"Is it true?" I asked, my gun leveled at Ava as she stared out the window. Thomas stood at my side, his chest rising and falling hard.

"Newt. Could we have saved him?" Thomas said hoarsely.

"You can save us all" she answered softly.

My hand shook, the weight of the gun pulling me down. Finally, i dropped it. Tears burned in my eyes. Ava stepped closer, her voice clam.

"It's okay" she said

"Just leave the others alone." Thomas said

"Please...please don't hurt him" I whispered.

"I promise. I will-" she started

The gunshot cut her words short.

Blood bloomed across her shirt. She fell, lifeless, at our feet. My breath caught us I looked up.

Janson.

Gun smoking. Eyes locked on us.

He walked forward slowly, the way a predator does when it already knows it's won. He pointed his weapon at Thomas.

"He's on the line now, Reyna" Janson sneered.

"Don't" I choked, but he ignored me, jabbing a needle into Thomas's neck. Thomas gasped, stumbling before collapsing unconscious on the floor.

Then his gaze fell on me.

"What's wrong with you?" My voice broke as tears slipped free.
"How could you do this? How could you do this to me?" I asked

"You're nothing to me. Don't you get it? I had you to find a cure. I didn't care about you. Or your mother. You're just a subject. A test. Nothing more" he spat.

The sting of the needle pierced my neck. My body went limp. I hit the floor hard, vision fading.

"I'll never stop fighting." I forced out, my voice a rasp.
"That was the one good thing you taught me." I said

He laughed.
"You should've stopped fighting long ago" he said.

Then darkness swallowed me.

I blinked awake, the sting of restrains biting into my wrists.

Beside me, Thomas lay tied to another table. To my other side, Teresa drew blood from my arm, her hands trembling.

"Do you know what this place is? Thomas? Reyna?" Jansons voice slithered through the air. He smiled.

"It's a lifeboat. And the whole world might be sinking, but that doesn't mean that we have to go down with it. How much longer?" Janson asked

"It's almost done" Teresa muttered, avoiding eye contact.

"Why don't you just kill us?" Thomas rasped.

"Kill you?" Janson scoffed.
"No, we dont want to do that. We're gonna take good care of you both. We'll keep you alive. And in return, you will give life to the rest of us. The ones we choose to save anyway. Of course there's not gonna be enough for everyone. Hard choices are gonna have to be made. In time, the flare virus will burn itself out. The only question is, who will be the ones left standing? And thanks to you both, to this, we finally get to choose. A future of our own making." He said.

He rolled up his sleeve, revealing black veins crawling up his arm. The flare.

"To your health" he smirked.

Teresa slammed a bottle against his head.

"Okay, let's get you both out of here" she said, undoing my ties.

"Teresa!" I shouted as Janson roared, grabbing her by the hair and throwing her across the counter.

Thomas tore free, tacking him. I ripped myself loose and ran in, slamming my fist into Janson's jaw. The fight was brutal- punches, chokes, blood. He threw me to the ground, wrapped a cord around Thomas's throat.

"No!" I screamed, smashing into him.

His blows came hard, cracking into my ribs, my stomach. I doubled over but forced myself back up.

"Shouldn't you be used to this by now, Reyna?" Janson sneered, slamming me into the floor beside Thomas.

"Okay. That's enough." He growled, pulling out his gun.

He aimed at me.

But before he could fire, the building shook- an explosion tearing through the walls. We crashed to the ground as fire and rubble rained down.

"Come on, rey" Thomas gritted, hauling me up. Teresa grabbed the vial and we stumbled forward.

I glanced back. Janson staggered to his feet, gun in hand.

"Thomas! Teresa! Move!" I shouted, shoving them into a side room just as shots cracked.

"Okay, we need to get out of here. Now" Teresa panted.

I froze. My hand pressed to my stomach. Warm. Wet.

I lifted it. Blood.

"Re?" Thomas whispered.

I turned to face them.

Then my legs buckled. I collapsed into his arms.

"No, no, no" he said quickly, his voice shaking.

