𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒, thomas ✓

sixteen.

Rosa cried one last time and pulled Winston out with Frypan's help, both of them helping him run to safety with Newt beside them, all of them now running away from the Mall. Knowing that they couldn't run from them forever, especially on the sand, Rosa shouted, "We need to hide!" before yanking Winston and Frypan under a broken rock.

Thomas was soon at her side and held her shaking hand in his own as the creatures screeched when they couldn't find them, none of the Gladers dared to speak and soon fell asleep due to their exhaustion.

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Thomas' eyes fluttered open, setting on a black crow that pulled something out of his bag. He loudly shooed it away, waking everyone up and making Rosa wiggle in his arms beside him. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, leaning on Minho as Thomas stood up. 

"Are they gone?" Newt asked, making her groan and open her eyes once more.

"Yeah, I think we are safe for now," he replied, picking up his bag, "Okay, we should get moving. Let's pack it up."

Rosa sighed and rubbed her face, her eyes opening to see Thomas' hand reached down to help pull her up. She smiled and took it, thanking him quietly. She looked over when Winston groaned in pain as he tried to get up, the bandage over his stomach showing prominently. She had helped him apply the bandage the night before, thanking him for saving her.

Moments later and they had reached the top of the pile of stone, all of them now able to see the city landscape that was blocking out the harsh rays of the sun. Sand littered every inch of the ground along with rubble, the skyscrapers caved in at angles and windows were nonexistent and smashed. 

"What the hell happened to this place?" Frypan asked, his face showing only shock and confusion as he looked around.

Newt was the only one to answer him, "I don't know. It doesn't look like anyone's been here in a long time."

"I hope the whole world's not like this," Aris remarked beside Rosa, her eyes finally taking in his much smaller frame which was most likely due to his younger age.

Thomas slowed down behind Rosa, she turned to watch him with her eyebrows raising ever so slightly, she was about to ask when she heard it too. "Do you guys hear that?" The helicopter blades spinning got louder, "Get down! Everybody hide!"

Rosa pointed to a fallen part of a stone bridge that they could hide under, all of them quick to crouch underneath it as the two helicopters and large helicarrier flew over them, weaving through the tall buildings as it searched for the missing teenagers that had escaped from them.

"They're never going to stop looking for us, are they?" Minho asked.

No one answered him, not wanting to actually admit to the truth that WICKED would never stop looking for them, not until Ava Paige had her 'property' back. They crawled out and started their journey once again, in silence. 

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"Those are the mountains," Thomas pointed out, the Gladers now standing on a large pile of sand on the edge of the city ruins, looking out over the vast Plains of nothing but sand, "That has got to be it, that is where we are going."

"That's a long way off," Newt stuttered, wiping his head from sweat.

"Then we better get moving-" Thomas said, Rosa turning as Winston fell in the sand. His body completely going lifeless and his eyes fluttering. 

"Winston! Hey, Winston!" she called, instantly at his side in a matter of seconds. The boy gasped for air.

Various members of the group called out to him to ask if he was okay, only for him to reply with his strained shortness of breath. Rosa took his wrist in her hands and checked for a pulse, which seemed to slow down dramatically. 

"He's hurt pretty bad," Thomas stated, his eyes searching for any wounds other than the one on his abdomen that Rosa had bandaged. 

"What do we do?" Teresa asked, looking around for answers.

Rosa pushed strands of hair from her face and looked to Thomas as he stood up, "Tommy, we need to rest. Winston won't make it much further if we keep moving. He needs water and shade."

He nodded in understanding before pointing across the stretch of sand to where they could see a form of broken stones, "If we can get him over there we can rest for a while."

She nodded, "Okay, let's build a stretcher of sorts and we can all take turns in carrying him."

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The Gladers had used metal poles that they had found on the floor and tied them to a broken blanket, now pulling an injured and dying Winston across the sand. Frypan had just taken over from Rosa as he dragged Winston behind him with help from a Minho, both of them red-faced due to the extreme heat.

They had passed a broken monument of a bridge, not stopping under it in case it collapsed even more, but stopped near a series of rocks and debris so that everyone could rest. The wind had picked up, carrying sand in the air and lashing it at their unprotected faces. Rosa had pulled a spare shirt from her bag and shielded her head with it, squinting to see through the clouds of sand that surrounded them. 

Once they had decided to stop, Thomas had left them to stand away from the group whilst the others poured sand from their boots and watched over Winston as he gasped for air to fill his lungs. 

Rosa was interrupted from her silent thoughts as Teresa walked away from the resting group and towards Thomas, jealousy now swarming in her chest at the thought of them being alone. She shook the images from her head and concentrated on calming Winston down by patting his sweaty forehead with a damp cloth. 

"How's it looking?" Newt called over to Thomas and Teresa, leaning on a column.

Thomas looked behind him, more specifically at Rosa, "It's a little further."

"That's not very convincing," Newt muttered to the others, now sat beside Rosa as she tended to Winston.

Rosa couldn't move her eyes away from the pair as they talked, Thomas moving to touch the back of Teresa's neck. Moments had passed, her just watching Teresa and Thomas interact and discuss things, she felt Winston wriggle below her and grab something beside her legs, it only dawned on her when she heard the gun click into place that Winston was attempting to end his suffering.

She gasped, yanking the gun from his hands as it fired and alarmed the Gladers around her. Frypan called for the others to join them, everyone going into a fit of panic and dread. "What the hell happened?" she heard Thomas, his eyes falling on Winston as he moved away from them and then to Rosa as she clutched the pistol to her chest with her eyes wide.

"He just woke up and grabbed the gun and he tried to-"

"Give it back please," Winston begged, sobbing as he failed to meet the Glader's eyes.

Thomas tried to comfort him, yet Winston wretched up a dark red substance. Blood. He fell on his back, taking a few seconds, and pulled up his shirt, "It's growing," he muttered, his stomach now purple and blue, "Inside of me," there was a deafening silence around them, no one wanting to admit to what was going to happen, "I'm not going to make it." 

Rosa, still clutching the gun tightly in her hands, watched as Winston reached out to her, begging her, "Please. Please. Don't let me turn into one of those things," he sobbed.

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not Winston getting hurt trying to protect Rosa