Alex

She could hear banging, but it sounded far away. Her consciousness slipped back into comfortable blackness. There was another bang. Closer, but it sounded odd, like sound traveling through water. Her eyes wouldn't work, and her limbs were so heavy. She could feel her head spinning, even behind her closed eyelids. The bed she was laying on was warm and soft. Voices cut through the peacefulness of her quiet black mind. They were muffled, and she couldn't figure out what they were saying. But they sounded urgent.

Why can't I open my eyes? Why are they so loud? I was sleeping! Slint heads, whoever they are.

She felt a hand on her face. Her body was so tired, her head just flopped to the other side, but she managed a groan. There were more voices now, all yelling over top of each other. She tried to tell them to shush, but she couldn't form words. Or maybe she did, because there was a voice closer now. The hand was back, shaking her shoulder.

Shuck faces, let me sleep. She managed to hear a chuckle. Wait...I know that laugh...Minho..? The shuck is he doing?

"Meeee....nnnooo", her words slurring. Her eyelids were still so heavy, they wouldn't open. She felt a sharp pinch in the crock or her elbow, making her wince, the sensation of something cool flowing into her veins was cut off. Minho's voice was trying to say something again. She managed to flop her head back towards the voices, with a groan.

"Ffffive more ...miiiinutessss..." she slurred.

"...gotta go..."

She forced her eyes to open, but only for a brief second, before fluttering shut.

"Come on, you gotta wake up Sunshine, we gotta go!"

She forced her eyes open with another moan. Staring down at her was the most handsome face in the whole world.

"I'vvvve been sssshuckeeed an' gone tooo heaven" she muttered with a huge goofy grin, still slurring.

Minho smirked, "As much as I would like to reply to that, we gotta hurry Sunshine. We're gonna have guards on our butts right away."

"Huh?"

Newt was there beside the bed, he looked worried, he kept glancing at the door. Alex looked past him and she could see the rest of the Gladers standing by the door, they were peering out the crack.

"What'sss going on? I don't reeemember anyttthhhing." her words were coming easier.

"Sorry we gotta go Sunshine. We'll explain later." Minho slipped a hand under her shoulders and under her legs and picked her up, her head flopped. He turned towards the door.

"Why are my limbs like this? They feel so heavy. I can't move." She whined.

Frypan turned, "Hey, I'll carry her, until she can move on her own. You're a better fighter than me." Minho nodded and passed her carefully to Fry.

"I feel like cargo.." She muttered, her head flopping again. Frypan just laughed quietly.

"I got ya Lil Lady."

"Fry...don't drop me. My head hurts. And I don't want to kick your butt."

"Okay, we need to move! Now!" Thomas whispered urgently, he opened the door a crack and slipped out.

"Hey, Thomas...you totally thomased that door!" she giggled.

What the shuck Alex! What kind of drugs did they give you?

Minho snorted, hearing her. They sprinted down the hall, Minho leading them, "Come ON!"

They took a corner, only to come to a sudden stop, there were guards at the end of the hall. They turned and lifted their guns

"SHUCK! THIS WAY! COME ON! GO STRAIGHT!" Minho bellowed from the front. They sprinted across the hall.

"MOVE! MOVE! COME ON COME ON!" Thomas yelled.

"Why are they shooting at us?" Fry yelled.

Alex lifted a hand to her ears, "Loud!" Until she realized she used her arm "HEY! I can move a hand! Sweet!"

"Good, cuz you're getting heavy!" Fry huffed.

"Well that was rude." she pouted.

Clint appeared beside them, "hand her over for a bit."

Frypan paused and passed Alex to Clint.

"I got ya Alex. Always having to patch you up hey?" He teased.

"Well Clint...I am the Glades Princess!" Alex sassed.

"That doesn't even make sense." Clint chuckled as they ran to catch up.

"Blame the drugs!" Alex giggled.

They rounded another corner, only to be met by a guard. He shot at them with some kind of blue bullets that sent electricity everywhere when it landed.

"TURN AROUND BACK THAT WAY! GO!" Thomas yelled.

Everyone turned back around and started running, except Minho.

"MINHO!" Alex screamed. "What the bloody shuck are you doing?"

He had stopped running and was bouncing on his toes, staring down the hall, where the guard would be coming around the corner any second. Everyone stopped running, turning to see why Alex was screaming.

"Come on!" Alex screamed again. Panic flared inside her chest.

"MINHO!?" Thomas yelled.

Minho clenched his jaw, narrowed his eyes and sprinted back down the hall, and with a yell of defiance, he jumped just as the guard rounded the corner. Minho brought both knees up into the chest of the guard, slamming him backwards. The guard's head smashed into the cement wall. He slid down the wall, onto the floor. He didn't get back up.

"Holly shuck. That was hot, babe." Alex giggled. Minho smirked at her over his shoulder. He bent over to pick up the guard's gun.

Clint rolled his eyes. "You two need a minute?"

"Yes, Clint. That would be lovely." Alex smiled at him, patting his chest, Clint snickered and rolled his eyes.

