𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓-𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙨

XXXIII-PHASE TWO:FIGHT THE ENEMY

Back up the stairs we went and through the building. I was surprised by the amount of people still here, do they not sleep? Guess they never put killing kids to rest.

Teresa led us to an elevator, Thomas clicking the up button. It didn't want to open. The numbers at the top telling us it was busy. I tapped my foot against the floor. Couldn't it have been busy any other day?

"Come on." Thomas clicked it again. It beeped and we got on. Thomas pressed the button for the food we needed. I started closing but an arm stopped it. It belongs to none other than Janson.

My heart stopped, knees shaking. My experiences with Jansen have never been the best, and even though Teresa got rid of the controlling device, I didn't feel safe. Especially when he looked right at me. He made a face but then shrugged. When his back was facing us, Thomas grabbed my hand. I held it tight.

"You're working late." He said to Teresa. His voice was softer than I ever heard it. She just laughed. "That's what I like about you, Teresa. No matter how bleak things get you just...you never give up. Much different from your sister." Thomas's grip tightened at the mention of me. "She wasn't as motivated. Didn't understand the stakes. Times like this, you need a friend that you can count on."

"I'll bear that in mind."

They were quiet for a second, but Jansan broke it. "There is something you should know. One friend to another. Thomas is here." I held back my laugh. Here. "I'm assuming, so is your sister." Teresa looked at him. "Surveillance picked him up outside the walls. Ava didn't want you to know, but there's a chance that he may contact you, and if he does, well...I like to think I'd be your first call."

"Are you going to kill him?" She tried to stay calm, but her voice was shaking.

"Would that be a problem?" Yes, a very big one. The elevator beeped and the door opened.

"This is me." She walked off. Newt, Thomas, and I followed. We went down the catwalk, Teresa in front. "Thomas, you have to listen to me. Getting that serum isn't going to save Newt. It might buy him some time, buy-"

"Don't listen to her. She's just trying to get inside your head."

We took a left to glass doors. "Thomas, listen. You know what's going on out there. People are dying, the world is dying. There's something about your blood that I don't understand."

"Open it." He ordered when we got to the door.

Teresa pressed her thumb against the pad, continuing. "Just let me run some tests. I promise I can protect you."

Thomas stopped and ripped his helmet off, throwing it on the floor. I hissed his name. "Yeah? Like you protected Minho?" He got closer to her, Newt and I grabbing his arms.

"What are you doing?" He threw Newt's hand off.

"How many people is it going to take? How many people to they have to round up, torture, and kill? When the hell does it stop?"

"It stops when we find a cure."

"There is no goddamn cure. Would you sacrifice Aesara for this "cure"?"

"She already has." I cross my arms.

"Don't waste your breath on them Teresa." Jansen stood at the end of the hallway that we just came down from. He held a gun in his hand, aimed at us. We charged out guns and pointed them at him. "They made their choices long ago."

"Drop the weapons." More guards came down on our side of the walk, aiming their own weapons at us.

Thomas moved quickly, taking Teresa hostage and pointing his gun at her head. "Back off. Tell them to back off."

"Hey Thomas come on. It's me. I know you better than you know yourself. You're not going to shoot her."

"You don't think so?"

"Okay. Go on then." Jansen raised his gun, then lowered it. "Shoot her. Prove me wrong." When Thomas didn't move, he lowered his voice. Demanding. "Shoot her."

"Thomas-" I was pushed back, hitting Newt with my body. Thomas bumped into me. Teresa pulled something that was on the wall and a glass door fell in front of us. On it read, FIRE SAFETY DOOR.

"Clear clear." Jansen raised his gun again, shooting at the glass. Teresa ducked and got out of the way. When the glass didn't break Jansen ran to it, banged against it, glaring at us.

I threw my helmet off, figuring it was useless now. Newt did the same. Sirens filled the hallways as we walked down them. I wasn't entirely sure that Thomas knew where he was going, but without Teresa, we would have to wander aimlessly. Like we had the time to do this. There were loud footsteps, heavy feet coming towards us. I looked around and pulled the boys into an empty room. It was full of medical equipment. At least now we were closer to Minho.

The guards ran by, confirming that the hallways were clear. After they were gone, we left the room. "This place is stupid big, you'd think they would have signs, right?" None of them answered me, but it was fine, because I wasn't really asking them.

Thomas stopped and walked down the hallway down the other way. Ava was at the end. She looked different from a couple months ago. Her hair was down and her clothes weren't as tight. But they were as white and clean as before.

Thomas pointed his gun at her, ready to shoot, but Newt pushed him out of the way. I saw too late that Jansen was shooting at us again. I jumped to join Newt and Thomas, but felt a stinging in my arm. When I sat up against the wall I checked my arm.

The fabric was torn, blood covering the ridged seams. I sucked in air, tearing a piece of my shirt and tying it around the wound. Thomas pulled me up off the floor, dragging me away from the flashing guns. That was already too late.

When we turned down the hallway, Thomas and Newt raised their guns-I had left mine back with Gally. I called out for Minho, standing behind both of them. They shot at a guard that came in front of us. We continued running, calling Minho's name.

"Get down!" Thomas pushed us down a clear hallway. I panted and held my arm. Blood was already soaking through the material.

Newt grabbed something from the downed guard's waist. It was black and was lined with blue. "Get back." He threw it down the hallway. It beeped rapidly and then exploded in sparks.

They ran down the hall and I let out an exasperated sigh before pulling myself up with the wall. They stopped at one of the offshoot hallways, raising their guns. But they didn't shoot. When I got there, a quard was being thrown through one of the windows and the person who did it was screaming. It sounded familiar. When he turned to us, I about fell to my knees.

"Minho."