Chapter 4

They stopped counting the days they were out in the Scorch. They didn't know how long they had been walking.

All they knew is they were exhausted, mentally and physically. No one spoke to each other, just following Thomas blindly.

Ava had sucked in sand somewhere along the path, and couldn't stop coughing. When she had a moment it would come back. They gave her what little water they had left, and it soothed her throat, but she was still coughing. It hurt to suck in the air, scratching against her throat. At one point she collapsed in a coughing fit, unable to stop. They knew the constant walking wasn't helping her lungs.

So each boy took turns carrying her on their back until she was able to breathe easier. She would try to make herself as light as possible. She was embarrassed that sand had reduced her to this. She was a Glader, supposed to be resilient to things like this. And she couldn't even breathe right. Some Glader she was.

Newt hated seeing her like this. At one point on their journey when he was carrying her, he could feel the wetness in his shoulder where her head was leaning against it, she had been crying. He tried to squeeze the inside of her knees, to reassure her it was okay.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Ava had settled from coughing and started walking again. They sped up where they could but soon lost all their energy.

"We have to stop." Minho finally said, looking over at the others. It was as if the mountains kept getting farther and farther away. Everyone was exhausted. It was sweltering, and they could barely keep going.

"Okay," Thomas spoke from the front, sighing. "But just for a few hours. We're almost there." He said, swallowing thickly. It burned his throat. The group collapsed, sitting in the middle of nowhere with nothing around them. They just needed a break.

"You said that already. And we're not even close." Frypan mumbled as he sat down, sighing. Ava coughed, rifling through her backpack.

"Here." She spoke, pulling out their last bottle. It was a quarter full. "Divide this between everyone." She handed it to Aris first.

"You need it more than we do." Aris moved to hand it back to her. Ava shook her head. "I told you guys I'm fine. I'm not taking it all to myself." She said, trying to suppress another cough. She looked over at Thomas who was staring toward the mountains. It was getting dark, but they figured they had walked well into the night again. Each of the teens took small sips, passing it back and forth until there was no more. Ava watched Minho chuck it in the horizon.

"We're gonna die here," Frypan whispered.

"No, we're not. We're gonna make it. We have to." Newt reassured them. They had to. For Thomas' sake. Newt looked over at Thomas. Teresa hadn't spoken a word since they lost Winston. She didn't want to talk to anyone. Newt looked over when Ava moved to rest against him, smiling softly. She was still pushing, even after her incident.

But how much longer could they go?

They didn't speak and all of them ended up falling asleep while they could. On the hard barren ground, each Glader curled up and fell asleep.

"Hey. Hey!" Thomas croaked out, standing up. He kicked Newt's leg, stirring him awake. "Newt. Get up. Come on, let's go." The others began to stir, confused as to what was happening. It was darker, much darker. Clouds had formed in the sky, threatening rainfall. Maybe it would be a good thing.

"What?" Newt asked after being kicked, looking at him and then the others as Thomas woke them up. Ava winced, shaking Minho as she slowly stood.

"I see something." Thomas squinted, pointing out toward the horizon. It took them a minute of staring. "It's light."

Slowly, they focused and realized there were lights. Lights coming from a building on the horizon. Ava's eyes widened, looking at the others. They made it.

"We made it," Thomas spoke softly, proud. He got them away. They escaped. Thunder rumbled, louder than they were used to. They looked behind them, seeing lightning striking. It was bright, hitting the ground. This wasn't like the storms they had in the Glade. This was much worse. And it was coming toward them.

"Come on. Let's go! Go!" Thomas exclaimed as the thunder got louder and the lightning got closer. They all turned, making a run toward the lights as the storm advanced on them, faster than before. Ava sucked in as much air as she could so she wouldn't cough and took off.

They ran as fast as they could. The storm was advancing on them, the lightning striking closer to them with every second. It had to be something with the Scorch, Ava thought. These storms were nothing like the ones they had before. She stumbled a few times as she ran. But the building began to come into view. Closer and closer. Frypan and Teresa were faster, Newt and Aris right behind, while Minho, Thomas, and Ava were advancing from the rear.

