Burning Curiosity //Minho

Thunderstroms

Newt had a limp. And that's not the best thing to have when you're running for your life.

After that man had told us to run away from the oncoming storm, we listened, despite him being some crazy Crank. "That's storm clouds don't exactly look inviting fellas, let's get a move on." The wind was picking up, seemingly trying to push everyone down. "We can make it to the city in half an hour if we keep up a good pace. No lagging behind." Everyone nodded, not saying a word. We could barely hear Minho over the wind after all.

Minho took off at a steady pace and everyone fell in line with him. Thomas held back probably to watch our backs and keep us altogether. I glanced at Aris next to me and he smiled a little. I smiled back. The sky thundered, the sound reverberating throughout the desert.

"Where is this all coming from?" Someone asked. "This is a desert."

"Deserts have storms too and if it starts raining, we could be in a pretty bad position. A flash flood could sweep us all away." The thought made me shiver with fear. After all this, to die by drowning would be an insult.

Thunder shook the ground and the dark, heavy clouds churned above, moving in ways I had never seen before. What had happened to the clouds? What was making them do this? The wind was kicking up dust, making it harder for you to see where you were going. We kept bumping in to one another and the dirt got in your mouths, making you feel like you were chocking.

The thunder grew louder and still, the rain never came. What fell down instead was bolts of lightening. The first electric line to touch the ground, crashed not too far from us and made us even more scattered than we were before. We were halfway towards the buildings at that point. The howling wind and rolling thunder completely cut off any orders Minho was trying to give but we got the gist of it. Run for your life.

Without another thought, I took off. The wind pushed and pulled at our clothes, making us stumble but if you fell, you got back up. I pulled Aris to his feet at one point, propelling him forward as he coughed on dirt. He isn't say thanks and I didn't need it. Everyone was falling, struggling to stay up right.

The next bolt struck closer to us and I nearly screamed. It was leaving crater sized holes in the ground. Skirting around it, I continued forward. I didn't realize the lightening might hit people until I watched it happen. A boy, off to my left, had stumbled and slowed down a bit when I heard this high pitched whine. Lightening crashed down on him and I screamed this time as I was knocked off my feet.

I didn't bother to check who it was. There was no way they were alive and they could possibly be burned beyond recognition. I could smell his blood. Rising to my feet slowly, I felt someone grab the collar of my jacket and drag me along for a bit. It was Thomas. He looked like he had seen death. We didn't speak. He simply pushed me forward and I continued running.

At one point, when I glanced back at everyone, lightening falling around us, I realized how many people were actually back there. Of the near thirty that had left with us, only about half of them were left. They could be back in the dust, where you can't see. My mind amended. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that was true.

The buildings were close, nearly in sight. A blot of lightening fell just twenty feet in front of me. I heard someone scream, saw someone struggling on the ground. They were on fire. My shoulder was grabbed again, this time it was Newt. I read his lips as he talked. Keep running. And so I did, hardly looking back as the persons clothes were doused in dirt.