They all followed after Goose. He led them straight down the road. It was odd not hearing the wild screams and crashing as a constant noise. Her mind felt calmer, it still felt like mush and it felt jumpy, but it didn't feel so anxious and aggravated. Newt held her hand tightly. The two of them walked closer to the back of the group, she was definitely the slowest in the group, and she felt bad, but she was also the farthest gone. 

Her infected hand was clamped closed in a tight fist, the little scrap of paper with the note written on it. She had it clamped in her hand, the words swirling around her head. Could she do it? Could she hand the note to Newt when the time came? Could he do it? Maybe...maybe she would have Goose or Ruffio do it. End her miserable life before she went so far past the Gone she couldn't come back. What was the point anymore, She thought miserable. 

"I don't guess the Munies left any Launchers behind?" Keisha asked, snapping Evelyn out of her destructive thoughts. "That would've been downright peachy of them if they did." 

"Not a one, the bastards," Spider replied. 

"But we've got plenty of sharp objects." Jonsey grinned lifted his shirt to reveal a shard of glass tucked into his pants, half of which had been wrapped with black tape. "I'll try not to cut my hand this time."

Keisha eyed him up and down. "Better be careful or you might cut something worse. I wouldn't run too fast with that thing stuck in your pants."

This earned a respectable enough laugh from the group.

"I'll be super duper careful," Jonesy responded.

"Are you worried Keisha?" Goose asked from the front of the group, looking over his shoulder and raising an eyebrow at her. Evelyn glanced around her, they were surrounded by the biggest meanest looking cranks; she had never seen more tattoos, leather, chains and mean muggen' looks in one place. 

"Maybe. But...I guess you would have to be pretty far gone to try..."

 "Who'd mess with a bunch of dudes and ladies like us?" Ruffio chuckled, and gestured at the guys as if revealing a prized possession. And maybe he was. "We are the biggest meanest crank gang from Crank City to Denver, right Goose?" 

"Correct." 

"And we have our Princess." Ruffio gave her a wink, which earned a very small smile from Evelyn.

"Good that," Newt said, something he hadn't uttered in decades, or so it felt. "Let's get the hell out of this place."

"Who wants to carry the kid first?" Keisha asked.

Spider held his arms out for the kid. The closer they got the more anxious Evelyn felt, she refused to believe that each and every guard had left- at least she wouldn't until they'd put the wall a few miles behind them. 

"You think they all left?" Evelyn whispered to Newt. He shook his head, looking just as anxious as Evelyn felt. He let go of her hand and pulled the launcher out of his backpack and held it, charged and ready to "Jones" anyone who needed it. 

That's what Jonesy kept saying Evelyn had done to him, like it was a badge of honor. "Remember that time you Jonesed me?" he'd ask. "Oh yeah that was yesterday." Or, "I was Jonesed by a Maze-kid, by the Mafia Princess..."the godling totally Jonses me" ain't that a thing?" 

As they approached the gate through which they'd just entered less than a week prior, Evelyn saw that it was open, which was a good start. One of the doors had been knocked off a hinge, the big slab tilting toward them. There wasn't a single person in sight.

"Careful, now," Goose called out. "Everyone wrap around Kitten, Newt and his mom, his brother. Keep them in the middle."

"They're not..." He left it when Evelyn just half shrugged and shook her head. "I'm the one with the Launcher!"

"Don't matter. Do as you're told." Goose barked back.

The gang closed ranks, making a tight circle around them. They made it to the gate, looking in all directions between the 10 of them- 11 if you counted Dante, but he wasn't much good as a lookout. Evelyn had pulled her hatchet out, the familiar weight helped ease her jumpy mind. She eyed the doors, expecting the boogeyman to jump out at any moment. The gray morning made it hard to adjust her eyes between the lights and the darks. But the world seemed abandoned by the human race. The sounds of birds were the only signs of life besides their little group.

They passed under the archway created by the open gate. No one jumped from the top of the wall; no one sprinted out of the woods; no one swooped down from the sky with man-made wings. They were alone, at least for the time being.

Evelyn looked back up at the wall, remembering that she'd seen a sign on the way in but didn't catch the words in time as their truck zoomed past. It was just a piece of wood that someone had nailed to the planks of the main structure, a short message scratched onto its surface with a nail. Then someone had filled in the grooves of the words with dark mud, now dried.

