BOOM!

The loud noise startled the group, heading toward the window to see a bright flash of fire and smoke.

"Lawrence," Beth mumbled. "He came here to wreak havoc in the city." She shook her head. "That wasn't the plan!"

"Well, now, we gotta come up with a way to get out of here if what Aris is saying is true," Sonya said.

Aris nodded. "Then we need to hurry and get moving."

"Wait a second." Beth stopped them. "You mean to tell me that there's a cure that could've saved my best friend after I just put a sticking bullet through her head?!"

"Beth, we got the timing wrong in this situation, but there's nothing we can do about it now," Sonya said. "Gwyneth is gone."

"But it could've been prevented!" she cried out. "Maybe if he had shown up just a bit earlier, then..." She stopped, inhaling so that she wouldn't cry anymore.

"Listen to me, Beth," Piper said, her voice getting quiet as she approached her. "Gwyneth was suffering. We saw it with our own eyes. She would have turned into a Crank by the time we got a cure and it would've been too late." She looked into her eyes, the hurt still there. "We need to keep going. Gwyneth wouldn't want us to just stop because she's gone."

Piper watched as Beth's eyes softened a bit, with tears still coming down. But she finally composed herself and nodded her head. "Yeah, you're right. She would want us to keep going."

"Okay, so let's figure out a way out of here."

"Hey!" Aris called out for them from down the hallway. "I think I found something!"

Piper and Beth dashed over there with the others and looked at the empty and trashed room, along with the broken window. "You think this is how the boys got out?"

Everyone looked down at the fountain that settled down below. "Well, if that water wasn't there to break their fall..."

"Look, we gotta move fast," Aris said. "More guards are after us and there's a mandatory evacuation. I think some overheard me telling Teresa about you guys still being here..."

"Okay, we can jump and make it," Piper assured them. "I mean, if the boys did it, then we can. Right?"

"Well, by all means, you go first," Beth offered.

"I'm coming with you." The girls looked at Aris. "Look, Rachel made sure we all stuck together when we were leaving the Glen, and we're sticking together until the end of this war with WICKED." He took a deep breath, then continued. "I'm not letting you all go in that crossfire without me."

"So does this mean you're on our side now?" Sonya asked.

He took a second, but nodded. "Yeah, I am. I wanted to find a cure just as much as WICKED did, and now that we have one, maybe it can save Newt and anyone else infected with the Flare." He paused, sighing. "My job with WICKED is done."

Piper felt a sense of happiness knowing that Aris was back on their side. All of them had excited yet exhausted looks on our faces and they nodded their heads all at once. With all of the emotions running high, they had to jump into the crossfire and fight until the end.

This was the final battle, and they were going to win this time.

"Uh, guys? I think we're about to get company," Sonya announced, the sound of running and yelling getting closer.

"Follow me!" Piper shouted, giving herself a head start and lunging out of the window and down into the water. She felt her heart dropping and the screams, along with her own, taking over. The breaking of the water as she went under was enough to burn her nose. Hearing the muffled splashes around her, she went back up the surface, inhaling.

"Bloody hell!" Maeve coughed from behind. "We're never doing that again."

"Is everyone okay?" Sonya asked.

"All good over here!" Beth yelled.

"Same!" Aris added.

Piper looked up at the window they jumped out of, seeing the guards spotting them. The group swam to the edge of the fountain and got out, catching their breaths. While their wet uniforms stuck to their skin, Piper managed to grab her walkie, shaking it and hoping it still worked. "Thomas? Thomas, where are you? We're out of the building." When she was met with silence, she began to panic a little. "Thomas!"

"Piper?" a voice that wasn't Thomas' finally responded.

"Minho?" she asked, feeling relieved. "It's you!"

"You really thought Thomas and Newt would give up on me?" he joked, though, the shooting and screaming from both their ends almost made it hard to hear him. "We're heading for the Berg. Got word from Brenda and Aurora that Jorge came back with Vince."

A feeling of hope ran through her head. "How far are you?"

"Gally said it's twelve blocks, so you shanks better get moving."

"Copy." She hung up and placed the walkie back in her pocket, then getting her gun ready. "Okay, let's get out of here!"

So everyone prepared themselves for the battle they were about to get in the middle of. Then, they all headed into the smoke and fire.

