As planned, they took off at dawn. They followed Jorge down the rocky ledge and back onto the sand. Emma hadn't missed all the sand. They ventured away from the wreckage of the facility. There was still smoke from fires that had yet to be put out.
Emma couldn't help but search for Thomas. She knew he wouldn't be there. He was too smart to return, but she still looked. There didn't appear to be any WICKED soldiers either. That was a good sign.
Jorge led them through the mountains, which really felt like large hills. He said these weren't the mountains they were looking for. Emma wasn't sure how to feel about that. After that, it went silent. She was, once again, left to her own thoughts.
Left to think about all that had happened. It had only been a few days since she had left the Glade, but it felt like a lifetime ago. Emma felt like an entirely different person, but mentally, she was still stuck in that room—the room where Gally and Chuck would remain forever.
She wished that it was a dream, but it wasn't. It was reality. The reality is that Gally died.
He died, and there was nothing Emma could do to change that. They never talked about their feelings. She wished that they had. Maybe it would be easier to let him go if she knew what they were. Now all she had were what-ifs and torturous memories. Memories that she knew would never leave her.
Selfishly, she wished she could forget. Wished that WICKED would wipe her memories again and she could start over. Had she felt like this before? Emma couldn't help but wonder if she had been hurt like this before.
For the first time, she's grateful she can't remember that. Heartbreak. Greif. Sadness. They were human emotions that Emma hated feeling.
She noticed all the sympathetic glances and guilty looks the boys were casting her. Emma hated it. She hated their pity. It made her feel even worse. It would be easier if they pretended it never happened. At least that way, she wouldn't think about it all the time.
Finally, she slowed her walk and joined Teresa at the back of the group. They had only known each other for a week, but that didn't matter. Emma felt tied to her because they were both girls. Logically, she knew that didn't make sense. Their gender didn't matter, but Emma had been alone in the Glade for so long, singled out because she was the only girl. Teresa made her feel like less of an outsider.
Teresa was also the only person not looking at her sadly. In fact, the girl had hardly looked at anyone since losing Thomas. She had been acting strangely before that as well, but given the situation, Emma could understand. There was nothing easy about any of this.
"I swear, if Frypan looks at me one more time with his big, brown cow eyes full of remorse, I'm gonna lose it." Teresa hummed, eyes on the ground as they walked. Emma glanced at her, raising a curious eyebrow. "Teresa?" She ducked her head down to look at her better. "You okay?"
Teresa blinked a few times. Finally, she looked at her. "Yeah. I'm fine." It felt like a lie.
Emma bit the inside of her cheek, unsure how to approach the situation. "We'll get Thomas back."
"I know," Teresa said. "I'm not worried about that. I mean, I am, but I know Thomas." Emma remained silent. "It's just-I'm not sure we're doing the right thing."
"I know what you mean." Emma stepped over a log. "Nothing feels right. Every choice feels like the wrong one." Nothing made sense anymore. "But we have to do what we have to do to survive. That's all that matters."
"What about the others?" Teresa kept talking. "We left people behind. What about the people who get the flare? What happens to them?"
Emma thought of Winston. They couldn't save him. There was nothing they could do for him. "We can't save everyone." She couldn't save Jeff when he sacrificed himself for Minho. Not Jack when he vanished in the mall. Not Chuck when Gally shot him. "Sometimes, we have to lose. We can't always win."
"It isn't fair."
"Life isn't fair." Emma knew that well by now. "But we have to keep going. We have to do the best we can while we still can."
Teresa didn't respond, but Emma wasn't expecting her to.
The silence returned, and Emma kept her head down as she followed Jorge. Eventually, the desert turned into buildings. No longer was there an endless amount of sand. Now there were structures and people.
People.
People were living in this city. The buildings had long decayed and were now rusted and falling apart. However, that didn't stop the people from living in tents between them. She pulled at her backpack, feeling uneasy when eyes fell on her.
These people were like the ones that worked for Jorge. They weren't like the WICKED workers. They were unclean and unkempt. They didn't have the same resources.
"Marcus is up here," Jorge said a little while later. "Stay close and keep your heads down. Don't draw attention to yourselves."
