THE SURVIVOR!
the ambush.

NEWT!

   𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐌𝐔𝐂𝐇 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄. Ever since he'd been injected with whatever was in Marg's blood, Newt felt like he could breathe again. The red-head didn't budge; regardless of how many times he told her to go out there with her friends, she simply wouldn't leave his side. Newt couldn't believe how lucky he was; the girl he met a few weeks ago, the girl who saved his life, that very same girl returned his feelings and was now holding his hand.

The flapping of the tent's entrance caused the sandy-haired boy to turn his head, only to see, through a small slit in the thin curtains that separated his cot from Brenda's, Jorge's figure as he sat down next to his friend. The dark-skinned man sent the boy a quick nod, a faint smile on his lips as he still seemed to be recovering from the shock. The two spoke quietly for a while, before Jorge stood up again and stopped in front of Newt's bed, his gaze moving from his sprawled body to the fierce red-head sitting beside him.

"You are a stubborn and reckless one, hermana." As Jorge placed a hand on his side, he slowly shook his head as his eyes met Margaret's.

"If this is your way of thanking me, don't. I wasn't gonna let them kill these two." The red-head's tone was firm, something Newt had noticed to barely change regardless of the situation they found themselves in. The sandy-haired boy couldn't help but wonder how someone, who must have been his age, could be as controlled as a soldier, but it shouldn't have shocked him, given where Marg had spent so many years in. "Listen, Mary told us they can't come with us. Now, I don't care about what she says; if they want to leave them behind, I am staying and I guess you're doing the same." The dark-skinned man merely nodded once, his eyes meeting Newt's for a split second. "I asked her to write down how to create more of whatever she gave Brenda and Newt, just in case. If they ever need it again, we'll take care of it with my blood."

"I told you already; you're not a blood bag and I don't want you to -" Newt knew that Marg wouldn't have listened to him; the two of them had had the same conversation several times now and the red-head didn't seem to budge.

"I am not letting my boyfriend crank-up! And I am not letting the girl who saved Thomas' life do that either." A groan escaped the sandy-haired boy, whose energy was slowly, but surely, coming back, as he let his head fall back onto the pillow. Newt tried his best, yet miserably failed, to hide the grin that appeared on his lips the moment Margaret had referred to him as 'her boyfriend'. Truth to be told, none of them knew how relationships worked, yet they both knew that, after all they'd been through, there was no way in hell they wouldn't have cherished their own. "Are you on board with that, or are you gonna try to convince me to do otherwise?" A chuckle coming from Brenda's lips was enough for the dark-skinned man to push the thin curtain aside in order to keep his eyes on the other girl.

"Trust me; that girl is more stubborn than any of us." A gasp escaped the sandy-haired boy's lips, as Marg outstretched one of her arms right before his face and gestured toward the brunette, trying to prove her own point.

"As you wish, hermana." Regardless of Jorge's attempt to appear annoyed, the smile on his face and his amused tone were only further proof of how the red-head, regardless her façade, still managed to capture everyone's heart. "Wouldn't want to separate you tórtolos." {lovebirds}The man ran his right hand across his tired face, beads of sweat, due to the stress that the previous situation must have caused him, running down his forehead. "Sabía que había una razón por la que confié en esta chica." {I knew there was a reason I trusted this girl} He muttered to no one in particular, only to receive three very confused looks, as no one inside that tent, aside from Jorge himself, spoke Spanish.

"Uh - where are my friends?" Newt didn't know if Jorge was the right person to ask, but he was the only one who'd ever left the tent, even if only for a small amount of time. He didn't blame them for not coming to see him. Hell, he was even glad those shanks didn't see him before the injection.

"They tried to come and see you, hermano. The doctor wouldn't let them in, even if the Asian one threatened to take the tent down." Both Newt and Marg must have been thinking the same, as they burst into laughter picturing Minho's outburst. "They all seemed to calm down when the Doc told them that the pelirroja was hell-bent on staying by your side." {red-head} This was enough for Newt to wish he'd never asked; the day they spent apart from Tommy, both Fry and Minho - sometimes even Aris - teased him mercilessly in regards to his relationship with Margaret.

