Nepenthe (TMR FF) UNDER EDITING

Chapter 44

After what felt like hours of silence, I reluctantly let go of Chuck, giving him a soft kiss of the forehead.

"You're safe now. No one can hurt you." I whispered in his ear, before struggling to stand up. When I finally made it to my feet, I stumbled slightly, but eventually managed to stand straight.

Having had enough of the tense silence that hung in the air, I turned around to face the Gladers. "He was one of the only things that made me happy in this shitty world we live in, and now he's gone."

Newt seemed to suck in a sharp breath, cautiously making his way over to me. Once he reached me, he grabbed my hand, giving it a tight squeeze, in which I didn't return. I didn't want anyone to touch me. I glanced to my left to see Gally lying on the ground, his face covered in the blood that was coming from his broken nose. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see him like that. It wasn't his fault. They were controlling him. I knew that better than anyone. It wasn't Gally's fault.

"All things happen for a purpose." The lady from Wicked muttered, breaking the silence. Her voice was surprisingly sombre, for someone who caused this in the first place. "You must understand this."

"He was just a boy." I growled, glaring at her. Her eyes widened, but she made no move to step back, and showed no sign of intimidation.

"Mr Darwin's death is tragic, I kno—"

"I wasn't fucking talking about Chuck!" I snapped, pointing towards Gally's broken figure on the ground. "Gally is just a kid, and you made him kill one of his friends, against his own will! He's going to hate himself! He's never going to forgive himself! You made him kill a child! He loved Chuck!"

"Be careful how you talk to me, Emma." The lady barked, her eyes narrowing. "We can still control—"

Her sentence was cut short by a series of shouts and gunshots, her face visibly panicking as she watched men and women infiltrate the room.

I flinched back as two men tackled the woman to the floor, aiming a gun to her head.

"Oh my go—" I exclaimed, my eyes filling with tears as a shot sounded, and her blood splattered over my dirt covered shoes.

Newt immediately pulled me to his chest, and I stood rigid with shock, squeezing my eyes to get the image out of my head. Dead. She was dead. So many people, dead.

Newt whispered comforting words into my ear, his hands rubbing my back in an attempt to calm my shaking body. Footsteps continued to sound from all around me and I squeezed the British boy tightly, not wanting to ever let go. Safe. I was safe with Newt.

"We don't have time to explain." A man said, his voice sounding strained. "Just follow me and run like your life depends on it. Because it does."

More gunshots and crashes sounded around me, and I kept my eyes shut as Newt ushered me forward slightly.

"Go!" Why was that voice so familiar?

"What the bloody hell?" Newt whispered, sounding shocked. "Ben?"

My head snapped up at the name, and just like Newt had said, there stood Ben, alive and healthy. My jaw slackened and I just stared at him, watching as the grin spread across his face as he noticed me staring. He was alive. Ben was alive.

"I'll explain later, Emmy. Just get outta here, yeah?"

I just nodded, my eyes glancing over at Chuck, who was still lying in the same place that I left him. I quickly squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see that anymore.

Newt continued to pull me in a random direction, that I didn't care to open my eyes and see.

"We're just going to leave them?" I muttered, my voice barely audible.

"What?" Newt asked, sounding confused.

"Chuck and Gally. We're just going to leave them?" I finally opened my eyes, looking into Newt's. They were filled with tears, and his nose was red, as if he had been previously crying. He loved Chuck as well.

"We can't do anything else to help Chuck, Emma. And...I think the rescuers shot Gally."

With that new information I squeezed my eyes shut again, trying to contain the sob that threatened to escape my mouth.

"It wasn't his fault." I cried, not wanting to hear any more. "He didn't deserve to die; it wasn't his fault."

Newt stayed silent, either not knowing what else to say, or not agreeing with me. Instead of talking, he just continued to pull me up flights of stairs and down long hallways, the smell of burning electronics in the air.

Finally, I felt it. Something that I hadn't felt in a long, long time. Drops of rain splattered onto my skin, making my eyes flash open. Newt continued to pull me along with him as I stared up at the dark sky, the drops of water shimmering in the moon light as they hit the ground.

"Even the sky is crying." I whispered to myself, looking ahead to see a large bus with dinted sides and cracked windows.

Get on!" A man screamed. "Hurry!"

The Gladers did as they were told, and Newt somehow managed to push his way through some of them and finally make it onto the bus.

"Thomas." I spoke up, making Newt look down at me in confusion. "I want to sit next to Thomas. Please."

So Newt did just that; took me to find my brother.

When we finally found the brown haired boy, he was at the back of the bus, huddled up with Teresa. He was staring wide eyed at a crazed looking woman just outside of his window, looking as if she had just escaped out of a mental hospital.

"Tommy." I whimpered, drawing his attention from the woman to me. His eyes softened when he saw me and he held out his arms, and without a moment's hesitation, I leapt into them, hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry, Emma. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that." He whispered to me, smoothing down my wet hair. I just gripped him tighter, burying my head into his chest. I was acting like a child I know, but I didn't care. I just wanted my brother. That's all I wanted. I didn't care what people thought of me. I didn't care if they thought I was weak. I just needed Thomas.

"Don't leave me, too, okay?" I cried, sobbing into his neck. Thomas let out a broken sigh, his lips finding their way to my forehead.

"I won't. I swear to god, Emma. I'm never going to leave you. I promise."

"Tommy. Don't." I shook my head, clutching the back of his shirt tighter. "Don't promise. Please don't promise."

Every promise will one day be broken. If anything, that is what today has taught me.