Three different POV's. Minho's, Louisa's, Nandini's.
She got herself hurt for me. And I hate it.
Lo is sick and dying, that much is obvious. We're going to have to get to the other side of the Scorch before the two weeks is up. I don't know how much longer she's going to last. She can't walk by herself and when she tries to she slows us down. As much as she hates it, she's weak and unable to do the things she can normally do.
It's now that she needs all of us the most. We've never relied on her heavily, but she knows things that we don't. I know for a fact that she does. I don't try to ask her because WICKED has threatened our lives to keep her quiet before. If that's happening again I know she wouldn't tell us. She cares about us too much.
Like what's going on between her and Brenda and Jorge.
It's none of my business if it involved her brother, but Louisa didn't mention that he was dead. I want to know. I'm tempted to ask, but she has too much on her plate already. I don't need to stress her out anymore than she already is.
I glance down at her face and see that she's asleep. She looks like she's in pain, even then. Her blonde hair is full of sand and mess from the fall and blood is on her face and neck, but I still think she's beautiful.
" Is she okay? " Newt asks, slowing down to where he's walking beside us. I try to ignore the flare of anger that pulses through me.
" She's fine. "
" This isn't my bloody fault. " He says, looking at the bandage on her leg. Blood is starting to seep through it, probably due to the fall. But she laughed. It was the most angelic sound I've ever heard. I didn't think she'd ever laugh again.
" How can it not be? " I keep my voice down, mindful of the sleeping girl in my arms. I shake my head. " I'm not arguing about this again. Own up to it and move on. "
Louisa presses her face into the crook of my neck and mumbles something about cookies.
" We just have to make sure we all survive, " Newt says, eyeing Louisa with confusion on his face, " I'm just curious as to what type of food Jorge and Brenda have. "
" Pork and Beans. Didn't you hear them? " I say, my anger simmering down. Louisa's lips are brushing my neck, making it hard to concentrate on why I was angry in the first place.
" Right now, I'd do anything for a piece of pizza or a can of beans. Either one will be bloody amazing. " Newt says and I have to agree. I'd eat anything they gave me.
Jorge walks into the building on our right, or rather, he crawls through an opening in a broken window. Frypan and Clint follow, dropping down onto the floor that seems to be six feet below because I can't see their heads. Newt drops down next and turns around, holding his arms out. I kneel and hand him Louisa then drop down into the room.
It's dusty and there are desks scattered everywhere. Chairs are overturned and papers are loose everywhere. There's a door at the other end of the room, and that's where Jorge heads as Thomas and Brenda drop in behind me. Newt carries Louisa and I start to wish I hadn't handed her to him. He already gets most of her attention. At least let me listen to her mumble in her sleep and carry her and protect her. What is she going to think when she wakes up and sees she's in Newt's arms instead of mine?
I personally hope she sleeps for as long as she needs. When I first saw her, the bags under her eyes were prominent and her face seemed hollow and nearly devoid of life. She was pale and had sweat broken out across her face. She's sick. She needs to rest now. Gather her energy for the long path to come. We all do.
I for one, and exhausted. Every muscle aches and I can feel my burns blistering. Sleeping would be nice. But I'm the leader here and these people look to me for direction. Or at least I hope they do. That's what the tattoo on the back of my neck said—that I was the leader.
We go down some stairs and into a small hallway. It's hot and stuffy in here, and it's starting to smell like rotten sewage. If Jorge expects us to eat that, I will pummel him.
Aris is walking ahead of me, but behind Newt, eyeing Louisa with distaste. I'll pummel him too.
I'll wait until I have more strength so it hurts more.
Jorge comes to a stop next to a small iron door and waves Brenda forward.
" Sit down. We'll be out in a moment with your grub. " He says as he opens the door and walks inside. Brenda doesn't follow him. Instead she stands near the door like a guard, watching us all with a bored expression. But her hand hovers near her knife. If anyone tries to move she'll gut them.
Well, everyone except Lo. When Brenda's eyes scan over us, her eyes soften when they see Louisa in Newt's arms. In fact, I'd say she looked a little sad.
I just realized how little I actually know about Louisa. I don't know anything about her except for the fact that she's depressed and stressed and headstrong. I don't know any of the details like what her favorite food is, her favorite color, when her birthday is. I don't know any of the things that truly matter.
She probably doesn't know either.
…..
I wake up with my head on Newt's shoulder. I'm sitting down on the ground, my legs out in front of me. My eyes catch Minho's, who's sitting across from me, a distant look on his face. I yawn and stretch my arms out, feeling the least bit rested. It's not like I could run a mile, but I could at least walk by myself instead of having Newt or Minho carry me.
