I hope this chapter isn't boring.

Minho's POV

Nobody seems to be able to speak. We stare at the man, nearly dumbfounded. The way he said it was so unexpected, like he's proud to be a Crank. Not that he looks like one anyway. I'd find it more likely Newt is actually a flower picking pansy than this guy being a Crank. He must not be as close to losing it as those others are. I mean, Newt's sister looked sane enough and she's a Crank.

" You people forget how to talk? " A smile spreads across his face that seems out of place in such a dank building. " Or are you scared of the Cranks? "

I can see things moving in the shadows. Whether they're Cranks or people or just animals, I don't know.

" Scared we'll pull you to the ground and eat your eyeballs out? Mmm, tasty. " He hums and shuts his eyes, no doubt thinking about the last eyeball he ate. This guy is freaking crazy. He even admitted it! We can't stay here-not with this guy lurking about. He'll eat our eyeballs with a spoon before he would help us.

" So you admit it? " I ask, " You admit your a Crank and that you're crazy? "

" He just said he likes the taste of eyeballs, " Frypan says, the voice coming from my left, " I think that qualifies as crazy. "

Jorge laughs, though the sound has a tone of menace in it. " Come my new friends. I'd only eat your eyes if you were already dead. Although, I don't deny that I wouldn't help you get that way if I needed to. Understand what I'm saying? "

His eyes scan over every single one of us, though his gaze lingers on Louisa for a little longer than I'm comfortable with. I see Newt tense out of the corner of my eye, squeezing Louisa's hand and moving closer to her.

" Not only that, but what would my dearest friend Louisa think if I ate her friends? "

My blood runs cold. Dearest friend? Just what the hell has Louisa been doing out here in the Scorch? She's injured and probably need help. Did she turn to this guy for that help? If she did, then it must've been really bad. If he did help her, then what was his price?

" How do you know her? " Newt says to the man, a daring look in his eyes and a hint of anger in his tone.

" There are a lot of things you don't understand hermano. " Jorge starts to walk closer, " You don't understand how things work in this city. About the Cranks and WICKED, about the government, about why they left us here to rot in our disease. I will tell you one thing though. A pretty thing like her doesn't last long in a place like this. "

He stops not an inch away from me. I could pummel him to the ground right now. Force the answers out of him. But for now, I watch him with a seething rage swirling behind my eyes.

" I could tell you everything. But that's not the way it's going to work, comprende? Those who are at a disadvantage are those that speak first. I want to know everything about you. Where you came from, why you're here, what in God's name your purpose could be. Now. "

I let out a low chuckle. " We're the ones at a disadvantage? Unless that lightning storm fried my retinas, I'd say there are seven of us and one of you. Maybe you should start talking. "

Oh he didn't like that. His face is blank, devoid of any emotion save for the flicker of annoyance behind his eyes. I know he isn't alone. There could be a hundred Cranks in this place for all I know. I just want to push this guys buttons—to see if I could get him to talk. He knows Louisa and I'm going to figure out why. He also knows the way around this place and as much as I don't want to admit it, we could use the help.

" You didn't just say that to me did you? " Jorge crosses his arms over his chest. " Please tell me you didn't just speak to me like a dog. You have ten seconds to apologize. "

I look over at Thomas to find him staring at me with a face that says ' Do it. ' He nods, and I smirk.

" One. Two. Three. Four. "

I don't say a thing. I'm not apologizing to this shuck face for talking to him the way he deserves. Who knows how he treated Louisa?

" Five. Six. Seven. " Jorge's voice rises with each number. I stare up at him, unflinching.

" Do it, " Thomas says, the words coming out stern and forceful.

" Eight . Nine. "

Some where in the left corner, I see a flash of steel.

" I'm sorry. " I blurt out with little feeling. I would prefer not to be gutted like a fish, thank you very much.

" I don't think you meant that. " Jorge says, kicking me in the leg, hard. I cry out as I feel a burn there sing with pain. My eyes start to water. " Say it with meaning, hermano. "

He pulls his leg back and kicks me twice as hard in the same spot. " Say it with meaning! " He screams the last word with such harshness that truly sounded crazed. Now I know for sure this guy is a Crank.

I wail like a little sissy as I grab the wound with both hands. " I'm….sorry, " I pant between pained breaths. Jorge stops, smiling and relaxed, seemingly satisfied with the pain and humiliation he inflicted.

Asshole.

I swing my arm out, slamming it into his shin. He jumps on to the other foot then falls to the ground with a yelp—a shriek that's half surprise and half hurt. I use the opportunity to get on top of him and punch him while yelling obscenities that I've only ever uttered in front of Louisa. What can I say? She brings out the best in me.