HERE THERE BE CRANKS, it said.

"That's stupid" Evelyn grumbled. Newt looked over his shoulder to see what she was looking at. He snorted in derision.

"Stating quite the obvious, ain't they." 

Evelyn hummed quietly. Newt let out a small sigh.

 "I guess we really are bloody Cranks."

 It was a word that had become synonymous with monstrous ghoulish cannibal people before she caught the Flare, herself. She knew she'd be there before too long. Soon, if the incident in the bowling alley had been any kind of indicator. Past the Gone. She shuddered as she stared at the sign. She squeezed her fist a little tighter, around the paper. Newt glanced at her, and then down at her fist. His eyes looked up at her and they filled with sadness. Evelyn looked back at him, he'd wanted Tommy to kill him so he didn't have to go through it all, after he had killed her. But Thomas had failed him, hadn't he? Or maybe he hadn't read the note in the envelope, yet. Maybe. But that just made it hurt more, Thomas hadn't even read a note that was given to him by a friend who was dying and he hadn't bothered. 

"You still okay with our deal..?" She whispered, her dead eyes staring at the crocked sign on the wall. 

"I want to say yes. We will see when the time comes I guess." He said honestly. 

"I guess I can accept that." 

"Hey, Captain Newt, Princess"  Ruffio asked, interrupting their morbid conversation. "You having another episode? Are you okay?" He had stopped and turned towards them, concern on his face. Spider and Goose had turned towards them as well. 

Newt turned to him. "No, just gonna miss the place, is all. Shame to leave so soon."

Evelyn snorted. They set off after the others, ignoring the urge to look back one last time. And so it was that their short stay at the Crank Palace came to an end, Evelyn thought with a melodramatic flair. She swore she'd never come back.

Not alive, anyway. Which wouldn't be hard, she would probably be dead by tomorrow. 

___________________________________

T

wenty miles is a long way to walk. Evelyn kept thinking, especially when you don’t have any sense of how far you’ve gone or how fast you’re moving. Newt tried to help. Her memory was slipping. She was having a hard time remembering do he would talk about them. His arm wrapped around her waist, taking a lot of her weight on himself.

"Remember Minho? The oldest veteran of running the Maze, he would call you Little Pixy and fiesty, he would probably scoff at us right now. It would probably include the word slinthead, among other less savory things." He paused and glanced at her with a crooked smile, "You sometimes were just as bad," he chuckled and continued, "he would call us a bunch of shuckfaces followed by a condescending laugh, all of which would somehow still fail to hurt our feelings. 'Cause he was a big buggen' suck."

Evelyn had to squeeze her eyes closed to think, a murky face of a boy with a mischievous smile dark hair swooped up and huge arms crossed or hooked in his runners vest. She smiled.

"MinMin..." She whispered.

"Yeah. Your best friend."

"Not ..you?" Her head flopped.

"He was best friend. You are my Love."

She nodded, "who else?"

They walked a little more as he thought. The other guys were quiet, listening to Newt talk.

"Well, Tommy would probably just agree with us." He put on his best Thomas voice, 'it's a long walk, but come on we can do this!' but then he would go out and get it done, anyway, without a single complaint. He saved you from the Maze when you got stuck out there."

She just nodded.

"Oh! Sonny...he was big as an ox, he looks scary- like Goose- but is a big softy, all gooey inside. You guys would play a game called this or that. He like unicorns, kittens and Sunshine, even though he was a Bagger- you remember what that was, ya?"

Evelyn frowned for a second but then nodded.

"I'm not that soft!" Goose scoffed from the front.

"A big marshmallow of fluff." Evelyn grinned, her eyes weren't focusing.

He rolled his eyes but she saw the small smile. "Only for you Kitten." He muttered.

"I think I missed those guys." Evelyn mumbled.

"Really missed those guys." Newt agreed.

They slowly trudged along. They had to take a few shirt breaks, it was getting harder for Evelyn to breath. Her lungs felt like there was glass constantly rattling in her lungs. Her gasps weren't filling her lungs with oxygen, it felt like the phlegm was filling up her lungs instead. Her constant coughing wasn't helping.

She was thankful for the cooler air, though, feeling as if her backpack weighed a thousand pounds. They made their way down small village streets and long country roads, not yet to the suburbs, where things might get more dicey. So far they hadn’t seen anyone out in the open.

