Admit Defeat (TMR fic 2)

Chapter 62

(this chapter's (explicit) song is a nice teaser for Ash's unbalanced mental state in part three~) 

It's a ridiculously easy battle. We haven't come this far to be stopped by a few monsters, deadly claws or no. Everyone has figured out to attack the lightbulbs, as well, and we work together to break through the wall of monsters almost effortlessly.

The Berg had landed at the exact promised moment, but it starts to slowly rise into the air as we fight. As the final monsters fall we race after it, pulling ourselves one at a time onto the rising gangplank.

Minho and I help Newt up since his old injury seems to be acting up, and he keeps wincing. The running must have finally done him in.

"Your leg okay?" I ask as we walk into the belly of the Berg, making room for the others to climb up.

He shrugs. "Not too bad."

We watch the other Gladers and Group B start to relax. The Berg is sheltered from the storm, and it's easier to breathe out of the wind. We're safe, at least for the next few seconds.

Thomas is the last one into the Berg, almost all the Gladers helping pull him in.

I glance out at the quickly disappearing ground below us, at the scattered bodies of the ones who fell in the fight.

No, WICKED will never be safe for us.

"Who are they?" a man barks, motioning at Brenda and Jorge. I notice vaguely that this is the only adult here, that WICKED hadn't sent any other guards into the hold with us. One man. He has a pistol, but it's stuffed in a holster at his belt. We can take him.

I slowly begin moving, creeping towards him, but Newt grabs me and pulls me back.

"Don't," he whispers. "Not yet. We can't fly this thing, so if we try to attack them it will crash and we'll all die in the Scorch."

I grudgingly nod. He's right.

"They're Cranks," Thomas says, stepping forward. "They helped us, so I promised they'd get the cure."

The man frowns at him, and then spits on the floor of the Berg. "We didn't agree to that."

Thomas grits his teeth. "We wouldn't have survived without them."

The man gives him a long look, and then nods. "One of them can stay. The other one gets tossed out the hatch."

We're way too high for anyone to survive falling, even if there was a place down there worth living in.

"She dies."

All of us gape at Thomas as he motions at Brenda. Since when would he have them kill a girl instead of an older man? As the man from WICKED grabs Brenda, I see the panic hit Thomas. Somehow, he hadn't thought the man was serious.

Before he can drag Brenda to the gaping door, Thomas moves. He tackles the man in one fluid motion, and grabs the pistol.

He presses the barrel into the man's head.

"Our turn," he says, his voice black with hatred. "It's our turn to make the demands."

As the man blinks up at him with terrified eyes, I feel myself smiling for what feels like the first time in my life.

Our turn.

~~
A/N: See you in Part Three, lads!