Pieces of the Sun

Chapter Thirteen

"Where to now?" Chuck was the first to ask the question.

"Further into the city," Newt answered. "There are bound to be people here somewhere. I overhead Jorge and Brenda talking about something called the Right Arm."

Thomas glanced at the sky. "Well that's the only lead we've got so I say we take it."

"I agree," Frypan stepped up. "Find other human beings that won't try to eat us. That's a good plan. I like it."

"Teresa?" Thomas asked, turning to the girl. "You're being awfully quiet."

Teresa's head snapped up, sunlight bouncing off her dark hair. "Oh yeah- sorry. Just... thinking that's all."

"Yeah, it's a lot to take in." Newt said, turning back to face Minho and I. "Ready?"

I nodded. Thomas and Newt started at the front leading the way over rocks and debris. Minho and I followed at the rear, a good distance from everyone else.

"What if they catch us?" Minho asked in a low voice. "What then?"

"I have no idea." I answered honestly. "But I meant what I said. I'd rather die trying to escape."

Minho grabbed my hand then and didn't let go as we trekked further into the city. As we went deeper and deeper in, the buildings became less destroyed and rotted. Roads stood without hazard and there was no rubble.

"It's like a whole diffrent world," Minho muttered looking around.

"Weird." I said. A banner hanging from a building caught my eye. The vibrant purple and and red and green shone proudly against the grey building. Then we turned down another road and stopped in our tracks.

People.

Dozens and dozens of people filled the street. Walking and talking. Carrying baskets, wearing bright colors, long hair, short hair, dark skin, light skin, eating food and drinking. There was the sound of music coming from somewhere. The notes rose and fell in an odd, hypnotic tune. Voices filled the air and I blinked several times to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.

"What the bloody hell?" Newt said from the front.

"Well, I guess we found the people." Thomas said.

"And they don't look like Cranks." Frypan filled in.

"Can we go closer?" Chuck asked.

"I suppose. I mean this is what we were looking for, right?" Newt glanced back at Minho and I.

"Yeah. I guess we ask around. See if we can find anything out about the Right Arm. Or about this place at all." Minho said.

"Should we split into groups?" Clint suggested and Newt nodded in agreement. "Let's meet under that awning." Newt pointed at a silver and pink overhang glinting in the light. It was hard to miss.

"How long?" Thomas asked.

"A few hours, I think." Newt answered.

The Gladers separated themselves into groups, heading off into different directions.

"Shall we?" Minho said, gesturing at the hustle and bustle of people.

"Sure. Just no white sheets and Cranks this time, okay?"

Minho chuckled. "Only you would make a joke out of that."

I rolled my eyes as we started forward into the people. They didn't seem to pay is any attention and I supposed we blended in well enough. We passed several open doorways but I couldn't tell what was in them. The smell of food wafted down the street and as if on cue my stomach growled. That last thing I'd eaten had been another can of meet while we were trekking through the city. My pack felt lighter now, so I had to guess that the food was almost gone.

"There's no plants." Minho said suddenly, breaking me out of my daze.

"What?"

"No plants." He gestured around. "Look. When's the last time we saw something green?"

"The sun must've killed everything in the flares. And now the climate is too harsh for anything to grow back."

"They must've found some way to grow food or else they wouldn't have survived this long."

"Speaking of food," I said. "We need to find some. And someplace to stay for the night."

"Yeah, you're right." A man stumbled down the street, bumping into Minho before continuing on his way. He walked like he was half asleep and half drunk. I turned to watch his retreating figure. "Do you think any of these people have the Flare?"

"I'm sure they do." Minho looked at a woman half slumped against the wall of a building, head lolling on her chest. "I just don't think they care anymore. Staying away from the disease seems inevitable at this point."

My shoulder burned just thinking about the Flare. I scanned the structures further down the street. A banner flying high in the sky caught my attention. "Minho, look."

He followed my gaze to the large white piece of fabric fluttering in the wind. Scrawled on it were the words, "Open rooms for rent. Food provided."

Minho raised his eyebrows. "That's convenient."

"And exactly what we need. It won't hurt to look."

"I suppose not." We started down the crowded street, sticking close together. The building looked plain just like the others. There was a large wooden door at the front. Minho looked at me and then pushed it open.

The interior was light with flickering lanterns hanging from the walls. More white cloth banners were strung around for decoration. The room was large and empty except for a desk that stood to the side. Behind it was a beaded curtain that jingled as it was pushed aside and a girl appeared.

She looked to be about our age, 18 or 19. Her skin was tanned and her hair was as gold as the flickering flames around us. Large grey eyes gazed at the both of us. She wore a simple dress made of bright purple materiel. She walked to the desk, placing both hands on the surface. "Can I help you?"

"Uh...yeah." Minho stepped forward. "We were looking for a room?"

"More than one, actually." I said standing beside him.

"How many?" The girl asked.

"Four." I answered. There were nine of us in total. Minho and I would take one, Teresa and Thomas in the other and then the rest of the group would divide up the two.

"Alright. You're in luck, we have only four rooms left. What did you bring to trade?"

Trade? I glanced at Minho. Shit, we hadn't thought about that.

The girl must've seen our worried glances and taken pity on us for some unknown reason. "It doesn't have to be anything fancy. This isn't like Vergus if you've been there. Just open your bags and we'll see what you have."

We complied, slipping off our bags. I set the flashlight on the desk and my watch from around my wrist. Minho did the same. There were extra coats in the bags as well. The girl looked at the items. "This will be fine. I assume your other companions will have things to trade as well?"

"Uh, yeah." I said and Minho nodded.

"Alright then." She gathered the items in a pile. "Welcome to the Right Arm Inn."