The sky began to lighten, and Florence leant her head against the car window as they drove across the open landscape. She was sat in the back, besides Newt, as Frypan drove and Thomas held the map open next to him to check the directions.

A sign, reading 'Mandatory Infection Check: 2 Miles Ahead' somehow went unnoticed by them all, but if it hadn't, it would have clearly been a red flag for the road ahead.

They reached an abandoned settlement; a moss covered brick building and a car park with wrecked cars sat behind barbed wire fence. And this time, the 'Mandatory Infection Check' signs were spotted by the Gladers.

Although, there was nothing they could do now.

Frypan slowed as they approached a tunnel that dug into the mountain looming over them. Stopping, it gave them the chance to hop out and inspect the dark tunnel they were about to go through.

"You want us to go in there?" Newt asked Thomas, stopping a few feet away from the entrance to it. Thomas looked down at the map again, but he - and everyone else - knew that there was no way around it.

"I don't wanna come across as too negative, but if I was a Crank, that's exactly where I would be."

Florence stopped beside him, trying to glimpse into the tunnel by squinting her eyes. "Well, are you a Crank, Newt?"

"I said if-"

Before Florence and Newt had the chance to begin bickering, Thomas swiftly cut them both off. "-I don't think we have much of a choice."

"All right. I get shotgun." Newt said, making back towards the car. Florence scoffed, trailing after him with her hands folded across her chest.

"I'm the only one who hasn't gone shotgun yet." She tried to argue, but Newt had reached the car door already.

"Well, you should've called it." He grinned, winking cheekily.

Rolling her eyes sulkily, Florence climbed back into the back of the car beside her brother. Leaning forwards on the back of Newt's seat, she exhaled in attempt to calm her nerves as Frypan slowly rolled the car forwards.

"Well, here we go."

As they advanced further, they caught sight of a few abandoned cars - some of which were turned onto its sides or backs. Newt's hand rested on the side of his window, holding a torch out for them all to see the road ahead better.

"Yeah, just take it nice and slow." He advised, nerves evident in his voice.

Frypan expertly weaved his way around the cars, as if he'd been driving for years, but was forced to come to a stop as Newt's hand came to rest on his arm. "Whoa, whoa, whoa." The panic became increasingly more clear in his voice, and Frypan pulled on the brakes, coming to a halt.

Just ahead, was a Crank. They were stood still, arms swaying slightly, in the middle of the road. Florence felt her breath catch in her throat, and with the others, found herself looking to Thomas for guidance.

"It's okay. It's just one, so take it slow, go around them. We'll be fine." He told Frypan, whose eyes were wide in panic.

"Take it slow." He repeated, turning back to the wheel and squeezing his grip on it. "Take it slow."

Before they began driving again, Florence nudged Newt's arm, nodding to the window. "Wind it up." Just as he did, and as Frypan prepared himself to drive again, Thomas jumped in his seat, nearly landing on Florence.

"Jesus, Thomas-"

Looking to him, she cut herself off with a squeal at the Crank stood at his window, staring in at them. She was a woman; with straggly blonde hair, pale skin, and almost fearful eyes. She hadn't turned completely yet. Florence's chest was heaving with anxious breaths and she kept a tight grip on Thomas to make sure he wouldn't jump again.

"Please, please. Help me. Please! Let me in." She pleaded, her hand on the window, and her other rattling the handle of the door, trying to pry it open.

A thud from the other side made Florence jump this time, and she whipped her head around so fast she could've gotten whiplash. A Crank had its hands on her window, fully turned, snarling and growling to get inside.

"Okay. Fry, we gotta go." Thomas said urgently. Another Crank appeared at Florence's window, and she felt herself close to tears in terror.

This is not how I want to go.

"We need to go right now!" She yelled, almost at an ear splitting volume.

Several more Cranks were at each window now, hitting and scratching at them, screaming to get inside.

"Just floor it, Fry!"

"Hold on!" He shouted back, slamming his foot on the accelerator, and sending the car off into motion. 

However, a Crank had been caught on the bonnet of the car, and despite the fairly quick speed at which Fry was driving, it was not going anywhere. Slamming its hand down on the front window, it began to crack and splinter.

"Come on, Fry, shake him!"

"I'm trying!"

In attempts to rid them of the Crank, Frypan began to swerve the car left and right, driving in a wave pattern to throw the Crank from the bonnet. It wasn't working.

Swinging to the right, the Crank was sent from the front of the car to the side, where it hung on at Frypan's window. It began to smash its hand onto his window, rattling the car with each hit.

No matter what they did, it didn't seem to leave.

Florence found herself beginning to imagine if this would be their lives; narrow escapes from Cranks nightly. If  they escaped this time. She wasn't sure if they'd be so lucky.

