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

34. Sick

Slowly, Fry Pan opened the door and got out. I followed him and let my gaze wander over the camp that lay before us. Newt also got out now and slammed the door behind him.
Brenda stepped next to me, swaying as she did so. She looked even worse than before the ride and I immediately became worried again. Her lips were blue, almost purple, and the circles under her eyes deep. What was wrong with her?
"Hey, are you all right? Do you want to sit down?" I asked as she held onto me.
She shook her head in a daze.
"No, no, I'm fine. I just need to hold on for a minute, thanks."
Again she smiled gratefully at me, but I realised that her gaze kept slipping as she did so I took the precaution of putting an arm around her waist to stop her falling over.
"Is that still from the stuff you drank?" I asked.
"It might be, I'm pretty sure."
I left it at that for now, as my surroundings drew her attention again.
Nestled among smaller mountains and hills lay the camp of the Right Arm. So we had actually done it - we had found them. I just couldn't believe it.
Looking around more closely now, I saw that most people were in the process of putting things into wagons and taking down tents. There was an atmosphere of departure, that much was clear. But where were they going? And would they take us with them?
"They've been planning this for over a year now. This is all for us," Harriet explained, who was now leading our group through the people.
And Sonya confirmed my suspicions. "You guys are lucky you found us when you did. We're moving out at first light. - Where's Vince?" she asked a group of men.
Vince... I know that name.
Again my head began to stab, but no memory surfaced yet. Slowly I got used to the feeling and was almost glad when it came up. After all, it meant I would remember something.
"Somewhere over there, I think," a man replied, pointing with his arm in a direction.
I looked around tensely, hoping that Vince's face would make me remember. But could I even know him?
Brenda, Jorge and I had fallen back a few metres, for he too had now noticed that his charge was far from well. Trying to keep up with the others, she swayed menacingly and I couldn't shake the feeling that she was no longer really in control of her senses. Jorge had now put one arm behind her back and I was supporting her by the left arm.
"Who's Vince?" Thomas asked.
"He's the one who decides if you get to Stay," Harriet grinned broadly and somehow that made me feel good. Would she smile at us if she thought we had to leave again?
By now a handful of armed men had joined us and were eyeing us. Briefly, I had deja vu from Jorge's camp.
"I thought the Right Arm was supposed to be an army," Minho noted.
He was right, this whole place looked more like a refuge and not what I had imagined the Right Arm to be. But as long as they could protect us from WICKED, we shouldn't care.
"Yeah, we were," someone suddenly said and we stopped as a blond man with chin-length hair and a beard approached us.
He made a sweeping motion. "This is all that's left of us."
He came closer, stopped in front of us and thrust his arms on his hips as he eyed us closely.
"Lot of good people died getting us this far. - Who are they?" he asked Harriet and Sonya.
"They're Immunes. Caught 'em coming up the mountain," Harriet explained.
"Did you check 'em?"
"I know this guy, Aris. I trust him," she pointed at Aris.
"Well, I don't. Check 'em," Vince instructed the men who were still standing around us.
At that moment I noticed that Brenda was having more and more difficulty breathing. I grabbed her shoulder and tried to get her attention, because she just looked apathetically ahead, but she didn't react. And apparently I wasn't the only one who noticed.
"Hey, boss..." the man standing right next to me began, pointing at Brenda.
Now she suddenly toppled forward without me being able to hold her anymore. She hit Thomas, who jumped to the side in horror, and hit the ground with a thud.
Jorge jumped beside her and shouted, "Brenda! Brenda!"
I stopped, perplexed.
"What's going on?" Vince asked.
But I already knew what was going on. I was sure she was infected.
"Brenda! Brenda! Brenda, talk to me! Brenda..." Jorge kept saying as he turned her over in his arms so that her face was now up.
She was still gasping more than breathing.
"What?" he asked when it sounded like she was trying to say something.
"I'm sorry..."
It was very difficult to understand what she meant.
Vince squatted down next to Jorge. "What's going on with her?"
"I don't know... Brenda..." Jorge said desperately. "Are you all right? Brenda! Talk to me..."
"What the hell?" Vince asked as his eyes fell on her leg, next to which he was crouching.
I too now saw for the first time that she had apparently been trying to hide something under her trouser leg.
Carefully, the man pushed up her trousers - exposing a clear bite wound.
"Oh Shit!" he shouted, jumping up and pulling his pistol out of his reverse. "Crank! We got a Crank!"