"Hey," a voice shouted, startling Emma awake. Blinking a few times, she sat up. It was Thomas who had yelled, but it was unclear why. They were under a ledge, and the memories of the previous evening returned in flashes.
Emma remained still for a moment, still waking up. Thomas stood up, scanning the area. He was looking for any threats but didn't see any. Newt stared at him, "are they gone?"
"Yeah," he confirmed. "I think we're safe. At least, for now." That wasn't comforting. "We should keep moving. Pack it up." Emma stood up. Her body ached from all the recent physical activity. "Aris, come on." The new addition to their group was still asleep. He slowly started to wake up. "Winston, Fry, we need to go." They had to keep moving.
Winston groaned as he tried to sit up. The previous night he had been injured by the creatures that chased them. "Hey, come on, man." Fry extended a hand from him to take.
Emma grabbed her bag, watching as Teresa did the same. The two girls made eye contact. This time, neither offered the other a comforting smile. "Let's go," Thomas said as he began climbing the debris.
Together, the group began climbing out of the area they found themselves. The sky was blue, with only a few clouds. The sun was shining down on them, warming her cheeks. She thought back to how the sun felt in the Glade. For some reason, she liked it better then.
Thomas got to the top first but came to a sudden stop. Newt arrived next, followed by Emma. The sight was unlike anything she had ever seen. The buildings were tall, hundreds of feet high, but they were falling apart. Fragments were missing, windows were broken, and corrosion had begun to take over. There were deserted cars covered in sand. It wasn't like the Glade, which was full of greenery. There were no trees here, only sand.
The Glade seemed like a lifetime ago, but it wasn't. It was days ago. A few days ago, Gally was still alive.
They were together, happy but scared of what was happening. She would never have guessed this would be the outcome. Part of her wished she had never left the Glade at all.
They ambled down a broken bridge and onto what was once a street. A heavy silence settled within the group as they surveyed the area to understand what they were seeing. "What is this place," Frypan questioned as if any of them knew.
"I don't know," Newt responded. "But I don't think anyone's been here in a long time."
"I hope the whole world isn't like this," Aris muttered.
Something told her it was. "Hey, woah. Everyone stop," Thomas instructed. The group did as told, turning to look at him. "Do you hear that?" Emma listened closely. She did hear something now that Thomas had pointed it out. It was like a faint humming sound, and it was getting louder.
A looked of realization flashed across Thomas's face. "Get down! Everyone, hide!" The group frantically searched for a place to hide. Emma saw the ledge at the same time Thomas did. "There, go!" Emma ducked under the ridge with the others. "Go, go, go!" She dropped to her knees, ensuring her body was hidden from view. The others crowded under the cement chunk.
Above them, an aircraft soared through the air. "Oh, shit." The hovercraft was accompanied by two helicopters. They flew between the buildings, dividing as if they were searching for something. Emma quickly realized that something was them. WICKED was looking for them
"They will never stop searching for us, will they?" The question came from Minho. It seemed that WICKED would always want them. The aircraft vanished from sight. Thomas was the first one to venture out of the makeshift hideout. The rest followed quickly behind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emma was exhausted.
The group had no idea where they were going. All they knew was that the Right Arm was in the mountains. Finding them was not easy. It was challenging. They climbed endless piles of rocks, only to go back down the other side. They wandered around cars, under broken structures, and through the sand.
Emma's hands were rubbed raw from the cement. It was becoming a challenge to stay focused. Everything in her hurt. She just wanted to sleep. "Come on, guys," Thomas encouraged them. He was the most optimistic out of the group, but she knew that wouldn't last forever.
Eventually, they stopped on top of a sandhill. They stood together, staring off into the distance. The mountains they were seeking were barely visible. "There," Thomas pointed ahead. "The mountains. That has to be it. That's where we need to go." It would take days to reach them. It wouldn't be easy.
"That's a long way off," Newt stated, but he knew they had nowhere else to go. WICKED was still after them.
"Then we better get moving." Before any of them could move, Winston collapsed. "Winston!" They all rushed to help him. "Winston."
Emma fell onto the sand, helping Frypan flip him over. His body was shaking uncontrollably. "Winston?"
"He's hurt badly," Teresa spoke. "What do we do?"
Winston gasped for air. He wasn't in any shape to walk. He could barely keep his eyes open. "Winston." Newt placed a hand on his cheek. "Can you hear me?" He tried to open his eyes but no longer had the energy. "It's going to be okay." Emma wasn't sure who Newt was trying to convince.
Thomas stood up. "Okay," he began. "I have an idea."
It wasn't the best idea Thomas had ever had, but it also wasn't the worst.
They built a makeshift stretcher to carry Winston on. Unfortunately, Frypan and Minho had to drag it through the sand. They were the two strongest.
Emma knew extra weight couldn't have been easy. Every time they went down a hill, the boys would help carry Winton. Teresa and Emma would hold the stretcher until they reached the bottom. It was a pattern they repeated over and over and over.
