"We need to get out of that city!" Brenda said worried as he helped Thomas getting Newt to stand on his own two feet. "The others are waiting!"

"I can't!"

"What?!" Four head shot around to look at Thomas as if he lost his mind.

"Why?!"

"The cure. You heard Teresa yourself."

"How can you still trust her?" Newt asked.

"I don't. But if it's true I can't just leave. I have to try."

"They just want you.They want revenge. You have no idea what they will do to you! They're going to kill you! " Minho shouted at him.

"Please, come back with us!" Brenda begged.

"I can't. I don't expect you to come with me. Just go. Get to safety."

"I won't leave you alone again!"

"Newt..."

"Shut it! I will go with you! I know I won't be able to change your mind in coming with us. So I am coming with you!"

"I'll come, too." Gally suddenly said, standing next to Newt.

Brenda and Minho exchanged a look and nodded at Thomas. "You're not alone."

Thomas knew he couldn't stop them. And he was happy that he was not alone. He nodded at them. "Thank you."

"We'll always be with you!" Newt said, laying a hand on Thomas' shoulder. He smiled.

"We need a plan!" Gally said. "We can't just run in there and not knowing what we're doing."

"That's what we usually do." Minho mumbled.

Suddenly the ground started shaking.

"The building is collapsing!" Brenda shouted in horror.

"Run!" Gally screamed.

They ran, stumbling over the uneven ground and their own feet, trying not to get hit by the falling building. Thomas held Newt's hand, pulling him with him. Newt wasn't as fast as before. His body would need time to heal completely again.

"Which way?" Minho shouted as he reached the end of the hall they've been in. The exit was blocked. There was no way out.

"We have to get out!" Brenda shouted as she looked back. A huge rock was exploding on the ground just some meters behind Newt.

"That way!" Thomas shouted, pulling Newt to the left.

"We'll just get deeper inside!" Gally called after him.

"That's the only way!"

Not missing another second the other three followed. They arrived in a seemingly endless corridor. Glass on their right, a crumbling building on their left. Not hesitating Minho threw himself against the glass. Already weakened by the constant explosions and vibrations the glass easily gave way and Minho stumbled outside.

"Come on!"

One after the other slipped through the gap. Only then did they notice that they already were outside, right in the way of the collapsing building. They sprinted across the next three streets before they dared to look around again. The skyscraper had toppled over and lay crashed into pieces all over the streets.

The five friends stood there, breathing heavily and trying to organize their thoughts again.

"What now?"

"Look" Newt suddenly said. "We're here!" He pointed across the street to WICKED's main control tower.

"But if we want to get the cure we have to hurry!" Gally said. "Those guys won't stop for anything."

The people who had been living outside of the city were making their way towards the biggest skyscraper. To get WICKED to fall, to crumble by those they were fighting against.
Running as fast as possible Thomas was the first to finally reach the entrance and stumbled towards the stairs.

"Thomas!" Brenda shouted as they tried not to lose him and Newt. The boy still got pulled after Thomas who didn't think about letting Newt's hand go any time soon. "Do you even know where you're going?"

"What is your plan?" Minho asked running close behind them.

"I have some sort of idea!" Thomas answered.

"Oh god." Gally panted, trying to keep up with them.

Newt just concentrated on the steps beneath to not stumble over his still weak feet. His mind was racing and his heart felt like it had never beaten as fast.

After what felt like an eternity they reached one of the upper floors. Panting heavily they leaned against a wall, trying to catch their breaths again.

"At least... in the maze... we had no stairs..." Minho panted. Thomas couldn't help but grin.

"Now, where are we?" Newt asked, looking around.

"The medical department. It's where Teresa experimented. We have to find her."

Suddenly they heard footsteps echoing through the corridor. Alarmed they first looked at each other and stumbled away to find a place to hide.

-

Hidden in a little dark hallway they peeped around the corner and through broken walls to get a look at the person. Dressed in white, high heels and stiff hair, her face tired and worn out. Ava Paige.

She stopped in the middle of the corridor, waiting for something or someone. Neither of them dared to breathe too loud or even speak. They needed Teresa, not her.

