The healer [Maze runner Newt x OC]

Chapter eight

He smirked, his tone dripping with satisfaction. "You're very. Valuable."

"Good plan, Thomas," Minho snarked, his voice dripping with sarcasm as they all dangled upside down, suspended by their feet over a dark, foreboding pit. "Just hear what the man has to say. Really working out for us." He twisted slightly, the movement making the ropes creak ominously.

"Shut up, Minho. You're the one who challenged him," Grace snapped, her irritation clear as she spun slightly in the air, her hair swaying with the motion. She tried to ignore the dizzying feeling of blood rushing to her head.

"Maybe I can reach the rope," Thomas said, gritting his teeth as he strained against the bindings, his fingers fumbling toward the knot. Minho was trying the same, but both efforts were fruitless.

"Enjoying the view?" Jorge walked in, a small smirk on his face. Earning a glare from Grace.

"What the hell do you want?" Minho barked at Jorge, who strolled into view, his cane tapping the ground with a steady rhythm.

"That, hermano, is the question." Jorge gestured lazily with his cane, the polished wood glinting in the dim light. "My men think small—they want to sell you back to WICKED. Me?" He leaned closer, his eyes gleaming. "I think big. Something tells me you do too."

"Is the blood rushing to my head, or is this shank not making any sense?" Minho muttered.

"Both," Grace said dryly, shooting Minho a look as Jorge continued.

"Tell me about the Right Arm," Jorge demanded, his cane pointing sharply at Thomas, nearly grazing his cheek.

"I thought you said they were ghosts," Newt interjected, his voice tinged with irritation, his accent stronger from the strain of hanging upside down.

Jorge smirked. "I happen to believe in ghosts. Especially when I hear them chattering on the airwaves." He walked over to the lever controlling their ropes, his hand resting on it. The subtle creak of the mechanism made Grace's stomach flip.

"You tell me what you know, and maybe we can make a deal."

Thomas hesitated before answering. "We don't know much," he said honestly.

Jorge raised an eyebrow and yanked the lever. The group dropped a few inches, gasping in unison at the sudden motion.

"Okay! Okay, all right!" Thomas shouted, his voice panicked.

Grace felt the ropes bite into her ankles, and her heart pounded in her chest. 

"They're hiding in the mountains," Thomas blurted. "They attacked WICKED and got a bunch of kids out. That's all we know."

Jorge studied him, then released the lever with an unimpressed grunt. "That's all you know?" He turned away as Barkley entered the room.

"Yo, Jorge. What's going on?" Barkley asked, eyeing the group with disdain.

"Me and my new friends were just getting acquainted," Jorge replied with a dismissive wave. "We're done now."

"Wait! You're not gonna help us?" Thomas called after him.

Jorge paused in the doorway, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Don't worry, hermano. We'll get you back where you belong." His voice dropped to a mocking tone. "Hang tight."

"Minho, ready?" Thomas whispered, bracing himself to help Teresa toward the lever.

"Yeah," Minho grunted, grabbing Teresa by the waist as Thomas swung her closer to the lever.

"One, two—here we go!" Thomas pushed Teresa forward, but she missed the lever by a few inches, her hands grasping at empty air.

The Gladers groaned in unison as Newt called out from his position. "Come on, Minho, push harder next time!"

"Real helpful, Newt," Minho muttered, steadying himself for another attempt. "All right, Teresa. One more time."

This time, with one final push, Teresa's fingers caught the lever. A wave of cheers erupted from the group as she clung to the bar, steadying herself.

"Teresa, hurry!" Thomas urged, his voice tight with urgency.

Teresa pulled the lever, and the ropes slackened. The group dropped a little further but finally landed in a heap on the ground. Grace groaned, giving Newt a thumbs-up as he asked, "You good?"

Teresa quickly freed herself and helped Thomas out of his ropes. Together, they worked to release the others. "Hang on, Grace. I'm coming," Thomas said, untying her bindings before moving on to the next person.

The faint sound of a speaker crackling to life caught Grace's attention. Then, a chilling voice filled the room: Janson.

"You find yourselves, through no fault of your own, in possession of WICKED property," Janson's voice droned. "Return them to us unharmed, and we'll consider this a simple misunderstanding. Or resist, and every last one of you will die. The choice is yours."

"Great," Minho muttered, rolling his eyes as the group finally freed themselves.

They were finally all on the edge, ready to run when Barkley stood in their way with a gun in his hand. ''We're not trying to cause any trouble, okay? We just got to get out of here.'' Thomas spoke with his hands up.

''Is that so?'' He pulled out a walkie talkie, ''Janson, I got 'em for ya. I'm bringing 'em down. Don't shoot us.'' He looked back at the teens, the gun still in his hands as Thomas lowered his hands. ''Come on. Let's go. I said let's go.'' Thomas charged at him, failing miserably as the man pointed the gun at them again. 

''You little bastard!'' A gunshot ran out and all Gladers looked at each other before the man fell to the ground, the girl with the pixie cut behind him with a gun of her own. ''Okay. Come on. Come on! Let's go'' They followed her quickly, Newt holding onto Grace's hand tightly as they ran through the building.

She frowned when music began to play, but Brenda called out to them to keep running as they ended in front of Jorge again. ''Brenda! Hurry! We don't have much time!'' Oh, so Brenda was her name, good to know. ''Let's go, let's go, let's go! Right this way!'' He threw open a window as Grace stared at him. 

''You're kidding ... right?''

"Plan B, hermano!" Jorge called. "You want to find the Right Arm? I'll take you. But you're gonna owe me." Without waiting for a response, he leapt onto the cable and zipped away.

Minho didn't hesitate, following Jorge with a whoop. Grace exchanged a look with Newt, who nodded. "Go," he urged.

She stepped forward, gripping the cable tightly before leaping into the open air. The wind whipped her hair around her face as she sped toward the landing, Minho catching her as she stumbled.

Newt was next, his limp making the jump awkward. Grace and Minho steadied him as he landed, the three of them working together to get him clear. Frypan, Aris, and finally Teresa followed, all landing safely.

"Where's Thomas?" Grace asked, scanning the skyline as Teresa answered breathlessly. "He went after Brenda. She said she forgot something."

Before anyone could respond, the music cut off, replaced by an earsplitting explosion as the building behind them erupted in flames.

"So," Minho said, turning to Jorge with his arms crossed. "What's the plan now?"