Sticks and Stones

Chapter 10: Split

"Yes!" The boys crowed, and Rachel twisted to try and get upright as she gripped the railing on the pulley.

"Okay. Rachel, hurry!" Thomas called and Rachel muttered as she pulled herself closer to the lever: "Easy for you to say."

She pulled the lever and felt her legs drop to land on the floor while the boys and Teresa all cried out in shock at the sudden drop. She pulled it back to a stop, and as the boys swung about wildly, trying to get over their momentary panic, she pulled her legs in and began to tug at the ropes at her feet, working them off.

As soon as they were off, she motioned over to the boys. They began to swing over, pushing each other to help. Rachel grabbed Teresa who'd reached her first with help from Frypan and Minho, pulling her up.

Suddenly there was a bright search light on the building and Rachel's blood went cold as she heard Janson's voice over loud speakers saying: "Good evening. This is the World in Catastrophe Killzone Department. We have your compound completely surrounded."

"Quickly!" Rachel cried.

Thomas swung over and crawled up as Teresa pulled the ropes off her feet, while Janson continued: "You find yourselves, with no fault of your own, in the possession of WCKD property."

Teresa helped Thomas while Rachel caught Aris, helping him onto the floor as Janson continued: "Return them to us unharmed and we'll consider this a simple misunderstanding."

Teresa, Thomas, Rachel and Aris moved to help the others quickly, becoming frantic. The others were struggling to make it over without help. Janson continued: "Or you can resist, and every last one of you will die."

Rachel and Teresa spotted long poles and they each grabbed one.

"Newt." Rachel called as she held it out to him and he grabbed it with a grateful look.

Rachel pulled him up as the others did the same while Janson continued: "It won't be long before the Flare washes out every last one of us."

Teresa paused for a moment beside Rachel, but the younger brunette was too busy working the ropes off Newt's feet to notice while the boy crawled further in onto the floor.

"The hope of a cure lies in your hands. The choice is yours." Janson finished, just as the last of the ropes were pulled off. Newt stood up, grabbing Rachel into a brief hug before the others ran up to their side. He let her go but kept a tight hold on her hand as he urged Thomas past him towards the exit.

"Let's go. Let's go." Newt urged, and Thomas rushed passed with Teresa when he suddenly pulled to a stop. Rachel turned to look and grabbed Newt's arm. He also turned to see the thug from earlier standing at the doors, a gun cocked and leveled right at Thomas.

They all froze, the others jerking to a stop mid-run. Thomas raised his hands as he said desperately: "We're not trying to cause any trouble. We just, we got to get out of here."

They backed away a little as the man walked towards them.

"Is that so?" The man asked with a toothy grin, before he raised a walkie-talkie to his mouth and reported: "Janson, I got them for you."

Rachel paled and Newt's hand was a vice-like grip on hers as the man sneered at them while saying into the com: "I'm bringing them down. Don't shoot us."

He lowered the walkie-talkie and he ordered them, his gun still raised at them: "Come on. Let's go."

None of them moved, and the man walked closer to them as he said darkly: "I said, let's go."

Rachel held on tightly to Newt's arm as the man came even closer. Thomas suddenly jerked his hand up, shoving the gun up and away. It went off, the bullet shooting the air as Thomas fought the man for the gun, pushing forward. The rest of them moved after the wrestling pair in alarm, but the fight was short as Thomas head-butted the man.