" Here. " My gaze shifts to Brenda, who's sitting down next to me and handing me a backpack and a can of beans with a white, plastic spoon stuck in it. I grab it, casting a glance at Thomas that's on the other side of her. Their legs are touching, and I narrow my eyes at Brenda. She sees the motion and shrugs. How can she do that? She just found out her boyfriend is dead and now she's flirting with someone else. It's making me sick.
No offense to Thomas, of course.
I find that everybody has their own can and a backpack and they are chowing down on the beans. You would think they're tasting their first bite of food in a lifetime. I glance down at mine, the brown beans sitting in a murky sauce make my stomach churn. I have to eat, I know I do. But my throat seizes when I think about swallowing a single bite of it.
" Eat, Louisa. " Brenda fusses over me like a mother, or an older sister. I scowl at her.
" I'm working up my appetite. " I say, grabbing the spoon between my forefinger and my thumb and twirl it around in the beans.
" Do it faster. We have to move soon. "
With a deep breath I take a spoonful out, letting some of the extra bean juices drip into the can. Do beans even have bean juices? Or is it a sauce? Can beans expire? If this can of beans is expired I won't eat them. I don't need to get sick again.
" Stop stalling. The beans are fine. " Brenda takes a bite of her own beans and then turns and starts a conversation with Thomas. Something about the way Thomas looks at her makes me feel bad for him. Brenda can't really like him—not yet at least. The wound from losing Noah should be too big and hurting for her to think of anyone else like that.
With a grimace I shove the small spoonful of food in my mouth. I chew it slowly, the smoky flavor of the beans not really helping me get it down. Under normal circumstances, I would be perfectly fine with the flavor. Now it's an effort to keep from gagging.
" It can't be that bad, " Newt says before taking a bite of his own food. He savors it, being careful not to eat too fast and get sick.
My stomach starts to reject the food.
I clamp down on the nausea that hits me, not wanting to throw up in this small and stuffy hallway. The Familiars seem to be enjoying the small amount of food they have. I'd rather not make them lose their appetite. Frypan actually makes a face when he eats the food, like he'd rather have the delicacies we had in the Glade. But he downs the whole can within five minutes and I'm still struggling to swallow the first bite.
" There should be a water bottle in your bag. It might help you get it down. " Newt says and I nod, putting the can of beans down to rummage through the backpack. My hand wraps around it and I take a sip of the warm water, hoping it will help me but it just makes it worse. I manage to get the food down—it slides down my throat and I cringe at the feeling.
" I can't. " I say, putting a hand to my mouth while standing. " I can't "
I stumble away, past Brenda and Thomas and even further down the hall. I can feel the bile rising up to the back of my throat, the acidic taste causing my eyes to water. The smell of sewage isn't helping. The more I walk down this hallway, the stronger the smell becomes. It's making the nausea worse.
I have to brace my arm against the warm concrete of the wall and take deep breaths. My head is swimming and my stomach is flipping. I try to push the nausea down, but it doesn't work. The food I ate is pushed out of my stomach and onto the floor. My shoulders shake as I heave everything I just ate out. I can feel someone move my hair out of the way but I'm too focused on trying to stop my dinner from being spewed out and across the floor.
The first fit passes, and the second on begins. Only, all of the stuff I had eaten is gone so I dry heave, my stomach twisting into knots as it tries to force something up that isn't there. Tears form at the corners of my eyes as I keep gagging. Then it subsides and I'm left leaning against a wall that's partially covered in puke, breathing hard and shuddering.
" Dammit. " I groan as someone rubs my back. I needed that food to stay inside me. Now I'll have no energy left. None. Surviving keeps getting harder and harder.
" I'm okay. " I say, forcing myself to stand up straight. I wipe the back of my hand across my mouth, wishing for a piece of gum or a mint. The taste of smoky, acidic beans will be in my mouth for days.
" Is it really just a bite, Louisa? " Minho asks, still rubbing my back.
" Yea. It'll heal. I'll be fine. " No need to worry them more than they already are. I run my tongue across my teeth and then smile at him, as a reassurance.
He doesn't believe me.
" I promise. I'm okay. " I put the hand that I didn't wipe across my mouth on his arm and start to limp back towards Newt. He's watching us with a frown on his face but he seems like he's spaced out and lost in his thoughts. Why didn't he come over and help me? Did Minho get to it before him? Does Newt not like me anymore?
I clear the stupid thoughts out of my head. There's no reason for me to be having such doubts and insecurities at a time like this. I need to focus on surviving.
But why didn't he…?
Whatever. I can't expect him to be there all the time.
Thomas and Brenda had moved further away from the rest and are having a ' private ' conversation. Brenda catches my glare and opens her mouth to speak as we trudge past, but a sudden explosion makes a crack swim through the ceiling above us. Her eyes drift up and widen.
