Shortest chapter I've written in a while. This is really just a filler to show you where the Gladers are at in their adventure.
Just up ahead, a dark figure steps out form behind a building, hair flowing behind her like a shadow. Common sense tells me that the person's hair is too dark. The other part of me is telling me it's Louisa, and that she's okay, and alive, and not dead. But common sense wins out as I see the hope on Thomas' face.
" You think it's Teresa? " Newt asks, sending a sidelong glance at Thomas. The figure does look like Teresa. It's not that I don't like Teresa, I do. It's just, I love Louisa. Is it a bad thing to hope that she's okay and standing in front of us instead of Teresa?
I shake the thoughts off. Louisa will be okay, but she doesn't love me. I know she doesn't. She doesn't look at me the same way she looks at Newt. When they got into that argument, I saw the look on her face when Newt practically said he didn't love her. I could almost hear her heart cracking inside her chest. Newt should appreciate Louisa, especially considering all she's been through. She needs someone to be there for her, even if it's just a friend. I mean, she lost her family. Then she saw them hanging from the ceiling. Nobody deserves to be left alone after seeing that. And now, she's gone.
" No clue. " Thomas says, but I can see that he wants it to be her.
I clap my hands together. " Okay, then, who wants to go meet this nice young lady? " I ask, trying to keep everything lighthearted.
" I'll do it, " Thomas says, a bit loudly.
" I was just kidding shuck-face. Let's all go over there. " I glance at the building, " She could have an army of psycho girl ninjas hiding in that shack of hers. "
" Psycho girl ninjas? " Newt repeats, an edge in his voice. He's been like this ever since he found out he has a sister. I honestly wished he'd never found out. Then Louisa wouldn't have stormed off, gotten taken, and she's alone somewhere thinking about Newt and what he's done to her. What if she's being tortured again?
" Yeah, let's go. " I start walking forward. I really just want to see if it's Louisa or not.
" No! " Thomas raises his voice and I stop walking, " No. You guys stay here—I'll go talk to her. Maybe it's a trap. We'd be idiots to walk right into it. "
" And you aren't an idiot for wanting to waltz over their by yourself? " I ask, just to tease Thomas. I'll let him go by himself on certain conditions, but the reason why he wants to go is so obvious that it's funny he's trying to hide it.
" Well, we can't just walk on by without checking it out. I'll go and call for help if anything happens . "
I pause and think about it for a long moment. " All right, go. Our brave little shank. " I whack Thomas on the back and he stumbles forward.
" This is bloody stupid, " Newt takes a step forward, " I'll go with him. "
" No! " Thomas snaps, " Just. . . let me do this. Something tells me I need to be careful. If I cry like a baby, come save me. "
Before anyone could object he takes off in a fast walk towards the building and the girl. Then I turn to Newt and glare at him.
" Did you think it might be Louisa? " I snap, " Is that why you wanted to go? You don't deserve to see her. Not after what you did. "
" I didn't do anything! " He raises his voice, then lowers it as he realizes who could be listening in from that shack over there. " She lied to me. "
" To protect you! Did you not hear her say that? "
" I heard her loud and clear. " Newt growls, and I resist the urge to punch him. If he knows she did it do protect him then why would he still be pissed at her? " What would you do if she lied to you? "
" I don't know. She never has. "
Hurt flashes across his face but he quickly masks it with his rage.
" I just don't get it, " I say, " If she loves you, then why would you hurt her like you did? "
" I didn't hurt her. She's fine. She always is. " Newt crosses his arms over his chest, and I'm baffled by how oblivious he is. How could he think that? Louisa has never been okay. She's barely managed to scrape by with her life. I was selfish when I was in the Maze. Then she came along, and I felt like I would give anything to make her happy. I didn't even know her. She said that the first time we met, I called her fat and she punched me. I don't doubt that actually happened. I don't know what happened after that, but if I was mean to her, I regret it. That means Newt should feel guilty for what he did.
" Guys. Shut up, " Frypan says, " Louisa doesn't need either of you. She's perfectly capable of handling herself. "
He…. he has a point.
" Personally, I wouldn't blame her if she got herself to safety and left us, " Aris butts in on our conversation, " Her mom had a high standing in WICKED. Maybe she'd take her spot. "
" And how do you know this? " I ask.
He shrugs and kicks the sand. " I have my sources. "
I don't trust this shank. He knows something that he's not telling us. How does he know so much about Louisa? It's kind of disturbing actually. It's like he's a stalker. Maybe Aris has his memories and remembers Louisa from before the Maze. But every time she looked at him fear flashed across her face. It kind of reminded me of the way she looked at Reed. If Aris is doing the same thing Reed was I'll knock his fucking teeth down his throat.
Newt is about to say something when Thomas comes sprinting out of the shack, shoulders shaking. I expect him to run towards us, but all he does is sprint towards the ruined city. With a frustrated growl I take off at a sprint, knowing the Gladers will follow me. What the hell does this shuck-face think he's doing? You don't run away from the others. He should know that by now.
My lungs start to burn from breathing in the dry air. I might have inhaled some sand. All I know is my face is sunburnt and I'm a little thirsty. I'm thankful that we grabbed water and food from that facility. I can't imagine being out here without it. I haven't seen anything that you could eat. Not even a lizard. This place would be devoid of life if it weren't for the Cranks. I don't even know if those would count as living.
I expect Thomas to stop when he gets pretty far away, but he keeps running. I briefly wonder what's wrong with him, but I shake the thoughts off and focus on keeping my footing in the sand.
