Demolished Love | Death Cure

Treason

  The only sounds filling the air are the patters of trash fluttering down the sidewalks and the thumps of our feet as we walk down the streets. Beams from our flashlights contrast against the dark nighttime.

  We left Brenda to watch over Newt, who is handcuffed again. I can only hope she doesn't have to use the knife we left with her with.

  We figured it was for the best. Her leg is still sore, and if someone catches Newt, I may never see him again.

  I walk with Minho. A bunch of the others from the Right Arm split up, along with Jorge, Aris, Sonya and Harriet. I kick a small rock across the pavement, aiming the flashlight along the walls. It falls over a poster of Chancellor Ava Paige, her face cracked and faded from the effects of Denver. The words on it are ripped, barely reading the familiar phrase "Wicked Is Good." Red spray paint graffities her photo, fangs and horns drawn on.

  I turn away.

  "Sorry you had to hear all that." I whisper, breaking the silence.

  He takes a minute to respond, our footsteps echoing down the street. "I'm glad you found him before he left." Minho replies.

  I nod. "Me too," I take a deep breath. "I don't know what to do about all this. It's not like I can just give up on him."

  "You're right, kid," He says, sighing. "You can't. You're the one person who can't give up on him."

  "What do you mean?" I ask, turning to look at Minho.

  "You are the reason he is still here, Olivia," Minho tells me. "He loves you so much that he is staying."

  "But he's not staying," I argue. "He doesn't want to. He was gonna leave us. He doesn't love me." I can't hide the sadness in my voice.

  "Don't say that, Liv." Minho says. "Don't. He does love you. If it weren't for you, he'd be gone long ago."

  Another stretch of silence fills the air.

  "I thought when we found the Right Arm, everything would be okay. I thought we could stop Wicked and live normal lives," I whisper. When Minho doesn't respond, I take a breath and keep talking. "We were gonna survive. All of us. Newt and I were going to have a beautiful wedding and have a family of our own. You would be the uncle to our kids and would be their best friend. Our kids would have an amazing, normal childhood without having to worry about a thing. I would be a loving mother and Newt a loving father and we would watch our kids grow up and have families and we would grow old together," I can't help the tears rolling down my cheeks. "I would think about these things at night because it was the one thing that made me happy."

  Before he can say anything, the walkie talkie on my belt starts beeping, a muffled voice belonging to Aris echoing out of the speaker. I can't understand what he's saying, but his voice is loud and panicked.