Then it suddenly occurred to Thomas that this is what they needed to do. Following her, trying to get at least part of her trust. They both needed something the other had. He got up.

"What are you doing?!" Newt whispered. He tried to keep his voice quiet, for Ava not to hear him. The constant explosions from outside helped hiding it.

"I have to pretend like I'm on her side. At least for now. She has to believe that I lost everything."

"Thomas..." Brenda tried to stop him but he had already walked away. Scared and partly shocked his friends watched from where they were still crouched on the floor.

Thomas pulled his gun and directed it towards the director of WICKED.

"Tell me..." He started. She turned towards him, not having seen him coming. "...is it true? Could I have saved him? Newt?"

Newt's eyes widened. He grabbed the wall next to him for support and looked around but his friends had the same clueless expression. He was here. He was alive. Why should Thomas say something like that?

Just by thinking about losing Newt tears started to form in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. His body felt empty all of a sudden. It was like every emotion was gone and only sadness had stayed.

Newt saw part of Thomas' face. Tears. Sadness. Loneliness. He wanted to do nothing else but run to him, take him in his arms and tell him that he was all right. That everything would be fine.

Ava looked devastated. She believed him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come. Her thoughts went through every detail that she could have missed but she was too tired and exhausted. Too scared.

"Oh, Thomas." She said. "If we'd known earlier, none of this would have had to happen. Come. We'll save what there is left to save."

Minho suddenly understood what Thomas had planned all along. No one should know about them. And Ava believed it. She thought Thomas came on his own. They could help him if necessary.

"I'll come with you... if you leave my friends in peace. Forever."

"I promise. Now..."

Suddenly a gunshot exploded through the silence around them. Ava stopped right in her move and gasped. Pain flooded her body. Before she could even look down to see with her own eyes what she already knew her knees gave in and she fell to the ground. As her head hit the tiled floor she was already dead.

Thomas had stumbled backward, not believing his eyes or ears. As the woman in front of him sank to the ground a man appeared behind her in the empty corridor, gun pointed at him. Janson.

"I didn't think you'd come back." He said, coming nearer. "And now, that your beloved friend is dead, what keeps you here?" Thomas' heart felt like it fell apart with every word Janson said. Newt. At least he believed him.

"You could have run away, following your friends out of the city. But you decided to come here."

"I didn't choose to be the cure everyone was looking for!"

Now Janson stood only mere meters in front of Thomas. Both of them had their weapons pointed at the other.

Behind the next corner sat Gally, gun ready in case he needed to step in. The atmosphere around them was tense. No one knew what would happen next, but everyone prepared for anything.

"Now, where were we? Can we go? Teresa won't wait for long. Time is running out."

Janson suddenly looked somehow rushed. He waved the gun in front of Thomas' face, urging him to start moving.

"Turn around. Go! I won't shoot you. We still need you. Alive. Otherwise, you'd already be dead, believe me." Janson smirked. Thomas could only do what he said if he wanted his plan to work. He turned around and moved forward, Jason one step behind.

Holding their breath the others looked at them, following every move with their eyes. They couldn't let them out of their sight.

As Thomas and Janson passed their hiding place they all shuffled backward and pressed themselves against the wall to not be seen. Newt's heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest any second, but his eyes never left Thomas.

Suddenly Janson moved his hand that wasn't holding the gun down to his pocket and retrieved something. Small, thin, reflecting the light of the explosions outside. He lifted his hand and too late Newt recognized it as a syringe. He moved his hand as if he could do something and wanted to shout Thomas' name as another shot disturbed the silence they've been in.

Brenda pulled him back into the dark of the corner behind them. Hidden from everyone else's view he saw what happened. Minho had taken Gally's gun and shot at Janson. Gally had tried to stop his friend but ended up misguiding the bullet so it shattered the window next the Thomas. Janson and Thomas turned around shocked as to see what happened. The syringe fell out of Janson's hand and shattered into hundreds of tiny glass shards.

"You..." Janson hissed, eyes narrowed to slits. No one dared to move. From his position he could only see Gally and Minho. Brenda and Newt were safely hidden in the dark.

