STATIC → newt , tmr [EDITING ; VERY SLOW UPDATES]

chapter ii

"Enjoying the view?"

Tiago and Kim instinctively stepped back, letting Jorge take over. Kim tugged on his arm, making Tiago lean down slightly so she could talk to him quietly.

"Brenda gave me the shirt on my way down, said yours was covered in blood."

Tiago rolled his eyes, gripping the shirt around his shoulders and pulling it off. In one smooth movement, he pulled his shirt over his head. He handed it to Kim, who took it gingerly, before pulling the fresh one over his head. He took his shirt back from her, shaking his head.

"It wasn't covered in blood," he said mockingly, "just had a few specks from patching up an injury."

"The hell do you want?" Tiago heard Thomas ask quietly. He focused on Jorge and the teenagers again, blocking out Kim's presence and questions for the moment.

Jorge chuckled airily. "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; something tells me that you're not either."

"Is it blood rushing through my head, or is this shank not making any sense?" Minho said sarcastically.

Tiago rolled his shoulders, unwinding his folded arms and glancing at the beams. He touched Kim's arm, letting her know he was moving, before heaving himself up into the shadows above once more. He felt eyes on him as he moved around, and when he looked down, he saw the girl and the blond watching him. He couldn't tell if it was out of curiosity or cautiousness. He stopped when he was opposite Kim. She was watching him too, though Tiago knew that was more out of concern than anything else. She was always afraid he was going to fall to his death one day, no matter how many times he reassured her that it was never going to happen.

Jorge moved around slightly, using his staff to point at Thomas. "Tell me what you know about the Right Arm."

Tiago's interest was officially piqued. He knew Jorge was interested in the Right Arm, but he honestly thought it didn't exist. The fact that Jorge thought it did made Tiago rethink the man's motive. He wasn't going to give them back to WCKD. That was never the plan.

"Thought you said they were ghosts," the blond said.

"I happen to believe in ghosts," Jorge said quickly, quietly. "Especially when I hear them, chattering along the airwaves." He moved back past Thomas, to the lever that suspended the teens in place. "You tell me what you know, and maybe we can make a deal."

Thomas seemed to have an internal debate for a few seconds before he answered. "We―We don't know much," he said quietly. Tiago narrowed his eyes. Jorge shoved the lever forward, making all of them cry out in fear. "Okay, okay! Okay, alright ... They're hiding in the mountains, okay? They attacked WCKD, they got out a bunch of kids, that's it, that's all we know."

Jorge's eyes shifted. He glanced up at Tiago, who's eyes were still narrowed. He was thinking hard. He met Jorge's gaze, and his own eyes widened in surprise. Was that ... fear? Tiago had never seen that look on Jorge. He opened his mouth to say something further, but someone else entered the room.

"Yo, Jorge." Barkley. The man's name had a foul taste even in Tiago's head. "What's goin' on?"

Jorge turned, giving Barkley a flat look, before he answered. "Me and my new friends were just getting acquainted." He looked back at the suspended teenagers. "We're done now."

Tiago took that as his cue to come back to the floor. He circled back around and dropped down next to Kim again.

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

He sounded hurt. Tiago almost felt bad, but he was too focused on Barkley's expressions. He was eyeing Jorge now, which rubbed Tiago the wrong way. If there was anything the people in the compound knew about Tiago, it was that he was fiercely protective of the people he loves. Jorge happened to be one of those people. If Barkley tried anything, Tiago would be the first person to step in.

"Don't worry, hermano," Jorge said to Thomas, ignoring the look Barkley was giving him. "We'll get you back to where you belong." He looked behind him at Tiago and Kim, gesturing them to follow him with his head. He turned and walked past Barkley, shouting a, "Hang tight" to the teens as he left, Tiago and Kim trailing behind him.

As soon as they were out of earshot from the open door, Jorge turned to the two younger adults.

"Go back to your rooms, pack clothes, ammo, anything else you need. We're leaving."

Kim didn't waste any time; she believed everything Jorge said, almost worshipped the man. She would do anything he asked of her with the drop of a hat.

"What?" Tiago asked in confusion. "Leaving where?"

"The mountains," Jorge said, starting to move again. "The Right Arm is real, Tiago, and these kids are gonna get us in."

"They say a few sentences about people living in the mountains and you suddenly believe in the Right Arm again?" Tiago shot back. He was skeptical, to say the least. "We don't even know these kids, Jorge. How do we know WCKD didn't send them here on purpose? They're obviously trying to find the Right Arm too, what if sending these kids to us is their way of getting into the Right Arm as well? To get back all the kids they've taken, did you think about that?"

"I've thought about everything, Tiago," Jorge said, turning around again and stopping the boy in his tracks. "I've decided it's best for us, all of us, to take our chances out there rather than risk the Infection in here."

"We're safe here, Jorge," Tiago stressed. He was getting panicky now. He didn't want to leave the only place he'd called a home since the Flare took over. Tiago hated change. He hated the idea of moving somewhere he wasn't familiar with, somewhere where he couldn't jump onto the roof and protect his family. He didn't know what was going to be in the outside world, and he didn't want to find out.

Jorge placed a reassuring hand on Tiago's shoulder. "I will keep you safe, Tiago. I promise."

Tiago matched Jorge's fiery gaze with his own timid eyes. He searched Jorge's face; it was full of reassurance, there was no doubt. It didn't settle the turning of Tiago's stomach, but it eased the thoughts bouncing around the walls of his skull. He managed a small nod, and Jorge clapped his shoulder once, giving him a grin.

"You'll see, Tiago. We're all going to be safe."

― ➶ ―

chapter two!! don't be afraid to tell me how you like it in the comments! i love seeing feedback, whether it's constructive criticism or a positive review :)

this chapter wasn't rushed, per se, but i definitely did not go back over it to see if everything matched up. this part of the movie was quite boring, and all the action starts next chapter, so i wanted to get through this as fast as possible lol. i was super excited to introduce kim's character because she's another oc, and if y'all like her enough/are interested in her character, i might have a story in the works for her ;)

thanks for reading! hope you enjoyed :D