There was a bright flash behind her, and Ava was tossed to the ground, tumbling across the sand. She was dazed, curling up into a ball as she tried to blink the light from her eyes. She couldn't comprehend for a moment.

As she forced herself to her knees, she turned back to look. Thomas and Minho were on the ground, Thomas was slowly coming too but Minho was unconscious. "Minho!" She called but he didn't answer. The bright flash. It must have been lightning. It struck between them, hitting the two boys but barely hitting her.

She looked up as Aris pulled her to her feet, pushing her toward the door as Newt ran back toward the two boys. "Go!" He yelled as she tried to move back. She looked to see Thomas standing up with Newt's help as both he and Aris moved to grab Minho. Ava stumbled up and ran toward the entrance of the building, where Frypan was holding the door and waiting on them. She flung herself into the building, running into Teresa as they turned. All the boys made it in and Frypan shoved the door closed, sending them into darkness. Thunder rumbled violently outside.

"Anyone got a light?" She heard Newt say as Teresa turned away. Frypan clicked his light on and shone it over them as they tried to shake Minho awake.

"Come on Minho!" Thomas exclaimed as Ava moved, touching the base of his throat before his wrist. "He has a pulse. He's breathing." She said, trying to calm the group as they tried to wake him up.

It took a few minutes, before Minho groaned, opening his eyes slowly. Ava let out a sigh of relief. "Are you okay?" Frypan asked, looking over him. Minho looked at the group of boys and girls hovering over him. "What happened?" He asked, confused.

"I think you got struck by lightning." Newt finally said, looking down at him. Minho looked up at the group. "Oh." Ava chuckled, before moving to let the guys help Minho up. She held Frypan's light as they stood him up.

"What's that smell?" Teresa asked, looking around. Ava looked toward her as she was shining her light around the building. There was a screech as a crank rushed toward them. Teresa screamed, falling back into Ava. The crank rushed toward them, before being pulled back by a chain. Another one screamed, rushing toward them but stopping as a chain pulled them back. There were multiple, all chained up around them, screaming at them and trying to get to them.

"I see you've met our guard dogs!" Someone yelled as a door opened and a shadow of a figure stood in the light. The group looked toward the figure as it closed the distance between them. It was a female around their age, with short hair and fair skin. She acted as if this was normal, the cranks chained up.

"You guys look like shit." She stated, chuckling at the group huddled around each other. She turned, nodding her head toward the door she came from. "Come on. Follow me." She started toward the door, turning when she realized they weren't following her. "Unless you wanna stay with them."

They all looked at each other, before following the girl further into the building.

"Come on. Keep up." She called back to them. They walked further into the building, realizing that she wasn't the only person there. Many lived here. "Jorge wants to meet you."

"Who's Jorge?" Thomas asked as they followed behind them. Ava cleared her throat, feeling the urge to cough coming back. She tried to swallow it down but she began coughing again.

The girl smirked. "You'll see. No one's come out of the Scorch in a long time. You just got him curious. And me too." She explained to them, leading them through the group of people who were now looking at them and beginning to follow them.

"Anyone else got a bad feeling about this?" Minho asked as they headed upstairs.

"Let's just hear him out. See what has to say." Thomas stated. They followed the girl into the main part of the building, where an older male was working on a radio, trying to listen. "Jorge, they're here." She spoke, walking over toward a couch while the group stood there.

"Do you ever get the feeling the whole world's against you?" The man, Jorge, asked, turning toward them. Ava swallowed thickly, before jumping when a bottle was thrust in front of her. The girl stood there, holding it out to her. "Don't worry. I didn't poison it." She spoke. Ava took the bottle, opened the cap, and sniffed it, before nodding to the girl. The other smirked as she watched Ava take a few sips, soothing her throat. "The sand out there is rough. It can cause anyone to have trouble breathing." Ava looked at her as she spoke, before watching her walk over to a couch and sit down.