"Hang on!" Frypan swooped to the left, catching the Crank on a pole sticking out from a car at the side of the tunnel, and finally losing it.

And then the left wheels of the car caught onto some rubble piled up, and they were flipped over. Florence felt the breath being knocked out of her chest, and her hands flew up to protect her head, unfortunately taking the brunt of the damage.

"Everyone okay?" Thomas asked, the girl in return laughing rather bitterly. She was fairly uninjured from the crash, however it wasn't like they were having the time of their lives.

Coughing and spluttering from both being winded and the dust collecting from the ground, the group attempted to untangle themselves from where they were sat on the ceiling of the car when the lights and the engine switched off, only making everything ten times worse in that moment.

"My hand." Florence could hear Frypan mutter out.

Thomas' flashlight flickered on, and then Florence could see the boy shuffling around, positioning himself for something. "Fry, cover your eyes."

He kicked his boot through the window, shattering the glass and giving them freedom from the enclosed space of the flipped car. Florence felt like she could breath again.

Thomas then swivelled himself around so his head was facing the window, and narrowly avoiding kicking his sister in the face, he wriggled out of the car and onto the ground of the tunnel. Florence followed his lead, managing it much more easily, thanks to her small frame.

Frypan and Newt were in more of a predicament. From their position in the front seats, they weren't in the right place to climb out of the window, and so Frypan had to resort to wiggling the car door handle, pushing it as much as possible.

Thomas tried to help from the outside, pulling the door towards him from the edge of its frame, but it wouldn't budge. Tapping the window, he yelled inside, "Fry, go around."

Florence immediately moved around to the other side, to see if Newt needed help in getting out. She got there just in time to see the door swinging open and Newt falling out onto the ground. As he pulled himself up from the floor, Florence patted his arm reassuringly before meeting his eye with a tight lipped smile.

"That's what happens when you call shotgun."

He tried his hardest to glare at her, but couldn't keep a smile from infecting his face at how poor timed and inappropriate the joke was. He could've died by having the seat, and here she was, making jokes about it. And here he was, laughing.

"Newt, you okay?" Thomas asked in concern as he reached the pair. "Fry, you good?" He practically yelled into the car, Florence realising she still hadn't caught sight of the boy because he was still stuck inside.

They hadn't yet made it out of the tunnel, but the end wasn't too far away. Florence couldn't really see further ahead on the road, but she could make out the path of the way they just came due to the floodlights shining down in that direction.

Suddenly a screech echoed out, and Florence's head turned so fast she almost got whiplash. In the distance, coming towards them at an alarming pace, was a Crank.

"Oh, shit."

"Frypan, I think we gotta move." Thomas warned, his voice rising in concern.

Frypan was kneeling on the ground, reaching back into the car for something. Florence felt like an idiot, just stood beside him, watching the Crank get closer and closer.

"Now!" She eventually yelled, shifting from one foot to the other, her heart beginning to pound in her chest.

"Right now!"

"Fry, now!"

None of them had a clue as to what he was doing, rummaging around the car in search for something, and Florence was begging for it to be something good because the Crank was far too close for her liking.

It was only a few feet away now, and the boys continued to berate Fry, encouraging him to hurry, Florence took the initiative to pull him up from the ground just as the Crank limped from a few feet away, with the boy bearing a shotgun.

He fired it instantly at the Crank, and Florence felt her fear dissipate. It fell to the ground motionless, and curious by the creature, they crowded it, keeping a little distance as if it could still infect them.

"Nice shot, Fry."

The boy in turn let out a hearty chuckle, his hands tightly holding the gun that just saved their lives.

"Thanks."

But they weren't out of the woods yet. More howling and screaming came from the depths of the tunnel, and the girl's eyes caught on the dozens now emerging from the darkness.

How were they going to get out of this one?

"Okay. We gotta go."

As Florence, Newt and Thomas began to run, Fry jogged quickly behind them; going backwards so he could continue to fire shots in the direction of the many Cranks hot on their tails. But he was falling behind, and there were far too many Cranks for him to handle.

"Fry, come on, let's go!"

Frypan stopped firing the gun, spinning around to join them in sprinting away as fast as they could muster. Florence knew for a fact her Runner training was helping her out in all of the running-for-their-lives they had been doing, so she admired Frypan for being able to keep up with the pace of three ex-Runners.

It was barely possible to tell that Newt had a limp while he ran.

Suddenly, Thomas came skidding to a stop from where he was ahead of the others. His hands shot out, stopping the others, and they saw the line of Cranks closing in on them from the previously hopeful road ahead.

"Fry, you got any left?" Thomas asked desperately, as the four of them spun around in a circle on the spot, scanning for a way out of the helpless situation.

As Frypan started firing away once again, Florence felt the dread creeping up on her. She knew that none of the others would admit it, but they were completely and utterly stuck.

