Chapter 9

Thomas and Minho led the way. Thomas held the Launcher while Minho had the clippers in case they had to cut through the forest. Jorge was navigating with the map while Brenda took the rear. The rest of them fell in between, wielding various weapons.

The woods became vaster as they pushed further toward the outside of the Safe Haven. After five miles they took a short break. The terrain beyond appeared to be untamed, dangerous. Thomas reasoned it couldn't be worse than the treacherous terrain of the Scorch.

They sat down as they ate. Thomas found himself staring back at the Safe Haven. When they first arrived, he thought they were finally safe. He had wanted to believe that so badly that he foolishly pushed away any suspicions he might have had, including those pertaining to Brenda. She seemed to know something he didn't. Instead of investigating, they kissed on the hill as they clung to naive beliefs.

He turned his head, eying Brenda closely. He wondered what she wasn't telling him that day. He glanced away from Brenda and finished his food. He got up and brushed off his pants before heading over toward where Minho sat alone.

"Need to show ya something." Thomas spoke gruffly.

Minho stared at him, unfazed. He finished his own food silently and followed Thomas away from the group despite the curious gazes of those left behind.

He crossed his arms across his chest, waiting impatiently for Thomas to start speaking.

Thomas cleared his throat, "We need to talk more about alliances. I kept thinking about Brenda and the stuff I mentioned earlier." He started.

Minho narrowed his eyes slightly. "Is there more? What else is there?"

Thomas explained everything he knew about and the questions he had. There were plenty of holes in her story. After he finished, he went quiet. Silence fell between them; he could see the wheels in Minho's head churning.

Finally, he broke the silence. "Yeah something seems suspicious about her and that shuckhead Jorge. I never did trust those shanks." He shook his head slightly.

"We need to keep an eye on them. Along with Gally, Aris, Sonya, Harriet, and your boyfriend Jake." Minho scuffed. "This is our crew to stop WICKED? The only shank I trust other than you is Frypan. We should have gone alone." He stated.

"He is not my boyfriend!" Thomas snapped, gritting his teeth.

Minho smirked and rolled his eyes.

Thomas shot him a glare before continuing. "Sonya wouldn't betray us. She's Newt's sister. Besides, we both know that Harriet, Sonya and the rest of group B were manipulated into thinking they had to kill me. That whole situation was WICKED's doing. I trust them." He told him.

Minho wrinkled his nose as he seemed to consider what Thomas was saying. "Good that." He stated. "But that doesn't mean I trust the other shanks. What if all of them are secretly working with WICKED and we are being lured into a trap?"

Thomas frowned. Gally himself had mentioned a mole. Did he say it to mislead him? He rubbed his temples with his fingers. "I know, I know...but if there is any way he's there—" He trailed off.

Minho's expression softened. "I know, man. I know. We can't take the chance." There was determination in his voice. He and Newt were practically brothers.

"Guess we will see. Keep your gun handy. Remember, traitors are shot on sight." An edge of fury was evident in Thomas' voice.

Minho nodded his head. "Well enough chattin' like a couple of hens. Time to get moving. And guess what? I get the launcher and you get to clear all the klunk in our way!" He smirked at Thomas.

Thomas rolled his eyes, but he was smirking too, despite the grave nature of his own words just moments before.

"Good that." He agreed before turning and heading back to the group.

Thomas ignored the questioning glances from the others and led the way into the untamed forest. It was as unruly as it looked from afar. They made their way slowly through the woods. It was much worse than when he had to cut vines to leave breadcrumbs in the maze. He ended up taking a break after a few hours so that Minho could take over. Brenda held the launcher despite Thomas' hidden reservations.

Only a few hours passed before the sun started to wane and their exhaustion became evident. Once it was established that they needed to stop for the night, they built a fire, settled in, and ate.

No one felt like talking. There was a glumness that held in the air around them. Thomas wasn't sure if it was the depth of the forest that they slowly trekked through or the mission itself. Thomas wondered how they were going to succeed. He knew how powerful WICKED was before and if they were still riding around in Bergs there was no doubt in his mind that they still were.

