Rachel wasn't the only one – all of them flinched before looking around wildly for the source.
At first, it was a little disconcerting as Rachel didn't know who'd fired at whom, but slowly Rachel's eyes widened as she saw Janson pointing a still-smoking gun while Vince's hoarse voice cried in horror: "Mary. Mary. Mary!"
Rachel lifted her hands to her mouth as she fought a scream and an urge to gag as Mary dropped to the ground, blood already seeping out onto the ground from the bullet wound to her stomach. And all the while Vince yelled as the soldiers held him back: "Mary! Mary!"
Thomas stood, frozen in shock and horror as he stared between Janson, Paige, and Mary as Vince flung the soldiers off, yelling: "Get off of me!"
He flung himself down beside the dying woman, cradling her as he called: "Mary. Mary!"
But it was too late, and as Janson lowered his gun with a smirk, Mary closed her eyes as she breathed her last.
"NOOOO!" Vince wailed, his screams tearing into the group. Rachel flinched back, wishing Newt was beside her as Vince continued to cry: " MARY! No."
Paige just turned around, unaffected, as she ordered: "Come on, Janson. Load them up, let's go. All this people. Get rid of them."
Rachel's eyes widened in terror at Paige's words, and she looked between Paige and the group of older Right Arm rebels who were about to die because they couldn't be of use to WCKD.
She then yelped as a WCKD soldier grabbed her arm, starting to haul her away towards the carrier, while another two were already pulling Sonya and Aris ahead of her.
"Sonya!" Harriet cried as she saw them being taken. "Aris! Rachel!"
"Rachel!" Newt yelled, even as a soldier tried to reach for him, while Rachel struggled tooth and nail against her captor as she spat: "Let go of me!"
"Get back!"
A loud voice suddenly shouted from behind, and suddenly all movement ceased as the WCKD soldiers all spotted Thomas waving a grenade in his hand.
The grenade that, Rachel recognized with a jolt, Jorge had given Thomas earlier that very day before they'd met the right arm. A trigger-explosive that would go off three seconds after Thomas released his finger from the trigger.
"Now!" Thomas yelled threateningly at the WCKD soldiers even as the men aimed at the boy. "Everyone stand back!"
"Hold your fire!" Janson yelled as he ran quickly to stop his men from firing while Thomas continued to yell: "Everyone stand back!"
The others had all flinched away, though mostly in alarmed surprise at Thomas's surprise move. But as the commotion died slightly, with a line of WCKD soldiers facing and aiming at Thomas while Janson and Paige – and Teresa – turned back to address the teen once more, Rachel wrenched her arm free of her captor and moved to stand beside Harriet, who was closest.
Together, they watched as Thomas warned Janson and Paige: "Stay back."
He then gestured behind the pair – and Teresa – at the captured people in the carriers (and at Aris and Sonya who were still partially between them and the carrier) as he ordered shakily: "Let them go."
"Thomas, put it down." Janson warned, even as he held out a hand warily against the grenade in Thomas's hand.
"Let them all go!" Thomas yelled, done with trying to negotiate with WCKD.
But Paige was equally firm as she returned sharply: "You know I can't do that!"
"Thomas, please stop." Teresa begged, chiming in as she hurried to stand behind Paige, gazing at Thomas pleadingly over the older woman's shoulder. "I made a deal with them. They promised. They promised we'd be safe, all of us."
Rachel tensed, while Thomas asked scathingly, clearly feeling the same way as Rachel: "Okay. I'm supposed to trust you now?"
Teresa flinched as though she'd been slapped, and the hurt was clear in her eyes. But Rachel couldn't quite bring herself yet to feel sorry for the girl – maybe if she'd been caught with her hand in a cookie jar, then Teresa deserved to look that way. But after she'd sold them all to what was worse than death?
"It's true." Paige added as she saw the clear looks of disbelief on not just Thomas's face but all of their faces. "It was her only condition."
"Shut up!" Thomas yelled at her, but Paige continued as she said serenely: "Everything can go back to the way it was."
Rachel almost wished she could slap the woman for her tone more so than even her words; how could she be so calm? Act like she was as pure as the clothes she wore? After all the kids that had died – Beth, Miyoko, Ximena, and so many others, including Winston – how could she?
As Rachel struggled to keep her cool, Paige queried: "Thomas. Do you really want all of them to die?"