"We need to find something. Here- here. Just keep pressure on it. Hold it" Teresa shoved bandages into Thomas's hands.

"You both need to go." I croaked.
"Both of you. Don't die because of me" I begged.

"No" Thomas snapped, putting pressure on my wound.

"Not without you" Teresa said fiercely, tears in her eyes.

"Please." I begged. My voice cracked.
"I'm not going to make it" I said

The door creaked open. Janson.

"I admit Teresa you had me fooled. I thought we were friends. Maybe it's just in your nature to betray the people closest to you." Janson said

We stepped past me, not realizing how close I was. Then- bang. A gunshot cracked.

"Come on. Let's not prolong this. We all know there's no way out of this. Let's not make this anymore painful than it needs to be. Reyna. Thomas. Teresa." Janson said coldly.

I heard Teresa muttered. Jasmin found them.

"I think you have something of mine" He said, I looked around the corner.

Janson held Teresa and Thomas to gunpoint.

Teresa held the vail out.
"Not that. Where is she? I need them both" Janson spat.

"Just take it. Leave them alone" Teresa begged.

"What is it with them? You think they're so special? They're lab rats. They were born with a gift. They never had to fight for it. They never earned it. They don't deserve it." Janson spat

"No. They earned it." Teresa snapped.
"They fought for their lives. And all you've done is destroy it. It's theirs. Not yours" she said

He sneered.
"And what about you, Reyna? Daughter dearest?Don't you have enough blood on your hands? You couldn't kill her, but I can. I can kill both of them" he said

I stayed silent.

"Okay, fine. Have it your way" Janson said

"Janson!" I yelled, staggering to my feet. I hurled a chair at him. He ducked, scoffing.

"Missed, you little shit" he leveled his gun at me.

"Did I?" I rasped.

He turned. The glass wall behind him spiderwebbed.

"See you in hell, motherfucker" I spat.

Then the glass broke. Cranks poured through, shrieking as they tackled him to the ground.

"Come on!" Thomas shouted, dragging me as Teresa took my other arm. My body felt heavier with each step, blood dripping with every movement.

We reached a staircase. The bottom levels burned. Flames roared.

"Up!" Thomas barked, helping me up the stairs.

We got to the roof. Open sky. But no way out.

"We're trapped" Teresa breathed.

Smoke choked the air. My legs gave out. I hit the ground.

"Reyna , no- hey, stay with me!" Thomas caught me, pulling me into his arms. Teresa knelt at my other side, clutching my hand. She pressed the vail into Thomas's grip, tears spilling.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.
"I'm so sorry, I tried. I thought I could help. I'm so sorry" she cried.

I met her eyes.
"I know. It's okay. I love you" I rasped.

She broke, hugged me tight.
"I love you too. You're my sister. Always" she said

Thomas's voice cracked.
"I'm sorry, Re. I couldn't save you I-" he started

"You did" I told him, smiling faintly.
"You saved me in so many ways. I love you" I said

His forehead pressed to mine.
"I love you so fucking much" he kissed me, soft and desperate.

Then a sound split the sky.

A berg.

"Hey, hey- it's them! Come on!" Thomas yelled, hauling me up. Teresa grabbed my other side.

"No..." I stumbled, my legs refusing to move.

"Reyna, stay with me!" Thomas begged, dragging me closer.

"Jump!" someone screamed from the berg.

"Get closer!" Thomas roared.

"Come on, get closer!" Teresa yelled.

Another explosion ripped apart the roof.

"Re- give me everything you've got!" Thomas shouted.

I nodded weakly.

"Now!"

They shoved me forward. Strong hands caught me, dragging me into the berg. I rolled over, gasping, and saw Thomas leap in after me. Minho pulled him up.

"Teresa, come on!" Thomas yelled, reaching.

She smiled faintly at me.
"I'm sorry" she mouthed.

"Teresa! No!" I screamed.

The building collapsed. She disappeared in the flames.

I fell back, tears streaming down my face. Thomas's voice echoed, begging me to stay awake, but my vision darkened. My body went numb.

And for the first time in my life-
I felt no pain.