That seemed easy enough, but this was new. Never had Emma experienced anything like this before. Her eyes flickered to an older woman sitting underneath a line of clothes. Her grey hair was tangled, and she had a scar on her cheek.
Emma looked away quickly, blinking a few times. They walked further into the unknown area. There were more people the further they got. Some were roasting unknown meats above barrels on fire. Others were picking things out of the garbage. Children wore ripped clothing.
A red banner on the side of a building said ZONE A. Emma wasn't sure what it meant but didn't care enough to question Jorge. The older man guided them around the side of a building. This one had a lot of women and men sitting outside of it, wearing clothing that seemed to be purposely revealing.
"Marcus," Jorge called.
Emma looked up to see a blond man turn around quickly. His expression fell, and he looked momentarily fearful. "Jorge?" Whatever fear he had was masked by a false expression. "Jorge, it's so good to see you. How are you, old friend?"
The group stopped around him. A blonde woman by his side lowered her head and slowly stepped back. "I'm not here to catch up. I need your help. We're also looking for two people. Kids, around their age." Jorge nodded his head at the group. "A boy and a girl. Both with dark hair."
Marcus smiled fakely at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't know who you're looking for."
Jorge raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him. "I hope you're not lying to me, Hermano." Emma watched as Marcus swallowed. It was clear he was both scared and nervous. Jorge stepped closer. "Are they in there?" Marcus hesitated long enough for them to know. Emma felt her heart rate speed up. Thomas and Brenda were inside, but what did that mean? "My friend, what did you do?"
He shrugged. "What I had to."
Jorge turned around. "Go. Find them. We're going to have a little chat." That was all the group needed to hear. Frypan burst through the doors, and the group ran inside after him, dividing without realizing it. Emma was immediately overwhelmed by everything she saw. Dozens of kids were inside, swaying to the music as lights flashed.
"Thomas," Emma heard Teresa shout. "Thomas!" In the chaos, she was lost. Unable to pinpoint where her friend's voices were coming from.
As she started to panic, Emma felt a hand grab hers. She looked over to see Minho, who was reaching out between the bodies of random teens. "Hey," he said. "I got you. Come on." With a gentle tug of her wrist, he pulled her toward the others.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thomas and Brenda had been drugged. It was clear the boy had more to drink than her. Brenda was incoherent when they found her, and Thomas was unconscious. Jorge had dragged Marcus into some building and up a few flights of stairs. If she had to guess, Emma would say it was where Marcus lived. It wasn't clean, but there were enough resources to believe he stayed here.
Marcus was tied to a chair by Jorge. Brenda became coherent around that time. Thomas was still unconscious. Emma couldn't help but worry about him. Whatever Marcus made him drink had a strong effect. She hoped it wasn't damaging. That he would wake up soon.
She was relieved knowing he was alive, but until he was back to normal, she would remain worried. Emma had lost a lot recently. She couldn't lose him.
Back in the Glade, Emma made a choice. She chose to follow Thomas rather than stay in the Glade with Gally. In a way, she picked Thomas over Gally. That choice came with a lot of consequences, but it couldn't be for nothing. Emma needed Thomas.
"Hey." Newt placed a hand on her knee. Emma blinked a few times, coming back to reality. "You okay?"
She nodded before she spoke. "Just thinking."
Newt seemed to understand. "It's okay now. We got Thomas." There was a grunt as Jorge punched Marcus in the face once again. Emma was struggling to watch the beating. Marcus was defenseless against Jorge because he was bound to a chair.
Given all he had to do was tell Jorge what he wanted to know and it would stop.
"Jesus," Marcus grunted. "Is that all you got?"
"Believe me," Jorge said. "It's not."
"Hey, hi," Teresa said. The gentleness of her voice captured their attention. Emma sat up straighter beside Newt, eyes going to Thomas. His eyes were open, hand on top of Teresa's, which was resting on his chest. "We have to stop meeting like this."
Minho walked closer and leaned over Teresa's shoulder. "Welcome back, you ugly Shank." Thomas groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head.
