The morning came too fast, even if he didn't sleep. Lying down on the ground next to Minho, Thomas kept his eyes opened all night long. His friend had trouble sleeping too, but eventually he snored. The roaring sound kind of soothed Thomas as he turned his words into his head.

Minho said everything was going to be alright. Thomas wanted to believe him but, really? In fact they didn't have a clue. Today, as soon as the sun would show its burning face, Sonya, Minho, and he would go away to find a city that was probably crawling with Cranks. What an irony that he was afraid of Cranks when he was maybe one of them.

Slowly, the idea crept inside his head as insidious as the disease itself. Maybe he was going nuts. He was surely going crazy… How could he still be with them survivors and munies if he didn't really belong? That was kept him awake this night, this little thought that perhaps he was living his last days as himself. As Thomas.

"What are you thinking about?" Minho asked.

Thomas jumped. He didn't notice his friend was awake too.

"Nothing."

What else could he reply? His anxiety was enough for him alone, no need to bring down Minho with it. Sighing, Thomas took a look at the deep blue sky brightening up in the east. They only had a few minutes before the sunrise.

"We should get up." he added.

"You bet. You didn't even got down, am I right?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"You didn't sleep."

That wasn't even a question. Minho knew only by looking at his friend that he didn't rest a bit during the night. Thomas could only smile apologetically and get on his feet. If they wanted their journey to be the shortest possible, they'd better go soon.

"I'm going and find Sonya." Minho said with a tired voice.

"Okay."

Thomas couldn't help but smile a little again. There was definitely something going on between those two. He tried to feel happy for Minho, yet he couldn't. It was as if a tiny grain of sand had got itself stuck into his emotions machine. Something was out of pace, out of place. He felt weird, not happy neither unhappy. He shivered, ashamed by his own feelings. Watching Minho's eyes shine when he said her name hurt him in a whole new way. He's always been on the center of his life since he met him. Maybe he was just jealous. And that definitely sucked.

They went north as soon as they were geared up. They brought a few weapons with them : wooden spears and pikes, knives made of stone and poor metal. They didn't really have anything else to use : that's what they were reduced to. There was no need to bring food with them, as there wasn't enough for the Village and they were traveling to find more. Big bags were useful though. And water. They were lucky enough to have settled near a river, but they had no guarantee they'd find drinking water on the way.

"Let's go then." Sonya announced when they reached the other end of the forest. The north one. They had walked only a few hours, crushing leaves and branches, gathering berries and looking for game. Sonya was particularly proud of her three rabbits. She was quite a good knife-thrower.

"Do you think we went unnoticed?" Thomas asked.

Minho only shrugged. "Don't know." the girl said. "Anyway, what's done is done. Can we see the city from here?"

Thomas cast a glance, then shook his head. "There isn't enough light. I'd try to take a look of the city as we're walking."

The day was awfully long and boring. They didn't talk much; partly because there was nothing to say, partly because they felt more and more tired. The sun was all but helping, even though the landscape wasn't the desert that the Scorch was. There were trees, grass, water, and none of these crazy storms they went through back in the day. Yet, Thomas couldn't say it was a pleasant journey.

They had a sight of the city since mid afternoon or so, yet it was too far to reach in a day. They took a break in the evening, finding refuge in a small town on the way. It was completely abandoned, or at least it looked like it was. There was no being too careful, so one of them was always awake to watch their surroundings. Nothing happened that night.

The new day was like the day before. They walked and walked, bored and tanned by the big bad ball of gas burning in the sky people called sun, until they reached the city that had been growing bigger and bigger in front of their eyes. Soon enough, they entered it.

Thomas couldn't read any signs. The people who lived here were clearly not speaking English, even if they used the same alphabet. Well, with some weird letters in it. The town they got into wasn't an enormous one as Thomas used to know them, but he thought it was big enough.

"You seen somethin'?" he asked Sonya with a low voice.

She lead the way, scanning the area. After a few seconds of examination, she shook her head.

"No sign of life."

"Wouldn't count on it though…" Minho added.

Thomas agreed silently as they walked along the buildings, always remaining in the shadows. Sun was already going down and if the darkness would be a great cover, it could make their scavenging mission more difficult.

