FOREVER. newt

sixteen. dear newt

My name is being chanted repeatedly like some sort of mantra, and I can't take it to myself to open my mouth and reply because the world is spinning; the lights coming from the towers showing up as these blobs and I want to vomit.

Tiny, searing, stabs in wherever the water hits my skin. Like I was a skinless rag being tossed into a pool of alcohol as the water finds it's way to my flesh and wounds, cling to it, and seethe over the layers of my wounded skin.

Eyes squeezed together in agony, I feel myself being dragged through the water, and even though I couldn't see anything at all, I felt the need to feel the solid ground again.

Then the pain in my skin stops; only then that I realize I'm out of the water. My arms were wrapped around a pair of broad shoulders— Jisung's— as I let out soft, quiet, pants.

"Nini," I could feel Jisung's chest vibrating, my arms wrapped around his neck as my feet hovered a few inches above the ground. "When did this happen to y—"

"You five! Don't move!"

Jisung spins his whole body around, and I open my eyes just to see four guards cocking their guns at us, walking in a steady pace.

"Oh you gotta be kidding me," I hear Thomas mumble from beside me. I don't need to turn around and look at him to know that he was attempting to reach for the pistol in his thigh holster.

"Don't even think about it!" The guard yells, and I could feel Jisung's hands grab on the degree below my thigh to support my body.

"Get on your knees with your hands in the air!"

There was definitely no escaping this. Letting out a grunt as I attempt to break out of Jisung's tight grasp, the possibilities start to flood me. If WICKED did manage to capture us, would they help me and Newt out?

However, before I could even plan out everything, the sound of electricity slices through the air. My grip on Jisung tightens, and, flinching as I expect for the pain to come, before realizing that a guard by the edge of the line is firing at the other guards.

Gally. It must be him.

My mouth falls open with a slight smile despite the discomfort, watching as he hits them one by one, all falling to the ground with screams of pain and their bodies convulsing. Once every single one of them is on the floor, their bodies twitching and writhing with electric blue bolts.

Then he faces us.

I could feel the vibrations in Jisung's chest. "Who the hell are—"

Gally lowers his launcher, taking his mask off as he dramatically stares at us.

"Gally?" Minho breaths out, while I could feel the heartbeat in Jisung's chest start to beat faster, probably from shock. Tilting my head up and craning my neck on his shoulder, I blink once, then twice, then finally, Gally's face is clear instead of the blurry figure I was used to.

"Minho. Jisung." he acknowledges the two of them, before his eyes trail up, to the window we jumped out of, before breathing out, "You guys are nuts."

"But..." Jisung croaks out. "But how did you....?"

"Long story," Gally deadpans, shrugging and turning over the edge, marching away from the pool. "Come on. We need to keep moving."

Without a second thought, Jisung's grip on my legs tightens. Looking behind me, I catch a glance of Newt. It seemed like he had managed to grow worse in the few minutes that passed ever since I looked at him. He was now awfully pale, the veins in his neck starting to grow more prominent than it once was.