Sanction -Minho-

Chapter 35

The dream appeared in her mind suddenly.

"Grace," a voice said. "Take care of her. Take care of each other." There's a metal gate. It's dark out. There were large poles shining bright lights at people. There's shouting and shoving from people trying to get closer. Grace is moving through the crowd, but she isn't walking. Someone is carrying her. Somewhere close by, a dog is barking. She holds onto the woman tightly as they arrive at a gate. The woman sets her down, but she isn't alone. There's a boy her age being set down by the woman as well. They glance at each other for a moment. His big brown eyes are full of tears. "Remember, I love you."

"Hey," a voice yells. Grace wakes quickly. Her body is curled into itself, but there's an arm wrapped around her. Blinking a few times, she realizes that she's buried in Minho's side. The sound of Thomas yelling woke all of them up. Minho tilts his head up, waking up quicker than the rest. He goes to move but feels a weight pressed against him. Seeing Grace clinging to his side causes him to smile.

Grace realizes they're still under the cement ledge. The events of the night before replay in her mind. It wasn't a bad dream. It was reality. They were really chased by creatures that resembled people but didn't act like them. They nearly died.

Grace didn't move for a moment, her eyes staring at the wall. Thomas stands up, inspecting the area. This is the situation they were, unfortunately, in. They needed to find the Right Arm, if they were real. Newt stared at Thomas, "are they gone?"

"Yeah," he said. "I think we are safe. At least, for now." That wasn't very comforting. "We should keep moving." Grace feared that's what he would say. Her body was used to physical activity, but this was entirely different. The muscles in her legs were sore. "Pack it up." Grace sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. In an attempt to tame her hair, she combed her fingers through it. It helped some, but not enough. "Aris, come on." The new boy was still asleep, but he slowly woke up. "Winston, Fry, we need to go." They had to keep moving. 

Minho stood up, stretching his arms. He then extended a hand for Grace to grab. She smiled appreciatively and took his hand. As if she weighed nothing, Minho pulled her onto her feet. It was quick, surprisingly quick. "Woah." Grace stumbled forward but placed a hand on his chest. "Thanks, Minho." The former Runner grinned at her, holding onto her hand a second longer than he should have.

Winston groaned as he tried to sit up. The previous night he had been grabbed by the creatures that chased them. "Hey, come on, man." Fry extended a hand from him to take.

Grace slung her bag over her shoulders but never had the chance to buckle it because someone else did it for her. Minho stood directly in front of her, latching the buckle. He then grabbed the straps and tightened them. The blonde stared at him, her lips parted. The action was thoughtless on his part, but it caused her heart to race. They hadn't spoken about what happened between them in the Maze. Everything since had been hectic. There hadn't been time. It was clear that they both felt something stronger than friendship for the other. When they kissed, it felt right. She felt whole. It was a feeling she missed.

"Let's go," Thomas said as he began climbing the debris. Minho let go and grabbed his backpack. Together, the group began climbing out of the area they found themselves in. It was the remains of a fallen building. The sky was a vibrant blue, with only a few clouds in the sky. The sun was shining down on them, reflecting off the cement. Thomas got to the top first, but his steps faltered. Newt arrived next, then Grace.

The sight before her was unlike anything she had ever seen before. There were buildings that towered above her. They were hundreds of feet high. All of them were falling apart. Chunks were missing, windows were broken, and rot had begun to take over. There were abandoned cars all over the place, each covered with a vast amount of sand. It was an entirely different sight than the Glade. It was hard to adjust. Just days ago, they were in the Maze, fighting for a way out. They found one, but their troubles weren't over. It seemed they had only just begun.