"I suggest you talk, you son of a bitch!" Jorge punched Marcus in the jaw. Emma cringed at the sound—a shudder running down her spine. Blood dripped from his mouth, and his left eye was swollen shut. Jorge wasn't softening his punches anymore. It was a matter of time before he broke something.
"Damn it," Marcus cried. "I'm sorry," he stared up at Jorge. Emma knew he wasn't going to talk. "You will have to leave my house."
Thomas stood up, clearly confused about the situation he found himself in. "You've missed all the fun," Newt spoke, eyes on the boy who now stood beside him. Emma was on the same couch as Newt, but she wasn't sitting on the armrest like he was. She was in the corner, knees drawn to her chest.
"Listen." Jorge threw his arms out. "I don't like to hurt you. Okay?" Emma knew he just wanted information about the Right Arm. "Where is the Right Arm, Marcus?"
"Wait," Thomas interrupted. "This is Marcus?"
Marcus chuckled. "He catches on quickly. Are you the brains of the operation?"
Jorge grabbed him by the hair, causing him to whimper. "I know you know where they're hiding." Marcus stared up at him. "Tell me where they are, and we can make a deal." That made Marcus laugh again. "You can come with us."
"I burned that bridge long ago. Besides, I have my own deal." None of them knew what he was talking about. "You're the one who taught me never to miss an opportunity."
Emma tilted her head to the side at his words. "What's he talking about?" Newt questioned. Jorge didn't seem to know what Marcus was implying.
"I'm talking about supply and demand," Marcus explained to them. "WICKED wants immunes. All of them. I help provide that." Nobody said anything. "I bring the kids in. They get drunk and have a good time. Then WICKED comes and separates the weak from the strong." Emma tensed as the words sunk in. Marcus was supplying immunes to WICKED. It was horrifying information.
"Nevermind, Hermano." Jorge threw a rag at him. "I do enjoy hurting you." He kicked the chair backward. Marcus hit the ground with a loud thud that echoed through the room. Emma stood up quickly, mostly out of surprise by the roughness. Jorge pulled out a gun and jumped over the chair, placing it under Marcus's chin. "Talk!" He choked on his own blood. "Talk!"
"Okay," Marcus yelled, not wanting to die. "Okay, but I can't make any promises. They move around a lot." Jorge stepped off of him. Frypan stood up, helping stand Marcus's chair back up. "They have an outpost in the mountains." Marcus paused. "It's very far away. Half of WICKED is on your ass. You'll never make it."
"Not on foot," Jorge said with a sly smirk. He leaned closer, grabbing his jacket. "Where's Bertha?"
Marcus frowned. "Not Bertha," his voice wavered. Emma glanced at Newt, silently questioning who Bertha was. The boy beside her shrugged, not knowing either. Emma knew by the look on Marcus's face that they would soon find out who Bertha is.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It turned out that Bertha was not a person but a car. An old car that still worked. With a smirk, Jorge took the keys from Marcus, and the group climbed inside. Then, they left.
They drove down unknown roads, cramped inside the vehicle.
Jorge was driving with Newt in the passenger seat. In the second row was Minho, Brenda, Aris, and Thomas. They were squished together but didn't mind. In the back, Emma sat with Teresa and Frypan. There wasn't much room, but they made it work.
They drove in silence.
Emma gazed out the window, her eyes heavy. Right now seemed like the perfect time to rest, but she couldn't. None of them could. So much had happened in a short amount of time. There were moments, brief pauses, when the world was steady. Emma found herself falling into a pattern. When the world went silent, she went with it. Her mind would fall back into memories. She would think about everything that happened.
She would think about what she lost. How much she had learned about the world. It was not at all like she imagined back in the Glade. It was much worse.
They traveled into the mountains on roads with sharp turns that led deeper into the unknown. At the same time, it wasn't a bad view. Emma spent months looking at cement walls. Now, all she saw was the world.
Soon, the road started to get bumpy. The car came to a stop not long after, but for a different reason. Several vehicles were blocking the road. They wouldn't be able to get around them.
Once the car was off, the doors started to open. They all got out, preparing to continue their journey on foot. Bertha had gotten them a long way. "Well," Jorge said. "I guess we are walking." Emma already knew that was going to be the outcome. They couldn't move the cars.
