A Way Back - The Maze Runner (♡Newt)

Chapter 85

Newt's pov

A bump in the road shook me awake. I don't know for how long I had slept, or what time it was right now, but from the glimpses I got through the window, it couldn't have been that long.
     It was still dark outside, and droplets of rain were visible, although I couldn't hear it tick against the metal of the bus anymore. I stared at it for a moment, watching a few of them race down, leaving  a trace behind for only a few moments before they formed back to little pools of water. This was the first time I remember ever seeing rain. Of course I knew what rain was, in concept, just as most things, but until the moment we ran through the curtain of water falling from the sky I'd never actually seen it. Or felt it against my skin... it felt good.
     I yawned and rubbed my eyes, now I started to get back to reality, I noticed Cally was looking at me with the slightest hint of amusement in her face. I didn't understand what was funny, until I tried to sit up.
     I was barely able to move due to an arm that was wrapped securely around my torso. I didn't understand whom it could be from for a few seconds, but then I realized who had been sitting with us. Minho. Apparently we both had fallen asleep and cuddled up to each other. Beside me Minho was still fast asleep and not letting me go. My realization must have been visible on my face because Cally's smirk grew. 
     "You're blushing." She stated. I quickly detached myself from Minho, who only stirred, wrapped his arms around himself, and continued to sleep. "Should I be jealous?" Cally teased a little.
     "Slim it..." I mumbled, not entirely sure why I felt so embarrassed. "How long have I been out?"      
     Cally thought about her answer. "Two hours? Bit more, maybe."
     "Did I miss anythin'?" I wanted her to keep talking, especially since she hadn't said anything after what happened to Chuck. Only the moment the question had left my mouth, I realized I should've said something else. Because every trace of amusement that had played with her lips disappeared completely. 
     "Thomas... He talked with one of them... About what's going on..." She paused for a moment. "she wasn't very clear, but it sounds really bad." 
      "What did she say?" 
     Cally glanced over at Thomas and Teresa. Thomas was awake, staring out of a window while Teresa was sleeping with her head on his shoulder. A warm feeling grew inside my stomach as it reminded me of the time in the Glade when Cally had slept on my shoulder, and later in my lap and eventually when we shared a bed that one time. The feeling didn't stay for long, Cally's next words replaced it with fear and worry.
     "According to the woman who sits in front of Sleeping Beauty and Wonder Boy, it started with sun Flares. I don't know what that means, but I think it's similar to giant heatwaves... She said they were normal at first, but later, they became bigger and unpredictable, causing people to die and thousands of miles to turn into wastelands." 
     I stayed quiet as Cally talked, a deep frown on my face. "After most of the ecosystems fell apart, there was this disease. They call it the Flare... I didn't hear all of it, but I think she said it was a mental illness with vesicle effects. Starting with delusions, then our animal instincts take over until every part of our humanity is gone... She said people rather die than get it..." Cally stopped talking, and for some time, I tried to process it all. 
     "That's bloody awful... Do they- is there a cure?" 
     If it even was possible, Cally's face became sadder. "No... there seems to be some kind of treatment, but no cure... But hey! The good news is WICKED is working on it." Cally let out a sign, her fake happy voice dissappearing, "The bad news, we have been their lab rats since we were kids- orphans, actually. Studying us, they put us in situations to see our choices, our reactions. Looking at our brainwaves and- she said- also our thoughts... But I really hope that's not true... I mean, how would that even work?" 
     I could see how hard Cally was taking all of this. It wasn't easy on me either, but still. It was difficult to ignore the crack in her voice. "I don't know, Cals... But it's okay now, we're not there anymore."
     "That doesn't mean we're save." Cally's already soft voice dropped to an even softer whisper. "The woman said we're heading for their save place, up North. That we're gonna cross some waist land they call the Scorch. Filled with sic people. But how do we know if that's true? We don't know them, why should we trust them?" 
     Before I could answer, the bus came to a stop. "We've arrived at our camp for the coming days." The one behind the wheel, the leader of the group, announced.
     It took some time before all the Gladers were awake and ready to go. Not that they gave us a lot of time. The people hurried to get us out of the bus and from the muddy parking lot into a building. It was big and had rows of windows, but due to the darkness it was almost impossible to make out any other details before they shuffled the nineteen boys and two girls inside, up a flight of stairs and into a big dormitory. I had never seen a room like it before. Everywhere were bright colors, from the yellow floor to the bunk beds with red blankets that were lined up against the back wall and every blue curtain that covered the windows. 
     "I've been shucked and gone to heaven." Minho said, taking in the place with big eyes.
     I couldn't have said it better. Everything looked so bloody, wonderful. It felt like every lovin' problem had been solved as we walked through the doors of this building. 
