SIREN hung over the sink they got by now, her hair and skin wet from the way she splashed cold water into her face. Her hands clasped around the edges, and she failed her desperate tries of stopping the sobs and uneven breaths.
Just when she took another deep inhale, someone turned her around. Her eyes met Thomas's in a second.
"Hey." And he wrapped his arms around her. Siren gasped at a sob that was mixed with a sigh, then rested her chin on his shoulder, blinking tears away.
"I'm sorry," she choked out, and sniffed her nose. Another cry. "I thought it was the right crate—."
"Baby-."
"—and I didn't even check the other ones," she cried. "I thought I heard him and- and," another sob, "and now months of planning is ruined."
"Siren," he cut her off before she could continue, holding her face between his hands. His thumb wiped one of the tears away. "It's not your fault. You didn't ruin anything," he said, tone serious. "And you know what Aris just told me?"
Siren looked up at him with another sniff. She shrugged poorly.
"He was in the crate. Aris told me Minho was in the same crate as them." He nodded when she frowned. "So you chose the right crate. It had been the one with Minho, but..." He paused for a moment. Took a breath. "But Sonya claimed Janson moved him out before we lifted their crate into the air."
The furrow in her eyebrows deepened. "How? He wasn't in the crate... right? Janson- how could he just show up and..?"
"We think he was in the crate next to it. If he somehow managed to transport Minho into that one without us noticing..." He mumbled, then shrugged. "All I know now is that I will not go to the Safe Haven without Minho."
Siren's jaw tightened. Of course it had to be Janson- it was always Janson. Always the one ruining everything. And she wanted him dead.
Thomas lifted an eyebrow. "What're you thinking?"
"I want to kill Janson," she murmured, remembering how good it had felt to shoot all those guards. The tingle in her stomach at watching them die like they deserved.
Guards who didn't fight back were the ones she wouldn't kill, but the rest?
"Then I'll help," Thomas assured. He nodded firmly. "Always."
Siren raised both of her eyebrows. Her tears got replaced by a small smirk. Her lips curved up.
He tilted his head, eyes squinting. "What?"
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Thomas was thoughtful until his face lit up. "Oh, definitely."
════ ⋆★⋆ ════
"Where do you think you're going then?"
A light switches on, and the couple stopped in their tracks. Thomas still held the bag in his hands and Siren was readjusting the gun in her waistband when they both froze.
"Newt..."
"Don't be twat about it. I'm already in." The boy walked closer to them, his face triumphant.
"No," they said at the same time, and Siren continued. "Even if we find Minho, there's no guarantee we make it back from this."
He crossed his arms. Leaned against the car after he opened it and Fry appeared behind the wheel. "You'll need all the help you can get then, won't you?"
Siren and Thomas shared a glance.
"Well, we started this together. May as well end it that way, too."
Siren shrugged at the brunette. He eventually nodded. "Fine. Let's go get him back."
Thomas and Siren claimed the backseat. Newt had given them a glance, then told Fry to start driving. It would take about half an hour.
"You two are idiots," Newt said.
Siren leaned forward. "How about I tell you we already planned to save Minho in the same week I escaped? Would that make you happier?"
"Absolutely not-,"
Thomas chuckled at her.
"Won't Brenda, Zach, Marie, and Reeve kill us when we come back?" Frypan wondered, a laugh escaping his mouth.
"Not if we die in a circle of Cranks and WICKED members."
Newt sighed. "Yeah, just spread your positive energy and view on life around, Siren."
A few more laughs. Half an hour later, they arrived in front of a big tunnel, darkness the only thing visible.
They jumped out of the car. Thomas held a map in his hands. Sometimes, he looked up at the tunnel. "We gotta get through this."
"You want us to go in there?" Newt sighed. "I don't wanna come across as too negative, but if I was a Crank, that's exactly where I would be."
"I don't think we have much of a choice." Thomas shrugged. "Let's go."
"Can I-."
"No, you cannot drive." All three glances were pointed at Siren.
"Why not?"
"Remember what happened a month ago?"
