The tunnel was dark, and cold. And it was completely silent. Alex could hear her feet creeping lightly, and her heart thumping wildly. Her breathing seemed to echo around the dark dank walls. The floor was damp, the walls were slimy and the air was stale. Alex crept further down the hall, her flashlight held up.

She knew at some point she would come across cranks. She didn't know when or where. So far this straight tunnel was empty. Alex kept holding her breath, it was so quiet, her nerves were strained. Every muscle was tense. Her foot stepped into a puddle making a little splash and she jumped a mile into the air. Her breathing was coming in gasps. She stood with her back pressed against the slimy wall, trying to get herself under control.

I hate it down here. I want out! I want to be in the sun, even if it's hot as hell. I want Minho and Newt. And Tommy and Tes and Frypan! I don't want to be here.

She squeezed her eyes closed, trying desperately not to slide down the wall and fall apart.

That's not what a soldier does.

She took a shuddering breath, opened her eyes and continued forward. Holding both her flashlight and her knife now, up at the ready.

She swung the light back and forth, making sure she could see the hall ahead of her. She would turn around every now and then. She had an uncomfortable feeling she was being watched or followed. But her light never picked up on anything. Maybe it was just her imagination. Maybe...

She came to a fork in the tunnel.

She pressed her back against the wall and peeked around the corner, left, right or straight. The left was not in the proper direction of the city. And the right tunnel was black. Straight had a few bare light bulbs, and it was in the same direction as the city. As best as she could determine. She swept the halls one last time with her light and then sprinted across the intersection.

The light bulbs made eerie shadows that made Alex even more unsettled. She turned her flashlight off, saving the battery. She had walked for what seemed like hours, time was hard to tell down in the dark tunnels. There was a soft pop and a tinkling of glass. It was a quiet noise, but it echoed off the walls and seemed loud after the complete silence for so long. Alex spun around, panting, her adrenaline rushing through her. Her mouth was very dry all of a sudden and it was hard to swallow. She flipped her flashlight back on. The beam of light revealed nothing.

It was a rat..it was a rat.. that's all it was...a rat climbed up the wall and broke the light bulb...

She repeated this over and over, inching down the hall. A few minutes later there was another pop and tinkling of glass. Alex spun around, her heart in her throat, her eyes were watering now, her breathing fast and shallow. She was absolutely terrified. She sped up, limping faster down the hall. When there was a third pop and glass tinkling she let out a whimper.

Minho, I really need you. Captain, what do I do? It would be nice to have someone right now.

A single tear slid down her check. Her hands were shaking.

No more looking behind. Time for moving. It's a trap. I'm being followed. There was no glass on the floor. They are trying to scare me and it's shucking working.

She took off running as fast as her ankle would allow. Her flash light flashing all over the place as she ran. She had to turn right as the tunnel came to a dead end.

This tunnel had a few doors along it, each one locked.

Why doors? Who would ever want to meet down here?! WHAT IS BEHIND THESE DOORS?

She didn't bother trying all of them. Too afraid of finding more cranks behind them. She jinxed herself. After being alone in the dark tunnels for who knows how long, she heard the sounds of foot falls echoing down the hall. She stopped, holding her hand over her mouth, trying to quiet her own breathing. Her footsteps stopped, but there was another set. Behind her. She wasn't alone. She let out another whimper. Her legs were frozen. She heard the feet coming closer. Yet Alex couldn't get her body to move, fear flowing through her.

She never found out who they belonged to because a hand clamped over her mouth.

Alex tried to scream but the hand pressed tighter. She felt the other hand grab her arm and pull her towards their body. Alex struggled. She dropped her flashlight in the struggle. It was kicked and it spun away on the floor. Alex could see the shadows of herself and the person attacking her on the wall. Alex jabbed her elbow back into the person holding her. They grunted and loosened their hold on Alex's arm, giving her enough room to twist and jab her other elbow. She stomped on the person's foot, twisting and wiggling the whole time. She managed to break the hold on her arm.

The person holding her still had their hand clamped on her mouth, making it hard to breathe. She clenched her hand around her knife, one last wiggle and she turned and slashed. The person holding her let out a scream and dropped their hand from her mouth, staggering backwards. She pulled away and turned, holding the knife up, ready to fight. She was breathing hard, her jaw clamped shut, her knuckles turning white from holding the knife so tight.