After dinner, they sat around staring at the fire. One by one they headed to bed. Thomas found a spot on the ground to sleep on and drifted off quickly.

His dreams winded through more of his old memories. They whisked by him quickly, yet somehow, remained vivid in his mind. He saw Minho freaking out after getting the device put in his head, the first time he was shown the maze, and the horrors of the Crank pit. It was met by a silent darkness that was deafening.

Then he was sixteen again. He finalized his plan to go into the maze with his memories intact and escape with the other Gladers. He was done being a lab rat. Ava Paige had agreed to them going in with their memories, none the wiser to their escape plans. Or so he thought. Thomas saw himself in the exam chair, stricken with fear at the realization that he was drugged.

He watched his past self as the bubbles popped just as they did before. His history, erased. The emptiness enveloped him like a blanket that didn't give him any warmth. Every memory he lost made him colder inside until he was shivering. Then his body was consumed by shocks of agony he didn't recall experiencing before. It happened repeatedly but most of the words were blurred even now.

'What is your name?' It was Randall. The name came rushing back to him causing chills to run down his spine.

'Thomas.' His tiny voice had replied. He didn't look older than five.

'I don't believe you.' Randall retorted.

Blinding pain pounded through his skull. What did it mean? His brain was itching to know yet it filled him with dread.

The surges of agony kept coming in waves. Then it abruptly stopped. His memory cut to the griever as it crept closer to child-aged Minho while strapped in a chair. Thomas was shouting.

Pain shot through him. He was five again.

'What's your name?'

'Thomas.'

'Do you have any other name?'

'No. Only Thomas.'

'Has anyone ever called you anything else?'

'No. Only Thomas.'

Will you ever forget your name? Will you ever use another?'

'No.'

'OK. Then I'll give you one last reminder.'

Another jolt ran through him, consuming him.

Thomas. Thomas. Thomas. My name is Thomas. It whispered everywhere at once.

Thomas jolted up abruptly, sweating, and haunted. He gasped for breath as though he was drowning. He could still hear the repetitive mantra running through his mind. Tears stung his eyes as he flipped on his torch and staggered to the darkness of the fire pit. He turned off the light after he sat down, staring into the emptiness of the stack of wood that once stood aflame. For the first time in over three years he allowed himself to fully break down and cry.

He didn't stop, even when Jake came over, their torches illuminating them both.

"Are you OK?" He asked tentatively as he sat beside Thomas.

He glared at him. "No shuckface, I'm not." He retorted.

Jake went silent for a few moments. It infuriated him more than when he spoke.

"I dreamed of my childhood that you helped make me remember. Thanks so much for that." His tone dripped with sarcasm.

"Look I—"

"Save it." Thomas interjected. "It sucks that you were rounded up by WICKED and put in that shuck maze, but it pales in comparison to those of us raised in their facility. I was better off without the memories." He spat venomously.

"I get it. You have shit memories. But they are also useful. That's what Aris and Gally both said. There is worth to them. It's important." Jake insisted.

A fury built up inside of him; his insides felt like the lightning storm back in the Scorch. He could feel it pulsing through every vein in his body. Jake started to speak again but Thomas couldn't hear him.

Thomas tackled the man to the ground, pinning him down with his weight. His fists swung wildly at his face. His knuckles stung in pain as he made contact, but he didn't care. Then in a heartbeat; the tides turned, and Thomas found himself on his back, an explosion of pain bursting through his jawline. Jake had rolled on top.

Thomas let out a grunt of frustration, spitting out blood as he shifted his weight to get back on top. Jake maneuvered his body in attempt to regain the upper hand. Soon they were rolling around on the ground and swinging aimlessly at each other whenever they could. Thomas knew he had to tip the odds in his favor. As Thomas shifted back on top, he shifted his legs so that they pinned Jake's arms down at the elbows. Jake quickly held onto Thomas' forearms, grasping for any semblance of control. Thomas kept a strong hold as his fists contacted Jake's face repeatedly.

"Shuck your greater good klunk." He snarled out.

An unexpected guttural outcry erupted from Jake as he bucked his weight slightly sideways as his feet grasped hold of Thomas'. With Thomas' weight slightly off kilter, Jake shifted his weight to roll himself on top again.

