Song - Pompeii (Bastille)
"Squawk!"
The sudden sound and rustling beside me stirred me from my slumber.
"Hey! Get out of here!" Tom hissed, flailing his arms to scare a swarm of crows pecking at our packs.
I groaned while rubbing my eyes. The blinding daylight made my brain ache. I sat up from my sleeping spot. Beside me, on my left, Minho shifted to sit up on his elbows. He had shuffled close to me during the night. I was glad for the extra warmth and protection from the freezing and sleepless night. I already was curled up in Newt's arms, and Thomas then cradled the boy's back. I had spent most of the night listening to the crank's screams, feeling Minho's rapid heartbeat on my back, and watching Tom run his fingers through Newt's blonde hair, slowly sending my brother to sleep, impossible for us other three. I don't think I fell asleep until the cranks had gone silent and Minho gently stroked my hair until I drifted into a restless slumber.
Tom got up from his place beside Newt and stood up.
"Are they gone?" My brother asked while too, sitting up beside me. He brushed a lone lock of blonde hair dangling over my face behind my ear. I smiled at him gently. He matched my expression. Almost identical. Like brother like sister.
"Yeah, I think we are safe for now. Okay, we should get moving," he indicated while grabbing his pack off the ground. "Let's pack it up,"
I heard groans and shifts from the others. I saw Teresa rolling her neck back and forth, blinking in the sunlight. Newt stood up and then Minho followed. He stretched and extended an arm out for me. I took his hand and he heaved me up. I stretched my neck before heaving my backpack on my shoulders and following Thomas over the pile of rubble. Once we finally scrambled to the top of the pile, did we finally see where the hell we were.
A city.
A city in ruins. Skyscrapers crumbled and worn like skeletons. Sand streaming into every nook and cranny. Abandoned cars consume the destroyed roads.
I swallowed as Tom and the others moved forward, before following them down onto the street.
"What the hell happened to this place?" Fry murmured while we trekked through the streets of the abandoned city.
"I don't know... but it doesn't look like anyone's been here in a long time," Newt muttered in response. I followed behind him. Scanning the landscape surrounding me. It didn't feel real. For us to be the only ones left in this massive city.
"I hope the whole world isn't like this," Aris gulped.
"I've got a funny feeling telling me that the whole world is most likely like this," I sighed.
Minho nodded in agreement.
"Woah, woah woha. Hang on stop," Thomas ordered from behind us. We hadn't noticed him stop walking.
We all turned to look at him.
"Do you hear that?" He murmured.
We fell silent, craning our ears. For a moment all I heard was the sound of wind billowing and my breath. But then a familiar chopping filled the air.
"Get down! Everybody hide!" Tom ordered as the others registered what was going on.
I did a three-sixty on the spot as everyone frantically ran around trying to find a spot.
"Fuck, where?" I cursed.
"In there!" Tom yelled pointing to a fallen piece of cement creating a roof for all of us to sit under. Thomas grabbed my hand and pulled me under with the others. We sat silent hearing the whirring get louder and louder until a massive Wicked aircraft and two additional helicopters flew over our heads and further into the city beyond. When it passed our eyeline we all blew a sigh of relief.
"They're never going to stop looking for us... are they?" Minho sighed. No one responded... but I thought that answered his question anyway.
We tramped further and further into the city, now silent as a precaution. We scrambled over mountains of destroyed buildings in single file, Thomas leading from the front until we finally reached one final dune almost as tall as the skyscrapers. I slowly stumbled up the sand beside Teresa, my legs burning and my breaths hoarse. She hadn't spoken a word since last night.
But once we finally reached the top, the sandy wind piercing our faces, did we see our goal.
The mountains.
Guarded by miles and miles of desert.
"Those mountains, that's gotta be it," Thomas panted while pointing to the horizon. "That's where we're going,"
"That's a long way off," Newt breathed looking at the boy with his usual look of concern. Tom just nodded slowly and looked back at my brother, gently taking his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
I looked away. I was not jealous. After everything we had been through, they deserve more than anyone else to have some sort of relief from our situation. But it still hurt. Because Gally used to hold my hand just like that.
