THE CHAPTER is nearly here! What do you guys think is gonna happen?
Also, I've looked at the number of chapters left, and by the looks of it, the final installment will most likely be around 25 chapters, give or take!
Comment, vote, share, let me know what you're thinking!
Question of the Chapter: have you read all the books, or just seen the movies? No judgement, just curious
xoxo
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"Uh-uh, there is no way in hell you are leaving me here," Lori snaps.
Minho nods, "What she said."
Thomas continues to shake his head. "Me and her. We did well for ourselves back in the Scorch. We can do it."
"No way, man!" Minho shouts. He doesn't look happy with Thomas, like the boy has betrayed him. Lori feels the same way. She and Minho have known him for longer, yet he trusts Brenda over them?
We shouldn't split up. All six of us should go - it'll be safer."
"Minho, we need someone here to watch over things." Thomas' excuses just seem to be annoying Minho more. "Plus, I hate to say it, but what if something does happen to us? Stay behind and make sure our plans don't die. They've got Frypan, Minho. Who knows who else. You said once that I should be the Keeper of the Runners. Well, let me do that today. Trust me. Like the lady said, the fewer we are, the better our chances of going unnoticed."
Minho stands there just staring at his friend for multiple minutes, before he finally caves. "Fine. But if you die I will not be happy."
Thomas half smiles. "Good that.
After Thomas and Brenda go through the door with a single guard, Lori looks to Minho. "Take care of Clara."
"Lori, what are you -"
But she is already through the door, running up to Thomas. She isn't giving up so easily.
"Thomas, don't you dare try and convince me to stay back, because I won't be. I don't care what you say, I'm coming with you."
He runs a hand through his hair. "Lori, it's too dangerous."
"And when has that ever stopped me?" She crosses her arms over her chest.
"You know that Newt would kill me if I let you do this."
Lori feels as if a knife has been run through her heart. "Well, I guess we're lucky he's not here then, aren't we?"
Thomas' face seems to flash with an emotion that would most likely be characterized as guilt. Lori doesn't know why, but is definitely curious. "Fine. But please try to stay out of danger. I don't need Minho on my back if something happens to you."
The girl's face splits into a grin as she follows her two friends and the guard into a van. Lori also learnt that the Guard's name is Lawrence. They all manage to fit in the front seat, considering the two girls and Thomas are rather thin.
Just as they're about to leave, they hear thumping on the roof as the van sways, and then a cough.
They all look at each other, and Thomas whispers, "Someone's on the van."
Lawrence immediately guns it, hoping the person may just fall off of the roof.
As they're driving, Lori notices hair above the windscreen, and then a forehead, eyes, and the rest of the Crank woman's faces. She peeks her hear over to look inside the van, she patches of hair going wild in the wind caused by the speed of the van.
"What's she holding on to?" Thomas shouts to Lawrence.
"Who knows. But she can't last long."
All of a sudden, the woman is using one of her hands, scrunched into a fist, to bang on the glass, a wide smile on her face.
"Can't you do something? There has to be some way to get her off the roof," Lori asks.
"Fine." The man slams down hard on the brakes, sending the woman flying. When she climbs up from the road, she does not look happy at all, blood dripping down the side of her head.
Lawrence doesn't stop to look at her like the rest of them, just hits the pedal, not planning on turning to avoid the woman. Thankfully, she has the sense to move out of the way for the speeding vehicle.
"She was like a mix of sane and not sane," Thomas says to no one in particular.
"Just be glad she was the only one," Lawrence points out.
Brenda gives Thomas' arm a gentle squeeze. "It's hard to look at. I know how it felt for you, Minho and Lori to see what happened to Newt."
Lori's heart skips a beat as she tries to recapture he breath, squeezing her nails into her palms to fight against the urge to scream at Brenda.
Thomas looks at her, mouthing 'are you okay?'
She doesn't know whether she is or not, so she just nods, knowing it's the easiest option to take in a situation like this.
No one says anything as they drive down streets where there is a possibility that Cranks may come out of nowhere and attack them.
When they're almost out of that area, Brenda decides to speak again. "I can't believe it happened so fast. You think they were somehow planning to take over Denver? Could they really organize something like that?"
And is Newt helping them?
Lori can't help but feel that her want to go along to meet the Right Arm is less than honorable. She cares about helping them, but she cares about seeing Newt again far more.
There is no way am I not seeing him again. No way.
"Hard to know." Lawrence answers the question, because he would obviously have more knowledge on the topic. "There were signs. Locals disappearing, reps from the government disappearing, more and more infected being discovered. But it looks like a huge number of them sucker hid out, waiting for the right time to make their move."
"Smart plan," Lori points out.
"Yeah," Brenda says. "It feels like it was a matter of Cranks finally outnumbering the healthy people. Once the balance tipped, it tipped all the way over."
"Who cares how it happened," the man grumbles. "The only thing that matter is how it is. Look around us. This place is a nightmare now." He focuses on direction for a minute. "Almost there. We need to be careful now." He shut the headlights off and speeds the car up once again.
