Antidote | A3

c h a p t e r . s i x t e e n

When moonlight finally spilled through a gap up ahead, everyone blew out a collective sigh of relief.

The passage opened onto a broad shelf of weathered stone. The cliff rose sheer behind us while another wall of rock curved around one side. Only a narrow path wound away around the bend, disappearing into the gloom of twilight.

"We should rest up here," Minho announced, picking a spot in the clearing and sitting down, his back against the rocky wall.

My knees practically buckled as I welcomed the invitation, sinking to the floor. I was desperate for food and sleep, and the pain from getting socked in the face had settled into a deep, throbbing ache around my jaw and temple.

The Gladers settled down and started eating. There was a far-off look in everyone's eyes, like no one could really focus on the spoonfuls of pork and beans they shovelled into their mouths, instead looking straight through them.

I gulped down some water, then dribbled a little on my hands and began wiping away at some of the crusted blood stuck to my skin. I wasn't sure how much of it was mine - I'd definitely sustained some nasty cuts from being slammed into the rock of the cave wall - or how much belonged to the Cranks I'd killed.

Killed. How many had I killed? Three? I knew we'd had no choice, but the vision of that man with the one arm lying there lifeless under me made me shudder. I wondered who he used to be - before the Flare had ravaged his mind, stripped him of his humanity. Is that what was to become of us, if WICKED's promise of a cure turned out to be a lie?

I hunched over to my side and threw up. Nothing but water dribbled past my lips and slipped away into a crack in the rock.

Newt rushed over in an instant, pulling a stray lock of hair out of my face as I straightened, wiping my mouth with my sleeve.

"You okay?" he asked urgently, eyebrows knotted in concern.

I met his eye, and my stomach settled immediately, remembering exactly why what I'd done was worth it. In that moment, I'd reacted purely on instinct, driven by the primal fear of seeing him in danger.

As I looked at him, my mind flew instead straight to that kiss; that too had been pure adrenaline, a swirl of panic and relief and instinct that he'd acted upon, as if he didn't care who saw.

"You need to eat," he said, thrusting an open tin into my hand.

I took it from him gratefully, offering him a weak smile as he moved to sit beside me, his leg pressed against mine. I pulled the spoon from the tin and began to eat, eager to refill my painfully empty stomach.

"Well," Minho said to the group eventually, breaking the tense silence. "That was... interesting."

"Is anyone badly hurt?" Leo asked, scanning the faces around him. His eyes landed on me for a moment, and I shook my head gently.

"They didn't have any weapons," Brenda commented. "We got lucky."

"Anna had a close call," Frypan said, as if answering Leo. I waved him off, not enjoying the sudden eyes on me.

"Good job her boyfriend saved the day," Jorge said lightheartedly, gesturing to Newt with his sword. "Heroic stuff, muchacho."

I expected Newt to argue, to counter or shut down Jorge's gibe, but he instead he huffed out a laugh.

"Yeah, well," he mumbled. "She saved me first."

"She sure did," Jorge responded, breaking into a wide grin.

"Yeah, those last two Cranks came outta nowhere," Frypan said.

The conversation dissolved then into Gladers rehashing their own moments of the fight, the adrenaline ebbing away as they splintered into separate discussions. Newt bumped my knee with his.