Atomic [Newt || Maze Runner]

[Chapter 3] ✙ Neither Dead nor Alive

[Chapter 3] ✙ Neither Dead nor Alive

Scrambling to climb up a sand dune, Eden collapsed to her knees, panting heavily. Her legs were already cramping from the sheer amount of running and climbing they've done, and now her arms felt as if they were about to fall off as the binder weighed like a ton of bricks.

Newt seemed to notice her lagging behind as he reached out towards her. "Come on," He ushered between breaths. "We've gotta keep moving."

Eden stared at his outstretched hand, her dark brown eyes glazed with a sense of exhaustion. The sand dunes seemed to be on an endless uphill incline, and all she wanted to do at this point was lay down and close her eyes. But a loud rumble from behind instantly had her rethinking her options.

She snapped her head around, watching in a mixture of shock and terror as multiple guards, some on foot while others riding on ATV quads, darted out of the WICKED facility. Their motor roared in a fury along with the storm, flashlights sweeping from left to right as they scoured the desert for the escapees.

"For the love of-" Newt cussed under his breath once he spotted the guards. "Hurry, let's go!" He shouted, urgently gesturing for her to grab his hand.

Eden sucked in a harsh breath before reaching up towards the boy. Though before their fingers could connect, Newt took the initiative and latched onto her, swiftly pulling her to her feet. "Thomas, they're coming!" He warned, pushing the girl in front of him as he helped her up the hike.

"Stay low! We'll lose them in the storm!" Thomas replied, motioning everyone to drop down as he army crawled away.

Several sand dunes later, the group finally felt safe enough to slow down as they were now quite a distance away from the WICKED facility, evident by the absence of the roaring engines. Teresa, currently leading the group, followed a downhill slope, stopping in front of a horizontal glass structure.

"Teresa, hang on! Stay together!" Thomas called after her, watching as she patted along the glass panes, seemingly searching for something.

"Where are we even going?!" Minho questioned over the howling winds.

"In here!" Teresa shouted, pointing at an opening within the structure. "Come on!"

"Teresa, wait!" Attempting to stop her, Thomas reached a hand out only to see her leap through the shattered glass. With no other option, he gestured for the rest to follow her. "Alright, get inside! Get inside, everyone!" He yelled.

Beyond the glass panes, there was a large slope that led towards a slightly more evened-out surface of the sand. One by one, the escapees hopped in. First Minho, then Jack and Winston, then Frypan, Aris and Eden, and finally Newt and Thomas.

Once he reached the bottom, Minho immediately took off his stolen pack and whipped out a flashlight, shooting a fluorescent beam of light through the darkness of the structure.