Sacrifice

Chapter Forty-Two

Thomas, Newt, Frypan and Brenda met with Vince in their meeting room. Thomas opened the map and pointed out the plot of land he had circled on the paper. 

"There, that's it," he said. "It's a few hundred miles. Based on the railways, everything Aris told us, that's gotta be where they're heading. That's where they're taking Minho and Claire. We take everyone who can fight, follow the roads where we can, we can make it back in a week." 

"A week?" Vince replied. "It took us six months just to get here. We got over a hundred kids here now, we can't hang around here forever, not after what we just pulled off. Now you want to wander off on some random point on the map, you don't even know what's there." 

"I do," Jorge cut in as he entered the room. "It's been a few years, but I've been there. The Last City, that's what WCKD called it. It was their whole base of operations. If that city is still standing, that's the last place you want to go. That's the lion's den." 

"It's nothing we haven't done before," Thomas pointed out. 

"Yeah, with months of planning," Vince said. "Not to mention reliable information, and the element of surprise, none of which we have now." 

"Vince, I've thought this through," Thomas started saying but Vince cut in. 

"Hey, last time we went off half-cocked I lost everything. You remember that?" 

As if Thomas could forget. Every night, for six moths, as he tried to fall asleep at night, he would be haunted by the memories of their first night with the Right Arm. The camp going up in flames,  fighters losing their lives, Mary bleeding to death, Minho and Claire being taken away right in front of him, Teresa... 

"Look I know they're your friends," Vince said, more gently this time. "But you can't ask me to put all those kids on the line for just two people." 

Thomas didn't have a response for that. What Vince was saying made sense logically. But that didn't make it any easier to hear. 

Vince glanced at Newt, the boy had been more quiet than usual, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. 

"I'm sorry, Newt...I know how much Claire means to you." 

Newt's only response was to give a nod. 

Suddenly there was a loud disturbance on the radio. Thomas was able to make out a muffled voice saying something about searching the area. That's when he heard the engines coming from the distance. 

"Shit, hit the lights!" 

Jorge flipped the master switch and turned off the generator. Frypan and Brenda left to make sure everyone was hidden, and Newt checked to be sure everything was switched off. Thomas and Vince stepped outside onto the beach. They could see two bergs flying in the distance with their search lights on. 

"Jeez, they're getting close," Vince said. 

"You're right, you guys can't stay here." 

Vince locked eyes with the young man next to him, he didn't need to say anymore. Vince knew exactly what Thomas was thinking, and there was nothing he could do to change his mind. 

************ 

Once everyone was asleep Thomas packed his bag and snuck out of the large sleeping area. 

Vince was right, he and the Right Arm had to protect the kids that they had already rescued, and the only way to insure their safety was to get them to the Safe Haven as quickly as possible. 

But Thomas couldn't break his promise to Minho. Back when they had first escaped WCKD and fled into the Scorch, Minho made Thomas promise not to let him end up as one of WCKD's experiments. Thomas had failed his friend that night in the Right Arm camp. He had failed Claire as well, she was the last person who deserved to be taken.