He doesn't stop running for two hours.
….
" What the hell you stupid shank! " I yell when Thomas finally comes to a stop. We ran for the rest of the morning, the torrential sun beating down on our backs. Even with the sheets wrapped around us, I can feel the sunburn creeping up on my arms. Everybody else looks just as bad.
" Sorry, I just… " He trails off, and I feel my face flush with anger.
" You just what? " I ask, " You left us to run after your dumb ass, not knowing what's going on! "
I gesture to the Gladers, who are panting and hunched over. Their legs are shaking from the extra effort they put in. They aren't used to running like that.
" It was Teresa. " Thomas says, and I feel the last hope I had that it might have been Louisa crumble. Would it have been that bad if it were Louisa? No, it would've been better.
I hate myself for thinking that.
" And? " Newt manages to get out.
Thomas just shrugs. His eyes are bloodshot and red, and the tiniest bit swollen. What happened in that shack? I decide not to press it. Instead, I sit down in the sand.
" We might as well take a break. If we keep going at the rate we're going we'll reach that city tomorrow. " People follow my example and sit down. They reach inside their packs and get water and food. I'm surprised the water hasn't evaporated yet. The water must not be able to escape the containers we put them in. I grab an apple and take a bite, savoring the juiciness of it. For the hundredth time today, I wonder what Louisa is doing. Is she laughing and smiling? Or is she screaming and crying out for someone to help her? Is she with Group B?
I really hope she isn't in the Scorch. She would've been dumped out here without any food or water knowing WICKED. There wasn't any food or water missing from the kitchen when we got stuff together, so she didn't take any. If she's out here, she's probably on the brink of death. We're suffering and we have food and water. For her survival, I hope she's anywhere but here.
" What are we going to do once we get to the city? " Clint asks before peeling an orange.
" We look for WICKED officials. "
" And what about the Cranks? "
" We fight them. Just like we did the Grievers. " I say with a shrug. Cranks seem scary, but so were the Grievers. We faced them easily enough. Even Louisa survived with them in the Maze for a week. If she can handle that, then we can handle a couple of crazy people. There's no room for doubt or fear. We have to be brave, or we risk death.
" But—" Frypan starts, but I interrupt him.
" Are you guys going to start complaining like a bunch of sissies? " I say, " Because Louisa wouldn't complain. She would do anything for her survival. Even if it meant risking her life and facing a bunch of shuck Cranks. "
They all look at me like I'm crazy.
" Don't look at me like that. It's just sad when a girl is tougher than you lot. "
They all look down at their hands because it's true. Louisa is strong whether she knows it or not. Everybody respects her for that.
" He's right. " Newt says, rummaging around in his bag for something, " You all thought girls were supposed to be the weak ones—the ones that need to be protected. But they're not. The two that I've met have been the strongest shanks I've ever met. They put up with all of our crap and they always seem to find a way to survive, even without us. "
There's a hint of sadness in his tone, and I resist the urge to scoff. Sure he feels that way. That's why he keeps pushing Louisa. She isn't invincible. One day she's going to be pushed to far, and she'll break.
" She's not even here and she's still interfering with you're lives. " Aris says while shaking his head. I glare at him then turn my attention back to the half-eaten apple in my hand.
" It's because she influenced us so much in the Glade. She may not have helped us escape, but she made us feel like anything was possible when she survived a week in the Maze. " Frypan says with a light laugh. " She's faced death so many times he's probably an old friend. I don't know about you shanks, but that seems inspiring enough to me. "
Everybody falls silent after that, Frypan's words echoing in our minds. It's sad that Louisa's almost died so many times, but it just makes her a survivor. Just like us. We faced our fears every day in that damned Maze. Why can't we do the same thing here? It's just another Trial. We will survive. We always will.
" Let's go, " I say, deciding that we've had a long enough break. " I'd like to reach that city as soon as possible. "
We stand; everybody gets under their sheets. Nobody complains and nobody whines. Good. Maybe now they'll feel motivated to get something done.
As I look towards the city that's broken, I know I'll survive. I don't need petty insults to get me determined.
I simply want to survive.
I hope that was good enough. In my opinion, it wasn't that bad, but it also wasn't that good. I just got excited thinking about the next few chapters, especially the next two or three or six. I've got quite a few planned out.
{ Review Responses }
NorangeKat722 ~ Thank you. Your story just needs more detail, thats it. It's got a really good concept. Also, thank you so much! I have a plan to get the book I'm writing self-published.
Chipmunk1123 ~ I agree actually. It's just Nandini's immaturity shining through right now.
Guest, AKA Swagmaster5000 ( yes I knew it was you even before you messaged me ) ~ pterodactyl noises are different. But cool.
{ End of Review Responses }
GUESS WHAT? I finished the summary for that Adventure Time Fic. Here it is:
Fionna's life has some sense of normalcy. She has a job, an apartment, and friends. Then her brother shows up, asking questions and tempting her to join him. Each time she refuses, but what happens when he threatens the lives of her closest friends and new found acquaintance, Marshall Lee? Will she give in, or stay true to her humanity?
Check that out December 1st if you want to. It's AU, so the plot of the actual TV show has no influence on it.
I'm going to go get started on a chapter. I don't know which story yet, but it will probably be this one. Sorry for the okay chapter, but it needed to go out. I'm sorry.
Have a good day, evening, night, morning, afternoon!