Jake panted heavily as he wreaked havoc on Thomas' face, the spikes of agony reminded him of his dream.

Thomas spat more blood on the ground as he retained his ground and pulled on top again. His hands wrapped around Jake's neck as he choked him. He heard Jake desperately gasp for air from under him, but Thomas didn't stop. The other man's body flailed about, trying to break free but Thomas' grip was too strong for the man who was quickly losing air.

Just as the man lost his ability to remain conscious, something in Thomas' mind clicked. He was killing him. He faltered as he shot Newt again in his mind's eye. His hands quickly slid off his neck. He leaned forward, his head resting on Jake's chest as he sobbed.

Jake's body froze beneath him. For a moment, Thomas thought he was too late, and he was dead. Then he felt Jake's hands run through his hair.

"Thomas." He spoke breathlessly.

Thomas brought his head up, sobs ceasing as abruptly as they began, the way he said his name triggering something deep inside of him. His heart pounded as he pulled himself up, so he was eye level with Jake as he straddled him. Thomas lunged forward as his lips attacked the other man's fiercely, blatantly ignoring the piercing affliction of his injuries. Jake hesitated a moment before meeting Thomas' lips roughly in return.

The taste of metal filled his mouth. They were both bleeding. It didn't stop Thomas from pursuing his lips hungrily. He was a man possessed by lust.

Jake groaned as his hands glided down Thomas' sides and slid his hands under his shirt. He gasped at the touch on his bare flesh, an instant tent pitching in his pants.

"Jake." He said breathlessly into his lips.

Jake responded by grinding slowly against him; his own hardened member pressed against Thomas' as his hands ascended upward to his bare chest. Thomas grabbed hold of Jake's ginger locks, causing an outcry to escape the man's lips.

Thomas froze as someone loudly cleared their throat. Jake didn't seem to hear as his lips kissed down his jawline. He moaned despite himself, tilting his head back to give better access.

Someone cleared their throat again as they shined the light of their torch on them. This time, Jake froze too. Thomas slowly pulled himself off of Jake, finally feeling the full weight of their fight. He groaned loudly. His whole body ached, but it was his face that throbbed the most. He managed to sit up with some difficulty. Jake didn't move much as he laid on the ground.

Thomas' eyes widened as he faced the rest of the group. He opened his mouth, only managing to sputter a bit. He turned his head to spit more blood out of his mouth.

"The shuck? Are you trying to wake the whole forest you dumb shanks?" Minho hissed our angrily.

Thomas had no idea how to answer that. He turned to Jake, frowning as he managed to help the man up to a sitting position. In the light Thomas could see him reach for the bridge of his crooked nose and squeeze. His shirt was covered in blood. He glanced down. So was his. In the heat of the moment he barely noticed blood other the metal taste of his kisses.

"I guess you forgive him then, huh, shank." Gally's raspy voice cut in.

"Seriously?" Brenda added.

"You two are shucking idiots. We can't do klunk in the middle of the night so we will look at your injuries in the morning." Minho shook his head in dismay.

"Try not to make a bunch of noise and get us killed." Brenda snapped angrily.

"Sorry…" Thomas replied in a muffled voice.

Jake grunted. He hoped it was the same sentiment.

"OK then. Good night. Come on everyone to bed. Now!" Brenda barked at everyone else.

"Yeah, shanks. Now!" Minho mirrored.

Thomas struggled to his feet and then reached down to help up Jake. The man eagerly took his hand. Thomas pulled him up to his feet.

"Sorry." Thomas said quietly.

"'S'ok." He got out. "I had a few of the hits coming."

"Me too." Thomas agreed as he took a few steps forward, gently kissing various spots on Jake's face.

"Better than first aid." Jake said, a smile in his tone.

"Mmhm. Let's go to bed before the mob returns." Thomas took a step back, his hand intertwined with Jake's and led him to a spot to sleep. Once they both laid down, Thomas pulled him in and held him close for the rest of the

night. With Jake in his arms; the excruciating pain seemed to lessen somehow.