Tired of Running

88|| peace at present

// it's hard letting go;
i'm finally at peace,
but it feels wrong \\

     Newt had suffered some severe injuries on his way to his friends– on his way to her. He had been shot in the side, he had broken ribs, but he was alive...  That's more than Harper could say for most.  She sat at the foot of his bed, watching him anxiously from over the top of her journal.  Harper snuck away from Minho as soon as his snores became too much to handle.  Harper couldn't ever remember being on a cruise when she was younger, but so far, she did not like living on a ship.  "Do we even know where we're going?"  Brenda had leaned against the doorway, "Other than... the ocean?"  Harper laughed, "I expect Vince has some kind of plan." 

   Brenda eased herself onto the floor, propping herself against the floor,  "I could kill someone for a burger right about now..."  Harper snorted, caught off guard by the random comment.  "Really!  We deserve a steak dinner after the life we've just escaped from!"   Harper kept laughing, "I don't eat meat..."  Brenda gasped, "What!  You want a salad or something!?"   The pair turned hysterical, probably due to the lack of sleep and possible missing sanity.  "Yes!  A giant salad.  Maybe some fruit..."  Harper rubbed her face, sighing.  The girls fell quiet, both watching Newt in silence.  "Now what.."  Brenda finally spoke,  "I've been running my whole life.  Fighting to survive..  What now?  There's nothing to fight for anymore.  We won..."  Harper sat up, moving beside Brenda on the floor,  "We won," she repeated, still not completely believing it was all over, "I don't know what to do now.  For once..my mind is quiet.  It's not racing with the longing to survive or escape..  There's no one to save..  There's no corporation to take down, or walls to tear down.  We're just...here.  We made it, we can.. Rebuild.. Start a new life." 

    Brenda just sat with her eyebrows raised, nodding as she spoke, "Wow.. You could put that on a card."  Harper laughed weakly, shaking her head.  Even she knew that was pretentious- very off character for her, "I'm tired, alright?"  She laughed, letting her head fall back against the wall.  Brenda hummed, "I could name one or two boys that wouldn't mind the company in their bed."  Harper scoffed, nodding to the boy on the bed, "I think I'm good right here..." Brenda hummed, "You have it easy. They're both hot, they're both insane about you."  Her voice was full of sarcasm. Harper covered her ears, shaking her head.  "Those are my Gladers your talking about, thank you!"  "I know, they're definitely your's!" She wouldn't stop smirking and Harper was ready to wipe it off her face, "It can't be like that.  We weren't supposed to make it out of the Maze... There wasn't ever a future to plan for..."  Harper laughed, "We just... live peacefully now.  Taking the rest of the human population with us when we go."  Harper shook her head, somehow smiling.  It wasn't a bad way to go.  Even if there was a doctor to reverse  being surgically sterilized, the ratio of the survivors would not bring back the human race. 

   Brenda shrugged, "You have people left that love you.  You have a future here.  Don't throw that away."  Harper squeezed Newt's hand and sighed, anxiously, silently hoping he would wake up. 
Brenda just nodded to herself, wandering out of her Newt's room and towards the upper deck.  Aris, Sonya and Harriet were all huddled together, looking over the ship's railing.  Thomas was talking lowly with Minho.
They were sailing towards an island. 
Towards a new start. 
Away from the Last City. 
Away from the Scorch, the Maze,
Away from W.I.C.K.E.D.
Away from the countless friends who died.

     All of that was behind them.  Harper held onto the pieces, carrying her bruised and battered heart along with her, as she took in their Safe Haven.