The One Called Minho

Chapter 9

"Hey Grace woah breath it's fine." I heard Minho's voice say to me as I stared blankly towards a wall covered in vines. My breathing had started to quicken and I could tell I was going to pass out. Minho grabbed me by the waist and pulled me towards him down on the floor. He pulled me close to his chest as he just kept rubbing my back in circles as I let out a whimper and words escaped my lips.

"I miss her." I said as tears rolled down my cheeks and a vivid image started to fill my mind. I was in a room locked inside trapped and all I could hear on the other side was someone calling my name. I knew who it was but I couldn't bring myself to say her name but it somehow escaped my lips.

"Stop hurting her! Melanie I'm going to save you I swear on my life." I said in between sobs as the images kept flooding into my mind. Her screams filling my head and the tears kept coming. Before I knew it I was screaming and all I felt was Minho hugging me tighter. I felt my lips keep forming her name over and over again as I squeezed my eyes tight and started to shake. That's when I heard Minho's voice.

"We've all seen what happens to the ones we love. For us it was our siblings." Minho started to say before I saw a tear start to roll down his cheek. He just kept staring into my eyes as he kissed my forehead and continued to talk.

"His name was Nicky. He was 12. And I had to witness his killing. It came to me slowly and then all at once. I remember his screams. They filled my mind constantly. He kept screaming my name over and over again to save him. And I just watched." Minho said as tears kept coming down his cheeks and I hugged him tightly as he stroked my hair.

"I remember when he just looked me in the eyes. It was a look that you can never ever forget." Minho said as I buried my head into his chest and whispered that I was sorry. I knew that what we lost was the same but how it happened wasn't.

"You don't have to be sorry. It's what makes us who we are. It's what makes us stronger. What forces us to keep breathing and living. We can't ever forget them but we have to in a way. We move on but still live with the guilt and the pain." Minho said as I was pulled closer to him as he embraced me as tightly as he could. I remember how it felt to be held that tightly. How safe I felt. How right all of it was. And even though what we went through and experienced I knew that if I had him I would be safe. And even though what I've lost and what I had to deal with compared to being with him there is nothing else that I could've wanted.

"That's another reason why I'm different." Minho said as he started to pull up his sleeve to reveal multiple stab and shot wounds. It seemed that he had been hit, poked, prodded, and injected with so many things. It was a little uneasy to look at and made my stomach weak. Although I didn't look away, I was intrigued by the design that the one mark had made. It was made up of several lines connecting each other, but each leading a separate way he kept pulling up his sleeve and the design kept going even spreading almost across his whole entire chest.

"It almost looks like a maze." I said as I stared at it trying to figure out how this could've been made. It was a scar, some of it was raised, but most of it wasn't. It wasn't a tattoo but it did look like one but I couldn't comprehend what it actually was.

"It funny you say that because this is where I got it from." He said as he motioned to the maze. Every twist and turn. Every single piece of concrete was on his body somehow in almost exact detail.

"How?" I asked with a hurt tone. Thinking of the torture of what he went through. The pain of this being put on his skin. It almost made me want to vomit but I knew it wasn't what I wanted to do.

"That's not important right now." Minho said as he hung his head down low. I wanted to push him more and get answers but I knew now wasn't the time. Certainly not here. Not in this death trap.

"It'll all make sense sooner or later." Minho said as he pulled me closer to him as I just relaxed in his arms.

"I trust you." I said as Minho leaned his head down towards me with a smile bringing a grin to my face as he leaned closer towards me and kissed my face. I could tell he was smiling and so was I as we continued to kiss. We were interrupted as we always were by the one and only Newt.

"Alright you two. Stop being lovey dovey for like two seconds and come be leaders please." Newt said with a cheesy smile on his face. I couldn't help but laugh as Minho wrapped his arms around my waist as he got up and picked me up off the ground. I couldn't help but let out a small shriek as I hit him on the arms and he laughed at me.

"Nope not even gonna let you down." Minho said as he walked towards the group still hoisting me up by my waist. I continued to hit his arms only making him laugh.

"Put me down you weirdo." I said with a laugh as I continued to hit him on the arms.

"How about no. And by the way you do know that I am strong so you hitting me really doesn't do anything." He said as he kissed me on the cheek. I could feel my cheeks start to turn red as we came to face the group.

"What's wrong?" I asked as the smile was wiped off my face as I didn't see anyone with a happy look on their faces.

"Do you really think we're even going to survive this place!?" Teresa shouted out at me with anger as she forcefully stepped towards me with her fist clenched.

"Teresa what the bloody hell has gotten in to you?" I asked with a harsh tone back to her.

"What the bloody hell has gotten in to me!? I'll tell you what it is. The fact that I let you drag me and the ones who actually know anything about this place in here!" Teresa shouted at me as she stepped towards me closing in the space between us. By this time Minho had set me down on the ground and was behind me I could feel his hand reaching for mine, and I let him.

"Teresa what the heck are you doing?" Newt said with a concerned tone as he came towards Teresa and grabbed her hand as she pulled away forcefully and quickly.

"I'm doing what I have to do to survive. In reality I know everything about this place. Okay now listen. The people who put us in here go by an organization called W.I.C.K.E.D. and I'm one of them. I should've never ever let you live. It was mine and Albys plan to stab you with the venom and if Minho would've never came to your rescue our plan would've been complete. But no this is what it's come to." Teresa said as she pulled a knife from her back pocket. The tip was dripping with a blackish bluish liquid and I knew what it was everyone did. The motions she made were quick. I clenched my eyes tightly to hopefully shield the pain that was coming but I didn't feel anything. I heard the knife hit someone but I wasn't sure who it was, it wasn't Minho or Newt. But when I unclenched my eyes I saw the blood surrounding Teresa from a stab wound right to her jugular vein. And that's when I fell to the floor around who had saved my life but killed the one she was like. It was Natalie. That was went I heard Newt frantically searching for something as he pulled out a light blue liquid that was stuck inside of a vile. It was the antidote for the Griver venom. I heard Newt shove them antidote into her followed by the screams of pain and agony of Natalie's screams. I saw Thomas run over to her and pull her close as she rocked her side to side like a baby as he screams turned into whimpers. I felt hot liquid spilling from my eyes, followed by strong arms shielding me from what was going on.

"Grace it's going to be okay. I promise. She's gone now. The threat isn't here. I'm here. I'm going to protect you. So are the rest of us. I know this was the right move." Minho said as he rubbed my back in slow circles and hugged me tighter. He then lifted my chin up and kissed me on the lips. Followed by him saying "that's a promise."