" Minho! " Thomas yells as I feel my fist connect with Jorge's face. Pain laces through my knuckles but the satisfaction I feel overpowers it. " Stop! "

I get another punch in, and another, and another. Each time I feel stronger, and his face looks worse. His lip busts under my fists and next thing I know, Thomas is tackling me. We fall to the ground but he manages to wrap his arms around me and hold me despite my struggles. Each burn that's on my chest stings as Thomas puts pressure on it, but I don't care. I have to—I have to hurt this stupid shuck face. He did something to Louisa. I know he did.

" Minho stop! " Thomas yells into my ear, " They'll kill you! They'll kill all of us! They'll kill her! "

The last one causes me to stop struggling. If Louisa dies, I won't get to see her proof. She said she loved me, but she doesn't show it. I want both of us to live long enough to show each other that. Not just say it. If Jorge can help her survive...

He staggers up to his feet, wiping a thin trail of blood from the corner of his mouth. He glowered at me. If looks could kill, I'd be dead. He takes a step and Thomas takes one back, taking me with him.

" Wait! " Thomas shouts, " Please wait! "

I notice a few Cranks emerge from the shadows, rusted weapons and wooden baseball bats in their hands. They gather behind their leader, maybe fifteen of them. Both men and women, a few teenagers. They are all filthy and dressed in tattered clothing, looking skinny and frail. Pfft. Some group of fighters Jorge has here.

" Please, just give me a minute. " Thomas says, releasing his hold on me. Jorge keeps his eyes on me, seeing if I'll make a move. I resist the urge to sneer at him. " It won't do you any good to hurt us. "

" Won't do us any good? " Jorge spits a wad of red goo from his mouth and I make an effort to keep the smug look off of my face. " It'll do me a lot of good. That, I can guarantee hermano. "

He barely cocks his head to the side, but the Cranks behind him seem to know what it means. They raise their rusted weapons and others pull another one out of it's sheath. Okay, so maybe they are a threat to us. A bigger one that I originally thought.

" Listen, " Thomas says, slowly getting up to his feet. " There's something about us. We're not just random shanks who showed up on your doorstep. We're valuable. Alive. Not dead. "

" The tattoo I found on the girl's neck when I was….. Well what I was doing doesn't matter. But that tattoo basically showed me that. Tell me something I don't know. "

A low growl resonates from the back of my throat. Thomas sends a warning look to me but I ignore it. I swear. If this guy has laid one finger on Louisa, I'll kill him.

" You and me. Ten minutes. Alone. That's all I ask. Bring all the weapons you need. "

Jorge laughs at that. " Sorry to burst your bubble, kid, but I don't think I'll need any. " He pauses then, and seconds tick by. It feels like an hour passes, but I know it' just a couple of minutes. " Ten minutes. Rest of you stay here. If I give the word, let the death games begin. But spare the girl. "

He holds a hand out, gesturing to a door on the right. " Ten minutes. " He repeats.

I watch as Thomas and Jorge disappear into the room. I turn my attention to Louisa and see Newt, still squeezing her hand but there's a rage behind his eyes. He's tense. I feel more anger flush through me as I eye their joined hands. What did he do to deserve her? He practically caused her to be like this—hurt, starving and unconscious. I grit my teeth. He caused her to run away into that room where she was taken.

I crawl the few feet over to Louisa to see that her eyes are finally fluttering open.

….

I really need some food. The clouds from the storm are fading away but quicksand has popped up in places making it dangerous to walk. I mind my steps and Lexi does too, following me as I head towards the city. I would have made it there sooner if I hadn't gotten sidetracked by a group of Cranks. I just, I thought that I might find my father there. Instead, I nearly got Lexi killed. Meat is meat. Doesn't matter if it's a beloved pet.

Lexi isn't even a pet. She's a friend—the only one that hasn't abandoned me yet.

I came out of that fight with a few scratches to say the least. Crazed, hungry people will do anything for a single bite of food. Whether it's raw or cooked, fresh or rotten, they don't care. It just has to be meat. Their bodies reject any vegetables or fruits.

Lucky for me I'm still able to get them down and keep them down. That means I still have some sort of humanity left inside me. That's one of the few things I can cling to as I wander through this desolate wasteland of shattered hope and broken dreams.

I look to my right, past the flat expanse of the Scorch and towards the mountains. The caps are topped with snow, odd considering the fact that it's smoldering down here. There are small, black dots that span across the distance; houses that people used to live in. That I used to live in before WICKED started dumping diseased people here. That's how I got the Flare.

It's all WICKED's fault.

We used to be a perfectly happy family, living next to neighbors that were our friends. As more Cranks filled the Scorch City that was only miles from our homes, people evacuated and headed towards Denver. Even my best friend fled. I don't know if he survived or what he's doing. I barely remember him, really. But in memories there is this constant face that seemed to always be smiling. His hair was blonde like Newt's, but he had the greenest eyes I can remember.