My thoughts were interrupted as Winston fell forward from our pinnacle on the dune. Rolling a few meters before coming to a halt.
"Winston!" I screamed as we all rushed to his side. I knelt beside him and turned him over, now hearing his shallow and heaving breaths. I placed my hand on his cheek.
"He's hurt pretty bad," I murmured.
"What do we do?" Teresa asked.
Tom looked around at our position and cursed under his breath before standing up.
Newt leaned over Winston's body.
"Hey, Winston. Can you hear me?" he murmured before looking at me, "Is he okay?"
I opened my mouth to respond but no words came out. I knew what this was. I'd seen it before. But I didn't know how to tell him. So I just looked down at Winston's pained face and cleared my throat.
"Fry and Minbo, go find some big sticks. Everyone give me your jackets, I've got an idea," I instruct while gently brushing some hair off Winston's face. He clutched my other hand to his chest. His eyes flickered open for a second and he looked at me with the most haunting emotion I'd ever seen.
Pure terror. Before he closed them shut again and made another gut-wrenching groan.
"Hurry guys, we don't have much time,"
As we continued our journey with Winston on our make-shift stretcher pulled by Fry and Minho, we again fell into silence. The only sounds were Winton's soft moans and the wind howling around us.
As we made our way out of the city, the wind picked up, carrying razor-sharp sand. The other boys carried Winston on the stretcher while Newt remained by my side, trying to shelter me from the sand with his body. I held his hand firmly, trying to ignore Winston's whimpers.
Once we made it out of the city and further into the desert, the sandstorm finally died down, so we stopped for a drink, using a few fallen cement beams for shelter.
Minho handed me a bottle which I took gladly, savoring the water on my dry tongue and throat.
I watched Winston's rapid breaths. I didn't know what to do. There was nothing I could do to help. I looked away and saw Tom standing at the top of a nearby dune, staring out at the horizon. Newt looked at him, eyes distant. He started getting up, but I put a hand on his shoulder. Newt looked at me in confusion.
"You stay, I'll talk to him," I murmured while standing up and trudging over to Tom.
He turned and smiled weakly when I came to stand beside him and see what he was looking at. The mountains... seemingly even further away.
"Hey," He murmured
"Hey... Looks even further away than before," I sighed.
"We just have to keep moving, we can make it," he affirmed.
"How's it looking?" Newt called from back in the shelter.
Tom swallowed, looked back at the mountains, and then back at me before he called back,
"Just a little further!"
The others didn't look convinced but Newt sat back down.
Tom looked at me. I swallowed and looked at the ground.
"Hey, what's wrong? Tell me," he murmured, grabbing hold of my hand.
I sighed shakily,
"It felt like I was waking up from a bad dream, and then everything that happened... came flooding back," I murmured.
"So they gave you your memories back? You remember everything?"
I nodded,
"Everything,"
I then sighed,
"Why didn't you tell me he was my brother? Why didn't you tell us?"
Tom sighed and scratched the back of his head,
"Ella, I wanted to tell you guys so bad but... there was never a right time and now... you can tell him yourself,"
"I don't know how I'm going to tell him," I whispered.
"It doesn't matter. Family is different from anything else and you too... he loved you more than anything else in the world. He was prepared to give up everything for you. And something like that... never just stops," He affirmed.
I nodded, a singular tear running down my cheek so he quickly wrapped me up in his arms, stroking my hair. We stood there for a moment before I cleared my throat,
"I also remember when Newt and I first came in. How drawn we were to you. And all we wanted was to be your friend," I giggled quietly, still in his arms.
He chuckled softly. I continued,
"I also remember why we did everything. How we tried to stop them but... it didn't work,"
A silence fell before Tom spoke,
"When I first remembered everything, back in the maze, the first thing I heard in my dreams was your voice, telling me that we could do this. For Newt, for our friends... For us,"
I swallowed,
"I just don't understand why they would give me my memories back. How would that affect anything?"