"Shuck." An annoyed groan escaped the sandy-haired boy's lips.

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   The bright light that once illuminated even the inside of the tent that he was resting in was long gone. It was as if with the darkening of the sky a sense of dread had settled inside of him; something wasn't right and, the more he looked at his girlfriend - a term he'd never grow tired of, as he could never fall out of love with her - the more he realized that he wasn't the only one on edge. Sure, they'd reached the Right Arm, a group that would have protected his friends, but they all heard it loud and clear; they wouldn't have been able to go with them. What really bothered him was that he didn't know how safe it was; the rebels shared their same enemy and the latter hadn't shown any mercy so far.

It all happened rather quickly; the distant sound of helicopters nearing their location caused the red-head sitting beside him to stand abruptly and send a pointed look to Jorge, who quickly nodded in response. "Newt, can you move?" Her tone was no longer sweet and slightly carefree, but deadly calm, as if not even the roughest storm would have bothered her in the slightest. "Newt!" As Marg hissed his name, the boy quickly sat on the cot. He could still feel the wound slightly pulling, but the pain had visibly diminished by now.

"What's going on?" Newt gazed in Jorge's and Brenda's direction, only to notice that the dark-skinned man was helping the young woman to put her shoes on. Margaret herself seemed to be in a hurry, as she didn't even wait for his permission and went straight to fasten his shoes' laces. "Margaret, what's happening?" Both of his hands were resting on top of the red-head's shoulder, whose head was tilted towards the floor.

"They found us." As Marg took her gun out of her holster and checked how much ammunition she had left, Newt hurried to grab the other weapon she had hastily dropped next to him; it was a gun very similar to the one owned by Margaret herself, one she must have swiped from another member of the resistance when they decided not to kill him or Brenda.

Newt's breath itched as Margaret threw herself on top of him, causing his body to collide with the floor as she shielded him from the explosion of a bomb that had been dropped dangerously close to where the tent was placed.

A loud, piercing ringing noise caused the sandy-haired body to scrunch his nose as he brought both hands against his ears. He could see Marg's mouth moving; she was trying to tell him something, but all he could hear was a that damned screeching noise.

The once peaceful tent had somewhat remained unscathed by the explosion, yet he was painfully aware that the more they remained there, the highest was the chance the next bomb would have blown them to pieces. The sandy-haired boy tried to calm his erratic breathing. He couldn't even fathom what Margaret had been through, as the red-head, even in a situation like this, didn't look as frightened as the other two people right next to them.

As Newt tried to regain his hearing, he noticed that Marg was now talking to the dark-skinned man, who, along with his friend, nodded before leaving the quarters as soon as the red-head mouth stopped moving. As his hearing came back, the chaos that surrounded them seemed almost overwhelming; people were either trying to ready others to fight or screaming for their lives.

"Newt, we gotta get out of here." His face was now held by both of Marg's hands, as the teen forced him to look at her. "Follow me, okay?" The duo left the tent just in the nick of time, a sudden blast causing the entire place to go up in flames as they rushed towards Jorge and Brenda. One second later and the two of them would have died; he didn't know how, but it was almost as if Margaret had somewhat developed some kind of a sixth sense during her time in her Maze. "God." It was a mere whisper, yet the shock in Margaret's voice was more than evident.

No matter how much people fought back, they were no match for the large number of WICKED's soldiers that had been sent to capture them all. Newt's hand curled around the gun Marg had given him, his eyes never trailing away from what was unfolding in front of them all. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Brenda's voice snapped him out of his self-induced trance, Thomas's presence causing the sandy-blonde boy to force a small smirk.

"We have to go." Jorge might have very well turned into a Griever, for Newt noticed how Margaret shot him a shocked and disgusted look. "Now. While we still have the chance."

"I am not leaving our friends behind." Even if she was whispering, Newt's girlfriend's voice still came across as both harsh and determined.

