Lambent ↠ tst / newt [2]

x.

chapter x:

☇friend lost 

Kiara

THE GROUP AND MYSELF CREATED a makeshift stretcher for Winston to lie on. Minho and Frypan grabbed the handle bars and heaved the stretcher along. I carried Frypan's bag whilst Newt carried Minho's.

I walked beside Newt, trekking after Thomas. Deteriorating buildings surrounded us as we continued through the desert. The sun beat down on our backs, boiling my veins. I adjusted the packs over my shoulders.

Trudging through sand and over dunes was exhausting. After a couple hours of being in the Scorch, my legs wanted to give out.  Newt and I decided to take over for Minho and Fry, handing them their packs and ours. I gripped the bar, trying my hardest not to let it slip from my sweaty hands.

"You doing all right," Newt asked me. I nodded, not sure what to say. Although I was my entire body was damp from sweat and I was slightly dizzy from the heat, I knew I could pull through. I looked him, seeing his brown irises filled with concern. My heart fluttered when I met his eyes.

"I'll be okay. Don't worry about me," I said, waving him off. "Kia, you look like you're about to pass out," he stated. "Let's just carry Winston. He's in worse shape then me," I said. Newt sighed at my stubbornness, but helped me drag the stretcher.

I pulled on the stretcher, hauling Winston over one of the sand dunes. The group was traveling under a bridge. The dune descended on a steep slope, one we couldn't drag our friend down. "Guys, a little help," I called to the other boys.

Minho and Fry came over, pulling Winston's arms over their shoulders, as Teresa grabbed the stretcher. "Thomas, grab his legs," Minho commanded, adjusting the unconscious boy's arm on his shoulder.

The heat hit us again after we walked out from under a broken bridge. Thomas and Aris took over for carrying Winston. I felt the wind pick up, and sand began hitting any areas of bare skin.

"There's a storm coming," Teresa pointed out, looking back at the rest of the group. "Just watch out for the sand. Let's keep moving," Thomas suggested, heaving Winston over the ground.

I retrieved the bandanna from my pocket. I wrapped it around my mouth and nose to protect my face. The others covered their heads and faces with anything they could find.

The wind rose, picking up loose grains of sand. I covered my covered my exposed face from the flying particles, blinking any that got in my eyes away. My hair whipped in my face, making it even harder to see.

The group yelped and hissed at the biting sand. "Gotta find shelter," Thomas yelled over the gale. I stumbled around, squinting through the storm for a place to rest. The dust cloud was thick, almost impossible to see through.