Lexi barks, startling me from my thoughts. My eyes scan the area around us, but I see nothing. All I can hear is the wind blowing the sand off of the tips of dunes and Lexi's barks. I look over at her and purse my lips. She never barks unless she has to. She's aware of the risk of causing loud noises, knows it attracts unwanted things.

Then I realize she's looking up.

My feet leave the ground. My eyes widen as I feel like I'm frozen in place. I'm pulled up and up and up until Lexi looks like nothing more than a speck in the sand. My breathing becomes erratic and I resist the urge to scream. If I fall from this distance, I'll die. What in the world is pulling me up? I don't feel anything wrapped around my body. It becomes harder to breath as the air gets thinner.

I briefly wonder if I'm being dragged up into space by God to die as punishment for killing someone. Well, Louisa wasn't the first person I let die, but that's beside the point. Tears start to sting the back of my eyes. I don't want to die. I haven't seen my brother yet. He hasn't remembered my face or the times we shared. I haven't seen the world restored. I haven't found my dad. I've done nothing but survive and run. I haven't lived yet. I haven't done anything!

The world goes black and the air goes cold. Is this it? Is this death? Who knew it could be so cold? I never wanted to die alone, but it looks like that's all I deserve.

A blinding white light fills the room. I squint my eyes and wait for my vision to adjust. Everything in here is made of metal save for the couple of beds and a pencil. There's the quiet hum of an engine and something clicks.

I'm in an aircraft. Does this mean I was kidnapped? Who the hell would kidnap some stupid kid?

Oh. Wait.

Never mind.

I'm still not able to move, not able to wipe away the tears that had spilled onto my cheeks. The door in front of me slide opens and I force myself to swallow my fear. Surely I'm here for a reason. What if it's to kill me? What if I've become a nuisance to their Trials? Oh god. Oh god.

Who was it that warned me not to mess with WICKED? Oh yea. It was my mother before she completely lost her mind. I told her I was going to go rescue Newt instead of being a princess waiting in my tower of decimated dreams. She laughed at me and told me to never go near WICKED headquarters. The very next day, I ran away. I really wish I'd listened to her. Now that I'm staring death straight in the face, everything I did doesn't seem worth it. Dying isn't worth it. What good am I to Newt dead?

" Relax. " The man says. His hair is graying and barely there, while his nose is crooked. If I weren't so scared I would've laughed. He settles in a chair, his eyes never leaving mine.

" How can I relax when I can't move? "

He ignores me. " My name's Janson. As you might've guessed, I work for WICKED. "

I roll my eyes.

" You could become a part of the Trials. " He says, putting one leg over the other and resting his hands on his knee. " If you do, you'll get the cure. That I can promise. "

Me? A part of the trials…? That just doesn't make sense. What could I do? They rejected me all those years ago because I wasn't good enough. And now they're asking me to enter the Trials? What kind of bullshit is this? I won't. Not even for a cure. I refuse to become WICKED's property.

" I'm sorry, " I say sweetly, " But, I can't agree to anything that is legally binding without a parent or guardian present. And lucky me, they're all dead. "

He narrows his eyes at me. " It isn't legally binding. You wouldn't be handed over to us like everyone else was. You will be granted freedom. Given the cure! There is no better offer. Would you rather sit in the Scorch and wallow around in self-pity because you think you killed precious little Louisa? "

" She was a bitch. She deserved it. " I try to make the words sound nonchalant and carefree, but they come out clipped.

" She's not dead. That's why I need you in the Trials! " Janson rises to his feet and strides over to me. I try to move my muscles and back away, but they're still stiff. I can't move. I'm completely at his mercy.

" You want me to kill her? " I ask, my voice catching at the end. I suffered the first time I thought I had killed her, and I deserved it. But now… She's not dead. I have a chance to redeem myself. To let her know that I was sorry for leaving her laying in the sand.

" No, " A smile grows on his face, " I want you to break her. "

But she's already broken.

" I want you to take away the one thing that provides her with hope. " He continues, starting to pace. If it weren't for this thing binding me, I would be trembling. He can't ask me to do that! It's not fair. I will never break another person. Physically, they can heal over time. But mental scars never leave us. They never fade.

" Your brother, Newt, is the one that provides her with hope. I want you to turn him against her, make him hate her. I'm sure you heard some stories about her while she was locked in our basement. About a cruel and ruthless person that wouldn't even care if her friends died or got put through the Trials. I'm sure that if you tell him that he'll hate her. "

I would've crossed my arms over my chest if I could've. " And why should I do all that? "

He stops right in front of me, his reeking breath traveling to my nose. HIs eyes pierce into mine, making my skin crawl.

