|I'm only a man with a chamber who's got me, I'm taking a stand to escape what's inside me

|Song: Monster Imagine Dragons

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Dawn's P.O.V.

Exactly twenty minutes later the Berg landed before the Crank Palace.
Jorge told us to let him do the talking, it turned out he was good at it.
I let the others make the plan while checking my arrows for the fifth time. I knew Lisa was still throwing worried glares at me and so I did everything possible to avoid her gaze. Something was different, not just with me but with her too. Ever since she got back she had this spark in her eyes...Like she knew something I didn't and it was making me nervous. Whatever had happened inside that city, she wasn't the same person anymore.
But I couldn't deal with any of that right now. All that mattered was getting Newt back. I was going to fight for him, like I always had done and I always would do.

Finally the cargo door was fully opened and we made our way outside.
I squinted against the sudden sunlight and tightened my grip around my bow. Trying to keep my breathing steady I followed the others outside. As soon as my eyes had adjusted to the light I noticed two guards walking towards us, guns ready in their hands.
Jorge held up his hands and we followed his example. As we walked closer I got a good look at the guards. They were filthy and covered in bruised and scratches. Whatever was going on inside those walls, it wasn't good and the thought of getting Newt out of there as fast as possible was like a steady beat in my head.
We stopped walking at the gate and one of the guards with black hair and a mustache stepped forwards. 'Who the hell are you people?' His tone was one that demanded respect and honest answers.

I didn't take my eyes of the guard as Jorge did the talking. 'We're from Wicked, one of our guys got captured and taken here by mistake. We'll be picking him up.'
What Jorge had said was more or less the truth. He just left out the part of there being no chance we would leave here without him. The guard didn't seem all that impressed.
'You think I give a crap about you and your fancy Wicked jobs? You wanna come hang out with the Cranks? Be my guest. Especially after what's been going on lately.' He stepped aside and made an exaggerated gesture for us to enter. 'Enjoy your stay at the Crank Palace. No refunds or exchanges if you lose an arm or eyeball.'

I felt a shiver crawl up my back at those words and bit my tongue to hide it.
'What do you mean "what's been going on lately"? What's happening?' Thomas asked.
The guard shrugged. 'It's just not a very happy place and that's all you need to know.'
I was growing impatient. We were here for Newt and I had was done playing nice. 'Do you know if any new people were brought in here in the last day or two?' I asked. If I hadn't known it was me talking I wouldn't have recognized my voice at all. It was still a bit hoarse from all the screaming but besides that there was something else. An icy edge that could have cut through cement if it wasn't heard. I didn't even know I could talk like that but right now there wasn't any time to waste with thinking. We'd been standing here too long for my liking.

'Who you're looking for? A he or a she?' The guard asked.
'A he,' I answered. 'His name is Newt, few heads taller than me, blond hair, has a limp and a thick accent.'
The guard narrowed at us. 'I might have seen him somewhere.'
I heard Jorge beside me let out a huge sigh and watched him take a few banknotes out of his pocket.
The guard nodded and opened the gate. 'Follow me. And remember, if any of your body parts become detached due to an unfortunate encounter with a Crank, I highly advise you to leave said body part behind and run like hell. Unless it's a leg of course.'
My blood ran cold from his morbid sense of humor. I threw the guard a quick glare before following the others through the gate.

The Crank Palace was a horrible, filthy place. One of the guards who guided us, turned out to be very talkative and told us a lot more than I would have asked for.
The village for the infected was a huge set of rings within rings, with all communal areas located in the middle. The palace was intented as a last peaceful place people could go before becoming insane. But putting all those hopeless people in one spot made the circumstances horrible.
I only listened half. My eyes scanning every square of my surroundings. So far no sign of Newt. There wasn't a sign of anyone actually. Despite my expectations the whole place seemed completely abandoned. Still I could feel eyes from me out of every dark corner of the filthy sheds we passed. My fingers were reaching almost automatically for the arrows in my quiver. It took all my power to stop myself from walking around with a loaded bow. I couldn't do anything that would make the guards sent us back. I was not going to leave here without Newt.

'Where is everybody?' Thomas asked. 'I thought this place would be packed wall to wall. And what did you mean earlier about something happening?'

This time the other guard answered. 'Some, the lucky ones, are vegging on the Bliss in their homes. But most of time are in the Central Zone, eating or playing or up to no good. They're sending us too many and faster than we can ship them out. Add that to the fact that we're losing Immunes left and right to who-knows-where, decreasing our ratio each and every day and things were bound to reach a boiling point eventually. Let's just say this morning the water finally got hot enough.'

I didn't like what I was hearing one bit. The world was in an even worse state than I ever could have imagined. It made me wonder if I would have left the Maze at all if I knew that pain and despair was all there was left. And suddenly Alby his choice to sacrifice himself wasn't that strange anymore.

'Losing Immunes left and right?' Thomas repeated.
And I knew what he must have been thinking. It seemed a lot like Wicked was taking every Immune possible, no matter the consequences.
'Yeah, almost half our workers have disappeared over the last couple of months. No sign of 'em, no explanations. Which only makes my job a thousand times harder,' the guard mumbled.
Thomas groaned. 'Just keep us away from the crowds and put us somewhere safe until you find Newt.'
'That's more like it,' Minho added.
The guard just shrugged. 'As long as I get my money.'

The guards finally stopped two rings away from the Central Zone and told us to wait.
I felt my nerves grow as the sound of screams and sick laughter grew louder. I still couldn't see any Cranks but knew they were there, just around the corner.
My hands became sweaty from the nerves and I hated every second I stood there, just listening to the sound of people who had lost every bit of rational thought.
My mind showed me the most horrible pictures of Newt becoming just like the Cranks we had seen in the Scorch, just screaming and wanting nothing more than to hurt other humans. A shiver crawled down my spine and I shook my head, as if I could shake the images out of my head.

