Yuanfen // The Scorch Trials // Thomas

Chapter 1

 Chapter 1 - Yuanfen

 Agony lanced through my body with each lurch it took. Smooth silk fabric beneath me brushed against the bare skin of my arms, a sharp contrast to the rough pain that permeated my abdomen, spreading like wildfire through my veins.

Blinding red and white lights flashed intermittently behind my closed eyelids and the hazy sound of an alarm blaring grew louder and louder. My hearing was fading in and out but I could hear the shouts and screams and gunshots before a loud 'boom' cut off all sound. The lights faded into a dulled yellow after a few seconds and the sounds of echoing footsteps faded.

As my mind finally seemed to wake up, I realized I was on a stretcher, hurriedly being transported somewhere.

Finally awake, my muscles relaxed from their tensed position and another surge of pain washed over me. A loud groan escaped my lips, and my fingers clenched at the silk sheets, my toes curling in my boots.

I could hear murmurs of alarm and my eyelids pried themselves open only to shut again at the bright lights that raced past above me. Adopting a new plan, I slowly squeezed my eyes open, and my pupils contracted, leaving me used to the bright plastic lighting. Above me I could see a man dressed in all white. There was a surgical mask on his face, and he didn't look down at me.

I moved to raise my arm, but I found that I had no strength. Though awake, I felt groggy and I turned my head to the side slowly, my movements wobbly. Walking briskly to my right was a young woman. I took in her dirty shirt and cargo pants. She glanced toward me and I recognized her brown wavy hair and freckles.

'Teresa' my lips mouthed, but no sound came out. I began to cough, my throat dry and when it was over, my body felt winded. A salty solution trickled into my mouth and I swallowed distastefully at the saltiness of my blood. It was then that I noticed the wetness of my clothing around my abdomen and I lifted my head slightly, my neck straining with the effort to see the dark cloud of blood that bloomed on my stomach.

My heart began to pound rapidly and I tried to control my increasingly frantic breathing.

When we made a sudden turn, my head lolled to the right and I watched, entranced as we flew by glass windows. Beyond the glass lay what seemed to be a cafeteria with rows and rows of benches and tables, filled with teenagers of all ages and genders. As we neared the end of the hallway, I noticed a man standing at the front of the room, reading off of a tablet. As he spoke teenagers were lining up upon the wall behind him.

Just as we reached the pair of double doors at the end of the corridor, the teenagers left through a door parallel to the one before us. It swung open revealing a junction of other hallways. The teenagers emerged through the door, and I watched, my eyes half closed, as their faces morphed into shocked expressions as they acknowledged my bloody lower half.

There was a loud bang and suddenly a male voice screamed "Teresa!" A sound of a scuffle ensued and then the muffled shouts of "Where are they taking her?!"

The voice sounded familiar but I could hardly think, the loud sound of his voice reverberating in my skull. My breathing grew faster and faster, and I felt beads of sweat appear on my forehead.

Panic took over me and I could feel my eyes dilating with fear. Black crept up on my vision and my muscles relaxed as I began to fall unconscious.