The Scorch Trials

Chills broke out all over Thomas’s body. “Um… what?”

She didn’t pull back, just kept speaking into his ear. “No matter what happens, even if we have to go alone, you’ll take me all the way back. All the way to WICKED, to that cure you promised Jorge-he told me about it in the storage room. I can’t stay here and slowly go insane. I can’t do it. I’d rather die.”

She grabbed both of his hands in hers, squeezed. Then she rested her head on his shoulder, her nose nestled against his neck-she had to be standing on the tips of her toes. Each breath from her sent a new wave of chills across his skin.

Thomas was enjoying her being so close, but it seemed so bizarre and out of the blue. Then he had a surge of guilt, thinking of Teresa. All this was stupid. He was in the middle of a brutal and ruthless attempt to make it across a wasteland, his life on the line, his friends maybe dead. Teresa could even be dead. To sit here and cuddle with some strange girl in the dark was about the most absurd thing he could think of.

“Hey,” he said. He wiggled his hands from her grip and grabbed her upper arms, pushed her away. He still couldn’t see anything, but he imagined her there, looking at him. “Don’t you think we need to figure things out?”

“You still haven’t promised me,” she replied.

Thomas wanted to scream, couldn’t believe how strange she was acting. “Fine, I promise. Did Jorge tell you everything?”

“Mostly, I think. Though I’d already guessed it the second he told our group to go on without us and meet at the Tower.”

“Guessed what?”

“That we were going to help you get through the city in exchange for you taking us back to civilization.”

This made Thomas worry. “If you came up with that so quickly, don’t you think some of your friends did, too?”

“Exactly.”

“What do you mean exactly? Sounds like you figured something out.”

She reached out and placed her hands on his chest. “I think that’s what happened. At first I worried it was a group of longer-gone Cranks, but since no one chased us, I think Barkley and a couple of his buddies rigged an explosion at the Underneath entrance, tried to kill us. They know they can get plenty of food somewhere else, and there’re other ways to get down here.”

Thomas still didn’t understand why she was being so touchy with him. “That doesn’t make sense. I mean, kill us? Wouldn’t they want to use us, too? Come with us?”

“No, no, no. Barkley and the others are happy here. I think they’re a little more gone than we are, starting to lose their rational sides. I doubt the idea even occurred to them. I bet they just thought we were all go

Thomas let go of her, leaned his head back against the wall. She pressed in again and wrapped her arms around his middle.

“Uh… Brenda?” he asked. Something wasn’t right with this girl.

“Yeah?” she mumbled against his chest.

“What are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you think it’s a little weird how you’re acting?”

She laughed, such an unexpected sound that Thomas thought for a second she’d succumbed to the Flare-become a full-blown Crank or something. She pulled away from him, still chuckling.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she said through a schoolgirl snicker. “Guess we came from different places, that’s all. Sorry.”

“What do you mean?” He suddenly found himself wishing she’d hug him again.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said, her merriment at his expense finally subsiding. “Sorry for being so forward. It’s just… pretty normal where I come from.”

“No… it’s okay. I… I mean, good that. I’m good.” He was glad she couldn’t see his face, because it must’ve burned so red she’d start laughing all over again.

He thought of Teresa then. He thought of Minho and the others. He had to take control. Now.

“Look, you said it yourself,” he said, trying to pump confidence into his voice. “No one chased us. We need to go back.”

“Are you sure?” She had a suspicious tone.

“What do you mean?”

“I could get you through the city. Find enough food to take with us. Why don’t we leave all of them? Make it to this safe haven place on our own?”

Thomas wasn’t going to have this conversation. “If you won’t come back with me, fine. But I’m going.” He put his hand against the wall to guide himself and started walking in the direction from which they’d fled.

“Wait!” she called out, then caught up to him. She grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers, now walking alongside him, hand in hand like old lovers. “I’m sorry. Really. I just… I think it would be easier to make it through with fewer people. I’m not really great friends with any of those Cranks. Not like you and your… Gladers.”

Had he said that word around her? He didn’t remember, but anybody could’ve at some point without his noticing. “I really think as many of us as possible need to make it to the safe haven. Even if we do get past the city, who knows what’ll be next. Maybe then we’ll really want numbers.”

He thought about what he’d just said. Did he really only care about having numbers in the end so they’d have a better chance to be safe? Was he really that detached?

“Okay” was all she said in response. Something had changed in her. She seemed less confident. Less in charge.

Thomas took his hand from her grip, coughing into it as an excuse. He didn’t reach out for her again when he finished.

They didn’t talk for the next few minutes. He followed her, sensing her even though he still couldn’t see. After several turns, a light appeared up ahead, brightening quickly as they approached.

It turned out to be sunlight, pouring down from jagged holes in the roof-the aftermath of the explosion. Massive chunks of rock and twisted pieces of steel and broken pipes blocked the way to where the stairs had been-and it looked like climbing over the wreckage would be dangerous. A haze of dust clouded everything, making the rays of sunshine appear thick and alive, motes dancing like gnats. The air smelled of plaster and something burnt.

They were also blocked from the stash room with all that food, but Brenda found the two backpacks she’d brought out earlier.

“Doesn’t look like anybody’s here,” she said. “They didn’t come back. Jorge and your friends might’ve even gotten back up and outside somehow.”

Thomas didn’t really know what he’d been hoping to find, but at least one piece of good news was obvious. “No bodies, though, right? No one died in the explosion?”

Brenda shrugged. “Cranks could’ve dragged their bodies off. But I doubt it. No point.”

Thomas nodded, as if solidifying her statement, holding on to it. But he had no idea what to do next. Did they go through the tu

“We have to go through the Underneath,” Brenda a

“And if they’re down here we’ll find them, right?” Thomas asked. “These tu

“Right. Either way, I know Jorge will have them moving toward the other side of the city, toward the mountains. We just have to make it so we can meet up and keep going.”

Thomas looked at Brenda, thinking. Maybe only pretending to think, because he really had no option than to stick with her. She was probably his best-maybe only-bet of accomplishing anything other than a quick and horrible death at the hands of long-gone Cranks. What else could he do?