Sanction -Minho-

Chapter 53

Grace stared down the hole as Gally placed a ladder inside. It was what they were using to access the city. Accompanying Gally would be herself, Newt, and Thomas. The rest had to stay behind. That was all right with Grace. She wanted to be the one going. It was selfish, but she didn't care. "Be safe, Thomas," Jorge whispered.

Gally sat down, preparing to climb down when Frypan spoke. "Gally." The boy stopped moving. "Take care of these three."

Grace could see the momentary shift in Gally's posture. The disconnect between him and all of them had never been clearer. In the Glade, Gally and Frypan were incredibly close. Then he rallied the Glade against Thomas and tried to Banish him. Frypan sided with Thomas and followed him into the Maze. They chose different sides.

"Yeah," Gally responded. He vanished down the ladder.

The blonde watched him, feeling anxious about the journey into the city. Trying not to overthink it, Grace climbed down the ladder behind him. She kept her mind focused on what was important. That was Minho. WICKED had him trapped inside, and they had to save him.

The four of them entered the tunnel. Grace's steps were lighter than the rest. Her feet sank into the inch of water that flowed down the tunnel. Gally lifted a flashlight. There was an unpleasant smell, but it didn't bother her as much as it did the others.

Newt groaned. "This is so gross." They kept walking. "Jesus."

"This is so great," Thomas dragged out the words.

"I'm not listening to you guys complain the entire way there." It would drive Grace insane. Gally stopped at a box. He flipped a switch. Instantly, the tunnel brightened. It was due to string lights. It made it easier to see.

They started walking again. "Stay with me. We have a long walk ahead of us." Grace nodded to herself, following closely behind Gally as they walked toward the city.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They walked through the tunnel, spread out within a twenty-foot distance. Nobody wanted to talk, Grace included. She was anxious about the situation they were walking into. It was unknown, and they didn't have any weapons.

Suddenly, Newt tripped over something. Luckily, they were close together. "Newt." She grabbed his arm to keep him from falling. It wasn't needed on her part. He wouldn't have fallen. It was just reflex. However, she noticed something else. Grace squinted, noticing how Newt had winced when she grabbed his arm. "Newt? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he muttered. "It's nothing."

It was unconvincing. Grace started to fear he had hurt himself at some point. "Are you hurt?" She was a Med-Jack in the Glade. She could help him.

"No." Newt glanced at the others. They hadn't noticed them talking. "Drop it."

"I can help you." Grace wanted to help him. She grabbed his arm, but he tried to fight her off. Unfortunately for Newt, the girl was stronger. She grabbed his sleeve and lifted it.

"Grace." A gasp escaped her when she saw his arm. It wasn't an injury, but it wasn't good. His arm was covered in black veins that traveled toward his hand and bicep. It was the Flare. Newt had the Flare. She blinked a few times, dropping his arm. "Grey-"

"You have," she whispered. "You have it." It didn't feel real. Newt had the Flare. He was going to turn into a Crank unless he got the serum. "You have the Flare."

"I know," he breathed. This wasn't news to him.

"Why," she began. "Why haven't you told us?" There were millions of unanswered questions running through her mind. "We could have done something. Found the serum. We could have made some like we did for Brenda."