A voice behind us made us both jump.
"Because they wanted all of us to remember why we were working there in the first place,"
Teresa.
"Huh?" I questioned as she walked towards us.
"They didn't just give us our memories back... they did something else. Look," She said while pulling her hair away from the back of her neck and revealing what seemed to look like a tattoo.
Tom gently brushed the hair away from the back of my neck and ran his fingers down the skin. I felt a different prickle I didn't realize as his skin touched something sensitive. Tom pulled away and I touched the skin. I pressed slightly harder and a sharp pain burned.
Teresa swallowed and took a deep breath.
"I think we should go back,"
"What?" I blurted. She can't be serious?
"Just listen to me," She pleaded.
"What are you talking about?" Tom frowned.
"Go back? After everything they've done to us?" I questioned. I knew she was always on the fence but... she isn't actually suggesting this?
"No, it's not that simple,"
"Yeah, I think it is that simple," Thomas hissed.
"No, you guys don't understand"
"What don't we understand?" I growled.
"Everything was fine until you two..." She trailed off at the end of her sentence and looked out towards the mountains.
"Until we what?" Tom muttered. Teresa shook her head.
"I thought you two had changed... I guess I was wrong. You still don't get it-"
A bang and a shout made us all jump and spin back towards the others. The boys were all rushing around and yelling at each other.
"Guys get down here!" Aris yelled to us before we sprinted down the dune into our shelter.
"What happened?" I shouted while seeing Winston on his hands and knees and the rest of the boys standing a few meters back.
"I don't know he woke up and just grabbed the gun and then he tried to-" Fry started,
"Please just give it," Winston whispered, trying to reach towards the gun.
"Winston, what's wrong?" I asked while kneeling beside him, he turned to the other side and vomited up a sticky black liquid. Minho grasped my shoulder and pulled me away quickly. Winston fell onto his back spluttering.
"It's growing... inside me," he whimpered while pulling up his shirt revealing... I almost vomited at the sight. Parts of his flesh completely missing, black liquid oozing from the sores, and purple veins covering every inch of his tan skin. I covered my mouth with my hand.
He looked at all of us.
"I'm not going to make it," He whispered.
My throat began to tighten.
"Please. Please," He reached his hand out. For the gun. "Don't let me turn into one of those things,"
I looked at Frypan, his grip not loosening on the gun. But then Newt gently took it from Frypan and took a few steps towards the boy on the ground. My eyes widened.
"Wait, Newt-" Thomas started, Newt ignored him as he knelt and placed the gun into Winston's hand.
"Thank you," Winston gasped. "Now... get outta here,"
Newt was frozen for a second,
"Goodbye Winston," He whispered, before getting up, grabbing his bag from the ground, and leaving the shelter behind.
Aris and Teresa followed behind him. I looked at Tom, Fry, and Minho, they both remained frozen.
"Go," Winston wheezed. Minho slowly turned and followed Newt as Frypan knelt beside him, exchanging quiet words I couldn't make out. Tears streamed from Fry's face as he got up and followed the others. Only Tom and I remained.
I slowly walked towards him and knelt by his side. The tears finally started to fall as he grabbed my hand.
"Don't cry Ell-Bell... I'm going to see Jeff soon,"
As he said it out loud, it was as if he finally realized it for the first time, a soft smile reached his lips.
"Keep the boys out of trouble... just like you always have,"
He smiled softly again as I gave his hand one last squeeze.
"I will, I promise... Goodbye, Winston... say hi to Jeff for me," I croaked while kissing his hand and placing it back down on his chest. I leaned forward and gently kissed him on his forehead.
"I will... I promise too,"
I left his side not looking back. Tears steadily streamed from my face as I followed behind the others. I didn't hear Tom's goodbyes but as we got further and further away my tears didn't stop. I just wanted to run back and give him one last hug-
Bang!
We all stopped.
I sent out a silent prayer to the above.
Please let Winston reunite with the boy he loves.