"I am with Marg. We gotta go find the others." None of them had the chance to move, for Jorge grabbed both Thomas and Margaret, while Brenda held the sandy-haired boy by the wrist. "Look." Jorge pointed toward what was unfolding in front of their own eyes. It was fairly obvious that the man didn't want the three of them to run straight into danger. "You two can't help them." And the man seemed to be right; Newt's eyes followed what looked like a grenade fly towards his and Margaret's friends, who all fell on the ground after having been electrocuted.

"Shit. Shit." Thomas sat right next to him, his face a depiction of pure and utter panic.

"Thomas."

"Tommy." Marg and Newt spoke at the same time, the boy in question still facing the opposite direction.

"Thomas. We've got to help them." The red-head pushed herself in front of the boy that had managed to become one of Newt's best friends, shaking his shoulders.

"I am sorry. There's just nothing you can do for them. If we don't move now, we won't be much better off." Knowing Margaret, Newt readied himself to keep the girl from attacking the dark-skinned man. The attack never came; what happened, however, managed to scare the sandy-haired boy a lot more. A look of realisation washed over Marg's face, her eyes wide as her and Thomas shared a quick nod.

"You gotta leave now." Brenda almost stumbled backwards as Margaret uttered those words, the brunette looking rather shocked by what the red-head had just said. It was then that realisation hit Newt; the words he had somewhat managed to hear earlier, right before someone took him inside the tent, echoing in the back of his mind.

"They're not looking for you, you'll be safe." The sandy-haired boy refrained from cussing at his best friend, pushing his chapped lips into a thin line. "But you have to go, now. We -" One look was all it took; as soon as Thomas looked at Margaret and she replied with a quick nod, the brunette turned back towards Brenda. "We can't leave without them. Newt, you too." The sandy-haired boy felt his body stiffen, his eyes searching for any sign of hesitance on Marg's behalf, yet he found none. The red-head he cared deeply for was staring straight ahead, the crease on her forehead a clear indicator of her inner conflict. As Newt went to reply, Thomas turned around to face him. "You're still wounded and recovering, I can't lose another friend because of WICKED. You three need to get out of here alive."

"He is right." Hearing Margaret's voice caused his breath to hitch once more. "You know Thomas - and you know me as well. Whatever we're gonna do might not be the safest thing ever and I don't want you to be caught in the crossfire." The red-head's hand was resting on top of his own, her gaze never wavering. Deep down he knew they had a point, yet he couldn't bring himself to leave the shank he considered one of his best friends and the girl who had just become his girlfriend behind. "Please, Newt." It was almost as if she'd sensed his reluctance as she raised her hand and stroked his cheek with it. Not trusting his own voice, the sandy-haired boy simply nodded before pulling Marg into a quick hug. It wasn't much, but if he'd learnt anything about her so far, was that she wouldn't have gone down that easily.

He didn't tell them he wasn't planning on leaving, that he would have done his best to convince Jorge to stop and help them regardless.

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MARG!

   A shaky breath escaped the red-head's lips as Thomas turned around, his hands trembling and breathing uneven. Out of the corner of her eyes, Margaret noticed a bag she hadn't seen before; a satchel with two explosives sticking out. The two teens must have pieced together their plan of action at the same time, for they both glanced at each other, a knowing look exchanged, as Margaret grabbed one of the devices and Thomas the other.

All their friends had been lined up, side by side, and scanned by WICKED's employees while members of the Right Arm had been gathered in a different group. Margaret had seen her fair share of horrific things, but this one had to be the worst. Maybe it was because they weren't facing mechanical beings, things that were mere human creations. No, those vile beings were people, humans just like any of them.

"Where are Thomas and Margaret?" Janson's question was their cue to leave their hiding place. The two teens slowly walked forward, hands raised in what must have looked like surrender. A set of armed soldiers quickly surrounded them both, causing Margaret to sneer at them.

"Right here." She was grateful to Thomas for speaking up on her behalf, for she would have probably given away their plan. The sole fact that she found herself, once again, face to face with Rat Man caused the red-head to grit her teeth. Both of them were pushed forward; Marg had to restrain herself as she was forced to stand right in front of the man, a sly smile appearing on his deceiving face.