The dark of sundown begins to engulf them, and Lori can't wait to finally arrive. This definitely does not feel safe.
Thomas obviously feels the same, as he suggests to Lawrence that maybe he shouldn't be driving so fast.
"We'll be fine. I've driven this route a thousand times. I know it like the back of my-" And that's when they run over something. Or someone.
"'We'll be fine' he says.'I've driven this route a thousand times' he says," Lori mocks.
Brenda rubs her neck, "What was that?"
"I don't know," Lawrence admits, speaking very quietly. "And I don't appreciate the attitude kid." Lori rolls her eyes.
"It was probably just a trash can or something. Scared the crap out of me."
Loud noises are coming from outside the van, which suggests to Lori that it was most likely not a trash can.
"Here's an idea," Lori whispers. "Why not try turning the damned headlights back on? It's not like anybody in a thirty mile radius didn't hear all that noise."
Lawrence grunts in frustration as he does what Lori says.
Lori now wishes they hadn't turned the lights back on as she looks at the sight before her. At least thirty Cranks block their path, their dead-looking eyes staring at the van. They clothes are barely clinging to their bodies, and their bodies themselves are filthy. How long have these poor people lived as Cranks for?
Suddenly, they're moving. At first, Lori fears that they're going to charge the van, but they basically do the opposite.
The group of Cranks separate into two groups, slitting down the middle to make room for the van to pass by.
"These are some awfully polite Cranks," Lawrence says.
Lori just nods, too shocked to say anything immediately.
They watch the Cranks carefully, worried that one could pounce at any minute.
"They don't look completely insane yet," Lori says quietly.
Thomas looks at her. "Maybe they're not past the Gone yet? Or not in the mood to get run over by a big van."
"We'll gun it," Brenda states. "Before they change their mind."
Lawrence does exactly what she says, zooming past all of the Cranks.
Just as they're reaching the end of the tunnel of Cranks, a loud popping sound sounds from beneath them. The van immediately sways and swerves to the right, smashing into a wall in the alleyway, two Cranks crushed between the hood of the car and the wall.
The two Cranks don't die however, they're just injured. The Cranks begin to slam their fists angrily on the hood of the van, leaving scarlet smudges across it's white surface.
"What the hell?" Lawrence shouts as he puts the vehicle into reverse.
The van reverses at Lawrence's request, the whole thing rocking violently. The Cranks are released from between the hood and wall, and as soon as they're free, the Cranks around them begin to attack them.
Everything's going to hell.
Cranks begin to push and attack the van from every which way, trying to get in so that can get their hands on the four Munies.
Lori starts to hyperventilate slightly, "Lawrence, we need to get out of here. Please, try harder!"
"What's wrong?"
Brenda yells to the man in the driver's seat.
"What do you think I'm doing? They did something to the tires! Or the axels. Something!"
Lori its up straighter, gripping onto the door handle as a form of support, squeezing it tightly to try and relieve some of the stress she is feeling.
While she's doing that, Lawrence is constantly changing the van from reverse to drive, and then back again, only able to move the van a couple of feet each time.
"We really need to get out of here!" Thomas yells from beside her. Lori looks over to see what has him in a panic.
How could I not notice?
In the window right beside her, a woman with ferociously curly hair is holding a metal shovel, preparing to smack it against the glass.
Lawrence continues to do what he was doing, but to no avail. Nothing was working, and Lori can't take her eyes off of the window. The woman has hit it with the shovel multiple times already, but nothing yet.
And then it happens. The smallest crack appears in the glass, sending a shiver down Lori's spine and causing her to yelp.
"Guys, we need to do something, now! She's cracked the glass! She's going to break it!"
Brenda turns and looks at Lawrence, "Get us out of here!"
Just as the van is starting to move again, a Crank standing on the roof takes a sledgehammer to the windscreen, causes cracks to web across its surface.
The van reverses again, the man holding the sledgehammer rolling onto the hood, having it taken out of his hands by another Crank.
There are more cracking sounds, and the three passengers turn to see the rear window smashed and a male Crank crawling through into the van.
Thomas takes off his seat belt, gesturing for Lori to slide over a bit. He climbs over the seat and grabs an item off of the floor to use as a weapon. He then climbs over the next set of seats, before jabbing the weapon right into the Crank's arm several times. It retracts the limb in pain.
"You want the Launcher?" Brenda offers.
"No!" Thomas replies. "It's too big inside the van. Grab the gun!"
The van halts abruptly, causing Thomas to slam his face against the middle bench.
Lori and Brenda turn back to the front to grab the gun. Lori picks it up off of the floor of the van and passes it to Brenda, who turns to Thomas.
"Here!"
Brenda reaches back and Thomas takes it from her hands, spinning and shooting the Crank twice. It falls to the bottom of the van, grabbing at its arm.
"I think we're almost loose!" Lawrence yells. "I don't know what the hell they did!"
