Through The WICKED Scorch | A Maze Runner Story (English Version)

22. Promises at night

By now, the others had also found a place on the floor. Newt had sat down between Thomas and me, facing the mountains, while I looked in Minho's direction, who had sat down next to me.
When the others had already lain down and started to breathe quietly, I was still sitting like that, looking at Minho, who was clearing out the contents of his backpack once, only to put it in again afterwards. Newt and Thomas had their backs turned to us, Fry Pan was lying with his head towards Minho and Teresa and Aris had curled up next to each other.
"How are you?" I asked Minho quietly.
He paused and looked at me. "I think it could be worse. How about you?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. I'm a mess. So much has happened in the last few days, I still can't believe I'm not asleep and you're about to wake me up so we can go into the maze."
"Crazy, isn't it? I'm thinking that all the time, too. I wish I would wake up right now and do just that."
Now he began to put his backpack away further.
"Do you think we'll make it?" I asked.
And I really wanted to hear what he had to say about it, because if I was interested in an opinion, it was his. I still thought an awful lot of Minho.
"I don't think it can be that this stupid desert is going to kill us if we managed to escape WICKED, can it? It can't be that we survived the maze, fought monsters, left our enemy behind and now we're dying out here."
"You're right about that. It can't be like that." I smiled weakly at him, not even sure he could see that in the darkness.
Then I remembered something I hadn't even had a chance to talk to him about.
"The girl who helped us - you liked her, didn't you?"
Under other circumstances I probably would have asked him that in a teasing tone of voice, but as it was it sounded like a perfectly normal question, for my mouth was dry and I was limp from the lack of water.
"Did you notice it that much?"
"I just know you."
"Yeah, I liked her. I thought she was pretty. And she was brave, after all, when she helped us escape. It's just a pity I had to threaten her with a gun. But I'll never see her again anyway, will I?" He sounded sad about it.
"Possible. Probably should hope that's the way it's going to be, right? I have little desire to cross WICKED's path again. Let's just hope she'll be all right."
Minho nodded. "I'm going to miss our talks quite a bit now that we're no longer travelling alone. And I'm going to miss saving your life all the time."
"I'll miss that too..."
I felt the lump in my throat again.
"Hey." Now Minho slid over to me and put an arm around my shoulders. "When we're safe, everything will be better. And believe me, I'll be able to save your life a time or two. You won't survive without me." I had to smile. "And we'll talk too, just like before. You won't get rid of me that quickly."
"I'm so scared that something will happen to you too. Or Newt, or Pan. I don't think I can survive another loss."
"We always look out for each other, you and me, right? Nothing will happen to me, and nothing will happen to you. And we'll look out for the others together from now on, and nothing will happen to them. I promise."
I nodded silently and leaned against him, grateful that he was holding me. Immediately I thought of the evening after Ben's banishment when we had cried together.
"I guess we should sleep, huh?" Minho asked after a while.
I nodded. "You're right. We'll probably get up early again tomorrow."
Now he let go of me and we tried to get as comfortable as possible. He lay down head to head with Fry Pan and I lay down on my backpack and with them as well. Before I fell asleep I heard Fry Pan grunting in his sleep. Then I fell into a dreamless sleep.