𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓-𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙨

XII-NOT SO ABANDONED AFTERALL

"We should check for supplies." I suggested.

"Yeah, good idea." Thomas nodded and looked around. "But we still have to be wary of this place. So keep your eyes out." We nodded and walked around, looking into smaller rooms in the building, which turned out to be a mall. Although, a lot of them were too dark for us to see through, so we followed Minho.

He flashed his light into a closed off shop and smiled. "Open up."

We lifted the gate that kept it closed, Minho's light touched everything in the room. There was a click and then Frypan was holding up a big cylinder of light. If I remember correctly, that was called a lantern. Funny I can remember that, but not exactly what I was doing before the Maze. Though with the new information I had, it wasn't exactly fun.

I found a flashlight and turned it on by twisting the end. Luckily, I had it pointed away from me, unluckily, Teresa didn't.

"People lived here." Minho said as he shook out a jacket. Jacket. That sounds like a good idea.

"Where are they now?" Newt asked rhetorically. Of course we wouldn't know.

"Let's pack this stuff up. Anything you think you might need." He shook out a jacket too and put it on. We'll split up, see what else we can find. Meet back here."

"Wait Thomas." Newt threw him a flashlight. He caught it and turned it on.

"Okay, let's go." Minho left with Thomas and Winston left the shop, going the opposite way.

I went deeper into the shop, looking for a jacket, which wasn't hard, but they were too big for me. I didn't want to be cold-because it was cold right now-but I also didn't want to be limited on how I can move. I kept looking and in a minute I found a pullover, it wasn't ideal, but it fit so I will deal with it. I looked around some more and found a backpack, it already had supplies in it, some water and food packs-expired I was sure, but food nonetheless.

I turned to go back to the front of the shop but bumped into something. I almost screamed but noticed it was just Teresa. Instead of going with everyone else, she just pushed me deeper into the store until my back hit the wall. "Hey, Teresa, what's up?"

She looked at me with a cautious look. "Do you remember anything? From, like, before the Maze?"

I frowned. "Just from when I got stung by a griever, but that's just about it. Why? Do you remember?"

She was taken back by my answer, or question, or both. "I mean just a little bit. I got a couple memories back, but they're not really important. But how are you? Are you okay?" She looked over at me like a worried parent.

"I'm fine. Just a little scared that WICKED might find us."

"Well, in our current state, I'm sure that is on everyone's mind. But we should head back now." I nodded and followed her out of the back. She was acting weird. Her tone of voice showed that she knew more than she led on. And I bet those memories were actually important. Any memory was important to us. Especially mine, hers, or Thomas's. But I didn't push it. This situation was tense as it is already.

When we got with everyone, lights turned on. Some were strung up on the second floor railing, others just strewn about. But it was better than no light. But then I wondered...who turned on the light?

Screaming came from the other end of the open space. Flashlight beams bouncing everywhere as Thomas and Minho ran back to us. But they weren't alone. It took me half a second to realize they weren't the only ones yelling. Behind them was a hoard of angry things.

"Go! Run!" No way we had to be told again. I tightened the straps on my bag and took off. A second later I heard the group's footsteps follow. I had easily kept pace with Thomas and Minho when they caught up and took the lead, but my muscles were straining with effort.

I heard Chuck's voice at the back of my head complaining that I ran too fast. I groaned. At the most inopportune times he always comes back to me. Chuck I promise I will properly grieve for you, but not now.

We ran up some broken down escalators that had trash on it. I skipped steps, which was kind of hard since I wasn't taller.

Teresa screamed and I had to stop to make sure she was okay. She swung something at the creature and it fell to the side, probably dead. I reached my hand out to her, she grabbed it, and we ran together.

"What the hell are those things?" Winston yelled.

"Jansen called them cranks." I puffed.

We continued running and it wasn't until we got to the third level that we were actually met with trouble.

A crank jumped out of a shop, landing on Newt. He held it back, but the crank was too close for comfort. Thankfully Thomas kicked it off, sending it through the glass railing and to the floor. I didn't wait for the crunch that followed and took off again, making sure Newt was up and safe.

Frypan opened a door and led us through it, the cranks following suit. Their screams echoed down the small corridor, making them louder than they actually were. At the end of the passageway were three sets of doors. They were locked.

We pushed against them, but they didn't budge. I heard a loud bang and saw that Winston had a gun, and he was shooting the cranks. But it didn't matter, because as soon as one went down another took its place. "Get the door open!"

Frypan told us to move, stepped back as far as he could and ran at the doors. One of them opened, allowing us through. I grabbed onto Teresa because she chooses the worst moments to stand still and pulled her with me through the doors. I didn't wait for anyone else and booked it to the end of what looked like a parking garage.

I made it over the edge of a large piece of cement and hid underneath the alcove it made. Teresa was next then the boys came after, carrying a wounded Winston. What happened to him? I couldn't check now, because we still had to worry about the cranks.

"Thomas, your light." Teresa hissed. He turned it off, plunging us into darkness and screaming.