Through The WICKED Scorch | A Maze Runner Story (English Version)

29. Marcus' party

"We'll be right there. That's his hideout up ahead."
"At Marcus'?" Newt asked.
Jorge nodded. "Let me do the talking. Let's hope we get here before they do."
"Why do you say that?" I asked, perplexed. "What do you mean?"
We reached the building that was still in the best shape of all.
"Let's put it this way, Marcus loves parties. And he likes to offer his guests strange drinks."
"Are you saying he poisons them?" Minho asked in horror.
"No, no, don't worry. But they won't be entirely in control of their senses if they ran into Marcus before we did."
"I thought Brenda knew this guy." Newt looked uncomprehendingly at Jorge, who now stopped a few feet from the house. Again people eyed us quizzically.
"Let's just say she's heard of him."
"Are you kidding?" Minho's voice sounded dangerously upset.
"Hey, take it easy, okay? They're fine."
"Let me guess - Brenda is smart enough?" I asked wryly.
"That's right. Now come on. Let's see if they've been here first."
With those words, he walked towards a blonde woman holding a bottle of a strange green liquid. I wondered if he had meant this stuff.
"Is Marcus here?" Jorge asked the woman.
"Funny, you're the second people today to ask that. And then in such a short time..." She eyed us with a confused look.
"Does that mean there were already two others here? A boy with dark hair and a short-haired girl?" Minho interjected.
We're supposed to keep a low profile, Minho.
"A boy with long hair and a blonde girl?" the woman chortled. "Haven't seen that."
Obviously she was either drunk as a skunk or had taken some other drugs, that much was certain.
"What? No, I -"
But Jorge interrupted Minho.
"Did you let them in? Where are they now?"
"Marcus gave them some of his potion and then they went in."
She swayingly held up the bottle of green liquid and pointed to a blond man standing a few feet away with his back to us.
Jorge pushed her aside and she threatened to fall over, but then held on to Fry Pan, who also pushed her off in disgust, so that she landed on her bottom after all. Our companion walked quickly towards the man in the wine-red suit. We followed on his heels. Without a word he grabbed him by the collar, turned him around and stood in front of him.
"Marcus," Jorge groaned.
The man looked at him perplexed, recognised him and then smiled wryly.
"Jorge, my friend! How are you?"
But Jorge only grabbed him tighter by the collar. "Tell me, did a girl and a boy show up here?"
"Well, a lot of people come here, so I can't really tell if -"
"Enough with the games, Marcus. Now tell me if you let them in."
He gestured with his head towards the entrance, which was curtained.
"They drank some of my potion and went in. I didn't see them after that."
That was enough for Jorge. He was about to slip through the curtains, Marcus still by the scruff of his neck, when Teresa pushed past him and disappeared.
"After her," Minho said, following her, me right behind.
The others followed us as well and Jorge came in last with Marcus in tow.
The sight that met my eyes startled me. The room was full of woozy people, most of them holding a jar of the green liquid in their hands and dancing to some strange music. Half unconscious people were hanging in the corners and at the bar and some were vomiting. The smell was sickening and a shiver ran down my spine as I looked around searchingly.
"Where is he? What have you done to him?!"
I recognised Teresa's voice and turned my gaze to my right where I spotted her with Brenda.
"Nothing, he didn't want to. Totally infatuated with you," she slurred, trying in vain to catch Teresa's gaze.
"What do you mean, 'he didn't want to'? What didn't he want?"
But Jorge interrupted her as he handed Minho and Fry Pan the still perplexed Marcus and rushed towards Brenda. Relieved, he took her in his arms, but the rest of us still looked searchingly around the room, hoping to spot Thomas.
"There! There he is!" Aris exclaimed, pointing into the crowd.
At first I couldn't follow him, but then I looked at the floor and realised that Thomas was just about to pass out amidst the dancing people.
Teresa pushed past Brenda and Jorge, who were still in each other's arms, and rushed towards him. Newt and I followed her while Minho, Fry Pan and now Aris had a good job holding Marcus down at his own party.
When we reached Thomas, Teresa was already on her knees trying to bring him back to consciousness.
"Thomas, hey, Thomas! Wake up, please..."
"That stuff knocked him out," Newt stated loudly, trying to drown out the music. "We've got to get him out of here. Come on, let's lift him up."
The three of us lifted Thomas's limp body and carried him out of the danger zone between people's feet. I saw that Jorge was now talking to Marcus again. Brenda stood beside him, befuddled.
"All right, we can go to my rooms above us! But then please let go of me already!"
"Let's see," Jorge said, pushing Marcus in front of him to show us the way.
We made our way through the people and reached a narrow corridor that led to a staircase. Here the music was immediately much quieter and I realised that my ears were strangely numb after being blasted like that.
Before the stairs, Minho took Thomas's legs from me and he and Newt now carried him alone because the stairs were too narrow. Teresa walked right behind them and did not take her eyes off the unconscious boy. I could imagine how she was feeling right now. If Newt was unconscious, I couldn't stay calm either.