CHAPTER 50 - Bloody Inspired

                                    

                                          
"We can't go out the main entrance, it's swarming with guards," I say quickly. 
Minho sighs , exasperated and tired. "Well, how are we supposed to-"
Before he can finish his sentence, he's cut off by the sound of shouting coming round the corner. Thomas cusses under his breath, and we all bolt into runs in the opposite direction. The loud whine of alarms erupts all around us, the corridors filling with bright flashing lights as we hear the WICKED guards' yells echoing throughout the corridors. I hear the electric bolts of the Launchers approaching around the corner behind us, beginning to quicken my pace. 
"Keep going, keep going!" Thomas screams, hurrying round the corner up ahead. I urge my legs to move faster, despite the aching in my thighs, when I start to notice Newt slowing beside me, heaving deep, shuddering breaths.
"No Newt, come on, you can do this!" I cry, grabbing a hold of his arm. He nods, gritting his teeth together as he pushes forward, his pale face beginning to flush with pink in determination. We go around the corner, my eyes widening as I see Janson approaching the opposite direction with three soldiers in tow. 
We all look around us for an escape, but more guards are running behind us. Janson begins shooting, his cold grey eyes narrowed in fury. I let out a scream as a bullet ricochets next to me, hitting the steel door. I look to Thomas, who nods towards the door, pushing it open quickly. We all run into a large, open room with high windows, showing the bright lights of the city beyond us. After Thomas has locked the door, I scan the room, looking for an escape, my face falling as I realise that the only way out is the way we came in. We all exchange worried glances as pounding against the door gets louder and more urgent, the sound of bullets trying to penetrate through the steel. 
Minho and Newt push a table up against the door. We all take final glances around the room, for weapons, but find nothing. I bite my nails anxiously, in a completely petrified state. That's when we all hear the sound of a machine, gnawing away at the edge of the door, cutting through the steel. We back away further, towards the windows.
"Any ideas?" Minho shouts over the racket of the machine. 
Thomas walks over to the window. In the reflection I see his face, white with terror, as he looks down. He slowly turns around to face us again, his dark eyes fearful. "Maybe."
Me, Newt and Minho walk over to the window, looking below. At the bottom of the skyscraper we see a sheet of dark water, the city lights shimmering against it like a black mirror, at least fifty floors down. Newt brings his hand up to his face, covering his mouth in worry, before he faces us, his eyebrows stitched together. "It's either that or WICKED." 
Minho suddenly strides across the room, dragging a chair to the glass. His eyes are set in such a determined glare, his mouth in a scowl, that is gives me a sliver of hope that we can do this. He, of all people, should know, being tortured by WICKED this whole time. 
Him and Thomas pick the chair up and lob it towards the glass. It shatters like a spiderweb, shards of glass scattering the floor and falling down the side of the skyscraper. We watch as the chair plummets down until it hits the water, waves breaking upwards, until it resurfaces a few seconds later. 
"Looks deep enough," I breathe nervously. My hands begin to shake wildly as I look down. The wind whistles through the smashed window, icy against my cheeks. The four of us look down to the water, breathing heavily with nervousness. 
"Okay," Thomas chokes out, his voice shaking. "Just need a... little running start."
We all back up slowly, me and Newt grabbing each other's hands in fear. His palms glisten with sweat, and I seriously regret not putting some Bliss in my pockets. 
"You sure about this?" Minho asks Thomas. 
He shakes his head, a nervous smile playing on his lips. "Not really." 
"Nice pep talk," Minho replies, his expression growing more fearful with each passing second. 
"Yeah... bloody inspired," Newt mutters. I let out a small, nervous giggle, remembering that Newt said that same thing breaking out of the Maze. He seems to notice, and squeezes my hand a little harder, his lips tugging into a crooked smile. 
The door suddenly bursts open behind us. We steal one last glance back, all cussing under our breaths as we are faced with Janson and his guards, before bolting towards the window. The wind slaps me in the face as I near the edge of the building, and I take one long lunge away from the edge. 
We all let out loud screams as we fly through the cold air, our bodies in a free-fall as we approach the water down below. I brace myself for the impact of the water, closing my eyes and taking in one deep, shuddering breath of icy air, before I feel my body smack against the dark surface. I am engulfed by the cold water, and I feel myself sinking down, kicking my legs to the surface. Bubbles escape my mouth as I keep kicking, and finally I take in a heaving gasp as I resurface, my wet hair plastered to my scalp. 
"(y/n)!" Thomas calls, swimming hastily over to me. Looking around, I panic when Minho and Newt don't reappear. 
"Where are they?!"
Not a second later, both Minho and Newt break past the surface of the water, brushing their wet hair back from their faces. 
"Are you both alright?" I ask hurriedly. 
"I'm... shucking amazing," Minho grins, and Newt just nods. But, even in the darkness, I can see his red-rimmed eyes and his cracked lips. He attempts a smile at me, but that just hurts me more. 
We need to get back to Gally as soon as possible. 
Looking up the building, we all smirk as we see Janson looking down on us from the smashed window, his face twisted with rage. Thomas cockily raises his hand in the air to flip Janson off, swimming to the edge of the water. We all clamber out, wiping the water away from our faces. Newt suddenly lets out a series of splutters, his chest moving up and down rapidly. 
"Newt," I cry, holding his good arm. "Just a little bit further. We'll get to Gally soon."
He tries to stop coughing, his eyes closed shut. I see Minho give me a scared look, and as I look back at him, I can see the fear evident in his eyes. The same fear that I've been trying to suppress the whole mission. We both don't know how much longer Newt will have until...
"You four! Don't move!"
We spin around. A row of masked soldiers all stand in a line, proceeding towards us warily with guns and Launchers in their arms. 
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," I hear Thomas mutter. 
"Take it easy..." one guard calls slowly, as they all move steadily towards us. Thomas reaches for his gun in his pocket. "Don't even think about it!" the guard yells. "Hands where I can see them!"
We can't get out of this one. There's no way. I shiftily glance around me, and consider running the other way as a distraction so the boys can go. I start to go, before Newt grabs my hand, shaking his head with his jaw clenched.
"Don't you bloody dare..." he murmurs under his breath. 
"Stop talking! Now get on your–"  
The sound of electricity slices through the air. I flinch as I wait for the agonising pain, expecting to be hit, before realising that a guard by the edge of the line is firing at the other guards. My mouth falls open, perplexed as I watch the soldier turn against the others. He hits them, one after the other, all falling to the ground with screams of pain. He stops firing when they're all on the floor, their bodies writhing with electric blue bolts, twitching unnaturally. He faces us. The guard walks quickly towards us, lowering his Launcher, and he takes his mask off.
I let out a breath of relief. 
"Gally?" Minho gasps, his eyes wide. 
Gally nods. "Minho." He looks up at the skyscraper. "You guys are nuts."