When they reached a flat area, the wind became hellish. Sand would blind them. The small pieces felt like it was piercing her skin. Emma had grabbed a scarf, which she used to shield her face, but it didn't work entirely. Some of the others weren't that lucky and used either their jacket or hands.
Still, they kept going.
Her body was exhausted. Her mind was overcome by memories and the fear of being taken by WICKED. They weren't safe anywhere anymore.
She missed the Glade.
She missed Chuck and Gally.
Everything had fallen apart so quickly. So many of her friends were dead. Everyone was gone.
"We need to find shelter," Thomas screamed over the wind. It was hard to hear him, but she did. And she agreed. They needed to find shelter soon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
They found shelter not long after.
Winston was still struggling. He was getting worse. Nobody understood what was wrong with him.
The wind had finally stopped. It wouldn't be long before they were on the move again. Thomas was on a mission to get them to the Right Arm as fast as possible. He was the unofficial leader of their group and took his role very seriously.
Emma felt distant, almost numb. Gally was dead. She hated the thought, but it wasn't just a thought. It was a fact. A memory burned into her brain, something she would never be able to unsee.
Gally was dead.
What was she supposed to do now? Everything felt wrong. Sure, he wasn't the easiest guy to like, but she did. She liked him. She saw who he really was away from the others.
Emma always thought there were two sides to Gally, but really, there was only one. One Glader who pretended he knew best but was really just scared. That was the whole story. Gally was just afraid. He was scared, but he loved the Glade and the Gladers and wanted to protect them the only way he knew how.
Emma liked to think that Gally was different with her because he wasn't scared. That when they were together, the worries of the world were second to whatever was going on between them.
She would never know for sure. Gally was dead.
Newt stared at Emma, eyes not having left her face in an unknown amount of time. He knew Emma better than most. He could see the change in her. It happened the moment Gally died. The moment her life changed in an entirely different way.
He didn't understand how Emma could love someone like Gally for the longest time. Not until he saw how Gally acted around her. How different he could be. It made him think and question what he knew. Now, Gally was gone, and Emma was becoming a shell of the person she used to be. It didn't help the situation they were in.
There was a distant look in her eyes, something he was starting to hate. "Here." Newt held out his water bottle. "Drink some water, Em." It was enough to bring her partially back to reality.
Without saying anything, she took in from him. Taking a sip, she sighed. Her body was incredibly dehydrated, but she imagined everyone else felt the same. "Thanks." She handed it back to him.
Emma let her head fall back against the wall. She stared ahead at Thomas and Teresa, who were standing on a small hill.
The memories of the Glade clouded her mind. Gally. Chuck. Zart. Alby. All dead. Everyone was dead.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah." She wasn't okay but worrying everyone wouldn't help her. As he went to speak, Emma asked. "What are they doing up there?"
"Looking at the mountains." He turned to look at them. "How's it looking up there?"
"Just a little further," Thomas called back.
Newt sighed. "That didn't sound very convincing." Emma hummed in agreement, not having the strength to respond. She could feel Newt's eyes on her. "Em-"
Suddenly, there was shuffling. Winston woke up and tried to grab something, causing Frypan to react. Before anyone knew what was going on, a gunshot went off. Emma and Newt scrambled to their feet. "Hey," Frypan yelled as he ripped the gun away from Winston.
Winston fell onto his hands and knees, his body shaking. "Winston, what the hell?"
"Get down here," Aris yelled at Teresa and Thomas.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"What's going on," Teresa cried as she and Thomas raced down the hill.
"I don't know," Frypan responded. Emma wasn't sure what was going on either. "He just woke up and grabbed the gun. Then he tried to-"
"Winston," Thomas said. "Are you okay?"
Winston threw up black liquid on the ground. He coughed as more of the liquid fell out of his mouth. Once he was done, he collapsed onto his back. His entire body was trembling as he desperately tried to catch his breath. They cautiously approached him. "It's growing inside me." Winston lifted his shirt. Emma gasped, placing a hand over her mouth at the sight. His stomach was covered in black blood and dark purple veins, with extensive lacerations. "I'm not going to make it." Emma knew that he was right. Like Chuck and Gally, he was going to die. "Please. Please." He wanted the gun. He wanted to die. "Don't let me become one of those things."
Emma didn't want that for him, for any of them. But they had already lost so much. How were they supposed to lose him too?
Newt took the gun from Frypan and stepped forward. "Wait, Newt," Thomas said. The blond ignored him. This was what Winston wanted, and Newt wasn't going to take that from him. He squatted in front of Winston, setting the gun on his chest.
"Thank you." Emma felt her eyes burn with tears. "Get out of here."
"Goodbye, Winston." Newt stood up, turning away from him. Emma had no idea what to say.
So, she didn't say anything.
