Why Can't I Hate You?

~27~

"Hey, sleeping beauty, time to get out." Minho's voice stirred me awake. I sat up, we weren't moving anymore.

I climbed out of the truck to see that we were at a tunnel. It was blocked with abandoned cars, most likely the reason we stopped. There was no way we could get the truck through. I walked over to one of the cars, feeling the little hole in the tarnished metal. It looked like a bullet hole. There was a sharp ping of metal on metal and a gunshot echo. 

Newt grabbed me, dragging me to the ground, behind the car.

"What was that for?" I hissed at him.

"I just saved your arse."

"I didn't need saving!"

"Is everyone alright?" Thomas shouted from wherever he was.

"We're fine!" Teresa responded from her end.

"Anyone know where those bloody shots came from?" Newt asked.

"Clearly, they came from a gun." I responded sarcastically.

"You know that's not what I meant."

"God, I've met bread smarter than you." I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, when you're done flirting, we're in the middle of an ambush!" Minho piched in.

"We're not flirting!" We retaliated.

A commotion caught our attention. Voices that I didn't recognise. Making commands. Then, a girl with a blonde fishtail braid and a bandana covering the bottom half of her face held a rifle at us. "Get up and move over here. Go!"

We exchanged looks and followed her demand. Moving over to the others, who were doing the same under the command of another girl with dreadlocks. "Don't be stupid, move!" She ordered. Her eyes softened for a moment, like she'd seen something she didn't expect. "Aris?"

I looked over to Aris, whose face was full of confusion. The girl pulled down her bandana, revealing her whole face.

"Oh my god, Harriet?" Aris was stunned.

She embraced him into a hug. The blonde girl removed her bandana with the same surprised expression.

"Sonya," He said.

She hugged him. "You're lucky we didn't shoot you, you dumbass."

"What's happening?" Minho said what we were all thinking.

"We were in the maze together." Aris smiled widely.

Harriet whistled to the people above who had shot at us. "We're clear guys, come on out!"

They led us to a truck and whisked us away to the right arm. I really hoped Aris was right about these people. Not long later, we arrived. It was a lot more open than I expected for a resistance. Tents and supplies everywhere.

"You're lucky you found us when we did. We move out tomorrow." Sonya explained, then turning to someone I didn't know."Where's Vince?"

"Who's Vince?" Thomas asked.

"He's the one who decides who gets to stay." Harriet said.

"I thought you were supposed to be an army?" Minho asked.

"We were." A man approached. Probably in his late forties to early fifties. "This is all that's left of us. Who are these people?"

"Hey Vince. They're immune, catching them coming up the mountain." Harriet said.

"Did you check them?"

"No, but I know this guy, Aris." She pointed to him."I trust him."

Vince didn't seem convinced "well I don't. Check them."

Brenda gasped loudly for air, then collapsed onto the ground. Jorge immediately went to her. "Brenda! What's wrong?"

"What's wrong with her?" Vince edged closer.

"I don't know." Jorge held her."Brenda, what is it?"

Vince bent down and pulled up the bottom of her jeans to reveal an infected bite. "Crank!" He cocked a gun at her."We got a crank!"

"No! No!" Jorge yelled.

"Hey, she's not dangerous yet!" Thomas pushed forward.

"You brought a crank in here? We wouldn't last five minutes in the safe heaven if we let cranks in."

"I know, but I told her you could help. There's got to be something you can do."

"Yeah, there is. I can put her out of her misery."

Jorge began yelling an array of obscenities at him.

"Vince, stop!" A dark-haired woman rushed towards us.

"She's infected, Mary. There's nothing we can do for her."

"No." She stared at Thomas,"but he can. Hello Thomas."

Thomas tilted his head at a loss. "You know me?"

She nodded in acknowledgement. "Makes sense they'd put you in the maze. After what you did, I was worried they'd kill you." She kneeled down beside Brenda, looking her over.

"What I did?"

"The first time we spoke, you told me you couldn't do it anymore. Watching your friends die. The last time we spoke, you gave me the coordinates of every wicked compound, trial, and lab."

Vince lowered his gun, staring at Thomas. "He was our source."