"Thomas, Margaret." In retrospect, she should have expected it; a loud groan escaped Thomas' mouth as he was punched in the stomach by the man, while Marg's head snapped to the side when Janson's fist collided with her cheek and nose. The red-head heard other people gasping, someone behind her trying to reach forward only to be pulled back, yet one single sound echoed in her ears; her own chuckle seemed to shock even the man himself, as he stared at the red-head in disbelief. Margaret gathered the blood in her mouth and spat it on Janson's face, causing the man to take a step back before yelling at the guards as he wiped Marg's blood away from his eyes. "Get them in line!" The red-head was quickly pushed on her knees right beside Thomas. "Okay."

"Why didn't you run?" Minho's voice was barely audible, yet it was enough for both her and Thomas to hear.

"We don't leave our friends behind." Marg simply whispered in response. Out of the corner of her eyes, the red-head noticed a small smile on the boy's face.

"And I am tired of running." She couldn't have put it better than Thomas. They'd been caged, they'd ran, they'd hid for so long from WICKED that now it was their time to beat them at their own game. They were just pawns, lab experiments to those people who paraded around in white lab coats and pretended to be doing something for humanity. Things had to change.

Suddenly, bright lights appeared in the sky, followed by the silhouette of a rather advanced plane that caused the sand to engulf all of them as it reached the ground. As much as Margaret tried to shield her eyes from the grains, the shiver that ran down her spine, the same one that she seemed to have whenever something bad was about to happen, caused her to stare at the weird plane that had landed a few feet away from them.

As soon as the weird plane opened, four guards marched outside followed by the very woman that ruined Margaret's life. Ava Paige's face was void of any emotion whatsoever, her white lab clothes contrasting the black colour of her own stone cold heart. If there truly was an 'angel of death', then that woman must have been the 'demon of death' herself.

"Is this all of them?" The woman's voice was even colder and more detached than what Margaret remembered it to be. The red-head couldn't hear Rat-Man's reply to her question, yet she didn't care. All Marg wanted to do was to end the life of the woman who was the cause of her twin's death. She no longer blamed Minho or any other member of Gally's Maze, no, she blamed Ava Paige for that.

"Okay, you heard her. Let's go! Get 'em on!" A boy was roughly pulled up by two WICKED guards as the blonde in command kept walking toward the rest of them. Following Ava's command, two guards pulled both Margaret and Thomas up, violently pushing them forward and towards the woman.

"Hello Thomas." Marg's left hand formed a tight fist as the words left Ava's mouth, the woman's attention quickly shifting from Thomas to the red-head who stood beside him. "And you too, Margaret." Regardless of her anger, Marg had to stop herself from lashing out; they had to wait for the perfect moment to act. The shouts coming from the teens that were being pushed inside the same vehicle that brought the scientist there faded in the background, as Margaret noticed a sheepish Teresa walking towards Paige herself. Everything started to make a lot more sense; Teresa had sold them out. The brunette might have once been on their side, if ever, but in reality she was nothing but a traitor ready to sell her friends to those who were more than happy to kill each and every last one of them. "I am glad you're safe." Those words were enough for Marg's to slightly lose control.

"You filthy traitor." The words that left Margaret's lips were laced with venom. 

"What the hell?" The same rhetorical question came from two different people; Frypan and Nancy, both of them confused and disgusted by what was unfolding in front of their eyes.

"The fuck is this?" Levi voiced up, his choice of words clearly indicating which Maze he came from.

"She's with them." Thomas spoke up; his tone of voice displaying how betrayed he felt because of the actions of the brunette.

"Since when?" Minho sounded just as shocked as the others.

It wasn't the girl in question, however, who answered their questions. No, a rather smug looking Rat-Man stopped right by Teresa, a sly smile etched onto his lips. "Oh, Teresa's always had an evolved appreciation of the greater good. Once we restored her memories, it was only a matter of time."

