I Know Places [Thomas The Maze Runner] (ongoing)

[46: The Train Car]

"Let's go," Thomas suggested, grabbing one of the rungs on the ladder closest to him.

"Hey!" Vince called out, stopping Elle and Thomas. He squinted, pointed at the sky, "Berg!"

Elle smirked. "Wonderful." She sighed happily.

When the berg lowered gun ports and aimed them at Jorge and Brenda's truck, Thomas turned on the walkie-talkie and warned them, "Hey, Brenda, you got company!"

Shrieking and latching onto the ladder for dear life when the berg open-fired, Elle watched Jorge skillfully evade the bullets and lead the berg away from the train.

"You guys are on your own," Brenda's voice crackled over Thomas's walkie-talkie. "Don't let my girl die," she advised. Elle grinned.

Thomas replied, "Good luck!" He turned to Elle and Vince with a determined expression on his face. "We gotta move. Come on!"

Since there were only two ladders and three of them, Vince let Elle climb up first and followed closely behind as Thoma ascended the second ladder. "This is insane," Elle said when she reached the top of the train. It was larger and wider than the old Jeep, which made her feel steadier on her feet.

After grabbing her handgun from her thigh holster, Elle led the way and jumped from one train car to the next. She could hear her boots thudding on the train below her as she jogged across the top of the train cars. Vince and Thomas trailed after her, nervously eyeing the approaching WICKED soldiers. When they reached the middle of the long line of train cars, Vince dropped onto the platform at the end of the fifth car.

"Give me the bag!" Vince requested, catching the satchel of Jorge's homemade explosives when Thomas tossed them down.

Elle held her position, pointing her handgun at the soldiers running their way. "Go!" she told Thomas when he didn't move. He hesitated; Thomas was supposed to join Vince at the lower platform and shoot at any incoming soldiers, but he didn't feel comfortable leaving Elle on the roof by herself. "What are you doing?! Go, Tom!"

A WICKED soldier yelled, "Shoot!" and Thomas cursed, jumping down beside Vince as they fired at Elle. She aimed and fired back, hitting two WICKED soldiers and flinching when one of their bullets ricocheted off the train less than an inch beside her foot.

Vince attached the explosives to the railroad coupling that connected the train cars. "I told you not to do anything stupid," he muttered to Thomas.

Thomas winced at the irritated look Vince sent him. "I know, I'm sorry," he yelled, stepping onto the next train car and aiming his gun at the WICKED soldiers above him, firing as they neared. Elle covered Vince and Thomas, shooting at or near the soldiers so they'd duck for cover or fall off the train car.

"Come on down!" Vince waved Elle down as he finished wrapping the explosives around the coupling. Trusting Thomas to cover her, Elle dangled her feet over the edge of the train and jumped onto the platform beside Vince.

Thomas fired several warning shots to halt the WICKED soldiers. "Vince?" he asked worriedly, unsure how long he could keep them away.

Fastening the explosive securely, Vince looked at Thomas and nodded. "We're set! Cover your asses!" he declared.

Thomas tucked his gun into the back of his waistband as the WICKED soldiers regrouped and jumped onto the closest train car. They shouted, "Go, go, go!"

Elle fired at them while Thomas crossed over to their train car, and Vince pulled the safety pin out of the explosives. "Take cover!" Everyone scrambled to the sides of the train, hanging from ladders as WICKED shot at them.