"Three questions. Where did you come from? Where are you going? How can I profit?" Jorge asked, standing in front of them. The group stood there, silent. "Don't all answer at once."

Thomas looked at them, before clearing his throat. "We're headed for the mountains. Looking for the Right Arm."

Jorge chuckled. "You're looking for ghosts, you mean?" He said, turning away. Ava and the others sighed. So they weren't real. "Question number two. Where did you come from?"

"That's our business." Jorge chuckled again, before nodding toward the group of people surrounding them. They moved, each grabbing one of the kids and forcing them to their knees. Ava winced as she was shoved to the ground, confused at the hospitality at one moment and the animosity at the next. The girl, Brenda, walked over toward Thomas with a scanner, grabbing his head and forcing it forward.

"Shut up, you big baby. " She told Thomas as the scanner went across his next before a picture showed up. She scoffed. "You were right." She told Jorge, showing him the scanner.

"Right about what? What is she talking about?" Thomas asked as the group of people let the teens go, letting them stand up.

"I'm sorry, hermano. Looks like you're tagged." He turned the scanner to them, showing his profile of Thomas on it. That meant all of them were tagged. "You came from WCKD. Which means... you're very valuable." Jorge explained, before nodding toward the group.

"Good plan, Thomas. Just hear what the man has to say. Really working out for us." Minho complained as he swung upside down over a giant hole. The group grabbed them, forcing them into a part of the building with a crane and a giant hole. They were hoisted over the hold, upside down, and tied by their feet.

"Shut up, Minho." Ava scoffed as she listened to Minho complain to Thomas. She was light-headed, the blood rushing to her head as they hung there. This was worse than the hole where the box came up.

"Enjoying the view?" Jorge asked, walking into view.

"What the hell do you want?" Thomas spat.

Jorge chuckled. "That is the question. My men want to sell you back to WCKD. Life has taught them to think small. I'm not like that." Jorge explained to them as he paced in front of them. "Something tells me that you're not either."

They hung there, confused. "Is the blood rushing to my head or is this shank not making any sense?" Minho finally asked.

"Tell me what you know about the Right Arm."

"I thought you said they were ghosts?" Newt asked.

"I happen to believe in ghosts. Especially when I hear them chattering on the airwaves. You tell me what you know, and maybe we can make a deal."

Thomas sighed. "We don't know much." He tried to lie. Jorge chuckled, before hitting the lever that sent them down screaming. "Okay! Okay, all right. They're hiding in the mountains. And they attacked WCKD. They got out a bunch of kids. That's it. That's all we know." Thomas explained to him as they hung there.

Jorge went to say something when another guy walked in. "Yo, Jorge. What's going on?" He asked. Ava raised an eyebrow, looking at him upside down. Jorge smirked, "Me and my new friends were just getting acquainted. We're done now."

"Hey, wait. You're not gonna help us?"

He chuckled. "Don't worry, hermano. We'll get you back to where you belong. Hang tight." He said, disappearing. Ava groaned, hanging there. Great, what were they waiting for now?

"We've gotta try something. While they're distracted." Minho finally spoke. "I'm not gonna hang here forever."

"Teresa. You're closest. Think you can get to the lever?" Newt asked as he began to swing back and forth. Teresa looked toward the lever.

"If someone gave me a push." She concluded.

"I got that," Minho said, starting to swing himself. He grabbed onto Teresa's waist and swung back before pushing her toward the edge. There was something going on outside, but the group didn't have time to focus on it. They needed to get out, escape while they could. Ava focused on trying to see if they could find another around but the main focus was Minho and Teresa.

"Got it!" Teresa cried out as she grabbed the bar finally. She lowered her with the lever enough to sit and then get the ropes off.

"Holy shit!" Ava gasped as she was able to curl herself up and grab the rope holding her.

"Ava be careful! Just wait!" Teresa yelled to her as Ava tried to untie herself. She moved quickly and pulled Thomas over first, untying him before moving to grab the others.

"Ava!" Aris yelled, thrusting a pole out once he was able to get free. Ava grabbed the pole and let Aris pull her over to him, untying her feet and helping her.