"I am sorry." Margaret wanted to laugh straight in her face; she wasn't sorry at all and the red-head could see it in her eyes, no matter how much she tried to sell her 'heart-broken performance'. "I had no choice, this is the only way." The girl's attention shifted from the rest of the Group to Margaret and Thomas, her eyes lingering a few seconds longer on the boy. "We have to find a cure."

"By killing us, right? By killing your friends?" Marg slightly tilted her head on the side as she addressed the brunette.

"She's right. This is all just a means to an end." The red-head was quickly interrupted by Ava Paige. "You used to understand that, Thomas. Unlike your friend here." The blonde gaze shifted from Thomas to Margaret in a split second. "And I am sad to know that. I am sad to know you never trusted WICKED, Margaret. You always rebelled, fought us from a young age; yet you'd be an amazing asset to our team." Those words alone caused the red-head to scrunch up her nose in disgust. "No matter what you think of me." She quickly continued, this time addressing every single one of those who still stood there. "I am not a monster. I am a doctor. I swore an oath to find a cure! No matter the cost. I just need more time."

"More blood." As soon as Mary spoke up, Marg's head whipped to the side. The former doctor sent a fleeting, yet kind smile, at the red-head. Seeing the woman like that, walking forward and facing her former colleague, regardless of the fact that there was a guard pointing a gun at her, made Margaret realise why she trusted her in the first place.

"Hello, Mary. I hoped we'd meet again." Everyone's attention was now on the two women, Ava and Mary, the former who fought to capture and the latter who fought to rescue. "I am sorry it had to be under these circumstances."

"I am sorry about a lot of things, too." The Right Arm's leader quickly added, stopping the WICKED scientist from sprouting more lies. "But not this. At least my conscience is clear."

"So is mine." A single gunshot echoed all around them; Margaret didn't jump, nor did she duck. As the red-head followed Ava Paige's line of sight, she couldn't help but gasp at the sight of blood soaking Mary's clothes right where she'd been shot in the stomach. Vince's pained screams fell in the background as the red-head turned her head around and saw Rat-Man holding a gun in his hand. "Come on, Janson. Load them up, let's go. All these people, get rid of them. Let's go, let's go!" The anger seeping through her veins was enough incentive for Margaret to act on hers and Thomas' plan, but it was the sight of a WICKED soldier grabbing Aris' arm that caused her to act faster than ever.

"Get back!"

"Let him go!" Thomas and Margaret yelled at the same time, the high-pitched noise caused by the activation of the explosives they were both holding causing everyone to halt their movements. "Let him go and stand back!" Rat-Man rushed towards the duo, quickly ordering the soldiers to hold their fire.

"Stand back, let 'em go." Thomas re-iterated.

"Thomas, Margaret. Put those down." Rat-Man had a better chance of finding water in the Scorch than getting them two to comply with his request.

"Shut your mouth and let them all go!" Margaret's determined tone caused Jansen to take a step back.

"You know I can't do that!" As Ava Paige neared her, the red-head closed the distance between her thumb and the button that would have caused the explosive to go off. They should have known, after all they'd been watching her since she was a kid; Margaret never took orders from anyone.

The only person who seemed to understand that there was no chance to get through Marg was Teresa, who very cautiously took a step closer, now standing next to the scientist. "Thomas, please stop. I made a deal with them. They promised we'd be safe. All of us."

"And I am supposed to trust you now?" Anger was all that transpired from Thomas' words, that and betrayal.

"I never trusted WICKED and I sure as hell ain't gonna start now! I never trusted you either, Teresa, and – look; I was right!" Margaret's words caused the brunette to flinch as if they burned hot like coals. The red-head didn't care if every single person, even the teens that had been 'collected' by WICKED, heard her.

"It's true. It was her only condition." Ava Paige tried once more to convince the duo, yet she only managed to anger both of them even more.

"Shut up!" Thomas and Margaret snapped at the very same time. It looked as if the two of them were made to be Leaders together; their thoughts blending together and their actions mirroring one another.