She pulled a face. "That was just an accident. It was nothing."
"You, Marie, and Brenda nearly drove into a lake after you hit a tree."
"Well." Her mouth opened, but no more excuses came out. "Yeah, okay- I'll take the backseat."
"I get shotgun." Newt added, and sat down.
Once they were all ready, "Well, here we go."
Fry drove carefully into the dark tunnel. After a few feet, the lights appeared and they were able to see what was going on. Just a long distance. Old vehicles on the sides. Garbage.
"Yeah, just take it nice and slow," Newt encouraged.
Siren snorted. Her attempt to cover it up with a cough failed. "Uh- yeah, sorry."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" A sudden stop and she stopped smiling.
"It's okay." Thomas stared at the Crank in front of them. It stood there, gagging at nothing. Ripped clothes, dirty skin, and greasy hair.
"It's just one, so take it slow, go around him."
"Perhaps we could run it over. Sounds safer to me." Siren peeked over Newt's shoulder. "Yeah, you should definitely run it over, Fry."
"Holy!" Thomas nearly jumped into Siren's arms when a woman appeared at his window. Her eyes stood big and desperate.
"Please," she begged. She clawed at the window. "Please. Help me. Please. Please! Let me in."
"Gotta go," Siren warned. "Fry, drive!"
The Crank in front of them jumped onto the hood before they could run it over. Shit.
It slammed its hands on the front window repeatedly. Cracks slowly formed in it.
"Just floor it, Fry!"
"I'm trying!" He turned the wheel fast, causing the car to pace all ways. First, Siren fell half on top of Thomas, then it was the other way around.
"Jesus Christ!"
"Floor it!"
"I'm trying, man!"
"This was not the plan!"
"We didn't even have a- ow!"
"Oh, shit!"
Deep shit.
Frypan twisted the wheel so fast that the car lost balance and landed on its side, hard. The light in the vehicle went off. Complete darkness surrounded Siren, along with dust, which made all four of them cough.
"Floor the Crank, not us." Siren let out a groan. "Should've ran that shuck thing over the second we saw it."
Thomas managed to open the door of the backseat, grunting loudly as he did so. "Alright. Siren, come over here. Fry, Newt, can y'all manage to open another door?"
Siren slipped through the car, closer to fresh air. She coughed at the dust again. It filled up her longs. Caused a thickly feeling in her throat. "Everyone alright?"
"Sweet you ask," Fry murmured. "Yeah, perfect. My hand, though- shit."
"Is the ABC rule involved?" Thomas wondered from outside. "Oh, by the way, cover your eyes."
"ABC rule?"
"A bone coming through the skin is very bad," he summarized before he slammed his foot against the window. Glass shattered everywhere. Siren nearly got hit. "So, do you see a bone?"
"Nope, Thomas. I don't see a bone."
"Then that's awesome!"
Siren cursed under her breath when she hit her head again. "Professional Med-Jack, are you going to help me out or...?"
"Right." He bent down in front of her and held out his hand. "Is your tail growing? Is that why you can't-."
"Shut. Up." She slapped his arm as she climbed out of the car, healthy oxygen in her lungs again. "Newt, you alright?"
"Yeah." The blonde popped up from the other side of the car. "But, uh-." He pointed at something behind Siren.
She immediately noticed the Crank that had jumped onto the hood. It was a man. Disgusting dark veins ran over his face. Black liquid dropped out of his mouth like drool while he stared at her with a big grin, his ugly teeth showing off.
Sighing, Siren pulled out her knife. The Crank hadn't even been able to move when she sliced his throat open, slightly disgusted by herself. "Thomas. Gun."
He coughed. "...we did not bring a gun."
Siren palmed her face. "I told you-."
"I forgot! Okay? I was on my way to grab a gun but... whatever, I had my reasons."
"You could've easily grabbed a gun while I changed. Damnit, Thomas."
He averted his head. "Well, that was the problem."
"What." It wasn't even a question. She sharpened her eyes at him. "Oh my god- you perverted idiot!"
