The Scorch Trials - completely different version :)

Cranks.

I could feel my eyes burning, turning the insides of my eyelids a deep red. That's when the shouting starts, first like a distant hum, now a piercing reality. Opening my eyes, I see my friends running around frantically. I spot Frypan first; sitting up, I grab onto his shirt stopping him. 

"What's going on?" I croak, my sudden speech sending an aching pain to the back of my throat. I watch as his eyes waver in an unusual mix of adrenaline, terror and subtle curiosity. 

"Can you not hear them, slinthead?" He snaps, pushing my hand away, I listen carefully. Shrieks, but wait. The more I listen, the more I contemplate if they are human or animal, their octave too high to be from my friends. I need to stand to see through the bodies scrambling around. That's when my eyes stop at the secured window across the room and realise why bars were drilled to the pane. 

My eyes have to be deceiving me. No way can something like this exist. They're... Zombies, it's hard to explain. I lock eyes with one, probably a woman, she has no hair, only blisters and dirt, her sweetcorn teeth hanging outside her mouth as she drools down her scabbed chin. I gag, desperately pushing my eyes away from the hideous woman, my eyes are fixed though, probably my stubborn curiosity. The woman's crying something, her red and purple beady eyes fixed on me. It was hard to make out anything she was saying and I was not going any closer, I could tell from the expressions of others that if I stood any closer, I would catch the fume slowly contaminating the room. 

"What is she saying?" I shout to nobody in particular, part of me hoping somebody else will go up to her. Getting her to speak will never happen, she's insane. Was this the flare virus Dr Paige described? Was this caused by the sun? A part of me wonders how the maze would help these people but I need to keep that thought till later. For now, I need to help. 

"They keep saying they're cranks, whatever that bloody means!" Newt shouts from behind me. Cranks. Where have I heard that before? It's like when you have something on the tip of your tongue, you know it so well, but you just can't pick out the words. I see Minho hammering on the door. It doesn't seem to be budging, I don't even want to ask how long he's been trying for. 

Teresa pops into my head, I haven't seen her since last night, we spoke telepathically before bed but other than that. I call out to her, forming the words and passing them over to her. 

Hey, where are you? I ask her, I seal my eyes as I wait for a response. Nothing, she is usually quick to reply, my ears start throbbing as my heart pounds in panic. What if these 'crank' people have already gotten to her? What if she is in trouble? I try again. 

Teresa? Are you alright? I ask next, trying not to frighten her with my panicked sound. She could easily be sleeping. Minho shakes my shoulders, pulling me from my daze. 

"Wakey, wakey. Dude, we have a little issue here. Snap out of it!" He shouts, pointing to the window jammed with cranks, each one more disgusting than the last. I feel the food I had last night physically rising. I keep it down and study the room. A fire extinguisher! I run for it, tearing it off its holder. 

I run to the door, ignoring the questions. I lift it above my head whilst taking a deep breath. I slam it into the brass handle. A tremble through my arms because of the impact makes my grasp of the extinguisher weaken and my arms fall to my knees. Dropping it. 

I pick it back up, shaking my arms slightly, I hit the handle again. It loosens making a nail drop. I hit it again, pulsing adrenaline through me. I raise it above my head for the fourth time. I gather every piece of energy I have left and drive the fire extinguisher down. The door swings ajar.