ACT II SCENE XIV
SYLEUS
THE CRANKS HOOTED AND HOLLERED HAPPILY. Minho took a step forwards, looking like he was about to maul the man right where he stood. Then the clean-looking girl suddenly stepped between them, holding a blade right at Minho's throat and drawing a bead of blood.
Cassandra's reaction was instantaneous.
She dropped to the ground quickly and swung her leg out in a sweeping arch. It caught the girl by surprise, causing her eyes to widen as she lost her footing and fell backwards. Cassandra was on her, grabbing her arm roughly and stealing the blade from her hand. She pinned the girl to the ground with a knee on the back and twisted the arm around until she was crying out in pain.
Someone whistled behind her.
"You wanna try that again, shuckface?!" she yelled angrily then looked up at Jorge. "Threaten him one more time and I'm not gonna play nice anymore!"
Thomas groaned. "Cass, that's enough, let her go!"
The girl squirmed beneath her and Cassandra growled before reluctantly stepping off again. She held both knives in her hands, pointed at both Jorge and the girl as she scrambled to a stand with a disdainful look on her face at Cassandra.
"She's a spitfire, isn't she?" Jorge commented while feigning a smile. "I wonder what she'll sound like when I'm done with her."
The Cranks snickered menacingly on the side, some of them holding up their weapons and looking delighted at the idea. She threw a glance at them and Minho took a step forward again. A few of the Gladers rushed up to hold the both of them back.
"Stop it, you bloody lunatics!" Newt exclaimed.
"Cass, you're ruining our plan," Thomas hissed in her ear and she blinked, turning to look at him with a puzzled expression. His eyebrows furrowed briefly and she slowly lowered her arms.
"Sorry," he then said loudly to Jorge. "They won't do it again, I swear."
The man grunted just as the girl threw Cassandra a glare that could rival her own.
"So here's the plan," he started again. "Brenda and I will escort these moochers to the stash, let 'em eat up. Then we'll all meet on the Tower, let's say noon on the dot. We'll bring lunch for the rest of you."
"Why just you and Brenda?" the biggest muscle of the group asked. "What if they jump you again? There's eleven of them to two of you."
Jorge narrowed his eyes scornfully. "Thanks for the math lesson, Barkley, seems like you forgot who saved your dumb asses in the first place. Now shut your flappin' lips and lead everybody to the Tower. If these punks try anything again, Brenda will slash Mr. Minho and his girlfriend to tiny bits while I beat the living hell out of the rest of 'em."
Cassandra's lips twitched into a scowl as she resisted the urge to tackle the man too.
"Fine. But if they do jump you and slit your throat, we'll get along just fine without ya," Barkley retorted.
"Thanks for the kind words, hermano. Now get, or we'll have double the fun on the Tower."
There was a bark of laughter before Barkley started down the dark corridor. He gestured for the other Cranks to follow him and they all shuffled into the shadows. Once they were gone and probably a good distance away, Jorge made a relieved face.
The girl, who must be Brenda, turned to Cassandra with a mocking expression. "That your boyfriend? He needs a girl to protect him, huh?"
"You think that's supposed to be an insult?" Minho raised an eyebrow. "You have no idea how hot she is tackling people to the floor."
Newt and Frypan groaned in dismay beside him.
"Thanks for the knife," Cassandra added, dragging the shiny blade across her lips with an affected smile. "So sharp, I like it."
Brenda rolled her eyes. "I didn't want it anyway."
Jorge sighed in exasperation. "Come on. We need to get over to the stash and put some food in you people. You all look like a bunch of starved zombies."
Minho turned to him with a dirty look. "You think I'm just gonna waltz over to have a sit-down with you psychos, then watch you tie my girl up? Don't even dare trying to lay a finger on her."
"Just shut up for once," Thomas snapped, but his eyes continued to shoot them a warning. "Let's go eat. I don't care what happens to Cass' pretty skin."
Minho squinted at him, eyebrows pulled together in revulsion, then he looked to Cassandra who sighed with complete frustration. "Whatever. Let's go."
Brenda suddenly stopped in front of Thomas, her dark eyes wide and searching. "You the leader?" she asked.
"No, it's the guy you just nipped with a knife earlier," the boy replied, looking at her in bewilderment.
The girl looked at Minho, unimpressed, then turned back to him with a smirk. "Well, that's stupid. I know I'm on the verge of crazy, but I would've picked you. You seem the leader type."
"Um… thanks…" Thomas stared at her. "I, uh, would've picked you too instead of Jorge."
"You're so sweet," she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I really hope we don't end up killing you, at least."
Cassandra exchanged a raised eyebrow with the rest of the boys. This girl must definitely be shucked in the head, utterly insane to the nth degree.
"Enough of this lovefest, Brenda," Jorge called. "We have a lot to talk about once we get to the stash. Come on, let's go."
