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"Here we go" •••
TWO HOURS OF walking felt like two days to Juno. Her muscles screamed for a break, however she could never give them one. They had run through buildings, up and down stairs, and yet Juno still didn't find herself enjoying the movement. She didn't think she ever would. This lifestyle wasn't for her — she used to relish in the feeling of the sun on her skin as she played with the girls in her Maze, but now she hated the sun. She used to run around and play tag, but now the running was tiring. Now, everything was draining.
When Jorge finally told the teens they could rest, Juno was the first to collapse against a wall. She let her legs give out beneath her and her eyes grow heavy. However, Juno couldn't find sleep. The looming question of when all this running would stop kept her awake. Could they really escape WICKED? Because it seemed that every step they took forward, WICKED was already ahead. Unlike them, the organization had ressources; bergs to fly above and track them down, people who were trained in combat, actual food and water to eat and drink (she would be lying if she said she wasn't hungry — but no one would know, cause she wouldn't speak up).
Around her, her friends' breath grew heavy as conversations died; everyone but her was asleep. Luckyassholes, she thinks to herself.
A small murmur almost makes her think otherwise, until she realizes it was only Newt talking in is sleep. She can hear a single name, but she can't make out what it was. June sits up in her spot and strains her ears. Newt mumbles against. "Elliott." He mumbles. "Elliott." He repeats the name again. "Don't leave me. No. Don't leave me." His voice is filled with pain and for a moment Juno wonders if she should reach over and wake him up, but she doesn't. "No. No. She can't be gone. Come back."
Juno reaches her hand out to place it on his arm, but Newt startled awake before she can do so. "What? What's wrong?" He mumbles.
"Nothing." Juno whispers, shaking her head softly. "You were just talking in your sleep."
For a moment, Newt looks up at her face, his bottom lip between his teeth. Then, he speaks. Can't sleep? He frowns when she shakes her head, then waves his hand for her to get closer. Comehere. Juno shuffles closer to him and lays down beside him. She turns on her side and Newt pulls her to his chest and slings an arm around her waist lazily. And, in the warmth of Newt's arms, June is able to fall asleep.
•••
Juno was absolutely tired of being woken up by yelling, but it seemed that the cycle would never end.
"Get up! Get up!" Leanne yells for them to stand. Juno is yanked to her feet, her once groggy eyes now fully open. The sound of a helicopter rang through the building. "Get away from the windows!" Following her instructions, they all come to rest their backs against the wall farthest away from the windows, where the light from the helicopter won't reach them.
