Fast As A Bullet {Maze Runner}

t w e n t y s i x

"I didn't say you were gonna like it."

•••

IT DIDN'T TAKE much for Leanne to convince Lawrence to let her go with the boys. "I'm tiny, no one will see me." She shrugged. "Plus, I've gotta make sure they don't kill each other."

"You think you can stop them from killing each other?" Lawrence smiles down at the girl.

Leanne returns the smile. "I think I can do anything." Well, she may have been exaggerating, but if there was one thing she could do, it was have control over those boys. When Newt had pointed it out in the Maze after she had gotten Ben to calm down, Leanne had taken a step back, and realized he was right. She did have every one of them wrapped around her finger. Of course, the more she thought about it the less she liked the idea of it; but that didn't mean she wouldn't use it to her advantage.

Lawrence had just laughed and nodded his head. "Sure, little lady, if you think you can handle yourself."

That's why Leanne found herself now climbing down the ladder after Gally, who waited at the bottom with a flashlight. He goes to grab her waist but she swats him off. "I can handle myself, thank you." She says, jumping off the ladder.

When Thomas and Newt are down, they begin to walk through the sewers. Water ran down the walls and under their feet. "This is gross." Newt scrunches his face up. "Another dingy tunnel, huh?" He scoffs, looking back at Leanne and Thomas. "You guys are always looking for trouble."

"Why did you come if it was really going to gross you out?" Leanne squints, watching her footing so she doesn't trip.

"To make sure you three don't kill each other, obviously."

Lea rolls her eyes, stopping when Gally turns the flashlight off the ground and onto the wires on the wall. He turns on a switch and the lights on the walls light up. He begins to walk forward. "Stay with me. We got a ways to go."

Gally wasn't lying when he said they had a long walk ahead of them. Leanne had lost track of time after about twenty minutes.

Gally and Newt did most of the talking. Well, mostly Newt with Gally commenting or asking questions between. Newt explained what had happened after they got out of the Maze, from escaping WICKED with Juno and Aris, to finding Thomas and Brenda again and then losing Minho and Leanne.

Thomas and Leanne walked quietly side by side. They hadn't had a moment to talk alone for a while, and even now with Newt and Gally talking a few meters ahead of them, they weren't alone.

But in Leanne's mind, this was the closest they were going to get to being alone for a while, probably. Maybe this was the last time they were going to get time alone together. Neither of them knew what was coming. Leanne could see Thomas sneaking glances at her from the corner of her eye, but she ignored them until they really became annoying. Instead of saying something, she took his hand in hers, holding it tightly. It wasn't the perfect moment, down in the sewers with Gally and Newt talking ahead of them, but when would they actually get the perfect moment? Leanne had given up on that thought a while ago.

Neither said anything; the simple gesture was enough. It was enough for both of them to know the other was there to support them, that they wouldn't have to face WICKED alone. Neither of them even knew for sure how the other one felt, but they weren't worrying in this moment. They were just enjoying it while it lasted. Enjoying it until it was time to go back to the real world — their dying world.

•••

The streets were crowded with people, which made it easy to walk around without seeming suspicious.

Some people walked with masks over their faces, others not bothering. Leanne guessed that if you were lucky enough to live inside the walls of the city you didn't have to worry all that much.

They turn left and follow Gally up a flight of stairs, giving them a better view of the city. Leanne couldn't contain her shock; skyscrapers of all heights, all lit up could be seen from every direction. They all stop at the view.

Newt stands in awe. "This is a long way from the Glade."

A bell rings through the speakers of the city. "Fifteen minutes to mandatory curfew. Please proceed home in an orderly fashion. Remember, this is for your safety. Thank you for your compliance." The electronic voice says.

"Yeah, we better get off these streets." Gally nods. "And I know it's hard, but act like you've seen it before." He begins to walk down the flight of stairs.

Leanne follows closely behind them, keeping an eye out for anyone they might cross paths with. The entire place felt familiar, although she knew it had probably changed a lot in three years. Patrol cars drove around, making sure everyone was off the streets. They wait for one to pass before running across the street to take shelter up against another building.

Another patrol car drives by. "How the heck did they not see us?" Leanne mumbles quickly. "We're literally hiding behind glass."

Gally rolls his eyes, watching the car drive away. "They've definitely upped security." He turns to look at them. "I'm guessing you shanks have something to do with that." When he's sure there's not another patrol vehicle coming, Gally nods towards the road. "All right, let's get outta here." Once they got away from those main roads and onto more of a back-road, they didn't worry all that much about cover.

They stop in front of a ramp going up. Gally gets into one knee. "All right, Newt, you're up." He gestures for Newt to go, and helps boost him up.

Gally turns to Leanne, hesitance in his eyes for a split second before he shakes it away. "Leanne." He copies his gesture, signaling for her to step into his hands. Instead, Leanne puts a hand onto Thomas' shoulder and pushes him down onto one knee roughly, gesturing for him to boost her up. With his help she pulls herself up and onto the street above them.

Newt helps her stand up. "Really?" He presses his lips together in a thin line.

"We'll talk about this later." She shrugs him off as Gally pulls himself onto the road.

After a lot of stairs, they found themselves at one of the higher points of the wall. "There it is." Gally points to a large building across from them. "If WICKED's got Minho, that's where they'll be keeping him." He pulls a small telescope out from under a piece of plywood and puts it on the railing. "Lawrence has been trying to find a way in for years. Place is crawling with soldiers." He looks through it, moving it so he can get a look at something. "They got surveillance everywhere." He looks up from the telescope. "Scanners on every floor."

"Sounds like a bloody fortress."

"Yeah, I thought you said you had a way in." Thomas looks to Gally.

"I might."

"You might?" Thomas exclaims. "What the hell do you mean "might"?"

Now, Leanne was starting to doubt that they would get in. When Gally had told Them he had a way to get inside WICKED, she was hopeful. She thought they had a chance. But now, the more information Gally told them the less she thought they would get in.

"Take a look." Gally gestures to the telescope, moving so Thomas can look through it. Leanne watches as he looks through it, slowly raising his head up. She didn't have to wonder long what had suddenly upset him. Not when he turned to look at Leanne with sad eyes.

"I said I had a way in. I didn't say you were gonna like it."

Newt pushes Thomas over so he can look through the lens, pulling back when he saw Teresa.

He steps back, watching Leanne as she slowly takes a couple steps forward to stand in front of the telescope. She raises a shaky hand to steady the telescope, then lowers her eye to it. There was Teresa, writing things down on a clipboard in a laboratory.

All along, Leanne knew this was coming. She just wasn't sure how she was going to handle it when they did get Teresa. However, she would have to figure it out quickly, because their time was running out.