REDEMPTION.
[ chapter two ]

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING THEN?"

Evelyn and Thomas come to a halt, glancing over at each other warily before a light in front of them is flicked on, revealing Newt leaning on a table with his usual disappointed expression.

"Goldie," Evelyn sings in an attempt to soften him up first, "We were just going—"

"Do not say 'we're just going on a walk' because, Eve, I've known you long enough to know that is a lie," He mutters.

Sighing, Thomas says, "Newt—"

"I don't want to hear from you either, and don't be a twat about it," Newt marches forward, grabbing Thomas' backpack from his hands, "I'm already in. Come on." He whirls around, walking back towards the car, throwing the bag into the back seat carelessly.

"Newt," Evelyn calls, following him while her head shakes, "Not this time."

Thomas hums, "Look, even if we find Minho, there's no guarantee we make it back from this."

"So you're letting Eve come along?" Newt smirks, "Look, you both need all the help you can get, don't you?" He throws open the driver's door, revealing Fry.

Fry smiles, waving at the dark haired pair, "Hey."

Newt cross his arms over his chest, leaning against the vehicle behind, "We started this together, may as well end it that way too."

"That's settled then," Evelyn smirks at him and she throws open the back car door, glancing over her shoulder at Thomas, "Let's go get moaning Minho back."

Almost four hours later, the car rolls up to a scrap yard, coming to slow stop at the sight of a dark tunnel ahead, the entrance blocked by a metal fence. The four Gladers jumps out of the vehicle, Evelyn nodding thanks to Newt as he holds the back door open for her.

"You want us to go in there?" Newt raises an eyebrow at Thomas, pointing at the extremely dark tunnel ahead.

Thomas hums, staring down at the thin map in his hands as he makes his way over to beside Evelyn.

"I don't wanna come across as too negative. . . but if I was a crank that's exactly where I would be," Newt purses his lips.

Tilting his head, Thomas sighs, "I don't think we have much of a choice."

Frypan narrows his eyes at the metal gate blocking the entrance, "And what about that?"

Eve smirks, rubbing her palms together, "I'll happily drive through it."

"No!" Newt points at her frantically, "No, you will not. Frypan can do it just fine," He pats Fry's shoulder, while turning his body back towards the car, "And I get shotgun."

Evelyn grinds her jaw.

Thomas glances over at her, watching as she trudges lazily to the back of the car, sliding in and leaving the door open for him. She slouches down in the seat, waiting patiently for the two other boys climb in.

Moments later, Frypan slams the car forward, the chain holding the gate easily snapping in two as the car rattles down the tunnel. He slows slightly, flicking on the dodgy headlights and Newt turns on his torch, holding it out of the window to illuminate the road ahead further.

"Just take it nice and slow," Newt mumbles as the car weaves through abandoned vehicles and debris.

Evelyn glances out of the window at her side, eyes scanning over each car, looking for useful supplies or even cranks hidden in the dark corners.

Fry's gasps pull her out of her thoughts and she leans forward, looking between the seats and through the windscreen at a solitary crank up ahead. The boys in the front slowly turn, eyes flicking between Thomas and Evelyn.

"It's okay. It's just one," Thomas says quietly, his tone uneasy, "So, uh, take it slow and go around him."

"Or run it over," Evelyn adds.

Newt glares at her while rolling his window up quickly as Frypan starts the car once more, slowly moving towards the gagging crank. Rolling her eyes, Eve turns away, returning to stare out of her window, but a woman's deformed face presses against the glass causes the teenage girl to jerk back with a yell.

The car stops abruptly once more and Thomas rests his hand on Evelyn's waist while she stares at the crank outside with a clenched jaw. Newt and Frypan throw their heads over their shoulder with wide eyes at the sight of the sobbing woman. Her emotions seem so real, yet she's barely human anymore.

"Please," The woman cries, her body shaking and a smile flickering across her face, "Help me. Please."

Thomas jumps away from his window, keeping his grip tight on Evelyn to make sure she doesn't get to close to the woman at her side. With it's hands smacking against the glass of Thomas' window, a crank cries out for them to be allowed into the vehicle.

"Fry," Eve calls, "We gotta go."

Two more cranks slam against the front windows, calling out for help and to be allowed inside. Evelyn's head flies around as she watches all the creatures beg, her fist curling around her knife.

"You need to go right now!" Newt yells.

"Just floor it, Fry!" Thomas shouts as more cranks appear at either side of the vehicle.

Suddenly, one pounces on the bonnet while the car flies down the tunnel. The crank smashes it's fist against the windscreen, shattering it immediately and everyone in the car let's out a loud yell of horror.

"FRY!" Evelyn shouts, "Get rid of him!"

"I'm trying!" He exclaims, the car swerving to both sides of the tunnel in attempt to shake the crank off the bonnet.

The inhabitants of the car get flung left and right with the vehicle, letting out grunts as their bodies slam against the doors.

The crank manages to throw itself onto the Frypan's door, smacking it's fist furiously against the glass. But a moment later and the driver slams the crank against another car door, finally causing it to let go and crash to the floor as the car moves away.

The three boys let's out cheers, but Evelyn's eyes fall wide and she smacks her palms against Frypan's arm frantically, pointing at the road ahead where there's a ramp obstructing the path.

"Look out!" She screams, but the car is already flying through the air and landing on the ground upside down.

Letting out a groan, Evelyn's back smacks against the roof of the car, winding her. Hoarse coughs escape her throat as the dust from the road gets stuck in her throat.

