Sanction -Minho-

Chapter 38

"Good plan, Thomas," Minho said. "Just hear what the man has to say. Really working out for us."

"Shut up, Minho," Thomas sighed. They were strung up by their ankles, dangling over a hole in the structure that was at least fifty feet in the air. Her arms were by her head. Grace tried not to look down, but it was hard. Every time her eyes dropped into the bottomless black hole under her, she felt like she would vomit. Grace kept her eyes screwed shut, taking steady breaths and focusing on anything but the void below. "Try to reach the ledge." Thomas struggled, swinging his body around to get some movement. Everyone began trying but Grace. She couldn't move. The fear was overwhelming.

"Enjoying the view," Jorge's voice interrupted them. They all stopped struggling.

"What the hell do you want?" Grace opened her eyes, noticing the man approaching.

"That is the question." He stopped at the edge, speaking with Thomas. "My men want to sell you back to WICKED. Life has taught them to think small. I'm not like that." Grace wasn't sure what Jorge was thinking. All she could think about was how much she hated hovering in the air. "Something tells me you aren't either."

"Is the blood rushing to my head, or is the Shank not making any sense?" Grace glanced at Minho, but it was hard to see him.

"Tell me," Jorge pointed his cane at Thomas. "What do you know about the Right Arm?" Grace was growing more confused by the second, and the blood rushing to her head wasn't helping.

"I thought you said they were ghosts," Newt spoke up.

Jorge glanced at him. "I happen to believe in ghosts—Especially when I hear them shattering on the airway." Grace watched as he grabbed the lever. A rushing feeling coursed through her. "You tell me what you know, and maybe we can make a deal." Grace had never wanted Thomas to agree to something more in her life. Being suspended in the air was horrifying. She had never been this high up before unless it was in a helicopter. At least then, she was near the others. She was near Minho. Right now, she felt alone.

"We don't know much." Jorge pulled the lever, dropping them a few feet. The others shouted, but Grace whimpered, screwing her eyes shut again. Her bottom lip trembled as her body swayed slightly. At that moment, Grace realized she had a horrible fear of heights. "Okay, okay, okay," Thomas yelled. Minho's body turned, now facing Grace. He noticed the fearful expression on her face. "They're hiding in the mountains. They attacked WICKED and got out a bunch of kids. That's it. That's all we know."

Grace hoped it was enough to convince Jorge to let them go. All she wanted was to be untied. Jorge looked as if he was ready to say something but never had the chance. "Jorge," a man said. Grace recognized him. It was the man who winked at her. "What's going on?"

"My new friends and I were just getting acquainted," he explained. "We're done now."

"Wait," Thomas waved his hands. "You're not going to help us?"

"Don't worry, Hermano. We'll get you back where you came from." He was going to give them back to WICKED. "Hang tight." With that, he walked away, leaving them to dangle in the air. The other man stayed for a moment, eyeing the teenagers. After a second, he walked away.

"Shit," Thomas yelled, swinging around.

"Shucking Shuckface," Minho breathed.

"What are we going to do," Teresa questioned.

"We need to get out of here," Frypan said. They needed to escape before WICKED arrived and brought them back to be strung up and harvested. Grace wasn't sure what scared her more, being harvested or falling to her death.