" Everybody run! " She yells, clambering to her feet and pulling Thomas to his. I run as fast as I can, which is nearly as fast as Minho. My leg throbs but it's either get out of here of be crushed. Another explosion shakes the building causing pieces of the ceiling to fall, nearly crushing Brenda and Thomas. The Familiars are so far ahead of us but when they hear the explosion they look over their shoulder at us just as the ceiling caves in, forcing Minho, Brenda, Thomas, and me to stop or be flattened like a pancake. The last thing I see is the desperate look on Newt's face as he turns back around and sprints towards us.
" Louisa! " I hear Newt yell from the other side of this wall of debris.
" Go! We'll find another way out. " I shout as Minho grabs my hand a pulls me away from Newt and further into the basement of this building. Brenda and Thomas are running behind us. We go through a doorway to the right as another shockwave courses through the building, causing debris to rain down and block Brenda and Thomas from following us.
" Brenda! "
" Go Louisa! Follow the hallways and enter the tunnels. They lead back to the surface. " Her voice fades as she and Thomas run away. I turn towards Minho, breathing hard and out of breath. My heart's thudding in my chest and I feel lightheaded. I have to push through this.
" We have to go. There could be more blasts and our path out could be blocked if we don't move now. " He's not breathing as heavy as me but running through a Maze all day will give you some type of endurance.
" I know, " I say, resting my hands on my knees, " Just give me a moment. "
He opens his mouth to respond but is cut off by a shrill scream that echoes off the walls of this place. A chill runs down my spine as several other voices respond with their own screeches.
I look up at Minho with wide eyes and know that the same thought is running through his mind.
We aren't alone.
…..
I stifle a yawn as my eyes open, focusing on a vacant shelf. I'm still crammed in the small corner I fell asleep in and I let out a breath of relief. I can be a particularly heavy sleeper at times, and this was one of those times. I hadn't realized I was so tired. Watching Louisa must've taken a lot more out of me than I thought.
I grab my bag and stand, stretching my muscles out as I go. I have no idea how long I've been cramped in that small area, but I can tell that the sun is long gone. The moon has taken it's spot, casting it's light into this small storefront. I can use the cover of the night to sneak between buildings and find Newt. Most Cranks don't sleep much—they just kind of collapse from exhaustion when they feel like it then get back up and continue eating people—so I'll still have to be careful.
I scan the store for any signs that someone's been here, but I find none. I nearly trip going to the front windows due to the scattered cans and empty water bottles. The street outside is empty save for the trash that rests on it, occasionally disturbed due to a wild wind that blows through. I listen carefully for the screams of Cranks but don't hear anything. I head for the door…
But I'm stopped due to a distant sound. It wasn't a scream or even the sound of someone shouting. It was the sound of an explosion.
I've never heard of that happening in the Scorch before. I continue walking until I get outside, then I creep along the side of buildings, sticking to the shadows. My mom taught me to blend into the darkness if I wanted to survive. The one time I didn't I almost got abducted by traffickers. What idiot tries to kidnap a seven year old and sell them to a sex trade? Oh, yea. Creepy, middle-aged men that have a child fetish.
Another explosion resonates through out the air, this time closer. Either whatever is happening has moved closer to me, or I've moved closer to it. It's still pretty far away though. I don't think I'll run into it tonight. Perhaps tomorrow. What is it, anyway? Maybe it's WICKED throwing a wrench in their own Trials. That doesn't make sense though. Why would they try to prevent their subjects from completing the Trials if it will give them a cure? All I know is that I'm supposed to make Louisa devoid of hope. Will I be hurting Newt in the process?
No. He can't possibly love a wench like Louisa. She may seem nice but the things she's done in the past overpowers what she's doing right now. She may not remember it but she's still that person. No one can change, no matter how hard they try.
Even if she's like a sister to me.
" Watch out! " Someone yells as I'm tackled from behind. I fall to the ground and scrape my elbow with a grunt.
" What the hell? Get off of me! " I twist and shove the person as hard as I can, making them fall against the pavement with a groan. I didn't even here him walk up to me! The way he's breathing heavily means he was running though. Was I so absorbed in my thoughts I didn't here him? I have to be more careful.
" You were about to get shot! " He yells, gesturing wildly towards a building to our right. " Excuse me for wanting to save a pretty girl's life! "
The sound of a bullet hitting metal pierces my ears, sounding like it came from right beside my head.
" We aren't safe here, " He says, standing and grabbing my hand, dragging me to my feet, " We have to go. "
He takes off in a sprint and I have no choice but to follow him, no matter how much I want to jerk my hand out of his. Who said he could touch me?
But he's leading me away from danger. Or at least I think. He could be leading me towards a trap.