"Everything can go back to the way it was." As the blonde scientist took a step forward, Margaret couldn't help but to slightly tremble. She was currently holding an explosive, surrounded by people with fully loaded guns pointed at her. While the red-head might have been a fighter, a survivor, somewhat of a soldier, she was no fool; their position was precarious at best. "Thomas." The fact that the brunette was always called first was a testament to the fact that even Ava Paige knew she couldn't get through Margaret. "Margaret. Do you really want all of them to die?" While their plan might have been flawed, it was the only option they had.

"Listen to her. Think about what you're doing." As Rat-Man spoke, Margaret's glare shifted from the blonde scientist to the sly man. Both of the teens holding the explosives were breathing heavily, hands trembling. Several set of steps caused Marg to slightly turn her head to the side; their friends were now behind the two of them, all supporting whatever choice they made. While Minho and Frypan stood behind Thomas, Levi and Nancy stopped behind the red-head, a look of determination etched onto their features.

"We're with you, guys." As Frypan broke the silence, Marg had to fight the urge to smile.

"Whatever you decide to do, we'll do it together. All of us." Levi, the youngest of them all, took a step forward, only to stand right next to Margaret. "No matter what."

"Don't." The look in Ava Paige's eyes said it all; the woman didn't see their friends' support coming.

"Do it, guys." Minho.

"We're ready." Frypan.

"We're with you two." Nancy.

"We're not going back there." Margaret slightly nodded as Thomas spoke up.

"You're never gonna take us back." The red-head confirmed, causing the blonde scientist to widen her eyes in disbelief as she took in what the two co-Leaders were ready to do.

"Thomas. Margaret." Ava Paige's voice was nothing but a mere whisper.

"It's the only way." Margaret inhaled deeply, Thomas' words still hanging in the air as she raised her hand further up, her eyes never leaving those of the two WICKED employees.

It all happened so quickly. Ava's scream had barely left her lips as the honk of a car, followed by the loud sound of its tires screeching, caused everyone to halt their movements and shift their attention onto the vehicle that was approaching them. Margaret was the first to notice it; regardless of how many times some of the WICKED guards shot at the car, the vehicle kept going, aiming for a helicopter that, upon impact went tumbling in their direction. The red-head immediately jumped on the side, dragging Levi's body with her as Nancy dove beside them. Scraps of metal flew all around them, some hitting and slicing guards whose bodies fell lifeless on the ground.

Marg barely had time to think, as everyone who still stood around them started fighting against any WICKED's guard or employee that hadn't taken cover. Her eyes widened as saucers as she noticed Frypan standing up before her, a WICKED's guard with his gun pointing directly at his back.

"Duck!" The dark-skinned teen didn't seem to hesitate, his body quickly hitting the ground as Margaret pressed the button on the explosive before throwing it towards the armed man. The guard didn't have time to react, as when the explosive collided with his body, a loud explosion caused him to burst out in flames that engulfed both him and two other guards behind him. "Move, move, move!" There was no time to waste, Marg's arms flailing as she screamed to her friends to get away from the crossfire.

That was when she witnessed something she'd never forget. Margaret didn't know how or when it happened, but both Aris and Sonya were being hauled towards the 'plane' entrance. A strangled scream escaped her lips as she slightly stumbled forward, her arms reaching out in a vain attempt to stop WICKED from taking her best friend. Aris' teary eyes met Marg's, the latter crawling forward, only to see her best friend mouthing her to run while shaking his head. She'd failed him, just like she failed all those Survivors that had lost their lives.

The red-head was too focused on Aris' retreating figure to notice that someone had managed to creep up on her. The sound of a gun being loaded, its barrel against her back, caused the teen to halt in her movements. "I have been waiting for this moment, bitch." She didn't need to see the man's face, for she would have forever recognised his voice. It was the same guard she had once taken down at the compound. The sound of three gun-shots caused her to stiffen, her hands immediately traveling to her chest and stomach, only to find them void of any blood. How was it possible? The red-head quickly spun around, only to notice Newt walking out of the thick fog caused by Thomas' explosive. The sandy-blonde haired boy was holding a rifle, another one dangling from his shoulder; his weapon was still pointing forward, the body of the guard that almost killed her lying in a pool of blood right before her eyes.

