-J A D E-

Jade didn't sleep that night, for she felt an almost protectiveness over the group who were mourning their friend. She had managed to get them near the mountain, but the group had run out of water so had to stop as soon as it got dark. Jade had noticed the family they had made together- so different yet the teenagers surrounded her support each other like their lives depended on it. The thought of family reminded her of her brother.

She rested her head on her bag, staring at the stars above her and wishing upon every galaxy that her brother was still alive.

Jade's thoughts were interrupted by the flashing lights from the sky above her, and the deafening rumble that followed after. Bolts of electricity struck the ground, as Piper sat up quickly and awoke the others...

"Guys! Wake up, come on." She repeated, as she helped Piper to her feet, "We have to move."

The group sprinted away from the thunder bolts, towards the lights in the distance. Jade guided them towards a building just a reach away, however the sky had other plans. Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck down next to Minho, causing him to descend into the ground. Thomas stumbled over from the proximity to the bolt, a deafening ringing buzzed in Jade's ears as she turned around to see the boys on the floor.

Newt, Piper, and Aris helped Minho to his feet, dragging him along towards the building in front of them, as Frypan and Teresa held open the door. Jade rushed over to Thomas, who was panicking from the disorientation and struggling to his feet.

"You're okay! Come on." Jade reassured, as she sprinted with Thomas towards the door, bolting it shut behind her.

They dropped Minho to the ground, Piper shining her flashlight in the boy's face. Thomas gripped onto his t-shirt, "Minho! Minho."

"Come on, Minho." Newt pleaded, as the group shouted encouragements for him to wake up, "Come on, man."

Minho groaned, and the group let out a sigh of relief. The boy frowned, "What happened?"

Piper exclaimed, "I think you got struck by lightning."

"Oh!" The boy smirked, and the group laughed slightly, before helping him to his feet.

Jade glanced at Teresa, who was slowly walking away from the group. She frowned to herself, as Teresa muttered, "What's that smell?"

Jade remembered where they were, she had found shelter here with her brother a long time ago. She warned, "Teresa." She watched as the girl retrieved the flashlight from her pocket, "Teresa!"

As the girl turned the flashlight on, a horrible figure tried to grab her. A Crank- black veins plaguing its pale face, as it growled and screeched in desperation. Teresa jumped back, letting a scream of fear as the group pulled her back.

Jade reassured, "It's okay! They're chained up."

"You failed to mention the part of Cranks in your description of a shelter!" Piper shouted in fear, flashing her torch at the multiple Cranks trying to break free of their chains.

"I second that!" Minho added, "What the shuck is this?!"

A door opened from the other side of the shelter, a girl with short hair stood in the door way, "I see you've met our guard dogs."

The girl effortlessly walked through the many snarling Cranks, and stood before the group. She smirked at them, "You guys look like shit." The girl glanced at Jade, her eyes softening as she questioned in disbelief, "Jay?"

"Brenda." Jade smiled, embracing her with a tight hug.

Piper questioned, "You know her?"

Jade had known Brenda, and classified her as a sister, due to her time spent at this shelter. It was her home, for a while, until her brother went missing and she decided to leave. Brenda had been adopted, alike Jade, by a kind man named Jorge- who they both saw as a father-figure, making them non-related siblings.

"You haven't told them about me?" Brenda questioned sarcastically, "To be honest, I didn't expect you to make friends on your search." She began walking away, "Are you guys coming? Or would you rather stay with the Cranks?"

"You're search?" Piper questioned curiously, as she shared a concerned glance with Thomas, before they followed Brenda through the shelter.
"Care to share where we are?" Piper asked, as she walked quickly to catch up to Jade. Piper looked around at the strangers around her, "Who even are these people?"

"Relax, nobody's come out of the Scorch in a long time. You've just got everyone curious." Jade reassured, "Plus, these people are good people. They're against WCKD."

Piper's eyes darted around widely, watching the people who waved and smiled at Jade, who seemed to be recognisable to quite a lot of them. Brenda guided the group to, what Jade remembered as, Jorge's office.

The group reached the office, and a man turned around to face them. Jorge smiled widely when he saw Jade, embracing her with a hug, as she spoke sarcastically, "Look what the cat dragged in!"

"Not lookin' to bad yourself, Jorge." Jade smiled, before pointing sarcastically, "Those grey hairs are coming through-"

"You cheeky bastard..." Jorge ruffled the girl's hair, "Any luck?"

Jade's smile faulted, "Still looking."

Jorge nodded, before staring at the group behind her and his softened look faded. He sighed, "I have three questions. Where did you come from? Where are you going? How can I profit-"

"Jorge, stop." Jade interrupted, "These are my... acquaintances. They're looking for the Right Arm."

"They're looking for ghosts you mean?" Jorge retorted, taking a sip of his drink, whilst his men laughed behind him.

Piper scoffed, looking at Jade, "You said you were from the Right Arm and now they're ghosts? Bullshit-"

Brenda remarked sarcastically, "I like her."