She finally got to see who had taken hold of her. It was a young man. Early twenties maybe, with short brown hair. He looked relatively sane, except the black veins running up his arms and neck. His eyes looked a little wild, his face and clothes were dirty. He was holding his arm, where she had cut him.

"You idiot!" He hissed. "Now they'll know where we are! Why didn't you stay quiet?!"

"Excuse me? You expect me to stay quiet and passive when some rando grabs me from behind in a dark creepy tunnel full of monsters who would love to eat my eyeballs. You're one sick twisted shank!" Alex growled.

"I was helping!" he insisted. "What's a shank?" He asked, his face went from frustrated to curious way to fast, and it made Alex uncomfortable.

He's a crank...just not as far gone as the others around here...he hasn't tried to kill you...yet.

Alex took another step away, glancing down the hall where she thought she had heard the footsteps.

If I can keep this one talking I might be able to slip away.

"A shank is an idiot." She said bluntly.

Anger flashed on his face. "Did you call me an idiot?" He asked, his voice raising. Alex's jaw clenched, and her muscles tensed.

"Yes. You called me one first. Also no one touches me without my permission. Do it again, and you'll have worse than a cut." She threatened. The guy in front of her smiled.

"Feisty." he laughed. "And mouthy."

"Look, I'm trying to get to the city, if you point me in the right direction, I will be on my way." Alex said. She didn't want to be alone, but this is not the company she was hoping for.

"I can help." He said with a shrug and turned around and walked away.

The shuck? This guy is definitely losing it. But it's either follow him down the way I was going or find who or what belongs to those footsteps from the way I just came.

"Shuck my life." Alex muttered. She picked up her flashlight and followed the not so gone crank.

He walked down the hall, Alex crept behind him. She was on edge, all her muscles tense, ears straining to hear anything behind her, her one buzzing ear didn't help. Her head was constantly moving, she was not going to have anyone else sneak up on her.

How was this guy so quiet?

"Soo...what's your name?" Alex whispered.

The guy stopped suddenly, and turned to face her, anger twisted his face. Alex stepped back.

"My name was taken from me. I was only known as Soldier 327. So call me whatever the hell you want. I don't care!" He spat at her.

This peeked Alex's interest, despite her unease.

"Who stole your name?" Alex asked.

She had a feeling who, but she waited for him to answer. She could hear him growling, Alex took another cautious step back aware of his growing anger. She gripped her knife tighter.

"THEY DID!" He yelled, his chest heaving, but continued in a quiet sinister voice, "They are evil. They are wicked!" He snarled.

Alex slowly raised her hands up in defense.

"Look. I understand. They took everything from me too." Alex said quietly. "I was just a test subject to them."

She slowly turned and moved her hair. She was nervous to turn her back on this guy. She didn't trust him, but she trusted his anger towards WICKED. She turned showing him her tattoo. He had stopped growling, he came closer to look at the tattoo.

"You're a munnie. Immune to the Flare." He stated.

Alex dropped her hair and turned back to face him. She nodded.

"That's what I'm told anyways. WICKED used me like a guinea pig, and stripped all my humanity. And branded me with a shuck bar code."

He was looking at her with a blank face. She wasn't sure what was more unnerving, his growling and anger or the emotionless nothing, or how fast he could flip between them.

"They dropped me here to die. Come. I'll help you. You help me." He turned and walked down the tunnel again.

Alex followed. She didn't have much of a choice. Time was hard in the dark damp tunnels, she could have followed him for an hour or four. She thought she kept hearing footsteps, but whenever she stopped, there was nothing but hers and this ex soldier's. He turned to a door that was in the wall, he knocked on it twice then three times and then once. A code.

"Who's on the other side?" Alex breathed.

She was not ready to meet more cranks. The door creaked open and a dirty face peeked out behind it. Alex was not expecting to see a child. The door opened a little more.

"Zach! Your late! Who's that?"

It was a little girl.

"Help." Was all the ex soldier said.

The girl opened the door all the way and stepped back. Alex slowly and cautiously walked into the room. The girl closed the door and locked it quickly. Alex looked around the room, there were two sleeping bags on the floor, a few cans of food, bottled water, two backpacks and a few weapons beside the sleeping bags. There was a worn out stuffed bunny sitting on one of the sleeping bags. Alex's eyes went wide. They lived down here...or at least made a camp here.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" The girl demanded, there was a fierceness to her.