Nobody spoke as they began walking around the cars. Emma brushed the hair out of her face, staying beside Minho. They inspected the cars as they walked by, looking for anything that may be of value. It looked like the cars had been there for a while. They were rusted and falling apart.
As Emma went to turn around, a bullet hit a car by Thomas. A few more shots were fired at them. "Get down!" Emma ducked beside Newt and Minho, using the car as cover. She hadn't seen anyone on the street with them.
"Take cover!" Shots continued to hit the cars around them.
Then it stopped. The sounds echoed through the mountains before it went silent. Emma's hands were shaking as she looked around. From her spot, it was impossible to see the others. "Is everyone okay?" It was Thomas.
"We're fine," Teresa shouted back.
"Does anyone know where those bloody shots came from?" Emma had no idea where they came from. She hadn't been paying attention.
The gunshots return. Emma lowered down further, trying to appear smaller to avoid getting shot.
Then, it went silent again. None of them dared to move. They weren't sure how much danger they were in. "Everybody," Jorge yelled. "Get ready to run back to the car. And hold your ears!" Emma wasn't sure what he meant, but something told her it wasn't good.
Emma stayed crouched down but was prepared to race back to the car. Minho and Newt were doing the same. She waited for the signal nervously, but there was nothing. Instead, a gun cocked. "Drop it," a woman said. It's an unfamiliar voice, not Teresa or Brenda. "Now!" Another gun cocked. "I said drop it!" Emma could hear something hit the ground but still couldn't see. "On your feet. Let's move. Let's go!" Thomas and Jorge stood up, stepping around the front of the car. "Move."
"Easy." They kept their hands raised as two women kept guns pointed at them. One had darker skin, with long hair and a tan jacket. The other was blonde. Both had their faces covered by scarves.
"You three over here now." Emma slowly stood up, raising her hands. She didn't have a weapon, but that didn't matter.
"Come on," the blonde yelled at them. "Move!"
"Don't be stupid." Aris, Frypan, Brenda, and Teresa were doing the same as the rest. They kept their heads down.
"Slowly."
The dark-haired girl twitched when her eyes landed on Aris. Slowly, she lowered her gun. "Aris?" She pulled down her mask. Emma glanced at the boy curiously.
"Oh my god," he recognized her. "Harriet?"
"Oh my god." She tossed the gun over her shoulder, embracing Aris in a tight hug. "What the hell are you doing here?" The blonde girl pulled down her mask, a shocked expression on her face. Emma wasn't sure what was happening.
The girl, Harriet, let go of him. "Sonya." The blonde hugged him.
"Aris, you're lucky we didn't shoot your dumbass." The others were looking at each other, all confused. "You okay?"
"How-"
"Uh," Minho cut in. "What's happening?"
Aris looked back at him with a smile. "We were in the Maze together." Emma dropped her arms, feeling some relief. Aris knew the two girls—the two girls who were also from a Maze.
Harriet walked toward the railing, whistling loudly. "We're all clear here. Come on out!"
"Copy that," some yelled back. "We're clear!" On the mountain tops, several people stood up. They had walked right into a trap and had no idea.
"I can't believe you're alive." Sonya was still in shock, her hands on Aris's face. Emma smiled at them sadly. She wondered what it would be like to see people from her Maze. People who didn't leave with them.
"Come with us," Harriet waved them to follow her around a few cars. Sonya joined her, and the two began leading them toward a tunnel in the mountain. The group trailed after them.
As they entered the tunnel. Sonya shouted, "back it up, Joe!"
The truck blocking the exit of the tunnel reversed and allowed them to pass. There was shouting from unknown male voices ahead of them. Once the truck moved, several vehicles could be seen. "We're taking them to base," Harriet explained to a man as they passed.
"Wait," Aris spoke. "How did you guys get here?"
"The Right Arm got us out."
"Wait," Thomas made his way to the front of the group. "The Right Arm? Do you know who they are?"
Harriet smirked as she opened the car door. She gestured with her hand, a signal to get inside. "Get in." Sonya opened the door to a car beside them.
Emma took a deep breath. She didn't know these two girls, but Aris did, and without him, they never would have escaped WICKED. So, she got inside the car.