Chapter 3

Long after the boys' whispers died down, Thomas lay awake staring into the darkness. He eventually drifted into slumber but was jerked awake by a whisper. He looked up and saw the lovely Face smile down at him. She beckoned him out and he followed until they were out in the hall. She illuminated their path with a lantern and stopped when they were far enough to whisper. She was wearing a thin green Egyptian style dress, similar to Teresa's sleeping gown.

"I knew you were going to sleep by the door." She whispered with a grin. "You're a natural protector. Makes for a great leader." She turned away and walked into a stairwell. "Follow me." She added when he just stared after her.

They didn't stop climbing until they reached a door. She stopped and turned to face him.

"We have to be careful from here on out. We cannot talk above a whisper. I'm about to make this a lot scarier but you have to understand, there is no way to explain this and we can't bring all of you up here."

"What are you talking about?"

Face reached out and touched his face. She evened out the frown on his brow and sighed. It wasn't an affectionate action.

"Come on." She took his hand and switched off the lantern before opening the door. Leaving the lantern in the stairwell they stepped onto the roof of the building.

The moon was big and high in the sky. It struck the city like a dreamscape. Face watched Thomas's expressions as he took in the sight. The city was vast and covered in sand and debris. Far to their right, a loud clatter erupted and when he looked at where the sound was coming from, it appeared as if the buildings were moving and shifting. With another crash, a building far to their left fell to the sandy floor as if it was being pulled into the ground.

Thomas's heart raced as he tried to grasp the magnitude of their new dilemma. He subconsciously tugged on Face's hand and held her closer. She watched his face with concern.

"What the hell are you doing here?" an unexpectedly loud voice asked. They snapped their head in the direction and saw Newt standing by the door.

Quick as a snake, Face jumped at him and shoved him against the wall with her hand over his mouth. He reacted and grabbed her around the waist, spun her and shoved her back against the wall. She laughed and quickly covered her mouth with her hands.

"I knew you were trouble." Newt said in her face.

"Newt, we have to be quiet up here." Thomas whispered urgently, urging Newt to let her go. She shoved him off and ran to the edge of the roof. She scanned the horizon as Newt finally saw where they were.

"Oh my…" He started but Thomas shushed him.

Face gasped and turned to the door. She rushed them in and shut the door behind them with more effort than it took to open it. Soft thuds started coming from the door as they stood in complete darkness. His heart racing, Thomas searched for the lantern and tried to switch it on by sense alone.

When the dim light came on, Face was banging her forehead against the door. Thomas sighed in relief. She whirled around and started hitting Newt.

"Are your insane?" she cried. Thomas wrapped his arms around her waist and had to pick her up to pull her away from Newt. He stood between them as they calmed down.

"If they heard us..." She mumbled into her hands trying to calm herself.

"What did I do?" Newt asked confused.

Face glared at him.

"We were supposed to be quiet out there." Thomas answered.

"Why? What's out there?"

"Things from nightmares." Face murmured.

She stared off into the distance, horrified, as if she was seeing what she was describing. "Half metal half biological dark creatures, with many limbs of spikes, shears, and rods. They make purring and ticking noises when they move."

"We've seen Grievers before." Newt said. "We've actually killed some too."

"What? Grievers?" she came back to the present.

"Yeah, those things you just described. Grievers."

"We call them Chasers. Some times even Catchers." She smiled darkly at her own joke. "But they're not the only things that are out there. And they're not what I'm worried about."

"What else is there?" Thomas asked.

"The dead."