She gestured at the group of teens, his friends, who were also close enough that they would surely also be killed along with Thomas and Paige and her followers if Thomas released his finger.
Thomas hesitated, as Jason added: "Listen to her, Thomas. Think about what you're doing."
Thomas hesitated, his jaw clenching even as pained tears prickled at his eyes, when suddenly-
Paige's eyes widened while Thomas's shoulders relaxed just slightly as first Minho, then Newt and Frypan and Rachel, and finally Harriet walked over to stand in solidarity behind Thomas.
"We're with you, Tommy." Newt said firmly, and Teresa gasped as she stared at her friends in horror: "No."
"We're on your side." Rachel added firmly, and Newt glanced at her before wrapping his arm around her and holding her close.
Rachel burrowed into his side, even as she steeled herself along with the others for their certain death, and Paige whispered with perhaps her first genuine emotion as she stared at the group in shock: "Don't, Rachel."
Minho's gaze was steely as he countered grimly: "Do it, Thomas."
"We're ready." Frypan added, and Rachel held out her free hand to Harriet.
The ex-leader of Group B took her hand, holding on tightly as Thomas took a deep breath, saying as he looked straight at Janson: "I'm not going back there."
"Thomas." Paige whispered, looking pained, and Thomas looked right at her as he lifted the grenade in his hand, saying firmly: "It's the only way."
Thomas's hand was shaking even as he closed his eyes and readied to release the trigger. The others also closed their eyes, prepared, and Teresa turned her teary eyes away.
"Thomas!" Paige screamed, actually reaching towards the boy in utter fear and desperation, when a loud car horn blew from behind them.
They all glanced back in confusion, and Rachel's brows furrowed as she saw one of the Right Arm's trucks zooming across the planes towards them... or rather, towards one of WCKD's helicopters.
Her eyes widened in shock as the truck ploughed right into one of the transports on the edge, smashing the helicopter's side and careening it off onto its side, where its still-whirring blades snapped off.
"Look out!" Someone yelled as pieces of metal came flying through the gathered groups of people, narrowly avoiding hitting anyone.
Newt threw himself and Rachel to the side to duck as another piece came flying towards them, before they looked up in shock as – amidst the chaos – WCKD and the Right Arm began to run around.
The Right Arm soldiers had used the momentary opening to run for their confiscated weapons, grabbing guns and getting back firepower while those who couldn't fight started running all over the place to create more confusion before they scampered for the mountains.
The WCKD soldiers were initially more hesitant, dithering around their leaders as they remained undecided whether to protect or attack. It was Janson who got them to move, albeit a little late, as he yelled for two guards to take Paige and Teresa out while he ordered the others to fire on the Right Arm.
Meanwhile, the group of teens was as yet unarmed and easy targets, having been too close to WCKD when the chaos started. As they paused, uncertain what to do, a line of WCKD soldiers came running towards them, shouting: "Freeze!"
Thomas blinked, looked from his hand to the approaching soldiers, and then threw the grenade at the soldiers.
"Run!" Thomas yelled at the others, and Newt and Rachel scrambled to their feet before running quickly just as the grenade exploded behind them.
The blast sent them pitching forwards slightly, but Rachel regained her balance quickly and pulled Newt with her as she ran after Harriet.
"Come on!" She shouted as they all ran towards the mountain.
Rachel spotted Jorge – of all people – jumping out from the Right Arm truck that had crashed into the helicopter, and she realized with a jolt that Brenda and Jorge hadn't been amongst those captured.
It was as she thought that, that she spotted Brenda – high up on the mountain as she fired like a pro sniper down into the chaotic camp, taking out WCKD soldiers. Harriet had scooped up a pistol herself, and she, too, opened fire on the approaching soldiers, covering Rachel as she yelled: "Go, go, go!"
Rachel ran on, Minho pulling ahead of her as she ran with Newt, while Frypan came up behind them. Vince also reached his machine gun, able to fire it at last now that it was fully readied and loaded, and he opened fire on the soldiers as he exacted revenge for Mary.
Harriet spotted the man, and she hesitated, and Rachel saw her look.
"Go to him!" She shouted as she ran on with Newt, and Harriet yelled back: "You get out of here! All right?"
"Only if I see you there!" Rachel shouted back as she sprinted away, though she knew Harriet's heart ached along with her that they hadn't been able to save Sonya and Aris with them.