"No one gets to call her bitch and live." Another shot left Newt's rifle as soon as she noticed one of the guard's arms reaching forward for his gun. "Marg, take this!" The sandy-haired boy threw his second rifle at her, the red-head easily catching it mid-air before smiling at him. He had never left, she should have known he would have never left without his friends and without her.

Everyone around them had managed to arm themselves, each one of them shooting at WICKED's guards as soon as they identified one.

Margaret had lost sight of any other member of the Group, as her and Newt reached the tank Vincent was using to shoot at a helicopter that was flying above them. The dreaded sound of an empty clip caused her to cuss loudly while two guards were running in their direction and pointing their weapons at the man in the tank. Marg didn't have any more firepower, all she had were two pieces of scrap metal she had previously found on the ground, yet she did not hesitate as she broke into a run. The red-head internally thanked any Force above that caused the two guards not to have helmets on. Newt's familiar voice echoed from behind her. "Marg, no!" But it was too late. The teen took advantage of her speed as she jumped up, taking both guards by surprise; pure horror was all she saw in their eyes just before she slit both of their throats with the pieces of metal. She quickly grabbed the weapons lying beside the fallen bodies, pressing the trigger and shooting a third guard straight in the chest twice as a scream left her lips.

"Minho! Minho!" It was Thomas' screams, accompanied by Frypan's pained ones, that caused Margaret to turn around, only to be met with the horrifying view of Minho being dragged away by a group of guards. The others near him could barely move without the risk of getting shot.

"No!" The red-head bolted in the direction of the boy that was being taken by WICKED, when someone wrapped their arms around her waist, successfully stopping her. "No! Let him go!" It didn't matter that a few weeks ago the boy was nothing but a stranger to her; Minho was now part of the Group, and seeing him being dragged away pained her just as much as when Nancy and Levi had been taken away in the compound. This was just as heart-breaking as seeing WICKED capturing Aris when there was nothing she could do stop them. "Let me go! We can't leave him!"

The person who'd been holding her back grabbed her wrist; only then she saw Newt's devastated face as he dragged her towards where Thomas stood along with other members of the Group. All they could do was watch, watch as Minho's body was loaded onto the weird plane-vehicle. Margaret quickly found Newt's hand, their fingers intertwining as, in the distance, Ava Paige made her way to the front of the people inside the 'plane' before its doors were closed, the vehicle flying away from the once peaceful campsite.

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  They had spent the rest of the night looking for wounded people, taking care of the bodies of those who'd been killed by WICKED and collecting all the firepower that was left. That was how Margaret found herself walking among the ruins of the place that was once a real 'safe-haven', her axe back on her holster and two rifles draped across her body.

Nancy and Levi had kept to themselves, having witnessed someone they'd befriended being taken by WICKED themselves. While Newt spent the first few hours with Marg, the red-head had encouraged him to go to his friends, for they would have all needed each other now more than ever. Now the teen was sitting beside Thomas, the two having spent the last hour sifting through whatever was still of use and concocting a new plan. Somehow, every last member of the Group, including Brenda and Jorge, Nancy and Levi, Vincent and Harriett, had joined them.

"What do we do now?" Frypan voiced what most of the people there was asking themselves.

"Well, we pick up what's left of us. We stick to the plan." Margaret couldn't stop the scoff that left her lips as Vincent mentioned a 'plan'. They'd just seen WICKED kill more than half of the people that once belonged to the Right Arm, kidnap almost all of the kids and teens, among whom there were three of their friends. She couldn't give two craps about the 'plan'. "We get you kids to the safe haven. Then we start over I guess."

"That's not gonna happen." Margaret felt several people shift in their seats to look at her. "I am not coming, not when WICKED has Aris and Minho, not while Ava Paige is still breathing." The red-head had lost too much because of the organization and that very woman in particular. She stood up from the rock she was sitting on, only for Thomas to do the same. Now all eyes were on the two co-Leaders of the Group.

"I'm not going with you either." The brunette sent the red-head a quick side-glance, the latter simply nodding once in acknowledgment.

