𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘- TMR, Minho

006, 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐣𝐨𝐛

The morning sun rose early, blazing hot against the cracked ground, turning the Scorch into an oven. The group packed up their temporary camp, everyone moving with tired precision. Lila was already on her feet, scanning the horizon for any signs of danger while the others prepared for another grueling day of running and surviving.

Minho, as usual, had a grin plastered on his face, despite the harshness of the day ahead. He kept throwing glances at Lila, clearly up to something.

"Alright, people!" he announced to no one in particular. "Time to get moving. We've got another day of fun in the sun."

"'Fun' isn't the word I'd use," Brenda muttered, rolling her eyes as she stuffed her bag with the few supplies they'd managed to scavenge.

Lila remained focused, adjusting the strap of her pack. Her eyes briefly flickered to Minho, then back to the distance, clearly unimpressed by his antics. Minho sauntered over, completely ignoring the heavy tension that filled the air.

"Gorgeous," he said, leaning in with his signature grin, "how about you let me take the lead today? You've been hogging all the dangerous fun."

Lila gave him a flat stare, as if his words hadn't even registered. She turned away, her expression unchanged. "You can take the lead if you want, but try not to get yourself killed."

Minho's grin only widened, clearly not discouraged. "You care about me getting killed? Didn't know I was growing on you."

"You're not," Lila replied, her voice deadpan as she started walking, clearly done with the conversation.

Newt snickered from nearby, watching the exchange with thinly veiled amusement. "How's that working out for you, Minho?"

Minho shrugged, still undeterred. "She'll come around. No one can resist this charm forever."

"Right," Newt said, shaking his head as he adjusted his own pack. "You keep telling yourself that, mate."

The group set off, winding their way through the endless wasteland of the Scorch. The dry air stung their lungs with every breath, and the sun bore down relentlessly. The landscape was desolate, nothing but cracked earth and scattered remnants of what had once been a thriving world.

As the day wore on, they approached what looked like the remnants of an old city, the ruins of skyscrapers rising like broken teeth against the sky. The group paused at the edge of the ruins, everyone instinctively on edge.

"Looks like a Crank hangout," Thomas said quietly, his eyes scanning the eerie silence.

"Great," Minho muttered. "Just what we needed."

Lila stepped forward, her gun at the ready. "Stay sharp. We don't know what's inside, and I'm not in the mood to get ambushed."

Minho, walking beside her, leaned in with a smirk. "You sure you don't need me to play hero? I'm pretty good at it."

"Pretty sure I can handle it," Lila replied coolly, not even glancing his way. "Try not to slow me down."

The group moved cautiously through the ruins, the crumbling structures casting long shadows as they navigated through narrow streets and broken alleyways. Every sound seemed magnified in the silence—the crunch of rubble underfoot, the distant creak of metal, the low whistle of the wind through the decaying buildings.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from one of the buildings nearby, and everyone froze.

"That didn't sound good," Jorge muttered, his grip tightening on his weapon.

From the shadows, a group of Cranks stumbled into view—disheveled, feral, and completely unpredictable. They moved erratically, their wild eyes scanning the area as they let out guttural growls.

"We need to move," Thomas said, his voice urgent. "Now."

The group tried to backtrack, but the Cranks had already spotted them. The creatures charged, their grotesque forms moving with surprising speed. Lila was the first to fire, taking down the closest Crank with a clean shot to the head. The rest of the group quickly followed suit, bullets flying as they tried to hold their ground.

"Fall back!" Newt shouted as more Cranks poured into the street, their numbers overwhelming.

Minho, who had been covering the rear, found himself face-to-face with a particularly aggressive Crank. It lunged at him, its mouth open in a twisted snarl. Minho barely had time to react, stumbling backward and trying to get his weapon up.

Before he could aim, a gunshot rang out, and the Crank dropped at his feet. Minho blinked in surprise, looking up to see Lila standing a few feet away, her gun still smoking.

"Try not to get yourself killed, Hotshot," she said, her voice cool and calm. "I can't save you every time."

Minho gave her a lopsided grin, still catching his breath. "I think I'm in love."

Lila rolled her eyes and reloaded her gun. "That's your problem, not mine."

They regrouped quickly, pushing through the narrow streets as the Cranks continued to swarm. Lila moved with practiced precision, her aim steady as she took down the creatures one by one. Minho, despite his earlier brush with death, couldn't resist sneaking glances at her between shots.

The group finally managed to find cover inside an old, partially collapsed building. They barricaded the entrance, everyone breathing heavily as they regrouped.

"Well, that was fun," Brenda said sarcastically, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"Define 'fun,'" Newt replied, leaning against the wall. "Because that wasn't it."

Minho, still catching his breath, glanced over at Lila, his usual grin back in place. "You know, Gorgeous, I think you saved my life back there."

Lila, without missing a beat, replied, "Don't get used to it."

Minho chuckled, clearly not put off by her cold demeanor. "I'll take it as a win."

"Of course you will," Lila muttered, rolling her eyes but not denying it. She holstered her gun and turned her attention to the rest of the group. "We need to keep moving. There are probably more Cranks nearby, and I don't feel like staying here any longer than necessary."

As they prepared to move out, Minho sidled up next to her, still grinning. "So, is 'Gorgeous' growing on you yet?"

Lila gave him a sidelong glance, her expression unreadable. "Call me that again, and you'll find out how fast I can shoot."

Minho laughed, clearly unfazed. "I'll take that as a maybe."

The group set off again, the ruins of the city stretching out before them like a maze of forgotten nightmares. Despite the danger, the constant threat of Cranks, and WCKD's relentless pursuit, one thing was clear—Lila wasn't just surviving the Scorch. She was thriving in it.

And Minho? Well, he wasn't going to let a few threats of violence stop him from trying to charm the most dangerous woman he'd ever met.