The pair had already been too close to the carrier, and the instant the chaos set in, they had been dragged inside. Sonya might have been able to escape, but not Aris – and the blonde wouldn't have been able to leave him on his own.
'We will find them.' Rachel thought to herself as she ran with Newt, hand-in-hand. 'We will escape today, and then go back for them.'
She then almost stumbled as Minho stooped in front of her, the boy picking up a gun on the ground. Newt righted her instantly, while Minho yelled at them: "Get out of here! Go!"
He fired at the WCKD soldiers chasing them, providing cover as Rachel and Newt ran ahead, Frypan right after them while Thomas came tearing up far behind.
"Careful, Minho!" Newt yelled behind him as they ran, while Minho walked backwards as he covered them, yelling at the last one running: "Come on, Thomas! Get out of here."
Thomas ran passed the former Keeper, and he yelled as he cleared the other teen: "Minho, let's go!"
"Get out of here, go!" Minho yelled after him as he fired at one more soldier, taking the man down in order to buy his friends at least a little more time.
Frypan had found a good cover far up the mountain, where the supply stash had been so there were a good many crates to use as blaster cover. The teen ducked behind one, and Newt quickly darted in next, pulling Rachel with him.
"Thomas! Minho!" Rachel called worriedly, letting out one sigh of relief when the dumb stick Thomas at least made it to them.
"Get down!" Newt ordered, reaching behind Rachel to pull Thomas down just before a gunshot could hit him, while Rachel yelled down the mountain at Minho: "Minho, hurry up! Come on, go!"
The teen was still too far, dangerously far, and Rachel saw in an instant that Minho had made a fatal mistake in not running when Thomas had cleared him. From their vantage point, they could see what the boy hadn't been able to – a trio of WCKD soldiers coming through the blowing sand to pick off any last people that they could before the carriers took off.
"Minho, run!" Rachel screamed, at the same time that Newt and Thomas saw what she had.
But it was too late, and to top the catastrophe off Minho didn't have any bullets left in his gun, leaving him a sitting duck as the WCKD soldiers came up on him.
"Minho!" Rachel, Newt, and Thomas yelled, just as Frypan peaked over to see what the commotion was about and right as Minho was shot in the chest. On one hand, it was thankfully a taser bullet and not a real one – on the other, it was almost worse than if Minho had just been killed.
The teen stumbled back, landing on a nearby overturned barrel so that they could see his face as he gasped from the shock he'd received.
"Minho!" Thomas yelled as he started to dart out to run towards his friend.
"Thomas!" Rachel yelled, and Newt shouted as he ran after his friend: "No!"
"Minho!" Thomas yelled, but he was too far.
"Thomas!" Newt yelled as he chased his friend, and Rachel cried in terror: "Newt!"
A blast just missed the teen and Rachel tore after Newt and the dumb stick Thomas, Frypan running with her. All around them, the remaining Right Arm soldiers were backing up the mountain, Jorge and Brenda with them as they fired what they had left at the WCKD soldiers to keep the men from following them.
Only Thomas – and his friends chasing him – ran the other way, as the brunette boy screamed: "Minho!"
Rachel saw one of the soldiers aiming for Newt, and she leapt, grabbing the teen and shoving him down just before the soldier fired. The bullet missed, flying over their heads, and the pair sat up with a gasp before Rachel pulled Newt behind a crate as more bullets came their way.
"Thomas?!" Jorge, thankfully, stopped the hysterical and suicidal boy, yelling: "No! Go!"
He shoved Thomas back, where Frypan caught his friend. The former cook quickly dragged his friend back to cover behind another crate as they avoided more blasts sent their way while the WCKD soldiers grabbed Minho and started hauling the incapacitated teen away.
"Minho!" Thomas shouted in despair now, for there was nothing they could do but watch as Minho was dragged away from them and into the carrier.
"Minho." Newt gasped, pained, and Rachel took his hand in hers as Vince yelled for them to move, urging them all further up the mountain.
"Minho!" Thomas wailed as Frypan and Jorge pulled the teen with them up the mountain, after the others where they stood and watched as the rest of their friends and comrades were taken away.
"Minho..." Newt whispered.
Rachel grasped his hand tightly as they watched helplessly as the carrier doors closed on Minho as the teen was dragged to where Sonya and Aris and all the others were, behind Janson, Paige... and Teresa. And they could only continue to watch as the carrier took their friends away as it flew off high into the air and far into the distance once more.