pretty eyes ~ newt

chapter 18: bertha!!

"if it all ended tomorrow, would i be the one on your mind?"
intro (end of the world), ariana grande
—

"THOMAS!" Newt and I immediately whip our heads toward the scream, recognizing it at once as Minho's voice.

We both exchange a brief look of understanding, before hurriedly pushing through the thick hordes of people in the direction of Minho's scream. Newt takes my hand once more as he leads the way, weaving in and out of the oblivious crowd. I grip it tightly, keeping my eyes on his mop of blonde hair as my blood starts to pump with adrenaline. He flicks his gaze toward me every few seconds to check that I'm still there, eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"Newt—the guards," I mutter in his ear, realizing that they'll have heard the scream too. "We better take them out first, otherwise they might call for reinforcements."

His eyes widen in realization when he processes my words, nodding in agreement.

"Shit. Yeah, you're right. We'll keep an eye out for them then," Newt lets out an anxious breath, eyes darting around the packed room for our friends. I read his expression without a word, squeezing his hand in reassurance. We keep moving through the crowds of people, the obnoxious music starting to make my head pound.

"There's too many damn people in here..." I hiss in annoyance, inwardly cursing this party for being so crowded. But Newt perks up a second later, nudging me quickly.

"There," he murmurs, nodding at the two WCKD guards we had seen earlier.

My eyes narrow at them, jaw tightening in anticipation. "Alright, you stay here Newt. I'll go and take them out real quick—cover for me, will you?"

He frowns at me immediately. "Isa, you sure you wanna go alone? I can come with you."

"Nah, it's safer if I go alone. I still have my dagger with me, I'll be fine Newt," I nod at him, giving him a small grin. "Besides, you're unarmed. I just need you to watch my back."

He nods reluctantly, giving me his familiar smile in return. "Okay, okay. Just be safe Isa."

I give him a nod and a playful salute as I sneak off, sliding my knife from its usual spot on my waist. Fingering the hilt restlessly, I keep my eyes on the pair of guards as they chat idly to each other. The party-goers leave a wide circle around them, noticeably avoiding the two guards. I tail them closely, listening in to their hushed conversation out of curiosity.

"I can't believe we're still searching for those fucking kids," one of them mutters, and I roll my eyes to myself. It's your own fault for being so easily thrown off, dickhead.

"Tell me about it. Janson just needs to let it go at this point," the other agrees, nodding sullenly.

"How the fuck have we not caught them yet, anyways? They're like, teenagers. They're not even grown adults for god's sake," the first one spits bitterly. "Little shits."

I run my tongue across my teeth, starting to get impatient. Taking another silent step closer to them, I tap one of the guard's shoulders lightly. He turns around in surprise, and I see his eyes widen in shock when he recognizes my face.

"Hey! Aren't you—"

"Bingo. Hey there, you fucking piece of shit." I cut him off quickly, a faint smirk playing on my lips. He only sputters at me, panic twisting his features, and my lips curls in disdain.