The Hooded Girl

Chapter 10: They found us

RHEA'S POV
I follow the girl, who looks strangely familiar, up some stairs and into this room. Sonya walks alongside me, still slightly dazed from earlier.

There's a man in the room. His back is towards us and he seems busy, walking around and gathering stuff. Some people crowd behind our group of ten.

"Jorge, the kids from the Scorch," the girl calls out, drawing the man's attention.

The man turns and my heart stops. I swear it stops.

I forgot the sounds of my coaches' voice at WICKED. I forgot my doctors' faces. I forgot the sound of my Father's clicking boots. But I would never forget that face.

I feel as if my energy has been restored. I feel like flinging my knife at that man.

I could never forget the face of the man who scarred me and made me have all these weaknesses. Jorge.

"Well, well, well. Good job, Brenda. Now what do we have here? It's true, I see," Jorge says, grinning, eyes passing over us all. "Three questions. Where did y'all come from? Where are y'all going? And how can I profit?"

I feel my rage building up, my hands clenching into fists at my side as I struggle not to see red. Thomas shifts his weight from one foot to the other.

"We're heading to the mountains. Looking for the Right Arm," He replies question two.

Some of Jorge's friends sneer and chuckle and others snarl and scoff.

"You mean you're looking for ghosts," Jorge says sardonically.

My hand is clutched around my knife so tightly, that I think my knuckles are going to bleed. The amount of willpower it takes for me not to throw the knife at this guy and scar his face the same way he did to me is unbelievable.

We're all silent.

"Question two. Where did y'all come from?" Jorge says.

I know what's coming. I saw their scanner on the table in front of the couch that the girl from before had crashed on.

We're silent.

Almost instantly, two men seize Thomas and the girl is off her chair and has the scanner at the back of Thomas's neck. Shouts rise up from both parties, and then there's a beeping sound being emitted from the device. The girl looks at the screen, then hands it to Jorge, wide eyed.

"You were right," She mutters.

Thomas is pulled back up and Jorge lets out a long whistle.

"Well, sorry hermanos. Can't let y'all here. Y'all are from WICKED," Jorge says, showing us the screen.

I don't need to see it though. I've seen it countless of times and have memorised it.

"Hang 'em up," Jorge says, turning his back towards us.

~

We're hanging upside down, dangling in midair with only a metal chain to hold us. Not exactly my idea of fun.

"Good job following them, Rhea. Real bright of you," Minho drawls.

"Shut up, man," Thomas scowls.

"I sense a plan," Harriet says.

"Please tell me you followed her for a reason. Say you've got a plan," Quill says, sounding desperate.

"I've followed her here for a reason and I have a plan. Sort of," I say, brows furrowing in concentration. With all the blood rushing to my head, speaking isn't exactly easy. "We first need to get out of these chains, though."

Before we can continue, Jorge walks in. I scowl more deeply.

He chats with us, but I'm only half listening. I'm mainly focusing on dulling the pain. Hanging upside down can't help my wound at my face. It's the worst thing to do when I have something like that.

I never really fully underestimate my injury. It's different from any other. It reopens and makes my head hurt like hell at random times. I wonder if it's because of the metal that WICKED had used to harm me. Back then, they were experimenting with all sorts of weapons to see which would best kill Cranks.

Someone walks in and has a mini conversation with Jorge before walking back out with him. Thomas calls out something before they leave and they reply him and leave again.

We hang there waiting for their footsteps to recede before we start up a conversation again.

"So, what's this genius plan?" Minho asks.

"Swing either Teresa or Quill to the lever and make her pull it down. She'll be able to escape and help the rest of us," Thomas says.

"Seems solid enough. You make it sound so easy, though," Harriet says.

"Could we just bloody do it already?" Newt says impatiently.

I feel a trickle of blood on my face and bite back a curse. Now people are swinging Teresa and Quill but my head aches and I feel the blood and the exhaustion and the pain.

"Quicken it up would you?" I mutter.

"Got it!" Teresa shouts.

I don't bother to look. I open my eyes and wait. Suddenly, we're brought further down than we already were.

It's a jerky motion and doesn't help my head that much.

They make quick work of releasing us after that, pulling us to the platform and getting rid of our chains. Once we're all released, I hide in the shadows and eat up another pill. I'll have to deal with the blood later but the throbbing and the pain has stopped.

"Okay, okay let's go!" Thomas says, and they rush towards the door.

Someone appears there though. A man. He's got a rifle. I grab my pistol from the holster at my waist and shoot him from behind, my bullet sailing past everyone and ending up in his chest.

Behind him is the girl.

"Okay... We need to move. Now!" She exclaims.

What was her name? Brenda. Yes. It is Brenda.

"Why should we trust you?" Minho asks.

"WICKED is here and we don't have a choice," I reply him, because I can hear the helicopters.

"What the... okay let's go," Minho says, and we run out with Brenda.

She leads us to Jorge's office and Jorge is frowning.

"Okay. Let's go! Now!" Jorge shouts.

We rush out and I occasionally put bullets through people. He leads us up the stairs and to the top floor. There's this flying fox thing there. Jorge pulls on a cloth and looks back at us.

"We have to do this fast. Let's go!" He shouts, and swings off.

Minho sucks in a breath and pulls down another cloth. Then he swings down. Harriet goes next. Then Frypan, then Sonya. Quill goes and then Aris. Newt looks at me.

"Go, Rhea," He says.

There's still four of us left. I pull on the string and swing down. I hear Newt following behind, but no one else.