When We're Older- The Maze Runner (Newt)

perfectly inperfect plan

"Kid, hang on!" Vince yelled at me, suddenly placing his arm in front of my chest just as the car gained air, jumping over the mound of gravel that separated the tracks form the earth. I flew up about six inches into the air, feeling Vince's grip loosen as he grabbed the wheel with two hands, straightening us out. Slamming back into the seat, I cringed, my butt not having a very fun time with this ride.

Once we were aligned, the sound of the electric guitars were almost drowned out from the pebbles that flew through the metal tires. I squinted my eyes as Vince pressed on the gas, reaching for the item in my back pocket. I fumbled with it quickly before putting the red inhaler in my mouth, pressing on the top and opening my lungs, getting ready for what we were about to do. Quickly putting it back, buttoning the pocket closed, Vince turned his head towards both of us.

"This is crazy, Thomas!" He yelled over the noise that surrounded us.

I found myself chuckling at his wariness, "Crazy's good, Vince! How do you think we got this far?"

My friend glanced at me, the smallest of smiles finding its way onto his lips before he looked back at the tracks in front of us. The boy unbuckled his seatbelt, shrugging it off and carefully standing to his feet on the edge, holding onto the roof. I sucked in a sharp breath watching him do this, my eyes darting from the back of the train to him.

"Thomas..." I mumbled as he turned his body, now on the hood of the car, looking through the windshield at me. He jumped once again, placing his whole body in front of us, almost obscuring Vince's line of sight. The boy grabbed the strap that connected to the car, the only thing that kept him from falling off and possibly being run over. Grabbing the hook we had placed there a couple days ago, he adjusted it in his hand, gaining a firm grip.

"Get me closer!" He yelled back at us. I scooted myself closer to the edge, preparing to climb onto the front and jump onto the train. Thomas squatted down as the truck once again picked up speed, coming as close to the train as we could get without hitting it. Thomas quickly placed the hook on the back, just like our plan. Jumping onto one of the ladders, he turned back, waving his hand at me. "Come on, Mae!"

"Shit..." I breathed, wondering how the hell I got caught up in this boy's crazy, reckless life. Sometimes I thought he just wanted to kill me.

But I took a deep breath, just like Newt had taught me on the first day I met him, and I climbed onto the hood. Thomas gave me a reassuring nod, holding his hand out for me to grasp if I needed it. As much as I appreciated his help, I jumped onto the train without it, latching my arm around the ladder. I let go of the breath I had been holding, closing my eyes for a moment and tightening my grip.

"You okay?" His voice came out as a rasp, already seeming tired, but full of adrenaline at the same time. I nodded, humming in response and turning around to the man who was still in the car. Thomas did the same, waving his hand at him, "C'mon, Vince!"

He immediately moved his body outside the car, one hand holding the wheel in its place and the other on the hood of the car for balance. The man was the epitome of anxiety, his eyebrows creased as he lifted one foot onto the roof, throwing his entire body on in one swift motion. I clenched my teeth together, reaching my hand out for him to take as I wrapped my arm around the ladder.

Quickly glancing at the tires of the car, a whirring sound made my heart go from furiously beating, to not beating at all. In the blink of an eye, the rubber around the wheel burst, and the car fell to its side, now at a tilt.

"Woah!" Vince lost his footing, yelling in reflex and falling onto his stomach. He gripped the edge of the car, his head too close to the gravel.

   I let out a sharp breath, needing to know if he was okay. We were running out of time already. "Vince?"