Nepenthe (TMR FF) UNDER EDITING

Chapter 40

{A/N. Can we just cry about how cute Thomas and Emma's relationship is?}

Thomas ran towards the cliff, followed by Teresa and Chuck, who had to pull me forward in order to get me unfrozen. My blood pumped through my veins and my vision went blurry with tears. We could die. There's no going back anymore. I can't just run back to the Glade and hope that I won't get taken. I can't go back now. I needed to fight. I needed to swallow my emotions and suck it up. I needed to be strong, for Chuck...I needed to be strong for me.

I tried to ignore the war that raged around us, squeezing my eyes shut to forget the images of my friends fighting slimy, metal machines. I couldn't stand to see any of them die, not after what we've all been through. I just had to close my eyes and run. I couldn't bare to see any more bloodshed.

No one had told me anything. I was basically running in blind, even if my eyes had been open. Thomas had told me something about a code, the code we needed to escape. It probably would have been helpful to tell me the code, but I guess we'd run out of time. It wouldn't have made me feel any better anyway. It would just put more pressure on me; more expectations. Right now, all I had to worry about was running, and protecting Chuck.

The cliff was merely metres ahead of us now, maybe a couple dozen more steps. Shrieks echoed around us and I Teresa let out a whimper, as something sliced her leg. I couldn't tell if it was a Glader who had missed his target, or a Griever hitting his, but it still looked pretty bad.

Suddenly a scream shattered through the air, and in that moment, I knew a Glader was about to lose a life. I made an effort to turn, maybe to help, but Chuck tightened his grip on my wrist, giving me a pleading look.

"Don't. Just keep going!" He told me, looking desperate. His eyes were filled with tears and I nodded, my bottom lip trembling slightly.

"Yeah." I muttered, only just loud enough for him to hear over the screams and cries of our friends. Our friends. Dying. I could hear them dying.

"Em, are you okay?" Thomas called back, not having heard much from me for a little while. He turned his head for a second to see my nod, and gave me one in return. If I spoke, I might have broken down. No more speaking. Just focus on running. Just run. Do what you've been doing for the past twelve months. Run.

My eyes widened as I looked slightly to Chucks left, only to see a Griever launch forward. Without a moment of hesitation, I pushed the younger boy to my other side, a sharp pain hitting my abdomen. I let out a grunt, watching a Glader slice the Grievers pincer off and giving me a thumbs up. I clenched my jaw at Dave, rolling my eyes. He couldn't have done that sooner? I could have been stung. Who knows how long I'll last?

The sounds around me were almost becoming unbearable, and I tightened my grip on Chuck and pushed forward, wanting to get this over and done with. Thomas let out a scream, making my insides churn. Finally, we made it to the cliff, and we hadn't stopped until we did. My brother stopped right at the edge, and I held Chuck back before he collided into him, although Teresa was another story. As she hit Thomas's back, they both almost went flying over the cliff, and they might have, if I didn't grab both of their shirts at the last minute, pulling them backwards. They both let out sighs of relief, Teresa giving me weak smile. I looked away, pressing my lips together.

Thomas seemed to hesitate, but eventually snapped out of it. "You first, Teresa."

"Wait, what?" I asked, confused and slightly terrified for our well-beings. "She's going to jump? Whats at the bottom? I don't understand. She'll die. It's too far down. What the hell—"

Teresa rolled her eyes at me rambling, before leaping off of the edge, causing me to let out a small squeal. I went to step forward, to see if I could grab her before she plummeted to her death, but instead, she merely disappeared into thin air.

I looked at Chuck, my mouth gaping wide open. "What the fu—"

"Shuck." Chuck muttered, raising his eyebrows. He then turned to Thomas, giving him a bewildered look. "Woah."

"Woah is right. You're next." Thomas told him, making my eyes widen. Before I, or Chuck could even begin to argue, Thomas grabbed the boy under his arms, wrapping around his torso. "Push off with your legs and I'll give you a lift. Ready? One, two, three!"

Thomas grunted, but all the same launched Chuck up into the air, the younger boy screaming all the way down. He almost missed the hole, causing my breathing to catch in my throat, but soon enough, he disappeared just like Teresa.

Thomas looked towards me, tightening the straps on the backpack. I did the same to mine, my hands visibly shaking. "I don't know if I can do this, Tommy." I whimpered, looking up at him.

"Hey, look at me, okay? You'll be fine. You're gonna jump through the Griever hole, and you're gonna get outta here. We're gonna escape this place, and Wicked. We're gonna find a family." He reassured me, bending down and placing a kiss on my forehead. I swallowed the lump on my throat, giving him a weak smile, despite my tears.

"You'll jump in straight after me, yeah?" I asked, my voice wavering. "You'll protect me, right?"

Thomas' eyes softened and he wrapped his arms around my shaking body, holding me close. I let out a small sob, my hands clenching his backpack, not wanting to let go.

"Of course, you're my little sister. I'd never let anything happen to you, Emma. I love you, okay?"

I nodded, squeezing my eyes shut. "I love you too, Tommy."

Thomas pulled away, giving me a sad smile. "You gotta jump now. I'll be right there after you. Teresa and Chuck are already there. They'll keep you safe."

I sniffed quietly, giving him a weak nod. I felt like a child.

"Yeah..."

And then, with a deep breath, Thomas wrapped his arms around my waist, and launched me into the Griever hole.