We drove for about another fifteen minutes, the radio on low, playing some kind of old song that none of us knew the words to. Occasionally I found myself bobbing my head to the bass, but I wasn't really paying attention to the music at all.

My thoughts were directed on the ever-growing pain in my forearm. When I lifted my sleeve to look at the scratch, it had become inflamed. The skin around the wound was red, and it tingled like no other cut I've had before. It was weird, making me place my hand over it and spread my fingers out to possibly rid the pain.

After we had found an entry to whatever lurked behind the outskirts of the stone wall that protected WICKED from the cranks, Jorge found a place to park the car. A secret building of some sort that was only a few blocks away from where all the madness laid. He told us all to file out of the car and to follow him as he and Thomas laid a tarp over the vehicle to prevent anyone from possibly stealing it.

The man didn't even know where he was going himself.

As we began to walk towards the madness of it all, the smell started to overpower the air. I scrunched my nose up in disgust at the smoky scent, people from all over acting like their noses had been chopped off. I shook it off, reminding myself not to complain, but silently wishing I had stayed back in the car with Mae.

I looked down at her as she jumped out of the way of a man who was two times the size of her, looking like he was in a rush to get to the other side of the neighborhood. I placed my hand on her shoulder as I shook my arm out of my jacket, taking it in my hands and nudging her with it.

She turned around. "Wear this." I ordered, keeping my eyes straight as she walked beside me.

Her eyes fluttered down to the clothing I was holding out to her, now only left in my dark flannel. She looked unsure.

"Put it on." I spoke again, shoving the jacket into her chest as I kept my eyes on Frypan who was about five feet ahead of us. Mae nodded silently and took it from my hands, sliding it onto her shoulders in one swift motion.

Only then did I turn my head to look at her, and I almost stopped walking at the sight.

It was the first time I ever saw her in my clothes, or in anything I've worn. The jacket was a bit too big, her hands disappearing within the sleeves. She didn't try to fiddle with it or squirm, probably overwhelmed with her new surroundings and the fact that there were hundreds of people walking by us. For some reason, I felt a strange spurt of joy as I watched her move in front of me, looking back to see if I was following close behind.

"C'mon." She murmured, taking my hand and pulling me forward to catch up to the others who were weaving their way through the crowd of people. Jorge moved his way in front of us, and I clutched Mae's hand tighter as we continued to walk against the current.

I snapped out of my trance and turned my head to the side, spotting a person who was sitting on the ground against a blue truck, his head in his hands. I furrowed my eyebrows at the man as he began to shake his head, muttering incoherent things against the murmurings of everyone else who was walking by us.

Only when I felt my arm be tugged forward did I tear my gaze from the guy. My head shot forward just in time to see Mae being pushed in the opposite direction, some man with a crazy look in his eye holding onto her arm as she stumbled into him.

"Hey." I spoke harshly to him as I took a large step forward, trying to hide my limp. The man smirked at me as Mae ripped her arm out of his grasp and gave him a dirty look, grabbing me by my bicep as she moved on. I still had my head turned toward the man as he stared at her, the same cocky look on his face.

I heard her groan. "Newt, forget about it. Let's just go."

"That's the second creepy guy that's tried

to—"

"Forget it. We don't have time." She snapped, not even looking back at me as she kept her eyes on Tommy and Jorge in the distance. I shut up, letting her guide me through the sea of madness.

We managed to catch up to the others just as Thomas muttered something to Jorge. I couldn't hear it, but all that mattered was that we were all together. Frypan and I were in the back of the group, while the two girls were in the middle, almost sandwiched.

But a sudden projection of a voice coming from behind caused all of us to stop, and our attention to turn to the truck.

"They hide behind their walls..." People shouted in praise and raised their fists as they moved out of the way. "They make sure to keep the cure for themselves, while they watch the rest of us wither! And rot!"

Mae clutched my hand tighter as we sidestepped out of the way of the car just as it passed by. I looked down the line, my eyes grazing over everyone who was sitting on the top, breathing masks over their entire faces as they held guns in their hands. If I didn't know better, it looked like they were off to war.

"Is it just me, or did that one look right at us."

I turned my head toward Mae as she spoke closely to Thomas, who just nodded his head and kept his eyes on the first truck that had passed by. As the man who was sitting on the roof finished his speech, a loud stream of cheers followed, people punching their fists in the air as they agreed.

The place was so filled with anger over something that these people couldn't necessarily control. Maybe they really were going crazy.

Helicopter blades whirred above us, making me lift my head to the sky. I squinted my eyes, watching as the Berg hovered over the area we were in. but before I could say something to voice my suspicions, Thomas and Jorge were already moving forward.

"C'mon, guys. Let's keep moving." Brenda wrapped her hand gently around Mae's bicep as she pulled her along. I followed close behind with Frypan, making sure to not let the girl out of my sight.

I kept up as Thomas and Jorge turned to a tunnel, quickly glancing over their shoulders to see if we were tagging along. Everyone else was crowding around the passage, continuing to shout words and phrases that I've never heard in my life. They all had their fists up in the air, making the people look like some kind of resistance or protestors.

