"Ha ha. No. We're all going. Who knows if she is held hostage by psycho girl ninjas hiding in that shack of hers, who are waiting for us to come so that they can throw their ninja-star blades on us. Or slice us in a clean half from our waist in one...
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NEWT
I dig my spoon into the tinned bean soup and have it. The beans are mushy and cold, but I really don't think I care.
"A few teensy thing you should know about Cranks." Jorge starts to walk in front of us, both of his hands on his back. "One-" he spins around and puts up his index finger. " some are worse than other. There are few like us, aka, the Normies and few are past the Gone. Don't even think about that you're killing a man, because they're not human anymore. Just brainless cannibal zombies.
It's on the top of my suggestions for stress relief activities." My eyes drift to Addie. She's been quiet all the time, hanging the edge of the group. Now, she mindlessly stirs her spoon in her tin can. One of her leg tucked under another, she keeps the can on her leg and stares at the food.
I can see her eyes unfocused and hazy, and her face pale- paler than usual.
A dark pit is growing in my own stomach, making me nauseous as I try to keep my brain from thinking about how my girlfriend is probably turning into one of those monsters that we'd seen in the footage in the control room after the Maze.
Talk to her, you idiot. Be a good boyfriend.
"Three!" Jorge puts up his third finger. "If you're bitten by a Crank past the Gone, then you as well be Gone instantly. Takes a day or a two to affect you." Jorge claps his hand with a joyous smile. "That's it folks! That's all you need to remember and you're good to go." Through the bites of bean soup, I scan everyone.
Tommy and the new girl- Brenda are sitting together, talking about something. I finish up the bean soup and toss the can in the corner. I drink half a bottle of water, finally satisfying my cracked up from the heat tongue. I let my eyes drift to Addie, who is slowly chewing the bean soup, staring at the space in front of her.
I have to talk to her. I can't leave her alone in times like this.
I slowly put my hand on her thigh. I notice her eyes flicker to me and then settle back on the half eaten bean soup in the tin can, in her hand.
I slowly rub my hand against her thigh, just like she likes, trying to provide her some calmness.
She trails her gaze to me and then settles it back to her hands. From up close, I can see her jaw clenched shut. Her eyes are rimmed red.
"You'll be fine. We will get you to the Cure."
"I don't know." She trails off uncertainty in her features.
"Wh-why? We are going there. We'll be on our way soon after."