Minho chuckled again, "Jeez Sunshine, that sass is something else." He called to the rest of the group, "Come on. This way" He waved them over.

They ran down the hall, and rounded the corner and bumped into a woman with a white lab coat. She looked at them for a moment.

"What are you kids doing out?" She asked suspiciously.

There was a loud wailing, and red lights started flashing. The Doctor's eyes widened.

"Who are you?" Thomas demanded, grabbing onto her.

Her eyes went wide, "Dr. Crawford... I'm Dr Crawferd! Please don't hurt me!" She stammered.

"It's her..It's Doctor Crawferd!" Thomas cried, over his shoulder to Minho. Minho nodded and passed him the gun.

"Where is she?" Thomas pointed it at the Doctor.

"Who?" she asked, terrified of the group of angry teens.

"YOU KNOW WHO! TERESA! WHERE IS SHE?" Thomas shoved her down the hall, pointing the gun at her back.

"Hurry!" Minho encouraged the group.

Dr Crawford led them to the med wing, and opened a door, half way down the hall. Thomas shoved the doctor inside first, and the rest of the Gladers piled in behind her.

Clint was breathing heavily, and Frypan took Alex back. While she huffed and muttered under her breath.

Thomas was already yelling at the doctors. "Where is she? WHERE IS SHE?"

He was waving the gun around. He looked crazy. No one knew what he was capable of doing, including the Gladers. One doctor glanced at a curtain.

"Fry put me down!" Alex demanded, before he did anything, she was wiggling out of his hands.

He protested, but she didn't care. Her legs were really shaky, but she managed to stay on her feet. Alex managed to wobble her way over to the curtain, her head still dizzy. Now that she was standing, black spots danced in her eyes.

Thomas was yelling at the doctors to sit against a wall. She pulled the medical curtain back. Teresa lay on a bed, eyes closed, an air tub under her nose and an IV in her arm. Alex sat down beside her, she couldn't stand much longer.

"Tes?" She shook her shoulder.

"Tommy she's here!" Alex yelled. Thomas came running, having passed the gun back to Minho.

"What did they do to you?" Thomas asked quietly. Teresa had woken up, and was blinking at them, looking confused, and scared.

"GUYS! THEY'RE COMING!" Newt warned from the door.

"WE GOTTA GO NOW!" Minho yelled.

Alex quickly as she could, trying to steady her shaking hands, gently removed the IV. Thomas ripped the air tub off her.

"Come on, we gotta go. We gotta go!" He pulled her up, frantically looking around for an escape.

"What? What's going on?" Teresa stammered, her eyes unfocused.

"Guys? They're coming! Where do we go?" Frypan yelled, he was peeking out the small window.

"Frypan! Move!" Newt yelled, "Get back! Get back!" He pushed a big metal cart over and slid it in front of the door. Just in time. There was a bang at the door. The guards had shown up.

"They've got the door barricaded." A guard called.

"Send backup!"

"WHERE IS CAPTAIN RONIN! THIS IS HIS JOB!"

The guards were yelling from the other side, Alex could hear Janson's voice. She shuttered.

"We gotta get outta here! WE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE!" Minho screamed as he backed up, pointing the gun at the door.

"Where do we go?" Alex asked. Looking around the room, there were no other doors.

"PUSH!" Came a yell from the guards, the metal cart wasn't going to hold for long.

"THOMAS!" Alex yelled, pointing to the window.

"Everyone back! Come on!" Thomas picked up a stool and hit the window, it cracked.

"HURRY!" Alex yelled.

"Newt! Help. HELP!" Thomas yelled, Newt ran over and picked up another stool.

"Ready?"

They smashed the window together. Thomas hopped over the broken window. Frypan laid a blanket over the shards of glass, and then climbed over followed by Clint, Leo and A.J. Minho tossed Thomas the gun. And then helped Teresa through the window, picking her up and passing her to Frypan, she was still trying to wake up from whatever drug they gave her. Alex's movements were still sluggish too, her dizziness wasn't helping. Minho did the same to Alex, picked her up and passed her to Frypan, who set her down. Once the girls were over, Minho easily hopped the window.

"GO! GO! GO!" He yelled.

Thomas flung open the door. On the other side of the door, blocking their way was Captain Ronin. He didn't seem surprised at all to see them.

"Shoot me and get out. NOW!" He caught Alex's eye and then Minho's, he nodded at Minho.

"Thomas DO IT!" Minho called.

Thomas pulled the trigger and shot the Captain who dropped to the floor convulsing with blue electricity jumping all over his body.

"Sorry man!" Minho whispered as he passed, "we owe you!"

Minho grabbed Alex's hand and pulled her out into the hall.

"LETS GO LETS GO!"

The girls tried to keep up as best they could, if Minho wasn't helping Alex and if Frypan wasn't helping Teresa, the girls would have stumbled and fallen behind. Thomas had the gun in the front of the group. Minho was screaming directions at them from the back. And everyone ran like their lives depended on it. Because it did. Again.

