Sanction -Minho-

Chapter 46

It was the longest night of her life. Grace didn't sleep. She helped out around the destroyed camp. Wanting to keep her mind busy, but it didn't do her much good. All Grace could think about was how Minho wasn't here. How WICKED had him.

She made a list of all the things she did wrong. How she left him behind to hide, like a coward. Grace should have helped him, but she didn't. She should have fought against Frypan harder, but her emotions got the better of her. She should have done everything possible to stop them from taking Minho.

There were no more tears left to cry. Vince helped a few people carry bodies off to the sides, covering them with blankets. Grace put out a few fires and stacked all the weapons in a pile. No words were spoken, not even as the sun began to shine on a new day. It was easier that way. Nobody could come to terms with the loss.

They lost everything. Teresa betrayed them. Grace hated her. She hated that someone she viewed as a friend could betray her on that level. Minho was gone because of her. It was all Teresa's fault. Grace knew if she ever saw Teresa again, she would kill her. That wasn't a figure of speech. Grace wanted to kill Teresa. She took Minho. She betrayed them. Most of the Right Arm was gone. It was all because of her.

Grace stared at the horizon, closing her eyes as she felt the sun against her skin. If she tried really hard, she could pretend everything was fine. She could pretend that Minho was still here.

But he wasn't.

He was gone.

Minho's gone. That was her new reality, and it wasn't easy to comprehend. Yesterday, they were arriving at the Right Arm. They were safe. Grace believed they were finally safe. She should have known better. They weren't ever going to be safe.

She thought of the words he spoke to her. "I love you." She could still hear his voice. The sadness as they prepared to die—the desperation for her to know how he truly felt before it was too late. Grace's lip quivers. When Minho said he loved her, she was shocked. Hearing him say the words made her feel so many different emotions.

She should have said it back. Grace did love him. She was just surprised by his confession. It took her a moment to process, and by the time she was ready to respond, Jorge was driving a truck into a helicopter.

Grace never told him. Now, she may never have the chance. Minho was gone, and there was nothing any of them could do about it. A tear escapes, and then a few more.

A hand touched her back. It was gentle. Grace opened her eyes, glancing at the person. It was Newt. "Hey." Using his other hand, he wiped away her tears. "Come on." He guided her toward the others. Grace hadn't realized how far she strayed from the group. Nothing else was spoken between them. Newt was still trying to come to terms with what happened, but he wanted to be there for Grace.

Brenda and Jorge were sitting on a stack of boxes behind Thomas, who was sorting through a backpack. Frypan's sitting close to him, a distant look in his eyes. Newt gestured to the spot beside him. Grace sat in it. She didn't look at Frypan.

She rested her elbows on her knees, hunching over to bury her head in her hands. Having not slept made her body exhausted. But Grace couldn't sleep. Minho was gone. That was all she could think about. It made her sick. It broke her heart. Frypan placed a hand on Grace's shoulder, wanting to comfort her. It didn't work.

They sat there together. The silence was heavy. It weighed her down and made it harder to breathe. Grace felt as if she couldn't breathe.

Finally, Frypan broke the silence. "What do we do now?"

That was the question nobody had an answer to. What did they do now? Grace couldn't rebuild her life, not without Minho. "Well," Vince spoke. "We pick up what's left of us." There was hardly anyone left. Over half were either taken or dead. "We will stick to the plan." Grace stared at Vince. The tears in her eyes began to dry. "We will get you to the Safe Haven." To Grace, it was ridiculous. There was no Safe Haven without Minho. Vince stood up, taking a deep breath. "We start over, I guess."

Grace didn't think she could start over. It didn't sound possible. Thomas stood up, slinging a bag over his shoulder. "I'm not coming with you."

All the attention shifted to him. Nobody understood what he was talking about. "What?"

"I made a promise to Minho," Thomas explained. "That I wouldn't leave him behind. I have to go after him." Grace stood up, dusting off her pants.

"Kid, look around you." Vince gestured to the area. "WICKED just kicked our ass." They weren't a match against WICKED. "You need to think about where you're headed."

"I'm not asking anyone to come with me." Grace knew Thomas would go alone, but she wouldn't let that happen. She wanted Minho back more than anything.

"Thomas, listen to me." Newt approached him. "I've known Minho for-" he paused. "Well, as long as I can remember." Jorge pushed off the ground, slowly walking toward them. "If there was any possible way we could help him, trust me, I would be up there with you." Newt sighed, "but this, what you're talking about, it's impossible."

"More like suicide," Jorge added. Brenda stood beside him.

"Maybe." Thomas didn't disagree with the statement. "But I know what I need to do." He adjusted his bag, grabbing a gun. "This isn't just about Minho. It's about all of us. It's about everyone WICKED has ever taken, everyone they will take. They'll never stop." It was true. WICKED would never stop. "They'll never stop. So, I'm going to stop them." He licked his bottom lip. "I'm going to kill Ava Paige." A faint smile appeared on Grace's face. She didn't need much convincing to go after Minho, but the others did. Going against WICKED was impossible, but they had to try.

"I will admit," Harriet spoke. "I would like some revenge." They all would. WICKED had taken Aris and Sonya from her. She wanted them back.

Vince placed a hand on his hip. "Well, it's a good speech, kid. What's your plan?"

All eyes were on Thomas. He didn't have a plan, but that was okay. Grace knew that soon, he would. They would make a plan. They would go after Minho. For now, that was good enough.