Antidote | A3

c h a p t e r . n i n e t e e n

"Open the lid!" I yelled.

"What?" Leo called back, incredulous.

The thrum of machinery was louder now, and I was certain what I was hearing was a Berg flying low outside, just like when WICKED came to collect Thomas outside the city. With only a minute or so left, that had to be the real safe haven.

"Just do it!" I screamed. "It's a Berg! The safe haven is a Berg!"

Minho launched into action at my words, scrambling to his knees and placing his palms flat on the top of the pod. Leo joined him a second later, the two boys heaving to push the heavy lid up. With a final push in unison, the top flung open, immediately exposing us again to the torrential rain. White shards of lightning still fell from everywhere, lighting up the black sky.

Sure enough, a huge machine was hovering just off the ground, about fifteen metres out from the furthest white pod. It was the same machine that appeared after Thomas got shot. The Berg.

"Clever girl," Newt said, gawking at the Berg as it neared the ground.

"Let's go!" Minho shouted, vaulting over the side of the pod.

I jumped out after him as he took off running. I snuck a glance at my watch, just as it flipped to six o'clock on the dot. I looked back up as the Berg touched down on claw-like landing gear, the huge cargo door in its metal belly opening.

Newt and Leo climbed out behind me and started sprinting after Minho, Newt grabbing my arm to propel me forwards. I took off after them for a few seconds before I faltered, hesitating. There was no-one else standing out here. They must have jumped into pods of their own, like Newt said, as all the lids around me were shut. I needed to warn them. I had to get them all back out.

I sprinted instead over to the nearest pod and started banging on the lid.

"Get out!" I yelled as loud as I could over the noise. "The real safe haven is here!"

A huge bolt of lightning smashed into the ground a little ways behind me, throwing up a plume of smoke. I flinched instinctively, and realised I couldn't stand still for too long. I rushed to the next pod, slamming my fists on that one too.

The boys were long gone up ahead, and I spotted Minho already approaching the cargo door. Good. He'd made it to safety. I just had to make sure everyone else did too.

I darted from box to box, pounding on closed lids and yelling at the top of my lungs. I saw a few blurs of movement pass from behind me, and I whipped my head to spot some girls sprinting flat out towards the Berg.

With a sudden surge of hope that my commotion was working, I ran to the next pod. "Open up!" I yelled. "Get to the Berg!"

I hadn't even moved onto the next one yet before the lid of the pod I was stood by flung open. Thomas, Teresa, Jorge and Brenda stared back at me.

"Get out!" I screamed, my voice already growing hoarse.

They scrambled out of the pod and I took off running for the next one. I had to warn everybody, make sure no-one was left behind. The rain was pelting me from all directions, the violent wind threatening to throw me off balance. I pushed on, unable to afford to stumble. I had a goal to fulfil.

Thomas was following my lead, running over to closed pods and pounding the top of them with his fists, shouting to whoever hid inside. Pods I hadn't even reached yet started to open up around me, filling me with hope.

A hand clamped around my arm suddenly, and Jorge was dragging me away with him.

"Come on!" he barked, and that's when I noticed.