flower | newt ✓

SEVENTEEN

chapter seventeen;
bite

THALIA WAS NOT GOOD AT CLIMBING. Especially when there are cranks chasing after her. "Come on, Thalia!" Brenda yelled from above her. Thalia put her feet on one of the cement and pulled herself up. "Watch out!" Brenda yelled.

Thalia moved to the side and Brenda threw a metal box towards the cranks, sending one of them down through the glass. More of them were still coming at them. "Shit" Thalia cursed.

"Thalia, follow me!" Brenda yelled. Thalia followed Brenda to an old broken staircase that no one should've ever climb, but it is an exception when you have cranks chasing after you. "Come on, come on!" Brenda yelled. They turned to the right and a crank dangled over the handrail. Thalia gasp and kicked the crank, sending it down.

"Okay, come on. Let's go up" Thalia suggested. She ran past Brenda and grabbed a handle. The rusty handle broke which sent her down and she landed on a glass surface. She was guessing it was one of the windows of the building.

"Thalia!" Brenda yelled. "You okay?"

"Yeah" Thalia yelled back. Thalia turned on her side and she could see ground beneath her, with an at least two hundred feet distance between them. Thalia's eyes widened. She tried to sit up, but she stopped as she heard a sound of crack.

"Hang on. I'm gonna find a way down there, okay?" Brenda yelled. Thalia didn't give Brenda any answer. Instead, she tried to stood up. Thalia put her hand on the glass, as her support and lifted her feet, cringing every time the glass cracked. "No! Thalia, don't move!" Brenda yelled.

Thalia finally managed to stood up and Brenda was holding her hand for Thalia to reach it. "Just, grab my hand, Thal" Brenda said. Thalia's feet were shaking as she tried to reach Brenda's hand. "It's okay, nice and slow-" Brenda was cut off by a growling sound from above her. Thalia looked up and a crank was at the doorway. "No no no no!" Brenda yelled.

The crank growled it's way down and lunges at Thalia. "No!" Thalia yelled. The crank was on top of her and she was doing her best to try keep it off of her. She put her hands on the crank's shoulder and pushed it away, but it didn't budge. "Brenda!" Thalia cried out. She kicked the crank and finally get it off of her.

"Thalia! Grab my hand!" Brenda yelled. Thalia walked towards Brenda, but her hands couldn't reach hers and the crank has already pulled her leg.

"I can't reach!" she yelled. The crank was on top of her again and she kicked it, just the way she did before, sending the crank to the other side of the glass.

"Thalia! Come on, come on!" Brenda held out her hand and she reached it, but so did the crank. The crank grabbed her leg and she could feel a sharp pain on her leg. Thalia cried out in pain, and Brenda took a metal rod and broke the glass, sending the crank down. Thalia was dangling down the ceiling with Brenda trying to keep her up from falling. "Got you"

━━━━━

Brenda led her down a rather stable staircase, which Thalia was grateful for. As they reached the ground, Thalia immediately stopped and sit on the side of the road. Brenda stopped and turned to her friend. "You okay, Thal?" Brenda asked. Thalia didn't answer.

Instead, she lifted her jeans, and her once deep cut was now replaced with a bloody bite mark. Thalia looked up at Brenda and she gasp. She looks like she almost cried. "Oh my god.. Thalia.." Brenda knelt down beside her. Thalia looked at her wound and sighed.

This means that she will turn to a crank soon. This means that she'd never get to paradise. This means that she'd never see her future. A future where she hoped that life is happy. A future where she hoped that life is safe. A future where she hoped she'd spend the rest of her life with someone that she loves. Maybe, just maybe, with Newt. But why would any of that matter, right? She's gonna either die or gone insane in just a matter of time.

"Thalia, I'm so sorry" Brenda said. Thalia glanced at the girl and shook her head.

"It's not your fault, Bren" Thalia said. Brenda shook her head and took off her backpack. She unzipped it and took out a fabric. Brenda handed it to Thalia and she took it. "What for?"

"Tie it around the wound really tightly. It'll prevent it from spreading" Brenda suggested. Thalia followed Brenda's advice and she tied it around the wound as tightly as possible, and she pulled her jeans back down to cover the wound.

"Does this means that it won't spread or it'll spread slower?" Thalia asked the girl. Brenda sighed and sat in front of her.

"Unfortunately, it'll always spread. This just prevent it from spreading faster" Brenda said. Thalia nodded and looked down at her lap. "Except if you're immune" Brenda added. Thalia snapped her head up at her comment.

"Immune? So like if I'm immune, this bite won't affect me?" Thalia asked. Brenda nodded. "How do you know if you're immune?" Thalia asked. Brenda shrugged.

"WICKED does blood tests and stuff" she said.

"So there's a hope for me being immune?" Thalia asked. Brenda nodded and smiled. Silence fell over them. Immune. There's hope that she's immune. There's hope that she'll see the paradise and spend the rest of her life with someone that she loves. There's hope that she'll experience a safe future. But, hope is a dangerous thing, they said. Brenda's voice interrupted Thalia's thoughts.

"Thal, I'm actually really sorry" Brenda said. Thalia looked up at the girl and gave her a weak smile.

"Again, it's not your fault" Thalia said. "It's no one's fault but the crank" she added. Thalia looked down on the ground and sighed. "It is pretty sucks to not be able to see paradise" she said.

"What do you mean? Of course you still can go to the Safe Haven" Brenda said. Thalia turned to her and shook her head.

"You said only immunes, remember?" Thalia reminded her, a bitter smile was plastered across her lips. Brenda looked at her friend sympathetically.

"You still can be immune" Brenda smiled. "There's hope, Thal" she added. Thalia turned to her and nodded before she stood up, brushing her jeans. Thalia grabbed her bow and slung her quiver over her shoulder. Brenda followed her actions and stood next to her.

"Let's just find Marcus"

EDITED
31/05/2019