Thomas used his distraction and tried to get his gun out of his hand. But Janson noticed last second and moved around hitting Thomas temple with the back of his gun. He stumbled back, holding on to the wall next to the broken window, trying everything to not black out.

Gally and Minho jumped up as on signal and ran to help their friend. Dodging Janson's first attack, Minho moved past him to get to Thomas but the man wouldn't let that happen. He grabbed on Minho's shirt so that he fell on the ground.
Gally flung a fist to his face but Janson easily stopped it. Minho, still on the ground, kicked his foot up and Janson's gun out of his hand. It slid across the floor, out of reach for any of them.

Minho got up again to attack another time. Distracted by the two of them Janson didn't notice that Thomas had already got back to full consciousness. Picking up his own gun he pointed it at Janson.

"Janson..." He muttered through gritted teeth. "Leave them!"

All three of them stopped their movements. "Leave us in peace! I was going with you, but now..."
He looked at Gally who understood immediately. He lifted his arms to wrap around Janson's neck, strangling him. He tried to escape but Gally was stronger than he thought. A few seconds passed and he got unconscious in Gally's arms. He laid him unceremoniously on the ground. All three stood around him, looking down.

"Can we please shoot him?" Minho asks.

"No. We're going to Teresa. We've lost enough time."

Thomas turned away from the man and walked down the corridor, Gally and Minho followed him. Brenda and Newt followed, too. Hidden in the dark of the next corridor. Who knew who else was waiting in that building, trying to harm them? They could still step in.

Walking further Thomas' head cleared again. After the fight and all that's been going on around him it was hard to concentrate. Having to pretend that Newt died almost broke his heart. But now they could finally get going. With Teresa's help it would be easy to prepare a serum and once they were safe they could make more and heal everyone.

Turning another corner they had finally reached their destination. They could see Teresa in one of the labs. No good place to hide. Walls made out of glass everywhere. But now they've come that far. They wouldn't turn around.

Newt and Brenda had sneaked after them, keeping their eyes on everything that could have been a danger for their friends. They crouched down on the floor as Thomas, Gally and Minho entered the lab. Teresa turned around surprised, not having believed he'd actually come back.

Newt tried to concentrate on their conversation but all of a sudden his mind became blurry again. Dizzy, he leaned his head against the wall behind him. Teresa's first serum didn't
help as good as he hoped it would. All of the stress and fear kept lowering its effects. Brenda didn't notice the state of her friend.

Thomas didn't trust Teresa enough to tell her the truth. So he stuck to the story he had already told.

"Are you completely sure that this works? Could I have saved Newt?"

"Oh Thomas" She whispered. "I am so, so sorry! I didn't know this would happen so fast! I..."
She stopped at Minho's urgent look. Now was not the time. They had to hurry.

"Okay, yes. I've made tests with your blood. It just doesn't stop the virus. It kills it. Your blood is the solution to all of our problems."

"Don't waste any more time then." Gally interrupted.

Thomas sat down and Teresa came into action. She took some blood and was right off to prepare the serum. Gally, Minho, Tomas and Brenda followed every single movement.

Newt's breathing got faster again. He tried to fight back to not turn back into this horrible creature. But his body and mind were weak.

"I have to see what she's doing. If she's doing it right." Brenda turned around to Newt. In the darkness she couldn't see his slowly blackening eyes. "You should probably stay here. She doesn't know you're alive. Will you be okay?"

"I'm okay" Newt managed with as much belief in his voice as possible. "Just go."

Brenda smiled at him before getting up and walking towards the others. Nodding slightly at Thomas' worried glance she then turned to Teresa to watch her actions.

Newt just sat in the dark, fighting against the virus as much as possible. He had to stay focused. He needed something to keep his mind occupied. His eyes drifted around the room where the others were standing, watching intensely what Teresa managed to do. Newt couldn't wrap his head around how she could make a cure out of blood. Thomas' blood to be more specific. And this was what stuck to Newt's mind. Thomas.
He focused on the boy, sitting as the only one of them, eyes clear but hands shaking.

