THE SURVIVOR!
prison break.

MARG!

   MARGARET THRIVED UNDER PRESSURE; the adrenaline surging through her veins caused the teen to be hyper-aware of her surroundings. Many would have found the situation rather unsettling, yet, the years Marg had spent in her Maze had rendered her immune to such feeling.

Donning a teal and grey uniform, one that Teresa had informed them belonged to the highest-ranking guards, Margaret marched silently beside Newt. Scientists and guards alike scattered the moment they laid eyes on Marg, the uniform of one of Rat Man's lackeys clearly striking terror in their hearts. With purposeful strides, the couple reached the meeting point, coming to a halt right before Thomas and Teresa.

With no time to waste, Newt nodded once before leading the others down a flight of stairs. While Thomas opted to stay in the rear, Marg positioned herself beside the brunette to make sure she wouldn't attempt to ruin their cover.

The walk to the garage level was short. Soon enough, the four had found themselves walking beside a glass door that separated the building from several parked vehicles. Just as planned, Gally and Levi – both donning similar uniforms to Thomas' – joined them, leading the small group to a locked door that Teresa unlocked with her fingerprint.

Holding her launcher tight, Margaret went to descend the stairs ahead of the others. Upon hearing her twin state that he could override WICKED's security from a nearby breaker-box, the red-head turned to the two teens behind her, nodding towards the levels above.

While Newt and Levi both rushed to do a quick sweep upstairs, Thomas went in the opposite direction, leaving Margaret behind with a twitchy Teresa.

"Sit down," Marg ordered, leaning against the railing and aiming her weapon at the brunette. While Teresa might have cooperated thus far, the red-head had no intention to let her guard down around the one who'd betrayed them all.

Shifting in her spot, Teresa slowly raised her head, eyes meeting the red-head's shielded ones. "Margaret, please, listen to me." She pleaded. "One simple serum injection shouldn't have been enough – Newt should have turned a long time ago."

Margaret's finger twitched against the trigger. "What did I tell you about talking about my boyfriend?" She hissed, her threatening tone sounding more menacing due to the helmet she wore.

"I know," Teresa replied, eyes flickering momentarily to the weapon pointed at her. "Please, Margaret... let me run some tests on you. I can protect you. I can make sure you're safe." Out of the corner of her eyes, Marg noticed Gally suddenly stiffen, yet, the unaware brunette kept on talking. "Something about you... your blood must be different."

Margaret scoffed, a wave of anger and disbelief rushing over her body. "Since when do you care about anyone but yourself? About me? About Newt?" If words were weapons, Teresa would have already been dead. Poison laced each word that left the red-head's mouth, causing the girl before her to flinch. "Do you really think I'm stupid enough to trust you? There is nothing special about me. All you want is another lab rat, that's all you care about."

Too clouded by her anger, Marg hadn't even noticed Thomas' presence until the teen gently elbowed her, thus gaining her attention. "Fry's almost there." The update was enough to calm the red-head's spirits, for she was far more scared for her friends than for herself.

Margaret did not fear death. However, ever since she could remember, death had always surrounded the red-head, knocking on the door of those she cared about. At night, the cries of her friends still haunted her dreams, her figure often surrounded by the bodies of all those Marg had lost. While she'd embarked on the current mission with nerves of steel, the teen couldn't bear the thought that one of those she loved might have perished in the fight.

Incoming footsteps interrupted Marg's trail of thought, causing her and Thomas to point both their weapons towards the two figures a few feet away from where they stood.

"Oi, oi. It's us." His voice might have been muffled, but his accent was as clear as day. "We checked the four floors above, all clear." Newt lowered his raised arms as Margaret and Thomas dropped their weapons.

Soon enough, they were back on the move, Gally and Margaret leading the rest down the stairs. Gally had managed to plant the device Lawrence had handed him before they left the militia's hideout.

Many had scoffed at the red-head's idea, and some had voiced how impossible it was for a group of teens to do something they hadn't managed to do in years. Lawrence, however, had taken an odd liking to Margaret. Unbeknown to the teen, the older man saw potential in her, and, deep within, wished he could have found her sooner, for the twins united were a force to be reckoned with.

Gally and Marg had come up with a plan that would have secured them the support of the militia, for their actions would have aided the rebel group in their efforts. The black device planted by Gally inside the breaker-box would have given the militia full control of WICKED's servers, thus allowing them to glitch their system. The glitch would have helped both groups: while the militia could have gained control of all electronics within the city, the group could have moved without being discovered.