There was no way they could get themselves out of there.

"I'm out!" Frypan announced, passing the gun between his two hands.

"Shit."

They formed a tight line, simply watching the Cranks draw closer and closer towards them from either side. If that really was to be the end, Florence only wished that Minho could've been with them.

And then out of nowhere, a car - one they had most definitely seen before - came bursting through the Cranks from the way they came. Florence felt her heart swelling as it slowed to a stop in front of them and a figure rose from the front seat, popping up through the lack of the roof with her gun pointed at the Cranks still advancing.

"Hey, get in!" Brenda yelled, already beginning to shoot down Cranks.

Florence moved instantly, climbing up over the side of the car into the backseat. The others climbed in after her, and Brenda settled back down. "Go, Jorge, go!"

"Hang on!" The man yelled out in return, Florence telling easily that he was hopped up on adrenaline.

He revved the engine, and they were sent roaring down the road, and out of the dark tunnel, finally. As they made it back into daylight, Brenda and Jorge pushed down the steel blockades they had put up over their windows, and began to laugh.

Florence was infected by their laughter, her head resting on Newt's shoulder as she glanced out at the greenery they were surrounded by. Thomas and Frypan climbed in from the back to sit besides the pair, the four of them squeezing comfortable on the backseats.

"I'm impressed! You guys almost lasted a whole day." Jorge teased, catching Florence's eye through the rear-view mirror.

"You good?" Thomas asked Newt, patting his chest once awkwardly.

Newt's cheeks dusted pink as he shuffled in his seat, knocking Florence's head from his shoulder as he nodded. "Yeah."

She rolled her eyes, slumping on Frypan's shoulder instead, who lifted his arm around her shoulder so they were sat more comfortably. Brenda twisted around in her seat, her eyes firmly on Thomas in mock disapproval. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't wanna bring you guys into this." He apologised, a smile pulling at his lips.

"I think what he's trying to say is thanks for saving us." Frypan added, to which Florence raised her arm high in the air and blurted out an, "Amen!"

She sent her friends into a frenzy of laughs, only spurring her on to stand up on the seats, her hands gripping on the roof in front of her. Letting out a roar of laughter, she yelled,

"A-fucking-men!"

The wind was whipping her hair up, and goose bumps were raising on her skin because of the cold air. And in that moment, she felt well and truly free.

And then she was knocked down from her high. She remembered what they were travelling to the city to do, the dangers of it, and the endless ways it could all go wrong.

Florence sat back down on the seat, a frown now brandished on her face as Jorge reiterated, "Hey, don't get your hopes up. That checkpoint back there, that was the city's last defence. If that was overrun, chances are the city is, too."

"Yeah, unless they figured out some other way to keep the Cranks out."

Newt's comment drew Florence's eyes to where he was looking out the car and down at the city. Sitting beside him, she couldn't see a thing over his shoulder. Luckily, Jorge pulled the car over to the side of the road to a stop, and she was able to hop out after her blonde friend.

In the middle of the desert - as if plucked from a futuristic comic book and planted in the dry land - was the city. Silver skyscrapers hid behind tall stone walls, a few even reaching taller than the surrounding mountains.

Blocked from the inner, more clean looking city, were smaller and dirtier houses. The streets were rubble infested and any prior larger buildings had been burnt to a crisp. Clearly, this was where WCKD kept all of the poorer people, the people they clearly didn't care about. It made Florence's blood boil.

"It's funny..." Newt began, his eyes fixated on the city. "I spent years trapped behind WCKD's walls, trying to break out, and now we wanna break back in."

Frypan let out a chuckle, leaning back against the car. "Yeah. It's hilarious."

"Jorge, how do we get in?"

When Florence looked to her brother she noticed that he too was transfixed by the Last City, as were all of her friends. She couldn't blame them. Apart from Jorge, it was nothing like any of them had ever seen before.

"Don't look at me, hermano. Those walls are new. I guess that's WCKD's answer for everything."

Apparently, it was nothing like Jorge had ever seen before either.

"Well, we ain't gonna figure it out from up here." Brenda replied chirpily. She seemed strangely optimistic. "Let's go!"

Although, she, Jorge and Frypan all went back to the car - making themselves comfortable - Thomas paused for a moment and caught the attention of his sister and Newt. Thomas hadn't take his eyes off the city since they first saw it.

"You really think he's in there?" Newt asked, and the girl found herself taking a sharp intake of breath as her chest ached.

"I guess we'll find out."

"You know she's gonna be there, too."

Florence knew Newt's statement was directed at Thomas, but she couldn't help but feel her stomach twist in anxiousness at the thought of getting any sort of revenge on Teresa for what she did to Minho.

It would be bliss.