She was maybe 11, her long dark brown hair was stringy, greasy and matted. She had big brown intelligent eyes, but they looked a little haunted. She held her knife up, pointing it at Alex.

Smart kid.

"Name's Alex. I'm running away from WICKED. I got separated from my friends, I fell...well I was dropped actually, down a pit, and landed in the tunnels. He found me." Alex addressed the girl.

The girl was direct, so Alex gave her straight answers. The girl looked at the corner where the soldier was trying to find something in his pack.

"She's going to help us?" The girl asked.

He just nodded and muttered, "Help you, Chloe."

The girl's eyes softened when she looked at him, her lower lip trembled a little. Alex was still very confused. The girl turned back to Alex scrutinizing her. The fierce scrutiny back in her intelligent eyes.

"Fine. If he trusts you, I guess so do I." She said, and tossed her knife onto her sleeping bag.

"Come sit. The Past Goners will be out soon, don't want to be out there."

The girl sat down on her sleeping bag and motioned for Alex to come over. Alex slowly slid her backpack off and slid down the wall to sit. This was the first time she actually remembered sitting in such a long time. She had done so much klunk in the last 2 days...well in the last week. It was only a week and a half ago when she took on 2 grievers alone in the glade.

The girl passed her a can of beans and a bottle of water.

"Food!" Alex moaned.

"You haven't eaten?" The girl asked, her big brown eyes got big and round. Alex shook her head.

"Not really since we escaped WICKED. Stale granola bars aren't really filling."

Alex cracked the can open with her knife, and shoveled about half the can into her mouth before she looked back at the girl.

"So. What's your story?"

The soldier came to sit with them, quietly eating his own can of beans. He had wrapped up the arm Alex cut.

"We were taken about a year and a half ago from our village, along with some other kids. We were tested. I was immune, and placed in a dorm with a bunch of other kids. Zach wasn't immune, but because he knows how to use a gun and stuff they kept him as a soldier. He was bitten on a mission, and tried to keep it a secret. When they were ready to dump him here to die, in Crank City, I snuck into the truck. No way I was staying in that place alone! They aint going to take my brother away!" She explained through bites of beans.

"I can't help much longer. I can feel it in my brain. She can't stay here. Can't stay with me. I don't want to hurt her. I can't." He said sadly.

Alex looked between the two. Her stomach twisted with anger and despair. This disease was tearing families apart. This child had to watch her brother turn into a crazy inhuman monster.

And instead of trying to help, WICKED was ripping families apart and killing off children. Why didn't they use their money and resources to help the immune and uninfected? Surely there was a better way to help those who were sick?

"Zach, right?" Alex asked quietly, cautiously, his eyes flicked up to her, they didn't seem so wild now, they were tired, sad and desperate.

"Zach...How can I help?"

His face was a mixture of relief and sadness.

"Take Chloe with you. I can't keep it away much longer. It gets harder and harder to stay together."

Alex kept his eye contact for a second longer and then nodded.

"Okay. I'll get her to the Right Arm." She promised, "that's where me and my friends were headed."

"Thank you." he whispered, tears forming in his eyes.

"WHAT? NO! Zach! I can't leave you! Please! No!" Chloe yelled, flinging herself into her brother's arms. He wrapped her in a hug.

"Chloe, we talked about this. I can't much longer, you see what the Gonners are like. That's going to be me soon. I don't want to hurt you. I promised mom and dad to look after you. This is the best I can do. She can help you. She can take you to a safe place. They can give you a life I can't." He said quietly, rubbing her back.

"Why?" she asked, tears falling down her grimmy face.

"Because this world is shucked up and WICKED is jacked." Alex answered.

Zach nodded his head, "What she said."

_________________

Alex stayed awake long after her two new allies fell asleep. Chloe wouldn't let go of her brother's hand, they fell asleep with Chloe's head resting on her brother's lap. He was leaning up against the wall. Alex got up and pulled a blanket over them. She sat back by her pack. She pulled out the little statue from Chuck.