When he turns down an alley I yank my hand out of his and slow to a stop. A piece of red brick crumbles from the building and to the ground as he stops and looks at me, with a confused look on his face. Then he narrows his eyes and walks closer to me and I take a step back.
" Take one more step and I'll gut you like a fish. " I snap.
He laughs and the confused look dissipates into a smile.
" You've changed a bit, Nandini. " He takes another step towards me and I reach in my pocket and draw the small pocket knife out of it.
" Who are you? " I growl as he keeps walking towards me. I can't back up anymore for fear of being in the line of that gunman's fire.
" You don't remember me? " He asks, putting a hand on his heart, " I'm hurt. "
This sarcasm seems familiar. The dirty blonde hair seems familiar too.
" C'mon Nandini, " He's three feet in front of me and staring right at me with bright, green eyes, " I know you remember me. "
My breathing is uneven. This can't be him; my best friend fled to Denver years ago.
But I still utter his name.
" Blake? "
" Atta girl. " He says with a smile I never thought I'd see again. The knife falls from hand and I embrace him, hugging him tight. I swallow back the tears that threaten to form in my eyes. I don't remember him much but what I do remember seems like the best moments of my useless life.
" What are you doing here? " I mumble into his chest. He rests his chin on my head.
" I came looking for my dad. "
I pull away from him and frown at him. " What happened to your dad? "
He shakes his head, " I don't know. He fled here after a meeting with his buddies. " He smiles at me again, reassuring himself more than anything, " I'll find him. I just happened to see that sniper on the roof of that building and then I saw you and decided to warn you. "
I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest, " And you did such a good job at that. "
" Thank you, " He laughs and I shake my head at him. " What are you doing here? "
" Looking for my brother. "
His expression turns serious, " Newt? " I nod, " What happened to him? "
" WICKED got him. " I say, making an effort to keep my voice from cracking. " I know he's here. He's a part of the second Trials. "
" I've heard of them, " He says, scratching his head, " I can't say I agree with WICKED's methods. "
" I definitely don't. "
" Can I help you look for him? " Blake asks, staring down at me with nothing but sincerity in his eyes. He really means this.
" What about your dad? " I ask as I shift my weight from one foot to the other.
" I want to help you. Besides, maybe my dad is probably following WICKED's subjects around trying to figure out what WICKED is trying to do. "
I nod and bend down to pick up my knife. It's covered in dry blood and too dull to cut anything. It bothers me to cut in self-defense with it because it hurts more. These Cranks were once people—
Wait. I'm a Crank.
" Um, " I say while standing up and pocketing the knife, " Are you immune? "
He blinks as if clearing a thought away, " Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm immune. "
" I don't see any reason to keep you form coming with me, but we have to go now. I've been searching for my brother for years now. I'm not going to lose him just because I ran into an old friend and got distracted. " I start to walk down the alley, away from the sniper. I hear Blake follow me, his footsteps unhurried. I can't help but smile a little.
My old friend is going to help me search for my brother. What's he going to do when he gets there and finds out that I have to break someone? My smile falls. He'll probably hate me, but I'll treasure our friendship while it lasts. I'll be happy and smile and laugh with him on our trip. I'll talk to him about his dad and what's happened in his fourteen years of life so far. It'll be just like old times when we were little.
Then he'll abandon me just like everybody else.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE AND IF YOU DON'T CELEBRATE IT HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Nandini's POV was for a friend. She had no idea what I was going to write, just that I was writing something. MERRY CHRISTMAS SWAGMASTER5000
okay. Now I have an announcement but I'll type it after I do the review responses.
{ Review Responses }
Chipmunk1123 ~ She has to be tbh. You're right about her not having much more to push. She's going to end up destroying herself if she keeps going like she is. It'll have to help her. Thanks btw! I've got three books left until 100 for the year.
GabbyKeyes9 ~ I'm so so so happy I inspired you to write. Writing is hard at times, so good luck with your story. I can't wait to see what you're doing with it.
fiercetiger333 ~ WELCOME BACK!
SabinaSsica19 ~ I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.
{ End of Review Responses }
Now for the announcement... I've started revising Fighting Against You, only I'm not doing it on here. Yes, I'll eventually change this one, but I just kind of felt like posting it on Wattpad instead. It's called Fighting Against You, written by Sportsdiamond12. If you want you can check it out, but it's not going to be a priority of mine.
Does Nandini's POV's bother anyone? I know certain POV's can get boring and I don't want that to happen with Nandini because she is my precious character.
OHH yes before I forget I'd like to thank Swagmaster5000 for giving me inspiration for this chapter. BEST INTERNET BUDDY EVEEERR!
I have to go watch a Christmas movie now. Have a good day, evening, morning, afternoon, night!