SACRIFICE {Newt | The Maze Runner}

v. The Last Resistance

Song: LUCKY; aurora

     CLAMOURING crowds packed in together the closer they got to the wall, yelling and pushing each other out of the way.

Filled body bags littered the sides of the street, some heaped in piles, others left almost as an afterthought. I thought it must be such a terrible way to die: hopeless and alone.

I suppose the word for that is afraid. That's exactly how I felt right now, gripping onto Newt's cuff so I didn't get swept away by the crowds of restless civilians. At least they didn't have to go through the Maze. They had their own Trial in the form of the Scorch, which was almost worse.

"We just gotta stay together." Tommy said, looking around every so often to make sure none of us had gotten separated.

"WE ARE THE VOICE," a booming tone echoed through a loudspeaker, "OF THE VOICELESS! THEY HIDE BEHIND THEIR WALLS, THINKING THEY CAN KEEP THE CURE FOR THEMSELVES WHILE THEY WATCH THE REST OF US WITHER AND ROT!"

The man was met with cheers and applause, his fearsome truck, with a few armed sat atop, cleaved through the crowd with elegant ease. It passed by us, one of the men, all of whom's faces were covered with gas masks, stared at Tommy as they drove past.

"BUT THERE ARE MORE OF US THAN THERE ARE OF THEM. AND I SAY, WE RISE UP AND TAKE BACK WHAT IS OURS! LET'S BRING BACK A VICTORY!"

Drones buzzed overhead, seemingly descending towards us, this place gave me the worst feeling imaginable, which came as no surprise.

"That's it," Tommy pointed at a large gap between the walls, where the shouting grew loudest, "that's our way in."

He slipped away into the crowd, hellbent on getting in. Jorge rolled his eyes before we both raced after him, "Thomas, this is not what you're looking for! All these people trying to find their way in, you think you're gonna find something they can't?"

"Came this far, I'm not turning back now." Still he pushed on, I fell back in step with Newt, seeing as convincing Tommy this wasn't the best idea was almost pointless.

"What the hell did we get ourselves into?" Fry yelled over the cacophony of protestors.

Linking my fingers with Newt, I replied, "Probably the same shit we always do."

We all pushed forwards, my eyes falling over the soldier that had been staring at Tommy. He was taller than anyone else, broad shouldered and muscled, his hands holding onto his assault vest.

The man was slowly walking towards us, his gas mask still concealing his face. Newt squeezed my hand in reassurance as he noticed some more soldiers nearby.

"Hey, guys," Newt grabbed onto Tommy as soon as he could, urgency lacing his frantic tone, "we gotta go now. Look."

The soldiers kept pushing through the crowd towards us. Jorge cocked his pistol, my hands flying swiftly to my knives, hanging one to Newt. Tommy and Fry pressed their hands to my back to push my away, but were disturbed by a loud groaning resonating from the wall.

The crowd fell deathly silent as metal pulleys and chains whirred mechanically, several gigantic machine guns springing to life, turning to face us. My knives weren't going to be much defence against that.

High pitched squeals echoed, the crowd rapidly dispersing, the soldiers withdrawing.

"We need to move!" I yell to the others, pulling Newt and Brenda with me as I ran. The first rocket sending smoke and debris into the air only increased our paces.

Bodies where thrown against buildings, falling limp when they landed. I looked on in horror as a small girl, no older than ten, was engulfed in a large plume of fire.