"Well Chuckles..Matty Pie, this is quite the adventure I'm on. You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Hope you're okay over the rainbow. Are you guys taking turns playing fetch with Bark? What kind of pranks have you gotten up to? I hope you have Matt as the brains of your operations, you were never one for strategic planning, Chuck my boy... ha."

She sat quiet for a moment, rubbing her thumb over the little wood carving, she felt the sting of tears and her throat get tight.

"Hey Chuck... can you do me a favor? Can you..." she paused and gulped. She used the palm of her hand to wipe the tears quickly. "Can you ..say sorry to Alby for me? I said some nasty words to him...and I never got to apologize. I don't even know if he would want to talk to me. He told me to get them out.. I didn't do so good. There are only a few of us left."

She was quiet for a little, rubbing the statue with her thumb. Alex lent her head back onto the wall, a single tear slid down into her hair.

"Alby. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I failed you so bad! I failed! I wasn't good enough!"

She held the little statue in her hands and sang quietly, Somewhere over the rainbow and You are my Sunshine.

"Who are Chuck, Matt and Alby?"

Alex jumped at Zach's voice.

"Oh, I thought you were asleep. Sorry if I woke you." Alex roughly wiped the tears away.

"I don't sleep well anymore. Who is Chuck? And Matt? And Alby?" He asked again. Alex looked down at the statue.

"They were brothers." She took a shuddering breath, and looked up to meet his tiered but curious eyes.

"WICKED threw 60 of us into a giant unsolvable maze, with stone walls hundreds of feet into the air. It was patrolled by these biomechanical monsters that would mangle, maim and kill you, given the chance. Once Ava Page decided they had enough of watching us, they sent them into the Glade- where we made a home. They killed many of my friends.. Alby, he was our leader. He was a brother, a father figure. The monsters killed more of us when we escaped, they ripped Matt from my arms. He was my little brother, I loved him like a brother. There were only a few left. And then..then-"

Alex had to stop and swallow a few times, her throat was tight. Zach was watching her blankly.

"Chuck. He was my other little brother. I loved him. He was only about 12. Same as Chloe. He was shot in the chest. He bled out in my arms. WICKED just watched, they did nothing. Alby, Matt and Chuck..they were family. And then Jeff, Clint, my dog Bark, even...so many of my family are dead and rotting without a proper barrial because of them."

Alex saw anger flash across his face.

"What do you mean see him over the rainbow?"

Alex smiled sadly. "It was a song I used to sing for Matt and Chuck by the campfire, they were the youngest boys in the maze. "'Somewhere over the rainbow, Way up high There's a land that I heard of Once in a lullaby.' I'll eventually get to see them again, somewhere...over the rainbow."

A tear leaked out of her eyes again. Zach looked down at a sleeping Chloe, she looked younger sound asleep.

"Will you sing that to her? Will we see each other over your rainbow?" He asked, the desperation in his voice.

Alex nodded, "Yes Zach. I promise to sing it for her. Cross my heart."

Alex had to hold back a sob. Minho...cross my heart, the last time was right before he went down the zip line. She missed him so much. Zach looked at her, his eyebrows furrowed.

"That also means something to you, crossing your heart.."

"Yes" was all she could whisper. He didn't push it.

"I have one more favor." He changed the subject. His face was serious, his shoulders tense all of a sudden. Alex was quiet, waiting for him to go on. She was fiddling with the necklace Minho gave her.

"Before I turn, when it comes to it. Shoot me."

Alex blinked.

"What?" she whispered in disbelief.

"Shoot me. Please shoot me Alex. I don't want to turn into a fully gone crank!"

She had Winston flashbacks. Alex clenched her jaw.

"What about her?"

He shook his head, "I don't want her to see me as a full monster. There's a letter. In her bag, give it to her after." Zach sighed. "She's seen too much. I want her to remember me before I turn."

"We have all seen too much." Alex whispered, lowering her eyes to the statue again.

"Will you?" He pleaded.

Alex slowly nodded her head. Zach relaxed his shoulders with a small sigh of relief.

"Tomorrow we leave. I'll get you as far as I can." Zach announced.

During the night Alex could hear the screaming and fighting of the Gone cranks on the other side of the locked door. As creepy as Zach had been, she was glad he found her. She wouldn't have been able to survive out there alone.

**************************************************************

What do you Shanks & Shankets think of Chloe and Zach?

**Zach aesthetic**

**Chloe aesthetic**