~Molly~
Mr. Hermanos was right. It was a long hard trek. We walked for about two hours in the blazing sun. I pulled the hood on my sweater up to keep from burning too badly. Sand filled my shoes and crunched between my toes. My ginger hair was tangled and grimy from the days of sweating. Tears of exhaustion leaked from my red eyes. For the last five days we'd had barely any food, next to no water, and maybe a half-nights sleep.
Minho and I sat against an old car on the warm sand. His head rested in my lap. My fingers worked through his thick hair.
"Have I ever told you how pretty you are?"
He smiled up at me.
"Thanks," I kissed his nose. He reached up and brushed some sand from my cheek, "I mean it."
"You're sweet."
"How much longer?" Newt asked as he walked up to Jorge. Jorge was standing on a metal box sticking out of the sand.
"We'll get there soon," He assured Newt. "How's your wife?"
I noticed my best friend curled up on her coat with Daniel looking nervous.
"She's fine," Newt replied.
"I can imagine in her condition this is not easy," Jorge added.
"Yeah well, hanging upside down for a couple hours isn't exactly the most comforting thing ever."
"Listen man, I did what I had to do then."
Newt walked back to Zoe. His prior anger changed to a warm glow the minute he sat next to her.
Minho pulled me down next to him, "I love you."
"I love you too."
"Love you more."
"No way."
"Yes way."
When I awoke sometime later the sun was covered in a cloak of gray cloud. The soft patter of rain drops filled my ear. I rolled over and welcomed the cool drips of water falling gently on my face.
"About another hour. Then we'll be there," Jorge said as we all got ourselves up.
"When we do get to the city I want you guys to let me do the talking. These people are, uh, to put it lightly, wasted."
"Wasted?" Daniel asked.
"Turning. You know, infected. They're cranks."
"You're dragging us to a crank pit?" Newt asked.
"Not really, more like the half-way."
We followed Jorge over the sand. We stopped on a sandbank. In front of us was a city. Or rather, what used to be a city. Ruined buildings loomed up out of the pale earth. Shacks and huts made out of various types of materials filled the alleys. I could see the shapes of people walking about.
"Stay close to me," Minho grabbed my hand. I nodded and held his wrist with my other hand, "I promise."
"Come on. The sooner we get through here and gone the better," Jorge said. Teresa beckoned for me to go ahead of her as we descended the slope.
"Woah," Zoe breathed beside me.
"Woah indeed," I replied as we walked past vehicles, motorbikes, and other wrecks buried in sand.
"Is the whole earth like this?" Daniel asked.
Jorge shrugged, "I couldn't tell ya hermano."
~Zoe~
Jorge led us through the dirty streets. People meandered about. Most of them are staggering or just lying in odd positions. Newt whispered, "I don't like this."
" Me neither," Daniel said as we approached a large building.
We all gathered behind Jorge as he was approached by a woman in a dingy, tight, cream colored dress. Her hair was snarled but done up in a high bun. A shabby collection of necklaces hung around her thin neck. "Are y'all here for the party?" She asked, sipping some green liquid from a bottle.
"We're looking for Marcus," Jorge said.
"And two friends," Daniel said. "A boy about 16, brown hair. He's wearing a brown jacket. And a girl, about yeah high in height, short brown hair." He motioned with his hand to his shoulder.
"No Can't say that I- Now wait a moment. They're inside," She gave a creepy smile. The woman handed me the bottle, "Price of admission."
I swirled the green liquid around. Daniel took the bottle, shattered it against the wall, and walked through the curtain door with Minho on his heels.
"You girls stay with me," Newt said as we walked in. Molly and I followed him. Teresa was nowhere to be seen.
"What is this place?" Molly asked as we walked past a counter where a man with gray veins served odd liquid in chipped glasses.
Someone grabbed my arm and tore me away from Newt.
"Newt!" I screamed.
Newt yanked me back from the man, "Don't touch her!"
The man held his hands up and walked away. The music was blaring as we wove through the group of people. Somewhere near the back I heard a wail followed by a gunshot. Molly and I ducked. Newt pushed me down behind him. The air in the room was so thick with the smell of rot and alcohol I could barely breathe. I could feel the sweat dripping down my back.
"We're never going to find them in this mess!" Molly said as she kicked a bottle away. I saw Daniel a few feet away. He picked someone up off the floor.
"There!" I yelled. Teresa was with him. They carried Thomas between them.
Minho pushed through a group of girls towards us, "We gotta get out of here!"
We found Jorge trying to talk to a man who was obviously on his way past the gone.
Minho and Aris carried Thomas out of the party. Brenda was with us too. The man who had shown Thomas and her into the party was arrested by Minho and Jorge and dragged into a separate room far from the party.
Teresa and I settled Thomas on a mattress on the floor.
"What's wrong with him?" I asked.
Newt tapped the side of his face, "he's passed out or something."
"We were given this weird fluid," Brenda massaged he sides of her head. "Whacky stuff."
Daniel tied the man to a chair, "The sooner you cooperate the sooner you can get back to your miserable existence."
The man's face was swollen, one eyes was bleeding underneath and a jagged cut ran down his neck, "I told you. Marcus is dead."
I heard a shuffled behind me.
"Hey, you're okay," Teresa sadi gently. "Hi."
Thomas was awake, breathing heavily. His brown eyes were wide as they wandered our faces.
"We've got to stop meeting like this."
"Welcome back," I smiled. Minho appeared next to me, "Welcome back ya ugly shank."
Thomas rolled his eyes and sat up with a light groan.
"Talk you son of a," Jorge yelled as he knocked our hostage across the face.
Thomas stood up.
"I'm sorry, You're going to have to leave my house," The man replied. More blood was running down his neck.
"Looks like you've been having fun," Newt looked Thomas up and down.
"Listen," Jorge said. "I don't enjoy hurting you. Okay? Where is the right arm Marcus?"
"Wait this is marcus?" Thomas asked.
"The kid catches on quick," Marcus chuckled. "Are you the brains of the operation?"
I walked over and sat beside newt who kissed my cheek and slipped his arm around me.
Jorge grabbed marcuses hair and yanked his head back. "I know you know where they're hiding. So you tell me and I'll make you a deal."
Marcus chuckled.
"You can come with us."
"I burned that bridge a long time ago. Besides, I make my own deal. You are the one who taught me never miss an opportunity."
Newt looked up, "What's he talking about?"
"I am talking about supply and demand. WCKD wants all the immunes they can get. I help provide that for them. So I lure the kids in, they get drunk, have a good time, and then later WCKD comes in and separates the wheat from the chaff."
Jorge looked back at us, "I changed my mind hermano. I do enjoy hurting you." With that he kicked Marcus's chair back and pulled out his pistol. He leaned over the man lying on the ground with his gun pointed at his chest, "TALK!"
"Okay okay gee," Marcus choked. "I am not making any promises. These guys like to move around." Jorge and Daniel pulled the chair up.
"They have an outpost in the mountains but it's a long ways away and you got half of WCKD on you. You're never gonna make it."
"Not on foot. Where's bertha?"