Tired of Running

47|| what waits in the darkness

// sail with me
into the dark \\

    •

    Harper landed on Minho, a scream escaping her lips before she could stop it.  She groaned as her stomach crashed into Minho's knees.
Minho grunted as Harper's weight was thrown on him.  "You okay?"  Harper nodded.
She looked around and immediately realized two things.  It was pitch black, and the air was thick- so hot she was already sweating.
"Is everyone okay!"  Thomas called out- his voice telling Harper he was somewhere to her right.  "Harper?  Are you okay?"  Newt was somewhere, sounding far away.
"Fine." 

  Harper pushed herself off Minho, reaching around blindly.  She hit someone in the face, "OW!"  It sounded like Winston. 
"Shuck, I'm sorry."  A hand steadied her, just on her arm, "Harper?"  "Winston?"
"No, it's Thomas."  The dark made her so disoriented; her vision blurred- though there wasn't anything to see anyway. 
"Newt, where you at?"
A yelp and quiet thud, meant someone just got stepped on, then tripped over. 
"Shucking, bloody-" An annoyed, mumbling voice spoke, before the accent came again,
"I'm here." 

    "Anyone have a flashlight?"
This was definitely Frypan.  Harper turned, fumbling blindly through her backpack.
"Hold on..."  The room had gone quiet-
even too quiet for normal silence.  "Okay..."
She had her hand on the flashlight.
A racking cough broke the eerie silence, scaring Harper, causing her to drop the flashlight.  Footsteps followed, "Everyone just stay still...
I dropped the shucking thing." 
The footsteps stopped.  Harper bent down, desperately searching for the light, completely uncoordinated and blind.  Shuffling came again, followed by more coughing.  A click sounded, the room filling with light.  Immediately followed by that, a haunted, broken voice spoke- a woman,
"Hello, children..."

    Harper stood up straight, stumbling backward into Minho.  Minho held the flashlight, his arm wrapping around her stomach.  Standing just in the edge of the flashlight's beam, stood a woman. 
She swayed on the spot, her eyes staring blankly at nothing, hair matted, just smiling.
"Pretty children..."  She took a step forward,
"Fresh children, new meat..." She stumbled, nearly falling.  She caught herself again, rocking side to side.  The gladers had huddled together, Harper pressed tightly against Minho, Thomas on her other side.

     The woman licked her lips; blood was now dripping from them.  Her face twisted into a far away, lost look.  "I've been so lonely..."
She spoke in a sing songy voice, before her eyes set on Harper, "So hungry..."  The woman screamed, lunging towards them.  The gladers split; all running.  "KEEP UP WITH ME!"
Minho was dragging Harper, the flashlight beam moving rapidly, causing obscure shadows to dance on the wall.   Thomas and Newt had caught up, Thomas passing them.
Newt stumbled, falling forward onto Harper.
The two both fell, crashing to the ground.

  Just ahead of them, Thomas had skidded to a stop so suddenly, Minho ran into him.  Harper and Newt managed to help each other to their feet, slipping, still in a shock.  Three people had appeared in front of them, each swaying, a crazier look in their eyes than the woman.
They just stood there, watching the group.
Behind them, the rest of the boys had caught up, sliding to stop behind him.  The woman's crazed laughter was heard fast approaching.
"Shuck it!  What do we do?"  The men in front of them had stepped aside, clearing the passage; their attention was solely on the woman now.  Minho grabbed Harper again,
"Come on!"  And they ran past the crazies;
almost like they forgot about them. 
Harper stopped, waiting for the whole group.
Minho and Newt were both calling her name; pleading her to run.  Winston was last, Harper grabbing his shirt and pulling him along faster.
They entered the tunnel in front of them, small amounts of light now shining through broken windows.  They tunnel curved, splitting two ways.  The gladers continued on straight, able to walk now.

    Once in an open area, Minho stopped.
"Okay...  What where those?"
"Cranks..."  Thomas spoke quietly.
"What?"  Frypan stared at him.
"Cranks.  Those infected with the Flare...
Way far gone...  Just waiting for the death.
It's way contagious."  At the looks on their faces, Thomas continued, "We're immune.
We don't have to worry."
What Thomas didn't know, was definitely going to kill them.  "Wait shh-"
Harper was standing up straighter, her eyes narrow, scanning behind them.  When it was quiet enough, the others heard it too.

    Screams.
Maniacal, hysterical screaming.
Grunts and roars.  Laughter.

    They were running before they looked back.
A thunder of footsteps were coming behind them.  There was a pack.  A huge group was chasing after them.  They were fast.  And they were crazy. 
The tunnel lead to an open room.  Desks, chairs and shelves filled the room, a ladder leading upward- they were below ground.  The cranks caught up before the gladers could prepare.  Riley was grabbed by two hands, Aris picking up a rusty hammer from the desk and whacking at them. 
The crank screamed, roaring, falling backwards.  Riley turned to run, before more arms grabbed at him.  Aris frantically beat at them, his attempts coming to nothing.
The cranks ripped at his clothes, eventually ripping at his skin.  Riley screamed, his voice strained, eyes wide with fear. 

    Harper grabbed onto Minho as more cranks came.  Riley's screams made her stomach turn, her head spinning.  The boy's screams were cut short after a sickening squish.  Harper screamed as hands grabbed at her.  Minho had found a bat just before the swarm and was now using it.  A new rage in his eyes.  Newt beat cranks back, a wooden board knocking a full group backwards. 

"THOMAS!" 
    Jack had been over powered, the boy's eyes wide, as Cranks pulled at his limbs.  Thomas ran to him, but Minho pulled him back. 
The torture for the boy was over before it started as the cranks ripped at his neck. 
Frypan was climbing the ladder,  Thomas behind him.  Newt and Minho stood between the cranks and their friends, watching helplessly as they tore at the two boys.
Winston was climbing, Thomas was helping Frypan force the door open.  "COME ON!"

    They pounded on it, shoving and pulling and ramming.  The cranks had lost interest in their kills now.  Standing again, heading for the gladers.  The floor was stained with blood now, mangled bodies left behind.  "GET UP THERE NOW!  GET THAT DOOR OPEN!"
Newt was screaming, heading up the ladder, making sure Harper was behind him.  She pushed Winston up first, climbing madly after him.  "MINHO, COME ON!"  As Minho began climbing, Frypan got the door to open, screaming as the unbelievable heat hit his skin.
He yelled as he forced himself through it, Thomas right behind him.  Harper tried climbing faster, her hand missing the run, slipping, her feet slid next.  Minho screamed her name as he scarcely avoided letting her fall.
She was pressed between he and the ladder now, both of them drenched in sweat, making the climb impossible. 

    A hand tightened around Harper's foot,
pulling her down quickly.  Her body hit the floor before the cranks could grab her.
Newt was screaming, letting himself fall down the ladder back to the ground.  Thomas was climbing back down, Frypan and Aris watching in horror.  Minho was yelling, a string of words Harper had never heard coming out of anyone's mouth.  The cranks were beat back, while Winston was pulling Harper back up the ladder.  A sharp pain in Harper's tricep caused her to scream.  She had been bit.  She clung to the ladder one handed, trying desperately to pull herself up.  She slipped, her arm linking through the run as she fell.  She screamed again, feeling bone disconnect from bone this time.  Tears streamed down her face as the pain threatened to claim her consciousness.
Minho and Newt were behind her now, Winston fighting the cranks off.
He yelled as the cranks over-powered him, tearing at his stomach.  "WINSTON!"
Harper cried out helplessly as Thomas pulled her up through the door. 

She had no idea what happened to Winston; the world went black...