Burning; TST ➵ Thomas

E I G H T E E N

All Thomas knew was that he just wanted to find the safe haven and keep Amelia alive. Sprinkle in the hope for Group A, along with Aris and Alec, to survive too. 

He and Amelia walked side by side as Group B led the way. They kept their distance but were close enough to catch up. Hours and hours passed. It felt nice to move again - stretch their legs and muscles. The deadline was approaching fast, though. 

Harriet drifted back until she stood next to Amelia. "Sorry for dragging you the desert in a bag," she said. Neither of them was able to see her face in the dimming light but he imagined a smirk. 

"Oh, no problem. It felt good to take a load off for a while." Thomas was aware that he had to play the part - show some humour. He didn't trust the girls completely yet. But he knew that Amelia didn't trust them at all. 

"Yeah, well, the man from WICKED gave us very specific instructions about you. It was Teresa who got all obsessed with it - as if it was her idea," Harriet admitted. 

"Did the guy have a white suit and kinda look like a rat turned human?" he questioned. Despite the lack of light, he could see Harriet nod. "What were the specific instructions?" Amelia piped up. 

"Most of our trip was through the underground tunnels. That's why you didn't see us in the desert. The first thing we had to do was that weird thing where Thomas and Teresa spoke in that building on the south side of the city." Thomas tensed at the mention of it. 

"That's nice," Amelia commented in a harsh tone as she quickened her pace. She walked briskly until she reached Sonya, who stood a couple of metres away from him and Harriet. 

"And that sucks," Harriet guessed. She stood close to him as they continued to walk. "How'd you manage to ask her out?" 

The question caused Thomas to do a double take. He never really thought about it - they just remembered their past and boom! They're together. "No idea," he replied sincerely. "It just... happened." 

"Ever since she joined us, she's made you two out to be monsters who did something really awful to her. But she'd never tell us what it was. I gotta tell ya - you're nothing like what she described you. Amelia, she's similar but still far away. I guess that's the real reason why we changed our minds."

Harriet got in stride with him. She continued as he stayed silent. He listened. "We weren't supposed to kill Amelia, actually. Just use her to hurt you more. So technically, what Teresa said when we kidnapped you was true. There's a special place we were supposed to kill you at, it's supposed to be built into the mountain on the north side." 

The new information somewhat... calmed him down slightly but he still felt panicked. Now that he knew that Amelia would be safe (in a way), maybe she'll survive and she'll remember Newt and Minho if he doesn't. 

"How close are we to the other side?" He asked. His eyed then glued to Amelia's back as she talked to Sonya. 

"I don't know." 

- 

The travel seemed longer than what Thomas thought. He and Harriet were still at the back. Sonya and Amelia not too far away. They marched across the desert in the night when shouts up ahead announced that they had reached the end of the Pass. 

Thomas broke into a run. It seemed like Amelia had a similar idea. He wanted to see what laid on the north side of the range. Either way, his fate waited there. 

Group B clustered a wide swathe of broken rock that fanned out from the narrow canyon of the Pass. It dropped down to a steep slope to the bottom of the mountain far below. The three-quarter moon shone down the valley in front of them, making it look purple and eerie and very flat. There was nothing for miles but sparse, dead land. 

"How long more 'till we reach the safe haven?" Amelia asked. She squeezed between Thomas and another Group B girl. 

"Maybe we can't see it but it's there," Thomas suggested. 

"Possibly another entrance to another underground tunnel. I'm sure it's there," Harriet spoke up. Thomas felt her presence beside him. "It can't be more than ten miles. Maybe seven or eight." 

"Damn. I was expecting a nice huge, fancy-ass building with a smiley face on it," Amelia snickered. Thomas searched the darkness the whole time, but he couldn't see anything. Just a seas of black stretching to the horizon, where it seemed as though a curtain of stars had been pulled down. There was one thing that he noted, though. 

Teresa wasn't around again. 

He brought it up. He could hear a faint scoff coming from Amelia. 

"At this point, I don't really care. If she's a big enough to go runnin' around when she doesn't get her way, she's big enough to catch up and find us when she gets over it. Come on." Harriet started off. Then the rest followed. They headed down the switchback-laden path, the loose soil and rock crunching underfoot. 

Thomas couldn't help but take a look behind him, searching the mountain face and the narrow entrance to the Pass for signs of Teresa. He felt a tug on his sleeve, he turned to see Amelia's silohuette. She nodded towards the group who were getting ready to leave. He turned around again to look at the mountain, then faced the group and started walking with them - almost relieved he hadn't spotted Teresa. 

-

After an hour or so of travelling, his legs started to burn from the awkward downhill walk. The group came across of dead trees that arrowed up the mountain in a big swathe. 

Thomas and Amelia drifted behind the group. Harriet and Sonya led them through the trees. He bit his lip, debating whether or not he should speak. He soon made up his mind. "I'm sorry - for everything. From the explosion, to the kiss, to the kidnapping until now." 

"It's all right. Sonya got my head straight. You're just trying to protect me, you're doing a bad job, though," she snorted. Thomas let out a small laugh, Amelia soon did too. It was nice to hear her laugh again - to hear her genuine laugh. 

The laughter died down soon. They passed through the far side of the trees when a voice called out to them. Amelia stopped in her tracks and turned sharply. Thomas followed her actions. Teresa stepped out from behind a thick knot of white wood, spear gripped in her right hand. Face hidden in shadow. The other must not have heard as they continued to walk. 

"We need to talk," Teresa said, almost sounding like the girl he thought he knew. Amelia shook her head. "Fuck no," she turned on her heel. Thomas grabbed a hold of her elbow before she took another step. 

"Don't worry about them," Teresa referred to Group B. "Come with me." She gestured to the trees behind her with a quick jerk of her head. 

"Thomas," Amelia called out in a stern voice. "We should follow the group." Thomas was well aware they should, but his mind has different plans. 

"The act is over. Come on," Teresa coaxed. She turned away without waiting for a response and stepped into the lifeless forest. Amelia tried to convince him not to follow. Thomas just looked at her with guilt in his eyes as he lightly pushed her in front of him to follow Teresa. 

I'm not satisfied with anything nowadays ugh - strangersquib