Cranks Descending

Chapter Eight

"Thomas!" I yelled, running after him through the halls of WICKED. "Thomas, you can't do this, these are your friends!" I sprint faster and manage to grab his wrist. I spin him around to face me. His face is stained with tears and his lips are quivering, trying not to let out all of his emotions. "Thomas, you can't-"

"Astrid! You don't understand! I need to do this!" He yells back into my face and pushes me up against the wall. I stare at him, wide eyed. "We need a cure." His pressure loosens a little and I gasp for air. This isn't Thomas, he wouldn't do this, would he? A tear slips down his cheek, "We need a cure. For you, for Newt. You know you guys are immune!" He backs up, licking his lips and taking deep breaths.

"Since when did you care about me?" I ask through gritted teeth. I'm so mad at Thomas right now. If he really lets Ava, my mother, send those kids, my friends, up into the maze, I will never see them again!

"I started caring when your mother started talking about you." My heart seemed to stop and all I could hear was Thomas's heavy breathing, his brown eyes staring me down. "She cries every night, you know? She's worried about you! She doesn't want to lose you. She already lost her husband, she can't lose you." I shake my head.

"She killed my father." I say, not believing a word he says.

"Your father sacrificed his life for yours. Your house was on fire from the sun flares. He stood in the way to block the fire coming towards you. He made sure that you and your mother made it out. He did it because he loves you!" My mouth hangs open, I never knew about that. My mother would never talk about him and I just assumed that she killed him. "Astrid, I need to do this, for your mom. She can't lose you." My body is frozen as Thomas pulls me into a hug. "I'm sorry." He whispers before shooting me with a stun gun. I fall to the floor, screaming for help, hoping that Newt, Gally, Alby, someone will hear me. Thomas rushes off and two figures enter my vision. Minho and Newt. They are speaking but I can't understand. My head is spinning, my ears are ringing and there are black spots at the edge of my eyes. Newt points down the hall to where Thomas went and Minho runs after him. Newt comes to my side and picks me up. My body is still shaking as if I'm having a seizure. He holds me tight to his chest and sprints down the hall, heading to the medical wing, even though we both know there is nothing they can do for me, I just have to wait out the shock.

Newt sets me on a bed and kneels down to look at me. "You're going to be okay!" He yells, cupping my head in his hands. "Everything is going to be okay."

"No!" I try to warn him. "Thomas is... getting them... goodbye..." is all I manage to get out. I know this will be the last time I see him. I said a faint goodbye to Newt but I didn't say anything to Minho, Gally, Winston or Alby. The last time I saw them was at lunch and Alby was already in a bad mood.

The black spots get bigger and the last thing I see before I pass out is a WICKED guard pulling Newt up and away from me. He kicks a flails, trying to get away. I reach my hand out, trying to grab him but I'm too weak and I miss. My vision goes black and I'm asleep.

I wake up to my body shaking and tears running down my cheeks. I look at my palms and see that I squeezed my hands into fist so hard that I made myself bleed. I wipe the blood on my jacket and my tears on my sleeve. That was my last memory I had at WICKED. That night was when I left, after my mother put them all in the maze and showed me them dying. Minho was stung by a griever, Alby died the same way. Winston was attacked by another person, Gally was attacked by a beetle blade and Newt jumped down the hole in. I'm not sure if he was looking for a way out or if he had committed suicide but I couldn't take it any more. I watched all my friends die and my mother did nothing for them. I didn't want to be the daughter of a killer anymore.

I grit my teeth, hide my emotions and stand up. Just focus on getting kids out. That's all I can think of right now.

I walk around to the front of Marcus's house to see what he is up to. He's just standing there, with some other blonde lady walking away from him. He had just whispered something to her before she walked off.

"Well, if it isn't the screaming crank." Marcus said, turning to look at me. "I thought you were dying last night."

"I was screaming in my sleep?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I was hoping someone was killing you but since you are still here, yea, you were screaming in your sleep." I rolled my eyes and looked to see where the blonde lady went. She was standing in front of two teens but I couldn't really see them.

Soon, the blonde lady stepped aside and pushed the two teens forward. Thomas. Thomas was standing right there with some girl. My brows furrowed in confusion. What was he doing here? I silently ask myself.

"We're looking for Marcus." Thomas says looking back between Marcus and I. He doesn't recognize me, I can tell by the way he is looking at me.

"He's right-"

"Marcus doesn't live here anymore." Marcus cuts me off, smirking creeply at Thomas and the girl. I look at Marcus but he just waves a hand in my face.

"We're looking for our friends." Thomas says, desperate for help.

"Listen, many people come here, I don't remember any of them." I say sharply. Thomas then begins explaining what they look like but I block him out.

"They might be in there." Marcus says. They are about to walk in when Marcus puts his hand on Thomas's chest. "You have to drink this to get in." He says. The girl next to Thomas takes the drink and takes a swig before handing it to Thomas. He slowly puts it up to his lips and takes a small sip. He is about to take it back down when the blonde lady pushes it back up to his lips to force more down his throat.

She takes the drink and Thomas gasps, choking on what he just drank. Marcus laughs and points to the curtain of a door, "Right this way." Thomas nods and walks in.

I watch them both walk in before sprinting back to the shed to retrieve a gun. If he tries anything, I will not hesitate to shoot him. I then rush back to the back door of Marcus's house and walk in, following Thomas around from a distance. He's already drunk and his body is swaying, he is trying his best to not bump into anyone. Out of nowhere, Thomas falls to the floor. I put my gun in my belt and go to Thomas's body. I take him by the arms and drag him to the back and through a door wooden door. I get in the room and close the door. I sit Thomas on a mattress and look at him. Is it really him? After all these years?

My thinking is interrupted by a creak in the wooden floors. I whip my head around, pulling my gun out. A flower pot is thrown at my head. I duck down but it still gets me. As I'm falling to the floor, I see the figure that threw it.

"Newt?" I ask as I fall unconscious.

>>>>>

The picture is of Thomas and Brenda. Obviously, Astrid doesn't know that that is Brenda. They are finally finding each other! Yay!!!

Love,

Annaleigh❤️