The wind blew as they walked, at their backs, pushing them along. Every bit helped. Goose, Ruffio and Rex took turns carrying her after she collapsed.

"Just...leave me." She muttered.

"No." Goose said firmly.

"But...why?" She tried to protest.

"We knew this wasn't going to last." Newt agreed. His eyes looked broken, but he tried to hold it together. "We made a promise...I won't let her turn. I won't."

"She won't. We just need to get...never mind." Goose turned around, still holding Evelyn. He slowed down and walked beside Keisha, who had just taken Dante back from Spider.

"I think you need to check it again." He said under his breath.

Newt and Evelyn exchanged glances, confused. Keisha gave him a look.

"We can’t afford to waste time..."

Keisha sided him and then glanced at Evelyn, who started coughing again, black goo dribbling down her chin.

"I know where to go, Noah." Keisha said so quietly Newt and Evelyn barely heard her. "I’ve lived here my whole life and so has my brother. I’m not an idiot."

"That’s not what I meant."

"Since when are you on a buggen' first name basis?" Newt asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Since she stepped foot into my care, Newt. Sometimes I do enjoy hearing my actual name."

Newt kept his eyes narrowed, "what else are you two planning?"

"Just trying to get this... adventure over as quickly as possible."

"Would you really be surprised if something came up and he had to change the plans?" Goose asked.

"Are you always this paranoid in your Mafia gange business?"

"How do you think I got my empire?" He smirked. "I can ask a few more questions like, what if there was a need to change the meeting place? What if we get there and don’t find them and waste all this time? Just check the damn thing."

Keisha sighed heavily, not hiding her displeasure. "I’m scared to, okay? It traumatizes me every time I turn that stupid thing on. I just know it’s going to have horrific news. Not to mention that the battery is really getting low. Almost out."

"I get it," Goose said quietly.

She sighed heavily, but relented. "Fine."

"Bathroom break! Water break! You have 10 minutes!" Goose barked.

Evelyn flinched. Goose set her down and propped her up against a broken down wall of some kind. Evelyn just flopped to the ground laying on her back, her eyes slid closed, she was in and out of it. But she was aware enough to know Goose and Keisha were discussing something else. Newt had flopped back.

"They're up to something."

"At this point? I don't shucken...shucken? I don't care." Evelyn wheezed.

"But... don't you find it odd that Goose...the Mafia King knows that Keisha has-" he stopped and looked around and dropped his voice to a harsh whisper, "that she has a phone? Why would he know? How would he know? Also...why is he so paranoid? And!  Why..why is he so adamant that..." Newt trailed off.

"That he keeps me alive instead of letting me die the way I want? I don't know Newt." Evelyn continued, voicing his thoughts he didn't want to speak.

"Ya." Newt whispered.

"I really don't know." Evelyn shook her sore throbbing head.

Each minute was getting harder to breath. Each hour was a miracle. She peeked her exhausted eyes open. Newt was holding Dante again. Evelyn smiled sadly. He had stopped moving to talk to Evelyn but it made Dante stir from his sleep.

"Sorry, sorry," Newt whispered, trying to imitate the bouncy thing that Keisha did to soothe the kid or get him to fall asleep. "I think my turn’s up with you, kid. How did you gain 50 pounds overnight?"

Evelyn lifted the corner of her mouth. Newt would have made a great father.

Dante didn’t respond. He never did. But he didn’t cry, either, so Newt and Evelyn considered it a victory.

A few minutes later, Keisha came out of the field of tall grass into which she’d disappeared to check her phone and take care of personal business. She came to take Dante from Newt. Goose had come back with some water for Evelyn. Once Dante was back in his mother's arms, Newt and Goose helped Evelyn sit up, and helped drink some water.

"Was there a message?" Newt asked, trying to be calm about it. He glanced at Goose who looked up sharply.

Keisha nodded, and the false smile she’d put on vanished. Evelyn’s over active heart stopped beating, refused to start again until she told them the news. Evelyn understood that much, they needed to hurry, get Keisha to her daughter. But she didn't understand anything else.

"Is it bad?" Goose asked, urgently.

"No, no, not necessarily. It just worries me."

"Why? What did it say?" He pressed a bit more.

She gave him a look, her eyes filled with anxiety. Then flicked to Newt and then to Evelyn back to Goose.

"Just one word. Hurry."