"What?" Vincent sounded almost shocked by their decisions.

"I made a promise to Minho; I wouldn't leave him behind. I have to go after him." The brunette boy quickly adjusted the strap of his bag, giving Margaret the chance to explain herself.

"WICKED is the reason why I lost my one and only family member that was still alive. I am not gonna let them kill my best friend and Minho, too." Only a few of them knew that she was referring to her twin brother, the boy she would have never seen again thanks to the very organization that had taken two members of the Group.

"Hey kids, look around you." A silent sigh escaped the red-head's mouth. "WICKED just kicked our ass. You two should think about where you're headed." She knew that Vincent meant well, but no one would have changed her mind, not after what had just happened.

"We're not asking you or anyone else to join us." Thomas spoke for the two of them.

"Margaret, Thomas. Listen to me." The sandy-haired boy took a few steps forward. "I've known Minho for - well, as long as I can remember. So, if there was any way that we could help him, trust me, I would be up there standing next to you. This - this is impossible." Newt's gaze went from Thomas to Margaret, the boy sending the red-head a pleading look.

"More like suicide." Jorge had now joined the rest of them, standing next to Margaret along with Brenda.

"Maybe." Thomas nodded.

"Thing is, we finally get what we are meant to do." The red-head patted the brunette's shoulder twice, her gaze travelling from her fellow Survivors' to the boy she'd fallen for. "And yeah. Aris and Minho are part of it, but it's more -"

"It's about all of us." Thomas continued. "It's about everyone WICKED's ever taken and everyone they will take."

"It's about everyone WICKED's ever killed; our past, present and our future." She was never one for speeches, hell, she was horrible at them, yet the sudden surge of determination caused Margaret to speak with more conviction than ever.

"They'll never stop." Thomas' tone was as determined as the red-head's. "They'll never stop. So, me and Margaret are gonna stop them ourselves."

"We're gonna kill Ava Paige." As the words left her lips, Marg noticed a smirk appearing on both Levi's and Nancy's lips, the two Survivors slightly raising their left fists, arm bent sideways; the same thing they all used to when they agreed upon something back in the Maze. Right there and then, Margaret knew her and Thomas wouldn't have been alone in this.

"I have to admit, I'd like some revenge." Harriet's voice was heard for the first time in hours. "Plus, Aris trusted Margaret with his life; seeing as he's not a fool, it's only fair I do the same." As the dark-skinned girl stepped forward, Jorge and Brenda both nodded in agreeance.

"Well," Marg's attention shifted on Nancy. The petite girl was grinning, her arms crossed against her chest. "wherever she goes, we go. I learned from the best, The Big Boss." The girl with ashy-brown hair jutted her chin forward, motioning towards Margaret. Most of them had never heard that term before, yet no one sported a shocked expression due to her choice of words. "I know how to look after myself. Both me and Levi do, I say we kick their asses."

As soon as Marg's eyes met Newt's, the latter smirked while Frypan crossed his arms, a small smile on his lips as Nancy gently elbowed him in the side. "As if I -" The sandy-haired boy rolled his eyes when the dark-skinned one threw him an amused look. "We'd let you go alone."

"Well, that's a good speech, kids." Vincent slightly opened his arms as he looked at the two co-Leaders. "So, what's your plan?".

WICKED had screwed with the wrong people. They'd messed with the wrong girl and they were going to regret it.

🙤 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🙦

AUTHOR'S NOTE

This is the final chapter of ACT ONE! I honestly can't believe it. The next chapters are gonna introduce you to the main characters of Act Two, along with the Act's intro.

A few hints to future brOTPs. Did you get them all?

Margaret and Thomas are seen as equals and they both see each other like that. Their 'connection' is of mutual respect and friendship. DO NOT think that they're gonna be romantically involved because.. just NOPE.

 As you might have noticed, I have decided to give Jorge some lines in Spanish. I always thought it was such a waste not to dive deeper into his roots, and this was the least I could do. My Spanish is by no means perfect, or even good for the matter, so if any of you can speak it fluently, I'd really appreciate your input and corrections.