The Death Cure (The Maze Runner Book 3) (12)
CHAPTER
12
Brenda
smiled and moved toward Thomas, then tripped on something and stumbled forward.
She caught the bed with her right hand, but she fell in such a way that the
syringe’s nozzle landed on the forearm of the guard gripping Thomas’s wrist.
She instantly pushed the trigger with her thumb, releasing a quick, sharp hiss,
before he jerked himself away.
“What
the hell!” the man shouted, but his eyes were already glazed.
Thomas
acted instantly. Now free from those iron fists, he pushed down on the bed and
swung his legs in an arc toward the female guard, who was just coming to her
senses after a brief moment of frozen shock. One foot connected with her
Launcher and the other with her shoulder. She let out a yell, which was closely
followed by the smack of her head hitting the floor.
Thomas
scrambled after the Launcher, grabbed it before it slid out of reach and aimed
it at the woman, who was holding her head in her hands. Brenda had run around
the bed and grabbed the man’s weapon, and she pointed it at his limp body.
Thomas
gasped for air, his chest heaving as adrenaline throbbed through his body. He
hadn’t felt so good in weeks. “I knew you—”
Before
he could finish, Brenda fired her Launcher.
A
high-pitched sound pierced the air, increasing in volume for a split second
before the gun discharged and kicked, making Brenda jerk backward. One of the
shiny grenades shot out, slammed into the woman’s chest and exploded, sending
tendrils of lightning arcing across her body. She began to twitch uncontrollably.
Thomas
stared, stunned at what the Launcher did to a person and amazed that Brenda had
shot it without hesitation. If he had needed further proof that Brenda wasn’t
totally committed to WICKED, he’d just seen it. He looked at her.
She
returned his gaze, the slightest of smiles on her face. “I’ve been wanting to
do something like that for a long time. Good thing I convinced Janson to assign
me to you for this procedure.” She bent over and took the unconscious man’s key
card, slipped it into her pocket. “This’ll get us in anywhere.”
Thomas
had to resist the urge to pull her into a hug.
“Come
on,” he said. “We have to get Newt and Minho. Then everybody else.”
They
sprinted through a couple of twists and turns in the hallways, Brenda leading.
It reminded Thomas of the time she’d led him through the underground tunnels in
the Scorch. He urged her to hurry—he knew that more guards could show up at any
second.
They
reached a door, and Brenda swiped the key card to open it; a brief hiss
sounded, and then the slab of metal swung open. Thomas burst through with
Brenda close on his heels.
The
Rat Man was sitting in a chair but sprang to his feet, his expression quickly
twisting to a look of horror. “What in God’s name are you doing?”
Brenda
had already fired two grenades at the guards. A man and a woman dropped to the
ground, convulsing in a cloud of smoke and tiny lightning bolts. Newt and Minho
tackled the third guard; Minho grabbed his weapon.
Thomas
trained his Launcher on Janson and put his finger on the trigger. “Give me your
key card, then get on the ground, hands on your head.” His voice was steady but
his heart was racing.
“This
is complete lunacy,” Janson said. He handed his card to Thomas. He spoke
quietly, seeming amazingly calm under the circumstances. “You have zero chance
of getting out of this complex. More guards are already on their way.”
Thomas
knew their odds were bad, but it was all they had. “After what we’ve been
through, this is nothing.” He smiled as he realized it was true. “Thanks for
the training. Now, another word and you’ll get to experience—how did you put
it? ‘The worst five minutes of your life’?”
“How
can—”
Thomas
pulled the trigger. The high-pitched sound filled the room, followed by the
launch of a grenade. It hit the man’s chest and exploded in a brilliant display
of electricity. He screamed as he fell to the ground, convulsing, smoke
streaming off his hair and clothing. The room filled with an awful smell—a stench
that reminded Thomas of the Scorch, when Minho was struck by lightning.
“That
can’t feel good,” Thomas said to his friends. He sounded so calm to his own
ears that it disturbed him. As he watched their nemesis twitch, he was almost
ashamed for feeling no guilt. Almost.
“It
supposedly won’t kill him,” Brenda said.
“That’s
a shame,” Minho replied. He stood after tying up the uninjured guard with his
belt. “The world would’ve been better off.”
Thomas
turned his attention from the twitching man at his feet. “We’re leaving. Now.”
“I’ll
bloody drink to that,” Newt said.
“That’s
exactly what I was thinking,” Minho added.
They
all turned to look at Brenda. She lifted her Launcher in her arms and nodded.
She looked ready for a fight.
“I
hate these people just as much as you,” she said. “I’m in.”
For
the second time in the last few days, Thomas was filled with that foreign
feeling of happiness. Brenda was back. He glanced at Janson. The crackling
static was beginning to die. The man’s eyes were closed and he’d finally
stopped moving, but he was still breathing.
“I
don’t know how long a blast from one of these lasts,” Brenda said, “and he’s
definitely going to wake up angry. We better get out of here.”
“What’s
the plan?” Newt asked.
Thomas
didn’t have a clue. “We’ll make it up as we go.”
“Jorge’s
a pilot,” Brenda offered. “If we can somehow make it to the hangar, to his Berg
…”
Before
anyone could respond, shouts and footsteps sounded in the hall.
“They’re
coming,” Thomas said. The reality of their situation hit him again—no one was
going to let them just waltz out of the building. Who knew how many guards
they’d have to get past.
Minho
ran to the door and took a stance right next to it. “They’ll all have to come
through right here.”
The
sounds from the hallway were getting louder—the guards were close.
“Newt,”
Thomas said. “You get on the other side of the doorway. Brenda and I’ll shoot
the first couple who come through. You guys catch the rest from the sides, then
get out into the hallway. We’ll be right behind you.”
They
took their positions.
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