Minho’s POV:

So, remember when I said we would make the most of the time we would have left? Well, I guess Newt forgot about that part, because he just left us. With a note. I don’t know if I’m more worried or angry. I’m in a berg right now, and Jorge is flying us to the crank palace so we can rescue Newt. if it’s not too late. We land the mountain just outside, and walked up to the gate. Two guards met us there. Thomas stepped up to them

“Hi, we’re looking for our friend. Can you help us find him?”

“Nope.”

One of the worst responses I’ve ever heard, and at such a crucial time. I stepped forward and just started screaming right off the bat

“Yes you will! You will help or, or, or I’ll-”

Teresa grabbed my arm, and pulled me back

“What he means is that we’ll pay you a mighty sum of money if you can help us.”

The guards looked at each other and shrugged.

“How much?”

“Five thousand.”

“Seven thousand.”

“Six thousand.”

The guards gave in

“Deal. C’mon.”

They opened the gate, and we walked in, Teresa handing them the money.

“What’s your friend look like?”

“Blond hair, tan skin, and about this tall.”

Teresa held up a hand just below my head.

“Yeah, I think I saw him in the bowling alley.”

The guards led us down a path, and into a circle that consisted of a few food stores, and a bowling alley.

“Should be right in there.”

The guard pointed, and Thomas went in, followed by me, Teresa, and the others. The air was old and stale, the smell of blood distinct. The room was dark, and dingy, and all I wanted was to see Newt.

Then I did.

Newt was in the back, surrounded by other cranks. I almost ran up to him, but then saw the launcher in his hand. He wasn’t facing us

“. . .Newt?”

Newt turned, and almost the instant he looked at us, his eyes became angry slits.

“What are you doing here?”

Newt’s voice sounded hoarse. I took a step forward.

“I came to rescue you. . .”

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

Newt pointed to Thomas

“You, Tommy! You. . .you shucking coward! You couldn’t do the one thing I asked! The sight of you makes me sick!”

Thomas took a step back

“Newt? Are you okay?”

Newt turned to me

“Yes Minho, I’m fine, just have the bloody flare, but other than that, I’m peachy!”

Hearing him call me Minho never sounded worse. I took a step forward

“Newt, please.”

Newt pointed the launcher at me

“Min. Leave before I shoot you.”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Min.

Hearing him call me that never sounded better.

“Newt, please. It’ll be okay, just come with us.”

Newt looked straight at me

“Stop. lying. Nothing will be okay. Anywhere.”

I attempted to smile, but I think I just grimaced

“So, it won’t matter where you are. Meaning you’ll come with us.”

Newt didn’t respond. I walked closer. If he wanted to, Newt could touch the barrel of the launcher to my chest.

“Please Newt. I promise everything will be okay. . .”

Newt slumped into me, dropping the launcher.

“No it won’t. . .please don’t lie to me. . .”

“Okay baby.”

I put an arm around him, and we started walking out of the palace, the others following.

Newt’s POV:

We were back in the berg, and Thomas looked scared as he approached me. I was alone, as Minho was checking with Jorge on how long until we can get to the WICKED complex. Thomas didn’t sit down next to me on one of the seats. He stood

“What did you mean back there?”

“What the shuck did it sound like?”

“That I didn’t do something.”

“Exactly.”

Thomas let out a sigh

“But what didn’t I do?”

“Never mind. It’s fine. I can’t even remember, probably something stupid.”

Oh, I still remember. And it wasn't stupid.

If Thomas had just looked at the note. . .

Suddenly I felt a flash or rage ignite inside of me.

I pushed it back down.

No, this isn’t me. This is the flare. Minho came and sat next to me

“We should be there soon. Just hold on. . .”

I nodded. Minho kept talking

“We made the plan. You, me, and Thomas will stay back and everyone else will go get the serum. Sound good?”

I nodded again. Out of nowhere, the berg veered to the left, then right, then down. Minho was clutching onto one of the rails by the seat, and yelled in the direction of the cockpit, to Teresa I think

“What the shuck is going on?”

Teresa came stumbling into the room

“The berg doesn't have enough gas. We’re going down.”

Me and Minho simultaneously asked ‘how close are we to WICKED’ and ‘what do we do’.Teresa answered both

“We’re within a one day walking distance, and find something to hold onto.”

Teresa moved to the seat row across from us, and sat down, bracing herself against one of the many, many poles around the berg. I was holding onto the pole next to me with one hand, and when I glanced over at Minho, he was doing the same thing. I grabbed his free hand with my own, and he looked up at me and smiled

“Hey, Newt. Since we’re holding on to two things, are we double safe?”

I forced out a laugh

“Wow Minho. We could be dead in a few minutes, and you're making jokes?”

Minho squeezed my hand

“Well, you know me.”

Then I felt the shuddering crash of berg against ground, and was almost thrown out of my seat.

I think I let go of the pole.

But not Minho. I held on to him.

I didn’t pass out. Neither did Minho, Teresa, Jorge, or anyone else. To be fair, I was a little stunned, but I never passed out. When we managed to get everyone out of the wrecked berg, we surveyed the damage. The whole berg was almost flattened, with only about six feet in between the top and the bottom. But that was where it used to be fifteen feet. The others left so they could start their mission, they told Minho they’d try to be back by tomorrow morning. After they left, we just waited for a while, before we moved a couple hundred feet into the snow filled forest. From the scorch to snow.

My brain didn’t feel right.

It felt like little needles were crawling in it. It wasn’t unbearable, but I knew this was just the first sign of many. We made it to a nice clearing, and Minho decided to start a campfire, and Thomas said he would go scavenge, and I saw one final chance for the way out.

The way out before I hurt someone.

The way out before I hurt Minho.

I saw Thomas digging through a pile of stuff, and I cleared my throat. Thomas looked up and smiled at me.

“Oh, hi Newt!”

“. . . Hi Tommy.”

Thomas started walking over to me

“What’s up?”

“Well. . .”

I didn’t know how to say it

“Did you ever, by chance, read the note I gave you?”

Thomas shook his head

“No, I didn’t. Should I?”

I nodded

“If you wouldn’t mind. Just one thing. Before you do, you need to promise me something.”

Thomas shrugged

“Sure, what is it?”

I took a deep breath

“Just. . .promise me you’ll do what it says. . .”

Thomas nodded

“Okay, sure.”

Thomas reached into his pocket, and pulled out the folded piece of paper. As he was reading the one sentence I wrote, begging for a way out, his face fell considerably.

Kill me. If you were ever my friend, kill me.

He looked up at me, an anxious and worried, almost scared look on his face.

“Newt, I can’t do this. . .”

I stepped forward

“You promised.”

Thomas put his hands up as in defense

“Newt.”

I think I was yelling now

“Tommy! You promised! I need you to do this! I can’t risk hurting someone!”

Thomas backed up

“Newt, don’t make me do this.”

I looked around, and saw a gun lodged under a piece of berg. I yanked it out and shoved it into Thomas’s hands.

“Please! Repent for what you did to us! To me!”

Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I was making no sense, but I couldn’t stop it, it just kept going and going.

“Newt, I can’t do this!”

“You can! And you will! Now!”

Thomas sucked in a shuddering breath and took the gun