As I ducked my head below the concrete and followed the others, the bad feeling that had been tugging at my gut was now ripping it apart. Red flags were being thrown left and right as I emerged from the concrete, only to see more chaos than before. Two pieces of concrete acted as platforms for the people holding signs, everyone shouting as they walked in the same direction. Just as my eyes caught the black-painted words that had been written on a piece of concrete, I looked away, the phrase catching me by surprise.

Everyone here was so mad. It reminded me of what all of us must've felt like when we were captured by WICKED and taken under their wing as an act. This was what I wanted to do when I found out that Mae had been held captive and tortured. And by the way Tommy was acting, I knew this was how he felt underneath all of that curiosity. Looking at Mae, who's face was straight as she walked behind Brenda, I also knew that this was how she felt. This was the inside of all of our minds. We just had enough control to keep ourselves from completely going mad.

Thomas was already stepping forward, moving his way through the crowd as Jorge hesitantly followed him.

"That's it." Thomas spoke. "That's our way in."

I hardly caught the words before I was looking around again, wondering what WICKED's reaction to all of this must be. They probably don't care. It really showed that what they were doing had an impact on all of these people. They deserved to be bloody upset. I was upset.

Frypan and I walked faster, trying to keep up with everyone else. Thomas and Jorge showed no sympathy for the rest of us as we tried to stay together. But I let my eyes wonder to the side, reading another sign that made me turn my head away. When I did, I could no longer see the girl in my jacket.

My heart stopped. "Fry, where's Mae and Brenda?"

His frantic eyes met mine as he hopped up, trying to see over the heads of people. He shook his head towards me, silently saying that he didn't see either of them. I took a large step forward, pushing past people as I tried to spot the girls. My breathing increased, my heart practically burning in my chest in desperation.

I can't lose her, I told myself, continuing to push through the crowd of people. I stopped by an older man who wasn't holding a sign, but he was pumping his fist in the air. He had beads of sweat rolling down his dark skin, yellow teeth showing as he shouted chants.

"Hello, sir?" I turned him around to face me as he stopped. "Have you seen a girl? Dark hair, beautiful. Wearing a brown jacket that's too big for her?"

The man shrugged as his eyes met Frypan, who was standing behind me. "She was with another girl. A hood pulled over her head? Dark hair too?"

"No, man!" He shouted at us, making me take a startled step back. "Do you see this place? Hundreds of people are here! You think you two are gonna find your girls in this hellhole? Leave me alone!"

For some reason, this man reminded me of Alby before Mae came.

"Alright." I groaned and stepped away from him, turning to Frypan. "Where the hell are they?"

I was beginning to become more frustrated by the second before I saw a small hand pop up from above the heads obscuring our view. I squinted my eyes and walked faster, pushing past the people once again as they muttered curse words at me and Fry.

"Newt!" I heard her voice over the madness of the area around me. Practically pushing a small woman over, I picked up my speed so I was now jogging.

Mae shoved another man off of her, he was beginning to pull her into a hug when I approached. As though I wasn't even there, she yelled at him. "Don't shucking touch me, you asshole!"

"Mae." I spoke, pulling her into a tight hug as I pressed my lips to the top of her head. Brenda was right next to her, looking unsure as Frypan placed his hands on her shoulders to provide a sense of comfort.

"What the hell did we get ourselves into?" He asked a question we all had been wondering.

I took Mae's hand and began to lead her through the crowd of people once again, not letting go as she placed her other hand on my bicep.

"Newt." She spoke, her voice hardly heard over the madness that was happening around us. I didn't respond, concentrated on keeping my eyes on Frypan, hoping that he knew where Thomas and Jorge were.

But Mae squeezed my hand. "Newt."

Again, I didn't respond, pulling her faster as the space between Frypan and I was beginning to become larger by the second. The feeling in my gut was now exploding as Mae continued to tug on my arm like a five year old. I finally glanced down at her, not speaking a word.

"Newt." She said my name a little more forcefully this time. "There's people watching us."

My face dropped at her words, and I finally met my eyes with hers. They darted to the right, and I casually lifted my head up to look in the direction she had been motioning toward. There was a man with a mask who disconnected his gaze from me just as I looked at him. Trench coat covering his body, he tried to hide a launcher from me as we met eyes again. Knowing he was now following us, I walked faster, clutching Mae's hand in mine.

"There's one behind too." She murmured, and I glanced behind me just in time to see a larger man with the same mask, standing in place with eyes locked on the two of us. Unlike the other man, he wasn't wearing a hat, allowing me to see the little hair that he had on the top of his head.

Letting a harsh breath out through my parted lips, I dragged Mae through the crowd that was becoming more compact with every step we took. I practically had a death grip on her hand, and even if I knew the girl could handle herself, I didn't want her out of my sight. Frypan and Brenda were waiting at the edge of the large crowd, waving their hands at us.

"C'mon." I told Mae, pulling her faster toward them as she kept up. We made our way over to the two, who had the same weary expression pulled on their face. As soon as I approached, ready to tell them that we had to leave, they turned around, shoving their way through the crowd to get to the front—where Jorge and Tommy stood, waiting for who knows what.