The fighting from both sides became more violent with each block they crossed over. Everyone had their share in firing guns and physical fighting from WICKED soldiers. The sweat and blood ran down their faces, hair and clothes glued to their bodies. The group did all that they could to keep going and to have each other's backs. They had to stick together until the end, no matter how chaotic the situation was getting.

"Are we almost there?" Sonya asked, panting while everyone kept running. "Please tell me we're almost there..."

"Let's hope so!" Beth yelled over the madness around them.

"Wait, is that Thomas? What's he dragging?" Aris questioned, pointing in the distance.

Sure enough, Thomas was going across the street as he was barely holding on to another body. The grunts and the weak in his arms were visible from afar. "It's Newt," Piper muttered. The group watched as they both fell to the ground, with Newt not moving.

"We have to go help them!" Maeve protested.

"Thomas?"

Everyone froze at the sound of Teresa's voice echoing all over the city, making it seem like the chaos around them came to a halt.

"What is she doing now?" Beth asked in annoyance.

"Can you hear me, Thomas?" Teresa spoke up again. "I need you to listen to me. I know you have no reason to trust me." There was a slight pause, then she went on. "But I need you to come back. You can save Newt. There's still time for him. There's a reason Brenda isn't sick anymore. It's your blood. Do you understand? She isn't sick, because you cured her. She doesn't have to be the only one. All you have to do is come back and this'll all be finally over. Please. Just come back to me. I know you'll do the right--"

The street lights all of a sudden went out and lights from buildings appeared. Thomas was standing up now, looking confused at what decision to make.

"Do you think he'll go back?" Lillie questioned.

"If he really cared for Newt, he'd do it," Maeve commented, shaking her head as a few tears came down her face. "We can't keep going on like this."

All of a sudden, they spotted Newt as he slowly stood up and turned toward his friend. The looks of horror came over them as they saw him. While they were a bit far from him, seeing the veins snake around his face and his dead expression told them all what happened to him.

He was a Crank now.

All of a sudden, Newt lunged for Thomas.

"No!" Piper shouted, her feet taking off with no second thought. She ran as fast as she could, hearing her friends yelling after her.

"Piper, this isn't your fight!" Beth yelled. "Let Thomas handle it!"

Piper couldn't listen to Beth, because something inside her was telling her to go help him. Leaving Thomas there to deal with a Newt who was no longer himself was not an option. Newt became a friend and an ally not just to her, but to her friends as well.

"Newt!" She grabbed him, trying to get him away from Thomas, but he was stronger as he shoved her on the ground. His snarling startled Piper as she sat up and groaned at the pain from the back of her head.

Thomas grabbed Newt, the two tumbling all over. Newt began to pant, the blood and spit hanging off his lips, the anger taking over. "Tommy, kill me!" He then flung himself onto Thomas, knocking him over.

"No!" Piper repeated, heading over toward them. She attempted to hold onto Newt's arms as he tried to take a bite out of one of them. "Newt, stop!"

"Piper!" Aris shouted, running toward them, followed by the others.

"Newt, please!" Thomas begged, pushing Newt's body away from him.

After a struggle, Newt panted, his breathing becoming steady and his face becoming softer. Piper's friends stopped running and observed from afar. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry, Tommy."

"It's okay," Thomas whispered. "It's okay."

But just as Piper thought there was still a chance for him, Newt swung her away and grabbed the gun from Thomas' hip, pointing it to his head.

"No!" Thomas shouted grabbing the gun, resulting in the two having a battle with the weapon.

"Newt, let go!" she screamed, heading back over and putting grips on it.

"This isn't you, Newt!" Thomas cried.

"I told you I wanted you to kill--"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Piper stood there, not being able to move, her mouth open. When Thomas saw what happened, he tried to help her, but Newt pulled him back, wanting to keep going with their fight.

There was a pain that emerged from her body. Her hands were wet, looking down at the shaky palms that were now red.

It was the blood that seeped through her uniform.

As the gun fell to the ground, Piper went down with it.

~~~~~~~

A/N: Well, yeah, there ya have it.

This wasn't exactly how I was gonna do it, but I figured this was the best way to write it.

So yeah, my poor Piper is injured.

Song above is Battle Cry by Imagine Dragons.

Comment, vote, only 1 more chapter and the Epilogue left!

-A