The whole place was a wreck. Some buildings showed signs of fire, stone and bricks defaced by black scars. Others were so damaged, so eaten away by big holes caused by decay or bombs, Thomas wondered by what miracle they still stood. Everywhere nature had taken over: trees were growing into the malls, flowers were blooming between the cracks of the concrete, grass was showing beneath the asphalt of the road. Thomas couldn't imagine ruins to be so beautiful. And humbling. After everything humanity had accomplished, this was all that was left of it. He could almost hear the bright laughter of Mother Nature as he was entering this immense graveyard of the human civilization.

Except for the birds singing in the last rays of light, everything was deadly quiet. Thomas was careful not to step onto something that might crack: in the overwhelming silence, even the faintest noise would have sounded like an explosion. The problem with Cranks was that they weren't deaf, and in a twisted way, they weren't stupid either. Thomas hold his knife tighter as he reckoned that someday, any day, he would say "we" instead of "they". He stood still a few seconds to control his panic, eyes closed. When he opened them again, Minho was waving his hand.

He was pointing at a three-stored shopping mall, just on the other side of the street. Surprisingly enough, the building seemed less prone to crumbling into a pile of dust than some others. Sonya nodded, waiting for Thomas to do the same. He did without thinking, trusting his friends. Quickly and as swift as they could, they crossed and entered the mall. The first shops were mostly clothes and fake jewelry but their main priority was food. Sonya grabbed some t-shirts on the way eventhough the mysterious boxes included blankets and clothes. As long as she wasn't forgetting to bring food, Thomas wasn't going to say anything. Sonya was too smart to be bossed around, not to say Thomas was done bossing people. He went by her, searching for a general store further away in the mall. Of course there was one, but things weren't that easy. It's been too long since the Flare spread out. Even if this country Thomas didn't have a name for, the Cranks were there for a long time. He had been right: this city must have been scavenged through and through.

The general store was as ruined as the town outside. Items were randomly thrown on the floor, and most of the edible food was gone. This was no secret: Cranks aren't cannibal by default. They are because they're starving. If the city was theirs, Thomas was pretty sure there was no food to be found. At least, not in a shopping mall.

"We gotta get back. We'll find nothing here." he said to Minho with a deeply tired voice.

"Sure?"

Feeling sorry for being so negative yet realistic, Thomas nodded. Sonya heard him too, and agreed with a desperate sigh.

They exited the building by another entry, and decided to search the houses instead. Without even realizing it, Thomas was leading them again, crossing backdoors and rummaging through closets and basements. The strategy proved itself useful, for they left the city far from empty-handed.

The night was upon them when they decided to go back to the Village. It had fallen a few hours earlier, covering them for their little roaming around. They didn't encounter any Crank whatsoever, and to everyone, that was good news. Only Thomas thought he knew better, although he blamed it on his early Flare. When life gives you lemons, well. For once, he didn't want to succomb to his stage 1 paranoia. Maybe he should have.

Heading south, Thomas, Minho, and Sonya didn't notice they were followed.

The journey back was a lot more tiring. The sun was still being a pain in the ass, but this time they were carrying pounds and pounds of food, clothes, knives and axes. A good thing people that used to live here were quite the gardening kind. They only had a few hours break to rest before getting up again. Still affected by an acute insomnia, Thomas let Sonya and Minho sleep more than was initially scheduled and took their watch. It hurt him so much to see those two getting along so well, but what could he say? Pushing himself aside, he had kept his distance from them, trying not to think too much. That hadn't been working well.

They eventually got back to the Village, heading straight to the Council House with everything they brought with them. Jeff was there to welcome them and begin sorting the goods they found in the city.

"So, how was it?" he asked.

"Quiet. Calm." Sonya answered.

"Too calm to me." Thomas added.

"We could set patrols to be sure we're safe here." Minho suggested.

"Not a bad idea. But for now, you need to rest."

Jeffrey let the teenagers go to their cabins and turned to the bags they had left him. He had work to do, and that felt good.

Thomas went on a walk alone to the river, making sure Minho and Sonya didn't see him leaving them behind. He needed to think, even though he knew it wouldn't do him any good. Anyway, he also needed a good old bath. The afternoon was dying on the west when he reached the stream. He walked up to some rocks along the river where he hid his clothes and his nakedness. He wasn't sure someone would come here at such an hour, but that remained a possibility.

