I Know Places [Thomas The Maze Runner]

[30: The Supply Stop]

As Elle ran through the hangar area, she felt there was no way they could get out. Even though they managed to keep Janson and his group away, more guards than they could count were gathering behind them. When they approached the main doors they entered through just a few days ago, Thomas turned the red locking mechanism, and everyone waited with bated breath. The steel bolt heads that locked them in previously began unlocking, swinging the door open, and letting in a powerful gust of air and dust. The wind howled in Elle's ears, and she squinted to avoid getting anything in her eyes.

"Come on, come on!" Thomas urged everyone to follow him, taking the first step out into the darkness without anyone telling them where to go.

The group followed him without hesitation, agreeing that taking their chances in the Scorch was better than knowingly being in WICKED's control at all times. As they left, the temperature change was impossible to ignore. Aside from the cold wind whipping in their ears and blowing their clothes, the temperature was slashed in half, and Elle was grateful for her black zip-up hoodie. Without it, she would be freezing in her white tank top.

Dust swirled in the night air as the Gladers ran up a steep, sandy hill to escape WICKED. They left behind the compound that was supposed to be their home between homes, trying to get away as quickly as possible as they heard the guards leaving the building to search for them.

Someone was shouting orders, "Fan out! Fan out!"

"All right, come on. Keep going!" Thomas encouraged everyone, trying to drown out the shelf of the WICKED guards.

Even as she struggled to climb the sandy hill on all fours, Elle turned around when she heard several engines revving. In the distance, she saw motorcycles and ATVs leaving the building with flashlights. Her heartbeat picked up when she realised how quickly WICKED would be able to spread out and find them if they didn't find shelter or somewhere to hide for the night.

"Shit," Thomas muttered beside her, having noticed the same thing. "Come on, go! Go! We'll lose them in the storm," he informed the others, helping Elle over the hill by putting his hand on her lower back for support.

"Thomas," she whimpered, fear apparent in her tone.

"It's okay," he replied, feeling equally scared but not wanting to make Elle feel worse. "I've got you, and I won't let anything happen to you," Thomas promised her. "Come on, we have to keep up with the others."

The storm did seem to obscure the vision of WICKED's guards, allowing the Gladers to catch their breath behind a large sand dune and watch the action from afar. The huge building they had stayed in looked tiny from how much space was between it and the Gladers.

Squinting, Elle noticed that the lights were getting closer even with the storm. "We have to stay low and move on," she decided for the group.

"Everybody, go, go, go. Stay low!" Thomas agreed, shuffling everyone over.

Teresa – still panicking about leaving a seemingly safe space behind and reeling with the news of what really happened to the boys from her Maze – took off down the hill without waiting for anyone to follow her.

Thomas protested, "Teresa, hang on. Stay together!" Teresa raced ahead and Elle retraced her footsteps so she wouldn't be alone. "Keep going, guys. Let's go," Thomas motivated the group.

"Watch out!" Minho warned them as they started running downhill. "Where are we even going?!" he wondered hopelessly.

"Windows," Elle exclaimed happily when she and Teresa reached the slanted Windows of a large structure buried beneath the sand.

As the fastest runner in the group, Minho caught up with the girls first and spotted the same thing they did. "Over here!" he waved everyone over. "What the hell is this?" Minho wondered as Elle and Teresa stepped through a large broken window.