All of their attention was occupied by what was going on in front of them. So no one except Newt heard the footsteps slowly creeping closer. At first, he couldn't react but as a shadow appeared from one side of the corridor Newt finally had the control over his mind back. Keeping as quiet as possible he watched. Observed. Friend or enemy? He could make out the form of the shadow. A gun. Enemy, definitely.

Just as Newt was about to stand up to do something the person appeared in his view. Janson. Gun held in strong but slightly shaking hands, a wound on his forehead and very, very angry, determined to kill. Before Newt could do anything Janson stepped into the lab, taking all of the others by surprise.

Teresa had just finished one injection of the perfect cure as they heard footsteps. They turned around immediately, only to be met by Janson's furious face. Two guns were pointed at them.

"Game's over, people!" He said, smiling to himself. It almost seemed like he was mad.
Gally hadn't had time to pick up his weapon again and no one of the others had any gun near them. How could they've been so foolish, thinking that they were safe now?

"I will kill every single one of you and then I'll take that cure and leave." Janson explained, slowly like he was trying to get little kids to understand a math problem. "And no one will stop me."

Newt got up on shaking feet, holding himself upright on the wall next to him. He had to do something. Anything. Stumbling forward without any plan he reached the corridor.

"Don't look like that, Thomas. Be happy. You're going to see your little friend again. Just after I've put a bullet through your head."

All attention was on Janson so no one noticed how Newt slowly crept up on him. He steadied himself on the door. Janson just stood mere meters in front of him, not noticing anything. He needed a plan. Or something heavy to knock him out with.

Brenda saw a movement in the corner of her eyes. She looked there, only moving her eyes and saw some blonde hair sticking out behind Janson. Newt. He'd save them.

The only thing that could be used as a weapon near Newt turned out to be a stool. Picking it up as quiet as possible Newt prepared himself for his attack.

Teresa's attention was suddenly drawn to a movement behind Janson. She spun her head around, eyes wide.

Everyone noticed her reaction. Janson, alarmed by it, turned around just as Newt swung the stood. It hit him right in the face, probably breaking his jaw and nose. Shocked, the others stumbled back, as their enemy hit the ground for good, both guns sliding away from him.

Newt underestimated the force behind that blow. His weak hands couldn't hold onto the stool anymore so it slipped out of his hands and flew across the room, right into a cabinet with various medicines. It shattered to the ground.

"Newt!" Thomas shouted surprised.

"Oh, thank god, you saved us!"

"I shouldn't have put my guns away..." Gally mumbled to himself, still not processing how that could happen to him.

"He won't get up that easily anymore" Minho said, looking at Janson.

Newt smiled slightly before his legs gave in and he fell to the ground. Almost completely unconscious he could hear the shocked screams of his friends, rushing to him.
"Newt! What is happening? Can you hear me?" He heard Thomas right above him. He just couldn't see him anymore. His vision was blurry and the only thing he could make out were silhouettes and colors mixed with edgy movements.

He wanted to say something, to shout. To tell them that he was right here, that he didn't want to go again. But he couldn't.

"Oh my god!" Brenda gasped. She had pulled Newt's jacket out of the way for him to breathe more easily. His veins had turned blue and black again. The virus was right back. Under normal circumstances this would have never happened.

"We need the serum, Teresa! Now!" Thomas cried. He held close to Newt, his head laying against Thomas' arm, eyes already closed.

The girl hurried to the table where she'd just finished the cure and came back with an injection. She kneeled next to Newt. Why was he here? Didn't they say he died?

"Hurry!" Gally shouted behind her.

She wasted no more time, took Newt's arm and injected the serum into his blood. It worked right away. The friends could see how the cure made its way through Newt's veins, eliminating every part of the virus.

It was like life found its way back to Newt a second time. Embracing him, for having him back. The dizziness went away and his thoughts cleared. He could feel everything around him.

"Newt! Please, look at me? Are you all right?" Thomas asked, his voice laced with worry.
Newt finally opened his eyes, seeing everyone around him.

"I'm fine." He croaked out, smiling again.

"Oh thank god!" Thomas' voice broke as he lifted Newt up again and embracing him.

