The Scorch Trials sneak peak {Thomas love story}

Chapter 3

"Okay, not exactly how I like being woken up." I hear Thomas mutter as I open my eyes again. Looking around the room, I see that everyone's literally going crazy. There are people running around and shouting, creating more confusion and drama. And then there's a strange sound I can't put my finger on. Like an animal squealing in pain, terror, or both. Frypan is pointing out of a window with a pale face and Newt and Minho are running towards the door. Winston looks terrified, like he's just seen some sort of flesh-eating zombie as others stumble over each other to look out of the many windows of the room. My eyes meet Thomas's and I hear his velvety voice in my head.
I don't even know the name of most of the twenty boys that survived the Maze. He tells me, and I realize that I don't either. Maybe I know a couple more names than Thomas, but not enough to not feel as bad as Thomas does. I make my way from the bed and stand next to Frypan to look out into the blinding daylight outside of the building. The glass of the window is broken, jagged edges and shards all around the area. There are also crisscross shaped steep bars around the window, as if protecting us. Or trapping us. A man is on the other side, gripping the bars with his hands, which are covered in blood. My eyes widen and I slowly back away from the man, Thomas's hands on my waist as he carefully steps back with me. The man has wide, bloodshot eyes that can only be described as crazy. Scars cover his thin face, which is red and sunburnt on almost every single speck of skin on his face. There are sores along his face as well, and he has a slit stretched across his right cheek, so deep you can see his teeth. It's terrifying to say the least, and the man only has blotches of hair that show a similar resemblance to moss. I could go on, but I really don't want to think about it. Apart from the simply excruciating appearance, there is another thing that terrifies me about this man. It's the words he's saying.
"I'm a Crank!" The man yells, his voice raw. "I'm a bloody Crank!" Then, the same two words keep getting repeated, and it makes my blood run cold. "Kill me! Kill me! Kill me..."

"They're everywhere." Minho informs Thomas and I. "There's no sign of those shanks who rescued us." He adds, making my heart sink. Panic and sadness fill my emotions and I know that I can't just run away from this situation. The sad part is that I felt so safe when we got to this building. No Grievers to worry about, no freaking Maze to worry about and no crazy anxiety about Thomas possibly not making it back to the Glade. That safety blanket is completely ripped off of my skin, like a Band-Aid.
"Have any of them got in yet?" Thomas is the first to speak after Minho's conclusion. I'm thankful that he decided to take control, because I'm terrified of everyone thinking that I'm 'The Smart One'. Thomas's tone is calm, almost soothing, which probably helps everyone's anxiety.
"Do all the windows have these bars?" I speak up. "At first, I thought they might be trapping us inside. But maybe they're keeping them out?"
"Yeah." Minho answers my question. "Good thinking. It was too dark to notice them last night, especially with those stupid frilly curtains." He glares at the window curtains with distaste. "But I'm sure glad for 'em." I can't help but agree, silently. I gaze at all of the Gladers huddled in small groups and I feel my panic rising when I notice something.
"Where's Newt?" I inquire, my head whipping around to look for him.
"Right here." I turn around to see the blonde boy standing right next to Minho all of a sudden. I feel an urge to jump the boy and just hug him, but I hold back. I have to be my own anchor.
"What's goin' on?" Thomas asks our first-in-command, since Alby's gone.
"You think I have a bloody clue?" Newt raises an eyebrow. "Bunch of crazies want to eat us for breakfast, by the looks of it." Under other circumstances, I probably would've laughed. "We need to find another room, have a Gathering. All this noise is driving nails through my buggin' skull." Everyone nods their heads, agreeing with Newt's proposal. Thomas looked like his mind was somewhere else, so I squeeze his hand, bringing him back to reality.

Kill me! Kill me! Kill me! The words keep repeating themselves in my brain, and by the look on Thomas's face, I can tell he's going through the same. It's a miracle that we're not all losing our minds and turning into one of those Cranks. As Gladers gathered around the green door that lead to the area that they supposedly ate pizza in last night, Minho comes to the conclusion that the door is locked. Brilliant. Newt pushes the Runner aside and tries to open the door himself, grasping the brass handle.