Desmond
There was an uneasy feeling throughout the group as this new girl lead us through the compound. She brought us through a sliding door or two, told us her name was Brenda, and bought us out to this huge open area with sketchy people waiting for us. The dim lighting of the hanging lights gave the huge room an ominous glow and already I was starting to feel like coming inside was going to be a mistake. Newt was clinging on to my arm while also helping me to walk around considering I still felt a bit off. Everyone was huddled in very close together with Charlie being placed right in the middle.
We didn't trust anything.
Not anymore.
"Come on, keep up." Brenda called to us as we followed behind like stray dogs. "Jorge wants to meet you."
"Jorge? Who the hell is Jorge?" Minho asked me right next to my ear, making me whip my head away, his hot breath literally being all that I could hear.
"I don't know shuck-face, but if he's smart he'll rip your vocal cords out." I whispered harshly back at him and he glared.
"I saved you're life you know." He commented and now Newt was looking at Minho as if he were stupid, which he is.
"I think you've got your facts mixed Min." Newt reminded him but Minho shook his head in disagreement.
"Who do you think carried his ass?" Minho tried to fight but it wasn't working.
"Buck." I retorted but Minho slapped my cheek softly.
"How would you know shit face, you were unconscious." He brought up, but again, he already lost the argument.
If it weren't for Teresa turning around to yell at us for being too loud, I probably would have jumped at Minho and attempted to rip his smug little face off. As we continued walking through the compound, I started to notice more and more people coming out of the shadows, adding on to the group that followed us from behind. Fry was directly in front of us with Charlie and I notice that he wrapped a big protective arm around the young boy's shoulder. Normally Buck would do that, but she was behind us watching the rear I assumed.
These men and women, no children, looked beaten and angry, growling at us like rabid dogs as they watched us walk by. Oil barrels were scattered across the building with soft fires lit inside, bringing extra light and warmth. You'd think it would be stupid hot in here considering the Scorch was a raging beast, but when night fell it turned icy cold. Buck mentioned that the weather was unpredictable out here, I just didn't think this was what she meant.
Tarps and generators sat in every open space, and I started to wonder how they got the electricity to manage it all. I assumed it was solar powered, it was the only logical answer.
"Hey, uh... who's Jorge?" Thomas asked as he kept pace with Brenda.
"You'll see." Was all she said in return, but that kind of answer never satisfied Thomas. He was going to have follow up questions and then follow up questions on those follow up questions. You get the gist.
"Why does he want to see us?" Thomas asked her but Brenda never turned back to look at him as she spoke.
"No one's come out of the Scorch in a long time." She told us. "You've just got him curious. And me too." She added that last part by looking Thomas up and down.
I was surprised Buck didn't say anything. I would have looked back to see her reaction, but I didn't want to look at the growing crowd behind us. I already felt uneasy enough, no need to add any extra stress. The main thing I remember from that whole walk, however, was the fact that I was craving my drugs like a crazy man. I thought I needed it. I really did.
I will say though
As bad as taking the drugs were...
They certainly toned down the anxiety I felt.
"Anyone starting to get a bad feeling about this place?" Newt whispered to me and Minho as we heard the deep voices of sketchy men behind us.
"Yeah, but that's just because Desdick is here." Minho said and I sent him a glare. "These are you're people bro. Sad, lonely, and ugly as fu-" I cut Minho off my taking Newt's scarf and shoving it down his throat.
"Do you want to get us killed?" I whispered to him harshly as he ripped the scarf out of his mouth.
"No." He said, taking the scarf that was now soaked with his saliva and rubbing it all over my face. "Just you."
"I hate you so much."
"You couldn't live without me."
"Could the two of you just shut up?" Charlie yelled softly at us, taking us both off guard. "I'm watching you two." The little boy growled as Fry took his head and threw it back to look forward at the stairs we were about to climb up.
"What's up his ass?" Minho scoffed but I just shrugged.
"We need to separate him from Buck more, she's starting to rub off on him." I commented and Minho agreed while Newt helped me to the stairs even though I was pretty sure I could have done it on my own.
"Let's just hear what the man has to say, okay?" Thomas insisted and I sighed, gripping on to the railing and climbing up to the top floor with the others.
"Jorge, they're here." Brenda said as she walked up first, but almost immediately a male voice shushed her.
Brenda walked her way over to a musty old couch while we stood there exposed and uncomfortable with scary men on our ass. In front of us was a man who leant over a table littered with radios and machines I wouldn't be able to name. There were wires and tools scattered and I could hear the storm outside raging but calming down from what it was earlier. The man was fiddling with his radios, seeming to try and get a good signal on the muffled static voices going through now.
