Pieces of the Sun

Chapter Nine

We took shelter in an abandoned building.

It looked to be a shopping mall at one point but Brenda had deemed it safe enough so we ventured inside. There were no lights at all, so it was hard to see once we got inside. I stuck close to Minho and Newt as the others dropped their packs just inside the door.

Jorge glanced around. "A lot of places like these were shelters for people when the Sun Flares struck. There might be blankets and other things left around."

Brenda nodded in agreement. "We should split up and look around. Maybe we'll find something useful."

Newt glanced at me and I shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

"Alright," I said. "Chuck, Frypan and Teresa, you stay here by the doors. The rest of us will head further back to see what we can find."

"Good that," Frypan said, plopping down on the dusty floor. Chuck sat next to him and Teresa on the otherside.

"Okay," I turned to the remained people. "Let's go in pairs of two?"

"Brenda and I will go this way," Jorge said pointing to the left.

"Minho and I will go straight and Newt and Thomas, you guys can go to the right. Let's meet back here in twenty minutes with everything we've found." I checked my wrist watch. "Everyone good?"

There were murmurs of agreement and then we went our separate ways.

It was pitch black in the entire place and was silent except for our footsteps. A chill ran down my spine. There was an eerie feel in the air. I squinted into the darkness in vain, only being able to make out vague shapes. Minho followed close behind me as we trekked further into the abandoned building. "I don't like this," he muttered.

"Me either," I answered, voice in a low whisper.

There was a crash to our left and I jumped, pushing into Minho's hard chest behind me. His hand flew up and gripped my shoulder. "What the hell was that?"

"I have no idea." I peered into the dark, the both of us frozen in the spot. Niether one of us wanted to move. After a few more seconds of total silence I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "It was probably just something falling. This whole place looks ready to collapse at any second."

"Tell me about it. I would've much rather kept walking all night." Minho said, handing falling away as we started to move forward.

"There's no way Chuck or Newt would've made it."

"I know, I know." Minho fell quiet for a few heartbeats. "Has Newt's limp been getting worse?"

The question about our friend caught me off guard. "I'm not sure. We've been running a lot more than any of the other Gladers are used to- shit!" My shins slammed into a hard edge and I winced.

"What?"

"I just ran into something, hang on." I reached down and felt for the object, running my hands along the surface. "It feels like...like a table."

"A table?" Confusion filled Minho's voice. Suddenly there was a buzzing over head. Lights flickered on, one by one until the whole place was suddenly illuminated. I squinted at the sudden harsh brightness.

"Well I guess somebody found the lights," Minho said dryly. "How they work after this long- I have no shucking clue."

I glanced down. It was a table I'd run into. A coffee table to be exact, decaying and rotting away. There was a lump of blankets and pillows on the other side. I slowly looked around at where we'd been walking then.

"Holy shit." Minho muttered mirroring my actions. The entire place had been turned into a camp of some sort. Beds and blankets and pillows were scattered across the floor. Sheets had been hung on strings to form make-shift curtains. There were rumpled clothes and shoes laying about.

I left out spot and wandered to the nearest sheet hanging up. I pushed it aside. Two little beds were on the other side. I reached down and picked up a creased picture left on one of the beds. It was a little girl, laughing as she sat in green grass. She wore a flowered dress and clutched a fluffy brown bear in one hand. I glanced to the other bed. A stuffed animal sat atop it.

I picked it up in my hand, the fur matted and dirty and then glanced back at the picture. The girl looked so carefree and happy.
Where is she now?

I dropped the stuffed bear and photo, walking back out to the middle of the area. Minho was looking around just as I was. "What happened to these people? Where do you think they went?"

I shook my head. "I have no idea." Another shudder ran down my spine. "I know we're supposed to get blankets and things but..." I trailed off.

"It doesn't feel right," Minho finished for me. "I know, it feels weird taking these things when they were left like this. Like the people could come back any minute now."

"Yeah." I nodded. "Let's just head back."

Minho dipped his head in agreement as I turned and started walking back the way we'd come. Even with the lights on, the place still had an odd feeling to it. I just couldn't place it.

There was another crash again. I jerked to a stop, Minho doing the same. "Did you see anything?"

"No," I shook my head. "Nothing." I took a step towards where the noise had come from, Minho close behind.

"Be careful," I heard him muttered. The sheets were hung closer together as we ventured further in. I had to push several aside for us to pass through.

Squelch

I froze. I glanced down. I'd stepped in some type of liquid. Holding my breath, I looked closer. It was thick and dark almost like-

Almost like blood. Fresh blood.