"I like you," the girl smiled at Thomas, then followed Jorge out of the broken doors and yelling for them to follow.
They turned their eyes back to stare at Thomas who had a silly little smile on his face. He adjusted his shirt and walked across the room after the other two. Cassandra rolled her eyes; boys were just way too easy to read.
Brenda led the way to the stash while Jorge brought up the rear and they stayed within the shadows of the walls for some protection from the ungodly sun. The light reflecting off the shards of glass and metal debris sparkled in the dusty heat so that she had to shield her eyes with a hand every now and then. Soon, they came to a set of steps that led underground.
Something stirred at the back of her mind of concrete tunnels and whizzing through the dark. Emerging into a world ravaged by fire, streams of orange and red streaking past on the streets. She shook her head and the images vanished to the back of her mind once again. Subtrans, her memories recalled, some kind of transportation back then.
Brenda bounced down into the shadows and she quickly followed with a hand ready over her knife. The striking change in surrounding enveloped her instantly and a rush of cool air blew past her face as she descended. She left the blistering heat and blinding rays of light behind her, boots thumping hollowly as she walked down the narrow passageway.
Thomas and Minho came up right behind her as she followed the other girl's footsteps and they stopped by an opening. She heard Brenda striking a match from inside and an orange glow flickered in the gloom. Cassandra stepped inside after her as a small bulb came to life above them with an audible spark.
Brenda paused and looked over her shoulder and Cassandra could see the sparkle of delight in the girl's eyes.
"It's cramped in here so you and the other boys can stay out there in the hallway, find a wall and sit. We'll bring out some tasty delights for you in a sec."
She turned around to see Minho and Thomas hesitating at the threshold of the doorway. Her lips tugged up at the side as she threw them a bemused look then shrugged her shoulders to help Brenda with the food. The girl gestured her over to a stack of heavy crates pushed against the wall.
"The bottom one is the one we want," she pointed. "Come on, it'll be easier to do it together."
Cassandra nodded and went over to the other side. They grabbed hold of the edge of the crate and with simultaneous grunts, lifted it down to the floor before pushing it against another side of the wall. Brenda grabbed a crowbar and pried the top of the bottom crate open. Cassandra peered inside and found stacks of neatly arranged tins of food. Her hands reached inside and grabbed a few, cradling them in her arms.
"Thanks," she said gratefully to Brenda.
"Yeah, yeah, go feed your boyfriend now," the girl waved her off with a smile. "I'll bring more out and pack the rest to go."
Cassandra turned on her heel, picked up the candle from the floor, and exited the room to hand the food out to the Gladers. She sat down next to Minho and they peeled the tins apart with the little opener attached to the side. It was beans and sausage, which tasted pretty good to her. Probably would have tasted better served hot but she wasn't picky, especially when her stomach was suddenly reminded of how starved it had been.
Brenda came over and handed a pack full of the stuff to her, then another one to Frypan. The candle flickered in front of them on the ground as they continued to eat in silence. She could hear Brenda and Thomas talking on the other side of the door a little further down into the tunnel. The girl was telling him about how they found all the food and what happened to the world after the sun flares.
Streaks of red flying across burning streets, flames erupting from seemingly nothing.
She shook her head once more and froze when she heard a snicker. It was almost imperceptible, like stone scraping against stone in a whispery sound. Her hair stood on end and she grabbed hold of the pack next to her, pushing herself into a crouch.
"What's wrong?" Minho asked quietly, but his voice sounded off to her- as if another voice was layered on top of his. She stared at him with wide frightened eyes.
"What's wrong, Cassandra? Are you hearing things again?"
The voice laughed wickedly in her ears and her heart started to hammer against her chest. There was another scrape of stone and Jorge was darting across the passageway to Brenda.
She jumped up to her feet, heard something fizzle and pop from the direction of the stairs. Then something detonated with a loud boom and the ceiling above it came crashing down. Concrete broke and metal splintered apart as an explosion devastated its foundations. The ground beneath her feet shook and she stumbled slightly.
Jorge grabbed hold of her shoulder from behind, pointing down to the side where another passageway branched off from the main one they were in. "RUN!" he yelled in her ear and shoved her forwards. Her feet sprang across the rubble as she waved for the others to follow her. Minho and Newt were already at her side as they made a sprint for it. The other Gladers rushed after them, into the tunnel with Jorge amongst them.
"Wait!" she started and ran back. "Thomas!"
"CASS! STOP!"
Someone pulled her barely back in time as the rocks fell in front of her with a thunderous crack. She whirled around to find Newt grabbing hold of her shoulder tightly with a look of intense fear on his face. He started to pull her back down the narrow tunnel when there was a rumble that forced them to another halt.
Minho turned to look back and, for the second time in her life, she watched as he called her name out in horror just as another section of the ceiling crumbled between them.