The water was icy cold and after their little trip, that clearly wasn't a bad thing. Feeling purified by such a glacial touch, Thomas slowly entered the stream, until he was completely immersed. When they were at the shopping mall, he hid something in his pockets. A tiny little thing. A precious luxury he didn't want to share. Soap. They brought some for the rest of the Village, but Thomas wanted one for himself. Just a little whim.

He lost all notions of time in that river, cleansing himself, body and soul. Thinking of nothing and everything at once, he bathed like it was a ritual. Chances were it was his last bath. He could feel the Flare working in his brains and he didn't want to go too far without a goodbye. This was his farewell to civilization. To humanity.

Or so it should have been.

"Hey Thomas!"

Minho. As always. With a quick move, Thomas tried to hide himself in the water but it was too clear to actually hide anything.

"What do you want?"

"Woah… Is that soap I'm seeing on your skin?"

Thomas retreated behind the rocks, blushing like crazy.

"You're not seeing anything, just turn away, you pervert shank!"

"Easy there! I just thought we gave everything to the Council."

"Well, you thought right. I kept it to myself. Is that a crime?"

Minho frowned. "Of course not. Don't be so touchy."

Silence fell, awkward and uneasing.

"Are you gonna stay here?" Thomas asked.

"Ok, I'm getting it, I'm not welcome here!"

"No you're not!"

"I guess I'll just wait a few yards away."

It was Thomas' turn to frown.

"Why? Just go back to the Village."

"No. I'm too worried about you to let you alone. You've been looking as if you're ready to run. To where, I don't know, and I don't want to."

"When the time is right, I'll have to go." Thomas said with a stern voice.

"Oh please Thomas, you don't have it." Minho couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"How can you know I don't?"

"Because you're immune, you shuck-face!"

"We don't really know that!"

Doubt passed upon Minho's face, and Thomas was too anxious not to notice it.

"You don't know." he added.

"Ok, I don't know for sure." Minho admitted. "But I know you're not okay, Flare or not. And I'm not letting you alone. Not this time."

"What are you talking about?"

Minho made an absolutely magnificent bitch-face.

"Did you mean 'who' I'm talking about?"

"Oh please shut up. You ruined my day." Thomas growled back.

"You shut up. You're ruining my life."

The harshness in Minho's voice was like a slap in Thomas' face. He stood paralyzed, mute, and looking a little dumb. His friend turned away and took a few steps before sitting on a rock, showing his back at him.

"Ok, I got it. You're not leaving without me." Thomas whispered.

Thomas suppressed a faint smile. How could he have imagined Minho would let him go without holding him back? That night they came back to the Village together, walking side by side. It reminded Thomas of the Maze without its walls. Outside, into the wild or so it seemed, they didn't need walls. Where could they run to, anyway?

They didn't say anything as they went back to the others. They didn't feel like talking, not now. There wasn't words good enough to express what Thomas was feeling, so he kept silent.

Villagers had lit a bonfire like they did every night, only this one was merrier than the ones before. With the surprise boxes full of supplies and the surprise run to the city nearby, it was more than people would have hope. Jeffrey was announcing the building of new cabins and orchards and Yolanda was telling stories to the younger kids. Brenda sat not far away, chatting loudly with Sonya and Harriet. When they saw Minho coming back, the discussion faded away. Thomas wanted to scream but fortunately he managed to keep it inside. It was becoming a habit now.

"I think the girls want to talk to you." he only said to him.

"Maybe. I don't really care."

Thomas couldn't help but smile sadly. "You're lying. Go. I promise I won't disappear."

Minho looked at him, plunging his eyes into the brown abysses of Thomas'. Before he could refrain from it, he hugged him surprisingly tight.

"Thomas…" he started without breaking the embrace, but then fell silent.

"What?" The suspense was literally killing him.

"You know I'm taking this promise very seriously?"

"Huh?"

"Please, don't… disappear."

In his heart, Thomas knew Minho wanted to add 'like Newt', only he didn't. And as he watched him, the only person in this world he could still trust, go and greet the girls, he thanked him for it.