"Sorry!"
She gave up and turned to the other two boys. "And you two?"
Newt hopelessly shrugged. Fry nodded and stuck his upper body back into the car.
"Just hurry. There's more Cranks coming," Newt took some steps back.
"Should we just run straight through them and hope we don't die-."
"I see why you and Tommy are a couple. The worst or absolutely no plans. Bloody hell."
Siren ignored him once she noticed more Cranks approaching. They didn't run. Just slowly moved closer, their eyes piercing through the four teenagers.
"Fry, hurry!"
"Almost got it!"
Siren pushed Thomas, who wasn't paying attention at all, out of the way just before a Crank hit him. She slid its throat, blood spattering onto her face.
Her knife hit another one's chest. She pulled it out with a slash, then went on with the next Crank, so fast the others didn't have time to react; they already got killed.
She was still surprised by what she was capable of.
The knife cut three throats at once, stabbed another heart, and had covered Siren in more blood when Fry finally got the gun.
By the time he did, it looked like the amount of Cranks got doubled. The boy shot as fast as he could, mostly hitting them.
Siren pulled the knife out of another body. She didn't notice the Crank behind her until it bit her arm with such a force, she yelped and out of reflex, let go off the knife.
Panic rose in her chest fast. The knife flew further away from her. She cursed as the Crank attacked her harshly. The girl fell onto her back, hard enough for her to cry out in pain for a second.
Some help would be lovely, boys.
Her hands took ahold of the shoulders and she pushed with all her power, keeping the Crank away from clawing her face open.
She thought she succeeded. Thought she managed to push it off, but that in fact, had been Thomas.
He grabbed the Crank by the shirt, knuckles turning white around the material. In a second, he used the knife and the Crank fell to the floor.
Siren stared at Thomas with a wide open mouth. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he looked back, his breaths heavy. "Told you, baby. They touch you, they're dead."
With a giant grin, she let herself get pulled up by him. Murmured, "Thanks, Crackhead."
"Hey! Enough with the flirting!" Frypan shot another bullet. "We're dying!"
"Thomas just saved me, you idiot!" Siren got the knife pushed back in her hands. Just when she was about to attack again, a vehicle approached.
The lights blinded all four. Siren squeezed her eyes shut. Bullets got fired around her, strongly making her wonder what was going on, but her body wouldn't unfreeze until there was a shout.
"Siren, hop in, Hija!"
Her mouth dropped open again. She rushed to Jorge's car. Brenda fired a few more times at the Cranks, then plopped back down on her seat. "Go, go!"
They drove away fast, finally running the Cranks over.
Siren sighed. Shook her head. "Told you. Should've ran them over."
"You. You... shut up, with your bloody face. Like literally, bloody." Newt groaned, though a hint of sarcasm was hearable in his voice.
Siren grinned again.
Once they got out of the tunnel and drove through the brightening daylight, Brenda turned her head. She made eye contact with Siren, a small smile curved on her lips. "Without me and Marie? Seriously?"
Siren laughed, shaking her head again. "Sorry. Newt and Fry weren't supposed to be involved either."
"What, this was gonna be your romantic Crank date?" Jorge looked at her through the small window. "My apologies for ruining it, then."
She rolled her eyes.
"I think what Siren's trying to say is thank you," Frypan commented from behind.
Brenda's smile turned into a smirk. "You're welcome." And pushed a note in Siren's hands, winking as she did so.
𝒯ℴ𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉， ℯ𝓁ℯ𝓋ℯ𝓃 𝓅𝓂．
𝒯𝓇𝒶𝒾𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓇ℴℴ𝓂．
－ ℳ ＆ ℬ
Siren looked up with a grin. Nodded.
"Whattt?" Both all three boys tried peeking at the paper, but Siren elbowed them away and Brenda warned them with a whistle.
"None of your business," Brenda assured. "Don't worry."
"It's girl stuff." Siren's smirk grew even bigger.
Whatever Marie and Brenda were planning, it definitely wasn't pink glitter girl stuff.