Burning; TST ➵ Thomas

T E N

She was still asleep. He figured she shifted in her position sometime at night since she now faced him. Her mouth was slightly open, she used her hands as pillows. Unable to tell if she was drooling or not, either way, he found her cute.

Thomas stretched once again, letting out a longer yawn when he spotted something on the wall of the alley. A large metal plaque was riveted into the wall. He pushed the door open. Thomas stumbled out onto the empty street.

His brows furrowed at what the plaque said. World In Catastrophe - Killzone Experiment Department. Same dull metal, same lettering. He stared at the words below it for a good five minutes, not moving a muscle.

THOMAS, YOU'RE THE REAL LEADER.

"I was waiting for the right time to tell you." Thomas jumped in surprise. He heaved a sigh of relief when Amelia appeared next to him. One of her hands was shoved into her pocket, the other held her bow. The quiver of arrows was slung over her back.

Confusion was written over Thomas's face. She glanced at him and took a deep breath. "Nobody knew what it meant. Ever since I met Jorge and Brenda, I kept seeing these everywhere. Then you came along, we didn't think it was a coincidence."

She stared at the plaque with boredom in her eyes. "I was worried you'd go off on your own. Leaving me stranded. I was worried you'd forget about me."

How ironic, Thomas thought as Amelia fidgeted side to side. She looked down at the floor while Thomas re-read what the sign said.

"You didn't know about this?" He asked.

"Nope. I'm just as confused as you are. I don't know who put it there, don't know how. But from what Jorge told me, it wasn't there until I arrived." She looked up from the floor and turned her attention fully to him.

Thomas sighed. "Anyway, how can you not know what this means? You're the leader. Take charge, take over. I'll help you if you need it. I'll earn my way in, earn a spot in the Safe Haven."

He jerked his head in her direction, chuckling. He shoved his hands into his pockets and fidgeted.

"I'm in a city full of whacked-in-the-brain Cranks. There's a group of girls who are out to kill me, and I'm supposed to worry about who the real leader is?" As he ranted, he made exaggerating hand gestures. Amelia snorted when he muttered the word 'ridiculous.' He shoved his hands into his pockets once again, sighing.

"Wait. A group of girls who are out to kill you? Like, legitimate murder?" Amelia wrinkled her face. Thomas showed her the bold, black tattoo on his neck. She stared at it, impressed.

"Damn. I want a tattoo," she chuckled. She turned back to study at the plaque. A piece of her long hair fell from her shoulder, giving Thomas a good look at what was hidden behind it. "You're in luck. You do."

Amelia stopped chuckling. She jerked her head in his direction, scrunching up her face in confusion. She touched the sides of her neck. "What? Where? What does it say?"

Thomas moved more of her hair out of the way. He already knew what it said because of the papers back at the bedrooms. He still was confused about Teresa's though.

"Property of WICKED. Group A, Subject A3. The Flame." He read aloud. She scoffed.

"It wasn't there when I was with Jorge and Brenda. Surely, they would've noticed." Amelia paced back and forth. Her hands were behind her back. Thomas rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry. We experienced the same thing. One day it wasn't there, next it was." He grabbed her shoulders to stop her from pacing and face him. She still was looking down, Thomas sighed and took hold of her chin. She raised her head, her eyes glistened. "See, more proof that you were in the Maze with us."

He tried to lighten the mood. But her expression became stoic and she slapped his hand away. "Still, I don't remember you."

He nodded slightly, pursing his lips. They grew silent, just standing there out on the street. The sound of a drum playing grew louder. Amelia stilled, her head cocked to the side as she listened intently.

"Sounds like someone's bangin' on a drum. We shouldn't interfere. Chances are, it's not going to end up pretty." She shook her head.

"What if it's our friends?" Hope was evident in Thomas's tone. The low bump-bump-bump intrigued him more. Suddenly, it seemed to come from everywhere at once. The echoes bounced back and forth between the alley walls.

Despite the risk, Thomas ran in the direction of the noise. He heard Amelia shout behind him. Ignoring, he continued to run.

Soon, she was hot on his heels, following him to the sound.