     "Or purgatory..." Cally mumbled from beside us. I took her hand in mine, thinking about what she had said before we arrived. 
     "Everythin' will be fine, Cally." I tried to reassure her a little, even though I wasn't quite sure about our new hosts either. "We're save here, they saved us." 
     "Not all of us." Her words were so soft I barely heard them. I don't think she ment for ke to hear them either. Still, my chest tightened as my thoughts went to the faces of the Gladers we left behind.
     "There ya are, li'le lady." David's voice came from behind us, ripping both of us from our thoughts. David had helped with Cally's wound on the bus and promised to help once we had arrived. "Ready to get fixed up?" 
     "Sure." It wasn't hard to see that Cally still didn't trust the man. She was trying to hide her mistrust and fear behind indifference. It would have been very convincing if I hadn't known her the way I did. David seemed to buy it, though.  
     "A brave one I see," He said with a smile. "Let's go to the back room, there we've got some supplies and uh- Privacy." The moment she heard she had to leave the room, she tightened her grip on my hand. 
     "I'm comin' too." I quickly said. "No way, I'm leaving her side right now." 
     I expected David to protest, but instead, his smile grew, reaching his eyes now as well. "I figured as much. I remember my first puppy love, makes ya kids always inseparable." Hearing him say that made me feel weird. Yes, I told Cally I'm in love with her, and she said she felt the same. Or thinks she does anyway, but hear someone else say it didn't feel right. Also, what in the bloody hell did he mean with 'puppy love'?
     Cally wouldn't have his words either. "Yeah, sure. Puppy love. We had to fight to the death today against mechanic spider slugs, most of our friends got ripped apart, but that has nothing to do with it." Her words were harsh and emotionless, silencing David and me as we followed him to the back room. 
     It was a small room with only a few things inside of it. A lit fireplace, a few chairs, and two tables. One table was very big, on it lay a white sheet and a weirdly shaped pillow. On the other lay all kinds of different instruments, some I knew from the Glade, but most I had never seen or heard of before. 
     "You're name's Cally, right?" David asked her, scratching at the scar on his face.
     Cally nodded her head, "That's my name." 
     "Okay, Cally, if you could take off your shirt and lay down on that table, please." Cally did as she was told, wanting to have it over with as quick as possible. Only instead of laying down, she just sat on the table, still following David's every move. I automatically walked with her, standing by her side.
     "So, we've got a small problem. We can't stitch your wound. We're out of wire." The bald man started, walking to Cally with a brown belt. "So, we'll have to use a different method."
     "What method?" I asked, but somehow Cally already seemed to know because her eyes had gone to the fireplace.
     "I'll have to use a red-hot iron and place it against your wound to stop the bleeding. It's gonna hurt like hell, but at least ya won't die." The man handed her the belt, but before he could explain what she had to do with it, she already placed it in her mouth, biting down on it.
     I could see the fear in her eyes as she lay down, focused on the lime green ceiling. She didn't want to see what David was doing, even though he was only removing the improvised bandages from her side. I had placed my hands on her shoulders, standing behind her head so David could reach everything properly.
     I could only watch as he pulled a big, red and white glowing knife from the fireplace. He moved very carefully to Cally's side and without warning placed it against her wound. The moment the iron made contact with her skin, she screamed. There was a loud, hissing sound followed by the strong smell of burned flesh. Cally clasped her hands around the edge of the table and squeezed her knuckles white. Her head turned away, her eyes shut tight. Something in me wanted to push him away, to make him stop hurting her, but I stayed put. He was helping her. This had to happen.
     David pulled the knife away, and Cally's body relaxed. Her eyes opened slowly, letting out the tears that had built up. "Ya're doin' great, sweetheart." David tried to reassure her, but it really didn't work. He placed the knife against another part of her wound, and her body immediately tensed up, followed by her muffles screaming and rapid breathing.
     After what felt like forever, David was finally done closing up her wound. I knew I wasn't the one getting burned, but seeing Cally screaming in pain and not being able to do anything about it was one of the hardest things I had to do in the past few days. 
     "You did great, Cally." David said with a sympathetic smile on his lips before he took a peace of clean cloth, soaked it in a bucket of cool water, and started cooling the burned area. "So, the good news is, ya were in pain." 
     "How's that good news?" I bit at the man, but he remained calm, answering me without looking away from treating Cally's wound. 
     "That is because that means ya nerves aren't burned up. Which happens with a third-degree burn or higher. This means you only have a second-degree burn, so your skin will be able to heal itself in about two or three weeks. Now the bad news is, it's gonna hurt like hell, and we don't have any painkillers. We do, however, have this," The man nodded his bald head towards a little pot filled with some kind of white salve. "I'll put it on the wound once we're done cooling it down. It'll help ya skin heal."