"Damn it." The man whispered harshly under his breath, turning the radio off and sighing heavily.
Chains hung from the ceiling and lights were flickering from all the little devices this man has seemed to salvage. He stood up straight and slowly turned to face us. He wasn't old but he wasn't young, my best guess would be early fifties at most. He placed his hands on his hips and looked at us with a seemingly exasperated expression. He was intimidating. You could feel the power of his stare as he looked each of us over, his eyes staying on me for a second longer than the others, but that might just have been my mind playing tricks on me.
"Do you ever get the feeling that the whole world is against you?" The man, Jorge, suddenly spoke, and even his voice had power. He sounded tired, but if that was him tired then I'd hate to hear him wide awake. I think his Hispanic accent had something to do with it's power. If he barked an order at me, I would listen without even thinking about it.
All of us turned our heads to look at each other while Fry kept Charlie closer to him while the men who had gathered around us got closer. Newt and I met eyes and I could see the fear in him, so I reached down and took his hand, squeezing it tightly. Then, in my other hand, I felt Minho reaching for mine, gripping it obnoxiously tight. I glared at him before ripping my hand away and slapping his arm.
"Oww Desipoo, I just wanted to hold your dainty little hand. Is that too much to ask?" Minho asked me and I glared at him.
"Not the time ass face." I growled to him at a whisper.
"Three questions." Jorge said loudly, making my head shoot up to look at him as he walked over to a glass pitcher of water and poured himself a cup. "Where did you come from? Where are you going?" The man stared at each of our eyes, seeing our desperation for water, and taking a sip of the liquid. He knew what he was doing. "How can I profit?"
I could feel my dry throat begging for just a little bit of that water and I licked my dry lips but all it did was leave me with a stinging sensation. I know the others were just as parched as I was and they were probably thinking the same thing as me. I would have sold my soul just for a drop of that water.
"Don't all answer at once." Jorge announced after a solid twenty seconds of silence.
"The mountains." Thomas finally spoke up. "We're headed for the mountains; looking for the Right Arm."
Suddenly, the men behind us all burst into a fit of laughter as if what Thomas said was funny. I looked around at them and our group, but something was off. Something was weird, as if something was missing that should have been obvious to me.
"You're looking for ghosts you mean?" Jorge then said which caught my attention. "Question number two. Where did you come from?"
The man started to walk towards us, but it took everything in me not to move back. We all stared at him as he took another sip of his cool water that I wanted to rip out of his hands. We couldn't tell him we were from WICKED, right? Buck never said anything about keeping it a secret, but then again she didn't talk much to begin with, even with her voice back.
"We don't got to tell you shit!" Charlie yelled at him, making all our eyes grow wide with shock as we turned to face him quickly. Frypan took his hand and covered the boy's mouth completely, looking back to Jorge with an awkward smile.
"What's you're name hermano?" Jorge then asked as Charlie ripped himself away from Frypan and marched up real close to the intimidating man.
I have never, and I mean NEVER, seen Charlie act like this before. Sure, he messed with the big tough Gladers all the time like a little brother would, but this was NOT the Glade. Charlie, the same little boy whose afraid of literally everything, is challenging a man that even I was afraid of.
The world truly was backwards now.
"Charlie." He told Jorge, never batting an eye but shaking so much you'd think he was stuck in a snow storm with no clothes.
"Are you not afraid of me?" Jorge asked him and Charlie took in a shaking breath.
"No sir." Charlie responded sharply.
"You should be." Jorge smiled, patting the boy on the shoulder.
Suddenly, I felt strong arms grip on to me from behind and I let out a shout as I tried to pull myself away. Newt was yanked away from me, being held by one of the men behind us while Thomas was basically thrown to the ground in front of us. He was held by two huge men at Jorge's feet. Jorge had his hand gripped onto Charlie's shoulder, keeping him in place while he cried, screaming at him to let us go.
I'm not sure what Charlie thought they were going to do, but I knew that he was scared now. I knew his outburst had to do with Chuck. That his death changed him, but he was still fragile. Being tough just wasn't something the little muffin could handle. Not yet anyway.
"GET THE HELL OFF ME!" Thomas shouted as Brenda walked over, holding his neck still as she lifted a device over his neck. "What is that?!"
"Stop being such a baby." Brenda said, the device in her hands scanning the back of Thomas's neck.
