Sacrifice

Chapter Sixty-Six

Brenda stood right outside the berg, fiddling with the vial containing the serum. Each second that past made her worry increase. 

"Brenda!" someone suddenly called. 

It was Minho. He, Claire, and Gally were coming up the stairs onto the platform and were now running over to her. 

"Where's the serum?" Claire said frantically. 

"Wait, where's Thomas?" Brenda asked. 

"BRENDA, WHERE'S THE SERUM?!!" 

Stunned, Brenda held out the vial to Claire. The blonde girl snatched the vial out of Brenda's hand and took off before anyone could say anything else. 

"Claire!" Minho called, worried. 

"Clary, wait!" Frypan shouted as they all ran after her. 

Claire had a head start, and she neither looked back nor slowed down. 

I'm coming, Newt. 

************** 

Newt was giving everything he could, but that only seemed to drain his energy faster. 

Think of Claire. 

Newt repeated that to himself over and over again. It was the only thing that kept him even mildly focused, but he could feel himself slipping. 

Soon they arrived at the train station on an empty platform. 

"We're almost there, Newt. Stay with me," Thomas said. 

Newt tried to walk, but the pain in his leg was getting worse. It hadn't been this bad since the day he jumped off the wall. Soon he lost his footing and fell until he was lying down flat on his back. His breathing was getting more and more rapid. 

Newt could feel his mind going, somehow he knew that he only had seconds. Even if by some miracle they got the serum to him in time, it was only a temporary solution. No matter what they did, the virus would win in the end. 

As his mind faded, Newt was able to grasp onto one more memory from the Glade. 

It had been Chuck's first night in the Glade, exactly one month before Thomas showed up and everything changed. Chuck was the youngest greenie they had gotten since Jack, so the Gladers were working extra hard to make the young boy feel welcomed at the bonfire. 

Jason and a few others were banging on drums, others were dancing to the rhythm. Claire noticed Chuck standing off to the side alone, looking too petrified to move. She went over and convinced him to dance with her. After spinning him around a few times, the young boy relaxed and was soon dancing right in the center of the crowed, the other boys cheering him on. Eventually he broke away from Claire and danced on his own. 

Frypan had been the next one to dance with her, followed by Jack and Zart. That's how Claire spent the rest of her night, dancing with her family. At one point Minho picked her up and spun her around, and thankfully didn't drop her. Jeff had accidentally stepped on her toes at one point and then ran away, his face brighter than the bonfire. 

By then, Claire had noticed that Newt was still standing off to the side. 

"Want to dance?" she offered. 

Newt thought about saying no. He couldn't remember a time when he had ever danced, especially not after getting his limp. He didn't even have any idea how to dance. But he also knew that he couldn't possibly say no to Claire, not with the way she was beaming at him, the fun of the night making her whole face light up and the light of the fire behind her making her look like she was glowing.