The Priceless Variable

Gally Returns

Jorge drove down to a run-down village near the walls' entrance. It reminded everyone of the neighborhood near Marcus' mansion back in the Scorch, but it was worse.

The group was walking through a large crowd that was going in the opposite direction. They all stayed close together.

"This place has really gone downhill." Jorge said.

"We just gotta stay together." Thomas said.

Then, there was a voice echoing through the air coming from behind them. It was a man preaching on a vehicle.

They moved off to the side, so that it can get through. As it passed through, Thomas noticed another person on the vehicle staring at their group. He couldn't tell who it was because they wore a gas mask.

"We are the voice of the voiceless. They hide behind their walls, thinking they can keep the cure for themselves, while they watch the rest of us wither and rot! But, there are more of us than there are of them. And I say, we rise up and take back with it ours!" the man preached.

Every person in the crowd cheered by his words.

There was a glow on Thomas's neck. It was his WICKED tag. He looked up and saw a drone flying in the air.

In the WICKED surveillance room, two workers were sitting at the panel, when a notification was sent in by the one of the drones. They stared at the message of Thomas's information on the screen.

"Get Janson." one of them ordered.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jorge led the group closer to city's entrance. There was another crowd of angry people were protesting to be let back into the city.

"That's it! That's our way in." Thomas said, then walked through the crowd.

"Thomas! This is not what you're looking for. All these people trying to find their way in, you think you're gonna find something they can't?" Jorge yelled over the crowd's protests.

"I came this far, I'm not turning back now." Thomas said.

Newt, Frypan, Brenda, and Mallory were lagging behind.

"What did we get ourselves into?" Frypan asked.

The other three didn't answer his question. They were focused on walking further into the crowd. Without them knowing, some masked men were following them.

Thomas and Jorge were the closest they could get to the Last City's entrance. It was still a good several feet away.

"Thomas, this doesn't feel right." Jorge said.

~~~~~~~~~~

Janson walked into the surveillance room.

"You were right, sir. A drone picked him up outside the walls." a worker said.

"Get the guns online." Janson ordered.

The surveillance workers sent out notices to the guards on sight. Janson stared at the big screen that had Thomas's picture on it from security footage. He had a smug smile on his face.

~~~~~~~~~~

Mallory was walking beside Newt. She looked back at some of the people and saw a masked man that seemed to have eyes on them. She felt a little freaked out and grabbed onto Newt's arm.