Aversion (The Maze Runner, Newt / Sequel to Violation)

6 - Into The Desert

Chapter 6 - Into The Desert

[Recap: After being told about Phase Two of the trials and going through a long tunnel where they lose a few gladers, Wendy and the rest have finally descended into the scorch]

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"The sun isn't supposed to be this bloody hot!" Wendy rasped through her dry throat and chapped lips, sand already making its way onto her face and collecting itself in her mouth. She had been in the scorch for one second, and one second did it take for her to completely lose all hope of actually getting the cure and surviving. Her face felt like it had just been newly burned as she pushed herself further into the scorch so that the rest could follow in their footsteps, both of her hands now clamping onto her sheet that she desperately wished would block the rays of light.

Her hands had long left Newt's as she tried to get her eyes to adjust to the flaming light. It surely hadn't been like this in the Maze, she guessed, because she could hear people behind her moaning about the heat as the slowly proceeded forward. To say the least, it was like the Sun was right above the atmosphere, hovering over them,smearing their skin, but the more Wendy slowly started opening her eyes, the more she found herself adapting to the new light.

"You good?" she heard Newt ask, and the brunette turned her head slightly to see that the blonde was, like her, shielding himself behind his own sheet. She could make out his face more and more, and soon her eyes were entirely peeled open and flickering between his dark gaze despite the burning pain that seem to itch at her pupils. His face was slightly covered in sand, she could see the particles stuck in his brows and slightly falling from his hair, he looked beautiful none the less. Wendy desperately wanted to push that feeling away though, the part of her stomach that made her lurch around him. She kept trying to convince herself that it was the old Wendy who used to be with him trying to fight her way to the surface, but the more and more she thought, she knew she still had feelings for him even though she almost knew nothing about him.

Maybe that's why she reached her hand up and pressed her fingertips against his cheeks, cupping his face as her mind fought against itself. He was so familiar, so drawing, Wendy found herself wanting to push her face forward to get that same chest aching feeling she felt when he kissed her in the tunnels to get her out of her shocked state. It was a feeling she craved, and she was so close to moving forward, until Minho, yet again, interrupted them.

Wendy almost cursed the boy so angrily when Newt was called over, her fingers falling back to her side. Newt opened his mouth to say something, but Minho persisted, and Wendy found herself looking away, arms folding and hair whipping in the wind. Slowly, she felt his presence leave, and an exasperated sigh finally left her lips, sand shaking from her face when she swiped her forehead. Jesus, what was going on with her?

With wandering eyes, Wendy found herself locking eyes with Aris, an odd feeling surfacing in the pit of her stomach when he sent her a small smile. Wendy didn't really like the boy, for some reason he gave her a weird feeling, so she pushed herself away from his gaze and instead met Thomas'. The boy was lifting himself from a crouched position, so Wendy walked over and stepped beside him.

"Looks like a wasteland." Thomas said, eyes scanning the horizon. "Those buildings, how far away do you think they are?"

"Could be a hundred miles?" Wendy questioned in response, eyes slightly watering from the burning feeling she felt all around her face. "Definitely North. Is that where we have to go?"

"No way." Minho answered, crossing his arms as he suddenly appeared by their side. "That's not even close to a hundred miles. The mountains behind it might be sixty or seventy."