Brenda then backed away from Thomas and Jorge released Charlie, nodding to the other men to let the rest of us go. Immediately I felt the pressure of their grip release and I was left to stand on my own once again. Minho put a hand on my shoulder, making me look at him and I nodded to indicate that I was okay.
"You were right." Brenda's voice whispered as she looked up to Jorge in astonishment. I looked at them suspiciously as the man ripped the scanner out of her hands to look at it himself.
"Right about what?" Thomas asked with as much confusion as the rest of the group had. "What is she talking about?"
Jorge let out a laugh as he took his eyes away from the device and then on to all of us. The way he looked at us made me feel uncomfortable, as if we were meat in a hungry lion's enclosure.
"Sorry hermano." Jorge said. "Looks like you're tagged. You came from WICKED."
Damn it.
"Which means your very valuable."
Oh shit.
"YOU MOTHER FUCKER!" The sudden shout of Charlie came out of no where and Thomas was just able to catch him before he leapt up and ripped Jorge's face off.
We all looked at him in shock as he punched, screamed, and kicked, trying his best to get to the man in front of us. Thomas was only just able to keep him back, but only barely because Charlie was super angry. There were flames in his eyes.
"WHERE IS SHE?!" He screamed at Jorge while his men proceeded to grab every single one of us despite our thrashing. "WHERES BUCK YOU STUPID FUCK?!"
That's what was missing.
That something that felt wrong.
It was Buck.
She was gone.
She had been gone since the moment Brenda took us.
Where the hell did she go?
***
"Great plan Thomas; see what the man has to say." Minho said as he, like the rest of us, hung from the roof by our feet over a fifty foot drop with Cranks drooling with anticipation that we'd fall into their clutches. "Reeeeeeeally working out for us."
"Shut up Minho." Thomas groaned with annoyance after hearing this same thing from Minho for the past twenty minuets. "Maybe I can reach the ropes."
Thomas tried his best to lift his arms up to reach the rope tied tightly around his legs but gravity wouldn't allow it. Minho laughed but I glared at him, upset that they decided to put his dumb ass close to me.
"I'm sorry." I heard Charlie's little voice sniffling from my left, but I couldn't make eye contact with him.
"Minho, push me towards Lee." I told him but all I could hear was Minho's grunts as he attempted to latch on to me.
"I can't reach your fat ass Desdick." Minho told me as he reached his arms out to me but he just missed my jacket by the tips of his fingers.
"Come on, this is pathetic." I said back.
"Maybe if you weren't such a squirmy wormy it would be easier!" Minho said flatly, trying to grip on to me but missing again.
"Squirmy wormy?" Aris questioned but Minho aggressively shushed the boy.
"Quiet tiny dancer! I'm trying to work over here." Minho said, reaching out again but failing. Again.
"Dude, just grab me already."
"I'M TRYING!"
"THEN TRY HARDER!"
Finally, after many unsuccessful attempts, Minho was able to get the edge of my jacket and pull me just enough so that I was looking at Charlie. He let go quickly and I was spinning, but slow enough so that I could talk to Charlie. The poor boy was crying and shaking as he was tied to a railing close to the edge. Jorge wouldn't let his men tie Charlie up over the pit even though they asked several times. I was grateful of that.
"This wasn't you're fault Muffin." I assured him, but I don't think he was very convinced.
"If I didn't act stupid then maybe..."
"This was always going to happen." Teressa told him and Charlie looked to her. "We weren't going to get out of here easily."
"And now Buck is missing..." Charlie said, trailing off on his sentence.
I didn't want him to know how nervous I was about her becoming missing and what it meant. If they took her, that would be bad, but I also didn't believe that was what happened. No one has ever snuck up on that woman ever. No way. But if that's not what happened, then what did? None of it made sense.
"Enjoying the view?" Jorge's voice echoed through the room as he walked out of the shadows.
"Where is she?!" Thomas yelled at the man immediately, taking him off guard. "If you hurt her, I swear-!"
"Cool it hot shot." Jorge told us. "You really think your girl is in danger? Or are my men the ones in danger now that she's gone?"
"What the hell do you want?" Thomas asked curiously.
"That is the question." Jorge said as he walked around us with a wooden cane in his hands. "My men want to sell you guys back to WICKED. Life has taught them to think small."
"What about you?" Charlie questioned and Jorge smiled.
"I really do enjoy your confidence hermano. It is like music to my ears." He smirked before turning back to the rest of us. "I am not like them. And something tells me your not either."
"Is the blood rushing to my head, or is this shank not making any sense?" Minho questioned beside me.