"Question number two." Jorge continued, "Where did you come from?"

Minho hesitated, "That's our business."

Suddenly, despite Jade's shouts of disagreement, the men had grabbed Thomas by the arms and scanned his neck with a metal device. Brenda snatched the equipment out of the man's hand, before scoffing, "You were right. WCKD."

Jorge chuckled, though Piper couldn't tell if it was genuine, "Im sorry, hermano. Looks like you're tagged. You came from WCKD, which means you're very valuable."

Jade couldn't stop Jorge and his men from tying her friends upside with rope a few metres above the Cranks den. She followed Jorge into the room where they were kept, as he spoke,

"My men want me to sell you back to WCKD. Life has taught them to think small. I'm not like that, and neither is Jay, which is why she is begging me to untie you."

"Nope, not begging." Jade corrected sarcastically, "Suggesting."

"You see, a long time ago, I met Jay seeking my help because she had left the Right Arm to search for her brother." Jorge explained, "Since that moment, the Right Arm's location has vanished. And I know you know something. So maybe we can make a deal."

"I thought you said they were ghosts?" Piper retorted sarcastically.

"Yeah, is the blood rushing to my head, or is this Shank not making any sense?" Minho added sarcastically.

Thomas explained, "They're in the mountains. And they attacked WCKD, and they got out a bunch of kids. That's it, that's all we know."

Jorge tilted his head in interest, before beginning to walk away slowly. Piper called to him, "What about our deal?"

"The deals off." Jorge shot back from a distance, leaving the kids dangling upside down.

"Thanks, Jade." Piper retorted sarcastically, "You're really helping us find the Right Arm by being sent back to WCKD."

"Look, I know I said I was part of the Right Arm. I was! I didn't have the courage to tell you that I didn't know where they were anymore." Jade explained truthfully, "I was hoping Jorge would help you... and he is going to. He's a kind man-"

"Yep, you've said that. Twice." Piper shot back, "And so far, all the kind man has done is hang us upside down for hours!"

"Just please untie us." Thomas added, "You said you wanted to help us."

Jade hesitated, before looking around and pulling the lever to carefully lower the group to the ground. They quietly untied themselves, when the group were blinded by two bright white lights above them. Engines whirred from a familiar aircraft above the shelter, though as the group tried to run out of the room, one of Jorge's men appeared in the doorway, aiming a gun at Jade as she surrendered slowly. With his spare hand, the man raised his walkie-talkie,

"Janson, I got 'em for ya." He spoke, "I'm bringing 'em down. Don't shoot us." He looked at the group, walking closer, "Let's go! I said... let's-"

BANG!
Suddenly, the man's head exploded, as blood splattered onto the group of teenagers as they flinched in fear. Brenda stood behind the man, lowering her gun and smiling at Jade. Brenda reassured, "Come on. I persuaded Jorge to help your friends."

"Thank you." Jade nodded, as she helped her the group exit the room, "Come on, let's go."

A familiar song echoed throughout the building, which Jade recognised from the amount of times Jorge used to sing it. The group met with the man upstairs, as he insisted, "We don't have much time. Let's go! Right this way."

Jorge opened two massive windows, revealing two zip lines heading to another building opposite. Jorge explained, "This is plan B. You wanna go to the Right Arm? I'll lead you to them, but only because Jay wants me to. You owe me." Jorge held onto the rope for the zip-line, before running off the edge, "Follow me!"

"Go!" Brenda ordered, sending of the group two at a time.

Jade locked eyes with Piper, who had been oddly quiet for a while. She asked, "You ready?"

Piper hesitated, taking a step back from the edge, "I, uh, I don't like heights."

"You repeatedly shot a Crank in the skull, but you don't like..." Jade stopped her sarcastic comment when she realised the girl was being serious, "Oh, uh, you'll be fine. I'll do it with you, alright?"

"Not helping." Piper shot back, "Two minutes ago you got a man to tie me upside down after saying you'd help us. I don't really trust you right now."

Jade grabbed a rope and wrapped it around Piper's arms, "I know, I'm sorry. But you just need to grab onto this rope, close your eyes, and think happy thoughts." She paused, as she grabbed ahold of her own rope, "See, I'm literally right next to you. What's the worse that could happen?"

Piper deadpanned, "I fall to my death-"

"3...2..." Jade counted down.

Piper panicked, "Wait! I can't-" She found herself loosing her breath, "I'm not joking, it's like a phobia-"

"You have to do this!" Jade yelled encouragement at her, "If you don't, you'll end up back in WCKD. Okay?"

Piper hesitated, "Okay! 3...2...1..."

"Now!" Jade finished, as they both chucked themselves off of the building, zipping down to the building opposite them.

They both stumbled into the next building, Minho and Newt catching their fall and helping them untie their hands. Jade questioned, "You okay?"

"Yeah." Piper nodded, as she looked back at the building they just came from, "What's Thomas doing?"

"Shit." Newt muttered, watching as Brenda and Thomas ran back inside the WCKD infested building.