" If it is not enough to want to save your own life, then I'll tell you this. Your brother has had the Flare ever since we first found him. "

My heart stops beating.

" We've supplied him with the Bliss, thus postponing the effects, but here in the Scorch we can't get it in him. I can see him losing it through the cameras in the city. Bit by bit he's slipping away. "

No. This can't be true. I can't be losing my brother. No. No. No.

" If you do this tiny little thing for me, I'll give him the cure after the Trials. " His eyes dare me to give up the chance to save my brother.

" What if he needs it before then? " I ask, my mouth dry. My brother is losing himself.

" Then he'll get it. " Janson backs up and sits in his chair again.

" How do I know you'll keep your promise? " I try to narrow my eyes at him, but the attempt is feeble. I'm to scared to do anything right now except talk. And even then my voice shakes ever so slightly.

" A deal is a deal after all. I cure your brother, and you break someone who's been nothing but a bug in the Trials. She needs to be squashed….Crushed. "

Breaking someone in exchange for my brother being cured? That's a no brainer. I'm going to save my brother. I don't care who I have to kill in order to do this. I've made it this far, there's no going back. I will see this through. I will laugh with my brother again. We will live.

I take a deep breath.

" I'll do it. "

A smile spreads across his face, wider than the one before if that's even possible.

" Good, good! " He says, standing. He walks through the door and reappears seconds later, holding a black backpack. " This contains food and water. Enough for you to survive off of. " He moves my arms to and drapes it over me; it's hanging off my shoulders and resting on my back. I cringe at the feeling of him touching me.

" Good luck. " He steps back and suddenly the floor opens up beneath me. I gasp feeling my stomach rise up into my throat. I can see nothing but the Scorch City. It's beneath me and rising closer. The wind tears at my clothes but I don't even care that the bottom of my shirt is touching my chin. The ground keeps getting closer and I'm showing no signs of stopping. I plummet like a dead bird, only my heart is beating, and it's beating fast.

I wait for myself to slow down, but I drop between the buildings at the same speed I was before, if not faster. I can see my reflection in the dusty windows, dirty, ragged with my hair whipping in the air above me. I try not to look down at the ground again, but I can't help myself.

I'm going to die.

The pavement is only about a hundred feet away. In two seconds I'll be splattered on the concrete. Maybe the Cranks will eat my remains off the road. At least then I'd be helping someone instead of destroying them.

I slow as I fall, and my feet gently touch the ground. But as soon as I land and the invisible force releases me, I fall over and dry heave. I do not like heights and I was just thousands of feet up in the air, falling without a parachute. Between dry heaves I gulp air down greedily. When I finish I collapse on the ground and close my eyes.

Then I realize I need to get off the streets. I have no doubt that I made a noisy entrance. People, Cranks, something will come after me and I'm defenseless just laying here so I stand. My legs are wobbly but they still carry me off the streets and into one of the abandoned buildings. I know I should start searching for Newt, but I'm so tired. I've hardly slept for fear of being murdered while I rested, but I should be safe in this building. My mom always said that they were the safest place and that I should go somewhere I could easily run from.

So that means go sit in the corner, right? That's what I do. I barely glance at the surroundings—it looks to be an old store, but there isn't any food left from what I can see—and I hide in the best spot I can. It's a little cramped, but it works.

I take my backpack off and hold it to my chest as I close my eyes and let myself sleep, thinking about a certain blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl. The one I'm supposed to break.

I'm so lost in the bliss of sleep that I don't hear the door open or the footsteps that follow.

I'm too busy dreaming of a world where no one gets hurt.

Is it boring when I do Nandini's POV like that? I don't know. Let me know what you think.

Also, can't Lewt ever catch a break? I mean seriously. C'mon.

I gotta reread the book again. This will be the eighth time this month I think? I don't know, I lost count.

Oh, yea. If there's any typos in this chapter its because I'm half asleep and my eyes are burning. Words are kind of blurring together right now. I should probably go to sleep.

{ review responses }

Chipmunk1123 ~ Me too. It's hard to write when your character is limited as to what she can do. I'm glad Lewt finally making up their minds make you smile. :)

GabbyKeyes9 ~ Thanks! And same.

{ end of review responses }

I didn't start this chapter until yesterday. Oops. I meant to start it after I got the last one up, but I was busy working a story idea out with a friend and it completely slipped my mind. I'm sorry. I also don't know when the next update will be, due to the fact that I have to go visit family this weekend and I have so much crap to do tomorrow and friday-which includes finding a unique dessert recipe to take to my great grandmother.

Send help.

I'm so so tired guys. Have a good day, night, morning, evening, afternoon, I'm going to sleep.