"It doesn't matter anymore, we just need to move!" Lori responds.
The van begins to back up, the go forward, and then back once again. Lori hears two more shots fired from the back of the van, looking to see a female Crank reaching through the broken rear window to try and grab Thomas.
"Just let us in, boy," she whines. "All we want is food. Just give us some food. Let me in!"
Not if that food is gonna be us.
Thomas keeps his aim steady on the woman as she tries to squirm through the smashed window. when she starts to look like she might actually find a way to climb in, Lawrence jolts the van forward, causing her to fall out and leave trails of her blood dripping down the glass that remains broken around the window frame.
As the vehicle starts to respond to Lawrence, he yells excitedly. "I think I've got it!"
The van moves further than usual, before stopping again. All the Cranks catch back up, and resume to slam against the car.
Lori and Brenda sit there helplessly as Lawrence tries to start the car, and Thomas repeatedly shoots at Cranks who are getting a little too close for comfort.
When all hope looks like it's lost, the van lurches forward, and then starts moving. This time is different however. This time, the van doesn't stop.
They bounce a couple of times, running over Cranks who had fallen to the ground, but other than that, nothing slows them down this time.
Thomas falls to the seat in the back, resting after his round of shooting. Now that they're away from the noise of the Cranks, Lori can hear Thomas' deep breathes as he calms himself.
Lawrence flicks off the only remaining headlight that is actually working, and guns it. He makes two more turns along the way, before driving through a open garage door that slams shut as soon as they pass it.
"Where are we?" Lori asks Lawrence.
No one answers as Lawrence kills the engine, letting the van go quiet. They all look at each other.
Thomas sits up in his seat in the back of the van.
The older man looks out the windows. "They're out there, surrounding us, waiting for us to get out.
"Who?" Brenda asks him.
"The boss' guards. They know this is one of their vans, but they won't approach until we get out and show ourselves. They need to confirm who we are - I'd guess we have about twenty weapons aimed at us right now."
Lori looks out the front window, confused. "It's, like, pitch black out there; how can you tell?"
"Because, they always do this. We need to get out, nice and slow. They'll recognize me soon enough."
Thomas climbs back into his original seat, careful not to kick either of the girls in the face. "Do we get out at the same time, or should just one of us go first?"
The man shakes his head slowly, "I'll get out first, tell them it's okay. Wait until I knock on the window to get out."
"It would really suck, if we went through all that just to have them shoot us. I'm sure I look like a Crank right about now," Brenda says quietly as Lawrence prepares to get out of the car.
Lori nods in agreement, a bit too nervous to say anything. Lawrence opens up the driver's seat door and stepped out.
Mere seconds later, there is a tap on the window. That is their cue. The other three climb out of the van slowly, attempting to try and make out any shapes in the dark room.
There's a click, and then the whole room is engulfed in a blinding light. Lori blinks her eyes several times, forcing them to adjust.
When Lori's eyes manage to be able to actually see again, she notices that the light isn't coming from above, but from in front of them. Mounted on a large tripod, a large spotlight sits focused on them. Several people stand around them, their weapons at the ready as they assess the intruders.
"Lawrence, is that you?" a male voice calls from behind the lights.
"Yeah, it's me," Lawrence replies.
"What happened to our van, and who are these people? Tell me you didn't bring infected in here."
"We got jumped by a huge group of Cranks down the alley ways. And these guys are Munies - they forced me to bring them to you. They want to see the boss."
The man takes a moment, as if considering what Lawrence is saying. "Why?"
"They said -"
The man doesn't allow Lawrence to finish speaking. "No, I want to hear it from them. State your names, why you forced our man to come here and destroy one of the few vehicles we have left. And it better be a good reason."
The three teens look at each other, sharing worried glances, deciding who should speak. They all managed to silently communicate through nods that Thomas should speak
And so he does. He looks to a spot just behind the spot light, and speaks to the man who they assume is in charge of this small group in this room.
"My name is Thomas. This is Brenda, and this is Lori. We know Gally - we were with him at WICKED and he told us about the Right Arm and what you guys are doing a few days ago. We were on the board to help, but not like this. We just need to know what you're planning, why you're kidnapping immune people and locking them up. I thought that was WICKED kind of stuff."
The man just laughs at Thomas. "I thin I'll let you see the boss just so you get the damn idea out of your head that we'd ever do anything like WICKED."
Thomas lifts his shoulders lightly, "Fine. Let us see your boss."
"You better not be blowing things out of your butt, kid. Lawrence, bring them in. Somebody else check the van for weapons."
Everyone remains silent as they're led up some stairs, into a room, down a dimly lit hallway, and into a large room that appears to have once been a business conference room. In the center of the room is a large wooden table with multiple dents and scratches, and a moderate number of plastic chairs.
Gally sits at the end of the table, looking the same as when they had last seen him, but more wore down. He is joined by a large man, who is basically enveloping the chair he's sitting in.
Gally gives them a smile and a nod, giving them permission to walk towards the table.