The New Distance [The Scorch Trials Book]

f i v e

imperium // madeon

"Cranks?" Minho said; he had pushed his way through the crowd to be closest to the strangers again. "Just like the ones that tried to break into our building a couple days ago?"

At this, I elbowed his ribs inconspicuously. He eyed me. "What?"

"You're telling them too much," I hissed. "They probably don't know what you're talking about anyway. Don't give away too much information; we don't know who to trust." Minho seemed to have comprehended this easily as he nodded.

"We're Cranks." The man repeated his voice surprisingly light and gruff but there was no kindness in it. He pointed over us and at the town or city they came running from. "Came to see if you're Cranks. Came to see if you've got the Flare."

I narrowed my eyes. This behavior seemed odd. Even from a Crank who's past the Gone. The weird gut feeling came back again and I was sure there was something up with them. I was really tempted to pull out my gun and shoot them both but I was in no position to provoke them. Not out here in the open.

"We've got the Flare." I declared, wishing that their faces weren't masked so I could see their expressions. For all I know, they covered their faces for a reason-and not just for protection from the sun.

"What can you tell us about it?" Minho added.

"Doesn't matter," the man responded; the strips of cloth wrapped around his face jiggled with every word. "You got it, you'll know soon enough."

"Well, what do you bloody want?" Newt asked, stepping up to stand next to me. "What's it matter to you if we're Cranks or not?"

The woman responded this time, acting as if she hadn't heard his questions. "How'd you get in the Scorch? Where'd you come from? How'd you get here?"

I was a bit surprised at the...intelligence evident in her words. But it was like she already knew the answers and was just programmed to ask the questions.

Minho leaned over to consult with Newt, then turned and stepped closer to Thomas and me. "What do we tell these people?"

Thomas looked like he had no clue. "I don't know. The truth? It can't hurt."

They all looked at me critically.

"What?" I asked them.

"You're the one who usually knows what to do," Minho shrugged. "So what do you think?"

"Something tells me these people know more about what's going on than they let on." I said warily. "They can't be trusted."

"Alright then," Thomas concluded. "You answer."

"A tunnel led us here from a place we don't know. We're supposed to go one hundred miles to the north and cross the Scorch." I turned to face the woman. Hopefully the sketchy information I had given out would suffice.

"Not all Cranks are gone," the man said. "Not all of them are past the Gone. Different ones at different levels. Best you learn who to make friends with and who to avoid. Or kill. Better learn right quick if you're coming our way."

That was just proof that more horrible things await us. I could feel that Minho and the others wanted to ask for help. But for the moment the pair didn't seem intent on helping at all, and they split again to circle back around to the side of us closest to the town.

Once they met up in the spot where they'd first spoken, the distant town almost seemed to float between them; the woman said one last thing. "If you don't have it yet, you'll have it soon. Same with the other group. The ones that're supposed to kill you."