Everywhere around them gasps and relieved voices echoed through the lab.

"Never leave me again!" Thomas whispered close to Newt's ear. "Never ever leave me! I couldn't live without you!"

"I'll stay with you. Forever. Promise." Newt whispered back. He still couldn't believe that he survived a second time.

"How...how are you alive?" Teresa suddenly asked.

"He never died." Minho explained. "It was just to make you believe he did."

"And if we wouldn't have done that, all of us might be dead now." Brenda said, still smiling brightly at Newt.

"Yeah, well, if we want to continue living we should go. Now!" Gally suddenly shouted from the window. "Our so-called friends are attacking the building!"

Like on cue the whole skyscraper started shaking. They'd fired a bomb into the lower part of WICKED's main control tower.

"We have to get out of here!" Minho shouted pulling Newt and Thomas on their feet.

"Go! Run!" Brenda shouted, running past them into the corridor. They all hurried to follow her. Gally as the last of them, making sure no one followed them. Janson still lay motionless on the ground.

They left the medical apartment and rushed towards the next staircase as another explosion destabilized the building.

"Which way?" Minho shouted, looking at the stairs in front of them. But smoke and heat radiating from underneath them already answered that question. The whole lower part of the building must've been in flames.

"We're closer to the top. The others can pick us up from there!" Thomas said and already sprinted towards the stairs that led to the top of the skyscraper, closely followed by Newt and Minho and the others.

"Jorge!" Brenda shouted in the walkie-talkie she'd carried with her the whole time. She'd almost forgotten about it.

"Brenda? Thank god! Where are you?" Wavered Jorge's voice from the device.

"You have to come here and get us! Top of WICKED's tower. It's about to crumble!"

"Oh my... Okay, we'll be there! Don't..."

Then the connection cut off.

-

Jorge stood on the edge of the building they were currently on, cursing his walkie-talkie. The skyscraper was one of the last few that was still intact. He immediately turned around and rushed back into the plane.

"Vince! We have to get them! Now! WICKED's tower!"

Shock and worry painted all over Vince's face. He looked at his friend.

"You do know that this..." He pointed across the city. "...is WICKED's tower?"

Jorge's eyes widened with fear. The whole tower was burning, flames licked on both the outside and inside and it seemed to just be a burning nothing like everywhere around it. The only difference was that his dear Brenda and all of the others were in there.

"We have to hurry! Now! We'll get them! They rely on us!"

-

Fire lurking close underneath their feet, the heat of the flames and the stinging smoke made it hard for them to keep going. Together with their exhaustion it made breathing more painful and their feet heavier with every step they took. But at the same time it pushed them further. There was no way they'd stop now.

"Just one floor left!" Teresa shouted from behind them. She knew the building like the back of her hand and she also knew that if they'd have any chance it would be on the roof. But if help wasn't there exactly when they reached the top then there was no way they'd survive this.

The heat around them became suffocating, taking their breath away. Thomas reached the last door that kept them from escaping. He put his hand on the handle but pulled back right away. It was burning hot. Pulling his sleeve over his hand he finally opened the door.

The six of them stumbled outside, only to be greeted by even more flames and a dark night sky. They could look over the whole city. Every building now was destroyed or burning to the ground.

They looked around shocked and afraid, trying to find a certain plane somewhere in the sky. But it wasn't there.

"Where are they?" Gally shouted.

"They have to be here somewhere!" Brenda shouted back. "They would never just leave!"

Another explosion made them stumble back. The whole building started shaking and Newt clung to Thomas. He had just survived, he didn't want to die again. He didn't want Thomas to die. They'd just survived everything together. And this was how it should end?

Thomas held Newt close to him, not letting him go, not wanting to let go. They've come that far and now it should end like that? For all of them.

He could see Teresa slumping down to the ground, tears streaming down her face. Minho who had run to the edge of the skyscraper, hoping he could see the plane or the others could see him. Gally who had thrown his guns to the ground. They had saved his own life and the lives of many others so many times but now they were completely useless. Brenda who shouted at her walkie-talkie, trying to get it to work again, trying to reach Jorge or anyone else. Telling them where they were.