"Everyone okay?" Thomas calls, "Eve?"

Without bothering to answer, Evelyn raises her foot, smashing the sole against the window closest to her, and the glass shatters everywhere. She kicks her boot around the frame, getting rid of the sharp shards before she begins to slip herself out.

"My hand," Fry cries quietly, "Shit. My hand."

Thomas watches as Evelyn drops to the ground on all fours, coughing roughly. He kicks his own window out before crawling through the small gap with a grunt.

"Wait, Thomas," Newt calls, "Where's Eve?"

Evelyn smacks her palm against her chest, another cough vibrating her body as she falls back onto her knees, "I'm fine."

Fry begins to kick his door that's slightly ajar, rattling the vehicle, "Thomas, get the door."

At Evelyn's side, the passenger door is thrown open and Newt rolls out with a groan before scrambling up, helping the girl to stand as well.

Thomas rush around the vehicle, having failed to open the door at the other side, "Fry, you good?"

A loud scream vibrates down the tunnel and the teenager's heads snap to the side, watching as the same crank from earlier quickly emerges into the road. Fry scrambles out, but turns at the last moment, grabbing for something in the car desperately.

"Hurry up, Fry!" Evelyn yells, the crank sprinting closer and closer.

It gets within a few metres from her, and she grabs Fry's jacket, pulling him out of the car and he whirls around, firing the shotgun directly into the crank's chest, making it fall flat to the ground in an instant.

"Nice shot, Fry," Thomas pants.

"Thanks."

Low growls and screeches catch their attention as they look up to see a whole herd of cranks clambering over cars and sprinting towards them with loud groans filling the tunnel.

"We gotta go," Thomas calls.

Evelyn is the first to turn and sprint away, screaming at the boys behind her to hurry up, but soon after, she skids to a stop, smashing into Thomas' chest at the sight of another herd emerging from the darkness ahead.

"Shit," She curses, watching as Fry whips back and forth between the two groups, firing as many bullets towards the cranks as possible, a few dropping dead.

Then the clip runs out.

"I'm out!" Fry calls.

Thomas' face drops, "Shit!"

Just as Evelyn pulls out her knife, preparing to kill as many cranks as possible with a single blade, the noise of a roaring engine causes the group to stop still. A vehicle jumps over the cranks, sliding to a stop beside the teenagers and Brenda stands up on her seat, pulling her gun out.

"Get in!" She shouts, beginning to fire bullets at the herds.

Fry and Newt slip into the backseats and Thomas and Evelyn jump into the open back frantically.

"Jorge, go!" Thomas yells, and instantly the car is on the move again.

A few moments later, and the vehicle flies out into daylight, the dark tunnel now metres behind and the cries from the cranks slowly die down into the distance.

"You okay?" Thomas breathes, turning to Evelyn, who's eyes are squeezes closed.

She hums, nodding while her chest pumps up and down, "You?"

He throws his head back, panting breathlessly but he manages to throw her a thumbs up and she laughs quietly, shaking her head.

"Eve?" Brenda calls from the passenger seat, causing the girl to turn around and peer over Newt's shoulder, noticing Brenda's disapproving look.

Evelyn shrugs, "Thomas and I didn't want to bring anyone in on this. Fry and Newt weren't even supposed to get involved."

Fry rolls his eyes, pressing his hand against Evelyn's face and pushing her away from his and Newt's shoulders, "What's she's trying to say is thank you."

"Well, you're welcome," Brenda nods.

"Hey, don't get your hopes up," Jorge says, "That checkpoint back there, that was the city's last defence. If that was overrun chances are the city is too."

Evelyn tilts her head while her eyes zone into something into the distance. She smirks, slowly turning her whole body towards the scene, "They must've figured out a different way to keep the cranks out then."

Furrowing his brows, Jorge's head snaps to the side and a moment later the car is skidding to a stop and the occupants are jumping out in a hurry, pausing to marvel at the miracle.In front of them is a city in walls, surrounding by desolated land and worn down buildings. The walls stand high above the surrounding mountains, and inside skyscrapers peak through the clouds.

"Funny," Newt sighs, "Spent three years trapped behind walls, trying to break out. . . and now we wanna break back in."

Evelyn scoffs, eyes still staring at the bright buildings and the towering wall, "WCKD has an obvious favoured theme."

"Jorge, how do we get in?" Thomas asks.

"Don't look at me, hermano," Jorge shrugs, slipping off his gloves, "Those walls are new. I guess that's WCKD's answer for everything."

"Let's go!" Brenda calls, and Newt, Frypan and Jorge clamber back into the vehicle.

Taking a deep breath, Evelyn folds her arms across her chest, standing beside Thomas, eyes narrowed at the huge city, "You reckon he's in there?"

He turns to her, his lips pursed, "I guess we'll find out."

Eve hums, throwing her arms over Thomas' shoulder turning them around to look over at Newt and Frypan in the car, "Well, boys, back to the one and only place we hate the most. It only goes downhill from here."

Newt snorts. Frypan chuckles. Thomas just stares at the side of her face, a small smile on his lips. Feeling his eyes burning into her cheek, she turns, meeting his gaze while dropping her arm from his shoulder, "You done staring?"

He shrugs, jumping into the back after her, "Maybe."

She glares at him, running her tongue over her teeth as she repeats, "You done staring?"

Chuckling, he nods his head slowly, raising his arms into a surrender, "I'm done staring."

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WORD COUNT: 2108

a meh chapter

gally's return in the next few chapters 😟