Finally, about ten minutes later the two guards reappeared around a corner.
I took a deep breath, every part of my body so tense it felt like I could snap at any moment.
'What'd you find out?' Minho asked in a rush.
The short one answered, his gaze seemed haunted. It made me wonder how bad it truly was inside the Central Zone.
'Took some asking around, but I think we found your guy. Looks like you described and he turned toward us when we called his name. But...' The guards exchanged an uncomfortable glare.
'But what?' Minho pressed.
'He said, very pointedly I might add, to tell you guys to get lost.'

It felt like my heart was thrown into a dark abyss. Just tumbling down without any real purpose. For just a second I forgot how to breathe as a sudden weight appeared in my chest.
And the look on Minho's face told me he felt the same. 'Show us where he is,' He ordered.
The guard held up his hand. 'Did you not hear what I just said?'
'Your job's not done,' Thomas insisted.
The shorter guard shook his head. 'No way. You asked us to find your friend and we did. Give us the money.'

Then I lost it. I walked forwards until my nose was almost touching the guard his chest. I gazed up at him, eyes cold and my hand reaching for my arrows. 'Listen to me you rats, does it look like we have our friend back yet? No, it doesn't. So, you're gonna take us in there, straight to him or you're not getting any money at all.'

The two guards didn't look happy, at all, they stepped away from me and started whispering back and forth.
A hand landed on my shoulder and pulled me back towards the group. I turned around and looked straight into Lisa her worried eyes. She didn't say anything, she didn't have to. I knew she was worried about me, but right now it didn't matter. All that mattered was getting Newt back.

'Hey!' Minho barked. 'If you want your money, let's go!'
'Fine,' The guard with the mustache finally said. 'Follow us.'

As we made our way deeper into the compound, I didn't bother to be careful anymore. My bow was loaded in my hand, ready to let its arrows fly. I could still feel Lisa's eyes on my back. And so I kept my gaze concentrated on our surroundings.

The buildings were shabbier, the streets dirtier. Multiple times I saw people lying on the sidewalks, their heads resting on filthy bags or they stared up at the sky with empty expressions.
The guards marched ahead, sweeping their guns at anyone who got within a dozen feet of them. We passed a ravaged-looking man, his clothes torn and skin covered in rashes, as he fell on a drugged out teenager and started beating him.
I quickly looked away, my grip around my bow tightning and I was surprised my hand hadn't snapped yet.

Finally we reached a high wall with a big archway that led into an open area full of people. A sign above the gate proclaimed with big letters that this was the Central Zone.
The guards stopped and turned to us. 'I'm going to ask this once. Are you sure you want to go in there?'
'Yes,' Minho answered before any of us could.
'Okay, then. Your friend is at the bowling alley. As soon as we point him out, I want our money.'
'Let's just get moving,' Jorge growled.

We followed the guards through the arch, entering the Central Zone and my breath stopped.
Madhouse, it was an actual madhouse. Cranks were everywhere, huddled in what looked like old shops and restaurants. The majority of the infected didn't seem quite as gone as I thought they would but as I looked at them there was an obvious aura around them that made me wonder about their sanity.
I didn't know if I should pity them or be disgusted.
Some were laughing hysterically, a wildness in their eyes, as if they were drunk. Others were crying uncontrollably, sobbing all alone on the ground or walking around in circles. Small fights had broken out everywhere and here and there you'd find a man or woman standing still and just...screaming. Screaming at the top of their lungs, faces red and necks corded.

'Remind me not to buy any real estate here,' Minho spoke, taking me out of my daze.
'Where's the bowling alley?' Lisa asked, sounding like she wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.
I couldn't blame her.
'Over this way,' the shorter guard said.
We started to make our way across the open area, staying close by the walls.
Suddenly my eyes fell on a little girl, she couldn't be much older than twelve. She was sitting on the ground, her eyes red and her hair a tangled mess. If I hadn't seen her chest going up and down I'd honestly thought she was dead. She just sat there, eyes empty as she stared at the world around her.
I threw a quick glare at the others before kneeling down before the girl. She didn't even blink.

The weight in my chest felt suddenly even heavier. This wasn't right, this wasn't how the world was suppose to be. Suddenly the Crank Palace faded away and it was like looking in a mirror. Instead of the little girl I saw myself in one of my memories.
Mom had just died and I had been staring in the mirror, trying to find some trace of her in myself but I hadn't been able to, Lisa had mom's eyes, not me.
The noise of the world around me took me back to the little girl before me, she shivered but still didn't move her eyes up from the ground.
Quickly I removed my quiver from my back and took off my jacket, covering her skinny body with it. I cupped her cheek with my hand, staring at her.
She didn't move but somewhere, far away in the depths of her eyes something had changed. Maybe it was gratitude or maybe it had just been my imagination.
Quickly I gave her kiss on her forehead, lingering there for a moment. Before throwing my quiver over my back and running after the others.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS AWESOME READERS!

Have a very merry christmas and enjoy spending time with your loved ones. This is honestly one of my favorite times of the year, so I am very happy during these days.

But back to today's chapter...Dawn is in so much pain and yet she still manages to comfort a little girl who is in equally as much pain. She is so strong, I love my baby girl so much and definitely do not like what I have to put her through next...

But enough talking! Please vote or leave a comment. It lights up my day like a christmas tree! *cringes about own words*

xXx
UYM