As they neared the door that led to the control room, which separated them from the cells, all Marg could do was hope that their plan had worked.

Upon reaching the entrance to the 'cells' area', both twins signaled for the others to take their positions. Margaret exchanged a quick look with her brother, her firm nod followed by the low noise her weapon emitted once it was fully charged.

The small rescue group had assumed a tight formation, one Margaret often used while fighting Grievers in her Maze. Gally and Marg were at the forefront, covered from behind by Newt and Levi, while Thomas remained at the back to keep an eye on Teresa.

A beeping sound signaled the opening of the door. Before the guard could even process what was happening, Gally shot a blast straight into his chest, sending the unconscious man flying backward.

The second shot came from Marg's launcher, the electric jolt hitting a broad-shouldered man straight into his chest.

Soon enough, the sound of shots echoed within the small area, the guards' grunts and orders to fight back nothing but background noise. They had miscalculated the number of people who'd been positioned to stand guard. Still, the grown-ups' biggest mistake was to underestimate the group of teens.

While the teens' aim never failed, the guards seemed to be at a loss. It was clear that WICKED did not care much for extensive training, for they probably never thought someone would have managed to break in their building.

A shot barely missed Gally, who'd ducked just in time to avoid being hit in his helmet. Margaret released a low growl, her eyes zeroing onto the three guards hiding behind the control panels.

Before anyone could attempt to stop her, the red-head dashed across the room, jumping atop of the raised counter and trapping a guard's neck in between her thighs before breaking it. They might have agreed on simply incapacitating the men, but that was before one of them had attempted to kill Marg's twin. In one swift motion, the red-head knocked the second guard out with the back of her launcher, using his body as a shield when the third shot a bolt of electricity in her direction. Margaret shoved the knocked-out man onto the ground, shooting a jolt into the third's chest, his body hitting the ground with a loud 'thud'.

They'd done it – the group had taken control of the cell-area. Just as planned, only one guard was left conscious – bound and scared, the man was dragged by Gally against a wall for the boy to conduct his interrogation.

Having swept one of the key-cards from the main desk, Margaret rushed to the cell it belonged to. Peeking through the small window on the door, Marg noticed that all the trapped kids had huddled at the back of the cell, a single older one standing protectively before them.

Without any hesitation, Margaret slid her helmet off – red locks falling onto her shoulder – and opened the cell door.

The stony look of the teen who'd been shielding the others washed away the moment Marg's eyes met his. A loud gasp escaped the bewildered boy's lips. "Boss?" He queried, shock evident in his tone.

Margaret was at a loss for words, yet, soon, the red-head broke into a smile. Ever since she'd reunited with Nancy and Levi, Marg hadn't stopped wondering what had happened to the fifth Survivor who'd escaped the Maze. She could still recall searching for his body amongst those hung to dry in the compound, only to realize he was nowhere to be found. Truth to be told, a part of the teen had assumed that the boy – whose best friend had gifted her the scar she donned on her face – had already died at the hands of WICKED. Never in her wildest dreams had Marg imagined she'd find him locked in one of the cells.

"Have you missed me, William?" Marg jested, earning a loud chuckle from the younger boy before her – one of the eldest Survivors. "Come on, guys. We're breaking you all out." The red-head announced, only for every kid in the cell to stare at William expectantly.

William motioned for everyone to stand up, his infamous smirk unwavering. "She's the leader of my Maze. I trust her with my life, and so should all of you." It was clear that every kid within the cell held the utmost respect for William, for they all immediately stood up and followed the teen outside the cell.

As much as Margaret would have liked nothing more than to take William aside and question him in regards to what had happened to him, she still had a mission to complete. Quick on her feet, Marg freed two more groups of kids from the cells that held them captive. Every last kid looked elated, their smiles causing Margaret's lips to quirk up in one of her own.

However, Margaret's happiness was short-lived. Upon scanning the group of freed teens and kids around her, the red-head's smile fell into a frown. Minho was nowhere to be found. "Thomas," Margaret called out, causing the brunette to interrupt his brief conversation with one of the freed teens. "Minho is not here."

The two leaders did not need to exchange words, for over the months they'd developed the unique ability to understand one another with one simple look. As the red-head sighed gently, the brunette cussed before marching towards Teresa. Either their 'captive' had lied to them, or things had gotten far more complicated than what they'd initially anticipated.

