he kept on to her. Evelyn threw her hands up to shield her face.

As she did so she felt the cranks weight kift off her with a wild yell. Sonny had picked up the crank and chucked it over the rail.

"Sonny!" Evelyn gasped.

"Come on!" He grabbed her and hulled her to her feet and shoved her up the stairs.

"Go! Run!"

Evelyn and Sonny made it to the group who had stopped runn and watched.

"Keep going!" She screamed.

"Where?" Nick yelled.

"Up! Keep going up!" Teresa yelled, pointing at the next set of elevators.

"Gotta get out! That means up and find a door to outside!" Evelyn screamed, shoving the guys again.

Minho and Thomas and Teresa took off leading the group. The guys followed. Sonny at the back ushering everyone forwards. Newt grabbed Evelyn's had again, pulling. The crowd of cranks kept growing. They were screaming and calling, crawling up the stairs and defying all laws of gravity and physics and climbed the walls.