I sighed, shaking my head once before Mae stepped in front of me, going into the sea of people and this time, dragging me along. I would've smiled if it hadn't been under these circumstances.

She made us a pathway, shouting insults at people who wouldn't move out of the way. She pushed them, all in an attempt to get to the front while I stayed slightly behind, muttering apologies for her behavior. The only thing in my line of sight was millions of heads and the girl who pulled me along. Her hand was almost glued around mine, and I was glad.

We finally reached the front, and I let go, only to place my hands around Jorge and Tommy's back, getting their attention in my desperation.

"Hey! Guys, we gotta go now! Look." I turned my head to see the same man with hardly any hair trying to shove his way through the crowd of people we had just made our way through. He clutched his launcher to his chest, almost treating it as a prized possession.

I turned my head to the left this time, where the trench coat man had been. He was slowly inching his way toward us, almost invisible as people around us started to jump around and become crazier. It was like everything was escalating by the second.

We all had our head towards the back of the crowd as Jorge pulled out his gun from his pocket, ready for whatever was about to come. Huddled in our pack, trying to protect each other from the madness of the world, and the people who thought they had some kind of power, we stood there. My eyes locked with Mae's as she stood by Frypan, who had a single arm wrapped around her small figure. She held the same amount of uncertainty as I looked down at her hands, which were once again, balled in tight fists.

Before I could step toward her, the all too familiar sound of the grinding of metal echoed through the air.

My heart dropped, and I slowly turned my head as the alarm continued to blare, and all sounds of shouting behind us decreased to an eerie silence as we waited.

Suddenly, the sound became louder, like something was winding up. No longer did silence weigh down the air around us, but shrill screams for the people who began to run away. But still, the six of us stayed, curiosity filling the holes in our mind where common sense should be.

"Guys, let's go!" Frypan's frightened yell caused me to look back at him as I took a step toward the direction everyone was running. Jorge put his gun back in his jacket, the realization that we had to leave fresh on his mind.

Just as he grabbed Thomas' bicep, shouting words of haste toward him, a loud bomb burst less than a hundred feet from us.

"Shit!" I screamed as I grabbed Mae's arm immediately. She began running in front of me, and I turned my head back toward Tommy to see if he was following. By the sound of his voice encouraging all of us to move faster, I knew he was.

Another explosion blew up behind us, louder than the last one. I moved my arms up to cover my head in reflex, different bombs sounding from all around. Dust and debris flew up into the air, hitting some people who were trying to escape either in front of us or behind us. My heart pounded as we continued to run again, something we've been quite good at this past year.

Frypan jumped over train tracks, following some of the people who managed to not get hit with scraps of earth or blown up. He looked back, seeing if we were following as he ran into the area we had used to get into this place. Mae ran after him, looking over her shoulder for a quick moment to see if we were close behind.

I waved my hand at her. "Go, Mae!"

She obeyed, pushing her legs to go faster as she coughed once into her elbow. I sighed, imagining how hard and—quite frankly—annoying this must be for her to have to run with dust floating in the air around her as we tried to escape.

Explosions still sounded from behind, everyone's yells giving us the motivation to keep going. I turned my head again as I emerged from the tunnel we had used to get ourselves into the protest, checking if everyone was still behind. I only turned back around when I heard a familiar grunt and a loud curse word.

My head whipped around to see the same guy with almost no hair man-handling Mae, attempting to shove her into the back of a van. Without having time to process what was going on, another man grabbed me by the collar of my flannel, lifting me into the air with ease and pushing me toward a separate car.

"Mae!" I screamed after her as I watched her kick against the man. She leaned over his arms which were wrapped around her stomach, and she used her feet to kick the man off of her. "Mae!" I yelled again as I was shoved into a van.

I scrambled to the nearest window, pressing my hands flat against it as I watched Mae try to fight her way out of this. She rolled over onto her back as the man tried to jump on her. While he was midair, Mae brought her feet up once again to kick him in the stomach, causing him to fall on his back, right next to her. She punched him in the jaw three times, still on her back before she balled her fist up once again, going to hit him one more time. But the man caught onto her plan, grabbing her fist and trying to hit her as well. The girl did the same to him, grabbing his wrist and moving it above her head.

Now distracted, the man furrowed his eyebrows. Mae took this as an opportunity to hit him in the stomach. He lurched forward in pain and she brought her arm up to meet his neck, almost like she was going to chop his head off. His head flew back, and she brought her leg up to kick him in the nose.

I banged my hand on the glass as she scrambled to her feet, oblivious to the fact that the man was grabbing something from his pocket. Just as Mae regained balance and was ready to run, the man pressed a taser to her thigh, causing her to scream out in pain and fall limp next to him.

"No!" I screamed as the van I was in started to move. I hadn't even noticed that Tommy and Brenda were shoved into the same van as they threw Mae into, I was alone with Jorge and Frypan, who were just as distressed as I was. I kept my eye on the car my girlfriend was in, moving and looking out the back window just like Jorge was doing.

It all happened so fast. Losing Mae, almost being blown up, running away, and now being captured and shoved into a van that was probably going nowhere good. For all I know, these people were WICKED. We had walked straight into their trap, and we fell for it.