"There it is! That's it!" Minho had led them to the sliding cardlock door. Thomas shoved passed, swiping the card key. Nothing happened. It beeped red, denying them access.

"Shit" Thomas muttered. He tried again. The same thing. He kept trying. Swearing each time it beeped red.

"Converge on 3. All R-16 personnel...non-lethal only." The announcement was heard over the wailing alarm.

"Shuck! Come on!" Alex muttered. She did not want to be trapped by Janson.

"No, no, no!"

She saw a group of guards with tactical gear and shields rounding the corner.

"Shuck!" Alex whispered. She was terrified of Janson. But at the moment, her anger was stronger, she knew there was something not right about him and this place.

"Thomas! Alex! Teresa!" Janson yelled. The group of guards had stopped half way down the hall. The Gladers packed closer together. Teresa looked like she was going to pass out. She had gone white and was shaking. Frypan looped an arm around her. Alex stepped to the front of the group blocking Janson's view of Teresa. Thomas followed her actions. The two of them put their bodies in harm's way to shield their little family.

"Open this door, Janson you rat!" Alex yelled, her anger bubbling and she could feel the hot burning in her chest. He smiled evilly at her.

"You don't want me to do that, my dear."

That sent her over the edge, the stupid sweet names from a human Rat. Her anger turned to rage. She was done being his guinea pig. His test subject. She couldn't quite place him, but she knew enough to trust her gut. She walked forward, despite Minho's attempts to stop her. Her legs were still shaky, but she kept going, she ripped the gun out of Thomas's hands and held it up, her finger on the trigger. Thomas didn't protest, but walked forward with her.

"OPEN THE DAMN DOOR YOU UGLY SEWER RAT!" Alex screamed.

"Listen to me! I'm trying to save your life. The maze is one thing, but you kids wouldn't last one day...out in the Scorch." He tried to reason.

"Just watch me!" She spit at him.

His face twisted into rage. "If the elements don't kill you, the cranks will."

"Is that a threat or a challenge?" She spat at him.

He turned to Thomas now, knowing Alex wasn't going to listen. He used to be the reasonable one. "Thomas, you have to believe me. I only want what's best for you.

Alex scoffed. "Ya and I'm going to take Ava Paige's job."

"Yeah, let me guess. WICKED is good?" Thomas mocked.

"Nice one Tommy." Alex nodded in approval.

Janson dropped all his formality, knowing he wasn't going to get them to come nicely. "You're not getting through that door."

As if the universe was finally on their side, and just to mock Janson, the sliding door clicked green and slid open. On the other side was Aris and Winston.

"Hey, guys." Aris smiled at them, and waved. Everyone pushed through.

Minho yelled at them, "Come on! Thomas! ALEX! Let's go!"

Alex pulled the trigger of the gun, shooting a guard, as she backed up. Janson was furiously yelling into his walkie talkie and yelling at the guards around him at the same time. Alex shot at the guards over and over, they hid behind some kind of non electric conductive barrier shields.

"Go, go. Stop them! Shut the main door!"

Alex used all the electric bullets from the gun.

"Tommy I'm out, we gotta book it!" She chucked the empty gun at the guards, it flew down the hall and hit one of the shields, smashing it, knocking the guard over. She spun on her heel, Thomas grabbed her hand, they sprinted for the sliding door that was shutting.

"MOVE! COME ON!"

"ALEX RUN!"

"RUN THOMAS!"

Everyone was screaming at them. The door was almost closed. Alex glanced at Thomas, who looked determined back at her. They nodded, knowing what the other was thinking.

They both dove and slid on their hips, like they were sliding into home plate, just as the door slammed shut. Aris smashed the key panel with a piece of pipe, making it spark. The door wasn't going to open again.

"Total tomased that!" She huffed. Minho helped her to her feet.

"Totally. 9.5 on the execution. The slide was exceptional. But don't ever do that again!" He scolded her, kissing her forehead.

"No promises babe. I like to live a dangerous life."

"I know, and that's why I love you! But shuck, girl you scare me." he rolled his eyes, but she smiled.

"Tom, what's going on?" Teresa questioned.

"Come on Tes. They said they would explain when we're safe. And right now we aren't." Alex reassured her, grabbing her hand. Tes held on tight.

"Over here! Come on! Come ON!" Minho yelled, they ran to the big bay doors they had come through when they first arrived.

Janson banged on the window of the door "You little shits!"

Alex turned and walked backwards and at the same time as Thomas and Minho, they all gave him the finger. She smirked back at him. Janson was seething with rage. Alex lifted her hand and Minho gave her a high five.

They turned around and laying on the floor were 3 fully packed backpacks, a pistol, Alex's bow and a full quiver of arrows and her harnesses.

"Nice! He did keep them safe!" Alex smiled up at Minho as she slipped it over her shoulders.

"Ya, your Captain Marshmallow said he had these packed and waiting" Minho answered, slipping a backpack on, handing one to Thomas and another to Frypan. Thomas smashed the button to open the door. The big bay door slid open. The harsh wind hit the group of remaining Gladers, bringing a wave of harsh sand with it.