Mustering a few encouraging words, and sending a forced smile to the teens they'd managed to break free, Marg made her way to the center of the control station. So far, Thomas hadn't managed to pry any intel from Teresa, who kept on repeating that she was unaware of Minho's current location.

Gasps echoed all around them as Margaret swiftly pointed her launcher at Teresa's neck, the barrel touching her skin as the red-heads finger hovered over the trigger. "Then, you better find out soon if you value your own life." Marg's tone was cold, her face void of emotions as she shoved the brunette towards the computers.

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you." Newt, who now stood beside Margaret, spat while he pointed his weapon at Teresa's head.

Teresa started typing rather frantically. "Somebody moved him up to the medical wing." The brunette announced, her eyes trained on the screen before her. "Thomas," She addressed the boy standing beside her. "That's on the other side of the building."

Upon hearing the news, Margaret and Thomas exchanged a quick look. Once again, no words were needed for the two leaders to form a plan of action. Marg quickly glanced at Gally, who was diligently working on opening the safe, before nodding to Thomas.

"I'll help Gally take the kids to Brenda," Margaret announced. She had no intention of leaving her twin's side after having been separated from him for so long. Gally would have benefitted from some backup, and Marg had every intention to look out for her brother like she'd always done in the past.

Thomas nodded, his eyes soon falling onto Teresa once more. "Okay, take me to him. Right now." He ordered, his tone far softer than the red-head's, yet still commanding and strict.

Beside her, Newt shouldered his weapon, walking around the controls' area, and coming to a halt before Thomas. "Alright, I'm coming with you." The sandy-haired teen announced.

Thomas shook his head as he fixed his launcher onto his back. "Newt, no, you're not. You have to stay here, wait with Gally for the serum."

"You can't do this on your own. Minho comes first, remember?" Newt countered.

"Just go. We're wasting time." Gally quipped from behind them.

"Thomas." Margaret sighed. "Newt's right. You're gonna need backup – we're talking about going in blind here." The red-head reasoned. "Levi," She called out, causing her fellow Survivor to interrupt his chat with William. "You go with Thomas and Newt." Thomas attempted to dismiss Margaret's order. Still, one simple look from his fellow leader was enough for the brunette to admit she was right.

As the four got ready to leave, Thomas watching Teresa like a hawk, Margaret clasped Newt's wrist, forcing the boy to turn around. The red-head rested her hands onto Newt's cheeks, bringing the boy in for a kiss. It wasn't a tender kiss, but a desperate one that the boy welcomed without any hesitation, his hands resting onto the girl's hips.

Upon breaking their rushed kiss, Margaret kept her hands onto Newt's cheeks, their faces so close she could feel the boy's warm breath on her lips. "Be careful, please." She begged. "I love you."

Newt smiled at her words, his forehead touching Marg's. "I love you too."

"Thomas, you look after Levi for me," Margaret told her friend as soon as she broke apart from Newt, her feet carrying her to the younger boy, whom she engulfed in a tight hug. "And you follow Thomas' orders. Don't play the hero. I can't lose you." She whispered, her voice cracking towards the end.

"Will do," Levi promised as he stepped back and fixed the helmet atop of his head. "See you in a bit, Boss."

With that, the four left the cells' area, the door soon closing behind their retreating bodies.

Knowing that Gally was nowhere near cracking the safe, Margaret turned around. She eyed the nervous teens scattered around the room. They were scared, that much was clear, and Marg could not fault them. She did not know how long these kids had been held prisoners for, nor what they'd endured. However, what she did know, was that leaving them to their own devices would have only allowed their minds to fuel the nerves that already wracked their bodies.

"Everyone, listen up." Margaret's tone was the most authoritative any of them had ever heard from someone their age.

Everything about the red-head screamed 'leader'. She carried herself like a soldier, her maimed face showed no emotion, yet one single look from the girl was enough to instill courage in every last one of them.

They'd all heard about Margaret. She was the Big Boss, the first to be sent to Maze C, the one who'd trained every single person who'd showed up after her and who led them all, the girl who fought with no mercy and had led those who survived out of their prison. William had once told them that, if anyone were to come and save them, that would have been Margaret. Now they all stood before her, eager to follow the teen's instructions.

"I want some of you to gather sheets, pillowcases, everything you can get your hands on. Ten of you will help me tie these guards up, so, once Gally's done with the safe, we can stick them in there. The rest of you will gather all the weapons in this room – pry them from their unconscious bodies if you have to, and don't worry about being gentle either."