It felt like all of this was happening many times slower than it should be. The flames around them got higher and the heat was almost killing them.

Thomas slowly caressed through Newt's hair. They had slung their arms around each other, breathing in the other, savoring every last detail, everything that was important to them. They just stood there in the middle of the roof, letting everything happen around them.

They say fire exposes one's priorities. And they were each other's priority. Nothing else mattered in what they thought were the last minutes of their lives.

Even with the crackling of the fire around them everything had become silent. Brenda had stopped shouting and all the others just stood still, not moving, almost not even breathing.

A deep cracking sound let them spin around to see where it came from. The skyscraper right next to them gave in and sunk to the ground, falling apart on the way down. Parts of it flew around and some of them hit their building, making it even more unstable.

Suddenly a roaring above their heads made them look upwards. Their rescue, their way out. They could see the plane hovering right above them. The others really came.
All of them jumped up, screaming with joy and relief. Thomas pulled Newt even closer before letting go to run and join Minho at the edge of the roof. Newt followed, a huge grin on his face.

"Need a ride?" Frypan sat at the back of the plane, holding himself on one of the walls to not fall out.

"Thank god, you're here!" Brenda shouted.

"You'd think we'd just leave you?" Jorge grinned, standing next to Frypan. "Vince! We need to get closer!" He shouted at the man navigating the plane.

"One after the other. Then we can make sure you don't fall out again." Jorge instructed.

"Brenda, go!" Gally said. Without hesitating she took a start, jumping off the edge and landing safely in Jorge's arms.

"Now it's my turn!" Minho said, going back a few steps and followed Brenda. Frypan pulled him inside the plane by his hand.

He immediately turned around to help his friends. He just saw Gally jumping. As he put his feet on the plane he stumbled backward, his gear being too heavy. Minho reached out, not hesitating a second and pulled him back in.

"Thanks, Minho!" He exhaled, as he stood safely beside him again.

"Now Newt!" Brenda shouted.

Newt pressed Thomas' hand one time, looking him in the eyes. His look said one thing. "Don't you dare leave me!"

"Promise" Thomas whispered.

Newt stepped back and took a start. Flying through the air he could feel how the radiating heat became less powerful. Reaching the plane he got pulled inside by Jorge right away.

Suddenly the building started crumbling even more. With horror in his eyes Newt looked back at Thomas as the skyscraper sunk a few meters.

"Vince! We need to get closer!" Frypan shouted. "The building is about to break down!"

"I'm trying!" He shouted back. The other kids who sat inside the plane watched with horror as their heroes tried to get their friends to safety.

Vince let the plane sink a few more meters, just out of reach from the flames.

"You need to jump now! We can't get any closer!" Gally shouted at Thomas and Teresa.

Thomas turned around, looking at the girl. "We have to run together!"

"Go!" She shouted at him. Thomas nodded at her and concentrated on jumping. He went a few steps back and ran to the edge, Teresa following one step behind.

Just as he took his last step and pushed off the roof, the building crumbled once more and their feet dropped into nothing.

The others screamed in shock. Newt didn't hesitate and threw himself on the floor, reaching his hand out to catch Thomas' from falling. Minho reacted just as quick and held his hand out to catch Teresa.

Thomas lifted his hands and held onto Newt last second. Gally held Newt's feet so that he wouldn't get pulled out of the plane by Thomas.
Hanging at the edge he pulled himself up with his free hand. The others were right there to help.

Teresa just got pulled inside completely by Jorge as Thomas lifted his foot up and pushed himself inside the plane. Minho took his other hand and together they hauled him into safety.

Breathing heavily he rolled on the floor, away from the end of the plane. The others exhaled relieved, holding on the walls of the plane.

"Go, get out of here!" Jorge shouted at Vince. He shut the exit of the plane and took off. The noise of the collapsing buildings all around them was cut off and only their heavy breathing and the plane's engine could be heard.

Newt just crawled over to Thomas and laid himself on top of him, closing his arms around him. Holding each other and breathing in sync, they slowly calmed down.

"Kept my promise." Thomas whispered. Newt grinned, laughing slightly.