"Okay. Let's go, let's go." Thomas exclaimed as they were free. They moved around the home and headed toward the exit when the man that stopped Jorge the first time walked up to them, stopping them.

"We're not trying to cause any trouble, okay? We just got to get out of here." Thomas tried to reason, holding his hands out. The guy chuckled. "Is that so?" He then pulled a radio out. "Janson, I got 'em for ya. I'm bringing 'em down. Don't shoot us." He spoke into the radio, his other hand holding a gun pointed at them. He had been working for Janson the entire time. And they were here, trying to capture them.

"Come on. Let's go. I said let's go!" The man yelled, brandishing the gun at them. Thomas moved, trying to grab at the gun as it went off over them. There was a struggle as they tried to get the gun away. But the man fought back, shoving Thomas back and holding the gun up. "You little bastard!" He yelled.

There was a shot, and all of them jumped, but no one had gotten hurt. They looked over as the man fell to the ground, Brenda standing there with her own gun. "Okay. Come on. Come on! Let's go!" She yelled at them, turning and hoping they were following. They all followed after, confused but knowing she was helping them escape. WCKD was here and they had to get out.

Brenda led them upstairs where they had been, where Jorge was finishing packing. "Brenda! Hurry! We don't have much time! Let's go, let's go, let's go!" He called to the others, moving toward two doors. "Right this way!" He flung them open, revealing a long wire that led down to another platform.

"You gotta be kidding me," Frypan mumbled as they stared at it, wide-eyed. Jorge chuckled. "Plan B, hermano. You kids wanna get to the Right Arm? I'll lead you to them. But you're gonna owe me." He explained to them, looking at Thomas.

He then turned and grabbed a rope that was looped around the wire. "Follow me!" He called, before jumping, the wire sliding and sending him down.

Brenda didn't hesitate. "All right! Let's go! Come on!" She yelled, pulling other ropes and handing them. Newt and the others looked to Thomas, who shook his head. "Everyone, go. Go!"

Ava stared at the rope as it was handed to her. She was paralyzed. "I'll be right behind you," Minho spoke quickly as Newt had already gone ahead. Ava gulped, before sliding her foot into it and jumping. She held tightly, keeping her eyes closed the entire time as she slid.

Her body jolted when the rope stopped at the end. "Don't jump, you'll trip. Your foot's caught." Jorge spoke as she opened her eyes. Frypan moved behind her to stop Minho from crashing into her.

Once Ava was out, they turned to help Aris and Teresa out. "Wait? Where's Thomas?" Newt asked, watching where they had come from. As they waited, there was a rumble as the building exploded and collapsed.

"Don't worry, hermano. Brenda's with him. And I know she got out of there. Let's get you guys out of here. Come on!" Jorge explained to them. Ava looked at the group. They were all thinking the same thing. They needed Thomas.

"Where are we going?" Ava asked as they picked themselves up and began to follow Jorge through the darkness. The sun was beginning to come up from the horizon.

"Into the city. That's where we'll find Marcus. He'll be able to lead us in the right direction. Get you guys to the Right Arm." Jorge explained, already in front of them as the city began to come into view.

"I thought you said the Right Arm wasn't real?" Aris asked from beside them. Jorge chuckled. "Oh no. They're real, hermano. But no one really knows about them. Not any of us at least. Only WCKD. Because they're fighting WCKD. They're taking immunes like you and getting them away from others, protecting them from the place you escaped. Watch your step." He explained as they climbed the steps up into the city. Jorge turned, stopping them.

"You all have to be careful here. These are all normal people, they're not immune. If anything they already have the Flare. They just haven't succumbed to it yet. Keep your eyes open and watch what you say around them. If they find out you're immune. Hmph, I don't want to know what happens. Stay on my tail and we'll get through. Don't speak to anyone, don't even acknowledge them. Stick together." He told them.

"That's really convincing," Newt mumbled as the man turned and headed into the sunlight. Ava swallowed thickly, before following the others as they walked.