Light ➳ TST, Thomas [2] ✓

Chapter {4}

The air was thick and close as we crawled through the vents, that it squeezed on my lungs like a weight. Dust particles flew before my eyes, fading in rapid and quick movement we had to have if we ever wanted to escape. It was only now that I have realised what exactly those people meant to do with us, only now that we all knew we were nowhere near safe.

As a desperate end of that vent neared, as it has increased in width and made it slightly easier to breath without constant fear of faded voices beneath or yelling, I finally saw a track of light ahead. It was nothing more but barely visible, yet something of a hope for me that the vents aren't endlessly set through the building. Ahead of me was Nico, considerably faster than I, lighter and quicker movement that unlike my injured leg produced no sound.

Finally stepping out, I recognised the hallway that welcomed us, a long spreading, gray and white structure with turns every here and there, that the guard led me through before meeting Hoffman. Just like others, yellow straps and arrows pointed in different directions yet still provided no orientation for our group.

"You guys go ahead, I gotta do something." The boy, known as Aris has already started to back toward the vent. He sounded rather panicked, in hurry to reach whatever place or room he planned on.

"What are you talking about?" Thomas stepped after him, scrunching his brows in confusion.

"Trust me, it's important. You guys wanna get outta here? Just go." Aris spoke hurriedly as I parted from the group, nearing the hallway that forked in my sight deeper into the building. It was deserted, nothing aside the monotone gray walls and pipes along its ceiling, yet it was the silence that worried me. A long, sharp one without any sounds or even echos.

"Maybe we should take a detour through the vents. Chances are they won't look there." Nico spoke relatively close to me, and even through I couldn't see him I heard his voice dripped with masked uncertainty which he tried to hide underneath the misplaced happiness.

I turned around quickly, noticing Winston slip after Aris and Thomas shaking his head at Nico. Not bothering to close the vent's heavy metal gate, Thomas started to walk forward, oblivious to concerned faces of our friends. I looked around myself, a long silence stretching between us before Nico gave me a sure look and stepped after Thomas, that made him the first person to find enough strength to do so.

One after the other, we started after them.

"Are you sure we can trust this kid?" Minho caught up with Thomas, both their fast steps a struggle for me to keep up. I, however had no prejudice against the boy, maybe as he had save us from something as horrible WICKED.

Thomas laughed it off with a silent, sarcastic laugh. "You don't wanna know where we'd be without him." His words faded, just as we all rounded a corner and almost crashed into one of the doctors. She as all others wore white robe, a long piece of material covering her black shirt and her black hair that tied in a tight bun couldn't reach soulders. She looked at us with an unreadable expression, exhaling a long, forced sigh as her as cavity dark eyes found me lingering besides Nico.

"What are you kids doing out?" I managed to catch the name on her identification card; Crawford. It was silent for a moment, either we didn't have one or couldn't find enough time to form an answer before blaring of an alarm caught our attention. I followed Nico's unconcerned gaze, looking at the flashing light over the gray walls and hearing the silence shattering sound like motor of sorts. I couldn't hear the train of my thoughts over it, or the footsteps in the distance as I found Crawford's defeated look and a partial smirk Thomas wore.

Then Thomas grabbed her forearm and started running. It wasn't long that we reached another fork in the hallway, the same looking one as all others with blaring sounds from both left and right. Strangely, I couldn't feel my leg weighing me down, slowing me so that I would've been the last to appear after the boys. Instead, I felt the pain and numbness disappear completely the moments I spent running; I felt like the injury healed miraciously, left no trace of horror and brokness I've felt after gaining it.