Instead, she snatched her bag and slung it over her shoulder. They all gathered their belongings and started walking away. Away from Winston, who they would never see again. His body would be left behind to rot.
Like Gally and Chuck.
The group had lost so much lately. Emma realized now how lucky they were in the Glade. It didn't seem like it at the time, but she would do anything to go back. She missed the Gardens. The stew Frypan made and the bonfires. But most importantly, she missed Gally.
But the Glade was gone. It was only a memory now.
Everything had changed.
They walked in silence, further away from Winston. Emma feared what would happen to the rest of them. Were they not immune? Were they all going to die the same way? Rotting from the outside in?
As they trekked down a sandhill, a gunshot echoed. Emma froze at the sound, as did the rest of them. She closed her eyes. Winston was gone. He was dead, and he wasn't coming back.
Like Gally. Like Chuck.
Taking a deep breath, Emma began walking again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
They make camp under old cargo containers. It was the only place they could find. Frypan started a fire. The group was gathered around it. Emma stared at the flames, getting lost in them. It brought back memories of the Glade. Of the bonfire.
Of Gally.
Everything reminded her of Gally. She wished he would leave her mind. She wished she could forget.
"I thought we were supposed to be immune," Minho broke the silence. He's fiddling with a knife, his fingers gliding across the metal. Nobody had spoken since leaving Winston. None were sure what to say.
"Not all of us, I guess," Teresa responded.
"If Winston can get infected, it's safe to assume so can the rest of us."
They weren't safe from anything. Not from the Flare. Not from WICKED. "I never thought I'd say it, but I miss the Glade."
At the mention of the Glade, Emma visibly flinched. His words made her think of Gally. The memories of him flashed inside her mind once more. She saw him every time she closed her eyes, but now they were wide open. She saw his lifeless body on the floor. She saw the spear Minho had thrown at him. She didn't blame him, of course. Minho did what he had to do. Gally had been stung. He killed Chuck.
Emma cleared her throat and stood up. All eyes were on her, but they already had been. She quickly wiped a stray tear that fell down her cheek. This conversation was becoming too much for her. "Where are you going?"
"To get more firewood," she lied. "I'll be back." Without waiting for a response, she walked away from the fire. From her friends.
Emma walked past a few of the cargo containers, letting out a shaky breath. None of the others took the loss of Gally the same way she did. Most of them didn't like Gally, but Emma knew it was because they didn't know him. Not like she did. If they had, they would understand the loss she currently felt.
Gally was damaged, but that was okay. He was scared. That was also okay. Emma wished she could have saved him. She wished things could have been different. It was easy to blame herself.
She sat down on a log, pulling her knees to her chest. Gally was dead, but she didn't understand. Why had he followed them into the Maze? Did he not know the risks? Of course, he did, Emma thought. Gally wasn't stupid. He knew what was inside the Maze. Still, he followed them. Because of me, Emma thought. It's all my fault.
Someone sat down beside her. Emma didn't have to look to know it was Newt. "Don't see any firewood."
She glared at him pathetically, knowing he was trying to comfort her. Right now, Emma didn't want comfort. What she wanted was Gally. "If you came over here to console me, don't bother. I don't want pity right now."
"When have I ever pitied you?" She didn't respond. "I didn't come here for that, by the way. I came to check on you."
"Well, I'm fine."
"You're clearly not," he argued but kept his voice steady. "Look, Emma. You're not all right, and I get why, but Gally's gone-"
"God, don't you think I know that?" She stood up quickly. Newt copied her actions. "Of course, I know he's dead! But I don't know what you want from me. I can't just get over it."
"And nobody's expecting you too."
"He died in front of me, Newt. He died, and I feel like it's all my fault."
Newt rushed toward her. "Hey, hey." He wiped the tears under her eyes with his thumbs. "I know, okay? I know. I know you cared about him. I know you loved him."
She exhaled shakily at the word love. It wasn't a word she had ever considered. A word she didn't know the entire meaning of. It was a powerful word for a powerful emotion.
An emotion she knew, deep down, she had always felt about Gally.
"But he's gone, okay? Gally's gone, and he's not coming back." Her bottom lip quivered. "But you are still here, and I need you to keep fighting."
How could she keep fighting when the worst things kept happening? How was it fair or right? Emma's tired. She's tired of being tired. WICKED will never stop looking for them. They would never be safe. They had no home, nowhere to go, just each other.
"I don't know if I can."
Gally once said he doubted her ability to survive outside the Maze. He was right, of course. Emma wasn't sure how much longer she could do this.
"You can," Newt promised. "You are the most stubborn, optimistic person I have ever met. If anyone can get through this, it's you."
"What if the Right Arm isn't real?" What happened then?
"Then we'll figure it out. All we need is each other." Emma nodded, mostly to herself. "Hey." Newt kept going. "It wasn't your fault. What happened to Gally had nothing to do with you."
"Yeah."
Emma wanted to believe him. She wasn't sure she did.