Dynasty // The Scorch Trials [Book 2]

FOURTEEN

Out of nowhere, an exotic type of music started playing through the speakers, causing me to stop for a moment. Somewhere, deep in my mind, I recognized it. 

The girl led us up a set of stairs and we ran into Jorge on the way. "Brenda, there you are! Let's go." He swung open a large window to reveal a long zip line that led to another building. 

"You have got to be kidding me," Frypan muttered. Jorge grabbed a rolled-up sheet that was attached to the zip line and jumped through the window, gliding down the line at top speed. 

"Is that even safe?" Thomas asked the girl who was apparently called Brenda. 

"It is if you don't let go. Now c'mon, we have to go." She handed a sheet to Minho, who jumped and disappeared from our sight. Frypan, Newt, Aris, and Teresa followed. As Thomas handed me a sheet and wrapped it around my hands, Brenda turned around and sprinted away. 

"Brenda, where are you going?" I called after her, only to get no response. I moved to run after her but Thomas stopped me. 

"No, go, I'll be right behind you," he told me. 

"Okay, be careful." He ran off after pressing a kiss to my cheek and I jumped, ignoring the terrifying whirlwind in the pit of my stomach. The sharp wind caused my eyes to water and I had to blink rapidly to prevent them from drying out. On the other side of the zip line, Newt caught me before I hit the wall and safely placed me on the floor. 

"Where's Thomas?" he asked once he realised no one followed me down the zipline. 

"I don't know, Brenda ran off and he went after her. He said he'd be right behind me." I uneasily glanced toward the building where Thomas still was in hopes of seeing him zipping down the line with Brenda. The sound of silence was killing me as I had no clue what was happening. 

The vague sound of gunshots reached my ears and only seconds later, a giant explosion erupted from the building. I clasped my hands over my mouth as Newt pulled me back from the edge.

"Thomas!" I screamed. The building started to collapse and a big cloud of dust came free. "Thomas!" I shouted again, knowing he wouldn't respond, even if he could hear me. 

"Leah, stop it, Wicked'll hear you." Newt kept his arms around my shoulders as he dragged me with him, away from Wicked's view. I struggled to get out of his hold but he wouldn't let go. 

"We have to go or they'll find us," Jorge stated. 

"What? We can't leave, what about Thomas and Brenda?" I retorted. 

"If they're still alive, they'll find a way out." Jorge marched away from me and left me with a quivering bottom lip at the realization Thomas could be dead, buried under the rubble of the building, no one who would ever see him again. 

"No, he can't be dead. He's not dead," I started to repeat. 

"Leah-"

"He's not dead!" I burst out, startling Newt and the others. Newt stepped away from me and I ran my hands through my tangled hair. I squatted on the floor and held my head in my hands. 

"He can't be dead, he has to see our kid grow up. I can't do this on my own," I rambled to myself, feeling my breath get stuck in my throat and I began to hyperventilate. 

"Hey, hey, look at me." Newt knelt down in front of me. I looked up and saw my best friend looking at me with calm eyes. My gaze didn't leave him. "Breathe with me." I nodded slowly and started breathing in and out, synchronized with Newt's breathing pattern. Slowly but surely, my breathing steadied again and the throbbing headache faded slightly. "That's it. Thomas is a big boy, he'll take care of himself, okay?" he told me. 

I nodded. "He'll find us," I stated. 

"You're damn right, he will. Now, let's go." He got up and held out his hand to me. I took it in mine and he heaved me off the floor. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and held me close, keeping me calm. 

"Alright, this way," Jorge spoke up.

T H I R D   P E R S O N   P O V

Thomas and Brenda had gotten themselves in a cramped up situation. They were stuck in the underground tunnels underneath the collapsed building. It was insanely dark, the only thing lighting up the area were their two flashlights that Brenda had retrieved from her backpack. 

A large amount of dust had caused them to almost cough their lungs out. Thomas's throat was still aching. He shone the flashlight into the long tunnels in hopes of not seeing more infected people. The sound of dripping water distracted him from thinking the worst, what would happen if those people came at them in here?

He closely followed behind Brenda as she led the way. 

"So," Brenda spoke up, catching Thomas's attention. "Is she your girlfriend?" she asked, not looking at him. 

"Who?" he dumbfoundedly asked. 

"The red-head." 

Thomas narrowed his eyes at her. "How did you know?" 

"The way you look at her. The way you tried to protect her back in Jorge's room." 

Was it that obvious?

"Yeah, well, I have a damn good reason to try to protect her," he muttered, not at all considering his words. 

He felt Brenda's burning gaze on him. "And that is?" she asked nonchalantly. Thomas wondered if he could trust her, but if he was going to die down here, he might as well just tell her. 

"She's pregnant." Brenda stopped abruptly and looked at him with raised eyebrows. 

"She's pregnant?" she repeated his words as if she was trying to establish something. Thomas nodded his head. "Wow, okay," was all she said. 

The pair stopped when they reached a split. Both paths were dark and neither felt like the right choice, but they eventually had to choose one. Thomas looked at Brenda, hoping she would know where to go. Unfortunately, she was just as lost as he was.

He travelled down one of the paths, thinking she would follow him. He saw a light at the end of the tunnel, it could be a way out. "Hey, Brenda, I think it might be this way," he stated, turning around to ask the girl's opinion, but she was nowhere to be found. "Brenda?" he called in a slight panic. "Brenda?!" 

"Over here," her voice replied. He followed the sound and ended up next to her again. She shone her flashlight at a small web of vines and leaves on the wall. "Look at this," she mumbled. 

Thomas pointed his own flashlight ahead of him and stood still at what he saw. A giant network of the same vines, travelling on the walls, ground, and ceiling. It smelt like something was rotting, a scent that was all too familiar to him.