A subtle groan interrupted Margaret's speech. A couple of kids let out quiet yelps as they scurried away from a guard who was attempting to reach for one of his weapons. However, before the man could even touch the hand-gun, Margaret was already above him, a twisted grin on her lips.

"You're the monster –" The guard slurred, eyes locking with Margaret's cold ones.

"I am your nightmare." She confirmed. "Lights out." Marg mocked the man, the butt of her launcher soon colliding with his head, knocking him out once more. "They wake up, and you knock them out – shoot them, hit them, whatever you feel like doing. They need to be alive, other than that I am not gonna judge any of you for what you decide to do."

Everyone got to work with newfound confidence. While some kept on carrying out every last sheet they could get their hands on, others silenced the few groans that could be heard. They were no Survivors, but fuelled by Marg's words and actions, each one of them brought out the 'sunshine' in them. Crouching beside William, Margaret showed those who weren't collecting weapons how to tie up and gag the unconscious guards.

A handful of minutes later, Marg found herself staring at the tied up WICKED personnel. "Any of you ever held a gun?" She suddenly queried, only to be met by utter silence. "Well," She clapped her hands, moving towards the small pile of weapons they'd gathered. "I'll take this full launcher – William, you get one of the hand-guns. Hand the other two to the eldest ones, and we'll toss the empty in the safe with the guards. Eight knives – I want the fastest in here to get one each." As William and the others followed her orders, Margaret continued. "You are not to shoot or attack anyone unless Gally and I are not there. You are not to shoot unless you've been spotted. These are only to defend yourself, and if you've got no other choice but to use them. Got it?"

Margaret had expected a simple 'yes' in response to her question, but what she received brought a smile to her face and caused her heart to flutter.

"Yes, Big Boss." A short, chubby boy spoke up as he held himself straight.

"Yes, Big Boss." Everyone soon followed, every single boy and girl standing tall and looking at Marg with the utmost respect.

Unbeknown to her, some of the kids had long lost their Mazes' leaders. Others had once been leaders themselves – the last ones standing of their Mazes. The rest of them had never been considered much of an asset by their former companions.

To these kids, the teen before them was someone who'd soon gained their respect, someone they were more than willing to follow. She was someone they'd all been waiting for.

Margaret, however, found herself looking at the teens and kids before her and smiling. She didn't see lost souls, or failures, or misfits – like the kids and teens often called themselves. What Margaret saw before her was a group of new Survivors.

Once Gally had managed to crack the safe, and gather all the serum while the bodies of the guards were dragged inside, a loud siren suddenly started blaring.

The twins exchanged a quick look, their silent conversation lasting nothing but mere seconds before Margaret broke the silence. "I've got your back." She promised her twin.

"And I've got yours," Gally swore.

"Let's get them all to Brenda before they send backup," Marg spoke up, her voice barely reaching Gally's ears due to the loud alarm. While Margaret adjusted her launcher, so she could hold it against her chest, Gally closed the vault. "You can trust William with the satchel." She told her twin, who quickly gave the item to the boy and urged him to guard it with his life.

"Okay, we need to get outta here. Now." Gally announced to the others, fixing his own launcher like Margaret had done a few seconds earlier. "You stay close to us. Stick together."

The twins walked towards the door, fixing their helmets on their heads and charging their weapons. They had to lead those they'd freed to Brenda, who was waiting for them in the garage. Time was of the essence.

"No matter what, don't break ranks," Margaret spoke up, falling into step with Gally and giving him a quick nod.

"Let's go!" Gally called out, breaking into a run with Marg beside him.

The plan had already drastically changed, yet nobody could have imagined what the night had in store for them. For the night was dark and full of terrors and heartbreak.

🙤 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🙦

AUTHOR'S NOTE

i am not emotionally prepared for the next chapters 

the foreshadowing is strong in this chapter – any guesses?
what are you hoping to see?

we have another survivor! william is played by ryan potter.

i've added a few scenes & some details. don't get me wrong, i loved 'the death cure', but some scenes in the movie lacked any context/premise and didn't make a lot of sense like that. when did they tie up the guards? who did it, since gally was opening the safe?
when did they come up with a plan to glitch wicked's servers? who came up with the plan?
so, yeah – it's a bit au, but idc lol

random question, but – is there anyone who'd be interested in a prequel to 'the survivor'?
it'd be the story of margaret and maze C... pretty much margaret's version of 'the maze runner'.
just wondering lol.

leave some comments, vote, all the shebang! 

till next time!