"Tell me what you know about the Right Arm." Jorge suddenly asked us, taking all of us off guard.
"I thought you said they were ghosts?" Newt commented what we were all thinking but Jorge just smirked.
"I happen to believe in ghosts." Jorge informed us as he walked over to the switch that held our ropes up above the pit. "Especially when I hear them chattering over the airwaves."
Jorge looked at each of us individually like he did before, probably trying to understand us as people. Buck does that, analyze people. She can learn you're whole life story just by the clothes on your back.
"You tell me what I want to know, and then maybe we can strike a deal." Jorge told us but I scoffed without even thinking. "Got something you want to say Joe?"
"Let me get this straight." I said, feeling a bit more confident then before. "You take us, tie us above a Crank pit, scare the shit out of us, and then expect us to tell you information that you want?"
It took me saying all of that for me to finally realize that Jorge called me Joe, a name I had never heard before. Except for one person. Buck. She called me Joey, and sure that isn't Joe, but that cannot be a coincidence. Everyone else was just as confused, all except for Thomas.
"You, my boy, are just as tough as your dear sister." Jorge told me and I could feel my eyes widen. "The legendary Buck family is quite the reputation to uphold."
"Excuse me?" I said harshly to him, but so soft it could have been a whisper.
"Shut up!" Thomas tried but the man ignored him.
"Little Joey Buck. The brother of the big bad wolf." Jorge said with a smirk and a laugh, staring into my soul while I felt my heart pounding against my chest. "No one would ever dare touch a hair on your head because everyone knows that if you touch the bear cub, the mama would rip your throat out with her damn teeth."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Newt asked confused while Jorge soon started to understand that none of us knew what he was talking about.
"The Scorch Reaper." Jorge said and I could feel my blood run cold. "What's wrong baby boy? You've turned gray."
"Are you saying Buck is..." Fry started but trailed off. "But that can't be possible. The Scorch Reaper's a guy... right?"
"Ah, so many rumors about the mercenary that would kill anyone on sight just to quench their thirst for blood." Jorge said with a wicked smile while I could feel my breath pick up in a speed I didn't know was possible.
"Listen here hermano." Jorge told us. "No one knew he was a she nor did they know that she was seventeen years old. Too quick. To strong. Not afraid of a single goddamn thing."
Jorge then flipped the switch to the ropes for a slit second, making all of us shoot down rapidly. We screamed in panic and I felt my head begin to pound and my body ache from swinging upside down for so long. Now I was more eye level with the man and he stared right through my soul as I hyperventilated in front of him.
"You think I'm scary hermano?" Jorge asked me.
And I couldn't breathe
Couldn't think
Couldn't see
Could barely hear.
"The Cranks are like little harmless bunnies compared to your sister."
Fuck.
Holy fuck.
Shit fuck shit
Oh my god
It's her
Buck
She's...
She's always been...
She knew...
She knew the whole time...
Why did she...
How could she...
She lied...
She lied to me.
She's my sister.
I'm her brother.
I was her Joey.
Buck wasn't even her first name.
It was her last.
So that makes me...
Joey Buck.
Fuck.
I couldn't breathe anymore so I gripped onto my chest in the way I always did when I was having a panic attack. I gasped for air like a fish out of water, my body shaking in a way that I couldn't control. It was cold but I was sweating like a pig. My heart was about to rip right out of my chest. And I couldn't breathe
Couldn't breathe
Couldn't breathe
Couldn't breathe
"HEY!" I could hear Minho shouting. "LEAVE HIM ALONE OR I'LL KILL YOU! YOU GOT THAT BUDDY BOY?!"
"Desmond, look at me, you're alright love, I've got you." Newt tried to assure me, but he didn't.
Because he didn't have me.
He was so far away.
I needed him and he was so far away.
Fuck.
"Yo, Jorge!" A voice echoed through the shadows and out came a big ugly man with a snickering look on his face. "What are you doing?"
"Me and my new friends were just getting acquainted." Jorge responded to the man before turning to look at me. "We're done now."
"Hey wait!" Thomas called out desperately. "You're not gonna help us?"
The man by Jorge's side looked at him oddly but he played it off as if it were nothing. As if the conversation we had just had wasn't life changing for me. I felt like I was going to throw up.
"Don't worry hermano." Jorge told us. "We'll get you back where you belong." Jorge then turned around, leaving us to the darkness and shadows. "Hang tight."
Minho let out a loud scoff as Jorge left the room with the other man by his side.
"What a jack ass."